Note: Hi all! Where have all my fans gone? :( Oh well, people keep telling me that I shouldn't fret just because not many people reviewed, because at least I still have reviews and thank you for those who said that! I feel so special now! *huggles!* Tomoyo's POV! Oh yah and the places that I mention here, is not real. I don't know much about the places of England, but I know there's a Surrey somewhere there. Please don't kill me for making it up! EEP! *hides underneath the bed*
Castip: Thank you very much for being the first one (and the one who beat KyteAura to first review! ^_^; Just joking Kyte!). I'm glad you think all my fanfics are great... I don't think it's THAT great, but I'll take your word for it! ^_^
KyteAura: BWUAHAHAHAHA! At least you were the second person to review my story! Love Hina? *smirk* Just joking! You know meh! ;) And yes, I had to keep Eriol and Tomoyo away from each other...for now, but you know my stories are ALL happy endings! Duh! And yes, it is more like a Soappie, but hey, I was a fan of Days Of Our Lives before...but it's NOT like dat! So don't insult me! XP J/K.
Ruby-servantof-eli: You better stop biting your nails or you won't have any left when you read the upcoming chapters! ;) There is even going to be more surprises and twists in this story, even more than Reflections In The Mirror. Then again, I could just be exaggerating! Heh heh! ^_^;
Xanazan: OOOHHH you're back to reviewing my sequel too! I'm so glad! ^_^ Heh heh, come on, don't you fret! Obviously, the two will be in each other's arms, but not now at this point ^_^; I mean where's the fun in dat? I am the type of author who is so mean that I would probably make you WAIT until who knows how many chapters until they get together again! Could it be....*gasp?* that Tomoyo will meet a guy? Uh-oh.....no I'm kidding! But...am I really? o_O
Sakura-Anrui-Li: I'm so glad that you like my story! I feel special already that seventeen authors have put me on their favorites list! SEVENTEEN! Can you believe that? I mean, it's fifty or anything, but it shows how many devoted readers I have....Awwwww! And I'm so glad you're one of them too! ^_^
unmei (too lazy to sign in): Can't wait for the next chapter eh? ;) Well, I guess you're going to find more 'PASSION! EMOTION! ANGER!' and yes add, a 'MUA HA HA!' *snicker*
Chapter 4 - Here I am in Milesborough
~ TOMOYO POV
A light, so warm and so comforting, woke me up from my peaceful sleep. I rubbed my eyes gently and blinked them open. I found myself in a small room, one that had pink and blue wallpaper from top to bottom. I looked around me, trying to place on where I was, before I took the liberty to stand up from the comfortable bed. I made my way towards the door, but the loud voices I heard just outside, stopped me from opening it. To be exact, there were two voices, two consisting mostly of women with that deep, English accent. I also heard clinking noises, just like a fork or a spoon clinking against a glass plate and I could tell then that they were eating either breakfast or lunch, which I couldn't tell because I had no idea what time it was. I opened the door as quietly as I can and left it open for me to hear, so I could listen to their conversation. I was afraid that they would do something to me, so I listened to make sure they were harmless. I peeked my head just a little to see who was talking. In the kitchen, sat two girls, one who looked like my age, while the other, looked like she was in her early twenties. The girl my age had long, brown hair and deep green eyes, while the older girl had short, blond hair, making her almost look like a man than a young woman.
"Where do you think she came from, Alice?" the girl with brown hair spoke.
The blond woman, one who was called, Alice,' just shrugged and shook her head, unsure how to answer the girl's question. She scooped something yellow on her spoon and stuffed it in her mouth. From where I was standing, she seemed to have been eating scrambled eggs, just like how Eriol cooked it the first time he visited Japan. An image of Eriol flashed in my head. Oh how I wished I was with him right now. "I have no idea, but the poor girl seemed to have been wandering the streets for quite some time now."
"But you said she was a scrubber, didn't you?" the younger girl asked, stabbing a sausage with her fork, hungrily.
There was that word again...'scrubber?' What do they mean by that? I shook my head and continued to observe the two.
The girl, who was still nameless, put her fork down and leaned back on her chair, sighing. She looked up at the older girl and frowned. "You said that we should not let a scrubber into our house, no matter how innocent looking they are. I mean, Jason might fall for one of them!"
Alice shook her head. "That's not going to happen, Emma! Jason is a smart man and he would never fall for those types of girls. Besides..." She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "I didn't really say she was a scrubber. I said she LOOKED like one and what scrubbers have you seen that wears clothes that look like it hasn't been washed? She could just be poor for all we know."
Kim frowned and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. She doesn't wear all that makeup like most of them do."
I backed away from the door and sighed. Closing my eyes, I closed the door as quietly as I could and leaned my back against it. Now I know they were harmless. They were just two girls who found me on the street. I remembered Alice's voice actually, before I collapsed on the ground, but I needed to hear it again in order to jump start me memory. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I screamed, jumping away from the door as it opened slowly. The woman named Alice, peeked her head through the door and was surpried to see me standing there...awake. As politely as I could, I bowed my head like I always do when I needed to and apologized to her for intruding in their house and for listening to their conversation.
"Oh, don't apologize, my dear..." I looked up. Alice's eyes were full of such gentleness and care that I knew she meant well. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat for breakfast?"
I looked at her, confused. "Breakfast?"
Alice nodded. "Yes. You've been asleep for hours now. We thought you'd never wake up, so I'm quite relieved you are." She held out her hand. "My name is Alice Dunstan, but everyone calls me Alice around here."
I stared at her hand stupidly, not knowing what to do, then I remembered what Eriol was telling me in one of his letters that Western greeting was a shake of a hand, so I held out my hand and shook hers. "Ano... my name is Tomoyo Daidouji," I replied.
Alice smiled. "So, you're from Japan?"
I nodded. I was confused that Alice was not surprised to see a Japanese girl wandering the streets of England.
"Actually, I am half Japanese myself and so is my sister and my brother. But we have lived all our lives here in England, so we don't really know much about the Japanese culture anymore, except for my brother that is. He's been studying it since he started high school." She turned and went to the dining table, then pulled out the chair closest to where she was sitting. By instinct, I followed her there. "Why don't you sit down and have lunch with us then?"
I smiled politely and glanced up at the girl she was talking to-- her sister. "This is my youngest sister, Emma." I heard Alice speak. I gave the brunette a smile and she smiled back, only just a little. It seems she doesn't trust me yet. To her, I still look like a 'scrubber,' whatever that is. Sighing quietly, I sat down on the chair Alice offered me and looked at the food being offered to me. There was a medium sized plate in front of her consisting mostly of just the scrambled eggs, an odd looking sausage to her right, having only at least four left and four pancakes stacked on top of each other to her left. There was some kind of bottle with brown liquid of some sort inside and was suddenly fascinated. "That is a syrup you put on your pancake." I looked up, startled by Alice's voice once again. I glanced back at the 'syrup' and nodded.
"I see... what does it do to the pancakes?" I asked, interested. I didn't know why. I have seen Eriol put whip cream on the pancake, but never 'syrup.'
Before Alice could explain, all three of us heard a knock on the door. Alice glanced at her sister and smiled. "That must be Jason now," she said.
