~~ A Cappella ~~
A Card Captor Sakura Fanfiction by Kit
All characters portrayed here are the property of CLAMP, Kodansha, a bunch of other Japanese
media companies, and a certain Canadian dubbing company that will heretofore go unnamed. I
don't claim to own these characters, but the situations I put them in belong to me. I would rather
this wasn't posted anywhere without my permission (right now it can probably be found on the
CCSFWML groups site, the CCSFWML website, and fanfiction.net), so email me with questions.
Don't steal. I bite.
Part Three -- Staccato
staccato -- adj. -- 1: marked by short clear-cut playing or singing of tones or chords 2: abrupt,
disjointed
"You're smiling again," commented Spinel, who was curled up on a sunny window sill in Eriol's study.
"Am I?" Eriol's smile widened and he paused in his reading. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"Not 'wrong', exactly," Spinel said. "Just odd. It's not your usual smile." Spinel unwound from his napping position and stretched. "Shouldn't you be practicing for the concert anyway?" He fluttered over to settle on Eriol's shoulder, peering curiously at the book his creator was reading.
"I'm tired of practicing," Eriol declared.
"So you're reading over your old prophecies?" Spinel sounded skeptical. "Are those dusty old predictions more interesting than the piano?"
"Not particularly, but I thought I ought to refresh my memory. I have a feeling something's going to happen soon." Eriol closed the book with a sigh.
Spinel stiffened. "Something's going to happen?!" He frowned and paced back and forth across Eriol's shoulder. "You don't seem all that concerned about it . . ." he said reproachfully.
"It's nothing major, Spinel," Eriol assured his friend. "I just got a quick flash of something when Daidouji Tomoyo was over yesterday."
Spinel jumped down to settle in Eriol's lap. "I don't know anything about your prophecies, but I do like that girl. She's tougher than she looks." The tiny creature shot Eriol a pleased look. "And she's at least as clever as you are."
Eriol snorted. "I don't know about that, Spinel," he scoffed, absently scratching under Spinel's chin. "But she was the mind behind nearly everything that happened back at Tomoeda Elementary, despite her determination to work behind the scenes." Eriol smiled as Spinel began to purr contentedly. "Her manipulations of Li-kun were masterful."
"As were yours," Spinel reminded Eriol. "You know, she's a lot like you."
"Hmm . . ." It was an intriguing thought, and one that made a lot of sense. Aside from Tomoyo's quiet cleverness, she was mature beyond her years, and nearly as introverted as Eriol himself. Eriol had learned of Tomoyo's arrival in England only two weeks after the fact, but had decided to give the girl her space instead of approaching her immediately. While they had certainly been polite to each other back at Tomoeda, Eriol and Tomoyo had never really been friends, and Eriol had suspected that she wouldn't appreciate meddling. So he'd watched her from a distance for a few months. He knew she was lonely, since her lingering grief over her mother's death kept her isolated, but hadn't interfered. Now, as he puzzled over her situation, he felt guilty for not meeting her earlier.
"She's also lonely," Spinel commented blandly, confirming Eriol's own silent estimation.
Eriol glanced down at the feline creature in his lap and quirked an eyebrow. "Are you trying to not-so-subtly suggest something, Spinel?" he asked suspiciously.
"Would I do that?" Spinel sounded appropriately dismayed by the suggestion.
"Yes, you would," Eriol told his creation.
"Hmm . . ." said Spinel as he curled languorously on Eriol's thigh, his expression
inscrutable, as usual.
For the first time since starting school in England, Tomoyo awoke in a good mood on
Monday morning. Aside from her meeting with Kaho on Saturday morning, and the time when
her father accidentally set off the smoke alarm in the kitchen due to some charred muffins on
Sunday, her weekend had been relatively laid back. This was good because Tomoyo had found
that her talk with Kaho had posed more questions than it had answered.
Kaho had been more than helpful in explaining what had happened to Eriol, but it only made Tomoyo more curious. By the time Tomoyo had delivered Sakura's package and the rest of the letters to her former teacher, Tomoyo had a dozen new questions that she was dying to ask Kaho. Tomoyo was too polite to bombard Kaho with the decidedly personal questions she was pondering, which meant that for the rest of the weekend, Tomoyo was stuck with her own swirling thoughts.
He's changed, Tomoyo thought absently as she wove her way through the crowded hallways of the Academy on the way to her first class. He's not the same boy I knew back in Tomoeda.
Then Tomoyo had to stifle a giggle. Well, of course he's not the same boy. I'm not the same girl. It's been a good five years. Everyone grows up, even the reincarnation of Clow Reed. But Tomoyo still had the nagging feeling that there was something fundamentally different about Hiiragizawa Eriol. Tomoyo hoped she'd run into Eriol again soon, if for no other reason than to try and sneak a few more answers out of him.
Morning classes passed uneventfully. After lunch break, Tomoyo arrived at her math class ten minutes before the teacher did, so she settled down at her usual desk, pulled out the homework assignment, and promptly zoned out. Slowly, she became aware of a conversation taking place behind her between a small group of boys. Tomoyo knew that eavesdropping wasn't a particularly savory habit, but at the moment, she couldn't bring herself to care about politeness.
"And I haven't seen her since Friday afternoon," one of the boys said, his voice a peculiar mingling of astonishment and relief.
"Me neither," another boy added.
"I still don't believe you," a third boy said. Tomoyo caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. He had a highly skeptical look on his face as he absently brushed his fingers through his stylish fringe of chestnut-brown hair. "Akizuki's been chasing us for months and I find it very unlikely that she's suddenly decide to chase after some little girl."
