The Girl Under The Sakura Tree

Tomoyo was so excited. Today they were going over to Eriol's house to shoot a movie. Sakura was going to be wearing a kimono for this one. Tomoyo squealed, she couldn't wait!

The minute they all got to Eriol's house, both Tomoyo and Toya felt a sense of familiarity wash over them. Kaho greeted them at the front door and the children found out that she's living with Eriol, and is acting as his and Nakuru's guardian. Turns out, Kaho is Eriol's tutor under his grandfather's orders. Apparently, Eriol came from a very wealthy family in England. Needless to say, Toya was not at all happy about this, and both Tomoyo and Yukito noticed it.

They were once again filming the scene outside and Tomoyo smiled as she watched Sakura talking to Nakuru about her script. Syaoran had been called away by Nakuru to help out with the crew work while Tomoyo filmed Sakura. On the other side stood Toya and Yukito, both watching Nakuru talking to Sakura about her lines and poster.

Suddenly, the wind blew and both Tomoyo and Toya heard a girl's voice, humming a familiar song, yet both knew that they'd never heard it before.

Toya, enchanted by the voice, and Tomoyo, wishing to know who the owner of the beautiful voice was, decided to follow it. Both felt a sense of longing from the depths of their hearts, and something akin to familiarity from both the voice and the song.

No one seemed to be bothered by the fact that both Tomoyo and Toya were walking in the same direction, Toya following a few feet behind her. They were too focused on what they were doing and trying to not anger the awakened Nakuru demon anymore then they've already have. The only one who did notice was Yukito, as he'd noticed Toya moving away from him to follow Tomoyo. Yukito could only smile at that, thinking of how protective Toya could be to his kins before shaking his head and turned back to watch Nakuru ordering the crew around. When she turned her demonic eyes on him, Yukito ran to her and obeyed her biddings with a happy smile on his face.

As she walked farther, Tomoyo spotted a Sakura tree in the distance and stopped.

"Ara," she said, blinking as she held her camera in one hand. "I didn't know there was a Sakura tree here..." Tomoyo continued to walk towards the tree, Toya now closely behind her.

As the two got closer, both noticed a black haired girl around Tomoyo's age standing under the Sakura tree, one hand reaching up as she happily sang her song.

The girl was wearing a dress with short, puffy red skirt that had gold patters at the bottom. The top half was a purely white silk bourse, connected to the bottom half by a white ribbon with pink flowers on the side, like a belt. It looked like peony flowers. Something silver was hanging from the flowers. It looked like a silver crescent moon and two silver bells. Her shoes was also red with gold patters and the same pink flower at the top. Her long black hair was blowing in the wind and she had two peony flower ornament on the back of her head, white laced ribbons hanging down from it and also blowing in the wind as she danced around.

The girl seemed to realize that she was being watched, and stopped her singing and dancing in favor of turning her head towards the two onlookers. The minute Tomoyo and Toya met with the girl's amethyst eyes, both instantly felt a sense of familiarity and warmth go through their body. Yet at the same time, both left like crying, their hearts aching in pain and longing for reasons neither knew.

The girl smiled at them and said, "Tomoyo, Toya." Before disappearing into Sakura petals as the wind carried them away.

Both Toya and Tomoyo found themselves crying at the sight and wondered why. Both had even gone so far as to take a step forward and reached out for her. Once they came back to their senses, Tomoyo wondered if what she saw was a Clow Card, but ruled that theory out when she remembered that Sakura had already collected all the cards. Then she wondered it this was another adventure that would cause Sakura to turn more cards into Sakura Cards and grinned. She would have to tell Sakura about this, and Sakura will need a costume too. Tomoyo squealed on the inside.

Toya, on he other hand, wondered if what he saw was a spirit of the Sakura tree or a ghost of someone. She certainly felt too divine to him to be just a mere ghost. And the fact that Tomoyo saw her too must mean that she was very strong. Either that, or Tomoyo inherited the ability to see the supernatural like him, or developed it from her time with Sakura and that Brat. Either way, Toya was still left to wonder just who the girl was and how come she knew their names. It seemed almost as if she was waiting from them...

"Hiiragizawa-kun?" Tomoyo spotted Eriol from behind the tree and it snapped her out of her daydreaming while her voice snapped Toya out of his thoughts, as both looked at the kid coming up from behind the tree. They both walked closer and were not standing under the tree, close to the place that the mysterious girl once stood.

"Ohayo Daidouji-san," greeted Eriol, his usual smile on his face. He looked to Toya, who in turn, was staring back at him with calculating eyes. "Ito... Kinomoto-san." Toya's eyes narrowed a little at that and Eriol's eyes wondered over to the Sakura tree. A fond smile graced his lips and Eriol reached out a hand to touch the tree. "I see you've found the Sakura tree." Eriol's eyes seemed to flash with something akin to fondness as he looked at the tree with, what Tomoyo interpreted as, warmth, love, and caring eyes.

