"Won't you pull up your seat closer and tell me about your request, please?" Having known the raven-haired woman before him since childhood, he knew only too well how rare an instance it was for her to ask for a favor. It was always Daidouji Tomoyo who gave and gave, with almost no sense of self. Thus, if her wish was something within his power—anything at all—nothing would please him more than to grant this.
"It's about Akizuki-san," she began tentatively.
He turned rueful at once. "Please let me apologize on her behalf. She was a bit rude earlier," he said quickly. "I am sure she doesn't mean—"
Tomoyo held a hand up, effectively stopping him and his profuse apologies. "Hiiragizawa-kun, my request is that you reassure Akizuki-san about whatever is worrying her, as soon as possible, if you can."
Now that was one request he did not expect to hear. "Reassure… Nakuru?" He looked mystified. "About what? That child was created to be a worry-free, happy-go-lucky creature. You—"
"And you will not only lend an obligatory ear to her, Hiiragizawa-kun," continued Tomoyo, her face scrunched up in a kind of earnestness that he didn't find very often in his many lifetimes. "You will listen to her the way you're doing to me right now: as a friend to another, and not as a master to a servant."
In spite of himself, he had to smile about how easily this young woman could move him without even lifting a finger. He decided it was the aura of an heiress that came with her powerful last name. "But pray tell, why would you go through these lengths to intervene for Nakuru?"
She pressed her hands together in a begging pose. "I would like it very much if you don't tell Akizuki-san about this request. I imagine she would not be too happy about me being meddlesome again."
Nakuru didn't ask her to do this? His forehead creased. "If Nakuru didn't tell you how she's feeling, then how did you know that she's worried about something?"
"There are times when words are unnecessary." Her face relaxed into a patient smile, one a school teacher would give to her obstinate student. "Something burdens her, Hiiragizawa-kun, but she's having trouble telling you about this because you yourself stated it so: her existence was engineered to be one without capacity for worrying. She isn't equipped to verbalize what ails her." She then gestured good-naturedly to herself. "And then here comes a strange oujo-sama whose troubles the young master listens to attentively. Of course, Akizuki-san would feel frustrated by the difference of situation that she perceives."
"Is that so?"He regarded her with a pair of deep, cerulean orbs, silently marveling at the young woman's kindness and impeccable insight into other people's hearts. "Consider your wish granted then. I shall talk to Nakuru and hear her out."
"Thank you," she answered with an appreciative nod. "By the way, where is Suppi-chan?" She scanned the room enquiringly. "I don't think I've seen him yet since Kero-chan and I arrived."
"Spinel is…"
"Spinel is asleep," said Nakuru as she returned to the room. As her master requested, she was carrying a silver tray that held a pot of aromatic tea and several dainty teacups. Behind her, Kero-chan was carrying a small plate of chocolate cookies, though it seemed the little flying creature had no intention to share its bounty with anyone else. "Are you done tattling on me to Eriol, little miss? Shall I give you more time?"
"NAKURU." Her master's usual affable tone was at once sharp and admonishing. The moon servant bit her lower lip, but her eyes remained defiant.
"Thank you for bringing us tea, Akizuki-san," she replied lightly. "I would love a cup before I leave." Nakuru said nothing, but mechanically reached for a cup to begin the service.
Kero-chan landed on Tomoyo's shoulder, munching on a cookie. "Want one, Tomoyo-chan?"
"Thank you, Kero—" Her voice trailed off when Eriol leaned towards her, his face so close that she could feel his breath tickling her ear. For someone who had seemingly not left his bed yet all-day, he still inexplicably smelled nice. Like pine trees? Is it lavender?
"Pardon me." His hand carefully dusted the cookie crumbs off her shoulder. "Keroberos, I beg of you, don't make a mess on your new mistress." He glanced at the blushing woman, and then back at his sun guardian. "Look how embarrassed she is!"
I'm embarrassed, alright. But it's not because of what you think!
