Disclaimer: I do not own Clamp, CCS or anything really. However Aya, Ryo, Haku, and Giro are all mine!
Title- Complications
By superdupermel
Summary- Sakura and Syaoran have known and loved each other forever, but neither will come up and confess. One drunken night is all it takes to break them apart for years…but their children bring them back together. However Syaoran is already married and Sakura refuses to confess her true feelings. This is their story of repressed emotions. This is also my first story! I'm so nervous…
Chapter 5
WARNING!!! Okay, so there's not a lemon in this chapter but it's almost kinda one. This is just a warning.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It was a horrible marriage."
There was a long silence on the phone, punctuated by a quiet sob.
Sakura straightened and stared at the receiver. "Syaoran?"
"Ryo isn't mine."
Sakura forgot to breathe for a moment. The world seemed to stop for an infinite moment. "Umm…why don't you come over and we'll talk about…everything," she suggested quietly, absently stirring the flour, eggs and milk.
"I was counting on that," he admitted with a little snort of laughter. "We're on our way right now. We should be there in roughly ten minutes."
"We?"
"Yeah. Me and Ryo," he answered.
"Oh. Of course."
"Is there a problem?" he asked, his voice sharp.
"No. I just thought…" Sakura smacked her self in the head. She was such an idiot!
"Sakura I wouldn't abandon a child just because he wasn't my flesh and blood," he said, irritation evident in his voice.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Come over. We're making cookies," she added brightly.
A moment later they hung up and Sakura blew out a breath. She put down the phone and turned to Haku, who was fiddling with the bottle of milk. "Haku, don't touch. It might fall," she warned. Right before her eyes, Haku let go of the bottle. It balanced for a precarious moment on the bottom edge before toppling over, initiating a domino effect. The sugar went down next knocking a bowl of flour into the air. Sakura froze in horror as it flew towards her. She blinked and it was all over. She coughed out white powder and glowered at her son, who stood with a gaping mouth and laughter lurking in his amber eyes. "Ohhh…You are in so much trouble," she warned before pelting him with a handful of the thick cookie dough.
Syaoran and Ryo approached the front door somberly. The past events of the day were taking a toll on both of them. As he positioned his hand to knock, a yelp came from the kitchen followed by a more mature feminine shriek. Suddenly in a panic, he grabbed the knob and opened it. It swung open easily. Keeping Ryo close behind him, he stealthily approached the kitchen. Before thinking twice, he sharply swung the door open.
Ryo gazed about in wonder. There was fog inside the kitchen! He took a breath to tell his father and started coughing and sneezing. Okay, maybe it wasn't fog.
Syaoran also took a similarly deep breath and started gagging. Absolute silence reigned in the smallish kitchen, broken only by occasionally coughs. "Sakura? Haku? Are you guys alright?"
"Mommy started it!!!" Haku yelled from somewhere behind the counter.
"Did not!" Sakura replied indignantly from the pantry.
Ryo started to giggle uproariously but Syaoran put on a serious face. "Alright you two, enough of this. Let's just call a truce and -"
SPLAT!
Syaoran wiped what appeared to be cookie dough from his eyes. "That was not amu -"
SPLAT!
"Alright, it's on!"
Almost immediately Syaoran and Ryo were coated in a layer of flour and sugar and the occasional splash of milk and water. Cooking utensils littered the floor and flew in a sporadic volley through the kitchen. When Sakura was sure each person was out of artillery, she stood with her hands up. "Alright, I admit defeat."
Slowly Syaoran and Haku rose to their feet and mimicked her actions. Ryo hesitated a bit longer but eventually rose to his feet and held his hands up. Sakura smiled and started walking to the door. "Well I think I'll just mosey on into the shower while you guys clean up."
At the door she was hit with three handfuls of ingredients and a splash of water. Slowly, she turned on her heel and stared the three males down. Each smiled innocently and put their hands behind them. She frowned and turned again. Just before reaching for the door, she sharply spun around and caught them red handed. Syaoran was holding the sink hose and the boys were each elbow deep in sugar and flour. "Well…" She stuck her tongue out at them all and ducked out the door as the door got bombarded in flour, sugar and water.
A good twenty minutes later, Sakura peeked into the kitchen. The boys were sitting in a pile of flour and Syaoran was attempting to clean up. She laughed at the scene and stepped in, her cleanliness a sharp contrast to everything in the kitchen. "You guys go clean up and I'll take care of the kitchen," she suggested. Syaoran immediately dropped the wooden spoon he was clutching and made a beeline for the door, picking up a kid with each arm. She laughed and then sighed at the mess left for her.
Syaoran hosed down the boys in the back then ushered them into the shower. Awkwardly, he washed them and then shooed them into Haku's room to change. Once he was alone, he turned the water on to the hottest it could get and stood under the spray for a long minute. Where did he go from here? His life was upside down right now and there was no way he could fix it for the foreseeable future. He let out a sound of frustration and started to soap his hair.
Sakura cleaned up the worst of the mess by the time the kitchen door swung open again. The oven buzzed and she turned to take out the sheet of cookies she had managed to whip up. The look on all three of their faces was almost comical. She smiled and put them on the counter to cool. When Syaoran reached for one, she smacked his hand. "Wait," she muttered. "No one can have a cookie until this kitchen is spotless."
Ten minutes later she put away the broom and set the cookies on the table. "Alright then, Haku you know the drill," she said. He groaned and hid his face.
"Aww…Mom. No."
