[sighs] Due to some occurrence, I re-edited this chapter. It was my mistake and I admit it. I suppose I should've researched more on the kind of fics FF.net (CCS section) has. I did not intend to commit plagiarism. I admit that the similarity is huge, and the fact that the author, meemee, had published her fic way ahead of me had added to the weight of the whole situation. So, I did a very much called for revision of this chapter.
Again, I give my profuse apologies to the author meemee and to you, readers for the chunk of irresposibility I had displayed. And, I would also like to thank anonymous for pointing the situation to me. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
STANDARD DISCLAIMERS: I do not own the rights to the series/manga Card Captor Sakura. Though I wish I could own even half of Eriol, I just don't have the right. And thus this fanfic. Sue-ing me will only give a nicely painful headache.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Still alive? I do hope that I have not yet sucked out life from your little prone form. So, you are now on the second installment (gasp I updated?) of this fic.
Enjoy?
Through a Camera Lens
Carelle
"Hiiragizawa-kun?!" Tomoyo asked for, more like confirmed for the second time.
"Yes, Hiiragizawa Eriol, and it is lovely to see you again, Daidouji-san. So, what brought you to Winchester?"
Tomoyo smiled sourly. "I am currently in training for work under the hands of the most demanding woman I've ever encountered in my life. My mother," she replied in perfect English.
"I see. Well, it was nice seeing you again. And please forgive my rudeness," Eriol bowed.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, you used to do that back when we were in fifth grade. So, apology accepted," Tomoyo nodded then glanced at her watch. "I'm afraid I must go, Hiiragizawa-kun. Lest I'll be late for work."
"Please do, Daidouji-san. I hate to keep to here if you will be late in return."
"Sayonara," she bowed then left.
Eriol just nodded in assent then signaled his female model that they were about to begin again.
---
The wind blew over the quaint little café in the heart of Winchester. The wind was piercing and cold and it faced the east side.
Sitting outside the cafe was a young lady, dressed in casual clothes, sipping hot beverage from a delicate china cup, held by her equally delicate fingers. Her eyes were staring endlessly into the setting sun; she looked like she was unaware of the events around her. Unaware of the little boy, accompanied by his mother, walking into a toy store opposite the cafe. Unaware of the couple cheerfully talking on the other table. But one could see that she was, if nothing else, calm.
Her daily dose of labor had just finished, and in her opinion, it is just but right to have a sip of coffee from the coziest but small cafe after a hard day's work.
Tomoyo's mother called her hours ago and told her that she was quite overwhelmed with her impressive output. She was fairly impressed to know that even though Tomoyo was restricted when it comes to money matters, she still managed to put her best in her work. One more reason on why her mother called is that, Tomoyo was to be promoted onto a higher and more deserving position for her outstanding performance. But still, not the one in command.
No matter how tired she was, a cup of coffee and a little time for reverie was all she needed to soothe and re-jumble her nerves together.
Once she had finished half of her drink, she carefully placed the porcelain cup back in its saucer. Taking note to place it within the indentation. She timidly crossed her legs and rested her tired back on the chair. As soon as the cool metal touched her clothed back, a family of three, obviously foreigners sashayed in front of her. She smiled. Winchester never ran out of tourists, especially in this time of year.
The man, probably the father, excitedly whipped out a camera from his bag and started taking pictures of his family and scenic view.
Pictures. Tomoyo self-consciously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she remembered her early encounter with a certain English man.
"Well, I am TERRIBLY SORRY, mister. Do not worry, NEXT TIME, I would carry sensors with me just so to detect a truck or oversized egos as that of yours!" Tomoyo held her head up high, her hold on her paper bag growing lethal.
She shook her head in disappointment. Recently, she had been acting as if the eternal monster that is PMS had taken over her. Why, once Hiiragizawa hurled a well-practiced insult at her, she was already nothing short of spelling bloody murder in Hiiragizawa Eriol's face. So devoid of the calm nature that she had.
Tomoyo groaned.
