Oddities in Oak Trees

-Eight-

It would have been a good two weeks before they could be able to go out on their first date. Throughout those two weeks, they didn't meet up that much since their midterms were at their climax and Syaoran had vowed that he wouldn't go out with her if he didn't make it to the top five. True enough, he did. Motivation can make people do extraordinary things.

He fiddled with the feed for his pet fish, a thing he found himself making into a habit ever since a certain call happened with Dr Chan, his psychiatrist. "Where would you like to go?" he asked Sakura, who was on the other line.

"Hmm… honestly, this is my first date with anyone else so it's hard to decide."

Did it have to be special? He didn't know how to make it so, and this frustrated him. He wanted to take her to a cruise around the world, but he knew that that was out of the question.

"Why don't we just see where we could go tomorrow? I think that would be better than pressuring ourselves to think about it now."

"Okay." They were so used to meeting at the café, they didn't know where else to go. Syaoran disliked movie theatres while expensive restaurants made Sakura self-conscious. It seemed like the best option really was to just go with the flow.

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you."

He sighed as he ended the call. He didn't expect that planning for first dates could be so… uneventful. Did she find him boring? He hoped not.

The next day proved to be an agonizing one. It wasn't magical at all as he had first expected. Everything was just… awkward. Walking was awkward, eating was awkward, talking was awkward, smiling was awkward.

Yet, he wished the day wouldn't end soon. He liked her company too much for him to say goodbye just yet.

"Oh!" Sakura stopped them from walking, her snow boots halting its rhythm of steps that Syaoran had grown to like. "Look, they're having a sale on ticket prices for the aquarium."

The aquarium.

When Syaoran was a kid, he remembered fancying places akin to that since the help would take him there at times, but his mother absolutely abhorred them. The sole reason he was able to keep a small one for himself was because of those fond memories. He wondered what it felt like to be in one again. It wasn't the ideal setting for a first date, but it was better than ambling about, with no particular destination in mind. "That sounds good." They went into the place that read 'Fun Sea' as its name.

The blue of the light in the aquarium emphasized the contours of his face. She hadn't noticed how sharp his nose is until then and how thin yet well-built he is. He was in between a boy and a man not just in character but in appearance as well. He really was handsome.

She shifted her focus elsewhere upon seeing that he was just about to notice her staring at him.

"They say there're some huge sharks around here. I'd like to see that!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Is it your first time to see the sharks here?"

"It would be my first time to see any of the sea creatures here." He paused before continuing, " My mom doesn't think greatly of places similar to this so I wasn't able to go to aquariums like these that much."

She nodded, listening. She was happy that he was opening up to her, even though he still seemed hesitant about it. "Do you like aquariums?"

"I do. I actually have one in my room, although it's quite small." He admitted shyly.

"I think looking at fishes is very calming."

He smiled in return. She could feel her heart skip a beat at the action. Syaoran pretended to look around before he finally took her hand in his, gingerly intertwining his fingers with hers. Sakura timidly neared him, their distance reduced as she did so. They walked onwards; painfully aware of how close they were to each other now.

"I wonder what it feels like to not be afraid of the water," Sakura thought out loud, hoping that the quiet discomfort in the air would lessen.

"I didn't know you were afraid of water."

"Just the deeper bodies of water… I'm also afraid of snowstorms. Is that odd? Normally, snowstorms shouldn't be so threatening since you'd be indoors anyway, and Tokyo doesn't get them that much."

Syaoran thought for a while before saying "It's not so strange."

"What are you most afraid of?"

He contemplated about what she asked again, his eyebrows furrowed. "I guess I haven't thought of that yet."

"Boys are usually afraid of saying what they're afraid of," she quipped, winking at him. He had to look away at the gesture, afraid that he might burst from her attractiveness.

"I-I guess I could be afraid of confessing what I'm afraid of," he revealed, his eyes gazing at anything but her. He pretended to be deeply fascinated with the clown fish they passed by. "They're really… orange."

"Yes, they are."

"Yeah…"

She looked up at him, as he was a good head taller than she was. "I think it's fascinating that you notice even the smallest details."

"I like making stories out of things I notice, no matter how minute."

She pondered about this for a while before asking if he could give her an example. "Can you tell me a story?"

