Farsighted
SibylSofiana
Chapter Ten The Search is Over
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Eriol's letters with Tomoyo
Dearest Tomoyo,
Nakuru has been moping around the house a lot since Spinel left. She keeps trying to spoonfeed me some sugar by mistake until I disabused her of the notion somewhat firmly. (Un)Fortunately, someone came to take her off my hands on a regular basis. Remember Charles? They go out often, which is quite... So now, I'm the one moping at home. It's definitely quieter without the two guardians around.
Eriol Hiiragizawa
~o~o~o~o~
Dear Eriol-san,
Thank you for sending Spinel. He has been great company in this big house. He enjoys watching my Sakura movies with me. Sakura and Kero-chan are back, and Kero-chan and Suppi-chan (he doesn't seem to mind me calling him that) always end up competing with each other. It's so entertaining.
Daidouji Tomoyo
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
Thank you for sending the video. Nakuru cried buckets when she remembered how much she enjoyed having you with us that we had some minor flooding in the living room. But then Charles came by and saw the state she was in. He then went to her side and said something - God knows what - that immediately stopped Nakuru's raging river of tears.
It seems that Charlie boy here was hiding a little secret. I knew he was descended from a Celtic line but---magic .... Well, now at least I have someone to talk to after school. And he doesn't seem to mind, either.
~o~o~o~o~ Eriol-san,
Merry Christmas. Mother is gone on a business trip and I feel a little sad. But Suppi-chan takes care of me and Sakura is always so cheerful that I can't help but smile...
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
I waited all night in the garden for spring to come, and it did this morning. My flowers are all in bloom, even the magnolias. Somehow it comforts me...
~o~o~o~o~
Eriol-san,
Syaoran and Meiling are here visiting us for the summer. Meiling and I plot and plan everyday on how to keep those two together, and most of the time we're successful. Kawaii!...... I'm glad Meiling's here. Otherwise, I'll be quite lonely. Has it been a year?
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
Happy 18th birthday. I'm sorry I couldn't come. I wanted to, but... never mind. Promises should always be kept, no matter the cost. I hope you had a wonderful time...
~o~o~o~o~
Eriol-san,
It's cold here in Tomoeda right now. Sakura-chan, Kero-chan, Suppi-chan and I went to the amusement park for the New Year, and we had a lot of fun...
Spinel goes out to the balcony and gazes at the moon sometimes. And I join him. He doesn't say anything, but I'm sure he's thinking of you and Nakuru- chan...
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
Thank you for the chocolates you and Sakura made. Nakuru and Charles ate most of mine, the scoundrels! But I've managed to hide some... they're very special to me.
~o~o~o~o~
Eriol-san,
Sakura was voted as Miss Sunshine in Seijou High! I took a lot of videos and I'm sending them all to Syaoran. I'm sure he'll be quite happy with them. Of course, I made the costumes... I still had some extra cloth left, so I made it into a jacket to give to someone. I don't think I've ever made anything this beautiful before, even when I was making Sakura- chan's costumes... But the time isn't right, so I think I'll hold on to it for a while. Until I can give it to you.
Daidouji Tomoyo
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
I don't have any definite plans for the summer, but Charles invited Nakuru and me to his country estate for the weekend to celebrate Nakuru's graduation. I'm sure Spinel would have liked to be here...
Tomoyo, I...miss you. Hiiragizawa Eriol
~o~o~o~o~
Eriol-san,
I'll be starting University soon. I'm still waiting for news - when it comes I'm sure things will fall into place, and I will know that everything is going to be all right. Mother is quite supportive, and I love her for being so understanding...
I miss you too. Daidouji Tomoyo
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Two years is entirely too long to wait.
Eriol sighed as he stretched out the grass beside his remaining guardian. It was the first week of summer. He'd be starting University soon. But now all he could think about was how slow time was.
