Sorry it took so long, folks… I just sorta lost touch with the CCS characters. But I love this story so much I can't leave it alone.. I've written pieces of the next four chapters already! It's awesome, so I'm excited. I need feedback on the relationships between S/S and T/E, because I dunno if they're all authentic yet. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own it or there would be pictures or videos to go along with my story.
Chapter Four- The Photo Shoot, Eriol/Nakuru/Suppi's first day back!
Tomoyo leaned into Eriol as they left the restaurant, grasping his arm gently with both hands and giggling into his shoulder. They had left the café while Nakuru was in the restroom. The moment she had bounced off Eriol had waved over the waiter and paid the check in cash. He had ushered Tomoyo quickly and gently, albeit firmly, from her chair outside and guided her out the small gate at one end of the outdoor seating.
"And, three, two, one…" He murmured to Tomoyo as they walked quickly away from the scene of their escape from Nakuru's incessant, but pleasant, chatter.
"Ah!" Came an indignant squeal from around the corner, followed by a voice full of false hurt, dramatic and loud. "Daidouji-kun, how COULD you?!"
"Ano…" Tomoyo said, looking back with a guilty expression, pausing in her walk and releasing Eriol's arm. He opened his mouth…
"Run?" she finished weakly. Then she turned forward and turned to the right, grabbing Eriol's hand before dashing down an alley that would lead them closer to the site of her photo shoot. Despite her mother's talent at track, however, Tomoyo was not exactly physically inclined, and she heard Nakuru's footsteps pounding ever closer as she led Eriol through her hometown. They neared the park where she and Sakura used to walk home as elementary students and she turned in, following the path.
Suddenly she felt Eriol's hand leave hers. Two arms closed fully around her waist as she was yanked sideways. She felt her feet leave the air and then she felt herself moving diagonally against the wind, sliding back against Eriol, who still grasped her firmly, pushed into place by the air as she flew to the left.
Odd words were whispered, sliding through her hair, carried by Eriol's breath past the right side of her face.
Then she felt foliage brush against her skin and a slight impact as they landed somewhere in the middle of a leafy bush. She was cradled by Eriol, who had tucked her in close to his body so that he felt all the impact. The couple sank a few inches into the ground upon landing, and then rose back to the surface, as though they had landed on a large pillow.
"Shh." Eriol murmured, shifting out from under her gently, sliding out to her right so that she was laying on her back on top of the ground, which was still soft as though a cushion of air lay between her body and the dirt. One of his arms remained on her waist, his right hand laying idle on her side. The left arm was propping him up, elbow straight and hand pushing on the earth beside her head, a considerate distance from her hair, now in disarray and tossed round her face. He was leaning over her slightly, and their legs were still not untangled. Keeping her eyes on the bushes they had hurtled through, she breathed in silently as the thundering footsteps barreled past. As they faded into the distance she found herself coming out of her shock and getting a little angry. After all, she had to look professional and presentable in about five minutes, and laying in dirt was not exactly helping her to gather her thoughts for her debut. Her growing anger began to melt as she turned her eyes on Eriol's. His eyes were fixed on her face.
"Two paths converged in a park, and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." He whispered, in a serious voice, completely grave aside from something in the way he was gazing at her now. Something that reminded her of his young face after he had convinced Chiharu that Takashi actually was telling the truth, babies did come from pink and blue storks raised by Mrs. Claus. Tomoyo's lips twitched and she inhaled deeply once again, not knowing whether to laugh or huff in mature impatience.
"Do you know, I think I'll let Syaoran draw his own conclusions when we show up at Sakura's photo shoot looking disheveled, not to mention accompanied by a Nakuru yelling and squealing about finding us cushioned on the ground behind a bush and how you're corrupting me. Of course, she'll probably be referring mainly to the fact that we left her in the restaurant, departing without a word, disregarding our manners completely, but she doesn't usually stop and go into detail, now does she?" Tomoyo said sweetly, watching approvingly as the flush he had gathered while running drained slowly from his face as he appraised the situation which could be awaiting him.
