Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CARDCAPTOR SAKURA NOR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS - THEY BELONG PURELY TO CLAMP
NOTE: Sorry for not getting this up sooner! I hope you enjoy, and the characters aren't too OOC! Thank you!
Review Replies:
mochiusagi: Thank you so much for reviewing! Yeah, I love Yue! Thank you!
Carrottuce: Thank you! I am trying to keep this up, so thank you so much for the support!
SanguisRebeus: I'm trying to! Thank you!
ArtistOfLight: Thank you! Actually, I usually like Sakura, but since she and Syaoran have such a hard past so she comes off as a bit of a bint, but she is a love/hate character for most people. I'm glad that you like it so much. Thank you once again!
A big Thank you to all of my reviewers for being so faithful once again!
NOTE2:
"Blah blah blah" is speech
"Blah blah blah" is the person talking on the other end of the phone
Gypsy Dance
by Brooding Darkness
Part 9
Spinning on one foot, arms held out at chest level, lightly toned arms swayed lightly outwards, the spinning continually creating a pretty swirl of colours. Upper body moving to the side, arms and flexed hands leading the way, the dancer brought his arms back into a loop, putting towards himself and starting a second spin.
Transfixed, Eriol stood peering into the apartments studio.
Movements fluid, Syaoran swayed to a music that only he could hear, his martial arts lending flexibility and grace to the movements that for most would seem unnatural and different.
Here, Syaoran moved from step to step with great ease.
It was strange really, how someone with no tutoring or instruction could dance steps that professional dancers strived for years to achieve, could perform them entirely subconsciously and yet with such precision.
Just like the first time Eriol had seen Syaoran dance, he felt enchanted, aroused and awed by the pure beauty of the young man. This was 'Gypsy'. The dancer that got on stage just to dance for the pure joy of it.
Licking his lips, the bluenette backed out to the living area where he could calm himself. He had come here to speak with Syaoran seriously, and here he was, already flustered and wanting to take the dance to a whole new area, made for two.
Shaking his head, Eriol forced his thoughts from that area and onto more pressing problems.
"Hentai."
"We are who we are, Syaoran. Besides, it's your fault for letting me watch."
Rolling his eyes at the obvious excuse, Syaoran drank from his water bottle, indicating for Eriol to sit. The light blue material of the brunettes' shirt clung to his sweat-coated form, and Eriol had to cross his legs to keep himself in check.
"You wanted to talk?" Syaoran asked sitting opposite the bluenette.
"Yes, about you and Sakura mainly."
"But you want to talk about something else, too?" The brunette rose one of his eyebrow.
"Of course. I'm sure that we'll be discussing more... enjoyable things soon, though." Smiling, Eriol let his eyes wonder. Syaoran just glared right back. "However, we do need to address this situation between the two of you," he continued, turning serious. Re-crossing his legs, the bluenette pushed his glasses further up his nose so that the reflection of the light hid his eyes.
"That's none of your business," Syaoran replied curtly.
"Actually, since I'm Sakura's agent, and your lover, it is."
Keeping his gaze cool, Syaoran placed the water bottle onto the table. "Just because we've slept together twice, doesn't mean you can control me or my life, and even if you're Sakura's agent you don't have any business butting in. We're both grown adults and we can fix things ourselves."
"Perhaps, and yet each time you meet you seem to be upset. Perhaps you need a mediator?"
"Oh, don't be so coy, Hiiragizawa. You have no right to interfere, and you're just annoyed by that fact, so shut up and get on with your own life!" He snapped at the other man, standing once more.
This conversation hadn't gone the way that either of them had wanted it to go, but since they were here, Eriol thought that he should address a second issue that he had been thinking on for the past few days.
"Alright then, lets focus on 'getting on with my life' shall we? Just what are we then, if not lovers? What do we both get out of being together?" Showing his equally cool eyes to Syaoran, Eriol sat forward watching every move the younger man made. "I had thought that we had something between us, and I was hoping for something to come out of it."
"I don't know! There was something-is something between us, but we don't know each other enough! I don't do this, Eriol. I don't meet people and form relationships this fast, and I certainly don't let them get this close to me!" Pacing the length of the small living area, Syaoran rubbed his upper arms as if cold. "I mean, it took Tomoyo three years before I could trust her enough to tell her things, and I was in love with Sakura for four years before we entered a relationship. I don't do the things that we've been doing, Eriol."
