+ Lemon and Peach Juice (or Returning A Favor) +
Chiharu walked home depressed. The day started out so well but
now it had gone wrong. She ended up eating lunch alone at the cafe.
She felt so bad for making the waitress wait so long that she ate alone.
"Mou." she said as she walked home. "I know Yamazaki-kun can tell
tall tales, but he would at least remember our anniversary."
"Chiharu-chan?"
Chiharu looked up to see Sakura sitting with Shaoran. They were
sitting on a blanket with a basket next to them. She remembered a
day long ago when she was with Yamazaki and she found Sakura walking
alone and very sad. /She was almost twelve then./ Chiharu thought as
she looked up at Sakura who was now a smiling sixteen year old. /Had
it been four years since that day?/
Shaoran turned to Chiharu and said with a small smile, "I was about
to get some juice. Sakura made some delicious tarts. Why don't you
join us?"
"Oh, I couldn't-" Chiharu protested.
"Its all right, I made enough. But its my first try so be kind."
Sakura said as she took Chiharu's arm and sat her down. She looked up
at Shaoran and said, "I'll have lemon." and then turned her green
eyes to Chiharu.
"Peach please." she said.
As soon as Shaoran was gone Sakura turned to Chiharu and said, "Those
were the same flavors we asked for a few years ago." she smiled at
Chiharu.
Chiharu was surprised. She didn't expect Sakura to remember that day
so well. She nodded and looked down at her hands.
"That day you also helped me." Sakura said as she took Chiharu's
hands. "Is something wrong? I noticed your face as you passed by."
Chiharu sighed, "Today is our anniversary."
"Oh Chiharu-chan that's wonderful!" Sakura said.
"Yes but Yamazaki-kun forgot to meet me for lunch." Chiharu
said. "He didn't call all day or the day before. At first I wasn't
too worried but I waited a whole hour before I ordered. He wasn't
home either. He's been so busy these past few weeks and when I ask
him he never gives me a straight answer." Chiharu's tears finally
fell.
Sakura hugged Chiharu, "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for
things."
Chiharu cried on Sakura's shoulder, "He always calls me he's so
attentive, these past few weeks he's been busy and forgets to call. I
know when he's lying Sakura-chan. I know him so well, or at least I
thought I knew him well. We used to be able to just look at each
other and we'd /know/ what the other was thinking."
Sakura gave Chiharu her handkerchief. "Its all right." Sakura
said. "I'm sure things will work out."
Chiharu shook her head, "Sometimes I think I took him for granted.
Sakura-chan what will I do if he just doesn't love me any more?"
"Don't say things like that." Sakura said as she held Chiharu by the
shoulders. "You two are the oldest couple I know. You two always
stuck together through thick and thin. He can't just not love you."
Chiharu sniffled, "Thank you."
"And I'm sure you'll forgive him for whatever explanation he gives
you, because you always forgive him." Sakura said. "And you'll
say 'It's okay'."
"Sometimes things aren't as easy as you want them to be." Chiharu
said. "We aren't little any more."
Sakura nodded, "I know but we can still dream. I remember you told me
once 'since I really like him, since I want to be with him forever, I
apologize.' We may not be little but inside our ideals don't change."
Chiharu smiled at Sakura, "You never change."
Sakura smiled back, "Don't worry, Yamazaki will find you and you'll
say, 'It's okay', strangle him for a bit and then celebrate your
anniversary."
Chiharu didn't get to reply she could see Shaoran coming back with
cans of juice in his hands. The conversation changed to talk about
desserts and their favorite food. Chiharu complimented Sakura's
tarts. "Very good!" she exclaimed which made Sakura blush. Shaoran
agreed that the tarts were well done.
The happy feeling slowly left Chiharu as walked home. "I can't help
but remember that today is our anniversary." Her tears threatened to
return. "Yamazaki no baka!" she said.
