Chapter dedication: To afaphyte. I'm sorry that I didn't make my birthday deadline, but I intend to complete this soon. ;)

…..

CHAPTER 8

A chorus of "Good morning, Tomoyo-san!" greeted Daidouji Tomoyo when she entered the chapel. She gave everyone a warm smile and reciprocated their courtesies with her own. A moment later, her eyes directed towards the pews, but she didn't find who she was looking for.

"Good morning, Daidouji-san," came Hiiragizawa Eriol's greeting from the piano bench. It seemed he had taken the liberty earlier to rehearse some of the pieces while waiting for the session to start.

Oddly, she felt herself smile at that. "Good morning, Hiiragizawa-kun." She turned to the class. "Let's go over the last song we had in yesterday's practice. We need to work a bit more on harmonizing, but at the end of the day, I know that we can pull this off as a team!"

"Yeah!" exclaimed her girls in unison, raising their right arm for emphasis.

"Very well, let's start with a little warm-up." She proceeded to lead her class to singing for the rest of the morning.

…

"Today's practice was really good!" gushed Sister Chiaki as Tomoyo and Eriol were packing up. "I was listening for the past hour, and I could tell that the girls were really doing well!"

"I'm so glad to hear that!" Tomoyo clapped her hands together in delight. "Wait till I tell my girls about that next class. They will be so thrilled!"

Sister Chiaki's eyebrow arched teasingly as she gestured towards the Londoner. "We should really thank our new pianist substitute for inspiring our girls so much. Even our choirmaster herself looks so happy!"

"B-But I am always happy, Sister Chiaki," she protested, thankful that her back was turned on Eriol, who she felt was watching her curiously. She didn't have her composure fully at the moment to justify the abrupt rush of color to her cheeks.

"Yes, but," The nun novitiate cocked her head sideways, peering at her closely. "you look happi-er."

A glance at the nun's face told her that the subject wouldn't be dropped unless she gave her a measure of victory in the exchange. "Maybe you're right," she finally said. "It's wonderful to perform with an old friend again."

To her relief, the nun smugly nodded, glad to be proven right. "Indeed. Our Lord works mysteriously to bring old friends together for new reasons. A renewal of bonds, even. He sees through our pretenses and loneliness-"

"I-I am not lonely!" she protested hotly.

"-He thinks of everything! Don't you agree, Hiiragizawa-san?" She turned to the blue-haired male.

"Well, I don't know how the Lord thinks, but what I do know is I've decided to meet Daidouji-san again, whether He approves or not. Or maybe our benevolent puppeteer's strings aren't as tightly held as we assume them to be."

"WOW, won't you look at the time? How quickly it goes! I'll see you next week, Sister Chiaki!" Tomoyo briskly walked out of the chapel as Eriol dutifully followed her.

"Take care on your way home, Daidouji-san, Hiiragizawa-san!" The nun gave them both a final cheerful wave before a sighing Tomoyo shut the door behind her.

"Why the sudden rush, Daidouji-san?" inquired Eriol, looking thoroughly amused.

Tomoyo planted her face on her palms, groaning. "I really wish you have a more normal concept of small talks, Hiiragizawa-kun."

"Ah, I couldn't lie to someone who asked me so earnestly about my life long-held beliefs!" He grinned affably at her. "I do not have the same tact as you do, I'm afraid."

She lifted her narrowed eyes towards him. "You support Yamazaki-kun's tall tales!"

"And that's because I believe in him as the storyteller of our generation," he replied with as much seriousness as he could muster.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Both of Tomoyo's palms clenched into tight balls of fists. "And being a reincarnation of the world's strongest mage does NOT excuse you from having to act like a decent human being in this lifetime. You could have just nodded, and let it go. She wasn't soliciting your philosophy in life so much as your agreement and friendship, Hiiragizawa-kun!"

She saw his jaw drop, and for a brief moment, she wondered whether she had crossed the line. But then she saw his rueful smile.

"Forgive me," he murmured, carefully placing his hands over her still tightly rolled fists to gently unclench them, "for making you scold someone who should know better. For being so callous with someone else's feelings. "

Her lilac eyes widened as epiphany dawned on her.

"I'll be right back." He motioned for her to wait for him as he turned back towards the chapel.

