Thank you everybody for sticking with me since the start of this story. Please remember to leave a review or comment at the end. I'd like to know if you enjoyed it since I suck at writing good endings. Keep checking back for my other stories…
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the card captor Sakura characters… everything else is mine.
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Long 9 Months
Epilogue
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It was going to be one of those days, Eriol reflected as he looked into the darkened sky. It was the first of April; the beginning of their spring break, and the sky was overcast and heavy with rain. It was going to be a magnificent storm. The clouds overhead were bursting with energy, the air charged with the boundless electricity that crackled with the environment.
Eriol couldn't help but scowl at the fact that he wouldn't be able to do what he loved to do when there was nothing else but the hard beating of the rain on the roof. He hadn't been able to change Tomoyo's mind on her idea of punishment for his transgression even though he'd pleaded and come up with even worst ways for her to get her jollies.
He shifted uneasily from the window of his room at his apartment, throwing himself over his bed. He had started sleeping in his own apartment three months before when he hadn't been able to keep himself in check while in Tomoyo's house. It had started to rankle that he was under the same roof but couldn't actually enjoy what they were able to do before. He hadn't wanted to give her the satisfaction of grinning at him every morning over the breakfast table.
The doorbell chimed. Someone had apparently decided to brave the chilly wind to pay him a visit. Eriol shrugged, company was always welcomed when there was nothing else to do.
"Hey," Syaoran said as soon as the door opened. It had been quite awhile since he had come to this place to see his friend.
"Hay is for horses," Eriol rebutted, walking away from the door with Syaoran in his wake. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be at Sakura's house kissing her feet and raining flowers at her head."
"Was that sarcastic?" Syaoran had been having a lot of problems in truly defining his friend's moods for the past few months.
"No, it was just a reference," Eriol opened the fridge door, looking at the restocked items that his housekeeper had bought from his list. He took two of the long neck beers from their side and offered one to his friend.
It felt incredibly good to have him back. It had taken some weeks for Syaoran to truly return to his usual self after the whole fighting debacle they had been through those months ago. It hadn't been that much trouble to reassert their usual friendship when Syaoran was grinning at Eriol's own predicament.
It hadn't taken them long to commiserate on the unfairness of the female sexes as they compared their punishments.
"Has she shown any sign of letting up?" Syaoran asked as he set down the beer on the kitchen table after a swig.
"No," Eriol's eyes flashed dangerously as he spit the words out. "Not since the last day that you asked me. That was merely eight hours before."
"Sorry," Syaoran chuckled as he brought up his hands in defeat. Still, there was a part of him that couldn't help but gloat over the fact that he was almost off the hook.
"Sakura and I will be leaving in a few hours for Hong Kong," he grinned as Eriol made a show with his hands to strangle him. "I'll be showing her my childhood home, my childhood room, and my childhood bed."
"You're thinking of finally scoring after five months, aren't you?"
"I think it's a good possibility that she'll let me continue my seduction when we arrive," Syaoran closed his eyes as he sent a fervent plea to whoever was listening up in heaven. "I can't speak to the elders until our appointed time and that might be the only hindrance."
"We're pretty much whipped by our girlfriends, aren't we?" Eriol pointed out as he set his head against the table, his chin digging into his crossed arms.
"It's kind of ironic in a way," Syaoran smiled as he ruffled his friend's hair playfully. "It's exactly nine months since your challenge was posed that your parents will be coming for a visit. Tomoyo is truly devious when it comes to these kinds of things."
"Yeah," Eriol couldn't help but smile a stupid grin as he recalled her fiery temper the last time they had fought. His blood has burned inside, his desire for her spiking and boiling as she had come closer and closer. In the end, all that he had been able to take had been a kiss.
It merely doused the inferno, the flames lowering as he had tried to compose himself. Tomoyo had grinned as her leg had brushed against his erection. He wouldn't put it past her deviousness to get him hot and ready and then just leave him high and dry.
