| The Costumes Hiiragizawa Eriol found himself drawn to a long, black cloak with a large star embroidered in the face of the material. He stared at it, blinking blankly. Funny, he had one just like it at home. He turned to glance over his shoulder as a squeal cut the air. "SUPPI-CHAN!" shrieked a high-pitched voice. "Stop CALLING me that!" thundered back a second voice. Eriol looked from the first speaker, a young looking woman with long brown hair, to the second speaker. A cat. Spinel Sun's fur was standing straight up off his tiny body, claws extended and digging into the bench. Before him stood Akizuki Nakuru, eyes blazing. "If you so much as even THINK about swiping at me again I will rip off EACH and EVERY claw from your teeny little paws-" Nakuru growled furiously and now that Eriol took a closer look he saw a thin scratch upon her cheek. Spinel Sun hissed just as angrily, eyes flashing. "Sumimasen..." said a store attendant, smiling cautiously at Nakuru, hands clasped to her chest. "Perhaps I may be of service?" Nakuru and Spinel Sun both turned their heads to look at her slowly. And then Nakuru straightened, stiffening. "Can't you see I'm having a CONVERSATION here?" she yelled, motioning toward Spinel Sun. "For ONCE I would like to have a normal conversation with my PET-" Spinel Sun growled, the sound rumbling through his small form. The store attendant lifted her hands as a sign of peace. "Of course, ma'am." She apologized, looking flustered. And she turned around, quickly walking off. "The nerve!" Nakuru fumed. And she turned her attention to Spinel Sun once more. "We're not through here." Eriol finally wandered over, letting his fingers trail through the costumes in the store, soft and coarse material sliding through his grasp. "What's the problem now?" he asked, not that he really cared. "Suppi-chan scratched me!" Nakuru cried instantly. "Ask her why!" Spinel Sun demanded, fur rising once more. Eriol looked at Nakuru, eyebrows rising questioningly. There had to have been a good reason to have gotten Spinel Sun as worked up as he was. Nakuru was a natural pain in the ass but never to the point that Spinel Sun would attack her. Nakuru held up a costume wrapped up in plastic. "I thought he could wear this to Tomoyo-chan's party." She said innocently. At the sight of it Spinel Sun screeched, hopping off the bench and onto Eriol's shoulder, hiding along his neck. Eriol leaned forward, peering at the costume over his thin-framed glasses. "What...IS that?" he asked slowly. Nakuru smiled, practically blinding him. "It's a Three Little Pigs costume. He can be Sneezy, or Bashful. Or Horny. Or whatever their names were..." she turned the costume so that she could admire it and she sighed, looking as if she had found the Holy Grail. Eriol stared at her in complete and utter confusion. "The Seven Dwarves?" he asked succinctly. Nakuru threw the exact same look right back at him. "Didn't I just say Three Little Pigs?" she asked, feigning sweetness. Spinel Sun gave him a knowing look as he turned his head toward him slightly. Nakuru hummed to herself, studying the costume. "Your descendant can be the Big Bad Wolf." She said a moment later, motioning toward another costume stored in plastic. She reached out and deftly plucked it off the hanger, gazing at it. "Or maybe not even Three Little Pigs. Maybe we can find a Stinky Cheese Man costume in this store..." and she turned, wandering off with both costumes in hand. Spinel Sun hesitated a long moment before asking, "Did she mean the Gingerbread Man?" Eriol was too busy smiling. "How perfect that Xiao Lang would be the Big Bad Wolf..." he murmured, falling into step behind Nakuru. "Syaoran..." Spinel Sun corrected him. Syaoran looked around, eyes coming to rest on a clock hanging on the wall. She was ten minutes late and he had precious little time. Once Meilin got out of the closet she would be not only furious but no doubt in search of him. He bit his lip, looking around once more. Where WAS she? "Syaoran!" He whirled to see Sakura rushing toward him, an apologetic look on her face. "Gomen ne, Syaoran! I got stuck at home cleaning up after oni-chan!" she caught up to him and paused to inhale deeply. Syaoran took hold of her hand, scanning the mall. "Daidouji-san?" he asked instantly. Sakura continued to gasp but she motioned over toward an electronics store. "She checking out the latest models from her mother's company." She managed to wheeze out. "I think she may be there-" Syaoran hauled her along, heading toward the costume store. "...a while..." They took a turn through the doors and looked around. The store was crammed full of every type of costume, from the simple to the exotic. And Syaoran found himself looking at leather and whips as soon as he paused. BAD me. