A New Semester of Love
Here's the last chapter! I hope you like it. Thank you everyone who reviewed!! Your reviews always made me smile and encouraged me to keep writing. You people are wonderful. ^_^
Enjoy!
Chapter 11: A New Love
"That night…I was so surprised…when you…" Tomoyo stopped, blushing. She kept her gaze away from his face. "…when you kissed me," she finished. Eriol also blushed. "I didn't know what to do…or what to think…I didn't know your feelings…"
"Yeah, I know…I shouldn't have…" Eriol started, but again, Tomoyo held up her hand to stop him.
She took another deep breath. "That night…I was so confused about you and how you felt…and about me…I had no idea how I felt…I didn't even know whether or not I liked it…although somehow I know that I didn't not like it. I was just really confused."
"I'm sorry," Eriol mumbled, looking down.
Tomoyo sighed, realizing that she was making Eriol feel bad. She continued. "But…ever since then…I've been thinking more about what happened…and how I feel about what happened…"
She stopped to take a couple deep breaths. "Ever since you first came to Japan…you've been so nice to everyone…so nice to me. I think only Li-kun had problems with you because of the attention you showed Sakura-chan. But when we found out about you being Clow Reed in the past…how you were making situations for Sakura so she could transform all the Clow Cards, I started to feel like that was the reason you were so kind to all of us…because of our connection with Sakura."
Eriol looked quickly up at her, his eyes widened in surprise. "That's not…"
"I know," she interrupted. "I know now that it wasn't true. I've come to realize that this past semester. You've been just the same to us as you were before you went back to England. You've been so wonderful no matter how you've been feeling…you've been so sweet, you've been here for all of us…you were there the time last school year that guy tried to hurt Sakura…and here again this year when Sakura fell….you're always there when anybody needs you. I couldn't do anything when she fell…but you stayed calm and made sure everything would be okay…" She sighed quietly.
Eriol now had his gaze focused on her, his cheeks slightly pink from hearing her talk about him. He looked down at her hands, clasped tightly together, nervous.
"You know…I thought before that I loved Sakura…in the kind of way Li-kun loves her. But when Li-kun and Sakura-chan started moving closer and closer together…and then finally became a couple, I've been able to watch them, and I've realized I don't love her exactly like he does. I know now that all I really wanted was for Sakura-chan to be able to depend on me…I always wanted to be able to help her…to be needed by her. And I never could help her…she never really needed me. She's so strong all on her own, and when she needed help Li-kun would always be there for her or her brother would be there…I've never really been necessary to her. And…I want Sakura-chan to be happy…I want that with all my heart…but I've been jealous of Li-kun because he's the one that can really help her the most. He's the one that helped her catch the Clow Cards and then transform them all into Sakura Cards. He's the one that helped her feel better after what happened last year. He's the one that she needs. I never have been…even before he came. It even happened that we became friends when she gave me an eraser when I had forgotten mine…she's been able to help me, but never the other way around."
"But you have helped her," Eriol quickly told her when she finally took a breath. "You've been supporting her as a friend all this time. You've been encouraging her, helping to make her smile when it's been difficult for her to. You were someone she could talk to. I think without you, she wouldn't have been able to so cheerfully do all the things she needed to, she might not have been able to go through with everything concerning the Clow Cards and probably many other things without you. You have to realize that you were one of the reasons she even managed to pass Yue's test at the beginning…she didn't want to lose anything that she loved…and you were included in her memories. I don't think she would have passed the test if it were not for you."
Tomoyo smiled at him, at his efforts to comfort her. "I had a feeling you would say something like that…" she mumbled very softly. His eyes widened a little.
"Since you've been here," she started slowly, "every time I've felt unneeded by her…whenever I've felt depressed…you've been there. You always seemed to know somehow when I wasn't really happy…and even now…you tried to make me feel better about it all…"
She blushed a little. "And…I've always been happy when you're here…I was so happy to hear that you were transferring here." Eriol's blush also returned. "But I never really even thought about trying to see how I felt about you in any other way than simply a friend, because I always had Sakura-chan first in my thoughts. But…when you kissed me…I really had to stop and think about how you actually felt…which I still am not sure about…but I finally had to think about how I really felt about you."
