Chapter 4 - Some things, Never Change
Syaaooorrraaann.....
Who?
Syaaooorrraaann.....
Who is it?
Listen well, my son.....
Fa...father??
No time to talk. You must go Syaoran...
Danger approached you and the one you treasure...
Go now, before it is too late...
The one I... Sakura??
Go...back?
Hurry Syaoran...I will be watching over you...
Take care, my boy...
Yes, father... I will go..
I won't let anything touch my...
"SAKURA!!" Syaoran bolted up in his bed, sweating profusely. He took a look at the darkened walls of his bedroom and slumped back into his pillow. What was that all about? He stared at his hand in the dark, then ran it through his hair. Father? Li Ryuuren? He had never met his father, not that he could remember ever meeting him. Mother had told him that his father had died when he was merely three.
Sakura... He had felt a jolt of power shudder through him hours ago, in the evening. From under his bed, he pulled out the only remaining thing that he had to do with the little cherry blossom...
A photo, taken on one of their school trips. She looks so happy...He thought to himself, smiling at the memory of her. He shook his head. He wasn't in elementary school anymore. Besides, she had probably forgotten all about him during these years. He lay in his bed for a moment, trying to untangle his mixed emotions. Did he really still feel the same way about her? Back then it had been so clear, especially nearing the end of his stay in Tomoeda. He fingered the photo, smiling wistfully to himself. Little did he know, he was being watched...until...
"You seem to care a lot about that girl..." a dull, somewhat feminine voice stated calmly from the window. Syaoran sat up in shock. He hadn't felt anyone come in... Turning to face the window, he could faintly discern the slight outline of his intruder, silhouetted against the night sky.
"Who are you?" he stated back, regaining his composure. He edged towards his practice sword, which hung from the wall near his bed.
"That is of no concern to you." the intruder, clearly a girl, noted dryly, "But I must admit, you took it more calmly than I was led to believe you would." she swung herself in, dropping gracefully on the floor and staring at him. From that distance, he could make out that her eyes were silver, reflecting the little moonlight which streamed through his opened window. She was shorter than him, Syaoran noted, yet she didn't seem afraid or even cautious. She was dangerous, he summarized, dangerous enough to sneak into the bedroom of a Li Clan warrior in the middle of the Li Clan village and walk around like there was not a worry in the world.
"So, you done gaping at me like that?" she uttered coolly. Syaoran's mind raced, finding for words to say. The girl was now looking around his room, taking in the sparse furniture he had.
"Isn't it impolite to sneak into someone's room during the night?" Syaoran's gaze pierced the intruder, whoever it was. "More so you haven't introduced yourself or told me why you're here for."
For a few seconds, she didn't respond, her eyes sweeping the room once more then settling back on Syaoran who was still sitting calmly on his bed.
"To tell you the truth, I came here to get rid of you but..." she trailed off... "You'd make too much noise wouldn't you? So I come with a warning instead." her voice went softer as she said this.
"Watch your back..Li Syaoran... Cause one day, I will stab it and then...its her turn." Syaoran strained to hear her voice which was now imperceptibly low. However, he did not miss the veiled threat and he stiffened. Surely she didn't mean...Sakura! Gritting his teeth, he lost his patience with the intruder and lunged for his sword, spinning around to face his empty room. A voice then whispered in his ear...
"So you DO care about that girl. Better hurry Little Wolf, or I will get to her first..." her soft, emotionless laugh sent shivers down his spine. Whirling around again, he only managed to catch an after image of the girl who was now outside his window in the murky darkness...
Dropping his sword down, Syaoran sat on the bed again, slightly shaken. He had to go, of course he had to go...but...mother... HE bit his lip, visualizing how Li Ielan would react when she found him gone. He shook his head.. Sorry mother, I have no choice... I hope you understand it this time... He quickly stuffed whatever he could find into his bag. Then, a soft knock came on his door, causing him to freeze.
"Xiao Lang," his Li Fanren's head popped inside, "What was going on? I thought I heard something from your room..." her sleepy voice trailed off when she noticed the bag Syaoran was packing which had half a shirt sticking out of it. Sliding herself into the room, she looked at Syaoran incredulously.
