Disclaimer: CLAMP Kodansha owns CCS, not me, and I'm frickin'ly broke… Yep, so don't sue me!
Author's Blabbering: I just found out that it's not allowed anymore to place the answers to your reviews (Is that really true or just rumors?). I wanted to protest but then I can't. Obviously, FF dot net is owned by, well, the FF dot net people. So I guess, I haven't got the right to complain… Still, I'm just going to acknowledge all of you at the end of this chapter… Thanks to the lovely Dana Daidouji, my great and patient beta-reader! Read her works and be amazed! Although, you might get confused since we used the same names for my antagonist and her Eriol's mom… Tamara… Geez… Never knew… Sorry, Dana-san.
Anyway, I'd just like to thank all those who reviewed. Gods, you made my day! Really. I'm so glad you all like it (although you're getting irritated by the fact that stupid issues and scenes keep popping everywhere… Like for instance, Tamara. Just ignore her. She's nothing more than a low life… Never mind.)
You know, I'm still wondering why no one got what I wanted to say in the last chapter. You know, the one between Kaho and Eriol. Maybe because I didn't write it good or it wasn't just obvious. Look, you guys, I don't want to spoil you and all but… Hmm… Wait, this is going to be announced in this chapter anyway. Correction, implied. (Neji, can you bring me tea over here?)
You know, it brings tears of joy to my eyes that many of you want to kill Eriol-kun (Chibi Eriol: For God's sake, Nix, stop joking like that!) Well, it's true. I mean, Eriol is like a big bad guy here who is as dense as a rock and as cold as an ice cube (Chibi Eriol: That was how you portrayed me! I was supposed to be the good guy here!) And oh, no, Tomoyo won't have a breakdown. She's too cool to have a breakdown. And please don't cry, minna-san (I mean, for those who cried and almost cried. Roy, give them tissues!)
And I'm from Makati (Sino ba kasi ung nagtatanong nun?) UPAME is an anime and manga organization in (Where else?) UP Diliman and I'm applying there. Gods, it's so difficult, juggling organizations and academics. Argh! Nejiten fan… Nejiten fan… Er, I forgot where I placed that picture, gomen. Thanks for those who keep cheering on me regarding my acads, for the cookies, for the kisses, for the rants and raves… Don't worry, I'm not saying goodbye. Just want to say those things. Thanks for Majah for that wonderful long review (It's the longest one yet… 359 words…) and Winter Skier, my 200th reviewer!
Yun lang muna… More angst and drama scenes here (Well, not most). More laughs in the next chapter. Enough blabbering, on with the story!
CHAPTER 17: TRUST ME
Tomoyo let out a tired sigh as she laid a bouquet of white lilies in front of her parents' tombstones. She smiled slightly at the marble epitaphs, smoothing her white turtleneck blouse. It's been a while since she last visited and gave them flowers. Last time she went there, it was cold and raining, but Eriol was there, holding his jacket above her head. This time, she was alone and it was snowing. She had never felt colder in her entire life…
"Ohayo, kaa-san, tou-san," she greeted brightly as she lit six incense sticks. Her bodyguards had requested that they stay beside or near her in the area, but she insisted that they just stay in the car. This was, after all, something solemn to her. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Am I finally reaching your expectations for me?"
She pressed her lips together as a cool breeze blew over her. She shivered slightly, pulling her white coat closer. She forgot to check the weather channel but it was probably 5 degrees Celsius under 0. Just as cold as the past few days…
"Hiiragizawa-kun has been a very good teacher to me, kaa-san," she said in the same light tone. "And he's really fun to be with! I mean, he may be grumpy and sulky sometimes, but he does know how to laugh, smile and make stupid, corny jokes. Syaoran-kun, Nakuru-chan and I always make fun of him!"
Tomoyo laughed softly then slowly faltered as memories of that Christmas morning flooded her. She bit her lower lip, thinking of what else to say. Suddenly, she crouched on her knees, staring intently at the golden cursive writing on the marble epitaph.
"Kaa-san, is it wrong to like the right person at the wrong time?" she asked quietly, folding and unfolding her hands. "Yeah, I know. It sounds silly, right? … But it's not. I mean, there's this one guy I really, really like… But we can't be together. Well, mainly because he's in love with someone else and… and… it's just plain wrong. And he told me that—that if we could've met at different circumstances, it—it would've been different for us. I never understood what he meant there but…"
She looked thoughtful for a minute before she shook her head. "What am I doing, relating my love-life to you?" she said with a bitter smile. "It's just as messy as my desk at the Tower."
She stopped again, biting her lower lip. "It's really stupid how you think you already found the right person for you in just a matter of months," she continued, her voice as soft as silk. "Then, you find out that, well, he's taken and all… How really, really idiotic of me to even think that… that…"
She knew the stones would never answer her back, no matter how much she ranted, complained, and nagged at it. With another sigh, she then turned to her father's grave, blinking the snowflakes from her lashes.
