Note: Uh... right.... I know I haven't been committing to the stories and yes I do plan on finishing all of them, but because I have school to worry about, I couldn't, but from this day forward, maybe even after my midterms, I plan to finish them once and for all, especially this one! Get ready for Chapter 9 and my short summary for this is: Eriol finds Tomoyo (finally!) after a few hours and Tomoyo finally reveals her true feelings to Eriol and that's all I'm going to say! I'll leave all the reading to my reviewers! :D Well... Enjoy!
Chapter 9 - Careless
Unlike the perfect person people thought she was, Tomoyo was filled with grief and sorrow that she could no longer compress in her thoughts. The darkness and the rain reflected everything that she was feeling right now and even though she knew she can still find her way out, she chose not to. She wanted to show the whole world, she was no longer the 'sweet little angel' people see her to be. Her long hair clung tightly on her wet back, same with the skirt of her dress that now stuck itself between her legs, however, she did not give a damn. In her mind, nothing else mattered.
"Tomoyo..."
She heard it, the faint call of a deep voice in the distance. She heard someone calling her name, but all she wanted to do now was stay in that position forever, her hands on her lap and her head bowed down while she sat on a log that seemed to have waited for her when she got there. In that position, she shivered and all she could ever think about was how she had lost everything. She had lost the only person she truly cared for and that person was engaged to someone else... her best friend... her companion... Sakura...
"Tomoyo!" The voice was getting closer and getting louder. She heard footsteps nearby, but neither she moved her head, nor glance at who it was, instead she sat there, shoulders hunched lazily. Questions suddenly invaded her thoughts. Why was she here? Why does she even exist? Is she alive just to make everyone and herself miserable?
"Tomoyo!" Tomoyo closed her eyes. She heard it again- that same voice that was now louder than the previous call. The footsteps were close and Tomoyo had finally heard it stop nearby. This time, without taking any more hesitations, she looked up and noticed a tall figure standing there, his eyes filled with worry. With one last look, she put her head back down to its original position and she stayed like that, fatigue now taking over her eyes.
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"Tomoyo!" He called. He knew she heard him, but he also knew that she didn't care at that point. Eriol ran to her side, gently shaking her from her reverie and when she did not look up again, his worst fears had come true. He placed a hand underneath her chin and lifted up her head towards him. Tomoyo then, had opened her eyes; Eriol's heart beat slowing down a little when she noticed him.
"Why are you here, Eriol?" she whispered, gently- so gently, that Eriol was almost enable to understand her. Tomoyo turned her head away from him. "Why do you even bother to make me feel better? You knew all along how I was feeling!" She looked back at him with tear-filled eyes. "Why did you make it worst?"
Eriol said nothing; instead, he picked her up in his arms and began to carry her away. He could hear Tomoyo whisper some more meaningless words that he could not ignore. Every word spoken from that moment burned in his soul- every hateful comment.
"I hate you, Eriol..." Tomoyo went on. "You feel pity for me, that's what. You feel pity for what I've turned out to be."
"Exactly why would you feel pity for her is the question I want to know, Hiragizawa?" Eriol paused, then turned around, his feet splashing a small puddle. Taking the spot where Tomoyo had sat, on top of the log, stood Jiro, his eyes searching his mind for the answer and when he could not, he continued to wait until Eriol answered for him.
"You're doing this to her, aren't you?" Eriol spoke, almost to a whisper.
Jiro looked at him strangely. "You're accusing me of something I didn't do? Why, that's unlike you, Eriol. You think I'm the cause of this? Look at yourself in the mirror and ask what is the reason for Tomoyo's turmoil."
Eriol glanced at Tomoyo, her eyes closed and now filled with pain. He glanced back up at Jiro, staring him straight in the eyes. He knew the answer now and there was no denying it.
"Because you were so careless," Jiro went on. "You broke down the barrier that was Tomoyo. It seemed you broke every bone in her body, crushed it and fed it to the dogs." Jiro smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "I should've dug deeper into your mind Eriol, then I could've used you as my personal destroyer of the mind of a woman. It would have been easy for me to get Kaho."
"Well, you lost your chance," Eriol replied. He turned to walk away, but was stopped as Jiro spoke the last few words he knew, Eriol could not resist to answer.
"You think this will solve the problem, Eriol? You think that when you take her home and make her feel better, that all will be bright and merry after that?"
Eriol turned her head towards the form of the twelve-year-old boy. "It won't be bright and merry until I kill you," he spoke, with menace in his voice. Startled by his choice of words, Jiro said nothing as the boy watched Eriol take the half-unconscious girl back to shelter.
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She didn't know how long she was running, but her legs were moving, her arms swaying and her hair blowing behind her. Ahead, she noticed a figure waiting for her by the beach. She reached out to him and he to her, but every time she took a step towards him, he went further away, without even moving his feet. He was fading into the distance.