He then turned back towards them with a different kind of smile on his face, Tomoyo noted. Though it didn't lack the love, warmth, or care it showed to the tree, it just lessened a bit. If Tomoyo was able to see his eyes, then she would've been able to read more into it. But Eriol knew that and that was the reason why he'd chosen to close his eyes. He also knew that there were only so many people who were able to tell the difference by just looking at him, but even less were able to tell if he had his eyes closed.

"So, did you see her?" he asked, his smile now cheery and playful.

Both Tomoyo and Toya were startled by the question as they watched Eriol stepped over to them.

"Who Hiiragizawa-kun?" Questioned Tomoyo.

Eriol smiled widely. "Why the so called ghost of this Sakura tree of course!"

"Ah, so she was a ghost then?" Tomoyo looked a bit disappointed, but then questions came into her head and she tried to figure it out. She turned to Toya for answers.

"Yes," Eriol answered before his turned thoughtful as his eyes gazed up to the sky. "Though she doesn't often show herself before others..." He smiled at them. "I wonder why she showed herself to the both of you."

Tomoyo fidgeted a bit for reasons she didn't know. "W-why is she here, Hiiragizawa-kuna? How..." Tomoyo stopped, feeling as though this was a bad topic to bring up. Her head bent down, bangs hiding he eyes, and her voice was reduced to a whisper. "How, did she die?" For some reason, both Toya and Tomoyo thought back to the Sakura tree in their dream and dread fell over them.

There was a silent pause as Eriol continued to look at Tomoyo, his smile wavering a bit as it lessened into one of extreme sadness. Even though her head was down, Tomoyo could feel Eriol stiffen and his form becoming sad and hopeless at the question. Though to the untrained eyes, it won't have mattered as they would not have noticed because Eriol was very good at hiding it, but both Tomoyo and Toya noticed it. Toya narrowed his eyes at the boy.

Suddenly,the wind blew by strongly, almost knocking Tomoyo off her feet had Toya not grab her by the arm and steady her. Eriol had also snapped out of his thoughts and reached out for her as well, his eyes flashing with what seemed to be panic for a moment. But he then retreated his hand when Toya got her, and smiled fondly at the sight before him, his eyes almost regretting and sad.

"Thank you, Toya-san," said Tomoyo, a greet flu smile on her face as she looked up at him. Toya nodded his head, his face blank, and let go of Tomoyo's arm before turning back to eye Eriol.

"Why don't we go inside and have some tea while I tell you about this Sakura tree?" Eriol suggested.

Both Tomoyo and Toya nodded their heads and followed Eriol towards the door of the mansion. But before they went in, Eriol stopped and looked up to the second floor window where a dark figure stood. They both stared at each other for a moment, Eriol's face blank while the figure held a frown.

"Is something wrong, Hiiragizawa-kun?" asked Tomoyo, looking at him with concerned eyes.

Eriol turned back towards her and warm smile graced his lips. Toya found himself scowling at this and stood protectively behind Tomoyo, glaring down at the smiling cat. This action seemed to only make Eriol smile wider, which in turn annoyed Toya to no end.

"Nothing Daidouji-san," replied Eriol. He then turned and opened the door that led to the inside of the mansion and stepped in.

Tomoyo nodded her head and followed after him, Toya going in after her.

Finally, they made it to the living room and both Toya and Tomoyo sat down on the long coach beside each other. Eriol sat on his red armchair.

Kaho came in with tea and snacks and the others thanked her when she placed them down. She then went to sit across from Eriol, on the armchair closest to Tomoyo. Tomoyo noticed that her smile didn't seem to be reaching her eyes while Toya watched Eriol with narrowed eyes as the glasses youth smiled warmly at Tomoyo. He didn't like the fact that Kaho was here and was staring at Eriol with those eyes, so he tried to avoid it by focusing on his brotherly protectiveness for Tomoyo instead. This only seemed to amuse Eriol.

"That Sakura tree," Eriol began once everyone was seated and comfortable, "happens to be the resting place of a girl named Suzuhara Shizuka." He paused to let this all sink in. "Her family once lived in this house, but moved away once little Shizuka was found sleeping peaceful under the tree, dead." Tomoyo gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide and fearful. Though she was not the only one, as Toya's eyes also widened as both thought back to the image of that lone Sakura tree under the moonlight. "It had happened in the early morning. A maid noticed that she wasn't in her room and went looking for her outside, knowing how much their little miss loves nature. She came to the sakura tree because she know that that was the little miss's favorite place to be, as she loved sakura tree. And of course, the maid found Shizuka there, sleeping peacefully under the tree. She went to wake her up, but after a few shake of the shoulder, the maid noticed with horror that her little miss was bleeding from the mouth and was not longer breathing... It was said that Shizuka's body had always been weak and that was why she'd always been kept at home and with lots of protection. She had some disease that was slowly killing her from the inside...

