A new update! And so quickly too that I am surprised. A lull in school has been the cause. Praise my teachers for their blessings in giving me little homework! Anyway, here's the newest update on how our favorite characters prepare for the upcoming ball. It's Thursday, May 4th at the time! To think, they've been in the Li courts for...four days? There's another 27 left to go...

Cobalt Rose

A Month in the Courts of Li

Preparing for the Ball

Tomoyo reclined lazily on a couch dressed in a pair of loose, floaty, silk pajama pants and a button up top of the same material, going over what had happened with King Li several hours before. A ball? This Friday? She wondered if she should magic some clothing up. She yawned and stretched just as a knock sounded on her door. "Who is it?" she asked curiously. Most people didn't usually knock on the door of a Crown Princess after ten at night. The door opened to reveal Ion and Sakura.

Right on cue, a flash of lightning from a nearby window, accompanied by the guttural boom of thunder, made Sakura wince. Tomoyo tried not to let her laughter show, but when Meiling and Chiharu appeared a few seconds later, she really did laugh. "Come on in Sakura-chan, Mei-chan, Chi-chan, it's lonely without you guys," she said, still giggling. Ion nodded to her and silently glided out, reminding her that she would really have to get him to open up to her soon. Pushing the thought from her mind, she crawled onto her enormous bed with the others. Soon, the four of them were laughing gaily, the Guardians in their smaller real shapes, the storm raging outside forgotten.

A few hours later, Tomoyo found herself yawning sleepily along with her sister and two cousins. Slipping off the bed, she opened the door to her bedchamber and found Ion and Yue outside. "Ion, I think Sakura and the others will be sleeping in my room tonight, so do you think you could bring us some more blankets and pillows?" she asked politely.

"Yes Tomoyo-sama."

She sighed in irritation, doing her best not to blow the stray hair away from her face. It was a habit she had when she didn't want to be polite as a Crown Princess should. "Ion, I don't mind you calling me Tomoyo-sama, but please, just because I created you, it doesn't mean I'm your master. Can't we be friends? You don't need to be so formal…" she trailed off. Soft, gloved fingers tilted her chin up until she was looking into storm-dark and deep blue eyes. They were deep and shimmering with secrets, and a half-smile, almost cheeky in its suddenness, graced Ion's lips.

"I wasn't sure if it would be polite to do such towards the one who created me." Ion let go gently and swept off, leaving a bewildered Tomoyo in his wake.

How very odd…

"I should have done that before," she remarked ruefully as she returned to the bed. "Do you guys mind sleeping here?" she asked when she had climbed back onto the thick, white silk, down-filled quilt that covered her canopy bed.

"Of course we don't!" answered Meiling as the others shook their heads. A particularly loud crash of thunder caused them all to jump. "Besides, going to sleep alone in our own rooms would be particularly uncomfortable after this…"

The Next Morning

Eriol knocked quietly on Tomoyo's door. To his surprise, there was no response from the other side. "Tomoyo-san?" Still there was no sound from the other side of the door. Ion stood by his side like a silent shadow. With a shrug, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door slightly open. Sunlight streamed through the windows as water droplets glistened like oiled diamonds from green leaves on the other side of the shutters. An angel lay amid her heavenly attendants. Tomoyo-san… Eriol found himself drawing closer, leaning towards the pale beauty. "Tomoyo-san.?"

Tomoyo-san? Tomoyo shrugged off her sleepiness like a heavy coat and blinked sleepily. That's odd… A blur of pale cream and deep blue swam before her sleepy eyes. Rubbing them to clear them, she smiled sweetly at the familiar face above her. "Ohayo Eriol-kun," she murmured quietly.

Eriol smiled back, though he could feel his heartbeat speeding up. The sunlight glinted off her dark hair, mesmerizing…her sleep-clouded eyes soft in the morning calm. "Ohayo Tomoyo-chan." It took a second for his words to register. Tomoyo-CHAN! He desperately hoped that the princess had been still too sleepy to have heard him properly. Extending a hand, he helped the slightly unbalanced princess from the bed. His hands rested there, one on her arm to steady her and one holding her hand still, remaining there a little longer than necessary. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, attempting to cover up his lingering touch.