His unofficial birthday had come and gone, and at nineteen... well, he felt like nineteen. A little bit young and foolish, but no longer a child. Not that he'd really been acting like a child some eight years ago. When he felt like he was eleven going on fifty... It was a good thing to be Eriol Hiiragizawa for once. Eriol sighed, but this time in contentment.
Already he'd grown a lot taller and he'd toned his body by playing polo with his friends. He'd tinkered with the idea of getting contacts, but call it sentimentalism, he did like to hold on to his wire-rimmed spectacles.
He'd been trying not to think about her too much. But he really couldn't help it. She was all over the house - in the attic, sewing clothes; in the library, talking by the fire; in the kitchen, laughing with Nakuru and Spinel; in the living room, singing by the piano; in the garden, kissing him...
Aaargh. He groaned silently. Enough of that.
Come to think of it, she was even in his room, framed in silver, by his bed. Charles had taken a picture of her during that birthday party - Eriol had paid dearly to just get it from Charles. The soulless pig! And to think they were friends!
And her letters were precious - his only link to her, to what was happening in her life. He kept his promise to Daidouji Sonomi - his own letters were brief, he refrained from calling her and sending her gifts. But he thought of her often, and dreamed of her much more.
"Don't you miss Spinel Sun, Ruby Moon?" he asked the butterfly lady beside him, who for once was here at home and not cozying up to Charles. He admitted he was quite jealous of the two. But he was happy for them.
The guardian, lazily lapping up the last rays of the sun, pondered a bit before answering. It was curious how changed she was, thought Eriol, as he watched Nakuru. She was calmer, not prone to fits or tantrums. Charlie's calming influence?
Right now, though, a bit of Nakuru's playfulness shone through her eyes. "I do miss giving him his sugar doses..." she gave a mock sigh.
But then she added, "My brother takes his duty seriously. Don't worry, I'm sure we will see them again soon, Eriol-sama." Eriol sighed again.
"Oh I do see them, Ruby Moon. But only in my dreams. Always just a dream." He got up and walked away, once again to meet Tomoyo in his slumber.
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Living for a dream.
He was caught up in the same one. He had been sleeping in his bed when suddenly he felt her soft form beside him, snuggling close. Ah. The scent of magnolias invaded his nostrils. He opened his eyes to drink in her form, amethyst eyes searching his.
Her lips parted to say the words he had waited for so long to hear, the dream he never wanted to wake up from.
"I love you, Eriol." Her sweet voice was music to his ears. His arms tightened around her.
"And I love you, Tomoyo." He closed his eyes and leaned in, ready to reclaim her lips once more.
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He was startled to feel cold steel against his throat instead of Tomoyo's warm lips against his own. He opened his eyes and followed the line of the sword back to its owner. He met twin amber irises, gazing at him unperturbedly.
"Unhand Tomoyo, you knave." His cute 'little' descendant's deep voice reached him- deceptively calm and absolutely menacing. The meaning was clear and the threat was unmistakeable.
Eriol could only gape at him in astonishment. Before he could recover from his phenomenal speechlessness, he heard knuckles crack in anticipation. *I probably imagined the last part,* he mused.
"Didn't you hear him, Hiiragizawa? Get YOUR hands OFF my cousin."
The knuckles cracked again. *Nope. Definitely wasn't imagining it.*
He clutched the dream-Tomoyo closer to him as he glared at the dream-faces of Kinomoto Touya and Li Xiao Lang.
"WHAT IN BLOODY HELL'S NAME ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE!?!" He shouted indignantly. "This is my dream and you're not supposed to be in it!"
He then closed his eyes tightly, willing them to go away. A second later the sword at his throat vanished.
Hhmph. That should teach them not to interfere with his dreams. *Now, where was I?* He was about to resume his interrupted kiss with Tomoyo when something heavy landed on his shoulder.
Eriol sighed in exasperation. *Can't I just kiss my beloved Tomoyo without being interrupted!? This is my dream. I'm supposed to be in control here, dammit!*
Eriol looked to see Spinel in his true form crouching on his side, a paw on his shoulder.
