A Good Day
Sakura Kinomoto had been having a day so fabulous that it bordered on perfect.
It did not take much to make her happy, so the smattering of good events that had occurred throughout the day had made her positively delirious with joy.
Today was a Thursday, her favorite day of the week, so she had already awoken in a relatively good mood. Her commute to work had been pleasant, unusually full of empty seats, and she had reached a particularly exciting place in the novel she read on her way to and from the small bakery she owned. At said bakery, she had successfully created every cake, pastry, and loaf of bread without any burning, dropping, or mishandling of ingredients. And although it had been unusually busy for a Thursday, no customer had been rude or too demanding, and the tip jar was brimming by the time she closed shop. She had plans to meet her best friend and roommate, Tomoyo Daidouji, for dinner after work. Sakura was certain that it would top off a glorious day, for as far as she was concerned, the hardest part of her day was over.
Thus, it was with a buoyant heart and a skip in her step that Sakura entered the new restaurant, a highbrow conveyor belt sushi restaurant located in Shibuya. Although the prices were a bit higher than the typical restaurant of its type, this restaurant's food had already made an impression throughout the city as some of the most delectable sushi offered in Japan, particularly for a conveyor belt restaurant.
The restaurant was bustling, practically bursting at the seams with customers and waiters running to and fro while chefs shouted and joked to each other over the background noise. Lights had been strung all throughout the restaurant, giving it a pleasant glow over the customers who ate and chatted happily. Sakura grinned as she took it all in.
"Sakura!"
Sakura turned her head to see Tomoyo, glossy black hair trailing gracefully behind her as she hurried over. "Tomoyo, hi! Have I kept you waiting very long?"
"No, you didn't keep me waiting at all! But I got here about an hour earlier to see if I could get us seats by the time we agreed to meet, and it worked!" Tomoyo's eyes, an uncanny and beautiful shade of violet, sparkled with glee.
Sakura's own eyes widened. "Wow! You came here an hour early?"
"Yep! And now, we get to sit and eat." Tomoyo steered Sakura by the shoulders over to the center of the restaurant, where the sushi chefs prepared the food in a large oval and the conveyor belt, hidden under a tiny stream, rotated plates of food on colored plates that rested on miniature wooden boats out to the rest of the building.
Sakura's mouth watered as she saw the food, and she looked at her friend appreciatively. "I think you might have just made this the perfect day."
Tomoyo laughed and pulled out her chair as they reached the bar. "Don't speak too soon, you've got to eat first."
As luck would have it, Tomoyo was right—although no one could blame her for it, Sakura had, in fact, spoken just a little too soon.
Syaoran Li had been having a day so terrible that he could only use the words "god awful" to describe it.
"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad," Eriol Hiiragizawa, his best friend and co-worker of the last four years said cheerfully beside him. He flashed a grin at the waitress who came by with two more bottles of beer for the two of them.
"Thanks," Eriol said to her. She nodded and smiled back flirtatiously as she whisked away the bottles they had already emptied.
Syaoran was not a heavy drinker by any means, usually choosing only to drink the occasional glass of wine at work dinners. Eriol knew this well, having been friends with him for almost an entire decade. He thus found it highly amusing that Syaoran had just polished off his third beer when they had been at the restaurant in which they currently sat for all of twenty minutes. With the collection of beer bottles that had been building before the waitress had taken them away, the sleeves of his white button-down rolled up to his elbows, and his tie loosened to the point where it was hardly a tie anymore, Syaoran looked very much the part of miserable alcoholic—even if he was actually neither drunk nor an alcoholic.
"Great service here," Eriol said as he stared after the attractive waitress. "Remind me to come back here with you when you're not being a sourpuss so I can actually enjoy myself."
"They were your clients, too," Syaoran grumbled as he took a swig from the fresh bottle. "How are you not in a state of distress right now?"
"Because, Syaoran, distress is not an attractive look for me. Not all of us can get away with looking like our cat just got hit by a car and still look so good like you can. You're a blessed man."
"I'm serious. Please tell me just how in God's name you're not even the least bit worried, or even irritated, that one of our biggest clients just left us for our most competitive rival. Because it seems utterly inhuman to treat the issue with such little concern." Syaoran ran a hand through messy chestnut hair, often made messier by his habit of mussing it up when he was stressed, which was frequently. While Eriol was known among their co-workers to be far more relaxed and easygoing than Syaoran, who was considered the serious workaholic powerhouse of the two, Syaoran still could not comprehend how Eriol was not worried.
"Well," Eriol said, looking carefully at the array of sushi plates swimming before him on the conveyor belt river before selecting an eel dish and setting it on the bar's surface, "the way I see it, what's done is done. We couldn't have done anything to convince them to stay, and even if we had tried, at that point, we'd have lost a hell of a lot of dignity. People tell us all the time that our services are the best in Japan. If that's the case, Kasa Mutual will find that Furuhata & Kouji's services are not up to par with ours, and they'll come back on their own. We just need to believe in ourselves. No point in worrying about it in the meantime—it's not like this means we aren't successful anymore. The boss has already said he knew it was out of our hands, so it doesn't mean we're going to lose our jobs, either. So what is there to be worried about? We did what we could."
