Summary: Saruka, the perfect lady in the eyes of everyone, including Syaoran Li. Sakura, the invisible lady who liked Syaoran for a very long time. Saruka died, and Sakura must live as her twin sister, for her family's reputation - for rest of her life.
Disclaimer: CCS will never be mine, so does the name of Sakura's twin, Saruka and the nickname "Ruka". I think I got that name from another story. But the plot and the remaining characters are mine.
A/N: Hey guys! This is a three-shot story that I just wrote for a while! Please review! I appreciate any. And oh, I'll be posting a new chapter on this and on my other stories soon. Please enjoy!
Silence of Hearts
Where It All Began
Sakura Kinomoto, a little girl with a short auburn hair silently watched her twin sister, Saruka and her crush, Syaoran, play together in the middle of the background, with tears in her eyes. She hardened her grip on her jumping rope, hoping to join the two playing there. Her little fingers gently wiped her tears, leaned against the wall, and sat down.
"Syaoran-kun! Watch me do this!" Her twin sister exclaimed, and Sakura heard loud feet jumping up and down the ground – probably playing the jumping rope.
"Tsk. I can do that you know." He snapped, but giggled as Saruka stopped jumping.
This is Sakura Kinomoto's life – boring and hopeless.
She is still in her elementary years, but the burden she felt is so hurting – for a kid like her. Actually, entering the school is scary for her, because her loneliness lingers – she has no friends. She was often compared to Saruka who was an intelligent kid, with her skills in dancing and music. Apparently, people noticed her twin sister, even in her family.
"Saruka, you want to go to the amusement park this Saturday? All of us." Nadeshiko, her mom, said – with a smile on her face.
"All, with Touya and Sakura?" Saruka worriedly asked.
Sakura stopped eating, in the dining room near the living room, and listened attentively to what her mother will answer. She hopelessly sighed, for she knew it would never happen. This scene has been repeating for the nth time. She stood up, and silently leaned on the wall, waiting for the answer.
"No, your sister has very low grades this grading, dear." She snapped.
She knew it. As she was approaching her seat, and continue to eat, she heard footstep, getting louder and louder, towards her. The door flew open, and her mother's angry eyes are what she could only see. She pulled Sakura out of her chair, up the stairs, and into her bedroom. She kept on wailing and crying for forgiveness, but her mom, and her approaching dad, chided her for always being so stubborn. They locked her room, leaving her still crying.
After crying for almost a long time, she gets her paint, paintbrush and her available canvas – and paint. Most of her artworks are kept under her bed, or sometimes, on the trash. This scene kept on repeating, until she is in high school. The same life – she is still the unnoticed lady. She is still the lady who was infatuated to Syaoran Li.
She was finishing her latest artwork, after the latest scolding, inside her room when footsteps are getting louder and clearer. She stopped as she heard something familiar, and realized a man and a lady was kissing almost in front of her room. Hey, she's invisible.
After quite some time, the noise stopped, and a man's voice mumbled under his breath – but loud enough for her to hear.
"Where's your boring sis?" The man asked.
Sakura stood, still registering in her mind the familiar voice.
"I don't know, hon. I want you!" Her sister gasped, and the strange sound continued. The tears in Sakura's eyes crept down her cheeks, and she sat down. Looking at her artwork, she realized that it will never come true. In there, she and Syaoran are sitting in a bench, under the moonlight.
She came back to her senses when heard that the door in Saruka's room opened, and a loud sound – coming from the bed. Sakura sighed, and quietly got her paintbrush, disposing her latest artwork.
When Saruka and Sakura grew up these years, there seemed a barrier between them. They never got to talk civil. Saruka became the bitch Sakura feared. Even in her bad attitude, Saruka could still get the attention and the honors. She is now the lead dancer in all the performances. She is the only candidate for valedictorian in their batch. She is still the best.
Time passed, and they graduated – Saruka the valedictorian. Many people hugged her, almost all. Sakura sighed, while looking at her sister. She silently walked away, when Eriol Hiiragizawa is in her way. She noticed that he was holding a bouquet of Cherry Blossoms, trying to hide it from her.
"Eriol-kun?" She asked, still trying to figure out what's happening.
He showed her the flowers, and handed it to her. She blushed while taking it, and he smiled, while trying to convey something. "Sakura, I-I like you since then." He looked down, and continued "Ever since we were in elementary, I liked you. I don't know if you noticed, but still – I like you, Sakura Kinomoto, even if you're not as beautiful, as talented or as intelligent as your sister."
Sakura smiled, and didn't realize that she was crying. He hugged her, and she cried, until few people are in the auditorium. She composed herself, and smiled at him.
"Thank you Eriol-kun, but can we be friends first?" She smiled, and holds his hand.
"Hmm." He smiled as well, and blushed.
As they're walking out the auditorium, she looked back at Syaoran, who was busy talking to her sister and his friends. She smiled sadly, and whispered, "Goodbye."
Sakura's future is now with Eriol Hiiragizawa, her bestfriend. Every now and then, they're going somewhere to spend or kill time together. Before the day ends, they do to the cafe near her house, to drink their favourite cup of coffee and talk about their day together.
At first, she doesn't really understand why he goes with her. He has bunch of friends with him, but now, she doesn't even thought of that. His friends are now her friends – and her social life extended further, by the first week of summer. She hangs out with Yamazaki, Eriol and the others – including Rika, Chiharu and Tomoyo. Though everything's fine, she still can't understand why Tomoyo won't talk to her – whenever they're together, it's so awkward.
"So, what course will you get?" Eriol asked, while sipping his coffee.
