Valentine

It was morning on Valentine's day. You can see a young woman laying in her bed, sound asleep. She sighs, and rolls over. Today was a day she always looked forward to. But this was the first Valentine's day with Syaoron here. She smiles in her sleep, light brown hair softly falling in front of her closed eyes. A ray of light shines through the window, onto her face, highlighting her features. Her eyes slowly flutter open, showing their bright emerald color. Today was a school day, and for the first time in her life, she actually couldn't wait to get there. She quickly got up, showered and got ready. She sat in front of her mirror, brushing her now waist-length hair. She styled it in a loose braid, and smiled at her reflection. She was very popular nowadays. Every boy in school seemed to want to go out with her. Except the one she wanted to go out with. She sighed at the thought. She had gotten him the same gift as she got everyone else. She still didn't want to tell him. There was a shuffling noise next to her, and she looked down to Kero, who had only just woken up. He gasped.

"Sakura! Are you feeling ok?"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I AM capable of getting up early, you know."

"Actually, no, I didn't."

"Shut up."

"Hee, Hee. So, what's so special about today that you drank fifteen glasses of water last night to ensure you getting up early?"

"I DID NOT!"

"You didn't! Who are you, and what have you done with my Sakura?"

Sakura giggled.

"I am Sakura, and Today is Valentine's day."

Kero flew up to hover over her dresser, looking very thoughtful. He floated down to sit on the dresser.

"So.....what's Valentine's day?"

Sakura giggled once again.

"A day that'll end up being your favorite. Today is a day were most people confess love, make friends, and the part you'll like the best, give out presents, most of the time chocolate."

Kero's eyes widened to saucers.

"CH-CHO-CHOCLATE!!!!!!!!!!! Candy! Sweet! Yummy! Good! MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"

Sakura laughed at this. Kero looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown, and Sakura wasn't sure if he wouldn't. She giggled once more, and reached into a drawer. She pulled out a rather large heart shaped box.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kero." She said, still laughing. If possible, Kero's eyes got even bigger. He snatched the box from Sakura, and opened the lid. The entire box was full of assorted truffles, fudge, and almost every other chocolate imaginable. Kero flat out screamed at this.

"YYYYYUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sakura laughed, and got her stuff for school.

"That should tide you over until I get home. If it doesn't, your a pig. And there's pudding in the fridge. Wait until Toya and dad leave, and this time, only eat mine. Toya almost killed me last time you raided his."

Of course, Kero wasn't listening to a word of this. He sat at gaped at his present for almost a minute, babbling about 'Candy", and "Mine", and "YUMMY".

Sakura laughed again, and walked out of her room, down to the kitchen. Her dad was cooking, and Toya still wasn't up.

"Your up early." He dad said, smiling. Sakura smiled back.

"I set my mental alarm. This time it worked."

Her father laughed.

"Happy Valentines day, Sakura." He said, bringing a plate over.

"Happy Valentines, dad."

She looked at her plate. On it were three heart shaped pancakes, with pink-colored syrup(yes, there is a such thing.), shaped in the words 'Happy Valentines Day". Sakura smiled.

"Dad! Now I'm afraid to eat it!"

He dad laughed, and waved his hand.

"Don't worry, it wasn't hard. Eat!"

Sakura laughed and bit into her food.

"Morning, dad. Morning Sa-(*gasp*)"

Sakura turned around in her seat to see her brother staring at her. She giggled.

"Oh, no! Have the aliens landed? Is she sick? It's global warming, isn't it?"

Sakura laughed.

"Toya! You sister is capable of getting up on time. You hush!" Her father said to him.

"She is?" He said, walking over to his seat, still looking at her weird. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You know, I hear hell is pretty hot this time of year, you really want to keep talking?" She asked.

"Sakura, don't talk to your brother that way." Her father said, taking Toya is plate. Toya looked down at his plate.

"Dad! Cheese is not a good breakfast food, and this is over flowing with cheesiness."

"Toya! I like it! I think it's sweet." Sakura scolded her brother. He picked up an entire pancake with his fork, and stuffed it in his mouth. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Toya! What's the big hurry? You look like me!" She said, giggling slightly at the last part.

"Soccer meet before school." He said in-between mouthfuls.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll go with you." She said. She finished off her food, and thanked her dad. Toya was still gulping the last of his when Sakura had her skates on and was ready to go. Toya walked out, grumbling.

"You are NOT allowed to be earlier than me!" Toya said, getting on his bike and glaring at his sister. Sakura just ignored him and started to skate to school. Ahead of him. She giggled at the growls and 'certain words' he was using toward her.

~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Sakura! Happy Valentines day!" Tomoyo greeted her friend.

"Hi, Tomoyo! Here!" Sakura handed her best friend a Valentine. It was a card with a heart on it, and a chocolate tied to it. Tomoyo giggled.

"Kawaii!"

Tomoyo reached into her bag, and pulled out Sakura's Valentine. It was a card, with a picture of Sakura. Tomoyo, Naoko, Chiharu, Rika, Takashi, and Syaoron, all together. On it Tomoyo had written 'Happy Valentines Day, Sakura!'. Sakura stared at the face on the picture. The face of her crush. He was so handsome.

