Disclaimer : I don't own CCS
THE Daidouji-san
Chapter 14: Resolve
I spent 10 minutes of the taxi ride to Naoko's house to clean away all the traces of tears. It was a good thing that I always had my concelear, eye drops, and tissue ready in my purse. It was a good thing too that my mother had once taught me how to groom up perfectly even in the least lucky situation. The taxi driver was driving madly but thanks to my skills, I managed to drop the eyedrops perfectly onto my eyes to get rid of the redness. The concelear was an easy issue after the difficulty of the eye drops. By the time the taxi stopped in the Yanagizawa Residence, I was all back in good condition: the flawless and ever smiling Tomoyo Daidouji.
Naoko was already waiting in front of her house when my taxi stopped there. There was also Mrs. Yanagizawa on the porch so I stepped out of the taxi first to greet her. I was never that close to the Yanagizawa family, but there was the similar warmth emitted from the house as in the Kinomoto's. It was easy to feel ease around them. Truthfully, I had rather spent the soiree talking with such a warm family than to face such poser groups of friends in our Junior High, but for the sake of Naoko's love life, I would push myself not to be selfish this time.
It was only when both Naoko and I got into the taxi that I began to examine her appearance. She was wearing a pretty camisole with white cardigan and a long skirt. A little odd fashioned, but it looked strangely good. Perhaps Naoko truly was the one who could look amazing in good vintage. She had taken off her glasses, curled the end of her shoulder-length, brown hair, and had apparently applied some make up.
"H-how do I look?" She nervously asked.
I replied honestly. "You look very beautiful. The color of your camisole really matches your eyes. And you choose the right mascara product, your eyes look mesmerizing. But your lipstick is a little too red and too fancy for such a casual afternoon."
The girl unconsciously put her fingers to her lips and stuttered, "I-I don't know which one is the right color. Both my mother and I aren't the type to collect make up product and –"
She paused when noticing that I had taken a medium-sized make up kit from my bag. I didn't always carry this around though, but somehow, I just had the feeling that I would need it that day.
"Wow… all those products… You use them all? It's like the kit usually carried by a professional make up artist or something…" Naoko commented.
I smiled. "To tell you the truth, I rarely use them myself. But it always become handy whenever someone asked me to do their make ups. Do you mind if I correct your make up just a little bit?"
"Not at all, Tomoyo! Please… just do what you please."
The taxi was still driving madly, but… "You are in the right hand."
In less than 30 minutes, we had arrived in our old Junior High School Building. The reunion event would take place in the center hal of the school. It was 4.50 PM, and the reunion didn't start until 5, but I supposed that there would already be several people coming.
"I'm scared, Tomoyo," whispered Naoko slowly as she clenched my hand.
I looked at her and began to speak. "You're a pretty, smart, charming, and lovable girl. You'll do yourself fine. I am not perfect myself but I will try to face my fear, so… you have to face it too, is that a deal?"
There was hesitation (which I hoped wasn't caused by her ability to see through me to tell that I was equally as nervous), but in the end, she smiled back at me. I took a few calming breath myself before we braced ourselves to enter the building.
Moments before Naoko and I entered the school's center hall, the flashbacks of my Junior High memories were playing fast inside my mind. The good memories in seventh and eight grade when Sakura was still around, the depression post Sakura's departure to Hong Kong in the first month of the 9th grade term, the one day of defending Naoko (not that I ever regretted it! I was glad that Naoko was saved from bullying) that led to the shifting of bully target, the whole year spent with fake friends who only aimed for my obedience and the Daidouji money…
Then, I recited also the little reunion that happened several months backward. When Yuriko, Shizu, Sae, and Nana tried to humiliate me and Hiiragizawa came to rescue me (he might deny it, but I still thought that he had saved me that time).
But even when Hiiragizawa had saved me, I knew that there were still problems.
I only ran away from my troubles back then. I only depended on Hiiragizawa to run away and I never truly settled anything with my Junior High friends that time.
