Author's Notes: ^.^ ^.^ ^.^ ^.^
Hello! Missed me? I have been having tons of exams lately, so this chappie was late. ^.^ I knew the past chapter was cruel...a lot of people flamed me in my mail because of that but...I just thought that if someone had already written this type of fic, then it would be boring for you to read it, ne? I had to add some more excitement. ^^ Gomen ne for shocking all of you. I thought someone had already thought of what I had planned one time or another but...waahh...you really did not expect that Eriol's family killed Tomoyo's parents? Hmm...
Yuki-Rabbit: I'm glad you aren't angry. ^.^ And about the paintings with the same names...hmm...*nikki hiiragizawa has actually no idea why they have the same name* Kidding!
Jane: Erm...well, if you had read some of my fics before, I really like doing this stuff. You know...killing readers with shock...hehehe....I promise to end this fic properly. ^^
candice: Sorry you were shocked. ^^ And you'll find out everything in a chapter or two.
KyteAura: Uhm...which guy was worried? Tohma or Eriol or some other? ^^ And yeah, I had to think of something other than painting, so it had to be sculpture. Eriol suddenly composing music would be really weird...LOL! Maa, I thought you had it all figured out so I knew you wouldn't be surprised...hmm...I didn't give enough hints on who killed Tomoyo's parents?
nadja: Definitely an unexpected twist...^^ Should there be more twist...hehe...I don't think so...this is beginning to be a too long fic (my specialty was only up to 15 chapters).
Fuu: Hmm...but what if I tell you that it is really Eriol's fault, what would everyone do? ^^ Don't you think it's weird that Eriol gave the same title to his painting?
tomo-chan: Hehe...you were really surprised, weren't you? *feels really flattered* Anyway, studying Tomoyo's character, what do you think will she do? Will she demand an explanation from Eriol? Will she just hide it and love Eriol knowing his family killed her parents? Think think...^^
mel_88: Yep, I already know I am evil...lol. Thanks for all the praise...gah...I feel really special ^^
Silverwing: *hides from Silverwing's glares* But Eriol's family did kill Tomoyo's parents...^^;;;;; He might be sweet and kind, but what if it's all a front? What do you think, ne?
Clownsareevil and Darshadowheartless: Come to think of it, I never asked you why you think clowns are evil... And yeah...I already know I am evil, no need to rub it in. ^^ I can't fix it suddenly you know, I have to make some twist...like Tomoyo killing Eriol and...stuff like that...*evil laugh*
KasumiDestruction: Maa, don't cry! *hands Kasumi a tissue* Intuition...*hides in a dark corner* maa...so you were all thinking of me as some sneaky being, ne?!?!? Just kidding. ^.^ Hmmm...let's see on how far Tomoyo can take this...I mean if my boyfriend's family happened to kill my parents (which wouldn't happen co I dun have a boyfriend....yet) than I'll kill him, too! ^^ But what does Tomoyo think? Hmmm....
Sally: You were right on the part about Tomoyo not able to hate Eriol...but...she has to choose between revenge and love...so which one is it? ^^
crystal~heart: There is a possibility that Tomoyo will forgive Eriol...a very small possibility, I guess since it was her parents who were murdered. Maybe I'm not evil enough to make Tomoyo take revenge on Eriol...hmmm...looks like we've got to talk more often, ne? =^.^= --- nikki's evil face.
s-n-o-w-y-k-i-t-t-e-n-z: ^^;;;;;;;;;;; But it is YES, I am sorry. ^^
Ruby-servantof-eli: I like happy endings! I really do! ^^;;;;;; Erm...it's OK if you just send one review...heheh...I am really flattered.
Dana Daidouji: Saa, okay, to keep you content, here's the next chapter.
FlameSolo: ^.^;;;
GoodGurl: you are such a good girl! ^^;;;;; Thanks for the comment of my evilness.
merhiel: umm...what did I say in the ML? Did I? Did I? ^^;;
Saa, I've been responding to your reviews with questions so apparently, I haven't answered any of your questions...*gomen!* This turns out to be a thinking game for both me and my readers and I plan on ending this soon....so...what will it be?
1. Tomoyo will just keep what she had learned and endure the pain forever.
2. Tomoyo will confront Eriol and demand an explanation, which Eriol cannot readily give.
3. Tomoyo will plan on taking revenge by poisoning Eriol o.o
4. Tomoyo will just leave without any explanation until Eriol never sees her again forever. :-(
Please secure your votes before you read Chapter 19! Enjoy!
