VII - Turning Point
"I've been waiting for you."
The Card Captor turned, "Dark-san!"
"So formal." Dark said as he walked towards her.
"I- uh..."
He curled his fingers around her hand and kissed the palm again, her
fingers curled around his cheek unconsciously.
"Thank you for the ribbon." she whispered.
"You're welcome." he said with an almost feline smile.
She gently pulled her hand free and looked down at her hands, "So you
left a note."
"Why yes." he said, "just as I wrote in the note, I'm going to steal
the mirror." he took that moment to admire what she wore. It seemed
she had a costume for every different occasion. Whoever designed for
her knew how to flatter her figure. Tonight she wore a deep red
almost military style coat had a cream panel with black piping in the
front that fastened with two rows of gold buttons marching up the
front of the coat. It had stars on the high collar ending at the
waist and flaring into two tails in the back. She wore deep red pants
and boots that ended at the knee.
/Very nice./ Dark said with a smile.
/Excuse me, but you should say the same about you, you vain peacock./
Daisuke said.
Dark almost laughed, he had chosen a black costume, with black
ribbons wrapped around him. He knew it had a dramatic effect when he
flew.
"But that mirror belongs to the school." she said.
"Always righteous." he said with a smile.
"Well... its wrong to steal." she whispered.
"That's why you're here Card Captor-chan." he said.
"Where is it?" she asked. "Have you stolen it yet?"
"Its where its always been."
She glanced at the gallery below and immediately ran towards it.
"Hey!" he exclaimed.
"Jump!" She jumped off the end of the roof, sure enough her coat
tails trailing in the air behind her.
/I knew they were lined in cream fabric underneath./
/Are you here to steal or to admire her?/ Daisuke asked.
/Well.../
/*grin*/
She landed safely and ran to the gallery as fast as she could.
Dark ran to catch up to her.
/The mirror,/ Daisuke said, /That mirror reveals your true self./
/I know I have to be careful./
They both reached the mirror. She was about to reach for it when he
reached for her, "Wait!" he exclaimed.
She turned to face him her hand curled around the edge of the frame.
What happened next was all a blur ending in a flurry of black
feathers, Dark grabbed her by the shoulders and before she could say
anything let alone face the mirror, he wrapped his arms around her
and kissed her.
She gasped and covered her mouth letting go of the mirror.
He caught it and burst through the window.
Daisuke held the mirror in his hands, "That was close."
/Yes./ Dark said. He looked a bit startled in the mirror.
"Well... not only did we steal the mirror but you got to kiss her."
Daisuke said with a smile.
Dark blushed and looked away.
"What?" Daisuke asked. "Its what you wanted right? I know you steal
these things to see her."
/.../
Daisuke laughed and he looked up at With, "Take us to the roof."
* - * - *
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura blinked a few times,"Hoe?"
"I've been calling you for five minutes." Kimiko said.
"Sorry, I've had a long week." Sakura said with a sheepish smile.
Kimiko nodded, "Midterms."
/Not to mention avoiding Daisuke./ Sakura mentally added.
"Have you been eatting?" Yuri asked.
"Not really, I forget since I'm studying so much." Sakura said.
"You really don't need to help." Kimiko said, "You look so tired, you
didn't need to volunteer."
"I want to," Sakura said, "I miss the team."
"Then join silly!" Kimiko said with a giggle,"The older members tell
me you were really good."
Sakura blushed, "They flatter me."
Yuri appeared behind them, "Can you help Tamayo with the supplies?
She drove them here."
"Sure." Sakura said as she walked over to the small hatchback car.
When she returned she saw a group of girls surrounding someone.
"Niwa-kun! Niwa-kun!" the girls called.
Sakura hid her face behind the box she carried. She did not have the
courage to face him. Not after that kiss. It kept her up at night,
lingering in her mind like a long forgotten scent or flavor. It made
her feel things she did not want to feel.
But after that kiss she went home and instead of feeling angry she
felt sad and lonely. Why? She shivered remembering the way he looked
just before he kissed her. He looked so serious, his eyes dark and
intense.
She wasn't really upset with him but with herself for having her
heart beat fast. She liked that kiss and she felt guilty.
/Because that means I'm attracted to him./ she thought.
Being attracted to someone meant that you had feelings for them.
