Shape of the Heart 12
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XII - Enter Emiko
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Sakura sighed as she left the gym. The days were getting warmer, she
was glad, no more lugging heavy coats around.

"Need help?"

She looked up to see Daisuke standing near the door. She smiled at
him. "Yes!" she said. Dropping the duffel, she wrapped her arms
around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"Just the cheek?" he asked in a mock-hurt tone.

Sakura smiled and kissed him she felt him wrap his arms around her
waist. He squeezed, "Getting thinner." he said in a worried tone.

"No just getting in shape." she said.

"How is the team?" he asked as he picked up the duffle.

"Not bad." she said, "I'm so out of shape and the freshmen are better
than me. I'm so slow and rusty."

/You weren't rusty yesterday./Daisuke thought with a small wry smile.
The night before Dark was off stealing a very rare vase from the
history department. Sakura had managed to keep the vase. She flipped
out of as second story window and landed in front of him, her magical
wings softening her landing.

/She's getting faster./ Dark said. Daisuke could almost see Dark's
smile.

/Yes./ Daisuke thought.

/If she had had more practice she would have caught me./ Dark said
amused.

"I'm sure you'll catch up in no time." he said with a bigger
smile, "The coach believes in you, Yuri and Kimi-chan do too." he
shouldered the bag.

"You convinced me to go back." she said with a smile.

"That's because you're talented and I believe in you. Let's go get
some dinner, I think we missed the cafeteria hours-" he felt her take
his hand. He turned to see her face flushed. Daisuke couldn't tell if
it was due to the weather or something else.

She held his hand in both of hers, "I don't deserve you," she
whispered, "but I'm glad I have you." her eyes sparkled at him.

He kissed her forehead and, hand in hers, took her to his car to go
eat, his face flushed as well.

=====

"Want me to get you something to drink?" Daisuke asked.

Sakura looked up from her engineering book, "You're enamored with
your new kitchen aren't you?"

Daisuke blushed, "Yes." he said.

"You moved in a month ago, Daisuke." Sakura said.

"So?" he asked in a mock hurt tone.

Sakura laughed, "I'm a bit hungry actually."

Daisuke grinned, "Let's see what Kentarou bought on the last food
run." as soon as he finished what he said there wa a knock at the
door. "Come in." he called as he stood up.

"Dai-chan!"

"K-kaa-san! What are you doing here?" Daisuke asked as he turned and
closed his book.

"I've come to visit my only son." Emiko exclaimed as she wrapped her
arms around him. He felt her pause before she let him go. He knew his
mom had seen Sakura. He hoped she approved of her.

Emiko gave him a look of, "You will introduce me right?"

Daisuke smiled and turned to Sakura who was lost in her engineering
books. "Sakura-san." he said softly.

Sakura slowly stood up and smiled softly, holding her hands behind
her.

"This is my mother Niwa Emiko." he said, "This is Kinomoto Sakura,"
he said to his mom, "my girlfriend." he managed to say with out too
much emotion or embarassment.

Emiko smiled and walked around the table to where Sakura stood. She
hugged the girl. "My you're very beautiful Kinomoto-san." she said.

Sakura blushed, "Th-thank you." she looked down at her hands.

"And modest." Emiko said with a chuckle, "He's treating you well?"
she asked.

"Okaa-san!" Daisuke exclaimed.

Emi chuckled.

Sakura smuled, "Too well Niwa-san."

Daisuke felt his face get warm.




"So." Emiko said later that night at her hotel room. "This is the
Card Captor that you wrote home about."

Dark smiled, "Yes." he made a cup of tea for Emiko and sat down in
the arm chair.

"Now I see why Daisuke doesn't come home during his breaks." Emiko
said just before she took a long sip of her tea.

"Well, its complicated." Dark said as he shoved his hands into his
pockets.

"Oh really?" Emiko said, "It must be that boyfriend she used to have?"

Dark nodded. "But she's opened up again and its all due to your son."

Emiko smiled brightly, "He's got a way to make people open up to him."

"I don't know if Daisuke knows it himself but he's very much in love
with Sakura," Dark said. "I almost think he's willing to spend the
rest of his life with her."

"So soon?" Emiko asked her eyebrows raised.

A smile curved Dark's lips upward, "I don't blame him either," he
said, "Imagine being stuck in a situation that you didn't ask to be
in. You have a talking plushie that turns into a big plushie with
wings and you have magic powers. You run around masquerading at
night. Who has experiences like that in their childhood?"

Emi smiled, "I've heard things about the Card Captor but I thought
they were just myths. Kousuke-san came back with some interesting
information when you told us about her and her cards. Apparently Clow
was a very powerful mage. He dates back as old as you."

