A School Excursion
Chapter 3
( All characters duly belong to CLAMP ! )
~ *** ~
Sakura was busily giving Syaoran her Sakura-is-angry-and-will-keep-poking-you-until-you-scream-for-mercy finger attacks when the hotel phone rang. Syaoran who was exhausted from dodging and laughing from the ticklist attacks sprang up immediately and ran for the phone, leaving Sakura on the bed glaring at him.
" Syaoran speaking … * cough * … who's that on the phone ? … * cough * … "
" Err, Syaoran-kun ? Daijobu ? "
" Yeah Eriol-kun, I was just … erm … being attacked at the moment … * chuckle * … "
At this point, Sakura threw her pillow at him which Syaoran easily ducked.
" Oh, sounds like the both of you are having fun. "
" Indeed, wanna join us ? "
" No, not tonight. Well, Tomoyo and I have something to do. "
" Tomoyo ?? "
Syaoran noticed that Eriol had dropped the polite term Tomoyo-SAN and had called her Tomoyo now.
[ It only means … AH … ! ]
" Hey Eriol buddy, is there something you're not telling me ? "
" I'll fill you in soon, Syaoran. Have a good night … "
" Chotto matte yo ! What do you mean by that !? Aren't … aren't you leaving Sakura and Tomoyo's room ? You need to come back and sleep ! "
" Change of plans, my innocent descendant … I have some serious plans here. "
Syaoran swore he could almost hear Eriol grin over the other end before a polite click ended their conversation. Syaoran looked at the receiver for a while and narrowed his eyes. Trust his ancestor to do something right on the spot with no warning.
" Syaoran ? Is Eriol-kun asking you to go back ? "
" No, on the contrary, he's staying put in your room. "
" HOE ?!! Doshite ? What's happening ? "
Syaoran gave a sigh and walked over to the confused Sakura who had many big question marks forming over her head.
" Well now Sakura, your plan has worked perfectly. Makes any sense now ? "
" My plan ? Hmm … hmm … hmmmmmm … "
Syaoran looked at Sakura patiently as he could actually see that Sakura's brain was working. He was especially patient to Sakura, and only to her.
" AHHHH !! I get it ! Tomoyo-chan and Eriol-kun are now more than friends right ? They've gotten together just as I wanted them to be isn't it ?!! Oh geez … what a happy day … and it's only our very first night ! Wow, I'm really good at this. "
Sakura jumped out of the bed and started a little dance on the floor. Syaoran sweatdropped in a corner but he remained smiling.
" So now we've got 2 couples don't we ? Tomoyo-chan and Eriol-kun, Syaoran and me ! "
" Hai … but we have a little problem. "
Sakura suddenly looked serious as she stopped her dance and walked over to Syaoran quickly. As she sat down, she peered into Syaoran's eyes and waited.
" Well, Eriol-kun is erm … like I said … staying put in your room. "
" Yup ? "
" So you'll have to stay here. "
" Oh … oh … okay … "
There was a sudden silence as the situation finally hit them. Syaoran felt a little fidgety as he tried to look away from Sakura's eyes. He was only joking earlier but well … it seemed that it had really come true.
[ Geez, don't tell me Eriol-kun did this to me again … someone should take away his powers … completely … he really likes putting me in awkward situations huh ]
" Syaoran ? Are you listening to me ? "
" Huh ? I'm sorry, I kinda drifted off … what were you saying ? "
" I don't have a choice anyway. Do you want to share the bed ? "
Syaoran flushed deep red as smoke emerged from his head and ears. Sakura chuckled a little, since his reaction was really nostalgic. She remembered how he would blush at the slightest notice when they were younger. Sometimes it was because of Yukito-san, sometimes it was what she said, sometimes it was what Tomoyo-chan had teased him about, sometimes it was what Eriol-kun had mentioned to him …
" Ano … me ? Share … share … share the bed ? "
Syaoran was choking on his own words as he looked hard at his fingers. Sakura decided that if she nodded, Syaoran wouldn't be able to see it anyway.
" Hai Syaoran, I trust that you won't do anything anyway. You're the last person whom I'll ever distrust in my whole life. "
Syaoran looked up quickly, his eyes showing surprise and shock. Sakura smiled back and walked towards a table, taking down her hairpins and accessories. Syaoran looked on silently, wondering …
[ Wow, it's like as if we're married and we're going to bed on a very normal night ]
Syaoran blushed again at his thoughts and he hurriedly shuffled towards his table to drink a cup of water, trying to stop himself from quaking.
