IV

That was the agreement they had reached that night. Every time Tomoyo thought about it, she couldn't help but think it was sort of a weird agreement. She was not a fake girlfriend; after all, they had never been seen together in public, neither pretend to have a relationship. Nobody knew there was something between them and they did not behave like a couple at all. Nobody even knew they knew each other. It wasn't even a mutual benefit agreement: Touya wasn't a sugar daddy that showered her with expensive gifts, and she also wasn't a sugar baby whose only interest was to get said gifts, in exchange of her services. That they had was mere sex: late nights where they both succumbed to the lust. After all, there was no kissing, since there was no love. There were no romantic words, as if a single one could ruin the moment. In the end, they did not let themselves lay next to each other when they were done, there was no way they would stop to listen at each other's heartbeats; they would definetly not hug or hold hands. When they were done for the night, Tomoyo proceeded to pick up her clothes, and walk away from that luxurious place, so to continue with her life, her businesses, until a new message rang in her phone, telling her to get ready for the next encounter.

These encounters kept on happening at his place. Besides the first time that Tomoyo had make him walk inside her tiny apartment, Touya had actually not visited ever again. Tomoyo thought it was better that way. Touya had been the one that started it all, so it was best to not get that deeply involved. Her place was something just too personal, and seemed like he actually didn't care about her life and her stuff. He had never asked for her name, her job, her age, family, friends… not sharing any kind of personal information (neither her or his) seemed like the most logical thing to do to maintain that agreement.

During the first months, Tomoyo could simply forget about Kinomoto Touya while she worked at home, or when she had to go on set to make costume adjustments, or when she visited Yue, to help him in whatever he needed help. She was perfectly able to keep on living her life, going out with her friends to have a cup of coffee or grab a drink, meet up with clients that demanded her design services, or even spending hours with her mom at the phone, talking about her relaxing life in her retired home right next to the Caribbean Sea.

And yet, as time kept on running, Daidouji Tomoyo started suspecting the thin line that divided her life and the intimate encounters she had with Touya, was slowly fading away. And that frightened her. After all, she felt that if she wasn't able to fulfill her part of the agreement, he was going to walk away, never coming back.

Touya's constant presence in the filming set wasn't helpful at all. Tomoyo tried to work as professionally as she could, and since Sakura was the female lead (she was the one that had the most costumes in the whole cast, almost twice as much as Syaoran), Tomoyo had to spend a lot of time working exclusively with her, checking and fixing her costumes. If only Touya wasn't that eager to be always present… but there he was, always criticizing her work, imposing his opinions; he was just too overprotective over his younger sister. At the end of every day, it was always Sakura the one who had to apologize on behalf of his older brother.

Sakura could be a famous singer, but she was still a young girl. Yes, she had just turned twenty, but her personality still showed the innocence of a sixteen-year-old. During all those months of filming, she had become pretty close to Tomoyo. Not only because while Tomoyo fixed her clothing they had enough time to talk about almost everything, but her close age gap was also helpful. Sakura felt Tomoyo saw the world in the same way as her, and at the same time, Tomoyo looked much more mature and experienced, which make Sakura feel as if she was someone she could look up to.

"Do you think Touya will ever stop looking at me as if I was only a 5 years old?" she asked during a summer afternoon, while Tomoyo worked fixing a bias around the thick white cape they were supposed to film with that day.

Tomoyo, holding a pair of pins in one hand, looked at the other side of the set. Touya was there, looking at Li Syaoran filming a scene at a one-inch-deep fake lake, that produced the optical illusion of him walking over water. Touya kept on looking at the Chinese kiddo, with his arms crossed, and frowning. He looked as if he was angry, but for what Tomoyo already knew about him, that was simply his usual expression.

"Well, I don't have any younger siblings." Tomoyo started, looking back at the white cape. "But somehow I think I would end up being just as protective as him, don't you think?"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The girl said when she realized she had moved, and the thick cape had slide down her shoulders. Both girls hurried to fix it back in place. "Is just that sometimes I don't get him." She continued. "Our age gap is quite significant… fifteen years! But is not only that. I mean… we've never been that close."

Tomoyo continued placing her pins, not saying a word. After all, what was she supposed to say? During those months she had met Touya (as if "met" was the right word to use), the only conclusion she could've come up with was that he was an extremely lonely person.

