Daphne: " Well, I am sad to say it, but this story is almost over. Only one
chapter left. I really hope that you like this one, though, and please
don't hesitate to review! I would really appreciate it!"
~*~*~*~
Leopard Spots and Zebra Stripes
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 9.
"Isn't this wonderful?!" Sakura squealed that night, as she watched the newly formed couples snuggle near the fire. Syaoran chuckled and put his arm around her waist. She curled her back into his chest and sighed in contentment.
"Syaoran, if we only came her to help Harry and Rika get their parents together, then how come we're still here?" She whispered. Syaoran frowned thoughtfully.
"Maybe there is another reason." He murmured into her ear, causing her to shudder in delight at the warm breath on her neck. He smirked and gently kissed her earlobe.
"That reminds me. Where is Tomoyo?" He questioned. She shrugged.
"I don't know. She left at dinner, and I haven't seen her sense." She said, frowning with worry. Syaoran sighed and pulled her close.
"I am starting to worry about her. She has been so distant lately. Do you think something's wrong?" Sakura asked, her lips quivering. Syaoran shook his head.
"I think she's fine. But I agree. Something is not quite right there." He commented, pulling her even closer and closing his eyes in contentment. She smiled and followed his example.
Little did they know that a familiar young man had overheard their conversation, and he sat frowning in thought.
~*~*~*~
Tomoyo sat in a very dark corner of the library, and watched as the librarian did one final once-over and then left the room, locking the door behind her. Then the girl sighed with relief, and pulled out her wand.
"Finally, peace and quiet! Lumos!" She hissed, causing the end of her wand to light up her corner. Tomoyo cautiously pulled a book out from under the chair she was sitting on and began to read. It was one she had found earlier that day, when she was trying to get away from all her love-puppy friends. But her eyes refused to focus on the book.
"Pretending to read, Daidouji-san?" A soft voice asked suddenly. Tomoyo jumped and barely prevented herself from screaming.
"Hiiragizawa-kun, what are you doing here?" She snapped. Eriol chuckled.
"I could ask you the same question. Now let me ask a different one. Why the formalities?" He asked. She blinked and then turned away, a frown on her face.
"Go away, Eriol. I need some time to think." She muttered, forcing her eyes back on her book. The young man stepped out of the shadows behind her and took the book from her hands, causing her to growl. Eriol then proceeded to throw the book across the room and sit down in the seat next to her. Tomoyo's eyes narrowed in exasperation as she turned to look him in the eye. To her shock, his eyes did not hold the teasing light as his voice had only moments before. In fact, they were steely and probing. Almost hypnotic, and in moments, she felt her anger ebb away into uncertainty.
"What is wrong with you, Daidouji Tomoyo? Why are you doing this?" His voice was cold and imperious. Tomoyo shivered and drew back.
"Wh...what do you mean?" She stammered. His eyes narrowed.
"This! You are hiding from all of us! You are running away and disappearing whenever any one of your friends comes near you and you won't even tell Sakura what's wrong! How can they help you if they don't know what is wrong?" He growled. Tomoyo's eyes flared.
"Don't you ever get tired of it?" She asked in a dangerously soft voice. He frowned.
"What?"
"Don't you ever get tired of seeing them always together? You can never get one friend without their boyfriend/girlfriend trailing behind! Don't you ever feel like a third wheel?!" She hissed, pain filling her eyes. Eriol's eyes widened and the cold look left them.
"So you hide here so you don't feel like a third wheel?" He asked softly. Tomoyo sighed, the fire dying from her eyes.
"No, I hide here so I don't have to see them so happy without me. It's like Sakura doesn't even care about where I am anymore. I mean, I knew that we wouldn't always be together, but this was so sudden and I suppose I wasn't ready to loose my best friend to someone she likes better." At this, Tomoyo buried her head in her hands and silent sobs racked her body. Eriol's mind spun with this new development.
"You haven't lost her, Tomoyo. She has just found love, and someday you will too. Then you will understand." He whispered, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. Tomoyo buried her face in his shoulder and let herself cry for the first time since they had come to this time. Eriol held her, gently stroking her hair and whispering soft words of comfort into her ear.
