The hand swung tantalisingly in front of him.
He took a deep breath, steadied himself, clenched his fist in determination and extended one hand towards it.
"Ah!" Kinomoto Sakura's hand flew to her mouth, just before Li Syaoran could grasp it. Coffee brown eyes contracted into dots.
"Nani?" he managed to utter out, a blush smeared across his face. Sakura turned around to face him, grinning ever so merrily, totally oblivious to the internal conflict currently raging inside Syaoran.
"I just remembered, Kero-chan wanted me to buy an apple pudding for him!" she exclaimed. Syaoran let out a sigh. Even when Kerberos was not present, he had a way of getting in between him and Sakura. Nevertheless, his head jerked up, new resolve gleaming in his amber irises.
Get a grip, Li Syaoran! You can do it! It's now or never!
They strolled on in the setting sun, Sakura humming softly to herself while Syaoran eyed the swaying hand intently. Just a second more... Just a second more... Now!
His hand shot out towards Sakura's again. He was about to grab it, when-
"Sakura-chan! Li-kun!"
What on earth-
A fist trembled convulsively as Daidouji Tomoyo, Mihara Chiharu, Sasaki Rika and Yanagisawa Naoko jogged up to them. What great timing! he thought sarcastically.
"Tomoyo-chan, Chiharu-chan, Rika-chan, Naoko-chan, konbanwa! What are you guys doing here?" Sakura beamed all around. Syaoran forced a lame smile as well, though fuming and boiling inside he was.
"We're going to grab some snacks. How about you, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo replied.
"We are too! Kero-chan-" Sakura suddenly noticed the presence of three of her peers who were unmindful of the Clow Card's guardian's existence and began laughing sheepishly, "Aha... Haha... I mean, Syaoran-kun and I feel like some sweets right now. Aha..."
Sakura tugged Syaoran's sleeve for assistance, jolting him out of his exasperation-filled reverie immediately. "Oh ya, you know, we love sweets. Haha..." he went along, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
Tomoyo produced her trademark "Ohohohoho..." knowingly as the ignorant trio blinked oddly at the both of them.
"Ok then, we'll go together," Chiharu proposed finally. Everyone nodded in accord, all except for the lone male in the group. But nobody noticed anyway.
And so the group ambled on amicably, chattering and giggling coming from the girls. Syaoran lagged behind, shaking his head forlornly as he observe his girlfriend smiling dazzlingly and blinking those huge turquoise eyes endearingly at her friends, appearing even more adorable under the glare of the golden sun rays. Cheeks reddened, brows creased together slightly.
"So how's it going?"
Syaoran jumped – literally. He backed away a few steps as he perceived the presence of Tomoyo beside him, her lips curved in a perceptive grin.
"Nani?"
"How's it going between you and Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo repeated the question, the meaningful smile never faltering away from her countenance. Sometimes Syaoran really hated how insightful Tomoyo was, or it could just be that he was THAT obvious. Fortunately for him, he happened to have a very clueless girlfriend.
"Ahh... Everything's fine. Great, actually," he said.
Azure eyes peered at him. "Then what's troubling you?"
Syaoran lowered his head, staring fixedly at the ground. "It's nothing important, actually. It's just that we've been going out for a while now and..."
"And you want more," Tomoyo finished off understandingly.
Flushing furiously, he nodded and sighed. "We haven't even held hands. It's like we're nothing more than close friends. I really... Really want to hold her hand, to hug her, to show everyone that she's my girlfriend. It's not like we haven't hugged before, but then it was different. You see what I mean? Ahhh... I'm so stupid!"
Tomoyo shook her head. "On the contrary, your straightforwardness is one of the numerous amazing traits about you. And it's what Sakura-chan loves most about you!"
Syaoran smiled wistfully. "Thanks, Daidoji-san. You really watch over Sakura all the time, don't you?"
Tomoyo chuckled. "Mochiron! Sakura-chan is unbelievably ultra-cute, totally sweet, absolutely caring and amazingly charming!" she ejaculated, stars glittering in her blue orbs. Syaoran sweat-dropped.