"She was her parents' only child, you see..." Eriol continued, his eyes now sad. "Her family, they loved her very much... She was the light of their light, the blue moon in the darkest of nights..." For some reason, both Tomoyo and Toya found this phase oddly familiar. "Her death hit the family hard..." Kaho noticed that Eriol's head was lowered and his eyes had hardened. And this, for some reason, caused he to become completely terrified of him, but the feeling ceased when the image of him lending her a hand that one day in the rain came rushing back to her.

Even though it'd happened long ago, in her past live even, Kaho still remembered it. That dream she had before leaving Japan was what made her break up with Toya and went away to England to begin with. That dream where she dreamt herself sitting in the rain, her eyes lifeless when suddenly, a young man offered his hand to her and took her back home with him. He helped her heal and, even though he had not always been there, that lord was still the one to look out for her until her last dying breath. He had been there to offer comfort to her when she needed it, and had been the one to stay by her bedside and watch over her until the day she died. He'd talked to her and made her wish she'd meet him in her younger days so that she won't have to be so hurt. Though he'd only smiled at her when she said that. Kaho never did know the reason for that smile, but she was still happy that he and her son was beside her when she died on that futon thousands of years ago.

Kaho knew that she loved him then and she still loved him now. The only reason she felt as though she was in love with Toya was because of his magic and the fact that Toya reminded her of the man in her dreams.

It's funny how history repeats itself, Kaho thought. In her past, she'd meet Eriol under the rain, and in her pleasant, she also meet him under the rain. Granted, it was he who was crying in that field of peony flowers that rainy day in England. Also, instead of the man she remembered, he was a little boy who she'd found out had just lost his parents in a car accident. He was the young master she was to tutor because that boy was to become the next head of the Hiiragizawa family under the watchful eyes of his grandfather.

At first, Kaho thought that Eriol didn't remember his past life since he didn't show any signs of it, even though his family were decadents of magicians and Eriol himself was able to do magic. But then she found out that that was not the case the day he showed up and told her he was taking over the family business. Kaho remembered that he was only nine then, but he looked so grown up and his eyes held so much knowledge. She'd never noticed it before, but Eriol's eyes didn't look like a child's eyes at all. And when she did, she dismissed them as results of him having to grown up too fast. But that was not the case.

Soon after taking over the business from his grandfather, Kaho began to worry about Eriol's well being and that was when she heard his voice. The voice of that man who saved her, and finally saw the face of a man stuck in a child's body. That was when she knew, she knew that he too, remembered just like her. He was ten then. And he told her about his plans, about helping Sakura. He'd asked for her help once again and she gave them. She told him that she was willing to give him more than that, but Eriol had refused and seemed unhappy with her then. Even now he still seemed unhappy, and Kaho is beginning to know why...

Kaho may have seen something terrifying from Eriol's harden gaze, but Tomoyo had not. No, what she saw was a person in pain and hiding away his emotions began a wall of brick. To her, it seemed as though he was remembering something sad and terrible.

"She must be happy," said Tomoyo, snapping everyone out of their thoughts as all heads turned to her. "To have died so peacefully under a Sakura tree with a smile on her face like that. It's a good thing, that she no longer has to suffer..."

Eriol smiled warmly at her, his eyes now soft as he looked at her, yet at the same time, sad. "Yes, let's hope so," he said.

Suddenly, the door burst opened and all found found Nakuru at the door, Yukito behind her. And boy did she look pissed.

"There you are!" She shouted, stomping towards Toya. "We've been looking everywhere for you!" She grabbed him by the back of his collar. "Come on Toya, everyone's waiting." And she proceeded to drag him out the door.

"Oh, the shooting!" Exclaimed Tomoyo, standing up. "Thank you for the tea and the story. Please excuse me." She bow to both host and fled the room, intending on catching up with the others and exited to get for shots of Sakura.

She caught up with the others and as soon as Toya saw her come into view, he told Nakuru to let go of him, as he could walk on his own. Yukito laughed at that so he watched Toya sand on his own two feet and dusted himself off just as Tomoyo caught up to them. He watched as Toya smiled warmly at her while Tomoyo smiled brightly back.

Suddenly, Yukito found his vision becoming blurry and he fell, unconscious. Toya caught him before he could hit the ground.

"Yuki?!" He shouted, worried.

"Oh my," said Nakuru. "Does he have a favor, is he tired?" She fussed over Yuki, looking concerned. "He's been going around with me, looking for you this whole time. Ah, I'm so stupid! Toya, take Yuki back to the living room so he could rest. And you might as well stay there with him too. Ah! Nothing is getting done here. And this is due soon. Ah! We don't have-"

"We'll just have to change the script then," suggested Tomoyo. "I'll help you if you want."

