AN: I know in the summary I put the evil word ' Dance' but truthfully this
fic is almost completely
different from other dance fics. It's also part songfic. I hope you like
it, it will really decide whether or not I post more fics
here. Anyway, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptors or the song I use ( Mary Jane by
Alanis Morrisette)
Charming~*
Sakura groaned as she headed for her room. Despite her father and
brothers' protests, she didn't
plan on coming back down for the rest of the night. Life lately had been
far from wonderful for the
whole Kinomoto family, and Sakura had been stuck in the middle. She was
currently 15, her
cardcapting days were over; but that didn't save her from evil. Some
strange force had been haunting
her lately, and Syaoran didn't seem to sense it. Home life wasn't all that
peachy either. The just
discovered Otousan had cancer, lung cancer to be exact. Oniichan somehow
managed to impregnate
some other girl, so Yukito doesn't come around anymore; not to mention the
girl is trying to sue for
rape... and winning. No, none of it really made sense, and that only seemed
to cause more guilt trips for
Sakura. If it wasn't her fault, then whose was it.
Sakura realized mildly that she was leading herself down the wrong
road by blaming herself, but
she always seemed the person to take all of the problems her family had set
upon her. Where else
could they go? she thought to herself, they need me to listen.
She leaned up against her closed door and slid down slowly,
fighting with all her might to stop the
tears that threatened to come. She longed for someone who she thought would
understand, namely an
adult. All the adults she knew, however, were simply out of the question.
She would talk to Tomoyo,
but she didn't want to trouble her. She would really like to talk to
Syaoran, but he always seemed so
distant lately. He's been like that since he moved here, she corrected
herself, but something about
him... She woke up from letting her mind drift and lifted herself off the
floor. She noticed her window
was open and walked over to close it. Before she did she took a look
outside.
It was late fall, but the cool atmosphere felt good against the
long summer. She watched the
leaves fall onto the red and orange blanket set on the ground from the past
few days. She would usually
comment to herself on how beautiful the day was, but all she could see were
shades of black and
white. Finally she went to bed, hoping she would get some sleep that night.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%
Sakura woke with a start when her new alarm clock sounded. That
thing could wake the dead.
She had to get it though, Kero was living with Tomoyo. Sakura didn't think
that either she nor her
family could deal with finding out she was a cardcaptor, and even if they
didn't believe her thinking
themselves crazy wouldn't help any either. Both Sakura and Kero were upset
with this, but she thought
it was for the better. She hadn't seen him in at least a week or two, but
didn't really have the mental
capacity to miss him; which made her feel incredibly guilty on top of
everything else. She sighed and
hit the 'off' button, mildly hoping Touya wouldn't have to deal with any
deceased ancestors because of
the damned thing.
" Ohayo, minna!" Sakura greeted as she walked into the classroom. AS
fat as her peers knew,
nothing was going on. Tomoyo smiled and immediately started babbling about
new designs she had in
mind. Sakura only lent half of her attention to Tomoyo, the other was spent
in concern towards
Syaoran. He was too silent; usually he would at least have said good
morning to her. She didn't have
time to ponder this before Tomoyo cut through her thoughts.
"... so will you, Sakura-chan?" Sakura blinked a couple times before
smiling sweetly.
" Sure!" Tomoyo started laughing.
" Sakura-chan, I just asked you if you would wear my new alien design
to the dance tomorrow!
What's wrong?" Sakura looked over to Syaoran again, he looked deep in
thought.
" Dance?" She asked as she turned back to Tomoyo. Tomoyo nodded
enthusiastically.
" I have the perfect dress for you, Sakura-chan!" Sakura breathed a
sigh of relief. At least she
wouldn't have to pay for one. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Syaoran
flinch.
" Thanks so much Tomoyo. when do I get to try it on?" Tomoyo squealed
with happiness at
Sakura's enthusiasm.
" Today, of course! If there are any adjustments I need to make, I'll
need time!" Sakura forced a
smile.
" Of course."
By lunchtime Sakura was famished, she she was first in line at the snack
bar. Tomoyo dragged behind,
looking around for something. Suddenly she ran up to another classmate.
" Syaoran-kun!" She called. The student turned toward her with his
usual stoic stare. Tomoyo
stopped to catch her breath before she continued.
" I'm worried about *gasp* Sakura-chan." This seemed to strike something
in him. " Lets talk about
this somewhere else." She continued.
~*
" She's just grown so distant..." Tomoyo explained on the verge of
tears. Syaoran nodded, seemingly
uninterested in the topic.
" There, there, Daidouji-san. It's probably just a phase" He comforted
coldly. If he were talking to
anybody else other than Tomoyo or Eriol they would be incredibly offended,
even Sakura. But they
knew him better than that, and quite frankly that worried him. Tomoyo
merely burst into tears and
cried onto Syaoran's shoulder. He wasn't really one for sympathizing,
Tomoyo knew it, so she didn't
expect anything more than a shoulder. After a few moments she wiped her
tears and blew her nose in a
napkin. Sakura started walking toward them but broke out into a run when
she saw Tomoyo's red eyes.
