Chiharu's Birthday Mayhem
By: pnaixrose
Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captor Sakura or their characters.
Sunday, May 30...2 DAYS LEFT
Warmth. It was so warm...and comfy. Chiharu found herself lying in a field of tiny yellow flowers. Her favorite. Sitting up lazily, she looked around and saw nothing but the yellow flowers surrounding her. Her eyes were heavy and she lay back down again, cherishing the warmth and the scent of fragrant blossoms. It was so relaxing. She could just fall asleep all over again.
That's when she heard a tired groan as an arm slipped around her waist. She quickly shot up, no longer feeling sleepy. What the hell was going on? She stood, glaring down at the body that had been lying next to her. It was a boy. A boy with dark brown hair. What a pervert! She backed away slowly, ready to strike if need be, as he got up slowly. That's when she realized it. His narrow eyes, grinning, smile and the childish grin.
It was Yamazaki!
"Y-Yamazaki!" she cried in surprise. "What are you doing here?" No wonder she had felt so warm lying next to him. She immediately blushed.
He looked up, yawning and grinning. "What do you mean, Chiharu-chan? This is a dream! But boy, your dreams are sure pretty looking," he said as he took a look around. He got up on both feet and stretched out his arms. "That was a good nap."
She stared at him as if he was crazy. "A dream? This is a dream?"
Yamazaki nodded, still smiling. "Of course! Do you know a place covered with tiny yellow flowers anywhere around Tomoeda?"
"So I'm dreaming you right now, Yamazaki-kun?" she asked timidly.
The boy nodded and walked up to her slowly. Then, ever so gently, he wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her in close. Chiharu felt a burst of warmth in his arms but she stiffened as a blush spread to her cheeks again. What in the world was he doing?
"Y-Yamazaki-kun," she whispered, her head place on his shoulder as she felt his hand rubbing her back. She guessed he was trying to calm her down since she felt so jittery. "Wh-What are you doing?"
"Well," he said softly into her ear. His warm breath tickled her neck. "This is a dream. And in dreams you usually dream about what makes you happy right?" He chuckled. "Unless this is a nightmare to you."
She shook her head a bit. This definitely wasn't a nightmare. It was the best dream she had ever gotten. "Of course not," she replied. She was starting to calm down now. After all, this was a dream. This wasn't the real Yamazaki.
Then Yamazaki pulled his head back to look at her. She saw his big grin and she smiled too. This was so serene, so relaxing. She loved being with him. Even in dreams!
Then his lips were slowly closing the gap between their faces. Her brown eyes widened. He was going to kiss her! They were going to kiss! She forgot that it wasn't the real Yamazaki and grew nervous. Just a few more seconds and she would receive her first kiss!
"Yamazaki-kun..."
Her heart beat fast and her grip on his arms tightened. But she didn't move. She didn't want to move. Just a bit closer.
Closer.
Then just when their lips brushed gently, there was a bright light. Suddenly, all she could see was white. Yamazaki was gone. The field of flowers was gone. Even she was gone.
"Up! Up! Come on, Chiharu-nee-san!"
Her heavy eyelids opened and were greeted by the sight of a bright light. Her curtains. They were pulled back. Well, that explains the bright light she saw.
She groaned and moved on her side, burying her head under a pillow. She wanted to go back to sleep. She wanted to continue that dream. But then the high pitched voice she had heard before came to her ears once more while the person was practically jumping on her bed.
"Chiharu-nee-san! Wake up!"
Laughter came to her ears. A familiar, deep laugh. Yamazaki's.
She instantly shot her head up as the little girl who had been jumping on her bed gave a laugh and a shriek while almost toppling over as Chiharu got up so fast. Chiharu's eyes widened. He was standing at the door, laughing and grinning brightly. "Y-Yamazaki-kun!"
He laughed more, relishing the startled look on her face. "Ohayou. Good dream?"
Instantly, Chiharu's face grew bright red. The dream. She had almost...kissed him. But it definitely was a good dream.
