Apartments

AN: I do not own Card Captor Sakura

Chapter 10

I smiled at Tomoyo as she kept telling me what she and her mother had bought for her baby while I was away. Her eyes lit up with every item and even more so when she was able to say that it all would belong to her baby. Her baby… That was the one thing that she valued the most. And that made me smile.

"You are just like Sakura's mother when she first expected Toya." We both looked up at Mr Kinomoto as he smiled a warm caring smile at the girl. "She was so excited and she kept going over little things for months. Like the first clothes she would take with for her baby, and the first blanket…"

"Did you know that Toya would be boy uncle?"

"No, we wanted to be surprised. I would have been happy either way, but in the end I was blessed with both a strong boy and a lovely daughter. I wish Nadesiko could see them now… She would have been so proud. And of you too Tomoyo." He gently brushed the girl's cheek and she smiled at him. "Just like your mother."

"Uncle…" I could see the longing in the man's eyes, his wish to see his wife again and to have her here with us to share in his happiness. Mr Kinomoto is a gentle soul. Just like his daughter.

"You'd better have tea ready!" Came a loud voice from outside as someone fiddled with keys in the lock. "It is damn cold out here." The door opened and Sakura came in along with a sharp cold wind. She was dressed in a thick jacket and had a large scarf wrapped around her neck. "Daddy! Food!" I watched her turn around to look at us. She froze when she saw me.

I smiled at her and she kept staring at me. A sudden realisation struck her and she let out a small squeal of happiness before throwing herself at me. I laughed as I hugged her back. "I'm glad to see I was missed."

"You're still full of yourself."

"Now-now sweetheart, settle down so we can all have dinner. Syaoran was kind enough to bring us some white hot chocolate for an after dinner treat, that's if you behave." I laughed at the girl when she saluted her father before pulling off her extra clothes to sit down next to her father and myself for dinner. "How did your last exam go?"

"Snore… It was a real bore, I'm definitely acing that one. The farewell just took so long! They had about a billion speakers and events going on the entire afternoon. And this bizarre award ceremony… Oh yeah!" We watched her pull something from her bag before handing it to her father. "I was named Miss Congeniality, what ever that is suppose to mean."

I grinned at the paper when it got passed my way for admiration. Even despite her fight she was popular… But why did she give me the impression that she wasn't? "I asked Rika about this. Apparently the teachers and student's rate you on how you are on a daily basis and how you generally act towards others... Rika said my fight earlier was what got me on the list."

"Your fight, or that cheesy sarcastic smile that you give everyone and they just interpreted it the wrong way?"

"Shut up Tomoyo."

"She has a point you know." I laughed when she glared at me. "How was your prom?"

"Oohh! That was great. Tomoyo and I had a blast that evening."

"And the best part was where they caught the prom queen with her positive pregnancy test after she tried to bad mouth me."

"Ohh! Scandalous!" I laughed at the girls' little outburst while Mr Kinomoto only shook his head. I missed a lot while I was gone. Tomoyo seems happy now, she's not depressed all the time anymore. I can still see a little sadness in her eyes, but she's laughing a lot more. And the girl… She seems different too. She's no longer dressed in shorts and shirts, but rather jeans and jerseys. Her cheeks are red, her hair wild from the cold wind… And she's laughing too.

They are all laughing a lot more than they used to. They still had a hard time ahead of them, but it was okay. As long as they had one another and as long as they could laugh. The way Eriol and I used to be.

The evening came to an end and I excused myself from their warm home. Sakura offered to walk with me, daring to tread into the cold even though she hates it. Outside snow started to fall and the cold wind tugged at her long hair. She had grown it while I was away and with it loose like it was now… She was the image of a child, wild and carefree.

I leaned against my door as I smiled down at her and she grinned at me, nervously kicking her toes against the floor in a tapping movement. "So are you going home or do you want to come in?"

She shrugged. "I have to go back I suppose." I watched her turn around and I turned to unlock my door. Tonight I will be able to sleep peacefully again. Tonight… "Syaoran." I turned back to look at her and was surprised when she suddenly leaned in and kissed me. Her lips were soft and smooth on mine, but the tender feeling disappeared far too soon when she pulled away. "Good night."

"Good night Sakura."

"Syaoran…" I ignored the voice as I pulled my duvet tighter around my body. I wanted to sleep, not listen to voices. "Syaoran." I groaned and turned the other way, away from the annoying voice insisting on disturbing my sleep. My bed moved and a body climbed in next to me. "What are you dreaming?" The voice was on my ear, hot and seductive.

"About you… Naked." I answered plainly.

I opened an eye and looked annoyed up at the girl. "Finally. I've been awake for hours now."

"Tough luck, why do you have to bother me?"

"Ahh… And here I thought I'd make your dreams come true about seeing me naked."

"You're not naked." I yawned as I closed my eyes again.

"But I can be."

"Uh-hu… Not anytime soon around me, I am sure."

"You're no fun. And your coffee is getting cold." I groaned as I sat up to look at the girl sitting on my bed next to me grinning from ear to ear. I picked up the mug of coffee and swallowed the bitter contents. At least she can make a good cuppa when she wants to. I swallowed the last liquid and fell back down on my bed, ready to sleep.

