Pretty Baby, Why Can't You See?
By SwEeT AnGeL 1004
Chapter 4: Dates and Plans
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"Tomoyo!" Meiling hollered into the empty hallway, "You're going to be late!"
Tomoyo quickly came out of the bathroom.
"Oh, Tomoyo, you look so beautiful," Sakura said sincerely.
"Really? It's kind of my first 'official' date with Eriol, since I actually was prepared for this one. How do I look?" Tomoyo asked.
She had let her long purplish hair down, and was wearing a silky skirt that had violets printed on them. She also wore a cute little blouse that matched her skirt and matching high heels.
"What time is he picking you up?" Sakura asked.
"Actually, I'm going to meet him down at the corner of the street. I don't really want him to know where I live. No offense you guys, but he's so rich I feel so…little, compared to him. I mean, I used to live like him," Tomoyo said.
"It's all right. We understand. Just be careful out there," Meiling said.
"Okay. I'm going to head out now," Tomoyo said.
"Bye!" Sakura waved off Tomoyo, who promptly left.
Tomoyo quickly walked down the twenty two flights of stairs down to the lobby, where she stepped out of the building and headed towards the corner where Eriol had dropped her off the night before.
She patiently waited for several minutes, until it was dark and promptly three minutes before seven.
"Sorry I'm late. Were you waiting long?" Eriol apologized.
And like a true gentleman, he got out of the car, walked over and opened the door for Tomoyo.
"Oh, no. It's okay. I was early. So, what are we doing tonight?" Tomoyo asked.
"Well, believe it or not, I cooked a whole dinner for you with four courses. I thought after that maybe I could walk you home. It's a beautiful night, and I don't want to keep you out too late."
"That sounds perfect to me. What are we having?" Tomoyo asked as Eriol started the car.
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Eriol grinned.
"All right."
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Eriol led Tomoyo to the entrance of the apartment.
"Here we are at my house. Hopefully, Touya and Syaoran will stay out of our way."
"That's fine," Tomoyo said.
Eriol quickly opened the door with flourish and let Tomoyo walk in it.
"Wow. It's an awesome apartment," Tomoyo said, mouth agape.
It might not have seemed like much of an apartment to Syaoran, Eriol or Touya, but in another's eyes, the apartment was amazing.
It had the latest styles, with a stainless steel kitchen, and there was a huge big screen TV in the living room, where there were accented black leather sofas and a beautiful coffee table.
"I love this place," Tomoyo said.
"First, let's have something to drink and an appetizer. Actually, I've paid Touya some money to be our 'waiter'," Eriol confided.
Tomoyo laughed and said, "All right. Let's have something to eat."
Eriol led Tomoyo to a small bar that had a rosy glow from candles lit around.
"Hey, Touya. Nice outfit," Eriol smirked at the sight of a scowling, tall man in a white shirt, black tie and cummerbund.
Touya glared at Eriol, and Tomoyo said, "Hi Touya. Nice to see you again."
Touya 'humphed' at that, and said, "What do you want to drink?"
"Get out the appetizer. I'll have a martini, shaken, not stirred, and two speared olives," Eriol said.
"Oh. I'll just have a soda. You got any cola?" Tomoyo asked.
"Yeah. Let me get the appetizer first," Touya said resentfully and walked out of the bar.
"That's hilarious," Tomoyo said to Eriol, "Touya as a play-waiter for us? You're definitely one of a kind."
"No. You're one of a kind," Eriol said seriously, looking into Tomoyo's eyes.
She blushed and turned away and said, "He's back."
Touya presented a silver platter with small crackers with cheese, ham and small pieces of parsley on top.
He handed Tomoyo her drink in a wine goblet with a small straw and umbrella.
Touya set off to make Eriol's drink and gave it to him.
"Cheers. To us," Eriol said and raised his glass.
Tomoyo raised hers and they clinked them together, and she repeated, "To us."
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Tomoyo quickly finished her cake and said, "Mmm. That was delicious. Did you bake it?"
Eriol laughed and said, "No. I bought it at the French bakery. Are you done?"
Tomoyo nodded and handed her plate to Eriol.
He took it and said, "Unfortunately, I'm stuck with the dishes. Touya put his foot down when I asked him to be our busboy, too."
Tomoyo giggled and said, "Then I'll do them for you."
"No, I couldn't. I'll just leave them for Syaoran. Come on. I'll walk you home. I don't want to keep you out too late," Eriol said.
"All right. But one last time--are you SURE you don't want free dishwashing help?" Tomoyo asked.
"I'm sure," Eriol said and chuckled.
They walked out to the foyer where Eriol handed Tomoyo her coat, and she put it on.
Eriol put on his own, warm, expensive-looking coat and they stepped out of the apartment.
They made their way down to the lobby and out the door, where they were quickly greeted with a cool gust of wind.
"Wow, it's cold for late October," Tomoyo commented.
"I know. It's so beautiful in the city. And I hope this doesn't sound corny or anything, but it looks even more beautiful since I have someone to share it with," Eriol said warmly.
Tomoyo blushed, and said, "Thank you."
They strolled along the sidewalk, slowly making their way down to the corner where Eriol had dropped her off and picked her up.
Eriol slipped his hand into Tomoyo's, making her inwardly smile in pleasure.
"So when are you actually going to let me take you to the front door of your house?" Eriol asked.
Tomoyo blushed again, "I'm sorry. It's just that--it's just that you're my…you're my first boyfriend. I wouldn't feel very comfortable. You can come whenever I'm ready."
"I'm fine with that," Eriol said.
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A black limousine was cruising along the streets of Tokyo, when the woman in the black snapped to the chauffeur, "Slow down."
The man obeyed and slowed down the large car, rolling aside the sidewalk.
The woman inside the car narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized a young girl with carefree hair and a purple skirt was walking slowly along the sidewalk, holding hands with a handsome, tall man.
"Stop the car," the woman ordered, and the chauffeur complied, and quickly stopped the car right next to the sidewalk, several feet in front of the walking couple.
The woman got out, and headed towards the two.
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Tomoyo paused to smile at Eriol, and when she looked back to the front, an angry woman was standing in front of them, hands on her hips, glaring at her.
The woman seemed familiar…
"Hello," Tomoyo smiled at the woman, and Eriol and her turned to step around the woman, when the woman sent a flying slap at Tomoyo.
Tomoyo gasped, and clutched her left cheek with her hand.
Tomoyo narrowed her eyes, found some recognition and then said calmly, "Hello, Sonomi."
The woman smirked and said, "Can't believe it took you that long to recognize your mother."
"I'm sorry, but I don't recall living with a mother for the past thirteen years," Tomoyo shot back.
"I gave birth to you," the woman said, "Now get in the car and go home with me. You're coming back to live with me and take over the business. I can't believe it took me this long to find you."
Tomoyo replied, "I'm not going with you. I'm not going to have anything to do with you. Tomoyo Daidouji, daughter of Sonomi Daidouji, IS officially dead. Goodbye, Sonomi."
Tomoyo and Eriol stepped around the bristling woman.
When she rose her hand to strike again, Eriol caught her arm roughly and twisted it.
"Don't you dare, lady," Eriol growled.