Emma smiled and kept sitting while Alice went to get the door. At that point, I decided to take the sausage first before I try and pancakes with the syrup, but remembered that I didn't have a fork or a plate. I paused. "Here," I heard someone say. I looked up and noticed the youngest sister hand me a heavy looking plate and a fork.
"Arigatou...I mean... thank you," I replied.
The girl smiled as I grabbed the plate and fork. Without another word, she went back to her eating. Now, down to business, I thought. My stomach was growling. I had no idea how hungry I was. I could hear voices now. I didn't pay attention much while trying to decide on what to eat first, but once I took a bite out of the sausage, I could hear Alice and a deep voice speaking to one another. They talked about school-- about 'Jason's' schooling in Japanese culture in his college. When I heard them mention 'college' I figured the brother was my age. Then, I heard Alice mention my name and about how I was found in the middle of the streets. I must look pathetic in their eyes back then. After a while, the voices stopped and footsteps began to roam the building.
"Oh, I see this is her," I heard the deep voice say.
I hurried to eat the last piece of the sausage. It was rude to eat while visitors were there, so I quickly swallowed the last piece and looked over my shoulder as a tall, handsome young man, with dark brown hair stood there. He had the deepest blue eyes I have ever seen. He looked to be at least a year or two years older than me. I took one long glance at him, before Jason approached me and offered his hand for a greeting. I stood up suddenly, unaware of the fork I dropped on the floor. "Ohayo, Daidouji-san," he spoke in pure Japanese. I looked at him, quite surprised at his natural accent in Japanese. It seems he was more Japanese himself than he was English.
"Eh...Ohayo..." I didn't know what to call him, so I stuck to that greeting. I shook his hand then and sat back down, the same time as Alice and Jason joined the table. Jason sat beside me, while Alice and Emma sat beside one another.
"So, would you like to tell us why you were on the streets in the first place?" Jason asked suddenly. I looked up, wide eyed. He had the nerve to ask me something that personal, even though I would have been happy to share it with people. But at this point, I was feeling uncomfortable sharing it with anyone. 'Oh sure!' I thought. 'How about I share about a guy who's being possessed by an evil magician, that died last year and came back to life again because he wants the power of the Black Book back in the palm of his hands so he can take over the world?'
Before I could tell him that I didn't want to say anything, I was saved by the same girl who gave me the plate. "Come on now, Jason, don't be rude! She just came out from a long sleep and you're gonna make her remember why she was there?"
I looked at Emma and watched as Jason glanced at me and apologized. I smiled and shook my head. "Don't apologize, Jason...san," I said.
Jason smiled back. "Just call me Jason," he spoke, stabbing his knife to one of the leftover sausage. I finished my last dish and placed both the fork and spoon side by side and suddenly became homesick. I stood up, gave the three siblings a pleasing smile and excused myself. I wasn't sure where to go, but Alice was kind enough to offer me the room I stayed in last night. I thanked her softly and went back to the room, then closed the door behind me. My luggages were gone, I had no change of clothes, except for the clothes on my back, which smelled of the wood from the warehouse where I was kept locked in. It was only a matter of time before that man found me and take me back there. I had to find Eriol fast... surely, he knew what to do, but I had no way of knowing where he was. The addresses, the phone numbers that connected me to Eriol were all inside the luggages I took with me from Japan. I opened the curtains of the window inside the room and looked out into a shining view. There was a beautiful garden overlooking to what was suppose to be a sunset, but the tall, large building beside the apartment building was covering it. Soon, the flowers will die with the lack of sun, unless someone was there to take care of it. I felt that way right now. Eriol wasn't here with me to brighten my spirits and to make me bloom like the flowers, but with a little help, I know I can find the sun again. I closed my eyes and began to hum a familiar tune in my head. This was the song that I sang during those last years in grade school, when Sakura was still capturing Clow Cards at the age of ten, while Eriol played the piano.
Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. My humming stopped and as I turned, I noticed the younger sister opening the door, carrying a dozen clothes in her arms. "Hello, Tomoyo! I forgot that Alice wanted me to give these to you. These clothes are either too big or too small for me and since you don't have any change of clothes, I think you should have these." She held them out to me and I just stupidly stared at them for a moment, until Emma neatly placed them on top of the bed. "Well, I guess that's a 'yes' right?" She laughed. "How about I show you around the city of England so you'll find your way around it?"
I thought about it for a moment, then nodded. It would be fun to go sightseeing, despite the circumstance I was in now. But I knew Eriol would have wanted me to have fun. With any luck, I can have Lizzie take me back to the warehouse and retrieve my luggages back from the taxi I was taken in. It might not be possible. Jiro might have gotten rid of the taxi cab by now to avoid suspicion, but I had to try. "All right. However..." I paused to think, remembering that I could call and ask the operator for Eriol's phone number. "May I use your phone, Emma?" I felt excitement fill my body. That's right! I thought. I could call him! Why didn't I think of that? My head was too full of sadness that I didn't even think about phoning the operator to find out where he lives!
Emma nodded. "Sure!" She opened the door and stepped outside and I followed her, back through the living room to where a white, cordless phone sat on a table beside the couch. I gingerly picked it up and glanced at the people now staring at me. Smiling, I thanked Emma, Lizzie and Jason for their kindness so far and asked them for the operator's number. Jason was the one who answered, '401.' Greatful, I thanked the young man once more and went back into my room.
Inside, I dialed the number Jason gave me and after two rings, a woman with a monotone and english voice, answered my call. "Hello, operator... tell me first and last name please."
I was surprised how sudden she asked, without even introducing herself, but I guessed it was how it was. "Hello... uh... Could I please make a phone call to a Hiragizawa Eriol?"
"Hang on a moment please," the woman spoke. I heard a click on the other line and after a few seconds, she was back online again. "I'm sorry, there doesn't seem to have a phone number for that name you speak of. What part of the city does he live in? We only check ones that are around this area."
"A-area?" I thought for a moment, but my mind was blank. I didn't know where Eriol lived. I had no idea where I was or what part of the city he was in or how far he was from me. Confused, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I... I don't know." My heart fell... "I'm sorry. Thank you very much." Disappointed, I hung up the phone and sat down on my bed, feeling like I have a lost a race somehow. "
I must have been too quiet for them...or rather, they all must have been listening to me talk, when Alice came into my room. I looked up and frowned, my tears ready to fall. Embarrassed about crying in front of a stranger, I wiped my tears with my arms and glanced at the phone I set on the table beside the bed. "I... I can't call him. I can't reach him. I... I don't even know where I am."
I felt another weight on the bed beside me. I glanced at Alice, who was sitting on the bed. She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "You could have asked me where you are. It's not like we don't know what city we live in. We're in the southern part of London England, called Lansbury. There are four areas in London: Lansbury, Surrey, Creek and Milesborough. It's possible that he could be in those other three places I mentioned. We can call in and ask."
My hopes went back up again. "Really?"
Alice nodded. "I know every part of this city and since I go from town to town for my job, I know all of the area code numbers we can contact to ask about your friend. Don't you fret my little, mother of pearl!"