"At least I stay young forever." Dark said with a grin.

Emiko sighed, "I can see why he loves her." she smiled, "She would
understand with out any explanation, she'd have stories of her own to
share. He hasn't had that kind of companionship since Riku died."

"Well matched." Dark said with a smile. "Daisuke knows that a fool
would let her go. Unfortunately he learned that the hard way the
first time around."

Emiko's eyes darkened at the memory of her son. Daisuke had closed
himself off from the world when Riku died. But today when she saw
Daisuke look at Sakura she saw her happy son again. Emiko smiled, "I
think I will meet Kinomoto-san." she winked at Dark, "And don't tell
Daisuke I'm doing this."

"He'll find out eventually."

"But he always forgives me." Emiko smiled.

=====

"Kinomoto-san!"

Sakura turned to see Niwa Emiko waving at her from a small table by
the window.

/Its only Daisuke's mother./ Sakura thought as she weaved her way
through the tightly knit network of tables.

The mother of her boyfriend. Her heart flipped at the word boyfriend.
They had been going out for barely six months but it seemed like
forever. After that day at the lake they opened up to each other.
Sakura realized that Daisuke understood. He neither questioned her
when she arrived at his door or when she was in a bad mood after Dark
Mousy had gotten away with an art piece. He accepted her and wrapped
his arms around her. She couldn't imagine a day with out him. It was
a feeling she didn't want to lose. He was everything she thought he'd
be and much more. Attentive, kind, open, and funny. She told him
everything, confided in him and best of all he accepted it with out
question.

/I may be able to tell him one day./ she thought.

Especially after Daisuke said that morning on the way to class, 'Do
you believe in magic?'

She had stopped in her tracks and stared at him. He kept walking and
talking.

'What did you say?' she asked her heart stopping.

He turned at the sound of her voice and said, 'Oh! You stopped
walking.' he said.

'What did you say?' she repeated.

'I said do you believe in magic?' he said.

'Well... what do you think?'

'On magic?' he said as he looked at her. He had a look of confusion
on his face.

She blushed and shook her head, 'Never mind.' she said as she walked
a bit faster.

He jogged to catch up to her, 'You know ...' he said.

She turned her head to look at him, her heart stopping. She could
almost expect him to frown at her and say, 'You're hiding something
from me.'

'Want to come by tomorrow for dinner? I can order a pizza or we can
grab some take out.' he asked, 'We can study and then catch a movie.
We haven't done that in a while.'

She blinked a bit and smiled, 'I'd love that.' she said.

He smiled back at her, his eyes not hiding his happiness. Seeing his
smile, Sakura felt so free.

"Kinomoto-san?" Emiko's voice asked, bringing her back to the present.

Sakura blinked and realized that she was face to face with Daisuke's
mother. She took a breath and then said, "Konbanwa Niwa-san." as she
took a bow.

"So formal." Emiko said with smile. "Sit down, can I call you Sakura-
san?"

Sakura sat down and blinked at Emiko's forward question. She
smiled, "Hai." she felt nervous. She had no idea what to say to the
mother of her boyfriend.

"My son hasn't mentioned much of you I'm afraid."

"We've only been together for six months." Sakura answered as if that
was the right answer.

Emiko nodded. "You met my son when he first arrived?"

Sakura blushed, "Yes, at a gymnastics meet. I was watching my
roommates."

Emiko smiled. "My son has a way with people."

"I think I met your father." Emiko said as they ordered. "He is an
archeology professor right?"

Sakura nodded, "Yes, he's very interested in Eurpoean artifacts right
now."

Emiko smiled, "Who isn't these days? They carry an almost magical
appeal. Don't you think?"

Sakura fiddled with her napkin, "I suppose so, I'm an engineering
major. The appeal is a bit lost on me."

Emiko smiled, "Old artifacts are beautiful works of art."

Sakura smiled, "Yes, Daisuke can't help but get absorbed into art
history whenever we visit a museum."

Emiko leaned forward a bit, "I have to ask," she said in a hushed
voice, "what do you think of my son?"

Sakura's eyes softened, "He means a lot to me Niwa-san." she lowered
her gaze to her lap and said, "Its been a while since I could find
someone I felt I could trust."

"Judging from the way he looked at you last night, I'd say he thinks
the same." Emiko said with a smile.

Sakura blushed. "Thank you."

"My son is very selfless. He will do almost anything to make the
people he cares for happy. Sometimes in that process he hurts
himself." Emiko said as she moved her coffee cup to let the waitress
set the soup down.

Sakura nodded.

