from skybluescramble:

credit to my proofreader, amethyst-ice22.

and for all the reviews, thanks to: cainat06, cupid17, phoebemonique, chiharu-tanaka, hikarihayashi-chan, michiiyu, SnowCharms, YamatoNadeshiko, violintantei-sama, Seirin, Shanaa12, redeyes143, tomoyo-amethyst, cheng, MimoRei13, Red Shades, Paulita, and yoorim-ah.

they show me your love, and i really appreciate it.

this is the update. dedicated for you and my previous proofreader, Irrevocable Truth. good luck with your new school term, girl!

sorry if you find this chapter is a bit rushed, or choppy :|

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DISCLAIMER

I wish I own them…

*deep sigh*

::The Proposal::

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SUMMARY:

He annoyed her so many times, yet he succeeded in making her love him.

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CHAPTER #17: Countdown

"YOU invited that Hiiragizawa jerk to our wedding."

Kinomoto Sakura turned to her soon-to-be-husband, Li Syaoran. She knew it wasn't a question. It was clear that his dislike towards the Incarnation of Clow Reed hadn't gone.

"Eriol is my friend, and he is NOT a jerk, Syaoran. I told you the story last year." Sakura responded as she continued checking a long note of guests list.

"If he isn't, why did Tomoyo leave Tomoeda for America? And instead of chasing after her, that brat chose to live with lions and bears in the depths of Madagascar's forest?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, putting the list down.

"Madagascar is NOT that wild, Syaoran. It's true that it's not a busy town or something, but still, some people do live there. Eriol just built his house in a secluded area, that's all. No bears, no lions. Only Nakuru-chan and Spinel. Who do you think he is? George of the jungle?" She was so frustrated that she brushed her bangs backwards and used hairpins to keep them in place.

"You didn't give my answer." Syaoran pointed out.

"What again?" Her tone sounded tired, but by the next second she understood. "Well—I believe he has his own reason for letting her go."

The no-more-little-wolf snorted. "Really? He sounded so sure when he told me he wouldn't leave Tomoyo."

Sakura sighed. She felt grateful that Kero was in her room upstairs. He didn't have to listen to this unpleasant conversation. "Syaoran…"

"And why do I have a feeling that you're defending him? Is that your guilt I'm sensing? You accepted his drinking challenge without thinking back then."

When cold silence filled the air around them, Syaoran came to realize that he went a step too far. Turning around, he slumped down to level his height with hers, who sat on the floor.

"Sakura, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to—"

"I went to see him before he left," Sakura said, tossing aside his words as she raised her face to meet his. "And I asked Eriol the very same question, Syaoran. Wonder what he said to me? He let her go because it was Tomoyo-chan who made the decision because he would do anything as long as she could live a happy life! It wasn't because he was being irresponsible and neither was he being a liar! Eriol just confessed that he loves her but by the next moment he had to let her walk on her own way! Is he not man enough for you?"

"I know your feelings, Syaoran. I also can tolerate your stupid rivalry towards him. But Eriol is my friend, and you are his descendant. I want his presence on our wedding day and you'll behave." She finished it in a final tone, "…or just forget this marriage. I was glad that you're being protective over Tomoyo-chan, but this doesn't make sense anymore. In my opinion, your dislike for Eriol-kun is just blatant stupidity."

Syaoran opened his mouth to speak yet he found himself unable to utter a word. Deep down, he knew he had to make this up to Sakura as soon as possible if he didn't want to mess everything up.

However, Sakura would forgive him.

If he apologized properly, she would give him her smiles again.

She always would.

DAIDOUJI TOMOYO was at a loss for words. She blinked stupidly, then again, only to find the very same handsome man sitting before her, calmly sipping his coffee served by Kuniaki. Then she tried to pinch her lower arm secretly so that it would be unnoticed by him.

The pain stung her for a moment.

So it wasn't a dream.

Great.

"I'm still waiting for the answer, you know." Eriol stated.

Did he just ask her a question?

Oh yeah… he asked her to be his partner at Sakura's wedding party.

"Why me, Hiiragizawa. You have Nakuru with you."

That's what her first response.

Eriol smiled, as if he had predicted her answer beforehand. "In the invitation addressed to me, Sakura wants Nakuru to accompany Yukito because Touya asked one of his colleagues to come with him. Of course, Spinel and Cerberus will make a cute couple of plushy dolls. People would be freaked out if they spot them talking."

