http://clampfix.fanworks.net/ccs-fix/btth2.txt </head><body><pre>*cackles* Syaoran: >_<;;;;; Better Than The Hedgehog Part Two A CCS Fanfic by Suppi no Miko Contains Boys Hitting On Other Boys. ^^ Standard Wossnames Apply. ---------------------------------- Sakura and Syaoran were finding more books to go through. Sakura was still humming beneath her breath, and Syaoran was still scowling. He didn't know what Eriol was up to, but just this one time, he was determined to not let him get away with it. He looked over to where Eriol and Tomoyo were still sitting. Eriol had leaned close to Tomoyo and was apparently telling or asking her something; she was nodding rapidly. She looked over and smiled sweetly at him, and Syaoran felt a cold chill run down his spine. ----------------------------------- Nakuru clawed her way back up to her feet. "But -- but the Hedgehog Incident was BRILLIANT. It took him a month and a half to plan and carry out!" Spinel nodded. "He's got about three weeks to pull this one off." "Wow." said Nakuru. "And he thinks he can do it?" "We've got most of the stuff already here, and he thinks he can get some help elsewhere if he pulls the right strings." Spinel eyed the stacks of boxes. "Assuming we can find the things in here." Nakuru tapped a long finger against her chin. "I wonder..." "Probably," said Spinel, who knew Nakuru's thought processes, "If you talked them into it." Nakuru threw up her arms and cheered. "I'll help you go through this junk!" "Put on something that ISN'T white, first," said Spinel, looking at her dress again. "Eriol'll never get dust stains out of that thing." Nakuru scampered upstairs. ----------------------------------- Syaoran had two horrible feelings. One, that there was something going on that he didn't know about. He didn't know why he had that feeling. It was a combination of little things, like Sakura jumping guiltily when she saw him, and Kero smirking importantly. Tomoyo acted the same as usual, but Tomoyo was perfectly capable of acting normally while hiding a machine gun behind her back. He couldn't give it his full attention, though, because of the second thing. The second, and more horrible feeling was that Eriol was stalking him. He did know why he had that feeling. Eriol was constantly around him, standing a little closer than strictly needed, staring at him with the thoughtful, hungry air of a cat surveying the dinner menu and finding excuses to make remarks that seemed perfectly innocent, but carried the aura of something else. And if he managed to flick non-existant fluff off of his shoulder or his hair one more time, Syaoran was going to deck him. What the hell was going on? ---------------------------------- "Do you think we're going to make it?" asked Spinel. Eriol was draped over his throne chair again, throwing the tennis ball against the ceiling, and Spinel was on the back of the couch. "We should," said Eriol. He laughed. "You should have seen the look on my cute relative's face today when I offered him the ball at the gym." "Oh?" said Spinel, batting at a mosquito. "I suppose the fact that I was standing two inches away from him had something to do with it," said Eriol, grinning. "But he looked like he couldn't decide whether he wanted to run away screaming or punch me out." "That doesn't sound like very much fun," observed Spinel, giving up on the mosquito. "What does that American friend of yours say? He looked like a deer caught in a headlight." Eriol chuckled evilly. "And then I managed to grope him again later on, and he looked torn between confusion and wanting to rip my head off." "Are you enjoying yourself, Eriol?" asked Spinel, looking over at him. "Very much," said Eriol, pulling out the Evil Mysterious Look. "And it's only going to get more amusing." ---------------------------------- "I wonder if Mother sent my package yet," said Syaoran, dumping another of pile of books down at the table in the library. "Package?" asked Tomoyo, wide-eyed. She divided the books into four neat stacks and passed two of them to Eriol and Sakura. "It's my birthday next week," he said, trying not to sound piteous. "She always sends me a package." "R-Really?" said Sakura, a trifle too brightly. There was something wrong with the tone of her voice, but she had her head buried in the middle of one of the books already, so he couldn't see her expression. "That's kind of her," murmured Eriol, somehow managing, despite sitting opposite Sakura and next to Tomoyo, to look meltingly into Syaoran's eyes, "To think of you when you're so far away." Syaoran stared into them, half-hypnotized, for a second before shaking his head violently and looking away. There was a muffled thud under the table, and Eriol flinched. Sakura hmphed and went back to reading. ------------------------------------ Eriol rubbed his shin discreetly. Sakura-san had a mean kick when she was irritated. Almost as mean as the way that Tomoyo-san had ground her heel in his foot. ------------------------------------ Despite Syaoran checking his box every few hours the next week, his package didn't come. He didn't want to ask his mother about it when she called on his birthday, and besides, his sisters were doing their usual clawing-the- phone-away-from-each-other so they could squeal in his ear. And then his cousin ripped the phone away from them so she could talk to him -- Meiling had been briefly and violently in love with him when they were kids, and still regarded him somewhat possessively, despite a boyfriend who was apparently a combination of every popular idol and God Almighty Come to Earth -- and so between one thing and another, even if he had wanted to ask, he hadn't had a chance. Sakura didn't call or come over. Tomoyo didn't call or come over. God help him, by three o'clock he was realising that even ERIOL hadn't called or come over, which said something about his mental state. "Happy birthday to me," he growled to the empty apartment at large. The apartment didn't answer him. He sighed and grabbed his keys. If he was going to be alone and forgotten on his birthday, by God he was going to be Alone And Forgotten with a Gallon of Chocolate Chocolate Fudge Swirl and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Possibly with a side of chocolate chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk. Syaoran opened the door -- and found himself nose to nose with Eriol, who was arranged in a pose borrowed, had Syaoran but known, from one of the old movies that comprised Spinel's one, shameful weakness. If it was black and white, had dames in too much lipstick and the words "Here's loiking at you, shweethart" appeared in the script, Spinel had seen it. Even with his sad lack of familiarity with said films, Syaoran could have sworn he heard a saxaphone wail out a riff. "Hi," purred Eriol. Syaoran backed instinctively away. "W-What the hell are you doing here?" Eriol ran a lazy eye over Syaoran, in the best tradition of Spinel's film collection. He lingered thoughtfully over where Syaoran's shoulders filled out his t-shirt, and paid special attention to Syaoran's legs, which, Syaoran sincerely thanked God and his ancestors, were encased in neatly pressed khaki. He took another step back. Eriol shook his head regretfully."Your hair's a bit mussed, but it can't be helped." He tilted his head and shot Syaoran a look beneath his lashes. "I kind of like it....tussled, though." Syaoran backed up another step and looked wildly around for a weapon. Eriol stalked into the room. "Really, Syaoran," he said, "why so shy?" He looked over to where Syaoran's shoes were lined up by the door. "Better get your shoes on." Syaoran's eyes narrowed. "I'm not going anywhere with you," he snapped. "We could just stay here," suggested Eriol, eyes glinting. "I think that would be FUN, don't you? Your place looks so... comfortable..." He reached up and undid the top button of his shirt. Syaoran fairly leaped for his shoes. ----------------------------------- *cackles more* How many people can see where this is going? meg -- "And when a goddess whaps you, baby, you know you been WHAPPED." -- half remembered jazz version of the Trojan War taped by grandfather in 1960's in Palas Verdes. fenya@powertie.org -- http://www.strawberrykisses.com/fenya</pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>