Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ A Young Man's Fancy ❯ The Seeds are Planted ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A Young Man's Fancy
Chapter 2- The Seeds are Planted

by Jae

Eriol bounced into the classroom.

"Good morn."

And proceeded to sneeze 5 times.

"-ing. God bless me," he continued, with a watery-eyed smile.

Yamazaki-kun popped behind him, his finger in the air.

"Did you know, in medieval Europe, they believed that when you sneezed, you left yourself vulnerable to demons? So they asked the gods to bless you in your moment of weakness. And that's why some people say God bless you when someone sneezes. "

Chiharu sighed as she dragged him off.

"It's too early in the morning for this sort of nonsense, Yamazaki-kun."

"And did I mention that you had to draw ash crosses on your face and carry flowers in your pockets too? " Yamazaki continued, determined to share his wisdom with the world.

Sakura and Tomoyo turned to Eriol; stern looks on their faces.

"Eriol-kun, I thought you said your cold was all gone now. Why are you sneezing?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, Hiiragizawa-kun. If you're not feeling completely well, you should have stayed home one more day," Tomoyo chided.

Eriol stuck his hands out to stop their protests. He waited until they stopped, sniffled and replied, "My cold is gone. However, it seems that I have developed . . . allergies."

Sakura and Tomoyo stared at Eriol. Eriol blushed, faintly embarrassed. One would think that when Clow had chosen his reincarnations, he would have given them perfect health. To make up for all the excess baggage Eriol had to deal with. It wasn't that Eriol minded being sneaky and manipulative. He was fairly proud of those abilities. And it had been fun setting up the tests for Sakura-san, even though it tore his heart to do so. But Fujitaka, his other half, had Nadesiko, Touya and Sakura. Was it too much to ask that Eriol have health if he were denied love? Eriol shook his head. He had to stop being so fatalistic. Wait, what were they saying about him?

Sakura murmured to Tomoyo, "He looks feverish to me. I think he's lying. What do you think, Tomoyo-chan?"

Tomoyo tilted her head, resting her finger against her cheek. "I think he's trying to be a martyr. We should threaten to never take care of him again if he's going to be silly like this."

Syaoran walked up to the group, clasping Sakura's hand.

Tomoyo turned to Syaoran.

"What do you think, Li-kun?"

Syaoran peered at Eriol. "Look how watery his eyes are. And it's spring. There's a lot of pollen in the air. One of my sisters has allergies. I know the symptoms. It's definitely allergies." Syaoran gave Eriol a smug smirk.

"Yes, my eyes are indeed watery. I wonder if this is how Monet saw the world. Everything a far off, beautiful blur," Eriol said to Syaoran while he cast his eyes casually to Sakura. And Tomoyo. Yes, a fleeting impression but nothing more lasting than that.

Syaoran snorted. "He talks the same. He's fine. What a pity. "

Sakura shrugged and Tomoyo gave Eriol one more worried glance and smiled.

"I suppose you are old enough to look after yourself, Hiiragizawa-kun. I am sorry we doubted you."

The homeroom teacher called the students to their seats, effectively ending their conversation. Eriol sighed and nestled his head within his folded arms. Tomoyo watched him for a moment before turning to face the front of the room.
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Eriol stared at the wall, not hearing the droning voice of his history teacher. Or was it the math teacher? Eriol narrowed his eyes. No, still blurry. Bloody allergies. He really had forgotten about his allergies. But he had good reason. His mind strayed to last spring. He and Kaho had been fighting again. It had been their worst fight ever. Not because something terrible had happened. It was quite the opposite, in fact. They had fought over something petty, so petty he couldn't even remember what it was. Yes, Spinel and even Nakuru had gone into hiding. It had been a horrendous spat. It went on for at least two hours. Until one point, they had both stopped speaking in mid-sentence and gawked at each other, as if they had finally realized what they had been saying. Nervous laughter turned into tears, as they clung to each other, murmuring apologies over and over again.

Kaho straightened herself up first, pulling Eriol slightly away from her. "Eriol, we're not working very well together, are we?"

Eriol took off his glasses to wipe his eyes, giving Kaho a rueful smile. "We aren't, are we?"

