The Sword and The Pen
-Card Captor Sakura-
Esodane
A/N – Guys, thanks! Isn't it that I changed my very boring summary to something interesting and exciting, poetic summary? If you think so too, I have to ultimately thank Simon Garces, Dianne Garces, Loraine Dumagat, and Janelle Garcia! Salamat mga Fwends! (Thank you friends)
I know the whole Eriol thing depresses you, but please, don't worry, bwahahahaha! Am I too harsh… and cruel? Sigh… Everybody says I'm evil, but hey, I'm a human and everyone of us has a nature of being evil… so don't let on… hehehe, well, and yeah, there is another surprise waiting for you… and it's going to be a GOOD one.
Rebecca – No big! If you say it's really good, that only word makes one of my days the best day ever!
Cool Aya – I admit I'm doing your dedications without seeing your review but hey, I know you're going to read it anyways, sweatdrops! Thanks, may it be a flame or praise, I love you for reviewing the two stories so far I have seriously made…
Sins.of.Angels – There you go, your dedication, sorry, for not making my dedications for ya, just rushing in the last chapter! Well, anyways, thanks! I'm really glad you became a part of my review section, and by the way your pen name became my inspiration for chapter 8's name, you know, Sinned Again… I love your pen name, really!
Ok, there you go, here is the tenth chapter, hope you like it, though it's centrally angst for Syaoran, happiness for Eriol, hostility for Jacquelyn, and doubt and confusion for Saku-chan, and oh, jealousy and more weirdness for Tomoyohhhhhhhh! Now you think you get my idea? Haha, read this chapter whole-heartedly, you'll understand why now I included Tomo-chan as a main cast! And don't worry Tomoyo fans; I swear she's not going to be evil…
JUST A NOTE, ERIOL AND SAKURA'S RELATIONSHIP WAS SECRET, AND BOTH OF THEM ONLY KNOW IT, AND NOTHING ELSE. NOBODY KNOWS EXCEPT MIRROR CARD OF COURSE! BUT THEN SAKURA DIDN'T KNOW MIRROR HAD SOME KIND OF UNIQUE POWER THAN ANY OTHER CARD SHE HAS…
-Canopied Mists-
Eriol looked at the metallic grey ceiling, placed was a very modern chandelier, and though it was morning, the place he was seating at, the lobby, was already crowded. People, male, female, walking briskly, holding different kinds of stuff… Cellular phones, coffee cups, mugs, folders, diskettes, laptops, papers, whatever. And he felt dumb seating at a plastic bench behind the huge fountain at the center of the lofty, busy lobby.
"Where the hell is Sakura?" He sighed, "it is part my fault though, I didn't even ask what time at the morning I should go here," He gazed at the backdrop. Oh how time did change, at the time he was at Tomeda, six years before, there was no such thing as Cloe corporation, or beautiful, sexy Sakura… but the college years he experienced with her, and after a while, their love again ended, like of Syaoran's… just because of some leave-taking… he went to Europe, to finish his college years… and he was sure Sakura regretted on her actions forever, even until now… He thought it was because of himself and Syaoran was that Sakura now didn't fell in love again seriously. At Sakura's age, she was technically able to easily marry or seduce some handsome, incredible guy, because of her beauty, attitude, and money, she was the perfect girl for anyone, but Eriol knew who she really liked… who she really was in love with, obsessed with… and he hated that reality and fact… ",Syaoran" Eriol mumbled. Yes, Syaoran, it was the name of the man who was lucky enough to get Sakura in love to… "argh… I hate myself when this happens to me…" he sighed again, and leaned his back to the back of the bench, and breathed to relax the self-tension he was making himself… 'I'm thinking too much again,' he thought, and another exhausted sigh got out of his mouth again,
"Hi Eriol!" A woman's voice approached towards him. Eriol could imagine she was running, since footsteps of high heels tapped on the floor.
'Sakura?' he faced front, it was not Sakura, but rather a tall woman with a mysterious face, topped with a long, grey, braided hair, and she was wearing some long, purple dress, that really looked like a princess's robe. He gazed at her frankly, with that uhhh-who-are-you look.
"Well, don't pretend you don't know me," she said, quickly noticing his strange look at her.
