Author's note: Gomen nasai everyone for the loooooong delay! I am still darn busy with my part-time work and school. Thank you for bearing with me. I don't know if this chap's short but it's the best I could do. Sorry also for any grammatical errors or something since I just typed whatever idea I could have in my mind right now. Having to put off with this story for so long makes it hard to write gain another chapter. Again, gomen nasai to everyone who is waiting for this fic…
Guide:
~song is from Sisters with voices titled 'Weak~ (Letters appearing in this format is the song playing on the background)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Falling
**Normal POV**
Sakura is too shocked to say anything when she heard her name being spoken out loud as the Queen of the Night. The last thing that registered on her mind is that Syaoran is very deserving to win as the King and whomever he gets to dance with sure is one lucky girl. And now that she was chosen as his Queen and the lucky girl who gets to dance with him, she felt suddenly extremely nervous.
"Sakura…He's waiting for you at the middle." Tomoyo whispered, smiling encouragingly at her.
Sakura looked at all her friend's faces hesitantly to see all of them smiling back at her. She even saw Hana winked at her and was surprised when Eriol even squeezed her hand gently.
"This should be your night, Sakura-chan." Eriol added, which confused Sakura even more.
As Sakura walked nervously towards Syaoran, she feels as if everything is happening so slowly around her that it seems like forever before she could make her way to him. As her emerald eyes met up with his eyes, she knew right then and there how much she actually miss him and how her love for him had grown.
When she finally stopped infront of Syaoran, he was so breathless to finally see her beauty up close and personal.
= God, she really looks like an angel. = He thought, his heart beating erratically.
"May we now request our King and Queen to initiate in dancing the final dance of the party for us?" Terada Sensei said from the stage.
At their Sensei's signal, Syaoran took hold of Sakura's hands gently as they've heard the opening bars of the song blasting through the speakers. He was even surprised to discover how cold to his touch Sakura's hands are. Both of them is actually shaky inside but they couldn't deny the fact that all they wanted for the entire night is to dance each other and have each in their own arms. Keeping their 'dance lessons' in mind, Sakura gingerly placed her hands on his shoulders while Syaoran shyly placed his hands on her small waist while they sway to the music.
~I don't know what it is that you've done to me…
But it caused me to act in such a crazy way.~Sakura couldn't help closing her eyes as she awkwardly rested her head on his chest. She is becoming oblivious of people watching them and all she could do is savor the song playing loud across the entire gym.
~Whatever it is that you do when you do what you're doing…
It's a feeling that I don't understand,~
= Sakura… = Syaoran thought in a daze as his eyes caught sight of a few pairs of couple slowly making their way across the center of the dance floor, dancing to the slow music.
~Cause my heart starts beating triple time
With thoughts of loving you on my mind.
I can't figure out just what to do,
When the cause and cure is you…~= Syaoran's presence is definitely driving me nuts. = Sakura thought, aware of even the slightest touch he make to her sensitive skin. For her, if their situation would've been different, she would've even found the whole thing of winning both the King and Queen of the Night as funny and ridiculous. Who would've thought that two people who used to hate to attend this Valentine's party the most would end up as such? But considering the fact that they aren't on speaking terms with each other and that she has fallen hopelessly in love with her bestfriend, things aren't the same as they were before.
= It would never be the same as before. = Sakura added bitterly, feeling a big empty hole in her heart.
~I get so weak in the knees, I can hardly speak
I lose all control and something takes over me
In a daze and it's so amazing, it's not a phase
I want you to stay with me, by my side
I swallow my pride, your love is so sweet
It knocks me right off of my feet…~
"Sakura," Syaoran spoke so softly that he's sure she would've fail to hear him. But when she opened her eyes and looked up at him, all the words he was supposed to say suddenly left his mouth.
"Yes?" She asked quietly, looking down from his face as quickly as she glanced up to him.
"You…look so gorgeous tonight." He replied timidly.
~…I can't explain why you're loving makes me weak.~
At his compliment, Sakura's untamed heart beat faster than she could ever imagined. But another part of her still seems to resist. She never felt so happy and afraid at the same time.
~It's time after time after time I've tried to fight it
But your love is strong it keeps on holding on.
Resistance is down when you're around, it starts fading
In my condition, I don't want to be alone.~
"Onegai…Onegai, don't speak anymore." She look at him pleadingly, afraid that if he talk to her again, all her defenses would break down.
Syaoran tenderly brushed away a strand from her face. He stare at her curiously when he heard her answer.
"Why?" He asked hoarsely.
~ Cause my heart starts beating triple time
With thoughts of loving you on my mind.
I can't figure out just what to do,
When the cause and cure is you…~Sakura shook her head as tears threatened to spill out from her eyes.
"Just because." She answered firmly.
He felt his spirits being crushed as he saw Sakura trying to put him out of what's troubling her. It pains him to see his bestfriend distancing herself away from him. Whatever happened to their friendship?
"Why? Is it because I acted like a jerk? I know I haven't told you this but I want you to know that I'm really so-"
"Please don't." Sakura shook her head more furiously this time. "You will never understand why."
~ I get so weak in the knees, I can hardly speak
I lose all control and something takes over me
In a daze and it's so amazing, it's not a phase
I want you to stay with me, by my side
I swallow my pride, your love is so sweet
It knocks me right off of my feet…~
How could she tell him that everytime she hears his voice, she's on the verge of admitting how much she actually cares for him?
= I don't want Syaoran to know how I really feel about him. = She thought miserably. = I don't want to be hurt. I don't want to know what his reactions will be if he found out the truth. =
"If…if you don't want to, then I won't utter a single word anymore." Syaoran replied sadly. "But let me just tell you one more thing."
