Chapter seventeen: The birthday celebration.
The next day at ten thirty as they had arranged Yue flew in through Sakura's open bedroom window. She was standing waiting for him, her eyes firmly fixed on the floor, key in hand. Sakura had on a white glittering summer dress with a low scalloped neckline, and white gauzy sleeves that got wider towards the bottom of the arm. Yue noticed that she was wearing the symbol he had given her, he suddenly realised in shocked delight that she had never taken it off.
Yue climbed in through the window carefully so as not to knock anything over and opened his wings. He took a good look at Sakura and his eyes went wide. Keroberos sat up and looked at him.
"I'm relying on you to keep our Mistress safe for the night, Yue, understand?"
Yue nodded, not trusting himself to speak at the moment. Keroberos nodded to Yue and turned back into Kero. He floated into Sakura's desk draw where he normally slept.
Sakura smiled gently at Yue and held a hand out for him to take. He gently took it, folding his long fingers round her small hand.
"Where are we going?" asked Yue gently.
"To my special place."
"Where is that?"
Sakura smiled up at Yue and with her free hand, she pointed out of the open window at the sky.
"The stars. I want to waltz with you in the moonlight."
Sakura smiled again, taking out the Fly Card: she went to use it but Yue took hold of her wrist.
"What is it, Yue-san?"
"You don't need to use the Fly Card: I have wings, I'll carry you to your star."
"But my star is you-" Sakura stopped, went poppy red, and ran out before Yue could reply. He stared after her, blinking, unable to think of a suitable reply.
Kero poked his head out of the drawer. "I'd go after her if I were you," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Otherwise she'll get away." He grinned and disappeared again.
Yue stared at the drawer. He could never quite get used to Keroberos' disguised form. Yue walked over to the windowsill, and looked back over his shoulder.
"Thank you Keroberos."
Kero grunted a reply from the draw. Yue opened his wings and flew down to the ground.
Sakura was standing in the moonlight looking up at the moon with a fond smile on her pretty pink lips, she was holding something tightly to her chest. Yue walked towards her, his wings still out.
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura jumped at the sound of Yue's voice, she turned to face him, her cheeks flushing.
"You always manage to surprise me somehow, Yue-san. Here, this is for you: happy birthday."
Sakura tossed him the brightly wrapped package, which Yue caught, with remarkable grace.
He examined it with his long fingers, turning it over in his hands. It was small and cube-shaped. "A rubix cube?" he guessed, looking up, his lilac eyes for once filled with laughter as he joked with Sakura.
Sakura, with a shock noticed this and giggled. "You're a little bit behind the times, Yue-san. Just open it up and see."
Yue did as she said. He tucked the bright paper in one of his invisible pockets, which always appeared just when he needed them. (One of Clow Reed's little gimmicks, for him, which Yue found eternally useful.)
The box, that the paper reviled, was made of cherry wood. He flicked the little catch open, and found a silver winged star and moon pendant inside, the pendent bore there names caved in kanji on the back of the symbols and ornate Celtic designs on the front, it was an exact copy of the one he and Yukito were always painting. He gasped and looked up, but Sakura was one wing beat ahead of him.
She was lifting her hands up to the night sky. "By the power of my star, allow me wings with which to fly into the heavens!"
"NO!" Yue yelled, leaping forward, and trying to grab her, but she was soaring upwards, out of his reach. Yue had spent a long time thinking that Sakura was out of his reach, he wasn't about to let that become a reality. "No, you don't," he muttered, and lifted off, his wings beating the air as he chased her.
However, Sakura's body was smaller and lighter than his own, and her wings were exactly the same size as Yue's, so she could move with more speed than him. Yue realised quickly that he would have to outsmart her to catch her. Brute strength was not going to win this particular one of his battles.
He paused, thinking, and then stared up at the moon. An idea popped into his head. He shot upwards, his wings pounding against the thermals, against gravity, his hair streaming backwards like a waterfall of snow. Higher and higher, until the oxygen thinned out, and he closed his eyes, falling backwards towards earth.