"Syaoran-"
"No! No. I don't want to hear it. Whatever it is, I don't want to know," his voice croaked slightly as he came to a standstill in the middle of the room, head in his hands. Not even a second later, strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist, pulling him close. "I don't know."
Rubbing small circles into the sides of her head, Tomoyo closed her eyes against the silk and cotton fabrics splayed out on the desk in front of her. Her headache had steadily become a migrane and by the sound of crashing in the next room from her assistants, it wasn't about to go away.
"Just get this next piece done, and you can take a break," she muttered to herself.
"Miss Tomoyo! Those idiots at the cloth company were dealing with have mixed up our order, and they keep telling me that our materials won't come until tomorrow!"
"Oh, Gods," the amethyst eyed woman groaned. Turning to the assisstant she smiled as best she could under the circumstances. "Alright, well, we'll just have to get everything else done today, won't we?"
"Yes, Miss Tomoyo."
"Alright. Good," turning back to the almost completed dress, Tomoyo felt dispair settle in for the smallest of moments. Taking a deep breath, she flipped open her phone and made a call. "Hi, Sakura? Can you meet me in an hour?"
Dressed in a light blue strappy top and a knee-length skirt, Tomoyo sipped lightly at her herbal tea as she waited for Sakura to arrive. Her headache had subsided somewhat when she had left the office, but she still felt the almost constant ache dwell in the back of her mind. The young designer felt that she was failing in imagination again, but she was determined to see this project through to the end, and then depending on circumstances, she would take a long, overdue holiday.
"Hey!"
Looking up with a genuine smile on her face, Tomoyo was greeted with the wonderful sight of Sakura dressed in a dark yellow t-shirt and flared jeans. Sitting in the seat opposite of the designer, Sakura smiled back appreciating the calmness that came from their 'dates'.
"So, what's wrong? You sounded really stressed over the phone," Sakura asked, lifting a hand to get the waiters attention.
"Just that, really. Stress. Argh! Everything just isn't going right, I mean the materials are going to be a day late, and I haven't even started on three of my main pieces! At the moment it's all about getting through one thing and then moving on as quickly as possible onto the next."
Nodding, Sakura smiled knowingly, noticing Tomoyo rubbing the side of her forhead in circles. "Yeah, it always seems to be like that at this time of the year. I know Eriol is rushed off his feet, and he's only a Managing Director, not a designer. I've been fitted and then re-fitted so many times over the past two days that I've lost count."
"Tell me about it," Tomoyo laughed, her usual amusement returning as she relaxed back into the plastic chair. The two shared a temporary silence as Sakura's order came, and they became comfortable with each other. "So, what have you been up to besides measuring for your company's designers?"
"Well, mainly I've been thinking. I mean with what we have right now, and with everything thats happened between Syaoran and I, I been thinking on how to come to terms with it all. I feel like I've been running away since I left him, and yet I've never felt more free in my life! I just want him to feel that way too, and for us to possibly be friends again," the green eyed woman said. She had felt horrid after the fight, and she was unsettled with her current relationship with Tomoyo because of both their connections with the CEO.
"You know what?" Smiling in an almost smirking way, Tomoyo viewed the woman across from her with a feeling of familarality. Sakura was exactly like Syaoran in so many ways, and yet the two were so completely different. "That's just what Syaoran said to me and Meiling the other day. He feels really bad for arguing too, and he wants you both to try to be friends again. He knows that you can't just brush everything off like it's nothing, but he wants to try."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Gods,I hope so! He's a wonderful person, well, when that temper of his doesn't get the better of him anyway," Sakura smiled, her memory bright with moments of sunshine, picnics and a romantic kiss in the rain.
"Hahahah! Tell me about it! But he has reigned it in a little, or I think he has anyway. His heart is always in the right place at least, and it's still the funniest thing to see when his temper overflows!" Tomoyo laughed lightly as she recalled the one time she had observed Syaoran screaming into that huge cushion of his with Meiling snickering in her ear.
