LOVE OF AGES
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 3.
~*~*~*~
Car horns honked and bike bells clanged. Shouts of street venders, conversation of adults, and cries of young children calling to their friends added to the symphony. Footsteps drummed along the sidewalks of Tomeda, Japan, and the sounds of city life filled the air. A certain pair of daintily-clad feet walked along these familiar streets, knowing exactly where they were going.
Eyes followed the pretty young woman attached to those feet, and it was no wonder. With her long, silky black hair, lovely amethyst eyes, five-foot- five height, and stunning figure, who wouldn't stop to admire her? Although the young woman was unaware of all this attention...either that, or she simply ignored it because she was used to it.
Yes, Daidouji Tomoyo had indeed grown into quite the young woman. She had had top grades in High School, rivaled only by her friend Li Syaoran, and every student in the school admired her for her lovely singing talent and flawless style. That is one reason, in fact, that she had decided to begin her career early.
Tomoyo was now the proud founder of 'Plum Dream', a line of clothing that had taken all of Japan by storm. Her mother had supported her one hundred percent the whole time, and all of her friends had done everything in their power to help her, whether it be by helping her with designs, to acting as mannequins while she experimented with the different outfits.
Tomoyo smiled at the memory of this, and then turned and walked into the tall, regal-looking building that was her destination. She smiled and greeted the young secretary that was seated behind the information desk on the ground floor, and then swiftly made her way to the elevator. It took her to the fifth floor, where she got out and hurried to her office.
"Ah! Tomoyo, you're here." A girl with long black hair turned, her ruby eyes sparkling as she glanced over Tomoyo's countenance. She was sitting casually on the edge of the mahogany desk, her legs crossed prettily, and her hands fluttering through a manila file. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her lovely grey suit contrasted wonderfully with her eyes.
"Sorry I'm late, Meiling. Mother insisted that I call Robert Roderick and schedule an appointment to meet with him."
Meiling smiled. Over the years, she had not changed much. She had grown taller, she was five-seven, with a pretty figure and a graceful step, probably due to all her years of learning fighting skills. She was now Tomoyo's manager, and also her advisor. There was another thing different about her, though, and that was the gold ring on her left hand, third finger.
Yes, Li Meiling, now Teng Meiling, had gotten married. To quite a nice man at that. It was obvious that Omata loved Meiling very much, and she him, seeing as he came clear from his work as a business manager across town, just to take her out to lunch every day! In fact, he seemed to immensely enjoy surprising his wife with doing random, loving things, just for the heck of it.
"Appointment for what?" Meiling asked sharply, her natural defense taking over.
"Well, as mother put it, we have to choose fabric for the new dresses I designed. But reading between the lines I can tell that she only wants me to have a reason to get closer to him." Tomoyo sighed. Meiling wrinkled her nose.
"They both should get a clue. You aren't interested in a relationship right now. Besides! Where would you get the time?" Meiling teased. Tomoyo grinned and sat down at her desk, going over papers. Meiling sat on the comfortable couch nearby and began to look over some paperwork. Her attention, however, was distracted when she saw something out of the corner of her eye.
It was a picture hanging just over Tomoyo's file cabinet. It showed a young version of her, Rika, Chiharu and Naoko sitting on the ground of their clearing, arms around each other's shoulders. Behind them, Sakura knelt to one side of a wheelchair, while Tomoyo knelt on the other. Behind the wheelchair stood Syaoran and Yamazaki, their eyes twinkling. And in that chair, his eyes more expressive than anyone had ever seen, sat Eriol.
"You miss him, don't you?" Meiling asked softly. Tomoyo looked up, startled.
"Who?" She asked. Meiling smiled sadly.
"Hiiragizawa-kun." She whispered. Tomoyo's face fell and she nodded vaguely.
"Have you ever wondered, what happened to him?" Meiling asked. Tomoyo shrugged.
"Mother says that Milly once contacted her while Eriol was in surgery, but I was asleep. She never called us after that, and we just supposed the worst..." Tomoyo said, her voice breaking. Meiling felt horrible. Hiiragizawa Eriol was still a very touchy subject to Tomoyo...to all of them, even after eleven years.