I smiled and nodded. She was right, I couldn't frown...not yet. I have to find Eriol and spend this summer with him, even though there's bound to be trouble coming our way with Jiro coming back to life.
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"Hey! This must be it!" I heard Emma yell. Alice and I both looked up, startled by Emma's excited voice. She had her ear stuck to the phone and she held it up above her as a sign of pure happiness and waved it in front of me. "I think I might have it, Tomoyo! This must be the area he's in!"
"Where at, Emma?" Alice asked. I was unable to speak. It must be all the excitement that after a few days of searching for Eriol by phone and by car, it finally paid off. I wonder what part of London he lives in.
"Our winner is..." Emma smiled and winked at me. "Milesborough!"
"Are you joshing us, Emma?" Alice eyes widened when her little sister nodded seriously. I watched them argue for a moment; Alice, trying to make sure Emma wasn't 'joshing,' us while trying to grab the phone from her; Emma nodding her head numerous times that she was telling the truth, while taking the phone away from her big sister. I glanced up at Jason, who was standing near the window, staring outside. I could see veins popping out of his head, ready to explode. Two have been spent with these people has been very inviting. I enjoyed the many things they taught me about the city life in England. They showed me around for hours, while at the same time, trying to find some leads on Eriol. Emma was the first person to wam up to me, even though she was the first one to despise m in the beginning. The longer I stayed there with them, the more I became close friends with the family. I felt like part of them, a part which I did not have, since I didn't have any siblings of my own. Being the only child bored me most of the time, but okasan made sure I wasn't. She hired many servants, some who were my age to make me feel like I had a sister or a brother, but it wasn't the same compared to the family here in England. They shared many secrets to me, even though I was still a stranger at home, but they made their home welcome for me to stay. I knew I couldn't keep myself bonded with these people. It would be harder to leave them now that we found a lead to Eriol. I found out so many things about the Riley family. Their mother was Japanese, while their father, was an englishman, and their kids were more influenced in the culture of England, than they were of Japan's culture, though their mother still taught them and they lived around those rules, until Alice decided to move out of the house. Emma IS around my age, only a year younger than myself. She is a senior in high school to a building just a walking distance from where they lived. Jason drove me to that place once during Emma's lunch break and I was able to meet some of her nice friends there. Alice Dunstan, worked as a manager of an advertising company, who went from city to city, promoting every single piece that her company drew out, either for television commercials or billboards. She was in her mid twenties, who has a fiancee named, Martin Ainsworth, working as an engineer in the capital city of London. Jason was a college student, only two years older than myself, who was learning everything about Japanese culture in England's most prostegious Universities. He told me once that he wishes to be a writer and travel in Japan and write about Japan's legends, folklore and study about the heroes of the North and South.
Finally, after a moment of waiting, Alice finally believed Emma that it was the right number. The young girl eagerly pressed the phone against her ear and listened. She looked up at me and grinned as wide as I can imagine her to do and handed me the phone quickly. I took it from her hands and pressed my own ear against the greyish, cordless phone. A man's voice was on the other line and for a moment there, I thought it was Eriol speaking, but it was just the operator who was asking me for a name. "Eriol Hiragizawa," I replied. The man told me to wait for a while, like all the other operators before him and came back after a couple of seconds.
"Yes, I will connect you to him now," he said.
I felt my eyes grow wide in excitement and not just that-- I felt relieved to have finally been able to connect to the one person I was counting on. I smiled as I waited for a click and the start of the first ring on the next line. There were two rings now... then three... and then... four... My smile suddenly faded and my mouth suddenly went dry. No one was answering. There wasn't even a call waiting for me to leave a message. My shoulders sagged, thinking he must have been out. After all, he had no idea that I was here in England. Could he?
"Tomoyo? What's the matter?"
I looked up at the sound of Emma's worried voice. Everyone was looking at me, expressing their worried faces towards me. I took a deep breath, taking my eyes away from the curious faces and hung up the phone. I felt defeated. "He's... he's not home."
"Tomoyo, you've got a face like a wet weekend," Alice replied. She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "Don't you chicken curry!"
I stared at her, confused about her british slang. When she noticed my confused face, she laughed and translated the words to me correctly, telling me that I shouldn't worry about anything. I wiped my tears with the sleeves of the Emma's old clothes, thinking about that. I remembered asking Alice what 'scrubber' meant and I found out that they thought I was a prostitute when they found me on the streets that night.
"Why don't we have kidney punch first, since the dickory dock has hit noon already. What do you say, Tomoyo? We can put off calling your rob roy for a moment, can you not?" Alice asked, helping me up on my feet. My legs were frozen and tired from sitting in that kneeling position for quite some time now on the floor. Emma moved from her spot as well, while Jason, hearing what his big sister said, removed himself from the window and joined me and Emma at the table. Alice went to the kitchen to get the food ready, but when she opened the fridge, I suddenly heard her say, "Oh bloody, ell!" at the top of her lungs. All three of us were suddenly alerted by her abrupt scream. Jason was the one who was hit with the scream the most. He approached his big sister immediately, asking what was wrong.
"What are you brussel sprouting about, Alice?! You almost jumped us out of our knickers for damn sakes!" Jason spoke, opening the fridge.
"It's having no bratwurst is what I'm brussel sprouting about! They are Tomoyo's most favorite! Are they not, Tomoyo-san?"
I looked up, unaware at first that she was talking to me. I nodded blankly at the both of them.
"See?" She gave Jason a, 'I told you so' look and turned around to look at her younger sister. "Emma, could you buy those New England bratwurst Tomoyo loves from the store?" Alice stuffed at least ten dollars into Emma's jacket pocket and handed the blue jacket to her little sister.
Emma hesitated for a moment and before she could decline, Jason, spoke. "I'll buy it. It's faster anyway when I take me jam jar over at McLoggan's place."
I thought for a moment, then stood up. "I would like to come," I offered. I didn't know why I wanted to, but this was my only chance to talk to Jason and get to know him better. He seemed to have been down the last two days...or three if you count today, I have been here. I felt like I need to talk to him. "It would be wonderful to do some more sight seeing. You do not mind, Jason?"
Jason shook his head. "No, I do not."
"Then...let's go!" I grabbed my new jacket from the coat rack at the back of the front door and stepped outside, followed by the dark haired man behind me. For two days, I spent searching for Eriol's place and went sight seeing at the same time, that I knew exactly what Jason's car look liked. It was an old one. A 1984, green mazda miata, one that came all the way from Japan and despite its year, it still ran smoothly like a purring puppy. I waited by the car, until I noticed Jason approaching. He opened my side first and then went to his side. When we were both in the car, I finally took the chance to ask him.
"Honestly, Jason, what is the matter?"
The man looked at me as he started the engine. "What are you buttering about, Tomoyo?"
I took a deep breath. "You seem to be angry about something." I knew was prying too much with his personal feelings, but I was quite curious at the moment. Men were so hard to figure out. I even had a hard time trying to pin point the exact meaning to Eriol's words, whether he was sarcastic or serious everytime he wrote to me. "Am I bothering you for being here?"