Feelings that could grow stronger, deeper, which, if they were
reciprocated, could lead to dating. And that led to going out and
the whole idea of having a relationship. It would lead to telling
each other stories about their childhood about their private lives
and eventually trusting that person enough to depend on them. To
rest your entire weight on them.
/To tell that person about the Sakura Cards.../ she thought.
No. She had gone down that road and look where it got her. She had
vowed to live her life for herself. It was her mantra, her motto as
she counted the days till graduation.
/No more. I'll just work on school and magic, I'll never trust my
heart to another person./
Why did it seem like an empty life?
Daisuke smiled politely at the girls. He had just gotten his
bandages off his leg. Since his leg was fully healed it made him the
perfect candidate to set up the judo booth at the festival.
He hated festivals, they were nothing but badluck for hi, but he had
a duty to the team. Luckily his shift was almost over.
"There we go." a familiar voice said as she set the boxes down on a
table in the gymnastics booth.
"Thanks a lot Kinomoto-san."
Daisuke turned to see Sakura at the booth.
"Its nothing at all." she said with a smile.
Daisuke couldn't help but smile. She looked pretty as always, but
she seemed a bit pale.
Before he could even think about how pale she was a nightmare was
replaying itself before his eyes. As soon as Sakura turned away from
the table she fell bonelessly to the floor.
Riku fell slowly before his eyes, her eyes closed as she fell to the
ground.
"Kinomoto-san! Someone! Help!" a girl cried out as she rushed to
Sakura.
"Sakura-chan!" Kimiko cried out.
Daisuke pushed past Kimiko and picked her up in his arms. He turned
to Kimiko, "The first aid tent?"
Kimiko pointed to a stripped tent.
"Right." Daisuke said. "Go get someone, I'll move her to a clear
place."
"Hai!" Kimiko said as she ran back into the crowd.
"Hmmm..." Sakura said, her hand clutched his shirt. Daisuke could
feel his heart beat faster.
"No, not now." Daisuke muttered as he walked to the nearest bench.
Sakura shifted, letting her head rest on his chest.
"Too late." Dark said as he put her down on the bench. He took his
jacket off and laid it on top of Sakura.
"Sakura-chan!"
Dark quickly slipped into the trees near the bench and let his back
rest against a tree. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "So... "
he said, " 'mind telling me what's going on?"
/I don't know./ Daisuke said.
"You do know, if you really don't know I can offer some suggestions."
Dark said.
/.../
"You may not want to admit it but its true. She's pretty Daisuke,
she's quite nice too. She's-"
/I only want Riku./
"Daisuke you know that's impossible." Dark said softly.
/Riku is the only one for me./
"She may be but... she is also gone Daisuke. Don't you think you need
someone too?"
/I had someone./ Daisuke said.
"Lonely for the rest of your life?" Dark asked.
/I'll never be lonely./ Daisuke said vehemently, /I don't want to
transform ever again./
Dark smiled a bit, "That's hard, history tells us that Niwa males
transform into Dark when they find someone the like. Besides..." Dark
said as he walked home, "I want to see that Card Captor again."
* - * - *
He couldn't help but stare at her from behind his notes. Sakura
smiled and laughed carelessly as if nothing was wrong with her.
/As if she hadn't shared a kiss with the guy with red hair who is
hiding behind his notes./ Dark said.
/Don't remind me./
Not like he needed any, that kiss lingered on his mind day and night.
Her soft laughter didn't help either.
The study group he and Yuri had gathered around the small table in
his room were just as captivated with Sakura as he was.
"Oto-san says that these books will help." she said as she pulled out
a stack from her schoolbag, "Luckily they were all found here at our
library."
"Thanks so much for helping us," Eri said as she thumbed through the
first book on the stack.
Sakura smiled, "Not at all. Thank Yuri-san, she asked me for my
father's input."
"Well I'll thank Yuri-san for inviting her cute roommate."
Yuri smiled but the smile did not reach her eyes. Her eyes were
focused on the oblivious Kotarou.
Yuri wasn't the only one reacting to Kotarou's flirting, Daisuke felt
annoyed too.
/Down boy./ Dark said.
/He should stay away from her if he knows what's best./
/From her or you?/ Dark asked.
/.../
/I wish I could thank Yuri for inviting Sakura along. She is a
blessing!/
/I don't want her./
/Suit yourself. Let her be charmed by Kotarou./
/That flirt? No way./
Dark said nothing else.
