AUTHOR'S NOTES:
darkshadow36: Hello! Hi! Konnichi-wa! Thanks to those who reviewed the third story:
REVIEWEES:
Jubily-Lollypops: Hey! Thanks for the nice comments. Of course I understand it if you haven't updated yet, as of now. It really takes time and even I had the same situation as you did! It's really hard, you know. But anyway, I hope you'll like this fourth installment!!!
Pensieve000: Woah… Your comments were flattering! Thank you for those nice compliments, really! Now that I've updated the fourth installment, you can now enjoy another story of this originally-made (hehehe… I've got my own terms… Hope you don't mind! ü) fic!!!
rosequartz: Ei Monica my dear friend... it's you! Thanks a lot for reviewing! Be sure to update too... And stay the same palagi! Sulatan mo ako, ha? You know the address and my cell number, anyway...)
LiLbLueangeL1223: I'm surprised! But anyways, thanks for reviewing even though I know you don't read ET stories. Sorry if I haven't been updating my first fic-- I was very busy and I'm kinda running out of ideas!!! Anyways, I'm gonna review as soon as I can! :)
DEDICATIONS: I dedicate this fourth installment to Pensieve000 and of course, to LiLbLueangeL1223 for the support! To Jubily-Lollypops, I dedicated my second story (Melting the Heart of Ice) to you, most of all!!!
Story 4: In the Dark Room
JUST A YEAR AGO...
"Who can tell me about simplifying expressions in algebra?"
A girl with bright amethyst purple eyes and glasses stood up and said, "I can, Ma'am. Let me explain..." She started explaining, all her classmates listening with a good ear.
"Very good! Add 10 points to your recitation."
There was an applause, and then she replied with a grateful smile, "Thank you, ma'am."
During breaktime...
"That Daidouji girl sure is bright."
"Gee, I wonder if she'll beat Hiiragizawa in class next year if ever they'll become classmates."
"Who's Hiiragizawa? He must be that bright and handsome lad from Ms. Michaels' class, right?"
"Hai," answered one of the girls with a giggle.
Then a boy named Kevin sighed. "Well, no one could ever tell if he could beat Tomoyo..."
"But what's different in Eriol and Tomoyo is that Eriol's cool with his eyeglasses, while Tomoyo is dead serious in everything even with those purple eyeglasses she wears," a boy with gray eyes and dark hair named Gary Ace butted in. "I can't imagine Tomoyo without her eyeglasses though..."
Whispers continued following Tomoyo, which she didn't mind at all...
JUNIOR YEAR...
"Good morning, everyone! When I call your names, please say present. I don't understand... Hmm... Some are not in alphabetical order! Oh, never mind, please. Well... Gary Ace?"
"Present!"
"Hannah Charleston?"
"Here, Miss Hawlett!"
"Mihara Chiharu?"
"I'm here!"
The class shared doubting faces when they heard Miss Hawlett call out, "Tomoyo Daidouji?"
"It's her!" a group of boys whispered.
"I'm present, ma'am."
"Eriol Hiiragizawa?"
"Here!" a blue-eyed lad with glasses spoke up. Many girls drooled, but Tomoyo seemed not to care at all for she was fixing her things inside her bag. And then the name-calling continued until it was finished.
Then Ms. Hawlett began their lesson in Trigonometry.
Dismissal time at the cafeteria...
"What in the world?!? Hiiragizawa and Daidouji both immediately got 30 points in recitation in Trigo class-- in just one day! And then they both got 20 points in the Science seatwork, 15 points in English, and another 15 points in Music and P.E.!" said Chiharu to Yamazaki, who nodded in agreement.
"And look-- Eriol is hanging out with the coolest teens in our batch especially the cousins Syaoran and Meilin! Look over there! (Chiharu looked and was quite surprised)," Yamazaki added, "while Tomoyo is only with Sakura. Why don't we go and make friends with those two so that there'll be six of us-- plus Naoko and Rika!"
"Speaking of Naoko and Rika, where are those two?" asked Chiharu.
"Hmm... I think they're still buying their snack and stuff in the cafeteria," shrugged Yamazaki. "Ow, c'mon, let's just go over to Tomoyo and Sakura's table." Then they soon found their selves sitting with Tomoyo and Sakura who agreed to be friends with them.
Not long after, Naoko and Rika came with their food on trays. They greeted their two new friends with sincere smiles and then they sat down and they all talked.
A question popped into Naoko's mind suddenly amidst their laughing. She asked Tomoyo quietly, "Umm, I don't want to offend you, Tomoyo, but, why aren't you cool with those glasses unlike the way Eriol handles his? Umm... I mean..."
