I'm a bad person. It take me a long time to update, but I promise it's only because:
A) My personal life kills me dead. No really.
B) I'm writing the last 11 chapters of this fic practically at the same time
But I will finish it. Some day. This was pretty much the last chapter I didn't want to write. Thank you to anyone who is still reading this. I must also apologize for the inherent suckiness of this chapter- it's probably not worth the wait. -whistles innocently-Cessation
Izzy GirlXIV In Between the LinesEriol was in pain, but there was work to be done. He pulled himself out of Meiling's bed with no small effort, clutching his wound the whole time. After whispering a spell to silence his movements, he set his feet on the floor and began slowly pulling on his robes.His progress was disturbed by the sound of something- someone else. A slight groan, the sound of someone shifting in their sleep or perhaps displeased by the course their dreams have taken. Eriol looked over his shoulder apprehensively only to find that Syaoran had fallen asleep in the short, stumpy armchair at the bedside.Eriol furrowed his brow- that was strange. Syaoran had been doing many strange things lately, but this certainly took the cake. He sighed and continued to button up his tunic decided not to waste his now limited brainpower on attempting to decode the other boy's contradictory actions. He quietly paced across the room and placed two fingers on Syaoran's temple, murmering a few choice words and casting him off into a deeper sleep."Sweet dreams, Little Wolf." he breathed, and then was gone.
"What we need is a plan!" Kero exclaimed loudly over breakfast at the Kinomoto house, "A course of AFFIRMATIVE action!""Affirmitive action?" Spinel repeated dubiously, "I dislike 'buzz' words.""Oh, you're always so melodramatic, Suppi." Ruby complained, "Keroberos may be on to something,""I'd like to know where my father is." Touya stated simply, his face hidden behind a newspaper he wasn't actually reading."Kero, what you're trying to say is that we need to orginize ourselves and carry out a coordinated operation." Tomoyo spoke softly and the wind was battering the sides of the house with a vengence. It was a mircale she, Ruby and Suppi had managed to make it over that morning."That's right!" Kero agreed gleefully, "No more blind shots in the dark. We can't just go out to capture a card and expect that everything will fall into place like it did with Sakura.""Right." Tomoyo nodded, a faint smile breaking on her face, "These are different times.""And, apparently, different cards." Suppi drawled, "Keroberos, how do you propose we come up with a plan that is actually workable. There are too many variables...""Oh, please." Kero held his round head in tiny paws, "Enough with the variables, Spinel! I'm beginning to think that you really don't want us to capture the cards and restore order to the universe.""You're exaggerating, Keroberos. I hardly think our actions have that much sway over the entire space time continuim.""We'd be saving Japan at least." Ruby muttered, "From a dreary fate indeed. I'm beginning to think that if we don't stop that Storm card soon it will just keep raining forever.""People have died." Touya pointed out, still not actually reading his newspaper."Okay Kero, we're listening." Tomoyo said brightly.And Kero was silent. Everyone stared at him and even Touya lowered his newspaper expectantly. Kero furrowed his brow and twitched his wings, "Hey, I never said that I had a plan, only that we needed one.""Figures." Spinel muttered darkly."Why don't you think of something, then, smarty pants!" Kero growled, despite being somewhat non-threatening in his stuffed form, "You're the only Posh-Oxford-Grauate-Scholar type at this table. Shouldn't you be wracking that little brain of yours trying to figure out a way to fix this mess!?"Spinel looked somewhat taken aback, but it was Ruby who chimed in, "You see, Keroberos, Suppi doesn't actually like doing work. He just sits around and look smart." she paused dramatically before continuing, "Anyways, I think that we need to lure the Storm card to us somehow. We've been searching aimlessly for the eye of the Storm for a week now... wouldn't it be easier to bring the eye of the storm to us?""Wow, Ruby." Touya marvelled, "That was