AN: Eeee thankies for the reviews =) I luff you all *huggles* Hm, just to clear things up for some of you who have been asking: Is Sakura telling Syaoran the story, or are we somehow in Sakura's thoughts? Well, both aspects can be right. We are technically hearing the story from Sakura's point of view, therefore we're basically in her thoughts. Sakura telling Syaoran the story? That is up to you, and how you got the message from Chapter One =) WAAA, I so badly want to write some S+S fluff but I can't because it won't make sense if I just poof Syaoran back in Tomoeda and get them together -_- Ahhh the pain...
Disclaimer: CCS doesn't belong to me, it belongs to CLAMP =(
Chapter Four: Touch
The upcoming dance, and just like any other dances, was the hot topic of conversation for the entire week at Seijou. It was the annual Spring Dance that was always held on the third week after spring break. Though I've been attending Seijou since eighth grade, I've never had the desire to go to school dances. I suppose I rather sit at home in front of the television, or just spend a nice, quiet, relaxing evening instead of dancing the night away with ear-drumming music. Talk about trying to make yourself deaf.
But, Nishio-kun wanted me to go with him and that was exactly what I was doing. Confused at my own actions, I could only shrug and wonder what type of outfit Tomoyo would make me where tomorrow night. Tomorrow would be a Friday and I was to go to Tomoyo's house with her after school to let her "glam me up". I could only imagine what my sometimes crazy best friend might do.
"Sakura-chan?" A hand waved in front of my face, causing me to blink and look around for the hand's owner. My eyes fell on amethyst ones.
"Tomoyo-chan? Nani?" I glanced at her, confused.
Tomoyo looked at me worriedly. "I've been trying to get your attention for a while already. Is something on your mind?"
I looked thoughtful before shaking my head, causing strands of lose hair to escape from my messy bun. "Iie (no), of course not...I'm just sleepy because I actually woke up on time," I pouted. "You know what Tomoyo-chan? I didn't even sleep one minute more after my alarm clock rang..."
Tomoyo giggled as if she knew something I didn't. I stared at her with a suspicious gaze until she stopped giggling, clapping her hands together in delight. "Ohohoho Sakura-chan! I think there is something on your mind after all! Daydreaming...waking up on time...hmmm could this be teenage love meddling with our dear Sakura-chan's innocent mind?"
"Hoe!!! Tomoyo-chan!!" I swatted her arm continuously. "That's so embarrassing!"
"And you're blushing too!" Tomoyo did a dramatic gasp. "This is a 100% sign that somebody or something is floating in your mind! You're simply kawaii when you're confused like this!"
I frowned, "Neh Tomoyo-chan, since you think there's got to be something on my mind, let's here it from the oh so psychic one."
Tomoyo placed a hand under her chin, her eyes twinkling. "Is it..." she paused for effect and grinned. "Yori Nishio?"
This caused me to jump up from my sitting position on the grass, knocking over the plastic container that held my lunch as I stood up at my full height. "Tomoyo!!" I was beat red and feeling awfully jumpy.
My best friend just smiled, picking up the spilled contents of rice and chopsticks. "Well? Am I right?"
I felt my heartbeat calm down, the colour slowly fading from my cheeks as a gentle breeze blew by. I sat back down slowly, contemplating what Tomoyo had stated just a minute ago. Watching a butterfly flutter by, I sighed and shrugged, "I don't know what's on my mind actually. I don't know if it's Nishio-kun, or maybe I'm worried about the dance...and I don't know what else, but you know," I pondered out loud, "I just can't stop thinking lately. There's like...this thing that keeps on flying around in my mind and I want to catch it so I can know what it is," I paused and looked at Tomoyo. "Am I making sense?"
Tomoyo placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Daijoubu Sakura-chan. The dance will go fine! Especially when you'll be wearing an outfit made by me."
I sweatdropped as she continued, "As for Nishio-kun..." that glint came into her eyes again. "I say you should go look at your neck and maybe you'll find out what that flying thing in your mind is."