"Yes, of course, Eriol-kun. With my sister and cousins, none of us went to sleep lonely." She yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Shaking her head to clear it, she looked up. "Eriol-kun? What are you doing in my room?"

Huh? Eriol blinked a moment, confused. "I…I got in here because…wait…you talked to me and…"

"Uh-oh…" Tomoyo blushed hotly and hastened to explain. "I'm always rather disoriented in the morning. I'm a morning person, but it takes a half-hour at least for me to wake up properly. I'm very confused in the morning; confused but not cranky. That's why I wake up early. That way when someone wants to ask me something in the morning, I don't just let my mouth run off with me. Did I say anything weird?" she asked curiously.

"Not at all Tomoyo-san," Eriol reassured her. Remembering why he needed to be there he hastily changed the subject. "Mother wished to see you, Sakura-san, Meiling-san, and Chiharu-san because the ball is tomorrow and she wondered if you would like to help decorate the palace." He paused a moment before asking, "Do you have certain things you prefer? In the decorating sense, I mean," he amended a bit hastily.

Tomoyo tilted her head to one side in thought before nodding. "Sakura-chan particularly likes cooking, and she's very creative when it comes to fancy dishes. Mei-chan is good with interior designing. I guess it comes from her family line. Her grandfather designed the lesser temple of Clow Reed that resides near our palace."

"Lesser temple of Clow Reed?" Eriol asked curiously. "Pardon me, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

Tomoyo laughed softly so as not to wake her sleeping relatives. "Meiling-chan's grandfather built a temple of Clow Reed near the palace so that the royal family could go and seek guidance. Father asked Kaho-sensei if she wished to be shrine maiden there, but she refused." Tomoyo's brow creased into a frown as she muttered, half to herself, "It's so odd…Kaho-sensei normally acts as a shrine maiden, but she doesn't visit the lesser temple." Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she felt her lips twitch into a smile once more. "But really, I digress," she laughed, eyes filled with the sparkle of mirth.

Eriol had to laugh as well. "I really must stop letting my curiosity get the better of me Tomoyo-san, please, continue," he said, settling down on the window seat.

"Chi-chan is a good organizer, and she has the uncanny knack for knowing what kind of entertainment will suit what kind of gathering," Tomoyo remarked as she sat down next to him, curling up so that her legs rested on the couch as well. "I think she got it from all those stories Naoko-chan told her," she whispered impishly, her tone one of mock-secrecy.

"And you?" Eriol asked playfully as Spinel, in his smaller real form of a blue-black cat with cerulean eyes, padded softly over Eriol's arms and shoulders.

Picking up Selene, whose velvety paws tickled her feet, she laughed. "I do gardens!"

"You what?" came a sleepy voice from the bed.

Eriol and Tomoyo glanced at each other and laughed as the three other girls woke up. Spinel and Selene just traded interested glances, as if sharing a secret.

Main Reception Hall

Queen Yelan surveyed her sons and the four guests from the Kinomoto kingdom. It was nearly mid-morning, and she knew the servants of the palace were well underway in their own preparations for the upcoming event. Even so, she could tell that, what with the ominous happenings of recent days, the more courtly organization of a ball would put their minds from the un-magic mage. But who to pair up with who…she wondered. She had no doubt that she would have her eldest work with the Crown Princess, since both were well matched in their love of gardening and botany, but the other three were a little more difficult. From what Eriol had told her this morning, Meiling Wei would prefer designing the dining hall and the indoor dancing chamber. She knew that Ken, her youngest by a quarter of an hour, had an eye for colors that was rivaled only by Eriol's. She would pair Syaoran with Sakura. Though the boy had no skills in the kitchen, he knew best which foods were most likely to be appreciated by the kingdom's nobles. That left Yamazaki and Chiharu together. It wasn't a bad idea at all, since Yamazaki was popular with the wandering minstrels of the capital city. They often said that if he hadn't been born a prince he would have been just as rich anyway: a rich minstrel.

