Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights
to this amazing anime belong to Clamp, Kodansha, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time
suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a
handful of lousy college grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 standard ball
pen, and crumpled research papers.
Author's Notes: This occurs during the elevator bit of "Sakura, Syaoran, and the Elevator".
Gomen nasai, minna, if I haven't updated DESTINY yet! One of my best muses is on LOA, and the
other three are refusing to cooperate. So I figured to upload a couple of my one-shots first
before I force my God-forsaken talents to inspire me with SOMETHING for Destiny-Chapter Thirteen.
*Sigh* I'm really sooo sorry, guys.
Do As You Like by rei-chan
My footsteps rang heavily across the hallways as I ran, my heart beating loudly in my ears as
blood continually rushed up to my temples. Behind me I could hear 'that girl' calling out my
name, telling me to stop and wait a while, but I didn't. I couldn't. Because I know in my
heart that if I did stop to wait for them, I would soon be fighting the battle of wills whether
to hug 'that girl', kiss her, or KILL her for confusing me this way.
I reached the bank of elevators easily and pushed the down button, praying that it would open
soon so that I could get away from 'that girl' and her shrill screaming. Why did I fall in love
with a girl that loud, anyway? That last thought suddenly jerked my tired body back to attention. Huh? Now where did that come from?
"What am I thinking?" I whispered to myself in a slightly panicked voice. Love? Fall in love?
With 'that girl'? No way that would happen!
But the gods were obviiously not listening to my frantic prayers. A few seconds later I heard her fast approaching footsteps, and the soft huffs of breath she was taking as she came closer. She had obviously ran after me to call me back.
Now why did that thought suddenly made the hairs at the back of my neck stand up in excitement?
"Geeze, Li-kun, you walk really fast!" I heard her comment as the elevator doors slid open. I
immediately went in to hold the open button inside, and she followed me, still breathing a little
heavily. I sneaked a glance at her out of the corner of my eye, and immediately wished that I
hadn't. Stray wisps of her brown hair hung around her face, which was a little flushed with
exertion, but her green eyes were sparkling like amethyst stones glittering under the light,
clear and bright.
God, she was beautiful...
To my utmost horror, I found myself falling for her even more...
I shook my head fiercely even as I went on pressing the button. I could hear her calling out to
Daidouji and to Hiirigizawa to hurry up, but I was too busy trying to calm my jackrabitting
heart. What is she doing to me? Why do I feel so confused and nervous whenever I'm around her?
WHY?! My thoughts were spinning wildly in panic that I didn't have the time to react when IT happened. Before I was even aware of what was going on, the elevator doors had already slid shut in front of my face.
Now, if I hadn't been so preoccupied, I could have done something to prevent the door from
closing in on us, like try to hold it open with my katana. But my instinct and logic were
clearly not at home. They were both driven out terrified by a certain girl named Kinomoto
Sakura.
"Li, please try the elevator phone to contact someone." I heard her tell me in a terrified voice
from behind. I glanced briefly at her and noticed that she was digging around in her backpack. In a few moments, she held out her little pink celphone. "I'm going to try and call somebody." She began to dial.
I forcefully tore my gaze away from her and punched the call button on the elevator pad.
Nothing. "It's not working, Kinomoto. Communication's dead." I told her, carefully avoiding
looking directly at her face, at her eyes. I knew that if I make that mistake, it would be all
over.
I would never be able to stop falling for her.
"My phone's not working either." I heard her tell me. I made the mistake of looking at her when
I heard the slight catch in her voice. Her eyes were tearing up, and her chin was quivering a
little with suppressed panic. I felt a sudden wave of protectiveness rush from inside me,
making me almost dizzy.
I swallowed the lump in my throat before replying. "I'm sure Daidouji and Hiirigizawa are
looking for help right now. Let's just wait a little, ok?" My voice came out a little
off-handed and arrogant. Go me. She doesn't really need to find out that the idea of staying
with her in this small, enclosed space was giving me the heebie-jeebies.
She looked at me and smiled, and I almost melted into a little puddle. "Hai." She said quietly,
looking down at her hands.
Damn, her smile always had that effect on me.
We fell in a pensive silence, which gave me time to just look at her. She had a contemplating
look on her face, her eyebrows scrunched up and all that. She was even biting her lower lip a
little. My whole body almost started convulsing at this sight.
