Author's Notes: I was supposed to upload this last week but…*sigh* my modem got some problems. Could somebody tell me why new computers have so many problems?? . Anyway, I'll continue to the answers to the reviewers. ^.^

KyteAura: Is Tomoyo's mother rich? Is she alive? I cannot say *laugh* However, I must assure you that Tomoyo did not acquire amnesia since that's too cliché. I have other plans and you'll find it out soon ^^. My evil exams…hmm….well…

Fuu: I really love it when you review every chapter ^.^ Thanks!

arashi009: Ahaha….I'm glad I made you smile. Actually…that chapter wasn't meant to be there…you could see that it was short…it was just one of my evil thoughts surfacing. Thanks for reviewing.

The Great One: Hello! You found my fic again. You are blueberries_cherries, too, am I right? You are not so active in the E/T ML anymore. ^.~ Anyway, about your faze last year, I hope history will repeat itself…LOL. Thanks for reviewing!

bishounen_lovah: You gave me some wonderful ideas…khekhekhe…anyway, the party is not yet here..but it will be in the next chappie!

That's all for now. Please remember, CCS is not mine ^.^ Please go on!

Caress of Venus

By: nikki hiiragizawa

Chapter 6: Eriol's Past

"Now let's see," Eriol said as he thought deeply. "We have practiced on meals, introducing yourself, walking, talking in conversations, declining invitations, and we have decided on what we should say in case they ask anything about you." He settled back to his seat. "I guess we have tackled all, ne?"

Tomoyo took a deep breath a slouched on her chair. "I thought it would never be over." She crossed her legs under her and smiled at her host. "I thank you a lot. I mean, I know I wouldn't be embarrassed tomorrow when you I am introduced to the host of the party."

"It's nothing. It was all my pleasure," Eriol replied. "You are a very good student. I hope after the party, you'll get a nicer job than in a bar. After all, you know the walk and talk of the elite already."

The young woman laughed. "Well, it seems that I can now relax. We have learned everything to be done in party right?" She paused when she saw Eriol thinking deeply once more. "Eriol-san?"

Eriol curved a hand on his chin. "I know we forgot something. I just do not know…" He heard a slight music coming from the corridor. He then snapped his fingers. "I know!" He stood up and offered his hands. "Let's go."

"What…uh…wait! Eriol-san!" Tomoyo frowned in confusion as Eriol dragged her to another room.

Nakuru closed the music box in the corridor quietly and smirked. Of all the things to be forgotten, Eriol forgets the most important of all! She tiptoed back to the kitchen in case her master decides to investigate on who opened the music box.

"Ganbatte ne, Tomoyo-san. Go like Eriol-sama!"

+++

"What is this place?" Tomoyo loudly wondered. They were standing in a more or less hollow hall, without any furniture whatsoever. Tapestries still decorated the walls, but unlike the other rooms, this was really bare.

"Tomoyo-san," Eriol called out. "Do you know how to dance?"

"Dance?" So this is what the hall is for. She remembered seeing something like this, she just cannot remember when. "Well, I could dance," she answered.

Eriol smiled and removed his hands from the CD player near him. "Very well, what can you dance?"

"Hmm…" Tomoyo thought deeply. "Something like this…" She swayed to her own singing. "Oops, I did it again. I played with your heart, got lost in the game. Oh baby baby…"

"Anou, Tomoyo-san…" Eriol scratched his temple. "I didn't mean disco dancing."

"Oh…sorry!" Tomoyo sat on a chair nearby. "Then you mean the ballroom dances?"

"Hai." Eriol motioned for her to stand up walk to the center of the room. He then pushed the play button on the CD player. A relaxing melody reached Tomoyo's ears.

"The Wonderful Blue Danube by Johann Strauss," she caught herself muttering.

Eriol turned back instantly. "What did you just say?"

"Ah nothing! Actually, I don't what I'm saying," Tomoyo answered as she smiled and swayed her head to the music.

The host knotted his brows. Tomoyo just stated the title and artist of the melody as plainly as she could say hello. Letting it out of his mind, he approached Tomoyo and offered his hand. "May I invite you to dance?"

"Uh, sure."

Eriol straightened and shook his head "No, not like that. When someone asked you to dance, you will have to answer, 'It's my pleasure,' or 'Thank you, but I must decline.'"

"Ah, sou ka." Tomoyo nodded and said, "It will be my pleasure." Eriol bowed and took her hand. He lad her to the center of the room.

