Author's Notes:

I know most of you were wondering: How was Eriol's voice heard in the midst of the crowd? In a concert? Well, there's a perfectly logical explanation for that:

-------- Zepp Fukuoka is not a really big place. Unlike those concerts held in domes or coliseums, the mentioned Grasper concert was held in a small place, quite as big as a really large classroom. ^^;;;; Anyway, because of that, the sound system amplifies the sounds even more, microphone or no microphone. Also, I placed Eriol near the stage and when he shouted, Tomoyo was the first one to hear, stopping her, then stopping Ryuichi (her partner) and the band. Of course, the audience will look where the people on the stage were looking. ^______^ simple as that.

Time for answers to comments!

merhiel: nyeh...sorry! (thanks for reviewing, tho!) I promise not to leave you "bitin" like that. ^^

GoodGurl: You read my fic just recently yet you reviewed every chapter. I really appreciate that! Thank you!

Interested Reader: Thanks! I'd like to read your first fic, and I'll do so when I have the time. ^-^

cheerlin: I am glad you liked the past chappie. I kinda did it while I'm in the middle of reviewing for my exams but anyway...you don't have to know. LOL

Ruby-servantof-eli: I promise I'll get them back together okay? You don't have to beg. ^^;;; It makes me ashamed, really. I have to end this fic soon, but I'll have a few more surprises.

Fuu: Don't worry, they'll talk. ^^

crystal~heart: no doubt Tomoyo was embarrassed....I don't know about Eriol though...^^

Athar-Luna: Eriol is baka, isn't he? Anyway, Eriol will have to do something to earn Tomoyo back.

KyteAura: I'll smack Seguchi anywhere I want to...*evil laugh* And I thought you were E/T all the way...LOL!!! kidding! -.- I haven't seen more that 56 episodes of IY and 1 movie. That's it. But I still wuv Miroku and the fur wielding Sesshoumaru (where did he get all those fur...^^).

d u s t y . w i n g s : Thanks for reviewing my fic!

FlameSolo: Yep. Eriol and Tomoyo are both poor things, cos they're being manipulated by evil me! LOL!

Seph Lorraine: Thanks for that wonderful compliment. *blush* I'll try my best in the future chapters, too.

Whew! On to the fic!

Caress of Venus

by: nikki hiiragizawa

Chapter 16: Morning News

Silence overcame Zepp Fukuoka for about a few minutes. Ryuichi Sakuma, the genius vocalist, was staring towards the backstage, worried of what happened to his new friend. Seguchi Tohma, on the keyboards, looked flustered, but did not show any other emotions. Ukai Noriko, on the synthesizer, was so surprised she accidentally pressed a key on her keyboard, creating a shrill, nasty sound.

That brought the people back to life. Most of them were screaming for the concert to resume. Most of them were cheering for Tomoyo to come back and Nittle Grasper found themselves in a position they never expected to be in. Fortunately, Ryuichi thought quickly. "Minna!" he shouted. "Show's not over yet!" He signaled the band for another start on a new song and soon, the unlikely even that happened was drowned among the noises inside the building.

Outside, Tomoyo was breathless as she escaped from the concert. Her boots didn't do anything to help her and she was tired...tired of always running away.

"Tomoyo!" a voice shouted from behind her. She didn't dare look around, for fear that her heart would break the moment she did so. She stopped running, facing the back door.

Eriol stopped short behind her. He held out his hand to her but he hesitated, afraid to be rejected. "Tomoyo...I..."

"What do you think you're doing here?" Tomoyo hissed, still not looking at him. "Did you know how much humiliation you've given me?" He could see the young woman wringing her hands together.

"I...I'm sorry. I was just..."

Tomoyo slightly tilted her head so she could see his profile. "You wanted this, don't you?"

"Tomoyo?"

"You wanted to ruin my career."

Eriol was taken aback, He did not expect that Tomoyo thought of him that way. "I'll never do that!"

But Tomoyo was far from being comforted. "You never wanted me to be happy," she said, almost in a whisper. "You always do things that frustrates me so!" Tears started falling from her face to the carpeted floor.

"I've never..." Eriol covered his face with one hand. "Tomoyo...I just wanted to see you."

See me? Tomoyo's shrill remarks were cut short. "To see me..."

The young man stepped forward and placed a hand on Tomoyo's shoulder. "Ever since you left, I...I just can't go on. I wanted to see you again. Even if you are so famous now, I just can't...I can't let you go."

"Stop." The young woman's words were almost a whisper. "You're mistaken. I'm not Kaho..."

"Of course I know you're not Kaho!" Eriol exclaimed. He placed both hands on either of the girl's shoulder and turned her so she was facing him. "I was a fool. I know I am a fool...I ruined everything between us. I thought I could forget Kaho by being with you but I made my sentiments surface."

Tomoyo pursed her lips. "I'm glad you know now. I'm glad you realized how much you have given me hopes and then took it away. And now you're here destroying the biggest break in my career." She shook herself away from Eriol's grasp and turned around. "Gomen, but I don't share your sentiments." She walked away without another word.

Eriol grabbed her arm. "Wait. You don't understand. I never meant to destroy anything!"

"Oh yeah?" The singer placed her hands on her hips. "Then why do you have to shout in front of everyone? Why didn't you come at the hotel or just leave me be?!" Another river of tears came trickling again.

"I..." Eriol closed his eyes so he couldn't see his fists shaking - so that he couldn't see Tomoyo's reaction. "I don't want to see other men touching you," he said, striving to keep his voice still. "I'm pained to see you being held like that." He opened his eyes and waited for Tomoyo's reaction.