" Tomoyo-chan! What's wrong?!" Sakura asked when she got there. Her
tone was tired, and for
good reason. She was sick of asking that question. Tomoyo just smiled and
waved those thoughts away.
" I just stubbed my toe, that's all." Sakura looked at her curiously.
By the looks of it it's like she lost
a toe, she thought. Sakura sat down next to them as Tomoyo pretended to rub
her toe in pain.
Syaoran looked over to Sakura, who was trying to figure out if Tomoyo was
faking it or not. " Are you
going to the dance?" He asked monotonously. It wasn't an invitation, Sakura
could tell, but the look in
his eyes hinted that he was worried about something. She passed it as the
lights' reflection.
" Yeah, and I bet Tomoyo-chan's got a beautiful dress for me." Sakura
changed the subject
successfully, she too worried when he looked like that. Tomoyo suddenly
smiled and her eyes glazed
over with stars as she imagined the dress. Before she could get far the
lunch bell rang, leaving a hungry
Tomoyo and Syaoran. Tomoyo leapt up gathering her things quickly.
" I promised Dosota-sensei Id be there early!" She explained before
darting into the school. Sakura
started to do the same, but at a much slower pace. Before she left, she
heard someone call her.
" Sakura," She turned around. It was Syaoran. " Save a dance for me,
will you?" And with that he
walked off into the school, following the same route Tomoyo did. Sakura
stood there in shock. For a
guy who says next to nothing, that was quite a thing to say. She held her
hand on her cheek like he
kissed her, staring at him from behind. She shook her head a little bit
then realized how late she was
going to be. With that thought in mind she made a mad dash to her
classroom.
That afternoon Sakura tried on her dress... with a blindfold. Tomoyo
was set on making the moment
perfect for Sakura. With the Cinderella concept in mind, Tomoyo made sure
Sakura would be just as
awestruck as everyone else (In Tomoyo's mind should) would be when she
walked into the gym. After
a few moments Tomoyo upsettingly concluded that there were far too many
ribbons. This earned a
whole-hearted laugh from Sakura; something she hadn't done in months. When
prompted what had
gotten into her, Sakura giddily told Tomoyo about what Syaoran had told
her.
" Ooh! Sakura! You must feel special to be chosen by the 'high and
mighty' Li Syaoran!" Sakura
giggled and agreed.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
The gym was decorated beautifully for the Autumn season, with the
predictable construction paper
leaves, and newspaper trees. What made it so breathtaking is that the art
class spent the last few weeks
putting leaves up on the ceiling and using string to recreate the leaves
falling. Even the floor was
heavily duct taped with leaves. Wow, Sakura thought, these people are leaf
happy. Sakura had been so
preoccupied with the rest of her life she simply didn't pay attention to
any of the announcements. She
suddenly smirked to herself. I have to save a dance for Syaoran-kun!. She
giggled again and vaguely
considered what it would be like to dance a slow dance with him.
" When she got home that afternoon she was struck with bad news.
Fujitaka was getting worse, but
refused the hospital, claiming that if they lost the case there would be no
money to pay for things like
that. The lawyers also called saying they need to make an offer to settle
the case or else to expect the
worst. Having nowhere else to go they both piled it on Sakura.
Unfortunately she was still the caring
loving person she was four years ago, and took the blame personally for
everything. There must've
been something you could've done to help this, she accused angrily. Tomoyo
was expecting her at the
mansion by four so she could doll Sakura up in time for the dance at six.
Sakura had no trouble with
running away from the madness.
Before she could ring the doorbell to Tomoyo's house the door flung
open and a yellow ball of fluff
tackled her to the floor.
" Hi Sakura!! Sorry I wasn't here yesterday but I was playing video
games... but that's not
important! It's good to see you again!!" Sakura smiled weakly and picked
Kero off of her.
" Good to see you too, Kero. c'mon, Tomoyo. Let's get this over
with." Kero looked slightly hurt at
her tone of voice, so she added:
" Will you help too, Kero? I sure Tomoyo'll need all the help she can
get. Plus I can't go anywhere
without your fashion expertise." Kero brightened up drastically and flew
inside, practically dragging
the other two along.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
When Sakura and Tomoyo walked into the gym the party had already
started, given it was 6:35.
Kero insisted that they eat some sweets with him for good luck. Tomoyo
finally decided that her
back-up dress would have to do, since the other was unsalvageable
underneath all the ribbons and
bows. It was beautiful, Sakura thought. She donned a dark green spaghetti
strap dress that hugged her
curves until it reached mid calf where it flared out beautifully. Tomoyo,
after much debate, decided
she'd match Sakura with a purple dress.
Tomoyo looked at her project in awe, she looks beautiful. With that
impeccable green eye shadow
she has on nobody could resist her! she thought maniacally. After calming
down Tomoyo suggested
they find Li-kun. Sakura smiled and agreed.