Shit.
Why, oh why, did we have to get stuck in this damn elevator TOGETHER?
I quickly averted my eyes and looked at my shoes, as if they were the most interesting things
that had ever appeared on the planet. Don't look at her, Syaoran, don't. You'll just make
everything worse...
I couldn't help it. I looked up at her again, and realized that there was no stopping my love for her.
I never knew exactly when I started feeling this strange around her. It could have been before
we fought Yue, or the day that Hiirigizawa showed up, or when I helped her by using the Time
card. I don't really know. All I remember was that every time I look at her, everything inside
me just twists up and around, leaving me breathless. I've never felt anything like this in my
whole life, not even with Yukito-san, yet, in some unknown level, this, this confusion, I don't
know, it just feels RIGHT, for some reason. I hastened to look down again when I noticed her
eyes dart sideways to look at me, my face flaming. Yeah, real smart, Syaoran, ogle at the
unsuspecting girl. It's a good thing she's completely clueless, or else she would have figured
everything out by now.
Daidouji had asked me once if I felt something for her best friend. I was hesitant at first,
because knowing how close those two actually were, there was a slight chance that Daidouji might
slip and spill everything to Kinomoto. I couldn't risk that happening. Turns out she already
knew, after all. That made me panic at first because if she had noticed it, then Kinomoto might
have known about it already! Daidouji assured me, though, that her friend was completely dense
when it comes to those things, and I was able to breathe again. It's not like I wasn't planning
on telling 'that girl' what I feel. Give me some credit for sensitivity. I just can't figure
out when...and how...
I jerked my head up at her direction when I heard her quiet sniffling. A few tears were already
forming in her eyes, and she was biting her lip again. She was going to start crying any moment
now, and I have to do something to stop that. For a moment I considered coming over to give her
a hug and tell her that everything was going to be fine, but that would definitely blow my cover
big time. So I did the only rational thing I could think of and took out one of my ofudas to
light a small fire, since it was getting a little too dark in there, anyway.
"We have light now, so please don't cry." I told her quietly, staring at the flickering flames
I was holding in my hand. I saw her nod her head. For a second I entertained the thought of
telling her how I really feel about her, and I was just about to muster some courage to do so
when I saw her produce a handkerchief from-somewhere.
"Don't you want to sit down?" She asked me as she bent over to lay the little cloth on the floor.
I tensed up "You'll get tired if you stand up too long."
That stunned me, actually. Getting tired was the least of my worries right now, considering all
the things that I have been going through for the past few weeks, but what good would it do me
to argue? She was just making a suggestion, after all...
I started to sit down, but jumped back up when I heard her voice.
"You'll get your clothes dirty if you sit on the floor. Sit on the handkerchief with me."
Whoa! No way, Saku---Kinomoto! That is definitely NOT a good idea. I wanted to tell her that,
but to my utter shock, my voice box had already produced a response on its own. "Eh?"
She looked at me and smiled again, patting the space beside her as she settled down. My throat
constricted. My brain was screaming for me not to move, but all my muscles seemed to be working
on autopilot because the next thing I knew, I was settled down next to her on the small square
piece of handkerchief. My face was so hot with embarrassment, and I silently thanked the
darkness for hiding it. I didn't want her to get any ideas about what I felt. At least, not
now...
We sat silently together, me trying my hardest not to look and she fumbling for something in her
bag, I couldn't help but revel in the feeling of being this close to her. We were sitting so
close to each other that I can feel her warmth mingling with mine. At any other time and with
any other person, it would have made me pretty damn uncomfortable. But this was Kinomoto, and,
well, she wasn't just anyone, so...Subtly, I shifted a little closer to her.
"Here."
I was startled away from my thoughts when I heard her voice. I glanced sideways at her, and saw
her grinning at me and holding out a tissue with a bear shaped cookie in it.
I looked at the little thing almost lost amidst the tissue paper. "This is..."
She smiled at me again, the intensity it held was so strong that I almost smiled back at her.
Almost. "The truth is," she narrated, absently fiddling with her thumbs as a light blush
tinged her cheeks, "Yukito-san came over for dinner last night."
The whole world seemed to crash over my head when I heard her say his name. I've always known
that Kinomoto had a huge crush on him. It didn't matter much to me before, back when I thought
that I had a crush on the snow rabbit as well, but now...
