(Tsumina: I'm glad a few of you like my story! I'm really wondering if I have to say that I don't own CCS?
Oh, one more thing, I noticed a small error in the last chapter. When Sakura is telling Yuki that he was shrunk [meh, grammar check??] She addressed Yue instead of Yuki. I'm not much into combining Romaji with English, but I'll try it: Gomen Nasai!)
Yue woke up, feeling very refreshed. The room had a very snug and comfortable feeling that Yukito's did not. It smelled of little girl's perfume. The scent smelled like…lavender, wasn't it? He shifted into a sitting position. His satin bed sheets were still wonderful to touch, and he smoothed his hand over them idly. He looked to Kero's bed, and Keroberos was still sleeping there, a little drool seeping from the corner of his mouth.
I hope I don't look like that when I'M sleeping, Yue thought. He flew out of the drawer, reluctantly leaving his comfy satin bedding. He stretched his wings. It felt nice to do that once in a while, though he felt a little undignified.
He could hear the sound of a shower running, and figured Sakura was probably cleansing herself. It was strange that she could get up so quietly without waking him, or maybe he was just a heavy sleeper?
Wandering the room, he noticed it was very messy compared to Yuki's room. It almost seems like I'm homesick, Yue thought with a smirk when he noticed he had once again compared something to Yuki's room.
"It's a tragic mess," Yue said out loud. There. It was official now that it had been spoken. He wondered at his own logic on the subject. Another smirk.
He tapped a slender finger on his chin, and decided to start with Sakura's schoolbooks, which were scattered randomly on the floor. Yue landed beside a math book, bent down, and tried to lift it.
"Hnnn!!" His body glowed slightly with a flaring light blue tint when he tried to boost his power. His wings fluttered uncontrollably. Still, the book would not move. He tried to lift it from different angles and sides, but the source of knowledge weighed more than him. Cursing his small size, he plopped back down on his bed in a huff.
Moments later, a movement from the direction of the bathroom door caught his eye. When he glanced there, he saw Sakura in a towel, turning around to shut the door after herself. As she reached for the knob, her towel slipped halfway, giving Yue his first opportunity to see what 'panties' were [A/N: This is in no way meant to make Yue perverted]. They were the same color as his bed sheets and from what he could see, the same type of fabric and shape. With slow and painful realization, he found the connection between the feminine version of Yukito's 'boxers' and his bedding. He violently scrambled out of the drawer.
It was Sakura's turn to track an unexpected noise. She spun around, clutching her towel to her chest. She saw Yue's itty bitty figure fleeing from her underwear drawer, and her face turned beet red. "Y-Yue!" she cried out.
The sudden noise startled him and he missed his footing, plunging him two or three feet to the floor, where he landed with a PLOP. Sakura frantically reached for her robe and threw it around her shoulders, then messily tied the cloth belt. She rushed to Yue's side and kneeled down.
"Are you hurt?!" she screamed.
He clapped his hands over his ears. She covered her mouth and whispered, "You aren't injured, are you?"
He examined each limb then answered in the negative. Sakura sighed with relief. A movement from inside Kero's drawer signaled that he was finally up. He peeped his head out. "Good Morning, everyone!" he said cheerfully. With a quizzical look, he stared at Sakura in her bath robe kneeling next to Yue. "What's going on?"
Neither of them responded. Both were blushing furiously.
"I…I am sorry, Mistress."
"Eh? Sorry for what?"
"I feel I've invaded your privacy."
"Oh, I get it," Kero said, "You Sakura naked, didn't you? Ha! You little pervert!"
"Kero, he didn't see me naked!"
"Sure, sure, Sakura," he said, waving a paw as if to swat her 'excuse' away, "What's for breakfast?"
"Oh, that's right," she responded, "Dad's out at the grocery store and it's my turn to cook. Um, does pancakes sound alright?"
"Aw, can't you cook anything else?!" Kero complained. Sakura frowned.
"If you don't like my cooking, then you don't NEED to eat."
"Did I mention I don't mind pancakes at all?" Kero added quickly. Sakura, still in her bathrobe, put on her fuzzy slippers and headed downstairs. Kero hovered in the doorframe and looked back at Yue, who stood on the ground brushing himself off.
"Come on, Yue!"
"I will be there."
**
Sakura placed a large pile of pancakes in the middle of the table and gave both Kero and Yue their own plates and knives and forks. Kero loaded his own plate with four and began shoveling everything into his big mouth. Yue watched wide eyed. He's just like Yukito, he thought in awe. He had never seen anyone match up to Tsukishiro's mach ten speed.