"Ah, I feel terrible for Hiiragizawa-kun," she winced as she remembered her flagrant display of anger. It seemed almost unprofessional on her part. Had she instantly known that it was a former classmate that she was talking to, she would probably leave incognito and never attempt to cross paths with him again.
Her train of thoughts was interrupted by a polite 'cough' behind her. Without breaking her gaze, she asked, "Yes?"
"I feel flattered that you still take pity on me, Daidouji-san ," a voice she now knew too well spoke.
Well, speaking of the devil himself.
She now looked up, surprised beyond belief. In front of her was Eriol, she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.
Eriol gave a smile. "I never knew you could be this speechless, Daidouji- san. May I?" he indicated the empty chair next to him.
Her senses finally came back to her and she graciously nodded her head. "By all means, Hiiragizawa-kun, by all means."
Tomoyo vaguely wondered how Eriol found her. Not that she mind or was she was she offended. But it seems all too... suspicious.
'Well, maybe this is just one streak of coincidence. Just as what happened yesterday, when we met and--'
A startling flash of light and a 'click' shattered her train of thoughts.
Tomoyo turned her neck so fast that she felt as if it were to break anytime and she would see her head rolling away from her body.
'Tsk, tsk. Too morbid Tomoyo, too morbid,' she thought to herself.
"Hiiragizawa-kun! What do you think you are doing?" Tomoyo frowned as she squinted her eyes and waited till her line of sight is adjusted back to normal.
"I am sorry, Daidouji-san. Your eyes must've received quite too much light from the camera flash," he explained as he kept his Polaroid camera in his messenger bag.
"No, I am all right. Why did you do that anyway?"
"Let's say, that you, together with the sight is too beautiful, it would be a shame not to capture it in a picture," Eriol smiled, his eyes gleamed behind the lenses of his glasses.
"You flatter me so, Hiiragizawa-kun. Anyways, I think you've just wasted a good amount of film," her lips formed into a charming smile.
"Not quite, Daidouji-san. It was worth it. And besides, that was the last shot."
"Oh," she nodded.
Again, they fell into a silent reverie. Tomoyo reverted her eyes back to the now almost vanished sun, and Eriol was still staring blankly at her.
A single chime of a bell was what broke the silence between them. Eriol looked over his shoulder for the source of the sound and grinned.
"Care for an ice cream, Daidouji-san?" Eriol offered, taking her left, gloved hand.
"Ice cream? Who sells ice cream in winter?" Tomoyo looked at him and tried, but miserably failed in suppressing her chuckle.
"He does," Eriol looked behind him once again to show her the ice cream vendor, "so, would you like one?"
"Only if you buy one for yourself too," she smiled.
"Of course, of course," Eriol nodded then proceeded to the awaiting ice cream vendor.
Tomoyo watched Eriol as he purchased the ice cream batch for the two of them. He looked like a child. Motioning the ice cream vendor the flavor he wanted to buy and indicating how tall he would want to ice cream to be. Somehow, she could still see in him the boy that he was back when they were in fifth grade. Only then, he is never seen doing stuff, other kids his age would do. Like buying ice cream for example.
In her eyes back then, Eriol Hiiragizawa is just one of the students who go in and out of their classroom everyday to learn. He was not the subject of her attention. No, back then, it was always Sakura that was in her eyes.
Eriol is a well-known enigma before, as she saw it. He is so out of the ordinary. Well, perhaps the only thing that made them realize he was not a spy alien trapped in a body of a fifth grade was the joke and the antics he played. And yes, she could clearly remember well, that the subject was always Li Syaoran. When he joined forces with Yamazaki-kun, no one could fathom the things they did to make Syaoran's life miserable.
Tomoyo smiled. 'Too bad Hiiragizawa-kun stayed only for a year in Tomoeda,' she thought. She could not just imagine what life would Li Syaoran have if Eriol was there when the news broke out that he and Sakura were an official couple.
'Well, that's kudos to Li-kun's part though,' she contemplated.
"Daidouji-san!" Eriol called out, raising both his hands to show her his purchase.
She could almost laugh at the sight she is seeing now. Eriol had his boyish smile creeping up his lips as he made his way back to her.
