Disclaimer: I don't own CCS
ChiChi's Note: After a long absence, I have returned. I'm sorry that it took so long. I'll try not to do it again. Okay I didn't edit this or improve it in any way because I was in a rush. So yeah. Enjoy!
His Home, His Love"Hiiragizawa… that was the name of Syaoran's cousin."
It all happened so fast. Tama had been living in a place that harbored many losses, stories, and worst of all, secrets. She listened attentively to Sakura as she led her to an unknown place on the outskirts of the town. "Syaoran would always tell me what a terrible cousin that he was, but there was still a bond between the two," Sakura stopped and looked at her surroundings, "I know it was around here somewhere…"
Tama looked around as well. She hadn't been to this part of the town before. It looked like the rest of the town. Full of warmth, colorful houses, and cheerful people who would stop and stare at Tama. "Where are we going?" Tama enquired, becoming uncomfortable under the watch of many people.
Sakura stomped her foot on the ground, "His house… but I'm not quite sure where it is anymore."
"What does it look like?"
"You wouldn't know where it is, but it's a mansion on top of a hill. It's really old and kind of spooky I suppose…" Sakura trailed off into a long description of the house.
Meanwhile, Tama glanced at the many people around her. They all gave her fixed stares. 'What did I do to deserve such hate?' she wondered. There were quite a few times where Tama wanted to ask Sakura or Syaoran why everyone hated her, but she was unsure how they would react; but Tama was fed up with all their stares. Today, she was going to find out the truth.
Her train of thought was interrupted by Sakura's squeal of happiness, "I remember!"
Tama turned her head to her friend and smiled, "Then shall we go?"
The two stood at the rusted gate of the Hiiragizawa Mansion. Sakura swallowed hard with a nervous look plastered on her face. Tama gently touched the gate and it opened with a high, unpleasant screech. She turned to Sakura, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Why doesn't anyone in this town like me? I've never done anything wrong."
Sakura gave a hesitant look, "Tama… this is a really hard thing to explain," Sakura sighed, "When Syaoran's cousin moved here; he brought his girlfriend with him. They were alone in the house. Everyone knew him, but no one knew her."
"So his girlfriend would have been from…" Tama paused to think.
"England. They moved from England, but he said in his letters that she was with her mother while she was working. She was actually from Japan like us."
"So what happened? What does this have to do with my question?"
Sakura shook her head, "Those two were left alone and they disappeared. Shortly after their disappearances; they found you… everyone thinks you are his girlfriend and that you might have killed him."
"What!" Tama gasped, "That can't be!"
"But that's what everyone thinks," Sakura said, staring at the ground. She frowned then quickly put on a smile, "Let's forget all of this. We'll talk about it later. Let's go in the house."
As they walked up to the house, questions filled Tama's brain. 'How is it that I've been in this town for so long, and I've never known about any of this? It seems to be rather important, so why didn't I ever hear about it?' They reached the door and Tama heard Sakura mutter, "It should be open," beneath her breath.
Tama stood to the side as Sakura turned the knob and rammed her shoulder into the door. The large door dragged open and revealed the dark and dusty inside. Everything was covered in white sheets. Tama took in her surroundings. It all looked familiar for some reason. She slowly made her way to the foot of the staircase nearby and delicately touched the dusty railing. It felt like something happened everywhere she stepped. She closed her eyes, imagining what could have happened. A piece of material brushed against her arm and she hear someone run up the stairs. Tama's eyes shot open and she saw a figure standing in the shadows. Tama stared at the figure. It was a girl for you could see the hem of her dress in the small ray of sunlight that rested at her feet. She remained entranced by the person standing at the top of the stairs, unable to take her eyes off of her. Tama slowly went up three of the steps, trying to get a better look at her. "Follow me," the young voice whispered.
Tama nodded and climbed the rest of the stairs. "Tama?" Sakura called as soon as she made it to the top.
She turned back and smiled at her friend, "I just want to see what's up here."
Sakura nodded and climbed the stairs as well. Tama went ahead, following the girl in the shadows, and soon came to a room in the middle of the hallway. Tama placed her hand on the doorknob. Shivers ran down her spine just at the touch of it, "Sa-Sakura, why did we come here?"
"I want to prove you innocent," she said in a low voice, "So that everyone will know that you are not her."
Tama smiled, "Thank you Sakura."
She turned the doorknob and opened the door. The two girls gasped as they laid their eyes on the room. It was a large room with light purple walls that had faded over the years and a window overlooking the town. Beneath the window was a large chest with a lock keeping its contents a secret. Also in the room, there was a large canopy bed with silk cloths wrapping around the four posts, and finally, there was a dresser up against the wall with only a few items on it. The two went over to the dresser, where they set their eyes upon two specific items. A dried up cherry blossom and a rather dusty book. Tama gently lifted the blossom and gazed at it. 'Why do all these things make me so uneasy?' Tama wondered.
