~~ 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 Six -- Vivace
vivace -- adv or adj -- direction in music, to be played briskly, in a lively manner.
"Do you have any tens?" Syaoran asked Tomoyo.
"Go fish!" Tomoyo replied cheerily.
Syaoran grumbled something inarticulate and pulled a card from the pile in the middle of the table. His frown abruptly vanished once he glanced at the card. "I got a ten!" He flashed the ten of hearts at the other players before tucking it into his bundle of cards.
"Don't you have all the tens yet?" Eriol asked curiously, a faint smile on his face.
Syaoran shot him a suspicious glance. "No, not yet."
"Well, since you pulled the card you asked for, you get to go again," Eriol told him.
Another suspicious glance. "Do you have any tens, Hiiragizawa?" he asked quickly.
Eriol beamed. "Go fish." He winked surreptitiously at Tomoyo.
Syaoran grumbled some more and went fishing.
Tomoyo was eying her cards carefully, a slight crease between her delicately arched eyebrows. "Hmm . . . Sakura-chan? Do you have any fives?"
With a long-suffering sigh, Sakura handed over two fives. "Didn't I just ask you for fives?"
"I drew one on my last turn," Tomoyo replied with a self-satisfied smile. Then she turned to the boy sitting next to her. "Eriol-kun," she chided gently. "You shouldn't smirk like that."
"Why on earth not?" Eriol asked, slightly startled.
"Because it makes it easy to guess where the final five is," she answered. She held out her hand and smiled sweetly. "Hand it over, Eriol-kun."
Eriol sighed but complied, and Tomoyo set down all four fives in front of her. "This is fun," she told everyone.
Syaoran glared, Eriol looked a little frustrated, and even Sakura was on the verge of pouting. The three had decided to play cards that evening, and were now seated around a small, round table in Eriol's sunroom. Sakura and Syaoran were well-aware of Tomoyo's uncanny skill at most card games, so they'd proposed trying one she'd never played before. Unfortunately, despite the fact that Tomoyo was the only novice 'Fish'-player present, she was still winning.
"Let's see," Tomoyo murmured, looking at her cards again. "I get to go again, don't I?"
"Yes, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said. She glanced down at her two books of cards in front of her and shot Syaoran a mournful look. He was too grumpy to respond, however, since he had only one book.
"Eriol-kun, do you have any aces?" Tomoyo finally asked.
"Go fish," Eriol said, looking rather relieved.
"Oh, well," Tomoyo said cheerily as she reached for a card.
"Are you sure you haven't played this game before?" Eriol asked her suspiciously. He now knew her well enough to determine her moods, but she was still very good at hiding things from him.
"Nope," Tomoyo said. "But it's fun. We should play again after I win this game."
"You don't need to rub it in, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said. She deliberately gave Tomoyo her best 'wounded puppy-dog stare.'
Tomoyo gleefully stuck her tongue out at Sakura. "I'm not rubbing it in," she announced seriously, "I'm making a factual statement. Was there any question of my winning this game?"
Sakura made a face. "Probably not, but it's still impolite to talk about it. Isn't it, Syaoran?"
Syaoran looked about ready to bang his head against the tabletop and didn't deign to reply.
Eriol watched their exchange curiously. When Sakura and Syaoran had first appeared in the garden following Nakuru, Tomoyo had looked to be on the verge of fainting. For several minutes afterward, she'd looked faintly nauseous. Even now, Tomoyo's expression was slightly pained, as though there was something subtly wrong with her. But she was chattering cheerfully with Sakura, and Eriol could detect nothing unusual about her manner. It was surprising and worrying.
Movement from across the table drew Eriol's attention and he realized that he'd been caught staring at Tomoyo. Syaoran gave him one of his standard glare and then reminded him, "It's your turn, Hiiragizawa."
"Why, I suppose it is," Eriol agreed calmly. It made him a bit nervous to know that Syaoran was keeping an eye on him. "Tomoyo-san, do you have any kings?"
"I have one," Tomoyo said, handing Eriol the king of diamonds.
"That's it?" Eriol asked, looking disappointed.
Tomoyo nodded and smiled some more.
"How about you, Li-kun?" Eriol asked hopefully.
"Go fish," Syaoran muttered
Eriol drew his card and tucked it in amongst the rest in his hand.
"My turn!" Sakura said gleefully, beaming at everyone indiscriminately.
"Why, yes, I do believe it is your turn, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo replied with a completely straight face.
Sakura ignored her. "Eriol-kun, give me all your kings."
Eriol began pulling out his three kings. "Aren't you supposed to phrase that in the form of a question?" He handed her the kings.
"I don't see that it really matters much," Sakura said primly, laying her four kings down on the table in front of her.
"It's a matter of style," Eriol declared.
"Of course, Eriol-kun," Tomoyo assured him, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder. Again, it was difficult to tell whether Tomoyo was joking or not. It was also difficult for him to keep a straight face with her hand on his shoulder.
"And I get to go again," Sakura announced oblivious to the slightly panicked expression on Eriol's face.
"Indeed," Tomoyo murmured.
