Chapter 1: Childhood Friends
Promise is a word that binds a person to an expectation...
She was standing on the highest branch of the tree looking around making sure no one would see her. The sky was of clearest blue with no cloud to cover it up. Time was passing by slowly. Sounds of summer were surrounding her.
She wore only a simple white shirt and khaki shorts. Her well worn boots resting on the tree's lush green leaves while the sun reflected off her wire-rimmed sunglasses.
Looking through it, her eyes were taking in every detail of the scenery before her. She was definitely going to miss England.
The golden rays charming the prodigious meadow that wrapped around her family's English land and making the surface of the bay beyond sparkle like clear blue glass.
She enjoyed doing this, just being a 10-year-old had become scarce in her life, she thought now. Ever since dad died. No! Don't think about it, she ordered herself but couldn't help the wave of grief wash over her.
She hung her head and nimbly jumped down the "steps" of branches leading down to the ground. Thinking of her father had ruined her mood and she now sulkily just sat on the tree's old trunk and closed her eyes willing her herself to forget.
She didn't.
"Otosan! 'kasan!" she shouted, running and waving at the same time to a tall and lanky man with midnight hair and striking amethyst eyes and a woman with short amber hair and warm brown eyes.
"Hai! Matte!" the man shouted back and started running to the stage towards their daughter.
"We won otosan. We won," she announced over her groupmates' shouts of mirth.
"I know. So, how does feel to win?" he asked as he kneeled down to his daughter's height.
She beamed at them, pride gleaming in her eyes. "It feels great."
The man stood ruffling her hair getting a "Mou!" out of her before making her giggle.
"You were great out there honey." The woman spoke and gave her daughter a caring hug. "Wasn't she just fantastic, Ran?" she asked her husband.
"Daidouji-san!" a boy clad in the choir's uniform shouted. "We're going to have a celebration! C'mon!"
Tomoyo looked at her parents pleading with her eyes and pouting mouth if she could go. Ran nodded and put Tomoyo down. She ran to her friend but stopped halfway through. Looking back at her parents then to her friends.
"You guys go on ahead. Bye!" saying that she waved and ran to her parents. "I'm going with you guys."
"You're sure?"
"Hai."
"Oh-kay. We'll have a celebration at home. Want some pizza?"
"Hai!" Tomoyo nodded energetically.
Ran smiled and carried his daughter, clasping hands with his wife.
Entering the car, they pulled out of the parking lot and after a few blocks ran straight into a truck.
She was 7 and happily enjoying the feeling of winning at the inter-school choir competition. Singing was what she did best and for the chance of seeing great pride in father's eyes.
She wouldn't see those anymore.
Tomoyo woke and realized quickly the tears that had flowed out. She wiped them off quickly with the back of her hand. She remembered waking up at the hospital the next day with pain filling her face. She had asked for her parents only to be looked at with sympathy as the doctor whispered that her father was dead and her mother was badly hurt and hadn't woken up yet. She cried the whole day, silent tears of anguish. All the nurses had looked away at seeing her trying to stop them, willing it to stop.
Muffled steps were heard. Tomoyo looked up and saw Eriol's head peek out from behind the tree's trunk.
"You okay?" he sat down with her and offered his handkerchief.
"Domo arigatou Eli." She accepted the handkerchief and rested her head on his shoulder. She wiped the tears away, Eli wrapping an arm over her shoulder.
She smiled remembering again how she had come to have such a caring tomodachi.
It was morning. She was crying silently, the tears falling down. She wasn't sobbing or shaking or mad. She was just there, sitting down with her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around them as she stared into space letting the tears just flow. The leaves and the trees of the park were shading her, hiding her. She wanted to tell someone of her problems, her fears, and her grief. But no one was there. She looked down closing her eyes, she felt numb and helpless.
"Hi." A voice murmured beside her.
Surprised, Tomoyo looked at the source of the voice. The cerulean haired boy with cobalt eyes was smiling at her from his spot, which was at a branch of the tree she was leaning on.
"H-hi."
The boy jumped down limply and handed her his handkerchief. Tomoyo accepted it hesitantly and cautiously wiped her tears.
"My name's Hiiragizawa Eriol."
"I-I know." She recognized him as the boy who always sat beside her in every class she had. He was the school's prodigy piano player of their school's choir. He was very, very good at playing the piano.
"Hmm. I see," he said thoughtfully looking at her.
His manner of talking had surprised her for he seemed like an adult. Tomoyo hung her head, dabbing at her runny nose. After a while, she wondered what to do with the handkerchief. She was handing it out to him but he shook his head. "Keep it," he said giving her a small smile. She clutched the kerchief to her chest as if to draw life. Tomoyo looked away as she felt more tears coming. She bit her lip, willing it to stop. She didn't want to cry in front of people, she had never liked their looks of pity.
"It's alright to cry," Eriol spoke softly. She looked at him, surprised by the understanding in his voice. His eyes were gently looking at her with soft sympathy. Her restraints broke and she threw herself at him crying her heart out. Wrenching sobs tore from her. Eriol held her silently as Tomoyo let out all her tears soaking his shirtfront.
After a while, Tomoyo grew tired and wearily leaned on the Eriol whispering a shy "Thank you." She sniffed. The last she heard as she drifted off to sleep was a murmured "Your welcome".
The ten-year-old Tomoyo remembered waking up in his arms and shyly apologizing for wetting his shirt. He had merely smiled at her and offered a walk home. And since then they had become fast friends.
She smiled at him as she snuggled closer. "Eli, let's make a promise."
"Hmm?"
Tomoyo sat straight and looked at him raising her pinky. "Friends forever?"
