.::Spilling Stars::.
By Fantasiimaker
~Chapter Thirteen: Birdwatching
It would be night soon. Slowly sinking down into the deep blue ocean, the blazing sun sent flares of red and orange dancing across the waters, lighting the waves on fire. Shadows were beginning to creep up over the sand, turning the baked warmth into a comfortable coolness.
Syaoran sat cross-legged, back straight, eyes closed, facing the ocean. He was meditating, like his newest Chinese martial arts teacher had shown him back home. Home. Was it really right to call it home, when they would probably just move away again?
The young boy allowed his eyes to open and take in the beautiful colors of dusk. Here he was once again, outside and on the beach. A whole week they had been here, and the beach was the only place he had actually liked. What other alternatives did he have, with his sisters dominating the TV and his mom working away on her computer, or on the phone? Even though she'd promised that she would leave her work behind this time.
Oh well. Syaoran had gotten used to it. Every time, she promised she would spend some more time with him, and not once had she kept her promise. That was okay. She had more important stuff to do. He liked being alone, anyway.
Still not moving from his sitting position, Syaoran turned his eyes from the sunset to the silver sword lying in the sand before him. Finally. For months, he had dearly coveted trying out that sword on his teacher's wall. He had watched in rapt attention every time the teacher gave a demonstration. And finally, after all that waiting, he had been allowed a suitable-sized sword of his own just before his ninth birthday...
Even though it wasn't the first time he had used the sword, Syaoran's breath still caught in his throat as he lifted it high. What marvelous, beautiful perfection. He stood up and brought the gleaming metal swishing through the air.
"Wow, that's cool!" said a voice from behind him. Syaoran's heart leaped. It was her.
"H-hi," he said, turning to look at the cheerful auburn-haired girl. Good. At least he had managed to save himself from total embarrassment by coming up with an intelligible greeting this time.
She grinned back at him. "Hey, can I try holding your sword?" she asked.
Syaoran nodded. "But you have to be careful," he cautioned, handing it to her.
Even with both hands gripping the hilt, she couldn't support its weight; the sword slipped onto the sand with a thud.
"Oops, sorry," the girl grinned sheepishly as Syaoran picked it back up. "It's just too heavy for me. How can you lift it like that? You must be really strong!"
He blushed under her pure admiration. "Naw...you just need practice. Like...like you said, with the stars."
"Really? You think I could do it?" she asked doubtfully. In answer, Syaoran reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handfull of slightly smushed, but still intact, paper stars. Now was his chance. Dare he do it?
Gently, he took one of her hands and let his stars spill into the center of her palm. He had to say it, now, before he forgot or chickened out. "Please take these," said Syaoran. "S-since you gave me yours yesterday. And also...since you gave me the shell." Automatically, his hand went up to the cord around his neck, where the treasured shell hung with a tiny hole he had bored painstakingly by himself a few days ago.
"Hm? What's that?" said the girl, peering closely at his neck. "The seashell I gave you!" Her eyes sparkled in delight, and Syaoran glowed. So she didn't think it was silly of him to make it into a necklace.
"Okay!" she exclaimed, gingerly closing her hand around the stars. "I'll keep 'em, and I'll never lose them, ever! Not even when I die!"
"I'll never lose your shell either," said Syaoran softly. "I'll always keep it close to me."
With a determined look on her face, the little girl suddenly yanked Syaoran's sword out of his hands. It promptly plunked into the sand again. "Errr...I can do this..." she groaned, straining to lift the sword. "If you can make those stars, then I can lift this sword too...C'mon..." She pulled and pulled, but it barely budged.
After watching her for a second, Syaoran put his hands over hers and used a little of his strength to help her lift. When she had it safely balanced in the air, he slowly, carefully took his hands away, ready to catch the sword again if necessary. To his surprise, the sword trembled a few times but remained steadily in the air.
"See!" she grinned proudly. "Told ya I could do it! Hey, could you come over here and take it now? I think I'm gonna let go."
Syaoran quickly took the sword from her, but before he could set it down, she threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly. "Thank you," she murmured, smiling. "I did it because you helped me. I'm so glad you're my friend." A little taken aback, the boy stared down at her reddish-brown hair that was practically touching his nose. It was always a bit of a surprise when she hugged him like this, but that wasn't to say he didn't like it. Oh no. He liked it very much.
