Author's Note: I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but you were forewarned. Since I'm sure you're eager to read more, I will prevent you no further. Enjoy!
"We can all fit in one boat, right?" asked Sakura, pretending that she didn't want to be alone on a small boat with Syaoran.
"Um…we'll see," said Tomoyo, now only thinking about getting some more alone time with Eriol. She brushed aside the fact that Syaoran had suggested the boat ride and was now solely concentrated on putting it into effect.
Summer cont'd
By: Shayna
Both Sakura and Syaoran knew that Tomoyo would be watching their every move. They were weary of her constantly trying to get them together. And now, in an ironic twist of fate, they were together and she didn't even know it! If they were to keep up this charade much longer, they would have to be very careful of every move that they made. They wouldn't be able to say anything even to imply that there was something going on. Sure, it would be hard, but the look on Tomoyo's face when she found out that they were together and that she was completely oblivious to it would make it all worthwhile. Or so they hoped.
After breakfast, Tomoyo was convincing everyone that it would be a great idea to go out on a boat ride.
"It will be wonderful! We can be one-on-one with nature! It will be so peaceful!" She went on and on and on and on.
"But Tomoyo, we don't even have a boat!" Sakura said, once again pretending that she didn't really want to go. But now that she thought about it, they really didn't have a boat, and she really did want to go. She was truly hoping that Tomoyo had a solution for this problem.
"Oh yes we do! I scoped two of them out last night in the basement with Eriol."
"What were you doing in the basement?" asked Sakura, knowing perfectly well what had most likely gone on down there.
"That's not the point," hurried Tomoyo, desperate to change the subject. "The point is that we found them, and we'll use them."
"Two?" asked Syaoran. "Do we need two? I thought we were going to all go together."
"Well…you see…it's just that…well…they're kind of…small. And I just think we have to use what we've got to work with. After all, how many chances do you have to rowboat on a lake with no one else around?"
Sakura looked skeptical, but eventually "gave in."
"All right. I suppose we can go."
"Great!" squealed Tomoyo. "All we have to do is carry the boats down to the lake!"
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"Great idea, Tomoyo!" screamed Sakura sarcastically as she was struggling with half of the boat. It normally wouldn't have been quite so difficult, be she could still feel minimal pain in her leg from the fall she took the day before. Eriol and Tomoyo were under one boat, while Sakura and Syaoran were carrying the other to the lake. The boats were above their heads, as that was the least awkward way to haul them down, but they were still extremely heavy.
"It's (umph!) just (ugh!) a little (hmph!) farther!" cried Tomoyo, even though she felt that she couldn't go on any longer. The boats were way heavier than they looked!
"This better be worth it, Daidouji!" hollered an angered Syaoran over to her.
"Oh great," muttered Tomoyo to herself, "now we're back to the last-name basis." Eriol merely chuckled.
"What are you laughing about, Eriol. This is no walk in the park!" Tomoyo admitted, but only loud enough for Eriol to hear.
"Actually, my dear, it's more of a walk in the meadow on the way to the lake."
"If I could, I would pound you right now, but I'm busy carrying a two-ton boat over my head!" she hissed.
"You wouldn't pound me."
"Oh?"
"Of course not. You would kiss me."
"Don't flatter yourself," she huffed.
"That proves it then. You want to kiss me."
But it wasn't much longer until they reached the shore, exhausted. They sat there panting for a while, not saying anything. But Syaoran gazed over to Sakura and smiled at her playfully, anticipating being alone, separated by a great distance of water from anyone else. She smiled right back. This, luckily, went unnoticed by the worn out Daidouji Tomoyo, who was just barely getting her strength back.
When they were good and rested, the four flipped their boats over and slowly started to slide them into the water. Tomoyo and Eriol clambered into theirs while Sakura and Syaoran leaped agilely into theirs. They all gripped their oars and pushed off the ground. Soon enough, they were off.
The lake was big, but not that big. No matter where you went, you could always see the rest of the lake and the people in it, so Sakura and Syaoran knew that they couldn't get too close. However, Tomoyo and Eriol rowed off a descent distance to the point where they could talk freely without being disturbed.