"Follow me, Tomoyo," he whispered to her. Tomoyo nodded, running much faster as the figure began to disappear into a bright light. "I'll let you out of the dark." The figure held out his hand to her and this time, Tomoyo finally reached her hand, taking her to another place. Bright light surrounded her and she found herself dragged into a warp hole, beautiful swirling colors dancing around her. Just in front of her, she was staring at the back of the figure's head as she held on tightly to his hand.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, tilting her head to see who it was. She could not quite see him, for there was a hood on his head in the way.
"Somewhere where you belong," he replied.
Tomoyo frowned. "I don't belong anywhere," she spoke.
The figure finally turned head, Tomoyo's hopes rising up to see who it was, however, the face was covered in black and she could barely see the contours of his face. "That's not true. You belong somewhere, but all you have to do is find it in your heart."
Tomoyo tried to see his face, but she was too scared to move as she and the figure moved through the flashing light. "Who are you?"
The figure turned his head towards her, his face masked in a dark mask. She could tell he was male, by the way he held her, his large hands surrounding her smaller ones. "Whatever you want me to be."
The girl was confused by his words. She stared at him. "I don't understand." Could this be him? Syaoran? No... it didn't look like him. This man was taller than Syaoran was. Taller and less built than Syaoran.
"Sooner or later, you will," he spoke. Suddenly, he let go of her hand, startling Tomoyo. The girl panicked, as she reached towards him. She tried to grab his hand, but he just flew further away from her.
"Wait, don't leave me, onegai! (please!)." Tomoyo pleaded. She reached for him again, but this time, he just stared at Tomoyo, his expression unbeknownst to her. Tomoyo stopped reaching for him, for she knew what he was going to do. He was going to leave her floating in this vortex. "Why? Why do you want to leave me?"
The man shook his head. "I don't want to leave you at all. I just want you to open your eyes and come back to where you belong. You say you don't belong anywhere? Well, that's where you're wrong, Tomoyo-san. You belong to someone, to them, your family and friends." He began to float backwards as he neared the brightest light.
Tomoyo floated towards him, flapping her hands as if she was swimming. The figure held his arms towards her, while he continued to float backwards, moving his feet to indicate his direction. He stopped only a couple inches between the line that divided light and dark and waited for Tomoyo. When she was close enough, Tomoyo reached out with her hand once more and this time, he had taken it. He pulled her gently towards him and before she could take a glance behind her, she had opened her eyes to another place.
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The sunlight reached the delicates of her brow and with one squint of her closed eyes; she finally opened them to reveal a new day. Tomoyo was greeted with a warm smile from her mother, as she turned her neck to her left to find her sitting on her bedside.
"Ohayo, Tomoyo," Daidouji Sonomi whispered, reaching out to stroke her daughter's cheek. Her fever had gone down, to Sonomi's relief, but she knew Tomoyo needed more time to rest to fully recover, especially from the pain that her daughter must have felt that drove her to get wet in the rain. "It was a good thing Hiragizawa-san found you before the rain poured harder. It took him a lot of effort to bring you here and a lot of courage to take you to the bathtub so I could undress you from your wet clothes."
Tomoyo looked pass her mother and found Eriol sitting on a chair sleeping, his chin touching his heaving chest. He was no longer dressed in his usual attire that made him look like a student from high school. He was dressed in a blue turtle necked sweater and black corduroy pants. "Those were... father's pants and sweater."
Sonomi turned her head towards Eriol and nodded her head. "I had no other choice. I couldn't let him leave without a change of clothes, or else he would've been the one catching the fever. I found some extra clothes that your father left before he... left..." She took a deep breath.
"Did he stay up all night?" Tomoyo asked, looking up at her mother.
Daidouji-san turned her head back towards her daughter and nodded. "He was up until five in the morning just taking care of you. He checked your temperature to make sure you weren't getting sick. He was actually doing all the work that I wanted to do." When she noticed Tomoyo blush, Sonomi placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair. "He was really worried about you. We both were."
Tomoyo glanced back at Eriol, who had stirred in his sleep and was blinking his eyes as a sign of waking up. When he noticed her watching him, he lifted up his head and smiled. "You're awake," Eriol spoke softly.
Sonomi smiled towards Eriol. "Thank you again, Eriol," she said, before standing up. With one last stroke of her daughter's cheek, she left the room quietly, leaving the two alone.
Eriol stood up and walked up to her bed. "How are you feeling?"
Tomoyo nodded. "Tired, but I'll live," she replied, smiling.
The boy nodded. "That's good. I'm glad you're all right." He turned to leave, but Tomoyo caught his arm before it became unreachable and looked at him straight in the eyes.
