Author's note: I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. The real life has been harrowing as of late. I was feeling a bit depressed so I decided to update this story. This fanfic never failed to make me feel better. And since this might make other people happy, I might as well spread the joy.
Leave a review if you guys have the time. You can even scold me for taking to long to update. It isn't as long as I wanted it to be. I wanted it to be worth the wait but we'll see if it does well.:D
Here is the third chapter, done with all the love, sarcasm, wit and snark I could spare. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura is rightly owned by CLAMP. They deserve all the praise for coming up with such a wonderful set of characters. I do not earn anything from the writing of this story.
Title: Take One
Rating: T
Chapter 1: The (Un)Lucky Closet
-oOo-
The look on her brother's face was nothing short of murderous. Sakura had an inkling that she wouldn't be able to lie her way out of this one. She told Li that she wouldn't rat him out. She fully intended to keep her word. She didn't want a homicide on her conscience after all. That's because that was surely where things were headed if her brother found out about what he did to her. She put on her most miserable face. She was hoping against all hope that her brother would be too preoccupied with worry and pity to let any criminal urges surface. she looked like a drowned cat right now so she had that working in her favor.
After fussing over drying her down and getting her new clothes, Touya sat in front of her with one of his searching looks. Sakura was already practicing what she was going to say in her head. Before she could say anything, a crew member from the movie came to them.
"Kinomoto-kun, we're starting filming again. The director wants you for an emergency meeting right now."
"I'll attend to my sister then return."
"But-"
Sakura could only guess that her brother shot the guy his most wilting glare. The poor man didn't even bother to finish his own sentence.
"I'll attend to my sister and then return," her brother repeated. There was no inflection in his voice but that was what made it scary.
She saw the man's arm twitch and she would have bet a million yen that the guy was about to salute. he was only barely able to hold down the urge to do so at the very last minute. she sighed inwardly. She was already making a mental list of the people she'd be sending out sorry cookies to - all on account of her brother and his weirdly endearing sociopathic tendencies.
"Yes, Sir, Kinomoto-san. I'll tell the director you are indisposed."
The change in the honorific almost made her break her pity face. Her brother had that effect on people. He may be in the wrong but he manages to do something that ends up with him being right. She was also a bit happy that her brother didn't care what everyone thought of him so long as he could take care of her. The moment Touya turned to look back at her, she cleared her mind of other unnecessary thoughts.
"Touya, they're starting. You should go back. I'll handle things here. " It was their mother who came to them next.
"I'll stay until Sakura gets settled," he answered without looking at their mother.
"Are you waiting for make-up to come and blow dry her hair? She's fine Touya. I said I'd take care of things," their mother said in an exasperated tone.
"I'll just talk to her for a bit then. And then I'll be off."
"By all means...Talk! Go ahead and delay production even more. " Her mom never condoned unprofessionalism so Sakura understood why she was a bit angry.
Touya spoke without further prompting. "How the hell did you fall in?"
Sakura gulped. She knew it was going to be like this. Before she could open her mouth her brother already cut her off.
"Sakura, I know when you so much as think about lying to me. The truth. Please."
She let out a heavy sigh. Her brother got her there. "Li threw me in," she managed in the smallest of voices.
"Excuse me?"
"I said Li Syaoran threw me in."
The fact that Touya's eyebrows came a centimeter closer to each other told Sakura that things were about to go downhill. Fast.
He surprised her when he stayed calm, however. "And what is his reason for doing so?" he asked in a tight voice.
The question stumped her. She knew instinctively that her answer wouldn't matter though. Touya was pissed as hell. You could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. She decided to take part of the blame. If she didn't, she was sure Li would be needing an I/V drip to get sustenance in the near future.
"I was acting all mean and quiet and I wouldn't talk to him and indifferent and mean... yeah! Mean. And detached. He must have been angry because of that. I'm so sorry. Part of it is my fault I swear." She wondered if her brother understood anything she said. her words were all garbled. "Don't hurt him, Niisan. I don't want you to be a convicted felon," she said in a rush.
"That bastard. Wait until I get my hands on -"
He wasn't able to continue as Nadeshiko snapped his mouth shut with her fingers. "Calm down," she told him seriously. It was rare that their mother used this voice but Touya and Sakura knew they had to listen when she did.
She let go of Touya before continuing. "I thought I had pounded every bit of professionalism I had into your brain but it seems I was just fooling myself. My motherly pride got in the way of my judgment. I can pass off you blowing off the emergency meeting but this ill-timed vendetta against a co-star I will not put off. You and I were both scared for Sakura. And I know you tend to worry more about her more than I do. I understand. But going there and charging him is nothing short of career suicide. I don't care f you want to mince his guts and feed it to carrion worms, Touya, but so long as you are a functioning member of this industry, you won't harm a hair on his head."
"But mom, he-"
"I don't care. You will not act in any way violent. You will remain as civil as you can. I myself have wanted to nail a lot of people on ladders and throw them down ravines but I didn't. I won't give them the satisfaction of seeing my name ruined because of their provocation."
It was obvious Touya wasn't going to stand down.
"He threw her into a giant aquarium! That's unforgivable, Mom."
Nadeshiko waved her hand in dismissal. "Oh, please. this is from someone who thinks getting Sakura's coffee order wrong is a crime that merits eternal damnation."
"I'm serious about this. I won't just let it go. What he did was dangerous."
"Put yourself in his shoes, Touya. There he was – rich, famous, drop-dead gorgeous. Any woman would fawn over his very shadow. He's alone with a girl who incidentally gave him a caffeine bath the day prior. Said girl ignores him. Completely. What would you do?"
"I don't get I, mom. I do know that I won't do something as stupid as throwing her into a shark tank."
