Oddities in Oak Trees

-Two-

There are many times when people choose to daydream. After all, there is nothing quite as lovely as sitting contentedly on a chair with both hands intertwined at the back of the head while dreaming on about things far from reality or whichever one finds best to think about. For Li Syaoran, however, there was no need to daydream.

For the reality that he currently found himself in was, by far, better than any daydream he could possibly muse about.

Sure, drinking diluted iced coffee while glancing every now and then at Sakura Kinomoto uncomfortably would be far from the ideal awesome setting. It wasn't exactly the same as finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or being able to catch all the possible Pokémon in the latest game edition for the series, but Syaoran found joy in the simplest things in life, and if it meant being able to sit with a girl whom he fancied very much, then so be it.

"So…" Sakura smiled awkwardly at the boy whom she had dubbed as 'Bert', all the while drumming the fingers of her right hand on the wooden surface of the table between them. "Uh… how's your coffee?"

He pressed his lips together before letting out a loud smacking sound. "It's kind of bland," he paused as if he was unsure of what to say next, "Yours?"

"Umm… I'm not drinking any. Coffee, I mean."

He really should remind himself to not humiliate his self during dire times like these.

Syaoran, as pointed out in earlier parts of the story, was terrible with talking. Unlike his good friend, Takashi, initiating a friendly conversation with someone he barely knew was difficult. In fact, his conversation skills were borderline non-existent.

And so he did what he thought was best at the moment: point out mundane things and make them seem like the most interesting thing in the world.

"Isn't it nice when clocks tick?"

Sakura, in return, simply tilted her head to the side, confusion evidently making her assume that what Syaoran said was probably the worst pick-up line in the universe. Well, since she was a kind person and since kind people don't make fun of others, she just smiled in return, never really knowing what to say back.

Li Syaoran probably sensed his companion's perplexed disposition as he chose to frantically think of other ways to initiate a conversation with her.

True, the red-nosed lad was strange. But the fact that he studies in a private all-boys school and the truth that he only selectively spoke to people added to the current misery he found himself in. He was no smooth talker and it's hard to not doubt that he would never be one.

"Yeah, I find it nice and comforting when I just listen to the clock's ticking… but I never really noticed it the way you do."

"Oh..."

Now the wide-eyed lass must have taken Syaoran's "oh" as a disappointed tone to what she just said, when in fact, it was actually an "oh" of relief. Her reasons as to why she would think that anybody would take an uncanny enthrallment with the sounds of various timepieces and such, is, regrettably, rather unexplainable. She let out a small gasp before saying, "I mean, I'm sure other people find clocks and their ticks nice and really fascinating and all…umm… I mean… ha, ha, ha… don't mind me, I'm just babbling away here," all the while waving her hands in front of her face in a dismissive gesture.

Syaoran crossed his arms against his chest in a defeated manner. The conversation between the two was evidently going nowhere and he honestly had no clue as to how to put a little more spark into it. What did guys in those romantic movies usually do when they tried to impress other women? He didn't know.

But just as he gave up on all hope to make the pretty girl sitting across him see him as even the smallest measure of being an ideal guy, common sense started to knock its way back into his mind (which was, all sorts of congeniality aside, comparable to the attention span of a gorilla on drugs). "Oh!" he mumbled to himself, a distinct object catching his eye.

Yes, 'oh'. He began to forget that he had bought Sakura Kinomoto the red bag filled with cookies that fate had purposefully laid before him just that morning.

With a rather goofy grin on his boyishly handsome face, he placed the pastry bag on the table, shyly pushing it closer to Sakura. "I… umm… bought you these." His cheeks reddened slightly since he wasn't used to making such acts like that. It wasn't the grandest of gestures, and he was pretty sure that lots of other guys would have added an extra touch of balloons or flowers to put a little more of a romantic feel to it.

The auburn-haired girl blinked a few times in return, a bit surprised. Almost instantly, he reached out for the cookies again, his cheeks reddening even more.

