A Young Man's Fancy
A Blossom, Spied
Sakura swung on the bus pole, gleefully taping the three young men sitting across the aisle.
"And this is the bus we rode to Eriol-kun's house," Sakura narrated, stopping at each face for a moment.
Syaoran crossed his arms and scowled out the window. Yukito smiled and flashed Sakura a V sign. Touya also crossed his arms and scowled out the window, a mirror image of Syaoran. Sakura smiled and shut off the camera before she sat down next to Syaoran.
"I still think we should have asked to borrow the car, kaijuu," Touya said, still staring out the window.
"Oniichan, we are out on a secret mission. It won't be a secret if we pull up to Eriol-kun's house in Otousan's car," Sakura said, nodding at her logic.
"Well, it's still a secret to me why we're on this mission, so I suppose that makes sense," Touya said, turning his back to Sakura.
Sakura turned off the V8 and glared at Touya.
"Oniichan, you are a complete spoilsport."
She stuck out her tongue and plopped down on the seat next to Syaoran. But what if Oniichan was right? Sakura was doing the right thing. She felt the rightness of Eriol and Tomoyo in her heart. But working such subtle machinations was beyond Sakura. She only knew how to believe, how to create through the sheer power of her conviction. It was Tomoyo, always behind her, nudging people with a smile or a gently phrased suggestion.
This was too much. She shook her head. And now it was Sakura's turn to support her friend and she balked at helping her find true happiness? She would not fail her friend in her hour of need! Sakura shook her fists in the air. Syaoran turned from the window and smiled at her, grabbing one of her hands and easing his fingers through hers. Yukito winked at her. Sakura nodded back. Yes, she was doing the right thing.
"Since you had said that I was a bad friend and too mysterious about my past," Eriol said, "I thought I would rectify the situation and share some quaint English customs!" Eriol smiled his sweetest smile as he led her into the dining room.
It was a testament to Tomoyo's indomitable good manners that she did not gawk at the bewildering mix of crystal, silver, and snowy white linen. Hiiragizawa-kun was not one to do things in half-measure. The table could have easily seated twenty people, with ample room for the deadly arsenal Hiiragizawa-kun ominously labeled "the proper place settings". But there were only two chairs for this monstrous table. But the most peculiar of all, they were sitting on opposite ends of the table.
Eriol pulled out the chair and sat her down. She smiled and tilted her head, giving him a look. Eriol shrugged and smiled that sweet smile of his again.
"This is British life, Daidouji-san. I'm simply being a good friend, remember?" he said before skipping to his end of the table.
There was a bizarre charm in shouting one's conversation across the room. She supposed that Nakuru had planned many a seduction of Touya around this table, roaring on the top of her lungs as she chased him until he collapsed in a dizzy fit. She bit down a giggle at the thought. Such athletic schemes were beyond Tomoyo's abilities. It was a challenge, factoring in the quirks of Hiiragizawa Eriol. This was not the scene Tomoyo had played out in her mind as she had primped before her vanity mirror. But this ruse would not distract her, oh no. She ohohoed in spite of herself.
Spinel Sun coughed. "Good evening, Daidouji-san. I will be your server tonight."
Tomoyo smiled, bowing her head. "Good evening, Spinel-san. You're wearing a lovely tie tonight."
"Thank you, Daidouji-san. I managed to veto the pink bows in time," Spinel said, trying not to preen.
"I heard that, Suppi! A violet bow isn't much better," Nakuru shouted from Eriol's end.
Spinel coughed again, turning his back to Nakuru. "If you need anything, just call for me, Daidouji-san. And now excuse me as I fetch the first course."
Tomoyo smiled and looked down the table at Eriol. If she squinted, she could make out the features of his face. Eriol waved back.
"Hallo, Daidouji-san," he yelled.
Tomoyo frowned. This would simply not do, however charming it was. She picked up the outermost fork as she considered her first move.
"We're here!" Kero-chan shouted. "Where's the grub?"
Sakura grabbed Kero-chan by the tail and stuffed him into her backpack.
"Kero-chan, we're on a secret mission. As in S.E.C.R.E.T. So be quiet," she whispered fiercely.
A muffled, garbled cry was Kero-chan's response.
Nakuru launched herself onto Touya's back, glomping him.
"Touya-kun! I've missed you so much. Where have you been?"
"Away from yo…er in the library," Touya said, rubbing his arm as he glared at Yukito. Touya also glared at the smirking Syaoran for good measure.
"Okay, everyone. We've got work to do," Sakura said, clapping her hands. "Now, Nakuru-san, where is the secret spying spot?"
