AN: Thanks to all of you who reviewed! (Oh, and the next chapter will come out sooner than this one did)!
Aratamete
Chapter Two
The two were virtually silent as they walked awkwardly along the unusually sparsely populated streets of downtown Tokyo. Eriol had his hands shoved into his large pockets, and Tomoyo was swinging her intertwined hands behind her, humming softly. Eriol cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable about the fact that he was…feeling uncomfortable. Erio prided himself on his certainty and precise-ness in every situation that could come his way…yet this was not a situation that he ever imagined would present itself.
"So, Daidouji-san, I hear you made some renovations on my mansion?" He stated awkwardly, beating himself for sounding what he was feeling. Awkward, that is.
"Hai, Hiiragizawa- kun. You heard correct. Not going deaf in your old age yet, are you?" She teased, not aware that this was a very questionable subject with her companion.
"No, not going deaf yet," he agreed, faking a calm smile. Tomoyo noticed this, of course, being the perceptive woman that she is, yet decided to press upon it later.
"Back to the subject at hand, what renovations did you make, exactly?" He tried to clear the rather unpleasant thoughts that had invaded his thinking space, and succeeded…for the time being.
"You'll just have to see, "my dear" Hiiragizawa-kun," she mocked, quoting Eriol. Eriol started- since when did Tomoyo have a sense of humor? Of course, she had a sense of evil-ness about her, but since when did she tease and mock?
"I just hope that there aren't any frills decorating the window frames…" He shot back. Tomoyo giggled, then stopped walking.
"Oh, we're here! Please, come inside." The two walked down a long, stone path up to a somewhat-Victorian mansion. It looked an eerie moon dust color in the night, and Eriol wasn't so sure that it was just plain gray in the daylight. There was a small balcony in the back overlooking the woods (more specifically, a grove of cherry trees and many other complementary plants that stretched for quite a while).
Tomoyo strolled up to the door, and opened it. They walked inside, Eriol glancing in every direction, surprised at how similar the house was to when he left it. Tomoyo led her guest down the long, red-carpeted hallway to a room. She slowly opened the door and looked closely at Eriol for his reaction. The room…was his. Everything was exactly as he had left it; the red chair sat nobly in the center, and a small glass table was in front of it. In the back of the room (to the left of the door) was a large brick fireplace. Apparently, it was used frequently, as ashes and wood graced it, and the wood was half-burned. Eriol looked shocked, but then allowed himself a tiny smile, and walked over to the red chair. He stroked its fabric, and gazed at the table. This was the very room in which he plotted his schemes against Sakura. Not to mention Syaoran. Yet…Tomoyo…he never had a chance to tease her, or play with her life. She was always just the innocent bystander of her friends' missions, taping every single thing Sakura said or did, and every single blush that Syaoran had. She didn't seem to have any visible or vulnerable weaknesses, much to Eriol's disappointment. Yes, he admitted it: he did enjoy teasing Syaoran, and playing with Sakura's magic.
Tomoyo cleared her throat. "Hiiragizawa-kun?"
"Oh! Gomen, Daidouji-san, I got lost for a while back there." He grinned amiably, and bowed. "Shall we proceed to the tea and cakes?" He strutted out of the room, this time having Tomoyo in tow (not the other way around), and led her to the kitchen. He was quickly remembering every single thing about this house, and it seemed as if he hadn't been "away" for more than ten years. Of course, there were a few changes: dark red couches and such were now a deep, calm purple, and Eriol's bedroom had been completely transformed to fit Tomoyo's tastes. The kitchen seemed more used than it was when Eriol left it; Tomoyo seemed to have been practicing cooking lately. Some flour was still on the counter, and an egg had cracked and was slowly leaking its yolk and white. The oven was still on; apparently, Tomoyo had forgotten to turn it off. A small white cake was in the center of the counter, with strawberries in a bowl and whipped cream already spread onto the concoction.
Eriol's stomach grumbled, and he laughed. "So, Daidouji-san, when are we going to eat?"
She smiled in response, and answered, "Why, are you getting a little hungry? Judging by that noise, I'd say you haven't eaten for days. But, hai, let's eat!"
The rest of the night was spent laughing, reminiscing, and (of course) eating. A few hours later, while nearing midnight, Eriol rose. Tomoyo glanced up at him.
"Gomen nasai, Daidouji-san, but I need to get going now." He reluctantly turned away from her, but Tomoyo grabbed his arm.
"Matte, Hiiragizawa-kun! Where're you going? Are you leaving town now?" Eriol was silent to her question. He shrugged.
"I'm not sure, Daidouji-san. I haven't been sure for ten years." Tomoyo was a bit confused by his admittance, but brushed it off.
"Why don't you stay here? I could always use a bit of company. Plus, Sakura-chan's and Li-kun's wedding is coming up in two weeks. Perhaps you would come?"
Eriol thought silently for a while, then mockingly slumped his shoulders in defeat. "You've got me, Daidouji-san. Hai, I'll stay. After all, I did want to see my cute little descendant again." He winked evilly at her. She giggled, and exclaimed,
"Great! Now, where would you like to stay? There's a guest bedroom down the hall from my room-"
"I know," he interrupted her. "This was my house originally." He chuckled. "But, hai, I'll sleep in the guest bedroom. That is, if you don't mind."
"No, of course not! That's fine. Well, I'm going to take my shower now. See you in the morning, Hiiragizawa-kun!"
"Likewise, my dear Daidouji-san." Tomoyo blushed a bit, and hurried off to her room. Eriol quickly turned around, and walked purposefully down the hall.
"This will certainly be interesting," he murmured, then turned the doorknob of the guest bedroom, and walked in.
AN: Okay, so this chapter was a bit longer…but not much. ^^;; Yes, the story is going rather slowly right now, but trust me, it WILL pick up soon. I'm still kind of introducing things, like an extended prologue. Oh, I forgot to tell you last time:
Gomen= sorry
Please review! I don't care if you flame or praise. Suggestions and/or comments welcome. Who knows, you might influence the storyline a bit. After all, I have a few gaps that I need to fill up. It IS pretty much thought out though. But, anyway, I'm aiming for at least 5 reviews for this chapter. ^^;;
-kat