A Cappella -- Teaser
by Kit Spooner
[see other chapters for the disclaimers and such]
November 6, 2001

Part Seven -- Duet

Tomoyo's mind was full of the scent of Sakura's hair as they sat together on a bench in Eriol's garden. Sakura had her arm slung around Tomoyo's shoulder and her head nestled against Tomoyo's. Six months ago, soon after her arrival in England, Tomoyo would have given her right arm to hold her best friend like this. Now, she was merely confused.

"I can't believe we've been here a full week already," Sakura commented idly to her boyfriend, who was sprawled on the neatly clipped grass a few feet away.

"I can," Syaoran replied, settling back against the springy turf, shading his eyes from the late afternoon sun with his hand. "I haven't done so much touring in my entire life. I'm going to need a full week of sleep once I get back home."

Tomoyo glanced over at the amber-eyed boy and suppressed a smile. Syaoran's complaint would have been much more convincing if he hadn't been grinning sheepishly the whole time. He and Tomoyo exchanged a wink.

Eriol rolled his eyes from his position on the other bench. There had been far too much winking going on between Tomoyo and Syaoran for his tastes. He had the nagging feeling that they were somehow laughing at him. But as he couldn't really prove his theory, he could only put up with the perceived slight. "I don't see why you could possibly be tired, Li-kun," he responded with a slight lift of one fine brow. "You two have been sleeping in until nearly noon every day that Tomoyo-san and I have been in school."

Sakura giggled at the slightly offended expression on Syaoran's face.

"We only slept that late because you and Daidouji kept us up all night playing cards," Syaoran retorted.

"That was only once," Tomoyo corrected smoothly.

"Twice," Sakura noted.

"Okay, twice," Tomoyo conceded. "And it was much worse for Eriol-kun and me, I assure you. I had a math exam one morning after a night of cards. I don't even want to think about how poorly I fared on that test." She shook her head slowly, stirring Sakura's hair with the movement.

"Now remember that the next time you suggest a gin rummy championship tournament at one o'clock in the morning, Daidouji," Syaoran muttered.

"Why are you complaining, Syaoran?" Sakura asked him, a little piqued. "You seem perfectly alert right now and you were energetic enough last night . . ."

Syaoran stared at Sakura for a long moment, then blushed to the tips of his ears. "Sakura!" he said in a strangled voice.

Tomoyo burst into silvery laughter and nearly fell off the bench.

Eriol cleared his throat. "I'm not even going to ask, Li-kun," he declared primly.

"But that doesn't stop you from wondering," Tomoyo finished between gales of laughter.

Sakura blushed a little too. "It's not what you think, Tomoyo-chan," she protested weakly. "Syaoran and I were just . . ."

"Sakura!" Syaoran looked torn between horror and embarrassment. He also looked ready to tackle his girlfriend if she dared to say anything more on the subject.

Sakura, perhaps sensing the danger, wisely kept her mouth shut.

"When does your flight leave tomorrow morning?" Eriol asked, neatly diverting the conversation.

Tomoyo wasn't sure he was changing the subject for his sake or Sakura's. She merely contented herself with eyeing the dark-haired boy with thinly-veiled suspicion.

"Ten," Sakura replied.

"Ah," said Eriol.

The four fell silent once more. Tomoyo sighed inwardly.

Even after a week there was still a kind of awkwardness between Tomoyo and Sakura. They never talked about it, but it was assumed. The two boys didn't question the social dynamics of the group; it was probably safer that way.

Tomoyo wasn't sure how she would react if Eriol asked her, point blank, how she felt about Sakura. If Tomoyo was the type to be prone to violence, she might deck Eriol for such a prying question. But as it was, Eriol gave her plenty of space. Maybe too much space, Tomoyo pondered. Eriol had continued to play the charming host to his guests, but Tomoyo knew he'd withdrawn somewhat from the situation. They still had occasional moments, instances when they seemed to connect on a level that was far beyond merely physical or emotional.

He's almost kissed me at least half a dozen times, Tomoyo realized, But each time he pulls back. It was damned frustrating. And to top things off, he was wearing his smiling mask again. For the first time in the history of their acquaintance, Tomoyo couldn't read Hiiragizawa Eriol. As soon as Sakura and Syaoran are safely back in Japan, Hiiragizawa-san and I are going to have a little chat . . .