Sakura ate with more grace, taking her time slicing off a little of the pancake and slowly slipping it between her lips. Yue followed her example and sliced off a piece. He cautiously poked it in his mouth, for it was a long time since he himself had actually eaten anything.
The substance seemed to melt in his mouth, along with the soaked-in taste of maple syrup and butter. He swallowed and was dazzled by the feeling of tasting. He popped another in his mouth, then another, and another and another and another…
Sakura and Kero watched him silently, their mouths hanging open. Now he was eating faster than Kero, and that is VERY fast. It wasn't until he was licking his lips that he realized they were gawking at him. Embarrassed, he thrust his hands into his lap and for the second time that day, blushed.
"Sorry…"
The young card captor had never seen Yue act human before, but when he apologized Sakura snapped out of her trance and giggled, "No, its alright! Kero does it all the time. It just means you enjoyed it. Would you like another?"
"I think I should stop…" he said sheepishly.
"Mmm…" Kero said, licking a fragment of another pancake. "So gooood, Sakura!"
"On second thought, perhaps Yuki would like more than one pancake." Yue decided. Smiling, Sakura placed another pancake on his dish, and he ate a little more delicately, far from hoping for another humiliating experience. He was halfway through when Sakura heard Toya upstairs on the phone.
"Yuki, pick up the PHONE!" A moment later, "Aaaargh!" the phone slammed down on its charger.
"Oh no," Sakura gasped, "Should I tell him about Yuki and Yue?"
Yue looked up at her. "Yes. Perhaps it would be best. I will transform into Yukito now." His wings wrapped tightly around him, then disintegrated to show Yukito in all his itsy bitsy teeny weeny glory standing on the kitchen table.
"TOYA!" Sakura called.
"What, monster?"
"Can you come down here? There's something I need to talk to you about! Oh, and DON'T CALL ME MONSTER!"
"Yeah, hold on a sec." She could hear him thundering down the stairs. "Okay, please don't do anything stupid when you see this?" she asked as she heard him in the next room.
"Stupid? Why would I--" He froze in the doorframe, his eyes almost the size of tennis balls.
"Yes, you see," Sakura said a little nervously, "We were playing a game with the Sakura Cards, and Yue touched the Little Card and turned…little. And my bag is locked in the school so I can't change him back until after the break."
Toya slowly lowered himself next to the kitchen table, his eyes just bugging out over it. He stared at his best friend, who stood waving at him.
"Y-Y-Yuki?!"
"Good Morning, Toya!"
Toya twitched and forced a laugh. This couldn't be happening. His best friend, Yukito Tsukishiro, was the size of a squirrel?!
"OH MY GOD! YUKI?!"
The little teenage boy covered his ears. "Don't yell, Toya."
"How long-?!"
"Since last night."
"Where did you sleep?"
"In Sakura's room."
"You've been with her all this time?"
"Yes, since yesterday."
An intense look from Toya's eyes seemed to grasp Yuki tightly. "Is she treating you alright?"
"Oh, just wonderfully. She provided me with a bed last night, and Yue and I slept very peacefully."
Toya heaved a sigh and stood up. "You slept well?"
"Yes, don't worry about me, Toya. I'm just fine."
Toya grumbled, the least bit appeased. Pacing a little while, thoughts of what to do crossed his mind. "Well, you wanna sleep in my room tonight? You don't have to sleep with monster if you don't want to." Sakura hurled a pancake at his face, but he skillfully caught it and took a bite from it. "Hey, not bad! I didn't think monsters could cook so well." He closed his eyes to savor the sweetness.
SPLAT. He was also caught unaware of Sakura's next pancake attack. The pancake dropped off his forehead, leaving a smear of syrup and a square of butter plastered to his face.
"No pancakes for you!" Sakura yelled, sticking her tongue out. A tiny burp croaked from the kitchen table. All eyes turned to Yuki, who stood next to the empty hotcake platter.
"Pardon me!"
Kero stood over the empty plate moistened with pools of syrup, his beady eyes watery with disappointment. There were none left for him.
"And I only had seven!" Kero whined, slumping next to the plate.
Yuki reddened with embarrassment, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you wanted--"
"Don't worry, Yuki. He's just a little pig." Sakura said, having no sympathy for her sun guardian whatsoever. She was used to this act by now.
"Alright," Toya said, the butter still sliding down his face, "Is there a way to fix Yuki?"
"Yes, but I need the Sakura Cards to grow him!"
