Love for All Seasons
A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfiction
By Wallpaper
(This chapter is for all my dear readers, thank you for all your support!)
Season 2 : Summer
The sweltering heat from the sun warmed up Tomoeda immensely, causing waves of it to rise up from the stone pavements. The early morning was equally warm, but the light breeze threading through the small town occasionally made it moderately tolerable.
But Kinomoto Sakura did not care for the weather, or for the heat.
Her gaze was transfixed onto the plants that were in blossom, especially the tree that she was named after. The Cherry Blossom Tree.
The Tsukimine Shrine held one particular Cherry Blossom Tree, which was rumored to be magical. Syaoran, her best friend, was skeptical about the rumor, but Sakura firmly believed in it. It may not really behold magical powers that could grant wishes, but it's blossoms were beautiful enough to magical.
A distant rustling caught Sakura's attention and she turned, only to find a young woman with beautiful, long red hair, dressed in white miko robes, clearing the grounds of the Shrine with a long broom. The young woman looked up at Sakura and caught her gaze.
The young woman smiled kindly at Sakura.
'Good morning, Miss, are you here to pray for a Charm?' Sakura smiled back at the woman and shook her head.
'No. I'm just here to see the Cherry Blossom Tree.' The woman's smile widened and turned to gaze softly at the tree.
'Ah…the Cherry Blossom Tree. It's rumored to be able to grant wishes,' a thought struck the woman and she turned to Sakura with an amused expression. 'Are you here to wish for something?' Sakura laughed and shook her head again.
'I just love Cherry Blossoms, particularly the one from this tree. I have no idea why, but I've been coming to this shrine to watch it bloom since I was young. I used to pester my Parents to bring me here during my birthday, but they passed on a few years ago.' Sakura smiled fondly at the memory. The young priestess smiled sadly.
'I'm sorry for your loss, though I'm sure they are happy wherever they are now.' Sakura smiled happily at her. 'I hope so that they are happy too.' Sakura then frowned lightly.
'I've never seen you here before, are you new?' she asked politely. The young woman smiled again. Sakura realized that she liked her smile. It was so gentle and honest.
'I was abroad for a few years to further my studies, but I came back a few days ago to help out my father with this temple.' Sakura's eyes widened in realization.
'You're the Priest's daughter? Cool!' The young woman laughed in delight and held out a hand.
'My name is Mizuki Kaho, but please call me Kaho. May I know your name?'
'Sakura, Kinomoto Sakura.' As she shook Kaho's hands, the young priestess laughed again.
'How coincidental that your name might be Sakura, the same name as the blossom you love.' her expression turned somber as she looked back at the tree. 'But it might not be even a coincidence after all…'
Sakura turned to watch the blossoms blooming prettily from its branches.
'I guess so…'
---
Li Syaoran was a very brave man by nature. A very, very, brave man. Since young, his deceased father had ingrained in him values like honor, respect and bravery. Especially Bravery.
But why, Syaoran thought, am I shaking like a friggin' leaf now, when all I have to do is just ring the bloody doorbell and give the stupid present to her?
True enough, brave and fearless Syaoran from Hong Kong, was frozen on the spot in front of his best friend's semi-detach, trembling with fear at the thought of giving her birthday gift. His knuckles were white from gripping the present tightly in his hands, and a small part of him was surprised that his present had not been crushed yet. The rest of him was scared. Terrified, to be exact. The fact that he liked Sakura more than a friend did not help, too.
What if Sakura did not like his gift? What if Sakura was busy and he was disturbing her? What if had gotten her birthday wrong? What if…
Syaoran gave himself a mental shake. Sakura was definitely not busy. Schoolwork that day had been light since school had just started. Besides, if she were not home, Syaoran knew that she would be at the Tsukimine Shrine. He was also very sure that it was April the first, Kinomoto Sakura's birthday.
He was quite sure.
Syaoran let out a sharp breath of frustration and ran his fingers through his unruly hair, making it messier than it already was. Bracing himself, he raised his finger to the doorbell and commanded it to press it.