/Maybe he doesn't love me anymore?/ she thought sadly, /Have we
become such a steady couple that I took his love for granted?/
"I will never take him for granted." she said to herself, "I will
listen to his stories. I won't question him when he tells a tall
tale. I will appreciate him more! Let him come back to me."
The house was empty when she returned which was good because she
wanted to be alone. It was less of a chance to have someone ask her
what was wrong.
She pulled off her gloves and her coat. Her new outfit was ruined.
He never got to see it. Nor did he see his gift. Chiharu had wrapped
it happily just hours earlier.
"Maybe he'll come by." she said as she curled up on the window seat
in her room. She pulled a blanket around her and leaned against the
wall as she watched the street below.
Hours later she woke up, the sun had long gone down and there was no
sign of Yamazaki. "Its true." she said sadly, "He didn't come by.
He must not love me."
Her phone rang. Chiharu ran to it picking it up as fast as she
could, "Hello?"
"Chiharu-chan?" Sakura's voice asked.
"Oh Sakura-chan." Chiharu said unable to keep the disappointment out
of her voice.
"He didn't come by?" Sakura asked concerned.
"No." Chiharu said. "I dozed off but the doorbell should have woken
me up." her tears threatened to fall again.
"Why don't you come with us? We're going to Tomoyo's house for
dinner." she said. "We can cheer you up."
"Is it all right with Tomoyo-chan?" Chiharu asked.
"Of course." Sakura said, "If we can't cheer you up we can at least
get your mind off it for a while. There is no use in worrying until
you have heard Yamazaki-kun's side."
Chiharu wiped her tears and nodded. "You make things sound so simple
Sakura-chan."
"Sometimes..." Sakura said, her voice had lost the "happy Sakura"
tone, "sometimes... its best to make things simple so that they're
easier to swallow."
"Sakura..."
"So!" Sakura said happy again, "We will meet you at Tomoyo's house in
an hour?"
"Okay." Chiharu said. She said her good bye to Sakura and rushed
into the bathroom to wash her face. She paused looking at herself in
the mirror, wondering if she should change clothes but decided to
keep the same outfit on. "Might as well put this new outfit to some
use." she said to herself in the mirror.
Ten minutes later she closed her front door behind her as she pulled
on her gloves. She needed to stop by the bakery to pick up some
dessert for Tomoyo. She wanted to thank them for comforting her.
"At last! I found you!"
Chiharu looked up and saw Yamazaki standing at the gate of her
fence. He looked as if he had run all over Tomoeda.
"Yama... zaki... kun?" she whispered. She dropped her purse and ran
towards him. He caught her up in his arms.
"Chiharu-chan where were you?" he asked his voice full of worry. "I
looked all over for you. You weren't at the restaurant for lunch. I
ran all over looking for you. Tomoyo-chan didn't know where you
were, neither did Naoko-chan."
Chiharu wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry." she
whispered. "I was at the cafe and then with Sakura-chan and Shaoran-
kun they were-" she broke off and suddenly she strangled him.
"Guuuuuu Chi-ha-ruuuuuuu." he moaned.
"Yamazaki no baka!" she exclaimed, "You made me worry so much! I
thought you forgot our anniversary!"
He pried her hands free, "I'd never forget." he whispered, "I may
spin a good lie but I don't forget important dates like our
anniversary." he held her hands in his, "I'm sorry." he said.
"I waited at the cafe for three hours."
"Cafe?" his eyes widened, "Oh I'm such an idiot, I went to the
restaurant across town." he held her in his arms. "I'm sorry I should
have called to ask you."
Chiharu wiped her tears away, "I thought you didn't love me any
more." she said, "You were so busy, and you didn't call. You seemed
so distant-"
"Of course not!" he exclaimed which shocked Chiharu. Yamazaki wasn't
the kind of person that went into outbursts. He held her hands, "I
couldn't tell you because I was working." he rose her hands to his
face. "Chiharu..." he said, "I was working so I could get you a
present you deserved."
"But I didn't ask for anything." she said.
