VERISIMILITUDE

Chapter 4: Symphony of Unrest

By: Elle Chant

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My heart would be wistful

For the fathomless silence of sands

In the depths of the deepest sea—

But I have done now with the cool jade of moonlight,

Done with the hush of untrodden altars.

-Symphony of Unrest; Angela Manalang Gloria

This was the third time he had been answered that.

Syaoran was currently stuck behind the soccer booth during the festival that afternoon. For the past few days, all of them had complained of headaches, being drenched in ink while doing posters, being drenched in paint while doing posters and various mysterious pranks ensuing in the least expected moment. (The big drawing he had just placed in the classroom was suddenly transformed into something that would likely graze the covers of Victoria's Secret calendars). Akizuki had passed by and observed the place and wisely called it the Eriolan Era of Chaos. How true.

Sakura had come by a couple of times, spending a few minutes with him before she had to take off again and help her own club. She had asked him the last time he was here if he saw Tomoyo. He shook his head and said he hasn't seen her since this morning in school. Can you keep your eye open for her please Syaoran-kun? She said.

When she left, he had taken to asking his passing classmates where Daidouji was.

And all of them had shrugged and told him the same thing.

Ask Hiiragizawa.

It was a stupid answer. One, Hiiragizawa was also part of the organizing committee and was probably on the missing list as much as Daidouji was. Two, it doesn't mean that just because they spent the last three weeks being together planning the stupid festival doesn't mean that they have a radar of each other's presence. Three, it wasn't because of a silly rumor he kept on hearing.

Oh, they are adorable together! Don't you agree? Two of the most perfect people I know…

As far as he knew, Hiiragizawa still has that romance with that teacher back in England and Daidouji was still in love… with Sakura.

…did you know she came to his house? It was so sweet and I heard that he's making a song for her? That's terribly romantic…

"Li-kun!"

His head snapped up and saw Daidouji walk towards him. Her face was flushed from the heat and her long hair is tied high above her head. If he didn't know better, he could say she was practically glowing.

She stopped in front of the booth and looked at the cakes in display. "Those look delicious, oh if you don't mind could you stick one of these posters in your stall. I know it's kind of a short notice but they were just delivered this morning."

"Sure," He took one of them. "Say, Sakura was looking for you."

She looked startled. "She was?"

"Yeah, I think she's over by the field with the other cheerleaders."

"Oh, okay." She said. "I'll go look for her just as soon as I finish this. Oh and Li-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"If Hiiragizawa-kun looks for me tell him that I was just with Sakura-chan okay? I didn't exactly tell him where I'll meet him later."

She took off and Syaoran stared at her retreating figure before it got lost in the crowd.

….I even heard that Daidouji-san is the only person who could make Hiiragizawa-kun do things he normally wouldn't do for anyone…

Nah.

Eriol could see Tomoyo from his spot in the distance. She looked happy today, running and managing different things all at the same time with a glow on her face that wasn't quite there for the past several months. Pink cheeked and bright eyed, she laughed and proceeded to help the other cheerleaders in their project.

Nakuru had dragged her to his house for tea again the a few days ago saying that she really liked "beautiful and graceful Tomoyo-chan who liked my sweets better than Yukito"

Once again, they were forced to do work in the foyer with the view of Eriol's gardens. She was bright and open and Eriol found he liked her being at ease with him. During several intervals that Nakuru chose to chase Spinel with a water gun that they got to talk about things not related to work.

He found out that she loved spring and autumn and aside from Tiramisu, soufflé was another of her favorite dessert. She liked hard bound novels and had a soft spot for the romantic. She also told him that she had a collection of pretty figurines at home and that she loved snowy white owls. In turn, he told her of his fondness for water ripples and orange-gold leaves and that aside from tea, he was quite attached to vanilla. He also told her that he'd always wanted to buy one of those little miniature stuffed toys that you hang in the rearview mirror of your car.

"Really?" She had said. "I really didn't see you as the type who would."

"I've been thinking about it. Maybe I'd like a monkey or a pig." He had said. "Or a cow with a little bell."

"On a vintage jaguar roadster?"

"You should have seen it back when we were in England. It had sunflowers on the rear and a pop goes the weasel played every time someone opened the door."

They had talked about trivial stuff. School, England, the Daidouji mansion, Li-kun and Sakura-san and dust bunnies, along the conversation she managed to bully him into doing the bigger half of the work and he realized he didn't mind. Her logic was somewhat accurate by saying: you dragged me into your house and you just happen to have magic to rely on or something along those lines.