almost intelligent."Ruby glared darkly and Tomoyo answered for her, "Don't forget, Touya, that she was made by Eriol Hiiragizawa.""Gasp." stated Spinel, "The ditzy abandon is just an act. Who would have guessed.""Yes, well." Kero interrupted, "Although this witty repitoire is rather amusing, can we please keep to one subject? Talk about Ruby's mental capacity, or talk about Ruby's plan. You can't do both.""Well, Ruby, what exactly is your plan?" Touya wondered dryly, "How do you plan to bring the storm to us?"Ruby opened her mouth, but didn't speak. Her accomplished expression faded quickly and she slouched slightly over the back of the couch, "Um... I'm not sure." Touya and Spinel sighed nearly in unison and Kero slapped his forehead, however, Tomoyo appeared skeptical."I think you do." she said softly, "I think Ruby knows exactly what needs to be done," Ruby's bright eyes raised to meet Tomoyo's even gaze, "I think she was going to suggest that we use one of the other cards as... bait."Silence. Ruby shrugged awkwardly and turned her head away from the others. Kero was the first to voice his opinion on the matter, "Wait... is that right? I mean- can we do that?""Of course we can do it." Spinel interjected smoothly, "The real question is: are we willing to do it.""That's what I meant." Kero muttered in response. He began pacing distractedly, scratching his chin and wearing an expression that made it clear he was deliberating in a most painful fashion, "It would work... the cards seem uninterested in us- well, except for Hiiragizawa- but they've already shown that they will come to each other's rescue. If we make it seem as if we're willing to-""Keroberos, the cards are akin to our siblings. Think about what you're saying!" there was a sharp edge of raw emotion working it's way into Spinel's even tone. Kero and Ruby both shot suprised glances at the other gaurdian- Spinel Sun was not one to fall to pieces over moral issues. He was, in most cases, the one campaigning for the necessary, rather than the right."Spinel, I'm-" Kero didn't finish the sentence. He shrugged just as helplessly as Ruby had earlier- it wasn't right. It just... wasn't. But it would probably work.Tomoyo inhaled sharply, announcing a heavy statement before the words even left her mouth, "What if... what if the card was a willing participant?" This statement recieved some very wide eyed stares, but no incredelous glares. Tomoyo folded her hands on the table and aquired a serene expression before continuing, "If one of the cards we've captured were willing to pose as bait for us in order to lur the storm card into the open- would that be right?"No one seemed to have an answer to that. Tomoyo waited patiently, but before anyone could affirm or deny, the front door of the house clattered open loudly without invitation. Touya rose from his chair to investigate, but soon found himself sitting again as Li Syaoran thundered into the kitchen, waving his arms frantically."He's not here!?" Syaoran demanded, slamming his open palms on the table and scanning the others with a dark and dangerous glare, "Then he's gone!" he threw his arms into the air and spun on his heel, heading back towards the door. Touya jumped up from his chair again and grabbed one of Syaoran's shoulders, spinning the chinese boyback towards the kitchen."Wait a minute, Li. What do you mean 'he's gone'? Hiiragizawa could barely breathe, let alone walk!"Syaoran gathered himself for a moment, taking a deep and laborious breath, "Well, whether it was divine intervention or some damnable magic trick he strolled out in the middle of the night trailing blood across the guest room, floor.""What the hell is he trying to accomplish?" Kero demanded angrily, flying to nest on Syaoran's shoulder. Syaoran's eyes flashed and he glared at the stuffed guardian, "Like hell if I know. I don't understand the bastard anymore than you do!" he brushed Kero from his shoulder gruffly and with that, he left in a huff, complete with a tidy slamming of the door."Soooo... should we help him or what?" Ruby wondered quietly in the aftermath of the chaos.Touya snorted, "Not a chance in hell.""Besides," Spinel added, "If Eriol left of his own free will, I do no suspect he will want to be found. And if Eriol does not want to be found, he will not be found."
