At Your Side by Sagitta-RyuuHoshi

Disclaimer: CCS, sadly enough for me, does not belong to me…*sob*

A/N: Hi! I've changed my name!! You can check what it means. I've been late at updating the previous chapter…sorry… ^_-'! Don't be mad… Anyways… here's the new chapter of At Your Side! Enjoy!

Chapter  10: Strangers

.:||Tomoyo (Her Words)||:.

I heard the front door creak open and close. The others must have gone out for silence befallen the apartment. I heaved a loud sigh of relief.

I thought over the past week. It seemed so long at yet it was just a few short days to be exact. I remembered the day we met the boys. Sakura and I were walking down the school corridor…now she's gone, missing. To make things worst, Syaoran, who I believe is fated to be with Sakura, is going with a real bimbo besides that idiotic Jessica.

School. How can anyone forget about Sakura? The most popular… And Romeo and Juliet? I was going to choose my best friend as Juliet  and Jessica as that old maid…

Then there was the boys again. Ever since they arrived, things had been going wrong…so wrong… I felt my tears rolling down. Easy tears. It was pathetic, yes I know but I let it flow relentlessly…water is something that must flow and emotions are things that go wild…wild

.:||Eriol (His Words)||:.

I was back in my room, searching in vain for a stupid spell that I probably passed while I was thinking of Daidouji-san…again… Kaho…Mizuki-chan, oh for goodness sakes, let's call her Kaho!

I don't know what is going on with me?! I loved Kaho but yet is it the right kind of Love? Is it just a brother sister kind of understanding? I'm not even sure anymore…yet a few days ago, I was so sure. So very sure.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kaho tapped me on the shoulder. I didn't notice that I was roughly flipping the pages of my spell-books until they could very well be tore off. I finally gave up. I had to tell someone. As a sorcerer, I was trained to keep my feelings well below the lid like Syaoran. But this is really too much.

I sat on my bed. Kaho beside me. When I opened my mouth to talk, I found out that I didn't really know where to start. I've never done this before. Never. It was shameful but Kaho was there, she was always understanding. "Think carefully and then you start. There's no point of rushing things up when your mind is already flustered," she said gently. She always knew the right kind of things to say.

I thought long and hard. Then I started, Kaho ever listening.

.:|| London (Syaoran, Meilin and Pei Fen)||:.

The crowded cobbled street was full of sounds. People were shopping, a mixture of the locals and tourists. English children were grinning from ear to ear at one side. Their caps and faces as grubby as each other. While Meilin and Syaoran looked interested at the goods the variety of people were carrying, Pei Fen looked disgustedly at some of the shop walls that had paint peeling of sometimes. A blend of magical auras was in the air. It was impossible to track down a single magician amidst. They worked their way around slowly until they reached Trafalgar Square where many pigeons were flying around. (A/N: Okay I admit, I haven't been in London that much. I've just been to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Bond Street and Oxford Street. So sorry if there is any miss conceptions) Meilin was frolicking around excitedly making the pigeons fly from their resting positions. Syaoran went around to ask people for bread or bird feed if they had. Pei Fen sat on a bench, grossed out by the million of pigeon droppings.

She looked happy when Syaoran came back with a bag of feed. Meilin ran towards him happily, "Good you've got the bread and stuff. I've always wanted to do this ever since I heard of London!" She grabbed a hand full of bread crumbs and ran to the middle of the area. The birds flocked to her immediately when she stretched revealed her full palm. Teasing her, Syaoran spread some more from the paper bag to her arms. More birds landed on her outstretched limbs. She laughed joyfully. (A/N: Meilin is good in this story except for when she brought along Pei Fen which was not her fault anyway)

Pei Fen was feeling rejected. There was Syaoran throwing bread crumbs all over his cousin who was now probably stinking of bird poop and here she was looking all forlorn and in need of attention. She decided to join them, after all they were here to have fun although all she wanted to do was go shopping at Westbourne Grove. Syaoran gave her a handful of bird feed, really stinkin'. He explained to her carefully (A/N: She's pretending she doesn't know purposely *puh-lease *) what she had to do. When she spread out her hand, however, no birds came. (A/N: HAHA!)

"Syaoran!" she pouted. But the brunette's attention was captured by someone else… a certain auburn girl with green eyes running by…

.:||Eriol's POV (In his Words)||:.

Kaho stared at me closely. I could see the temples behind her eyes working out everything I had told her. I finally confessed what had been bothering me. Kaho had listened like a big sister. I really felt safe around her.