"I know," he said, "but you're the only person I know that listens to
me, especially when I spin tall tales. That means so much to me
because I don't obligate you to listen to everything."
He reached into his pocket and gave her a box. "I saw this a few
months ago and I knew it would look good on you."
Chiharu pulled the ribbon free and opened the small box. She looked
up at him surprised. He looked at her with a small smile. She
looked back down at the contents of the box.
Laying on a bed of cotton was gold heart shaped locket that hung from
a pin shaped like a bow. Her initials were engraved on the front and
when she opened it his initials and the date was on the inside lid.
His eyes were so soft when she looked back up. "It would look so nice
on your coat in the winter..." he trailed off when her shocked
expression did not change. "Do- do you like it?"
Her vision blurred, "Its the most beautiful thing I have ever
received." she said.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I should have been more attentive, but I
wanted this to be a surprise. I wanted to give it to you at lunch
today." he looked down, "I'm sorry I ruined today."
Chiharu shook her head, her eyes sparkling, "No." she whispered, "I
wouldn't repeat this day for anything in the world." she took his
hands she noticed he didn't wear any gloves. "Yamazaki are you cold?"
He nodded a small smile curled his lips.
"Let's go inside?" she asked. "Its cold, we can go get dinner later."
"Yes." he said.
---------------------
- I hope I haven't ruined Yamazaki and Chiharu too much. ^^; Chiharu
and Yamazaki don't appear much in the manga so I'm pretty much
guessing here.
- This story has some lines from Kristin Olsen's translations page
(the lines are from her translation of Ch 48 of vol 12 of the manga.)
- This was written for the challenge, I wrote timing myself with a
timer ^^;; (Which I paused when I was interrupted. I finished with 5
mins left ^^;;)
- Pairing: Yamazaki and Chiharu (I always wanted to write a fic with
them, they're a very cute solid couple ^^) This takes place while
they are in high school (so maybe 4-5 years?) Standard disclaimers
apply.
Steph - PifflePrincess@aol.com
Chiharu walked home depressed. The day started out so well but
now it had gone wrong. She ended up eating lunch alone at the cafe.
She felt so bad for making the waitress wait so long that she ate alone.
"Mou." she said as she walked home. "I know Yamazaki-kun can tell
tall tales, but he would at least remember our anniversary."
"Chiharu-chan?"
Chiharu looked up to see Sakura sitting with Shaoran. They were
sitting on a blanket with a basket next to them. She remembered a
day long ago when she was with Yamazaki and she found Sakura walking
alone and very sad. /She was almost twelve then./ Chiharu thought as
she looked up at Sakura who was now a smiling sixteen year old. /Had
it been four years since that day?/
Shaoran turned to Chiharu and said with a small smile, "I was about
to get some juice. Sakura made some delicious tarts. Why don't you
join us?"
"Oh, I couldn't-" Chiharu protested.
"Its all right, I made enough. But its my first try so be kind."
Sakura said as she took Chiharu's arm and sat her down. She looked up
at Shaoran and said, "I'll have lemon." and then turned her green
eyes to Chiharu.
"Peach please." she said.
As soon as Shaoran was gone Sakura turned to Chiharu and said, "Those
were the same flavors we asked for a few years ago." she smiled at
Chiharu.
Chiharu was surprised. She didn't expect Sakura to remember that day
so well. She nodded and looked down at her hands.
"That day you also helped me." Sakura said as she took Chiharu's
hands. "Is something wrong? I noticed your face as you passed by."
Chiharu sighed, "Today is our anniversary."
"Oh Chiharu-chan that's wonderful!" Sakura said.
"Yes but Yamazaki-kun forgot to meet me for lunch." Chiharu
said. "He didn't call all day or the day before. At first I wasn't
too worried but I waited a whole hour before I ordered. He wasn't
home either. He's been so busy these past few weeks and when I ask
him he never gives me a straight answer." Chiharu's tears finally
fell.