The two fell silent. Within a week, Kaho had moved out. It was an amicable break up. Eriol knew they had not suited. But they had remained friends and much later Kaho would come over for tea or dinner every now and then. However, this did not stop Eriol from sinking into a deep depression. At first, Spinel, Nakuru and even Eriol himself thought that Kaho had broken Eriol's heart. But as the days passed, Eriol realized it wasn't Kaho. Well, it was Kaho in some small part, but it was really love. Or the lack of it.

He let his gaze drift away from the wall, towards the teacher. A different face, but still droning. No need to pay attention. Not that Eriol could pay attention. His eyes slid naturally to the back of Tomoyo's head. From the corner of his eyes, he watched Sakura watch him. Sakura gave him an encouraging smile. Eriol turned back to the wall, pretending not to notice, and continued his former train of thought.

Eriol had a lonely childhood. Watched over by his mysterious guardian, taught by private tutors, Eriol had little meaningful human interaction. And of course, Eriol had no friends his age. That was why Eriol had created Nakuru and Spinel Sun. He was lonely. And they had filled most of the void within Eriol. But he wondered if there was more. And then Kaho had come along. He thought Kaho would be the one. Kaho knew about Clow, knew about his past. And she had still accepted him. And she was smart, beautiful and kind. But that hadn't been enough. Was it him? Did he lack some human quality that was a pre-requisite to love?

After Kaho, Eriol moved to the closest thing he had to a family. Well, a human family. To Tomoeda. They had welcomed him back with no questions. They had all assumed that Kaho had left him for someone else, that he still loved her. They weren't quite right, but Eriol didn't bother correcting them. It was close enough to the truth. And the truth, well, who wants to admit to being an unloveable thing? And that explained why he was here, in a third year classroom in Seijou High. But it didn't explain the allergies. Eriol wiped his nose for the umpteenth time. Well, there was Tomoyo…. someone coughed politely in front of him.

Eriol blinked and jumped in his seat. The room was empty save one person. Tomoyo. She stood over him, with a puzzled yet polite smile on her face.

"Hiiragizawa-kun, it's time for lunch. You can leave the classroom now," Tomoyo said gently, brushing his bangs away from his forehead. She let her cool hand rest there for a moment before frowning. "You're not feverish, so I suppose you're not sick anymore. But you don't look well. Are you sure you want to stay in school?"

Eriol nodded, giving Tomoyo a weak smile. "Yes, Mother. I'm fine. Shall we go to lunch then?"

Eriol stood up, sweeping his hand out before Tomoyo. Tomoyo nodded and the two of them walked out of the room into the schoolyard.
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It was pleasantly warm outside. The trees were covered with pale green leaves and the scent of crocuses wafted on a slight breeze. Tomoyo and Eriol walked over to a tree far away from the clusters of chattering students. They settled underneath it, placing their bento boxes before them. Tomoyo poured two cups of tea and they ate silently for a few moments.

Tomoyo lifted her head and cast large, innocent eyes at Eriol. Eriol felt a quiver in the pit of his stomach and sipped his tea slowly. Nothing. Tomoyo suspected nothing. However, it looked like she wanted something. And that never boded well for her intended victim. Eriol took another sip of his tea, repressing the urge to sniffle for sympathy.

"Hiiragizawa-kun, Sakura-chan has been terribly preoccupied all day. She kept glancing at your seat during class. You mustn't worry her like that," Tomoyo chided gently.

Eriol pondered for a moment. Yes, Sakura had been looking at him, but there had been no concern in her eyes. Only unholy match-making glee. So he plastered an apologetic smile on his face and shrugged.

"My apologies, Daidouji-san. I did not mean to worry Sakura-san. Perhaps I should go apologize to Sakura-san right now? Demand forgiveness on my knees" Eriol pouted pathetically, letting his eyes water. He particularly admired the sole tear falling down his cheek.

Tomoyo shook her head, lashing out her long dark grey curls. "Hiiragizawa-kun, why can't you be serious?"

Eriol pouted some more. "But I am being serious, Daidouji-san. I am crushed when Sakura-san even has a paper cut. To think that she spent a whole morning casting worried glances at me is too much for me to bear!" Eriol grabbed his chest in mock horror, falling in a heap before Tomoyo. The effect was ruined by several quick sneezes. Tomoyo managed to bite down her giggles.

Tomoyo peered at Eriol's crumpled form. "Hiiragizawa-kun, please just give me a moment."