"Hm," Syaoran grunted, and Eriol smiled, knowing that meant he had produced an explanation to which Syaoran could not find an adequate argument.
"Well, do you have any more sage advice for all the other shit that hit the fan today?" Syaoran asked, a hint of amusement in his voice now as he also lifted a dish of yellowtail from the conveyor belt and picked at it with his chopsticks.
"Ah, well... I'm afraid there's not much I can do about you getting a speeding ticket, or your sisters saying they're coming to visit next week, or that one of your credit cards got stolen. Or that we had to stay at work until eight tonight," Eriol chuckled. "But that's why I'm taking you out to dinner, remember? And besides, you never know. Your day could end really well somehow."
"Right. Please explain how."
Eriol raised his eyebrows and peered past Syaoran to glance at the two women who happened to be sitting beside him at the bar. One, a dark-haired classic beauty, laughed as her friend, a pretty brunette with vibrant green eyes, appeared to be telling a very entertaining story. They looked to be about his and Syaoran's age.
"Well, those girls sitting beside you are pretty cute," Eriol supplied.
Syaoran took one glance over, following Eriol's gaze, and then turned his head back to the river of sushi in front of him, unfazed. "They're okay. Nothing I haven't seen before."
Eriol shook his head. "You are a tough man to please. How long's it been since you've been on a date, anyway? Maybe then, you wouldn't be so tense—"
"Keeping my crazy sisters away from my house and getting Kasa Mutual back on board with us will make me less tense. Or maybe finding the guy who stole my credit card and beating him to a pulp."
"Point taken," Eriol laughed. "Let's get you another beer."
"I'm in heaven right now," Sakura said, happily bringing another piece of sushi to her mouth.
"I can tell," Tomoyo laughed as she took a sip from her cup of tea. "Although I haven't seen any sea urchin pass by. Isn't that your favorite?"
"Yeah, I haven't seen any, either. I heard it was really good here, too! Hopefully, I'll see some come by soon."
Tomoyo nodded. "So, the bakery was good today?"
"Yeah! Business is really picking up. I guess word is spreading around."
"Well, that's great. Your cakes are to die for, so it's just as well."
Sakura giggled. "You're making me blush."
"Oh, Sakura, look! There goes a plate of sea urchin!" Tomoyo pointed to a gold-painted dish floating towards them on a wooden boat.
"Oh, great! This really is a good day," Sakura chirped happily as she reached out to grab the dish—only to find herself pulling at it against the grip of the customer who was sitting at the bar beside her.
Sakura looked over in surprise to meet the bright brown eyes of a man who looked to be about her age, a stern look on his unsmiling face. She opened her mouth to apologize and let the stranger have the dish—after all, she was sure another would come along—but before she could, his lack of a smile turned into an undeniably irritated frown, and he pulled slightly harder at the dish.
"I believe I picked this dish up first, so if you'd kindly let go of it, miss, I'd appreciate that."
His words indicated politeness but his tone indicated anything but, and all of a sudden, Sakura did not feel so inclined to let it go that easily. She kept her own grip on the plate firm.
"Well, technically, I think I picked up the dish first," Sakura said. "But if you want it—"
The man rolled his eyes and muttered a "you've got to be kidding me," although he did not let go of the plate.
"Excuse me?"
"I said, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" the man replied, glaring.
The man sitting beside him, a navy-haired, bespectacled man who looked much more apologetic than his brown-eyed friend, leaned in and began to apologize put a hand on his shoulder. "Syaoran, just let it go—sorry, miss, I think he's forgotten his manners," he said to Sakura.
The man—Syaoran, Sakura presumed—snorted. "My manners? I'm sorry, I didn't realize that manners also involved letting someone steal my food."
"It hasn't been paid for, so I don't believe I'm stealing anything," Sakura replied calmly, although she wore a frown on her features now as well. This matter was escalating much more quickly than she had thought it would, but now that this stranger was acting so entitled, she felt it would be a disservice to herself to drop it. She could sense Tomoyo staring at her back, and she wondered if her friend was laughing or looking on in horror. With Tomoyo, it could have gone either way.
"Look, lady, I have been having what might be one of the worst days of my life, it's not looking like it'll get much better any time soon, and all I want is this damn plate of sushi. So if you would, again, kindly let go and give me this one thing—"
"You know, I am a nice person," Sakura said. "So even before you told me that, I was going to let you have the plate. And since you have thoroughly ruined my appetite, I really don't even want this anymore—but I would most definitely like an apology from you."
The man let out a chuckle. "An apology. You want an apology."
