A/N: hello again, I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed, THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH! Sorry for the wait, but I was very busy lately. Oh, and by the way, just in case you don't know what 'kimi wo aishiteiru' means, its 'I love you'. Okay, now on with the story.

Chapter Seven: Not So Lucky This Time

Throughout the day, Tomoyo couldn't stop thinking of Eriol and what he was going to do for her birthday. How could he whip something up for her in less than a day, or did he start on it a long time ago and just mentioned it now? When had he found the time to do it? Tomoyo was with him 24-7 and she didn't see him doing anything, so WHEN did he do it? The question was all Tomoyo could think about. Plus the fact that Eriol was actually doing something for her birthday. He was so nice to do that, since they were in the middle of a dangerous storm and were at risk of being killed by something, but there he was, giving her a box that was her present.

It was nighttime, and Eriol had wished Tomoyo a happy birthday and given her a box with something inside. He had apologized for not being able to make a cake or anything special for her to eat, but the bad weather outside kept him trapped inside.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Eriol-kun!" Tomoyo had gratefully said to Eriol when he handed her the box.

Tomoyo opened the box. Inside was the most beautiful sea shell she seen in her life. And tucked in next to it was a shell necklace and a matching shell bracelet. They were so beautiful. The patterns on the shells were very interesting and the color was just right. Tomoyo was sure that they would sparkle brilliantly if it were sunny. Sorry if the presents weren't as good as you expected them to be, but I can't think of anything, and they ARE stuck on a beach, so, shells. Sorry, no flowers, I felt that the flowers wouldn't last long enough. Tomoyo gave Eriol and big hug.

"I'm sorry if they aren't much, Tomoyo-san, but I couldn't get you anything fancy, being stuck on this beach. And I'm not sure if they're okay; they might remind you of your stay here…but aside from all the danger and the fact that we are stuck here in a cave, I was kind of enjoying the beach. The scenery is very beautiful and the air is refreshing. I needed a break from life; I guess I could consider this an unexpected vacation with you."

Tomoyo blushed when Eriol said 'with you' and she turned away so he wouldn't see. "Arigatou, Eriol-kun. I agree; the scenery here is so beautiful. It would make anyone happier just looking at it. And we'd never find anything like this back at home, it's something you'd have to see to believe." Okay, okay, I know it sounds a little corny.

Tomoyo was overjoyed that Eriol had given her a present; as if a blanket of warm feelings was pulled over her. She hugged the tender sensation to her heart, feeling for the first time since she was stranded here, content with what was happening. And all of this was given to her by Hiiragizawa, the last person she'd expect. She had always liked him, but she was never sure of what he felt for her. Now, she knew that he really did care for her.

Eriol was also feeling pleased that he was able to cheer Tomoyo up. It had been a while since she was truly happy. Her smiles had never reached up to her eyes, which marked their sincerity and genuineness. This time, the smile she gave him did reach to her eyes, and it was so much prettier than her strained ones.

They had their small-but-bigger-than-usual-dinner and just chatted for a while after the present-giving. Tomoyo thought back to the time woke up and found out that she was stuck here and sad she was because she planned to celebrate her birthday with Sakura-chan, Li-kun, Eriol-kun and her mother. At least I have Eriol-kun, even if that is only one out of four.

Next to the feeling of satisfaction in Eriol's heart, a feeling of worry and anxiety also dwelled. Not wanting to burden Tomoyo with trepidation and apprehension, Eriol was careful to keep the subject of the chat on cheerful matters. It was Tomoyo's birthday she deserved to be happy, especially after all her hard work to survive on this island. The truth was, they were low on food supply again, and this time was even worse because they couldn't go looking for more food.In addition, the storm outside continuously unleashed its fury on them. Eriol had desperately trying his magic over and over again, in case it regained its ability to provide him with magic. Unfortunately, the staff stayed motionless and did not grow to its true size. Eriol was also worried about Nakuru and Spinel. He knew that they could live without him as long as they could draw power from him (which they could even if he was gone), but he was worried about Nakuru being worried about him. Sometimes, Nakuru would do things without thinking if she was in a panic. Hopefully, Sakura-chan would be there to help them find them.

Throughout the chat, Tomoyo couldn't seem to stop thinking back to the present. The picture of Eriol giving her the present and her opening it kept replaying in her head. The warm sensation was still floating around her body.

After their chat, everything went back to normal and they practiced their daily night routines and eventually the two settled down to sleep. Tomoyo once again thanked Eriol for the beautiful present. Neither talked to the other about the earlier night when they kissed. Whenever Tomoyo thought about it, she would still blush and she felt it was safer to just not talk about that night. And so, the two of them drifted off to sleep. Each was feeling content and happy at the way things turned out tonight.

The next morning…

Tomoyo was met with a very wet but quite forest when she woke up. Wait, quite? The rain had stopped at last! She was extremely relieved; it felt like a huge overload was lifted off her shoulders. She couldn't do anything in the rain, now she could go out again. After having breakfast, Eriol told her that it was a good time to go exploring again since they didn't finish their expedition last time.

It didn't look like it was going to rain again any time soon. The sky had regained its beautiful, crystal clear blue hue that it showed off the first days of the stay at the beach. With the charming white clouds dotted around that seemed to float around lazily in the sky without a care in the world, the heavens seemed to promise a bright sunny set of days ahead for all living things on the beach and forest. The sand was mostly dry and its sugar-white color had returned. The sea was once again its calm self. The waves seemed to have been tamed by the bright sunlight and in a tranquil mood.