"I'm sorry, Eriol-kun," she spoke. She remembered the words she said to him. Even though she didn't mean she hated him, Tomoyo knew Eriol was still hurt by it.
Eriol smiled kindly. "There's no need to be sorry," he said. He turned his head away from her. "I should be the one who's sorry. I was being careless."
The girl holding onto him let go of his arm slowly. Oh how he wished she wouldn't. Her touch made him feel warmer than Kaho's touch. For the first time in his life, he felt something that he has never felt with Kaho before. Before he could speak, Tomoyo had already sat up from bed, alarming him. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "You shouldn't get up," he warned.
Tomoyo insisted on getting up as she gently took his hand from her shoulder. "Just hang on, Eriol. Don't go yet." Without a second thought, Tomoyo quickly lifted herself up from bed, so she was now standing beside the tall teen and went on her tiptoes. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, before her headache gave way, almost falling backwards. Luckily, Eriol was close enough to catch her fall. He led her back to the bed and laid her down gently.
"Why don't you just go to sleep, ne?" Eriol whispered in her ear, before leaning back to watch her lay there as she stared up at him. Suddenly, without giving it a second thought, Tomoyo sat up once more.
"Oh no! The dance! The dance is coming up! I haven't started on my dress yet! I..." She felt Eriol's hand on her mouth. Tomoyo glanced at him with a questioning look.
Eriol shook his head. He placed a hand on her forehead. "Don't worry about that now, Tomoyo. You need your rest." He watched as Tomoyo's eyes started to blink to a close.
Her eyes were getting heavier as Eriol laid her back on the bed. Suddenly, she was getting tired, though she has no idea that Eriol was working his magic on her to make her sleep. Even though Tomoyo was curious, she was getting too tired to think as her eyes completely shut tight. Eriol watched her finally go to sleep, the thought of Tomoyo kissing his cheek making him blush, but he shook that out quickly. With one more glance towards her, he turned around and was startled to see a single fabric wrapped around a thick pole on the floor that he had not noticed when he came in. This pole, laid flat on the floor, completely laid out flat as if no one has touched it for a while. He watched the shiny fabric with curiosity and when he could no longer stand the suspense, Eriol picked it up and unrolled the fabric from the pole carefully, the smell of the newly bought item engulfing his nostrils. One short fabric, cut in a rectangle, fell out from the pole and with one swift hand; Eriol caught the fabric in his palms. The silk felt wonderful in his fingers and with one glance towards the sleeping teenager, he placed the pole underneath his arms and began to look for the rest of the sewing kit somewhere in her room.
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The afternoon sun touched the contours of her face, waking her up from her sleep once again. Twice, the sun was her alarm clock and twice, it woke her up less noisily than the machine that flashed red in her bedroom at night. If her real alarm clock were on, she would have been late for school. It was easy to turn off the alarm clock, than turning off the rays of the sun during school days. SCHOOL! Tomoyo quickly opened her eyes and sat up from bed. She had forgotten about school. Hurriedly, she got up from bed, slipped her feet in her slippers and turned her whole body towards the direction of her bedroom, when she suddenly stopped short. Sitting on the empty chair to where Eriol had sat, was a white, off shoulder gown, with its bell-like sleeves resting on the armrest as if it was a real person sitting. Purple swirls of colour began from the right shoulder area down to the bottom of the left leg, making zigzag patterns around the dress. The sleeves, which she noticed earlier, was also white, but the kind of purple she bought from the Silk shop, was attached only to the edge of the sleeves, making a 'v' shaped pattern from the elbow down to the bottom. Tomoyo walked over to the chair and picked up the dress, examining it some more. The neck part of the dress, she realized had a 'u' shaped curve, showing a little of the skin from above the chest area, but not too much that it would show cleavage. Eriol must have known that she was a modest person. Tomoyo looked at the skirt, which was leaning more towards the right by looking at it and if she were wearing it, the edge of the skirt would only go down maybe two inches from the ground to the left. The other half of the skirt only reached until her knees, so only her right leg was showing.
Taking a deep breath, she placed the dress close to her face, closed her eyes and smelled the new fabric. She imagined Eriol sitting on the chair with the fabric in one hand, while the needle, with the thread looped through the hole, in the other. She expected to have the pincushion and the sewing basket and the small pieces of leftover fabric, on the floor after he was done, so Tomoyo looked down for any signs of it, but there was none. The floor was clean and spotless.
"Tomoyo? Are you awake?" The girl heard a knock on the door and as she turned her head towards the door, she noticed her mother enter.
