Feathered (Eriol/Sakura)

[storypaint]

Title: Feathered
Author/Artist: rhap_chan
Pairing: Hiiragizawa Eriol/Kinomoto Sakura
Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Theme: 22. flying without wings
Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.

Summary: He saw her fly, and thus he fell.

HOPE is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all.
--Emily Dickinson

He created guardians with butterfly wings this time, almost an act of defiance. He loved feathers, but these two had to be different than Clow's. They had to be his. And Eriol also appreciated butterflies.

Still, she took his breath away when she said her little prayer and took to the sky, winged. Sakura, an angel, determined to complete the task. It was almost enough to distract him from the goal.

Ruby said his name, and she had to say it twice before he answered. He was watching her dart through the air, full of heart and light and dreams. He knew she wouldn't have any problem with the final test. That girl could conquer anything, and without the bitterness Clow developed early on (like his own bitterness at a life he was only given to fulfill someone else's dream).

It was time to dart away into the shadows, Ruby told him. To stick around would only be to risk discovery.

He understood, and they left, but that night he sat in Clow's chair and replayed the evening again in his mind. Her utter trust in the cards was amazing. Sakura was amazing.

Clow had given her the ability to fly, an ability he rarely used himself (he had no need), but in his heart Eriol knew she could fly without wings, and that was when he began to fall for her.