Syaoran's eyes shot towards the duo like lovesick magnets, carefully
watching where they would go
next. After concluding they were heading for him he calmed down a little,
and wondered how the night
would turn out.
~*
As the night went on Sakura simply sat off to the side, drowning
herself in guilt. Pathetic, she
thought, you try to make something better and it only gets worse. She'd
been asked all night to dance,
but she politely declined each one, claiming she was too tired from her
last dance. Suddenly the Dj's
voice cut through her thoughts.
" all right ladies and gents, last dance of the evening, and couple
only! So if ya don't got one grab
somebody and get on the dance floor!" Sakura went into a small panic. Oh
no! I never danced with
Syaoran, I hope he doesn't get mad...
" May I have this dance?" A hand was offered. She was about to decline
when she looked up and
saw Syaoran. She smiled.
" As promised." She replied accepting his hand. Soon a calm steady eat
flowed through the gym,
causing all the couple to sway with it. Suprisingly Syaoran held her closer
and rested his head on her
shoulder. Before she had a chance to blush his voice crept through her ear.
" What's the matter Mary Jane, had hard day? So place the 'don't
disturb' sign on the door" Sakura
recognized the lyrics to coincide with the song. Somehow she knew he was
singing them for her. " Lost
you place in line again? What a pity. You never seem to want to dance
anymore." Sakura blinked away
some tears that were unwillingly finding their way to her eyes.
" It's a long way down, on this rollercoaster. The last chance
streetcar went off the tracks... and
you're on it." She clung to him tighter, trying to hold back her tears.
She wanted to believe he
understood, but wouldn't allow herself the luxury. She didn't deserve
comfort.
" I hear you're counting sheep again, Mary Jane. What's the point of
trying to dream anymore?"
Sakura asked herself why he was telling her this, it was only making it
worse.
" Hear you're loosing weight again Mary Jane. D'you ever wonder who
you're losing it for?" No,
she corrected herself. He's trying to make me look at it different. He's
trying to help.
" Well it's full speed baby, in the wrong direction. There's a few
more bruises, if that's the way you
insist on heading." But nothing is wrong, she told herself. There's nothing
I can do to change anything,
so why are you telling me this? I like my life...
She felt Syaoran shake his head as in response to her thoughts. "
Please be honest Mary Jane, are
you happy? Please, don't censor your tears." That was the strange irony
that finally brought her to
tears. That song had sung her life, and Syaoran was telling it to her. She
immediately started crying,
and Syaoran instinctively held her closer as he continued to lead her in a
waltz across the gym.
" You're the sweet crusader, and you're on your way. You're the last
sweet innocent... and that's
why I love you." Syaoran kissed her neck lightly in comfort, for she was
still crying as hard as she was
before. Now it was for a different reason: she couldn't help but feel
guilty. Here she was being
comforted, when at home things were terrible. There was a pause in the song
where Syaoran spun her
around, then brought her back into an embrace.
" Take this moment Mary Jane, and be selfish." He said the last part
in an almost pleading way. "
Worry not about the cars that go by. All that matters now is your freedom,"
He ran his thumb along her
cheek. " So keep warm my dear, keep dry..." He ended in a whisper, and
stopped gliding across the
floor. He simply stood there, hugging a broken down, but much relieved,
Sakura.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
As the crowds started talking a nervous voice filled the gym. " Uh, we
have a bit of bad news. We
seemed to have had a freak snow storm, and we're buried neck high in snow.
We'll have to camp out
here until further notice." It was the Dj with an obvious confused tone.
The school responded with an
overall 'what the hell?'.
" I know, I know, but bear with us here. We'll get cocoa passed around
in a minute.. and I guess I'll
keep spinning so ya'll don't get bored." Then class cheered while all the
girls groaned; they all longed
get out of their heels!
Sakura looked up from Syaoran's shoulder and smiled. " Ah, but being the
above average Card
mistress," she paused and pulled out something from behind her back. "
brought her socks!" Sure
enough, Sakura held up a pair of socks triumphantly. Syaoran smiled and
almost allowed himself a
laugh. Sakura suddenly stepped back from him in terror.
" Oh my gosh, did you..." Sakura turned around to face an eager video
camera. " Did you see that,
Tomoyo-chan? He smiled!" The camera nodded eagerly and giggled. Syaoran
turned red and growled
nervously. Sakura merely turned back toward him and gave him the biggest
hug she had.
" You saved me, Syaoran." He blushed furiously, but couldn't help
feeling wonderful now that
Sakura was back to normal.
" Kawaii!" Tomoyo squealed and clung to her camera like there was no
tomorrow. Suddenly a
mischievous glint flashed through Syaoran's eyes. Sakura had just finished
putting on her socks and
nearly threw her heels out the window. Syaoran then picked Sakura up
caveman style.
" Hooeeee?!" She screamed as she was being pulled up. Syaoran smirked.