Her hair smelled lightly of some fragrant spring flower. Plum. Or peach, perhaps.
Or was it cherry?
*****
Snuggled deep inside her toasty sleeping bag, Sakura opened her eyes to the sound of songbirds twittering away madly. The sky was still dark, in a dusky kind of way. She could just barely spot the moon, which was gradually fading out into nothingness.
Why had she gotten up so early? It usually took her forever to drag herself up in the mornings. Taking in a deep breath of crisp fresh air, she was suddenly wide awake. Oh yeah, Syaoran. She turned over and rested her gaze on his sleeping form next to her.
Eyes closed, the boy had abandoned his usually guarded, serious expression for one of peaceful contentment. The straggling grey light touched on chestnut hair that was once again falling messily across his forehead.
"He's probably having a beautiful dream," Sakura smiled to herself. "I wonder what he's dreaming about?"
Slowly, quietly, so she wouldn't wake the sleeping Syaoran, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and examined his face more closely. If only she had a camera on hand right now. Oh no, she was starting to think like Tomoyo.
Stifling a giggle, Sakura moved her hand toward Syaoran's face. After a moment's hesitation, she tentatively ran a finger along his cheek, letting her hand wander over his hair so that she barely brushed those tousled brown locks. She wanted to bury her face in it and breathe in, commiting his scent to her memory permanently. I never thought I'd feel like this. This feeling...is it what I've been searching for?
A warm hand slid over her own, jolting her back to reality. Sakura's first thought was that Syaoran had awakened, but as she glanced down at him, the boy smiled in his sleep. "Sakura..." he murmured, drawing her hand closer to his face. His lips brushed her fingers, sending a pleasant tingle that raced all the way throughout her body. It could have been an accident. Or maybe, in his dream... Her hand still helplessly in Syaoran's hold, Sakura blushed at the thought. Was he seeing her face in his dream?
Slowly, Syaoran's eyes blinked open. He looked confused for a second, then grinned drowsily when he saw Sakura leaning over him. "Mmm...is it morning already...?" he mumbled, moving the hand that wasn't holding Sakura's over his eyes to block the light. Suddenly, he froze.
"Oh no, the birds!" Syaoran cried out. Bolting up from his sleeping bag, he grabbed his backpack and glanced about wildly. "We have to hurry if we want to catch it. Do you have your binoculars?"
Grabbing it from its resting place on top of her own backpack, Sakura was immediately pulled off her feet into the woods after Syaoran. He still hadn't let go of her hand all this time, she realized as the trees passed by in a blur of green. Passing through the maze of branches, the faint morning light was now becoming stronger.
Ahead of her, Syaoran was muttering to himself. "Can't believe this... Wanted you to see the sunrise... Can't believe I almost made us miss it..." he grumbled on furiously.
"H-hey Syaoran...it's okay, I don't really mind...too much..."
"What are you TALKING about??" he almost shouted. "We have to go back home today, don't we? This is our only chance!"
"O-okay..." replied Sakura meekly, trotting along after his long strides. To tell the truth, it was kind of funny, in a sweet and touching way, that Syaoran cared so much about this. It was just birds, right? Did the timing have to be so exact?
They came to a sudden stop at the end of the trail, which opened up to a wide ledge overlooking the endless sea of trees beneath them. The sun was still just a yellow sliver at the edge of the horizon.
Syaoran had finally let go of her hand and was now scanning the skies. "All right, we haven't missed it," he said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Any moment now. See over there?" He indicated a large cluster of branchy trees growing close to some tall, craggy cliffs. "That's where a pair of Red-tailed Hawks used to nest. If we're lucky, we might see one of their chicks. If they're still around."
They watched the dark trees intently until the sunlight hit and illuminated the branches. "There! I see it!" exclaimed Syaoran at once, bringing up his binoculars. "It's that large bump on the branch sticking out over there. Do you see it?"
Uncertainly, Sakura stared through her binoculars at the spot he had shown her. She quickly saw the source of his excitement; a large chocolate-brown hawk perched upright on the branch. These binos really were good; she could see almost every detail as the bird ruffled in the brightness, stretched a wing, and launched itself off the tree.
Sakura gasped. A bright red tail flashed in the sun as the hawk spread its feathers wide. With a couple of flaps, it was in the air, soaring higher and higher until she had to crane her neck with her face pointed straight up.