"Yes," Sakura said, unblinking.
"For what, exactly?"
"For being rude," Sakura responded matter-of-factly. She caught the man's friend exchanging a glance that appeared amused bordering on nervous with someone behind her, presumably Tomoyo.
"Yeah, I don't think so," he said, and Sakura felt him only tug harder at the plate.
"What exactly is your problem?" she asked, her eyes narrowing, she tugged back.
Except then, she realized she had tugged a little too hard, and the dish went flying.
As if it were moving in slow motion, both parties somehow had time to look up at the plate, which went several feet above their heads, and then follow its trajectory back down as it landed—cold, creamy sea urchin-side down—onto Sakura's chest before the plate clattered loudly onto the floor.
A moment passed where no one said anything at all. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant carried on, but a few patrons and employees nearby who had witnessed the whole thing stopped to watch.
Sakura stared down at her chest, feeling the cold juices of the dish seep through her shirt and onto her skin, before she blinked and looked slowly back up at the man. A look of shock and something that resembled regret appeared on his features for just a moment before he recomposed his expression and cleared his throat.
"Well, this might not have happened if you had just handed over the damn plate," he said gruffly, although he wore an uncomfortable look on his face as he handed her a napkin.
Sakura gaped at him before bursting out into incredulous laughter. "Wow." She shook her head, genuinely unable to conjure up an angry expression because she was so taken aback. "You really are such a jerk."
His face remained impassive, although Sakura could still see the slightest hint of remorse in his features, and his friend leaned in. "I'm sorry, miss, he's not usually like this—he's just been having a rough day, and it apparently turned him into the world's biggest asshole."
"Oh, ah, that's okay," she said to the friend, smiling at him. "You've got nothing to be sorry for." But she refused to look any more at the brown-eyed man, ignoring the napkin he had offered, and she turned to Tomoyo. "Sorry, Tomoyo, but do you mind if I take off? I should probably run home and shower..."
"Oh, Sakura—I'll go with you—"
A waitress came up to them with a handful of napkins. "Miss, is everything all right?"
"Everything is just fine," Sakura said quickly, not wanting to cause any more of a scene than the one that had already occurred. Although she did not regret accosting the man, whom she had deduced was in very bad need of a reality check, she did hate that it had drawn the attention of so many. "But could I go ahead and get a check, please?"
"Sure thing, miss," the waitress said, hurrying off to the register.
The activity of the people around them returned to normal, and Sakura turned her back to the brown-eyed man, although she could feel his eyes on her and sensed that he wanted her attention.
"Sakura, I'll go with you. Are you very upset?" Tomoyo whispered.
"No, no, don't worry about it! I know you had plans to meet some of your friends for drinks after this." Sakura began sloughing the sea urchin off of her shirt with a napkin. "And no, I'm not upset... I just wish it hadn't caused such a scene. I feel kind of silly, you know?"
"No, that guy was a jerk," Tomoyo responded, helping Sakura dab the food off of her shirt. "Are you sure, though?"
"Yeah, I mean it!" Sakura insisted. "Don't worry about me. Go have fun! I'll catch the subway home."
Tomoyo frowned, but she nodded. "Okay."
The waitress came back with her bill, but as Sakura reached out to take it, she felt a familiar tug at the leather folder.
She looked at the brown-eyed man, who had also reached out for the bill. "You've really got a penchant for taking my things, don't you?" Despite herself, she let out a laugh. "This isn't your bill."
"I know," he said, a strange expression which Sakura could only describe as a curious frown on his face. "I, uh... I thought I'd go ahead and pay for it. You know."
"No, actually, I don't know," Sakura said, raising a brow. "Look, you don't need to do anything fancy for me. I just wanted an apology. And on that front," she said, taking the bill out of his hand and placing her money in the folder, "I'm sorry if I came off rude there, earlier, too. And I hope your day tomorrow is better."
Before he could respond, she stood to leave. "It was nice to meet you," she said to his friend, who nodded back a little surprisedly. "I'll see you at home, Tomoyo."
"Well, this is just great," Syaoran muttered sullenly as he watched the sushi boat-plates float past him. "I feel like total shit now."
"As you should. She was a very nice girl, particularly at the end when she should have been angriest," Eriol commented.
"You're really not helping here."
"Excuse me, sir?"
Both heads turned to see the girl's friend, violet eyes shining with curious amusement.
"Hi, I'm Daidouji Tomoyo, Sakura's friend," she said, extending a hand.
Exchanging a surprised glance with Eriol, Syaoran reached out to shake hands with the girl. "Li Syaoran. Sakura? She's the one I—"
"Yes, that one," Tomoyo said with a smile. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation... Sakura has a tendency to kill people with kindness without even realizing it."
Syaoran rubbed the back of his neck. "Tell me about it."
"Syaoran here is a good guy. Just a bit stubborn, which is why he acted like such a dumbass in front of your friend," Eriol cut in.
