A/N: alright~! Go MEE~! THAAAANKZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ a **BUNCH** to my
faithful reviewers!! Ur comments and encouragement has given me new hope 2
rite agaiN!!! Dis, my frends, is probably THE longest chapter I've ever
written so hope you guys could AT LEAST drop a comment about it. Dis is the
long awaited chapters E+T fans!!!!!! although there is only ONE
=tiny= scene of mushiness at the end.. but it is STILL a scene... don't
worry~ I WILL add more in the future.. DIS I promise ^_~ anywayz.. ENJOY~!
~*AGAIN*~ with the dedication to my DEAR frend and reviewers: peoples (and uni, yes YOU) sadly, im forced to dedicate my chapter once again to my frend, for she had denied my request of continuing her fanfic in the last chapter since she said that she know not of UNI. SO, as a solution, I will specify my dedication of dis chapter to =EUNICE CHOI= (no where to run, no where to hiiiiide~~ muahahahahah) If YOU so wish to get revenge, then I suggest u to rite it in UR dedication in UR fanfic. Also, part of dis dedication goes out to all those beautiful reviewers or anyone who reads it. ^_~
'' =Thoughts
-.-.-. =change of scene
Disclaimer: CCS does not belong to me
Forever Loved
Chapter 6
Of Baffled Tears
By Violet Karuto
~*~
The crystalline lake reflected the image of the full moon as the breeze made cripples in the water. Little fireflies darted around like shooting stars, making the whole place look like something from a fantasy book. In the midst of this all, Princess Tomoyo leaned peacefully against a tree with her eyes closed while Moonlight was roaming around on her own.
This is like her second home; her hiding place from the suitors, her shelter from loneliness. This was her sanctuary and hers alone. She cannot remember when she found this place nor how she found it, since it was in the middle of the forest, but she remembered every branch and leave as if she had lived here all her life.
A noise can be heard from behind the bushes as Tomoyo snapped out of her reverie and looked nonchalantly at it. Moonlight rose her head from grazing and stared as a bunny-like creature popped out of the bushes.
'Luki', Tomoyo smiled gently at it before staring back to the lake once again enjoying the blissful silence. The bunny suddenly hopped onto her lap and started to tug at her sleeves. Confused, she stood up and let the creature guide her to one of the bushes by the tree that she was leaning on.
Pushing the leaves aside, Tomoyo came to a small clearing with the bunny jumping ahead.
On the ground, in front of her, there was a body, a body of a bird. Tomoyo let out a small gasp as she stares at its multicolored feathers shinning dully in the moonlight. It was a Mouri, a mysterious bird that roamed the night and lived deep within forests. For generations, people have been searching, for legend has it that its feathers contained magical powers beyond imagination.
To Tomoyo, it was normal to have a Mouri lying in front of her since she has been seeing a lot of them ever since she discovered this place. Most of the time Luki, the rabbit creature that was sitting in front of her, brings her victims from hunters so she could heal them with her magic.
On its side, there was a big gash by the right wing as silver-ish liquid poured out. Reaching to the body and kneeling down, she calmly placed a hand on its body. It was cold.
The bunny-creature, which is sitting by the bird, looked with pleading eyes towards Tomoyo. She nodded slowly before placing both of her hands on the bird. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her magic deep within.
She could feel her violet aura surrounded her as magic streamed from her fingertips into the bird's body. Slowly, in her mind's eye, she saw the wound repair itself and could hear a steady heartbeat on her eardrums.
/Thump, Thump/
/Thump, Thump/
Opening her eyes, she realized that the bird is already hopping around with Luki and that the thumping in her ears was no longer the bird's. Shaking her head, the sound of her heartbeat subsided as she tried to stand up. Half way, her legs suddenly buckled and she dropped back down onto the grass.
Alarmed, the Mouri and Luki hopped beside her and nudged her with their heads. Locking its eyes with Tomoyo's, the bunny-creature stares intently at her and Tomoyo stared back in return. Silence took over the place as Tomoyo slowly broke the eye contact and sighed to herself.
"No, Luki, there's nothing wrong with me. Just. I've been stressed out a lot lately. No need to worry about me. Go on, bring that Mouri back to its family before the hunters find it again", when Luki gave an unconvinced look, Tomoyo nudged it with her hands, "Go on", more persistently this time.