Daidouji-san stepped inside the room quietly, afraid she to disturb her daughter from her sleep, however, as she looked up, she was surprised to see her daughter well, holding a beautiful gown that she held close to her heart as she stood in front of the mirror. "Oh, Tomoyo!" Sonomi gasped, smiling with all her heart's content. "Your dress is magnificent!" She touched the smooth fabric of the dress and glanced at her daughter curiously. "How did you make it so quickly?"
Tomoyo looked up from her daydream and shook her head. She hesitated for a moment, wanting to say in her head that she made the dress, but decided against it. "Eriol... Hiragizawa Eriol made it- for me." Expecting her mother to feel surprised that Eriol made the dress, Tomoyo took a deep breath, however, as she held it in, her mother smiled, glanced at the dress one more time and started to walk out of her room. "Wait..." she called. Sonomi paused. "Aren't you a bit curious on why he made this dress?"
Sonomi turned and shook her head. "Not really, but I think you're the one who's curious. Am I right?" Without giving Tomoyo a chance to answer, she turned to leave and closed the door behind her. She knew the answer on why Eriol did it. Sonomi also had a feeling that Eriol knew it as well, but he's just denying it. He was still trying to get over this Kaho person he kept mumbling about in his dreams while he slept on that chair. Who knows... maybe he has gotten over her.
Tomoyo sighed. Her mother's words puzzled her. What did she mean? She put her dress gently back on the couch; back the way Eriol had placed it, then left the room quietly. Quickly glancing at the clock in the living room, just above the fireplace, she sighed at the amount of time, before she had to go to school. Nuriko greeted her with a smile, putting breakfast on the table as Tomoyo entered the dining room. Her mother was already sitting on the other end of the long table that divided Tomoyo from the only member of her family. She sat down on the other side and watched her mother look up from her breakfast.
"Aren't you staying to rest for a while?" Sonomi asked, putting a spoonful of eggs in her mouth. Her mother was used to eating English breakfast ever since her vacation in America all those years ago.
Tomoyo shook her head. "I need to get ready for school. I have a few hours, but I want to work on my studying for a while."
Nuriko, who had stood by Sonomi's side, glanced at her master, and then together, the two stared at Tomoyo curiously. "It is Saturday, Tomoyo-sama," Nuriko spoke.
The girl stared at her. "It is?"
"Hai," Nuriko replied.
Without making an expression that she was wrong, Tomoyo smiled and nodded. "So it is. I think I will go for a walk, since it is a nice day." Standing up, Tomoyo bowed to her mother and Nuriko and left the dining room without another word. Since there was no school, it all the better to search for Eriol, wherever he went off to.
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"You never give up do you?" Jiro appeared from the bushes behind the backyard of the Ajibana residence, a family, whom Eriol knew quite well when he was just a child. Ajibana Fumiaki, the son of Ajibana Hidehira, owned a restaurant just two blocks from Daidouji Tomoyo's home. With his staff in his hands, Eriol assumed position for a fight. The form of a twelve-year-old boy stepped up from the shadows and into the sunlight that made the day beautiful. Behind him, appeared a figure that he had not seen for weeks now. Eriol braced himself to come face to face with Mizuki Kaho once again. "You know, I was so touched with what you did for Tomoyo," Jiro spoke; with so much sarcasm, that Eriol wished he could hurt him now.
"Shut up, Jiro!" Eriol yelled, his patience fading from his brain. "I want to get this over with. We didn't get a chance to finish what we started back in China." He pointed his staff towards Kaho. "Once I get rid of you, I'll have Kaho back..." By the time he had a chance to finish his sentence, his words were interrupted by a gasp from behind him. Turning his head, Eriol was shocked to find Tomoyo there, her hands clasped over mouth. Tears flowed down her cheeks, unable to control it any longer. "To- Tomoyo?"
Tomoyo stared at him; her eyes glowed in shock, even though there held an expression that she knew in the first place about Eriol's plan to destroy Jiro so he could get Kaho back. She shook her head in disbelief. It was just pity that he carried her from the rain and cared for her. It was pity that he made that dress just so she could go to the dance. Tomoyo didn't give Eriol a chance to explain, as she turned and fled from the scene folding before her. She could hear Eriol call her name, just beneath the chuckles of Jiro and the noise children were making in the playground nearby.
A few seconds later, Tomoyo disappeared from everyone's sight.
"I guess, you had everyone fooled," Jiro spoke, after watching the girl disappear.
Eriol turned back towards Jiro. He wanted to tell Tomoyo what he was about to say just now, but there was no time for that. His first priority now was finishing off Jiro so he can move on with their lives. "Let's just get this over with."
Jiro smirked. "Fine, whatever you want."
Eriol watched as Jiro raised his staff over his head, his staff ten times as tall as he. The tall teen raised his own staff in front of him, ready for battle. Once this was finished, he was going to talk to Tomoyo and explain to her that she was the one he cared for. She was the one he loved. Kaho was no longer in his mind. It was Tomoyo.