"Well, he's here, right?" Tomoyo finally said, which made Sakura look at her. "He's been an actor for so many years, so I presume he knows the industry quite well. And he's here, looking after you. I think that, despite you guys not feeling that close, he truly cares about you."

"I don't need for him to look over me so tightly." Sakura added, in a whimper. "I would love to be allowed to make my own mistakes."

Tomoyo was just about to ask what she meant with that, when a man with bluish-black hair stopped right in front of them both.

"Daidouji?" Hiragizawa asked. "Do you have a moment? Yuuko wants to talk to us both."

"Sure." She said as she placed the last pin, and hurried to take off the cape from Sakura's shoulders, and place it in a hanger. "I'll fix this later and then we can try it back, okay?"

Sakura smiled as an answer, and so, Daidouji and Hiragizawa walked out of the set, none of the noticing that Touya had seen them walk away together. He frowned even more, if that was even possible.

The meeting with Yuuko was short and concise. The lady wanted to make sure that important details concerning her work were not omitted in the upcoming programmed shootings, since she was going to be out of the city due a business trip, and wouldn't be able to be around, defending her ideas. Luckily for her, Tomoyo was already a step ahead. The girl had not only finished the first book, but actually had already read the whole trilogy, and had noticed said details that looked insignificant in the beginning, but turned out to be important in the upcoming narrative, and so, she had already worked in the sketches and even had prototypes.

After only thirty minutes, Yuuko felt more than satisfied with the productions work, and walked away from the meeting room, with a huge smile fixed in her face. Ichihara wasn't the only one who walked out there that day with a happy bubble expanding in her chest. Hiragizawa was also very proud of the way Tomoyo had handled the situation.

"I'm really impressed with your job, Daidouji." He said, as they both walked down a hallway in the third floor. They had just finished filming the school scenes, and had gone back to a studio in the central building, and so it was easy for them to use the room meetings whenever the crew needed it.

"I'm just doing my job." She replied.

"I know, but still… Yukito had tell me you were good, but he was lying. You're more than good. You're wonderful."

Tomoyo felt as if she were about to blush. Luckily for her, Hiragizawa soon focused his compliments in something else.

"Is not as if we didn't expect Ichihara to be so defensive of her books. Aren't all authors that way? They work hard creating a universe, developing a story. They expect us all to understand how important every little detail is to the final product. So I really appreciate you noticing this, and giving her the reinforcement she needed."

"Once again, Hiragizawa…"

Can I ask you something?" He interrupted her, and stopped his pacing. Tomoyo did the same, looking at him with a confused expression, and yet, she nodded. "Can you please stop calling me Hiragizawa? You make me feel as if I was ten years older than you…"

Tomoyo held her laughter, and hurried to ask.

"Then how you want me to address you?"

"Eriol is ok, Tomoyo."

She definitely had to make an effort to stop her cheeks getting red. Yes, he was older than her, just two years, but still, older. And even if that was not the case, he still was her boss. A very important producer with years of experience in the field… She couldn't help but be impressed at how fast she had shown how valuable she could be to the team.

"Eriol, okay." She repeated.

"I will definitely have to reward you for this." He continued as he softly pinched her cheek. "What do you say of going out this weekend, to grab something to eat? My treat."

"We're working against a clock." She interrupted, but he ignored her.

"We're talking just a quick scape of 20 minutes as much. We can take advantage of Ichihara bugging Naoko with a last revision of the script. We make our way out via emergency exit…"

Tomoyo couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay you win. But only for 20 minutes."

Eriol couldn't help but smile. Just then, his phone started ringing, and after looking at who was calling him, he said goodbye, and hurried to answer, as he made his way towards the other side of the hallway, and getting lost inside one of the meeting rooms.

Tomoyo, on the other hand, couldn't move at all. Was her work actually that excellent, that it had impressed Hiragizawa Eriol that much? Either way, he was really kind and attentive, and she kind of liked that. Not noticing she was smiling, she finally remembered she had work to do (Sakura's cape was waiting for her), and so, hurried to walk down the hallway and go downstairs, ready to go back to the set.

