Sakura Yume
By AngelikyteAlexiel
Disclaimer: I do not own Sakura, Syaoran, or anyone else in this story. They belong to Clamp. ;w;
Chapter Eight: Returning the Favor
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"Syaoran…" Sakura nearly whimpered. Her whimpers were pretty much ignored as Syaoran continued to work magic with his lips, kisses trailing down the girl's neck. As much as she wanted to hold him closer, she wanted to push him away. This was just about too much to take.
"You know you're enjoying every second of this…" Syaoran whispered in her ear; nibbling on her earlobe after the words escaped his lips. The moan that Sakura had been choking back finally escaped, and a satisfied grin danced across his lips. "Sakura…" he purred; pulling the girl against his body as he fell forward onto the bed…
"I want you."
- - - - - - - - -
The annoying buzz of Sakura's alarm clock didn't wake her up for once. This time, it was her cell phone ringing cheerfully. The girl groaned; rolling over as she snatched the damn thing off of her bedside table.
'Glad that dream's over…' she thought to herself, ignoring the inevitable fact rushing through her mind – she wasn't serious. Looking at the screen, she saw that it was Syaoran calling her. Ugh. After a dream like that, how could she have a sane conversation with him? It was crazy. Taking a deep breath, she answered the phone anyway.
"Ohiyou, gozaimasu." She said sleepily; stifling a yawn.
"Konnichiwa, Sakura." That smooth, masculine voice made Sakura shiver happily. 'Shoot.' She thought.
"Oh, hi, Syaoran!" she replied cheerily, waking up a bit. "Why are you up so early?"
"It's not that early, is it?" he asked; pausing for a few seconds as he was most likely looking at the clock. "It's 10.30…is that early for you?"
Sakura giggled softly. "Naw; that's about right for a Saturday." She replied. "So, what's up?"
There was a pause on the phone. 'Odd.' Sakura thought. But then, that strong, yet gentle voice spoke once more.
"Nothing really." He replied. "Remember how I said last night that I wanted to return the favor? For dinner, I mean."
"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed, nodding as if he could see her through the phone. It was a good thing he couldn't, though; since she was still in her pajamas. "Yeah, I remember. Why do you ask?"
Another pause. Was something wrong? Sakura was about to check and make sure the call wasn't dropped when Syaoran spoke again. "I just wanted to know if you were interested in going out for a meal tonight…" It was so odd the way he had asked. He almost sounded…nervous? Perhaps it was Sakura's own nerves that were projecting on to him so she wouldn't have to think about how he made her heart flutter. Enough of that, though.
"That would be nice…" she replied thoughtfully. "What restaurant were you thinking of?"
"Anywhere you like." Syaoran replied. She must have projected her nerves on to him; he sounded suave and confident now. What a silly girl.
"Hmm…" the girl hummed as she thought. After a pause, she said meekly; "I've never been to the Gilded Truffle before…?" She knew the place was costly, but she really didn't know of any other restaurants around. She didn't eat out much. "But I mean I'm sure there are so many other restaurants we could go to…" she stammered; "We don't have to go there; you can pi-"
"Good choice." Syaoran replied; paying no mind to the nervous stammering. In fact, he was actually finding it cute. "What time is good for you?"
"Any time, really…" Sakura replied quietly, feeling bad for suggesting such a ritzy place. She didn't even have any outfits that met standards for such a place! You really had to be high class to eat there; at least, that's what she had been told.
"Okay…" Syaoran said thoughtfully. "Then I'll come by around five this evening. We should both be hungry by then. Sound good?"
"Okay." She replied; "I'll see you at five."
"Great." Syaoran replied. "See you then."
As Sakura hung up, she couldn't help but get that fluttery feeling in her stomach. Was something going to go wrong? She hoped not; she really hoped not. Now, to tend to the matter of attire. She quickly dialed Tomoyo and prayed that she wasn't still sleeping in. Thank God. The girl answered in somewhat of a hurry.
"Sakura!" she exclaimed; sounding like Mary Sunshine. "Hang on for just a sec; I've got someone on the other line…"
The familiar click told Sakura that Tomoyo had switched lines. Hopefully it wasn't Eriol, or she might forget that she was still there; waiting. After a moment, she heard another click, followed by Tomoyo's voice.
"So, how did last night go?" she asked. Sakura could hear a smile in her voice.
"Last night?" she questioned. What could she be talking about?
"Dinner…" the girl groaned, trying to give Sakura a hint.
