Chapter 4 The Beginning

"Shaoran?" Sakura said, as she stood there, quite dumbfounded. She hadn't expected to see him there. Surprise was written all over her face as well as delight. They had parted without actually saying goodbye. And Sakura felt that she hadn't really thanked him enough.

Shaoran slowly finished his prayer and turned to her. He gave her a warm smile. "Hello, Sakura. I thought that was you." He said.

Sakura smiled back. "If you told me you'd be coming here at Tomoeda, we could have gone together." She replied. They walked to where they could write their petitions. "What happened to you? I mean, where did you go? You just disappeared on me." She then added as Shaoran handed a paper and a pen to her. Shaoran said nothing but gave a small smile. Sakura looked at him in wonder. After a few moments, she finally said, "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"The answer is only relevant if you ask the right question, Sakura." He replied.

"Very cryptic...it says some things about you, Shaoran. Now I know that you're that kind of person." Sakura commented.

Shaoran gave out a short laugh. They then went to hang their petitions. "So, are you planning to stay here for a while? Now I'm hoping to get a relevant answer." She said.

Shaoran gave her a grin. "Yeah. I'm planning to stay here. As a matter of fact, I'm attending college here." He replied.

Sakura's eyes flew wide open. "You are attending college here?" She said in disbelief.

"Why? Is it that unbelievable?"

"No not at all. It's just...well...I didn't see that one coming. Maybe because we talked about you going in this journey and well...I may have taken it literally since you seem to be far away from home." Sakura replied, not exactly sure what to say.

"I am actually but with what we talked about, even I don't know where it will take me but for now...I'm here to attend college." Shaoran replied.

Sakura began to gather what she had bought but Shaoran stopped her as he laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him. He was looking at her. "Please, let me." He said.

Sakura didn't say anything for a moment but then managed to say, "No it's alright. I can handle it."

"No, I insist. It would be a pleasure to help you." Shaoran said as he gathered the grocery bags.

"Then let me have a least one. I feel uneasy letting you carry it all." Sakura said to compromise. Sakura always felt uneasy then somebody would ask to take everything and she wouldn't be doing anything. She felt that it was only proper for her to carry some of the load as well. It would be fair for both people.

Shaoran gave in to her request. He knew that it was no use arguing with her. He knew that Sakura wouldn't allow him to carry it alone. He smiled inwardly. He couldn't help but comment that it was like the old days. Sakura then led the way to where she lived. It was getting late and it seemed that her brother still wasn't home. When they reached the door, "So this is where you live? It seems such a nice home." Shaoran commented as Sakura opened the door.

"Please come in." Sakura said as she opened the lights. Sakura led him to the kitchen.

Shaoran placed the bags down and said, "So...I guess I'll be heading home too."

"No. Please, stay for dinner. I'm not a great cook but still my food is edible." Sakura replied. It was the least she could do for him giving her his jacket to keep her warm, keeping her company through the night, helping with her car and with the groceries.

"Oh no. I don't want to be a burden. Besides, I'm sure you'd want to spend time with your family." Shaoran replied.

But as he was about to leave, he felt Sakura hold his hand gently and gave it a gentle pull. Shaoran turned to her and she smiled. "Come on. Now I'm the one whose not taking no for an answer. Don't think of yourself as a burden. Besides, it's cool to be in the company of a friend. My brother brings his friends over all the time so don't worry." She said.

Shaoran looked at her deep green eyes. He felt lost inside of them. How he wished he could wrap his arms around her at that very minute. It pained him but he knew he couldn't embrace her like before. He said nothing.

"I won't let you go unless you say yes." Sakura suddenly said as Shaoran snapped back into reality. Now he was certain that it was like the old times. He wasn't sure if it was him or her who said that very line years before.

Shaoran shook his head and said, "You can be so persistent, can you?"

"Isn't that obvious? So, what's your final answer?" Sakura replied.

Shaoran smiled and replied, "Ok, ok. I must say I'm curious about how you cook. Just tell me what I can do to help."

Sakura finally let him go. She then got an apron and put it on. "No. You're a guest and therefore you don't need to help. Please make yourself at home. Relax. It won't take that long." She said, as she washed her hands and started to prepare.

Shaoran let his eyes gaze around the kitchen. He couldn't help but smile. So this is where she has been living. Huh? That can't be... Shaoran spotted the special rose-angel crystal jar. It was exactly like the one he had given his fiancé before he left for battle, when they got engaged. He felt himself grow numb. He fell deep in thought.

Sakura couldn't help but notice what Shaoran was looking at. She smiled. She said as she continued cutting the vegetables, "It was my mother's."

