Chapter 2. Masks down.
Standard Disclaimers Apply.
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After walking Tomoyo to his front door where her bodyguards picked her up, Eriol, with Spinel on his head, walked back to his music room. Tomoyo and him had cleaned the whole place after but Eriol needed to play a little to ease his nerves. He was worried.
"Master?" Spinel inquired.
"Yes?" Eriol's fingers ran masterfully on the grand piano, not even looking at what he was doing.
"What's wrong?" The small creature asked again, turning on Eriol's head to make itself comfortable.
"I'm worried." Eriol conceded and Spinel raised an eyebrow.
"Why? Your plan is working well."
Eriol frowned as the wrong note rang, disrupting the quiet melody like a gunshot in the night. "It's working too well." He said angrily, as he slammed the piano closed. "What if she's disappointed when she finds out it's me?" Eriol stood up and paced, making Spinel retreat from his head to the piano. The small cat-like creature watched its master walking back and forth in the room, grumbling. "At least, she's talking about love with me, now."
Spinel tilted his head on the side, asking silently his master to go on. Frustrated, Eriol stopped for a while, ran a hand in his black strands and resumed his pacing, explaining. "Before, we would have never ever touched anything in relation with love, except if we were talking about Sakura's and Sayoran's one and the ones we have suffered from. Always the past. It's the first time she has pushed herself to look at the future."
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Days came and went and changed into week then two weeks. Each morning, Tomoyo would run to her locker to peek inside, but no trace of the mysterious sender or the end of the song.
Winter was slowly leaving the place to spring, as the air was turning more and more light, and the snow was slowly melting away. During this agonizing time for Tomoyo, she had spent more and more time at Eriol's house, looking over and over again through each of his music sheets. He had laughed at first at her eagerness and excitement, teasing her gently on her almost childish behavior. Each day, she would come over his house, leaving school together and both of them would settle in his music room, for hours, talking, searching. She had never felt so excited by something before. Sure, Sakura's card captor days were high of excitement, but she has always been a watcher, far away, a spectator, protected by the lens of her camera but this time! This time, for once, it was her! It was about her and she was the center of the mystery, with Eriol at her right, his small smile on his handsome face.
Slowly, she and Eriol grew closer than before. They were often spotted in the school library, doing their homework together, heads against one another. Whispering, giggling together, sometimes her head was even on his shoulder.
Rumors were getting high in school but none of the two paid attention. Sakura was often spotted watching after them thoughtfully but when asked what was wrong, she would smile and shake her head, telling it wasn't her secret to reveal.
That morning, the fourteenth since the first letter, Tomoyo ran to her locker, like every morning, stopping only to cast a sunny smile, full of hope to those who greeted her but this morning, as she was waving hello a girl from her choir practice, she ran into someone. As she stumbled backwards, a pair of strong hands caught her before her bottom could meet the floor in an intimate rendezvous.
"Tomoyo-chan! Are you ok?" Tomoyo looked up to find Eriol's worried face looming over her.
"Eriol-kun!" Tomoyo greeted. "Morning and sorry for running into you." She moved around him to get to her locker.
Eriol followed her with his steady eyes. "It's ok. Where were you going so quickly?"
Tomoyo smirked back at him, bending to take off her shoes. "What do you think?" She was dreading to open the locker, she knew she was stalling, talking to Eriol but what if there was no parchment too that morning.
Eriol leaned on her locker next to her and sighed. "This letter again?"
Tomoyo unclasped the bridle of her left shoe and attacked the right one, telling him, excited. "Yes! Maybe this morning, I'll find the next part!" She did her best to ignore the little pang of fear, creping in her heart.
"That's what you've said every morning for two weeks, almost now." Eriol sighed again.
Maybe it was all a bad idea. Truth to be told they were closer now: they no longer were just best friends, it was hard to understand, but Eriol knew they were close to that line separating friendship to something else and as far as he was concerned he had already crossed that line and was carefully, slowly pulling her behind him, without her noticing.