She cleared her throat to catch their attention, silently amused by how all eyes were instantly trained on her; including Yamazaki's whose eyes always seemed closed. "Because of the preparations for the ball, I would be pleased if you could aid the castle staff for the ball." She paused a moment and remembered what her husband had said that morning. "I believe my husband the king forgot to inform you, this ball is being held in honor of our guests from the Kinomoto Kingdom. A sort of welcoming ball you could say," she told them with a small smile. "There are four particular areas of work that need concentration. The royal gardens need special attention, the indoor dancing hall and dining hall need to be decorated, the menu for the meal tomorrow needs to be drawn up and the kitchens notified, and suitable entertainment must be sought for the guests that will attend tomorrow's gathering. So, I have decided that Eriol and Tomoyo see to the gardens, Meiling and Ken will decorate the indoor rooms, Sakura and Syaoran will attend to tomorrow's meal, and Yamazaki and Chiharu will find entertainment for tomorrow night." It was so interesting how the eight of them colored up in their own way.

This would indeed be very interesting. She nodded to them and the eight left, chattering softly among themselves about what they would do.

Outside Hallway

"How long do you think the preparations will take?" Tomoyo asked Eriol quietly once they exited the reception hall.

"I doubt it will take all day, but I'm certain lunch will be a casual affair." He turned to the others and addressed them, Tomoyo at his side. "Since I have a feeling that we will not see each other until dinner, perhaps there is a way we could communicate in case anything happened?" he asked.

"We could use the mirrors," Sakura suggested.

Tomoyo nodded in agreement, but then frowned. "We didn't make the mirrors to be double transmission though," she stated.

"Easily remedied," Ken told her. "Just give them to me and let me see them a moment?"

The four mirrors were produced and handed over. Ken adjusted them to their original size and muttered to himself for a while before his eyes developed a silvery, almost glassy look. The others could distinctly feel what he was doing, but nobody said anything. The mirror surfaces shone for a second before the mage-light faded from them. "That should do it," Ken told the others with a smile.

"Almost," Yamazaki said slyly, his eyes still closed. With a finger he touched each of the mirrors in turn and then handed them back to their owners. "Now they should heat up and send out a magical signal when someone is using one of the other mirrors in an attempt to contact you," he told them.

"That's okay bro," Syaoran said to Ken, patting his arm in a mock-condescending tone. "Someday you'll think everything through."

Ken flushed and punched his brother lightly on the arm. "Shut up you. I at least did something," he retorted amid the laughter of the others.

"Well then," Eriol said pleasantly when the laughter had died down. "I'll see you all at dinner tonight. Oh and Yamazaki," he added suddenly. "If you're planning to go into the city to hire minstrels, either go with a full guard or in disguise."

Yamazaki nodded, still smiling, as the four pairs went in their separate ways.

Sakura and Syaoran

"Are there any particular specialties of the Li Kingdom that we should place on the festive board?" Sakura asked curiously. As far as she remembered, there were specialties, but she couldn't quite remember what they were at the moment. It was Tomoyo who could recall inane facts from the depths of her mind.

Syaoran frowned slightly, trying to recall which of several dishes would be most complimentary in the spring. "There are a few, but I think we require more thought than just quick thinking. Would you mind accompanying me to the castle's central library? I'm certain there will be a large section on such dishes," he suggested.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "What if we added foreign dishes as well?" she asked.

"A perfectly reasonable, and perhaps a most constructive idea," Syaoran admitted. "This is a ball held in honor of your coming, so it would be proper to have several of your kingdom's specialties on the festive board." His face became a mask of thoughtfulness as the two walked down a deserted corridor towards the library. Ideas for foods whirled half-formed in his mind. His Guardian, a golden feline with emerald green eyes, emerged from the jewel clasp at his throat, mewing plaintively. He cradled the golden guardian in his arms as she clawed her way to his shoulder, appraising the princess at his side. "Meyri," he scolded, "you're getting claw marks on my new shirt."

The cat on his shoulder chucked. "You can magic it back to normal," was her retort. Turning her attention away from her creator, she watched as Kero in his own feline form crawled from the pendant around Sakura's neck into her arms. "Hello Cerberus. It's nice to see you," she greeted calmly.