CARESS OF VENUS
By: nikki hiiragizawa
Chapter 19: All Said was Untrue
"Welcome home, Tomoyo-sama!" Nakuru came bounding out of the house to help her mistress unload her suitcase from the car trunk.
Tomoyo faintly smiled. "Thank you." She looked up and saw Eriol waiting for her by the doorway. "I...I'm home."
The young man smiled widely and went towards her. "I'm glad you came back soon," he said as he embraced Tomoyo tightly. Tomoyo slowly placed her arms around him, too and gave him a light kiss. "Saa," Eriol finally said as he moved away. "You must be tired. We should hurry up and let you rest."
"Yeah..." Wearily, Tomoyo followed Eriol into the house. She stared at her lover. Could this man's family really do what her mother had said? It seems all so...illogical. Eriol was kind, loving and affectionate towards her, and she can't find any covered issues within him except for Kaho. What is this man hiding, and what is his real reason for loving her: a Daidouji?
Dinner was prepared already. Her room had been cleaned, and surprisingly, all paintings of Kaho had disappeared from the walls. Puzzling as it was, not even one of Kaho's dresses were in her closet, unlike that time when she had to use those in pretense of being someone rich.
"Eriol." Tomoyo decided to ask about the changes over dinner. "You have removed all of...Kaho-san's paintings...and...the dresses..."
The young man nodded and smiled. "I wanted to concentrate on our relationship, so I had all my previous paintings displayed in my gallery in the town museum. I don't want to carry on looking at her everywhere. After all, I have a new life now, ne?" He smiled again.
Tomoyo slowly nodded as she took in Eriol's answer. He didn't seem to be bothered by her question. She closed her eyes, for she cannot believe that this handsome man sitting across her was with those who killed her parents. She promised her parents she would avenge their deaths...yet...can she really do it to someone she had learned to love so much?
"Tomoyo, is something wrong?" Eriol looked at her with anxiety. "You seemed to space out a while ago."
The young woman laid her fork down. "No, I'm fine. I just...feel a headache coming, that's all." She was surprised when, as soon as she said she was feeling unwell, Eriol was already by her side, feeling her forehead for a clue of a fever.
"You don't seem to have a fever." Eriol finally stated. "Are you sure you are alright? You must be tired from travel. I better take you to your room..."
"No really. I'm fine." Tomoyo gave him a quick smile. "I think I'll just walk around the house and get some familiar air, ne?" She stood up, muttered an excuse and walked out of the dining room.
The artist's face was shadowed with a frown. Ever since Tomoyo came home, she never mentioned anything about her relatives. Eriol knew that she must be tired and everything, but isn't she supposed to be excited and would be babbling about her family? Even though he cannot fathom what Tomoyo is feeling right now, he decided to let it rest. Some time soon, Tomoyo would tell him anything. After all, they were about to get married. He also excused himself and went to look for Tomoyo to persuade her to rest.
+++
Tomoyo walked around the corridors, memorizing every nook and cranny of the house, but not really absorbed in it. She was thinking about a conversation that occurred a while ago. Before she came home, she made a stop for Tokyo, where the one who helped her find the truth was waiting.
"I was expecting you would come here."
Tomoyo sat down with a huff and crossed her legs under the chair. "You know this all along." The man didn't answer and Tomoyo frowned. "You knew this all along, Seguchi-san!"
Tohma Seguchi settled on his swivel chair. "And if I have..."
"Why didn't you tell me in the first place? Why did you let me...you even let me...fall in love with him!" Tomoyo covered her face with her hands.
"I'm sorry." Tohma clasped his hands on the desk. "I knew ever since e saw each other at the party. I thought I had to rescue you from Hiiragizawa-san, so I invited you to become a singer. I was near success into making you forget about him, but he was persistent. At last, I gave up."
"How...how could this happen?" Tomoyo sobbed. "Is Eriol really playing with me all along, and that he didn't want to lose me because I am a Daidouji?!"
Her producer shook his head. "I knew it was his father who was accused of the murder of your parents. I knew Eriol had some connection to this. I don't know how Eriol can explain it to you, but I know that Eriol's feelings for you are real."
"He might just be using me to get what he wants," Tomoyo softly said as Tohma handed her a box of tissues.
"All will abide your decision, Tomoyo-san," Tohma replied. "I know you are angry with the Hiiragizawa clan and you want to take revenge. I don't have much of a say in this, but please view Eriol justly. I knew from the start that it would come to this, and I was afraid to tell you about your family. It's all my fault."
