AN: ATTENTION: Many people seemed to have missed the last update (chapter five). It's an important chapter, so if you haven't read it- read it! Even if you think you have, go back and make sure. (Oh, and I changed my penname form "kat" to "hazelwand".)
Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters.
NOTE: Sorry this is so late; I just spent ten days in Costa Rica. Once again, "lo siento". (Spanish!) Also, a little CCS fic I made in a night and morning just came out. Just telling you. It's plot-less, but certainly not pointless…at least, I think so. -__-
Aratamete
Chapter Six
Eriol's face was burning as he plopped down into the dark violet chair. Suddenly, as if he regained all sensibility, he sprang up out of the chair and glanced wildly around.
'Oh. This is Daidouji-san's room,' He thought absentmindedly. 'Not mine.' He sighed in frustration.
'Why did I kiss her like that?' He wondered. Suddenly, his mind darkened and he punched the chair with all his might. His jaw clenched in unspoken anger.
"WHY DID I?!" He yelled, not caring that Tomoyo was probably still in the kitchen. Eriol wouldn't blame her if she were angry; he would be absolutely livid if someone had just kissed him out of the blue like that.
Eriol's eyes traveled over the room, fully recognizing it. Tomoyo hadn't changed it much: the bed was in the same position (Eriol paused for a moment to beat out the thoughts that had entered his head), and there was still the mahogany piano softly resting in the corner. A small, bright piece of paper caught his eye, and he swiftly picked it up. It was a flier for the Hana Festival:
This year's Hana Festival!
Complete with fortune telling, rides (our famous Ferris wheel!), goldfish catching, many, many family booths, and wonderful, authentic Japanese food!
Come with a friend, family member, or that special someone! (A haunted house for you feisty ones!)
Eriol grimaced at the haunted house comment; it seemed rather sordid to him. Tomoyo's softly smiling face entered his mind for a second, and he had the grace to blush as he shook his head, releasing any impure thoughts.
Costs 1.50 per individual, 2.50 per couple, and ask about the family discount at the Services Booth!
We hope to see you there!
Eriol's mind traveled back to last night ('Only last night, yet it seems like such a long time ago,' he reflected wistfully), and what "Ojii-san" had said to Tomoyo: she wasn't getting out very much, she needed a social life, she should go to the festival…his brain back-tracked to the latter.
'Of course! Another way to keep an eye on her.' He grinned at his genius, but then his reality shattered.
'Oh, god. This will be so embarrassing…how can I face her?! Great going, Eriol, less than twenty-four hours and you've already made a fool out of yourself!' Then he had a thought. 'Why not take "Ojii-san" along? After all, Tomoyo does seem rather attached to him, and it would help to ease the awkwardness.' Little did Eriol know that Ojii-san had an acute fondness for teasing.
Eriol shoved his hands in his pockets and walked towards the kitchen determinedly. He paused before the door of the room, debating whether this was a god idea after all. Before he could talk himself out of it, he plunged into the metaphorical Hell.
Tomoyo was quietly reading a book in a couch. The elegant and spacious living room adjoined the kitchen; it was rather nice. One could spend their whole day in that room without moving more than a few yards. Eriol supposed that Tomoyo loved that aspect, as he suspected that she had grown to love quiet and solitude even more in the past years. Not sure exactly how to approach her, he crept up behind the couch she was nestled on. Eriol grinned, some of his evil and mischievous nature returning.
'One…Two…Three!' Eriol suddenly grabbed Tomoyo from behind. In hindsight (which, as everyone knows, is twenty-twenty), Eriol was hugging her more than grabbing.
"AIE!" Tomoyo shrieked and whirled around, her expression immediately becoming unreadable as she realized whom her offender was.
"Konnichiwa, Daidouji-san," Eriol said evenly, grinning all the while. He seemed to have forgotten the kissing incident…of course; Eriol always was the master of trickery and disguise.
Tomoyo blushed. Apparently what had transpired a while ago had not in the least bit left her mind. Not that it had left her "attacker"'s, mind you. "K-konnichiwa, Hiiriqizawa-kun." She glanced up at him and their eyes met.
At that moment, a sort of mutual understanding passed between them. It would be best to forget about the embarrassing occurrence. Both of their reasons were slightly different, but the result was the same.
If only…
………………………………………………………………………
"So, you see, the Ferris wheel was originally a mobile statue. A person accidentally climbed on it and it started turning-" Eriol was interrupted by Tomoyo laughing hysterically. "What? It's true, I tell you! True!"
