Author's Note: Hello, hello! I'm back from my brief writing hiatus, but I'll be gone again soon, sadly. I've still got a whole lot of Internal Assessments to finish, and my Extended Essay needs tending, but all in all I'm handling a lot better. Eh, enough about the school rant! This is a one-shot that was originally the first chapter of a long epic. I've since rewritten the entire plot of the story, and this chapter doesn't fit in with the rest. However, I kind of liked how this turned out, and I didn't want it to go to waste, so I've reworked it as a one-shot. Read and enjoy! Don't forget to review at the bottom, make me happy!
As The Flower Blossoms
"Okay class," the young teacher announced authoritatively, commanding the attention of the 5-1 class. "Today we're going to be learning about flowers. Can anybody tell me what they know about flowers?"
The entire class erupted in a sea of hands, yelling and screaming to be picked. The teacher sighed.
"Quiet down kids, or I'll take away your stupid recess!" she shushed loudly. The silent children stared at her, their mouths agape.
"Sensei, you used the S word!" protested one of the children.
It wasn't really her fault she was being so mean to the poor, over-excited kids. She hadn't had her morning coffee, and it was her second day. Her "second day". Hormones were rushing unbridled in her system. She tried to calm herself just a bit, and sighed.
"Sorry children, Teacher is just a little cranky today, okay? Okay. Well, how about you Kinomoto-san?"
"Flowers are pretty plants you can find in the backyard. There are lots of different ones, like roses, and lilies, and daffodils. They have colorful petals, and I give them sometimes to my Okaa-san," replied the auburn-haired girl a little shyly. Her emerald eyes twinkled with a sincerity that warmed the teacher's heart.
"Kinomoto-san, that's wonderful! Anyone else have anything else to tell us about flowers?" she asked again. A black-haired boy with squinty eyes waved his hand vigorously at the back.
"Yes, Yamazaki-kun?"
"In ancient times, flowers were actually all white, and powdery, like flour. But then one day a magical fairy came and sprinkled dust on them all, to make them beautiful and colorful, and gave them roots so they would stop getting carried away by the wind. Because these changed plants looked so different from what they used to be, they had to change the spelling from 'flour' to 'flower'. But this sounded too –"
"Okay Yamazaki-kun, very interesting, thank you!" She searched the classroom. Yamazaki was a good kid, very creative. He would probably make a very good fiction novelist someday. Or, he might end up in the asylum. Okay, now she really needed her coffee. "Anyone else? Yes, Li-kun?"
"Flower blossoms are the reproductive structures of a plant. The biological function of the flower is to produce seeds to propagate the species. Simply, it is structured around the attraction of propagator species such as bees and other insects, as well as the production of fertilized gametes. It consists of the calyx, corolla, androecium, and gynoecium."
The teacher stood, her jaw slack. She blinked twice before regaining her composure. The Li child was a transfer from China, and the son of the famous Li Yelan. Besides being a mother to some of the most successful models and actresses in the world, she was also the head of the Li Corporations, a world-renowned fashion design company. She was the richest woman in the world, and the fourth-richest person worldwide. Her son was impeccably smart, no doubt. A little serious for such a small kid, true. She had never really seen him making friends with any of the other children, and he didn't seem as happy as the others either. She wondered from time to time what such a young boy was doing living in Tokyo with no family, save for the family butler, at his age.
"Would you like me to continue, sensei?" he asked, his voice monotone, almost bored.
"No, that's.. wow, really great Li-kun." She was still in a bit of a shock, even after having tried to shake it off. He had said some words even she didn't know. What the hell was a calyx?
"Anyway, what I want you all to do is to compose a project about flowers. I'll pair you up, and you and your partner can work on it at home. Next week, you can come back and present your work in front of the class. Yamazaki-kun, why don't you pair up with Mihara-san?" Takashi's overactive imagination really needed someone rational and strong like Chiharu. The teacher continued with others in the class, pairing them off until only two students were left. "And, let's see, that leaves... Li-kun, and Kinomoto-san, you two can work together."
The school bell rang loudly across the yard, and the children started chattering away again. Just as the teacher gathered her folders and started to make her way to the teacher's lounge (she really, really needed that cup now), the Li son side-stepped his way through the crowd and tugged lightly on her skirt.
