Incoming Eriol~!!!

Chapter 3

Eriol sat himself on the couch offered by Sakura. Despite possessing powers, he was still undoubtedly tired from the trip. Kaho came in shortly after him. She looked as radiant as ever; her face showed no sign of the years that had passed. There was not a single wrinkle on her face, nor were her eyes lined with the age. She was wearing a simple yet elegant dress that shone purely of 'Kaho taste'. Sitting herself next to Eriol, she smiled at Sakura. Sakura felt as if she was that 10-year-old girl again looking up at her Mathematics teacher again. Eriol on the other hand had grown to look mature beyond his years. Sakura could still recognise him, but his looked more like Clow to her than Eriol. Then again, there was always a certain mature look that Eriol possessed, and also the look of Clow written on his face. He had grown taller over the years, now almost matching up with Kaho. They looked more like a couple when the walked together now. Yue had noticed this.

"KONNICHIWA SAKURA-CHAN!!!" said a lively-as-usual Nakuru as she bounded in ecstatically. She smiled as Sakura, but the look was quickly overtaken by disappointment at Touya's absence. "MOU!!!… Suppi!!! Touya isn't here!!" she wailed, hugging on to the dark coloured cat look-a-like that was flying beside her.

"Let go of me Nakuru. I'm not your replacement for Touya," Suppi said, annoyance showing on his face.

"It's so nice to see all of you again!" said Sakura cheerfully. She beamed as she looked at the familiar faces one by one.

"Suppi! How are you? Lets go play one of my video games together again," said Kero dragging off an increasingly annoyed Suppi into Sakura's room with a sinister grin. As soon as they had gone and everyone had stopped the sweat-drops, Kaho turned to look at Sakura again, a motherly look shining in her eyes.

"It is indeed good to see you again, Sakura. I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long. We came as soon as we could."

"Mizuki-sensei, I'm really delighted to see all of you here! And no, you didn't take too long, I hardly noticed!" Sakura said. "I'll go get some refreshments for you, you all must be hungry from the trip."

"Iie," said Eriol. "We had our lunch already. No need to trouble yourself." Eriol smiled, then the look on his face darkened. Kaho took note of the change; she looked slightly worried as Eriol continued. "Sakura-san, may I ask if you've had any battles this past week since I last called?"

Sakura was in thought for a moment. There hadn't been any battles … she realized. The last one was on the day before Eriol called. That one. The battle that had exhausted her almost completely. She looked at Eriol. His voice had changed when he asked her that question. He was talking like Clow now. Something serious was definitely up ahead. "No. Now that I think of it, there weren't any battles after you called."

"I thought so. The magicians have stopped coming for the time being."

"Why have they suddenly stopped? Was it your returning that held them back?"

"Eriol can no longer hold back even people, let alone magicians," explained Kaho. "He isn't the cause of their retreat."

"Rightly so. I have to tell you something, Sakura. This is extremely serious. It is the reason that I came back to Tomoeda. I came back to help you."

"Hoe?" Sakura said, slightly frightened by the seriousness in the way Eriol was speaking. She wished Syaoran were there with her at the moment. Kero and Suppi had returned from Sakura's room. Kero had transformed and so had Suppi and Nakuru. Ruby moon was not smiling as usual this time. She stood beside Yue, listening attentively to Eriol. That was no doubt, odd for her character. Yet there she stood, looking most like Yue in expression. Yue was mildly surprised by her.

"What is it that's happening?" asked Yue.

Eriol took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Recently I have sensed a great power source heading for Tomoeda. This power is coming from there," Eriol said, pointing out the window towards the sky. "What's unusual about it is that I feel it possesses the same power that I do. However, it is foreign, it might even be considered… Alien. Whatever it is, I cannot be to sure at the moment."

As he paused, Sakura could feel her heart skipping its usual rhythmic beat. Alien? Heading for Tomoeda?

"The reason why the magicians have stopped coming to challenge you this past week is because they have felt the same thing which I have. They have sensed the coming of this foreign object," Eriol continued. "I myself have tried to locate what exactly this is, whether or not it is to be considered a threat."

"… And?" Sakura asked nervously, the tension in the room seemed to have affected her voice for it trembled.

"What I have discovered so far is strange. This thing that is heading for Tomoeda is a meteor."

"A METEOR?" the room echoed with the voices of its residents at the revelation.

"How can a meteor be umm… I mean, how is it possible for just a meteor to contain that much magic that you could sense it?" Sakura asked inquisitively.

