Disclaimer: I don't own CCS
ChiChi's Note: Greetings and salutations readers-who-are-most-likely-pissed-at-me. Haven't updated since… uh…. January. Holy! That long? Anyways, yours truly is still staying past her "bedtime" to write this fic. Hehehehe this time I stayed up till 3:25 AM finishing it yesterday. hehehe I was hit with insomnia. So I hope you all enjoy this chapter. ENJOY!
Eriol
Tama hugged her legs close to her, quietly taking comfort in her solitude. She had run all the way back to the cabin as quickly as possible. The look on Syaoran's face was burnt into her memory. It was inerasable. The expression was one of shock, pain, and fury. Tears fell from her eyes, "I mustn't cry. I'm stronger than this." But that look he gave her almost made her want to kill herself. Everything that was happening to her was driving her crazy. So many questions kept running through her head and the incapability of getting answers made her furious. She nestled into the corner between her desk and the wall and watched the fog from her breath escape her mouth. She shivered slightly then leaned her head against the wall. Her arms were becoming numb and she felt the urge to sleep, but she kept her eyes open. 'No use sleeping,' she reminded herself. She leaned forward and coughed then went back to her previous position.
Knock knock knockTama lifted her head off the wall and stared at the door. She didn't want any company at the moment.
Knock knock knockTama scrunched her nose in frustration and rose from her spot. She walked wearily over to the door and leaned on it for support. She felt so weak. She wasn't getting any sleep or any food. All that she was living on now was the desire to remember her past and hot chocolate water. She let her eyes fall closed and she turned her head slightly to face the door, "Who is it?"
No answer. Tama took in a deep breath and steadied herself. She stood up straight and dried her tears before opening the door. The sound of raindrops falling grew loud and stared in awe at the bouquet of cherry blossoms before her. She looked past the flowers and saw Hiiragizawa standing there soaking wet. "Hiiragizawa, what are you doing here?" Tama asked.
He smiled and ran his fingers through his messy wet hair, "Well I'm giving you flowers as you can see."
Tama hesitantly took the flowers and stared at him in disbelief. She took his hand and dragged him into the cabin, "You're going to catch a cold."
She shut the door behind him and went to go get a towel. She could hear Spinel running over to the entrance and meowing. She searched her dresser for something to dry Hiiragizawa off and found a towel at the bottom of the drawer seconds later. She looked over at him from the corner of her eyes then reached for the towel. "Hi Spinel," she heard him say quietly in English.
Tama stiffened, "What did you just say?"
Hiiragizawa walked away from the cat, "Oh I was just speaking in English. I said 'Hello Spinel.'"
"Yes, I understand English, but… when did I ever tell you his name?"
He remained silent then smiled, "One of the villagers told me."
Tama still had a feeling that he was lying to her but she couldn't prove it just yet. She pulled the towel out from the drawer making a mess of the things folded on top of it, "Hiiragizawa, why did you bring me flowers?"
She went over to him and handed him the towel. He began to dry his hair off. "Do I need a reason to give flowers to a beautiful girl?" he asked from underneath the towel.
"I suppose not…" she replied, blushing at the fact that he called her beautiful, then went into the kitchen, "Do you want something to drink?"
He followed her there and shook his head, "I'm not thirsty, but let me make you your drink."
Tama shrugged and went to sit up on the counter. He placed the kettle on the stove then took out a cup and put the right amount of chocolate in it. Tama was beginning to get suspicious of him. She never told him how she wanted her hot chocolate. It was as if he already knew. He looked down on the counter and spotted a pile of chocolate powder. He dragged his finger through it as he waited the kettle to heat up. Tama fidgeted in the awkward silence, "Um, Hiiragizawa… do you know anyone named…" Tama stopped and thought about what she was going to ask, "Um… Eriol?"
His finger stopped abruptly. He glanced over at her suspiciously, "Why?"
"Because I remember calling you that one time. Was he a relative of yours? My friends say that he has the same last name as you," she waited for his response, but all she saw was sorrow in his eyes, "Please don't be angry or sad. I just want to remember. I think he was someone very important to me."
The kettle began to screech but no one moved to get it. Hiiragizawa glanced at it for a split-second the returned his gaze to Tama, "Eriol, huh?"
Tama slid off the counter and reached for the kettle. She placed it on the other stove rack then looked at what he was doing on the counter. He was doodling into the brown powder with precision and much concentration. In fact, the doodle looked much like the pattern that she had recently drawn. It was rather suspicious; she had never shown him any of her drawings. "You're hiding something from me," she stated.
He frowned then brushed the powder off the counter and into his hands, "Everyone is hiding something, even you."
