Last Time: Feeling torn, Madison finally makes a decision and decides to go out with Tori. But who knew that on that same night, Sakura would get a call from…Eriol? Yes, he is coming back. The only question is…when?


Author's Note: Thanks to anyone who replied to my message on the forum. I was curious, and then I actually saw Nakuru's picture. Isn't my face red. So I've adjusted accordingly. And the next part should be up in the next few days.


Making a Choice: Part 2


Wearing one of her better purple dresses, Madison waited by her front gate. She knew that if she waited in her room, Tori would undoubtedly be hassled by the security around her house. More than that, though, Madison didn't want to be seen by Li. Li was inside his guesthouse and if Madison waited by the front gate, he'd never see her. She didn't want him to see her, because if he saw her and Tori together, then he would go and tell Sakura.

As far as she knew, it would just be the two of them. Madison still felt butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought of Tori. She wanted this night to be special, she really did. She couldn't wait for the night to even begin.

Then she saw him coming. There was Tori calmly walking towards Madison's front gate. She smiled and walked up to him. Then she noticed he had his hands behind his back.

"Hey…" he said innocently. "You look…great."

"Thanks," Madison said softly. "Um…what is that behind your back?"

Tori revealed…a violet. "It was just so beautiful…it made me think of you."

Madison admired the little flower. "I love it. Thank you."

"So…are you ready?"

"You bet!"

Hand in hand, Tori and Madison walked together down the street towards Tori's car. Something inside Madison told her that this would be a special night.


~--------------------~


It was seven o'clock when Sakura walked through her front door. She didn't feel tired as much as she felt hungry, so her first stop was the kitchen. There, she found her father.

"Hi, Dad!"

"You came back a little late," Aiden Avalon said. "Where were you?"

"I'm sorry. I stayed with Ms. Mackenzie a little longer than expected."

"Oh?" Aiden asked curiously. "Um…did she anything about last night?"

Sakura smiled at that thought. Her father and Ms. Mackenzie had gone out again the night before. Their relationship was going along nicely and it satisfied Sakura.

"She just said she really enjoyed it," Sakura answered. Then she looked around. She knew this was a sensitive subject for another member of the family. "Um…where's Tori?"

"Oh, Tori left a while ago. He said he had a date."

That intrigued Sakura. "He did?"

"Yeah…he never said who it was, though. I guess he must have met someone while he was at work."

"Oh…yeah…I guess so. Um…I guess I'll go up to my room now. I need to…call Li."

Sakura just took a slice of leftover pizza, a bag of potato chips, and a few pudding cups (for Kero) and ran up the stairs. Tori hadn't been with a girl for a while, meaning this date had to be a new girl. And Sakura knew what that meant. Sakura rushed into her room and dropped the food on her desk, nearly crushing Kero in her haste.

"Where's the fire?" Kero asked coolly.

"I've got to call Madison!" Sakura said excitedly. "Tori's got a new date tonight. And you know what THAT means."

Kero gulped. "Um…refresh my memory."

Sakura was a little surprised. "Kero…you know what Madison and I do every time Tori gets a new date. We always wait by the front door for him to bring her home and then we take a picture. We've been doing it ever since we were ten."

Kero went up to say something, but suddenly stopped himself. The guardian beast looked a little edgy. Sakura couldn't deal with that now, though. She had a phone call to make. So she picked up her phone and dialed Madison's number. There was one ring…two rings…three and then four. There was no answer. Sakura could only leave a message.

"Hmm…she's not home," Sakura mumbled under her breath. "Where could she be? I really wanted her to be home."

Kero suddenly piped up. "Um…uh…I have an idea! Why don't you go out with Li for a little while?"

"You mean you WANT us to go out right now?" Sakura asked skeptically. It was strange for Kero to suggest she go out with 'the brat'.

"Yeah! You're two kids in love," Kero replied nonchalantly. "Get together. Get a burger. Talk about…romantic things. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine here."

Sakura wasn't arguing with the idea. It sounded good. It was just…Kero. He was acting weird. It was almost as if he was trying to hide something. But Sakura dismissed it again. It couldn't be anything big. What could Kero possibly hide from her?

"If you say so, Kero," Sakura finally said. Then she grinned. "You know…that's not such a bad idea. I mean…if Tori can have a night out. Then so will I."

Having said that, Sakura reached for her phone and called the one person she loved more than anybody. She called Li.

"Li? Are you doing anything right now?"


~--------------------~


Kero felt lucky. It was quick thinking to suggest that Sakura go out with Li on that night. And being love-struck, she jumped at the suggestion. So as soon as Sakura got out of the house, Kero immediately flew out the window. Something inside him told him to go…to Madison's house.