Gradually, her tears slowed and she managed to become aware of her position once more. Blushing, she pulled back, her hand fluttering to her cheek as she brushed tears away. Eriol smirked and pulled her hand away from her face, gently brushing the remaining tears away with his thumb. Tomoyo started and pulled away.
"Thank you, Eriol-kun. But I don't think that love will come my way anytime soon." She mumbled, her eyes downcast. Eriol's head tilted to the side, and he smiled at her, almost wistfully.
"Why do you think that?" His voice was soft, not at all joking. Tomoyo frowned and glanced at him through lowered lashes.
"Well, you don't see any men throwing themselves at my feet, now do you? You don't see any of them paying attention to me." She sighed, a single tear racing down her cheek. Her heart tore painfully as she saw him look away, and more tears spilled down her face. Beside her, Eriol was struggling with a dilemma that he had been facing since he had seen her again that first night she had entered Hogwarts. Finally he made his decision.
"I know one person does. He does all of that, although you never noticed." He murmured, taking her chin in his hands and forcing her to look up. This time, he let her tears fall, and simply stared at her face. Then, without warning, his lips came down and touched hers chastely, no more than a breath of wind. But it was enough to make Tomoyo's breath catch and her eyes widen in shock.
Pulling back, he gazed into her eyes and tried to regain some self-control. But it broke as more tears fell. Before he could even think, his lips were running over her cheeks, kissing away the tears tenderly. Tomoyo's eyes closed in ecstasy, and she breathed in unsteady. Her heart was jumping into her throat, choking her up with some foreign emotion, and her mind was whirling at his ministrations.
"Eriol..." She sighed, her head falling back against the chair-back. Eriol pulled away, looking uncertainly at her. Their eyes locked, and held, both wondering what was to come next. Tomoyo licked her lips in anticipation, and all of Eriol's control broke. With a muffled groan, he pulled her in to his arms, his lips pressed firmly to hers. Quickly cajoling her lips open, he slid his tongue in, exploring. Tomoyo shuddered and returned his advances with just as much passion. Finally, they were forced to come up for air and their eyes locked once more, searching each other.
"Eriol...do you mean that?" She whispered, her breath catching. Eriol smiled.
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it, Tomoyo-tenshi. I love you. But do you love me?" He whispered, his lips kissing her cheek and then casually trailing down her neck. Tomoyo gasped and closed her eyes in delight.
"Yes, Eriol-mine, I love you." She breathed, as his lips captured her's once more. Then he pulled back, laughing.
"Now you can't complain about their snogging sessions!" He chuckled. Tomoyo glared at him and then grinned.
"Well, I won't if I actually start to experience it first hand..." This was all she needed to say before his lips captured hers once more, leading her into the very thing she had complained about for so long.
~*~*~*~
"Have you seen Tomoyo around anywhere? She never came to bed last night." Sakura whispered to Neville the next morning. He smirked slightly.
"Eriol never came, either." Was all he had to say before Sakura burst into giggles. Meiling grinned.
"Does anyone have to ask what they were doing?" She laughed.
"What who were doing?" Came Tomoyo's soft voice from behind them. They all turned to see a bright and happy looking girl, her amethyst eyes sparkling with humor. Eriol came up behind her and slipped his arm around her waist, waiting for an answer. The friends simply grinned at each other and turned back to their breakfasts. Tomoyo and Eriol rolled their eyes, sitting in their assigned places in between Sakura and Neville.
"So...this is nice..." Harry commented, putting his arm around Ginny. Everyone looked at him in confusion.
"What is?" Lily asked, as she whacked James's hand away. (He had been trying to reach a piece of bacon on her plate, which she ardently refused to give up).
"Us. All together, like...like a family." Harry's eyes grew sad suddenly, and Rika put down the forkful of eggs she had been about to eat. Her eyes lowered to hide the tears, but sorrow showed in every line of her face. Ginny gently hugged Harry, and Draco quickly put his hand on Rika's shoulder, but neither noticed much. Arabella saw their faces, and cheerfully giggled, trying to lighten the mood.
"Of course! We are all a big, happy family...Harry?" Bella's words were cut off as Harry bolted up from the table and ran from the room, his face lowered. Rika buried her face in Draco's neck and he tried to make it look like they were hugging, but the group had already seen their reactions.
