A/N: *sob* I feel like someone had hit my face with a sledgehammer; sooo painful... and I've now gained a very unpretty lisp. Now, I don't know what to call this, but "cruel" comes to mind... *goes on lamenting about the poor, poor state of her teeth*... At least the drugs are strong (I can't stop the seemingly perennial migraine because of it). That and I've been hit with the laziness bug, but I'll try to post the next chapter up on Saturday, Monday at the latest =^__^=

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Chapter 8: Flamenco

I glanced down at Tomoyo and realized that she still had her head on my shoulder, slumbering quietly. I flushed crimson and prayed that no one - especially gossip mongers - happened to witness us in such a compromising situation. I'm experienced enough to know that "just friends" did not accidentally fall asleep in each other's arms while stargazing. I did not want to plague Tomoyo with a nasty rumour about our practically nonexistent relationship. And besides, Tomoyo had had a very tiring day and deserved a bit of rest, even if I was the one she preferred to rest on.

I drew her even closer, my arm clasping the other, completely enveloping her in my embrace. The position we were in was so innocent, like we were two childhood friends huddled together after a storm, I didn't even bother seeing something beyond the surface. I didn't think that it would matter, in any case. Tomoyo is a celebrity, not only that, but she is also beautiful, caring and charming. I am a commoner, a reporter - supposedly her worst enemy; she deserves better than I.

"You know, I'm not really asleep." Her voice sounded next to my left ear and I nearly jumped out of my tuxedo at the feel of her breath tickling my nape.

"It certainly looked that way to me." I replied, fighting off the squeak in my own voice.

"Well, then you were certainly wrong," she said with a smile. "There is no way in all the Earth I would miss a chance to spend my time with you like this."

I reddened at her comment, at the same time thanking the darkness of the evening and cursing my sudden tendency to blush. "Then if you weren't asleep, why didn't you say something? It would have spared me the embarrassment."

She laughed and removed her head from my shoulder, taking with it the warmth that I didn't even notice was there. "You? Embarrassed? Now that is something I definitely can't afford to miss."

"Ha, ha. You probably did it on purpose," I said under my breath. Knowing her, she probably pretended to be asleep so she could catch me at an awkward moment. I decided to change the subject before she could start questioning me about my actions. "What do you say to going inside? It's getting rather chilly and I'm sure your admirers are beginning to miss you."

She stole a glance inside the auditorium, from which soft murmurs of conversation were making their way to my ears. I thought I heard someone call out Tomoyo's name, and mentally frowned at the implication that she would have to leave me. For a moment there, I thought that we were the only ones existing in the world.

"No. I think this party has grown a bit old and stale. Just listen to them talk; it's just useless gibber. It's like they're completely oblivious to the little people below them; personal entertainment is their only goal. I have a different idea," she whispered, still looking out into the crowd.

"And what might that be?"

"I want to dance," she stated bluntly, as if that explained everything without actually saying anything.

"Here? In the middle of a gala, with celebrities and paparazzi hanging off your every move?" I was extremely perplexed. Did she accidentally hit her head on something while I wasn't looking and had gone bonkers?

She looked at me as if I had suddenly grown an extra appendage or turned purple on the spot. "Of course not."

"Then what do you propose we do?"

"I know a nice club nearby. Want to join me? It should be fun."

I had never just gone out and had fun, though that didn't stop my friends from attempting to "bring me out into the society." So, when Tomoyo first proposed the idea, a "no" came straight away to my mind, more out of habit than anything else. I had classes in the morning, and a costly term paper due; I had no time for last minute compromises. Doing this with her, however, would mean breaking away from my ritualistic lifestyle, even if for just one night, and didn't I ultimately want to change my life from bland to exciting? I saw the light dance in Tomoyo's eyes; I could not bring myself to extinguish it.

"Only if you promise to bring me home right after."

She laughed, a joyous sound that rung in the night, overshadowing all other noises. "Deal."

The two of us snuck into the front parlour, almost like children sneaking out of their beds before dawn at Christmas. I sensed that Tomoyo was having fun already, though she didn't exactly voice it. Her cheeks were flushed again and her eyes were sparkling mischievously, laughing and teasing anyone foolish enough to stay idle or bar our path. After donning my coat on, I made my way to the front door, only to be stopped by Tomoyo's hand on my arm.

"No, not that way. The media should still be out there," she whispered close to my ear. "We wouldn't want to be caught in the midst of our escape."

"Lead the way and I'll come en suite!" I called back, following her lead to the back of the auditorium.

