Fated to Love You

Chapter Four : Learning Truths

"Sorry, wait. What?" Sakura's jaw dropped on the floor. She couldn't believe what her ears had heard. Did she just hear those words right?

Syaoran looked quite amused at the response Sakura was giving off to him.

"I'm going to live next door from today onwards. I hope to get along with you well, Kinomoto. Do you want to come in and have some tea?" Syaoran offered. He looked at Sakura in amusement, he couldn't stop the grin which took over his face. Sakura shook her head, refusing his proposal politely.

"No, thanks for the offer. I'm going in first. See you at school." Sakura bid him goodbye and pushed the gate open. She walked a few steps into her house before turning around to face Syaoran again. Her fingers found her long hair tip and started playing with them. Syaoran eyed her, raising a brow in confusion seeing her fidget like that.

"J-just tell me if you need some help regarding the neighborhood. I'll be glad to help." She managed to say, not daring to make eye contacts with Syaoran.

'Well, helping each other is normal right? He helped me out once too, it's just natural that I should pay him back somehow.' Sakura thought, still playing with her long hair. Her statement got him surprised. Syaoran was surprised at first, but that statement warmed his heart somehow. Heat crept up onto his face and it made his heart beat faster than it usually does, he found himself unable to speak.

"Sure I will, Kinomoto. Thank you." Syaoran finally managed to answer. He earned a curt nod from Sakura and she hurriedly dashed into her house. Syaoran was still rooted on the spot, unable to move. His hand found its way to his chest, to where his heart lays and started running his hand over it.

'What is happening right now?' Syaoran pondered, his hand still on his chest. He was confused, surprised, but he somehow felt happy for a second. All his emotions mixed into one and he found himself smiling for no particular reason.

"Young Master Syaoran!"

The voice shattered Syaoran's daydream and it brought him back to reality. Syaoran's head whipped around to look at the source of the voice. His butler was standing in front of him. Syaoran looked at him in surprise and he jumped back slightly. Wei was looking at Syaoran, his eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"Are you alright, Young Master? I have called your name for so many times already but I got no response. Is something the matter?" Wei asked, his eyes not leaving Syaoran. Syaoran's wonder faded away in instance and he's now looking back at Wei. He shook his head, signaling his butler that he's alright.

"No Wei, there's nothing to worry about. Can I go inside?"

"Oh sure, Young Master." Wei realized that he hasn't opened the gate for Syaoran yet and that made him stumble a bit. He immediately unlocked the gate and he made the gesture for Syaoran to come in. Syaoran threw one last look at Sakura's house before stepping into his new house.

...

Sakura closed the door behind her. She walked towards her desk and started putting her things on it. She was still shocked by the new fact she had just learned. Syaoran Li is now living next door, next to her house. It was just too sudden and unbelievable. Sakura still couldn't believe the truth though. What just happened, really? A small sigh escaped her mouth.

"How did things even become this twisted?" Sakura mumbled as she opened her bag and took her phone out. She scanned through her contact list and found the name she is looking for. She tapped on the contact name and dialed the number. The person she's dialing finally picked the call up after a few rings.

"Hello Sakura!" An awfully familiar voice chirped in excitement on the other line.

"Tomoyo, you wouldn't believe what I had just encountered!" Sakura exclaimed, unable to hide the surprised feeling which was clearly evident in her voice.

"What's the big news?" Tomoyo asked eagerly, waiting for what Sakura to tell her the news. Sakura rarely calls Tomoyo first, it's always the other way around but when she does, Tomoyo will always get surprised. Sakura always gives her new information and it never fails to surprise her. Sakura took a deep breath before reeling the news to her best friend.

"Syaoran Li has moved into my neighborhood and he's living next door." Sakura revealed, earning a shriek from Tomoyo which had been anticipated by Sakura.

"WHAT!? Holy moly, how come!?" Tomoyo sat up straight on the other end. She knew Sakura wouldn't be able to see her but she just did that on reflex. Sakura never fails to surprise her through her phone call.

"I have no idea, Tomoyo. It's so confusing and it's really… what exact word will fit this situation right now though? Twisted? Weird? Unpredictable?" Sakura mumbled, she sighed after that.