None of the four so-called friends had tried to contact me after that incident (not that I wanted them to call), but I knew that they were still mad at me. I meant, Hiiragizawa did humiliate them in front of the guys… and since Hiiragizawa was doing it for my favor (alright, for Sakura's favor actually), I would still be the one put to blame. I was sure that their urge for revenge would triple, and what other moment could be best used to humiliate me other than the school reunion, in front of everyone?
But…
This was for Naoko, this was for Naoko… There was a high possibility that this girl would acquire her dream in this reunion and I wanted to support her with all my might here.
The hall was already crowded when we stepped inside. There was this joy of festivity, good drinks (hopefully non-alcoholic), easy-listening music, and laughter erupted everywhere. I studied the ambiance for a while and unconsciously let out a relieved sigh. This… may not be as bad as I thought it would. Perhaps I was overanalyzing, again. After all, it was a reunion, shouldn't I just enjoy it?
"T-Tomoyo. I-It's him… It's Keigo-kun…" Naoko's grip on my arm tightened. "I think I might faint."
I laughed at her playfully. "Come on Naoko. Go to him and talk."
"T-talk about what?"
"Anything. You can first ask him how has been, or how is his school, and perhaps discuss about several subjects. You know his hobbies, don't you? Use it to ignite the conversation."
"B-but –"
"Oh Naoko… You know you will regret it deeply if you let such opportunity slips out. Look, Kitanami-kun is all by him self. This is the best opportunity. Go." I pushed her back slowly and she went rigid. But after several seconds, she began to make her moves and I smiled proudly upon watching the girl.
I decided to just take some drinks and go to the corner to see Naoko's progress. She was doing pretty well –really good, if I might add. Naoko seemed to stumble upon saying something and she seemed to end up 'embarrassing' herself. Her fair skin reddened immediately but when I looked at Keigo Kitanami's reaction, I could definitely tell that the guy thought the blushing Naoko was cute.
I hadn't realized that Naoko's shyness over guy would actually win her one, but that was good for her.
For the next 30 minutes, I actually could tell that I enjoyed the reunion. There was no sighting of Yuriko, Shizu, Sae, or Nana, which actually helped me to feel much more relaxed. I found myself talking to my old Junior High school mates with much ease. I was back to my casual persona and I could say I was satisfied with myself. Eventually, I checked upon Naoko's situation and I could tell that she was blending in too. Her conversations with Keigo Kitanami was over, but oooh, did I just catch Kitanami-kun stealing glances at Naoko? And the dense Naoko didn't seem to realize it.
To this new prospect of matchmaking job, my heart went giddy.
I was about to approach Kitanami-kun to 'guide' him to my next matchmaking job, when my eyes caught something that made me literally did a double take.
Was it truly…
It was hard to believe, and perhaps it was a little too much of a cliché destiny like, but I was sure it was him.
The mysterious, rough-looking, but nice man I met in front of the night club who took me home safely: Kurogane.
"I really try my best to remember, but in the end, I am sure that you weren't enlisted as one of the students of Tomoeda Public Junior High…" I greeted casually as approaching the man who sat solely on the wide couch. I could pretty much understand why there was nobody gathered around him. To most others (most likely girls), he might look just like a big, bad, troublemaker guy. To guys, perhaps he served as a sort of intimidation (I meant, honestly, who wouldn't be intimidated with such frowning face, hard feature, and well built body?). But despite what other might see of him, I somehow still remained sticking to my original opinion about him: he really was not a bad guy.
And besides… there was something about him that naturally drew me to him. Almost automatically, almost magically. I wondered whether this was caused by my queer dream several days before when I had a girl, whose name and appearance was exactly like mine, visited me in my dream and referred Kurogane as my protector. I really couldn't understand the absurd idea (after all, the Daidouji Bodyguards were all more than enough), but at the same time, it was the idea that I naturally wasn't completely against of.
Kurogane looked up and blinked for several time before acknowledging me. He nodded briefly before shifting a little –giving me space (a too wide space, really) to sit.
