Dance With Me

Part 5

It was seven forty-four, and Eriol stood facing the door in front of the Kinomoto house. Taking a quick glance around, he brought his hands together and whispered a few inaudible words. A swirling of darkness filled his cupped hands, cold smoky wisps of aura overflowing and streaming through cracks between his fingers. It was a simple power-draining spell with a few improvements: the spell would siphon off some of Sakura's power, pass it to Eriol, and allow their auras to link for a while. This would let him find out exactly why she was getting such a energy boost.

He clenched his hands shut in one swift movement, and the spell disappeared. Hopefully there weren't any strange side-effects. This spell hadn't been used for ages.

Eriol pressed the doorbell. As he straightened his white collared shirt and black pants, a loud, cheerful "Coming!" rang out in answer. He heard a muffled burst of giggles, and then another voice saying, "Fine Sakura, I'll go get it!" A moment later, the door swung open. There stood a bright-eyed goddess, a strange and beautiful girl he didn't know. She wore a sparkling pink dress that curved and fitted over her perfectly. Her black hair was pulled back, cascading down in a liquid ocean of waves and ringlets.

The scent of fresh roses drifted into his nose, and he couldn't stop staring at her.

When the goddess gave him a small, tentative smile, he finally realized that it was Tomoyo. He opened his mouth to say something, but she turned and called over her shoulder before he could speak. "He's here, you guys!" She looked back at him. "Everyone else is already here, so we can go now," she said. The excited pink tint had escaped from her cheeks, and her face froze into an expression of distant formality. Why? thought Eriol.

"Oh, hi Eriol!" said Sakura as she stepped out of the house with a disheveled-looking Syaoran in tow. "Wow, you look great!" She was wearing a white tank top with a small pink flower in the middle and a skirt emblazoned with a cherry blossom pattern. Looking back down at his own clothes, Eriol realized that he had dressed himself a bit too formally to match Sakura's light, casual style. Syaoran, on the other hand, wore only a green T-shirt and loose blue jeans. Curiously, the two seemed to be perfectly dressed for each other.

Darkness rapidly approached as the four of them walked briskly toward the school. Sakura chatted happily with everyone, but Eriol noticed that she was drawn to Syaoran the most. She laughed and prodded and teased him, and he replied in a similar fashion. After a few minutes, she was talking mostly to him. They were walking together in front of them now; Eriol was lagging a short distance behind on purpose, to watch her. He could sense the constant flowing of energy inside her, so intense that it was like the waves of the sea crashing against rocks. Smiling to himself, he wondered what it would be like to have such power for his own.   

"Pretty, isn't she?" A strained voice pierced his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Tomoyo was walking along next to him and staring off to the side. She had mistaken his silence for awe at Sakura.

Eriol thought quickly. "Yes, she is," he said agreeably. "But then, so are you."

Her head whipped up, her eyes imploring his face. But her shining hope fled again at once. "You're just saying that, because you're always so nice," she said.

"Am I?" he asked. He hoped that she hadn't caught the trace of sadness in his voice. This was almost too much for him to bear. Tomoyo had been kind and brave enough to give him the homemade chocolates, which now lay treasured in his room. And now she thought that he didn't care for her, when all he wanted to do right now was to gather her into his arms and breathe in that heavenly Tomoyo scent.

But he couldn't do that now, for if he did, he wouldn't be able to let go of her. This night was his chance to derive the origins of Sakura's power; he couldn't give up all his planning and work, as much as he wanted Tomoyo to be the one he'd be dancing with tonight.

"My, what a charming couple!" said the teacher at the entrance to the gym. "That'll be five dollars, please." She smiled warmly at Tomoyo and Eriol.

Tomoyo watched him blush, and knew that her own cheeks were burning as well. When he remained silent, she boldly bursted out, "No, Mrs. Okawa, we're not a couple. My date's over there. Syaoran! C'mon!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, accepting the five-dollar bill from Syaoran. "It's just that you two...looked like you fit together."

As Tomoyo walked into the gym, she heard a giggle from Sakura. She glared at her honey-haired friend, but as soon as Sakura had paid the admission, she bounced over to Tomoyo and whispered in her ear, "She's right. You and Eriol look like you dressed for each other!"

Tomoyo flushed pink. "We do not!" she said indignantly. Sakura only smiled and skipped to Syaoran, who was standing around awkwardly with his hands in his pockets.

"Um..." It was Eriol, and he had heard everything.

Reddening with embarrassment, she swiveled around and surveyed the inside of the gym instead of attempting to make conversation. Red, pink, and white balloons floated around in each corner and were tied in a large arch near the DJ's stand. Hearts and banners decorated the walls. Only a few people were wandering about in the gym, but more were steadily streaming in from the door. A dusky darkness filled the place, reflecting the atmosphere of sunset outside. Bright colored lights in various shapes swept over everything. It was currently in the form of deep blue hearts, rotating slowly over the back wall.

Tomoyo heaved a sigh, asking herself why she had come. Oh yes. Because Syaoran had asked her. And why had he come? Because Sakura had asked him to. And why had she come? Because... Tomoyo swallowed hard, cursing the moistness that had suddenly leapt to her eyes. Because...because Eriol wants to dance with her, that's why, she scolded herself. So stop wallowing in your stupid self-misery and stop crying, or he'll notice, he'll see you crying, you'll ruin everything-

Suddenly, he was there, right in front of her, and she quickly scrubbed away the tears. He wore a look of deep concern, of sympathy. "Are you all right, Tomoyo?" he said.

Of course I'm not all right. I don't want your sympathy. "Yes, I'm fine," she lied. "I just had something in my eye."

"I see," he said, and turned away from her. Tomoyo almost cried out, No, come back, I need you! But she managed to hold it in. Just barely.

A song filled with catchy beats began to play, feeling like the exact opposite of her mood. Many people started to dance. "Hey Eriol! Tomo! Get over here, let's dance!" called Sakura, waving excitedly to them.

Eriol started towards her, then stopped. "Aren't you coming?" he asked. She nodded and followed him. Was it just her, or had his eyes seemed a bit red?

"Great song, huh?" said Sakura, moving her body to the rhythm. "C'mon, Eriol, dance!" She grabbed his hands and pulled him back and forth, laughing. For a moment, a hot stinging jealousy swept over Tomoyo. Then she calmed herself down. After all, she had a date too. Two could play at this game. Locking eyes with Syaoran, she danced a little closer to him and smiled. She felt Sakura tense up behind her.

Suddenly, a slow song came up. "This is for all you lovebirds out there," crooned the DJ. Tomoyo spotted Yamazaki and Chiharu dancing together, swaying slowly back and forth. Couples were forming.

"Hey, isn't this your favorite song?" said Syaoran. She focused, and heard the clear singing of Hikaru Utada. "First Love"...yes, this was one of the songs she loved most. She knew the words by heart. And now, she could feel their meaning lingering in her heart as well.

"Sakura, let's dance." Tomoyo heard Eriol's voice.

She watched helplessly as Sakura followed him out onto the dance floor.

*****

Sigh...both of them holding in, both hiding their feelings... ^_^;; Well, we're finally here, at THE dance! Anything could happen!! Please review for me and let me know what you think! Thanks^_^