"Thanks, Eriol," Syaoran muttered through gritted teeth.
Tomoyo leaned a little to the side to get a better look at Eriol. "And you are?"
"Ah. I'm sorry, how rude of me. Hiiragizawa Eriol," he responded, reaching over past Syaoran to shake hands with the girl.
"Nice to meet you." Tomoyo paused a moment, and then very abruptly, she asked, "Hiiragizawa-san, do you have plans tonight?"
Eriol looked at her in surprise. "Me? Not after dinner, no."
Tomoyo smiled, and Eriol suddenly found himself intrigued. "Perfect. Well, Li-san, if you'd like to catch my friend and give her a proper apology, she shouldn't have wandered off too far from here now, and she should be headed to the subway station."
Syaoran raised his eyebrows. "Are you suggesting I go after her?"
"Only if you want to," Tomoyo responded nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. "You just seemed to feel bad, so if you'd like a chance at fixing it..."
"Go on," Eriol said, nudging Syaoran in the ribs. "Knowing you, if you don't get an apology in now, it's going to plague you all week, and I won't hear the end of it."
Syaoran frowned. "Wouldn't that be a little weird? To chase her down like that?"
Tomoyo shook her head. "Sakura isn't judgmental at all. And she's also very quick to forgive. You might find yourself surprised."
Syaoran pursed his lips before turning to Eriol. "Well, what about you?"
Eriol met Tomoyo's eyes and grinned at her. "If I'm not mistaken, I believe I have plans with Daidouji-san here."
Tomoyo nodded, smiling back playfully.
Syaoran looked between Eriol and Tomoyo in confusion before giving up with a sigh. "Whatever, you guys are weird. Towards the subway station, you said?" he asked Tomoyo.
"Yep!"
Syaoran left a few bills on the table and stood, slinging his suit jacket over his shoulder. "This really is a strange thing I'm doing, isn't it?" he said to Tomoyo.
"It'll be fine," she chirped.
Syaoran pressed his lips together in a grim expression and nodded to Eriol. "See you in the morning."
Eriol chuckled. "Good luck."
As Syaoran left, Eriol turned to Tomoyo, still laughing and shaking his head. "I think you must be a witch or a sorceress or something."
"Why's that?"
"Syaoran isn't one to really take orders from anyone. And I was going to have a quiet, early night and yet, somehow, I'm about to run off somewhere with you, and I don't even know you! And it took you all of, what, five minutes to orchestrate all of this?"
Tomoyo laughed and shrugged. "What can I say? I guess I just have that about me."
"Looks like you do. So, Daidouji-san, what did you have in mind?"
Tomoyo's grin had a slightly devious quality to it. "You know, I was going to go meet with my friends, but they see me all the time, so I don't think they'll care too much if I cancel on them. Hiiragizawa-san, how do you feel about cocktails?"
Sakura strolled down the sidewalk, hands in the pockets of her shorts. What had occurred at the restaurant played back in her head repeatedly, and she found herself struggling with her resolve. It wouldn't have been right to just let someone get away with being so rude, but at the same time, he had told her he had been having a bad day. Sakura frowned, hoping she hadn't made it worse, although she was aware that she probably had, in all likelihood.
"Hey!" she heard from behind her, and she turned around, nearly jumping in surprise when she saw the same man with whom she'd argued pacing hurriedly down the sidewalk to catch up with her.
"Er... May I help you?" she asked.
Suddenly, he was in front of her, and he appeared unable to decide what to do with himself. He fidgeted for a moment before casting his gaze to the street. "Um... I wanted to apologize. For what happened at the restaurant."
Sakura raised her eyebrows for a moment, genuinely shocked, and then she started laughing and shaking her head.
"What?" the man growled.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you. I just—you really didn't have to come all this way to tell me that." She looked up at him, craning her head a bit. She realized with amusement that he was about a whole head taller than she was. His expression and current posture—shoulders hunched, hands shoved in his pockets—made him seem a lot smaller somehow.
"Yeah, well, I wanted to," he said. "Otherwise it would probably have bugged me all week, and I have no way of getting in touch with you to fix it—hell, I didn't even get your name back there."
At that, Sakura smiled. "I'm Kinomoto Sakura."
The man extended a hand. "Li Syaoran."
Sakura shook it and laughed to herself again.
"What?" Syaoran repeated, the irritation palpable on his face.
"You're kind of sweet, in a way."
Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said I was a jerk."
"Well, you were definitely acting like one," Sakura said cheerfully. "But your friend did say that you're not usually like that. And you followed me a block and a half just to apologize. I think you're a good guy."
Syaoran looked down at the ground, seemingly unsure of what to say or how to react. "I didn't follow you." He paused to kick at a pebble on the sidewalk. "Say, uh... Where are you headed?"
"To the subway station. I live in Kichijouji."
"I'll walk you home."
Sakura looked at him in surprise. "Do you live nearby?"
