Disclaimer: You still don't get it do you? Duh, I don't own CCS.
A Big Thanks to :-ForevernAlwayz, Tella , IS2Cookies, tam224ara, CherryFreakyFunK, Kayapride, Chloena, arela, kriztalstar91, Cherry Blossom02, lilylisa31, VampireJazzy, il0verice, LadyAkina, MunChixD, Sakume Nohara, i-love-vash, cherrysakura5, CherryIzzy, wemsicles , youkaigirl64, x3Dorky-Candee, Heaven wouldn't take me and Hell was afraid I would take over, sakusyao , Unknown, Low/Astrum, teenureen, JadeStarDragon, BriAnna, chikichiki, faraaah, Yami Umi, Roxy, Pinaygrrl, white-cracker, sakura-yoshino, Kim, animeroxmyworld, candy-chan-chan, Hopeless Maiden, Kimiko5, totally-spaz, xsnowx , yukyungtang, joanne , kawaii-fairy-emma , xxxChIhArUxxx, Pwned., meow-mix23, 3musketteers , Hououza, a little someone, may may-chan, phoenix.tearx, Betrayed Innocence, kia twee, blah , hopeluv-chan, asiangirl668, bluexfieryxangel, Inkirietta, cherryblossomchick12, Mei Kimari, iliea, kat, islandsdreams, DarkGothGirl, angelic-kuti, SerenityMelody and Sakura-Moonlight for reviewing last chapter.
A/N:- A few things u should know:
1) Tomoyo will not video tape Saku and Syao's date, I thought that'd be interrupting their privacy. But she did record their time together when they arrived.
2) There will be magic in this fic... but I'm not telling u guys when, it'll ruin the suspense :P
3) Kero will not show up. He'll just keep interrupting precious SS moments and seriously, who's gonna pay for all the food he eats? I think he is an inconvenience and so he's sealed inside the book.
4) This is the most important thing u should know... when u finish reading a chapter, always REVIEW ! They make the author happy :P
Chapter 17:- A day of Surprise.
Touya clutched his throbbing jaw and exchanged a heated glare with Syaoran who now sported a faint black eye.
" How can you two be so immature ! " Sakura snapped glaring at them " Fist fighting in the middle of the hall !"
Nakuru nodded her agreement. She had seen Touya's car from her house and had rushed to Sakura's sensing trouble.
" Don't blame this on me, he's the one who started it ! What was I supposed to do? Stand there and get beaten up ? " Syaoran asked peevishly.
" You were on top of my baby sister, gaki.! " Touya shouted.
" It's not what you think, Onii-chan! " Sakura said scowling fiercely at him " I got startled when you opened the door so loud and grabbed Syaoran as I fell down on the couch "
An amused smirk came onto Syaoran's lips " So... technically this is all your fault "
Touya narrowed his eyes " You should be glad you're alive gaki, I could've punched the living day lights out of you "
" Like to see you try " Syaoran shot back.
" Why you littl-" Touya was stopped from lunging at him again, as Nakuru stood between them.
" Enough ! " she said sharply, and pointed an imperious finger at a surprised Syaoran " You. Put some ice over your eye, Sakura help him out. And Touya, "
She looked at him seriously "- we need to talk. Let's go "
Touya could only blink in astonishment as Nakuru dragged him outside. He noted with a start that she had called him by his real name, not Tou-chan or Touya-kun as she normally does.
They stopped near the gates.
" What do you want to talk about, Akizuki? And could you hurry up, I left my sister alone with that gaki " Touya grumbled and shot a glare towards the window from where he could see Syaoran sitting.
" Do you remember that reality show I wanted to see the other day ? " she asked him.
"Yeah... It was called The Bachelor or something " he replied frowning thoughtfully.
" I suppose I explained about the show right? " at his nod she continued " Well, Sakura's in it " she stated calmly.
" WHAT !"
' So that's why the gaki is here...he is practically dating my sister ' Touya thought narrowing his eyes.
" That Chinese gaki ! I'm going to- " he began furious.
" - stay out of their way " She interrupted firmly.
His sharp gaze fell on her " What ?"
" You're going to stay out of their way, Touya. I want Sakura-chan to have a good time with Li-san in Tomeda and I'm not going to let you get in the middle of this "
" But... its the gaki ! " he declared, as if it should be the most obvious reason in the world for Nakuru to reconsider her previous statement.
" So ? What if it's Li ? " she asked raising an eyebrow.
Touya muttered something.