After I sat, he answered my question. "I was not a student in Tomoeda Junior High," he admitted. "I was only here because I promised my cousin to take her here and to stay here."
"Your cousin?"
"She's the one who was the student of the Tomoeda Junior High."
"Oh really? Where is she?"
"In the ladies restroom with her friends. They've been there for almost 30 minutes, I really don't understand why girls take that long to be in the restroom."
There was something about his aloof, tense, and awkward characteristic that made me just giggle. "So… what do you think? You enjoy this reunion party?"
Kurogane sighed deeply and replied with something that was considerably irrelevant, in my opinion. "Don't worry. I won't ruin your school's reunion. I will depart soon anyway." He then prepared to stand up but my hand somehow reached up to stop him. He stumbled (I was sure that wasn't my doing!) before falling to the couch again. There was this angry glare on his eyes when he muttered, "Woman…"
"If you still insist to go, at least do it after you're feeling well."
He frowned and questioned. "Huh?"
"You don't look really well. Do you have a headache?"
His frowned deepened. "Did I tell you that I have a headache?"
"No, you didn't," I replied, equally as curious as for why I could tell that he was not feeling well. "But perhaps you'll feel better after resting a while. Do you want me to get you some drink?"
"No, it's alright. I just need to sit down for a while."
I found it funny, that being near this considerably stranger man was truly comforting. "No offense, but you don't seem to be the type to get headache that often. What makes you earn this headache anyway?"
He groaned. "Try driving your female cousin and her three equally noisy friends for a shopping at the mall and be forced to bear their stupid chats for more than 5 hours…" Kurogane noted scornfully.
"…your cousin and her friends?" I repeated, suddenly having a bad feeling about it. "Urm, Kurogane-san, what's the name of your cousin, again?"
"Yuriko Hasegawa."
My blood froze at the mention of the name that ruined the last year of my Junior High moment.
My nightmare came much faster than I had originally presumed. Not even 3 minutes after I discovered who Kurogane's cousin really was, the said woman appeared with her three followers to approach her cousin. Yuriko's eyes widened slightly at my presence beside her cousin, and I could tell that Nana, Sae, and Shizu were equally surprised. I didn't need to tell how much my heart beated that time. I was anxious, afraid, and I still wanted the earth to swallow me up.
What would they do to me? This is bad, I really shouldn't –
"Dear Cousin," Yuriko spoke with her high-pitched voice. "What are you doing here, all alone?"
As if taking cue, Sae and the others followed suit. They sat beside Kurogane as if I wasn't there; as if I didn't exist. Nana's butt even got to almost sit on my lap and I ended up being shoved aside as the girl started to cling to Kurogane. I could see Kurogane's displeased expression at such intimacy.
"Get off," huffed Kurogane.
There came giggles and I supposed they interpreted the situation as a funny one (clearly they failed to read the obvious frowns on Kurogane's face). But eventually, the girls left Kurogane and I. I was brushed off once again like a piece of dirt, but it was actually better than I thought. I had better had them ignored me like that than to make me the object of their operation.
"It seems that you're not really that well-acquinted with my cousin."
I only smiled because I didn't know what to confirm or what to deny.
Kurogane sighed. "I think I can understand your feeling. Yuriko is only my distant relative and I've only met her several times, but she really is not the type of girl I could usually handle."
At his attempt to comfort me, I smiled in relief. Talking about Yuriko and the others seemed a little depressing. I was more interested in finding out about Kurogane himself. "So…you're not originally from Tomoeda, eh?"
"I come from Kyoto. But I'll be staying in Tomoeda for a while now."
"Is it alright to leave your job like that?"
"What job?" He questioned, but his dark eyes understood seconds later. "Aa, I'm still a High School Student. I know I may not look like it, but I'm currently on my last year in my High School."
The information made me dig for more. "So…you're transferring to Tomoeda?"
"Yes."
"You go to the same school with Yuriko?"
"No. I got accepted in Tomoeda Private High and I decided to enroll there."