Score: 1-0 for Hiiragizawa Eriol.

Damn.

"Don't you want to come with me? Surely, I'm better than most of the males in this world, inside out." He smirked with unbeatable confidence. To make things worse, Tomoyo felt her cheeks became hot. She knew that she had the same opinion about him.

Score: 2-0.

She was losing this battle.

"Why do I have to go with you…?" Tomoyo sighed, saying it more to herself but it was clear that her voice was loud enough for him to hear. Smiling in a way that made her stomach flutter (not his usual cocky one), Eriol said to her.

"It has been so long for since we last saw each other. Last year, you told me not to meet you again, and I knew I must not; you wanted to settle your mixed emotions and move on. But now I think you've gotten over it and I had no intention to completely cut my ties with you. We'd been friends in elementary, even more than that."

He was talking about the cruise ship accident.

Tomoyo could tell just by staring back into his intense gaze.

But she said nothing.

"I missed you."

What?

What did he just blurt out?

"…So, I was hoping that this wedding party can be a nice reunion for us. There are many things I want to hear from you."

"I'm pretty sure you'd already known them all." Tomoyo laughed; she came to realize of what he did when they were apart. "You were always keeping an eye on me, weren't you? How come you knew I'm fine by now? Millions of people can take much longer than a year to move on, for your information. You must be using a magic mirror or something similar."

Eriol smirked.

She got him.

"I'm worried about you."

"Naughty Peeping Tom."

"Actually, I wasn't peeping at all."

A gap of silence.

"…Moreover, my name is not 'Tom'."

Tomoyo forced a smile to suppress herself from laughing.

"Freaky stalker."

"There's a fine line between stalking and watching over."

"You had cut that line." Tomoyo remarked triumphantly. "And by the way, you just admitted your crime… Mr. Sorcerer."

"I see no point in hiding it any longer from you."

She smiled.

He smiled back.

"Alright." Frustrated, Tomoyo brushed a hand over her hair, taking a deep breath as she spoke. "You win. I'll go with you. Happy now?"

Eriol chuckled, leaning forward to shorten the distance between their faces; so close that their noses were almost touching. Tomoyo gasped. She was shocked because of the close proximity and her mind immediately went blank. Watching her own face reflected on his clear eyes without blinking, she silently hoped for Eriol not to kiss her.

And he didn't.

The tall man just grinned.

"…Never been happier."

Then he walked out of her office, leaving the Heiress of the Daidouji Toy Company completely taken off-guard.

Final score: 3-0 for Hiiragizawa Eriol.

FOUR DAYS LATER.

"Don't be so grumpy," said a young man with blue-black hair to an equally young lady who sat gracefully beside him, fastening his seatbelt. Her calmness was a contrast to her striking beauty and he couldn't help but smile. "Tomoyo."

Daidouji Tomoyo turned her head, which was previously facing the window to look at him. "You are a freak, Hiiragizawa. I didn't even tell you that I'll go to Japan a few days before the wedding to help with the preparations, but out of the blue you showed up in front of my apartment door this morning, even without telling me anything…"

"I think we agreed to be on first-name basis—"

"You still haven't disposed that silly magic mirror of yours, have you?" She interrupted him impatiently.

He blinked.

By the next second, he laughed.

"That's the reason behind this grumpiness?"

A stewardess with a food trolley passed by; they ignored her.

"You still stalked me!" Tomoyo said with a sulky face. "I can't believe it!"

"I had nothing else to do. Watching you do your daily activities is entertaining enough for me. Of course, I wasn't spending all the day in front of that thing, but yeah… let's just say I did check your condition quite often."

If a glare could kill, Eriol was definitely dead.

But then Tomoyo realized something.

"Don't tell me… don't tell me that stupid mirror showed you everything I do?"

Eriol nodded. "Yep."

"Including—" she gulped, "…including when I go to take a bath?"

"Ah." A broad grin formed on his handsome feature. "You got it."

"Answer me, Hiiragizawa."

"It's not like I had not seen you naked, Daidouji Tomoyo."

He said her name slowly, making Tomoyo shift uneasily on her seat. She was shocked. And she just opened her mouth to speak when Eriol continued in a triumphant tone which made her completely annoyed, "But I'm not perverted enough to do that. Chill."

Tomoyo was desperate to kick his butt; however she held the urge.

"Whatever," was the only word that came out of her lips.

"Good."

"How come you could get that seat? I made my reservation a week ago; anyone could have bought the seat you're now sitting on."

