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And for everyone who read without leaving any proofs yet.
Disclaimer:
Cardcaptor Sakura is not mine. It's the masterpiece of CLAMPS.
SAKURA NO IE (桜の家)
Chapter 2
"What did I do wrong, onii-chan?"
A month passed since the day when Hana was admitted to the hospital.
It had been much worse for Sakura and Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko thought that it was all Sakura's fault that Hana got collapsed at the university. Although Hana had reassured her mother for million times that it was not all on Sakura, she kept on being stubborn. She did not talk to her youngest daughter for weeks after that. It actually came to her mind that she had put Sakura in awry. But she felt that she did nothing wrong as a mother.
While Hana felt guilty that she had burdened her younger sister. She always wondered why from billions of people in this world, that disease decided to choose her. She had put her family in misery all this time. Her father and brother were helpless as well.
"Welcome." Sakura yelled when she heard the mini-market door was opened.
"Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?"
Sakura looked up to only find her mother's cousin, Aunt Kayo, staring at her in shocked.
Sakura was startled, but she quickly recovered and bowed respectfully and smiled to her aunt, "Good night, obaa-san. I am doing my part time job here."
There were wrinkles in her aunt's face and her eyes were narrowed. Her pale face looked at Sakura in pity. "I see. How are your parents doing, Sakura?"
"They are doing fine, obaa-san." Sakura tried to give her aunt a good impression. She did not want to get her parents into trouble. This aunt of hers was surely one of those fussy women that always tried to make unreliable rumors whenever she could. "Anyway, you haven't visited us in a while."
Aunt Kayo smiled awkwardly at her niece, "I'm a little busy nowadays, Sakura. Maybe i will pay a visit someday with Mika and Seiji."
"See you later then, obaa-san. Be careful on the way back home and have a nice day." Sakura nodded to say goodbye to her aunt.
"Have a nice day for you too, Sakura-chan." Her aunt smiled once again and went outside the stall.
Sakura sighed softly. She felt relieved, yet hoping that there would not be any troubles for her. She needed this job. She needed the money to buy present for her mother's birthday. And it was about in six months. She had to move faster if she wanted to make it.
The next day, Meiling seemed ecstatic when Sakura and Tomoyo met her at the university. She never stopped chirping since this morning. "Sakura-chan! Finally Syaoran will arrive in town today! I really miss him so much! And you must do too! You haven't met him in years, right?"
Her eyes were glowing. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'm sure he still remembers you."
"What do you mean?" Sakura rubbed her hands nervously, trying to avoid Meiling's ruby eyes. "I was never worried over that."
Tomoyo and Meiling could only smile to see their friend. They knew that the both of them have been fond of each other since they were children. But she was not sure that she wanted to meet him.
"I'm home." Sakura yelled while taking off her shoes and changing it to home slippers. She burst into the living room and saw her mother and Hana were sitting in the couch. And Nadeshiko looked upset.
"What happened?" Sakura asked confusedly and neared them.
Her mother frowned at her. Her voice was shaky when she spoke, "I don't understand what is on your mind, Sakura. Why do you always make troubles everywhere? You always bother me with your deeds."
Sakura gaped at her mother. She was confused. What did she do again that had put her mother in wrath like this?
"You have lied to me!" Her mother's sharp and loud voices were thundering in her ears, as she started to blurt. "You said that you have basketball practices every night at your university! But Aunt Kayo called me today and told that you have a part time work in a mini-market near her house!"
Sakura gulped. She knew that it would end like this.
Nadeshiko's face was reddening. She kept glaring at her younger daughter, "You know what? Your aunt has insulted me! She said that i'm an incompetent parent that has let her daughter work until late at night. And as you know, she is going to spread gossips about me to the whole family! Where do you think i'm going to hide after this?"
Sakura clinched her fists tightly. She stared at the white floor of her house. She shall not blow up. She had to hold her emotion. If she did not, the situation would have been much tangled. "I'm sorry, okaa-san."
"Keep a promise, Sakura. Don't let it be just a mere talk! You are a grown up. You have to be responsible to your own self. You have to change your behaviour!" Her mother then scanned Sakura who was with her usual gothic appearance. She looked desperate. "Starting from today, turn your clothing and hair styles! I don't like it. You look like..."
Nadeshiko sighed. She touched her forehead and closed her eyes. Sakura still did not ook at her. "You should be like Touya and Hana. They never make me such troubles like this."
Nadeshiko frowned to see a guilty Sakura in front of her. She knew that her words must have snapped her daughter much. But she kept on thinking that Sakura had to be educated strictly, so that she would not be plunged into misery.
Sakura could only nod to her mother. When they were having dinner that night, she did not say anything. Her face was flat. She quickly went upstairs to her room then wrapped herself up on her bed. She did not care about her home-works given from her lecturer. She sobbed silently inside her blanket. She felt that she could not handle this anymore.
Hana saw her baby sister curled up in her bed after being lectured by their mother. She knew that Sakura was crying. She tried to pull the blanket, but Sakura held it tight.
Hana sighed softly and caressed her sister's arms, "Sakura, please don't be mad at okaa-san. She only wants our family to be happy. You don't have to take all her words."
Sakura did not respond to her sister. She stiffened her sob hardly that her body shook. Hana would never understand her pain. Hana always got their mother's care and affection. She would never be able to feel the pain that pierced in Sakura's heart.
Days had been passed slowly to the people that did not anticipate it. But it did not apply to Sakura. She worried that her project for Nadeshiko's birthday would not be fulfilled. She still needed a lot of money for it. Since she was not allowed to have part time job anymore, she had to think another alternatives to earn the budget. Sakura was indeed still cranky a bit of her mother. But it did not mean that she had forgotten her urge to give that birthday present to Nadeshiko.
One of her efforts was to make embroideries for her friends. Fortunately she still remembered of what her mother taught her when she was child. Her friends actually liked and were very interested in her works. She got hundreds of embroideries to make in the two weeks. The girls gave it for their boyfriends or family.
Sakura did not care how tired and hurt her hands were, every time she did the stitches. All she knew that her dream had to become true.
Sakura said goodbye to Tomoyo and Meiling during their lunch. Both of them just looked at her in disbelief that she ditched their quality time together. She did not even notice that Meiling seemed really eager to tell her something. She was dashing to the library in hurry to continue her stitches, when she suddenly bumped into something hard.
She fell off and caressed her hurt forehead. "Aw."
"Are you alright?"
She heard a concern voice from a man in front of her. She looked up as the voice suddenly remained her of someone. And then she saw him there. The little boy that had grown up into a fine man. He stared at her with his deep amber eyes.
"Sakura?"