"I've been imploring my parents to make a stop a bit sooner than expected. My mother keeps looking at me as if trying to read my mind every time I talk with her," Eriol scowled as the last conversation he had with his parents had almost broken him. He was desperate enough to tell his mother that he couldn't make love to his girlfriend until they came to visit.
"She is wearing the engagement ring though," Syaoran pointed out as he searched the refrigerator for something to eat. His stomach was growling loudly as Eriol sulked like a child in his chair.
"And that's my only consolation."
Both friends just looked at each other, bursting in laughter at their predicament. "When are you going to ask her?"
Syaoran made himself busy, taking the bread and spreading the cream with a knife. "I'm supposed to get approval from the elders first," Syaoran said as soon as he sat down once again. "If it wasn't for the fact that my mother wants me to give my fiancée the engagement ring that has been in our family for generations, I'd have probably asked her today."
"So you did go see her this morning," Eriol deduced from the conversation. "Did she throw you out after accepting that very expensive present you got her? There has to be a reason for you being in here when you'd rather be with her in this, a day that marks her welcoming into adulthood." Eriol rolled his eyes as he finished the speech.
"Sakura told me she had a couple of things to do before I picked her up for our flight, so I naturally thought of bothering you for the next few hours. I have nothing else to do to kill the time."
"Thank you so much for that bubbling feeling of friendship you're presenting there," Eriol replied sarcastically, his eyes narrowing.
"It's not like there's anyone else either," Syaoran contemplated as he thought of all of his closest friends. "Chavela's driving across the country with Ryo, Meiling, and Yahiko to go visit the new member of the family. I don't know why I keep forgetting that senator's name. I think I'm going to have the same trouble with the baby."
"Ryo did seem a bit surprised at how quickly the wedding had been readied for his sister and her fiancée. Now we know the reason," Eriol commented as well. "Just why did Meiling decide to tag along?"
"She said something about not wanting to be alone in here while all of our friends are traipsing around the country," Syaoran said offhand. "I mentioned you and she just rolled her eyes and started mulling over the fact that you would be too busy in snits with Tomoyo to be any good at keeping her company."
"That was rather longwinded," Eriol said suspiciously.
"I've been practicing," Syaoran admitted, sheepishly returning the look his friend was currently sporting.
"I'm seriously not going to miss you when you're gone," Eriol stood in a bit of a snit, going to his bedroom to change his clothing. Might as well go out if he was going to have a partner in crime for the next few hours.
"Yeah, right," Syaoran shouted to the retreating figure. "You'll be calling me as soon as you think the plane has landed and I'm near a phone."
"I need to get some better friends then since I get treated so shabbishly by you all."
"You've been very quiet," Syaoran remarked as Sakura snuggled onto his side. Several hours had already passed since they had boarded the plane. They were currently flying over the ocean, chasing the night.
"I've been trying to see if I feel any different," she answered to his query. Her eyes remained closed, tightening the blanket around her shoulders.
"Have you?"
"No," Sakura yawned lowly into her palm, moving her head around his arm to find the perfect place to leave it. Syaoran placed his free hand over the hairs that were currently brushing her nose and placed them behind her ear. He felt her shiver slightly as he traced its outer edges to her earring.
"I hesitate to mention this," he chuckled realizing that he felt no such thing. "Today also finalizes the four months that I was stipulated to keep myself in check."
"I haven't forgotten," Sakura smiled into the material of his shirt, her nose rubbing against it before settling down again. "Although you haven't completely accomplished all of the stipulations."
"It'll only be a matter of days," Syaoran placed a light kiss on her forehead.
"I hope you have plans of showing me around your childhood haunts that I've heard so much about," Sakura opened one of her eyes lazily. "There'll be plenty of time for whatever you have planned for us."
"Go to sleep princess of mine," Syaoran reclined his seat further back, making sure not to disturb her relaxing frame.
"Good night, little wolf," she whispered before slipping into exhaustion.
Syaoran turned his head, observing her as long as his eyes could remain open. Sleep overtook him, the thought of the precious girl beside him prevalent in his thoughts.