"Sakura, where are those cards?!"
"I…I left them in my classroom."
"YOU LEFT THEM IN YOUR CLASSROOM? YOU IDIOT!"
"But they locked me out on accident! Toya, is there any way you could find a way in? Maybe you know someone who has keys to the school?"
Toya thought on it for a minute. "I think Hitoshi might have some keys. She used to work there."
Sakura jumped in delight. "Oh, please ask her, Toya?"
"What'll you give me?"
"I'll give you…pancakes?"
"Good enough. Alright, I'll go over to her house. But in the meantime, we've got the family reunion tomorrow, remember?"
"Oh! I forgot all about it!"
"Well you gotta start cleaning up around here, okay? Dad's gonna be out all day because he's gonna to be sitting through another study group. We need to cook and clean. You take care of the kitchen and make a few cookies for the little cousins."
His hands were in his pocket to keep them from shaking (you would too if you found your best friend shrunken to six inches tall, sitting on your kitchen table and eating pancakes). He walked out the door, a strange sort of twitch in his walk. Seeing his purpose of the moment fulfilled, Yuki transformed back to Yue, whose eyes were bleary.
"Now then," Sakura said, taking a motherly tone with both Kero and Yue, "You heard what Toya said! We need to clean! Now, Kero, please get the broom! Yue…Yue!"
Yue had not been paying attention, and was half asleep on the table. Whenever Yuki came out into the open world, Yue only had two things to do: see things through Yuki's point of view, or sleep, and his favorite thing to do was…SLEEP.
"Yue, pay attention please," The moon guardian turned sleepily towards her and tried to act like he was listening.
"Okay, I need you to start the cookie mix. You will need three cups of flour, two of sugar, two eggs and…"
She seemed to go on for hours, and Yue's head nodded consecutively. Sakura wrapped up her instructions and went to go join Kero in cleaning the living room, leaving Yue to stare at the cooking utensils. He flew over to the kitchen counter where they were laid, and noted that the sack of flour was twice his size.
Without a word, he lifted the measuring cup and somehow managed to drop it inside the bag of flour. He stepped inside the bag, and shoveled the flour in with his hands, the white cooking ingredient powdering his wings and skin. His foot sunk into the mass of flour and he lost his balance, and tried to lean up against the side of the bag. Flour was spilled everywhere. Clearing his throat to disintegrate a little of his anger, he picked up the measuring cup and tried again.
After a long struggle, he emptied three cups into the mixing bowl. Next, he opened up the carton of eggs. A dozen white ovals shined at him like a mouthful of teeth. He reached for one, then paused. How many eggs? Perhaps he should ask Yuki.
No, he thought to himself, I'm fully capable of doing this. I don't need Yuki's help.
Five eggs. That sounded reasonable. Yue clutched a slippery cold egg in his hands. It felt heavy, but he could lift it without too much effort and just as easily crack it on the side of the mixing bowl. Well, he could crack it, but it didn't land INSIDE the bowl. Egg yolk and egg white washed over the flour that already caked the counter.
"What? No…!" Yue involuntarily whispered in frustration. Shaking with anger, he picked up a nearby spoon and through a slippery and messy process, scooped up the majority of the egg white and transferred the egg yolk undamaged and dripped it all on top of the three cups of flour.
His wings were thoroughly soaked and sticky from having slipped in the egg white so much. He decided to put his wings away, for they were now more a nuisance than distraction.
Is this the life that Keroberos led everyday? Clow had never worked them so hard. Then again, it might be easier if I were taller. Still, Sakura seemed like a careless taskmaster. Master…it echoed it his mind. I must listen to her. She is, after all, my mistress now.
His mind tore back to the cookies. So far, he had added the flour and eggs. What else?
"Sugar," he mumbled in response to his own question. He knew that children loved sugar. That's why Clow had made the Sweet Card. It always pleased his nephews and nieces. He was too gentle, Yue thought with a slight smile.
"I should stop thinking about Clow before I mess up the cookies and am forced to scrub the toilets," he said sarcastically. Right. The sugar now. It was in a giant sack. Children loved sugar, he thought again. So add lots of sugar.
He emptied the whole bag into the mixture. There. That should be enough sugar. Now, he would improvise. What else did little children like? Candy. He threw in a pack of M&M's that were in the candy jar.
Anything else?
…Chocolate.
He ripped open several mini-Twix bars that sat on the counter, crumbled them, and added their sweetness to the concoction. He couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself. Though his mistress gave him the strangest and most vexing tasks, he was completing them with incredible accuracy! Then, he did something strange. He laughed for joy. It was really just a giggle, but enough for him to call it a laugh. Clow would have been very proud of his resourcefulness.