Clow was angry. His anger burnt like flames and raged like a hurricane. He also wasn't quite himself, something which was quite apparent to Li Meiling, who had spent her entire childhood listening to the stories of Clow's ledgandary mild manner.Eriol had come. Which probably wasn't the most intelligent thing he could have done considering the situation. Meiling ducked in the corner, her black outfit merging with the shadows, and watched the exchange from hiding. The room looked funny- she hadn't quite gotten used to the world through magically blinded eyes yet. Everything was blurry, almost like it was under water and the color was so dull her brain could hardly register it. Eriol was a smudge of white against a pitch black background, his dark clothes melting easily into the backdrop. He looked like he was floating in the darkness, and Meiling found this unnerving.He bowed. It was a polite gesture, but Meiling could sense that it was not completely sincere, "Fujitaka-san." he said mildly, looking at the old wizard wryly over the top of his round glasses. Clow stiffened and shifted in his chair, rapping his fingers on the chair's arm."You know very well that I am not Fujitaka Kinomoto." he muttered, fixing a fierce glare on his former vessel, "What have you done to me?"Eriol swooped into another bow, deeper this time, "I have simply seperated us. I wished to...""I know what you wished to do, Eriol." Clow's voice had lowered to a growl. Meiling was surprised. For some reason that voice sounded wrong on the usually soft tempered and grinning Clow Reed. Meiling wondered if this was what Eriol sounded like when he was angry to, "You and I are the same person afterall- do you have any idea what you've done to me?"Eriol raised an eyebrow when he looked up this time, "I have done nothing to you, Clow, except force you to use your other vessel.""Fujitaka Kinomoto was never meant to be my body." Clow bit out each word, bitter and heavy. He stood sharply and paced towards Eriol, "Fujitaka Kinomoto is not Clow Reed, Eriol- you are my body. You've severed me from my body and you've stolen Kinomoto-san's spirit from him."Something flickered across Eriol's gray eyes, but he regained his composure almost instantly, "What about my spirit?" he asked quietly, "When did Eriol Hiiragizawa get a chance to be his own person?"Clow stared at Eriol for a long, still moment. The boy kept his gaze level but his hands were shuddering and- was he bleeding? Meiling thought that she had seen blood- thick, red and ominous, drip slowly from his hand to the floor. She squinted, to see if it had pooled at his feet but all she could see was black."There is no Eriol Hiiragizawa." Clow said finally, "You were always Clow. I was always Clow. Don't you understand- I am Eriol Hiiragizawa. You're nothing. You're just an empty husk."Eriol inhaled sharply at those words. The impact was almost physical and Meiling swore that he swayed in distress. He exhaled, a sharp hiss, and clutched his hands to the neck of his robes, "T-that's can't be true. It doesn't... why would I have even gotten the idea to...""That's easy enough." Clow said tiredly, turning from his counterpart and falling into his high-backed chair, "I'm insane."Eriol blinked heavily and began to gather himself. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He left, fading off into the shadows like a ghost fading into the daylight. Meiling emerged from her hiding spot and came to sit at Clow's side. She looked at him, dropped eyelids and a palm across his forehead, and wondered what could have caused this change in the Magician."Why didn't you realize that you were insane until now?"Meiling was not surprised when he didn't answer. That was okay- she would find out for herself.
He was standing in the eye of the storm.Of all the ridiculous places... Syaoran was beginning to tire of Eriol's flair for the melodramatics. He was soaking wet with a nasty temper to fit his ragged apperance. His sword was slung over one shoulder and his jacket so heavy with rain that it nearly hung past his knees. He had searched absolutely everywheres before accidently stumbling into the calm clearing in the middle of a deserted street. In the eye of the storm, he could see clear in front of him, a hundred feet until the storm started up again at the other side.Eriol was just standing in the middle of the street staring at the sky like it was telling him something.Useless, frivilous melodramatics. Syaoran wondered if Eriol would notice if he decided to sneak up behind him and lop his head off with his sword. His fingers tightened around the hilt at the thought, but before any solid plans could form, Eriol turned around and looked at him with those piercing, gray eyes. Syaoran loosened his grip on his sword and began walking towards Eriol as if it were an involuntary act."You... are an idiot." Syaoran said lamely. He'd had a rant written. Recited it a thousand times in fact, but for some reason that all seemed irrelevant now. Eriol was bleeding through his robes. He wasn't even trying to hide it- his hands were covered in blood.Eriol just nodded, "Yes, Lu-kun. I realize that."Eriol always knew the wrong thing to say. His cloak was midnight colored tonight, trimmed in dark red and dotted with stars. It was topped off by one of those ridiculous hats he seemed so fond of. He'd obviously stopped off somewhere to give himself a wardrobe change. So ridiculous."If you're really not Clow anymore, why must you insist on dressing like him?" Syaoran changed the subject. Eriol hadn't been bleeding before and he wasn't sure if this was a good sign or not."I enjoy dressing in such a manner." Eriol smiled thinly, "Don't you think it suits me?"Syaoran didn't answer. Useless small talk- he was worried sick, but if he didn't bother talking Eriol would never be wiser.Eriol