A/n: I'm in a holiday and I suppose to write more and faster, but that cool Euro 2004 football match has really dragged my attention. -
Recap Chap. 9 well, it was Tomoyo who was angry with Eriol and got into the woods. Then she heard the bullet's shot. Not a very good recap I guess, but anyway, enjoy…
--} Chameleon {--
Chapter 10: The Karma
It happened very quickly. Just right when her ears caught the fatal sound of the shot, Tomoyo felt some weight pushing her –making her fall to the snowy ground below. Her head didn't hit the ground that hard, but her shock made her collapsed anyway.
And then she dreamed. It was Soujiro she saw in her dream.
Her hand reached up to touch him, but it only touched the air of nothingness.
She knew he would never come back. And the fact ached her still.
Soujiro's figure had disappeared. But she still could hear his voice.
"All I want you to feel is to be happy…"
Tomoyo flipped her eyes opened and soon her amethyst eyes met the night's darkness. She groaned. Her back was laid on the hard and rough-textured tree and she didn't feel comfortable at all. Slowing down her rapid breathing, she tried to study her surrounding, but the tears she was silently shedding, were blurring her vision. Quickly, she wiped them and got her focus again.
If it hadn't been for the lantern's light beside her, she wouldn't have been able to see anything.
The first she spotted was the trees around her, and then Eriol –who was 5 meters away, checking his horse's condition. That created another question in her still-confused mind. How the hell could she end up there with Eriol?
A flick of memory touched her mind. Immediately standing up, she then spoke at the other person. "Hiiragizawa! T,the bullet! What happened?! How could…"
"It missed the target," He replied. His back was still facing her.
"What?"
He sighed. "Daidouji…. I really don't like repeating a sentence more than once,"
"Just to make sure. You said… it missed?"
Eriol nodded.
"But… how about the shooter?!"
"I don't know. He only shot once,"
"Could it be that…it was the same person who shot me… back then in the graveyards?!"
"It's possible," he said, without giving any sign that he cared a bit.
Tomoyo stared at her husband in disbelief. "It's a serious thing, you know. I have this maniac going after my head!"
"So you notice. It's your head, not mine,"
"I can die… and you don't care about that?!" Her voice quivered. Everything had been stressing her out so much, until she reached the point where she almost couldn't handle.
"Is that supposed to be my concern?"
She exhaled a deep breath, and with the remaining patient (if not sanity) that was left, she calmed herself down. Doing some other thing but to argue with the ice-hearted guy seemed to be a better option. "We should just… get out of here," she murmured as approaching him.
"You don't have to say such an obvious thing," he said as tightening his horse's saddle. "Get on the horse. You have wasted too much of my time,"
He had pissed her so much. She looked up at him. Her violet eyes challenged him. "Then why didn't you just leave me? I'm just an annoying disturbance for you, am I not?"
Tomoyo herself was quite surprised to hear herself saying that. It wasn't one of the questions that she had planned to ask. It just blurted out from her mouth. But she still waited for his answer then.
He slowly turned around to her and said, "I have promised your mother about your safety. And please, Daidouji. It isn't that I like the idea itself."
"And why did you agree to marry me?" She hadn't really asked the question to him before. Tomoyo concluded it by herself, that he was marrying her for business only. But then… she hoped… just a little bit… that he would reply with a different answer.
"Business matters only," he replied flatly.
She took it quite well. It wasn't anything new that she felt a slight (very slight –she insisted) of pain in her heart because of his words. Though the little voice inside of her had once asked her: How could she was still feeling the hurt, even that she claimed she had used to it?
"The snowfalls won't stop though you stay there all night, Daidouji," he said.
Tomoyo nodded tiredly. She took a grip on the horse's saddle and trying to get her body up with the saddle's support. Lifting herself on to the horse wasn't a problem. Her mother and friends had been complaining on how thin she was.
Took it soon after she seated herself on the horse, that Eriol climbed up the horse for himself. Both of them were on it then, with Eriol behind Tomoyo. The dark haired guy handed his wife the lantern and told her to lighten the way. She took it, and his other hand reached for the horse's halter –passing her waist. His touch made her shivered and she cursed herself for that.
Because it wasn't a rational thing to feel uneasy just because Eriol Hiiragizawa's slight touch.
And she was starting to believe that an irrational person was what Eriol trying to turn her into.
She shook her head. Thinking of him would only make the insanity process inside of her became faster. So in the attempt to get him off her head, she chose to just look at the view around.
And though Tomoyo had good sense of concentrating, she didn't need a long time to lost interest in the dark woods. There was nothing to be seen after all. With Eriol's horse slow walking, it was easier for her to just fall asleep. And foremost, after all that had happened that day, she was exhausted.
Her eyelids felt heavy and were about to close as she looked down to the white snow below.
She was about to close her eyes, but the light from the lantern (that was hung almost loosely) helped her to notice something on the ground.
Something had contrasted the whiteness of snow. Something dropped in every half meter or so….
Tomoyo quickly raised her head up. Her tiredness was forgotten and she firmly said, "Hiiragizawa. Stop the horse."
As usual, Eriol ignored her. But she wouldn't just sit there and do nothing that time. Pulling the horse's halter abruptly, she managed to stop his black horse.
"It's only luck that the horse stops. Next time, you may kill both of us with your stupidity," he remarked.
Tomoyo exhaled a quick breath. "Hiiragizawa, I know how to stop a horse rightly. I'm the best female horse-rider in London…" she paused. "…Well, after my mother," the girl later added.