"Don't I get some praise, Master? After all, I did take care of her all these years."
In another setting, he would have been overjoyed to see his Sun guardian, but a frustrated Eriol could only glare from his prone position at his Spinel's ill-timed arrival.
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Spinel smirked; he was enjoying every minute of his master's irritation and had no plans of letting up any time soon. He did miss Eriol, and his quality time with Tomoyo could come later-right now he was content at simply gazing at his Master and Mistress together at last.
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"AARGH!!! Can somebody please save me from this nightmare?!?" Eriol cried out in despair. Only silence greeted his plea. Eriol closed his eyes, ready to admit defeat when help came unexpectedly.
He heard peculiar sounds approaching his room. He opened his eyes and saw the two men valiantly try to retain their smug demeanor-and fail. They tried blending in with the room furniture, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible as heavy footsteps that sounded like rolling thunder reached their ears.
It was now Eriol's turn to gloat as his eyes fell adoringly at his savior who was now at the doorway.
"ONIIIIIICHAN!!! LI SYAORAN!!!" Sakura's shrill voice never sounded as pleasant to Eriol as it did right at that moment.
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"Didn't I tell you NOT to interrupt them right now? They haven't seen each other for the past two years and you just come right in and barge into their private time!" Sakura reprimanded.
"But Sakura -"
"Oi, Kaijuu..."
What the two men were about to say were lost on the Card Mistress. Despite wanting to jump with joy at finding the two men finally agree on something, she suppressed it and focused her thoughts on the subject at hand. She narrowed her emerald eyes at them and said evenly,
"I don't even want to hear it. Out. Now."
Spinel released his hold on Eriol and trotted out of the room. Sakura escorted a still-glaring Syaoran and Touya from the room.
"You better not do anything funny, Hiiragizawa! You might be a reincarnation, but if you hurt her, I'm gonna hurt you, relative or no relative!" Syaoran called out before he was pushed out of the room.
Touya was not to be outdone. "You keep your hands off her, weasel-face, or I'll..."
They didn't finish the rest of their threats as Sakura forcibly butted her brother out of the room. But before she closed the door, she looked back and said,
"It was nice seeing you again, Eriol-kun." She smiled as the door closed behind her.
~o~o~o~o~o
Downstairs.
Touya warily watched Nakuru from the corner of his eyes.
They had all gathered in the living room - the Kaijuu, the Gaki, the Stuffed Toy, the other Stuffed Toy, and his Snow Bunny - although the latter went straight for the kitchen to make himself a triple-decker sandwich - when they heard a car in the driveway. A few minutes later, a key turned in the lock and Nakuru herself made an entrance, dressed in a chic red blouse and pants, swinging a bag by her hand, and humming to herself.
Nakuru soon stopped dead in her tracks.
"Hey! Sakura-chan! What are you all doing here?" Nakuru moved quickly forward and engulfed the Card Mistress in warm, excited hug. "Is it your summer break? Have you all had dinner?" While Sakura nodded in the affirmative, everyone else goggled at the sight of Nakuru CALMLY talking to Sakura.
Tomoyo-chan?" Nakuru enquired directly, and Sakura motioned upstairs.
"She's with Eriol right now."
"Good." Firmly.
As Nakuru finally turned around to greet everybody, her eyebrow lifted teasingly as she saw Kinomoto Touya watching her. "Hello, Touya-kun."
"Hello, Akizuki." Touya reluctantly replied. "You look well," he added cautiously. Touya didn't even need his newly harnessed powers to tell that Nakuru was positively glowing.
Hopefully she wasn't thinking of glomping him.
As if she could read his mind, Nakuru laughed.
"Don't worry, Touya-kun. You aren't blonde, brown-eyed, and charming, so you're safe from me."
"Huh?" As Touya pondered that statement, Nakuru caught sight of her erstwhile co-guardian sitting nervously on the settee.
"Hello, Ruby Moon."
A stunned moment of silence. Then....
