fatesweb1

Comments: How about after I write it? ^^

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters in this fic, they are borrowed
without permission from CLAMP, but I own nadda, zilch, zero, except the
idea.

Tomoyo was brushing her hair, thinking of past years, dreams. It had been
ten years since Sakura had become Card Mistress. And it had been five years
since Sakura and Syaoran had gotten married. _Married!_ For crying out loud,
Sakura was married!
Tomoyo smiled as she remembered the wedding. On her way to the wedding
stage, Sakura had tripped and ripped her dress, embarrassing herself.
Tomoyo, who had been sitting next to Eriol-kun, had burst out laughing with
the rest of the crowd. Eriol-kun had held onto Tomoyo for support as he
laughed and nearly fell onto the ground himself, with a face red enough to
challenge a tomato. Tomoyo giggled at the memory of Sakura's embarrassed
face and nervous little laugh. Syaoran had slapped his knee with laughter
when Sakura had desperately wrapped the dress around her legs and continued
on to the stage.
Tomoyo continued brushing her hair, thinking of the ceremony and how it had
gone well, even after Sakura had disgraced herself. Eriol and Tomoyo had
danced along with the others. Tomoyo's face turned sullen at the thought of
Eriol. He had been terribly sad at the wedding, and he had only shown
emotion when Sakura had ripped her dress and when talking to Tomoyo about
why he had been so depressed.
*****FLASHBACK*****
"Eriol-kun? Are you OK....?" Tomoyo asked while dancing to a slow tune with
the fellow.
Eriol's eyes turned to a saddened gray-blue as he tried to answer Tomoyo the
best way he could without getting too emotional.
"Tomoyo-san....Kaho is dead," Eriol choked out. "She died a month ago in a
car accident. She....was hit from behind."
Tomoyo gasped, shocked. Kaho-san? Her old teacher....was....dead?
Tomoyo's eyes immediately got teary. "Oh, Eriol-kun....I'm so sorry...I know
how much you loved her....I'm so sorry!"
Eriol shook his head, smiling bitterly. Tomoyo's tears spilled over her
eyes, and she bit her lip to try to keep from crying.
"Eriol-kun, I-"
Eriol cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips. Then he led her away, to
a quieter place with nobody around, and just openly sobbed as he sat down on
the ground.
"She's gone, Tomoyo-san! I'll never see her again!" Eriol cried.
Tomoyo, on the verge of tears herself, crouched down in front of Eriol and
pressed his face into her shoulder. He buried his head in her neck and hair,
crying uncontrollably. Tomoyo just rocked him back and forth, rubbing
circles on his back, hoping to calm him down.
Eriol, grateful for the shoulder, wept. 'She's gone, I'll never hold her or
speak to her again...'
When his sobbing had quieted, Tomoyo pulled away from him and brought out
her handkerchief. When he shook his head, Tomoyo frowned.
"Hold still," she commanded him.
Eriol did so while she wiped away his tears. Then Tomoyo cupped his cheek.
"Eriol-kun," she whispered to him, "this is not the end of the world.
Kaho-san wouldn't want you to live like this-she wants you to be happy.
Cheer up Eriol-kun, you will see her someday. Until then, live the best life
you can, to make her happy, where ever she is. I am sure that she is
watching you and hoping that you will move on. So you must move on. It will
be hard, but Sakura and I and even Syaoran will be here for you. Move on for
her, so she won't have to worry about you. She knows that you love her, and
she needs you to move on so you won't be sad and alone anymore."
Eriol sniffled, believing what Tomoyo had just said to be true. He knew it
was true, he knew that Kaho-san was watching over him from afar. He did have
to move on, to prove to her that he'd be OK, that he'd make the most of his
life. It just seemed.....terribly empty without her.
"Thank you, Tomoyo-san," Eriol whimpered.
Tomoyo smiled slightly, prepared to hold Eriol for as long as he needed.
*****END FLASHBACK*****
That had been five years ago, Tomoyo realized. Eriol had often visited her,
and she had gone to his home when he was in Japan, and written to him when
he was in England. She hadn't seen him for about two months now.
'Eriol-kun, you sounded and looked like you were doing so much better. I
hope you are OK.' Tomoyo thought.
Tomoyo stopped brushing her hair and got up, looking into her vanity mirror.
Her reflection was a beautiful woman, in her early 20's. Her long,
purple-black hair went down to the middle of her shoulder blades, and her
eyes were still a dark blue-black color.
Tomoyo smiled at her reflection, but the smile was false. Tomoyo was not
happy. Although she had gotten over sakura, she still felt very alone.
Tomoyo stopped smiling and let her expression turn to its usual melancholy
look. Then she quickly turned from the mirror and went outside to take a
walk.
**********
Tomoyo was in some simple denim shorts and a dark blue tee shirt. Her
sneakers were soundless against the concrete, and her hair blew in the light
wind, seeing as how she hadn't put it up or anything. Tomoyo looked down at
her feet, studying her white sneakers and dark blue socks. She felt very
alone and pathetically sad.