She went on talking, but I didn't hear a word that she said. My mind was filled with images of
Yukito and Kinomoto talking and laughing together in the Kinomoto house. I saw in my mind's
eye Yukito giving Kinomoto cookies, her eyes shining brightly as she smiled up at him, and he
smiling back...
My heart constricted painfully in my chest.
"-giving it to you."
I looked back at her again, feeling a little guilty for not having paid attention to her rambling.
She was holding up the bear towards me, smiling brightly like always. Instead of feeling
flattered that she was willing to give up her cookie for me, it only made me feel worse. The
cookie came from him...
"He gave that to you. You should eat it." God, I hope the bitterness in my voice wasn't that
obvious...
She stared at me for a little while, then said in a cheerful tone of voice. "Okay, then.
We'll just split it." She gave me the other half of the cookie. I watched her take a bite of
her piece. "This cookie Yukito-san made is delicious!" she cried out excitedly, her eyes
dancing.
I winced. Ouch. That stung. I wonder if she would say the exact same thing when I give her
cookies...
As I watched her eat, I couldn't get the heavy feeling in my chest to leave. Sure, he might be
a hell of a lot older than her, but they have known each other since forever. How can I possibly
expect to compete with HIM? Hmm...wait a minute. Compete? It's not like there would actually be a competition, Syaoran! You know as well as the next guy who she would choose when it comes to that...
My ofuda suddenly went out, and darkness descended upon us. I felt her small body tense up
beside me and instinctively leaned in a little closer in order for her to feel safe and that I
was here. She had always been such a sissy. I closed my eyes briefly to cherish the feeling.
A tremor shook the whole elevator, and the lights suddenly blinked on. I heaved a small sigh of
disappointment as I felt the elevator floor suddenly move.
Stupid technician guys they have here, ruining the finest moment in a boy's life...
"Oh, good, it's moving!" Kinomoto exclaimed, and stood up hurriedly from the floor. She walked
a little ways forward. By that time I was beginning to notice the unnatural movement the
elevator was making. Shouldn't it be moving upward or downward only? I was in the process of
trying to figure out what in the world was happening when I felt the elevator tilt to the right.
Eyes wide, I glanced at her. She was slowly, ever so slowly slipping towards the gaping void
that had appeared suddenly at the far side of the elevator. I moved forward to help her,
trying in vain to catch hold of her outstretched hand as the elevator tilted more and she
slipped further. My heart was thudding so loudly in my chest that it was almost deafening, as
I struggled to reach her on time, before she fell into that void and...and...
No! My mind screamed, even as I strained my arm forward to reach her, even as she started to
slip down into the hole. No, Sakura, no! Don't leave me, please!
I reached the end of the void and leaned forward, trying to reach her hand, but she slipped,
and fell in. Time seemed to slow down as I watched her fall, her green eyes wide and frightened
as she went deeper and deeper. I felt so helpless. What was I going to do now? I have to save
her!I have to...
I closed my eyes tightly and opened my mouth to yell. Yell at her to come back and stop scaring
the wits out of me. Yell at her to come back and at least give me time to tell her how I
really feel about her and then follow her in her downward descent, where I could be with her.
"SAKURA!!!"
My voice was tinged with desperation. I looked down, expecting her to pop out any moment now
and yell "Gotcha!" or something like that. Nothing.
She was gone.
I dropped my gaze down to the floor and took deep, panting breaths, fighting back the tears that
were threatening to fall from my own eyes as I carefully avoided looking down the void, where
she had...
No. I don't want to think about it.
I don't want to EVER think about it.
"Li-kun?"
I looked up in surprise. There she was, still in one piece, looking as beautiful as ever as she
sat on top of the Float, grinning shakily. I couldn't believe my eyes. She's safe. Sakura's
safe...I repeated the words over and over my head in a calming litany as I continued staring at
her, completely transfixed...
"I used the Float card. Hoe?" she explained to me, blinking her breathtaking eyes.
Realizing what I had almost lost, I stood up, still a little shaky from fear, and pulled her
tight in my arms. I closed my eyes and rested my face against her hair, little tremors of
nervousness still wracking my whole body every once in a while. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to
help you, Sakura. Please forgive me...My mind whispered to her as I held her tight, trying in
vain to express what I couldn't say in words.
I heard my hoarse voice whispering against her hair. "I'm so glad, Sakura. I'm so glad."
