It was Sunday and the whole apartment seemed to be so quiet. The sun had been out for already 4 hours, and yet no one came out of his/her rooms. Alarm clocks beeped, continued with heavy smacks. Sakura groaned and sat up, blinking her eyes rapidly to focus on the bright light. Syaoran turned over on his bed and stuck the pillow on top of his head to keep out the noisy alarm. Eriol yawned and rubbed his eyes. Tomoyo stood up and neatly made her bed with exhaustion.
By that afternoon, Sakura glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 15 past 4, meaning she had 15 minutes left before she was allowed to go. She looked at the computer in front of her and exited all the programs. She pressed a button below to turn off the CPU and Monitor. Papers and documents were lying everywhere, enough to cause her some grief. While looking at the numbers and words, she remembered Syaoran's upcoming birthday and how she was going to surprise him with a gift of her own: playing his favourite song in the guitar. 'I still have 3 weeks…that's good.' She smiled.
----
During the afternoon, Tomoyo and Sakura locked themselves in Sakura's room. Tomoyo held Syaoran's FFIX CD in her hand, seeing as she had stolen it from him. Sakura was tuning the guitar and occasionally strumming it. In front of her were a piece of paper, a book underneath, and a pencil.
"I found it!" Tomoyo stated triumphantly.
"How??"
"Oh I just asked to look at his CDs. That man is quite dense."
Sakura giggled.
Tomoyo sat beside the girl, bouncing the bed, causing the paper to fly her away. "Oops. Sorry." Tomoyo smiled sheepishly and caught the paper in her hand. She placed it neatly in front of Sakura. "Let's do this."
"Ok." She waited until Tomoyo put the CD in the radio before she started strumming the guitar.
The melody started and Sakura stopped the strum by pressing her palm on all 6 strings. Tomoyo turned on the volume loud enough for them to hear, but quiet enough not to disturb the men. There were a couple more melodic rhythms and then Emiko Shiratori started singing. The words were clear, and both women couldn't help but sigh wistfully at the beautiful hymning poetry.
(English Version)
Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark, for traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain, melodies of life, love's lost refrain…
Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why, we met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye
And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told? Let them ring out loud till they unfold
In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me
Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine, adding up the layers of harmony…
And so it goes, on and on, melodies of life…to the sky beyond the flying birds…forever and beyond
So far and away, see the bird as it flies, gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky
I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings…leave them now and see what tomorrow brings
In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me?
Was it fate that brought us close and now leaves me behind?
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine, adding up the layers of harmony…
And so it goes, on and on, melodies of life…to the sky beyond the flying birds…forever and beyond
If I should leave this lonely world behind, your voice will still remember our melody
Now I know we'll carry on, melodies of life… come circle round and grow deep in our hearts, as long as we remember…
"That was beautiful…" Tomoyo whispered, wiping her eyes at the corners. "It made me cry!"
Sakura smiled faintly. "It was sad, wasn't it?"
"I think Syaoran really picked a very good song to be his favourite."
"I know." She murmured.
Tomoyo paused to just let the words sink in for a couple minutes, and then cleared her throat. "Ok. We've got to start doing this or we'll never be finished in time for his birthday. We've only got six days left, you know."
"I know, I know." Sakura moved closer to Tomoyo. "We've got to keep repeating it, but they're bound to hear it if we do."
"Yeah." Tomoyo nodded. "So what's your suggestion?"
Sakura thought for a moment. "Think you can find a pair of earphones in 2 minutes?"
"I've got one in my drawer. Hold." Tomoyo jogged out of the room, carefully shutting it, and ran to her own room, picking up the set.
--
Two hours had passed since Tomoyo and Sakura noted and listened to all the beats and rhythms. It was hard work, but they still did it within record time. Sakura was an amazing chord-finder. When she listened to a certain piece from the movie, she quickly knew which chord best sounded like the beat from that certain piece. Tomoyo was a very big help, being the one who did the rewinds, fast-forwards, pauses, plays, and stops.
Tomoyo took out the CD from the changer and placed it in the case. "We worked really hard for this. He better love it."
"Yeah I know." Sakura smiled. "But I don't think he'll complain. He's not that mean."
She laughed. "I guess not."
"Don't worry Tomoyo. When I present this gift to him, I'll say that this is from both of us." Sakura assured.
Tomoyo shook her head rapidly. "I don't want you to mention me. You have to tell him that it's from you and…he's going to love it so much."
"Why…?"
She shrugged. "You did everything, honey. I just helped you out. You deserve all the gratitude."
Sakura blushed. "But I'd feel better…if I could say your name…"
"Maybe in the card." Tomoyo smiled.