'It's not that I miss Sakura-chan,' she thought. 'It's just that I have no
one to love now...Sakura-chan has Syaoran now....and, well, I'm jealous that
nobody loves me like that.'
Tomoyo paused and studied her surroundings. It was a beautiful day; the
trees were the greenest possible and all the beautiful flowers were in
bloom. A light wind toyed with Tomoyo's hair, as if it were real and
entranced by it. The grass was the greenest possible. and not a cloud could
be seen.
'I haven't seen Eriol-kun for a few weeks now....I thought he was still here
in Japan, but I guess he went back to England. I wonder why he didn't say
goodbye, though? It's not like him. Oh well, I can always ask him in one of
my letters to him.'
Tomoyo and Eriol had written since the wedding, and had become fairly close,
as they both were lonely. Tomoyo had no one while Eriol had lost someone.
They both helped each other through the hard times, and Tomoyo realized that
she missed Eriol-kun's support immensely.
Tomoyo glanced up to see a group of young men her age up ahead. A pang of
loneliness erupted in her heart at the sight of them laughing with one
another. 'At least some people are happy,' Tomoyo reflected, perhaps
thinking of Sakura or the young men.
The three of them quieted as she passed, smiling politely at her. Tomoyo
pasted a smile on her face to be polite and kept walking. She felt their
eyes on her back as she kept walking, but didn't dare to look back. She had
become a little bit timid over the years, but she guessed that it was in her
nature as a kind person.
Tomoyo flung her hands over her shoulders, whistling a mindless tune, when
she felt a hand yank her arm so viciously she was forced to spin around.
Tomoyo came face to face with the three young men she had only passed a few
moments ago. Her face took on the blank look of a confused person.
"Hai?" she asked.
The one holding her arm smiled cruelly, twisting her arm. Tomoyo forced back
a wince.
"Ouch," she said lamely. "Can I help you?"
The other two young men leered, licking their lips. Tomoyo sneered in
return, knowing that perhaps it wasn't good to anger them, but she was not
in a good mental state at the moment.
Quicker than the eye, Tomoyo yanked her hand out of its captor's grip and
backhanded him square across the face. Tomoyo put her hands on her hips as
she watched him stagger away, his friends rushing to his side.
"Well," Tomoyo mocked, "maybe that'll teach you to leave some people alone."
The man who had gripped her arm, Ugly, as Tomoyo had dubbed him, snarled a
reply. His two lackeys, who Tomoyo now called Fred and Dopey, look at Tomoyo
with a fire in their eyes, and something else. Tomoyo felt uneasy, but
wasn't about to show it to these jerks.
Ugly got up, shrugging off his friends' help to get up. He glared at Tomoyo.
"You," he sputtered, "just made the last mistake of your fucking life,
Ojousan!"
Tomoyo cringed at the use of vulgar language, but then froze as he pulled
out a small knife. Tomoyo's eyes went wide with shock as she realized that
this guy was serious and that he wanted to kill her. She drew in a
frightened breath as his friends smiled at her in a cruel and scary way.
Tomoyo didn't even have time to exhale before the guy leapt for her, knife
pointed at her throat. Tomoyo felt rooted to the spot as she saw the
glittering knife plunge towards her.
'I can't move....I'm going to die. Someone help me!'
At the thought of dying and the possibility of it happening in the next few
minutes, Tomoyo lunged to the side as the man swiped for her. Tomoyo hit the
ground hard, landing on shocked ankles and feet. Instinct took over as
Tomoyo let out a terrified scream and started running as fast as she could.
Sooner than she would have wanted, Ugly recovered from missing and gave
chase, his goons following. Tomoyo glanced behind her and realized that she
would never make it anywhere-they were gaining too much ground on her. Fred
and Dopey were only a about twelve yards behind her, with Ugly about three
yards behind them.
'If I scream now,' Tomoyo thought desperately, 'I lose my breath a lot
faster.....I need to find a place to hide!'
Tomoyo looked in front of her as she ran, looking for something or someone
to help her. As her luck would have it, all she could see was the upcoming
park and no people around. Tomoyo stole another glance behind her and saw
that the were now only about five yards away. Panic took over all reasonable
thoughts in her mind as she pictured her upcoming death.
Suddenly, something slammed into Tomoyo from the side. Tomoyo let out a
small scream of fear as she hit the ground hard, skidding a few feet. 'Oh
no!' was all Tomoyo could think as she waited to feel a knife plunge into
her body over and over again.
When Tomoyo felt nothing, she opened her eyes, and to her surprise, saw
Spinel Sun standing partially over her body, growling at the three young
men. 'Suppi-chan...? No, it's not Suppi-chan, he is in his big form. Why is
he here?'
Tomoyo gasped as Ruby Moon detached himself from the shadows and confronted
the men, distracting them from Tomoyo and Spinel-san. 'What....what is going
on? Why are they here? If they're here.....Eriol-san? Is he here too?'