"Well, I don't, unless, if forgot someone I've known from before," he said,
"Eriol, hello, Tomoyo here," she sighed, and then she smiled at him, and then fixed her hair unnecessarily, then swooped it like a model would do every five minutes,
"Tomoyo?" he said surprised, he still remembered clearly how straight her hair was last night. He could still remember, and by looking at her at that moment, she seemed more beautiful than last night, or even six years ago in his first year at college.
She nodded, with that raised eyebrow look, "How can you not know me?" she asked hurt, seating beside Eriol, as some people looked at her with that fishy look, "Eriol, never mind them," she slightly chuckled, "I think rumors are going around again after an hour or so,"
"What? And why?" he asked, chuckling too, though he didn't have the reason why to chuckle, he just felt so, because Tomoyo was doing it,
"I mean Sakura and I are the highest people in position here, and they're treating us like some voodoo goddesses." She said again, and continued chuckling,
"Oh yeah, you're his right hand, right? You're the vice-president. Am I correct?" Eriol asked, and then she nodded again,
"Yeah, just until last night, now you're his right hand, I'm the left hand now to her," she said, then she smiled.
Eriol didin't know if what she said was a sarcastic one, or a compliment, or criticism. Tomoyo really could give confusing punch lines, or comeback lines, "I'm her private secretary, huh?"
"Yeah, and I really wish I had one too," she said, though it was only an innocent voice that came out of her mouth. 'No, I wish I had you, Eriol… but Sakura's got you in her hands, specifically in her work' she thought with a sigh,
"Tomoyo?"
Tomoyo sounded his call, and then her attention got to him again, as she gazed juicily at him, trying to grin, but she cannot,
Eriol didn't notice the ambitioning eyes of Tomoyo, and gazed at her normally, "is something wrong?"
"Ahhhh, no, I'm alright, thank you," Tomoyo instantly said, standing up, and shaking her head, "Where's Sakura by the way?" she remembered, and asked him, expecting an answer where,
"Well," he paused, finding the right words, "actually, I don't know, I haven't seen her this morning yet," he truthfully said,
Tomoyo had a quick glance at her wristwatch, and made her face to a frowned look, "That's weird, she's unusually too late today," she said strangely,
"Why? Is she usually early?" Eriol asked, standing up too, for too long, he sat there, his body still, and doing totally nothing, and now his feet and his ass was aching badly, and he thought both were even swelling,
"Well, no," she paused, and then she sighed, "but if she's late it would only be a minute or two. I saw her when she gets late; she becomes a rushing, lady mammoth escaping her extinction, believe me, she gets frantic, and would even leave her house unlock, just to get here at the earliest time she can." She continued,
"Oh… well, I think it is too my fault, I didn't even ask her what time I should go here," Eriol sighed, and then fixed her collar,
"Well, the normal and usual way of going here is at 7:30, well, people usually go here at that time," she said, "What time did you go here?" she asked curiously,
"ahhh, 5:30," he quickly said with an embarrassed laugh, and then scratched his head with a dumb expression, "at my ex-boss, I was supposed to go there extremely early, it's really horrifying, and if ever my ex-boss didn't think of my earliness enough for him, well," he said, frightened, "he tortures me in different ways…"
"Oh, My, God," she said pitifully, "You do realize I feel your pain," she said, friendlily tapping his shoulder.
Eriol laughed, and then smiled at her, and then held her hand. "Thank you," Surprisingly, Tomoyo blushed deep red like boiled ham, any girl could blush because of a situation of a cute man handling her hand and then thanking her with a deadly grin.
'Oh c'mon' she thought, 'arghh… stupid me, I'm blushing like hell, stop it Tomoyo,' she thought, looking down with chubby cheeks like a pissed, little girl.
"Well, I really need a tour guide, I mean what kind of huge building hasn't got a tour, or a tour guide," he smiled, ignoring her totally obvious blush, and she seemed ultimately ashamed on how could she blush, "and who could be a better tour guide, than a woman who is the second highest person being paid here at Cloe," he grinned again, and then Tomoyo nodded shyly,
'Has he noticed?' she asked herself nervously, trying to persuade her brain Eriol didn't notice one of the clues of having a crush on someone, blushing, "Yes, okay," She tried to smile normally at her, and thankfully, it was successful, since Eriol grinned back at her, and then Tomoyo started to walk, and he followed her, with a nod.
"What do I basically need anyways?" Eriol casually asked her.