Annoyingly, his brain did not quite process it and left his finger hanging inches from the doorbell, hovering in mid-air. Beads of sweat ran down his face. He did not know if it was because of the heat, or because of his nervousness.
Syaoran snapped.
He could not take it anymore. Turning away from the house, he decided then at the spot that he could always give Sakura her present the next day at school, and that it was not necessary to give it to her that day. He nodded to confirm his thought and took a step away from the house.
'Are you going to continue standing there, or are you going to come in?'
Syaoran jumped and almost lost grip on the present. He swerved around hurriedly, instinctively hiding it behind his back.
'S-Sakura! You're home!' Syaoran laughed weakly. Sakura looked at him with a raised eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed in front of her. Damn if she looked good! Syaoran quickly chased the perverted thought away. Even if he liked her more than a friend, it did not permit him to think about her…that way.
'Lovely to see you too, Syaoran,' Sakura greeted dryly. She broke into a grin and craned her neck to look behind him. 'What have you got there in your hands?'
Syaoran blinked and realized that her present was still hidden from her view. He shyly brought it in front of her and a tinge of red colored his cheeks much to his dismay. Sakura looked at the present, then at him curiously.
'Is that for me?' she asked with an adorable tilt of her head. Syaoran nodded mutely. She accepted the present with a grin of thanks and Syaoran clasped his hands behind his back, crossing his finger for luck.
Please say that you like it, please make it that she likes it…
Sakura slowly untied the ribbon holding the small box together and motioned for Syaoran to hold the ribbon for her. He studied her face intensively as she opened the box.
Curiosity, then surprise (Syaoran fretted with what kind of surprise: Horror or delight). Syaoran continued watching anxiously as Sakura fingered the present inside the box. She then picked it up gently, making the silver chain of the necklace glitter prettily in the sunlight. She placed the pendant in her palm and eyed it closely, marveling at the design.
Syaoran continued to watch anxiously, and to his horror, he watched as her beautiful emeralds misted over. She was about to cry. Syaoran panicked.
'S-Sakura! I'm sorry if you didn't like it! Y-You don't have to cry!' he urged anxiously. With a shake of her head, Sakura lifted her eyes from the necklace and looked at him with a soft expression, her eyes moist with emotion.
'You silly boy, I love it.' she murmured. Syaoran was confused. If she liked it, why was she crying?
Girls!
'Then don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry, especially if it's because of me.' he pleaded softly, wiping her tears away gently, leaving a streak of moisture after it. Syaoran had the sudden urge to lean over and taste it, but he quickly pushed it away. Control your hormones, Li Syaoran! You have a crisis here!
To his surprise, Sakura suddenly launched herself into his arms.
'Thank you, Syaoran.' her voice was muffled against his neck. Syaoran smiled and held her as she cried softly.
'Happy birthday, Sakura.'
---
Syaoran bit his tongue thoughtfully as he tried to figure out a way to connect the two crazy mechanism that currently held his fullest attention. The hoop was smaller than his thumb, and the hook was even smaller.
Syaoran could not understand for the life of himself, why people made such contraptions so bloody small.
With a final complicated twist of his hand, he heard the soft click and breath a sigh of relief.
The necklace was finally in place.
Looking over Sakura's shoulder and the pendant, he smiled a satisfied grin and looked into her eyes which were dancing with mirth.
'Took you long enough to get that fixed!' Sakura was rubbing it in to irritate Syaoran, and he happily caught the bait, unaware.
'Hey, I cannot for the life of myself understand why women like you insist on having metal chains to hang around your neck. Isn't it nicer to have a nice piece of string? But nooo, you all insist on having that metal chain. Somehow, it makes you women feel pretty, but to men, you all look like humans walking around with chains on your neck.'
Sakura burst into laughter and tugged Syaoran's hands for him to join her at the sofa, which Syaoran happily obliged. She gave a brief kiss on the cheek, which made Syaoran's facial complexion comparable to one of a tomato.
'Thank you, anyway, for the pretty little metal chain. But I'm more interested on what it's holding.' explained Sakura. Syaoran quickly recovered from his embarrassed flush and grinned at her.