Nakuru took Sakura's hand and they skipped off together. Syaoran hoped that Tomoyo's brand of insanity was not genetic. Actually, he would also say a silent prayer regarding Read while he was at it. Kinomoto-sensei seemed sane enough. But then there was Touya to consider. He began banging his head against the wall. There wouldn't be much time for it later.
Eriol waved at Tomoyo, his usual cheery smile plastered on his face. Nakuru smirked, prancing around him, salad plate balanced on one hand.
"I don't even know why you bother. It's not as if she can see your face," Nakuru said as she plopped the dish in front of him. "When did you become such a chicken? As I've told To-ya-kun, cowardice is not becoming in a man! Is this how you plan on sweeping Tomoyo-chan off her feet?"
Eriol turned to Nakuru, his smile firmly in place. "I ask that you do not continue pursuing these wild fantasies, Nakuru. Daidouji-san might overhear you."
Nakuru raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be?"
Eriol looked at her. Nakuru looked back at him, shaking her head.
"You're on your own, master."
She shrugged, blowing a kiss to Tomoyo. Tomoyo blushed as she waved back at Nakuru. Eriol felt the sneeze hovering at the tip of his nose. It wasn't fair. He thought perhaps the distance would soothe his anxiety, but it only heightened the sense of temptation, acting as a frame for her dazzling perfection. Damn these allergies. They left him with the ability to think solely in purple prose. Or perhaps it was just Tomoyo. He shook his head, trying to clear the fuzziness. He peered down the table. Tomoyo's head was tilted, one finger cradled against her cheek. Eriol fought the urge to bolt from his seat. Tomoyo's pensive pose had struck fear in lesser men. But he had his duties as the host.
"Is something the matter, Daidouji-san?" he shouted.
She pursed her lips for a moment before speaking.
"I'm simply admiring this remarkable spread, Hiiragizawa-kun. Is this really how they dine in England?"
This was his cue to raise his finger and regale Tomoyo with some twisted version of the 18th century dining habits—Jane Austen filtered through Yamazaki's lens, if you would. But his heart was beating too fast and he couldn't seem to formulate thoughts beyond putrid poetry about the way the candlelight reflected in her eyes. So he smiled and nodded. Tomoyo would truly be the death of his wit.
"It's too bad Sakura-chan couldn't be here. She and Kero-chan would have made this table seem so small."
Tomoyo's own smile faded a little. Eriol winced; cursing himself for thinking this would work. She frowned, her eyes focused on his face, or so he thought. He wasn't quite sure from this distance. He felt his chin for drool and found none.
"What is that compartment behind you, Hiiragizawa-kun?" Tomoyo asked.
Eriol turned around. "Ah, that is the dumb waiter. I had it installed recently. The next time I'm sick, Spinel Sun and Nakuru needn't get lost in the hallways trying to transport soup," he replied.
"We had to make the bloody soup from scratch, ungrateful boy!" Nakuru shouted from the kitchen.
"Stop eavesdropping, Nakuru. It's not lady-like," Eriol shouted back.
"I'm no lady, Eriol. And it's not eavesdropping if you're talking loud enough so the squirrels can hear you in the attic," Nakuru said as she and Spinel came in bearing the entrees.
Eriol sniffed and refrained from reaching for his napkin. There would be no repeat of that nursing debacle. Thank goodness there was no camera documenting this dinner. Tomoyo had been kind enough to leave her camera at home. Voyeurism was apparently unnecessary when it came to her own life. Or perhaps dinner with him was such a non-event it didn't warrant taping. Eriol shook his head. This was not time for wallowing. He wouldn't be like Clow, spinning his plans like a spider in the past. He was a man of action now. In a blink, the table was a cozy fit for two. His eyes were already watering, the anxiety desperately trying to claw its way out of his chest. There was something to be said for planning. Eriol felt his slipper-shod foot brush against something with long, elegant lines, a leg perhaps. He felt his cheeks heat up.
"I'm sorry, Daidouji-san, I didn't mean to…" Eriol said, the words tripping over his tongue.
"I do find it a little embarrassing that you would rather flirt with the table, but I suppose it has nicer legs than I do," Tomoyo said, glancing down, cutting her lettuce into perfect squares.
Eriol looked down and managed not to blush. He indeed was playing footsie with the table. Eriol's sneezing was the only sound in the room for quite some time.
"No, your legs are much nicer than the table's, Daidouji-san, I promise," Eriol said, recovering some of his usual demeanor. He would be damned if he went down without a fight.
Sakura lifted her head from the camera lens and began dancing around the room.
"The table isn't ginormous anymore! It's so romantic, with the candles, and Tomoyo-chan is so pretty and they're smiling! Hanyan!"
