Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura.
Summary: A decade, a century, even for eternity, she waits for him. Because in exchange for protecting her at the cost of his life, she will give him her life.
Let's Meet Again
The moon shined over them, as they walked side by side, despite the fact that she had him as far away from her as possible. And despite the fact that her father hired him as someone to look after her, that didn't mean she had to like the fact that a male was following her around all day with a smug expression.
"Is there something about me that you don't like?" He asks, tilting his head in her direction without turning his head, but his all seeing eyes still sees her, with just a slight turn of his eyes.
"I think it has been an established fact that I do not like people following me around," she replies, emerald eyes narrowing and she scoots further away from him. A cold breeze passes by making loose strands of her auburn hair brush against her face. She shivers lightly. "The only reason I agreed to let father hire you is because he will not let me leave the house otherwise."
A sigh. "So, even if I were to die trying to protect you, you would still hate me?"
Her small steps falter, a pause, and then she turns her head to look at him.
"And why you would do that?"
"Why not? Was that not what I was hired to do? Protect you at the cost of my life?"
A small giggle.
"Hey, hey, I do not want you doing that. How would I ever pay you back for sacrificing your life?"
The smallest smile graces his lips for the first time in a while, and he continues walking forward, head held high towards the sky as he leaves her behind in her pause. She catches up to him just as he whispers the next words, barely being able to hear it.
"Well, why don't we make it an even trade? My life… for yours."
She hums happily, and if she weren't wearing her kimono, she would be skipping home right now. Even the winter sky and wisps of snow falling from the dark clouds couldn't dampen her mood. And he walks beside her, just a bit closer. But then her mood dampens, for some odd reason, when she just peeks over and sees those two katanas secured safely through his sash.
She frowns at him.
"Have you ever used those?" She asks, eyeing those things.
He quirks an eyebrow at her as he follows her gaze. "I hope you do realize that I am using those to protect you. It is what your father gave me to use."
"Oh, really now?"
"Really."
"Well then, I must speak to my father when I get home."
"I do not think you should bother your father with such trivial things, after all, he is a busy man. If you do not like them so much, I will just hide them from your sight next time." A low chuckle.
"How kind of you." She emits an unladylike grumble and glaring at him all the while, taking in his hidden meaning. So what if she didn't particularly like sharp objects? So what if she was terrified of them? It was no one's business but her own.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his hands move quickly, tilting the swords just a bit on his other side so she couldn't see them. And just as quickly, she turns the other way slightly, bangs falling over her eyes and her lips pull upwards. Just a bit.
"Hey, why do you like going to the church so much?" A question, and she turns her head and stares into his amber orbs.
"When people come, they ask for forgiveness, and when they leave, no matter the sin, they are forgiven. And when the church hands out free necessities to those in need and I'm there helping out, there is nothing greater than the feeling of being sincerely thanked."
He smiles at her. "Is that so?"
Her eye involuntarily twitches as she feels as if he were mocking her. "Yes."
He continues staring at her in silence. She huffs and turns the other way. And the snow continues to fall.
"No matter what the sin is?"
"What are you talking about?" She doesn't turn to look at him as she replies, watching her white, sandaled feet as they shuffle along on the ground.
"You will be forgiven, no matter what the sin is?"
"As long as you do not take your life, or another's, you will be forgiven."
"Well then – "
He doesn't have a chance to finish his words as she unexpectedly heaves, and tries to smother a cough.
"Are you okay?"
"It is just a small cold."
"Maybe you should see a doctor."
"It is fine, nothing I have never had."
He smiles, chestnut hair dancing with the wind. "Get better soon then."
A slight pause, as she turns to stare at him. "Thank you."
"Are you sure you are okay?"
"Yes." She leans against the wall: eyes squeezed shut with trails of tears running down her cheeks. And she breathes in deeply, just as another coughing fit passes.
"Does your father know?"
"I have not told him yet. But I am sure it will get better soon, they are just coughs."
"At least go see a doctor."
A sigh escapes her lips as she leans her head against the cool wall. The sun had already set.
"When I have time."
