Finding You

By: Midnight Maiden

(Disclaimer: CLAMP owns all characters.)

Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes, a fog still hanging over her vision. When it cleared she sat up, but she wasn't on the stairs as she'd expected. She was in her bed. Who could have done that? Her father was out of town, Kero was gone, and her brother was at school. Then she knew, and should have known. Yue was asleep in her windowsill. She stretched and yawned loudly, so as to wake him up gently. Sure enough, his eyes snapped open, and his attention was hers. The night's glow shone from his skin, giving him an evanescent air. "You're awake." He strode over and stood before her.

Sakura nodded and rubbed her forehead. "You didn't have to do this Yue, it was just some sominex."

"I know." He shrugged. "I'm just so used to helping you. You hardly ever need my help anymore." She felt him draw into himself.

She knew what he was thinking, and dreaded him acting upon it. She got out of her bed and wrapped her arms around her guardian. His familiar scent surrounded her, reminding her of the times that he'd been there to save her. All of those times when she'd messed up, and feared that he would never befriend her, but he'd always been there. He stiffened under her touch, but eventually relaxed. "Yue, just because I don't need you, doesn't mean I don't want you around me." She looked up and found his gaze on her; her heart raced.

Then the moment was over. He pulled away and walked to the window. "I have to be going. Yuki is rather upset with me." Once again he was gone, physically and emotionally.

Sakura fumed. She was tired of him using Yuki as an excuse all of the time, and she was furious with herself that she couldn't seem to find a way to separate them. Her mind raced with ideas, but she knew none of them were helpful, and then they started to blur together. She shook her head and went to the bathroom. A quick shower should help her to clear her thoughts, and possibly get some work done.

The hot water fell down her skin, the steam catching in her throat. Slowly the knots of tension in her muscles softened, and all of her stress began to evaporate. She stopped thinking about Yue and Yuki. Her mind even let go of the random thoughts she's been harboring about the fact that all of her friends had boyfriends, and hers had moved to China. It had bothered her less and less, but occasionally it nagged at her. Nothing could bother her right now. She was in a state of total and complete relaxation.

Ring! Ring!

Why? Why did the phone have to start ringing now? Sakura sighed and turned off the shower. She wasn't going to make the call before it went to voicemail, but it had jarred her out of her tranquility so there was no point in staying in the shower. Throwing on a robe she wandered into the kitchen. She listened to the message as she ate her cookie.

"Hey Sakura, its Yuki. Look, I was just calling to see if I could take you out to dinner. I know there's no one at your house and I just want to make sure you're eating properly. Yeh…so just ummm…call me k."

Sakura shook her head, laughing silently. Really, boys were the worst at using the phone. It seemed like as soon as they had one in hand, they lost all mental capabilities.

Never able to pass on good food, she rang Yuki and told him that she would love to go. That meant she had to be ready to go. It was eight now, and he said he'd be over at eight-thirty. Shoot. In lightening speed, Sakura tossed on a pair of jeans, a slinky red halter, blew her hair dry, and applied the slightest tint of make-up. Looking in the mirror, she approved, and was rather impressed with her amazing primping skills.

Yuki had chosen Martini's for their dinner outing. It was rather spectacular actually. Old fashioned drink labels and entertainment ads lined the walls in a classy, sophisticated way. The expectation had been the local burger place, but that had been far exceeded. The waiter pulled out Sakura's chair for her, and she sat down delicately. She wished he'd told her where they were going first, she felt underdressed.

"I'm glad you came Sakura. I hate to think of you all alone in your house," Yuki said as their drinks showed up.

A frown crossed her face. "I'm really able to take care of myself you know."

"That's not what Yue thinks. Are you okay, because he took over early tonight with no explanation."

She knew that he was genuinely concerned but she was still a little miffed. "Yes, I'm fine. Yuki…"

"Yeh."

"Do you get upset with Yue when he just leaves?" She didn't want to stir anything up, but it had always kind of irritated her that Yue blamed Yuki, and she was dying to know if he actually had good reason to.

"Yeh, I guess sometimes." He saw her look up harshly and continued, "but only when I know he's running off to see you, just because he can sense when something's wrong, and I'm just a normal person."

Sakura really didn't get it. What was it with the two of them? Did they seriously compete over who got to take care of her, because it all seemed completely ridiculous. She was a mature and responsible person, who didn't need people looking over her shoulder all of the time. She could take care of herself, contrary to popular belief.

"Well, I'm really okay most of the time. I don't help from either of you."

After dinner Yuki walked her home. A comfortable silence settled between them, the kind that only good friends could share. Casually Yuki grabbed her hand. Her first reaction was to pull away, but instead she held his tightly. The warmth that it provided, and the absolute weakness that it gave her legs, surprised her. His thumb stoked her palm and she thought she might fall over.

So Cherry Blossom Chick/other aliases. If you have a real penname or aim or something it would be way easier for me to keep you updated and such. Anyway, thanks for reading. The next chapter will be up soon (I hope, lol!). Peach!