The woman glared indignantly and shouted to Tomoyo, "This isn't over! I will find you again!"
Tomoyo stared ahead at the sidewalk and continued walking.
After she heard the limousine leaving, Tomoyo burst into tears.
She sobbed, "I can't believe its her. After all these years…"
Eriol held Tomoyo in his arms and gently rubbed her back, soothing her.
"There, there. She's not going to bother you again, not if you're my girl."
Tomoyo looked up at Eriol and said, "I'm so sorry. We were having a great time, and she ruined it all, and I just feel hor--"
Eriol leaned forward and gently kissed Tomoyo on the lips, cutting her off.
"Shhh…" Eriol said softly.
Tomoyo returned the kiss, and blushed when it was over.
"I guess I got to go. Thank you so much for the dinner. Bye!" Tomoyo exclaimed as she quickly walked away, trying to hide the heat that had reddened her face.
"I'll call you," Eriol called to her back, "I really will!"
Tomoyo turned back and laughed, and waved to him.
Eriol watched Tomoyo walk off until she was only a speck in the horizon.
He sighed happily, and turned to walk back home.
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One month later…
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"I'm home! Officially! For one whole month! Of winter break!" Sakura announced happily.
"Well, actually from school. I'm not working the school for a month. I still have to work at the restaurant," Sakura admitted to herself when she realized she was talking to an empty home.
"Yuki? Tomoyo? Meiling?" Sakura asked.
Sakura pouted, "Hey, where'd they go?"
Then she remembered that Meiling was still working at the gym, and Tomoyo had a late anger management session. And Yuki was who-knows-where.
For the past month, they had barely seen Yuki.
They knew he came and go, and every time they came they usually missed him.
Occasionally they saw him reading a book or washing dishes, but other than that, he was scarcely around.
Could it have been what Sakura had seen that fateful night?
'Nah, probably not,' Sakura thought.
Or maybe it was just that the three girls weren't home as much, not that they had Eriol and Syaoran to hang out with.
And no, Sakura hadn't seen the 'handsome, angry roommate' of Syaoran's and Eriol's, what was his name again, oh yeah, Touya.
Her mind lingered on the name again, but Sakura shook it off.
"I need to go to work," Sakura remembered, and quickly ran to her room to change into her uniform.
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"So, this concludes today's session. I hope to see you all next month!" Tomoyo said pleasantly to the group.
She turned away and caught Touya dozing, and gently prodded him.
"Augh!" he woke up and took a martial arts stance.
"Relax, Touya. You were napping like a little baby. The sessions over. I hope you had a nice time and learned everything," Eriol said mockingly.
Touya rolled his eyes and yawned, "I didn't get much sleep last night."
"So, Tomoyo. Are you going home right away?" Eriol asked Tomoyo.
"Yes, I am. I already went to the XOXO building and turned in my papers. So I have the night free," Tomoyo said.
"Cool. You want some dinner? Or how about we all eat together? We could call up Syaoran, Sakura and Meiling. What about you, Touya?" Eriol asked.
"No, I mean, I gotta go home and…take a bath," Touya said lamely.
"He doesn't want to go," Eriol said to Tomoyo, and said, "His loss. So how about it?"
"Sure! I think Sakura's working, but she could probably take an hour off for break," Tomoyo said.
"I'll call Syaoran. You call Meiling and Sakura," Eriol said.
He took out his cell phone and tossed it to Tomoyo, and took out another one and speed dialed Syaoran.
"Why do you need two cell phones?" Tomoyo asked Eriol quizzically as she waited for Meiling to pick up.
"A spare one in case my other one runs out of batteries," Eriol said.
Tomoyo nodded, and quickly said, "Meiling? Yeah! How about dinner? You, me, Eriol, Sakura and Syaoran? It's good? All right. How about Eriol and I pick you up at six thirty? It's already five, yeah. Okay. We'll pick you up then."
Tomoyo snapped the cell phone shut, and watched Eriol finish up his call, "All right. Meet you at the King's Garden at six forty five. Why don't you pick up Sakura at her restaurant at six thirty?"
"Oh," Tomoyo said to herself, having forgotten to call Sakura.
"Hello, Sakura? How about dinner at six forty five? Can you make it? Great. Syaoran will pick you up at six thirty. We're going to the King's Garden. Yeah. Okay. All right," Tomoyo hung up again, and handed Eriol the cell phone.
"So we're all set?" Eriol asked.
"Yeah. Let's get there early and reserve a table," Tomoyo said.
She put her arm through the crook of his, and he said, "Let's go, my princess."
Tomoyo laughed shyly, and the left, not bothering to say goodbye to Touya.
Touya rolled his eyes at the retreating couple.
He was going to go home and have a relaxing night, watching television and eating some popcorn.
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Syaoran quickly drove home and ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower before leaving to pick up Sakura.
Was it just him or was he always the one that got to drive her around?
Syaoran turned on the shower and got in.
He quickly set the temperature to his comfort, and shampooed his hair roughly.
He soaped his body, going over his chest and shoulders, and Syaoran grimaced at the sight of the ugly black tattoo on his right shoulder, nearly taking up all the skin.
It was a sign of loyalty to Tsukiro, and Syaoran had neatly kept it hidden from everyone, including Meiling.
He wanted to keep her in the dark about his job, especially since it was so dangerous and all.
Syaoran sighed, and glanced at the clock in the bathroom.
Six fifteen.
"Gotta go!" Syaoran exclaimed.
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"Eriol and Tomoyo reservations? This way," the waitress led the group of five to a large table.
"Your server will be with you shortly," the woman said, reciting the lines Sakura knew by heart.
"It's nice to finally eat at some other restaurant for break," Sakura said, relaxing on the leather chair.
"So what are you going to order?" Eriol asked everyone.
"What do they have?" Sakura asked.
"Chinese food. It tastes bad, in my opinion, compared to 'real' homemade food. But Eriol thinks its okay," Syaoran said.
Their waiter came, a tall, handsome guy in the restaurant's outfit.
"How can I help you?" he asked, and winked at Sakura.
She blushed and looked down, "An iced tea would be fine."
Syaoran shot the waiter a deathly look, and said, "A Sprite®."
The waiter gave a confused look to him and said, "Um, okay. And you guys?"
After the waiter left with all their orders and drinks, Eriol cleared his throat.
"The main reason I wanted to call you guys together was only one reason. Does that make sense?" Eriol asked Tomoyo.
She grinned and said, "No. It doesn't at all."
Eriol smiled and said, "Well, we've known each other for over a month. I'm going out with Tomoyo, and Syaoran and Meiling and related. So we're really close, aren't we?"
The other four people nodded in unison.
"So I was thinking for winter break, we could go up to the mountains. We have a big cabin up in a little village in a ski resort. How about it? Maybe for a couple of weeks to relax," Eriol said.
"That sounds really fun," Meiling said.
"Snow…"Sakura intoned dreamily.
"Skiing," Tomoyo said, nodding in agreement.
"That'd be okay with me," Syaoran said.
"I can take three weeks off. Since I've saved up all my vacations from XOXO for the past three years," Tomoyo said.
