Chapter seven: Surprises all round.
When Yukito woke the next day he found Sakura leant back in his arms, holding the lock of his hair and looking at it with wonder in her eyes.
"Yukito-san, you have long hair."
Yukito blushed, and then Sakura ran her hand down his arm. Her eyes went wide.
"You're very strong too. Where have you been hiding all of this hair and why?"
Yukito smiled at Sakura
"Thank you for the compliment about my strength. I had it in a bun in the nape of my neck. As for why: I wasn't sure if my long hair would be well received."
Sakura smiled back at Yukito, she reached up with her left hand and stroked Yukito's hair, her eyes soft and far away.
"I think your hair is beautiful, it makes you look even more like a man, it makes you look like a warrior; a samurai. In fact it makes you look biseinen."
Yukito looked at Sakura: he blushed at her calling him 'biseinen' and he realised that to be called a samurai was a term of deep respect to Sakura and that made him feel proud. From some were deep in Yukito's mind, Yue growled, and Yukito laughed at him.
'There, there Yue, I'm certain that compliment was meant for both of us.'
'No it wasn't or Sakura-chan would have included my name in the compliment too."
Yukito grinned both inwardly and outwardly.
'The first compliment, that is mine alone, Yue.no one has ever complimented me before not like that.'
Sakura smiled back at Yukito
"You look so handsome when you smile, Yukito-san."
"Why?" he teased.
"Oh . . well." She looked down, a blush covering her cheeks. "It makes you look alive."
Yue snorted with laughter inside Yukito's head. "So I look dead the rest of the time?" Yukito questioned gently.
"No . . just not quite with the rest of us. Like you're thinking about something all the time."
"Actually, it's more like 'somebody'," he corrected in a whisper.
"Who?" Sakura ventured, feeling herself tremble inside.
Yukito smiled: he was about to tell her when Keroberos pushed the door open with a tray balanced on his nose. Yue swore so loudly inside Yukito's head that the winged lion looked at Yukito in mild reproach.
'You've had to yourself for long enough,' Yukito told Yue in mind language.
'It's never long enough,' Yue replied with gritted teeth.
Yukito smiled sweetly at Yue. 'Well it looks like Sakura-chan wants me around for a while, so you are going to have to be patient and not swear every time the two of us get close.'
Yue ground his teeth together for a moment, and then there was silence. Yukito looked at Keroberos and smiled,
"Keroberos, what have you got there, it smells nice."
"Hmm, maybe that's because it's the honey cakes Sakura-chan ordered for you earlier."
Yukito smiled down at the young woman he still held in his arms, and he gave her a tight squeeze.
"Thank you, you didn't have to do that."
"Yes, I did, you deserved it for taking good care of me."
Yukito blushed.
"It wasn't much."
Keroberos looked at him with a dry expression, putting the tray down over Sakura's knees.
"Not much? If you and Yue hadn't been here Sakura-chan would probably have died."
"Exactly. That's why you deserve some thing special, Yukito-san. I made this for Yue-san, now I'll give it too him to say thank you."
Keroberos went over to her bag and brought it to Sakura; she opened the bag and pulled out a small-elongated parcel.
"But thinking about it, I can't see what use Yue-san would have for this gift, so you might as well have it, Yukito-san. Yue-san would probably just ask me in that cold tone just what he is supposed to do with it. I can never seem to do anything to please him or make him proud of me. Unlike Kero-chan."
Sakura gave Keroberos a huge smile and tickled him under the chin. Keroberos purred with satisfaction, plonking his head down on her knee. Sakura opened the paper and lying inside was a handmade bookmark. It had the Clow symbol on it at each end in gold thread. Then in the centre a crescent moon and a star in silver thread, with Sakura name embroidered next to the star in kanji, and Yue's also embroidered in kanji next to the moon: this was in currant purple thread. There was a border of cherry blossom petals in baby pink thread. Yukito looked at the bookmark, stunned at its beauty.
"You made this all by yourself for Yue?"
"Yes, I planned the pattern out on the fabric with pencil, what do you think?"
"It's beautiful Sakura-chan. I can't see why he wouldn't want to have your work."
"Because Yue-san has no use for a book mark. I made the two other pictures, before I came to England in class, using cross-stitch: want to know what they are? I'm still working on the last one, which I'm intending to finish over my brake here, but since its not done yet I'll tell you what that is too."
"Yes, please tell me?"
