Author's Notes: Hello! Sorry again for the delay. Well, as usual, many things are keeping me busy. - Aside from writing for other fandoms, I also wanted to continue making my site, which is taking, like, forever. ;;;; I'm hopeless. Anyway...

mimika : If you are looking for 'twists' then you have read the right fic! –laughs- Ahem! Wish you would continue reading this fic (even though I keep updating...irregularly). Thank you!

Ukari-chan : Thank you for the compliment. I hope I can live up to your expectations. ;

sunshine daisy : Hmm, now you've got me stuck between a happy and a tragic ending –wails- Hmm, you've given me an idea, though, since I haven't really thought about Kaho and Eriol being romantically involved... :)

Erika : I am glad you have found this story after losing it sometime ago. ; I would really want my readers to see the ending so that there wouldn't be any questions.  Please continue reading!

MorbidPhoenix : Oh, please don't kick Tomoyo! Especially her..umm..bum. –sweat- And yes, I am also a firm believer of E x T , so don't worry.

Cyjj : I am sorry to update very late! TT

Abombidal Boo : Yes, everything is going to be alright. But I'll have to make everyone worry for a little itty bit, ne?

Clownsareevil and Darkshadowheartless : Well, if nothing is off, then it wouldn't be my fic.  And Mizuki wasn't evil. She was just loyal to her ancestral rules. That's about it. I don't want to defend her anymore since...-looks at crowd behind her- Umm...

Angel-Hiragizawa32 : It seems that Kyte-chan's siblings are increasing. LOL. I was kidding. And yeah...who did I pong with my pan –thinks- Hehehehe... Thanks for reviewing!

KyteAura : I was rooting for the Yankees, too. Unfortunately, I rarely watch baseball. TT Anyway, there's one lesson embedded in the past chapter. "Always pay attention to your dreams." Or wait! Was is "Do not pay attention to your dreams?" –snigger-

flitter bug : As usual, you left the most interesting reviews.  I am sorry about that typo. Since I usually type at night, well, you know what happens when fanficcers write late at night.

cutekawaii : -sigh- you have such a cute name. Thanks for reviewing!

Pensively-drifting : Hey, I have watched Please Save My Earth, too! I gotta love the voice actors (Japanese) haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. Anyway, thanks for reviewing 

Fuuruma : About the time Arisa left Clow and the curse did not disappear, you're going to see it here. And yesh, one of the reasons was that Clow was stupidly persistent, get it? )))

PrincessSakuraTenshi12 : Thanks! I also hope Tomoyo can get out of this predicament, but you see, I usually make my main characters a little bit...stupid so...hehehehe...wait for it, okay?

angelmistress9 : Thanks for the review! Hmm. I do hope I can keep writing as much as I can but my work and studies are on the way. Hehehe.

That's about it. Please enjoy this next chapter. Thanks!

CHAPTER 10 : Sacrifice

"WILL you be all right here?" the maidservant asked her warily.

Arisa nodded and smiled. "Yes, thank you very much." Just then, the lord of the house came into the room and bade the maid to leave.

"Sasuke-san," Arisa addressed the young man. She bowed deeply, her forehead almost touching the tatami mat. "I owe you my life. Thank you for saving me and giving me temporary shelter from this storm." As she spoke, thunder rolled outside and lightning sent flashes of light in the dim room lighted only by a single candle.

Sasuke slightly tugged on his gi as he sat down. He was quiet and collected, but as Arisa spoke, he rubbed his temple and groaned, sweat forming on his forehead even though it was dead cold. "Matta ku, Arisa-sama, what are you think you are doing running off in the dead of the night away from Clow manor? Clow will have my neck severed if he hears about this..."

"He should never find out about this," the priestess firmly replied. Dusk was just coming, but the sky was dark because of the rain. She turned to some of the other candles standing on their holders and touched their wicks with a thumb and a forefinger. Immediately, flames burst out from the wicks. "Anyway, rest your worries, Sasuke-san. I won't be here for long."

The young man exasperatedly sighed. "That is not what I was worried about. You can stay here for as long as you wish, Miko-sama. What I'm anxious about is Clow Reed's health. As his student before, I know of his plight. If you are not there with him, how can he suppress his blood?"

Airsa stared at the silhouettes on the paper doors. "Trust me, Sasuke-san. Just as long as he doesn't know where I am, he will be all right."

"ARE you alright?"

Tomoyo snapped back to reality. She had been thinking about her dream last night. Arisa did leave Clow and hid from him. Yet Tomoyo was thinking of the opposite: not to leave Eriol's side.

"Are you thinking about your visit to Mizuki-sensei?" Sakura asked once more. Only Sakura knew of her conversation with Mizuki Kaho. Sakura was also against the conditions set.

"No, I was...thinking of our algebra exam tomorrow," Tomoyo lied. She didn't know she would lie to her best friend, but she rather liked to keep her thoughts to herself for a while.