"Right," She gasped. "Have you and Yamazaki-kun been exchanging stories again, Hiirigizawa?"
"Of course not!" Eriol exclaimed, horrified. "I would never do such a thing, Daidouji-san!" He winked indiscreetly at Ojii-san. Ojii-san laughed openly, and Tomoyo turned a quizzical look towards him.
"You two act like a married couple," He said, chuckling. Eriol turned red as he remembered the earlier incident and Tomoyo made a small, cute noise.
"Ojiii-saaan!" She groaned, starting to blush.
"What?" He asked innocently. Too innocently. "Is there something I don't know?" At this Eriol emitted a soft choking sound. Ojii-san laughed, apparently loving his teasing rendezvous. Tomoyo was staring at the ground, digging her foot in the dirt.
"Ano…aa…" Tomoyo faked concentration on the flat, mottled festival ground. There weren't any plants- not even weeds- dotting the surface at all, it was all dirt: a sort of mousy-brown dirt—well, there was actually more caked and dried mud on the ground than the aforementioned; covering it like icing. (Rain had made a long-overdue debut yesterday morning.) Similarly, Tomoyo was, by now, long over-due in her response to Ojii-san's question-slash-tease. "…No." She finally managed a dignified answer, and Ojii-san's nose wrinkled.
"No…? Really, now, I'm disappointed in you, Hiirigizawa-kun." His mouth was set in an unwavering line, but his eyes were smiling.
See, there's a funny thing. Such a cliché (aren't clichés so cliché?); used so often and dismissed equally often. Many writers write the phrase without thinking twice, really, it's much too frequently just a "filler". Yet, I do not write that phrase ("his mouth was set in an unwavering line, but his eyes were smiling") lightly. There are many types of smiles: ones in which one stretches their lips in such a way that the corners lift and curl slightly, and the skin at the corners of the eyes crinkle- the most genuine. Ones in which the lips stretch and the tips curl- yet the skin near the eyes don't crinkle- those are fake smiles. The person in question may be suffering, or is manipulating you, the reader. Watch the eyes carefully, as they are the real indicators, not the mouth. Yes- that is what I, the author, meant by the clichéd phrase. "His eyes were smiling, yet his mouth was no"- if so, the observed desires to fool you, the reader. He or she is teasing- or swaying- you. Those are not to be bewared; those are to be found and known.
Eriol and Tomoyo didn't know this, however. If they had, they could have possibly avoided crashing. Their vehicle wasn't in the best of shape, though; so one can't be too hard. Then again, it was their reluctance to maintain the vehicle's original condition that caused it to eventually fail. Ah, well, live and learn.
In response to Ojiii-san's comment, Eriol- in this very particular order- squeaked, blushed, glanced at Tomoyo, and wished desperately for his staff. "Well…" He mumbled something incoherent, and Ojii-san's ears pricked up. He decided not to continue the tor- er, harassment; he was one of those people who knew their limits. (Bartender.) Tactfully, he steered the conversation away from its current topic- if you could call it that.
"So, Hiirigizawa-kun…what do you do for a living?" Ojii-san asked, fifty-percent curious, fifty-percent forgiving.
"Ano…well, I'm pretty much independently wealthy." Eriol smiled his patented smile at Ojii-san, perfectly calm and level-headed.
'Strange,' Tomoyo noted. 'He seems so…different, now.'
"Ah? Is that so? Tomoyo-chan is also. Ne, Tomoyo-chan?" He asked her, turning his attention with a twinkle in his eye.
"A-ah?! Oh! Eh, yes. He already knows, Ojii-san," She reminded him, after being startled out of a reverie.
"Oh, yes. So I've heard." He winked at Eriol and Eriol smiled again, inwardly determined not to lose his poise again. "When did you two meet, again?"
"Ano…I suppose it was fifth grade…or was it sixth, Hiirigizawa-kun?"
"Fifth." [AN: Forgive me if I'm wrong; my Internet connection is down and my first chapter is on another computer…gomen. ^^;;] Tomoyo nodded quietly.
"Hai, it was fifth. Now I remember because that was when Sakura-chan and Li-kun…" Her voice trailed off and Eriol knew the reason. He gracefully turned the conversation away, much like Ojii-san had done earlier.
"How long have you two known each other?" The fact that Eriol was looking at Tomoyo with concern etched in his features didn't slip by Ojii-san. If he knew, Eriol would have been ashamed that the elder could read him so easily. No one had accomplished that before…except Tomoyo. She didn't count, however. That was…different.
