*Hm...what to say? Well, nothing really. I've been lazy lately, because I did not have the computer for my bro was using it for karaoke for our party on Monday! Well, that's all folks! Hope you enjoy this chapter! See ya!
Chapter 11 - The end of Jiro?
He laid her down on the bed, her eyes still closed. His worst fears were coming true. He didn't want to lose her. Tapping the side of her face, Eriol looked up at the two people worthy of taking care of her. Sonomi ran beside her daughter while two nurses, followed by Amaya-sensei, pushed the stroller of the bed where Tomoyo was put and carried her inside a room. Eriol and Sonomi were gently told by sensei to wait in the hallway, while they took her inside to be revived. When they were both alone, the two, who dearly care for the person being carried inside the operating room, looked at each other. Tears were visible in Sonomi's eyes and Eriol could not believe it himself when his own tears came faster than before. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around Tomoyo's mother and let her weep in his shirt, rubbing his hand on her back to calm her.
"Eriol! I don't want to lose her! I don't want her to leave me! She's the only family I have left!" Sonomi gripped tightly at Eriol's shirt and wept some more.
Eriol let go of her gently and looked into her eyes. "Then watch her for me. I have to go do something." He walked pass her, pausing to glance back at the room where Tomoyo was sent to and sighed, putting his eyes on Sonomi. "I know she'll live, Daidouji-san. I know she will. She has so many more things to solve in her life."
"Then tell me, you love her. You might be the person she needs right now."
The boy shook his head. "No. Right now, she needs her mother." With that spoken, he left the building, his staff appearing in his hand. He gripped it tightly and ran back to where he came from-- back at the battlefield.
***************
He backed away so quickly, the weight of his weapon chocking him. Syaoran reached for his sword, but his hand was too restraint by the young boy's hand for him to move, despite how short the boy was compared to him. He looked into the young boy's glowering eyes, eyes full of hatred and vengeance.
"You're not going to stop me from reaching my goal!" the boy spoke through his gritted teeth. He pushed harder, Syaoran's face now turning blue as he was backed up against a tree. He closed his eyes slowly, the energy draining from him, but he wasn't going to let some short boy overpower him. He had already embarrassed himself before when Eriol arrived at their elementary school all those years ago. He wasn't about to let some twelve-year-old boy overpower a seventeen year old.
With all his strength, Syaoran moved one leg, attempting to kick him where it hurts, but the boy had faster hands, as he suddenly slammed a fist down at his knee, making Syaoran wince. Jiro laughed, looking back at the pained look on Syaoran. "You're not stopping me that easily!" Jiro hissed.
"But I will!" Before the boy could turn, Jiro felt a sharp pain going through his body. He fell back away from the Chinese boy, his knees quavering in pain and his eyes starting to water. Jiro quickly turned his whole body around and noticed Eriol standing there, his staff ready in his hands. "This is final, Jiro! You're going to pay for what you did to Tomoyo!"
"Baka! Get out of here!" Syaoran yelled from behind. He gathered himself together slowly, taking his arm away from his back and stood up, gripping the sword tightly in his hand. "What are you doing here?!"
Eriol glared behind Jiro at Syaoran. "This isn't just your fight, Syaoran! Jiro is my concern, not yours!"
Jiro smirked, regaining his energy back from the attack. "Awww, how nice of you to be concern about me. You must be so glad to see me."
Eriol pointed his staff angrily at his younger brother. "And it will be the last that I will!" He stomped the end of his staff on the ground, closing his eyes to chant shield on himself and on Syaoran to keep themselves safe from Jiro's attacks. It may not be enough, but it was better than nothing.
"Ooh, is that a threat coming from you, brother?" Jiro croaked, gripping his own staff tightly in his hands. He cast shield on himself, turning around to face the only person he will always loathe. "You can't kill me, Eriol. I will always be the descendant of my father, always will! Part of me may die, but other parts of me would not."
