~~ 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 Five -- Pianissimo

pianissimo -- adv or adj -- very softly -- used as a direction in music

Tomoyo didn't quite run out of the house, but she certainly didn't linger. Eriol quietly saw her to the door, made sure she was headed safely toward home, then returned inside to ponder the latest development.

Sakura's coming, Eriol thought, torn between sympathy for Tomoyo and irrational jealousy. And when Sakura shows up, all the healing that Tomoyo has been through will be for naught. She's going to fall apart again. Eriol wished he could take credit for Tomoyo's increasingly positive frame of mind, but he knew it was probably more Colin's and the other boys' doing than his own. Over the past few weeks, Tomoyo had settled into a healthy sort of pattern. She had friends, she had family, and now, she had her music back. Eriol knew how withdrawn she'd grown after moving to England. Merely watching Tomoyo's gradual return to vitality had been, in his mind, a true joy.

How will she deal with Sakura? he wondered wearily. Is Tomoyo strong enough to see Sakura with Syaoran? Eriol hoped she was, but he wasn't completely sure.

"Mail!" caroled Nakuru as he came skipping in through the side door. "Mail, mail, mail!" Nakuru twirled cheerily and waved a bundle of envelopes in the air. With a balletic leap, Nakuru danced the rest of the way into the kitchen and tossed the mail onto the table. "Stuff for me, stuff for you," he proclaimed in a sing-song voice. As usual, Nakuru appropriated all of the colorful junk mail and pushed the bills and personal letters toward Eriol.

"Great," muttered Eriol as he half-heartedly sorted through his pile. "Bill . . . bill . . . bill . . . what the hell . . ?" Eriol peered closely at a small pink envelope. "Oh, good grief," he grumbled, tearing open the letter.

"Ooooh!" trilled Nakuru as he peered at the pink stationary over Eriol's shoulder. "Sakura-chan's coming for a visit!" Then, without letting Eriol respond, Nakuru danced off down the hall singing, "Sakura-chan is cooooming! Sakura-chan is cooooming!" Eriol assumed he was going to tell Spinel.

Indeed, Eriol had also received a letter from Sakura announcing her impending visit. The letter was a bit tardier than was probably polite, since Sakura seemed to frequently forget how long it took for mail to travel from Japan to England. Sakura's letter essentially outlined her trip and hinted that while she and Syaoran-kun were ready and willing to stay at a hotel for the duration of their visit, they would be eternally grateful if they could borrow rooms in Eriol's house. Apparently, Tomoyo had described Eriol's house as 'ridiculously luxurious' and 'positively cavernous' to Sakura.

Eriol knew enough about the mail system to realize that it would probably be more reliable to simply phone Sakura to tell her she could stay at his house for a week. So with a weary sigh, Eriol slipped Sakura's letter into his pocket and went to clear the iced tea and glasses from the table.

Eriol waited until later that evening to call Sakura, so that he could catch her in the morning -- Japanese time -- before she left for school. After dialing and waiting for a couple of rings, Kinomoto Fujitaka picked up the phone.

In the past, Eriol hadn't had too much contact with the other half of Clow's reincarnation, and even over thousands of miles of phone cable, it was strange. Eriol always seemed to get the impression that Fujitaka knew much more than he let on, and that a surprisingly shrewd mind lurked beneath his mild exterior. Eriol hurried through the niceties, and finally got to speak with Sakura.

"Eriol-kun?!" Sakura sounded distinctly startled.

"Good morning, Sakura-san," Eriol replied evenly. "I just received your letter about your visit."

"Only just now?" There was a brief pause. "I always forget how long it takes for mail to get to England."

"Don't worry about it," Eriol continued. "And it will be no trouble at all to put you and Syaoran-kun up in a couple rooms at my house. I have plenty of room."

Sakura's sigh of relief was audible. "Oh, thank you so much, Eriol-kun. The way Tomoyo-chan described your house, well, it sounded like you had space to spare, but I didn't want to assume . . ."

"Assume away, Sakura-san," Eriol assured her cheerily. "So when does your flight come in? I could try and get a car to come meet you if you like."

"It arrives on Saturday afternoon, but don't worry about meeting us. We can just take a cab. I still have your address."

"That sounds fine," Eriol said. "The address is the same, and we aren't that far from Heathrow, so the taxi shouldn't be too expensive."

Sakura's bubbling good spirits were tangible, even over the phone line. "Great!" There was a quick pause. "I . . . don't suppose you've talked to Tomoyo-chan recently, have you?" Now she was hesitant.

"As a matter of fact, I have," Eriol replied smoothly. "She was over here this afternoon."

Sakura paused again. "Oh," she said, clearly surprised. "That sounds nice. I was just going to ask you if she seemed any more . . . cheerful, to you. Her letters over the past couple months have been getting longer and longer, but she's saying less and less. I know she's trying not to worry me, but I can tell that something's wrong . . ."

Oh, yeah, Sakura-san, Eriol thought wearily. Something's definitely wrong, but I was working on fixing it. Eriol knew the thought was a little unworthy, but he thought it just the same.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-san," Eriol assured Sakura as best he could. "She's been a bit better over the past couple weeks."

"You've been spending time with her?" Sakura sounded a little surprised again.

"I'm helping her practice for an upcoming concert," Eriol explained, hoping Sakura wouldn't catch his ulterior motives in his voice.

"That's wonderful!" Sakura enthused.

"But I ought to let you talk to Daidouji-san first before I tell you all the details," Eriol temporized. He wasn't sure he wanted to fully explain the situation over the phone.