"Meyrilas, I could say the same," Kero nodded to her. Both Guardians jumped down from their respective creators and proceeded to greet each other by touching noses together. In a manner of seconds, the two golden cat-forms were talking quietly about un-magic and its affects on mages.

Sakura glanced down at the two Guardians and giggled. "They remind me of a golden version of Spinel and Selene," she whispered to Syaoran. "You can tell at a glance that Spinel and Selene are well matched in power and intellect, and they share evident affection between them. They get along so well and I swear, I think I just saw them touch noses."

"Is that not common?" Syaoran asked curiously as he pushed open the door to the library.

"It's a sign of…oohh!" Sakura gasped mid-sentence at the extensive library. Before her were rows and rows of shelves filled with books. To either side were balconies with tables and chairs for reading, and large glass windows through which bright sunlight streamed through, illuminating the place. The smell of ink and parchment, leather and bookbinding glue, permeated the immense library. Soft carpets of rich earthy browns, cheerful reds, calming greens, and dancing blues; depicted flowers, hunting scenes, and palace dances. At the center, the carpets stopped abruptly, leaving smooth marble floors, and a flowering apple tree rooted at the center of a bubbling fountain of sparkling water. "It's beautiful," she breathed reverently. "Tomoyo would love this place…"

Syaoran chucked softly. "Would the princess like a tour?" he asked with a mock-bow.

"Yes please!" Sakura answered immediately.

"Then step right this way," Syaoran remarked, leading her down the center isle to the apple tree, "and I'll show you the whole place." He paused. "But first, what's so important about Guardians touching noses?" he asked mischievously.

"Syaoran!" Sakura cried, impatiently wishing to see the library. "It's a sign of affection because Guardians, especially those who take on feline forms, tend to find it a bit like the human way of kissing."

"Very insightful," Syaoran told her gravely, though his eyes sparkled with laughter. "Then, on with the tour!" he said cheerfully.

Behind them, oblivious to their surroundings, Kero stroked Meyri's ears with a velvety paw, and Meyri laughed, touching her nose to his.

A half hour later, Sakura found herself comfortably curled up on an armchair with her legs dangling over one arm. The soft silk of her pants clung comfortably to her legs. One of her sandals lay on the carpeted floor of their little corner, while the other dangled from her foot. The Chinese style top was a becoming shade of rose-pink, which contrasted well against the pure white of her pants. Before her eyes, tasty dishes made her mouth water, even though it was only an hour after breakfast.

Syaoran lay on his stomach on the couch, a small pile of cookery books lying on the carpeted floor as he read the thickest one swiftly, taking note of any specific delicacies that were particular to either the Li or the Kinomoto Kingdoms. The ward he had placed would keep them from being bothered until it was mid-afternoon and almost time for dinner. They had decided beforehand that they would conjure up food for their lunch. Turning the page over a savory soup of thinly sliced vegetables and beef, he flipped over onto his back. The loose, green tunic rustled slightly as he twisted, his white pants twitching as he dug his bare toes deeper into the plush of the couch.

Meiling and Ken

"Wow!" Meiling gasped in awe as she surveyed the large ballroom. "It's perfect!"

Ken laughed at her happiness. "I think it's one of our largest ballrooms. It's probably the best one anyway since the balcony over there leads down to the gardens," he told her, pointing to a wide arch to their right.

"Oh I want to go see but…decorating first!" she said firmly. "Do you think silk or velvet would work well with the palace décor, Ken?" she asked him in a mock-grave voice.

"Silk would be best Mei-mei," he replied seriously. "I don't think we would be able to use velvet banners in the ballroom. Too heavy," he told her.

"MEI-MEI!" she cried, blushing furiously.

Ken grinned and tugged lightly on a lock of her long hair. "You don't mind do you?" he asked her with a cheeky wink.

Still bright red, Meiling attempted a pout. "It sounds so…childish," she muttered in a voice bordering on resentment.