"Umm…" he cleared his throat before continuing, "Umm… well, when I saw the flowers on the red dress you're wearing today, I thought of a little girl who planted flowers for a living. Every winter, she has no means to feed herself so she works at the shoe factory that her friend's uncle owns instead. The winter of her thirteenth year, the shoe factory had gone bankrupt so she had no means to feed herself and so she wished upon a star that she could find a way to survive…" he trailed off, seeing that they had gone to the end of the tour. "Oh, I guess it's over."

"I wish your story didn't end as well," Sakura pouted, clearly engrossed with the tale he had conjured.

"O-oh… ah! Well, I-I'll try to tell you about my other stories when I think of some." He was glad that she didn't find that quirk of his to be boring. "Thank you for listening." He flashed a dimpled grin at her, not knowing that it made her blush to a shocking degree.

"Th-thanks for sharing. I enjoyed it."

They walked out of the aquarium, filled with excitement as they proceeded to go to the café nearby.

"The coffee here is good, but I have to admit I miss the lattes at the one we always go to," Sakura said, letting her hands warm up around the mug.

"Well, we can go there if you want to."

"Really? But it is a bit far away…"

He considered this for a while before exclaiming, "I can carry you!" a serious look on his face as he offered to do so.

"I… don't think that's necessary." She politely declined; a bit amused that he would even suggest such a thing. "We can just walk."

He nodded, his disappointment showing, causing her to giggle. "I don't think you could have carried me somewhere that far, anyway."

"That's not true, I could have!" he was adamant about it.

"Okay, okay, I apologize."

"It's true! Here, I'll show you!" He was about to carry her before she ran away.

"I'll sprint you instead!"

"That's not fair! You're part of your track team!"

"Well, you can use your longer legs to outrun me then."

Sure enough, Sakura won in the end.

They entered the café, breathless. They didn't race the whole way, but they still got tired from the distance.

"Two lattes?" the lady behind the counter asked, her black hair tied up in a bun, as she always does.

"Yes, please!" Sakura nodded as she proclaimed her approval, pleased that there weren't many people in the coffee shop that day. It was nearing six in the evening and it was a weekend so it might have been expected. The crowd that the coffee shop generated was usually students. "Thank you very much."

The cool of the night made them shiver as they exited the cozy café. The sound of their boots as they made contact to the snow-covered ground made him smile with ease. He was tired, but he had volunteered to take her home. At the corner of the street nearing her house, he stopped unexpectedly.

"What is it?" she asked, slightly worried.

"I had fun today," he announced unexpectedly.

She seemed to be unfazed by it as she responded "I had fun, too," her arms swinging before she let them rest behind her back as her hands intertwined.

"I…"

"Yes?"

"I was scared that you wouldn't enjoy spending time with me at all so… I-I'm glad that you had fun!" he bowed.

"No need to bow, Syaoran." She tapped his shoulders with her hands briefly to signal him to stand straight.

"Oh, sorry… it's a habit."

"I don't mind," she smiled at him.

There was a pause as he seemed to consider something.

"I'd…"

"Yes?"

"I'd like…"

"You'd like…?"

"I'd like to kiss you, if that's okay!"

She widened her eyes at the statement, her cheeks reddening. "Oh… umm…"

"It… it wouldn't mean that you like me right away, it's just…" he closed his eyes momentarily before opening them, "I'd really like to kiss you…" he whispered, but it was loud enough for her to hear.

There was a short silence that seemed like an eternity before she spoke to answer him.

"Just… just this once, okay?" she mumbled shyly.

He looked up to her, gulping visibly as he bowed again. "Y-yes!"

They stood uneasily in the snow as Syaoran neared his face to hers, and she could feel the puffs of pixies again. The warmth of his breath upon her nose made her tremble unexpectedly. He held her closer, thinking that it was because she was cold. But it wasn't that. It wouldn't be her first kiss, but it would also be her first kiss. It was a complicated thing.

"I-is it really okay?" he asked, hoping that the clumsiness of the moment would end with that one swept motion of a kiss.

She nodded in return, her breathing becoming uneven. Their eyes were out of focus as they stared at each other. The gravity was too much.

"It's… it's fine."

