Right, those of you who have reviewed, thank you. Knowing that other
people like what you are doing is a great motivator. Anyhow, here is the
next chapter of "Her Most Beautiful Smile" Enjoy!
Chapter Five: Boats
Tomoyo walked next to Sakura as they moved over toward the lake, while Li- san and Seta-san followed a few feet behind. The two girls didn't say anything, just walked. Tomoyo's attention was focused on the stuffed penguin that Seta-san had given her.
"Here we are," Sakura said. Tomoyo looked up, and realized they were at the lake.
"We are here already?" she said, "I hadn't realized we had walked so far."
Sakura smiled knowingly, and then pointed with enthusiasm to a makeshift dock a little ways down the bank, "There they are!" She looked over and saw the small paddleboats Sakura had been talking about.
As they walked the auburn haired girl looked over her shoulder, "We should all go, Syaoran-kun and I can ride one, and Seta-san can ride with Tomoyo- chan!" Tomoyo's blue eyes widened. Why did that thought make her so nervous all of a sudden? -What's wrong with me? I've never been nervous like this over a boy.-
"What's wrong with you?" Li-kun's voice came from behind them. Sakura and Tomoyo turned at the same time to see Seta-san was slowly edging back away from them. He had his hands up and was smiling somewhat awkwardly.
"I…uh…I don't think I should go," he said, obviously uncomfortable.
"Hoe…?"
Tomoyo felt the nervousness go away, but now she felt…disappointed. "It's okay…" she said quietly, "It's alright if you don't want to go with me."
The look on his face changed from uncomfortable to shock in the space of her sentence. Then he walked over to her. "It's not that I don't want to go with you," he said warmly, "It's just that I have a little bad luck when it comes to boats. I don't want any of you to catch it." Tomoyo looked up to see what she thought was a look of worry on his face.
She smiled a bit and looked back down, "I understand."
"What exactly do you mean by bad luck, Seta-san?" Sakura asked curiously.
He smiled, like he was recalling a fond memory, "Well, the last boat I was on exploded and sank in a ball of fire."
"Hoeee…?"
Syaoran shook his head a bit and said, "Well, you can't argue with that. You two go on the boat and we'll wait here for you."
He and Sakura smiled at each other, then Sakura grabbed Tomoyo's arm, "Let's go, Tomoyo-chan!" She looked back briefly at Seta-san. He was watching them go, smiling contentedly. She smiled and turned back to Sakura, who was still pulling her along. Not that they could go very fast in their kimonos, but Sakura was excited to ride the paddleboats (she had only been talking about them for the last three days).
Sakura started paddling like mad as soon as they sat down, trying to see how fast she could make it go. Tomoyo smiled and got in on the act, trying to interrupt her friends pedaling. They laughed as they drove the boat into the moonlit waters, trying desperately not to get wet.
Once the two friends were out in the middle of the small lake, they let themselves drift. They both relaxed and let out contented sighs as they looked up at the clear night sky.
"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"
Tomoyo jumped, trying to laugh a bit, she replied, "What do you mean, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura smiled slyly at her, "You know what I'm talking about, Tomoyo-chan."
Tomoyo hesitated for a moment before answering, "Well, being a swordsman from another time, naturally I'm interested in him. Think of all the adventures he must have had! I wish we could have seen some of them."
"You know that's not what I meant, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura said with an uncharacteristically devious look on her face. It reminded her of Eriol. -I wonder whatever happened to him…?-
"Sakura-chan, I still don't know what you are talking about," Tomoyo tried to feign ignorance.
"I think you do," the auburn haired girl replied.
Tomoyo looked down at the penguin he had given her earlier. Her face softened. It was a sweet gesture, the kind of thing you see in movies. But it wasn't so much the fact that he had given it to her. She had been so touched by why he had given it to her. * You know so much about it, you must like them. *
"You're blushing," Sakura laughed lightly, nudging the other girl.