"Oh, shove it, Justin," responded the fourth boy. Tomoyo had a clear view of this one, and watched the pale, slender boy dismiss the skeptical Justin with a wave his hand. "Just because that lunatic has found something else to chase is no reason to be jealous of a little girl."
Justin looked offended. "Jealous?!" His voice cracked slightly. Despite the fact that he was tall, with broad shoulders and chiseled features, Tomoyo suspected he was only a year or two older than she was. "You think I actually liked being stalked by some crazy girl all year?" He shook his head quickly. "No way, Colin. You sound almost as crazy as Akizuki."
The pale, smirking Colin laughed. His voice was much lower, richer than one would suspect from such a slight boy. "Say whatever you want, Justin," he replied, "But we were there, and we saw how Akizuki practically carried the girl off." Tomoyo recognized the boy as the pretty blonde who had been attempting to hide under a bush to escape from Nakuru this past Friday. "So it looks like you've got competition, Justin." Colin gave Justin another smug smile. "Maybe you ought to go check out the girl before you get your boxers in a bunch, eh?"
Justin frowned. "What are you getting at?"
"Before you get all jealous over this new girl, you should take a look at her. She's much prettier than Akizuki is." Colin elbowed another boy next to him. "She's not my type, but some of the others were about ready to attempt a rescue of the girl. Ben here actually called her 'hot'."
The boy he elbowed turned brilliant scarlet. "Uh . . ."
Justin's faint scowl had faded to a look of vague curiosity. "She's cute?" he mused absently.
"Very," confirmed Colin.
"Well, point her out next time you see her," Justin decided.
"She's sitting right in front of you, dolt," Colin muttered. "The new Japanese girl."
There was a long silence and Tomoyo could feel her cheeks heating up. Her back prickled under the stares of the boys. She did her best to keep ignoring them.
"You can stop pretending not to hear us, Daidouji," Colin said in a slightly louder voice. "Why don't you turn around so Justin can check you out."
With a long-suffering sigh, Tomoyo turned around in her seat. She was still blushing under the obviously appreciative gazes of the five boys, but she managed to retain her air of aloof superiority. "Do I meet with your approval?" she asked archly, pleased with her own ability to adapt to the situation.
"Oh, I'd say so," Colin answered gaily. Justin was still eyeing Tomoyo.
Justin was, if Tomoyo remembered correctly, one of the boys that Nakuru had been chattering about on the way to Eriol's house last Friday. He was just as lovely as Nakuru had described, with a statuesque build and classically handsome features. Huge blue eyes and ridiculously thick dark lashes didn't hurt either.
Ben, a shorter boy with a tousled mass of curly red hair, was gazing at Tomoyo with undisguised adoration. She wasn't sure if it was because he thought she was 'hot', or whether it was because she'd drawn the attention of Nakuru.
"You've become famous almost overnight, Daidouji," Colin continued casually. "You're the first girl at Clef who's pretty enough to draw Akizuki away from us pretty boys. She's been chasing us around the school for months." He shot Justin a sly glance. "Justin might be a little jealous, but I think the rest of us are ready to worship you."
Justin cuffed Colin absently on the side of the head. "Shut up, brat," he muttered. Then he gave Tomoyo a quick, winning smile. "We're all pretty astounded by what happened. And don't worry about Colin. He just likes the sound of his own voice."
"Well of course I like the sound of my own voice!" proclaimed Colin in ringing tones. "Who doesn't?"
Justin smacked him again. Tomoyo almost smiled. It felt a bit odd to be included in a conversation among friends, but it was also rather nice. And the boys themselves were certainly easy on the eyes. Colin hadn't been exaggerating when he'd called them 'pretty boys.' Justin was obviously attractive, and Colin was just as pretty, with his long, pale-blonde hair and bright green eyes. Ben looked like the living incarnation of some literary Puck, with his vibrant red hair and pointed, pixie-like features. The other two boys were equally cute. The tall, muscular one was introduced as Bertram, but he promptly begged Tomoyo to call him Bertie, and Tomoyo found she had a hard time resisting his wide smile and friendly, freckle-dotted features. The final boy was almost impossibly effeminate with the most beautiful face Tomoyo had ever seen on a boy. He had dark hair that fell in waves over his eyes as he introduced himself as St. John, more frequently called Sin. It turned out that these five boys were the most frequent targets of Nakuru's rather predatory instincts, and as a result, had become close friends.
Tomoyo soon realized that Colin was the one drawing her into the group, but she wasn't quite sure of his motives. He didn't seem attracted to her, as both Justin and Ben appeared to be, and he didn't seem to care all that much about what had happened with Nakuru. Colin listened carefully to the few comments that Tomoyo made, and smiled frequently at her, but Tomoyo still wasn't able to tell what he wanted from her.
"So when Nakuru dragged you off, where'd she take you?" Colin eventually asked curiously. "She's never actually tried to kidnap any of us."
"It wasn't really kidnaping," Tomoyo replied with a faint smile. "I met Akizuki-san several years ago when she and Hiiragizawa Eriol lived in Japan. Hiiragizawa-kun was in my class at school, so I got to know Akizuki-san fairly well through him."
Something glinted in Colin's green eyes. "Hiiragizawa, eh? So I guess that means she dragged you to his house?"
Tomoyo nodded. "Hiiragizawa-kun was there and he showed me his garden. It was nice to see him again after so many years. I didn't know he went to Clef Academy."