"Oh, that makes sense," Sakura agreed cheerily. "Well, I have to get going or I'll be late for school. Syaoran's already waiting for me outside and I need to go make sure Kero-chan doesn't go out and harass him. I'll see you on Saturday, okay?"

"Okay, Sakura-san." Eriol smiled at the phone, as though Sakura could sense it. "Have a good day at school." After hanging up, Eriol sighed deeply. Things were getting more and more complicated, and he wasn't sure he felt up to the challenge.


Tomoyo stayed home sick the next day. To her credit, she actually was sick, but her cold was much more minor than she let on to her father.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, Tomoyo-chan?" Hiroshi asked as he and Tasha were heading out the door, Tuesday morning. Hiroshi had promised to go with Tasha into London for her latest audition, and it was unlikely that they'd be back before evening.

Tomoyo assured her father that her cold wasn't enough to let him wriggle out of his obligation to Tasha, and he finally agreed her. Once Hiroshi and Tasha were gone, Tomoyo slumped back into bed. She was depressed, it was raining, and she had a mild head-cold. It was definitely a good day to spend in bed.

After tossing and turning in bed for a few minutes, however, Tomoyo realized that she wasn't going to fall back asleep. So she wrapped herself in a soft robe, slipped on fuzzy slippers, and shuffled out to the kitchen in search of food. After nosing through the refrigerator for a while, Tomoyo decided on orange juice and settled down on the couch. She tossed back a couple of decongestant capsules with a swig of juice, then closed her eyes and leaned back into the cushions.

The gods must hate me, she decided miserably. Yet even through her congested depression, Tomoyo couldn't quite decide whether to be ecstatic that Sakura was coming, or terrified. A part of her resented Sakura's decision to visit. Tomoyo was just settling into a comfortable sort of routine, a routine that revolved around her new school and her new friends. It didn't include Sakura. But Tomoyo knew that she still loved Sakura, and still ached to be so far from her best friend.

Tomoyo let the day pass in indulgent indolence. She slept a lot, ate a little, and watched bad British soap operas. The rain outside slackened, but she paid little attention to it.

Good grief, she thought to herself, as the credits for the last soap of the afternoon rolled before her glazed eyes, They're even worse than that drivel they show back in Japan. Tomoyo slumped deeper into the cushions of the couch and pushed her disheveled hair out of her eyes.

By now it was late afternoon, and the west-facing windows allowed the sun to slant lazily into the living room. Tomoyo's cold had faded to a minor annoyance, due either to her day of relaxation or the entire carton of orange juice. She was still depressed, but she had settled into a sort of sweet, aching melancholy, which suited her much more than full-blown despair.

Around four o'clock, the phone rang. After a brief debate, Tomoyo decided to answer it.

"You . . . weren't in school today, Daidouji-san," Eriol said as a greeting.

"I have a cold," Tomoyo explained with an expressive little sniffle.

"Oh," said Eriol. "I see." He paused, and Tomoyo got the impression that he was revising what he was to say to her. Tomoyo smiled to herself. Did he think I'd just be home moping over Sakura all day?

"Are you feeling any better?" Eriol asked.

"Yes, much better, thank you," Tomoyo replied sweetly, with only the faintest hint of her congestion coloring her voice. "I drank an entire half-gallon of orange juice," she added solemnly.

"Impressive," Eriol responded, just as solemnly. "So are you planning on coming back to school tomorrow?" He laughed briefly. "Your boys were languishing in your absence, you know. Even Colin looked pretty droopy."

Tomoyo chuckled softly. "Hmm, I'll probably be back by tomorrow. I wouldn't want my boys to languish away to nothing, now would I?" Tomoyo paused, trying to decide how to broach the next subject. "I'm not sure I'll be able to sing by tomorrow, yet," she finally said. Her voice was slightly hoarse.

Eriol was silent a moment. Then he assured Tomoyo with a gentle, "Don't worry about it, Daidouji-san. Just concentrate on getting better."

Tomoyo smiled at the phone. She suspected that Eriol would miss her company, but he was too polite to make a scene about it. "I will," Tomoyo agreed. "I'll drink more orange juice."

"You do that," Eriol ordered, mock-sternly. "And remember, get better quickly because Nakuru and Spinel miss you." And I miss you too, he didn't say.

Tomoyo understood, though, and continued to smile. Eriol couldn't see her smile, perhaps, but he could hear it in the warmth of her voice. "I'll see you tomorrow, then," Tomoyo finished. She knew he'd understand. He always did.

"Alright," Eriol returned, then added a gallant, "Sleep well, fair Daidouji-san."

"You too, Hiiragizawa-kun."

After hanging up the phone, Tomoyo moved over to the upholstered window seat and gazed out at the setting sun. The sun was low enough in the sky that the brightness had faded to a comfortable amber glow, and Tomoyo opened the window just enough that she could listen to the busy murmurings of the birds outside. A chilly breeze slipped in through the window, and Tomoyo was soon forced to wrap an old, soft blanket around her shoulders. And so it was that Tomoyo, wrapped in golden light and a fuzzy wool blanket, was lulled to sleep by the birdsong of spring.


In Math class the next morning, the boys were politely aloof, to Tomoyo's amusement. Justin was patently ignoring her, Ben kept shooting her faint, tremulous smiles, and Sin and Bertie were deliberately absorbed in each other. Colin alternated between staring at Tomoyo and trying to pretend he wasn't staring at her. If Tomoyo hadn't already been so exhausted from her cold and her emotional ups and downs, she would have laughed out loud.

