LOOK SMART

special

Chapter Twelve: Memories of a Bitter Past

By: Mad NUTZ!!

AN: Let the story continue!!

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"Uwa!!" Tomoyo stood by the edge of the boat as she admired sun set of the sea. The wind blew as she held onto her hat with the biggest smile on her face. "So pretty!" She grabbed her camera which hung from her neck and took a picture of the breathtaking sunset.

"And you said you wouldn't have fun here without Sakura." Tomoyo turned immediately as she saw her mother standing before her. She continued to grinned because she could not stop.

"But if she were here I know I would be having A LOT more fun!" She took a picture of her mother with the orange light reflecting off her skin and the wind blowing into her hair. "I'm going to take a million, no, a zillion pictures to show her when we get back!" Her mother walked up next o her and leaned against the railing, gazing off into the sunset and breathing in the smell of the sea.

"There are many mysteries and adventures in Hong Kong Tomoyo. Even if Sakura is not here with you, there are still things here you can discover."

"Hai!" She replied cheerfully while, once again, taking a picture of her.

The ferry finally reached the shore as Tomoyo and her mother drove to the hotel. Tomoyo couldn't wait to call Sakura and tell her about the amazing sunset she had witnesses, how she was she was here.

Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring. Beep.

"Hi! You have reached the Kinomoto residence! We're on vacation right now, so leave a message so we can get back to you! Bye bye!" Beep.

"Hi Sakura, It's me Tomoyo! Stupid me, I forgot you were away! Anyway, Hong Kong is a really amazing place and wanted to tell about this amazing sunset, but I'll tell you once you get back! By the end of this month I'll tell you all of the amazing things I have done! Ja ne!" Tomoyo hung up the phone as she laid back onto her bed. She was all alone in her room because her mother felt she would be up so late doing work that she might disturb her while she was sleeping.

Although, she knew her mother's intentions were good she didn't want to be alone. 'But I would only end up being a burden,' she thought to herself. It would be best if she left her alone with her work, after all that is why they came to China in the first place. Her excitement from before disappeared as she thought how boring this place is without a companion. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The next morning....

"Mother! I said I will be fine by myself!" Tomoyo ran outside her hotel room and waited for the elevator.

"Are you sure? I know I said Hong Kong was full of adventure, but to go wandering alone!"

"Mother! I have the cell phone, I can call if I get lost, and I have enough money to keep myself occupied for the rest of the day!" The elevator doors opened as she got on and smiled back at her mother.

"Well, just every now and then so I don't have to worry about you."

"Bye!" she waved enthusiastically as the doors closed in front of her.

Tomoyo walked into the book store to get away from the crowded streets. 'I knew China was a busy place,' she thought, 'but it felt like the sea had pulled me in and taking me away.' She tried to catch her breath as she walked around the store, trying to kill time. She thought she would fine exploring by herself but she kept thinking about Sakura. Tomoyo sighed once again as she truly missed and wished her best friend were there.

"While I'm here!" She tried to make the best of the situation and began to look for a book. She ran her fingers along the bookcase she neared the section of the book she was looking for. She looked up as she neared the R section only to see a very handsome boy. 'Uwa!! So cute!' she thought.

From the corner of her eye she looked at him. He looked to be in the eight grade, the same grade as her, but very tall for his age. His hair was dark as midnight but his eye were enchanting as the moon. He wore an apron indicating he worked there as he was putting away the pile of books next to him.

'This is my chance!' she thought. 'Just pretend to trip and fall, then he will catch me with his strong arms! Then my natural girlish good looks will steal his heart! Just like in the shoujo mangas I borrow from Sakura!!' (shoujo means romance, for girls and stuff) Tomoyo took a deep breath as she prepared to make the best performance of her life. She slowly walked over and pretended to fall over.

"Ahh!" She screamed as she fell flat on her face. Apparently she had cued her dramatic fall a bit too early and fell nowhere near him. She lifted her face from the carpet and began to cry from the embarrassment. 'I'm so pathetic!!'

"Miss? Are you all right?"

"N-Nani?" She looked bewildered at him as she realized this guy couldn't even speak Japanese. 'What a waste!' she thought. 'So much for a summer love!'

