DISCLAIMER: ME NO OWN CCS, DEMO, ME OWN SONGS AND STORY. ^_^
Thank you so much to all those readers who answered my pleads for reviews, and those who have been with me from the beginning of the story. Demo, *grins evilly* this is NOT the last chapter. And hai, it's terribly pathetically short. BUT I promise a super spiffy last chapter, daijoubu? So then, read on! ^_~
Sing for Me: Chapter Thirteen: Slaying the Dragon, Round One, the Trap is Lain
Tomoyo strolled purposefully down the busy sidewalk, armed and ready for the terrible sight she was preparing herself to face; it was to be one of her most splendid victories ever, one of her most extravagantly amazing conquests!
She had split up with Eriol a short while back, him going somewhat stonily towards...Tomoyo stopped her train of thought here before it got too dirty. Well, she thought, towards the bloody little wolf's place. She of course, would have dearly enjoyed straightening him out too, in her own...ahem, special way. However, when given the choice, she decided upon the Koi woman. After all, because Sakura loved him, Tomoyo could not really, really hurt Li as she wanted to [and badly she did] but Koi...Tomoyo laughed to herself the infamous Tomoyo Laugh...Koi she could do whatever she wanted with.
And she planned to use that to her every advantage.
Tomoyo stopped in front of a large business building, apart of a modeling agency actually. As she stepped inside, she wrinkled her nose slightly. She didn't very well like places like this, but it was a mission she had no intention of backing out on. Locking her jaw in an expressionless way, she steered herself right past the sputtering secretary and into the back hallways that led to the shoot scenes.
There were many set-ups; beach scenes, seasonal wintry scenes, et cetera, but Tomoyo found the dreaded ugly, deceitful dragon of all that was evil and idiotic in the world, right in front of one of the vanities, checking her overdone make-up.
"Taoski!" Tomoyo's voice was that of her professional executive tone, cold, and one that said: It is pointless and futile to argue with me because you will get nothing and I shall have everything and that is the way things are, so there.
Koi didn't know that though.
"Ah, Daidouji-san, I remember you, from the Children's Benefit, ne? To what do I owe the honor of your graces?" Koi smiled a dark smile, one that to Tomoyo, made Koi look comically moronic.
"Actually, I normally wouldn't associate with snakes like you; you spend far too much of your time with your lovely little head in the sand. However, as the head of my company and manager of the concerts, I am obligated to offer to this agency and its models free passes to Cherry's last concert tomorrow night in Tokyo. I am merely here to find whether or not you want them," Tomoyo finished, relaying no feeling or thought either which way.
"Big CEO turned gopher? Don't you have little idiot friends like that Kinomoto to do that for you?" Koi asked, practically hissing.
"Friends like Sakura-chan are few and far between Taoski. You obviously wouldn't know. I am not here to discuss my personal status in MY business though. Do you want the tickets or not?" Tomoyo gritted her teeth.
Now was not quite the time to unleash her fury...even if she wished like Hell she could tear this woman's eyes out...or something.
Now was not the time.
If only Koi would take the bait...
"Hai, hai, I'll take them Daidouji. You said for everyone in the agency? That's an expensive little offering you've got. Hope 'Cherry' can afford it," Koi laughed as she sauntered off and called, "Leave them with my secretary!"
Tomoyo did so, rubbing her hands together diabolically; things were falling into place.
Just you wait Koi, she thought, walking back to Sakura's apartment where she had decided to sleep on the couch. She knew Yuki and Toya would be back soon and had to explain to them; they both had a role and she wanted this all to be perfect...besides, she thought softly now, Sakura-chan might be more than a little upset when she wakes up.
As she opened the door to Sakura's apartment, she sighed. I hope Eriol gets to Syaoran again before that...vile excuse for a woman, Tomoyo glowered silently, imagining the many ancient tortures one could use on one's enemies...
Too bad they went out of style. Of course, what Tomoyo had in mind was quite up to par with them, modern yes, but equally as devilish and satisfying...that is, as long as it worked...