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD... Sakura squealed and wormed out of his grasp to skip over to a rack of costumes. "Look, Syaoran!" she cried and she pulled on a perfectly decent Angel costume. "Isn't it pretty?" Syaoran wandered over and examined it. She could look like that if she called on Fly, he told himself. He pulled on the costume right next to it, a low cut She-Devil one. "I think this is better..." he replied absentmindedly, wondering what she would look like in it. Sakura gave him a sympathetic smile, her hair squeezing out a sweat drop. "Oh, really?" "Or maybe this one..." Syaoran murmured and he pulled on a black, pleather looking one labeled DOMINATRIX. "How about I sell you a nice BIG robe and let you live?" a cold voice said from behind and they both turned to the newcomer. Syaoran's face went blue as Kinomoto Touya glared at him. Touya lifted a hand to the costume Syaoran still held and then his eyes shifted toward him once more. "I really hope this was going to be YOUR costume..." he growled quietly. "Oni-chan? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, obviously not noticing the awkwardness and fear slicing through the atmosphere. She motioned toward the Angel costume once more, "Isn't this pretty?" "I'm working." Touya answered in response to her first question. He snatched the costume out of Syaoran's grip, placing it back on the rack. "And yes, it's pretty. Now go home." Sakura looked at him, blinking wide eyes. "Hoe?" Syaoran was already halfway through turning to march out. But Sakura took hold of his arm, yanking him back. "I need to SHOP!" she said firmly. "Tomoyo-chan's party is-" "THERE you are!" Tomoyo's voice came from the door. "It wasn't nice AT ALL to leave me in there." And they looked toward the front to see Tomoyo standing there laden with boxes. "You know how the sales clerks get when they see me!" Touya turned away, walking off without another word. Syaoran allowed a breath to escape him finally as Sakura rushed over to help Tomoyo. Perhaps they should have tried another store... "SYAORAN!" screeched another very familiar voice and he instantly hit the ground, expecting bombs and missiles. "Syaoran?" Sakura asked, baffled. She walked over to him, setting down one of Tomoyo's shopping bags and hauling him to his feet. "You'll dirty your shirt like that-" A moment later Syaoran had a growth on his back as someone launched herself at him, embracing him. "Syaoran! That was so much fun! But don't forget that next time we play hide and seek, you have to FIND me after counting..." Sakura smiled cheerfully at Li Meilin as she hung on to Syaoran happily. "Konnichi wa, Meilin. How have you been?" She said sincerely. Meilin cast her a quick glare. "Konnichi wa, Kinomoto-san." She murmured under her breath and she released Syaoran only enough to loop both her arms through his. "Meilin..." Syaoran groaned. He could have sworn he had locked the door after discovering her hiding place in the closet. Tomoyo finally got a grip on all her things. "What are we here for?" she asked, wandering over toward them. "Looking for costumes for your party." Sakura said brightly and Syaoran stiffened. "Party?" Meilin echoed, looking at Syaoran with big eyes. Tomoyo smiled, tilting her head. "I'm having a party. A costume party. You're welcome to come." She said. Meilin nodded instantly, grip tightening on Syaoran. A happy squeal cut through the silence of the store. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Touya-KUN!" The group turned to see Touya wheezing for a breath as Nakuru launched herself at him, hugging his neck from behind. "So THIS is where you keep yourself!" she shrieked shrilly. Eriol was watching the scene with his usual simple, 'I'll-let-you-get-away-with-it-just-this-once, only-because-I-rule-the-WORLD' smile. On his shoulder perched Spinel Sun, a sweat drop ready to drip right off his tiny head. Sakura smiled widely and skipped on over, pausing beside Eriol. "Eriol-kun! Here shopping for a costume?" she asked. Eriol looked at her, surprised, and then upon realizing it was her he nodded cheerfully. "Hai. I have no idea what to go as so I'm waiting to see how Nakuru and Spinel Sun come out." He motioned. Sakura nodded as Meilin came up dragging Syaoran. Eriol looked at her, eyebrows lifting when he didn't recognize her. "This is Li Meilin." Sakura said, officially taking it upon herself to introduce them. "She's Syaoran's cousin." "And fiancée." Meilin put in immediately, tightening her grip on Syaoran as she glared at Sakura once more. Eriol looked from Meilin to Sakura, who seemed oblivious. And he smiled slowly, a truly innocent smile. "Fiancée? How