"Now, Tomoyo-san, the only thing you have to remember when waltzing is step-close-step in place." Eriol said as he encircled her waist with one hand and held her right hand with his left.

The young woman let out a little yelp as she felt Eriol's hands on her own. It was not uncomfortable, but an unnecessary warmth made her uneasy. "What…what does that mean?"

"Look here." He bade Tomoyo to look down as he demonstrated. "You step right first with your right foot. Then you close the step with you left foot. After that you step your right foot in place. Then the rest will be that and vice-versa."

"Ah." Tomoyo looked up again and met Eriol's eyes. "Got it."

The young man smiled and parted with her for a moment to repeat the music. When he held her again, he stared at her and smiled. "Off we go." Tomoyo took the cue and started. Eriol continuously counted so as not to make Tomoyo lose her footing. "1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3….turn." Eriol raised Tomoyo's hand and twirled her against him. "Now back to first position and step, close, step…"

Tomoyo smiled inwardly as she relished the whirl of the dance. Somehow, repeating all these made it almost natural for her to dance. If only she was not often disturbed by Eriol's hands on her back and holding her hand. She bit her lip and was momentarily lost.

"Tomoyo-san?"

"Heh? Uh, what is it Eriol-san?" She swallowed as she saw Eriol's eyes boring to her deeply.

Eriol shook his head as they continued dancing. "Nothing, I just thought…you were someplace far from here a while ago."

"Oh."

They were both quiet for a while, getting themselves used to dancing with the music and then turning and then almost twirling around the room. But inside, both their hearts were thumping wildly.

Mou, why am I so nervous right now? Tomoyo asked herself. I was pretty fine two – three days ago! She cannot bear to look up and meet the eyes of her host. Lately, she found out that her face becomes warm all over when he was near and today's no exception, especially now that he's holding her so tight.

God, what the heck is wrong with me? Eriol demanded to himself. A while ago, he was playing teacher and was stiffly kind and guiding but now he's acting like a lovesick schoolboy! What's with Tomoyo-san that he finds so…attractive?

Tomoyo didn't know what to say. She wanted to make the rest of the dance happy and easy but she cannot find any opening to start a conversation. Closing her eyes, she bit her lip…

"Ow!"

She woke up from her dreams and realized that she was stepping on something soft, and leather. "Oh I'm sorry!" She quickly moved her foot away. She tried to hold on to Eriol's shoulder.

Eriol winced as he stepped back too, but tried to smile. He held Tomoyo's hand that was trying to hold his shoulder to comfort him. "No, it's all right…we…" He found himself staring at the young woman before him.

Tomoyo's face was a mixture of embarrassment and concern. She looked at her hands. Both of them were held by Eriol's quite tightly. Feeling her heart skipping a beat faster, she gulped. "Anou…"

"To...Tomoyo-san…" The young woman tried to take her hands back, but Eriol held them tightly. "I…"

Tomoyo was almost scared as she returned Eriol's gaze. "What it…it?"

"I do not know how to say this but….well… I…"

"Yes?" They could almost hear each other's heartbeats drumming.

"I…" Eriol moved an inch closer to her.

Tomoyo realized that it was hard to breathe. "Eriol-san…"

"I…"

"Dinner is ready!" Both of the dancers jumped as Nakuru opened the door. "Oh…did I come in a bad time?"

"No, Nakuru. It's perfectly fine. " Eriol let go of Tomoyo's hands and smiled at her. "We better prepare for dinner." He walked away without another word.

"Hai…" Tomoyo dropped her hands to her side and stared at the floor.

Nakuru skipped towards Tomoyo. "Ah…did I disturb you? Tomoyo-san? Tomoyo…san?" When the young woman didn't answer, Nakuru finally realized that she did come in at a bad time, and scolding herself, she went out of the room. She swore not to come in without watching them again as well as finding another way to get them together.

+++

Tomoyo stared at the chandeliers above her in the living room. Eriol didn't seem to want to mention what happened in the ballroom. He was quiet at dinner, even though Tomoyo tried her best to flaunt her improvement with manners. He quickly left to retire to his study after dining so Tomoyo was not given any chance to talk with him.

She sighed audibly. She didn't mind what happened earlier, but having Eriol cold to her like that was driving her nuts. She still wanted to ask him some advice but she was afraid she might get dismissed. Looking over her shoulder towards the closed door of the study, she thought of what hs ecould talk to Eriol about.