Spinel Sun turned to Tomoyo, assured that the three would not get to himself
and Tomoyo with Ruby Moon distracting them.
'When Eriol gets here....' Spinel-san thought, 'someone will pay with their
blood.'
"Spinel Sun?" Tomoyo whispered, exhausted from the running. She never had
been the athletic type.
Spinel cringed at the sound of fear in her voice. They had almost been too
late. Spinel had gone with Nakuru to get some ice cream and decided to take
a detour through the park on the way home. Spinel had heard and saw Tomoyo
running from far off. He noticed the three following her, and immediately,
Nakuru and Spinel had transformed into their true forms and gotten over as
fast as they could. Spinel had slammed into Tomoyo from the side right
before one of the men had grabbed her. 'We were lucky,' Spinel thought.
"Spinel-san...." Tomoyo repeated. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving your butt," he growled, turning to the three men, angry. If those
three had killed Tomoyo, there would have been hell to pay from Eriol.
Nakuru was a companion to Eriol, but Spinel understood him, and he
understood that his master had come to greatly care for Tomoyo-san, because
in his time of need she had been there for him, and she was now considered
to be Eriol's greatest friend by Spinel. Spinel didn't want to see his
master hurt again, and Tomoyo's death would be a huge blow, especially since
Eriol had just really started to be happy about a year ago. Kaho's death had
been a big shock, but Tomoyo had helped Eriol so much during that time of
hurt, that Spinel feared if something happened to her, Eriol would retreat
back into his shell, and this time no one would bring him out.
Tomoyo was so distraught that she didn't understand what was going on very
well. 'What...? Why? What's going on? My head is buzzing...'
Spinel, after checking to see if Tomoyo had any broken bones or other major
injuries, turned to face the three guys. Tomoyo also stood up and brushed
the dirt off of herself.
"Ahhh!" Tomoyo cried out as her hand brushed against a scrap on her thigh.
She winced, glancing down at it, then looked up, determine to not show so
much weakness.
Spinel spared a glance in Tomoyo's direction, then returned to focusing on
the perpetrators, growling.
Ruby Moon seemed to glide over to Tomoyo, reaching out to the girl's wound.
Tomoyo cringed as she felt fingers touch it, but bit her lip to bear the
pain.
Ruby Moon stood erect, and sent a deadly glare in the direction of the three
guys. "You all are dead when he gets here."
"Oh yeah?!" sputtered Ugly. "Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you freaks!"
Fred and Dopey, after looking a bit hesitant, backed up their leader and
friend.
Tomoyo felt a gentle hand grip her upper left arm, and turned and looked up
to see Eriol, a deadly calm expression on his face.
"Eriol-kun!" Tomoyo exclaimed. "I didn't see you get here!"
Eriol looked down at Tomoyo. She realized that he was taller than she
remembered, standing about six inches above her. His hair was still the same
length as in their elementary school days, but his eyes....His eyes, which
were always a dark, almost black blue, were now icy with anger and some
other emotion that Tomoyo couldn't quite place.
"Eriol-kun?" she questioned. "What's wrong?"
Eriol's expression, which was grim and angry, softened the slightest bit.
"Nothing, Tomoyo-san. Nothing is wrong now that I am here."
Tomoyo smiled, still not really understanding the situation.
Suddenly, Eriol turned and walked towards the three guys, his expression
deadly with barely suppressed fury.
"So," Eriol said almost conversationally, getting his emotions under
control, "You want to fight a defenseless woman? Well, you can fight me
instead."
Tomoyo gasped, shocked. "No Eriol-kun! You mustn't fight them!"
Eriol glanced over his shoulder, throwing a
Don't-Challenge-Me-On-This-Tomoyo-San look.
Time slowed down. A small movement captured Tomoyo's attention and she
swiveled her head to see Ugly pulling out a small throwing knife. She turned
back to look at Eriol, then back at Ugly. As Ugly drew back his arm to throw
the knife, Tomoyo saw where that he was aiming at Eriol-kun.
Tomoyo's expression went from one of shock to absolute terror as she watched
Ugly start to throw the small knife. "NO!" she yelled out, charging forward
towards Eriol. Time sped back up as Tomoyo roughly shoved Eriol aside just
in time for the knife to miss his chest. Instead, it hit Tomoyo's right
upper arm, sticking in the middle of it. Tomoyo let out a scream of pain,
which snapped everyone out of their shock.
Eriol turned to the men, anger clearly showing on his face. He started to
glow a red aura and his eyes went black with intended death. He used his
Power to fully smash the men into the ground, and was preparing to crush
their bones so that they would die a slow death, perhaps making him feel
better, when he saw Tomoyo collapse onto the ground out of the corner of his
eye.
**********
Tomoyo only felt herself falling towards the ground, her arm on fire. She
studied her arm, noting that the knife was still lodged in it. She saw blood
pouring out of her arm and rolling down off her fingers onto the ground.