Sakura smiled politely at Kotarou, "Well Yuri-san really blackmailed
me. Daisuke-san has some notes on a lecture I missed."
Daisuke's smile matched her polite one, "That I do, but you don't ned
my notes. You do well enough."
Sakura nodded, "Yes but your notes would be a major help."
/So would locking the both of you in a room./ Dark added.
Daisuke growled mentally, /Another word and no Card Captor for you./
/Like you had control over that./ Dark said with a laugh.
Daisuke tried to ignore the nagging thread of imagination. The
thought of being alone with Sakura was tempting. He wanted to snatch
her away from Kotarou and the study group, lock them up in a room and
properly kiss her.
He wanted so much more than the kiss he gave her at the festival.
But that required admitting that he wanted her.
/There lies the problem. Chew on that Daisuke./ Dark said.
Daisuke suddently found it hard to study at all that day. A few
times during the meeting Kotarou would laugh and say, "Daisuke did
you forget your brain at work?"
"No, I'm a bit preoccupied." Daisuke said, keeping a tight reign on
his anger.
Sakura was the last person to leave the study group. Yuri had to
leave early and the rest wanted to avoid the on coming storm.
Kotarou had gotten the hint from Yuri and left Sakura alone. He
offered Eri a walk home under his umbrella. Daisuke noticed that Yuri
kept a close eye on her roommate.
"Why?" he asked himself as he gathered the empty cups.
/Sakura mentioned something about Yuri warning men off./ Dark added.
"Daisuke-san?"
He looked up at her. She held a plate of snacks.
"Oh! Your notes. I'm sorry." he said. The thought of holding onto
the notes to keep her behind had crossed his mind but he didn't put
that plan into action, not deliberately. He poked through a stack of
notebooks and found the clipped papers.
"So..." Daisuke said as he gave her his notes.
"Thanks." Sakura said as she put them in her her bag.
"No problem." he said.
They stood in silence.
Sakura looked down at her hands her brass colored hair falling as it
created a curtain around her face.
Daisuke felt his heart beat faster. A week had gone by and they
managed to avoid each other. He avoided her because he had kissed her.
/She's probably avoiding you because you kissed her./
/I know that./ Daisuke said back a bit annoyed. /It was a good kiss./
/Daisuke... don't deny it./
/I don't want anybody else./
/Look at you, you're tearing yourself up over the fact that your
heart beats three times as fast when you're around her, you brighten
when you see her. She's so right for you./
The sound of rain grew stronger.
He had to admit, he was lonely. He almost envied Kentarou and his
girlfriend as they laughed together. He missed having someone to talk
to, to vent with and to comfort. And that kiss... he wanted to see
where that kiss could go.
/Now you're getting it./
Would it be so hard to admit that he wanted someone?
/But Riku.../ he thought sadly.
/You don't have to stop loving her, no where does it say that you
have to give her up to pursue someone else./ Dark said. /Its now or
never./
"I can make you happy." he whispered, "If you let me. I'll wait as
long as it takes, I'll be patient. Just say the word."
/Well maybe not so strong./ Dark said.
Sakura looked up at him, speechless.
"I don't think I can be your friend." he said, "Especially not after
the kiss that night."
"I'm not right... I can't...." she tried to say. "You wouldn't
understand." Sakura's heart was tied up in knots. Daisuke was very
sure of himself, of his future, he could have anybody.
/Why would he need weird me?/ she thought wildly. She had watched him
all meeting, he was so sure of himself. Did he not notice how Eri
hung onto every word he said? He was a normal person who was secure
in his world. /He does not need me./ she thought.
His eyes turned serious and a bit softer than the playful tone, "I
think you're very interesting," he whispered, "mysterious,
attractive, and smart. What's not to understand?"
Sakura shook her head, "Its just that I-" she sighed, "I can't do
this right now." she said.
"You've got a boyfriend?" he asked his heart breaking, "Figures a
girl like you would be taken." he muttered a bit surly.
Sakura's face darkened, "No, its the opposite."
"So why don't we..." he trailed off as he took her hands.
Her eyes were wide, not with surprise, but Daisuke saw it, the
unmistakable look of fear. Something kept her heart tied up in
knots. "I'm not ready." she said softly.
He let her go.