"Do you know," He began in English "You actually scared me with that. Think what your mother would do if we entered your house with Nakuru still yelling about that. After doing my best to evade Syaoran, I'd be completely helpless." Tomoyo nodded happily, imagining her hair being avenged first by an unsuspecting and clueless Syaoran and then her mother, Eriol having to lie low like a fugitive.
"It would appear I'm at your mercy." He said calmly, gazing down at her. A fond look came over his face and his lips stretched outward. "And yet, not exactly…" He drew the hand next to her face through the dirt lazily, as though idly sketching in the ground as while he spoke. He then moved to stand, grasping her by the forearms and pulling them both into a standing position just in time. As they straightened the pillow of air Tomoyo had been cushioned upon rushed upward, smoothing their hair and wrinkled clothing back into order. Tomoyo's hairband popped out, but her hair was neatly blown into a side part, bangs raked off to the side.
"I love that combo." Eriol said wistfully and appreciatively as he drew her back onto the path, stepping around the foliage lining it. "A mix of Arab and English. The cushion lies beneath us so that no dirt or leaves stick to our clothes and then is designed to rush up at an appropriate angle so that we look no more than slightly windblown." Tomoyo leaned back over the bushes to see, but the air had wiped out whatever he had written in the dirt.
"Were those…?" She trailed off looking curiously at him. They began walking, "And what keeps Sakura, Syaoran, and Nakuru, who's very attuned to your magic, from sensing it?"
"Oh, well Arabic magics are extremely subtle and flexible. It's thanks to the language really, it's descriptive but open to interpretation. My magic interprets the words the way I want them to. It keeps the spell specific and my control absolute, but allows me to cast quickly if I know exactly what I need to occur. I spent so little magic that it could probably only be sensed by someone standing only a few feet away. As for the writing, it was only the angles I wanted to pillow to rise from. You're probably the person who I most don't want to anger here, not to mention the fact that you scare me the most." She smiled disarmingly and innocently up at him and he returned it with a skeptical, but fond, look. "Your grasp of the concept of revenge is absolute and merciless, my dear. It was in my best interests to return you to the gorgeous lady you were before we launched ourselves through the air." He answered idly as he led her further down the path. Talk of the spell had calmed her mind, set it to solving another one of the puzzles of magic. She was feeling in the mood to dress up and tape Sakura as well, since her mind still associated talk of magic with Sakura in cute costumes. In fact, she realized as he spoke, he had kept her mind off of the photo shoot the entire day.
"I'm sorry, WE?" She addressed his final comment. "More like abducted me to avoid getting run over by Nakuru in an overenthusiastic game of tag which, in fact, you began. And by the way, Eriol-kun… thank you." She said before he could respond. He turned to look at her, slightly surprised. "I feel like I'm ready to walk straight up to my camera and clothes and take complete control of everyone there. You've gotten me so excited about dressing up Sakura that now my mind is totally focused. I'm so glad we went for lunch!" She smiled charmingly. They turned the corner and found themselves in the midst of an entire crew beginning to set up for Tomoyo's debut, hampered by the presence of Nakuru as she flirted with the guys doing the heavy lifting. "Ok, so I'm going to go make sure the make-up girls are ready for Sakura. Eriol!" She said sharply, facing him and grasping both his hands, gazing up at him entreatingly. "I expect you to keep Nakuru away from anything she might ruin completely until Sakura starts trying things on and being fitted. Then she can squeal and coo all she wants. Thanks so much!" Tomoyo said, squeezing his hands gently and smiling up at him before turning to stride up to a group of ladies setting up chairs, tables, and electric beauty devices all over the clearing.
He sighed and turned his formidable intellect to the challenge now facing him.
……………….
Sakura arrived twenty minutes later, late by only two minutes. She had noticed Eriol's presence halfway to the park, and had to hit the brakes on her skates before she tripped right over her own feet in shock. Her mind had been wandering and as she approached the park she had idly wondered whether Tomoyo and Eriol would go with her to get ice cream afterwards to celebrate.
