Yay. An update.
Thank you to those who took time to review.
...I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura.
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- - - - -
ChronicallyLate
SakuraSyaoran
- - - - -
creeak, creeak.
They had been here in Tomoeda's famous penguin park, where the huge testament to penguins (of course, it was penguin park) loomed over them in silent fascination. The park was known as a haven for children by day, and a somewhat meeting ground for lovers by night--Tomoyo said something about the park's innocent ambiance, but Sakura was far too stubborn about lovers and those things to listen.
Eh. Love was something Sakura considered herself far too young for. She had had boyfriends in the past, but it had always turned out wrong for her. Her first boyfriend (of which she had told herself never to speak the name of ever cross-her-heart-and-hope-to-die) was just after her popularity as head cheerleader back in high school, while the second one (of which we shall not name for the fear of Sakura's wrath) she found cheating on her--right here in this park.
Now that she thought about it, this was the first time in almost two years that she had been here.
...of all the stupid places to be, at ten in the evening.
Her eyelid twitched happily.
She pushed off the gravel under her feet, and heard the old swing chains creak in the still night air.
creeak, creeak.
Earlier that night Syaoran had taken them around for (what she found out later) an aimless drive around Tomoeda. Strange, though--the brunet had not been his usual Sakura-my-my-you've-gained-a-lot-of-weight self. He'd been his surly I-am-a-Li-and-I-am-tired-of-being-one-rawr persona, amber eyes focused on the road in front of him.
Gah. Had she done something to set her best friend off...?
Sakura stole a glance at the boy on the swing beside her. Syaoran was engaged in a staring match with that particular piece of gravel by his sneakers. She rolled her eyes and sighed. It was almost like seeing him--wait this was where they first met--that day ten years ago.
x--x
"Sakura-chan!" Chiharu hollered, hurling the volleyball in her direction--after what seemed like ten hours trying to get it out from under the Penguin Slide. Pssh. Like it was her fault it got under there. She was just...playing around with the white ball, anyway.
"Eh? Sakura!" Tomoyo's frantic voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Sakura whirled around just in time to see the volleybal (which she was supposed to catch) hit a boy on the swings squarely on the head, making him topple over into the gravel.
"Hoee!" she muttered under her breath, sprinting to the swings, hoping that the boy didn't get a concussion or something.
She stared in awe as the boy swung his feet and flipped over. He sat back down again on the steel swing, rubbing his head and groaning. The volleyball was tucked under his other arm
He was older than her--probably eleven, she figured. Unruly chestnut hair swept across intense amber eyes. If she squinted, she could see the patch of red that the volleyball had hit.
Rika and Chiharu had already caught up with her, panting beside her.
The pigtailed girl moaned. "Oh no...not with Li-san."
Sakura turned to her friend, bewildered. "Li?"
"He's a Li," Rika explained. "And Lis aren't too friendly..." she trailed off.
"Hmph," she nodded her head determinedly. Hey, she didn't really care if this Li hated everyone or not; she was going to get their volleyball back. Nevermind that she had almost given him a concussion. Ignoring Rika and Chiharu's simultaneous gasp, she waked towards the boy.
...it didn't help when he stared at her as she came closer. She felt her resolve melt.
"...eheh, gomen nasai..." she bit her lip. "I'm really sorry...uhm. So. Can we have our volleyball back...?"
The boy just stared at her unceasingly. She flinched involuntarily.
"Li-san, uhm, the ball," she said in a miraculously even voice, holding out both her hands.
"...you know who I am?" he asked mildly, amber eyes curiously scrutinizing her.
Sakura wasn't exactly known for her patience; Tomoyo was the master of that field. "Yes," she said irritably.
"...and you're still talking to me?"
"Because you have our volleyball."
"I see," he paused, then tossed the ball to her with one hand. Sakura barely caught it. She gritted her teeth, there was something in the way that he still continued to stare at her. Like he was going to pounce on her or something.
"Thanks," she managed to say, before spinning on her heels and tossing the ball on to Tomoyo.
"...thanks for talking to me too, Kinimoto-san."
x--x
She remembered blinking rapidly at that point, and then walking off with her friends, leaving the chestnut-haired boy behind.
Li sat with her in school ever since--he was like a wolf, standing guard over her, very much like but not quite Touya, her overprotective onii-chan.
She then learned that his full name was Syaoran Li, and that he was very grateful that somebody actually worked up the courage to talk to him, even after learning that he was a Li. Feeling very stupid, she asked why the Lis were feared.
Syaoran calmly told her that they were one of the most influential families in China, and that he was trained to kill ever since the age of five. He could get pretty violent if he wanted to. Sakura just blinked at him, and raised an eyebrow--like he was going to try and kill her or something.
