Chapter
Nine:
Kero-chan picked up the phone,
mind working furiously. What was the number, what was the number? He couldn't
remember Yukito's number for the life of him. And he had to figure it out soon,
hopefully before Sakura realized what he was doing.
Down below the door opened,
admitting voices.
Sakura sat up as if struck by
lightning. "Yukito-san!" she whispered joyfully to Kero as he struggled to drag
the phone out of the room. "Uh, Kero-chan? What are you doing?"
Kero dropped the phone and smiled.
"Nothing. Just…cleaning up a bit."
Sakura frowned, rising from the
bed and closing her textbooks. "Oni-chan is home! Hide!" and she picked up the
phone, setting it in its place and leaving the room.
Kero gazed after her, worriedly.
He had to do something quickly, and Yukito's arrival made it all the easier.
Now he just had to find a way to get Yukito alone so that he could summon Yue.
"Sakura-chan!" he called after her.
She paused at the staircase,
looking at him as if he were insane. He knew the argument already. He shouldn't
have called her so loudly, especially because of the fact that to the two
people downstairs, he was just a stuffed animal.
"I need to speak to Yue." He
said in a gentler voice. "Maybe you can bring him up here?"
Yukito-san in my room!
Sakura nodded, smiling. "Ok."
And she skipped down the staircase, greeting her brother. Kero could hear her
chatting with Yukito and he waited impatiently as Sakura served him and her
brother dinner. It took forever, he felt, while they ate. Most likely it was
Yukito's fault. The boy could eat enough for two.
Which he was. And Yue said he
was never hungry. Of course not. Yukito ate for him, too.
There was the sound of chairs
scraping and then Sakura was saying, "Yukito-san. There's something I want to
show you! Oni-chan, finish up, I'll bring him right back."
"Hm." Was all the answer she got
from her brother.
Then she was dragging Yukito-san
up the stairs, his hand in hers. "Come on, it's in my room. I made it for my
Home Ec class and-"
Kero was already waiting as she
threw open the door to her room.
"Awaken, Yue."
Sakura had barely closed the
door behind them when Yukito's eyes closed and his body fell. Sakura caught him
quickly, holding him up against herself and she looked at Kero anxiously.
Wings suddenly burst from
Yukito's back, snaking under Sakura's arms and freeing Yukito's limp form from
her embrace. The wings wrapped around his figure, feathers flying and as Sakura
watched Yue emerged from those wings, eyes looking around lazily.
"Now what is it?" he asked.
Kero nodded. "Sakura, go
downstairs and keep your brother company so he doesn't come looking." He said,
motioning her out.
"What's this about?" Sakura
asked with a frown.
"About the False Cards." Yue
answered. "Keroberos will inform you about it if anything comes up. Go." And he
didn't mean it harshly. His eyes were cold, as usual, but his voice was soft.
Sakura nodded and left,
footsteps padding down the hallway.
Yue looked at Kero. "I have a
feeling I might know what this is about." He said quietly and he crossed his
arms over his chest.
Kero floated closer. "Do you?"
he asked.
"It concerns the Mistress and
the Chinese Clan Head. Correct?" he asked, eyebrow arched, and he sat down
gracefully, wings wrapping around him as if cold.
Kero nodded. "Yes." He said
faintly. And he looked at him sadly. "She has to know that Yukito doesn't love
her the way she desires. She has to know soon because things are…progressing
faster than I would have liked."
Yue inhaled, gray-blue eyes looking
around the room absentmindedly. "The Mistress is getting older as we speak."
"Yes."
Yue bowed his head, long
silver-white hair falling silkily down the sides of his face and winding along
his shoulders down his back. "What would you have me say to her," he asked
quietly, "that wouldn't break her heart?"
Kero smiled at the Judge. He had
known, always known, that no matter how cold and unwelcome Yue was, he loved
Sakura very much. "It's not what you say." He replied, floating down to sit
beside the young-looking man, "but what Yukito-san says."
The corner of Yue's mouth
tightened for a moment as he thought quietly. Kero sighed sadly beside him,
bowing his head as well.
"How strange." Yue whispered
almost blankly.
Kero looked at him questioningly.
"To feel love for more than one
person. And to have no idea what to do." He said and he suddenly rose, the bed
lifting under the sudden loss of his weight.
"What are you going to do?" Kero
asked as he moved toward the door.
Yue didn't bother turning
around. "I'm going to break her heart." He answered and he let himself out.
Kero stared sorrowfully after
him. He really shouldn't walk around like that.
Touya nodded as Yukito chattered
on cheerfully, eyes closed into little moon crescents. "But I was so hungry, I
didn't know what to do and I had some money on me but not enough for
what I really wanted to buy, which was all right because-"
Sakura entered the room,
carrying a small tray filled with a teapot and crackers. "I'm going to sleep
soon, oni-chan." She said as they both paused to look at her, setting down the
tray on the coffee table between Touya and Yukito. "Are you doing morning duty
tomorrow?"
Touya nodded, seemingly bored.
"All right, then." And she
smiled at Yukito. "Good night, Yukito-san."