Jason stared at me for a moment, then looked away. He pressed on the gas and backed away from the curb, then turned the wheel to a ninety degree angle so he could turn the car around the other way. I waited patiently until he answered me, when we finally drove away from the building. "You are definitely not bothering me, Tomoyo. I--" I noticed a hint of redness on his cheeks. "It's just... everytime I hear the name Eriol-- I feel like I want to just jump out of the building and die."
My eyes widened. "Why would you want to do that?" I was shocked at Jason's words. Would he really die if I mentioned Eriol's name again? What was wrong with his name?
Jason was quiet for a moment. I felt him step on the breaks, turning his wheel a little to the right. I looked out the window. We were already at McLoggan's Place, where Alice asked Emma to buy the bratwurst from. But as I looked back at the young man who was driving the car, he didn't make amove to get out of the car. "Jason?" I called.
The black haired youth sighed. "Don't you get it, Tomoyo?"
I stared at him, curiously. "Get what?"
"I--" He bit his lip. "I like you." He turned his head to look at me straight in the eyes. "I mean, I'm falling in love with you."
I sat there, shocked. No one has ever confessed their feelings to me and I felt quite flattered by the idea. Jason is a nice man. He's generous and really caring to his sisters. I had no complaints about him whatsoever, but the only thing I could think of, was...Eriol. I loved Eriol. I can never replace him with anyone. Not even as kind and handsome as Jason. I gave a smile. "I'm flattered, Jason, but I..."
"I understand," Jason spoke, interrupting me before I could finish. "I mean, you have a boyfriend."
Ashamed, I shyed away. "Gomen..."
Jason shook his head and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, don't you ever apologize. It's not your place to say you're sorry, because it's not your fault. I knew it was going be like this, but I just had to tell you."
"I'm glad you told me," I replied. "Even if I didn't have Eriol, I don't think I'm the right person for you."
"Why not?"
I smiled. "Because I have a short temper."
"That's it?" Jason said jockingly.
I playfully slapped him in the arm. "Really though, I don't even know if I'm Eriol's type." I felt a hand on my own, one that was resting on my lap. I looked up and found Jason's eyes, which was warm and inviting. I was mesmerized by them. I saw a kindness and a gentleness in them.
"If you're not, what are you doing here? You did all this just for him. Don't you doubt anything, Daidouji-san, because I know he's lucky to have you."
I smiled, Jason's spoken words making my heart flutter with joy. He was right. I had no reason to doubt mine and Eriol's relationship. If I did, I wouldn't have any reason to be here. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Jason."
"Now...come on, let's get your favorite bratwurst, before Alice starts wondering why we took so long!" He opened the door to his side, making sure first that there were no cars driving by, then stepped out quickly. I did the same and the both of us made our way inside the tall building of McLoggan's Place.
***********************************
~ ERIOL POV
I didn't know where else to look. I looked all over places, showing everyone I passed by the street corners of the city the picture of Tomoyo. All I got were straights answers of 'no' or the normal shaking of the heads. Some were uncooperative than others, while some were helpful, asking me if I needed help to search for her. Of course, I declined the offer, because I wanted to be the first one to find her, not some stranger. If I did that and if Tomoyo was found, then Tomoyo might run away, frightened. I lifted my coffee to my lips and sipped a little bit of it, my mind still concentrated on finding the purple-eyed girl who stole my heart. Nakuru and Spinel-sun, my two most devoted servants, sat silently beside me, once in a while giving each other worried looks for my sake. I would sometimes ignore them and sometimes would tell them not to worry about me, but I knew they couldn't stop worrying.
"So this is where you were," a woman's voice spoke.
I looked up and noticed Kaho standing there, with a serious look on her face. I couldn't deal with her right now. Ever since I said that I would kill Jiro/Kei if he harmed Tomoyo and that I would not hesitate, both Kaho and I lost our solace of friendship. I made it clear to her that I would... ANYTHING to bring back Tomoyo. Kaho made it clear as well, even though she made a decision before that she would not stand in my way, that she would do ANYTHING as well to keep Kei safe until he was back to normal.. even if he wasn't himself. "What is it this time? Are you going to lecture me again that Kei's soul can be rescued from Jiro? Even if he is rescued, Kaho, and like I said before... if he does anything to harm her, even if he gives her a little scratch, I will squeeze him until he can no longer breathe. I will continue to say the same thing if you keep pestering me about that." Without another word, I sipped another coffee from my cup. In the corner of my eyes, Kaho stood there and before I could react, she slammed a hand down on the table, startling Nakuru and Spinel-sun from their conversation.
"Have you thought about Tomoyo harming my husband, Eriol?!" I heard her yell. She took a deep breath and flipped a piece of strand behind her back and turned around. "I guess not, since you're too caught up with your own selfish deeds to care about others around you. That's probably why both of us couldn't be together, Eriol. Do you even know anything about my husband?" With that said, she walked away and pushed the front door of the coffee house as far as she could. I watched her go, her face full of scorn and fury. I took a deep breath, thinking about what she said. What did she mean, Tomoyo harming her husband? Tomoyo doesn't even have the strenght to harm a man twice her size. My only conclusion to that was, Kaho was just angry, so of course she would say anything to make me feel like I was the bad guy around here.
"Eriol-sama?" I heard Nakuru say. When she looked up, I knew that it was time to continue with the search.
I looked up at the pink haired girl and nodded, taking the last sip of coffee from the cup. I then stood up and stepped out into the wonderful air that was summer. Nakuru followed behind, carrying a rather small bag, even too small of a space for Spinel-sun. "Nakuru..." I said, when I noticed the small bag. "How can Spinel-sun breathe with a purse that small?"
Nakuru glanced at the bag and then back at me. She shrugged. "I don't know. It was the only bag I found that matched my skirt and boots."
I rolled my eyes. Women... That thought made me think of Tomoyo. Where could she be?
"Eriol-sama? Why don't we contact the police about her disappearance?" Spinel-sun suggested from inside the bag. He squeezed through the small hole that Nakuru finally opened for him to breathe and got out a few seconds later, waiting for me to reply.
I shook my head. "I would rather search for Tomoyo on my own."
"Would it not be faster with more people helping us find her?"
I sighed, irritated. Once again, Nakuru was giving suggestions that I could not comprehend. "No," I simply said, before walking fast to avoid anymore suggestions that I know I would refuse from Nakuru. I thought for a moment, thinking that Nakuru was right. Maybe outside help made sense, but I didn't want to deal any commotion that will bring curiosity to the people in this city. I want the search to be of a minimal level, without any of the police sirens buzzing in my ears. I turned around and apologized to Nakuru for being rude to her. Lately, that's what I've been doing. I guess I should really keep my temper in check.