~ 0 ~
I pushed open the door to my room and walked in, tired but happy. The minute I stepped in, a
high, shrill sound permeated the air, causing me to almost jump to about a foot in the air.
Where did that come from? I grumbled to myself as I looked around the room warily. It sounded
almost like my cousin Meilin when having a bad day.
It took me a few moments to realize that it was my phone, the phone that Daidouji had
oh-so-kindly provided for me. Sheesh, why am I such a basket case today, anyway?
I blushed as Sakura's face flashed into my mind. Now, there's your answer, Syaoran.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Is this Li-kun?"
Sakura. What the--I stammered a little in answering. "Uh, ah, yeah." Oh, real, smooth, Li.
Very impressive.
"I really want to thank you for today."
I could feel my face and neck heating up as I thought about how I had acted towards her in the
elevator. Was she thinking about the embrace? Oh, please, let Daidouji be right when she said
that Sakura is way too obtuse when it comes to emotions(1)...
"I-I didn't do much, really." I replied instead, cautiously. Please be right on this one,
Daidouji!
"You know, today when we were in the elevator, and you called me 'Sakura', it made me happy."
I could tell my face was going through the entire crimson color spectrum.
She went on talking, oblivious to my embarrassment. Probably because she couldn't see me...
"It made me feel as though we've become good friends. I was wondering, can I call you Syaoran?"
Good friends...If you only knew, Sakura, if you only knew...
"Er, do as you like."
"Okay! I'll see you tomorrow, then, Syaoran-kun!"
"Yeah."
I heard her hang up. My heart considerably lighter, I pushed the sliding doors open to the
veranda and went out, feeling the wind brush past my face as I stared out at the horizon.
"Do as you like, Sakura-chan. Do as you like." I whispered softly in the air as I leaned out
the balcony.
In the falling darkness, seemingly out of their own will, I felt my lips curve into a satisfied
smile.
==owari==
FOOTNOTE:
1. Line lifted from Katsu no Miko's greatgreatGREAT GWING fic Acherontia Atropos. For all of you Gwing otakus out there who haven't read this, check it out!
Like it? Hate it? Let me know!
to this amazing anime belong to Clamp, Kodansha, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time
suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a
handful of lousy college grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 standard ball
pen, and crumpled research papers.
Author's Notes: This occurs during the elevator bit of "Sakura, Syaoran, and the Elevator".
Gomen nasai, minna, if I haven't updated DESTINY yet! One of my best muses is on LOA, and the
other three are refusing to cooperate. So I figured to upload a couple of my one-shots first
before I force my God-forsaken talents to inspire me with SOMETHING for Destiny-Chapter Thirteen.
*Sigh* I'm really sooo sorry, guys.
Do As You Like by rei-chan
My footsteps rang heavily across the hallways as I ran, my heart beating loudly in my ears as
blood continually rushed up to my temples. Behind me I could hear 'that girl' calling out my
name, telling me to stop and wait a while, but I didn't. I couldn't. Because I know in my
heart that if I did stop to wait for them, I would soon be fighting the battle of wills whether
to hug 'that girl', kiss her, or KILL her for confusing me this way.
I reached the bank of elevators easily and pushed the down button, praying that it would open
soon so that I could get away from 'that girl' and her shrill screaming. Why did I fall in love
with a girl that loud, anyway? That last thought suddenly jerked my tired body back to attention. Huh? Now where did that come from?
"What am I thinking?" I whispered to myself in a slightly panicked voice. Love? Fall in love?
With 'that girl'? No way that would happen!
But the gods were obviiously not listening to my frantic prayers. A few seconds later I heard her fast approaching footsteps, and the soft huffs of breath she was taking as she came closer. She had obviously ran after me to call me back.
Now why did that thought suddenly made the hairs at the back of my neck stand up in excitement?
"Geeze, Li-kun, you walk really fast!" I heard her comment as the elevator doors slid open. I
immediately went in to hold the open button inside, and she followed me, still breathing a little
heavily. I sneaked a glance at her out of the corner of my eye, and immediately wished that I
hadn't. Stray wisps of her brown hair hung around her face, which was a little flushed with
exertion, but her green eyes were sparkling like amethyst stones glittering under the light,
clear and bright.
God, she was beautiful...
To my utmost horror, I found myself falling for her even more...
