The Ripple Affect
By: Xiao
` I know I used Tomoyo as the main character, meaning now you only see her thoughts, but I had to give Eriol a shot. And no, Syaoran doesn't exist in Tomoeda, only as Eriol's older brother. I also altered "Syaoran". `
-- Chapter III --
"Tomoyo," Rae-Lynn said as she saw the girl crying. "Are you alright? Did Mr. Hiiragizawa do something to you?" She said as she helped the crying girl to her feet and led her to the sliding glass door and to he bedroom.
"No, Rae-Lynn, I'm fine." She said as she sat down on her bed and whipped her damp eyes with her fingertips. "I just tripped and fell outside, it's nothing, and I'm fine. I promise." She said. Rae-Lynn gave her a worried look, but put her hands in front of her skirt and nodded lightly and made her way out of her bedroom.
'Oh, God, Tomoyo,' she thought to herself. 'Why are you crying? You just met him! You barely know him!'
---
Eriol sighed, relieved to get out of that house, and away from Tomoyo. The whole time he was talking to her, he felt that he was putting too much on her for her to handle and that if he said anymore then she would have began to worry about him. 'She's probably worrying about me now,' he thought as he saw his shirt was un-cuffed. He sighed.
"I'm home," he said as he opened the door to his own house. Inside, the house was kept fairly neat. The carpet a faded brown and the walls white, the kitchen holding wooden floors that were slightly scratched. The house consisted of two stories, downstairs containing the kitchen, dining room, family room (which would work better being called the living room, he noted to himself, considering the whole family was never there), a bathroom, and the office. Upstairs there was the master bedroom, his room, Syaoran's room, the small library that they kept, and another bathroom. It was a small house compared to others, but it did just fine for a family of three.
"Where were you?" He heard Syaoran ask from his room, upstairs. Eriol walked to the staircase and yelled up that he had to stay after to get help with some math work. He then asked where their dad was and Syaoran replied that he didn't know.
"I'm going to take a nap," Eriol said as he walked up the stairs and to his own room. "Wake me when we should start dinner." He shut his door and turned the little lock before making his way window and opening the blinds lightly. He stripped down to his boxers and made his way between the sheets and his comforter. He looked around the dimly lit room. Holes in the walls from when he had got mad at his dad and punched it, his desk a mess with school papers, the screen seen between the blinds tore, and then in the creek of his closet door, he could see the small stain of blood on the ground, and a small lump in his shirts, which were folded crisply, where he kept he razor in it's case. It wasn't very visible, but he had kept it there for so long he could easily spot it.
With a sigh, he turned on his sides and pulled of hiss glasses, folding them and setting them on his nightstand. The alarm clock glowed with it's dim neon green numbers, which read 5:09 PM. With one more sigh, he shut his eyes, pulled the blanket to his chin and drifted off for a few minutes.
"Goddamn it, Eriol, stop locking your door!" Syaoran said, hitting his fists against the door loud enough for it to wake him up. He grunted and opened his eyes, grabbing his glasses and placing them back on.
"What now? I said don't wake me up till it's time to make dinner!" He said, drowsy.
"Dad just called; he is going to be home soon." He said.
---
"I just don't understand why." Tomoyo finally said after a long moment of silence. "I barely know this guy and he finally tells me what I want to know, and when he leaves I start crying and worrying about what is going to happen!
"I mean, I know he cuts himself because when he left I tried to grab his wrist and the cuff of his collar came undone and when he left, you could see red gashes on his wrist! And it scares me and I don't want to be in this, but I can't just leave him like this!" She began to sob again, and pulled her knees to her chest. "I don't understand, Sakura…"
"I think you're just caring about what is going to happen to him, because I guess no one else is going to?" She said, quietly. "It's okay, Tomoyo, I'm sure now that you're with him that everything will get better for him." She said, her voice a bit soothing because of the fact that she was trying to comfort her best friend the best she could, which was hard because it was all over the phone, and they were so many miles away from each other.
"I hope so," Tomoyo said as she pulled a tissue from the tissue box on her night stand and pressed the ends to her eyes and then blew her nose quietly. "I really hope that he's going to be okay. You know how hard it is to see someone that you know and are friends with do those kind of things?"