"Sort of."
"Where?"
"Roppongi."
Sakura gaped at him. "That—that's so much closer to where we are now than where I live! Wouldn't that be a waste of your time?"
"Look," Syaoran sighed. "I don't have a lot left to do except to go home, and considering how my friend ditched me back there to stick with your friend, it's the least I could do—"
"Your friend decided to stay with Tomoyo?"
Syaoran nodded.
Sakura felt amusement bubbling up in her stomach once more. She had a hunch, and knowing Tomoyo, she was likely right. "Was this her idea?"
"What do you mean?"
"You coming to find me, your friend staying to hang out with her."
"Well, she was the one who suggested I run out to find you if I felt sorry about the whole thing, and I think she and Eriol just made plans off the bat—so, yeah, I guess so."
Sakura burst into wild laughter, and Syaoran stared down at her. "What is it with you and your random fits of hysteria?"
Sakura continued to laugh, nearly doubling over before she managed to regain her composure. "Oh, wow," she said with an exhale. "Li-san, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I think my friend was trying to set you up with me."
"What?" Syaoran said, eyes wide.
"She has a tendency to do that kind of thing, you see—"
"What kind of friend is she if she was trying to set me up with you when I..." he paused uncomfortably.
"When you were being a jerk?" Sakura finished for him, giggling a little when he flinched ever so slightly. "Well, I guess she picked up on the goodness in you and figured that was who you really are. And you're pretty good-looking, too, which I'm sure you've heard before."
Syaoran let out a surprised exhale. "You really just say what you think, don't you?"
Sakura shrugged. "Why shouldn't I?" She paused and glanced around, realizing that they had been standing in the same spot since he had come up to her. "Shall we go?"
"Go where?"
"You said you'd walk me home." Sakura smiled.
"Oh—well, okay. Yeah, sure."
Syaoran was positive that Sakura was the strangest woman he had ever met. He had not initially intended to walk her home, but he had found himself blurting it out, and when she had questioned his decision—which, in terms of distance and convenience, really did not make any sense—he had inexplicably felt a need to defend it. And despite her having mentioned that her friend had been trying to set them up, which Syaoran found preposterous, Sakura did not seem to mind it, since she asked him to walk her home anyway.
He looked over at her as they walked on under the streetlights, a pleasant smile on her lips as she looked ahead. She was so uncannily cheerful that it threw Syaoran off; even her short auburn hair seemed to bounce happily along on her shoulders as she walked. "You know, Kinomoto-san—"
"Sakura."
"What?"
"You can just call me Sakura," she said breezily. "Kinomoto-san has always just felt so stiff coming from someone my age. Or close to my age. How old are you, anyway?"
"Twenty-eight. But—"
"Oh, good! Me, too!"
"Kinomoto-san—"
"What did I say? It's Sakura!"
"But I hardly know you!" Syaoran protested, frowning. "Isn't that weird?"
Sakura shrugged. "Not to me. Isn't that what matters?"
Syaoran stared at her, floored. "Well... I guess so."
"Good," Sakura nodded, smiling again. If Syaoran didn't know any better, he would have thought that she never stopped smiling. "I'm assuming you'd still want me to call you Li-san, though."
"You can call me Syaoran," he mumbled.
"Oh? But I thought you said it was weird."
"It's weirder if I call you by your first name while you still address me so formally," he snapped. "Syaoran is fine. I don't care that much, anyway."
"Okay." Sakura shrugged. "Anyway, you were going to say something to me?"
"I forgot."
"I don't think so," Sakura mused, leaning over to peer at him more closely, her hands clasped behind her back. "You look like you still have something to say."
"Fine," he muttered. "I was just going to say that as a lawyer, I could think of plenty reasons why you shouldn't always say what's on your mind."
Sakura laughed. "So you're a lawyer, huh? I guess you're a bigshot if you live in Roppongi."
"I'm not—" he sighed. "I'm not a bigshot," he said, a little embarrassed. He always felt a bit strange when people made a big deal out of his work.
"Well, what kind of lawyer are you?"
"A corporate lawyer. I work for Maiji Law Firm."
Sakura's eyes widened. "I see that name all over the news all the time! Isn't it one of the biggest in Tokyo?"
"Yeah," Syaoran responded, looking forward as they walked, hands still in his pockets.
"But you're so young! Isn't that a huge deal?"
He glanced over at her. "Not really."
In reality, it was a huge deal. As lawyers for what was often considered Japan's top corporate law firm, Syaoran and Eriol were regarded as two of the best in the company, made even more impressive by their young age. At twenty-eight, both were far younger than many people who worked below them and had been working at the firm for far longer than they had. But Syaoran didn't like to brag, and even more than that, he hated being fawned over in any regard—perhaps because his four older sisters, each of them a bit crazy in their own right, had done so throughout his entire childhood.