The boy with amber eyes bit his lower lip before releasing it, nearing his face to hers even more. She was such a fragile thing; this moment was such a fragile thing that he didn't want to break it by moving faster than he was supposed to, afraid that he might shatter it.

"Okay, then… here goes," he said almost inaudibly.

He angled his head to the right and slowly closed his eyes, his eye fluttering beneath his eyelids as he prepared to close the gap between them. He felt like he was dreaming. She was such so precious. He wished she could stay in his arms forever.

And then, it happened.

The moment was short, fleeting. They could feel the softness of each other as their lips met; as she leaned closer to him. Small clouds of cold air could be seen as they breathed hastily once they separated from one another. She smiled; he briefly pressed his lips together to savour the moment. He let her remain in his arms before she said a shy "goodbye" and he said a sheepish "goodnight" in return. First dates, after all, were magical in the end.

…Well, that is, until a certain odd boy decides to talk yet again.

"Umm…!"

"What is it?"

"Is it… possible that I lo…"

"You…?"

"Is it possible that I love you already?"

A startled Sakura looked at the bewildered Syaoran, who just realized what he had said. Feeling his heart beat too fast that he could erupt any minute, he runs away from a now bemused Sakura to go home on her own.

He ceased running after quite some time, jogging the last few steps before deciding to call her.

She didn't pick up.

Panicked, he runs back towards her house, afraid that she really might hate him.

"What the hell was I thinking? I have to apologize!" he gasped as he spoke to himself, panting as he exhausted himself by sprinting again.

A familiar figure could be seen outside of the Kinomoto household.

It was Sakura.

He nears her, a concerned look on his boyishly charming face. "Are you doing okay in the cold?"

She looks up, surprised by his coming back so soon. "I am, I would just like to be alone for now."

The peculiar lad nods to this, understanding that she wouldn't want him to be around, that is, until she reached out to him before he could exit the area.

"I meant alone with you."

The two didn't talk about anything in particular that night. A few laughs could be heard here and there, a few sighs of longing. But never anything serious could be brought up, not even Syaoran's odd confession of romantic intention.

"Why were you outside just now?" he asked.

"Well… I have been thinking a lot." She glances at his direction, not really meeting his eyes. She was afraid that she might lose her words if she did. "What do you think of most?"

He looked upwards from left to right, his bottom lip sticking out as he thought deeply. "I guess I… think about the little things the most." He was referring to the tales he liked to make up. "Also, I think of you, of course." He takes a deep breath before adding, "I really am sorry for running away earlier. That was uncalled for."

"I don't mind."

He nodded with appreciation. "How about you…? What do you think of most?"

"Hmm…" she exhaled through her nose. "Well, just now, I was thinking of you saying that you were too weird. You know, when we were in the bakery."

"…Oh." He remembered it quite clearly.

"I think you're weird."

"Oh…" his shoulders visibly dropped as she said this.

"I think that's why I like you most, though."

He blinked a few times at the statement. Did she just confess to him? He had to ask. "Did you…"

A very red Sakura Kinomoto dashed towards her house's front door after squeaking her goodbye. This time, it was her turn to leave behind a shocked Li Syaoran.

An irritated Yelan Li paced back and forth by the front door in her usual habit of doing so. It was already ten in the evening and her son had not gone home yet. What was worse was that he had classes the next day.

"Where on Earth is that boy?" she scowled at the idea that he might be running off with the same girl he was so preoccupied with lately.

A clicking sound signalled that Syaoran had just entered the house.

"Where were you this late?" she asked sternly, her hands on her hips.

"Oh. Good evening, mother." He bowed.

"Even though you greet me that respectfully, you are not winning any favours from me, young man." She softened a little bit after saying so. She was obviously taken aback by his actions.

"I was out."

"I can see that, but it's a Sunday night! You know you have classes tomorrow so why stay out until night?"

"I apologize." He bowed again.

"Don't think that you are getting on my good side with your being formal. You know where to find me." She meant that they would need to talk in the usual room.

As his mother continued to lecture him about his potential to be a street hoodlum and his inevitable road down to vandalism, he couldn't help but only think about one thing, a lone question ringing in his mind: Did Sakura Kinomoto just confess to him?

A young woman with dark hair held up in two buns exited the airport, an expression that conveyed an arrogant readiness set on her features. It was time to do business very soon.