set his large eyes on the chinese boy and Syaoran found himself meeting the magician's gaze against his will. He didn't want to look in Eriol's eyes- he disliked the way they seemed to catch and reflect the shadows no matter the time of day. Now, during the lull night they held an inky, void-like quality that made Syaoran dizzy when he looked into them too intently."Does it make you uncomfortable being so close to me?" Eriol asked.Syaoran tensed at the question. There was something in Eriol's gaze- he couldn't quite put his finger on it but it was dark and almost... frightened. It was like he was trying to have two conversations at once, only Syaoran couldn't understand the subtext."I did promise you, Li-kun, that I would not touch you or even speak to you with familiarity." he paused, "Unless you asked me to.""I don't understand." Syaoran sighed. What exactly was he getting at? "I don't understand why you would pursue me so intently and then suddenly just give up like this?""Does it bother you?"Syaoran hesistated. 'Why am I bringing this up now? Why am I bringing this up at all?'. He gazed out into the night and felt as if the enveloping darkness would take away his secret thoughts and desires and carry them into a closed place. Eriol blended into this night with his dark robes and shadowy eyes and if he whispered doubts into the night, who would hear?"Maybe. A little bit.""Are you sure you want to talk about this now?"Syaoran blinked and turned back to Eriol who was staring at him just as pointedly as he had been before. He relaxed a bit, "There isn't much to talk about, Hiiragizawa."Eriol finally looked away, raising his gaze and frowning deeply. Syaoran wondered if the mage was tracing the constellations in the sky. Knowing Eriol, he could probably place them even in the middle of a storm. Then again, how much of that knowledge was his own and how much of it had he lost when Clow's spirit had fled the body?"Are you going to answer my question?""You'll never love me." Eriol answered quickly, as if he had already planned this conversation, "I thought I could make you love me."Syaoran opened his mouth to reply to this, but found that nothing came out. He shook his head and Eriol looked at him again, something wavering in his dark, glassy eyes."Your devotion to the Mistress is admirable." he murmered tenderly, "Perhaps I am jealous of what Sakura had earned from you. Her ghost and the shadow of the love you once held for her will forever loom over every word you speak, every thought you think, everything you do... I could make you care about me enough to take me into your heart, Xiao Lang, that I am sure of, but I would doom myself to being the phantom lover- the replacement." here, Eriol paused a moment and chuckled, no doubt realizing he had broken his promise. He closed his eyes reflectivly for a few seconds, then opened them again.He moved quickly, grabbing Syaoran's wrists and dragging the boy into a loose embrace. Syaoran's sword clattered to the ground as Eriol pressed their bodies together and whispered softly into his neck. "I could love you like no one ever has and like no one ever will. I could ravage you senses and fill your mind and leave you craving for more. I could make you obsessed with me, Li Xiao Lang, to a point where you'd fall on your knees and beg for me to make love to you. I could give you the most memorable love affair you could ever ask for- the kind that leaves you panting and wide eyed afterwards, tangled up in the bedsheets with your heart pounding and your lips parted, fingernails digging little halfcircles into my skin. You'd say you loved me and you'd let me hold you quietly and softly. I'd be granted to a glance of your carefully gaurded emotions and when it was all over you'd sob for days on end because you'd realize it was a once-in-a-liftime deal and it would be impossible ever to find anything like it ever again. But in your mind, Syaoran, it would always be second-rate and I inconsequential because I wasn't the first to find my way into your heart." he tightened his grip on Syaoran's wrists and waited patiently for the boy's reply.Syaoran was breathing heavily and felt heat creeping almost painfully to his cheeks as Eriol spoke. He shifted beneath that now familiar body and tried to process it all. The mage spoke of such passion with such conviction that it almost brought tears to Syaoran's eyes. He spoke so beautifully and so sadly of love that Syaoran wanted to be kissed again, wanted to be held, wanted to experience such love that it would leave him wide eyed and gasping, but he realized that this was exactly what Eriol wanted. He was a master at seduction and beautiful words."Hiiragizawa, you think a lot of yourself." he stated shakily, "Now let the hell go of me." he struggled weakly and Eriol laughed, drawing back and loosening his grip slightly."Oh, you really are something, Little Wolf. You could perfectly well break free of my grasp if you really wanted to. If you wanted to, you could kill me. Afterall, I'm not all powerful anymore!" he hovered closely, his lips nearly touching Syaoran's. The chinese boy fell limp and moved his lips stickily. He closed his eyes and parted his mouth expectantly...... and nothing. Eriol tsked sadly and muttered, "Who are you trying to fool, Li-kun? Now you want me after all I've said? The truth is... I've stopped pursuing you because you want to be pursued."He drew away quickly and before Syaoran knew it they were sitting apart again. He felt across his cheek, neck and lips where Eriol's breath still lingered. He inhaled deeply and felt something indesrcibable rising within him. Why did this mean so much to him?"Hiiragizawa...""We should head back, Li-kun." Eriol said coldly, not looking at Syaoran as he passed him, "It's late."Syaoran had failed to read between the lines.