"One is for Eriol-kun, the Clow symbol with eight cards round it, Windy, Water, Firey and Earthy, Libra, Shield, Sword and Fly. The second was for Yue-san, it's of me in my moon costume, Onii-chan, you, Kero-chan and Yue- san but you can have it, I'm sure Yue-san won't want it. The third one is for Tomoyo-chan, it's of me in one of her costumes, and I'm still working on that one."
Yukito looked at the one for Eriol: it was very good. Then Sakura handed him the second one. Yukito's mouth opened: it was perfect. Sakura was in the foreground in her costume, Kero was in his disguised form sitting on her shoulder. Touya's arm was around Yukito's shoulder, and they were both looking at each other with a smile. Yukito was directly behind Sakura: he was in a pale blue shirt and black trousers, and Touya was in a white shirt and brown trousers. Yue was standing behind Yukito and Touya, he was right between the two of them looking down at Sakura, with a slight smile on his face. Yukito handed them back to Sakura wordlessly
Yue looked up in Yukito's head.
'She really thinks I'm that cold.'
'Evidently.'
'Desperate times call for desperate measures.'
'Wait, Yue, what are you-?'
Yue leapt forward, yanked his bookmark and picture out of Sakura's hands, then gazed at them. "They're wonderful!" he said quickly, then disappeared, taking both of them with him. Yukito blinked once as he was thrust forward again. Sakura looked at him.
"Yue liked your work, it appears."
"Where has he taken it?"
"I'm not quite sure."
Keroberos smiled at them and quietly left the room. Sakura smiled at Yukito.
"Close your eyes and open your mouth."
"Ok."
Yukito did as Sakura directed. Sakura broke off a piece of honey cake and put it in Yukito's mouth. Yukito's eyebrows went up in shock, he ate the piece of cake and opened his eyes. Sakura broke off another piece for him, Yukito opened his mouth and Sakura fed it to him. Yukito couldn't believe this was happening: it was just like his dream.
All too soon the cake was gone. Sakura smiled at Yukito. She ate the salad and then snuggled down into the bed next to him, and took hold of a lock of his hair.
Yukito sung a lullaby to Sakura and she was soon fast asleep. Yukito lay back in the bed and sighed. After a moment he brought Sakura close to him and also joined her in sleep.
When Yukito woke the next day he found Sakura leant back in his arms, holding the lock of his hair and looking at it with wonder in her eyes.
"Yukito-san, you have long hair."
Yukito blushed, and then Sakura ran her hand down his arm. Her eyes went wide.
"You're very strong too. Where have you been hiding all of this hair and why?"
Yukito smiled at Sakura
"Thank you for the compliment about my strength. I had it in a bun in the nape of my neck. As for why: I wasn't sure if my long hair would be well received."
Sakura smiled back at Yukito, she reached up with her left hand and stroked Yukito's hair, her eyes soft and far away.
"I think your hair is beautiful, it makes you look even more like a man, it makes you look like a warrior; a samurai. In fact it makes you look biseinen."
Yukito looked at Sakura: he blushed at her calling him 'biseinen' and he realised that to be called a samurai was a term of deep respect to Sakura and that made him feel proud. From some were deep in Yukito's mind, Yue growled, and Yukito laughed at him.
'There, there Yue, I'm certain that compliment was meant for both of us.'
'No it wasn't or Sakura-chan would have included my name in the compliment too."
Yukito grinned both inwardly and outwardly.
'The first compliment, that is mine alone, Yue.no one has ever complimented me before not like that.'
Sakura smiled back at Yukito
"You look so handsome when you smile, Yukito-san."
"Why?" he teased.
"Oh . . well." She looked down, a blush covering her cheeks. "It makes you look alive."
Yue snorted with laughter inside Yukito's head. "So I look dead the rest of the time?" Yukito questioned gently.
"No . . just not quite with the rest of us. Like you're thinking about something all the time."
"Actually, it's more like 'somebody'," he corrected in a whisper.
"Who?" Sakura ventured, feeling herself tremble inside.
Yukito smiled: he was about to tell her when Keroberos pushed the door open with a tray balanced on his nose. Yue swore so loudly inside Yukito's head that the winged lion looked at Yukito in mild reproach.
'You've had to yourself for long enough,' Yukito told Yue in mind language.
'It's never long enough,' Yue replied with gritted teeth.
Yukito smiled sweetly at Yue. 'Well it looks like Sakura-chan wants me around for a while, so you are going to have to be patient and not swear every time the two of us get close.'