Yukito began to smile at her and
then something flashed across his face, a strange look of…understanding almost.
He hesitated, frowning faintly, and then quickly said, as Sakura began to turn
away, "Sakura-chan! Can I speak to you for a second? Outside, perhaps?"
Touya glanced at Sakura blankly.
Sakura looked at him. "Sure."
She said, almost reluctantly. And she looked at Touya before following him
towards the back door.
"I'll be right back, To-ya."
Yukito called back to him.
"Hm."
Sakura walked behind Yukito-san,
cheeks slowly reddening. This was rather strange. Not that she minded
because…it was Yukito-san.
Hanyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan…
Yukito held the door open for
her politely and motioned her toward the small swing hanging from the large
tree in her backyard.
Sakura floated over to it,
turning to face him when he followed and paused before her. "What is it?" she
asked faintly.
Yukito looked down at her, brown
eyes the slightest bit sad. The moon reflected off his glasses and Sakura gazed
at him, gazed at the moon. She almost felt Yue there, looking out from those
eyes.
How beautiful you are. And
how ironic that we would speak under a full moon.
"Sakura-chan…" he began and he
reached down to take her hand slowly.
Sakura stiffened at his contact,
looking down at their hands together. It was lovely, the sight. She looked up
at him, a ball in her throat and she suddenly said, "I love you," before
realizing. A moment later she clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening in
horror.
Oh my God…
Yukito had a pained expression
on his face. "I know." He murmured and he was also looking at their hands. "And
I love you as well-"
Sakura's heart stopped.
"But not the way you want me
to." He uttered and it was almost as if he couldn't look her in her eyes
anymore.
Sakura felt the earth rock under
her. But it was an illusion, she knew it was. Because she hadn't moved at all.
She felt dizzy, a bit unfocused. No, horribly unfocused. And painfully
wounded. With a small, shaky breath she backed away, her hand slipping out of
his grasp and she fell into the swing, allowing it to hold her because her
knees couldn't do the job anymore.
"Sakura-chan."
She bowed her head, wishing she could curl up and die. "Oni-chan." She whispered and she couldn't bear to look at him suddenly.
How foolish of me…
"You…love oni-chan." She said
softly.
You love him the way I want
you to love me.
Yukito came close, pausing
before her. "Yes." He answered and he lifted his hands, grasping her face.
She tried to shake free because
tears were falling down her cheeks. She didn't want to show him weakness,
didn't want him to be sad because he had hurt her. One couldn't help loving the
one they did. And he wasn't to blame.
But he felt the tears under his
fingers, and he lifted her face, brushing back soft bangs. His eyes met hers
and she gazed at him, more tears flooding her eyes and obscuring her vision of
him.
His lips touched her forehead, a
simple gesture that he loved her. But also that he could never love her the way
she wished he could.
And she couldn't help closing
her eyes and weeping, burying her face shamefully into his chest. His heart
sounded so loud, pounding in her ear and Yue would never let her hear the end
of this but she couldn't help it.
Yukito embraced her mournfully,
feeling that somewhere inside, someone else shared his pain.
With a sniffle, Sakura pulled
away, as if she couldn't bear to feel his hands on her anymore. She rose, hand
lifting to clear away tear tracks. "I'm going to bed." She whispered, winding
around him. "Goodnight, Yukito-san." And under her breath, "Yue-san."
Yukito stared after her, an
expression of loss upon his face. "Sakura-chan…"
But she ignored him, entering
the house and using the back staircase to climb to her room.
Kero looked up as she entered
the room. He cocked his head, looking at her as she closed the door and then
leaned her head into the wood, frame trembling. "Sakura-chan?"
Sakura sighed against the door,
a hand lifting to her face. "He doesn't love me, Kero-chan." She whispered and
Kero suddenly knew what she was talking about. She turned to face him, eyes
brimming with more tears, the ones that had escaped already soaking her face.
Her tears shone in the light of her room, streaking her face.
Kero lifted off the floor, tiny
wings carrying him as she staggered to her bed and threw herself upon it,
curling into a little ball. He touched down beside her, lifting a paw and
touching her cheek. "Sakura-chan…"
"I want to be alone." She
murmured faintly, green eyes staring at her wall, gaze unseeing. "Please? Just
for a little while. Alone."
Downstairs she heard Yukito
mumble something, followed by a response from her brother. But she didn't want
to hear that voice. Not then. Not then. She just wanted to be alone, to think
and to cry.
She faintly heard Kero-chan fly
over to the window and she felt it when he left. She was just suddenly alone.
She sighed to herself, curling into herself closer. And she felt something,
poking into her shoulder. With a slight frown she reached up to fluff the
pillow and only then encountered the videotape, blank of any name or
description.
It was probably Tomoyo-chan's.
She had probably dropped it from her bag. She would return it tomorrow, when
she could face people again. Right then, she just wanted to be alone.
"The tape!" Tomoyo suddenly
cried and she lifted a hand to her head, eyes wide in horror.
"What tape?" Eriol asked her as
they paused in front of her house.