"I told ya, stop calling me the way Clow used to call me! It's giving me so many confusing feelings right now!" cried the little creature, hiding behind its mistress.
"Ah, my apologies, Keroberos."
"SEE? You're doing it AGAIN!"
"Am I, Keroberos?"
"I hate you!"
"Your tea." Nakuru coldly placed a teacup on the table, getting her attention. "I hope the cheap brand of tea won't make the little miss ill."
"Thank you, Akizuki-san," she replied warmly, earning a cocked eyebrow from the servant.
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Chapter 11
A/N: My apologies for the super long delay of this installment. Hopefully, readers of the story haven't given up on this yet. Thank you in advance for waiting for this update!
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Eriol watched from the bedside window as Tomoyo walked towards the limo, which was waiting for her outside the mansion gates. He picked up his mobile phone and speed-dialed a number. A minute later, Tomoyo perked up and searched for something in her pockets. She answered the call on the second ring.
"Hiiragizawa-kun, what's wrong?"
"What time should I be in Minato again?" he asked as he watched her look up at the bedside window where he was. He gave her a cheerful wave, though he wasn't sure she could see him from the distance below.
"6PM for make-up and briefing. The Tokyo Tower closes at 10:30, so we have to shoot as many scenes as we can before that."
"Got it. Be careful on your way home."
He heard her pause awkwardly, before she spoke up again. "Y-You, too."
"I am home."
"R-Right." And before he could say anything more, he heard the phone click, followed by a busy tone. The young woman had boarded her limo hurriedly.
It was one of the rare times he saw the unflappable Daidouji-san flustered. He let out a chuckle when he recalled the lovely flush on her face from earlier, which he could just imagine that she was wearing as delightfully right now.
"It's been a while since I last heard you laugh by yourself." Nakuru appeared beside him, arms crossed over her chest.
"What do you think about Daidouji-san's request?" he asked, fully aware of his moon servant's hearing acuity, even from great distances.
"I liked her even less for it. She's becoming an obstacle to my master's plans."
"How unusual to hear Ruby Moon lie." He glanced at his servant, who was looking out at the window with a troubled expression on her face. "You even tried to scare her away with your roughness. She has touched you a bit with her kindness, hasn't she?"
"And you, Master?"
The playful twinkle on his eyes vanished in an instant. "Don't fret. I have not wavered."
Nakuru shrugged. "I sure hope so. I promised Suppi I'll watch over you for him. If not for that…" She turned her back on him, eager to hide the emotions on her face. "… I would not let him sleep alone"
This was what Tomoyo described that Nakuru could not properly tell him before. The loneliness of being the one left behind.
He sighed. "I'm sorry, Nakuru. I truly am. But it shouldn't take too long now." He placed a palm on the glass surface, a heavy feeling building up from within him. "Just a bit more," he repeated, more firmly this time.
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"Eriol-kun!" Kinomoto Sakura nearly leapt to the Londoner's arms when she spotted him walking towards their meeting place at the Foot Town building. "I'm so happy to see you again!" Even at the age of eighteen, Sakura still wore her card mistress costume like a true-blooded magical girl. She wore a short white dress with a puffy pink and white skirt. Wrapped around her slender neck was a pink ribbon with a star brooch, while another pink ribbon was tied around her thigh. The boots she wore were mismatching in height, but somehow, it only added to the playfulness of her dress' personality. She was holding her signature pink Sakura staff, which controlled all the 53 powerful elements of the Sakura Cards deck.
He smiled affectionately at his daughter from his other persona. "Likewise, Sakura-san. However, if you do not let go of me, I fear I shall be reintroduced by my cute descendant to his jian's true power."
"Nonsense! Syaoran-kun missed you SO much that he INSISTED he had to come to the shoot with me!" Sakura's sweet innocence and optimism was so palpable that he couldn't dare tell her the truth—that it was more likely that her boyfriend did not want to leave her in the company of the terrible twosome, Daidouji and Hiiragizawa.