The little girl was jumping on her bed again as she smiled cheekily. "You were whispering Takashi-nii-san's name in your sleep!"
Chiharu grew a brighter shade of red as a deep feeling of embarrassment filled her. And there he was just standing and laughing at her from the doorway!
"Sorry for coming early, Chiharu-chan. It's only ten o'clock in the morning but Akane-chan wanted to see you and she did those puppy dog eyes at me," Yamazaki explained.
The older girl smiled as she grabbed the squealing girl from jumping on her bed and hugged her tightly. Akane laughed and hugged back. "I've missed you, Akane-chan! I haven't seen you in months!" Chiharu exclaimed.
Yamazaki Akane was Yamazaki's only cousin. She had always visited before and played with Yamazaki and Chiharu but lately, she hadn't been coming, probably because her mother was pregnant with a baby. Guess Akane won't be Yamazaki's only cousin soon!
Chiharu loved Akane. She didn't have any younger cousins, just older ones, so she loved it when Yamazaki brought the little girl over. She was a sweet and enthusiastic girl who always managed to tire the two teens Chiharu had never minded though. It was always fun with Akane was around.
"So how old are you now, Akane-chan?" Chiharu asked as the little girl stopped struggling in her hug.
She held out a hand, all of her fingers poking out. "Five!" she said proudly.
The brown haired girl laughed. "Whoa, you're so old now!" When had time passed so fast? She remembered when Akane was only a baby!
Akane smiled. "Soon, I'll be older than you, Chiharu-nee-san! Ne, ne, let's go play! Me, you and Takashi-nii-san."
The older girl looked up at Yamazaki who was smiling at the whole scene. He nodded his head. "Want to go out today, Chiharu-chan? I'm not sure where. I was thinking that Akane-chan would decide," he said.
Chiharu let out a small smile. "Well..." She really didn't have time. Chiharu had been planning on spending all day trying to find a present for Yamazaki. She had wanted to go to the mall with some of her friends and maybe they could help her out a bit. His birthday was so close and she still didn't have anything. That had been her number one priority but now...
Akane looked up at her with those big, pleading brown eyes. Uh-oh. Puppy dog eyes. "Please?"
Yamazaki chuckled, looking at her gently. "Only if you want to, Chiharu-chan. I'd like you to come too, of course. It's never as much fun without you."
Chiharu sighed as her smile grew. She knew she would regret this. She knew that the absolutely perfect present that she was going to get for Yamazaki would certainly not pop out of nowhere during the day. But she couldn't resist. She couldn't resist them both actually. Yamazaki and Akane wanted her to go and she would do anything to make the two happy. "Okay, okay. Let me change real quick first."
Yamazaki smiled slyly as he stood there, watching her get out of bed and towards her closet. "Can I stay and watch?"
Chiharu blushed a deep red as Akane sighed. "Oh gosh. That's bad, nii-san!" the little girl said as she started to drag the boy from the room.
But the older girl only heard Yamazaki chuckle as the door slammed shut. "No it isn't, Akane-chan! It's a very, very, very good thing."
More scolding from Akane was heard as Chiharu stood there, staring at where he had once been. She sighed, making sure the door was securely shut.
She had to remember to hit his head first thing when she came out.
Brushing her hair as she walked down the steps to the first floor, she saw Yamazaki and Akane patiently waiting in the living room, talking to her father. They looked up when she entered and smiled up at her.
"You look nice," Yamazaki said with a smile on his lips and a tint of red on his cheeks.
Chiharu blushed and looked down at her outfit. A tan skirt that reached her mid thigh and she wore a white cotton collared short-sleeved shirt that had a tiny pocket. "A-Arigatou..."
"Now, now. No flirting when I'm around," Chiharu's father said with a big smile on his face.