Ken tugged the lock of hair again. Leaning closer to her he whispered, "Well I think it sounds cute, sort of like you." Laughing at her squeak of embarrassment, he turned so she wouldn't see the pink of his heating cheeks. With a flick of his fingers, pure white silk banners stretched high overhead. Each one changed into a different color, reflecting the pure, bright colors of the eight young peoples' auras, and had the person's full title embroidered in silk thread, a shade darker than the actual banner, on it near the lower hem. Banners of cream-colored silk, embroidered with the royal crests of both kingdoms in shining red thread, hung between them. "The basics," he told her, grinning.

"Do you think we ought to light all the candles on the chandelier? Or should we light them only at intervals?" Meiling asked, pointing to the gold and crystal dome above them.

"We ought to check whether or not the candles are all there," replied Ken, looking up in a preoccupied way. "Ward the room and we'll fly up? The other way is too slow after all…"

Meiling nodded, sending out her power and sealing the room so that no one could enter without their consent. The two mages surged up into the air, inspecting the candles. After several circuits of the chandelier, both agreed that all the candles were in place. With light taps of their shoes, they landed. On inspiration Meiling reached out, her fingers dancing lightly over Ken's sides. The prince laughed and turned, face red and trying to get away from the treacherously tickling fingers of his companion.

"Ack! No fair!" He lunged for the younger girl, only to grab thin air as she leapt up, aided by her rose-red wings.

Mocking laughter fell like angel feathers from near the ceiling. "Catch me if you can!" Meiling called down to him.

With a look of stubborn determination on his face and laughter in his eyes, Ken Li, dignified prince, chased Countess Meiling Wei, maiden of the royal retinue of the Li Kingdom's guests, in and out of banners in midair. Below them, two feline-looking stuffed animals, one in crimson and another in a light spring green, exchanged glances. The two Guardians were being thoroughly ignored.

"So much for dignified, well-behaved royalty ne Sylphira?" the crimson lion muttered.

A soft paw tapped his nose lightly. "People do silly things when they're in love, Ladon," the emerald-hued tigress with faint amber stripes retorted.

"Love you say…"

"Yup."

"Oh." For lack of a better thing to do, the lion snorted and turned away.

The tigress scratched her nose nonchalantly, waiting for the two laughing people up in the air to come down. It was a long wait.

Chiharu and Yamazaki

Chiharu glanced apprehensively as Yamazaki pushed open the doors to his chambers. "Uh…Yamazaki?" A hand grabbed her wrist as the ever-smiling prince dragged her into his personal chambers, deaf to her stammered protests. "Yamazaki! What are you doing!" She asked him as she was dragged through his study and into his bedroom. Her face grew hot, even though her body instantly tensed up.

Yamazaki let go of her hand and walked over to a door on the far side. Opening it, he motioned to Chiharu. Inside, there were rows upon rows of clothing.

His wardrobe? Her curiosity made her draw closer, watching the prince throw clothes haphazardly over his shoulder. That's odd…she thought to herself. Those clothes are all in the peasant style…

"Remember Eriol saying that I should either take a royal guard or go in disguise to the city? A royal guard takes too much time to set up, so I opted for going in disguise. I always keep some peasant clothing in my dressing room so that I can visit my friends in the city," Yamazaki explained pleasantly. He handed Chiharu a pretty peasant blouse and cherry-red dress, with a crisp white apron. Both the cuffs of the blouse and the hem of the apron were embroidered with strawberries the color of the dress. "Take those, go into the dressing room, and change alright?" he told her. "I'll change out here."

Chiharu nodded dumbfounded as she walked into the dressing room. Stripping off her sky-blue silk dress that laced up with cerulean ribbons at her back, she changed into the plain, cotton gown and blouse. She looked at herself in the large mirror at the back of the room and decided that the clothes weren't all that bad. Twirling on one foot, she admired the way the dress flared out before she stopped suddenly. "Yamazaki?" she called through the door, "I need a petticoat for this!"

"There should be one in the bottom drawer of the bureau near the back of the room!" he called back.

Rummaging through the mentioned drawer, she found a petticoat of fine, silvery silk edged in costly lace. "It's silk!" she told him.

"I always thought if I ever had someone visit the city with me, she'd probably like to have something familiar against her skin," he said, laughing.