" Who's going to save you now?" She started kicking wildly and took
off, Tomoyo following with
her camera. She started laughing harder when Sakura started screaming for
her to help. Suddenly
someone tapped Tomoyo on the shoulder. She turned around and gasped.
" Eriol-kun! What are you doing here... and how did you get in?! The
whole schools' six feet
under!" Eriol let an evil smile creep across his face.
" Oh? I didn't notice." Tomoyo looked at him shocked for a moment
before laughing.
" Ohohoho, you didn't have anything to do with our little storm, now
would you?" Eriol grinned as
he pulled Tomoyo into a dance.
" I felt Sakura was depressed," He stated calmly, the ridiculous grin
still plastered on his face. "
And so I figured, what better way to make her feel better than to lock her
in a room with my cute
descendant?" With this Tomoyo laughed outright.
" You are so evil, Eriol-kun." She replied, looking over his shoulder
at Syaoran, who was trying to
protect himself from Sakura; both laughing, but with Syaoran, you have to
look past the straight face
and attitude to hear his. Eriol lifted her head up with his thumb, making
eye contact.
" Would you have it any other way, Tomoyo-san?" She blushed and rested
her head on his should
in an attempt to hide it.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
They were still locked in by the time midnight rolled around, but
almost all parent had been
contacted. Tomoyo smiled smugly and stated ' never leave home without it'
when she pulled out her
cell phone, causing Sakura to breath a BIG sigh of relief. Syaoran took a
while to calm down when he
discovered Eriol was here, but when he did, they could all catch up on each
other's lives. With Sakura
being so distant, and Eriol more so, it was good to talk about things
without tension. The school had
turned out their lights so that the students could sleep, so the only light
there was coming in from the
full moon.
Sakura and Syaoran sat next to the large window wrapped in a blanket.
They had the perfect excuse
too, Tomoyo thought amusedly. Sakura was dressed in very thin material, and
Syaoran claimed he was
just as cold as she was. There were very limited blankets, so there was one
per couple. Eriol and
Tomoyo would've lent Syaoran theirs, but Tomoyo simply wouldn't sit on the
floor in that dress. Eriol
and Tomoyo sat on theirs, both perfectly content on laughing and smiling
with the card captor burrito
in front of them. The two could barely drink their hot chocolate they were
so close together, but
Syaoran gave the impression that he was disliking she was anywhere near
him. Sakura didn't seem to
care, she just laughed and talked with him as though he were in the best of
moods.... but that's what
flustered him. He WAS in the best of moods. These people, he thought, can
see right through me. He
found comfort in that thought, and returned his attention to Sakura.
Tomoyo was thinking about how peaceful things were, until she noticed
something. She looked at
the moon, then back again, with a sly smirk on her face.
" You got Yue into this too?" She asked Eriol, who was watching Sakura
and Syaoran flirt. Eriol
looked up to her with a genuinely confused look.
" I don't know what you're talking about." Tomoyo pointed to the moon.
" The moon's not supposed to be full for another 12 days." Eriol
laughed in amazement as he looked
to where Tomoyo was pointing.
" I guess Yue cares about his Mistress as much as we do." Eriol
concluded with a smile. He glanced
over to Sakura, who'd never been that happy for months. He could feel her
joys radiating everywhere,
and it had (obviously) intoxicated his cute descendant. He then looked to
the people around them who
had also camped out near the window for light. They were all laying down to
sleep. After he saw
Sakura and Tomoyo yawn simultaneously he decided maybe they should all get
to sleep.
" We should hit the sack, guys. It'll be a hard day tomorrow trying to
be found." Eriol suggested.
Sakura laughed and agreed.
Syaoran made extra sure Sakura never left his touch when they both lied
down. He was so worried for
her, and truthfully feared the worst. He nearly smiled when Sakura wrapped
his arms around her like a
blanket and snuggled deeper into his chest. He also concluded he'd done
way too much smiling today
than he thought healthy. That can't be good... Sakura laughed as response
to his thoughts.
" Thank you." She whispered. She fell asleep before she could hear
more than one person reply.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
" She is truly a remarkable person," Kero stated proudly. He couldn't
help but take part
responsibility in her up bringing. " But she has even more remarkable
friends." As he said that he
looked up to Yue.
" Yes..." Yue replied stonily. The two guardians were perched on a
nearby roof looking in on
Sakura through the window. The snow that Eriol had created was obstructing
their view, but they could
still see Sakura's pink aura, now shining brighter than it had before. Kero
sighed and looked over to
Yue.
" But she's still in danger, isn't she?" Yue nodded. He didn't comment
on it, for he feared if he did,
the more helpless her situation would sound. Kero didn't have to hears the
words to understand Yue.
He looked back to Sakura in worry.
" Keep warm, my dear. Keep dry."
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
~El finis!
AN: Okay, thanks for reading it guys, but as you can see, I've left room
for a sequel. If I get a certain
amount of reviews I'll write a sequel... and it probably won't be another
one-shot. I tend to... babble,
therefore creating many many chapters. =) review, please, and id like some
constructive criticism too.