All five boys continued to give her space until the end of class, when Colin seemed to lose what remained of his patience.

"Alright, Tomoyo," Colin said quickly as the classroom emptied. "What's the dish?"

"Colin!" Bertie was slightly horrified. "Be nice, or you'll upset her."

"I think it's too late for that," Justin muttered, eyeing Tomoyo's slight frown.

"Hey, I've kept quiet as long as I could," Colin complained. "We're her friends, and therefore are entitled to know what's bothering her. Tomoyo, oh blossom of Clef Academy, won't you please share your troubles with your esteemed companions so that we may ease your mind?" He fluttered his eyelashes at Tomoyo, giving her a crooked, appealing smile.

"Blossom of Clef Academy?" Tomoyo wasn't sure whether he was making fun of her or trying to pay her a compliment.

"I just made it up," Colin admitted. "But it's true. We do care about you, and we know that something's wrong. Why don't you just save time, energy and dignity by simply telling us now?"

Knowing that Colin would harass her mercilessly if she attempted to remain quiet, Tomoyo decided to share. "I told you all about my friend Sakura, back in Japan, right?" There were five nods. "And I told you what a good friend she is, and how much I miss her, yes?" Again, five nods. "Well, she and her boyfriend are coming for a visit this Saturday."

There was dead silence.

Tomoyo blushed under all the stares. "Don't look at me like that, please," she said in a small voice.

Colin blinked. "Sorry, Tomoyo," he apologized. "I was just surprised. I think the others were too. When did you find out about it?"

"Two days ago, when I was at Eriol's house for practice." Tomoyo carefully collected her books from her desk.

Ben watched Tomoyo with a slightly unhappy expression on his face. Though she'd never declared it plainly, he had a strong suspicion that Tomoyo was in love with this Sakura girl. Instinctually, he realized that while Tomoyo simply adored Sakura, it would still be painful for Tomoyo to see Sakura around this boyfriend of hers. "How do you feel about it, Tomoyo?" he finally asked, straight out.

Tomoyo hesitated. "I'm . . . not sure, Ben. I miss her, I really do, but . . ." She trailed off, hugged her books to her chest, then gave Ben a sad smile. "But I don't know how I'll feel when she actually gets here."

"What does Eriol think about it?" Justin asked suddenly.

"I . . . I don't know," Tomoyo replied, startled by the question. "He didn't say much when I first got Sakura's letter, and when I talked to him on the phone, he only told me to rest and get over my cold."

"You talked with him on the phone?!" Colin demanded.

"Yes, he called to make sure I was alright."

Colin gave her a slightly suspicious stare.

"Really!" Tomoyo exclaimed. "He's been very kind to me, with practicing for the concert and everything else."

"Hmph," said Colin.

Bertie had an almost dreamy expression on his face. "So your friend Sakura is the romantic complication, right?" He sighed. "I just adore love triangles." From his position standing behind Sin, he leaned forward slightly and rested his chin on top of his boyfriend's head.

"Love triangles?" Tomoyo raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if it counts as a real love triangle. I mean, Sakura really does have an existing relationship with Syaoran, so that sort of excludes the both of them, right?"

"Who's Syaoran?" Sin asked curiously.

"Sakura's boyfriend," Tomoyo answered.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about the boyfriend," Bertie explained, his freckled face shining with romantic enthusiasm. "I was talking about Sakura and you and Eriol."

"Shut up, Bertie," Sin hissed frantically, but it was too late.

"What?!" Colin looked on the verge of hysteria, torn between shock and red-faced outrage.

"Eriol?" Tomoyo blinked in confusion. "What does he have to do with this? Sakura only likes him as a friend."

"Whoops." Bertie blushed. "Um, never mind, Tomoyo. I'm just being silly."

"Damn straight," Justin agreed. "You know how Bertie gets, Tomoyo." Justin knew better than to allow this to escalate into a full-fledged argument, since Colin's presence would undoubtably complicate matters.

Meanwhile, Sin was whispering in Colin's ear, apparently calming the blonde boy down. Whatever Sin said seemed to work. Colin's expression slowly relaxed, his green eyes shifting from worried to curious. Tomoyo was thoroughly confused, and not sure she really wanted to know what was going on. Maybe it was a boy-thing.

The five boys, still clustered around Tomoyo, made their way out into the hallway. As usual, they escorted Tomoyo to her Arts class. Normally, Sin and Bertie followed out of good nature, Ben and Justin followed for the chance to subtly flirt with Tomoyo, and Colin followed for the occasional glimpse of Eriol. It was an arrangement that worked out well for all involved, though the group was unusually quiet today.

After seeing Tomoyo safely to Arts class, they turned to head off to their own classes. Sin paused, and turned back to Tomoyo.

"You should tell him," he said seriously, his glorious violet eyes solemn.

Tomoyo was bewildered. "Tell who, what?"

"Colin," Sin replied. "You need to tell Colin about Eriol."

"About . . . Hiiragizawa?" Tomoyo stared at Sin.

Sin sighed patiently. "You need to talk to Colin and tell him that he doesn't stand a chance with Eriol Hiiragizawa."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Tomoyo asked, attempting to avoid a touchy subject.

"Don't be coy, Tomoyo," Sin said firmly. "Colin fancies himself in love with Eriol, and Eriol loves another. Don't keep Colin hanging here. He deserves to have his heart broken honestly. It will only get harder with time, if you don't tell him soon."