"Is everyone here?" he asked instead, accepting Sakura's eager arm that hooked around his.
"Yup! Tomoyo-chan's in the trailer, making last-minute adjustments on your costume. Naoko-chan will give you the list of sequences to shoot." Sakura showed him a folded piece of paper she kept clutched in one hand. "Yamazaki-kun and Chiharu-chan will both be shooting in different angles, so you won't see them till later. Syaoran-kun is bringing us drinks." Sakura clapped her hands together as if just recalling something. "Oh, and Yue-san came, too! It's so nice of him to help out in Tomoyo-chan's video, too! She's getting the hang of looking after Yue-san and Kero-chan much better than expected!"
He bowed slightly towards her before stepping back. "Then I guess I should see Daidouji-san first and get into costume."
"Okay! I'll tell Naoko-chan you're here." She gave him a final friendly wave before skipping towards the cameras. He, on the other hand, made his way to the trailer parked nearby.
Not a few minutes had passed when he sensed someone's familiar presence watching from behind. A small smile formed on his face. "It's been a while, Yue."
"Clow." The silver-haired guardian appeared, face drawn gravely as usual. His delicate feet barely touched the ground where they stood, adding an even more surreal quality to the beautiful man.
"Hurry up and get back down to the ground, Yue. People are staring enough at you." He couldn't help but feel proud, though. After all, the person who designed this beautiful-looking man was him (well, technically, his past incarnation. But, screw semantics.)
The angelic-looking male complied, landing squarely on his feet. His strong, powerful wings vanished, leaving white feathers fluttering around him.
"How is life with Keroberos and Daidouji-san?" he asked casually.
The original lunar guardian refused to return his genial smile. "Why must I look after that girl, Clow? She is not the mistress of the cards."
"You don't sound very happy." He cocked his head sideways. "What displeases you about the setup?"
The long-haired male crossed his long, slender arms over his chest. "It's beneath me. If you have no more use for me as a judge for the next master of the cards, then just put me back to sleep. Give the false form back its control of the body."
Ah, so he has learned to sympathize with Tsukishiro Yukito. Eriol had to smile at that."I wish it would be that easy. But after Kinomoto-san gave you all his magic powers, what would a normal person do with all the surplus powers he doesn't understand? Tsukishiro-san needs you to keep those powers in check."
"You are Clow Reed. Can you not do something about the surplus?" asked the moon guardian testily.
"I am not Clow Reed, Yue. And I am no longer your master," he replied calmly. "And neither is Sakura. Should you wish to discuss your reservations further, I suggest bringing it up with Daidouji-san, who is your new mistress and the only one capable of putting you to slumber. " One look at Yue's dismayed face, and he knew the moon guardian understood the situation. Daidouji Tomoyo was a normal person who didn't have the necessary magical abilities to grant his wish. All she had was the command of the Clow guardians, as bestowed upon her by the card mistress.
"This is actually a world that Clow dreams of," he murmured, pocketing his hands into his blazer. "A peaceful world where the cards are living so harmoniously that its guardians and card keeper do not need to do anything else but watch over the passing of days. " He smiled at the lunar guardian. "Given the peaceful days of our lives, it's most fitting for a normal human to be the mistress of the Clow guardians, don't you think?"
Yue turned away. "I still dislike this."
"But?" he prompted, giving voice to the guardian's unspoken word signaling his surrender to compromise.
"I'll stay with the girl," decided Yue, "I don't trust a powerless human girl and an incompetent sun guardian to maintain the peace among the cards."
"Good decision."
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"… and I'm done!" Tomoyo cut the gold thread with a flourish, and then scrutinized her sewing work against the evening sky, which was framed by the trailer window. "Yup, the sequins should make the piping even more dazzling!"
"Dazzling, huh? That sounds like my costume."
Tomoyo peeked outside of the trailer door and saw Eriol standing alone, grinning at her. Instinctively, she smiled back at him.