Sin chuckled. "I'm surprised you didn't run into him any earlier. He's around all the time." He winked impishly at Tomoyo. "Maybe he was hiding from you."
"Or maybe he was watching you from the shadows," added Bertie with a mysterious smile.
"Oh, come off it, Bertie," Colin scoffed. He gave Tomoyo a conspiratorial glance. "Bertie always has these romantic theories about people. Now that he and Sin have finally stopped moping around and gotten together, he's determined to pair the rest of his friends up."
"But he's stopped bugging me about it," Justin said with a meaningful glance toward the taller Bertie. "Bertie finally figured out that I didn't much care for his little insinuations about myself and Nakuru or those other girls."
Bertie had the grace to look slightly abashed, but Sin looked ready to defend his friend. Fortunately for Justin, the teacher interrupted the impending argument by arriving. Math class flew by for Tomoyo, as she was fully absorbed by the novelty of making actual friends. It was something she'd missed in the months since she left Tomoeda.
When class was over, the five boys escorted her to her next class. Justin and Ben were still watching her appraisingly, making Tomoyo a little nervous. She wasn't used to being stared at, just as she wasn't used to being proclaimed 'hot.' Bertie and Sin were chatting amiably with her, however, and Colin's sly grins were carefully calculated to put her at ease. When they finally dropped her off at her Arts class, Tomoyo was forced to admit that she liked the attention.
Clef's special advanced Performing Arts rotation was Tomoyo's favorite class. An audition had been required for acceptance to the class, something that had worried Tomoyo at first. She didn't have much experience with acting or dancing, since music was her true forte, but she didn't feel comfortable singing anymore. The last notes she'd sung were still echoing through a tiny chapel back in Japan. Fortunately, Tomoyo was also tolerably proficient on the piano, and her father's last gift to her before Sonomi left him was a silver-toned flute, which Tomoyo had learned to play when she was young. Her audition's flute performance had gone off remarkably well, and after learning that Tomoyo could also play the piano enough to accompany the choir or the dance recitals, the Arts director had gleefully accepted her into his elite class of performers.
The class had initially concentrated on theater, something that Tomoyo didn't feel at all comfortable with. She had a hard enough time keeping up her seamless facade without having to try to act like yet another person. The dance unit had gone off a little easier, since Tomoyo was more confident about her dancing abilities. It helped that you weren't generally required to perform a ringing monologue while waltzing. The latest segment of the class concentrated on music, specifically instrumental music. Tomoyo found that she'd missed music. Singing was still too painful, but her father's flute was a beautiful instrument, and Tomoyo was able to comfortably lose herself in it's soaring tones without the memory of her mother's funeral intruding.
As Tomoyo entered the classroom, a few minutes before the beginning of class, she remembered that the instrumental portion of the music unit had finished up last week. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized what would come next. She sank slowly down into her chair, wishing she could sink further, down through the floor, through the foundations of the school, past the loam and the bedrock . . .
"Is everybody ready to sing?" caroled the elderly little man who directed the Arts rotation.
There were a few groans, a few weak cheers, and many silences among the students. Tomoyo remained silent, still wishing she could escape somehow. I can't sing, she thought, beginning to panic. I just don't think I can do this. Maybe the director will let me go to the clinic . . .
"All of you seem quite excited about the new vocal segment of our music class," the white-haired Arts director continued. "But before you even open your mouths, I need to introduce you to another student who's going to be helping us out with the piano accompaniment."
Tomoyo's head shot up and she stared at the director.
"Miss Daidouji has done a lovely job on the piano for our previous sessions, but I think we'll need her vocal talents for the upcoming classes. So I've arranged for one of my upper level students to assist us." The man absently slid his spectacles back up the ridge of his nose. "Mr. Hiiragizawa? Would you please join us now?"
"Certainly, Mr. Phillips," a familiar voice rang out from the shadowy recesses of the practice room at the rear of the auditorium. Hiiragizawa Eriol gave the class a cheerful smile. "Good afternoon, everyone," he said pleasantly.
"This is Eriol Hiiragizawa, class," the director explained. "Mr. Hiiragizawa? If you could take a seat at the piano, I'll go through some of the basic vocal exercises that we'll be doing to warm up."
Tomoyo was already screaming inside her head. So now Hiiragizawa-kun's here to witness my gradual mental breakdown. Could this possibly get any worse?
"Unfortunately, my voice is not what it used to be," Mr. Phillips announced wryly, eliciting a wave of snickers from the students. While Mr. Phillips was said to have been a relatively decent baritone as a younger man, he was nearly seventy years old now, and his voice had slid to a dusty, weary tenor. "I'll need someone to assist me with my demonstration here." There was a pause as he scanned his class.
Tomoyo winced as a flash of foresight struck her. Oh, please no . . . not now . . .
"Miss Daidouji? I believe you have some singing experience, yes?" Mr. Phillips was beaming.
Tomoyo had no choice but to nod.
"Then I'm sure you are familiar with most of these exercises I'm going to teach. Would you mind coming up to the piano and demonstrating as I explain?"
"Certainly, Mr. Phillips," Tomoyo echoed softly, rising to her feet and heading towards
Eriol and the piano with all the eagerness of a prisoner approaching the headsman's block.
"That was an hour and a half of pure hell," Tomoyo muttered when Arts was finally over.
She gathered her school bag and made a beeline for the door.