"Li Xiao Lang you're not seriously planning to leave are you??" she hissed in a low voice, getting no answer. Syaoran continued packing, a look of steel determination in his eyes. Sighing to herself, she left the room quietly. He stared at the door, half afraid that she'll wake mother up. Hurriedly, he packed the last of his clothes before leaving the room silently. He tiptoed down the stairs, hoping that his sister wouldn't do anything rash.
"Psst....Xiaoo Lanngg...." he turned to see his sister half hidden behind the stairs. His heart beating faster, he walked over to her slowly, half expecting her to scream or for his mother to leap out from the shadows.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. Syaoran's eyes widened in surprise as she let go of him and stared at her younger brother with tears in her eyes. "I understand you have to go...just, promise me you'll take care of yourself okay?" she ruffled his hair, smiling sadly at him. "Oh, and you will need this..." she pulled a long gleaming sword from behind her. Syaoran instantly recognized his family's sword, the sword of Li Ryuuren. Gaping at his sister, he took the sword, staring at his reflection in the cool steel blade.
"Mother will kill me if she finds out that I gave it to you. But I'm sure father would want you to have it. Now hurry Syaoran, before anyone wakes up and finds you gone."
"Thank you, sister..." he muttered softly in the darkness. She smiled at him for one last time then melted away in the dark. Sealing away the sword, Syaoran snuck out into the open grounds of the Li village. Leaping over the walls and past the guards with the grace of a gymnast, he took off down the road in the direction of the airport.
Standing at the top a a tower, she looked into the distance. Although she could not see the Little Wolf, she could still feel his aura, green and bright against the void of the night. She undid the string holding her mask to her head. Long auburn hair spilled out into the wind. She closed her eyes, enjoying the cold wind and the solitude of the moment. For a moment, a faint trace of emotion crept into her features before it disappeared, back to the solid mask which she had worn for years now. Now she worked for the Circle, who saved her so many years ago. She had given up her name, her memories, her life to serve the silent mysterious circle of magicians who controlled the world of magic. All that was behind her now. To finish what she had to, she did not need any emotions to get in her way. Where her heart had been was a frozen void, cold and bitter like the winter chill. She had lost her heart sometime years ago. There was no point having a heart when all it did was cause her nothing but pain.
He was going to the Cherry Blossom, she was sure of it. Her orders had been to eliminate both of them, to make way for the Circle's plans. And she would do so, without hesitating. Donning on her mask again, she leapt of the building, her lithe form silhouetted in the dim moonlight. Time to return to Japan...
The three hour long flight felt like eternity to Syaoran as he stared out the window, willing the plane to go faster. Leaning back and allowing himself to relax, he remembered the last time he took a flight, just in the opposite direction. He never knew he could feel that kind of pain and emptiness as he did back then. Thinking it over again, his heart began pounding faster. All his unanswered questions were about to be answered, all the doubts he kept in his heart for the past three years.
Landing at Narita Airport, he checked out his luggage then paused to look around the airport. He walked past the same spot he had bid farewell to Sakura, three years ago. Closing his eyes, he remembered that last smile she gave him, her last smile that said everything that he needed to know back then. He smiled ruefully, telling himself again that they had both grown up. Stepping outside the airport, he was greeted by a blast of cold wind in his face which made him tear up and instinctively moved his hand to shield his face. Great, its even colder here than in Hong Kong... Syaoran grumbled to himself, his dislike for the cold showing clearly. He never liked the cold, it made him feel miserable. Wait....how the heck am I going to get to Tomoeda from here?? He stopped, realizing to his horror that he had failed to account for this part of the trip. He had mailed the rest of his savings to his old apartment in Tomoeda but.... Frustrated, he grit his teeth and began rounding the airport for a way to get there...
Tomoyo put the phone down for the fifth time, puzzled. No matter how many times she called, she just couldn't get Syaoran. All she was told was that he was not available. All sorts of theories came into her head, making her wonder what could be holding the Chinese boy. Sighing inwardly, she dialed the number once again into her satellite phone... Sakura deserves to know at least how you are Syaoran.. Al the very least, say you still remember her...