"Oh. Well, still," Sakura said quietly, seemingly more to herself than to him, "I think it's pretty impressive."
At that, Syaoran felt the corners of his lips tilt up a bit. "Well, thank you."
"I bet that's a lot of pressure, working in such a high-up company so young."
He looked over at her in surprise. She'd hit the nail on the head. "Yes."
Sakura cocked her head to the side. "Is that why you had such a bad day?"
Syaoran paused, wondering at once how she had come so close to the truth so quickly and whether he should elaborate. After a few seconds' deliberation, he decided there was no harm in doing so. "Yeah. Maiji has to deal with some very high-profile clientele because it's one of the lead corporate law firms in the area. So the stakes can be high, especially when matters fall out of our control."
"Is that what happened today?"
Syaoran nodded and let out a sigh. "Kasa Mutual, one of Japan's largest insurance companies, also happened to be one of our most important clients. Eriol—the guy you saw with me at the restaurant—and I are the heads in dealing with that client. They told us today that they were moving to Furuhata & Kouji, which I'm also sure you've heard a lot of in the news. They're probably our largest rival firm. They'd given us no forewarning and therefore no opportunity to negotiate."
"Wow," Sakura said, eyes wide. "That sounds really stressful."
Syaoran let out a strained laugh. "It was."
"Are you in trouble?"
He shook his head. "The head knows that the matter was out of our hands. We were completely blindsided."
"Well, that's something to be thankful for!"
Syaoran snorted. "I guess so."
"I'm serious! Think about how bad it would have been if you hadn't been able to plead your case and your boss thought it was all on you. It would have been unfair and really terrible, don't you think?"
Syaoran looked over at her, raised an eyebrow, and then looked back out to the streets. "Hm."
They walked in silence for a while, until Sakura piped up, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry that that happened to you."
Syaoran shook his head. "It's okay. It'll pass. Eriol said there's nothing we can do about it... He's really right. No point in trying to stress about it now."
"Right!" Sakura nodded, and they were quiet again. She was pleasantly surprised at how much Syaoran spoke—much more than she'd expected, particularly when he'd relayed his problems to her, which she suspected was something he had needed to do to someone for his sanity's sake. So when moments of silence like these came about, she didn't mind so much.
But he surprised her when he broke the silence, and moreover, to ask about her. "So, what do you do for a living?"
"Me? I run a bakery."
Syaoran smirked. "That's...oddly appropriate."
Sakura laughed. "Is it?"
"Yeah. It suits you."
"For some reason, I get that a lot."
"Well, do you like it?"
"Mhmm. I love it." Sakura paused for a moment, glancing over at him again to see if he seemed interested enough for her to elaborate. He wore a poker face, and she shrugged to herself before continuing. "I only opened it six months ago, but it's been really satisfying. Before that, I was the head pastry chef at a local market in Tomoeda."
"Tomoeda?"
"My hometown," Sakura explained. She smiled to herself. "I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it. It's absolutely tiny. So sleepy, the whole town shuts down at nine, sometimes ten if people are feeling wild."
"Ah. What made you move here?"
"For someone who was so very uninterested in giving me the time of day earlier this evening, you sure are a good conversationalist, Syaoran."
Syaoran scowled. "Would you just like me to stop talking?"
"Relax, I'm just teasing you," Sakura laughed. "It was a compliment. You make me feel very comfortable," she said honestly.
Syaoran remained silent, although his expression softened.
"Anyway, I moved here because I knew business would be better, and I wanted to open my own shop one day. It's tiny because Tokyo is so expensive, but it makes me happy. Business was kind of slow at first, but I guess word's been getting around because more and more people keep coming! Which, of course, is very flattering."
"Do you miss your family at all?"
Sakura looked over at him in surprise. Although he was looking straight ahead, his eyes seemed to be looking somewhere very far off entirely, and his lips were set in a slight frown. She wondered to herself if he ever stopped frowning. "Yeah," she answered. "I'm really close to my father. My brother lives in the city, too, so it's nice to see him every once in a while, though. And living with Tomoyo helps, since I've known her since high school." She paused. "You're not from here, are you?"
It was Syaoran's turn to look surprised, broken out of whatever reverie had been playing inside his head. "What makes you say that?"
"The look on your face when you asked me if I missed my family, I suppose," Sakura said. "And your name is kind of a giveaway, too."
Syaoran stared at her in silence for a moment before nodding. "Right. Yeah, I'm originally from Hong Kong."
"Wow," Sakura breathed. "That's really neat. What brought you here?"
"My mom sent me here for schooling when I was about ten. I've been here since."
"Do you miss Hong Kong?"
"A bit," he conceded, taking his hands out of his pockets and clasping them behind his back, mirroring Sakura's pose. "I've adapted here, though, since I've been here for almost two decades now."
"Do you get to see your family often?"
"Not really."
"That sounds like it can get lonely sometimes," Sakura blurted out.