Eriol, as she thought, was walking as well. He was outside Syaoran's apartment and about to knock when he changed his mind abruptly. Instead he opened it quietly, surprised slightly to find it unlocked. He looked around, his ocean eyes scanning the room's foyer. No little wolf here...let's try another room, Eriol thought as he walked inward. There was no one in the kitchen, nor the bathroom, nor the living area, so the only place left was...
Eriol opened the door to Syaoran's bedroom. Syaoran was sitting at the seat in the window overlooking the city streets and glanced up dully when Eriol entered the room, eyes sharpening only slightly in recognition, and that in irritation and muted fury.
"Hiiragizawa, you have no..." Syaoran was cut off.
"Iie, shut up little wolf and let me get some things clear for you, ne?" Eriol's eyes flashed dangerously, a fire burning in his blue eyes that Syaoran had never seen before. In fact, he had never seen Eriol upset before, not like this, and not directed at him, so it unnerved him enough to shut him up, momentarily.
"First, Sakura loves you, and don't fabricate little selfish pity oriented lies that say otherwise in your muddled heart. She loves you. Not me Syaoran, she loves you. She kissed me on the cheek if you recall. That's not a lover's parting; that's a friend, a friend who helped me find out that I, I don't love her in a romantic way either. I love Daidouji...er, Tomoyo. Koi lied to you. She is the snake, She is everything that you have been running from in the female race, everything you have been trying to make all the wrong people pay for and compensate for!"
Here Eriol was forced to pause because, well, he needed air, but Syaoran was rightly stunned so Eriol was able to continue,
"Every woman you have ever been with, you flirted, you dated, you did...whatever you did...and then you broke it off with them, and cared little or not at all. With Sakura though, it's different, you care for her. Your heart knows it. It's your head that's the problem. Stop listening to it for a second and just go with your heart."
"My heart was wrong once, what if it's wrong this time?" Syaoran countered; he sounded sulky even to himself and Eriol's temper flared again.
"Syaoran Li, future leader of the Li Clan of China, son of Yelan Li, you are," Eriol paused, and Syaoran waited for a string of curses and swears, unfavorable to his name, when Eriol continued: "...the luckiest man alive."
"Eh?" Syaoran was confused. Eriol's fist clenched at his sides as he shook his head furiously.
"You are the luckiest man alive to have someone as beautiful and lovely and compassionate as Sakura Kinomoto, an angelic songstress and amazing artist. You are the luckiest man alive to have her complete devotion and blind faith. You are also the most idiotic, blind sighted, moronic bastard. You do realize that you have no right to ask for her back? You realize that even though I do not love her that way, someone else might, and even though she would never love them the way she loved you, she might move on, and you would have no right to say a word against it?"
As Eriol said this, Syaoran thought of the silver haired man he had seen Sakura with before and his heart became leaden for the fiftieth time that day. Eriol was right. He couldn't possibly deserve to go back to her...and if what he said was true, and he was positive it was, he had been a jerk, more than that...and there was nothing he could do...right?
"However," Eriol's voice broke through.
"'However' what?" Syaoran prompted.
"You are my stupid best friend and best friends are there to help each other see the obvious when we're too obliviously Neanderthalic to notice ourselves what life is offering to us." Eriol smiled sadly.
"You mean, you think she'd allow me back?" Syaoran asked, hope mounting, even though he was simultaneously aware of the fact that he had no idea how this would all work out...
"Hai. Even though, as I said before, you don't deserve her," Eriol added seriously and Syaoran, shamefaced, looked away. The truth hurt, but, if it would gain him back his Cherry Blossom, his soul mate as he recognized her to be, then he would listen to it every day for the rest of his life, cheerfully.
"Hai, I know," was all Syaoran Li, handsome most wanted bachelor and profound baka in Japan could reply with.
But it was enough.
"May I use your phone?" Eriol asked and Syaoran made a dismissively permissive gesture.
"Hai."
"Arigatou," Eriol said as he walked over to the phone and dialed in Sakura's number.
"Moshi, moshi, Kinomoto residence, Daidouji speaking," Tomoyo's voice came over the phone's speaker as Eriol pressed the speaker button.