I shook my head fiercely even as I went on pressing the button. I could hear her calling out to
Daidouji and to Hiirigizawa to hurry up, but I was too busy trying to calm my jackrabitting
heart. What is she doing to me? Why do I feel so confused and nervous whenever I'm around her?
WHY?! My thoughts were spinning wildly in panic that I didn't have the time to react when IT happened. Before I was even aware of what was going on, the elevator doors had already slid shut in front of my face.
Now, if I hadn't been so preoccupied, I could have done something to prevent the door from
closing in on us, like try to hold it open with my katana. But my instinct and logic were
clearly not at home. They were both driven out terrified by a certain girl named Kinomoto
Sakura.
"Li, please try the elevator phone to contact someone." I heard her tell me in a terrified voice
from behind. I glanced briefly at her and noticed that she was digging around in her backpack. In a few moments, she held out her little pink celphone. "I'm going to try and call somebody." She began to dial.
I forcefully tore my gaze away from her and punched the call button on the elevator pad.
Nothing. "It's not working, Kinomoto. Communication's dead." I told her, carefully avoiding
looking directly at her face, at her eyes. I knew that if I make that mistake, it would be all
over.
I would never be able to stop falling for her.
"My phone's not working either." I heard her tell me. I made the mistake of looking at her when
I heard the slight catch in her voice. Her eyes were tearing up, and her chin was quivering a
little with suppressed panic. I felt a sudden wave of protectiveness rush from inside me,
making me almost dizzy.
I swallowed the lump in my throat before replying. "I'm sure Daidouji and Hiirigizawa are
looking for help right now. Let's just wait a little, ok?" My voice came out a little
off-handed and arrogant. Go me. She doesn't really need to find out that the idea of staying
with her in this small, enclosed space was giving me the heebie-jeebies.
She looked at me and smiled, and I almost melted into a little puddle. "Hai." She said quietly,
looking down at her hands.
Damn, her smile always had that effect on me.
We fell in a pensive silence, which gave me time to just look at her. She had a contemplating
look on her face, her eyebrows scrunched up and all that. She was even biting her lower lip a
little. My whole body almost started convulsing at this sight.
Shit.
Why, oh why, did we have to get stuck in this damn elevator TOGETHER?
I quickly averted my eyes and looked at my shoes, as if they were the most interesting things
that had ever appeared on the planet. Don't look at her, Syaoran, don't. You'll just make
everything worse...
I couldn't help it. I looked up at her again, and realized that there was no stopping my love for her.
I never knew exactly when I started feeling this strange around her. It could have been before
we fought Yue, or the day that Hiirigizawa showed up, or when I helped her by using the Time
card. I don't really know. All I remember was that every time I look at her, everything inside
me just twists up and around, leaving me breathless. I've never felt anything like this in my
whole life, not even with Yukito-san, yet, in some unknown level, this, this confusion, I don't
know, it just feels RIGHT, for some reason. I hastened to look down again when I noticed her
eyes dart sideways to look at me, my face flaming. Yeah, real smart, Syaoran, ogle at the
unsuspecting girl. It's a good thing she's completely clueless, or else she would have figured
everything out by now.
Daidouji had asked me once if I felt something for her best friend. I was hesitant at first,
because knowing how close those two actually were, there was a slight chance that Daidouji might
slip and spill everything to Kinomoto. I couldn't risk that happening. Turns out she already
knew, after all. That made me panic at first because if she had noticed it, then Kinomoto might
have known about it already! Daidouji assured me, though, that her friend was completely dense
when it comes to those things, and I was able to breathe again. It's not like I wasn't planning
on telling 'that girl' what I feel. Give me some credit for sensitivity. I just can't figure
out when...and how...
I jerked my head up at her direction when I heard her quiet sniffling. A few tears were already
forming in her eyes, and she was biting her lip again. She was going to start crying any moment
now, and I have to do something to stop that. For a moment I considered coming over to give her
a hug and tell her that everything was going to be fine, but that would definitely blow my cover
big time. So I did the only rational thing I could think of and took out one of my ofudas to
light a small fire, since it was getting a little too dark in there, anyway.
"We have light now, so please don't cry." I told her quietly, staring at the flickering flames
I was holding in my hand. I saw her nod her head. For a second I entertained the thought of
telling her how I really feel about her, and I was just about to muster some courage to do so
when I saw her produce a handkerchief from-somewhere.