Sakura grabbed the book a flipped through the pages, "This is her diary!"
Tama peeked into the book curiously. Sakura's eyes wandered across the frail pages, "Let's see….
'November 8
Today, we were in the classroom waiting for someone else to come. He kept glancing out the window, and I watched him, finding nothing else to do. He would occasionally glimpse over his and smile, then he would return to looking out the window. The entire time, the thought of him leaving by the end of this year remained in my mind. It made me furious at him for leaving me alone, but it made more furious at myself. How could I be so selfish? I should want him to be happy! He should be happy with his family…
He made one last turn then smirked. God, I hate it when he smirks! He pulled a box out of his pocket and tossed it onto my desk. It was a beautiful silver locket. It was plain, but anything given to me by him is beautiful in my eyes. He told me that it was empty, and to put all my memories in it. I promise myself that I will never remove it.'"
They both stayed silent after reading the entry. Tama somehow felt aggravated by the fact that Sakura was reading the diary. Maybe she was angry that she was disrespecting someone's privacy? "See Tama, you had no jewelry whatsoever when you came, and she said that she would never take it off,"
Tama nodded then looked back at Sakura. She was still skimming the pages, eating up the words like gummy bears. She ran her fingers across each line, mouthing the words that she read. "Oh, I found a letter from him," Sakura waved the envelope in the air, "Shall we read it?"
'I see you here waiting for me,
Living off your memory,
You may not know me anymore,
But you know that I'm worth waiting for,
Our love's the thing that makes you stay,
Stay here dreaming of that day,
The day that I'll come back to you,
And I still dream of that day too.
But I fear if I do not return,
Your life will waste; your wings will burn,
I know you'd still be waiting there,
For in your heart, I'm everywhere,
And even if I am not here,
You're still the one that I hold dear,
My feelings for you will never die…'"
"…I love you, my black butterfly," Tama murmured.
There was a long silence. "How… did you know the ending?" Sakura enquired.
Tama didn't know what to say. It just popped into her head. She didn't necessarily remember it. It was like she already knew it. Sakura continued to stare at her as if she were a murderer. The scary thing was that she might have actually been one! "Um… I'm going to look around the house some more," Tama suggested.
Sakura nodded her head then continued looking through the diary. Tama left the room and stood in the long hallway. She looked from side to side but didn't know where to go. Then she heard something. It was soft and graceful music coming from down the hall. She walked down the hall until she reached a door at the very end. She pressed her ear against the door and listened to the music. The music gave her goose bumps. It sounded as if the player was putting all of his or her heart and soul into the song. It was such a sad song. She just had to see who the player was. She opened the door slightly and peeked in. She gasped, "Hiiragizawa?"
He didn't seem to have heard her. She entered the room and approached the piano. She watched his fingers and they gracefully swept across the keys. Her eyes then wandered up to his face. Sunglasses no longer covered his eyes; instead there were normal glasses, but his eyes were closed. Why did she have such a fascination with his eyes? It was not as if they were to be the most amazing sight in the world. The music began to slow down as it was coming to an end. Finally he played the last cord then brought his hands down from the keys and placed them on the piano bench. "That was beautiful," Tama sighed with amazement.
He slowly opened his eyes half-way, "Tomoyo?" he said in a hoarse voice.
Tama shook her head and giggled, "You've forgotten me so soon Hiiragizawa? Are you okay? You seem tired."
"No, I'm fine… Tama," he said as he turned away, avoiding her gaze.
She stood there with nothing to say, but she wanted to speak with him. "Why did you call me Tomoyo?" she asked.
He simply shook his head, "Just because."
Tama rolled her eyes, "'Because' isn't a good reason Eriol."
She noticed him stiffen, "What?" he asked in a calm voice.
"'Because' isn't a good reason?" she repeated.
He turned to her and looked straight into her eyes. She then caught a glimpse of his dark azure eyes. He stood from the piano bench and came closer to her. Tama's eyes remained glued to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. "You called me Eriol," he whispered.
Tama was bounded by confusion. She had no idea what was going on. That name sound so familiar, but she couldn't remember where she knew it from. She felt the material on her shoulder dampen, 'He's crying! But why?' She then remembered the words of that girl.
It's just that his soul is filled with sorrow and darkness. He is unhappy… and that makes me unhappy. Does it make you sad?
She buried her face into his shoulder. This feeling inside of her; it was painful. It was unknown, the reason why this feeling lingered in her heart but… "It makes me sad… to see you sad," she whispered.
ChiChi's Note: That was difficult to write. I just got my report card and I managed to score high grades so I'll be able to write more often! Okay! REVIEW!