"Ok."
----
Everyday for the remaining days until Syaoran's birthday, Sakura locked herself in her room and told everyone that she was going to be busy. She took her guitar and the piece of paper that was her composition. Every night, she would do better than the one before. She felt the music within her soul, as she sang the lyrics along. Sakura knew that on Syaoran's birthday, she would have to present it to him and sing in front of all 3 of them. Her voice wasn't as pretty as before, but she knew she was going to do her best.
Two days before Syaoran's birthday, Sakura closed the door behind her, assuming she had already locked it. She walked over to the guitar to pick it up when the door opened. She whirled around in shock and only met the warm amber eyes. He walked over to her and sent her that inquisitive look. She smiled weakly and touched his chest with both hands.
"You scared me." She whispered.
He pulled away a little and locked the door behind him. "You keep coming in here for an hour and you don't tell us what you're doing." He replied. "I'm curious to know what you're doing in here."
She reddened. "I haven't done anything illegal." She broke into a softer smile.
He pulled her closer to him and locked his arms around her waist. "So you mind telling me?"
"Actually…yes I do." She wove her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Syaoran. You just can't know."
He looked a little surprised. "Why not?"
"It's personal stuff." She mumbled and looked him in the eyes.
"I thought we shared everything between us. No secrets." He was staring into her intently.
She nodded. "And it's true. You've just got to trust me on this one, ok?"
He was trying to look for something in her eyes, but he didn't get anything. "I'll trust you, babe. But if you break it…"
"I'm not going to break it." She sighed and tiptoed and kissed his nose. "Anyway, can you leave? I've got to do something."
He nodded. "All right, fine." He let go of her and she him. He turned around and started to walk away.
"Wait, wait." She said in a small voice and walked over to the front of him.
"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't get my kiss." She pouted sweetly.
He gave a low chuckle, wrapped his arms around her waist one more time, and bent down. "I didn't get mine either."
She giggled and they sealed their lips together.
It was a passionate kiss. Syaoran was pressing her against him and she let him. Her hands touched his soft hair and she gave out a small moan. He broke off the kiss, trailing kisses down her neck and back up to her jaw. They once again kissed, with lips savouring each other's. Sakura felt his hand behind her neck push her head forward. He made a small groan deep in his throat and she sighed dreamily. Once they pulled away from each other, Syaoran pecked her one more time on the lips.
"That was refreshing." He commented. His lips were slightly swollen.
Her lips were pink and puffy. "Wasn't it?" She giggled and embraced him, burying her face in his shirt.
He kissed her forehead. "All right I'm gonna go."
She nodded and smiled up at him. "Bye."
"Bye babe." He winked and left the room.
----
Syaoran walked up his building tiredly. He felt that it was so unfair that on his birthday, he had to work twice as hard at work. His muscles ached, but he still held up pretty well. Sakura didn't go to work that day and he had a feeling it was because of his birthday. He hadn't seen Eriol and Tomoyo the whole day, assuming they went to work earlier. He walked out of the elevator and to the door just a few metres away from him.
Once he got there, he thrust a key in the lock and rotated it, opening the door. He looked in and saw nothing. The whole place seemed so quiet. From the doorstep, he could see Eriol's and his room, the kitchen, the dining table, and the bedroom. He was confused. Was he going to spend his birthday all alone?? He knew Sakura wouldn't do that to him. But how was he so sure, though? He put his bag inside his room and took off the jacket.
He walked in the small hallway separating the kitchen and bedrooms. As he entered the living room, shouts filled the place. His eyes widened at seeing so many people. Eriol was standing behind the couch, laughing and saying happy birthday. He glanced around and saw a couple of people from work that left early. He also noticed that Tomoyo was still wrapping gifts from one spot in the floor. She was turning her back, but waved to smile at him. His eyes looked around for any sign of an auburn-haired woman and she was out there in the large balcony, barbecuing on an autumn day. She didn't hear anything from outside.
"Happy birthday!!"
"Whoo! How does it feel, man?? Twenty-six!!"
"Happy birthday, dude!"
"Syaoran, you dumbass, you didn't even tell me it was your birthday!!"
He waved at everyone. "Thanks guys."
In the coffee table were all the foods. He was relieved that the table was big enough to fit all the food. On one side were brightly coloured boxes and on another side were balloons that had 'twenty-six years' imprinted on it. He thanked Tomoyo personally when he passed by her, and sent a grin at his best friend, who was smiling happily. Everyone started partying, so he excused himself and went out in the balcony where the cherry blossom was flipping burgers and steak.
He opened it and stepped out.