"You're going to enroll in Tomoeda Private High?" I exclaimed. "I go to that school too. When will you transfer?"
"Next Monday…"
"Oh, so I'm going to meet you again next Monday…" I clasped my hands together. "That's really a good news!"
He shrugged and there was the silence, but one that was comfortable enough that I didn't need to break it. In the end, it was Kurogane who initiated the conversation. "You're not afraid of me?"
I was taken a back by his question. "Why should I be afraid of you? You seem to be a good guy." I knew that on the physical feature, he may often be misinterpreted, but there was something about him that made me feel safe around him.
"You don't know me," he said as frowning again. "You know nothing about me. We've just met."
"True," I admitted. "But call me weird, I just feel like… we are connected somehow. Like… I know you in the previous life or in other life…"
At this, Kurogane immediately looked up to me.
And I noticed something.
His dark eyes… were capturing my soul.
"You think so too?" he questioned.
It was in that moment I felt something in my heart stirred.
I didn't know how long Kurogane and I stared at each others' eyes in the disbelief. Perhaps a minute, perhaps longer. The only thing I knew that our attention were diverted when we heard the echoes of sudden laughter.
I didn't have a good feeling about it.
The crowds that were gathering around something/someone made it impossible for me to check for the situation. "W-what happened?"
Kurogane stood slightly, and I supposed with his height, it was easy for him to see pass the crowds of people to know the situation. "I don't know. There is this young, brown-haired girl with my cousin and –"
I paled upon noticing the description. "D-does the brown-haired girl wear a white cardigan?"
"Yes. With a long, green skirt…."
Oh no.
Not Naoko…
I really couldn't comprehend why people couldn't just stop being immature at times.
There was a little gap between the crowds that encircled Naoko and I sneaked there to get the sight of what really happened. Seeing truly didn't make me feel better. My stomach churned at a sight of Naoko being forced to read something from the magazine out loud. I recognized the magazine as the one which published Naoko's first short story. The stuttering voice of Naoko recited several lines from the magazine and I immediately knew that she was reading out loud her own novel.
…She was forced to read her own novel outloud.
There were snickers, not only coming from Yuriko and her female allies, but also from a large group of our Junior High friends.
My eyes were back at the center, to Naoko.
She was trembling greatly.
More laughter.
She was about to cry.
Where was Keigo Kitanami? I gazed around the room and saw that the guy was averting his eyes from the sight. Clearly, he disliked such treatment to Naoko, but he was powerless to defy it. I wanted to get mad at him, but I realized…
I was equally as powerless.
"A-and t-they w-walked towards t-the…t-he upcoming –" Naoko's stutters were making it hard for anyone to comprehend her novel. But to a large portion of the room's population, it was not what mattered. What mattered was that they had fun, they got an entertainment.
Only that.
Yuriko was forcing Naoko to continue reading.
People from my left and right were laughing.
Naoko was crying already.
And I…
What?
I didn't have power! I had defended her once and I was targeted after. What if I defended her and Yuriko would torture me in exchange? What if –
Another voice inside my heart replied in hollow echo.
You regret it? You regret saving your own friend?
I…
Naoko sacredly looked around the room and her eyes locked with mine. It happened only for a split of second, but it provided me everything.
Comprehension.
Realization.
And…perhaps…courage.
Everything happened almost in absent minded fashion afterwards. I remembered only moments when I walked to the center of the room, to Naoko. I remembered putting my hand on her shoulder and signaling her to stop reading.
Hushed whispers and stares were all stared at me –oh God, I had stolen the attention.
I had imagined I would equally be quivering, just like Naoko. I had imagined my mind would be filled with some uncertainty, lack of confidence, and self-loath again. After all, I was facing a group of people who had either humiliated me in the past or had at least tried to ignore any kind of mistreatment conducted to me.
But…
Strangely, I felt none of such pessimistic insight.
Instead, there was calmness, there was comfort, and usual power that I felt whenever I was being Tomoyo Daidouji.