[ What am I so worried about anyway ?! ]
Syaoran closed his eyes for a short while before deciding that he was calm enough. Unfortunately, when he turned around, Sakura was standing at the edge of the bed waiting for him.
[ GULP ! ]
Syaoran turned beet red again as he walked mechanically towards her, eyes perpetually glued to the floor as though he had lost a Clow Card somewhere.
" Syaoran ? You look very pale … "
" P … p … pale ? N … no … I … I'm … fine ! "
Sakura almost laughed out loud but she bit her lip down. Laughing at Syaoran now would only serve to put him in a more flustered situation.
[ I guess only Syaoran would behave this way if his girlfriend tells him that she didn't mind sharing a bed with him. Kawaii ! ]
Sakura smiled silently as she flicked off the lights and nonchalently snuggled into the left side of the bed. As she tossed on her side to sleep, she could hear Syaoran getting in too. Suddenly, she felt a little excited and scared. This was her first time sleeping literally with a guy, and it was Syaoran thankfully. Although they were not going to do anything except close their eyes and sleep, the thought was still very invigorating.
As she turned around to face Syaoran after a while, she saw Syaoran lying face-up rigidly, eyes wide open. She chuckled again in the dark and this caught Syaoran's attention.
" You … you're … not … asleep ? "
" No, and you're definitely not going to be able to sleep if you're so tensed up. "
" Who … who's tensed up !? "
" You. "
" Am not. "
" Only you know. Is this idea very bad ? I'll go sleep on the table if you're so uncomfortable. I'm okay with that since sometimes I'll just nod onto my table during revision. I have a lot of practice. "
" And you sound so proud about that ? Nodding your head off during revision ? Haha … "
Sakura was glad that her joke managed to get Syaoran to lighten up. It was a rather cold night in Kyoto and she knew that Syaoran would probably sleep somewhere else instead. She had to keep him warm and she didn't mind having him share a bed at all.
" Syaoran, are you really uncomfortable ? "
Sakura blushed a little when Syaoran suddenly turned around and faced her in the dark. Even without light, he looked seriously handsome. His light brown hair framed his sharp features beautifully and his matching hazel-brown eyes seemed to swallow Sakura up.
" No, I'm just very honoured that you allowed me to share a bed. You could have asked me to sleep somewhere else. "
" I can't do that ! It's cold now and I don't want you to catch a flu bug or something horrid. Furthermore, it's a school trip and we're here to enjoy ourselves ! "
Sakura had a tendency to hug Syaoran whenever she got too emotional and forgetting the situation they were in, she instinctively grabbed Syaoran which caused the poor fellow to blush so deep red that anyone would have thought he was in danger of exploding.
" Syaoran ? D … daijobu ?! "
***
" Eriol, I don't know what to say now but I feel so much at ease after our little confessions. It feels so liberating ! "
" I hope you didn't have it all taped down … "
Tomoyo slapped her forehead and looked visibly despaired as the idea struck her. Eriol sighed with relief.
[ Phew, it means that she didn't ]
" Oh Eriol, you SHOULD have reminded me ! "
" Ah, not that I wanted to anyway. "
Eriol smiled gently as he pulled her close to him. Tomoyo wasn't used to being so close to a guy's presence but she knew she liked being in Eriol's embrace. As she placed her head on his chest, she could hear Eriol sigh silently.
" Eriol, why … why me ? "
" Isn't it obvious ? You see an angel whenever you look into your mirror everyday don't you ? I fell in love with this angel. I decided to take my chances and flew back to see her. "
Tomoyo blushed a little at Eriol's description of her and was at a loss on what to say. After all, no guys had ever directly talked to her in this way before. There were some really obnoxious ones whom even Sakura had looked on in despair but hearing such poetic phrases coming from Eriol were just simply marvellous.
[ So this is what they called LOVE, thank you Kami-sama for letting me find it ]
" So you won't be returning to your room tonight ? "
" No, I want to see more of you. "
" You can still look at me tomorrow. "
" Tonight is a special night, it's the night which we confessed our true feelings. Shouldn't we remember it in a very unique way ? "
" How so ? "
" Whichever way you want to, Tomoyo. "
Eriol released Tomoyo slowly as she looked up at him. She smiled lovingly as she closed her eyes expectantly, as though she knew what was coming. Eriol breathed in once before closing in …
***
Syaoran was fully relaxed as he had his hands wrapped lazily around Sakura's waist while Sakura was snuggled comfortably against Syaoran. He had been very scared but Sakura was good at coaxing people and it succeeded against him. He decided that he liked the idea of the warm figure lying beside him and couldn't stop smiling blissfully.