"I can take a month off from the gym," Meiling said, "As soon as I ask the manager."
"I'm off from school, and I can take a break from the restaurant," Sakura said.
"So we can all go, right?" Eriol said.
"What about Touya?" Syaoran asked.
"He can go. He won't want to, but he'll go. So I'll call the cabin and make sure it'll be ready for us. Since today's December 8th, how about we leave on the 15th and come back on the 30th? Just in time for New Year's Eve," Eriol suggested.
"That sounds perfect. This is going to be SO fun--oh, what about Yuki!" Sakura said.
"Ohh…" Meiling and Tomoyo said.
"I don't want to leave him alone for Christmas," Sakura said.
"Me too," Meiling agreed.
"I think it'd be okay with him. I mean, it's only two weeks. We can tell him," Tomoyo said.
"Then that's solved. So, I'll call you guys with more details tomorrow or something," Eriol said.
"Snow," Sakura said again, glazing off into dream world, "Fluffy white snow. Snowmen. Snow-women. Not the crappy dirty snow we get here in the city."
"Let's eat!" Meiling said when she saw the waiter coming back with their drinks and food.
"Let's," Tomoyo agreed.
And they dug in.
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After eating, Sakura patted her tummy in happiness, "That was a great dinner."
"Mm," Meiling agreed, sipping on her drink that had been refilled for the sixth time.
The waiter came again with the bill.
"I'll take it," Syaoran said.
"No, we'll pay for it. I mean, you guys are taking us to your snow cabin and everything. We'll foot the bill this time," Sakura argued.
"It's okay. Here," Syaoran handed the waiter his credit card before Sakura could say anything else, and he whisked off.
"So, about the snow cabin. How many rooms are there?" Meiling inquired.
"Unfortunately, only three. It's two stories high, with the three bedrooms on the second floor. On the first floor is the living room with a huge fireplace, and the kitchen and dining room," Eriol said.
"Touya can have his own room and you two can share one. We girls can share the other on," Tomoyo immediately offered.
"Are you sure? Thanks. That'd be the best, especially with Touya's pickiness. Honestly, he needs to get a girlfriend," Eriol shook his head in discontentment.
The waiter came back with the receipt and mints, and the group of five got up to leave.
On the way out, the waiter caught Sakura's arm, who was walking behind with Syaoran.
"I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I get off work in fifteen minutes. Do you want to go catch a movie or something?" the waiter asked.
Sakura blushed and said, "Um…actually…I…"
"Already have a boyfriend," Syaoran said, and glared at the waiter.
The waiter immediately let go of Sakura's arm and took a couple of steps back from Syaoran's look.
"S-sorry," he stuttered and quickly rushed off.
Sakura laughed and said, "Thanks, Syaoran. I didn't know how to let him off. I hate it when guys ask me out."
Syaoran gave Sakura a nod.
"No problem. You looked like you needed some help there," he said.
Sakura gave him a smile and they walked out of the restaurant.
Syaoran casually asked, "So do a lot of people ask you out?"
Sakura giggled bashfully and said, "Unfortunately, yes. Too many people. And I hate turning them down, but I don't date, so…"
"You don't date? Aren't you going to get married?" Syaoran asked.
"Yeah. I just have a belief that I should date after I fall in love, not date to see if I fall in love. You know…truly, sincerely, love him with all your heart love. I'm still looking for the right guy."
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Next day…
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"What the hell is going on? I gave you the damn assignment a month ago and you STILL haven't done anything about it!" Tsukiro demanded to Syaoran.
"I'm sorry, sir. This is my first assignment and I wanted to do it right. I've been watching them for the past month, and I've figured out who my target it. I've almost got my plan ready, and it'll be ready to be carried out in another month," Syaoran said, wincing at Tsukiro's angry face.
"Do you know what's been happening? The damn Noshiko group's sales have gone up 200 percent! That mean a decrease for OUR sales! They've made 3.6 millions dollars in the past month! All because of that fucking formula. It creates an artificial cocaine powder, which produces faster than normal ones, it's twice as addictive and gives you a longer high and less side effects!" Tsukiro yelled.
"I am aware of that, sir," Syaoran said respectfully.
"Then get your damn ass out of that door and start working!"
"Yes, sir," Syaoran said again and left the room.
He sighed once he got out of the room.
He hadn't been training as hard lately, and taking more time off work to hang out with Eriol, Sakura, Meiling and Tomoyo.
And Tsukiro wouldn't be happy if he heard that the three of them were going off for two weeks off to the mountains.
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Tomoyo and Eriol were on another date that night, and they were in a fancy restaurant, eating their entrees.
"This is really good," Tomoyo smiled at Eriol.
"I know, isn't? I have a surprise for you," Eriol said.
"What is it?" Tomoyo asked.
Eriol pulled out a bag, and from it he pulled out a small box.
"Open," Eriol said as he slid the box to Tomoyo.
She untied the bow and opened the box and exclaimed, "Oh! It's a cell phone!"
"Yeah. Don't worry, I'm paying for it. Open it."
Tomoyo excitedly opened the cell phone, and on the small screen appeared, "Hi Tomoyo!"
"It's so pretty," Tomoyo said, admiring the small bluish-silver cell phone.
"I know. Do you like it? I already programmed all of my, Syaoran's, your house, and Meiling and Sakura's work places into the phone book and speed dialing," Eriol said.
"Thank you SO much!" Tomoyo said, and leaned forward to give Eriol a kiss.
He blushed slightly, and said, "I'm glad you like it. Now we can call each other a lot more."
"Thank you again," Tomoyo said, and pocketed the cell phone in her purse.
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The next day…
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Syaoran was picking up Sakura and Meiling for another dinner/meeting about their ski trip.
He patiently waited in the car in front of their apartment building and listened to some loud rock music until the girls came down.
Meiling was wearing a short wool skirt and long leggings and a black tee-shirt, while Sakura was wearing a pair of black slacks and dark green shirt that accented her green eyes.
"Come on in. It's cold," Syaoran said.
"Yeah," Meiling complained, "Turn on the heater in your car."
Syaoran had brought the Lexus again, and so they started off.
"Wait--can we stop by the gym first? I need to tell the manager I'm taking three weeks off for Christmas," Meiling said.
"Sure," Syaoran replied, and easily spun the car into the direction of the gym where Meiling worked.
"I'll be out in a jiffy," Meiling said and got out of the car.
Syaoran parked the car on the street and turned off the engine.
"So, are you excited about the trip?" Syaoran asked Sakura.
She smiled and said, "Yeah. I brought paper to take some notes. I'm REALLY excited. Do you know how to ski or snowboard?"
"Both," Syaoran said.
Sakura grinned and said, "Then you've got to teach me, 'cause the only sport I know is cheerleading."
Syaoran chuckled, much to his and her surprise, and they waited in the dark car for Meiling to come back.
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Meiling asked the front desk girl that was working that day, "Where's Mr. Shitoki?"
"He's in his office. Do you need to talk to him?" the girl asked.
"Yeah. I'll be going in, okay?" Meiling asked and she quickly walked down the hallway to her boss' office.
Mr. Shitoku was a balding man in his late forties, and apparently divorced and had no life but the gym.