GoodGurl: Eeek! Woah woah so Tomoyo meets a guy who has a crush on her eh? Well at least it didn't go bad right? Happy that I didn't make her fall for the guy? But for how long exactly will she be able to stay faithful to her rob roy, Eriol? o_O And what about Jiro? How long will Tomoyo have before Jiro finds her? BWUAHAHAHAHAHA! It's not over yet! Oh yes, some quick terms you saw in this chapter on British slangs. I took a lot of research on this, so bare with me! ^_^;
scrubber: prostitute
mother of pearl: girl
joshing: joking
face like a wet weekend: sad
chicken curry: worry
kidney punch: lunch
dickory dock: clock
rob roy: boy
brussel sprouting: shouting/yelling
knickers: undies
bratwurst: sausage
jam jar: car
buttering: talking
Castip: Thank you very much for being the first one (and the one who beat KyteAura to first review! ^_^; Just joking Kyte!). I'm glad you think all my fanfics are great... I don't think it's THAT great, but I'll take your word for it! ^_^
KyteAura: BWUAHAHAHAHA! At least you were the second person to review my story! Love Hina? *smirk* Just joking! You know meh! ;) And yes, I had to keep Eriol and Tomoyo away from each other...for now, but you know my stories are ALL happy endings! Duh! And yes, it is more like a Soappie, but hey, I was a fan of Days Of Our Lives before...but it's NOT like dat! So don't insult me! XP J/K.
Ruby-servantof-eli: You better stop biting your nails or you won't have any left when you read the upcoming chapters! ;) There is even going to be more surprises and twists in this story, even more than Reflections In The Mirror. Then again, I could just be exaggerating! Heh heh! ^_^;
Xanazan: OOOHHH you're back to reviewing my sequel too! I'm so glad! ^_^ Heh heh, come on, don't you fret! Obviously, the two will be in each other's arms, but not now at this point ^_^; I mean where's the fun in dat? I am the type of author who is so mean that I would probably make you WAIT until who knows how many chapters until they get together again! Could it be....*gasp?* that Tomoyo will meet a guy? Uh-oh.....no I'm kidding! But...am I really? o_O
Sakura-Anrui-Li: I'm so glad that you like my story! I feel special already that seventeen authors have put me on their favorites list! SEVENTEEN! Can you believe that? I mean, it's fifty or anything, but it shows how many devoted readers I have....Awwwww! And I'm so glad you're one of them too! ^_^
unmei (too lazy to sign in): Can't wait for the next chapter eh? ;) Well, I guess you're going to find more 'PASSION! EMOTION! ANGER!' and yes add, a 'MUA HA HA!' *snicker*
Chapter 4 - Here I am in Milesborough
~ TOMOYO POV
A light, so warm and so comforting, woke me up from my peaceful sleep. I rubbed my eyes gently and blinked them open. I found myself in a small room, one that had pink and blue wallpaper from top to bottom. I looked around me, trying to place on where I was, before I took the liberty to stand up from the comfortable bed. I made my way towards the door, but the loud voices I heard just outside, stopped me from opening it. To be exact, there were two voices, two consisting mostly of women with that deep, English accent. I also heard clinking noises, just like a fork or a spoon clinking against a glass plate and I could tell then that they were eating either breakfast or lunch, which I couldn't tell because I had no idea what time it was. I opened the door as quietly as I can and left it open for me to hear, so I could listen to their conversation. I was afraid that they would do something to me, so I listened to make sure they were harmless. I peeked my head just a little to see who was talking. In the kitchen, sat two girls, one who looked like my age, while the other, looked like she was in her early twenties. The girl my age had long, brown hair and deep green eyes, while the older girl had short, blond hair, making her almost look like a man than a young woman.
"Where do you think she came from, Alice?" the girl with brown hair spoke.
The blond woman, one who was called, Alice,' just shrugged and shook her head, unsure how to answer the girl's question. She scooped something yellow on her spoon and stuffed it in her mouth. From where I was standing, she seemed to have been eating scrambled eggs, just like how Eriol cooked it the first time he visited Japan. An image of Eriol flashed in my head. Oh how I wished I was with him right now. "I have no idea, but the poor girl seemed to have been wandering the streets for quite some time now."
"But you said she was a scrubber, didn't you?" the younger girl asked, stabbing a sausage with her fork, hungrily.
There was that word again...'scrubber?' What do they mean by that? I shook my head and continued to observe the two.
The girl, who was still nameless, put her fork down and leaned back on her chair, sighing. She looked up at the older girl and frowned. "You said that we should not let a scrubber into our house, no matter how innocent looking they are. I mean, Jason might fall for one of them!"
Alice shook her head. "That's not going to happen, Emma! Jason is a smart man and he would never fall for those types of girls. Besides..." She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "I didn't really say she was a scrubber. I said she LOOKED like one and what scrubbers have you seen that wears clothes that look like it hasn't been washed? She could just be poor for all we know."
Kim frowned and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. She doesn't wear all that makeup like most of them do."
I backed away from the door and sighed. Closing my eyes, I closed the door as quietly as I could and leaned my back against it. Now I know they were harmless. They were just two girls who found me on the street. I remembered Alice's voice actually, before I collapsed on the ground, but I needed to hear it again in order to jump start me memory. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I screamed, jumping away from the door as it opened slowly. The woman named Alice, peeked her head through the door and was surpried to see me standing there...awake. As politely as I could, I bowed my head like I always do when I needed to and apologized to her for intruding in their house and for listening to their conversation.
"Oh, don't apologize, my dear..." I looked up. Alice's eyes were full of such gentleness and care that I knew she meant well. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat for breakfast?"
I looked at her, confused. "Breakfast?"
Alice nodded. "Yes. You've been asleep for hours now. We thought you'd never wake up, so I'm quite relieved you are." She held out her hand. "My name is Alice Dunstan, but everyone calls me Alice around here."
I stared at her hand stupidly, not knowing what to do, then I remembered what Eriol was telling me in one of his letters that Western greeting was a shake of a hand, so I held out my hand and shook hers. "Ano... my name is Tomoyo Daidouji," I replied.
Alice smiled. "So, you're from Japan?"
I nodded. I was confused that Alice was not surprised to see a Japanese girl wandering the streets of England.
"Actually, I am half Japanese myself and so is my sister and my brother. But we have lived all our lives here in England, so we don't really know much about the Japanese culture anymore, except for my brother that is. He's been studying it since he started high school." She turned and went to the dining table, then pulled out the chair closest to where she was sitting. By instinct, I followed her there. "Why don't you sit down and have lunch with us then?"
I smiled politely and glanced up at the girl she was talking to-- her sister. "This is my youngest sister, Emma." I heard Alice speak. I gave the brunette a smile and she smiled back, only just a little. It seems she doesn't trust me yet. To her, I still look like a 'scrubber,' whatever that is. Sighing quietly, I sat down on the chair Alice offered me and looked at the food being offered to me. There was a medium sized plate in front of her consisting mostly of just the scrambled eggs, an odd looking sausage to her right, having only at least four left and four pancakes stacked on top of each other to her left. There was some kind of bottle with brown liquid of some sort inside and was suddenly fascinated. "That is a syrup you put on your pancake." I looked up, startled by Alice's voice once again. I glanced back at the 'syrup' and nodded.
"I see... what does it do to the pancakes?" I asked, interested. I didn't know why. I have seen Eriol put whip cream on the pancake, but never 'syrup.'
Before Alice could explain, all three of us heard a knock on the door. Alice glanced at her sister and smiled. "That must be Jason now," she said.
Emma smiled and kept sitting while Alice went to get the door. At that point, I decided to take the sausage first before I try and pancakes with the syrup, but remembered that I didn't have a fork or a plate. I paused. "Here," I heard someone say. I looked up and noticed the youngest sister hand me a heavy looking plate and a fork.