'I was fretting on what to get you for your birthday, you being my best friend and so on, but when I saw this pendant at the shop, I immediately jumped at it.'
Sakura fingered the locket hanging around her neck and smiled as she opened it to reveal a small message written on both sides.
'To Sakura,' she read. 'Stay happy forever. Love, Syaoran.' She looked up at him and grinned. 'I cannot thank you enough for this. It's really very sweet.'
Syaoran smiled gently and picked up the locket, accidentally brushing his fingers against hers.
Both of them tried their best to control the heat rising to their cheeks.
'Sakura,' he cleared his throat softly to correct his hoarse voice. She looked up at him and when she looked into his eyes, she saw something click in his. Sakura gripped the sofa seat to calm her frantic heart.
'Yes?' she whispered. They were so close to each other, Sakura could feel his breath on her cheeks.
'I…I just…I just w-wanted you to know that I…I L-'
A distant shrill ringing interrupted his speech and he groaned as if in pain, letting go of the locket. Sakura touched her hand to her heart to calm it, and smiled apologetically at him.
'I'm sorry, Just let me get the phone, ne?'
Sakura quickly ran off to the kitchen to pick up the phone, leaving a very distraught Syaoran on the sofa.
Was he about to do what I think he was about to do?
Sakura blushed furiously.
If only the phone did not ring!
She quickly picked up the receiver and pushed the thought to the back of her mind. For now, anyway.
'Hello?'
'Sakura! It's Aya here.'
'Aya! So, what's up?'
'Well…there's a summer festival going on at the shrine tonight…'
Sakura leaned back into the wall and started to twirl on the phone cord absently. 'Yes?' she prompted.
'And my parents are opening a booth there…I was wondering…' Sakura heard an intake of breath. 'Would you like to come? I know it's your birthday and you probably want to spend it somewhere else, but I was thinking that you could spend it at the Shrine instead? But it's your birthday so you probably would not-'
'I would love to.' Sakura smiled. She absently thought about dragging Syaoran along. Her smile widen. She will bring Syaoran to the festival with her. It was her birthday after all!
'want to- What?' Aya stuttered in mid-sentence.
'I said I would love to.' Sakura repeated with a small laugh. She could almost envision Aya's wonderful smile widening by the second.
'Really?'
Aya sounded so eager that Sakura giggled.
'Really.' Sakura had to hold the receiver away from herself as the younger girl squealed happily into the phone.
'Thank you sooo much! So I'll see you tonight, ne?'
'Yes you will.' Sakura confirmed with a smile. 'I'll definitely come.'
----
Sukimoto Aya laughed with delight as she replace the receiver into the cradle. She jumped onto her bed and screamed into the pillow. Sakura was coming to the festival!
But she had to admit to herself that it was not the thought of being able to see Sakura that excited her. It was the thought that if Sakura was coming, Li Syaoran would be coming too!
Aya blushed a thousand shades of red and hugged her pillow, hardly able to contain her excitement. Li Syaoran was coming! He was coming!
Aya had a crush on Syaoran. A huge crush. Aya remembered when it first surfaced.
It was when Aya had just entered Tomoeda High. It was her first few days at school, and Aya had a little problem with adjusting to life at the new environment. She would constantly sit at the back of the class, unwilling to speak to anyone, and she would eat lunch alone, and go home alone.
Not surprisingly, that made her a nice target for her class bullies.
Aya could remember that she was walking down one of the school's hallways when the bullies struck. They had surrounded her in a tight circle, knocking her books to her floor, calling her names which struck deep in her heart.
It was also then, that Li Syaoran had appeared and pushed her behind him to Kinomoto Sakura's arms. She watched helplessly as Li Syaoran negotiated with the bullies to let her off, but when they didn't listen, started to fight them, much to the chagrin of Kinomoto Sakura. Aya's gaze was transfixed on him, wincing whenever he was punched, and rejoicing whenever he struck a blow on one of the bullies face. Since the day where he 'saved her life', Aya immediately fell into the deep abyss of a crush, always watching him secretly from a corner, and blushing furiously whenever he noticed her and smiled kindly.