Sakura paused. "I've never had it happen to me, Tomoyo, but I can imagine exactly what you're going through. Just trust me, though! Look on the bright side and everything will get better, all right?"
"Okay." She sniffled, and nodded lightly, despite the fact that Sakura wouldn't be able to see it. "Thank you so much, Sakura. I'll talk to you later, okay?" She then wished her best friend a goodbye and then hung up the phone.
---
He quickly placed the bowls and chopsticks onto the table as Syaoran dished out the classes of tea, and then the two boys sat at their respected seats. They never waited for their father to get home, but they always had a plate of food waiting for him, anyway. Anyway, if they didn't, they figured he would get even more mad -- and anyway, the plate was always empty by morning. "You sure that he called?"
"Oh, yeah, did I mention I've been hearing things lately?" Syaoran replied, sarcastically before taking a bite ouf o the soup. Eriol laughed. Syaoran had been one of his best friends, despite the fact that there was sometimes sibling rivalry. Syaoran had been one of the only ones ever to understand what he was going through, because he had been there and done the same thing. He was two years older than him; a well built guy with almost black hair and mahogany eyes. He did have glasses, as did Eriol, but he wore contacts.
A moment later, Eriol's laughing was silenced as the front door opened and walked in their dad. The man was tall, black hair, blue eyes with glasses. He had a strong build, as well. And as for the moment, he seemed to be as every dad was, no hint of alcohol in his system, it seemed. "Hey." He said casually and went to his two sons with a nice smile. Eriol looked back down at his food and continued his meal as his dad took his seat. "How was everyone's day?"
"Fine," they both said at the same time.
"That's good." He really could of been classified under the perfect dad when he wasn't drunk, but because he did usually come home drunk Eriol and Syaoran had grown to almost hate him. Eriol exspecially didn't like to sit and listen to anything he had to say to them. When he wasn't drinking, it was usually 'Hey Eriol,' 'Hey' 'How was your day?' 'It was fine. Yours?' 'It was good.' But when it lasted longer, each second he found himself wanting to leave more than ever, already getting angry.
Maybe he hated him.
But after all, how could he not? He would still have a mom if he didn't come home drinking, and then if he didn't Syaoran wouldn't of had to punch him and get punched back. If he didn't drink, he wouldn't usually come home and blame them for things that never happened.
Eriol took in deep inhale, trying to keep everything inside as he ate his food calmly. He faintly heard his dad say that he had found a new girl, someone that he was dating. "I'm leaving," Eriol said through gritted teeth. No, he didn't want his dad to put anyone else through what they were going through, and thus he wouldn't sit and listen to whatever else his dad had to say about her. He grabbed his dishes and headed to the kitchen before washing them and them walking upstairs, slamming the door.
"He's tired," Syaoran tried to use as an excuse. "had to stay after for some school help." Syaoran had been different than him, maybe intolerable when his dad hit him, but was able to hold a conversation with his dad without getting angry. Eriol didn't understand why, but he figured that Syaoran's theory was it wasn't his dad's fault, but the alcohol's. Syaoran had never told him why.
With a grunt, he locked the door to his room again and made his way to the closet door, his body completely tense. 'Hell with him,' he thought to himself as he rummaged through the crisply folded shirts in search for what was usually held there. He gave a sigh of relief when his hand reached the cool plastic case. 'To Hell with it all.'
There was a knock on the door, making Eriol slightly jump. "Who is it?" He asked. The more mature voice of his dad rang in through the thick peice of wood. Eriol cut him off and quickly told that he was tired, had a long day, and was going to bed. The dad, waited until he heard his son to say good night and then left, back downstairs to take care of the dishes.
He sighed and grabbed the case and made his way to his nightstand, slipping it into the small drawer just in case he felt like using it any time soon. He then shut his blinds and closed the curtains before changing and then slipping back between the curtains, as he did earlier in the day. He took a side glance over at the alarm clocks dim neon numbers, which read 6:49 PM. He then rolled over onto his back and stared into the closet, still able to see the faded red stain on the carpet because of the lights seeping through the blinds and curtains. He heard the voices of his dad and brother down stairs, and yearned to grab it from the nightstand.
Four minutes passed.
Blood stained the skin and part of the sheets.
The drawer hung open.
The case left open near the alarm clock.
He sighed.
Relief.