"So…how long do you think we should keep this up?" asked Sakura.
"I don't know. I'm surprised Tomoyo hasn't suspected anything yet."
"I know. But, Syaoran…I don't like the fact that I can't be close to you while they are around."
"Me neither. Sakura, I want to be able to hold you close the whole day."
She blushed slightly, unable to say anything after that. She just looked at him. His eyes stared right back at hers. Time seemed to stop, and they were unaware that they were beginning to lean closer to one another. Closer, closer, closer…Their eyes suddenly went wide and their heads simultaneously snapped in the direction of Tomoyo's boat. They both let out a sigh of relief that Tomoyo and Eriol were…preoccupied.
"That was…close."
"Yeah."
They sat in silence for a while. Both longing for the warm hold of the other.
"I don't think I can take this any longer, Syaoran." He smirked at her.
"Nani? What are you thinking, Syaoran." He glanced down over the side of the boat and into the water. Her eyes questioned him but in a flash understood what he was implying. A devilish grin came across her face, too.
They both slowly started to rock the boat. Back and forth, back and forth. Soon enough they gained enough momentum. Syaoran stood up, and Sakura let out a fake shriek, grabbing the attention of both Tomoyo and Eriol. All at once, she was consumed with water, and the boat was tipped upside down, floating on the surface.
Sakura and Syaoran both gasped for air as they emerged underneath the upturned boat. Before either of them could think, they went for each other and their lips were enclosed in a hard kiss, full of built up desire.
When they finally came apart for air, Sakura whispered, "We better head up or they'll get worried." Syaoran nodded in agreement, but just as she was about to go under, he held her back and lifted off her necklace.
"Tell them it fell off and you have to go look for it." She grinned, anticipating their next quick meeting under the boat. When she emerged above the water she called over to Tomoyo and Eriol who were making their way over.
"Stop!" she cried loudly. "I lost my key pendant and I don't want your oars to move it around. I have to find it!"
"Where's Syaoran?" called Tomoyo.
"I'm right here!" A faint cry could be heard on the other side of the upturned boat and a hand waving in the air confirmed that Syaoran was indeed on the other side.
"Don't come any closer," Sakura continued, "the currents from your boat might carry it away."
On the other side of the boat, Syaoran was impressed at Sakura's acting and the fact that she figured a way to keep both Tomoyo and Eriol away from their boat. As soon as he heard Sakura call that she was going under again, he went back under as well. They met again in the small cavern that the boat had created. Sakura smiled brightly and giggled.
"Brilliant!" he exclaimed, but softly so that Tomoyo and Eriol wouldn't get suspicious. They came together again for a smoldering kiss that sent shivers down both of their spines. At that moment, the two knew only each other. They forgot that they were underneath a boat, soaking wet, and treading water. The kiss was long, deep, and full of passion. When they broke apart, they were gasping for air.
"Here," Syaoran managed to breathe. He handed her the pendant.
"Thanks," she whispered and then ducked back under the water, only to emerge once more on the other side.
"I found it!" she cried gleefully.
"Good," sighed Tomoyo, relieved. "Where's Syaoran now?" At that very second, Syaoran popped up right beside Sakura, catching her completely by surprise.
"Don't DO that! You scared me half to death!" she screeched at him.
"There's this thing called air! I needed some!" exclaimed Syaoran.
Eriol and Tomoyo just laughed as the two quibbled on, having more fun than neither Tomoyo nor Eriol expected.
"So should we pick them up? Or just leave them there?" asked Eriol.
"It's tempting, but it would only be right if we picked them up," she replied, "…in a little while," she added with a smirk. Suddenly, they heard only silence. They looked over to Sakura and Syaoran who were now glaring at them.
"What?" asked Tomoyo, bewildered at their sudden change of expression.
"Well, aren't you two gonna come pick us up?" shouted Sakura in a contemptuous tone. Eriol and Tomoyo were still a descent distance away, and both she and Syaoran were tired of treading water and being soaking wet.