She frowned. "Fine, no cookies for you." That got immediate results. He leapt at her and planted a loud wet kiss on her cheek. She laughed as he let go immediately and reached for a cookie. "You're turn, Ryo," she said as she held out her arms. To her consternation, he hesitated and wouldn't meet her gaze. "What's wrong sweetheart? Give Sakura a kiss," she coaxed.
He shook his head and stared at his lap. She glanced at Syaoran, who looked as concerned as she felt. She went to Ryo and picked him up and settled him in her lap. She bent her head and pressed a kiss to his forehead then one to each of his cheeks and then the tip of his nose. "Come on, it's not that bad," she teased, holding his close in her arms.
She felt his hands creep around her neck and lock tightly. "Mommy never let me…you know…kiss her and hug her and stuff," he whispered in her ear.
"Well you can…you know…miss me and hug me and stuff anytime you want to," she assured him.
"Really? You won't change your mind?" he asked.
"Really. I promise I won't change my mind." Almost shyly he pressed a kiss to her cheek. He stayed in her hug until a slight noise came form the other side of the table.
"Ahem, I believe that is my mother," Haku pointed out, coolly staring them down.
Sakura laughed and suggested, "Why don't we pretend Ryo is a part of our family now, Haku? He can be your brother."
The haughty look immediately disappeared from his face. "Really? Cool! Ryo, we're brothers!" Ryo loosened his grip and ran to Haku in order to celebrate their newfound brotherhood.
Sakura watched them with a smile on her face and moisture in her eyes. She felt hands descend on her shoulders and tipped her head back. Syaoran's eyes were also suspiciously moist. "Thank you," he whispered. She shrugged nonchalantly and turned back to the boys. "God, they're precious."
Syaoran turned her face back to his and said seriously, "We have to talk."
After seeing the boys comfortably settled with milk and cookies, Sakura joined Syaoran in the living room. He watched her progress and had a slight smile flirting on his lips. As she sat apprehensively he grinned. "Relax Sakura, I'm not mad that you didn't tell me about Haku."
She frowned. "I didn't think you would be."
"Oh. Well…everything's kind of out of whack right now," he started eloquently. "Do you mind if Ryo and I stay here for a while? Just until everything is settled?"
"You had to ask?" she demanded incredulously. "Of course you're welcome here."
"Thanks. The thing is…well…I'm not really sure how to put this, but…"
Sakura waited a few seconds then demanded, "What?"
He met her gaze for a moment then stared at something over her shoulder. "Sakura, I think. No, I'm sure…that I…may…still…I still love you." He stated baldly, finally meeting her gaze.
"Um…well…" It was her turn to avoid his steady gaze. "I'm flattered, but…"
The silence stretched between them. "But what?" he asked gently.
Sakura finally raised her gaze to his. "I don't think that it'll work out. You should just…don't think that way about me. Don't get me wrong, I love you, but not in that way…not anymore."
Syaoran felt his heart plummet. "Excuse me?" She had to be lying. He told her so.
Nervously, Sakura laced her fingers in her lap. "I'm not lying. Syaoran…we're friends, that's all. You're going through a hard time and you don't know what you're saying. You really don't love me. It's just that…you and I were…really good together a few years ago and you want that kind of feeling again."
"Yes, I do want to feel that way again and the hell I don't love you," he said, his voice rising ever so slightly. "Every time I was with Aya we were always like strangers. We could barely tolerate each other. At those times I always, always thought of us and how we were so happy. I would give almost anything to feel like that again. And now, I almost feel that sense of…rightness again…with you. There's no doubt in my mind that I love you."
"Syaoran, stop," Sakura whispered, fighting back the tears. "There's no way we would work anyways. You are you. You're Syaoran Li, CEO of a huge company, a multi-billionaire, the most envied man in all of China and Japan. And I…I'm Sakura Kinomoto, single mother who works odd jobs at odd hours. I won't ever be accepted in your social class."
"Well who gives a shit?" he demanded. "I sure don't. And you shouldn't. Anything that we do is no one else's business. Admit it Sakura. We were meant to be."
"No. You just think that," she cried. "I refuse to fall in love with you Syaoran Li."
"Fine, don't. Just marry me."
Sakura drew a deep breath. "No."
Syaoran fumbled in his pocket and withdrew his wallet. He took out a small tissue wrapped object and proceeded to unwrap it. Inside were two simple gold bands. He took a breath and held them up. "Sakura. Do you remember that night before I left for China? I had these with me. I never got a chance to ask you to be mine."
Sakura stared transfixed at the bands. "I won't. This doesn't change anything." But it did and she knew it. It meant that he had loved her even before all these complications came up. It meant that he really wanted her.
"Fuck it," he muttered before leaping over the coffee table and grabbing her. He caught the back of her neck and drew her into his kiss. She half-heartedly struggled but quickly stopped, melting into the kiss. The two collapsed onto the couch, refusing to lose contact. Her hands locked about his neck and he only drew her closer, as if he could meld their bodies together. "Please," he whispered against her lips. "Say you'll marry me."
She broke away and tried to catch her breath. "Syaoran…we shouldn't…" He didn't let her speak by simply covering her mouth.
"I love you so much Sakura. Just feel it," he murmured before swooping in for another kiss.
For several minutes they simply sat on the couch kissing. Finally Sakura pushed him away and sat up. "Alright…but…" She didn't get to finish because his lips were on hers again. She could feel his happiness radiating from him. Then…
"Ahem…I believe that is my mother," a little voice said with authority.
"And mine too," another voice added.
A/N: Sorry (again) about the late update and I'm also sorry this one was shorter than usual. Things have been a bit crazy...So i hoped you enjoyed it and please review! Thnaks...toodles!