To Jerad:
Thanks ever so much for your encouragement and compliments :). It does give me this extra push to write. I think I'll keep the story 100% English the rest of the way. There is no reason for me to throw around Japanese words and phrases if I'm going to confuse my readers! Thanks for pointing that out to me.
…short chapter…
White Valentine
Sequel to Chocolates
Part 3 – Secrets
Comments are always welcomed at raincmkai@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the general Card Captor Sakura story. It's the property of Clamp. This story is written as a past time. No copyright infringement intended.
--------------------
Hiragizawa Eriol carried two grocery bags on either side. Today had been a fulfilling day. He had finished his little project last night and sent it off to his special person this morning. She would receive it in a matter of days. Tonight, after much persistent nagging from his housemates, he had decided to cook something special. Despite how smoothly today had been, Eriol still felt somewhat incomplete. Today was White Valentine's Day—one month after Valentine's. It was a special day for those who have received gifts on Valentines. Today was the day to return those gifts.
One month ago, he was lucky to have run into a certain energetic girl. He gave her some important advice that she would need to find her own heart. Now, month later, Eriol wondered if she had taken his words to heart and if she still needs more guidance. He needed to meet her again, and see how she was doing. Then, he would have to talk to her, and give her another hint to solving the puzzle of the heart.
Although young, Eriol was wise beyond his age. His short black hair waved in the air as a breeze brushed by. His cream-coloured skin was pale against his deep dark blue eyes. He had the composure of a calm and aged man. Despite his boyish features, there was an air about him that seem to hold decades of wisdom and fantastic secrets that only an elite few would know. His thin-rimmed glasses gave him a scholarly look. Along with the thick black sweater under the grey collared jacket and black slacks he was wearing, Eriol looked much more mature and professional than a typical fifth-grader.
Eriol paused for a moment. His inert senses picked up a faint trace of familiar magic. Something was about to happen, and he was definitely not about to miss it. Another sharp breeze blew by as Eriol shut his eyes tightly to avoid dust flying into them. As the breeze pushed away, he heard a slight knock by his feet. Something had just landed next to him. Opening his eyes, Eriol looked down.
A package?
It was covered in pink wrapping paper decorated with yellow stars and red hearts. There was also a tight pale green ribbon on it. Eriol placed his grocery bags by his feet as he picked the package up and gave it short glance. He immediately knew who had dropped it. Looking up, he saw Kinomoto Sakura, that energetic girl, with golden honey brown-hair and sparkling jade green-eyes, jogging up to him.
"Hello Sakura-san," Eriol greeted as he dusted the package.
"Hello Eriol-kun!" Sakura replied as she ran up to him. Finally catching up to Eriol, Sakura stopped and glanced at his bags. "Did you just finished shopping?" she asked.
"Yes. I am on my way home. I just needed to pick up some ingredients for tonight's dinner," he replied. "Where are you going, Sakura-san?" Eriol asked as he handed Sakura her parcel back.
"I'm going to deliver this to Syaoran-kun. I worked on it all last night," Sakura answered with a smile. "Thanks for picking it up," she added.
"It's all right. It would be a shame if it were damaged. Something you have worked so hard on should be treated with care," Eriol said smiling.
Sakura blushed. "This is Syaoran-kun's gift for White Valentine's. He made some wonderful chocolates for me last month, and I just wanted to give something back to him. I hope the gift is still intact after dropping it,"
"Why don't we open it and find out. I live near by, and if it is broken, we can head to my house and fix it. I'll help out too," Eriol offered "We can rewrap it after,"
Sakura's face suddenly shot bright red. "No!" she replied promptly. Then regaining her composure, Sakura continued more calmly. "Thanks for your offer, Eriol-kun, but this present is an absolute secret,"
"In that case, I'm sure your present is all right," Eriol smiled. "After all, everything will surely be fine for you,"
Sakura smiled back calmed by his words and encouragement. Eriol had always made her feel comfortable and safe. From his gentle smile, his kind expression, and delicate touch, Eriol always gave Sakura an odd, yet familiar, feeling. Although they have just met, Sakura felt as though she had known him for life. The ever mature Eriol resembled her father and Yukito.
"Eriol-kun, did you give anything back to the person who sent you chocolates on Valentine's Day?" Sakura asked remembering that Eriol mentioned he did receive chocolates from the one he loved most.
