Chapter 9: Dreams, Kisses, and Bedtime Stories (Part 1)
Tomoyo threw his bed covers off. He sat up, an irritated look on his face. "Hey! I'm still sleepy! Give that back!" She put her hands on akimbo. "We're going to bike around the neighborhood right?" He nodded. "But not this early?" She threw up her hands. "You've been waking up late too often that's why 5 o'clock seems TOO EARLY! Now get out from that bed and get dressed! I'll dress you up myself if you won't move!" His eyes twinkled. "Really? You would do that if I didn't?" She threw a pilow at him. "Don't even think about it. I was just exaggerating." He feigned a sigh. "Too bad. You wouldn't getting an eyeful of me." She clenched her teeth. "Pervert!"
They spent an hour biking and decided to head to a nearby field. "Wow! I didn't know this place," Eriol said as he put his bike down on the grass. "I chanced upon this last week, when I took a brisk morning walk," Tomoyo said as she sat down under a tree. "Brisk morning walk? Why can't you just walk? Or maybe you're burning out fats?" he teased and sat beside her. She flared up. "I'm not getting fat! For your information, I haven't gained a single pound in this month!" "Undernourished," he remarked. "Stop that!" "Or maybe you've-" "That's it Eriol, You are so dead!" she jumped on him and put a headlock that would've made the WWF accept her in; no questions asked. "ACK!""STOP!"CHOKE! "Tomoyo!" GASP! "We didn't do this kind of thing? Or maybe it just slipped my mind." WHEEZE!COUGH! She released him and grinned triumphantly. "That's the last thing I ever want to hear from you. Even if you're my best friend." "How did you do that?" he massaged his neck. "Did you train for this or something? Did you go to a gym and buffed up your muscles?" Tomoyo strangled him again. "I didn't! And I don't want to have those big muscles like you men have." Eriol broke free and kneaded his neck again. But his teasing mood didn't go away. "You're saying that because you like to drool over our muscular physiques." Tomoyo's face burned. She turned away from him and didn't talk. "Oh come on Tomoyo! It's your time again, huh? Why didn't you inform me?" "Why would I do that? You're not a girl to be concerned with that anyway," she snapped. Eriol sighed. "Because then I would know the reason why you have a pimple on your forehead. I thought you were in love or stressed out." She jumped up. "What! I have a pimple?" Tomoyo examined her forehead and felt a small lump. Clearly, a pimple. She screamed. "NOOOO!" Then she hopped on her bike and drove away, fast. Eriol sighed as he got up to follow. "Girls."
Tomoyo came back after Eriol and the guardians had breakfast and was now resting in the living room. "Hey guys!" A loud thump landed on the floor. They turned. Tomoyo dropped a huge bag. "I was hoping I could stay here for a while."
". I thought that since I wouldn't be able to live on my own while Mrs. Desiree is away, I decided to come here for help." "You're welcome to stay here Tomoyo," Eriol smiled. "YAY! Now I can start practicing!" Nakuru clapped her hands. Tomoyo furrowed her eyebrows. "Practicing? For what?" "Nothing." But Spinel covered Nakuru's big mouth with its small paw.
The afternoon came in quietly, soft breezes blowing off the heat. Tomoyo and Eriol were at the garden, resting on a bench under the tree. Being spied on by the two guardians from the house. "You shouldn't have said that," Spinel muttered as it looked at the two. Nakuru was clueless. "What?" "What you said a while ago." "Oh you mean practicing?" Nakuru laughed light-heartedly. "But I like to call her Mistress already!" "And get Eriol mad at you and he'd be embarrassed in front of Tomoyo?" Nakuru bit her cheek. "I suppose not. but I can't wait! They look so beautiful together. And I know that they most certainly will enjoy each other's company." "I also know that. But it's not good to make decisions for them. Something might happen and they could end up heartbroken," Spinel replied. "And we certainly don't want that to happen." Nakuru, having the I-don't-care-with-what-you-said attitude, rolled her eyes.