See you laters! ~A
fic is almost completely
different from other dance fics. It's also part songfic. I hope you like
it, it will really decide whether or not I post more fics
here. Anyway, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptors or the song I use ( Mary Jane by
Alanis Morrisette)
Charming~*
Sakura groaned as she headed for her room. Despite her father and
brothers' protests, she didn't
plan on coming back down for the rest of the night. Life lately had been
far from wonderful for the
whole Kinomoto family, and Sakura had been stuck in the middle. She was
currently 15, her
cardcapting days were over; but that didn't save her from evil. Some
strange force had been haunting
her lately, and Syaoran didn't seem to sense it. Home life wasn't all that
peachy either. The just
discovered Otousan had cancer, lung cancer to be exact. Oniichan somehow
managed to impregnate
some other girl, so Yukito doesn't come around anymore; not to mention the
girl is trying to sue for
rape... and winning. No, none of it really made sense, and that only seemed
to cause more guilt trips for
Sakura. If it wasn't her fault, then whose was it.
Sakura realized mildly that she was leading herself down the wrong
road by blaming herself, but
she always seemed the person to take all of the problems her family had set
upon her. Where else
could they go? she thought to herself, they need me to listen.
She leaned up against her closed door and slid down slowly,
fighting with all her might to stop the
tears that threatened to come. She longed for someone who she thought would
understand, namely an
adult. All the adults she knew, however, were simply out of the question.
She would talk to Tomoyo,
but she didn't want to trouble her. She would really like to talk to
Syaoran, but he always seemed so
distant lately. He's been like that since he moved here, she corrected
herself, but something about
him... She woke up from letting her mind drift and lifted herself off the
floor. She noticed her window
was open and walked over to close it. Before she did she took a look
outside.
It was late fall, but the cool atmosphere felt good against the
long summer. She watched the
leaves fall onto the red and orange blanket set on the ground from the past
few days. She would usually
comment to herself on how beautiful the day was, but all she could see were
shades of black and
white. Finally she went to bed, hoping she would get some sleep that night.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%
Sakura woke with a start when her new alarm clock sounded. That
thing could wake the dead.
She had to get it though, Kero was living with Tomoyo. Sakura didn't think
that either she nor her
family could deal with finding out she was a cardcaptor, and even if they
didn't believe her thinking
themselves crazy wouldn't help any either. Both Sakura and Kero were upset
with this, but she thought
it was for the better. She hadn't seen him in at least a week or two, but
didn't really have the mental
capacity to miss him; which made her feel incredibly guilty on top of
everything else. She sighed and
hit the 'off' button, mildly hoping Touya wouldn't have to deal with any
deceased ancestors because of
the damned thing.
" Ohayo, minna!" Sakura greeted as she walked into the classroom. AS
fat as her peers knew,
nothing was going on. Tomoyo smiled and immediately started babbling about
new designs she had in
mind. Sakura only lent half of her attention to Tomoyo, the other was spent
in concern towards
Syaoran. He was too silent; usually he would at least have said good
morning to her. She didn't have
time to ponder this before Tomoyo cut through her thoughts.
"... so will you, Sakura-chan?" Sakura blinked a couple times before
smiling sweetly.
" Sure!" Tomoyo started laughing.
" Sakura-chan, I just asked you if you would wear my new alien design
to the dance tomorrow!
What's wrong?" Sakura looked over to Syaoran again, he looked deep in
thought.
" Dance?" She asked as she turned back to Tomoyo. Tomoyo nodded
enthusiastically.
" I have the perfect dress for you, Sakura-chan!" Sakura breathed a
sigh of relief. At least she
wouldn't have to pay for one. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Syaoran
flinch.
" Thanks so much Tomoyo. when do I get to try it on?" Tomoyo squealed
with happiness at
Sakura's enthusiasm.
" Today, of course! If there are any adjustments I need to make, I'll
need time!" Sakura forced a
smile.
" Of course."
By lunchtime Sakura was famished, she she was first in line at the snack
bar. Tomoyo dragged behind,
looking around for something. Suddenly she ran up to another classmate.
" Syaoran-kun!" She called. The student turned toward her with his
usual stoic stare. Tomoyo
stopped to catch her breath before she continued.
" I'm worried about *gasp* Sakura-chan." This seemed to strike something
in him. " Lets talk about
this somewhere else." She continued.
~*
" She's just grown so distant..." Tomoyo explained on the verge of
tears. Syaoran nodded, seemingly
uninterested in the topic.
" There, there, Daidouji-san. It's probably just a phase" He comforted
coldly. If he were talking to
anybody else other than Tomoyo or Eriol they would be incredibly offended,
even Sakura. But they
knew him better than that, and quite frankly that worried him. Tomoyo
merely burst into tears and
cried onto Syaoran's shoulder. He wasn't really one for sympathizing,
Tomoyo knew it, so she didn't
expect anything more than a shoulder. After a few moments she wiped her
tears and blew her nose in a
napkin. Sakura started walking toward them but broke out into a run when
she saw Tomoyo's red eyes.