She looked behind at Eriol, since he was at the back, following her trail, "of course, you need a cell phone, and then a laptop," she said, and then she presented her sleek and cool-looking laptop to him,
"I have one, but I'm afraid it is crappy, it's really old," he said, sighing, "and I couldn't make myself buy a new one, though I have money, I just can't make myself, it is that simple,"
"Well then, if you want, you could request Sakura or me to contact a Computer manufacturing company to give one for you," Tomoyo said, and then she smiled, at last, she could hide her nervousness talking to someone she had unknown feelings for… "Then, you also need an office, but I'll leave that to Sakura, well, she's the president, isn't it?"
Eriol nodded, and then he smiled, "yeah, and I'm her helper," he sighed,
"Don't worry, she's really not a monster when it comes to throwing work at people," she said, "often, that is," she laughed. She gracefully punched the elevator button, and then faced Eriol, "everybody's really nice here, Sakura makes sure that the whole building is immaculate of war and fights and violence and stuff related to evil," she said with a chuckle, "and because of that everybody began to like my best friend, and even Nagasa decided to promote her to an instant president, and so her life became a very touchy success story," she said then with a laugh,
"What then happened to Li?" Eriol said, with a cough, clearing his throat, and signing her to be really honest this time, "Was it true Li tried to kill himself?" Eriol asked,
Tomoyo sighed, and closed her eyes long for the first time that morning. The elevator bell rang, and then finally the door opened. Relieved there was really no people inside, and thought to head straight up there to the president's and vice-president's office, "Yes, what he did say is true, you know the whole story, so I won't let on, besides, honestly, I think it's really hard to narrate it, his story is really harsh," she sighed,
"Oh,"
"After Li's suicide attempt, thanks to Sakura, she miraculously tamed him, or probably, Mirror Card tamed him, I don't know in what way, but somehow, the card and its mistress tamed him. That's the only thing I know now about him,"
"What happened to you then?" Eriol asked causally, "well, if you don't want to talk about yourself then it is okay," he offered,
"No, I really don't mind," she quickly replied, with a confident, politely defiant voice, "Nothing much about me, after college, I first got into photography and videoing, however, I still got touched with the circle of friends, Naoko, Rika, Takashi, Sakura, Chirahu, Yukito, Touya, and everyone else, and I'm really glad we're still friends even if time did pass away. After two or three years, Sakura then got promoted, and after that, she gave me a chance to be her right-hand, and I like it to be a vice-president; so here I am now,"
"Ever been in love?" Eriol asked out of the blue,
Tomoyo flinched at his question, and she looked at him, and his face normal, as every normal face would be. But his face glowed mysteriously, almost like he was scheming on something. She was dazed at his interrogation, but she tried to have a normal face like his… She coughed unnecessarily, "well, yeah, but,"
"But?"
"He went away, far away," she whispered. Unbelievable of herself, he opened her mouth again, and she couldn't make herself stop, she couldn't stop her tongue waggling to create another word, or syllable or sound… "Then one, lonely midnight, drinking a cup of hot, fuzzy coffee, he e-mailed me, and I read it," she then began to get teary-eyed. That was that… Without her control, she gave it out to him, Eriol, her crush? Or her obsession… Those dark strands of hair, and those glittering eyes, and those sparkling teeth, those hard muscles his body had… she knew at that certain, defined moment, she just wanted to feel him, even though… even though… wait…
"Sssssh," he sounded gently at her ear, and then he held her face with the same gentleness he did to his whisper at her ear, and then made his own face go nearer hers. Then their uncontrolled passionate stares touched, then their muffled, warm breaths touched, then their soft noses touched, then their seducing lips touched, then their hungered tongues touched…
For a while, the only thing that was heard was their tongues, and their long kiss… how strange it was, the elevator seemed to stop and open at their floor. But now, it didn't matter. The passion and wildness of that moment seemed to overwhelm both of them… and so what if they were seen? Tomoyo didn't care. Eriol didn't care. Maybe God also didn't care. At least for that moment,
"Please stop, Eriol," Tomoyo said, with a sultry voice, and she was afraid the elevator might open up, and probably people would see them smooching, and worse, rumors might get around. And Tomoyo, or Eriol wouldn't like that consequence.
