Chapter revised as of October 09 2010.
Going over this, I made so many mistakes! /shame] I tried my best to not add too much stuff, in case some people don't re-read.
-x-
Sakura ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She was out of breath, but she couldn't stop. She had to see him. "Syaoran!" she screamed out.
A figure turned. "Sakura…" he breathed softly. "Syaoran! Don't leave, stay here! Please… I... I love you…" she stammered. She looked up at him, pleading.
"I'm… I'm sorry, Sakura. I can't return those feelings…" he whispered back. He covered his face so she couldn't see his pained expression.
"Syaoran… just stay… I don't care if you don't like me just stay!" she said quietly, yet forcefully. Syaoran did not give in.
"Goodbye, Sakura," he replied, as he kissed her on the cheek. He walked to board the plane, without glancing back at Sakura, who has kneeling on the ground, betrayed by who she thought loved her.
-x-
"Sakura? Are you home?" called Fujitaka from the kitchen. Sakura didn't reply, but ran up the stairs and slammed the door to her bedroom.
"Sakura! What's the matter with you!" asked Kero. Sakura went straight past him, not even bothering to look at him.
She buried her face in her pillow and cried. No matter how hard she tried, the tears wouldn't stop flowing. She felt empty, alone. After a while, she fell asleep. But while she slept, she dreamt of Syaoran.
Another hour passed, and Sakura awoke. Remembering where she was, and the day's events, she could not hold back the tears that involuntarily fell down her face.
"Knock-knock, can I come in?" called her brothers voice. Sakura didn't reply. Touya took this as a yes, and opened the door.
His eyes widened as he took in the scene before him. He'd never seen his sister in such a state. It seemed Kero was at a loss as well; he didn't bother hiding the fact he was alive, and not just a plush toy.
"It was that boy, Li Syaoran, wasn't it," Touya spat. But hearing his name only made Sakura cry harder. "I'm going to beat him so bad he'll wish he never came to Japan," he vowed, as he stood up from the bed.
Sakura grabbed his shirt and tried to pull him back. "H-he's gone b-back to H-Hong Kong," she managed choke out. There was a silence, with neither of them knowing what to say.
"Onii-chan!" she cried suddenly, hugging him tightly. Touya looked down at his sister, and swore that he would kill Li Syaoran the next time he sat foot in Japan.
-x-
8 Years Later -
"Tomoyo! Eriol! Meiling!" shouted Syaoran from across the road. He crossed the road and ran up to the coffee shop.
"It's been what, seven years?" he grinned. Eriol and Meiling smiled.
"Eight, actually," corrected Eriol.
"Welcome back to Japan, Li-san," said Tomoyo. She didn't seem to be smiling at him. Syaoran wondered what was up with her. He looked around, and noticed that there were only four chairs, for the four of them.
"Where's Sakura?" he asked, puzzled. According to the look on their faces, Sakura seemed to be a touchy subject. After an awkward silence, someone finally said something.
"Sakura-chan's… gone," Meiling said quietly. There was an awkward silence.
"…Gone? What do you mean, gone? Is she… dead?" he said quietly, wondering why he hadn't heard of this. But none of them answered his question, and they continued to talk as if he'd never asked.
"So, Li-kun, you're here for your family business?" asked Eriol.
"Yes, we're going to check out Hikari TV Studios, we're interested in doing some sponsorship for them," he explained. He noticed that as he said this, he got some funny expressions from his three friends. Noticing this, he was about to ask 'what the hell is up with you three today? Did something happen while I was gone?' but was cut off, again.
"Hikari TV," Tomoyo said bluntly. "I see."
-x-
"Ah, Li-sama, please come in! We are waiting for you," called the manager of Hikari TV. Syaoran was ushered into an elevator, and the manager began to talk.
"Here at Hikari TV, we have a variety of events, TV shows and broadcasts that would no doubt be pleasing to you. I am the manager, Matsuno Yuiki," he started. He talked more on the subject as they walked around the building, with Syaoran one-quarter listening and three-quarters thinking about what to eat for dinner. The two of them stopped in front of a large overlooking glass. It was overseeing some model shoots.
"Li-sama, I take it you have heard of Miss. Ichiro Akai?" he asked, smiling at him. The mention of this name caught his attention. Heard of her? Syaoran was a fan.
"Ah, you mean, the Miss. Ichiro Akai? The one that does your, well, 'modeling' here at Hikari TV?" he asked, trying to hide a smile. Ichiro Akai wasn't just a model. She was an international celebrity, with her gorgeous looks and not to mention her, well, somewhat naughty clothing shoots.
"Yes," said Matsuno, his smile now a grin. Syaoran thought his grin looked more like the grin of a pervert, but he kept to himself.
"Look, her photo shoot is starting," he said, nudging the glass. Syaoran watched as the model made a variety of poses, from standing up to lying down seductively. Syaoran watched as she removed her bra and underwear, and stood in a sexy pose while professionally covering her privates. Being 19 years old and still somewhat immature, Syaoran stared at her slim legs and large breasts.
"Would you like to meet Miss Akai? It would be our pleasure to let you," said Matsuno, obviously trying to win Syaoran's favour. Oblivious, Syaoran couldn't believe his luck.
"To meet her, face to face? I would be most honoured," said Syaoran, as he was led to a door.
"Yes, I like those photos. I particularly like this dress, I wouldn't mind modeling it again sometime," said Ichiro Akai. Her voice was soft and feminine, but to Syaoran's discerning ears, he sensed a hint of sourness, as if she'd been in an argument just minutes before.
"Akai-sama, this here is Li Syaoran, the future head of the Li Corporate Business. He is interested in sponsoring Hikari TV, come and shake his hand," said Matsuno.
Ichiro Akai froze. She stood frozen to the spot. Her head raised slightly, and Syaoran could see her glaring at Matsuno.
'Maybe Matsuno offended her somehow,' thought Syaoran. 'I guess I'll be the one to make introductions', and he started to walk towards her. But it seemed as if Syaoran was the one she was mad at. The closer he got to her, the more she seemed to tremble and quake.
When Syaoran got right up to her, he saw her beauty. He saw her slender body, and her long flowing hair that went down to her hips. She turned away slightly, as if she was ashamed to be in front of him.
She sent off some sort of… familiarity. She reminded him of someone.
'Hold on… it couldn't be… could it?' thought Syaoran, his eyes widening. He moved an arm to clear her fringe off her face. He saw those green eyes staring back at him, hurt and hatred reflecting from them.
Syaoran backed away a few paces, and dropped the papers he was holding.
"S-Sakura?"he whispered.
-x-
[Reviews! REVIEWS! I NEED MORE REVIEWS! They're like, a necessity for me to keep writing! Updated this chapter to improve the layout because some people were complaining about it. /3
~ Moyo-chanx3]
^That A/N was already there. Um, new A/N, I haven't changed much from the original chapter, but I fixed a few spelling mistakes and added a few bits of dialogue.