"How about you, Syaoran?" Sakura asked sweetly, leaning slightly towards the tousle-haired boy at her side. "Got any sevens?"
"Hey! Don't look at my cards!" Syaoran hugged his cards protectively to his chest.
"But do you have any sevens?" Sakura persisted.
"Um," replied Syaoran.
"I think that's a 'yes,' Sakura-san," Eriol translated with a small smirk.
Syaoran muttered something rather obscene about Eriol's parentage and calmly flipped him the finger.
"Be nice, Li-kun," Tomoyo admonished, fighting to keep a straight face.
"Yes, Syaoran," Sakura agreed. "And give me all your sevens!"
Syaoran had to finally be threatened with a traditional English breakfast, but he did relinquish his two sevens to his girlfriend. He was rewarded with a kiss from Sakura on one cheek, and a kiss from Tomoyo on the other. By the time Tomoyo's turn rolled around once more, Syaoran's face was beet red, and Eriol's smile looked a little fixed.
Tomoyo looked at her cards once more, trying to decide where to start. "Might as well bite the bullet," she finally murmured before turning back to Syaoran. "I hope you know that I take no pleasure in doing this, Li-kun," she told him apologetically.
"Huh?" Syaoran was baffled.
"Do you have any tens?" she asked, trying to sound as meek as possible.
Syaoran scowled. "You're cheating, Daidouji!" he accused as he slammed his three tens down in front of Tomoyo. "You were hiding the last ten all along, weren't you?"
"No, but I picked it up after my last turn." Tomoyo set down all four tens. "Isn't it funny the way things work out like that?"
"Funny is not the word I was thinking of," Syaoran muttered.
Sakura threw him a soothing glance, which he patently ignored.
"Let's see . . ." Tomoyo murmured, gazing at her cards once more. "Eriol-kun, I'm afraid I'm going to have to request your aces."
Eriol looked distinctly startled. "I didn't have any aces last time, did I?"
Tomoyo crooked a finger at him. "But I bet you do now, don't you?"
"It's positively uncanny," Eriol said. Syaoran was nodding in agreement with him, for perhaps the first (and last) time ever.
Tomoyo lay down her four aces and then looked at her remaining cards. "Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo's expression was as cooly contented as usual, but Sakura thought she detected a gleeful little glint in her eyes. "Do you have any sixes?"
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "No, go fish, Tomoyo-chan."
Tomoyo didn't look disappointed at all. When she saw what she drew, she beamed. "I drew a six," she said.
"You've got to be kidding," Syaoran muttered.
"You are supposed to show us the card," Eriol noted. "Just to prove that you really drew a six."
Tomoyo waved the six of spades at him. "Proof enough for you, Eriol-kun?"
Eriol sighed and made a mental note never to play cards with Tomoyo again.
"Li-kun," Tomoyo began, turning her gaze upon Syaoran. "Do you have any sixes?"
"No," said Syaoran, with a bit more gusto than was probably necessary. Once more, he turned back to watching Eriol watch Tomoyo. Sakura remained oblivious.
Tomoyo drew another card from the pile and began to laugh.
Eriol gave her a hard look. "You drew a six, didn't you?"
Tomoyo nodded, her eyes shining with mirth.
Sakura began to giggle as well, prompting Eriol and Syaoran to exchange a long-suffering look that recognized their mutual, complete bafflement by the women in their lives.
It took Tomoyo three more requests before she finished her turn. In the end, her turn was only over when she won the game. It was a dark day for the veteran 'Fish'-players.
Finally, to rescue her friend from impending violence, Sakura dragged Tomoyo outside, expressing an interest in the garden. Syaoran and Eriol were left at the table. Syaoran was frowning at Eriol again, and tapping his fingers idly against the tabletop. Eriol decided not to enter a staring-contest with the other boy, and was calmly shuffling the cards with all the panache of a Vegas casino dealer. After briefly wondering if Clow knew any card tricks, Syaoran broke the silence.
"You do realize," the Chinese boy began conversationally, "That if you hurt her, I will personally hunt you down and break both your kneecaps."
Eriol stared. "Pardon?"
"Kneecaps," Syaoran repeated. "Those roundish bones on the front of your knees. Also known as patellae, I believe."
Eriol backtracked. "I know what kneecaps are, and I also know what's involved in their breaking. What else were you talking about?"
Syaoran gave Eriol a hard glance, then scowled once he realized that Eriol truly had no idea what he was talking about. "I mean Daidouji," he explained curtly. "Hurt her, and I'll hurt you. She's Sakura's best friend, and she's my friend as well."
"Mine too," Eriol said faintly. He raised an eyebrow at Syaoran. "What makes you think I have any intention of hurting her?"
"I saw the way you were looking at her," Syaoran explained.
"And just how was I looking at her?" Eriol prompted curiously.
"Like you'd just realized she was female and were contemplating how to explore that realization." Syaoran paused, then added, "Or maybe you were looking at her like a wolf eyes its prey."
"Hey, I'm not the wolf here," Eriol protested mildly.
Syaoran glared.