Tomoyo grimaced, knowing what she had to do next. Tomoyo winced when she
touched the handle of the blade, then took a deep breath and ripped it out
of her flesh. She cried out at the pain, her arm feeling as though it was
being consumed by fire. With her left arm she tried to rip some cloth to
wrap around the wound to help stop the bleeding, but didn't have the
strength to do so. She openly wept at the pain, unsure of what to do, when
she felt someone wrapping something around the wound, and looked up to see
Eriol-kun. He smiled tightly, and Tomoyo failed to return a smile, she was
in such pain.
Tomoyo looked over Eriol's shoulder and saw Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun
intently watching Ugly and Fred and Dopey. To her surprise, Spinel and Ruby
Moon looked as though they were about to murder someone. 'Because of me...?'
Eriol picked up Tomoyo gently and carried her over to a tree, where he
rested her frame against the trunk of the tree. He made sure that Tomoyo was
as comfortable as possible, stroking her cheek in attempt to distract her
from the pain. Tomoyo caught his hand and looked up at him with a pleading
note in her eyes.
"Please," she whispered, "don't kill them."
Eriol stiffened at this request. "You want them to live after what they did
to you? After what they were planning to do to you?"
Tomoyo shook her head. "No, I don't, but....they deserve to live, no matter
what they might have done. It isn't in our rights to kill them. So....why
don't you make them forget instead?"
Tomoyo leaned back, which jarred her arm, causing her to wince in pain.
Eriol's hard look softened, and he nodded slowly. Tomoyo smiled, ever so
slightly. Then her head pitched forward and landed on Eriol's shoulder as
her vision swirled into darkness.
Eriol, having made Tomoyo faint, pushed her against the tree and called to
Ruby Moon.
"Yes Master?" Ruby Moon asked Eriol.
"Ruby Moon, take Tomoyo to our home. Try to stay out of sight and be careful
of her arm."
"Hai," replied Ruby Moon, picking up Tomoyo carefully.
Eriol watched as Ruby Moon faded out of sight, then turned his attention to
Spinel Sun and the three men. Anger and indecision was etched on his face as
he tried to decide what to do with the three men who lay unconscious before
him. His eyes flickered with Tomoyo's request and his own need to hurt the
three for hurting his friend.
Spinel watched Eriol carefully, knowing that his master was trying to decide
what to do. 'If he kills them, he'll be guilty of not honoring Tomoyo, but
if he doesn't, they'll go free and maybe attack another person.'
"Spinel Sun...." Eriol prompted.
"Hai, Master?" Spinel asked.
"We are going to make these three forget what has happened here today. But,"
Eriol continued, looking up with a fire in his eye, "we are also going to
give them an unimaginable fear for the rest of their pathetic lives! They
will be afraid of everything for the rest of their lives. Are you ready
Spinel?"
Spinel nodded.
"Good. Let's get busy."
Eriol glowed as his Power worked upon the three young men's minds, placing a
fear in their souls. Spinel watched carefully, and did not protest as Eriol
added some cuts to their bodies as an extra punishment. Spinel knew that the
three would wake up remembering nothing and would be afraid of each other.
They might even be scared enough that the fear would push them over the edge
and perhaps kill themselves. It was a sad thing, to live in fear. Spinel
felt for the three, but would not protest his masters methods of having them
die, just not by his own hands.
**********
Tomoyo slowly came to, blinking a few times to clear her vision. She looked
around and realized that Nakuru was carrying her. Very slightly, Tomoyo
pushed at Nakuru's chest to get his attention.
Nakuru looked down to find Tomoyo pushing at his chest and looking up at
him. He raised an eyebrow.
"You are awake," he stated.
Tomoyo nodded. "I can walk. Please put me down."
Nakuru shrugged and gently put Tomoyo down on her feet, keeping a slight
grip on her uninjured shoulder to help the girl keep her balance.
Tomoyo staggered, gripping Nakuru's forearm to keep her balance. When she
could, she stood up straight and let go of Nakuru.
Nakuru motioned for Tomoyo to follow him, and started walking at a slow
pace, enjoying their surroundings but also giving Tomoyo a chance to keep
up, as she had just woken up.
Tomoyo winced as she tried to move her hurt arm, but ignored the pain and
caught up with Nakuru.
"Where are we going, Nakuru-san?" Tomoyo questioned.
Nakuru shrugged. "Eriol's house."
Tomoyo frowned. "Shouldn't I just go home?"
Nakuru eyed her. "Would you really like to be alone after what just
happened, especially since you can't use your arm?"
Tomoyo looked down at the ground as they continued walking. "I guess
not...No, I'd rather not be alone."
Nakuru's face softened but didn't say anything. The two walked on in
companionable silence for awhile until they walked past a candy store,
peering in the window.
