Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Leading the Blind ❯ Bonding ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Moon Star 
Anime/Manga: Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.09.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 731 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 05.09.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 731 | Status: Completed
MS
Since a lot of you wanted a second part, I’ve decided to continue on with the story. This starts with the next day, and hopefully the content will not offend anyone.
Disclaimer : I do not own any of he card captor Sakura characters… everything else is mine.
Leading the Blind 2
Chapter 2 : Bonding
His eyes lazily opened as a ray of light filtered through the semi closed blinds. There was a particular one that had snagged on something, leaving the bit exposed to the shining flash from the outside world.
He stretched the muscles around his face, making expressions and moving the muscles that covered it before completely opening his eyes and taking the information of the environment he was in. A low sigh finally brought to attention the fact that a female form was leaning against his side, her face buried against his shoulder.
His fingers finally felt the texture of the coverall that had fallen from his shoulder and bunched around his elbow, his other hand caught between the snuggling form of the human female against him. Syaoran averted his gaze as another glare from the outside brought him out of his thoughts and finally let him caught onto the situation he was actually in.
Sakura had brought a blanket as their conversations had continued during the night. He’d offered to keep her in close contact while she draped the material over their bodies. They must have slipped into slumber when the exhaustion of their bodies had taken full effect.
“Did I wake you?” he asked as soon as he spied one of her fluttering eyelids and movement from her sides.
“No,” Sakura yawned into her hand as she started to stretch her limbs. “I’ve been drifting in and out of consciousness for about two hours now.”
It was kind of difficult to fall asleep in this position. Her legs were drawn to the side, and one of her arms was crushed against her body and his. She could feel the cramping start to dissipate bit by bit as Syaoran started to move carefully.
She finally noticed the images projected from the television screen from the corner of her eye. She had turned it on, the volume muted, as they had settled into a conversation. They had kept the lights off, the image of the screen letting a soft hue fall onto the scene.
“My god,” his exclamation brought her attention to where he had gone. Syaoran had parted the blinds on the living room completely to finally see the scene that waited the world outside of their shelter.
“What is it?” Sakura asked as she saw him stay dumbfounded, very still as his head moved from side to side to the streets outside.
“It’s a whole blanket of snow,” he still stared, mesmerized by the amount of the color he saw spread as far as the eye could see. “The car is completely buried beneath it.”
Sakura gasped as she took in the scenery. More than six inches of snow had accumulated during the night. It was more than what had been predicted by the meteorology department or the weather the last time she had seen it.
“I didn’t think it was going to be that bad,” Sakura muttered to herself as she realized that the car was in no condition to even make it out of her driveway. It didn’t matter that there were about four thick inches of snow packed all over the vehicle, but the snow around it covered almost half of the rim of the tires.
“The only way anyone will be able to go out on the streets is by getting into a very high four wheel drive vehicle,” Sakura pointed out as she moved to the kitchen. She shivered, getting exposed to the lower temperatures that were spread over the house. She whistled low as she read the low temperatures her thermometer was reading of the outside.
“It’s cooler in here,” Syaoran pointed out as Sakura walked past him to the heater regulator on the hallway. It said 70 degrees, so she upped it toward 75. This was not the time to think of saving money on the electricity bill.
“Temperatures inside a house are different than outside,” Sakura opened the blinds to the patio doors that led to a sunroom on the back, her eyes going outside of the protective glass and to the snow covered bushes of the trees that filled the backyard. “It’s a good thing it’s a Saturday, or I would have had to call in sick.”
“At least the sun is out,” Syaoran pointed out as her shoulder brushed the side of his arm accidentally. Syaoran moved away, unconsciously as he took in his appearance.
He’d been wearing the same clothes for more than twelve hours, with no chance to refresh himself. Sakura giggled as she filled the coffeepot and started the machine. It was the only thing she could come up with to rev start her body.
Syaoran could feel the warm spreading over his cheekbones as Sakura watched him silently. She had an enigmatic expression he couldn’t quite figure out while the minutes ticked by inside of his mind.
“What is it?” he couldn’t help but ask it. There was only so much that a person could stand before curiosity would get the better of them. Sakura grinned as she saw his reaction to her quiet perusal.
His eyes came into contact with hers, leaving to stare blankly into the wall to her right every once in a while. His hands were to the side of his body, flexing and moving restlessly by the pocket of his trousers. He was just so different. No actual word would come to her mind to be able to describe in detail what it wanted to say.
“I have a couple of clothes that should fit you if you’d like to take a shower,” Sakura walked forward, approaching him as she uttered each word. She let her hand grasp his shoulder and somewhat lead him beside her to the hallway. She entered a room while he lounged on the hallway while she rummaged through the room.
Syaoran looked to the pictures hanging on the walls as the sounds of drawers from inside continued. "Why would you have clothing that would fit me in there?"
Syaoran asked loud enough so that she could her him through the lightly parted doors. He couldn't help the different thoughts that filtered through his mind as all possible scenarios went through his thoughts to ascertain for a reason.
He came to a picture f a very tall, dark haired man with hard eyes staring back at the camera that had taken the image. One of his arms was draped over Sakura's shoulders while she happily smiled to the camera. her head was leaning against the guy's chest, her complexion beaming with happiness.
"Oh," Sakura came through the door, her eyes registering the image that Syaoran was staring at, the change of clothing over her forearm. She decided to answer his question. "These are just a couple of things my married, sporadic, instantaneous lover likes to have on hand after a night of sexual fulfillment."
Syaoran's expression was priceless. His eyes were wide and dry of moisture as his mouth hanged open, just staring at her in disbelief. Sakura chuckled, her throat clearing from the husky tone she had just used to deliver that line. It had been all worth it just to see his surprise at her declaration.