"Don't you want to sit down?" She asked me as she bent over to lay the little cloth on the floor.
I tensed up "You'll get tired if you stand up too long."
That stunned me, actually. Getting tired was the least of my worries right now, considering all
the things that I have been going through for the past few weeks, but what good would it do me
to argue? She was just making a suggestion, after all...
I started to sit down, but jumped back up when I heard her voice.
"You'll get your clothes dirty if you sit on the floor. Sit on the handkerchief with me."
Whoa! No way, Saku---Kinomoto! That is definitely NOT a good idea. I wanted to tell her that,
but to my utter shock, my voice box had already produced a response on its own. "Eh?"
She looked at me and smiled again, patting the space beside her as she settled down. My throat
constricted. My brain was screaming for me not to move, but all my muscles seemed to be working
on autopilot because the next thing I knew, I was settled down next to her on the small square
piece of handkerchief. My face was so hot with embarrassment, and I silently thanked the
darkness for hiding it. I didn't want her to get any ideas about what I felt. At least, not
now...
We sat silently together, me trying my hardest not to look and she fumbling for something in her
bag, I couldn't help but revel in the feeling of being this close to her. We were sitting so
close to each other that I can feel her warmth mingling with mine. At any other time and with
any other person, it would have made me pretty damn uncomfortable. But this was Kinomoto, and,
well, she wasn't just anyone, so...Subtly, I shifted a little closer to her.
"Here."
I was startled away from my thoughts when I heard her voice. I glanced sideways at her, and saw
her grinning at me and holding out a tissue with a bear shaped cookie in it.
I looked at the little thing almost lost amidst the tissue paper. "This is..."
She smiled at me again, the intensity it held was so strong that I almost smiled back at her.
Almost. "The truth is," she narrated, absently fiddling with her thumbs as a light blush
tinged her cheeks, "Yukito-san came over for dinner last night."
The whole world seemed to crash over my head when I heard her say his name. I've always known
that Kinomoto had a huge crush on him. It didn't matter much to me before, back when I thought
that I had a crush on the snow rabbit as well, but now...
She went on talking, but I didn't hear a word that she said. My mind was filled with images of
Yukito and Kinomoto talking and laughing together in the Kinomoto house. I saw in my mind's
eye Yukito giving Kinomoto cookies, her eyes shining brightly as she smiled up at him, and he
smiling back...
My heart constricted painfully in my chest.
"-giving it to you."
I looked back at her again, feeling a little guilty for not having paid attention to her rambling.
She was holding up the bear towards me, smiling brightly like always. Instead of feeling
flattered that she was willing to give up her cookie for me, it only made me feel worse. The
cookie came from him...
"He gave that to you. You should eat it." God, I hope the bitterness in my voice wasn't that
obvious...
She stared at me for a little while, then said in a cheerful tone of voice. "Okay, then.
We'll just split it." She gave me the other half of the cookie. I watched her take a bite of
her piece. "This cookie Yukito-san made is delicious!" she cried out excitedly, her eyes
dancing.
I winced. Ouch. That stung. I wonder if she would say the exact same thing when I give her
cookies...
As I watched her eat, I couldn't get the heavy feeling in my chest to leave. Sure, he might be
a hell of a lot older than her, but they have known each other since forever. How can I possibly
expect to compete with HIM? Hmm...wait a minute. Compete? It's not like there would actually be a competition, Syaoran! You know as well as the next guy who she would choose when it comes to that...
My ofuda suddenly went out, and darkness descended upon us. I felt her small body tense up
beside me and instinctively leaned in a little closer in order for her to feel safe and that I
was here. She had always been such a sissy. I closed my eyes briefly to cherish the feeling.
A tremor shook the whole elevator, and the lights suddenly blinked on. I heaved a small sigh of
disappointment as I felt the elevator floor suddenly move.
Stupid technician guys they have here, ruining the finest moment in a boy's life...
"Oh, good, it's moving!" Kinomoto exclaimed, and stood up hurriedly from the floor. She walked
a little ways forward. By that time I was beginning to notice the unnatural movement the
elevator was making. Shouldn't it be moving upward or downward only? I was in the process of
trying to figure out what in the world was happening when I felt the elevator tilt to the right.