Eriol did not care about listening to his words as he lifted his staff high in the air and cast thunder again, sending bolts of lightning towards his little brother. Jiro dodged that with a wave of his small, but powerful hand, where the taller boy's attack reflected, then headed back to him. The short boy, while the thunder roared towards Eriol, cast ice as well, waiting for the right moment, but not before he felt a sharp sword pointed at his neck.
"Put your staff down!" Syaoran whispered harshly in his ear. He glanced at Eriol as he waved off his own thunder attack, and then looked back at the shorter boy. "I said, put it down!"
Jiro smirked, his eyes fixated on Eriol. "You seem to have gotten along with my brother, Syaoran. The last I remembered, you and him did not have good communication with each other."
"Shut up!" Syaoran hissed, putting the sword a little tighter against his neck.
Eriol approached them slowly. "Syaoran, hold him still. I'm going to finish him off."
"See, what he's telling you?" Jiro persisted. "He's bossing you around, is that what you want?" Syaoran winced. Jiro had hit the spot.
Eriol paused in his tracks and glanced back up at Syaoran. Syaoran's eyes turned into slits and his hands were ready to let go of their enemy. The taller boy feared the worst as he watched Syaoran's eyes focused deathly on him. "Syaoran?"
"No..." Syaoran shook his head, putting his arm back up around the boy's stomach, while he tightened the sword against Jiro's neck, making it bleed. "You won't take over my mind, Jiro! The only reason why I'm doing this is what you did to Sakura and to Tomoyo!"
Eriol took a silent deep breath. For a moment there, he feared that Jiro might have gotten hold of Syaoran's mind.
"Hiragizawa! What are you waiting for? I have him here, now finish him!" he heard Syaoran say. Eriol looked up and nodded, walking towards them quickly and when he was close enough, he lifted up his hand for an attack and looked into Jiro's eyes. His words suddenly echoed in his ears as if he could hear his thoughts.
"You can't kill me, Eriol. I will always be the descendant of my father, always will! Part of me may die, but other parts of me would not," the voice hissed. Eriol shook his head. He had to finish this, had to do this for both Tomoyo and Sakura. Had to do this to the people he lost. He closed his eyes and chanted 'that' spell. A spell that he has not done for so long... something that was deadly to both him and his enemies. White glow surrounded him and green sparks buzzed from his glowing, yellow ball on his staff. Eriol waited for his whole body to glow brighter, waited for the right kind of energy. Despite the heaviness of air around him, he could still hear Jiro yell at the top of his lungs.
"You can't finish me off, Eriol! I shall never die! You hear me?! I will NEVER die!"
Stop! He told himself. There it was...he had found it. Ready! Eriol lifted up his staff in the air and opened his mouth to cast the spell. "ULTIMA!" he yelled.
Syaoran's eyes glowed. He never expected this. "Get out of the way, Syaoran!" he could hear Eriol yell through the smoke. The green-eyed boy shook his head. "Iiee! What about Jiro?!"
Eriol shook his head. "He knows he can't get away from my attack. This was the same attack that defeated him when we were children. Isn't that right, Jiro?" Eriol smirked, a face Syaoran has never seen on him before and felt the power of Ultima coming towards them. Reluctantly, he let go of Jiro and ran to the side, behind the tallest tree and watched the immense white power heading Jiro's way. Jiro's eyes looked as if they were about to pop out, but he stood his ground and smirked, folding his arms across his chest, as if he knew something. Syaoran glanced at Eriol, whose eyes were widening in frustration from Jiro's cockiness. He put his eyes back on Jiro and watched as he fished something from under his cape. Syaoran winced. In his hand, the twelve-year-old boy had a card, but luckily, it was not one of Sakura's cards. He had already taken her cards from the insides of Jiro's pockets and damned it if he forgotten one. But the card he had was different. It may look like Windy, but the background was black and Windy's eyes were painted blood red, making her look like a ghost. Jiro showed the card towards Eriol, the white glow getting larger towards him.
"You know what this is, Eriol?" Jiro spoke through the rumble. "This is the reason for my immortality. With this, I can never die and you can not destroy it!"