"Your face," Sakura placed a hand over her mouth to prevent the giggles that were working their way upwards. "That was priceless."
She leant to him, pressing her lips lightly over his cheek before turning to the pictures. "My older brother Touya likes to drop in unannounced every once in awhile, so he's been leaving clothing in a room for some time now."
"Are you close?" Syaoran asked, trying to recall what she had told him about him the night before. Nothing particular came to mind.
“He’s very overprotective,” Sakura answered instead. “Let’s just leave it at that.” She shook her head in derision before taking his hand once again and leading him to the bathroom. “There are towels on the closet and if you have anything you’d like to wash, just pop it into the washing machine.”
“Thank you,” Syaoran kept his gaze on her retreating back as she went back to the kitchen. “You know, if you have a couple of eggs, cheese and ham; I whip out a mean omelet.”
“Really?” Sakura winked before turning back to the kitchen. “I’ll leave everything on the counter then.”
The minutes trickled by as Sakura heard the water cascade from the other side of the door. A slight shiver went through her body as she got everything ready. She also needed to change out of her clothes and take a bath.
It felt different. She’d never had someone actually shower in her house that wasn’t in some way related to her. For some reason, showering while Syaoran was in her house and they were alone didn’t seem strange in any way.
She would have thought to feel a bit uncomfortable at the thought. She knew enough of human nature to know that anything can happen while a stranger is in your house and you are vulnerable in the shower. She had felt the muscles and inner strength of her visitor the night before as she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. There was much control and strength that could overcome many things.
Still, something inside of her, call it intuition, told her that she didn’t need to worry over it. There was something about him, at least with her, that made her comfortable. He was perfect.
There was no other word that came to mind. He was simply perfect.
“The bathroom’s all yours,” Syaoran announced as he came behind her. He looked to the food already prepared and the aforementioned items that were together for his own little assignment.
“Alright,” Sakura rinsed her hands before stepping back from her place. She looked his way, her breath hitching. Maybe it was because she’d only seen him in a suit and its parts. Maybe it was because his wet hair clung to his face while he smiled her way. Maybe it was the fact that Sakura was sure she’d just found the man that haunted her dreams.
Maybe it was just that. A maybe. She couldn’t stop herself from letting her eyes rove over his body. It was definitely different from how her brother looked on those clothes. He was wearing drawstring pants that hanged a bit loosely around his waist.
Her brother was still taller so the bottoms were cranked up so that the material wouldn’t touch the floor. She was able to see the twirling naked toes beneath. She suddenly remembered that she hadn’t brought him anything for his feet.
“I’ll get some sandals for you,” she walked briskly to her brother’s room while Syaoran protested its necessity. He didn’t mind the feel of the floor beneath his naked soles. Although, with the current temperatures, he was sure that the cold would soon seep through his feet and freeze him completely.
“Here you go,” Sakura placed them by the side of his feet, her eyes drawn to the view of his feet. They looked so different from hers. They seemed square, long and heavy. They looked rough.
“Thank you Sakura,” Syaoran blushed slightly as he saw her stand while still examining him. “Your brother is certainly tall.”
“He was always saying that he couldn’t stop growing,” Sakura smiled as she looked to his face once more. The pullover she had given him fit him perfectly. She was very sure that it was one that Touya hadn’t used in many years. “And he was right.”
Silence filled the room as they simply stared into each other’s eyes. There was nothing to be said as they silently studied their expressions. Sakura cleared her throat, an apologetic grimace directed his way as she walked away.
“You can make whatever you want,” she stepped lively to her room. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
Syaoran felt breathless, as if he had just been punched in the stomach by a very strong man. Something had clicked at that precise moment that their eyes had connected. All of the hair covering his body had stood on end, a shiver of anticipation covering his nerve endings while time had stood still for them both.
There was something there that he had never felt before in his life. It might have been what he had always been waiting for. Now the disappointment he had felt from each girl he had conversed with, he had smiled at, he had touched and wondered came somewhat explained. It was as if he had always been waiting for her.
He could hear the vibration. It happened when his cell phone was on a hard surface, like the table. He had placed his wallet and other amenities on a corner of it before walking to Sakura just minutes before after his shower.
He reached for it, smiling covalently as he saw who it was. “Hello.”
“Hey Syaoran,” Eriol’s calm and satisfied tone answered the greeting. “How are you this morning?”
“Very well,” Syaoran couldn’t help but chuckle at the light whisperings he could discern in the background. It seemed like there was a light wrestling for the object as light whimpers were heard. The next statement confirmed the identity of the winner of the match.
“So Syaoran, how was it?” Tomoyo’s voice came direct and loud to his ears. He took the phone away from his ear, lowering the volume to save his eardrums.
“Everything went fine last night,” Syaoran knew that trying to avoid the issue would only complicate matters. He didn’t know Tomoyo personally, but he had heard a lot about her from Eriol. You needed someone like her as your comrade and not an enemy. Although what type of battle he might be fighting at the moment he had no idea. Still, it felt like he was reporting to his superior officer and being placed under very close scrutiny.
“I need details,” Tomoyo alluded, trying to take control of the whole conversation by firing questions again and again. It seemed that Eriol had enough of her monopolizing the conversation, or of interrogating her cousin and managed to wring the phone from her hands. Syaoran’s head was still reeling as the last few minutes of lunacy.
“Sorry about that, but she was ready to bust the walls this morning when we woke up,” Syaoran grin as he could imagine the displeasure that Eriol’s expression could be showing at the moment. “It seems like I don’t really rank that high on my fiancée’s radar when there’s something going on with Sakura.”