Confused, I glanced down as far as I could, making my chin touch the base of my neck. My eyes fell upon the necklace that Nishio-kun had given me a week ago. The silver pendant caught the rays of light from the sun, causing it to sparkle and wink back at me. "The necklace?"
Tomoyo nodded and tilted her head at me, "You wear it everyday, don't you?"
I turned slightly pink at that, but could only manage a nod and looked at the grass as if it were very interesting. "Hai...demo (but), is that suppose to mean something? By the tone of your voice, it's as if there's something weird about that."
Tomoyo merely smiled that apprehending smile of hers before plucking a blade of grass from the base of her feet. "Well, it depends how you look at it. It could mean something, or it might not...I guess it all depends on what's going on in here," she placed a hand on her chest.
I swallowed, half of me understanding what Tomoyo meant, yet half of me not really wanting to understand. Glancing up at the clear cerulean sky, I wondered what I was really feeling for this boy. Just as I was about to go off into my own little world again, Tomoyo's voice brought me back to earth. "Oh! Look!" she pointed behind me.
Turning around, I met the deep forest green eyes of Yori Nishio. Swallowing hard, I continued to turn until I was facing where I was facing a second ago. "Ehehehehehe, isn't it such a beautiful day?" I stated in a rather high-pitched voice.
Tomoyo laughed, taking my shoulders and turning me around once more. "No need to be shy Sakura-chan! Ohohoho..."
"Hey Kinomoto-san, Daidouji-san," Nishio-kun greeted as he came closer, running a hand through his coffee brown hair. "Excited for tomorrow?"
I honestly didn't know why, but simply watching his slightest movements made my stomach flip and my heart flutter. Was I coming down with the flu or some abnormal disease? I hoped not.
"Kinomoto-san?" A hand flew in front of my face again.
My eyes fluttered before I looked into his mesmerizing eyes, feeling myself want to jump into them and never come back. I shook my head, what kind of silly thought was that? "Gomen nasai," I scratched my head in embarrassment. "I was kind of thinking about something else, er, what did you say?"
He just smiled that smile of his before bending down to be eye level with me. "Excited for tomorrow?" he repeated, his face ever so close to mine. "I know I am."
I clutched a patch of grass beneath my palms, tearing the poor blades from the earth. "Hoe...hai, of course I am," I nodded fervently and flushed pink. "Ano...you...um, come...er, no, I mean, Tomoyo's..." I wanted to bite my tongue and tell myself to stop stuttering, but the more I tried the more words came spilling out of my disobedient mouth.
Thankfully, Tomoyo came to my rescue and cut in, "Sakura-chan is coming to my house after class tomorrow to get ready for the dance, and since you're her date, why don't you come to my house to pick her up?"
I suddenly wanted to clamp my hand over her mouth for her choice of words. My date? What date?! Hoeee how embarrassing...
But instead of laughing his head off, he only chuckled and placed a hand on top of mine. My eyes snapped towards his in question, but he just smiled with his eyes and nodded, "Of course I'd go to Tomoyo's to pick you up. But," he turned his head towards her, "it would be nice if you could give me your address."
Tomoyo agreed with a nod, taking a pen and a pad of scented paper from her bag. As she scribbled down her address, Nishio-kun turned back to look at me and grinned, "You're wearing the necklace."
Looking down at it, I could only nod and smile, "I like it very much..."
"That's good, I'm glad I know what you like Sakura-chan," he confessed and stood up once more. "Well, I better get home before I miss the next bus," he laughed and stretched his arms.
Tomoyo giggled and nudged me lightly. "Well, why not let Sakura-chan go with you and you guys can get to know each other better--"
"Tomoyo-chan!!" I scowled.
Nishio-kun's smile slipped off his face as he stared at us hard. I blinked, confused at his expression that seemed so...blank and lifeless. "...Nishio-kun?" I uttered uncertainly.