Still, she hadn't taken a single step, when the door she had at her right, opened right before her eyes, and Touya came out of there. He was smiling, one of those enigmatic smiles of him. He was holding a cardboard cup of coffee, while with his other hand he held his arm. He leaned against the doorframe, looking at her.

"Eriol?" He repeated, buffing as if he had just said something funny.

"What?" Was the only thing she could say, not knowing what he meant.

"He asked you to call him by his first name, and you just agreed?"

Tomoyo couldn't help but ask herself if she had taken a bad decision.

"He asked me." It was the only thing she could say. "What are you doing here?" She finally noticed. Just as always, he didn't reply.

Still with that grin on his face, he drank from his cup, and turning around, he walked away, same way Eriol had just left.

What had just happened?

She didn't see him again during the rest of the day. Even when Sakura had still some scenes to film, her overprotective brother was nowhere to be seen. Tomoyo tried not to think about it, and focus on the costumes she had to fix, either because Ichihara had ordered so, or because they had been damaged during filming. This had absorbed her completely, that at the end of the day, she didn't remember what had happened with Touya or Eriol.

Touya didn't show up during the rest of the week. Eriol, and the rest of the staff, couldn't hide the fact that they preferred it that way. Not having Touya over their heads, supervising everything was quite relaxing. Still, even when Tomoyo was the one more affected by it, she was the only one that wasn't happy of knowing he was not around. She missed him, and even when she knew that was a bad feeling, she couldn't help but feel that way.

It was as if he had just vanished. Touya didn't show up around the sets, or texted Tomoyo in the next few days. She was tempted to ask Sakura if something had happened to her older brother, but knowing Sakura had just told her they were not that close (and the fact she would end up having to explain why she was so interested in knowing where he was), she preferred not to ask.

Touya's absence had started to affect Tomoyo's work. She had trouble concentrating while working in the set (every minute or so, she raised her head, looking for him, hoping to glimpse him in a faraway corner), that she almost never finished her work, and had to take the costumes home, to continue fixing them. She also couldn't concentrate whewn being at her place. Once again, she stopped and looked at her phone, waiting for a message to arrive. None came, and so, she threw it away, focusing once again in her costumes, until late at night, which gave her almost no time to have a proper sleep.

That's why, a couple of weeks later, when she received Eriol's email saying Yuuko Ichihara had demanded a meeting with them both, she got scared it was all because her lack of compromise and focus. Had she forgotten to do something that the author had considered as crucially important?

She made her way to the usual meeting room located in the third floor, with shaky legs and a fast heartbeat. She held in one hand a double expresso and her portfolio in the other one. She had spent the whole night working in those sketches she had placed messily inside her portfolio, and along her messy bun, big pink shirt with a loose black cardigan, purple shorts and sneakers, made her look like a total lunatic.

When she walked into the meeting room, there were almost no empty seats. Around the rectangular table, surrounded by nine chairs, there were nine movie scripts, waiting to be read. Yuuko was sitting at one of the ends of the long table, right next to the door, with Nakuru and Naoko sitting at her right side. Sakura and Syaoran where sitting next to them, facing the crystal wall that allowed them to see the third floor corridor. Next to Syaoran, at the other table end was Yukito, and right next to him, not facing the corridor, Eriol was sitting, silently tapping his fingers against the armrest, clearly nervous.

Tomoyo hurried to sit right next to Eriol (this was crucial, just in case they needed to discuss something quick, underneath the table), so she also faced her back to the corridor, and with an empty seat at her left. She placed her cup and portfolio at the table, and waited for Eriol or Yuuko to start the meeting, when the sound of the door opening again made everybody, including Tomoyo, look at the person who had just arrived.

And her heart bounced when she saw Touya Kinomoto.

Touya stopped for a second, with his usual "I don't care" expression and mannerism, as if he had just not disappeared for a couple of weeks. That day, he was wearing a sky blue shirt, navy blue pants and black shoes, that matched perfectly with his thin raincoat. He closed the door behind him, and looking at the only empty chair that was left, he slid and sat right next to Tomoyo, not saying a single word. Just as always, he acted as if he just didn't see her, or anyone else in that room. Tomoyo had to contain her smile. She knew that was his typical behavior, but just the fact of seeing him right there made her happy. Just knowing that he was okay was more than enough for her.