"But how? He's the heir of Li Corp., that Li Corp. for Heaven's sake! Why is he willing to live in a much smaller house compared to his own mansion? Why did he choose to live in your neighborhood?" Tomoyo couldn't stop bombarding questions to her best friend. She kept on shrieking here and there, shocked upon the news she had just got. Sakura let out a sigh once more.

"How am I supposed to answer your questions, Tomoyo? I have no idea about what's going on either." Sakura answered, slightly massaging her forehead because of Tomoyo's behavior. But Tomoyo does have a point there. Who would believe that the heir of Li Corp., the most well-known company and the top influencer in Japan's industry, is living in a small house in an ordinary neighborhood far from the glamorous city? Sakura and Tomoyo stayed silent for awhile, they didn't know what to say and they just let themselves sink into their own thoughts and wonders.

"You see, I actually don't get why he even bothers studying in our school. I get it that our school is well-known for releasing fine students and has a great reputation for it, but there are tons of schools which are just as good as Tomoeda High in Tokyo." Tomoyo wondered out loud. Sakura let out a small chuckle upon her best friend's words.

"Why are you studying in Tomoeda High then, Tomoyo? Your mother's company is based in Tokyo and you are the heiress of Daidouji Inc., the biggest toy company in the country. You can always live in Tokyo but you chose to stay in Tomoeda. Why was that?" Sakura threw the same question back at Tomoyo. Sakura knows well that Tomoyo doesn't want to inherit the company, she wants to pursue her dream to become a fashion designer. Sakura has already known the answer, but she decide to throw her the same question she had asked for Syaoran Li's reason for staying in a town like Tomoeda. It could be that they may share the same reason.

"You know the answer already, Sakura." Tomoyo answered flatly which made Sakura chuckled once more.

"I have come to a conclusion where he may have his own reason to stay. I'm not quite sure but judging from the similar situations you both were probably in, I think he has his own reason too perhaps." Sakura said and it was now Tomoyo's turn to chuckle.

"Nice theory you got there, Sakura. Well, as long as he didn't try do any funny business then I think it's okay to consider him as a good neighbor." Tomoyo said and laughed after that. Sakura raised her brows in confusion after she heard what Tomoyo had just said.

"What funny business are you referring to, Tomoyo?"

"No, nothing. You can just forget what I said!" Tomoyo shook her head and that left Sakura hanging.

'Tomoyo can be weird sometimes…' Sakura mentally sighed but she let out a small smile crept on her face. Even though Tomoyo can be kinda weird sometimes, she will always be by her side. Tomoyo will always stand up for her and stick with her no matter what. Sakura was more than thankful to have Tomoyo around.

"Well then, we will see each other tomorrow at school. See you Tomoyo." Sakura said, bidding goodbye to her best friend.

"Yeah, see you Sakura." Tomoyo replied and they both hung up. Sakura went over her closet and took her clothes out. She went out from her room and is ready to take a shower.

…

"I'll be going, Wei." Syaoran said as he stood up. He was wearing his shoes and now he is ready to go to school.

"Take care, Young Master. Have a nice day at school." Wei replied. Syaoran nodded at his butler and he went out from the house. He started walking his way to school. Syaoran was about to take his phone out from his pocket when he spotted this awfully familiar girl walking just some steps ahead from him. He smiled and ran over to the girl.

"Morning, Kinomoto!" Syaoran greeted cheerfully. His voice surprised Sakura and that made her trip over her own foot.

"Ah!" Sakura yelped, stumbling over and was about to fall on the ground. Syaoran managed to catch her before her body came in contact with the hard, rough surface. He wrapped his arms around her in reflex and it stopped Sakura from falling to the ground. Sakura's head turned over to look at him in instance. Syaoran is looking straight at Sakura's emerald eyes which he finds totally mesmerizing. Sakura looked back at his amber eyes and she feels the same. She has never seen such clear and beautiful amber eyes before. They looked at each other intently, not able to break their eye contact as if they were in trance. They were so close they can even feel each other's hot breath against their skin. They stayed like that for awhile until Sakura managed to say something somehow.

"Li, I think you are too close."

