Disclaimer: Please refer to Chapter 1, Thank you.
~PLum BLoSsOm~ : Here's the next chappie, enjoy and please do not forget to review... -^_^-
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In case you are wondering:
~*~ : change of scene / change of POV
' ' : Characters' thought
" " : Characters speaking
[ ] : That would be me talking (or typing, for that matter)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 4:
'Anyone...as long as it's not the Duke of Ylang...someone just come and take me away please'
"May I steal this one dance from you, my sweet hime-sama?" a soft sensual voice pervaded her train of thoughts. Tomoyo turned her head towards the direction of that voice, that voice which she heard him speak during that one dance with him.
She forced herself not to swoon at his feet. Wearing a white long- sleeved shirt with frilly laced tie at his neck, and a royal blue blazer with amber-gold intricate trimmings and matching blue pants, if it had been anyone else [A/N:with the exceptions of the CCS guys of course], they would have looked silly, girlish even , in that outfit. But somehow, he manages to carry it off perfectly, making him looked superbly charming and together with his calm and gentle demeanor, he held out his hands towards Tomoyo.
Tomoyo smiled sweetly at the masked youth standing in front of her. "It would be an honor to dance with such kind prince,"she murmured demurely. 'And thank you for saving me from the Duke of Ylang or I would have to dance with him now,' she added silently.
Of course, the Prince had heard her thoughts. He took her pale, delicate hand in his and gently brushed his lips against her knuckles.
"You're welcome, Hime-sama"
Tomoyo looked at him puzzledly. 'Did I say that aloud?'
He just smiled at her and led her out onto the dancefloor. The orchestra that were playing a waltz, stopped half-way upon seeing the princess coming out to the dance-floor and started a slow number. [A/N:Upon the Queen's request, of course -^_-]
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Duke of Ylang fumed silently. He had strolled towards the amethyst-eyed princess to ask her for a dance, but someone had gotten to her first. And the most frustrating thing is, he had not notice the man with the wolf mask coming from the other side.
'How did he get to my Tomoyo faster than I did? I had known that there was no one near when I had approached...Masaka?'
The Quintessence Kingdom is known for its magical scenic beauty. It's lush-green meadows is the envy of every cowherd, where the cows would really love to graze its sweet, dewy grass. Besides that, there is also the tall, thick forest that is forever green. Even in the snowy seasons, the forest gives off an air of mystery, with snow-covered trees, it is truly a beauty of nature. Of course, not everyone is entitle an entry into the forest, for it is a favourite place of a certain Sorcerer Prince living in the Quintessence Kingdom. The flora and fauna that inhabited there were protected by the prince.
'He could be from the land of Quintessence'
Of course, there is no mistake in the way the enigmatic prince carry himself. He has high magical abilities, most probably of a high-level skill sorcery, but no-one can be sure since hardly anyone, besides the people working or living in the Quintessence palace, had seen the Prince.
'Most magicians or people with magic bloodline had went to the land of Quintessence to culivate and train their magical abilities, for it is the only place which had schools that teach subjects related to magic...Sakura- hime is one of them who had went there...most probably, she had even met that masked prince who had danced with my Tomoyo...'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tomoyo had difficulty focusing on what she is doing. At present, she is too absorbed in staring into the mysterious midnight-blue eyes that hold wisdom, as well as a hint of something dark and brooding as well.
"I had not catch your name the last time we danced," that soft voice once again break off her dreaminess and she was able to focus again. She blushed. Thank god she's wearing the mask, or people around her would have notice the faint crimson that stole across her cheeks.
"Wait...you are the man I danced with a couple of weeks ago..."
He smiled once again and nodded slightly. 'He had to stop smiling like that, it's making my heart melt'
"I'm sorry I abandoned you half-way through the dance...my name's Daidouji Tomoyo, but just call me Tomoyo."
"I'm surprised you gave me your name, following the rules here, names are not surposed to be given away until the end of this party," He laughed.
Tomoyo smiled up at him [A/N:they smiled alot don't you think?]
