Tomoyo didn't get much more than an hour and a half of sleep in her bed before her maid knocked on the door at 9:00, like she did every Sunday. Tomoyo loathed sleeping in too late, even on days off, but this morning she groaned and rolled over.
"Young Miss, your breakfast is ready. Would you like to come down or should I bring it up?" the maid asked through the door. Tomoyo felt like her eyelids were sealed shut with sleep, but she pried them open and managed to get her brain working.
"Okuno-san," she addressed the maid while swinging her feet over the side of the bed and putting her hair in a long ponytail, "I am feeling ravenous, and I am expecting Sakura-chan over later this morning. Would you please bring me 2 extra portions of breakfast, I'll eat in my room, and then start to make some cakes or sweets for our guest?"
Maids in the Daidouji household learned quickly to roll with the punches. The mistresses Daidouji were very kind, but prone to strange whims, and that Kinomoto girl certainly seemed to eat at least a whole cake to herself every time she came over, so the maid simply answered, "Of course miss," turned and began the tasks asked of her.
Tomoyo rubbed her eyes one more time for good measure then hopped out of her large four-poster bed once and for all. She drew her nightgown tighter around her body as if to protect herself from a non-existent breeze, then knocked on her closet door. This feels strange. She thought as she waited for an answer from the man she barely knew who was currently squatting on a cot next to her frilly dresses and shoes. Her next thought was fleeting but sent a powerful feeling of dread radiating through her. What if he's gone? What if whatever hurt him so badly found him and got him and is waiting for me just on the other side of this door?
When another few moments passed without any answer, her fears seemed much more reasonable than in the moment before.
Despite fear of embarrassing him, or herself, busting through the door without permission, Tomoyo's worry took precedent and she opened the closet carefully. It was deserted. Surprised and concerned Tomoyo ran to the cot where Kurogane's bedding was folded neatly, to look for any trace he might have left behind. There was a piece of torn scrap paper that had the word, "Thank you," scribbled on it, but that was all.
"Damn," Tomoyo muttered.
She would have liked to believe that this would be the end of the matter. The man is gone, and he really doesn't have anything to do with me anyway, so my job is done right? But her strong intuition told her that it would not be so easy. She doubted that she would see anything but Tomoyo instinctively went over to the window, Kurogane's large frame should have stood out in the light of day but there was no sign of him. That is until Tomoyo stuck her head all the way out the window and looked straight down; she sucked air in through her teeth to conceal a gasp of surprise and concern. There in a large black heap was Kurogane; it looked like he had fallen trying to climb out of the window and passed out. Tomoyo cursed again, and rushed back out of the closet to go to the back door, like a normal human being, she thought, instead of leaping out of the window like a lunatic.
Luckily Kurogane was coming to by the time Tomoyo reached him, with her hands on her hips. "And just how long were you planning to stay here?" she asked, not bothering to hide the amusement in her voice.
If looks could kill, Kurogane's would at least maim, as he answered, "Shuh- uhhp," but he couldn't hide the obvious slur in his speech.
Tomoyo's amusement quickly shifted back to concern as she bent down to feel his forehead, "Your fever seems to be gone, but now I'm worried you might have a concussion. I'll have to take you to a doctor if that's the case. You're already slurring your words, there is the possibility of brain damage if we don't get this checked on…" she trailed off, unsure of what his reaction would be. He leapt out of a window to get away from her, she couldn't imagine Kurogane running at the chance to go to a hospital.
"I don't have brain damage!" he yelled angrily, standing up meaning to use his great height to intimidate Tomoyo, but he stumbled as he rose, and she shot out her arm to support him as best she could.
"You realize your case isn't very convincing when I have to carry you, right?" she asked in her sweetest voice.
That threw him for a loop.
"Now listen to me. I'm not going to force you to do anything, BUT, the Witch put you in my care for a reason right? So I'm going to do my best to help you, but if you keep jumping out of windows there's not much that I can do! I hate to say this because its not very hospitable, but this isn't a very convenient situation for me either. You haven't been very forthcoming and I don't really fancy trying to explain to my Mother why her teenage daughter is hiding a man in her room, do you?"
He simply stared at her open mouthed.
"Right, didn't think so. So if you don't mind trying to get your feet working, lets try and get you back in my room before anyone sees."