With one last look towards its mistress, Luki bounced into the shadows of the night followed by the Mouri, flying behind, and disappeared without a trace.
Brushing herself off, Tomoyo stood up and stretched while Moonlight walked over to her mistress.
"Might as well get back," she said to the mare, "Father must have calmed down by now"
Saddling the horse and heaved herself up, Tomoyo raced back towards the direction she came from, and away from her mysterious sanctuary.
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From behind a tree, there lurked a shadow invisible to the human eye. It stares intently at his target before disappearing into the darkness again.
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Beams of sunray shot through the curtains of every room in the Daidouji castle. As one of the beams caught onto the eyes of a sleeping girl, she stirred and turned over.
Suddenly, bolting up, Tomoyo had a feeling of bad vibes, and she was never wrong. Absentmindedly, she looked towards her right, then her left, up at the ceiling, and finally down, at her hands.
'Hmmm... its probably nothing' Tomoyo rubbed her eyes and stretched. A stab of pain shot through her head and Tomoyo winced visibly. 'Must have overworked myself last night', she thought, since the Mouri was at the brink of death last night and it takes up most of the healer's energy just to revive it. Looking besides her, she saw a carrot on the table beside her bed 'A carrot?' Then it hit her. She had forgot to report to her parents after coming back yesterday, there might be a search party, right now, looking for her in the wilderness.
'Oh no. Father is going to kill me.' Tomoyo remembered that she had headed straight for her room after the ride since she was so tired. 'Oh well might as well wash up and think of my apology speech'
Getting off her bed and digging her feet into the warm carpet, Tomoyo heard something outside. Curiously, she ran towards the balcony, ignoring the cold marble under her feet. Leaning out, she saw that two carriages just left through the main gate. At the last moment, Tomoyo caught the Royal Daidouji crest on one of the carriages.
'Wonder who it was.?' She went to her bathroom to wash up.
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"Thank you Prince Hiiragizawa, for agreeing to this," Queen Sonomi gave a grateful nod.
"No need Your Majesty," Eriol responded, "It's my duty to watch over the princess even if risking my life."
As they were talking, servants were hurrying back and forth to prepare the final touches and to make sure everything was in place.
"Miri," King Kimyako looked towards the servant girl by Eriol's side, "Please tell Princess Tomoyo of the arrangement on our behalf, and that we will return as soon as possible. We weren't suppose to leave until midday but there was an emergency and we were needed there as soon as possible. I don't have the heart to wake her up this early in the morning since she came back at almost dawn."
"Of course Your Majesties" Miri bowed.
"And." Queen Sonomi suddenly had an urge to cry but held herself back in time, "Tell her we will miss her very much during this time. Please," Sonomi held Miri's hands, "no matter what happens, take good care of your mistress."
"Please, don't talk like that, Your Majesty, nothing is going to happen." Suddenly, Queen Sonomi looked hesitantly towards her husband but said nothing as she looked down at her favorite servant. "But," Miri continued as she squeeze her mistress' hands tighter, "do take care of yourselves for I won't be there to serve you anymore." Miri sniffed a little and could feel her eyes getting heavier.
For a moment, Queen Sonomi just stood there, staring at the scene before her; the castle, the garden, the city, as if it was her last look before a long time.
Gravely, their Majesties stepped into the royal carriages as a manservant closed the doors.
"Farewell, Your Majesties, farewell! I'll be taking good care of Princess Tomoyo!"
Queen Sonomi gave one last look to Miri before signaling the driver to move on.
'There may be more than it seems' Eriol stare at the horizon of which the carriage disappears to. As the servants slowly returned back to the castle, they left Eriol and Miri standing, staring at the main gate.
At last, Miri was the first to come back to reality as she looked around, seeing that everyone had left except her and the prince.
"Prince Hiiragizawa..?" Miri looked uncertainly at the person next to her as she waited for a response.
After a few minutes, Eriol responded without taking his eyes off the gate, surprising Miri, who thought that he had forgotten that she was there.
"You are Princess Daidouji's close servant maid, Miri, isn't it?" Eriol nonchalantly looked back down at the girl in front of her.