There was a pause. Then; "…I didn't tell you that I had dinner with anyone last night…"
Another pause; this time on Tomoyo's side. "…My bad…" she said quietly. Then, before Sakura could ask any questions, she spoke up again. "So, whatcha need?"
Shaking off the feeling that Tomoyo knew more than she should have, Sakura spoke. "I'm…going out tonight…and I need something nice to wear."
"Ooh!" Tomoyo squealed; "Come over right now! I've got a million things for you to try out! If you aren't here in ten minutes, I'm coming over to drag you here!" Before Sakura could protest, there was one more familiar click. She'd hung up. Sakura sighed.
"Well, I guess I don't have time to change…" she said softly.
- - - - - - - - - -
At Tomoyo's house, an eager Tomoyo was bouncing by the door, counting seconds when Sakura finally knocked. The door flew open, and Sakura found herself being sucked in to the house. Tomoyo had quite a grip on her wrist.
"You were almost five seconds late!" she exclaimed with a serious look on her face. Then, she giggled. "Just kidding. Come on, upstairs!"
As the two made their way to Tomoyo's room, Tomoyo asked the inevitable question. "So, where are you going tonight?"
Sakura paused. Did she really have to tell her? If she wanted the right outfit, then yes.
"The…Gilded Truffle?" she replied in question form rather than answer form. She hoped that the girl would think nothing off it. Her hopes were shattered. The girl froze in her tracks, and Sakura nearly bumped into her.
"The where?!" she exclaimed; whirling around to make sure Sakura was serious.
"You heard me…" the girl said timidly. When Tomoyo was like this, Sakura got kind of scared. But not in that bad of a way.
"Oh my God!!!" she squealed; dragging poor Sakura into her room, and slamming the door. "Who? How? Wh-"She paused for a moment before grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Syaaaaaaaooooooorannnnnnn…" she teased.
Sakura found herself blushing. "Come on now, Tomoyo…" she whined; "Can you just help me find something to wear?"
Tomoyo continued to grin, but did Sakura's bidding. She went to work.
- - - - - - - - -
Five o'clock came around, and Sakura sat in the living room, nervous as could be. Tomoyo had done a great job with the dress, but was it too much? Tomoyo should know what the dress code was there; after all, she had eaten at The Gilded Truffle once. She still felt bad for suggesting the place, but Syaoran didn't seem to have any problem with it. The knock on the door made her jump a little, but she knew who it was. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. There Syaoran stood, on her front porch; looking amazing in the suit that covered him. Sakura could feel the blood rush to her cheeks as she forced herself to step out the door. "Hi." She said softly. "I just have to lock up." After she made sure the front door was locked, she turned to face him again, smiling still.
Syaoran felt himself blushing as well; something completely out of the ordinary for him. Usually he was the one that made girls blush, but now he found himself with the stupid pink flush in his cheeks. His amber eyes were pretty much glued to the young woman as she stood before him. He knew that Tomoyo would help her with an outfit, but it was Sakura that pulled the whole thing off. She wore a soft violet colored dress; held on to her shoulders with rhinestone straps. The cloth clung to just a few places; showing just enough of her curves. The skirt of the dress brushed against Sakura's knees, and was just flowy enough for any girl to call it 'pretty' at the least. She wore a black velvet choker around her neck, a small, silver cherry blossom pendant hanging from the center. Matching earrings hung from her earlobes; a few strands of hair hiding them just a little so they didn't stand out more than necessary. Her hair was pulled into a lovely updo; the few strands that had escaped showed off the curls in her hair. Her emerald eyes shimmered slightly in the evening light, and it was so much for Syaoran to take in that he was about ready to pull the girl into his arms and ravish her with kisses. But he found himself worrying about making her uncomfortable. So, instead, he held his hand out to her.
"Shall we?" he asked, smiling as if none of the thoughts in his mind were toying with him.
Sakura saw him ease up, and she too smiled. "Lets." She replied almost cockily; taking his hand as they walked to the car.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"Wow…" Sakura exclaimed softly. She was a bit timid about speaking too loud in such a fine restaurant.
The two had just finished their meal, and were now sipping on drinks as they enjoyed each other's company.
"Is everything in order?" the waiter asked, and Syaoran nodded.
"Please, put tonight on my tab." He said. The waiter nodded.
"But of course." He replied. Just as the man started to walk away, Sakura smiled up at him.
"Everything was so wonderful; thank you so much." She said politely. Syaoran felt a tinge of envy as the waiter nearly blushed.
