Tomoyo sighed and opened her door quietly. It was later at night than she would have liked to come home, but she needed to keep things under control. She was still very busy in recovering the losses from the fire. She'd had little to no time for herself since. She was also emotionally drained from convincing Sakura, who had called as soon as she had found out about Tomoyo's mother. It had taken a lot of persuasion to make sure that Sakura enjoyed herself with Syaoran instead of coming over and worrying about Tomoyo needlessly. In the end Sakura gave way, because she understood that Tomoyo was apparently fine, and she knew Eriol would be over there to make sure things were truly okay.

Sakura didn't know that Eriol and Tomoyo hadn't talked for the whole week.

Once inside, she put down her bag, and without a second thought she headed to bed.

And here, I added another set of lies to myself on the ongoing list. I wasn't tired. I wasn't exhausted. I liked this busy way of life. It's not wearing me out in anyway. I certainly enjoy the loneliness of being without Sakura and of avoiding Eriol. Wait, never mind, because I'm not lonely anyway. That's what I told myself. Who was I fooling? Me, and everybody but the one person I could never fool. Guess who?

But, of course, she never made it there. Before that, she opened a sleepy eye and discovered there was somebody sitting comfortably on her bed. More importantly, that somebody was male.

Tomoyo shrieked, terrified, but then suddenly her voice box gave out. She tried to speak, to say anything, and failed. The man stood, revealing his face, and then it all clicked for the mortified and furious woman.

"Am I really that scary? I'll remove the spell if you won't scream like that."

She nodded, scowling. Tomoyo tried to talk again, and said, "Yes, you are."

Eriol smiled. "The question was rhetorical."

"It was? I failed to notice," Tomoyo muttered dryly. "Is there any particular reason I have one of the three most powerful magicians on earth sneaking into my house in the middle of the night?"

"You've been avoiding me, Daidouji-san. I'm hurt. You won't even speak to your friend?" he said, grinning widely. Tomoyo carefully held back her short temper – apparently, she thought, his new hobby is annoying me.

"I have been busy, but avoiding you? Certainly not," she replied evenly.

It was a game, in a twisted way. We both knew he was more than "hurt" – he was annoyed, and hurt for real, not like the teasing hurt he'd said. We both knew his reason for coming went deeper than avoidance. He was trying to get through to a part of me that I didn't know existed – the real me, instead of the "me" who was based upon my lies. We also both knew that I was very, very irritated by his presence, that I didn't want to speak to him, and that somehow through all my current anger directed at him, I still considered him a friend. So, it was another game of pretend. We pretended that all was well, conveying our meanings beyond the childish banter of petty words.

"Alright, perhaps you weren't. But I would like to talk."

Translation: Don't even try lying to me. I know you were avoiding me, but now you can't escape this.

"Hiiragizawa-kun? About what?" Tomoyo's tone was light, and courteous.

I don't need your "help," and I won't tell you a thing.

Eriol's smirk fell away, and he trapped her eyes. "How much sleep have you gotten this past week? And, for a change, why don't you be honest, Tomoyo-san?"

He called me by first name, then. I thought that had meaning to it, but later I'd find it was actually just a slip of the tongue. Still, it put me on my guard.

Tomoyo's eyes narrowed. The polite smile stayed. "I have gotten enough, thank you. It's nice of you to care for my wellbeing. But do you think I'm dishonest? What gave you that impression?"

For the above line, another translation: You're crossing the line, Hiiragizawa-kun. The question about dishonesty doesn't need translation.

"I didn't mean you were dishonest. I just want you to tell me the truth. You have not gotten enough sleep, and you know it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tomoyo replied. "I'm fine. Really."

I really thought I was fine, and not tired. That's how far I tricked myself. Here was honesty, like he'd asked. But truth? No. It was not.

Eriol, to anybody else, would have looked unaffected by this comment. Eriol, to Tomoyo, looked hurt and sad.

"Do you know the difference between honesty and truth?"

"They're the same," Tomoyo said, so startled by the question that her face slipped into a puzzled expression rather than her polite one.

I know now.

"You really should rest. I'm tempted to put you under a sleeping spell to be sure of it," he replied, changing the subject.

"Did Sakura-chan tell you to care for me? How many times must I convince you that I am alright on my own?" asked Tomoyo, sharpness creeping into her voice with the threat he'd hidden beneath his words.

"Sakura-san did tell me. But that's not my reason, Daidouji-san," he said, once again catching her eyes. This time, she couldn't identify the power in them. No – not power, that was emotion. A strong emotion she couldn't name that made her frozen to the spot. Her heartbeat quickened, and she couldn't look away.

She whispered, "Then what is?"

Eriol was truly surprised. For a precious first time, Tomoyo saw that he was flustered. For a change, he didn't have an answer immediately at hand. He opened his mouth, and closed it again. Then at last he said, "We may not be the best of friends, but you are still a friend, and close enough for me to want to make sure you're okay, especially when you're clearly not. I'll let you go now, but remember."

He lifted his hand, but then quickly moved it back down, and took a breath. "Just remember I'm there if you need me," he said quietly. On that note he disappeared entirely with magic.

I might have been observant, and I might have been the only person who could read Eriol's thoughts with ease, but I still didn't realize.

Heat in her face told her she was once again blushing.

What is this? She wondered to herself. "I can't be…" she said out loud. Tomoyo trailed off for a moment. With a shake of her head she banished those thoughts.

And add yet another lie. I was denying the facts. I wouldn't go far enough to say I was already, but at the time, I was most certainly falling in love with him. But as always, the polite smile was on my face, and those thoughts never surfaced, because the lies kept them down. A lie on top of millions more, forming a solid tower. Yet with every passing day, I did not know that that tower was quickly going to crash down.

.o0o.

Dedicated to SilentCynara for letting an otherwise TERRIBLE day have a moment of feeling on top of the world, and for being a great writer of fanfiction. Oh, and update one of your stories soon? Sorry, had to ask. I couldn't resist.

This one's still not as long as I'd like it to be, but it's better. Oh, well. Review, please!