Fountain of Age
Summary: AU. Syaoran and Eriol are on the trail of the Fountain of Youth... a trail that would lead them inevitably to Tomoeda... and Sakura...
Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captor Sakura. None of it: manga, anime, little plushie Keros; I own nothing.
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Chapter 11: In Paint...
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It was hard to tell if it was spring or summer the next morning. The flowers were in full bloom, and the sun bathed everything in golden light.
"When were you going to tell me you were going out?" asked Syaoran as he poked at his pancakes. He felt like he should've known. It wasn't exactly hard to miss that the two had been spending way more time together than... than before.
"We're not really going out," said Eriol. Sunlight caught the edge of his glasses, and Syaoran was blinded for a moment. "We're just working on the art project."
"I- I always thought you liked Sakura," said Syaoran.
Eriol looked at him funny. "I thought YOU liked Sakura."
"Me?" said Syaoran, his face flaming. "I- I-"
"It's all right," Eriol said, and he allowed Syaoran's cheeks to return to their original color. "Tomoyo and I have more fun anyway. And since she did my project for me, I'm painting hers. The teacher won't care."
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Before the bell rang, Sakura bounded up to Syaoran and grabbed his hand, squeezing it until he thought she'd punctured holes in his fingers.
"Aaaaaaaah!" she suppressed a scream. "You won't believe this, but I found Kaho Mizuki's dissertation on the Fountain of Youth!"
"What?" Syaoran couldn't believe his ears.
"I know!" said Sakura. "That's what I said too; when Yuki told me. But yeah, my dad's got a copy. He was reading it before he left. Yuki says he'll find it during the day, and I can read it when I get home!"
"Great!" Syaoran said, and he smiled, a huge smile, with teeth and everything. "Better yet, we can pass by your house before we go to the library."
"We should do that!" Sakura exclaimed, and she squeezed his hands a little bit more.
"All right," Syaoran said, and he hastily let go of her hands. His own were woefully covered in little red marks.
"Hee," said Sakura, sheepishly, with a blush. "I never noticed, but you've got a great smile. It's very cute."
"Settle down kids, settle down," boomed Mr. Terrada's voice.
Sakura scurried away with a backwards glance at Syaoran. He flopped into his own seat. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Syaoran cradled his head in his hands, and felt the heat radiate from his cheeks.
That was completely uncalled for. He spent the rest of the school day staring at the back of Sakura's head. She thought his smile was cute? He played around with his face, trying to smile cutely. No, not like that. A little more to the right. Yes. More teeth. Yeah. She thought that was cute?
A giggle escaped from his left. He snuck a glance at Eriol, who was smiling too, but looking like the image of a good, attentive student.
"Mr. Li," said Mr. Terrada. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes sir," replied Syaoran, sitting up straighter.
"Then kindly stop making funny faces," ordered Mr. Terrada. "It's distracting..."
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The school day ended, and Sakura and Syaoran couldn't escape the school faster. They sprinted to her house. Only when they reached the bottom of the steps did they stop to breathe.
The door swung open. "Sakura!" called Yukito's somewhat familiar voice. "Welcome home."
"Yuki!" she called back. "Did you find it?"
"Yes," he answered.
Sakura grabbed Syaoran's hand. "Come on."
"Why, hello Hiiragizawa. Nice to see you again," said Yukito.
"Actually," Sakura explained, "This is Li Syaoran. He's Hiiragizawa's cousin."
"Oh, I see," said Yukito. "I'm sorry." He bowed.
"'S okay," said Syaoran.
"Come in," said Yukito. "I've got some lemon cake, if you care for it."
Having just run nonstop from school, they decided to take the housekeeper up on his offer. They spent a good number of minutes devouring the scrumptious snack, while Syaoran told Sakura what he'd seen the day before.
She shrieked in happiness. "They're so cute together!"
Syaoran was appalled. "You mean, you knew?!"
"Everyone with eyes knew," she said. Syaoran looked like he'd been slapped.
"Oh come on," Sakura said, rolling her eyes at him. "I know you're a boy Syaoran, but you're not that thick."
"But it's only been three weeks!" Syaoran thought about it for a moment. "Or something..."
"That's not that short of a time," said Sakura, and she drained her glass of water. "Come on, let's get the essay and leave before my brother comes. Still got that math homework left."
She gave her dishes to Yukito who told her the essay was in the basement. "Follow me when you're done," she told Syaoran.
He sat, and ate cake by himself while Yukito washed Sakura's dishes. He felt like he'd slipped out of the loop. He really should've known. Really. Eriol and Tomoyo weren't even keeping it a secret. What was the harm in their relationship anyway? It wasn't like he was jealous. Tomoyo was nice, but not the girl for him.
But then, who was the girl for him? Brown hair... green eyes...
Clunk! The fork in his hand fell. Yukito turned and looked at him questioningly.
"Uh, um," bumbled Syaoran, aware of how red his face must've been. "It was great cake. Thank you." He shoved his plate, and the glass into Yukito's hands, then rushed off to join Sakura with the essay.
He didn't realize that he had no idea where the basement was. Syaoran ended up in the living room instead. It was a nice living room, and had evidently been used recently; unlike Eriol's. Magazines were strewn all over the table, a pair of roller blades hid beneath a chair, and a blanket sprawled carelessly across the big couch.
Syaoran slumped on top of the blanket, cursing his stupidity for not asking where the basement was. He was sure that if he poked his head into the kitchen one more time, Yukito would tell him where it was, but his head was still reeling from Sakura. Why Sakura? She was just the little perk queen, never seen without a smile, and always so...
Beautiful. There was a painting hanging on the wall from where he was sitting. It was a painting of a woman with long black hair, and a kind smile. And those eyes. The eyes he'd seen in only one other place. Eriol's-
"Syaoran?" came Sakura's voice. She appeared in a doorway nearby with a piece of paper in her hands.
He blushed at the very sight of her, and realized that her eyes were the exact same shade as the woman in the painting.
Sakura walked into the living room, and saw what he was looking at.
"You like it?" she asked. "It's my mother. Isn't she pretty?"
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Author's Notes: Thank you Hikari Mizu. I apologize that I can't disclose how I came up with the twist(s) because that would ruin the story, but I can tell you that all the portraits that I wrote about are very real. They do exist in real life. And what do you mean I left you hanging? Is that a good thing? A bad thing? very unsure
Well, till next time!