Sakura and Aya became fast friends, and as her senior, Sakura took Aya under her wing and let her join Sakura's group of friends. Aya happily noted that Syaoran was one of them.
Aya sighed in delight and rolled over to her back on the bed, daydreaming about how Syaoran would sweep her off her feet and kiss her senseless like her Prince Charming. She shivered in delight and closed her eyes. Oh, Syaoran…
A thought struck her suddenly and she sat up in bed.
If Syaoran was coming…
What was she going to wear?
---
'Yes, Onii-chan, I got your present.' laughed Sakura into the phone as she fingered the small photo of their parents her brother had given to her for her birthday.'
'Good, because it took me ages to find it, so you better take good care of it!' warned Touya from the other side of the phone. His expression soften and he unconsciously tightened his grip on Yukito's fingers. His boyfriend comfortingly placed a bracing hand on their entwined ones. 'I'm sorry I cannot be there to celebrate your birthday to you.'
Sakura smiled sadly and gripped the photo against her chest. 'I know. You'll be home for Christmas, right?' she asked, with hope full in her voice. Touya grinned at the thought that he could finally do something right.
'Yea,' he breathed. ' I'll be home for Christmas.' He turned to face Yukito with a grin. 'We have to celebrate his birthday where the family is.' Yukito's eyes widened with surprise at Touya's sudden suggestion, and smiled.
'Yes, the family would not be complete without Sakura.' he whispered softly, apparently touched.
'Alright, I better go. I have to call Syaoran. We're going to the Summer Festival!' Sakura exclaimed excitedly. Touya immediately frowned and Yukito laughed.
'That Gaki again? He better not do anything with you or else…' Sakura giggled and shook her head in resignation.
'Onii-chan, I won't let him do anything. Promise.' Touya did not look convinced to Yukito, but he grudgingly made a dismissive noise.
'Fine. Stay out of trouble while I'm gone, Kaijuu.'
Sakura grinned. 'Yes, Onii-chan, and I am Not a monster. I'm 18 this year and counting.' she declared huffily, then replacing the receiver on the cradle huffily. She cradled the picture in her palms and smiled dreamily, tracing a finger along her parent's faces.
--
Syaoran trudged in wearily into his apartment and flung himself onto the couch. He had been so close - so close - to finally telling Sakura about his feeling!
And what better timing for the bloody phone to ring?
He half-heartedly cursed whoever it was that picked the exact moment to call, and threw and arm over his eyes, trying feebly to block out his raging emotions and thoughts.
He gingerly thought back to the events that led to his impromtu, unplanned, and totally unromantic confession, and grudgingly admitted that it was all as well that the phone had rung, as he wanted to finally confess his feelings in a place where it was romantic enough for Sakura, and definitely not her house.
Thinking about phones, Syaoran absently noted that his was ringing.
He sat-up quickly from the couch, making his head spin uncontrollably from the impact, and tackled the phone, fumbling for the receiver.
'H-hullo?' Please…not Sakura, not-
'Syaoran! You're home!' Sakura, Syaoran thought wryly. He quickly cleared his throat and sat up on the couch, legs folded beneath him.
'Yea, I'm home.' He muttered, distractedly picking a stray thread on the couch.
'You just ran off like that after I put down the phone! What happened? Was there an emergency at home or something?' She asked worriedly. Syaoran let out a weak chuckle and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, still picking on the small thread.
'I err… I realized that… the stove at home was still on! Yeah!' He exclaimed lamely. Syaoran could almost see Sakura lift an eyebrow skeptically but thankfully did not pursue the matter.
'Right…anyway, Aya called to invite me to the Summer Festival at the Shrine tonight…' Syaoran blinked. So…It was Aya who interrupted his confession. He absently made a mental note to thank her later.
'And I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?' Sakura asked shyly. Syaoran blinked, caught off-guard at the last moment.
'Huh?'