"I'm the host here, so almost everyone present at this party knows me...you are the only stranger here so I feel obliged to give you my name. However, I will not ask for your name until the ball ends, so I hope that you could stay til the ball ends."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ne, Syaoran-kun, I think Eriol-kun has Tomoyo-chan's heart captivated," Sakura giggled as she lean against Syaoran's chest while dancing.
"I just hope Hiiragizawa doesn't turn into a wolf and 'eat' Daidouji up. He look as though he is ready to pounce on her any moment," Syaoran muttered. Sakura slapped him on the arm and mock-glare him.
"Do not say that of our friend, Syaoran, he's a guest and what's more, you would rather Tomoyo-chan be with him than that French Duke you so detest since the day he stepped into the palace," Sakura pointed out matter- of- factly. Syaoran just chuckled sheepishly.
"I guess you are right ne..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nakuru looked around the ballroom. Sure, there's a lot of cute guys out there to glomp, but there isn't one that could hold her attention long enough before her eyes wandered off to someone else. She spotted her master, dancing with a raven-haired beauty in pale lilac gown, unmistakeably the Princess hosting the ball. And Sakura-chan too, dancing with her prince with messy chestnut hair.
Looking off to her right, she spotted two young men around her age near the long table filled with food. One of them is a Prince and the other is a Baron.
'A Baron talking to a Prince? Why am I even so surprise that a Baron would attend this high-ranking party?'
As she soon found out, both men are friends. The Baron had neat silvery-grey hair with light brown eyes and very, very feminine, gentle face. Somehow, he manage to look cool with his grey hair, probably the fact that he was very beautiful. The Prince had dark brown hair with a piercing, dark brooding gaze. He seems to be the opposite of his friend, in terms of demeanor that is. He holds an aura of aloofness around him.
The moon guardian soon found herself attracted to both of them immediately. In an instant, she had fling her arms around the dark-brooding one, since he seems to be more interesting, catching him off-balance and holding him in a suffocating, death grip.
"What?...Let go off me!" The man snapped, as he reached up and pried her arms off of his neck. Nakuru automatically bowed down and giggled an apology before introducing herself.
"Gomen nasai, Prince. I'm Akizuki Nakuru, both you and your companion have catch my attention and thus I'm here," She said cheerfully. The Baron was the first to respond to her.
"I'm Tsukishiro Yukito, it is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Akizuki," Yukito said kindly, a smile gracing his lips. Following court etiquette, he took her hand in his and brushed his lips across her knuckles lightly. Nakuru squeal in delight and turn to the man standing beside Yukito.
"May I have your name please?"
"Following the rules of this ball here, I'm not obliged to give you my name, Lady Akizuki," The Prince muttered, his tone politely cold. Nakuru pouted, then brightened once more.
"Never mind, I will find out who you are sooner or later," Her genki voice has somehow annoyed the Prince for he excused himself. Nakuru looked at the Baron cheerfully and beamed at him.
Yukito held out his hand and looked inquiringly at the young, energetic woman in front of him.
"May I have this dance with you, Lady Akizuki?"
"It's my pleasure. NA-KU-RU please," She said, stressing on her own name. Yukito sweatdropped and regaining his composure, he led her out to the dance floor.
'Wait a minute, he has the same aura as me...I wonder...this is going to be so interesting...'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Queen Sonomi was peeking at her daughter over Fujitaka's shoulders and sighed dreamily.
"She found her Prince!..." She whispered triumphantly, a smug look on her face. Right now, she is dancing with Sakura's father.
It was quite an irony actually, a long time ago, even before Touya was born, Sonomi had loved her cousin and best friend, Nadeshiko very much. Kinomoto Fujitaka had came along and both Nadeshiko and him had basically fallen in love at first sight. They gotten married when Nadeshiko was sixteen years old and little Touya had came along a few years later. [ Followed by Sakura later, of course] She was both jealous and envious of Fujitaka at first, but when Sakura was three years old, nadeshiko had fallen ill and passed on. Before she passed on, she had wanted Sonomi to live in harmony with her husband so that she could go peacefully, so now they were getting along quite well.