She ripped off her skates the moment she reached the park, yanking rainbow flip flops out of her backpack and shoving them on her feet and zipping her skates into the bag in record time before flying off towards the growing crowd that marked the shoot. She ran right up to him and he released his grip on Nakuru when Sakura was merely four feet from her former magical benefactor. Nakuru and Sakura collided in a massive hug with loud squealing two seconds later. Nakuru finally stepped back, curious to have a real look at the maturing Cardmistress, who was now nearly the same height as the tall magical being. Said young lady abruptly vanished the minute she was released, having launched herself directly at Eriol.
The two embraced like long-lost siblings or cousins finally reunited. After a little while Eriol realized that Sakura was repeating something under her breath.
"Oh thank god, thank god!" She pulled back and he could see her eyes tearing up slightly. "Eriol you just made everything absolutely perfect! Life has been so good since Syaoran showed up that it drove everything from my mind…! But really, everything's been so horrible since starting high school. Everyone's drifted, and Tomoyo… I just-" she hugged him tightly again and then pulled away, "I can't think of what to do or say. She's just not as animated unless she's working like a demon and even Syaoran can't seem to do anything. I'm the only one she's really friends with here. She's fine when she's performing and she's got friends in her 'industries' but I just- I don't know Eriol, but I feel like I'm just not smart enough to help! She anticipates any movement to get her excited about stuff or trick her into shopping over work or trying something new. Your just so good at… well, you know, persuading… or manipulating… maybe you could?" Sakura stopped, embarrassed, and backed away. Eriol frowned for the first time since returning to Tomoeda. He cared for Tomoyo a lot, saw much of himself in her, or the personality he had that wasn't just Clow, but as a kid who had another life's worth of experiences inside his head, maturing and learning how to balance fun with a new way of thinking and living wasn't exactly his most difficult problem.
His frown also hid the slight disappointment he felt. While he commended Sakura's intuition in telling him, knowing he was the one that could help, her sudden embarrassment was a very bad sign. The girl he had known should not have been embarrassed to come to him for help about anything, or worry that it wasn't his problem, not if her natural instincts had decided so strongly that he needed to understand what was wrong. Usually Sakura didn't know she was doing the right thing until she just did it! And now, feeling embarrassed showed that she didn't trust her intuition, that she was maybe embarrassed about her magic. It showed how distant she must feel in everyday life from the friends that had been so close to her at a young age, as well, because her urgency told him just how sad she had been. Even when he had visited in middle school, she had been the same, just taller, smarter, maybe a little more mature in her thinking. Her personal ideals had been developing then. He could hear how lonely she had been though, even a cheerful girl like Sakura who was probably everyone's best friend at her school.
"Hehe, Gomen, you know how I can just be so emotional and chaotic sometimes. You know it's just one of those stressful days what with my modeling and all. I mean Tomoyo and I haven't really done the whole modern clothes thing, well, ever! Not like this, anyway, for something real. And I feel like I'm just getting into this whole modeling thing, my mother, you remember she used to model? Well she started all the way back in middle school and-" Eriol covered her mouth and smiled reassuringly.
"Sakura don't be silly. I don't need excuses. You and Tomoyo are two of my favorite people in all the world. I consider it my responsibility to ensure that Tomoyo is no less than the happiest person in the world before I leave her side again. You can hold me to that. I'm sure it will be no easy feat, what with my distant cousin back in Tomoeda to sweep you off your feet." He winked at her as her face filled up red. Just then Tomoyo hollered her name, seeing the girl at last.
"Oh!! Oops, heh, now I really am late." She said turning and running towards Tomoyo, who immediately rushed her straight into makeup, shooting Eriol a reprimanding glance for distracting her main model.
Nakuru looked bewildered and worried at the Cardmistress's actions and words.
"Eriol…" She said thoughtfully, "I really haven't seen anything to make Sakura worry so much. Tomoyo seems perfectly happy, if pretty reserved in her actions." Eriol's mouth twisted wryly, not in happiness.
"Yes, well. Who wouldn't cheer up wildly upon seeing friends from around the world. I bet she enjoys it when her mother's in town as well. And don't forget that Syaoran came back recently as well and it's the end of summer, a very relaxed time. I've already begun working to loosen her up, but already I think I understand what Sakura means. Sakura herself has struggled for the past two years, however, Ruby. You can tell… my cute little cousin was gone a little too long." He closed his mouth and Nakuru could see his genius analyzing what he had seen and learned of their lives, past and present. "Ah, well. Nothing that can't be solved by myself or Syaoran, especially not now that we're both here together. I think I may need to find an excuse to be present around school as well, Nakuru." he smiled smugly. "So I suppose it's a good thing that I already made the necessary preparations..."