"What's wrong? Was it something I said?" Bella asked softly, her eyes hurt. Sakura looked away from Rika and shook her head, forcing a smile.
"No. It was nothing. Harry just felt sick this morning, and I think it caught up with him and Rika...she is just going through a tough time." The girl explained, picking up the book she had been reading before and then walking out of the room with Syaoran next to her. Draco tenderly drew Rika from the room, while Ron and Hermione walked out casually, talking to Eriol and Tomoyo.
"Alright...whatever you say." Sirius commented, as he and his friends watched them go.
~*~*~*~
"I just can't stand it! Why in crimany are we still here?!?!" Draco shouted, burying his head in his hands. Harry had taken refuge in the room that they would in later years, call their home, and the others had quickly followed him there.
"Voldemort." Sakura stated softly. Her friends turned and frowned at her.
"What?" Ron asked, exasperated.
"Harry, how do you think Voldemort knew that you were a danger to him...even when you were a baby?" Sakura asked. Harry frowned, but then his eyes lit in horror.
"NO! It's too dangerous! I can't confront him...here!" Harry choked. Sakura shook her head solemnly.
"You won't have to go to him. He's coming here...now." She whispered. Everyone looked around uneasily. The other students had arrived earlier that day, so everyone was back, and a target for Voldemort.
"Did you ever wonder...why Arabella acted like she knew us...even before we had officially met her?" Eriol asked slowly, looking thoughtful. They all looked at each other and turned pale.
"He's going to attack the school." Sakura whispered.
"But we are all here! Why then, didn't he come after all of us?" Harry asked. Sakura sighed.
"Because we will be working on keeping all the other students out of the Great Hall, while you confront him. Don't worry. I'll use the 'Shield Card' to keep them from hurting you." Sakura murmured.
"So...Harry has to face this all on his own?" Ron asked snappishly. Syaoran shook his head and put his arm around his fiancee's waist.
"I think I understand now. This is something personal, between Harry and Voldemort. That is why we can't interfere. It would change the future if we did." The amber eyed boy commented. Ron looked uncertain but nodded slowly. Ginny, however, buried her head in her boyfriend's chest.
"You had better come out of this alive, Harry Potter, or I will find some way to bring you back and kill you myself!" She whimpered. Harry smiled and pulled her into a tender kiss.
"I love you, Ginny. And I promise not to leave you." He murmured into her ear. Ginny hiccuped and snuggled into his arms, her tear-stained face still buried in his chest. For the first time, Ron did not react viciously to his best friend's affection to his sister. On the contrary, he pulled Hermione closer to him and kissed her hair, smiling at his friend.
"Now, we plan. Tomorrow morning, do everything that you can to keep everyone from going into the Great Hall, even if you have to pull your wand on them or disarm them...or stun them." Eriol said this last part hesitantly, but they all got the point. After making a few more plans, they said goodnight and went to bed.
But none of them got to sleep for quite some time after the other students had returned and gone to bed.
~*~*~*~
"Harry?"
"SHHHHHHH!!!"
"You shhhhhhhhh!"
"Shut up, you two!"
"Sorry, Draco."
"Gods! Can it be any more crowded in here?!"
"Ugh!!!"
This last groan was made by Harry, as he pulled the invisibility cloak off the ten people under it. Eriol had used an enlarging spell so that it would cover them all...but only to a certain extent. The first words had been spoken by Ron, followed by Hermione's command. Ron's snide comment followed, then of course, Draco had broken them up. It had been Syaoran's comment that had pushed Harry to taking the cloak off and continuing to walk without it.
"Now. Don't let anyone in. This is my battle. OH! Especially don't let my mum and dad in. I wouldn't want them to find out about us..." Harry's voice drifted off as he opened the huge doors of the Great Hall, and then stepped inside.
"No matter what you hear, DON'T OPEN THE DOORS!" He hissed, quickly pulling Ginny in for one last kiss before shutting the doors. Sakura had activated the 'Shield Card' and was now activating the lock, so the doors couldn't open until Harry's command.
"Now what?" Tomoyo asked softly. Rika turned and sighed.
"We wait."
Minutes later, the footsteps of early breakfasters met the ears of the nine waiting people, who stood in front of the doors like un-movable stones.