'Come to think of it, both Tomoyo and Sakura-chan kind of remind me of me and Nadeshiko-chan in our younger days,' She thought, chuckling to herself. Fujitaka noticed the chuckle and looked puzzledly at his companion.
"Sonomi-kun, is there something funny on my face?" he inquired.
"Iie, I'm just thinking of the younger days when Nadeshiko-chan is still alive, before she marry you..." She trailed off, seeing the sudden look of sad-smile that had appeared on the King's face.
"Gomen ne, I..." She was cut off as Fujitaka shook his head and smiled.
"It's okay, after all, just seeing Tomoyo-chan and Sakura-chan together would be like seeing you and Nadeshiko together."
Sonomi smile inwardly. Fujitaka had spoke what she was thinking of a few minutes earlier before the mention of her best friend.
"I'm happy to see that Tomoyo dear has found the man that she is so in love with...However, that young man looked extremely familiar to me..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I would stay, for your sake. And I have heard that you would be singing a tune for the guests present here before the party ends," Eriol chuckle lightly. Truth in fact, he was shivering inside, him being so close to the pale, ethereal beauty dancing with him. He delight in seeing the petite Princess blushing on hearing that she would be singing before the party ends.
'Since like Hime has forgotten about it,' he mused slightly. And his assumptions were hitting the bull's eye, for the Princess seems to be flustering slightly.
"Anou, I forgot about it..." She mused, sweatdropping slightly. Eriol laughed softly.
"You're such a darling, Tomoyo-Hime." Again, a blush warmed her pale, masked face. She was about to speak when her mother's voice interrupt her.
"Everyone, this masked ball is ending soon. As I have promise every gentlemen here, who had ask if my daughter is gracing them with her sweet, nightingale voice, the answer to that is yes..."
The Princess in Eriol's arms seem to take that as a cue and reluctantly step away from him. Eriol unconciously grabbed her wrist gently. Tomoyo looked at him, puzzled.
"If you do not mind, I would like to accompany you in your singing by playing the piano, perhaps?"
Tomoyo looked gratefully at him," I would loved to, Arigatou."
As Tomoyo hit the first note of her song, everyone in the ballroom went silent. As she sings, with both her hands clasped together at her chest, everyone was practically mesmerized by her voice, including Eriol. A poem unintentionally formed in his mind as his fingers glide absently across the smooth. ivory keys.
Music is more than notes.
Music is something that frees the soul.
With colours and patterns,
It joins souls to merge into one
And bring beauty to the world.
It soothes. It sweetens.
It's the life blood,
Of everlasting beauty.
This is how Eriol had describe the Princess' expressions and feelings that she had put into her song.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You have a lovely voice, Hime-sama," The masked Prince compliment her after the song. They were now standing in the garden, where the night is scented with the blooms in the garden. Tomoyo blushed once again. [I wonder how many times she had blushed that night]
"The ball is over, I would like to know who you are, mysterious stranger," Tomoyo whispered softly, partly to change the subject and also eager to know this man that she had unknowingly fallen deeply for.
"...if that is what you want...then I shall reveal myself to you..."
He reached up slowly and took his mask off. His movements looked as though it was played in slow motion and to Tomoyo, it looked as though he is reluctant to take the mask off. And she soon found out why. As his face is completely clear of the mask, Tomoyo could only stare into his sad, enigmatic midnight eyes in shock and gasped...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~PLum BLoSsOm~ : Well, this came in a bit late, I know...but this is the longest chapter that I can manage and I'm not sure whether I'm good at typing anymore long chapters...so forgive me (in advance) if I were to present to you guys with short chapters from here on...by the way, I would like to thank one of my best friend [I shall call her December Sin, since that is her MSN nick], for letting me use her poems and post it up into my story.[ yes, the poem about music that you see in this chapter is done by her, ain't she a poet?*sigh*],THANK YOU, DECEMBER SIN!!-^_^-
~PLum BLoSsOm~ : Here's the next chappie, enjoy and please do not forget to review... -^_^-
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In case you are wondering:
~*~ : change of scene / change of POV
' ' : Characters' thought
" " : Characters speaking
[ ] : That would be me talking (or typing, for that matter)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 4:
'Anyone...as long as it's not the Duke of Ylang...someone just come and take me away please'
"May I steal this one dance from you, my sweet hime-sama?" a soft sensual voice pervaded her train of thoughts. Tomoyo turned her head towards the direction of that voice, that voice which she heard him speak during that one dance with him.