……………………
Nearly thirty minutes later Sakura's hair was finally styled and her 'light' makeup was almost complete.
… As was Nakuru's. It had been the only way to keep the 'woman' distracted for not even an hour.
Tomoyo was currently rummaging through the rack of approved clothes by the young girl's magazine which had awarded her the five-page spread. The magazine was for fashion and music, aimed at teens and based in Tokyo, not small but not the largest either. The deal was that they selected the outfits Tomoyo could use out of the ones she gave them. They had allowed her to pick her own models, and although she had worked with a few other girls aside from Sakura, Tomoyo had been determined to stick to just her. If they liked her things, then she would be invited to participate in the
"Ok ladies I need Sakura over here NOW!" Tomoyo called, yanking her head out of her masterpieces. Sakura was hurried over to the screened-in changing area and Tomoyo hauled her in and closed it up. She tossed all the outfits on and off Sakura and examined her from every angle. After a few minutes she stormed out.
"Dammit it does not look the same! I really want to use those two outfits in the beginning and end too! Frustrated she whirled, and her eyes fell upon Nakuru.
"Hm." Tomoyo paced towards her, a calculating and dangerous look in her eye. "Edgy look, edgy make-up, tons of energy… tall. Skinny. Tall. Hmmm." Nakuru sat with a scared look on face, looking for all the world like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a wolf.
"Yes!" Tomoyo exclaimed triumphantly. "I'll make it work, goddammit! Ladies are you finished?" The makeup girls nodded, confused. "I'll be taking her then, thanks!"
Dragging Nakuru into the changing tent, Sakura looked up, still dressed in the last outfit Tomoyo had left her in. Eriol, gazing with raised eyebrows at the tent, lounged against a tree, sipping a bottled lemonade and staying a safe distance away.
Meanwhile in the tent: "Oh wow, Sakura-chan you're as tall as me! You're like, the same height as Touya! How kawaii!" and "Hold still dammit Nakuru or I'll stick you with a needle!" and "Ano, Tomoyo, she has whispered no chest!" long pause. "Yeah but it's perfect for this edgy outfit… and if I throw this over, then!" …. "Ooooh, yeah, that looks crazy, she looks awesome in the ruffles on the second outfit too." Then "Yeah, I know, right? I'm brilliant. And lucky. God I can't believe this worked." Sound of jumping, "Yay, I get to be a model like Sakura-chan!!"
Nakuru emerged first, dressed in a top that had a neckline that went straight across from one shoulder to the other in a straight line. The sleeves both began on her arms, due to the fact that the shirt was off both shoulders. The shirt was made of good material, dark green with a thick shiny border at the top and bottom of silky material in black. The sleeves were short and puffed, only attached to the shirt by two short strips of cloth, and each was collared by another strip of silk that buttoned together to ring each arm. The front of the shirt said Cherry in diagonal cursive letters, printed in cream with black stitched outline. An image of a butterfly was superimposed over half of it in black and grey embroidery. The shirt ended far down Nakuru's long waist and halfway down her miniskirt.
The skirt was a jean-skirt, black faded denim with red stitching and red lace ruffled in three short layers at the bottom and underneath, making the skirt pop out. On the shirt there was a piece that attached in the front in two strips of cloth, which formed a V from the center top of the shirt out to around her neck. It was basically a hood that wrapped around and attached to the shirt, causing the shirt to appear like a halter top with small pouffed sleeves. The hood itself was bordered in thick black and the entire top was embroidered over in black and grey, forming a butterfly that wrapped around from the front to the back. The outfit had short lacy gloves, black and fingerless. Nakuru wore black boots that were large and baggy, although reached up only to nearly her knees. They had red lace ties that laced them up from ankle to top, and bagged at the ankle. On her legs were deep, dark, almost black-green mesh stockings. Tights and miniskirts were all the rage in Tokyo street fashion this year.
