AN: Sorry this took so long. As of 9:00 Friday morning, it's summer (for me). I've had many projects in the last few weeks, and, of course, finals week. I haven't had much time to do much writing; and, yes, I know what you're thinking: 'Well, now that it's summer for her, she can update once a day!' Well, I wish. I do have another fanfiction (Dragonball, if you're interested), so I need to keep that going, and also this summer I plan to start drawing my comic (including making the character plans). Plus, my computer time is being (sob) rationed, and I won't have as much time to type anyway. But at least the updates won't be once every three weeks! ^^;; Probably once or twice every week; depending on what I feel like.
One last thing: you might have noticed that I added another genre to the setting of this story. Supernatural. Well, it's all part of the plot. You'll see…
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, CLAMP and a couple other companies do. (Oh, and people…just a reminder, PAY ATTENTION to the suffixes on names. They and a lot more meaning to certain scenes, especially this one…also, read the long paragraphs. I am especially proud of the one…well, you'll see.)
Enjoy.
Aratamete
Chapter Three
"Not so great now, are you, Clow-sama? Hardly what I'd expect of the 'great Clow!'" Her lips curled into a sadistic smile as she spoke.
"Your pathetic guardians! Yes, I should dispose of them, shouldn't I?" She laughed. "But what's the fun in that?"
Her opponent merely stood. He was calm and collected; not at all what one would expect from someone knowing that they would die.
"You won't win, Sanalor. I will rise again." He stated this as it were the weather.
"Oh, really…Eriol-kun?" Her face started to shift and meld into a horribly recognizable one. The long, slender facial structure; mysterious copper eyes; and hair that matched the aforementioned.
Eriol gasped and shook his head, trying to get this dream to stop. After all, this was only a dream. Hardly reality, yet…it all was so familiar.
"…Kaho?"
She stared at him, unmoving. Eriol reached forward to touch her face, but she recoiled.
"Kaho, what's wrong?" He asked, doing something completely out of character- his eyes seemed glassy, as if he was holding back tears.
"Goodbye…Hiirigizawa-san." Eriol shivered. The way Kaho said it…it was so cold; so heartless. So unlike the Kaho that he knew. Then again, maybe the Kaho that he knew was not the real one.
Her image started to fade. It was very unlike the way that Sanalor's image transformed into Kaho. This was softer, more welcoming. For some reason he felt as if he need not fear what was to appear. Slowly, another shape started to form. He could make out long, dark hair, and the figure seemed rather delicate. Shortly he found himself staring into a pair of soft, clear violet eyes. He involuntarily took a step back.
"T-Tomoyo?"
Eriol bolted awake, slightly gasping for breath. He immediately reviewed his dream in his mind. Salanor, Kaho, and Tomoyo. Ha, how ironic. All women. He put on his glasses, and wrote the dream quickly on a scrap piece of paper. He'd think about it in the morning; now he just needed sleep.
Three hours later Eriol woke up with a groan. 'Ugh…damn.' He cursed. His throat was constricted and dry; his sheets were slightly damp from him sweat, and his forehead was burning. He raised a palm to it to assess the degree of the fever. As his hand touched tentatively, a searing flash of pain passed through his head. Immediately Eriol's head was throbbing: it was like he had a headache, but the pain was more concentrated. He smirked weakly.
"And I'm supposed to be helping Daidouji-san with the wedding planning today. Hm, I hope she doesn't go ahead without me. Li might faint when he sees the décor if I don't supervise…not to mention Sakura-san's outfit. Daidouji-san always did love to inflict pain to my dear ancestor." He chuckled, then cursed again as he was reminded of his current state. Eriol threw the sheets off and dragged himself out of bed, trying to ignore his condition. He ran his hand through his hair, making it even more ruffled than it already was, and walked unstably down the hall.
Tomoyo had apparently just woken up also. Eriol saw her run out of her room, heading straight towards the kitchen. Suddenly, she stopped, sensing Eriol behind her. "Good morning, Hiirigizawa-kun." Then she turned and did a double take.
"Hiirigizawa-kun! You look awful!"
Eriol grumbled and muttered, "It's probably just a twenty-four hour bug. Nothing to worry about."
But Tomoyo stood firm. "Get back in your bed, now. I'll bring you breakfast and some Tylenol."
Eriol grumbled again, but dutifully trudged back and got into bed. With impeccable timing, Tomoyo came in holding a tray with breakfast on it, a glass of water and two small, white pills. "Eat you breakfast first; it's better to take medicine on a full stomach. I'm going to sit in here until you finish so you don't throw the pill or your breakfast away." Tomoyo shook her head, but she was smiling.
"Damnit, Daidouji-san…I can't get away with anything around here. It's like you have magical powers or a sixth sense. 'Super Perception'!" Eriol said the last part in a cheesy, heroic voice. Tomoyo's eyes twinkled.