"W-Wait!" She instinctively caught his hand, halting him in his tracks. Belatedly realizing what she just did, she embarrassedly added, "A-Anou… don't look my way! Just listen."

"As you wish," he replied evenly.

"Call me conceited if you must, Hiiragizawa-kun, but… you are not… the kind of person who can act so carelessly towards other people." She lifted her gaze towards his back, silently grateful that she didn't have to say these words while being scrutinized by his inquisitive ice blue eyes which by now she knew by heart. "You must have noticed that I was growing uncomfortable with the conversation, so you stepped in to distract Sister Chiaki by playing a, uh, not so very nice person. T-That's what I think anyway." Her voice trailed off in uncertainty.

"Nothing ever escapes your eyes, does it, Daidouji-san?" She didn't need to see his face to know he was smiling admiringly at her right now.

"I'd like to think so." She smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Hiiragizawa-kun, for looking after me. But you don't have to worry so much for me. If ever I will need back-up, I promise that you will be the first to know...because you are my friend."

"As you are mine," he replied, his voice quiet as a brook, but for some reason, reverberated loudly in her heart. Startled, she let go of his hand as if she touched a live wire.

He finally turned to face her and give her a beaming smile, not looking even the slightest offended. In fact, he looked even happier than she had seen him all week.

"You know, it's such a nice day, Daidouji-san. Would you like to accompany your friend for a short walk around the neighborhood?"

"It is a nice day," she agreed. "Let me inform my bodyguards to pick me up at a different time."

….

Tomoyo's head tilted in curiosity when she saw the Tomoeda town library building in front of them.

"I need to return a few books," explained Eriol apologetically. "And pick up a couple of new ones. This shouldn't take too long."

"It's okay, really." She followed him inside, where he dutifully took out his books and library card for the desk librarian to see. After signing off the books, she followed him to the YA books section.

"And here I thought you're too sophisticated for our plebian writing," she teased as he was busily reading the book blurbs. "Didn't you mention that you've met the Queen as a girl? If my literature class memories serve me right, Clow Reed should have been frequenting bars with the likes of Fitzgerald then."

"Scott was based in the United States then, but we—well, he and Clow Reed—did keep up a friendly correspondence of some sort at one point because he was such a fan. I do recall that the poor man was preoccupied with Zelda and Frances during a most difficult time, so even if he had lived in my country then, I suppose there still wouldn't have been much time to fraternize," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Having legendary writers as penpals, eh? Just one of the many enviable perks of being the world's greatest mage incarnate," said Tomoyo, shaking her head with a sigh.

He chuckled at that. "Moreover, Clow Reed had too much time then. He had consumed nearly everything that the classics had to offer. I, on the other hand, prefer to read what people today make out of the world. It interests me to know what post-apocalyptic reality can mankind conceive, or what their notions are of life after death. Because despite how much these writers change the setting and time, what I see in the end are their present way of thinking. It's all terribly fascinating."

She tipped her chin with her fingers. "I wonder… sometimes you speak like you are Clow Reed yourself, but there are times when I think… like right now, when you sound like you're doing your mighty best to establish yourself as a different person from him."

"As expected of Daidouji-san, not pulling any punches," He kept his gaze leveled towards the books, though. "When you have many, many memories of someone else, sometimes you lose track of which one's yours, and which one's not. But I guess there's a little spark of rebel in me who refuses to be assimilated into someone else's personhood." He finally faced her, a wry smile on his face. "It's a little childish of me, yes?"

Her lavender eyes regarded him empathetically. "That makes two of us. " She cupped her loose tresses with one hand. "People always wondered why I never cut my hair any shorter than this. Care to guess?"

"Sakura-san likes it that way?" He glanced at her.

"Ah no, but her aunt did. My mother," she clarified, and her eyes shook. "My mother loved Aunt Nadeshiko with all her heart, so she was naturally left broken when Auntie passed away so young."

"Nadeshiko-san, huh?" he murmured, now seeing the semblance that Fujitaka's wife and his niece breathtakingly share.

"So the least I can do to comfort her is to become the reminiscence of her one true love." She flipped her curtain of hair back over her slender shoulder. "When she looks at me, I can't always tell if she sees me or Auntie. But when I start to doubt, I just remind myself that love is love; regardless of for whom it's really for, I'm happy to take it… to accept it as mine." She bravely tried to flash a nonchalant smile, but could barely muster a crack.

