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Wild Dreaming
by animefreak
Sakura blinked a few times to allow her eyes to accustom to the bright light. She reached blindly for her watch on the nightstand, and jerked up when she realized she'd been sleeping through most of the day. But what of it? She still felt tired. She climbed out of bed, running an idle hand through her auburn hair, eyelids still heavy from the deep sleep. She glanced up at the ski outfit Tomoyo had pulled out for her, and couldn't help but smile at it, shaking her head. She would never wear one of those things by choice, but she really liked humoring Tomoyo. She was always so pleased to tape her in one of her fancy creations, Sakura chuckled sleepily. She couldn't bring herself to say no to her, so she showered quickly, and wore the pink outfit with her best smile.
Tomoyo did nothing to conceal the delighted squeal that escaped her throat at the sight of her best friend coming out of the lodge wearing her precious outfit. Sakura stifled a giggle and walked in the snow towards her.
"Did you rest at all?" she grinned wide.
"Um, yeah, I did..." Sakura answered uneasily, the memories from the night before assaulting her mind once again.
"Have you seen Li?" Tomoyo asked casually "It seems like he slept in. No one has seen him today"
"I don't know. I haven't seen him" she said hastily, feeling her cheeks burn at the mention of his name. Tomoyo didn't seem to notice this anyway, for she grabbed her arm happily and dragged her to the beginner's ski slopes, begging her to do some skiing with her. Sakura smiled and nodded, firmly believing that keeping herself busy would help her shake off the bizarre thoughts that shamelessly entered her mind over and over again.
*****
Syaoran sat by the fireplace inside the lodge. I've slept a lot, he
thought. It's already getting dark. He had actually gotten up from bed
a long while ago, but didn't have the courage to go out and face her. Like
she was going to know, you dolt! he thought again, pulling at his hair.
But somehow, he couldn't make himself stare at her in the face. It seemed
like someone had opened up his head and dropped those thoughts in, because
he didn't recall to ever thinking this way. The memory of the dream was
now fainter, perhaps because he'd slept all day long, but it was still
too strong for him to brush off like any other dream. It was really, really
bizarre.
"It's getting dark, Tomoyo" Sakura said to her friend, grabbing her arm "We'd better get back"
"Just a minute" the dark haired girl whispered to her as if being careful not to break the spell of the sunset "I want to tape this...it's a once in a lifetime chance!"
"Well I need to go to the bathroom"
"You go ahead, I'll meet you back in the lodge"
"Are you sure?" There was concern in her voice for it was a lot colder and darker right now.
"Absolutely!" she reassured "You'll thank me for taping this later, I know this"
Sakura snickered, and patted her best friend on the back as she started walking towards the cabin. Where's everybody? she thought, frowning slightly. She opened the door carelessly, which startled a thoughtful Syaoran who still sat by the fireplace. She noticed him and blushed furiously.
"Oh, h-hey, Syaoran!" she greeted nervously.
"H-hey..." he managed to babble.
"Tomoyo told me...that she didn't see you all day...that you slept in...are you--are you okay?" she fidgeted, hands clenched around a fistful of fur.
"I--I was tired from the trip" he lied, a truly mortified look on his face "And you know I don't...like the cold...so much" He couldn't fight the blush back.
"Yeah, I know...I guess...I'll see you" she returned hastily and waved him goodbye as she ran literally to her room. She closed the door behind her and instinctively raised two fingers to her temples. Like he was going to know about it, you idiot! she self berated. You'll end up giving it away!
*****
Sakura was strangely quiet that night at the dinnertable. Her eyes were downcast, her head in her left hand, as she absently poked her food with her fork. She just didn't feel like hiding it anymore. It couldn't possibly be a Clow card, for she had already caught them all. And she couldn't tell anybody because the whole mess was too embarrassing to put into words. Who would she tell anyway? Kero always thought Syaoran was a spoiled rude brat. Tomoyo would only make fun and couldn't help her at all. And Syaoran...she shivered at the very thought of telling him about this.
"Are you okay, Sakura?" Tomoyo questioned, worriedly, at the sudden flush on her friend's cheeks.
"Y-yeah...I should just...I think I need some fresh air...I'm sorry...I'll see you back at the room okay?" she excused herself quietly, almost in a whisper.
"But..."
"I won't be long" she assured with a grin that took her too much effort to fake.
With that she got up from her chair and exited the dining room. She walked the carpeted corridors silently, until she reached the terrace. She heaved a long sigh and went in, slowly sliding the glass door behind her. She walked towards the railing, admiring the snow covered landscape. She had started humming a familiar melody, but suddenly stopped. Someone was behind her.
*****
She turned around as quickly as she could, only to find herself all alone...
"I think I'm going crazy" she moaned out loud, sitting on an armchair by the railing.