Tomoyo jumped, and felt her cheeks get hot. The blue eyed girl smiled at her friend, "I didn't understand why he gave it to me at first," she looked back down at the large stuffed penguin in her lap, "but when he explained it, I could tell that he wanted me to like it. It surprised me a little."
"But it was a good kind of surprise, right?" Sakura prodded.
Tomoyo started scratching the penguin behind his ear, "I don't know what I should think about it. I've never reacted to a boy this way before."
Sakura smiled, then looked back up at the stars, "When you were taping Syaoran-kun getting the goldfish for me, he told me that his step-family didn't like him very much, and that they had never let him go to a festival. Instead they made him stay at home and do chores while they went and had fun." Tomoyo looked at her friend sadly, shocked that such a terrible thing could happen to a child. "This is the first festival he has been to in his whole life, and that penguin is the first prize he has ever won at a festival."
"But if that's true, then why did he give it to me?" Tomoyo asked earnestly.
Sakura just looked at her friend warmly, "Because he thought it would make you happy."
As Tomoyo looked back at the penguin, she felt tears in her eyes, "I am, but I want him to be happy, too. He always has a smile on his face, but it always seems to be an act, hiding his true self. He is so sweet and kind, it's like he is only concerned that others are happy, whether he is or not." She glanced up at her friend, smiling, "He reminds me of you, Sakura- chan."
Tomoyo looked back down at the soft form in her arms for a moment, then held it to her cheek, a tear rolling onto its fuzzy head, "He is trying so hard to make others happy, he ignores himself. It must be very lonely."
Sakura put her arms around her friend and spoke softly, "I think that he is happy when he knows that you are, Tomoyo-chan."
Oh man, that's a lot of fluff there at the end. Oh well, Mei Neko, I hope you liked this chapter too. And for those of you who love Eriol & Tomoyo pairings, I slipped in the little side thought about him halfway through.
Anyhow…NEXT CHAPTER: The boy who was once known as Tenken no Soujiro, and the future head of the Li clan, have a civil chat about the past, the present, and the future. Will Syaoran discover that there is more to Soujiro than meets the eye? Will he discover something that will change his view of the young swordsman? Next episode, "Unsure" You won't want to miss it!
Chapter Five: Boats
Tomoyo walked next to Sakura as they moved over toward the lake, while Li- san and Seta-san followed a few feet behind. The two girls didn't say anything, just walked. Tomoyo's attention was focused on the stuffed penguin that Seta-san had given her.
"Here we are," Sakura said. Tomoyo looked up, and realized they were at the lake.
"We are here already?" she said, "I hadn't realized we had walked so far."
Sakura smiled knowingly, and then pointed with enthusiasm to a makeshift dock a little ways down the bank, "There they are!" She looked over and saw the small paddleboats Sakura had been talking about.
As they walked the auburn haired girl looked over her shoulder, "We should all go, Syaoran-kun and I can ride one, and Seta-san can ride with Tomoyo- chan!" Tomoyo's blue eyes widened. Why did that thought make her so nervous all of a sudden? -What's wrong with me? I've never been nervous like this over a boy.-
"What's wrong with you?" Li-kun's voice came from behind them. Sakura and Tomoyo turned at the same time to see Seta-san was slowly edging back away from them. He had his hands up and was smiling somewhat awkwardly.
"I…uh…I don't think I should go," he said, obviously uncomfortable.
"Hoe…?"
Tomoyo felt the nervousness go away, but now she felt…disappointed. "It's okay…" she said quietly, "It's alright if you don't want to go with me."
The look on his face changed from uncomfortable to shock in the space of her sentence. Then he walked over to her. "It's not that I don't want to go with you," he said warmly, "It's just that I have a little bad luck when it comes to boats. I don't want any of you to catch it." Tomoyo looked up to see what she thought was a look of worry on his face.
She smiled a bit and looked back down, "I understand."
"What exactly do you mean by bad luck, Seta-san?" Sakura asked curiously.
He smiled, like he was recalling a fond memory, "Well, the last boat I was on exploded and sank in a ball of fire."
"Hoeee…?"