Sakura had appointed herself director, which meant she got to sit next to the dumb waiter while she taped the entire dinner with Tomoyo's camera. The perversity of the set up was not lost on anyone, but it was difficult to mock Sakura when, as she put it, she was pursuing happiness, love and justice— particularly when her cards were visibly poking out of her back pocket.
"I still don't understand why we have to tape this ridiculous event," Syaoran said, slouched against the wall next to her.
He paused for a moment and gave her a pointed look.
"Sakura, I thought you said you weren't going to hit me anymore."
Sakura smiled and returned to her seat.
"I made no promises about kicking, Syaoran-kun."
Touya was in charge of the food with Yukito as his assistant. Kero-chan was the hovering vulture, ready to gobble up any tidbits that came remotely near him. Although Eriol had prepared everything beforehand, leaving only the simplest of tasks to Nakuru and Spinel, Touya had little faith in the servers or the chef. He poked around the pots and pans, tasting the various dishes.
"This isn't half bad. Try some, Yuki," Touya said, holding out a wooden spoon for Yukito.
"Touya, if you keep eating everything, there won't be enough to feed Tomoyo-chan and Hiiragizawa-kun," Yukito said, tasting the offering.
"There's enough food to feed an army. He won't miss it. Besides, I doubt he cooked all of this. He prolly whipped up a spell or something," Touya said as he began setting the food onto the plate.
"Touya-kun! Eriol would never do such a thing, especially not for Tomoyo-chan. I can't believe you would say such things," Nakuru said, her face the picture of sorrow.
Touya snorted.
"He takes cooking quite seriously, Kinomoto-san. This oughtn't surprise you—I've heard that Kinomoto Fujitaka-san is quite the chef as well," Spinel said.
A vein popped in Touya's forehead.
"Yuki, you can't mix up the sauces like that!" Touya said, taking back his spoon.
Syaoran wanted to be the voice of reason, but no one was listening to him anyways. So he stood against the wall, brooding. Besides, Sakura had learned a mean kick somewhere along the way and he rather liked his shins the way they were—intact.
Something brushed against Eriol's foot and he started slightly. He had been avoiding the table leg studiously. He continued to cut his meat as if nothing had happened. There, it brushed against him again! Perhaps it was an accident. The table was much shorter now and it was possible that Tomoyo was merely misjudging her personal space. The third time, Tomoyo raised her foot to nudge his ankle firmly. Eriol was starting to wonder if he was walking through a perpetual fever haze.
He repressed the urge to mutter, and looked up at her while he took a sip of his water.
"Hiiragizawa-kun, did you not feel me nudge you?" Tomoyo said, her lips barely moving, her voice just loud enough to reach his ears.
Was there anything Tomoyo couldn't do? Eriol smiled and raised his napkin to his lips. He released the spell slowly, so it made but a whisper in the air around them. He didn't want Nakuru and Spinel noticing.
"I had assumed that you were trying to aim for the table and needed a few tries before you found the proper target," he said into his napkin.
Tomoyo merely blinked, not at all surprised to have Eriol's voice whispering right into her ear.
"Hiiragizawa-kun, your legs are much too muscular to be mere sticks of wood, don't be silly. Now, what I was trying to say was Sakura is taping us from that stolid butler," Tomoyo said, her lips barely moving.
She smiled brightly and then sipped her water. Eriol supposed jumping out of his seat and singing a song about his musclar legs would be an inappropriate response. He settled for quirking one of his eyebrows.
"I would recognize the glare of my V8 anywhere. A beginner would not know to look out for the light sources in her surroundings. Besides, I leant Sakura my V8 because she said she wanted to tape Syaoran. How could I say no?" Tomoyo said, now using her napkin to cover her mouth.
Eriol raised the other eyebrow now.
"So we should give them something worth taping, Hiiragizawa-kun," Tomoyo said, pushing her plate aside, allowing her to lean towards him.
"And what would I do I owe this honor too?" Eriol asked, leaning in as well.
"I'll set my terms later, Hiiragizawa-kun," Tomoyo said softly, allowing her lips to move now.
"And why you? Why not me?" Eriol asked, toying with his butter knife.
"Because you invited me," Tomoyo said, smiling sweetly.
Eriol considered drowning himself in his finger bowl. They were enscrolled to refresh themselves at the end of each course. To die in a pool of rosewater, the exquisite cloisonne his last sight--well, there were less sweet deaths.
"Very well," Eriol said, crooking his pinky in the air.
Tomoyo bent her pinky ever so slightly.
"Sakura-chan sends her apologies for not being able to attend, Hiiragizawa-kun," Tomoyo said, leaning back in her seat, allowing Spinel Sun to remove her plate.
