Day Eight: Midnight—Syaoran


It was the fireworks that told Syaoran what time it was. He watched them for a few seconds out the window before he looked down at where Sakura was sleeping peacefully against him. His arm was draped around her shoulder as her head rested against his shoulder with her legs curled up on the couch. They were in his hotel suite, where they had come after their date earlier that day. The fire in the fireplace was still blazing with warmth and light across from them, as Syaoran had neither the chance nor the desire to turn it off.

Sakura had been so sure and adamant that she was going to make it this year. But midnight had arrived at last, and Sakura was completely and utterly sound asleep. He'd had strict orders from her ("Don't you dare let me go to sleep, Syaoran. I want to watch the fireworks with you.") and he'd made some half-hearted attempts to keep her awake the first few times he'd caught her dozing off. But, ultimately, he'd given up when she fell asleep in the middle of a sentence over an hour ago and no amount of gentle prodding or softly calling her name had even so much as caused a single stir out of her.

As gently as he could he reached out his free hand and pulled the clip out that was still holding up her hair, causing the tresses to fall down around her face. Once he set the clip aside, he brushed a few loose strands away from her face that had fallen on her cheeks.

He placed a soft kiss on her brow before he leaned back against the back of the couch once more, wondering what exactly he should do now. He had no desire to wake her up (and no idea if he actually could wake her up if he tried—she was, after all, a very heavy sleeper), but he didn't relish what her brother and father (but mostly just her brother) would say after learning she stayed all night.

True, he could probably get her home without waking her, but he really wanted to spend as much time as he could with her seeing as he had to return to Hong Kong tomorrow. He hated being away from Sakura, but he had chosen a university there while Sakura had remained in Tomoeda. Unlike the last time, they were separated, they planned on seeing each other at every break they could, but Syaoran almost couldn't believe that they still had over three years to be apart from each other.

Coming to a decision, Syaoran hooked his free arm underneath her knees and picked her up in his arms as he came to his feet. He carried her across the room and nudged the bedroom door open further with his foot. Carefully, he walked through the door frame before going and laying Sakura down on the bed. He grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and laid it over her before he sat down next to her. As he brushed away stray curls again from her face, he bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Happy New Year, Sakura," he whispered against her skin before he stood and left the room.