I smiled at the crowd and I could see easy blushes adorned some of my Junior High's friends –men and women. I knew I hadn't lost my charm…
"Literature is best enjoyed when you read it alone, in a comfortable private place," I spoke as taking the magazine which Naoko was holding onto, walked towards Keigo Kitanami, and handed him the magazine. "Maybe that way, you all will finally realize what great achievement has Naoko Yanagizawa acquired and you wil all start to respect other people, not making fun of those you consider weaker than you."
Keigo widened his eyes and I felt slightly bad. I didn't mean my words to be taken too personal to him – I was more aiming my words to the other people who laughed and especially, those ill-mental girls who thought bullying was their only way to get their place. Well, Keigo's ignorance was not exactly the best behavior, but I could understand helplessness when I saw one, so I could tolerate him, really.
"Playing hero, Daidouji?"
I turned around at the voice of the woman who had ignited deep fear inside of me.
But that was… I realized…. Years ago.
I looked at her for a long time, tried my hard to find the reasons of why I would be so intimidated by such a pathetic excuse of a woman, but I found strangely none.
None.
I chuckled. Had I been that foolish all those years? It was… so easy. I couldn't believe I had let anyone step on me like that before.
"What's so funny?" She questioned, clearly displeased at my action.
"Nothing." I calmly replied. Yuriko had her chin arched up and her eyes sent intimidating galore. I admired the level of confidence this girl had –if only she had made a better use of it.
"A Daidouji dared to laugh at me?"
Wasn't it quite the contrary? I really didn't like the way she spoke my family name as if it was a mere trash. So I stroke her back.
"Oh no, don't get me wrong, Yuriko-san. I will never laugh at you. You don't prove to be quite an amusing entertainment for a Daidouji anyway." I decided I didn't want to cause unwanted commotion and that peoples' attention towards our 'bickering' was really a little too much. "I'm sorry for the commotion, all. Let's not make this a hassle not to enjoy our fun reunion." Giving another Daidouji smile, I knew I had the crowds' heart for me. I myself just turned to Naoko, smiled at her, and grabbed her hand. "Come Naoko," I spoke as taking her away from the peoples' attention.
My other friends followed suit and they began to leave the scene but I felt a hand grabbed mine roughly. In the count of seconds, I could predict that it was Yuriko's hand, perhaps she would just spin my body around to lay a slap on me, or to pour a drink onto me, well, any of the clichés. I knew that her pitiful attempt would not merit her and I could easily turn the situation so that I had peoples' sympathy to me and it would be another knock out.
There was this plastic glass held up high and I could see the red filling that would certainly ruin my white blouse –oh great, I would make sure she –
SPLASH!
I blinked.
There was a big shadow and a big presence that covered me. I was still dry, my blouse was still in good piece, and –
"Cousin!"
I looked up to see that Kurogane had stepped in front of me and got the impact of the thrown drink at him. Oh my, he had just protected me. "Kurogane-san! Why –"
His large hand signaled me to quiet down and I dumbfounded-ly followed.
"You shouldn't step between us like that…" screeched Yuriko Hasegawa. "I-it's all your own –"
"Yuriko," his deep voice effectively stop the girl's rambling. "It's enough. You don't want me to report your childish act to your own mother, do you?"
I could see the girl's hand clenched hard but she abruptly turned around. I knew she would have her grudge grow bigger to me, but that was not what on my mind right then.
"Here," I spoke as handing Kurogane my handkerchief. We had taken our seat back in one of the corner of the room. "I'm sorry that you get this wet…"
He accepted the handkerchief and started to rub his wet hair. "It's not your fault, you know that. I'm the one who have to apologize for my cousin's immaturity."
I sighed. "I think I have created another trouble. She will not stop here to hate me for sure."
"You regret saving your friend?"
I widened my eyes before slowly turning them to look at Naoko. She was having another conversation with the man of her dream. Naoko seemed to realize that I was gazing at her because she glanced at me and gave me the warmest grateful smile.
I smiled back.
"No. I don't regret it at all."