Nakuru's hair was a red, messy, high ponytail. Her makeup was MAC, so her eyes were edgy and loud, lined in a deep sparkling emerald and highlighted with an electric red, edged in pearl that traced around the eyes to the cheekbones, which were made gaunt with a darker blush. Her lips were blood-red.
Eriol came over, as if to tell Nakuru how good she looked and then commented loudly, "Oh, Nakuru, shouldn't you put your piercings in?" Tomoyo poked her head out excitedly, to see a Nakuru with ears full of studs and a simple stud nosering, one set of dark red ruby pendants on each ear. "Ah, thanks Eriol, that's a wicked touch!" She said excitedly in English before popping back in to Sakura.
Eriol left Nakuru admiring herself in front of a mirror to walk and meet Syaoran's approaching presence at an entrance to the park. Seeing his distant relation approach was odd. Syaoran had grown into exactly the person Eriol knew he would. He was still headstrong and passionate as he was when he was younger, but the sense of responsibility, honor, and duty he had shown in aiding, protecting, and caring for Sakura at a tender young age was still with him. Syaoran looked as though he was almost finished growing into himself, comfortable with his skills and a young man who knew his limitations and how he would stretch to make his horizons grow. It was quite the opposite from the person Eriol had seen Sakura now was. Sakura looked the way Eriol was sure Syaoran had before growing up. Except Syaoran had a clan full of people who told him exactly what they needed him to be and himself and hopes and memories of Sakura to remind him of what he wanted himself to be. Guidelines for his soul, Eriol thought wryly.
"Hello, Hiirigizawa." Li greeted in English, stopping before the boy/ancestor.
"Hello yourself relative." Eriol answered in Chinese, bowing slightly in deference to Li's polite greeting in Eriol's supposed native language. He realized that Li was exactly his height and build, albeit more muscled with a different coloring. Even their bone structure looked identical. The realization was slightly disturbing. Straightening, he continued mildly, "You appear to be already every bit the heir and informal leader of the Li clan, which makes it all the more impressive that you convinced them to allow you this extended study abroad. I commend you on the person I see you becoming, cousin." Syaoran looked a little surprised, and Eriol continued, "You used to be very cute and naïve, like Sakura-chan. I still find myself quite fond of you, but now you seem to be someone very difficult to manipulate or fool. I quite approve."
Syaoran found himself feeling irrationally proud of himself for a second. His face became less severe and more open and friendly. Despite Eriol's role in events when Sakura was younger, after Sakura had changed all the cards into Sakura cards he had always been a friend. Although that time was short, he had been sure to visit both Tomoeda and the Li's in China since then. Li had judged him, post-Near Apocalypse, to be at the very least, a sincere and helpful, if distant, friend. Li still harbored a natural waryness of Eriol's cunning and manipulative mind, but only in the same way he was constantly conscious of Tomoyo's ability to maneuver people. He hadn't seen Eriol in at least three years, and now, examining a mind much the same as the one he had encountered in young Eriol Hiirigizawa's body, he found that it finally appeared Eriol's body had caught up to the brilliant mind and maturity it harbored. It made the Li heir feel considerably more at ease to finally feel as though Eriol looked his age.
"I'm honored to have earned that, Eriol-kun. It feels right to have you here, terrified as I was when I felt you approach Tomoeda." Li sighed and looked past Eriol for a second. "Please tell me you did NOT bring Akizuki?"
Eriol smiled and shrugged slightly before replying.
"Well then I suppose I'll have to walk you to where Sakura and Tomoyo without answering that question. And by the way, YOU may want to hug HER, Nakuru, I mean, because Tomoyo's gotten her dolled up for a part in the shoot. If Nakuru launches herself at you and you duck Tomoyo will kill you for ruining Nakuru's look." Eriol smiled expectantly at the growing look of displeasure on his distant relative's face. Some things just never changed…
……….
Meanwhile, as Syaoran arrived, the girls had finished getting suited up.
The other outfit for Nakuru was now laid over one of Tomoyo's adjustable manikins for use in a joint picture with Sakura. Tomoyo had, upon snatching Nakuru, rearranged three of the shots in her head. The five pages would begin with Sakura and Nakuru in casual punk street clothes, move on to Sakura in another street outfit, Sakura in an outfit suitable for girls in nice schools on their off-days, Sakura and Nakuru together in dresses, and Sakura in a street dress and jacket that looked awesome on her.