"Y-yes, your grace" Miri nervously bowed her head.
"And are you also the one who will be informing Princess Daidouji of her parent's departure?"
"Yes..." Miri looked at Eriol baffled, not understanding where this is going.
"You should leave that job to me," Eriol started to head back towards the castle, "I will tell Princess Daidouji of the news once she wakes up."
"B-but, their Maje-" Miri was cut off by Eriol holding his hand up.
" *I* will be informing her. Is that clear?"
"As you wish, Prince Hiiragizawa" Miri kept her head down as Eriol made his way to the castle. At last, when he was gone, Miri gave one last look towards the gate before heading back herself.
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"Good morning everyone!" Tomoyo happily bounced into the kitchen as all the servants looked up from their duties, smiles at the princess, before returning back to what they were doing.
The Princess' love for horse riding was known throughout the castle. No matter if it was raining or hailing, the Princess would somehow sneak out without the consent of their Majesties and get back at almost midnight without them knowing that she was gone. Of course, as the routine goes, the Princess would always be in a happy mode the next day.
"Princess Tomoyo, I see you're having a good day." a voice was sounded from behind a mountain of dishes as Tomoyo dashed around it.
"Good morning to you too Aku,"
The cook smiled gently at her before turning on the water to wash the silverware.
"Oh, have you seen Mother and Father?" Tomoyo inquired curiously, not noticing the sudden change of expression on the cook's face.
"Oh Princess, I'm afraid they're-" Before she could finish, Tomoyo bounced to the door, where Miri just came in.
"Miri-chan, have you seen Father?" Tomoyo had a slightly worried expression noticing that something was wrong.
"Princess Tomoyo," Miri's eyes suddenly filled with water, "You've missed them, they're-"
"May I speak with you in private, Princess Daidouji?" a voice came behind Miri and she froze in the middle of her sentence.
Eriol towered over them with an indescribable expression on his face. The whole kitchen was silent as all the servants stopped working and looked at the scene before them.
"If you haven't noticed, Prince Hiiragizawa," Tomoyo said through clenched teeth, "I'm in the middle of a conversation and it isn't polite to interrupt, or have you no manners at all?"
Eriol's expression remained the same as Tomoyo glared at him and crossed her arms. Eriol smirked inwardly to himself as he looked down upon the irritated princess.
"If you're so curious to the whereabouts of your parents, then I will tell you. But we must speak alone" the tension of the room rose as Tomoyo remained silent through the time.
"Though as much as I wanted to hear it from YOU, Hiiragizawa," Tomoyo said with bitter sarcasm, "I would prefer Miri to tell me. Miri?" Tomoyo faced her best friend but saw that Miri's face was turned the other way.
"G-gomen, Princess" Miri whispered.
'Traitor' Tomoyo thought and turned to the Prince, "Fine" hesitantly, Tomoyo followed Eriol out of the kitchen door and into the garden, leaving a group of gaping servants.
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"Prince Hiiragizawa!" Tomoyo nearly screamed of frustration from following him around and walking in circles all day.
"Yes? My dear Princess?" Eriol smiled innocently, causing Tomoyo to fume even more.
"Don't 'Dear Princess' me. I DEMAND to know where are my parents and what have you done to them!"
"As you wish, but I assure you that they're fine. First, you must sit down" Eriol gestured towards the Victorian fountain in the middle of the garden. Giving him a don't-you-dare-do-anything death glare, Tomoyo sat down, as far from him as possible.
"Well," Eriol started, sitting down next to her despite her objections, "I have just been informed this morning that I will be taking care of you for this upcoming three months while your parents are away.." Eriol moved his hands, preparing to cover his ears.
"WHAT????!!!!!!!!!"
"As I was saying," He continued as if not heard her, "Their majesties had gave me the job of taking care of you and their castle while they're gone to the borders on business errands. You needn't worry about the kingdom for the King has given instructions to his most trustful counselors and lords of what to do. So in the meantime, I would be the representative of the kingdom in case anything happens."
Tomoyo stared at Eriol in shock as she slowly registered of what he was saying. At last, she found her voice.