"Don't be a stranger, Hiiragizawa-kun. Come in and try on your costume." She began to gather the rest of his garments as he made his way inside the cramped space.
Once inside, she busied herself in putting on his flowing black robes and the additional satin cape. She then crouched before him to securely tie the gold sash around his waist. "So did you get to talk to Akizuki-san?"
"Yes, I did," he replied as he raised his arms to allow her further access to his waist.
She started to wrap the sash around him, carefully maintaining her distance so she wouldn't end up inadvertently embracing him. "Did it go well?"
She could feel his azure eyes watching her valiant efforts with some amount of amusement. "I believe so. I think I understand her feelings better now."
"I see. That's good to hear." She straightened as she stood up, placing his cap on next. Feeling suddenly self-conscious of meeting his gaze, she opted to carefully fix her gaze on her fingers that were pinning the headgear to his hair. "Maybe you can do the same thing for her."
"Who?"
It was now or never.
"M-Mizuki-sensei," she replied, swallowing nervously.
Truthfully, it felt like she was stepping into a landmine, if she was to consider Nakuru's tone and her past conversation with Eriol himself. But she felt it had to be said. "Maybe it will help clear the air between you two. L-Like I said, she would not leave behind someone she loves so easily… and you're in love with her. "Her hands unconsciously balled into fists. "And if there's anything I can do to help… anything at all… I-I'll do it! I'll help you, no matter what!"
Heavy silence hung in the air.
And because she was steadfastly refusing to look at his face, she could not see what kind of expression he was wearing at the moment. Was he offended? Angry? Unaffected?
"T-There you go. The cap shouldn't fall off anymore." she said awkwardly, deciding to defuse the situation. Gingerly, she gave his headgear a little approving pat.
She was about to withdraw her hand when his hand swiftly caught hers, taking her by surprise.
Her heartbeat quickened as she felt his other hand grab her waist, steadying the small of her back as he gracefully lowered her to a dip. She could sense the ends of her wavy tresses almost touching the floor now, but falling was the least of her concerns now. She was trapped and paralyzed, unable to escape neither his intoxicating nearness nor his piercing, steady gaze.
"H-Hiiragizawa-kun, w-what are you doing?" Her lilac eyes were as wide as saucers, struggling in futility to understand the situation they were in at that moment.
"Testing how secure my cap is," he replied, wearing the barest hint of a playful grin on his face.
She was pretty darn sure there were a lot more conventional ways for people to normally do what he said. As she was about to protest this to him, she instinctively caught her breath.
Without any warning, Eriol bent down towards her face, stopping only when his lips found their place next to her ear.
"Please don't show me such kindness, Daidouji-san," he murmured ruefully. "I do not deserve it, at all."
W-What?
But before she could organize her thoughts, the male had gently scooped her back up and had deposited her back to her feet. "Sakura-san and the others must be waiting impatiently for us now," he spoke casually, stepping down from the trailer ahead of her. "Shall we go meet them now?"
"O-Of course." Tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, Tomoyo offered him her best impervious smile before she joined him outside.
"What's taking you guys so long?" barked a male voice all of a sudden.
They both turned to see a visibly displeased Li Syaoran coming at them, holding a bag from a nearby convenience store.
Eriol gave him a genial smile in turn. "Why, if it isn't the Little Wolf. I didn't expect to be personally escorted to the shoot by the leader of the Li clan himself."
Tomoyo was startled by the worried gaze Li discreetly cast at her before he turned his attention back to his affably grinning ancestor. "Don't flatter yourself, Hiiragizawa. I normally wouldn't care if you had cartwheeled back to England naked, but since Sakura insisted that I look for you, I had to go find you," he grunted.
Eriol looked anything but deterred in face of Li's hostility. "Cartwheeling naked, huh? That's an oddly specific visualization you have of me, don't you think? It does really make you wonder about how more fertile your imagination is when it comes to Sakura-san…"
"S-SHUT UP, IDIOT! I-I don't EVER think of Sakura like THAT!"