Sakura stared down on the dance floor, trying her best to seem interested on watching their feet moving in time with the music.
"Arigatou for…dancing with me. Thank you for e-everything."
~I try hard to fight it, no way can I deny it
Your love's so sweet…
It knocks me right off of my feet.~
At his words, Sakura knows that if she stayed longer on his arms, she will lose it.
"I-I've got to go now."
"B-but.."
"Please, Syaoran." She looked at him squarely, disentangling herself from his arms. "Please just give me some time to think it over. When I can finally look straight into your eyes without feeling any grudges against you, then we can talk. But right now I just…I just can't."
~I get so weak…
Blood starts racing through my veins.
I get so weak…
Boy, it's something I can't explain.
I get so weak…
Something bout the way you do, the things you do oh,
It knocks me right off of my feet…~
Before Syaoran could even reply, Sakura hurriedly walked away from him as he saw her saying something to Tomoyo and Eriol.
= Should I follow her? =
He shook his head frustratedly and decided not to risk it. He will just have to find the right time to talk to her and maybe finally admit what he really feels for her.
~I can't explain why you're loving makes me weak…~
"But you never even gave me the chance to explain…" Syaoran said softly, as he walked out silently from the dance floor.
~~~~~~~~
"Let me accompany you to your house please?" Eriol asked Sakura worriedly.
Sakura smiled gently at him. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Besides, Oniichan is already outside waiting for me."
"Touya?" Tomoyo asked in surprise. "I thought all of us are going home together."
"Well…my brother's overprotective of me suddenly. I don't know what's gotten into him, though." She lied.
Of course, Touya wouldn't be fetching her outside. In fact, nobody's waiting for her outside. She just really wanted to go home as fast as she could so that she could think some things through. She actually brought some of her cards (Like the Dash and the Fly Card) because she knows she could use them for the night. She have a feeling earlier that she will left the party earlier than the others. And how right she turned out to be.
"I see…Just take care okay?" Tomoyo said.
"Of course. Tell Rika and the others that I have to go home now, okay?"
"You could be sure about that." Eriol nodded his head.
"I've got to get going." Sakura finally said as she walked towards the exit of the gymnasium, intent to leave the place as soon as possible.
As Tomoyo and Eriol watched Sakura leave the party, Eriol couldn't help sighing at what his plan turned out to be.
"I guess my plan didn't worked, huh?"
Tomoyo looked at him quizzically, wondering what on earth did he mean by that.
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"No…" Tomoyo frowned.
"And I thought you are one observant girl." He chuckled softly.
"Well…"
"Okay, to explain it as briefly as possible. I decided to become Sakura's 'secret admirer' so I could get her to be my date for this party. I just want to know how much it will actually affect Syaoran."
Tomoyo frowned as a thought occurred to her. "But how can you be sure that Sakura will go with you to the party? You know how much she hated parties!"
"I know. But that's the risk I got to take. Anyway, I figured that Syaoran needs to divert some of his attention to other girls so that I could also see for myself how Sakura will react to know that her bestfriend finally have a crush on somebody." Eriol smiled at her mischievously.
"Don't tell me you have a part to play about Syaoran's sudden liking for Hana,eh?"
"Maybe."
She rolled her eyes. "Come on,"
"I've known Hana way back before I even transferred here in Tomoeda. She used to be my classmate in England." (Let's just say Eriol also used to study in England. ^__^).
"And because you are also impatient just like me, to see those two hard-headed people to finally realize their feeling for each other, you decided to take matters right into your own hand. Is that right Eriol?"
Eriol nodded.
"And you even asked Hana to come over here and maybe do some little magic on her so that you could be sure that Syaoran will get to 'like' her, is that it?"
Eriol's eyes twinkled in amusement. "You are definitely one intelligent girl."
"And you said I wasn't observant." Tomoyo mocked in disguise.
"Let's just say that Syaoran's infatuation for Hana could just be considered as 'power-worshipping'."
"Does Hana know anything about your power?"
"Hmmm…no. It just happened to be that when I called her up she told me she's also coming over here in Japan and from there an idea occurred in my mind." He replied. "The timing couldn't be any perfect."
"So basically, to assure that Sakura will go out with you to the dance, you just have to make sure that Syaoran will like someone else so much that Sakura will be jealous of that girl to the point that she will finally attend this party." Tomoyo concluded.
"You got the point."
"But why are you doing all of this?"
Eriol couldn't help laughing at Tomoyo's question. "Because they are soo stubborn. I figured that it's the right time for them to admit their feelings to each other. Sakura and Syaoran are too obvious, you know. Only the two of them are too naïve to notice it themselves. I certainly don't want somebody else to come along who certainly and seriously love them to ruined their relationship. At least, I could assure you that all Hana and I wants from them is purely friendship."
"Does Sakura know that?"
"Of course. I told her that I just see her as a friend." He answered. "And maybe that's another reason why she decided to go with me to the dance."
"That's a relief…"
"What do you mean?" Eriol asked in amusement.
"What I meant is that at least Sakura knows that you're not toying with her feelings. I thought you told her you liked her romantically then now you're telling me that you just see her as a friend." Tomoyo crossed her arms defensively. "At least you got that point straight."
"I liked somebody else." He said simply.
"Who?"
"You still have to polished more your observing skills, Tomoyo-chan…" Eriol stared at her eyes solemnly, which made Tomoyo blushed.
"What do you mean, Eriol?" Tomoyo asked softly.
But Eriol didn't answer her. Instead he led her to the dance floor to dance with him.
~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Thanks for reading the chapter. Only one more chapter to go before this fic's finished! I will try my best to find some time to end this story as fast as I can, okay? Again, Arigatou everyone! Ja!