Right Here Waiting
by brokenshadow23
Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to Clamp.
Chapter 8
Her Warrior
-Syaoran's POV-
I looked outside the window, isolating my mind from the lecture. I knew very well that it was not a good idea, but the sad expression of Sakura was hunting my mind. I wanted to cheer her up, but in some way I could feel her resistance.
All I could do was to watch from afar and distract her. And it was frustrating on my part.
-Flashback –
"Hey, Syaoran." Meilign called out as she sat beside me while taking a break from our training.
"Yes?" I asked.
Meiling stared at my amber eyes with her ruby ones and smiled. "If you are given the chance to protect someone in any way possible, who will it be?"
I gave her a confused look, and sighed. I looked at the sky. "Can it be three?"
Meiling smiled. "Sure, but make sure I am one of those."
I chuckled, expecting her comment. "Of course you do, you were my first friend after all."
"Then who is the other two?" She asked as she grabbed her bag and pulled out a notebook. She opened it and started writing.
"The other girl of course is the one whom I am destined to be with, and..." I paused, seeing a familiar picture on her notebook. It was the street filled with Cherry Blossom trees."Tomoeda..."
"Ha!" Meiling exclaimed. "I knew it!" I gazed at her. "Knew what?" Meiling rolled her eyes. "Are you with me?" she asked in annoyance. "I am talking about her."
"Her?" I repeated. "Who on earth are you talking about?"
"Sakura..."
-End of Flashback –
"Li-kun." Tomoyo said, looking up at the tree where Syaoran sat. She watched him get lost with his thoughts once again, like what she noticed this morning.
Syaoran looked down. "What's the matter, Tomoyo?"
The raven haired girl smiled softly. Since their little incident few months go, it was rare for them to talk to each other without Sakura on the view. "Nothing. How are you?"
"Still the same." Syaoran answered.
Tomoyo sat down on the bench beside the tree, but remained to look at him. "So who's the lucky girl?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know..." She said, smiling. "For the dance."
Syaoran bit his lip, remembering the annual dance of the school. Everyone was talking about it, but he paid no attention for his mind was entirely occupied on the world of magic and of course, Sakura. "I'll be fine alone."
"Not even Sakura?" She asked surprisingly.
"Nope." Syaoran sighed. "She probably wants other man with her." He said in a soft tone. Staring at the sky once again, he felt his brown hair flow along with the wind.
"Hi Sakura." Tomoyo's voice filled the silence once again, which made Syaoran gaze at her direction.
Sakura was there, a plain expression on her face. She gave a small smile to Tomoyo, but Syaoran saw it vanish after a few seconds. Worrying, Syaoran went down and stood next to her. He gazed to Tomoyo.
"Can you please leave us?" Syaoran said in silence.
Tomoyo stared at them for a moment and realized that she did not have a choice. She walked away silently, and when she was already out of their sight, Syaoran turned to the auburn haired girl.
Sakura sighed.
"What did he do this time?" Syaoran asked, trying his best to remain calm. Though, he knew that his annoyed voice was evident.
Sakura shook her head, wanting to protect him.
Syaoran took a deep breath and stood in front of her. "Please, Sakura. Tell me what's wrong." He said, this time softly. Maybe it was his imagination, but all throughout this thing with Eriol he felt himself being useless.
No response. She just stood there, facing him.
Syaoran frowned at this. Feeling his emotions running, he took a step back and decided to confront Eriol himself. It was too much for him.
"No..." She whispered as she grabbed Syaoran's left hand. "Please don't."
Looking back, Syaoran saw the sadness in her former cheerful emerald eyes. He groaned. "What do you want me to do Sakura?! Just watch you and do nothing? Really, Sakura. I feel useless to you now."
"Please..." She murmured once again. This time tears were present, scrolling down on her cheek.
With that, Syaoran gave up. He groaned louder, but this time he slowly moved a step near her shaking body. He knew that it was not his entire fault of making her cry, but he became a part of it. And he was sorry for that. So he sighed and enveloped her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Sakura."
"Are you ready, Master?" Wei asked as he half-opened the door. He found the young Li sitting on the corner of his bed, wearing a black tuxedo which was given by his eldest sister.