...and so a beautiful friendship was born--one that lasted through grade school, high school, two boyfriends, one prearranged marriage, two girlfriends, countless cramming sessions, dozens of sports-related injuries, dozens of overprotective-brother-related injuries, nights of sleepovers and hangovers, and almost ten years of living in general.
"Syaoran-kun?" she asked aloud, the sound of gravel under her feet oddly comforting in the silence that hung heavily between them.
"Yeah?"
Yay, he finally spoke!
"Push me?" she smiled at the chestnut-haired boy, knowing that he'd comply. He seemed to fight a smirk of his own as he got up, ran his fingers through his hair, and started pushing her on the swing.
Sakura giggled, feeling the night air caress her face and thread through her auburn hair. Again, the touch of his fingers on her shoulderblades tickled, but she wasn't going to tell him that--she suspected he knew that already.
Sometimes she suspected Syaoran knew her better than herself; being best friends for something like ten years did that to you.
She blinked; oh yeah...
- - - - -
"Eh...?" Syaoran stared as Sakura suddenly sat up straight. Her feet skidded noisily on the gravel as she halted her momentum and spun the swing around, so that the chains were crossed and she was facing him. Bright jade eyes sparkled from underneath auburn bangs.
"I want to give you something," she said, patting her skirts for something unseen.
He raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
Sakura pursed her lips, eyebrows furrowed, until she drew out a small blue pouch from a pale pink skirt pocket. "You know!" she said brightly, beaming up at him from the swing. "Friendship rings! We've been best buddies for so long that we don't actually need proof, but it'd be nice if we had--"
Syaoran burst out into incredulous laughter. "S-Sakura-chan," he panted, putting his hands on his waist. "You just turned nineteen! Friendship rings are for gradeschoolers, together with pinky swears and all that girly stuff! C'mon, act mature!" He burst into uncontrollable laughter once again--really, Sakura sometimes acted like she was ten years old all over again.
Her face fell visibly, and her lips curved downwards into a frown.
He choked on his own voice, and he swallowed uncomfortably. He felt like punching himself. Yep, Syaoran, nice move. Laugh at her. Yep.
"Okay, Syao-kun..." she said, obviously crestfallen, twirling around the swing, the chains straightening.
Syaoran mentally kicked himself, and it actually hurt.
- - - - -
Awww...Syaoran could be too serious for his own good sometimes. She supposed it came with being a Li and all. It didn't help that Syaoran was supposed to be the heir of the Li family.
He was never supposed to go here to Tomoeda, anyway. Syaoran was arranged to study in one of China's exclusive schools, but his mother had suddenly decided to let him take a breather, somewhere far away from the pressures of the Li clan. Japan was perfect.
He had been notorious as 'the kid who stared', referring to his uncanny ability to strike fear by just staring at someone in the eye. Sakura learned that he had been trained to do that, as with his whole family.
She was the first one, out of his family, to actually carry on a coherent conversation with the chestnut-haired boy. That fact struck Syaoran deeply, and from then on, he stuck to her like super glue. Of course, his resolve to stay that way was tested when her brother Touya caught wind of some kid following his sister around.
Needless to say, Syaoran still stuck to her, not minding the spectacular black eye that had blossomed on his face.
At first, she had thoroughly been frightened. Then irritated, for Syaoran refused to leave her unless (a) absolutely necessary, and (b) she was safe at home. Then he just kind of...grew on her. They were suddenly an inseparable pair--Syaoran Li and Sakura Kinimoto.
They had often been taken as a couple, but they both vehemently denied it. It kind of grossed Sakura out--her? Dating the guy who she had seen snort Coke out of his nose? The guy who jumped off a twenty-foot wall, showing off his 'skills', and ending up with a broken nose? The guy to whom she had spilled her innermost secrets to? Like hell no.
Nevertheless, having Syaoran constantly around scared off prospective suitors, until one actually came up to him and asked whether he could ask Sakura out for a date or not.
Laughing, Syaoran agreed wholeheartedly, probably amused at the fact that people seemed to see him as a replacement for the Touya.
...he wasn't laughing when she called him up in the dead of the night, sobbing about how that boy broke her heart. He stayed on the phone the whole night, just listening quietly to her.
The next day, said guy went home early with a broken nose.
The next guy to court her and break her heart immediately had a restraining order ready for Syaoran. No matter. Her best friend still ended up giving the guy a broken jaw, and several loose teeth. Being a Li sure had its perks.
Ever since then...the thought of dating her best friend didn't seem to bad. He was always there for her, after all.
He was just a bit too serious for his own good sometimes.