Tomoyo was having a bad dream. She was in the garden, and the wind was blowing fiercely. She was standing under the same tree, with tears falling down her cheeks. "Eriol please! Listen to me," she cried out to the boy who was standing far from her. "I didn't mean too!" "Well you can go back to him! He's waiting can't you see!" he snapped and pointed a finger to Robin who was standing beside her. "He wants you to go with him!" "It's a mistake Eriol! You don't understand!" she cried even more, terrified. "Please! Don't send me away!" "How could you do this? And in my house even! Why don't you take your business somewhere else and leave me alone!" "Eriol!"
"Hush. everything's alright," he hugged her body the moment she cried out his name, whimpering softly. He stroked her hair and calmed her. Tomoyo slowly woke up, and found her head resting on his chest. She closed her eyes and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. "Don't go Eriol! Please don't leave me," she cried softly. Even if he didn't get what was going on with her, he consoled Tomoyo and rocked her gently. "It's going to be alright, I'm here. I won't leave you." She was feeling sleepy again. "Promise? You won't leave me?" Seeing her so desperate and frightened worried him deeply. "I promise. I love you so much that I can't bear to see you suffer like this." When she didn't respond, he looked at her and saw that she was sleeping again. Eriol embraced her. "You won't have nightmares as long as I'm here."
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"Oishii!" Tomoyo squealed. Then she plopped into the couch beside Eriol. "Nakuru's dinner was delicious!" "I could say that her cooking has improved over the years," Eriol said. ("Hey! I heard that!") Tomoyo giggled. Eriol watched her. "Everything seems fine now, isn't it?" "Yes. Today is another nice day. Problem-free, carefree, and tear- free day if I say so myself." "Tear-free?" She nodded then absent-mindedly spaced out. "Unlike the other nights." "Don't." His tone was low yet commanding. She jerked back and looked at him. "Huh?" "I said don't continue what you were going to say. I'm sorry I brought up the subject." He couldn't bear to see her sober after a fun day.
He escorted her to her room and gave her a goodnight kiss on her hair. ("Sleep tight")
An hour passed and Eriol couldn't catch sleep. He figured that the Sandman ran out of sand or something wasn't right. He sat up on his bed and wished hard to get the unsettling feeling in his stomach. 'I didn't get poisoned so what's the matter?' He got out of the bed, threw on a robe, and went out for a night stroll. The dark was comforting, so he didn't turn on the corridor lights. He walked, past the huge paintings, towering windows, and the doors that seemed to hold a surprise from within. Eriol soon stopped in front of a particular door. Not that it was weird or anything, but he felt that it was where the unsettled feeling came from. He decided to enter Tomoyo's room and settle this whole thing.
Tomoyo started when she heard the door creak. "Who's there?" she called out in the dark. She cleared her throat again and called whoever or whatever was entering.
"I see you're still awake." She exhaled in relief. "Yeah. Can't seem to get a wink." Eriol nodded. "I see. Well, I just came to check if our guest is having nightmares. So, see you in the morning." "Wait. I, uh. can you come over here for a moment?" He immediately strode over her, ready to fetch a glass of milk if she asks. "Is there anything else you need?" She clasped and unclasped her hands as she tried her best not to sound silly. "Can you tell me a story?" He merely smiled. Tomoyo felt stupid at the idea. "I know it sounds odd, thinking of a child-like idea. But it's what my mom does when I couldn't sleep." She bowed her head in embarrassment. Eriol didn't laugh or snigger. He climbed onto the bed and sat opposite her. "It's not odd. Nobody is too old for bedtime stories." He tipped up her chin. "Now tell me what story you like to hear." She thought quietly. "Umm, Keroberos told me once that Clow Read had enemies. So, I thought that if he had enemies, he must've had friends as well. Aside form Keroberos and Yue of course." "I see. You're right. Clow had a lot of enemies. But he also had friends. If my memory is right, I recall that there was one person whom Clow considered as a special friend." Tomoyo's eyes brightened. "Really? Tell me all about it." "Her name was Charlotte." "Clow had girl-friend? What was she like?" Eriol held out a hand. "Yes, I'm getting there. Please stop cutting me off and listen. I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea." She pouted. "All right, I will." He smiled affectionately. "Good." "Clow was a young magician years before. One day he decided to take a break by attending the county fair. So he got dressed and rode his horse to the Town Square where the fair