Chiharu blushed more. "Ohayou, 'tou-san," she said, placing the brush on the coffee table and giving her father a quick kiss on the cheek. "Oh, may I go with Akane-chan and-"
The man nodded. "Of course, of course. Go ahead. They've already told me about it. Make sure you get a bite to eat for breakfast. Maybe you can go to the bagel shop nearby first before you go to wherever you want. I don't want you kids to faint because of an empty stomach, you know." He handed his daughter some money and gave her a quick hug. "I'll tell your mother you said bye when she wakes up."
Chiharu smiled and nodded. Yamazaki stood and nodded to her father with a smile on his face. "Don't worry, Mihara-san," he said. "I'll take care of the girls."
The older man nodded and chuckled. "I know you will." Then he turned to the little girl who had hugged his waist. "Goodbye to you too, Akane-chan."
Then the three walked out of the front door, waving to the man who was left in the room. He sighed as he smiled to himself. "Soon that man will be asking my Chiharu to marry him..." he said to down and taking out a magazine, he chuckled. "I wonder how in the world he can handle a girl like her."
"Yum!" Akane said, rubbing her belly. They were all seated at a table inside the bagel place and in front of them were empty plates and used plastic knives which they had used to spread the butter and cream cheese around their bagels. The two older teens laughed as they watched the little girl's antics.
"You full, Akane-chan?" Chiharu asked.
She nodded, a huge grin on her lips. Yamazaki grinned and handed her a napkin to wipe the butter off her face. "So where do you exactly want to go?" he asked.
His cousin shrugged and thought for a second. "Hey, how about Tokyo Tower?" she asked. "I never been there before!"
Chiharu smiled. "That sounds like a good idea. Are you sure you aren't going to be scared? It's pretty tall."
But Akane gave a proud grin. "Of course not!" she exclaimed. "I'm not scared of heights!"
Yamazaki nodded as he took a glance at his watch. It was about eleven thirty in the morning. "We'd better hurry if we're going then. Our only way of transportation if the train. It'll be crowded by noontime."
As they stepped onto the train platform, they took one look around. It was filled with people waiting patiently for the train bound to Tokyo to arrive. Yamazaki muttered a curse and looked at his companions sheepishly. "Guess we're too late eh?" he said as they pushed their way through the crowd.
"It's not our fault, 'nii-san!" Akane replied with a frown. She was holding onto Chiharu's hand so she wouldn't get lost. "You're the one who spent forever in the video game store."
Chiharu laughed aloud and nodded her head in agreement. "She's right, you know."
He mocked a pout. "I'm sorry," he said. "Will my Chiharu-chan ever forgive me?"
She blushed and smacked the back of his head. Damn him for always making her feel embarrassed…and shy.
They felt a gust of wind as Akane jumped up and down, pulling on Chiharu's arm. "Hey! It's coming! It's coming!"
Chiharu held the small child back before she could even think about throwing herself in front of the incoming train. Then, with an ear deafening shriek, the train stopped in front of them. As the doors opened, everyone tried to push themselves inside.
Chiharu felt a hand grab hers and looked up at Yamazaki. "Stay together all right?" he said as he began pushing against the crowd.
The older girl felt Akane's grip tighten. She probably wasn't used to all the hustle and bustle. After all, her family lived in a rather rural area. Poor girl.
But they finally managed to squeeze into the crowded train. Even though it was rather capacious, an everyday afternoon always filled it up and forced many people to stand instead of comfortably sitting on the seats. Luckily, they spotted an empty seat in the corner and rushed towards it. The older two let the little, frightened girl have the seat. Instead, they stood in front of her, holding onto a metal bar.
Yamazaki smiled comfortingly at his cousin. "Don't be scared, Akane-chan. The afternoon is always busy. Don't worry. We're right here with you." She merely nodded and gave a small smile.
But as the room filled up with even more people, Chiharu, who was standing in front of Yamazaki, felt herself being pushed into him and blushed at the thought. Good thing he couldn't see her face. It was as red as a tomato.