A) My personal life kills me dead. No really.
B) I'm writing the last 11 chapters of this fic practically at the same time
But I will finish it. Some day. This was pretty much the last chapter I didn't want to write. Thank you to anyone who is still reading this. I must also apologize for the inherent suckiness of this chapter- it's probably not worth the wait. -whistles innocently-Cessation
Izzy GirlXIV In Between the LinesEriol was in pain, but there was work to be done. He pulled himself out of Meiling's bed with no small effort, clutching his wound the whole time. After whispering a spell to silence his movements, he set his feet on the floor and began slowly pulling on his robes.His progress was disturbed by the sound of something- someone else. A slight groan, the sound of someone shifting in their sleep or perhaps displeased by the course their dreams have taken. Eriol looked over his shoulder apprehensively only to find that Syaoran had fallen asleep in the short, stumpy armchair at the bedside.Eriol furrowed his brow- that was strange. Syaoran had been doing many strange things lately, but this certainly took the cake. He sighed and continued to button up his tunic decided not to waste his now limited brainpower on attempting to decode the other boy's contradictory actions. He quietly paced across the room and placed two fingers on Syaoran's temple, murmering a few choice words and casting him off into a deeper sleep."Sweet dreams, Little Wolf." he breathed, and then was gone.
"What we need is a plan!" Kero exclaimed loudly over breakfast at the Kinomoto house, "A course of AFFIRMATIVE action!""Affirmitive action?" Spinel repeated dubiously, "I dislike 'buzz' words.""Oh, you're always so melodramatic, Suppi." Ruby complained, "Keroberos may be on to something,""I'd like to know where my father is." Touya stated simply, his face hidden behind a newspaper he wasn't actually reading."Kero, what you're trying to say is that we need to orginize ourselves and carry out a coordinated operation." Tomoyo spoke softly and the wind was battering the sides of the house with a vengence. It was a mircale she, Ruby and Suppi had managed to make it over that morning."That's right!" Kero agreed gleefully, "No more blind shots in the dark. We can't just go out to capture a card and expect that everything will fall into place like it did with Sakura.""Right." Tomoyo nodded, a faint smile breaking on her face, "These are different times.""And, apparently, different cards." Suppi drawled, "Keroberos, how do you propose we come up with a plan that is actually workable. There are too many variables...""Oh, please." Kero held his round head in tiny paws, "Enough with the variables, Spinel! I'm beginning to think that you really don't want us to capture the cards and restore order to the universe.""You're exaggerating, Keroberos. I hardly think our actions have that much sway over the entire space time continuim.""We'd be saving Japan at least." Ruby muttered, "From a dreary fate indeed. I'm beginning to think that if we don't stop that Storm card soon it will just keep raining forever.""People have died." Touya pointed out, still not actually reading his newspaper."Okay Kero, we're listening." Tomoyo said brightly.And Kero was silent. Everyone stared at him and even Touya lowered his newspaper expectantly. Kero furrowed his brow and twitched his wings, "Hey, I never said that I had a plan, only that we needed one.""Figures." Spinel muttered darkly."Why don't you think of something, then, smarty pants!" Kero growled, despite being somewhat non-threatening in his stuffed form, "You're the only Posh-Oxford-Grauate-Scholar type at this table. Shouldn't you be wracking that little brain of yours trying to figure out a way to fix this mess!?"Spinel looked somewhat taken aback, but it was Ruby who chimed in, "You see, Keroberos, Suppi doesn't actually like doing work. He just sits around and look smart." she paused dramatically before continuing, "Anyways, I think that we need to lure the Storm card to us somehow. We've been searching aimlessly for the eye of the Storm for a week now... wouldn't it be easier to bring the eye of the storm to us?""Wow, Ruby." Touya marvelled, "That was almost intelligent."Ruby glared darkly and