"Yes well...anyway, have you gotten that report done? I have to get it into Naoko, so she can get it off to the agency." Meiling quickly changed the subject. Tomoyo grinned and nodded, adding her signature with one final flourish, to the paper.
"All done. By the way. Speaking of Naoko, has she finished that horror story she was telling us about?" Tomoyo asked.
That was another aspect of the group that had changed. Yanagisawa Naoko was not only a very important part of Tomoyo's company, she was also a part- time writer on the side. Her horror stories had flooded into bookstores, and thrill-seekers had wiped them clean off the shelves for weeks. They had all been in the top ten best sellers list for over five weeks, each.
"She's almost done. She promised to get us all copies as soon as it hit the bookstores." Meiling stated, as she put the papers into her portfolio and prepared to leave the room.
"Oh, I just remembered. When is your 'appointment' with Robert?"
"Next Saturday at three." Tomoyo said absentmindedly, shuffling through more papers. Meiling grinned.
"No can do. You are going to be preparing for Chiharu and Yamazaki's engagement party! There will be no time to meet him then. Better do the talking over the phone with Robert." Meiling chuckled. Tomoyo's face lit up.
"Fine with me. I'll call him and get that done right now. I'm busy the rest of this week and next, so I will have no time to meet with him! Oh, Meiling! You're a genius!" Tomoyo giggled. Meiling smiled and struck a pose in the doorway.
"I know, I know!" She laughed, and then left the room. Tomoyo smiled as she watched her friend leave, but her eyes were soon drawn to the picture on the wall. Her heart fell once more, and her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh Eriol. If only you knew how much we miss you. But perhaps...if you're in heaven...you do." She mumbled, straightening up and picking up the phone.
"Marcy?" She asked her secretary over the line.
"Yes Daidouji-sama?"
"Please get me Robert Roderick." Tomoyo said in her commanding voice.
"Yes, Daidouji-sama." Tomoyo listened as the phone line was changed and the number dialed. It was going to be a long rest of the day.
~*~*~*~
"Tomoyo, darling?"
Tomoyo looked up from her design-board as her mother entered the drawing- room of her large, upscale apartment. Over the years, her mother had found more time to spend at home, being with her daughter, and the two had become quite close. After Tomoyo had moved into this apartment, her mother had made it a rule that she visit whenever she got the chance. Sonomi had, in fact, been the one to recommend starting her own clothing line when she had, and had supported her all the way. There was only one thing that they disagreed about...
"Tomoyo, I heard that you called off your meeting with Robert. Why is that?" Sonomi asked, sitting down in a comfortable chair near her daughter and tucking her feet up under her. Tomoyo sighed.
"The only time I could do it was next Saturday, but then Meiling reminded me that Chiharu and Yamazaki are having their engagement party then. I can't miss that, you know, and it will take me some time to prepare." The young woman explained, noting her mother's upset face.
"No, I suppose you can't miss it...but I so wanted you to meet with him in person. He has been so attentive to you lately..."
"Mother, I have no time for liaisons right now. I am a busy woman, and I have no time or interest to add love and intrigue to my life, at the moment." Tomoyo grinned as she said this. Her mother was always telling her that young girls these days, especially ones in high society, always had little love affairs and trysts before they found the supposed 'one'. Tomoyo, however, wanted nothing to do with that. None of her friends had done anything near to what her mother described, thank heavens, and they had set a positive example for her.
"But Tomoyo, you need a man in your life! You are so reclusive these days." Her mother sighed, pushing a strand of her short brown hair out of her eyes. Tomoyo smiled.
"I am nothing of the sort! I have plenty of friends and human interaction...even with men. But I just can't go the way you want me too, right now. End of story, end of conversation." Tomoyo finished, bending over her work again. Sonomi sighed.
"I just came here tonight to give you some news." She stated. Tomoyo kept her eyes on her work.
"Oh?"
"Yes. A company in London, England has become quite interested in your work, and has asked us if you would be willing to do a run-way show there." Sonomi kept her sharp eyes on her daughter, as the younger woman stiffened and then turned with excitement in her eyes.
"Really?!"
"Of course! They want you out there two weeks from today."
Tomoyo's eyes sparkled as she quickly glanced at the calendar. June sixth. So they wanted her on the twentieth? She would have to talk to Meiling to see if she could move things around.
