.::Spilling Stars::.
By Fantasiimaker
~Chapter Fifteen: Revealing Truth
"Wow, what a line!" exclaimed Sakura, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. The excitement was driving her crazy inside, and this long stretch of people that snaked well past the entrance wasn't helping. Widely aware of Syaoran's warm hand in hers, she made her way closer to Tomoyo and Eriol.
"It's freezing!" Tomoyo was complaining, rubbing her hands briskly over her arms for warmth. "I can't believe this...we'll never get inside... Well??!" she bursted suddenly with a significant glare at Eriol.
"Well what?" asked Eriol. Then he caught the soft blush on her face. "Oooh...I see, you want me to be a gentleman and put my toasty jacket around your shoulders, right? How romantic your thoughts become, Tomo dear. Well, it's really too bad; I have no jacket to spare right now."
Eyeing him resentfully, Tomoyo turned her back to him with an indignant huff. "Some boyfriend you are..." she muttered.
Suddenly, Eriol threw himself at her and squeezed her so tightly that she yelped. "No jacket...but you can have my arms instead," he said, eyes twinkling. "And my shoulders. And my chest. And the rest of my bo-"
Tomoyo reached up and covered his mouth before he could go on. "Stop," she whispered. "Before you make me get mad at you again." Grinning happily, she hugged him back and didn't let go, ignoring the stares of other people in line.
"Aww...you guys are so cute!" Sakura giggled, backing up a few steps to give her friends some space. She unconsciously bumped into Syaoran, who immediately put out a hand to steady her.
The touch electrified her, sending a shock through her veins. She'd almost forgotten that she was still holding onto Syaoran's hand. With a shy smile, she took his other hand too and walked backward, along with the movement of the line. Seeing Tomoyo with Eriol made her feel like she should be a little more open too. But...did Syaoran know that she wanted that same kind of closeness? No, even more than that. She wanted...she wanted that intimate feeling that only two of the closest souls could share. What would he think of that?
Maybe I should just keep it casual for now, thought Sakura, letting go of both his hands as they reached the ticket admission tables. Fishing around in her pocket, she had just managed to close her fingers around some bills when she heard Syaoran say, "Two, please." He was paying for her!
"No, wait!" she cried, whipping out her money. But they were already being ushered toward the outdoor dance site, the quad. "Fine then, take it," she said, giving Syaoran the money instead.
He shook his head. "Sakura, don't worry about it. It's only five dollars."
"No! I have to pay you back. Take it!" repeated Sakura. She tried to stuff the bills in his hand, but he shied away with a mishievious look on his face.
"Okay, I'll take it. If you can make me!" Grinning, Syaoran gave her a poke in the side and ran.
"Syaoran! Get back here!" she cried, taking off after him. Through the crowds she weaved, searching frantically for Tomoyo at the same time. Suddenly, Syaoran's arm was right in front of her, so she latched on to it with a triumphant, "Gotcha!"
They wheeled around together, and somehow she ended up with her arms clinging around his neck and her eyes glued breathlessly to his. For a split second, Sakura forgot that she was trying to return money; she simply stared at him in awe. All around them, friends, couples, and groups were bouncing to the catchy beat that was playing right now.
"Let's dance, Sakura," said Syaoran, pulling her a little closer.
"N-no!" She broke away from him abruptly. "Stop trying to make me forget!" Almost trembling, she took his open palm and slapped the five dollars into it.
No no no...why had she said it like that?
A horrible silence fell that seemed like it lasted forever, even though all around them the noise was deafening. All Sakura could sense was the silence, because she didn't dare look at him. She was too afraid of what she might see there. Sinking with dread, she waited, looking down at Syaoran's white shoes beneath dark blue jeans.
She heard a sigh. "Fine, I'll take it. Happy?" The crinkling sound of paper being thrust into pocket. "Sakura? We don't have to dance if you don't want to."
Finally, she risked a glance at Syaoran. He was looking away into the flashing multicolored strobe lights, but his eyes didn't look like they were completely focused on any one thing. Sakura knew that look at once; it was the carefully guarded expression that he used for concealing his emotions.