"Oh… uh… sorry about that… I," he paused for a while to gulp nervously, "I just passed by the bakery this morning… and… umm… I thought that you might like these because…well, I noticed that you liked strawberries." He took a few more seconds of analyzing the situation he was in and what else to say, but all he could come up with was another apology. "I'm sorry, I mean, they aren't exactly strawberries… what's inside the bag… but they do look like strawberries…I mean… I'm really, really sorry." He fiddled with the end of his uniform's necktie, the humiliation that he got himself in making him find no reason to do anything else but stutter in her presence.

Sakura, finally finding herself out of the startled state she was in, smiled sweetly at him. It would have been enough to make him consider that day as the best one he ever had, even surpassing the day when he got drunk on his fifteenth birthday party. When Sakura Kinomoto gently pulled back the cookie bag, though, he knew that that moment made awkward pauses of silence while drinking diluted coffee in an overcrowded café the greatest setting to start something even better than teenaged rebellion.

"Thank you." Her brilliant green eyes looked at the cookies and then back to Syaoran. "That was very kind of you to do."

When he was about to say something back, though, he spotted his mother coming down the stairs of the coffee shop, an expression of absolute triumph etched on her fine Chinese features. "I… uh… have to go… umm…home now. Sorry… I mean, bye." He abruptly stood up from his chair, eyes focused on his mother, hoping and praying that she didn't see him talk to Sakura. If Yelan would ever find out about his little crush on Sakura Kinomoto, the older woman would undoubtedly find a way to embarrass him to no end. And we're not just talking about his naked baby pictures here. Knowing his mother, she probably would hire spies and investigate on Sakura, like what she did to his best friend, Takashi.

"Wait!" The petite girl grabbed his arm just before he could run away, a puzzled look on her face. "What's your name?" Perhaps it was time to stop referring to Syaoran as 'Bert'.

"Huh? Oh… umm… it's Syaoran. Bye now… ah!" he stopped in his tracks, eyes widening slightly. "Will you be here tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Great. I'll see you then!"

The russet-haired boy made his way towards the familiar glass door of the café, making the small bells above it move back and forth in an almost violent manner. The companion he had just left presently stood by her seat, hands clutching the gift he had given her. Odd; the boy was truly odd.

And yet… odd was oddly good.

Even though Li Syaoran wanted to blame his mother and all the while uttering the eternal whiny statement that is "You're ruining my life!" he found himself much too tired to do so. Besides, he was absolutely sure that his mom would just suspect that he was drunk, although he had only indulged himself with alcohol overdose once in his entire uneventful life.

He tapped the tip of his mechanical pencil against his Math book fifteen times, and at the same instance, he tapped his left foot fifteen times. And when his mobile phone rang, he waited for it to ring six times.

Habit made him do all those things, but as much as he wanted to change that, he was too much of a habitual person to do so. Change made him uncomfortable.

A loud sigh emanated from his lips. Even if he looked forward to seeing Sakura the next day, he didn't want to face another day at school.

While being strange certainly had its perks when it comes to erasing boredom, it also had its downsides. Having to be greeted by glue spread all over his chair and his locker was considered mild already. Even if Syaoran was constantly surrounded by body guards, he made it a point to be left alone during school hours and whenever he went to answer the call of nature because he didn't want them gunning down his classmates even if those classmates of his did terrorize him mercilessly. So it was pretty much inevitable that he would be bullied to no end when he was within the campus.

This was the sad reality of being 'different' from others. Syaoran never wanted to be who he was, but it is what it is, and he would rather stay the way he was rather than change it for anyone else… even if there wasn't a day in his life that he would find a lizard or a dead butterfly on his food during lunchtime. Of course there were moments when he would very much like to punch the living daylights out of the people who made sure that he would undergo strenuous bullying activities every day, but he wasn't exactly the strongest guy in class, and he wasn't the most courageous one either.

"Well… surprise, surprise."

A foul smell made him wrinkle his nose with disgust as he opened his school bag. He didn't bother to examine what his classmates decided to put in it since he was pretty certain that it was either someone's gym socks, or worse, toilet water. "It looks like homework's going to have to wait."