"Touya, Touya, Touya," she answered with a shake of her head. "Actors are supposed to be emphatic, you know? How can you expect to be a good one if you have no inkling of how he felt at that moment? If it were me, I'd do exactly the same thing. It was an impulsive act that stemmed from feelings of irritation when I see her ignore me. If I bothered to understand my feelings a little more, I'd realize it was just a fit of jealousy. Seeing her act all kind and nice and precious to everyone but me would piss me off. That is because In truth, I am subconsciously attracted to her. But of course, being the prissy, elitist, stuck-up, man-bitch that I am, my pride refuses to entertain the notion that I have even the most microscopic stirrings for such a homely looking girl. I'm the Norse God Thor reborn unto this earth after all. I should only be attracted to completely glamorous knockouts. Never mind of course the fact that I haven't actually seen her in anything not asexual. How am I to know that if you dress her up properly and maybe add a little blush-on, she would look as beautiful and elegant as all those empresses from those historical dramas. Add to that the fact that if we stood side by side we would actually make a very, very, very cute couple. "
Their mother was speaking so fast that Touya and Sakura did not understand a word she said.
"You lost me at gorgeous," Sakura replied with a frown.
"What in the world are you talking about, Mom? " Touya asked her with a raised eyebrow. He briefly wondered if she took too many of her happy pills this morning. And by happy pills he meant time alone with their Dad.
"Hmm?" she replied a bit distractedly. Sakura wondered if their mom just forgot what their conversation was about. It wouldn't be the first time. "Oh sorry. I was just thinking of a hypothetical situation. Never you mind." She flashed them another one of her trademark smiles. "Anyway, I was thinking that Sakura was right, Touya. If you assault Li then that's a lawsuit for sure. A subpoena is the last thing I want to see on my doorstep. Guys like that just don't shrug off physical assault. Your sure stop is the slammer. Now, I know you can make rags look like haute couture, Touya, but jail clothes are just so…" the floundered her arms in search of the perfect word. "… monochromatic," she finished with a look of disgust on her face.
Sakura couldn't help but smile at her mother's bizarre way of thinking. It seemed to dampen her brother's choleric passion for a fist fight for his face lost the hard edge it had just moments before.
"So basically your main concern is my wardrobe?"
"Of course!" Nadeshiko answered unabashed. "You look good whatever you do wear, dear, but jail clothes won't be doing you any favors. I want grandchildren, Touya! And let's face it, the way you and Fujitaka spoil Sakura's face off... not to mention the way you two wall her in, it'd be near impossible for her to get a boyfriend while you two still breath in your share of oxygen from the atmosphere. And if you continue with this little vendetta of yours then the place you'd be going will be all men. I haven't nothing against homosexual relationships but everyone knows that two men can't make babies. The traditional way anyway, " she added her last thought hastily.
"Isn't my being in jail the main problem here?"
Their mother snorted. If any of her fans saw her, they would drop their jaws in surprise. Their mother only ever exuded elegance and poise in front of other people. But with her family, she showed all her other sides. "The main problem is getting a girl to say yes to you. Prostitutes are easy enough to come by but I want a respectable daughter-in-law. I bet I'll be the first mother to ever plan an omiai in the visitor's room in some jail. That said, being behind bars, the best thing you can do is show them what a sharp dresser you are. I refuse to dress you in that ugly faded crayon orange. If indeed, orange is still the color. They may have turned it into pukish green for all we know. Anyway,There's a chance they may forget the fact that you're incarcerated. I mean, they'd be so blinded by your good looks. The next order of business is smuggling her in so you could do the nasty and then get her pregnant and then -"
"Whoa! Stop right there." He said as he covered Sakura's ears. "This isn't a meet conversation to have around Sakura."
Nadeshiko rolled her eyes at Touya. "Sakura is eighteen. Not eight." She took Touya's hands off Sakura's ears. Sakura didn't say a word and just continued to watch them. " She's old enough to understand these things. Besides, she's a nerd. She probably knows exactly what goes on, why it goes on, where this things goes and whatever things those sciencey people add to the act of procreation."
"I still do not like her listening to such risque or raunchy things."
"Yes, Daddy." Nadeshiko answered in her best imitation of Sakura's voice.
Sakura couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her. "You're so weird, Mom. I love it."
Her laugh broke whatever tension was left with her brother. He twisted his lips in his signature "annoyed look" and asked, "You were trying to distract me, weren't you?"
"No! I was making a valid point!" Nadeshiko insisted.
Touya finally cracked a smile. "Whatever you say, mom. Anyway, I get it. No harming the idiot."
Nadeshiko returned his smile. "I knew you'd see the light."
He shook his head. It was always futile arguing with their mother. It was like going to a shootout. Except the fact that although you may have a nifty old revolver, she'd most likely be carrying nukes with her."I better go see the director now. There are bound to be some changes after this." He then turned to their mother. "You'll take care of her, won't you?"
"You can count on me."
"Thanks." He looked at Sakura and placed a hand on her head. "Don't worry, all right? I'll be on my best behavior. Be more careful next time."
"I will, Niisan."
"Promise me."
"Yes, I promise."
"That's good to hear then" Touya stood and smiled at their mom. "I'm sorry for the delay. I'll apologize to the director properly."
"I know you will," Nadehsiko said with pride. She and her husband were immensely proud of their two children. They were perfect to Nadeshiko. Well, except the fact they both have a complex for each other. However, she was sure that a romantic relationship will finally cure them of it. That was one of the reasons she was doing her best to make match-ups.
"I'm off then."
Sakura happily returned the smile her brother gave her before leaving. As soon as he was out of sight, she let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the intervention, Mom. I don't know what I would have done if you haven't cut in when you did. "
"What are you talking about dear? You'd do what you always do."
She was a bit confused at her mom's words. "And what would that be?"
"Act innocent in front of him."
She opened her mouth to protest but closed it immediately. Her mom was spot on. She would have played the pity and incorruptible pureness card straight off the bat. She shrugged in response. "True."
"You know what Touya said about knowing when you lie?"
"You heard that?"
Her mother pointed to her ear. "Bionic hearing. Anyway, what he said is true. Touya just pretends to believe whatever you say even if it's a lie. He just waits conveniently for your conscience to eat you up from the inside. When that happens, you usually go and spill your guts to him anyway. It's a very useful technique. Fujitaka probably taught it to him."