"Yes, Li-kun?"
"Can I work with someone else?"
"Why don't you want to work with Kinomoto-san?"
"She's a girl!" The teacher couldn't help but laugh a little. Okay, add "afraid of icky girl cooties" to the list of things to know about this Li child.
"So? Your mommy is a girl too. And so am I. We're not monsters, are we? Plus, Yamazaki-kun and Mihara-san are also working together."
The boy's pink lips turned over into a pout, and the teacher had to admit he was an adorable child. He would probably grow up to be a model, just like his sisters. But Sakura was a very well mannered girl, very polite, and immensely friendly. She was happy she had put them together, because she was almost certain that she might penetrate the cold child's heart. She wasn't going to change her mind now.
"Now why don't you run off to your next class, you're going to be late!"
And now for that cup of coffee.
Later that afternoon...
"Ano... Li-kun... Do you want to come over to my house to work on the project?" asked Sakura, smiling widely. Her eyes shimmered in the late-afternoon sun, casting a peaceful atmosphere.
"Yeah, sure, I guess," he replied, staring at the ground before him. He still felt uncomfortable with having Sakura as a partner. He wasn't sure why, but he always felt weak and dizzy when he was around her. He didn't particularly care for it, it made him all hot and embarrassed. That was why he had asked the teacher to change partners, but it seemed as though he would have to endure it anyway.
"Okay!" she exclaimed happily, ending with a giggle. "My Otou-san isn't going to be home, because he's working really hard, but my Onii-chan is going to be home in only a few hours. Is that okay?"
He paused before answering. He looked as if he had suddenly realized something. "Sure, whatever," he shrugged finally.
They set off for her house walking side by side in comfortable silence. Sakura frowned a little bit. I wonder what's bothering Li-kun, she thought. He doesn't seem happy. Is there something I can do to make him smile? She pondered this for a while, kicking the dirt slightly as she plodded. She stole a side-glance at her project partner. As usual, he wore a slight frown on his face, and stared straight at the ground. He does look like he's thinking about something. Hmm.
"Li-kun, what are you thinking about?" she asked in a shy little voice.
"Huh?"
"Ano, eto... I-I asked, what are you thinking?" she repeated, twiddling her fingers a little nervously. It was a little hard to talk to someone who seemed so antipathetic.
"Nothing."
"Oh," she finally said after a few moments of silence, "Sorry then. It looked like you were thinking about something."
"What?"
"W-Well, I was just kind of, um... just sort of looking at you for a little bit. And you were frowning. Like this," She mimicked his expression, her little face contorting into a rare frown. "As if you were thinking really hard about something."
"Well, I wasn't, okay?" he answered huffily, turning his face away so all that she could see was the back of his head.
Wow, he really is touchy, isn't he? There must be something wrong, but he might not want to talk about it. I probably shouldn't ask him, she thought to herself. The silence resumed, slight tension lingering like rust in the air. Sakura started twisting her index finger into the hem of her shirt. I hope everything is okay. I don't know Li-kun very well, but he's still my friend. I want him to be happy, not upset.
The young girl pondered the rest of the way home whether or not to say something. She was caught between wanting to make him feel better, and not wanting to make things worse. She continued stealing little glances at her partner. She watched as his expression softened from one of defense to one of pensiveness, his characteristic slight frown still worn on his face. In the end, the quietude held until they reached her front door.
"Here we are!" she exclaimed happily. She kneeled in front of the door, lifted the doormat, and retrieved a small silver key. "Shh, don't tell anyone! It's a secret."
He nodded imperceptibly, and while his lips remained downturned, his eyes betrayed the smallest hint of a smile.
"Tadaima! Oh yeah, that's right, no one's home... Heh heh heh..." she scratched the back of her head, her cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment. "Li-kun, would you like something to drink?"
She had already taken off her shoes, disappeared into the kitchen, and started foraging through the cupboard for two glasses and some apple juice before she heard his reply. Meanwhile, Syaoran politely removed his shoes and absorbed his environment. Soft wooden floors, and warm yellow walls. A vibrant vase of flowers lay bathed in sunlight on the dining room table. He also noticed a simple picture frame. Within it was a photograph of a beautiful woman with a radiant smile and large emerald eyes. Judging only by the interior, it seemed like a very friendly household. Subconsciously, he let the wall around himself fall slightly.
