I always get scared when I start on series fics because I'm afraid that I might not finish it, or that it will end up in hiatus. But I'm taking yet another risk after Eagle and Romance Pocketbooks.

For Kyte-chan, TRC, and Jess-chan.

^_^ Syaoran no hime

Nakoudo (Matchmaker)

She didn't know exactly what had started her into this business. Perhaps it started in fifth grade, when she put aside her feelings for her cousin, Kinomoto Sakura, to encourage Li Syaoran's affection for her. And just like any Daidouji endeavor, it was a success!

In sixth grade, she match made Chiharu Mihara and Takashi Yamazaki. It was also another victory for her Cupid abilities.

As a high school freshman, she became the go-between for Rika Sasaki and Terada-sensei, who were then having problems with their rocky relationship. The two were now planning to get married next year.

Daidouji Tomoyo, the impressive Tomoeda town Nakoudo, remained the undisputed love counselor and mediator for the last six and a half years. In fact, people from neighboring towns come to her place just to consult her expertise.

She had also found herself the wedding sponsor and godmother for so many weddings and baptisms, and the adviser for even more countless young couples. She was like the emissary sent by Aphrodite straight from the peaks of Mt. Olympus.

Her mother suggested that she build a matchmaking business so her good deeds would benefit her too financially. She was still considering her mom's idea. She didn't need profits; she was happy with finding the other half of the lonely hearts and mending the pieces of those with broken hearts. Probably, this was the outlet of the unsung love she had for her dear Sakura-chan, who up to now, didn't know how much her best friend really loved her. She wasn't counting on Sakura knowing anymore either. It wasn't as bad as it seems though. Other people's lovelife affairs were enough for her.

And as for her own love life…

Refer to her statement on Sakura.

But little did she know that destiny wanted to spell something different for her love life.

Tomoyo was engrossed with the tons of emails she received in her inbox that day – all asking for love advice of course – when Sakura and Kero-chan burst into her room, the girl holding a box of doughnuts.

"Aunt Sonomi told us that you haven't taken breakfast yet because you are too busy with playing Cupid." Sakura cheerfully placed the box on her table. "Take a rest first, will you?"

Kero-chan looked at the other window in the computer screen. "A love column site?"

Tomoyo laughed. "I'm a contributor for a matchmaking website, but I'm thinking of launching my own online dating community."

"Ah, then for sure you won't be able to leave your PC anymore," complained Sakura.

"Well, vacation gives me too much free time in my hands." She checked her download manager- she still had a quarter of an hour before her eighth love song mp3 would finish its download. She decided to eat first. The minute the sugary bread touched her lips, she realized how really hungry she was! Soon, she found herself wolfing down the third chocolate doughnut.

"Do you enjoy what you do?" asked Sakura curiously.

Tomoyo wiped her lips delicately with a table napkin. "I do, very much. There is this kind of happiness you feel when you know you have helped someone find his/her happiness, hopefully, for the entire lifetime. I feel really accomplished when I see the couple who used to be two separate, lonely souls now very happy with each other."

"And I was your first client," laughed the cherry blossom.

"Indeed."

Sakura clapped her hands. "Ah, wait, Tomoyo-chan!"

"Hmm?"

"Since you're so great and all with these matchmaking thingies, why don't you help me find a match for Yukito?" Her eyes twinkled. "It's been quite some time since I last saw Yukito smile ever since my brother and Mizuki-sensei patched things up."

Tomoyo knew that- she was the one who fixed Touya and Kaho back together. She then remembered the wrath someone had on her because of what she did. She cringed and pushed the unwelcome thought at the back of her mind.

"So what do you say?" asked Sakura delightedly.

"OK." Tomoyo beamed. No, she could never say No to her beloved cousin. "Give me the list of things Yukito is particular with in a woman. Take note of all the details."

"No problem! I know Yukito so well!" laughed Sakura.

"Then I'll go look for the perfect mittens to hold the snow bunny," said the raven-haired girl smilingly. She already had an idea who could it be.