Ah ha! She suddenly got enlightenment. We still haven't decided about what I should sing! She walked towards the door of the study, hoping that Eriol would talk to her.

"Eriol-san?" she hesitantly knocked on the wooden door. "Eriol-san? Will you talk with me? I need to know something about the party." No one answered to door. Raising one eyebrow, she decided to come in.

Inside the room was what Tomoyo would call a mess. Different frames with paintings were scattered about, colors were everywhere and brushes were left lying almost everywhere. She stepped inside, cautiously avoiding some of the canvasses that were on the floor. "Eriol-san?" she called out. No one was still answering. She decided to roam about and try to see if Eriol was really in here.

She saw a large covered canvass at the center of the room near an armchair. I must still be unfinished because the palette and some of the brushes lay before it. Curious, Tomoyo lifted the cover.

Inside was one of the most beautiful scenery she had ever seen. There were almost flowers all over the canvas, and green mountains could be seen in the distance. A lone brook gushed between the fields of flowers, and birds fluttered everywhere. It was breathtaking.

However, Tomoyo noticed one thing. It seemed incomplete to have only this on the painting. It seemed that the artist meant to add something in it, but Tomoyo cannot name it. Maybe Eriol intended a person to be in the painting? She pondered for a bit as she stared in wonder at the painting.

"That's my latest painting. It's called Caress of Venus," said a voice behind her.

Tomoyo jumped at the sudden intrusion of her senses. "Eriol-san!" she quickly steeped away from the painting. "Gomen nasai…I must be disturbing you, but you see, I wanted to have your opinion…"

"Did you…did you like the painting?" Eriol asked as he sat down on the armchair facing Tomoyo."

The young woman stood up straight. "Uh. Yes. I do love the painting. It looked so serene and so calm." She stopped when Eriol became noticeably quiet.

"You described it in the same way Kaho did…" he quietly remarked.

Tomoyo gaped. "Kaho?"

He nodded as he stood up to walk towards the window. "Aa. Kaho…my wife."

Wife? Eriol has a wife? Tomoyo let her eyebrows meet. She remembered Nakuru saying something about a mistress. "She…She did?" Tomoyo hid her nervousness. "I'm glad to have the same opinions as her."

"You two could have been good friends….if only…she was still alive."

Tomoyo looked at her host with a new feeling. It was more of pity than admiration. So the coldness in Eriol's eyes she had seen sometimes was caused by this. She listened as Eriol continued his story. "It was a warm night back then, and the phone in my office rang. A colleague of mine told me that there has been a hostage robbery at a nearby bank. I rushed there. I was so concerned for Kaho is the manager of the said bank and she's still inside it." He paused for a while, rubbing his hands together as he recalled that night. Tomoyo kept silent and attentive. "When I got to the scene," he continued. "The hostage drama was over, thanks to the heroic deed of one person…Kaho. She defied the robber and tried to protect the others from being harmed. She was shot in the process, so I hurried to the ambulances nearby."

Tomoyo could feel the tremor rising in Eriol. She wanted to comfort him, but somehow, she didn't want to come near him. It's as if, he'll be hurting Eriol's wounds more if she held him.

Eriol continued. "She was there, and I even held her hand before she was loaded to the ambulances. She smiled at me, and she told me to stay happy always. She said she'll do everything to make me happy, even when she's in the afterlife. I told her to stop saying those things but she held my hand even tighter. She told me to sing for her, and I did. In the middle of the song, she closed her eyes. We didn't even reach the hospital."

The young woman was taken aback. She thought that Eriol's wife just left or divorced Eriol but she didn't think such a young man would be widower so soon. She saw another side of Eriol come up, the weaker, sad side. She bit her lip and looked for something polite to say. "That is so sad," she replied with effort. "I'm really sad she departed too early."

"Yes. It's just been six months since she died, and I miss her a lot." He walked to the painting. "Kaho was supposed to be in this painting, just like she was in my other paintings. I was to give this to the new museum as a gift, but since she died, I haven't been able to complete it."

"Is that so?" Eriol mentioned that Kaho modeled for Eriol's other paintings. Did he mean that the young woman in the painting hanging in the living room was Kaho herself? "It's sad though…to waste such a beautiful start for a painting."