Tomoyo answered for her, "Don't forget, Touya, that she was made by Eriol Hiiragizawa.""Gasp." stated Spinel, "The ditzy abandon is just an act. Who would have guessed.""Yes, well." Kero interrupted, "Although this witty repitoire is rather amusing, can we please keep to one subject? Talk about Ruby's mental capacity, or talk about Ruby's plan. You can't do both.""Well, Ruby, what exactly is your plan?" Touya wondered dryly, "How do you plan to bring the storm to us?"Ruby opened her mouth, but didn't speak. Her accomplished expression faded quickly and she slouched slightly over the back of the couch, "Um... I'm not sure." Touya and Spinel sighed nearly in unison and Kero slapped his forehead, however, Tomoyo appeared skeptical."I think you do." she said softly, "I think Ruby knows exactly what needs to be done," Ruby's bright eyes raised to meet Tomoyo's even gaze, "I think she was going to suggest that we use one of the other cards as... bait."Silence. Ruby shrugged awkwardly and turned her head away from the others. Kero was the first to voice his opinion on the matter, "Wait... is that right? I mean- can we do that?""Of course we can do it." Spinel interjected smoothly, "The real question is: are we willing to do it.""That's what I meant." Kero muttered in response. He began pacing distractedly, scratching his chin and wearing an expression that made it clear he was deliberating in a most painful fashion, "It would work... the cards seem uninterested in us- well, except for Hiiragizawa- but they've already shown that they will come to each other's rescue. If we make it seem as if we're willing to-""Keroberos, the cards are akin to our siblings. Think about what you're saying!" there was a sharp edge of raw emotion working it's way into Spinel's even tone. Kero and Ruby both shot suprised glances at the other gaurdian- Spinel Sun was not one to fall to pieces over moral issues. He was, in most cases, the one campaigning for the necessary, rather than the right."Spinel, I'm-" Kero didn't finish the sentence. He shrugged just as helplessly as Ruby had earlier- it wasn't right. It just... wasn't. But it would probably work.Tomoyo inhaled sharply, announcing a heavy statement before the words even left her mouth, "What if... what if the card was a willing participant?" This statement recieved some very wide eyed stares, but no incredelous glares. Tomoyo folded her hands on the table and aquired a serene expression before continuing, "If one of the cards we've captured were willing to pose as bait for us in order to lur the storm card into the open- would that be right?"No one seemed to have an answer to that. Tomoyo waited patiently, but before anyone could affirm or deny, the front door of the house clattered open loudly without invitation. Touya rose from his chair to investigate, but soon found himself sitting again as Li Syaoran thundered into the kitchen, waving his arms frantically."He's not here!?" Syaoran demanded, slamming his open palms on the table and scanning the others with a dark and dangerous glare, "Then he's gone!" he threw his arms into the air and spun on his heel, heading back towards the door. Touya jumped up from his chair again and grabbed one of Syaoran's shoulders, spinning the chinese boyback towards the kitchen."Wait a minute, Li. What do you mean 'he's gone'? Hiiragizawa could barely breathe, let alone walk!"Syaoran gathered himself for a moment, taking a deep and laborious breath, "Well, whether it was divine intervention or some damnable magic trick he strolled out in the middle of the night trailing blood across the guest room, floor.""What the hell is he trying to accomplish?" Kero demanded angrily, flying to nest on Syaoran's shoulder. Syaoran's eyes flashed and he glared at the stuffed guardian, "Like hell if I know. I don't understand the bastard anymore than you do!" he brushed Kero from his shoulder gruffly and with that, he left in a huff, complete with a tidy slamming of the door."Soooo... should we help him or what?" Ruby wondered quietly in the aftermath of the chaos.Touya snorted, "Not a chance in hell.""Besides," Spinel added, "If Eriol left of his own free will, I do no suspect he will want to be found. And if Eriol does not want to be found, he will not be found."