But, these letters. Even if, it had permitted him to talk about love with her, a former taboo subject, even if she accepted to go on 'dates' with him, now, these letters were maybe a bad idea. Nonetheless was he getting her hopes high every morning and the dejected look she tried so hard to cancel broke his heart every morning, but these letters instead of bringing her closer could drive her to love the one writing them, even if it was him, he wanted her to love him, not because of the parchments, but because of the time they would spent together because of these letters.
Somewhere, something had gone wrong, and Tomoyo was far too enthralled by the letters he had thought she's be. "Don't you think, it's about time to give up?" He asked carefully.
Tomoyo straightened up and stared at him, horrified before almost yelling at him. "No! I'm sure he'll send me the rest!"
"I see." An odd pang of jealousy stroke and Eriol called himself stupid. "Are we still going to the coffee house after school?" He asked casually. She had been going on those little 'dates' with him ever since the start of the letters. If, she truly had fallen for the sender, not knowing it was him, then she should have refused. Maybe there was still hope somewhere. But, he needed to know.
"Of course!" She looked up at him, an eyebrow up, as if asking him why was wrong. As he answered her with a wry smile, she shook her head and tried to shove him off her locker. "Now, move, I want to see my locker."
"You know, I've thought that maybe it was an original work." Eriol didn't move a bit and looked up at the ceiling, teasing her. "That would explain why we couldn't find nothing in my music room." He looked down at her to see her roll her eyes heavenward.
"I know that you have an enormous collection, Eriol-kun." She admonished, waving the shoes she held in a hand in front of his nose. "But, maybe it's not an original work but just something you don't have." She pushed him firmly and this time he didn't resist and moved to stand behind her, as she opened the locker quickly. "Ah! There it is! Look, look!" Eriol smiled bitterly. Of course, it was there. How could he take another morning with her looking so down.
Eriol watched Tomoyo put her school shoes on and opened her piece of parchment, excited, neglecting all the rest of the fan mail. "Tomoyo-chan, I have a question." He said slowly.
But Tomoyo didn't really pay attention as she turned around, her eyes focused on the parchment. "What is it? Could you translate this for me?" She eagerly asked him, looking up.
Eriol ignored her question but took the paper from her hands as she extended it to him, for him to translate it for her. "Are you falling for the writer?" He asked her, not looking at her, trying to sound casual.
"What?" They started to head to their classroom. "No, no, Eriol-kun, silly." She laughed and Eriol didn't dare to look up from the parchment, his heart beating with dread and hope. "I like the words." Tomoyo started to explain him, slowly. Eriol stole a glance at her to see a dreamy look on her features. "They attract me, I don't know why, but I like the resonance of the words… It's like they pull a string on my heart."
She sighed and looked up to meet his eyes, surprising him as he had been caught staring at her profile. How could he not stare? The pale morning light falling on her like a loving caress, the paleness of the winter day making her stand out with her so black locks.
"I'm feeling melancholic whenever I read it and I need more and more. When I read it, it makes me think of something round and of water, something warm too, like the shape of a heart…" Tomoyo kept on after a moment of silence and Eriol smiled softly, sadly. "What is it?" She asked him as he shook his head mentally, trying to get rid of the burst of emotion coming up to him. She was taken by the message, not the sender. That was a relief.
"Nothing, but you owe me a huge valentine chocolate!"
"Owe you? Whatever!" She whacked him under the head, playfully. Tomoyo was in an extremely good mood that morning.
The following day, as Valentine Day broke through, Eriol actually jumped in class, holding his presents.
For once, almost the whole class was already there, even Sakura who had slept over Tomoyo's to make the annual Valentine chocolate. Eriol quickly headed to the raven haired girl, first. "Tomoyo-chan, here, for you." He presented her a small white box with a complicated red velvet knot, a little paw next to it, made in red ink. And Tomoyo smiled, Spinel had done it.
"Thank you, Eriol-kun." She smiled and bent to take something out of her bag, but Eriol had already turn his back to her, handing a small package with a dozen of little hearts, drawn in red, pink, yellow and purple covering the white box. An obvious Nakuru trademark all over it.
"Sayoran-kun!" Eriol began, his eyes expectant. "I made this…"
"Don't come near me, you freak!" The Chinese boy yelled after taking a quick look at the box. Chocolate was his favourite food, after all.