Nakuru's other outfit was a dress that zipped up the front, satin and black with red embroidery. It had a high satin collar that circled her neck widely, standing straight up in the air a good three and half inches (wonderful for the girl's high neck) and met with ruffled black and red mesh in the front coming up a few inches straight out from the top of the dress to finish the wide circle around Nakuru's head. The sleeves were backed in satin and pouffed but the front half were done in red lace. The dress tapered in at the waist and the skirt of it ended by angling down in the back so that the front ended at mid-thigh and the back ended at the knees. Nakuru would wear a pair of strappy black heels and black stockings.
Sakura was finally into her first outfit, a black stretchy miniskirt with a large triangle of magenta fabric draped round it. An intricate gold sun was embroidered on the magenta portion. Sakura had on black tights that sparkled gold and ended in black and magenta boots that went up to her knees. The boots were swathed in the two colors, very baggy looking with sturdy heels. Her top was a button up with pouffy elbow-length sleeves made of a thin material. It was dark grey silk, and the collar bent over the top of a black vest which lay over it and laced like a corset in the middle of her abdomen. Dark pink ruffles spilled out of Sakura's chest from the edges of the collar and the top undone laces on the corset, which was laced in magenta and had pale gold beading.
Sakura's makeup was milder and based more on pink. Her lips were a silvery-pink and her eyes were lines in magenta with a neon pink eyeshadow and pale sakura-blossom sheen on the outskirts. Her hair was curled and pinned up on one side so it spilled onto the other shoulder. Her ears wore small simple gold rings, one on each ear.
"Syao-kun!" Sakura squealed in excitement suddenly as Tomoyo was tugging at one of the boots. She had just sensed his presence overlapping with Eriol's near the site. "He came?! Hoe! Demo, he said that he was busy later, that someone would be disappointed if he didn't finish his work..." she trailed off as Tomoyo laughed softly at her. Sakura hadn't really been too cheerful when she had first shown up, and upon hearing this Tomoyo realized why.
"Of course he meant you, baka." The dark-haired clothes fiend said absently as she rearranged the ruffles that fell over Sakura's chest. "Now go out there and blow his mind with this frilly, but sexy outfit that I created for pacing through designer shops. I guarantee we'll see a never before seen shade of red grace his lovely little foreign face!" She laughed haughtily and evilly to herself as she threw one of the jackets she had traded in last-minute back onto the rack. Sakura 'Whee'ed in excitement and walked off quickly and impatiently to see her beloved (well, eventually anyway) Li. Tomoyo watched her go, amused.
"You know, I was honestly thinking she would never find enough hip action for a walk like that... I'm impressed! I wonder if she realizes she's executing a perfect and drop-dead gorgeous cat-walk over grass? Prolly not, I bet she just doesn't want to mess up the clothes by running to meet Li, but still wants to get there quickly." Tomoyo mused aloud. "Well, at least now I know I can use her later on in my career, if she's willing. Go me for having such a multi-talented and fabulous Sakura-chan as my best friend!"
Nakuru pulled out her most sexy, secretive, and dangerous smile, examining the reflection in front of her and added, "Now if only Touya were here I'd have someone to impress, too. Honestly Tomoyo some of the men out there are cute but not one of them has enough magical power, latent or otherwise, to interest me for any length of time. I'm so disappointed… I'll just have to think of how gorgeous I am while posing for my photo." Tomoyo laughed at her taller companion and dragged her, with surprising strength, away from the mirror set up inside the tent, and out to where the camera equipment was waiting.
……….
Syaoran, who had been appreciating every inch of Sakura's leggy outfit, with discretion of course, ever since she grabbed his hands excitedly and squealed a thank you to him for coming to support her and Tomoyo, reluctantly stayed near Eriol during the photo shoot. He wanted to make absolutely sure that Eriol wasn't watching Sakura more than Nakuru… after all, he had given her a flower on their first day of school, a much more forward move than glaring at her from across the room as Syaoran himself had done.