Sakura pulled on her coat and slung her bag across her chest, "I lost
someone I thought I could love forever." she whispered as she turned
away.
Daisuke's eyes softened again, "I know how that feels." his hand
reached for a ring around his neck, "Riku..."
He didn't pay attention to the door closing. He just curled up on his
bed and felt the tears come. "Riku... why did you have to leave me?"
Things would have gone easier. They would have lived together on
campus, he pursued his art history degree, she would have gone for
her law degree.
Gone... all gone...
Why does it have to hurt so much?
-----
Time for Steph's Ranting ^^;
1) there's a St. Tail reference in there. ^^ I've been looking
through a lot of St. Tail manga to find things that Dark can steal
(and Sakura to steal back ^_~).
2) like always, Sakura is a bit slow in the "kimochi" department.
Daisuke has his work cut out for him. ^_~
3) Card Captor-chan, is that a bad nick name?
Sakura: ...
Steph: ^^ I think its cute
Dark: Yes! I like it a lot!
Sakura: ...
Steph: Its not that bad. ^^;; Don't look at me like that. He named
you not me.
Dark: itai! Sakura stop!
Ahem
4) I'm working in "Break the Heart" references in this chapter.
Especially why Daisuke hates festivals. Its *gasp* a plot point! If
someone could tell me if any character is OOC I'd love that, I think
I'm falling into the same trap that Silverlight found herself in, so
many fanfics influence how we see characters its hard to tell what's
the fanfic influence and what's the real influence. ^^ I've been
wrapped up in this fic for a while I don't know if I'm making them
ooc. ^^;;
Harichan: don't mind her, she's been wrapped up in this story for
almost 3 months now. It comsumes her subconscious. x_x
Steph: so true, I print it out and read it while I use the elliptical
machine at the gym. ^^;;;
5) I'd like to quote two lines from a Bjork song called Joga
"The state of emergency, how beautiful to be
in the state of emergency, its where I want to be."
Which is what the next few chapters will be like in a nutshell. Hold
on tight, things are going to get rocky. The next few chapters are
lots of fun (they were fun to write too!)
Daisuke: do I get to kiss her again?
Steph: No
Daisuke: ;_;
6) See you at the end of chapter 8 ^_~
"I've been waiting for you."
The Card Captor turned, "Dark-san!"
"So formal." Dark said as he walked towards her.
"I- uh..."
He curled his fingers around her hand and kissed the palm again, her
fingers curled around his cheek unconsciously.
"Thank you for the ribbon." she whispered.
"You're welcome." he said with an almost feline smile.
She gently pulled her hand free and looked down at her hands, "So you
left a note."
"Why yes." he said, "just as I wrote in the note, I'm going to steal
the mirror." he took that moment to admire what she wore. It seemed
she had a costume for every different occasion. Whoever designed for
her knew how to flatter her figure. Tonight she wore a deep red
almost military style coat had a cream panel with black piping in the
front that fastened with two rows of gold buttons marching up the
front of the coat. It had stars on the high collar ending at the
waist and flaring into two tails in the back. She wore deep red pants
and boots that ended at the knee.
/Very nice./ Dark said with a smile.
/Excuse me, but you should say the same about you, you vain peacock./
Daisuke said.
Dark almost laughed, he had chosen a black costume, with black
ribbons wrapped around him. He knew it had a dramatic effect when he
flew.
"But that mirror belongs to the school." she said.
"Always righteous." he said with a smile.
"Well... its wrong to steal." she whispered.
"That's why you're here Card Captor-chan." he said.
"Where is it?" she asked. "Have you stolen it yet?"
"Its where its always been."
She glanced at the gallery below and immediately ran towards it.
"Hey!" he exclaimed.
"Jump!" She jumped off the end of the roof, sure enough her coat
tails trailing in the air behind her.
/I knew they were lined in cream fabric underneath./
/Are you here to steal or to admire her?/ Daisuke asked.
/Well.../
/*grin*/
She landed safely and ran to the gallery as fast as she could.
Dark ran to catch up to her.
/The mirror,/ Daisuke said, /That mirror reveals your true self./
/I know I have to be careful./
They both reached the mirror. She was about to reach for it when he
reached for her, "Wait!" he exclaimed.
She turned to face him her hand curled around the edge of the frame.
What happened next was all a blur ending in a flurry of black
feathers, Dark grabbed her by the shoulders and before she could say
anything let alone face the mirror, he wrapped his arms around her
and kissed her.