He should remind himself to photocopy Takashi's notes next time.

If there was one thing Sakura Kinomoto wouldn't have guessed that day, it would be the surprise in the paper bag the boy in the café had handed out to her.

She took out the plastic container inside, careful not to drop the gift, for she was a very clumsy person. A short pause was timed as she held her breath once she saw what was inside. The cookies looked strangely familiar. When was the last time she had seen this particular design? Strawberry-shaped cookies weren't that unique, but there was a certain feel to the cookies that she decided was best to shrug off at the moment. She neared one of the cookies to her lips and took her time to take a bite off of it. Strange… it was strange indeed.

The cookie tasted like love.

When was the last time she had tasted something similar to this? Nostalgia could be felt, days when she once wore a look of innocence; days when she once loved. His silver hair and thick glasses came to mind. Her eyes widened slightly at the memory. Could it be?

She scampered towards her desk drawer, hands slightly trembling as she picked up her phone. Was he back in Japan?

He was her first love. He had said that he never could reciprocate her feelings, but he was nonetheless her first love. He had gone to Paris to study as a pastry chef two years ago. The taste of the cookies was undeniable. Only he could have made them.

Only Yukito could have made them.

Two rings could be heard as she dialled his number. It was possible that he had changed his number, right? It didn't hurt to try, anyway.

Another ring…

She closed her eyes tightly. Please pick up.

"Hello?" a voice deeper than she had imagined answered the phone.

"Yukito?"

She could sense a smile from him as he warmly asked her how she's been.

"I should ask the same from you, I thought you were still in Paris."

A moment of silence followed. "I… decided to quit after all."

Sakura froze at the statement. "But…"

"I guess some dreams were meant to be just that: dreams." She heard a sigh come from him. "But please don't worry about me! I'm fine."

Sakura felt her shoulders drop as Yukito continued to ramble on about his life in Paris, how he felt it wasn't the right time to bake seriously yet, how he still promised himself that he would go back if he had another chance.

"I'm fine, Sakura. Please don't worry about me. I know how you are, and you tend to worry too much about other people. But this time, please do me a favour and don't worry about me."

His words stung. How could she not worry? He had given up a dream that he had chosen above everything else. Most of all, he seemed to have given up on himself.

"Oh, if you don't mind me asking, how did you find out I was back in Japan?"

She glanced at the cookies Syaoran had given her. "Because of the taste."

"The taste?"

"Something only you could have made."

"I don't understand."

"Are you working at the same pastry shop you used to bake for in the past?"

Silence once again. She could hear him exhale as he muttered an almost incoherent "yes", his voice softening even more as he said his goodbye on the phone.

She put down her phone; eyes watering a bit as she delicately took another cookie and bit onto it. She tried to stop her bottom lip from quivering as the tears threatened to fall from her eyes. The taste was undeniable, indeed.

It tasted like love.

Li Syaoran opened the door to the café he frequented lately, paying no attention as the bells above the door tinkled to announce his arrival. Sakura had said that she would be there, and he fully anticipated her coming.

Was she able to try the cookies? He was eager to know.

Upon discovering that there weren't any seats left, the odd boy with russet hair frowned slightly, wondering how he was supposed to stage a non-stalker like meeting with her. If he waited by the door, it would seem like an ambush. So what would be the best thing to do? He thought to himself, arms crossed against his chest. If he waited by the corner to accidentally bump into her, wouldn't that seem shady? He hunched his shoulders in defeat.

I want to see you. But how, exactly?

He took two steps to the right, then to the left. It seemed like an awkward dance, the way he moved since he didn't know where he was supposed to go and what he could do now. A light tap on his left shoulder signalled him to stop his awkward dance.

"Hello." A familiar tingling sensation could be felt as he swivelled around to come face to face with the girl he so desperately wanted to see that day. Or even the day after that. Heck, he wouldn't mind seeing her even the days afterwards!