"Thank you very much, Madam." He replied; "It would be a pleasure if you were to grace us with your presence again." Noticing the look on Syaoran's face, he cleared his throat. "Good evening." He said somewhat quickly, scurrying off to where he was needed.
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "That was odd…" she murmured to herself; watching the man leave. Just as she turned to Syaoran, he changed his expression and sat up straight. He'd be damned before he'd even fully admit to himself that he'd glared at a waiter.
'Get a hold of yourself, Syaoran.' He thought to himself; 'She wouldn't be interested in that waiter, anyway.' Sakura broke his thoughts as she smiled at him. He smiled back, and took a sip of his drink.
"So, what did you think?" he asked. He knew that she'd already complimented the waiter, but she could have just been acting polite for him. After all, Syaoran knew of many restaurants that were better than this one. Then again, they were at least well over an hour away.
Sakura smiled cheerily. "It was great!" she exclaimed; a little louder than she had hoped. She blushed ever so slightly as she repeated in a softer tone; "I mean, it was really wonderful. Thank you for bringing me here, Syaoran…"
Hearing his name escape her lips made him smile all the more. Her melodic, sweet voice knew his name. It made him….happy. Once again, something unusual for him when he was with a girl.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." He replied. He looked at his watch and saw that they had been there for a couple of hours. "Are you ready to go?"
Taking one more sip of her drink, Sakura nodded. "Mmmhmm." She replied; getting up from her seat. Syaoran stood as well, and waited for her to approach him. He then offered his arm to her, and they started to walk out. That was when something caught Sakura's eye. A ballroom. She knew she had heard the sound of softly played piano keys floating across the room, but she thought that perhaps it was coming over a PA system or something. She felt silly for thinking such a thing now.
"Look, Syaoran!" she said softly; "There's a ballroom! Can we take a peek before we go?"
Looking down at Sakura, he could tell that she was eager to see the room. "Sure." He replied.
The two walked over to the doorway of the ballroom, and Sakura gasped. It wasn't very big, but it was certainly lovely. The floor was covered in a rich, red carpet, and a beautiful chandelier decorated the center of the ceiling. In a corner of the room was a lovely woman dressed in a red similar to the carpet, playing a tune that Sakura didn't recognize. Whatever it was, though, it was lovely. She held on to the doorway as she took in every detail; smiling. Syaoran watched as she did this, a smile coming to him as well. She really seemed captivated by the room, just as he was captivated by her.
"Syaoran; can we dance?" she asked; "Just one song; please? It's too lovely not to…"
Syaoran was a little surprised by the request. Thank God his mother had forced him to take up ballroom dancing when he was younger. "If you like." He said quietly, leading her into the room. The pianist saw the two enter and smiled softly; ending the song she had been playing. Now, she started another song, a beautiful melody. It was yet another tune that Sakura didn't know, but she loved it. Syaoran then began to lead in a slow waltz.
The two had left the restaurant, and Syaoran reluctantly drove Sakura home. The night still seemed so young to him, but she insisted that she at least needed to change out of her dress. So, he took her down that road that was becoming so familiar to him, and stopped in front of her house. Touya hadn't gotten home yet. Perhaps that's why Sakura wanted to hurry back. He shut off the engine and got out of the car, walking over to Sakura's side. He opened the door for her, then offered her his hand.
Smiling, she refused it; getting out on her own. "Thank you for the offer, but I can get out of a car just fine." She teased, closing the door. She then started to walk up the porch steps; Syaoran close behind.
"Did you want to go back out?" he asked; "I mean, it isn't that late just yet. We could go to my place if you like, and I could show you around."
The thought of going to Syaoran's make Sakura blush yet again. Was he serious? What would happen if they were there?
'Calm down, Sakura.' She thought to herself; 'He's come over for dinner before, and nothing happened. So why are you worrying now?'
"Maybe some other time…"she said softly. After a brief pause, she added teasingly; "You haven't cooked for me yet."
"Huh?" Syaoran exclaimed, confused. "I thought dinner tonight…"
"Was wonderful. Thank you again." She replied. "But I want to try your cooking."
Syaoran furrowed his brow. Cook for her? He didn't know how to cook. And what if she didn't like what he made for her?
Sakura giggled. "Give me a moment to change." She said. "I think I'd like to go for a walk in the park again."
- - - - - - - - - -
Sakura didn't take long to get changed. The two now walked down the same path they'd tread not too long ago.
"This place is always best at night…" Sakura said; sighing softly.
"It certainly is peaceful…" Syaoran added; looking at Sakura. Why the sigh?