"It could have been worse," Eriol commented as he came up behind her. Tomoyo had never figured out how he moved so fast. She could have sworn he was still back at the piano. "Mr. Phillips could have asked you to demonstrate the full range of a first-rate lyric soprano by making you sing something in Italian."
Tomoyo gave Eriol a long, steady look before finally agreeing. "You're probably right, Hiiragizawa-kun." She sighed mournfully. "I wish he'd let me stick with the piano."
"You didn't play the piano back in Tomoeda," Eriol said softly. There was an odd expression on his face, one that Tomoyo couldn't quite place.
"No, but in middle school I helped out our choir director by accompanying some of the younger children during concerts. I learned by trial and error, basically." Tomoyo regained a little of her usual composure and flashed Eriol a brief, brilliant smile. "Of course, I'm still not even half as good as you are," she added.
Eriol smiled modestly. Or at least he made a good attempt at it. "You were probably cleverer than I was," he said wryly. "I've been accompanying nearly every choral concert and musical theater performance here for the past four years. I never seem to be able to wiggle out of the responsibility."
Tomoyo snorted. She could see through his false chagrin in an instant. "You didn't seem too unhappy to help Mr. Phillips out in class," she noted as she headed down the hallway.
Eriol chuckled. "Hmm, perhaps you're right." He fell silent for a while, keeping pace with Tomoyo as she made her way outside into the late afternoon sunshine. He seemed perfectly content to walk along with Tomoyo, but she suspected there was something else he wanted to say to her.
Outside the front gates of Clef Academy, Eriol finally stopped walking, and gently pulled Tomoyo to one side of the walkway. "Are you sure you're alright, Daidouji-san?" he asked seriously. "You looked ready to faint in Arts class today. Did something happen?"
To Tomoyo's horror and utter embarrassment, she felt her eyes fill with tears. "No, it's nothing, Hiiragizawa-kun. I felt a little ill, that's all." It took all of Tomoyo's significant willpower to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. Instead she stood wide-eyed and unblinking in the bright sunlight, her facial expression daring Eriol to push the issue. He's too polite to ask me any more about this . . . she thought hopefully.
Instead of apologizing, Eriol merely pulled a clean, neatly folded white handkerchief from the pocket of his blazer and handed it wordlessly over to Tomoyo. He watched her as she dabbed daintily at her eyes. "Now tell me what's really wrong," he asked gently.
"It was the singing," Tomoyo admitted finally.
Eriol raised an eyebrow. "You don't like to sing anymore?" He seemed perplexed. "You still have one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard . . ."
The inadvertent compliment wasn't enough to pull Tomoyo from her self-induced depression. "I haven't sung a note since my mother's funeral," Tomoyo explained.
Eriol suddenly looked horrified at his own tactlessness. "I'm so sorry for prying, Daidouji-san," he said, his voice and eyes sincere. "If I had known, I would never have . . ." He cut his own words off, and looked a little embarrassed.
Tomoyo had a sudden insight. "You arranged that whole thing, didn't you?" She took a slightly menacing step towards Eriol. Eriol took a small step backward, despite the fact that the suddenly-angry girl before him barely came up to his shoulder, and was almost painfully thin. "You arranged to come to my class to play the piano, and you arranged for Mr. Phillips to pick me to demonstrate." Her eyebrows drew together. "There's no way he would have known I sang unless you told him . . ."
For a moment, it looked as though Eriol was going to deny Tomoyo's accusations, but he finally just sighed and nodded. "Guilty as charged." He gave Tomoyo an almost ridiculously piteous pout. "Can you ever forgive me, Daidouji-san?"
Tomoyo contemplated throttling Eriol, but quickly came to the realization that he probably hadn't meant any harm by his meddling, and she'd therefore be choking the closest thing she had to a friend here in England. Tomoyo tried instead to scowl at Eriol. "No, I don't think I can ever forgive you."
Eriol drooped visibly, though his eyes were glinting with suppressed merriment. He could tell that Tomoyo wasn't really angry with him anymore. So he turned on the charm. "But Daidouji-san, there must be some way I can make up for my terrible behavior!" He performed an elaborate, courtly bow. "I am yours to command!"
"Yeah, right," Tomoyo muttered. The concept of ordering Hiiragizawa Eriol around was too bizarre to even contemplate.
"But honestly, Daidouji-san," Eriol continued, dropping his facade slightly. "I'm really sorry for intruding. I made a mistake, and I want to make it up to you." He smiled faintly. "How about a piano concert?"
Tomoyo raised an eyebrow. "When?"
"This Friday night." Eriol grinned. "It's only a student concert at Clef, but it's looking to be a good one, and the tickets are already sold out. Fortunately, I happen to have two tickets on hand." He pulled a small envelope out of his blazer pocket and passed it to Tomoyo. "Invite one of those charming young men in your math class to go along with you. Several of them seem awfully fond of you already . . ."
To her credit, Tomoyo didn't flush. "You mean you're giving me these tickets but you won't come along with me?" Tomoyo gave him a patently skeptical look. "It sounds to me like you're skimping out on your apology, Hiiragizawa-kun."
Eriol hung his head mournfully. "I would love to accompany you to the concert, but I'm already scheduled for that evening."
"And what's more important than apologizing to me for your terrible social blunder, if I may ask?" Tomoyo was having difficulty keeping a straight face. She glanced down at the tickets. "Not only would you miss my company for the evening but you'll miss an exclusive performance by the critically acclaimed young pianist . . ." She paused, blinked, and re-read the name on the ticket.
