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2 History Repeats Itself: Chapter Three

-Present-

After school that day, as Eriol waited for Tomoyo, the thoughts from lunch still drifted around his head. He decided to shake off those thoughts when he saw Tomoyo running towards him. For some reason, this feeling seems very familiar. Right when she was about to approach him, however, Michiko popped out of nowhere. "Eriol-kun!" she shouted as she waved her arms in the air. Both of their gazes turned towards the energetic girl who now jumped on Eriol's back and was whispering in Eriol's ear. Feeling hot tears sting her eyes, Tomoyo turned and fled.

Eriol stared after her and was about to call her when he felt a hand on his arm. "Don't even think about it. She definitely thinks that you're head-over-heels in love with me. Don't waste your time on her, Eriol-kun. She doesn't even have any magic. Now you and me, that's a different story." Eriol shook his head in disbelief. This couldn't be the reincarnation of that sweet girl he'd seen in his dreams. Without second thought, he dashed after Tomoyo, but not before hearing a distant, "You'll regret it!"

After a half an hour, he finally found her sitting at a bench in the park. "There you are, Tomoyo-chan. I've been looking for you all over the place. Look, it really isn't what it looked like," he said before she could say anything. She just stared at him for a while and said nothing. Seeing this, he desperately rushed forward and held her in his arms. Feeling her shake with sobs, he gently patted her head and held her tighter. The autumn winds blew wildly around them and brought the couple closer together. After a few 'I'm sorry's' and 'it won't happen again,' they sat and watched the sunset.

"Eriol-kun?" Tomoyo suddenly spoke out.

"Yes, my dear Tomoyo-chan?" he said as he turned towards her.

"Do you think I'm beautiful?" she suddenly asked. This question took him back a little and a strange sense of déjà vu washed over him. However, he quickly disregarded it.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in all my lifetimes," he said honestly. And this is the truth, he'd never felt this way about any other girl before.

A sad smile appeared on Tomoyo's face before she brushed it aside. "Then can you promise me that I'll be the only girl you'll ever love?" she asked as she stared deep into his eyes.

The name Kana Kioko flashed in his mind and made him hesitate a little. However, after a split second, he replied, "How can I love anyone else after you?"

Being the perceptive girl she is, Tomoyo immediately noticed the hesitation in his voice. She put on a smile anyway. "I love you, Eriol-kun. No matter what you do…" Tomoyo muttered as she leaned closer towards him. She had this gut feeling that he's going to leave her soon, but she tried to best to ignore it. However, in the back of her mind, a voice kept telling her that she's usually right.

-Past-

"Hey, Clow Reed! Don't play dumb with me! Teach me magic, please?!" a water fortune teller from town pleaded as he carried the two buckets of water up the hill. She'd been bugging him for the longest time, and during the entire time, he'd made it clear that it wasn't happening.

"Madoushi-san, I'm sorry. I just don't have the time right now. I plan on finishing my apprenticeship and moving on… to other things," he said with a sigh. In the back of his mind, a fragile girl with amethyst eyes came to mind. Yes, after he accomplishes his task here, he'll formally ask for her hand in marriage. "Now if you'll excuse me, I still have work to do."

"You're not getting away with it that easily, Reed-kun," she shouted. Unexpectedly, she jumped on his back, sending both of them rolling down the hill. She'd struggled to kidnap him with the rope she'd brought, but she hadn't been very successful. They ended up in a very odd position, with Madoushi trying to hold Clow down by two hands and her looking over him. Just as he was about to push her of, he heard someone call his name. Looking sideways, he found himself staring into Kioko's watery eyes.

"I… didn't know you were busy. Excuse me," she stuttered before running.

"Wait, Kioko-chan, it's not what you think!" he shouted after her. But before he could fit another word in, she was long gone and he still has Madoushi hanging over him.

-Present-

"Oh my goodness. These dreams have to end because they're really freaking me out," Eriol said to no one in particular as he brushed his teeth. He hadn't realized that he'd dozed off from his book. "Every time I even close my eyes, I get a vision of some kind. I just want them to end."

And just as he wished, the dreams did end for a few weeks. However, this was not enough to keep Hoshi from hanging over him whenever she had the opportunity, especially in front of Tomoyo. To Eriol, it seemed like Tomoyo's been very busy lately. It'd been at least a week that they haven't even talked. Instead, he ended up spending more time with Hoshi, even if he's thinking of Tomoyo the entire time.

On the other hand, seeing Eriol growing more comfortable towards Hoshi nearly broke Tomoyo's heart in two. After lying to him about an 'extra chorus practice,' she often stared at him and Hoshi walking down the street together from around the corner. There was even one time when she blew him a kiss before leaving. That was when she made her decision, she would give them her blessing.

Ending the relationship was more difficult than she thought. She deliberately avoided Eriol on several occasions, and even walked the other way when she saw him coming. Everything was just happening too fast for her to catch.

At the corner of her mind, she remembered a letter from her mother, who was currently away from business. In the letter, her mother strongly encouraged her to marry Touya, Sakura's elder brother. Her mother had said that Touya had asked her hand in marriage and she strongly approves, all they need now is Tomoyo's approval. For the entire time, she'd just thought that Touya liked her for her looks, so she avoided the subject as much as possible. However, she knew she couldn't run from it for very long.

AU: Please don't stop reading because of the T+T-ness. I really enjoy your reviews!