was being held. The many stalls astounded him as he got down from his horse and walked. Everywhere he turned, there seemed to be a thousand goodies waiting for him. Then Clow spotted a game booth, which gave away dolls as prizes if the player was able to knock down the stack of bottles three times. Interest got him and he approached the booth to watch the fathers tried their luck for their little daughters. The man-in-charge saw him and mistook him for a customer. He called Clow and gave him three balls for a silver crown. But Clow objected saying that he was just watching. The man didn't believe him by saying, 'Your lady friend would be very disappointed in you.' Clow looked behind him, seeing a girl looking the same age as he did. The girl had dark hair and purple eyes like yours," he smiled at Tomoyo who was smiling back. "When the girl saw him, she shook her head and denied that she knew Clow." Tomoyo giggled. "But the man didn't believe her and told Clow, 'See? She's just shy, go on, and give it a try.' Clow got irritated at the man, took the balls, and threw it to end the problem. He was surprised when he hit the stack three times and the man was handing a beautiful doll. Clow took it and turned to the girl when he saw that she disappeared. 'She went that way,' the man said and pointed to Clow's right. Clow left to find her and found her seated on the edge of a big fountain. 'Excuse me miss,' he said as he approached the girl. She turned and was surprised when Clow stood in front of her. 'Here is your doll. I'm afraid I can't keep it.' The girl smiled and took the doll with light brown hair and jade green eyes. 'Thank you Mr.- ' "Read. Clow Read." "She chuckled again. ' You have an unusual name, Mr. Read. I'm Charlotte Desmond,' she introduced herself. 'Thanks Mr. Read. Good day!' and she left." Eriol paused for a breather. Tomoyo was still looking at him expectantly. "You want me to finish?" Tomoyo nodded eagerly. "Of course, I'm still not sleepy." "Well I am. Let's just continue this tomorrow okay? When Clow met Charlotte the next day." Tomoyo groaned. "Why not now? The fair wasn't over yet!" Eriol pushed her gently back into the bed. "Clow was very tired and needed to rest. So he went home. Now please, go to sleep. There's still a tomorrow." "Okay. Good night Eriol." He kissed her forehead. "Good night Tomoyo."
Tomoyo threw his bed covers off. He sat up, an irritated look on his face. "Hey! I'm still sleepy! Give that back!" She put her hands on akimbo. "We're going to bike around the neighborhood right?" He nodded. "But not this early?" She threw up her hands. "You've been waking up late too often that's why 5 o'clock seems TOO EARLY! Now get out from that bed and get dressed! I'll dress you up myself if you won't move!" His eyes twinkled. "Really? You would do that if I didn't?" She threw a pilow at him. "Don't even think about it. I was just exaggerating." He feigned a sigh. "Too bad. You wouldn't getting an eyeful of me." She clenched her teeth. "Pervert!"
They spent an hour biking and decided to head to a nearby field. "Wow! I didn't know this place," Eriol said as he put his bike down on the grass. "I chanced upon this last week, when I took a brisk morning walk," Tomoyo said as she sat down under a tree. "Brisk morning walk? Why can't you just walk? Or maybe you're burning out fats?" he teased and sat beside her. She flared up. "I'm not getting fat! For your information, I haven't gained a single pound in this month!" "Undernourished," he remarked. "Stop that!" "Or maybe you've-" "That's it Eriol, You are so dead!" she jumped on him and put a headlock that would've made the WWF accept her in; no questions asked. "ACK!""STOP!"CHOKE! "Tomoyo!" GASP! "We didn't do this kind of thing? Or maybe it just slipped my mind." WHEEZE!COUGH! She released him and grinned triumphantly. "That's the last thing I ever want to hear from you. Even if you're my best friend." "How did you do that?" he massaged his neck. "Did you train for this or something? Did you go to a gym and buffed up your muscles?" Tomoyo strangled him again. "I didn't! And I don't want to have those big muscles like you men have." Eriol broke free and kneaded his neck again. But his teasing mood didn't go away. "You're saying that because you like to drool over our muscular physiques." Tomoyo's face burned. She turned away from him and didn't talk. "Oh come on Tomoyo! It's your time again, huh? Why didn't you inform me?" "Why would I do that? You're not a girl to be concerned with that anyway," she snapped. Eriol sighed. "Because then I would know the reason why you have a pimple on your forehead. I thought you were in love or stressed out." She jumped up. "What! I have a pimple?" Tomoyo examined her forehead and felt a small lump. Clearly, a pimple. She screamed. "NOOOO!" Then she hopped on her bike and drove away, fast. Eriol sighed as he got up to follow. "Girls."