Beep.....Beep.....Beep..... Click....... "He...hello?" a soft voice said into the phone. A sister? Or a maid or servant? Tomoyo thought to herself.
"Ah...yeah, can I speak to Syaoran please?" she asked politely, totally forgetting that not everyone spoke Japanese....
Surprisingly, whoever was on the other side understood her perfectly. But her reaction was totally unexpected to Tomoyo..
"Xi..Xiao...Lang??" her voice sounded like it was about to crack and Tomoyo was certain that she was about to burst into tears any moment..... "He...he's not here at the moment now I'm sorry...." -sob- Click.....
Tomoyo stared at the phone, even more bewildered than before. Had she said something wrong?
On the other end, Li Fanren replaced the phone with tears in her eyes. Xiao Lang....wherever you are.....come back safely.....or I will never ever forgive you....
"Ehhh??!! You whattt??!!" Sakura looked up, almost choking on her bowl of noodles.
"Yeah, I did but I couldn't get him," Tomoyo sighed in disappointment. She was fingering her video camera, which she had brought out to dinner because she just had it repaired. "Ne Sakura-chan, you really think Syaoran still remembers you?"
"I...never said I thought...." she bit back her words, staring into her half eaten bowl of noodles. She had begun to wonder whether he really remembered her. When he left, she had gone to sleep staring at the teddy bear he had given her with tears in her eyes. Of course, she had gotten over it as time passed but still... She looked up at Tomoyo, who was busy videotaping her expression and she went slightly red. It had been a while since her friend had videotaped her for anything and she still felt slightly uncomfortable whenever she did that.
"I...hope he remembers me....though I'm not so sure he does," she replied finally, smiling ruefully, "We're not kids anymore Tomoyo-chan. I still wonder if he remembers..." she stopped herself, remembering that she hadn't told anyone about the airport incident...
"Giving you the teddy at the airport before he left...?" completed Tomoyo... Silly Sakura, when will you figure out that you can't hide anything from me?
"Ho-ee??!!" Sakura was rapidly turning red, "ho..how did you know about that?" she stared at Tomoyo in shock. Sometimes she wondered if her friend was just an ordinary teenage girl. She always seemed to know when something was going on and she ALWAYS managed to be nearby in her most private of moments.
"O ho ho....I wonder.... That was one of my most precious videos.... You want to see it someday Sakura-chan?" her eyes turned slightly starry as her friend sweatdropped across the table. Sakura leaned back, lost for words. Tomoyo-chan.....you're....you're....scary......
The car stopped near his apartment as Syaoran got out, bowing and thanking the kindly couple who agreed to drive him to Tomoeda. Setting his bag down, he stared at his old apartment, memory after memory flowing back. Walking slowly up, he flipped on the lights in his room, sniffing the scent that hadn't changed after so many years. Sakura had once insisted he buy that brand of air freshened and it clung to everything. He breathed in deeply, dropping his bags to the ground and opening his window to allow fresh air in.
CRASHH!!! The sound of a window breaking could be heard from the floor above. Sliding open the glass doors to his balcony, Syaoran stepped out and looked up, puzzled. He immediately pulled his head back, a flash of black shooting past his head onto the ground three floors below....followed immediately by another, larger black flash. Stunned, Syaoran stared after the two similarly black clad teens running away down the road. The first one, a blond haired kid turned back and yelled...
"Sorrryyyyyy nneeeiigghhhbboooouurrrrrr!!!" before rushing off down the street laughing maniacally with the other guy hot on his heels, literally screaming curses towards the blond race.
Syaoran stepped back, wondering what that was all about. He decided to check it out later, after he unpacked his bags. Maybe he'd go take a walk, see how the city had changed while he was gone. The next day was a Saturday and he'd go see Sakura, if she was still around.
"Ne Tomoyo-chan...have you ever fallen in love before?" Sakura asked abruptly after dinner. The both of them were walking down the trail in the park, watching the last of the autumn leaves fall in the red glow of the setting sun. Tomoyo looked back at her quizzically. It wasn't like Sakura to ask these types of questions. However, her friend was staring into the sky, seeing something that only she could see and Tomoyo could pretty much guess what it was.