"Tomoyo," someone called to her form behind.

"Ah! Hiiragizawa-kun!" Eriol came towards them. "Tomoyo and I were just going to the cafeteria," Sakura explained. "Would you like to come along?"

Eriol shook his head and smiled politely. "No, thank you, Sakura-san." He then turned to Tomoyo, who was warily looking away. "Can we talk for a while?"

The purple-eyed girl hastily thought of an excuse. She wouldn't want to talk with Eriol now. Not with the thought of her conversation with Mizuki Kaho haunting her. "Um...I have to practice for the singing contest next week so..." Her voice faded as she remembered that Eriol belonged to the same club and was joining the competition with her.

"That's good then," Eriol said. "I will accompany you on the way to the music room."

Tomoyo looked pleadingly at Sakura, who shrugged helplessly. "I'll be in the cafeteria in case...any of you two change your mind."

"WHAT'S wrong?" Eriol immediately asked as they were alone together. "You don't look like yourself these past two-three days."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes and sighed. She hated telling Eriol everything. Somehow, she would just want to keep quiet about all these issues about him and her and think about things alone. "Well, you were also...not looking quite yourself today the past week, Eriol," she blurted out.

The young man looked surprised, but then raised his shoulders as a sign of defeat. "I was just thinking," he said as he opened the door to the music room, "that you may want to confide something to me, Tomoyo." He routinely opened the piano and sat down in front of it, as Tomoyo looked into the drawers to find the piece they were going to practice.

"I...don't have anything to confide in you, Eriol," Tomoyo answered, a bit annoyed. "Moreover, you are the concerned person here. You should be the one looking for a confidant." She turned towards the window as she studied the piece. The sun was about to set, and it seemed to be getting darker faster than usual.

Eriol pressed a key. The tone wafted through the room, echoing as it bounced against the walls. "Sorry." He smiled at Tomoyo. "I've been dragging you around so much, haven't I?" He stood up and faced Tomoyo.

The young woman edged away for a bit. "Eriol...what do you mean by that? You're not..."

"I'm really dependent on you too much, Tomoyo," the bespectacled young man continued, his face more of regret than anything. "I wish I hadn't been that much of a pressure on you, who had just started knowing about the history of your family."

Tomoyo bit her lower lip as she looked up to Eriol. "It's not...that pressuring, your presence I mean. We were just following the past, and as we went on being together these days, I have realized that I was entrusted with the duty to protect you and cure you from your burden." She smiled crookedly at the young man. "But, although I was trying the best I could..."

"Your companionship is enough, though," Eriol said. Somehow, he cannot tell Tomoyo everything brimming in his heart. He just wanted to show her, that no matter what happened, they should still be together. Slowly, he placed his arms around the girl and pulled her closer. "Every time I was with you, every time I fight with you, every time I do things with you, I find myself getting stronger. Well, maybe not physically strong, but strong enough to handle my problems. We've been together for such a short time, but your existence affects mine so much."

Tomoyo pulled away, blushing deeply. "Well, we were following the history, right? So..." She wanted to explain how much of a disgrace she in on her line of sorceress but Eriol was looking at her so happily it reminded her of cats.

The school's bell rang the sixth hour. It was finally evening. They could see some of the students rushing home towards the gate. At the same moment, Sakura rapped at the door.

"Li-kun's with me," Sakura shyly said as they entered the room. If Sakura was shy, Syaoran was red, so red Tomoyo thought he had stopped breathing.

"Did something happen?" Both Sakura and Syaoran shook their heads frantically. A familiar scene that happened not so long ago made Tomoyo and Eriol drop the subject.

"Li-kun, did you find anything else about Clow and Arisa?" Eriol referred to the conversation Li had with his mother the day before. Li's mother and family was also connected to the lines of Arisa and Clow, and for that reason the wolf was reincarnated to their clan.

Li nodded as he helped himself and sat on a nearby desk. "We found a diary of one of our ancestors, Touya Sasuke, and there have been records there regarding Arisa and Clow's efforts to undo the curse."

"Well, what did you find out in the diary?" Sakura wanted to know. Tomoyo noticed the Sakura and Li were not that uncomfortable with each other now. On the other hand, they seemed quite close.

The brown-haired young man thought for a while. "I ordered the diary to be sent here. There has been a record of Arisa-sama staying in the Touya household for quite sometime, but that was where the diary ended."

Tomoyo bowed her head. That Sasuke Li-kun was talking about must be the Sasuke she had dreamed of last night. But why he had stopped writing his diary, there is no clear reason.

"So," Eriol started. "You mean to say that Arisa left the Clow household?"

"Yes, it would seem so, since most of the diary entries are worries of Sasuke as to how he would react when Clow finds out about his and Arisa's agreement."