Feeling like the world had just collapsed on top of her, Sakura slowly reached out and took his hand. "I'm sorry," she said, hoping that her words would truly convey the depth of her feelings. "I don't know what came over me just then. I...I was nervous, I guess. I don't really know much about dancing. I don't even know how to dance. So please forgive me for snapping at you. I'm sorry, and I'll never do it again."
She felt a warmth on her cold cheek, and closed her eyes to fully take in the touch of his hand. It was only after she opened her eyes and connected with his did he smile. Sakura couldn't help but smile back, dissolving the cloud of heavy, confused feelings at the same time.
"It's not your fault," replied Syaoran, his eyes light and happy once again. "I know we're both nervous, and you don't have to apologize for that. I probably should've just been a good boy and obeyed you earlier." He patted the money in his pocket. "Besides, I don't want you turning into Tomoyo and trying to kill me every day. She's a great person, but she can be scary..."
"Yeah, I know." Sakura happily launched into conversation with him again. "But deep down, she really has a soft side. And even if she's a little mean to Eriol, you can tell how much she loves him. They're absolutely perfect for each other!"
"Yes, they are..." Syaoran agreed. His voice had a hint of wistfulness in it that made Sakura wonder. What about us, Syaoran? You...you're perfect for me. But do you feel the same? Will we ever take down this awkward separation that's standing between us?
"Let's go find the others," she said quickly, grabbing hold of his hand and starting to drag him through the crowd. She didn't complain when he swiftly hugged her from behind, nestling his head on her shoulder. Smiling, she gave a strand of his hair a soft tug and turned her face so she could smell the clean shampooey scent.
A large circle of people whooping and clapping caught Sakura's attention. "Let's go see what's up," she suggested, leading Syaoran toward it. He came willingly, as he was still wrapping her up in his arms. Trying to squeeze through the packed spectators, she ran into Tomoyo, who waved excitedly and made some room for them.
"It's Keichii!" Tomoyo bursted at once, pushing Sakura to the front. Sure enough, there was Keichii in the middle of the circle. Breakdancing. He was in the middle of a dizzying spin, but he caught sight of Sakura and lurched to the side, throwing himself off balance.
People cheered anyway as he got up, Sakura along with the rest of them. Reddening a little, Keichii made his way over to her. "Hey," he said, glancing warily at Syaoran.
"You were pretty good," smiled Syaoran. Letting go of Sakura, he held out a hand to Keichii, who looked confused for a moment.
"You were great!" Sakura exclaimed. "You've really improved. How come you didn't tell me that you've been practicing?"
Blushing, looking hesitantly pleased, Keichii slapped down on Syaoran's hand. "Th-thanks you guys...but I don't think I was that good...I mean, I messed up a bunch of times, and-"
"But you had the guts to go out there and show off your skills, so that means you were good," interrupted Eriol, who had just appeared with Tomoyo in tow. "Speaking of skills..." Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a pair of glowsticks and dangled them by their strings. He swung them expertly a few times, to everyone's surprise.
"Shall I?" he asked, winking at Tomoyo.
"Yes!" Tomoyo shouted, shoving him right into the middle of the dwindling circle. "Now show me what you got!"
"Okay. This is for you, honey!" Eriol answered her, blowing an exaggerated kiss. Quickly, the air around him became a blur of green glow-lights. From simple figure eights to complicated patterns that Sakura couldn't even name, Eriol traced them all into the air with deft wrist and arm movements. It was quite a dazzling sight, and a crowd formed that was even thicker than the one previously watching Keichii. As spectators grew, Eriol's confident smile only grew bigger. He didn't make a single mistake.
"Whoa, I didn't know Eriol could rave!" marveled Keichii, with a questioning look to the others.
Sakura laughed in disbelief. "Neither did I! I can't believe it, he's totally insane!"
"You've got that right," Tomoyo grumbled with her arms crossed. "Look at all those drooling girls trying to make goo-goo eyes at him. Oh crap, that little... I think he's waving to them!"
"So, what did you think?" asked Eriol, coming over with a kiss for Tomoyo, and she immediately relaxed.
Sakura began, "You were-"
"Absolutely terrible. You were flicking your wrists too hard, forcing the movement. It's not flowing. Too jerky," finished Syaoran.
"Oh, okay. Let's see you do better, then," Eriol countered, tossing the glowsticks at Syaoran. He reacted, catching them in one hand by reflex.