'On second thought, I am demanding you to come with me, seeing that it's my birthday today and all.' Sakura grinned. 'So! You wanna come with me? Please?'
'Erm…'
'With Sugar and Lot's of Cherries on top of a nice chocolate ice cream?'
Syaoran grinned impishly. 'Hmm…chocolate ice cream eh?' Syaoran laughed.
'A double-scoop too.' she confirmed. Syaoran pretended to be thoughtful.
'Hmm…I like the sound of ice cream, but the Sugar and Cherries are a little…' Syaoran made a disgusted noise. Sakura laughed.
'Fine. If you come with me, I shall reward you with two nice scoops of chocolate ice cream. How's that?'
Syaoran laughed and shook his head at their childishness.
'Deal.'
When he put down the phone after confirming what time to meet with Sakura, another thought suddenly struck him and he groaned.
A Shrine festival meant that he had to wear his Yukata.
'I Hatewearing Yukatas' he spat at the empty air in front of him.
--
Sakura glanced Sidewards at Syaoran and could not help but stiffle a giggle at his expression. Syaoran caught the tiny movement and glared daggers at her.
'It's not funny, Kinomoto Sakura.' he snarled. Sakura was unfazed and hooked her arm with his.
'But it is! I completely forgot that you hated wearing Yukatas. Oh, this is priceless.' she exclaimed with glee. Syaoran just growled at her, making her laugh harder.
'Seriously, it looks really good on you, Syaoran.' Especially when the color brings out your wonderful eyes…
Syaoran snorted and absently pulled Sakura closer. 'Yeah right. It's so bulky! I look fat in it.' he pouted. Sakura stared incredulously at him.
'You know, Syaoran, sometimes, you are even worse than a girl when it comes to your appearance. Syaoran looked away with a huff.
'Sakura! Syaoran!' They both swerved around to find Aya running to them with her ebony black hair flying behind her. Sakura's eyes lit up with delight and she broke free of Syaoran to run to her friend, giving her a massive hug. Syaoran grinned and walked towards them, hands folded across his chest. Aya looked up at her crush and tried her best not to swoon.
'Syaoran…!' she cried weakly, smiling dreamily at him.
If Sakura noticed her reaction to Syaoran's presence, she said nothing but continued gushing over her friend's Kimono. The pure white material decorated with green bamboo shoots contrasted prettily against her black hair, and brought out her wide black eyes. Syaoran appraised her dressing approvingly, but thought that Sakura looked better with her wine-colored one, which matched her honey-brown locks that he loved.
'What's your parents selling?' Sakura asked after Aya quickly recovered from her furious blush. The girl instantly brightened up.
'We're selling accessories like pins and stuff.'
Sakura's face lit up like one of the lamps hanging above them, and Syaoran groaned as she turned to face him pleadingly.
'Can we go see? Just to see?' she asked eagerly. Syaoran sighed in defeat and nodded his head in agreement. Just when he thought he was clear of the girly stuff and all, he had to get himself a female best friend who absolutely adored accessories. Syaoran glanced at the large Sakura hairclip that held up his best friend's hair and then at the locket he had given her that day. Oh well. What harm could one more accessory do?
'Why not?' he gave in with a heavy sigh.
Sakura positively glowed at him as Syaoran sternly warned himself not to blush.
--
Sakura waved massively as they left Aya's parent's accessory stall, Syaoran dragging her along with him.
'You know, I never ever needed another girl to go shopping with me for opinions. You know what's the latest trend, and what looks good on who.' A thought struck Sakura and she peered playfully at Syaoran. 'Tell me, seriously, are you…gay?'
Syaoran was shocked speechless.
'I mean, it's not like I have something against Gays or anything. Hey! My brother's one, but he's a happy man.' Sakura laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. 'It's really alright if you are, Syaoran. I understand.'
Syaoran recovered from his shock and promptly smacked her smartly on the head.
'I am only interested in girls, thank you very much.' How can I be not? I'm in love with my best friend- wait a minute… in Love
'Oh really?' Sakura asked with a skeptical lift of her eyebrow. 'Where on earth do you get your update on women's fashion, then?' Syaoran looked dryly at her.