Finally, as the last of the people squeezed in the train, a sound was heard which signaled that the doors were closing. Before they knew it, they were off to Tokyo.
But Chiharu didn't have time to look out the window and enjoy the scenery that was quickly passing by. Her back was pushed against Yamazaki's back so much that she could feel his heart beating. And his face was so close to the back of her head that she got tingles when his breath touched her neck.
The train was silent and for a couple of moments, no one in the crowd moved except for swaying back and forth due to the track the train was on. And for awhile, Yamazaki and Chiharu couldn't focus on anything else but the fact that they were so close. But then a man that looked a little older than Chiharu and Yamazaki pushed his way so that he was standing next to the two. Chiharu glanced at the strange guy and grew uncomfortable. He was scanning her, taking in every single detail of her body with a sly smirk on his face. She grew stiff and was creeped out as she unconsciously drew closer to her friend standing behind her.
Yamazaki must've noticed too. He wrapped the arm that wasn't holding onto the pole around her waist and pulled her even closer to him. She blushed brightly but didn't say anything. If she had the chance to look at his face she would've seen that Yamazaki was silently glaring at the strange guy next to them.
It worked. The guy gave a short scowl and pushed his way back to where he had once been.
Chiharu tilted her head so that he could sort of see the side of her face. "Th-Thanks."
He grinned, not letting go of her waist just yet. "No problem. I'll do it anytime, Chiharu-chan," he whispered back.
She blushed even more. Then a thought entered her mind and she greatly thought it was a bad idea. However, she didn't care and her heart seemed to win over her mind this time. Besides, this was an opportunity for her wasn't it? Maybe the dream she had that morning was telling her that! She carefully placed her free arm over Yamazaki's arm that was wrapped around her. Then she brought herself even closer to him, if it was possible, and blushed the brightest red anyone had ever seen.
Chiharu smiled as she felt him almost jump in surprise. Guess he didn't see that one coming. But he seemed to relax as he understood what was happening.
Something they never expected happened next.
"Are you two going to kiss now?"
It was Akane-chan. And she had said that pretty loud. Loud enough that the people in their vicinity looked their way. The two teens immediately blushed and let go of each other in a hurry, giving the little, innocent Akane a nervous look as she looked at them with eyes big with curiosity.
Boy, what a train ride!
"Sugoi!" said the little girl as she stared up at the huge red and white tower above her. Chiharu couldn't help but smile at Akane's cuteness. "I feel like an ant!"
"Well, let's go inside," Yamazaki suggested with a grin. "Who knows? Maybe I'll buy two of my special ladies some souvenirs while we're up there."
The younger girl nodded excitedly as she dragged her companions towards the door.
"Wow it's beautiful," Chiharu breathed as they entered the observation deck. She went towards the windows that practically made the walls of the place. Pressing her hands against it, she looked down at the city below. It was so tiny! She felt so tall right now! And the view was spectacular!
She had been to the Tokyo Tower many times before, but that had been when she was a child. She didn't remember much about those visits. Now that she was older and visiting again, she felt like a kid!
Before she knew it, Akane had joined her side, mimicking what the older teen was doing. "Ne, it's pretty up here!"
Chiharu nodded in agreement. The five year old was right. She was glad that they had come here. It had been a good time for all of them! That was when she noticed someone was missing from their group of three. She looked around curiously and spotted him standing a few feet behind. "Yamazaki-kun?" she inquired. "What's wrong?"
He shrugged sheepishly with a nervous grin on his face. "Did you know that in olden days windows were dangerous? They say that if you push against it so much, you'll just fall right through."
Chiharu smirked widely. Now this was something new. The only times Yamazaki made up stories were times when eh simply wanted to irritate her, or when he was nervous. In this case, it seemed to be the latter. "Yamazaki-kun," she started with a sly look on her face. "Are you…scared of heights?"
"O-Of course not! Don't be silly, Chiharu-chan!"