Syaoran’s attentive ears picked up the sound of a kiss in the background. It seemed like Tomoyo had taken offense to the statement and had proceeded to show Eriol just how much distracted she actually was from their present state.
“Anyways,” Eriol said a bit later, giving Syaoran enough time to get the pan heated and everything ready to make while the shower was still going in the bathroom. “Tomoyo and I will go pick you up right now since you’re up. Since your parking at your hotel is in a closed parking garage, my car should be fine.”
Syaoran cleared his throat before even trying to form a sentence in response to that. “You don’t really have to bother. I’m fine and you should spend your day with Tomoyo since you guys haven’t been together for many weeks.”
“We don’t mind. Plus, you’re leaving tomorrow afternoon and I’d at least like to have a conversation with you that’s not over the phone before you disappear for god knows how long again.” Eriol paused to say something to Tomoyo before returning to the phone. “We’ll treat you to a very good breakfast.”
“I’m not at the hotel at the moment,” Syaoran grimaced to himself as he poured the liquid into the heated pan. It was a good thing he had the earpiece of his cell phone with him, or his ministrations in the kitchen would have been disastrous.
“You drove at an unknown city while the snow is piled at least a foot high on every street!” Eriol’s voice rose as he strung the words along.
“No,” Syaoran explained. “I got stranded while the snow started to fall.”
“Just where the hell are you?”
“At Sakura’s place,” his response was greeted by silence. The seconds strung along the minutes. Syaoran hoped the line had gone dead and it wasn’t his own friend who was struck speechless. Maybe he was just wasting his minutes since he couldn’t hear a beeping signal that the phone had gone dead.
“Are you serious?” Eriol asked him very slowly, making sure to accentuate every word.
“Nothing happened,” was the first thing that sprang into Syaoran’s mind to respond. He knew what would be going through his friend’s mind.
“Then what did?” Eriol’s curiosity had spiked. He knew his friend very well. This was a very unrealistic occurrence. Syaoran then started from the gift he had forgotten to give her the night before and how she had invited him inside.
“I’ve never been able to talk this freely and easily with someone before Eriol,” Syaoran explained while he set the table and looked through the kitchen for the plates and utensils. “You know that I can’t open up well to others, especially strangers. But she didn’t seem like a stranger. I could just go on and on about everything and I felt as if she could understand me and know what I was talking about.”
“It seems like you guys hit it off,” Eriol gladly approved, marveling at Tomoyo’s ingenuity of the pair. She had actually gotten it right this time. “Although it’s too bad you have to leave tomorrow.”
“I’m going to see what I can do about that,” Syaoran smiled invitingly to Sakura as she emerged from the hallway, deeply breathing the scent of the food at the table. “I’ll call you later, ok?”
“Sure,” Eriol lowered his voice. “Enjoy it cousin, we’ll see each other soon enough. I‘ll try to keep my very curious girlfriend occupied while you steal the morning hours away on Sakura‘s company.”
With that cryptic warning, since Syaoran couldn’t take it for anything else but a warning, he took off the earpiece and turned off the phone. “I got everything ready. I’m famished.”
“It looks wonderful,” Sakura took a piece of the omelet and a piece of toasted bread and dug in. “This is delicious.”
“I think I must confess that is one of the few things I can make successfully,” Syaoran acknowledged before turning his attention to the food. He hadn’t been lying with his comment earlier. He was hungry.
“I can never manage it to stay together, so I mainly scramble the whole thing for a quick breakfast when I’m able,” Sakura said to him in return. “Since I live alone, I have to cook for myself or live on take out and that gets old after awhile.”
Little time elapsed before they wore full satisfactory smiles and the plates emptied. It was nice to eat with someone else instead of their usual alone meals. “I’m amazed that Tomoyo hasn’t called me,” Sakura glanced to the clock at the banister as she pointed that out. “But I’m sure she’s busy with her plans with Eriol.”
“Well, Eriol already called me this morning,” Syaoran’s fingers toyed around with the outline of his phone as they leaned against the chairs and let the food rest inside.
“That’s who you were on the phone with?” she inquired before drinking in the last remains of her orange juice and settling down her glass.
“He wanted to see if I was awake to pick me up for breakfast,” he caught the light blush that sprinkled over her features before she leaned forward to the pitcher and filled her glass once again. It was a distraction, he knew that, but it still didn’t distract him from the moment. Something fluttered inside of him, along his heart, as he took in her reaction.
“And what did you tell him?” she asked in a very low pitch as she stared at her hands.
“I told him I’d call him back later in the day,” Syaoran decided to keep the rest to himself for the moment. He knew he wouldn’t be stranded in her house for the whole day but he wanted to enjoy whatever little time they had to spend together.
They looked outside from their seats, their eyes catching the white powder that covered everything through the glass patio doors that led to the backyard. Nature could not be truly understood. The sun was shining, dimly, but shining nonetheless on the snow over the ground.
“The main streets should have been cleared for quite some time now but it’ll be some time before we can get a snow plow vehicle coming to this street,” Sakura racked her brain for an appropriate topic to converse, but her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. It had come so suddenly.
She didn’t know what had happened, but it had all changed perspective for her. She could only look at him across the table as he seemed lost in thought while staring at one of the blank walls around them. It felt familiar and intimate.
She couldn’t help but wonder how just sharing food with someone else at the table in your house could portray it in such a heavy emotion. It just felt good. Sakura was very much afraid she was crossing a line she had never done before in her life.
She was for lack of a better word, very interested in this man that was across from her. Nothing was completely concrete in even this use of the word, but nothing else came to mind. She really wouldn’t mind just staring at him indefinitely.