"But Sayoran-kun!! How mean, Sakura-chan! Sayoran-kun doesn't want my token of love for him! How mean!" Eriol whined, whirling to face Sakura, grabbing her hands in his, tears almost coming out of his eyes.
"It's ok, Eriol-kun, I'll make him eat it." Sakura promised, smiling and patting Eriol's head fondly, like a cherished pet.
Eriol visibly beamed at the promise while Sayoran blanched dramatically. There wasn't something in the world he would refuse to Sakura. Without even opening the box, Sayoran was ready to bet his ancestor had others tricks in his sleeve in store for him. "I knew I could count on you, Sakura-chan. Here's for you."
"Eriol-kun, you didn't give me the chance to give you mine." Tomoyo said, tapping lightly on his shoulder. Eriol turned around and smiled down at her, as she held up a angel made of chocolate, wrapped carefully in a transparent plastic paper.
"Thanks." Eriol's heart started to beat faster as he asked her casually. "By the way, why don't we go to, we'll go to a foreign library, on Saturday, since you have a new little bit, maybe we'll be luckier."
Tomoyo smiled up to him, making his heart skip a few beats. "Sure! That's an excellent idea, Eriol-kun!"
"Anything to please you, my princess." He had to bow in front of her to hide the sudden blush. Man, I am so whipped… He thought lamely.
Eriol bowed playfully and Tomoyo giggled in response, while Sayoran rolled his eyes at the stupid gesture. But the Chinese boy did notice the strange glint in his girlfriend's eyes. Turning fully towards her, as Eriol and Tomoyo started to chat with other students about Valentine day, teasing each other gently, he looked at her quizzically. Sakura looked up at him, a slow smile spreading on her lips. She shook her head gently at his unspoken question and took his arm, resting her head on his shoulder, her eyes locked on a dark-haired boy and his foolish silly little loving heart, she thought.
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As their fifth period teacher was absent, the students were left by themselves in the class, with math sheets they were supposed to hand back at the end of the hour. Since Eriol was the one on duties that week, he had been appointed to come to the teachers' room to take the sheets while the others waited in a quiet chattering.
"Ne, Tomoyo-chan."
"What is it?" Tomoyo looked up at her best friend.
"Can I read the song again?"
Tomoyo smiled slowly and bent to take her bag from the ground. "Sure." She handed the paper on which Eriol had written the two translated parts to the other girl.
"Oh…" Sakura sighed heavenly, after reading it again. "It's so sweet…" She said again, looking dreamily at the paper. "Ne, Tomoyo-chan, the one who wrote you this really must like you."
"Sakura-chan! What a thing to say, really." Tomoyo answered, a bit flustered. Then, a grin broke her face as she looked at Sakura. Grin that Sakura answered with one of her own and the girls started giggling madly. Sayoran groaned under his breath behind the girls, just loud enough for them to hear him. Sakura turned to him, an eyebrow up, then another grin spread on her face as she asked him.
"Ne, Sayoran-kun."
"What?" He asked, bored.
"Why did you never try to write me a song?"
Sayoran's eyes would have fallen on his desk if Sakura hadn't been laughing and he started blushing beat red while Sakura, a bit blushing too, smiled at him, before giggling again with Tomoyo. Sayoran only groaned back and he thought that he was damn glad his ancestor wasn't there to make his snickering remarks.
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If there was that Tomoyo Daidouji hated, it was: not knowing. She hated being left in the dark or not being able to understand everything going on around her. That was a part of the reason why the song puzzled her so.
The young girl was lying on her bed, her chin propped in her left hand, the other holding the letters up, to read and read again the parts of the song.
Who could have written that song? For maybe the hundredth times, that particular question stayed in the dark and Tomoyo sighed. Rolling on her back, staring at the ceiling, she wondered again, as her hands were crossed under her head. Who could have written her a song in French? Or who could understand French?
Shaking her head, Tomoyo reached out again for the parts she had and read them again. Despite all Eriol's assurances, it couldn't be an original work. Who would bother to write an original piece in a foreign language?
