Flowers for Sakura

One Shot

Sappy. Very sappy (I hope.) Someone dared me to.

Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura.

AN: Don't know if they celebrate Halloween in Japan, but whatever. This fanfic doesn't actually follow the CCS timeline… --" I hope I used the honorific system correctly. If I didn't, please tell me!

Syaoran gulped. A sense of both dread and anticipation crept up his spine. He slowly advanced to the front door and pushed the proverbial doorbell of tricks and treats. Then he waited… and waited…

He was wearing an abominably warm bear suit that Tomoyo had insisted he wear. The fur encasing the suit helped only to raise the temperature. In his hands was a bouquet of plastic flowers. The petals were pink, like cherry blossoms. Syaoran twitched, hoping that someone would come soon.

The door opened, and instantly, his apprehension turned into energy, which traveled to his eyes and released more energy in the form of a glare. The tall figure in the doorway glared back.

Then, Sakura appeared and interrupted the glare-fest with a clueless smile. "Oh, hi, Syaoran! Cute teddy bear costume!" She turned to her brother. "Onii-chan, why are you blocking the doorway? If you stand there, no one will be able to--" A handful of long-stemmed flowers was shoved in view. "Syaoran…" she murmured, staring at the bouquet, "…what are all the flowers for? It's Halloween. Aren't you here for candy? Wait here. I'll go get it." Sakura frowned at the trembling teddy bear. "Come in! It's cold outside."

"S-sure." He blushed red. He struggled to maintain eye-contact with the doormat. But once he entered the house, there was no welcome mat to ogle. Instead, there was Touya, who glared at him from the kitchen, Yukito, who was for some reason watching TV in the living room, and… Sakura.

Indoors, the temperature seemed to skyrocket within the teddy bear suit. He stood in the foyer until finally, he could stand no more. He scrambled outside and ran down the street. The night air cooled him; soon, the bear suit was almost bearable. ( Unintentional pun) A minute later, when he had caught his breath, he realized he had run away again. He had run away… and what about Sakura? She might have found that candy, just to discover that he was gone.

Stiffly, he returned to Sakura's house and rang the doorbell once more. This time, Sakura answered. "Trick or treat?" he asked shyly.

Kinomoto Sakura smiled. The faintest trace of sadness shone in her expression. "Hello, Teddy bear-san!"

Syaoran grimaced. He did not want to make Sakura sad. Somehow, it felt as if it was entirely his fault. He braced himself and prepared to face Sakura. "I'm sorry," he said, not knowing how to continue.

He thought up several pretexts: "Your brother threatened to shoot me…" No, that was too violent. Plus, Sakura might take it seriously. "I sensed a Clow Card…?" But there were no cards left to capture. They were all Sakura Cards now.

"Sorry," he said, raking his brain for ideas, "but bears are meant to live in the wild." Ah! Finally, a plausible reason… "You shouldn't bring wild, toothy creatures indoors. It could be dangerous! What if it wreaks your house?"

Sakura looked at him grimly. Obviously, she did not believe his anecdote. "Mr. Bear, you don't have teeth." She stepped closer, and her socked feet met the doormat.

"Yes, I do," Syaoran mumbled indignantly. He lifted the hood of his costume and opened his mouth to show her. "See?"

The next instant, his mouth was stuffed full of candies yet to be unwrapped.

"Ha!" Sakura declared triumphantly. "That will teach you to run off so rudely, Mr. Bear. And you're wrong, Syaoran," she added more meekly. "Not all bears should live in the wild. Teddy bears wouldn't last one day without things like warmth and candy."

"Speaking of which, where is that stuffed animal? He couldn't possibly resist eating treats on Halloween."

"Don't change the subject," Sakura scolded. "Kero has gone trick-or-treating with Tomoyo. They'll be back later. Right now, aren't you going to collect your candy?"

"Yeah…"

She passed him a handful of sugary treats. She began to close the door when she remembered, "Syaoran? You left your flowers."

Syaoran shook his head. He managed a smile. "They're for you."

Sakura smiled, too, and this time, there was no hint of sadness it. "Thank you… Teddy bear-san."

AN: I was considering naming this 'Flowers and Candy', but… oh well. Constructive criticism is always appreciated: )