He, in turn, gazed at her wordlessly as he imagined the little Daidouji girl growing up with a lost sense of self, having resigned herself to a life of unconditional devotion because in her heart, she didn't know she had enough worth to be loved for who she was.

"A-Ah, so sorry for spoiling the mood!" Tomoyo clapped her hands together, earning a stern hush from the librarian. She blushed, and bowed repeatedly at every direction in apology. "I'm so sorry for the disturbance! Sorry, sorry!"

Eriol gently guided her away from the center of the room. "Let's look at the books over here, Daidouji-san." He bent closer to her and dropped his voice in a silky, conspiratorial whisper. "Don't worry about Nanami-san. I'll bring her a basket of fruits and a stash of idol magazines next time to appease her."

"Idol magazines? Hiiragizawa-kun, how on earth did you know—"

"I'm better at small talks than you think." He flashed her a quick wink before turning his eyes back at the shelves.

She followed suit. Just then, her eyes spotted a distinguished-looking book cover. Gingerly, she reached for the book to inspect it more closely. I knew it. She figured it was the idea of a prank by library visitors—placing the controversial book in the YA section of all shelves.

"What's that?" Eriol peered at the book she was holding.

"Haven't you read this thing of beauty yet?" She showed him the cover.

"How odd," remarked the man smilingly. "I'm pretty sure there are about 450 more shades of that color than that book claims."

"Ah, so you really haven't heard of this book after all!" Her eyes glinted mischievously as she eagerly handed it to him. "You should read it. This is supposed to be a trilogy, but the first book should inspire you to buy the whole set."

"If it's good enough, then I guess I can save up for it." He started to walk back towards the circulation desk, holding the book she recommended. "I'm trying to save up for groceries."

"So even the world's best mage has pecuniary concerns, huh?" she commented in wonder.

"Second best," he corrected. "And yes, I do. I have long envied Fujitaka-san's normalcy, so I jump at every opportunity to have any semblance of it. That includes budgeting for daily expenses, especially since I am unsure how long my nest egg will survive. A university professor's salary isn't too grand." He smilingly handed the librarian his chosen books, not noticing the curious look from the latter.

"Ah, so you taught classes back in London?" They were now back outside, enjoying the sunshine.

"A few," he replied. "Asian Studies, mostly."

"From sorcery to Asian studies—was the transition difficult?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not at all. I enjoyed the job enough. " He pointed to the nearby ice cream parlor. "Hey, isn't that Minaho-chan and Haruka-chan?"

"W-Where?" Her heart dropped when she saw two of her choir members walk towards their line of sight, giggling. "Anou, Hiiragizawa-kun, let's go the other way."

"But aren't we going to get ice cream?" he asked, confused.

"Hurry, they shouldn't see us!" She hastily dragged him towards the other direction by hand, nearly making him stumble. "Faster!"

"Ah, I think we're going to run into Ayeka-san and her mother—"

"Oh no!" She pulled him eastwards. "Let's go this way then!"

"But the park's over that way, isn't it?"

"It's a nice day, Hiiragizawa-kun. A little more walking wouldn't hurt, would it?" she asked sweetly, still dragging him after her.

The Londoner could only sweatdrop at that.

….

After what seemed like ten minutes of zigzagging through Tomoeda, they finally reached the park. Huffing, the couple sank down on the bench. Tomoyo closed her eyes happily for a moment, relieved that they were able to successfully evade all her choir students.

"Water… need…" Her eyes flapped open in alarm when she heard Eriol barely managing to choke out the words. One look at his sweaty, paler-than-usual complexion and she bolted right out of her seat to the nearby vending machine. She didn't have time to pick the flavor; as soon as the machine spat out the bottle, she hurried back to Eriol's side.

"Hiiragizawa-kun, drink this, please," she urgently whispered as she broke the seal of the bottle cap. He obeyed her meekly, accepting the bottle from her to take small, hungry sips.

"Strawberry," he croaked, lifting the beverage to show it to her. "F-Fantastic choice. As expected of Daidouji-san!"