Before Eriol could respond, Ultima reached its target, the blast so immense and powerful that he had to force himself standing up. Syaoran held on the tree branches and braced himself as more power blew Jiro's soul away. After a couple of minutes, it was all over. Ultima died away with Jiro's agonizing screams and all was quiet once again. Syaoran opened his eyes and stood up, his knees wobbly from the large power and looked up at Eriol, who was looking at something on the ground.
"Nani?" Syaoran grabbed his sword from the ground and ran to Eriol, stopping just close enough to see what was on the ground that made him stare so much. There, lying neatly on the cement, a large, black book with no writing on it. Syaoran furrowed his eyebrows, bending down to pick it up, but Eriol had reached up with his hand on Syaoran's arm, stopping the boy from getting it and shook his head.
"You don't need to touch it, Syaoran. I already know what it is."
Syaoran looked at him curiously. "What is it?"
"It's what Jiro was talking about. It's his immortality. He may have died, but his soul will forever search for this book." Eriol picked it up slowly and grasped it tightly in his arms, and then picked up his staff from the floor.
Syaoran stared at him, confused. "This book must never be opened. If it is, all the darkness that Jiro put here will be released. He may come back yet for it."
"What are you saying?"
Eriol paused in his tracks and turned his head at Syaoran. "I'm saying that this is only the beginning. We may have won the battle, Syaoran, but we have not reigned victory on war." He looked at the book and sighed. "This is over now. I'm going to go back to England to keep this safe in my mansion. My mansion is the only place that will keep magic away from everyone."
****************
She opened her eyes, tilting her head to the side to find her mother sitting there, worry and then relief catching her face. Tomoyo smiled. "You don't need to worry anymore, okasan! I'm here now." She reached for her mother's hand and Sonomi gently took it in hers.
"I'm so glad you're all right." She stood up and gave her daughter a gentle hug. "I love you, my Tomoyo."
"Aishiteru, okasan..." Tomoyo whispered in her mother's ear.
"I knew you would survive this. You're a strong person after all, Tomoyo," a sweet voice spoke. Tomoyo looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. Syaoran stood there smiling, along with Sakura, who had recovered from her illness. Sakura waved her hand, tears running down her cheeks. She ran to Tomoyo and added another hug around her best friend. Syaoran just stood there, not knowing what to do. "Oh, Tomoyo! I'm so glad you're all right!"
"Me? What about you? I was so worried about you, Sakura!" Tomoyo embraced her best friend tightly and cried in her shoulders, along with Sakura. Sonomi stepped aside to let the two friends cry in each other's arms. Syaoran rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
Eriol! Tomoyo released Sakura and looked at Syaoran. "Ne, Syaoran? Where is Eriol?"
Syaoran wished he didn't have to say it. He was glad Sakura was there to fill in the details, making him do less work. He wouldn't know what to do if Tomoyo ever felt sad. He wouldn't forgive himself for telling her and he would NEVER forgive Eriol for leaving her.
"He had to take care of something back in England," Sakura answered. "Don't worry, he'll come back."
Tomoyo nodded. She didn't need anyone to explain to her what the 'something' in Sakura's words was. She knew she could not make his heart change from HER. She was the reason Eriol came back in Japan in the first place. Who else would he come back for? Now that Eriol had Kaho back from Jiro, he was never coming back here, to what Sakura said. She felt Sakura's arms around her again and this time, she let her best friend hug her, while she glanced out the window. She had given up all her hopes on her love for Syaoran. She knew she could not love him, so she turned to Eriol for comfort and in return, she found love in him. Love? Nani? Tomoyo shook her head. Eriol's heart belonged to another, so why should she love him? "Sakura?" Tomoyo spoke, pulling back from her friend.
"Hoe?" Sakura spoke looking at her.