" Tomoyo-chan! What's wrong?!" Sakura asked when she got there. Her
tone was tired, and for
good reason. She was sick of asking that question. Tomoyo just smiled and
waved those thoughts away.
" I just stubbed my toe, that's all." Sakura looked at her curiously.
By the looks of it it's like she lost
a toe, she thought. Sakura sat down next to them as Tomoyo pretended to rub
her toe in pain.
Syaoran looked over to Sakura, who was trying to figure out if Tomoyo was
faking it or not. " Are you
going to the dance?" He asked monotonously. It wasn't an invitation, Sakura
could tell, but the look in
his eyes hinted that he was worried about something. She passed it as the
lights' reflection.
" Yeah, and I bet Tomoyo-chan's got a beautiful dress for me." Sakura
changed the subject
successfully, she too worried when he looked like that. Tomoyo suddenly
smiled and her eyes glazed
over with stars as she imagined the dress. Before she could get far the
lunch bell rang, leaving a hungry
Tomoyo and Syaoran. Tomoyo leapt up gathering her things quickly.
" I promised Dosota-sensei Id be there early!" She explained before
darting into the school. Sakura
started to do the same, but at a much slower pace. Before she left, she
heard someone call her.
" Sakura," She turned around. It was Syaoran. " Save a dance for me,
will you?" And with that he
walked off into the school, following the same route Tomoyo did. Sakura
stood there in shock. For a
guy who says next to nothing, that was quite a thing to say. She held her
hand on her cheek like he
kissed her, staring at him from behind. She shook her head a little bit
then realized how late she was
going to be. With that thought in mind she made a mad dash to her
classroom.
That afternoon Sakura tried on her dress... with a blindfold. Tomoyo
was set on making the moment
perfect for Sakura. With the Cinderella concept in mind, Tomoyo made sure
Sakura would be just as
awestruck as everyone else (In Tomoyo's mind should) would be when she
walked into the gym. After
a few moments Tomoyo upsettingly concluded that there were far too many
ribbons. This earned a
whole-hearted laugh from Sakura; something she hadn't done in months. When
prompted what had
gotten into her, Sakura giddily told Tomoyo about what Syaoran had told
her.
" Ooh! Sakura! You must feel special to be chosen by the 'high and
mighty' Li Syaoran!" Sakura
giggled and agreed.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
The gym was decorated beautifully for the Autumn season, with the
predictable construction paper
leaves, and newspaper trees. What made it so breathtaking is that the art
class spent the last few weeks
putting leaves up on the ceiling and using string to recreate the leaves
falling. Even the floor was
heavily duct taped with leaves. Wow, Sakura thought, these people are leaf
happy. Sakura had been so
preoccupied with the rest of her life she simply didn't pay attention to
any of the announcements. She
suddenly smirked to herself. I have to save a dance for Syaoran-kun!. She
giggled again and vaguely
considered what it would be like to dance a slow dance with him.
" When she got home that afternoon she was struck with bad news.
Fujitaka was getting worse, but
refused the hospital, claiming that if they lost the case there would be no
money to pay for things like
that. The lawyers also called saying they need to make an offer to settle
the case or else to expect the
worst. Having nowhere else to go they both piled it on Sakura.
Unfortunately she was still the caring
loving person she was four years ago, and took the blame personally for
everything. There must've
been something you could've done to help this, she accused angrily. Tomoyo
was expecting her at the
mansion by four so she could doll Sakura up in time for the dance at six.
Sakura had no trouble with
running away from the madness.
Before she could ring the doorbell to Tomoyo's house the door flung
open and a yellow ball of fluff
tackled her to the floor.
" Hi Sakura!! Sorry I wasn't here yesterday but I was playing video
games... but that's not
important! It's good to see you again!!" Sakura smiled weakly and picked
Kero off of her.
" Good to see you too, Kero. c'mon, Tomoyo. Let's get this over
with." Kero looked slightly hurt at
her tone of voice, so she added:
" Will you help too, Kero? I sure Tomoyo'll need all the help she can
get. Plus I can't go anywhere
without your fashion expertise." Kero brightened up drastically and flew
inside, practically dragging
the other two along.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
When Sakura and Tomoyo walked into the gym the party had already
started, given it was 6:35.
Kero insisted that they eat some sweets with him for good luck. Tomoyo
finally decided that her
back-up dress would have to do, since the other was unsalvageable
underneath all the ribbons and
bows. It was beautiful, Sakura thought. She donned a dark green spaghetti
strap dress that hugged her
curves until it reached mid calf where it flared out beautifully. Tomoyo,
after much debate, decided
she'd match Sakura with a purple dress.
Tomoyo looked at her project in awe, she looks beautiful. With that
impeccable green eye shadow
she has on nobody could resist her! she thought maniacally. After calming
down Tomoyo suggested
they find Li-kun. Sakura smiled and agreed.