Sakura had long since stopped dancing through the air to watch his ascent. She saw him stop, hover, and then tip backwards and fall. Her eyes widened in alarm.
"Yue-san!" she screamed, but even as she shot towards him, she knew that on her own, she would not have the strength to hold him up, especially with the pull of his gravity on his body and wings and hair.
With the practiced ease of the Mistress of the Cards, Sakura pulled a Sakura Card out of the air, swiftly released her key, and called out the ritual, finishing with
"Power Card, release!"
The card's energy spilled out, surrounding her, waiting for a purpose.
"Give me your strength to carry my guardian safe to earth!"
The golden strands wrapped around her body. Sakura suddenly felt not only stronger in her body but in her wings as well. She knew that she would need that strength as Yue plummeted towards the ground.
'I'm not going to make it,' she thought, then a second thought of, 'I have to make it, he'll die if I don't!' quickly followed on the heals of the first though.
Five seconds afterwards, her arms came around his chest, and she caught him, hovering ten metres off the ground, sweat standing on her forehead. They floated down gently. Yue's eyes fluttered as his feet touched the ground. "Wha' happened?" he asked, dazed.
"You tried to commit suicide, though over what I don't quite know!"
"I tried to commit suicide?" he repeated, staggering as he stood up. "I don't remember that." Then he blinked. "I was just seeing how far I could fly up."
Sakura smacked him on the arm. She was still under the influence of the Power Card, so Yue ended up on the ground. He gazed up at her as the Power Card returned to its confinement.
"I wasn't down here just a second ago," he remarked.
Sakura, blushing, helping him to stand up again. "I'm so sorry, Yue-san, please forgive me," she pleaded, bowing repeatedly.
Yue reached out with his long hands and caught Sakura by the shoulders on the third bow.
"Stop doing that to me, I don't like it. Now let's see."
Yue stood up strait, brushed himself down and moved very close to Sakura. He tilted her head up and looked into Sakura's eyes. Sakura felt like Yue was looking into her soul.
"I believe you wanted to dance, so since we both have wings, why don't we dance amongst the clouds?"
Yue held his hand out to Sakura, a gentle smile on his lips.
"We don't have to if you don't want to, Yue-san."
"Sakura-chan, I wouldn't ask you if I didn't want to. So please, Sakura- chan, will you dance with me?"
Sakura nodded and took Yue's hand: together they soared into the sky. When they reached the clouds, Yue took hold of Sakura's waist, put one of her hands on his shoulder, the other about his waist, and then put his other hand on her shoulder. Sakura leant into Yue, placing her head on his chest, trusting him completely to take care of her, Sakura could hear his heart beating which she found comforting. There was a silence born out of tenderness and anxiety.
Sakura was anxious because she didn't have much experience with intimacy, and if you'd told her two weeks ago that she'd be dancing up in the clouds with Yue, she'd have told you that you had an overactive imagination.
Yue was nervous for the same reason and also he had always made a point of never getting close to anyone after the death of his first master.
Dancing was a skill that he had been born with, but had never had the chance to practise. He was constantly wondering if he was holding her too close, gripping her too hard. Yet whenever he looked down at her golden brown head leaning against his chest, all the fears faded into a deep warm feeling that made him smile instinctively. He could feel that she was nervous too, and the desire to reassure her calmed his own fears.
They danced together for some time like this. Then when it grew late, Sakura put her wings in and Yue flew Sakura home, carring her gently in his arms the whole way there. He made shore that Sakura wasn't back home too late, so that she could get to bed and still be all right to go to school the next day.
He lifted her over the windowsill and placed her gently on the floor Sakura turned round to face Yue who was leaning in the window.
"Won't you come in?"
"No I can't, I have to get back home and you need to rest so you will be able to go to school tomorow."
Sakura walked over to Yue she put her hand on his face
"Did you have a good time?"