"Kon-wa Tomoyo. Everything is good here; how'd your first round with the dragon go?" Eriol crossed his arms as he asked this.
"Well enough. I'm just glad I didn't bite her or something...I think I felt more like roasting her on a spit and offering her to the goddess of ornery behavior...er, something along those lines, demo..." Tomoyo's voice faded as Eriol listened and he heard her shouting in the background; "Iie! Toya- kun, we have a plan! No, you can't kill either of them...especially NOT the Chinese gaki! You----ack, no, she's still sleeping! Yuki, onegai stop him before he hurts any of us!" she paused here and her voice got stronger as Eriol assumed she moved closer to the phone.
"Gomen Eriol, I've gotta cool Toya down before he loses all his marbles...Yuki can only do so much and I can tell that he's having a difficult time himself, controlling his own frustration with the situation...but anyways, if all is well there, then all is going fine here too overall and the plans are in action, ne?" she asked.
"Hai, zettai daijoubu dai yo," he said, using Sakura's coined phrase and Tomoyo smiled into the receiver and then, as Toya began his third round, flipping out that is, she said a quick Sayonara and hung up. Eriol laughed. Angry Toya...scary.
"Okay, sit Toya-kun!" Tomoyo commanded and pushed him forcibly back onto the couch, glaring; Yukito sat by his side as Tomoyo paced before them.
"Mou, what is this plan of yours and his anyway?" Toya grumbled unhappily.
"You're ready to listen, ne? Alright, Eriol said Syaoran is in his place now," she was cut off by Toya.
"You mean he mangled him from limb to limb?" Toya asked hopefully. Tomoyo groaned.
"Iie, Toya-kun, he convinced him that Sakura loves him and that he loves her; and don't look at me like that, they really do. The circumstances have just been frequently haphazard," Tomoyo did what she often did in business meetings and used her infamous Daidouji smile of evil that said: well, you can fight me if you want, but my schemes are much better than yours and I'll win anyway. Toya shut up.
"Demo, what are we doing?" Yukito asked, lightly placing his hand on Toya's arm, whose stiff posture eased a bit at the touch.
"Mou, first we're going to slay a dragon, and then we're going to sew all the pieces of my little Sakura's and that idiot wolf's relationship completely back together." Tomoyo said happily, clapping her hands together, stars in her eyes. [And, you know the look, ne?]
"Er, ahem, excuse me Tomoyo-chan, demo, how?" Yukito asked, cocking his head curiously to one side.
"I invited Taoski and her um...associates to the concert tomorrow night. Everything will be done then, and you both have jobs to do alright?" Tomoyo replied. Both Yuki and Toya looked rightly perturbed; they were to be apart of one of Tomoyo Daidouji's 'plans'? This was a bit ominous.
"Er, Tomoyo-chan, do you think---" Yukito was cut off by a glare.
"Listen, you two want Sakura to be like this for the rest of her life?" she asked hotly, pointing emphatically to Sakura's door where the little cherry blossom still slept, tearstains on her face.
"Iie, demo..."
"Then kindly shut your mouths and listen to the plans, ne?" Tomoyo demanded. She loved these two dearly but sometimes...well, sometimes she just wanted to hit them both to make them see the obvious.
"Hai Tomoyo," they both replied, Toya for his part sounding a bit sulky still.
"Alright then, here's what we're gonna do," Tomoyo grinned and began relaying all her and Eriol's plans to them, and as she did so, their interest grew, and as that happened, things began to unravel for the threesome quite nicely...quite nicely indeed.
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SO SHORT. ARGHHHH...but NEXT chapter you get to see what they're going to do to Koi and, *evil grin* if it's Tomoyo and Eriol's plans, you know it has to be good.
I love you all! Thank you soooo much for reviewing!
Please review again if you want more you know, you know!
And *sigh* the make-up scene fro Syaoran and our Cherry Blossom next chapter too, ne? ^_^
SOOOOOO...ONEGAI...