How did Sin manage to find out that Colin won't possibly succeed with Eriol? Tomoyo wondered, startled by her friend's perceptiveness. And how did he find out about Kaho, the one who quite obviously still holds Eriol's heart? But Tomoyo didn't have the time to question Sin any further; Bertie looped back to grab Sin by the elbow.

"Come on, Sin," Bertie said hurriedly, dragging Sin off down the hall. "We'll be late for class."

"Tell him, Tomoyo," Sin called back before he was out of earshot.

With a gentle shake of her head, Tomoyo walked into her classroom. I suppose it would make sense to tell Colin myself instead of letting him find out the hard way that Eriol's not interested. She sighed. And I suppose the news would be easier coming from a friend. I hope he's not too upset.

Since her mind was already pondering related problems, Tomoyo found herself watching Eriol for most of Arts class. He was, as usual, seated at the piano, accompanying the students as they sang their pieces for Mr. Phillips. As seemed to happen frequently, Eriol's glasses glinted as they caught the light.

He looks good in the Clef uniform, Tomoyo thought inanely. So many of the other boys here look downright uncomfortable in that tie and jacket. Poor Bertie always looks slightly out of place in his uniform, like a country boy, straight off the farm, stuffed into a suit.

Mr. Phillips was gradually working his way through the singing groups that he'd assembled, and finally it was Tomoyo's turn. She'd been grouped together with another girl, a rich alto, and two boys, both indifferent tenors. The other girl was competent enough, but the boys' voices were beginning to grate on Tomoyo's nerves. Under Mr. Phillips' capable direction, the young quartet worked their way through their lesson pieces.

After the first few lines, Mr. Phillips turned his attention to the taller of the two tenors. In an attempt to correct the oddly nasal quality of the boy's voice, the choir director began giving him specific advice, leaving the rest of the group to wait patiently. Once more, Tomoyo glanced over at Eriol, waiting along with the rest of them for Mr. Phillips to finish with the tenor. This time, Eriol was already looking at her. His eyes were very blue behind his glasses, and his smile was slow and sweet.

A shock of something passed through Tomoyo. My goodness, she thought bemused. Then Tomoyo, who hadn't blushed over a boy in years, felt her cheeks heat up. Maybe I've still got that cold, she thought mildly, deciding it would be easier to account for her flushed cheeks than to account for the sudden, sharp tang of longing she'd felt for Hiiragizawa Eriol.


Instead of the usual music practice with Eriol, Tomoyo went in search of Colin. She'd told Eriol back in Arts class that she couldn't make it to his house that afternoon, and he'd been kind and understanding, not asking for any explanation. He'd certainly heard that her voice was fine back when she was singing in class, but he knew that she still needed more recovery time.

It turned out that Colin was surprisingly easy to find. It was not quite so easy to get to him.

"He's been hiding in there for the past twenty minutes," Nakuru complained as Tomoyo approached. She was leaning up against the wall outside the boys' bathroom, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Who has?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

"Colin, the little hottie," Nakuru said with a lusty sigh. "Justin gave me the slip earlier, and Colin was the only one left at school. I have no idea where the other boys went."

"I was just looking for Colin, actually," Tomoyo explained, peering at the closed door of the restroom, as though by staring hard enough she could make Colin emerge. "I needed to talk to him."

Nakuru pouted. "He's getting too darn good at hiding. If he didn't keep peeking out to see if I was still here, I'd suspect he'd snuck out one of those little ventilation windows in the back wall."

"Why don't you just go inside and get him?" Tomoyo asked. She was surprised that Nakuru would be halted by something as mundane as a gender-specific restroom.

"It just wouldn't be ladylike!" Nakuru exclaimed, looking slightly horrified.

"Then it looks like we're in for a long wait," Tomoyo said, leaning against the wall next to Nakuru. "I think he's too stubborn to come out on his own."

"You're probably right, Tomoyo-chan," Nakuru agreed sorrowfully. "Hey, I can just leave my letter for him with you, right? You'll give it to him when he comes out, won't you? It's awfully important." She reached into the pocket of her uniform and pulled out a small envelope with a name neatly printed on the front.

"That has Justin's name on it," Tomoyo noted, stifling a smile.

"Whoops," Nakuru mumbled before fishing out another envelope and handing the second one to Tomoyo. "Sorry, wrong love letter."

Tomoyo smiled. "Don't worry, Nakuru. I'll give it to Colin and I won't mention that you're also sending your affection to Justin."

"And Ben and Sin and Bertie," Nakuru added absently, a dreamy expression on her face. "So many pretty boys!"

"I . . . see," Tomoyo said faintly.

"And now," Nakuru announced with a flourish, "I'll have the time to go hunt for Justin. I still can't believe he got away so easily . . ." She dashed off down the gradually emptying hallway without a backward glance.

"Is she really gone?" Colin asked, poking his head out of the bathroom.

"I think so," Tomoyo told him. "And if we hurry, we can get off school grounds before she spots us."

"Great idea," Colin agreed before dashing out of the bathroom, grabbing Tomoyo's arm, and hurrying her outside.

"She seems completely besotted with you," Tomoyo commented with a sly smile, after Colin had finally slowed his breakneck pace. They lingered outside the gates, far enough away that they could bolt for cover if there was any sign of Nakuru.

"Yeah, me and a half-dozen others," Colin said with a snort.

Tomoyo laughed and passed him Nakuru's letter. "Nakuru has a big heart. She probably has enough room to love you all together."