Tomoyo smiled. "Don't feel bad for asking, Naoko. This is just the way I am. I want to make friends with Eriol, too, anyway... but whenever I approach him to do so, it seems like he doesn't want it at all. I figured out that he only wants to be with the cool companies."
"But I think you're cool, Tomoyo," said Rika. Tomoyo thanked her, and continued, "Only my friends know that. My other friends have already gone to the other countries and there's no chance for me of seeing them again."
"We understand how you feel, Tomoyo, that's why we're here," said Chiharu.
Yamazaki tried to intrigue Tomoyo a little. "Tomoyo... You know very well that Eriol likes parties at his beautiful mansion... I was once invited. Will you go if he invites you?"
Tomoyo looked at him for a while and then replied, "Maybe. But I think he hates me, he probably wouldn't invite me."
"Tomoyo!!!"
"Oh, there's Jimmy. See you tomorrow! Bye!" She waved her hand at them, then off she went to catch up with Jimmy, her fetcher.
The next day, during breaktime, she was in the fields with her 5 other friends. They were studying advanced lessons there for the next subjects that afternoon. Just then, Eriol's gang came and saw them there.
"Ei, look, guys... It's the nerdy nerdy Daidouji and her gang of dummies," Eriol smirked. His friends laughed, along with Syaoran and Meilin. But when Syaoran saw Sakura, he quickly turned away.
Sakura was about to stand up to protect their side but Tomoyo got up first.
"And what's up with you, Hiiragizawa? We've done no harm to you and to your group. So stay away and leave us here alone," said Tomoyo calmly.
Eriol suddenly find her amusing by the way she acted. But he continued, "Don't participate in class, and we'll be friends."
Tomoyo still looked calm. "What's the problem with my participation in class? Well, all I could say is that I'll have it my way, and have it your own. Let's leave that for now, shall we? We're busy, and we don't want stink pellets bustling in what we do. Good-bye."
Eriol groaned, but all the same, they left them. When they were gone, Yamazaki jumped up for joy.
"For the first time!!! WOOHOOO!"
"How did you do that, Tomoyo?" asked Rika, amazed and stunned at the same time.
"Just a piece of cake," answered Tomoyo confidently.
Naoko still can't believe what had just happened. "Oh, Tomoyo, I can't believe you have showed us who you really are!!! I actually thought first that... Well... y'know..."
Tomoyo smiled, yet again. "It's just the beginning, Naoko," she said. "But I'm careful not to extend to the point where my head will suddenly grew as big as Hiiragizawa's."
During Science class, Eriol was frowning as Tomoyo explained this and that. But something played in his mind all of a sudden...
'Hey... It'll be my birthday on Saturday! I'll invite our classmates except her at my home... Anyway, she wouldn't get hurt if I won't invite her...' he thought. 'I'll ask everyone to be in their best dress and stuff...'
That evening, he told Nakuru what he had in mind.
"Well, can you help me in the invitations?" he asked.
"But why don't you just go ahead and tell the whole class?" said Nakuru. Eriol shook his head.
"I don't want Daidouji to hear," he replied quickly. Nakuru twirled a strand of her hair, and then raised an eyebrow at him.
"And why is that? In fact, I like Daidouji especially when I first saw her to get your report card in school. Oh, boy, was she polite! It's quite a long story, though. Well... So why?"
"I HATE HER, OKAY?" Eriol said sharply. "I don't want her to beat me in class! I've been firm on my ground when I was in my elem years and during my 1st and 2nd Year in high school. I won't let a nerd break my record!"
"You gaki..." whispered Nakuru. "Don't you call her a nerd... And I even heard from Syaoran that Tomoyo almost had you a while ago, I mean, she isn't just a nerd in class! She's also cool, right? And what's it with you anyway if she was able to beat you in class? What's it with you if she isn't cool?"
"People like her are just a terrible sight to me."
Nakuru suddenly turned confused. "GOSH! I don't understand you, really, Eriol!!! What's gotten into you, eh? It's only a simple matter."
"But for me it isn't, okay? Now just go ahead and send the invitations. Here is the list of our class-- we're 50, exclude the teacher. But make 49 because I'm one of those 50 students in our class. And also state in the invitation that they mustn't tell anyone else! And... Umm... Put it on the corresponding tables of my classmates, okay? You know their seats anyway. Just look at the name tags on our tables." Eriol left her alone in the living room and went straight to his room.
