Author: les_lenne
Written for: sheila_chan (at cardcaptorgifts)
Title: Doves In December
Prompt: Anything set in December, somewhere by the Tsukimine Shrine, featuring
Tomoyo and Eriol. Make them friends, make them lovers - it's up to you, just don't
have them strangling each other like there's no tomorrow^^
Disclaimer: CLAMP did the work, and now I’m playing
Rating: PG (just in case)
Word Count: 3.265
Summary: Eriol, aged now and widely travelled, is back to Japan where the first person he meets is a beautiful young lady…
A/N: I’m not a native speaker, so this will probably contain some errors. I did my best to avoid them, but I’m not sure how well it went.
When Eriol had arrived, it seemed Japan was drown in a white ocean. That got worse as he drove to the place he’d wanted to see again for nearly twenty years. He had just recently had the luck to take free time to do so. The snow kept falling when he’d seen the first familiar streets, and did so for the rest of the day. Originally, he had planned to see his favourite shrine at the day of his arrival, but he was so cold he could barely walk without taking a break every few steps and shivering heavily.
He closed the door behind him, already struggling out of his cloak, and sat down on the bed of his room. ‘Yeah, not really my room, isn’t it?’ he thought, smiling at the chocolate praline which was laying on the cushion. ‘But that’s worth it.’ He stretched himself to get the praline, and was pleased it was cherry-flavoured. “Aww, having a Sakura-flavoured chocolate candy without going through masses of snow. I think I’ll recommend this establishment to my friends.”
*
He was awake early in the morning. Doves rested on the shelf of his window, but when he opened it they flew away, creaking. Snowing had stopped, but unfortunately there was enough of the white beauty to make it fairly difficult for the people to walk on and not sinking in. He watched them for several minutes, until his sympathy for them rose.
“No breakfast for me, sorry,” said Eriol to the worried looking housemistress. She’d told him yesterday that she thought he’s too thin, and that she really suggests him to eat her breakfast the next day. “I would love to, but I’ve got no time. I’m sorry. Tomorrow, if you please?”
She didn’t look much eager, but he had no time for a fact. A polite smile on her lips, she said, “Tomorrow, then.”
Soon after he was through the door he put his hands inside his cloak. Carefully stepping over icy passages he made his way. Every time he didn’t breathe through his scarf to keep his mouth warm he could smell sweets all the way down the street. Children were singing Christmas songs, with horribly wrong lyrics, and possibly some did intentionally change the words in something Eriol would never dare to say. Not without flushing in embarrassment. He stopped occasionally, as he still had time left, to watch some truly Christmas-y scenes. Every so often, there was an angry customer, shrieking and making wild gestures.
“But I’ve ordered it months ago! You have to have it!!”
“N-no, we’re sorry. It… we didn’t get it yet. P-please wait a day or two. Your order is perfectly safe.”
“Hah, telling me that! You want one for yourself,” shrieked the young woman. She didn’t recognize her child, a little boy with long red hairs and lovely blue eyes (that couldn’t be, or could it?), wasn’t still fixing the toys but rather trying to take them from the shelves. When she finally looked at her son it was too late, he’d already taken the Teddy and cuddled it heartily.
“Mickey, no. I said no! Take it out of your mouth! Immediately!”
Somehow, the salesman managed to chuckle without being noticed and shouted at again. “He’s nearly eaten it up. The Teddy, that is. We can’t take it back.”
“I have to buy it now?”
“Well… yes, of course. How could we sell it when you’re kid, what a beautiful child, has had it in its mouth?”
“Whatever,” the woman said, snapping up the Teddy. “How much is it?”
At that point Eriol left them alone, and walked on so he wouldn’t be late. You could never know. When it’s Christmas, there’s always the chance to get lost in the crowds. Not that this little city was as big a problem as London, but after all, Christmas time wasn’t exactly the time to be sure about anything. Especially when one didn’t want to be late. He’d looked forward to this moment too long.
It took him twenty-five minutes to get there. Tsukimine Shrine. With all the snow on its roof it looked even more beautiful than it had been in his memories. Though it was remarkably pretty, it of course had aged as Eriol had over the past years. Here and there was a crack in the reddish bricks.
Awestruck from a tree that had so much snow on it that it seemed ridiculous it hadn’t all crashed down yet, he didn’t perceive someone was coming nearer until he felt a warm breath against his neck.
“Is it you?” a woman said, curiosity in her voice. She beamed. “It is!”
“Um, I’m sorry, but… who are you?”