Tomoyo, noticing that Nakuru was not beside her anymore, stopped and looked
back. She saw Nakuru staring inside a store. She looked into the store and
saw candy. Nakuru looked over at Tomoyo, grinned, and went inside. Tomoyo
gaped. She couldn't go in there! Not with her arm the way it was. Tomoyo
looked around, and seeing that there were very few people around, decided
that it was safe to wait outside until Nakuru was done. With a sigh, Tomoyo
wandered over to a bench and sat down to think.
**********
Nakuru smiled at all of the different candies, laughing crazily at the
thought of torturing Suppi-chan with all of them once they got home. He
smiled evilly, already plotting many different things to make Suppi-chan
jealous. 'Heheheheheh.....'
Looking around, Nakuru noticed that Tomoyo wasn't inside. He looked through
the main window and spied her sitting down on a bench a few feet away. 'I
guess she can't come in because of her arm,' he mused. 'Well, nobody's
around, so she'll be OK on her own for a few minutes.'
Nakuru sighed. He hadn't wanted Tomoyo to die or get injured, but it had
happened so fast. He was just secretly thanking Tomoyo for shoving Eriol out
of the way of danger. If Eriol had died....
Nakuru sighed again. He hadn't wanted anything bad to happen, especially
now. He knew that Tomoyo-chan had come to mean a great deal to Eriol. She
had been his friend during the hard times that had followed Kaho's death.
Eriol's pain had affected Nakuru and Spinel as well. For a long time, Eriol
wouldn't eat or go outside or anything, his pain was so great. Nakuru was
glad that Tomoyo had helped his master look beyond the pain and sadness to
the future, to live the best he could for Kaho. And for that, at least,
Nakuru was thankful. Eriol wasn't depressed anymore, and was happy now. He
had finally moved on, just like he needed to. Spinel and Nakuru had needed
him to move on too, and both were glad that Eriol had gotten over Kaho's
death and continued his life.
Nakuru turned his attention back to the delicious looking candies in front
of him and licked his lips, trying to decide which he should get.
**********
Tomoyo sighed, getting nowhere with her thoughts. Getting up, she stretched
her legs and her uninjured arm, wondering what was taking Nakuru so long.
She peeked inside the store's front window and breathed a sigh of relief at
the sight of Nakuru paying for some candy.
'Finally!' she thought. 'Took long enough.'
She shifted her arm. It wasn't hurting as much, and Tomoyo was glad that it
didn't feel as though it was on fire anymore. It was still throbbing a
little bit, but the pain was dying down. Tomoyo smiled ruefully, glad that
the pain was starting to subside, if only a little bit.
Someone tapped Tomoyo's shoulder. Tomoyo turned around slowly as her heart
leapt into her throat. She came face to face with Eriol and nearly cried
with relief. She had had enough bad encounters for the day.
"Where is Nakuru?" Eriol asked. "Why are you alone?"
"He's in the candy store," Tomoyo answered, nodding with her head in the
direction of the candy store. "And I am alone because I didn't want to go in
there with my arm looking the way it does."
"I see," Eriol replied, looking inside the candy store.
Nakuru chose that moment to walk out of the store, a big bag in his arms.
"Hello Eriol-chan, Tomoyo-chan!" he cried happily. "I got candy for us!"
Eriol smiled. "Well, Nakuru, it appears that you have enough to share."
Nakuru held the bag possessively. "I'll think about it."
Tomoyo giggled, forgetting about her arm for the moment. Then she frowned.
"Where's Spinel Sun?"
"Right here," said Suppi-chan, coming out of Eriol's pocket and flying over
to land on Tomoyo's shoulder. "I'm going to ride on your shoulder, Tomoyo.
It's easier to hide in your hair than in his pocket."
Tomoyo raised an eyebrow and looked at Eriol, who just shrugged and started
to walk in the direction Tomoyo assumed was towards his house. Tomoyo sighed
and began to follow, slightly annoyed. Suppi-chan purred in her ear, and
Tomoyo cradled her wounded arm.
Eriol glanced over his shoulder and saw that Tomoyo was lagging behind,
looking at the ground and absently holding her arm. Hi paused and waited for
her to catch up, sighing impatiently. 'Why do women always lag behind?!'
Tomoyo looked up and saw that Eriol was waiting for her. She blushed at his
annoyed expression and walked a bit faster. While speeding up, Tomoyo took a
misstep and tripped, letting out a startled cry as she braced her for impact
with the concrete. At the last moment, Eriol's arm shot out and caught her,
hugging her close to his body. Tomoyo's eyes went wide with surprise at not
falling but also at being so close to Eriol.
"Are you OK?" he whispered.
Tomoyo nodded against his chest and attempted to pull away, but Eriol
gripped her a little harder.
"When I saw them...." Eriol whimpered in her ear, "and that they were after
you....I was angry. And when you got hurt...I was so scared, Tomoyo-san;
you've been such a good friend to me. I didn't want to lose you."
Tomoyo pulled back more forcefully and looked into Eriol's eyes. She saw
grief and perhaps a little fear reflected in their unknown beautiful depths.
"Hey," Tomoyo said, "don't be afraid....Nothing happened to me, see? I'm OK.