To Be Continued
A/N: I'm sorry for the exaggeration. High school drama like that is unlikely to happen in real world, but I need it to spice things up in this fanfiction. And perhaps not much of romance for Eriol and Tomoyo. I just want you to understand that this fic, besides created for the romantical purposes, is also created to portray and to develop Tomoyo's characterization. That's why I entitle this 'The Daidouji-san' I would try to make Tomoyo solve her problems in life, and her problems in life wasn't all just about boys and Eriol right? There are friends issue, family issue, personal issue… But don't worry, since I'm a hopeless romantic, I will still make the 'romance issue' the main spot and I will save it in the endings and several chapters before it.
Rockinggently: yeaa, poor her…
Mitsukai Kansei: glad if I'm making you nuts that way, hehe.
EuroCuttie: Aah, so you've just returned from your holiday? I hope it was a blast! Especially since you'll be starting your internship soon. I hope you will like your office too! Personally to me, adapting has always been a difficult task, but hopefully, you'll eventually get pass that stage. Anyway, hehe, ET (or Eriol) had mild innuendo. The Jr. High chapter will have a special chapter. I hope this chapter comes soon enough ^^
Cheng: there you go, Kurogane showing up. He'll be in this fanfic more often in the future. Thank you for reviewing twice!
Arisu Arisugawa: I'm glad if you're still intrigued with Eriol's mind and heart –his motif will remain unknown until later. And as for Kurogane… more about him in the future. And wow, you must have loved Kurogane that much that you "allow" him to break ET… XD.
ChannelForsk: Torture? I'm not that cruel, am I not? Eriol is the cruel one here *puts the blame on him* hehe, thank you very much for reviewing!
Reichimassu: Eriol's purpose in this story is to be that confusing character, hahaha. So yeaah, it's good if he makes you confused. And sure, KuroxTomo will be served more often
PiKairiDreamM00n: hahahahaha, I love you for loving the mean Eriol, ehhehe. His true feelings? Hmm… what it is, actually? I don't know, that's for a much later chapter XD. Yes, Kurogane will protect Tomoyo from Eriol, though not in the more physical way. He will serve as the comfort Tomoyo needs, but of course, I don't plan Tomoyo to 'use' him merely for that or anything. About the bullying part, this chapter and the next will deal about that issue. Thank you for reviewing!
Hiki-chan: yes, he is a jerk and I'm glad if you like Kurogane. Like in this chapter, he 'dominates' the male role. He'll also make appearances again the future.
Dragon's nest: ahahaha, I, too, have a soft spot on Eriol. No matter how cruel he is, I will always love him. As requested, more Kurogane here…
Fuyumi-chan: go ahead and strangle him *hands you the rope*
Guest #6: thank you very much! Yeah, Eriol always has his hidden agenda here and there. Tomoyo's fighting will not be as apparent as Eriol's attacks, but she will fight back in her own way. Here goes the next chapter. And yes, apparently you're correct about Kurogane and the reunion ^^
Guest#5: Here goes Kurogane! And, I LOL at your comment about Eriol and psychiatrist.
Bshinigami: I think deep inside we are all masochist who are pleased with Eriol's sadistic way, haha. And you're right, Kurogane came to the rescue. Bye bye Eriol.
Dandy352: Something is building up inside of Eriol, but only he knows what it is. It might be sympathy, curiosity, or something less. But I like your intake of his character, about the façade and all. Eriol, though no one calls him by first name, kinda does not really care about it, in my opinion. He's less sentimental than Tomoyo, and I think being praised as THE Hiiragizawa-san actually pleases him. Yeah, Kurogane is a semi-cross-over. He's not entirely from TRC's Kurogane, but I acknowledge the connection between TRC and this fanfic, though of course, that won't be the main focus of the story. Thank you soooo much for the nice review!