GoodGurl: Wooh! That was a long one. I was trying to find the emotions and all that stuff. Well, I hope you enjoyed this one! Thanx! I'm almost done though, so don't worry! Almost there!!!!!!!
Chapter 9 - Careless
Unlike the perfect person people thought she was, Tomoyo was filled with grief and sorrow that she could no longer compress in her thoughts. The darkness and the rain reflected everything that she was feeling right now and even though she knew she can still find her way out, she chose not to. She wanted to show the whole world, she was no longer the 'sweet little angel' people see her to be. Her long hair clung tightly on her wet back, same with the skirt of her dress that now stuck itself between her legs, however, she did not give a damn. In her mind, nothing else mattered.
"Tomoyo..."
She heard it, the faint call of a deep voice in the distance. She heard someone calling her name, but all she wanted to do now was stay in that position forever, her hands on her lap and her head bowed down while she sat on a log that seemed to have waited for her when she got there. In that position, she shivered and all she could ever think about was how she had lost everything. She had lost the only person she truly cared for and that person was engaged to someone else... her best friend... her companion... Sakura...
"Tomoyo!" The voice was getting closer and getting louder. She heard footsteps nearby, but neither she moved her head, nor glance at who it was, instead she sat there, shoulders hunched lazily. Questions suddenly invaded her thoughts. Why was she here? Why does she even exist? Is she alive just to make everyone and herself miserable?
"Tomoyo!" Tomoyo closed her eyes. She heard it again- that same voice that was now louder than the previous call. The footsteps were close and Tomoyo had finally heard it stop nearby. This time, without taking any more hesitations, she looked up and noticed a tall figure standing there, his eyes filled with worry. With one last look, she put her head back down to its original position and she stayed like that, fatigue now taking over her eyes.
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"Tomoyo!" He called. He knew she heard him, but he also knew that she didn't care at that point. Eriol ran to her side, gently shaking her from her reverie and when she did not look up again, his worst fears had come true. He placed a hand underneath her chin and lifted up her head towards him. Tomoyo then, had opened her eyes; Eriol's heart beat slowing down a little when she noticed him.
"Why are you here, Eriol?" she whispered, gently- so gently, that Eriol was almost enable to understand her. Tomoyo turned her head away from him. "Why do you even bother to make me feel better? You knew all along how I was feeling!" She looked back at him with tear-filled eyes. "Why did you make it worst?"
Eriol said nothing; instead, he picked her up in his arms and began to carry her away. He could hear Tomoyo whisper some more meaningless words that he could not ignore. Every word spoken from that moment burned in his soul- every hateful comment.
"I hate you, Eriol..." Tomoyo went on. "You feel pity for me, that's what. You feel pity for what I've turned out to be."
"Exactly why would you feel pity for her is the question I want to know, Hiragizawa?" Eriol paused, then turned around, his feet splashing a small puddle. Taking the spot where Tomoyo had sat, on top of the log, stood Jiro, his eyes searching his mind for the answer and when he could not, he continued to wait until Eriol answered for him.
"You're doing this to her, aren't you?" Eriol spoke, almost to a whisper.
Jiro looked at him strangely. "You're accusing me of something I didn't do? Why, that's unlike you, Eriol. You think I'm the cause of this? Look at yourself in the mirror and ask what is the reason for Tomoyo's turmoil."
Eriol glanced at Tomoyo, her eyes closed and now filled with pain. He glanced back up at Jiro, staring him straight in the eyes. He knew the answer now and there was no denying it.
"Because you were so careless," Jiro went on. "You broke down the barrier that was Tomoyo. It seemed you broke every bone in her body, crushed it and fed it to the dogs." Jiro smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "I should've dug deeper into your mind Eriol, then I could've used you as my personal destroyer of the mind of a woman. It would have been easy for me to get Kaho."
"Well, you lost your chance," Eriol replied. He turned to walk away, but was stopped as Jiro spoke the last few words he knew, Eriol could not resist to answer.
"You think this will solve the problem, Eriol? You think that when you take her home and make her feel better, that all will be bright and merry after that?"
Eriol turned her head towards the form of the twelve-year-old boy. "It won't be bright and merry until I kill you," he spoke, with menace in his voice. Startled by his choice of words, Jiro said nothing as the boy watched Eriol take the half-unconscious girl back to shelter.
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She didn't know how long she was running, but her legs were moving, her arms swaying and her hair blowing behind her. Ahead, she noticed a figure waiting for her by the beach. She reached out to him and he to her, but every time she took a step towards him, he went further away, without even moving his feet. He was fading into the distance.