Clow was angry. His anger burnt like flames and raged like a hurricane. He also wasn't quite himself, something which was quite apparent to Li Meiling, who had spent her entire childhood listening to the stories of Clow's ledgandary mild manner.Eriol had come. Which probably wasn't the most intelligent thing he could have done considering the situation. Meiling ducked in the corner, her black outfit merging with the shadows, and watched the exchange from hiding. The room looked funny- she hadn't quite gotten used to the world through magically blinded eyes yet. Everything was blurry, almost like it was under water and the color was so dull her brain could hardly register it. Eriol was a smudge of white against a pitch black background, his dark clothes melting easily into the backdrop. He looked like he was floating in the darkness, and Meiling found this unnerving.He bowed. It was a polite gesture, but Meiling could sense that it was not completely sincere, "Fujitaka-san." he said mildly, looking at the old wizard wryly over the top of his round glasses. Clow stiffened and shifted in his chair, rapping his fingers on the chair's arm."You know very well that I am not Fujitaka Kinomoto." he muttered, fixing a fierce glare on his former vessel, "What have you done to me?"Eriol swooped into another bow, deeper this time, "I have simply seperated us. I wished to...""I know what you wished to do, Eriol." Clow's voice had lowered to a growl. Meiling was surprised. For some reason that voice sounded wrong on the usually soft tempered and grinning Clow Reed. Meiling wondered if this was what Eriol sounded like when he was angry to, "You and I are the same person afterall- do you have any idea what you've done to me?"Eriol raised an eyebrow when he looked up this time, "I have done nothing to you, Clow, except force you to use your other vessel.""Fujitaka Kinomoto was never meant to be my body." Clow bit out each word, bitter and heavy. He stood sharply and paced towards Eriol, "Fujitaka Kinomoto is not Clow Reed, Eriol- you are my body. You've severed me from my body and you've stolen Kinomoto-san's spirit from him."Something flickered across Eriol's gray eyes, but he regained his composure almost instantly, "What about my spirit?" he asked quietly, "When did Eriol Hiiragizawa get a chance to be his own person?"Clow stared at Eriol for a long, still moment. The boy kept his gaze level but his hands were shuddering and- was he bleeding? Meiling thought that she had seen blood- thick, red and ominous, drip slowly from his hand to the floor. She squinted, to see if it had pooled at his feet but all she could see was black."There is no Eriol Hiiragizawa." Clow said finally, "You were always Clow. I was always Clow. Don't you understand- I am Eriol Hiiragizawa. You're nothing. You're just an empty husk."Eriol inhaled sharply at those words. The impact was almost physical and Meiling swore that he swayed in distress. He exhaled, a sharp hiss, and clutched his hands to the neck of his robes, "T-that's can't be true. It doesn't... why would I have even gotten the idea to...""That's easy enough." Clow said tiredly, turning from his counterpart and falling into his high-backed chair, "I'm insane."Eriol blinked heavily and began to gather himself. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He left, fading off into the shadows like a ghost fading into the daylight. Meiling emerged from her hiding spot and came to sit at Clow's side. She looked at him, dropped eyelids and a palm across his forehead, and wondered what could have caused this change in the Magician."Why didn't you realize that you were insane until now?"Meiling was not surprised when he didn't answer. That was okay- she would find out for herself.
He was standing in the eye of the storm.Of all the ridiculous places... Syaoran was beginning to tire of Eriol's flair for the melodramatics. He was soaking wet with a nasty temper to fit his ragged apperance. His sword was slung over one shoulder and his jacket so heavy with rain that it nearly hung past his knees. He had searched absolutely everywheres before accidently stumbling into the calm clearing in the middle of a deserted street. In the eye of the storm, he could see clear in front of him, a hundred feet until the storm started up again at the other side.Eriol was just standing in the middle of the street staring at the sky like it was telling him something.Useless, frivilous melodramatics. Syaoran wondered if Eriol would notice if he decided to sneak up behind him and lop his head off with his sword. His fingers tightened around the hilt at the thought, but before any solid plans could form, Eriol turned around and looked at him with those piercing, gray eyes. Syaoran loosened his grip on his sword and began walking towards Eriol as if it were an involuntary act."You... are an idiot." Syaoran said lamely. He'd had a rant written. Recited it a thousand times in fact, but for some reason that all seemed irrelevant now. Eriol was bleeding through his robes. He wasn't even trying to hide it- his hands were covered in blood.Eriol just nodded, "Yes, Lu-kun. I realize that."Eriol always knew the wrong thing to say. His cloak was midnight colored tonight, trimmed in dark red and dotted with stars. It was topped off by one of those ridiculous hats he seemed so fond of. He'd obviously stopped off somewhere to give himself a wardrobe change. So ridiculous."If you're really not Clow anymore, why must you insist on dressing like him?" Syaoran changed the subject. Eriol hadn't been bleeding before and he wasn't sure if this was a good sign or not."I enjoy dressing in such a manner." Eriol smiled thinly, "Don't you think it suits me?"Syaoran didn't answer. Useless small talk- he was worried sick, but if he didn't bother talking Eriol would never be wiser.Eriol