Eriol closed his eyes. "That, Sakura, is what I've come to talk to you about. This is not an ordinary meteor; it's not a common piece of rock flying through space. This rock contains energy similar to mine, strange as it may seem."

"But, why would this meteor have your magic then?"

"I don't know. Clow himself wouldn't have existed in space during any part of his life or else I would've known. He also had no reason to travel there."

Sakura looked nervously around the room. Everyone's so tense. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "So… are you saying that this meteor contains positive power since it is of Clow?"

"Sakura, if I were sure, I wouldn't have needed to consider coming to Tomoeda. What worries me is that although this magic is similar to mine, I can still feel that it is foreign." Eriol adjusted his glasses and sighed. "I'm sorry, this sounds awkward. I assure you though, that I had no intention of making my words contradictive."

"Oh," Sakura responded, not quite sure of what she should say.

"I expect the meteor to be making contact in about a week or so. I have been studying its movement and size and have concluded that there isn't enough mass for a disaster of any sort. It will probably land as some small object, the diameter about the length of your bed perhaps."

Sakura looked at Eriol. His expression was calm. If only I could be more like him. The meteor would probably hit, whether she liked it or not. Eriol would not have come if he weren't so sure of it. What I'm worried about is if people are going to get hurt. A rock with the diameter the length of my bed is still considerably large. They didn't even know which part of Tomoeda it was going to hit. Maybe Eriol can find out. She turned to look at Yue, hoping for some to find some reassurance. His brow was creased, his mouth drawn in a straight line, his arms folded. Obviously Yue was in deep thought. Sakura couldn't stand the atmosphere. It seemed more like the end of the world than just a small matter like Eriol made it seem (through his calm expression and voice). "I… I think I'll go call Tomoyo and Shaoran to inform them that everyone's gathered here," Sakura finally blurted out, the silence was beginning to be unbearable, not to mention the straight faces.

Sakura reached for her phone and dialed. Behind her the guardians were starting to converse more with Eriol.

"Moushi moushi. Daidouji residence," said the soft and gentle voice that answered the phone.

"Tomoyo-chan! It's Sakura here."

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said delightedly. "Is anything the matter?"

"Eriol-kun is back from England. He's here at my house now. Could you come over please? Everyone's here for the discussion."

There was a noticeable silence over the phone.

"Hoe? Tomoyo-chan, are you there?"

"Oh, sumimasen! I'll be over in minute."

Sakura hung up. Hoe… Tomoyo-chan sure did sound a little weird. Maybe it was just some bad reception. Oh well, I still have to call Shaoran. Sakura was about to dial in Syaoran's number when suddenly the leading man himself burst through her door.

"GOMEN! I'M LATE!" Syaoran leaned on the side of her door and panted heavily.

"Hoe?" said a surprised Sakura. Everyone was staring at him.

"I felt Eriol's presence and rushed over as soon as possible," explained Syaoran after taking a few more breaths and calming himself. "I figured he'd come here so I ran here as fast as I could."

"Koko de Sakura, you left the door unlocked? Such irresponsibility…" Cerberus sighed and shook his head.

"HOEE!!! I FORGOT!"

[sweatdrop, sweatdrop]

*~*~*~*~*

Eriol looked across the table. Sakura-san seems to be taking it quite well so far. He had brought the whole group out for dinner at a restaurant with the idea that abusing his powers weren't so bad if done in moderation. He was even considering taking care of the bill with a snap of his fingers. But no, Sakura wouldn't have liked it much if he did that. He had ordered a salad to finish his meal fast, that way he could think about the situation a little longer before talking with Sakura again. He hated the feeling of this… uncertainty. Clow was able to predict the future, why couldn't he, the reincarnate, at least confirm the safety of this small town in Japan? It was more than disturbing, more like annoying. He frowned in concentration. He must find out more… he had to… but his thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice that asked a most ironically simple question, "Is everything ok?"

Eriol turned to look at the person who spoke. His gaze met with a pair of deep-set blue eyes, held fast with concern. Astonished at their beauty, he tried to look at the face which those enchanting eyes belonged to. Tomoyo. He stared for a moment longer, trying to think of something to say. Those eyes… why haven't I noticed it before? Once again his thoughts were interrupted by that sweet and soft voice.

"Daijoubu ka, Hiragizawa-kun?"

