Syaoran's Surprise:
Author Note: This is the last of four fanfics that I chose to write for some close friends of mine in DeviantArt. I know it's a couple of weeks late for Valentine's Day, but this fic was written for Crystaltie.
To be honest, I really don't like this fic, much. It isn't original enough. I wrote a fic last year, about this time, for ice-suzaku. The stories aren't exactly the same, but the elements are similar. In my opinion, they are too much alike...
I originally planned to write a fanfic telling about what happens during the day, with Syaoran, before what happens with Tomoyo in Valentine's Sleepover, but I just couldn't get it to turn out the way that I wanted....
I guess all that matters is that Crystaltie likes it.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Sakura & Syaoran belong to CLAMP! ^_^
Syaoran turned off the shower and reached around the curtain for his towel. Immediately, he felt that something was out of place. After drying off, he wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out of the tub. His keen senses, enhanced by his training in martial arts, told him that he wasn't alone in his apartment. He felt no threat from the other presence, though, and moved to wipe the steam from the bathroom mirror, figuring that it was probably Sakura.
After running his fingers through his damp, unruly hair, his hair fell into place, or rather "out of place." Before his shower, he had been engaged in his morning training. Because it was Sunday, he trained a little longer than usual. It was now mid-morning and he tried to remember if he and Sakura had plans to meet before lunch. He couldn't remember any such agreements being made.
Syaoran had been back in Japan for nearly a year, having returned last spring, after attending to his formalities in Hong Kong, to be with his girlfriend, Kinomoto Sakura. In less than a couple of months they would be starting their second year of Jr. High.
Clad with only the towel wrapped around his waist, he stepped out of the bathroom and headed towards his room to dress. As he made his way down the hall, he heard shuffling sounds coming from the kitchen. He was now certain, by the aura and sound of her footsteps, that the person was Sakura. He was also aware that he wouldn't make it to his room before she stepped out of the kitchen at the end of the hallway.
Sakura froze, when she stepped through the kitchen doorway, and her eyes went wide at the sight of his half naked body. She somehow managed not to drop the two plates that she carried, and quickly looked away from him. "I…I'm sorry," she stammered and looked down at the floor before continuing towards the living room, where they normally ate when it was just the two of them together. Syaoran couldn't help but to smile at the blush that had crept into her cheeks. His body structure had changed since she had last seen him without a shirt. Over the past six months, thanks to continued training, his muscles had become more sculpted.
Continuing to his room, Syaoran quickly dressed in Khaki pants and a dark green, pull over polo shirt. He then returned to the hall and headed towards the kitchen. This time, Sakura stepped through the kitchen door with a couple glasses of juice in hand, and ran straight into him. Only Syaoran's nearly perfect reflexes kept his shirt from being stained. "I'm so sorry!" Sakura exclaimed in panic over and over, with a bow after each statement.
Syaoran, who was now holding both glasses, chuckled at her reaction. "What's wrong, Sakura? Why are you so flustered?"
Sakura stopped bowing and looked up at him. Her cheeks were crimson. "No…nothing…" she stumbled over the word and stepped forward to take the glasses back from him. Syaoran tilted his head out of curiosity and watched as she walked past him, towards the coffee table in the living room, where he saw that she had brunch set out. She set the glasses down and turned back around to face him.
He marveled about how pretty she looked. Her cheeks had returned to their normal color and she now smiled radiantly at him. He noted that, behind the kitchen apron, she was wearing a long pink sweater, which could almost pass off as a dress, with black leggings. Her hair was styled up into odangos and she wore the slightest touch of makeup. Syaoran was momentarily dumbfounded about what the occasion could be.
Sakura giggled at his expression. "Come on, before the food gets cold," she coaxed him to move forward. Syaoran complied with her wishes and moved around to the other side of the table, where his plate was set; miso soup, steamed rice, and tamagoyaki. They sat to eat, and Syaoran again began to wonder if there was some sort of occasion that he was forgetting about. He finished his soup and was working on forming the question in his mind when Sakura spoke his name to draw his attention. Syaoran blinked out of his thoughts and focused on her to find that she held up a piece of tamago for him to try.