Tomoyo came back after Eriol and the guardians had breakfast and was now resting in the living room. "Hey guys!" A loud thump landed on the floor. They turned. Tomoyo dropped a huge bag. "I was hoping I could stay here for a while."
". I thought that since I wouldn't be able to live on my own while Mrs. Desiree is away, I decided to come here for help." "You're welcome to stay here Tomoyo," Eriol smiled. "YAY! Now I can start practicing!" Nakuru clapped her hands. Tomoyo furrowed her eyebrows. "Practicing? For what?" "Nothing." But Spinel covered Nakuru's big mouth with its small paw.
The afternoon came in quietly, soft breezes blowing off the heat. Tomoyo and Eriol were at the garden, resting on a bench under the tree. Being spied on by the two guardians from the house. "You shouldn't have said that," Spinel muttered as it looked at the two. Nakuru was clueless. "What?" "What you said a while ago." "Oh you mean practicing?" Nakuru laughed light-heartedly. "But I like to call her Mistress already!" "And get Eriol mad at you and he'd be embarrassed in front of Tomoyo?" Nakuru bit her cheek. "I suppose not. but I can't wait! They look so beautiful together. And I know that they most certainly will enjoy each other's company." "I also know that. But it's not good to make decisions for them. Something might happen and they could end up heartbroken," Spinel replied. "And we certainly don't want that to happen." Nakuru, having the I-don't-care-with-what-you-said attitude, rolled her eyes.
Tomoyo was having a bad dream. She was in the garden, and the wind was blowing fiercely. She was standing under the same tree, with tears falling down her cheeks. "Eriol please! Listen to me," she cried out to the boy who was standing far from her. "I didn't mean too!" "Well you can go back to him! He's waiting can't you see!" he snapped and pointed a finger to Robin who was standing beside her. "He wants you to go with him!" "It's a mistake Eriol! You don't understand!" she cried even more, terrified. "Please! Don't send me away!" "How could you do this? And in my house even! Why don't you take your business somewhere else and leave me alone!" "Eriol!"
"Hush. everything's alright," he hugged her body the moment she cried out his name, whimpering softly. He stroked her hair and calmed her. Tomoyo slowly woke up, and found her head resting on his chest. She closed her eyes and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. "Don't go Eriol! Please don't leave me," she cried softly. Even if he didn't get what was going on with her, he consoled Tomoyo and rocked her gently. "It's going to be alright, I'm here. I won't leave you." She was feeling sleepy again. "Promise? You won't leave me?" Seeing her so desperate and frightened worried him deeply. "I promise. I love you so much that I can't bear to see you suffer like this." When she didn't respond, he looked at her and saw that she was sleeping again. Eriol embraced her. "You won't have nightmares as long as I'm here."
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"Oishii!" Tomoyo squealed. Then she plopped into the couch beside Eriol. "Nakuru's dinner was delicious!" "I could say that her cooking has improved over the years," Eriol said. ("Hey! I heard that!") Tomoyo giggled. Eriol watched her. "Everything seems fine now, isn't it?" "Yes. Today is another nice day. Problem-free, carefree, and tear- free day if I say so myself." "Tear-free?" She nodded then absent-mindedly spaced out. "Unlike the other nights." "Don't." His tone was low yet commanding. She jerked back and looked at him. "Huh?" "I said don't continue what you were going to say. I'm sorry I brought up the subject." He couldn't bear to see her sober after a fun day.
He escorted her to her room and gave her a goodnight kiss on her hair. ("Sleep tight")
An hour passed and Eriol couldn't catch sleep. He figured that the Sandman ran out of sand or something wasn't right. He sat up on his bed and wished hard to get the unsettling feeling in his stomach. 'I didn't get poisoned so what's the matter?' He got out of the bed, threw on a robe, and went out for a night stroll. The dark was comforting, so he didn't turn on the corridor lights. He walked, past the huge paintings, towering windows, and the doors that seemed to hold a surprise from within. Eriol soon stopped in front of a particular door. Not that it was weird or anything, but he felt that it was where the unsettled feeling came from. He decided to enter Tomoyo's room and settle this whole thing.
