Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own CCS. CLAMP does, you big silly.
{::::::::::::: Kiss A Dragon… :::::::::::::}by- Raureru
--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--Chapter 1= Only a dream?--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--A pretty girl in a cream-colored coat stood atop the penguin slide. Leaning a soft hand on the plastic crown, she exposed herself to the thick sheets of gentle rain that were constantly falling over the healthy land. It spread its goodness all across Tomoeda, generously renewing the botanical life around her. The trees looked happy seeing as they reached their long, unkept branches toward the sparkling sky water, hoping for a drink, embracing the hazy atmosphere as it wept. The asphalt was covered in a layer of glassy wetness, mirroring the city lights and the minty gray sky. It was indeed a magical sight.
Caught up in the moment, the girl closed her eyes and tilted her head back to meet the rain. It soothingly fell over her cute features. Her skin was lightly tanned, youthful, and clean, not a single blemish was to be found. A soft breeze played with the girl's ruffled brown skirt. Her short auburn hair elegantly twirled in the stormy wind. Her by passers tried to convince themselves she was some kind of mirage, for what were the odds of seeing someone so ethereal standing out and alone in the rain? It was an odd sight and the girl's coat flowing behind her with its cape-like quality made the presence all the more mysterious. Regardless of how many people stared or dropped their umbrellas at the sight of her, she continued to enjoy the refreshing rainwater.
A smile curled up on her face as her eyes flew open to reveal a pair of shocking green orbs. This girl, she was known as---
"Sakura!"
Sakura turned around at the sound of her name. Behind her she saw her friend Tomoyo running toward her, drenched to the bone.
"Tomoyo-chan!" she leaped from the slide and landed firmly on the ground. "What are you doing out here?"
"Me? What about you? You're the one who ran off. Did you forget we had a study date with the girls?"
Sakura's eyes widened, "Hooeeee!!!"
Tomoyo shook her head with a sigh, "So you did forget."
"I completely forgot! How am I ever going to get a good score on that test now?!" eccentric tears were streaming down her face.
"Not to worry. I'm sure we can get some studying done if we hurry to my house."
"You really mean it Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura was getting all starry-eyed.
"Why not?"
"Arigatou! You're an angel!"
Beneath all the dark hair sticking to her face, Tomoyo smiled.
"Wouldn't want to catch a could, would we? We best get going."
"H-hai."
And with that, they started the cold walk home. It seemed like an eternity as the wind chilled their wet bodies. They were still in their short school uniforms after all.
"Tomoyo…"
"Nani?"
"I had that dream again."
"The lucky dream?"
"Hai." That's what they called it. It was a reoccurring dream that Sakura never ceased to have. The dream amazingly had brought her good luck for the past several years. She often grew bored of it, and prayed to dream of something else for a change, but her prayers were never answered. She didn't mind it as much now though. Actually, she was beginning to take a liking to it.
"It hasn't stopped yet?"
"Afraid not. I've wanted it to for so long. Call me crazy, but I'm beginning to think it means something." Visions of the dream replayed in her head.
*Dream*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was raining. Sakura didn't understand why everything was so moist in her dreams. She dwelled in the forest, walking along a narrow dirt path. The watery patches made it extremely hard to walk, let alone stand properly on her feet, which were heavily caked in mud. But then again, it was always hard to move in dreams. Glaring up at the dripping trees, she stumbled over her rounded shoes. The path seemed endless as she walked on.
Her clothing clinged tightly to her skin and she struggled to tear her legs from each other, but she felt somehow that she had to continue down the road… like something was waiting for her… or something needed her. So on went the journey, and she endured many miserable minutes, clumsily slipping from time to time.
Much to Sakura's relief, the road ended… but there was no possible way she could go any further. The musty trees grouped together and formed a tight wall around the oblong shaped patch of earth that was the road's undoing. She began to panic, not having a clue of what to do at this point. Then all the memories of this reoccurring dream hit her. All she had to do now was wait for 'him'.
There was a snort behind her. She wirled around to stare up at the face of a dragon, whose neck towered a good five feet over her. He had small fine scales, a honey color lightly tinted with brown. Underneath his slender figure were four strong legs. The front feet resembled an eagle's talons, while his hind legs looked as if they belonged to a dinosaur: massive and double-jointed, heavy black claws protruding out of six flat toes. His thick chestnut mane ran like a river down past the end of his whip-like tail, where it collected together into an elegant tassel. At his face the mane was rather messy, stray strands of hair stood up on their own whereas the rest fell over his slitted amber eyes. Tucked under the mane were two flexible onyx wings. They fanned out to reveal the glossy transparent webbings. He had a tidy face, the cheekbones of a stallion and a long graceful snout. His large frilled ears were drooping from the rain.