"Gomen, I didn't know you were Japanese because your face is to the floor."

"Eh?" she looked up with tears brimming in her eyes. "You speak--" She cut herself off as she realized the situation she was in. She tripped and fell on her face in front of such a good-looking guy, how uncool! With this in mind she tried to get up and run out as soon as possible. "I-I have to go!" She got up so quickly without so much as looking into his eyes.

"Hold on! Miss are you all right?!"

However, through her frantic state, she had not noticed her shoelace loosen from her first fall. As she tried to get out as soon as possible, he followed her to make sure she didn't sustain any injuries, before she knew it she tripped again. This time she finally hit the target, but his strong arms didn't save her from the fall.

"Ahh!" She screamed once more. Only this time he fell with her and on top of all the books.

"Ow!" He groaned as he laid on all the hard edges of the book.

"Gomen!" Tomoyo quickly apologized.

"So heavy!!"

"Eh?" Tomoyo's faced turned tomato red, not from embarrassment, but from anger. Without thinking, she only reacted to her emotions.

SLAP

"Baka!" She yelled before running out of the store. Leaving the clerk laying painfully on all the books, his left cheek with a red hand print on it.

The following day....

"So you're back!" He stood before her, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Gomen!" She apologized quickly, handing him a box. "This is also to apologize for my behavior yesterday!" She hesitantly looked up, afraid to see his angry face. But he wasn't angry at all, he smiled as if nothing happened, as if the bruise on his cheek did not exist.

"It's all right! No need to apologize." He turned back around and continued to do his work.

"But, my gift, won't you take it?"

"I'm fine, it's not like you broke my arm or anything."

"Uwa! So nice and also very cute!" she thought.

"Eh?" He looked away as he suddenly felt his cheeks burn. "So- So forward!"

Or at least she thought she said that to herself.

"G-Gomen!" She was so embarrassed her whole body blushed. "You must think I'm a very strange girl..."

"Not at al! I also think that... you are very cute..." His face was turned away as he was too shy to say it to her face.

A silent and awkward moment passed, both blushing.

"Then please, accept this!" She knelt down two feet away from and handed him the box once more. "I didn't know what to get you, so I got you cake from the Sunflower bakery! I hope you like it!"

"Sunflower bakery!" His eyes lit up with excitement like a little child. "That has the best desserts in all of China!" Tomoyo giggled as he overreacted over a piece of cake. He stopped and realized why she was laughing all of the sudden. "Sorry, as you can see I love sweets very much."

"Then, maybe...." Tomoyo for some reason felt at ease with this person. Although they didn't know each other's names she could feel a deep connection with him. 'Is he the one?' she asked herself staring at his handsome face adorned with a thin framed pair of eyeglasses. 'If he isn't, then I'll make him the one!' she decided.

"Then maybe....," she continued, "maybe you could learn to love me as much as well."

He looked up surprised from her bold statement. He didn't know what to make of it, they had only spoken for a few moments and already.... but he didn't mind. Looking at her pretty face and bubbly personality, he didn't care that it made no sense.

"Maybe even more!" He smiled from ear to ear as they both began to laugh.

"I'm Daidouji Tomoyo!"

"Hiragizawa Eriol."

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"So, you and Eriol were in love?" Sakura asked as they sat quietly in her living room. Tomoyo had come over hours after the big fight between Touya and Li. She had begged Sakura to forgive her and promised to tell her everything. Why Eriol came up to her that day, why she wanted Sakura to stay away from him, everything.

"Hai. For the next couple of weeks we spent everyday with each other. We were falling in love with each other so quickly, it was all very romantic. But my mother's business with the fashion district of Hong Kong was coming to an end, and so was my time with him. That last night we shared something special with each other, something I can never take back..." Tears became to form at the ends of her eyes.

"Tomoyo? You mean...."

"He said he loved me very much and wanted to marry me once we were old enough. I was very happy about his decision but because of his family's traditional values he was already betrothed to another. Eriol said he would tell his grandfather, he told me he would give up everything to be with me!"