"Follow me, Tomoyo," he whispered to her. Tomoyo nodded, running much faster as the figure began to disappear into a bright light. "I'll let you out of the dark." The figure held out his hand to her and this time, Tomoyo finally reached her hand, taking her to another place. Bright light surrounded her and she found herself dragged into a warp hole, beautiful swirling colors dancing around her. Just in front of her, she was staring at the back of the figure's head as she held on tightly to his hand.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, tilting her head to see who it was. She could not quite see him, for there was a hood on his head in the way.
"Somewhere where you belong," he replied.
Tomoyo frowned. "I don't belong anywhere," she spoke.
The figure finally turned head, Tomoyo's hopes rising up to see who it was, however, the face was covered in black and she could barely see the contours of his face. "That's not true. You belong somewhere, but all you have to do is find it in your heart."
Tomoyo tried to see his face, but she was too scared to move as she and the figure moved through the flashing light. "Who are you?"
The figure turned his head towards her, his face masked in a dark mask. She could tell he was male, by the way he held her, his large hands surrounding her smaller ones. "Whatever you want me to be."
The girl was confused by his words. She stared at him. "I don't understand." Could this be him? Syaoran? No... it didn't look like him. This man was taller than Syaoran was. Taller and less built than Syaoran.
"Sooner or later, you will," he spoke. Suddenly, he let go of her hand, startling Tomoyo. The girl panicked, as she reached towards him. She tried to grab his hand, but he just flew further away from her.
"Wait, don't leave me, onegai! (please!)." Tomoyo pleaded. She reached for him again, but this time, he just stared at Tomoyo, his expression unbeknownst to her. Tomoyo stopped reaching for him, for she knew what he was going to do. He was going to leave her floating in this vortex. "Why? Why do you want to leave me?"
The man shook his head. "I don't want to leave you at all. I just want you to open your eyes and come back to where you belong. You say you don't belong anywhere? Well, that's where you're wrong, Tomoyo-san. You belong to someone, to them, your family and friends." He began to float backwards as he neared the brightest light.
Tomoyo floated towards him, flapping her hands as if she was swimming. The figure held his arms towards her, while he continued to float backwards, moving his feet to indicate his direction. He stopped only a couple inches between the line that divided light and dark and waited for Tomoyo. When she was close enough, Tomoyo reached out with her hand once more and this time, he had taken it. He pulled her gently towards him and before she could take a glance behind her, she had opened her eyes to another place.
****************
The sunlight reached the delicates of her brow and with one squint of her closed eyes; she finally opened them to reveal a new day. Tomoyo was greeted with a warm smile from her mother, as she turned her neck to her left to find her sitting on her bedside.
"Ohayo, Tomoyo," Daidouji Sonomi whispered, reaching out to stroke her daughter's cheek. Her fever had gone down, to Sonomi's relief, but she knew Tomoyo needed more time to rest to fully recover, especially from the pain that her daughter must have felt that drove her to get wet in the rain. "It was a good thing Hiragizawa-san found you before the rain poured harder. It took him a lot of effort to bring you here and a lot of courage to take you to the bathtub so I could undress you from your wet clothes."
Tomoyo looked pass her mother and found Eriol sitting on a chair sleeping, his chin touching his heaving chest. He was no longer dressed in his usual attire that made him look like a student from high school. He was dressed in a blue turtle necked sweater and black corduroy pants. "Those were... father's pants and sweater."
Sonomi turned her head towards Eriol and nodded her head. "I had no other choice. I couldn't let him leave without a change of clothes, or else he would've been the one catching the fever. I found some extra clothes that your father left before he... left..." She took a deep breath.
"Did he stay up all night?" Tomoyo asked, looking up at her mother.
Daidouji-san turned her head back towards her daughter and nodded. "He was up until five in the morning just taking care of you. He checked your temperature to make sure you weren't getting sick. He was actually doing all the work that I wanted to do." When she noticed Tomoyo blush, Sonomi placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair. "He was really worried about you. We both were."
Tomoyo glanced back at Eriol, who had stirred in his sleep and was blinking his eyes as a sign of waking up. When he noticed her watching him, he lifted up his head and smiled. "You're awake," Eriol spoke softly.
Sonomi smiled towards Eriol. "Thank you again, Eriol," she said, before standing up. With one last stroke of her daughter's cheek, she left the room quietly, leaving the two alone.
Eriol stood up and walked up to her bed. "How are you feeling?"
Tomoyo nodded. "Tired, but I'll live," she replied, smiling.
The boy nodded. "That's good. I'm glad you're all right." He turned to leave, but Tomoyo caught his arm before it became unreachable and looked at him straight in the eyes.
"I'm sorry, Eriol-kun," she spoke. She remembered the words she said to him. Even though she didn't mean she hated him, Tomoyo knew Eriol was still hurt by it.
Eriol smiled kindly. "There's no need to be sorry," he said. He turned his head away from her. "I should be the one who's sorry. I was being careless."
