Diamond Sky
Chapter Four: Revise
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A/N: There's something important that needs to be pointed out here.
Alone By yourself / unaccompanied
Lonely Feeling lonesome / forlorn
It'll make sense later on.
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"Ne, have you noticed that Hiiragizawa-kun's been missing during recess lately?"
"Have I noticed? I've been trying to find him for a whole month to share my bento with him!! That boy can't be found ANYWHERE! Not even on the roof!"
"You actually went up on the roof?"
"Well…"
"So where else do you think he could be?"
"I don't know. I've tried asking his friends but even THEY don't know where he goes during recess! Sometimes he's with them but most of the time, he isn't! And when he's around, he's always BUSY with Sakura or Syaoran or Yamazaki or SOMEBODY!"
"Cool down, Junko-chan… come on, maybe we can convince Fuji to check in the boys bathroom for us."
"I doubt it."
"…you mean…"
"Yeah, I asked him yesterday and he refused."
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As the two disgruntled girls hurried off anyway to see if they could change Fuji's mind, Tomoyo let herself smile a little as she emerged from behind the door of a classroom. As much as she thought of eavesdropping as a bad habit, she couldn't help herself.
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Somehow the thought of the large, unofficial Hiiragizawa Eriol-kun Fan Club (HEFC was founded a day after Eriol came and was still growing in number) chasing down the mysterious, enigmatic boy just to share lunch or ask out on a date was enough to make Tomoyo chuckle.
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Making sure no one saw her, she nonchalantly walked two flights of stairs upwards. Upon reaching a certain broom closet, she knocked the door rapidly three times then after pausing for another beat, knocked twice slowly before stepping back.
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The doorknob turned and the door was pushed open by the ever smiling quarry of exactly 300 girls and counting in Tomoeda High.
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"You know, Hiiragizawa-san, this cannot go on. I can't even go up to the roof anymore for fear of one of your fans telling Sakura I'm up there instead of the music room." Tomoyo put on a mock-disapproving face. "It's rather inconvenient."
Eriol dusted himself off as he closed the closet door again. "I'm sorry, Daidouji-san. It's just that I've nowhere else to go without being mobbed." He replied without the slightest hint of pride or boastfulness in his voice. "But you must admit that you owe me after I vouched for your disappearance. For the third time."
Tomoyo's mock disapproval merged into a resigned smile. "True. Well… consider us even again. After all, it was you who needed rescuing last week from Hana-sempai and Kimiko-sempai." A small teasing lilt seeped into her voice. "Although I was quite surprised to find you actually using that excuse on them. Even if you were desperate to get away."
Eriol had the grace to look slightly chagrined. "A lost kitten that was calling for me seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Until Kimiko-sempai said she loved cats." Grinned Tomoyo.
"It was a lucky thing Kimiko-sempai loves onigiri better than she does kittens." He raised an amused eyebrow. "How did you suddenly obtain rice balls at such an opportune moment, if I may ask?"
The pale face of Tomoyo just smiled. "You have your secrets, I have mine, Hiiragizawa-san. Now, I'll go have my lunch." She nodded. "See you later in class."
Turning, she headed back for the stairs, Eriol's eyes following her.
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He'd been alternating between annoying the heck out of Syaoran by having lunch with Sakura who kept sharing her lunch with him, exasperating Chiharu by encouraging Yamazaki's lying fests when he joined them for lunch, dropping in on Rika and her culinary feats and checking on Tomoyo on the roof. Last week had been a rare occurrence where Naoko came down from the library joined by Rika. Eriol had managed to convince Tomoyo to join them since it would lessen suspicion of her sneaking off on her own.