Nothing's going to happen to me. Don't worry, Eriol-kun."
Eriol smiled, and the look in his eyes evaporated, leaving only an
unreadableness. Then he continued walking with Tomoyo behind him. Tomoyo
looked down at the ground again, tired from the ordeal.
"Eriol-kun, how far is your house?" Tomoyo asked.
"About a mile or two away from our current location," Eriol replied.
Tomoyo audibly sighed, but Eriol ignored it, enjoying the scenery. Nakuru
munched happily on his goodies, and Tomoyo heard Suppi-chan's soft snoring.
'Everybody's just peachy!' she thought.
Tomoyo tried to flex her arm, forgetting about it's wound, and whimpered as
the pain flared up. She winced as the flesh, which had started to slightly
scab on the edges, tore and started bleeding again. Tomoyo gripped the
wound, hoping to stop it from gushing blood again. 'I can't lose anymore
blood.'
Tomoyo staggered a few more steps before stopping completely. Pain was
ravaging her arm and spreading to her chest and mind, overtaking any
thoughts. Tomoyo looked up and saw that Eriol was gone. 'Did I really stop
walking that long ago? He must have continued without noticing that I wasn't
there.' Nakuru was gone as well, probably with Eriol, still eating sweets.
Tomoyo heard Suppi-chan still snoring in her ear. 'I don't want to wake him
up just yet....I'll walk for a little while on my own, then wake him when I
can't go on anymore.'
Tomoyo, holding her arm, started walking again, feeling better after pausing
for a few minutes to rest. She realized that she had no idea where she was
going, but didn't really care. It was still sunny outside, but oddly enough,
no people were around. Tomoyo just shrugged it off and continued walking in
the direction Eriol had been going.
**********
Eriol, enjoying the beauty of the day, took a deep breath and smelled the
wonderful air. It filled his lungs and intoxicated him. He exhaled and
smiled to himself. It was a wonderful day, in more ways than one.
"Isn't it a beautiful day, Tomoyo-san?" he breathed. "The sky and air are
very wonderful today."
Eriol paused, expecting a response. When none came, he frowned and turned
around to berate the girl for her rudeness. It was then that he noticed that
Tomoyo was nowhere in sight. 'She must have stopped walking because of her
lethargy or wound or something.'
Eriol slapped his forehead. Her wound! He shouldn't have expected her to
walk so much after that ordeal with the three young men and her arm wound.
'Her arm is hurt because of me...she shoved me out of the way to save me,
and got hurt in the process.'
Eriol could still feel the complete shock from when she had shoved him to
the side just in time to save him from having a knife stuck in his chest,
and instead in got lodged in her arm. His mind replayed the scene as he
heard Tomoyo's cry of pain at the knife hitting her flesh.
"Nakuru," Eriol said, his voice tight, "We've lost Tomoyo. Let's go back and
look for her, and let's stay together."
**********
Tomoyo stopped walking and looked up, not recognizing her surroundings. She
felt as though she had been walking for hours, but knew by common sense that
it had really only been a few minutes. She sighed as she starting walking
again. She had tried several times to wake Suppi-chan up, but it seemed that
not even a nuclear bomb would wake him up! 'So I'm on my own....unless he
wakes up by some miracle....'
She smiled ruefully, then stopped smiling and looked at her feet. She was
getting nowhere fast, and she was exhausted. 'I wonder if Eriol-kun has
noticed that I'm gone? I hope so, but the again, I have no reason to think
that he'd come looking for me, but I hope that he will and doubt that he'd
leave me on my own. He's not like that, he wouldn't do that to me.'
Out of the corner of her eye, Tomoyo spotted a phone booth. With hope
renewed in her heart, Tomoyo walked as fast as her tired legs would allow
and picked up the phone. Her hope was squashed as her ear met silence. No
dial tone.
Tomoyo put the phone back and turned and started to walk again. Just her
luck that the phone wouldn't work! And why were there no people around? Must
be church day, she mused.
Tomoyo's eyes brimmed with tears. She was alone, didn't know where she was,
had no one to ask for help, her arm was aching, and she was beyond
exhaustion. She didn't even know why she kept walking.
A picture of Eriol floated up into her mind. He was smiling, and was telling
her how glad he was that they were friends. She'd helped him through the bad
times, he had said. Tomoyo smiled faintly, knowing in her heart that Eriol
cared for her and was looking for her.
Tomoyo's knees started to buckle, but she pushed on, determined to keep
going. 'To where?' her mind taunted. 'You don't even know where you are
going!'
'Shut up!' Tomoyo mentally snarled at her conscious. 'Just shut up!' Her
mind, perhaps because it was smart or too tired to make up a response,
quieted. And for that, at least, Tomoyo was glad.
Tomoyo continued on walking, her legs aching and demanding rest. She took
one more step before collapsing onto the ground in total defeat and
exhaustion.
**********
'Hold on Tomoyo! I AM looking for you...I'll find you soon...but why can't I
feel your presence or anything?!'
