.::Spilling Stars::.
By Fantasiimaker
~Chapter Twelve: Starry Night
"Hi Syaoran," said Sakura, cheeks flushed pink from the cool night temperature outside. "Sorry we're late. Our taxi driver had a little trouble finding this place. He said he doesn't usually come out this far into the woods, and it was dark, so..."
"The fellow nearly cheated me out of all my spare cash!" Eriol exclaimed. Pushing his way past Sakura and into the warmth of the cabin, he set their bags down next to the sofa and rounded on Syaoran. "So, how's it been?" he asked. "Got any food? I'm starved!"
"Y-yeah...dinner's on the table," muttered Syaoran, vaguely waving a hand in the direction of the dining room. He was frowning very concentratedly at the carpet, and his eyes kept flitting halfway to Sakura and back down again.
With a meaningful glance at Sakura, Tomoyo followed Eriol into the house and left the two standing alone. Sakura was still standing in the open door, both hands clutching her bag, silently drinking in the image of Syaoran standing in front of her. She couldn't get enough of it; his rough hair, his serious expression, every perfect feature of his standing out to her...
Those brown eyes...
His eyes came up to meet her, and she was instantly locked in a swirl of dizzy light, a private world all their own suspended only in each other's eyes. Sakura felt closer to him than she had in days, despite the fact that they were still standing apart by several feet. She had never known exactly how much she'd missed him until now, and being here, seeing him, was like...
Like being able to breathe again, she thought fuzzily.
"Well, are you coming in?" Syaoran finally said. Sakura nodded slowly and shut the door, not taking her eyes away from him in case this wondrous connection would be severed. He couldn't stop looking at her either. His eyes poured out a thousand words, and she opened her heart to let them fly in.
Abruptly, their space returned to real time. Leaning forward, Syaoran took the heavy bag from Sakura's grasp and hoisted it easily over his shoulder. "Where would you like this? I could take it to one of the bedrooms for you, if you want," he offered.
"Oh, you can just leave it with those for now," said Sakura, indicating the bags where Eriol had left them.
"Whatever you wish." Syaoran dropped her bag there with a soft thump and started to the dining table, but he came to a halt when he realized Sakura was still frozen in place behind him. "What is it?" he asked.
"Whatever you wish," she said softly, smiling at him. "You said that to me the first time we met, remember?"
"I...did?"
Sakura gave him a disappointed look. "Don't you remember? I asked you if I could use your shoulder, and you said..."
"...whatever you wish," finished Syaoran, his eyes flashing in recognition. A kind of faint half-smile appeared on his face. To Sakura's confusion, he turned around quickly and she was left staring at his back.
"You must be hungry after that long trip," he said. "Come on, the food's getting cold."
"Oh..." This completely wasn't the kind of welcome Sakura had been expecting. She'd been waiting for so long to see him again, and all he said to her was this? Well...what had she really been expecting? For Syaoran to come running into her arms with a wide smile and all of a sudden forgive her for everything?
"Syaoran!" she said suddenly, scrambling across the room to keep up with his fast pace. "I hope you don't mind that Tomoyo and Eriol are here too. My dad was worried and wouldn't let me come alone. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier."
"It's fine," replied Syaoran. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're here." He flashed her a rare smile, and everything was right in the world again.
Tomoyo and Eriol were already seated next to each other at the table when they got there. Sakura immediately took the chair nearest to Tomoyo and realized with a racing heart that Syaoran was sitting on her other side. Coincidence? Sneaking a look at his face, she found the lightest trace of a blush.
"Wow, this food looks wonderful!" said Tomoyo, scanning the dishes eagerly. "Can we start yet, Syaoran?"
"Sure. Go ahead." Syaoran picked half-heartedly at a few things and started on his rice, looking positively distracted. On the other hand, Eriol dumped large helpings of almost everything onto his plate and began shoveling it into his mouth with relish.
"Mmm mmm! Dish shtuff ish ekshalent! Whish reshtaurant didya get it from?" Eriol inquired with his mouth packed.
Glaring at him, Tomoyo remarked, "Nice manners, you pig!" Eriol gave her a pained look and swallowed.
"Actually..." said Syaoran, poking around in his bowl with chopsticks. "I made it myself."
"Really!" Tomoyo gasped. "Wow, Syaoran, I never knew you were such a good cook! Maybe you could give a few tips to this useless lump here-" She prodded Eriol on the arm, who made a face at her in return.