"Yes, I'm fine." He lied. But that didn't matter much. Would it help if he told her that he wasn't sure if the crisis at hand could mean certain disaster that which would be irreversible by any means of magic? No, definitely not. She smiled, and those eyes softened with instant relief at his lie. She really is a gentle and caring person. I wonder if her feelings are still being wasted on Sakura-san. Stop it, he told himself. It's not nice to be thinking such things. He relaxed and returned Tomoyo's smile. Was it just him, or did her face just redden a little? It didn't matter though; he had more important things on his mind.

He signaled so the waiter and ordered another large plate of octopus balls. He'd noticed that Cerberus was tugging at Sakura's leg from under the table, begging for more food. While waiting for the food, he lifted the tablecloth to take a peek at Spinel Sun. The dark sun guardian was red with drunkenness and dancing to his own music. Eriol chuckled and released the tablecloth. His attention returned to the meteor, only to find Kaho looking at him, her eyes silently questioning. She must have been wondering about the tablecloth. "Just checking on Suppi," he explained. Kaho drew up the tablecloth as well, only giggle and put it down again. She got the idea.

Sighing, he tried to concentrate again. His thoughts were racing, his mind suddenly transported to a different environment. Everything was dark except for a few specks of light distributed unevenly. This is it, space. He had been able to mentally transport himself into the outer realms of the Earth. Now to try and find that meteor. His pervious attempts at doing that one simple task were just about as successful as getting Nakuru to dress like a guy. The closest he got was finding its bull's-eye, which of course happened to be Tomoeda. He moved through the darkness, relying only on the light gained from the stars. Still, he couldn't help but feel as if he was searching for a needle in a haystack. Try a tiny rock in the whole universe.

His mind moved swiftly, traveling probably near the speed of light. He searched for what seemed like an eternity, seeing nothing but endless blank, with an exception of the other traveling meteors. The stars. If only this meteor were a star too, and a big one at that, then it would sure be a lot easier to find. Alas for him, he knew it would probably only glow when entering the Earth's atmosphere. His mind continued its journey as Eriol got sucked deeper and deeper in his concentration, the restaurant noises becoming nothing more than a soft humming sound. Then he passed a colourful planet, a globe of blue and green… Earth. He stopped for a while, mesmerized by its beauty. As he gazed on at his home planet, a huge dark mass drifted past him. Eriol stared at it; he knew he'd finally found what he was looking for.

*~*~*~*~*

"Eriol! Eriol, answer me!" Kaho said worriedly as she shook Eriol, trying desperately to waken him. Everyone at the table was crowded around the dark-haired boy. His muscles were limp and he sagged like a rag doll when Kaho shook him.

"You have to help me, Sakura. He often does this and doesn't come to until a long time later. I'm worried for him," Kaho said urgently. "We aren't sure of the dangers there are if his mind keeps traveling this way. Its extremely strenuous on his body."

Sakura looked anxiously at the magician before her. The waiter beside her looked worried as well. "Should I call the ambulance, Miss?" he said, addressing Kaho.

"No, its fine. Just leave us for a second." Kaho turned to look at Sakura as the waiter left; her eyes pleaded silently with her.

"I… I'll try my best, Mizuki-sensei," Sakura said. She moved her chair to sit face to face with Eriol and nervously placed her hands on each arm of his chair. She closed her eyes. Her hands were shaking slightly. Just then she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, holding it tenderly, assuring her. Shaoran-kun. She didn't need to look to know who it was. Encouraged, she focused her thoughts, trying to probe into Eriol's mind. 'Eriol-kun!' she called out mentally. 'Where are you? Please come back, wherever you are, please… come back.'

The group gathered around watched in relief and Eriol's eyes slowly blinked open. Sakura opened her eyes at the sound of the relieved sighs, to find herself faced with an apologetic-looking Eriol. "I'm sorry, I guess I got carried away."

"Yokata," said Kaho. "I'm just glad you're fine." She held his hand and smiled. "Did you manage to find anything this time?"

Sakura listened attentively as Eriol adjusted his glasses and sighed. She couldn't help but notice the disappointed look on his face. "I was very close to finding out what the meteor was. Sakura called me just as I was about to enter its protective layer."

"Oh," said Sakura. So that's why he looked so upset. She realized that Eriol would probably never get another chance to be that close to the meteor. So I completely ruined it! Now we won't know if the meteor is dangerous or not! "Eriol-kun… Gomen…. Gomen nasai! I shouldn't have disturbed you."