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It was also a rare occurrence since they all had had to rescue Eriol from two very zealous seniors who were adamant about him choosing either one of their bentos to share. (Of course, Syaoran was all for letting him be and leaving him in serious peril but that was just Syaoran)
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And now that he thought about it, it was the quiet conversations with Tomoyo that had appealed the most. Not that he hadn't enjoyed the look on Syaoran's face when he had the audacity to wipe some mayonnaise off Sakura's lips with a napkin but it seemed just a little bit better to sit on the roof and talk with the pale, dark haired girl. Eriol had noticed that each lunch spent with her ended with the both of them a few minutes late for class since they had been talking for such a long time. Kinomoto Sakura, music and art had been the precedent for most of their conversations. Tomoyo preferred to talk about the things she did rather than herself.
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He had however, ferreted out a few facts about her. Like the fact that she loved the colours beige and white and that she disliked green peppers. And one of the few things she had in common with him: she too liked cherry blossoms.
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On the days she didn't feel like speaking, he would just sit there as well a few feet away from her, thinking and pondering on a myriad of subjects as she sketched. Unconsciously, she'd hum as her pencil moved across the page and he'd smile to himself, saying nothing.
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Eriol thought for a few more minutes before he came to a decision.
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A pair of chopsticks picked up the last of the seaweed wrapped sushi and popped it into a waiting mouth.
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Tomoyo looked up from a book of music sheets. The choir had met that week (although not on the roof) and they had been given new songs to practice. "I had no idea you liked sushi as much as I did."
He smiled. "If it tastes this nice, I'd be able to eat three platefuls. Truthfully though, I'd eat anything sweet if I had the chance."
She grinned. "Just like Kero-chan, ne?"
Eriol chuckled. "Perhaps. Although Spinel absolutely hates it whenever I and Nakuru tease him about sweet things."
Tomoyo giggled, remembering the dark counterpart of her best friend's own 'plushie'. "Kero-chan loves sweets as well. Although he doesn't go haywire like Spinel-san does."
"I've noticed that." Replied Eriol dryly, himself recalling just how fond Keroberos could be of sweets and sugar. "So much in common and yet complete opposites… just like you and Sakura."
Tomoyo blinked. "How so?"
Eriol spoke slowly, unsure of her reaction. "Firstly, your physical appearances. You have dark long hair, she has brown short hair. You have pale skin, she has rather tanned skin. Secondly, your demeanours. You're quiet, keeping almost everything within while she…"
"Is outgoing and shows her emotions more willingly. Because she isn't afraid of revealing what she's truly feeling inside." Finished Tomoyo suddenly, looking thoughtful. She smiled a little. "Now that you mention it… we are rather different from each other…"
"And yet the two of you have a lot in common. You two are best friends." Eriol smiled. "And beneath that mask of animosity, Spinel and Keroberos are friends somewhat."
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Here, Eriol stopped for a second before continuing, as if considering his next words.
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"If you two are best friends, Daidouji-san… there shouldn't be a need to stay up here just to 'keep out of Sakura's way'." Eriol put down his chopsticks, still smiling at her. "If she discovered you up here, she'd only feel even guiltier. But I'm sure you realize that already."
Tomoyo's eyes flicked back towards the music sheets, not meeting Eriol's own eyes. "Why do you think I asked you to keep this a secret?"
"Indeed. But you still escape up here with the risk of upsetting Sakura. Is there another reason besides giving Sakura and Syaoran their space?"
Tomoyo looked away again, up to the sky, trying to find the words. It didn't occur to her how unusual it was that Hiiragizawa Eriol seemed to be reading her thoughts like an open book. She saw no reason to be offended at his questioning. He had been perfectly polite, backing away whenever she seemed uncomfortable or didn't want to answer any query he made.
"I suppose…" she hesitantly began as she tried to make sense of something she'd been doing for some time now, ever since junior high. "I suppose it's because I don't want Sakura to see me being alone."
There was silence as Eriol waited patiently for a further explanation.
"It's different from when we were eleven… you've noticed how we've all grown our own ways despite us still being close friends. Yamazaki-kun and Chiharu-chan have grown closer. Rika-chan has Terada-sensei and Naoko-chan's found someone she can really relate to. And of course, Sakura and Syaoran-kun are together."