"Would it be all right if I'm alone for a while?" Tomoyo spoke, glancing at her mother and Syaoran as well. All of them nodded in unison and together, they piled out of the door, leaving Tomoyo alone on the hospital bed, staring out of the window. For all the things Eriol had done for her, they were all out of kindness for what her generosity and nothing more, so why was she looking for Eriol to love her? Sighing, Tomoyo closed her eyes and quickly went to sleep. In two days, she was going to have her prom and she was going to have a good time. She will decide on forgetting Eriol Hiragizawa and think of other guys, other than Eriol. Eriol will never come back in her head once she's at the dance. There will be no dark hair or blue eyes appearing in her mind, or the glasses, the height and... Tomoyo sighed. She was hopeless.
****************
Eriol placed the book gently inside his suitcase, thinking of Tomoyo. I wonder if she's all right? He thought. When he was battling Jiro, he saw her smile in his head and he felt like the burden that has been weighed upon his shoulders withered away, like Tomoyo blew them from his mind. Tomoyo... After everything that has happened to her, would she be able to forgive him? He wanted to apologize and explain everything to her. Hopefully, he didn't need to explain everything on Jiro copying Sakura's cards to make black cards of his own. He glanced at the book. The book itself was Jiro and if anyone were to open it, he would be the carrier of his soul. "I will not let anyone release you, Jiro!" Eriol hissed at the book. He closed his suitcase and turned his head out the window. The lights of Tokyo tower were the best view so far since his arrival. The view from his old mansion could not compare to the view he had at the hotel he had slept in for more than a few days now. Jiro was not gone. Not completely. And there was going to be a hard battle ahead of him, maybe even before school starts again next year. However, despite that, he would not let Jiro win. The cards will never be opened, no matter what! Clenching his fists at his sides, Eriol turned around and left the room, deciding on visiting Tomoyo for a little while before he left for England.
****************
"She's been checked out?" he asked, surprised.
The nurse nodded, furrowing her eyebrows curiously. "Yes she has, she checked out herself. Are you her boyfriend?"
Eriol blushed slightly and shook his head for the answer. "No. I'm a friend of hers. When did she leave?"
The blond nurse glanced at the computer, typing in something, maybe Tomoyo's name and looked back up after a couple of minutes. "This afternoon, apparently, the moment she woke up from her sleep."
Eriol sighed. "Thank you."
"Eriol..." The tall boy turned around, startled by the feminine voice. Tomoyo stood there, smiling, extending her hand at him. "Arigatou gozaimasu." Behind her, stood her mother, her hands on her daughter's shoulders to keep her from falling. Tomoyo, Eriol could tell, was still weak.
The tall boy glanced at her hand. He expected a hug, but he was disappointed to guess that Tomoyo was still angry with him for abandoning her instead of staying with her in the hospital. He shook her hand slightly and frowned. "Gomen nasai, Tomoyo-san. I wanted to stay with you, demo..." He stopped when Tomoyo's hand shot up just slightly facing his chest. She just shook her head and smiled.
"You don't need to apologize," Tomoyo said. "It wasn't your fault. I understand that you needed to fight Jiro to get Kaho back and-"
"Is that what you think?" Eriol reached out towards Tomoyo with his hand on her arm and looked at her. "You think I did this for Kaho?"
Tomoyo turned her eyes away and smiled, nodding. "Of course. Whom else would you do it for?"
Eriol shook his head. "I thought you already knew?"
The girl looked at her mother. "Okasan...Onegai... I'd like to go home now, please. Sumimasen (excuse me), Eriol."
Sonomi looked up at Eriol solemnly and nodded at her daughter. "Of course. Let's go home." She led Tomoyo around and glanced back at Eriol. "Gomen, Hiragizawa-san. Thank you for everything."
Eriol watched them leave, thinking about what Tomoyo said. Kaho? He has never thought of Kaho for the days he's been here. All he could think about was Tomoyo. "Tomoyo...I care about you..." He wanted to say those words, wanted to shout out to the world what he LOVED Tomoyo Daidouji, but before he could decide, she was already gone.