Of course, if Tomoyo asked Eriol point-blank what was going on between them, then Eriol would undoubtably answer her with a question of his own. There were two possibilities, Tomoyo decided. Either he'll ask me how I feel about him, or he'll ask me how I feel about Sakura. She didn't know which would be more difficult to answer.

I love Sakura, Tomoyo reminded herself, tilting her head to rest more comfortably against Sakura's shoulder. I always have, and I always will. Some truths are immutable. Sakura was safe. Sakura was a constant in her life.

Tomoyo suddenly realized that Eriol was gazing thoughtfully at her. That, in and of itself, was not unusual, since he'd recently taken to watching her like a hawk. It was the expression on his face that made Tomoyo want to run away as fast as she could. His blue eyes were dark, despite the sunlight, and his long lashes shaded his eyes into smokey shadows against his pale face.

Things are changing, his eyes told her. Sakura won't be your crutch for much longer. Will you be ready to sing on your own, Tomoyo-san?

No! Tomoyo's thoughts were almost panicked. I'm not ready. I'll be left all alone . . .

Eriol's expression didn't change as he mouthed, Not alone . . .

__________________________

The ride to the airport, the next morning, was an elaborate affair. Eriol, with Tomoyo's willing assistance, had refused to allow Sakura and Syaoran to take a cab to Heathrow. Instead, Eriol hired a car which, despite Nakuru's wheedling, was driven by Eriol himself. Nakuru, after deciding that the world was against her and that Eriol was the ringleader of the conspiracy, bid farewell to Sakura with a kiss, fondly goosed Syaoran, and then scampered back into the house to sulk. Spinel's farewell's were rather more dignified.

The rental car was a relatively spacious affair, but Tomoyo and Sakura were still relegated to the back seats. They graciously allowed Syaoran the front passenger seat since he could use the leg-room. Syaoran claimed the shotgun seat ostensibly for the purposes of making sure Hiiragizawa didn't crash the car. Despite the fact that Eriol proved his legal right to drive by presenting a license, Syaoran still had a hard time trusting his one-time rival. Sakura noted, from her spot directly behind Syaoran, that even if Eriol was a lousy driver, Syaoran wouldn't really have the right to complain since the closest he'd ever gotten to being behind the wheel was the Tomoeda Video Game Arcade. Syaoran remained slightly grumpy for the duration of the journey.

Tomoyo was torn between embarrassment and abject terror for the whole trip. Eriol amused himself by making eyes at her through the rear-view mirror. Sakura noticed, of course, and amused herself by winking at Tomoyo and waggling her eyebrows suggestively. To make things even more exciting, Tomoyo wracked her brain in an attempt to remember what the legal driving age was in Britain. She suspected that whatever the legal age was, Eriol hadn't reached it yet. Perhaps there were at least some practical applications for mystical powers.

Finally, Eriol managed to smoothly direct the car into one of the satellite parking lots at Heathrow, soothing Tomoyo's fears about his driving ability, and the four began the trek towards the terminal. Sakura and Syaoran didn't have much luggage, but Eriol still offered to carry most of it. Another bickering match ensued between Syaoran and Eriol until Sakura and Tomoyo grew bored and simply collected the baggage themselves.

Tomoyo got the impression that her friends were trying to keep the mood light as they approached the Departures entrance. Tomoyo laughed lightly along with Sakura at one of Syaoran's poorly executed 'stupid gaijin' jokes, but it really seemed that the others were carefully trying to avoid upsetting her. Am I really that transparent? Tomoyo wondered, bemused. Do they think I'm going to burst into tears because Sakura's going back home?

Syaoran and Eriol cooperated long enough to locate the registration counter, allowing Sakura to present her tickets to the agent. As Tomoyo watched Eriol and Syaoran exchange casual insults, she realized that despite their cheerfully juvenile display, both boys had changed tremendously over the past several months. So had Sakura, in a way. None of them were children anymore, and at times, it was painfully obvious. Tomoyo felt a sudden sharp longing for the days when she was simply the faithful videographer for Sakura and Syaoran's heroic battles against Eriol's minions, who generally manifested as giant teddy bears, plush sheep, or possessed bicycles.

"Eriol seems a bit more . . . mellow," Sakura murmured in Tomoyo's ear as they followed the boys toward the gate.

Tomoyo started. "Pardon?"

"He was really fidgety when Syaoran and I first got here," Sakura explained. "But now he's . . . well, he seems a little less edgy." There was a slight smile on Sakura's face.

Tomoyo chose to ignore the smile and all it suggested. "Maybe he is," she admitted. "I haven't noticed."