"Really?"
"Of course,. Your dad uses that on me to great effect. I mean, I know he already uses that kind of technique but it still works on me. 100% success rate. All your father has to do is look at me with that look of absolute trusts and I feel like a monster if I so much as lie about what I ate for lunch. Touya learned from the best."
Sakura laughed out loud at what her mother was saying. "You seemed to be on Li's side today." She remarked.
"I've known him a while and I know he wouldn't do anything stupid like that without a good reason."
"Your hypothetical situation?" Sakura's thoughts momentarily flew to her mom's bout of random earlier.
Nadeshiko smiled. "I'd like to think that's the case, anyway."
"Could you tell it to me again a little more slowly his time? I really didn't get it the first time."
Her mother only laughed at her request.
-xXx-
"All right, what did you do?" Eriol asked the moment he stopped before Syaoran.
Syaoran toweled his hair dry before answering. "Why do you assume I had anything to do with it?" he answered defensively.
His manager gave an exhausted sigh. "Syaoran, I come back to find production halted all because of an impromptu pool party you instigated. And don't give me that look!" he warned as Syaoran gave him a full on scowl. "Let's not forget that the actual pool in question is really a huge aquarium that is home to a lot of carnivorous fish. There are two reasons why I assumed you had something to do with it. The first is that Sakura's shoes are skid proof. It has to be since she works here. Her falling into the pool accidentally would have been only been possible if the entire floor froze over. Last I checked, it hasn't. The second reason is that only you would get a kick out of something like that, "
"Excellent deduction, Sherlock. Don't detectives get two sides of the story before making conclusions?"
"I tried to talk to Sakura but her brother was on guard duty. They say he chews out anyone who goes near her. Knowing my association would you would immediately place me in hot water with Touya, I didn't bother."
Syaoran only rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It was an accident. That's all I'm saying. "
"Oh? An accident is it? And in what parallel universe did this accident happen, pray tell? I know for a fact you purposely threw her in."
He didn't like that Eriol wasn't on his side on this one. It seemed the girl already won him over. "Why are you trying to pin this on me? Your supposed to be on my side. Always!"
"Not on this one, little boy. This time I'm backing her up. I may protect your ass when it comes to business but this is completely different. This is a moral dilemma and I'm sticking with the right. You shouldn't have done that. Regardless of what you felt about her, how in the world could you do that to such an innocent girl?" Eriol was fuming by the time he finished.
The anger on Eriol's face deterred Syaoran from giving the retort he wanted to give. During times like this, retreat was always the best solution.
"I'm not saying anything more. Your mind is obviously clouded on this issue. You've only known her for a few hours Eriol. I doubt you know her enough to judge her character correctly."
"While that may be true, I do know that she hero-worships her brother. She'd never do anything to stall production like this." Eriol stopped when he realized what Syaoran was trying to do. "And don't stop twisting the topic around. Why in the world did you do what you did?"
"No comment."
"Argh!" Eriol wanted to tear his hair out in frustration. "Actors!"
Completely ignoring his manager's frustration, Syaoran only shrugged. He would never admit that he threw her in on impulse. He was thinking along the same lines as Eriol. He wanted to know what evil spirit possessed him to that. He tried to figure it out but he could never come up with a good answer. All he knew was that watching her irritated him. When she ignored him, he just exploded fro some reason. A reason he is desperately trying to figure out. His only worry right now was that she would go and blab about what really happened. Somehow, he knew she wouldn't though. He wished she would so he'd find some reason to be angry at her. If he wasn't angry... he might actually feel other things. Their little sojourn into the World of Jaws did not leave him devoid of impressions. On the contrary, it left him with quite a lot to brood on.
Without thinking, he blurted, "I thought she was as flat as a board but I was wrong. My arms went perfectly around her and I actually felt her beneath all that cloth."
It was a few seconds before he realized what he had just said. Eriol only stared at him. "Did I just say that out loud?" he asked as he buried his face in his hands.
"Depends. Do you want me to pretend that I didn't hear a thing?"
"Please pretend you didn't hear anything."
He could feel the smile in Eriol's voice. "If you say so."
An unfamiliar voice intruded on their conversation. Syaoran jumped when the intruder spoke. He wished that only Eriol heard his slip. "Uh... Li-san?"
Syaoran looked to the door after a second. He took that second to rearrange his features. "Yes?"
The film crewman spoke nervously. "Wardrobe is coming in with your new clothes. They'll just blow dry your hair and fix you make-up. I know you want a shower but -"
"It's fine. This accident was unprecedented after all." That much was true at least. "I'll bear with it so we can make the most of the time remaining to us."
A business-like tone was infused in his voice and Syaoran knew the crewman was in awe of his professionalism. That was the proper way to go. No one should ever know that he had no shred of it when it came to that girl. She was like a nail that was being pounded into his skull. Over and over again. Each stab of pain reminding you of her.
"Yes, Sir. In the meantime, the director wants to have a talk with everyone. Once you've changed into dry clothes then -" He stopped when he saw that Syaoran had already changed into the extra clothes he had in his car. Eriol had told him to be ready for anything. As such,he had a mini-house in his SUV. All he needed was a kitchen and he was all set.
"Tell him I'm on my way."
"Yes, Sir." The crewman bowed and left.
"I'm sure you're already thinking of properly apologizing for everything you've done, right? "
Syaoran rolled his eyes but he doubted Eriol saw. Eriol was not dropping it. It involved her after all. "Fine, I will! Will that be enough to shut you up?"
"And apologize to Sakura as well. Assuming of course that Touya ever lets you near her. The only way you'd touch her is if Touya is a continent away."
"Yeah, whatever," he told him in dismissal. He then followed the crewman back to where the director was waiting.