"Ho-How could they do this to me? They never left me alone before.. and this time..? With a TOTAL stranger! I mean.. FOR GOD'S SAKES! You're just a prince! How could they even LEAVE the kingdom into a hands of an amateur!!"
Tomoyo was on the verge of tears. Everything's falling apart before her eyes. Looking towards the grass on the ground, she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she could wake up from this nightmare. 'This is wrong... they couldn't just leave like that... Leaving me, alone. All alone...' Images of Sakura in Syaoran's arms and walking away together appeared in her head and she hugged herself.
Slowly, Tomoyo could feel herself being wrapped in a warm embrace. Looking up from her unknown tears, she stares into the azure eyes of the prince. Not knowing anything anymore, Tomoyo leaned towards his body for comfort as he stroked her back soothingly.
"I know this isn't a good time to bring this up... but I thought you have the right to know..." Tomoyo looked up dazedly and found that their faces were just a few inches away.
Eriol's breath caught in his throat as he stares hungrily at the luxurious full lips. Clearing his throat he silently reminded himself, 'This is all just a game, after 3 months, I'll be done with her. I'm just playing with her.'
Finally, getting back his senses, Eriol tightened his hold on Tomoyo and continued, "I think... That there might be a possibility that their majesties might not return.." Eriol trailed off, not knowing whether he did the right thing by telling her this.
At first, he's not so sure about that predicament himself, but his Clow Reed instinct had told him of a bad omen in the near future concerning the king and queen of the Daidouji Kingdom.
He could feel Tomoyo stiffened in his arms as he stares uncertainly down at her. Suddenly Tomoyo jerked out of his arms and stood, face to the ground, with the hair as a veil to cover her face.
Images of the past flashed by Tomoyo's eyes; the days of playing with her dear Sakura-chan and making clothes for her, the day Li asked Sakura to marry him, the time when she has to be the bride's maid and watch as Sakura and Li kiss on the altar. Finally, till now, standing in front of Prince Hiiragizawa, crying.
'Pathetic' Tomoyo thought bitterly to herself, 'You shouldn't even care if they never return. Didn't you promise to seal off your heart from further hurt? Even from your family? So why are there tears on your face right now? Everything was fine until..' Tomoyo's mind was in a jumble mess as she tried to sort everything out but failed.
Tomoyo's head suddenly shot up to meet Eriol's as he took a step back.
"To-" Eriol started towards her but she backed up against the fountain.
"Everything was just fine." her voice was barely audible but he heard her nonetheless, "everything was just fine until YOU came along!" Her eyes were filled with angry tears as she glared at him.
"Tomoyo, listen, I-", for some reason, Eriol had a sudden urge to hug her fragile body against him and tell her that everything's going to be all right.
But they're not all right.
"Don't call me by my name!" Tomoyo strayed further and further from him as she walked backwards towards the castle, "YOU, just stay away from me. As far as possible" Then she broke into a run leaving behind a shocked prince.
Eriol started to follow her but stopped halfway, 'What are you doing? It isn't like you to get tangle up in girl emotions. Just leave it be and in days she'll be running into your arms once again. But,' another part of his heart argued, 'why do I have this guilty feeling?' Running his hand through his midnight blue hair, he looked towards the disappearing shadow of the princess.
"This is all just a game..."
~*~
Mouri- dis is jus a name I came up at the moment.. no special meanin~ ^_^
A/N: hmmmm dis is leaning more onto the fantasy side by the moment. o well~~ im so happy dat I finally finished dis chappie!!! Weee!! Plez PLEZ drop a comment~! 2 tell the truth. at first im about 2 give up dis fanfic too~ but then after all ur guy's comments, I feel muuuuuuch beta and dat I realized dat ritin dis is actually fuN!!! So THANKS a BUUNCH 2 everyone and anyone dat actually read dis story!! *teary eyed* Aaaaaaaanywayz~ im reeeeeeeally tired rite now since its like 12:00am.. Have skool tomorrow... *yawn* Good night.. O and did I forget 2 tell u 2 drop a REVIEW???? ^_~ alrite I'll leave the rest up 2 u. until next time~! O and HAPPY HOLIDAYS~
________________ * = a very tiny star ne?
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______________/_ o_ _\
____________ O/___o \O
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____________/__o______\
__________ O /________\ O
___________ /_______o__\
__________ /__o_________\
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________ O_____|___|_____O
o well~ thought I could do somethin special in dis fic. but. it DOES look like a christmas tree no? ^_^;; yes yes. DAT *points to jumble of symbols* is a suppose-to-be christmas tree.^_^ well.. its the thought dat counts rite??