"I used to come here every chance I got…" Sakura said quietly. "After…"
Oddly enough, they both knew what she was going to say. After her mother had died.
"It's always been the best place for me to think." She continued. "Especially at night. It's always best at night."
"Isn't it dangerous when you're alone, though?" Syaoran asked quietly. He was afraid of speaking too loud; but why? Suddenly, he noticed that Sakura had stopped walking. He stopped beside her and turned to face her.
"It's never been dangerous for me here…" she said quietly. "It's as if the park protects me…"
They were both quiet now. As a faint mist grew in Sakura's eyes, Syaoran felt himself silently screaming to comfort her. To hold her close and tell her he understood.
"What a load of bull." said a feminine voice from the dark. Shit. Syaoran knew that voice.
Sure enough, just as Sakura looked up, Meiling approached her. Syaoran seethed as he saw the girl spit at Sakura's feet. 'Bitter hag.' He thought.
"Get lost, Meiling." He said; the tone of his voice warning her. She ignored him; acting as if he weren't there.
"Oh my!" she exclaimed tauntingly as she placed a manicured nail under Sakura's chin. "You sure know how to hook 'em; you slut."
Syaoran saw Sakura's eyes widen with both surprise and pain. He growled this time. "Meiling…I'm warning you…"
Again, his warning went without heed. Meiling drew closer to Sakura so the poor girl could feel her hot breath.
"You act tough, and then open up to them after they show you the money." Meiling scoffed. "I knew you were a whore from the moment I saw you."
Sakura tried to look away, but the girl snatched her by the jaw and forced her to look. Meiling looked her over before hissing; "No wonder your mother's dead; she must have been a whore like you."
Sakura tensed up, but said nothing. It looked to Syaoran that she was refusing to give in, but really she had been cracked. Meiling knew this and smirked. She the leaned in close and whispered in her ear; "After all, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Have a nice night, you tramp." That said, the girl strutted away, looking back once as she winked at Syaoran. If he hadn't already been pissed off, that would have done it. He now looked over to Sakura who was still standing where she had been; fists clenched tight. He took a step forward.
"S-Sakura?" he said gently. She still looked out ahead of her where Meiling had once been. He stepped into her line of sight. "Sakura?" he said again; looking into her eyes. He could see it now. The shell of a girl that had once been stronger than a stone now harbored that of a girl weaker that a sapling in a storm. As she suddenly turned to run; teardrops escaped her; floating in the air for a few seconds like diamonds before falling to the ground; leaving small, dark spots on the sidewalk. Instinctually, he ran after her.
"Sakura!" he shouted, following her. She ran all the way back to her house before collapsing on the bottom step. Shivering with both anger and pain, she tried as best she could to force the streams from her eyes to dry up. It took a lot of work, but she managed to stop the flowing tears. Now she just felt numb. Her mother. Meiling could have said anything she wanted to about Sakura, but damnit, not her mother.
It was then that Syaoran caught up with her. He knelt down beside her and tried to make eye contact with her.
"Sakura…" he said yet again. She didn't move. He felt horrible. If it weren't for Meiling, she would have been okay.
'Damn that Meiling…' he thought. Then, he touched Sakura's shoulder.
"Sakura, please look at me…" he begged. He couldn't ever remember hurting so much when someone else was the one in pain.
She heard the pain in his voice, and forced herself to look at him. The luster in her eyes was gone; the mascara streaked down her cheeks, but Syaoran didn't care. She still looked amazing. He reached over and wiped the streaks away. They both looked at each other almost thoughtfully; not knowing what would happen next.
Syaoran couldn't take it anymore. His intentions had been put off for so long now. He leaned toward the girl; drawing closer and closer. Her eyes flickered nervously, but she eventually found herself following suit. So funny; how something as simple as a kiss gets built up. But this one was worth the hype. These two had gone through so many interruptions; they were almost tortured by it. As their lips met, the blood rushed to their cheeks, and the world stopped. Everything seemed so perfect; the sweetness, the release…
…being caught.
Touya had just pulled up, and was rushing out of his car before he could even shut it off. Damnit. They were dead.
- - - - - - - - -
AN: I know, I know; it's been forever since I last updated. xD Gomen! It's a lot of time and work taking care of a baby. By the way, she'll be six months old in another week and a half. She's really cute. You can ask for my MySpace if you want to see. Again, sorry about the long delay in updating, but I'm set again. I'll try to update again ASAP!
Sakura/AngelikyteAlexiel