He was one of the first people there. There was no sign of Touya Kinomoto. He wondered briefly if something had happened to Sakura. That would explain her brother's absence. The next second, he wanted to bash his head on the nearest wall. Now wasn't the time to be worried about her. The other actors came in one after the other in the next few minutes.
The hairs on the back of his nape prickled. He had the feeling that someone with murderous intent was watching him from afar. He wondered if this was the feelings vampires got before getting staked through the heart from behind. He turned and saw Touya Kinomoto headed their way. Touya nodded his head in acknowledgement the moment their eyes met. Syaoran nodded response. Maybe that blip on his danger radar was just his over active imagination. The moment Touya stopped beside the director, he gave a deep bow.
"I sincerely apologize for the events of today, Sir. I'm sorry I took too long as well. I had to make sure my sister was all right before I left. I apologize for compromising the days shoot." He kept his head bowed as he spoke. Syaoran felt a pang of guilt watching him. He should be the one apologizing but here Touya was, taking all the blame for himself.
"It's all right, Kinomoto-kun. No one knew that something like that was going to happen. Raise your head now. Everything's fine. It's not like we wasted an entire day. We can still salvage a lot of things."
Only then did Touya raise his head once more. "Thank you, Director."
"Is everyone here then? " The director looked around to see if anyone was missing. "Good, we're all here. I called everyone to announce the changes we'll be making to today's schedule. It was unfortunate something like that happened but it's no use dwelling on it anymore. I say we just do the most we can with the remaining time. Kinomoto-kun's coat is being dried as we speak so we can continue on with his scenes. Li-kun's clothes aren't in a good state, however. We'll have to retake his scenes. The owner agreed to give us the aquarium tomorrow as well. So, today, we finish up with Kinomoto-kun's and Nekoi-san's parts and then tomorrow, we do all Li-kun's scenes. Let's do a good job people."
Murmurs of undersanding were heard throughout the crowd.
The director looked to Syaoran. "Li-kun, you can pack up for the day. All those who have scenes with Kinomoto-kun are staying. If you don't have anything else then you can leave. "
Touya bowed to everyone and apologized once more. "I apologize for the delay won't ever happen again."
Their co-star Nekoi patted him on the back. "It's no problem, Kinomoto-kun. It was an was no way you had any control over that. Don't beat yourself over it."
"Thanks," he replied with a smile.
The director clapped his hands once. "Right. That should be all. Let's get to work people!"
"Hai!" everyone answered in unison.
-xXx-
The boss requested her to work for another day but Sakura declined. She took a leave of absence to escape her job for the day. She wasn't sure she could handle another day in close proximity with Syaoran Li. She felt bad for refusing and leaving the aquarium understaffed but she felt even worse knowing that she was the reason for the delay in filming. She had gone home with her brother and mother the night before. The shoot lasted well into the night. It was almost midnight when they reached home. She felt horrible when she all the exhausted faces of the actors and crew when they were wrapping up. She knew it was better for her to steer clear of the shoot so she wouldn't cause any more trouble. She had already made that scene with the coffee thing the last time she visited their set. If the people saw her again, they might think she would cause even more problems. Weird accidents seemed to follow her whenever she was anywhere near Syaoran Li.
She got out of bed and headed downstairs. She was greeted with the familiar smells of her father's delicious cooking. The sight of her father's welcoming smile always cheered Sakura up. She already felt much better just being close to him.
"Good morning, Dad!" she said as she happily took her seat on the table. Her breakfast was already laid out in front of her.
"Good morning, Sakura." He returned the smile Sakura gave him.
Only then did Sakura notice the tray her father was holding. She was surprised to see him carrying a bowl of congee. Congee wasn't exactly a staple in their breakfast menu.
"Who's that for, Dad?"
Her father placed a spoon on the tray before answering. "It's for your mother, dear. I'm afraid she isn't feeling very well this morning. Will you be all right if I left you for a bit? I'll just go nurse your mother. "
Sakura couldn't help but smile. She loved how sweet her parents were to each other. "Dad, I'm going to be a college student soon, I can eat when I'm alone."
"I know that, Dear. It's just you seemed a bit down when you came home yesterday so I was a bit worried. Touya refuses to tell me what happened so I can only guess. "
She smiled to reassure her father. "I'm all right now. I took the day off so I could rest."
"That's good to hear then"
"I'm seriously okay, Dad. You should go check on Mom. She's the one who isn't okay."
Her father's laugh always warms her up from the inside. He patted her on the head and left her to finish her food.
After breakfast, she went back to her room. She decided to keep away from work so long as the filming crew was still there. The spent the entire day lounging around doing nothing. She ate lunch and dinner alone since her father was focusing all his attention on her mother and her brother was away at work. Sakura didn't mind being neglected at all. She knew her Dad would do the same if it was her who was sick. She fell asleep that day without seeing her brother.
When she woke up the next day, her brother had already left for their location shoot. She was bummed that she didn't see her brother. She was feeling a bit lonely since she didn't see anyone else in their house. She spent the day by her mother's side since her father had an important thing to attend to at the University. Another two days passed like this.
She woke up in the middle of the night. Feeling the urge for a midnight snack, she decided to go downstairs and make something. She went down as silently as she could so she wouldn't wake anyone. She was surprised to see the kitchen lights still on. She heard voices and decided to listen in.
"- look tired. You should sleep now, Touya." Sakura recognized her father's voice.
"I will." She was glad to hear her brother's voice. "I just have to prepare the things I need for tomorrow"
"And how long will that take?"
"An hour or two. Then I can rest."
"You shouldn't overwork yourself, Touya. You're already tired from today's work but you still do all these things."
"There's no one else, Dad. Besides, it'll only be for a while. Mom will get better soon and things will go back to normal."
"Why don't you hire a PA for the mean time? I don't like you doing everything. You have to rest up if you want to workwell. "
"I can't find one who will work for me for just a few days. Also, I want someone I can trust. Not just anyone would do."
Sakura inched closer to get a peak at the two of them. Her father's back was toward her but she saw her brother seated on the table. He did look exhausted. She hadn't seen him at all in four days. She was surprised at how haggard he looked now.