Syaoran immediately let go of her after he heard her voice. He mumbled a small apologize and he immediately thrusted his hands inside his pocket. Sakura looked down at the ground, face flushed from the contact she just had with him. Her heartbeat quickens, she has never had such contact with a guy before. This feeling was really foreign and totally new to her. Syaoran too is blushing hard from their small encounter. He is looking anywhere but not at her, he felt something funny in his chest and that was the same sensation he has felt yesterday. They were in a total awkward silence and nobody dares to break the tension between them both. They just stood there, totally rooted on the spot in silence.

"I'm sorry I startled you back then." Syaoran apologized, finally breaking the ice between them. Sakura only gave him a slight nod, her eyes still glued at the ground. Her face was still flushing red and it's going to be embarrassing if Syaoran was to see her in that state.

"It's alright, you were just trying to be friendly. It's just that I'm not used to be greeted by people." Sakura managed to say. She finally looked up at Syaoran and gave him a small apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. Good morning to you too, Li." Sakura greeted back which was totally late and it made things became even more awkward than it already has. Syaoran only scratched his head sheepishly and looked at Sakura.

"I should be the one apologizing. You almost fell because of me." Syaoran said but Sakura shook her head.

"It's okay. Let's just head to school, we'll be late if we don't." Sakura said, depriving from the topic and started walking away. Syaoran started walking after Sakura is already some steps ahead of him. It would be too awkward if they walked side by side after their encounter earlier. Syaoran walked behind with Sakura in the front. They walked in silence as nobody makes the effort to say anything. Syaoran then realized something and he cleared his throat.

"I see you are not wearing your eyeglasses today, Kinomoto." Syaoran said, trying to engage himself in a conversation. Sakura turned to give him a confused look but she then realized that she is not wearing her eyeglasses. She let out a small 'oh'.

"It was broken." Came Sakura's short reply and they are back to square one. Silence enveloped them once again and Syaoran sighed. He realized it was no use to talk in this situation, he had already made things became awkward between them both and he mentally slapped himself for being such an idiot.

They finally reached school and people were shocked to see them walk into the school at the same time. The other students started whispering. Some threw Sakura disgusted look, some looked at them both in confusion, and some gasped in shock. Syaoran was totally confused. Why would people look at Sakura like that? Why would people even bully Sakura in the first place? Before he realized it, he was frowning and the thought of Sakura being picked up on like that pissed him off. Sakura went to her class, not giving a care to those throwing her looks and such.

Syaoran went into his class and went to his seat in annoyance. He put his bag on the desk, pulled the chair out and sat on his seat. He heaved out a sigh, still pissed at those people who threw those looks at Sakura.

"Class hasn't even started yet, save that frown for later." A voice teased. Syaoran found the voice really annoying at the moment. He turned around to see Eriol's smug smirk which made Syaoran totally want to smack his face right now.

"Cut the crap off Eriol, I'm not giving into your stupid jokes at the moment." Syaoran groaned. Eriol raised his brows at Syaoran questioningly. Syaoran rarely loses his cool and this piqued Eriol's interest.

"Does this have something to do with Sakura Kinomoto?" Eriol guessed, trying his luck out. Syaoran groaned upon hearing her name.

"What the hell man, why are you so grumpy today?" Eriol asked, he started frowning as well. He didn't get why Syaoran was so grumpy this morning, he didn't get why Syaoran even confuses himself with this girl named Sakura Kinomoto.

"Cheer up, you can always see her anytime you want." Eriol said, giving his best friend a pat on his shoulder.

"Why are people even bullying her though? What did she do wrong to deserve such treatment? It wasn't only one student, Eriol. It's as if this whole school is against her." Syaoran questioned out loud and let out a sigh once again. Eriol eyed him in suspicion.

"Have you come to like her already, Syaoran?"

That caught Syaoran's attention. He looked at Eriol as if he was out of his mind.

"What are you even talking about?" Syaoran asked, shocked at how Eriol even thought about that. Eriol only shrugged casually.

"You confused yourself too much that I came into that conclusion." Eriol shrugged his shoulders as he answered Syaoran's question. Eriol's words didn't make sense to Syaoran. Syaoran decided to not say something else and turned away from his friend. He couldn't be having feelings for that certain girl already, now could he?