Eriol raised himself slightly, propping his arms up, resting his chin in his cupped hands, willing to play along with Tomoyo a bit longer.

"Tomoyo-san, I really don't mean to worry Sakura-san. These allergies are, well, they are a fairly recent development." Eriol stopped. Was there a polite way to explain how love made him ill? Love for her, in this case. No, most likely not. He could always pretend it was Kaho. Eriol turned his head to cough, hiding his blush. He truly had no shame. Oh well.

She nodded, carefully observing Eriol's faint signs of embarrassment. He was only embarrassed when he talked of his last year in England. Of Kaho. A question flickered in her eyes for a moment. But she only raised her hand, stilling Eriol's words.

Tomoyo took a deep breath and continued, "I'm your friend, Hiiragizawa-kun. You can speak to me. About anything. And I will listen." Tomoyo placed her hand on top of Eriol's head, smiling gently.

Eriol blinked and started at her touch, turning away so Tomoyo could not see his slip. Tomoyo drew back her hands and folded them in her lap. She waited for his response. The silence hung between them. Eriol paced nervously to and fro, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his face creased in thought. Then, Eriol spoke.

" Sometimes, I wonder. What Clow was thinking. When he started all of this. The business with the cards. Sakura-san. Fujitaka-sensei. Me. Did he know what he was doing? Could we be human? Could we live and love and be loved? Or were we doomed to be like him? Strange, lonely, too powerful for his own good. Or perhaps I only have Clow's bad qualities. And Fujitaka-sensei received all the good ones. And Sakura-san…"

Eriol gave Tomoyo an old, bitter smile, letting his words hang in the air. Tomoyo shook her head gravely. She opened her mouth to speak. Eriol stopped her with a wave of his hand, and shook his head.

"Of course, you're right, Daidouji-san. Sakura-san is perfect in every way. I forget myself. Thank you for your time, Daidouji-san. I must be off now. But thank you for listening, ... friend."

Eriol ros up quickly and walked away, afraid to turn back.
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While Eriol and Tomoyo were otherwise occupied, Sakura was having lunch with Syaoran in a secluded corner of the school grounds. Or rather, Sakura was watching. She had left her bento at home. Sakura frowned as she absently took an onigiri from Syaoran's bento and nibbled on it. Syaoran made a noise of protest, but let her take it.

"Syaoran-kun, have you noticed the way Eriol-kun looks at Tomoyo-chan?"

Syaoran snorted.

"Hiiragizawa watches everyone, Sakura. That sneaky rat has to keep tabs on everyone. Especially Daidouji. He couldn't bear the thought that someone out there could beat him in anything. And you know how sneaky Daidouji can be."

Sakura frowned. "Syaoran-kun, you are far too mean to Eriol-kun. He means well. And I meant the -way- he looks at her. Like she could be his favorite person. His number one person."

Syaoran choked on his tea. "Sakura, have you gone mad?"

Sakura patted Syaoran's back and shook her head at his disbelief.

"I am being serious, Syaoran. Have you seen the way he looks at her?"

"So what if he looks at her? Like I said, he's a nosy, sneaky rat. Do you need to know anything else?"

"Yes," Sakura replied, still patting Syaoran's back. "How Tomoyo-chan feels."

Syaoran's eyes bugged out and he began coughing again. He had never dared broach that topic with Sakura, as much as he had wanted to. But to have Sakura raise the topic, in this context, no less, was too much for him. Sakura glared at Syaoran's back, but she still patted away.

"Tomoyo-chan hasn't made me an outfit in almost a month. And that was for the festival. And she's been filming me much less than she normally does. The last time she filmed me was when we went to visit Eriol-kun. And you know…. it was Tomoyo-chan's idea to visit Eriol-kun when he was sick last week," Sakura pondered, ticking off each point on her fingers.

Syaoran meanwhile snorted and ate his lunch before Sakura could steal more.

Touya and Yukito ran across the schoolyard to Sakura and Syaoran, Yukito bearing a large bento. As Touya and Syaoran exchanged their usual glares of greeting, Yukito turned to Sakura and handed her the bento.

"Thank you, Yukito-san," Sakura said, blushing as she took it from him.

Yukito opened his mouth, but before he could speak, someone interrupted him.