"But anyway," Eriol continued, "I was not leering at Tomoyo-san, and I was likewise not eyeing her like a piece of fresh meat." He shook his head. "Honestly, Li, I have no idea where you get these ideas from."
"Don't give me that crap, Hiiragizawa," Syaoran said, his face darkening with anger. "Your intentions are not quite as well-hidden as you'd like to think." He paused. "But even though I still don't like you much, I know you're not really a bad person. Just make sure you don't do anything to make me take that back."
Eriol sighed. "I won't hurt Tomoyo-san," he finally agreed. "I'd rather cut off my own arm before upsetting her the slightest bit."
Syaoran suddenly grinned at him. "Good answer," he said cheerfully. "Now I don't have to beat you up . . ."
"But just because I won't hurt her," Eriol continued, ignoring Syaoran and smiling faintly. "Doesn't mean I can't explore the realization that she's a girl and I'm a boy."
Eriol barely dodged Syaoran's wild punch.
___________________________________
"It's beautiful," Sakura breathed after Tomoyo had led her outside to stand before the huge spread of the wisteria.
"Yes," Tomoyo echoed absently. She had already gaped over the wisteria earlier, and took advantage of Sakura's distraction to watch her. Tomoyo finally came to the conclusion that the months had changed Sakura very little, which was oddly disappointing. Tomoyo's life had shifted so wildly since her mother's death, but Sakura was the same as she'd always been.
Sakura tilted her head back, eyes squinting to look at the higher reaches of the violet-flowered vine. "I've never seen one so big," she added.
"Mmm," said Tomoyo, not really paying attention anymore. "Come on, I'll show you Eriol's herb garden." Tomoyo led the way down the stone-lined pathways. "I think I can even remember the names of some of them . . ."
Sakura was listened in polite silence as Tomoyo crouched by the herb beds, rattling off names and facts. Tomoyo continued her inane chatter for several minutes before running out of breath. Sakura gave her a measuring glance. "Are you alright, Tomoyo-chan?" she asked quietly.
Tomoyo lost her balance and fell from her crouch, her landing cushioned against the soft turf.
"Of course," Tomoyo said with a bright smile. "I didn't fall far." Her eyes begged Sakura to drop the subject.
"I don't mean that," Sakura persisted. "I mean . . . are you alright? Are you happy?" Sakura sat down next to Tomoyo and gently touched her arm. "Your letters never seemed to say much."
"Didn't I tell you about the boys I met at school?" Tomoyo asked.
"Boys?" Sakura brightened somewhat.
"Pretty boys," Tomoyo added with a sly smile.
"Mmm, pretty boys," Sakura echoed with a sly smile of her own.
Tomoyo lightened the mood by describing the five boys she'd met through Nakuru's pursuits. Despite Sakura's prompting, Tomoyo refused to chose the most attractive.
"They're all even prettier than I am," Tomoyo insisted. "Or at least, Sin is. The others have more boyish looks, I think."
Sakura looked skeptical. "I kind of doubt they're prettier than you, Tomoyo-chan," she said reproachfully. "But you must have a favorite, right?"
"Well, I suppose Colin is my favorite," Tomoyo admitted. "I've spent more time with him than with the others."
Sakura grinned at her friend. "I see," she murmured, her tone anything but subtle.
"Don't even think that, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo objected. "It's bad enough that I had to explain things to my father and to Tasha. Colin is gay. Very gay. He likes boys in general, and Eriol-kun in particular."
Sakura blushed a little. "Oh," she said. "I do see."
Tomoyo chuckled and began to pick stray lavender stalks from a bush that was flowering. "That's actually how I met Colin. He wanted me to scope Eriol out for him."
Sakura's eyebrows rose in unison. "So what did you scope out?"
"I found out that Eriol doesn't swing that way," Tomoyo answered with a wicked little smile. "Personally, I think he's still pining after Mizuki-sensei." She plucked a few more flower stalks, the rich scent of the crushed greenery filling the air.
Sakura sighed. "I still think it's sad that she left him, even if she is happier now."
"And she is happier," Tomoyo confirmed. "She was almost glowing when I saw her last."
"At least that's nice to hear," Sakura decided. She picked a lavender stalk and brought it to her nose. She glanced at Tomoyo and suddenly chuckled. "Dare I ask how you found out that Eriol-kun wasn't interested in Colin?"
Tomoyo began to laugh. "You may dare," she said.
Sakura gave her a pointed look. "So start talking, Tomoyo-chan."
"Well, it turned out that he thought that I was asking him about Colin because I was interested in him myself." Tomoyo snorted. "As if I'd need Eriol-kun's permission to date anyone. Anyway, he finally came out and told me that if I really liked Colin, then Eriol thought that it would be a good match." She rolled her eyes. "Then I laughed until my stomach ached."
Sakura giggled. "Poor Eriol," she said without much sympathy. "He was probably trying to be noble by not hurting your feelings. Then he wouldn't have to risk a broken heart. He's so silly about things like that."
"A broken heart?" Tomoyo relocated herself to another lavender bush and began picking again. "What on earth are you talking about?"