Just like Eriol is always in a calm mood, Tomoyo mused. She stopped, did she just think of Eriol? Since when did he pop into her thoughts like that? Uh-oh, she didn't know she liked Eriol THAT much….. or was it even deeper than a crush? Tomoyo knew that she cared for him really deeply now. What happens when they get off this island and back to their regular life? She would miss seeing him every minute of her day…..she would still see him at school, but it wouldn't be the same…. Suddenly, Tomoyo dreaded going back home. She liked Eriol's constant presence around her like the times he was always caring for her on when they were on the island…. Still lost in her own thoughts, Tomoyo perfunctorily got done with her morning routines.

They started out after the two of them got their morning routines done. The sun was extremely hot and burning by then, after the fierce deluge yesterday and the cool sunny morning earlier. Eriol and Tomoyo quickly checked on the bags that they had to leave out in the rain. Amazingly, the cover was still successfully protecting most of the bags. The only wet parts of the bags were the placed where there were leaks. Nothing from the bags was missing because all of the forest animals stayed in shelter during the storm. Seeing that everything was okay, the lost pair pulled all of their things into the cave they were camping in. The luggage was heavy, and the wet ground made it easy for them to slip. Tomoyo felt her feet slipping and sliding on the wet leaves and half-dry-half-mushy-mud. Even so, Tomoyo was curiously looking around the forest and at the sky. The beautiful colors that had returned were once more capturing her in awe.

After carrying everything in, Eriol decided to go around exploring again.

"It is much safer," he explained, "since the rain just stopped; the animals won't come out yet."

Bringing exploring paraphernalia just in case anything happened, they started the journey. Outside, the scenery of the forest was also very beautiful. The little drops of dew on the leaves shined like little diamonds. Rays of sunlight piercing through the branches of trees created a fantasy-like atmosphere. Tomoyo was rendered speechless when she saw the forest's true beauty. Eriol, too, was delighted. Clow Reed never saw a forest after the rain before, so he didn't know what one looked like after a tempest.

Although the walk was very breathtakingly beautiful, its beauty didn't make up for the long and difficult walk it was. The slippery mud made them walk with care, therefore taking more energy than just walking down the street. A hot and humid atmosphere seemed to smother Tomoyo, and she wanted so badly to do something about it. Anything, just as long as it gets rid of the heavy air. Unfortunately, nothing could be done about the air, so Tomoyo tried her best to ignore it. The air was like something sitting in the back of her head, always bugging her. After a while of careful walking, both were tired and their muscles were aching. Tomoyo felt beads of sweat form on her forehead and the heavy air seemed to become a ton heavier. She wanted very badly to rest her feet. Eriol, being in good shape, didn't have such as hard a time as Tomoyo. They rested anyway, for they were making no good progress on finding anything.

Along the way and after many stops, something they were looking for came into view. It was a stream. The pure azure water joined to the ocean. It was leading from the forest… or jungle, rather. There was an opening in the bunch of trees. A variety of animals had come out of the hiding places after the rain. They were all tropical. There were many fruits growing in trees there also. Eriol was delighted.

"This means that there is fresh water here and a lot of food, too. Fruits, also! We won't starve! All this time I was worried, but there was a whole bunch of food here, in this very place!" Eriol said with a huge smile on his face.

Tomoyo was also happy and extremely relived. She felt like another extremely heavy burden was just lifted off of her shoulders for her. She had been weighed down by worry for quite a few days now and she felt like nothing good was ever going to happen (besides the birthday), now, their lives were practically saved. Practically, but not yet. They still needed to get off of this place. The solution to that problem was beyond Tomoyo. She had no idea what they were going to do about that. Well, at least they weren't going to starve. The food was covered!

They collect as much food as they could carry and made their way back to the cave. Not being able to carry everything all at once, they had to make several trips.

On her third trip back to the cave, Tomoyo thought she hear a low growling sound. Her blood turned icy and she felt her heart stop. Apparently, Eriol heard it too because he also stopped. She felt him stiffen behind her. Slowly, Eriol and Tomoyo turned around.

In front of them stood a very hungry tiger. It looked like it hadn't eaten for a few days. The tiger eyed them greedily and angrily. Its eyes seem to tell them that they weren't going to get away this time. Tomoyo's blood stopped completely. She felt as if someone dumped a pool of icy water on her, and at the same time, someone pulled out a plug to her feelings and every good feeling was just drained out of her. This left her cold with all of her depressing emotions. She knew that this time, they weren't going to get lucky. There was no other tiger to distract each other this time.

Time seemed to stop. No one moved. Everything seemed to be engulfed in stillness. No one made a sound. The silence grew and grew until it was unbearably loud. Until it was exploding in their eardrums. Tomoyo wanted badly to break it, but didn't dare. It might cause the tiger to attack suddenly and they would surely not have any chance of escape.

Suddenly, without warning, the tiger pounced….

TBC…..

A/N: okay, what did u think of this chappi? Review review review! I apologize again for the wait on this chapter. I was kind of stuck on ideas. Anyway, I'll try to make it so that the next chapter wont take so long to be uploaded. Sorry and thank you again for waiting. Now be a good reader and review!