Never Melt

Chapter Three: Ice to Cream

Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptor Sakura.

AN: Um… I repeat: There is no magic in this one. Just a note to remember… : There is no magic—just some poorly constructed/invented science.

---

The next day, Sakura volunteered to show the two visitors around town. King Fujitaka Kinomoto had suggested it, and since she had nothing more fun to do, Sakura asked that she be the one to escort them.

"I'm going, too," Touya said.

"No, Touya," the King shook his head. "If you don't keep up with your studies, you will fall behind. Plus, we have important business today. Sakura will be fine," he reassured. He knew his son was a worrywart when it came to Sakura. "Tomoyo and Yukito are also going."

"Everyone except me! Sakura is a princess! There could be some evil villain after her! What if she gets kidnapped?"

The King sighed. "You trust Tomoyo and Yukito, don't you? They will not let anything harm Sakura."

"Yes, but that boy… Syaoran… I don't like him."

---

Unfortunately for Touya, nothing could be done about it. The next morning, Sakura left the castle accompanied by four others. The group wore comfortable spring clothes that hinted only slightly at their station. Syaoran was appalled by their casual clothing, but then again, he wore normal clothes, too. Saying anything about it would make him a hypocrite.

As they left the castle, the guards waved and Sakura waved back. The simple act made the stiffly standing castle help seem less forbidding. Could this be because of Sakura's magic? Syaoran thought. Even as he denied it, he couldn't help but accept her. Sakura was cheerful and kind. No one should ruin that.

Little by little, he had begun to appreciate her. Since the first day, Sakura was a thing too good to be true. But he found that it was true, that it was possible for someone to be as perfectly sweet as her. Everything she did gave him reason to believe she was not of this world but from the world of the cardcaptor.

Sakura is really nice, he thought. He couldn't help but smile, just a little.

---

They arrived at the heart of the city, where big markets and small stands had been set up. Delicious smells wafted from every street corner. Everywhere, there were colors and talking and people having fun. Sakura ran to the nearest open-air shop. She studied the goods seriously and made a point to exclaim every time she saw something cute.

The other four slowly followed her, as she flitted from stall to stall. Morning passed quickly; soon, it was lunchtime. Syaoran's guardian left earlier to find an empty table at a café, while Sakura and Yukito left to buy something to eat. The remaining two wandered around the café grounds, looking for the old man. Tomoyo took a stab at conversation. "Sakura is cute, isn't she?"

Syaoran started. "What?"

"She deserves the finest accessories a princess could have. When it comes to her wedding day, I want to make the dress!"

"You are thinking of that already!"

Tomoyo's eyes sparkled at the thought of dresses. "Not only that, but as she grows up, too! She will look so pretty in everything!"

"Yeah."

Tomoyo sobered a little. She turned to him, "You will be there, too, right? By her side as she grows up?"

Syaoran shook his head. "This move is only temporary. I should be leaving in a few weeks. Besides… she has so many friends, she won't notice when I am gone."

"Yes, she will. She cares about all her friends." Tomoyo smiled mysteriously. "I'm sure she'll miss you the most."

---

Syaoran's head snapped up at this. Sakura really would care about something like this, he thought. It is just like her to do something so… meaningless. When I'm gone, I'll be gone forever.

In his heart, he wasn't really sure. Could he really leave forever?

He told himself that Sakura would not care, but he knew that she would. He didn't want to hurt her by leaving, so maybe a present would make parting easier? But Sakura didn't care about material things. Sure, she was fascinated by their beauty, but she would not trade a memory for all the money in the world. Sakura was sweet that way.

So what could he give her that she didn't already have? Friends, family, a pet—she already had them. Dresses? Tomoyo had the next thousand all but made. What could she possibly want?

---

That afternoon, the group went hunting for ice cream. It was a warm, spring day, so ice cream would be the best cure for anything.

Sakura and Tomoyo both ordered a Strawberry Swirl, while Yukito had a triple-scoop with all three basic flavors. Syaoran's guardian said he was too old for anything sweet; so he ordered something else from an adjacent stand. "And what do you want, Syaoran?" Sakura asked.

"Chocolate, I guess."

"What? I thought you would have wanted plain vanilla, since you don't like sweets."