"Don't stay like that for too long, or your neck will hurt," said Syaoran with a grin. Sakura turned to him; he had stopped looking at the hawk and was watching her instead. "Ready for a real sight?" he asked. "Look."
She had been so busy watching the hawk before that she hadn't remembered the sun. Now she gazed hungrily at the sky, speechless, at the picture before her that looked like a scene out of a nature movie, or a remarkably realistic painting. The dawn was spectacular. Spreading its golden rays across the edge of the sky until the horizon line glowed a reddish tangerine, the firey half-sun rose through low morning clouds. It touched the fluffy whiteness with a blend of different colors; first a cool grey, then a soft blue to match the sky, then cotton candy pink, and finally an orange gloriousness that was the same as the sun.
The trees, too, were painted anew in bright green, the outlines contrasting from their previous dullness. Everything seemed to have a new definition to it, highlighted by the golden touch of the sunrise. Bursting up from their night roosts, flocks of songbirds sang out in celebration and dashed about, letting the warmth sink in before racing off to find breakfast. Soon, the forest was filled with the shrill chirping songs of hundreds of birds happily singing their hearts out.
"There's a lake over there, see?" Syaoran pointed out. Sure enough, a lone white egret drifted up from a patch of blue in the distance. Silhouetted against the blazing sun, it flapped its snowy wings lazily and was quickly outstripped by a flock of noisily honking mallards.
"How beautiful!" sighed Sakura happily. "This is so incredible. I never knew there was a place on Earth so beautiful as this. Now I know why you like being out here, Syaoran."
"Mmm. I knew you would like it. That's why I brought you here," he smiled. She suddenly noticed that he wasn't even holding his binoculars.
"Hey, weren't you even watching all that?" she asked in disbelief.
"It's okay. I've seen it a million times before, missing it once won't hurt."
"Oh? What were you doing then, that was so much more interesting than watching the birds?"
Syaoran smiled, not taking his eyes away from her. Blushing, Sakura swiftly averted her eyes and stared into the sky. "I see, so you were watching me instead. Is that it?" she teased.
"Yep, that's exactly it," answered Syaoran, stepping closer to her. She didn't move away, but she still didn't look at him. "Who needs birdwatching when there's...you?"
A million thoughts raced through Sakura's mind. Was he going to... Were they gonna... What if he wanted to kiss her?? She had way too little experience with these things. And as much as she wanted to kiss him... Well, it just felt awkward right now. Was this the time to tell him how she felt? But maybe he didn't want to talk...
Errgh, Sakura, why are you getting all these doubts now?? she asked herself. She wasn't ready for this, she wasn't prepared. Birdwatching, sure. But her first kiss?
This nervousness was taking over her, and she took several deep breaths to calm herself. She just had to be honest, that was all. Just be honest, and be yourself. No problem. Syaoran wouldn't be like Keichii. He wouldn't kiss her if she didn't want to. He'd ask first or something. Right??
The silence was getting too loud. Say something, say something, she thought desperately.
"Um... I-It's so beautiful up there," stammered Sakura, still looking at the sky. Great. What a witty comment. Haven't you said that once already?
"I've had lots of dreams about flying," she surged on. "I wonder what it would be like to fly? Without an airplane, I mean." Stupid, stupid! her mind screamed.
Shut up! she screamed back. I'm doing the best I can. Encouraged by Syaoran's silence, which meant that he was listening, Sakura continued. "Seeing all those birds fly up like that, it makes me want to go up there and fly with them. It must be fantastic."
Syaoran grinned. "Yeah, I've always wanted to fly too. Wanna try it?"
"Okay!" laughed Sakura nervously, too busy trying to keep up a conversation to wonder how they'd actually fly.
"Then close your eyes," he said, coming up behind her. Sakura did, but left her eyelids open a slit just in case.
She felt Syaoran's hands touch her shoulders and almost trembled in spite of herself. "You're soaring in the wind," he whispered softly. "The thermals are carrying you into the sky, past the treetops, past white clouds. Your hair is flying back in the gentle breeze..." Sakura could feel her hair moving and smiled.
"Can you feel it?" said Syaoran, his voice right next to her ear. "You're gliding...and you barely have to move your wings at all, the wind is so perfect today. All you can see is an ocean of blue before you, and the earth is small and far beneath you. You're dancing across the skies, the fresh air washing over you... Isn't it the most beautiful thing in the world?"