Finally.
By: Xiao
` I know I used Tomoyo as the main character, meaning now you only see her thoughts, but I had to give Eriol a shot. And no, Syaoran doesn't exist in Tomoeda, only as Eriol's older brother. I also altered "Syaoran". `
-- Chapter III --
"Tomoyo," Rae-Lynn said as she saw the girl crying. "Are you alright? Did Mr. Hiiragizawa do something to you?" She said as she helped the crying girl to her feet and led her to the sliding glass door and to he bedroom.
"No, Rae-Lynn, I'm fine." She said as she sat down on her bed and whipped her damp eyes with her fingertips. "I just tripped and fell outside, it's nothing, and I'm fine. I promise." She said. Rae-Lynn gave her a worried look, but put her hands in front of her skirt and nodded lightly and made her way out of her bedroom.
'Oh, God, Tomoyo,' she thought to herself. 'Why are you crying? You just met him! You barely know him!'
---
Eriol sighed, relieved to get out of that house, and away from Tomoyo. The whole time he was talking to her, he felt that he was putting too much on her for her to handle and that if he said anymore then she would have began to worry about him. 'She's probably worrying about me now,' he thought as he saw his shirt was un-cuffed. He sighed.
"I'm home," he said as he opened the door to his own house. Inside, the house was kept fairly neat. The carpet a faded brown and the walls white, the kitchen holding wooden floors that were slightly scratched. The house consisted of two stories, downstairs containing the kitchen, dining room, family room (which would work better being called the living room, he noted to himself, considering the whole family was never there), a bathroom, and the office. Upstairs there was the master bedroom, his room, Syaoran's room, the small library that they kept, and another bathroom. It was a small house compared to others, but it did just fine for a family of three.
"Where were you?" He heard Syaoran ask from his room, upstairs. Eriol walked to the staircase and yelled up that he had to stay after to get help with some math work. He then asked where their dad was and Syaoran replied that he didn't know.
"I'm going to take a nap," Eriol said as he walked up the stairs and to his own room. "Wake me when we should start dinner." He shut his door and turned the little lock before making his way window and opening the blinds lightly. He stripped down to his boxers and made his way between the sheets and his comforter. He looked around the dimly lit room. Holes in the walls from when he had got mad at his dad and punched it, his desk a mess with school papers, the screen seen between the blinds tore, and then in the creek of his closet door, he could see the small stain of blood on the ground, and a small lump in his shirts, which were folded crisply, where he kept he razor in it's case. It wasn't very visible, but he had kept it there for so long he could easily spot it.
With a sigh, he turned on his sides and pulled of hiss glasses, folding them and setting them on his nightstand. The alarm clock glowed with it's dim neon green numbers, which read 5:09 PM. With one more sigh, he shut his eyes, pulled the blanket to his chin and drifted off for a few minutes.
"Goddamn it, Eriol, stop locking your door!" Syaoran said, hitting his fists against the door loud enough for it to wake him up. He grunted and opened his eyes, grabbing his glasses and placing them back on.
"What now? I said don't wake me up till it's time to make dinner!" He said, drowsy.
"Dad just called; he is going to be home soon." He said.
---
"I just don't understand why." Tomoyo finally said after a long moment of silence. "I barely know this guy and he finally tells me what I want to know, and when he leaves I start crying and worrying about what is going to happen!
"I mean, I know he cuts himself because when he left I tried to grab his wrist and the cuff of his collar came undone and when he left, you could see red gashes on his wrist! And it scares me and I don't want to be in this, but I can't just leave him like this!" She began to sob again, and pulled her knees to her chest. "I don't understand, Sakura…"
"I think you're just caring about what is going to happen to him, because I guess no one else is going to?" She said, quietly. "It's okay, Tomoyo, I'm sure now that you're with him that everything will get better for him." She said, her voice a bit soothing because of the fact that she was trying to comfort her best friend the best she could, which was hard because it was all over the phone, and they were so many miles away from each other.
"I hope so," Tomoyo said as she pulled a tissue from the tissue box on her night stand and pressed the ends to her eyes and then blew her nose quietly. "I really hope that he's going to be okay. You know how hard it is to see someone that you know and are friends with do those kind of things?"
