Daisuke's eyes fluttered. He yawned, and opened his eyes, and was agitated by the bright sunlight streaming through the windows. He sat up carefully, trying not to jar Sakura, and slid out of bed. He squinted at the alarm clock, and was disappointed to see that it was eight. Turning around, he leaned over Sakura and was about to wake her, when he noticed tears on her cheek. He hesitated.
What did you do to her? Dark asked, startling Daisuke.
I… think I scared her… Daisuke said.
What did you do? Dark asked, his voice suddenly very sharp.
"Nothing." Daisuke said emphatically. He pulled his sleeve and carefully brushed away the droplets of tears off of Sakura's cheeks.
What the hell happened?! Dark asked. What did you do while I was sleeping?
Sakura's eyelids fluttered, and she peered out from other her eyelashes at Daisuke.
"Dai…suke…?"
"Good morning," he said cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"
He waited tersely for her answer. She looked peacefully at him, and she gave a wistful smile.
"Arigatou…" she said. "Somehow… somehow I feel a little better seeing you,"
Daisuke blushed furiously and looked away to hide his burning cheeks. "I-I'll go wake Towa-chan to make breakfast!" he announced, leaping out of the bed and running out the door.
Sakura slowly climbed out of the bed, shivering in the chilly morning air. She stared out the window of Daisuke's bedroom and marveled at the rays of golden light shining on the floor. She sighed and clutched her chest as her heart throbbed painfully.
Daisuke… he…
She picked up his pillow and clutched it to her chest.
He makes me… feel…
You promised. She reminded herself. Tears spilled from her eyes.
"Syaoran… gomen," she whispered.
+++
"Is she alright?" Emiko asked worriedly, as she assisted Towa in the kitchen.
"Yeah," Daisuke said, plopping down into a chair at the table. "She's awake and kicking,"
Emiko placed a stack of pancakes onto the table along with some maple syrup. "Do you think she's capable of casting anymore magic?"
Daisuke sighed, and rubbed the back of his head. "Dad said that we weren't sure how long it'll take for Sakura to restore her powers," he said darkly. "If ever."
"She's still alive," Towa said, turning her head over her shoulder. "That's a sign,"
"What do you mean?" Daisuke asked curiously.
"Well, considering that she's the most powerful magician in the world, wouldn't you think that she'd be a little dependant on her magic?" she asked. "To survive?"
The words hit Daisuke, and he gave an "Oh," of comprehension.
"So she's already gotten some of her magic restored. At this rate… she'll probably be back to her full powers in two to three weeks," Towa said.
"So long?" Emiko commented.
"Yes, well, with the magnitude of her powers, it's bound to take that long." Towa responded.
"That's insane. She slept like a log last night…" Daisuke said, "Two to three weeks…"
Towa chuckled. "I noticed that you didn't sleep on the couch last night, Dai-chan," Towa said, with an evil gleam in her eye. "If Sakura was sleeping on your bed, where did you sleep?"
"Uh!" Daisuke panicked. "A-ano…"
? What happened when I went to sleep Daisuke? Dark asked, a little annoyed.
"…Ohayo gozaimasu,"
Sakura cautiously stepped out of Daisuke's bedroom. "I hope I'm not intruding," she said shyly, hovering near his threshold.
"Ohayo!" Towa exclaimed cheerfully. "I hope you had a good night's sleep," she said, emphasizing her last three words very strongly, and stared pointedly at Daisuke. She cackled evilly in her head as the two blushed, and turned away.
Hey! Answer me! Dark exclaimed.
…
"Well I'm glad that you're feeling better, Kinomoto-san," Emiko said, grinning cheerfully. "It's scary when a cute girl like you is found sleeping in the park. I'm so glad Dai-chan found you before any criminals got to you first!"
"…Yeah," Sakura said. "I supposed it was,"
"Well, sit down!" Emiko said, pulling out a chair for her next to Daisuke. Sakura slowly approached the table, and sat next to Daisuke.