“Sorry for zoning out like that,” he smiled at her direction, turning completely to her. She was blasted by the full effect of his power over her. Her heart speed up to an incredible speed that rang against her ears. Her blood was boiling and running inside her body, signaling for the turn of the reaction.
“Is there anything you need to do that I could help you with?” Sakura shook her head from the hazy turmoil that filled it to answer. Her mind scrambled for the necessity of the moment.
“Well, I could always use some help in clearing out the snow in the driveway,” Sakura stood, placing numerous plates on her hands and taking them to the sink. Syaoran followed her lead and the table was cleaned in seconds.
“Although,” Sakura pointed out. “We should wait a bit before we do since we just finished eating. I don’t know about you but it’s going to take some time before I’ll be able to do any physical work without spewing the contents.”
Syaoran laughed at her choice of words, knowing exactly what she was talking about. “We could check the forecast and temperatures for today and tomorrow. I need to know if there’s going to be any trouble with my flight.”
The comment brought the silence once again. Reality was intruding on their little sojourn from the rest of the world. It was the first time that Sakura had heard the definite day that he would be leaving. He was in the country because of his company and had stopped by the city to visit his cousin. Sakura tried to remember that instead of what it had felt like a few minutes before.
“I’ll help you with the dishes,” Syaoran placed himself beside her. She rinsed while he dried. It was changing back into the intimate moments once again.
“So,” Sakura handed him one of the last plates before asking this question. “When are you leaving?”
“My flight isn’t until the afternoon, so I don’t really have to rush to it in the morning,” Syaoran yawned, fluttering his eyes as a bit of his tiredness returned. “I’ve been in such different schedules for the past three weeks that it’ll be nice to be at the same place for the next two months.”
“You’ll be going back to your home then?”
“It’s been some time since I’ve seen my mother and sisters. I’m sure she’s going to work me to death while I’m there too, but I won’t mind as much.”
“You really miss your family when you’re away, don’t you?” Sakura asked as soon as she read his expression. Something opened the crinkles around his eyes when he talked about his home and his family. “You really don’t enjoy being away from your family, do you?”
“Not really,” Syaoran opened a cupboard over her head and placed the glasses he had been drying while conversing. He couldn’t help but look over the crown of her hair. The brown tresses glimmered with the light, catching on fire every time she moved.
Sakura looked over his arm, following the long limb back to his own face. He was so close and yet so far away in terms of attainment. He was just so far away.
Before either noticed, he leaned down, brushing his lips lightly against hers. Just the touch of their lips before both pulled away and just stared.
“I’m sorry,” Syaoran didn’t know why he felt the need to apologize. Maybe it was because she looked almost stricken by what had just happened. He wondered if he had done something wrong.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Sakura looked away, trying to clear up the heavy atmosphere that was around them. She put the rags on their place before taking his hand and leading him back to the living room and its sofa.
She sat beside him, not too close but not too far away. Syaoran’s eyes darted to her, his head immobile, as she turned on the television screen and changed the channel to the weather. He felt her shiver slightly beside him, almost as if a gravitational pull was calling to him.
He didn’t want to seem too forward for her but couldn’t help himself. Something about her was calling to him and he couldn’t say no. “Sakura.”
She startled at her name, turning from staring into the television screen to his face. “Yes,” she tried to appear calm as he scrutinized her expression.
“Is something wrong?” he couldn’t help himself from asking the question that had been shouting itself inside his mind for the last hour.
“No, nothing,” she tried to laugh it off, wondering herself why she felt so disoriented.
“You seem uncomfortable,” still, he couldn’t let it go. His heartbeat was slowing down to a very small beat that barely let him catch his breath.
“I…” her hands were together, the fingers moving restlessly over each other. They were itching for something. “I really don’t know what I’m doing right now.”
She looked back at him, catching the disoriented response to her comment. Syaoran clearly didn’t understand what she meant. Did she somewhat object to his presence at her home?
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something here, between us, that’s going on,” she tried to explain almost tying her tongue in nonsense phrases as she spoke. “That I really don’t understand.”
She stopped to see if there was anything he wanted to say. He just blinked at her comments, waiting for her to continue. “I feel a pull to you that at the same time is trying to push me away.”
“I’ve never had this happen before,” Syaoran interjected before Sakura could complicate what she was trying to convey with more words. They didn’t seem necessary since he grasped the concept of what she was talking about.
“But I feel at peace. I like sitting beside you while nothing is actually happening. This pull between us sets my mind at rest over something I’ve been wondering for some time.”
“What is it?” Sakura was curious. Maybe his own words could explain to her very confused mind and body as to what was actually happening.
“There’s always been something missing, for a lack of a better word,” Syaoran explained. “But just having you around sets me at an ease I don’t even have around my sisters. I feel like I can talk with you and you’ll instantly know what I’m feeling. I love this feeling though.”
“Doesn’t it bother you?” She asked as soon as he stopped. “We’ve known each other for less than a day, but yet I feel like I’ve known you for most of my life.”
“I think that this is what my father talked to me about while I was a child,” Syaoran recalled the man that had always talked to him about the way of the world and the way of words with relationships as he was growing up. “I don’t know why you were so far away from me Sakura, but I’m not going to let whatever is resonating between us slip away and be forgotten.”
Sakura felt her body coming closer to him. It was as if he was the center and she couldn’t move away. She leaned against him, his arms wrapping instantly around her waist as she lay her head against his chest. She took a deep breath, his scent invading her senses while he just pressed her closer to his side.
“He told me once that I would know,” he smiled at the television while Sakura just rested beside him. “We’ve been blessed with knowing with whom we could attain…. this.”
That seemed to be enough for them both. They stayed still in the silence, their bodies assimilating the body heat from each other as time ticked slowly by. It was enough for the moment as they slowly slipped into a comfortable slumber.