Shaoran quickly turned to Sakura. She can't be...was she pregnant? But as reason filled his mind again, he quickly dismissed the idea. That wouldn't be possible.

"My father gave that to her when they got married. My mother treasured it so I guess that's why I'm attached to it." Sakura explained.

"Where did your father get it? It's beautiful." Shaoran found himself saying. He was careful with his choice of words. He didn't want to say something that he didn't want to.

"I don't know. I never asked...neither did my brother, I guess. You may take a closer look at it if you want." Sakura answered.

"May I?"

"Sure. There's a picture of my mom there, if my brother hadn't remove it when he left this afternoon."

Shaoran got the jar. I cannot be mistaken. This is the same thing I gave her years ago. I wonder how it managed it get here? Fate does work in mysterious ways. He took out the lid and saw a small photograph inside. He carefully placed it in the table and took out the picture for a closer look.

"She was a very beautiful woman," Shaoran commented. Sakura looked up at him. He then looked at her and smiled. "Your mother. I see now where you got your looks."

"Yes. She was really beautiful. She was a model before she married my dad. But I doubt me having her looks. When I look at the mirror, I see me...a person. When I look at her, she seems like an angel."

"Yeah, like mother, like daughter. The fruit never falls far from the tree." Shaoran replied as he replaced the photo inside and returned the jar from where he got it.

But before Sakura could answer, the phone rang. "Shaoran, do you mind looking after the stove for a while? I'll just get the phone." Sakura said.

Shaoran nodded and Sakura quickly dashed off to the hall to pick up the phone.

As he waited for her, he kept to his thoughts. Why can't I let go? Considering my real feelings, I still can't get really close to her. I must not attach myself entirely to her because I might end up hurting her in the long run. But how can I do that when all I see now reminds me of the past...our past? Get a hold of yourself, Xiao Lang! You know what you have to do. Don't lose sight of it!

Sakura had already returned but Shaoran didn't seem to notice. Sakura said nothing as she looked at him. She noticed that he was deep in thought. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. The Shaoran she had met seemed a little different from the man who was standing in front of her at that moment. Something was different about him or was it about her? She wasn't so sure. She didn't know why.

She shook the thought out of her mind and stepped beside him. When Shaoran smelled the sweet scent of Sakura's perfume, he snapped back into reality. He hadn't noticed her come near. It was both bliss and a bothersome thing to have her so close to him. It was something he had always wanted, to have her near him always but at that moment, he felt troubled because Sakura might have seen him express or signal something that he didn't want her to know.

It was hard for him to remain stoic in her sweet and peaceful presence. He could almost savor the taste of heaven just knowing that he could be at her side again. But with the looks of things, it seemed that Sakura was about to ask him what was the matter or what was bothering him. To his surprise, Sakura just smiled at him and said nothing as she continued to cook.

He was sure that Sakura would be asking him what was wrong. He was already scrambling for the possible explanation he would be giving but the question never came. At that moment, he never thought he would be saying it to himself, he wished that he could be at least a little stoic as to not give her any reason to sense something's wrong.

Judging by Shaoran's expression, Sakura saw that she had surprised him. "I don't ask things that are obviously not for me to know. My father always taught me it was rude to put your nose where it doesn't belong." She said as she turned to him and smiled again. It seemed that it had helped Shaoran. He seemed to be really relieved with what she had said.

As understanding dawned on Shaoran, he couldn't help but smile. "But I just want you to know that if ever you need someone to talk to, I'm here...always. Got that?" Sakura added.

Shaoran grinned at her and replied, "Yeah I got that. The same goes with me." With a smile, Sakura gave a nod.

After dinner, Touya still hadn't come and as they were fixing the table, Shaoran finally asked, "I thought that your brother would be home for supper."

"Yeah. But he's going to be a little late since he got held a little at his job." She replied as she loaded all the dirty dishes on the dishwasher. He helped her clear things up before finally prepared to leave.

It was already getting late and Shaoran knew that Sakura was really tired. It seemed to him that she hadn't had the luxury of time to rest ever since the night before. He knew that Sakura wouldn't say anything about it. It was in her nature, even in their past lives, that Sakura would be really enduring. You wouldn't hear a complain from her unless it was really something that already violates something she believed in or was already an abuse towards her.

"It's getting late. I better be heading home, Sakura." Shaoran said.

"Are you sure? I mean you're welcome to stay for as long as you want." Sakura said.

"No. It's ok. I can see that you're tired. You better get some rest before you catch something." He said. But then he noticed that her brother still wasn't home. "Is your brother still going to take long because now that I think about it, I don't feel comfortable leaving you here alone." He quickly added.