"Well, I'm glad that's over and done with," Syaoran let out a deep breath as he came beside Sakura over the field he had taken her to the day before. He'd just spent the last two hours conversing with his elders, drawing the new papers and discussing his selection to satisfy the archaic system that was still present within his family.
"How did it go?" Sakura asked as soon as he sat down over the blanket she had laid out to sit on.
"It's almost pointless, but tradition is tradition," Syaoran turned to her, resting his head on his upturned hand. "It was just like Meiling told me. I presented the facts, discussed the decision and then later stayed to be lectured about the family's needs and what I needed to do to make sure I continued to uphold the clan's honor."
Sakura looked to his attire, "I didn't realize you dressed in your ceremonial clothes." She remembered seeing the green outfit on a few pictures that Syaoran had left lying around his photo albums of when he'd been 10 years old. He must have come directly from his dismissal.
"It's traditional," he shrugged it off. His fingers played around with the silk he felt embedded on the material as he stroked one of the sleeves. What his fingers loaned to touch was her face and the soft skin that it expanded. Sakura's hair fluttered to the wind as the breeze picked up speed and stopped abruptly. He was also sure his own was raging a battle that it could not win against the elements.
"Did you have to wear your sword?" she asked, her lips curving into a devilish smile.
"It wasn't that traditional," Syaoran smirked as he caught on to the meaning of her staring eyes. "I still can't believe you decided to poke fun at me with it yesterday."
"You enjoyed it," Sakura blushed as she remembered the events that had occurred the afternoon before on the empty training room Syaoran had shown her. She had started to use the sword he had taken from its place at the wall to allude to his own rising excitement. "I'm sure you love it when a woman handles your big, hard sword."
"Only if it's you love," Syaoran leaned forward, slipping one of his arms around her waist and pulling her over him. He rested his head against the hard earth, his hands framing her face. He brought her down slowly, his eyes boring into hers as she came closer.
"You're the only one that has ever managed to keep it," he pressed his lips to hers. Their eyes closed as their lips hovered, probed and played to their heart's content. Syaoran nibbled her bottom lip, his tongue slipping in between the parted haven and taking as much of her essence as he could. Their tongues touched, stretched, lovingly incited a response as their bodies shifted positions to their desired outcome.
"Your sword?" she asked, trying to clarify the double entendre that they had just begun to play with. They were still beginners at it, playing with words and managing to keep their sanity the last few months as they had tested their own strength and will to reaffirm their commitment to each other.
"Not completely," he winked, bringing her down for a hard and heavy hug. They lay there for a few minutes, just breathing each other's scent. Sakura felt his wandering hand place itself over the curve of her back, slipping into the gap in between her skirt and blouse to rest on her tailbone. It slipped further down, coming beneath her underwear and resting against her butt cheeks.
"Your benefits have been reinstated," Sakura murmured into his ear before lightly biting into the soft lobe. She felt him intake a deep breath, shuddering as she pressed her lower body to the appropriate places to elicit a response from him. "And so have mine love," she finished, taking the upper hand and pressing a deep kiss on his lips.
She was ravenous for him. The past few months had been killer on her own body as their bodies had primed and readied to only find relief under the cold water of a shower. She had learned a lot about self control from those encounters. More than she had her whole life before that.
In the end she had ended punishing herself as well as him.
He growled as she rubbed herself over his frame, feeling him stiffen as his hands accompanied hers in their pursuit of relief. They separated, their mouths hovering and lips a fraction of a centimeter away as they recovered the harsh breathing and the loud rush of blood dissipated little by little from their senses.
"I've been wanting to do this for a long time," Syaoran rubbed the tip of his nose against her, his right hand leaving her cheek for parts unknown as Sakura looked intently into his face.
"I know," Sakura meaningfully replied, her fingers playing with the bangs that were settled over his forehead. "I've missed this so much," she placed her lips on his once again.