~*AGAIN*~ with the dedication to my DEAR frend and reviewers: peoples (and uni, yes YOU) sadly, im forced to dedicate my chapter once again to my frend, for she had denied my request of continuing her fanfic in the last chapter since she said that she know not of UNI. SO, as a solution, I will specify my dedication of dis chapter to =EUNICE CHOI= (no where to run, no where to hiiiiide~~ muahahahahah) If YOU so wish to get revenge, then I suggest u to rite it in UR dedication in UR fanfic. Also, part of dis dedication goes out to all those beautiful reviewers or anyone who reads it. ^_~
'' =Thoughts
-.-.-. =change of scene
Disclaimer: CCS does not belong to me
Forever Loved
Chapter 6
Of Baffled Tears
By Violet Karuto
~*~
The crystalline lake reflected the image of the full moon as the breeze made cripples in the water. Little fireflies darted around like shooting stars, making the whole place look like something from a fantasy book. In the midst of this all, Princess Tomoyo leaned peacefully against a tree with her eyes closed while Moonlight was roaming around on her own.
This is like her second home; her hiding place from the suitors, her shelter from loneliness. This was her sanctuary and hers alone. She cannot remember when she found this place nor how she found it, since it was in the middle of the forest, but she remembered every branch and leave as if she had lived here all her life.
A noise can be heard from behind the bushes as Tomoyo snapped out of her reverie and looked nonchalantly at it. Moonlight rose her head from grazing and stared as a bunny-like creature popped out of the bushes.
'Luki', Tomoyo smiled gently at it before staring back to the lake once again enjoying the blissful silence. The bunny suddenly hopped onto her lap and started to tug at her sleeves. Confused, she stood up and let the creature guide her to one of the bushes by the tree that she was leaning on.
Pushing the leaves aside, Tomoyo came to a small clearing with the bunny jumping ahead.
On the ground, in front of her, there was a body, a body of a bird. Tomoyo let out a small gasp as she stares at its multicolored feathers shinning dully in the moonlight. It was a Mouri, a mysterious bird that roamed the night and lived deep within forests. For generations, people have been searching, for legend has it that its feathers contained magical powers beyond imagination.
To Tomoyo, it was normal to have a Mouri lying in front of her since she has been seeing a lot of them ever since she discovered this place. Most of the time Luki, the rabbit creature that was sitting in front of her, brings her victims from hunters so she could heal them with her magic.
On its side, there was a big gash by the right wing as silver-ish liquid poured out. Reaching to the body and kneeling down, she calmly placed a hand on its body. It was cold.
The bunny-creature, which is sitting by the bird, looked with pleading eyes towards Tomoyo. She nodded slowly before placing both of her hands on the bird. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her magic deep within.
She could feel her violet aura surrounded her as magic streamed from her fingertips into the bird's body. Slowly, in her mind's eye, she saw the wound repair itself and could hear a steady heartbeat on her eardrums.
/Thump, Thump/
/Thump, Thump/
Opening her eyes, she realized that the bird is already hopping around with Luki and that the thumping in her ears was no longer the bird's. Shaking her head, the sound of her heartbeat subsided as she tried to stand up. Half way, her legs suddenly buckled and she dropped back down onto the grass.
Alarmed, the Mouri and Luki hopped beside her and nudged her with their heads. Locking its eyes with Tomoyo's, the bunny-creature stares intently at her and Tomoyo stared back in return. Silence took over the place as Tomoyo slowly broke the eye contact and sighed to herself.
"No, Luki, there's nothing wrong with me. Just. I've been stressed out a lot lately. No need to worry about me. Go on, bring that Mouri back to its family before the hunters find it again", when Luki gave an unconvinced look, Tomoyo nudged it with her hands, "Go on", more persistently this time.
With one last look towards its mistress, Luki bounced into the shadows of the night followed by the Mouri, flying behind, and disappeared without a trace.