"Well.....not...I don't think I ever had...." Tomoyo replied, her eyes suddenly taking on a wistful look. Sakura looked at her for a moment, surprised to see the normally composed Tomoyo looking soo...regretful. But then the moment passed and she smiled again, although even Sakura could tell it was more of a forced smile. "Why do you ask, Sakura?"
"Ah...its nothing....." she stared out into the sky again, wishing again that Syaoran had never left her...
"Ahh...." Syaoran grumbled, dumping the last of his clothes into the closet. Mounting his practice sword on the wall, he put on a sweater and left the apartment, locking up behind him as he did. He strolled down the familiar streets, walking towards where he remembered King Penguin Park would be. Strolling down the rows of semi bare trees, he sniffed in the smell of autumn. The streets were mostly empty, most having gone home for dinner. So much the better he mused to himself at least there's no one to see me and recognize me....
From a distance, Touya and his best friend Yukito were walking back from work, having spent the day working at the nearby mall. As they rounded a corner, Touya's eyes narrowed. Was that...? Yukito looked at him quizzically.
"Something wrong Touya?" he asked.
"Ah..nothing... I must be a little too tired. For a moment, I imagined I saw the Brat walking down the street as well." Touya replied, still not really convinced that his eyes had tricked him. However, it was impossible that the Brat was here after all these years so he shook the matter off.
"Ah Touya-kun...you should go back and relax...." Yukito poked him in the ribs, smiling tiredly. "What next, you going to tell me you saw a ninja after your sister? Seriously Touya, you're being a little too overprotective of Sakura. She's a big girl now you know."
"Hmmm....still...." he was silenced when Yukito laughed and dragged him down the opposite direction to the Kinomoto residence.
Syaoran was unaware of what had gone on behind him. He had rounded the corner an found himself in King Penguin Park. Slowing down his pace, he stared upwards at the clouds passing by, tinted in red. Here was where so many of their adventures had taken place, where so many of his memories were made. He walked down the path slowly, trying to imagine how she would look like after three years. Had she changed? No matter how he tried, he could only remember the short golden-brown hair and her emerald eyes. Closing his eyes, he choked back his emotions, telling himself to be calm. The slight breeze helped, blowing around him, taking with it his fears and concerns for the moment.
"Its getting late Tomoyo, I'd better go home before onii-chan gets home else...." she trailed off, knowing how her brother would react. Her house was in one direction while Tomoyo's was in the other so she waved goodbye and set off, jogging quickly down the path.
Staring at Sakura, a good way off, she strung her bow, pulling back the arrow expertly. Taking careful aim, she waited for the right moment, when the girl passed the trees....
Syaoran felt the presence in the air, the sour feeling that something was about to go wrong. His eyes flashed down the path, darting around to detect any danger. Someone was coming down the path but he couldn't see who. Whoever it was was behind a large clump of trees, hidden from view but was obviously not doing anything to conceal his or her presence.
From her angle, she couldn't see the boy standing at the other end of the path. Her fingers were now only holding to the tips of the arrow. Any moment now, Sakura would emerge and then...
Sakura jogged on, whistling happily, unaware of anything that was going on around her. The temperature of the air had dropped and she shivered slightly. The huge clump of trees to her left offered some protection from the wind however and she was glad she brought her sweater along.
Syaoran approached the trees slowly, arms in front of him in a cautious stance. His eyes widened slightly to make sure nothing was approaching him from either side. His senses were now fully open, searching for danger.
She suddenly felt the strong presence of the Li boy. But now it was too late to turn back. She would just have to finish off both of them here.
Sakura jogged around the clump of trees, eyes staring upwards into the sky. What a beautiful day... Too bad Syaoran isn't around anymore...... She emerged from the trees and everything happened at once.
THERE! A flash of light brown hair appeared around the trees. Breathing in, she released the arrow, which flew true to her target. Deftly, she pulled another out from the quiver, easing it into her bow.. One down, one to go....