"Then call in a favor with Yukito or something."
"Dad, Yukito has his own life.I don't want to bother him with something meaningless like this."
"I'll do it," Sakura said as she walked into the room.
Both men looked to her in response.
"How long have you been standing there?" her brother demanded.
"Long enough to understand what's happening."
"Are you sure, Sakura?" her father asked in turn.
"Yeah, sure. I'm not doing anything anyway so rather than get fat here, I could actually help out."
AHr brother smiled at her and said. "Thank you for offering but no. I decline."
The answer surprised her. "What? Come on, Niisan! You're working yourself too hard. You need the help. You say you need someone you can trust. Is it that you can't trust me?"
Touya shook his head. "Of course not. I trust you with my life. It's just... you got into that accident the last time you came with me. I don't want anything else to happen to you again so I'd rather you were here at home where I know you're safe." She saw him mumble something else but she couldn't hear the rest. She was about to ask what he was mumbling about when her brother spoke again. "I shudder to think what other things could happen to you if you went with me again. We'll be having location shoots from now on and anything could happen."
"I have a counter argument to that, Niisan," she said as she waggled a finger in front of her brother. "That time I was with someone else. If I'm with you then you can look out for me. Nothing will happen to me if you're around."
Touya shook his head and gave her a wry smile. "You do realize that you're supposed to look after me right?"
"Oh. Ohh..." she said the second 'oh' a little longer than the first as she understood what her brother was getting at. "I had a point. Not a very good one but still... come on, Niisan. You need the help. I'm willing to help. Why are you even thinking about this?"
"I'm in full agreement," their father told them. She gave her father a smile as thanks for the support. "I worry about Sakura, too, but I know she can take care of herself this time around. And like she said, she'll be closer to you so that should count for something. And besides, it will only be temporary. Your mother will get better soon."
"While I understand what your saying, Dad -"
"I'll be super good, Niisan!" she said as she took a seat beside him. "I'll be even better than all of Santa's little elves combined. Just please let me help." Sakura put on the face she knew her brother could never say no to. "Please, I want to make up for the trouble I caused last time."
The smile Touya gave her already told her his answer. She stopped herself from smiling lest he change his mind abruptly. He patted her head twice. "You are never any trouble, Sakura."
"But -"
"Thank you," he told her.
"Then I can help?" she asked excitedly.
Touya gave a low chuckle. "Yes, you can. But you have to be more careful thank you've ever been in your entire life."
"Yes!" Sakura answered immediately.
"And stay away from Li Syaoran."
Sakura briefly asked herself where that came from but just shrugged it off. "Of course. I hate that guy! I promise to stay at least 10 feet away from him, Niisan."
Her brother looked pleased at her answer. Her father only shook his head and gave a little laugh.
-xXx-
As always, Eriol steeled himself for the day of tedium that was ahead. Watching over filming could get droll over time. This movie was no exception. He videotaped Syaoran's scenes just as he always asked but other than that, Eriol had practically nothing to do. It was times like these that he considered just being a manager and getting a separate handler for Syaoran. Shoots were only ever exciting at the beginning. That was where you got to meet the crew and cast. After that, boredom replaces any feeling of excitement. Things then became a chore. He was about to let out a tired sigh when a flash of white caught his eye. The sigh turned to a smile and he knew that the day was not going to be as boring as he thought.
He walked towards the pair that just arrived and put on his best smile.
"Sakura-san, it's such a pleasure to see you again."
Both she and her brother turned to face him. Sakura easily answered his smile but her brother only nodded. Sakura gave a deep bow before speaking.
"Hiiragizawa-san! It's been too long. Good morning. It's great to see you again."
"As it is with you." He turned to Touya, "Good morning, Kinomoto-kun," he greeted. He knew it would be a greeting ritual like those old Mayan people. He had to greet the chief before getting anywhere near his people. Last he remembered, he wasn't in good terms with Touya on account of Syaoran's stupidity.
"Good morning," was his only answer. It seemed he still hadn't let go of incident the last time Sakura was around.
"And what do we owe the pleasure of your company today, Sakura-san?"
"I'm here in place of my Mom. She's sick right now. Niisan has been going at it alone for the past few days so I wanted to help him."
"That's very nice of you."
Sakura smiled like a little girl who got a pat of approval from her Dad. Eriol found his smile widening. "Really? Thank you, Hiiragizawa-san."
"Excuse us," her brother cut in. "I have to talk to the director and settle Sakura in before we start filming. I apologize but I have to cut the conversation short. "
Eriol smiled in response. He already expected the cold treatment he was receiving from him. "It's no problem. I understand. There's plenty of time to catch up later. " He winked at Sakura.
She gave a bow before trailing after her brother who didn't even bother to hear Eriol's answer.
"It seems I'll have my work cut out for me today," he said out loud.
"What do you mean? You only ever watch and videotape anyway."
He turned to where the voice came from and saw Syaoran already dressed and ready for the days shoot.
"Hello, Syaoran."
"Why the hell are you smiling like that? Did something good happen or something?"
"You could say that. I'm just happy that today won't be as boring as usual."
"Oh, isn't that a nice change for you? Why do you think that anyway? Is there some sort of event later today?"
He let out a loud laugh before answering. "Oh, maybe. I think so anyway. At least, I hope so. I'm looking forward to today."
"Well, at least you're having fun, I guess." Syaoran grumbled.
Eriol wasn't used to Syaoran grumbling so that got his interest immediately. "Is something wrong? It's rare for you to grumble on set. You usually do your backstabbing when you're away from everything and everyone."
Syaoran let out a sigh. "Never mind. It'll be all right soon. I hope. Maybe once the cameras start rolling then we can get serious."
"Don't worry, Syaoran. This dreary dump just became a much better place."
He looked at him like he was crazy. "Let's hope you're right."
-xXx-
She was placing all he brother's things in order while Touya sat rereading the script. She knew he already knew it by heart but it was always like her brother to over prepare.