You're such a tsundere, Li, thought Tomoyo with a sigh, silently enjoying the furious barrage of colors on her unwitting friend's face. No wonder Hiiragizawa-kun has set his sight on you all the time. She paused when she sensed Eriol's gaze at her. She turned to him inquisitively, and he winked back at her conspiratorially.
She forced a cheerful smile on her face as she waved to acknowledge him. Are we back to being just scheming cupid partners-in-crime, Hiiragizawa-kun? Can you not think of me well enough to see me as a friend that you can depend on?
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"Good work, everyone!" announced Yanagisawa Naoko, delightedly slapping the rolled-up plastic folder against her palm. "We just have one last sequence to shoot. The guards told us that the upper observatory deck should have been cleared by now."
It was decided that the battle scene, which was going to utilize the "special effects" (unknown to their classmates as Yue and Cerberus' respective card elements), would be shot above the main deck of the Tokyo Tower. Tomoyo's staff had earlier made arrangements to block off the area in the last hour of the day in order to keep the shoot as low-profile as possible.
"Being a Daidouji must be awesome," remarked Naoko's schoolmate, who tagged along to help in the shoot, with an evident measure of envy. "Life must be so easy for you since you're rich."
She has grown used to barbed remarks like these, and so as always, she prepared herself for an empty smile of courtesy.
"That's foul!" snapped Chiharu and Yamazaki at the same time, startling her.
"Take that back!" added Naoko, glaring at her stunned schoolmate. "Tomoyo-chan works as hard as any of us here! She never treated us differently from other people!"
Sakura placed an arm around Tomoyo's shoulder affectionately. "Tomoyo-chan can't help it if she was born a Daidouji. But Tomoyo-chan is Tomoyo-chan! She's not just her family name, you know?"
"M-My bad," stammered the person, sweating nervously.
"No harm done," she replied reassuringly. "Anyway, we should head for the upper observatory now to set up our equipment." Everyone else nodded and marched towards the elevator. She was about to follow suit when she noticed Eriol lagging behind everyone else. Curiously, she drew towards him.
"Hiiragizawa-kun, what's the matter?"
He glanced at her, a thin smile on his face. "Nothing much. I was just wondering where the moon went."
"Yeah," she murmured, looking at the oddly cloudy evening sky. "I even scheduled the shoot on the evening of a full moon. Who would have thought that it would rain on the evening of the full moon itself, rather than after?"
"I wonder if Yue is doing well."
"Yue?"
He nodded. "The Rain and Cloud cards fall under the Watery card, which in turn is under his command. Maybe I am just overthinking things, but…"
Her eyes searched for the tall angel figure till she found him towering behind his former mistress, following her respectfully.Yue-san…
"Everything is going to be alright," said Eriol reassuringly, patting her shoulder.
She nodded silently, but despite herself, she still felt uneasy.
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"Dark Magical Vampire, we need you to look more menacing!" yelled Naoko passionately to her actors. "Right now, you look like a friendly pre-school teacher! Yue-san, you're too beautiful! Please dial down your kakkoii factor or people won't notice the cute Sakura costume. Someone move the animatronics tiger away from Camera A—it looks like it's mugging for shots. Magical Girl Sakura-chan, you're doing great! It's as if you've been doing video shoots all your life!"
"No kidding," muttered Syaoran, sipping from his juice bottle as he watched his ancestor and his girlfriend fake-duke it out.
Naoko glanced at the remaining shoot sequence. "Let's see, we're going to need a bit of breeze to get the flutter effect of the capes. Can Sakura-chan's or Yue's toys do that?"
Tomoyo fought back her chuckle from behind the video recorder she was holding. As part of their ruse, they told everyone that the special effects were created by the new, experimental products from the Daidouji toy empire.
"Yue-san, can you do it?" asked their director. "You won't be seen in this particular frame anyway."
The silver-haired male nodded somberly as Tomoyo leaned against the observation window so she could get a wider scope for her recording.