A cold hand ghosts down her cheek and she unconsciously leans into the touch. But then they disappear, as if they were never there, and she opens her eyes slowly to look at his concerned expression.
"Can you walk now? Let us get you home soon, so you may rest."
A weak nod, and he hold outs his arm for her. Unexpectedly, a blush creeps up her face.
"What are you doing?" She asks, both hands tugging at either sleeve of her elaborate kimono.
"You are too weak to walk on your own, and I am just offering you my help."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Just no! Leave me be."
She rushes ahead without him, but even with just the lone moon lighting up the path, he could tell that she was blushing. And she trips over nothing so he hurries to her side. And in the process, he adroitly hooks her arms in his. If possible, her face turns even redder and she doesn't say a word. The snow continues to fall and he smiles.
"If you were given eternity, what would you do?"
"Eternity?" She ponders to herself, kneeling down at the edge of her room as she stares at the heavily falling snow, the sliding door was open, letting in the winter winds. "I do not know. I just know that it would be so sad to live forever alone."
"Then what if you were not alone?"
"Then it would be… much more bearable I suppose. Depending on whom you are spending eternity with, of course." A cough.
A pause. "What did the doctor say?"
A sad smile. "He cannot find out what is wrong with me, but I am sure I'll get better."
"You are a terrible liar."
"W – what?"
"When you lie, you grimace and turn the other way."
"I do not!"
"Yes, you do."
She looks the other way. "How rude."
There was a moment of complete silence before she hears the quiet shuffling of clothes as he moves closer to her. And now directly behind her, she could almost feel his breath on her neck.
"Remember the first time we met?"
"Yes. That wonder illicit affair I unfortunately stumbled upon." A voice that drips with sarcasm registers in his brain and he smiles.
"It was not an illicit affair. But she is dead now."
A gasp. "Oh. Why?"
"I heard she had two bite marks on her neck and that's it. Well, half of her blood was also drained."
"Like a… a… "
"Vampire? Those sinful creature that must live off of blood to survive?"
"Well, when you put it that way." A cough. "But it must be terrible, living that way."
"You think so?"
"Of course. You cannot really tell anyone else your real identity but yet you feed off others as a source of food. And those are the people that fear and hate you too."
"And what about you?"
"And me what?" She smothers a cough with her hand, and she could feel him leaning in closer.
"What if you were to meet a vampire? Would you hate them? You are a faithful follower of the church."
"Well, they do not have a choice. They must feed off human life as a means to live, and as long as they don't kill anyone, I will forgive them."
Fingers ghost across the back of her neck and she shivers from both his touch and the cold.
"I guess it is too late for me then," he whispers against her neck.
And she doesn't move, with the gentle feeling of him brushing the edge of his canines across her neck.
She smiles, and surprises him when she gets his hidden meaning.
"Shall I forgive you?"
"Show me your hand."
"No."
"Show me your hand."
"Be quiet."
"Even if you do not show me, I can smell your blood. Now show me your hand."
Kneeling in center of her room, all her doors are closed. She had been resting for the day since she had been too tired to go out. But then he just rudely walked into her room, without asking for her permission. Just a slide of the door, and he was in just like that. And it just so happens that he had walked in after her coughing fit; after coughing up some blood. She grimaced at him, emerald eyes lit aflame just as his did.
She held out her hand. Blood.
"It is nothing – "
"It is not nothing! You are dying!"
She flinches. She's never heard him raise his voice, might as well yell at her. But his furious expression quickly calms down, and he settles down in front of her with a neutral expression.
"I am sorry," he whispers. He raises his hand, as if wanting to touch her, but quickly drops it.
"I am also sorry. I should not have said that." Leaning over, she clasps her hands over his boldly and he doesn't mind the blood. She stares into his eyes. "The – " She gets cut off as she turns the other way, a line-up of coughs making it hard for her to breathe as she squeezes her eyes shut. And her breathing calms down after a couple of minutes. Callous hands run down her cheek, brushing away the tears.
"You are not going to get better."
"I know."