Sakura had been dragged away from the two boys in order to lounge with Nakuru on a black couch that had been set up against the railing separating the path from the water of the lake where the Illusion card had once appeared. The girls took a few seconds to get a vibe going, but before long they were feeding off of each other's energies. Tomoyo was in her element, calling orders and cheering the girls on while snapping up shots and adjusting the lighting.
They moved on from outfit to outfit. First Sakura was in an ivory and brown summer dress with green floral patterns, laying a hand on a tree and leaning in with her face tilted towards the camera, as though the tree was sharing its secrets with her.
The second shot was the first real shocker for Syaoran. It was Sakura in Tokyo street-clothes, looking like she was strolling the streets of Harajuku. She came out in a number that was frilly and cute, reminiscent of the pieces Tomoyo made when she was younger. Except it had a very hard edge. She was the picture-perfect image of Lolita and goth chic-wear. The skirt was cut horizontally, and was black over gray petticoats. It cut from almost her left knee to a little over halfway up her right thigh. Gray and off-white lace arced around twice, looking ripped, but in whole, long, streams. There was a bow skewed to the side on the back that was off-white lace. The top of the dress was a cream peasant top with a tight black silk corset that tied on her right side, opposite the bow that was placed on the back of her left hip. The black silk came to halfway up her breasts and then the peasant top was visible, forming a square collar. The sleeves of the top bagged over themselves halfway down her forearms so the cuffs were hidden.
Sakura had on knee-high gray lace stockings, edged in a slight black ruffle. She was wearing black velvet wedge three-inch pumps with a small open toe over these. Her hair was down with one off-white lace over black headband to hold her strands in place. Her green eyes looked nearly green-gray, altered by the gray eyeshadow and cream dust around her eyes. She had an extra layer of dark blush on her cheekbones and a light playful peach-red color on her lips to keep her face youthful. There was a single large hoop on each ear, silver with black lace curling around it.
Syaoran looked at her and his carefully neutral face filled up slowly with a pink hue as his jaw clenched. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She was cute and flirty, but definitely not looking like she was a young girl. If anything she looked like a college student who managed to pull off a young high-school look successfully.
"My," Eriol began appreciatively, "Our Tomoyo certainly does good work. Sakura looks as though she lives in Harajuku… I wonder if they'll give her one of those lace parasols that were very in a bit back. It would be such a nice vintage touch… ah, there it is. Trust Tomoyo to have it covered. That prop completes the image of a wicked-looking yet naïve fashion princess." Eriol kept up a slow but constant stream of conversation about the goings-on as the shoot picked up pace. Sakura was posing on the gravel path with the parasol behind her head, the gates of the park in the background.
"And what made you certain that Tomoyo was trying to achieve that image? What if she wants Sakura to look like one of those rich ill gothic children who read too much manga and wander around the cosplay neighborhoods? And when did you learn about fashion, anyway?" Syaoran said. He examined Sakura and found that the look didn't look sloppy on her, she made it look lighter, but attractive. At the same time it made her look as though she was older, and dressing youthfully, but with taste.
"No, Tomoyo knows Sakura's personality is so bright that she can lighten the usual Harajuku street look and give it wearable flair in a photograph. The grays and creams in the outfit make it look as though you can wear it all around Japan and not only in the streets of some big city in a neighborhood full of cutting-edge designer wares. The look is perfectly constructed to sell to maximum number of young girls and young women." Eriol explained in a very approving tone. "I love the vintage touch she gave it. The outfit is very Tokyo, and yet Western audiences would really approve, and not just brush it off as yet another gothic Asian design. And please... I live with Nakuru and it's impossible to tune her out ALL the time."
"Sakura looks so…" Syaoran said, watching her as she leaned against the ladder of the tall children's slide, arms entwined in it, parasol partially opened and hanging from her fingertips. Her thin athletic body, which was made ladylike and graceful by the dress, was contorted in a visually appealing manner and she looked as though she was reminiscing about some childhood secret. She suddenly seemed, to him, like a mysterious ever-changing creature, one he had known a long time ago, when it was young and not so complex. The personality reflected on her face was mature and adult. Her eyes and the nostalgic and amused secretive expression made him feel as though her soul encompassed the entire universe. It looked to him as if the image Tomoyo was catching was this entity reacquainting herself with another piece of her soul. She did not entirely appear to be Sakura Kinomoto, but she emanated from every inch of herself the strength of character she wielded while acting as Mistress of the Cards. Without realizing it, Syaoran continued to voice his thoughts out loud.