It was time.
~*~*~*~
~*~*~*~
Leopard Spots and Zebra Stripes
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 9.
"Isn't this wonderful?!" Sakura squealed that night, as she watched the newly formed couples snuggle near the fire. Syaoran chuckled and put his arm around her waist. She curled her back into his chest and sighed in contentment.
"Syaoran, if we only came her to help Harry and Rika get their parents together, then how come we're still here?" She whispered. Syaoran frowned thoughtfully.
"Maybe there is another reason." He murmured into her ear, causing her to shudder in delight at the warm breath on her neck. He smirked and gently kissed her earlobe.
"That reminds me. Where is Tomoyo?" He questioned. She shrugged.
"I don't know. She left at dinner, and I haven't seen her sense." She said, frowning with worry. Syaoran sighed and pulled her close.
"I am starting to worry about her. She has been so distant lately. Do you think something's wrong?" Sakura asked, her lips quivering. Syaoran shook his head.
"I think she's fine. But I agree. Something is not quite right there." He commented, pulling her even closer and closing his eyes in contentment. She smiled and followed his example.
Little did they know that a familiar young man had overheard their conversation, and he sat frowning in thought.
~*~*~*~
Tomoyo sat in a very dark corner of the library, and watched as the librarian did one final once-over and then left the room, locking the door behind her. Then the girl sighed with relief, and pulled out her wand.
"Finally, peace and quiet! Lumos!" She hissed, causing the end of her wand to light up her corner. Tomoyo cautiously pulled a book out from under the chair she was sitting on and began to read. It was one she had found earlier that day, when she was trying to get away from all her love-puppy friends. But her eyes refused to focus on the book.
"Pretending to read, Daidouji-san?" A soft voice asked suddenly. Tomoyo jumped and barely prevented herself from screaming.
"Hiiragizawa-kun, what are you doing here?" She snapped. Eriol chuckled.
"I could ask you the same question. Now let me ask a different one. Why the formalities?" He asked. She blinked and then turned away, a frown on her face.
"Go away, Eriol. I need some time to think." She muttered, forcing her eyes back on her book. The young man stepped out of the shadows behind her and took the book from her hands, causing her to growl. Eriol then proceeded to throw the book across the room and sit down in the seat next to her. Tomoyo's eyes narrowed in exasperation as she turned to look him in the eye. To her shock, his eyes did not hold the teasing light as his voice had only moments before. In fact, they were steely and probing. Almost hypnotic, and in moments, she felt her anger ebb away into uncertainty.
"What is wrong with you, Daidouji Tomoyo? Why are you doing this?" His voice was cold and imperious. Tomoyo shivered and drew back.
"Wh...what do you mean?" She stammered. His eyes narrowed.
"This! You are hiding from all of us! You are running away and disappearing whenever any one of your friends comes near you and you won't even tell Sakura what's wrong! How can they help you if they don't know what is wrong?" He growled. Tomoyo's eyes flared.
"Don't you ever get tired of it?" She asked in a dangerously soft voice. He frowned.
"What?"
"Don't you ever get tired of seeing them always together? You can never get one friend without their boyfriend/girlfriend trailing behind! Don't you ever feel like a third wheel?!" She hissed, pain filling her eyes. Eriol's eyes widened and the cold look left them.
"So you hide here so you don't feel like a third wheel?" He asked softly. Tomoyo sighed, the fire dying from her eyes.
"No, I hide here so I don't have to see them so happy without me. It's like Sakura doesn't even care about where I am anymore. I mean, I knew that we wouldn't always be together, but this was so sudden and I suppose I wasn't ready to loose my best friend to someone she likes better." At this, Tomoyo buried her head in her hands and silent sobs racked her body. Eriol's mind spun with this new development.
"You haven't lost her, Tomoyo. She has just found love, and someday you will too. Then you will understand." He whispered, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. Tomoyo buried her face in his shoulder and let herself cry for the first time since they had come to this time. Eriol held her, gently stroking her hair and whispering soft words of comfort into her ear.
Gradually, her tears slowed and she managed to become aware of her position once more. Blushing, she pulled back, her hand fluttering to her cheek as she brushed tears away. Eriol smirked and pulled her hand away from her face, gently brushing the remaining tears away with his thumb. Tomoyo started and pulled away.