He seemed a lot more cooperative after that, and stayed in his moody silence the whole way back to his cot. Tomoyo almost had a heart attack trying to guide him whilst still remaining unseen, but he seemed almost resigned, which Tomoyo didn't like. Early this morning and last night she had seen a fire in his eyes, but today she just saw sadness. Even though she had known him less than 24 hours Tomoyo already found herself hoping for this man's eventual happiness. He could be a murderer for all you know, Tomoyo, she tried to tell herself but she just couldn't picture it. He was large, he was strong, she had seen the fire, but she had also felt how gentle he was, how he had been careful not to scare her last night.
Miraculously they had safely shut the door to Tomoyo's suite before the maid had made it back with breakfast, and so Tomoyo took the tray at the door before the maid could come in, which was unusual… but again Daidouji maids rolled with the punches.
Some of Kurogane's color had returned now he was back in bed, which pleased Tomoyo more than she expected it to. This man's stubborn mannerisms were endearing, in a way…
"Breakfast is here. I asked for three servings, I'm sure your body could really use the calories so don't worry about me and just eat until you're full," she lectured as she propped some pillows up behind his head and put the tray over his lap. She hadn't even finished her sentence when he muffled out an "Itadakimasu," through a mouthful of food.
She had been correct, it seemed he was starving. Tomoyo smiled, amused and pleased with herself again, settling down in the chair next to the cot.
"So what possessed you to jump out of the window Kurogane-san?" she asked, maybe trying to joke with him.
He almost spat out a mouthful of scrambled eggs, but he wasn't laughing. He soberly set down his utensils and fixed Tomoyo with a serious gaze.
"You don't deserve the trouble I bring. I'm grateful to you, but I can take care of myself."
"Yes I can see that," she replied sarcastically.
"Tch, little girl," he growled out, "I'm talking about more than this. You, living in this house, with butlers and maids, you could never understand. I've been living on my own since I was younger than you."
She was momentarily shocked, he was of course partially right, Tomoyo would never be able to fully understand, coming from a place of such privilege.
Her voice was a bit quieter now, "You mean, you're an orphan?"
"You think I would have asked the witch for a favor if I had any family to go to first?"
Kurogane seemed to regret bringing that up as he broke his intense eye contact with Tomoyo.
Then he said something that surprised her even more, and she could have sworn she saw a slight blush form across his cheeks.
"I didn't want to scare the maids, like you said, and I didn't remember from last night where the back door was… I figured out the window wasn't a great idea either about halfway to the ground."
Tomoyo's eyes went wide before understood he was answering her first question, then she burst into a fit of giggles. Maybe he was just deflecting talk of his family, she could still see the sadness behind his eyes, but she couldn't help it. She also felt privileged that he felt comfortable enough to joke with her, despite herself, this man was growing on her. Like the older sibling she always wanted, that is before Sakura came into her life. For his part he seemed pleased with her laughter, in a shy kind of way, as he smiled almost imperceptibly and dug back into breakfast. Tomoyo suppressed her giggles and said what she wanted to say before she lost her nerve, while the atmosphere was still pleasant.
"It is noble of you to try to protect me from whatever danger you're hiding from, but someone I trust, told me to trust that the Witch's intentions are ultimately good. And I am already grateful to have met you Kurogane-san. I hope sometime soon you feel like you can tell me about your situation so I can help. My friend Sakura, you probably don't remember but she was here last night, she will help you too, has already helped you. I know it must be hard and you are used to being self-sufficient, which again is very noble, but you are not alone, I'll be here if you ever decide you are ready, and I hope that we can become friends."
As she was speaking Tomoyo heard the echoes of what Sakura had told her just a few days ago, 'Tomoyo, please rely on me a little more, ne?' Maybe the Witch could see Kurogane and I have a little more in common than one would initially assume.
Kurogane looked back at Tomoyo, and she hoped the glimmer of warmth in his usually quite cold crimson eyes wasn't just a trick of the light. Suddenly she had an idea, and popped out of her chair. Her patient jumped slightly at her unexpected movement, following her with his eyes.
"I've just had a wonderful idea. You keep eating your breakfast and resting, the friend I mentioned will be over later this morning, and maybe we can all talk a little more then, but for right now I need to go do something. Just wait here, make yourself comfortable." She gave Kurogane one final once over with her eyes before flitting out of the closet, humming as she went.