Chiharu blushed and said no more until she exited the dressing room.

"Hmm…" Yamazaki walked a full circle around her, making sure her disguise was complete. Muttering thoughtfully, he pulled out a rose-hued sash and tied it around her waist, ignoring the bright blush on her cheeks. Facing her, he grinned. "Almost perfect," he told her, undoing the jeweled ribbons of blue silk that threaded through her hair. Pulling two ribbons of strawberry color, he tied them to her braids and adjusted them so that the ends curled becomingly near her cheeks. "Now you're perfect," he told her in a cheeky voice.

Doing her best to smother the rising blush, Chiharu glanced sidelong at the prince, taking in his dark pants and loose, cream blouse with the top two buttons open. "How will we get down from the Imperial Plateau?" she asked curiously, her bare feet sinking into the carpet.

"I thought we might ride, but peasants and minstrels don't have horses, so I think we could go down to the city via our Guardians," he replied.

Chiharu blushed and murmured embarrassedly, "Yamazaki, my Guardian is a blue phoenix. It can't carry me."

"Says who?" piped a silvery-blue phoenix on Yamazaki's shoulder. "All Guardians can carry their creators. It just takes us a little more effort."

Teiron poked his head out from the pendant that lay on Chiharu's collarbones. "I'd know that voice anywhere. Sephyl, are you going to bother me in this world too?" Chiharu frowned and tapped his head in reproof.

Sephyl just trilled in laughter. "I don't bother you, you like it," she told him, fluttering to Chiharu's shoulder. "Don't worry, it's quite easy," she reassured Chiharu. "As a matter of fact, we ought to be going right now."

Yamazaki nodded and led the way out of the castle. Once they had made it past the courtyard and quite a distance down the plateau's path, he stopped. "Ok, we can start here, since no one can see us from here," he told Chiharu.

Teiron and Sephyl grew to their larger forms, so large that their tail feathers swept the ground when the perched on their respective creators' shoulders. "Work an invisibility spell while we take our greater forms alright?" Sephyl asked. The two phoenixes took their greater forms, flying down from their previous locations as to not harm their creators, and Chiharu gasped in surprise.

Both phoenixes were now able to carry one person with ease. At Teiron's invitation, she climbed onto his back and held onto his soft feathers. In a rush of cold air, she found herself looking down upon a grand city surrounded by forests, fields, and cobbled roads. Below her she could see the spires of various temples, large mansions owned by the nobles, and best of all, sprawling marketplaces filled with people. With a shriek of excitement, she found herself plummeting from the top of the Imperial Plateau down into the forest. In a matter of seconds, she hopped down from a shrinking Teiron's back and smoothed her wind ruffled skirts.

"That was fun!" She giggled, letting Teiron back into her pendant.

"The return journey will be just as I assure you," Yamazaki replied as he led the way through the forest to the city gates. Passing the guards unnoticed in the crush of people entering the city, the two walked down the main street as Yamazaki explained where different shops were located. "If you ever have a problem finding a certain thing, the best thing to do is get a map of the city. Most things are sold in districts unless it's sold in the marketplaces," he explained to an enraptured Chiharu, who was taking in the scenery.

"You're very lucky to be able to visit here! You must do it often if you have even girls' peasant clothing," she told him as she inspected the wares of a jeweler's shop.

Yamazaki just laughed and took her hand, dragging her down another street into the minstrel district and into a small restaurant.

"A restaurant in the minstrel's district?" Chiharu asked him curiously.

"Even minstrels have to eat," Yamazaki said, laughing as he greeted the waitress. "Mira! Long time no see ne?"

A young woman with long, silvery-blue hair and turquoise eyes smiled as she set two cups of water next to them. "Hello Yamazaki-kun, it's been a while since I've seen you, so…what would you like to order?" she asked, smiling brightly.

"I'd like a ramen," Yamazaki answered after some thought. Turning to Chiharu, he handed her a menu. "You might want to look through there first."

Chiharu looked down at the menu, but there were so many foods she didn't recognize. "I think I'll have a ramen like Yamazaki," she told the waitress as she handed back her menu.

"Good choice," the older girl told her with a smile, going off to the kitchens.