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This is part 2 of 4.
Review button is here…
MS
Since a lot of you wanted a second part, I’ve decided to continue on with the story. This starts with the next day, and hopefully the content will not offend anyone.
Disclaimer : I do not own any of he card captor Sakura characters… everything else is mine.
Leading the Blind 2
Chapter 2 : Bonding
His eyes lazily opened as a ray of light filtered through the semi closed blinds. There was a particular one that had snagged on something, leaving the bit exposed to the shining flash from the outside world.
He stretched the muscles around his face, making expressions and moving the muscles that covered it before completely opening his eyes and taking the information of the environment he was in. A low sigh finally brought to attention the fact that a female form was leaning against his side, her face buried against his shoulder.
His fingers finally felt the texture of the coverall that had fallen from his shoulder and bunched around his elbow, his other hand caught between the snuggling form of the human female against him. Syaoran averted his gaze as another glare from the outside brought him out of his thoughts and finally let him caught onto the situation he was actually in.
Sakura had brought a blanket as their conversations had continued during the night. He’d offered to keep her in close contact while she draped the material over their bodies. They must have slipped into slumber when the exhaustion of their bodies had taken full effect.
“Did I wake you?” he asked as soon as he spied one of her fluttering eyelids and movement from her sides.
“No,” Sakura yawned into her hand as she started to stretch her limbs. “I’ve been drifting in and out of consciousness for about two hours now.”
It was kind of difficult to fall asleep in this position. Her legs were drawn to the side, and one of her arms was crushed against her body and his. She could feel the cramping start to dissipate bit by bit as Syaoran started to move carefully.
She finally noticed the images projected from the television screen from the corner of her eye. She had turned it on, the volume muted, as they had settled into a conversation. They had kept the lights off, the image of the screen letting a soft hue fall onto the scene.
“My god,” his exclamation brought her attention to where he had gone. Syaoran had parted the blinds on the living room completely to finally see the scene that waited the world outside of their shelter.
“What is it?” Sakura asked as she saw him stay dumbfounded, very still as his head moved from side to side to the streets outside.
“It’s a whole blanket of snow,” he still stared, mesmerized by the amount of the color he saw spread as far as the eye could see. “The car is completely buried beneath it.”
Sakura gasped as she took in the scenery. More than six inches of snow had accumulated during the night. It was more than what had been predicted by the meteorology department or the weather the last time she had seen it.
“I didn’t think it was going to be that bad,” Sakura muttered to herself as she realized that the car was in no condition to even make it out of her driveway. It didn’t matter that there were about four thick inches of snow packed all over the vehicle, but the snow around it covered almost half of the rim of the tires.
“The only way anyone will be able to go out on the streets is by getting into a very high four wheel drive vehicle,” Sakura pointed out as she moved to the kitchen. She shivered, getting exposed to the lower temperatures that were spread over the house. She whistled low as she read the low temperatures her thermometer was reading of the outside.
“It’s cooler in here,” Syaoran pointed out as Sakura walked past him to the heater regulator on the hallway. It said 70 degrees, so she upped it toward 75. This was not the time to think of saving money on the electricity bill.
“Temperatures inside a house are different than outside,” Sakura opened the blinds to the patio doors that led to a sunroom on the back, her eyes going outside of the protective glass and to the snow covered bushes of the trees that filled the backyard. “It’s a good thing it’s a Saturday, or I would have had to call in sick.”
“At least the sun is out,” Syaoran pointed out as her shoulder brushed the side of his arm accidentally. Syaoran moved away, unconsciously as he took in his appearance.
He’d been wearing the same clothes for more than twelve hours, with no chance to refresh himself. Sakura giggled as she filled the coffeepot and started the machine. It was the only thing she could come up with to rev start her body.
Syaoran could feel the warm spreading over his cheekbones as Sakura watched him silently. She had an enigmatic expression he couldn’t quite figure out while the minutes ticked by inside of his mind.
“What is it?” he couldn’t help but ask it. There was only so much that a person could stand before curiosity would get the better of them. Sakura grinned as she saw his reaction to her quiet perusal.
His eyes came into contact with hers, leaving to stare blankly into the wall to her right every once in a while. His hands were to the side of his body, flexing and moving restlessly by the pocket of his trousers. He was just so different. No actual word would come to her mind to be able to describe in detail what it wanted to say.
“I have a couple of clothes that should fit you if you’d like to take a shower,” Sakura walked forward, approaching him as she uttered each word. She let her hand grasp his shoulder and somewhat lead him beside her to the hallway. She entered a room while he lounged on the hallway while she rummaged through the room.
Syaoran looked to the pictures hanging on the walls as the sounds of drawers from inside continued. "Why would you have clothing that would fit me in there?"
Syaoran asked loud enough so that she could her him through the lightly parted doors. He couldn't help the different thoughts that filtered through his mind as all possible scenarios went through his thoughts to ascertain for a reason.
He came to a picture f a very tall, dark haired man with hard eyes staring back at the camera that had taken the image. One of his arms was draped over Sakura's shoulders while she happily smiled to the camera. her head was leaning against the guy's chest, her complexion beaming with happiness.
"Oh," Sakura came through the door, her eyes registering the image that Syaoran was staring at, the change of clothing over her forearm. She decided to answer his question. "These are just a couple of things my married, sporadic, instantaneous lover likes to have on hand after a night of sexual fulfillment."
Syaoran's expression was priceless. His eyes were wide and dry of moisture as his mouth hanged open, just staring at her in disbelief. Sakura chuckled, her throat clearing from the husky tone she had just used to deliver that line. It had been all worth it just to see his surprise at her declaration.