Note: Ooh, now that Eriol finally knows he loves Tomoyo, what's going to happen? Is he going to leave and have Tomoyo do what she wants or will he stay and make her believe he truly did everything for her and not Kaho? See you next chapter! ;)
Chapter 11 - The end of Jiro?
He laid her down on the bed, her eyes still closed. His worst fears were coming true. He didn't want to lose her. Tapping the side of her face, Eriol looked up at the two people worthy of taking care of her. Sonomi ran beside her daughter while two nurses, followed by Amaya-sensei, pushed the stroller of the bed where Tomoyo was put and carried her inside a room. Eriol and Sonomi were gently told by sensei to wait in the hallway, while they took her inside to be revived. When they were both alone, the two, who dearly care for the person being carried inside the operating room, looked at each other. Tears were visible in Sonomi's eyes and Eriol could not believe it himself when his own tears came faster than before. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around Tomoyo's mother and let her weep in his shirt, rubbing his hand on her back to calm her.
"Eriol! I don't want to lose her! I don't want her to leave me! She's the only family I have left!" Sonomi gripped tightly at Eriol's shirt and wept some more.
Eriol let go of her gently and looked into her eyes. "Then watch her for me. I have to go do something." He walked pass her, pausing to glance back at the room where Tomoyo was sent to and sighed, putting his eyes on Sonomi. "I know she'll live, Daidouji-san. I know she will. She has so many more things to solve in her life."
"Then tell me, you love her. You might be the person she needs right now."
The boy shook his head. "No. Right now, she needs her mother." With that spoken, he left the building, his staff appearing in his hand. He gripped it tightly and ran back to where he came from-- back at the battlefield.
***************
He backed away so quickly, the weight of his weapon chocking him. Syaoran reached for his sword, but his hand was too restraint by the young boy's hand for him to move, despite how short the boy was compared to him. He looked into the young boy's glowering eyes, eyes full of hatred and vengeance.
"You're not going to stop me from reaching my goal!" the boy spoke through his gritted teeth. He pushed harder, Syaoran's face now turning blue as he was backed up against a tree. He closed his eyes slowly, the energy draining from him, but he wasn't going to let some short boy overpower him. He had already embarrassed himself before when Eriol arrived at their elementary school all those years ago. He wasn't about to let some twelve-year-old boy overpower a seventeen year old.
With all his strength, Syaoran moved one leg, attempting to kick him where it hurts, but the boy had faster hands, as he suddenly slammed a fist down at his knee, making Syaoran wince. Jiro laughed, looking back at the pained look on Syaoran. "You're not stopping me that easily!" Jiro hissed.
"But I will!" Before the boy could turn, Jiro felt a sharp pain going through his body. He fell back away from the Chinese boy, his knees quavering in pain and his eyes starting to water. Jiro quickly turned his whole body around and noticed Eriol standing there, his staff ready in his hands. "This is final, Jiro! You're going to pay for what you did to Tomoyo!"
"Baka! Get out of here!" Syaoran yelled from behind. He gathered himself together slowly, taking his arm away from his back and stood up, gripping the sword tightly in his hand. "What are you doing here?!"
Eriol glared behind Jiro at Syaoran. "This isn't just your fight, Syaoran! Jiro is my concern, not yours!"
Jiro smirked, regaining his energy back from the attack. "Awww, how nice of you to be concern about me. You must be so glad to see me."
Eriol pointed his staff angrily at his younger brother. "And it will be the last that I will!" He stomped the end of his staff on the ground, closing his eyes to chant shield on himself and on Syaoran to keep themselves safe from Jiro's attacks. It may not be enough, but it was better than nothing.
"Ooh, is that a threat coming from you, brother?" Jiro croaked, gripping his own staff tightly in his hands. He cast shield on himself, turning around to face the only person he will always loathe. "You can't kill me, Eriol. I will always be the descendant of my father, always will! Part of me may die, but other parts of me would not."
Eriol did not care about listening to his words as he lifted his staff high in the air and cast thunder again, sending bolts of lightning towards his little brother. Jiro dodged that with a wave of his small, but powerful hand, where the taller boy's attack reflected, then headed back to him. The short boy, while the thunder roared towards Eriol, cast ice as well, waiting for the right moment, but not before he felt a sharp sword pointed at his neck.