Eriol did stop, but then he retorted, " you're the one who likes me," he whispered, husky, then he blinked. To him, in a blink of a second, the "oh no, what have I done?" He suddenly said, stepping back almost with the speed like how light travels, 'shit," he thought… How could he possibly kiss a woman neither Lyn nor Sakura? 'shit, bullshit, horse shit, fucking shit, holy shit,' he thought himself cruelly
"What's the matter?" Tomoyo said, trying to get rid of the shocked daze on her whole, sexy body, 'how stupid can I be… This is the matter!', "Eriol, sorry," she looked away, and looked at the doors of the elevator… still, it didn't open, and it was becoming annoying, "I think I had you carried away because of our conversation," she whispered,
"No," he suddenly replied, and tried to make a small smile, just to make the atmosphere better than the worse than it is. "I think I made the bigger mistake, sorry Tomtom," he said, touching his forehead stressfully. And he really did the larger scale of sin, for he had a fiancé, and even a former lover, who was Sakura, who was Tomoyo's best friend…
"Why—?" Tomoyo asked, sighing too, she coulnd't believe too, she let Eriol kiss her, what a dream/nightmare. (A/N – I don't know, ask Tomoyo!)
Eriol got startled from her question. Why? He can't tell, not that he was not supposed to tell, but rather, he didn't want to tell her, he can only tell Sakura about his fiancé, or his secret, you decide. "Ah, no, never mind," he sighed again and leaned on the wall…
Ding…"Finally" Eriol and Tomoyo mumbled together, and then they faced each other, and then they laughed a little, and blushed,
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Sakura groaned, and then she sighed with depression, "Ahhhhhh! I'm late!" she involuntarily shouted. A lot of people stared at her weirdly, "sorry," she mumbled, and stomped forward the heated stoned path under the fiery, scorching sun, trying to ignore the long stares being shoved at her, and she was really embarrassed, since she really was greatly known in the Tomoeda vicinity, 'I'm seriously so late, what would Eriol say to me?'
"Sakura? Sakura?" A male voice then seemed like ran behind her, and trying to catch up with her,
The woman president turned back, and then she saw a rampaging, brown-haired man rushing,
"What are you doing here, I thought you had work?" he asked,
"Well, what are you doing here?" she returned back, without answering him, "and where's mirror?" she asked suspiciously,
A second after, a thin mist formed beside him, and took a form of mirror card, that was waving at her, "good," she mumbled with a sigh,
"I'm late, actually, and I'm really rushing to meet my private secretary," she said, walking again, and she thought Syaoran would leave her alone for work, but then, he followed her briskly,
"Eriol, huh?" he said,
Sakura looked at him suddenly, and made Syaoran a little freaked out by that glare, 'Eriol,' "Yeah, Eriol…"she said, seemingly not referring to him, but to the air, "so what brings you here,"
"Uhmmm,"
"And please hurry up, as you obviously know, I'm already late," she said again,
"Sakura, you see, I want to work," he said, his look stern and totally periodic, as if, it was his biggest decision in his life… work. "But I don't know where to start, everything seemed strange and hard now ever since that murder, I don't know, it seemed like I was brainwashed or something like that." He breathed, "After that occasion, it seemed that I became incompetent and timid, and hopeless…"
"So you want me to help you?" Sakura said, with folded arms,
Syaoran sighed, "yes, I suppose that is my point…" he said, "but I know you're busy and—"
"No, it's okay, I don't mind, I'll help you, we're friends aren't we?" she said kindly,
"So where are you going to hire me? At Cloe Corporation?" he said, still shaky,
Sakura frowned, and she shook her head,
"Wha— why?" Syaoran said panicked, but calm, and dignified,
Sakura looked at him with sincere eyes, and then she pointed a bench, and they sat, forget work at that moment, "the real plan was that I hire you as a Private Secretary, but then when Eriol coincidencially got the job, well," Sakura narrowed her eyes, "everything's changed," she sighed, not daring to look at Syaoran's eyes, for he might see the naked truth. She has not got the strength to fire Eriol, or say they were really over, or she cares about him, the same with Syaoran, she can't even say the whole truth, and instead gave him half lies… "Look— I can't fire Eriol,"
"Why not?"