She forced herself not to swoon at his feet. Wearing a white long- sleeved shirt with frilly laced tie at his neck, and a royal blue blazer with amber-gold intricate trimmings and matching blue pants, if it had been anyone else [A/N:with the exceptions of the CCS guys of course], they would have looked silly, girlish even , in that outfit. But somehow, he manages to carry it off perfectly, making him looked superbly charming and together with his calm and gentle demeanor, he held out his hands towards Tomoyo.
Tomoyo smiled sweetly at the masked youth standing in front of her. "It would be an honor to dance with such kind prince,"she murmured demurely. 'And thank you for saving me from the Duke of Ylang or I would have to dance with him now,' she added silently.
Of course, the Prince had heard her thoughts. He took her pale, delicate hand in his and gently brushed his lips against her knuckles.
"You're welcome, Hime-sama"
Tomoyo looked at him puzzledly. 'Did I say that aloud?'
He just smiled at her and led her out onto the dancefloor. The orchestra that were playing a waltz, stopped half-way upon seeing the princess coming out to the dance-floor and started a slow number. [A/N:Upon the Queen's request, of course -^_-]
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Duke of Ylang fumed silently. He had strolled towards the amethyst-eyed princess to ask her for a dance, but someone had gotten to her first. And the most frustrating thing is, he had not notice the man with the wolf mask coming from the other side.
'How did he get to my Tomoyo faster than I did? I had known that there was no one near when I had approached...Masaka?'
The Quintessence Kingdom is known for its magical scenic beauty. It's lush-green meadows is the envy of every cowherd, where the cows would really love to graze its sweet, dewy grass. Besides that, there is also the tall, thick forest that is forever green. Even in the snowy seasons, the forest gives off an air of mystery, with snow-covered trees, it is truly a beauty of nature. Of course, not everyone is entitle an entry into the forest, for it is a favourite place of a certain Sorcerer Prince living in the Quintessence Kingdom. The flora and fauna that inhabited there were protected by the prince.
'He could be from the land of Quintessence'
Of course, there is no mistake in the way the enigmatic prince carry himself. He has high magical abilities, most probably of a high-level skill sorcery, but no-one can be sure since hardly anyone, besides the people working or living in the Quintessence palace, had seen the Prince.
'Most magicians or people with magic bloodline had went to the land of Quintessence to culivate and train their magical abilities, for it is the only place which had schools that teach subjects related to magic...Sakura- hime is one of them who had went there...most probably, she had even met that masked prince who had danced with my Tomoyo...'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tomoyo had difficulty focusing on what she is doing. At present, she is too absorbed in staring into the mysterious midnight-blue eyes that hold wisdom, as well as a hint of something dark and brooding as well.
"I had not catch your name the last time we danced," that soft voice once again break off her dreaminess and she was able to focus again. She blushed. Thank god she's wearing the mask, or people around her would have notice the faint crimson that stole across her cheeks.
"Wait...you are the man I danced with a couple of weeks ago..."
He smiled once again and nodded slightly. 'He had to stop smiling like that, it's making my heart melt'
"I'm sorry I abandoned you half-way through the dance...my name's Daidouji Tomoyo, but just call me Tomoyo."
"I'm surprised you gave me your name, following the rules here, names are not surposed to be given away until the end of this party," He laughed.
Tomoyo smiled up at him [A/N:they smiled alot don't you think?]