"May be I should've helped dad first and then come here, Niisan," she said as she brought out her book. Her brother told her it was going to be boring waiting around so she should bring something to pass the time. She brought a book on molecular evolution in marine ecosystems. Nerd.
"You forget, Dad has all those over-zealous grad students of his. They would be more than happy to burden themselves with his handcarry."
Sakura gave a little pout, still not satisfied with her brother's answer. "Yeah, okay."
Touya looked up from his chair. "You should have gone with him instead. You've never been to Mexico, right?"
She took the chair beside her brother."And leave you and Mom alone? I know that dad himself was reluctant to leave. He was just forced to because they had already planned the trip three months ago. I wanted to stay with Mom but she told me to go with you instead."
Their father was scheduled to leave for Mexico later in the day. Both Sakura and Touya knew that their father would have stayed if not for their mother's insistence that he go. They weren't actually there to hear the argument but they knew their parents enough to guess the arrangements they made. Touya even proposed to stay home but their mother would not hear of him delaying filming.
Sakura intended to help her brother to the best of her abilities so they'd be able to go back home as soon as possible and check on their mother. As soon as they arrived, Touya went directly to the director to explain their current situation and he gladly gave them permission to leave as soon as all Touya's scenes were done. Sakura was determined not to let anything delay production today. She knew her brother would also be doing his best. His goal was to complete all his scenes in just a few takes.
They were now waiting for the filming to start. Touya was studying his script while Sakura intended to study phylogeny. Good times indeed. She looked up as her brother patted her head.
"Thanks for helping me. I'm sorry I made you feel bad by saying no the first time." Her brother always made sure everything was right in her world and she loved him for that.
"I'm always glad to help you, Niisan. I can't believe you didn't even as me as soon as Mom got sick "
A smile appeared on Touya's face. He looked towards the set and stood up. "I think we're about to start. I'd better get them."
"Okay! Ill be right here," she replied with a salute.
Her brother chuckled and ruffled her hair. "All right."
She watched her brother go. She sat still for a few minutes watching the other goings-on on set. She opened her book to the page she stopped on. It was a habit of hers to read such books for light reading before she went to sleep at night. They seemed more interesting to her than romance novels. She continued reading for a few more minutes then shut the book. As much as she loved reading about the ocean and its teeming wildlife, Sakura also had a tendency to have random attacks of wanderlust.
She got up and started walking around. The place they were in was so different from the last place so she was a bit confused. She wondered how the story progressed from a date in an aquarium to a stroll in a textile factory. She loved the huge water tanks that surrounded her at the aquarium. Here, the dreary gray walls were getting to her. She knew she promised her brother she'd stay put but she figured that so long as she returned before he did, everything would be all right.
It would be great if she ran into Eriol today. She wasn't able to talk to him much at all the last time and this morning, her brother only allowed them to exchange a greeting before he pulled her away. She still hasn't had the opportunity to talk to Tomoyo about him so it would be nice if she knew more about him before giving her verdict.
Out of nowhere, a hand obscured her field of vision. Before she could cry out, the hand clamped down on her mouth. She felt an arm grab her waist. She was being carried around like a rag doll. Completely weightless. She tried to fight back but the guy – because only a guy could possibly carry her around like this – was too strong for her. She heard a door opening and then she found herself in complete darkness. Only then did he release her.
Sakura never did well in dark, enclosed spaces. She had a traumatic experience when she was a child that left her with a slight case of claustrophobia. As such, she was more worried about being trapped in here than the kidnapper slash possible murderer who brought her in here.
The sudden illumination blinded her for a few seconds. She blinked a few times to get used to the light. She wondered why the kidnapper slash possible murderer even bothered. Opeining the light would give her, the "kidnapee", some leverage when fighting back. Surely he could just grab her in the dark. He was so much stronger than her after all. Then again, you never know what you're grabbng if you start groping in the dark. She cursed herself for being distracted. Right now, she should have been praying for her life. Somehow, she wasn't that worried. Her brother was just close after all. He'd come and save her. He always did.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Her eyes turned to slits as she recognized the voice that spoke. Her face contorted itself into a scowl. She was hoping she would never ever get to hear this voice again but it seems Kami-sama had other plans. How was she ever going to explain this to her brother? She had promised to stay away from him today. That was the condition he imposed for allowing her to come here in the first place. She pushed away those thought momentarily to deal with the matter at hand. She had to get away from him ASAP.
"Did you not hear me at all? I said -"
She swiveled to face him and put on her angriest face. "You drag me into this broom closet and you actually have the gall to demand me to answer your questions?" She moved to get the door.
"I didn't want anyone to see me talking to you."
She stopped on her tracks and looked towards him again. "Then you shouldn't have bothered getting near me in the first place. You aren't the only one who doesn't want us to be seen together."
Syaoran's face looked almost apologetic. "I needed to talk to you. Your brother won't ever let me get near you after you-know-what."
"With good reason."
He gave a tired sigh. "Can we please not fight this time around? Let's just get on with the conversation so we can get out of this hell hole."
"You're the one who chose this hell -" He raised his eyebrow and she shut her mouth. "Fine. You said you had something to say."
"Uh, yeah. What did you tell everyone bout last time?"
"Last time?" she pretended to think about it. "When you chucked me into the sharktank?" she asked dryly.
He actually flinched when she said "shark". "Yes. That incident."
"I promised to shut it, right? I kept my word."
"Are you sure?"
It was Sakura's turn to wince. "Well, my brother...I told him everything."
"You what?" he asked in alarm. "You said you wouldn't tell! It was something between the two of us."
"Well, yeah. But that's my brother. It's virtually impossible forme to lie to my brother. He knows if I even think about lying. "
"A 'no comment' would have sufficed."
"How showbiz," she said with distaste.
"Yes, but -"
"Are you done?" she stopped him before he could say anything. She had to get away from him sooner rather than later. "If that's everything then I'm leaving. "
She twisted the knob and gave it a violent tug.
