Disclaimer : I don't own CCS.

      A/N : Yay! One year already being a ff.net member!  ^_____^  . Anyway, another story, hope you enjoy. Don't mind the title, I know it's weird. But I like how it sounds. ^-^ ;;

      Songs are made to be sung

      Wheels are made to be spun                                       

      And so do stories are made to be told.

{---} Chameleon {---}

  Chapter 1 : The Beginning

  Souphtons, 1867

      Her pale hand reached up the music box to close it. The song ended in the middle with the soft 'click' sound. She sighed. It had been 3 hours. Only 3 hours since he leaved her for a city of promises –London.  3 hours that enough to make her feel that home sometimes could be like hell. No. She didn't have any reason to blame the house. It wasn't the house which caused her uneasiness. It was just her stupid, unreasonable fear.

      Having a successful, young man as a fiancée was harder than she had ever thought before. Sure it wasn't the first time her fiancée leaved the town for what was called business. But it was surely the first time she had ever felt this kind of…worried feelings when he was gone.

      Knock. Knock.

     "Can I come in?" came a soft voice from behind the door.

     The raven haired lady looked up to the door and paused a moment before replying, "Yes. It's not locked,"

     The door was opened and a young woman rushed in. Her hair was honey-brown and her eyes were in enchanting emerald color. "Good afternoon, Tomoyo. How are you feeling today?"

      Usually, Daidouji Tomoyo would just answer 'fine', but now she had another variant of answer. "…Confused?"

      Kinomoto Sakura took a seat on a wooden chair and smiled to her best friend. "Confused of what?"

      "Soujiro." Tomoyo certainly said. "Oh, and Uncle Kanata of course,"

      Sakura giggled.

      Kanata Daidouji –Tomoyo's uncle –was off with a business trip along with Soujiro Hojo –Tomoyo's fiancée. It was just awkward for the green eyed girl to see how her friends 'suddenly' worried about her fiancée. Usually, it would be Soujiro who would worry about Tomoyo –while the girl herself was just wandering freely to wherever her mind told her to go.

      "Hmm? Is there something that should bother you about him?" asked Sakura.

      The wheel on Tomoyo's mind turned. The same question had been asked to her brain previously, and the same, uncertain answer came up as reply. "Nothing," she said quickly. "And that is the matter, I assume. I…don't know, Sakura. But I have been having this hard feeling since Soujiro and Uncle Kanata leaved. It is just like… something bad is going to happen to them."

      Sakura held her friend's hand and pouted her little mouth. "Don't think that way! My father said, if you thought badly, then usually it really would happen. Just forget it, okay? It's just your feeling,"

      "I know, but…,"

      Her words left hanging –interrupted by the harsh sound came from behind her.

      Sakura jolted. "W, what was that?"

      Tomoyo turned around and saw her favorite music box fell to the ground. "Oh no!" she cried as she picked the wooden music box from the marble floor. Her pale fingers trailed the detailed engrave that was craved on it –checking if there was anything not in order. Sighing in relief, she continued, "I am glad it is alright. I don't know what to say to Soujiro if I break this. This is the first present he gave me and I have promised to always take care of it,"

      Sakura looked at the music box before gazing at her best friend. "Must be because Soujiro's luck! Your fiancée is always followed with the Fortune Goddess!" Sakura glanced at the music box again. "You don't need to worry about him, Tomoyo. You'd better worry of how you're going to spend the rest of your single life! You're going to be wedded  soon! And… oh! Have your received the invitations from Countess Clearance?"

      Tomoyo pointed a well-framed envelope that was placed neatly on the small table beside her bed. "Well, yes."

      "Countess Clearance has prepared this ball since months before –that is what I heard from Lady Chiharu. Don't you think it'll be a thing to be regretted of, if we don't show up in this party?" Sakura tried to persuade her dear friend. The emerald eyed girl actually didn't really like such parties. To her, spending time with a certain chestnut haired guy  was more exciting.  But to cheer her friends up, she wouldn't mind to get into just another boring party.             

      "Well…," The other lady considered it. She knew that if she kept stuck at home, unpleasant thought about her fiancée would just haunted her. She needed something to distract her wild mind. "Coming isn't a very bad idea, after all," was the final decision from the sole Daidouji heiress.

      "Then I will meet you there at 7, is that fine?"

      Tomoyo nodded. "7 then it be,"

- - - -

      It was only a few hours later after the both businessmen leaved the town of Souphtons, but the sun had sank down earlier that evening. The horse carriage went passed the pebbled street –got into the dark wood.

      "You know, I think we'd better come back and find an inn for this night," Daidouji Kanata –a man in his late thirties with raven hair and typical Daidouji amethyst eyes –commented. He parted the beige curtain and saw the various trees' view came to sight. "Entering the wood at night isn't the safest way."

      Soujiro Hojo shrugged. "Yes. But this is the fastest way. I have promised Tomoyo to come home quick." His green eyes shone brightly. "For our wedding."

      Kanata Daidouji let go a big laugh. "If not seeing you, young man. I won't believe that thing like true love still exists now,"

     Soujiro's smile weakened. "You're right,  Mr.Daidouji. True love… When that happens, being loved in return isn't the main point anymore, right?"                

     Kanata looked at Soujiro. Soujiro returned his gaze with meaningful stare.                    

      The inside of the carriage suddenly became silent. But not for a long time.

    

     For the thunders are bolting

    The night's light hid behind the dark clouds

    The sky started to cry

    And its tears

    Bringing sorrow to the earth

     "Oh no. I hate it when my sister is right," Kanata commented as he stared at the mourning sky. "Sonomi said that it was going to rain. Heavily. If she is right, then we will not be able to arrive at London in the right time."

