Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Unrequited ❯ Chapter 1

Unrequited

Note: I know some people don't appreciate the E/T romance concept, but let's face it. Tomoyo loves Sakura, but she can't have her. There's only so many people left to turn to, and Eriol just seems so darn NICE. Not to mention they look so much alike that it's adorable.

Summary: Tomoyo and Eriol make an unusual agreement to be a couple. They're supposed to be pretending, but one of them isn't…

"That was delicious!" Sakura declared, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"We should do this more often," Tomoyo said with a smile.

"Well, we would, Daidouji-san, if it wasn't so expensive," Syaoran muttered, glaring at the bill.

"Thank heaven for the genius that invented double dates," Eriol chuckled, slipping his arm around Tomoyo.

Tomoyo leaned into the embrace, placing a light kiss on his cheek.

Sakura smiled at them. <They're so cute together! I'm glad Tomoyo finally found someone.>

"Sakura?" Syaoran asked quietly.

"Hmm? What is it?" Sakura gasped when she realized that he was kneeling in front of her, reaching for something in his pocket. "S-Syaoran-kun?" she asked uncertainly, her heart suddenly beating rapidly.

Syaoran swallowed noisily and brought out the tiny black box. "Sakura-chan…will you be my wife?"

Sakura gasped as she caught sight of the diamond. "Syaoran…it's beautiful…"

"So are you, but that doesn't answer the question," he reminded her with a nervous laugh.

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Of course I will, Syaoran-kun. Now get up here and kiss me."

Syaoran quickly leaped to his feet as Sakura pulled him into a passionate kiss.

Tomoyo sighed and laid her head on Eriol's shoulder. "I was wondering when he'd ask."

Eriol said nothing, but drew her closer.

* * * * *

The night proceeded much like Eriol & Tomoyo expected it would. Sakura was bubbling with excitement over the wedding plans, and Syaoran was just happy-though reserved, as usual-and kept smiling at her when she wasn't looking.

Tomoyo had congratulated them several times, and Eriol had once. After that, he became strangely silent in the limo, but hardly anyone noticed with all the plans being made.

"Of course, you'll be my maid of honor and dress designer, won't you, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked at some point during the ride.

Tomoyo smiled uneasily. "I'd love to, Sakura-chan, but shouldn't Syaoran-kun have a say in that?"

Syaoran shrugged. "I assumed you two worked that out back in forth grade. Besides, picking the maid of honor and dress designer isn't my job."

"So you'll do it, right, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"Well…"

"Please?" Sakura begged, taking her best friend's hands in her own. "For me?"

Tomoyo sighed. She could never refuse Sakura. "Okay. For you."

Sakura beamed and hugged her tightly. "Oh, thank you, Tomoyo-chan!"

Tomoyo smiled and closed her eyes, pressing her face into Sakura's shoulder. "Anything for you, Sakura-chan…"

If Syaoran noticed how long the hug was, he didn't show it. But Eriol did notice, and it only proved to him how close the two young women were. And that, he realized with sudden clarity, would be a real problem in the coming months. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and tried to recall how he'd gotten involved in this mess.

* * * * *

"Eriol-sama?"

Eriol slowly looked up from his writings and smiled. "Yes, Suppi-chan?"

Spinel frowned at the nickname he'd been given (by Nakuru, of course) and sighed. "You have a guest."

"Really? Who?"

"Daidouji-san."

Eriol blinked in surprise. "If this is one of Nakuru's jokes…"

"It is not. She's in the living room. Nakuru let her in, of course." Spinel paused, then added, "She says it's urgent. Daidouji-san does, I mean."

Eriol stood up and slipped on his robe. "Yes, of course. I'm coming."

Spinel landed on his shoulder. "You'd better hurry. I think Nakuru's entertaining her as we speak."

"Truly a terrifying thought," Eriol chuckled as he went downstairs.

Nakuru was in the middle of explaining why Touya was cuter than Yukito when Eriol cleared his throat.

"There you are!" Nakuru said. "I was beginning to think that you weren't coming!"

"Of course I was coming, Nakuru-chan. I would never keep such a lovely guest waiting too long."

Tomoyo blushed slightly as Eriol took her hand and kissed it.

"Let's take this somewhere a bit more private," Eriol suggested.

Tomoyo was about to ask why when she spotted Nakuru with a huge grin on her face. "Yes," she agreed.

Before they could get far, though, Nakuru suddenly sprang forward, snatched Spinel off Eriol's shoulder, and went skipping into the kitchen, ignoring his cries for help.

Eriol sighed and lead Tomoyo to his study, where he closed the door behind them. "Please, make yourself comfortable, Tomoyo-chan."

Tomoyo chose an armchair near the fireplace, while Eriol chose the one across from it. "Eriol-kun…I know this will sound strange, but please, hear me out."