The girl holding onto him let go of his arm slowly. Oh how he wished she wouldn't. Her touch made him feel warmer than Kaho's touch. For the first time in his life, he felt something that he has never felt with Kaho before. Before he could speak, Tomoyo had already sat up from bed, alarming him. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "You shouldn't get up," he warned.
Tomoyo insisted on getting up as she gently took his hand from her shoulder. "Just hang on, Eriol. Don't go yet." Without a second thought, Tomoyo quickly lifted herself up from bed, so she was now standing beside the tall teen and went on her tiptoes. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, before her headache gave way, almost falling backwards. Luckily, Eriol was close enough to catch her fall. He led her back to the bed and laid her down gently.
"Why don't you just go to sleep, ne?" Eriol whispered in her ear, before leaning back to watch her lay there as she stared up at him. Suddenly, without giving it a second thought, Tomoyo sat up once more.
"Oh no! The dance! The dance is coming up! I haven't started on my dress yet! I..." She felt Eriol's hand on her mouth. Tomoyo glanced at him with a questioning look.
Eriol shook his head. He placed a hand on her forehead. "Don't worry about that now, Tomoyo. You need your rest." He watched as Tomoyo's eyes started to blink to a close.
Her eyes were getting heavier as Eriol laid her back on the bed. Suddenly, she was getting tired, though she has no idea that Eriol was working his magic on her to make her sleep. Even though Tomoyo was curious, she was getting too tired to think as her eyes completely shut tight. Eriol watched her finally go to sleep, the thought of Tomoyo kissing his cheek making him blush, but he shook that out quickly. With one more glance towards her, he turned around and was startled to see a single fabric wrapped around a thick pole on the floor that he had not noticed when he came in. This pole, laid flat on the floor, completely laid out flat as if no one has touched it for a while. He watched the shiny fabric with curiosity and when he could no longer stand the suspense, Eriol picked it up and unrolled the fabric from the pole carefully, the smell of the newly bought item engulfing his nostrils. One short fabric, cut in a rectangle, fell out from the pole and with one swift hand; Eriol caught the fabric in his palms. The silk felt wonderful in his fingers and with one glance towards the sleeping teenager, he placed the pole underneath his arms and began to look for the rest of the sewing kit somewhere in her room.
****************
The afternoon sun touched the contours of her face, waking her up from her sleep once again. Twice, the sun was her alarm clock and twice, it woke her up less noisily than the machine that flashed red in her bedroom at night. If her real alarm clock were on, she would have been late for school. It was easy to turn off the alarm clock, than turning off the rays of the sun during school days. SCHOOL! Tomoyo quickly opened her eyes and sat up from bed. She had forgotten about school. Hurriedly, she got up from bed, slipped her feet in her slippers and turned her whole body towards the direction of her bedroom, when she suddenly stopped short. Sitting on the empty chair to where Eriol had sat, was a white, off shoulder gown, with its bell-like sleeves resting on the armrest as if it was a real person sitting. Purple swirls of colour began from the right shoulder area down to the bottom of the left leg, making zigzag patterns around the dress. The sleeves, which she noticed earlier, was also white, but the kind of purple she bought from the Silk shop, was attached only to the edge of the sleeves, making a 'v' shaped pattern from the elbow down to the bottom. Tomoyo walked over to the chair and picked up the dress, examining it some more. The neck part of the dress, she realized had a 'u' shaped curve, showing a little of the skin from above the chest area, but not too much that it would show cleavage. Eriol must have known that she was a modest person. Tomoyo looked at the skirt, which was leaning more towards the right by looking at it and if she were wearing it, the edge of the skirt would only go down maybe two inches from the ground to the left. The other half of the skirt only reached until her knees, so only her right leg was showing.
Taking a deep breath, she placed the dress close to her face, closed her eyes and smelled the new fabric. She imagined Eriol sitting on the chair with the fabric in one hand, while the needle, with the thread looped through the hole, in the other. She expected to have the pincushion and the sewing basket and the small pieces of leftover fabric, on the floor after he was done, so Tomoyo looked down for any signs of it, but there was none. The floor was clean and spotless.
"Tomoyo? Are you awake?" The girl heard a knock on the door and as she turned her head towards the door, she noticed her mother enter.
Daidouji-san stepped inside the room quietly, afraid she to disturb her daughter from her sleep, however, as she looked up, she was surprised to see her daughter well, holding a beautiful gown that she held close to her heart as she stood in front of the mirror. "Oh, Tomoyo!" Sonomi gasped, smiling with all her heart's content. "Your dress is magnificent!" She touched the smooth fabric of the dress and glanced at her daughter curiously. "How did you make it so quickly?"