Nakuru looked up at her as if she was a goddess. "Would you really do that, Tomoyo-Hime?" Both Tomoyo and Toya were taken aback by that name, as it was what Tomoyo was referred to in her dreams.

"Of course." Tomoyo smiled after getting over the shock.

"Well then." Nakuru got up. "What are we waiting for, let's go! There's lots to do and only a little bit of time left!" And she ran off with Tomoyo in troll. "Take care of him for us, Toya-kun!" And they were gone.

Toya shook his head and stood up, carrying Yukito bridal style in his arms, he proceeded to head back to the living room. Approaching the door, Toya was about to go in when something he heard made him stop.

Eriol watched Tomoyo exit the room with warm, loving eyes.

"You love her, don't you," accused Kaho, her tone deadly and her eyes narrowed on Eriol's form. "Daidouji-san."

Eriol turned his eyes towards her, his eyes no longer light, warm, or loving. Suddenly, Kaho's eyes turn to one that looked as though she's about to cry.

Eriol's eyes did not weaver. "What makes you say that?" Eriol questioned, taking a sip of his still warm tea.

Her eyes narrowed and moved to sit on the edge of their seat. "Your eyes," she replied. "The way you look at her... You look at her with such loving eyes that it hurts." She got up and moved to kneel down in front of him, her hands clinging her heart and her face twisted in painful sorrow. Eriol did not budge.

"It hurts, Eriol-sama," she continued. "It hurts to know that you no longer love me. It hurts to feel such unrequited love for you. If you love her, please just tell me. Please tell me, what made you look away from me? What is it about her that captivated you and make you no longer look at him? Don't make me feel this pain anymore, Eriol-sama. Please, ease my heart again, please."

Eriol only stared at her, his face blank and Kaho's tears fell. "Eriol-sama," she painfully whispered out.

"You're right," said Eriol, suddenly, his voice flat. Kaho's heart broke and a sound escaped her tumbling lips. "I do love Tomoyo. I've loved her since the day she was born. I love everything about her, from her smile to her personality themselves. They make me proud. They make me happy... She makes me happy..." A smile graced Eriol's lips. "I am happy when I see her smile a true smile." He looks down at Kaho and she felt her heart break at the sight of him. From her memory, Eriol has never shown this face to her, not once had she seen it.

"I'm happy as long as she is happy," he finished. Kaho backed away with tears in her eyes.

"However," Eriol continued. "Tomoyo is not the reason I don't see you as a love interest, Kaho. Not entirely anyways," he whispered off to the side.

"Then...?" Said Kaho, wearily yet hopeful.

Eriol shook his head and stood up, looking towards the door. "You mistook me for someone else, Kaho. I don't love you that way. " He looked at her, his eyes now soft. "I never did love in that way, Kaho. Never could, even if she asked me to..." His eyes hardened as he looked her in the eye. "And I never well love you the way you currently want me to... "

That was the last straw. Kaho pushed him, got up and ran out the door, passing the shocked Toya on the way, but didn't stop nor did she see him as her arm covered her crying face.

Eriol only smiled after her before walking towards the shocked Toya at the door, still holding onto Yukito.

Toya' mind railed as he stood there, shocked. He'd only heard the part where Eriol admitted he loved Tomoyo and that was enough to have made him want to punch the kid's face in. But listening to him continue, Toya found himself confused by what he heard Eriol say.

'So she loved the kid,' he thought. 'And from the looks of it, she's loved him for a very long time too...' His eyes dulled over as he thought of the past. 'But then,' he wondered, 'how was that possible? ...Then again,' he reasoned, 'isn't one of Sakura's friend also in this similar situation?'

Toya was brought out of his thoughts when Eriol spoke up, now standing in front of him. "I'll take him from you, Toya-san," he said, refuting to Yukito as he easily slipped Yukito off of Toya's arms. Toya was a bit shocked at Eriol calling his name, but got over it and handed Yukito over to Eriol without complaints. "You should go after her, Toya." And Eriol walked back into the room, Yukito held bridal style in his arms.

The moment he heard those words, Toya's body stiffened and he ran after Kaho without thinking. Later, Toya would wonder why Eriol's voice sounded so seriously grown and familiar.

***Quiz Time! :)

1. Anyone able to guess the identity of the girl under the tree?

2. Anyone able to tell who Tomoyo is to Eriol?

3. What do you think of this chapter?

REVIEW! :)

NEXT CHAPTER: Two new people show up at Eriol's house! Toya talks to Kaho and both finally realize something important they'd both forgotten. Find out what that is next time in Chapter 3: Crystal Moon!