She first knocked on the door and asked, "Mr. Shitoku? Can I come in? I need to talk to you."
From inside, a voice answered, "Yes, yes, Meiling. Come in."
Meiling opened the door and walked in.
She had only started her job a month and a half ago, and it was her first time in her boss' office.
"Sit down," Mr. Shitoku gestured to the couch in the middle of the room.
Meiling obeyed and sat down on the worn leather, and to her surprise, Mr. Shitoku crossed the room and closed the door.
And locked it.
"Um," Meiling said, "I just want to tell you that I'm not going to be able to work for the next two weeks because I'm going away to the mountains."
"Ah yes. You can take your break. Two or three weeks?" Mr. Shitoku asked, and with every word, he walked towards her.
He sat down on the couch, a little too close for comfort, and looked at Meiling.
"Three weeks," Meiling said quickly, and suddenly wished she hadn't worn that short skirt when Mr. Shitoku put his hand down on her shoulder.
"You're very beautiful," Mr. Shitoku said, and inched closer.
"Yes, yes, thank you," Meiling said, getting flustered, and slid to the other end of the couch.
"I've been watching you," Mr. Shitoku said, and leaned in, his hand moving down from her shoulder.
Meiling jumped up and said, "You know what? I guess I'd better go now. Thank you so much."
"Just a minute," Mr. Shitoku replied and got up.
He walked towards Meiling menacingly, making her back up until she hit the wall.
Mr. Shitoku quickly pinned her to the wall with his hands, and said, breathing heavily, "I've wanted you from the moment I've seen you."
Meiling screamed as loud as she could, before Mr. Shitoku's mouth came on top of hers and forcedly kissed.
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"Did you hear that?" Sakura suddenly asked Syaoran.
Syaoran's ears perked up, and he could detect a faint scream coming from inside the building.
"Meiling!" they both exclaimed at the first time.
They got out of the car and ran into the gym.
"That way!" Sakura pointed to a hallway that probably led to the offices.
"Hey, you can't go in there!" a girl protested, but her warnings were ignored.
Sakura quickly found a door that read, "Mr. Shitoku: General Manager."
She rattled the doorknob, but said, "It's locked."
"Stand back," Syaoran growled, and Sakura quickly slid off to the side.
Sakura watched in fascination as Syaoran walked back to the wall, bent down, sprung up and kicked his legs out, landing a perfect blow to the door.
The wooden door creaked for a moment, then collapsed.
"Let's go," Syaoran said to Sakura.
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Meiling squirmed underneath Mr. Shitoku as he kissed her, and Meiling tried to escape by kicking her legs at Mr. Shitoku.
"Don't you dare," Mr. Shitoku snarled as Meiling pushed him away.
He was way too heavy for her, and Meiling kept on struggled and wriggled.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and there came her saviors, Sakura and Syaoran.
"Help!" Meiling exclaimed to them.
Syaoran ran over to them and blew a punch directly to Mr. Shitoku's face.
The older man roared in pain, and recoiled and dropped to the floor.
Sakura grabbed Meiling's wrist and pulled her out of the room.
They ran out to the front desk, where Sakura told the clerk, "Meiling quits. That's it."
Sakura led Meiling to the car, where Meiling had started sobbing.
"There, there," Sakura soothed and hugged her friend, patting her head comfortingly.
Syaoran emerged from the gym five minutes later, looking fired up and angry.
"That bastard of Shitoku. He's lucky I didn't kill him right then and there," Syaoran muttered angrily.
"Well, he certainly IS shit-oku," Sakura joked lightly.
"That's right," Syaoran growled.
He turned to his cousin and asked, "Are you okay?"
Meiling had stopped crying and said softly, "I'm okay. I'm just in a little shock."
Sakura offered, "I'll call Eriol and Tomoyo and tell them we're not meeting them anymore."
Meiling shook her head, "No, that's okay. I can handle it."
Sakura continued to hug her friend and stroke her hair gently.
Meiling finally sighed, and got out a mirror.
"Got a tissue?" Meiling asked.
Sakura handed her one and Meiling dried her tear-streaked and mascara-streaked face.
"I'm hungry. Hurry up and go!" Meiling exclaimed to her cousin.
Syaoran let out a crooked smile, and said, "She's better now."
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The three of them arrived at the meeting spot, which was a street corner that had tents on the sidewalks that were noodle shops which served all kinds of food, including lots and lots of beer.
"I guess we're going to eat there," Sakura said, and her stomach grumbled at the thought of nicely done noodles in a broth…yum.
"There they are!" Meiling pointed to a couple getting out of a black Mercedes Benz.
They waved and walked over to the three.
"Meiling, what happened? Did you cry?" Tomoyo asked, immediately recognizing Meiling's face.
"I'll explain later," Meiling said.
"Tomoyo said that the food here is pretty good, so this would be a great place to talk. And as usual, Touya's not coming. He has, however, resigned to the fact that he's coming with us to the mountains," Eriol said.
"Good. I want to meet him," Sakura said.
"Oh, trust me, you don't," Eriol said.
They stepped into the covered tent and found a rickety old table and plastic chairs.
"Five bowls of noodles and three bottles of beer!" Eriol yelled at the working women.
They nodded and immediately started dishing their food into bowls.
"So, what are the final plans?" Sakura asked, getting out a piece of paper and pen.
"Today's December 10th. We're going to pick you guys up and ride to the mountains in Touya's Explorer on the 15th at 5 am," Eriol started.
"That's too early!" Sakura protested.
"Yeah, we all know how late Sakura wakes up," Tomoyo teased Sakura.
She blushed and looked down at her paper.
"We'll arrive around 9 at the mountains and settle down. We're coming back on the 30th and leaving at whatever time we feel like it. Sound good?" Eriol asked.
"Yep. We already told Yuki that we're going to be gone those two weeks, and he seems pretty fine about it," Meiling said.
"Speaking of this Yuki, I was wondering if I could meet him. I mean, I want to thank him for taking care of you guys for all these years," Syaoran said casually.
Meiling shot Syaoran a look, "I guess. But December's too busy."
Syaoran nodded.
The only reason he wanted to meet Yuki was to confirm his hunch about this Yuki being the computer genius with the disk. And yeah, he wanted to thank him too. Sorta.
"So tell us what happened to you," Tomoyo asked.
Meiling relived the story of Mr. Shitoku trying to hit on her, and Eriol and Tomoyo sighed sympathetically.
"So you don't have a job, right?" Tomoyo asked.
"Pretty much. I can probably get a job some place else," Meiling said.
"I could look around for you. You did graduate from college, right?" Eriol asked.
"Yep. Even got a bachelor's degree. Anyways, our food's here! Let's eat!" Meiling exclaimed.
Syaoran popped the lid off the beer bottles and poured it out in little cups for everyone.
"I don't drink…but what the heck, just this one time!" Sakura exclaimed.
They all raised their glasses up and made a toast, "To us and our trip!"
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End of Chapter 4. Next chapter, 'Trip to the Mountains'.