Eriol raised a hand to his chin as he thought deeply. "But that cannot happen now, can it?" He looked at Li hopefully.

Li Syaoran nodded. "Since I, the primary tool for the sealing of the blood has been reincarnated and stripped off my powers, I cannot help you the way I helped Arisa and Clow. So we do need to alter history. There must be some other way."

Suddenly, Eriol doubled over with pain. He fell off his chair and began shaking helplessly on the floor.

"Eriol-kun!" Sakura rushed to his aid but Li stopped her with force.

"No! you can't help him!" He pointed towards the window. A full moon was shining in the horizon. "You can't tell what he'll do to you if he loses control." He held Sakura firmly.

"Tomoy-chan! Only you can help him!" Sakura exclaimed. "Come on, you know how to stop him from being a vampire, right? Eriol-kun will suffer greatly if you don't do it now!"

Tomoyo stared at Eriol. Slowly, she kneeled before his shaking form. "Eriol," she softly called out. She knew Eriol would not hear him. He had been caught unaware. This was a rather severe attack and she would not have a choice but to let her spirit quench his thirst for blood.

A growling sound pulled Tomoyo back to reality. She had never seen Eriol like this before. Usually, when it was full moon night, he would tell her in advance and they would be prepared. Either that or he would initially ask for permission to drink from her. But now...why does Eriol look so much more pathetic than before? It made her both sick and afraid to see him like this, writhing on the floor like he was dying, and muttering words she cannot understand.

His glasses have fallen off and Li took them quickly before Eriol breaks them. "Hurry, Daidouji-sama!" he urgently told Tomoyo. "If you don't lend him your spirit soon, he will escape from us and we may not be able to control him!"

Tomoyo nodded and held Eriol's arms to lull him. She had read this in their books but never tried this spell. She whispered the needed incantation and soon, she felt a thread of her power soften Eriol's trashing. Soon, he was almost unconscious.

This should have never happened, had I listened to Mizuki-sensei's words! Tomoyo thought with hate as she bent down to reach Eriol's lips with hers. If only I listened and kept my distance, Eriol would be cured, and I won't be seeing him like this. She kissed him deeply and soon, her spirit was rushing out of her so fast she feared she would faint. Eriol raised his arms to held on to Tomoyo's shoulders as he drank her soul, bit by bit edging away from the danger of awakening his vampire blood. Not long after, he opened his eyes and sat up, hugging Tomoyo.

"Thank you," he said. "Have I taken too much of your..."

Tomoyo shook her head. She was a bit pale, but she can't tell Eriol he almost drained her of consciousness.

"Ahem!" Eriol and Tomoyo looked up to see Li nodding approvingly at them, and Sakura staring at them with wide eyes.

"That's the way you...well...do it?" Sakura asked.

Li nodded. "Well, I taught them that best way," he said. "It helps a lot, especially if they were together."

It was Sakura's turn to be sneering. "Nan da, maybe you have tried it so you know it's the best way, huh?"

"Ba...baka na! What are you talking about?!"

"Oh come on now, don't be so shy..."

"Kinomoto-san!"

If we were together, huh? Tomoyo looked at Eriol, who was arranging his disheveled clothes. Her spell, and her temporary seal on Eriol's blood didn't make him any better. Soon, she would also run out of her power and would not be of help to Eriol.

A thorn was stuck to her heart. How she wanted to stay with this person, yet what she wanted more was to see Eriol normal and happy at last.

And she cannot make it happen.

They have tried so many times to undo the curse but none of them seemed to work. Was she not as powerful ls her ancestor Arisa? Isn't there any other way to relieve Eriol of this burden?

Somehow, Mizuki-sensei's conditions seemed the best way to follow now. For now, Tomoyo had realized one thing.

She had loved Eriol so much it was hard for her to see him suffering. She would rather leave and not see him again than stay with him with trouble. Sure, it would be hard to do, but she would apparently get used to it.

Eriol would probably mind at first but...he would eventually forget about her once he redeems himself from the curse.

And Mizuki-sensei and Li-kun, they would certainly make it sure that Eriol is completely healed.

It seemed as if she was the only one not useful in this area. Maybe it was really foretold. The best way to show her care for Eriol would be it.

To leave him.

"Tomoyo, are you alright? You look a little pale?" Sakura fussed over her.

The young woman nodded. "I'm fine." Although, she wanted to cry at the same time, Tomoyo felt a new hope knocking on the door. The only thing to do now is how to explain to Sakura what will happen and how to escape from Eriol's sight.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I was a bit lacking on details this time. I wasn't motivated enough to write. Sorry. I hope I can edit this horrible chapter sometime in the future. Anyway, the next chapter will prove to be the core of this fic. Will Tomoyo really leave Eriol? I, myself am against it, (well, truthfully I am!). But we will see later on. Thank you for reading this fic and waiting for the chapters patiently. I am such a lazy person these days. ; I am really sorry.