SUPPPPPPPPPPI-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!
The almost inhuman shriek echoed in the stillness of the night as Nakuru launched herself on the hapless Spinel Sun.
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Back in Eriol's bedroom. Full circle.
"I'm not dreaming, am I?" Tomoyo shook her head.
"And those - two MEAN guys were really here?" A nod.
"And Spinel Sun?" Another nod.
"And Sakura-san?" Yet another nod, although he could tell she was getting slightly irritated. He lifted a hand to her cheek, caressing the silky dark tresses that covered the side of her face.
"Be patient with me," he whispered. "I've been waiting so long that I can't believe you're not a dream... " and her irritation vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
"I'm here, Eriol." She clasped the hand on her cheek, and kissed the back of it, much like he used to do.
He tried to ignore the pleasant sensation of her lips on his skin, as he hovered between hope and dread. Was she staying for good?
"What are you doing here?" Eriol finally asked. But Tomoyo pretended not to understand his question.
"Touya's here to work at Mother's London branch for a while, and Syaoran- kun promised to look something up for the Li Clan business while he's here. Sakura-chan's here for a vacation, and Kero-chan and Spinel just happened to tag along..."
"And you, Tomoyo?" he asked insistently, still holding on to hope.
"I've been offered a scholarship in fashion designing here in London, and Touya is going to keep me company, together with Rei and Akiko. Did I tell you we're next door neighbors?" She grinned impishly, and his eyes finally lighted up.
He WAS awake, fully conscious and in control of his faculties. Tomoyo was here to stay!
*Gods! I'm so happy! What I'd give just to kiss her right now, without those two barbarians looking over my shoulder... * he was still busy thinking how best to approach the situation, when Tomoyo suddenly surprised him by saying --
"You CAN kiss me right now, you know, Eriol. I'm sure Sakura-chan will keep them busy for a while." Tomoyo's eyes gleamed.
* WHA--! Did I say that out loud?!? *
"Are you quite sure you can't read minds, Tomoyo?" he looked at her suspiciously.
Tomoyo only smiled mysteriously.
"You can find out later, Eriol. But for now..." Tomoyo's arms encircled his neck encouragingly.
Eriol's arms went around her waist as his lips hovered just above hers.
"Yes...the rest can wait."
-----
!~O~O~! FIN !~O~O~!
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Whew! That's the end! Thanks to all our kind reviewers. Our acknowledgement this time is by no means in any order: June6, Celestial Blossom, Dana Daidouji, Aurora Starcrystal, Plum BLoSsOm, not applicable, Shima and Tempis,
Sibyl: We will acknowledge new reviews at a later date. For now, thank you everyone! It's been fun writing this fic with you along to cheer us and keep us going. Arigatou!!!
Sofiana: Yes, the title of the song I referred to in the previous
chapter is "The Search is Over" by Survivor. Sibyl and I were just
talking about how we were going to finish the story when I started
thinking about certain lines, and voila! My inspiration! It
somehow fits.
The Search is Over - Survivor
How can I convince you what you see is real? Who am I to blame you for doubting what you feel? I was always reaching, you were just a girl I knew I took for granted the friend I had in you
Can we last forever? Will we fall apart? At times it's so confusing, the questions of the heart You followed me through changes, and patiently you'd wait Till I came to my senses through some miracle of fate
I was living for a dream, loving for a moment Taking on the world, that was just my style Then I touch your hand and I hear you whisper The search is over, you were with me all the while
Now the miles stretch out behind me, loves that I have lost Broken hearts lie victims of the game Then good luck, we finally stuck like lightning from the blue Every highway leads me back to you
Now at last I hold you, now all is said and done The search has come full circle, our destinies are one So if you ever loved me, show me that you give a damn And don't forsake me, the man I really am.
I was living for a dream, loving for a moment Taking on the world, that was just my style When I look into your eyes, I can see forever
The search is over, love was right before my eyes
Ja Ne!
