AN: I'm glad people liked the last bit of chapter eight. I liked it too. And…now, the news! After Aratamete has been completed (should be by the beginning of September), I'm going to be writing a sequel to my most beloved fic Red. There are going to probably be, at most, four or so readers and two reviewers. But- I'm going to do it anyway! ^^ I'm already working on the first chapter- look for it after Aratamete is finished! [Hoe= Sakura's "patented" phrase. Something she says when flustered, scared, or confused. It's really quite kawaii. ^^]
Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapters.
Aratamete
Chapter Nine
"Now, Eriol. Now is the right time- just reach the right place…"And I'll be waiting."
~
"Konnichiwa, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura sang into the telephone as she held it to her ear. Ah, the wonders of Caller ID. But to Sakura's astonishment, the voice that answered was not at all like her best friend's.
"Hello, Sakura-san. This is Eriol." A deep yet clear voice said amusedly. Yet, there was a slight catch in his voice- a tiny glitch that one couldn't quite grasp because you weren't sure what was the cause- faulty hearing (not likely), bad reception (the most likely, at least when Eriol is the one in question), or the person himself.
"Eriol-kun?! What are you doing over there?"
"Well, I just popped in for a visit. Did you know that Tomoyo-chan had renovated- and moved into- my manor?" Eriol asked lightly, not wanting to get down to business yet. He would rather him tell them face-to-face anyways. It would be better with both Sakura and his cute little descendant- also Sakura's fiancé- there.
"Yes, I- hoe?" Apparently, Sakura hadn't changed one bit in ten years.
"What is it?"
Sakura gripped the phone tightly. "You called her Tomoyo-chan!"
"…And?" Eriol spoke smoothly, knowing an interrogation was in order.
"You've never been so informal…and from "Daidouji-san" to "Tomoyo-chan"? That's a big jump, Eriol-kun- especially for you!"
Eriol shrugged and grinned, even though Sakura couldn't see him. "We've gotten to be pretty good friends. And I gave her a bit of a shock last night, too," he said. Eriol was easing into the point of this conversation slowly. Unfortunately, he could practically hear the gears in the Card Mistress' head turning.
"A shock? Last night? Hoeee!"
Eriol's eyes widened. "It isn't what you think! It's just…I made a rather critical discovery and I felt Tomoyo-chan should be the first to know." 'Though I did give her "a bit of a shock" that morning,' he mused.
"There you go with the "Tomoyo-chan" again," Sakura teased. Eriol sighed audibly into the phone.
"Sakura-san, it's not what you think. Tomoyo-chan and I have absolutely no romantic attachments." 'As much as I would like to,' he added silently.
"But you would like to," Sakura persisted.
"Perhaps," Eriol let himself admit. Then he changed the subject quickly. "But I called to talk about Tomoyo-chan, not about me."
Sakura giggled. "What about her?" She asked coyly.
"This isn't a laughing- or teasing- matter, Sakura-san. It is of the utmost importance that you and my dear little descendant come here as soon as possible." Eriol said quietly.
Sakura's tone and attitude immediately changed. "What's wrong? Has something happened to Tomoyo?" She asked worriedly.
"I won't lie to you…something has happened, and it certainly isn't…it's not exactly what one would call good news."
Now that's the exaggeration of the century.
'Oh, shut up.' Eriol thought, irritated at his Clow-ish conscience.
By the way- smooth, my friend. Very smooth.
'What?'
You're handling this very well, considering the girl you've fallen in love with has disappeared…oh, about that. You really aren't dense at all. Sorry 'bout my saying that. I s'pose you just needed a bit of a push, that's all.
'Er…bloody hell, get out of my head!'
Sorry, no can do. Believe me, I wish I could. But you see, our beloved author here has become quite taken with me. Developed an acute fondness, she has.
'Wonderful. …Wait. She is currently sane while writing this, right?'
Well, she's often said that either she's insane and the world's sane; or she's sane and the world's insane. Take your pick.
'…Help.'
I have empathy for you, my friend. Really- I do.
"Eriol-kun?" Sakura's voice broke Eriol's- and his inner Clow's- thoughts. "What do you mean?"