Brushing herself off, Tomoyo stood up and stretched while Moonlight walked over to her mistress.
"Might as well get back," she said to the mare, "Father must have calmed down by now"
Saddling the horse and heaved herself up, Tomoyo raced back towards the direction she came from, and away from her mysterious sanctuary.
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From behind a tree, there lurked a shadow invisible to the human eye. It stares intently at his target before disappearing into the darkness again.
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Beams of sunray shot through the curtains of every room in the Daidouji castle. As one of the beams caught onto the eyes of a sleeping girl, she stirred and turned over.
Suddenly, bolting up, Tomoyo had a feeling of bad vibes, and she was never wrong. Absentmindedly, she looked towards her right, then her left, up at the ceiling, and finally down, at her hands.
'Hmmm... its probably nothing' Tomoyo rubbed her eyes and stretched. A stab of pain shot through her head and Tomoyo winced visibly. 'Must have overworked myself last night', she thought, since the Mouri was at the brink of death last night and it takes up most of the healer's energy just to revive it. Looking besides her, she saw a carrot on the table beside her bed 'A carrot?' Then it hit her. She had forgot to report to her parents after coming back yesterday, there might be a search party, right now, looking for her in the wilderness.
'Oh no. Father is going to kill me.' Tomoyo remembered that she had headed straight for her room after the ride since she was so tired. 'Oh well might as well wash up and think of my apology speech'
Getting off her bed and digging her feet into the warm carpet, Tomoyo heard something outside. Curiously, she ran towards the balcony, ignoring the cold marble under her feet. Leaning out, she saw that two carriages just left through the main gate. At the last moment, Tomoyo caught the Royal Daidouji crest on one of the carriages.
'Wonder who it was.?' She went to her bathroom to wash up.
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"Thank you Prince Hiiragizawa, for agreeing to this," Queen Sonomi gave a grateful nod.
"No need Your Majesty," Eriol responded, "It's my duty to watch over the princess even if risking my life."
As they were talking, servants were hurrying back and forth to prepare the final touches and to make sure everything was in place.
"Miri," King Kimyako looked towards the servant girl by Eriol's side, "Please tell Princess Tomoyo of the arrangement on our behalf, and that we will return as soon as possible. We weren't suppose to leave until midday but there was an emergency and we were needed there as soon as possible. I don't have the heart to wake her up this early in the morning since she came back at almost dawn."
"Of course Your Majesties" Miri bowed.
"And." Queen Sonomi suddenly had an urge to cry but held herself back in time, "Tell her we will miss her very much during this time. Please," Sonomi held Miri's hands, "no matter what happens, take good care of your mistress."
"Please, don't talk like that, Your Majesty, nothing is going to happen." Suddenly, Queen Sonomi looked hesitantly towards her husband but said nothing as she looked down at her favorite servant. "But," Miri continued as she squeeze her mistress' hands tighter, "do take care of yourselves for I won't be there to serve you anymore." Miri sniffed a little and could feel her eyes getting heavier.
For a moment, Queen Sonomi just stood there, staring at the scene before her; the castle, the garden, the city, as if it was her last look before a long time.
Gravely, their Majesties stepped into the royal carriages as a manservant closed the doors.
"Farewell, Your Majesties, farewell! I'll be taking good care of Princess Tomoyo!"
Queen Sonomi gave one last look to Miri before signaling the driver to move on.
'There may be more than it seems' Eriol stare at the horizon of which the carriage disappears to. As the servants slowly returned back to the castle, they left Eriol and Miri standing, staring at the main gate.
At last, Miri was the first to come back to reality as she looked around, seeing that everyone had left except her and the prince.
"Prince Hiiragizawa..?" Miri looked uncertainly at the person next to her as she waited for a response.
After a few minutes, Eriol responded without taking his eyes off the gate, surprising Miri, who thought that he had forgotten that she was there.
"You are Princess Daidouji's close servant maid, Miri, isn't it?" Eriol nonchalantly looked back down at the girl in front of her.
"Y-yes, your grace" Miri nervously bowed her head.
"And are you also the one who will be informing Princess Daidouji of her parent's departure?"
