Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or anything you recognize yours. In this case, I don't own the song, Steep.

A/N: Thanks reviewers. Keep them coming please. And no flames…

Summary: Kinomoto Sakura and Hiiragizawa Eriol are best of friends, seems perfect for each other. Syaoran Li is a teen sensation, engaged to a lovely singer named Tomoyo Daidouji. Hmmm… seems like Cupid got something mixed up… how will he fix this mess?

Chapter 6: Affairs of the Heart 2

"Tomoyo…" Sonomi started with a mild voice. She had her daughter called that morning because of a serious matter she couldn't leave be.

"You called me? Is there a problem?" Tomoyo replied when her mother did not greet her good morning. She knew something was wrong.

Sonomi threw a newspaper on the table and sat on her maroon revolving chair. Her manager, Dhina, stood up this time and sighed tiredly.

"You're on the front page," she told her hesitantly. "Teen singer Tomoyo Daidouji, seen with another man," she read the headline outloud to clear what she just informed the singer.

"Another man?" Tomoyo echoed with a slight chuckle as she picks up the newspaper. "What another man?"

"A raven haired one with glasses," Sonomi answered this time.

"Oh…" she trailed off as she stared at the picture of her jumping on Eriol's car the night before. "But we weren't…"

"You were seen together and you know this media better than I do," her mother interrupted her even before she could finish an explanation.

"A picture? What evidence is in this picture? I just jumped in because a mob was running me around town! He was… KIND to have me ride with him," Tomoyo told them continuously. If you were watching a movie, you would probably looking for the remote for a pause and slow-mo.

"Just stay away from him and it'll be fine," Dhina told her calmly. Being her manager made her used to the teenager's mood swings and snaps. It helps to be too much around her.

"But he's my friend! I can't just approach him and tell him to stay away from me!" yet another phrase from her emotion-filled state.

"You have to and you will!" Sonomi shouted at her, pissed off at how the conversation is progressing.

"But!" Tomoyo tried to argue.

"No buts!" her mother cut her off. "End of conversation!"

Tomoyo sighed and walked out of the room. She knew better than to argue with her mother. If she was stubborn, her mother would be worse considering she got the rotten trait from her. She waslked straight to her room and sat in front of the mirror. She picked up her cellphone and stared at it for a few seconds before flipping it open.

'I better call Sakura for the tickets,' she thought as she searched her number on the phonebook. She got her number the day they met at the airport, specifically when they had lunch.

Clicking the green phone, the other end started ringing and Tomoyo patiently waited for Sakura to answer.

"Hello?" Sakura greeted on the other line.

"Hi, it's me, Tomoyo," Tomoyo replied, introducing herself.

"Oh Tomoyo! What made you call me?" Sakura asked a little surprised.

"It's… Our first concert here is coming up and I thought you would want some tickets," Tomoyo informed her, struggling to keep her voice as cheery as possible. "I've asked for VIP tickets for you and Hiiragizawa, you could pick it up tomorrow at rehersal in the Colliseum if you want."

"Sure…" Sakura replied. "Thanks Tomoyo! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!" Tomoyo bid her goodbye and flipped the phone closed. She stood up from the chair and headed for the door when it opened.

"Wanna go have lunch?" Syaoran greeted with a smile as soon as his face popped in from the opened door.

"Yeah…Sure…" Tomoyo replied hesitantly as memories of the night before filled her mind. As far as she remembers, Syaoran had always been there at the exact moment she needed him, but when a mob was running her exhausted around town and she needed him, he wasn't the one who came, but Eriol. To top it off, they saw him with Sakura. Jeaslousy filled her senses and she couldn't shake the feeling that Syaoran was losing touch of her. Is she falling out of love?

00 00 00 00 00

"I'm really hating myself for this," Cupid muttered seemingly to no one as he looked at Tomoyo and Syaoran who were silently dining as if they were both totally strangers to each other.

The bell hanging at the door of the restaurant rang as Meiling entered. She walked straightly to Cupid's table and sat down without being noticed.

"Think before you act," she said, placing her chin on her hand.

Cupid turned sharply at the sound of her voice, shocked. "W-What are you doing here!"

"To help you and to make sure you don't screw up again of course. What else would I be doing here?" Meiling replied like a total know it all.

Cupid sighed as he turns back to Syaoran and Tomoyo who were barely making ny progress. "You know… they use to smile and laugh whenever with each other…" he opened up the topic.

"When they shouldn't?" was the painful yet perfect reply.

Cupid turned to her with a confused expression the moment he processed what Meiling just answered in his tiny little brain. "What do you mean?" he managed to ask.

"Well… when you think about it, it would be better if they stay this way since they weren't meant for each other in the first place when they were happy," Meiling explained like an automatic sub-machine gun in the World War II.