"A-Ah... She is," he said, gold-flecked tan eyes set on a certain girl in front of him. Tomoyo gazed at him wisely.
"Shinpai shinaide, Li-kun, I'm going to help you out!"
"Eh?"
Tomoyo winked mischievously. "You'll find out." She trotted onwards to the chattering girls, leaving a bemused Syaoran staring after her.
A troupe of eleven-year-olds clambered out of the convenience store, each holding plastic bags in their hands.
"This is everything I want. Well, I'm going home now. Ja ne, minna," Chiharu said.
"I'll go with you, Chiharu-chan. Our home is the same way," Rika said.
"Me too!" Naoko interjected. "Ja ne, Sakura-chan, Tomoyo-chan and Li-kun!"
"Ja!"
The trio sauntered off, leaving the other trio behind.
"Maa, I should be going too. Ja, Sakura-chan, Li-kun. Remember what I told you, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo whispered to Sakura. Sakura nodded and beamed while Syaoran looked on in bewilderment. Tomoyo sent him a reassuring smile before moseying away gleefully.
"What was that?" Syaoran inquired curiously.
Sakura grinned at him, prompting a marginal blush onto his visage. "Come on!"
She seized him by the hand and tugged him onto the road, unaware of the blissful guise on his handsome features at the feel of her hand inside his.
"Here!" Sakura said as she came to a stop.
"Huh?"
"Well, Tomoyo-chan told me that if a girl stands under the setting sun with someone she likes a lot and k-kiss him at exactly 6 o'clock, nothing will ever come between them," Sakura clarified, her whole head as scarlet as a ripe tomato. Her redness was mirrored by Syaoran's face as well, and for the moment he was thankful that he could dismiss it off as the tinge of the dusk.
"O-Oh," was all he could articulate out.
"Ano…" Sakura mumbled, "Syaoran-kun, do you mind if I kiss you?"
Syaoran stared at the embarrassed girl before him affectionately, her shimmering aquamarine eyes contrasting beauteously against her bright crimson cheeks. He scratched his head.
"I-I don't mind."
Sakura grinned in exuberance, provoking an irregularity of heartbeat in Syaoran. "Then… It's 5: 59 now."
"A-Ah…"
Instinctively, Syaoran wrapped his arms around her slim waist tentatively, pulling her closer to him. Both blushed fierily, their redness amplified by the blazing rays of the sun. The clock ticked.
3 seconds…
2 seconds…
1 second…
It was time. They sealed their eyes together and planted a chaste kiss on each other's lips, marking each other as their own. The last flickers of sunset glimmered, then vanished completely, plunging them into darkness. They separated slightly.
"Syaoran-kun, I-"
A badminton racket shot between them out of the blue, juddering them apart in extreme astonishment.
"Hoeee!" Sakura cried out, before her eyes travelled from the badminton racket to the person holding it.
"ONIICHAN!" she yelled. "What are you doing here?"
Kinomoto Toya glared at Syaoran, earning an equally livid glower back.
"I work over there," he muttered between gritted teeth, one hand clutched the badminton racket and pointed towards a nearby sports equipment store while one hand balled in front of Syaoran. One could practically see an electric spark where their glares collided.
"Hoeee!" Sakura whimpered, terrified, her teeth chattering incoherently.
"Now now, Toya. Cut them some slack," another voice sounded from behind.
"Yukito-san!" Sakura called out in relief. If there was someone who could stop a brawl between Toya and Syaoran, it would be him. And sure enough, Toya lowered his fist, though the glare persisted.
"What are you doing to my sis?" Toya hollered.
"Oniichan!" Sakura protested.
"It's none of your business!" Syaoran roared.
"…"
The electric spark augmented. An adjacent streetlamp fizzed out.
"Toya, let's go," Yukito cogently yanked a ranting Toya away, leaving Syaoran and Sakura alone. Again.
"Syaoran-kun, I-"
"Sshh…" Syaoran breathed, closing the distance between them and placing a finger on her cherry lips. Teal eyes locked on ochre eyes. Both pairs shone with the same message.
I love you.