"I never thought that Syaoran losing his temper was a good thing, Tomoyo. In fact it's pretty scary when you think about it," Sakura looked warily over at her date, her smile gone and her guard up.
"What do you mean? Have you never seen him scream into that large cushion in his office?"
"'Scream into a large cushion'? What are you talking about?" Confusion written all over her face, Tomoyo realised that Sakura had never witnessed the CEO's most embrassing trait.
"Well," she smirked, her day suddenly brightening up.
Sighing for what felt like the thousandth time that hour, Syaoran realised just how much work Meiling actually did for the company as he was left with her work when she was away from the office and assisting Yue. Signing the next document after correcting a sixth spelling mistake (really, they were professionals! The least his employees could do was to click on the spellcheck button before printing off and getting it to his desk. He was their boss for crying out loud! He was the one person they were supposed to fear), the brunette made a mental note to either get the girl a new pair of shoes or cut back on the jokes about how little she did around the office.
He'd probably go with the shoes.
*RING RING RING RING*
"Yes?"
"Hello, is this Gypsy?"
Shooting forward in his seat, he glanced at his closed office door, and then at his desk phone before returning to his mobile. "Yes. Who is this?" He spoke sternly, hoping not to get recognised or give up any information than required.
"Hi, this is the Cirque du Crépuscule. I'm just confirming your participation in the preliminary stages of the dance competition in next week."
"Ah," now he understood the call. He would have to have a word with Eriol on how the man kept getting information about him, and just who he was giving it to. "Yes, I will be at the first preliminary of the competition next week."
"Excellent! The first session begins at 14:00 and finishes at 18:00 at the Cirque du Crépscule Studio. If you pass then you will be given a packet containing information on the next stage of the prelimenaries before performing in front of the public."
"Alright. 14:00 at the Studio, thank you."
"And thank you. Good luck!"
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
Pressing the 'end call' button, Syaoran replaced his phone onto his desk, biting the inside of his cheek as he began to plan out the amount of time he would need to practice, along side the most appropiate clothes he would need to wear, and he would have to put aside time to kill and then re-kill Eriol for entering him in the first place, while still trying to have a relationship or whatever it is that they are all at the same time.
His life had been a lot less complicated before he had laid eyes on that cheshire cat smile and those blue-grey eyes.
His dance studio had been re-decorated as Eriol put the final touches on his new furniture. The room had been fitted with a number of soft bean bags that someone could fall into, and a few small tables with lit candles. The table with the radio was still present, and a CD of romantic songs was playing sofly in the background.
He had arranged for a romantic night with Syaoran just before he had left the younger mans apartment that morning. Currently, Syaoran was sat on one of the beanbag chairs with a glass of wine in one hand and a relieved smile settling onto his face as he relaxed into the atmosphere.
"All done," the englishman stated.
"Hmmm."
"Syaoran?"
"Don't. Before I came here I was planning on killing you. Now, I just want to sit back and relax," Syaoran sighed happily.
Smiling back lightly, Eriol moved to kneel in front of the brunette and took his empty hand in his much paler one. Pulling lightly on that hand, Eriol tugged Syaoran to his feet, and wrapped his other hand around the brunette's waist.
"Dance with me."
Smiling at each other, the two slow-danced - with Syaoran still holding his glass of wine - for the duration of a song, and then Eriol chuckled lightly creating a lighter mood. Breaking away for a moment, Syaoran put down the glass before wrapping his arms around the bluenettes neck.
"I'm supposed to be practicing right now, you know," he uttered, resting his head on the Eriol's shoulder.
"I know, but sometimes this is the only thing someone needs. Besides, we're both enjoying ourselves, and you have plenty more hours to practice before the preliminaries -which you're going to walk by the way - and I don't see a reason for you not taking an hour or two-"
"Or three, or four."
"-or four, to just relax," Eriol finished. Leaning down slightly, the bluenette kissed Syaoran lightly tightening his grip on the others waist and pulling them close together. Deepening the kiss, Syaoran licked Eriol's bottom lip asking for entry which was instantly granted. Smiling into the kiss, Eriol slowly began to move them both towards the beanbags, his smile widening when he heard the intake of breath when they moved from being vertical to horizontal.
