Eriol reread the letter he just sent, then stretched. He was just going to wait for the reply of the fellow. He reclined on his seat, knowing that his IM would alert him of any incoming message. Soon enough, his lids felt heavy, and he fell asleep.
Nakuru and Yue, who were hanging outside the window, managed to come into the room, at last.
"He's sleeping!" cried Nakuru excitedly, prompting Yue to nudge her.
"Ssh!" he hissed, then went towards the computer.
Just then, someone else jumped into the window. He wiped the dust off his slacks, then groaned. "Akizuki, you could have just let us in through the front door." His eyes went to the sleeping reincarnated mage. "When Hiiragizawa is sleeping, he actually looks harmless. Scary."
Nakuru giggled. "Well, climbing into windows is how spies execute missions."
"We aren't spies!" snapped the men.
"But we're going to go through his files, right?"
Li Syaoran groaned, then took out his sword and headed for the sleeping Londoner. "Will the cards work on him? He created it."
"But it is Mistress Sakura's powers that are now supporting the cards," said Nakuru, shrugging.
Li proceeded to use the Sleep card on Eriol while Yue bent down and tried to push some keys. He jumped when a dialog box appeared.
Do you want to save the changes you made to Dear Suitor?
The guardian's eyes widened. "I-It's talking to me! I-It's asking me! This thing is alive!" he yelped.
Nakuru laughed. "Really?"
Li dragged away the computer chair where Eriol was seated, then pulled a new seat for him. "Yue, it's a dialog box. It was programmed to appear."
The man frowned. "I knew that."
Nakuru giggled once more, then opened the My Documents.
"This is not the kind of files I expect to see in his hard disk," said Syaoran wryly as he looked at the files containing homemaking tips and clues on figuring out a woman's mind. He sort of figured that this knowledge come along with being an all-powerful Clow mage.
But apparently, even the most powerful magician in the world is no author of "Women are from Venus" book.
"There!" Nakuru pointed to the folder keeping all the drafts of Eriol's emails.
Li took out a diskette. "We better do this quick. I have a feeling that all hell will break loose if Hiiragizawa finds out that we browsed through his files.
"What was Mistress' orders anyway?" asked Yue.
"Anything Tomoyo," replied the little wolf.
"Then let's take his heart," said Nakuru innocently.
Li and Yue paused and then both men chuckled.
"W-What did I say?" she asked, puzzled.
"The truth," said Syaoran, smilingly shaking his head. "Something the lovebirds refuse to see."
As Syaoran spoke, Yue tentatively touched the wired badge-shaped rolling thing that Li was using awhile ago to move the arrow in the screen. The arrow moved downwards, towards the taskbar. He accidentally clicked on the "Dear Suitor" window, and something blinking appeared on the screen beside the word "suitor". He pushed the biggest key on the keyboard, and a paper clip with bushy eyebrows and large eyes appeared.
"Aaaaaaaargh!!!!" yelled Yue, catching his companions' attention.
Li and Nakuru blinked.
Yue backed away immediately. "Evil spirit possessing the paper clip, vanish!" He took out his bow and arrow and was about to shoot down the Office Assistant when Nakuru hit the back of his head.
"Yue no baka! Sit down and behave!" she scolded. "It's just like the dialog box. It was programmed."
"Fine," he grumbled, sitting down on the floor, and to Li's shock, he seemed to be pouting! He nearly laughed out loud as he remembered that this was the same person that nearly beat the hell out of him and Sakura in the Final Judgment.
His eyes went to the document that Yue unwittingly opened. It was still open, so it must mean that Hiiragizawa just finished writing this. Curiously, he read the document.
Dear Mr. Suitor,
You may not recognize my email address, but let me introduce myself to you anyway. I'm Hiiragizawa Eriol, yes, the one mentioned in the emails you've received before.