set his large eyes on the chinese boy and Syaoran found himself meeting the magician's gaze against his will. He didn't want to look in Eriol's eyes- he disliked the way they seemed to catch and reflect the shadows no matter the time of day. Now, during the lull night they held an inky, void-like quality that made Syaoran dizzy when he looked into them too intently."Does it make you uncomfortable being so close to me?" Eriol asked.Syaoran tensed at the question. There was something in Eriol's gaze- he couldn't quite put his finger on it but it was dark and almost... frightened. It was like he was trying to have two conversations at once, only Syaoran couldn't understand the subtext."I did promise you, Li-kun, that I would not touch you or even speak to you with familiarity." he paused, "Unless you asked me to.""I don't understand." Syaoran sighed. What exactly was he getting at? "I don't understand why you would pursue me so intently and then suddenly just give up like this?""Does it bother you?"Syaoran hesistated. 'Why am I bringing this up now? Why am I bringing this up at all?'. He gazed out into the night and felt as if the enveloping darkness would take away his secret thoughts and desires and carry them into a closed place. Eriol blended into this night with his dark robes and shadowy eyes and if he whispered doubts into the night, who would hear?"Maybe. A little bit.""Are you sure you want to talk about this now?"Syaoran blinked and turned back to Eriol who was staring at him just as pointedly as he had been before. He relaxed a bit, "There isn't much to talk about, Hiiragizawa."Eriol finally looked away, raising his gaze and frowning deeply. Syaoran wondered if the mage was tracing the constellations in the sky. Knowing Eriol, he could probably place them even in the middle of a storm. Then again, how much of that knowledge was his own and how much of it had he lost when Clow's spirit had fled the body?"Are you going to answer my question?""You'll never love me." Eriol answered quickly, as if he had already planned this conversation, "I thought I could make you love me."Syaoran opened his mouth to reply to this, but found that nothing came out. He shook his head and Eriol looked at him again, something wavering in his dark, glassy eyes."Your devotion to the Mistress is admirable." he murmered tenderly, "Perhaps I am jealous of what Sakura had earned from you. Her ghost and the shadow of the love you once held for her will forever loom over every word you speak, every thought you think, everything you do... I could make you care about me enough to take me into your heart, Xiao Lang, that I am sure of, but I would doom myself to being the phantom lover- the replacement." here, Eriol paused a moment and chuckled, no doubt realizing he had broken his promise. He closed his eyes reflectivly for a few seconds, then opened them again.He moved quickly, grabbing Syaoran's wrists and dragging the boy into a loose embrace. Syaoran's sword clattered to the ground as Eriol pressed their bodies together and whispered softly into his neck. "I could love you like no one ever has and like no one ever will. I could ravage you senses and fill your mind and leave you craving for more. I could make you obsessed with me, Li Xiao Lang, to a point where you'd fall on your knees and beg for me to make love to you. I could give you the most memorable love affair you could ever ask for- the kind that leaves you panting and wide eyed afterwards, tangled up in the bedsheets with your heart pounding and your lips parted, fingernails digging little halfcircles into my skin. You'd say you loved me and you'd let me hold you quietly and softly. I'd be granted to a glance of your carefully gaurded emotions and when it was all over you'd sob for days on end because you'd realize it was a once-in-a-liftime deal and it would be impossible ever to find anything like it ever again. But in your mind, Syaoran, it would always be second-rate and I inconsequential because I wasn't the first to find my way into your heart." he tightened his grip on Syaoran's wrists and waited patiently for the boy's reply.Syaoran was breathing heavily and felt heat creeping almost painfully to his cheeks as Eriol spoke. He shifted beneath that now familiar body and tried to process it all. The mage spoke of such passion with such conviction that it almost brought tears to Syaoran's eyes. He spoke so beautifully and so sadly of love that Syaoran wanted to be kissed again, wanted to be held, wanted to experience such love that it would leave him wide eyed and gasping, but he realized that this was exactly what Eriol wanted. He was a master at seduction and beautiful words."Hiiragizawa, you think a lot of yourself." he stated shakily, "Now let the hell go of me." he struggled weakly and Eriol laughed, drawing back and loosening his grip slightly."Oh, you really are something, Little Wolf. You could perfectly well break free of my grasp if you really wanted to. If you wanted to, you could kill me. Afterall, I'm not all powerful anymore!" he hovered closely, his lips nearly touching Syaoran's. The chinese boy fell limp and moved his lips stickily. He closed his eyes and parted his mouth expectantly...... and nothing. Eriol tsked sadly and muttered, "Who are you trying to fool, Li-kun? Now you want me after all I've said? The truth is... I've stopped pursuing you because you want to be pursued."He drew away quickly and before Syaoran knew it they were sitting apart again. He felt across his cheek, neck and lips where Eriol's breath still lingered. He inhaled deeply and felt something indesrcibable rising within him. Why did this mean so much to him?"Hiiragizawa...""We should head back, Li-kun." Eriol said coldly, not looking at Syaoran as he passed him, "It's late."Syaoran had failed to read between the lines.