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
-Kaji Hikage
PS. Yeah, I should be satisfied with as many reviews as I get, however many, but it's the reviews that make us writers feel good about ourselves and THEN we continue the stories, granted if you like them, ne? ^_^
Thank you so much to all those readers who answered my pleads for reviews, and those who have been with me from the beginning of the story. Demo, *grins evilly* this is NOT the last chapter. And hai, it's terribly pathetically short. BUT I promise a super spiffy last chapter, daijoubu? So then, read on! ^_~
Sing for Me: Chapter Thirteen: Slaying the Dragon, Round One, the Trap is Lain
Tomoyo strolled purposefully down the busy sidewalk, armed and ready for the terrible sight she was preparing herself to face; it was to be one of her most splendid victories ever, one of her most extravagantly amazing conquests!
She had split up with Eriol a short while back, him going somewhat stonily towards...Tomoyo stopped her train of thought here before it got too dirty. Well, she thought, towards the bloody little wolf's place. She of course, would have dearly enjoyed straightening him out too, in her own...ahem, special way. However, when given the choice, she decided upon the Koi woman. After all, because Sakura loved him, Tomoyo could not really, really hurt Li as she wanted to [and badly she did] but Koi...Tomoyo laughed to herself the infamous Tomoyo Laugh...Koi she could do whatever she wanted with.
And she planned to use that to her every advantage.
Tomoyo stopped in front of a large business building, apart of a modeling agency actually. As she stepped inside, she wrinkled her nose slightly. She didn't very well like places like this, but it was a mission she had no intention of backing out on. Locking her jaw in an expressionless way, she steered herself right past the sputtering secretary and into the back hallways that led to the shoot scenes.
There were many set-ups; beach scenes, seasonal wintry scenes, et cetera, but Tomoyo found the dreaded ugly, deceitful dragon of all that was evil and idiotic in the world, right in front of one of the vanities, checking her overdone make-up.
"Taoski!" Tomoyo's voice was that of her professional executive tone, cold, and one that said: It is pointless and futile to argue with me because you will get nothing and I shall have everything and that is the way things are, so there.
Koi didn't know that though.
"Ah, Daidouji-san, I remember you, from the Children's Benefit, ne? To what do I owe the honor of your graces?" Koi smiled a dark smile, one that to Tomoyo, made Koi look comically moronic.
"Actually, I normally wouldn't associate with snakes like you; you spend far too much of your time with your lovely little head in the sand. However, as the head of my company and manager of the concerts, I am obligated to offer to this agency and its models free passes to Cherry's last concert tomorrow night in Tokyo. I am merely here to find whether or not you want them," Tomoyo finished, relaying no feeling or thought either which way.
"Big CEO turned gopher? Don't you have little idiot friends like that Kinomoto to do that for you?" Koi asked, practically hissing.
"Friends like Sakura-chan are few and far between Taoski. You obviously wouldn't know. I am not here to discuss my personal status in MY business though. Do you want the tickets or not?" Tomoyo gritted her teeth.
Now was not quite the time to unleash her fury...even if she wished like Hell she could tear this woman's eyes out...or something.
Now was not the time.
If only Koi would take the bait...
"Hai, hai, I'll take them Daidouji. You said for everyone in the agency? That's an expensive little offering you've got. Hope 'Cherry' can afford it," Koi laughed as she sauntered off and called, "Leave them with my secretary!"
Tomoyo did so, rubbing her hands together diabolically; things were falling into place.
Just you wait Koi, she thought, walking back to Sakura's apartment where she had decided to sleep on the couch. She knew Yuki and Toya would be back soon and had to explain to them; they both had a role and she wanted this all to be perfect...besides, she thought softly now, Sakura-chan might be more than a little upset when she wakes up.
As she opened the door to Sakura's apartment, she sighed. I hope Eriol gets to Syaoran again before that...vile excuse for a woman, Tomoyo glowered silently, imagining the many ancient tortures one could use on one's enemies...
Too bad they went out of style. Of course, what Tomoyo had in mind was quite up to par with them, modern yes, but equally as devilish and satisfying...that is, as long as it worked...