So, was that it? Yes, that was all he could think of. He looked triumphantly at the mixture. He had just made cookies! His slight happiness dimmed. This did not look like cookies, and he was certain that cookies were solid.
A feeling of defeat splashed at him coldly. He just STARED at it intensely. He could have almost burned holes into the mixture with the glare he gave it. With a sigh, he sat down and leaned against a roll of paper towels. He was exhausted. He closed his eyes and blocked out the sound of the vacuum cleaner in the next room.
Only minutes later, Tomoyo let herself in.
"SAKURA!" she yelled over the vacuum cleaner, "I'VE COME TO HELP!"
"WHAT?!"
"I SAID I'VE COME TO HELP!"
'WHAT?!"
"I SAID--" she shook her head and mouthed "Never mind" and wandered into the kitchen.
The counter was dusted in flour and slightly wet. A messily and unevenly mixed sort of cookie dough sat beside an emptied sugar bag. And leaning against a roll of paper towels was Yue. She noted he was somewhat smaller than she remembered. He was sleeping very deeply, his chest rising and falling like small swells of even waves. Not wanting to miss the chance of such a rare occasion, she silently withdrew her video camera from her backpack, and took a whole thirty seconds of him snoozing.
When she had finished, she very gently shook him awake. He slowly opened his eyes, lashes fluttering. He did not shift his gaze to her. "Hn…?" he droned drowsily.
"Yue, what are you doing?" Tomoyo asked, like a schoolgirl inquiring a friend who was getting into mischief.
"Mistress Sakura asked that I make cookies," he replied, his consciousness returning at the speed of turtle.
"Well, that's good to know," she said, "But what are you doing- being that little?"
The word 'little' was like an alarm clock going off. He shook off his sleepy spell and stood up on wobbly and tired legs. "You may ask Mistress Sakura, for I could not give you an adequate account on this most humiliating experience."
"You could try," she pointed out, that gentle smile on her face that had irked him since he laid eyes on her. How was it possible for one to smile so much? Surely she had worries of her own? Why would she smile and ask about his?
"We were playing games with the Sakura Cards, and there was an accident. I touched the Little Card, and was affected like this. Since the Sakura Cards have been accidentally locked up in Sakura's school, we cannot reverse the spell."
"I see," she said, straightening herself up. She looked for a way to change the subject. "So you are making cookies?"
"I've MADE cookies." he corrected. Made. They were finished.
"Would you like me to bake them for you?" she offered, "They aren't officially cookies until you've baked them. I can put them in the oven if you'd like."
Half an hour later, Sakura and Kero walked back into the kitchen. The counter that had once been covered in flour and egg was now sparkling, thanks to Tomoyo, and a delicious aroma filled the air.
"Oooh!" Sakura gasped in delight as she inhaled the sweet smell. Kero licked his lips. Yue was once again asleep against the paper towels.
"Tomoyo," Sakura whispered so as not to wake Yue, "Did you make the cookies?"
She shook her head and replied humbly: "Yue did."
Kero stared in mild shock at the sleeping guardian. He never thought Yue could pull it off. And yet there he was, caked in flour and chocolate crumbs, breathing evenly in his sleep.
DING! The timer for the oven went off, and Tomoyo slipped on a large oven mitt. Yue stirred and hoisted himself to a sitting position.
"Good morning, sweetie," Kero purred. Yue gave him an indifferent look then turned to see his cookies come out of the oven. NOW they looked like real cookies. He, Yue, had created his own cookie.
Tomoyo quietly scraped the cookies off the baking pan and set them on a platter. She offered a cookie to Yue, but he refused. He did not want another incident like at breakfast this morning (Yes, he had lots of confidence that he would be hooked to his own cookies). Sakura and Kero took one, and Tomoyo picked one up as well. They all bit in at the same time.
Sakura stifled a choke. What on earth did he put in this?!
Kero's eyes widened from the shock the cookies gave to his mouth. YUE made this?!
Tomoyo cringed ever so slightly and forced herself to swallow. He's added a little too much sugar! Her face puckered from the intense sweetness. Yue looked on to see the reactions on their faces, but they all had their backs turned.
Don't say anything, Sakura mouthed. Tomoyo and Kero nodded.
"This-is-so-de-li-cious!" Kero said mechanically, feigning amazement. Tomoyo and Sakura forced themselves to agree. Yue smiled a little and held his head high.