This time it was drawn out and breathless. Their throbbing lips caressed, their teeth scraping and tracing their outer boundaries. Syaoran courted and pleaded with his tongue, triumphal as she opened her mouth at his request. Their tongues slipped into a dance as old as time in their touch, their movements, their desire to peak the shuddering emotions that were surfacing.
Sakura felt lightheaded, her body screaming for oxygen as she felt him slip away from their connection. They stayed in the position, her forehead lying at the side of his neck as they regained the motion over their limbs and functions. It was such a blissful sensation that felt as if an eternity had passed before they were able to move again in the desired patterns.
She felt him slip something into one of her hands as it lay limp by his side. Her fingers cradled the object, the texture unfamiliar to the tactical senses.
"This is what I've wanted to give you for what seems like an eternity," Syaoran led their entwined hands in between, rising to a sitting position and turning her. Sakura was nestled in between his legs as he settled his head over her right shoulder blade.
It was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
It was a box made of a material she could not identify. There were symbols and carvings over every little space of it, depicting little scenes that claimed her attention as she ran her fingers over the surface.
"What are these?" she asked him as she carefully observed each of the sides of the glimmering box. She wasn't entirely sure, but she could identify the glimmer in between the carvings to be of gold. It was intricate and almost simple at the same time.
"Here," Syaoran placed his hand bellow hers, leading it high to their eyelevel. Sakura gasped as a fusion of colors played over the small surface as Syaoran turned it against the light of the sun. Red, blue, green, yellow, black; all of the colors and combinations in between came to rest on the same image as he deliberately turned it from side to side slowly.
He cradled her as she gasped in delight at what appeared to be a moving picture. "I was fascinated with this as soon as my father showed it to me," Syaoran elaborated as he took his hand away and let her bring the object close to her eyes.
It was lightweight and easy to touch. Syaoran stared at her intently as Sakura marveled at every little corner of it. Her eyes were alight with curiosity as her body reacted the same way it always did when looking at a puzzle.
"What is it?" she finally asked as her eyes had drunk every little detail they could find on the piece of art she held in her hand. Syaoran chuckled as he knew her curiosity was at its peak. There was something to be said of Sakura's need to know everything that was around her.
"Why don't you find out?" he cryptically replied with a question himself, knowing that it would drive her further into the unknown. It was also useful to know your girlfriend very well, just as she did him. It was enjoyable to see that you could push their buttons and get a desired outcome without seeming to be manipulating it.
"Are you giving this to me?" she asked before her fingers grasped the light clasped at the side of the box. She held herself back as Syaoran merely nodded and placed a light kiss on her nape.
"Alright," Sakura smiled, letting her fingertips touch the outer ridges of the clasp, careful not to do something clumsy as she was prone to do. This was a too beautiful object to damage in any way. It was going to be one of her greatest' treasures.
The suspense was almost crippling as she let the clasp unsnap and carefully lifted the lid. Her hand came to rest at her lips as she let out a gasp of surprise. It was just as beautiful inside as it was outside. More so by the fact that it held a ring that glinted glaringly against the rays that bathed the countryside.
"I had the outline of the image drawn around a year ago," Syaoran's embrace was deeper, his arms tightening around her ribs as she turned her head to see his face.
The corner of her eyes saw his averting eyes, the deep amber eyes that stared meaningfully into the object inside the open box. "Our best artisan claimed the job of producing the carving," Syaoran stretched his arm to where the box rested against her lap. "This is you," he traced the outline of the blossoming flower that held the figure of a person. "And this is me," he pointed to the moon and the shadow of the wolf that was presented inside of it.
"Always watching over you." Syaoran managed to explain as he started to pull his hand away. Sakura grasped it quickly, letting it rest against her lap as her own offered warmth through her palm.
"Is this an engagement ring?" Sakura asked as soon as she felt that her voice had returned. It was husky, her throat tightening almost painfully as her eyes moistened. Her heartbeat increased its pace, a light flush appearing at her cheeks as he looked at her, his free hand coming to cradle her face.