Eriol, as she thought, was walking as well. He was outside Syaoran's apartment and about to knock when he changed his mind abruptly. Instead he opened it quietly, surprised slightly to find it unlocked. He looked around, his ocean eyes scanning the room's foyer. No little wolf here...let's try another room, Eriol thought as he walked inward. There was no one in the kitchen, nor the bathroom, nor the living area, so the only place left was...
Eriol opened the door to Syaoran's bedroom. Syaoran was sitting at the seat in the window overlooking the city streets and glanced up dully when Eriol entered the room, eyes sharpening only slightly in recognition, and that in irritation and muted fury.
"Hiiragizawa, you have no..." Syaoran was cut off.
"Iie, shut up little wolf and let me get some things clear for you, ne?" Eriol's eyes flashed dangerously, a fire burning in his blue eyes that Syaoran had never seen before. In fact, he had never seen Eriol upset before, not like this, and not directed at him, so it unnerved him enough to shut him up, momentarily.
"First, Sakura loves you, and don't fabricate little selfish pity oriented lies that say otherwise in your muddled heart. She loves you. Not me Syaoran, she loves you. She kissed me on the cheek if you recall. That's not a lover's parting; that's a friend, a friend who helped me find out that I, I don't love her in a romantic way either. I love Daidouji...er, Tomoyo. Koi lied to you. She is the snake, She is everything that you have been running from in the female race, everything you have been trying to make all the wrong people pay for and compensate for!"
Here Eriol was forced to pause because, well, he needed air, but Syaoran was rightly stunned so Eriol was able to continue,
"Every woman you have ever been with, you flirted, you dated, you did...whatever you did...and then you broke it off with them, and cared little or not at all. With Sakura though, it's different, you care for her. Your heart knows it. It's your head that's the problem. Stop listening to it for a second and just go with your heart."
"My heart was wrong once, what if it's wrong this time?" Syaoran countered; he sounded sulky even to himself and Eriol's temper flared again.
"Syaoran Li, future leader of the Li Clan of China, son of Yelan Li, you are," Eriol paused, and Syaoran waited for a string of curses and swears, unfavorable to his name, when Eriol continued: "...the luckiest man alive."
"Eh?" Syaoran was confused. Eriol's fist clenched at his sides as he shook his head furiously.
"You are the luckiest man alive to have someone as beautiful and lovely and compassionate as Sakura Kinomoto, an angelic songstress and amazing artist. You are the luckiest man alive to have her complete devotion and blind faith. You are also the most idiotic, blind sighted, moronic bastard. You do realize that you have no right to ask for her back? You realize that even though I do not love her that way, someone else might, and even though she would never love them the way she loved you, she might move on, and you would have no right to say a word against it?"
As Eriol said this, Syaoran thought of the silver haired man he had seen Sakura with before and his heart became leaden for the fiftieth time that day. Eriol was right. He couldn't possibly deserve to go back to her...and if what he said was true, and he was positive it was, he had been a jerk, more than that...and there was nothing he could do...right?
"However," Eriol's voice broke through.
"'However' what?" Syaoran prompted.
"You are my stupid best friend and best friends are there to help each other see the obvious when we're too obliviously Neanderthalic to notice ourselves what life is offering to us." Eriol smiled sadly.
"You mean, you think she'd allow me back?" Syaoran asked, hope mounting, even though he was simultaneously aware of the fact that he had no idea how this would all work out...
"Hai. Even though, as I said before, you don't deserve her," Eriol added seriously and Syaoran, shamefaced, looked away. The truth hurt, but, if it would gain him back his Cherry Blossom, his soul mate as he recognized her to be, then he would listen to it every day for the rest of his life, cheerfully.
"Hai, I know," was all Syaoran Li, handsome most wanted bachelor and profound baka in Japan could reply with.
But it was enough.
"May I use your phone?" Eriol asked and Syaoran made a dismissively permissive gesture.
"Hai."
"Arigatou," Eriol said as he walked over to the phone and dialed in Sakura's number.
"Moshi, moshi, Kinomoto residence, Daidouji speaking," Tomoyo's voice came over the phone's speaker as Eriol pressed the speaker button.
"Kon-wa Tomoyo. Everything is good here; how'd your first round with the dragon go?" Eriol crossed his arms as he asked this.