"I am sure she had a good reason for not coming," Eriol said. Nakuru removed his plate, rolling her eyes.
"I suppose a date with Li-kun qualifies. I hope that Sakura-chan is making good use of my V8. I'm not sure if she knows how to use it," Tomoyo said, her voice filled with sincere concern.
Eriol and Tomoyo ignored the sharp intake of breath that came from the general direction of the dumb waiter.
Sakura jumped back from the dumb waiter and squeaked.
"You don't think she knows, do you?" Sakura asked.
"Sakura, Daidouji knows EVERYTHING. Of course she knows," Syaoran said, unable to stop himself from I-told-you-so, Sakura or no Sakura.
"Why hasn't she said anything?" Sakura asked, looking to Syaoran, Touya, Yukito and Kero-chan in turn.
"Because she likes Eriol as much as Eriol likes her," Nakuru said tossing dishes into the sink.
Syaoran and Touya crashed to the floor with identical vein pops.
"It's really amazing that they don't get along more, isn't it, Sakura-chan?" Yukito said happily as they were helping the two young men calm themselves.
"Daidouji-san is hard to read, but I think the freak might have a point," Spinel Sun said as he carefully placed his dishes in the sink.
Sakura bit her lip as she fanned Syaoran.
"I only hope you're right."
"I hope this means you aren't feeling uncomfortable, Daidouji-san," Eriol said, winking ever so slightly.
"Of course not, Hiiragizawa-kun. It's always a pleasure to visit," Tomoyo replied, still smiling. "Although, I must admit, I am rather upset that you made Nakuru and Spinel act as servers."
Eriol snorted.
"I did nothing of the sort. They insisted. This was some scheme that Nakuru cooked up. She thought it was only fair that I gave you my undivided attention, since you had been so attentive to me. Spinel Sun went along with her, which is unlike him. I've always believed him to be the voice of reason. Of course, this somehow turned into me sewing her a new outfit on top of setting the table and cooking the food," he said, his voice taking on a wheedling tone.
He raised his hand to his forehead and collapsed against the back of his chair. Tomoyo giggled.
"It was no burdern to sit at your bedside, Hiiragizawa-kun. You make for a pretty patient--all fevered cheeks and striped pajamas. You should get sick more often. Then the girls at school will visit you and you will be even more popular."
Eriol started to clutch his heart, but a fit of sneezes caught him off guard and he fell out of his chair. Tomoyo rushed out of her chair and kneeled on the ground next to him, helping him sit up.
"Hiiragizawa-kun, you're over-exerting yourself!" Tomoyo said, tsking.
"I'm sorry, Daidouji-san, I didn't mean too," Eriol said, muttering something else under his breath.
Her hair was falling over his shoulders and tickling his nose. She leaned in towards him, her lips merely centimeters away from his ear.
"If you're too obvious, they'll suspect something. We must speak privately and you will answer all my questions. Tomorrow. You can come to my house for tea. Mother is going away on a business trip this weekend, so we'll be alone," she said.
She stayed for a moment longer, her chin not quite resting on his shoulder, before she stood up, dusting her hands. Nakuru and Spinel walked in. Nakuru carried a plate of pastries while a coffee and tea service flew in time with Spinel Sun.
"I'm afraid Hiiragizawa-kun is not feeling well. Dessert looks wonderful, but perhaps another time?" Tomoyo said.
Nakuru looked at Eriol and frowned.
"He is looking rather red, Suppi. Pack up the goodies for Tomoyo-chan. I'm putting him in bed!" Nakuru said.
Without warning, she tossed the pastries. Spinel Sun went diving for the tray while Nakuru slung Eriol over her shoulder, despite being nearly the same height. Eriol begin to flail his legs and arms, but it was a losing battle.
Tomoyo waved at Eriol's back, smiling broadly at Nakuru.
"Until we see each other again, Hiiragizawa-kun. Listen to Nurse Nakuru," she said. "I'll see myself out."
"Only if I survive Nurse Nakuru," Eriol said.
There was silence in the kitchen for a good few minutes.
"Wow, was that weird or what? I wish Suppi would hurry up with those desserts. That creme brulee looked DELISH!" Kero-chan piped up.
Syaoran and Touya rolled their eyes.
A dark grey streak zoomed by.
"The fruit tart was supposed to be mine!" Yukito moaned.
Sakura didn't know if she should be worried. Tomoyo and Eriol had been smiling a lot, but she didn't really know if that was how a date was supposed to end. That was how most of her dates with Syaoran ended. Was this what happened when you were a magician with guardians? One day, she would compare notes with Eriol. Perhaps on his wedding day. Sakura walked to the silent butler and hit the stop button.
BEEP