He had walked her home and they had laughed and she was bright, pink cheeked and glowing from the cold but not less any similar in what she looked like now.

"Hiiragizawa,"

He looked up and watched Li-kun dump several banners to his arms. He was still probably angry for the picture of Carolyn Murphy in La Perla underwear that Eriol had accidentally exchanged for the drawing that was supposed to be placed on the wall.

"Yes, Li-kun?"

He looked at him and his eyes suddenly seemed suspicious, cautious and curious. Eriol cleared his throat.

"Daidouji said that if you were looking for her she might be helping out Sakura,"

"Yes, thank you" Eriol resisted the urge to peer at him.

Syaoran crossed his arm and stared at him. No, he wasn't glaring just staring really but it was slightly unnerving.

"Are you composing a song for Daidouji?" He asked out of the blue.

"What?" Eriol said. "A song? For Tomoyo-san?"

"Uh-huh," Syaoran said. "And you've been inviting her over your house for tea."

Eriol furrowed his brows. "Yes, she had been coming over at Nakuru's insistence."

"The song?"

"Li-kun, she's helping with the lyrics."

"I see," He said and Eriol was faintly aware that the boy he was talking to wasn't cute relative Liii-kuuun but Clan head Li Xiao Lang.

"Is there a problem?"

"Oh no," Li-kun said as he started walking away and responded by slightly turning his neck over his shoulder. "I was just checking."

Eriol watched him walk away with a faint look of surprise before smoothing his expression in a blank look. The same one that was almost impossible to read.

Rumors, they were just rumors nothing else.

Sweet music circled the room with each key that Eriol pressed on the piano. They had both taken refuge inside the music room after school. It wasn't that Eriol's house wasn't enough it's that he pointed out that there was no Nakuru in school to disturb their composing and half the student's population thought the music room was haunted thanks to a particular incident years ago regarding a renegade piano.

She was sitting by the window sill, listening to him play while thoughts ran to her mind.

She had made Eriol promise before not to read her mind and he had agreed though with a cheerful sort of reluctance.

They were just rumors. Nothing more.

Sakura had told her about it this morning, careful of the words she would use. Tomoyo had laughed it off with her stranger smile, trying to divert the topic. Of course it wasn't true; she and Hiiragizawa-kun were just friends.

Sakura had smiled at her and said. If you say so Tomoyo-chan but even though it's a rumor; it's an awfully nice rumor.

Her smile froze on her face but Sakura didn't seem to take notice. She had changed the topic just as Tomoyo wanted seconds ago.

The tempo slowed a bit and she turned her head in Eriol's direction but he did not look at her.

"Hiiragizawa-kun," She said. "What do you think of ice cream makers?"

The melody halted for a moment before he answered. "It's a non practical way of getting ice cream especially if you could go down a corner and get a big sundae with just coins in your pocket."

She didn't know why she was asking this but she started and she couldn't seem to stop.

"I like ice cream makers but there was always Haagen Daaz a few blocks away so there never seemed to have a need for it."

He nodded.

"If I wanted an ice cream maker, would you get me an ice cream maker?"

This time, he looked at her and his eyes were dark blue like indigos after the rain behind his glasses.

"Do you want an ice cream maker?"

"Would you get me one if I did?"

His face was unreadable and she didn't know why she felt so afraid.

"If you asked me to" He said.

The wind pattered on the glass but beyond that, everything was silent.

The seconds that passed felt like hours and Tomoyo wished that she would say something or he would say something or she wished she would never brought the topic up.

"Daidouji-san," He said and she felt thankful that he didn't call her Miss Tomoyo or Tomoyo-sama or one of his ridiculous nicknames. It just closed so much of their distance. But, some paradoxical part of her wished that he did. That part wished that he wouldn't call her Daidouji-san and called her one of his nicknames because somehow that would indicate that they were friends. And friends talked about anything, no matter how humiliating or embarrassing because they just laugh about it in the end.

He smiled and she didn't know whether it was real or not. She didn't want to care anymore. "All this talk, you better not be falling in love with me."

Time should have stopped with that statement but she smiled too and felt herself the bubbling of mirth in the pit of her stomach and she could see the same one forming in his expression.

What was she thinking? Of course they were friends and friends laugh about things like these.

"I'm not," She choked out. "I won't.'"

