Chapter 3: Competition?
"I know I saw him before? But where?" Tomoyo muttered at herself, unconsciously clicking the mouse of her computer.
"Who?"
Without acknowledging the person who asked, she replied automatically. "Some guy at the bar last night, I know I saw him somewhere. I just can't pinpoint who, where or when it is?"
"What guy?"
Tomoyo rolled her eyes, now fully aware of the curious owner of the voice. "Oh, please don't give me that tone."
"What tone?" Ikki asked curiously.
"Duh, the jealous tone."
He answered baffled. "I'm not jealous."
"Yes you are. Don't deny it." Tomoyo pointed her finger at him, clearly irritated.
Ikki scoffed. "Why deny something I'm blameless of?"
"Blameless?"
"…" Ikki just curiously stared at her bewildered form.
"Vindicated!" Tomoyo triumphantly uttered.
"Hmmm… didn't know you've turned into a thesaurus genius. Let's test it then. What's the—"
Noticing that she wasn't paying attention to his sarcastic remarks. Ikki peered down the computer screen she's typing with viciously.
She grinned as she finally found what she was looking for.
"A video feed?" He muttered to himself as he read the details of the video feed Tomoyo was about to watch.
"Wolf Drifters?" Ikki eyed Tomoyo as they waited for the feed to load.
Posted by bangag_pa.
Song: Vindicated
Original Artist: Dashboard Confessional
Performed by: Wolf Drifters
Venue: MGH University's school fair.
Views: 145,276
Hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption
Winding in and winding out
The shine of it has caught my eye
And roped me in
So, mesmerizing, so hypnotizing,
I am captivated, I am
"Woah, they're good. Who are they exactly?" Ikki asked but Tomoyo didn't budged, intent to focus on the video.
Ikki pondered. "Tomo, do you know him." He pointed at the vocalist. "He does look familiar?"
Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
Swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed, but I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself
Still being ignored by Tomoyo, Ikki grabbed the mouse from her and click the side information on the video feed.
Wolf Drifters members: Syaoran: lead guitar/vocals; Eriol: rhythm guitar/back up vocals; Rika: bass; Miyu: drums)
So clear
Like the diamond in your ring
Cut to mirror your intention
Oversized and overwhelmed
The shine of which has caught my eye
And rendered me
So isolated, so motivated
I am certain now that I am
'Hmm… Syaoran? I know I've heard that one before from someone. But who? Who? C'mon Tomoyo think… think.' Tomoyo jabbed her temples gently trying to shake up her memory.
"What's wrong?" Ikki asked anxiously, curiosity etched on his face.
She stuttered dejectedly, clearly getting frustrated by it. "N-nothing."
Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
Swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed, but I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself
The video focused again on the band's vocalist and then realization then hit her. 'Xiaolang Li, Mei's baby brother?'
Patiently, she waited for him to be focused again and stared at his face to confirm her assumption.
So turn up the corners of your lips
Part them and feel my finger tips
Trace the moment fall forever
Defense is paper thin
Just one touch and I'll be in
Too deep now to ever swim against the current
'It's really him. Why didn't I figure it out sooner? Should I tell him or let him figure it out himself?' Tomoyo glanced mischievously at Ikki as he quietly discerned the guy in the video.
Getting irritated from his slowness, Tomoyo blurted out her discovery. "It's Mei's brother and their cousins."
"Who's who?" Ikki scratched his head.
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip against the current
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
So let me slip away
"Mei Lin Li, Touya's band mate and love interest." Tomoyo widely grin.
"Oh, her…" Ikki chuckled at the memory he have of her. "Touya sure is smitten with her back then."
"Until now." Tomoyo confirmed.
Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
Swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed, but I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself
Like hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption...
"Are you sure it's him?" Ikki asked again staring at Syaoran's face.
"Yeah, I think so. Why?"
"He's different."
Tomoyo bonked his head gently. "Of course he is. It's been five years since we last saw him, you baka!"
"Ouch, that—"
"There you are. We've been looking for you guys for hours." Andy glared at them.
"I think we interrupted something private." Ren whispered to Andy but loud enough for the two to hear.
Ikki and Tomoyo stopped what they're doing and looked at themselves. Ikki's arms were around Tomoyo's waist, Tomoyo almost sitting at his lap. He grabbed Tomoyo before she ran away from him for bonking his ahead awhile ago. Tomoyo's hands on his arm and chest trying futilely to escape him, but from a third party point of view they looked like a couple having an intimate moment.