"Here you go!" she handed him the glass, her own was already half empty. She looked at him sheepishly. "I was really thirsty, so I already drank some of mine. Do you want to get started?"
"Fine," he answered simply, averting her brilliant gaze. He wasn't quite sure why, but he felt just a little bit like he was going to faint from all the blood that had rushed to his cheeks. Silly girl was making him feel sick or something.
Half an hour later, they sat side by side on her couch, their hands stained with a rainbow of marker colors. Before them were dozens of pictures of different flowers, a veritable field on paper.
"Wah, Li-kun, you draw really well!" exclaimed Sakura when she glanced at his drawings. He blushed slightly in embarrassment.
"Not really. Yours are kind of prettier," he muttered. And it was true, while Syaoran's drawings were most scientifically accurate, Sakura's reflected her inner personality. Filled with colors of every kind, her flowers seemed to smiled directly up into the eyes of the beholder.
"Iie, yours look like real flowers!" she replied. Inside, she was elated. She wasn't very sure why, but she was glad to have been complimented by her new friend. She looked over his shoulder again at his drawings. They looked just like the flowers she gave her mother. "Oh, that reminds me! Gomen, Li-kun, I have to go do something. Just, um, ah... You can wait here, okay?"
She slid out of the living room and towards the back door. From there, she quietly opened the sliding glass doors and stepped into the garden. There she inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. She always loved standing outside in the company of so much life, dozens and dozens of flowers holding her in a soft embrace. Remembering the boy waiting inside, she quickly selected and gathered some of the prettiest flowers and went back inside.
Heading back towards the kitchen, she placed the flowers in front of the picture frame that lay on the dining room table. She paused for a few moments, gazing longingly at the woman inside the picture frame. I'll be back, she promised before traipsing back into the living room. Syaoran was waiting there, exactly as he had been when she had left – stopped over a piece of paper, half a flower drawn on its surface.
"I'm sorry," he murmured so softly that Sakura had barely heard.
"Huh? Why?" she asked, confused. He hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, he was so quiet and serious that it had almost worried her.
"About your Okaa-sama," he replied, even more softly than before. He spoke gently, his eyes still lowered to the drawing underneath his hand.
She was shocked. How had he known about her Okaa-san? She had never told anyone except for her best friend Tomoyo. Not even her teacher had known that her mother had died a few years ago of a terminal illness, before Sakura could even remember. So how did this boy she barely knew find out?
"H-How did you know?" she finally asked him.
"You gave me pieces of a puzzle, so I figured it out," he told her, still gentle. He could see her looking confusedly at him from the corner of his eye. He explained himself.
"You said today in class that you liked to give flowers to your Okaa-sama. And yet, this afternoon when you asked me if I wanted to work on the project with you at your house, you talked about your Otou-sama and Onii-san, not mentioning where your mother would be. I didn't know when I first came that the woman in that picture frame was your Okaa-sama, but when you left five minutes ago to do something, I saw you go into the kitchen with flowers." He paused and looked into Sakura's eyes softly.
It was the very first time Syaoran had ever made eye contact with her, and it startled him to see how pretty she was. Her auburn hair contrasted nicely with her stunning emerald eyes. But nothing made his heart leap like when she smiled. H would never admit it to her though. Meanwhile, Sakura was floored, and sat dumbfounded beside him. He was a mastermind!
"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up," he added, mistaking Sakura's silence for discomfort.
"Uh-uh, you don't have to be sorry," she told him kindly. "It isn't your fault. You're just really smart Li-kun! You're like... um, what's that man's name again? You know, the really smart detective guy, who can solve every single case?"
"I'm not a thing like Sherlock Holmes," mumbled Syaoran embarrassedly, averting his gaze once again to his unfinished flower.
"Hmm... No, you're right, you're not," she corrected pensively, "You're better than he is. You're smart and you're a nice person."
This only made Syaoran blush more furiously, and his stare seemed intent on burning a hole through the paper. He picked up his pencil again absentmindedly and started finishing the flower.
"Li-kun, I hope we can become really good friends," Sakura admitted, flashing her most genuinely happy smile. "Do you want to be friends with me?"