Sakura hugged Chiharu, "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for
things."
Chiharu cried on Sakura's shoulder, "He always calls me he's so
attentive, these past few weeks he's been busy and forgets to call. I
know when he's lying Sakura-chan. I know him so well, or at least I
thought I knew him well. We used to be able to just look at each
other and we'd /know/ what the other was thinking."
Sakura gave Chiharu her handkerchief. "Its all right." Sakura
said. "I'm sure things will work out."
Chiharu shook her head, "Sometimes I think I took him for granted.
Sakura-chan what will I do if he just doesn't love me any more?"
"Don't say things like that." Sakura said as she held Chiharu by the
shoulders. "You two are the oldest couple I know. You two always
stuck together through thick and thin. He can't just not love you."
Chiharu sniffled, "Thank you."
"And I'm sure you'll forgive him for whatever explanation he gives
you, because you always forgive him." Sakura said. "And you'll
say 'It's okay'."
"Sometimes things aren't as easy as you want them to be." Chiharu
said. "We aren't little any more."
Sakura nodded, "I know but we can still dream. I remember you told me
once 'since I really like him, since I want to be with him forever, I
apologize.' We may not be little but inside our ideals don't change."
Chiharu smiled at Sakura, "You never change."
Sakura smiled back, "Don't worry, Yamazaki will find you and you'll
say, 'It's okay', strangle him for a bit and then celebrate your
anniversary."
Chiharu didn't get to reply she could see Shaoran coming back with
cans of juice in his hands. The conversation changed to talk about
desserts and their favorite food. Chiharu complimented Sakura's
tarts. "Very good!" she exclaimed which made Sakura blush. Shaoran
agreed that the tarts were well done.
The happy feeling slowly left Chiharu as walked home. "I can't help
but remember that today is our anniversary." Her tears threatened to
return. "Yamazaki no baka!" she said.
/Maybe he doesn't love me anymore?/ she thought sadly, /Have we
become such a steady couple that I took his love for granted?/
"I will never take him for granted." she said to herself, "I will
listen to his stories. I won't question him when he tells a tall
tale. I will appreciate him more! Let him come back to me."
The house was empty when she returned which was good because she
wanted to be alone. It was less of a chance to have someone ask her
what was wrong.
She pulled off her gloves and her coat. Her new outfit was ruined.
He never got to see it. Nor did he see his gift. Chiharu had wrapped
it happily just hours earlier.
"Maybe he'll come by." she said as she curled up on the window seat
in her room. She pulled a blanket around her and leaned against the
wall as she watched the street below.
Hours later she woke up, the sun had long gone down and there was no
sign of Yamazaki. "Its true." she said sadly, "He didn't come by.
He must not love me."
Her phone rang. Chiharu ran to it picking it up as fast as she
could, "Hello?"
"Chiharu-chan?" Sakura's voice asked.
"Oh Sakura-chan." Chiharu said unable to keep the disappointment out
of her voice.
"He didn't come by?" Sakura asked concerned.
"No." Chiharu said. "I dozed off but the doorbell should have woken
me up." her tears threatened to fall again.
"Why don't you come with us? We're going to Tomoyo's house for
dinner." she said. "We can cheer you up."
"Is it all right with Tomoyo-chan?" Chiharu asked.
"Of course." Sakura said, "If we can't cheer you up we can at least
get your mind off it for a while. There is no use in worrying until
you have heard Yamazaki-kun's side."
Chiharu wiped her tears and nodded. "You make things sound so simple
Sakura-chan."
"Sometimes..." Sakura said, her voice had lost the "happy Sakura"
tone, "sometimes... its best to make things simple so that they're
easier to swallow."
"Sakura..."
"So!" Sakura said happy again, "We will meet you at Tomoyo's house in
an hour?"
"Okay." Chiharu said. She said her good bye to Sakura and rushed
into the bathroom to wash her face. She paused looking at herself in
the mirror, wondering if she should change clothes but decided to
keep the same outfit on. "Might as well put this new outfit to some
use." she said to herself in the mirror.