To his surprise, Sakura frowned. "What's wrong? Did you hit a plane or something?" he asked, looking into her face.
She laughed, her eyes sparkling in merriment. "No, it's beautiful, but...it just feels strange if you're not here too."
For a moment, Syaoran seemed uncertain about what she meant by that. Then he understood and nodded. "I'll come fly with you," he said, smiling. Sakura had barely closed her eyes again, for real this time, when she felt Syaoran's warm hands cover her own. "See? Now I'm right beside you."
There was an explosion inside Sakura's heart like she had never experienced before. He was...well...sort of hugging her from behind. She could feel his body against her back. Oh, what she would give to be able to turn around right now!
Was this really happening? In the midst of this peaceful place, she and Syaoran were together... She dared not open her eyes, for fear of waking from a dream. But dreams couldn't be this vivid, this real. She was completely lucid right now.
"Syaoran..." she whispered.
"Yes?" The quiet voice was so close, it sent shivers down her spine.
"Stay with me."
His hands creeped into hers and intertwined with her fingers, fitting together like puzzle pieces. "Always."
Hardly able to breathe, Sakura hesitantly slid around until she was facing him. She was scared to look at his face, for some reason. So she stared at the necklace, the shell hidden under his shirt.
Syaoran waited while she slowly fingered the cord around his neck. Her hand drifted lightly across his collarbone, then to his shoulder, to the ends of his chestnut hair. He waited until she finally looked up, her nervously bright green eyes taking in his soft, amber brown ones. She kept her eyes wide open as his face came within inches of hers.
His lips brushed her cheek gently, tenderly, with a little more meaning that just a friendly kiss. Smiling into her hair, Syaoran felt her sigh with both relief and frustration.
"You idiot, scaring me like that," Sakura muttered quietly. She was so...well, relieved didn't even begin to describe it. This showed how much self-restraint and respect he had. Well, this was Syaoran, after all; he was special.
"I'm sorry. I won't do it again," promised Syaoran with a grin.
Still, Sakura couldn't help wishing she had felt his lips against hers... She quickly shook herself out of that. What was she worried about? There would be plenty of time now.
Completely at ease now, Sakura let herself go. Her arms found their way around Syaoran's neck, and she laid her head down on his welcoming shoulder.
They held each other like that for a long time.
*****
Thursday morning, it was back to school again. Sakura wandered sleepily down the stairs and was greeted by the sight of her father at the table, seated behind a newspaper. "G'morning Dad," she yawned widely.
"Good morning," smiled Fujitaka. "You're up early today."
"Really? Am I?" said Sakura, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the clock. "Well, I wanted to get to school early so I'd have some time to talk with Tomoyo. I was just too tired after the flight yesterday."
The doorbell rang, and they both looked at each other in surprise. "I-I'll get it," she said quickly, walking toward the door. Maybe Tomoyo had decided to come pick her up. But so early?
Sakura pulled open the door to reveal Syaoran, whose hair looked as if it had been combed for once. He was dressed a little more nicely than usual, and was carrying a large bag with delicious food smells wafting from it.
"Hey," he grinned at Sakura, who was gaping at him. "May I come in?"
"S-sure..." She let him in and closed the door behind him. Before she could ask what he was doing here, Fujitaka appeared with a questioning look.
"Good morning, Mr. Kinomoto," said Syaoran, bowing his head. "I'm Syaoran Li. Excuse me for interrupting your breakfast so rudely, but I had to come over and apologize."
Sakura almost giggled at how polite and tense he was being, while Fujitaka frowned. "Apologize? Whatever for?"
"Ah...um... F-for so inconveniencing your daughter yesterday and making her miss a day of school," he managed, turning pink. "I'm very sorry. I-I brought some breakfast, even though it's barely a-adequate compensation for my m-misbehavior-"
"Syaoran, it's okay. You can talk like yourself around him," Sakura laughed. Syaoran turned an even deeper shade of red as Fujitaka put a hand on his shoulder and led him to the table.
"Don't you worry," said Fujitaka. "It was for a good cause, right? Everything was worked out. There's no need to be sorry. And if you insist, consider your apology already accepted and forgiven."
Syaoran only looked amazed, as Sakura poked him in the side and whispered, "Told you!"
"Now then, let's see what you've got in that bag!" Fujitaka proclaimed.