A/N: Hey…chapter four here!! Haha. I put my author's note down always at the bottom, so read it here. I changed the summary for this…I think my new one is a LOT better. Hehe. Review!! R
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By SwEeT AnGeL 1004
Chapter 4: Dates and Plans
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"Tomoyo!" Meiling hollered into the empty hallway, "You're going to be late!"
Tomoyo quickly came out of the bathroom.
"Oh, Tomoyo, you look so beautiful," Sakura said sincerely.
"Really? It's kind of my first 'official' date with Eriol, since I actually was prepared for this one. How do I look?" Tomoyo asked.
She had let her long purplish hair down, and was wearing a silky skirt that had violets printed on them. She also wore a cute little blouse that matched her skirt and matching high heels.
"What time is he picking you up?" Sakura asked.
"Actually, I'm going to meet him down at the corner of the street. I don't really want him to know where I live. No offense you guys, but he's so rich I feel so…little, compared to him. I mean, I used to live like him," Tomoyo said.
"It's all right. We understand. Just be careful out there," Meiling said.
"Okay. I'm going to head out now," Tomoyo said.
"Bye!" Sakura waved off Tomoyo, who promptly left.
Tomoyo quickly walked down the twenty two flights of stairs down to the lobby, where she stepped out of the building and headed towards the corner where Eriol had dropped her off the night before.
She patiently waited for several minutes, until it was dark and promptly three minutes before seven.
"Sorry I'm late. Were you waiting long?" Eriol apologized.
And like a true gentleman, he got out of the car, walked over and opened the door for Tomoyo.
"Oh, no. It's okay. I was early. So, what are we doing tonight?" Tomoyo asked.
"Well, believe it or not, I cooked a whole dinner for you with four courses. I thought after that maybe I could walk you home. It's a beautiful night, and I don't want to keep you out too late."
"That sounds perfect to me. What are we having?" Tomoyo asked as Eriol started the car.
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Eriol grinned.
"All right."
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Eriol led Tomoyo to the entrance of the apartment.
"Here we are at my house. Hopefully, Touya and Syaoran will stay out of our way."
"That's fine," Tomoyo said.
Eriol quickly opened the door with flourish and let Tomoyo walk in it.
"Wow. It's an awesome apartment," Tomoyo said, mouth agape.
It might not have seemed like much of an apartment to Syaoran, Eriol or Touya, but in another's eyes, the apartment was amazing.
It had the latest styles, with a stainless steel kitchen, and there was a huge big screen TV in the living room, where there were accented black leather sofas and a beautiful coffee table.
"I love this place," Tomoyo said.
"First, let's have something to drink and an appetizer. Actually, I've paid Touya some money to be our 'waiter'," Eriol confided.
Tomoyo laughed and said, "All right. Let's have something to eat."
Eriol led Tomoyo to a small bar that had a rosy glow from candles lit around.
"Hey, Touya. Nice outfit," Eriol smirked at the sight of a scowling, tall man in a white shirt, black tie and cummerbund.
Touya glared at Eriol, and Tomoyo said, "Hi Touya. Nice to see you again."
Touya 'humphed' at that, and said, "What do you want to drink?"
"Get out the appetizer. I'll have a martini, shaken, not stirred, and two speared olives," Eriol said.
"Oh. I'll just have a soda. You got any cola?" Tomoyo asked.
"Yeah. Let me get the appetizer first," Touya said resentfully and walked out of the bar.
"That's hilarious," Tomoyo said to Eriol, "Touya as a play-waiter for us? You're definitely one of a kind."
"No. You're one of a kind," Eriol said seriously, looking into Tomoyo's eyes.
She blushed and turned away and said, "He's back."
Touya presented a silver platter with small crackers with cheese, ham and small pieces of parsley on top.
He handed Tomoyo her drink in a wine goblet with a small straw and umbrella.
Touya set off to make Eriol's drink and gave it to him.
"Cheers. To us," Eriol said and raised his glass.
Tomoyo raised hers and they clinked them together, and she repeated, "To us."
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Tomoyo quickly finished her cake and said, "Mmm. That was delicious. Did you bake it?"
Eriol laughed and said, "No. I bought it at the French bakery. Are you done?"
Tomoyo nodded and handed her plate to Eriol.
He took it and said, "Unfortunately, I'm stuck with the dishes. Touya put his foot down when I asked him to be our busboy, too."
Tomoyo giggled and said, "Then I'll do them for you."
"No, I couldn't. I'll just leave them for Syaoran. Come on. I'll walk you home. I don't want to keep you out too late," Eriol said.
"All right. But one last time--are you SURE you don't want free dishwashing help?" Tomoyo asked.
"I'm sure," Eriol said and chuckled.
They walked out to the foyer where Eriol handed Tomoyo her coat, and she put it on.
Eriol put on his own, warm, expensive-looking coat and they stepped out of the apartment.
They made their way down to the lobby and out the door, where they were quickly greeted with a cool gust of wind.
"Wow, it's cold for late October," Tomoyo commented.
"I know. It's so beautiful in the city. And I hope this doesn't sound corny or anything, but it looks even more beautiful since I have someone to share it with," Eriol said warmly.
Tomoyo blushed, and said, "Thank you."
They strolled along the sidewalk, slowly making their way down to the corner where Eriol had dropped her off and picked her up.
Eriol slipped his hand into Tomoyo's, making her inwardly smile in pleasure.
"So when are you actually going to let me take you to the front door of your house?" Eriol asked.
Tomoyo blushed again, "I'm sorry. It's just that--it's just that you're my…you're my first boyfriend. I wouldn't feel very comfortable. You can come whenever I'm ready."
"I'm fine with that," Eriol said.
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A black limousine was cruising along the streets of Tokyo, when the woman in the black snapped to the chauffeur, "Slow down."
The man obeyed and slowed down the large car, rolling aside the sidewalk.
The woman inside the car narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized a young girl with carefree hair and a purple skirt was walking slowly along the sidewalk, holding hands with a handsome, tall man.
"Stop the car," the woman ordered, and the chauffeur complied, and quickly stopped the car right next to the sidewalk, several feet in front of the walking couple.
The woman got out, and headed towards the two.
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Tomoyo paused to smile at Eriol, and when she looked back to the front, an angry woman was standing in front of them, hands on her hips, glaring at her.
The woman seemed familiar…
"Hello," Tomoyo smiled at the woman, and Eriol and her turned to step around the woman, when the woman sent a flying slap at Tomoyo.
Tomoyo gasped, and clutched her left cheek with her hand.
Tomoyo narrowed her eyes, found some recognition and then said calmly, "Hello, Sonomi."
The woman smirked and said, "Can't believe it took you that long to recognize your mother."
"I'm sorry, but I don't recall living with a mother for the past thirteen years," Tomoyo shot back.
"I gave birth to you," the woman said, "Now get in the car and go home with me. You're coming back to live with me and take over the business. I can't believe it took me this long to find you."
Tomoyo replied, "I'm not going with you. I'm not going to have anything to do with you. Tomoyo Daidouji, daughter of Sonomi Daidouji, IS officially dead. Goodbye, Sonomi."
Tomoyo and Eriol stepped around the bristling woman.
When she rose her hand to strike again, Eriol caught her arm roughly and twisted it.
"Don't you dare, lady," Eriol growled.