"You know a lot of people here don't you," Chiharu said as they waited for their food.

"Of course," Yamazaki replied with his close-eyed grin. "After all, I come down here almost once every week to keep in touch with the city minstrels. There's tons of entertainment from the city that we use for our parties you know," he told her cheekily. "The nobles like to have some casual entertainment as well as the orchestras and singers."

Chiharu blushed. "I thought our court was the only one weird enough to do that," she said quietly.

Yamazaki laughed, but before he could answer her, Mira reappeared with two steaming bowls of ramen in her hands.

"Here's your order," she said cheerfully. "Oh and…" she blushed, "Could you give this to Touya-kun at the palace Yamazaki-kun?" she asked as she handed Yamazaki an envelope.

Yamazaki nodded and dug into one of his pockets. "Here," he told her, grinning as always. "Touya-kun asked me to give this to you." There were two turquoise hued ribbons with flowers embroidered at the ends. Mira blushed bright red and accepted them from the grinning 16-year-old.

Chiharu tilted her head to one side. "You know Touya-kun?" she asked.

Mira went three shades darker red and said nothing.

"Touya-kun and Mira-san are hopelessly in love with one another, but because Touya works in the castle as a cook and Mira's family lives here, she can't go up to the castle to work. That's why I come down to give them news of one another every week!" Yamazaki told her proudly.

Chiharu nodded. "I'll help!" she said grinning, already feeling the effects of playing cupid.

"Thank you," Mira whispered, still bright red, steam slowly wafting away from her face as she walked off to the kitchen.

Chiharu laughed happily and looked down at her ramen. She picked a little up and ate. "It's good!" she said, surprised.

"Why do you think I ordered it?" Yamazaki asked cheerfully with his mouth full.

"Oishi," Chiharu told him as she too ate, loving the taste of the delicious dish.

Had she looked up, she might have noticed that Yamazaki's grin had become a contented smile. But she didn't, and missed the stormy-blue that shone for a moment through dark lashes.

Tomoyo and Eriol

"Come on, Tomoyo-san, carefully…"

Tomoyo giggled and took a careful step forward, mindful of the fact that she was blindfolded. "Why am I blindfolded Eriol-kun?" she asked, cutely confused.

"Because I wanted to show you the garden. It's a surprise," Eriol whispered.

A blush flamed in Tomoyo's cheeks as she felt Eriol's warm breath brush her neck, causing a shiver to run through her small frame. Trustingly, she stepped out, down a set of steps onto the cobblestones that must have been the path into the garden. "Can I look now?" she asked Eriol curiously.

She heard his chuckles behind her and half turned when his hands on her shoulders stopped her. "We're ready," he told her softly, and she could feel his hands slowly undoing the blindfold. As the silk dropped from her eyes to Eriol's hands, she blinked and gasped.

Before her was an arch of roses, each a perfect, crimson and blooming; they filled the air with their sweet scent. Beyond the arch lay a paradise garden, with small rivulets of water running through the grass into the small lakes and wider streams of the garden. Farther back was a miniature waterfall that cast tiny rainbows like mist over the fruit trees that were in full bloom. A small, wooden bridge spanned the largest stream, which led from the base of the waterfall, around the exquisite place, to run right past Tomoyo's feet, and she noticed the gleam of scales as a fish swam past. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the multitude of scents coming from the numerous flowers that danced softly to the puffs of the wind. As if in a dream, she walked through the arch of roses into the garden to the shade of a large plum tree, looking up through the branches as flower petals drifted down to settle like snowflakes in her hair.

Turning towards Eriol, she smiled in pure, joyful, unguarded innocence. "It's beautiful," she breathed, so softly that he almost didn't hear her. A full blossom fell from an overhanging branch to rest lightly against her ear, and the reached up, pulling it from the strands of her hair to breathe in the pure fragrance. "Plum blossoms…it's been so long since I've been able to smell the scent of plum blossoms," she whispered, half to herself, half to Eriol. For a long moment, she was silent, lost in thoughts of her own dying garden, but then she murmured, "so beautiful," to herself and looked up.

