"So how was your date last night with young man Hiiragizawa?" asked her mother excitedly over the phone.

Tomoyo felt her cheeks warm up. "Mother, it's only eight in the morning. We ought to talk about it later, after I get some sleep."

"You mean you didn't get much last night?" exclaimed the mother. "Didn't he take you home right away? How many hours were you two together then?"

She freaked out. "Iie! L-Look, I'll talk with you later. But do return to the house already. I demand to know what you find so fascinating about that place and you can't leave it."

Sonomi became quiet. "I will be staying her far longer than you think."

"Mom, don't act like a kid. Come back home already." She sighed. Honestly, there were times that she felt that between the two of them, she was more of the parent.

"I will when I can."

"What do you mean?"

"Oops. My friend's here. I better go."

And before she could protest, the busy tone sounded already. Great, just what she needed – her mother expecting everything was going well for the two strangers she was matchmaking.

She paused. But last night in the beach…she and Eriol weren't strangers to each other. She was positive of that – she could still vividly see the tender gaze her fiancé gave her.

But was last night enough to give justice to the outrageous set-up between her and the Eagle?

The kiss…was it more than a spur of the moment? He told me that it was only me…only me. Eyes cannot deceive my heart – I feel his sincerity. Ah, it's easy to think that Hi-kun cares for me.

Dakedo…

Now that the romantic moon, waves and isolation are no more, will he still feel the same for me?

She touched her lips shakily and shut her eyes, savoring the warmth running up and down within her.

Eriol leaned on his favorite reading chair, mind in turmoil. Last night was magical – it had been so easy for him to forget about his reservations and just be himself. It had also been easy for him to understand that the raven nightingale had caged his heart since long ago already – reclusion perpetua, perhaps, but a sentence he would gladly serve.

But now that he sat down to think about it, his uncertainties returned. He and Tomoyo had never been really friends, and if not for others' manipulation, would never have been close. Sure, he cared for her deeply, but what about her? Did she care for him even half the way he does for her?

And then, there was that kiss last night. He did feel her respond passionately to him, but what if she just got carried away with the atmosphere?

He also couldn't chase away the memories of Mizuki Kaho and Kinomoto Nadeshiko. He sighed audibly, massaging his aching temples. How did things get so complicated anyway? Before, all he was worried about was whether his feelings were real. Now that he almost believed they were, here he was worrying whether her feelings were real.

Is she ready to love? Am I ready to let go? Are we ready to forget?

"Not all questions are answered by yourself, Master," said Nakuru, sitting by his feet.

He looked at her wanly. "So you think I'm asking myself questions?"

"Hai. My master looks so confused…you can break any mother's heart, master." She tucked her knees. "Maybe you should…you know, ask other people too."

He fell silent, listening to his servant talk.

"Perhaps you may be the wisest mage in the world, because most of your knowledge was derived in your two sems from the University of Experience, Dakedo, a lifetime is too short to learn all of those knowledge. To save yourself the grief, learn from other people's lives and insights too." She smiled at him. "In short, if you want to know what Mistress Tomoyo feels for you, it's best that you go and ask her. Just so you can save yourself the grief of driving yourself nuts, wondering whether she sees you as a friend, a lover, or a nobody."

He smiled. Somehow, amidst her senselessness, he always managed to pick up a small nugget of wisdom in her words.

"Look at yourself – you haven't eaten anything ever since you returned here last night! Your bones are starting to show! Your ribs are baring themselves already! The university won't allow a malnutritioned professor to teach even Gardening there, so you would lose your job. No other company would accept you, because you look so thin and prone to accidents and health insurances. You'll live your whole life as a bum, not eating anymore. You will lose your energy, enthusiasm, and vitality, and you would just resort to hiding in the dark, counting the passing seconds away before dusk, when everything will be covered by darkness and no eye can discriminate your ugly body proportions. You'll be a vampire – yes, a vampire! You won't go out anymore in the light and you would thrive in the dark, and you'll be so pale and yucky that no girl would fall in love with you, because you look like a victim of Hepatitis B. You'll ruin your life, all because you didn't know whether Mistress Tomoyo feels something for you or not!"

Eriol, who was still stunned from the speech his servant ranted on a single breath, took a few minutes before coming to a decision. He stood up. "That's right. The only way I can gain the peace of mind that I want is to know the answer myself. I have to come clean to her."

"You go, Master!" cheered Nakuru.

He nodded and headed for his car.

Tomoyo was pacing around in the garden nervously when her maid politely disturbed her.

"Young sir Hiiragizawa is waiting for you outside, Ms. Tomoyo."

"Let him in," she said, sighing. She was already expecting that he would appear today. She had no choice but to face him – it was inevitable, anyway.

Eriol appeared, poker-faced. She felt her heart race peculiarly. She scolded herself – why was she reacting this way? She sees Eriol everyday, doesn't she? Why was she feeling this way now?

"We need to talk," he began in a businesslike voice.

"T-That's what we're doing now, right?" she asked in a light tone, hoping it would ease the tension.

It didn't. He still looked gravely serious. "Let me restate my wish to marry you. I want you to be my wife."

"Um…yeah…"

"But I will give you the freedom to back out as you wish, after you listen to me."

Her forehead creased.