"Maybe, maybe some other day," he finally said after a moment of silence. "You can come over...some other day," he let out a breath and grinned as if no awkward moment had just gone by. "Ja ne, Kinomoto-san, Daidouji-san."
As he turned around to leave, I couldn't help but watch and wonder what caused him to suddenly look as if he had seen a ghost. His figure slowly disappeared with the swift breeze of spring, casting a wave of cherry blossom petals to dance in the air. I unconsciously brushed a strand of hair that had fallen in front of my face, not knowing, not realizing, what I was going to step into.
Tomoyo dragged my arm the whole way to her house the very next day after school. My school hat was nearly falling off as Tomoyo dashed down the sidewalk with me clinging onto her fingers for dear life. As we turned a corner, a felt my hat fall from the top of head. Using my free hand, I quickly snatched it before it flew off with the wind. Grumbling, I called out, "Slow down Tomoyo!! We have hours and hours to prepare--"
"Ohoho still not enough Sakura-chan! We don't know how long it'll take to get you all ready for Nishio-kun to see, we can't take chances!" She declared as we halted in front of the mass iron gates of the Daidouji's mansion.
Tomoyo casually announced her name, signaling the iron gates to open automatically. I was once again dragged towards the front door, passing the beautiful gardens in a blur of green and multiple colours. "Tomooooyooo," I whined.
"Hayaku Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo urged as two butlers opened the double doors, bowing to her before we proceeded up the stairs and into Tomoyo's massive bedroom. "First I'll show you the outfit! I stayed up for the whole night yesterday to finish it off and do some touch ups!"
I sighed and shook my head in disbelief. Tomoyo never changed. Tired from being dragged for a good whole ten minutes, I plopped myself onto her lavender couch only to be dragged to my feet once more. "Here!" she handed a pile of clothing, hastily nudging me towards the bathroom connected to her room. "You can change in there and I'll wait! Oooh I can already see how kawaii you'll look!" Stars had sprung into my dear friend's eyes.
"Hoee..." I entered the bathroom reluctantly and glanced down at the pile. Shrugging, I began to change out of my school uniform to the outfit Tomoyo had made. I was having trouble trying to get the top on but after a good struggle, and a small ripping sound, I finally got it on. Satisfied, I changed from my navy school skirt into the pair of jeans Tomoyo had designed.
Fully changed, I glanced up at washroom mirror only to realize that Tomoyo had covered the whole mirror with...garbage bags. Sweatdropping, I opened the washroom door and poked my head out. "Tomoyo...why on earth did you cover the mirror--"
"KAWAII!!!" I winced and covered my ears as Tomoyo danced over and yanked me out of the washroom. "Oooh Sakura-chan!! Kirei!! Ohohohoho I can picture Nishio-kun's reaction already! Sakura-chan, if only you'd let me design more of your clothing..." a hopeful expression came upon her face.
I immediately shook my head. "No way Tomoyo-chan! I never know what type of design you're going to do and sometimes you get so into it it's rather crazy! Hoee...and can you please tell me why you're hiding the mirrors from me?"
Tomoyo's eyes glinted as she brought me towards her vanity table across from her queen-sized bed. "I didn't want you to see just yet! I want you to see the whole package at once!"
"The...whole package? What whole package?" I asked frantically.
She giggled and took a brush, running it down my hair. "After I finish your make-up and hair and--"
"HOE!! I thought you told me that we're just trying on the outfit and--"
"I did say that, but I also said you're coming over to get ready for the dance," Tomoyo stated with a grin. "And getting ready for a dance is exactly what we're doing! Ohohohoho!"
I frowned and stared at my reflection. I could see a bit of the top which was a pretty spring green. The urge to stand up and simply look at the outfit was nagging at my brain the whole time Tomoyo was brushing out my hair and sweeping it into a messy bun. She left two strands of my bangs to hang loosely at the front, using matching green star clips to hold the rest of my bangs from falling into my face.