Sakura smiled and replied, "This sort of thing is nothing new in this family. I grew up with this kind of thing. I'd like it if you stayed until he comes so that you could meet him and likewise. But if you really have to go, I won't stop you." She looked at him and made simple gestures. She couldn't understand why she felt so comfortable in his company. She just met the guy for crying out loud but still it seemed to her that he had known him for a lifetime.

What was it in the guy in front of her that made her at ease? Nothing seemed to be feared anymore with him around her. There was thing strange aura that drew her to him. It was like she had known him more than a lifetime and yet she knew that wouldn't be possible because she had just met him twenty-four hours back.

The way he looked at her, she saw nothing but kindness and a spark of mystery. Who was Shaoran, the perplexing man whom stood before her that very moment? Why was her heart so calm when she's with him? Why was his person so captivating that it confused her in some way? No one had had that effect on her on their first meeting. Why was he so different?

Sakura didn't realize how different Shaoran really was. With some twist of fate, from the moment she had met him in that old church until the moment everything would be revealed, no one would know what Shaoran really was. It was the beginning of something no one thought would happen. It would be something people thought only could happen in stories or dreams but they would soon find out that reality could be better and more unpredictable than any dream or story they have read.

Actually, Shaoran didn't want to leave. Leaving meant both being away from Sakura and leaving her alone again. But then he thought that if he stayed longer, Sakura wouldn't get the chance to rest. Also, if he stayed in her presence, he might not be able to hold back.

Just looking at her, memories started flooding in. It brought back the past that Shaoran thought had long died and faded in the pages of history. He had never thought that he would actually see her again. Now that his beloved was in front of him, it took every ounce of strength he had just to hold his tongue and not tell her everything. He also stopped himself from wrapping her in an embrace and also kissing her sweet lips.

Sakura had this thing in her that made Shaoran want to reveal the truth. But alas it still wasn't the time to tell her the entire truth. He must spare her from that for the time being. It would be something that even someone as strong as Sakura wouldn't have the power to handle. He had to do it gradually.

Shaoran couldn't afford to make a wrong move because he knew that one of the risks he was toying with was for him to destroy her new life. He had destroyed the beautiful cherry flower once. He was determined not to do it again.

"Sakura, I'd best be going. But I'm really worried of leaving you alone. It is getting late and I just don't know if it's safe leaving you here." Shaoran finally said as he decided on which to act upon. Sakura smiled at him in reply. She was putting the last dish on the cupboard.

"Please don't let me keep you here. I'm sure you are also very tired and would want to rest. Like I said, I'm used to staying her alone and I know I can manage." Sakura said. Shaoran said nothing. He hesitated because he still felt doubt. He still didn't feel sure about what he was about to do. It seemed so right and yet so wrong.

Sakura could read from Shaoran's demeanor what he was thinking. "If it makes you feel better, I'm sure my brother is on his way home by now. It won't be long before he's here. If he's late like tonight, he would usually send his friend, Yukito, over to check up on me or to keep me company until he gets home." She smiled again and then added, "If you want, you could wait a little longer to meet either of them."

It took a short while for Shaoran to process what he had just heard. His face relaxed and gave her a smile. "Are you sure you're going to be ok?" He said.

"Oh course. Trust me. Everything is going to be fine." She replied.

Having been convinced that Sakura was going to be fine, he left her and headed to the place he would be calling home for the next three months. He would be staying not far from there and would also be studying nearby. He felt so alive that it almost feels like a dream that would never end.

But as he left, a man was then walking towards the Kinomoto residence at that very moment. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Shaoran leave. He stayed in the shadows and watched at the stranger walk farther and farther.

Preoccupied with things that filled his thoughts, Shaoran continued to walk and hadn't noticed the man in the shadows. He had let his guard down and he didn't know that by that one time, a chain of reaction would start that would change his relationship with Sakura dramatically. But how could he have known? He hadn't even have the faintest of clues that fate would grant him his wish of seeing Sakura once more.

Shaoran had learned through the years that it was no use to question fate. He had given up because no answers ever came. But as the inevitable continued to whisper in the ears of those involved, the questions faded as things continued to unfold before their eyes.

It was going to be a long and surprising journey from then on.

(To be continued...)

Hey there! I know that it took a while again. This is the best I could do for now. I'm really sorry if it runs short from your expectations. I'm sorry for all the flaws. As soon as I get the time, I'm going to straighten it all out...I promise. Anyway, I want to thank all of you guys who took the time to read my work. I especially want to thank all the great people whom sent in their reviews. It is very much appreciated. But I have to ask again to please send in your reviews on this chapter. Well, see you soon.

Ja ne!

Michiko