Colin winced. "That's one way to put it, I suppose." He tucked the letter, unopened into his jacket pocket. Glancing at Tomoyo, he asked, "You wanted to talk with me?"

"Yes, could we walk over to the park?" she asked hesitantly. "It's important, and it could take a while." And I want plenty of running space when I tell him about Eriol.

"Sure, I don't have to be home for a while," Colin replied.

The park was about a half-mile away from school, and the warm breeze made the walk pleasant. The 'park' was, in fact, the ruins of an old hillfort that had once protected the town. Now, not much was left aside from the circular mound, with a few clumps of moss-shaded stones marking the site. Around the hillfort, a sparse forest of birch and ash dotted the gentle slope of the surrounding acres. It was a peaceful place, the silence broken only by the occasional chattering of red squirrels and the soothing undertones of the local songbirds.

"Let's sit up there," Tomoyo suggested, pointing at one of the piles of stone atop the grassy mound.

Climbing slippery rocks proved quite a task for Tomoyo, who was still wearing her school uniform, complete with cumbersome pleated skirt and nearly-tractionless shoes. Colin wasn't having much better luck.

"At least it's a nice view," Tomoyo commented once they were settled atop the tallest rock.

"A nice view of more trees," Colin muttered. "The fort's not high enough to give us a terribly good vantage point."

"Spoilsport," Tomoyo accused with a playful elbow to his ribs.

The two sat in companionable silence for several minutes before Colin finally came out and confronted Tomoyo. "This is about Hiiragizawa, isn't it?"

Tomoyo nodded. "Yes, it is." She fiddled with her skirt, smoothing it over her demurely crossed legs. "You wanted me to talk to him and find out if he could like you."

Colin's expression was neutral. "I see," he said quietly.

"Hiiragizawa likes girls, Colin," Tomoyo said in a rush. It wouldn't be good to prolong this conversation. "I talked to him and found out. If you need proof, he gave me permission to tell you about his last relationship, which he doesn't ever discuss with people."

"He told you all of this?" Colin asked. "Did you tell him about me?"

"I had to!" Tomoyo exclaimed helplessly. "He got confused about my relationship with you. He thought we were dating, for heaven's sake! I had to give him a reason as to why I was asking all these questions about him."

"I guess I understand," Colin admitted reluctantly. "But did you really have to tell him I liked him? I mean, this is humiliating enough . . ."

Tomoyo thought he was hiding his humiliation well. He seemed perfectly composed. "It just came out, Colin. I'm sorry about that."

Colin sighed and closed his eyes. "So tell me about this girl he used to go with," he requested. "What was she like?"

"I don't think I should give you her name, but she was someone I knew back in Japan," Tomoyo began. "She was our teacher for a while."

Colin raised an eyebrow. "Your teacher? Geez, how old is she?"

"I'm not sure, maybe twenty-eight or thirty or so." Tomoyo chuckled at Colin's startled expression. "She's really nice. All of her students loved her, but perhaps not in quite the same way Hiiragizawa did. Still does, really. He hates talking about her. She ended up marrying someone else."

"I guess that must have hurt." Colin still looked a little shocked. "But how on earth did she hook up with a college student?"

"Hiiragizawa's a lot more mature than most college students," Tomoyo explained. "And Kaho's very young for her age." Tomoyo decided that trying to explain about Eriol's previous incarnation as a powerful sorcerer would probably not be very productive.

"Kaho? Kaho Mizuki?" Colin's eyes almost bugged out of his head. "Hiiragizawa and Kaho?! I thought she was his aunt or something."

"Oops, I didn't mean to mention her name." Tomoyo blushed. "Then again, I guess they were living together for quite a while, so if you've had your eye on Hiiragizawa for years, then you would have known about her."

"Wow. I mean, she's attractive and all, I suppose, but she's what, a dozen or so years older than he is?" Colin managed to flash Tomoyo a quick, crooked grin. "Does that qualify as pedophilia?"

"Colin!" Tomoyo was the very picture of shocked dignity. "How could you think such a thing of the boy you declare you've longed for since you first saw him?"

"Very easily," Colin said cheerfully. "It's even easier now that you've told me I don't have a chance of catching him myself. I find I don't feel quite so loyal to the boy anymore."

Tomoyo gave Colin a penetrating look. He was joking, certainly, but she could catch a glimpse of the hurt that lay beneath his joviality. She knew it would be a while before he truly came to terms with Eriol's indirect rejection. "Well, please don't judge Kaho too harshly, Colin. You don't know the specifics of their story. There's a lot more that I can't tell you."

"Of course, Tomoyo," Colin reassured her. "I was just teasing you. You seem so fond of both of them." He paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "Wait a moment, you don't have a crush on Kaho too, do you?"

Tomoyo stared.

Colin snickered. "Just kidding."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes.

"How about Hiiragizawa?" Colin asked, an impish expression on his face.

"You're not funny, you know," Tomoyo told him in a lofty tone.

"Of course I am," Colin said. "That's why you love me so much."

And I suppose that's the truth, Tomoyo thought with a rush of affection for the boy sitting next to her. She looped her arm around Colin's. "You must be right, Colin," she admitted, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Since I certainly don't approve of your taste in men."

"Be nice," Colin murmured as he rested his cheek against her hair.


Tomoyo didn't resume her afternoon practice sessions with Eriol until Friday. Tomoyo didn't explain her absences, and Eriol didn't ask. Both were too polite to mention anything.

"They're staying here, aren't they?" Tomoyo asked suddenly after the last note of the song died away. They'd started with her song for the concert, and had slowly been distracted by some of the other Gershwin pieces Eriol had spread out before his piano.