Nothing happened.
She eyed the door hatefully. It looked as if the door was purposely keeping itself closed. The smug little thing must've enjoyed trapping her in here. She tried again. She pushed and then pulled. The door remained shut. She tried again, very much aware that Syaoran was watching her every move.
"It won't budge," she managed through gritted teeth.
"Give it a harder push. It opens outward."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "I already did that. Pulling or pushing makes no difference. I've tried my best and nothing is happening."
"Oh really? Maybe you just want to spend a little more time-"
"Don't even bother finishing that sentence. I'd rather be alone with a pit viper than be alone with you."
"A pit viper? Really? I don't think you'd be able to stand all the hissing."
"Well, better hissing than your constant bitching. "
It was Syaoran's turn to frown. "I don't bitch."
"If that's true then why aren't you here helping me get this thrice-damned door open instead of just talking over there?."
She gave the door a kick.
"You'll hurt yourself doing that," he said as he walked to her side. "All it needs is a good hard push." He gently pushed her hands away. Sakura stared at him, surprised at his actions. He took a firm grip on the knob, twisted it and then pushed. There was no expression as he tried a second, third, even a fourth time. After the fifth time, he slowly looked back to her and said, "It won't budge."
"I could have told you that," Sakura answered in an exasperated voice.
"Calm down. Nothing is going to go wrong."
"Nothing is going to go wrong," she repeated his words in a mockery of his tone. "Everything started going wrong the moment you dragged us in here!"
"I know! Just calm down. Nothing will happen if you panic."
Sakura ignored him and started pounding on the door. "Help! Anyone! Is anyone out there? Help!"
Syaoran annoyed her by just standing beside her doing nothing. She couldn't stand staying here any longer. She started to think of the time she got stuck in that shed out in the mountains. She had always been adventurous so she often ended up in so many new places. She never sat still when she was younger. She loved to go exploring. One time, she and her family were vacationing in a little cottage that was close to her mother's family's vacation house. While her mother and father went off to greet her grandparents, Sakura scampered off towards the woods. She chased down so many birds and squirrels that she didn't realize that she had strayed off the path she was following. Only when the sky started to darken did she start worrying about getting back. She tried to backtrack her steps but being only 5 at the time, she lacked the necessary wilderness skills to do it right. She ended up even more lost than she was. It started to rain not long after that.
She was lucky enough to have found an abandoned shed. She went in for shelter from the rain. She had intended to keep the door open so she could see if her father or brother was out looking for her. Unfortunately, the door closed on her as soon as she entered. She had tried her best to get out but she just couldn't. Sakura spent the most terrifying hours of her short life inside that shed. The terror had only ended when her brother came and opened the door. It was from then on that her brother had become something of a messiah to her.
Talk about a complex.
After that incident, Sakura could never stand being in any dark, enclosed space for more than a minute. Given that it wasn't actually dark in the closet she was in right now, she rather wished it was. It was becoming fairly hard to ignore the very good-looking guy who was in the room with her. Not to mention the said guy was now pressed close to her in their combined attempt to get themselves out of here. She was trying not to think that he looked even better up close or that his cologne smelled like the sea right after a huge storm. The smell coincidentally being one of her favorite smells in the world.
"It's not fair," she whispered. It wasn't fair that she was kind of getting attracted to this vile person beside her. Not fair at all. Curse his perfect face!
"Relax. We'll get out," he whispered back.
His concern for her welfare took her by surprise. What he really trying to make her feel better? She brushed the thought away. She had to get out of here fast. The way things were going she might actually start liking the guy.
She continued to shout for help just as Syaoran continued to ram his body against the door. After a few minutes, Syaoran stopped.
"I'm an idiot. We have cellphones."
"Right," Sakura replied. One problem though. She left her cellphone inside her bag the moment she got her book out. Screw phylogeny.
"Can you see if you can call for help? I leave my things with Eriol when I'm on a shoot."
Can anything else go horribly wrong today?
"Ah, sure. Except I don't have mine with me."
Syaoran looked at her like he did not understand what she was saying.
"My phone I mean. I don't have it with me."
"I should be angry you know. PAs and handlers should always have their phones with them."
"I'm not a PA!" she said angrily. "I'm only here to help my brother. I don't know how Pas are supposed to do their jobs!"
"I wasn't insulting you or anything."
Shame made her blush. It was true that he wasn't saying anything bad about her. She was just so used to flaring up at his every sentence that it became almost automatic. She was about to apologize when she remembered that if it wasn't for him, neither of them would be stuck in this situation. He deserved all the scalding words she threw at him. No Sir, she would not apologize.
"It's you fault we're in here," she reminded him.
"I know all right? You don't have to remind me every chance you get." he snapped at her.
They were now moving back to more familiar waters. She liked it better when they were snapping at each other's throats and not acting all concenrned about each other. At least then, she would be to angry to actually ogle his person. Perfectly understandable as that was. How can anyone not stare at that mussy brown hair, those dark brown eyes, those broad shoulders – Sakura stamped the thought out of her head.
As if things weren't bad enough, Syaoran started to take off his scarf. And his coat. And his vest.
"Whoa, whoa,whoa! What the hell are you doing?" she demanded before he started taking off anything else …possibly something below the waist.
"It's a freaking pressure cooker in here. Can't you feel it?"
Now that he mentioned it, Sakura noticed that it was indeed a little too hot inside here. She had originally thought it was just hot and stuffy because that was how she felt the first time she met him in that tent. She should have realized sooner that no guy – hot, smoking, sizzling or otherwise – could change the temperature of a room by this much.
"Where the hell did you drag us into?"
"I have no idea. I just went into the closest room I saw. We should be near the engine room or maybe a boiler room but whatever it is, it's releasing a lot of heat."
"Great. Just great. Can't get any worse than this."
As if trying to taunt her, the light flickered once and then another time.
"No! " Sakura cried out.
A second later, she went back to screaming out loud trying to pry thedoor open.
