Chapter 11-Tomoyo
It was raining hard that day when Sakura came over.
" So, are you going to the prom?" I asked.
" Iie." She muttered. " If I do, someone's going to try to...go with me." meaning a
boy.
I raised my eyebrows. " Oh well." I shrugged. I didn't care if she went or not, as long as she and Syaoran remain loyal.
" Do you want to try the cake I made?" I asked, bringing out this huge cake.
Sakura shrugged and tasted it.
" Pretty good." She smiled.
She use to jump up and say, " Wow Tomoyo-chan! I told you you were a good cook!" and make me feel so smug and proud of myself.
She doesn't do that anymore. People change.
" Did you finish that report?" I asked.
Sakura rolled her eyes. " I didn't even start it yet."
" Kami-sama."
" Kami-sama." Sakura agreed. " There's so much work to do this weekend! Global
Studies, we have to find ten articles, and English the composition, and Japanese the
report. Good heavens."
" Well, you can always have Eriol write one for you." I laughed. Sakura giggled.
" Oh please! That's cheating!"
I shrugged.
It stopped raining that night and I found Yue outside.
" Why aren't you with Syaoran?" I asked.
Yue did not answer.
In fact, he seemed pretty much like the Yue we all knew before there ever
was this whole nonsense about Syaoran being his son. Cold, indifferent, apart. He
did not look at me.
I was outside in the park because I couldn't sleep. I did not know why Yue was out here.
" What are you doing here?"
" It does not matter."
I looked at him, puzzled, and stayed silent for a moment.
" Did something happen?"
" It doesn't matter."
" Stop saying that. Tell me, what's wrong?"
" Nothing is wrong. He's outside."
" Syaoran?"
" Hai."
" Outside? But...where?"
Yue looked up at the moon. " He'll be back soon enough."
" You came to be your own self." I suddenly realized.
Yue turned and looked at me. " Iie." He answered. " That is not why I came
here, but good try."
" Then why?" I asked.
Yue raised a finger and pointed. " See there?" He asked. I followed his line of vision and saw it. A shadow, starting to fall.
" Is that Syaoran?!" I cried.
Syaoran fell from the skies, but as he neared the ground he slowed. Yue caught him and Syaoran stood on his feet. He looked in my direction.
" What are you doing out here?"
It was Yue's question. I started to speak, then shut my mouth.
" It doesn't matter."
" Do not play with me, Tomoyo." Yue answered humorlessly. " You shouldn't be
out here."
" I couldn't sleep."
" Neither could Syaoran."
I blinked. Sakura told me about how she visited Syaoran every night.
" Don't you want to see her?" I asked Syaoran. Syaoran closed his eyes.
" She doesn't want to see him." Yue answered.
Disturbed, I reached out to touch Syaoran's arm. Syaoran flung my hand away. I stepped back, hurt, but Yue gathered him into his arms. With one flap of his wings, he left me there, alone in the quiet park.
The moon was new.
" It has been three years."
Three joyful yet sorrowful years. It's true, what Eriol said. I felt tired. Three years of fighting something I could not fight. I wanted to fight for Syaoran, and I think everyone else felt the same.
" Baoyu had a jade also," Spinel remarked, and none of us knew what he was talking about except Syaoran. " He was born with a jade in his mouth."
I turned back to Touya.
" No more ice cream." I answered. " I'm getting sick of it."
" I know what you mean." Touya answered. " No vanilla."
Xuyan looked over at us.
" How long are you staying here?" Eriol asked again.
" For as long as the end delays." Xuyan shrugged. " The other night seemed to
delay it quite a lot."
Whatever he meant, it probably was true. Syaoran looked healthier that day. He looked at everyone as if he were observing us.
Yue on the other hand, acted strangely. He seemed more cold than normal. Somehow the coldness made him look almost...more powerful.
Syaoran curled up on his lap and slept.
" I want ice cream."
I grimaced. I was getting tired of ice cream. How could Kero stand that thing?
Touya must have thought the same thing, but since he really had nothing else to do he decided to give Kero some. Then I remembered. Kero didn't have any yet. But even if he did, I shouldn't expect any less.
One good thing came out of Syaoran's deafness. We could yell and shout and
stamp all we want and Syaoran wouldn't wake up. Before, we use to talk in
whispers. At first, we still talked in whispers. Then we got use to talking normally
when Syaoran was the only one sleeping. Sometimes we do shout. Like today.
" AAAAh! I got brainfreeze!"
" That's what you get for biting more than you can-swallow." Touya cocked an
eyebrow at Kero. Kero humphed and decided not to answer.
Yue closed his eyes and slept as well.
Come to think of it, we haven't seen Yukito that much lately.
" Anyone in for Chinese Poker?"
" Not really."
" I don't feel like doing anything."
" I'm in for sleep."
" You sleep too much, Spinel."
" Who cares. Anyone going to that prom?"
" Iie. Too many boys."
" You mean too many suitors."
" Eriol's getting jealous."
" Not funny."
" I know."
" What day is today?"
" May something."
" Wow."
" Hai."
" Two more months and it's Syaoran's birthday."
" What date is today?"
" May...seventeenth."
" Less than two months, then."
" Anyone in for playing that cello?"
" Syaoran's cello is too squeaky."
" Play yours, then."
" I don't feel like it."
" What about your violin?"
" My violin's squeaky too."
" Good heavens."
" Did anyone finish that Japanese report?"
" I didn't start it. When is it due?"
" I am halfway through."
" I'm finished."
" When is it due?"
" Somewhere next week."
" Did you find the ten articles?"
" I found two. It's hard to get any on empathy."
" I found nine. I think seven of them are not legible."
" How come?"
" You need a magnifying glass."
At this point, Syaoran woke up. Probably because Yue woke him, but in any case he blinked his blind eyes and looked around at us as if he could see.
For a moment we really thought he could see.
" Hey, Syaoran, how are you doing?" Kero asked good naturedly.
Syaoran shrugged, then yawned. He gazed down at where the cards are.
" Anyone in for playing poker?" Eriol asked.
" Sure. I want a chance to beat Syaoran."
" Like that will ever happen." Sakura laughed, and Syaoran smiled, taking the cards
and shuffling them. He began to deal. Not very well though.
" Here, I'll do it." Eriol took the cards. Sakura laughed.
" Make sure you don't drop it into the tea!"
" Hmph!"
And so we played Chinese poker for the rest of the night. In the end, of course, Syaoran won. But it was the best game we'd ever played for a long while.
