Dreaming of Sakura
Kero-chan's eyes met Sakura's at the sound of the doorbell. Abandoning
her math homework, Sakura motioned to Kero-chan to remain in the room
until it was safe. She rushed toward the bedroom door and was gone in
an instant. Drifting happily upwards, Kero-chan turned the television
back on, the volume down, and resumed the video game he had been forced
to pause while Sakura had labored over her math book.
Sakura glanced out the door, and her heart skipped a beat. She pulled
the door open with such force that her hair and skirt swirled around
her. "Yukito-san!" she cried, realized she was hardly appearing as
mature as she ought to and instantly modulated her voice. "Please, come
in," she said, dropping her eyes and standing aside.
His smiling face dipped out of her sight for a moment as he bowed and
thanked her. Straightening he held out a bakery box. "I thought you
might enjoy some cake," he said handing over the box and slipping his
shoes off.
"Thank you very much," she said and then suddenly seemed to remember
herself. "My brother is not home, he and father won't be home until
very late."
Yukito smiled, "I know."
Sakura's heart tightened in her chest, "You…?"
Yukito bent down until their eyes were level, "I came to see you," he
whispered, his tone strangely solemn.
Her immediate joy, heralded by a sharp intake of breath, was tempered
by his tone. "Yukito-san…" she began softly, her puzzlement evident in
her voice, but he smiled warmly then and she felt herself relax. "Mmm,"
she grinned and moved off towards the kitchen. "I'll make some tea,"
she called over her shoulder. Yukito followed her, offering help.
Happily she allowed him to put the cake on a plate, and watched out of
the corner of her eye as he sliced the strawberry cream cake into eight
pieces. He moved with a grace and ease she envied. He was totally
within his body. She looked down at her hands; they were a child's
hands. Suddenly she was overwhelmed by her usual shyness, and she
laughed nervously. "Brother is lucky to have a friend like you."
The silence that followed this statement surprised her and twisting to
face him she found him studying her, knife in hand. Blushing hotly, she
busied herself with the tea; had she said something wrong? Collecting
teacups, plates and silverware, Sakura placed them and the tea onto a
tray. Together they carried the tea and cake into the lounge. As
Sakura poured, Yukito placed slices of cake before them both. There was
a momentary pause before Sakura cried out, "Itadakimasu!" and picking up
her fork plunged it into the waiting cake.
Murmuring their pleasure at the cake and the company, they both ate and
engaged in the sort of chitchat that comes between newly established
friends. Yukito had begun his second slice when he felt that the girl
next to him was relaxed enough to broach the subject that had brought
him there. For a moment his mind flew back to Touya telling him about
his concern for Sakura, all alone that evening, and the chance this
comment had offered him. He had steeled himself all day, had changed
his mind countless times, and had never once given into the supposed
fears that should accompany the coming admission.
"Sakura-chan", he began, placing his empty plate down on the table,
"would you allow me to tell you about a recurring dream I've had?"
Sakura swallowed more than her tea and set the cup down. She turned in
her place to face him more squarely and smiled with what she hoped was a
reassuring smile, her heart hammering against her lungs. "Of course,"
she managed.
Yukito looked away for a moment, as if searching for the dream's image
in the room. When his eyes came to rest on her face again he smiled
disarmingly, and strangely, blushed. "The dream always begins the
same," he began, "I'm alone, and it's nighttime. I know that I've
ridden my bicycle to this place, but it is no place I recognize. There
are buildings on one side, and a forest on the other. A street light,
or several lights, are lighting the area enough for me to see. When I
look down at my feet one foot is in the grass, and one is one the
street." He paused, as if gauging her reaction. She smiled, and
nodded. Drawing in breath he continued.
"The sound of wings makes me look up, but the street light is somewhat
blinding so I can barely see a form, in the sky, riding on a pinkish
sort of key." He blushed again, "It is dark, so seeing details is sort
of hard."
Sakura drew in air as her lungs made the rest of the body aware of the
fact that she was holding her breath. Before she could consider further
though he went on.