interesting..." Syaoran leveled a glare at him from his spot. He HATED that look Eriol got. It meant he was about to have a little fun. A little fun being perhaps Armageddon arriving early. "Well, since I've been invited I'm going to look for a costume over there. Come, Syaoran!" Meilin stated and she wandered off happily, dragging Syaoran behind her like a little puppy. "But, I was supposed to help Sakura-" "None of that! We need matching costumes and I made dinner, too! Wei put out the fire but the food is still edible and I made it with ALL my love so let's hurry!" The two of them went off to search the store. Eriol looked at Sakura, the same small smile on his face. "Fiancee?" he asked again and he glanced at Tomoyo. Sakura nodded. "Um-hmm." She murmured. And she looked around, scanning the racks. "Back to costume hunting!" "I already have mine." Nakuru said, coming back over. Behind her Touya was on the floor, unconscious. Sakura barely spared it a glance. "What are you going to be?" she asked Nakuru. "My costume is home. You'll see it the day of the party." And she smiled, beaming, hands clasping behind her back. "At home?" Spinel Sun sat up on Eriol's shoulder with a frown on his tiny, blue face. Then he blinked, expression becoming blank. "Oh, wait, I know what you're talking about..." "Mine is home as well, then." Eriol said after a moment of silence. Sakura looked sad. "Oooh...I was hoping I could shop with you all and find something. What will ~I~ be wearing then?" she asked, coming as close to possible as wailing. Tomoyo suddenly lifted a costume on a hanger, hopping up. Sakura looked at it and fell over, rocking the ground. "T...Tomoyo-chan!" Eriol leaned forward, light reflecting off his glasses and he examined the costume. A second later he lifted dark eyes to Tomoyo and blinked owlishly. "I see..." he murmured thoughtfully. Nakuru took the costume, trailing her fingers over the black material. "Is this leather?" she asked quizzically. "Pleather." Tomoyo smiled sweetly. "And look, the whip can be attached as a tail..." "How is this?" Meilin asked, holding the She-Devil up her body and turning to face him. Syaoran was looking back over towards Sakura and the group. "Hmm, nice..." he mumbled and he squinted, still facing their direction. "SYAORAN!" a punch caught him upside the head, sending him flying. He landed with a thump and immediately sat up, waving a fist at her. "OI, MEILIN!" he roared at her. And then he paused as she motioned with the costume again, tilting his head to get a better look. "Hmm...not bad..." Meilin jumped happily and rushed over to the counter, throwing down money. "Great! Now you!" Syaoran shook his head. "I was thinking about it and I'm probably going to go in my robes." He said with a shrug. Meilin looked at him distastefully. "The robes?" He nodded. "C'mon. Let's join the group again-" he turned to march right back over but she caught him by the collar and pulled him back. "No! We're going home." She stated and she stood on tiptoe to wave. "We're going home! Ja ne!" she called cheerfully to the group and she turned, dragging Syaoran off. "Hey!" "Tomoyo-chan, what about you?" Sakura asked as she paid for her costume. She tried to act nonchalant but she knew that Tomoyo was watching her and making sure she was buying the costume. Maybe if she could distract Tomoyo-chan long enough she could make a run for it and lie that she had dropped the costume on the way home... Tomoyo snatched the costume as she finished paying. "I'LL hold it for you." She said smiling a bit maniacally. Sakura feigned gratefulness. "A-Arigato..." Tomoyo added the bag to her boxes and lifted them all easily. Sakura's jaw hit the floor and she politely lifted it back up and set it into place once more. "My costume is at home, halfway done." She said with a shrug. Eriol smiled at them as they looked at him. "Spinel Sun and I will be going home soon." He said, motioning to his shoulder, "We just need to finish shopping for Nakuru-" He paused at the looks Tomoyo and Sakura gave him. "What is it?" he asked. Sakura motioned to his shoulder slowly. Eriol looked over and realized right then and there that his shoulder was bare of Cat. "Spinel Sun..." A cat screeched from the back of the store, drawing their attention. Behind a circular rack of hanging clothes, Nakuru's hair was visible as were some of her movements. Puffs of black fur were flying, floating through the air around her and after a moment she shrieked happily and lifted what seemed to be a chicken bare of feathers between her hands. "Suppi-chan can go as a PLUCKED KITTY!" |
| All images and works done/altered by ShiNoFuriko and TasogareBan. Please do not steal and always give credit to where it is due. |