Tomoyo stood up. "No, it's not really your fault, Seguchi-san. I am glad you told me about my family, for I have been searching for them for so long. That issue with Eriol...was just so unexpected. I don't even know if I could face him." Streams of tears started flowing again. "I don't want to lose him...yet, I'm angry with him!"
Tomoyo sighed. Tohma kept quiet after she said that, and no more conversation came. Until now, she can't bring herself to think that Eriol's family was her enemy. But, things should be done. She decided to talk to Eriol tonight.
+++
"Tomoyo?" Eriol found Tomoyo sitting on the sofa, staring to nothingness. "You should be sleeping now. You need rest after that..."
"Eriol," Tomoyo said, unheeding to Eriol's persuasion. "Do you remember that painting you were finishing when we first met?"
The young man nodded. "Yes, what about it?"
"It was the one that I had wanted you to finish...with me in it. But you painted Kaho in it instead," Tomoyo continued, not even looking at Eriol.
Eriol kneeled by Tomoyo and clasped her hands. "I am so sorry. At that time...I was...in a confusing..."
"That's all right." Tomoyo withdrew her hands from Eriol's grasp. "I had forgotten about it. Besides you have made a much more beautiful sculpture for me, ne?" She slightly smiled. Even though she did smile, Eriol felt emptiness somewhere within her.
She stood up and paced the living room. "However, I was just curious. What was the name of that painting again? Is it still here?"
"No. I sold it to a museum curator two days after you left. I don't want to part with it, but it's all for the best." Eriol paused and Tomoyo turned around, waiting for him to continue.
"So, what did you name it again, Eriol?"
The young artist sat down on the sofa. "I named it Caress of Venus. Why do you ask so suddenly?"
"Gomenne, Eriol." Tomoyo apologetically smiled. "I just wanted to know more about you: your interests, your thoughts. For example, why would you name the painting as such?"
Eriol laughed before answering. "You might not believe this, but I'll tell you the reason. Please be seated, Tomoyo."
Tomoyo sat down and was half-scared. She didn't want to hear this, but she had to know everything in order to have peace of mind.
"You see, when I was a child, I was already trained and was aware of my skill as a painter. Many people tell me that they like my paintings and I was glad. I began painting more and thought of myself as one of the best. Because of much inspiration, I painted quite well. Soon, people began calling me the genius painter."
Eriol took a breath and smiled at Tomoyo, who nodded in anticipation. The young man wondered why Tomoyo could be so interested is something like this, but he continued anyway.
"I was proud of myself because I had become quite well known. I thought that my paintings were all awesome and that no one else can do them. I was complacent. But I was slapped to reality when we attended a party at some house I don't remember. It was also a large house, with vast gardens and numerous works of art in it. But, what caught my attention the most was the painting of a young woman that hung at the end of the corridor. It was a painting of a young woman sitting on the clouds, looking down to the city below. She looked so peaceful and graceful, her arm outstretched, as if reaching far below. The colors were not so vivid, but they gave off quite an interesting aura...as if the painting itself was sparkling. Instantly, I fell in love with the painting."
Tomoyo could not keep still. It was positive Eriol was talking about her father's painting, and that she was nearing to knowing the truth. "And then?" she asked, eager for Eriol to continue.
"Well, I asked my father who the young woman in the picture was. He said it was the host's daughter, or what she would look like in the future. I looked for her, but she was not around. Then I found out that at my young age, I had fallen in love with the woman in the painting. She looked so calm...so inviting...I thought, she must be a spirited creature, yet innocent and kind."
Closing her eyes, the young singer controlled herself from crying. The young woman in the painting Eriol was talking about was herself...and Eriol fell in love with her without knowing who she really is. Eriol resumed his story.
"I decided to ask my father to buy the painting for me. I had to own it, that was what I thought. My father promised me that he'll get it for me. But then...he suddenly disappeared. I grew more and more depressed everyday, thinking about that painting, but my father didn't come back to keep his promise. I lost all my contacts with him until the time came I received news that my father had died. At the burial, I met Kaho, and we fell in love. When I saw her, my fire for that painting was rekindled, but I don't know who made it, or where is it, and my hopes of finding it was gone. All I knew was its name: Caress of Venus. That is why I decided to make another Caress of Venus. I painted it with Kaho...but before I finished it, she died. The name though, was stuck since then."