Tomoyo was looking away. "You don't own me, Hiiragizawa Eriol."

"Wha - "

"You disowned me ever since you treated me as if I'm Kaho...as if I don't have my own character." She hugged herself. "I may be homeless and unlady-like when you found me but that doesn't mean that you can force me to be someone I am not!"

The attendant at the lobby was starting to notice, but both of them didn't care. "But Tomoyo, are you the real person you are now? Or you are just pretending to be so that you'll be famous?"

Tomoyo gave him a glare. "You don't have the right to question me! I wanted this, I really do." She wiped off her tears with the back of her hand. "Maybe I should thank you. Because of you, I've woken up. Maybe you are the cause of all of these."

"I don't need your thanks. I need you." Eriol breathed deeply. "Please, all I ask is another chance." He gasped when Tomoyo started walking away towards the dressing rooms. "Tomoyo..."

"Then make me, Hiiragizawa," she replied. "Convince me, just like the way you convinced me before, although I can't promise I'll be swayed by your charms. Until that, we must bid each other good bye." She closed the dressing room door behind her.

Eriol stared long at the closed door. "All right. If that is what you want, I'll make you love me again." He turned and went out of the building.

A flash of light went unnoticed outside the building. A patter of steps - incredibly fast - came unheard. This should be known in the morning.

+++

"I can't believe Tomoyo could be that soft," Seguchi Tohma said after listening to the attendant's story. He flashed the attendant a bright smile and handed her a CD. "Please continue to support Grasper, ne?" He walked out, leaving the young woman's mouth hanging open with awe. Of course, she had shaken the hand of the famous Grasper keyboardist.

"Are you sure this is all right? Letting them go, I mean?"

Seguchi smiled as he let his companion enter the car first. "Of course, Noriko-san. Things will come to its end when it's time to end."

+++

Eriol looked full of hope as he entered his house. He had just left a basket of roses to be delivered to Tomoyo's room in the hotel. It would be to signify the start of his atonement. "Tadaima, Nakuru!" he shouted across the house.

There was no answer.

"Nakuru?" He searched the house, eventually finding Nakuru in the living room. "There you are," he said. "Have you prepared dinner?"

"Not yet, Eriol-sama..."

Eriol frowned. Nakuru seemed out of it. She was staring straight at the television set. "What are you watching?" The young man turned his attention to the TV, and he himself was immersed in surprise.

+++

Tomoyo absently smelled the flowers placed by her door. "Eriol, huh..." she murmured. "He challenges me." She hummed to herself, undecided on whether she should feel happy or insulted. Giving up, she settled on the hotel sofa and turned on the TV.

"What the - "

"Konnichi wa," the announcer on the TV said. "Today we are in the Fukuoka Museum where the alleged lover of Daidouji Tomoyo, the genius artist Eriol Hiiragizawa, works. It appeared that Daidouji-san and Hiiragizawa-san had an argument last night that made the young singer walk out from her concert with Nittle Grasper."

Tomoyo dropped the remote control. "What the heck is happening here..."

The reporter continued her chatter. "Daidouji Tomoyo is known for her wonderful singing voice and is the rising goddess of music at the moment. Hiiragizawa Eriol, on the other hand, is a well-known genius painter from Fukuoka. He is known to paint at the age of five and has many renowned masterpieces. An anonymous photographer had given our station the photographs of the heated argument last night, where Hiiragizawa-san was said to be apologizing for shouting out during the concert. Daidouji-san, though, seemed unperturbed and ignored the young man's pleas. We've never heard that Daidouji-san had this relationship and we are now waiting for Hiiragizawa-san to give us his word on it and confirm their relationship." Pictures of Tomoyo and Eriol inside Zepp Fukuoka's lobby flashed on the TV.

"Eriol..." Tomoyo's brows met as she worriedly looked at the screen. "How did they...what will Eriol tell them...?"

"Hah! Here's Hiiragizawa-san!" Reporters flock around a figure nearing the museum entrance.

Tomoyo clutched at her pillow. "No...Eriol...why did you go there?!"

Eriol's face in the screen seemed serene and unmindful of the reporters rushing to meet him. "Ne, Hiiragizawa-san, please confirm your relationship with Daidouji-san."

"I have nothing to confirm." Eriol continued walking towards the museum entrance.

"But, you were seen having an argument last night at Zepp Fukuoka...Hiiragizawa-san..."

"Please tell us...is Daidouji-san your girlfriend?"

"Where did you meet?"

Eriol's face seemed to be clouded over as he grabbed one of the microphones being pushed rudely at him. "Daidouji-san and I...fought because of my own insolence. There is no need for press panic." The reporters quieted down. "I can only tell this: I swear I'll bring Tomoyo back." He quickly entered the museum premises before the reporters could retaliate.

The screen suddenly turned black. Tomoyo gasped and looked up. Seguchi held the remote control. "He was smooth, Daidouji-san," he quietly said.

"A...anou..."

The man dropped the remote control beside Tomoyo's seat. "I'll leave the thinking to you. But please mind that we still have the tour." With that, the Grasper keyboardist left.

Tomoyo closed her eyes. "Hai..." Somehow, her life has become worse than before.

TBC...

Author's Notes: Wai! They met! What's Eriol gonna do next? ^.^ Please stay tuned and be reminded that reviews move my fingers! Hail Eriol-san!

Wuv,

Nikki