"Vanilla ice cream, for the lady," he handed her the pile-per-pile scoop of ice cream on the cone.
"Why, thank you. Have you read my mind though? You knew I liked vanilla," she smiled up at him as he sat down.
Eriol chuckled and took the first bite from his ice cream. "It is a plea--" he cringed as felt the onslaught of brain freeze, "Damn," he whispered as he placed a palm over his head.
"As I was saying, Daidouji-san, it is a pleasure. Your smile is worth the numbing pain of brain freeze," he winked at her.
Her cheeks flushed a shade of pink from the all too obvious praise.
"You are blushing," Eriol said a matter-of-factly.
Tomoyo gulped. "No I am NOT. It is probably the cold. Yes, that must be it."
"Right," Eriol grinned, as if mocking her.
"An ounce of politeness, you still have it, I am surprised," Tomoyo jokingly retorted.
"Yeah, well, if there is anything I learnt from Nakuru and Kaho, it is the fact that women are always right. I learned the difficult way though."
She laughed. "What I wouldn't give to see that! The ever-so-powerful reincarnation of Clow Reed, bowing down and accepting the way of the women."
"Well, like I said, I was forced."
"Like you have any choice, anyway. So, Mizuki-sensei... how is she?"
"Kaho? She's married," Eriol smiled.
"Oh, congratulations then, to both of you," she smiled then propped the last bit of the ice cream cone into her mouth.
"On the contrary, she is not married to me," he corrected her. Strangely enough, his lips are still curled in an impeccably charming smile. That smile was starting to make Tomoyo nervous.
Tomoyo cocked her head curiously to one side, giving Eriol a penetrating stare. "What? But I thought... you and her..."
"I don't mean to pry, Hiiragizawa-kun, but Sakura told me that she was sure that you and Mizuki-sensei . . ." Tomoyo paused, not quite sure how to phrase what she was trying to say. "Sakura-chan thought that you and Mizuki-sensei had some sort of relationship."
"Obviously, your presumptions are wrong. She married her childhood love. I am happy for her anyway. As long as she's happy with her life, I would gladly give way," he gave her a crooked little smile that made him not look his age, instead of a decade older.
"But..."
"With all due respect, Daidouji-san, could we restrict our conversation to safer topics?"
"I am sorry for being too nosy for my own good, Hiiragizawa-kun," she bowed slightly.
"No harm done. People make mistakes once in a while. You are no different."
Tomoyo smiled affably. Apparently, Eriol Hiiragizawa still had his famed legend long patience with him.
The sound of cell phone ringing brought her back to reality. She quickly brought it out of her bag and answered the call.
"Good afternoon, Tomoyo Daidouji speaking," she answered.
"What happened Ms. McKinley?" Tomoyo frowned. "WHAT?! Since when?" She then fashioned a panicked expression on her face. "Then what must I do?"
Tomoyo felt like her perfect afternoon had just turned into one big furnace called hell.
"When... do I need to do 'it'?" Tomoyo frowned. "I understand. Yes."
Tomoyo felt like all of her life energy had just been drained out of her. She carelessly tossed her phone back into her bag.
Eriol frowned, "Daidouji-san, is there something wrong?"
"I... I really need to go home now. I am sorry Hiiragizawa-kun."
"If it is that urgent, I should understand, Daidouji-san. Go," Eriol stood up and offered a hand.
She weakly accepted the gloved hand that was in front of her and gently pulled herself up, "Thank you for the wonderful afternoon though."
"Of course. Anything for you."
Tomoyo softly smiled then walked away, feeling like she was carrying the whole world between her shoulders.
Back at the cafe, Eriol sat down on his chair and slowly, a deliberate, diabolical smile formed on his lips.
"Mission started."
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yay! Chapter two finished. And yes, the plot (whatever what was left of it) thickens... Mwahahaha. Maybe you have noticed that we have been seeing only less if not none of Eriol's own POV. Well... that will be resolved next chapter. As it will all be in Eriol's POV.
Now, be kind and review, please?