" Build a bridge and get over it ! " Nakuru snapped, hands on her hip. " He's not the same guy he was 13 years ago and besides when Sakura-chan struggled to transform the clow cards even you wished Li-san was with her didn't you ?"
He flinched involuntarily at her tone, she was starting to sound like Ruby moon.
Her eyes softened " Please Touya, listen to me. He's not as bad as you think he is. Just give him a chance ok ? Atleast for Sakura-chan.."
Touya knew without a doubt that he'd never like the gaki, not with all their history back in the card captoring days. But if his sister had no problem being around the Chinese brat then he'd respect her wishes.
' But...' a small smirk covered his lips ' that doesn't mean I can't threaten him '
He thinned his lips and nodded his head. Then without saying anything else he headed back towards the house.
" What took you so long ? " Sakura questioned him curiously.
Ignoring his sister, Touya glared at Syaoran and hissed: " If you look any lower than her face or get within six feet of her, then you're a dead man. Understood ? "
Syaoran glared back at him in response.
Touya smiled viciously, then, stuffing his hands into his pockets, said in a friendlier tone: " That's good. I'm going off to work now. I'm sure nothing will happen while I'm gone...right? "
Sakura rolled her eyes " Oni-chan ! "
As Touya went past Syaoran, pretending to need a drink of water, he spoke in a volume that only they both could hear.
" Don't hurt her. If you do...you'll regret it " Touya stated in a mild voice, although the thread of steel running through the words proved how deceptive his tone was.
The lack of response did not faze him, nor did it surprise him. Deciding to leave it at that, Touya strided towards the door.
He playfully ruffled his sisters hair on his way out.
" See you later Kaijuu " he told her and quickly stepped outside before Sakura could give him a foot stomp.
As he got near his car a tentative voice spoke from behind him: " You're not mad at me are you...? "
Touya turned around to see Nakuru, standing nervously in front of him.
" No, Although I am a bit surprised you acted that way..." he told her amused. " And Akizuki ? "
"Yes..."
" Never call me Touya "
Nakuru blinked at him, from the very first day she met him, he had always told her not to call him by any pet-names... quite the opposite of what he had just said right now.
" This seems to be a day of surprises isn't it ? " Touya said wryly voicing out her thoughts.
" I bet it's snowing in Hell right now.." he muttered to himself.
A corner of his mouth lifted into a smile and she stared back at him, entranced by the genuine smile that graced his lips. They stayed like that for a bit, black eyes gazing deep into maroon.
If they were two completely different people, the situation that they were currently in would have been considered fairly intimate: the wind blowing coolly, Touya and Nakuru less than half a meter away from each other, and eyes staring deep within the other person's.
If they were any two different people, Touya would have leaned in slowly and would softly place a lingering kiss on Nakuru' lips. They would slowly break apart, smiling shyly at one another.
But nothing between them had changed that drastically.
No strange feelings or desires to kiss the other person passed through any of their minds. No sudden realizations that they loved each other occurred.
Instead, they had a gentle warmth that engulfed their insides, a feeling of understanding the other.
Finally breaking the eye contact, Touya sighed " It's getting late " he stated.
A slight nod from Nakuru.
" I better get to work "
Another nod.
He opened his car and paused. " Say, are you free tonight ? "
" Yes.. "
" Dinner at 9,Sundown-cafe ? " he asked raising an eyebrow.
" Ok " she answered and waved good-bye as he sped off.
Sure, the way he asked her out wasn't done in the most romantic way possible. Not even close one would say, but it was good enough for her.
She knew that Touya had an astounding degree of control over his emotions and after years of being around him , she had learnt that actions sometimes spoke louder than words...
She had a deep feeling that somewhere along the events of today, their relationship had altered. It was slight, but even so, it was still a change.
Whether it would grow and give way to deeper romantic feelings was a question she had no answer for. But she was willing to take the chance and find out...
OoOoOoOoO
Nakuru entered the hall, and was amused to say the least to see the legendary ego-clash between Sakura and Syaoran.
" I'm not going to wear make up over my eyes ! " Syaoran said in outrage.
" You can't go around looking like that " Sakura shot back pointing to his black eye " It's disgusting ! "
She cleared her throat purposefully and brought their attention.
" You guys better get going, or you won't be able to see most of the places " she said with a smile.
Sakura sighed " I bet the camera's will follow us everywhere..."
She scowled at the prospect of the cameraman asking them annoying questions at the end. They had been lucky in the last date, due to the festival that took place in the village the camera's weren't allowed inside.
