Sakurairo Hanabi

By Fantasiimaker

Chapter 3

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The usually muted city library held scurrying footsteps and shouts of laughter on Saturday, as parents hurried to shush their children. Syaoran found his mind drifting away from work again. It was a perfect, sunny weekend, and Tomoyo was sitting right in front of him, bent diligently over a book. Her mere presence made him slightly giddy. He gulped and looked away.

"Syaoran, she's late," frowned Yamazaki, looking at his watch. "You told her to meet at two, right?"

"Yeah, I did!"

"Well, it's been half an hour." Yamazaki closed his book and looked back at Syaoran, who hadn't even touched his textbook yet.

Tomoyo bit her lip. "You think something happened to her?"

"Maybe she got lost on the way," suggested Syaoran.

"What?" cried Tomoyo. "You didn't give the poor dear directions to the library?"

"I-!" he stammered, backing up in his chair. "She…she didn't ask!"

At that moment, a disheveled figure came rushing up to their table, gasping. "I'm…sorry…guys!" Sakura panted, trying to catch breath. Her hair was wildly framed about her face, and her eyes looked slightly puffy. The hand she used to clutch her school bag was trembling ever so slightly, Syaoran noticed. Impulsively, he took her by the wrist and pulled her into a chair next to him, not noticing Tomoyo's eyes shift to him suddenly.

They all sat in silence for a few moments, supposing that Sakura would give some kind of explanation for her tardiness. When no such thing came, Yamazaki was the first to say, "It's okay, Sakura! Let's just get started, shall we?"

Sakura nodded, not really looking at anyone.

When they finished working two hours later, Sakura had still not said anything except a quiet "Thank you" to Tomoyo when she handed her a book, and "No, thanks" when Yamazaki offered her some rice cakes. Syaoran suddenly broke out of his Tomoyo reverie and remembered Sakura's words.

"I'm not the kind of person you would enjoy being with. Just leave me alone from now on."

Recalling this quickly filled him with annoyance. Why should he care that she seemed colder now than the first day he'd met her? Why should he care that her thin arms had trembled several times these past two hours, even though the library was perfectly warm? Why should he worry…why should he want to help? She had told him quite explicitly that she didn't want any. Shaking his head angrily, Syaoran thrust several thick library books into his bag and pulled the zipper sharply.

"So!" he headed toward Tomoyo and Yamazaki, attempting to rearrange his face into something cheerful. "What do you guys want to do? Want to head to the café for a bite?"

"Sorry, Syaoran!" Yamazaki cut in at once. "I've got a date with Chiharu, and she'd murder me if I didn't show up."

"You two are going out already?" mused Tomoyo.

"Ah…yeah," Yamazaki laughed embarrassedly, scratching his head. "I asked her last week."

"I'm happy for you, man," said Syaoran, slapping his friend in the back. I want to be happy like that too, he thought briefly, trying not to look at Tomoyo.

"Well, I'm off! See ya guys!" Waving at them, Yamazaki left. Syaoran sighed internally. He was hoping to spend an afternoon with Tomoyo, but now that Yamazaki was gone…well, it was still worth a try.

"Tomoyo…?" he began.

"Umm…I'm..I'm sorry, Syaoran." To his surprise, Tomoyo began to blush crimson. "You see, I…I have a date too. I mean! I think it's a date. Well, he didn't quite say, but…"

"Who?" he whispered hoarsely, even though he knew the answer.

"Eriol," she answered, blushing anew as she said it. "He…we're…we're going to see a play in the theater downtown!"

Syaoran's heart sank. Eriol was wealthy, he knew. That was why he could afford to take Tomoyo to fancy theaters. Those tickets would've cost Syaoran more pocket money than he had in a month, though he would've been more than glad to spend it on Tomoyo. But look at the way she was flushing pink. She was gone.

NO! raored a monster inside him. SHE'S NOT! I WON'T LET HIM!

"Tomoyo!" he grabbed her elbow just as she turned to leave. But he pulled a little too hard, and she tumbled back against him, her back against his chest. Tomoyo stared at him, surprised.