Eriol… He was the only one she knew who could understand and write French. Tomoyo narrowed her purple eyes. Could it be? Could it be Eriol? But he had helped her looking for it through all his music sheets… But was it really a song?
As she read the mysterious letters again, something clicked in Tomoyo's mind. This message wasn't a song, she was certain. She sat up in the bed.
After all, she's been studying music and mostly vocal music enough to know how a song was written and this one didn't sound like a song, it missed the rhythm of a song.
So, it had to be a poem. Tomoyo fell back, resting on her back, staring up at the ceiling. But, if it truly was a poem, it was now a whole new problem for her to find out who the mysterious sender was…
"Tomoyo dear?" A soft voice called from the door making Tomoyo jumped in surprise, as caught as she was in her thoughts.
"Mother!" Tomoyo exclaimed "I didn't hear you."
Sonomi started to say as she walked closer to her daughter's bed. "I've noticed…" Then she stopped talking and stared down at the letters and the translations paper sprawled on the bed. "What is that?" She gestured, curious.
"Oh! I got this in my locker." Tomoyo moved on her bed to let her mother sit. She then handed one of the old parchment to her mother and the corresponding translation done by Eriol. "I don't know who sent me this and I've been trying for days to find out who it was!"
Sonomi quickly read the parchment then focused on the translation, asking Tomoyo. "What language is that?"
Tomoyo, on her knees, bent closer to her mother, looking at the message too and said. "Eriol-kun says it's French."
"Hum… Kinomoto-sensei used to read Nadesiko-chan French." Sonomi started, she then looked up to Tomoyo, her eyes twinkling. "Maybe he'll know what this is. Tomorrow it's Saturday, why don't you go over Sakura-chan's place and asked her father about it?" She proposed Tomoyo.
But, Tomoyo thought, tomorrow I was supposed to meet Eriol-kun… On the other hand, if Kinomoto-sensei used to read French, he could be an incredible help… Oh, well, I can still see Eriol-kun at school...
Tomoyo beamed at her mother and hugged her, making Sonomi laughed, as Tomoyo exclaimed she was the best.
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The following morning, Tomoyo picked up the phone and dialed Eriol's number. After the third ring, his voice greeted her.
"Morning, Eriol-kun, it's Tomoyo." Tomoyo started cheerfully.
"I know. Nakuru made me buy something to recognize the numbers."
Tomoyo giggled over the phone. "Why? Does she have any troubles?"
"Quite the opposite, in fact. You see, it happened, by any miracle, that one of the guys she had been chasing after had fallen for her. But now, she doesn't like him anymore but he's been acting the same way that she did with him. Hence this new machine." Tomoyo giggled once more as she heard the indignant scream coming from Nakuru over the phone. "What is it, Tomoyo-chan? We're still meeting at ten, right?" Eriol asked her again.
"Oh, well, I called because I won't be able to make it." Tomoyo explained.
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It fell like a bucket of freezing water. Those little words coming from her angelic voice shattered his whole world and sent his day upside down. He wouldn't be able to see her today. In front of him, Eriol could see Nakuru raise her head in worry at his sudden mood and titled her head on the side. Eriol shook his head at her and tried to keep the heavy disappointment he felt out of his voice.
It was silly, it was just a date, they could still see each other at school, he was being stupid. But, he had wanted to see her, today. Inwardly, he remembered the day he had asked himself if he truly was that dependent of her, as if she was some kind of drug and he only realized today, the hard way, that she really was a drug to him. He could thank the Gods he was born with a tongue like a leash which could take over when his brain was going to overload. He wasn't really listening to what she was saying any longer, in fact he didn't even know if she was talking, but he needed to fill the silence between them with a quick remark, to avoid any suspicious feeling on her part.
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"Ah! Tomoyo-chan, I'm pouting, why?" Eriol whined, making Tomoyo giggled again.
"Well, I may have a clue on the identity of the writer of my poem." She explained. Her heart started to beat faster. If Eriol picked up the mistake she had purposely done on the nature of the song then, maybe he wasn't the author of the letters, if not, then maybe…
"Oh." Eriol, nor Tomoyo, said nothing for a fleeting second, then Eriol kept on. "I see. Well, good luck." Tomoyo's hands trembled as she hang up, after telling her goodbyes to Eriol.
