HeLlo~! YAy~! Finished another chapter!! Hope u enjoy dis one too! Don't forget to review!! Thanz for all ur reviews last time!!! Feel so touched *sniff sniff*

This is for u, my lil psychic frend~!!

Bittersweet Melodies

Chapter 2 Rhythm

By Violet Karuto

~*~

The next morning, Tomoyo woke up extra early to make breakfast for her brother and herself. Getting up and walking out, she found that Eriol hasn't slept the whole night and is still currently in his studio with his equipments.

Peeking in, Tomoyo can see that Eriol has laid his head down for a short nap. Sympathy overtook her as she silently went into the room, took off his earphones, and draped a coat around him.

Looking at his adorable face, Tomoyo brushed his bangs from his face as she drifted off in happiness. 'Sweet dreams, dear brother'

After closing the door behind her, she set off to make breakfast and a spare serving for Eriol in case he wakes up.

Hurriedly, she grabbed her flute case and was out the door

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On her way to school, Tomoyo took her usual shortcut and looked at her watch.

'Crap! I'm gonna be late!'

Running a little faster, she ran by the park entrance and noticed a girl her age sitting on one of the benches. Ignoring her, she took a turn at the corner, but not before catching the voice of the girl as she sang.

/Glimmering in the sky is Mr. Sun

Giving and sharing his warmth

Lets all hold hands, side by side

And spend a day of fun!/

Even though it was childish, Tomoyo can't help but notice the beautiful sound that voice inflicted upon her heart. Droplets of tears began to form in her eyes as some slide down unconsciously.

'Huh?' Tomoyo wiped her eyes, 'Tears? Over a silly song like that?'

Astonished, Tomoyo pivoted her foot and ran back to the park to where she first heard the voice. Searching for the familiar girl, she found the park to be empty.

'Gone.'

Tomoyo turned and walked outside of the park. Then, turning, she started the path towards school once more.

'Strange. yet it is as if I heard the voice of an angel'

Looking at the time, she found that the bell has already rung.

"Crap!!"

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"Tomoyo!"

Tomoyo turned around and found who she was waiting for.

"Eriol! You made it!" Tomoyo waited while Eriol auto lock his Eclipse by the driveway.

"Yeah, just in time. So? Is mom and dad in there?" they looked towards the rundown pawn shop, that looked as if it just had a burglary. The sign at the top was lopsided, with the 'z' missing from 'Hiiragizawa Pawnshop'.

The window that faced the street was all covered in heavy dust and hard to see through. The door, which was close to breaking off its hinges, had scratch marks from years of business.

"Yeah... I saw light in there... so..." Tomoyo looked uncomfortably at the door and Eriol, noticing this, put an arm around her.

"Don't worry, its all gonna be over soon" Showing a relieved smile, Tomoyo was lead into the store by her brother.

"Eriol! You guys are here!" Takaru stood up from the worn out green sofa while Sonomi can be seen putting on lipstick.

"Mom! You're putting on heavy makeup again!" Tomoyo complained as Sonomi added some blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, hush. Children know nothing of the adult ways"

Annoyed, Tomoyo sat on the couples sofa, across from her parents while Eriol sat down beside her afterwards.

"So," Eriol started, "What is it this time? Money? Need me to get you out of a debt?"

"Haha, Eriol, my son, you're thinking way too much," Takaru brought a cup to his lips as he drank the contents inside, "Actually, I'm asking a personal favor of you both"

"Huh?" A look of confusion adorned the siblings face as they looked at their father.

"Well, you see, recently, one of my close friends in Australia passed away,"

At this, Tomoyo can hear Eriol murmur under his breath, "Dad has friends?" Tomoyo nudged him a little before turning her attention back to her stepfather.

"And she left behind her daughter in my care, since her husband had disappeared a long time ago before she had the baby. So, as you can see, right now, I'm in no condition to support a child and Sonomi. So.."

Looking towards Sonomi, who carelessly flung her hair over her shoulder, he looked back to the waiting siblings.

"I was thinking if she could stay with you guys? She won't cause any problems, I swear, its just like having another sister"

"WHAT?!"

Tomoyo and Eriol both stood up abruptly and caused the sofa to slid backwards because of their sudden motion.

Running a hand through his hair, Eriol shut his eyes in frustration, "Have you ever considered our feelings? Did you ever consider hers? How can you decide things so freely?"

"Well, since you had the money, I'm thinking that it'll be a no-problem for you." Takaru fought back with what he thought was a reasonable excuse.