"Hentai."
"Maamaa, of course."
Laughing quietly, Syaoran re-adjusted their postions so that Eriol was lying flush against him, his legs wrapping around the bluenettes, and one hand sliding into dark tresses while his other hand moved to the small of the other mans back, under his shirt. Leaning up, Syaoran took control of the next kiss
*RING RING RING RING*
"You have got to be kidding me," the brunette growled. Yanking out his mobile, Syaoran answered with a sharp, "What?"
"Hey! Don't bite my head off! You're the one who told me to call you when the called back with their answer, and they just have."
"Sorry, Meiling. And thank you for waiting around for the call." Leaning his head into the beanbag, Syaoran inwardly sighed. He had been enjoying that, and he'd wanted it to go further. "What did they say?" At this point, Eriol took advantage and he began to kiss along the length of Syaoran's neck, not even bothering to hide his smirk.
"Well, they first wanted to thank you for your kind and generous offer, but since our policies don't abide in any way or form to their's, they thoughtfully declined."
Instantly pushing the bluenette off of him, Syaoran's eyebrows went up and he sounded almost incredulous as he completely joined the conversation. "They thoughtfully declined? How does someone do that? That isn't even possble."
"I told them about the cons of the offer, and then I led them through the plans that we have for them, and I even told them about the editions and funding that we would give them and that we would keep their company a family one, but they just bluntly refused!"
"And then you politely told them that you would instantly get in touch with me and that I would speak to them personally?" He asked hopefully, fully aware that they shared the same temper and knowing what damage her silver tongue could do.
"Then I told them that you would speak to them tomorrow."
"And what did you say before that?"
"...I told them that they were lucky to even be considered for this and that they should just take the offer. They're going into bankruptcy anyway."
"Meiling!"
"What? They are!"
"That doesn't matter! We're a good company, Mei, and we don't bully smaller companies. We help them," he said sternly. Standing he picked up his previously discarded jacket and got ready to leave. "I'll be there in half an hour - and don't think that you get to go home! You're going to help me sort this out, and you're going to apologise sincerely before helping me get them to agree to let us help them out."
"And what about me?" Eriol asked feeling abandoned. He knew that their night wasn't going to go any further, but that didn't stop him from feeling a little sad that Syaoran was choosing work over him.
"Sorry.. Hold on a minute, Mei," he knelt and kissed Eriol soundly on the mouth before rushing out of the room, and the building. "Yeah, no, don't worry about it."
"Wow. I just can't catch a break."
Rubbing circles into his forhead, Yue inwardly sighed as he waited for a very late Li Meiling. She was supposed to have turned up over half an hour ago, and the only reason he had stayed was because she had yet to actually miss an appointment. Even one that he was almost sure she was't going to turn up to.
"Hey! Sorry I'm late! Don't ask, it's too long a story, so lets just get on with this," the red eyed woman made a small mad dash down the street stopping just before the long, silver haired man. Her hair was untidyly tied back in a long pony-tail and her clothes were slightly askew in comparison to how smartly she was usually dressed.
"Are you wearing the same clothes as you were wearing yeasterday?" Yue asked, checking her over with a critical eye.
"Yep! Me and Syaoran were at the office all night trying to sort out a deal with a previously rival company. And of course, since it's not the first time he's done that, he had a spare change of clothes and a spare toiltry kit, whereas I'm stuck with this," she said, waving a hand at herself.
"Are you sure we can do this now? I'm sure we could rescedule if you need to," he commented, non-tactically indicating her current state of dress and general appearance.
"Nonsense! I'm fine as I am and we're already half an hour late! Besides, you might not want the place, just like you didn't want any of the places we've check out thus far," she smiled back at him, not unkindly, but not exactly kindly either. Despite her upheavelled apperance she still looked very beautiful and her messy pony-tail gave her an artistic edge that complimented her open jacket and red strappy shirt.
Following her into the building and to the reception area, he observed that Meiling was actually pretty unique. She was fierce, strong willed and uncaring to the world. Yet she held a softer, more intelligent side - at least according to her cousin - that made her overprotective and stubbon, which made Yue internally groan. He hated woman like that. He could understand a woman with leadership qualities and a will to survive. But women who took feminism that one step too far, or women who were overly boisterous and unlady-like were just a little more than he wanted.