The woman glared indignantly and shouted to Tomoyo, "This isn't over! I will find you again!"
Tomoyo stared ahead at the sidewalk and continued walking.
After she heard the limousine leaving, Tomoyo burst into tears.
She sobbed, "I can't believe its her. After all these years…"
Eriol held Tomoyo in his arms and gently rubbed her back, soothing her.
"There, there. She's not going to bother you again, not if you're my girl."
Tomoyo looked up at Eriol and said, "I'm so sorry. We were having a great time, and she ruined it all, and I just feel hor--"
Eriol leaned forward and gently kissed Tomoyo on the lips, cutting her off.
"Shhh…" Eriol said softly.
Tomoyo returned the kiss, and blushed when it was over.
"I guess I got to go. Thank you so much for the dinner. Bye!" Tomoyo exclaimed as she quickly walked away, trying to hide the heat that had reddened her face.
"I'll call you," Eriol called to her back, "I really will!"
Tomoyo turned back and laughed, and waved to him.
Eriol watched Tomoyo walk off until she was only a speck in the horizon.
He sighed happily, and turned to walk back home.
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One month later…
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"I'm home! Officially! For one whole month! Of winter break!" Sakura announced happily.
"Well, actually from school. I'm not working the school for a month. I still have to work at the restaurant," Sakura admitted to herself when she realized she was talking to an empty home.
"Yuki? Tomoyo? Meiling?" Sakura asked.
Sakura pouted, "Hey, where'd they go?"
Then she remembered that Meiling was still working at the gym, and Tomoyo had a late anger management session. And Yuki was who-knows-where.
For the past month, they had barely seen Yuki.
They knew he came and go, and every time they came they usually missed him.
Occasionally they saw him reading a book or washing dishes, but other than that, he was scarcely around.
Could it have been what Sakura had seen that fateful night?
'Nah, probably not,' Sakura thought.
Or maybe it was just that the three girls weren't home as much, not that they had Eriol and Syaoran to hang out with.
And no, Sakura hadn't seen the 'handsome, angry roommate' of Syaoran's and Eriol's, what was his name again, oh yeah, Touya.
Her mind lingered on the name again, but Sakura shook it off.
"I need to go to work," Sakura remembered, and quickly ran to her room to change into her uniform.
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"So, this concludes today's session. I hope to see you all next month!" Tomoyo said pleasantly to the group.
She turned away and caught Touya dozing, and gently prodded him.
"Augh!" he woke up and took a martial arts stance.
"Relax, Touya. You were napping like a little baby. The sessions over. I hope you had a nice time and learned everything," Eriol said mockingly.
Touya rolled his eyes and yawned, "I didn't get much sleep last night."
"So, Tomoyo. Are you going home right away?" Eriol asked Tomoyo.
"Yes, I am. I already went to the XOXO building and turned in my papers. So I have the night free," Tomoyo said.
"Cool. You want some dinner? Or how about we all eat together? We could call up Syaoran, Sakura and Meiling. What about you, Touya?" Eriol asked.
"No, I mean, I gotta go home and…take a bath," Touya said lamely.
"He doesn't want to go," Eriol said to Tomoyo, and said, "His loss. So how about it?"
"Sure! I think Sakura's working, but she could probably take an hour off for break," Tomoyo said.
"I'll call Syaoran. You call Meiling and Sakura," Eriol said.
He took out his cell phone and tossed it to Tomoyo, and took out another one and speed dialed Syaoran.
"Why do you need two cell phones?" Tomoyo asked Eriol quizzically as she waited for Meiling to pick up.
"A spare one in case my other one runs out of batteries," Eriol said.
Tomoyo nodded, and quickly said, "Meiling? Yeah! How about dinner? You, me, Eriol, Sakura and Syaoran? It's good? All right. How about Eriol and I pick you up at six thirty? It's already five, yeah. Okay. We'll pick you up then."
Tomoyo snapped the cell phone shut, and watched Eriol finish up his call, "All right. Meet you at the King's Garden at six forty five. Why don't you pick up Sakura at her restaurant at six thirty?"
"Oh," Tomoyo said to herself, having forgotten to call Sakura.
"Hello, Sakura? How about dinner at six forty five? Can you make it? Great. Syaoran will pick you up at six thirty. We're going to the King's Garden. Yeah. Okay. All right," Tomoyo hung up again, and handed Eriol the cell phone.
"So we're all set?" Eriol asked.
"Yeah. Let's get there early and reserve a table," Tomoyo said.
She put her arm through the crook of his, and he said, "Let's go, my princess."
Tomoyo laughed shyly, and the left, not bothering to say goodbye to Touya.
Touya rolled his eyes at the retreating couple.
He was going to go home and have a relaxing night, watching television and eating some popcorn.
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Syaoran quickly drove home and ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower before leaving to pick up Sakura.
Was it just him or was he always the one that got to drive her around?
Syaoran turned on the shower and got in.
He quickly set the temperature to his comfort, and shampooed his hair roughly.
He soaped his body, going over his chest and shoulders, and Syaoran grimaced at the sight of the ugly black tattoo on his right shoulder, nearly taking up all the skin.
It was a sign of loyalty to Tsukiro, and Syaoran had neatly kept it hidden from everyone, including Meiling.
He wanted to keep her in the dark about his job, especially since it was so dangerous and all.
Syaoran sighed, and glanced at the clock in the bathroom.
Six fifteen.
"Gotta go!" Syaoran exclaimed.
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"Eriol and Tomoyo reservations? This way," the waitress led the group of five to a large table.
"Your server will be with you shortly," the woman said, reciting the lines Sakura knew by heart.
"It's nice to finally eat at some other restaurant for break," Sakura said, relaxing on the leather chair.
"So what are you going to order?" Eriol asked everyone.
"What do they have?" Sakura asked.
"Chinese food. It tastes bad, in my opinion, compared to 'real' homemade food. But Eriol thinks its okay," Syaoran said.
Their waiter came, a tall, handsome guy in the restaurant's outfit.
"How can I help you?" he asked, and winked at Sakura.
She blushed and looked down, "An iced tea would be fine."
Syaoran shot the waiter a deathly look, and said, "A Sprite®."
The waiter gave a confused look to him and said, "Um, okay. And you guys?"
After the waiter left with all their orders and drinks, Eriol cleared his throat.
"The main reason I wanted to call you guys together was only one reason. Does that make sense?" Eriol asked Tomoyo.
She grinned and said, "No. It doesn't at all."
Eriol smiled and said, "Well, we've known each other for over a month. I'm going out with Tomoyo, and Syaoran and Meiling and related. So we're really close, aren't we?"
The other four people nodded in unison.
"So I was thinking for winter break, we could go up to the mountains. We have a big cabin up in a little village in a ski resort. How about it? Maybe for a couple of weeks to relax," Eriol said.
"That sounds really fun," Meiling said.
"Snow…"Sakura intoned dreamily.
"Skiing," Tomoyo said, nodding in agreement.
"That'd be okay with me," Syaoran said.
"I can take three weeks off. Since I've saved up all my vacations from XOXO for the past three years," Tomoyo said.
"I can take a month off from the gym," Meiling said, "As soon as I ask the manager."
