Under the Same Roof
Chapter Eight. Calls and Frustrations
Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captor Sakura.
Syaoran laid Sakura's sleeping figure on the couch. He didn't know what to do. It was raining very hard, and he knew that the Kinomoto adults were not coming back until the next day. What was he going to do?
Maybe I should call Eriol or Daidouji!
He flipped his phone on and then pressed speed dial. In a matter of seconds, two of the most important people in Sakura and Syaoran's lives picked up their phones.
"Syaoran? It's 8 AM on a Saturday. What in the world are you calling for?" Eriol sounded tired and slightly sleepy. Tomoyo laughed on the other side of the line.
"Li-kun, is everything all right?"
Syaoran was too frantic to listen to Eriol's complaints.
"Kinomoto has a fever and I don't know what to do!"
So yes, maybe he was angry a bit too much, but it was all her fault! Curse her and her ability to make him fall into her lies!
He heard a loud sound and then a cry of frustration. "I'm coming over!"
It was Tomoyo.
"You can't Tomoyo-chan. It's too dangerous to walk out there in that weather. Driving to their house would be pretty dangerous too, since the road might be slippery."
Eriol tried to sound calm, but his ever-growing worry for Sakura rose. Syaoran headed for the kitchen and then filled a glass with water. It was the only thing he could think of right then.
A couple more sounds of shuffling feet and light curses followed. "Daidouji? Are you cursing?" Syaoran laughed a bit, momentarily forgetting the situation at hand.
"Yeah, Tomoyo-chan. What has gotten into you?"
"Uh, yes. That was me. I'm really sorry. I am just worried for Sakura, that's all. Uhm, Syaoran? Do you know how to cook soup?"
Syaoran let the steaming pot of his homemade chicken noodle soup simmer for a while. He did as Tomoyo instructed and placed a small wet towel on Sakura's forehead. According to Eriol, he should wake her up in a few minutes so she could eat her soup and then take her medication.
Why do I have to get this worked up over a girl?
He thought of his unfinished painting back in his room upstairs. Maybe he could go up and finish it while he was waiting for the soup to cool down…
"Stop it, Haru…"
Haru? Syaoran stopped on his tracks. Was she about to say Harumi? As in, Harumi Senina? Was she even awake?
"Why do you torture… not them… moyo-ch… riol-k… shhh… syaor…"
When he heard her say his name, he froze. That was the first time he heard her say his first name. It sounded oddly comforting to him, especially since she was still sleeping soundly.
He decided to stay with her instead. The painting could wait. After a few minutes, he prepared the soup and then placed it on a tray, together with the glass of water and some medicine tablets.
He placed it on the coffee table as he tried to wake her up. He tried poking her on the cheeks first, but that didn't work. He tried tickling her feet, but that got him a kick on the face. He even shook her shoulders. Nope. At last, he resorted to just simply calling her so that she can regain consciousness quickly (and to avoid physical harm).
"Kinomoto. Oi, Kinomoto. Wake up. You've got to eat your soup. Come o-on. I made it for you-u. Please, Kinomoto, wake up," he almost gave up, "Sakura, please eat."
Sakura's body grew tense and rigid for a moment, and then it relaxed again. Slowly, she opened her eyes. She squinted for a bit, but the house lights were dim (courtesy of Li Syaoran), so she adjusted to the change very quickly.
"Achoo!" Her head pounded as her vision blurred for a moment. She blinked several times until she saw Syaoran looking at her impassively. "What?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "You do know that you got sick because you lied to me right?" His voice was accusing and scary. She was not going to lie again.
"Yes. I'm sorry, Li-kun."
Syaoran thought he would feel contentment at her affirmation, but all he felt was disappointment. Is it because she called him Li instead of Syaoran?
"Sure, whatever." Syaoran was a master of hiding. He's good at acting and keeping a straight face. His cold exterior showed again, blocking any of Sakura's looks of concern. He made her sit down properly and then placed the tray on her lap. He stood up and the paced across the room. Sakura ate silently, guilt eating her away inside. She hated being a burden to others. She knew that Syaoran was no exception.
Ugh, she thought, why do I have to be so stubborn all the time?
Syaoran, not having sensed her regret, lashed out on her.
"Do you know how worried I was? I even called Daidouji and Eriol because I didn't know what to do! You know that I cant do chores right? Cooking was certainly a first for me. Especially since it's for a sick person! Is it good? What does it taste like? Ugh! You infuriate me so much!"
"You… you were worried?" She asked cautiously and tentatively, also momentarily forgetting his indifference toward her feelings.
"Yes," he stopped for a second, "but so were Daidouji and Eriol. It doesn't matter! You still had us worried! You could have died!"
Sakura felt bad that Tomoyo and Eriol had to think about her. Really, what was she? Was she a pain in the neck? A burden? Bad luck? She only brought pain to people around her. This is why she doesn't express herself much in school. When she saw the pained expression of Harumi Senina two years ago… when she told everyone how Sakura made Kai cheat on Harumi… she actually believed it. Her heart was breaking, true, but her heart was also reaching out to Harumi.
She knew that Senina told Kai to court her, but when Senina acted to be hurt, Sakura believed it. She hated herself for being that way, because it caused nobody any good. Especially not her. Being gullible does have its downsides. Heartaches.
She quietly finished her soup, drank her water, and then took the medicine. The tears that started forming pools in her eyes flowed freely down her cheeks. Syaoran heard a small sound; he heard her sniff. He turned around to face her, ready to say sorry, when he saw her pained expression.
Why did she always have to get herself hurt? He mentally cursed himself for making her cry. If his sisters were here, they'd kill him for sure.
He sat down on the couch next to her, their knees touching slightly. Her hands covered her face, so he gently took them away. He was holding both of her hands now, but her bangs covered her eyes, so he couldn't see her face at all.
His eyebrows scrunched up, almost embarrassed. Why am I doing this? Do I really have to apologize?
She looked up at him; her emerald eyes glistening with more unshed tears. Yes, I really do. Her lips quivered slightly, almost not moving at all. And then…
"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. She closed her eyes, not wanting to cry anymore. She was sick, for heaven's sake! After a while, Sakura fell asleep, in the arms of a very troubled Syaoran. He was feeling a bit sleepy, too.
The front door made a sound.
His eyelids started drooping.
The clinging of keys was heard.
He started nodding off.
The door flew open, and in came a disheveled and wet Kinomoto Touya.
A/N: It's been more than a month! Ugh. Well, it's Sakura's birthday today. It's a special tribute to her! Hehe. Uhh, please review? Thank you!