"Your face," Sakura placed a hand over her mouth to prevent the giggles that were working their way upwards. "That was priceless."
She leant to him, pressing her lips lightly over his cheek before turning to the pictures. "My older brother Touya likes to drop in unannounced every once in awhile, so he's been leaving clothing in a room for some time now."
"Are you close?" Syaoran asked, trying to recall what she had told him about him the night before. Nothing particular came to mind.
“He’s very overprotective,” Sakura answered instead. “Let’s just leave it at that.” She shook her head in derision before taking his hand once again and leading him to the bathroom. “There are towels on the closet and if you have anything you’d like to wash, just pop it into the washing machine.”
“Thank you,” Syaoran kept his gaze on her retreating back as she went back to the kitchen. “You know, if you have a couple of eggs, cheese and ham; I whip out a mean omelet.”
“Really?” Sakura winked before turning back to the kitchen. “I’ll leave everything on the counter then.”
The minutes trickled by as Sakura heard the water cascade from the other side of the door. A slight shiver went through her body as she got everything ready. She also needed to change out of her clothes and take a bath.
It felt different. She’d never had someone actually shower in her house that wasn’t in some way related to her. For some reason, showering while Syaoran was in her house and they were alone didn’t seem strange in any way.
She would have thought to feel a bit uncomfortable at the thought. She knew enough of human nature to know that anything can happen while a stranger is in your house and you are vulnerable in the shower. She had felt the muscles and inner strength of her visitor the night before as she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. There was much control and strength that could overcome many things.
Still, something inside of her, call it intuition, told her that she didn’t need to worry over it. There was something about him, at least with her, that made her comfortable. He was perfect.
There was no other word that came to mind. He was simply perfect.
“The bathroom’s all yours,” Syaoran announced as he came behind her. He looked to the food already prepared and the aforementioned items that were together for his own little assignment.
“Alright,” Sakura rinsed her hands before stepping back from her place. She looked his way, her breath hitching. Maybe it was because she’d only seen him in a suit and its parts. Maybe it was because his wet hair clung to his face while he smiled her way. Maybe it was the fact that Sakura was sure she’d just found the man that haunted her dreams.
Maybe it was just that. A maybe. She couldn’t stop herself from letting her eyes rove over his body. It was definitely different from how her brother looked on those clothes. He was wearing drawstring pants that hanged a bit loosely around his waist.
Her brother was still taller so the bottoms were cranked up so that the material wouldn’t touch the floor. She was able to see the twirling naked toes beneath. She suddenly remembered that she hadn’t brought him anything for his feet.
“I’ll get some sandals for you,” she walked briskly to her brother’s room while Syaoran protested its necessity. He didn’t mind the feel of the floor beneath his naked soles. Although, with the current temperatures, he was sure that the cold would soon seep through his feet and freeze him completely.
“Here you go,” Sakura placed them by the side of his feet, her eyes drawn to the view of his feet. They looked so different from hers. They seemed square, long and heavy. They looked rough.
“Thank you Sakura,” Syaoran blushed slightly as he saw her stand while still examining him. “Your brother is certainly tall.”
“He was always saying that he couldn’t stop growing,” Sakura smiled as she looked to his face once more. The pullover she had given him fit him perfectly. She was very sure that it was one that Touya hadn’t used in many years. “And he was right.”
Silence filled the room as they simply stared into each other’s eyes. There was nothing to be said as they silently studied their expressions. Sakura cleared her throat, an apologetic grimace directed his way as she walked away.
“You can make whatever you want,” she stepped lively to her room. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
Syaoran felt breathless, as if he had just been punched in the stomach by a very strong man. Something had clicked at that precise moment that their eyes had connected. All of the hair covering his body had stood on end, a shiver of anticipation covering his nerve endings while time had stood still for them both.
There was something there that he had never felt before in his life. It might have been what he had always been waiting for. Now the disappointment he had felt from each girl he had conversed with, he had smiled at, he had touched and wondered came somewhat explained. It was as if he had always been waiting for her.
He could hear the vibration. It happened when his cell phone was on a hard surface, like the table. He had placed his wallet and other amenities on a corner of it before walking to Sakura just minutes before after his shower.
He reached for it, smiling covalently as he saw who it was. “Hello.”
“Hey Syaoran,” Eriol’s calm and satisfied tone answered the greeting. “How are you this morning?”
“Very well,” Syaoran couldn’t help but chuckle at the light whisperings he could discern in the background. It seemed like there was a light wrestling for the object as light whimpers were heard. The next statement confirmed the identity of the winner of the match.
“So Syaoran, how was it?” Tomoyo’s voice came direct and loud to his ears. He took the phone away from his ear, lowering the volume to save his eardrums.
“Everything went fine last night,” Syaoran knew that trying to avoid the issue would only complicate matters. He didn’t know Tomoyo personally, but he had heard a lot about her from Eriol. You needed someone like her as your comrade and not an enemy. Although what type of battle he might be fighting at the moment he had no idea. Still, it felt like he was reporting to his superior officer and being placed under very close scrutiny.
“I need details,” Tomoyo alluded, trying to take control of the whole conversation by firing questions again and again. It seemed that Eriol had enough of her monopolizing the conversation, or of interrogating her cousin and managed to wring the phone from her hands. Syaoran’s head was still reeling as the last few minutes of lunacy.
“Sorry about that, but she was ready to bust the walls this morning when we woke up,” Syaoran grin as he could imagine the displeasure that Eriol’s expression could be showing at the moment. “It seems like I don’t really rank that high on my fiancée’s radar when there’s something going on with Sakura.”
Syaoran’s attentive ears picked up the sound of a kiss in the background. It seemed like Tomoyo had taken offense to the statement and had proceeded to show Eriol just how much distracted she actually was from their present state.
