.::Spilling Stars::.
By Fantasiimaker
~Chapter Six: Opening Up
A long, sleek black limousine rolled to a stop by the side of the high school. Spotting it, Tomoyo trotted quickly toward it, but she slowed her pace when one of the windows slid down and revealed a pretty, short-haired woman. "Mother!" Tomoyo cried, flying to the limo's side. "What are you doing here? Is anything wrong?" Sonomi Daidouji was seldom gone from work this early during the day, and it was hard to remember a time when she had ever come to school personally to pick her up.
"No, nothing's wrong dear," Sonomi smiled. "We're going to eat dinner with an old friend of mine, so I decided to come and get you now."
"Dinner? But it's only three..."
"Oh yes. I'm sorry this is on such short notice, Tomoyo. You can do your homework at her house. We'll need quite a while to catch up on things, I haven't seen her for so long. And Sakura will be there too, so don't worry."
"Sakura?? But why-"
"Tomoyo, wait!" a boy's voice interrupted. A second later, Eriol was standing before her, gasping for breath; apparently, he had been running to catch her. "Tomoyo, I'm truly sorry about the song thing but I didn't know how else I could get your attention and you kept ignoring me so please just go with me tomorrow for something harmless like a bite to eat or-" The words tumbled out of his mouth very fast, as though he was afraid she'd run away before he could finish. "Please Tomoyo, please!" He got down on his knees and begged, making big sad puppy-dog eyes at her. "Pweeeeze?"
She sighed impatiently and looked away, but that didn't keep a small blush from her cheeks. "Go away, Eriol. You're just embarrassing me." Suddenly, she was aware that Sonomi was watching from the limo with avid amusement. Her blush deepened.
"Oh, I know!" Eriol brightened. "We can double-date with Sakura and Syaoran! You want to help Sakura, don't you? Can't you see how those two are just way too shy to make the first move? All you have to do is pretend to like me, just a little-?" He looked at her hopefully, then was quickly crestfallen at her expression of disgust. "Fine then, pretend to tolerate me a little, and we can give those two the perfect opportunity! What do you say?"
Tomoyo's mind raced. That was quite a good idea, she had to admit. But that would mean putting up with Eriol for a date, and that was something she didn't want to do. She bit her lip, thinking.
"I think that's a fine idea, Tomoyo," said Sonomi, who had been watching silently from the car. She turned to Eriol and offered her hand through the window. "I'm Tomoyo's mother," she smiled. "And you are?"
"Eriol Hiiragizawa," he shook her hand and bowed politely, a bit embarrassed at his actions a few moments before.
"He seems like a nice young man. Why don't you all go out and enjoy yourselves?" Sonomi suggested, her eyes twinkling at Tomoyo, who flushed and pressed her lips together in a thin line. Eriol beamed.
With a defeated glare at both her mom and Eriol, Tomoyo pulled open the door and started to get in the limo. "Fine, I'll go!" she growled, turning suddenly to Eriol. "But don't you dare try anything funny, or you can just forget about it!"
"I'll be good," he promised, winking at her. "Aww, c'mon, don't be so mad! Just think of it as a chance to get Sakura and Syaoran together."
"Did you say Syaoran?" Sonomi said. "We're going to his home right now. His mother is the old friend I was talking about, Tomoyo. Since you all seem to know each other... Why don't you come along, Eriol? Think you can stay for dinner?"
"Sure! Thanks for inviting me, ma'am!" Grinning cheekily, Eriol stepped into the open car at once. "Coming, Tomoyo?"
She stood near the door, red and trembling with fury. How could her own mother do this to her?? "I'm coming," she said through clenched teeth and got into the limo, sitting as far away from Eriol as she possibly could.
*****
In the shade of a large umbrella, the four sat at a table and sipped silently at their drinks. They didn't look like a pair of couples out on a date at all. Eriol glanced at Syaoran and Sakura, who were both concentrating very hard on their smoothies, and Tomoyo, who was looking pointedly away from him. He heaved a soft sigh.
"Tomoyo!" he exclaimed suddenly, leaping up from his chair and breaking the stifling silence. "Let's go get some ice cream! Have I mentioned that your mother is a terrific cook? I thought I'd burst last night from all that great food, haven't eaten like that in years..." He took Tomoyo by the arm and began to pull her away from the table with him.
"What are you doing?" she hissed, yanking her arm out of his grasp as soon as they were out of sight.