That, until she felt his hand touching her naked leg. His touch felt warm, and despite having already felt that hand caressing her thighs, there was something at that time, that felt completely different. Was it the fact that this time they were in a room full of people? Even his younger sister was right in front of him! She felt the urge to get up and run away, or at least try to make an excuse to change her seating, but she decided not to make a scene, afraid to make people suspect something was happening. So, in the end, she just remained there, feeling how his fingers pressed her skin softly, and slowly caressed her thigh.

"Okay." Said Yukito. His voice sounded so far away, and Tomoyo had to tell herself to focus on what was about to happen if she didn't want to get in any trouble. "Now we're complete. Yuuko." He added as he looked at the woman sitting across the table, right in front of him. "In the understanding that you recently spoke with both Tomoyo and Eriol, about that last scene that happens inside the castle… There are several changes I would like to do. Can everybody please open your scripts in page one hundred and eighty-seven?"

For a moment, only the sound of the pages passing by was heard, since everybody had done what the boss had asked. Everybody, except Touya, who kept caressing Tomoyo's leg, while looking into the distance.

"I understand that, in the book, the final battle against our villain occurs when our heroes are trapped inside the castle." Yukito began explaining. "But… In the movie script, this fight is a continuation of the battle that takes place in headquarters. What I'm trying to say, is that it feels more natural to be connected, rather than cutting the action so we can move to a new location."

"So you want to get rid of my castle?" Yuuko said, her eyes fixed in Yukito.

"You have to understand us." Eriol stepped in. "It will be quite hard to find one that fits your description here in Japan. After all, your description is more suited to European architecture."

Yuuko was about to say something, but Eriol continued. "Since you allowed us to deepen the Japanese pride in this, we thought of placing this battle in Tokyo Tower."

Whatever Yuuko was about to say, seemed to fade from her thoughts. Yukito couldn't help to smile. Seemed the meeting was going according to plan.

"We also want to get rid of the capes."

"That's impossible." Yuuko interrupted. "I thought your team had fully understood how important those capes are. It's a journey to the end of the world, mid-winter, they need the protection. And don't get me started in the transformation…"

"We can totally use something else that those capes to make that transformation happen." Eriol was quick to interrupt. "Have you ever seen a magical girl anime?"

"You're not gonna compare a fight against time with Sailor Moon." Yuuko's pitch got shaky and sharp. Eriol scratched his forehead, visibly uncomfortable.

"Well not, of course not." Yukito spoke again. "But I was thinking we could use something else, to make it look more magical. Maybe, a dress?"

"So you want her to wear a dress under a cape in a polar environment? You want her to die from a frostbite?"

"It's your narrative the one that asks for the girl to never wear jeans." Eriol stepped in once again. And not letting Yuuko say no again, he hurried to ask. "What do you think, Tomoyo?"

The girl hurried to push herself against the table, pretending to read the script carefully, when in fact she was trying to hide Touya's arm moving back and forth, as he still was caressing her thigh. Praying to all the gods she knew that her loose cardigan could hide that, she hurried to answer.

"We can work without the cape." She said slightly depressed. After all, she had spent so many hours working on that costume that she was hurt it had been all for nothing. "But if it's a dress we're going to work with, we're going to need something completely stunning. I understand the most important detail of the cape was its color, but if we're working with a dress, we can't repeat white, since that's the first one she wears…"

"Tomoyo's got a point. We can't repeat the same color scheme over and over again." Eriol interrupted once again, fixing his eyes in Yuuko, not noticing how Tomoyo sighed in relief of not being caught. "I understand your book is highly focused in this fight between good and bad, light and dark, but I think we should aim for something bigger in the final battle. After all, don't your heroes have fixed colors as their elements? Is not that your main focus in this story?"

Yuuko pressed her lips tightly, as she started thinking about it. After two minutes or so, she finally had to agree.

"Okay, let's pretend I agree with you for a second." She said, while pushing her index finger against her lower lip. "Let's pretend the final battle has Sakura wearing dark blue, and Syaoran wearing bright red. Haven't you stopped to think that infiltrating at late night in Tokyo Tower with these too intense colors would be complicated?"

"Does it really have to be a late night infiltration?"