"Thank you, Eriol-kun. But I don't think that love will come my way anytime soon." She mumbled, her eyes downcast. Eriol's head tilted to the side, and he smiled at her, almost wistfully.
"Why do you think that?" His voice was soft, not at all joking. Tomoyo frowned and glanced at him through lowered lashes.
"Well, you don't see any men throwing themselves at my feet, now do you? You don't see any of them paying attention to me." She sighed, a single tear racing down her cheek. Her heart tore painfully as she saw him look away, and more tears spilled down her face. Beside her, Eriol was struggling with a dilemma that he had been facing since he had seen her again that first night she had entered Hogwarts. Finally he made his decision.
"I know one person does. He does all of that, although you never noticed." He murmured, taking her chin in his hands and forcing her to look up. This time, he let her tears fall, and simply stared at her face. Then, without warning, his lips came down and touched hers chastely, no more than a breath of wind. But it was enough to make Tomoyo's breath catch and her eyes widen in shock.
Pulling back, he gazed into her eyes and tried to regain some self-control. But it broke as more tears fell. Before he could even think, his lips were running over her cheeks, kissing away the tears tenderly. Tomoyo's eyes closed in ecstasy, and she breathed in unsteady. Her heart was jumping into her throat, choking her up with some foreign emotion, and her mind was whirling at his ministrations.
"Eriol..." She sighed, her head falling back against the chair-back. Eriol pulled away, looking uncertainly at her. Their eyes locked, and held, both wondering what was to come next. Tomoyo licked her lips in anticipation, and all of Eriol's control broke. With a muffled groan, he pulled her in to his arms, his lips pressed firmly to hers. Quickly cajoling her lips open, he slid his tongue in, exploring. Tomoyo shuddered and returned his advances with just as much passion. Finally, they were forced to come up for air and their eyes locked once more, searching each other.
"Eriol...do you mean that?" She whispered, her breath catching. Eriol smiled.
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it, Tomoyo-tenshi. I love you. But do you love me?" He whispered, his lips kissing her cheek and then casually trailing down her neck. Tomoyo gasped and closed her eyes in delight.
"Yes, Eriol-mine, I love you." She breathed, as his lips captured her's once more. Then he pulled back, laughing.
"Now you can't complain about their snogging sessions!" He chuckled. Tomoyo glared at him and then grinned.
"Well, I won't if I actually start to experience it first hand..." This was all she needed to say before his lips captured hers once more, leading her into the very thing she had complained about for so long.
~*~*~*~
"Have you seen Tomoyo around anywhere? She never came to bed last night." Sakura whispered to Neville the next morning. He smirked slightly.
"Eriol never came, either." Was all he had to say before Sakura burst into giggles. Meiling grinned.
"Does anyone have to ask what they were doing?" She laughed.
"What who were doing?" Came Tomoyo's soft voice from behind them. They all turned to see a bright and happy looking girl, her amethyst eyes sparkling with humor. Eriol came up behind her and slipped his arm around her waist, waiting for an answer. The friends simply grinned at each other and turned back to their breakfasts. Tomoyo and Eriol rolled their eyes, sitting in their assigned places in between Sakura and Neville.
"So...this is nice..." Harry commented, putting his arm around Ginny. Everyone looked at him in confusion.
"What is?" Lily asked, as she whacked James's hand away. (He had been trying to reach a piece of bacon on her plate, which she ardently refused to give up).
"Us. All together, like...like a family." Harry's eyes grew sad suddenly, and Rika put down the forkful of eggs she had been about to eat. Her eyes lowered to hide the tears, but sorrow showed in every line of her face. Ginny gently hugged Harry, and Draco quickly put his hand on Rika's shoulder, but neither noticed much. Arabella saw their faces, and cheerfully giggled, trying to lighten the mood.
"Of course! We are all a big, happy family...Harry?" Bella's words were cut off as Harry bolted up from the table and ran from the room, his face lowered. Rika buried her face in Draco's neck and he tried to make it look like they were hugging, but the group had already seen their reactions.