Thoughtfully, Sakura chewed the savory food in her mouth. For some reason, she had already known that Syaoran was the one who had cooked all this. It just didn't look like restaurant food to her. Had he cooked it just for her? No, she couldn't think that, he probably made dinner for himself every night. But it was such delicious food that it might even be able to rival her father's. Still, she couldn't really get much down, for there was a jittery feeling in her stomach that just wouldn't let up. Oh well. She wasn't really that hungry anyway.
This wasn't going as well as Sakura had thought it might. She and Syaoran still weren't saying a word to each other. What was wrong here? It was hard to match the cheerfulness of her other two friends sitting at the table, and she didn't feel like putting on a false happy face.
She was supposed to do what she had come all the way here for: to apologize to Syaoran. An urgent bubble was rising inside her, ready to burst out of her mouth in a torrent of explanation, but she forced it down. She wanted to tell him so much that she didn't think she could stand to wait any longer. But...was this really the right time? If only they had some silence... For once, Sakura found herself wishing that Tomoyo and Eriol weren't here right now.
"All right, who's going to wash the dishes?" asked Tomoyo, heaving a sigh of satisfaction.
"Don't worry about those. You can just leave them in sink for now." Getting up from his seat, Syaoran started to carry dishes into the kitchen. The others helped, and in no time the table was sparkling clean.
"What now?" said Sakura.
"Well, I was planning a sort of camp out night...since...well..." Syaoran lowered his voice to a mutter, and Sakura had to lean close to hear his words. "Since you didn't get to stay with me that night we met. But you wanted to sleep out under the stars, right?" he said in a rush. His face was turning a curious rose color, but Sakura didn't notice; her mind was racing excitedly.
"You want to take me out there? And camp out?" she asked, her voice rising in contrast to Syaoran's quietness.
He glanced at her quickly and said, "If you don't want to, it's all right with me. I just wanted to suggest the idea and see if you-"
"What are you talking about?? It's great! I can't wait to go!" cried Sakura happily, and before she knew what she was doing, the girl threw her arms around Syaoran as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "Thank you," she murmured, pressing a smile into his shoulder.
It was then that her eyes popped open and she realized where she was.
In Syaoran's arms.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispered dazedly, pulling back a little so that they ended up looking directly at each other. "I...I didn't mean to jump on you..."
"It's okay," said Syaoran with a soft smile that tugged at her heartstrings. He still wasn't pulling away. Maybe they could just stay like this forever, close together and surrounded by each other's warmth, and no one would ever notice...
Eriol cleared his throat loudly, reminding them that they had spectators. Blushing a deep scarlet, Syaoran used this interruption as an excuse to speak again, "Um, you two can come too, I'll go get the stuff and see if there are some extra sleeping bags..." He quickly disappeared into a back room, leaving a dreamy Sakura with Tomoyo and Eriol.
"Wow Sakura, you really do like him," Tomoyo commented with a grin.
"Hmm.... What? No, Tomoyo, not so loud!" protested Sakura nervously, shooting looks in the direction Syaoran had headed off to. "I didn't even get to tell him anything yet!"
"All right, all right, calm down," said Tomoyo, while Eriol smirked. Before he had the chance to remark, Syaoran came back with an armful of stuffed backpacks.
"Sorry, we don't have enough sleeping bags for all four of us," he said apologetically.
"No problem, Eriol and I'll just stay here tonight!" Tomoyo said at once. "You two go on. We'll be fine. Right, Eriol?" She poked him in the side with an elbow.
"Yep, we'll be just perfect here!" Eriol agreed quickly. "Don't worry about us. We can...um...wash those dishes! Yeah! So go ahead, have a good time!"
"Are you sure, you guys?" asked Sakura.
"Yes!" Tomoyo reassured her. Leaning toward her, the dark-haired girl whispered into Sakura's ear, "Now's your chance!"
Syaoran glanced at her. "Is that okay with you, Sakura?" She nodded. "All right then, let's go now. Oh, I have all the supplies, but is there anything you want to bring?"
"Mmm..." she thought carefully for a moment. "Not really... Oh wait! I know!" Diving for her bag near the sofa, she unzipped the top and pulled out the treasured binoculars. "Will there be any birds?" she asked. Syaoran nodded, not taking his shining eyes off the binoculars. She knew he'd be glad to see it again, since it represented something irreplacable that had been shared between them.
Wordlessly, Sakura took the backpack that Syaoran handed her and stepped quickly after him into the fresh night air. Eriol and Tomoyo followed them to the door to see them off. "Have fun!" Eriol called after them, wearing a rather large grin. "Don't get into too much trouble! Don't do anything naughty-" He was cut off by Tomoyo brutally shoving him out of the way.