"Anyway, the corporation's doing really, really great!" she told them using the same tone. "Nakuru-chan just reported to me how much the profits increased this year, compared to last year! I knew I could handle everything!" Her wide grin faltered into a small, almost faint smile. "But there seems to be a little problem…"
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Daidouji Tamara. And I'm the rightful President of Daidouji Industries!"
There was a moment of silence which was consequently broken by a loud laughter coming from a hysterical Nakuru. Syaoran managed a smug smirk and Tomoyo's polite smile was unwavering. There were also several businessmen chuckling at their direction, shaking their head in disbelief. Obviously, it wasn't everyday that someone walks inside the building and declares themselves a Daidouji.
"Now that's hilarious!" Nakuru said, wiping the tears of mirth that had formed in the corners of her cinnamon-colored eyes. "I didn't know it was Scare-the-hell-out-of-people day!"
"Nakuru-chan!" Tomoyo said in warning to Nakuru, her smile still pasted on her lips, then turned to the girl. "I apologize for my Finance Head. She can be very rude."
Syaoran snorted, a chestnut eyebrow raised in contempt. "Well, I'm not surprised why Akizuki laughed like that," he remarked coolly, his frosty glare on the dark-haired newcomer. "With a statement like that, I'm actually surprised ONLY Akizuki laughed like that."
But the young woman didn't seem fazed. Still smiling haughtily, she produced two pieces of paper from the envelope she was holding. "Maybe you should read this first before laughing."
The young amber-eyed man snatched the papers from her hands and proceeded to read it, glaring at her for a while over the edge. He read it for a few minutes, his frown getting deeper by the minute. By the time he was finished with the first paper, he immediately started with the second then reread the first again, his frown still etched on his face. There was no trace of his sarcasm on his expression, just disdain and anger.
Sensing his tension, Tomoyo's mirth slowly dissipated, replaced by a look of concern and worry. Nakuru had the same expression as well.
"Is everything all right, Syaoran-kun?" the lilac-eyed President asked him softly.
Li ignored the two women, turning to the receptionists who all recoiled at the sharp glare the VP sent them. "Call and tell Hiiragizawa to get here right now!" he commanded.
Immediately, the receptionists started working, contacting said CEO. It wasn't long until one of them spoke quietly, her voice trembling slightly.
" Sir Li, I'm afraid Sir Hiiragizawa is busy right now. I was informed by his secretary that he's on the phone, talking with the Prime Minister."
The chocolate-haired Clan Head slammed a fist on the marble desk, causing them to wince slightly. "I don't care if he's talking with the Prime Minister or with the Queen of Denmark!" he barked angrily. "I want him right here, right NOW!"
The receptionists nodded again frantically, trying to reach Hiiragizawa Eriol. Tomoyo frowned in concern at Syaoran who had ran a hand through his messy hair, scowling at the papers. She wanted to know what was written in that paper, what was it that made Li Syaoran lose his temper.
A few minutes later, Eriol arrived, looking as pissed off as his Marketing Head. "What the bloody hell is the meaning of this, Li?" he demanded, crashing his fist on a nearby table. Tomoyo winced inwardly. "I was speaking to the Prime Minister and here you go again with your quirks—" The VP shoved the papers to him wordlessly, cutting his statement short, and Eriol scowled darkly at him. "What the hell—"
"Just read it, Hiiragizawa, for God's sake!"
The ocean-eyed young man glowered at Syaoran for a whole minute before reading the documents. Like Syaoran, his frown deepened every minute, glaring at the paper like it had bit him earlier. After rereading the two documents twice, he rounded on Li.
"What the bloody hell is this?" he demanded angrily, waving the papers in the air. "Where did you get this?"
The chocolate-haired young man jerked a thumb at the newcomer, drumming his fingers on the marble counter of the reception. Eriol frowned at the young woman, taking in her appearance.
"And you are?" he asked curtly.
"I'm Tamara Daidouji," she said, a smug smirk on her face. "I have my proof on those papers that I truly am a Daidouji and should then be the new President of this corporation."
"You must be insane," the young CEO declared, his voice cold and terse. "You do know that I could have you sued and arrested for falsification of documents. And for pretending to be someone you're not."
Tamara just smiled at him. "Then I may have countersued by then. A case against Hiiragizawa Eriol, Chief Executive Officer of Daidouji Industries, for attacking a document proven to be authentic."
"Don't try to intimidate me, woman. I've been through several corporate lawsuits more than you."
The girl's smile was impeccable. "But I'm not intimidating you, Mr. Hiiragizawa. I am merely stating the consequences of your actions, if ever they will be brought to court."
"We'll see about that," Eriol muttered, snapping the documents on the desk, glaring at the receptionists. "Call Mizuki Kaho right now! Tell her I need to see her right now and I won't accept excuses!" He then turned back to Tamara Daidouji. "I will not believe this until you show me real proof, as well as Mizuki's, on this."