Chapter Ten The Search is Over
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Eriol's letters with Tomoyo
Dearest Tomoyo,
Nakuru has been moping around the house a lot since Spinel left. She keeps trying to spoonfeed me some sugar by mistake until I disabused her of the notion somewhat firmly. (Un)Fortunately, someone came to take her off my hands on a regular basis. Remember Charles? They go out often, which is quite... So now, I'm the one moping at home. It's definitely quieter without the two guardians around.
Eriol Hiiragizawa
~o~o~o~o~
Dear Eriol-san,
Thank you for sending Spinel. He has been great company in this big house. He enjoys watching my Sakura movies with me. Sakura and Kero-chan are back, and Kero-chan and Suppi-chan (he doesn't seem to mind me calling him that) always end up competing with each other. It's so entertaining.
Daidouji Tomoyo
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
Thank you for sending the video. Nakuru cried buckets when she remembered how much she enjoyed having you with us that we had some minor flooding in the living room. But then Charles came by and saw the state she was in. He then went to her side and said something - God knows what - that immediately stopped Nakuru's raging river of tears.
It seems that Charlie boy here was hiding a little secret. I knew he was descended from a Celtic line but---magic .... Well, now at least I have someone to talk to after school. And he doesn't seem to mind, either.
~o~o~o~o~ Eriol-san,
Merry Christmas. Mother is gone on a business trip and I feel a little sad. But Suppi-chan takes care of me and Sakura is always so cheerful that I can't help but smile...
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
I waited all night in the garden for spring to come, and it did this morning. My flowers are all in bloom, even the magnolias. Somehow it comforts me...
~o~o~o~o~
Eriol-san,
Syaoran and Meiling are here visiting us for the summer. Meiling and I plot and plan everyday on how to keep those two together, and most of the time we're successful. Kawaii!...... I'm glad Meiling's here. Otherwise, I'll be quite lonely. Has it been a year?
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
Happy 18th birthday. I'm sorry I couldn't come. I wanted to, but... never mind. Promises should always be kept, no matter the cost. I hope you had a wonderful time...
~o~o~o~o~
Eriol-san,
It's cold here in Tomoeda right now. Sakura-chan, Kero-chan, Suppi-chan and I went to the amusement park for the New Year, and we had a lot of fun...
Spinel goes out to the balcony and gazes at the moon sometimes. And I join him. He doesn't say anything, but I'm sure he's thinking of you and Nakuru- chan...
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
Thank you for the chocolates you and Sakura made. Nakuru and Charles ate most of mine, the scoundrels! But I've managed to hide some... they're very special to me.
~o~o~o~o~
Eriol-san,
Sakura was voted as Miss Sunshine in Seijou High! I took a lot of videos and I'm sending them all to Syaoran. I'm sure he'll be quite happy with them. Of course, I made the costumes... I still had some extra cloth left, so I made it into a jacket to give to someone. I don't think I've ever made anything this beautiful before, even when I was making Sakura- chan's costumes... But the time isn't right, so I think I'll hold on to it for a while. Until I can give it to you.
Daidouji Tomoyo
~o~o~o~o~
Dearest Tomoyo,
I don't have any definite plans for the summer, but Charles invited Nakuru and me to his country estate for the weekend to celebrate Nakuru's graduation. I'm sure Spinel would have liked to be here...
Tomoyo, I...miss you. Hiiragizawa Eriol
~o~o~o~o~
Eriol-san,
I'll be starting University soon. I'm still waiting for news - when it comes I'm sure things will fall into place, and I will know that everything is going to be all right. Mother is quite supportive, and I love her for being so understanding...
I miss you too. Daidouji Tomoyo
@@@@@
Two years is entirely too long to wait.
Eriol sighed as he stretched out the grass beside his remaining guardian. It was the first week of summer. He'd be starting University soon. But now all he could think about was how slow time was.