"Well enough. I'm just glad I didn't bite her or something...I think I felt more like roasting her on a spit and offering her to the goddess of ornery behavior...er, something along those lines, demo..." Tomoyo's voice faded as Eriol listened and he heard her shouting in the background; "Iie! Toya- kun, we have a plan! No, you can't kill either of them...especially NOT the Chinese gaki! You----ack, no, she's still sleeping! Yuki, onegai stop him before he hurts any of us!" she paused here and her voice got stronger as Eriol assumed she moved closer to the phone.
"Gomen Eriol, I've gotta cool Toya down before he loses all his marbles...Yuki can only do so much and I can tell that he's having a difficult time himself, controlling his own frustration with the situation...but anyways, if all is well there, then all is going fine here too overall and the plans are in action, ne?" she asked.
"Hai, zettai daijoubu dai yo," he said, using Sakura's coined phrase and Tomoyo smiled into the receiver and then, as Toya began his third round, flipping out that is, she said a quick Sayonara and hung up. Eriol laughed. Angry Toya...scary.
"Okay, sit Toya-kun!" Tomoyo commanded and pushed him forcibly back onto the couch, glaring; Yukito sat by his side as Tomoyo paced before them.
"Mou, what is this plan of yours and his anyway?" Toya grumbled unhappily.
"You're ready to listen, ne? Alright, Eriol said Syaoran is in his place now," she was cut off by Toya.
"You mean he mangled him from limb to limb?" Toya asked hopefully. Tomoyo groaned.
"Iie, Toya-kun, he convinced him that Sakura loves him and that he loves her; and don't look at me like that, they really do. The circumstances have just been frequently haphazard," Tomoyo did what she often did in business meetings and used her infamous Daidouji smile of evil that said: well, you can fight me if you want, but my schemes are much better than yours and I'll win anyway. Toya shut up.
"Demo, what are we doing?" Yukito asked, lightly placing his hand on Toya's arm, whose stiff posture eased a bit at the touch.
"Mou, first we're going to slay a dragon, and then we're going to sew all the pieces of my little Sakura's and that idiot wolf's relationship completely back together." Tomoyo said happily, clapping her hands together, stars in her eyes. [And, you know the look, ne?]
"Er, ahem, excuse me Tomoyo-chan, demo, how?" Yukito asked, cocking his head curiously to one side.
"I invited Taoski and her um...associates to the concert tomorrow night. Everything will be done then, and you both have jobs to do alright?" Tomoyo replied. Both Yuki and Toya looked rightly perturbed; they were to be apart of one of Tomoyo Daidouji's 'plans'? This was a bit ominous.
"Er, Tomoyo-chan, do you think---" Yukito was cut off by a glare.
"Listen, you two want Sakura to be like this for the rest of her life?" she asked hotly, pointing emphatically to Sakura's door where the little cherry blossom still slept, tearstains on her face.
"Iie, demo..."
"Then kindly shut your mouths and listen to the plans, ne?" Tomoyo demanded. She loved these two dearly but sometimes...well, sometimes she just wanted to hit them both to make them see the obvious.
"Hai Tomoyo," they both replied, Toya for his part sounding a bit sulky still.
"Alright then, here's what we're gonna do," Tomoyo grinned and began relaying all her and Eriol's plans to them, and as she did so, their interest grew, and as that happened, things began to unravel for the threesome quite nicely...quite nicely indeed.
----------------------------------------------
SO SHORT. ARGHHHH...but NEXT chapter you get to see what they're going to do to Koi and, *evil grin* if it's Tomoyo and Eriol's plans, you know it has to be good.
I love you all! Thank you soooo much for reviewing!
Please review again if you want more you know, you know!
And *sigh* the make-up scene fro Syaoran and our Cherry Blossom next chapter too, ne? ^_^
SOOOOOO...ONEGAI...
REVIEW
REVIEW
REVIEW
-Kaji Hikage
PS. Yeah, I should be satisfied with as many reviews as I get, however many, but it's the reviews that make us writers feel good about ourselves and THEN we continue the stories, granted if you like them, ne? ^_^