He took the bite, which was both sweet and savory, and grunted his approval of the taste. Sakura watched him with a satisfied expression and picked up another piece to try, herself. She closed her eyes with a moan of pleasure as the taste sensation melted over her tongue. Syaoran watched her and blushed when he found that her enjoyment of the dish aroused him. "Sakura?" he asked. His voice fluctuated in pitch, to his embarrassment.
Sakura tilted her head and smiled as she looked at him. "Hmm?" she replied.
Syaoran picked at his rice with his chopsticks. "May I ask what the special occasion is?" he spoke nervously, afraid that he had forgotten an important date. Her giggle caught him by surprise and he looked up in confusion.
"Well, if you don't know," she continued to giggle, "then we'll leave it at that for now."
Syaoran continued to stare at her, speechless by her answer. She didn't seem angry, though, so he guessed that everything was all right. She was smiling and holding up another piece of the rolled omelet for him to try. He accepted it and decided to go with the flow.
When they were finished eating, Sakura began to gather the dishes. "I'll help," Syaoran offered.
"Just carry these to the kitchen door, but you cannot come in, okay?" Sakura responded. He looked at her curiously, but when she looked like she might attempt to carry all of the dishes on her own, in one trip, he quickly agreed. As Sakura carried her dishes into the kitchen, Syaoran waited at the door for her to return for his. "Now go sit down. Read a book or something. I'll be out in a bit," she told him after returning to the kitchen door for his dishes, and to shoo him away.
Syaoran returned to the living room and picked up the TV remote. He flipped through the channels, but wasn't really paying attention to what was on. His mind was full, wondering what Sakura had planned, what the special occasion was, and thinking that he would rather she were out here with him so that they could cuddle.
When a familiar logo flashed over the screen, Syaoran flipped back to the channel. It was a commercial for one of his favorite chocolate bars, Dars. The commercial featured a couple, in the kitchen, melting chocolate on the stovetop. The man dipped a finger into the chocolate and held it up to the woman's mouth to try. The woman licked the chocolate off of the man's finger and smiled. That was when Syaoran finally realized what the special occasion was. It was Valentine's Day!
The commercial was a promotion that had been going around about the study that had been done regarding whether Japan should follow the western custom of Valentine's Day where men also gave chocolate to the women. Because Valentine's Day was on a Sunday, this year, it had completely slipped his mind. It's not like he hadn't given chocolate to Sakura on Valentine's Day in the past. Last year he was still in China, though, and they hadn't been able to spend Valentine's Day together.
"Sakura!" Syaoran called her name as he stood and walked towards the kitchen door.
She quickly appeared in the doorway to block his path. "Yes?" she replied innocently.
"Why don't we go out to see a movie?" he suggested. Since it was Sunday, and they didn't have school, he thought that it was a perfect excuse for them to go out. Besides, he wanted to do something special for her, as well.
Sakura stared at him blankly for a moment before giving him a cheerful smile. "Sure!" she said, and started to take off her apron. "I can finish up when we get back."
Syaoran nodded, and went to retrieve their coats. He held hers out and helped her to put it on. She blushed slightly and smiled to herself. When they were ready to leave, he held the door open for her. Again, Sakura found that her cheeks warmed and her heart fluttered. She felt so happy that she practically skipped, at his side, all the way to the bus stop. Syaoran couldn't help but to laugh at her reaction. She looked so darn cute!
That afternoon, they enjoyed a movie. Because it was still early, the theater wasn't too crowded. They sat in the back row, snuggled together. The movie was one that Sakura had wanted to see. It was a historical romantic drama with a tragic ending. Tears pooled in her eyes as the credits began to play. When she buried her face against his shoulder, Syaoran gave a slight chuckle and pulled her away to look at her. She tried to hide her face by looking down, but he placed a hand under her chin to gently lift it.
Sakura sniffled and stared at him with a look that said she would be angry if he laughed at her. Controlling his amusement, he smiled at her reassuringly and brushed a tear from her cheek. "Shh…" he whispered softly and kissed her eyes.