"Well, I remember when Tomoyo first came into the shop…" Ojii-san continued to tell the tale of "the lonely and quiet and etc. Tomoyo-chan."
The rest of the night they reminisced and told various anecdotes, laughing and smiling and (occasionally) crying. It was a perfect Kodak moment. If only Tomoyo could videotape herself…
At about eleven o'clock, Eriol excused himself.
"Nani?! Demo, Hiirigizawa-kun…!" Eriol waved off Tomoyo's polite yet sincere protest.
"It's nothing; I just have something to take care of." Eriol was acutely aware of Tomoyo's accusing gaze. Last time he said that, it was right before Sakura and Yukito went in the maze at the carnival. Right before Sakura discovered Eriol and he had to wipe her memory. Right before…everything.
"Oh, it's fine. We'll manage, ne, Tomoyo-chan?" Ojii-san smiled comfortingly at Tomoyo-chan, conscious of her distress. He knew of her affection for her dark companion. And, he had to admit, they went very well together. There was still something about him, though…something he couldn't quite place. Ojii-san dismissed it, after all, it wasn't necessarily bad… just mysterious.
"Hai." Tomoyo's spirits already had a damper on them. "Well then, I quess I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning, ne, Hiirigizawa-kun?"
"I suppose… Oh, and I have something to tell you, Daidouji-san. It's urgent.
"Well, until next time!" Eriol smiled his patented smile once again, and turned to walk quietly back. He soon disappeared into the crowd.
Tomoyo spent the rest of the night wondering what in the world he had to tell her. Many theories flooded into her mind, and most we're plain absurd, some were almost embarrassing, and some were…well, likely but she dearly hoped that she wasn't correct in those particular assumptions. And so, the night carried on…
While Tomoyo was pondering and Ojii-san was trying incredibly hard to resist the unspeakable urge to tease [AN: XP…He almost sounds like me. I love to tease…well, harmless teasing. Like Ojii-san. XD], Eriol was pacing up and down his old room, which currently happened to be Tomoyo's. He couldn't help it; somehow he just felt…right there. A blush rose to his face when a particularly perverted thought invaded his mind, but he shook off both the thought and the blush.
'Damn it, Eriol, THINK! How could I be sure…How…' His mind was imitating his feet as it paced across the span of his head- figuratively, of course. He brought out the mirror and said the incantation to it, a bit mildly. Tomoyo's image was immediately brought to the "screen", and Eriol's heart lifted at the sight of her. He grinned with newfound determination and set the mirror on the bed-side table. Eriol didn't quite realize what he was doing; he didn't realize that he had looked to Tomoyo for comfort and purpose.
Eriol stopped pacing up and down the room, and stood quietly in the center of it. He cursed for God-knows-what reason, and on impulse, headed down the hall. He turned the corner and went into his other room, the one with the fireplace and noble red chair. His plotting room. Without thinking, he sat calmly- at leats, as calmly as he could manage- in the chair, and rested his head on his elbows as he closed his eyes deep in thought. Somehow, his mind flicked back to the other time he was like this. That was when he was calling Sakura to warn her of the Void Card…he chuckled silently, thinking that all he needed now was a phone call, and it would like reliving it all over again.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
Eriol raised a single brow, trying to fight down the sense of panic that was rising like a tsunami inside of him. [AN: ::winces:: What a cheesy simile…]
He slowly picked up the phone, and keeping his voice level, he said, "Hello?"
"Why, hello, my dear Clow-sama…" The cold, feminine voice chilled Eriol to the core. [AN: No pun intended…I think.] There were only a handful of people who knew he was Clow; why, he could count them off on his fingers.
"Who are you?!" The panic had started to steadily rise.
"Oh, but I'm so ashamed and hurt that you don't recognize my voice, Clow." The voice was a bit familiar, but was so bitter and emotionless that he couldn't quite place it.
"Say Clow-sama," he snapped.
"Very well. Would "brother" be more to your liking?"
AN: Okay, so, the "conclusions" weren't quite conclusions… but I changed this chapter a bit more my original outline/plan. Sorry 'bout that. I hope this satisfied you…it's pretty long, compared to other chapters. Well, I think that some (Or maybe something more like two) of you will be happy to know that plot bunnies have been absolutely ATTACKING me lately! I can't wait to finish my current fics and move on…I hope to by the end of the summer. Well, at least this one…^^;; (Also, sorry about the cliff-hanger. ^^;; Please don't kill me…but if you do, I give my full permission to let someone take over this fanfiction. Preferably Kasumi-san or Nioko…)
-hazelwand