She couldn't bring herself to look at him, but she felt his eyes on her as he turned his head to stare at her. She swallowed, wondering exactly what he was thinking and perhaps if she had gotten a bit too personal. But he said nothing that conveyed any of that, instead choosing to respond softly, "Yeah."
Syaoran found that Sakura was an absolute chatterbox, insatiable in her need for conversation and very good at talking even when he did not respond. On the one hand, he did not understand how someone could talk so much, and he hated being around people who had so much to say. But on the other hand, he found, much to his shock, that he didn't mind being around her at all. He wondered why, and he realized that it was because he found everything she said oddly interesting.
They were at the subway station waiting for a train to come. It was somewhat late, and the station was relatively empty, a few stragglers and late workers waiting around here and there. They were sitting on a metal bench, Sakura with a can of strawberry milk soda in her hands that she had let Syaoran buy her from a vending machine. (Syaoran had found it rather insulting that she had not asked him to buy it, and so he had stepped in wordlessly and placed a bill in the machine before she could.) Sakura was explaining—after having gotten Syaoran's word that it was okay and would not make him feel any worse to talk about it—why her day had been the opposite of Syaoran's, why it had been a great day.
"And today is Thursday, which just makes everything that much better, since it's my favorite day of the week!"
Syaoran looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "How is Thursday your favorite day? That's the worst day. Everyone knows Friday is the best day."
"It is not!" Sakura protested. "It is the best day because it comes right before Friday, so all day you have something to look forward to. Sunday is the worst day, because then you have to anticipate Monday, which is a terrible day all around."
Syaoran snorted. "Then doesn't that mean Monday is the worst day?"
"No, because anticipating the worst day is worse than living through it."
For some reason, Syaoran felt himself start to smile a bit. He looked down at his lap. "Hm."
"Hey," Sakura said, leaning down and peering up into his face. "Hey, you're smiling! Look at that! You smile really well. I knew there was a reason Tomoyo tried to set me up with you."
Syaoran snorted, but he broke into a full-out grin at her absurdity. "You really, really need to get a filter between your brain and your mouth, you know that?"
"Whatever, it's not like I'm saying anything that's hurting you." She paused. "Although, maybe your ego doesn't need anymore stroking."
"Hey, now," Syaoran began, but he was cut off by the sound of the train rushing towards their stop. "Oh, look, I think this is your train. Let's go."
Although he never would have expected it, Syaoran felt a sense of dread as they neared Sakura's apartment complex and the end of the night drew closer.
Sakura had chattered the entire way onto the train and off of it, but oddly enough, she had dozed for the few minutes that the subway had run them between districts. When her head had touched his shoulder, he had looked over at her tentatively, his lips pursed, before gently maneuvering his shoulder so that her head would rest on it fully and comfortably. He had then proceeded to glance around to see if anyone had noticed, and much to his mortification, an elderly woman had seen it all and was smiling at him fondly. He had avoided eye contact with anyone else for the rest of the ride and had gently nudged Sakura awake upon arrival, at which point she blinked at him groggily before continuing to talk as if nothing had happened.
"...And so anyway, I—oh, what do you know? We're at my apartment." Sakura gazed up at the tall building, hunching her shoulders up to her ears.
"Really? This is it, huh?" Syaoran said uncertainly. He felt the dread solidify into a heavy weight in his stomach. At his most honest, he knew that Sakura intrigued him at worst and had positively captivated him, for what reason he could not even begin to imagine, at best.
"Uh huh. Thank you for walking me home. It really wasn't necessary," Sakura said, looking up at him now, "but I am really glad you did."
"Yeah, it wasn't any hassle."
She pressed her lips and looked off to the side, idling. "This walk home ended a lot more quickly than I thought it would."
Syaoran met her eyes, and then his own fell to the ground. "Yeah."
"Syaoran... You know, I kind of like you."
His eyes flitted back up to her, and he saw that she was smiling at him, dimples pronounced in her cheeks. He knew how he should have reacted and how he wanted to react, but for some reason, his face and body could not move in the way he wanted them to. And he was not used to feeling this way often, so he could only suspect it—but he was fairly certain that he was nervous. So instead, he blurted out something else entirely, dropping Sakura's admission into the background.
"Ah... I really am sorry about earlier," Syaoran murmured, running a hand through his hair. He knew this sounded like a rejection, but the words had slipped out of his mouth already, and he knew it would take an absurd amount of effort to correct them.
Sakura's face fell for the briefest second, so quickly that Syaoran barely caught it, before she recomposed it and shook her head. "It's okay." The corners of her mouth turned back up. "You were having a terrible day, remember?"
Syaoran smiled back softly. "Yeah, I remember."
"But it's better now?"
He nodded.
Sakura grinned cheekily. "Did I help make it better?"
He couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "You did."
"Good! I'm always happy to help." She paused again, looking up at him through her lashes, hands still clasped behind her back in that unusually pleasant manner of hers, swaying slightly from side to side as she waited.