"Would you like some pancakes, Sakura?" Emiko asked graciously, handing her a plate and a fork. Without even waiting for a response, she piled large pancakes onto the plate. Sakura's mouth watered hungrily, and she smiled happily.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed, before tackling the large stack of pancakes. To everyone's amazement, she cleaned the plate in five seconds flat and was eagerly stacking more pancakes onto her plate. "Pancakes are my favorite~"
Daisuke laughed nervously as Towa and Emiko stared at Sakura and her voracious appetite.
"Ah well," Towa said, worriedly looking at the diminishing stack of pancakes. "It's understandable…" She laughed away her shock and bustled back into the kitchen to cook more pancakes.
…Damn. Dark commented, momentarily forgetting his question. I'm surprised she isn't gagging on the unchewed bits of food still in her throat…
"…erm… S-Sakura, do you need something to drink?" Daisuke said, genuinely worried that she might choke.
"Hoe?" Sakura stared at the extraordinarily clean plate in front of her and the nearly empty bottle of maple syrup lying on the kitchen table. A sweatdrop appeared on the side of her forehead, and she hastily pushed the chair away from the table.
"Gomen…" she said nervously. She placed a hand on her forehead, and said, "I just haven't been feeling too well lately…"
"Daidouji-san and your Onii-san said you have a condition," Daisuke said, struggling not to laugh. Sakura suddenly began to hack.
"Sakura!"
Towa immediately passed Daisuke a glass of milk, which he promptly held to Sakura. She took a large swig, and clenched her eyes. She tried to swallow the thick sweetness down her throat. Everyone in the kitchen stared until she finally let out a large sigh of relief.
"Excuse me," she said meekly.
"Daijobu?!" Daisuke exclaimed.
"Hai," Sakura muttered. "Sorry for worrying minna…"
She stood up and bowed to everyone. "Thank you very much for the food," she said politely. She fidgeted uncomfortably and looked to Daisuke. "If it's alright… I'd like to go home now,"
Daisuke looked up at the clock on the floor. The longer hand clicked ominously towards the nine. He sighed with disappointment. "Okay, I'll walk you home,"
"That's so sweet of you Dai-chan~!" Emiko and Towa squealed.
Both of them blushed, and looked away.
"A-arigatou, minna-san," Sakura said, before hastily stepping out of the apartment door. Daisuke grabbed his jacket and glared at his mother and Towa before he left. They giggled insanely.
+++
"T-that was embarrassing," Sakura said, her face burning. "I'm sorry for intruding,"
Daisuke smiled at her, and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Stop apologizing. We're friends, remember? You don't need to be so polite,"
She blushed even further, and swiftly picked up her pace as she walked down the street.
"Oi! Matte!"
He ran to catch up with her and grabbed her hand. "Slow down, will you?" he gasped. She looked away from him.
"We should hurry," she said breathlessly. "Onii-chan might get worried…"
Daisuke ran a hand through his hair. "Your brother sure is protective," he said. He smiled down at her and was about to open his mouth when…
Boy, Daisuke. You suck at flirting.
ARGH. Shut UP.
Hey, you know I could always give you a hand. Tell you some tips…
"I don't need tips!" Daisuke exclaimed loudly. Sakura turned to him.
"…Tips…?" she repeated, a bit confused. Daisuke panicked to find a way to smooth things over.
"Uuuh… I mean like… money…" Daisuke said slowly, dreading each word that came out of his mouth and Sakura's reaction.
"…You want me to pay you?" she asked, getting even more confused. "…Why?"
"N-No! You don't!" he exclaimed. "Sorry, Sakura-chan, I mutter to myself a lot,"
She blinked in amazement, and then began to giggle. Daisuke felt a little peeved.
"What?" he asked.
"You called me 'Sakura-chan'," she said, giggling even harder. His face burned once again, and he could hear Dark cracking up inside of his head and shouting teasingly, Sa! Ku! Ra-CHA~N!