"I knew the moment I saw you that you would be the only girl that I would love and want to have by my side for as long as I live," Syaoran felt almost like a fool for not doing it the right way. He had been so ecstatic by the fact that it had been ready that he had jumped the gun.
He should have waited for the moon and stars and the intimate dinner that was being prepared for them for the night. The candles would have added a sparkle to the night garden as the flowers bloomed and perfumed the atmosphere. Everything would have been perfect as he dropped to one knee, kissed her knuckles, and asked her to be his wife.
The best laid plans were interrupted as they usually came to be.
"This is a ring that has been in our family for centuries," Syaoran took it from its placeholder, his fingers tracing the circled band, his eyes taking in the prescious stones that decorated the bud, as he took her hand with his free one. Sakura gripped it almost painfully as an adoring smile took over her features.
She knew she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears. She didn't care for anything else that was going around the world as long as he looked at her with the longing and love that she saw in his eyes. He was the perfect half that made the light shine brighter, that let the sounds ring stronger, whose smile could bring her from the pits of despair and pull her into a brilliant world of lights.
"It's been passed down through the main line, given to the first born male at his sixteenth birthday," Syaoran felt her hand tremble as he started to slid the ring into her finger. Her smile was tremulous but joyful, with no doubt as to her feelings on the matter.
"I had wanted to do this right tonight," Syaoran looked down to her hand as he couldn't help but draw out the moment. "Everything was planned to the moment, but I couldn't help myself. I've wanted to give you this ring for so long."
"This is perfect," Sakura managed to say, her fingers bringing his face to her own. She placed a light kiss on his lips, a sniffle escaping as she radiantly smiled at him.
Syaoran blushed with the encouragement and then a realization. He was really going about this the wrong way completely. How could he have forgotten the most important question?
"Sakura," he waited until she looked from their joint hands to him. "I love you."
"I love you too," she interrupted, her blinking eyes letting a formal tear escape from them. Syaoran placed his thumb under it, brushing it away as he placed a kiss over the now wet skin.
"Will you marry me?" Syaoran held his breath as soon as the last word left his parted lips. He felt high-strung, his muscles stiff and the world frozen as he saw her open her mouth to formulate an answer. An anxiety filled his senses as the beat of his own heart droned out every other sound in the vicinity but her voice. It didn't matter that he was sure of what the answer would be. His body and mind couldn't actually accept it until he heard her response as clear as day.
"Yes!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. Sakura threw herself over him with such force that it sent them sprawling over the grass. They simply held each other, the momentous occasion heralding the need for their closeness. They held for dear life, never wanting to part from the sensation of each other's warmth.
A sigh from their lips brought alive the tempest that had raged just a few minutes before. Sakura stood away for a second as she discarded her blouse, her eyes never leaving his own. She started unbuttoning his clothing, letting him help with most of her clasps that she had never touched it before. It was a whirlwind, almost eternity, as she was able to set her scalding hands over his uncovered chest. She felt like crying in delight as his hands slipped in between their bodies and touched her intimately.
She was soaring with just a few strokes of his fingers, crying out his name as her body crumbled over the release. Her body returned to the world as his hand came to rest over her buttocks, tracing the skin and tantalizing her inner thighs with his own.
"I need you," she said desperately as she fumbled with his white pants. Syaoran took her hands in his, placing a kiss over them and laying them on the side of his head. He kissed her, distracting, flaming, revering as his practiced hands had the impediment off his body, joining the discarded clothing that piled to the side of the blanket.
He rolled her unexpectedly, the hunger for her almost overpowering her. Her hands entwined in between his hair as he lovingly kissed her collarbone, trailing kisses to her right breast.
Sakura arched into his mouth, groaning as his tongue flicked over her hardening nipple, and his teeth lightly tracing the mound as he took as much of it into his mouth and sucked over the pearly skin. He moved to the other, leaving one of his thumbs tracing and cradling the mound as he attended to the other.