"Huh?" Cupid muttered with an even more confused expression.

Meiling sighed. "I hate to burst your bubble but to put it simply, they're better off cold than passionate about each other," she simplified the explanation, fit for a stupid guy with a mind just a little better than a duck.

"Yes but… I hate to see people in such depression and pain…" Cupid told her with sad eyes. "It drives me crazy!" he added before he turned back to staring at the couple.

"Then you shouldn't have took the easy way and fired those arrows at the same time!" Meiling shot back, irritated of how pathtic Cupid was turning out to be. "And you shouldn't have started this mess!"

"What do you mean?" Cupid asked yet another stupid question.

Meiling moaned, veins popping out of her forehead. "Do I have to explain everything!" she complained under her breath. "Look… let's just think of ways to get them together. The RIGHT pairs this time…"

Cupid turned to thinking mode, his chin on his right palm. Surprisingly, it only took a few seconds before the great Cupid could come up with something.

"I know!" he accidentally shouted.

Heads turned to their direction and Meiling nearly shrunk to embarrassment.

"Could you turn it down a little?" Meiling warned him.

"Sorry… well anyway, I think I have a plan," Cupid told her proudly.

"What is it then?" Meiling naturally asked next.

"I think we could… SHOULD tell them in their heads exactly what to do," an idea pathtic and dumb.

"You know," Meiling tried to break the painful fact to him slowly. "That's exactly what you're doing wrong."

"What?"

"We better think about something mortal even though we could do some magic to help. We should let their hearts lead the way into loving each other or else it'll be a mess all over again," Meiling slowly explained in fear of repeating everything all over again. "The motal way is the magical way in love."

"Fine then, what do you have in mind?" Cupid asked, assuming that she would have one.

00 00 00 00 00

Sakura and Eriol entered the Colliseum where the concert was taking place catiously. Men working with props and the background theme welcomed them with the smell of paint that seeped out of the room when they opened the door. They both walked to the nearest employee and asked for directions.

"Where is Tomoyo?" Sakura asked.

"To the first room in the left," the man answered, pointing to a dark hallway.

"Thank you," Sakura replied. "I'll go to her office okay, you could roam around if you want. I know you want to," she teased Eriol the moment he turned to him with a giggle.

Eriol chuckled and simply nodded as they parted ways. He went inside the hallway opposite the offices and opened the first door he laid eyes on.

The room had a grand piano in the middle a few boxes filled with props. Nevertheless it was pretty empty.

Eriol walked towards the piano and sat down, admiring the newly polished keys. He looked at the piece laid in front of him and started reading the notes. His hands did the playing and after striking th first note, he started playing the whole thing.

The melow and sad music filled the room as Eriol continued hitting the right keys. Thinking of Sakura, he started to feel a weird and painful emotion filling in with him. 'Sakura…' he thought gloomily.

The door slowly opened as Tomoyo entered the room, assuming that she was already late for rehersals.

Upon hearing the door and footsteps, Eriol immediately halted and stood up from the piano, bowing at whoever could be there with him.

"I'm sorry, I heard music and I thought I was late for rehearsals," Tomoyo excused herself.

"I'm sorry for barging in without permission, I just could help myself," Eriol apologized with a slight chuckle.

"No, it's okay," Tomoyo replied with a smile. "Could you please continue playing? It was… lovely," she commented formally.

Eriol sat back down, placed his hands on the keys, and started playing the melancholic piece all over again. After the short introduction, Tomoyo then, started singing the lyrics of the song.

Softly, gently, I will let you down
'Cause I don't love you in the same way now
I can hold you but not with lovers' eyes
Cause you are more of a brother to me now

'Cause I can't lie next to you
And I can't lie to you
So walk into the sun and watch me run into the rain
For you the future's easy so don't we
For me it's getting steep

The song continued on for a few minutes as Eriol and Tomoyo each enjoyed each other's company.

00 00 00 00 00

"Excuse me but, Tomoyo wasn't in her office. Do you know where she is?" Sakura asked as soon as she walked out of the office where she was told Tomoyo wasn't there.

"Then she must be in the music room," the employee replied. "It's in the other hallway. First door," he explained, pointing her to the direction.

"Thanks again," Sakura told him before she headed to the room.

Sakura walked towards the hallway and halted in front of the first door as she was told to. Hearing a sad music, she decided to take a peek before intruding.

'Eriol…' she thought as she stared at her best friend's beaming face. "It's been a while since I saw that smile of yours," she told no one in particular.

00 00 00 00 00

Eriol continued on until they reached the bridge of the song. His hands carried him all the way through, somehow, hearing Tomoyo's voice made him peaceful and calm. In his mind, he doesn't want to stop the music, not now, and maybe not ever.