"For how long?" Tomoyo asked.
"Well, they are thinking about a month, to exhibit all of your work and get it circulating there. But you are already well known over there, so you will have to lie low. I will have to find you a safe place to stay, and of course, you will have to have a man along, just in case." Sonomi stated. Tomoyo groaned.
"Meiling and Naoko will have to come. Perhaps I can work it so Omata can come with us. He wouldn't like to be away from Meiling that long." Tomoyo suggested. Sonomi frowned.
"Perhaps. But I was thinking along the lines of Robert Roderick. I will call him at once." With this, Sonomi abruptly left the room, and Tomoyo sighed.
*RING! RING!*
Tomoyo quickly picked up her cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Tomoyo? Did you hear the news?"
"Yes! London, England! Can you believe it, Meiling?! I am so excited!" Tomoyo cried, her excitement raising again. On the other end, Meiling was grinning. Her husband, Omata, was behind her, with his arms around her waist and his head on her shoulder, so he could hear the conversation.
"Omata managed to talk his boss into letting him transfer to the London site for a month, so were coming with you...oh, and Naoko swears that if you leave her here, she is going to shoot you." Meiling laughed. Tomoyo giggled.
"Wonderful. We have only one problem. Mother is inviting Robert along. I 'need' a chaperone, to keep me 'safe'." Tomoyo groaned. Meiling frowned as Omata growled in her ear. He hated Robert, but the reason for that was unknown to her.
"Omata and I will keep him away. Oh, by the way...Syaoran just called me. He and Sakura are well, but Sakura can't wait to return here. She has missed Japan so much, they both have." Meiling stated. Tomoyo smiled. Ever since Sakura and Syaoran had married right out of High School, they had been living in Hong Kong, where the Li's ruled. Sakura had been living the life of a princess, but both she and her husband missed their old home and friends horribly.
"I can't wait to see her, as well. I haven't had much time to call her...but perhaps I will after I get done talking to you." Tomoyo said thoughtfully. Meiling grinned.
"Well get to it, girl! Our conversation is over!" With that, Meiling hung up the phone and Tomoyo burst into laughter.
"The same old Meiling, through and through. Now...to call Sakura..."
~*~*~*~
"Tomoyo!"
Tomoyo was standing in the airport, waiting for her beloved friend to arrive. At the sound of her name, Tomoyo turned and gave a happy squeal.
"SAKURA!" She cried, rushing into her friend's arms. Sakura gave a bell- like laugh, and hugged her tightly.
At eighteen, Li Sakura had also grown into quite the young lady. She had long, wavy auburn hair that reached to her waist, and her emerald eyes still sparkled with the same, innocent light that they always had. Her five- foot-four figure had filled out, though she too, had stayed quite slim over the years. She was wearing an above-knee-length, light pink knit dress that Tomoyo had sent her, and her hair was pulled back into a long braid.
Behind her stood her proud husband, Li Syaoran. His chestnut colored hair was still as messy as ever, but his amber eyes were just the same, piercing yet warm. At six-feet, he towered over his wife, and his muscular build was as eye-catching as Sakura herself. He wore tan slacks and a forest green muscle-T.
"So. Any news from the agency?" Sakura asked, as they made their way to the limo. Tomoyo grinned.
"I have a cat-walk show next week in London, England, for a month." Tomoyo stated. Sakura's eyes sparkled as she gave a shriek.
"Wonderful! Syaoran and I were thinking of taking a vacation over there at the end of next month, so we could visit Touya. He got married last year, you know. But we still haven't met his bride!" Sakura exclaimed, hugging her friend again. Tomoyo laughed. Through all the years, Sakura had never lost her naïve attitude, or her child-like innocence. It was wonderful to have her back again, because wherever Sakura went, happiness seemed to follow.
"How is Yamazaki?" Syaoran asked as they climbed into the limo.
"Oh, he's living large. His head has been so up in the clouds lately, that Chiharu has managed to talk him into Caribbean Cruise for their honeymoon! She is so excited!" Tomoyo giggled. Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other with wide eyes, and then they both grinned.
"This I have to see." Came their voices in unison. Tomoyo couldn't stop laughing after that.
Oh, it was so good to have them back home, where they belonged!