Eriol looked surprised for a second, then he smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, Sakura-san. You were right to call me; I shouldn't have stayed there so long anyway. I made all of you worried over nothing." He looked at Kaho just has he finished his sentence. She looked back at him warmly.

Syaoran bent down and hugged Sakura, seeing that there was a tear running down her cheek. "It's alright Sakura, you didn't do anything wrong," he whispered comfortingly in her ear. Then he turned to Eriol. "What will happen now?"

"Oh its quite safe I think. I managed to get close enough to confirm that the meteor isn't harmful. Like I said, it's radiating with Clow's magic. I should've trusted what my instincts were telling me. It's positive magic."

"Honto?" asked Sakura meekly, peering over Syaoran's arms as they were still around her in a warm hug.

"Hai, Sakura-san."

*~*~*~*~*

Yukito walked behind the group as they left the restaurant. Through the passing years he'd found out more and more about this 'other half' of himself, and also about the other surrounding events. Sakura had tried to explain to him as simply as possible about the Sakura cards which she possessed and how his other half was in relation to them. It was all so confusing. He shook his head a little at the memory. But then Touya was always there whenever he felt he was in confusion. Touya knew all along, about Yue. He'd come to understand too that Touya had saved his life. Yue's, as well as mine. And in return he was to protect Sakura. His steps slowed as he looked ahead at the adorable honey-coloured hair girl walking with the rest of the group. She was no longer little Sakura-chan; no, she was nearly a woman now, and a very beautiful one at that. I would never mind protecting her, not ever.

"So Tsukishiro-kun, are you full after that meal?" asked Nakuru who was walking happily beside him.

"Huh? Oh yes, the meal was very filling," he smiled, "Hiragizawa-kun was nice to sponsor the dinner." More than nice, he mentally added. He and Nakuru probably made up half of the bill.

"Yeah, Eriol's always so nice," she said smilingly, before she bounded up ahead beside Eriol. Eriol. He'd been introduced to this character along the way too. He felt his other half's uneasiness whenever around him. Clow, that's what he calls him. He knew Yue had some feelings for this person, like the ones he held for Touya. He picked up his pace as he hurried to join the rest. They were in some heated discussion he presumed, about that meteor.

As he caught up with them he noticed that Tomoyo was herself distanced from the group. She seemed to be staring ahead distractedly. "Tomoyo-chan, daijoubu?" he asked. He supposed he stunned her for a second for she looked at him blankly.

"Oh I'm ok, don't worry about me." He smiled in relief at her answer. She smiled back. Sakura-chan sure has a nice friend. He walked closer to the group and picked up some of their conversation.

"Anou, Eriol-kun, where will you and Mizuki-sensei stay for the night?" Sakura asked.

"I'll be able to think of something. We might book into a hotel," Eriol said.

Just then Tomoyo rushed up front. "Hiragizawa-kun, I could offer my house as a place to stay for the rest of your time here. I'm sure we have lots of spare rooms left," she said quickly.

"That would be very kind of you. Arigatou, Daidouji-san."

"It's no problem," she said as she smiled.

Before long, the group parted. Sakura was walking with Syaoran and Kero while Tomoyo with Eriol, Kaho, Nakuru and Spinel Sun. "Matta ashita!" they said to each other as they went in their different directions.

"Matta ashita!" Yukito said too as he waved goodbye to them. He continued to look on as the shadows of Tomoyo, Eriol, Kaho and Nakuru faded in the distance. The sun had almost disappeared from the night sky, leaving its last bit of radiance that clouded the sky with its red and orange glow. Yukito was about to take his leave as well when he saw Eriol turn back to look at him. Then he smiled and turned back, continuing to walk with Kaho hand in hand. In his heart, Yukito could feel an immense feeling of depression, and it obviously did not belong to him. …Yue is lonely…

*~*~*~*~*

Translations
Konnichiwa: hi
Mou: expression of frustration
Sumimasen: excuse me
Koko de: by the way
Honto: really
Matta ashita: see you tomorrow


Scribbles
*sigh* I'm a little upset that I only got... 1 review so far. But I guess I can't blame anyone; the story's barely started. Hmm.... I'm trying to introduce more of Yukito/Yue in here since he's gonna be playing quite a big part later (all Yue fans to 'YAY!'). I focused a bit on Eriol's and Kaho's relationship, but at the same time failed to put in Tomoyo's emotions well enough. Guess you can't have everything.