Sakura hooked her arm around Tomoyo's. "Tomoyo-chan, it's probably rude of me to ask," Sakura began hesitantly, "But what's been happening between you and Eriol-kun?"

A quick glance forward told Tomoyo that neither Eriol nor Syaoran had heard Sakura's rather blunt question. "Sakura-chan . . ." She bit her lip. "This isn't really the best time to talk about this."

Sakura flushed a little. "Probably not, but I haven't gotten a chance before now." She had an almost absurdly determined expression on her face. "And you need to tell me. Because if you're not interested in Eriol-kun, then you need to tell him."

"What difference does it make?" Tomoyo asked curiously. Sakura was agitated about something, and Tomoyo was almost afraid to find out what it was.

"He's in love with you, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura explained slowly and quietly. "I recognize the signs, dear. He stares at you just like Oniichan stares at Yukito-san. I've had to threaten Syaoran quite severely to keep him from saying something rude to Eriol-kun about it. Eriol-kun is used to being in control and I think he's a bit self-conscious about the whole thing."

Somehow, Sakura's declaration of Eriol's love wasn't all that surprising to Tomoyo. It wasn't that Tomoyo was somehow aware of Eriol's feelings. Quite the contrary, she was baffled by his behavior most of the time. No, Sakura merely fancied most of her friends in the same sort of relationship she enjoyed with Syaoran. But Tomoyo knew better than to make an issue of it with Sakura. Doing so just might result in bringing Eriol into the conversation.

"I'm not so sure . . ." Tomoyo temporized.

"I am," Sakura said firmly. "And I don't know if you feel like you need my approval of him or what . . ." There was a brief pause while Sakura reorganized her thoughts. "You shouldn't need my approval, Tomoyo-chan. You already know that I adore Eriol-kun. I love him almost as much as I love you." The expression on Sakura's face was full of understanding.

Tomoyo still felt like she was dangling unsteadily from a fifteenth-storey window-ledge, but tears came to her eyes despite her confusion. She came to the sudden realization that Sakura knew. Sakura had always known about Tomoyo's secret feelings, about the longing that had kept her a silent sentinel in Sakura's life for so many years. To top things off, Eriol had been right, Tomoyo realized. Maybe she owed him an apology . . .

Tomoyo was still trying to compose herself when she and Sakura caught up to the boys at the gate. If Syaoran or Eriol noticed the slight puffiness around her eyes or the faint crease between her eyebrows, they didn't comment or change expression. Eriol located a group of seats together and once they were settled, dragged Syaoran away in search of a coffee-shop. Sakura's determined expression was enough to send Syaoran peaceably off with his one-time rival with barely a frown.

"So do you like him?" Sakura asked suddenly, after the boys had disappeared back into the main terminal.

Slightly off-balance by Sakura's sudden question, Tomoyo heard herself faintly whisper, "Yes, very much."

Sakura's face blossomed into one of the smiles that inevitably set Tomoyo's heart aflutter. "Wonderful!" Sakura enthused.

"But I don't think I love him," Tomoyo added quickly.

"Hmm," Sakura said, clearly a little skeptical.

"It's all come so suddenly," Tomoyo continued, her voice quiet and still painfully unsure. "And Eriol-kun's behavior hasn't been helping at all."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Should I even ask?"

Tomoyo felt her cheeks heat up. This is ridiculous, she thought. Memories shouldn't be able to make me blush like this. "Probably not," Tomoyo replied. "But . . . he keeps trying to kiss me."

"And you won't let him?!" Sakura looked aghast.

"No!" Tomoyo said quickly. "That's not it!"

Sakura's mouth quirked into an adorable little half-smile. "Then what's the problem?"

"We keep getting interrupted!" Tomoyo half-wailed in frustration. "First it was Nakuru, then the tea kettle, then Nakuru again, then Syaoran, then the mailman, then Colin on the phone . . ." Tomoyo shook her head. "It's driving me crazy."

Sakura's smile turned mischievous. "Just imagine what it's doing to Eriol-kun."

Tomoyo found herself laughing. It felt good.

It took a minute or two for the two giggling girls to calm down, and once they did, the spotted Syaoran and Eriol returning, loaded with goodies.

"Hot cocoa for everyone," Eriol proclaimed with a smile.

"And biscotti to share," Syaoran added.

"What are biscotti?" Sakura asked curiously.

"I have no idea," Syaoran admitted with a vague shrug. "Cookies of some sort. Hiiragizawa made me buy them."