Syaoran shook his head a bit and said, "Well, you can't argue with that. You two go on the boat and we'll wait here for you."
He and Sakura smiled at each other, then Sakura grabbed Tomoyo's arm, "Let's go, Tomoyo-chan!" She looked back briefly at Seta-san. He was watching them go, smiling contentedly. She smiled and turned back to Sakura, who was still pulling her along. Not that they could go very fast in their kimonos, but Sakura was excited to ride the paddleboats (she had only been talking about them for the last three days).
Sakura started paddling like mad as soon as they sat down, trying to see how fast she could make it go. Tomoyo smiled and got in on the act, trying to interrupt her friends pedaling. They laughed as they drove the boat into the moonlit waters, trying desperately not to get wet.
Once the two friends were out in the middle of the small lake, they let themselves drift. They both relaxed and let out contented sighs as they looked up at the clear night sky.
"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"
Tomoyo jumped, trying to laugh a bit, she replied, "What do you mean, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura smiled slyly at her, "You know what I'm talking about, Tomoyo-chan."
Tomoyo hesitated for a moment before answering, "Well, being a swordsman from another time, naturally I'm interested in him. Think of all the adventures he must have had! I wish we could have seen some of them."
"You know that's not what I meant, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura said with an uncharacteristically devious look on her face. It reminded her of Eriol. -I wonder whatever happened to him…?-
"Sakura-chan, I still don't know what you are talking about," Tomoyo tried to feign ignorance.
"I think you do," the auburn haired girl replied.
Tomoyo looked down at the penguin he had given her earlier. Her face softened. It was a sweet gesture, the kind of thing you see in movies. But it wasn't so much the fact that he had given it to her. She had been so touched by why he had given it to her. * You know so much about it, you must like them. *
"You're blushing," Sakura laughed lightly, nudging the other girl.
Tomoyo jumped, and felt her cheeks get hot. The blue eyed girl smiled at her friend, "I didn't understand why he gave it to me at first," she looked back down at the large stuffed penguin in her lap, "but when he explained it, I could tell that he wanted me to like it. It surprised me a little."
"But it was a good kind of surprise, right?" Sakura prodded.
Tomoyo started scratching the penguin behind his ear, "I don't know what I should think about it. I've never reacted to a boy this way before."
Sakura smiled, then looked back up at the stars, "When you were taping Syaoran-kun getting the goldfish for me, he told me that his step-family didn't like him very much, and that they had never let him go to a festival. Instead they made him stay at home and do chores while they went and had fun." Tomoyo looked at her friend sadly, shocked that such a terrible thing could happen to a child. "This is the first festival he has been to in his whole life, and that penguin is the first prize he has ever won at a festival."
"But if that's true, then why did he give it to me?" Tomoyo asked earnestly.
Sakura just looked at her friend warmly, "Because he thought it would make you happy."
As Tomoyo looked back at the penguin, she felt tears in her eyes, "I am, but I want him to be happy, too. He always has a smile on his face, but it always seems to be an act, hiding his true self. He is so sweet and kind, it's like he is only concerned that others are happy, whether he is or not." She glanced up at her friend, smiling, "He reminds me of you, Sakura- chan."
Tomoyo looked back down at the soft form in her arms for a moment, then held it to her cheek, a tear rolling onto its fuzzy head, "He is trying so hard to make others happy, he ignores himself. It must be very lonely."
Sakura put her arms around her friend and spoke softly, "I think that he is happy when he knows that you are, Tomoyo-chan."
Oh man, that's a lot of fluff there at the end. Oh well, Mei Neko, I hope you liked this chapter too. And for those of you who love Eriol & Tomoyo pairings, I slipped in the little side thought about him halfway through.
Anyhow…NEXT CHAPTER: The boy who was once known as Tenken no Soujiro, and the future head of the Li clan, have a civil chat about the past, the present, and the future. Will Syaoran discover that there is more to Soujiro than meets the eye? Will he discover something that will change his view of the young swordsman? Next episode, "Unsure" You won't want to miss it!