"What's wrong? Was it something I said?" Bella asked softly, her eyes hurt. Sakura looked away from Rika and shook her head, forcing a smile.
"No. It was nothing. Harry just felt sick this morning, and I think it caught up with him and Rika...she is just going through a tough time." The girl explained, picking up the book she had been reading before and then walking out of the room with Syaoran next to her. Draco tenderly drew Rika from the room, while Ron and Hermione walked out casually, talking to Eriol and Tomoyo.
"Alright...whatever you say." Sirius commented, as he and his friends watched them go.
~*~*~*~
"I just can't stand it! Why in crimany are we still here?!?!" Draco shouted, burying his head in his hands. Harry had taken refuge in the room that they would in later years, call their home, and the others had quickly followed him there.
"Voldemort." Sakura stated softly. Her friends turned and frowned at her.
"What?" Ron asked, exasperated.
"Harry, how do you think Voldemort knew that you were a danger to him...even when you were a baby?" Sakura asked. Harry frowned, but then his eyes lit in horror.
"NO! It's too dangerous! I can't confront him...here!" Harry choked. Sakura shook her head solemnly.
"You won't have to go to him. He's coming here...now." She whispered. Everyone looked around uneasily. The other students had arrived earlier that day, so everyone was back, and a target for Voldemort.
"Did you ever wonder...why Arabella acted like she knew us...even before we had officially met her?" Eriol asked slowly, looking thoughtful. They all looked at each other and turned pale.
"He's going to attack the school." Sakura whispered.
"But we are all here! Why then, didn't he come after all of us?" Harry asked. Sakura sighed.
"Because we will be working on keeping all the other students out of the Great Hall, while you confront him. Don't worry. I'll use the 'Shield Card' to keep them from hurting you." Sakura murmured.
"So...Harry has to face this all on his own?" Ron asked snappishly. Syaoran shook his head and put his arm around his fiancee's waist.
"I think I understand now. This is something personal, between Harry and Voldemort. That is why we can't interfere. It would change the future if we did." The amber eyed boy commented. Ron looked uncertain but nodded slowly. Ginny, however, buried her head in her boyfriend's chest.
"You had better come out of this alive, Harry Potter, or I will find some way to bring you back and kill you myself!" She whimpered. Harry smiled and pulled her into a tender kiss.
"I love you, Ginny. And I promise not to leave you." He murmured into her ear. Ginny hiccuped and snuggled into his arms, her tear-stained face still buried in his chest. For the first time, Ron did not react viciously to his best friend's affection to his sister. On the contrary, he pulled Hermione closer to him and kissed her hair, smiling at his friend.
"Now, we plan. Tomorrow morning, do everything that you can to keep everyone from going into the Great Hall, even if you have to pull your wand on them or disarm them...or stun them." Eriol said this last part hesitantly, but they all got the point. After making a few more plans, they said goodnight and went to bed.
But none of them got to sleep for quite some time after the other students had returned and gone to bed.
~*~*~*~
"Harry?"
"SHHHHHHH!!!"
"You shhhhhhhhh!"
"Shut up, you two!"
"Sorry, Draco."
"Gods! Can it be any more crowded in here?!"
"Ugh!!!"
This last groan was made by Harry, as he pulled the invisibility cloak off the ten people under it. Eriol had used an enlarging spell so that it would cover them all...but only to a certain extent. The first words had been spoken by Ron, followed by Hermione's command. Ron's snide comment followed, then of course, Draco had broken them up. It had been Syaoran's comment that had pushed Harry to taking the cloak off and continuing to walk without it.
"Now. Don't let anyone in. This is my battle. OH! Especially don't let my mum and dad in. I wouldn't want them to find out about us..." Harry's voice drifted off as he opened the huge doors of the Great Hall, and then stepped inside.
"No matter what you hear, DON'T OPEN THE DOORS!" He hissed, quickly pulling Ginny in for one last kiss before shutting the doors. Sakura had activated the 'Shield Card' and was now activating the lock, so the doors couldn't open until Harry's command.
"Now what?" Tomoyo asked softly. Rika turned and sighed.
"We wait."
Minutes later, the footsteps of early breakfasters met the ears of the nine waiting people, who stood in front of the doors like un-movable stones.
It was time.
~*~*~*~