Realizing that she only wasted time, Tomoyo quickly jumped off the horse. She stood up, put the lantern on the snowy ground, and spoke. "Take off your coat,"
"Daidouji, if you want to stay there then fine. I'll go and maybe tomorrow I'll send some people to take your freezing body,"
"Hiiragizawa… I'm serious. Your coat…"
"What's with my coat?" he asked back.
"I just want to check it if…" she looked down to the snow, and then another droplet of blood fell...From his black coat. "…If you're injured…"
He eyed her for a moment before finally took it off. And just like Tomoyo had suspected, behind the coat, he had wound on his left upper arm.
She looked up and tried to find her voice to ask. "Was it because the bullet? T-the shooter was targeting you too, w-wasn't he? O-or did the bullet miss and got you? Or…" Her voiced trailed as the pieces of memories started to gather in her mind. She remembered feeling the weight pushing her and the scent… –it was his scent. So could it be that he was the one who saved her back then?
Tomoyo looked at his wound and suddenly felt guilty. His wound was very deep. Eriol had managed to wrap it with torn cloth from his shirt, but the blood was too much for the thin fabric to keep. "Hiiragizawa…you'd better get off the horse so I can wrap your wound properly,"
He looked coldly at his own bleeding arm. "I've wrapped it by myself –as you see,"
"But the blood…"
"Daidouji. I still have works tomorrow. I don't have much time…"
Instead of continuing his words, he diverted his eyes to look at his wound. He may remain expressionless, but Tomoyo knew better how painful the wound could be. She sighed. This stubborn guy…
She was about to snap at him, but he got off his horse and sat on the snow. The violet-eyed girl blinked –amazed – and then sat beside him.
Without any talk, Tomoyo slowly unbind the bandage that was wrapped around his arm. She took care of his wound first by cleaning it. Tearing her gown in order to get the cloth, she then covered his wound with it. Her hand held his gently, and for the first time, she noticed some invisible bruises on his thin yet well built arm. How could he get these bruises? She asked herself the question. Though it was unspoken, he seemed to be aware of her curiosity.
"They're from my past," he said.
Tomoyo stopped wrapping the wound but remained silent.
Eriol snorted. "You don't have to pretend that you're not curious, Daidouji,"
"I AM curious," she snapped. "And I don't pretend that I am not curious. But I won't push you to say something that you don't want to say,"
He didn't say anything and just let her wrapping his wound without saying any comments or remarks. She concluded it as the signal that he wanted to drop the subject.
"Hiiragizawa?" Tomoyo said after tightening the cloth on the last wrap. "Were you the one who pushed me away from the bullet back then?" she asked.
"… Yes,"
"W-well…. I just want to say thank you. F-for… saving my life," she uttered almost half-heartedly. Eriol's sapphire eyes were focused at her, and Tomoyo could only turn her face to hide her sudden blush. Damn, she thought. There it starts again… this foolish sensation inside…
She didn't understand it herself. How could she just think that way towards this cold, stubborn, annoying Hiiragizawa Eriol? Didn't she commit she wouldn't fall in love with him?
But the self-confession had been made, she soon realized.
She was falling for Eriol.
It wasn't the thing she wanted to know the most. It was frightening. But on the other hand, it was also…
Nice.
Damn.
The girl could probably still swimming in her own pool of thoughts if it wasn't for Eriol –whose words had brought her back to reality. He was talking something about papers he needed to sign, but heck. She paid no attention to that. In fact, she wasn't paying attention at any other things actually. Her emotion rush was taking control of her mind…
Good that at the last time, she managed to take a grip on herself before anything absurd could happen.
Or not.
For sure, she couldn't bear seeing the problem she had gotten herself into. But she had to anyway. So, slowly, she opened here eyes and gasped.
What else could be worse then finding out that her lips were on his?
It may last only for a second. It may be only a quick peck on lips. But such simple things (she didn't think it was simple though) could lead into such a complicated trouble.
Tomoyo pulled back right immediately as the realization stroke her. The undeniable horror was reflected on her lilac eyes. How could I?! HOW COULD I?!!
"I… I d-didn't mean to! I-I'm sorry! It was a mistake! A-and…" she continued muttering words that she couldn't even understand herself.
"Didn't you say you'd rather kiss a frog?" he calmly said.
Blushing ten shades of red, she did. "W-well… yes. T-that's why I…I said sorry! J-just forget this, okay?!"
Though she knew that she herself could never forget it.
"You've crossed the line, Daidouji,"
"I know! It was an accident!"
"But how come you sound like you're enjoying your little accident, huh?"
"I didn't enjoy it!" she insisted, even with knowing that wouldn't affect him –just like his normal. Though what he did next surprised her.
Eriol pulled her closer to him and put one arm around her waist, while the other hand cupped her chin.
And mercilessly, he kissed her.
He knew she wanted him, and he gave her what she wanted.
It was suppose to be a teasing kiss only –the kiss that he gave just to embarrass her, but the passion he didn't realize she was making, started to conquer him.
…
But he couldn't let it happen. No one had any right to take control of his mind and feeling. Pulling back abruptly, he broke the kiss. He saw her flushing cheeks, and was about to make a pitiless remark to mortify her even more.
For the first time, no smart words could be formed in his mind.
The Karma had gotten him as well.
Tbc…
A/N: Ohohohohohohohohohoho!!!!!!!!! Phew! Finally! Finally! After that damn kiss delay at the wedding, they finally kissed!! Hohohohoho!!! Well, cough sorry if this isn't as good as you might expect. I am not a good writer… TT
Oh no! It's not the time for sad mood!! Though it may be not so sweet, at least I've given you a (ehem, two!) kissing acts! Review, flame, comment, critics, give suggestions, just write anything, kay?