Daphne: Hi! I will be quick, because I am eager to write on my other stories as well. I just want to remind you that CCS does not belong to me, it belongs to Clamp. Anyway.I hope that you like this chapter, and please, please R+R!!!!! ~*~*~*~







Avalanche Kisses by: Daphne Li Chapter 3.







"Sakura! Guess what!" Eighteen year-old Tomoyo Daidouji cried, running toward her auburn haired friend. Sakura Kinomoto turned away from another of her friends and smiled at Tomoyo, her emerald eyes sparkling.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Mom is going to England for two months and she is taking me with her! It will be a real mother/daughter vacation!" Tomoyo said. She rarely got any time alone with her mother, so this was a welcome trip; for her, anyway!

"But Tomoyo...what about our summer plans?" Sakura asked, sadly.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. But this is the first time I have been able to go with mom on a trip, and I wouldn't pass it up." Tomoyo's mood dampened when she saw Sakura's eyes fill with tears.

"Promise me that you will videotape every minute of your trip!" Sakura's words surprised Tomoyo, but the raven haired girl smiled.

"I promise!" She said, hugging her friend.

"Sakura, what is wrong?" Sakura's boyfriend, Syaoran asked, coming up behind them. Sakura turned and tried to smile.

"Tomoyo is...going to England for two months." Sakura answered softly. Syaoran put his arm around her and frowned at Tomoyo.

"When are you going?"

"In a week." Tomoyo answered him. He forced a smile.

"You had better tape everything you see!" He threatened, his smile becoming real. Tomoyo couldn't help but laugh. Her friends *never* told her to tape anything!

"Sakura said the same thing! And don't worry! I will tape EVERYTHING!" Tomoyo giggled.

~*~*~*~



"Goodbye Tomoyo! Take care!" Sakura said, hugging her friend one last time. Tomoyo hugged back and smiled.

"Don't worry! I will be back before you know it!" Tomoyo called, rushing over to her baggage, picking it up, and then hurrying over to the boarding gate.

"You had better be! I don't want Sakura to be sad forever!" Syaoran said, pulling Sakura into his arms and hugging her tightly. She smiled up at him gratefully.

"I could never be unhappy when you are with me!" She stated, snuggling into his arms and waving one last time at her friend's retreating back. She gave a sigh.

"Why do I get the feeling that something bad is going to happen?" She mussed, as Syaoran led her away from the terminal. He kissed her forehead.

"I have the same feeling, except..."

"There is something else. Something good is going to happen too." Sakura finished, smiling up at her boyfriend. He grinned down at her.

"You are lucky that we are in a public place, Ying-fa, or else..."

"Or else what? You would kiss me?" She tormented him. He frowned at her, and then got one of those glints in his eyes; she noticed that they had reached the car. He politely opened the door for her, and then climbed in after her.

"Home, Wei!" He called to his faithful servant. Sakura frowned.

"Syaoran, my house first, you know!" She reminded him.

"Oh no, my love. You put me through enough torture in there! You are staying for dinner!" He said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her passionately. The kiss left her weak.

"Syaoran, I was only joking..."

"Well I'm not!" He chuckled, kissing her again. She gave a sigh of surrender.

"Fine. You win." She said softly. He smiled in triumph.

"Now for my prize!" He crowed, hugging her closer and covering her mouth with his. She sighed contentedly. This was going to be a wonderful drive home! (a/n: NO yucky stuff in this fic, At least right now! *Laughs evilly* They are only making out!)

~*~*~*~



Tomoyo sat down in her first-class seat and gazed out the window.

"Hello, darling!" Tomoyo's mother called. Tomoyo looked over at her mother, who was across the isle, and smiled.

Soon, the plane took off and after helping herself to the refreshments, Tomoyo slipped a video into the VCR and put on her headphones. It was a tape of Sakura transforming the Clow Cards into Sakura cards. She watched them for about four hours, and then took a break for dinner. When she was through, she immediately went back to watching them.

"Oh! Sakura transforming the rest of the cards!" Tomoyo whispered, leaning forward to see better.

"Hurry!" Came Syaoran's voice. Tomoyo smiled. His voice had become deeper and richer since then, giving him the distinct air of a gentleman.

"Cerberus!" Shouted Sakura. Tomoyo giggled. The auburn haired girl had changed so much! Sakura's hair was now halfway down her back and she had grown taller and more willowy. Kero, of course, had not changed one iota.

Suddenly, an all-too familiar face came onto the screen, shocking Tomoyo. She watched as the camera fell, obviously because Tomoyo had been put to sleep by Eriol's magic; The camera, however, stayed trained on Eriol's form, and it even did a close-up on its own, zooming-in on Eriol's face. His familiar smirk was there, and the sparkle in his eyes. It was as if nothing was going on! Tomoyo sat stunned for a moment, but then quickly turned off the VCR, making the TV screen go blank. She gave a deep sigh and pulled a pillow out of the overhead compartment. She laid it down, and then settled into her seat to sleep. Suddenly, a face came up in her mind, mocking her. It was Eriol, and his lips were still in that know-all smile. Tomoyo shivered and turned over, but his image stayed with her and haunted her dreams the rest of that night.

~*~*~*~



"What is the matter, Master?" Spinnel Sun asked, flying into the 'room of evil'. Eriol was frowning.

"I feel a presence nearby. Someone that I knew a long time ago..."

"Do you have any idea who it is, Master?" Spinnel asked.

"Well, it doesn't feel like Syaoran or Sakura, but it is someone close to them, I am sure." Eriol answered, looking thoughtfully out the window. Suddenly, Nakuru came running into the room.

