Dance With Me

Part 7

"Syaoran!" called Sakura. Rain was washing down on her from the dark sky above; not heavy, pouring rain, but enough to make her hair drip with wetness. When had it started raining? She hadn't even noticed. And she barely cared now. There was nothing more important right now than finding Syaoran. She dashed along the sidewalk, her feet splashing in pools of water, until she was almost out of the school campus.

Even deep within Eriol's mind, she had felt the strong aura of Syaoran leave the gym. She had felt his intense anguish. What had she done?

She found him huddled under a large cherry tree that stood at a corner of the school. Sitting with his back leaned against the tree, he had his head buried in his arms. Rain was streaking over him, but he didn't seem to notice. Sakura had never seen him look so small and lost. So alone. 

She walked up to him slowly. "Syaoran," she said.

"Go away," he answered in a muffled voice, without lifting his head.

Sakura's heart broke loose. In a second, she had flown down and had her arms around him, her cheek pressed against his forehead. "I know that saying I'm sorry won't help a bit, but I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I had to get close to Eriol, don't you see? So I could find out what was really going on! I didn't want you to be hurt, Syaoran, I wanted to keep you away from him. But I found out, he's not really evil, he wasn't the one making the flowers!" She said all this very fast, breathlessly. When Syaoran still didn't move, she kept going.

"Remember, that night you were tickling me, and I grabbed your hands? And that weird aura came out?"

Finally, she felt him shift beneath her arms. She turned her head, and his brown eyes were staring straight back at her. She could see water on his face, only inches away. Was it just the rain? Or...?

Tentatively, she reached up and brushed the tears away. Her hand trailed down his shoulder, down his arm, and came to a stop at his hand. She weaved her fingers through his and felt his response, his grip on her hand tighten. A river of warmth rushed through her.

"You see?" Sakura whispered. The bright aura covered them both, dancing brilliantly along their hands where they were connected. "There was something really strong inside of me, but it didn't show until now. It's...Eriol said it's some kind of new power..." She took Syaoran's other hand and pulled him up. The aura brightened even more.

"So...it was you," he said, not taking his eyes from her.

Sakura shook her head. "It was us," she said, and removed her hands from his hold. The light around them flickered for a moment, but came right back at full intensity when she put her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. Who cared if they were both soaking from the rain. She couldn't feel the cold at all.

"So what is this magic?" Syaoran whispered, his breath tickling her ear. His wet hair touched her face, and she closed her eyes to breathe in his sweet, familiar scent. She had to force herself to pull away slightly so she could look at him.

"Love," said Sakura.

She leaned close and kissed him.

The cherry tree they were standing under suddenly glowed pink, and cherry blossoms flowed down in blankets.

"I wonder if Sakura and Syaoran are okay?" said Tomoyo anxiously. Eriol had explained all about the magic and why he had danced with Sakura. Now they were holding each other tightly, and they hadn't let go since about five songs ago. Even though everything was perfect now, she couldn't forget about her friends.

"I'm sure they're all right," Eriol assured her. "Sakura's probably explaining everything to him."

"But they've been gone so long..."

He looked at her. "Do you want to go find them? I'll go with you," he offered.

Tomoyo smiled at him. Eriol hadn't changed; he was still the kindest person. "No, it's okay. I think we should let them be alone and figure it out between themselves."

"Yes, you're right." He buried his face in her long hair. "Besides, I want you all to myself."

She laughed and pulled closer to him, if that was humanly possible. So much had changed in only a few minutes, her mind was still whirling. Was this a dream, that she had ended up with the most wonderful guy in the universe? If it was, she wanted it to last forever. She only hoped that Sakura and Syaoran were also working things out.

Suddenly, she spotted them coming back into the gym. They were holding hands. Tomoyo breathed a sigh of relief.

They came closer and began to dance too, having eyes only for each other. The look of absolute bliss on their faces made Tomoyo sigh again. "What is it?" asked Eriol.

"I wish I had my video camera with me," she said. They laughed softly together.

"Tomoyo!" Sakura moved until they were dancing right next to each other, with Eriol and Syaoran's backs facing. "Nice catch you made there!" she said, winking at her. Tomoyo blushed.

Then Sakura became serious. "We're still friends...right?" she asked.

"Yep! Best friends!" said Tomoyo. Sakura relaxed, giving her a look of gratitude. They would talk about it later, exclaiming and laughing over all the things that had happened. For now...

"Hey, what about us?" Eriol protested, giving her hair a gentle tug. "Don't we deserve a little attention?"

"Yeah!" Syaoran grinned. "Or if you want, we'll just leave you to your girl talk."

A strange look came over Sakura's face. Pushing herself out of Syaoran's arms, she yanked a confused Tomoyo away and led her quickly out of the gym again.

Syaoran looked at Eriol. "I didn't mean that on purpose!" he said, rubbing his head in bewilderment. Eriol shrugged and started after the girls, with Syaoran right behind him.

They had barely reached the gym door when they heard a giggle. "Shhh!" said another voice.

The guys looked at each another and grinned widely. "Let's let them think they've fooled us," Eriol whispered. Syaoran nodded in confirmation.

"Hmmm, I wonder where Sakura is?" he said loudly, stepping outside into the rain.

"BOO!!" Tomoyo and Sakura screamed, jumping out from behind the door. At once, they collapsed into uncontrollable giggles. Sakura grabbed Syaoran's hand and pulled him through the rain, glowing with laughter.

Tomoyo smiled shyly at Eriol, but he wiped the awkwardness away by pulling her into a warm embrace. They swayed slowly in the darkness, feeling the fresh raindrops land on their skin.

"The stars are so beautiful tonight," Eriol whispered, holding her close to him.

She looked up and laughed. "What are you talking about? It's raining. There are no stars."

"Yes, there are. I've never seen stars more beautiful." His gaze pulled her in. "They're in your eyes, Tomoyo."

What a sappy line, she thought. All flattery.

But it worked. All feeling left her as she fell straight into his dark eyes.

The first kiss was sweet and perfect.

*****

Aaaaah!! Yeah!! It's done! ^_^ I've really enjoyed writing this story. As my first CCS fanfic, I think it was a pretty good success, don't you? I'll miss everyone who reviewed! T_T Do you think I should write another CCS story? I've sure learned a lot from writing this one...I'm getting better all the time!

Oookay! Thank yous! THANK YOU everyone, times a zillion!!! This is everyone up to the time of this writing, so if you're not here, thank you too!! Just consider your name engraved in stone here. ^_^

Thank you: sweet^sakura^star, No WoRrIeZ, Diane, D a r k n e s s in H e a r t, GoddessLD, Jennifer, bluy, Suga^-^Pink, CronoCat, dj azn gyrl, lilmashimaro30, melody, Akity, Tiffany, katana-chan, me!, yong, Anavi*, Pandora-chan, silverg3r, Aura-san, AnGeLgURl, KyteAura, not applicable, Kazeshi, Larkspur, Bunny-chan19

Thank you for your helpful comments and encouragement! You have all helped me make this story the best that it can be. I thank you for taking the time to say a few words and letting me know how you feel. Sniff...you're sooo wonderful...

All right, I'm done. For now... Don't worry, I'll be back^_^