And he holds her face lightly with both his hands, delicately, as if she would break.
"You do not have eternity."
"I never did."
He smiles sadly and leans in closer. "I know."
Her breath escapes her, and for the first time in a while, it's not because of another coughing fit. He brushes his lips against her gently, barely touching. Her eyes widen, but she doesn't stop him. They look at each other, neither moving.
"Let me stop your time. Let me take the rest away."
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you not want to spend eternity with me?"
'"Syaoran, what are you – "
"Sakura." She pauses just as he leans back, his eyes more intense than ever. "Do you not?"
She stares at him uncertainly for a second, but emerald eyes harden. "I do."
"Then let us meet again. A decade, a century, a millennium, after I wake. Won't you wait for me?"
"A decade, a century, a millennium, even for eternity, no matter the time – " A small smile graces her lips and she leans forward. " – I will wait for you, because I forgive you."
And he leans forward, brushing his lips against hers, but he retreats just as quickly, pressing his lips firmly against her neck. She closes her eyes.
"Wait for me."
"Hey, don't you think the assignment she gave us was too hard?"
"What? Kaho-sensei is actually going pretty easy on us."
"Hah? You crazy?"
"Nope, you're just stupid."
She smiles idly while listening to her friends chat about school. Hopping onto one foot to the other, she tried to keep warm even as she blows softly on her ungloved fingers. They stop at a red light, a busy street with car after car passing by quickly, blowing her auburn hair this way and that. She continued to massage her hands absent mindedly.
Unexpectedly, someone thumps her hard against her back and she almost stumbles into the street. Emerald eyes turn to glare. The brunette in front of her only smiles sweetly.
"Sakura! Lighten up, will you?"
"After you almost killed me, Chiharu? Not a chance."
"Oh god! You didn't die!"
"You're lucky I didn't. I would have come back to haunt you."
"Right. And you'll definitely be one scary ghost." Sarcasm.
Sakura smiles at her, almost sadistically. "Oh, you don't even know half of it."
"Well – "
"Hey guys." Two arguing brunettes turn towards the one that has been quiet so far, her glasses gleaming under the street lights. "That guy, in that brown trench coat, he's been staring at us ever since we stopped here."
Emerald eyes turns. Lights shine on him, and even from the distance, she could see him clearly. Not a single day older. Messy chestnut hair. Arrogant amber eyes. A smirk on his sensuous lips. She smiles at him, and the lights turn green.
She takes a step forward.
And he takes a step forward, the world around him forgotten.
"Took you long enough."
"I had to take a rest though, you know?"
"Figures. All that arrogance is just for looks, isn't it?"
"You have me all figured out."
They're silent conversation carries through the air. He stops in front of her, and so does she. And then he leans down slightly to take her hand in his.
"Do you mind? Spending eternity with me, that is."
"It'll be… bearable, I suppose."
And he leans down as she closes her eyes, his lips pressed firmly against hers.
Junryou –
Firstly, I would like to apologize if I confused anyone. Sorry! I liked the idea of writing it somewhat vaguely, implying it without actually saying it. Especially since it's a one shot. The writing style is a bit different from my usual too, so I hope everyone managed to catch who was talking which lines when I didn't tag them.
And some explanations! Yes, Syaoran is a vampire, and yes, he killed that woman he mentioned, with Sakura saying that it was his illicit affair. That was his sin. Originally, I actually started the one shot with the scene where Sakura stumbles onto them, but decided to scrap it because it would take too long for me to build it up. It would probably turn into a multi-chapter story before I know it.
This story is set in the early 1900s, hence my mentioning of kimonos, katanas for guarding, and my attempt at them talking formally. I hope everyone caught it. And in the last scene, I would say its modern time and I tried to show that through some modern talk with minor slang. And lovely school with its assignments.
And in some ways, Syaoran didn't really turn her into a vampire. More like taking away whatever disease she had and freezing her time, hence, his reason for resting for such a long time. It must have taken up a lot of his powers to be able to do that. XD He's such a mystery. I wonder how old he is.
Thank you for reading and please review if you enjoyed it!