"Eriol…before I start solving your problem, there's something I should've told you…" Kaho looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. "What?" I asked impatiently. "I—I'm sorry but I on—only see you as a little –- brother…" she stammered, going red. I froze.

.:||Syaoran (His Words)||:.

Her auburn hair was flying in the wind and a white bird flew above her. As if realizing that she was watched, she half-turned at me and I saw the familiar green eyes that had momentarily lay undetected in my mind. A grin flashed across her face just for a second before she turned to look to her back. I followed where her eyes were pointed at. Two English teenagers came running after her. They were laughing along with her. The bird cawed as if agreeing to their glee. By looking at their clothes, they were nothing but a bunch of ragamuffins. But what am I to the redhead street rat if she seemed so recognizable?

A band of policemen came up, yelling and waving their batons. This attracted the crowd's attention and mine. The running youths were actually rebels! I broke into a chase, totally ignoring Pei Fen who was demanding my attention as usual. Being young, I ran naturally ran much faster than the old blokes.

I caught up with the vandals quite easily, well I only passed the lagging two. The redhead was a damn good runner, it was apparent. She was sleek too, dodging the passers-by blocking her way. I heard her laughing hysterically while the bird chirped continually. She leapt into the air and seemed to disappear. I looked around, getting lost. Finally I looked up, thinking of the impossible…and there she was, with tiny wings on her feet. Clow Cards! Those were the first words that came to my mind. I was trained for them throughout my whole life! How can I not feel the power? Only this had a tinge of pink and innocence in it…how did the Cards come under her power?? Preposterous!

I turned around and the other two were gone too. Great, just great. Now its back to reality, with Meilin…and Pei Fen .

.:||Tomoyo||:.

The silence was unbearable. I had to do something. I remembered Sakura's little pink rubber. It was the thing that started our friendship…

.:||a.k.a Flashback||:.

It was the first day of school. Tomoyo sat nervously in her seat. She knew everyone else was just as new as she was but what if they decided that poor little rich girl was stuck- up. She wasn't by the ways. In fact she was quite the opposite. But money shone in her china face and her possessions.

All the other kids sat down in their seats they picked themselves. The teacher entered and started the roll call. Everything was running smoothly. Tomoyo had replied with her clear, sweet-toned voice. Then it came to writing…

"Oops…" Tomoyo muttered as the tip of her pencil broke. There was a smudge on that spot. She reached into her lavender pencil case to get a new pencil and her eraser. The long strip of wood and lead was there but the tiny piece of rubber seemed to disappear. With her dainty white hands, Tomoyo search tensely for her eraser.

Nothing.

Suddenly a kawaii pink rabbit rubber appeared on the corner of her table. She looked up. There was an auburn girl with green eyes beside her. She winked side ways and continued with her own work. Tomoyo felt warmth seep through her empty heart. No one had ever done that to her…

.:|| End ||:.

That was how it was. A simple act of kindness had started it all. Until now, I never thought of a day where I would regret taking her for granted… I got out of the room. Only that would stop the tears from flowing…

Outside, it was still. Nobody was there. Li had gone out… with Meilin and the female dog. Hiiragizawa was probably with Kaho in his room doing goodness knows what. I headed for the kitchen, desperately drained out of anything to do.

That was when I heard something move behind me…

.:|| Eriol (His Words) ||:.

Another invisible slap stung on my face. Kaho had just told me she didn't love me more than a brother… WHAT???

I looked over things again. Everything was falling out. Everything. Sakura disappeared, Syaoran was smitten by the evil sorceress (A/N: Yes he knows Pei Fen was a sorceress and you do too) and Tomoyo hates me! Could anything else go wrong? This is all so stupid. (A/N: I know the real Eriol isn't as immature as to curse but hey he is a growing 16-year-old)

Kaho was looking at me in a nervous expression. "So—Sorry," she murmured lowly. She got up abruptly and left the room. I didn't bother to stop her. What should I say even if I did? But I did get out of my room. To go to the kitchen.

.:|| Kitchen ||:.

Tomoyo turned around. There was Eriol. Standing and staring at her as if she were a ghost. Their eyes met for the first time in days. It seemed everything was starting all over again. They felt like strangers living under the same roof. So close and yet so far…

~*~

A/N: Okay so I know this chapter is short. Next time the cats shall fight! Namely Pei Fen and Jessica. HAHAHA! I love to organize that bickering pair! Who do you think will win? Anyway what do you think of the story so far? Far-fetched, okay, or just plain nonsense? Or are there too many things happening at the same time? And should I pro-long the Eriol Tomoyo problem? =) Ja ne and stay tune!