But she saw passed that. He was actually scared! Yamazaki Takashi was actually scared of something! Chiharu didn't even know that could be possible! Laughing her wits out as Akane giggled along, she saw her friend grow red with embarrassment.
"H-Hey!" he stuttered angrily. "I-It's not funny!"
"Takashi-nii-san's scared of being up in high places?" his cousin asked as she continued to laugh.
Yamazaki sighed and let out a small sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, okay. I'll admit it. I'm a little scared of heights."
"But that's impossible!" Chiharu mused as her laughter finally died away a few seconds later. "Yamazaki-kun, you're not scared of anything. That simply can't be true."
He shrugged. "Never wanted you to find out, Chiharu-chan. It's pretty embarrassing."
She grinned. "Aw, Yamazaki-kun," she said. "It's normal to be scared of something." But her friend only shrugged his shoulders. "Well, come over here. We'll help you get rid of your fear."
But he looked uncertain and his feet stuck to the ground. He didn't even move an inch. "Um, no thanks."
"Aw, c'mon nii-san! It's a really nice view!" Akane cried as she ran over to him. She grabbed his arm and pulled as hard as she could but her cousin simply didn't move. She pouted and Chiharu came over to help. As the two girls giggled and tried to drag him towards the windows, Yamazaki still didn't budge. They decided to use a different approach.
"Yamazaki-kun," Chiharu said using a sugary voice. She made a cute pout on her face. Following her, the younger girl did the same. It seemed to be working well. Yamazaki had sighed and rolled his eyes, but it seemed as if he was going to give up to the two frowning girls any second.
"Okay, okay!" he said as he threw his hands up in defeat. "I-I'll go."
The girls cheered. Then, each still holding one of his arms, they pulled him gently. This time however, he obeyed and slowly walked towards the window. It must've been an odd sight to see. Two girls, one merely only five years old, dragging a teenage boy towards a window to face his fear of heights was quite peculiar. When he had finally reached the destination, his whole body was stiff with fright and the girls felt him slowly walking back.
"Hey! No backing out now!" Akane said with a grin. "And it's no fair! Your eyes aren't open!"
Yamazaki sighed and slowly opened a frightened eye. As soon as he saw the usually tall buildings looking like mere boxes on the ground, he immediately got that queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Chiharu giggled and held onto his arms tighter. "Don't worry. We're both here, you know."
The boy nodded and fully forced both of his eyes open. He turned pale and felt dizzy all of a sudden. Then without a moment's waste, he had turned and ran back to the elevator.
Akane and Chiharu broke into laughter as they chased after him. "Hey, Yamazaki-kun! Come back here!"
"Whew!" Chiharu said as the three had finished drinking her soda. When she and Akane had finally caught up with Yamazaki, he was already outside the tower, waiting for them patiently. As the girls finished their laughter, Yamazaki offered to buy them some drinks. He had said it was to make up ruining the Tokyo Tower experience. But Chiharu hadn't minded at all. It had been fun and she had realized that even Yamazaki, king of fibs, was scared of something. But still, remembering how nervous he looked as he neared those windows sure was funny. "Yamazaki-kun, that was so fun!"
They were seated on a bench not far from the tower itself. Besides, they were all a little tired from running. Yamazaki grinned. "Really? I thought I ruined the trip."
Akane shook her head. "Of course not! It was funny! I never knew you were such a scardey cat, nii-san!"
"Me neither," Chiharu added. "I always thought you were one of those fearless people."
"Ah, the Great Chiharu thinks too highly of me," he said, giving a little bow.
As he received yet another of Chiharu's smacks behind his head, Akane laughed at the scene. "So what else are you scared of? Anything else, nii-san?"
His grin turned into a soft smile as he looked at the ground. "Yes," he muttered.
"Well, what is it?"
"Sometimes…telling someone how I feel is scary." He had whispered it in such a low voice that Akane hadn't heard what he had said and she inquired about it again. But he just shook his head. "Well, let's get going. We still have a lot of time left."