Nakuru Akizuki was stunned with what Tomoyo just said to her.

"Well?" asked the girl.

"Date Yukito?" Nakuru suddenly burst into laughter. "Why will I date my former rival for Touya's attention? And when we do go out, what will we do? What will we talk about?"

"You can start talking about Touya." Tomoyo paused. "No, wait. That might chase the mood away between you two." Her eyes then lit up. "I know!" She fished something out of her bag. "Tickets for a concert! Tell him that-"

Nakuru placed her hand on Tomoyo's mouth. "Uh-uh. I don't like him as himself, and even more so because Yue is in him. So, Mistress Tomoyo, please spare me from your nakoudo skills."

But the Daidouji girl wasn't about to give it up- none of her matchmaking projects had gone wrong before!

"If I get Yukito to ask you out, will you go out with him then?" asked Tomoyo as Nakuru skipped away.

The moon servant paused, then smiled at her.

"Make Yue ask me out and I'll go."

Tomoyo knew the impossibility of the situation, but then, it was also a challenge, just like when Touya vehemently said before that his feelings for Kaho Mizuki were long gone.

She made an about turn, walking towards the university library determinedly.

"So what is this suddenly important thing we must talk about?" asked Yukito as Tomoyo dragged him out to the girls' CR. His eyes widened, and his discomfort became evident. "T-Tomoyo…?"

She shoved him inside and locked the door behind her. "Yukito, I need to talk to Yue."

His eyes silently asked her why, and she felt a little guilty. Tsukishiro Yukito was never at ease with the fact that another persona lives within, least of all a moon guardian of his best friend's sister.

But before she could take her words back, Yue appeared, his face drawn in its usual icy manner.

Tomoyo hid a smile. Now she knew why Nakuru was freaked out by Sakura's guardian.

"What is it that you must talk to me about?" asked Yue, his voice in deep baritone. "Is the Mistress in trouble?"

"No, but the Mistress wants to ask you a favor." She then narrated to him what Sakura sees about Yukito. In the end, the man was shaking his head.

"My existence is different from his. Do not involve me with it." He was about to revert to his Yukito form when Tomoyo suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Matte!" Tomoyo looked at him pleadingly. "Sakura is worried…and the clow mistress' concern is yours too, am I right?"

That seemed to get him thinking. His face contorted in distaste. "But ask that…that…creature out?" His eyes went to the couple of tickets on her hand. "Ask her out in this form?"

"Just this once, Yue," she pleaded, clasping her hands together and trying her best to look like a cute puppy dog.

And as she expected, even the indifferent Moon guardian was not immune to her good ole Daidouji charms. But he still had one worry, and that was Tomoyo's problem.

"What will the young master think of that?"

Tomoyo paced back and forth nervously as she looked at the Hiiragizawa mansion. She had been there once or twice- when Sakura was shooting a film with her brother and Yukito, and when Eriol invited them to a dinner where he proudly revealed Kaho Mizuki.

The latter she hurriedly pushed the thought out of her mind.

Anyway, when Sakura asked her to hook Kaho and Touya up together because she could sense that her onii-chan had not yet forgotten about the woman, she couldn't say no. Aside from the fact that she didn't like the chemistry between her teacher and her former classmates.

So she set the two up, and sparks flew once more.

Within a week, it has reached her that Hiiragizawa Eriol went back to Tomoeda because of this.

And that he was hell furious at her.

Although he didn't come to her as she expected, she was still anticipating what Eriol would do to her for giving away his special friend to her old flame. But one thing was for sure: if they would cross paths, someone would react homicidally. And it wouldn't be her.

She sighed, then summoned all her guts to enter the forbidding gates of the mansion. She made a quick sign of the cross and hoped with all her heart that Eriol was still in the university.

She knocked on the front door, crossing her fingers, hoping it would be Nakuru who would answer the door.

But mother of all misfortunes, it wasn't her.

A grim Hiiragizawa Eriol answered the door.

She gulped inwardly.

Not a good start.

tsuzuku