Eyes wide, I glanced at her. She was slowly, ever so slowly slipping towards the gaping void
that had appeared suddenly at the far side of the elevator. I moved forward to help her,
trying in vain to catch hold of her outstretched hand as the elevator tilted more and she
slipped further. My heart was thudding so loudly in my chest that it was almost deafening, as
I struggled to reach her on time, before she fell into that void and...and...
No! My mind screamed, even as I strained my arm forward to reach her, even as she started to
slip down into the hole. No, Sakura, no! Don't leave me, please!
I reached the end of the void and leaned forward, trying to reach her hand, but she slipped,
and fell in. Time seemed to slow down as I watched her fall, her green eyes wide and frightened
as she went deeper and deeper. I felt so helpless. What was I going to do now? I have to save
her!I have to...
I closed my eyes tightly and opened my mouth to yell. Yell at her to come back and stop scaring
the wits out of me. Yell at her to come back and at least give me time to tell her how I
really feel about her and then follow her in her downward descent, where I could be with her.
"SAKURA!!!"
My voice was tinged with desperation. I looked down, expecting her to pop out any moment now
and yell "Gotcha!" or something like that. Nothing.
She was gone.
I dropped my gaze down to the floor and took deep, panting breaths, fighting back the tears that
were threatening to fall from my own eyes as I carefully avoided looking down the void, where
she had...
No. I don't want to think about it.
I don't want to EVER think about it.
"Li-kun?"
I looked up in surprise. There she was, still in one piece, looking as beautiful as ever as she
sat on top of the Float, grinning shakily. I couldn't believe my eyes. She's safe. Sakura's
safe...I repeated the words over and over my head in a calming litany as I continued staring at
her, completely transfixed...
"I used the Float card. Hoe?" she explained to me, blinking her breathtaking eyes.
Realizing what I had almost lost, I stood up, still a little shaky from fear, and pulled her
tight in my arms. I closed my eyes and rested my face against her hair, little tremors of
nervousness still wracking my whole body every once in a while. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to
help you, Sakura. Please forgive me...My mind whispered to her as I held her tight, trying in
vain to express what I couldn't say in words.
I heard my hoarse voice whispering against her hair. "I'm so glad, Sakura. I'm so glad."
~ 0 ~
I pushed open the door to my room and walked in, tired but happy. The minute I stepped in, a
high, shrill sound permeated the air, causing me to almost jump to about a foot in the air.
Where did that come from? I grumbled to myself as I looked around the room warily. It sounded
almost like my cousin Meilin when having a bad day.
It took me a few moments to realize that it was my phone, the phone that Daidouji had
oh-so-kindly provided for me. Sheesh, why am I such a basket case today, anyway?
I blushed as Sakura's face flashed into my mind. Now, there's your answer, Syaoran.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Is this Li-kun?"
Sakura. What the--I stammered a little in answering. "Uh, ah, yeah." Oh, real, smooth, Li.
Very impressive.
"I really want to thank you for today."
I could feel my face and neck heating up as I thought about how I had acted towards her in the
elevator. Was she thinking about the embrace? Oh, please, let Daidouji be right when she said
that Sakura is way too obtuse when it comes to emotions(1)...
"I-I didn't do much, really." I replied instead, cautiously. Please be right on this one,
Daidouji!
"You know, today when we were in the elevator, and you called me 'Sakura', it made me happy."
I could tell my face was going through the entire crimson color spectrum.
She went on talking, oblivious to my embarrassment. Probably because she couldn't see me...
"It made me feel as though we've become good friends. I was wondering, can I call you Syaoran?"
Good friends...If you only knew, Sakura, if you only knew...
"Er, do as you like."
"Okay! I'll see you tomorrow, then, Syaoran-kun!"
"Yeah."
I heard her hang up. My heart considerably lighter, I pushed the sliding doors open to the
veranda and went out, feeling the wind brush past my face as I stared out at the horizon.
"Do as you like, Sakura-chan. Do as you like." I whispered softly in the air as I leaned out
the balcony.
In the falling darkness, seemingly out of their own will, I felt my lips curve into a satisfied
smile.
==owari==
FOOTNOTE:
1. Line lifted from Katsu no Miko's greatgreatGREAT GWING fic Acherontia Atropos. For all of you Gwing otakus out there who haven't read this, check it out!
Like it? Hate it? Let me know!