A/N: Wow, I should really get off my lazy ass and update sooner. T-T Again, I'm writing this while on vacation, so the length may vary. SORREEEEE!
LadyAkina: What do you mean by "how did she come to palace"? Are you referring to Rinako? If so, she comes by carriage. Or at least I think so. o-O Whatever means of transportation people in those days used.
l x lmystikalxstarzl x l : Meh, I wish I could update sooner since it's summer, but I guarantee that there will be more updates in this month.
Littlelonewolf: THANK JOOOOOOOO YOUR REVIEW IS GREATLY APPRECIATED:)
heartluv: Yeah, I've been kind of having writer's block.
Vywien is me: I had a feeling other pianists would understand what I was writing about.
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura
The Veiled Piano Mistress
By: Lotus Dreams
Chapter 12: Syaoran To The Rescue
Sanosuke walked Sakura back to her room. He kept staring at her, taking in every feature. Sakura kept getting annoyed, and was thankful when they finally reached her room. "I'm here," she said, trying not to sound irritated, "You can go back to your room now, it's almost eleven."
Sanosuke stole a glance around the servants' hall. No one. "The night's still young, Sakura."
Sakura rolled her eyes. Oh please. "GOODBYE and GOOD NIGHT, Sanosuke, you can GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM NOW." With that, she entered her room and slammed the door in Sanosuke's face. He, however, was unfazed. Even angry she is so magnificent!
He walked back to his servant's room dreamily. He thought about Sakura...Ooh, that red-haired beauty. So fair, so lovely. I wonder how come I never noticed her before? Ah, how beautiful she is. I am smitten. I think...I am in love! He sighed. His imagination started to build up a love story inside his head, and soon, he was positive he and Sakura were meant to be. The only problem was to meet his 'lover' now that he was determined she was the one. Then, he suddenly had an idea. I know! I will prepare a romantic date with just the two of us! And so, he got out of his chair, exited his room, and made his way to Sakura's room.
"Pssstt."
Sakura ignored it, tossing and turning in her bed.
"PSSSTT."
Again, she ignored it.
"PPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTT!"
"Nani?" she said crossly, flinging open the door to her room. In tiptoed Sanosuke, looking gleeful and sneaky. "It's way past midnight, Sanosuke, what the hell are you doing in a maid's room?"
"No one's awake at this hour," Sanosuke cried happily.
"Shut - up," snarled Sakura. "If you continue speaking in that loud of a voice pretty soon EVERYONE will be awake at this hour!"
"Gomen, but the palace gardens are empty."
"Yes, I know they're empty. Now can you let me go back to sleep?"
"Have you ever taken a walk inside the palace gardens in the middle of the night?"
"No, and I don't - "
"I have," Sanosuke interrupted, his eyes gleaming, "And it's awesome. But this time, I want someone else to enjoy it with me."
"But - "
Before Sakura could protest, Sanosuke had snatched her hand, and was dragging her down the stairs towards the palace exit. Sakura kept hissing, "You're so damn loud! Do you want everyone to wake up and discover us wandering where we're not supposed to be? And besides, I don't even want - "
"Shh, if you don't want people to hear you, then don't speak loud!"
"That's what I just told you - "
Sanosuke pushed her into the palace gardens. True, the gardens looked magnificent under the moonlight, and the sky was dotted with stars, but Sakura was still equally unhappy to be forced out of her sleep to see the gardens at night. Sanosuke was unaware he had disturbed her, but was only concerned about his efforts to make the atmosphere romantic.
"Isn't it simply gorgeous?" he sighed, gripping Sakura's hand quite tightly.
"Um - yeah - gorgeous - " replied Sakura hastily, trying to struggle against Sanosuke's tight grasp.
"Let's take a walk," said Sanosuke, dragging Sakura along with him, attempting to stroll beside the multi-coloured flowers scattered beside the path they were walking along.
"These flowers are so beautiful, ripe and soft and so nice," said Sanosuke dramatically.
"Uh - right," Sakura said, still trying to get out of his grip. Then, Sanosuke turned to Sakura, stars in his eyes.
"Just like you," he proclaimed madly. "Just. Like. You."
"...Uh...Sanosuke...maybe...you should...calm...down..." And let my hand go, as well, thought Sakura.
"No," declared Sanosuke, grasping Sakura's hand with both of his, "I am perfectly fine." He gazed deeply into Sakura's eyes. Or at least he thought he did. Girls love that, don't they? It's always how those people fall in love in those stories, anyway. "Sakura...I have fallen in love with you," he announced, his voice trembling. "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met!" He made his grip on Sakura's hand tighter, and she winced, but he did not notice.