"Well, well... But I'll still invite Tomoyo!" Nakuru grinned to herself.
Friday, dismissal time...
"Tomoyo? D'you have an invitation too? Oh-- I can see you have one too!" said Chiharu as they waited in the waiting area for their fetchers to arrive and pick them up. "I think all of us have one, just the whole class."
Sakura then butt in, "But what are we going to wear tomorrow?"
"Maybe I could lend you some of my clothes," said Tomoyo. "Got lots of them. You wanna borrow one, too, Yamazaki? I have also clothes for your kind." They all laughed. "Never mind asking why do I also have men's clothes in my closet." They laughed again. "And don't worry about your looks, my stylists will be able to do whatever hairstyle you desire."
Naoko's eyes suddenly went round. "What, Tomoyo? All this time... You're pretending that you aren't rich?"
Tomoyo suddenly found out that she had said something wrong. But she also thought it was time. "Got to," she answered. "Y'know me... I've got my own secrets. And remember Jimmy, my fetcher? You noticed he was only wearing a thick ordinary jacket and pants... But in fact, he was actually wearing a tux inside. I actually didn't know how was he able to hide it, besides by the fact that he's thin..."
"That sure is incredible," chuckled Yamazaki. "Maybe I could go and try it, too... I'll be wearing a Superman suit inside my clothes tomorrow-- imagine that! Isn't that cool? Supercool?"
..........SATURDAY..........
"Oh, shut up!" said Sakura. It was 9:30 p.m. (the party will start in 10:00 woah, how late!), and she and Chiharu, Naoko, RIka, and Yamazaki were all in Tomoyo's house. Yamazaki was teasing her that time while their hairstyles were being fixed.
"Maybe Syaoran will court you and then you'll kiss under the moonlight later while other people just continue dancing and while Eriol and Tomoyo are in their world, too..."
"OH, SHATAP!!!" Sakura and Tomoyo both yelled at him. Their stylists were laughing along with Yamazaki. Sakura and Tomoyo both blushed.
"Who knows? Maybe Yamazaki's right after all," said Rika, grinning. "Love is unstoppable, as they say."
When their hairstyles were finished, they looked at their selves in the mirror.
"PERFECT! THANK YOU!!!" the five told Tomoyo. But she said, "Don't thank me. Thank my stylists."
"Oh, thank you very much!!!" they told their stylists. The stylists just smiled and muttered, "You're all welcome!"
at Eriol's mansion...
"Who are not yet here?" Spinel Sun asked Eriol.
"I bet it's Sakura, Naoko, Rika, Chiharu and... that crazy goof, Yamazaki."
Nakuru decided to fire the blank situation a little bit. "Are you sure it's only the five of them? Are you dead sure?"
Eriol looked at her doubtingly. "Why? Is there something you're hiding from me? I can see that mad glint in your eyes that you really are hiding something from me."
"I was just asking," said Nakuru, trying her best not to show any suspicious signs. "Now off you go first and entertain your guests!" Eriol just sighed deeply and he approached his friends who were all dancing in the main hall of the mansion.
Spinel Sun sat with Nakuru in the bench outside and said, "Did you really do something... fishy?" Nakuru looked at the black cat with expressionless eyes, and then she laughed very hard. Spinel Sun laughed along with her.
"Yes, I did," she whispered back. "I invited Eriol's most-hated person in the world, Daidouji Tomoyo."
"WHAT???!!!"
"Don't worry," said Nakuru. "I've just thought of a way to make those two rivals but lovers spill it out."
"Gee, watch your grammar, though," grinned Spinel Sun. "But, wait... What is that thing they're going to spill out?"
"Ow, c'mon, Spinel! We've once been matchmakers ourselves, only finding out we've failed to match our first target. But now I'm sure we could match young master and Tomoyo-san! Don't you find their pairing cute?"
Spinel Sun finally smiled, hopeful. "I'm ready to do it again!"
No sooner, a limo stopped in front of the big Hiiragizawa mansion. Out came a young lady with long hair and she was wearing a simple purple-coloredperiwinkle dress. Her amethyst purple eyes shoned under the lights. She was dead sure Eriol won't be able to recognize her at first. With her stood another young lady with shoulder-length auburn hair and emerald green eyes, wearing a pink ruffled dress. She was simply elegant; and the same with their other female friends who got out of the limo proud.
"I'm ready to rock and roll!" said the lad with shades, his not-so-loud Elvis Presley clothes matching his style and attitude. They opened the gate and found themselves facing a big door. They rang the doorbell and waited.
..........Inside..........