Sakura looked a little puzzled. "You mean, you didn't notice?"
"Notice what?"
"Eriol's in love with you, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura sounded rather satisfied that she'd picked up on something before Tomoyo did. It was a rare occurrence.
"Eriol's in love with me?!" Tomoyo's eyes were like saucers. "Sakura-chan, of course he isn't! He still loves Mizuki-sensei. He's already told me as much."
"But haven't you seen the way Eriol-kun looks at you?" Sakura insisted. "He watches you all the time, as though you'd disappear if he didn't constantly keep an eye on you."
"He flirts with everyone," Tomoyo replied coolly. "It's just the way he is. He's changed a bit since you last saw him in Japan."
"So have you, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura returned. "You flirt back."
Tomoyo laughed drily. "It's good practice."
"Whoever you choose to love will be the luckiest person alive," Sakura announced solemnly.
For a moment, Tomoyo felt on the verge of tears. She is the luckiest person alive, she thought wearily, She truly is.
Then the scent of lavender wafted towards her, filling her nostrils with the tang of the leaves and the heady floral fragrance. Eriol smelled nice, she thought inanely, her mind flitting back to their interrupted moment in the garden. What had happened? More importantly, what might have happened if Nakuru hadn't arrived with Sakura and Syaoran in tow?
There was certainly a sort of attraction between Eriol and herself. It was undeniable. Yet it was nothing like what she felt for Sakura. Tomoyo didn't have the same urge to place herself between Eriol and the rest of the world to keep him safe and innocent. Of course, Eriol wasn't innocent. She somehow suspected that he'd been born without a shred of innocence . . .
". . . kneecaps!" Sakura finished, grinning cheerfully. She winked at Tomoyo, then waited for a response.
Unfortunately, Tomoyo missed everything that Sakura had said. "What?" she asked blankly.
"I said that while whoever you love will be the luckiest person alive," Sakura repeated patiently, "If that person doesn't love you back, then I'll get Syaoran-kun to go break their kneecaps!"
Tomoyo looked startled for a moment, then chuckled. "I may take you up on that offer someday," she said with a rather malicious grin.
Sakura beamed. "Great!" she said. "Why don't we go back inside and . . ."
A choked shout from inside interrupted Sakura. The shout was followed by the thudding of feet against a hardwood floor and the crashing of toppled furniture.
". . . find out what's going on in there," Tomoyo finished, rising to her feet, bundle of lavender in one hand. "Just because it sounds like a reenactment of World War II doesn't mean that they're fighting."
Sakura grimaced cutely. "I'll bet you a thousand yen that they're bickering, at the very least."
Tomoyo snickered. "I . . . don't think I'll take you up on that bet . . ."
They dashed inside together.
___________________________________
The ice helped a little. The aspirin helped more.
Eriol sighed and sunk deeper into the couch cushions. To her credit, Tomoyo hadn't laughed when she found him cradling his head after his little tussle with Syaoran. Syaoran hadn't managed to land a punch, but Eriol had tripped over an upended chair and smacked his head hard against the wall. Sakura had joined in Syaoran's laughter, but Tomoyo had suppressed her smiles admirably and simply darted off for an ice pack and a bottle of aspirin.
To make the situation all the more unbearable, Syaoran had emerged completely unscathed. Of course, Eriol hadn't been trying to hit his decidedly un-cute relative. Eriol had contented himself with merely dodging and snickering at Syaoran's irritation. And now, hours later, Sakura and Syaoran had trundled off to their separate bedrooms for the evening, and he was left alone with his headache and his surliness.
Tomoyo had left nearly an hour ago to ask her father if she could stay over with Sakura. Eriol suspected that the simple question had evolved into a rather complex debate. From what he'd learned from Tomoyo, Daidouji Hiroshi was nervous about young males who showed an interest in his only daughter. While in general, Eriol would approve completely of Hiroshi's overprotective nature, since it kept all sorts of unsavory males away from Tomoyo, this particular instance made such overprotectiveness a little irritating. He hoped that Hiroshi's daughter and girlfriend would be able to convince him to relent. He was really hoping that Tomoyo would return. Or at least phone.
"Tomoyo's on her way in," Spinel announced from his perch beside the bay window next to the front door. "She has a duffel bag with her," he added pointedly.
"Sounds like she got permission from her father," Eriol replied, rising to his feet. The room spun unsteadily around him. "Oh, my . . ."
"I'll get the door!" sang Nakuru as she dashed into the foyer.
"Thanks," Eriol muttered as he flopped back down to the couch. He'd really hit that wall hard, he realized. If it was enough to cause dizziness, did that mean it was a concussion? He wished he'd studied those medical texts more carefully.
"You need some more ice, don't you?"
Eriol opened his eyes to find Tomoyo bent over him, her dark eyes examining his expression carefully, her hair tickling his face. "Er . . ."
"I'll get it for you," she said, pulling the melted pack from his unresponsive hand.
"I guess this means you can spend the night?" Eriol asked, a little dazed.