"They're Italian," Tomoyo and Eriol said in unison, prompting further laughter.

In the twenty minutes before the flight to Japan began boarding, the four of them managed to make a serious dent in the cocoa and biscotti. Then it came time for final goodbyes.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura sobbed as she flew into her friend's arms.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo's weeping was only slightly more dignified.

Syaoran and Eriol declined to hug.

"I missed you so much after you left," Sakura said between sniffles, "And now that I've visited you here, it's going to be ten times worse."

"I know, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said, her tears trickling down to soak into Sakura's hair. "I know."

"Promise me you'll write more often!" Sakura demanded.

"I promise," Tomoyo answered.

Sakura flung her arms tighter around Tomoyo's neck. "And promise me you'll be happy!" she said fiercely.

Tomoyo hesitated, then nodded, her face muffled against Sakura's shirt. "I promise, Sakura." And she truly meant it.

The two girls gently disentangled, and turned to the boys.

"I'll miss you too, Eriol-kun," Sakura told the bespectacled boy solemnly.

"Of course you will," Eriol agreed as he folded Sakura into a tender hug.

"And if you hurt Tomoyo, I'll come back to England, rip your heart out, and dance on it," Sakura added cheerfully.

Somewhat taken aback by Sakura's bloodthirsty threat, Eriol barely managed to mumble something appropriately humble. Then he remembered what he'd forgotten to tell Syaoran earlier. "Oh, Sakura-san," he began earnestly. "I hear you have been having difficulty getting Syaoran to progress to the next level of your relationship . . ."

Sakura's cheeks flamed. Syaoran pretended not to hear.

"Here's what I suggest," Eriol whispered. "Handcuffs, Sakura-san."

"Handcuffs?" Sakura repeated, her expression completely blank.

Eriol smiled. It was not an entirely innocent smile. "Why don't you ask your brother. He can probably provide both the handcuffs and instructions. Tsukishiro-san might even offer to help demonstrate." Then he kissed Sakura on the forehead in an oddly paternal manner and let her go.

"Did he just say what I think he said?" Syaoran murmured to Tomoyo.

"Don't worry about it," Tomoyo told him, wrapping him in a gentle hug.

Syaoran's arms slid around to hold her as though she were fragile spun-glass. "Good, I'd rather not," Syaoran confirmed.

Tomoyo's laughter was musical as she rose up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "Be a good boy, Li-kun," she instructed fondly. "Take care of Sakura for me."

"Of course," Syaoran replied, bending down to kiss Tomoyo's cheek in response. His face was scarlet, but he managed without too much embarrassment.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Tomoyo rummaged in her handbag. "Here," she said, presenting Syaoran with a flat, cardboard box, perhaps a little longer than his hand. "Give this to Sakura some time when you're alone together. It's my present to both of you."

"Ah . . . thanks," Syaoran said. He wasn't sure he liked the way Tomoyo was smiling at him. It was almost a smirk. It also reminded him of Hiiragizawa.

And finally, it was time to board the plane.

Sakura dashed back and kissed Tomoyo. Full on the mouth. Eriol nearly choked.

Tomoyo . . . didn't feel the earth move below her feet. The world didn't spin. There were no fireworks or violins or roses. There was just the soft warmth of Sakura's lips against her own. Tomoyo smiled and pulled away. "I love you too, Sakura-chan," she said sweetly.

Syaoran gave Eriol a glare. "I'm not going to kiss you, if that's what you're wondering," he said firmly.

Eriol pouted adorably.

Then they were gone.

Tomoyo and Eriol stood in silence next to each other and watched the plane take off.

Aboard the jetliner, Syaoran was curiously inquiring about Eriol's whispered instructions at the gate. Sakura flushed. "You really want to know?"

Syaoran nodded and she told him.

"Whoa," said Syaoran. That was about all he could manage as a response. He was caught between wanting to stomp on Hiiragizawa's face for speaking to his Sakura like that, and feeling an embarrassing surge of . . . something, something that involved Sakura. And handcuffs.

"What did Tomoyo-chan give you?" Sakura asked, breaking up his little fantasy.

Syaoran drew out the box and peered at it. "I don't know. She said to open it when we're alone. It's supposed to be for you, I think."

"We're alone now. Sort of." Sakura gestured to the half-filled flight. With a shrug, she pulled the lid off of the box and stared at the contents. Whatever it was that was inside, it was fabric. And lace. Mostly transparent. Actually, there wasn't much there at all . . .