His unofficial birthday had come and gone, and at nineteen... well, he felt like nineteen. A little bit young and foolish, but no longer a child. Not that he'd really been acting like a child some eight years ago. When he felt like he was eleven going on fifty... It was a good thing to be Eriol Hiiragizawa for once. Eriol sighed, but this time in contentment.
Already he'd grown a lot taller and he'd toned his body by playing polo with his friends. He'd tinkered with the idea of getting contacts, but call it sentimentalism, he did like to hold on to his wire-rimmed spectacles.
He'd been trying not to think about her too much. But he really couldn't help it. She was all over the house - in the attic, sewing clothes; in the library, talking by the fire; in the kitchen, laughing with Nakuru and Spinel; in the living room, singing by the piano; in the garden, kissing him...
Aaargh. He groaned silently. Enough of that.
Come to think of it, she was even in his room, framed in silver, by his bed. Charles had taken a picture of her during that birthday party - Eriol had paid dearly to just get it from Charles. The soulless pig! And to think they were friends!
And her letters were precious - his only link to her, to what was happening in her life. He kept his promise to Daidouji Sonomi - his own letters were brief, he refrained from calling her and sending her gifts. But he thought of her often, and dreamed of her much more.
"Don't you miss Spinel Sun, Ruby Moon?" he asked the butterfly lady beside him, who for once was here at home and not cozying up to Charles. He admitted he was quite jealous of the two. But he was happy for them.
The guardian, lazily lapping up the last rays of the sun, pondered a bit before answering. It was curious how changed she was, thought Eriol, as he watched Nakuru. She was calmer, not prone to fits or tantrums. Charlie's calming influence?
Right now, though, a bit of Nakuru's playfulness shone through her eyes. "I do miss giving him his sugar doses..." she gave a mock sigh.
But then she added, "My brother takes his duty seriously. Don't worry, I'm sure we will see them again soon, Eriol-sama." Eriol sighed again.
"Oh I do see them, Ruby Moon. But only in my dreams. Always just a dream." He got up and walked away, once again to meet Tomoyo in his slumber.
@@@@@
Living for a dream.
He was caught up in the same one. He had been sleeping in his bed when suddenly he felt her soft form beside him, snuggling close. Ah. The scent of magnolias invaded his nostrils. He opened his eyes to drink in her form, amethyst eyes searching his.
Her lips parted to say the words he had waited for so long to hear, the dream he never wanted to wake up from.
"I love you, Eriol." Her sweet voice was music to his ears. His arms tightened around her.
"And I love you, Tomoyo." He closed his eyes and leaned in, ready to reclaim her lips once more.
@@@@@
He was startled to feel cold steel against his throat instead of Tomoyo's warm lips against his own. He opened his eyes and followed the line of the sword back to its owner. He met twin amber irises, gazing at him unperturbedly.
"Unhand Tomoyo, you knave." His cute 'little' descendant's deep voice reached him- deceptively calm and absolutely menacing. The meaning was clear and the threat was unmistakeable.
Eriol could only gape at him in astonishment. Before he could recover from his phenomenal speechlessness, he heard knuckles crack in anticipation. *I probably imagined the last part,* he mused.
"Didn't you hear him, Hiiragizawa? Get YOUR hands OFF my cousin."
The knuckles cracked again. *Nope. Definitely wasn't imagining it.*
He clutched the dream-Tomoyo closer to him as he glared at the dream-faces of Kinomoto Touya and Li Xiao Lang.
"WHAT IN BLOODY HELL'S NAME ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE!?!" He shouted indignantly. "This is my dream and you're not supposed to be in it!"
He then closed his eyes tightly, willing them to go away. A second later the sword at his throat vanished.
Hhmph. That should teach them not to interfere with his dreams. *Now, where was I?* He was about to resume his interrupted kiss with Tomoyo when something heavy landed on his shoulder.
Eriol sighed in exasperation. *Can't I just kiss my beloved Tomoyo without being interrupted!? This is my dream. I'm supposed to be in control here, dammit!*
Eriol looked to see Spinel in his true form crouching on his side, a paw on his shoulder.
