CardCaptor Sakura: "Be Serious, Yamazaki" (Chiharu/Yamazaki)
Title: Be Serious, Yamazaki
Fandom: CardCaptor Sakura
Characters/Pairings: Chiharu/Yamazaki, Chiharu Mihara, Takashi Yamazaki, Sakura Kinomoto
Rating: PG
Narrative: Chiharu's POV, third person
Genre: Romance, Humour
Length: One-shot
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I do not own CardCaptor Sakura
Author's Note: I majorly prefer the Japanese version, opposed to 'Cardcaptors', so any stories based in this fandom will be from CardCaptor Sakura.
Summary: Chiharu wishes that, even just for once, Yamazaki would be serious.
The breeze was slightly rougher than she would have liked, but it would sustain her for now. Chiharu threw her head back and gazed up at the sky. It was quiet, peaceful. Normally she would not be one for the silence, but today, she wanted to relax a bit.
Yamazaki had been driving her up the wall recently. He was supposed to be her boyfriend. Yet he was never romantic, or even the slightest bit serious. At all. All he did was lie, joke… sometimes, it was too much. She acted like his antics were just mildly annoying, that she was used to it by now, however, that was not the case. She thought he would have matured. By now, it should be different. All this time she’s been with him, she thought it would pass; he would mature, his lies would end. Yet, here they were, years later, and nothing has changed.
A light frown declared reign over her features as she became absorbed in thought. Why couldn’t he serious? Just for once? Did he truly not see how much it hurt her, that all he did was joke? Did he not know her at all? He was Chiharu’s oldest friend; she had known him for so long. They knew everything about each other. Their favourite colour, their birthday, favourite food…How could two people know so much about each other, yet not know each other at all?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a high squeal of “Hoe?” that, no doubt, was emitted by Chiharu’s friend, Sakura Kinomoto. She often squealed in this way when surprised or scared. Chiharu reluctantly raised herself off her comfortable bed of grass to discover the source of the commotion. Her scowl deepened when her eyes found it. Yamazaki. What a surprise. Probably telling one of his infamous lies. Chiharu sometimes pitied the gullible Sakura, who was always taken in by Yamazaki’s tales. Chiharu heaved herself to her feet and marched over to Yamazaki.
“…and then the elephant would sing a rousing chorus…” Yamazaki stood directly in front of Sakura as he displayed a piece of unbelievable fiction as fact to an innocent audience.
“Hai, hai!” Chiharu sighed, and grasped Yamazaki’s arm. “Let’s go.” Although she was dragging Yamazaki away from the scene, he did not falter in his story.
“…joined by the local Church choir.”
Chiharu was despairing slightly that, even after walking around the school three times, Yamazaki had not once paused in the telling of his tale. When they again reached the pond, Chiharu stopped walking. Yamazaki stopped with her, yet this was not enough for him to give up talking.
“…And then one prisoner would be released a year, to demonstrate…”
“Yamazaki!” Chiharu squealed. He paused for a second. Chiharu smiled a little; she was thankful for this small mercy. “Can’t you be serious?” Yamazaki seemed taken aback, but his surprise did not hold him back for long.
“Let me tell you about being serious, long ago-” This was too much for her. She felt, what was it, anger rising up inside her. Anger? At Yamazaki? She had often been frustrated, annoyed, even a little upset, but not angry.
“Yamazaki-kun!” She cried a again, louder this time. Yamazaki abruptly turned to look at Chiharu properly. She did not meet his gaze, but even so, he could see them. Tears. Beginning to form at the brims of her eyelids. She couldn’t control them, they began to flow. She wanted to stop, but she couldn’t.
“Chiharu-chan?” Yamazaki whispered, although it was so quiet and soft that Chiharu could have imagined it.
“I just want you to be serious!” She stuttered angrily through her tears. What happened next caught Chiharu off-guard. Yamazaki slipped his hand into hers. This simple action had been performed between the two of them on many occasions, yet this time it was different. He grasped her hand with such urgency that forced her to look up and meet his eyes. However, this only made her cry harder, and he bundled her up into his arms, while not surrendering his hold on her hand. His free hand caressed her head carefully. She sobbed into his shoulder, for a few seconds, a few minutes…she didn’t know how long. When her sobs began to quiet down, Yamazaki moved back from her, and brought his face close to hers, his hand still entwined with hers.
“Chiharu.” He stated firmly, to get her attention. She ceased her sobs to stare back at him. “Remember when you gave me that bear?” Oh yes. She remembered well. When you gave someone a bear, if they named it after you then it meant the two would love each other forever. She had given him a bear. He had named it suomi. After a food. So much for love. She scowled, and attempted to move away from him, but his grip on her hand was too tight.
“I just wanted you to know,” He said calmly, as calmly as she had ever heard him speak. “I named the bear Chiharu, not suomi.”
Chiharu stopped moving, and turned to him. She studied his face; no trace of a lie. He smiled warmly, slightly uncertainly, as an attempt to reassure her. To her dismay, it worked. It always worked. But, this time, she had reason to be happy. He had been serious. He did care for her. At this, she smiled back at him. In relief, Yamazaki’s smile grew, as he stood upright and moved to stand at her side.
“Well, shall we go to class? I have a feeling that we’re late.” Yamazaki grinned at her, and she nodded. They began to walk together, their hands sill entwined together.
“Do you know the first person who was ever late? It was back in the Edo era…” Yamazaki began, but was cut off by Chiharu giving him a light shove on the shoulder, yet smiling all the same.
“Hai, hai.”