SUMMARY: Sakura and Syaoran's child, Mamoru, has been assigned various paintings by his preschool teacher for an art-show they'll put out to the parents. He's been told to paint of things he observes in his life every day. What will he reveal when he finally unveils the masterpieces to his parents and their closest friends?
This is going to be a collection of one shot of Sakura and Syaoran dealing with their young son in very different situations. I'm thinking that it will actually stay true to the anime, and not be in AU territory. With that said, the cards exist, and Mamoru is being schooled to control his magical powers. He has inherited both of the magical predilections of his parents.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Card Captor Sakura characters... everything else is mine. I got the idea from a commercial I saw on television, but only the underlying idea is used here.
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Highest Bidder
Chapter 1: Arts and Crafts
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The groans filtered through the haze of sleep in Sakura's ears. Her hands moved from side to side, hitting the male body that was currently moving at high speed. A burst of laughter soon filled the room, happy barks from the exited dogs mingling within the sounds.
"Stop. Dad!" the shrill cry, bordering with loud giggling brought Sakura out of her slumber.
The mattress moved restlessly as Syaoran wrestled the small bundle that struggled against his arms as his fingers tickled the sides of the small body. Sakura rubbed her eyes, noticing that the dogs were watching in such a way that meant that they would soon join the fray of action that was playing over the huge bed.
"Do you surrender?" Syaoran asked the still struggling bundle.
"Yes!" His hold slackened the spent body of the young male resting against his father. "No fair," the low reprimand was still heard as the dogs happily sprinted onto the bed, their huge paws landing over their figures.
"Down, stop." They merely pranced to corners and settled in, their tails wagging. Sakura just laid her head against Syaoran's shoulder as she tried to regain some of the sanity that her mornings seemed to lack.
"Morning mom," Mamoru, their five year old son greeted, a smile ready on his face, his small hand enveloping the wide girth of his father's forearms.
"Good morning," Sakura smiled at the picture her son and husband made. He was a carbon copy of his father. His light brown hair kept darkening in color as time passed, the light blond tresses he had been born with now completely gone from his scalp. She had tried many things to subdue its prevalence toward growing in bangs and falling all over his face, but the war had been both waged and lost.
"Did you have any good dreams my little wolf?" Sakura reached over for him, taking him from Syaoran's arms and setting him over her lap. Syaoran promptly stretched, vacating the bed as he reached for his discarded shorts. Syaoran had a predilection for sleeping in the nude, and it seemingly did not bother the small child in the least.
Sakura on the other hand had never managed to spend more than a few hours without any clothing, even on the hottest nights. It may be that she was a tad conservative when it came to her body, or just the fact that she was sure Mamoru would come storming into their room in the middle of the night because he'd had a bad dream. It was one thing for the growing boy to see his father's unclad body which resembled his own; while quite another if he saw hers.
Many things changed when you had a small child to care for. They had already passed the stage of night runs and urination; at least it wasn't a frequent occurrence for the time being. Her little boy was growing up.
"I can't remember," he truthfully answered, his hands reaching to pet the dogs that approached their moving bodies.
"That's normal," she soothed, her hands settling against his back, rubbing the muscles that coated his light and slender frame. "Did something wake you up? Or is this just a special occasion?" Sakura reached for the watch that she had placed over the nightstand as the shower started running inside the bathroom.
"I just wasn't sleepy anymore," Mamoru heavily petted the dogs, their tongues lolling happily out of their mouths. Sakura sighed heavily, her own hands reaching for the comfort the pets provided to her lively mornings.
"Alright."
They settled into a comfortable silence that remained in duration until Syaoran emerged once again from his mornings abolitions. He grinned sheepishly as he picked up his son from his mother's arms and carried him toward the kitchen.
"What do you want for breakfast?"
"I want bacon," Mamoru grinned at his father as he crawled toward his back and his father held his legs as they came around his waist.
"Just bacon?"
"And pancakes. Some eggs. Fritters and orange juice." Syaoran laughed as his son continued to list the items he wanted to eat. The list kept increasing as he opened the refrigerator door to see what was available to cook.
"I don't think you can fit all that food into your stomach," Syaoran's hands wandered toward the aforementioned body portion, his fingers tickling the surface. "Especially since we'll be going to Uncle Eriol's house for dinner."
"That's right," somehow his face seemed brighter. "I like to eat Uncle Eriol's food. He's a great cook."
"Should I be jealous?"