He grinned and started playing the piano again. The tone of awkwardness and severity was gone.

"Sakura-chan!" Nakuru's voice rang gaily inside the Kinomoto residence. "Where are you Sakura-chan?"

"Oh brother…" Syaoran said in his place in the couch. In the corner of his eye he could see Touya backpedaling to the next room.

"Kinomoto-sensei!" She suddenly squealed and launched herself at Kinomoto Fujitaka who automatically clasped his arms around her. The bemused expression on his face showed the quiet and happy sincerity of someone well trained with this kind of behavior.

"Kinomoto-sensei? Is Touya here? Sakura-chan?" She yammered.

"Ruby Moon, you idiot." The new voice of Spinel popped out as the dark winged creature settled itself on his shoulder. "You are a guest here, behave like one."

"Sakura-chan will be coming down soon," Fujitaka smiled and set Nakuru down.

"Hai!" Nakuru said and twirled around the living room. "I love this day don't you suppi? We're in Touya-kun's house and no Yukito!"

"Akizuki-san," Sakura said as she entered. She smiled.

"Sakura-chan!" Nakuru said. She hoisted the pink frilly backpack she had over her shoulder and skipped towards Sakura. "Eriol wanted us to run some errands. He wanted to give something to you."

If ever they saw Syaoran's ears perk up or Touya growling in the opposite room, they didn't pay it any mind.

"Errands?" Sakura said. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and cocked her head to the side. Nakuru pulled her aside gently towards the kitchen while singing in an off key tune about cakes and pastries.

"Hai, hai." She said and placed her back pack on the kitchen table and fished a well worn book out of it. "He said he's sorry for being an ass and giving this to you just now."

"He did not say that" Spinel said. "It was something in the context of the diary of Clow wasn't that easy to find nor was it on his mind lately."

"That's for sure" Nakuru snorted. She gave Spinel a look. "Why don't you go find Cerberus or something instead of side commenting on my shoulder?

"Ano…" Sakura said. "Kero-chan isn't here right now. I think he went to the cake festival down town."

"My loss," Nakuru said. "Oh there's another thing he wanted to give you."

She pulled out a ribbon clad box from her bag and set it on the table. Sakura went over and unwrapped it and saw a cake was inside.

"Oh," Sakura said. "That's awfully sweet of him."

Nakuru shrugged. "We have lots at home. Tomoyo-chan came by yesterday and they made Tiramisus, honey-cakes and chocolate meringue truffle concord cakes by the dozen."

For a moment, Sakura looked surprised. "Tomoyo came over?"

"Uh-huh," Nakuru said and started zipping her bag and putting it over her shoulder. "Eriol insisted that they make Tiramisu since its Tomoyo-chan's favorite but she said a little bit of variety is in order so they ended up making three kinds."

"Why did Tomoy-chan come over?"

"Some song their making, Sakura-chan where's Touya-kun?"

"Oniichan?" Her eyes darted to the room near the hall. "Er…"

"Eriol made that especially for you and Xiao Lang," Spinel said. "Tomoyo-san said you two were fond of chocolate."

"Hai," Sakura gave him a cheery smile. "It's nice that Tomoyo-chan and Eriol-kun get along so well together with all the things they've been doing." She wrapped the cake back and placed it in the refrigerator.

"Of course they get along" Nakuru said Touya momentarily forgotten.

"And Tomoyo-chan looked sad lately and with all the things she's been doing its nice that there's a friendly face she works with." Sakura said. She sighed. "Ever since this year started I hardly get to see her at all."

"Uh-huh," Nakuru said absent mindedly.

"Akizuki-san-" Sakura said.

"Sakura-chan," She said with uncharacteristic gentle seriousness. Her eyes turned dark but surprisingly clear and the resemblance to Eriol's when he was entertaining his archaic self was startling. "Don't you know?"

Oddly enough she did. She could hear the almost audible click of Eriol-Tomoyo confirmation that lodged itself inside her head.

"Hai," Sakura said and smiled softly. She walked over to the kitchen counter and got a package from it. "If you two wouldn't mind, would you like to stay for lunch?"

Author's Notes:

Hello, thanks for your reviews. They've been so lovely. I've written most of the chapters in advance since this story have been sitting inside my hard drive for a year or so. Thank you Meiling-kun for your encouragement. They were wonderful. I hope you continue with your own fanfic as well.

Constructive Criticisms are welcome.