"It's not done yet, Tomoyo." She replied. "In a while."
"I'm not Tomoyo." He slid his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her lightly on the neck.
"Oh my gosh!!" She yelled and turned around, grinning at him. "Happy birthday!!!"
He laughed and kissed her lightly. "Thank you babe."
"How do you feel??" She asked in an excited voice. "You're 26!"
"It's not that big a deal." He said warmly, pulling her away from the meats. "But thanks…for everything. I know Eriol and Tomoyo didn't plan this…they didn't even know anyone from my work."
She flushed. "I know you're tired…and I want to make this special. But I didn't really do much." She confessed shyly. "Tomoyo prepared this and my job was to cook it."
His face inched closer to her. "Thank you." He whispered in a very grateful tone.
She smiled. "You're welcome."
He kissed her devotedly.
----
Once everyone had left, Tomoyo and Eriol brought out their gifts. Syaoran was not to open any of his gifts from the three until the rest left. Eriol sat on the recliner, Sakura on one side of Syaoran and Tomoyo on the other side. Eriol took his out first. Syaoran surveyed it and saw that it was the size of a novel, but it was thick. He sent Eriol an inquiring look and he got back a shrug. Syaoran shrugged back and slowly tore up the wrapper. Then what he saw completely stunned him.
It was a photo album. He looked at the first picture in and saw a younger version of himself running and a young navy-haired boy chasing after him. He gave a low chuckle as he surveyed the other pictures. Eriol had collected all the pictures they had together and pictures of his own family back in Hong Kong. Syaoran was immensely thankful that his best friend found the time to just put these things together for him.
He stopped and closed it, putting it on the table. "Thanks man…" He said in a low voice full of emotion.
Eriol grinned. "You deserve it."
Syaoran nodded. "It's amazing."
"Yeah I know." Eriol teased.
"Ok now open mine!" Tomoyo cheerfully said.
"All right." He took another gift in his hands and examined it.
Inside the box was a hard-covered book with a title, "Sarcasm, My Best Friend". It was a book full of sarcastic jokes. That got a laugh out of him. Tomoyo was surprised that he was finally laughing and smiling, but she didn't show it. Eriol and Sakura joined in as they saw the book. It was black and white, meshing together. Syaoran turned sideways and gave Tomoyo a brief hug, thanking her. She smiled, showing her teeth, and hugged him back, saying that it was nothing.
"Where's your present?" He teased and pulled her close.
She wiggled out of his arms and giggled. "I'll be right back."
His eyes frowned. "What?"
"Your present!" She smiled and jogged out of the room.
Tomoyo was secretly smiling to herself.
"You know something we don't, honey?" Eriol asked suspiciously.
"Maybe. Maybe not." She grinned innocently and shrugged her small shoulders.
Sakura came back to the living room with the guitar in one hand and a paper in the other. Syaoran's eyes widened at this. She smiled shyly at them and positioned herself in front of the TV, facing all of them and her back facing the TV. "This is my birthday present to you." She said. Tomoyo cheered. Sakura was turning red by the second, but she knew she could do this. Syaoran deserved the best and she was definitely going to give him the best.
She strummed the guitar perfectly and started singing 'Melodies of Life'. Syaoran's eyes widened when found out what she was singing. His heart was thudding deep inside him and he could feel it from his chest. His stomach filled with butterflies when he heard her voice. He gulped a little when he recognized the beautiful lyrics. He kept staring at her, but there was no doubt in his mind that he was actually in love with her. Her cheeks were tinted pink and her eyes were so green. He listened intently for the whole thing. No matter how much he loved that song, he loved it even more when it came out of her voice.
Once she finished, he stood up and made his way across to her. "Do you like it?" She whispered.
He caressed her cheek and kissed her right on the lips in front of the couple.
"So I guess you do…" She murmured and looked up at him.
"You don't know how much that meant to me." He whispered in a deep voice.
"I'm just glad you're happy." She said affectionately.
"It was amazing." He replied and kissed her again. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
----
Late that night, Sakura stayed in Syaoran's bedroom. He wanted to have her sleep in his bed, and just cuddle the rest of the night. She quickly obliged, feeling the need to be with him. They were already on the bed and Syaoran just kept on kissing her. She kissed him back whole-heartedly. Once they stopped, he looked deep into her eyes. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding so hard and she smiled at him to ease the nervousness.
"I love you." He whispered.
She trembled from the confession. Looking into his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth.
The silence scared him. "Say something," he urged, fearing what she would say.
Unshed tears found their way down her cheeks. "I love you."
A breath of relief released out of his mouth. He smiled down at her and kissed her once again.