~*~*~*~
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 3.
~*~*~*~
Car horns honked and bike bells clanged. Shouts of street venders, conversation of adults, and cries of young children calling to their friends added to the symphony. Footsteps drummed along the sidewalks of Tomeda, Japan, and the sounds of city life filled the air. A certain pair of daintily-clad feet walked along these familiar streets, knowing exactly where they were going.
Eyes followed the pretty young woman attached to those feet, and it was no wonder. With her long, silky black hair, lovely amethyst eyes, five-foot- five height, and stunning figure, who wouldn't stop to admire her? Although the young woman was unaware of all this attention...either that, or she simply ignored it because she was used to it.
Yes, Daidouji Tomoyo had indeed grown into quite the young woman. She had had top grades in High School, rivaled only by her friend Li Syaoran, and every student in the school admired her for her lovely singing talent and flawless style. That is one reason, in fact, that she had decided to begin her career early.
Tomoyo was now the proud founder of 'Plum Dream', a line of clothing that had taken all of Japan by storm. Her mother had supported her one hundred percent the whole time, and all of her friends had done everything in their power to help her, whether it be by helping her with designs, to acting as mannequins while she experimented with the different outfits.
Tomoyo smiled at the memory of this, and then turned and walked into the tall, regal-looking building that was her destination. She smiled and greeted the young secretary that was seated behind the information desk on the ground floor, and then swiftly made her way to the elevator. It took her to the fifth floor, where she got out and hurried to her office.
"Ah! Tomoyo, you're here." A girl with long black hair turned, her ruby eyes sparkling as she glanced over Tomoyo's countenance. She was sitting casually on the edge of the mahogany desk, her legs crossed prettily, and her hands fluttering through a manila file. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her lovely grey suit contrasted wonderfully with her eyes.
"Sorry I'm late, Meiling. Mother insisted that I call Robert Roderick and schedule an appointment to meet with him."
Meiling smiled. Over the years, she had not changed much. She had grown taller, she was five-seven, with a pretty figure and a graceful step, probably due to all her years of learning fighting skills. She was now Tomoyo's manager, and also her advisor. There was another thing different about her, though, and that was the gold ring on her left hand, third finger.
Yes, Li Meiling, now Teng Meiling, had gotten married. To quite a nice man at that. It was obvious that Omata loved Meiling very much, and she him, seeing as he came clear from his work as a business manager across town, just to take her out to lunch every day! In fact, he seemed to immensely enjoy surprising his wife with doing random, loving things, just for the heck of it.
"Appointment for what?" Meiling asked sharply, her natural defense taking over.
"Well, as mother put it, we have to choose fabric for the new dresses I designed. But reading between the lines I can tell that she only wants me to have a reason to get closer to him." Tomoyo sighed. Meiling wrinkled her nose.
"They both should get a clue. You aren't interested in a relationship right now. Besides! Where would you get the time?" Meiling teased. Tomoyo grinned and sat down at her desk, going over papers. Meiling sat on the comfortable couch nearby and began to look over some paperwork. Her attention, however, was distracted when she saw something out of the corner of her eye.
It was a picture hanging just over Tomoyo's file cabinet. It showed a young version of her, Rika, Chiharu and Naoko sitting on the ground of their clearing, arms around each other's shoulders. Behind them, Sakura knelt to one side of a wheelchair, while Tomoyo knelt on the other. Behind the wheelchair stood Syaoran and Yamazaki, their eyes twinkling. And in that chair, his eyes more expressive than anyone had ever seen, sat Eriol.
"You miss him, don't you?" Meiling asked softly. Tomoyo looked up, startled.
"Who?" She asked. Meiling smiled sadly.
"Hiiragizawa-kun." She whispered. Tomoyo's face fell and she nodded vaguely.
"Have you ever wondered, what happened to him?" Meiling asked. Tomoyo shrugged.
"Mother says that Milly once contacted her while Eriol was in surgery, but I was asleep. She never called us after that, and we just supposed the worst..." Tomoyo said, her voice breaking. Meiling felt horrible. Hiiragizawa Eriol was still a very touchy subject to Tomoyo...to all of them, even after eleven years.