For me it's getting…
Steeper and in the dark that's where I want to be
Deeper, I'm going somewhere you won't want to see...

A sizzling feeling filled Eriol's body. His mind was suddenly drifting off to another place and time, though his hands were playing just the same.

"It's too hard!" a young girl complained.

"Try it again. I'm sure you're gonna get it," Eriol replied.

The girl placed her hand over the keys and sighed before starting to hit the notes of the lively song. Hitting the wrong key after a few minutes of playing, the girl stopped and looked at Eriol with sad eyes.

"I don't think I could ever learn this," her voice echoed.

"Of course you can," Eriol encouraged her even more as he placed an arm around her.

The girl turned at him and hugged him as tight as her tiny arms could. Eriol, shocked, simply smiled and hugged back.

"What was that for?" he asked as soon as she let go.

"For being here for me…"

So walk into the sun and watch me
Run into the rain,
For you the future's easy, so don't weep
Yes I will watch you,
Walk…

Eriol accidentally stopped playing as soon as the blurry vision which seemed more of an imagination, faded in his head.

"Is something wrong?" Tomoyo asked, her hand on his shoulder.

"W-Wrong?" Eriol echoed, a little out of place.

"Yeah," Tomoyo replied with a confused voice. "You suddenly stopped playing so I assumed something was wrong," she explained as her face unintentionally neared Eriol's.

"Oh!" Eriol responded as if snapped back to reality, accidentally turning to where Tomoyo's face was.

A weird feeling crept down their spines the moment their eyes met. An odd emotion was filling in is as the temperature rose noticably high. Tomoyo and Eriol were both blushing at the mere centimeters of their faces… and their lips…

The door suddenly burst open as Sakura entered the room, clapping with a smile on her face.

Eriol and Tomoyo both broke the connection and turned to her, fighting the blush that was as well fighting its way out into their pale cheeks. Eriol also managed to stand up and walked up to Sakura, placing an arm around her nervously.

"You were both great!" Sakura shouted cheerfully. "No… BRILLANT!" she corrected herself as she continued clapping.

"T-Thank you…" Tomoyo replied, looking down at the floor.

"O-Of course we are!" Eriol exclaimed as he playfully rubbed Sakura's head with his fist, ruining her nicely brushed hair.

"Hey!" Sakura shouted with a playful smile as she shoved Eriol hand away.

"I suppose you're here for the tickets…" Tomoyo butted in with a low voice. She reached into her pocket after catching Sakura and Eriol's attention and took out two conecert tickets. "Here…" she said before handing them.

"Thank you so much!" Sakura replied with a bow.

Eriol bowed as well, avoiding Tomoyo's eyes as much as possible.

"We better be heading off," he suggested as he looked into his watch.

"Yeah…" Sakura agreed. "Thanks again Tomoyo!" she repeated before starting for the door.

"No problem!" Tomoyo exclaimed, feeling a little more comfortable. "Drive safely!" she shouted before the door closed, waving at Sakura who was doing the same.

Tomoyo slumped back into the chair infornt of the piano and begun playing where Eriol left off, singing the lyrics as well.

…Walk into the sun and watch me
Run into the rain drops
For you the future's easy, so don't weep
For me it's getting…

A vision filled her mind before the last word of the song.

A young boy was kissing her younger self in the forehead. Before the boy could lower down his face and be recognized, the vision faded slowly.

Cut off by the experience, Tomoyo stopped playing and sighed. 'Seems familiar…' she thought to herself.

00 00 00 00 00

"Thanks for the direction," Sakura told one of the employees she asked a little earlier. It was the one that pointed her to Tomoyo's office.

"No problem ma'am," the employee replied. "Anytime," he added as he followed Sakura and Eriol out with his eyes.

The employee walked towards the dark hallway and placed down his paint brush, sighing. With a swirl of pink, little heart-like lights, the once dirty employee re-appeared as a blonde clean man complete with an all white uniform.

"Glad that's over," he whispered to himself.

"I told you the mortal way is the magical way," Meiling told him proudly as she appeared out of the shadows. "You should listen to me more offen Cupid."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Cupid replied a little irritated. "Sometimes I wonder if you really are Aphrodite's apprentice or Hades'" he teased him as Meiling shot him a glare. "I mean… What's up with coming out of the shadows?"

"It's a little less showy so that no attention would be caught," Meiling shot back intelligently.

Cupid secretly chuckled before disappearing in the same light.

Meiling followed.

"Hey…" another employee was cut off when he went into the dark hallway, searching for his co-worker. "Where did he go?" he asked himself , rubbing his head with the paint brush in his other hand.

Sorry it took so long guys. School's back and the first weeks were SO darn hectic… My teachers are just so… Well you know what io mean! Hope you liked it though. More reviews please! … Sorry for grammatical errors and mis-spellings…