"Yes, yes it has to be because the book clearly states everything ends when the clock strikes midnight! Haven't you read my book!?"

Discussions kept on going for an hour or so. In the end, too many changes had occurred to the costumes, location and events. Yukito and Eriol had won that intense battle against Ichihara, which meant that Tomoyo and Naoko would be drowning in work for the rest of the week, starting that same night.

When Eriol, Yukito and Yuuko thought they had nothing else to say to each other, the meeting was called to an end, everybody was finally free to leave. Touya was the first one to step up and walk away. Tomoyo couldn't help but feel abandoned when the warm touch of his fingers against her skin disappeared, and she could only feel coldness crawling up her legs. Still, she hurried to pretend that nothing had happened, and placing her notes inside her portfolio, she also stood up, so to leave.

"Tomoyo!" Eriol's voice made her freeze.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Touya stopping at the door, but soon thought that had been just her imagination, when he walked out of the room and she lost sight of him.

"Yes?" She asked, looking at her boss, who came along with Yukito."

"I'm so sorry." Said the blue-eyed man, visibly ashamed. "We just completely scrapped all your sketches and are about to make you work so many extra hours just because I got a whim."

"The whim was mine, Eriol. If anyone owes an apology to Miss Daidouji, that's me." Yukito smiled at both of them.

"Don't worry about it, please." Tomoyo tried to smile back, but couldn't help to add. "Actually, I was surprised there haven't been any major change yet. It was too good to be true, right?"

Eriol laughed softly, and pointing at the door, he asked Tomoyo to walk along with them, out of the room, and soon, the three of them started walking along the corridor, the girl standing in the middle.

"Either way, you deserve my apology. So, I thought the best way to get your pardon, would be to treat you for a meal. Don't I owe you one for your hard work, and now this one for what just had happened? I better hurry or the list is only going to get longer."

Tomoyo couldn't help but laugh.

"You really don't have to, Eriol, I mean…"

"I insist, Tomoyo, please. I actually have free this afternoon, and I think we could work with Yukito's company for once. So, what do you say? Want to go grab lunch? Now?"

"Now?" She repeated, slightly surprised, and couldn't help but look at the other end of the corridor, where Touya had disappeared (somehow she was scared he was hiding in one of the other meeting rooms, and was actually listening to that conversation), but trying to tell herself that her personal life was not his matter at all, she looked back at Yukito and Eriol. "Sure. What you got in mind?"

In the end, Yukito said he was sorry (he already had another meeting and needed to head out right away so to make it on time), so in the end, it was only Eriol and Tomoyo the ones that hit a Chinese restaurant, at downtown. It was a small place but actually very elegant. Somehow it felt very exclusive, and extremely expensive. Eriol seemed determined to make Tomoyo try everything in the menu, that asked for a little bit of all, and as if they were in their own private buffet, they sat face to face at a long table, full with plates that looked dreamy.

The conversation was mostly about work. When they finally felt their stomachs were full, the staff cleaned the table and a sorting of desserts found their way between them both, while the conversation grew deeper.

Eriol begun talking about himself and his family. He was an only son, half Japanese, half British, he had met Yukito fifteen years ago, and had clicked instantly, so they soon began to work together, Eriol being his assistant. It was during one of those films that they both had met Touya, five years ago.

"We're not really friends." He hurried to say before Tomoyo could point how she had never ever seen them talk in their meetings. "Actually, if I think about it for a second, I think he hates me."

"Why would he?" she hurried to ask, while drinking a sip of baijiu."

"Because it was me who brought Sakura to the entertainment business." He answered, trying not to laugh. "You see. When I work along with Yukito, my focus is making movies. But, some years ago, I also started my own business. In the music industry, to be precise. I met Sakura when Touya invited me to his 25th birthday party. I had been his producer for quite some time, so it felt natural. Especially since at that time, Kinomoto was… different. I mean, yes he still was not so talkative and quite composed, but he was a bit more opened when it came to his feelings. At least with the people he was close to."

"And what happened?" Tomoyo asked, trying to excitement and curiosity not reflect in her face and voice.