"Giving them some space! Look at them, sitting there like stone statues. It's crazy!"
"Yes, but Sakura-"
"They're not children, you know. I'm sure they can take care of themselves," he said, dripping with sarcasm. "Besides, you and I need to get a few things straight." For once, he looked dead serious as his gaze fell on Tomoyo's surprised eyes.
"W-what..?" she croaked, backing away nervously as he continued to advance in her direction.
Suddenly, she was wrapped up in a warm hug that swept her breath away. Heart thudding furiously, his breath tickled her ear as he whispered into it, "Just because we're helping out our friends doesn't mean we can't have a good time ourselves." He pulled her closer, and she just didn't have the strength or will to push him away. Closing her eyes, she slowly, tentatively wrapped her arms around him and breathed in the vague scent of some fancy cologne. This was wrong. She shouldn't be blushing, shouldn't be relishing the feel of his arms holding her, shouldn't be hugging him back like this. But if this was wrong, why was she still here?
"Tell me," he said gently. "why you hate me."
"I don't hate you." The words were out of her mouth at once before she could shut it. She was glad that she was in his embrace now, so she wouldn't have to look in his eyes.
"Then why are you always-"
"-so mean to you?" Tomoyo finished for him. "Well, it's always been a bit hard to...to show people my true feelings. Sakura was my best friend, and I could trust her. I was much more open then. But my mother was never around, and when she was, we always went to these extravagant parties hosted by wealthy people. I was taught to always smile, be polite and graceful and beautiful and..."
She paused to catch her breath at this sudden spilling of words. Who knew she'd be telling Eriol this, of all people? "...and I didn't trust guys. Even when they were interested in me, I was afraid that there would be nothing inside. That they were just wearing an empty shell. Nothing real. So I pushed them away."
She stared over his shoulder miserably, waiting for some smart remark, a laugh or smirk. Eriol wasn't supposed to discover all this about her. Now he would probably think she was a crazy guy-hater or something and stay as far away from her as he could. Wonderful. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited for him to say something.
But then, this was Eriol the Player, after all. Why was she caring so much about what he thought of her? Tomoyo's anger flared up for a moment as she turned to defensive mode. But her cool, logical thoughts quickly fled to the very back of her mind. Eriol pulled back a few inches from her and looked into her dark amethyst eyes.
"Don't try to push me away now," he whispered softly. "Because no matter where you go, I'll always be there. I'll follow you to the ends of the earth if I need to."
*****
Sakura twisted around in her chair, scanning the sunny sidewalks for her friends. Why'd they just leave like that? Wrinkling her brow in consternation, she pondered this. It felt even stranger, not having those two around to make conversation. True, she had wanted some alone time with Syaoran so they could really talk, but right now, this was so... Well, was it really a date? She felt a nervous squirm inside her stomach. It would be much easier if Tomoyo and Eriol were back here.
"Sakura, if you're uncomfortable, you can just go and find them."
"Hm?" Startled, Sakura whipped back around. Syaoran was smiling softly at her with that quiet way of his, and his amber eyes shining through messy chestnut strands that were falling across his forehead.
"No, I-I'm fine!" she stammered, looking down at her drink. "I was just wondering where they went, that's all..."
"It's okay." The chair screeched against the ground as he got up and came over to her side of the table. Leaning with one arm on the table, his eyes twinkled down at her. "I'm scared to death too," he admitted.
Sakura laughed with him, and the atmosphere loosened up considerably.
"Let's go somewhere else," said Syaoran.
"Sure," she replied, getting up and stretching. "Where?"
"There's a park near here, I think. Want to walk for a while?"
"Okay." She followed him through the clusters of tables, wondering if he was finally opening up. He had actually suggested going somewhere himself. A good sign?
Half-lost in thought, she bumped into someone and turned to apologize. "Sorry, I'm so clumsy- Keichii!" Her eyes widened as she realized who it was.
"Hey, Sakura," Keichii said, smiling. "And Syaoran."
"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.
"Oh, I'm...um..." he reddened, but was saved from answering when Meilin popped into view, holding two tall drinks and a large order of fries.
"Sakura!" she squealed, almost dropping the food. "You never told me you had a boyfriend!" Handing the food to Keichii, she eyed Syaoran curiously. "Ah, you're that new guy everyone's talking about!" she said, smiling slyly. "Syaoran, right? Nice to meet you." She took his hand and shook it slowly, taking her time.