"Yes, they are," Eriol replied, not bothering to ask who she was talking about. "Sakura-san said that you'd mentioned my spacious house to her in your letters."

Tomoyo looked appropriately contrite. "Sorry, I didn't know she was planning a visit."

"It's no problem," Eriol assured her with a wave of his hand. "Really, I'll enjoy having them here. It will give Nakuru some people to boss around other than me and Spinel."

"Well, if you ever need some peace and quiet, you can send them over to my apartment for a while." Tomoyo smiled faintly. "It might get crowded, but I think we can find room for them."

Eriol laughed suddenly. "I was just going to offer something similar, Daidouji-san," he admitted. "I was going to invite you over to spend time with them here. If you want to, I can even fix up a spare room for you too, if you wanted to talk with Sakura-san late into the evenings."

Tomoyo smiled back. "That's a generous offer, Hiiragizawa-kun. I wouldn't want to strain your hospitality, but it's tempting. Maybe I'll stay sometime this weekend?"

For some reason, this seemed to please Eriol immensely. He beamed back at Tomoyo. "Wonderful," he announced. "It will be like a little reunion with Sakura-san, Li-kun, and the two of us here, won't it?"

"Of course," Tomoyo murmured, her good humor fading a little. It was difficult maintaining her cheer when discussing Sakura and Syaoran's impending visit.

Eriol watched her steadily, then stood up. "I think we've practiced enough for this afternoon." He reached out for Tomoyo's hand. "Why don't we go outside and I can show you the garden again. The wisteria's blooming now," he said with an enticing smile.

Tomoyo hesitated, then took his hand, letting him help her to her feet. His palm was warm and dry, the skin softer than she'd imagined. "That sounds like just what I need, Hiiragizawa-kun."

Eriol's smile widened and he led her out through the side door of the music room. Once outside, he began chattering about his garden. Tomoyo was once again struck by Eriol's immense horticultural knowledge. As a child in Japan, Tomoyo had kept a small flower patch at home, tucked away among the formal gardens that her mother maintained. As a result, she could tell the difference between a zinnia and a petunia, but not much else. Eriol knew the names, both common and Latin, of every plant in his garden. Bemused, Tomoyo listened as he rattled off the uses for each of the herbs that lined one side of the garden.

"Here, smell this one," Eriol instructed, handing Tomoyo a small, dark green leaf.

Tomoyo sniffed eagerly, expecting the kind of sweet aroma she'd grown used to, after being told to smell a number of other plants. Eriol laughed as Tomoyo's face screwed up into an expression of distaste.

"That smells awful," Tomoyo said, fixing Eriol with an accusing glare. "What on earth is it?"

"It's pennyroyal," Eriol told her, still grinning impishly. "It's a natural insect repellant."

"I can see why," Tomoyo said drily. "After one whiff of that, all the bugs would bolt."

"I don't think it smells all that bad," Eriol said defensively. "It's not as bad as those citronella candles they sell to keep the mosquitos away."

Tomoyo wrinkled her nose. "I don't know which is worse, actually."

"Pennyroyal is in the mint family," Eriol added, sounding almost stuffy.

"Wonderful," Tomoyo said with a roll of her eyes.

Eriol began to laugh again.

Finally, after sampling the scents from Eriol's herb garden, he led her around to the other side of the house, where the wisteria covered the wall. Tomoyo caught her breath at the sight. It was just as Eriol had described it -- beyond beautiful. Eriol began to idly explain the pertinent information about the enormous wisteria vines, but Tomoyo wasn't really listening. Her attention was captured and held by the profusion of flower spikes, dangling like ripe grapes from the vine, a glorious blue-lavender.

"How long will it be like this?" Tomoyo asked breathlessly, interrupting Eriol's explanation. Her eyes were wide with wonder, and she continued to stare.

"A couple of weeks," Eriol said, his eyes on Tomoyo's face. "Then the flowers fall to the ground and the leaves fill in the spaces. By next week, it will look like the yard here is covered with purple snow from the fallen flowers." Eriol reached out and touched Tomoyo's sleeve, to get her attention. "I'll invite you over again to see it. There'll be other flowers to see as well . . ."

Tomoyo finally turned back to Eriol, her expression still dreamily content, all thoughts of Sakura and Syaoran absent. "I would like that very much," Tomoyo replied politely, turning the full force of her smile upon Eriol, her eyes shining with enthusiasm.

Eriol's eyes looked a bit wild for a moment, but he quickly defused the situation. "Well, it's great to have someone to show around. Neither Nakuru nor Spinel seem terribly interested in hearing about my plants."

"Aww, poor Eriol," Tomoyo said sympathetically, giving Eriol's arm a comforting little pat. "No one pays any attention to him." Her eyes glinted with mischief.

Eriol looked wounded. "Well, it's true! Everyone takes me for granted. I mean, look at yourself, for example." Eriol grinned and reached out to brush his thumb across her cheek, pushing a few strands of hair to the side. His smile softened. "I had to lure you over here with promises of music, flowers and free cookies."

Tomoyo suddenly looked unsure of herself. She wasn't used to dealing with Eriol when he was like this, and she wasn't quite sure how to take his mild flirting. His hand, still gently cupping her cheek, was making her nervous. "Hey," Tomoyo replied lightly, "I may be easy, but I'm not cheap."

Knowing that the moment had slipped away, Eriol pulled his hand back and slipped it into his pocket. "That's certainly true," he quipped. "Nakuru can barely bake sweets fast enough to sustain you."