"Yes," Tomoyo replied, her voice echoing out from the kitchen. Eriol heard the distinctive clinking of ice, then she reappeared with a fresh compress for his head. "It took a while to convince my father, but Tasha helped and eventually reason won out against his irrational arguments." Tomoyo settled down on the couch next to Eriol and passed the ice pack to him. "You're sure I'm not imposing?" she asked for the fifth time that evening.
"Absolutely sure, Tomoyo-san," he told her, also for the fifth time. "There's plenty of room in this big old house of mine. Plus, I was planning on making waffles in the morning for breakfast," he added invitingly. "It's probably time to try out that electric waffle iron that Nakuru insisted I buy for her."
"It was a great bargain!" Nakuru shouted from the kitchen where she was tidying up.
"And we'll have fresh strawberries and whipping cream to go with the waffles," Eriol continued, ignoring Nakuru.
"You cheated on the strawberries," Spinel noted from his post by the front door.
"It's not my fault that the strawberries in the garden weren't ripe yet," Eriol replied, a little irritated. "And I only gave them a little nudge."
"I'm sure they'll be delicious," Tomoyo assured him, politely keeping her giggles under control.
Spinel made a rude noise. "Of course they'll be delicious. What would be the point of using magic to ripen bad strawberries?"
"Hush, Spinel," Tomoyo murmured absently, sharing a grin with Eriol.
"Hmph," Spinel said. "I guess that's my signal to go to bed, isn't it?" He fluttered into the room where Eriol and Tomoyo were seated on the couch and nodded his head politely at them. "I can tell when my presence isn't wanted anymore." Then he darted off down the hallway.
Tomoyo frowned slightly. "Did I upset him?"
"No, he just likes feeling put-upon," Eriol replied with a roll of his eyes.
Tomoyo gave a silvery little laugh and tucked her feet up beside her on the couch. She glanced around the quiet room. "I suppose I missed Sakura-chan and Li-kun, right?"
"They were tired after their flight," Eriol explained. "I sent them off to bed . . . ."
Tomoyo gave Eriol a steady look that suggested he'd better complete his statement or face Tomoyo's not-so-easily-dismissed wrath.
". . . in their separate rooms," Eriol finished quickly. "I do have more than one guest room, you know."
"Of course," Tomoyo agreed mildly.
"Care for some tea and a quick snack before bed?" Eriol asked, changing the subject. "You didn't eat very much earlier . . ."
"Well, perhaps . . ." Tomoyo hesitated, loath to send Eriol into the kitchen once more. He and Nakuru had been providing snacks for all three guests all afternoon. She reached up to absently tug at the tight collar of her uniform shirt.
"It would be no trouble at all, Tomoyo-san," Eriol assured her, as though reading the reason for her hesitation. "I'll just put the kettle on for tea and pull out some of Nakuru's cinnamon-glazed biscuits from this afternoon." He rose to his feet, managing to hide his unsteadiness. His head was still throbbing from his run-in with Syaoran.
"That would be lovely," Tomoyo finally agreed, inclining her head politely, dark hair sliding forward to brush her pale cheeks.
Eriol walked carefully toward the kitchen, but paused in the doorway to turn back toward Tomoyo. "While I'm waiting for the water to boil, you could go change into something more comfortable, if you like?"
Tomoyo's eyebrows rose toward her hairline.
"You've been pulling at your tie and collar all evening," Eriol explained, smiling faintly at her surprise. "I just thought you might want to get out of your school uniform . . ." He trailed off significantly and then disappeared into the kitchen.
"Know-it-all," Tomoyo muttered, rising from the couch and searching for a safe place to change.
"I believe the technical term is 'smartass,'" Nakuru added snidely, poking her head out of the kitchen to wink at Tomoyo.
"I heard that!" Eriol sang out from the kitchen.
Nakuru giggled and winked at Tomoyo again.
Tomoyo darted off into the bathroom before she could get caught up in further exchanges of good-natured insults exchanged between creator and creation.
In the kitchen, Eriol alternated between nervously fingering the throbbing portion of his skull and half-heartedly assembling a small platter of biscuits for Tomoyo. Nakuru was taking care of the tea, which was good, since Eriol was so distracted that he would certainly have burned himself or set the curtains on fire. The realization that he and Tomoyo would be sleeping under the same roof tonight was sudden and completely unanticipated. His reaction was just as startling.
"Why are you blushing so much?" Nakuru asked suddenly as she peered into Eriol's flushed face.
"Shut up," Eriol mumbled.
Nakuru smirked. "Oh, I see," she said significantly, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
Eriol managed a rather good imitation of Li Syaoran's trademark scowl. "You see nothing," he said firmly.
Nakuru snickered and waggled her eyebrows some more. The fine, cinnamon arches bounced like frantic inchworms above the slightly malicious glint of her bright, amused eyes. "Tonight's the night you're finally going to seduce Tomoyo-chan, right?" Nakuru calmly poured the boiling water from the shrieking kettle into the prepared teapot.
"There will be no seducing going on in this house!" Eriol bellowed, rather louder than he'd initially intended.
