Words Don't Come Easy

Chapter 8: Running Partners

The sound of impatient steps bounced off the walls in the empty classroom. Syaoran and Ryuu had arrived early again and it was all thanks to the former's busy schedule. Syaoran paced up and down at the front of the classroom, his hand idly scrolling through the emails and messages he had received overnight. Ryuu was seated at his designated table and had been working on a drawing since they arrived 15 minutes earlier. Every now and then, Syaoran would glance down at his watch and follow the second-hand ticking around the platinum-plated circle.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can help you with, Li-san?" Chiharu asked. She was sitting at the teacher's desk, working on some of the files before class started.

Syaoran's gaze drifted from his watch over to where she was sitting. A kind smile spread across his face.

"I'm almost certain, Mihara-san. I came here to see Kinomoto-san," he replied. "She won't be too much longer, will she?"

Chiharu checked the clock above the whiteboard on the wall and shook her head. "Uh, no. She should be here in around five minutes."

"I'll wait then, thank you," Syaoran said.

Chiharu gave him a polite smile and continued to shuffle the papers she had on her desk. One would think that a first-grade teacher wouldn't have much work to do, but they were in for a surprise.

Syaoran strolled over to Ryuu's table and plopped onto the chair beside his son. He shifted sideways, trying to find a comfortable position but it was to no use. The chair was too small for a man of his size. His legs were so far bent that the bottom of his chin was nearly resting on his knees. He adjusted himself for a couple more seconds but eventually gave up. He crossed his arms over the tops of his knees and watched Ryuu draw.

"What are you drawing?" Syaoran asked. His eyes narrowed at the paper on the table as he tried to decipher what was on it.

His question was met with no response. It stalled in the air until it became clear that Ryuu wasn't going to answer it. Only the sound of Ryuu's pencil gliding across the paper could be heard.

"Ryuu," Syaoran said with a firm tone. "It's impolite to ignore someone when they ask you a question."

Ryuu slowly turned his head to face his father. His big amber-coloured eyes blinked once.

"It's nothing."

Syaoran huffed at the response and leaned back in the tiny chair. He wasn't going to test his luck with Ryuu any further today. The young boy wasn't used to having him around all the time and he made it blatantly clear that he didn't like it. But this is all the stuff Eriol used to do and now he had to do it until he was back. Only one question remained, when was Eriol coming back?

The classroom door swung wide open and Syaoran's eyes flashed in that direction instantly. Much to his disappointment, it wasn't Sakura walking through the door. Instead, it was a young girl around Ryuu's age. A classmate he assumed. The young girl's eyes were directly on Syaoran as she approached the table.

"Good morning, Ryuu-kun!" the girl said cheerfully.

"Hello Hana-chan," Ryuu replied but he didn't bother to look up from his drawing.

Syaoran's eyes flickered between the two children. The toothy grin that overtook the girl's face and Ryuu's rose-tinted cheeks didn't go unnoticed. He bit back a smile as the young girl sat down across from him. Syaoran placed his phone on the table and leaned forward to capture Hana's attention.

"Good morning, are you Ryuu's friend?" Syaoran asked, his voice was warm and inviting.

Hana turned her attention to Syaoran now. She gave him the same smile that she had given Ryuu only moments before.