"Actually, I'm performing in the concert," Eriol replied with a rather smug smile.
"Oh," murmured Tomoyo.
Eriol hadn't been boasting when he'd said that the tickets to his concert were sold out. Of
course, it wasn't until Tomoyo was faced with the scalpers outside of the theater that she realized
just how popular the concert was.
"Now I see why you jumped at the chance to come with me to this thing," Tomoyo murmured to the young man at her side.
Colin grinned back at her. "Didn't I mention that I'd been trying to buy someone's ticket for the past two weeks?"
"You might have said something like that, but I think I missed it in between all the "thank you's" you were babbling at me," Tomoyo replied wryly. She was waiting in line with Colin to get into the theater, but the line wasn't moving terribly quickly. Fortunately Colin was an amusing conversationalist, and the pair had hit it off almost immediately. Despite Justin and Ben's rather clumsy flirting, it was Colin that Tomoyo had found herself most drawn to. So when Eriol had thrust his "apology tickets" at her, suggesting that she invite one of her new friends, her choice of Colin hadn't been that difficult. Fortunately, he had eagerly taken her up on her offer, and agreed with her in her assurances that it wasn't a date.
"It's really odd to think that Hiiragizawa Eriol is almost a teen idol over here," Tomoyo commented to Colin as they neared the entrance of the theater.
Colin gave Tomoyo a strange look. "Why's it odd?" he asked. "I'll agree that he's pretty quiet, but he's also really talented, aside from his dashing good looks and brilliant intellect."
Tomoyo couldn't quite tell whether Colin was joking, but she shrugged absently. "I don't know. I guess I always had him pegged as kind of a loner. He spent most of his time in Tomoeda apart from the other students." Like me, Tomoyo added silently.
Colin chuckled. "Well, he is a bit of a loner, but that's part of his appeal, Tomoyo." His smile softened slightly. "He's like one of those, um, whaddya call 'em in Japan? Bishies?"
"Bishounen," Tomoyo said between giggles. "Or at least I think that's what you're talking about."
"Hey, be nice. My Japanese is pretty rough around the edges." Colin rolled his eyes. "It's nowhere near as good as your English is." He gave her a charming smile, green eyes glinting mischievously.
"Flatterer," Tomoyo admonished playfully, tucking her arm around Colin's. She was surprised to find that she was really enjoying herself. Colin was good company.
"Of course," replied Colin with another cocky grin before leading Tomoyo inside the theater and down to their seats.
The theater was packed, as expected. It was odd to see so many of Tomoyo's fellow students wearing something other than their uniforms. The Clef students were decked out in all their finery, and the audience was dotted with every color of the rainbow. Tomoyo felt a little underdressed in her filmy pale-green dress, elegant but plain, but Colin had assured her that she looked fabulous and that all the other guys would be jealous of him, since he was lucky enough to be with her.
"It's definitely interesting to come to one of Hiiragizawa's concerts with an old friend of his," Colin commented once they were settled into their seats. "You can give me all the dirt on our supremely talented classmate."
Tomoyo chuckled. "I can probably do better than that, Colin," she said quietly as the lights began to dim. "I bet I could get you back to meet him after the show."
Colin didn't respond vocally, since the concert was clearly about to begin, but Tomoyo caught the flash of his grin in the faint light, and could practically feel him quiver in excitement next to her. Yep, definitely a fan, Tomoyo decided, smiling inwardly.
Eriol soon appeared on stage, decked out in a tuxedo, bowed modestly to the audience then took his seat at the piano. Tomoyo was impressed by how composed he seemed up there. It had been a while since she'd performed on stage in front of any sizeable audience, and the mere memory gave her chills. Her stage fright tended to be almost paralyzing. But Eriol seemed completely unruffled.
If Tomoyo hadn't had the program right in front of her, she wouldn't have been able to recognize the pieces that Eriol played. They were all beautiful, an intriguing mix of classical concertos and modern pieces, but it wasn't the usual college concert fare. Eriol's little performance in Arts class had reminded her that he was skilled at the piano; tonight's concert reminded her that not only was he skilled, but he was a musician.
Perhaps even more than the flair with which he performed, Tomoyo was fascinated by Eriol's facial expressions. The tickets Eriol had given her were for the center of the second row, and she was close enough to have a good view of the pianist himself. He wore a look of intense concentration, tempered by something akin to religious exaltation, as though there were something spiritually enlightening about his music.
The final piece that Eriol played was something he had composed himself. While Tomoyo had to agree with Colin that it was a beautiful melody, she had a nagging feeling that something was missing in Eriol's execution of the piece. Tomoyo felt ridiculous in critiquing, even in her own head, something she had no real knowledge of, but it truly seemed as though there was something lacking in the last piece. It bothered Tomoyo for the rest of the evening.
At the end of the concert, after the thunderous waves of applause and the numerous bows Eriol took for the audience, he smiled and thanked everyone for coming. It turned out that the proceeds from the concert would be going to a local charities and a community trust fund. Tomoyo smiled to herself. That's something new, she thought idly as she joined the audience for a final standing ovation. Eriol's not really selfish, but I never really thought he paid enough attention to the outside world to even think about giving a concert for charity.
"That was lovely," Colin murmured happily at Tomoyo's side.
"Yes, it definitely was," Tomoyo agreed quietly, letting her gaze follow Eriol across the stage until he disappeared off into the wings.