“Anyways,” Eriol said a bit later, giving Syaoran enough time to get the pan heated and everything ready to make while the shower was still going in the bathroom. “Tomoyo and I will go pick you up right now since you’re up. Since your parking at your hotel is in a closed parking garage, my car should be fine.”
Syaoran cleared his throat before even trying to form a sentence in response to that. “You don’t really have to bother. I’m fine and you should spend your day with Tomoyo since you guys haven’t been together for many weeks.”
“We don’t mind. Plus, you’re leaving tomorrow afternoon and I’d at least like to have a conversation with you that’s not over the phone before you disappear for god knows how long again.” Eriol paused to say something to Tomoyo before returning to the phone. “We’ll treat you to a very good breakfast.”
“I’m not at the hotel at the moment,” Syaoran grimaced to himself as he poured the liquid into the heated pan. It was a good thing he had the earpiece of his cell phone with him, or his ministrations in the kitchen would have been disastrous.
“You drove at an unknown city while the snow is piled at least a foot high on every street!” Eriol’s voice rose as he strung the words along.
“No,” Syaoran explained. “I got stranded while the snow started to fall.”
“Just where the hell are you?”
“At Sakura’s place,” his response was greeted by silence. The seconds strung along the minutes. Syaoran hoped the line had gone dead and it wasn’t his own friend who was struck speechless. Maybe he was just wasting his minutes since he couldn’t hear a beeping signal that the phone had gone dead.
“Are you serious?” Eriol asked him very slowly, making sure to accentuate every word.
“Nothing happened,” was the first thing that sprang into Syaoran’s mind to respond. He knew what would be going through his friend’s mind.
“Then what did?” Eriol’s curiosity had spiked. He knew his friend very well. This was a very unrealistic occurrence. Syaoran then started from the gift he had forgotten to give her the night before and how she had invited him inside.
“I’ve never been able to talk this freely and easily with someone before Eriol,” Syaoran explained while he set the table and looked through the kitchen for the plates and utensils. “You know that I can’t open up well to others, especially strangers. But she didn’t seem like a stranger. I could just go on and on about everything and I felt as if she could understand me and know what I was talking about.”
“It seems like you guys hit it off,” Eriol gladly approved, marveling at Tomoyo’s ingenuity of the pair. She had actually gotten it right this time. “Although it’s too bad you have to leave tomorrow.”
“I’m going to see what I can do about that,” Syaoran smiled invitingly to Sakura as she emerged from the hallway, deeply breathing the scent of the food at the table. “I’ll call you later, ok?”
“Sure,” Eriol lowered his voice. “Enjoy it cousin, we’ll see each other soon enough. I‘ll try to keep my very curious girlfriend occupied while you steal the morning hours away on Sakura‘s company.”
With that cryptic warning, since Syaoran couldn’t take it for anything else but a warning, he took off the earpiece and turned off the phone. “I got everything ready. I’m famished.”
“It looks wonderful,” Sakura took a piece of the omelet and a piece of toasted bread and dug in. “This is delicious.”
“I think I must confess that is one of the few things I can make successfully,” Syaoran acknowledged before turning his attention to the food. He hadn’t been lying with his comment earlier. He was hungry.
“I can never manage it to stay together, so I mainly scramble the whole thing for a quick breakfast when I’m able,” Sakura said to him in return. “Since I live alone, I have to cook for myself or live on take out and that gets old after awhile.”
Little time elapsed before they wore full satisfactory smiles and the plates emptied. It was nice to eat with someone else instead of their usual alone meals. “I’m amazed that Tomoyo hasn’t called me,” Sakura glanced to the clock at the banister as she pointed that out. “But I’m sure she’s busy with her plans with Eriol.”
“Well, Eriol already called me this morning,” Syaoran’s fingers toyed around with the outline of his phone as they leaned against the chairs and let the food rest inside.
“That’s who you were on the phone with?” she inquired before drinking in the last remains of her orange juice and settling down her glass.
“He wanted to see if I was awake to pick me up for breakfast,” he caught the light blush that sprinkled over her features before she leaned forward to the pitcher and filled her glass once again. It was a distraction, he knew that, but it still didn’t distract him from the moment. Something fluttered inside of him, along his heart, as he took in her reaction.
“And what did you tell him?” she asked in a very low pitch as she stared at her hands.
“I told him I’d call him back later in the day,” Syaoran decided to keep the rest to himself for the moment. He knew he wouldn’t be stranded in her house for the whole day but he wanted to enjoy whatever little time they had to spend together.
They looked outside from their seats, their eyes catching the white powder that covered everything through the glass patio doors that led to the backyard. Nature could not be truly understood. The sun was shining, dimly, but shining nonetheless on the snow over the ground.
“The main streets should have been cleared for quite some time now but it’ll be some time before we can get a snow plow vehicle coming to this street,” Sakura racked her brain for an appropriate topic to converse, but her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. It had come so suddenly.
She didn’t know what had happened, but it had all changed perspective for her. She could only look at him across the table as he seemed lost in thought while staring at one of the blank walls around them. It felt familiar and intimate.
She couldn’t help but wonder how just sharing food with someone else at the table in your house could portray it in such a heavy emotion. It just felt good. Sakura was very much afraid she was crossing a line she had never done before in her life.
She was for lack of a better word, very interested in this man that was across from her. Nothing was completely concrete in even this use of the word, but nothing else came to mind. She really wouldn’t mind just staring at him indefinitely.
“Sorry for zoning out like that,” he smiled at her direction, turning completely to her. She was blasted by the full effect of his power over her. Her heart speed up to an incredible speed that rang against her ears. Her blood was boiling and running inside her body, signaling for the turn of the reaction.