"Ouch, Syaoran! That was my foot!" shrilled Amy.
"I'm sorry, alright?!"
The loud music continued playing, making the night a little bit unbearable, with the people dancing tired and bored.
Just then, they heard the doorbell. They all stopped.
"Who could that be?" said Meilin.
Then Syaoran added, "And why are there still latecomers? We're supposed to start at 10 p.m. and look, it's already 5 minutes past 10."
"SILENCE!" said Eriol loudly. "The latecomers are only Sakura and her companions. Just don't mind them."
The doorbell rang again.
"I'll get it!" smiled Nakuru. Spinel Sun followed her.
Nakuru pressed a button on the wall (near the door), and the door opened automatically.
The people inside the hall were quite nervous (except Nakuru and Spinel Sun) and some were a bit ready to laugh at the latecomers, expecting Sakura and her companions to look cheap and stuff like that.
But when the latecomers entered, the people's mouths were hanging wide-open. Whispers broke out.
"Who are they?"
"Wow, man! Look at that girl with the short hair and glasses. She reminds me of Yanagisawa Naoko. I wouldn't believe it at all if that really is her!"
"Check out the girl with simple braided hair... Those girls are my type! I think it's Rika, if I'm not mistaken... I've never seen anyone so simple but cute!"
"Hey, girls! Look at that lad with the Elvis Presley look! Ooooooohhhhh... Aaaaaahh! He seems pretty original!"
Spinel Sun said to Nakuru, "All of the people sure are regretful... and such dummies, too!"
Nakuru chuckled. "You're right. Well, we'll be setting our plan later... Hope it'll work!"
Syaoran whispered to Meilin, "Hey, couz, check out that cutie with auburn hair! She looks perfect for me..."
"That girl actually reminds me of that bitch, Kinomoto Sakura!" Amy said to Syaoran. She seems jealous. She knows Syaoran finds Sakura cute and he blushes whenever he sees her.
Syaoran almost strangled Amy when she mentioned the word 'bitch', which she pertained to Sakura. "Don't call Sakura a bitch!"
"What did you say? You mean... you do like Kinomoto?" asked Meilin, disbelieving.
Syaoran didn't answer.
The girl leading the group glided gracefully, making Eriol dumbfounded.
"Who are you?" he said to the young lady, who just smiled. Eriol recognized the smile.
"Daidouji Tomoyo? How-- how come?"
Tomoyo chuckled. "Yup, it's me, with Sakura, Chiharu, Naoko, Rika, and Yamazaki."
"Now let's get the party started, okay? You just can't stay like that all day, staring at us," grinned Chiharu.The boys started approaching Chiharu, Naoko, and Rika, while girls started crowding over Yamazaki (I can't imagine it myself, too...).
Many boys also approached Sakura and Tomoyo, except Eriol & Syaoran.
"I wanna go and ask Sakura for a dance," said Syaoran, starting to walk towards Sakura's group, but Eriol held him suddenly.
"And now you're starting to call Kinomoto by her name, eh?" he said to Syaoran who blushed deeply.
"I like Sakura... and I won't dare hurt her," he answered. "I'll be the happiest and luckiest guy in the world if she'll be my... er... future girlfriend... and..."
"Don't mention it."
"Alright, alright..." sighed Syaoran. "But I know you also like Tomoyo... I can see it in your eyes that you no longer hate her... Your loathing for her has now gone somewhere else. You're just pretending!"
"Hey! How can you say that?!" Eriol went pink. Syaoran laughed.
"I've told you! Haha! Now let's go and ask them for a dance!" He pulled Eriol and they approached Sakura and Tomoyo.
Nakuru whistled at Spinel Sun. He changed the music, filling it with a soft and romantic tune.
Syaoran was suddenly surprised when he quickly circled his arms around Sakura's waist, while the shy young lady put her arms on his neck (I actually don't know the exact postion-- how to say it in English... Just imagine...).
Eriol was very red on the face while he was dancing with Tomoyo. He can't believe that this nerd he's holding right now is the one after all... He felt terrible when he thought of the bad things he had done to Tomoyo in the past.
Just then, Nakuru pulled Tomoyo and she led the confused young lady upstairs. Eriol tried to follow them but Spinel Sun pulled him very hard.
"Don't follow them," he said sharply. Eriol just kept quiet, but deep inside...'What's Nakuru up to now? I know she was the one who invited Tomoyo... Wait! Did I just mentioned Tomoyo's name? Eriol, you're such a dummy!'
..........Somewhere..........