Forget children at Christmas, this felt more like another James Bond sequel. Sneaking around under everybody's noses had a certain appeal to it. I felt like any minute now I would be caught unawares in the act, as if I committed a crime and captured red-handed with my gorgeous sidekick. That knowledge sent my adrenaline skyrocketing, the beat of the moment pulsing intensely in my veins. The same kind of thrill you get when on your first roller coaster ride or when about to reveal your affections to your secret crush.

"Ready?" she asked, stopping her progress at the door, tentative fingers brushing slightly over the metal of the handle. "You know that once we leave, we cannot go back."

Even though it was not said, I got that same impression anyway. There was something so final in doing this with her, as if just one night - a couple of hours at the least - would make a world of a difference. As if by accepting her offer, I had also sealed my fate for the rest of my life. I confirmed with a nod, and with that the two of us pushed at the heavy door and rushed out into the cool air.

"We're free!" Tomoyo exclaimed, arms thrown wide and waving in great semicircles.

I hid a smirk underneath my bangs. "If you were so desperate to get out, why did you come at all?"

With a laugh and a cocky flick of her hand, she turned to me. "Eriol, Eriol, Eriol. Have I taught you nothing? That was merely for appearances sake; I had to come. And now that the stuffiness is behind us, what say you to hurrying up to that club I promised you?"

"Impatient, are we?" I retuned, the smirk still undetected beneath the shield of my hair.

"I always am," she said with a shrug. "Guess I never really had time - nor attention - for patience."

"I'll make a note of that."

From then on, we walked in a companionable silence, the intoxicating rush we felt before ebbing to a dull throb. Tomoyo would occasionally shrink away from the incoming traffic and hide behind my back, and I would let her with a furtive laugh. I can't really explain what I was feeling at that instant, a curious mixture of contentment (which has been happening too often as of late) and bubbly anticipation. I had never done anything so spontaneous, so outrageously out of character and it made me feel new and rejuvenated, as if awoken from a long and tedious sleep.

"So, tell me about yourself." She suddenly broke the quiet of the night, shattering the almost tranquil moment and our stride.

I stopped mid-thought and turned to look at her, an eloquent brow arched in incredulity. "What's this all of a sudden?"

"It's just that, I have told you nearly everything about me, and I know nearly nothing about you. I get curious sometimes, you know?"

She had a point. To tell the truth, I had purposely steered her away from asking personal questions about me, more to protect myself from harm than anything else, like an automaton in self-defence mode. But looking at it now, I must have seemed very selfish to her. After all, she had no problem about revealing herself to me, so why should I? If she was able to trust ne wholeheartedly, shouldn't I be able to do the same?

"What do you wish to know?" I asked her, still uncertain of my decision.

"Everything," she replied with all sincerity, looking up at me seriously. "I want to know everything. Anything you want to give me, at the least."

There was some shrill, annoying voice at the bak of my head telling me to back off, to run and hide far away, where nothing could ever touch me again. I ignored it, summoning all the nerve I had and forced down the irksome jolt of my stomach muscles. I cleared my throat, finding it all too tight for my liking, and began my tale.

"I was born in a small town in Japan before moving here. My mother was Japanese and worked for a small publishing company. My father was an English foreigner who had a taste for exotic women," I paused to swallow past the lump that formed in my throat. "They met on a chance occasion, as if Fate itself had lent a helping hand. At first, Mother refused his advances, not wanting to get involved in a not-serious relationship... And he didn't stop pursuing her. One July night, when she was walking home from grocery shopping, he met her on the street, drunk beyond the point of delirium."

I stopped to see if Tomoyo was paying attention, hoping that she was not and at the same time wishing that she was. She hadn't torn her gaze from my face. I continued. "He confronted Mother about a frivolous nothing. When she refused to be swayed, he attacked her, ripped her dress and... raped... her... in the dark of an alley... The product of that... you see before you."

"....Eriol... No..." I heard the audible choke and whimper in her voice. Before I had a chance to fully turn to her, Tomoyo's arms were flung around my neck, elfin face pressed into my chest. "...I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't worry about it, that happened a long time ago and out of our league to change now," I told her smoothing her hair. "After... that night," I went on, unable to stop the flow of words from leaking out of my mouth, "my father apologized to mother, and payed her heavily for the damage done. But after... I... was discovered, he hightailed it out of the country, never to be seen or heard. My mother was devastated after that, and with me in the coming, I doubt she would have been able to support the two of us. That's when my Uncle, Clow Reed, stepped in. He took Mother into his home, brought me out and raised me like his own son, and I considered him my real father. Heck, for all I knew at the time, he was my father."

I stopped, glancing at the dark head still pressed into my chest. Tomoyo's soft sobs had stopped, though there was a slight twitch in the shoulders, as if she was having a hiccoughing fit and had a hart time concealing it.