"Please…please don't go," he whispered, not taking his eyes off her. "Come with us. Sakura is new, she needs to see her new surroundings. Come with us and help me introduce her to this place." Come with me, he wanted to add. Just me.

For a heartbeat, neither of them breathed. And then, with one released breath, Tomoyo slid fluidly out of his grasp like water. "I'm sorry," she said again, looking away from him. "I think you're right though. Sakura does need to see the sights here. Since I can't go, will you take her for me?"

Syaoran didn't answer.

Tomoyo waited, sighed, then took off for the library doors rather quickly, her bag banging across her shoulder as she went.

She hates you now, thought Syaoran at once. Why'd you have to grab her like that? Did you think she'd choose you over Eriol? He wanted to sink into the ground and melt into the carpet.

He was about to tell his legs to give out when something sharp struck him in the small of the back. He swore loudly and leapt forward.

Sakura stood behind him, brandishing a book.

"Don't use the sharp corner, you idiot!" Syaoran snarled at her.

She only looked back at him, impassive an expression as ever, until his breathing regulated and he strangely began to calm down. "I'm going now," she said abruptly.

"Wait! Wait!" Stumbling after her, Syaoran let the words tumble from his mouth. "Let's go somewhere!"

"Why?" she snapped without turning around.

"Because! I don't want to go home yet. And…and I know you don't want to either!"

That stopped Sakura in her tracks. She stood quite still, until Syaoran walked up to her and plucked the heavy book out of her arms. "Come on."

The two were halfway to the bus stop before Sakura asked, "Where exactly are we going?"

"Ah." Syaoran froze. "Well…" he smiled sheepishly. "I don't really know. Where do you feel like going?"

"Theater," she said. Thinking of Tomoyo, Syaoran whirled around so fast he thought he felt his neck crack.

"The theater," she repeated, looking curiously at him. "I feel like seeing a movie. Do you?"

At that, he relaxed. "Ah, yeah," he said. "Sure. Whatever."

When they arrived, the lines were packed and Syaoran just managed to get tickets to the movie they wanted. "Food? Drinks?" he asked as they passed the concessions. Sakura shook her head quietly and made for the movie, but Syaoran walked up to the counter and ordered. He came back with two cherry Icees and handed one to Sakura.

"You already paid for the movie tickets," she said quietly, nevertheless taking the drink.

"It's all right, I'm feeling very generous today," Syaoran declared airily. "Let's get a seat in the back."

"Center," she replied simply. "And you know I'm going to pay you back for both. It's not my fault you didn't warn me to bring money."

He followed her without complaint to the center of the theater. Sinking into the soft seat, he heaved a sigh of contentment and stretched his arms across the seat backs. "With your lovely company, you've more than paid me back for both the ticket and the drink," he drawled. He immediately yelped as Sakura delivered a well-placed chop to one of his arms.

"I don't know what I'm doing here," muttered Sakura, staring ahead at the pre-film advertisements scrolling across the movie screen. But as Syaoran looked at her, a tiny smile was tugging at the edge of her mouth. Spotting this triumphantly, Syaoran laughed aloud.

Sakura broke into an actual grin.

"You can smile!" bursted Syaoran loudly, startling Sakura and several people in neighboring rows of seats.

"Yes, I know that," she hissed, glancing around. "Shut up!"

"So…does that smile mean I can ignore what you said last time at the park?" Syaoran asked. He thought surely that he was pushing his luck. And indeed, Sakura had sunken back into her old frostiness; the light had disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"My smile doesn't mean anything," she said shortly. "It's an unconditional reflex of the human body which I have little control over." She took a sip of her Icee. Her brief spark was gone, frozen, but somehow Syaoran wanted to keep going. He watched her sip in silence for a while, her skinny shoulders pulled close to her body. She was curved in a position away from everyone, away from him and from the world. Something had dug the happiness from her, thought Syaoran. That light when someone smiles…she had to have used that light more plentifully at one point. She couldn't have been this hurt all her life.

Hurt. The thought suddenly struck Syaoran as clearly as the ringing of a bell. She was in pain. Maybe fresh, maybe a long aching wound.