As the two Yamazakis threw out their trash, Chiharu sat there in wonder. She had heard what he said. And she couldn't help but agree.
"Chiharu-nee-san!" Akane exclaimed. "C'mon!"
Chiharu put on a smile and followed the two who had left her sitting on the bench. "Coming!"
Chiharu giggled softly as they walked down their street. It was getting dimmer and dimmer by the minute. They had spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the great city and going window shopping, playing at the arcade and watching a short film at a theater. It was a great time and she was exhausted. But one little girl was even more exhausted.
"Is she heavy?" Chiharu inquired to the teen next to her. On Yamazaki's back was a sleeping five year old girl. Ever since the train ride bound home to Tomoeda, she had been knocked out. The day's events had probably caught up with her.
Yamazaki shook his head. "Not really. Nothing the Great Yamazaki can't handle," he replied with a grin.
Chiharu rolled her eyes as they neared her home. Yamazaki had insisted on walking the girl home before bringing himself and his cousin back to theirs. He had said that he needed to "protect the unprotected" though he was fully aware that barely anything bad happened in the streets of their peaceful town.
"Well," Chiharu said as they stepped up to her front door. "Thanks for walking me home."
"No problem." He gave a soft smile. "I'm glad to do it." They stood there face to face for a couple of awkward seconds, only hearing the steady breathing of little Akane. Yamazaki gave a sigh and took a step away from the house. "Anyway, I'll see you later, Chiharu-chan," he said softly.
Chiharu felt her heart drop from the thought of him leaving. "Wait," she said as she grabbed onto his shirt. His arms were taken since he was holding onto his cousin.
He turned back to her. "Yeah?"
She searched his face closely as she asked the question that had been on her mind all day. "Yamazaki-kun, what did you mean this afternoon? After Tokyo Tower? You said…that telling someone how you felt was another fear of yours. What did you mean?" Chiharu held her breath. She had been hoping that it had meant that he simply was too frightened to tell her those three words she had been longing to hear. She hoped that he was scared to tell her that he loved her, even though he really did.
She noticed his eyes turn softer as he inched closer. "I…" He gave a small smile. "I'm scared of…the reaction someone may get when I tell them something."
Chiharu unconsciously took a step towards him, their faces only centimeters apart. She was getting that tingly feeling again from being so close to him. Almost like what she had felt in that dream she had that morning. Except this time it was real. They were dangerously close and she had to sustain herself from just reaching up and placing her lips on his. "Wh-What exactly is that something?"
His eyes searched hers as their faces drew in slowly. "Maybe she'll find out soon…" he whispered.
Chiharu's eyes widened. Was he implying something just now? Did he mean that he wanted to…kiss? She felt her eyes close as they yet again drew closer. It was coming. She was going to get her first kiss…from the guy she had always wanted it from...
"Nii-san?" a sleepy voice said.
The two emotion driven teens immediately stopped, they're eyes wide with shock. Chiharu whipped herself around, her back to him, as she mentally slapped herself for almost going through with it.
"Where are we?" Akane said as she rubbed a tired eye with her hand.
"Um, w-we were just saying bye to Chiharu-chan," Yamazaki said, a tint of nervousness evident in his normally composed voice. "We'll be home soon."
The little girl nodded as she closed her eyes again, a smile on her lips. "Night, night Chiharu-nee-san."
Chiharu gave a tiny smile as she turned around again to face Yamazaki and his cousin. "G-Good night Akane-chan."
"I'd – We'd better go," Yamazaki said as he avoided his childhood friend's eyes. "Oyasumi."
Before she could utter a reply, he had already walked away from her, quickly hurrying towards his house. She sighed in sadness as she watched his retreating back for a couple of seconds before turning to the front door again and opening it with a key.
He had better get over his fears…all of them. But Chiharu knew it was wrong to think that way. It was her greatest fear too after all.
Sometimes, she just wished she could get it all over with.