“Oh, you don’t remember, do you? We’ve only met twice, I believe. May I introduce myself as Tomoyo Daidouji?”
“Ah!” said Eriol, “of course, you’re Sakura’s friend. I remember now.” He smiled widely at her, also smiling but rather openly gleefully face.
“Sakura told me that she’s going to meet someone today at Tsukimine Shrine, but I had no idea it was you she was talking about.”
“Yeah, well… I’ve been to many places, and I’ve seen enough for now, I thought, so I thought meeting her would be a nice idea.”
“Yes, I see. She was fairly excited when she called me – maybe that’s why she didn’t say anything about who and just where instead. That’s why I came in the first place.”
“Probably,” said Eriol, slightly amused. “Where is she, anyway?”
“She hasn’t changed much. I reckon she’s still sleeping.”
He wasn’t surprised at all. “Yes, I thought so. Now, why don’t we chat a little till she arrives?”
“Of course! I suppose you want to know some, er, magical things?” Tomoyo nodded, taking his hand with a joyful laughter, and tugged a blinking Eriol to the next bench. When they were both sitting, she started the chattering first by saying, “They’ve married three years ago.”
“What?” After a short moment of hard thinking he knew who she was talking about. “Syaoran and Sakura?”
“Excellent choice of an answer,” said Tomoyo, stretching her legs. She watched the snow making a little Everest on top of her shoes before she spoke again. “Yes, they’re married now. I’m not sure how long they, or rather, Syaoran will wait because Sakura really wants one soon. For having children,” she added when he looked at her, totally puzzled.
He gazed down. “Children? Wow. Well, okay… I always forget we’re at the same age.”
“Yes, you could actually marry me!” She flushed heavily when she recognised what she had just been saying. “Oh – no, I didn’t mean it – well, you’d be a good husband, that’s not – um…”
“No, that’s correct. There’s the possibility, there always is”, he said, trying to comfort her but made her instead blushing even more.
She laughed sheepishly at first, yet her face softened and in the end, she sighed, smiling gloomily. “Possibility, if I had one for another thing.”
His first attempt was to ask what she meant exactly by having the possibility for another thing. Before he had had the chance to do that, she was telling him everything. “Do you remember who your first love was?”
Knowing that wouldn’t be necessary to answer, he let her take a deep breath and clear her throat. “I know who mine was. And it’s been a girl I’ve fallen for. So I couldn’t marry her.”
“Actually”, Eriol said, fondling her hand which she had rested in her lap, “there are certain countries where it’s allowed.”
She shook her head. “Not when the other one is already married. And in love. How could you ruin your lover’s smiling? That’d hurt even more.”
“Sure.” Taken aback by her generous kind of love, he couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Anyway,” said Tomoyo, beaming at him again, “how’s your love life been?”
“That is quite a change of the subject.”
“Not really. Tell me you’ve had it better than me.” She gestured wildly around. “There were no boys – and no girls – that had let me film them in cute costumes. It’s so sad.”
“There weren’t any girls – nor boys – that had let me film them in cute costumes either.”
“Hmm, yeah, they seem to be died off.” She now was pointing at a cat near the shrine’s entrance. “I tried with animals, and they’re cute, oh you should’ve seen the baby cats in Sakura’s first Valentine dress.” She sighed. “But it’s not the same.”
He had a hard time imagining Valentine dresses for a cat’s little ones. “Well, and I also had no other girls or boys. Kaho left to meet her, er, family. She’s written me letters, seems like she needed her time to find the right way. Now she’s staying with them.”
“And you’ve been all alone? Isn’t that kind of distressing?”
“I’m used to being alone.”
“You’ve never felt lonely?”
“Oh yes I did, but I also felt lonely when I had plenty of others around me.”
Tomoyo nodded in agreement. She suddenly leapt on her feet, cheering at the top of her voice. “Sakura! Here we are! I’ve fetched your visitoooor!”
“Huh, what do you mean… Eriol!” Sakura also cheered, so they were sounding like twenty not two girls. “I’m so sorry, Syaoran didn’t wake me up. Maybe he did so on purpose, hmm”, she hummed quietly. “I may ask him later.” She shrugged, clapping her hands together.
“H-hello”, he said, looking rather blank.
“Why don’t we go for a chocolate cake? There’s a lovely coffee shop nearby.”
*
It wasn’t exactly lovely, Eriol thought when they entered the coffee shop named “Puffy’s Pub”, which weren’t anything but a vast pink room, decorated with little bare angels. Why it was named a pub, he couldn’t figure out. He would have rather called it “The Enormous Not-Pub Of Puffy, Overtaken By The Angels”, or something along those lines.