He gave a short smile then tossed the powder into the sink. Tama stared down at the ground and contemplated what he just said. Was she really hiding something? She wasn't sure herself, whether or not she was hiding something. Her fingers tugged at the chain of her necklace. She was tired of thinking; in fact, she was plainly just tired. She still felt weak from earlier, but she was almost positive that Hiiragizawa knew something about her past. Or maybe… Her head snapped up and she stared straight into his eyes, "You are a person from my past aren't you?"
He looked away from her, avoiding her eyes. "How else would you have known Spinel's name, or that pattern that you were drawing, and even how I like my hot chocolate? You can't say that the villagers told you because they would avoid anyone with your name like the plague," there only came silence from him, "How did you know my favourite flower?"
He smirked at her questions and nothing more. Her blood began to boil, but for some reason she couldn't help but smile. He noticed her smile and smiled back at her, "You're beauty shines more when you smile. It makes me happy."
"Your happiness is my happiness," she said automatically.
There was a long silence. Tama didn't know where that sentence came from; it just fell out of her mouth as if it were a habit. She looked into Hiiragizawa's eyes and suddenly saw pain in them as he stared back at her. She moved towards him and took his hand into hers. "This is why I just want to remember," she whispered, "I can't stand seeing people that I care about get hurt over the things that I say. I want to know if I'm the girl who was staying with Eriol before he died. I only have three clues to who she is now because the only person who wants to tell me has completely forgotten. I want to go back to that house but I don't know where it is…"
Hiiragizawa sighed, "Do you want me to take you there?"
Tama nodded, "Of course! When?"
Hiiragizawa looked out the window. The sun had almost set. A small ray of light still peeked out from the horizon. He then glanced at her and grinned like a Cheshire cat, "You look tired."
Tama opened her mouth to protest but she felt her eyelids growing heavier. She tried forcing them open but it was no use. She felt herself collapse onto his body.
Tama stirred but didn't open her eyes. Her head was pounding and she felt a freezing wind blowing softly against her. The lulling sound of a piano being played kept her from jumping up and panicking. She opened her eyes and found herself in Eriol's mansion. 'How did I get here?' she wondered. She sat up and looked around. She could still hear music playing upstairs. Curiously, she climbed the stairs and went to the hall. As she carried on, she passed that bedroom. She tried going past it but something inside of her kept urging her to go inside. She pushed the door open and entered. Maybe those clues that Sakura had written down were a part of that diary. Tama went over to the dresser but didn't see it there, but the cherry blossom still remained there. She touched it gently, "Was this… her favourite flower as well?"
Tama's eyes settled on an envelop on the other end of the room. It laid perfectly in place on the windowsill. It was still not sealed and only half of a name on it. His girlfriend must have been in the middle of writing the addresses and got interrupted. She picked the letter up and read the only thing on it: Sonomi Dai
"Sonomi," she whispered then took the letter out. It wasn't too long so she decided to read it:
Dear mom,
Eriol and I managed to get to the house safely. I'm so excited! It's a shame you got called away on business, but you'll be here soon and you can meet his family. He told me that I would be able to meet them soon, probably even a little bit after he shows me around the town. Everyone is so happy here. When we were moving in my stuff, everyone who passed by waved and smiled at me. Though none of them actually talked to me, but since I'm going to live here for a while I suppose I'll get to know everyone. I'm sure they'll be good people; I already adore the children here. They're all so cute! As soon as we got all the stuff moved into the kitchen, I baked some cookies and gave them to the kids playing outside.
Besides that, I really miss you. I know I went off on bad terms with you but I really hope to fix things up between us. I didn't mean to make the last thing that I said to you be, "I hate you." You got called away on business, and Eriol and I managed to work through the moving process by ourselves. So when you get here, I promise to spend a whole bunch of time with you until we can patch things up again. I hope your trip will be okay. I have so much to tell you. I'll be waiting in front of the house when you come back, I promise.
I love you,
Tomoyo
She didn't know what came over her, but tears began to well up in her eyes. Life seemed so unfair at her point of view. This girl had died or disappeared around the same time that she wrote this. She wondered how Sonomi must have felt when she got there and didn't see a trace of her daughter. How could the mother be able to survive knowing that the last thing she would ever hear her daughter say…
"Mama, I'm ready to go are you?" she said handing the last box over to the mover, "Finally, we can spend more time together and you can get to know Eriol better! This is going to be the best!"
Sonomi came to the entrance rubbing her temples, "Honey, I'm sorry but… I just got another call. Apparently the business is in major trouble down in-"
She gasped, "No mom, you promised."
"I know I promised but this is a major problem. If I don't fix it, who will?"