Tomoyo giggled and followed Eriol to another part of the walled garden. He led her around his perennial beds and over to a sunny patch of garden planted with small, wispy-looking plants. Tomoyo crouched down at the edge of the bed and brushed her fingers against the delicate leaves.

"What are these, Hiiragizawa-kun?" Tomoyo smiled up at him. "The leaves are so pretty already, and they're still very small . . ."

"Flax," Eriol replied. "Later this summer they'll flower, some blue, some white." He crouched down next to her and absently pulled a small weed from the flowerbed. "The flowers are small and plain, but they bloom on long, slender stalks that wave in the breeze."

"They sound beautiful," Tomoyo commented.

"They were some of Kaho's favorites," Eriol said quietly.

Tomoyo looked stricken. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring her up . . ."

Eriol smiled weakly and stood up. "Don't worry about it, Daidouji-san. It's not your fault; you couldn't have known." He helped Tomoyo to her feet then gave her another tired smile. "We're both pretty prickly about certain subjects, aren't we?"

Tomoyo winced. "Yes, I suppose we are. You spend your time trying to avoid all mention of Sakura-chan, and I'm normally so very careful not to bring up the subject of Mizuki-sensei."

"Do you think all of the secrecy is necessary?" Eriol asked curiously. "I mean, we're fairly good friends now, aren't we?" He sounded a little unsure of himself, hopeful.

"Yes, I think we're good friends," Tomoyo agreed firmly. "And maybe we ought to stop avoiding certain subjects." Tomoyo turned slightly away from Eriol, then made her way over to a stone bench that was nestled in a hollow near the herb garden.

Eriol sat down next to her on the bench. "If you want to talk about Sakura-san, I'll listen," he said intently, holding Tomoyo's gaze.

For a moment, Tomoyo was disoriented by the intensity of his stare, but she shook it off. "It might be nice to talk to someone about her," she agreed. "But only if you'll feel free to talk to me about Mizuki-sensei."

"Of course, Daidouji-san," Eriol responded. He paused, then asked a searching question. "How do you feel about Sakura-san's visit?"

Tomoyo sighed and folded her hands demurely in her lap, not meeting Eriol's eyes. Instead, she gazed out over the garden, watching a pair of wrens in one of the small trees. One of them was busily singing his heart out for the other, who was affecting an air of nonchalance as she listened attentively. "The birds seem to sing with a sort of desperation in the spring, don't they?" Tomoyo commented, not quite ready to face the subject of Sakura.

Eriol chuckled quietly. "That horny little bugger's trying to lure his lady friend there to his nesting site. The singing sounds very romantic to us, but that little bird's only goal is to get into the female's proverbial pants."

Tomoyo chuckled. "That reminds me of the way most of the boys at school have been acting this spring." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "They've been chasing the girls around ever since the trees started budding out."

"You make it sound as if those 'boys' and those 'girls' are a completely different species, Daidouji-san," Eriol said with a slight raise of his eyebrow. "In case you'd forgotten, you are a girl too."

"Yes, and you're a boy," Tomoyo agreed, "But we're different, aren't we? Have you ever chased a girl around the football field just because it's spring and your hormones are screaming at you? I know I've never batted my eyelashes at a boy before."

"I think you batted them at me a couple times," Eriol said.

"That's different," Tomoyo replied airily.

Eriol sighed, his expression mournful. "You wound me, my dear!" He grinned. "But just because I've never chased a girl around the football field doesn't mean that I don't listen to the screams of my hormones. I'd just like to think that while I listen to my hormones, I also listen to my brain. I also haven't found quite the right girl to chase around the football field."

"That's just it," Tomoyo said carefully, trying to figure out how to express what she wanted to explain. "I'm almost sixteen, but I don't act like it. I've always kept things inside, both for my sake and the sake of my friends. Can you imagine what would have happened if I'd ever told Sakura how I felt about her?"

"I think she guessed," Eriol said softly.

Tomoyo swallowed hard. "I know, but that's different from a full-blown confession on my part. I've loved her since we were both little girls. But she loves Li-kun, not me."

"Sakura-san loves you, just not in quite the same as the way you love her," Eriol corrected gently. "Don't ever forget that, Daidouji-san. She's always loved you."

"I know, I know," Tomoyo said, "But I've always wanted more. Do you have any idea how difficult it's been, sustaining myself on her happiness? I worked so hard to convince myself that all I needed to be happy was her happiness. I'm just not sure I can keep it up anymore. How on earth will I be able to convince Sakura that I'm happy when she comes to visit?" There was a note of panic in Tomoyo's voice.

"Why pretend?" Eriol suggested hesitantly.

Tomoyo gave Eriol a clearly uncomprehending look.

Eriol continued. "Do you really think Sakura can't tell when you're unhappy? When I talked with her on the phone she asked me how you were doing. She already knows that something's wrong."

Tomoyo frowned. "You two were talking about me?" Her voice was suddenly cool. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing, really," Eriol assured her. "But she mentioned that she knew something was wrong from your letters." Eriol smiled slightly as he watched her expression soften. "I know it hurts to watch her with Li-kun, but instead of pretending to be happy for Sakura-san's sake, why don't you find your own happiness?"

Tomoyo opened her mouth to reply, then hesitated. Her dark eyes met Eriol's and held them steadily. "I . . . I've never tried that before."