Tomoyo led them to a table at the far end of the shop. She was also the first one who sat down, opened the menu and immersed herself in it. It seemed like a good idea to wait before speaking to her again, so Eriol whispered to Sakura, “She loves this shop, right?”
Sakura chuckled softly. “Let’s say she has a thing for sweets.”
When Tomoyo finally had chosen her drink (cherry-flavoured, of course), Sakura was still struggling whether she should take the pricey banana juice or a cheaper one. “Oh, that’s so hard,” said Sakura, the desperation pitching her voice.
“Is it?” he said, already chosen his drink. “I think not. You’ll order them both and we’ll share them. Okay?”
“Hmm, but you should have your own.”
“I’m your guest. Please let me share a drink or two with you,” Eriol said, smiling his ‘better don’t argue’ smile. Without waiting for another reply he called the waitress.
It was a young girl with dyed hair. The top of her head was brown, the rest blond. She seemed a little apathetic, chewing her bubblegum with her mouth gaping wide open. “Yeah, whatever?”
“Uh, we would like to, er,” said Sakura.
“Place an order,” finished Tomoyo. “One cherry, one banana, and an apple.”
“Sorry, we don’t sell fruit.”
Tomoyo glared at her. “Well, you do. They’re just rather liquid.”
The waitress stopped her chewing for a moment and glared back. But she didn’t stand a chance against Tomoyo’s following polite smile which was imitated by Eriol. Sakura sat between them, bemused and looking around for help. Some people were already staring.
“Okay,” said the waitress at last, “banana, cherry, apple.”
“Angels all around, so the waitresses can be devils.” Tomoyo snickered.
“Maybe she’s just a bit tired,” said Sakura, still curious. “I mean, she’s probably working hard.”
“Ohohoho! Not as hard as Card Captor Sakura!!”
“Hush now!”
“Oh, come on. They’ll think it’s an anime we’re talking about. Not that you weren’t pretty enough for an anime girl.”
Sakura flushed and hid behind her menu. “Tomoyo!”
“Eriol, what do you think? Isn’t she as beautiful as, say, Sailor Moon?”
“She’s way more beautiful!”
“You two,” Sakura said with a sigh. “You’d be a good team.”
As if trapped, Tomoyo looked down at the table. Even Eriol felt his blood rush to his face. Afraid he’d stammer if he said anything he stayed quiet till the waitress returned with their drinks. He took the ‘Apple Frottle’, whatever that should mean, which was shimmering brightly yellowish.
It didn’t smell like apples but after his first sip he felt his tongue was overwhelmed with the taste of apples Snow White’s stepmother would have appreciated.
“There’s a cherry, look, Sakura!” Tomoyo snatched the cherry on top of her drink and showed it to Sakura and Eriol as if it were some kind of treasure.
“Fantastic!” Where Sakura looked puzzled again, Eriol simply smiled and patted the cherry in Tomoyo’s hand who pulled it away immediately. Was it because he had touched her palm when he’d reached out for the cherry?
Sakura, meanwhile, pouted. “What’s on with you? Fever means you should take a day off.”
“I’m not feeling ill,” said Tomoyo. She was now eating the cherry, but rather nibbled at it than eating it in the whole. “And I’m sure Eriol also. Or do you?”
“No, I’m perfectly fine. I never felt better in my life.” And that was absolutely true. He’d never felt as healthy as he did that particular moment. As Sakura didn’t seem to believe him in the first place, he beamed. “I’m okay, I swear.”
Sakura nodded, finally convinced Eriol wasn’t going to die today, and eyed Tomoyo suspiciously.
“I swear I’m just as fine.” She wasn’t all that convincing. “Sakura, believe me. The only time I felt better was when I filmed you in the dresses I’d made for you.”
“It’s been ages since I’ve worn one.” Sakura sighed, probably thinking back when she’d last worn a dress that was sewed by Tomoyo.
“What’s your job now anyway?” said Eriol as a try to break the upcoming silence.
Tomoyo was delighted by this question, it seemed, as her eyes were shining with pleasure. “Of course I’m a fashion designer!”
“Haha, I thought so.” He was taking another sip of his weird looking drink. “Just for girls?”
“No, actually it’s for everyone. It’s not been released outside of Asia, but it’s pretty popular in Taiwan already.”