So it was a poem and Eriol was the one sending the bits to her. Her heart pounding, Tomoyo walked back to her room. She leaned on the door after closing it, her mind whirling. Why? Why was he sending her this poem? Why was he putting up this charade?
Shaking her head clear of her questions, Tomoyo quickly dressed to got out to Sakura's. She needed to read the rest of the poem and hopefully, Sakura's father would know what poem it was.
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Tomoyo was standing in front of the Kinomoto household when it started snowing. It was rather unusual for the season, but winter had been harsh that year. The snow started slowly, light as a feather, falling graciously on the roofs and roads on this cold Sunday morning.
After ringing once, the Kinomoto's door slowly opened to reveal Sakura's older brother, yawning. Still dressed in his pajamas, Kinomoto Touya has obviously just woken up. He and Yukito were usually spending their weekends at Touya's father. Touya had proclaimed it was because he was feeling lonely, even with Yukito without his mother's pictures all over the place, while Yukito would whisper it was because Touya wanted to see his little sister and spend a little time, teasing her.
"Morning, Tomoyo-chan." Tomoyo smiled at her cousin and walked after him in the house, chatting with him about the sudden snow and weirdness of the weather. As she came in, Tomoyo couldn't help but understand Touya when he would say he was feeling lonely in his apartment, in town, next to his university. There was nothing like home. Sakura ran down the stairs, head first to meet her, while in the living room, Tomoyo could hear the console playing. Touya left the girls alone, after a few chosen remarks about the monsters and slumped on the couch. In front of the TV, engrossed in the game were Yukito and Sakura's other guardian in his small form, yelling because he was losing to Yukito. Tomoyo greeted them, but she wasn't sure they had heard her.
Sakura led Tomoyo to her father's study, right after Tomoyo had told her best friend her suspicions and doubts about Eriol. Sakura was surprised her father knew French but went to her father's office, anyway. After knocking, the girls came in.
"Good morning, Kinomoto-sensei." Tomoyo said.
Sakura's father, Fujitaka, blinked then his face broke in a warm smile. "Tomoyo-chan, good morning. It's been a while."
"Yes, sensei." Tomoyo answered his smile.
"Otousan, do you know what this could be?" Sakura asked, handing her father the translated message and the original ones.
Fujitaka ran his eyes quickly over the translation before focusing on the French one. "It's in French…" He started slowly, as if searching for a memory, in the depths of his souvenirs. "Hum, I know this poem. A second." He looked up, his eyes turning to the shelves next to him. Then he found the small red book, worn out by the years and turned back to face the girls. "Yes, it's from a French author, Paul Eluard. I should have the rest in there…" He informed them, as he looked through the book, for the poem. "Ah! There it is!" He exclaimed, triumphal. "Paul Eluard, Capital of Pain."
"Capital…of pain?" Sakura choked. Tomoyo couldn't say a word, she could only stare at the book in Sakura's father's hands.
"Capital…of pain?" Sakura choked. Tomoyo couldn't say a word, she could only stare at the book in Sakura's father's hands.
"Yes, this poem has no name but it from the collection called Capital of Pain, however this poem is a love poem dedicated to the author's wife, I think. Here you are, Tomoyo-chan!" Fujitaka handed her the book, open at the page of the poem and Tomoyo didn't know if she really wanted to read the end. The poem was presented on a two page spread: on the right the original version, in French, on the other, in Japanese, ready for her to read.
"Thank you, sensei."
The
curve of your eyes toured my heart,
A circle of dance and sweetness,
Halo of time, night and sure cradle,
And if I know not for all that I have lived
It is that your eyes did not always see me.
Day sheets and froth of dew,
Reeds of wind, the perfumes smiles,
Wings covering the world of light,
Boats loaded with the sky and the sea
Hunters of the rumors and sources of colors.
Flavors bursts a brood of dawns
Which lay always on straw of celestial bodies
As day depends on the innocence,
The whole world depends on your pure eyes
And all my blood runs into their regards.
End chapter 2.