He exhaled with difficulty, then began to narrate the events leading to their engagement.

At the end of his narration, Tomoyo was speechless. She was angry, frantic, worried, sad, and confused at the same time. Eriol was asked to marry her out of an obligation, just so someone can watch over her when her mother's situation worsens. At the same time, he was trying to deal with Kaho's death through their companionship.

It seemed that their engagement had every right and good reason to exist, save for one that he must think was non-existant.

Love.

Her eyes welled up with tears. "T-Take me to my mother…please…"

He straightened. "I'm sorry that I have the one to break the news to you. Just so you can prepare yourself mentally. I have guessed that you would want to see Daidouji-sama after this."

"Shut up. Just take me to where my mother is." Her mind had clouded already. How could her mother do this to her, not inform her one and only child that she had a serious health problem? She would have done something to help her, like find the best doctors for her.

To her surprise, he pulled her to him, rubbing her shoulders and her back soothingly. "Don't cry," he said quietly. "Your mother is strong. You'll see I know what I'm talking about when you talk to her today." He wiped her tears with his thumb gently. "Dry your eyes. Don't make Daidouji-sama worry."

"H-Hai," she said weakly. She was dead tired already.

"Fix yourself then we're on our way to Daidouji-sama," he instructed.

Sonomi was shocked to see Eriol standing with her daughter in the room.

"You…told her…" the Daidouji matriarch whispered.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I really think she ought to know." He bowed and left the room.

Tomoyo sat by her mother's side, eyes shaking. "Why?" she asked, hurt. "Why didn't you tell me you had breast cancer?"

"Because I don't want you to worry about me," said Sonomi, smoothing her daughter's hair.

"But in turn, you deprived me of my right to care for you," she shot back, tears welling up.

"I know what's best for my daughter…I thought it was better if you do not know…"

Tomoyo reached out and hugged her mother. "Past cannot come undone. But Mom, you're going to get through this. You've got me. I've got you. We've got only each other now. You can't leave me."

"Don't say that, darling," said her mother. "I've asked Hiiragizawa to-"

She shook her head. "I will hear none of it. Why did you manipulate him to become my fiancé? You and Uncle Fujitaka?" Her shoulders shook. "All the while, I thought…"

"He is not the type to be easily manipulated, dear," Sonomi reminded her. "I don't think he would do anything that he doesn't want to do."

"Oh." Her eyes shook. The realization dawned on her finally.

"Do not doubt the eagle's heart. It is pure and chaste, strong and faithful." Sonomi smiled. "He told me something before that I think you should know."

She looked at her mother expectantly.

"The eagle is a monogamous creature. Its heart is reserved only for one mate in his entire lifetime. If it arrives in its nest and doesn't find its mate, it will wait patiently. During its waiting, it will not mate with other eagles." The woman laughed. "He told me that he tried to love another woman, but his heart refused to obey him. His heart was still waiting, and he was glad that it did."

"Mother…"

"Ask him yourself. You may not know but he is drowning in his own troubles. I think that it's only you who can help him out." Sonomi gazed at the door. "Go."

"W-Why didn't he tell me he had problems?" she asked.

"Perhaps his reason is the same as mine. We both don't want to hurt the ones we love. As long as possible, we try to keep our beloved from getting hurt or troubled. I believe it's called love." Sonomi clasped her daughter's hands with hers. "Go ask him."

Tomoyo nodded, and embraced her mother. "I'll be back. I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Honey. So very much," whispered Sonomi, hugging her daughter back.

Tomoyo found Eriol by the chapel, kneeling at the pew. She knelt down beside him and prayed too.

After a while, he spoke up. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"What were you praying for?"

"That both you and the Lord will forgive me for committing yet another mistake."

She bit her lip. "What mistake?"

"For causing you and the people around me so much misery…because…because I fell in love…which wasn't part of the plan."

Her eyes saddened. Her mother was right. Eriol indeed was drowning in his own troubles. She took his hand into hers. "Let's pray harder, then maybe God will answer us."

"What are you praying for?" he asked.

"Your peace of mind," she replied.

"Tomoyo…" His throat went dry. He looked away shamefully, hiding his tears. "How can you be so kind?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"But you are so kind too," she said. "But blaming yourself too much is not right anymore. Falling in love is natural. You're a human."

"I'm not. I'm just a reincarnation of someone else."

"No, you're not," she said in gentle firmness. "In my eyes, you are Hiiragizawa Eriol, the kind, patient, caring, loving eagle that I would like to keep for my whole life. I don't see Uncle Fujitaka, I don't see Clow Reed. I see you. You." She cupped his face. "If Mizuki-sensei was here, I'm sure she would agree with me too."

"Tomoyo…" He finally faced her, uncaring of the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Tomoyo, I never thought I could ever say this to a woman, but…I love you more than my own life. Even if falling in love with you is a mistake, it would still be the most beautiful mistake that I've ever committed, one I would do again and again even if I would be reborn a thousand times more."

Her tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Good. Will you marry me then, Hiiragizawa Eriol?"

"Even in a hundred churches, I will, Daidouji Tomoyo." He imprisoned her in his arms, crying happily. God answered his prayer – He had forgiven him already. The Lord even answered her prayer too – he had finally found his peace of mind.

He was embracing it already.

Finale due soon! ^^