After giving the advice he did the night before, Kero was eager to check up on how she was faring. But Kero had to admit that when Eriol called Sakura, it scared him out of his wits. Had Eriol told her he was coming back immediately, then the results might have been disastrous and worse than that, it would have been Kero's fault for giving Madison bad advice. He was relieved when Eriol said he needed more time. But Kero knew that this problem had to be dealt with sooner or later. That's part of the reason Madison went out with Tori. She needed to sort her feelings out.

So Kero sat patiently on Madison's bed, waiting in the dark for her to come back. A few hours passed and nobody came in. Kero wondered if Madison and Tori were hitting it off. If they were, then that wouldn't be a good thing. Part of the reason Kero suggested this date was the lingering hope that Madison's feelings for Tori was just a small infatuation. But if it was more than that…then she would be even more confused and Kero would feel responsible.

Just then, the door flew open and the lights came on. Madison came back in with a violet in her hand and an expression as bright as the one Sakura had the night before. Kero gulped. He knew what this meant. Madison suddenly gasped because she almost plopped down on her bed. She hadn't even noticed Kero sitting there.

"Kero! I wasn't expecting you."

Kero looked up. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, I did!" Madison said cheerfully. "I know I haven't had that much fun in a long time. And…I haven't felt this way in a long time. It was so wonderful, Kero."

Kero shook his head. He was afraid he'd hear something like that. Furthermore, when he looked up, Madison was blushing a bright red. She was on cloud nine. Kero couldn't stand bringing her down. He couldn't tell her about the night before. He just couldn't. She looked so…happy.

"But what are you doing here?" Madison suddenly asked.

Kero calmly flew over towards the windowsill. "I wanted to ask if you were going to be ok. Did you sort your feelings out?"

Madison frowned, just as Kero had feared. "I…I…I really like him, Kero. And I feel so confused."

Kero could read the look on her face. "You kissed again, didn't you?"

Madison nodded.

"Did you like it?"

Madison nodded again.

"Even more than last time?"

Madison nodded again. "The feeling is indescribable. He makes me feel so special and I really like him. In fact…we're going out again on Friday."

"You are?" Kero asked. That caught him by surprise.

"That's what I asked myself after Tori left," Madison sighed. "It's like when I'm around him, I think with my heart and not with my head."

"Have you thought of Eriol at all?" Kero asked curiosity. Anyone else might have asked with a stern tone, but Kero just asked with curiosity.

"I have," Madison answered. "And after tonight, I'm thinking a little clearer. I can't just let this go. What if this is something special? Or what if I wind up regretting this for the rest of my life? I don't know. All I can do is follow my heart. And right now my heart is leading me to Tori.

"But it's not just Eriol who's been crossing my mind. It's also…"

Madison paused. She walked over to her answering machine. There was one message and she seemed to know exactly who it was. Madison pushed the button.

"Madison? It's me, Sakura. Where are you? Something's come up. Apparently, Tori has a new date and you know what that means. If you get home, call me! Maybe we can still wait by my front door and we can see what she looks like. Of course, if you bring your camera, leave the flash at home. But either way, don't forget to call me, Madison. I'll be waiting."

Madison sighed towards the end of the message. "How do you think Sakura would have reacted if she saw that this new girl…was me? Tori had the same idea. That's why we didn't go by his house. We're both thinking about what a shock it would be and we've both decided to keep this a secret for now."

"I've thought of that," Kero replied. "That's why I pushed Sakura into going out with Li tonight. They probably still aren't home yet."

Madison looked at the guardian beast somberly. "You can't tell them yet, Kero. Please!"

"Ok, ok. Don't worry. You can trust me."

Madison smiled. "Thank you, Kero. I DO trust you."

"Yeah, yeah…so I'll talk to you later then. Good luck."

"Thanks, Kero."

Kero flew out the window and headed back home. Throughout the whole flight home, Kero couldn't get the feeling that he had forgotten something. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

In the midst of the conversation, Kero forgot to tell Madison about the phone call the night before. He forgot to tell her…that Eriol would be coming back for sure. He should have told her, but he didn't.

But it wouldn't matter. Eriol probably wouldn't be back for months. Madison and Tori couldn't possibly last until then…

…could it?


~--------------------~


Six weeks had passed. It was the middle of July and it was almost time to go to college. Sakura couldn't believe how fast time had gone. But although her summer had been quiet and at some points boring, it was sure unforgettable for one reason, if anything. Her father and Ms. Mackenzie were still dating. That prospect excited her, but she seemed to be the only one to really appreciate it. Every time she talked to Li, he just grumbled adamantly. When she tried to talk to Madison, she would just…space out for some reason…as if something was bothering her. And Tori would ignore the subject altogether.