Tamara Daidouji grinned at him sneeringly. "If you won't accept this, then we might as well see each other in court. And oh, you can keep those. I have another authentic copy at home." She turned to Tomoyo who was frozen on the spot where she was standing. "I'll see you there too, little sister."
A loud ringing dragged her out of her thoughts and she stared at her ringing bag for a whole minute. Before faintly realizing that her cell phone was ringing shrilly. Startled, she immediately pulled out the small silver device and flipped it open.
"Moshi-moshi, Tomoyo desu."
"Ah, Tomoyo-chan!" It was Nakuru. "Eriol said he needs to talk to you!"
"I do not!" she heard a voice that definitely sounded like Eriol. Nakuru must be in his office, using his phone again without permission. "Don't start making up stories now!"
"Oh, for God's sake, stop-your-pointless—Argh! Eriol!"
There was a scuffle on the other line and Tomoyo guessed the young woman was probably forcing her cousin to take the phone already. Suddenly, a sharp bang that sounded like gunshot made Tomoyo jump out of her skin. What the hell was that?
"Oops, sorry, Tomoyo-chan," Nakuru was back on the phone, panting hard. "The handset fell on the table."
"Er, that's all right…" Tomoyo sweatdropped. "Is there still something you want to tell me?"
"Oh, Eriol would tell it to you!" Then… "Oh, c'mon! Just take the goddamned phone, Hiiragizawa!"
"Why should I? You called her so you should talk to her!"
"Look here, wise guy, be grateful that I'm the one who volunteered to help you resolve your problem with Tomoyo-chan—"
"For one, Nakuru, I didn't ask for any of your help. And I haven't got a problem with Daidouji—"
"Sure you do! You obviously owe her an apology!"
"No I don't!" Tomoyo winced at the words. They must've forgotten about her already. "Kaho and I weren't doing anything wrong!"
"So it's 'Kaho' now, is it? Just because you had her for just one night doesn't mean—"
Tomoyo hung the line, fighting back tears, not wanting to hear any more of their conversation. Or more like argument… So something did happen. She didn't misunderstand it. She was right about it. And the part where she was right was the one that hurts.
Her phone started ringing again and she pulled it out once more, clearing her throat and forcing a calm expression.
"Moshi-moshi?"
"Tomoyo," it was Syaoran this time. "What happened? Akizuki said you hung the line."
She bit her lower lip. Nope, she definitely need not to say the truth here. " Hung the line?" she asked innocently. "But I thought Nakuru-chan hung the line. Maybe it got cut."
"Yeah, maybe—cut it out, you guys!—Okay, I'll make this short since Nakuru is near to killing Hiiragizawa. Can you go here right now? Hiiragizawa called a meeting at 10 and well, it's about that Tamara."
She glanced at her watch. 9:50 "Go there? Right now?"
"Yes, where are you anyway?"
"I'm… I'm at the cemetery. I thought of visiting kaa-san and tou-san today."
"Oh… I see. Anyway, I'll see you, all right? But if you're not feeling well, it's all right if you'd rest for a while. You seemed tired lately." There was another scuffle in the background and Tomoyo could hear Eriol shouting colorful profanities and epithets directed towards Nakuru. "Well, I need to go. I still need to stop Nakuru from strangling Hiiragizawa. Bye!"
Syaoran didn't even wait for her goodbye, immediately cutting the line. Tomoyo let out a sigh and slid her phone in her trench coat pocket. With another sigh, she straightened to her full height and forced a smile to the two dark marble slabs on the ground.
"So, I'll see you later, kaa-san, tou-san!" she said cheerfully. With that, she walked back to the car, feeling cold as ever.
10 am, Conference hall…
Tomoyo stifled a groan as she sat at the head of the conference table, listening to everyone's words. She had just arrived from her visit to her parents' grave after Eriol had summoned her, or more like Li since Eriol still won't speak to her, to an emergency meeting with the other members of the board regarding the arrival of Daidouji Tamara and the documents she brought with her.
"Well, the documents seem to be authentic," Kaho Mizuki said evenly, tapping her long fingers noiselessly on top of a brown envelope. "I can't find any sign of falsification on it."
"So are you now saying that we give in to her wishes?" Nakuru snapped angrily at the lawyer.
The older woman frowned at her. "I just remarked that I couldn't find any sign of forgery on the document," she replied calmly. "I didn't say we should appoint her as the new President. Whatever happens, Tomoyo is still, and will still be, the President of this corporation."
Tomoyo managed to send her a faint smile before letting out another groan. This was getting on her nerves already. She doesn't want to deal with this conflict yet, as she was having her own internal conflict with her mind and heart regarding a certain blue-eyed CEO. She wasn't even through sorting out her feelings, for crying out loud! And after that phone call conversation, she doubted she'd be able to resolve this internal conflict of hers. Then now they wanted her to deal with… with a girl who just declared herself to be the new President of Daidouji Industries! For God's sake, can't they let her think coherently for just one minute?