"Hello," he waved shyly at the girl, as he felt his facial muscles contort into a stubborn smile.

"Looks like there aren't any seats left," she said, her gaze scanning the café crowd.

"Y-yes." He felt like he could burst any minute. He was giddy, much too giddy. "Would you… umm… I mean, if you wouldn't mind, that is… would you… maybe like to go somewhere else?" he fidgeted.

Sakura pondered on this for a moment. "There's this bakery I would like to go to…"

Syaoran looked at Sakura and then to the silver-haired man she was talking to. He looked much older than they were.

The bakery they had decided to go to was right across the café they went to regularly; and it was also the bakery he had bought the cookies from. Syaoran glanced at the cuckoo clock above him. He was ten minutes late for his appointment with his psychiatrist. Not that it bothered him, anyway. He took his time to imagine a story about a game show designed to…

"I still love you."

He glanced up, thinking it was him that was being talked to. He was wrong.

It took a while before he realized that Sakura had just confessed to the older silver-haired man. His mouth slightly agape at the revelation, an odd feeling of defeat and confusion enshrouded his senses. Perhaps he heard wrong? He lifted his head up again to confirm if he had imagined things.

The older man sighed as he placed both hands on Sakura's shoulders. Syaoran wanted to punch him right then and there but restrained himself from doing so.

"Sakura, perhaps you have made your companion wait for too long already." It was a form of rejection as the man with glasses and silver hair walked away from Sakura, her face showing signs of defeat and confusion; the same feelings that Li Syaoran had at the moment.

Sakura took her time before she turned around to face the boy she had met at the café, an awkward smile plastered on her face. "I'm sorry you had to see that, I didn't think our conversation would go that far."

He nodded in reply with his head down, afraid that his face would betray his want to shield the fact that he was stunned and desperately confused at the same time. "It's…okay."

"…I'm embarrassed. I guess I never would have guessed I'd confess my feelings to him again. I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this." She bit her lower lip, not knowing what else to say.

Of all the times he had wanted to confess as well, it had to be that day. Was it alright to do so? He knew it wasn't, but he could burst any minute if he refrained himself from doing so. "Would you like to go somewhere else?" The way he asked it was so fast, it sounded like one word instead of a coherent question.

She nodded.

The walk was excruciating. They had decided to leave the bakery, but they didn't really know where to go from there. Syaoran fiddled with the strap of his bag, not knowing how to approach the situation. If he doesn't confess now, would it mean that he would lose to the silver-haired man? Of course, she was the one who told the guy that she not only liked but loved him, but did that mean all hope was lost?

He wondered about this for a while, before the distinct sound of her voice brought him back to his senses.

"It was because of the cookies."

He furrowed his eyebrows at the statement. Did she mean the ones he gave her the day before? "…Cookies?"

"He left for Paris to become a pastry chef, but he quit and went back to Japan. I don't know since when, but I only found out about it when I tried one of the cookies you gave me."

The cookies. The cookies he once thought had been shown to him because of fate. Damned fate. I curse thee to the high heavens! He waved his fist in the air with the thought, unknowingly making his companion raise an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Um…"

He snapped out of his reverie then, an emotion overpowering all else making him feel like he was about to burst any second. "Sakura Kinomoto!" He pointed a finger at her. It was rude to point fingers, he knew, but if he didn't do anything soon with his body, he might really burst.

"What is it?" she asked, a bit startled.

"I…" he paused for a bit, as if contemplating.

"You…?"

He took a step back. Should he run away? No, it's now or never, silly beaver!

"I like you!" he bowed fervently, his finger still pointing at her. And then he got up, his eyes showing a look of zeal. "I like you, and I promise to protect you from any sadness and I like you." He already said that he liked her multiple times, but he couldn't stop himself from doing so again and again.

A startled look ran across her face before she blinked a few times. Was he serious?

"I…"

"It's okay if you don't feel anything for me at the moment, but if it's okay," he bowed again to show his earnestness, "please let me show how much I like you."

And that was how his afternoon went.