The audience began to slowly file out of the theater, but Tomoyo pulled Colin along with her toward the stage. They fought the crowd for a while, but it wasn't far to the stage door. Feeling braver than usual, Tomoyo cautiously pushed her way through the stage door and dragged a slightly-stunned Colin behind her.
"We can probably catch him before he leaves," Tomoyo told Colin, who could only nod mutely in response.
"Nice try, young lady," rumbled a deep voice from somewhere over Tomoyo's head. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light backstage, she realized that she was now faced with a young man who probably weighed about three times what she did, all muscle. He was radiating an air of dangerous hostility. "If you want to drop off flowers or a letter or something for Hiiragizawa, that's fine, but he's asked me to politely keep his admirers away this evening."
"A-admirers?" Tomoyo stammered, stunned by the implication.
"Flowers, eh?" Colin mused thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that one . . ."
Tomoyo frowned at the young bouncer-type. "Listen here," she began sternly, poking a belligerent finger at the man. "I'm not an 'admirer' or groupie or whatever. I'm a friend of Hiiragizawa-kun, and if you don't take us to him right now, I'm going to be really unhappy with you . . ."
"And you don't want to make Tomoyo really unhappy," Colin stage-whispered to the bouncer before grinning unrepentantly in response to Tomoyo's glare.
Tomoyo finally just shook her head. "Just go tell Hiiragizawa-kun that Daidouji-san is here to see him, alright? He'll recognize my name."
"Dye-doh-gee-son," the burly man replied with a slight nod of his head. "I'll go tell him. Just wait here Miss Dye-doh-gee-son." And without another word, he trotted off into the darkness.
Silence stretched for many long seconds.
"Don't say anything," Tomoyo warned Colin gravely. "Not a single word."
Colin was trying to contain his broad grin without much success. "I wouldn't dream of it, Miss Dye-doh-gee-son . . ."
While not normally a violent person, Tomoyo momentarily contemplated taking a swipe at the blonde boy, but paused when she noticed the suddenly star-struck expression on his face. She turned and followed the path of his gaze to find Eriol, sans tuxedo jacket and cummerbund, bow-tie askew, staring at her in astonishment. "Miss Dye-doh-gee-son?" he echoed faintly.
Tomoyo rolled her eyes skyward as Colin burst into gales of laughter.
By the time Eriol had led his 'admirers' backstage to the practice room he had taken over, Colin had regained his composure and Tomoyo had managed to explain their encounter with the burly bouncer while keeping a straight face.
"I'm very sorry about that," Eriol apologized. "Last time I had a concert a couple of fans followed me home, so this time I got George to keep folks away." Eriol grinned and finished untying his bow-tie. "He's not actually as stupid as he looks, or sounds."
"Miss Dye-doh-gee-son?" Tomoyo prompted incredulously.
"Actually, he just did that to watch your expression. When he found me, he asked me to apologize for him. George's exact words were: 'Please tell Daidouji-san that I'm sorry for giving such a lovely lady a difficult time.'"
Colin snickered.
"As usual," Tomoyo proclaimed with a lofty toss of her hair, "You surround yourself with the mentally deficient, Hiiragizawa-kun."
Eriol grinned impishly at her, his hair slightly tousled from his wrestling match with the bow-tie. "I'll be sure to tell Nakuru and Spinel that," he agreed pleasantly. Then he turned his attention to Colin, giving the slender boy a cursory glance. "So is this the friend you brought to the concert, Daidouji-san?" he asked politely.
"Yes, it is," Tomoyo replied. "Hiiragizawa-kun, I'd like you to meet Colin Severn, my not-date for the evening. Colin, this is my old classmate, Hiiragizawa Eriol. I told Colin I'd introduce the two of you."
Eriol raised a slender eyebrow at the 'not-date' comment, but didn't ask. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said to Colin.
Colin beamed. "No, the pleasure's all mine, I assure you." Colin's smile was infectious, and Eriol soon returned it. "I'm a big fan," Colin admitted. "Tomoyo didn't have to do much convincing to get me to escort her to your concert."
"That's nice to hear," Eriol commented drily. "I'd hate to have caused you to waste an evening." He absently tugged on his collar, finally unbuttoning the top two buttons. "What did you think of the concert?" he asked Colin, his eyes drifting from Tomoyo to Colin and then back again.
Colin began to gush, describing in detail just how much he enjoyed himself this evening, extolling the virtues of Eriol's musical selections, and practically swooning over Eriol's skill with the piano. Eriol met Tomoyo's gaze over the top of Colin's head and rolled his eyes slightly, a faint smile on his lips. Tomoyo smiled sweetly back at him, as if to say, Hey, you brought this upon yourself.
Tomoyo let Colin babble for a few minutes, then decided to take pity on Eriol and rescue him. "We should probably get going, Colin," she suggested mildly. "My father wanted be back by midnight, and you promised to take me home."
Colin sighed mournfully. "You're right, of course," Colin agreed. He flashed Eriol a brilliant and charming smile, the kind that made his green eyes practically light up. "It really was wonderful meeting you, Hiiragizawa," he said, holding out his hand.
Eriol nodded and shook Colin's hand. "And it's always nice meeting any friend of Daidouji-san's," he replied with a small smile. Beneath the smiling facade, Tomoyo could tell he was tired, and she suddenly felt bad about taking up so much of his time.
"And thanks again for the tickets, Hiiragizawa-kun," Tomoyo told him. "We both enjoyed your music." She began to push the dreamily smiling Colin toward the exit. Then she paused, and walked back to Eriol. "But you're looking exhausted, Hiiragizawa-kun," she told him seriously. She absently re-folded his collar and straightened his ruffled hair. "Go get some sleep, ne?"