She gasped and covered her mouth letting go of the mirror.
He caught it and burst through the window.
Daisuke held the mirror in his hands, "That was close."
/Yes./ Dark said. He looked a bit startled in the mirror.
"Well... not only did we steal the mirror but you got to kiss her."
Daisuke said with a smile.
Dark blushed and looked away.
"What?" Daisuke asked. "Its what you wanted right? I know you steal
these things to see her."
/.../
Daisuke laughed and he looked up at With, "Take us to the roof."
* - * - *
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura blinked a few times,"Hoe?"
"I've been calling you for five minutes." Kimiko said.
"Sorry, I've had a long week." Sakura said with a sheepish smile.
Kimiko nodded, "Midterms."
/Not to mention avoiding Daisuke./ Sakura mentally added.
"Have you been eatting?" Yuri asked.
"Not really, I forget since I'm studying so much." Sakura said.
"You really don't need to help." Kimiko said, "You look so tired, you
didn't need to volunteer."
"I want to," Sakura said, "I miss the team."
"Then join silly!" Kimiko said with a giggle,"The older members tell
me you were really good."
Sakura blushed, "They flatter me."
Yuri appeared behind them, "Can you help Tamayo with the supplies?
She drove them here."
"Sure." Sakura said as she walked over to the small hatchback car.
When she returned she saw a group of girls surrounding someone.
"Niwa-kun! Niwa-kun!" the girls called.
Sakura hid her face behind the box she carried. She did not have the
courage to face him. Not after that kiss. It kept her up at night,
lingering in her mind like a long forgotten scent or flavor. It made
her feel things she did not want to feel.
But after that kiss she went home and instead of feeling angry she
felt sad and lonely. Why? She shivered remembering the way he looked
just before he kissed her. He looked so serious, his eyes dark and
intense.
She wasn't really upset with him but with herself for having her
heart beat fast. She liked that kiss and she felt guilty.
/Because that means I'm attracted to him./ she thought.
Being attracted to someone meant that you had feelings for them.
Feelings that could grow stronger, deeper, which, if they were
reciprocated, could lead to dating. And that led to going out and
the whole idea of having a relationship. It would lead to telling
each other stories about their childhood about their private lives
and eventually trusting that person enough to depend on them. To
rest your entire weight on them.
/To tell that person about the Sakura Cards.../ she thought.
No. She had gone down that road and look where it got her. She had
vowed to live her life for herself. It was her mantra, her motto as
she counted the days till graduation.
/No more. I'll just work on school and magic, I'll never trust my
heart to another person./
Why did it seem like an empty life?
Daisuke smiled politely at the girls. He had just gotten his
bandages off his leg. Since his leg was fully healed it made him the
perfect candidate to set up the judo booth at the festival.
He hated festivals, they were nothing but badluck for hi, but he had
a duty to the team. Luckily his shift was almost over.
"There we go." a familiar voice said as she set the boxes down on a
table in the gymnastics booth.
"Thanks a lot Kinomoto-san."
Daisuke turned to see Sakura at the booth.
"Its nothing at all." she said with a smile.
Daisuke couldn't help but smile. She looked pretty as always, but
she seemed a bit pale.
Before he could even think about how pale she was a nightmare was
replaying itself before his eyes. As soon as Sakura turned away from
the table she fell bonelessly to the floor.
Riku fell slowly before his eyes, her eyes closed as she fell to the
ground.
"Kinomoto-san! Someone! Help!" a girl cried out as she rushed to
Sakura.
"Sakura-chan!" Kimiko cried out.
Daisuke pushed past Kimiko and picked her up in his arms. He turned
to Kimiko, "The first aid tent?"
Kimiko pointed to a stripped tent.
"Right." Daisuke said. "Go get someone, I'll move her to a clear
place."
"Hai!" Kimiko said as she ran back into the crowd.
"Hmmm..." Sakura said, her hand clutched his shirt. Daisuke could
feel his heart beat faster.
"No, not now." Daisuke muttered as he walked to the nearest bench.
Sakura shifted, letting her head rest on his chest.
"Too late." Dark said as he put her down on the bench. He took his
jacket off and laid it on top of Sakura.
"Sakura-chan!"