"You're a good cook too dad," Mamoru quickly tried to reassure his father. Syaoran settled his jaw against the crown of his son's hair as he hugged his father fiercely. It was the greatest thing anyone could have in his life. This unconditional love was the greatest feeling he'd ever had in his life.
"So what's for breakfast this wonderful Sunday morning?" Sakura entered the kitchen, watching Syaoran make little trips from the fridge toward the counter. It was hard to transport food while having a 70 pound breathing person attached to your hip.
"Well, I have a request for everything under the moon." Syaoran could feel Mamoru scowling against his t-shirt.
"Are you guys going to practice this morning?" Sakura asked as she grabbed her son from his father's side and placed him on his seat. Syaoran took the chance of his newfound freedom and grabbed a couple of the needed pants to feed his awaiting family.
Sakura kept herself occupied by reading the newspaper clippings she had collected the previous days. It was good to keep yourself apprised of the events that occurred in your city. Mamoru kept himself sitting demurely, his eyes closed and hands clasped before him at the table. It was a morning ritual for their usual Sundays.
The sizzle of the bacon aroused the barking of the dogs. The bounded into the room, tails wagging and mouths panting as they settled beside Syaoran's moving form. They wanted some of what was being prepared this morning.
Sakura looked toward the dogs. They waited patiently, their attention engrossed in the happenings over the oven. She was a bit confused. They would usually be scratching the door in their kitchen that led toward the backyard, but it wasn't the case.
A suspicion filled her mind. She observed her very calm son. He was doing his morning meditation. And the growling sounds emanating from his stomach was the only thing that betrayed his countenance.
She looked down to her watch, noting that it was barely 9:30 in the morning. They'd been awakened thirty minutes before. And, her son had appeared thoroughly awake when he had come bouncing into their bedroom.
"How long have you been up Mamoru?" Sakura waited for the usual tick between her son's eyes and the betraying perspiration that would soon appear over his brow.
"Some time," he answered, his eyes still closed as he grounded his eyes together. It was a telling sign as far as she was concerned.
"How much time is some time?" She knew that if she wanted a clear answer, she would have to ask some direct questions.
"Around three hours," he finally answered some minutes later.
"Why ever for?" Sakura extended her hand, her fingers lingering over the now clearly visible dark spots under Mamoru's eyes. His eyelids were also drooping like. She brushed away some of the bangs that fell over his eyes, scrapping her chair closer to his so that he could lean into her side.
"I wanted to finish my drawing," his voice was barely clear as it filtered against his mother's side. Mamoru leaned against his mother, the smell he associated with her presence filtering into his breathing. That smell always managed to tire him. It was the smell of sleep to him.
"I thought you'd already done the three required pieces?" Syaoran settled many of his finished plates on the table, placing a morning kiss over his wife's lips. They may have been awakened together, but they hadn't been able to greet the new morning together.
"I wanted to finish most of the details." Syaoran motioned to his son's reddening of his cheeks. Sakura let her knuckles rest over his cheeks as Mamoru tried to move away from his mother's embrace and place a piece of toast inside his hungering mouth.
"You're going to be showing your painting to your uncle," Syaoran winked to his wife as he continued on. "Reika will also be there with her parents, won't she?"
"I seem to remember Chiharu telling me that she'd been invited and accepted. It seems that Reika had been adamant in attending the unveiling of Mamoru's work."
Sakura couldn't help but draw parallels in her son's reaction to what she could remember from her own school years. Her son could be five years younger than what Syaoran had been at the time she had met him, but she was sure that he reacted the same way his father had those years before.
"How has Reika been handling her transfer?" The parents asked, opening a can of questions and answers that succeeded in bringing their son's attention from his tired mumblings. It was going to be a memorable afternoon.
"So I hear we have a budding Picasso in our midst's," Eriol announced the gathering guests as they vacated the dining hall. It had been a wonderful quiet dinner of reminiscing for the old friends. He had a usual weekend dinner with his cousin and Sakura, but getting together with Takashi and Chiharu was quite a coop for him.
"Well," Syaoran prodded his son forward, ruffling his hair as they walked side by side toward the sitting room. "I don't know about that. But Mamoru has been spending quite a lot of effort into this project."
"He hasn't showed our class what he's been working on," Reika announced, a bit miffed as she sat quietly beside her best friend whom she had invited to spend this afternoon visit.
"I don't think they're that great." Mamoru muttered to himself as he approached the bag he had placed in the room earlier. He'd promised his uncle Eriol that he would show him his work before he had to turn them in, and that was the only reason as to why he was actually showing this in front of an audience.