"Uh, Fine Arts." She answered confidently, and smiled. "You?"
Eriol seriously looked at her, "Won't your parents be mad if you're getting that? They want you and your bitch sis to manage your family's company in the future."
"I don't know, but Saruka is taking Business Administration, and Touya is taking the same." She said, and finally registered what Eriol said a while back. "Hey, don't call my sister a bitch!"
"Why are you defending her? She's backstabbing you, if ever you don't hear it." He snapped, and shoved his phone out of his pocket.
"Hey, what course did you take?" She asked, attempting to drop the subject.
"Architecture." He answered. "It's almost six. Your parents must have been breaking your appliances if you don't go home by now."
She stood up, frantically drinking her coffee, and got her things in the table. She tapped him in the shoulder, and mumbled a goodbye. She ran and turned to a corner, and quietly opened the gate. While slowly walking towards the door, she stopped, and checked if she was hearing right. There's no noise or anything inside. Her father's car is missing in the garage, and the door is open.
"Mom?" She shouted, and entered the house. The lights and the television are on, and everything is arranged. She took a step, and is horrified when she saw blood in the floor. She called her mom, dad – everyone, and ran upstairs. She checked every room, and saw no one. She took her phone out of her bag, and checked if there are messages – and unsurprisingly, there was.
'Sakura, get your sister's clothes. We're at Tomoeda Hospital.' She read the message by her mom twice, before heading to the room and got the clothes into a big bag.
She ran outside, and worriedly called her mom.
Two hours. The sweat that covered her ballet clothes are making her uncomfortable. She had been practicing for almost two hours for the musical she'd been dying to join. She is the main lead – as usual. Wiping the sweat in her forehead, she took her bag and shoved all the things in there, just to find her freaking cellphone.
She stood up in the stage, looking at the staff doing all their work, and quietly tiptoed to the backstage. Before reaching the dressing room, she noticed the snow that covered the whole San Fransisco area. Her system stopped, and just stared at it for a very long time.
"Saruka? What are you doing here? Hey, we'll gonna practice the last scene after five minutes, alright?" Her manager, Joan smiled at her, and off she went.
Her mind processed what Joan just told her, and sighed. She quietly entered the room, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She noticed how her appearance changed for almost five years. Her simple and unnoticeable look – without any make up on, is now full of it, and yeah, she's wearing the freaking costume. Miraculously, she became a dancer and the top student in the University of California, major in Business Administration.
All she wanted to do is to paint, and to paint a certain structure someday. But fate seemed so unpredictable, because here she is – dancing and someday managing the company. Her friends are the bitches she wanted to avoid, and she is currently arranged to someone she doesn't even know.
Her life came shattering once she learned that she NEEDED to be Saruka Kinomoto, her twin.
It was five years ago when Saruka was diagnosed with Cancer, stage four, and was impossible to treat that time. Her parents tried everything they can to treat her – they were willing to pay a million or two, just to save her. But no one outside her family knew all about this, because her career in dancing internationally and her Harvard scholarship is gonna be wasted if ever the news was out. So they went to California, and lied – that she, Sakura Kinomoto has cancer.
She had a very hard time when Saruka died, and all her friends, including Eriol, Yamazaki, Rika, Chiharu and even Tomoyo, cried hopelessly in her burial in California – thinking that their friend died. But Sakura, who is now Saruka, and was with the bitches, looked at them helplessly. She wanted to shout at them that Sakura Kinomoto is alive – but she can't her parents' warning look at her says it all.
When she started to live as her sister, her parents became so proud of her – and she was somehow happy about it. It was the first time that her parents smiled and hugged her tightly, for bringing honor and glory in the family. She studied hard, in academics, dancing and singing – only by herself. This was the time that she had been glad to be Saruka Kinomoto. But as she see the paintings that she hidden in the storage room one time, she wanted Sakura Kinomoto back.
Snapping back to reality, she glanced at her reflection for the very last time, before going back to the stage.
"Saruka!" A high-pitched voice was calling her, and footsteps are getting louder, until a woman entered the dressing room. It has been ten minutes since she finished practicing, and Sakura was getting ready to leave, but someone unexpected visited her. She was sure of who was the owner of that voice. Meiling Li – she had been wondering if this friend of hers has some connection with Syaoran.
"Meiling, wait. Just stop talking till I finish arranging my things." She babbled, while keeping her clothes in the bag.
"Hey, Ruka, I heard you'll gonna perform in Japan. It's been ages since I asked you to accompany me to OUR country." She said, neglecting her request, and pouted. Sakura hated that nickname. Ruka – no, she wanted Kura. She smiled at her friend's comment, and faced her. She took her bags, getting ready to go.
"Yep. Wanna accompany me? My parents have some business to do here, so I'll be alone there." And before she finishes her answer, Meiling jumped for joy and hugged her tightly.
"Of course! Hey, I want you to meet my handsome cousin. They said that he is handsome, but, I wanna meet him too!" She giggled, while they're walking out the studio. She had a hard time getting her keys in her pocket, but as soon as she got it, Meiling took it – and sat in the driver's seat.
Sakura, after seating comfortably beside Meiling – chuckled a little.
A/N: So, how was it? Review please!
NEXT CHAPTER: When the Moonlight Leads Him to Her – What will happen when Sakura, who was now Saruka, come back in Tomoeda? Will she find the happiness she deserved, or devastated, how the people she still cherishes not notice the lady behind her appearance? Will Eriol, the guy who accepted her before, or Syaoran, the guy she loved – but somehow don't like her, sees her real identity? Will anger be in Sakura's heart for Syaoran, or be dominated by love? SOON. :))
TALAPOTS :D