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- The Past
Tomoyo unlocked the door to her house and immediately kicked off her shoes and threw of her jacket. She could have sworn that she hadn't left the office all week talking to her new American clients.
Life was sometimes like this for the president of Daidouji toys. It was an endless string of luncheons, dinners, meetings, and courtesy drinks. Apparently this American company had the mentality that its best if the contract was not only sealed by paper, but also friendship.
Friendship, Tomoyo did not need anymore friends. Especially not false faced business friends. All that their friendship would ever mean is that once one company starts to go down the whole, probably theirs, the other would be there to support them financially and get the back to their feet.
Tomoyo released the pins in her bound hair and let it fall free down her back. Over at her mini bar station, she poured herself a glass of red wine and went to her bedroom where she was looking forward to a long luxurious bath.
As she soaked in the warm, lavishing water, her nose filled with the scents of bath oils, her mind finally found to time to wind down and think for itself. Finally idle, she realized that for the first time in years she was not feeling the usual despair she harbored inside. All the work she had done the past week had not left room for despair. But in this moment of idle relaxation, her mind began to wander.
Strangely it wandered to Eriol's words to her the other night, about dreams and aspirations. This wasn't how Tomoyo had pictured her life. But this job just fell in her lap and she never expected that she would have to continue her mother's empire. But they were at a loss and the stock was falling. No one believed that Daidouji toys could survive without the name Daidouji behind it.
Tomoyo sat alone in her room in her mother's mansion. Her head hung gently as the light shined on her raven hair. Salty tears dropped from her face to soil the lap of her dress. In her hand, a silver frame picture of her mother, Sonomi, and Sakura's mother Nadeshinko.
She reached out a pale index finger and caressed her mother's image. "Oh Mother, were you ever really happy? Am I destined to follow your footsteps?"
She wondered what her mother's dreams had once been. She wasn't convinced that her dream was the toy company. It couldn't have been. Aside from loving Nadeshinko, Tomoyo had no idea what stirred passion in her mother's heart.
It looked as though she was destined for the same end, and one day her daughter would ask the same questions and not know the answers.
"I was such a fool to have other dreams. This is real life Tomoyo. You knew a day would come when you would get the company. Why did you harbor such foolish dreams?" Tomoyo scolded herself.
She immediately went to the chest at the foot of her bed where she kept the video tapes of Sakura capturing the cards. She opened it and began stuffing other things into it, costumes she had made, other tapes of Sakura and her friends, and anything that would remind her of the life she must now put away. The last item to go in was the picture of her mother with her only love.
From her dresser she took an old school lock and sealed the chest before pushing it deep into her closet.
A knock came on the door and Tomoyo quickly wiped away her tears. "Who is it?"
"Mistress Daidouji, the company CEOs are here along with your lawyers with the paperwork you need to sign." Her housekeeper's voice replied from the other side.
"I will be down in just a minute."
"Just like that Tomoyo-chan? You are going to quit school?" Sakura exclaimed late one night in their dorm room.
Tomoyo nodded. "I have no reason to stay here. I have already signed the papers that turn the company over to me. I have a job to do now. Besides…" Tomoyo added mournfully, "You might like having the room to yourself. Now I won't be in the way when you want to spend time with Syaoran, ne?"
Sakura rose from her bed and climbed into Tomoyo's lying next to her, hugging her waist. "You are never in the way Tomoyo-chan."
Tomoyo sighed. "Yes I am Sakura-chan. Don't try to convince me that I am not. I accepted it a long time ago. That's why I try to stay out of your way." She touched Sakura's hair tenderly and let out a deep sigh. "I go on dates for you Sakura-chan. You are always telling me to, and I know you want to see me happy. I don't know that I will find happiness in any of these people, but I go anyhow, for your sake. I will keep looking, for you sake. This way you don't have to worry for me and my happiness mustn't be your concern."
Sakura was crying now, clutching her best friend tightly around the waist and weeping on her shoulder. Tomoyo hushed her and continued to stroke her soft auburn hair. "Don't cry Sakura-chan. It is not as if you are losing me. I am still your friend, and I will still be here for you. Just not in this room night after night. We have to make choices sometimes and our choices have consequences. This is something I had to do."
"Hai." Sakura nodded against her shoulder.
Tomoyo splashed the bath water on her face to steady her nerves. She almost wished the business negotiations were still progressing so that she could avoid thinking again.
As the water grew cold, Tomoyo finally lifted herself from the tub and pulled a towel around her shivering body. She faced the mirror of her vanity and saw that her eyes were red and swollen from crying. She wet a wash cloth with cold water and dabbed the bags below her eyes tenderly. She was tired of dwelling in her emotions. She needed a distraction.
She drained the tub and pulled on her robe before exiting the bathroom. She hastily went to the telephone and dialed that familiar number.
"Hi you got Touya's phone. I won't be picking up today because I promised Yukito I would take no calls on his birthday. So just leave me a message and I will call you at 12:01 am if I can, which I doubt I can."
Tomoyo snapped. She had forgotten that it was Yukito-san's birthday today. Which meant she had forgotten the birthday luncheon she was supposed to have with everyone to celebrate this afternoon. She quickly hung up the phone and pulled out her address book before dialing another number.
"Hi, you have reached Yukito and Touya's answering machine. We are out, or choosing not to pick up the phone. Which Touya does from time to time. So leave us a message."
The machine beeped and Tomoyo spoke hastily. "Its me, Daidouji-san. I just called to say Happy Birthday Yukito and I am dreadfully sorry that I missed the lunch today. I was held up with work and I should have called to apologize then. Anyhow, I hope you are having a wonderful birthday. Bye now."
She hung up the phone. What would she do now? It was still very early in the evening and she had no wishes to spend the night alone in an empty mansion just to explore her thoughts. She considered going to the club, but it was eighteen up night and there were nothing but kiddies there trying to get drunk without luck.
Tomoyo tapped her fingers on the dresser top. She had no choice but to find a way to distract herself. She took her addressbook and stuffed it back into her bag. When she did so, she noticed a card where lying where she had picked up her address book. It must have been sitting there for a least a week now since Tomoyo hadn't gotten any numbers since she started the American negotiations. She picked it up and noticed it was the card that Eriol had given her.
She opened the number drawer and tossed it in, wondering why she had left it out.
She began to walk away, deciding to go make something to eat when she went back and pulled out the card. "Its not as if I am breaking my tradition really." She spoke softly to herself. "I did know Eriol from before and I didn't even do anything with him. Besides, I do want to see Nakaru and Spinel again." She sighed, knowing something was changing. She never returned calls. She was only trying to rationalize her actions, but inwardly she still felt like she was fooling herself. She picked up the phone and dialed.
To be continued
Phew that was a long one. I got a bit carried away.