Sakura clenched her fist. "That's MY date!" she wanted to yell. Surprised at her feelings, she wondered when she had become so possessive.
"He's not my boyfriend," she said, staring away again.
"Well, you're on a date, aren't you? Hey, I know! Why don't you guys come sit with us!" Before anyone could protest, Meilin dragged Syaoran to a table and made him sit down opposite her. "Sit!" she commanded Sakura, pointing to the seat next to him. "And you!" She yanked Keichii down by the arm and moved his chair close to her.
"Keichii's too shy," she drawled, winking at him. "It's like he's scared of me or something."
"Yeah right," he shot back, sticking out his tongue at her. She brought her face close to him, and he withdrew his tongue at the last moment. Sakura looked away quickly, not wanting to see them kiss.
"Sakura," Syaoran said. She glanced into his face and saw concern. His eyes were plainly asking if she was all right. Oh yes. She'd forgotten that she had told Syaoran all about the Keichii thing.
"I'm fine," she whispered.
"Hey, want some fries?" Keichii held them out to her. She took one and stared at it, not feeling very hungry.
"Oh, and none for me?" Meilin said indignantly, folding her arms.
"Nope. None at all," he grinned. Opening his mouth to eat one, he bit on thin air as Meilin took the fry out of his hand. She bit the top off of it and giggled, "Here, you can have it back now."
Sakura was silent. Why did she feel so weird? Keichii wasn't her boyfriend. And here she finally had a chance to really get to know Syaoran, and she was blowing it all.
Immersed in her troubled thoughts, she didn't notice that Syaoran was watching her carefully.
*****
Later, that night in her room, Sakura squeezed a teddy bear and looked at the clock listlessly. Only eight o'clock. She sighed. There had to be something she could do to untangle all these knots in her mind that were driving her nuts. Sitting down cross-legged on her bed, her eyes wandered out her window into the night. The moon was shining so full and bright tonight, and she could make out faint stars twinkling around it. The night air smelled so cool and refreshing that she just wanted to get out there and let everything go.
For some reason, her thoughts turned to Syaoran. Was he looking out of his window too, at the same bright orb that she was? Was he also feeling so restless?
Putting down her bear, she opened the door and headed downstairs. Now that Touya was gone again, the house was much quieter. Even though he was an annoyingly stupid brother, she still missed him. And her father wasn't home yet. Lately, he had taken up a temporary teaching position for a night class, which meant he usually came home after she was asleep. The house would be depressingly silent for a few weeks.
Suddenly, a creak from somewhere in the house made her yelp and jump three feet in the air. This wouldn't do. She had to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she went to front door, pulled on her shoes, and stepped outside. "Maybe a walk will help," she muttered, and locked the door behind her.
Sakura strode briskly along the sidewalk, her eyes trained on the sky above. The darkness up there was so complete, with only the moon and the sprinklings of stars breaking it. Well, it wasn't so scary anymore. But now, there was something else nagging at her.
Loneliness. She wished someone was here walking next to her, smiling confidently at her. Walking faster, she tried not to think about being alone. What if there was some crazy ax murderer hiding in those bushes? Or worse, a ghost?? She rubbed her arms, feeling goosebumps prickle at her skin. "Darn scary movies!" she said aloud, and she found that her voice trembled a little.
Sakura suddenly found herself standing at the front door of a familiar-looking house. Why did it look so welcoming, as if it was calling her inside? Before she knew what was happening, her finger had pressed the doorbell. She snatched it back quickly, but it was too late. The door swung open.
"Sakura!" Yelan exclaimed, surprised. "Why, come in, dear!" Ushering her inside, she immediately offered her the couch and a plate of elegant sugar cookies. "You must be looking for Syaoran," she said, smiling. "He's in the shower at the moment, but I'm sure he'll be right out. Just wait a few minutes, make yourself at home. Would you like anything to drink?"
"N-no thank you," Sakura said, a little overwhelmed at Yelan's motherly pleasantness. "I'll just wait for him. But thank you."
She looked around at the spacious rooms. This house had to be at least twice as big as her own. Wandering down the hall, she noticed that a door was partway open. The lights were on in that room, and she could hear the beat of music from the radio or CD player. Intrigued, she stepped inside and knew at once that this was Syaoran's room.