"Put your staff down!" Syaoran whispered harshly in his ear. He glanced at Eriol as he waved off his own thunder attack, and then looked back at the shorter boy. "I said, put it down!"
Jiro smirked, his eyes fixated on Eriol. "You seem to have gotten along with my brother, Syaoran. The last I remembered, you and him did not have good communication with each other."
"Shut up!" Syaoran hissed, putting the sword a little tighter against his neck.
Eriol approached them slowly. "Syaoran, hold him still. I'm going to finish him off."
"See, what he's telling you?" Jiro persisted. "He's bossing you around, is that what you want?" Syaoran winced. Jiro had hit the spot.
Eriol paused in his tracks and glanced back up at Syaoran. Syaoran's eyes turned into slits and his hands were ready to let go of their enemy. The taller boy feared the worst as he watched Syaoran's eyes focused deathly on him. "Syaoran?"
"No..." Syaoran shook his head, putting his arm back up around the boy's stomach, while he tightened the sword against Jiro's neck, making it bleed. "You won't take over my mind, Jiro! The only reason why I'm doing this is what you did to Sakura and to Tomoyo!"
Eriol took a silent deep breath. For a moment there, he feared that Jiro might have gotten hold of Syaoran's mind.
"Hiragizawa! What are you waiting for? I have him here, now finish him!" he heard Syaoran say. Eriol looked up and nodded, walking towards them quickly and when he was close enough, he lifted up his hand for an attack and looked into Jiro's eyes. His words suddenly echoed in his ears as if he could hear his thoughts.
"You can't kill me, Eriol. I will always be the descendant of my father, always will! Part of me may die, but other parts of me would not," the voice hissed. Eriol shook his head. He had to finish this, had to do this for both Tomoyo and Sakura. Had to do this to the people he lost. He closed his eyes and chanted 'that' spell. A spell that he has not done for so long... something that was deadly to both him and his enemies. White glow surrounded him and green sparks buzzed from his glowing, yellow ball on his staff. Eriol waited for his whole body to glow brighter, waited for the right kind of energy. Despite the heaviness of air around him, he could still hear Jiro yell at the top of his lungs.
"You can't finish me off, Eriol! I shall never die! You hear me?! I will NEVER die!"
Stop! He told himself. There it was...he had found it. Ready! Eriol lifted up his staff in the air and opened his mouth to cast the spell. "ULTIMA!" he yelled.
Syaoran's eyes glowed. He never expected this. "Get out of the way, Syaoran!" he could hear Eriol yell through the smoke. The green-eyed boy shook his head. "Iiee! What about Jiro?!"
Eriol shook his head. "He knows he can't get away from my attack. This was the same attack that defeated him when we were children. Isn't that right, Jiro?" Eriol smirked, a face Syaoran has never seen on him before and felt the power of Ultima coming towards them. Reluctantly, he let go of Jiro and ran to the side, behind the tallest tree and watched the immense white power heading Jiro's way. Jiro's eyes looked as if they were about to pop out, but he stood his ground and smirked, folding his arms across his chest, as if he knew something. Syaoran glanced at Eriol, whose eyes were widening in frustration from Jiro's cockiness. He put his eyes back on Jiro and watched as he fished something from under his cape. Syaoran winced. In his hand, the twelve-year-old boy had a card, but luckily, it was not one of Sakura's cards. He had already taken her cards from the insides of Jiro's pockets and damned it if he forgotten one. But the card he had was different. It may look like Windy, but the background was black and Windy's eyes were painted blood red, making her look like a ghost. Jiro showed the card towards Eriol, the white glow getting larger towards him.
"You know what this is, Eriol?" Jiro spoke through the rumble. "This is the reason for my immortality. With this, I can never die and you can not destroy it!"