"Stop trying to look down and examine your outfit Sakura," Tomoyo giggled and I flushed. She was so observant sometimes. "There, your hair is finished!" She announced as she shook the hair spray can. "Just a bit of this..." she sprayed in a circular motion, the scent of it causing me to sneeze.
"Now, I know you don't like too much make-up, so I'll just do a really light touch ok?" Tomoyo assured as she picked up various things from her table. There were so many bottles and brands that it was all a blur to my eyes. "Here, I'm just going to use some exfoliating cream before I apply stuff."
"Uh...whatever that is, but sure," I sweatdropped. "My face is in your hands..." I mumbled miserably.
"Aw, Sakura-chan, be happy! Trust me you silly girl, I wouldn't want to make you look ugly," Tomoyo declared truthfully and rubbed a white cream onto my face. "Here, just keep on rubbing it until the cream disappears, I'm going to go get my other stuff."
I obeyed and rubbed the cream on my face until it slowly disappeared into little flakes. "Ew, it's flaky."
"It's your dead skin silly," came Tomoyo's voice as she hurried back with a pink box.
"Hoee..."
Tomoyo was throwing everything out of the box and onto the table's surface, hastily opening a bottle and closing a compact disk every few seconds. Sighing, I simply sat there as Tomoyo applied whatever she was applying. The glint in her eyes never faded until the last minute as she finished off my eye shadow. "Done!" she declared proudly and stepped back to admire her handy work. "Ohohoho, now you can look in the mirror."
She led me towards the full-length mirror beside her closet. I stared at my reflection, blinking and staring for a good five minutes before turning to Tomoyo and pointing at my right shoulder. "What happened to the sleeve on this side?! It's gone! And, and, and- HOE!!!"
Tomoyo grinned in a carefree manner and answered, "It's a one shoulder top Sakura! So you only have a sleeveless strap on your left shoulder and it simply slopes down. Oooh doesn't it look good with Nishio-kun's necklace?"
I bit my lip, turning to my left and right to examine myself. The top was indeed a spring green, but near my belly button the material changed and was a see-through white fabric connected to the green fabric. It was cut so that the shirt ended in a slant, from left to right. A messy star was designed near the center of the shirt in silver, a dash of silver coming from it too. It was a really pretty shirt actually, and not too outrageous like some of Tomoyo's normal designs.
"You know...I like it Tomoyo-chan!" I smiled lightheartedly at my reflection before looking at the jeans. They weren't skin-tight like what alot of girls wore, but it was just right. A trail of silver stars, all different sizes, were sewn onto the side of my left thigh. It ended in a flare at the bottom, and a silver belt of star charms was the final touch. "Waa...Tomoyo-chan! I think you should become a designer someday."
Tomoyo clapped her hands together proudly and shook her head, "I only design clothes for Sakura-chan!"
"Tomoyo..." I uttered, touched. I turned towards my bestest friend in the world, giving her a wide hug. "Arigatou Tomoyo-chan!"
She merely tilted her head with a happy smile on her lips before I stepped back, glancing at the clock hanging above the television. "Half an hour more! Are you going to get ready Tomoyo-chan?"
"Hai, getting myself ready is much faster," she admitted and quickened her pace towards her closet. I chuckled and looked at my reflection once more before smiling to myself. What would Nishio-kun think?
I instantly blushed and whacked myself mentally. Why did that matter? Of course it didn't matter...silly thoughts, silly pestering thoughts. Go away, go away...I exhaled and smiled softly. I didn't know what I was feeling, but that doesn't matter because it felt good. It wasn't a bad feeling, it was a strange...tingly feeling.
And I liked it.
The school gym was blaring with music, teenagers letting go and going wild. Disco lights spun and glittered, casting colours upon the walls and upon the faces of students. Nothing else seemed to matter to everyone except for the music and the stuffy air they breathed. I, for one, was having a hard time trying to stay cool just standing in one spot. I never knew it could be so stuffy in the gym.
"Come on Kinomoto-san, come dance," Nishio-kun's breath was warm as he was standing very close to me. "You didn't come here to just stand, right?"