"Well, because he's a good friend," Sakura defensively said, 'more than a friend,' she thought, "and because he's just that, look, Syaoran, I just can't fire him, okay? I know it's a little hard for you," Sakura said, and then touched him at the shoulder, "but I really just can't" 'Goodness gracious, I'm repeating that goddamned phrase a lot of times now,'
Syaoran, however, was looking away from her, 'I hope Mirror isn't watching us, I just keep pretending, oh please…'
'Should I tell him? No, maybe not now,' Sakura thought, "tell you what," she babbly said, "I know the perfect idea at this rate, meet me at Cloe after work, that would be six o' clock, inside the lobby" she said ideally, and then instantly, Syaoran brightened up, as if giving a candy to a cute, upset toddler,
Syaoran sighed, "Okay, okay,"
"So that means I could go?" Sakura said, again hurrying,
Syaoran nodded,
"Kay, see you later Syaoran…." She said, her voice trailing her trails as she got up and ran again,
'Syaoran, how I long for her voice saying my name, I'll go meet her later, I'm really out of money, and I don't want to beg, or borrow from Sakura like a parasite…' he silently thought, sitting still on the bench, watching straightly the sprinting Sakura…
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"There you are!" Sakura yelled at two people walking by the corridor. "Eriol! Tomoyo!" she greeted loudly, extremely waving at them like an idiot,
Tomoyo and Eriol rushed towards her, with raised eyebrows, and then Tomoyo sputtered, "Saku-chan, why are you so late?" she asked,
Sakura chuckled nervously, and then gulped, "Hehe," she faced Eriol, "I'm so sorry, I really didn't tell you when you should come here," she apologized, bowing before him
"Ahh, no, I think I'm the one who should be saying sorry," he said with a sigh, "well, I'm the slave right?"
The three laughed,
"Sakura, I think I should go now, it was nice working with you my Lady," Tomoyo said, imitating a farewell-my-fellow-freak voice,
"Oh, shut up, Tomo-chan," Sakura replied quickly, waving her a light push, and both giggled. Eriol just looked at them weirdly, "sorry, it's just a habit," Sakura whispered at him, and he shook his head, pointing out friendship mumbo-jumbo,
"May I see you later night?" Tomoyo mumbled at Eriol, trying to hide her moving lips from Sakura,
Eriol looked at Sakura, then to Tomoyo, and he nodded slightly, giving her a wink, and Tomoyo blushed, and Eriol was about to laugh hard,
"Well, see you Sakura and Eriol," Tomoyo waved back, and then turned back glamorously, her curly, rich hair beautifully whooped around her, as if the wind welcomed her sways. Eriol thought the whole sexy move was for him… He looked at Sakura, he couldn't help it… she had a sexy body too… as if Tomoyo and Sakura would be duplicates of Jacquelyn… Jacquelyn, his fiancé… Eriol didn't know now what is love, and what should he love, or even what does he love…
His life was getting complicated… Jacquelyn, his fiancé, though hedidn't know if he was rather fooling himself, since Lyn didn't act like his fiancé at all… Tomoyo, someone he just found out that was totally crushing on him, and that for the first time they had met, on crushing matters, they kissed, and Sakura, well, he didn't know what was going with his ex-girlfriend back at college… at that current rate, their relationship was still shrouded in mystery, Eriol felt something happened to her, though he cannot see it, like that difference was invisible only to his eyes, a thing he only cannot see, something so obvious, and standing-out, he closed his eyes, a head-ache was forming again, he thought. And then he heard Sakura call his name, and get his attention, but then, he ignored them, and remained to close, and pretended to be blind at that moment of time…
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A/N – Okay, please review this chapter. I know Tomoyo's emotions in the chapter are really, well, confusing, though it was really because I want to make this whole chapter confusing, and more like of a cliffhanger. Sorry for makng you confused. But isn't that kiss Eriol and Tomtom made make the story between Eriol and his careless fiancé spicy and hot! I know the plot really turned out to be a 'Love-Roller-Coaster ride' you know, like an example of an anime would be Ranma 1/2, or probably a bit of UFO baby, or even Ultra Maniac, or Fruits Basket, well, it is a debatable plot isn't it?
Syaoran x Sakura x Eriol x Tomoyo(Jacquelyn)
In which:
Syaoran is totally engrossed with Sakura,
Sakura is in between Syaoran and Eriol
Eriol is in between Sakura and Tomoyo
And Tomoyo is totally engrossed with Eriol
Jacquelyn under Eriol meaning the doubt to love Sakura, or Tomoyo, obviously because Lyn is Eriol's fiancé after all.