"I'm the host here, so almost everyone present at this party knows me...you are the only stranger here so I feel obliged to give you my name. However, I will not ask for your name until the ball ends, so I hope that you could stay til the ball ends."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ne, Syaoran-kun, I think Eriol-kun has Tomoyo-chan's heart captivated," Sakura giggled as she lean against Syaoran's chest while dancing.
"I just hope Hiiragizawa doesn't turn into a wolf and 'eat' Daidouji up. He look as though he is ready to pounce on her any moment," Syaoran muttered. Sakura slapped him on the arm and mock-glare him.
"Do not say that of our friend, Syaoran, he's a guest and what's more, you would rather Tomoyo-chan be with him than that French Duke you so detest since the day he stepped into the palace," Sakura pointed out matter- of- factly. Syaoran just chuckled sheepishly.
"I guess you are right ne..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nakuru looked around the ballroom. Sure, there's a lot of cute guys out there to glomp, but there isn't one that could hold her attention long enough before her eyes wandered off to someone else. She spotted her master, dancing with a raven-haired beauty in pale lilac gown, unmistakeably the Princess hosting the ball. And Sakura-chan too, dancing with her prince with messy chestnut hair.
Looking off to her right, she spotted two young men around her age near the long table filled with food. One of them is a Prince and the other is a Baron.
'A Baron talking to a Prince? Why am I even so surprise that a Baron would attend this high-ranking party?'
As she soon found out, both men are friends. The Baron had neat silvery-grey hair with light brown eyes and very, very feminine, gentle face. Somehow, he manage to look cool with his grey hair, probably the fact that he was very beautiful. The Prince had dark brown hair with a piercing, dark brooding gaze. He seems to be the opposite of his friend, in terms of demeanor that is. He holds an aura of aloofness around him.
The moon guardian soon found herself attracted to both of them immediately. In an instant, she had fling her arms around the dark-brooding one, since he seems to be more interesting, catching him off-balance and holding him in a suffocating, death grip.
"What?...Let go off me!" The man snapped, as he reached up and pried her arms off of his neck. Nakuru automatically bowed down and giggled an apology before introducing herself.
"Gomen nasai, Prince. I'm Akizuki Nakuru, both you and your companion have catch my attention and thus I'm here," She said cheerfully. The Baron was the first to respond to her.
"I'm Tsukishiro Yukito, it is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Akizuki," Yukito said kindly, a smile gracing his lips. Following court etiquette, he took her hand in his and brushed his lips across her knuckles lightly. Nakuru squeal in delight and turn to the man standing beside Yukito.
"May I have your name please?"
"Following the rules of this ball here, I'm not obliged to give you my name, Lady Akizuki," The Prince muttered, his tone politely cold. Nakuru pouted, then brightened once more.
"Never mind, I will find out who you are sooner or later," Her genki voice has somehow annoyed the Prince for he excused himself. Nakuru looked at the Baron cheerfully and beamed at him.
Yukito held out his hand and looked inquiringly at the young, energetic woman in front of him.
"May I have this dance with you, Lady Akizuki?"
"It's my pleasure. NA-KU-RU please," She said, stressing on her own name. Yukito sweatdropped and regaining his composure, he led her out to the dance floor.
'Wait a minute, he has the same aura as me...I wonder...this is going to be so interesting...'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Queen Sonomi was peeking at her daughter over Fujitaka's shoulders and sighed dreamily.
"She found her Prince!..." She whispered triumphantly, a smug look on her face. Right now, she is dancing with Sakura's father.
It was quite an irony actually, a long time ago, even before Touya was born, Sonomi had loved her cousin and best friend, Nadeshiko very much. Kinomoto Fujitaka had came along and both Nadeshiko and him had basically fallen in love at first sight. They gotten married when Nadeshiko was sixteen years old and little Touya had came along a few years later. [ Followed by Sakura later, of course] She was both jealous and envious of Fujitaka at first, but when Sakura was three years old, nadeshiko had fallen ill and passed on. Before she passed on, she had wanted Sonomi to live in harmony with her husband so that she could go peacefully, so now they were getting along quite well.