…

Syaoran was in his room, studying for tomorrow's test when he heard some noises coming from Sakura's house. He looked up from his textbook. The noises distracted him and that made him couldn't concentrate at the lesson he's reviewing right now.

"What are those noises?"

The noises were so suspicious that he started to listen to the noises from her house.

"This bitch is totally a good for nothing! Where did you put them!? Tell me!" a man shouted, a noise following after. A high-pitched scream was audible and it sent shivers to Syaoran's spine.

"Stop doing this to her!" a familiar voice, Sakura's voice, shouted.

"Let go of me!" He heard Sakura screamed once again.

"How dare you shout at me you insolent bitch! Don't you know who raised you and who paid for your school fees? Yet you still dare to shout into my face! Must be because of that bitch you called mother." The man shouted back, another noises following after. He heard a loud thud and more screams and noises coming after that. Syaoran's heart paced faster, cold-sweat ran over his face and his face was pale.

'Just what the hell is going on in your house, Kinomoto?' Syaoran's troubled thought wondered.

'I hope nothing bad happens to you…'

...

Sakura was washing the dishes and her mother was waiting patiently in the dining room.

"You can go to sleep and rest, Mom. You don't have to wait for me." Sakura told her mom. Nadeshiko shook her head and smiled at her daughter.

"It's okay, I want to wait for you to finish your task first." Nadeshiko replied. She was about to say something else when the door was opened abruptly with a loud voice. Sakura and Nadeshiko tensed. Sakura immediately left the dishes and untied her apron.

'That definitely was not Touya.' Sakura thought as her heart beats faster than her normal heart pace. She went out from the kitchen and headed to where her mother is. She hugged her mother and calmed her down. Nadeshiko's blood drained off from her face as she heard the footsteps came nearer and nearer to where they were.

"There you are, my Nadeshiko." A drunken man came into the kitchen. Nadeshiko and Sakura looked at him in fear as he walked closer to them. The man pulled Nadeshiko out from Sakura's grip and dragged her out to the living room.

"Mom!!" Sakura shouted and ran after them. Nadeshiko was thrown on the floor harshly and that man was standing in front of her. Nadeshiko trembled in fear as the man threw deathly glare at her. He pulled Nadeshiko's long hair harshly which made Nadeshiko screamed upon the contact.

"Now tell me where you put all the money!"

"I will not! You're only going to buy more alcohols with the money. Those are for my kids and I'm not going to let you know where I hid it!" Nadeshiko shouted back to the man.

"This bitch is totally a good for nothing! Where did you put them!? Tell me!" Fujitaka shouted. He raised his hand and gave Nadeshiko a hard slap across her cheek. Sakura screamed and ran over to her mother.

"Stop doing this to her!" Sakura screamed at her father. She went over her mother and helped her up. Nadeshiko's tears fell from her eyes as she wasn't able to hold herself back anymore. Sakura was about to say something when Fujitaka grabbed her hand and pulled her up harshly. Sakura yelped and tried to break free from his grasp.

"Let go of me!"

"How dare you shout at me you insolent bitch! Don't you know who raised you and who paid for you school fees? Yet you still dare to shout into my face! Must be because of that bitch you called mother." Fujitaka shouted back at Sakura. He sent a harsh slap across his daughter cheek and he pushed her back. Sakura fell on the floor with a loud thud. Fujitaka unbuckled his belt and held it in his right hand. Sakura looked at him in fear as Fujitaka raised his belt. He whipped at Sakura's back harshly, earning a painful scream from Sakura. Sakura bit her shaking lip, preventing the tears from falling out from her eyes.

"The one raising me is my mother alone, you are not the part of the family!" Sakura shouted. The belt came in contact with her skin resulting in another whip.

"Your mother has raised you into a whore then, how dare you talk back to your father like that!" Fujitaka exclaimed, continuously whipping Sakura with his belt. Sakura didn't even have the energy to scream anymore. She let her tears fell freely from her eyes, she couldn't hold back anymore.

"Stop hurting Sakura!" Nadeshiko pleaded on her knees, her hands on Fujitaka's foot. Tears trickled down freely from Nadeshiko's eyes but Fujitaka only looked at her in disgust. He kicked her away, Nadeshiko fell on her back with a loud thud. Fujitaka went over her and stood in front of her.