"Arigatou...I mean... thank you," I replied.
The girl smiled as I grabbed the plate and fork. Without another word, she went back to her eating. Now, down to business, I thought. My stomach was growling. I had no idea how hungry I was. I could hear voices now. I didn't pay attention much while trying to decide on what to eat first, but once I took a bite out of the sausage, I could hear Alice and a deep voice speaking to one another. They talked about school-- about 'Jason's' schooling in Japanese culture in his college. When I heard them mention 'college' I figured the brother was my age. Then, I heard Alice mention my name and about how I was found in the middle of the streets. I must look pathetic in their eyes back then. After a while, the voices stopped and footsteps began to roam the building.
"Oh, I see this is her," I heard the deep voice say.
I hurried to eat the last piece of the sausage. It was rude to eat while visitors were there, so I quickly swallowed the last piece and looked over my shoulder as a tall, handsome young man, with dark brown hair stood there. He had the deepest blue eyes I have ever seen. He looked to be at least a year or two years older than me. I took one long glance at him, before Jason approached me and offered his hand for a greeting. I stood up suddenly, unaware of the fork I dropped on the floor. "Ohayo, Daidouji-san," he spoke in pure Japanese. I looked at him, quite surprised at his natural accent in Japanese. It seems he was more Japanese himself than he was English.
"Eh...Ohayo..." I didn't know what to call him, so I stuck to that greeting. I shook his hand then and sat back down, the same time as Alice and Jason joined the table. Jason sat beside me, while Alice and Emma sat beside one another.
"So, would you like to tell us why you were on the streets in the first place?" Jason asked suddenly. I looked up, wide eyed. He had the nerve to ask me something that personal, even though I would have been happy to share it with people. But at this point, I was feeling uncomfortable sharing it with anyone. 'Oh sure!' I thought. 'How about I share about a guy who's being possessed by an evil magician, that died last year and came back to life again because he wants the power of the Black Book back in the palm of his hands so he can take over the world?'
Before I could tell him that I didn't want to say anything, I was saved by the same girl who gave me the plate. "Come on now, Jason, don't be rude! She just came out from a long sleep and you're gonna make her remember why she was there?"
I looked at Emma and watched as Jason glanced at me and apologized. I smiled and shook my head. "Don't apologize, Jason...san," I said.
Jason smiled back. "Just call me Jason," he spoke, stabbing his knife to one of the leftover sausage. I finished my last dish and placed both the fork and spoon side by side and suddenly became homesick. I stood up, gave the three siblings a pleasing smile and excused myself. I wasn't sure where to go, but Alice was kind enough to offer me the room I stayed in last night. I thanked her softly and went back to the room, then closed the door behind me. My luggages were gone, I had no change of clothes, except for the clothes on my back, which smelled of the wood from the warehouse where I was kept locked in. It was only a matter of time before that man found me and take me back there. I had to find Eriol fast... surely, he knew what to do, but I had no way of knowing where he was. The addresses, the phone numbers that connected me to Eriol were all inside the luggages I took with me from Japan. I opened the curtains of the window inside the room and looked out into a shining view. There was a beautiful garden overlooking to what was suppose to be a sunset, but the tall, large building beside the apartment building was covering it. Soon, the flowers will die with the lack of sun, unless someone was there to take care of it. I felt that way right now. Eriol wasn't here with me to brighten my spirits and to make me bloom like the flowers, but with a little help, I know I can find the sun again. I closed my eyes and began to hum a familiar tune in my head. This was the song that I sang during those last years in grade school, when Sakura was still capturing Clow Cards at the age of ten, while Eriol played the piano.
Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. My humming stopped and as I turned, I noticed the younger sister opening the door, carrying a dozen clothes in her arms. "Hello, Tomoyo! I forgot that Alice wanted me to give these to you. These clothes are either too big or too small for me and since you don't have any change of clothes, I think you should have these." She held them out to me and I just stupidly stared at them for a moment, until Emma neatly placed them on top of the bed. "Well, I guess that's a 'yes' right?" She laughed. "How about I show you around the city of England so you'll find your way around it?"
I thought about it for a moment, then nodded. It would be fun to go sightseeing, despite the circumstance I was in now. But I knew Eriol would have wanted me to have fun. With any luck, I can have Lizzie take me back to the warehouse and retrieve my luggages back from the taxi I was taken in. It might not be possible. Jiro might have gotten rid of the taxi cab by now to avoid suspicion, but I had to try. "All right. However..." I paused to think, remembering that I could call and ask the operator for Eriol's phone number. "May I use your phone, Emma?" I felt excitement fill my body. That's right! I thought. I could call him! Why didn't I think of that? My head was too full of sadness that I didn't even think about phoning the operator to find out where he lives!
Emma nodded. "Sure!" She opened the door and stepped outside and I followed her, back through the living room to where a white, cordless phone sat on a table beside the couch. I gingerly picked it up and glanced at the people now staring at me. Smiling, I thanked Emma, Lizzie and Jason for their kindness so far and asked them for the operator's number. Jason was the one who answered, '401.' Greatful, I thanked the young man once more and went back into my room.
Inside, I dialed the number Jason gave me and after two rings, a woman with a monotone and english voice, answered my call. "Hello, operator... tell me first and last name please."
I was surprised how sudden she asked, without even introducing herself, but I guessed it was how it was. "Hello... uh... Could I please make a phone call to a Hiragizawa Eriol?"
"Hang on a moment please," the woman spoke. I heard a click on the other line and after a few seconds, she was back online again. "I'm sorry, there doesn't seem to have a phone number for that name you speak of. What part of the city does he live in? We only check ones that are around this area."
"A-area?" I thought for a moment, but my mind was blank. I didn't know where Eriol lived. I had no idea where I was or what part of the city he was in or how far he was from me. Confused, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I... I don't know." My heart fell... "I'm sorry. Thank you very much." Disappointed, I hung up the phone and sat down on my bed, feeling like I have a lost a race somehow. "
I must have been too quiet for them...or rather, they all must have been listening to me talk, when Alice came into my room. I looked up and frowned, my tears ready to fall. Embarrassed about crying in front of a stranger, I wiped my tears with my arms and glanced at the phone I set on the table beside the bed. "I... I can't call him. I can't reach him. I... I don't even know where I am."
I felt another weight on the bed beside me. I glanced at Alice, who was sitting on the bed. She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "You could have asked me where you are. It's not like we don't know what city we live in. We're in the southern part of London England, called Lansbury. There are four areas in London: Lansbury, Surrey, Creek and Milesborough. It's possible that he could be in those other three places I mentioned. We can call in and ask."
My hopes went back up again. "Really?"
Alice nodded. "I know every part of this city and since I go from town to town for my job, I know all of the area code numbers we can contact to ask about your friend. Don't you fret my little, mother of pearl!"
I smiled and nodded. She was right, I couldn't frown...not yet. I have to find Eriol and spend this summer with him, even though there's bound to be trouble coming our way with Jiro coming back to life.