"It has long white wings, and a slender body, and the form that is
riding it is a girl; I can tell because she is wearing a dress. The
dress changes too, in different dreams I mean. One night it will be
blue, and on another night red." He looked at her for understanding.
She nodded vigorously, hoping that the growing paleness she felt didn't
show. Did he know? Was he trying to tell her gently? Was he looking
for confirmation?
"I follow the figure, running down the street, but I don't really move
or at least the scene doesn't change." Again she nodded. Everyone has
dreams like that. "But even as I run one foot is still on the street
and one on the grass. When I first had this dream I would run for a
very long time, but suddenly, recently, the figure turns and flies into
the forest, and I turn and follow…leaving the buildings behind. I don't
know why I can still see, but I follow her, easily, as if I'm running on
a path. She never flies faster than I can run, if I slow, she slows."
His look became momentarily intense, searching, but then passed.
"We stop by a pool, she hovers briefly over the water, and very slowly
turns towards me. Just as I'm about to see her face I awake.
Everytime. The really strange thing is I know her. I'm sure of it!"
His voice dropped, "And I've known her all my life."
Sakura sighed from her soul and sat back. Her mind raced in too many
directions to put any of it into words. When she again met his eyes
there was a need there that startled her. She tried to laugh, but
nothing came out.
"How long have you been having this dream?" she finally ventured.
Yukito looked up then, "Since I was 6 years old. It's only been in the
past year that I've made some discoveries about the dream, and about
myself."
Sakura tilted her head, longing to hear more, and at the same time
scared of what might follow.
"What I've learned," he paused, drawing in a deep breath, "is that I
have waited 10 years to meet her, that I am meant to be with her, and
that I will wait as long as necessary to be with her."
Suddenly he scooped her hand from off her lap and gave it a squeeze.
With his usual smile he bent over her and kissed her forehead. "Thank
you for listening Sakura-chan." Dropping her hand he rose and after
thanking her for the cake and tea took his leave of her. In a moment
she was alone.
From his position on the stairs Cerebus watched as the young man left
the house. Inwardly he smiled, and floated down the stairs to join
Sakura on the couch.
Kero-chan's eyes met Sakura's at the sound of the doorbell. Abandoning
her math homework, Sakura motioned to Kero-chan to remain in the room
until it was safe. She rushed toward the bedroom door and was gone in
an instant. Drifting happily upwards, Kero-chan turned the television
back on, the volume down, and resumed the video game he had been forced
to pause while Sakura had labored over her math book.
Sakura glanced out the door, and her heart skipped a beat. She pulled
the door open with such force that her hair and skirt swirled around
her. "Yukito-san!" she cried, realized she was hardly appearing as
mature as she ought to and instantly modulated her voice. "Please, come
in," she said, dropping her eyes and standing aside.
His smiling face dipped out of her sight for a moment as he bowed and
thanked her. Straightening he held out a bakery box. "I thought you
might enjoy some cake," he said handing over the box and slipping his
shoes off.
"Thank you very much," she said and then suddenly seemed to remember
herself. "My brother is not home, he and father won't be home until
very late."
Yukito smiled, "I know."
Sakura's heart tightened in her chest, "You…?"
Yukito bent down until their eyes were level, "I came to see you," he
whispered, his tone strangely solemn.
Her immediate joy, heralded by a sharp intake of breath, was tempered
by his tone. "Yukito-san…" she began softly, her puzzlement evident in
her voice, but he smiled warmly then and she felt herself relax. "Mmm,"
she grinned and moved off towards the kitchen. "I'll make some tea,"
she called over her shoulder. Yukito followed her, offering help.
Happily she allowed him to put the cake on a plate, and watched out of
the corner of her eye as he sliced the strawberry cream cake into eight
pieces. He moved with a grace and ease she envied. He was totally
within his body. She looked down at her hands; they were a child's
hands. Suddenly she was overwhelmed by her usual shyness, and she
laughed nervously. "Brother is lucky to have a friend like you."