Dark quickly slipped into the trees near the bench and let his back
rest against a tree. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "So... "
he said, " 'mind telling me what's going on?"
/I don't know./ Daisuke said.
"You do know, if you really don't know I can offer some suggestions."
Dark said.
/.../
"You may not want to admit it but its true. She's pretty Daisuke,
she's quite nice too. She's-"
/I only want Riku./
"Daisuke you know that's impossible." Dark said softly.
/Riku is the only one for me./
"She may be but... she is also gone Daisuke. Don't you think you need
someone too?"
/I had someone./ Daisuke said.
"Lonely for the rest of your life?" Dark asked.
/I'll never be lonely./ Daisuke said vehemently, /I don't want to
transform ever again./
Dark smiled a bit, "That's hard, history tells us that Niwa males
transform into Dark when they find someone the like. Besides..." Dark
said as he walked home, "I want to see that Card Captor again."
* - * - *
He couldn't help but stare at her from behind his notes. Sakura
smiled and laughed carelessly as if nothing was wrong with her.
/As if she hadn't shared a kiss with the guy with red hair who is
hiding behind his notes./ Dark said.
/Don't remind me./
Not like he needed any, that kiss lingered on his mind day and night.
Her soft laughter didn't help either.
The study group he and Yuri had gathered around the small table in
his room were just as captivated with Sakura as he was.
"Oto-san says that these books will help." she said as she pulled out
a stack from her schoolbag, "Luckily they were all found here at our
library."
"Thanks so much for helping us," Eri said as she thumbed through the
first book on the stack.
Sakura smiled, "Not at all. Thank Yuri-san, she asked me for my
father's input."
"Well I'll thank Yuri-san for inviting her cute roommate."
Yuri smiled but the smile did not reach her eyes. Her eyes were
focused on the oblivious Kotarou.
Yuri wasn't the only one reacting to Kotarou's flirting, Daisuke felt
annoyed too.
/Down boy./ Dark said.
/He should stay away from her if he knows what's best./
/From her or you?/ Dark asked.
/.../
/I wish I could thank Yuri for inviting Sakura along. She is a
blessing!/
/I don't want her./
/Suit yourself. Let her be charmed by Kotarou./
/That flirt? No way./
Dark said nothing else.
Sakura smiled politely at Kotarou, "Well Yuri-san really blackmailed
me. Daisuke-san has some notes on a lecture I missed."
Daisuke's smile matched her polite one, "That I do, but you don't ned
my notes. You do well enough."
Sakura nodded, "Yes but your notes would be a major help."
/So would locking the both of you in a room./ Dark added.
Daisuke growled mentally, /Another word and no Card Captor for you./
/Like you had control over that./ Dark said with a laugh.
Daisuke tried to ignore the nagging thread of imagination. The
thought of being alone with Sakura was tempting. He wanted to snatch
her away from Kotarou and the study group, lock them up in a room and
properly kiss her.
He wanted so much more than the kiss he gave her at the festival.
But that required admitting that he wanted her.
/There lies the problem. Chew on that Daisuke./ Dark said.
Daisuke suddently found it hard to study at all that day. A few
times during the meeting Kotarou would laugh and say, "Daisuke did
you forget your brain at work?"
"No, I'm a bit preoccupied." Daisuke said, keeping a tight reign on
his anger.
Sakura was the last person to leave the study group. Yuri had to
leave early and the rest wanted to avoid the on coming storm.
Kotarou had gotten the hint from Yuri and left Sakura alone. He
offered Eri a walk home under his umbrella. Daisuke noticed that Yuri
kept a close eye on her roommate.
"Why?" he asked himself as he gathered the empty cups.
/Sakura mentioned something about Yuri warning men off./ Dark added.
"Daisuke-san?"
He looked up at her. She held a plate of snacks.
"Oh! Your notes. I'm sorry." he said. The thought of holding onto
the notes to keep her behind had crossed his mind but he didn't put
that plan into action, not deliberately. He poked through a stack of
notebooks and found the clipped papers.
"So..." Daisuke said as he gave her his notes.
"Thanks." Sakura said as she put them in her her bag.
"No problem." he said.
They stood in silence.
Sakura looked down at her hands her brass colored hair falling as it
created a curtain around her face.
Daisuke felt his heart beat faster. A week had gone by and they
managed to avoid each other. He avoided her because he had kissed her.