"Nakuru, do you feel anything of Tomoyo? Like her aura or presence or
emotion or anything?" Eriol asked.
Nakuru paused for a moment, concentrating, then shook his head. Eriol
sighed, a feeling of anxiousness growing in his stomach.
Nakuru snapped his fingers. "Suppi-chan! Suppi-chan is with her! We can look
for Suppi's aura! Even if he's asleep, we can still find them!"
Eriol slapped his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?!"
**********
Tomoyo groggily opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was concrete.
'What am I doing on the ground....? Oh, that's right....I fell because I was
so tired. How long was I unconscious?'
Tomoyo dragged herself to her feet, absently rubbing her hurt arm. She
flicked at her hair and hit something warm and soft instead. 'Huh?
Somebody's snoring in my ear....Oh yeah, Suppi-chan.'
Tomoyo smiled gently, glad to not be alone, even if Suppi was asleep. Tomoyo
spotted a bench not too far away and started walking for it. Her legs
groaned with protest with every step. When she reached it, Tomoyo thankfully
collapsed onto it. 'Man, if I ever get outta this, I am going to get in
shape!'
Tomoyo looked around. Nobody was outside, not one person could be found. It
was like a deserted town, or a ghost town or something. Tomoyo brought a
hand to her eyes when she looked at the sun. 'It's starting to set...I must
have been unconscious for a long time. Eriol-kun...I am so tired....where
are you?'
**********
Eriol was faintly picking up on Tomoyo's aura. Hope filled his chest at the
thought of finally finding her. 'I promise Tomoyo, once I find you I'll take
care of you and never let you go again. I need you in my life...You are my
friend....I'll never let you go.'
"This way!" Eriol yelled at Nakuru, and the two started sprinting towards
Tomoyo's faint presence and Spinel's stronger one.
**********
Tomoyo was fighting to stay awake by now. Tiredness was taking over her body
and her eyes were drooping. The bench looked so inviting to just curl up and
sleep....and she was so tired....
Tomoyo was about to put her head down and rest when someone gripped her arm
right at the wound, shooting pain through her body and jarring her awake.
With a cry, Tomoyo leapt up and away from the bench, spinning around to face
a women and a man. Tomoyo was now fully awake, with some adrenaline running
through her veins.
The woman was very scantily clad, Tomoyo noticed. Her outfit was that of
a....'prostitute!'
Tomoyo evaluated the man, noting that he was dressed fairly nicely in a
business-like suit. He was also wearing sunglasses and was smoking a
cigarette.
Tomoyo looked down at herself. Her clothes weren't ripped, but her tee shirt
had some blood on its right sleeve, right over her wound. There was still a
scrap on her left thigh, and she looked like a dirty, homeless bum. Tomoyo
cringed as her wound bled, feeling her heart beating in the gaping hole.
"Nani?" Tomoyo asked coldly.
The man smiled, showing many of his white teeth. Tomoyo shuddered at the
sight, feeling a bit uneasy as to their intentions.
"We want to recruit you," the man said. "To our business. You'll get money
and you won't have to be a bum anymore. Just look at Lucy here, she works
for me. She has a home and clothes."
Lucy smiled at Tomoyo. "Yes child, I have money and a home. You are
beautiful. You could get very rich if you join us, just like Rob said."
Tomoyo shivered, shaking her head. "No, you don't understand, I-"
"No, YOU don't understand!" Rob interrupted. "You are too beautiful to
lose....we need you to join our business. And you are going to!"
"Your business of.....prostitutes?! Hell no! I'll never join you! I'll never
become a slut! This is all a big misunderstanding, you see I-"
Rob darted forward and grabbed Tomoyo's wounded arm and twisted it around
her back. Tomoyo cried out in pain and torment, wishing that Suppi would
wake up and protect her.
Lucy, with a smile, walked towards Tomoyo slowly, swaying from side to side.
Tomoyo cringed at the pain in her arm and at the look on Lucy's face.
'Somebody save me! Please! Suppi, wake UP! Eriol.....help me!'
**********
Eriol felt a shock of fear surge through him, and a cry of help from Tomoyo.
Gritting his teeth, he ran faster. 'She's in trouble! I can feel her
terror....I need to send a message to Suppi to wake him up to help her until
Nakuru and I get there!'
Concentrating as he ran, Eriol began to glow as he telepathically tried to
reach Spinel. 'Spinel Sun....'
**********
Deep in his dreamscape, Suppi-chan heard his master calling him. "Spinel
Sun....Spinel Sun...."
"Master?"
"Spinel Sun, you must wake up. Tomoyo-san is in danger. You are the only one
who can help her until Nakuru and I get there. Wake up, Spinel Sun..."
"Hai!" replied Suppi-chan as he struggled to wake up.
**********
Lucy lifted up a hand to Tomoyo's soft cheek and gently rubbed it, making
Tomoyo feel sick inside. 'I can't move with this guy holding my wounded
arm!'