Guest #4: Well.. if you want to wait for him to fall in love with her, it's still a looonnnnng way to go. Hahaha. And yeah, Eriol loved to ruin every good moment. I know that the way I'm portraying Tomoyo lately has been kinda weak (as opposed to her more "arrogant" characterization in the first few chapters), but I think Eriol makes her insecure in some way. He affects her in a bad way, I suppose. After all, he always points out her mistake that nobody else dared to do to her. Thank you for reviewing!
Bitesizedallyx3: aaaiih, thank you for your TRC-related comment. And actually, I like the way you view the mental pressure was put on Tomoyo. In this chapter, Tomoyo gets stronger herself, because she wants to defend a friend, and I haven't thought about it before, but I guess, your analysis could be a nice conclusion. And hahaha, yes, Eriol is a mean pervert.
Blinda-thebling: Thank you! Don't worry, I've written a looong chapter (maybe I'll divide it into 2 chapters) about Eriol's perspective. But I'll save it for much later. Hehe.
13opals: At least this chapter won't give you the "chance" to be pissed with Eriol, hehehe (with him not making appearance and such). This is the first part of how Tomoyo deals with her old friends, and we'll have more of it later. I cannot promise on more TRC's crossover. Not only that I'm not completely familiar with TRC, but I want to focus more on Tomoyo in CCS. Nonetheless, I'm hoping to write a CCS-TRC crossover, if I can, in the future ^^
Enigma infinite: "Eriol had struck a new low", I like the way you point it out, hehe. And thank you for reviewing twice!
Inori: I agree. Personally I also think Eriol's crueler in chapter 13 rather than in chapter 12. Chapter 12 is where he's a snobbish bastard. But in chapter 13, he actually hurts Tomoyo and points out something she is not ready to accept. And the moment when he wiped her tears was actually meant to be the cynical part of him (showing her that he would be a "friend", but we know the kind of friendship he offers won't be pretty). Tomoyo… it's hard not to make her fall for him, but I promise you, she's trying her best not to. Tomoyo and Kurogane will influence each other pretty much, but I assure you, this remains an ET fanfic. And it's not angst or drama, so it's the usual romance comedy whose ending is actually predictable. Nonetheless, I hope you still enjoy the ride to the end of the chapter! I also agree on your view of Tomoyo's complicacy. That's why only Eriol can level up with her, indeed. Hehe. Thank you so much and I love your long review.
MARYXULA: I always have a fetish to make Eriol the anti-hero, so that's why I often make him as this two-faced manipulative man. Hehe. But I admit that lately, I feel bad having to make Eriol the bad character (this Daidouji-san fanfiction was written in 2009). The present me actually like the more goody-shoe Eriol with hints of darkness, but not as if he's completely cruel. So I guess, your interpretation of Eriol is more accurate. ^^
Guest #3: Eriol's suffering is unfortunately still a long way to go. I actually can update fast if I don't have to revise the chapter (which I'm doing now). I didn't update last week because I was on vacation, but here goes the next chapter. See you soon.
XxThe-Crest-Of-AnubisxX: Eriol Kaho broke up. I know I don't insert it well enough here. But Kaho will make her appearance again in around 4-5 chapters. And no, I don't really plan to focus on Sakura –Syaoran, so they won't come to Tomoeda. However, I'll ensure to settle the issue between Sakura and Tomoyo later. What will happen? Hmm, I don't know, but maybe Sonomi will never know because Tomoyo and her has this kind of detached mother-daughter relationship –which will be elaborated in later chapters. Thank youuuu.
PANISA: I personally think Chapter 13 is the cruelest Eriol to date in my fanfic. And yeah, Tomoyo actually understands she can't fall for him and how twisted he is. But then again, she'll have her own way to cope up with her feelings. Kurogane will be appearing more often. And about a separate TomoxGane fanfic… I'm not sure. I'm quite a die-hard ExT shipper, so if I ever write TomoxGane, there shall be Eriol in it. Hehe
Animefan88tv: ahahaha, go Amy, beat Eriol for me and Tomoyo. Hehe. And darla, you still manage to compliment me even in your rant. I just run out of words to say how grateful I am to you. I'm glad if this can prove your emotions. Honestly, that's what I hope people will get from my writing. I cannot guarantee sophisticated writing (many, many other writers are able to do so), but I hope at least, I can connect the readers with the story. So your words really mean a lot. Anyway, Kurogane shines in this chapter, hopefully. And he will have more screen time later, hehe. And thank you for your encouragement on my job. I hope you're doing well with your life too!