He sighed. "Just come, Sakura-san. And bring my little descendant. I need all the help I can get." And, without another word, Eriol put the phone back in its cradle softly.
Immediately, he sprung into action, grabbed his dark blue cloak and staff, and then went outside- slamming the door behind him much harder than was necessary. He looked up at the sky; the sun had long since risen but all Eriol could see was a bright but hazy orb- the fog was moving in, and quickly. He narrowed his eyes, and then slowly closed them. Bringing the fore and middle fingers together but curving the rest of his hand into a fist, he held his palm out in front of him. After about 30 seconds, his eyes slowly opened and he grinned. The second the smile had reached his eyes, Eriol disappeared- leaving not a trace.
~
Kinomoto Sakura –soon to be Li Sakura- sighed quietly and gently put the telephone down. Determined not to cry, she closed her eyes, pulling Syaoran's aura closer to her; knowing that he could feel her pull. Seconds later, a deep, soothing voice filled her mind.
"Sakura? What's the matter, cherry blossom?"
"I-I just received a disturbing call f-from Eriol-kun!" Her wall broke and she sobbed quietly, hiccupping every so often.
Syaoran's "voice" now seemed ten times as concerned. "What's happened? Is it something to do with the cards?"
"N-no…" she hiccupped. "He says that something has happened to Tomoyo-chan!" A tear silently slid down her face.
"Daidouji-chan?" Syaoran's voice was filled with astonishment. "How…how does he know?"
"He was visiting her…and he just said that something had happened that 'one wouldn't exactly call good news'. That was his exact wording! Oh, Tomoyo-chan!"
Syaoran was silent for a while. Then he spoke: "do you feel something?"
"Syaoran! This isn't the time for games!"
"No, I'm serious. I feel another aura pulling me… a dark blue one. Do you feel it?"
This time, Sakura was silent. But she didn't say anything, so Syaoran took this as a yes.
"It's Hiirigizawa-kun's. He's pulling us. Let's go." And Syoaran's voice no longer filled her mind as she felt his aura become further away…as she disappeared also.
~
Eriol clenched his jaw as he took in his surroundings. A junkyard. How very fitting. There were numerous broken appliances, clusters of dumpsters, and a pile of wrecked cars. An unidentifiable stench filled the air, and Eriol scowled.
'I hope everyone's gotten their Tetanus shot recently,' he joked to himself, wanting to lighten his mood but inevitable failing.
Soon, he felt two more auras arriving, but not those of Tomoyo and her captor [AN: No pun intended!]. Sakura and Syaoran had quietly appeared beside Eriol, and they stood with him for a long time; just observing their surroundings.
"Hello, Hiirigizawa-kun." Syaoran's voice broke the silence.
"Do not waste time on formalities," Eriol said. "Tomoyo-chan's been taken hostage." His bluntness and sudden admittance took both of his companion's by surprise. Sakura gasped and cried softly.
"Oh, Tomoyo-chan!"
Syaoran raised his eyebrows in contemplation Eriol's usage of Tomoyo's first name and the suffix "chan", but decided not to comment. Now was not the time. "By whom?" He demanded.
Eriol just sighed and said, "Who? I don't know. I have my suspicions…but we won't know for sure." He suddenly paused and his eyes became unfocused. After minutes of deafening silence, he said, "Yes. It is she. And…she's coming." Suddenly, he gave a startled noise and Sakura's eyes betrayed even more fright. She had never seen Eriol so tense and wounded, emotionally or physically. Not even when he gave her the Last Test.
Eriol now spoke in such a soft voice that both Sakura and Syaoran- who had extraordinary hearing- had to strain their ears to hear. "No- she's not coming…
"She's here."
AN: Next chapter- the climax!… And then the epilogue. ^_^ Stay tuned! (Oh, how cheesy. -__-;;) Erk. Hmm…I don't really like how this chapter turned out, but oh well. ^^;; Somehow, I think I could've done better. (By the way- gomen for the horrible cliffhanger. I'll try to get the next chapter out as fast as I got this one…I don't think it'll happen, though. ^^ But keep on the lookout!)
--hazelwand