Sakura bowed her head, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. Oh, and she spent the whole night yesterday making these.
...she then heard Syaoran grunt resignedly behind her, and she smiled weakly. What she didn't expect was for Syaoran's arms to snake over both her shoulders and grab the pouch in her pale fingers, his chin resting slightly on her shoulder. And for him to stay that way.
Gah. His unruly chestnut hair tickled her cheek.
- - - - -
He could almost feel Sakura blush.
He laughed inwardly.
Syaoran carefully opened the pouch, and upended it into one palm in front of Sakura.
What the...?
He felt his words die in his throat as out tumbled into his palm two silver rings, each inticately engraved with his and her's names. Sakura in script around the ring in which was a jade green crystal inset, while Syaoran was engraved on the ring with a round amber droplet was mounted.
Whoa. He had expected those woven-yarn rings, or ceramic rings at best. Not silver and jewels--no way.
"S-Saku-chan..." he trailed off, staring at the rings. Sakura raised one hand to steady his slightly (he had to emphasize that) shaking hand, and he felt her shoulders heave as she laughed softly.
"Friendship rings!" she repeated happily. "See? They have the same exact design; only mine has my name, and yours has your name. Yeah, mine is green 'cause I have green eyes, and yours is amber 'cause you have amber ones. Clever, huh?"
Syaoran just blinked slowly, still staring at the rings.
Sakura suddenly took his left hand and snatched the rings from his palm. "Hah. I knew you'd like it. And now you're wearing it. No buts--"
He smirked, slipping his arms from around her and twisting the swing around, turning a very surprised Sakura to face him. "Syaoran, what are you--?"
Syaoran tilted his head thoughtfully, picking up the ring with his own name from her cupped palm. "I thought I was supposed to give you a present."
"I didn't give you one during your last birthday," she pointed out, cheeks blushing spectacularly in the light from the posts shining brightly in the night. Fireflies flitted around them.
It then occured to Syaoran that it looked very much like a very romantic setting, and that they looked very much like a young couple.
Agh.
...so what...
- - - - -
"Aw, Saku-chan, you're blushing," he teased, picking up the other ring from her palm.
"So are you," she shot back, pouting. Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched Syaoran hold up the ring with her name engraved on it to the light. Cripes, she spent the whole night engraving those, she did deserve getting one for herself. "And you're getting only one ring, Syaoran!"
"What made you think I'm keeping both, huh?"
She blinked, and stared, as he slipped the ring, her ring, on the fourth finger of his left hand. "Syaoran-kun! Are you blind?" she exclaimed. "That has my name on it!"
"I know."
Sakura's eyes widened. "...huh?"
"I'm keeping it, so everytime I look at it, I'd remember you," he explained, before taking her hand in his and going down on one knee in front of her.
"What do you think you're..." she trailed off, suddenly very aware of the crimson spreading across Syaoran's cheeks, and most probably on her own too.
He laughed nervously, his hand clammy under hers. "I know this looks cheesy. And I know I should've gotten my own ring to give to you. But I don't know if I'd be able to do this anytime other than now."
"I've been your best friend forhow many years, and I've finally decided that I want to be more than best friends. I just hope I'm not ruining anything."
Amber eyes stared at her, just like that afternoon ten years ago--gaze unflinching and intense.
"Sakura Kinimoto, would you be my girlfriend?"
- - - - -
Bright green eyes widened in shock, and Sakura's breathing grew markedly faster. It was almost like she was panting or something.
Syaoran cringed--he didn't know what he would do if Sakura rejected him. Maybe kill a few people? Yeah. It sounded like a good idea.
"Silly, of course!" she suddenly laughed, swing moving erratically, chains creaking in the still night air. She watched interestedly as he slipped the ring with his name on her left ring finger. "...hahaha," she giggled. "And I thought I'd have to be the one to ask you if you could be my boyfriend...hahah--"
Syaoran couldn't keep the grin off his face as she got off the swing and threw her arms around him, knocking the wind--and the surliness--out of him. She proceeded to hug the living daylights out of him, her voice soft in his ear.
"This is the best birthday ever, Syaoran!"
He embraced her back fiercely, not caring if the people around them stared. What? Tomoeda Park was famous for being a sort of confessional place for love.
Yep. That was what he was thinking when he was hit by a volleyball, on the very swing in front of him, ten years ago. Funny how memories repeat themselves--but this time, instead of a volleyball, he was hit by a something called Sakura Kinimoto; and like that day--they both toppled over into the ground.
And instead of groaning, Syaoran Li was laughing.
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Yay.
Next chappie's the last.
Don't worry, the title does have something to do with the story, yeppers.
Read&review. Flames are welcome.