"Um...Sanosuke-san...we only just met yesterday...and you could kind of loosen your grip on my hand..." Instead, Sanosuke yanked Sakura's hand to his heart. "OW!"
"I know we only met yesterday..." said Sanosuke, "But this is fate. This destiny. After I met you...I think it was love at first sight. Sakura - as long as you accept me, I will never look at another girl again!"
"Um...ah..."
"What the hell is going on here?" came a familiar voice. Sanosuke and Sakura's lovely little date was interrupted by a shadow emerging from one of the palace's exits...and it just happened to be Syaoran.
"OW!" Syaoran was woken up by a voice crying out. What the hell...He flipped his newly changed bed covers aside, and squinted out his window. Into the palace gardens. He couldn't really see properly, as there was only moonlight to show him what he was seeing, but he could make Sanosuke and Sakura...HOLDING HANDS? His eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.
Okay...it's in the middle of the night...a guy and a girl are outside in the palace gardens...holding hands...which could only mean one thing...Instantly, Syaoran tore his eyes from the window and bolted out of his room, grabbing a lantern on the way, rushed down the stairs, and stopped in front of one of the palace exits to catch his breath. For some reason, he was mad...really mad.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door, ever the cool, calm, and cold person he usually was, and said, "What the hell is going on here?"
Sanosuke and Sakura literally froze. Both were shocked, but Sakura seemed more surprised than Sanosuke. Her already round and large green eyes were opened wide, and her mouth was slightly open. Both of them kept thinking, we are SO busted!
"Um - ah - erm - " stammered Sanosuke.
"Uh - eh - um - " sputtered Sakura.
"Er - "
"Ah - "
"Heh - "
"Um - "
"Well - "
"Um - "
"You know - "
"Yeah - "
"We were - um - " Sakura took Sanosuke's fearful state and immediately jerked her hand back from Sanosuke's chest, but still looking at Prince Syaoran. Then, their senses came back to them - this was Prince Syaoran they were talking to!
Instantly, Sanosuke bent into a bow, and Sakura bent her legs into a curtsy. "Your Highness," they muttered quickly.
"Yeah, yeah," dismissed Syaoran with a wave of his hand. "I asked what the hell you two were doing." His eyes flashed. "Doesn't seem like something normal to be walking around in the palace gardens at midnight touching each other."
Sakura flushed a deep scarlet. Crap, he's getting the wrong idea..."N-no, Your Highness, it wasn't like that...um..." Syaoran raised an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh."
"Um...he was the one who took my hand and...uh...put it on his chest...I...didn't...do it...out of my own...free will..."
"And why did he put your hand on his chest?" Syaoran was fighting to stay calm.
"Um...he...er...it's not very polite to say...and um...kind of...embarrassing...and I don't think...Sanosuke...would...want...me...to say it..."
"No, really, tell me. I command you to."
"Oh...er..."
"I'll say it if Sakura is too shy to!" said Sanosuke bravely. "I put her hand on my heart, because I was confessing my newly found and undying love for her!"
Sakura and Syaoran: .."
Syaoran didn't know whether to laugh or keep a straight face. Half of him wanted to collapse onto the ground and laugh his head off right there, it was too funny - I mean, 'newly found and undying love'? OH PLEASE! Sakura was just totally melting...Kami-sama...god help me...I just wanna make myself disappear right there and then...
Syaoran snorted, but immediately regained his usual stiff posture. "Uh - newly found and undying love, you say?"
"Hai," declared Sanosuke.
Syaoran let another snort escape his lips, almost laughing again, but then quickly recovered. "I - see."
"No no no no no, Your Highness, it was so not like that," said Sakura desperately. "Um - er - "
"No, it's alright, Sakura," said Syaoran amusingly, "it's nothing to be ashamed of. Sanosuke clearly - uh - loves you very much. Go on, resume your little date."
"No - Prince Syaoran!" For some reason, Sakura so thoroughly did not want Syaoran to think she liked Sanosuke in that way...she didn't even like him at all! He was really starting to get annoying...how corny could one person get?
She wanted to desperately get away from Sanosuke as soon as possible...but she still didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying that out loud...so she thought of the only way possible:
Thought waves.
Help me, Syaoran, she thought fiercely. Save me from this torture...I do not like Sanosuke, and I do not wish to hurt his feelings, so please turn back and make up some excuse for me to get away from him...come on...come to the rescue...I'm a damsel in distress...help me! QUICK! I REALLY NEED TO GET AWAY FROM THIS BAKA! HEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPP MMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE -
"Ah...Sakura, could you come with me for a moment, actually? I need you to do something for me." Syaoran motioned for her to follow him.
She had never been more relieved in her life. Thank you, thought waves.