"You don't tell me what to do, it's ME who tell you what to do!" Fujitaka shouted, raising his hand ready to send another slap across Nasehsiko's face but was stopped by a hand grabbing his hand from doing so. Fujitaka turned around to see another guy about his height gripping on his hand tightly and sending him deathly glare.

"Get out from this house in instance!" Touya gritted his teeth as he let those words escaped his mouth. Fujitaka only smirked and broke free from Touya's grip. He sent his fist to Touya's stomach but Touya was able to dodge his punch. Touya grabbed Fujitaka's hand and kicked his shin. Fujitaka screamed in pain and fell over. Touya pulled Fujitaka up and dragged him out from the house.

"Get out and don't come back to this house ever again! We don't accept someone as filthy as you in our family." Touya spat before slamming the door close in front of Fujitaka's face.

"You impudent being, I am your father for God's sake. You can't chase me away like that! Open the door right away!" Fujitaka shouted and banged at the door but to no avail. Touya has already locked the door and put a wooden plank behind it. Fujitaka wouldn't be able to barge in easily anymore. Touya went over to his mother and sister's side. He went to check on Nadeshiko first.

"Mom, are you alright?" Touya asked as he helped his mom up. Nadeshiko sniffed but she still managed to muster a weak smile at her son.

"I'm alright dear. Go check on your sister. She has gone through more painful impact than I have." Nadeshiko said. Touya nodded and ran over to Sakura. He was totally shocked to see Sakura in that state. She was breathing with difficulty and she can't move her body at all. Touya brushed her long hair, which is blocking the air, away from her face. He snug his hand under her neck, supporting her weight. He cupped his hand on her face and shook her body slightly.

"Can you hear me Sakura!?" Touya panicked when he heard no answer from Sakura. He was about to call the ambulance when Sakura finally stirred. Touya breathed a relieved sigh.

"Touya you're home..." Sakura said weakly as she looked at her brother with her weak emerald eyes. Touya can't help but tear up upon hearing her weak voice.

"I'm home... I'm sorry for running late tonight, Sakura." Touya said, misery and regret evident in his voice as he let his tear fell from his eyes. Nadeshiko limped over them and wrapped her hands around his son. She knows how hard Touya has tried to become the head of the family, she knows Touya has gone through so much. He feels guilty for not coming home earlier that his mother and sister have to go through hell.

"Mom, I'm terribly sorry…" Touya whispered weakly through his sobs. Nadeshiko shook her head and soothe her son.

"You've done your best, dear. There's nothing to be sorry about." Nadeshiko said as he ran her hand over her son's hair.

The three of them stayed like that for some time. Sakura in Touya's arms and Touya in his mother's hug. They stayed silent, each wondering how having a normal family feels like. Why do they have to go through all this? A drunkard father, a totally good for nothing who only knows to abuse and get drunk. Why is life so unfair to them, they wonder...

…

ittokiJr: whew, sorry for the long wait! Here is chapter four, I hope it didn't disappoint you. I somehow got a writer's block and I didn't know how to write the first part of the chapter. I already have everything planned till the end but I didn't know how to put it into words, I'm so sorry T-TAnyway I want to thank all of you who dropped the reviews on the previous chapters, adding my story to your alerts, and even favorite my fic. Thanks a bunch!

I want to answer to one of the reviews which I think should totally be answered right away to clear up the confusion.

ChoiEmiri: I appreciate your thought as a reader and I thank you for pointing it out. I'm totally sorry if I happen to destroy your imagination and that you can't enjoy this fic to the fullest. I know Sakura with long hair doesn't exist, it only exist in my head as a fanfiction writer. But I do have a reason as to why I made her hair long, I didn't make her like that for no reason. And if you would bear to wait for some more time, maybe you can see the reason why I'm doing this to her. I'm terribly sorry, but I do hope that you're willing to wait to see what happen next. Thank you for your thought! :)

And for other reviewers, I thank you and appreciate your reviews so much! I do hope you all enjoy this story and I'm sorry if my story wasn't as good as the other writers' were. Despite all my flaws, you all still bother to click by and read my story. That alone has made me happy as a writer! See you all in the next chapter!