Tomoyo leaned against the fencing built along the walls of the roof. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that… I'm physically alone when it comes to pairing up. It doesn't make much sense, I know but from where I'm standing, you could say that I'm left over." She smiled a little.
"Before you came those years before, there were six of us. Sakura, me, Rika, Naoko, Chiharu and Yamazaki-kun. Later on, when Meiling and Syaoran-kun came along, we were eight altogether. After Meiling left for Hong Kong, it became Sakura, me, Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, Yamazaki-kun and Syaoran-kun. When you came, it was Sakura, me, Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, Yamazaki-kun, you and Syaoran-kun. And when you left… it turned into Sakura, Syaoran-kun, Yamazaki-kun, Chiharu, Rika, Naoko and me."
She turned to him. "Seven isn't an even number, as you know."
Eriol nodded slowly, still not speaking.
"I don't want Sakura to think that she's responsible for it. I know she'd feel that way. I don't want Sakura to feel guilty for something she didn't do: me being alone. That's why I come up here…"
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Tomoyo looked back up to the sky again, her thoughts wandering.
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"…Yet I feel like I'm a hypocrite somehow because I feel lonely even when I say I'm not. It isn't right, lying to your best friend…" She shook her head slowly, her near black hair swaying a little. "I feel just like a selfish little girl who's sulking in her room because she can't go out and play…"
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A moment of silence passed by as she focused her eyes on her knees, feeling the back of her eyes prick a little.
"I'm sorry, Hiiragizawa-san… I-"
The slight pressure of someone's hand on her shoulder made her look up.
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"You aren't a hypocrite, Daidouji-san." Eriol's smile was gentle. "Neither are you a selfish little girl who's sulking. You're a good friend who just doesn't want your friend to feel bad on your behalf. But you're still human. And humans don't usually like being left alone by themselves."
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Tomoyo looked directly at him for the first time that afternoon. She didn't quite know what to say to that but for some reason, she felt reassured. Because she didn't want Sakura thinking that it was the card captor's responsibility to make sure her best friend didn't feel alienated, Tomoyo had come up here. At the same time, she felt guilty for actually feeling lonely.
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Eriol had pointed out something what normal people usually think: It was human nature to not want to be alone.
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As a result, a genuine smile appeared on her face as a wave of relief washed over her.
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The boy's gentle smile suddenly turned into a teasing smirk as he took his hand off her shoulder. "Daidouji-san, if I may be frank, you think too much at times."
The flippant statement made Tomoyo blink then start laughing at the irony. Her think too much when he himself had perplexed their History teacher by giving a five minute lecture on the importance of the Heian period development and it's impact on Japanese animation uniforms. "Perhaps you're right. Maybe I do think too much." She replied after she calmed down. "Nevertheless, I can't stop this façade… I still feel wrong about making Sakura feel guilty."
Eriol just continued smiling. "I have a way of solving that, if you would care to listen."
Tomoyo looked sideways at his smile, a hint of suspicion rising in her. "It will come at a price, won't it?"
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"Let's just say, Daidouji-san," said Eriol with a wide smile. "This will kill two birds with one stone."
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For once, Tomoyo and Eriol reached the door of their classroom a minute just as the bell rang. As Eriol placed his hand on the doorknob to open the door for her, Tomoyo smiled.
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"Hiiragizawa-san."
He turned. "Yes?"
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"Arigato."
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Eriol blinked, a little surprised at the sudden expression of gratitude. But he recovered in an instant, smiling as always. "You're quite welcome, Daidouji-san."
With a smile of her own, Tomoyo watched as the door swung inwards and she walked in, heart considerably lightened.
Behind her, Eriol followed, a faint suspicion of something sparking at the back of his head as he watched the pale girl head for her best friend's desk to talk and catch up on the day's lunch activities.
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Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura (c) CLAMP.
A/N: My apologies for the long delay. And if you don't get this chapter, that's okay. Because I honestly have no idea what the whole thing is about myself. Let's just say that I don't write this story anymore, my plot bunnies do. (sweat drop)