"Bye Sakura! See you tomorrow!" Tomoyo's voice faded into the distance, and Sakura waved to her before turning around to follow Syaoran into the woods.
The sky was clear tonight, not a cloud in sight to obstruct the view of the heavenly bodies above. A soft breeze ruffled Sakura's hair, carrying with it the scent of pines and the earthy ground layered with leaves. As they walked along briskly, she heard a deep hooting from somewhere in the dark trees.
"Syaoran?" she said, meaning to ask him about it. "Syaoran! Would you slow down? Why are you going so fast!?" She caught up with him and clung tightly to his arm, resolving not to let him get so far ahead.
"Sorry," said Syaoran. "I just want to make sure we get to the right place."
"Well, you still don't need to go that fast," Sakura muttered grudgingly. "What if you lose me and I never find my way out of here?"
He laughed and pulled her closer, confidently. "Don't worry, you'll never get lost while I'm here. Even if you did, I'd be able to find you no matter where you are. We're still on the Li property, after all."
"Are you saying that this whole place is yours? The cabin, these woods, everything?" she exclaimed.
"Not all of the woods, no," he replied. "We just own this small section that's surrounding the cabin. There are a few places that have an excellent view overlooking the big forest. I'm trying to find a nice spot near one of those for tonight, so when the sun comes up tomorrow..." His smile was clearly visible even in the dark, and Sakura couldn't help smiling along.
"Ah, here it is!" They stopped suddenly, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Syaoran set down his backpack and began to unroll his sleeping bag, and Sakura did the same.
"How do you know that this is the place?" she asked as she cleared a large branch from her sleeping spot.
"Oh, I just...know." Syaoran pointed to a clean place covered with soft grass that was next to his sleeping bag, and she brought her bag over. "I recognize this tree. And the bend in the trail over there. It's not that hard for me."
"You've really spent a lot of time out here, huh?"
"Mmm hmm, I come here every summer. And just whenever I feel like it. This is one of my favorite places."
"I know, your mom told me." Immediately, Sakura wished she hadn't said that.
"You talked to my mom?" he said, staring at her.
"That day you left... I called her because I wanted to know where you were going," said Sakura quietly. Sitting down on her cushy sleeping bag, she drew her knees up close to her body and wrapped her arms around them.
"Oh. I hope she didn't bore you too much. I'm guessing she told you not to worry, that I do this all the time?" He laid himself down on his back and stared at the sky.
"Yeah, something like that. She said that you know how to use a sword. I want to see that!"
"Left the swords at home," Syaoran murmured disinterestedly. "Besides, they're a pain at the airport luggage checks. Weapons, you know."
Sakura looked down at her feet. It looked like their conversation was drifting off into nothingness again. Should she talk about...the Keichii thing now? No, maybe a little later. It was too soon, and they'd just gotten settled out here. With a sigh, she leaned back into her sleeping bag too and turned her head to face Syaoran. Then she noticed how close they really were; their sleeping bags were almost touching at the sides.
Syaoran was still looking upward, and he was so silent that Sakura thought he might be asleep. But she saw his eyes were open. She followed his gaze.
Stars, stars winking in the black velvety heavens like tiny droplets of diamond, stars in sparkling clusters, little sprinklings across the sky, decorating the darkness and making Sakura gasp with the beauty of it all. The moon, too, drew amazement with a silvery glowing brightness that even its waning state couldn't mar. Somewhere deep in the forest, a nightjar called in a soft, clear whistle.
Now that she and Syaoran were finally here, together, all alone in this perfect, enchanting place, Sakura couldn't speak. I don't want to ruin this moment, she thought. This is enough, just lying here next to you under the stars, under the entire universe, breathing the same air as you and hearing your soft breathing so close to me.
Maybe he was asleep now. Slowly, Sakura inched her way toward his resting body, closer, as close to his comforting warmth as she dared.
"I'm sorry." The suddenness of his words would have made her jump if she hadn't been lying down, but her heart continued to pound loudly. "I'm sorry for doubting you. For questioning you about Keichii. I'm sorry, Sakura."
Oh, those words... Did they really have a fight? How silly and insignificant it seemed now. What in the world had they been fighting about? "No, what are you apologizing for? I'm the one who should be saying sorry," Sakura choked. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you and saying those horrible words to you. You know I didn't mean a single one of those things, right?"