"It's….just….so sad!" she whimpered. "They…didn't get a chance…to be together."
Syaoran hugged her, as they waited for the few other couples that were also there to leave, to give her some time to calm down. After a few minutes, he led her out of the theater. Once outside, Syaoran led them towards his favorite bakery.
When Sakura realized where they were headed, she stopped and pulled on his arm to keep him from entering. "Let's go back to your place," she smiled sweetly. "I have something there for you." Syaoran looked form her, to the bakery, and back at her again. He had actually planned to pick something out for her, but she was now looking up at him with a pleading look that he couldn't resist. Giving in to her request, he thought about taking her out to dinner later, instead.
Sakura pulled him along to the bus stop. He laughed at her enthusiasm and she returned to her normal bubbly self. On the bus, she chatted with him about this, that, and the other; mostly about school, some about their friends, and a little about Touya's reaction that morning when she told him that she was going over to make breakfast for Syaoran. "Hey, Monster!" Touya had complained. "You were supposed to make breakfast here, you know!" Because she had forgotten, she was told that she would have to make dinner tonight, instead. That messed up Syaoran's plans for taking her out to dinner.
"It's okay," Sakura said, misinterpreting the look on his face. "I don't mind." She squeezed his hand and stared at him with concern, though it should have been the other way around.
Syaoran gave her a reassuring smile and gently squeezed her hand in return. He supposed that he would just have to follow with the Japanese tradition and take her out to dinner on White Day.
When the bus reached their stop, Syaoran lead her off and stepped out before her to hold her hand as she stepped down, onto the curb. Sakura blushed slightly at the gesture. She felt like a fairytale princess being helped out of a carriage. It was even more embarrassing, though, when she actually stumbled a bit, being unaccustomed to the shift in her balance. Syaoran raised her arm to steady her and reached out, with his other arm in front of her to keep inertia from propelling her forward. "Th...thank you," she quietly stuttered.
They continued on to Syaoran's apartment. After unlocking the door and pushing it open, Syaoran gestured that she should enter first. She did, and immediately headed towards the kitchen. "Give me a minute," she called over her shoulder. "Don't come in yet."
Syaoran watched after her. She had been working on something in the kitchen before they left that morning. He was curious to know what she had planned for him. Whatever it was, he noted that it seemed to be pretty big. He took off his coat and hung it up, then returned to where he had been that morning. Except, now, he didn't feel like watching TV. "Do you need some help?" he called towards the kitchen to ask.
"Almost finished," her voice called back to him.
Not more than a minute later, Sakura came to retrieve him. She stood in front of him smiling from ear to ear and held out her hands to help him off of the couch. She was wearing her apron again, and Syaoran couldn't help but to notice how cute she looked. It wasn't that he didn't normally find her cute, but an aura of mystery and excitement surrounded her, causing her to look even cuter. He didn't realize how long he was staring at her until she reached down to take his hands and pulled with the attempt to make him stand. Shaking out of his daze, he allowed her to pull him to his feet and towards the kitchen.
"Now, close your eyes," she told him when they reached the kitchen door. He did as she asked. "No peeking!" she warned with a giggle. Syaoran raised an eyebrow, though his eyes remained closed, and chuckled. She led him through the doorway, into the kitchen, and towards where he knew that the kitchen island stood. She then moved around behind him and gently pushed him a couple more steps forward. "Okay, you can open your eyes, now," she instructed.
Syaoran opened his eyes to find that a huge array of chocolates covered the top of the counter before him. There was a chocolate cake, chocolate candies, green tea chocolate balls, chocolate cookies, and a large chocolate heart that had their initials, written with red and white frosting, on it. Syaoran couldn't believe his eyes. "You made all of this?" He asked in amazement.
Sakura giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist, from behind, to hug him. "Yep! Happy Valentine's Day!" she told him cheerfully.
Syaoran took her arms from around his waist and pulled her around to face him. He stared down at her with wonder. Had she missed making breakfast at home because she had stayed up late, last night to make all of this? Cradling her face in his hands, he bent to kiss her. "Thank you," he whispered against her lips and dropped his hands to her waist to pull her into a hug.