"So what do you think, Mizuki?" she heard Syaoran spoke curtly, his voice as sharp as knives.
"Well, as much as I admit her papers look quite authentic, I just don't believe she's a daughter of Sir Kotarou," the older woman said, pulling out the photocopies of the documents from the brown envelope. "It's not quite possible. And even if Sir Kotarou had an illegitimate daughter, how come he never told me or Madam Daidouji?"
"Perhaps he didn't know?" one of the board members suggested.
Kaho shook her head smilingly. "I don't think so," she said lightly, raising one of the documents to show it to everyone. It looked suspiciously like a last will and testament. "It says here that he had left all his assets to his ONLY daughter, Tamara Daidouji. It was even signed by Sir Kotarou himself." She glanced at the paper once more. "At least, that's what Tamara says…"
"You do realize you're contradicting yourself, Kaho," Eriol said coolly, looking over his fingers. "A while ago, you're saying that the documents are authentic. Now, you're saying they're not."
"Again, I didn't say they ARE authentic," Kaho replied matter-of-factly. Why can't anyone understand her even when she's not using technical terms? "I said that they SEEM or LOOK authentic. Now that's different."
Syaoran raised one inquiring eyebrow. "But what about the other paper?" He gestured at the additional document lying under the lawyer's arm. "It clearly shows that her DNA is almost similar to Sir Daidouji's."
"Similar, yes, but not close enough," the ginger-haired attorney answered once again. "She could have come from a close relative of Sir Kotarou, let's say, a brother or uncle. At least that's what Kaine told me." Kaine was the resident chief investigator under Daidouji Industries with his own investigating team.
"But then, there is a chance that she may really be a daughter of Sir Daidouji, is there not?" another one of the directors asked straightforwardly. Kaho, although halfhearted, nodded deeply. "Then, if that's the case, we would have to accept that she should be the President of this corporation. After all, based here, she's definitely older than Lady Tomoyo."
"Of course we can't! We haven't confirmed it yet that she really is the daughter of Sir Daidouji!" Kaho had jumped to her feet in indignation. These people are simply ridiculous. It's almost as if they didn't want Tomoyo.
"But we can't argue with the tests!"
"Still, we can't just jump to conclusions, can we?"
A commotion erupted inside the conference hall between Kaho, Syaoran and Nakuru, and a few board members. Eriol rubbed his temples with a heavy sigh, a sign that he was getting tired of all this. He glanced at Tomoyo, whose face was impassive, staring vaguely at her glass of water. Fortunately for him, Tsukishiro Yukito kept them under control.
"Please, ladies, gentlemen," the silver-haired young man said, a hand held up. They all fell silent at the gesture and Kaho took her seat, looking every bit upset. "Why don't we all calm down and assess the situation? I'm sure we could solve this one out if we all work together." He glanced meaningfully at Tomoyo who had finally snapped out of her trance. "Is there something you want to say, Miss President?"
Tomoyo bit her lower lip and slightly cocked her head to one side. She stared intently at her hands, now folded on top of the mahogany table, avoiding anyone's, especially Eriol's, gaze.
"I'm thankful that most, if not all, of you still support me in this conflict. But to be honest, if it wasn't for my promise to my mother's grave…" She took a deep breath and unfolded her hands, raising her gaze to look at each of them. "I'd rather hand my position to Tamara-san than stay here."
Another commotion broke out. Now, even Eriol looked indignant at her words. But they were all silenced when she lifted a hand.
"Please hear me out," she pleaded softly, folding her hands on her lap. "Right now, I'm quite tired of being a Daidouji. I'm currently having an internal conflict myself and it's just so… difficult." She swallowed a sob and pressed her lips for a minute, staring at the desk.
She remembered what Eriol had told her a long time ago: Never show your weakness in front of the board; bluff if you had to. She bit her lower lip, keeping her emotions at bay. But it was difficult pretending to be strong. Her emotions just keep overwhelming her that she can't even sit straight and face them with a chin held high.
"Just a few days ago, my older cousin remarked that… that I looked like a mess and haven't been taking care of myself lately. Everything's been a blur these past few weeks and I couldn't kept track of my work anymore that I actually wished someone would come and rescue me…" She smiled slightly, almost bitterly as if regretting those words. "I didn't think it would really happen though. But still—"
"So this means that you're already incapable of handling the corporation, does it not?"
Eriol, Syaoran and Nakuru turned sharply at the owner of the voice while Tomoyo frowned inwardly at the words. The CEO narrowed his deep blue eyes at the speaker.
"Why am I not surprised it was you who spoke, Evans?" Eriol said sarcastically, his voice dripping with poison.