"I'm off from school, and I can take a break from the restaurant," Sakura said.
"So we can all go, right?" Eriol said.
"What about Touya?" Syaoran asked.
"He can go. He won't want to, but he'll go. So I'll call the cabin and make sure it'll be ready for us. Since today's December 8th, how about we leave on the 15th and come back on the 30th? Just in time for New Year's Eve," Eriol suggested.
"That sounds perfect. This is going to be SO fun--oh, what about Yuki!" Sakura said.
"Ohh…" Meiling and Tomoyo said.
"I don't want to leave him alone for Christmas," Sakura said.
"Me too," Meiling agreed.
"I think it'd be okay with him. I mean, it's only two weeks. We can tell him," Tomoyo said.
"Then that's solved. So, I'll call you guys with more details tomorrow or something," Eriol said.
"Snow," Sakura said again, glazing off into dream world, "Fluffy white snow. Snowmen. Snow-women. Not the crappy dirty snow we get here in the city."
"Let's eat!" Meiling said when she saw the waiter coming back with their drinks and food.
"Let's," Tomoyo agreed.
And they dug in.
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After eating, Sakura patted her tummy in happiness, "That was a great dinner."
"Mm," Meiling agreed, sipping on her drink that had been refilled for the sixth time.
The waiter came again with the bill.
"I'll take it," Syaoran said.
"No, we'll pay for it. I mean, you guys are taking us to your snow cabin and everything. We'll foot the bill this time," Sakura argued.
"It's okay. Here," Syaoran handed the waiter his credit card before Sakura could say anything else, and he whisked off.
"So, about the snow cabin. How many rooms are there?" Meiling inquired.
"Unfortunately, only three. It's two stories high, with the three bedrooms on the second floor. On the first floor is the living room with a huge fireplace, and the kitchen and dining room," Eriol said.
"Touya can have his own room and you two can share one. We girls can share the other on," Tomoyo immediately offered.
"Are you sure? Thanks. That'd be the best, especially with Touya's pickiness. Honestly, he needs to get a girlfriend," Eriol shook his head in discontentment.
The waiter came back with the receipt and mints, and the group of five got up to leave.
On the way out, the waiter caught Sakura's arm, who was walking behind with Syaoran.
"I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I get off work in fifteen minutes. Do you want to go catch a movie or something?" the waiter asked.
Sakura blushed and said, "Um…actually…I…"
"Already have a boyfriend," Syaoran said, and glared at the waiter.
The waiter immediately let go of Sakura's arm and took a couple of steps back from Syaoran's look.
"S-sorry," he stuttered and quickly rushed off.
Sakura laughed and said, "Thanks, Syaoran. I didn't know how to let him off. I hate it when guys ask me out."
Syaoran gave Sakura a nod.
"No problem. You looked like you needed some help there," he said.
Sakura gave him a smile and they walked out of the restaurant.
Syaoran casually asked, "So do a lot of people ask you out?"
Sakura giggled bashfully and said, "Unfortunately, yes. Too many people. And I hate turning them down, but I don't date, so…"
"You don't date? Aren't you going to get married?" Syaoran asked.
"Yeah. I just have a belief that I should date after I fall in love, not date to see if I fall in love. You know…truly, sincerely, love him with all your heart love. I'm still looking for the right guy."
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Next day…
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"What the hell is going on? I gave you the damn assignment a month ago and you STILL haven't done anything about it!" Tsukiro demanded to Syaoran.
"I'm sorry, sir. This is my first assignment and I wanted to do it right. I've been watching them for the past month, and I've figured out who my target it. I've almost got my plan ready, and it'll be ready to be carried out in another month," Syaoran said, wincing at Tsukiro's angry face.
"Do you know what's been happening? The damn Noshiko group's sales have gone up 200 percent! That mean a decrease for OUR sales! They've made 3.6 millions dollars in the past month! All because of that fucking formula. It creates an artificial cocaine powder, which produces faster than normal ones, it's twice as addictive and gives you a longer high and less side effects!" Tsukiro yelled.
"I am aware of that, sir," Syaoran said respectfully.
"Then get your damn ass out of that door and start working!"
"Yes, sir," Syaoran said again and left the room.
He sighed once he got out of the room.
He hadn't been training as hard lately, and taking more time off work to hang out with Eriol, Sakura, Meiling and Tomoyo.
And Tsukiro wouldn't be happy if he heard that the three of them were going off for two weeks off to the mountains.
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Tomoyo and Eriol were on another date that night, and they were in a fancy restaurant, eating their entrees.
"This is really good," Tomoyo smiled at Eriol.
"I know, isn't? I have a surprise for you," Eriol said.
"What is it?" Tomoyo asked.
Eriol pulled out a bag, and from it he pulled out a small box.
"Open," Eriol said as he slid the box to Tomoyo.
She untied the bow and opened the box and exclaimed, "Oh! It's a cell phone!"
"Yeah. Don't worry, I'm paying for it. Open it."
Tomoyo excitedly opened the cell phone, and on the small screen appeared, "Hi Tomoyo!"
"It's so pretty," Tomoyo said, admiring the small bluish-silver cell phone.
"I know. Do you like it? I already programmed all of my, Syaoran's, your house, and Meiling and Sakura's work places into the phone book and speed dialing," Eriol said.
"Thank you SO much!" Tomoyo said, and leaned forward to give Eriol a kiss.
He blushed slightly, and said, "I'm glad you like it. Now we can call each other a lot more."
"Thank you again," Tomoyo said, and pocketed the cell phone in her purse.
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The next day…
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Syaoran was picking up Sakura and Meiling for another dinner/meeting about their ski trip.
He patiently waited in the car in front of their apartment building and listened to some loud rock music until the girls came down.
Meiling was wearing a short wool skirt and long leggings and a black tee-shirt, while Sakura was wearing a pair of black slacks and dark green shirt that accented her green eyes.
"Come on in. It's cold," Syaoran said.
"Yeah," Meiling complained, "Turn on the heater in your car."
Syaoran had brought the Lexus again, and so they started off.
"Wait--can we stop by the gym first? I need to tell the manager I'm taking three weeks off for Christmas," Meiling said.
"Sure," Syaoran replied, and easily spun the car into the direction of the gym where Meiling worked.
"I'll be out in a jiffy," Meiling said and got out of the car.
Syaoran parked the car on the street and turned off the engine.
"So, are you excited about the trip?" Syaoran asked Sakura.
She smiled and said, "Yeah. I brought paper to take some notes. I'm REALLY excited. Do you know how to ski or snowboard?"
"Both," Syaoran said.
Sakura grinned and said, "Then you've got to teach me, 'cause the only sport I know is cheerleading."
Syaoran chuckled, much to his and her surprise, and they waited in the dark car for Meiling to come back.
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Meiling asked the front desk girl that was working that day, "Where's Mr. Shitoki?"
"He's in his office. Do you need to talk to him?" the girl asked.
"Yeah. I'll be going in, okay?" Meiling asked and she quickly walked down the hallway to her boss' office.
Mr. Shitoku was a balding man in his late forties, and apparently divorced and had no life but the gym.