"Alright! Aaaaaand ACTION!"
Sakura was immediately in her element. Tossing her plentiful brown hair, she proudly pointed her star staff at her opponent. "Give up, Dark Magical Vampire! I've got you cornered now. Return all the sparkle you stole from the little girls of the world, or else, I'll punish you with my Sakura magic!"
Eriol snickered. "I will not be threatened by a mere little girl." He nudged his own staff at Sakura. "Wind!"
On cue, Yue raised his hand to command the element. At the last minute though, his usually calm eyes widened in surprise.
A strong flurry of wind suddenly emerged out of nowhere and headed for Sakura and Eriol's direction. Sakura quickly dodged the attack, but the blue-haired mage stayed rooted in his place.
"Eriol-kun!" cried Sakura, looking back at her friend.
Eriol deftly lifted his staff with both hands and created a barrier, and only then did Sakura notice why he didn't jump out of the way. Behind him stood her best friend Daidouji Tomoyo, holding on to her camera with one hand, and her other arm protecting her face from flying projectiles.
"Sakura, don't lose your focus!" Syaoran yelled. He had already drawn out his sword and incantation card, and was now protecting his classmates from the series of wind gusts that had gone wild in the room.
"Syaoran-kun!" He's right. As the mistress of the cards, I'm the only one who can do this. Her emerald eyes grew determined as she leapt towards where Yue and Windy were. "Yue-san, calm down!"
"Mistress?" The lunar guardian looked genuinely confounded. "The cards are not listening to me. W-Why? I'm telling it to stop, but it won't obey me."
It can't be… is it because the Clow guardians are already serving Tomoyo-chan? Sakura stole a glance nervously at her friend. Is it why Windy is acting up?
"Yue," called Eriol. "Please do as Sakura-san says! Calm your heart. The more tumultuous your feelings are, the more you'll aggravate the cards under your influence."
Yue looked down, seemingly unable to hear anyone else. He looked down at his trembling hands, looking lost and visibly shaken. "If the cards won't even listen to me, for what other reason should I exist?" The feathers of his wings fluttered around as he began to slowly transform back to Yukito. "Shouldn't I just… disappear instead…?"
A gust of wind smacked right onto him, sending him flying against the observation window near where Eriol and Tomoyo stood. Immediately, cracks on the glass began to form, and then it shattered, ushering in the chilly nocturnal breeze two hundred fifty meters above the ground.
"YUE-SAN!" Tomoyo was the first to react. She left the safety of the barrier and climbed the narrow handrail to reach for the lunar guardian's hand. Instinctively, she grabbed on the nearest window pane for support, not noticing the jagged shards of the broken glass panel biting on her skin.
Eriol cursed under his breath and let go of his spiky staff, causing the golden incantation circle underneath him to vanish. He then reached out over the handrail and grabbed Yue's other hand, and together, he and Tomoyo successfully pulled the stunned Yue back into the deck. The winged creature fell back down on the floor with a thud.
"T-That… was close," murmured Tomoyo, looking completely relieved.
"You foolish girl…"
Her lilac eyes flew towards the Londoner, who suddenly looked like he was about to crumple in exhaustion and relief. He got up and held out his hand to her. "Come down and let me take a look at your hand."
She did a double take when she saw blood freely gushing out of her wounded palm and fingers. A dull ache radiated on her whole hand. "I-I didn't realize—" As soon as she let go of her support, she realized her great folly.
The night breeze at this height was stronger than she imagined. It dragged her off balance, and before her mind could even process what was happening, she was sent plummeting down to earth.
I'm going to die. She had automatically shut her eyes closed, as if it would protect her from her impending doom. How will they tell my mom?
"DAIDOUJI-SAN!"
The next thing she felt was a familiar arm encircling her waist as a golden incantation circle appeared from beneath. Her eyes flapped open and found a pale-faced Eriol concentrating with all his might on the illuminated staff he was holding. It seemed he was casting a spell.