"Don't patronize me," she groaned, "I'm sure you looked into the future and made sure the vendo will send out this bottle." She took out her handkerchief and busied herself with wiping off the perspiration from his face and neck. Next, she took one of the library paperbacks and used it to fan his face.

After a few more minutes of catching his breath, she was relieved to see some colors returning to his face. He smiled weakly at her. "Daidouji-san, thank you. And I'm sorry for causing you this trouble."

"No, it was my fault," she cried, vehemently shaking her head. "I should have not made you run all the way to the park. I panicked and lost all logical thought." She bit her lip regretfully. "I'm so sorry, Hiiragizawa-kun."

"W-Why did we run off anyway?" he asked, trying to sit up straighter.

"Er…" She stopped fanning and placed the book on her lap. "I didn't want to stir up more buzzing in the grapevine."

His forehead creased. "I'm afraid I do not follow."

"I don't want the girls to get the wrong idea… about us." She couldn't meet his gaze at that moment. "It'll be… problematic for you."

"That's true." Eriol's face turned thoughtful. "It's anyone's dream come true to be romantically linked with Daidouji Tomoyo-san. I don't think I can manage that level of pressure and hate from every person in Tomoeda-"

She crossed her arms over her chest, sighing. "Way to miss a point, Hiiragizawa-kun. We can't let that happen because-" she stopped in mid-sentence. I can't tell him about Mizuki-sensei yet. He'll disapprove of it because he's hurting.

"Because what, Daidouji-san?" Eriol wanted to know.

She stared at the eyes of the man who she had acknowledged as her first real ally and friend since befriending Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura many years ago—the one who understood her so well despite having spent but several days together.

She recalled how lonely he looked as he lamented on the burden of possessing two distinct sets of memories, and she knew of only one person who was capable of understanding his pain in its rawest intensity.

A firm resolve formed within her. I will help you, Hiiragizawa-kun. I will bring you and Mizuki-sensei back together. You may not admit it, but your happiness lies in her.

"Daidouji-san?" he prompted, snapping her out of her reverie.

"I'll tell you," she promised with a saccharine smile. "As soon as you finish the trilogy I asked you to read."

He did a double take, and then broke into laughter. "You will never ever bore me, Daidouji-san."

Her cell phone suddenly rang. It was the head of her team of bodyguards, as king her whereabouts. "Yes, I am in the park, near the fountain and the vending machine," she informed the person on the other end of the line. "I am with a friend who isn't feeling well. Do you think we can drive him by his house? I'm not sure he can walk in his condition right now." She ignored Eriol's frantic gestures that appeared to dissuade her. "Excellent, thanks! We'll be waiting."

"Thank you for your concern, Daidouji-san," he repeated, smiling shyly.

"Please don't worry about it."

…..

Tomoyo emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in her purple robe and her long mane wrapped in a towel turban. She decided to check her mail while drying her hair, so she sat down in front of her computer. The motion from her mouse changed the card captor battle costumes screensaver to her familiar desktop that featured her, Sakura, and Sonomi during a rare family get-together. Involuntarily, a smile crept on her face.

Her purple eyes then flicked towards the bottom corner of the screen, where she saw an unread mail notification. Is it…? Quickly, she launched her e-mail client.

Indeed, one of the new mails came from Mizuki Kaho. She put on her glasses and began to read.

Hello Tomoyo,

It's wonderful to hear from you again. Your letter brought back so many happy memories from Japan. I trust everyone is doing well. Sakura's letters make it seem as if I never even left Tomoeda, but it's pleasantly surprising to hear from you as well, Tomoyo. Offended is the least feeling I can possibly have at this moment.

I'm glad to know that Eriol has found a way to share his music again. The house in London had long languished in silence because he had lost interest in playing the piano months ago. He was too busy thinking—overthinking of things to come. It bothered him greatly that there were things he couldn't fully orchestrate.

Sakura never failed to tell me how kind you are, and I'm now starting to understand how unembellished and true her words are. Thank you for thinking about me and Eriol. While we may have parted ways, I will always think of him with much fondness.

If it's not too much to ask, can you please make sure he gets enough sunshine? He is not as athletic as he used to be in elementary though, so please remind him not to overstress himself. I would have reminded him of these things myself, but it's for the best that he doesn't hear from me anymore.

Please don't hesitate to ask Yue about Eriol as well. He may have answers for you.