If the moment hadn't been so serious, Eriol would have found her statement highly amusing. "You ought to give it a try," Eriol said solemnly. "Most people find that they enjoy being happy for purely selfish reasons."

Tomoyo's lips twitched into a half-smile. "That did sound a bit odd, didn't it?"

Eriol nodded, smiling a little. "Just a bit. Most people don't have to be told to be happy, you know."

"I guess I just need a push in the right direction," Tomoyo said. "Thank you, Hiiragizawa-kun."

Eriol's eyes darkened behind his glasses. "I'm good at pushing," he said in a quiet voice. "And since I think we know each other well enough now, please call me Eriol."

Tomoyo's gaze was speculative as she eyed the boy seated next to her. The wind tugged playfully at her hair as she searched his expression for some sort of sign. Finally she smiled back at him. "If you wish, Eriol," she replied. "But you have to call me Tomoyo, alright?" She reached out and lay her hand on top of Eriol's, the heat of his skin staving off the chill of the stone bench.

"Of course," Eriol murmured, his expression now bemused. He reached out and clasped Tomoyo's hand more firmly in his. "I think it's interesting," he began, threading his fingers around hers, "That after all our time in Tomoeda together, we were never on a first-name basis."

"You were too busy being cryptic and mysterious," Tomoyo noted.

"Well you were too busy being perfect and aloof," Eriol retorted. "You rarely gave people a chance to get close to you." His thumb was tracing idle patterns on the palm of her hand.

"I'm giving you a chance now, aren't I?" Tomoyo suggested mildly, a maddeningly mysterious smile on her face. "To get close to me, that is."

"I think I'll like being close to you," Eriol murmured. His head was now bend slightly towards Tomoyo and his nostrils flared with each inhalation. The floral scent of her shampoo was oddly out of place in the garden, and she seemed all the more exotic for it.

Tomoyo managed to successfully keep from blushing, but her heart was lurching unsteadily. "Close to me . . ." she murmured absently, her teeth catching slightly on her lower lip.

Greatly daring, Eriol reached out with his free hand and gently teased her lip out from between her teeth. "Very close," he agreed, his fingers still against the heat of her mouth.

He leaned closer, head dipping.

Her eyes drifted closed.

From the other side of the garden, there was a resounding crash as the door slammed open. Tomoyo blinked in astonishment as Eriol was suddenly no longer next to her on the bench, but standing a discreet distance away, his expression bland. How on earth did he move like that? she wondered, a little dazed.

Nakuru came bounding out of the house, a huge grin on her face. Upon spotting Tomoyo and Eriol, who were studiously not looking at each other, she began to laugh. "Oops, did I interrupt something?" Nakuru asked sweetly, fighting to keep from laughing.

"It's nothing," Eriol replied shortly, giving Nakuru a little warning glare. "What do you want, Nakuru?" he snapped, irritated.

"Touchy, aren't we?" Nakuru chided. She winked at Tomoyo, who felt as though her cheeks could catch fire at any moment.

"Stop joking around and tell us what's going on," Eriol demanded, losing his patience.

Nakuru pouted cutely. "Well, you're no fun," she said. "I have a wonderful surprise for you two, but you don't seem to be in a very good mood." Nakuru folded her arms across her chest. "Well, if you're going to be so nasty to me, then maybe I won't tell you who just arrived . . ."

Eriol half-rose, almost ready to go after Nakuru with the small garden trowel he'd found.

"Tomoyo-chan!" The joyous call was almost a shriek, and it came from the same doorway Nakuru had appeared through. In a blur of pink and red-gold, Tomoyo suddenly found herself wrapped in an exuberant, peppermint-scented embrace.

Close behind the swirl of pastel colors came Li Syaoran, neatly dressed in slacks and a slightly rumpled button-down shirt. His hair was mussed and he looked exhausted, but he gave Tomoyo a sweet smile that lit his amber eyes. "Hi there, Daidouji-san," he mumbled politely, walking at a more sedate pace toward her.

Tomoyo drew her attention once more back to the small girl who had so energetically hurled herself into Tomoyo's arms. "Sakura-chan?" she said, her voice quavering only a little.

Sakura pulled back enough to beam at Tomoyo. "Syaoran-kun and I caught an earlier flight and we wanted to surprise you. We stopped by your house first, but your father said you were here. So here we are!"

Tomoyo's gaze slid sideways to Eriol, whose face was an expressionless mask. Tomoyo couldn't tell what he was thinking, and was at a complete loss as to how to deal with the situation. "Sakura-chan," she murmured once more.

"Oh, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura was excited, green eyes aglow. "I've missed you so much, you know. It's wonderful to see you again." She hugged Tomoyo again then pressed a quick kiss to the dark-haired girl's cheek.

"I've . . . missed you too," Tomoyo managed to say, her voice sounding strangely hollow to her own ears. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest, and vertigo threatened to overcome her delicate composure. Whatever she'd been expecting to feel when Sakura appeared, this certainly wasn't it. There was no way she could have predicted nausea as a side-effect of Sakura's visit.

Eriol remained silent. Syaoran glanced at him, giving him a quick, hard stare, as though daring him to break up the touching reunion between the girls. But Eriol wasn't inclined to speak

Eriol continued to watch Tomoyo, his expression blank, his eyes dark with secrets.


Brief Notes -- I've done a bit more revision on these sections. One minor change is that I recently discovered that British high schools are 'colleges' (like in France). So I've changed a couple bits here and there. Thankee Jae. I've also fixed some of the naming issues. Woo. Next part is under construction and moving along slowly. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome and appreciated.