Syaoran's eyes shot towards the duo like lovesick magnets, carefully
watching where they would go
next. After concluding they were heading for him he calmed down a little,
and wondered how the night
would turn out.
~*
As the night went on Sakura simply sat off to the side, drowning
herself in guilt. Pathetic, she
thought, you try to make something better and it only gets worse. She'd
been asked all night to dance,
but she politely declined each one, claiming she was too tired from her
last dance. Suddenly the Dj's
voice cut through her thoughts.
" all right ladies and gents, last dance of the evening, and couple
only! So if ya don't got one grab
somebody and get on the dance floor!" Sakura went into a small panic. Oh
no! I never danced with
Syaoran, I hope he doesn't get mad...
" May I have this dance?" A hand was offered. She was about to decline
when she looked up and
saw Syaoran. She smiled.
" As promised." She replied accepting his hand. Soon a calm steady eat
flowed through the gym,
causing all the couple to sway with it. Suprisingly Syaoran held her closer
and rested his head on her
shoulder. Before she had a chance to blush his voice crept through her ear.
" What's the matter Mary Jane, had hard day? So place the 'don't
disturb' sign on the door" Sakura
recognized the lyrics to coincide with the song. Somehow she knew he was
singing them for her. " Lost
you place in line again? What a pity. You never seem to want to dance
anymore." Sakura blinked away
some tears that were unwillingly finding their way to her eyes.
" It's a long way down, on this rollercoaster. The last chance
streetcar went off the tracks... and
you're on it." She clung to him tighter, trying to hold back her tears.
She wanted to believe he
understood, but wouldn't allow herself the luxury. She didn't deserve
comfort.
" I hear you're counting sheep again, Mary Jane. What's the point of
trying to dream anymore?"
Sakura asked herself why he was telling her this, it was only making it
worse.
" Hear you're loosing weight again Mary Jane. D'you ever wonder who
you're losing it for?" No,
she corrected herself. He's trying to make me look at it different. He's
trying to help.
" Well it's full speed baby, in the wrong direction. There's a few
more bruises, if that's the way you
insist on heading." But nothing is wrong, she told herself. There's nothing
I can do to change anything,
so why are you telling me this? I like my life...
She felt Syaoran shake his head as in response to her thoughts. "
Please be honest Mary Jane, are
you happy? Please, don't censor your tears." That was the strange irony
that finally brought her to
tears. That song had sung her life, and Syaoran was telling it to her. She
immediately started crying,
and Syaoran instinctively held her closer as he continued to lead her in a
waltz across the gym.
" You're the sweet crusader, and you're on your way. You're the last
sweet innocent... and that's
why I love you." Syaoran kissed her neck lightly in comfort, for she was
still crying as hard as she was
before. Now it was for a different reason: she couldn't help but feel
guilty. Here she was being
comforted, when at home things were terrible. There was a pause in the song
where Syaoran spun her
around, then brought her back into an embrace.
" Take this moment Mary Jane, and be selfish." He said the last part
in an almost pleading way. "
Worry not about the cars that go by. All that matters now is your freedom,"
He ran his thumb along her
cheek. " So keep warm my dear, keep dry..." He ended in a whisper, and
stopped gliding across the
floor. He simply stood there, hugging a broken down, but much relieved,
Sakura.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
As the crowds started talking a nervous voice filled the gym. " Uh, we
have a bit of bad news. We
seemed to have had a freak snow storm, and we're buried neck high in snow.
We'll have to camp out
here until further notice." It was the Dj with an obvious confused tone.
The school responded with an
overall 'what the hell?'.
" I know, I know, but bear with us here. We'll get cocoa passed around
in a minute.. and I guess I'll
keep spinning so ya'll don't get bored." Then class cheered while all the
girls groaned; they all longed
get out of their heels!
Sakura looked up from Syaoran's shoulder and smiled. " Ah, but being the
above average Card
mistress," she paused and pulled out something from behind her back. "
brought her socks!" Sure
enough, Sakura held up a pair of socks triumphantly. Syaoran smiled and
almost allowed himself a
laugh. Sakura suddenly stepped back from him in terror.
" Oh my gosh, did you..." Sakura turned around to face an eager video
camera. " Did you see that,
Tomoyo-chan? He smiled!" The camera nodded eagerly and giggled. Syaoran
turned red and growled
nervously. Sakura merely turned back toward him and gave him the biggest
hug she had.
" You saved me, Syaoran." He blushed furiously, but couldn't help
feeling wonderful now that
Sakura was back to normal.
" Kawaii!" Tomoyo squealed and clung to her camera like there was no
tomorrow. Suddenly a
mischievous glint flashed through Syaoran's eyes. Sakura had just finished
putting on her socks and
nearly threw her heels out the window. Syaoran then picked Sakura up
caveman style.
" Hooeeee?!" She screamed as she was being pulled up. Syaoran smirked.
" Who's going to save you now?" She started kicking wildly and took
off, Tomoyo following with
her camera. She started laughing harder when Sakura started screaming for
her to help. Suddenly
someone tapped Tomoyo on the shoulder. She turned around and gasped.