"Yes..." Miri looked at Eriol baffled, not understanding where this is going.
"You should leave that job to me," Eriol started to head back towards the castle, "I will tell Princess Daidouji of the news once she wakes up."
"B-but, their Maje-" Miri was cut off by Eriol holding his hand up.
" *I* will be informing her. Is that clear?"
"As you wish, Prince Hiiragizawa" Miri kept her head down as Eriol made his way to the castle. At last, when he was gone, Miri gave one last look towards the gate before heading back herself.
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"Good morning everyone!" Tomoyo happily bounced into the kitchen as all the servants looked up from their duties, smiles at the princess, before returning back to what they were doing.
The Princess' love for horse riding was known throughout the castle. No matter if it was raining or hailing, the Princess would somehow sneak out without the consent of their Majesties and get back at almost midnight without them knowing that she was gone. Of course, as the routine goes, the Princess would always be in a happy mode the next day.
"Princess Tomoyo, I see you're having a good day." a voice was sounded from behind a mountain of dishes as Tomoyo dashed around it.
"Good morning to you too Aku,"
The cook smiled gently at her before turning on the water to wash the silverware.
"Oh, have you seen Mother and Father?" Tomoyo inquired curiously, not noticing the sudden change of expression on the cook's face.
"Oh Princess, I'm afraid they're-" Before she could finish, Tomoyo bounced to the door, where Miri just came in.
"Miri-chan, have you seen Father?" Tomoyo had a slightly worried expression noticing that something was wrong.
"Princess Tomoyo," Miri's eyes suddenly filled with water, "You've missed them, they're-"
"May I speak with you in private, Princess Daidouji?" a voice came behind Miri and she froze in the middle of her sentence.
Eriol towered over them with an indescribable expression on his face. The whole kitchen was silent as all the servants stopped working and looked at the scene before them.
"If you haven't noticed, Prince Hiiragizawa," Tomoyo said through clenched teeth, "I'm in the middle of a conversation and it isn't polite to interrupt, or have you no manners at all?"
Eriol's expression remained the same as Tomoyo glared at him and crossed her arms. Eriol smirked inwardly to himself as he looked down upon the irritated princess.
"If you're so curious to the whereabouts of your parents, then I will tell you. But we must speak alone" the tension of the room rose as Tomoyo remained silent through the time.
"Though as much as I wanted to hear it from YOU, Hiiragizawa," Tomoyo said with bitter sarcasm, "I would prefer Miri to tell me. Miri?" Tomoyo faced her best friend but saw that Miri's face was turned the other way.
"G-gomen, Princess" Miri whispered.
'Traitor' Tomoyo thought and turned to the Prince, "Fine" hesitantly, Tomoyo followed Eriol out of the kitchen door and into the garden, leaving a group of gaping servants.
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"Prince Hiiragizawa!" Tomoyo nearly screamed of frustration from following him around and walking in circles all day.
"Yes? My dear Princess?" Eriol smiled innocently, causing Tomoyo to fume even more.
"Don't 'Dear Princess' me. I DEMAND to know where are my parents and what have you done to them!"
"As you wish, but I assure you that they're fine. First, you must sit down" Eriol gestured towards the Victorian fountain in the middle of the garden. Giving him a don't-you-dare-do-anything death glare, Tomoyo sat down, as far from him as possible.
"Well," Eriol started, sitting down next to her despite her objections, "I have just been informed this morning that I will be taking care of you for this upcoming three months while your parents are away.." Eriol moved his hands, preparing to cover his ears.
"WHAT????!!!!!!!!!"
"As I was saying," He continued as if not heard her, "Their majesties had gave me the job of taking care of you and their castle while they're gone to the borders on business errands. You needn't worry about the kingdom for the King has given instructions to his most trustful counselors and lords of what to do. So in the meantime, I would be the representative of the kingdom in case anything happens."
Tomoyo stared at Eriol in shock as she slowly registered of what he was saying. At last, she found her voice.
"Ho-How could they do this to me? They never left me alone before.. and this time..? With a TOTAL stranger! I mean.. FOR GOD'S SAKES! You're just a prince! How could they even LEAVE the kingdom into a hands of an amateur!!"