"Sakura?"

Sakura snapped out of her daze.

"Huh? Wha?"

"Do you like your Valentine?"

"Yes! I love it! Thank you!

"I thought you would."

Sakura looked back at her card.

"Hello!" She heard Tomoyo say. She spun around, almost hitting the person behind her.

"Jumpy today, huh?" Came a voice. She knew that voice. That was-

"Li-kun! I'm so sorry!"

"Why? You didn't hit me."

"Well, I....uh...hoeeee." She ended in a whine. He smiled

"Happy Valentines day, Li-kun!" Tomoyo exclaimed. She handed him a card almost identical to Sakura's. He took it, smiling.

"Thank you. Here." He handed her a card. Sakura's eyes widened.

"You have valentines?" She asked, shocked.

"Well, it's Valentines day, isn't it?" He asked.

"Well, yes, but I didn't expect..I mean.....hooeeee......."

He laughed at her loss of words.

"I know what you mean, Sakura-chan. Don't worry, though, I don't have a card for you."

Sakura gasped, hurt.

"Huh?"

He smiled.

"And don't worry. You'll get your Valentine later."

Sakura stood there, confused. Syaoron proceeded to give everyone their Valentine. Sakura sighed. She started to hand out hers, more confused than ever.

~*~*~*~*~

"I just don't understand why he'd give everyone else a Valentine, and not me, Tomoyo." Sakura whined, Walking home with her friend.

"You make it sound so horrible, Sakura." Tomoyo giggled.

"It IS horrible! That's really mean!" She pouted.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. Her friend could be really dense sometimes.

"Sakura-chan, listen. You haven't gotten a Valentine from him YET. For all you know he could be covering your brother with chocolate right now."

Sakura giggled.

"Why would I want that?" She asked.

"Because of how long he would be in the chocolate before you cracked open the head. Listen, he probably got you a really great gift, and it had o wait until later. Did he SAY he didn't get you anything?"

"YES!"

Tomoyo was shocked.

"What? He actually said that he didn't get you anything?"

"Yes! He said 'Don't worry, I didn't get one for you'!"

"See, now, that doesn't make any sense." Tomoyo scratched her head. "Why wouldn't he get you anything?"

"That's what I'm asking you, Tomoyo-chan."

Tomoyo giggled.

"Oh! Right. Well, all I can say is wait. See if he really didn't get you anything before you get mad."

Sakura sighed.

"I guess your right, Tomoyo." She said.

"Well, I sure hope so, because I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura!" Tomoyo waved, and turned toward her house. Sakura waved back, feeling very alone. She walked the rest of the way home, eyes on her feet.

Why? She asked herself. Why would anyone be like that? I mean, I'm not asking him to love me, even though I'd like it, just a card. Or a hug. Or anything to know that he doesn't hate me.

She kept asking herself why, but couldn't come up with any explanation. She sighed, very depressed. Today was supposed to be a good day. It had started out so well! But the one person she had looked forward to seeing, Her crush, her friend, her protecter, the one person! Not even a 'Happy Valentines Day, Sakura". Nothing. A tear fell. Not one thing.

She reached her house, eyes still at her feet. She looked at the driveway. No one was home yet. She sighed. She had never felt so alone in her life. She looked back at the door, about to walk in, when she noticed something. A single, long stemmed, white rose, stuck in the handle of the door. She gasped, and picked it up, careful of the thorns. But she realized there were no thorns. Each and every one had been picked off. She looked at it's stem, wondering what happened to them, when she noticed a note tied onto it. She slowly un-tied it, and unfolded it to see what it said.

She read over it, brow furrowed in confusion.

"The path of rose?" She asked no one. She looked around. There, on the path that she had just walked, somehow had appeared a line of roses. She gasped. She walked up to the first one, and picked it up. This one's thorns had been picked off, too. As were all of the roses'. She followed the path set, curiosity growing with each one. The colors alternated between white and red. She followed the roses, picking each one up. They eventually led off the sidewalk. She followed them down a hill, too curious to care where she was going. She went past trees, bushes, and into territory she had never seen before, but kept on. Her hands were getting very full. Finally the path stopped. She looked into her hands, and realized she had about a dozen of each color. White and red. She looked around. The trees were all evergreens, and were very thick were she was. The branches created a canopy above her, blocking out most of the light. She looked ahead of her. She gasped.

It was like something from a story book. A stone bench sat in the middle, right next to a beautiful fountain, that had somehow been kept clean. Other stone adornment decorated the scene, all covered in vines. There was even a gazebo, also overgrown in ivy. In certain places the light would shine through the trees, covering the picture before her in elegance. She looked at the bench. On it sat a bouquet of even more roses. These were all a light pink. She walked over and picked them up. She looked around her again, taking in the beauty of it all. Who could have done all this? She looked back at the pink roses. There was a note attached to them, too. She picked it out, hoping for a name.

Sakura sighed. Why couldn't she understand anything today? She looked back at the note. A voice interrupted her.