"Which is why I'd like to note that Daisuke means the world to me.
He's very special, to see him hurt is very difficult on a mother."

Sakura kept nodding.

"Daisuke mentioned that he learned judo at home. Do you have a
school?" Sakura said as she took a sip of her soup.

"Its a family tradition passed on from generation to generation."
Emiko said, "We Niwas believe that a well rounded education is
essential to getting through life."

Sakura nodded.

"Daisuke was not only schooled in judo, but in karate, kenpo,
gymnastics."

"So much?" Sakura said amazed.

Emiko smiled, "He was naturally athletic you could say."

"Oh..." Sakura said as she stirred her soup.

"Sakura-san."

Sakura looked up at Emiko, "Yes?"

"Do you trust my son?" she asked.

Sakura opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the waitress
setting their meals down. She looked at her plate of raviolli and
looked back up at Emiko, "As much as he trusts me."

======

"Sakura!" Daisuke exclaimed when she arrived at his door. "What did I
forget that made you come all the way here suddenly?"

She looked up at him with a soft smile. "Nothing." she whispered.

Daisuke smiled and took her hand. He led her, past Kentarou and his
game playing, to his room where they sat down on his bed. Sakura
curled up on the bed instead pulling Daisuke down next to her.

"Something wrong?"

Sakura shook her head.

"Sakura if there's some-"

"Shhhh." she said as she pulled his arms around her waist as if his
arms were a blanket. Daisuke complied and pulled her close to him.
They lay there in silence. Daisuke wondered what prompted her to do
such a thing, but there was a bone settling comfort in the way Sakura
wrapped his arms around her. He realized that he wanted to hold her
in his arms forever, to stay like this forever.

"Daisuke..." she said in a breathless whisper after a long moment of
silence.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I love you." she whispered.

He smiled and kissed her temple.

"You don't have to say anything." she said softly and slowly. "Just
know that I love you."

He pulled her closer to him, "Thank you."

After another moment of silence, he whispered, "I think..." he
listened to her rhythmic breathing, "Sakura?" he looked down at her
and almost laughed. She had fallen asleep in his arms.

/So how are you going to answer?/

/What do you think?/

/I think you should say yes but you knew that since she came today./

Daisuke smiled as he pulled a blanket over the both of them, "I don't
deserve this. How did I get a second chance?" he whispered.

/Even if it was mother that decided to play match maker./

/You knew?/

/Of course. I'm not as naïve as I was back then. I know she meant
well. No doubt mother wanted to know about the Clow Card Mistress.
Who wouldn't want to meet Sakura? She captures everybody's attention
when she enters a room. I'm so lucky to have her./

/Don't question what is before you Daisuke. Just accept it and claim
it before it goes away. Thank whoever it was that let you have this
chance./

"Oh I do. I do." Daisuke whispered as he fell asleep next to Sakura

----------------------
Notes

+ I forgot to mention one thing from Ch 11. The scene where Sakura
takes Daisuke's hand, I sort of borrowed that from Kareshi Kanojo no
Jijyo (KareKano). In Karekano Yukino doesn't know what to do about
her feelings for Arima. She sees his hand dangling in the air
underneath the table next to his chair. So she takes his hand and
Arima realizes what happened and turns tomato red. ^^ This scene is
also used in a manga I read called Mekakushi no Kuni where a guy
named Arou shows that he has feelings for Kanade by taking her hand
as they walk home. Kanade turns bright red. ^^ Errr yeah. That was a
bit long.

+ I wanted to include more DNAngel characters in the story so after I
had written the original version I went back and inserted characters
here and there. (Hiwatari Satoshi isn't in this fic unfortunately. I
don't think I could handle a Krad/Dark fight with Sakura involved.
Satoshi being in the same area as Dark = a fight between Krad and
Dark. Throw in the Card Captor and eeee feathers will fly.)

So I added Emiko because she plays a major role in the DNAngel manga
and she'd want to check up on her son anyways. ^_~ Sakura on the
other hand hasn't seen her family since her fall out with Shaoran.

+ This is being archived at Fanfic.net (its the most up to date aside
from the ML archives) the url for previous chapters is:
http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=305175
if fanfic.net is down (odds: 1 in 2) not so up to date chapters:
http://doki-doki.org/fanfic/ccs/

+ I will be also reposting the first two-three chapters, they have
been edited and re-written a bit. (Thanks to Meg's comments on
Daisuke's character.)

Uhhh that's it I think. ^^;;

Eriol: When is it my turn?
Steph: ^^;;; Sorry I forgot about you
Eriol: ;_;

So many fic ideas so little time. ^^;;