Tomoyo started when she heard the door creak. "Who's there?" she called out in the dark. She cleared her throat again and called whoever or whatever was entering.
"I see you're still awake." She exhaled in relief. "Yeah. Can't seem to get a wink." Eriol nodded. "I see. Well, I just came to check if our guest is having nightmares. So, see you in the morning." "Wait. I, uh. can you come over here for a moment?" He immediately strode over her, ready to fetch a glass of milk if she asks. "Is there anything else you need?" She clasped and unclasped her hands as she tried her best not to sound silly. "Can you tell me a story?" He merely smiled. Tomoyo felt stupid at the idea. "I know it sounds odd, thinking of a child-like idea. But it's what my mom does when I couldn't sleep." She bowed her head in embarrassment. Eriol didn't laugh or snigger. He climbed onto the bed and sat opposite her. "It's not odd. Nobody is too old for bedtime stories." He tipped up her chin. "Now tell me what story you like to hear." She thought quietly. "Umm, Keroberos told me once that Clow Read had enemies. So, I thought that if he had enemies, he must've had friends as well. Aside form Keroberos and Yue of course." "I see. You're right. Clow had a lot of enemies. But he also had friends. If my memory is right, I recall that there was one person whom Clow considered as a special friend." Tomoyo's eyes brightened. "Really? Tell me all about it." "Her name was Charlotte." "Clow had girl-friend? What was she like?" Eriol held out a hand. "Yes, I'm getting there. Please stop cutting me off and listen. I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea." She pouted. "All right, I will." He smiled affectionately. "Good." "Clow was a young magician years before. One day he decided to take a break by attending the county fair. So he got dressed and rode his horse to the Town Square where the fair was being held. The many stalls astounded him as he got down from his horse and walked. Everywhere he turned, there seemed to be a thousand goodies waiting for him. Then Clow spotted a game booth, which gave away dolls as prizes if the player was able to knock down the stack of bottles three times. Interest got him and he approached the booth to watch the fathers tried their luck for their little daughters. The man-in-charge saw him and mistook him for a customer. He called Clow and gave him three balls for a silver crown. But Clow objected saying that he was just watching. The man didn't believe him by saying, 'Your lady friend would be very disappointed in you.' Clow looked behind him, seeing a girl looking the same age as he did. The girl had dark hair and purple eyes like yours," he smiled at Tomoyo who was smiling back. "When the girl saw him, she shook her head and denied that she knew Clow." Tomoyo giggled. "But the man didn't believe her and told Clow, 'See? She's just shy, go on, and give it a try.' Clow got irritated at the man, took the balls, and threw it to end the problem. He was surprised when he hit the stack three times and the man was handing a beautiful doll. Clow took it and turned to the girl when he saw that she disappeared. 'She went that way,' the man said and pointed to Clow's right. Clow left to find her and found her seated on the edge of a big fountain. 'Excuse me miss,' he said as he approached the girl. She turned and was surprised when Clow stood in front of her. 'Here is your doll. I'm afraid I can't keep it.' The girl smiled and took the doll with light brown hair and jade green eyes. 'Thank you Mr.- ' "Read. Clow Read." "She chuckled again. ' You have an unusual name, Mr. Read. I'm Charlotte Desmond,' she introduced herself. 'Thanks Mr. Read. Good day!' and she left." Eriol paused for a breather. Tomoyo was still looking at him expectantly. "You want me to finish?" Tomoyo nodded eagerly. "Of course, I'm still not sleepy." "Well I am. Let's just continue this tomorrow okay? When Clow met Charlotte the next day." Tomoyo groaned. "Why not now? The fair wasn't over yet!" Eriol pushed her gently back into the bed. "Clow was very tired and needed to rest. So he went home. Now please, go to sleep. There's still a tomorrow." "Okay. Good night Eriol." He kissed her forehead. "Good night Tomoyo."