The blond leaned back on his seat, his fingertips touching lightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, I have to make sure, haven't I?" he replied coolly. "My father bought five million in shares from this corporation. Obviously, if Daidouji Industries goes down because of a weak and incompetent team leader, our corporation goes down as well."
"Then why don't you just pull out your shares?" Nakuru shot back angrily "Your company's not a big loss to the corporation anyway!"
Evans's crimson orbs narrowed slightly at the auburn-haired Finance Head. It may sound rude and offensive, coming from Nakuru herself, but everyone in the room knew the young woman was right. Five million shares is nothing compared to the hundred millions of shares different companies invest in the corporation.
"Daidouji Industries is a private corporation which owns seventy companies, a few of which is publicly traded. It also has several hundred millions shares in different multi-national corporations. And although ninety-eight percent of the corporation is owned by Miss Daidouji, the two percent is owned by a handful of employees. Obviously, the corporation can support itself with those assets.
"So, Daidouji Industries would not go down, even without a President, unless more than 65 percent of those seventy companies go down," Nakuru continued loudly. "But I'm sure you already know that, Evans. After all, aren't you the local neighborhood Know-It-All?"
"Still, with a weak and incompetent leader—"
"You're the only one who keeps saying that Tomoyo-chan is weak and incompetent, you idiot!"
The young man looked murderous, judging from the death glares he was sending Nakuru's way. Of course, the girl just waved it off airily with a bored hand, making him fume even more. Eriol actually admired the guts of the girl, speaking like that to Evans. But then, he knew, after that brutal exchange of words, next would be bloodshed. Fortunately, Kaho and Syaoran were thinking the same lines as he did and they managed to stop Evans and Nakuru, who both stood up rather abruptly, from killing each other.
Of course, since they were too busy restraining the two arguing executives, no one made a move to prevent the young President from standing up from her seat and walking over to Evans, who stared at her, bewildered.
"You know," Tomoyo started lightly, biting the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "I really hate to do this to you but since you're already getting on my nerves…" Without warning, she pulled back an arm and punched the platinum blonde-haired guy square on the face with all the force she can muster.
And just like in the movies, the whole room was stunned as Evans staggered backwards, consequently falling over his chair. Even Nakuru had nothing to say, her jaw wide open. Tomoyo, on the other hand, was shaking her fist to numb the pain that shot up her arm.
"Your jaw's quite hard, you know," she said as an afterthought, returning to her seat, and from there, she glared at him, the same intimidating look she uses when she blackmails Eriol. "If you've got a problem on how I run this corporation, I suggest you file a complaint against me. But still, the last time I looked, it's my corporation and I certainly don't accept insults. They will just be thrown back at you forcefully. If you wish to pull your investments out, then fine, do it. I'm quite certain we can manage, even without you, Evans."
Evans, clutching his now swollen jaw, stumbled to his feet and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Tomoyo took her seat and let out another sigh, shutting her eyes in frustration.
Kaho looked flabbergasted at the President's rather violent feat but then, she did have to agree that Evans deserved it. Anyone could've lost control over those words and that includes Tomoyo.
"Anyway, our petty arguments will only lead to more confusion," she took the lead once again. "We need to work together instead of arguing like preschoolers…"
Eriol glanced at Tomoyo who had resumed her weary expression, her head in her hands. She must've lost control of herself just a while ago, needing something to vent her emotions to. Too bad for Evans, he then became Tomoyo's stress punching bag, as she had mildly put it. But still… He glanced at her sideways and found that she had reverted back to her gloomy mood. He knew the young woman was still avoiding him like hell but he needed to talk to her now, to at least urge her to go on. Although he doubted that she would reply, respond or even look at him.
He still has no idea why she was acting that way towards him, no idea what he did wrong, no idea why Nakuru and Syaoran had reacted like that when he told them everything. It's not like he had affected someone by that one single action. He couldn't understand what was happening around him now. He was sure of one thing though.
That something inside him ached whenever he sees that sad look on Tomoyo's eyes. There was something in him that wanted to remove that emotion from the girl's lilac orbs.
And he couldn't help agree with Li. For such a young, talented and brilliant CEO, he sure is dense when it comes to dealing with emotions and people.
"—don't you think, Eriol?"
The ocean-eyed young man looked up, startled out of his thoughts, to find Kaho and the rest of the group staring at him expectantly. He frowned slightly, shaking his head inwardly as if to erase all thoughts. "Again?"
The lawyer let out an exasperated sigh. "I said, it'd be better if we all work together to get out of this predicament, right?"
Eriol nodded absently. "I agree. I'm sure there's a loophole in Tamara's story that would prove her false. I trust your lawyers on this, Mizuki." The older woman nodded and he glanced once more at the young President. "Do you want to say something else, Miss Daidouji?"
Tomoyo looked up once more. "As I've said, this is my corporation and I won't let anyone take it from me," she said evenly. "Yeah, I admit I'm already tired of all this but I'm trying my best to hold on and not break down." She paused and looked at each of them. "This isn't because of any will or promise. This is my family and no one's going to take it from me, even if she's another Daidouji like me."