" Eriol-kun! What are you doing here... and how did you get in?! The
whole schools' six feet
under!" Eriol let an evil smile creep across his face.
" Oh? I didn't notice." Tomoyo looked at him shocked for a moment
before laughing.
" Ohohoho, you didn't have anything to do with our little storm, now
would you?" Eriol grinned as
he pulled Tomoyo into a dance.
" I felt Sakura was depressed," He stated calmly, the ridiculous grin
still plastered on his face. "
And so I figured, what better way to make her feel better than to lock her
in a room with my cute
descendant?" With this Tomoyo laughed outright.
" You are so evil, Eriol-kun." She replied, looking over his shoulder
at Syaoran, who was trying to
protect himself from Sakura; both laughing, but with Syaoran, you have to
look past the straight face
and attitude to hear his. Eriol lifted her head up with his thumb, making
eye contact.
" Would you have it any other way, Tomoyo-san?" She blushed and rested
her head on his should
in an attempt to hide it.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
They were still locked in by the time midnight rolled around, but
almost all parent had been
contacted. Tomoyo smiled smugly and stated ' never leave home without it'
when she pulled out her
cell phone, causing Sakura to breath a BIG sigh of relief. Syaoran took a
while to calm down when he
discovered Eriol was here, but when he did, they could all catch up on each
other's lives. With Sakura
being so distant, and Eriol more so, it was good to talk about things
without tension. The school had
turned out their lights so that the students could sleep, so the only light
there was coming in from the
full moon.
Sakura and Syaoran sat next to the large window wrapped in a blanket.
They had the perfect excuse
too, Tomoyo thought amusedly. Sakura was dressed in very thin material, and
Syaoran claimed he was
just as cold as she was. There were very limited blankets, so there was one
per couple. Eriol and
Tomoyo would've lent Syaoran theirs, but Tomoyo simply wouldn't sit on the
floor in that dress. Eriol
and Tomoyo sat on theirs, both perfectly content on laughing and smiling
with the card captor burrito
in front of them. The two could barely drink their hot chocolate they were
so close together, but
Syaoran gave the impression that he was disliking she was anywhere near
him. Sakura didn't seem to
care, she just laughed and talked with him as though he were in the best of
moods.... but that's what
flustered him. He WAS in the best of moods. These people, he thought, can
see right through me. He
found comfort in that thought, and returned his attention to Sakura.
Tomoyo was thinking about how peaceful things were, until she noticed
something. She looked at
the moon, then back again, with a sly smirk on her face.
" You got Yue into this too?" She asked Eriol, who was watching Sakura
and Syaoran flirt. Eriol
looked up to her with a genuinely confused look.
" I don't know what you're talking about." Tomoyo pointed to the moon.
" The moon's not supposed to be full for another 12 days." Eriol
laughed in amazement as he looked
to where Tomoyo was pointing.
" I guess Yue cares about his Mistress as much as we do." Eriol
concluded with a smile. He glanced
over to Sakura, who'd never been that happy for months. He could feel her
joys radiating everywhere,
and it had (obviously) intoxicated his cute descendant. He then looked to
the people around them who
had also camped out near the window for light. They were all laying down to
sleep. After he saw
Sakura and Tomoyo yawn simultaneously he decided maybe they should all get
to sleep.
" We should hit the sack, guys. It'll be a hard day tomorrow trying to
be found." Eriol suggested.
Sakura laughed and agreed.
Syaoran made extra sure Sakura never left his touch when they both lied
down. He was so worried for
her, and truthfully feared the worst. He nearly smiled when Sakura wrapped
his arms around her like a
blanket and snuggled deeper into his chest. He also concluded he'd done
way too much smiling today
than he thought healthy. That can't be good... Sakura laughed as response
to his thoughts.
" Thank you." She whispered. She fell asleep before she could hear
more than one person reply.
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
" She is truly a remarkable person," Kero stated proudly. He couldn't
help but take part
responsibility in her up bringing. " But she has even more remarkable
friends." As he said that he
looked up to Yue.
" Yes..." Yue replied stonily. The two guardians were perched on a
nearby roof looking in on
Sakura through the window. The snow that Eriol had created was obstructing
their view, but they could
still see Sakura's pink aura, now shining brighter than it had before. Kero
sighed and looked over to
Yue.
" But she's still in danger, isn't she?" Yue nodded. He didn't comment
on it, for he feared if he did,
the more helpless her situation would sound. Kero didn't have to hears the
words to understand Yue.
He looked back to Sakura in worry.
" Keep warm, my dear. Keep dry."
%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*~*%*
~El finis!
AN: Okay, thanks for reading it guys, but as you can see, I've left room
for a sequel. If I get a certain
amount of reviews I'll write a sequel... and it probably won't be another
one-shot. I tend to... babble,
therefore creating many many chapters. =) review, please, and id like some
constructive criticism too.
See you laters! ~A