I let him lead me towards the crowd, suddenly feeling shy for no reason at all. The music was fast, a song I recognized from the radio. The people around us were shaking their hips and swinging their arms, girls faces hidden from their hair flying in all directions, guys merely nodding their head while some break danced if they could. Nishio-kun smiled gently at me and took my hands, swinging them around. "Loosen up," he suggested.
I blushed, glad that the gym was dark. My eyes scanned the bobbing heads and flailing arms for Tomoyo's familiar black hair and eyes, but failed. I wondered if she was purposely hiding...
"You seem occupied," Nishio-kun noticed.
I shook my head, "Just thinking."
"Don't think too much," he said just as the song ended to be replaced by a slow one. "If you can't get reckless, then at least you can dance to this right?" He offered his hand to me.
I looked all around me at the various couples beginning to form, the scattered groups of friends slowly disappearing to be replaced by boys and girls holding each other. I turned red and succeeded in nodding. His arms went on my hips as I slowly placed my hands shyly on his shoulders, a nice big space between us...which was quite strange since the couples around us were literally glued to each other.
I wondered if he thought I was weird...not wanting to be too close...
"I respect your personal bubble," he interrupted my thoughts and I glanced up in surprise. He smiled gently and nodded his head towards the couple next to us. Literally, glued together. "We don't have to be like them."
I smiled, relieved and surprised that he was so sweet. "Arigatou..."
"No need to thank me, I mean, we should all respect each other's personal space, right?" He looked down at me with his enchanting eyes and I was once again lost in them. I sighed. What kind of disease was this? Some weird "I like to look at people's eyes" disease? But...I didn't find my teacher's eyes as interesting as Nishio-kun's...maybe it was just green eyes. Ya...that must be it.
As we rocked back and forth to the soft music in the background, I felt this magnetic pull towards him. The space between us grew smaller, but it wasn't as close as the others around us. No...I wasn't about to glue myself onto him, but we were closer. It was...nice.
As I was once again lost in my own little world, his voice, as usual, brought me back. "Can I...can I ask you to do a favour for me?"
I tilted my head in question, "What is it?"
He glanced down at me through the strands of brown hair that fell in his face in such a manner that made me stare once more. "Can I call you, Sakura? Sakura-chan?"
I gaped at him. I had imagined a million favours he would ask, all extreme and out of the blue. But I had not thought of such a simple favour. To simply call me by my first name...in fact I hadn't even noticed that he hadn't been calling me by my first name. I felt as if...as if I had known him since the beginning of time. Of course he could call me by my first name...why did he even bother asking?
"Of course you can, silly," I giggled and continued, "But then you have to let me call you Yori."
He smiled brilliantly, "Hai, I hereby allow Miss Sakura Kinomoto to call me Yori."
I laughed in pure happiness, looking back up at him in the eyes. His eyes seemed to smile and dance as I lost myself in its gaze, nothing seemed to be happening around us except for him and I staring at each other as if we were crazy. I didn't know if the song had ended, if the couples around us had parted and gone back to their usual friends as if nothing had happened before. But not us.
I felt like we could stand here forever and merely hold onto each other. If we were to let go, he would break. Or vise versa. If we were to let go, the other would disappear. If we were to let go...I didn't know what would happen, but we simply couldn't let go.
Sadly, I didn't know it was he who would not break. He who would not disappear. He would not go away.
Sadly, I didn't know what the future was.
AN: Mouuuu I want Syaorannn I want Syaoran...but I still need to have it all lovey dovey between Sakura and Yori. Gahhh why can't stories be choppy and weird...but then it wouldn't make sense and it wouldn't be...a story ^^;; Nehehehe well if you're wondering when Syaoran's going to come along...I estimate around...Chapter...6ish. Which is soon! So don't give up on me yet. Stuff will happen before that to keep you guys entertained. And when I say stuff, I mean stuff. =P Arigatou for reading and please R+R to keep me going ^^