"Happy Valentines Day, Sakura." Came a voice next to her. Head head shot to the right. Syaoron smiled at her. Sakura gasped.

"You-You did all this?" She asked.

"Who else did you think would have?" He asked.

"Well-...I....hoee..." She looked back down at her hand. Her eyes caught on a word in the note, that she hadn't paid a lot of attention to earlier.

She read it over.

Her mouth hung open. She looked back at her flowers, and counted. Syaoron didn't interrupt. He knew what she was doing, and he knew what she would find.

7,8,9,10 white ones.....

He watched her count the reds ones.

11,12,13,14,15 red ones......

Her head flew up, and she turned to Syaoron.

"Um, what exactly did you...mean...when you said...that....uh..." She tried to ask, but failed. Syaoron finished for her.

"The Red roses were for Love? Well, Aren't there more red than white?" He asked.

"Do- Does..that....uh.....mean that....you....I mean.....ho-hoeeee?"

Syaoron laughed.

"That I love you? Well, it could mean that. It could mean that we're just friends. But I will tell you..."

Sakura looked down sadly at what he seemed to be saying.

"Even if those might not mean that I love you..."

She slowly lifted her head up.

"I do." He finished.

Sakura's eyes widened. She gasped.

"You...lo-...uh..."

Syaoron laughed again.

"I love you, Sakura. I always have, and I always will, even if you don't love me." He smiled solemnly, brown eyes full of love and trust for the girl that he loved. She looked at her crush. His hair flopped in front of his eyes, as usual. Sakura lifted a hand up, and brushed it out of the way. She paused, and ran her fingers though his hair. Her heart started to beat faster. And faster. And faster.... Her hand found it's way to his neck, and she slowly leaned forward. Her lips were inches away from his, and her eyes fluttered close. Syaoron took a deep breath. He didn't want to do this, but he had to. He lifted his hand, touching her lips, stopping her from kissing him. She pulled back, confused, and embarrassed.

"I-I'm...sorry, I didn-"

"It's ok, Sakura. Really. Look, I haven't given you the rest of your present." He whispered, his hand still on her cheek, making him dizzy. She looked at him, confused.

"What, but all this, and the flowers..."

She looked down at the dozens of roses in her hand. Each one without thorns.

"I know a flower better than roses." Syaoron whispered. He stood up, and pulled her up with him. Sakura just looked at him, still confused. He ran his hand down her arm, sending tingles through her body, to reach the roses she still held. He took them and set them back down on the bench. He stood behind her and led her ahead of him, to a clearing not far off. In the very middle sat a tree. It wasn't evergreen, and looked very, um, how do I say this? Dead. A hole in the canopy let light shine on it, though it really didn't help. Sakura looked back at a smiling Syaoron. She looked back at the tree, more confused than ever.

"Um, Syaoron, what-"

"Come with me." He cut her off.

He led her to the tree, holding her from behind. She felt faint by now. She started to tremble, and Syaoron smiled. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. Sakura gasped, but leaned back into his arms. He lifted his head, chin on her shoulder. He wrapped one arm around her tighter, lifting the other hand to take hers. He slowly brought it the the tree trunk, pressing his hand against hers, and hers against the tree. His fingertips overlapped hers, and a sudden blue light shot out of them, into the tree. It flowed around the tree, covering it. It then seemed to seep into the wood, and it started to glow. Syaoron back a little way, bringing Sakura with him. Sakura gasped. The tree suddenly came to life, seeming to grow in fast forward. Leaves shot out of the branches, and even more buds shot out after. The buds started to bloom, covering the entire tree with hundreds of Sakura blossoms. The light still shining on it made it look more beautiful than anything Sakura had ever seen. She gasped.

"Oh, Syaoron, it's beautiful." She breathed.

Syaoron smiled at his name from her lips, and sighed, holding her tight.

"I've seen better." He whispered into her ear. Sakura started to shake, and slowly turned around in his grasp.

"I love you, Syaoron." She whispered, unable to speak in a normal voice.

"I love you, too, Sakura." He whispered back.

Sakura looked into his eyes, and trembled even more. Slowly he leaned down. Sakura's breath started to come in gasps, as his lips softly touched hers. Her eyes fluttered close, as she leaned into him, kissing him back firmly. Her arms slid around his neck, and his went around her waist, and they kissed. Sakura couldn't move. She wasn't sure she wanted to. She let him hold her in his arms, and kissed him for what seemed like forever. And she gladly would have for that long. His hands slowly made their way up her back, and he tilted his head slightly, slowly opening his lips, dragging hers with them. She moaned, deepening the kiss happily, and pressed her lips to his, hard. He kissed back as hard as he could, never wanting to let go. But they finally had to, due to lack of air.

"Oh, Syaoron, I love you." The last part was so quiet Syaoron almost couldn't hear it. Sakura's knees buckled, and she started to fall. Syaoron pulled her back up, and held her tightly.

"I love you, too, Sakura. I love you." He said in a whisper. Sakura's heart rate was dangerous at this point, and he pressed his lips to hers once more.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the clearing, you can see a blinking red light.

"Kaaawwwwaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Came a tiny whisper.