Syaoran glanced at him and smiled. "Yes." He got up and headed to the door. "However, can I ask you a favor?"
The old man nodded. "Sure. What is it?"
"Can I go alone?"
Wei gave him a worried look. "Are you going to be fine? I mean, I know you can drive, but it seems that there is something troubling you these past few days." He told him. Since last week, he noticed the young Li to be restless and deep in thought. Then this morning, during his training, he noticed that he was so focused, yet his hits were stronger than the usual.
Syaoran nodded. "I'll be safe, Wei." He assured him. "I should. After all, Sakura is with me."
"Then do as you wish." Wei handed him the keys and led him to the door. "Have a great night with Sakura, young Master."
"Thanks."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Sakura," Touya called her. "The monster is here."
Sakura jumped in surprise as she heard her brother's voice. She was lost in her thoughts once again. She sighed. "Please tell him I'll be there in a minute."
Touya sighed, worrying for his sister. "Alright." He said and went downstairs. Like any other visit of Syaoran, he greeted him with a glare. Although, this time Syaoran remained calm and silent. "She's be here in a minute."
Syaoran nodded.
"I am not sure what is going on with her." Touya suddenly started. He looked at the Chinese guy on their living room and waited for him to focus his eyes on him. "However, I'll entrust her with you tonight. You are the only person whom she can talk to right now so I'll let you be the lookout for tonight."
Syaoran smirked at his words. "Are you sure that you want Sakura to come? Based from your words, I am not sure if I can even dance with her."
Touya glared at him, and to Syaoran's surprise, he smiled. "I can't believe I am saying this, but of course you can little monster. What I mean is, don't let anyone fool her around."
"You don't need to remind me that. I always try to protect her."
-Syaoran's POV-
The ride to the school was silent. We have nothing to talk about after all, except if Sakura would start a conversation regarding her and Hiiragizawa. I did not dare to open it since it would only make her space out once again.
"Here we are." I said as I parked the car in front of the school gate. We heard the music coming out of the gymnasium, and the laughter of the other students who were entering the school.
I opened the door on my side and she patiently waited for me to open hers. "Hi, Sakura. Syaoran." Tomoyo greeted us. She was on a simple purple dress that ended on her knee.
"Good evening, Tomoyo." I greeted, while Sakura simply gave a smile.
I looked at her, not used to the silence she was giving. I was about to talk to her, but she suddenly held my hand. I grabbed it, holding it tightly. If only she was in her normal self, I would find it a sweet gesture, but at that moment, I knew that she did that to assure herself that she would not be alone that night.
I excused both of us from Tomoyo and started to walk inside.
The gymnasium was filled with lights and music. Surprisingly, the students have made their own transformation. From being the simple or weird kids on class, they wore stylish clothes and appeared to be more presentable. We turned to the right side of the door to get our table numbers and,
'Damn.' I cursed as my amber eyes caught the familiar sapphire orbs. I saw Sakura lower her head, not wanting to see him. Without any hesitation, I glared at him then dragged Sakura on the opposite direction. We arrived at our respective table.
"Are you okay?" I asked, squeezing her hand. She raised her head and gave a smile. "Yes. There is nothing to worry."
-Eriol's POV-
After I met Syaoran's glare, I turned around to pretend that I did not see a thing. I knew very well why he did that, but I believed that it was better for me to stay away from them for a while. With all the reports Kaho was giving, I decided to put up my guard even though I have to sacrifice my friendship with Sakura.
"She's beautiful, don't you think?" a calm voice entered.
I gazed on my right and smiled. "Same as you Rika." I told her, noticing her beautiful dress that match with her small frame.
Rika giggled. "Thanks. Why don't you approach Sakura?"
"Maybe later," I answered as I took one last glance at the auburn haired girl. I started to walk away, and Rika followed.
"You know what," she began. "If a guy has doubts on approaching the girl who almost became a close friend, two things play on my mind."
I gave her a questioning look. "What?"
Rika smiled. "It can be the guy is not interested with the girl, or he simply falls for her but only afraid to admit it to himself."
After dinner, the students started to move to the dance floor. The songs started fast at first, making way for those people who did not have dates. Syaoran and Sakura simply watched, for both of them were not in the mood to move.