It was huge. There was a TV with various video games and DVDs stacked next to it. A large rug sat in the middle of the floor, and on the other side of the room stood a long table with, among many other things, a flat-screen computer. Next to it was a tall bookcase filled from top to bottom with (what else?) books. This room was so neat and clean that she marveled at it. So unlike her own cluttered den.
Sakura heard the door open and looked up. Syaoran's eyes stared back at her. His hair was wet and slightly dripping, falling in front of his eyes, and he was wearing nothing but a large towel around the middle.
She quickly averted her eyes, blushing like a tomato.
"Sakura," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You should've told me that you wanted into my room so badly."
"S-shut up! It's not funny," she said. Her cheeks were surely on fire by now.
Syaoran chuckled. "It's not that I mind you being in my room or anything, but you kinda caught me by surprise. Next time, let me know beforehand, hm?"
"I'm sorry," she said, still frozen with embarrassment. Flitting to the opposite side of the room so he could dress, she spotted a pair of binoculars on the table. They reminded her of something...
"Hand me that shirt, would you, please?" Sakura blinked at him confusedly and saw that he was wearing jeans now. Her eyes fell on his bare, finely-muscled chest. She blushed deeply again, her heart pounding so loudly that it could probably be heard from all the way across the room.
Coming to her side, Syaoran took the T-shirt that was slung across a chair and started to pull it on. "It was only a shirt, Sakura," he said, heaving a sigh of exasperation. She glanced at him with alarm. Was he annoyed with her?
"I'm just kidding! Is something wrong, Sakura?"
Instead of answering, she ran a finger along the edge of the binocular lens. "I still have the one you gave me," she said thoughtfully.
"And you can still keep it," he replied, smiling at her. "That reminds me, we should go to this one great birding place I know. If you go early enough in the morning, you can see the hawks flying out from their night perches. And the sunrise is amazing."
"I'd like to see that."
"Then I'll take you."
She looked at him, searched his eyes, and caught a brief glimpse of something. Tenderness? Affection? No, couldn't be. She must have seen wrong.
Looking away from him, Sakura saw a large cage that she hadn't noticed before. "What's that?" she asked.
Syaoran grinned. "My budgie," he explained, opening the door and reaching inside. His hand came out with a small green bird perched on it. Blinking its ebony eyes sleepily, the bird squawked softly, "Xiao Lang!"
Laughing in delight, Sakura held out her hand and it jumped on. "Xiao Lang? Isn't that your name in Chinese?" she asked, marveling at the beauty of the little winged creature.
"Yep. It means 'Little Wolf'. And his name is Xiao Ying, 'Little Hawk'." Syaoran said, peering over her shoulder at his bird. "C'mere, Ying!"
"Shower?" squeaked Xiao Ying, scrambling up Sakura's arm towards Syaoran's face.
She giggled, feeling the tiny feet tickle her shoulder. And then the little weight was gone, and she looked up in surprise. The bird was perched on top of Syaoran's head, busily chewing a strand of hair.
"He's so cute!" she exclaimed. "Can you teach him to say my name?"
"I'll try," he said, smiling at her. "He may be cute, but he's a little pooping machine. He poops about once every fifteen minutes." They laughed together at this statement, and Sakura relished the sound of his laugh. Syaoran looked so happy now, so different from his usual taciturn self at school. And he looked so cute with Xiao Ying.
Her gaze wandered again to the window, and the stars beckoned to her to come outside. "Syaoran, let's take a walk," she said, feeling completely at ease now.
"Just what I was about to suggest." He plucked Xiao Ying off his head and held him out to her. "Kiss him goodnight!" Giggling, she complied, giving him a quick peck on his little feathery head. "Aww...I think he's blushing," Syaoran said, winking at her as he let the bird back inside the cage. "Okay, let's go. Hey, we can go to that park now. Never been there at night, though."
As they left his room, Sakura was filled with some kind of unknown anticipation. She wasn't sure what it was yet, but she knew that something would be different by the time she went back home to sleep.
*A/N- Yay! More than 3,000 words, my longest chapter so far! T_T I'm so proud...
Now tell me, do you like it? My goal is to reach 100 reviews soon! Please help! And don't forget my story, even though Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is coming out on Saturday.. -_-;;
Oh yea... THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for ALL the reviews, I loved them all!! T_T ßtears of joy... Please keep it up!!