"But that's no reason to just shove some stranger into our house just because you made a deal with some faraway friend of yours!" Eriol is getting mad and Tomoyo can see the long argument ahead.

"It's not exactly a deal, its more like returning a favor. besides, you don't have to worry, just let her stay with you for a while and she can move in with us when we get the money"

"And when's that? Some 20 years from now?" Eriol sat down with a huff and Tomoyo cuddle closer to a corner.

'It's so loud.. These noises.. I hate it' Tomoyo covered her ears desperately as she buried her face in the cushions.

Seeing the form of her little sister cuddled in a tight ball, Eriol immediately quiet down and guilt filled his heart. Gently, he move closer to her and stroke her head, feeling the soft curls between his fingers.

"It's ok, Tomoyo, I'm sorry for yelling"

Takaru shut up as well and watched silently at the close relationship between these two unrelated people.

Supporting her, Eriol got up with Tomoyo and walked towards the door.

"Let me repeat this one more time, I will NOT have some foreign stranger staying at our house and upsetting Tomoyo"

"Let's go" Eriol whispered to Tomoyo as they walked silently out of the store.

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Wiping her eyes, Tomoyo stares dully out of the window at the passing scenery. Eriol drove on as silence droned in the car.

"I hate it." a whisper that broke the silence as Eriol drove on, "The horrible noises.."

Tomoyo brought her leg up and huddle close. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand rested atop her head and it stayed there.

No words were needed as they bathe in each other's accompany simply glad that they still have each other. (A/N: Jus want to say that Eriol did take his hand off a little while later since he does need to drive XD sorrie to spoil the moment!)

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/Ding Dong/

/silence/

/Ding Dong/

"Hmm..." a girl of 17 stood in front of the door of the Hiiragizawa residence holding her suitcases.

"Can I help you?" She turned around and saw a girl about her age talking to her and a boy with blue hair standing behind.

"Ah... Yes, I'm looking for the people that are living here?" She pointed to the [Hiiragazawa] sign planted on the door.

Uncertain, Tomoyo looked back to look at her brother, afraid that the girl might be another of his work friends. Eriol, seeing the unfamiliar but beautiful face, walked up to her.

"So, you have some business with us?" Mitsuki, realizing that the people in front of her were the Hiiragizawa's she bowed hastily.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay here and taking care of me!"

The siblings blinked at the bowing girl in front of them. Who is she? Did she get them messed up with some other Hiiragizawas?

Eriol, thinking back to before, remembered a part of the argument between him and his father.

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"I said I WON'T accept it!" Eriol abruptly stood up from the sofa and face his father defiantly.

"You can't back down now!" Takaru stood up as well, "That girl's already here, but I left her to my friend to go on some sightseeing. I think her name was Mitsu or something like that."

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"DAD!" both girls jumped at the sudden burst from Eriol and stood aside as he took out his keys and tried to find the right one to put into the lock.

"He never listens... Always making other people to do his dirty job.." Muttering other curses under his breath, he finally got his door open and barged in, leaving the two girls stranded outside.

"Uh.. Can you jus wait for one sec? Be right back" Tomoyo ran in after her brother leaving their guest outside with her suitcase.

Thinking its some sort of family matter, Mistuki leaned on the door and hummed a song.

"Brother! Wait! Where're you going? Who's that outside?" Tomoyo went into his room and found him gripping a phone to his ears, shaking in anger.

"Argh! He's not there! Its his stupid answering machine!" Pushing a button, he laid it aside and collapsed on his bed.

"Brother, what happened?" Tomoyo kneeled down by his bed.

"Well apparently, that wonderful father of ours left that girl in our care. Remember what he said? About deciding to take in the daughter of one of her diseased friends in Australia? Well that's her outside our door right now."

"So..." Tomoyo fidgeted a little, "Are we going to take her in? A complete stranger?" The thought of having a stranger in the family of two didn't comfort Tomoyo one bit.

"Rock, paper, scissors! If I win, we take her in, if you loose, then... we'll think of something."

"Alright!" Tomoyo got up and was ready to use their old technique to decide when a voice suddenly flooded the room.

/Shinning in the night sky is Mrs. Moon

Giving guidance to all wanderers.

Let's all enjoy this night, side by side,

And wait for the arrival of tomorrow/

In the position of rock, paper, scissors, the siblings calm down and listened to the wondrous voice.

'It's the same voice I heard this afternoon!' Tomoyo thought as she remembered about the park incident.

Eriol, who have never heard anything more beautiful, stood and listened with his experienced ears. 'Its like a voice of an angel. Each note seem to burst with brilliance. She's a natural!'