"My, my!" exclaimed Eriol, "no even a please?"
"Aren't you gonna come pick us up?…please," Sakura muttered.
"Oh! Well since you asked so nicely. I suppose we could lend two of our friends a hand. What do you say, Tomoyo?"
"I don't know, it seemed that she was acting rude to us, Eriol."
"Yes…she was…" Eriol was pretending to be pondering such a thought.
"Hiragizawa! Come pick us up right now!" shouted Syaoran, fed up with the situation.
"Oh, well now I have second thoughts, after that outburst of yours, Syaoran," stated Eriol.
"That's enough!" cried Sakura. She summoned her wand. "Float Card! Release and dispel! Float!" She grabbed Syaoran's hand and they were consumed into a bubble and lifted into the air. "We'll see you back at the cabin," she stated simply. And with that, they took off like a shot towards land.
Tomoyo and Eriol just looked at each other, slightly shocked. They could just barely make out Sakura and Syaoran as they landed gently onto the shore and began running for the cabin. They were like two specks of sand in the distance getting farther and farther away with each passing moment. Those two are gonna get it for leaving us here like this, vowed Tomoyo to herself. Just then, she felt warm kisses on her neck.
"Oh…" she exclaimed surprised.
"We're alone now," whispered Eriol into her ear. It sent shivers down her spine and a sly grin across her face.
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Sakura and Syaoran touched down onto the ground rather gracefully, but they felt anything but graceful. They were drenched. Their hair was matted to their faces and their clothes were soaked through. They both looked at each other. Then a smug expression came across Syaoran's face.
"Race you to the cabin!" he exclaimed and he was off.
"Not again!" yelped Sakura as she began a mad-dash to catch him. She finally did catch up with him, but they were still a ways from the cabin. Then she pulled ahead. Then he caught up. Then he pulled ahead. Then she caught up. It was like that until they could see the cabin door.
They were all-out sprinting, but had huge smiles one their faces. They were closing in on the door at a rapid pace. Syaoran pulled ahead and finally beat her to the door. They were both completely out of breath. Syaoran leaned in close.
"I win." And with that, he pulled her into a deep kiss. But it was broken quickly, as the two still needed to catch their breath. But soon enough, they were kissing each other fiercely. Their auras burst brilliantly to life. They began stumbling around the room, discarding their wet shoes and socks.
Syaoran's kisses slowly began to move downward, and reached her neck. They became a little gentler, as they both began to catch their breath once more.
"Mmmm…" purred Sakura. "Syaoran…" she whispered into his ear. She closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She knew where this would eventually lead, though, if they kept it up for very much longer.
"We should probably dry off, Syaoran," she said, stepping away slightly.
"Yeah…you'll definitely need to get out of those wet clothes," he replied suggestively.
"Syaoran!" she exclaimed with a sly grin of her own. "Not now," she added playfully.
"Are you suggesting that maybe later?"
"Perhaps…" she trailed off, and then continued, "But really, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Eriol could come back at any moment, and now is not the time to get carried away."
He pouted. Then the two headed upstairs and into separate rooms to dry off and change. When Sakura emerged, she could hear the TV on downstairs. She somewhat skipped down the steps to find Syaoran by himself on the couch.
"Are they back yet?" she asked.
"Nope. I can still just barely make out their boat on the water. That means…"
"A little more time for us," Sakura finished for him. And then she hopped onto the couch next to him and snuggled in under his arm. She rested her head against his chest, inhaling his fresh autumn sent. He held her close, breathing in her sweet fragrance of cherry blossoms and vanilla. He planted a single kiss on her forehead. There seemed to be nothing more peaceful for the two than lounging comfortably in each other's arms.
That's all for now! I'm sorry that it took so long to get this out, but like I said, I have been more than super busy this past week or so. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write this upcoming week, so I have no idea when the next chapter will be out. I will, of course, get it out as soon as I possibly can, but I don't know when that will be. Thanks again for being such great reviewers. I really hope you've enjoyed the story so far. As always, I am open to all questions, comments, suggestions, criticisms, and (yes) even flames. That's all for now!