Surprised at Tomoyo's innocent remark, Eriol smiled. "Nakuru said so, too. I was planing to continue it as soon as I get my thoughts back." When Tomoyo stayed quiet, Eriol did not push her to speak. She was probably surprised by his story, as everyone was, and he didn't mind the girl's silence.

However, Tomoyo talked after a moment. "You know, you are a strong person."

"Huh?" Eriol saw Tomoyo retreating towards the door.

"Sometimes there are some things that happen to us that is so sad, or depressing. However, we must be strong to get through life whole." She placed her hand on the knob of the door and turned to smile at Eriol. "Nevertheless, it's needed that we show our weak side sometimes."

"Tomoyo-san…"

"When we are sad, we sometimes need to let our sadness out. We may cry or feel bad, but it's all part of it. We need not to appear strong to everyone, for we are humans, too. We feel lonely." Tomoyo opened the door. "I'm glad to see your other side, Eriol-san," she said. "You could always tell me anything, and I'll try my best to comfort you. After all, in this life, friends are needed."

"Friends are needed," Eriol repeated. He turned to thank Tomoyo but the girl already went out of the room. He turned back to the painting. "Kaho, help me," he whispered. "What should I do? Am I falling for her? Should I even?"

+++

Tomoyo sat on her dresser with hands on her lap. How could she say that to Eriol? Does she even have the right to say those things? She sighed. Eriol must have thought she likes him, but she didn't actually…

She hated to admit it, but she was falling for the guy. However, she thought it was kind of wrong to fall for him since he just lost a wife months ago. She would prove to be intruding in his life. She laid her head on her hands on looked at her reflection in the mirror. Before going upstairs she looked at the woman in the painting in the living room. She was beautiful. She was someone who must have brightened everyone's moods just by her presence. Eriol must have loved her.

Thinking that she shouldn't waste any time pondering about useless things, she set off for bed, trying to forget all the incidents that happened that day.

+++

"Welcome, Hiiragizawa-san." The butler bowed as he and Tomoyo entered Ishikawa-sensei's home. "Master has been waiting for you."

"Thank you." Eriol held Tomoyo's hand tightly. In the car, he noticed that she was shaking so much her teeth were even chattering. Reminding her that all will be simple if she could remember what they learned, he led her to the house.

A figure came bounding in the hallway. "Eriol-kun!" A girl about the same age as Tomoyo's jumped to embrace Eriol. "I'm so happy you can attend!"

"Of course, Sakura-san," Eriol smiled. "I am one of the associates of the museum after all." A young man about Eriol's age followed the girl named Sakura and slightly bowed at Eriol.

"Nice to see you again, Hiiragizawa."

"Oi, Li-kun." Eriol then gestured towards Tomoyo. "This is Daidouji Tomoyo, a friend. She will be the one who will sing for us." Tomoyo bowed at the pair.

"Kawaii!" Sakura quickly took both of Tomoyo's hands. "You are!"

"Eh?"

"Tomoyo-san, this is Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura, his fiancée. They are both close friends of mine."

The purple-eyed young woman smiled at the girl holding her hands and the young man standing behind her. "It's very nice to meet you, Kinomoto-san, Li-kun."

Sakura was smiling widely. "Nee, where are you going to sleep tonight? Will you sleep with me in my room?"

"Uhm, actually, I still do not know…"

Sakura turned to Eriol. "Oh Eriol, please tell Sensei that Tomoyo-san will be sleeping in my room, please? I want to dress her up for the party too!"

"Sure thing, Sakura-san." Eriol turned to Tomoyo who was holding her bag tightly that her knuckles were white. "Relax, Tomoyo-san. Sakura-san is a good friend. She will not embarrass you or do anything you do not like."

"Ha…hai." Tomoyo silently wished she could stay near to Eriol as often as possible, but she knew it was impossible. "I will go to my room then, Eriol-san."

"Go on."

"Jaa, I will guide you to our room," Sakura offered. She laid a hand on Tomoyo's shoulder. "Don't worry about your baby, Eriol-kun. I'll take care of her." She led Tomoyo away before Eriol could answer.

"My…baby?" Eriol repeated.

Syaoran slapped his back. "Nice girl, Hiiragizawa. You pick all too well…"

"Wait! I'm not…" Syaoran was gone before he could answer.

Eriol shook his head and retired to his own room, surprised at himself for looking forward to dinner with Tomoyo and the other party organizers.

TBC…

Author's Notes: Whew…that was quite long…compared to the others. Hope you liked it ^^