" Don't worry about that Sakura, Tomoyo made sure they won't come anywhere near your place" Nakuru said with a grin.
Sakura smiled " Great! So at what time should we come back?" she questioned curiously " Syaoran is supposed to dine with Touya and dad.. "
" Sorry Sakura-chan, but Kinomoto-san won't be back for the next two days and Touya " her cheeks tinged pink " is taking me out to dinner "
" Thank god..." Syaoran muttered to himself but Sakura apparently heard it.
" What was that ? " she asked narrowing her eyes at him.
Nakuru could literally feel the hair on her skin prickle at the invisible sparks that flew between them, thick and palpable.
The magnitude of what she was witnessing between Sakura and Syaoran stunned her. One has to Deaf, Blind and Dumb not to notice the explosive chemistry between them.
What they had, Nakuru mused, was something that can only be found within the pages of a romance novel, the kind of thing most people spent their lifetimes searching for.
It promised white-hot intensity and endless passion, they both were a deadly combination of Fire and Ice.
His darkness to her light...
Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, Nakuru ushered them outside telling not to waste more time, before an all-out tongue lash broke out.
A tiny smile crept onto her face as she watched them go. With couples as unique as them, one can always expect spectacular fireworks...
OoOoOoOoO
After visiting some of the card-captor adventure filled places of Tomoeda, Sakura and Syaoran had caught a train to Tokyo to see the infamous tower.
As luck would have it, they were not the only people interested in visiting Tokyo Tower. It seemed like half of Tokyo's population had turned up with the same idea.
' I don' believe this.' Sakura thought peeved ' They don't even look like tourists! It's almost as if everyone within a fifteen mile radius suddenly decided that they just had to admire the view of the entire city from up there'
Syaoran seemed to sense her anger and chuckled slightly. "Crowded isn't it ? " he said trying to aggravate her a bit.
She did not disappoint him, and he soon found himself the receiver of a glare so lethal that any other man would have been castrated on the spot.
" Of all the days they could come, they chose today! And it's not even the holiday season ! " she grumbled, glancing around with a scowl.
" Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. " she admitted grudgingly " What if we get separated- Itai! HEY! " she stumbled as someone pushed past her, hitting her arms in the process.
Her eyes widened considerably as Syaoran grabbed her hand to steady her.
Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her dazed expression " You're either planning to murder me, or having dark fantasies " he teased " And humor me by saying it's the latter. "
" Former " she said and turned her head away, ignoring the slight pink that washed over her face.
" Ouch " he placed his hand over his heart as if stabbed.
Sakura rolled her eyes " Well...it's impossible to get in there. So we'll just have to go somewhere else "
Syaoran nodded and together they set off to the busy streets of Tokyo. They chatted and bickered away during most of the time, since Sakura had insisted on doing some window shopping.
It was just like the time they had come here with Meilin and Tomoyo during The Dream Card capture.
They decided to take a short break.
Sakura sat down on a bench and sipped her tea " How is Meilin-chan ? "
Syaoran smiled fondly as he recalled his cousin " She's fine. After I went back to China, we both studied till the end of high school. Then she moved away to Shanghai for college. Now she's working there..."
Sakura cocked her head to the side curiously " Didn't Meilin-chan want to marry you ? Then how come you're in this show ? "
Syaoran shrugged " I guess when we dated, she realised that I was more like a brother to her than a lover. So we decided to end it... "
Sakura smirked " Or in other words, she dumped you and moved onto a cute guy "
" She didn't dump me ! " he snapped " We came to an understanding "
" Uh-huh, sure. Keep telling yourself that " Sakura said amused.
Syaoran's eye twitched in irritation and he drank his tea shooting her a poisonous glare.
OoOoOoOoO
The sun had plunged downward into the west. Small amount of crimson and violet light rays were still visible in the sky, the night clouds reflected them with a soft, warm glow.
" My feet hurt " Sakura complained. " We've been walking all day !"
Syaoran attempted to check his watch " Not all day " he corrected " Just for the past 2 hours. " he said coolly.
They were walking towards Tokyo's most famous park, Ueno.
" Are you still surly about what I said ? " Sakura asked raising an eyebrow.
Syaoran thinned his lips and walked ahead, his pose rigid.
Sakura scowled " Will you stop it ! I apologize to you didn't I ? "
" Yes, you did. Now quit whining we're almost there " he said in the same detached tone.
" I'm not whining " she retorted. " I was voicing my opinion. And my feet still hurt."