"Don't I get some praise, Master? After all, I did take care of her all these years."
In another setting, he would have been overjoyed to see his Sun guardian, but a frustrated Eriol could only glare from his prone position at his Spinel's ill-timed arrival.
@@@@@
Spinel smirked; he was enjoying every minute of his master's irritation and had no plans of letting up any time soon. He did miss Eriol, and his quality time with Tomoyo could come later-right now he was content at simply gazing at his Master and Mistress together at last.
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"AARGH!!! Can somebody please save me from this nightmare?!?" Eriol cried out in despair. Only silence greeted his plea. Eriol closed his eyes, ready to admit defeat when help came unexpectedly.
He heard peculiar sounds approaching his room. He opened his eyes and saw the two men valiantly try to retain their smug demeanor-and fail. They tried blending in with the room furniture, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible as heavy footsteps that sounded like rolling thunder reached their ears.
It was now Eriol's turn to gloat as his eyes fell adoringly at his savior who was now at the doorway.
"ONIIIIIICHAN!!! LI SYAORAN!!!" Sakura's shrill voice never sounded as pleasant to Eriol as it did right at that moment.
@@@@@
"Didn't I tell you NOT to interrupt them right now? They haven't seen each other for the past two years and you just come right in and barge into their private time!" Sakura reprimanded.
"But Sakura -"
"Oi, Kaijuu..."
What the two men were about to say were lost on the Card Mistress. Despite wanting to jump with joy at finding the two men finally agree on something, she suppressed it and focused her thoughts on the subject at hand. She narrowed her emerald eyes at them and said evenly,
"I don't even want to hear it. Out. Now."
Spinel released his hold on Eriol and trotted out of the room. Sakura escorted a still-glaring Syaoran and Touya from the room.
"You better not do anything funny, Hiiragizawa! You might be a reincarnation, but if you hurt her, I'm gonna hurt you, relative or no relative!" Syaoran called out before he was pushed out of the room.
Touya was not to be outdone. "You keep your hands off her, weasel-face, or I'll..."
They didn't finish the rest of their threats as Sakura forcibly butted her brother out of the room. But before she closed the door, she looked back and said,
"It was nice seeing you again, Eriol-kun." She smiled as the door closed behind her.
~o~o~o~o~o
Downstairs.
Touya warily watched Nakuru from the corner of his eyes.
They had all gathered in the living room - the Kaijuu, the Gaki, the Stuffed Toy, the other Stuffed Toy, and his Snow Bunny - although the latter went straight for the kitchen to make himself a triple-decker sandwich - when they heard a car in the driveway. A few minutes later, a key turned in the lock and Nakuru herself made an entrance, dressed in a chic red blouse and pants, swinging a bag by her hand, and humming to herself.
Nakuru soon stopped dead in her tracks.
"Hey! Sakura-chan! What are you all doing here?" Nakuru moved quickly forward and engulfed the Card Mistress in warm, excited hug. "Is it your summer break? Have you all had dinner?" While Sakura nodded in the affirmative, everyone else goggled at the sight of Nakuru CALMLY talking to Sakura.
Tomoyo-chan?" Nakuru enquired directly, and Sakura motioned upstairs.
"She's with Eriol right now."
"Good." Firmly.
As Nakuru finally turned around to greet everybody, her eyebrow lifted teasingly as she saw Kinomoto Touya watching her. "Hello, Touya-kun."
"Hello, Akizuki." Touya reluctantly replied. "You look well," he added cautiously. Touya didn't even need his newly harnessed powers to tell that Nakuru was positively glowing.
Hopefully she wasn't thinking of glomping him.
As if she could read his mind, Nakuru laughed.
"Don't worry, Touya-kun. You aren't blonde, brown-eyed, and charming, so you're safe from me."
"Huh?" As Touya pondered that statement, Nakuru caught sight of her erstwhile co-guardian sitting nervously on the settee.
"Hello, Ruby Moon."
