I Think I'm In Love with My Bestfriend's Boyfriend

Author's Notes: Weh…I'm getting so tired of updating I Think. MH2, in all honesty, is much more enjoyable to write. Check it out.

Gratitude goes to Walking Green Cucumber for not allowing me to be sucked into the void of Not Continuing. Darn it. XD Review after reading, please and thank you!

Chapter Fifteen: Twin

The touch of the ground was cold and forbidding, as if it didn't want him any longer. Eriol clutched at the edge of one mirror, trying to support himself, trying to push the reality away.

It's happening to me again.

Trying to keep still until the footsteps died away, he finally allowed himself to collapse to the ground.

It's happening again.

Squinting his eyes to try and refocus his blurring vision, he attempted to stand up, but was unsuccessful.

I can't let it happen again.

…………………………………………………………

As Syaoran and Tomoyo came to a turn of mirrors, they were immediately blinded by a brilliant, bright light. At first their heads throbbed in pain, but Syaoran quickly realized something.

"That's the exit!"

…………………………………………………………

Sakura licked her lips and fingers, then reached for her last store of cheesy nachos. She was beginning to get worried - after all, it was partly her fault that they got separated.

"Where on earth could they be?"

"Sakura!"

Her eyes darted in the direction of the familiar voice.

"Syaoran! Tomoyo!"

…………………………………………………………

"But…what do you mean Eriol isn't with you?" Tomoyo asked, concerned. The last time she saw Eriol, he wasn't looking very pleasant. He wasn't being pleasant, actually.

"No," said Sakura, "He was in the mirror house with you guys, right?"

"Yeah, he was." Syaoran looked unsure. "But we assumed he got out already."

Things weren't going right.

…………………………………………………………

As they walked back into the reflective house, they decided to leave a Hansel and Gretel trail behind. After a bit of persuasion ('Sakura…if you agree with that plan, we'll buy you anything you want later'), Sakura relented, and left a steady trail of assorted treats behind.

Luckily, no birds lived inside the mirror house.

…………………………………………………………

He dragged himself on the floor, exhausted. His legs did not allow him to stand, and his arms were beginning to give up.

But I can't let it happen again.

I have to control myself.

My other self.

Then blackness.

…………………………………………………………

"Eriol!" Sakura yelled, hastily kneeling beside him. He was collapsed on the ground, apparently having fainted somehow. "Eriol, are you okay?"

Syaoran and Tomoyo rushed to Sakura's side, wondering what in the world could have happened.

As they were about to carry him outside, the blue eyes suddenly popped open and glared at them, then Eriol stood up quickly.

"I don't need your help." Said the man, and he strode out on them to the direction of the assorted snacks.

Speechless, they stared at each other.

…………………………………………………………

No more than two hours after entering the amusement park, they were heading back. Eriol had taken the car, as Tomoyo tried to calm Sakura down. Syaoran was indifferent, trying to find some glimmer of kindness in Eriol.

There was nothing but sarcastic politeness.

"That was a pleasant day at the amusement park, wasn't it?" Came the voice behind the wheel. No one dared speak - no one agreed.

She took it all away from me.

Suddenly, Syaoran's cell phone rang, annoyingly loud, and pierced the sharp silence like a blade.

"Hello?" Syaoran greeted, smiling over the phone.

There was some kind of response on the other side, then Syaoran replied, "Here. We just came from the amusement park. I'm with my three friends, and-"

The interruption lasted a long time. With each passing second, Syaoran's face grew darker and darker, to the point that his bangs were all that were left of his eyes.

His smile had been completely wiped away from his face. His grip on the side of the car door was tight - his knuckles were white from the tension.

"But Mother-"

Yelan Li? Eriol thought, Syaoran's mother…what could she want? Could they be already planning the wedding?

Eriol cast a hidden but nonetheless mean look to Syaoran - all of them listened intently, not daring to breathe too loud that the conversation would go unheard. Still, the words that came from the cell phone were meant for Syaoran's ears only.

"Yes, Mother. Next week, I-"

He was cut again, this time by a string of uncharacteristic yells. His mother never raised her voice unless in a very, very dire situation - she never had.

"Tomorrow. Goodbye."

Then silence.

No one wanted to break the quietness, till Eriol had enough of patience and decided to ask him himself. Turning momentarily from the wheel, "What was that for?" He inquired, not much politeness left.

Tomoyo cringed. Eriol had changed over the few days - there were times that he turned grumpy for some reason, but not for more than a few moments.

Sakura was surprised. In all the short time that she knew Eriol, he never was unpleasant, even when he recounted his story. He was always gentle, and caring. Was that a different Eriol?

Syaoran couldn't be more irritated. He didn't want Eriol bothering any of his friends - but still, Eriol was a friend. 'No, he is a friend.' He corrected himself quickly.

"That was my mother. She wants me to-"

But there was no time for any further things.

…………………………………………………………

Syaoran hesitantly packed his bags, the belongings he would need. If his mother got her way, he would stay in Hong Kong and lead the Li Clan into the next generation. And his partner would be-

Meilin Li.

His cousin.

Pulling his numerous luggages behind him, he decided they were too heavy, even for someone in such good physical condition as he. Then he realized something - all of those things inside his bags were swords. Painful memories - he would have to leave them in Japan.