Yue didn't reply he looked into Sakura's eyes and smiled. He held Sakura's hand on his cheek, placing his other hand on her cheek and lent forwards, slowly he softly touched his lips to Sakura's in a delicate kiss. Sakura went a little red but lent into the tender kiss, Yue suddenly realised with a shock just what he was doing and pulled back. He felt his face it was hot, as well as another unfamiliar feeling, what was going on.
"Yue-san your cheeks are red."
"This was one of the best nights of my life. Thank you Sakura-chan."
Yue spread his wings and flew off, Sakura watched him go and sighed: she closed her curtains and went to bed. A small but distinct exclamation of 'Baka!' in the direction of which Yue had gone came from Kero's drawer.
Yue didn't fly far he landed round the corner from Sakura's house. He leaned against the wall there and looked around no one, he looked around he inside his head.
'Help!'
Yukito looked up at Yue his eyes full of concern
'What's the matter Yue?'
'What do you mean 'what's the matter'? I just kissed Sakura-chan that's what's the matter.'
'What!'
Yukito's eyes were wide in shock
'When, how and were?'
'When I took her home just now. In her bedroom and I think you know how to kiss some one Yukito.'
'Alright, alright I understand.'
'You can't possibly understand this is the first time ever I've kissed some one in love.'
'What?'
'I've never had an experience like this before, dancing with some one and taking them home and. Romance was never one of my strong points.'
'I can tell that from the way you're reacting to what just happened.'
Yue's eyes went wide with shock
'The play!'
'What about the play?'
'Its already started to come true. We have just danced together like it said in the script.'
'Your right what else of the script is going to come true Yue. I know you know.'
'I can't tell you that.'
'You better had.'
'That would give you an unfair advantage over the others.'
Yukito looked at Yue his brow creasing in anger.
'Yes but I can keep what I know to myself.'
'If you insist?'
'I insist alright.'
Yue sighed, he thought back to the day he and Yukito had written the play together, deciding what Yukito needed to know and what he didn't. He than began to tell Yukito what parts of the play were going to come true and which ones were not.
The next day at ten thirty as they had arranged Yue flew in through Sakura's open bedroom window. She was standing waiting for him, her eyes firmly fixed on the floor, key in hand. Sakura had on a white glittering summer dress with a low scalloped neckline, and white gauzy sleeves that got wider towards the bottom of the arm. Yue noticed that she was wearing the symbol he had given her, he suddenly realised in shocked delight that she had never taken it off.
Yue climbed in through the window carefully so as not to knock anything over and opened his wings. He took a good look at Sakura and his eyes went wide. Keroberos sat up and looked at him.
"I'm relying on you to keep our Mistress safe for the night, Yue, understand?"
Yue nodded, not trusting himself to speak at the moment. Keroberos nodded to Yue and turned back into Kero. He floated into Sakura's desk draw where he normally slept.
Sakura smiled gently at Yue and held a hand out for him to take. He gently took it, folding his long fingers round her small hand.
"Where are we going?" asked Yue gently.
"To my special place."
"Where is that?"
Sakura smiled up at Yue and with her free hand, she pointed out of the open window at the sky.
"The stars. I want to waltz with you in the moonlight."
Sakura smiled again, taking out the Fly Card: she went to use it but Yue took hold of her wrist.
"What is it, Yue-san?"
"You don't need to use the Fly Card: I have wings, I'll carry you to your star."
"But my star is you-" Sakura stopped, went poppy red, and ran out before Yue could reply. He stared after her, blinking, unable to think of a suitable reply.
Kero poked his head out of the drawer. "I'd go after her if I were you," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Otherwise she'll get away." He grinned and disappeared again.
Yue stared at the drawer. He could never quite get used to Keroberos' disguised form. Yue walked over to the windowsill, and looked back over his shoulder.
"Thank you Keroberos."
Kero grunted a reply from the draw. Yue opened his wings and flew down to the ground.
Sakura was standing in the moonlight looking up at the moon with a fond smile on her pretty pink lips, she was holding something tightly to her chest. Yue walked towards her, his wings still out.