Sakura paused. "I've never had it happen to me, Tomoyo, but I can imagine exactly what you're going through. Just trust me, though! Look on the bright side and everything will get better, all right?"
"Okay." She sniffled, and nodded lightly, despite the fact that Sakura wouldn't be able to see it. "Thank you so much, Sakura. I'll talk to you later, okay?" She then wished her best friend a goodbye and then hung up the phone.
---
He quickly placed the bowls and chopsticks onto the table as Syaoran dished out the classes of tea, and then the two boys sat at their respected seats. They never waited for their father to get home, but they always had a plate of food waiting for him, anyway. Anyway, if they didn't, they figured he would get even more mad -- and anyway, the plate was always empty by morning. "You sure that he called?"
"Oh, yeah, did I mention I've been hearing things lately?" Syaoran replied, sarcastically before taking a bite ouf o the soup. Eriol laughed. Syaoran had been one of his best friends, despite the fact that there was sometimes sibling rivalry. Syaoran had been one of the only ones ever to understand what he was going through, because he had been there and done the same thing. He was two years older than him; a well built guy with almost black hair and mahogany eyes. He did have glasses, as did Eriol, but he wore contacts.
A moment later, Eriol's laughing was silenced as the front door opened and walked in their dad. The man was tall, black hair, blue eyes with glasses. He had a strong build, as well. And as for the moment, he seemed to be as every dad was, no hint of alcohol in his system, it seemed. "Hey." He said casually and went to his two sons with a nice smile. Eriol looked back down at his food and continued his meal as his dad took his seat. "How was everyone's day?"
"Fine," they both said at the same time.
"That's good." He really could of been classified under the perfect dad when he wasn't drunk, but because he did usually come home drunk Eriol and Syaoran had grown to almost hate him. Eriol exspecially didn't like to sit and listen to anything he had to say to them. When he wasn't drinking, it was usually 'Hey Eriol,' 'Hey' 'How was your day?' 'It was fine. Yours?' 'It was good.' But when it lasted longer, each second he found himself wanting to leave more than ever, already getting angry.
Maybe he hated him.
But after all, how could he not? He would still have a mom if he didn't come home drinking, and then if he didn't Syaoran wouldn't of had to punch him and get punched back. If he didn't drink, he wouldn't usually come home and blame them for things that never happened.
Eriol took in deep inhale, trying to keep everything inside as he ate his food calmly. He faintly heard his dad say that he had found a new girl, someone that he was dating. "I'm leaving," Eriol said through gritted teeth. No, he didn't want his dad to put anyone else through what they were going through, and thus he wouldn't sit and listen to whatever else his dad had to say about her. He grabbed his dishes and headed to the kitchen before washing them and them walking upstairs, slamming the door.
"He's tired," Syaoran tried to use as an excuse. "had to stay after for some school help." Syaoran had been different than him, maybe intolerable when his dad hit him, but was able to hold a conversation with his dad without getting angry. Eriol didn't understand why, but he figured that Syaoran's theory was it wasn't his dad's fault, but the alcohol's. Syaoran had never told him why.
With a grunt, he locked the door to his room again and made his way to the closet door, his body completely tense. 'Hell with him,' he thought to himself as he rummaged through the crisply folded shirts in search for what was usually held there. He gave a sigh of relief when his hand reached the cool plastic case. 'To Hell with it all.'
There was a knock on the door, making Eriol slightly jump. "Who is it?" He asked. The more mature voice of his dad rang in through the thick peice of wood. Eriol cut him off and quickly told that he was tired, had a long day, and was going to bed. The dad, waited until he heard his son to say good night and then left, back downstairs to take care of the dishes.
He sighed and grabbed the case and made his way to his nightstand, slipping it into the small drawer just in case he felt like using it any time soon. He then shut his blinds and closed the curtains before changing and then slipping back between the curtains, as he did earlier in the day. He took a side glance over at the alarm clocks dim neon numbers, which read 6:49 PM. He then rolled over onto his back and stared into the closet, still able to see the faded red stain on the carpet because of the lights seeping through the blinds and curtains. He heard the voices of his dad and brother down stairs, and yearned to grab it from the nightstand.
Four minutes passed.
Blood stained the skin and part of the sheets.
The drawer hung open.
The case left open near the alarm clock.
He sighed.
Relief.
Finally.