Yue ground his teeth together for a moment, and then there was silence. Yukito looked at Keroberos and smiled,
"Keroberos, what have you got there, it smells nice."
"Hmm, maybe that's because it's the honey cakes Sakura-chan ordered for you earlier."
Yukito smiled down at the young woman he still held in his arms, and he gave her a tight squeeze.
"Thank you, you didn't have to do that."
"Yes, I did, you deserved it for taking good care of me."
Yukito blushed.
"It wasn't much."
Keroberos looked at him with a dry expression, putting the tray down over Sakura's knees.
"Not much? If you and Yue hadn't been here Sakura-chan would probably have died."
"Exactly. That's why you deserve some thing special, Yukito-san. I made this for Yue-san, now I'll give it too him to say thank you."
Keroberos went over to her bag and brought it to Sakura; she opened the bag and pulled out a small-elongated parcel.
"But thinking about it, I can't see what use Yue-san would have for this gift, so you might as well have it, Yukito-san. Yue-san would probably just ask me in that cold tone just what he is supposed to do with it. I can never seem to do anything to please him or make him proud of me. Unlike Kero-chan."
Sakura gave Keroberos a huge smile and tickled him under the chin. Keroberos purred with satisfaction, plonking his head down on her knee. Sakura opened the paper and lying inside was a handmade bookmark. It had the Clow symbol on it at each end in gold thread. Then in the centre a crescent moon and a star in silver thread, with Sakura name embroidered next to the star in kanji, and Yue's also embroidered in kanji next to the moon: this was in currant purple thread. There was a border of cherry blossom petals in baby pink thread. Yukito looked at the bookmark, stunned at its beauty.
"You made this all by yourself for Yue?"
"Yes, I planned the pattern out on the fabric with pencil, what do you think?"
"It's beautiful Sakura-chan. I can't see why he wouldn't want to have your work."
"Because Yue-san has no use for a book mark. I made the two other pictures, before I came to England in class, using cross-stitch: want to know what they are? I'm still working on the last one, which I'm intending to finish over my brake here, but since its not done yet I'll tell you what that is too."
"Yes, please tell me?"
"One is for Eriol-kun, the Clow symbol with eight cards round it, Windy, Water, Firey and Earthy, Libra, Shield, Sword and Fly. The second was for Yue-san, it's of me in my moon costume, Onii-chan, you, Kero-chan and Yue- san but you can have it, I'm sure Yue-san won't want it. The third one is for Tomoyo-chan, it's of me in one of her costumes, and I'm still working on that one."
Yukito looked at the one for Eriol: it was very good. Then Sakura handed him the second one. Yukito's mouth opened: it was perfect. Sakura was in the foreground in her costume, Kero was in his disguised form sitting on her shoulder. Touya's arm was around Yukito's shoulder, and they were both looking at each other with a smile. Yukito was directly behind Sakura: he was in a pale blue shirt and black trousers, and Touya was in a white shirt and brown trousers. Yue was standing behind Yukito and Touya, he was right between the two of them looking down at Sakura, with a slight smile on his face. Yukito handed them back to Sakura wordlessly
Yue looked up in Yukito's head.
'She really thinks I'm that cold.'
'Evidently.'
'Desperate times call for desperate measures.'
'Wait, Yue, what are you-?'
Yue leapt forward, yanked his bookmark and picture out of Sakura's hands, then gazed at them. "They're wonderful!" he said quickly, then disappeared, taking both of them with him. Yukito blinked once as he was thrust forward again. Sakura looked at him.
"Yue liked your work, it appears."
"Where has he taken it?"
"I'm not quite sure."
Keroberos smiled at them and quietly left the room. Sakura smiled at Yukito.
"Close your eyes and open your mouth."
"Ok."
Yukito did as Sakura directed. Sakura broke off a piece of honey cake and put it in Yukito's mouth. Yukito's eyebrows went up in shock, he ate the piece of cake and opened his eyes. Sakura broke off another piece for him, Yukito opened his mouth and Sakura fed it to him. Yukito couldn't believe this was happening: it was just like his dream.
All too soon the cake was gone. Sakura smiled at Yukito. She ate the salad and then snuggled down into the bed next to him, and took hold of a lock of his hair.
Yukito sung a lullaby to Sakura and she was soon fast asleep. Yukito lay back in the bed and sighed. After a moment he brought Sakura close to him and also joined her in sleep.