Tomoyo looked up from her daydream and shook her head. She hesitated for a moment, wanting to say in her head that she made the dress, but decided against it. "Eriol... Hiragizawa Eriol made it- for me." Expecting her mother to feel surprised that Eriol made the dress, Tomoyo took a deep breath, however, as she held it in, her mother smiled, glanced at the dress one more time and started to walk out of her room. "Wait..." she called. Sonomi paused. "Aren't you a bit curious on why he made this dress?"
Sonomi turned and shook her head. "Not really, but I think you're the one who's curious. Am I right?" Without giving Tomoyo a chance to answer, she turned to leave and closed the door behind her. She knew the answer on why Eriol did it. Sonomi also had a feeling that Eriol knew it as well, but he's just denying it. He was still trying to get over this Kaho person he kept mumbling about in his dreams while he slept on that chair. Who knows... maybe he has gotten over her.
Tomoyo sighed. Her mother's words puzzled her. What did she mean? She put her dress gently back on the couch; back the way Eriol had placed it, then left the room quietly. Quickly glancing at the clock in the living room, just above the fireplace, she sighed at the amount of time, before she had to go to school. Nuriko greeted her with a smile, putting breakfast on the table as Tomoyo entered the dining room. Her mother was already sitting on the other end of the long table that divided Tomoyo from the only member of her family. She sat down on the other side and watched her mother look up from her breakfast.
"Aren't you staying to rest for a while?" Sonomi asked, putting a spoonful of eggs in her mouth. Her mother was used to eating English breakfast ever since her vacation in America all those years ago.
Tomoyo shook her head. "I need to get ready for school. I have a few hours, but I want to work on my studying for a while."
Nuriko, who had stood by Sonomi's side, glanced at her master, and then together, the two stared at Tomoyo curiously. "It is Saturday, Tomoyo-sama," Nuriko spoke.
The girl stared at her. "It is?"
"Hai," Nuriko replied.
Without making an expression that she was wrong, Tomoyo smiled and nodded. "So it is. I think I will go for a walk, since it is a nice day." Standing up, Tomoyo bowed to her mother and Nuriko and left the dining room without another word. Since there was no school, it all the better to search for Eriol, wherever he went off to.
*******************
"You never give up do you?" Jiro appeared from the bushes behind the backyard of the Ajibana residence, a family, whom Eriol knew quite well when he was just a child. Ajibana Fumiaki, the son of Ajibana Hidehira, owned a restaurant just two blocks from Daidouji Tomoyo's home. With his staff in his hands, Eriol assumed position for a fight. The form of a twelve-year-old boy stepped up from the shadows and into the sunlight that made the day beautiful. Behind him, appeared a figure that he had not seen for weeks now. Eriol braced himself to come face to face with Mizuki Kaho once again. "You know, I was so touched with what you did for Tomoyo," Jiro spoke; with so much sarcasm, that Eriol wished he could hurt him now.
"Shut up, Jiro!" Eriol yelled, his patience fading from his brain. "I want to get this over with. We didn't get a chance to finish what we started back in China." He pointed his staff towards Kaho. "Once I get rid of you, I'll have Kaho back..." By the time he had a chance to finish his sentence, his words were interrupted by a gasp from behind him. Turning his head, Eriol was shocked to find Tomoyo there, her hands clasped over mouth. Tears flowed down her cheeks, unable to control it any longer. "To- Tomoyo?"
Tomoyo stared at him; her eyes glowed in shock, even though there held an expression that she knew in the first place about Eriol's plan to destroy Jiro so he could get Kaho back. She shook her head in disbelief. It was just pity that he carried her from the rain and cared for her. It was pity that he made that dress just so she could go to the dance. Tomoyo didn't give Eriol a chance to explain, as she turned and fled from the scene folding before her. She could hear Eriol call her name, just beneath the chuckles of Jiro and the noise children were making in the playground nearby.
A few seconds later, Tomoyo disappeared from everyone's sight.
"I guess, you had everyone fooled," Jiro spoke, after watching the girl disappear.
Eriol turned back towards Jiro. He wanted to tell Tomoyo what he was about to say just now, but there was no time for that. His first priority now was finishing off Jiro so he can move on with their lives. "Let's just get this over with."
Jiro smirked. "Fine, whatever you want."
Eriol watched as Jiro raised his staff over his head, his staff ten times as tall as he. The tall teen raised his own staff in front of him, ready for battle. Once this was finished, he was going to talk to Tomoyo and explain to her that she was the one he cared for. She was the one he loved. Kaho was no longer in his mind. It was Tomoyo.
GoodGurl: Wooh! That was a long one. I was trying to find the emotions and all that stuff. Well, I hope you enjoyed this one! Thanx! I'm almost done though, so don't worry! Almost there!!!!!!!