“Is there something that might fit me?” Eriol asked, hiding his superstition for Taiwan perfectly well. When he’d been there he just had had bad luck with everything. He wasn’t longing to remember how it was when you slept in the same bed with an oversized unknown animal. He’d tried to count its legs various times but in the end it was moving to fast around the corners of the smallest room he’d ever seen.
Sakura sipped on her juice, nodding before Tomoyo could do it. “Yes, the last collection had some fabulous dark blue cloaks. I’m sure you’d look gorgeous.”
“Yes, yes! Let’s try that, later!” Tomoyo agreed with her, sipping on her own drink. “I could sew some moons and stars on the robe. Just tiny bits,” she said immediate when she saw the irritated look on Eriol’s face. He wasn’t a kid anymore, nor was she. “It’ll look elegant eventually.”
“Hmm, we’ll see. If I really like that cloak, can I buy it then?”
Tomoyo shrieked joyfully. “Oh, of course! It’d be a pleasure to have someone like you wearing my latest fashion!”
“Does she think I’m famous?” he said to Sakura who shrugged.
“Well, at least you’re very handsome. People will recognise you instead of some kiddo that wears my shiny new collection. Not that they don’t look super-cute, but they’re a rather bad advertise. Mommies tend to buy cheap stuff because children grow so fast.”
“I see!” said Eriol, impressed by Tomoyo’s advertising skills. “Do I earn something if I accept to be your walking ad?”
“Hmm, you have enough money, but if there’s something else you’d like to have that I’m able to give you – sure!”
The first thought that popped up in his mind disturbed him. He couldn’t say that out loud, but he could not think of anything else he wished for.
“It can be anything!” said Tomoyo, nodding earnestly. “Just tell me.”
“I haven’t had a date since ages,” mumbled Eriol into his drink. He noticed Tomoyo hadn’t understood what he had just said. With the least bit of his usually strong courage he said it without sucking on his glass. “What a about a date? You could show me more places like this, places you like being at.”
Tomoyos jaw dropped. “D-d-d…”
“He said date,” said Sakura, watching her best friend anxiously.
“Date. Me? And you?!”
“Uh, well.” Eriol had just choked a piece of apple. “If it’s insulting for you, you don’t have to.”
He never had seen a person shake her head in such a drastically fast way. “I’d love to!”
Eriol reached out for a napkin and dried the space around his glass, where he had spat bits of his drink before. “I’m pleased to hear that you don’t want to not have me around.”
“I was just a bit … shocked. That’s a very unusual salary.”
“What pays pays,” said Eriol, wondering himself where he’d heard that. The stranger on the ship to Hungary? Yeah, that must have been the one. A terrible old guy, always looking after the little girls that were playing tag. “A day with you, I reckon, pays very good for being an ad.”
“I will do my best!”
“Don’t. I prefer you as you are, not you as someone that tries to be a good salary.”
“What a charming boy you are.”
He laughed quietly. Was he really charming? “If you say it more often, I’ll believe it myself eventually.”
“I should try that on Syaoran. Maybe he’ll be calmer if I’m telling him that he is,” said Sakura gravely.
Eriol shook his head in disbelief. “He didn’t change, then?”
“Not at all!” said Tomoyo, sipping the last bit of her drink by taking the glass to her mouth instead of sucking it through the drinking straw. “Ah, that was good. Well, we all didn’t change that much, or did we?”
“Hm.” Eriol nodded tentatively. Maybe the change wasn’t so obvious to themselves, but Sakura and Tomoyo were different from the kids he’d known years ago. Sakura was even stronger and finally settled-down, but she was still the good girl. He couldn’t say anything about Tomoyo, he hadn’t had much time with her back then.
“Everyone drunken now?” Tomoyo beamed at Sakura and him, waking him from his daydreams.
“I’m sure you don’t mean it like that.” Sakura sighed and stood up. She was looking for the waitress, but it seemed she was gone … or hid. “Oh, where is she!?”
“WE WANT TO PA-A-A-Y!” yelled Tomoyo, also standing now and waving with her arms. She winked at Eriol who was looking as puzzled as Sakura had when he had revealed who he really was. Yet, Tomoyo’s plan worked – the waitress walked to them, taking her time and looking grumpy. Sakura made sure she and Tomoyo couldn’t start a fight by paying her immediately.
“Sakura! Now that it was going to get funny…”
“F-funny? I don’t know if the girl thought it was funny.”
“Of course she did. What do you think, Eriol?”
He smiled at her. “Well…”
“He thinks so, too, you see!” Tomoyo claimed.
And Eriol anticipated the upcoming date more each second.