"Yeah, exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"The one who was supposed to sit beside you isn't me. I switched the seat number written on our tickets. With a little bit of magic, that was very easy."

Rolling her eyes, Tomoyo leaned against the backrest.

"I wonder why I'm still able to bear you, Hiiragizawa."

"Eriol," he corrected.

"Shut up. I want to get some sleep before this plane reaches Tokyo." Tomoyo put on her eye mask, folding her arms across her chest. "Talking to you wears me out."

"Thanks."

"That's not even a compliment! Sheesh… Hiiragizawa."

"Rest, Tomoyo. Rest."

It surely would be a long journey…

NARITA AIRPORT, Japan.

"Let me help you carry that."

"I'm fine doing it myself, Hiiragizawa. Thanks."

"Eriol." He corrected.

Tomoyo sighed, she was obviously annoyed.

"Whatever. But where's your luggage, Hiiragizawa? Don't tell me you just brought that thing with you?" She asked in disbelief, referring to his medium-sized, green army backpack. "We're going to stay overnight for days! Don't tell me you intend to buy all the things you need here?"

"Calm down, Tomoyo." He smiled in amusement. "You're being hysterical. And I don't have any intentions to waste money, in case you're wondering."

"It's not fair." She hissed with gritted teeth.

He must be using magic again to make things work.

Like casting his backpack with some extension charms…

Reaching out to catch her upper arm, Eriol said to her. "That's why I said I would carry your huge suitcase. You are the one who rejected my offer." He leaned closer until she could feel her breath caught in her throat because of the sudden closeness and with a smirk, his hand quickly took the handler from her loosen grip.

"I'm not your enemy, Tomoyo. Please cooperate."

The young Daidouji was about to say something when a loud, chirpy voice made people nearby draw their attention to the source of the noise, followed by a dashing sound that signaled her about someone coming. And she knew exactly who.

"TOMOYO-CHAAAAAAN! OH MY GOSH, ERIOL-KUUN!"

No matter what, Kinomoto Sakura will always be a loud girl.

They could see the cheerful brunette run through the sea of people towards their place, eyes gleaming with happiness and excitement. She turned to Eriol, taking both of his hands eagerly.

"Why didn't you tell me you would come with her? I would have asked more people to pick you up!"

"Everyone must be busy with their own schedules." Eriol said as he patted the top of her head, grinning.

"Long time no see, Tomoyo."

She recognized that voice. "Touya!"

Kinomoto Touya appeared from the crowds, still stunning and handsome as ever, only he was starting to look like a younger version of Fujitaka. He was turning thirty two this year anyway. Smiling widely, they exchanged a warm hug. "You look more mature," he commented, then added, "I mean in a good way."

"Tomoyo-chan, what would you like to do for today?" Sakura asked, intertwining her fingers with Tomoyo's as they walked towards the exit. Not answering right away, Tomoyo tried to remember her mental list about things she wanted to do after arriving in Japan. "Just let Touya-nii drop your belongings in your house. That looks heavy." She had her finger pointed to the suitcase carried by Eriol.

"No, no, you don't have to do that!"

"It's perfectly fine with him! Ne, Touya-nii?" She turned to her brother, requesting a yes.

Touya nodded, as if he could ever say no to his only sister. "Yeah."

"The party," Tomoyo said out of the blue. "Where will it be held?"

"Tomoeda Hotel. We rented one of the ballrooms they have. I gave them your party concept last week, the preparations must be half-way done by now." Sakura explained for her. "Why?"

"Take me there."

"Okay!" Sakura said coyly. "Do you want to go with us, Eriol-kun?"

Tomoyo expected him to accept the invitation, yet to her surprise, he politely declined. "I still have so many things to do. You go ahead without me."

"Really?"

Eriol smiled. "Yes."

And the group separated.

"I'M COUNTING on you, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura, who went outside for a moment when her cellphone beeped noisily inside the ballroom of Tomoeda Hotel said to her friend. Tomoyo was entirely focused on the decoration of the room and was busy giving directions and explaining details to the hotel staffs in order to make them understand what she wants. They had been there for hours—maybe three or four, but Tomoyo didn't seem exhausted. In contrast, she looked… passionate. She loved it. She enjoyed every moment of it. Fashion had been her center of interest since Elementary. It pleased her seeing Sakura collect the Cards in her self-designed clothes; the rare satisfaction which always came up after finishing her work.