-xXx-
Kicking himself would not be enough to make him feel better. There were four reasons he could think of off the top of his head why he qualified as the biggest dolt in history.
The first reason happened not too long ago. He was annoyed at some of his co-stars childish antics on set. He wished they all had Kinomoto's work ethic. Horseplaying wasn't something he tolerated when at work. He kept his distance from them in order not to hear any more of their inane stories. It was then that he saw her. Truthfully, he didn't expect to see her ever gain. Especially not after their disastrous day at the aquarium. But here she was, as androgynous as usual. At least she wasn't wearing a hat anymore. You could see her face now. Syaoran was relieved that she was once again wearing some shapeless sack as clothes. His last memory of her shape wasn't something he liked revisiting. He watched her for almost two minutes. Only when she was about to go out of sight did he realize he was smiling.
Damn it.
He was actually glad to see her again. This was not going anywhere good. He still felt extremely guilty about their little swim. He was also aware that some rumors started spewing out about the two of them. He was used to being in the middle of controversy. He was so used to it he practically ate controversies as a side dish for dinner. She wasn't used to it, however. It wasn't rght that she get dragged into them because of him. He knew that her parents tried to keep her as anonymous as they could. Why else did people not know her? He sighed at the familiar feeling of protectiveness he felt towards her. It seemed once you were bitten, you were infected for life.
Moving on to reason number two. Because of the trouble that he caused her, he wanted to apologize properly. He didn't want anyone to see them talking though. That would only fuel the rumors that were already flying around about the two of them. Genius planner that he was, he decided to pull her into the closest room he could find. The end result was their current predicament. Absolute genius. They should award him a Nobel Prize.
And now reason number three. He only wanted to apologize. He was prepared to act all nice and all but when it came to it, they were shouting and insulting each other. Again. He didn't understand why her dismissal of him pissed him off so much. Now, trapped as they were, you'd think he'd have all the time to say what he wanted to say. It was only 2 words, 3 syllables, 6 letters and one apostrophe after all. How hard could it be? Close to impossible apparently. They have been stuck here for a while now and he still couldn't say it.
He knew she loathed him. She could see it in her eyes every time she was forced to look at him. That was why the only thing he could do was try his best to get them out of here. They made the biggest ruckus they could just to get anyone's attention outside but it seemed like it was useless. No one had come to their aid. He had no idea how long they had been trapped in here. The heat was getting to the both of them. He had long discarded any article of clothing on the top part of his body. He would have loved to removed the other half but he didn't want to make Sakura even more uncomfortable than she was. Not even that could help. It was a boiler room in here. He was more worried for Sakura though. She was seated like a broken down doll on the floor. Lucky people that they were, the light even gave out after a few minutes. It only flickered to life every now and them. That was the only time he could see her well enough to judge her state. He was genuinely worried for her. Her eyes would sometimes lose focus and then she'd start mumbling words he could not hear.
Now came his biggest problem. Reason number four, here we come. Every now and then, stray bead of sweat would travel down from her temple, down her face, moving slowly – oh so very slowly – down her the column of her throat, down the hollow above her collarbone, and then finally disappearing into her blouse whose first three buttons were already undone due to the heat. As the seventh drop disappeared from his sight, Syaoran wanted to claw his eyes out. This wasn't the time or place to be appreciating things about her.
Sakura curled up and hugged her knees. Syaoran was now very worried. The light flickered above them as he stood up to kneel beside her. Only then did he understand the words she had been saying.
"Dark...no... help... Niisan, where are you? Please... I'm scared."
She muttered other words but they were only whispers so he couldn't hear. He tried to pry her hands away from her knees so she would look at his face. He was unsuccessful. She was holding on for dear life.
"Are you al right? " he asked her. "Sakura, are you all right?" It was the first time he ever said her name out loud. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue.
"Someone... please...anyone...Niisan..."
He gently cupped her face and forced her to look at him. He could see tears streaking down her face. The sight was like a punch to his gut.
"It's okay," he told her gently. "You aren't alone. We'll get out of here so don't worry anymore." He wiped away her tears with his thumbs.
The light flickered above them.
"No it won't!" she rasped. "It'll be dark again and then no one will know I'm trapped here. It will be just like that time in the forest. It will-"
She stood up abruptly and ran to the door saying words in a hysterical rush. She was clawing at the door when Syaoran reached her. He pulled her away from the door and placed himself in between. He was worried she'd do something else to hurt her so he used his body as a shield. She continued her hysterical rant. He cupped her face again and pulled close. She didn't stop struggling. There was only one thing he could think of to calm her down.
He kissed her.
She struggled to pull away but he kept her close. Fireworks exploded in his head. He'd kissed dozens of girls for his job before but never like this. Before he knew what was happening he was kissing her again and again until he couldn't tell where one kiss ended and the other began. She had stopped struggling at this point. And she was kissing him back. He didn't intend this to escalate into a full blown make-out session but all his rational brain functions were thrown out the door the moment their lips met. One of his hands snaked to cradle her head so he could kiss her even deeper. His other hand was holding her tight against him. Nothing else mattered right now except this. Her.
The force she used to push him back took him unawares. He was too absorbed in the kiss that that small amount of force was enough to send him crashing on his backside.
"What the hell was -"
"This isn't what it looks like!" she said as she turned her back on him.
He did not understand what she was talking about at first but the light from behind him told him everything. He bit his lip and took a deep breath before turning to see who Sakura was talking to. He wanted to wince when he saw the aghast faces of the people who were looking back at him. He kept on his best poker face.
"This..." he gestured vaguely towards him and Sakura, "isn't what it looks like."
-oOo-
Author's note: Gosh, finally finished. That was a kind of long one. Please forgive any typos or errors that you see. I tend to miss out on a few due to the length of my chapters. Anyway, how was it? What did you guys think? Leave a review if you have the time. Unitil the next chpter! (I promise to have it up much faster than how long it took this chapter. I'v finished up with most of my work anyway so I have fanfiction time, haha :D)