When Sakura and Syaoran were safely inside the palace ascending the stairs, Sakura couldn't resist. She suddenly blurted out, "Domou arigatou gozaimasu!" Syaoran looked at her weirdly.
"What are you thanking me for?"
"For saving me!"
"Wha...?"
"I knew you could get my thought waves I just knew it I never actually thought it would work but now I know that thought waves are definitely useful and I will so use them in a time of peril such as this one thank you thank you thank you SO MUCH, Your Highness, I can't thank you enough for getting me away from him - "
"Wait, wait - slow down. What are you talking about? Thought waves? Where the hell did that come from? I needed you to come do something for me. And what's all this about saving you? You mean you don't like Sanosuke?"
Realization dawned on her. Wait...he didn't get my thought waves? Then - that means - Sakura mentally slapped herself. YOU STUPID BAKA! YOU'VE JUST CONFUSED HIM WITH YOUR BLABBERING IDIOCY! OH GREAT, REAL SMOOTH, NOW YOU'VE JUST MADE THINGS MORE COMPLICATED FOR YOURSELF! She turned a very bright shade of pink, and Syaoran's lantern perfectly illuminated her face.
"Um...um..." She stuttered.
"Not this again," Syaoran said exasperatedly, and turned his back onto her, continuing up the stairs. She followed him, her head bowed, still extremely embarrassed.
Syaoran was still waiting for her answer though. He stopped suddenly, and then he turned to face her. His expression was unreadable. "Do you...?"
"Hai?"
"Do you..." Ugh, I sound so stupid..."Do you seriously like Sanosuke?"
"Um...well...ah...That depends on what kind of 'like' you're referring to."
"Romantically," said Syaoran automatically.
"Well...no, I don't," said Sakura truthfully. "But I would appreciate it if you would not tell him."
"No problem," Syaoran replied, and something inside of him soared. She doesn't like him! He must have been smiling, because Sakura suddenly stared at him and asked, "Why are you smiling, Your Highness?"
"Nothing," Syaoran said, his smile quickly disappearing. "And from now on, you can call me Syaoran."
Sakura blinked. When did this happen? "I don't think that's - "
"Good, good, we're all settled now, we can go up to my room, my pillow's uncomfortable, you can help me change it."
Sakura frowned. His pillow?
"But...I fluffed it for you right before you went to bed...and...if I do say so myself...that was a pretty soft pillow..."
"No it's not, otherwise I wouldn't feel as if I was sleeping on a pillow of rocks," said Syaoran shortly.
"Gomen nasai," Sakura apologized quickly, "I'll change it at once."
"There's a bunch of pillows on the top shelf in the last wardrobe. Take one out and replace it."
"Hai." They reached his room. Sakura swiftly made her way to the last wardrobe, opened it, took out a pillow, and closed it. Syaoran watched calmly, standing beside his bed, as Sakura replaced his pillow with the new one. She gave a quick bow (which was unusual for her) and she said mechanically, "Your pillow's changed, you may sleep now, Your - "
"What did I tell you to call me?"
"...Syaoran."
"That's right."
"Well, um - yeah - er - there you go." She waited until Syaoran got into bed, and then blurted out, "Good night!" She immediately made her way towards the door.
Syaoran didn't even lie down on the pillow before calling her back. "This one's also too hard!"
Sakura turned back. It was dark, and Syaoran had already extinguished his lantern, so Sakura was glad he couldn't see her face burning red. It was already awkward enough to be caught sneaking around in the palace gardens in the middle of the night with Sanosuke; caught in the middle of the night with Syaoran was even MORE horrible. What would people think!
"Nani? But - "
"Change it for me."
"It can't be - "
"Change. It. For. Me."
"Hai," squeaked Sakura. Again, she repeated the procedure - taking a pillow out, and replacing it. "If there aren't any more problems, I will leave you to sleep in peace now."
"I don't like this pillow either." What the hell! What is his problem? "You didn't fluff it." Syaoran's voice sounded strangely childish. Fighting off the urge to punch him, she went back. Syaoran raised his head, and she fluffed his pillow for him.
"Happy?" she said, almost rudely.
"Yup. You can go now."
Sakura left his room in a bad mood, in between worrying. There was a strange feeling of loneliness in the air after she left...Syaoran snuggled into his pillow. Hehe. I should do that more often.
Of course, there had been nothing wrong with the pillow in the first place - like Sakura had said, it was plenty soft. However, just to get her away from Sanosuke, purely because he didn't like seeing them together, and to get her to stay longer with him, he had complained about the pillows on purpose. Smiling, he soon dozed off, and began to dream.
This chapter was mostly blabbering. I PLEAD YOUR FORGIVENESS:ducks tomatoes and pumpkins thrown at her: But, please REVIEW!