Eriol took a deep breath and stretched. "So, Tomoyo, did you like my...Tomoyo? Are you crying?"
Tomoyo shook her head in an effort to hide her already falling tears. She composed herself. "The painting, you didn't know what happened to it?"
"No, unfortunately. It was lost and was forgotten."
The young woman stood up and took something from the mantelpiece. Eriol recognized a rolled canvass in her hands. Tomoyo studied Eriol's face before starting. "What If I tell you that..." she unrolled the canvass. "I have the painting, Eriol?"
Eriol's eyes widened as the painting unrolled before her eyes. The same magnificence, the same petite yet powerful aura, the same calmness, the same impact...it was the very same painting he had seen 11 years ago. He cannot believe he was able to see it again. Shakily, he stood up and took a good look at the painting.
"That sparkling effect you were saying," Tomoyo explained. "It was because powdered diamonds were mixed with the paint. You cannot really see it but if you study it up close..."
"Where...where did you get this, Tomoyo? How did you..."
Tomoyo rolled the painting again before Eriol could hold it. She turned away. "The painting...it was painted by my father."
"Wha - What?"
The young woman closed her eyes, her back still facing Eriol. Why is Eriol acting this way? Did he not know anything? He acts so innocently!
"Tomoyo...I didn't know...wow...it must be..."
"Wow?! That's all you could say?!" Tomoyo whirled around and slapped Eriol. She could not stop the tears from flowing and decided to let them go. "Do you know...how much..."
"Tomoyo...I...I don't..."
"Don't you get it?!" Tomoyo yelled, sending Nakuru to the living room as well. "When you asked your father to get the painting for you, he didn't come back. Yet he did try to get the painting, Eriol...he really did..." More tears flowed out. "And...he was the one who murdered my mother and father."
Eriol stammered. "I...didn't know...why..."
"It was all your fault, Eriol!" Tomoyo snapped. "You asked for the painting...your father wanted to make your wish come true...and that was what happened! The reason your father disappeared suddenly, was that he was convicted of murdering my parents. He got away though."
"It's my fault..." he reached out to hold Tomoyo's hand but she moved away.
Tomoyo looked away from her lover. "I never expected anything like this to be discovered. However, many people knew of that issue, and Seguchi-san was one of them. There was certainly something you know, right? You were just pretending. You were trying to win me back because you knew I was a Daidouji!"
"No! I didn't intend it like that!" Eriol grabbed Tomoyo's arm. Nakuru moved forward to stop them, but she decided to leave the couple alone. "I never knew you were the one in the painting, but I knew I felt something different when we first met. As I told you, I didn't know who painted Caress of Venus so I have no idea..."
"Tell me one thing, Eriol. You wanted your hands on the painting, didn't you? You would do everything...won't you?" Tomoyo struggled to get herself free. Please, tell me your father killed my father for something else. Please tell me you're not involved in that issue... she silently prayed.
Eriol bowed his head. "Well...that was my feeling at that time. I told my father I wanted the painting at all costs and he said he would do anything for me."
Tomoyo burst into tears. "I knew it!"
"But, but I didn't want him to kill for that! I didn't..."
"Lie!" Tomoyo turned around and ran towards the door. "You just told me you said you have to have the painting no matter what it takes...even if it means killing the person who owns it! Everything you had told me...given me...all was just a big lie!" She threw the painting at Eriol's feet. "There! You are happy now aren't you? You already got what you want of me." She stormed off towards the front door.
Eriol ignored the painting. "Wait! Tomoyo! Please open your eyes."
"Open my eyes?" Tomoyo said as she stopped from opening the door. "I have already...and I have seen the truth. I guess you were that manipulative, Eriol, and your acting on that not knowing anything about that painting worked for me at first. You were so convincing." She opened the door and went out.
"Tomoyo...please...let me explain...I..." Eriol heard the car start and the wheels shriek. The gates were still closed and Tomoyo ran her car against it until Nakuru went out and opened it. She drove away, leaving the painting behind.
What's happening? Eriol felt his knees weaken as he slumped by the door. Aren't we supposed to be happy? How...how could this happen to me?!
TBC...
Second to the last chapter finished! It was quite short...just a transition phase. Anyway, please wait for the last chapter, OK? I hope no one flames me again. ^^;;;; Nikki-chan will try her best to live up to everyone's expectations and end this fic properly at Chapter 20! Ganbarimasu!
Oh and tell me which ending you want ok? Ten reviews! ^.^