"Who knows? Maybe I do…but don't you dare try and get me distracted, Hiirigizawa-kun. I am staying here, whether you like it or not." She said.
"'Super Perception' strikes again," Eriol muttered loudly enough for Tomoyo to hear.
"Right. Now eat!" So Eriol ate. Tomoyo had prepared many different foods: there was sushi, sweet soup, small cakes and traditional Japanese green tea. The cakes were fascinating, if not comical. They were shaped like Eriol's and Sakura's staffs; there was a small round one that strongly resembled Syaoran's Lasin Board. There was also a pink one which was supposed to be Sakura's costume while she and Syaoran had battled the Void Card; but it had been slightly smushed and now looked a bit more like a fat flamingo. Eriol stifled a laugh. He glanced at the cakes once more, and a very unique one caught his eye. It was of a moon. There were small light pink dollops of icing covering the concoction, with a green leaf beside every single one. Finally, to top it all off, there was a border of deep purple icing. The purple icing looked like marble: sewn into it were shades of violet and maroon; shades of almost black, and he faintly saw a thin stream of dark navy running through. When inspecting the purple border more closely, he noticed that the cookie itself had a very weak tint of light but pure violet; there were no extra miscellaneous colors hiding in it.
Eriol glanced up at Tomoyo. She started, and he was now aware that Tomoyo had been watching him the entire time. She smiled softly…or maybe weakly. To Eriol, it seemed like both.
"So, do you like them?" Tomoyo asked, her voice sounding strained. Eriol didn't answer. He was too busy realizing something.
'I don't know Daidouji-san at all,' he thought. 'There's a whole other side of her that I've never noticed…or perhaps never bothered to notice,' he reflected bitterly.
"Hiirigizawa-kun?" Tomoyo said, and cleared her throat when he again remained silent.
"Eh? Oh, hai…I do. I especially like that one," He pointed to the cake shaped in the likeness of a crescent moon.
Tomoyo's face lit up. "That's my favorite, also," She nodded to the same cake that Eriol had pointed at. "It took me a long time, but it was worth it." She smiled sadly. "It's beautiful."
"Hai. It is," Eriol agreed. He fixated a stare of the concoction, memorizing every detail. He found himself strangely attracted to the thin line a navy blue in the purple icing, but thought nothing of it. "I really don't want to eat it," He joked.
Tomoyo laughed. "Hai, I know what you mean."
There was a short silence, promptly broken by Tomoyo urging Eriol to eat. He laughed, but did as she commanded. The only thing he left was the moon-shaped cake. Eriol gazed at the creation, and Tomoyo followed his gaze. She then did the same; staring at the cake like it was some sort of symbol. Which it was, in a way. Tomoyo had unconsciously threaded her life and thoughts into the cake, one by one. To the observant eye, they might recognize a few things that were representing something greater; to the unobservant (or uneducated) eye, it was what it was.
"What do you say we share it?" Eriol asked, his unwavering gaze now turning to Tomoyo. She shuddered a bit under her companion's stare; it was like he was looking straight into her minds and soul, as cliché as that may sound.
"Er, hai. That'd be great," Tomoyo said absently. She was a little more focused on the fact that Eriol was staring at her than how to eat the cake. So, Eriol split the cake right down the center, horizontally. Each side was the mirror image of the other. He passed the upper half to Tomoyo, and kept the bottom half for himself. He glanced at the cake one more time, and then bit into it boldly.
"Hey, Daidouji-san, I think this one is better than the others!" He said perkily, his mood changing instantly. Tomoyo lifted her eyes to meet his.
"Really." It was a statement, not a question. Tomoyo bit a small bite of her half, and she nodded almost immediately. "Hey, you're right!" She said laughing. "Maybe I put a bit more sugar in it by accident." She looked at Eriol's eyes again, and was taken aback to find that they were again staring at her, this time with an expression that she couldn't quite place. It was almost as if he was fighting himself, and not only over what to say, but also…it seemed that he was almost strangling himself in order to keep himself contained.
His eyes finally settled in a defeated manner, and he said tightly, "No, that's not the reason."
AN: Hmm, this was a pretty long chapter. A pretty pointless one too…well, at least to you guys. A hint: dig a little deeper into this chapter. You'll find a couple of things that you might've missed. ^^ Also, it seems that Eriol is starting to get a little…moody. PMS? Just kidding.
Next chapter: We'll get a lot more accomplished, and Eriol will remember the little piece of paper that he wrote his dream on. An (sort of) explanation of the dream will follow, plus some interesting realization for Eriol. It's not what you think. Pay attention to the name suffixes in the dream and you might see what I'm getting at. ^^
Ja'ne.
-kat