"I keep thinking that she really, deep down, hasn't changed much. Maybe it's comforting to think that because it helps me feel as though I haven't been away long, or missed much. And Sakura and I, we always click, no matter what changes we've undergone… I tell myself I know her true self, though, what she is at her core, the unchangeable part of her. But now I'm honestly realizing there are new parts of her personality blossoming. I can't just try and catch up on how much she's grown from what she was. She's also changed from the girl I knew to this new person who I may like and I may not. It's not really black and white like we'd have liked to believe. Looking at her now, it's not that she seems like a stranger… so odd. I think I was expecting her to be like this all the time, but when she wasn't I forgot that… and I still have this feeling that there are so many more pieces to her that she hasn't even discovered yet." Eriol cut off Syaoran here, smiling to himself smugly.
"Yes well, one usually gets that impression when talking about a teenager who isn't done growing." Eriol inserted.
Syaoran gaped at him. "How did you do that? Why… I don't understand why I was talking out loud. I'm not the kind of person to just talk about my feelings, Hiirigizawa! What exactly did you just cast? I can't feel anything…" Syaoran looked suspiciously at the tall young man lounging against the tree, facing him. Eriol shrugged helplessly.
"Well, I've found that as I mature, I've accumulated many of Clow's more… latent abilities. While he was a brilliant and gifted sorcerer it seems that he also exhibited signs that people without magical gifts exhibit, but on a larger scale. I would say the thing it most closely compares to would be Touya Kinomoto's intuition about when he's needed and where he needs to be at what time in order to protect Sakura, or Yukito, for instance. Except I've noticed that people tend to simply speak out loud when normally they'd mull over something in silence, or simply confess to me honestly as though I'm trustworthy when normally they'd find themselves agonizing over something emotionally painful. It's no specific spell. It's simply just as though my honest face draws them to confide in me." He smiled benevolently at Li, who looked as though he was torn between snorting in laughter and crying.
"I can't think of a worse person for fate to hand that to. Your honest and trustworthy face my Chinese ass." Li muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe I got caught up in that even though I distrust you completely."
"You know," Eriol began, "Most people really do think I look honest and straightforward. You are one of the rare people who sees right through it. I'm sure it's just because you're so blunt you see right through my pleasantries in your attempts to discern what it is I'm really saying. In other words, you're exceptionally and chronically paranoid. Now doesn't that make you feel good about yourself? You sound so emotionally stable." Eriol grinned benignly as Syaoran glared at him and stomped over to a different tree as Sakura returned to the tent for another costume change.
"Ah. So I suppose he was so frustrated with her mistakes in catching the Cards because he expected her to be as flawless as she became as she grew into her power… interesting. I doubt Sakura-chan feels that way… no I'm sure he was subconsciously not understanding why she wasn't operating at her full potential. She, on the other hand, seems more the type to see instinctively what he would become in time. Honestly, I'm starting to think her subconscious is omniscient, but she herself knows almost nothing. I'm sure every time she sees him he's just closer and closer to perfection, since she doesn't really remember what he'll be, although she's on some level expecting it. Of course, that could be less because her subconscious is omniscient and more because Syaoran is a very simple fellow. Not very complex, that boy. No real shocking surprises in how he ended up, no massive personality-altering moments or sharp corners in his road of life. Bit boring until he pulls out his sword and elemental magic, if you ask me." Eriol mused aloud to the tree he was leaning on. He heard her small laugh as she enjoyed his conversation. The branches rustled despite a lack of wind in appreciation of his company and Eriol patted her roots fondly as he settled down into a sitting position to wait out Sakura's costume change.
This will continue next chapter, which will be out shortly, as it's written down on paper but not yet in my computer! And by shortly, I'm thinking maybe a day or two maximum. Not a year or two like last time, hehe…