The main notes are below the text of the fic. This fic May Also Be Found at my fan fiction site, .:borrowed dreaming:..
BTW, if I find out that this fic -- or ANY of my fics -- are *anywhere* BUT FF.net, the CLAMP Fics Archive, my site, or any other site that I have given permission to, I will be Very Annoyed.
Enjoy! ^_^
-- suppi-chan
Art Class
Art class. Syaoran didn't care about it one way or the other, but it was ok. Somethimes they got to work in groups, and he could work with Sakura and look at her face instead of the back of her neck -- not, he amended, that there was anything wrong with her neck. It was long and slender and wisps of auburn hair fell down it. Sometimes she moved her head and her hair would dance -- if he thought about it anymore, he was going to burn up blushing. But he liked it when he could see her jade eyes or watch her concentrate on something, her dark lashes sweeping down over her eyes, the fine line of her brows furrowing, or listen to her sweet voice chatter on -- there he went blushing again.
So all and all, art class wasn't so bad. He was competent at it, like everything else [well, except maybe Japanese, but that wasn't his fault. And he was getting better], so it wasn't hard. It was kind of fun to draw.
"Today," said the teacher, "we're going to do a free assignment."
Everyone looked interested at that, except for the few plodders who prefered to have everything mapped out for them.
"Everything is going to do a picture of something you like the most, in any media you want, ok?"
"OK!" Even the plodders looked animated.
The thing he liked best?
Tomoyo had it easy. All she had to do was draw a picture of Sakura, and nobody would bat an eyelash. He couldn't do that. He couldn't bear to be so open with his feelings, to tell the world something so dear to his heart.
Well... he liked peonies. Pretty pink peonies, like his sisters wore in their hair. They used to heap great bunches of them in bowls around the house. He liked practicing with his sword and running. He liked chocolate and dimsum. He picked up a pencil and doodled, but he didn't know what to draw.
"What are you drawing, Tomoyo-chan?" whispered Sakura.
Syaoran could have recited her reply with her. "Sakura-chan, of course!"
He watched with interest as an enormous bead of sweat rolled slowly down her head. "T-Tomoyo-chan -- aren't there more interesting things to draw than --"
"There's nothing so cute and wonderful and interesting as Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said [and Syaoran, very quietly, mouthed].
"Eh-heh-heheheheheh-heh...," weakly. Sakura looked slightly more traumatized than usual, as well she should. These pictures were going on the bulletin board.
"Um, Syaoran-kun, what are you drawing?" Sakura had the air of someone who was hoping that the next person she talked to would rescue her from the last.
"I dunno," he said. There was a way she turned her head -- his pencil moved without concious thought. Her eyelashes sweeping down -- the pencil was skidding across the paper as if possessed. "Maybe peonies." Maybe cherry blossoms. A crown of them, in her hair...
"I'll probably draw a cherry tree," said Eriol. "I love cherry blossoms." He smiled at Sakura, who blinked at him.
Syaoran would have loved to have his hands around Eriol's throat. Fortunately they were busy with pencil and paper -- he looked down at what he was drawing.
Sakura smiled up at him, cherry blossoms in her hair. She was dressed in a cheongsam, and holding rose peonies. He looked at it for another second, blushed violently, and took the sheet off the pad. He should throw it away.
Tomoyo tapped him on the shoulder and passed him a note. I want a copy. He turned even redder, but he put the picture in his desk and nodded.
He still didn't have a picture, though. He thought for another moment, and began to draw, only stopping to get colored pencils.
Eriol had carried through on his threat of drawing a cherry tree in blossom, and Tomoyo, impervious to the anguished looks Sakura sent her, had drawn her in a pink dress with more lace and ribbon than Syaoran had ever seen in his life. Sakura had drawn a white rabbit surrounded by cherry blossoms.
"I think Li's picture deserves the place of honor," said the teacher.
"It's cute!" said Sakura. "I like it."
Eriol leaned over. "A good picture," he said quietly, "but a terrible pun."
Syaoran blushed and bent to his work, and pretended not to see the approving look Tomoyo sent him.
On the bulletin board, a wolf cub in a green collar lay in a peony bed. His nose touched his front paws, which held a sprig of cherry blossoms and he watched them with wistful attention, all through the day.
This was written during a blinding migraine because Admin-sama [of [email protected]] was threatening to kick the lot of us off the list if he didn't see a lot of Sap Fics for White Day [March 14, 2000 - msk]. Unfortunately, he didn't think to contend with finals. =P
Anyway, this was an idea that I'd been kicking round for a while, and what with Recent Developments in Nakayoshi [gonna get it or kill Brandon trying! ^_-] I didn't feel like doing the future fic I had planned, which was a pity because it promised to be even more goopy than this one. =P [And it still hasn't been written. ;_; Even though I know how the manga ends now --msk, 8/23/00]
Comments and crits, as per usual, are eagerly solicited.
