A/N: A ficlet, my first SS. Enjoy!
To be Young Forever
-By Loli Shota-
Holding a pair of silver stilettos in one hand and the rim of her dress in another, Sakura careened downhill towards the beach.
Slipping away from the noise and music of the party, she escaped her brother's happiness and frantically ran off on her own. In her haste, she kicked up a small sandstorm and soiled the train of her pretty pink dress. Bright lights shone strong against her back when she paused to look ahead at the darkened beach. At the horizon, the sea and the skies melted into one. The sky was dotted with stars and stained with a bright moon, round and full, mirrored by the wavering sea. The sand was light and warm against her bare feet when she went on her way, this time walking. Now that she was so close, it made no sense to hurry.
Dragging her feet in the sand, she kicked at a few pebbles on the way, releasing her dress that was bound to get filthy anyway. She made it down the remainder of the tall hill, darkness swallowing her whole. She heard cheers and faint sounds of laughter, but soon, the night's sweet silence dampened all sounds that weren't hers.
The beach released a deep breath, forcing the sea to ripple with waves. Sakura raised a hand to pull a strand of auburn behind her left ear and she inhaled against the breeze. The air smelled like salt, sea and Syaoran.
Her face split into a grin. She turned around to see him about five meters away, walking silently in the darkness.
"I see you." Her voice echoed with laughter and her eyes sparkled like gems under bright lights. Syaoran hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his black tux. Standing at the bottom of this high sand hill, her long hair softly tousled by the wind, Sakura smiled up at him. He felt his thundering heart skip a beat. Her strapless satin dress flowed at her feet like pink mist. Tossed by the wind, it sometimes raised high enough to reveal her tiny bare feet sinking in sparkling powdery sand.
Syaoran felt the fire of lust ravage him to the core. Sakura's skin glowed soft under the moonlight and her entire being seemed to shine brighter than all these stars and all this sea.
At his silence, Sakura cocked her head to the side, stilettos dancing at her fingertips, the soft smile never leaving her lips.
Syaoran swallowed the passion bubbling in throat and unhooked his thumbs from his pocket. He slowly walked forward, stepping into the frame, disrupting the painting. It seemed almost sinful for him to reach for her now, but a hand was stretched towards him. She was waiting.
"You cheated," Syaoran accused. His hands slipped into Sakura's. The fit was perfect.
"Did not."
"Magic's against the rules, you know," he said as they headed towards the water, shoulder to shoulder, their fingers intertwined. But this game they never knew they had begun playing could have no rules.
"I don't need magic to know you're here,"Sakura whispered, her head falling to Syaoran's shoulder.
Syaoran heart gave another painful thump. His grip tightened on Sakura's hand.
He glanced up to where light travelled, illuminating the top of the hill.
"It's a nice party," he whispered. Sakura's smiled was slow and easy.
"Yeah... They'll be alright, nii-chan and Yukito-san. I've never seen my brother look so happy."
"Neither have I... Then again I'm probably a poor reference." He frowned.
Sakura had a breathy laugh. "You know that's not true anymore. Touya likes you."
Syaoran raised a brow. "Sure he does."
"Really." Pressing a hand to his chest, she leaned back to look him in the eyes. "He told me that…" Her eyes lowered when she hesitated.
"He told you what?" Syaoran's hand slipped in her silky auburn hair. He wrapped a long strand around his finger and tugged lightly.
"He said you were okay. And that if you were to marry me he'd be okay with it."
Syaoran felt his lips curl. "Ooh?"
"Would you?" Sakura hesitated. "Marry me, I mean—someday," she added quickly.
Syaoran felt something swell in his chest. His grin probably reached his ears. "Are you someday-proposing to me Kinomoto Sakura?"
Sakura opened her mouth in protest, but only broke into a smile at the sight of Syaoran's eyes. "What if I was?"
Syaoran chuckled and slid his arms around Sakura's thin waist. "I'd say you're stealing my someday-thunder." He dropped a kiss on her bare forehead. "I want to marry you, Sakura. Have children and grow old with you." Sakura buried her face in Syaoran's chest, her hands gripping the back of his tux. "I want to see you in a pretty white dress, smiling at me from the start of the aisle. I want to see you when your belly gets big and round and you're so pregnant you think you look like a whale." Sakura's chuckles were smothered in the fabric of Syaoran's shirt. "I want to be there to remind you when you forget just how beautiful you are. And when we're old and wrinkled and I'm bald as a coot, I want to hold your hand and go for walks on the beach, just like this."
Laughing softly, Sakura looked up. "Bald?"
"As a coot." Syaoran nodded firmly. Sparkling emerald met scorching amber. She paused.
"And I'll love you anyway," she whispered, rising to her toes.
Standing right at the edge of night, the lovers slipped in a world way out of reach.