"Do you know how it feels?" I continued with bitterness etched in my voice, spiteful bile rising up my throat. "Do you know how it feels when you walk to school in the morning, saying 'hello' to everyone you see and hear nothing but nasty rumours about you? Do you know how it feels to learn that you are a mistake, a bastard child as a result of a horrible misfortune? To hear that from your own snotty-nosed teachers? They said my mother was a common whore who purposely got into that... that man's pants in order to get money from the government. They called me a 'half-bred', a pathetic, worthless nothing. And you know what? I believed them. I truly believed in all their lies. I was so afraid of what they said about me, I couldn't even bring myself to have friends. "

Anger swelled in my gut, churning in my veins. "God, I wish I could find that bastard and repay him his overdue." I took a deep breath to calm myself, to shake off the murderous urge fighting to break loose in me. That has not happened since I was a child and I didn't want a repeat occurrence.

"We moved to London not long after my sixth birthday and at that time I couldn't be happier. Then one night, my uncle went to pick up my mom from the restaurant where she worked as a waitress. They didn't come back for a long time. It was almost three days later when somebody actually bothered to tell me that there was a car crash - some idiot trying to impress his buddies - and that my mother and uncle were involved. Clow was killed instantly ... I wasn't even allowed to stay by my mother's side when she died a couple of days after. I was left completely alone.

"I lived in an orphanage for almost a month after that," I said after another deep breath. "And then my cousin, Nakuru, showed up and brought me to live with her in Nagasaki. She was the one that raised me from then on. I moved here when I was sixteen. I wanted to pursue a career in politics, wanted to make a difference to the world, you know? So I got myself a job, a position in a school for gifted - I had always exceeded academically - and lived on. I currently attend the university to get my bachelors degree in English Lit.. And that has been my life thus far."

I stopped, my story coming to a draw. I was expecting Tomoyo to say something - anything - but she said nothing. In fact, she had not uttered a single syllable since I told her the truth of my... birth. I was thankful for that; I did not want her to feel pity for me, and I did not want her to console me. She had asked me to tell her about myself, and I did. Oddly enough, I did not feel depressed at remembering my past, more saddened than anything; sad that it was I who had to live through it, sad that I was powerless to change it, and a bit happy that it was there in the past and not now in the present.

I looked at Tomoyo, and she just stared back at me, her doe eyes seeming even larger in the night. And in those enthralling amethyst depths, I could see all the compassion, all the sorrow and understanding she was feeling but was too afraid to voice. Now that I have revealed myself to her, I felt almost relieved, a large burden lifted off my chest. I appreciated that, too.

"Well, c'mon then," she broke the silence between us with a cheery smile and pushed me into a walk. "The night isn't going to wait for us while we stumble through Memory Lane."

"You're right," I answered, a smirk returning to my voice. "We have to get to that club before it closes." I was glad that she decided not to prod any farther. It still amazed me how she could change the atmosphere between us so suddenly and drastically, and I thanked her mentally for that as well.

The one thing that I didn't tell Tomoyo was that she was the first person I had ever told my story since my parents passed away. She didn't need to know that. I would leave that as an unspoken gift from me to her. A sort of 'thanks' for all her kindheartedness.

The rest of the walk was considerably lighter, with bits of fun conversation here and there. Not long after, we arrived at the club she mentioned. It was at the back of nearly deserted street. It looked like your average apartment building, rows of neat doors facing us. And I would have believed it was an apartment complex if it weren't for the music blasting behind one of the doors.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" I asked her jokingly.

"Are you questioning my truthfulness?" She mimicked my tone.

"No, just whether the punch we had at the party has impaired your judgement in any way."

She laughed lightly, changing the mood again. Opening the door to the club, she smiled almost beguilingly and waited for me to follow. "Come," she whispered, taking my hand in hers and drawing me away, into the darkness and the music.

(tbc)

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Please dun kill me! It was a spur of the moment kinda thing! I'm incredibly sorry, and believe me, it hurt me more than it hurt you ;____;

Some senseless ramble, has absolutely nothing to do with the fic (just to take a load off of myself):

I've just finished replaying the ending of Final Fantasy IX again. Oh, Gawd! The first three or four times I finished it, I was bawling like a baby! O good ol' Final Fantasy, you just gotta love it, despite its tendency to be a little cliché-ed. Aa. Why does Venus Sigil have to be so hard to get? I still can't dodge more then 95 bolts in a row... And don't even get me started on Tidus' ultimate weapon; 0:00 time? Are they insane, that's almost as unlikely as Datto actually levelling up?! At least I finally have a good handle on Blitzball...