Did he jump after me? But she stopped herself from asking; she didn't want to disturb the mage amidst the enchantment and risk endangering both of their lives.
Soon, she felt their sharp drop gradually slow down. Wide-eyed, she saw the twinkling neon night lights grow bigger and bigger as they neared the base of the tower. Seconds later, the soles of their feet touched solid ground.
Eriol could only remain standing for a minute longer before he collapsed on the ground, sweating profusely. He had grown paler than before, and a shocked Tomoyo reached out to touch his shoulders. "Hiiragizawa-kun, hang on—"
She let out a gasp when her fingers passed directly through his shoulders, failing to make contact with anything solid. W-What's going on?
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"Tomoyo-chan!" A sobbing Sakura rushed towards her and embraced her forcefully, wailing. "You're alright! Oh my goodness, I'm so glad you're alright, you're alright, YOU'RE ALRIGHT!"
She had to smile despite herself. It seemed like an eternity since she was last held by her cousin this way. "Yes, I am alright, thanks to Hiiragizawa-kun." She turned to the blue-eyed male, who was resting against a nearby tree. "Sakura-chan—"
"Hmm?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but in the last minute, courage failed her. Instead, she said, "Did the crowd notice what happen?"
"It's okay, the Erase card took care of it!" replied the card mistress cheerfully. "They won't remember anything, not even Naoko and everyone else!"
"Thanks, Sakura-chan."
To which, her second cousin grinned. "Actually, it wasn't me who did that. Here, why don't you thank him personally." She then glanced over her shoulder, as if fully aware of the presence of the person behind her. "Ne, Yue-san?"
"Yue-san!" she exclaimed, gazing at the winged creature standing before her. Overhead, the full moon had finally emerged from the dark clouds that were concealing it earlier. Recalling what Eriol said about the cards, a light of hope flickered inside her. Does it mean he finally regained his control over the elements under his sign?
The moonlight seemed to have softened the guardian's features considerably. He knelt down before her wordlessly, his silver-bluish eyes seemingly glued to something on the ground beside her. She curiously followed his gaze and discovered he was looking at her previously bleeding hand, now haphazardly dressed with Eriol's handkerchief.
"A-Ah, this?" She beamed at him reassuringly. "It's alright. It doesn't even hurt anymore, see?" As if to prove her point, she shook her injured hand several times.
To her surprise, Yue caught her injured hand and looked at her face intently. "You're a powerless human. Why did you intervene?"
"Because I have someone I want to protect," she squeezed his hand affectionately, "I gained power to do what I can for this important friend. And that's what makes powerless humans like us amazing, don't you think, Yue-san?"
Was it not the same reason—the need to protect someone—that he snapped out of daze and regained his control over the Dark element cards?
Perhaps, magical beings and normal humans weren't really that different from each other after all.
Tomoyo watched as his face slowly relaxed into a smile. "It is my mistake to underestimate you," Yue stated ruefully as he lifted her clasped hand to his lips. "My mistress."
Yue-san… is acknowledging me at last! Her eyes shook happily.
"Yue, I have not finished dressing Daidouji-san's injury just yet." Eriol came up from behind, followed closely by Sakura.
"Clow." Always quick to comply, Yue gently released his mistress' hand.
"Daidouji-san, you should have this checked at the hospital as soon as you can," instructed Eriol, inspecting his clumsy handiwork. "My scanty understanding of first-aid is shamefully limited by what I glean from cable TV shows."
She shook her head. "I am truly grateful to you, Hiiragizawa-kun." Her eyes seemed to want to convey more, but she dutifully maintained her silence.
Meantime, the guardian looked at the reincarnation of his former master, and then back at his current non-magic skilled mistress, wondering what prompted the mage to go after the woman so carelessly back when they were up in the tower.
Ah, he would have to take back his words. Perhaps, his new mistress was more powerful than he initially thought she was.
TO BE CONTINUED