CCS (c) Clamp and all rightful owners, similarly to the quotations.

The (Im) Perfect Couple

"Perfection itself is imperfection." ~Vladimir Horowitz

"There is a kind of beauty in imperfection." ~Conrad Hall

Chapter 6: Gluttony

"Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us." ~Peter De Vries

"Gluttony kills more than the sword." ~George Herbert

Eriol –

He was a glutton for punishment.

Tomoyo –

She was a glutton for hurt.

Eriol –

The punishments she so generously bestows upon him are diamond stones of attention. Like a mythical dragon, for every punishment she metes out, he hoards and guards them with a selfless selfishness.

Her attention is his, and only his.

She will look at him with time.

Tomoyo –

Sakura had her tied around her littlest finger.

With a grimace well-hidden by her ever-pleasant Daidouji façade, she politely acquiesces to her dearest cousin's request.

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. She felt a little (huge) piece of herself die.

Every request that Sakura makes, she accepts them, although they strain and frays her nerves.

Sakura does not know that seeing them – Syaoran and Sakura – together, makes her hurt every which way. Instead, she continually put herself in such situations which destroys her.

["Self-destruction"] She mouthed the phrase, tasting the bitterness.

Eriol –

He destroyed her garden.

Tomoyo –

He destroyed her garden. Her precious, precious garden – the only place she can find solace. He even dared place his mark on her (obliterated) garden.

Eriol –

He answered the call to a silently raging Tomoyo.

["Why, if it isn't our dear Daidouji! What brings you to call little old me?]

Tomoyo –

She smiled an unpleasant smile at the overly used phrase.

["This has got to stop, Hiiragizawa."]

Eriol –

["What has got to stop?"] He queries innocently enough.

She is not fooled, he could tell. But he is enjoying her attentions far too much to care.

Tomoyo –

She is not amused.

["Razing my garden to ashes, for one. Should I raise more 'accidents'?"]

Eriol –

His grey eyes were delighted.

She remembers!

He does too – those little treasures in the form of coal-red rubies, ice-cold sapphires, untarnished diamonds that he hoards ever-so-selfishly.

He chuckles.

Tomoyo –

She does not share the amusement he feels.

Instead, she feels a cold shoulder is appropriate punishment – for now.

Eriol –

[Another icy-cool sapphire] He silently coos, although he was the recipient of her frigid disregard.

Tomoyo –

Abhorrence given the form of a scoff, she hangs up on him.

Unhappy as she is, she plots an equal revenge – ravaging his garden.

. x .

Eriol –

He eyes an ethereal beauty from his room – an ethereal beauty performing destructive acts to his garden.

The curtains shielded his form from her.

[Is the pain (from Sakura, from your devastated garden) gone?] He silently queries the woman out in the ruins that was once his garden.

Tomoyo –

Ending her reign of destruction, she sat on the unscathed stone bench and cried.

[Why do you do this? Anger me so I can forget Sakura, and instead hurt you?]

A/N:

(i) I hope this is less confusing. I tried my best!

(ii) Explanation: Tomoyo is always agreeing to Sakura's requests, which hurts her. Eriol is...a M. Sort of. Anyways, Eriol always distracts Tomoyo (from Sakura) by deliberately angering her. He thinks she doesn't know. In actuality, Tomoyo does so it harms instead of heals(?).

(iii) I guess not many like mint chocolate cookies. Regardless, I still want to thank redeyes143 for being super awesome! I wonder if I should go back to freshly baked choco-chip cookies or usagi (rabbit) apples next. Hmm.