Of course they were good.
**
The house was now spotless with Tomoyo's help. Sakura, Kero, and Yue sat with her at the kitchen table, each with a glass of lemonade.
"I wonder how long it'll take Toya?" Sakura said more to herself than anyone.
"Where did he go?". Tomoyo's question.
"His friend, Hitoshi's house. He's going to see if she has any keys to the school so I can get inside and find my Sakura Cards."
"Oh, what a nice brother," she mused, a millisecond before the phone rang. Sakura rushed to pick it up.
"Kinomoto residence, Sakura speaking," she said automatically.
"Really? I thought it was a monster," the familiar voice said in mock surprise.
"Toya, don't ca-"
"Don't get your tail in a knot. I called to say that Satoshi and Toki are coming to spend the night tomorrow after the reunion, so get your room clean."
"HOOOE?!" Sakura exclaimed, "The twins are coming?!"
"Yeah, so hide any breakables or valuables where they'll be safe. You know the routine with them." He hung up the phone without a goodbye, but she was used to it.
"But why my room?" she implored quietly to the peppy voice that said "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again." She obeyed the unknown personage and clicked the phone to the receiver.
"Tomoyo," she said, "You are coming to the reunion, aren't you? Mom's side of the family is welcome too."
Tomoyo nodded her head. "Of course! I'd love to meet all your darling cousins!"
The Mistress of the Cards carried a few empty lemonade glasses to the sink and bent over to wash them.
"No…I don't think you would."
Kero and Yue looked on soundlessly from the tops of their glasses. They had no earthly, solar, or lunar idea what a reunion was.
**
That night, Toya finally arrived home, but his hands and pockets were empty.
"What were you doing all day?!" Sakura demanded angrily.
"Part time job, squirt. I have a life too."
Sakura let out a long exhale and marched up to her room where Yue was once again asleep, but this time in the sock drawer, and Kero was viciously tapping the buttons of the video game controller.
"What news?" Kero asked, not taking his tiny eyes away from the screen. He was on the final level.
"He could have come home HOURS ago, but he had a part time job!" she cried.
"K.O! Reptile wins! Congratulations!"
"Aw, YES!!" Kero crowed (waking Yue up). He held up the video game controller victoriously, "I DID IT! HA HA!"
Sakura watched the TV with no particular reaction to Kero's happiness. "Hurray for you."
"You're really upset about this, aren't you?" Kero asked, turning around, his moment of glory finished off by her dreariness.
"Aren't you upset?" Sakura questioned a little forcefully. Kero backed up a little.
"Sure I'm not happy about it," he clearly lied.
"Huh." Sakura said idly as she searched the folds of her bed sheets for her pajamas.
"You can't be too worried, Sakura. Whether or not we get into the school during the holidays or not, Yue will end up his original size in the end."
Yue didn't move, but he was awake and listening to all of it.
Till the end of the holidays…
Well, today wasn't such a bad day, with the exception of being small. He'd eaten pancakes and learned to make cookies. Well, I taught myself, he said, still proud of himself. The stay actually seemed quite…enjoyable, he supposed. I should thank her. I do not wish to seem ungrateful. He hovered out of the drawer and saw Sakura leaning over Kero's drawer.
"Good night, Kero," Sakura whispered, laying the covers over his yellow, furriness just as she had done last night. She kissed him between the ears again.
Suddenly, Yue grasped at his chest and sharply held his breath. Something had surged through him, though he couldn't tell what it was. He didn't feel sick. The occurrence was somewhat similar to the discomfort he had when he was angry. But this time, he wasn't. He couldn't explain it. He shook his head and tried to ignore it.
"Mistress Sakura," he called. She turned around while heading towards the bathroom.
"Did you say something?"
"Yes. Thank you."
She kept her eyes fixed on him, and slowly smiled. "Oh, don't mention it. Are you comfortable where you're sleeping?"
"Yes, I am comfortable anywhere."
"Okay. Goodnight, Yue."
(Tsumina: Sorry it took so long, guys! I'm fitting this in with my homework. You know, fanfic writing is too addicting! I have been going to bed around one o'clock every night this week because I weave fanfic writing into my homework time. Yes, I know I shouldn't do it, but I've chosen this path of torture. Yes….yup…yeah.
What could this strange feeling that Yue's feeling be? Could it be that he really is sick? Or maybe something's affecting him because of his size? Dude…the mysteries!!
Thank you very much for your reviews! Keep posted for the next chapter…Yue: Six Inches, Skeeters and Gnats.)