Disclaimer: you know it, I know it, the owners of ccs know, it. That all rights belong to them, not me. Just borrowing the character, nothing else.
What She Needs- Changes
"You've changed quite a lot haven't you Daidouji-san?"
Tomoyo took a deep breath of her cigarette. "How so?"
"You smoke and drink for example." He made a hand gesture toward her pack of cigarettes near by and her second glass of wine that was nearly empty.
Tomoyo giggled. "Hardly anything to base being different on. After all, the last time we met we were nine. Hardly the age to be drinking and smoking. You drink now as well." She lifted his nearly empty scotch glass and gently shook it to make the ice cubes ring against the glass, before finishing it for him. A little maneuver she liked to use at bars when picking up men. Though here, it was more like a game. Who could get the best out of each other?
Eriol smiled his bemused smile. "Indeed. You were very witty when we were young, although now there is bite to your wit." He looked out at the night sky and a gust of wind caught his hair, sending it in flight for a moment before his tendrils settle back in place, only slightly disheveled. Once again Tomoyo watched him and thought to herself that he had changed as well. He still had the same aura about him. He was always a complete enigma and he still was, but now there was a higher level of sophistication about him. He used to have every intention of being mysterious, and enjoyed it. Even more, he wanted to be caught since that was his mission. Now he simply was mysterious by nature, but every so often the real Eriol escaped in a smile, or a gleam of his eyes and one could die trying to find out why he smiled or gleamed so.
"You have changed in other ways Daidouji-san." His voice lifted her away from her thoughts. "You aren't the wide-eyed Tomoyo-chan that Sakura keeps making you out to be. You no longer hide behind your video camera, you no longer fawn over Sakura like she is a doll, and you speak as if the world is yours to own rather than before when you were just a guest in the world that belonged to someone else." He stared straight at her, his eyes unwavering, piercing at her skin. "There are no more dreams of designing, directing, or finding love for the president of Daidouji Toys is there?"
Tomoyo held his gaze, not sure what would happen if she broke it. She would not show how that comment made her feel inside, like collapsing into tears. She would only show the Tomoyo she showed everyone. Strong. "Those were just dreams Hirizagawa-san. Silly dreams for a silly girl. But at you can see now, I am a grown woman with responsibilities and a life that needs managing. Not all of us are so fortunate that we can pursue the dreams of our childhood as you have with your music." She could feel her voice beginning to quiver and lose its sharpness. So she softened her voice and lowered her glare to her cigarette. She put it out against the railing and threw it to the ground below. "People grow up, and there is a time when you just have to take your whimsical dreams and lock them up in a trunk or a closet, so that they can be replaced with more sensible dreams."
Cool fingers touched her chin, raising her eyes to look at him. He smiled warmly at her; the first warm and comforting smile she had ever seen Eriol give. "I never thought any of your dreams were just whimsical. They were very sensible dreams for a person like you. Why deny your talents Tomoyo? And love? Love is never just a dream, not for anyone, not even you." He took a loose tendril of hair by her face and tucked it behind her ear.
Tomoyo suddenly found it very hard to breathe. He had a power over her, and she would admit that. He could bring things out of her that not even Touya, who she considered closest to her, could do.
He smiled again, but not the comforting smile, rather a smirk. "Enough now with such serious talk." He backed away from her and took her glass of wine from her and drank the remains. "For our first time meeting again, our conversation should be light and quite agitated with uncomfortable silences, should it not?"
Tomoyo took her first deep breath of the night and let it out in a heavy cloud of cold smoke. "Certainly."
"You know, I'm thinking of moving back to Tomaeda. And cleaning out that dusty house I used to live in here. Make it suitable for habitation again." Eriol was quick to change the subject.
"Sounds delightful." Tomoyo replied, never letting her eyes meet his again.
"Yes, and I'm sure Spinel Sun and Nakaru would enjoy being back in Japan permanently. They have missed having playmates. They were practically begging me to let them come tonight." Eriol explained.
"Oh? Did you bring them with you to Japan? It would be wonderful to see them again" Tomoyo remember the two guardians well. They were always quite nice to her.
"Yes. But I didn't want to risk putting Cerebus and Spinal Sun together with so many people around. That and Nakaru with so many people in general is a bad idea. I'll bring them by later." Eriol glanced back in the room. "Oh, Fujitaka is final free of company. I think I'm going to greet my other half now and leave you to your night sky."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. From one of the credit card holders he pulled a business card. "Here's the studio I've been recording at." He wrote something on the back and handed to her. "We really should get together while I'm still in town. Maybe then we can talk about more serious things, ne? That's my cellular on the back if you can't reach me at the studio. We can have lunch, or you can just stop by to see Nakaru or Spinel at the hotel."
Tomoyo accepted the card and nodded.
"I will see you later then." He spoke before he retreated back into the apartment, closing the glass door behind him.
Tomoyo let out a deep sigh quickly fumbled for another cigarette. She grabbed her own lighter from her purse and tried with all effort to steady her nerves enough to spark a flame.
"Here." A strong hand took the lighter from her and lit her cigarette. She took a heavy puff and relaxingly exhaled.
"Thanks." She took the lighter from familiar hands. "So, when did you get here?"
"A while ago." Touya responded. "I would have come greet you earlier, but you were occupied with a guest. If I'm not mistaken, was that Hirizagawa Eriol?"
Tomoyo nodded. She explained why he was back in town and that he might be making living arrangements in Tomaeda again.
"I see. Was that all you two talked about?" He took her by the elbow and led her slightly further into the shadows. "You looked a bit upset earlier while you two were talking."
"It was nothing. We were just having an interesting conversation." Tomoyo replied coyly, placing her pale hand on Touya's well sculpted arm, running her fingers down it seductively.
Touya pulled back slightly and smiled at her. "Interesting? It has been quite a while since I heard the great Daidouji Tomoyo use the word interesting to describe anything!"
Tomoyo giggled. "Well Kinomoto Touya, you are about to hear it again. I happen to think that things are about to get very interesting."
To be continued.
Happy new year everyone. Time to go party. Please be safe about it. Because once it gets unsafe, its no fun anymore!