The group applauded her words, something that was not expected from a young leader-in-training like her. Obviously, a few did not expect her to still stand her ground in the end. Eriol adjourned the meeting and many of the board members approached and assured her that they would be of help to her in this. The raven-haired girl just smiled at them faintly, nodding slightly in acknowledgement.
"Your mother would be very proud," Tsukishiro Yukito told her warmly, patting her shoulder like an older brother. A pang of loneliness shot through Tomoyo as she remembered Touya. "I'm sure she's smiling at you right now."
"Thank you," she said softly, reaching out for her glass of water. "I really appreciate your actions earlier."
The silver-haired Vice Chairman just smiled. "I'm just doing my job," he replied. "And fulfilling my promise to your mother."
"Still, thank you."
He nodded slightly at her then smiled at Eriol who was still seated on his place, looking as pensive as ever. With that, he left the conference room, followed by the other board members.
"Are you all right?" Nakuru asked the young Head as she slumped helplessly on the mahogany table. "I didn't know you've got a strong arm."
"I'm fine, just tired," Tomoyo replied with a slight smile. "And I should thank Touya-kun for teaching me that. I didn't know it would come in handy someday." Nakuru grinned at her mischievously.
"Did you sleep last night?" Syaoran inquired, pausing from organizing his paperwork to look at her. Eriol inwardly hated his brotherly instinct towards the girl who nodded, her smile not fading one bit. "All right then." Of course, he didn't sound that convinced.
Kaho looked like she was still hesitating to speak to Tomoyo, staring intently at the brown envelope in her hands. "Well, I admit that it was unnecessary to punch Evans but he deserved it anyway," she finally said and the younger woman looked up at her. She pasted a warm smile. "So… If you need any help, just call, okay? We'll be there for you. My firm will start working on this case right away."
Tomoyo nodded gratefully. "Arigato, Kaho-san," she responded.
The auburn-haired woman started for the door stiffly, but not before Tomoyo called her one more time. Kaho turned to her, confused.
"Oh, and I apologize for everything," the lavender-eyed heiress said with a slight bow. "You've been such… such a great help to me, supporting me and all, and yet…" She bit her lower lip, staring at the carpet. "…I really hope you can forgive me…"
Kaho stared at her then shook her head smilingly. "There's no need for apologies, Tomoyo," she told her. "You've done nothing wrong. Besides," she glanced slightly at Eriol who was glaring darkly at the table. "Everything was my fault. I knew I shouldn't have…"
"Kaho-san—"
But Kaho had already left without a backward glance at them. Nakuru had left next, but not before making a joke to cheer up the weary Head. Syaoran was the last and he, like Nakuru, tried to lighten up the mood of Tomoyo.
"You sure you're okay?" he asked one more time and she nodded again. "All right, well…" He threw Eriol a wary glimpse. "If he says something or does something to you, don't hesitate to call me, all right?" Then he added as an afterthought. "Although I'm sure you could take care of him with that arm of yours."
Tomoyo giggled softly, waving at him. "I'll see you later, Syaoran-kun."
After Syaoran had left, Tomoyo stood up as well, her plucky personality leaving her at once now that she's alone with Hiiragizawa, her eyes cast downwards. She fumbled for her pen and folders, almost dropping everything to the floor. Almost, since Eriol had caught them all before they had actually hit the floor. She thanked him quietly, still avoiding his eyes, then walked past him with a mumble of "Ja, Hiiragizawa-kun…"
"Daidouji."
She was in the process of reaching for the doorknob when he had called her, his voice calm and composed. She bit her lower lip then turned to him, gazing on the floor. "Hai, Hiiragizawa-kun?"
"Can we talk for a moment?"
Tomoyo wanted to run out of the room, hide under the table or jump out the window. Of course, they were on the 39th floor. She'd end up a mess on the streets of London for everyone to see if she jumped out. Still, she'll do anything just to get away from Eriol Hiiragizawa and The Talk, even punch Evans repeatedly.
If this is anything about what had happened last Christmas, I'd seriously jump out. I don't care.
She swallowed inwardly. Nope, she can't do this right now. Not now. Not tomorrow. Maybe on March or April. But not now, not tomorrow, next week or next month. They can talk, when she's a heck lot sure about her feelings, when she can finally control the nerves connecting her arm and her emotions, and when Eriol had finally become a statue that will not retort, rebuke or reproach her.
Of course, she didn't know that the I'm-a-walking-talking-snowman-and-ice-block-personified Hiiragizawa Eriol was thinking the same line of thoughts as her.
What the hell I'm doing? He grumbled to himself, cursing his no-good mouth, as the young woman continued to gaze on the floor. Talk? Talk! What can we talk about? She wouldn't even look at me, for God's sake!