Before Eriol could respond, Ultima reached its target, the blast so immense and powerful that he had to force himself standing up. Syaoran held on the tree branches and braced himself as more power blew Jiro's soul away. After a couple of minutes, it was all over. Ultima died away with Jiro's agonizing screams and all was quiet once again. Syaoran opened his eyes and stood up, his knees wobbly from the large power and looked up at Eriol, who was looking at something on the ground.
"Nani?" Syaoran grabbed his sword from the ground and ran to Eriol, stopping just close enough to see what was on the ground that made him stare so much. There, lying neatly on the cement, a large, black book with no writing on it. Syaoran furrowed his eyebrows, bending down to pick it up, but Eriol had reached up with his hand on Syaoran's arm, stopping the boy from getting it and shook his head.
"You don't need to touch it, Syaoran. I already know what it is."
Syaoran looked at him curiously. "What is it?"
"It's what Jiro was talking about. It's his immortality. He may have died, but his soul will forever search for this book." Eriol picked it up slowly and grasped it tightly in his arms, and then picked up his staff from the floor.
Syaoran stared at him, confused. "This book must never be opened. If it is, all the darkness that Jiro put here will be released. He may come back yet for it."
"What are you saying?"
Eriol paused in his tracks and turned his head at Syaoran. "I'm saying that this is only the beginning. We may have won the battle, Syaoran, but we have not reigned victory on war." He looked at the book and sighed. "This is over now. I'm going to go back to England to keep this safe in my mansion. My mansion is the only place that will keep magic away from everyone."
****************
She opened her eyes, tilting her head to the side to find her mother sitting there, worry and then relief catching her face. Tomoyo smiled. "You don't need to worry anymore, okasan! I'm here now." She reached for her mother's hand and Sonomi gently took it in hers.
"I'm so glad you're all right." She stood up and gave her daughter a gentle hug. "I love you, my Tomoyo."
"Aishiteru, okasan..." Tomoyo whispered in her mother's ear.
"I knew you would survive this. You're a strong person after all, Tomoyo," a sweet voice spoke. Tomoyo looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. Syaoran stood there smiling, along with Sakura, who had recovered from her illness. Sakura waved her hand, tears running down her cheeks. She ran to Tomoyo and added another hug around her best friend. Syaoran just stood there, not knowing what to do. "Oh, Tomoyo! I'm so glad you're all right!"
"Me? What about you? I was so worried about you, Sakura!" Tomoyo embraced her best friend tightly and cried in her shoulders, along with Sakura. Sonomi stepped aside to let the two friends cry in each other's arms. Syaoran rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
Eriol! Tomoyo released Sakura and looked at Syaoran. "Ne, Syaoran? Where is Eriol?"
Syaoran wished he didn't have to say it. He was glad Sakura was there to fill in the details, making him do less work. He wouldn't know what to do if Tomoyo ever felt sad. He wouldn't forgive himself for telling her and he would NEVER forgive Eriol for leaving her.
"He had to take care of something back in England," Sakura answered. "Don't worry, he'll come back."
Tomoyo nodded. She didn't need anyone to explain to her what the 'something' in Sakura's words was. She knew she could not make his heart change from HER. She was the reason Eriol came back in Japan in the first place. Who else would he come back for? Now that Eriol had Kaho back from Jiro, he was never coming back here, to what Sakura said. She felt Sakura's arms around her again and this time, she let her best friend hug her, while she glanced out the window. She had given up all her hopes on her love for Syaoran. She knew she could not love him, so she turned to Eriol for comfort and in return, she found love in him. Love? Nani? Tomoyo shook her head. Eriol's heart belonged to another, so why should she love him? "Sakura?" Tomoyo spoke, pulling back from her friend.
"Hoe?" Sakura spoke looking at her.