The maids answered Sakura's ring at the front gate at 11:30, and let her show herself up to Tomoyo's room, she was such a frequent visitor. Tomoyo didn't notice her at first because she was bent over her work table, brows furrowed in concentration. Sakura put her hand on Tomoyo's shoulder, not wanting to startle her. Tomoyo jumped slightly, but smiled when she turned and saw who it was.
"I found you because I heard the sewing machine whirring. I said to myself, I haven't heard that sound in a while, how nostalgic!" Sakura ran her hands through the dark fabric that Tomoyo was working over, "But this doesn't look anything like something you'd make for me!"
"Yes this is for Kurogane-san, his clothes are so filthy I might ask him if I can just throw them out."
"So his name is Kurogane-san! I still wouldn't get too comfortable around him Tomoyo-chan!" Kero-chan piped up, flying out of Sakura's backpack. He landed on Tomoyo's shoulder fixing her with a serious look.
"What do you know about this guy? Almost nothin'?"
"Kero-chan," Sakura chided him, "Tomoyo knows what she's doing, right?" She fixed Tomoyo with a brilliant smile.
"Yes, thank you for your concern Kero-chan, but my instincts tell me he is a good person. Besides the Witch said he's not as scary as he looks, and you said we can trust the Witch more-or-less right?"
Kero grimaced slightly, Tomoyo had rhetorically backed him into a corner, "Yes, but let's err on the side of 'less' ok? At least until we can find out more…"
Sakura pulled Kero into a big hug, "Such a good guardian-san!" She exclaimed, teasing him.
"Wahhhhh, let me go or else I'll transform and then you'll be a crushed Cardcaptor!"
Tomoyo and Sakura giggled, but the latter girl released him good naturedly.
"I am almost finished here, if you two don't mind waiting just a little bit, I don't know if it's a good idea for you to go in to see Kurogane this first time without me-"
Kero began to interrupt, "See if you have misgivings like that, how much can we really trust-"
But Tomoyo cut him off, raising her voice slightly continuing like he hadn't even spoken, "I believe Okuno-san should be bringing some tea and cake up soon."
"WAIIIII cake!" Kero exclaimed, doing a complete 180 from his serious demeanor.
Sakura and Tomoyo giggled again at his predictable reaction, but then Sakura smiled knowingly.
"Of course we understand Tomoyo, the Witch entrusted you with his welfare, so you can't help feeling responsible. And he's still recovering I'm sure, we won't disrupt him. Take your time!" She squeezed Tomoyo's shoulder one more time, and ushered an ecstatic Kero back to the lounge where the maid Okuno-san would momentarily bring the tea servings.
By the time Tomoyo had finished her sewing, which probably took less than 10 minutes, Kero-chan had already demolished half of the lemon poppyseed cake on the table.
"Leave at least one slice for our guest please Kero-chan!" she said as she entered the lounge.
"I'm notph mmakin' any promitheth" Kero replied through another mouthful of cake, and the girls laughed again.
Then they all exchanged a glance and Tomoyo asked, "Well, ready?"
Sakura nodded, and got up, grabbing the serving plate of cake before following Tomoyo over to the closet door.
Tomoyo knocked, suddenly feeling nervous, hoping he hadn't tried to pull another escape stunt.
"Excuse me Kurogane-san? My friend I mentioned before is here, is it ok if we come in?"
"Enter," she heard in his deep voice through the door.
Tomoyo and Sakura made it into the closet ok, but as soon as Kurogane saw Kero, the room burst into a flurry of activity.
"Oh no you don't!" Kurogane said, before leaping to his feet, and Tomoyo didn't miss him instinctively reaching to his hip for… what? A gun? A sword?
Kero-chan dropped his drunk-on-cake act and transformed into his true form, Keroberos, immediately. His wings almost crowded Sakura and Tomoyo out of the room, and he let out a deep growl.
Kurogane put his hands up, in a show of surrender, though his eyes still flashed dangerously.
Tomoyo managed to get her brain working, and put herself in between them with her arms outstretched, one palm facing Kurogane, the other Kero-chan. In her most assertive voice she boomed, "What is going on here?! Kero-chan stand down!"
In his deeper transformed voice Kero replied, "But he started it!"
Kurogane blinked, then looked at Tomoyo and asked, "You call this, thing, 'Kero-chan?"
"That's Keroberos to you, man!" the guardian almost spat back.
Thanks to those of you who have stuck with me ha! Here's a cliffhanger for you because I'm evil. It is finals week where I am so no promises on chapter 4 for this week, but by next week hopefully!
Thanks for the kind reviews