Then, without the slightest warning, Syaoran turned and stalked towards her. Sakura yelped as he lifted her up and tossed her over one shoulder.
" What are you doing ? Put me down, you baka ! " Sakura cried startled.
" Since your feet hurts, I'm going to carry you " he answered with a smirk.
" It doesn't hurt anymore ! " she snapped. " Put me down ! "
Syaoran ignored her and continued walking as though she was weightless.
" People are staring at us " she said, her cheeks coloured with self-conscious embarrassment.
When Syaoran didn't answer her, Sakura began squirming and shifting from his grip in an attempt to get down.
" Now, now, now " he teased her with a crooked smile " Be a good girl and stay still Sakura, or else I'll have to spank you "
Sakura paused in mid-struggle and her eyes widened as the implications of his words hit her.
" Y-you.. you wouldn't ! "
" I won't be too sure about that if I were you " he taunted.
Sakura scowled " This is crazy, even for your standards. You never do things the normal way, do you? "
" Of course not. "
OoOoOoOoO
Syaoran set down a relieved if not slightly ticked out Sakura, as they reached the gates of Ueno Park.
They followed the main path way, lined on the sides with leaf-less and snow covered Cherry blossom trees, and went southward form the promenade which branched off from there.
A big willow tree loomed ahead of them, overlooking a large pond which could easily pass of as a lake.
Sakura, to her immense joy, had found a swing that was near the tree and rushed towards it. Even at age 23, she had a fondness to sit on swings, she found the whole thing very relaxing.
Syaoran smiling slightly at her actions, sat down on the swing next to her.
Sakura tilted her head up towards the sky, though the lights in the city blocked out most of the stars, she was still able to see a few.
" That's where the Big Dipper should be " Syaoran said and pointed to a spot in the sky.
" How can you tell ?"
" My dad used to show me when I was a kid... " he said smiling fondly in remembrance.
Sakura's eye softened " Oh..."
" See those two stars? Those are the right side of the cup."
Sakura nodded and reached down to pull a long piece of grass that was growing on the ground.
She stretched it between her thumbs and blew. The only sound that Sakura produced was a pathetic little squeak.
He muffled his laughter and plucked a blade of his own. He blew on it and made a long, piercing whistle.
" Show off." Sakura said sticking out her tongue.
Syaoran smirked " Thank you."
They lapsed into silence and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere surrounding them.
" This place is beautiful " Sakura said dreamily.
Syaoran nodded " I can't think of any place I would rather be... except perhaps on top of you. " he added with a mischievous grin.
Sakura scowled " You say that again, and I might just unman you !"
He raised an eyebrow " Unman me? How will you do that ? "
Sakura smirked " A certain place where the male anatomy exists will be very, very sore if you talk like this any further... "
Syaoran grinned at her and stood up from the swing.
" Good " he said lips curling into a smirk " I don't think I've ever done it in a park before... "
Her face promptly turned at least six distinct shades of red until it finally settled at beet root.
" Hentai! " Sakura hissed angrily and made a move to hit him, he dodged and started running away grinning like a little school boy.
Sakura fumed and chased after him " Syaoran no baka! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'll -"
He turned around and shot her a wink " Oooh, I am scared...but ready "
Sakura let out a frustrated yell and cursed him as he laughed and ran ahead of her.
OoOoOoOoO
After minutes of unsuccessful attempt to catch Syaoran, Sakura gave up. She grudgingly admitted that he was a fast runner than her.
Syaoran, who grew rather hungry took Sakura to one of Japan's most exclusive restaurants.
The setting of the eating area was decidedly cozy. A cheerful fire crackled and couples sat at tables, talking, smiling, doing what any normal couple would do.
Sakura raised an eyebrow at him " What's swirling in that mind of yours? "
" Something you wouldn't want me to share " he answered with a grin.
" Probably mentally undressing that blonde over there.. " she mumbled to herself giving him an expression of disgust.
Syaoran laughed " You know, the whole male population doesn't only do that. There are other things that you can't share.. "
Sakura looked him skeptically " Like what ? "
Smiling crookedly, he leaned towards her giving the image that they were having an intimate conversation.
" You know, it's also very difficult to verbalize fantasies..." he whispered slyly and her face flushed pink.
" Urgh, Syaoran.. you're such a .jerk ! " she said as he drew back and grinned at her.
" Do you know how flattering you are? " he asked raising an eyebrow.
Sakura smirked " I know..I am much too kind "
Satisfied seeing the scowl on his face, Sakura took the menu. She gave one look at the prices listed in it and her mouth went dry.