/She's probably avoiding you because you kissed her./
/I know that./ Daisuke said back a bit annoyed. /It was a good kiss./
/Daisuke... don't deny it./
/I don't want anybody else./
/Look at you, you're tearing yourself up over the fact that your
heart beats three times as fast when you're around her, you brighten
when you see her. She's so right for you./
The sound of rain grew stronger.
He had to admit, he was lonely. He almost envied Kentarou and his
girlfriend as they laughed together. He missed having someone to talk
to, to vent with and to comfort. And that kiss... he wanted to see
where that kiss could go.
/Now you're getting it./
Would it be so hard to admit that he wanted someone?
/But Riku.../ he thought sadly.
/You don't have to stop loving her, no where does it say that you
have to give her up to pursue someone else./ Dark said. /Its now or
never./
"I can make you happy." he whispered, "If you let me. I'll wait as
long as it takes, I'll be patient. Just say the word."
/Well maybe not so strong./ Dark said.
Sakura looked up at him, speechless.
"I don't think I can be your friend." he said, "Especially not after
the kiss that night."
"I'm not right... I can't...." she tried to say. "You wouldn't
understand." Sakura's heart was tied up in knots. Daisuke was very
sure of himself, of his future, he could have anybody.
/Why would he need weird me?/ she thought wildly. She had watched him
all meeting, he was so sure of himself. Did he not notice how Eri
hung onto every word he said? He was a normal person who was secure
in his world. /He does not need me./ she thought.
His eyes turned serious and a bit softer than the playful tone, "I
think you're very interesting," he whispered, "mysterious,
attractive, and smart. What's not to understand?"
Sakura shook her head, "Its just that I-" she sighed, "I can't do
this right now." she said.
"You've got a boyfriend?" he asked his heart breaking, "Figures a
girl like you would be taken." he muttered a bit surly.
Sakura's face darkened, "No, its the opposite."
"So why don't we..." he trailed off as he took her hands.
Her eyes were wide, not with surprise, but Daisuke saw it, the
unmistakable look of fear. Something kept her heart tied up in
knots. "I'm not ready." she said softly.
He let her go.
Sakura pulled on her coat and slung her bag across her chest, "I lost
someone I thought I could love forever." she whispered as she turned
away.
Daisuke's eyes softened again, "I know how that feels." his hand
reached for a ring around his neck, "Riku..."
He didn't pay attention to the door closing. He just curled up on his
bed and felt the tears come. "Riku... why did you have to leave me?"
Things would have gone easier. They would have lived together on
campus, he pursued his art history degree, she would have gone for
her law degree.
Gone... all gone...
Why does it have to hurt so much?
-----
Time for Steph's Ranting ^^;
1) there's a St. Tail reference in there. ^^ I've been looking
through a lot of St. Tail manga to find things that Dark can steal
(and Sakura to steal back ^_~).
2) like always, Sakura is a bit slow in the "kimochi" department.
Daisuke has his work cut out for him. ^_~
3) Card Captor-chan, is that a bad nick name?
Sakura: ...
Steph: ^^ I think its cute
Dark: Yes! I like it a lot!
Sakura: ...
Steph: Its not that bad. ^^;; Don't look at me like that. He named
you not me.
Dark: itai! Sakura stop!
Ahem
4) I'm working in "Break the Heart" references in this chapter.
Especially why Daisuke hates festivals. Its *gasp* a plot point! If
someone could tell me if any character is OOC I'd love that, I think
I'm falling into the same trap that Silverlight found herself in, so
many fanfics influence how we see characters its hard to tell what's
the fanfic influence and what's the real influence. ^^ I've been
wrapped up in this fic for a while I don't know if I'm making them
ooc. ^^;;
Harichan: don't mind her, she's been wrapped up in this story for
almost 3 months now. It comsumes her subconscious. x_x
Steph: so true, I print it out and read it while I use the elliptical
machine at the gym. ^^;;;
5) I'd like to quote two lines from a Bjork song called Joga
"The state of emergency, how beautiful to be
in the state of emergency, its where I want to be."
Which is what the next few chapters will be like in a nutshell. Hold
on tight, things are going to get rocky. The next few chapters are
lots of fun (they were fun to write too!)
Daisuke: do I get to kiss her again?
Steph: No
Daisuke: ;_;
6) See you at the end of chapter 8 ^_~