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura jumped at the sound of Yue's voice, she turned to face him, her cheeks flushing.
"You always manage to surprise me somehow, Yue-san. Here, this is for you: happy birthday."
Sakura tossed him the brightly wrapped package, which Yue caught, with remarkable grace.
He examined it with his long fingers, turning it over in his hands. It was small and cube-shaped. "A rubix cube?" he guessed, looking up, his lilac eyes for once filled with laughter as he joked with Sakura.
Sakura, with a shock noticed this and giggled. "You're a little bit behind the times, Yue-san. Just open it up and see."
Yue did as she said. He tucked the bright paper in one of his invisible pockets, which always appeared just when he needed them. (One of Clow Reed's little gimmicks, for him, which Yue found eternally useful.)
The box, that the paper reviled, was made of cherry wood. He flicked the little catch open, and found a silver winged star and moon pendant inside, the pendent bore there names caved in kanji on the back of the symbols and ornate Celtic designs on the front, it was an exact copy of the one he and Yukito were always painting. He gasped and looked up, but Sakura was one wing beat ahead of him.
She was lifting her hands up to the night sky. "By the power of my star, allow me wings with which to fly into the heavens!"
"NO!" Yue yelled, leaping forward, and trying to grab her, but she was soaring upwards, out of his reach. Yue had spent a long time thinking that Sakura was out of his reach, he wasn't about to let that become a reality. "No, you don't," he muttered, and lifted off, his wings beating the air as he chased her.
However, Sakura's body was smaller and lighter than his own, and her wings were exactly the same size as Yue's, so she could move with more speed than him. Yue realised quickly that he would have to outsmart her to catch her. Brute strength was not going to win this particular one of his battles.
He paused, thinking, and then stared up at the moon. An idea popped into his head. He shot upwards, his wings pounding against the thermals, against gravity, his hair streaming backwards like a waterfall of snow. Higher and higher, until the oxygen thinned out, and he closed his eyes, falling backwards towards earth.
Sakura had long since stopped dancing through the air to watch his ascent. She saw him stop, hover, and then tip backwards and fall. Her eyes widened in alarm.
"Yue-san!" she screamed, but even as she shot towards him, she knew that on her own, she would not have the strength to hold him up, especially with the pull of his gravity on his body and wings and hair.
With the practiced ease of the Mistress of the Cards, Sakura pulled a Sakura Card out of the air, swiftly released her key, and called out the ritual, finishing with
"Power Card, release!"
The card's energy spilled out, surrounding her, waiting for a purpose.
"Give me your strength to carry my guardian safe to earth!"
The golden strands wrapped around her body. Sakura suddenly felt not only stronger in her body but in her wings as well. She knew that she would need that strength as Yue plummeted towards the ground.
'I'm not going to make it,' she thought, then a second thought of, 'I have to make it, he'll die if I don't!' quickly followed on the heals of the first though.
Five seconds afterwards, her arms came around his chest, and she caught him, hovering ten metres off the ground, sweat standing on her forehead. They floated down gently. Yue's eyes fluttered as his feet touched the ground. "Wha' happened?" he asked, dazed.
"You tried to commit suicide, though over what I don't quite know!"
"I tried to commit suicide?" he repeated, staggering as he stood up. "I don't remember that." Then he blinked. "I was just seeing how far I could fly up."
Sakura smacked him on the arm. She was still under the influence of the Power Card, so Yue ended up on the ground. He gazed up at her as the Power Card returned to its confinement.
"I wasn't down here just a second ago," he remarked.
Sakura, blushing, helping him to stand up again. "I'm so sorry, Yue-san, please forgive me," she pleaded, bowing repeatedly.
Yue reached out with his long hands and caught Sakura by the shoulders on the third bow.
"Stop doing that to me, I don't like it. Now let's see."
Yue stood up strait, brushed himself down and moved very close to Sakura. He tilted her head up and looked into Sakura's eyes. Sakura felt like Yue was looking into her soul.