Hurriedly, Tomoyo and Eriol both burst out from the room and out the door to find the source of the voice. After looking around, they found Mitsuki leaning on the door and smiling at them.

"That voice just now... it was you?" Eriol asked in amazement and received a nod in return.

"That's the song I always sang when I was still in the h-" she suddenly stopped and laughed nervously.

It was just then that Tomoyo finally got a good look at her. Long, glossy brown hair that reached down her shoulder. That white skin that proved that she wasn't the type to go out and spend a day in the sun.

The gorgeous brown eyes that seem to sparkle every time she talked caught Tomoyo in a trance. At last, the rose petal lips from which the beautiful voice flow. Truly, Mitsuki was a masterpiece of God. 'No, scratch that,' an angel.

By now, Tomoyo realized that her brother and the mysterious girl was already inside the house, with her brother carrying her suitcases, leaving Tomoyo out there contemplating.

Angered, Tomoyo shut the door and went to the living room where her brother and their guest are so comfortably sitting. Walking over, she sat down next to Eriol.

"So, Mitsuki-san, I'm told that you'll be staying here for a while until Dad get a bigger apartment?"

"Yes," she drank her tea, which came out of nowhere, "Otou-san was extremely courteous for him to take me, a complete stranger, in."

'You got that right' Tomoyo thought at the back of her mind.

"Since mother died, I know not of any other relatives that would take me in. So I was extremely lucky to be saved by otou-san" Here, Mitsuki smiled a sweet smile that seem to melt bother Eriol and Tomoyo's heart.

"I see..." Eriol thought by himself a moment while Tomoyo was having her own thoughts.

'She lost her mother...' Then the image of her own mother flashed up, 'Well...at least I have a mother of some sort...'

"Well, we'll get you settled in in one of our guestrooms later on. But I can't help but notice that you sing very well just now" Mitsuki blushed a pretty red and looked down.

"Yeah... I use to sing when I was still with mother..."

"I see. I was wondering if you can help me in a couple of the pieces that I'm currently composing? Do you know how to read music? Not complicated ones, just in general."

"Yeah... I do..." Confused, Mistuki looked towards Tomoyo, who in turn explained to her.

"My brother's the world renowned music genius. Composing music for concerts and singers. He's famous!"

"OoOOOO" a look of wonder shone upon Mitsuki's face as she looked at Eriol with admiration.

'Just like a little kid' Tomoyo thought as they all followed Eriol into his studio.

"Here" He handed her a couple pieces of music and sat down on the chair, "Try it out"

Taking a look at the music, Mitsuki smiled to herself before starting to sing:

/What is this feeling?

This choking sensation that I can't breath

If I knew it was going to turn out like this,

Then I should have never met you/

Tomoyo and Eriol closed their eyes as they enjoyed the serene sound produced by this strange girl. Never in the world had they thought that such a voice would exist.

Mitsuki ended and opened her eyes to see the two siblings staring at her like she was some sort of alien from another planet.

She cocked her head to one side and asked, "What? Did I do something wrong? Did I really sound horrible?"

"No, no" Eriol was the first one to snap out of his daze, "It's perfect... now all I want you to do is..."

Tomoyo, still not believing the girl in front of her just sang, and seeing how her brother and her worked together like that, made Tomoyo feel jealous.

'Just a tinge of jealousy... Nothing big...'

But as time drew on, Tomoyo could feel the unwanted presence of herself as her brother and Mitsuki talked on about the music.

'Well I can help too!" with that thought, Tomoyo huffed away into her room. Minutes later, she emerged carrying something in her hand.

Eriol and Mitsuki were jerked from the concentration of the music to the furious sounds played by Tomoyo's flute.

"Tomoyo... its late now so-"

/Like snow, ever so softly

Like wind, ever so gently,

This is the feeling of love,

That I have for you/

Somehow, Mitsuki thought that Tomoyo was playing for fun so as the result, she sang along, louder than ever. This enrages Tomoyo even more and she played even harder and faster.

Eriol, on the sideline, can only watch in hopelessness as these two girls duke it out in the middle of the night, in his studio.

'This is just not my day...'

~*~

A/N: Ah~ dis is the fastest I can update as of now. since the finals are coming next week and all. well tell me how u like my story~~ comments? I may not reply ^_^ but I read every single review to the heart so.. As they say: sHow mEE some lOVVVE~ ^_~

Ah~ also, the crappy songs u read in dis chapter were all made created mee at the spur of the moment hahah yeah... As u can tell... Im not much of a lyrist so don't complain to mee about not making sense and such XD