But Syaoran, who was screaming at himself internally to say something, could not bring himself to say anything at all.
When Sakura saw this, she nodded. "Okay, well, I should get inside. Thanks again, Syaoran."
"Right," Syaoran responded, clearing his throat. "Um... Have a good night."
"You, too." She gave him one last lingering smile and turned to go.
He felt as though a clock were ticking loudly in his head, counting down seconds until she would disappear into her apartment and possibly out of his life forever. What was it about Sakura? He couldn't provide himself with the answer to that, but he knew it was stupid to give up because he didn't have an answer when he hadn't even tried to find it yet.
"Hey, Sakura, wait a minute."
Sakura turned around, brows raised—whether in surprise or in expectancy, he was unsure.
He walked up to her, hands in his pockets, until they were a safe distance apart. His spine, usually ramrod straight, relaxed a bit as he leaned down slightly to meet her eyes.
"Look," he started nervously. "I don't usually do this kind of thing. I don't do it because I'm bad at it, and I don't like putting myself through the embarrassment of doing things when I don't have the skill to do them. But I'm—Eriol calls me 'emotionally constipated,' and—"
Sakura burst into laughter, and Syaoran stared at her in exasperation. "Syaoran, what are you talking about?"
"I'm saying I think I like you," he said, and her laughter stopped abruptly as she gaped at him.
"I like you," he repeated softly, "but I'm really... I'm genuinely bad at dealing with things like this. I have no issues walking into a crowded courtroom and essentially telling the opposing party to piss off because I'm going to win this case, but I'm not kidding. I am really, really bad at... At this."
"At what, having feelings?"
"Yes. And being in relationships. And realizing when things I say or do might hurt the person I have feelings for. I am bad at all of these things, and so I purposely stay away from them. And what makes it even worse," he said with a self-deprecating smirk on his face, "is that you appear to be completely unafraid of any of the things I'm afraid of, which, to be very honest, is a huge blow to my ego."
Sakura giggled.
"So, with that said, I am putting aside all of my stubborn pride here, and I wanted to ask you—what are you doing this weekend?"
She looked mildly surprised for a moment, but her eyes twinkled as she grinned deviously. "I don't really know. Why do you ask?"
Syaoran scoffed before he shook his head and chuckled. "And you say I'm the jerk."
Sakura laughed. "I just wanted to hear you say it again."
"Well," he said, taking a step closer to her, "I like you."
She smiled. "I like you, too."
"Then go out with me this weekend."
Sakura nodded, that perennial smile on her face so bright now that she was beaming. "Okay, then. Saturday at eight."
"Saturday at eight."
"You're a lot better at this than you made yourself out to be," Sakura said with mild dubiousness in her voice.
"Classic defense tactic," he murmured with a smirk. "If you underestimate me, then you'll think I'm better than I am."
"You are hysterical," Sakura laughed.
"You know," he said softly, taking another step towards her, eyes trained on hers, "You scare the hell out of me."
"Do I?"
He nodded. "But I really like you, and I think it'd be a shame to let you go tonight without kissing you now."
"This is coming from the guy who told me I need to quit saying everything I think," Sakura said back, light dancing in her eyes as she looked up at him.
Syaoran looked up at the sky and shrugged. "Everything in moderation."
Sakura giggled, and she nodded. "Okay, then. I'll take it."
With a smile, Syaoran closed the gap between them as his lips met hers. He felt Sakura's arms wrap around his neck, and he pulled her closer to him as he deepened the kiss. Somewhere deep inside his chest, he felt a euphoria that he had not felt in a very long time.
Eriol had been completely right; somehow, at the very end of this terrible day, something wonderful had happened.
That bastard is never going to let me hear the end of it.
That's the end! I know it's not a new chapter for any of my current stories, but this idea had been brewing in my head for a couple of days, and I decided to get it out and have some fun with it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!
A few informational notes:
(A) Although I am going to be studying law soon, I actually know very little, particularly about corporate law, at present, so if I got anything wrong (which I probably did), please ignore it, haha.
(B) Sea urchin is considered a delicacy, so that's why not much of it was being doled out and Syaoran through such a little hissy fit over it in the story. And also because he's a princess.
(C) I'm sure most, if not all, of you know this already, but in Japan, it's customary to address strangers and acquaintances and even some friends as their last name followed by –san. Typically, people are very close if they're addressing each other by just their first names.
(D) I could be wrong, but I think Roppongi, the district where Syaoran lives, is very close to Shibuya, the district where they were eating. Conversely, Sakura's district, Kichijouji, is about ten miles away, which is why it really made no sense for Syaoran to take her home. Also, Roppongi is one of the richest districts in Tokyo.
I think that's it! If you have any questions, please leave them in a review or PM me, and thank you for reading! I'd love if you left a review on your way out!
Love,
boreum dal