Eriol had opened his mouth as if he were about to start talking, but then closed it again, deciding to wait and listen as Tomoyo continued to talk.
"And actually…Sakura-chan falling and the way you helped me…how you never left me then…kind of helped me in finding out how I felt…and with us being kind of alone this past week together at school, I had more time to think…"
Eriol looked straight into her eyes. She looked right back into his. She thought she could see a slight spark of hope in his beautiful eyes. She took one last deep breath. "I really like you, Eriol-kun. I like you very much."
Eriol looked at her silently for a moment, staring into her eyes…trying to make himself believe her. "Are you…do you...," he stuttered, his emotions making it difficult for him to really speak. "Do you really mean that?" he finally managed to ask, his voice only slightly above a whisper.
She smiled a little shyly at him. "I do."
He looked at the beautiful girl in front of him, a smile starting to grow wider and wider. He gently took her hand and looked at it, his fingers happily feeling the contours of her hand. He slowly brought her hand closer to him, pulling on her a little, pulling her closer to him. She let her head rest on his chest, smiled bigger as she felt his arms encircle her, tighten around her.
"You've made me incredibly happy, my wonderful Tomoyo."
She smiled even more as she heard his comment, wrapping her own arms around him. "It seems like a long time that I've felt like this about you. I've wanted to able to hold you like this for so long. I always worried about you and how you really felt about everything…about Sakura-san and about me…especially after I was so stupid to kiss you like I did when I shouldn't have. And I'm really sorry about that…I never meant to confuse you," Eriol said. She felt one of his hands start to run through her hair softly. "You know…I missed everyone here so much when I went back to England, but it was you I thought about the most…it was you that made me happiest to return here."
Tomoyo looked up at Eriol's face. He was looking down at her, his eyes full of joy. He kissed her forehead, her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, finally bringing his lips to meet her own for the second time, but this time more freely, more full of passion on both sides, all confusion gone from Tomoyo and a true happiness shared between them in their kiss.
They ended the kiss a few moments later but stayed very much wrapped in each other's arms. "Thank you," Eriol whispered.
Tomoyo looked up at him again and kissed his cheek. "And thank you, my dear Eriol."
He smiled at her as she snuggled closer against him there on the couch, he kissed her on the top of her head. I'm sure we'll both be happy from now on...
***
Sakura and Syaoran finally looked away from the happy couple as they settled against each other smiling. They had been watching the entire confession from around the corner of the living room entrance, having finished all the basic cooking for the dinner.
They smiled at each other as they walked back to the
kitchen. "They look so wonderful
together," Sakura commented, her smile wide and happy. "I'm so happy for both of them."
"They definitely do belong together I think," Syaoran added. "I guess we really weren't needed to push them together, huh?"
Sakura smiled even more. "They did fine in finding out their feelings for each other all on their own, didn't they?"
Syaoran smiled as well. "But you know," he began, reaching for her hand and bringing it up to his lips to kiss, "Daidouji-san is great and all, but I'm still the luckiest guy because I have you."
Sakura blushed. "You are too sweet, my love. I'm the lucky one."
"Oh?" he asked, and still having a hold of her hand, pulled her against him and kissed her long on the lips. "I love you so much Sakura," he told her soflty.
She smiled up at him, kissed him again, this time a short kiss. "And I love you too Syaoran…very very much."
He smiled back at her and together they walked back to the kitchen hand in hand, leaving Eriol and Tomoyo together snuggling in the living room, a true feeling of happiness filling the entire house.
***
Owari
***
I hope you liked it! Thank you again to everyone who read and especially to everyone who reviewed!!! ^_^ Hehe…and if you liked this, you might like my other stories, especially its prequel. Thank you everyone!