Like what Touya instructed, Syaoran was a great wall for Sakura. Every time men approach them, whether he was the same age as them or not, all he did was to glare at them to shove them away. He would not allow them to dance with her, until he himself did.
Few minutes have passed, and finally the slow songs began. Unlike earlier, the crowd on the dance floor lessened since only those who have dates were left dancing. Syaoran looked at Sakura and waited for a perfect timing.
The song sweetly ended and another started.
Syaoran got up from his seat and offered his hand to Sakura. The girl looked up.
"You know, I just realized that your beauty tonight will be useless if you won't dance." He told her and smiled.
Without any word, Sakura smiled back and put her hand on her best friend's warm one. She allowed him to pull her up and to lead her to the dance floor. Being a simple girl, she actually didn't know how to dance in occasions like this. Sure, she was a cheerleader, but dancing in twos was new to her. So she trusted him to guide him.
Syaoran smiled sweetly at her, knowing that this was her first dance. So he put his hand gently on her waist to pull her closer then took her right hand to his.
Travel in silence
When I stretch my hand out, I feel you,
but You're far away I
t's within my memories
They swayed along the music and to make things more blissful, Sakura leaned on his chest, making them closer.
"Sakura." Syaoran whispered to her ear.
"Sorry." She mumbled and sighed. "I am so sorry to ruin your night. I know you should have been enjoying, but instead I dragged you to my sadness."
Syaoran took a deep breath and squeezed her hand. "You didn't, Sakura. The only reason I am here after all is because of you and you know that."
Sakura smiled at his words. "Thank you."
They continued dancing with the song quietly, until they turned and Syaoran found her staring at a certain someone. Syaoran groaned inwardly and being the control of the dance, he switched their positions to block the view. "Close your eyes."
When I close my eyes, I can hear your voice
Even the small ache is dear to me
Sakura did as she was told. Though she already caught the view, she understood that it was Syaoran's way of stopping her from looking at them more.
"Please." Syaoran continued to whisper. "Never let me see you hurt yourself."
Sakura smiled sadly. Only a sigh was her response.
"And please stop pretending you're okay." Syaoran finally had the guts to tell her. It took him a lot of courage to tell that, for he himself was not prepared for her possible reactions. He felt her stepped closer to him so they stopped dancing. Instead, he wrapped his arms fully on her.
Look at me I'm here waiting for you
Even if I'm lost all alone with the wind blowing on me
I'm here waiting for you
My heart is protecting you all the time,my hands spread out
no need to cry
until you former self turns back
Realize that I'm here waiting for you
Even if the future is different from now
I'm here waiting for you continuing to shout
Surely my heart is reeling in the string that connects us
No need to cry in order to wake me up that time
-Eriol's POV-
The last notes of the song were played, signaling its end. I let go of Rika's hand and smiled at her thankfully.
"Go on," Rika told me. "You already spent too much time on me. It's about time you do the same with her."
I smirked, knowing very well whom she was referring to. I took a step back and turned to Sakura's direction. I found her on Syaoran's comforting arms, but I realized that Rika was right. Maybe tonight was the best time to talk to her, to forget my suspicions for a while.
I stepped forward, but before I could even call her name, I felt my heart stopped.
'The Key?' I cried in my mind, recognizing the familiar magical object hanging on her neck.
Eyes narrowing, I continued to stare at Sakura, particularly on her necklace, and hoped that I was wrong. However, each second I looked at it, my dream went back. Indeed, it was the same key and the same last. 'That means... that girl in my dream is Sakura?'
That moment, I stood frozen in the midst of the other students, who were swaying their body on another song. I felt my breathing go uneven, as I put the pieces of the puzzle together. Then, I saw Sakura's emerald eyes lock into mind, but I took a stepped back.
I turned around, walked away and decided to think what to do next.
"Sakura!" Syaoran called out as his best friend suddenly got off from his hug. He did not know what happened, but he knew she was about to calm down when she saw something. Or someone. He stepped forward to follow her when another voice came into the view.
"Li-kun."
Syaoran stopped to look at his right and found Tomoyo smiling at him. "Tomoyo, I—"
"Do you want to dance?" Tomoyo asked. "I haven't seen you danced to anyone tonight."