"Whoa," Sakura said.

Syaoran was speechless. He'd had no idea that Tomoyo's fashion skills included lingerie.

"You know," Sakura commented as she recovered the box and stashed it in her carry-on. "Those two deserve each other."

Syaoran's eyes were slightly glazed, but he managed to nod. "Yes, they certainly do."

__________________________

"You're staring, Tomoyo," Sin noted rather smugly in math class.

"I am not," Tomoyo denied quickly. It was true; she wasn't really staring at Eriol. Her gaze was fixed on something distant, something beyond the top of Eriol's head. In truth, she was fascinated by how frequently his own gaze drifted toward her. It gave her the chance to sneak glances at him. She was currently puzzling over the exact color of his eyes.

Tomoyo had always assumed that his eyes were a sort of indeterminate blue, with perhaps a hint of the violet that shone in her own eyes. But now, as she carefully didn't stare, she realized that his eyes were neither blue nor violet nor something in between, really. There was a silver-gray cast to them that astonished her. I've never met anyone with pewter-colored eyes before, she thought.

"Definitely staring," Justin confirmed with a nod of his head.

Tomoyo ignored him, focused more on the fact that Eriol's head had whipped around at the sound of Tomoyo's friend's voice. He was also carefully not staring at her. Had Tomoyo herself not been involved in the little drama that was unfolding, she would have undoubtably found it hilariously funny. Unfortunately, seeing as how the boys seated around her had no true involvement, they all immediately erupted into a fit of sniggering.

"Stop it!" Tomoyo hissed, barely moving her lips.

"Stop what?" Colin asked, his expression the picture of bafflement. He was also studiously doodling on his math homework.

"Stop laughing at me," Tomoyo said stiffly.

"Why would I laugh at you?" Colin's eyes were wide with innocence and Tomoyo couldn't quite tell if it was feigned or not. Finally she decided that he too was laughing at her since his math doodles featured a disturbingly realistic sketch of Eriol wearing only a strategically-placed fig leaf, complete with a tiny, drooling caricature of Tomoyo off to one side.

"We're not really laughing at you, Tomoyo," Bertie attempted to explain. "But you'll have to admit that the situation's pretty humorous. I mean, you and Hiiragizawa can't keep your eyes off each other, but you're both still in denial. You two need to sit down and have a talk."

Justin raised an eyebrow. "A talk?"

Bertie blushed. "Yes," he said pointedly. "A talk."

"I've never heard that referred to as a 'talk' before," Ben noted, his face nearly as flushed as Bertie's.

Tomoyo looked disgusted. "You boys have sick minds, you know?" she commented.

Sin smiled serenely at Tomoyo. "Of course, darling," he confirmed. "That's what boys are like. Just ask Hiiragizawa . . ."

Tomoyo resolutely turned her gaze to the teacher and made a show of taking notes on the lecture. It was quite difficult, since she could feel six pairs of eyes on her now that Eriol's attention was fixed firmly on her and the other boys. Eriol's gaze was practically burning a hole through the back of her head. She could almost smell the singed-hair scent.

Which brought Tomoyo's mind unwillingly back to the main problem at hand: What, exactly, was she supposed to do with Eriol? A sly, generally carefully suppressed portion of her mind provided a few startlingly graphic suggestions, but she squashed the thought immediately. She certainly didn't need her subconscious creating elaborate, decidedly sketchy scenes featuring the bespectacled boy seated behind her. Tomoyo definitely didn't need any assistance from her inner-hedonist in the imagining-Hiiragizawa-naked department. Colin's doodles were assisting quite admirably, in fact.

Tomoyo clenched her jaw almost to the point of pain. What really matters, she decided, quashing visions of silky black hair, pewter-glinting eyes, and a lot of bare, ivory skin, Is that Eriol is, for some unknown reason, interested in me. Hell, he was practically stalking her, his expression alternately melancholy and slyly suggestive as he watched her speculatively during school hours. Fortunately, he was managing to behave himself tolerably during their regular practice sessions. Yet even those were fraught with barely suppressed tension and Tomoyo found herself breathless with both anticipation and dread on those afternoons. Too bad she couldn't think of a polite way to get out of practicing. Eriol had effectively argued his point, and therefore they continued down the bumpy road to the concert.

The concert was what was keeping her steady. She could deal with singing. It was comfortable and familiar and utterly without surprises. Music was enough to distract her from Eriol's baffling attentions. Well, it was enough for now, at least.