Eriol stood transfixed at the sight of the beautiful angel before him. With her dark hair playfully batted by the mid-morning breeze and pale white-and-pink petals falling to rest in the ebony waves of her hair, she truly looked like an angel come to rest in her heavenly garden. Yes Tomoyo-chan, Eriol thought to himself as he watched the princess clad in a dark lavender Chinese-style top and long, flowing white silk pants, the garden is beautiful, but you are more so. Regaining his composure, he took her hand and led her to the small bridge. Standing there, they could see all of the garden, and beyond the hedges that circled it. All around them, arranged in bewildering confusion, was a circular maze that extended far in all directions.

Tomoyo gasped. "We're standing in the middle of a gigantic maze!" she cried, turning to face Eriol, her eyes wide with surprise.

"That is exactly what we're doing," he replied, a Cheshire grin on his face. "Now," he whispered, leaning over so that his lips almost brushed her ear, "how would you like to decorate the garden?"

"D-decorate?" Tomoyo fought down a blush and told herself to focus on the task at hand. "How about we spell the place to look like it would during the nighttime first, and then add any changes we feel like?" she suggested.

"Good idea," Eriol told her as he waved a hand, letting inky darkness spread across the sky. It enveloped the garden in a bubble that resembled the night sky.

Tomoyo leaned back to look up at the stars shining like jewels in the midnight above her head as Selene floated softly out of her pendant to jump to the wooden railing of the bridge. For a moment the two let themselves be absorbed in the dark beauty of it all. "The stars are beautiful," Tomoyo whispered to Eriol when he stepped towards her.

"Hai," he told her softly, his own Guardian fluttering to Selene's side. "But it's too bad that the moon is a crescent moon tonight," he told her in a seemingly offhanded manner.

She glanced at him, head tilted to one side in curiosity. "Why is it too bad?" she queried.

Eriol grinned, giving her a look that made butterflies flutter in her stomach. She was glad it was dark so that he didn't see the coloring of her cheeks. "A full moon is more romantic," he told her.

Tomoyo waved a hand in the air, letting sparkling dust fall into her waiting palm. She blew lightly, letting the sparks spiral up into the air and make a brightly gleaming full moon in the sky. Repeating the gesture, she let the shards of light make the flowers glow faintly with a pale, moon glow. Turning to a silently approving Eriol she grinned. "Just a little trick that I've found handy. It's magical moon dust that causes things to glow at whatever intensity I want it to. Unfortunately, the moon in the sky will only last as long as the sky you created is kept up," she informed him.

"Well then, perhaps we ought to increase the shine of the stars?" Eriol suggested as he swept a hand in the air, the stars shining like jewels in the sky.

"It's really beautiful," Tomoyo told him as they left for lunch an hour later. As she stepped out from the garden, the bright sunlight struck her eyes, blinding her for a moment and making her stumble.

Eriol caught her arm and pulled her close, steadying her as she blinked rapidly, clearing her vision.

"Th-thank you Eriol-kun," she said quietly, blushing at their closeness. She pulled away and led the way back into the castle.

"Anything to keep you from falling," Eriol replied with soft seriousness.

Tomoyo froze and turned around, her heartbeat loud in her ears. There was no laughter in her companion's eyes. There was only concern, care…and something more…. Something Tomoyo was a little afraid to name just yet. It hasn't even been a week since I met him! "Thank you again, Eriol-kun," she replied as she held out her hand to the prince.

Eriol could see the fear and confusion in her innocent, amethyst eyes, and it hurt. He knew that he couldn't scare her with affection as he just had. Tomoyo-chan is not ready… even though he himself knew that he was slowly beginning to fall for her. "It is nothing," he told her, his normal, casual smile on his face. "Now, I believe we might ask Touya-kun to make us something tasty for lunch ne?"

Laughing easily, and secretly a little relieved that the uncomfortable moment had passed, Tomoyo tugged lightly on Eriol's sleeve like an impatient girl who wanted her lunch. "As long as he makes it quickly I can't complain," she replied over the growling of both their stomachs.

Please review? And can someone tell me how the heck I can make larger spaces between paragraphs?

Cobalt Rose