But wounds can heal.

Syaoran suddenly poked her in the side with a finger. Much to his delight, she squealed.

"What are you doing!" she gasped, glaring at him.

"That's a reflex too, right?" he was thinking fast. "You know, I was wondering if those reflexes could help you laugh a little more."

Sakura eyed him cautiously, wordlessly.

"Like…THIS!" He suddenly began to tickle her as hard as he could. Like magic, the giggles tumbled from her mouth like a waterfall, and Syaoran grinned evilly.

"No…no…Syao…" Sakura tried to speak between breaths and laughter. "Stop…STOP!" She grabbed both of his hands and clenched down on them tightly with her nails. Syaoran gasped in pain.

They heard a chuckle floating down from behind them. "Teenagers!"

Sakura immediately released him and, with surprising strength, roughly pushed him back into sitting position in his seat. Syaoran looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of her face, but the theater was darkening, signalling the beginning of the movie. Disappointed, he settled back into his seat.

"Why are you being so strange?" whispered Sakura during the previews.

"Strange?" said Syaoran. "I'm not."

"You've been different. Ever since Tomoyo left this afternoon."

He was silent.

Sakura waited, until finally he said fiercely, "So what. I'm free to change as I want. So are you. Don't let anyone or anything force you into something you don't want to be."

At once, Syaoran felt embarrassed. Those words were so cliché, and to come out of HIS mouth? Maybe he really had turned strange in some way.

But as the film began, he felt a warm hand slip into his own.

What's going on? he thought wildly, his heart thudding. He didn't expect this to happen. He didn't expect to come to the movies with her, or buy her drinks, or sit right next to her….and least of all this. This hand, so warm and free, so different and opposite from Sakura. Was it her hand?

He liked it.

And suddenly, his like scared him intensely, and he jerked his hand away. Shocked, he looked down into his lap at his hand, now quite empty, and then across the cupholder to Sakura's slim hand.

She was looking straight ahead at the movie, she hadn't even reacted. Or if she had, he hadn't caught the reaction. It was as though it had never happened. Only, she was now staring very resolutely at the screen, and her eyelashes were moving up and down really fast.

Syaoran sighed and turned away. He had acted too rashly. What WAS he doing here? Just an hour ago, all he could think of was Tomoyo, and now…now he had just created a big mess for himself.

"I think," he heard Sakura whisper in a muffled voice. "I think you should tell Tomoyo your feelings."

"I can't, Eriol already asked her out," said Syaoran without thinking. He mentally smacked himself. That was as good as admitting to Sakura that he did love Tomoyo.

"Just tell her," she whispered softly. "You'll be tortured forever if you don't let her know. Don't put it off until it's too late. Tell her now."

"You're right." Syaoran smiled at her in the darkness. "You're right. I know what I have to do." He got up, leaving his Icee still sitting in the cupholder. "Thanks, Sakura." Bending down slightly, he scurried as fast as he could toward the theater's exit.

When he emerged into the light, his fingers were already clutching his cell phone and dialing out Tomoyo's number.

"Come on, come on, pick up," he muttered, stalking back and forth near the drinking fountain.

"Hello?"

"To-Tomoyo! Um, ah, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Syaoran? Wait, hold on a sec-," He heard her cover the phone and talk to someone, then return. "Syaoran, I'm…we're watching the play right now. I can't be using the phone! Can I call you back later!"

"No!" he exclaimed. "This can't wait, Tomoyo. Please, listen to me. I…I have to tell you something."

In the corner of his eye, he saw Sakura push open the theater door and stop just outside it, one Icee clutched in each hand.

"What is it, Syaoran?" said Tomoyo's voice in his ear.

"Tomoyo," he breathed. "Do you remember when we were talking about the people we liked before, and I told you I didn't know?"

"Yes?"

"I can tell you who I like now."

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To be continued in Chapter 4.

Author's Note: I'm sorry, it's a terrible cliffhanger, I know! But as you can see, a few little things have developed by now! Please keep reading, and lend me your support!

-Fantasiimaker