' How can food cost this much ? ' she thought with a start.
She knew that Syaoran could very well afford all this.. but she felt uncomfortable letting him spend so much money for her.
Syaoran seemed to know what she was thinking and the corners of his mouth lifted upwards " The producers of the show got it all covered, don't worry. "
His amber eyes gleamed with silent amusement " I've heard this place is quite good that's why I came here. Maybe on the next date, we can go eat somewhere you choose..."
Sakura nodded, failing to notice the true meaning behind his last sentence.
A man came over to their table and after writing down their orders, he did a quick bow and hastily scuttled away.
While they waited for dinner to be served, Sakura noticed how quietly they had been sitting while the people around them chatted away.
" You're awfully silent... ran out of dirty thoughts? " She taunted him with a smile.
" Well, what thought seemed particularly dirty to you, Sakura ? "
Seeing his wide sneaky grin, Sakura knew she was stuck. She scoffed at him and stuck her tongue out.
" How mature..." he said dryly.
Soon dinner was served and they ate away happily. After finishing, Syaoran ordered some deserts while Sakura settled herself for a hot cup of tea.
She gave an amused smile at his order, Chocolate mousse with caramel cream.
" I bet you were always getting cavities when you were young " Sakura stated.
Syaoran feigned offense and bared his even, flashing, white teeth in a way that distinctly reminded her of a chimpanzee, Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the thought.
" These magnificent pearls are not the work of a tooth fairy " he told her pompously.
Her shoulders shook with laughter, eyes sparkling in a way even emeralds couldn't and Syaoran found himself mesmerized by the sight of her.
Her cheeks were so smooth, and they led down to her mouth.
' What a nice path. I wouldn't mind going there...'
His eye widened at the thought and he mentally cursed himself as he looked away from Sakura, cheeks a suspicious shade of pink.
After they finished eating, the bill arrived.
Taking a glance at it, Syaoran quickly decided not to tell Sakura the price. He wasn't looking forward to carrying an unconscious girl in his arms.
As Sakura got up and made her way outside, she saw Syaoran courteously holding the door open for her.
She gave him a suspicious look and walked past him outside.
When Syaoran came outside, Sakura gave him a scowl.
" Okay, what do you want? "
Syaoran looked at her blankly. "What?"
" I know you want something."
" You do?"
She nodded decisively. "Yes, I do."
"Okay, then what is it that I want ?" Syaoran folded his arm and looked at her serenely.
Sakura frowned " What ?"
" You think I want something. Tell me what it is that you think I want."
" I don't think you want something. I KNOW you do."
He smirked "And how would you know that I want something?"
Sakura resisted the urge to throw her arms up " You held open the door and waited for me. You were being polite."
"And that's bad?"
" When you're being polite, then yes, its bad "
Syaoran had an urge to laugh, his lips twitching, wanting to part and let out a sound of amusement. Instead, he leaned in and smiled looking down at Sakura.
" I am very much capable of being polite when I want to. One of the many good qualities that I have which makes me a gentleman " he boasted.
" Gentleman? " Sakura let out a snort and rolled her eyes " You're just a baka having a big ego..."
" Why Sakura" Syaoran tutted with a small smile.
" Can't you think of anything else I have that's probably as big as my supposed ego ? " he trailed off.
A fierce blush grazed her cheeks as her mind swerved off obligingly in the direction which his words pointed to.
" What's swirling in that mind of yours ? " Syaoran teased, throwing her own words back at her.
Sakura huffed indignantly and punched his arm. " Jerk "
Grinning down at her, his amber eyes sparkled with an odd emotion, heslowly wrapped his arm around her back and together they went along the sidewalk.
And to the many observers on the busy streets of Tokyo, they were the epitomical picture of a wonderfully happy couple.
A/N:-Ueno park does exist in Tokyo, but I don't know what it looks like.
Touya/Nakuru: Touya is not an emotional guy, I have rarely seen him smile on CCS. He isn't very forward either, so I think this is the way he'll ask Nakuru out. Hopefully as their relationship progress, Nakuru will have a good influence on him...:P
Review reply:-
kriztalstar91: Fluffy is Sakura's cat, I mentioned it in chap 14. I hope u read the author notes at the beginning. I decided to write one reading ur review. U r very observing, cuz I surely didn't see the typos. -Shakes head and laughs- god I'm embarrassed, I hate making typos but they just ..show up u know ? Hope u liked the chap. Ja ne.