Until his wishes would come true. If they ever came true.

With watering eyes, he left the very house where so much had happened.

On the table were a pile of letters.

…………………………………………………………

Eriol sat heavily on the seat. Sakura breathed deeply beside him. As for Tomoyo-

That was a different story.

"I'm really sorry, Sakura-san." Said Eriol, suddenly gentle and kind and gentlemanly and friendly and all that all over again.

At the alien honorific, Sakura scrunched her eyebrows further together. She couldn't take anymore of her bothering curiousity.

"What happened to you over the past few days, Eriol?" she asked, putting her hands on her cheeks and bowing her head down. "All this time you were so unhappy. You seem different."

Isn't that obvious, Sakura? I'm being different, because we're different.

"Ah, it's nothing. Something just bothered me lately, it's resolved now." He replied, but gulped when he realized that was a wrong thing to say.

"Why is that?" The girl asked in a burst of concern and questions. "Do you have to go back to England? Is there a problem at your house? Or-"

It's not understandable. Only Syaoran has the slightest bit of an idea.

Eriol's thoughts zoomed back to what happened the night before.

…………………………………………………………

He was on his large queen-sized bed, tinkering with the curtain drapes and waiting for sleep to come. Nothing happened. His mind was running over the completely horrible day, searching for some miracle plan that could get everything back together.

Just as he felt the first addicting touches of Rest's fingers, the phone rang. Rang. And rang. And rang.

After the fifth ring, there was nothing but the awareness of a busy city street. Bolting out of the bed, he walked the few feet to the phone.

"Good evening, this is-"

But there were no seconds to spare for politeness.

"Eriol, we need to talk."

…………………………………………………………

"It's nothing, Sakura." Eriol replied, smiling faintly. Then he leant back against the wall, unwilling to look at the hospital bed. The pale girl looked even paler than usual surrounded by bottles of medicine and papers. Tomoyo had been hit the hardest, followed by Eriol. But he was a far way behind her - only a slight head injury.

Tomoyo's breathing kept him from thinking clearly. It was so similar to the way she breathed to keep herself calm - (especially in the past few days), yet so different.

It was so weak.

…………………………………………………………

Eriol hung up the phone slowly, his hand descending slowly from the shock. There was more to Syaoran Li that he never knew before - more to his past than just being the most popular boy in Hong Kong.

Running over the hour-long conversation, he tried to lay back down in bed, but found that too plain. Pushing the door weakly open, he savored the interrupting creak for as long as possible then went down the stairs, one at a time.

"Eriol, you shouldn't give up. You're losing, I've seen it in the past few days. We've talked about this before, you know the right way of things."

"But Syaoran, it's just too hard. You don't understand how-"

"I may not understand, but I know! You have to take control of that 'twin' of yours and teach him to forget the past."

"I had a worse past than yours, Syaoran. Your worst experience was probably a failing score once or twice-"

"No. My worst experience was a person. My only high school crush. We adored each other, but she sometimes loved someone else - and hated me."

Eriol finished making coffee, wishing there was some kind of decent instant tea. Knowing his caffeine-handling skills weren't all great, he sank down to his chair beside the window.

Syaoran was nothing more than a selfish liar. I love Tomoyo, but they love Sakura! How can I control him, when I need medications to do so?

He had thrown away the pills that his psychiatrist had prescribed a long time ago. At first he thought that he had conquered everything-

…………………………………………………………

"Where's Syaoran though? He's not here yet?"

Eriol's eyes widened from where he had been staring at the floor.

That bastard.

"You mean he didn't tell you?" Eriol asked softly, his gaze not leaving the tiles of the floor. Inside, anger started to rise.

"Why? He isn't coming today? I thought he said-"

…………………………………………………………

Eriol didn't mind that Syaoran loved Sakura. Only he did. That twin that could only be bound by chemical pills. That one who was still scarred from the past - the one that Eriol continuously fought. The one who wrote in the diary everyday - only to allow Eriol to tear every page out in the morning

But Eriol did mind if Sakura or Tomoyo - or Syaoran even - was hurt physically, emotionally, or spiritually even - in any way.

"You promise that you'll tell her, Syaoran?"

"I promise."

…………………………………………………………

"He went to Hong Kong."

"What!" Sakura half-shouted, then caught her tongue to keep Tomoyo asleep. "He went to Hong Kong without telling us?"

"I believe so."

Sakura sighed, then slumped down again. "I'm sure it was important business or something. I'll call him later. He'd probably be back by tomorrow or by Saturday…"

"No." Eriol said, and it hurt to say what he had to, "Syaoran-"

A moan came from the hospital bed. Both of them jumped to action immediately, but Eriol immediately regretted the pain in his head.

Tomoyo tossed uncomfortably, drawing the 2-inch-thick covers closer to her. They had replaced the blankets with thicker once thrice already.

Eriol righted his decision. "You should call him."

Those words hurt even more than what he had planned to say before - he knew that if he told Sakura, she would still have time to chase him to the airport.

But…no.

…………………………………………………………

The sights of Tomoeda gradually disappeared under the wisp of white clouds. The sun was beginning to set, and created a wonderful painting amongst the floating cotton balls.

Syaoran hurt inside…he was leaving the one he loved - and two others that he trusted- behind.

He would leave them behind to face a reality that he didn't want.