*******************************
"Hey! This must be it!" I heard Emma yell. Alice and I both looked up, startled by Emma's excited voice. She had her ear stuck to the phone and she held it up above her as a sign of pure happiness and waved it in front of me. "I think I might have it, Tomoyo! This must be the area he's in!"
"Where at, Emma?" Alice asked. I was unable to speak. It must be all the excitement that after a few days of searching for Eriol by phone and by car, it finally paid off. I wonder what part of London he lives in.
"Our winner is..." Emma smiled and winked at me. "Milesborough!"
"Are you joshing us, Emma?" Alice eyes widened when her little sister nodded seriously. I watched them argue for a moment; Alice, trying to make sure Emma wasn't 'joshing,' us while trying to grab the phone from her; Emma nodding her head numerous times that she was telling the truth, while taking the phone away from her big sister. I glanced up at Jason, who was standing near the window, staring outside. I could see veins popping out of his head, ready to explode. Two have been spent with these people has been very inviting. I enjoyed the many things they taught me about the city life in England. They showed me around for hours, while at the same time, trying to find some leads on Eriol. Emma was the first person to wam up to me, even though she was the first one to despise m in the beginning. The longer I stayed there with them, the more I became close friends with the family. I felt like part of them, a part which I did not have, since I didn't have any siblings of my own. Being the only child bored me most of the time, but okasan made sure I wasn't. She hired many servants, some who were my age to make me feel like I had a sister or a brother, but it wasn't the same compared to the family here in England. They shared many secrets to me, even though I was still a stranger at home, but they made their home welcome for me to stay. I knew I couldn't keep myself bonded with these people. It would be harder to leave them now that we found a lead to Eriol. I found out so many things about the Riley family. Their mother was Japanese, while their father, was an englishman, and their kids were more influenced in the culture of England, than they were of Japan's culture, though their mother still taught them and they lived around those rules, until Alice decided to move out of the house. Emma IS around my age, only a year younger than myself. She is a senior in high school to a building just a walking distance from where they lived. Jason drove me to that place once during Emma's lunch break and I was able to meet some of her nice friends there. Alice Dunstan, worked as a manager of an advertising company, who went from city to city, promoting every single piece that her company drew out, either for television commercials or billboards. She was in her mid twenties, who has a fiancee named, Martin Ainsworth, working as an engineer in the capital city of London. Jason was a college student, only two years older than myself, who was learning everything about Japanese culture in England's most prostegious Universities. He told me once that he wishes to be a writer and travel in Japan and write about Japan's legends, folklore and study about the heroes of the North and South.
Finally, after a moment of waiting, Alice finally believed Emma that it was the right number. The young girl eagerly pressed the phone against her ear and listened. She looked up at me and grinned as wide as I can imagine her to do and handed me the phone quickly. I took it from her hands and pressed my own ear against the greyish, cordless phone. A man's voice was on the other line and for a moment there, I thought it was Eriol speaking, but it was just the operator who was asking me for a name. "Eriol Hiragizawa," I replied. The man told me to wait for a while, like all the other operators before him and came back after a couple of seconds.
"Yes, I will connect you to him now," he said.
I felt my eyes grow wide in excitement and not just that-- I felt relieved to have finally been able to connect to the one person I was counting on. I smiled as I waited for a click and the start of the first ring on the next line. There were two rings now... then three... and then... four... My smile suddenly faded and my mouth suddenly went dry. No one was answering. There wasn't even a call waiting for me to leave a message. My shoulders sagged, thinking he must have been out. After all, he had no idea that I was here in England. Could he?
"Tomoyo? What's the matter?"
I looked up at the sound of Emma's worried voice. Everyone was looking at me, expressing their worried faces towards me. I took a deep breath, taking my eyes away from the curious faces and hung up the phone. I felt defeated. "He's... he's not home."
"Tomoyo, you've got a face like a wet weekend," Alice replied. She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "Don't you chicken curry!"
I stared at her, confused about her british slang. When she noticed my confused face, she laughed and translated the words to me correctly, telling me that I shouldn't worry about anything. I wiped my tears with the sleeves of the Emma's old clothes, thinking about that. I remembered asking Alice what 'scrubber' meant and I found out that they thought I was a prostitute when they found me on the streets that night.
"Why don't we have kidney punch first, since the dickory dock has hit noon already. What do you say, Tomoyo? We can put off calling your rob roy for a moment, can you not?" Alice asked, helping me up on my feet. My legs were frozen and tired from sitting in that kneeling position for quite some time now on the floor. Emma moved from her spot as well, while Jason, hearing what his big sister said, removed himself from the window and joined me and Emma at the table. Alice went to the kitchen to get the food ready, but when she opened the fridge, I suddenly heard her say, "Oh bloody, ell!" at the top of her lungs. All three of us were suddenly alerted by her abrupt scream. Jason was the one who was hit with the scream the most. He approached his big sister immediately, asking what was wrong.
"What are you brussel sprouting about, Alice?! You almost jumped us out of our knickers for damn sakes!" Jason spoke, opening the fridge.
"It's having no bratwurst is what I'm brussel sprouting about! They are Tomoyo's most favorite! Are they not, Tomoyo-san?"
I looked up, unaware at first that she was talking to me. I nodded blankly at the both of them.
"See?" She gave Jason a, 'I told you so' look and turned around to look at her younger sister. "Emma, could you buy those New England bratwurst Tomoyo loves from the store?" Alice stuffed at least ten dollars into Emma's jacket pocket and handed the blue jacket to her little sister.
Emma hesitated for a moment and before she could decline, Jason, spoke. "I'll buy it. It's faster anyway when I take me jam jar over at McLoggan's place."
I thought for a moment, then stood up. "I would like to come," I offered. I didn't know why I wanted to, but this was my only chance to talk to Jason and get to know him better. He seemed to have been down the last two days...or three if you count today, I have been here. I felt like I need to talk to him. "It would be wonderful to do some more sight seeing. You do not mind, Jason?"
Jason shook his head. "No, I do not."
"Then...let's go!" I grabbed my new jacket from the coat rack at the back of the front door and stepped outside, followed by the dark haired man behind me. For two days, I spent searching for Eriol's place and went sight seeing at the same time, that I knew exactly what Jason's car look liked. It was an old one. A 1984, green mazda miata, one that came all the way from Japan and despite its year, it still ran smoothly like a purring puppy. I waited by the car, until I noticed Jason approaching. He opened my side first and then went to his side. When we were both in the car, I finally took the chance to ask him.
"Honestly, Jason, what is the matter?"
The man looked at me as he started the engine. "What are you buttering about, Tomoyo?"
I took a deep breath. "You seem to be angry about something." I knew was prying too much with his personal feelings, but I was quite curious at the moment. Men were so hard to figure out. I even had a hard time trying to pin point the exact meaning to Eriol's words, whether he was sarcastic or serious everytime he wrote to me. "Am I bothering you for being here?"
Jason stared at me for a moment, then looked away. He pressed on the gas and backed away from the curb, then turned the wheel to a ninety degree angle so he could turn the car around the other way. I waited patiently until he answered me, when we finally drove away from the building. "You are definitely not bothering me, Tomoyo. I--" I noticed a hint of redness on his cheeks. "It's just... everytime I hear the name Eriol-- I feel like I want to just jump out of the building and die."