"Would it be all right if I'm alone for a while?" Tomoyo spoke, glancing at her mother and Syaoran as well. All of them nodded in unison and together, they piled out of the door, leaving Tomoyo alone on the hospital bed, staring out of the window. For all the things Eriol had done for her, they were all out of kindness for what her generosity and nothing more, so why was she looking for Eriol to love her? Sighing, Tomoyo closed her eyes and quickly went to sleep. In two days, she was going to have her prom and she was going to have a good time. She will decide on forgetting Eriol Hiragizawa and think of other guys, other than Eriol. Eriol will never come back in her head once she's at the dance. There will be no dark hair or blue eyes appearing in her mind, or the glasses, the height and... Tomoyo sighed. She was hopeless.
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Eriol placed the book gently inside his suitcase, thinking of Tomoyo. I wonder if she's all right? He thought. When he was battling Jiro, he saw her smile in his head and he felt like the burden that has been weighed upon his shoulders withered away, like Tomoyo blew them from his mind. Tomoyo... After everything that has happened to her, would she be able to forgive him? He wanted to apologize and explain everything to her. Hopefully, he didn't need to explain everything on Jiro copying Sakura's cards to make black cards of his own. He glanced at the book. The book itself was Jiro and if anyone were to open it, he would be the carrier of his soul. "I will not let anyone release you, Jiro!" Eriol hissed at the book. He closed his suitcase and turned his head out the window. The lights of Tokyo tower were the best view so far since his arrival. The view from his old mansion could not compare to the view he had at the hotel he had slept in for more than a few days now. Jiro was not gone. Not completely. And there was going to be a hard battle ahead of him, maybe even before school starts again next year. However, despite that, he would not let Jiro win. The cards will never be opened, no matter what! Clenching his fists at his sides, Eriol turned around and left the room, deciding on visiting Tomoyo for a little while before he left for England.
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"She's been checked out?" he asked, surprised.
The nurse nodded, furrowing her eyebrows curiously. "Yes she has, she checked out herself. Are you her boyfriend?"
Eriol blushed slightly and shook his head for the answer. "No. I'm a friend of hers. When did she leave?"
The blond nurse glanced at the computer, typing in something, maybe Tomoyo's name and looked back up after a couple of minutes. "This afternoon, apparently, the moment she woke up from her sleep."
Eriol sighed. "Thank you."
"Eriol..." The tall boy turned around, startled by the feminine voice. Tomoyo stood there, smiling, extending her hand at him. "Arigatou gozaimasu." Behind her, stood her mother, her hands on her daughter's shoulders to keep her from falling. Tomoyo, Eriol could tell, was still weak.
The tall boy glanced at her hand. He expected a hug, but he was disappointed to guess that Tomoyo was still angry with him for abandoning her instead of staying with her in the hospital. He shook her hand slightly and frowned. "Gomen nasai, Tomoyo-san. I wanted to stay with you, demo..." He stopped when Tomoyo's hand shot up just slightly facing his chest. She just shook her head and smiled.
"You don't need to apologize," Tomoyo said. "It wasn't your fault. I understand that you needed to fight Jiro to get Kaho back and-"
"Is that what you think?" Eriol reached out towards Tomoyo with his hand on her arm and looked at her. "You think I did this for Kaho?"
Tomoyo turned her eyes away and smiled, nodding. "Of course. Whom else would you do it for?"
Eriol shook his head. "I thought you already knew?"
The girl looked at her mother. "Okasan...Onegai... I'd like to go home now, please. Sumimasen (excuse me), Eriol."
Sonomi looked up at Eriol solemnly and nodded at her daughter. "Of course. Let's go home." She led Tomoyo around and glanced back at Eriol. "Gomen, Hiragizawa-san. Thank you for everything."
Eriol watched them leave, thinking about what Tomoyo said. Kaho? He has never thought of Kaho for the days he's been here. All he could think about was Tomoyo. "Tomoyo...I care about you..." He wanted to say those words, wanted to shout out to the world what he LOVED Tomoyo Daidouji, but before he could decide, she was already gone.
Note: Ooh, now that Eriol finally knows he loves Tomoyo, what's going to happen? Is he going to leave and have Tomoyo do what she wants or will he stay and make her believe he truly did everything for her and not Kaho? See you next chapter! ;)