Eriol gave her a slow, sweet smile. "As you wish, Daidouji-san," he replied, his blue eyes darker than usual. "And thank you."
Tomoyo darted off after Colin, not quite sure what exactly Eriol had been thanking her for.
"I think you're my new best friend," Colin told her later as they walked towards Tomoyo's house. "There's no way I would ever have met Hiiragizawa Eriol without you."
"I think you're obsessed," Tomoyo commented.
"Yep," Colin agreed cheerfully.
Tomoyo chuckled. "And a shameless flirt, as well," she added.
Colin sighed mournfully. "Was I that obvious?"
"Yep," Tomoyo said, mimicking Colin's earlier assent.
Colin drooped. "Well, there go all my attempts at subtlety," he said. Then he gave Tomoyo a hopeful glance. "I don't suppose you could put in a good word for me with Hiiragizawa, could you? Or at least find out if I have a chance with him?" Colin sighed, a melancholy expression on his face. "I don't even know if Hiiragizawa likes boys. He's never dated anyone, of either sex, as far as the gossip mill is concerned."
Tomoyo wondered how Eriol had kept his relationship with Mizuki Kaho a secret for so long.
"But enough about me," Colin said, changing the subject. "You've helped me out, so is there anything I can do to help you with your own romantic entanglements?"
"I don't have any romantic entanglements," Tomoyo declared stiffly.
"Really?" Colin nudged Tomoyo gently in the arm. "What about that girl you mentioned back in Japan?"
"Sakura?" At Colin's nod, Tomoyo sighed and shook her head. "She's not a romantic entanglement, Colin," she said firmly. "Sakura-chan has a boyfriend, and they're very happy together." Tomoyo closed her eyes and voiced the words she'd used as a mantra over the last few years. "And besides, her happiness is my happiness . . ."
"Well, that's complete bullshit," Colin said, "But if that's the way you want to have it, then go ahead. I don't want to meddle too much."
"Good choice," Tomoyo muttered darkly.
They approached the front door to Tomoyo's building and Colin placed a gentle hand on her arm, making her pause before she pulled open the door. "Just be sure you don't always put others before yourself, Tomoyo. Self-sacrifice is all well and good, but it's an awfully lonely way to live one's life." He placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead, then walked off into the night.
For a moment, all Tomoyo could do was stare at Colin's retreating back. Finally she shook herself out of her reverie and headed inside. Once back in her father's apartment, she faced a rather volatile situation again.
"Two boys in one week!" Tasha caroled gleefully.
"Who was that boy!" Hiroshi demanded, his face red with anger.
"Was that your first kiss, Tomoyo-chan?" Tasha asked, her eyes eager. "Spill the beans, hon!"
"And why did he kiss you, Tomoyo?!" Hiroshi roared.
"What?!" squeaked Tomoyo in astonishment.
"Your father was spying on you and your young man via the surveillance camera at the front door, dear," Tasha explained calmly, winking at Tomoyo.
"If I remember correctly," Hiroshi added, glancing at Tasha, "You were watching right along next to me, love . . ."
"Oh, god . . ." Tomoyo moaned, burying her face in her hand. This is completely and utterly embarrassing, she thought miserably.
"So why don't you tell us about what happened this evening, Tomoyo-chan?" Tasha suggested mildly.
With a defeated sigh, Tomoyo sat Tasha and her father down on the couch and tried to explain the situation.
"So he's gay?" Tasha asked Tomoyo once the dark-haired girl had laid out the scenario. Tasha sounded a bit disappointed.
"Yeah, pretty much," Tomoyo agreed. "He didn't actually come out and say it or anything, but he was flirting pretty openly with Hiiragizawa-kun."
"But he kissed you!" Hiroshi protested, still holding onto the last of his over-protective-father-type-anger.
"On the forehead," Tomoyo reminded him. "Father, Colin doesn't like girls in that way. You don't need to worry."
"But if he doesn't like girls," Hiroshi countered logically, "Then why did he kiss you? Are you sure his whole gay-thing wasn't some sort of act to get close to you?"
Tasha began to laugh at her lover.
Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "Father, he spent the whole time before, during, and after the concert telling me how wonderful Hiiragizawa Eriol was. I honestly don't think it was an act."
"That Severn boy talked about Hiiragizawa the whole time?" Hiroshi repeated skeptically.
"Yeah," Tomoyo said with another roll of her eyes. "I really like Colin, and he's a good friend and all, but I got pretty tired of hearing about Hiiragizawa-kun."
"That sounds kind of boring, actually," Tasha commented between chuckles. Even Hiroshi was grinning now.
"You have no idea," Tomoyo murmured before excusing herself and heading off to bed.
"I don't believe you," Spinel said flatly.
"I'm telling the truth!" Nakuru insisted. She was seated in the kitchen, working on the remnants of the chocolate torte Eriol had made the day before.
"So you think the Master has a thing for the Daidouji girl?" Spinel asked, obviously skeptical.
"Hey, you weren't there," Nakuru explained after swallowing another mouthful of dark chocolate. "He was practically babbling about her. You know how much I respect our esteemed creator and all, but I got pretty tired of hearing about Tomoyo-chan."
"That sounds kind of boring, actually," Spinel commented blandly.