At that, Eriol's cheeks began to blush a little. "Yes. I worked on it last night. It's something special, and I hope she likes it,"
"I'm sure she would. Since Eriol-kun is good at arts and crafts, I'm certain whatever you make will be beautiful. Besides, with Eriol-kun putting his heart into making it, there is no reason for her not to treasure it," Sakura said then glancing at her own present. "I hope Syaoran-kun would like this too,"
"I'm sure he would," Eriol said confidently. "It is a present from Sakura-san after all,"
"So what did you give to that person you like?" Sakura asked.
"That would be a secret," Eriol replied with a slight wink. "You know, about secrets… Everyone has them, whether they realize it or not,"
"Hoe?" Sakura asked.
"Secrets are funny things. You don't want other people to know about it because it is close to your heart, yet sometimes, you don't even let yourself know about it, because it's too difficult to think about," Eriol explained. "Take presents for example. We wrap presents because we don't want the person we are giving it to, to know what we have put inside. We care about the person we give presents to, and we care about the present because we spent so much time working on it. By keeping the present a secret, we are actually avoiding fear because we afraid of what might happen if we disappoint that person,"
Eriol breathed and continued. "Then there are secrets we keep away from our minds. They are even funnier things. Our hearts sometimes seem as though they have a mind of their own. When they realize something, they might keep it a secret, because they know their new revelation contradicts something we so firmly believe in. If the heart introduces new information to our minds, we'll be confused. Since our hearts are part of us, it cares about us; so to avoid bringing extra stress and confusion, our hearts will keep their own set of secrets,"
Eriol took another breath. "To truly know the secrets of your own heart, Sakura-san, you must first open your mind. Your first impression of what your own feelings are can sometimes be wrong. It is may actually be better to walk into a situation asking your heart if this is what it wants first, then wait to see if your heart is actually waiting for something else more wonderful,"
He paused. Sakura looked back with a dazed expression obviously confused. "What do you mean, Eriol-kun?"
"It's all right for now," Eriol said as a small smile curved on his lips. Taking a casual glance at his watch, Eriol said "I'm sorry to have kept you. See you later, Sakura-san,"
Maybe one day Sakura would understand his words. Turning around, Eriol continued his journey home.
---------------------
To be continued
As usual, comments and criticism welcomed at raincmkai@hotmail.com
Thanks ever so much for your encouragement and compliments :). It does give me this extra push to write. I think I'll keep the story 100% English the rest of the way. There is no reason for me to throw around Japanese words and phrases if I'm going to confuse my readers! Thanks for pointing that out to me.
…short chapter…
White Valentine
Sequel to Chocolates
Part 3 – Secrets
Comments are always welcomed at raincmkai@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the general Card Captor Sakura story. It's the property of Clamp. This story is written as a past time. No copyright infringement intended.
--------------------
Hiragizawa Eriol carried two grocery bags on either side. Today had been a fulfilling day. He had finished his little project last night and sent it off to his special person this morning. She would receive it in a matter of days. Tonight, after much persistent nagging from his housemates, he had decided to cook something special. Despite how smoothly today had been, Eriol still felt somewhat incomplete. Today was White Valentine's Day—one month after Valentine's. It was a special day for those who have received gifts on Valentines. Today was the day to return those gifts.
One month ago, he was lucky to have run into a certain energetic girl. He gave her some important advice that she would need to find her own heart. Now, month later, Eriol wondered if she had taken his words to heart and if she still needs more guidance. He needed to meet her again, and see how she was doing. Then, he would have to talk to her, and give her another hint to solving the puzzle of the heart.
Although young, Eriol was wise beyond his age. His short black hair waved in the air as a breeze brushed by. His cream-coloured skin was pale against his deep dark blue eyes. He had the composure of a calm and aged man. Despite his boyish features, there was an air about him that seem to hold decades of wisdom and fantastic secrets that only an elite few would know. His thin-rimmed glasses gave him a scholarly look. Along with the thick black sweater under the grey collared jacket and black slacks he was wearing, Eriol looked much more mature and professional than a typical fifth-grader.
Eriol paused for a moment. His inert senses picked up a faint trace of familiar magic. Something was about to happen, and he was definitely not about to miss it. Another sharp breeze blew by as Eriol shut his eyes tightly to avoid dust flying into them. As the breeze pushed away, he heard a slight knock by his feet. Something had just landed next to him. Opening his eyes, Eriol looked down.
A package?