Tears fell from her eyes, "You always do this. You always leave me."
Sonomi sighed and held her arms out to her daughter, "I'm sorry dear, I'll make it up to you. How's this? I'll let you live with Eriol I'll also go meet his family."
She pushed her mother's arms away. "Get away from me," she hissed, "I think I will stay with Eriol. I know he loves me, and he tells me that everyday. He's always there for me, and most of all… he'll never leave me alone when I need him."
Sonomi shook her head, "You're being unreasonable, I need to go and-"
"I hate you," she growled.
Her mother stood with a terrified look on her face. There was complete silence between the two. The door opened behind the two of them, "Good morning Tomoyo, Mrs. Daidouji. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
She glared at Sonomi then smiled at the person behind her, "Eriol! Mother is being called away on business, but she'll be joining us later on. Let's go shall we?"
Eriol paused for a moment and looked at the two women, "Tomo-"
She grabbed his arm and rushed out of the house, "Come on Eriol, we don't want to get there late!"
Tama froze completely at the memory that just rushed past her. Was that all just her imagination or was that for real? She wiped the tears from her eyes and forced herself to stay on track. Another clue had been solved. Now there was only one more:
…One picture that was taken of the both of us. I hid it from him…
'This has to clear my name for sure,' Tama thought to herself. She looked around the room, "Where to start?"
Suddenly, she heard a joyful giggle accompanied by footsteps running down the hall. Tama jumped at the sound then ran after the sound. It brought her further and further down the hall, but also closer to the music that was still playing. She saw a light brighten the end of the hallway then it was gone as the door closed. She went to the door but refrained from throwing it open. She gingerly turned the knob and opened it slightly just to get a peek. Though it was the same room she had been in with Hiiragizawa; it had changed tremendously. The grand piano still stood in the center of the room, polished and in tune. The curtains were no longer moth-eaten. They were now a velvety red color, and the walls had changed from faded to a warm creamy hue. Her attention went back to the piano. It was Hiiragizawa… or should she say, Eriol, in a younger version, playing the piano with his eyes closed as usual, but there was something different about this atmosphere. It seemed joyful and full of life most likely because there was a new presence gracing the room. It was the little girl, but a bit older. How beautiful she looked when she seemed alive. She stood at the other side of the piano resting her head on it, and stared admiringly at Eriol. There was no cut on her head and her eyes seemed bright and full of spirit. The music stopped and Eriol opened his eyes. He leaned on it and smiled at her, "You seem like you're in a better mood. You looked very upset when we left."
The girl smiled back at him, "I just so happy that I'm here with you."
He got up from the bench and went over to her, "Want to go out into town today?"
"Okay, I'm more than willing to go," she beamed.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, "Don't try to fake your happiness. It doesn't suit you. I know you got into a fight with her and it's okay. Just try to take it slow right now. Don't push yourself to make me happy, alright?"
She nodded, the smile fading off of her face. She looked away from him and rested her head on his chest. "Can you… tell me that…poem," she started.
He tightened his hold on her, "The poem I wrote you? Okay… I see you here waiting for me…"
Tama clutched at her chest, 'The little girl looks exactly like me. Please tell me that I'm imagining all of this. That I'm just trying to replace his girlfriend in some twisted need to remember something from my past.' She closed the door noiselessly and went down the hall. The more she read into this situation; the more it made her depressed. God, she wanted to kill herself for even thinking about this. She would actually do it, if she weren't afraid of death. Even at times when she couldn't stand life anymore and she was ready to do anything like cutting her wrist, she wouldn't be able to because she was a coward. That's how life was. She was stuck in a world of torture and she couldn't escape it. She shook her head and went downstairs. She shivered in the cold room, "What time is it?"
"Time for you to remember," a voice came from behind her.
She turned and saw Hiiragizawa standing behind her, "Hiiragi- I mean Eriol! I'm so happy to see you. I'm having these weird thoughts where you're Eriol and I'm his girlfriend. Anyways I need you to help me… Wait. Did you just say time for me to remember?"
He smirked and grabbed her tightly by the arm, "Yes, and this time, you're not going to get away."
ChiChi's Note: My my my. A chapter that I am actually happy with. So now we have established… well practically nothing really unless someone can come up with something that makes sense… well it doesn't matter. I'll understand it if it doesn't make sense also. One thing Ikeep forgetingto point out is that in chapter 5, paragraph 35, beginning at line 57 and ending at line 72, (I can't believe I had the time to count this) is mine. I wrote it;people were asking ifI did.Anyways, I have three to four hours to kill before I have to go to school so I think I'll start the next chapter for Violette Fonce or Birdcage hahahaha. Anyways, review!