Ten minutes later she closed her front door behind her as she pulled
on her gloves. She needed to stop by the bakery to pick up some
dessert for Tomoyo. She wanted to thank them for comforting her.
"At last! I found you!"
Chiharu looked up and saw Yamazaki standing at the gate of her
fence. He looked as if he had run all over Tomoeda.
"Yama... zaki... kun?" she whispered. She dropped her purse and ran
towards him. He caught her up in his arms.
"Chiharu-chan where were you?" he asked his voice full of worry. "I
looked all over for you. You weren't at the restaurant for lunch. I
ran all over looking for you. Tomoyo-chan didn't know where you
were, neither did Naoko-chan."
Chiharu wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry." she
whispered. "I was at the cafe and then with Sakura-chan and Shaoran-
kun they were-" she broke off and suddenly she strangled him.
"Guuuuuu Chi-ha-ruuuuuuu." he moaned.
"Yamazaki no baka!" she exclaimed, "You made me worry so much! I
thought you forgot our anniversary!"
He pried her hands free, "I'd never forget." he whispered, "I may
spin a good lie but I don't forget important dates like our
anniversary." he held her hands in his, "I'm sorry." he said.
"I waited at the cafe for three hours."
"Cafe?" his eyes widened, "Oh I'm such an idiot, I went to the
restaurant across town." he held her in his arms. "I'm sorry I should
have called to ask you."
Chiharu wiped her tears away, "I thought you didn't love me any
more." she said, "You were so busy, and you didn't call. You seemed
so distant-"
"Of course not!" he exclaimed which shocked Chiharu. Yamazaki wasn't
the kind of person that went into outbursts. He held her hands, "I
couldn't tell you because I was working." he rose her hands to his
face. "Chiharu..." he said, "I was working so I could get you a
present you deserved."
"But I didn't ask for anything." she said.
"I know," he said, "but you're the only person I know that listens to
me, especially when I spin tall tales. That means so much to me
because I don't obligate you to listen to everything."
He reached into his pocket and gave her a box. "I saw this a few
months ago and I knew it would look good on you."
Chiharu pulled the ribbon free and opened the small box. She looked
up at him surprised. He looked at her with a small smile. She
looked back down at the contents of the box.
Laying on a bed of cotton was gold heart shaped locket that hung from
a pin shaped like a bow. Her initials were engraved on the front and
when she opened it his initials and the date was on the inside lid.
His eyes were so soft when she looked back up. "It would look so nice
on your coat in the winter..." he trailed off when her shocked
expression did not change. "Do- do you like it?"
Her vision blurred, "Its the most beautiful thing I have ever
received." she said.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I should have been more attentive, but I
wanted this to be a surprise. I wanted to give it to you at lunch
today." he looked down, "I'm sorry I ruined today."
Chiharu shook her head, her eyes sparkling, "No." she whispered, "I
wouldn't repeat this day for anything in the world." she took his
hands she noticed he didn't wear any gloves. "Yamazaki are you cold?"
He nodded a small smile curled his lips.
"Let's go inside?" she asked. "Its cold, we can go get dinner later."
"Yes." he said.
---------------------
- I hope I haven't ruined Yamazaki and Chiharu too much. ^^; Chiharu
and Yamazaki don't appear much in the manga so I'm pretty much
guessing here.
- This story has some lines from Kristin Olsen's translations page
(the lines are from her translation of Ch 48 of vol 12 of the manga.)
- This was written for the challenge, I wrote timing myself with a
timer ^^;; (Which I paused when I was interrupted. I finished with 5
mins left ^^;;)
- Pairing: Yamazaki and Chiharu (I always wanted to write a fic with
them, they're a very cute solid couple ^^) This takes place while
they are in high school (so maybe 4-5 years?) Standard disclaimers
apply.
Steph - PifflePrincess@aol.com