"I believe you wanted to dance, so since we both have wings, why don't we dance amongst the clouds?"
Yue held his hand out to Sakura, a gentle smile on his lips.
"We don't have to if you don't want to, Yue-san."
"Sakura-chan, I wouldn't ask you if I didn't want to. So please, Sakura- chan, will you dance with me?"
Sakura nodded and took Yue's hand: together they soared into the sky. When they reached the clouds, Yue took hold of Sakura's waist, put one of her hands on his shoulder, the other about his waist, and then put his other hand on her shoulder. Sakura leant into Yue, placing her head on his chest, trusting him completely to take care of her, Sakura could hear his heart beating which she found comforting. There was a silence born out of tenderness and anxiety.
Sakura was anxious because she didn't have much experience with intimacy, and if you'd told her two weeks ago that she'd be dancing up in the clouds with Yue, she'd have told you that you had an overactive imagination.
Yue was nervous for the same reason and also he had always made a point of never getting close to anyone after the death of his first master.
Dancing was a skill that he had been born with, but had never had the chance to practise. He was constantly wondering if he was holding her too close, gripping her too hard. Yet whenever he looked down at her golden brown head leaning against his chest, all the fears faded into a deep warm feeling that made him smile instinctively. He could feel that she was nervous too, and the desire to reassure her calmed his own fears.
They danced together for some time like this. Then when it grew late, Sakura put her wings in and Yue flew Sakura home, carring her gently in his arms the whole way there. He made shore that Sakura wasn't back home too late, so that she could get to bed and still be all right to go to school the next day.
He lifted her over the windowsill and placed her gently on the floor Sakura turned round to face Yue who was leaning in the window.
"Won't you come in?"
"No I can't, I have to get back home and you need to rest so you will be able to go to school tomorow."
Sakura walked over to Yue she put her hand on his face
"Did you have a good time?"
Yue didn't reply he looked into Sakura's eyes and smiled. He held Sakura's hand on his cheek, placing his other hand on her cheek and lent forwards, slowly he softly touched his lips to Sakura's in a delicate kiss. Sakura went a little red but lent into the tender kiss, Yue suddenly realised with a shock just what he was doing and pulled back. He felt his face it was hot, as well as another unfamiliar feeling, what was going on.
"Yue-san your cheeks are red."
"This was one of the best nights of my life. Thank you Sakura-chan."
Yue spread his wings and flew off, Sakura watched him go and sighed: she closed her curtains and went to bed. A small but distinct exclamation of 'Baka!' in the direction of which Yue had gone came from Kero's drawer.
Yue didn't fly far he landed round the corner from Sakura's house. He leaned against the wall there and looked around no one, he looked around he inside his head.
'Help!'
Yukito looked up at Yue his eyes full of concern
'What's the matter Yue?'
'What do you mean 'what's the matter'? I just kissed Sakura-chan that's what's the matter.'
'What!'
Yukito's eyes were wide in shock
'When, how and were?'
'When I took her home just now. In her bedroom and I think you know how to kiss some one Yukito.'
'Alright, alright I understand.'
'You can't possibly understand this is the first time ever I've kissed some one in love.'
'What?'
'I've never had an experience like this before, dancing with some one and taking them home and. Romance was never one of my strong points.'
'I can tell that from the way you're reacting to what just happened.'
Yue's eyes went wide with shock
'The play!'
'What about the play?'
'Its already started to come true. We have just danced together like it said in the script.'
'Your right what else of the script is going to come true Yue. I know you know.'
'I can't tell you that.'
'You better had.'
'That would give you an unfair advantage over the others.'
Yukito looked at Yue his brow creasing in anger.
'Yes but I can keep what I know to myself.'
'If you insist?'
'I insist alright.'
Yue sighed, he thought back to the day he and Yukito had written the play together, deciding what Yukito needed to know and what he didn't. He than began to tell Yukito what parts of the play were going to come true and which ones were not.