"Then..." Sakura thought back to the first year of high school. The way Tomoyo would sometimes suddenly become silent with the saddest expression in the world. 'How could I have been so dense?' she asked herself. She was obviously hurting and she did nothing to make her feel better. "Then, how did it become this way? Eriol wouldn't lie about something like that!"

"I told myself that over and over as I cried myself to sleep. But when he came back from speaking to his father he seemed so cold."

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"What did he tell you? Did he say you can be with me?" Eriol walked passed her and began gathering her things and putting it into a bag. "Eriol? What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He said in a cold manner. Tomoyo immediately sensed there was something wrong, he was acting so harshly towards her. She had never seen him act this way to anyone.

"Look at me! What did he say?" His eyes met hers as he stared at her in a cruel manner. "Eriol, what happened?!" She pleaded. She tried to grab his hand as he pulled away quickly. Tomoyo stared at him, tears now streaming down her face. "Your hand? Let me see it!"

"Why are you still here?" He yelled.

"But we... we just..."

"So what? Can't you take a hint?" He chuckled as he grinned at her. "I played with you, now I'm bored."

"What are you saying?! Stop it Eriol! What ever it is you're doing, it isn't funny anymore!!"

"Oh, but it is. Since the first day we met I thought how fun it would be to toy with your emotions. And now I'm bored."

"This whole time..." She suddenly came to realize what he was implying. But it couldn't be true, she didn't want it to be true.

"How slow," he sighed throwing the bag at her feet. "Did you honestly think I would want to marry you? I only said that to get what I want, and how eager you were to give it to me. This whole month, while I was tricking you I had many other girls on the side. However, seeing your pained expression at this moment was more satisfying than anything else."

"Stop it!" Tomoyo screamed at the top of her lungs. "Eriol, just tell me what he said. It's okay if we can't be together, just stop saying those things! Stop it.... please...."

"The truth is, I never went to see him. You are so stupid! After I left I thought you would get the hint and pack up your shit and leave. But look how stupid you are! " He chuckled. Tomoyo couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't handle the truth. She didn't want to believe him, she knew he was lying but what if wasn't? To be a fool and stay with such a guy would be even more stupid than what she had done that night.

"I hate you..." she whispered. She said it with such contempt and passion. The tears had stopped as she looked straight into his eyes. "I hate you." Tomoyo ran out of the room, not even bothering to pick up her things.

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"The next day was when I left to go back to Tomeoda." Sakura leaned over and hugged Tomoyo as she cried. "S-Sakura?"

"How come you never told me about this? All this time I have been so selfish!"

"But," the deep voice from across the room finally spoke, "that isn't what really happened is it Tomoyo?" Sakura looked up at Li.

When Tomoyo came over that night Li was still there. She requested that they speak alone, but Sakura insisted that Li stay. 'Whatever you have to say in front of me, you can say in front of Li!' That was what Sakura said to Tomoyo at the door.

"Li-kun? What are you talking about?" Sakura seemed confused but she soon realized that Li had known about this all along. He and Eriol are cousins after all and the pictures in their living room was proof of it. They had been with each other since they were kids, of course he would have known.

"Today, after school, you went to see him like I suggested?" Tomoyo did not speak but only nodded. "Did he tell you the truth this time? Of course he would have no reason to lie to you anymore."

"What is all of this?!!" Sakura suddenly got very angry. "Has everyone been keeping secrets from me?"

"Before you leave Sakura," Li began, "you have to learn the truth. The reason why Eriol, Meilin... why I'm here." Sakura listened to her dismay.

"So," Sakura said looking at Li, "what really happened?"

Dun, dun, dunnnnnn!!!

What is the truth? What will happen with Tomoyo and Eriol? And what about Sakura and Li? Will their relationship end before it ever began? All this and maybe even more in the next installment of LOOK SMART!!!

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AN: Holy cow!!! I am tired!!! Two and a half hours staring at my beautiful monitor! Sorry it took me a while, I was debating with myself how I wanted this chapter to go. I know it was confusing in the beginning but I thought I'd give this chapter a simple title that screamed FLASHBACK!!! Anyway, tell me what you guys think!! And I have a feeling the next chapter is going to be an exciting one!! And I didn't revise and edit once again, I am so lazy! P R & R!!