The girl moved, and my mattress gave in next to me before two legs suddenly straddled me. Her hands pushed down on my shoulders and I looked up at her. "What now Sakura?"

"Didn't you miss me?"

"You know I did."

"Why did you miss me?"

"Because I love you."

"How much?"

"Tons." I yawned.

"Prove it." I opened my eyes and frowned up at the girl. Her face was now only inches away from mine.

"Why are you teasing me so early in the morning?"

"Because…" I signed at her tone of voice. She's not going to give up until I give her what she wants. What ever the hell that might be. "Syaoran…" She complained like a little girl.

"Don't you have school?"

"No. I graduated, remember." I nodded. I remember now. She graduated… I paused, there was something in her voice. Something suggestive. I opened my eyes again and looked up at the girl, now smiling at me. "I'm not in school anymore." She whispered. "In four months I'll be nineteen." She kissed me. "And the year after that twenty." She kissed me again. "And then twenty one." Her kiss lingered this time.

I leaned upwards, capturing her lips with mine, begging her to kiss me again. Slowly her body eased onto mine as she continued to kiss me. Her lips parted and I was allowed to explore. Her warm sweet taste vibrating through my body. "You could have woken me like this in the first place." I teased as I wrapped my arms around her and turned her on her back with me resting on top of her. She laughed and I found my hand brushing her hair from her face. "You're different." I whispered.

She looked up at me with those green eyes of hers. "I found something." She pulled it from her pocket and lifted it to show me. "A letter my mom wrote. It's not to anyone in particular, but she tells who ever just how much she loves my father. And… And it made me think. It made me wonder what it feels like to love someone so much."

I watched her, my heart hammering in my chest as she closed her eyes. "And I wanted to experience love like that. I wanted to feel wanted and to want, and to be needed and to need." I frowned at her. Please… Please… "I thought that I've never felt like that. And I haven't, until…"

"Until?" I brushed my hand over her cheek. "Tell me Sakura, please tell me."

"Until I met you." She opened her eyes and I was lost in an ocean of green.

"Syaoran I…" She closed her eyes and I could not help but frown. "You were gone for two months. And although I knew that the movie was important and I could never go with you I was still angry that you left me here." She swallowed hard.

"I don't know much about love." Came her voice in a soft whisper. "But I was hoping you could show me."

She opened her eyes again and this time she was the one begging me.

- --- -

"And in other news, writer Syaoran Li has taken the book world by storm with his new book, The Girls Next Door. It has been described by fans and critics alike as a 'delightful tale of love' and as 'standing a head above all of Li's other novels'. When asked about his recent success Li replied that it is not the story that made it possible…"

"Put that crap off." I grumbled as I pulled the pillow under my head up.

"You're such a grouch." The girl chimed in a teasing voice causing me to grumble again. The television was however shut off, leaving me to relax in silence. "Poor old Syaoran doesn't want to hear that he is now a famous celebrity." Her breath was hot on my ear and I turned around to look at her.

"I'd shut up if I were you. You're the famous celebrity's fiancé, remember?" She giggled as I pulled her down on top of me. She snuggled in next to me on the couch allowing me to wrap my arm around her to keep her from falling off. She had grown up over the years. She was no longer that teenager I remember, but a grown woman now. She has a degree behind her name and recently started a job even though she didn't have to. I can support us both and ten more for the next hundred years.

My words had come back to me and I wrote about what was closest to my heart. I wrote about my love and my life, I wrote about a man down on his luck who fell in love with the girl next door. I wrote about a man who was pulled into a world of unplanned pregnancies that turned into disguised blessings and hidden hurt. I wrote about the loss of a friend and the loss of a life. I wrote about the gain of love.

I wrote about me and my life with two teenage girls and how they turned it upside down.

"Where did the kid disappear to?" I looked around the room trying to locate the three year old girl who have seemed to have learned to barge in when ever she liked just like her mother does and father used to do.

"She's sleeping on your bed." Sakura turned to look up at me. Her green eyes searched mine and I smiled at her. "She looks so much like him, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, she does." Little Nadesiko is the spitting image of her father, Eriol. Sakura's gently touched my cheek, telling me that I'm not alone anymore. I smiled slightly and kissed her palm. "When's your father coming back?"

The Girls Next Door

by

Syaoran Li

Dedicated to

Eriol Hiiragizawa, a friend who will always be remembered,

Tomoyo Daidouji and Sakura Kinomoto, the girls next door.

AN: Hello! And it ends.

For those who read Short Stories with Tragic Endings I'm working on it. It just takes a long time to write. But I updated Chapter 7 along with this chapter. And Between Heaven and Hell there is Earth will come along as well. I'm going to rewrite chapter 5 and then I have to write the rest before I can post anything. That story really takes a long time to work, because I have to make 4 POV's work together fluently.

Updating is going to take a while from now on, and I mean a while. I'm doing my honours at the moment and it is time consuming, so sorry guys. My priorities you know.

Thanks for your tender loving care (reviews)!

Tella

Ps. I created a forum called "Tella's writing tips" if you want to have a look and post a comment. It basically contains stuff that I've noticed and learned over the years when it comes to story writing, specifically on