Sakura took deep breaths to calm herself down. This whole situation wasn't normal. That dream, the presence she just felt, Syaoran's attitude towards her...everything seemed to be off. It just wasn't like her to dwell on things like this, but it was like she couldn't control it. But what could be wrong? Dreaming was normal, even such dreams...maybe she was making too big a deal out of this. It really felt like a big deal. She got up shaking her head, and headed for her room. Time to call it a night, she thought.
Syaoran hadn't shown up for dinner. How could he eat? Now he thought Sakura had noticed something wrong about him and dreaded the thought of her asking and having to lie to her again. What would he say to her? She made him very nervous as it was, and right now, after that dream, he couldn't even look her in the eye. Great, just...perfect. He couldn't let go of the guilt and the shame. But, wait a second, a voice in his hear chided. It was just a dream! She will never find out unless you tell her...
"Just a dream" he repeated out loud, not noticing Sakura standing right next to him, trying to open her door.
"What?" she asked, an adorably puzzled expression on her face.
Syaoran's eyes went wide in horror. She had been listening to him all along, and only Kami knew what he had said. He turned to her slowly, begging silently that he could win the battle against the furious blush that threatened to set his cheeks on fire.
"W-What?" was all he managed to stammer.
"You were saying something...I don't know if you were talking to me though" she whispered, not knowing where she'd gotten the courage to look into his eyes.
"No...I was thinking aloud..."
"Okay then" she grinned as she finally opened the door.
He squeezed his eyes shut as flashes from his dream assaulted his mind at the sight of her smile. Her jade eyes. Her golden hair.
"Are you okay?" she asked one more time, concern present in her voice.
"Just...a headache. I'll be fine"
She shrugged slightly and gave him one last sad grin.
"Good night, Syaoran"
"Night...Sakura"
And she quietly shut the door. She had noticed the pause there. Something was really up with him, but right then she was the least appropriate person to offer him especially any help.
*****
Sakura was about to peacefully fall asleep later that night. She had finally managed to relax and was starting to see the light again. It wasn't a big deal...just a dream. One that felt so real she still felt that cold shiver down her spine, but just a dream in the end. No one would be harmed by a simple dream. She was nearly asleep when she caught a faint glimpse of something in the corner of her eye. She bolted upright. It wasn't Tomoyo, for she was asleep in her bed long ago. What the hell was going on? She got up from her bed and pulled the curtains apart. There was nothing there to see, but she knew she wasn't crazy. It was the second time that day she'd felt a strange presence, and this time she'd actually seen something.
"I'm not crazy" she firmly said to herself "I'm not crazy"
She walked around the room, looking for whatever it was that she had seen. It was suddenly freezing and she was starting to become anxious. She knew something lurked around her somewhere, but she just couldn't find anything. It was mocking her. She felt hot tears sting her eyes. She turned around everywhere frantically, biting her lips not to scream, slipping into a deep state of panic as seconds went by.
Syaoran was also beginning to fall asleep when several desperate knocks on his door woke him right up. He jumped out of bed and dashed to the door in one swift movement, readying himself for anything. A hysterical Sakura collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably, pounding his chest in abject horror. He didn't even have time to ponder his reaction like he usually did. He had to hold her close, almost squeeze her until she began to calm down. He gently led her to his bed, and gave her the glass of water he put religiously on his nightstand every night. She could barely hold it so he lifted the glass to her lips and made her sip it, until she finally came back to her senses.
"I'm-I'm sorry" she hiccuped softly.
"Shhhhh. It's okay" he soothed.
Sakura just rested her head on his bare shoulder and closed her eyes. He just sat there, stoically quiet, giving her all the time in the world to tell him what had happened. He'd seen her scared before, but never like this. This had to be the real thing. He soon found himself running his hand through her hair, his other arm encircling her waist to reassure her, and was amazed at himself.. He blushed at that, but his line of thought was quickly cut off when she lifted her head from his shoulders, and turned around to face him. Ah, she was so beautiful. He shook his head at the thought, readying himself to hear whatever she had to tell him.
"There...there was something in my room" she began, her voice trembling.
"Something?"
"Yes...a ghost...something. Tonight, after dinner--I went out to the terrace--and I felt it"
"Felt...it?"
"Yes. A--presence. Like there was someone there with me. At first I thought I was...you know...imagining things. But tonight, when I was about to fall asleep, I saw...I saw something" her breathing began to become uneven again
"What did you see?" he probed gently.
"I-I don't know" she sobbed, quietly.
Now this was weird. He believed her completely, she could have never made something like this up. She was genuinely scared of whatever it was she had seen, or felt...he pulled her closer and resumed his reassuring stroking of her hair.
"It'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you" he whispered tenderly "I promise"
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