      Two gunshots were heard

      The horse  shrieked

      The night was about to start  

     The carriage stopped abruptly and rolled aside on the wet ground. Kanata and Soujiro fell from their seat and hit each others' head.

      "What was that?!" Soujiro shouted. His brunette hair messed up.

      "I don't know! Let me check the condition out there," Kanata offered as he impatiently opened the door. Due to the carriage's position, he needed more time to open it. He finally managed to pull it open –nearly breaking it, even. The black haired man  quickly jumped out of the carriage. Soujiro followed just behind him.

      The younger man gasped when he saw the same sight that silenced Daidouji Kanata.      

      The brown horse was on the ground.

      Dead.

      Leaving only its eyes opened widely in fear.

     "W, what happened to the horse?!" Kanata's voice got a tone higher. Sweats started to fell from his forehead. Still trembling, the corner of his violet eyes spotted some other thing on the ground.

    Not far from the horse's dead body, there lied a man –whom Kanata recognized as the horse-rider. His condition wasn't even better than the horse's. Fresh blood kept falling down from his forehead.

      Kanata took some steps backward. His hand trembled. "W, what happened?"

     

      Another bullet was shot

      Scratched the night's silence

     "AAAAAAAAARGH!!!!" Soujiro screamed.

     "Soujiro!!" Kanata shouted. Seeing his colleague's falling body, he ran to catch him. "Hang on! I'll go get help!" Kanata said as he tore his ruffled shirt and pressed the cloth to Soujiro's injured shoulder in a try to make it less bleeding. "Are you alright?"

      Soujiro groaned. "Akh…yes, I think. What happened?" he said as he looked around –trying to spot anything out of ordinary.

    Nothing.

    Just the silence still.

   "You're being shot. I think it's that robber group who did this. Come on, we got to get out of this wood," said Kanata.           

    The younger man nodded. He grabbed a low branch of a tree and used it to help him stand up. Kanata was beside him –helping him walk. But Soujiro refused. He insisted not to being dragged like a helpless camel.

    Grusak.

    Kanata stopped. "Did you hear that?"

    Soujiro who was leading ahead just raised an eyebrow.  "What? No. Come on, Mr. Daidouji! The sooner we get out the better –Argh!" he pressed the cloth to his wounded shoulder before continuing, "The better it will be."

    "Y, yes…," Kanata agreed. He looked back once again to the dark trees behind him. He knew that somebody –or maybe worse, a group of people –were spying on them. Waiting behind the trees. Shit. They choose the perfect place to get rid of two unarmed people like us.

      Tap. Tap. Tap.

      Kanata's eyes widened. "N, now did you hear that?"

      Soujiro stopped walking and nodded weakly. "Footsteps. Fast and heavy. Horse's footsteps, I assume," he sighed desperately. "Walk faster," he murmured.                                 

      The devil was coming

      The footsteps became more clear

      Fate raced with time

      He came to play

      And came to take…

     Fearfully, the violet eyed man looked at what was waiting him behind. A silhouette of a black-coated guy riding a black horse came out of the thick bushes. The Daidouji man's eyes widened in fear as he faced the devil who disguised in human's form. Still trembling, he went backward.

     The poor man breathed unsteadily

      As the devil  stepped into the stage

     Where the tragic drama would be played      But it wasn't a drama

     It wasn't a play

    Because a play couldn't be that real.

                

     "N,no… NOOO!!!!!" Kanata screamed.

     Too late.

     The 4th bullet had been shot.

     Soujiro immediately turned around. He gritted his teeth as he saw the mysterious man who had shot his future uncle-in-law. "Mr. Daidouji!!" he screamed out loud.

     Red blood was wetting Kanata's white shirt as he let go an agony groan.

     Soujiro sighed in relief to know that Kanata was still alive. He pierced his turquoise eyes at the antagonist man in horse who was approaching to him. "Get off of your horse and fight like a man!" yelled Soujiro.

     The experienced shooter –however- did.                                                                      

     Learning how precious time is –even just a slight second, Soujiro quickly lowered his body and kicked the evil man's legs –making him fell hard to the ground. Like a maniac, Soujiro attacked him –even that most of his punches missed their target.

     And then the chestnut man felt a thud on the back of his head. "Ukh," was Soujiro's last words before he fell down to the wet ground.

     His eyes' lid felt heavier than rocks, that he just wanted to close them. But he still managed to keep it open –even that his body couldn't manage to move. His eyes saw another pair of black shoes. Damn. So there are the 2 of them.

     "There isn't any gold or money in the carriage. Miscalculation," said a man's voice –whom Soujiro believed as the one who had hit him down.

     "Retreat," replied a husky voice. This one was the man who shot Kanata Daidouji. "We have to change our plan."

     "Yes, but what about him?" the second man (or the first one to speak) said –referring to Soujiro.

     "What do you think?" the first man said as he grabbed a handgun from his coat. Soujiro cringed as the cold metal gun touched his temple. The cruel voice spoke again. "You're the first that can hit me down. I wish I needn't have to kill you," he said as he set the trigger on.

     "Go to hell," Soujiro snapped.

     The man smirked. "I've already been to hell –now, even."

     Soujiro closed his eyes. 

     The thing that was on his mind was Tomoyo.

     And those pair of iniquity sapphire eyes.

     And then…

      Void.

A/n : I could say that your smart brain is up for something. But hey… don't be too sure…*grinning* 

     This fic has been stuck in my mind since quite some time ago. I really do some small researches to bring out the 19th century 'feeling'. But heck, I can't even feel the 'sensation' myself! *bang my own head* So, if you have anything to improve my writing, please, tell me. I'll appreciate it very much! Thank you.

     And what is an E/T fic without Eriol in it? My favorite guy is appearing next chapter. Okay, see you then! But before that…

   REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Onegai?