[Author's Notes:

Thanks for your reviews, especially The Great One and Sakura Lover… Hope you like the fanfic, and please continue reviewing and tell me how you want it to progress… thank you. Oh, and by the way, just because Tomoyo has some of Claire's powers and Eriol is Clow's reincarnation doesn't mean that they are like brother and sister, because Tomoyo is not Claire's reincarnation or anything, so it's perfectly fine for them to love each other.]

The Stones of Claire

By like a falling star



Chapter 2: Eriol's problem

Eriol was in his study, absorbed in his collection of classics. Suddenly he felt a strong burst of magic, a distinct purple aura. It seemed to be coming from Tomoyo's house. Tomoyo's in trouble! were the first words to come to his mind.

Eriol leapt up frantically from his chair, the Chair of Evil. His prized volume of A Midsummer Night's Dream clattered heavily to the floor, a loud, resounding thump, but Eriol did not notice. Or if he did, he did not care. A disturbing image of Tomoyo in trouble, her beautiful amethyst eyes round and scared, flashed across his mind. Eriol nearly panicked.

He ran all the way to Tomoyo's house, determined to save his princess, and used his magic to fly up to her bedroom. The magic was getting stronger and stronger, closer and closer.

Eriol flung open the curtains, prepared to battle head-on with the danger, sun staff pointing outwards to shoot at whatever-it-was. But he found that… the magic was coming from Tomoyo herself.

"Omigosh! Tomoyo!" She was lying on the floor unconscious, her breathing shallow. What had happened?! Eriol ran over to where Tomoyo lay, next to her dresser. He picked her up gently and cradled her in his arms. "Tomoyo… please wake up…" he whispered.

Tomoyo's eyelids fluttered open weakly. "Eriol?"

Tomoyo seemed fine. Eriol smiled through his worry, and hugged her to his chest. "Tomoyo, I'm so glad you're all right. I thought you… I was so worried…"

Tomoyo grinned at her friend weakly. "I'm okay… but… just now… there was…" Tomoyo tried to tell Eriol, but he carried her over to her bed and placed a finger on her lips. "Ssh… tell me everything tomorrow, okay? You should get some rest now." He murmured.

"But I…" Tomoyo began to protest, but she suddenly felt very very tired. "Oh, all right…" And she fell asleep.

Eriol gingerly covered Tomoyo's body with a warm quilt. He did not know why, but he felt a strong magic radiating from Tomoyo. It felt strangely like Clow's magic. That was weird.

Eriol gazed tenderly at Tomoyo's lithe sleeping form. She looked so fragile, so delicate and peaceful in her sleep, even more so than usual. He gave a barely audible sigh. She was so beautiful-- yet so unattainable. Eriol remembered that night, not more than a few evenings ago… he told her of his feelings.

He had gazed deeply into her sparkling violet eyes, and, unable to control himself any longer, he blurted out what he had been feeling for months. 'I love you,' he had said. Baka, baka, baka…he thought. He wanted to bang his head against the wall.

Tomoyo had stared at him, too shocked to disguise her feelings. 'I.. I…'

She did not give a full reply. She probably just did not want to hurt his feelings. I mean, what could the reincarnation of Clow Reed, the most powerful magician in the world, offer Daidouji Tomoyo, the most beautiful girl in the world?

Most possibly nothing.

Eriol sighed again, and went over to the telephone. He dialed a number.

"Heeeellllloooo?" drawled the voice on the other line.

"Nakuru…" he began.

"Eriol-sama? Where have you been? Spinel and I were baking cookies, you know, and we couldn't find you!"

Eriol heard a voice interrupt indignantly. "You mean you drugged me and made me sit by to watch you bake another one of your disgusting sugar- overloaded concoctions." It was Spinel.

"It was yummy, wasn't it??" Nakuru said.

Eriol tried again. "Nakuru, tell Spinel that I will not be coming home tonight. I'm staying over at Tomoyo's house."

Nakuru squealed loudly. "Kawaii! What are you doing, sleeping over at Tomoyo's house for? Hmmmmm?" she said suggestively. "Doing something naughty, isn't it?"

"Nakuru, this isn't the time." Eriol warned her. "I'll tell you and Spinel tomorrow. And--"

"Uh, NOOO! I don't want to hear what you did with Tomoyo, Eriol-sama." She coughed meaningfully. "It's your own private business." Obviously she misinterpreted what was going on.

"NAKURU!" Eriol bellowed, blushing a little. "Nothing happened!!! Oh, can you and Spinel come over to Tomoyo's house tomorrow morning, at around eight? And please tell Sakura and Syaoran and Kero to come as well."

Eriol hang up.