"He seems to be very shy," Reika's friend whispered to her friend as she watched the boy nervously removing five canvas' papers that were covered by a thin fabric.
"He doesn't like to be criticized," Reika whispered back. "It's quite different."
Mamoru cleared his throat; trying to clear out the huge ball of nerves he could feel stuck in his breathing track. He took out the tacks he had been provided by his father, who had set the wide cardboard board on one of the walls so that he could pin up his pictures.
The adults managed to suppress their grins as he placed the first picture for all to see.
"This is my grandmother's house," Mamoru pointed out the straight lines and the red hazed color of the windowpanes that filled each room of the structure. It was quite striking to see the reflections the sun's rays revealed as the day ticked by. "I mainly kept the details down to the figurines that were etched onto the glass on the window glass. His fingers wandered toward the crude outline of a dragon he had tried to replicate from a picture he had stood studying for hours in the past week.
"That's wonderful detail," Sakura pointed out as she recalled the intricate figures she had marveled at the last visit she had placed at her mother-in-laws' residence. Mamoru had spent most of his time staring at the light show that the sun played around with after midday.
Eriol walked toward his nephew. He placed a hand over his shoulder in reassurance. "I've only been there a couple of times and this is a precise replica of what it looks like."
He reached for the second sheet of paper and pinned it to the top. It presented one of the many fountains that were scattered in Tomoyo Daidouji's house. The huge mansion had a great number of flowers and fauna slithered through the walkways and driveways that surrounded the great estate.
"This is the rising moon statue isn't it?" Eriol leaned toward the small but greatly represented drawing. "That's why you asked me for a drawing of that fountain." Eriol smiled as he recalled the occasion. Mamoru had pulled him aside the Sunday before when he had dined with their family. He hadn't told him the reason, just to get it to him as soon as he could.
"You studied my detail representation, didn't you?" His eyes could follow the same shading techniques he had used to give the drawing a third dimension feel to it. Mamoru had great eye for detail as well it seemed. Everything else was still a bit sloppy on the side, but he had mostly tried to ascertain that the statue would be the draw to the painting.
"That was great," Sakura hugged her son from behind, whispering her praise to the blushing boy.
"Let's see the third one," Reika urged him. She was quite impressed with what Mamoru had been working on the past two weeks. His work would most likely be showcased in the school's entrance board. Still, there was a part of her that couldn't help but feel a bit envious. She had chosen very simple things to represent in her own work.
"Yes," her friend closely seconded.
"I'm not really good with people," Mamoru warned as he kept the paper against his body. "I decided to make this one last night," he apologetically grinned toward Sakura. She now knew why he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.
"I got the furniture and room right, I think." Mamoru quickly pinned the drawing and drew to the side.
The room grew silent. Reika and her friend moved closer to actually understand what was being shown. They moved their head's from side to side in different angles. "What is that?"
"My parents," Mamoru looked to his parent's reactions.
"I think you need to lock your doors," Eriol quickly commented as Syaoran and Sakura booth reached for the drawing at the same time.
"What are they doing?" The kids remained oblivious to the adult's snickering.
"It looked like they were playing on the sofa," Mamoru tried to explain as he remembered how he had stumbled onto the situation. "My father tickles me when he wrestles me. Mom was smiling and doing it to him too."
"I think we'll keep this one for our own private viewing." Sakura folded the black and white drawing and placed it inside the bag.
"Grownups are weird, aren't they?" Reika said to her friend and Mamoru as they saw their expressions.
Mamoru felt a bit miffed that his parents hadn't like his representation of them, but it wasn't the first time he'd been confused by their reaction. "You can say that again."
"It's going to take a bit of bribing to get out of this one," Syaoran whispered to Sakura as his son's refusal to part with the drawing quickly started.
"I think that as long as the price is high enough we'll be able to get the result," Sakura told her husband as she pinned the third drawing Mamoru had completed two days before.
"I'm going to have to go for broke." Syaoran sighed heavily. You had to be on your toes when you had a little kid. Still, he couldn't help but ruffle his son's hair as his inquiring eyes narrowed into his father's.
The battle lines were drawn.
XOXO
For those who didn't understand it, Mamoru had captured a moment of their parent's kissing and touching while they rested in the living room.
This will be comprised of a series of one-shots that will progress with the years and different situations in their family life. Therefore, the story is completed with each chapter that is posted... I'll probably take it all the way until Mamoru's into his teens.
Thank you for reading… review button is here
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