"I can handle chocolate," Syaoran deadpanned. What did Sakura think he was? Some sort of reclusive, old hermit?

"Okay, which kind?" Sakura turned too look at the pricing chart. Most of the ice cream was overpriced, but the group didn't care. They were plenty rich, and these normal, sane people probably needed the money. "Syaoran?"

"I don't know…" He shook his head. It really didn't matter to him. It was just an ice cream. "You pick."

"Hm… Tomoyo, let's give him the craziest one here… that has chocolate," Sakura brightened. "Let's see… The five-scoop Triple Swirl deluxe with sprinkles and every other topping!"

Even the usually supportive Tomoyo winced at that. "I don't think you want to kill him until he's committed a felony. I don't think anyone but Kero could handle an ice cream like that."

What Syaoran wanted to know was if the scoops on top would fall off. Five-scoop Triple Swirl deluxe with sprinkles did not sound appealing, but he was no coward. He could handle it. He could handle any ice cream that came in his way!

"That's okay. Whichever you pick is fine," he mumbled. "Just hurry and order before they all melt."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked. "Maybe it's a little too crazy." In the end, he got a double-scoop chocolate ice cream. He sighed with relief and stared at his melting ice cream. The day had gone pretty well, with the exception of the big chocolate ice cream debate…

Now that the day was slowing to an end, all he could think about was his leaving. It would not be long before he left for home. He was seriously considering giving out farewell gifts. He—the icicle prince, giving out gifts… It sounded wrong-- or strange at least.

Most of the people on his new friends list were mildly easy to buy for. There was always something they could use—a calendar, food, a new sewing kit, more food… Speaking of which, about his ice cream…:

It melted, melted, and melted some more.

"Syaoran? We're leaving." Sakura frowned. "Your ice cream's melting."

"Wha?"

Indeed, the ice cream had begun to drip down his shirt front. Syaoran yelped and reached for a napkin… at the same time Sakura did.

---

As soon as their hands touched, Syaoran turned beet red and retracted his hand. He turned and started walking away.

"Your shirt…?"

"Forget about it."

Sakura wondered what the matter with him was. Why is he jumpy all of a sudden? Could it be… because he touched my hand? Sakura frowned. Does he think I have germs? I hope not.

Yet it could be just that he's tired and wants to return to the castle. If I were him, I would feel exhausted, too.

Yeah… Sakura smiled. Syaoran isn't so hard to understand after all.

---(The following description is to fill a plot hole that people would otherwise trip over.)

The castle was very old. Its stone-cold chambers held many secrets, most of which even the royal family knew nothing about. Under wooden floorboards, there could be rats huddling quietly or termites creeping about. However the main secret was the deserted dungeon four stories below ground level.

It was a large room completely devoid of ornament. It was used only to keep prisoners during wars, long, long ago. Still, it was scarcely used and no one bothered to enter. Because of this, the stone remained eternally wet with various liquids. No moss could grow, and no uninvited critters wandered in.

What little rumor there was claimed it was the water that kept life out. It was an odd yellow-white, or maybe gold and silver, that had not completely mixed. There was always some white and some yellow and never anything in between.

From this water, a single plant grew. One had to wonder if it was really alive, since nothing else had grown. It was a dead parasite, maybe, or a crystal that curved and bent like a plant. It held no leaves and grew no flowers. Was it even a plant?

Nobody knew what it was. Most people suspected that it did not exist, that some lunatic made the whole story up. However, in the dungeon chamber was the undeniable evidence that something liked the water that repelled all else.

---

AN: Yes, in this world, they have already invented ice cream. Why? Because I said so.

I think the name of Syaoran's guardian was Mr. Wei or something, but since I'm not sure, I left his real name out.

Wow. I think there is actually a plot in this. O. o . Not a good one, because the timeline is messed up, but it's a plot, okay? - -"

I already thought up the ending, and it will be pure fluff. X.x Since I choke on fluff (one paragraph can last me hours), I'll probably die of strangulation before I finish this. Xp For my sake, let's hope I do finish.

To everyone that reviewed: thank you so much! -- Reviewers make my world go 'round. Um… does anyone know what the 'reply' button does? - -" Never mind.
'Byeeeeeee!