I promised you your forever

Seldomwise

Chapter One

Remember when you were a kid; there'd be a time when you say to your parents that you've found a new friend – only for them to realize that you've come up with one of those – the imaginaries. I had one when I was kid. But I always knew that he was different from what others have.

When I first met him, he looked older than me – I guessed he was in his teens for he looked just about the age of my older brother who was midway his high school years. At first I thought he was some neighbor and he was very nice – always playing with my dog Champloo, he always had that nice smile in his face and would greet me with a wave every time he sees me peaking outside the window.

There was a time when I got stuck from an abandoned yard because of the rain, cornered by two nasty, ruthless dogs barking at me, ready to attack in a second. But just as one jumped down to tackle me, he came out of no where and saved me. Little I was, I never really knew what happened, I knew the dog was going to attack, but in no more than a second, I was standing by our house – no dogs, no yard, only him in front of me obviously soaking wet from all the rain.

After that, I would anticipate him from my window – running towards the door when I see him pass by. He would play with me and Champloo every afternoon and wave goodbye just before dusk. It became a routine which lasted for about some months before I went ahead and introduced my new friend to my family.

My Dad and brother were ecstatic that I was going to bring home a friend they were a little worried about how I do not socialize in school as the teachers said to them – I was the quiet one, the loner. They thought it was something to do with me having lost my Mom in such an early age. Somehow, me bringing my friend and introducing him to my family just added to their conviction. The psychologist whom they sought out help for me told them one thing – an Imaginary friend.

I didn't really understand what imaginary and real was when I was young, I thought, perhaps they didn't want me to play with him anymore because he was older than I am. But still, he's the only friend I have and with that as an exception, I break the rules to see him.

The psychologist told Dad that I'll be forgetting about him in a few years time, and in the meantime, she asked to have sessions with me every other week. I found it tiresome and irrelevant – her trying to know what I was thinking and pushing me to forget my friend. So, after some months, I hid the fact that he exists anymore. They became relaxed as time goes by, telling each other that it was just a phase that I have just gone through.

I was a little older when I realized what Imaginary Friends were. But I was still confused, up until a few years later, when I was in high school – I had friends. And high school students with friends don't have Imaginary Friends. A normal seventeen year old would have no such thing.

So does he still exist? I have theories, qualms. I still remember the first day I saw him, my little mind back then had instilled it in my memories, perhaps it was easier to remember because he looked the same, for ten years I have known him. He looked as old as my brother back when he was in high school, he looked as old as me now that I'm in high school.

I knew he was no ghost, not imaginary either, but there's something about him that makes me think that there's something beyond all this. It wouldn't be really normal to be seeing a person while others don't see him altogether now, doesn't it?

My name is Sakura Kinomoto and my average peaceful and glum life turned a full three hundred sixty degrees one Monday morning.

They looked like something I cannot describe, ethereal maybe. They were pale, paler than the moon light, but they were beautiful. I cannot seem to define their existence. They looked like angels, more realistically speaking they were like those models in the billboard ads you see while driving in the city. People seemed to have the same thought for they too were in awe to actually have reactions as the teacher introduced them to us.

The girl was in one word elegant, I never saw any eyes like hers, it was in deep shade of purple – amethyst maybe. And her hair tumbled through her back in the same deep shade as her eyes. She stood like a perfect runway model, lithe and steady. Chin help up in a straight line as her eyes scanned through the room. When her eyes caught mine I suddenly felt the chills. I don't know why, but with that serious face of hers – lips turned in a flat straight line and her eyes boring into mine, it caught me thinking about how looks could really kill.

"Kinomoto, raise your hand," The teacher's voice round me off her penetrating gaze, only to realize that Sensei wanted either one of them seated beside me. I was relived when the guy turned towards me and sat at the chair on my right.

The guy smiled at me, he too – like the girl has that weird colored eyes and the same hue of hair, but all the more it gave him the impression of something so extraordinarily gorgeous. They felt the same, for some reason, almost the same shade of hair and eyes, the same pale skin, the same lithe body that felt like they were flying and gliding as they walked. But unlike the girl, he felt friendly enough.

"Hi, I'm Eriol, as you may have heard already," he chuckled almost as if he found something funny, "Sakura Kinomoto right?" he asked as he slide to his seat and face me – not even bothered that the teacher had resumed his lessons.

"Don't talk to her Eriol," a hiss from the other side of the room. Looking up I saw the girl glaring at me, a good 5 seats away from me, "I don't like her." She hissed again. Sensei and the others don't seem to hear her though, and her tone of voice felt venomous but she said it as if I wasn't even able to hear her.

"Stop it Tomoyo," Eriol said, as he shot him the same intensity of glare she had on me. I didn't even see their mouths move. Or was I really imagining things? Like how people say that I imagine friends out of the blue.

I decided to listen intently on the lecture, doing my best not to look at her and not to be bothered at her still unwavering intense gaze.

People from other countries sure are weird.