"You have no idea," Nakuru muttered before shoving the last bite of cake into her mouth. "I'm going to bed," she declared. "Go talk to Eriol yourself, if you don't believe me. Then once he starts talking about Tomoyo-chan, you can try to shut him up again." And then she stomped off to bed, leaving her dirty plate and fork on the kitchen table.
"Pig," Spinel grumbled before dumping the dishes into the sink and fluttering off in search of Eriol.
Fortunately, Eriol was easy to find. He was nestled in his favorite armchair, eyes closed, dress shirt and hair once more rumpled. "Master?" Spinel called quietly. "Are you awake?"
"Of course, Spinel," Eriol replied, not opening his eyes.
"Oh, good," Spinel said then settled down onto Eriol's lap.
"I suppose you're here to find out whether I've got 'a thing for Tomoyo-chan,' aren't you?" Eriol asked calmly.
"Well, the thought crossed my mind," Spinel admitted.
"Nakuru talks too much," Eriol said with a quiet sigh.
"I'll agree with you on that one," Spinel said, watching Eriol's face in the faint light of the sitting room.
"I'll admit that I did talk a little too much about Daidouji-san tonight," Eriol said. "It was nice seeing her again. She looked truly lovely this evening. I haven't seen her in anything but her school uniform for a very long time, and tonight she wore this enchanting dress, a pale, spring green. It had all these airy layers of chiffon that floated around her, and she had her hair up." Eriol sighed softly. "That girl has the most beautiful neck I've ever seen, slim and pale and . . ."
"Yeah, you've got it bad," Spinel told him.
Eriol snorted. "Hardly. Just because I happen to notice a beautiful girl doesn't mean I'm about to go chasing her around the schoolyard. I'm not a celibate monk, Spinel. I'm allowed to have impure thoughts once and a while, even if I don't intend to follow up on them."
"If you say so, Master," Spinel said, though he didn't sound as though he really believed the boy.
"I may be hundreds of years old," Eriol continued, "But I'm in a teenage body with a full complement of the requisite hormones."
"Whatever," Spinel said dismissively. He didn't really understand humans' fascination with the opposite sex, but if Eriol wanted to obsess over Daidouji, it was fine with him. He was rather fond of the girl himself.
"At least it looks like Daidouji-san has made a friend or five at school," Eriol added cheerily. "Believe it or not, she's hooked up with those boys Nakuru always chases around."
Spinel chuckled.
"She brought one of them to the concert tonight," Eriol said, his voice neutral.
"Ah, I see where this is going," Spinel said knowingly.
"He seemed like a nice boy," Eriol said. He paused and then continued. "Colin Severn. I'll have to remember to do a check on him to make sure he'll be nice to her."
"You aren't her father, you know," Spinel noted. "You ought to let her pick her own boyfriend. And besides, how do you know she even likes him? Shouldn't you check with her before you go about doing a background check on the boy?"
"She likes him," Eriol assured the little creature. "I saw the way she was looking at him. I can tell these sorts of things."
"I hate to say it, oh wise master," Spinel said wryly, "But neither you nor Clow were terribly good with other people's interpersonal relationships, and you're even worse about your own."
"You're not helping, Spinel," Eriol commented.
"Of course not," Spinel said simply. "But neither are you." With a stretch, the tiny cat-like creature leapt from Eriol's lap into the air. "I think I'm going to join Nakuru. I'm pretty tired of listening to you wallow in self-pity."
"Sorry I'm not entertaining enough this evening," Eriol said tartly.
Spinel sniffed and fluttered off down the hallway.
For the moment, Eriol was left alone with his thoughts, which were inevitably dragged back to the subject of a certain dark-eyed girl. Oh, how he wished he'd been able to get rid of that Severn boy and spend some time with Tomoyo. He'd had no idea she was that pretty until she'd shown up backstage in a dress. But it wasn't just the dress, he reminded himself. It was the way she carried herself, the way the translucent layers of her green dress had brought out the luminous quality of her skin. It was the way her dark, glossy hair contrasted with her pale, perfect face. It was the faint hint of floral soap and subtle perfume that followed her like a sweet-scented cloud. It was the way her eyes had met his, the way she'd seemed to understand . . .
"Damn," he commented to the empty room.
Author's Notes:
Muahahaha! I finished another part! Yay for me!
*ahem* Anyway, I'm quite pleased with this section, despite my introduction of *pause for
dramatic music* Original Characters *pause for more dramatic music*. I'm generally not one for
Original Characters (either mine or those of other authors), but I broke my own rules here and
created the resident Bishounen of Clef Academy: Justin, Ben, Bertie, Sin, and the charming Colin.
*sighs* Hey, I like pretty boys. So sue me.
Anyway, I will go ahead and start work on the next section, but it'll probably be a while. I'm
slow, as you all know. Please don't hurt me if it takes a long time for me to finish the next part.
But I will be continuing along with the current storyline. There'll be lots of delicious sexual
tension between Eriol, Tomoyo and Colin (the little minx that he is). I like sexual tension. It's
fun to write. And I think Eriol and Tomoyo work particularly well with that sort of thing, since in
my mind, their still waters run pretty damn deep. Just a brief warning, I suspect that as the
chapters progress, they'll gradually become racier and racier. Already we've had quick views of
Tomoyo as the object of lust (Justin and Ben's), a decidedly gay Colin, and a wonderfully
hormonal Eriol. *cackles* Expect more of the same in the future, 'cause eventually we'll have to
answer the age-old question:
When will our mis-matched lovers GET A FRIGGIN' CLUE?!!?!?!