*****
*A/N- Hehe, I'm so evil. They still haven't really kissed or confessed yet, like so many of the reviewers this time wanted. Mweheheheheh! Patience, patience. Your moment is coming soon! I'll give you a hint: it'll be at night. They met during the night, after all. ^_~
Thank you for all the helpful opinions this time about the continuation of this fic. Many of you confirmed what I had already kinda decided, while others opened up new ideas to me. I'll just say that this story will be coming to an end (sniff sniff), but there are still a couple of good chapters to come, so please stick around till the end! See, in the summary, it's clear that the conflict of the story is for Sakura to find out who Syaoran really is. And she hasn't exactly completely found that out yet, has she? So the conflict can't be resolved yet. So the story can't be over. Yet. -_-;; ::tries desperately to explain; readers all fall asleep::
Ookay! Thank yous, again! First time I've done it twice in a row, because it's so much fun and I appreciate each and every one of you so much! I wish I could write comments for each reviewer, but then I'd go blathering on forever and the "thank yous" would be longer than the actual story... And who wants that??! Besides, my comments are long enough as it is. See, that's what happens when you people write such cool reviews:
Natalie, Red-Emerald, Akina, Toki –Thank you for your support. ^_^, Julia and Tania –Yay! You guys are like the confirmation that I did everything right. Can't say enough how much your comments help. Don't get me wrong; I love loooong reviews! You don't have to try to keep them short! ^^, TiarellaCordifolia, emerald wolf1, CuziMaGrL, helen, EcuaGirl, Skylover, aznxbabie, MeMe, Kawaii-CherryWolf, AnimeObsessionFantasy, whun.love, Meilin Baby 13, kelly, Sakume Nohara, Final Fantasy Princess, Sparta –Thanks for your opinion. I thought it was very true that if I keep writing only to get a bunch of reviews, it would be in vain. I'm glad you made that ever more clear for me. ^_^, GoddessLD –Waah! I can't find much info/pics about Tsubasa anywhere!! I'm dying to read it! , StRaIgHt A ChEaTeR, Anime Queen4 (aka Amazonian Anime Queen), peachy-chan, Evil of Heart –Heheh..I like that part too. I know...wouldn't it be wonderful if a guy like Syaoran actually existed? Hmm... Maybe there is one out there somewhere. ^^ I like how you cited a specific passage from the story. :-D, Mystic Moon Empress, cherry blossom2, CrystallineX –Thank you, what a compliment! T_T, EasilY AmuseD2 –You're right, fifty is a lot of chapters. I don't know if I could ever write that much in a story! I'm glad you enjoy my story. :-D, BabyWolfGurl, not applicable, Fire Phoenix1, Medieval Legend15 –Wow, I'm happy this story caught your attention! Thanks very much^_^, Ying Lang –Thanks for the long review! Your comments were absolutely great! , PnAiXr0sE8, cherrixwolf, Chico0221, battousaixangel –I think you're right. It's hard for me to find too many other ways to prolong the story. I'm excited about thinking up ideas for a new story, and I hope you read it when it comes out! And about updating, well, thanks. To think that in the beginning, I vowed to update every 3-4 days...now it's down to an average of about once per week.. -_-;; swtgrl, bunny angel, Shima and Tempis –That has got to be one of the best compliments I've ever received for this story. A published book!! Honestly! You sure know how to flatter^_~ Thank you!!!, chibimiaka-chan –Thanks for letting me know what you think. And you ARE special.^^, MoNkEyLuV4LiFe, Sakura-Star3, CronoCat –Wai! Thanks a bunch for reminding me about the dreams! You made me think, and you were right; it had been a while since I'd put in a dream. So the dream in this chapter is dedicated to you! Thanks again!! , elisa ang, The Dark Neko, dragoneyes2005 –Wow, thank you! I'm so happy you like this story!, dilly-sammas luver –It's good to know my chapters are just the right length! :-D , PeachBlossom4416
Wow, that was long. O_O To reduce the length and boringness of this space, you can periodically check out my bio, which I've finally updated! I'll add info about stories and such there. So please check it out! And you can read my blurty if you want to find out more than you ever wanted about the author of this story (even though there's barely anything serious in there...). Ack! You see what happened?? I talk too much!!
^_^ Please review! Be sure to remind me of anything I missed, point out mistakes, give suggestions, anything.