"Syaoran," she gasped, his name escaping as he grinded his excitement against her core. He was completely naked, the sensation of his bare legs and erect member against her middle almost excruciating. His hand grasped the bunched material of her skirt around her waist and pulled downwards. He grasped the underwear, sliding it to bellow her knees as he moved from her breast to her bare stomach.
Sakura upper body arched upwards for a moment as ran his tongue over her navel, breathing heavily over her outer lips. She lifted her legs, letting him take the last piece of clothing that stood in their way from complete contact.
Sakura pulled him to her, pressing herself into his body as they murmured nonsensical nothings of affection and trust. Her hands came to rest over his backbone, the nails lovingly tracing each protrusion of his vertebrae. They came to rest on his tailbone, lightly pressing as she felt him enter her.
It was so slow, an involuntary spasm coursed through her body. "I love you, future Mrs. Li," Syaoran said before plunging in deep. They savored the feeling as he filled her completely, enraptured by the flashes of color that overtook their world.
"I love you, Mr. Li," was her reply as she regained her breath. Syaoran started to move as soon as he heard the words. He started slow, drawing out the sensations of their joining bodies, their hands grasping to hold them close as long as they could. The sensations pooled, pulling them in, holding them, releasing them into the light. Syaoran fell over Sakura spent as she cradled his head over her chest, giving refuge to his shallow breaths.
Syaoran gathered her into his arms as they lay spent over the blanket keeping her close; the light wind caressing their bodies, the singing breeze calling their names as the sun slipped further down and into the night. It was just a moment robbed from time.
Syaoran brought her left hand to his lips, pressing a kiss over the ring. They both watched as the array of precious stones changed colors as he brought the hand closer to his heart. Together they stayed, plunging into the moment and the happy memories that would be remembered.
"The wait wasn't so bad, now was it?" Sakura murmured as they shifted a bit, still entwined in their embrace. The presence of the ring on her finger blossoming a deep change inside of her.
"No," Syaoran readily agreed pulling her deeper, resting her head into his nape. "Everything that happened the last nine months was worth it just for this one moment."
A mischievous grin spread over Syaoran's features as he turned to her, placing his hands over her sides. "But I'm certainly glad I don't have to do through that again."
Sakura giggled as she felt his hands awaken her body once again. Their roaming fingers pressed and lingered over the spots that she was most sensitive to. Sakura let her own trace from his chest to his navel, her fingers brushing against the nestled hair before grasping his hardening member.
"Who knows?" she pulled him down, placing herself on top as Syaoran tried to recover his dizzying senses. "Are you going to be a good boy?"
Syaoran bit her over her shoulder, sinking in his teeth to mark her enough to leave he imprint but not hurt. He felt exhilarated as she returned the gesture, the imprint burning over his own skin. "As long as you don't mind the occasional bite."
"Of course not my little wolf," she slid her hand in between, grasping him tight. "As long as I can as well." Her eyes held a promise that brought shivers to his body, thoughts of everything but the present evaporating as they were pulled deeper into their seduction of their senses.
It was an afternoon of blissful ignorance from the outer world. The only ones that mattered were they and the future that shined brightly as they loved each other again and again.
The ring flashed against their skins, the stones shinning with the disappearing light. It's beautiful promise hummed with the couple, lingering softly as their future commenced with the night.
THE END
Um, I hate writing endings since I can't make myself wrap around that concept. Here it is anyhow. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank the 600+ readers that read every of my chapters. A special thank go to those 90+ that have me on your alerts since it's nice to feel wanted.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who reviewed and encouraged me each step of the way. Your thoughts and comments on the story helped a lot with the developing of this story. You know who you are and I bow to you.
I have several other works in progress so keep checking back. I'll be posting the second part of Leading the Blind as soon as I finish it, as well as the third and last part to Office Extracurricular. I can't believe you guys liked those stories so much but by popular requests they will be continued in this format.
More info on my other projects can be read on my profile. Please stop by if you're interested. And here it is, the end of this story.
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