My eyes widened. "Why would you want to do that?" I was shocked at Jason's words. Would he really die if I mentioned Eriol's name again? What was wrong with his name?
Jason was quiet for a moment. I felt him step on the breaks, turning his wheel a little to the right. I looked out the window. We were already at McLoggan's Place, where Alice asked Emma to buy the bratwurst from. But as I looked back at the young man who was driving the car, he didn't make amove to get out of the car. "Jason?" I called.
The black haired youth sighed. "Don't you get it, Tomoyo?"
I stared at him, curiously. "Get what?"
"I--" He bit his lip. "I like you." He turned his head to look at me straight in the eyes. "I mean, I'm falling in love with you."
I sat there, shocked. No one has ever confessed their feelings to me and I felt quite flattered by the idea. Jason is a nice man. He's generous and really caring to his sisters. I had no complaints about him whatsoever, but the only thing I could think of, was...Eriol. I loved Eriol. I can never replace him with anyone. Not even as kind and handsome as Jason. I gave a smile. "I'm flattered, Jason, but I..."
"I understand," Jason spoke, interrupting me before I could finish. "I mean, you have a boyfriend."
Ashamed, I shyed away. "Gomen..."
Jason shook his head and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, don't you ever apologize. It's not your place to say you're sorry, because it's not your fault. I knew it was going be like this, but I just had to tell you."
"I'm glad you told me," I replied. "Even if I didn't have Eriol, I don't think I'm the right person for you."
"Why not?"
I smiled. "Because I have a short temper."
"That's it?" Jason said jockingly.
I playfully slapped him in the arm. "Really though, I don't even know if I'm Eriol's type." I felt a hand on my own, one that was resting on my lap. I looked up and found Jason's eyes, which was warm and inviting. I was mesmerized by them. I saw a kindness and a gentleness in them.
"If you're not, what are you doing here? You did all this just for him. Don't you doubt anything, Daidouji-san, because I know he's lucky to have you."
I smiled, Jason's spoken words making my heart flutter with joy. He was right. I had no reason to doubt mine and Eriol's relationship. If I did, I wouldn't have any reason to be here. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Jason."
"Now...come on, let's get your favorite bratwurst, before Alice starts wondering why we took so long!" He opened the door to his side, making sure first that there were no cars driving by, then stepped out quickly. I did the same and the both of us made our way inside the tall building of McLoggan's Place.
***********************************
~ ERIOL POV
I didn't know where else to look. I looked all over places, showing everyone I passed by the street corners of the city the picture of Tomoyo. All I got were straights answers of 'no' or the normal shaking of the heads. Some were uncooperative than others, while some were helpful, asking me if I needed help to search for her. Of course, I declined the offer, because I wanted to be the first one to find her, not some stranger. If I did that and if Tomoyo was found, then Tomoyo might run away, frightened. I lifted my coffee to my lips and sipped a little bit of it, my mind still concentrated on finding the purple-eyed girl who stole my heart. Nakuru and Spinel-sun, my two most devoted servants, sat silently beside me, once in a while giving each other worried looks for my sake. I would sometimes ignore them and sometimes would tell them not to worry about me, but I knew they couldn't stop worrying.
"So this is where you were," a woman's voice spoke.
I looked up and noticed Kaho standing there, with a serious look on her face. I couldn't deal with her right now. Ever since I said that I would kill Jiro/Kei if he harmed Tomoyo and that I would not hesitate, both Kaho and I lost our solace of friendship. I made it clear to her that I would... ANYTHING to bring back Tomoyo. Kaho made it clear as well, even though she made a decision before that she would not stand in my way, that she would do ANYTHING as well to keep Kei safe until he was back to normal.. even if he wasn't himself. "What is it this time? Are you going to lecture me again that Kei's soul can be rescued from Jiro? Even if he is rescued, Kaho, and like I said before... if he does anything to harm her, even if he gives her a little scratch, I will squeeze him until he can no longer breathe. I will continue to say the same thing if you keep pestering me about that." Without another word, I sipped another coffee from my cup. In the corner of my eyes, Kaho stood there and before I could react, she slammed a hand down on the table, startling Nakuru and Spinel-sun from their conversation.
"Have you thought about Tomoyo harming my husband, Eriol?!" I heard her yell. She took a deep breath and flipped a piece of strand behind her back and turned around. "I guess not, since you're too caught up with your own selfish deeds to care about others around you. That's probably why both of us couldn't be together, Eriol. Do you even know anything about my husband?" With that said, she walked away and pushed the front door of the coffee house as far as she could. I watched her go, her face full of scorn and fury. I took a deep breath, thinking about what she said. What did she mean, Tomoyo harming her husband? Tomoyo doesn't even have the strenght to harm a man twice her size. My only conclusion to that was, Kaho was just angry, so of course she would say anything to make me feel like I was the bad guy around here.
"Eriol-sama?" I heard Nakuru say. When she looked up, I knew that it was time to continue with the search.
I looked up at the pink haired girl and nodded, taking the last sip of coffee from the cup. I then stood up and stepped out into the wonderful air that was summer. Nakuru followed behind, carrying a rather small bag, even too small of a space for Spinel-sun. "Nakuru..." I said, when I noticed the small bag. "How can Spinel-sun breathe with a purse that small?"
Nakuru glanced at the bag and then back at me. She shrugged. "I don't know. It was the only bag I found that matched my skirt and boots."
I rolled my eyes. Women... That thought made me think of Tomoyo. Where could she be?
"Eriol-sama? Why don't we contact the police about her disappearance?" Spinel-sun suggested from inside the bag. He squeezed through the small hole that Nakuru finally opened for him to breathe and got out a few seconds later, waiting for me to reply.
I shook my head. "I would rather search for Tomoyo on my own."
"Would it not be faster with more people helping us find her?"
I sighed, irritated. Once again, Nakuru was giving suggestions that I could not comprehend. "No," I simply said, before walking fast to avoid anymore suggestions that I know I would refuse from Nakuru. I thought for a moment, thinking that Nakuru was right. Maybe outside help made sense, but I didn't want to deal any commotion that will bring curiosity to the people in this city. I want the search to be of a minimal level, without any of the police sirens buzzing in my ears. I turned around and apologized to Nakuru for being rude to her. Lately, that's what I've been doing. I guess I should really keep my temper in check.
GoodGurl: Eeek! Woah woah so Tomoyo meets a guy who has a crush on her eh? Well at least it didn't go bad right? Happy that I didn't make her fall for the guy? But for how long exactly will she be able to stay faithful to her rob roy, Eriol? o_O And what about Jiro? How long will Tomoyo have before Jiro finds her? BWUAHAHAHAHAHA! It's not over yet! Oh yes, some quick terms you saw in this chapter on British slangs. I took a lot of research on this, so bare with me! ^_^;
scrubber: prostitute
mother of pearl: girl
joshing: joking
face like a wet weekend: sad
chicken curry: worry
kidney punch: lunch
dickory dock: clock
rob roy: boy
brussel sprouting: shouting/yelling
knickers: undies
bratwurst: sausage
jam jar: car
buttering: talking