"Where am I, Miss Nakuru?" Tomoyo asked politely. Nakuru grinned.
"Just call me Nakuru, Tomoyo," Nakuru said. "Well... You're actually in Eriol's room!"
"WHAT?!?" Tomoyo was outraged, and she started to go for the door.
"Oh, no, you won't..." Nakuru smiled. With a snap of her fingers, the door closed quietly, but fast.
"Are you mad?" said Tomoyo, quite fearfully. "Why am I here?"
"That's a secret! Now just wait here... You can't escape!" she went outisde. Tomoyo sat on the chair near the window.
"Woah... It's kinda comfy here, too," she chuckled. Then she dozed off and fell asleep by the window.
..........Going there..........
"Where are you taking me?" yelled Eriol. "It's my day today and--"
"Shut your mouth," Nakuru yelled back. She and Spinel Sun had Eriol in a strong grip and he was blindfolded that time.
"Well, there you go!!! Have a good night!" Nakuru pushed Eriol, who groaned in disgust. The young lad untied his blindfold, and suddenly found out he was in his room.
He tried to open the door but he couldn't. He wanted to hang out with his friends ourside. He had no choice.
He soon turned around and gasped when he saw Tomoyo sleeping by the window.
"I get the picture," he whispered to himself. "Those two did it on purpose! Now they'll really get it!"
He sat on his bed and looked at Tomoyo. She was about to fall down from her seat. He decided to carry her to his bed, and so he did. Now it was his turn to sit on his favorite chair and he quietly stared at Tomoyo.
'Tomoyo... You really look beautiful while you're sleeping...'
Eriol had to slap himself.
'Well... I wanna say sorry to you but I'm too shy to do so!'
Eriol had to rack his brains for that. "Say something sensible!!!" he whispered. Tomoyo then moved a little.
He thought,... and thought... and accidentally thought... 'Tomoyo... How I wanted to say my feelings for you! I somehow wanna go and hug you tight right now and tell you what I feel for you...'
He seemed speechless and thoughtful. "I'm... just sure of my feelings for you Tomoyo... and... I wanna say first that I'm sorry..."
"Really?" Tomoyo was now wide-awake. She sat bolt upright on Eriol's bed.
"Yes," said Eriol, his head facing the floor. But his head snapped up when he realized that Tomoyo was awake.
"Uh-- T-Tomoyo! D-Daidouji, I mean! Err... Uhmmm... I-I'm truly s-sorry! I-I--" the young lad stuttered.
Tomoyo tried to laugh by the way he acts right now, but she thought that it wouldn't be good. The situation is serious. In fact, tears started flowing out of her eyes. Eriol looked at her slowly.
"I... I like you, Tomoyo..." he said. "I'm feeling something for you... Something I can't definitely express in words, but in actions..."
Tomoyo felt like a lost piece in her has returned. "I actually like you too... Eriol," she said. "I'm sorry too!" she flung her arms around the surprised lad. She can't believe she was doing this right now, but she didn't care anymore about it. All that matters right now is that they've revealed their true feelings for each other...
"Can I give you a kiss? On the cheeks?" asked Eriol. Tomoyo nodded as they let go of each other. Eriol bent down and kissed Tomoyo on the cheeks.
'Thanks," he said gratefully. "This is the best birthday gift I've ever received. How I wish this was recorded on a tape."
"And that was recorded on a tape," the door opened. It was Sakura and together Nakuru, Spinel Sun, and the whole class. She was holding a camcorder.
"But-- how? The door's locked," said Tomoyo, who went pink.
"We used Spinel Sun's magic in that. The others here were able to see it too, because of Nakuru's magic," answered Chiharu, giggling. "That was so romantic!"
"So... You two okay now?" asked Yamazaki.
"More than okay, I guess!" said Tomoyo.
"This is the best birthday gift I've ever had in my whole life!" Eriol said, yet again.
"Anyways, it's already Syaoran and Sakura... WOW! New cute couples, eh?!" said Hannah Charleston. "Imagine... Amy was there on that scene and she got jealous, so she left!"
"It's happily ever after, then!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIOL!!!" Tomoyo gave Eriol a kiss on the cheek.
"HOORAY FOR THE NEWEST & CUTEST COUPLES!!!"
darkshadow36: I guess that's the end of the fourth installment, then! But I do hope you enjoyed reading it, as much as I did enjoyed typing it! Please R&R and thanks!!! For comments and suggestions, I'm open!!! Please add me in your Author Alerts list to check out if I've already updated 'coz I'm really busy... I do hope you understand!
