[Cardcaptor Sakura] burning cathedral of the summer (Syaoran/Sakura)

[storypaint]

Title: burning cathedral of the summer
Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Length: 1339 words
Prompt: Cardcaptor Sakura, Syaoran/Sakura, With summer right around the corner, the stars always seemed to be the most beautiful.
Pairing: Syaoran/Sakura established; minor Touya/Yukito
Other: Written for arizonaicerose for the first round of help_japan. Thanks for donating, and I really hope you like this! PGish for some implications.

Excerpt: "I was just thinking," she said, still wearing that nostalgic little grin, "that the yukata I made you definitely wouldn't fit anymore. Should I make you a new one? I've been practicing my sewing with Tomoyo-chan. We made one for Onii-chan last year, and it was almost perfect. I had to let it out a little, though." She giggled, fingers tracing an absent pattern on the back of his neck. As if imparting a great secret, she stage-whispered, "I think Yuki-onii-chan has been feeding him too much. He's getting fat."

It had been Sakura's idea, not long after Syaoran had returned, to make Friday afternoons into their couple study sessions. This seemed sensible to her — she could always use more help with math, and she could correct Syaoran's Japanese essays in return. In practice, it wasn't actually working that well for Syaoran, not that he'd admit it. The problem was simple — he kept looking up and getting distracted by her adorable concentration, her excitement when she got a problem right, the pretty way her hair glowed in the late afternoon sunlight. He never accomplished much actual work. Luckily, she never noticed.

He had written three entire sentences of his history assignment before she shut a book with a particularly loud smack and he jumped in surprise, nearly falling out of the desk chair. She was working with her things spread all over the bed and had innocently offered to share the space, but he didn't think he could handle that without all the blood rushing to his face. That, and Touya would have a fit, and although he could totally take him, Syaoran had promised Sakura that he'd try to get along with Touya better. (Touya, for his part, continued the snide remarks and sideways glances that he always did. His stubbornness could not be curtailed by Sakura's green eyes.) So he kept that distance necessary to avoid most blushing and worked at her desk instead, but sudden movements still made him jumpy. He just couldn't toss out years of training or his hyperawareness of her presence.

Sakura rolled over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "Do you remember that festival we went to, Syaoran-kun? At the Tsukimine Shrine?" she said, tone dreamy.

He nodded swiftly and she smiled at him, upside-down.

"They're having another one this year," she continued. "Do you want to go again?"

"Of course," he said, smiling just a little in return.

She rolled off her bed and approached him, and before he could protest, her fingers traced a line across his shoulderblades. He shivered and craned his neck around further to look at her, curious. He wasn't exactly in a position to get up and hug her, if that's what she wanted — she was standing too close behind his chair.

"I was just thinking," she said, still wearing that nostalgic little grin, "that the yukata I made you definitely wouldn't fit anymore. Should I make you a new one? I've been practicing my sewing with Tomoyo-chan. We made one for Onii-chan last year, and it was almost perfect. I had to let it out a little, though." She giggled, fingers tracing an absent pattern on the back of his neck. As if imparting a great secret, she stage-whispered, "I think Yuki-onii-chan has been feeding him too much. He's getting fat."

Syaoran wanted to laugh and instead bit his lip before reaching up to grab her hand in his.

"I think it's my turn, don't you think?" he said softly. She beamed.

"Would you really? Oh, that would be so romantic!" She pressed her free hand to her heart.

"When is it?" he asked, just a little late, hoping it wouldn't be so soon that he'd really have to scramble.

"In a month. The heart of summer," she said. "The stars are always so bright then..." She trailed off.

Syaoran knew summer was her favorite season, and not just because of the time off school. There was something about the nearness of the summer sky that made her magic more powerful, strange as that was. After all, there was less night in that season. She told him something about the way that it concentrated and flowed through her hands and a bit of explanation that she'd gotten from Eriol. Honestly, he didn't really understand either of them. He suspected that was on purpose, from Eriol, but quite simply put, Sakura just had different magic than Syaoran did. Her methods and strengths would never quite match with his (and her power would always be stronger), but they fit well together. It was a comforting thing.

"In a month, then," he said. "Did you finish your math? Should I check it?"

"Oh! Yes," she said, turning to get her notebook and nearly tripping over the chair leg. He hid his smile. She might never be graceful, but he'd never get tired of catching her when she slipped.

He was working through her problems when she spoke up again. She'd crossed the room to pick up some of Kero's video games that he'd left out, mumbling about the messiness of her sun guardian, but she stopped with a controller in hand and asked, "What did you do with that old yukata, anyway?"

"Kept it," he said, almost surprised that she'd asked. "Although my sister's kid wore it once. My mother said it had so many well-wishes sewn into it that to not use it would be a waste, but I was afraid they'd tear it."

She blinked, surprised. He blushed and looked down at the book as he said, "I thought we might find some use for it someday."

"It is too small — oh."

Now Sakura was blushing too. The sudden tension in the room was broken when someone slammed a door downstairs loudly. They both jumped.

"I'm home!" Touya called very pointedly up the stair. Yukito's voice was right behind his, although more more cheerful. Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"Your brother's come to check on us again," he said. "Doesn't he have work?"

"He gets off early on Fridays," Sakura said, shrugging, "for some reason."

Syaoran thought he knew the reason, but any sharing of his dark idea would have to wait, as Sakura clattered down the stairs to greet them.

*

If Syaoran was honest, a month was not really that long of a time to make an entire yukata, not if you did it properly. And he wanted it to be perfect for her, and he hadn't really done much sewing in a long time. Repairs were one thing, but this was different. Luckily, when he'd called Tomoyo, she'd squealed about the sweetness of the act, and agreed to help him as long as she could have some opportunity to videotape. he couldn't really decline. And in any case, Tomoyo was really one of his closest friends, besides Sakura. He was long used to her eccentricities.

With Tomoyo's help, the task became much easier, as she prevented him from making mistakes and pulling stitches. He was done in plenty of time for the festival, and the look in Sakura's eyes when he presented the yukata to her was a look he'd never forget. The stars were shining in those eyes, and he didn't care how silly that sounded.

When she was dressed, a vision in light blue, he took her hand and escorted her down to the festival, remembering the circumstances of the first time. They paused on the path outside of the shrine and looked up at the sky together. Sakura leaned fondly on Syaoran's arm. The stars were bright pinpoints in the velvet darkness. The moon was a waning crescent, but Syaoran could feel its comfortable pull on his own magic.

"I still feel small," she said. "Isn't that silly?"

He shook his head.

"The universe is a very big place," he said solemnly. "And to think that in all of that, I managed to find you. That must have been a very lucky yukata."

"Oh, Syaoran-kun, you tease," she said, laughing, although she leaned up to kiss his cheek. He took her in his arms for a moment, hands on her waist, and they just looked at each other.

"Come on," she said softly. "Let's go in."

He nodded, pulling away enough to take her hand again, and together they walked into the loud cheer of the festival, two bright specks among many. It was rather like the stars in the sky: they shone with their own light.