"I hoped not, they sounded too ugly coming from your pretty mouth," he said with a smile.
"Hey, be serious! I'm trying to apologize here!" she glared angrily at him. "And I'm also sorry about Keichii. Tomoyo told me what you had seen, and you should know that we did not kiss, and there are no feelings between us of...that sort. Only friendship. Got it?"
"So Eriol was telling the truth. Whew...that was driving me crazy. So you really don't have the nasty lip germs of that guy plastered all over you?"
"Syaoran! Just because I said I'm sorry doesn't mean you can diss him! He's still my friend!"
"Oh no, Sakura, don't. You're making me jealous again. I don't think this poor heart of mine can take it."
"Hmph!" Frowning, Sakura turned her back on him and stared at a blade of grass parallel to her face. "If you're not gonna be serious, then I'm not talking to you."
"Oh, and you were complaining before that I was too serious!" Syaoran pulled gently at a lock of her hair, and when she still didn't turn around, he twirled the piece of hair around his finger. "Hey, Sakura, have you ever kissed a guy before?" he asked casually.
"Wha-" Swiping away his hand, Sakura whipped around and eyed him suspiciously. "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing at all," he answered, winking in a very unconvincing way. "Just answer the question for me, please? I want to know."
"Well...no, I haven't. What about you?" She could feel a blush rising in her cheeks and was glad of the darkness.
"Nope, I haven't kissed before either," he said to her immense relief. Stretching his arms out in a wide yawn, Syaoran promptly turned over in his sleeping bag and left her staring at his back, leaving her more than a little disappointed.
"H-hey, Syaoran..." said Sakura, poking him in the shoulder.
"Hm?" He turned over again, gazing right into her face. Those dark amber eyes softly took her in until, as though in a trance, she reached over and fingered a stray strand of brown hair near his cheek.
"I missed you so much," she murmured sleepily. "I thought you were going to move away. I thought you were gonna go and leave me forever."
Syaoran smiled and touched her hand lightly. "No way. I would never do that."
*****
*A/N – Wow, over three hundred reviews! So many people have read and like my story! I'm honored... ::dances for joy; readers all stare:: Well, I think it's high time that I THANK some of these people, so I'll start by saying thank you!!! to the reviewers of Chapter 11 (up to the time of this writing):
aznbludragongir, CronoCat-I wanna meet a real-life Syaoran too!! And he's not just inviting Sakura here to watch hawks, it's also just to be with her.., Midnight-Blue, Mini Sweety-Yup, I need to stop being so lazy and start writing faster!, servant of sirius, AnimeObsessionFantasy, KawaiiLiLCherryWolf, bunny angel, Natalie, PeachBlossom4416, GoddessLD, helen, Sparta-I'm glad to know Fujitaka is himself^_^, sally, emerald wolf, MoNkEyLuV4LiFe, x.scape., sKeWeD, Crazy-cherry, cherry blossom, Chico0221, LiL DuDeTtE, MeMe, Anime Queen, Wondakika05, Midnight Moon- Yay, I'm glad you think my chapters are long enough!, Julia and Tania- Wah! You're so wonderful! I've never gotten such long and well thought out reviews! When I got your first one for Ch10, my eyes nearly popped.. And I'm so happy that you like "Dance With Me" too! It's these in-depth reviews like yours that truly inspire a writer and make her feel like it's all worthwhile! I wish I could review like that! _, not applicable, adriana, CuziMaGrL, EcuaGirl, BabyWolfGurl, Rosie, kelly, MeMe (again!), PnAiXr0Se8, chibimiaka-chan, battousaixangel- No! Don't die!, Mystic Moon Empress, dilly-sammas luver, Linky-chan, crystal-chan-Thank you, I'm so happy you like my writing! ^^, meimei, Drunken Little Monkey, lexy ann
Thanks a billion, all of you! Even if you didn't review, thanks for taking the time to read! I really appreciate all of your help and the inspiration you've given me! This chapter was a bit short, but I thought it had been long enough since I'd last updated. So I wasn't able to squeeze all the stuff I wanted into here, but because of that, the next chapter will be out VERY soon! I won't take a whole week this time! Joy! ^_^
Okay, now I need your opinion. I'd like to know if you think I should keep going with this story for a while and make it even longer (so I could try for 1000 reviews! Lol!). Or do you think I should end Spilling Stars in a few more chapters, and then start a new story? Well, if I decide to keep writing this one, I'll most likely start a new one too since I've been thinking about it for some time. Okay okay, I'll stop rambling on now. Talk to me! What do you think?