She first knocked on the door and asked, "Mr. Shitoku? Can I come in? I need to talk to you."
From inside, a voice answered, "Yes, yes, Meiling. Come in."
Meiling opened the door and walked in.
She had only started her job a month and a half ago, and it was her first time in her boss' office.
"Sit down," Mr. Shitoku gestured to the couch in the middle of the room.
Meiling obeyed and sat down on the worn leather, and to her surprise, Mr. Shitoku crossed the room and closed the door.
And locked it.
"Um," Meiling said, "I just want to tell you that I'm not going to be able to work for the next two weeks because I'm going away to the mountains."
"Ah yes. You can take your break. Two or three weeks?" Mr. Shitoku asked, and with every word, he walked towards her.
He sat down on the couch, a little too close for comfort, and looked at Meiling.
"Three weeks," Meiling said quickly, and suddenly wished she hadn't worn that short skirt when Mr. Shitoku put his hand down on her shoulder.
"You're very beautiful," Mr. Shitoku said, and inched closer.
"Yes, yes, thank you," Meiling said, getting flustered, and slid to the other end of the couch.
"I've been watching you," Mr. Shitoku said, and leaned in, his hand moving down from her shoulder.
Meiling jumped up and said, "You know what? I guess I'd better go now. Thank you so much."
"Just a minute," Mr. Shitoku replied and got up.
He walked towards Meiling menacingly, making her back up until she hit the wall.
Mr. Shitoku quickly pinned her to the wall with his hands, and said, breathing heavily, "I've wanted you from the moment I've seen you."
Meiling screamed as loud as she could, before Mr. Shitoku's mouth came on top of hers and forcedly kissed.
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"Did you hear that?" Sakura suddenly asked Syaoran.
Syaoran's ears perked up, and he could detect a faint scream coming from inside the building.
"Meiling!" they both exclaimed at the first time.
They got out of the car and ran into the gym.
"That way!" Sakura pointed to a hallway that probably led to the offices.
"Hey, you can't go in there!" a girl protested, but her warnings were ignored.
Sakura quickly found a door that read, "Mr. Shitoku: General Manager."
She rattled the doorknob, but said, "It's locked."
"Stand back," Syaoran growled, and Sakura quickly slid off to the side.
Sakura watched in fascination as Syaoran walked back to the wall, bent down, sprung up and kicked his legs out, landing a perfect blow to the door.
The wooden door creaked for a moment, then collapsed.
"Let's go," Syaoran said to Sakura.
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Meiling squirmed underneath Mr. Shitoku as he kissed her, and Meiling tried to escape by kicking her legs at Mr. Shitoku.
"Don't you dare," Mr. Shitoku snarled as Meiling pushed him away.
He was way too heavy for her, and Meiling kept on struggled and wriggled.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and there came her saviors, Sakura and Syaoran.
"Help!" Meiling exclaimed to them.
Syaoran ran over to them and blew a punch directly to Mr. Shitoku's face.
The older man roared in pain, and recoiled and dropped to the floor.
Sakura grabbed Meiling's wrist and pulled her out of the room.
They ran out to the front desk, where Sakura told the clerk, "Meiling quits. That's it."
Sakura led Meiling to the car, where Meiling had started sobbing.
"There, there," Sakura soothed and hugged her friend, patting her head comfortingly.
Syaoran emerged from the gym five minutes later, looking fired up and angry.
"That bastard of Shitoku. He's lucky I didn't kill him right then and there," Syaoran muttered angrily.
"Well, he certainly IS shit-oku," Sakura joked lightly.
"That's right," Syaoran growled.
He turned to his cousin and asked, "Are you okay?"
Meiling had stopped crying and said softly, "I'm okay. I'm just in a little shock."
Sakura offered, "I'll call Eriol and Tomoyo and tell them we're not meeting them anymore."
Meiling shook her head, "No, that's okay. I can handle it."
Sakura continued to hug her friend and stroke her hair gently.
Meiling finally sighed, and got out a mirror.
"Got a tissue?" Meiling asked.
Sakura handed her one and Meiling dried her tear-streaked and mascara-streaked face.
"I'm hungry. Hurry up and go!" Meiling exclaimed to her cousin.
Syaoran let out a crooked smile, and said, "She's better now."
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The three of them arrived at the meeting spot, which was a street corner that had tents on the sidewalks that were noodle shops which served all kinds of food, including lots and lots of beer.
"I guess we're going to eat there," Sakura said, and her stomach grumbled at the thought of nicely done noodles in a broth…yum.
"There they are!" Meiling pointed to a couple getting out of a black Mercedes Benz.
They waved and walked over to the three.
"Meiling, what happened? Did you cry?" Tomoyo asked, immediately recognizing Meiling's face.
"I'll explain later," Meiling said.
"Tomoyo said that the food here is pretty good, so this would be a great place to talk. And as usual, Touya's not coming. He has, however, resigned to the fact that he's coming with us to the mountains," Eriol said.
"Good. I want to meet him," Sakura said.
"Oh, trust me, you don't," Eriol said.
They stepped into the covered tent and found a rickety old table and plastic chairs.
"Five bowls of noodles and three bottles of beer!" Eriol yelled at the working women.
They nodded and immediately started dishing their food into bowls.
"So, what are the final plans?" Sakura asked, getting out a piece of paper and pen.
"Today's December 10th. We're going to pick you guys up and ride to the mountains in Touya's Explorer on the 15th at 5 am," Eriol started.
"That's too early!" Sakura protested.
"Yeah, we all know how late Sakura wakes up," Tomoyo teased Sakura.
She blushed and looked down at her paper.
"We'll arrive around 9 at the mountains and settle down. We're coming back on the 30th and leaving at whatever time we feel like it. Sound good?" Eriol asked.
"Yep. We already told Yuki that we're going to be gone those two weeks, and he seems pretty fine about it," Meiling said.
"Speaking of this Yuki, I was wondering if I could meet him. I mean, I want to thank him for taking care of you guys for all these years," Syaoran said casually.
Meiling shot Syaoran a look, "I guess. But December's too busy."
Syaoran nodded.
The only reason he wanted to meet Yuki was to confirm his hunch about this Yuki being the computer genius with the disk. And yeah, he wanted to thank him too. Sorta.
"So tell us what happened to you," Tomoyo asked.
Meiling relived the story of Mr. Shitoku trying to hit on her, and Eriol and Tomoyo sighed sympathetically.
"So you don't have a job, right?" Tomoyo asked.
"Pretty much. I can probably get a job some place else," Meiling said.
"I could look around for you. You did graduate from college, right?" Eriol asked.
"Yep. Even got a bachelor's degree. Anyways, our food's here! Let's eat!" Meiling exclaimed.
Syaoran popped the lid off the beer bottles and poured it out in little cups for everyone.
"I don't drink…but what the heck, just this one time!" Sakura exclaimed.
They all raised their glasses up and made a toast, "To us and our trip!"
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End of Chapter 4. Next chapter, 'Trip to the Mountains'.
A/N: Hey…chapter four here!! Haha. I put my author's note down always at the bottom, so read it here. I changed the summary for this…I think my new one is a LOT better. Hehe. Review!! R
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