It felt… wonderful.

The sensation felt as though she had accomplished a great mission.

"Tomoyo-chan…?"

Her voice brought her back into reality. "Ah, sorry. I was too absorbed in this matter… What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

"It was my father." She meant the call earlier. "He said Naoko-chan and Rika-chan came to my house and he told me to go home as soon as possible. I think I'm leaving now, are you okay with being alone here?"

Tomoyo flashed her sweet smile. "Don't mind me."

"Really?"

Sakura walked across the room to grab her bag before approaching her best friend again to give her a tight bear hug. "I feel bad leaving you… This is my wedding, anyway. I should be the one who's busy checking the preparations, not you. You've done more than enough for me."

"I love doing this for you, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo replied in a soothing tone, taking her hands in her own. "You're my cousin. Moreover… We've been friends since kindergarten. Don't be like that."

Sakura found herself smiling widely.

"Best friends."

"Yeah," Tomoyo giggled. "Best of the best."

They hugged each other for the second time before Sakura waved her good-bye. When the brunette's figure finally disappeared behind the entrance door, Tomoyo sighed deeply and returned her attention to the room's decoration. She was checking … correcting … suggesting … nodding in acceptance… Tomoyo was really into it, she didn't even realize someone else's existence until a pair of strong arms suddenly snaked around her waist. She shrieked by reflex, her heart almost stopped.

"Why so tense, Daidouji?"

Oh my.

That whisper sent a chill down her spine. She couldn't move a muscle. Her legs trembled as if it turned into jelly—thanks for the supporting hold on her waist. It wasn't only because she was touched all of a sudden, it was more like because she knew (or at least she thought she did) who was standing behind her back, whose breathing teased her earlobe in the most torturous way possible.

She knew whom that sinful voice belongs to.

"You stiffened."

Tomoyo heard chuckling and the arms around her waist dropped, letting her go—to her biggest relief because it they didn't, she would forget to breathe. Then Hiiragizawa Eriol came into her view; he wore dark blue jeans under a simple button-up midnight black shirt with the first two buttons left undone, giving her—and everyone who look at him—a nice show of some of his chest.

Realizing that she had not responded, Eriol walked closer while examining her with concern. "Did I scare you? Sorry… I didn't mean to."

As a matter of fact, Tomoyo wasn't scared.

Well, she was…

No. Stop, stop. She was too embarrassed to admit the effects he had on her.

"I meant it as a joke… Maybe it was too much…"

Tomoyo couldn't believe what she heard.

Hiiragizawa Eriol just uttered an apology! Maybe pigs eventually could fly.

Okay, the last sentence was impossible.

And out of topic, too.

Finally regaining her self-control, Tomoyo blurted out the first thing that came into her mind. "What are you doing here, Hiiragizawa?"

"Keeping you company." He replied coolly.

She blinked. "Pardon me?"

"Sakura wanted me to give you a ride home. She called me and said," he cleared his throat a little before imitating the Card Mistress' way of speaking, high-pitched and cheery, "Ne, Eriol-kun, can you accompany Tomoyo-chan? I have to go home but she's still busy in the hotel with the decorations. I cannot leave her alone there… And it's only you I can trust Tomoyo-chan to… Please, Eriol-kun! And would you please give her a lift after that? She must be tired. I can't stand the image of her taking the train all the way home…"

He copied Sakura's speaking style so perfectly. Tomoyo couldn't help but laugh at his antics.

"That's so Sakura-chan."

"That's the exact words she said to me."

She raised an eyebrow. "How will you give me a lift?"

"I rented a car for several days. This is going to be hectic, I assume, all the wedding preps."

"Actually, I don't mind going home by myself." Tomoyo put on her enigmatic smile, pulling her hair up into a loose ponytail. She saw his face twitch a bit, as though signaling disappointment but Tomoyo quickly replaced her smile with a genuine one. She knew that the tall man before her could identify the difference. "But thank you for coming. It's always pleasant having company."

Hiiragizawa Eriol might be a resentful Sorcerer who always tried to make everything go according to his will, but he wasn't a jerk.

She could tell.

He annoyed her so many times, yet he succeeded in making her love him.

One thing he failed at was making Daidouji Tomoyo become honest and telling the Clow Reed's incarnation how she felt.

Maybe, it was because she was so damn persistent, not to mention had so much pride that refused to be put down.

Or maybe… because he was too, just like her, being indecisive.

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to be continued.