I wrote to give you my final warning. Stay away from my Tomoyo. I do not know what kind of mind you have to obsess on her like that, but if you do love her, if you really, really love her, you will want her to remain happy. You won't want to frighten her by stalking her. And before you do get to touch her, you'll have to get past by me first.
To be completely honest with you, I am not her boyfriend. I simply said that to drive you away from her. But you must know that if you dare lay a finger on her, I swear I'll hunt you for your next thirteen lifetimes, and believe me, I am more than capable to do that.
Be sensible.
Li grinned. It looks like Hiiragizawa Eriol has gotten past the denial stage. Good. It was downhill from here.
Sakura had basically the same opinion as she and Tomoyo finished reading the email. But the nakoudo believes otherwise.
"Maybe it's just…brotherly love. You know, the kind of love Yukito has for you," she whispered. She didn't want to raise her hopes too much.
The cherry blossom sighed. "Tomoyo-chan, do you or do you not love Eriol-kun?"
"Of course I do!" she said.
"Then have faith on him. He'll realize things soon."
"Anyway, this is called a 'mouse'. You move it around like so," demonstrated Nakuru as Yue listened eagerly. Li, on the other hand, was packing his things already. He had all the data Sakura needed.
"This is left click, and that one is right click. Right click brings out menus. Left click simply…uh, clicks."
"Ah."
Li turned to the two lunar servants. "I'm going ahead, if you don't mind." He threw the rope down the window. He held on to the fiber, cursing at himself. Why was he letting himself do this stupidity anyway? The minute he set foot on the airport, the first thing Sakura told him was she wanted him to do a favor for her. And without resting or changing his clothes, he went on his way to obey her.
He sighed, smiling. "I so love you, Kinomoto Sakura. And if after this, you don't wear my ring, I'll abduct you and take you with me to Hong Kong until you have no choice but to say 'I do'."
He snapped out of his trance when Nakuru called him from below. She and Yue were standing outside, watching him climb down from the third floor window of Eriol's bedroom.
"Are you sure you don't want to use the front door?" she asked, puzzled.
Li proceeded to bang his head on the wall as Yue chuckled.
"You know," said the male guardian. "Of all the idiots I know, you're the only one who is proud of being one."
Nakuru looked at him, blinking. "Are you talking to me?"
He scowled. "Of course. It's just the two of us down here, right?"
Her eyes softened. "Hai."
Yue paused, then looked away. "Idiot," he muttered, somewhat hinted with fondness.
Something within him froze. Could it be? This creature whose rationality was nothing more than a vacuum has snuck into his system and mellowed him enough to feel fondness?
He thought only the Clow Mistress, Clow reed, and Kinomoto Touya can do this. But then…
It was perhaps due to Tsukishiro's personality within him. That must be it.
But he didn't sound as convincing as he should be.
Eriol woke up, rubbing his head. Damn, he was just intending to take a nap. Why in heaven's name did he sleep until five in the afternoon?
He could still sense the lingering traces of Sakura Cards. He rolled his eyes. How did he let his defenses weaken, enough for someone to use such magic on him when he should be immune to it already?
But then, why would anyone use cards on him? Who was stupid enough to do that and why?
Sakura was the first person that entered his mind, the Clow mistress herself. But she wasn't gutsy enough to do such a sneaky thing.
Then…
"So the Little Wolf is home. I wonder…" His smile vanished when he saw what was written in an open Word document.
Hiiragizawa,
You know, it took you long enough to realize how you feel about the nakoudo. Amazing, after you bragged to us how smart and powerful you are.
If you love her, if you really, really love her, find the guts to tell her the words you told me.
Don't find out for yourself why regrets that come too late are one of the worst things that can happen to you.
"Damn it!" The stalker was none other than Li Syaoran! And he knew that the mastermind could be none other than…no, it couldn't be Sakura. She's too naïve and innocent for scheming.
But Li couldn't have thought of this plan alone, or was he just underestimating his descendant?
One thing was for sure. He had to see Tomoyo. He had a lot of questions. And he had a lot to confirm.
tsuzuku