It was covered in pink wrapping paper decorated with yellow stars and red hearts. There was also a tight pale green ribbon on it. Eriol placed his grocery bags by his feet as he picked the package up and gave it short glance. He immediately knew who had dropped it. Looking up, he saw Kinomoto Sakura, that energetic girl, with golden honey brown-hair and sparkling jade green-eyes, jogging up to him.
"Hello Sakura-san," Eriol greeted as he dusted the package.
"Hello Eriol-kun!" Sakura replied as she ran up to him. Finally catching up to Eriol, Sakura stopped and glanced at his bags. "Did you just finished shopping?" she asked.
"Yes. I am on my way home. I just needed to pick up some ingredients for tonight's dinner," he replied. "Where are you going, Sakura-san?" Eriol asked as he handed Sakura her parcel back.
"I'm going to deliver this to Syaoran-kun. I worked on it all last night," Sakura answered with a smile. "Thanks for picking it up," she added.
"It's all right. It would be a shame if it were damaged. Something you have worked so hard on should be treated with care," Eriol said smiling.
Sakura blushed. "This is Syaoran-kun's gift for White Valentine's. He made some wonderful chocolates for me last month, and I just wanted to give something back to him. I hope the gift is still intact after dropping it,"
"Why don't we open it and find out. I live near by, and if it is broken, we can head to my house and fix it. I'll help out too," Eriol offered "We can rewrap it after,"
Sakura's face suddenly shot bright red. "No!" she replied promptly. Then regaining her composure, Sakura continued more calmly. "Thanks for your offer, Eriol-kun, but this present is an absolute secret,"
"In that case, I'm sure your present is all right," Eriol smiled. "After all, everything will surely be fine for you,"
Sakura smiled back calmed by his words and encouragement. Eriol had always made her feel comfortable and safe. From his gentle smile, his kind expression, and delicate touch, Eriol always gave Sakura an odd, yet familiar, feeling. Although they have just met, Sakura felt as though she had known him for life. The ever mature Eriol resembled her father and Yukito.
"Eriol-kun, did you give anything back to the person who sent you chocolates on Valentine's Day?" Sakura asked remembering that Eriol mentioned he did receive chocolates from the one he loved most.
At that, Eriol's cheeks began to blush a little. "Yes. I worked on it last night. It's something special, and I hope she likes it,"
"I'm sure she would. Since Eriol-kun is good at arts and crafts, I'm certain whatever you make will be beautiful. Besides, with Eriol-kun putting his heart into making it, there is no reason for her not to treasure it," Sakura said then glancing at her own present. "I hope Syaoran-kun would like this too,"
"I'm sure he would," Eriol said confidently. "It is a present from Sakura-san after all,"
"So what did you give to that person you like?" Sakura asked.
"That would be a secret," Eriol replied with a slight wink. "You know, about secrets… Everyone has them, whether they realize it or not,"
"Hoe?" Sakura asked.
"Secrets are funny things. You don't want other people to know about it because it is close to your heart, yet sometimes, you don't even let yourself know about it, because it's too difficult to think about," Eriol explained. "Take presents for example. We wrap presents because we don't want the person we are giving it to, to know what we have put inside. We care about the person we give presents to, and we care about the present because we spent so much time working on it. By keeping the present a secret, we are actually avoiding fear because we afraid of what might happen if we disappoint that person,"
Eriol breathed and continued. "Then there are secrets we keep away from our minds. They are even funnier things. Our hearts sometimes seem as though they have a mind of their own. When they realize something, they might keep it a secret, because they know their new revelation contradicts something we so firmly believe in. If the heart introduces new information to our minds, we'll be confused. Since our hearts are part of us, it cares about us; so to avoid bringing extra stress and confusion, our hearts will keep their own set of secrets,"
Eriol took another breath. "To truly know the secrets of your own heart, Sakura-san, you must first open your mind. Your first impression of what your own feelings are can sometimes be wrong. It is may actually be better to walk into a situation asking your heart if this is what it wants first, then wait to see if your heart is actually waiting for something else more wonderful,"
He paused. Sakura looked back with a dazed expression obviously confused. "What do you mean, Eriol-kun?"
"It's all right for now," Eriol said as a small smile curved on his lips. Taking a casual glance at his watch, Eriol said "I'm sorry to have kept you. See you later, Sakura-san,"
Maybe one day Sakura would understand his words. Turning around, Eriol continued his journey home.
---------------------
To be continued
As usual, comments and criticism welcomed at raincmkai@hotmail.com