A stunned moment of silence. Then....
SUPPPPPPPPPPI-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!
The almost inhuman shriek echoed in the stillness of the night as Nakuru launched herself on the hapless Spinel Sun.
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Back in Eriol's bedroom. Full circle.
"I'm not dreaming, am I?" Tomoyo shook her head.
"And those - two MEAN guys were really here?" A nod.
"And Spinel Sun?" Another nod.
"And Sakura-san?" Yet another nod, although he could tell she was getting slightly irritated. He lifted a hand to her cheek, caressing the silky dark tresses that covered the side of her face.
"Be patient with me," he whispered. "I've been waiting so long that I can't believe you're not a dream... " and her irritation vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
"I'm here, Eriol." She clasped the hand on her cheek, and kissed the back of it, much like he used to do.
He tried to ignore the pleasant sensation of her lips on his skin, as he hovered between hope and dread. Was she staying for good?
"What are you doing here?" Eriol finally asked. But Tomoyo pretended not to understand his question.
"Touya's here to work at Mother's London branch for a while, and Syaoran- kun promised to look something up for the Li Clan business while he's here. Sakura-chan's here for a vacation, and Kero-chan and Spinel just happened to tag along..."
"And you, Tomoyo?" he asked insistently, still holding on to hope.
"I've been offered a scholarship in fashion designing here in London, and Touya is going to keep me company, together with Rei and Akiko. Did I tell you we're next door neighbors?" She grinned impishly, and his eyes finally lighted up.
He WAS awake, fully conscious and in control of his faculties. Tomoyo was here to stay!
*Gods! I'm so happy! What I'd give just to kiss her right now, without those two barbarians looking over my shoulder... * he was still busy thinking how best to approach the situation, when Tomoyo suddenly surprised him by saying --
"You CAN kiss me right now, you know, Eriol. I'm sure Sakura-chan will keep them busy for a while." Tomoyo's eyes gleamed.
* WHA--! Did I say that out loud?!? *
"Are you quite sure you can't read minds, Tomoyo?" he looked at her suspiciously.
Tomoyo only smiled mysteriously.
"You can find out later, Eriol. But for now..." Tomoyo's arms encircled his neck encouragingly.
Eriol's arms went around her waist as his lips hovered just above hers.
"Yes...the rest can wait."
-----
!~O~O~! FIN !~O~O~!
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Whew! That's the end! Thanks to all our kind reviewers. Our acknowledgement this time is by no means in any order: June6, Celestial Blossom, Dana Daidouji, Aurora Starcrystal, Plum BLoSsOm, not applicable, Shima and Tempis,
Sibyl: We will acknowledge new reviews at a later date. For now, thank you everyone! It's been fun writing this fic with you along to cheer us and keep us going. Arigatou!!!
Sofiana: Yes, the title of the song I referred to in the previous
chapter is "The Search is Over" by Survivor. Sibyl and I were just
talking about how we were going to finish the story when I started
thinking about certain lines, and voila! My inspiration! It
somehow fits.
The Search is Over - Survivor
How can I convince you what you see is real? Who am I to blame you for doubting what you feel? I was always reaching, you were just a girl I knew I took for granted the friend I had in you
Can we last forever? Will we fall apart? At times it's so confusing, the questions of the heart You followed me through changes, and patiently you'd wait Till I came to my senses through some miracle of fate
I was living for a dream, loving for a moment Taking on the world, that was just my style Then I touch your hand and I hear you whisper The search is over, you were with me all the while
Now the miles stretch out behind me, loves that I have lost Broken hearts lie victims of the game Then good luck, we finally stuck like lightning from the blue Every highway leads me back to you
Now at last I hold you, now all is said and done The search has come full circle, our destinies are one So if you ever loved me, show me that you give a damn And don't forsake me, the man I really am.
I was living for a dream, loving for a moment Taking on the world, that was just my style When I look into your eyes, I can see forever
The search is over, love was right before my eyes
Ja Ne!