He was actually hoping the ground would swallow him up for even trying to catch her attention or what. But then, that wouldn't be possible since they were 39 floors up. Still, there was nothing wrong in hoping, right? Look at Tomoyo, she hoped that someone would rescue her from her work and look what happened!
"Hiiragizawa-kun?" She was looking at him now, a puzzled expression on her face. "Are you quite all right?"
He then concluded he must've been looking like an idiot, judging the concerned look Tomoyo was throwing his way. Wait… concerned?
"I'm fine," he replied curtly and she nodded meekly, her attention once more concentrated on the floor. Eriol slapped himself mentally. He should really get a treatment from a psychiatrist soon. "Why don't you take a seat?" He gestured at her seat at the head of the table.
Tomoyo complied quietly. "Will this be long?" she asked with an uneasy smile, hugging her folders tightly to her chest like a shield.
"Don't worry, after this, I'll call Cyrus and ask him to pick you up," he told her, cutting off her protests with a raised hand. "This won't take long, I promise." He knew she was acting demure again because of him.
"That's not necessary anymore—"
"I insist. I can't afford you to get sick now, can I?"
"But Hiiragizawa-kun—"
"Did you sleep well last night?" he inquired and she blinked up at him confusedly. He repeated his inquiry. "Did you sleep well last night?" She nodded and he frowned at her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, why—"
She halted abruptly when Eriol suddenly leaned forward, tracing one long finger lightly under her right eye. She stared at him as he half-leaned back, half-sat on the conference table, studying the beige, velvety substance on his finger.
"You're getting better in lying," he remarked dryly. "And putting on concealer."
Tomoyo bent her head again to hide her darkening cheeks. They were quiet, pondering whether or not to speak, what to say and how to act. For some minutes, they were like that, silent and taciturn. No one wanted to start. But Eriol, being the gentleman that he is, spoke first, realizing it was him who had invited her for a talk.
"Are you still angry at me because of that incident?" Ah, Hiiragizawa Eriol, the master of subtleties and beating-around-the-bush inquiries. He absently raised a hand to rake his hair, just in case Tomoyo decides to attack him all of a sudden.
The young lady smiled softly, ignoring the painful twitch of her heart. But then, Eriol didn't know if she was smiling at the floor or at him. "There's no reason for me to be angry at you, Hiiragizawa-kun," she replied simply. "You did nothing wrong."
"Well, that's something," he muttered almost bitterly, although he wanted to record her words and let Li hear it. A part of him kept saying that he was right, that he was innocent, but another part of him kept saying he's wrong, that he still made a mistake. "All right, let's rephrase that question, shall we? Are you still uncomfortable with me because of that incident?" Way to go! Another subtle question to make the girl feel less uncomfortable!
The moment Tomoyo looked away, Eriol knew what the answer to his inquiry was. He wasn't dense to not know what her actions meant. He's not that insensitive and slow on the uptake, for crying out loud! And so, he sat there in front of her, studying his hand which now became the most interesting object in the world. Once again, because of his oh-so-talented mouth, he placed the room in waist-deep tension.
Eriol cleared his throat and the raven-haired President glanced at him briefly. He studied her face intently, hoping to catch her gaze. When he failed, he let out a sigh.
"For the second time in my life, I've been called a dense and idiotic person by no less than a cousin of mine who I believe is also low on the intelligence scale," he started with a faint wry smile as he stared at the portrait of Sonomi Daidouji behind Tomoyo. "Nakuru called me an idiot because I couldn't figure you out… Your actions, your expression. Everything about you. You're so unpredictable, always changing, like… like a kaleidoscope."
She glanced up at him briefly, startled by his words, then cast her gaze downwards once more, a swirl of emotions in her purple orbs.
"When you ran off like that, I didn't understand why you did it at first," he continued, frowning slightly. "But now that I'm starting to realize what Li and Nakuru meant, something's nagging me. That, in a way, I did make a mistake and hurt you. That there's something about you…" He looked at her and met her dazed orbs. "Something that I refuse to believe…"
Tomoyo looked away, biting her lower lip in hesitation. "Whatever it is… it's not what you think it is…" she told him quietly, biting her lip harder to fight back tears.
"Then what is it?"
"It's nothing…"
"Look, if you keep acting like this, you'll destabilize the corporation's equilibrium."
She pressed her lips together, fighting back a retort. It's like he's blaming it all on her, saying that it'll be her fault if the corporation sinks. "It's not like you haven't destabilized it yet with your actions…" she muttered quietly.
"What?" he snapped, glaring at her. "So this is about me and Mizuki now? Whatever happened between me and Mizuki, it's none of your business!"
Tomoyo swallowed a dry sob. "I didn't say anything about Kaho-san…"
"In that case, don't make it such a big deal! If it's nothing, then I can't understand why you, for one, can't make the effort to set that issue aside!"