“Is there anything you need to do that I could help you with?” Sakura shook her head from the hazy turmoil that filled it to answer. Her mind scrambled for the necessity of the moment.
“Well, I could always use some help in clearing out the snow in the driveway,” Sakura stood, placing numerous plates on her hands and taking them to the sink. Syaoran followed her lead and the table was cleaned in seconds.
“Although,” Sakura pointed out. “We should wait a bit before we do since we just finished eating. I don’t know about you but it’s going to take some time before I’ll be able to do any physical work without spewing the contents.”
Syaoran laughed at her choice of words, knowing exactly what she was talking about. “We could check the forecast and temperatures for today and tomorrow. I need to know if there’s going to be any trouble with my flight.”
The comment brought the silence once again. Reality was intruding on their little sojourn from the rest of the world. It was the first time that Sakura had heard the definite day that he would be leaving. He was in the country because of his company and had stopped by the city to visit his cousin. Sakura tried to remember that instead of what it had felt like a few minutes before.
“I’ll help you with the dishes,” Syaoran placed himself beside her. She rinsed while he dried. It was changing back into the intimate moments once again.
“So,” Sakura handed him one of the last plates before asking this question. “When are you leaving?”
“My flight isn’t until the afternoon, so I don’t really have to rush to it in the morning,” Syaoran yawned, fluttering his eyes as a bit of his tiredness returned. “I’ve been in such different schedules for the past three weeks that it’ll be nice to be at the same place for the next two months.”
“You’ll be going back to your home then?”
“It’s been some time since I’ve seen my mother and sisters. I’m sure she’s going to work me to death while I’m there too, but I won’t mind as much.”
“You really miss your family when you’re away, don’t you?” Sakura asked as soon as she read his expression. Something opened the crinkles around his eyes when he talked about his home and his family. “You really don’t enjoy being away from your family, do you?”
“Not really,” Syaoran opened a cupboard over her head and placed the glasses he had been drying while conversing. He couldn’t help but look over the crown of her hair. The brown tresses glimmered with the light, catching on fire every time she moved.
Sakura looked over his arm, following the long limb back to his own face. He was so close and yet so far away in terms of attainment. He was just so far away.
Before either noticed, he leaned down, brushing his lips lightly against hers. Just the touch of their lips before both pulled away and just stared.
“I’m sorry,” Syaoran didn’t know why he felt the need to apologize. Maybe it was because she looked almost stricken by what had just happened. He wondered if he had done something wrong.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Sakura looked away, trying to clear up the heavy atmosphere that was around them. She put the rags on their place before taking his hand and leading him back to the living room and its sofa.
She sat beside him, not too close but not too far away. Syaoran’s eyes darted to her, his head immobile, as she turned on the television screen and changed the channel to the weather. He felt her shiver slightly beside him, almost as if a gravitational pull was calling to him.
He didn’t want to seem too forward for her but couldn’t help himself. Something about her was calling to him and he couldn’t say no. “Sakura.”
She startled at her name, turning from staring into the television screen to his face. “Yes,” she tried to appear calm as he scrutinized her expression.
“Is something wrong?” he couldn’t help himself from asking the question that had been shouting itself inside his mind for the last hour.
“No, nothing,” she tried to laugh it off, wondering herself why she felt so disoriented.
“You seem uncomfortable,” still, he couldn’t let it go. His heartbeat was slowing down to a very small beat that barely let him catch his breath.
“I…” her hands were together, the fingers moving restlessly over each other. They were itching for something. “I really don’t know what I’m doing right now.”
She looked back at him, catching the disoriented response to her comment. Syaoran clearly didn’t understand what she meant. Did she somewhat object to his presence at her home?
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something here, between us, that’s going on,” she tried to explain almost tying her tongue in nonsense phrases as she spoke. “That I really don’t understand.”
She stopped to see if there was anything he wanted to say. He just blinked at her comments, waiting for her to continue. “I feel a pull to you that at the same time is trying to push me away.”
“I’ve never had this happen before,” Syaoran interjected before Sakura could complicate what she was trying to convey with more words. They didn’t seem necessary since he grasped the concept of what she was talking about.
“But I feel at peace. I like sitting beside you while nothing is actually happening. This pull between us sets my mind at rest over something I’ve been wondering for some time.”
“What is it?” Sakura was curious. Maybe his own words could explain to her very confused mind and body as to what was actually happening.
“There’s always been something missing, for a lack of a better word,” Syaoran explained. “But just having you around sets me at an ease I don’t even have around my sisters. I feel like I can talk with you and you’ll instantly know what I’m feeling. I love this feeling though.”
“Doesn’t it bother you?” She asked as soon as he stopped. “We’ve known each other for less than a day, but yet I feel like I’ve known you for most of my life.”
“I think that this is what my father talked to me about while I was a child,” Syaoran recalled the man that had always talked to him about the way of the world and the way of words with relationships as he was growing up. “I don’t know why you were so far away from me Sakura, but I’m not going to let whatever is resonating between us slip away and be forgotten.”
Sakura felt her body coming closer to him. It was as if he was the center and she couldn’t move away. She leaned against him, his arms wrapping instantly around her waist as she lay her head against his chest. She took a deep breath, his scent invading her senses while he just pressed her closer to his side.
“He told me once that I would know,” he smiled at the television while Sakura just rested beside him. “We’ve been blessed with knowing with whom we could attain…. this.”
That seemed to be enough for them both. They stayed still in the silence, their bodies assimilating the body heat from each other as time ticked slowly by. It was enough for the moment as they slowly slipped into a comfortable slumber.
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This is part 2 of 4.
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