The silence that followed this statement surprised her and twisting to
face him she found him studying her, knife in hand. Blushing hotly, she
busied herself with the tea; had she said something wrong? Collecting
teacups, plates and silverware, Sakura placed them and the tea onto a
tray. Together they carried the tea and cake into the lounge. As
Sakura poured, Yukito placed slices of cake before them both. There was
a momentary pause before Sakura cried out, "Itadakimasu!" and picking up
her fork plunged it into the waiting cake.
Murmuring their pleasure at the cake and the company, they both ate and
engaged in the sort of chitchat that comes between newly established
friends. Yukito had begun his second slice when he felt that the girl
next to him was relaxed enough to broach the subject that had brought
him there. For a moment his mind flew back to Touya telling him about
his concern for Sakura, all alone that evening, and the chance this
comment had offered him. He had steeled himself all day, had changed
his mind countless times, and had never once given into the supposed
fears that should accompany the coming admission.
"Sakura-chan", he began, placing his empty plate down on the table,
"would you allow me to tell you about a recurring dream I've had?"
Sakura swallowed more than her tea and set the cup down. She turned in
her place to face him more squarely and smiled with what she hoped was a
reassuring smile, her heart hammering against her lungs. "Of course,"
she managed.
Yukito looked away for a moment, as if searching for the dream's image
in the room. When his eyes came to rest on her face again he smiled
disarmingly, and strangely, blushed. "The dream always begins the
same," he began, "I'm alone, and it's nighttime. I know that I've
ridden my bicycle to this place, but it is no place I recognize. There
are buildings on one side, and a forest on the other. A street light,
or several lights, are lighting the area enough for me to see. When I
look down at my feet one foot is in the grass, and one is one the
street." He paused, as if gauging her reaction. She smiled, and
nodded. Drawing in breath he continued.
"The sound of wings makes me look up, but the street light is somewhat
blinding so I can barely see a form, in the sky, riding on a pinkish
sort of key." He blushed again, "It is dark, so seeing details is sort
of hard."
Sakura drew in air as her lungs made the rest of the body aware of the
fact that she was holding her breath. Before she could consider further
though he went on.
"It has long white wings, and a slender body, and the form that is
riding it is a girl; I can tell because she is wearing a dress. The
dress changes too, in different dreams I mean. One night it will be
blue, and on another night red." He looked at her for understanding.
She nodded vigorously, hoping that the growing paleness she felt didn't
show. Did he know? Was he trying to tell her gently? Was he looking
for confirmation?
"I follow the figure, running down the street, but I don't really move
or at least the scene doesn't change." Again she nodded. Everyone has
dreams like that. "But even as I run one foot is still on the street
and one on the grass. When I first had this dream I would run for a
very long time, but suddenly, recently, the figure turns and flies into
the forest, and I turn and follow…leaving the buildings behind. I don't
know why I can still see, but I follow her, easily, as if I'm running on
a path. She never flies faster than I can run, if I slow, she slows."
His look became momentarily intense, searching, but then passed.
"We stop by a pool, she hovers briefly over the water, and very slowly
turns towards me. Just as I'm about to see her face I awake.
Everytime. The really strange thing is I know her. I'm sure of it!"
His voice dropped, "And I've known her all my life."
Sakura sighed from her soul and sat back. Her mind raced in too many
directions to put any of it into words. When she again met his eyes
there was a need there that startled her. She tried to laugh, but
nothing came out.
"How long have you been having this dream?" she finally ventured.
Yukito looked up then, "Since I was 6 years old. It's only been in the
past year that I've made some discoveries about the dream, and about
myself."
Sakura tilted her head, longing to hear more, and at the same time
scared of what might follow.
"What I've learned," he paused, drawing in a deep breath, "is that I
have waited 10 years to meet her, that I am meant to be with her, and
that I will wait as long as necessary to be with her."
Suddenly he scooped her hand from off her lap and gave it a squeeze.
With his usual smile he bent over her and kissed her forehead. "Thank
you for listening Sakura-chan." Dropping her hand he rose and after
thanking her for the cake and tea took his leave of her. In a moment
she was alone.
From his position on the stairs Cerebus watched as the young man left
the house. Inwardly he smiled, and floated down the stairs to join
Sakura on the couch.