Eriol smiled and linked his pinky with hers. "Yeah, friends forever."
Tomoyo grinned as she leaned on him and snuggled closer. "Eli?"
Eriol placed his chin on her hair and whispered, "What is it?"
Tomoyo hesitated. She didn't want to say it, it was too sad. Instead she shook her head. "Nandemonai."
"You've been acting weird lately. But then again, you've always been weird," he said soberly.
Tomoyo looked at him indignantly. "What an awful thing to say!" she spoke and was surprised to see him smiling at her with laughter in his eyes. She drew breath and haughtily looked away. "Some kind of friend you are! Humph!"
Eriol laughed. "I'm sorry, I was just kidding."
She smiled but didn't look back.
Eriol's laughter died down as he worried that she really took it seriously. "Hey," he whispered. "I was just kidding."
Tomoyo turned around. "I know," she whispered before showering him with the leaves her hand had sneakily collected.
"Hey!" Indignant, Eriol made a grab for her but she had already stood and began to run away laughing while he shook out the leaves and dirt on his head.
Running as fast as she could, Tomoyo's thoughts were on how she was going to miss Eriol, and England.
And I haven't even told him yet.
Yukimiko was just wandering around the manor's garden, contemplating the young man who was to stay at their house while on his visit. She was deep in thought when she felt something fall on her nose.
A petal?
Raising her head, her eyes grew wide at the spectacle. Petals were falling down like a light snow. Giggling in delight, she twirled around, her long sweeping skirts spinning with her. But her spinning fell short when she noticed she was no longer alone.
Clow smiled a little as he saw her suddenly stop at the sight of him. Saw her hesitating to move as her eyes looked for a place to run. He chuckled.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," he explained in a smooth tone. "Do you like the flowers?" he asked her.
Tilting her head, she pushed back the hair that had fallen behind her ear. "These flowers?" she asked as she looked down at the petals that had gathered in her hands. Looking closely, she realized they were cherry blossoms. She sighed in wonder, a delighted look on her face. "Sakura," she murmured.
"They're for you." Clow spoke.
"For me? But why?"
"It's my apology for yesterday," Clow said as he made a slight bow.
"Oh, its okay. You don't need to."
"Ah, but it would seem improper if I don't. You showed obvious care to the sakura tree after what I did. And I sincerely apologize."
"Well, thank you then." she bowed in return as it was in her Japanese heritage to do so.
He smiled and spoke suddenly, "Come out flower."
Yukimiko was confused as to who he was taking to when suddenly, the air began to spin before Clow. She covered her eyes as the wind blew some of the petals into her face. When she removed her hands she saw a woman all in pink, from her hair to her skin and to her cute clothing.
The pink lady bowed down in greeting, Yukimiko curtsied back.
"Her name is Flower." Clow suddenly spoke. "She is one of my creations. I got the idea from yesterday wherein I did my crime," he said jokingly.
"Your creation?"
"Yes, you see, her true form is not what you see now but this," Clow held out his hand and spoke gently," Return to your true form, Flower Card." Flower began dissolving into whisps of air, all of which collected into the hand of Clow, forming a -
"Card!" Yukimiko gasped. "That's amazing." She stepped closer to Clow as he handed her the card. It read The Flower.
"I'm glad you like it."
"It would take a lot of magic to be able to create such a wonderful thing," she spoke excitedly as she turned to him, all smiles. "You must be more powerful than they say you are."
Now Clow was embarrassed. "Not really," he denied sheepishly as his face was tinted in pink.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to have embarrassed you," she spoke, her face too was pink as she smiled awkwardly.
"No, that's alright." Clow reached into his cloak and pulled out three more identical looking cards. "You want to see?" he inquired.
"More cards?" she asked.
"Yes." Clow said. "Though I might need my staff to call upon them," he told her. She nodded knowingly as she patiently watched.
"Key of
"Mirror Card," he called.
Wisps of air had appeared again but this time it held no person but a giant mirror. Yukimiko, her curiosity raised, went to stand before it and was surprised as the girl in it suddenly took her form and stepped out of the mirror.
Yukimiko was pleasantly surprised. "Oh, how wonderful," she said, pleasure heard in her melodic voice.
"She is usually a gentle one but sometimes, when I let my guard own, she becomes so mischievous," Clow said. "And she usually tricks Wei into believing she is me."
Suddenly Clow's expression became alert just as Yukimiko became aware. Mirror immediately went back into card form in seconds. Clow hid her behind her back.
"What is going on here?" an angry voice came.
"Oh, nice to see you too Aya," Yukimiko greeted, a drop of sarcasm in her tone.
"Whatever. What are you doing with him?" Ayame asked nodding her head in Clow's direction.
"Oh, Reed-san was –"
"Clow," he said, allowing her to call him by his name.
"Clow-san was just showing me something."
Ayame's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the scene before her. Yuki was covered in petals as was the ground around them both while Clow was merely smiling at her knowingly, like he somehow knew a secret about her.
Pointedly ignoring the young man, she turned her face to Yuki. "Uncle wishes to speak to you on something. He told me he would be waiting at the yellow salon."
Yukimiko nodded. She turned to Clow and bowed apologetically, "I'm sorry but it seems I am needed."
"That's alright, Amamiya-san," he nodded in understanding.
"Please call me Yuki."
Ayame glanced at her cousin in surprise. He had won her trust in a day?!
"Come Aya, we mustn't keep father waiting. See you soon, Clow-san,'' she smiled at him she turned to leave, clasping Aya's hands as they left.
Ayame looked back over her shoulder and saw him still standing there, smiling. Ayame had a nagging feeling concerning him.