Tomoyo was on the verge of tears. Everything's falling apart before her eyes. Looking towards the grass on the ground, she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she could wake up from this nightmare. 'This is wrong... they couldn't just leave like that... Leaving me, alone. All alone...' Images of Sakura in Syaoran's arms and walking away together appeared in her head and she hugged herself.
Slowly, Tomoyo could feel herself being wrapped in a warm embrace. Looking up from her unknown tears, she stares into the azure eyes of the prince. Not knowing anything anymore, Tomoyo leaned towards his body for comfort as he stroked her back soothingly.
"I know this isn't a good time to bring this up... but I thought you have the right to know..." Tomoyo looked up dazedly and found that their faces were just a few inches away.
Eriol's breath caught in his throat as he stares hungrily at the luxurious full lips. Clearing his throat he silently reminded himself, 'This is all just a game, after 3 months, I'll be done with her. I'm just playing with her.'
Finally, getting back his senses, Eriol tightened his hold on Tomoyo and continued, "I think... That there might be a possibility that their majesties might not return.." Eriol trailed off, not knowing whether he did the right thing by telling her this.
At first, he's not so sure about that predicament himself, but his Clow Reed instinct had told him of a bad omen in the near future concerning the king and queen of the Daidouji Kingdom.
He could feel Tomoyo stiffened in his arms as he stares uncertainly down at her. Suddenly Tomoyo jerked out of his arms and stood, face to the ground, with the hair as a veil to cover her face.
Images of the past flashed by Tomoyo's eyes; the days of playing with her dear Sakura-chan and making clothes for her, the day Li asked Sakura to marry him, the time when she has to be the bride's maid and watch as Sakura and Li kiss on the altar. Finally, till now, standing in front of Prince Hiiragizawa, crying.
'Pathetic' Tomoyo thought bitterly to herself, 'You shouldn't even care if they never return. Didn't you promise to seal off your heart from further hurt? Even from your family? So why are there tears on your face right now? Everything was fine until..' Tomoyo's mind was in a jumble mess as she tried to sort everything out but failed.
Tomoyo's head suddenly shot up to meet Eriol's as he took a step back.
"To-" Eriol started towards her but she backed up against the fountain.
"Everything was just fine." her voice was barely audible but he heard her nonetheless, "everything was just fine until YOU came along!" Her eyes were filled with angry tears as she glared at him.
"Tomoyo, listen, I-", for some reason, Eriol had a sudden urge to hug her fragile body against him and tell her that everything's going to be all right.
But they're not all right.
"Don't call me by my name!" Tomoyo strayed further and further from him as she walked backwards towards the castle, "YOU, just stay away from me. As far as possible" Then she broke into a run leaving behind a shocked prince.
Eriol started to follow her but stopped halfway, 'What are you doing? It isn't like you to get tangle up in girl emotions. Just leave it be and in days she'll be running into your arms once again. But,' another part of his heart argued, 'why do I have this guilty feeling?' Running his hand through his midnight blue hair, he looked towards the disappearing shadow of the princess.
"This is all just a game..."
~*~
Mouri- dis is jus a name I came up at the moment.. no special meanin~ ^_^
A/N: hmmmm dis is leaning more onto the fantasy side by the moment. o well~~ im so happy dat I finally finished dis chappie!!! Weee!! Plez PLEZ drop a comment~! 2 tell the truth. at first im about 2 give up dis fanfic too~ but then after all ur guy's comments, I feel muuuuuuch beta and dat I realized dat ritin dis is actually fuN!!! So THANKS a BUUNCH 2 everyone and anyone dat actually read dis story!! *teary eyed* Aaaaaaaanywayz~ im reeeeeeeally tired rite now since its like 12:00am.. Have skool tomorrow... *yawn* Good night.. O and did I forget 2 tell u 2 drop a REVIEW???? ^_~ alrite I'll leave the rest up 2 u. until next time~! O and HAPPY HOLIDAYS~
________________ * = a very tiny star ne?
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o well~ thought I could do somethin special in dis fic. but. it DOES look like a christmas tree no? ^_^;; yes yes. DAT *points to jumble of symbols* is a suppose-to-be christmas tree.^_^ well.. its the thought dat counts rite??