Realizing their position they both blushed and let each other go instantly, creating a huge gap between them.
Ren and Andy heartily laughed at them, "Are you finally together?"
"Wait till I tell the guys about it?" Andy teased and rapidly disappeared.
Ikki and Tomoyo paled at their band mate's threat and hurriedly ran after her. Ren shaking with laughter followed them.
However, they're not the only one in the hallway.
"Really?" "No, way?" "Are you sure?" A group of girls were noisily arguing nearby.
Sakura was currently enjoying the shade of the tree she's named after, lazily stretched out under a tree, when a looming shadow disturbed her peace.
She quickly got irritated by this, but ignored the person who barged on her solitude. But after a few minutes of silence, the intruder didn't utter a word, like it was still silently debating with herself. Getting truly annoyed Sakura lift her eyeglasses to see who it was and growled at the person. "What the hell do you want?"
The girl trembled and stuttered, "Ano... I... I ju-just want to... know if it's true?" the girl shyly asked.
'Not another one,' Kura sighed, put her shades back on and hummed her tune, ignoring the nosy girl. It's been two hours after she heard that ridiculous gossip involving her cousins and this is the twentieth girl that asked her about it.
Sakura sized up the girl and just hummed. 'Even if it's true I won't even tell you.'
"Look Ikki isn't fond with flirty clingy aggressive girls so just back off, get it?" Someone interjected.
The girl red beet in anger, bravely answered her back, "And who are you to decide for him anyway?"
Sakura stopped humming and looked at the scene, amused with the squabble. What's more, she was caught by surprised that Andy and one of the subjects of the gossip were there.
Andy smirked and chided, "Well, first I don't like you. Second, you disgust me. And third, its true Tomo is Ikki's girlfriend. Now, shoo!"
The girl paled and ran off to her friends waiting for her and then told them the news. The group of high school girls glared at them and scampered off.
"Shoo?" Sakura asked in amusement. While Tomoyo yelled at the same time, quite shaken by the news, "I'm what?!"
"Ikki's boyfriend," Andy innocently replies and batted cutely her eyes.
Sakura's jaw dropped and stared at a chuckling Andy and a furious Tomoyo. "It's true? What the hell were you two thinking—?"
Realization dawned on her and gasped, "Don't tell me you guys are serious?"
"Of course not." Andy replied quickly
"Then why? You know I'm going to be him on the next few days." Sakura whimpered.
"I'm protecting your pretty ass from those fan clubs. Could you confidently tell me you could handle them?" Andy asked curiously. Tomoyo then remained quiet trying to ponder on Andy's devious plan.
"Fan clubs?" Sakura tilted her head, pondering on Andy's statement.
"Yeah, that sicko has three fan clubs. Two in our college and one in your high school. Gee, I don't even understand why? What could they possibly see in that baka?" Tomoyo pondered.
"But babe, you could just tell them he's not interested period. Why create those lies," Sakura whined. 'He's interested in you.'
Andy laughed at her glaring band mate and her pouting friend and tapped Sakura's shoulder playfully, "then where's the fun in it?" Sakura and Tomoyo sweat dropped.
"Then why me? Why not you?" Tomoyo hissed.
"That would be yucky. And it's not believable. You and Ikki on the other hand bicker too much that could be mistaken as a lover's quarrel sometimes." Andy supplied smugly.
'If you only knew.' Tomoyo and Sakura gazed at each other in mutual understanding.
Tomoyo shifted the topic, "So this is deliberately to torture me?"
"Torture?" Andy incredulously blurted. She continued with glint in her eyes. "I would never do that to you."
"And how would be this torture to Ikki then?"
"Crushed his oversized ego." She smugly replied.
"Really? How?"
"He would be—"
Sakura cut her off before Andy blurted out something inappropriate, "Does he even know about this plan of yours?"
"Oh yeah, I have to tell them about it. Bye." And Andy hurried off somewhere before Tomoyo pounced on her.
"Wait, I'm not through with you." Tomoyo called and followed her.
This left Sakura there, gaping helplessly at them. "What the hell have I've gotten myself into?"
- to be continued -
A/N: Words that are bold and italicized are lyrics to the song, "Vindicated" by the band DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL. Thanks please review.
Jan 15, 2009 bangag_pa
June 21, 2013 revised
September 23, 2015 updated