Author: This is my first song-related fic (or at least I think it is), so please go easy on me even though the story is really boring! This fic is inspired by Taylor Swift's Love Story. I'm not one to write mush, but even a stone-hearted person such as I can't help but squeal over fluff like this.
Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or the song used here!
We were both young when I first saw you,
I close my eyes and the flashback starts,
I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air...
See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
See you make your way through the crowd
And say hello, little did I know...
. . . - . . .
A five-year-old Sakura dressed in pink and cream frills stood watching the elegant dancing figures moving around gracefully below her. Dinner parties she attended with her father and brother were always as fancy, but it sometimes got boring for her. It didn't help that she was clumsy and tended to cause havoc on the dance floor, thus the reason for her self-exile.
A chocolate-haired boy wove in and out through the crowd, narrowly missing getting knocked over by a waltzing couple. His cherubic cheeks were flushed with exertion, and a hand tugged at the stiff collar of the slightly overlarge tuxedo he wore.
He stood right under the balcony she was standing on. Russet eyes bright with fascination, he smiled as he waved at her shyly.
"Hi," Sakura called out, returning the smile with one of her own, "I'm Sakura. What's your name?"
. . . - . . .
That you were Romeo
You were throwing pebbles,
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
And I was crying on the staircase,
Begging you please don't go...
. . . - . . .
The boy's eyes widened in alarm, turning to look around him. Nobody stood where he was, so he meekly looked up at the vision of loveliness. "Are you asking me?" His voice came out a nervous squeak, but he relaxed a little when Sakura nodded amiably.
"I'm Syaoran. Hi..."
Sakura smiled before turning to leave when she heard a small pebble clatter onto the balcony. She leaned over the balcony again. "Yes?"
"Come down, won't you?" he asked timidly, blushing brightly despite the indignant expression on his face.
Sakura brightened considerably as she nodded enthusiastically. "Sure! I'll be right there!"
She ran down the balcony stairs as fast as her short legs could carry her, only to see her brother, Touya confronting the little boy. The older boy had a fierce gleam of distrust in his sharp eyes - his jaw set into a menacing sneer. "Stay away from my sister!"
Syaoran retreated hesitantly, cowering in fear. "I just wanted to talk to her..." his voice was barely a whisper at being faced with the tall boy.
"Go away!" Touya's eyes narrowed into a well-practised glare of threat.
"Syaoran! Time to leave!" a distant voice of a woman called.
Syaoran looked past Touya and at Sakura sadly, giving her one last lingering smile before turning his back on them. His head hung dejectedly for a split second before he drew it back up into the dignified posture his mother had trained him to carry himself with. Touya huffed and walked away, unaware that Sakura had been an unwilling spectator to the scene.
Sudden tears blurred Sakura's vision. She collapsed on the steps, sobbing violently. "Please come back!" she said softly, but no one heard.
Shaking sobs that wracked through the girl's tiny body eventually scaled into hysterical cries, but it was drowned out by the gaiety of the festivities.
Why did he have to leave?
. . . - . . .
And I said
Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story, baby, just say yes
. . . - . . .
"Syaoran!"
A hopeful expression was on the boy's face as he turned. "Sakura?"
"Promise me you'll come back?" A short pinkie stuck out; the girl's expression earnest.
"I will," his pinkie curled around hers, and they solidified their promise.
. . . - . . .
So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew
So close your eyes, escape this town for a little while...
. . . - . . .
An older Sakura discreetly crept out into the back garden of the same house. A somewhat guilty air hung around her as she pulled off her shoes, her bare feet relishing the comforting tickle of trimmed grass and cool earth. Many years had passed since her promise with the little Chinese boy, but nevertheless, it had stayed on her mind. The then-round-faced cherub had grown; her figure no longer a flat plane but instead one with subtle curves, her jaw now resembling the proud structure that matched both her father's and brother's. Her heart thudded with anticipation, as she looked around for a certain person.
A teenage boy with disheveled hair sat on a stone garden bench, grinning. Sakura's emerald eyes, unchanged despite the other subtle transformations to her body, lit up.
"Syao-!"
"Shh!" he put his finger against his lips, silencing the girl.
"Sorry!" she whispered, joining him on the bench, "How've you been?"
. . . - . . .
Oh, oh, oh
'Cause you were Romeo,
I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
But you were everything to me
I was begging you please don't go
And I said
Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story, baby, just say yes
. . . - . . .
"I'm good. Does your brother know you're meeting me here?" Syaoran asked, not quite able to meet the girl's gaze.
"Nope," Sakura replied, looking up at the clear night sky, "Touya hates you, remember?"
Syaoran chuckled somewhat bitterly at the mention of the older Kinomoto child. "Yeah, I remember," he said warily, "So, what has happened for the past eleven years since we last met?"
Syaoran's words brought a tinge of red to Sakura's cheeks. "I still remember wanting to tell you about the magic here in the garden," she mumbled, not wanting to look at Syaoran as she said those words, "But I don't think you'd be interested in it now,"
Syaoran gave her an amused look. "Magic? Now, you don't think I've changed a lot, do you?"
"No, but-,"
"Tell me more," Syaoran cut in.
Sakura shook her head in mock dejection, sighing exaggeratedly. "Alright. One of the past owners in this house had been secluded for her whole childhood," she began, "But when she turned eighteen, a mysterious stranger turned up in her garden one night..."
"Then?"
"She fell in love with him at once,"
"Is that so?" Syaoran asked, with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Shut up and listen!" Sakura glared at him, flustered, "Anyways, no one approved of the pairing,"
"Why ever not?"
"Because the stranger was the son of the girl's father's company's biggest rival, so you can imagine the tension. Both of them were separated from each other, and-,"
"Sakura!" a deep male voice called out, "Where are you?"
