Verbatim

By tikki de lune

Chapter 1: World War 3

"Nani!"

"Hai, you did! You tied with him again!" Sakura exclaimed giddily while calming her fuming friend. "Isn't that kawaii?"

Apparently, Tomoyo had topped the quarterly examinations. It was just too bad that she had to share the top spot with her No. 1 enemy, Eriol Hiiragizawa. Again. For the nth time.

Ever since Hiiragizawa Eriol decided to stay in Tomoeda for good, things changed. Though Li's hatred hadn't changed, it was still evident. And Tomoyo, she's a different story.

Ever since she knew Eriol was competing against her and trying infuriating her in every possible way, Tomoyo decided to do everything in her power to overcome and top him. But alas, her efforts were in vain. Eriol became very popular and she was teased about being the closest to Eriol, for she was always seen with the boy. And the vast knowledge of Eriol didn't help either. So, she had to contend with anything that had to do with Eriol. Like whenever the two of them topped every exam, with exactly the same score of an ace.

"What is so cute about topping with that smart alec?" Tomoyo sneered as she walked along the corridor, ignoring the dreamy looks the guys gave them.

"Come on Tomoyo-chan, it's like you don't know!" Sakura reminded her purple haired friend about her popularity. "You and Eriol-kun are two among the most popular people in this school! And to be related to Eriol in any way is a girl's dream come true!"

"Well, I'm not among those girls. I'm having a nightmare, cursed even!" Tomoyo huffed. "I'd rather be stuck with any guy but Eriol."

"That's exactly one of my points. You happen to be the best of enemies! Didn't you know that your lives are watched like a soap opera?" Sakura rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"I don't know what you are talking about. All I know is that you are siding with that blue-haired brat and leaving me suffering."

"Oh I wouldn't say that to your friend if I were you," an all-too-irritating voice said.

"And what do you care about what I say to my best friend," Tomoyo turned to meet the cool face of Eriol.

"I'm just saying that you ought to be considerate enough," he stated in his patented oh-so-calm manner. "She's human too, you know."

"I know that! You don't have to remind me, you know," she mimicked before gliding away.

++++++

"He so infuriates me! Why can't he just mind his own business," the irate purple head said.

"He just likes to do that," Li said, while eating his lunch. "Trust me, I know."

"How could you say that about Eriol-kun?" Sakura frowned at the Chinese boy's behavior. Tomoyo snickered as she watched Li turn into a red neon light.

"But he's right, Sakura-chan, he does that for the sake of his personal entertainment," Tomoyo agreed.

Sakura frowned at the two of them.

"May I join this little party?" a cool voice said.

All three heads turned, two glaring at him and one smiling sweetly, patting the green grass to admit the boy. The two groaned and muttered something about Sakura being too friendly.

Eriol decided to initiate a conversation. "So how was the morning?"

"Fine."

"Ditto."

"Oh, I nearly flunked my Math quiz! It was so hard! I forgot to simplify the last fraction and the radical of the denominator!" Sakura narrated much to the bespectacled boy's amusement and to the frustration of the other two children.

"I thought Li was tutoring you," Eriol eyed the Chinese admirer of Sakura. Li shot him a burning glare.

"He is, but because of his soccer practice," Sakura sighed. "He asked Tomoyo to take over."

"So Tomoyo is not teaching you well," he pointed out.

"I teach her well enough for her to understand!" Tomoyo burst. "She just needs a little more practice and a wider attention span!"

"Why do you need a wider attention span?" he queried.

"I keep on falling asleep," Sakura admitted.

"So she is a boring tutor then."

"I am not!" Tomoyo retorted. "And don't jump into conclusions if you can't prove it, you English brat!"

"I'm not jumping into conclusions, Daidouji-san," Eriol explained coolly, "I'm just making inferences based on my observations."

Tomoyo felt blood burning her skin. She couldn't take this public display of humiliation Hiiragizawa was doing to her. "And how can you make such inferences when you only base them on someone's "Viva vace" testimony?"

Eriol didn't say anything anymore. He let her win this one. He had to control his temper as he prepared for Tomoyo's smug self-adulation.

"Can't say anything good enough?" Tomoyo cocked her left eyebrow. "My Eriol-kun, I thought you were wiser than to argue with someone you regarded as 'inferior'," she said in mock horror.

"I'd rather keep silent than force you to deflate your ego," he said smoothly. He stood up, packed his things and went away. "I fear that I might be late for class."

Tomoyo smiled triumphantly.