"I'm listening," Eriol replied, leaning forward.

Tomoyo sighed and closed her eyes. "Well…would you mind terribly…pretending to be my boyfriend for a while?"

Eriol blinked, forcing himself not to smile. "Why would you want me to do that, Tomoyo-chan? Surely someone as beautiful as you wouldn't have a problem attracting a boy."

Tomoyo shook her head, totally missing the huge compliment. "No, no; it's not that. I'm not really…interested in boys…"

"But you want people to think you are?"

"Yes. It's really just to keep Sakura from worrying about me. She keeps trying to involve me in her plans with Syaoran, but I can tell they'd rather be alone."

"Are you sure you want to do this, though?" Eriol asked. "And with me?"

Tomoyo smiled at him. "You're the nicest, smartest, most respectable boy I know. You'd be a perfect boyfriend for me…which is why I'm asking you. I'll understand if you don't want to, but honestly, I could never bring myself to ask anyone else."

"I'm…honored, Tomoyo-chan, really…but what about your feelings for Sakura?"

Tomoyo's smile faded. "They're still there, of course. That's another part of the…deception. I know that as she and Syaoran get closer, it'll just get harder for me. I'm going to need someone that cares about me. Someone that can make me feel like I still matter. Someone who can make me forget all my troubles just by smiling at me. That person has always been you, Eriol-kun."

Eriol smiled. "Thank you, Tomoyo-chan. You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that."

Tomoyo smiled hopefully. "So…will you do it?"

"Yes, of course," he said with a nod. "But shouldn't we-"

Tomoyo leaped out of her chair and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much!"

Eriol blushed a bit, then slowly wrapped his arms around her. "Tomoyo-chan, we still need to discuss the terms of this agreement."

"Oh, of course," she agreed, quickly letting go. "How much will I owe you?"

Eriol seemed puzzled. "Owe me? What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't expect you to do this for free. It's a big commitment, and I'm not even sure how long-"

Eriol stood up and pressed a finger to her lips, shaking his head. "You owe me nothing, Tomoyo-chan. Only your continued friendship."

"You…you mean it?" Tomoyo asked, her eyes watering.

"Yes. Just being chosen for such an honor is payment enough."

"Oh, Eriol-kun…" She buried her face against his shoulder.

Eriol gently stroked her long hair. "When I said terms, I didn't mean payment, Tomoyo-chan. I meant how convincing you expect me to be as your boyfriend. I thought you might have some…ground rules."

"Rules?" Tomoyo lifted her head. "Oh! I…guess I never thought about that." Then she smiled. "But I trust you, Eriol-kun. You won't have a problem touching me, will you?"

Eriol chuckled. "Tomoyo-chan, somehow I don't think that will be a problem. But what about kissing?"

"Oh. Right. Um…I forgot about that, too…" She laughed nervously. "This isn't like me at all…"

Eriol took her face in his hands. "If it makes you uncomfortable, we could think of something else."

"No, no…I guess I never thought I'd get this far in our conversation. It's just hard to grasp right now."

"You thought I might refuse you?" Eriol asked.

"No, I didn't think I'd be able to ask."

"Well, if it does bother you, I could limit myself to only kissing your cheek."

Tomoyo shook her head. "That won't be enough, Eriol-kun. I want people to think we're a couple."

"Then…may I…?" He trailed off, letting his eyes ask the question.

Tomoyo swallowed noisily and nodded.

Eriol drew her closer and slowly lowered his lips to hers. As he tasted the soft, warm sweetness of her lips, Eriol tightened his grip on Tomoyo and deepened the kiss. He heard an alarm going off in his head, warning him not to take it too far. Scaring her at that point would've been foolish. He held the kiss for about seven seconds, then carefully pulled away.

Tomoyo's cheeks were bright red, and she looked as if she was having trouble breathing. She was actually trembling.

"Tomoyo-chan?" Eriol asked, giving her hands a gentle squeeze.

She gasped and looked at him. "Y-Yes?"

"Are you all right?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes, yes! I just…I…"

"What is it?"

Tomoyo blushed. "I never knew…you could kiss like that…"

Eriol smiled warmly. "Hmm. Do you think you'll be able to put up with my horrible kisses?"

"Yes…I'll manage." She nodded again, as if convincing herself. "Thank you, Eriol-kun, for…everything. I should…go."

Eriol turned her face to his, kissing the corner of her mouth. "Sayonara, my Tomo-chan."

Tomoyo's cheeks turned scarlet. "Sayonara…Eri-kun." She quickly ran out of the study.

Eriol turned back to the fireplace. "Well. This will be…interesting." He sighed and fell back into his armchair. "Ah, my dear, sweet Tomoyo-chan…if only you knew…"