"Master, you will never guess! I just got a letter from Sakura, and..." She paused, catching her breath. Eriol sat up, realizing that Nakuru's information may be important.

"...she said that Mrs. Daidouji was coming here for two whole months, and she is bringing Tomoyo-chan with her!" Nakuru gave a happy squeal, and skipped around the room, grabbing Spinnel by the tail and dragging him after her. (a/n: In this fic, Nakuru is a girl, and Spinnel is a boy, OK?!) Eriol smiled.

'So that is what I am feeling. Well, there is no way she would even want to see me.' He thought, looking out his window as his smile faded rapidly. The mountains were just in his view, and covered with snow.

"Master, may we please, please, go to the winter home?" Nakuru begged, coming up beside him, a dizzy Spinnel in her hand. Eriol looked thoughtful.

"Well...it would be nice to get away for a few weeks, and it the mountains are lovely this time of year..." He looked back out at the mountains and smiled. "I suppose so. Pack your things. We will leave tomorrow." He said, getting up from his seat and walking out of the room.

"You did a good job, Nakuru! Do you really think that this will help him?" Spinnel asked, looking after their master. Nakuru nodded.

"Master has been sad ever since Kaho left. I still can't believe she found someone else! How could she do that to master? And right after we left Japan." Nakuru asked. Spinnel shrugged.

"How should I know? He never even talks about her now a-days." He mussed, turning away from the window and leaving the room to pack. Nakuru followed him quickly and that was the end of the conversation.

~*~*~*~



"Were here!" Shouted Nakuru, bounding out of the car. "And look! We got here just in time for the first snow!" She cried, running out into the open and catching snowflakes on her tongue. She giggled, and then ran into the winter-home's courtyard. Eriol smiled, and gave a friendly nod to the butler, who was holding the front door open respectfully.

"Master, I am going down into the Valley!" Nakuru called.

"All right, but be back by supper!" Eriol called back. She waved in acknowledgment, and then raced down into the 'Valley' with Spinnel on her heals. The "Valley" as Nakuru called it, was actually a large ravine behind the mansion. It was full of Evergreens and birches, and a small, clear stream meandered down the center of it. In the summer, the ravine was full of animals, long grasses and flowers; Now, however, the only animals that were there were deer, some small birds, and a few foxes. Although the flowers and grasses were gone, the ravine still had a sort-of supernatural beauty to it.

There was one other aspect of the winter-home they were visiting...it was actually a rather large Celtic-style castle. The building was made of gray stone, and was several stories tall. Half-a-dozen turrets jutted from the main building into the sky, each a different size, and windows riddled each and every wall. Some of the windows were stain-glass, others were Victorian style, some were French windows, and still others seemed to follow the modern styles. There were over seventy-five rooms in the castle, all different sizes and designs.

Eriol went inside, and immediately made his way to his private Study, which was one of the smaller rooms in the house. There, he hurried over to the window, and got there just in time to spot Nakuru running down to the stream, a few long stocks of grass clutched in her hand. As he watched, the girl tossed the grasses into the stream and watched as they drifted away. Spinnel flew up beside her and they began to talk. Suddenly, Nakuru reached out, plucked Spinnel from the air, and started to run towards the mansion.

Eriol chuckled. 'They're headed to the kitchens for sugar, again!' He thought, as he walked over to his desk and sat down.

"I think that I will write a letter to Sakura." He mussed, getting a piece of paper, and then opening one of his desk drawers for a pen. Instead, his eyes fell on a picture that Sakura had sent to him during the first few weeks of his absence. In the picture, it showed Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo sitting on swings, and laughing. It was fall, so orange, yellow, and red leaves fell around them in droves. Kero was floating next to Sakura and flashing his cheeky smile at the camera. Sakura and Syaoran were holding hands, and Tomoyo had her video-camera trained on them. Sakura had written a note on the back which read:

"Syaoran, Sakura, Tomoyo and Kero. Taken in Penguin Park on the swings. Picture taken by Meiling. Wish you were here, Eriol!"

When he read this, he smiled again.

"Sometimes I wish I was too, Sakura." He commented, starting at a certain smiling face on the picture; no matter what he did, she would never be far from his mind...or heart. So...she was coming here, huh? Well, he would make sure that his presence was not seen by her. She had made it quite clear at their last meeting that she wanted nothing more to do with him.

~*~*~*~



Tomoyo sighed as she waited for her mother to finish talking on the phone.

"Um.that may be best.but I promised Tomoyo.*Sigh*, I suppose, if I must." At these words, a feeling of dread filled Tomoyo. She knew what was coming next.

"Tomoyo dear, an important client is insisting on seeing me, and I really must go." Tomoyo's mouth dropped open in shock. This was much worse than she had first thought.

"You mean...go back to Japan?!" She cried. Her mother nodded.

"It is only for three weeks, and I will leave some of the bodyguards here with you, just in case. I will be back in three weeks, I promise."

"But our vacation..." Tomoyo started.

"You will have plenty of fun without me, dear! Now, be good and try not to miss me too much!" With that, her mother hurried out of the room, leaving Tomoyo alone.

Tears started to fall down her face and Tomoyo did not try to stop them. Suddenly, she felt an arm slide around her shoulders.

"Don't cry, Miss Tomoyo. I am here to keep you company." Said the Head bodyguard, Rohna. Tomoyo smiled gratefully up at the woman.

"Thank you, Rohna. I am sure that you will be a comfort." Tomoyo whispered. Rohna smiled.

"Come now, Miss Tomoyo, it is time for dinner." Rohna said, leading the girl out of the room and into the dinning room.

~*~*~*~