Neuroga09: There goes a huge portion of Kurogane in Chapter 14. Well, not really that huge. But he reserves the male protagonist in this chapter. And yeah, me too. I also personally can't envision Kurogane as Tomoyo's love interest (because I'm rather a blind ExT fan, haha), but I admit Kurogane is very important to Tomoyo.
Guest #2: Hello Eri! And personally, the ending of the last chapter is more cruel than cute (he masks his cruelty with fake comforting gesture, which is very cruel of him). But I will always have a soft spot on Eriol, so I'll always like him despite his cruelty. Hehe. I'm glad if you like long chapter. Here goes the next installment!
Yoorim-ah: and thank you for reviewing!
Nigaii: I think it's because we have that masochistic side inside of him. So we like the cruel Eriol no matter how bad is he. Hahaha. Here goes the Kurogane part, although jealous Eriol is still a plenty of chapter to go.
CharmGirl24: Thank you for your insigt on Tomoyo's character. You're right. Although she appears to be confident and all, she is actually more reserved than that. The way that Eriol gets under her skin can be both a positive or negative influence to her character development.
Shanaa12: Yes, it will be around that length. It's between 20 -23 chapters. And thank you for reading my other ExT stories (even still remembering Mnemosyne's Labyrinth). Eriol in Mnemosyne's Labyrinth is more of a lost soul, while Eriol here is truly manipulative. Agreed, I also love the dark Eriol too, hehe. Kurogane will teach him a lesson through Tomoyo, I suppose. Hehe. And thank you for the long review, Vhaa ^^
Vedha: ahahaha, I like your positive insight. Eriol's mind works in the way I don't want to know, hehe. I'll have a special chapter about that later. And your comment about Kurogane as Tomoyo's knight in shining armor, yes, indeed. That's kinda his role in this fic.
Catrina7077: Thank you so much! Sakura scene? Hmm, I can't add much, but you'll have more Sakura later as this fic will also deal with the issue between TomoxSaku.
Maria-Reynne: And sorry to break the news, but there's more evil Eriol in the future chapters. XD. Although he will open up soon… maybe. And about POV, personally, I hate 1st person POV. But I decided that 1st person POV will be the most fitting POV in this story, because this story is the first time I have a character-development practice. I want the readers to relate with Tomoyo, so everything has to be from her viewpoint. Besides, since the plot of this fanfic is simple, I want to add more mystery in the male protagonist' mind. Hehe. Anyway, thank you for your insight ^^. I'll have a special Eriol's side chapter later on. And thank you for your patience in waiting this fanfic. I will finish it, don't worry. ^^
Guest #1: and thank you for reading it all! ^^
Nils: I feel it's unfair for Eriol sometimes, but that's entirely my fault for not showing what's going on his mind. Later on I'll do it, I hope you'll be willing to wait. ^^. At least in this chapter, you won't have the chance to see the cruel Eriol, hehe. Kurogane appears in this chapter and in the future chapters too.
Mysticalphoenix-avalon: There you go, more kurogane!
Kryuzei: yep, TRC's Tomoyo made a cameo appearance in CCS' Tomoyo's dream.
xiLynnx: and yay for the review! XD. I'm glad if you can sympathize with Tomoyo. Their relationship is hopefully still exciting in the future, hehe. And awwwh, thank you for the warm compliment. I love ExT so much and I will do my best to support this fandom. And sorry for not updating this chapter sooner. I was out of town last week, but here goes. And hopefully, next chapter will come out next week.
Ellsweetella: Eriol's role is to be cruel, indeed. Haha. And Tomoyo is actually breaking too, but I'll make sure to make her fight more. Hehe.