"Tomoyo—"
Tomoyo continued to smile at him, not noticing that Syaoran had become restless. He already lost Sakura in the midst of the students. "Come on." She said, taking his hand into hers.
Syaoran groaned at this. "Tomoyo, no." He said clearly in annoyance. Even though he knew it was a rude thing to do, but he could not spend another minute talking to her when he knew that he should be with another person that moment.
Hearing his voice, Tomoyo let go. There was nothing she could do anyway.
"I'm sorry."
'What is wrong with me?' Tomoyo asked herself, sitting in front the mirror. She just got home few minutes ago, but her mind remained on that incident with Syaoran.
She looked at her image on the mirror. Yes, she was beautiful. Her raven hair matched perfectly with her amethyst eyes. She was intelligent, talented and all. People saw her as a perfect kid, but for her, she would rather be simple and unrecognized. That way she would not live the expectations of others and she could enjoy things the way she wanted to. She wanted to be free, to be happy, to have someone else taking care of her.
Like Sakura Kinomoto.
Sighing, Tomoyo looked at the moon from her balcony. 'Why am I always left alone?'
"Good work, brat." Touya said softly as he closed the door on Sakura's room.
Syaoran remained silent, finally feeling the heaviness of his body. It was almost two in the morning, but he was not yet home. He was tired, but he has to do his so-called duty from Touya. He sighed.
Touya raised a brow at him. "What's the matter?"
"I'm worried." Syaoran replied honestly. Sure, it was a bit awkward for him and Touya to talk that way, but seeing Sakura that night, he knew that as her brother, he has the right to know. "I've never seen Sakura so fragile until now."
"Follow me." Touya whispered. He walked to the door next to Sakura's room and opened it.
Syaoran obediently followed. He looked at the small room, smiling at its simplicity. Though Touya and he were so different, he did not imagine that their taste for room was the same. "Nice room."
Touya carelessly sat down on his bed, facing his sister's best friend on the door. "Shut up."
Smirking, Syaoran entered the room and sat on the chair on his study table. He looked at him.
"So," Touya started asking. "Is the problem with my sister concerns a boy?"
Syaoran studied him for a moment, not really sure if he should tell or not. However, based on his serious expression, he knew that there was no use of lying. "Yes."
"Name?"
"You would not kill him, would you?"
Touya smiled, glad that Syaoran was able to read his mind. "Well, if she would not stop being like this in two weeks or a month, you can tell that guy to be ready."
Syaoran smiled, liking the idea. However, he remembered his conversation with her a week ago. "Sakura will not be pleased with your plan, I am sure of it." He told him. "She stopped me herself when I told her the same words."
"What are you planning to do then?"
The younger man shook his head. "Even though how much I wanted to intervene, I believe that this time we should let her decide on her own. Sakura is not the little kid like you think now, Touya."
Touya stared at him. He hated to admit it, but he knew Syaoran was right. Unlike before, Sakura was so different in terms of how she thinks and acts. Of course, with the exception of being late, which was one of the things he knew would not change. However, at this age, he remembered that it was the same age as Sakura when his mother fell in love with his father too. Though he knew it was not a mistake, but he did not want his sister to be on her own yet. After all, she was the only girl he loves as of the moment. "It seems that you know my sister more than I am now."
Syaoran stared at him, hearing bitterness on Touya's voice. "Not really. The only difference between us is that I got to know her as a friend, and you, as a sister."
Sighing, Touya stood up and opened his cabinet. He pulled out a sleeping bag, a green blanket and a pillow. Then he turned to Syaoran. "You can sleep here tonight. It's not a good idea for you to drive back after all." He dropped down the things on the floor. "I will not be kind to you, brat. You take the floor."
Syaoran nodded. "Thanks." He paused for a moment, thinking. "However—"
"If you'll ask to sleep in Sakura's room, then step out of here before my mind changes."
Smiling at this, Syaoran could not believe Touya's sudden decisions. However, he hurriedly picked up the things on the floor and walked out to the room. Silently, he went inside Sakura's room. He smiled softly at her sleeping form as he quietly sat down on the floor beside her bed.
And then, without any warnings, Syaoran closed his eyes and leaned over to kiss her forehead. 'Sleep well, Sakura.'