"Well, he basically stopped showing any emotion when he ended the relationship he had at that time. They had been together for so long… She was older than him, red haired. I can't remember her name. Don't get me wrong but she wasn't important to me because she was not part of the show biz. In the end, seems like she just couldn't handle the pressure of dating a celebrity; Touya was always busy: traveling, filming, attending events, and so on, and from what Sakura told me, that woman asked him to choose between his career as an actor or her. I guess you can tell what decision he made.

Tomoyo nodded, unable to speak as she felt a lump in her throat. She hurried to sip a bit more of baijiu, trying to drown the question that had just formed in her head. Was she also not part of the show biz? Was that the reason Touya had decided not to make things more personal, so not to be hurt when she finally decided to walk away too?

"Anyway, the thing is, as soon as I met Sakura, I knew she had a gorgeous voice! She was going to be a huge star. Touya was quick to say no, but since Sakura was still a minor, the only one who had a saying in this was his father, and since he signed all the contracts because Sakura had made her choice and he said he would support her no matter what, Kinomoto couldn't object. So, yeah. I think that's the reason he might hate me. Especially since I was also the one who brought her to film this movie and become an actress."

"You offered her the part?"

"I just suggested her to do the casting." He corrected Tomoyo. "Yukito was the one who told me she actually had the perfect facial features and body proportions for this main role in a movie he had just bought the copyrights. So I thought, why not? And one afternoon as I visited the family to drink some tea, I casually dropped the topic, and one thing led to another, and…" Eriol shrugged his shoulders, trying to act innocent. "I'm really happy she got the part. She's perfect for the role."

"And what about Syaoran? You also suggested him to do the casting?"

"Not at all. Actually, that's Yuuko's doing. Li is already a big celebrity in China, and seemed like Yuuko had been his fan for a long time. She came one day and say the only person who could play the part was him. She even hinted that she had written her character based on him. So Yukito had no other option to get in touch with Li's manager, saying this would make him global, and it was an opportunity he didn't want to miss… You already know how this story ends."

Tomoyo nodded.

"His chemistry on screen with Sakura is amazing, haven't you noticed?"

"Oh, I have definitely noticed." Eriol replied, laughing softly. "So, what about you? What about your family, friends? Do you have a boyfriend? Any fiancé I should be afraid of?"

The young designer couldn't help but choke on her liquor when she heard the question. After scoffing a couple of times, just as Eriol gently patted her back, she quickly placed her glass back at the table, and tried not to look at her boss.

"I'm not dating anyone." She hurried to respond. That was the truth, right? Between her and Touya there was not a relationship at all. It was nothing more than only sex. No compromise at all.

"I see." Was all Eriol said, until he added. "So that means you're single."

"Yes." Tomoyo said, and a bit scared that Eriol could even think that meant she was available, hurried to add: "But that doesn't mean I'm looking for someone right now. I'm focusing on my work."

"The way I see it, we're demanding too much of you. Probably you should take a rest and try to enjoy your youth."

"I'm doing just fine." Tomoyo hurried to reply. "Really."

"Oh, look at the time." Said Eriol, as he looked at his clock. "I've already kidnapped you for a full hour. Are you ok with me leaving first? To be honest, I have another meeting…"

"Not at all." Tomoyo replied, as she looked at her boss standing up and taking his coat.

"I'll see you then next week, so we can check the new costumes. Have a nice afternoon, Tomoyo."

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and finally walked away. Tomoyo, a little bit dazed, took her time to process what just had happened. Slowly, she finally stood up too, and took her coat.

"Mr. Hiragizawa already covered the check." Said a waitress, as she approached Tomoyo and gave her a bag full of little cardboard boxes, definitely the left overs of the buffet they had just enjoyed. "He asked me to give you this, just in case you're hungry later on."

"Thank you so much." Was all Tomoyo could said, since at that exact moment, her phone rang, announcing she had a new message.

As the waitress walked away, leaving Tomoyo once again all by herself, the girl of long black hair looked inside her bag and finally took out her phone. The screen showed she had a new message from "K. Touya". Feeling her heartbeat getting haster, she hurried to open it.

"Tonight. 8 pm."

Hope you guys like this one too. I'm so happy that I didn't have to write another XXX scene cuz I'm so tired of writing plain "and he fk her" cuz tbh I can't come with any other expression. (pls help me).

Have a nice weekend!