"Yes well...anyway, have you gotten that report done? I have to get it into Naoko, so she can get it off to the agency." Meiling quickly changed the subject. Tomoyo grinned and nodded, adding her signature with one final flourish, to the paper.
"All done. By the way. Speaking of Naoko, has she finished that horror story she was telling us about?" Tomoyo asked.
That was another aspect of the group that had changed. Yanagisawa Naoko was not only a very important part of Tomoyo's company, she was also a part- time writer on the side. Her horror stories had flooded into bookstores, and thrill-seekers had wiped them clean off the shelves for weeks. They had all been in the top ten best sellers list for over five weeks, each.
"She's almost done. She promised to get us all copies as soon as it hit the bookstores." Meiling stated, as she put the papers into her portfolio and prepared to leave the room.
"Oh, I just remembered. When is your 'appointment' with Robert?"
"Next Saturday at three." Tomoyo said absentmindedly, shuffling through more papers. Meiling grinned.
"No can do. You are going to be preparing for Chiharu and Yamazaki's engagement party! There will be no time to meet him then. Better do the talking over the phone with Robert." Meiling chuckled. Tomoyo's face lit up.
"Fine with me. I'll call him and get that done right now. I'm busy the rest of this week and next, so I will have no time to meet with him! Oh, Meiling! You're a genius!" Tomoyo giggled. Meiling smiled and struck a pose in the doorway.
"I know, I know!" She laughed, and then left the room. Tomoyo smiled as she watched her friend leave, but her eyes were soon drawn to the picture on the wall. Her heart fell once more, and her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh Eriol. If only you knew how much we miss you. But perhaps...if you're in heaven...you do." She mumbled, straightening up and picking up the phone.
"Marcy?" She asked her secretary over the line.
"Yes Daidouji-sama?"
"Please get me Robert Roderick." Tomoyo said in her commanding voice.
"Yes, Daidouji-sama." Tomoyo listened as the phone line was changed and the number dialed. It was going to be a long rest of the day.
~*~*~*~
"Tomoyo, darling?"
Tomoyo looked up from her design-board as her mother entered the drawing- room of her large, upscale apartment. Over the years, her mother had found more time to spend at home, being with her daughter, and the two had become quite close. After Tomoyo had moved into this apartment, her mother had made it a rule that she visit whenever she got the chance. Sonomi had, in fact, been the one to recommend starting her own clothing line when she had, and had supported her all the way. There was only one thing that they disagreed about...
"Tomoyo, I heard that you called off your meeting with Robert. Why is that?" Sonomi asked, sitting down in a comfortable chair near her daughter and tucking her feet up under her. Tomoyo sighed.
"The only time I could do it was next Saturday, but then Meiling reminded me that Chiharu and Yamazaki are having their engagement party then. I can't miss that, you know, and it will take me some time to prepare." The young woman explained, noting her mother's upset face.
"No, I suppose you can't miss it...but I so wanted you to meet with him in person. He has been so attentive to you lately..."
"Mother, I have no time for liaisons right now. I am a busy woman, and I have no time or interest to add love and intrigue to my life, at the moment." Tomoyo grinned as she said this. Her mother was always telling her that young girls these days, especially ones in high society, always had little love affairs and trysts before they found the supposed 'one'. Tomoyo, however, wanted nothing to do with that. None of her friends had done anything near to what her mother described, thank heavens, and they had set a positive example for her.
"But Tomoyo, you need a man in your life! You are so reclusive these days." Her mother sighed, pushing a strand of her short brown hair out of her eyes. Tomoyo smiled.
"I am nothing of the sort! I have plenty of friends and human interaction...even with men. But I just can't go the way you want me too, right now. End of story, end of conversation." Tomoyo finished, bending over her work again. Sonomi sighed.
"I just came here tonight to give you some news." She stated. Tomoyo kept her eyes on her work.
"Oh?"
"Yes. A company in London, England has become quite interested in your work, and has asked us if you would be willing to do a run-way show there." Sonomi kept her sharp eyes on her daughter, as the younger woman stiffened and then turned with excitement in her eyes.
"Really?!"
"Of course! They want you out there two weeks from today."
Tomoyo's eyes sparkled as she quickly glanced at the calendar. June sixth. So they wanted her on the twentieth? She would have to talk to Meiling to see if she could move things around.