"Is this a bad time?"
Looking up from his new bach of paperwork, Syaoran was only slightly surprised to see his ex-fiance at his office door. He was surprised to see her looking twitchy and afraid to enter. To him, she was as young and beautiful as she had always been. She was dressed in a simple yellow shirt and flared jeans and her old bag slung over one shoulder.
"No, come on in," he said, gaining her full attention. She quickly shut the door behind her, and sat in the opposite chair that she had sat in the last time she had been in this office. Syaoran smiled, looking back down at his work to hide it. "Do you need something, or is this just so we can both tell Tomoyo that we met up with each other peacefully?"
"No. No, I do need something. Actually, I need to be on good terms with you," she said. She folded her hands over her lap, watching as she twiddled her thumbs and straightened out imaginary creases in her shirt. She was well aware that she wasn't looking her best right now, what with her wearing the same clothes she had worn the day before when she had gone home with Tomoyo. It was when she woke up this morning that she realised that Syaoran was a huge part of the amethyst eyed girls life. He was on her bedside table with Meiling and Tomoyo's mother, Sonomi.
"'On good terms with me'?"
"Yeah. For Tomoyo. I think that, for her, we should try to be... well, not friends, but..."
"Acquaintances."
"Yeah."
"Alright then, lets be aquaintances," he said, smiling at her. It would be hard, but she was back in his life and he wasn't about to make the same mistakes he had before. His life was complicated enough as it was. "Is that the only thing?"
"Can I have my best friend back?" She spoke in an almost hopeful manner, yet knowing that they could never go back to how they used to be. They might get close to it someday, but that day was so far off in the future, it was too difficult to determine.
"Tomoyo is your best friend. Eriol is - or should - be a close friend, and after a while, Meiling will be a good friend. But you and I... We can't be what we were, and we have too much history to try again. Lets just work on being good aquaintances, and move on from there," he smiled sadly at her, he was trying not to let the pain he still felt for her show, and he knew that he no longer had the right to feel the way he did just then, but it was also a good sign that he was moving on completely, if just because it didn't hurt as much as the day they had yelled at each other.
"Well, can I at least get my girlfriend back?" She practically demanded, recieving the laugh she had wanted. It was one of the things that had made them work. Only two people in the world had been able to make him laugh before they got engaged, and she was one of them. "I mean, she makes clothes for you, and most of our conversations are about you. And it kinda sucks."
"Sure. Sorry," he laughed, lighting up when she began to laugh too.
It was late, and Syaoran hadn't slept in over 36 hours, and yet here he was, back at the club, dancing for both experience and to see Eriol lose his composure just the smallest bit. Swinging his lithe form tightly around the pole, the brunette dipped low, spreading his legs towards the floor as his black and red lace one-piece rippled lightly with his movements. The lace barely covered his shoulders and moved down his chest and stomach, strengthing in colour as it reach his groin and flaring only the slightest bit over the curve between his hips and thighs. One arm raised, he rose onto one foot, slowly turning himself in a circle with one hand firmly clapsed onto the pole.
Leaning backwards so that one leg was stretched horizontal with his upperbody, Gypsy gently moved his weight onto his arms and let his legs point straight up at the ceiling before he curled his body around and threw his head back. Each time he opened his eyes, amber would catch grey-blue and Gypsy would make the tinist movement that made every person watching jerk slightly in arousal.
Twenty minutes later and Gypsy was seated in a taxi with Eriol wrapped around him, their lips met in a clash of passion and obvious arousal, hands sliding under clothing, into hair and covering as much skin as was decent.
"Ehem.. Your first stop, sir," the cabbie interrupted, coughing lightly in embarrassment.
"Ah, yes. Thank you." Composing himself, Eriol got out, opened the door for Syaoran where they shared one final kiss of the night. "Next time."
"Next time," Syaoran agreed, nodding lightly. "Goodnight, Eriol."
"Goodnight, Syaoran."
Brooding Darkness: I think the Sakura-bashing is almost at an end, but the drama will not yet cease! Thank you for reading! All reviews are highly appreciated. Thank you once again!