Lucy put her hand on Tomoyo's left shoulder, leaning forward to kiss Tomoyo.
Tomoyo squeezed her eyes shut and felt a lump in her throat.
"AAAHHHHHHHH!" Lucy screamed, backing away from Tomoyo. Tomoyo opened her
eyes and saw that Suppi-chan had bitten one of Lucy's fingers, and was still
biting even though Lucy was desperately shaking her hand up and down,
attempting to get Spinel off.
"GET IT OFF ME!" Lucy screeched loudly.
Rob let go of Tomoyo and rushed over to Lucy's side. Tomoyo collapsed onto
the ground with a wham! and looked up. To her horror, she saw that Rob had
pulled out a Swiss army knife and was about to CUT Spinel off!
"NO!" Tomoyo yelled. "Spinel, look out! Come back over here, he's going to
cut you!!"
Spinel, at the last moment, flew away from Lucy's fingers and flitted back
over to Tomoyo, changing into his true form and standing next to her.
Rob couldn't stop his movement in time and cut Lucy's fingers instead of
Spinel. Lucy screamed in pain while Rob turned to Tomoyo in anger.
"Damn you, you little bitch!" he yelled, chucking the knife at Tomoyo in
pure rage.
Tomoyo just closed her eyes, not having enough energy to move out of the
way. She gasped as she felt Spinel Sun grab her tee shirt with his mouth and
fly a few feet away, out of danger. He dropped her back onto the ground with
a light thump! and bared his teeth at Rob before opening his mouth and using
his beam attack. Rob grabbed Lucy just in time to avoid the beam.
Tomoyo slowly staggered to her feet, and looked over and saw blood gushing
from Lucy's fingers. The sight horrified her and she turned away and covered
her mouth, feeling sick. 'Her fingers look like they're going to fall off.'
Tomoyo cuddled her wounded arm protectively. It was bleeding again due to
the twist Rob had given it. 'I'm losing too much blood....'
"C'mon Lucy! Let's get the hell outta here!" yelled Rob, grabbing Lucy and
beginning to sprint off.
Tomoyo looked over at Spinel Sun. "Thank you for saving me Suppi-chan."
Spinel returned to his small form and flew over to hover right in front of
Tomoyo. "No problem, Tomoyo-san."
Out of the corner of her eye, Tomoyo saw shadows approaching and turned,
expecting to see more baddies. She tensed in fear as one of them came into
light a few feet away from her.
She looked up into the man's face and started to sob. "Eriol-kun...."
"Tomoyo-san.....are you alright?" Eriol asked.
Instead of answering, Tomoyo continued to sob and pitched forward, unable to
walk anymore but wanting to feel Eriol, and make sure he was real, and not
an illusion.
Eriol reached out with both hands and gently caught Tomoyo, hugging her
shaking body to his own. Her stroked her hair and whispered comforting words
in an effort to calm her down.
Tomoyo gripped his shirt with her left hand, not wanting to move her right
arm because of its wound. She wept into his chest in relief and fear.
"Eriol-kun....I'm sorry..."
"For what, Tomoyo-san?"
"For getting separated from you."
"No Tomoyo-san, it's OK."
Tomoyo slumped against Eriol's chest, asleep due to exhaustion and too much
anxiousness and terror.
Eriol smiled and stood there, hugging Tomoyo to his body for a few moments
more before picking her up and starting to carry her to his home. He looked
down into her face and felt relief sweep over his senses at the sight of her
alive and safe. Nakuru and Suppi-chan followed Eriol a few steps behind him,
looking at each other and sharing a knowing wink.
**********
"Huuuuuuh?" Tomoyo murmured against her pillow, opening her eyes slowly. She
groaned as sunlight hit her eyes, shocking them. Tomoyo sat up, rubbing her
eyes and looking around. 'Where am I? I don't recognize this place...Oh
yeah, I was walking with Eriol-kun....This must be his home.'
Tomoyo got up, grimacing at her soreness. She gingerly rubbed her back and
wound.
Tomoyo looked down upon herself and saw that she was dressed in some black
pants and a black t-shirt, which was very tight against her skin. Tomoyo
didn't care; she was glad to be out of her own tattered clothes. She smiled
slightly at the thought of Eriol trying to dress her without waking her up.
Then her face burned with embarrassment. 'He saw me in my underwear?!'
Nakuru busted in the room just that moment, carrying a small glass of water.
"Tomoyo-chaaaaaaan! Water for you!"
Tomoyo, still red from embarrassment, stuttered. "T-thank y-you,
Nakuru-san."
Nakuru studied Tomoyo. "Don't worry, Tomoyo-chan, I'm the one who changed
you, not Eriol-chan."
Tomoyo face faulted.
**********

NOTES: Gyah, I never could leave much of a cliffhanger. Well, that is the
end of chapter one...next chapter, Eriol and Tomoyo start chatting and end
up having a hear to heart talk (I think I can make that happen!). Thanks for
reading, I know it was REALLY long....^^ Comments are welcome.