Sakura stood in awe of the wondrous animal. She slowly walked to him, enclosing the little space they had between them. She reached out and gently stroked the back of his smooth neck and ran her fingers through his mane. The dragon flinched at her first touch, but then took kindly to it as he purred. Sakura surrendered a sad smile. Perhaps in her dreams was the only place she'd ever be able to have a dragon of her own.
Much to her surprise, he coiled his neck and lifted Sakura off the ground by the back of her shirt. He gently sat her down on his back, as she gripped onto his broad shoulders, knowing what came next. He ran wildly and readied his wings for takeoff. Finally one good leap into the air and a well placed beat of his wings, and they were off. They broke through the captivating treetops and rocketed towards the blue night sky. It didn't take long for Sakura to notice that the rain had stopped and they were soaring through clean dry air. Her eyes glimmered with delight as she saw the happy lit town of Tomoeda below her. She loved seeing everything at a bird's view, from the green blanket that was the trees to the tiny wandering people who looked as if they were ants.
Without notice, she encircled her arms around the dragon's neck and gave him a big hug. She closed her eyes and sighed happily. She loved being with her dragon. Hers, only hers. Only her-
"Sakura-chan?"
A voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Hoe?" Sakura sweatdropped as she looked over at her confused friend.
"Daijouka, Sakura-chan?"
"Hai, Tomoyo-chan. I just sort of zoned out for a minute there. Eh-he-he."
"You know, I'm worried about you. It was mighty odd seeing you stand out in the rain like that."
"I was out there because….in my dream….it rains……just like it did today….."
"And you were thinking about going into the forest?"
"… to… find my dragon."
"But Sakura-chan, aren't dragons just fairy-tale creatures? I mean, they don't really exist."
"But he felt so real…"
"Dreams often do feel real. So why the sudden interest in your dream? After all these years?" 'All these years' was a sort of an awkward way to put it, on account of they were only thirteen.
"Because, I feel closer to the dream now than I ever have before. It can't be much longer until I finally find out what everything means. It's practically uncanny to dream of the same thing every night for seven years."
"It's worth it though. Seeing a dragon in your dreams gives you extremely good luck, and you're the luckiest girl I know! You've got all the guys drooling over you, you're smart, your cheerleading squad has freakishly won every tournament since you joined, your-"
"Tomoyo-chan, you're embarrassing me!" Sakura fanned her flushed face with her hand.
"It's only true."
"Maybe. But I can care less about the luck. I just want to see my dragon. After all that dreaming it would be such a disappointment to find out that he isn't real."
"Aa. I hope you find your dragon."
"Me too."
"You know, Sakura-chan…" Tomoyo hid her face from Sakura's view.
"Hoe?"
"There's a big sleepover at my house tomorrow night!! And you," she stuck a finger at her, missing her nose by millimeters, "have been invited!!"
"…"
You won't believe how many clothes I have for you to try on! O-hohohohoho, you'll look sooo kawaii!!!"
"Um... I can't wait!" Sakura was looking forward to the slumber party already. It would take a load off her mind.
As Tomoyo listed off all the people who were going to be there, the activities, etc., Sakura's thoughts wandered to her dream once more:
''The dream is becoming clearer with each passing day. I want to see my dragon again… I feel so comfortable and happy when I'm around him. But why? Well, whatever the feeling, I hope I will just once be able to touch him, stroke him in reality.
Wait! What am I thinking? This is stupid. How can I even hope for such an impossible thing? [ Maybe] Tomoyo was right… they're only fairy-tales… story-book characters… a product of imagination… just a dream…
But I can't help but think that my dragon does exist. Like he's somewhere out there, watching over me. But if that's so, why haven't I seen him?
I hope the day will come… that I meet my dragon…
…at last.'
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*A/N*~ Well *yawn* there's the first chapter. Plain, boring, I know. I'm just making this up as I go. Erm… not much to say here… OL, Hope you enjoyed!
Don't forget to leave a review! ^_~
--Raureru