"The tape!" she shouted again.
"The…the tape! The one that I got of Li-kun, that day you made the bet.
Remember! I recorded you two making the bet!"
Eriol paled a bit. "All right. I
understand. What about it?" and he looked at her, leaning in closer.
"Tomoyo-san, where did you leave it?"
Tomoyo swallowed, feeling her
hands begin to tremble. "Sakura's house." She murmured, looking with unseeing
eyes at her house. "I left it in Sakura's house."
Eriol looked down, mind racing
furiously. "All right, all right. It's no problem. It's at her house. I'm sure
she has no idea what it is. She probably thinks it's yours. I don't think she'd
look at it. She might not even notice it. Where did you leave it?" he looked at
her with questioning dark eyes and when she merely looked at him he asked
again, "Tomoyo-san…where did you leave it?"
"Under her pillow." She said in
a breath of a whisper.
Eriol blinked, face finally
going totally pale. "Under…her pillow?" he asked slowly.
Tomoyo nodded, smoothing back
her long hair. "I…I showed it to Kero-chan! I was talking to him because of the
talk I had with Sakura earlier, about her feelings toward Yukito-san and I had
brought it along, because…because…"
Eriol waited for her to
continue.
"Because I thought maybe I'd
show it to her and end the bet! I didn't want it to keep going. Not with what
was at stake!" she lowered her hand to cover her eyes, bottom lip trembling.
"And…and Kero-chan said he'd talk to Yue-san to work things out there but she
came in, in the middle of our talk and I had to hide the tape so I…I put it
under her pillow!"
Eriol leaned back, inhaling
shakily. "Why didn't you just tell her it was your tape? An old tape of
when…you used to capture cards? Or something like that?" he asked her.
"Because it was so sudden! And I
didn't want her to ask to see what was on the tape. It would just have been a
lie, anyway!" Tomoyo backed up and leaned against her gate, dropping her
backpack to the floor. "I forgot it. I can't believe I forgot it. And then you
came along and…and…"
And I was so happy to see you
and so desperate to get out of there because of what we needed to say…
She slid down the gate to sit on
the ground, legs drawn to her chest. "I just wanted to get out of there…" she
uttered sadly, into her hands. "I just wanted…"
Eriol sat down beside her,
lifting his head to look at the stars above. He had to think, just for a small
moment, think. "Ok, so we…call her up and ask her if she found the tape. I'll
talk to her. I'll tell her it's for the project we're…we're working on. Yes,
it's for the project and we need her to give it back to us tomorrow in class."
He looked at her. "Ok?"
When she didn't respond or move
he reached out and took hold of her wrist, pulling one hand away from her face.
"It'll be ok. Give me your cell phone." He said, leaning into her a bit.
She gazed at him, dark eyes
shining in the moonlight. With a shaky breath she reached into her backpack and
pulled forth the phone. Eriol took it from her. "Give me the number."
She complied and he dialed,
waiting with held breath as the phone rang.
"Hello?" her brother picked up.
He cleared his throat. "Hello?
This is Hiiragizawa. May I speak with Sakura-san?"
There was a slight pause.
"Sakura's asleep. She wasn't feeling well. But I can give her a message if she
starts feeling better?" he suggested politely.
Eriol glanced at Tomoyo, who was
still looking at him. "Yes, please. Can you please ask her to bring a video
tape to school with her tomorrow? It's under her pillow. It's for a project I'm
working on with Tomoyo-san." He explained. "I'd very much appreciate it."
"No problem," came the reply.
"I'll tell her."
"Arigato." And Eriol hung up,
slowly lowering the phone. "She wasn't feeling well, he said. She was asleep."
Tomoyo leaned her head back
against the gate, eyes closing sadly.
"Don't worry." Eriol said to
her. "It'll be fine. She'll come in tomorrow and we'll just ask her then if she
doesn't have it."
Tomoyo swallowed and he saw her
throat work. "Sakura was fine right before I left. You saw her yourself. Do you
think…maybe she already saw the tape and doesn't want to speak to us?"
Eriol paused at the question. It
was possible, very possible. "I don't think so," he lied soothingly. "I think
she just doesn't feel well and went to bed early. Maybe still worked up over
the Card incident."
Tomoyo sighed, finally opening
her eyes. "I hope you're right." She whispered. And she shifted to stand up.
"I'm going in. Thank you for walking me home, Eriol-kun."
"Un." He said with a nod, rising
also. He hesitated awkwardly as she stood facing him, both their heads bowed.
And then, strangely enough, she
rose on tiptoe, lifting her head, and placed a small kiss on his cheek.
Eriol blushed a deep red, eyes
wide, blinking in surprise behind his thin-rimmed glasses.
Tomoyo smiled, backing away from
him. And lifting her backpack she entered through her gate, hair floating
behind her.
He watched her as she went into
her house. Even after the door had shut he stood there. And his hand felt
strange as he lifted it to touch his cheek. But then a smile lifted the corners
of his lips and he turned away to go home, feeling light.
Everything was going to be all
right.