"There better be pudding in there!" Kero-chan crowed as he flew out of Sakura's bag.

Sakura tackled Kero-chan before he reached her bento.

"Kero-chan! You have to be more careful! Anyone could walk by and see you!"

"How can anyone see me with 'Niichan and wolfie-poo hulking about like that, huh? You worry too much, Sakura. Now gimme pudding!" Kero-chan grumbled.

"I'm sorry, Kero-chan, but I didn't pack any pudding. There is some chocolate cake." Yukito said, opening the bento a fraction of an inch, revealing the dark, moist cake.

Kero-chan pounced on the opening, grabbing a hunk of cake, smearing it all over his mouth.

"Hey! Get off my chocolate cake, stuffed animal!" Syaoran roared, diving at Kero-chan. Kero-chan slipped easily out of Syaoran's reach, floating just above Syaoran's head. Touya grabbed Kero-chan, his vein popping.

"You heard, kaijuu. If someone sees you, we're all in for it, stuffed sock!" Touya said, squeezing Kero-chan for extra emphasis.

Sakura gave a stern look to the noisy ones and began eating her bento. She muttered something about 'my chocolate cake, indeed' under her breath. She paused and turned to Syaoran.

"Now, where was I? Yes, Eriol-kun and Tomoyo-chan. Now, how are we going to get them together?" Sakura nibbled on a piece of daikon.

Touya had been stuffing Kero-chan back into Sakura's knapsack, but at her words, he made a strangled noise, releasing Kero-chan while Yukito blinked.

"Kaijuu, are you mad?"

Yukito gnawed on his lip thoughtfully. For a moment, Touya forgot to be angry as he stared at Yukito before shaking his head.

"How could you even think for a second that that that thing could be with Tomoyo! She's family!" Touya said, waving his arms about.

Kero-chan scratched his chin thoughtfully. "The other day, I thought the freak was looking at Tomoyo funny, but I figured he was having trouble focusing his eyes without his glasses on. But you know, there could be something."

"But, but, but…," Touya sputtered.

"We think that he, no they might be lonely. Perhaps Sakura-chan has something there, To-ya," Yukito said, while looking directly into Sakura's eyes.

Sakura nodded. "Exactly. Now, we will meet tonight at 5 o'clock at my house. Tomoyo-chan has a student council meeting at 4 o'clock and voice lessons right after, so we should be able to discuss our plan safely. Are there any questions?"

Touya and Syaoran started to open their mouths, but Yukito and Kero-chan gave them looks. They nodded sullenly. Sakura beamed at Touya and Syaoran, causing them to look slightly less surly. But only slightly.

"Good! Now, not a word to anyone else."

Touya went off with Yukito, muttering darkly. Sakura and Syaoran finished their lunch, with Kero-chan stealing tidbits. Sakura saw Eriol walk into the building, Tomoyo's eyes never leaving his back. She nodded, sure again that she was doing the right thing.
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Tomoyo sat under the tree, sipping her tea slowly, watching Eriol walk into the building. She had so many questions. About his strange speech. His return to Tomeoda. Mizuki-sensei. After he walked in, she stacked the bento boxes. Yes, she would pay him a visit this week. He had forgotten his bento box. And Akizuki-san wanted a copy of that video. Perhaps she should view the tape before she went. There might be some good ammunition for her visit. She smiled, satisfied at her plan.

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Notes

1. It only took me 8 months to write the sequel. I'm not a slacker. I just got busy. With school. So yes, here is the latest installment. XD

2. Sorry for the use of Japanese. The Koreans use a lot Japanese words, because of the 50 year occupation, so using the words seem natural to me. Especally if they're food words. Heh. ^^
Bento- Lunch and/or lunch box
Onigiri- rice balls
Daikon- pickled radish
Kaijuu- monster

3. I'm not terribly happy with the way Eriol and Sakura worked out. I think Eriol is too angsty and Sakura's just...well, Sakura has a clue. And she's scheming. Next thing you know, she's going to start filming people. >_> So comments on them particularly, please.

4. I think I know what I want to do with the third chapter, but I don't want to go rushing off without thinking about what I want to write. So we'll see how long the next chater takes. Tomoyo will get a Clue. Eriol will hopefully get his arse out of sulky land. And Sakura begins hatching her plot. With her henchmen. *cackle*