A/N: This was supposed to be included with chapter four but I got lazy and cut it in half. And unfortunately I went on an extended hiatus. Hehe ;
Miss Independent
Chapter 5: Another World Phenomenon Solved
Tomoyo kept her gaze fixed on her glass of water as her friend chatted away with the banes of her existence. And if she thought about it enough…the little droplets of water on the glass actually started becoming the least bit interesting.
She felt a foot knock into her leg. Tomoyo glared at Sakura and kicked her back. This exchange went on for about ten more kicks before their food arrived. Eriol and Syaoran watched with slight interest as Tomoyo and Sakura pursued in harming each other. And to say that they were doing it subtly would be lying. By the time the two had ceased and turned their attentions to their food Tomoyo was sure that her legs would be bearing some bruises the next morning.
"Umm excuse me? Can we have four glasses of this wine?" Sakura asked pointing to some words on a piece of paper. The waitress looked at her and nodded.
"What's with the wine?" Tomoyo questioned.
"If you're thinking that I ordered the wine so that you'd become increasingly drunk and spill all your secrets to us, you are sorely wrong my dear friend," Sakura informed while taking a bite of the chicken on her fork.
Although Sakura was the one that was sorely mistaken.
Eriol, Syaoran, and Sakura gaped at Tomoyo in utter astonishment as she downed another glass.
"You know? This stuff is pretty good. That was a great idea to order it Sakura old buddy!" Tomoyo cried out cheerfully wrapping an arm around her best friend.
Her glance turned to the Chinese boy sitting across from her. "Li! Don't you look nice tonight? Are you trying to impress a certain someone?" she winked at him. Then started laughing as the tiniest of blushes rose to his cheeks.
Sakura leaned over to whisper to Tomoyo with a small frown on her face, "Can you calm down please?"
She laughed some more, "Come on Sakura! Live it little will ya?"
After calling for another glass Tomoyo laced her fingers and propped her elbows on the table. A dazed smile seemed forever glued to her face. She was staring at a certain blue eyed person, "You know Eriol, your eyes kinda remind me of my father's. Though you act nothing like him."
"Really? Well I'll take that as a compliment…I guess…" Eriol seemed confused and slightly embarrassed by this whole situation.
"Yeah, you're so much nicer." A frown dawned upon her small face. "My father wasn't exactly the greatest of fathers. A real jackass you could say."
Sakura's eyebrows raised at that comment. Tomoyo had never spoken about her father before this. The waitress brought another glass of wine and gave a look of disgust to Tomoyo as she grabbed the glass and drank about half in one swallow.
"I remember one night in particular. Actually it was the last night I ever saw him, "she gave a sardonic laugh, surprising her companions, "I think there was a thunderstorm that night actually." She tapped her chin in mock deep thought.
The people sitting with her exchanged glances, where was she going with this? Eriol couldn't help but wonder if this was something she wanted people to know.
Tomoyo waved her hand and look way for a second, "No, no there wasn't any storm. It was just a regular night. My parent's were yelling at each other again for who knows what. I never had very good feelings for my father, he was just kind of THERE. I never got to know him or anything. The only things I remember of him are his eyes and that strange girl he always brought home when mother was off on a business trip," Tomoyo laughed loudly here, "Now we can only imagine what they were doing!" she said with a broad, drunken smile.
Sakura's fingers fidgeted with her fork as Tomoyo continued her story. She wanted to stop her friend from doing something she knew she'd regret but, it was just too tempting. Too tempting to know that Tomoyo was just laying out all her mysteries and their answers. Tonight may be the night she'll finally figure out what makes Tomoyo tick.
"Well anyway. . ." she started again, "I guess now that I think about it they were probably arguing about that girl. I remember hearing some pretty nasty words being thrown about, and a crash or two. Oh yeah, father threw one of my favorite glass figurines on the floor. I always liked that little blue bird. One of a kind you know. . ." Tomoyo drifted off slightly here. She was reminiscing, after swishing the last bits of wine in her glass around, she drank the rest. "Father called mother a lesbian bitch I think. Now at the time I had no idea what that meant but my mother started crying really hard and she told my father to get out. He did and I never saw him again."
"I'm so sorr-" Sakura started but Tomoyo cut her off. She and Syaoran and Eriol began to wonder if Tomoyo even remembered they were there.
Tomoyo scraped her fork against the table cloth with her head propped up against her hand. "The next morning I pretended I hadn't been watching from the stairs and asked my mother what all the yelling was about and what happened to father. Mother started crying again. She told me that men were not worth it and if you wanted to get anywhere in this world you would not let petty things like them get in your way. She said that men are just horny and competitive bastards. Then she gasped and told me to forget that word I think," Tomoyo tapped her chin again, she smiled, "Though it didn't stop me from learning it and many others anyway."
Tomoyo lifted her head from her hand and sat up straight again, hey eyes looked hazed. Eriol and the others just continued to stare at her. Then her large violet eyes grew out of their haze and that silly grin on her face fell away. She covered her mouth with her hands and looked at them all.
"Tomoyo? Tomoyo are you okay?" Sakura put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She looked at her friend horrified. The grabbed her jacket and stumbled out of the restaurant, accidentally knocking into the door. They watch as she continued to push a pull door. Then a couple walked in and Tomoyo ran out. Well she tried to walk as straight as her jellied legs could take her.
"No wonder," Sakura whispered to herself.
"I'm going too, she can't go out there on her own, especially in that state," Eriol reasoned. Then before Syaoran and Sakura could object he was out the door.
They looked at each other, "Well…tonight was sure interesting."
Sakura didn't reply.
Tomoyo's feet kept bending in odd places and she had to use the walls of other shops and restaurant as a lean. She rested at a corner of the wall and started panting heavily. What had she just done? That secret had been kept under lock and key for about two decades! Then she just had to get all drunk and spill everything?
She still couldn't believe how those words just fell out. And to people that she hardly knew! With the exception of Sakura, but still, she had intention whatsoever to ever tell her, to tell anyone.
This was ridiculous. Tomoyo scowled as she cursed her low alcohol tolerance. They'd probably pity her now.
She spoke aloud what she believed they would be saying the next day, "Oh Tomoyo I'm so sorry. Oh Tomoyo that must've been so traumatic for you! Oh Tomoyo is there anything I can do? Oh Tomoyo! Oh Tomoyo!" she cried maniacally into the night. Tomoyo wiped away the tears running down her face in anger.
She whimpered slightly and slouched to the ground, her hand covering her flushed face.
"What am I saying? I've always wanted people to pity me, to care for me. All these years I've wasted just hiding me emotions from everybody. Pushing them away. What the hell is wrong with me?"
"What's wrong with you is that you're out here all alone without an escort," a lone voice said behind her.
"Go away," Tomoyo ordered trying to fix her red face.
Eriol kneeled beside her looking at her dark her as it shielded her face from his view. "Everyone has problems Tomoyo. And for you to just hide them while your breaking inside is no way to help them."
There wasn't a reply.
"You have friends. We all want to help you, we care for you. You know that right?"
Her head fell limply to her side.
"Tomoyo?"
No reply.
Eriol lifted her hair from her face and found that she had passed out. Shaking his head he picked her up and walked back to the restaurant.
A/N: Sorry short chapter. But better than nothing right? Well it's summer so expect more updates than usual. Byez!