The only ear willing to listen was Kero. And even HE seemed distracted at times, especially around weekends. Sakura couldn't understand why. A lot of things seemed to be happening on weekends. Kero would completely space out. Tori would be out with a girl Sakura still hadn't met. Her father would go out with Ms. Mackenzie. And Madison would always be out of the house. The only thing Sakura could do was wonder…while she went out with Li.

It was another Friday and Sakura still hadn't heard any news on her front. She did know that Tori was going out on another date with that girl she still hadn't met, her father and Ms. Mackenzie were going out again, and Madison wasn't home again. All Sakura wanted that night was to go out with Li, seeing as how everyone seemed to be so busy. She was waiting to see if Li was making plans, but she needed to hear from him if they were to go out tonight.

"Will you stop waiting?" Kero complained. "If the brat wants to take you out, then he'll call…or come over. Either way, just relax. And…could you bring me another pudding cup?"

Kero obviously couldn't go on without more pudding, but at that moment, Sakura's phone rang. Sakura rushed over and answered it, hoping it was Li.

"Hello?"

It wasn't Li. It was…

"Hello again, Sakura. I bet you weren't expecting to hear from me."

"You're right, Eriol," Sakura replied. "So how's life in England?"

"Over. Life for me in England is OVER!"

Sakura didn't expect to hear that. She knew exactly what Eriol was saying. "Does that mean…?"

"That's right. I'm coming back."

"That's wonderful! I can't wait to see you again! And neither can…you know…"

"Oh, I do! And I can't wait to see her, either. She'll be so surprised to see me…assuming you haven't told her, of course."

Sakura feigned shock. "Eriol…you don't trust me?"

"In a word…no. Please tell me you kept this a secret, Sakura."

"I did, Eriol. You worry too much. So when are you coming back?"

"Well, let me put it this way. If you want to see me…turn around."

Turn around? Sakura didn't know what that meant. But when she turned around, she nearly let out a scream. There was Eriol hanging on a tree branch. It was a trick that Li often pulled in order to avoid being seen by Tori, but this was so different. Sakura ran over to open the window and let the British boy inside. As soon as Eriol came in, he was met with a big hug.

"I've missed you so much, Eriol! You have no idea how happy I am to see you."

Eriol looked a little surprised. "Oh…you couldn't have missed me THAT much."

"That's what you think," Sakura giggled. "It hasn't been the same without you."

"I'm sure that's not what Li's saying," Eriol grinned. "So what do you think, Sakura? Should we pay him a visit?"

"But you just got here," Sakura began. Then she grinned, too. "Actually…maybe that isn't such a bad idea. Just let me get…"

Sakura stopped when she looked at her desk. Kero looked mortified, as if he had just seen a ghost. She didn't know what to make of this.

"Um…Kero? What's wrong?"

"He must have missed me, too," Eriol smirked.

Kero finally spoke up. "Y-Y-You're back…"

"As observant as ever, aren't you, Kero?"

That wasn't either Sakura or Eriol. That voice sounded from Eriol's pocket. Out of the pocket flew out a little stuffed animal that looked like a black cat.

Kero knew that all too familiar presence and scowled. "Suppi."

Suppi landed right next to Kero, who was still feasting on a pudding cup. "Kero, you haven't changed a bit. Still feasting on sweets?"

"You should try it," Kero said dryly. "It'll loosen you up."

Suppi frowned. "You know what happened LAST TIME you tried to 'loosen me up'."

Kero quickly took back his pudding cup. "You're right. Maybe it's better I eat this."

"You know I hate to cut this reunion a little short," Eriol said. "But it's time to go. I want to hurry and find Li. I want to…surprise him."

"Yeah, let's go!" Sakura added. Then something occurred to her. "Um…Eriol? Where's Nakuru?"

Eriol shook his head. "I left HER back at the apartment. You know as well as I do that if I brought Nakuru over, then she'd never leave until she sees your brother. And besides, I just got back. I couldn't take both her and Suppi bickering on my first day back."

Sakura sweatdropped. "I see your point. We'd better go, but…Eriol…there's a little something you should know. Madison's not home right now."

"She isn't?" Eriol sighed. "Great. I guess that's my fault. I never was good at this timing thing. Well…while she gets home, I can talk to Li. So let's go…um…wait…she doesn't check up on him, does she? I mean it IS her guesthouse."

"Not as far as I know," Sakura answered.

"Good. I want to surprise her. I can't wait to see the look on her face when I show up."

Sakura smiled. She knew that this would be night to remember.

"Me too."


Next Time: Uh, oh. Eriol's suddenly come back. Things are now set to get more interesting. And…I can't really specify further. What'll happen next time? Come back and find out!


Any comments? Go ahead and mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below, because I want your feedback!