"What, you're going to do it in the garden, then?" Nakuru asked innocently as she loaded up her tray with the teapot, two cups and saucers, and an assortment of tea additives.
Eriol's face was flaming, much to his horror. As someone who couldn't even remember the last time he blushed, such inconvenient flushing was as much an embarrassment as a novelty. "For the last time," he half-yelled, "I am not trying to sed . . ."
"Did you two need any help in here?" Though Tomoyo's voice was politely calm, her eyes were inquisitive as she peered in through the doorway. Eriol couldn't tell how much of the conversation she'd heard.
"Actually, we were just getting ready to bring the tea and biscuits out," Nakuru replied smoothly, covering for Eriol's slack-jawed blankness.
Caught between furious embarrassment and hesitant attraction, Eriol silently followed Nakuru out of the kitchen, carrying the platter of biscuits. Nakuru arranged the snack on the low table in Eriol's sitting room, muttered something about needing more sleep, then politely excused herself and vanished. She did, however, shoot Eriol a final, significant Look, and a sly wink. Eriol felt like sinking into the plush carpeting.
"These biscuits really are excellent," Tomoyo murmured after a long silence.
"Mm," Eriol replied vaguely, going through the automatic motions of pouring the tea. "Cream? Sugar?"
"Cream, yes," Tomoyo replied briskly, "Sugar, no."
Eriol dressed her tea as instructed and passed her the cup. They sat in companionable quiet for several minutes, sipping, nibbling, and generally avoiding eye contact. They sat near enough to each other that Eriol could feel the faint ghost of heat from her body trembling against his side. It made him feel strangely light-headed.
Tomoyo seemed calm and collected, though her eyes were dark with her inner thoughts. Eriol was almost painfully aware of her, however. She had changed into 'something more comfortable,' her pajamas if Eriol had to make a guess. The lightweight cotton pants billowed around her slim legs, almost sheer, and the camisole top clung to her in ways that made Eriol's eyes bulge. Tomoyo seemed totally oblivious of Eriol's reaction, and Eriol was suspicious. Was this some sort of obscurely backward manner of flirting, or could Tomoyo possibly be completely unaffected by the fact that she was wearing an alluring bedtime ensemble while sitting next to a boy who she had to know was acutely attracted to her?
Acutely attracted, Eriol reminded himself firmly. Attracted, nothing more.
"This tea is really excellent as well," Tomoyo said suddenly, to fill the silence.
"Thank you," Eriol said politely, giving Tomoyo a bland smile to cover his uneasiness. He could feel the heat rising to his face, among other portions of his anatomy, and hoped she wouldn't notice. Was Tomoyo actually trying to make him choke on his tea? He continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye.
Tomoyo set her cup down on its saucer and leaned gingerly back against the cushions of the couch. "It's been a long day," she commented idly.
"Mmm," said Eriol.
Tomoyo reached her arms up over her head and arched her back in a slow, languorous stretch, wincing when her back crackled audibly. "Hmm, I guess I'm stiffer than I thought," she murmured.
Eriol stared fixedly at his teacup, trying to banish from his mind the image of Tomoyo, hair spilling over bare shoulders, back arched, neck inclined gracefully against the burgundy of the upholstery. He swallowed loudly..
There was another awkward silence. Eriol got the impression that Tomoyo was watching him, gauging his behavior, but he wasn't quite sure why. He cleared his throat, but refused to make eye contact. "Your back's probably stiff because of today's stress," he said clinically. "Having Sakura-san show up like she did was quite surprising."
"Yes, it was," Tomoyo agreed quietly, the measuring expression melting instantly from her face. She looked unsure of herself once more, and Eriol regretted bringing up the subject of the Clow Mistress.
"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked her, his voice low. "Alright about Sakura, I mean. I don't think you ever actually answered when I asked earlier this afternoon . . ."
Tomoyo frowned slightly. "I was a bit upset this afternoon," she said carefully. "And confused."
Eriol hid his disappointment well.
"But now I'm even more confused," Tomoyo continued. "Sakura-chan . . . well, she's just the same as she was when I left Japan."
"And you've changed?" Eriol prompted when Tomoyo didn't continue.
"Yes!" Tomoyo burst out with uncharacteristic fervor. "My life is different in a thousand tiny ways. But Sakura's the same as she always was and I'm just not sure how I feel about that." She nibbled thoughtfully on her lower lip.
Eriol sighed and reached out to tap Tomoyo's nose with his finger. "I believe," he began, speaking with deliberate slowness, "That in essentials, you're very much the same as you always were, as well." Tomoyo opened her mouth to argue but Eriol cut her off. "I also believe that you're exhausted. You need sleep."
Tomoyo seemed to consider arguing once more, but decided that it probably wasn't worth it. "You're right," she conceded after a moment.
"Come on," Eriol said, rising smoothly to his feet. "I'll show you your room."
Tomoyo rose, collected her bag, and followed Eriol down the hallway, keeping her thoughts her own. Eriol led her up a short flight of stairs, down a crimson-carpeted hall, and then up a quaint little spiral staircase which opened up into a surprisingly large, round room, situated in the turret that rose from the east end of Eriol's peculiar house. It was a beautiful bedroom, complete with glorious antique oak furniture and an enormous bed. Tomoyo stared at that one dominant piece of furniture.