"Nah, I'm just kidding, man. You weren't bad. I don't have that many fancy moves like you. But I think my accuracy is better."
"I must be hearing things. Are you guys talking about the mechanics of raving??" cried Tomoyo. "Sakura, I think we should go and find some guys who actually come to dance with us. Not this boring stuff."
"No, I wanna see it," Sakura said, beaming up at Syaoran, who blushed. "I want to see you rave." Next to them, Keichii shifted uncomfortably.
"Hmph!" Tomoyo glared at Eriol as if to say, "See what you're doing?"
"Ah, you're just bitter because we're so awesome and you don't know how." Eriol leaned close and nuzzled Tomoyo's hair. "Want me to teach you?"
"Fine," Tomoyo relented. She turned to Syaoran with an expectant look on her face. "But I want him to go first."
"Then I'll do it without strings, just for variation." Syaoran unhooked the strings and handed them to Eriol. "Now...let's see..." He swung his arms experimentally, and a bright snakey pattern appeared in the air before them. Syaoran's raving was indeed smoother and had more flow to it; the way he moved his arms was almost martial arts-like. A kind of excited pride began to build up in Sakura's chest. This was Syaoran. There were so many different sides of him, so many talents she had yet to discover from him.
"Hey Sakura, don't move!" he cautioned, stepping up to her so that the tips of their shoes were facing. With a comforting grin, he twisted the lights at his command all the way around Sakura, surrounding her with a glowing blur. Sakura laughed but kept her body completely rigid, only moving her head a few inches so she could see everything. It was like being inside a cage of dancing lights, but she didn't feel trapped. Syaoran's blazing eyes were opposite her, holding her, cradling her gently.
When he finally stopped, Sakura still couldn't keep her eyes off him. "That was...amazing," she whispered, and in the clamoring of the dance, no one was able to hear a whisper. But perhaps Syaoran had read the words from her lips, because he leaned in to speak into her ear.
"Thank you. You were amazing too. And you still are."
He turned to Keichii, who had been standing silently in the background all this time, just watching them. "Here, you want to try?" Syaoran offered.
"No, it's okay. I...I can't," said Keichii, putting up his hands.
"Oh come on! Just try!" urged Sakura. Keichii eyed her for a second, then held out his hand for the glowsticks and strings. Hooking them up was the easy part. But when he tried to imitate the movements of Eriol and Syaoran, the strings slammed into each other, tangled, and fell to the ground.
The others were silent as Keichii bent down to gather the sticks up. "See, I can't do it," he laughed. But Sakura could see no mirth in his laughter. Her eyes followed the boy as he handed the glowsticks back to Eriol and turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Sakura called out.
"Somewhere else," replied Keichii. "This next one is a slow song. You already have your partner. Don't wait."
All around them, couples were already forming and moving slowly along to the song. Without a moment's hesitation, Eriol grabbed Tomoyo by the hand and led her closer to the DJ's stand and lights.
The two of them were alone once again.
Syaoran looked at Sakura with a small, inquiring smile. "I don't want Keichii to be alone," she confessed, though her heart was thumping with the need to be close to Syaoran.
His smile wavered slightly. "So what do you want to do?"
"I think...I think we should find Meilin."
With a nod, Syaoran took her hand, and they began to make their way around the embracing couples. Each step brought a slight pang to Sakura's heart. She knew that she and Syaoran should be dancing too...but she just couldn't while her friend was unhappy.
"There she is." Syaoran's voice brought her back to reality. There was Meilin, standing with a cluster of friends who were laughing and giggling. Sakura caught her eye and waved her over quickly.
"What?" asked Meilin, moving her feet impatiently.
"Um...it's Keichii," began Sakura. "I think he...he..."
"He needs a girlfriend now?" Meilin scoffed. "I saw him walk past a minute ago. Don't worry about him, I'm sure there are plenty of girls lining up to dance with him."
"No, I don't think so. Look." Syaoran pointed. A girl walked up to Keichii and said something to him that Sakura couldn't hear. At once, he backed up and shook his head, and the girl stalked away furiously. Three other girls who had been eyeing him immediately glared and turned away.
"Well, he deserves it," said Meilin, but she didn't sound so sure now. Her eyes kept darting back to the forlorn-looking Keichii, standing alone. Sakura saw that this was her chance.