"Oh no! Touya!"
Sakura flinched as the sound of footsteps got louder, shuffling through the grass. She cast a desperate look in Syaoran's direction.
"Fear not," Syaoran responded valiantly, getting up to his feet, "I'll be back,"
He climbed up a tree near the garden wall and jumped over it. As his face disappeared over the ledge, Sakura could've sworn she had seen a wink from him. Just then, an adult Touya came wandering in the garden. "Kura?"
"H-here, Touya," Sakura bent her head, hoping that her brother wouldn't suspect anything from her nervousness. Touya gave his sister a questioning look as he titled his head.
"What's up with you?"
"N-nothing much,"
Touya gave up and instead, he said, "Hey, there's this guy who seems interested in you. Try and just go meet him, alright? Dad thinks you should too,"
Sakura scowled. "Fine. But if he thinks anything funny, you know what's gonna happen,"
"I am prepared," Touya answered mockingly, "No one messes with my little monster of a sister, after all,"
. . . - . . .
Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story, baby, just say yes
. . . - . . .
Sakura sat in a lone armchair, looking outside the open window. Her gaze was unfocused as her chin rested on an upturned palm; it was obvious that she wasn't paying the least bit attention to the conversation she was having. A dark-haired girl behind her looked at her friend knowingly. "Thinking about him?"
Sakura jolted a little before answering, "Yeah..." A guilty look crossed her face, "Was it that obvious?"
"Does Touya mind that much?" Tomoyo angled herself against the arm of the chair Sakura was sitting on, studying the face of the girl she'd known for so long.
She was in pain, that much was evident. Her lower lip jutted out slightly, something Tomoyo knew well enough to connect to a troubled mind. Anguish swam in her celadon eyes; seeing it pained Tomoyo.
"You don't know how much," Sakura muttered darkly, "And my father thinks that I should choose someone else other than Syaoran because Syaoran is foreign and he doesn't live here. He's scared that I'll get hurt,"
A bird landed in front of Sakura and Tomoyo took notice of it as it ruffled its brilliant plumage of white feathers. "A dove?" she said in amazement. Then she noticed that it was carrying something in its beak, "What do you have there, little thing?"
. . . - . . .
Oh oh
I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town
. . . - . . .
Sakura looked down at the feathered creature in front of her. It twittered, dropping its tiny parcel. As it hopped along the ledge with an urgency that neither girls could ignore, Sakura hesitantly took the white square and unfolded it. "A note from Syaoran?"
Sakura, please meet me at the Penguin Park, the place where – I'm not sure if you remember or not – we really first met. I saw you there the day before the night we introduced ourselves. Anyways, just meet me there, and maybe you can finish the story?
-Syaoran.
Sakura smiled broadly when she finished reading the note and turned to Tomoyo. "He wants me to meet him at Penguin Park!"
No longer did the anguish cloud Sakura's eyes. They now sparkled with a brilliance that matched the actual gem. Tomoyo felt her mouth curve into a smile; the happiness her friend felt was infectious. "Go then. He asked to meet you there, then you should,"
"I'm leaving now!"
"Syaoran!"
The sight of the strong back made Sakura's heart soar. The head of disheveled locks of chocolate turned; the same half-smile on his face. Even standing against the background of the ridiculously childish King Penguin slide, he looked exactly like the proud, aristocratic Chinese he was.
Syaoran.
"Hey, Sakura."
"I got your note," she explained, a little breathless, joining him at the tree he was standing under, "I thought you were never coming back,"
"You underestimated me," Syaoran grinned wolfishly, "As I mentioned in my note, I saw you here when you were playing with your friends,"
"Really?"
The boy nodded. "Yup. You looked so happy and I was too afraid to approach you with so many people around,"
Sakura lifted a dubious eyebrow. "They were never gonna eat you, you know,"
"I know, but I was afraid of the feeling I had when I saw you,"
Sakura's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
"Bear with me, 'cause it's going to sound really stupid coming from me."
Celadon met russet, their eyes locking into a steady gaze. The grip Syaoran had on Sakura's shoulders was unsteady - his hands were shaking.
. . . - . . .
And I said
Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you but you never come
Is this in my head, I don't know what to think
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring
And said
. . . - . . .
"Sakura. I loved you right from the first time I saw you,"
. . . - . . .
Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby, just say yes
. . . - . . .
"I took a really long time to ask you to meet me because I was talking to your father and brother," he explained, slightly embarrassed, "I convinced them to let me ask you to be mine because since I'm moving here to stay for good. I defied all sorts of authority in my clan,but I'm doing this because you're worth it. I'd fight the thorns that surround the rose just to catch a glimpse of it. You're worth more than the whole world, Sakura, but I hope this is good enough."
Sakura was overwhelmed with tears as she buried her face into Syaoran's chest. His words reached her; he loved her enough to leave what was most important to him behind. "Thank god," she sobbed, "Because I haven't told you the ending of the story yet,"
Syaoran smiled down at her, his lanky arms around Sakura. It felt awkward, for the difference in their heights was immense, but to Syaoran, it felt right. To Sakura, it felt true.
To the both of them, it felt complete.
"Well, what is it?"
"To cut the story short, the two of them ran away and lived happily ever after,"
"That's the magic?" Syaoran chuckled, "Well, we won't be doing any running away now, won't we?"
"Yes," Sakura giggled as she wiped away her tears, "I loved you since I first saw you too, by the way,"
. . . - . . .
Oh, oh, oh, oh
'Cause we were both young when I first saw you...
Author: Please tell me what you think! =D
Luv,
Pichuzilla
Edit: Over 700 hits! I love you guys!