"For how long?" Tomoyo asked.
"Well, they are thinking about a month, to exhibit all of your work and get it circulating there. But you are already well known over there, so you will have to lie low. I will have to find you a safe place to stay, and of course, you will have to have a man along, just in case." Sonomi stated. Tomoyo groaned.
"Meiling and Naoko will have to come. Perhaps I can work it so Omata can come with us. He wouldn't like to be away from Meiling that long." Tomoyo suggested. Sonomi frowned.
"Perhaps. But I was thinking along the lines of Robert Roderick. I will call him at once." With this, Sonomi abruptly left the room, and Tomoyo sighed.
*RING! RING!*
Tomoyo quickly picked up her cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Tomoyo? Did you hear the news?"
"Yes! London, England! Can you believe it, Meiling?! I am so excited!" Tomoyo cried, her excitement raising again. On the other end, Meiling was grinning. Her husband, Omata, was behind her, with his arms around her waist and his head on her shoulder, so he could hear the conversation.
"Omata managed to talk his boss into letting him transfer to the London site for a month, so were coming with you...oh, and Naoko swears that if you leave her here, she is going to shoot you." Meiling laughed. Tomoyo giggled.
"Wonderful. We have only one problem. Mother is inviting Robert along. I 'need' a chaperone, to keep me 'safe'." Tomoyo groaned. Meiling frowned as Omata growled in her ear. He hated Robert, but the reason for that was unknown to her.
"Omata and I will keep him away. Oh, by the way...Syaoran just called me. He and Sakura are well, but Sakura can't wait to return here. She has missed Japan so much, they both have." Meiling stated. Tomoyo smiled. Ever since Sakura and Syaoran had married right out of High School, they had been living in Hong Kong, where the Li's ruled. Sakura had been living the life of a princess, but both she and her husband missed their old home and friends horribly.
"I can't wait to see her, as well. I haven't had much time to call her...but perhaps I will after I get done talking to you." Tomoyo said thoughtfully. Meiling grinned.
"Well get to it, girl! Our conversation is over!" With that, Meiling hung up the phone and Tomoyo burst into laughter.
"The same old Meiling, through and through. Now...to call Sakura..."
~*~*~*~
"Tomoyo!"
Tomoyo was standing in the airport, waiting for her beloved friend to arrive. At the sound of her name, Tomoyo turned and gave a happy squeal.
"SAKURA!" She cried, rushing into her friend's arms. Sakura gave a bell- like laugh, and hugged her tightly.
At eighteen, Li Sakura had also grown into quite the young lady. She had long, wavy auburn hair that reached to her waist, and her emerald eyes still sparkled with the same, innocent light that they always had. Her five- foot-four figure had filled out, though she too, had stayed quite slim over the years. She was wearing an above-knee-length, light pink knit dress that Tomoyo had sent her, and her hair was pulled back into a long braid.
Behind her stood her proud husband, Li Syaoran. His chestnut colored hair was still as messy as ever, but his amber eyes were just the same, piercing yet warm. At six-feet, he towered over his wife, and his muscular build was as eye-catching as Sakura herself. He wore tan slacks and a forest green muscle-T.
"So. Any news from the agency?" Sakura asked, as they made their way to the limo. Tomoyo grinned.
"I have a cat-walk show next week in London, England, for a month." Tomoyo stated. Sakura's eyes sparkled as she gave a shriek.
"Wonderful! Syaoran and I were thinking of taking a vacation over there at the end of next month, so we could visit Touya. He got married last year, you know. But we still haven't met his bride!" Sakura exclaimed, hugging her friend again. Tomoyo laughed. Through all the years, Sakura had never lost her naïve attitude, or her child-like innocence. It was wonderful to have her back again, because wherever Sakura went, happiness seemed to follow.
"How is Yamazaki?" Syaoran asked as they climbed into the limo.
"Oh, he's living large. His head has been so up in the clouds lately, that Chiharu has managed to talk him into Caribbean Cruise for their honeymoon! She is so excited!" Tomoyo giggled. Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other with wide eyes, and then they both grinned.
"This I have to see." Came their voices in unison. Tomoyo couldn't stop laughing after that.
Oh, it was so good to have them back home, where they belonged!
~*~*~*~