Take care, my dear.

K. M.

P.S.

You have to share with me one of these days what this so-called campaign to cheer you up is. I have a feeling that this is the little wolf's idea, and as his ancestor, Eriol condoned this. But for all his capriciousness, Eriol is a kind man and he means well. He will talk some sense to his descendant, I imagine, after having a bit of good-natured fun at another's expense.

…..

Tomoyo read the e-mail several more times, her forehead creased. The letter didn't sound as if it came from someone who initiated a breakup because she found somebody else to love. On the contrary, it felt like—

Her head snapped up when she heard her bedside phone ring. Figuring it was Sakura-chan for their customary nightly girl talk, she cheerfully did away with the traditional telephone niceties when she picked up.

"Hey there! Just finished a long warm bubble bath! I'm telling you, nothing feels more luxurious than warm vanilla sugar-scented bubbles on your bare skin!" She balanced the phone between her head and her shoulders as she slathered lotion on her hands and arms. "I had an unexpected sprint today, too, so I spent extra time massaging my legs and thighs. Ahhh, but they were sooooo stiff!" She heard an audible gulp from the other end of the line. "Hmmm? Sakura-chan? Kero-chan?"

"A-Ah, i-it's me." A male voice cleared his throat on the other end of the line. "H-Hiiragizawa, that is."

BLAG! The phone dropped on the floor, and Tomoyo bent down to retrieve it, grateful for the carpeting that cushioned the gadget's fall. Face burning, she lifted the receiver to speak. "H-How did you… get my number?" If humiliation could kill, she knew she would have dropped dead by now.

" F-From Sakura-san. Look, I am terribly sorry for calling without due notice." His voice rang with sincere regret and equal, if not more, mortification. This was enough to appease her somehow.

"Only Sakura-chan knows this number, s-so I didn't think someone else will be on the other end of the line," she stammered. "T-That's why I said all those… um… stuff."

"I see. Once more then, my apologies, Daidouji-san." But he sounded less sorry than earlier; now he sounded more amused.

Her cheeks turned hotter. "May I know the reason for your sudden call, Hiiragizawa-kun?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I've started reading the book. I'm now reading a scene from the hardware, and I can't help but share with you my concern for the heroine's well-being." From the other end of the line, she could hear the flipping of pages. "The man asked her for cable ties, tape, rope, AND coveralls. I am concerned that it didn't even strike her that this guy might be a serial killer."

She felt her mouth curve into a smile. "My, she must have come from the safer side of the neighborhood."

"What I'm thinking here is that the man is a roboticist," posited Eriol thoughtfully. "He had a futuristic-looking building filled with disposable blonde clones, and he wanted to build a new robot out of the heroine's friend's likeness. But the heroine came in her place and discovered his plot, so now he's out to silence her."

"I like the way your mind works," she commented, leaning against her chair.

"You recommended this book to me, so I intend to share the journey of this intense reading experience with you," he replied.

She could see it in her mind again, his blue eyes twinkling in laughter as he spoke and feigned seriousness in interpreting the book. "That's very gracious of you, Hiiragizawa-kun."

For the next hour that flew by like minutes, she listened to him read aloud the most atrocious (interesting, as Eriol would rather describe it) lines from the book with as much earnestness he could muster.

"So in the end, the man saved her from the cyclist… because he thought the cyclist wouldn't be able to kill her enough to his liking," concluded Eriol.

"He's a perfectionist," she agreed. "He wanted to make use of the overalls and cable ties."

She heard him chuckle on the other end of the line. "I'd have to save the rest of the chapters for tomorrow—I don't think I can handle this much tension and excitement in one evening."

"I'd say." She stretched her limbs, which she just realized had succumbed to the pins and needles sensation from being seated in the same position for too long. This phone conversation was certainly longer than most of the calls she remembered receiving. "Thank you for the great live audiobook experience."

"Would it be okay to call you again tomorrow?" he asked, and she couldn't help but feel surprised by his tentativeness.

"O-Of course." Her eyes softened. "It will always be okay."

"Thank you, Daidouji-san," he said, almost too shyly. "This has been fun. Good night to you."

"Likewise. Good night, Hiiragizawa-kun." She pressed 'End' with a smile still on her face.

….

TO BE CONTINUED