"It came with the house," Eriol explained, a little embarrassed by Tomoyo's interest in the oversized bed. "It was too large to move, so I had a new mattress made for it. I think it was probably built up here since it's too wide to fit down the staircase."
Eriol watched Tomoyo eye the furnishings, watched her take in the view the huge windows afforded of the moonlit garden below. There was a faint smile on her face, so he supposed she approved of his taste in decorating. She set her bag down on the padded bench at the foot of the bed.
"It's a lovely room," Tomoyo decided, ambling over toward the nightstand. "I can't believe you keep something like this for guests." She paused and picked up one of the framed photographs from the nightstand.
"It's not exactly a guest room," Eriol admitted reluctantly.
"It was Mizuki-sensei's room, wasn't it?" Tomoyo ran her thumb across the picture frame, eyes caught by the snapshot of a smiling Mizuki Kaho fixed beneath the glass.
Eriol winced. "Sort of," he allowed.
Tomoyo gave Eriol a long, steady stare. "Oh," she said after a moment. "It's your room, then?"
Eriol's smile was fixed. "Yes, but you're welcome to it, Tomoyo-san."
"I thought you said you had plenty of room for me to stay," Tomoyo asked. "Where are you going to sleep?"
"On the couch," Eriol replied affably. "And before you start trying to be polite, let me tell you that my mind's made up. You're sleeping up here, and I'm sleeping downstairs. You're my guest, so allow me to be obliging. And if I hear one more word of protest from you, I'm locking you in until morning."
Tomoyo's smile was genuine this time. "Well, who am I to argue against such defiance?" she asked lightly. She stepped toward Eriol and reached out to briefly touch his hand. "Thank you."
Eriol wondered why it was that the most casual of contact from Tomoyo was so astonishing to him. "Sleep well," Eriol said quickly before descending the spiral stairs once more.
At the bottom, he leaned against the freshly papered wall of the hallway. The silk moire patterned wallpaper was a recent addition, a project began once Tomoyo began spending time in his house. It was as though he'd been hoping for an excuse to show her the upper floors. Eriol grit his teeth and continued back downstairs. The couch would be perfectly comfortable for him tonight.
Visions of dark, swirling hair, ivory-pale skin, and eyes deep with sorrow flashed before
him, but he resolutely settled himself into the plush upholstery of the couch. There would be time
enough to deal with his recently realized fascination with the girl currently occupying his bed. For
now, he was as emotionally drained as Tomoyo was. Sleep came swiftly, if not easily.
___________________________________
The amber light that filtered through the oiled wood blinds was alien to Tomoyo and she awoke momentarily disoriented. Slowly, she remembered why she was in the unfamiliar room, snuggled into an enormous, unfamiliar bed.
This is Eriol's house, she reminded herself. This is his room, his bed.
She had slept remarkably well in such an unusual situation. The tower bedroom was completely silent, aside from the occasional sigh of wind over the peaked roof. Tomoyo buried her face in the skin-warmed layers of silk that covered the soft pillows. The entire bed smelled like Eriol. It was that subtle scent that wove into her weary mind and had lulled her to sleep that night. Tomoyo was a little frightened by how easy it was to fall asleep, nostrils full of Hiiragizawa Eriol.
Now, as she slowly uncurled herself from sleep, stretching upright, hair swirling around her sleepy face, the pictures on the nightstand caught her eye once more. The silver-gilt frame held a soft-shaded photo of Mizuki Kaho in a deep crimson dress. The polished mahogany frame displayed the woman in profile, freshwater pearl drop-earrings shivering against her pale neck. Another picture featured Eriol and Kaho together, caught in a half-embrace beneath an ancient willow tree. They were both smiling serenely at the camera. Tomoyo turned away from the tiny, disturbingly-painful gallery and slid down from the high bed.
It was early enough in the morning that Tomoyo suspected she was the only one awake. She ran her brush through her hair a few times, nonetheless. Then she silently padded out of Eriol's beautiful bedroom and down the spiral staircase. Her assumptions about Sakura and Syaoran proved to be correct. As she slipped down the hallway, the doors to their borrowed bedrooms remained resolutely closed and silent.
Tomoyo decided that she was glad she was the only one up and about. She was thirsty, and a little hungry, but her head was still spinning from the activities of the previous day, and she wasn't sure she wanted to deal with other people yet. She had too much to think about . . .
As she rounded the final corner of the corridor and entered the small sitting room that led to the kitchen, she stopped dead in her tracks. As promised, Eriol was stretched out on the wine-colored couch, fast asleep.
Oh, my . . . was all that Tomoyo could think for a long, uncomfortable moment as she stared at her host. His glasses were lying neatly folded upon the coffee table, and he looked much younger without them, particularly now that his dark hair was spread out in startling contrast to his pale skin and the warmth of the upholstery. Tomoyo had to admit to herself that he was beautiful in a way few men could manage. Come to think of it, most girls aren't that pretty, Tomoyo decided, her hand rising instinctively to self-consciously smooth down her own hair.