'Honestly, woman, and you call yourself my best friend? I have Four fashion freaks as sisters? Not to mention the countless women's fashion magazine they send me every month.' Sakura nodded thoughtfully.
'I guess that explains your knowledge and all those 'FHM' magazines in your apartment. I actually thought that you were reading porn. Though…' She gave Syaoran a look. 'You don't really needed to read those, you know, you could have given it to me.'
Syaoran looked uncomfortable and folded his arms across his chest.
'I do need reading materials, you know. Speaking about Women's Magazine. I find pages of very interesting articles about things Men and Women do in their bedroom when they are alone with each other.' Syaoran shook his head sadly. 'When I read about those problems some of them have while they are at it, I can feel my inner woman cry out to them. It's sad, really. Especially for the Men…'
Syaoran glanced quickly at Sakura and had to bite his lip momentarily to not laugh out loud at her scandalized expression.
'S-Syaoran…!'
He looked away for a moment and picked a random man out of the crowd.
'Oo! Sakura! Look at that man over there! The one with the green Yukata? I think he has a very, very nice body. And would you just look at his features? Gosh…he's got me slobbering over him.' Syaoran exclaimed softly to Sakura.
'Syaoran…is there really anything you want to tell me?' His best friend asked in a concerned voice. Syaoran glanced shyly at her and bit his lips.
'Well…actually, there is something I want to tell you…You see….I…I'm…Gay, Sakura.'
Sakura had to grip on to Syaoran for support as she sagged weakly against him.
'WHAT?'
Syaoran burst into laughter and hugged her briefly.
'Sometimes, you are such a gullible person that it's just hilarious to make fun of you!'
Sakura quickly recovered from her shock and blinked furiously.
'I-I knew you were faking it, Syaoran.' She hit his arm weakly. 'Don't scare me like that, man!'
'Sakura, the part where I read those bedroom stories in the women magazines? That was serious.'
Sakura buried her face into her hands to control her furious blushing as disturbing images formed in her mind, involving Syaoran and her, and a bed.
'Syaoran…stop it. Please.'
--
The lake behind the Tsukimine Shrine reflected the fair, round moon as it shone softly among the glowing stars in the night sky. The weeping willows near the water whispered among each other silently, trying to get out of the way of the gentle breeze.
Syaoran was still chuckling when they walked to the lake, eyes glittering with mirth. Sakura, on the other hand, was still blushing crimson.
'Mou…Syaoran. Stop it, please? It's embarrassing…' she pleaded. Syaoran bit his lips in an attempt to comply to Sakura's plea, but his shoulders were still shaking with laughter.
'I'm sorry,' he gasped. 'You expression was just priceless! I wish I had a video camera to take it down. It was hilarious!'
Sakura nudged him non too gently down the path to the little wooden walkway that raised above the lake, and dropped down onto the edge of the walkway. She tugged on the hem of Syaoran's Yukata for him to join her. Syaoran quickly complied and lay back onto the wooden planks. He raised up his palms to frame part of the night sky, squinting at the image with one eye closed.
'Aha! Found it!' Syaoran exclaimed gleefully, the 'Female magazine' incident forgotten. Sakura swung her legs off the edge and crossed them under her.
'See what?' she asked curiously. Syaoran grinned boyishly at her, and Sakura had to remind herself to breath.
'The Capulet Star, of course!' Sakura frowned as she tried to dig up her knowledge about Constellations.
'Syaoran,' she stated slowly. 'There's no such star as the Capulet Star.'
Syaoran chuckled lightly and rested his hands on his stomach.
'Of course there's no such star, Sakura. My father and I made that up. He tugged on the sleeves of her Kimono. 'Lie down and I'll show you. It's easier for you to see it that way.' he explained when she raised an eyebrow in question. Sakura warily laid down beside her best friend ('Best friend!' Sakura reminded herself.) and sternly told herself to look at the sky. Only at the sky.