'Come to think of it, both Tomoyo and Sakura-chan kind of remind me of me and Nadeshiko-chan in our younger days,' She thought, chuckling to herself. Fujitaka noticed the chuckle and looked puzzledly at his companion.
"Sonomi-kun, is there something funny on my face?" he inquired.
"Iie, I'm just thinking of the younger days when Nadeshiko-chan is still alive, before she marry you..." She trailed off, seeing the sudden look of sad-smile that had appeared on the King's face.
"Gomen ne, I..." She was cut off as Fujitaka shook his head and smiled.
"It's okay, after all, just seeing Tomoyo-chan and Sakura-chan together would be like seeing you and Nadeshiko together."
Sonomi smile inwardly. Fujitaka had spoke what she was thinking of a few minutes earlier before the mention of her best friend.
"I'm happy to see that Tomoyo dear has found the man that she is so in love with...However, that young man looked extremely familiar to me..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I would stay, for your sake. And I have heard that you would be singing a tune for the guests present here before the party ends," Eriol chuckle lightly. Truth in fact, he was shivering inside, him being so close to the pale, ethereal beauty dancing with him. He delight in seeing the petite Princess blushing on hearing that she would be singing before the party ends.
'Since like Hime has forgotten about it,' he mused slightly. And his assumptions were hitting the bull's eye, for the Princess seems to be flustering slightly.
"Anou, I forgot about it..." She mused, sweatdropping slightly. Eriol laughed softly.
"You're such a darling, Tomoyo-Hime." Again, a blush warmed her pale, masked face. She was about to speak when her mother's voice interrupt her.
"Everyone, this masked ball is ending soon. As I have promise every gentlemen here, who had ask if my daughter is gracing them with her sweet, nightingale voice, the answer to that is yes..."
The Princess in Eriol's arms seem to take that as a cue and reluctantly step away from him. Eriol unconciously grabbed her wrist gently. Tomoyo looked at him, puzzled.
"If you do not mind, I would like to accompany you in your singing by playing the piano, perhaps?"
Tomoyo looked gratefully at him," I would loved to, Arigatou."
As Tomoyo hit the first note of her song, everyone in the ballroom went silent. As she sings, with both her hands clasped together at her chest, everyone was practically mesmerized by her voice, including Eriol. A poem unintentionally formed in his mind as his fingers glide absently across the smooth. ivory keys.
Music is more than notes.
Music is something that frees the soul.
With colours and patterns,
It joins souls to merge into one
And bring beauty to the world.
It soothes. It sweetens.
It's the life blood,
Of everlasting beauty.
This is how Eriol had describe the Princess' expressions and feelings that she had put into her song.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You have a lovely voice, Hime-sama," The masked Prince compliment her after the song. They were now standing in the garden, where the night is scented with the blooms in the garden. Tomoyo blushed once again. [I wonder how many times she had blushed that night]
"The ball is over, I would like to know who you are, mysterious stranger," Tomoyo whispered softly, partly to change the subject and also eager to know this man that she had unknowingly fallen deeply for.
"...if that is what you want...then I shall reveal myself to you..."
He reached up slowly and took his mask off. His movements looked as though it was played in slow motion and to Tomoyo, it looked as though he is reluctant to take the mask off. And she soon found out why. As his face is completely clear of the mask, Tomoyo could only stare into his sad, enigmatic midnight eyes in shock and gasped...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~PLum BLoSsOm~ : Well, this came in a bit late, I know...but this is the longest chapter that I can manage and I'm not sure whether I'm good at typing anymore long chapters...so forgive me (in advance) if I were to present to you guys with short chapters from here on...by the way, I would like to thank one of my best friend [I shall call her December Sin, since that is her MSN nick], for letting me use her poems and post it up into my story.[ yes, the poem about music that you see in this chapter is done by her, ain't she a poet?*sigh*],THANK YOU, DECEMBER SIN!!-^_^-