"Because I can't!" she cried, jumping to her feet. Eriol was taken aback, stunned to see her eyes brimming with tears. "It's too difficult for me to do it…" Too painful for me to forget it…
"Daidouji—"
"You know why you don't understand a thing?" she continued angrily, clenching her fists. "That's because you're so narrow-minded! You only think about yourself, nothing more! You're a selfish, insensitive and unfeeling snowman! You don't care about anything at all; about the people around you, about me, about my feelings for you—"
Upon realizing what she just said, she clamped a hand over her mouth, looking up at him with wide, frightened eyes. She had gone way over the line between them, stepped blindly because of her anger. Eriol, on the other hand, remained indifferent, his face void of any emotion. Tomoyo wanted to shatter that calm expression of his, to see what he's hiding under that mask.
"I'll pretend that I didn't hear anything," he told her evenly, paying no attention at the internal war waging between his heart and mind. What did she mean by those words? It can't be, can it? "For now, I suggest we first set aside this conflict between us for a while and focus on the bigger problem we are currently facing."
The young woman said nothing as she sat back down, her hands almost crumpling the folders as she held them tightly.
"We need to work together here, Daidouji," he said almost angrily. "Right now, there's a senseless girl out there, trying to vie for the right as the President of this corporation—"
"Then why don't you just give it to her?" she shot back bitterly. "I never wanted the job in the first place!"
"Look who's talking now about insensitivity and selfishness," he scoffed dryly. "And do you really think I'd trust this corporation in the hands of an inexperienced young girl when I've been consigned by your mother to take care of it?"
"You did," she retorted. "When you made me President."
Eriol however didn't look fazed by her words. He merely stared at her as if annoyed by her comeback. "That's because Madam Daidouji has trust in you," he replied pointedly. "And so have I…"
Tomoyo almost blushed at his statement. But almost is not enough, especially when the tension was already high. "You think it's easy to just set aside an internal conflict such as this?" she snapped and he absently raised his arm again. "I'm not going to punch you, for crying out loud!" He frowned at her, lowering his arm on the table. "Look, you can't just set it aside like some work to be finished some time later. Every time I think about it, the more painful and more difficult it becomes…"
"That's why I'm asking you to just forget about it for just a little while." Tomoyo stared at him as his voice made a sudden change: from its cold, harsh tone to a warmer, gentler one. "Just for a little while, let's work together. We can work this out if we make a compromise. And if we succeed in solving this problem then…"
"Then?" she asked in a challenging voice. "Then what, Hiiragizawa-kun?"
"Then I'll make sure we resolve the conflict between us," he told her quietly. "Whatever it is, whatever it takes, I swear. I'm positive everything will come back to normal. Trust me."
Tomoyo nodded absently, looking away with a pained expression on her face. It won't be normal after everything…
"You think they made up already?" Nakuru asked as she and Syaoran stepped inside the elevator, making their way down to the lobby. They were creeping around the conference hall, thinking that something might happen if the two executives were left inside one room. And something did happen. A lot of shouting and arguing that is. "They fell quiet all of a sudden."
Syaoran grimaced. "Well, knowing Hiiragizawa, he's probably having one of those 'talks' with her again."
"So they didn't make up?" Nakuru's face fell at this, a pout on her lips. The amber-eyed Marketing VP rolled his eyes. "Eriol's one of the densest people in the world!"
"And you know his attitude," Syaoran pointed out to her. "He won't swallow his pride even if his life depended on it."
"But it's Tomoyo-chan!"
Syaoran shook his head. "It doesn't matter if it's Tomoyo or the Prime Minister. Eriol always has a pride to take care of."
Nakuru pouted, crossing her arms across her chest. "That's what I hate about him!" she said sourly. "It's always his pride that he cares for. He doesn't care about anything else. No wonder his ego's so large!"
"Well, you know Hiiragizawa…"
The elevator doors opened at the entrance lobby with a soft chime and the two executives stepped out, hoping to get a late lunch at the cafeteria. They have to store a lot of energy, just in case Eriol decides to hold another impromptu meeting like earlier. It won't help them if Evans tries to start another verbal battle and they're out of ammunition.
They were quiet for a while as Syaoran pushed the glass doors for the both of them. Nakuru immediately bounded inside, her energy rising to extreme levels once again at the sight of the sweet confections, and Syaoran trudged after her. After a few minutes of ordering their lunches, with Nakuru pointing here and there at the cakes, a thought crossed Syaoran's mind.
"Nakuru, you don't think that the reason why the room fell suddenly quiet is because Daidouji punched the lights out of Hiiragizawa, do you?"
The auburn-haired executive frowned in thought, a cream-covered finger in her mouth. "You don't say…"
They stared at each other for a minute, realizing that Li could be right with his theory. After a minute, they shrugged nonchalantly and Nakuru started her wild spree on sweets again. Li smirked slightly.
"Well, I guess there's no problem. After all, Hiiragizawa was gifted with a hard head."
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