'Okay, step one. You have to frame a square with your fingers. Come on, it's not that difficult. Yes! That's it. Then you just focus on one particular star, you could close one eye, see it? Now that's the Capulet star!'
Sakura laughed with amusement and continued to squint at her Capulet star. 'But it's so…Random!'
Sakura could not see it, but she knew Syaoran was nodding his head happily.
'That's the fun of it. You choose any star, and you name it your Capulet Star!' Sakura laughed again.
'But why Capulet?' Syaoran shook his head.
'My father and I have no idea too. We just named it the first word that came to our mind. Since my father had just brought me to watch the 'Romeo and Juliet' play, we automatically came up with the name 'Capulet'. Isn't it cool?' Syaoran asked eagerly. Sakura nodded her head and finally rested her hands on her stomach like Syaoran. Nothing passed between them for a while as they just stared at the star-scattered sky.
'Sakura?'
'Hmm?'
'I like you.'
A tensed silence passed between them, and conflicting emotions raged through Sakura. Was Syaoran meaning a platonic 'like', or was it… Sakura didn't dare to hope.
'I like you too, Syaoran. You're a nice guy.' she mumbled, her voice faltering a little. She cleared her throat to calm herself.
Syaoran's heart skipped a beat as he heard her reply, but then he frowned. You're a nice guy?
'Sakura?'
'Uh huh?'
'I don't mean Like as in a friend.' Syaoran turned to face Sakura, and waited patiently for her to look at him. Both of them stared at each other's eyes for a moment, and Sakura unconsciously held her breath. 'I like you more than a friend, Sakura, more than a best friend.'
Sakura's heart pounded quickly in her chest as Syaoran lifted himself onto his elbow and gazed down at her, with an expression in his eyes that Sakura occasionally saw whenever he thought she wasn't looking. Her breath caught in her throat and it came up in jagged beats.
'Syaoran…' she pleaded. She did not know what she was pleading for, but she knew that she wanted something from him. Sakura's mind was in a whirl and she could not think clearly. She wanted to close her eyes and think, but her gaze remained at Syaoran's eyes.
'I love you, Sakura.' he whispered. Sakura's world tilted and she felt as if she had been waiting for this moment for eternity. She searched for the truth in his confession. His eyes held another expression. Sakura tried to see.
Fear. It was fear. But fear of what? Sakura did not know.
'I- I don't understand…' she whimpered softly. Syaoran pursed his lips contemplatively, and his gaze shifted to her own lips. Sakura unconsciously licked it and she heard Syaoran make a noise from deep in his throat.
Syaoran leaned forward.
Sakura eyes widened as she felt Syaoran's lips on hers. Her hands on her stomach gripped each other tightly as she tried, but failed, to fight the fiery heat that ran all the way from her lips down to her stomach, making it explode with unexplainable warmth. She felt her eyes slide itself close unwillingly, and she sighed softly into his lips. Sakura, feeling pleasantly dizzy, registered the fact that only Syaoran's lips were touching her, and she already felt this intense…fire.
She felt Syaoran shift slightly, and then felt his warm palm against her cool cheek. The stark contrast made Sakura relax under his touch, and she relaxed her balled fist, one hand sliding up to his face hesitantly. Sakura felt him tremble at her touch, and made a small sound of protest as she felt his lips leave hers.
Syaoran dragged his lips lazily across her jawbone, and then kissed her cheek. He opened his eyes and watched as Sakura's eyelids lifted themselves open, revealing glazed emerald orbs. Syaoran noted that both Sakura and him were breathing with short, quick gasp.
He noticed a strange glittering around her neck, and picked up her locket with a small smile. She's still wearing it. Wrapping it in his palm, he returned his gaze to Sakura, and suddenly felt very touched that she was still wearing his gift. He could not resist another soft kiss, and when they both resurfaced again, he gave her an unsteady grin and cleared his throat softly.
'Now you understand?' he made out in between quick breaths. Sakura appraised him silently, then raised her hands to his face to pull him back for another kiss.
---
A/N: I really do hope that this chapter was worth the wait! Please tell me what you think about it.