"Uh," he stuttered. Friends? He had never had a friend in his entire life. Sakura seemed like one of the few genuinely kind people he had ever met. He had always been surrounded by camera flashes and the falsity of paparazzi, and this one girl seemed so genuine. So different from everyone else. "Y-Yeah."
"Yatta!" she exclaimed joyously. She embraced him, both of her little arms wrapping tightly around him.
Syaoran flinched under her arms. His heart beat uncontrollably fast, and he felt his skin burning up. Sakura must have taken his gesture as discomfort, because she promptly pulled away.
"Oops, sorry. Heh heh," she said sheepishly. "I can get carried away sometimes. We should probably finish our project now, right?"
"Uh, sure," he shrugged, back to his colder, more serious self. He concentrated again on drawing his perfect flower.
As Sakura began working on another flower – apparently a new species of lily, violet, pink and blue in color – she took the time to think about her new friend. Li-kun is really funny. He seems quiet and serious and scary, but really he's very nice and smart on the inside. I wonder if I can make him happy and nice all the time, and not just sometimes, she wondered.
At that moment, the front door jiggled and swung open.
"Tadaima," came the deep male voice.
"Tadaima, Onii-chan!" yelled Sakura from the living room. She dropped her marker and ran to the front door, tackling her brother with a giant hug. Holding one of his big hands in both of her own, she dragged him to the living room. "Onii-chama, I want you to meet my new friend!"
"Eh?"
"This is Li-kun, my partner in school for our project on flowers. He's also my new friend."
"Hajimemashite, I'm Li Syaoran," he replied in a monotone, inclining his head politely.
Touya crossed his arms and assessed the boy, giving him a one over.
He's that kid, the son of that really famous clothes designer, Li something... Li... Li... Li Yelan! That's right. I've heard things about this kid. I don't know if it's the best thing for Sakura to get sucked into that world. Plus, there's something about this brat that I just don't like. The way he looks at me, it's like he's trying to strangle me with his eyes or something. Weird. Anyway, I guess he's proper enough. I mean, he introduced himself to me. Not so chipper though, he could muster a smile, really. It wouldn't kill him.
Whoa, are those his drawings!? Pretty good for a ten year old...
Still! I'm going to keep an eye on this kid, regardless of his artistic talent. I really don't want her being influenced by the world of paparazzi and fame and stuff. It's so filled with lies and deceit, it's just not good for her. But for now... Eh, I guess he's alright.
"Nn," was all he said. "Isn't it getting late?"
"Oh my gosh!" Sakura exclaimed, placing her hands on her cheeks, her mouth opening to form a perfect O shape. "Li-kun, I'm so sorry for keeping you so late! You should probably go home now. Would you like my big brother to take you home?"
Syaoran shuddered at even simply the thought of having the tall, glaring teenager sitting beside him in a car for more than five whole minutes.
"Eh, that's okay, I think I can walk home alright."
"Okay then, I'll see you on Monday, okay?"
"Yeah, okay," he mumbled. "I'll see you."
He hesitated for two seconds, wondering if he could go through with it. He had pondered most of the afternoon whether he might do it, what she might think, what she would say. It seemed like such an odd thing to want to do. Curiosity took the better part of him.
Awkwardly, with the hands of a child, he pulled Sakura's body to his own in a clumsy embrace, and placed a quick kiss on her warm cheek. His heart fluttered uncontrollably for a moment, and his cheeks went bright red. His lips still tingling with the memory of her skin, he smiled shyly and placed a folded piece of paper into her hand before leaving.
Sakura was astonished, confused, dumbfounded, but most of all she was absolutely ecstatic. She was not sure why a little kiss would make her feel so happy. Her dad and brother gave them to her before going to sleep, and when she got hurt when playing at the playground, but somehow the kiss Syaoran had given her was different. It was like kissing her awakened a whole nest of butterflies in her stomach.
Remembering the paper he had given her, she carefully unfolded the sheet with trembling hands. It was an exquisite drawing of a branch of sakura blossoms, and beneath it several words scribbled in a boyish handwriting.
They're not as pretty as you are, but I hope they'll do for now.
Author's Note: And there you have it! Any questions/comments/constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Don't forget to review!