"I'm home," I mouthed as I enter my bedroom, and as if on cue, my imaginary friend appeared out of no where. "Syaoran!" I exclaimed, "Don't do that! I almost had a heart attack." I held my chest to exaggerate a little.

My imaginary friend - Syaoran Li is his name and for the past years since I started high school, he'd been hanging around my room more than I would have. I have accepted the fact that no one besides me can see him, and it was really a convenience than I would have thought. As usual, he'd be here once I open my bedroom door, and leave just before dusk. He said it was work, but I hardly think that someone who is invisible to others would need work or find one for that matter.

He was sporting that same black tattered clothes I've met him in, he hardly change, or doesn't really, maybe he had many of the same set of clothes in his drawer, I don't really know, and as I said earlier, it's not like people would see. I mean, I would, but that doesn't really count.

"How was your day?" He asked, as he sat on my window sill, both were a habit I didn't even try changing. He'd ask me the same question every day when I get home from school and I would always reply in the same dull manner.

But today, I just felt the urge to tell him about the two transfer students who'd graced me with their weirdness. "There were two transferees today," I began, as I dropped my bag in the corner of my bed and sat beside it. "They were so beautiful. Are people from England really pale? Because they're really, really pale… as if their color was sucked out from them. The guy seemed friendly, though the girl was really rude."

I scowled at the thought of her, "She glared at me the whole day and kept on telling the guy, Eriol, to not talk to me. I mean, come on, I was there and I can hear her perfectly! Talk about being rude."

We talked and like always, he helped me in my homework, and this is why I said it was a convenience that he's here. Invisible or not, he's pretty good at math and English – two of my most hated subjects.

Before I knew it, he was getting ready to leave, "I'll be going now," Syaoran said, as he stood up from the floor where some of my books were scattered, "Just do what I told you and you'll be fine with that Trigonometry of yours." I nodded, and before I knew it, he was gone.

There were really no goodbyes or see you laters, it was something we didn't do as a habit, Syaoran would just say that he'll go and I'll nod and he'll be gone before I can even blink.

"Good Morning Sakura!" Eriol greeted and waved at me as soon as I enter the room. People usually come later than me, but Tomoyo and Eriol were earlier than I was. I looked around and saw her in her seat, face already scowling and eyes narrowing in a glare in such an early morning.

I sighed before I gave Eriol a cheery smile and waved back. Seriously, what's the matter with her? I can practically feel her glare drilling open my back as I walk towards my seat. I didn't even do anything to offend her – she was already glaring at me the moment I laid eyes on her.

"So, how was your night?"

"Why do you even bother talking to her?"

"Shut up, Tomoyo."

Seriously, why do they suddenly talk as if I'm not here? Not to mention that they talk as if I can't possibly hear them. They're talking so loud, and inJapanese. If they really don't want me to hear they should talk in English. That girl is really getting in my nerves.

"Me and my sister, Tomoyo, went and watch a movie downtown yesterday." Eriol said to me, as if our conversation wasn't cut by her.

Wait, did he just say, "Sister?" I asked all too sudden, I could tell that I had this astonished look in my face – he was looking quite amused by it, by the way. "But your last names aren't the same."

Eriol chuckled, "Yeah, she and I are step-siblings, we have the same mother, different fathers." He explained without skipping a beat. It's like he's used to explaining that reason, he sure knew how to practice it.

Another piercing glare from her and I swear I'll strangle her till she looses her eyes. However pretty and alluring they may be. I cracked a smile, "Oh, I never noticed that,"

A hiss.

"Stupid,"

"Stop it Tomoyo,"

"What! It's not like she can hear!"

I can hear perfectly fine you wicked girl, I gritted my teeth.

"It doesn't matter Tomoyo, that's very rude."

Another glare from her – she's really testing my patience.

"I don't care Eriol, I hate her!"

"The feeling's mutual, freak." I murmured in my gritted teeth. Both of them looked up – Eriol was fairly surprised, Tomoyo on the other hand, well, I can tell she was surprised too, but her hatred was more intense than her surprise.

"Did you say something, Sakura?" Eriol asked, all smiles. I knew they heard me, is he that polite to pretend that he didn't hear anything? Their surprise was long gone, that was when I realized that whatever they were talking about wasn't something I was meant to hear, and I knew that Eriol would ponder over this fact later. I can see it in his eyes.

"I think I forgot my homework," I said rather abruptly causing Eriol to blink at me.

"But Sakura, the teachers didn't give us any homework yesterday." He laughed when I frowned. I always wanted to go to another country – anywhere actually, but now I think I'll cross out England, especially when people there are all like them.

"Bitch." I heard from the other side of the room, and I just pretended not to hear her or feel her gaze for the whole day. It was easier that way, you should hear the rude comments she throws at me every single minute. They're like vomit on her mouth.

Whatever.

Like I seriously care.

A/n: that's it, first chapter.. :) hope you liked it, reviews are LOVES! XD