" Syaoran ? "
" Hmm ? "
" What do you think the both of them are doing now ? "
" Probably the same as us … and sleeping soundly I guess. "
" Tomoyo doesn't sleep so easily unless she's really tired. "
" Really ? Then she's probably … erm … making out with Eriol … "
Syaoran yelped a little as Sakura pinched him in response.
" Hey ! I was just joking ! "
" Well, Tomoyo won't anyway. "
" Why are you so sure ? "
" Because I'm her best tomodachi, that's why ! "
" But she's a woman, Eriol's a man … it's inevitable you know. Besides, it's only making out, I'm not saying that they're going to do … well … you know … "
Syaoran started to blush again and Sakura could actually see it in the dark. She laughed and nodded her head in agreement.
" They probably are thinking of the same thing about us right now. "
" Uh huh. Unfortunately we aren't doing anything so exciting. "
" HEY ! We're already lying in each other's arms … what else do you expect ? "
" I didn't imply anything ! "
Syaoran and Sakura glared at each other for a while before bursting into laughter in unison. Sakura was glad that Syaoran was now much more easy-going and cheerful as compared to his early days with her. He was always full of love for her, ready to knock her off her feet, make her swoon with lovey-dovey stuffs …
[ I'm so lucky to be Syaoran's object of affection ]
Syaoran had already stopped laughing and was eyeing Sakura as she started to daydream. He smiled to himself and wondered why Sakura loved him in return. He had even thought that Sakura probably accepted him because of pitiness or out of duty. However, such thoughts were banished when he looked into Sakura's eyes. They were bright and cheerful, but they were much more brilliant whenever she saw him. Her smile seemed to look more beautiful whenever she smiled at him, her entire person seemed to jump with joy whenever he was near.
[ Sakura, thank you for everything … ]
He hugged her near to him again and they started to doze off into their respective dreams, locked in an embrace.
***
" Eriol … "
" Did you like that Tomoyo ? "
" Uh huh ! "
Tomoyo nodded happily as Eriol released them from the spell he had woven when their lips met. It seemed to them that time had stopped from that moment on and Tomoyo's entire soul was concentrating on her lips … the other person's lips … his hands on her waist … his scent overwhelming her …
[ That was some kiss ! ]
" I could just do this with you for the rest of my life willingly. "
Tomoyo giggled under her breath at Eriol's comment as she walked over to get another cup of water for Eriol. She placed her fingers on her lips and closed her eyes, savouring the moment again as she poured the water into the cup absent-mindedly.
" Tomoyo ? Can I stay here tonight ? "
" Heh ? "
" I think Syaoran and Sakura had already retired to bed. "
" BED ?!! "
" Hai. "
" I … I didn't know their relationship was at THAT stage … "
" No no Tomoyo … they're not that bold ! I meant they were probably sleeping already, on the same bed but nothing else. "
" Ahh … so desu ka … "
Tomoyo passed the cup over to Eriol and smiled thoughtfully at him. She nodded almost to herself but Eriol knew she was agreeing to the arrangement.
" So I suppose we're going to be in the same situation as them ? "
Tomoyo asked sweetly as she slowly pulled off some of the clips that were holding strands of her hair. Eriol watched, almost in a trance, forgetting to answer.
" Eriol ? "
" H … huh ? "
" Oh never mind … "
Author's Notes :
Hmm, I know I'm beating around the bush a little. ^__^ The next chapter would be their first day in Kyoto and how the new budding relationship of E+T would become. S+S would find themselves in a situation when they meet a stranger on the streets ! Thanks for the reviews too ! I've placed the english translations for my usage of japanese terms below for those who don't understand as well. I hope it helps !!
Please continue reviewing neh ?
Translation :
Daijobu = are you all right ?
Chotto matte yo = wait a minute ! The " yo " is an exclamation.
Hoe = Sakura's favourite exclamation noun
Doshite = why ?
Ano = Japanese's way of saying … erm …
Kawaii = cute
Kami-sama = God
Tomodachi = friend
So desu ka = I see