Eriol was sprawled in a surprisingly untidy manner across the couch, one arm tucked next to his cheek, the other flung out to hang over the edge of the cushions. His legs were splayed in different directions, and the soft woollen blanket he'd covered himself with for the night was nearly on the floor. Tomoyo was tempted to tuck him back into place on the couch, as though he were a child. He does look ridiculously young, Tomoyo thought again.
In spite of how appealing he looked, Tomoyo managed to keep on going into the kitchen, where she filled the kettle and set it to boil on the stove. She dug out a slightly stale biscuit and nibbled half-heartedly. Then, almost against her will, she peered back out into the sitting room where Eriol remained asleep.
It will take a while before the water boils, she thought absently as she walked back to the couch and settled next to Eriol. She froze when he stirred slightly, but after he showed no signs of waking, she relaxed again.
What am I doing here? she asked herself as her gaze was once more drawn to the sleeping boy. I shouldn't be watching him like this. But she didn't stir. It was as though her body remained a prisoner against her better judgement. She wondered what that said about her subconscious thoughts on Eriol.
If nothing else, Tomoyo had to admit that she was indeed attracted to Eriol. It was hard not to be. She, like Colin and a healthy number of other students at Clef, was not immune to his physical charms. And he was probably just as intelligent as Tomoyo was, though it irritated her slightly to admit to it. And he was mysterious, holding himself aloof, something that always attracted people, no matter how rational they were.
Tomoyo also knew that the attraction wasn't one-sided. Despite her dismissive attitude when talking with Sakura, Tomoyo was fully aware that Eriol hadn't been merely flirting with her the way he flirted with practically anything that breathed. He'd been as caught up in the moment as she had been, that interrupted moment in the garden yesterday. Her pajamas had managed to unnerve him into awkwardness last night. And now . . .
Tomoyo's eyes widened as they fixed upon Eriol's face again. A pair of sleep-fogged blue eyes gazed steadily back into her own.
"How long have you been awake?" she asked, managing to keep her voice conversational.
"Since you came into the sitting room for the first time," Eriol replied with a faint smile. "You were very quiet, but not quite quiet enough."
Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "I'll try to remember that in the future," she said drily.
"Actually," Eriol continued, his voice still husky with sleep, "It wouldn't have mattered if you were completely silent. I can always tell when people are around. You have a very distinctive aura, Tomoyo-san."
Tomoyo was reminded, once again, how different she and Eriol were. Eriol was a sorcerer, both past, present, and future, with powers beyond what she could ever imagine at his beck and call. And Tomoyo . . . well, she was ordinary. Magically, quite mundane. Of course, she had a brilliant mind and a gifted singing voice, but she was as magical as a brick.
Eriol interrupted her unhappy thoughts by pressing his thumb between her eyebrows, smoothing out the frown lines. "What's wrong, Tomoyo?" he asked curiously.
"Why were you pretending to be asleep the whole time?" she asked with a playful whine, changing the subject.
"You seemed content to just stare at me," Eriol replied lightly. "I saw no reason to interrupt you."
Tomoyo flushed and winced inwardly. I don't think he'll ever let me live this down, she decided.
"But it's really no problem," Eriol continued. "I don't mind being stared at," he finished, giving Tomoyo a significant look.
There was something in his gaze that made Tomoyo shiver and want to hide.
"You're blushing," Eriol noted with a faint smile, his hands coming up to cup Tomoyo's warm cheeks.
Now Tomoyo could smile. "So are you," she told him, her fingers tentatively tracing the lines of his mouth, his cheekbones.
A low moan came from the kitchen, a moan that rapidly escalated to a shrill squeal.
"Tea kettle," Eriol noted absently.
"Yes," agreed Tomoyo. "Tea kettle."
The kettle continued to shriek.
Nakuru's head popped in through the doorway. "Will someone go take the kettle off the stove, please?" she said sharply. Her hair was a tangled mess around her pretty face. "I don't like being awakened before noon on a Saturday. You know that, Eriol!" She pauses and blinked. "And I'm not even going to ask what the two of you are doing, snuggled together half-naked on the couch at six in the morning. I'm just going to go back to bed. Good night." Her head disappeared, but she was careful to snarl back, "And make that damned kettle stop screaming!"
Tomoyo and Eriol stared at each other for another moment, then burst into full, joyous
laughter. Nakuru finally had to come turn off the stove herself.
___________________________________
Notes: Sorry this took so friggin' long. I kept writing tiny chunks then putting off the rest for a
while. That's why this chapter has a very fragmented feel to it (in my opinion). I think this
chapter may also cover the shortest period of time of all the chapters. Less than 24 hours elapse
since the end of chapter 5. Therefore, there's lots of introspective babbling here, which was both
fun and irritating to write. I'm going to try and finish up A Cappella in time for the Clamp
Fanfiction Awards, but I'm not promising anything. As usual, comments and criticism are
welcome, so either drop comments at FF.N or email me at acalliope@aol.com