"Please, Meilin," she implored quietly. "Just go talk to him, try to cheer him up somehow. I liked the old, happy Keichii better, and I'm sure you want him back too."
Meilin turned to her, looking a little nervous. "You know, maybe I'll just go and try..." With that, she set off for Keichii. He whirled around in surprise when she tapped his shoulder. Sakura watched carefully, but she was sure that not a word was exchanged between them before Meilin opened her arms and gathered him in.
Letting out a sigh, Sakura squeezed Syaoran's hand and leaned lightly against him so that their shoulders touched. His arm was warm against her bare one.
"I think that was worth it, just to see that beautiful smile back on your face," said Syaoran.
"Mmm..." replied Sakura. "I still want to dance though." Eyes sparkling, she slid her arms around his neck and brought herself close, eliminating the space between them.
His hands rested gently on her waist, and his arms held her in just the right way for her to feel warm and secure. This was something she had been awaiting for ages. Sure, they'd had hugs, but this was under the starlight, surrounded by crooning music, depending on each other for warmth...
Not to mention, they got to hold each other for a much, much longer time than just a hug would allow.
"I think this song is almost done," whispered Syaoran. Sure enough, the music was fading out, but still they clung to each other.
"Don't let go yet." Closing her eyes, Sakura rested her head on his shoulder and immersed herself inside this precious feeling. But a blaring beat didn't pop out like she had expected. Instead, the last notes melded into another slow song.
"Yesss...now we get to make up for missing half the last one." Sakura smiled into Syaoran's shoulder. This was bliss... She could feel his heart pounding so close to hers, his soft breath in her hair, his warmth... She had never known how beautifully warm dancing with someone could be.
"Sakura." She felt his voice in his chest, and soft as a spring breeze against her ear.
"Yes?" she breathed, arranging her arms more comfortably around him.
"I'm never gonna let go of you," he murmured.
Sakura smiled. "Okay."
For a minute, they swayed back and forth in wonderful silence, drowning in the music and in the breathless presence of one another.
Maybe this is it, thought Sakura. Maybe I should tell him right now.
Syaoran spoke up again before she could decide. "There aren't many people in my life that I can say I've truly loved. You know me so well. Maybe better than anyone. You know something about what it was like before."
Heart pounding faster, she gave him an understanding squeeze. This sounded like... oh, did she dare hope for it?
"Before you, Sakura, I don't think I fully understood what it meant to be alive. It's like...now I can see, now I can breathe, I can feel. I always felt like some part of me wasn't really complete, but when I met you...you filled that incomplete part for me. I think I understand more about myself and my life now than I ever did."
Sakura kept her eyes wide open now, drinking in every word. She felt it coming...she knew it...
Pulling back just a little, Syaoran looked down into her green eyes. "You showed me what love was. I haven't experienced much of this emotion in all my life... but I know that when I see you, my heart just overflows with it. And I want to give it all to you. And no matter how much I give, there will always be more, so it's endless."
Heart aching with the wait, Sakura leaned forward and touched her forehead to his. "I feel exactly the same," she whispered. "You're the one I love most."
The words that had rested there inside her for so long...finally, finally, at long last, set free.
"I love you more," said Syaoran, mere inches away.
"No, I do." Her eyes were closed now, only waiting, waiting.
"All right...I'll let you win this time," he murmured softly. "Because I love you."
Their lips touched, their first kiss, and the first thing Sakura knew was that his lips were so amazingly soft, so warm against hers... The heavenly sensation spreaded throughout her body, flowing through her veins and making her body tingle.
It was such a beautiful thing, so perfect, that she wondered if maybe she was asleep. But no, Syaoran was solid and real beneath her arms.
*A/N – YAY!! ^___^ I'm sorry for taking forever, everyone! The first week or two of school always throws me off, but don't worry, I'll try my hardest to get this story out and done with. I'll still try to stick to my original "one chapter per week" schedule, but if I can't, you'll have to be patient with me. But not for too long! Just a few chapters left, to tie up loose ends and so on. Please keep up your wonderful wonderful support, because your feedback and ideas are still ever so important to me. You can still affect the outcome of this story, or how it is written! So talk to me!