"Oi," he muttered. "You've got to stop making me blush before it starts to really hurt,"
She laughed even harder, and said, "Then don't make me blush,"
Suddenly, Daisuke gripped Sakura's hand tighter, and tugged her towards him. They stopped in their tracks, and Daisuke held Sakura by the shoulders. He stared at her intensely, and asked, "Do I make you blush?"
She fidgeted in his grip, "H-hai…" she said. The look in his eyes softened, and Daisuke lifted her chin so that he could look at her.
"I'm glad I can have that effect on you," he murmured. Before Sakura or Dark could figure out what he was doing, he quickly kissed Sakura, with the same desperation as Dark the night before. He could understand Dark's feelings now – the ache, the longing, the itch to touch her… hold her… make her his…
Before long, he drew away and didn't wait for her response. Jamming his hands into his pockets, he continued to walk away. "We should hurry—" he said while walking further and further away from a shock-still Sakura.
"Daisuke…" Sakura whispered, "matte…" She stared at his retreating back while hesitantly raising her fingers to her lips. "Matte!"
She raced after him and clung to the back of his jacket. He turned, and patted her head fondly.
"Don't take that seriously, okay? I just…"
She silenced him by throwing her arms around her neck and kissing him soundly on the lips. Daisuke took a step backward to keep from tripping. He gripped Sakura's tightly, as if uncertain if she was truly real. Daisuke's breath hitched as she pressed her lips urgently against his and kneaded his lips with hers. Daisuke reluctantly pulled away and stared at her breathlessly.
"Sakura," he murmured, dipping down to capture her lips in his once more. "Sakura… Sakura…"
Sakura was on the balls of her feet trying to savor the taste of Daisuke's lips against hers. He hugged her tighter until she could barely catch her breath. She longed for his warmth, to be surrounded by him and to feel …
"Daisuke," she whispered, pulling away and trying hard to not taste him once more, to not feel his breath mingling with hers, to not drown in him… they rested their foreheads against each other's and shared intense looks.
"Is this okay?" he murmured, leaning forward to hug her tightly. His nose nuzzled the side of her neck "Is this what you want?" he asked huskily into her ear.
She shivered as his hot breath tickled her ears. "I-I…"
"You?" he asked as he stroked the hairs on the back of her head. He was surprised to see tears in her eyes.
"You…" she said breathlessly. "You make me…"
Sakura reached down and picked up his hand. She hesitated, before bringing it towards her chest.
"You lessen the ache," she whispered. "It feels… better when I'm with you. When the pain is gone… even for a little while… I feel better. You make me feel better,"
Daisuke felt his heartbeat slow down a few notches, and gave her a kind smile. "Thank you,"
"No, you deserve the thanks," she said. She leaned forward and whispered against his lips, "I want to heal…"
Daisuke closed his eyes as she kissed him again.
…Guess you didn't need tips. Dark said, surly.
Nope. Daisuke said, gleeful.
"Will you be with me?" Daisuke asked, after another intense kiss, with a hopeful look in his eyes. He gently wiped the tears away from her shimmering eyes.
"I…"
"SAKURA!"
They both turned, and saw a full-grown man running towards them. He looked frantic. His shirt was wrinkled and his hair was disheveled. He had an extremely ragged appearance – as if he had just woken up. The look in his eyes made Daisuke gulp in anxiety.
"Onii-chan," Sakura whispered. She quickly turned to Daisuke. "I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said. She prepared to run off, before Daisuke grabbed her hand.
"Sakura…"
She turned and smiled sweetly at him. To his surprise, she reached up and ruffled his hair and tapped his nose. He stood there, shocked, as she ran away, waving to him.
"Onii-chan! OHAYO!" she exclaimed.
…What…? Dark asked, just as confused. Was that a yes or no?
"I… I'm not quite sure," Daisuke said, still frozen in his dazed position.