Syaoran saw her first, her golden brown hair flowing in the wind. However, he barely had time to look at her when his warning senses came crashing in. Spying a glint at the corner of his eye, he dashed forward, plowing straight into Sakura....
"HOEE!!!" Sakura spotted a familiar mass of dark brown hair rushing at her.... Her mind screamed, SYAORAN, but the suddenness in which it all took place literally froze her. She was flung backwards, nearly smashing into the ground when her assailant twisted around, causing her to land on him instead of the ground.
Crap! She couldn't see either of her targets, they were probably hidden behind the trees. Her eyes strained to pick out any movement in the failing light. Come on out, I will make this quick and painless for you... she muttered softly through her teeth.
Sakura opened her eyes, which she had squeezed shut. She was sitting on something soft but in her dazed state, she had yet to figure out what had happened. For a few seconds, she sat there, trying to regain her senses before the 'thing' she was sitting on groaned. Yelping, she jumped off, spinning around so quickly that she fell to the ground again with a thud. Her 'attacker' was lying on the ground, trying to get up.
Sakura stared blankly at him, her heart either stopped or pounding too fast for her to notice. Familiar dark brown hair reflected the setting sun. A face glanced at her, an image from the past staring at her with slightly older and more mature features. But the same brown eyes stared out at her, squinting slightly in pain.
"Sya......Sya....Syaoran.....?" she reached out to touch him softly, afraid that it was all just an illusion. Her fingers brushed over his cheek, which indeed felt quite real. She withdrew her hand still staring at him, half in wonder and half afraid that she was dreaming.
Syaoran's heart leapt inside. She remembered me!!!! Calming down, he smiled ruefully at the one girl he though he would never see again....
"Hey Sakura.... This....wasn't how I planned to meet yu-oof" he was sent backwards as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around him and Sakura pushed him over, hugging him tightly. For a second, his eyes went wide, then closed slowly as he hesitatingly closed his arms around her. For what seemed like an eternity, they lay unmoving on the path, both unwilling to let go. Syaoran took in a deep breath, taking in her familiar scent which had embedded itself in his mind three years ago. She still smells like cherry blossoms, just like her name....
Sakura buried her face in his chest, tears welling in her eyes. All the emotions she had pent up over the last three years threatened to break out in a gushing torrent, like water out of a broken dam. Silently, she repeated his name over and over in her mind. Syaoran.....Syaoran......Syaoran............
"Hey," he whispered into her ear, "You're squeezing me to death and I think...." he winced with pain, his muscles contracting, instantly letting go of Sakura, who dropped backward with a dreamy look in her eyes. For the first time in three years, he got a good look at her. Her hair was slightly longer, no longer with the two ponytails sticking out of the sides. Her face looked slightly older, she was in junior high now, no longer a kid but a teenager. Her body features.... Syaoran blushed and averted his eyes momentarily before returning his gaze on her face. Her eyes, her deep emerald green eyes were still the same, ever making him feel weak inside, ever telling his her favorite phrase over and over again.... 'it will be alright..' Now, they were glassy, tear filled. For once, her was lost for words, not knowing what to say to the girl he had left behind three years ago...
Sakura stared at Syaoran, not wanting to take her gaze off him in case he slipped away and disappeared forever...again... back then she had been so afraid of losing him, so afraid that he'd go away, so afraid that she'd wake up one morning and never see him again. And it had happened. Now he was sitting right in front of her and there was no way she was going to let him go away. She noticed him wince in pain again and concern overtook her. Noticing a small trail of blood running down his arm, she traced in back to a long cut on his left shoulder.
Noticing the wound for the first time, Syaoran was about to put his hand over it when a soft hand held his and pulled it away from the wound. He winced, remembering the arrow slicing through his skin.
"Lean back," she whispered, watching as he did what she said. Taking out a clean handkerchief, she dabbed at the wound. "Now hold it there and bandage up the wound when you get back." she sat back, staring at him again.
"Syaoran....I have so many things I wanna ask you...." she broke off, then continued with a small smile, "But.....I'm soo happy you're here...soo happy...." her eyes shut momentarily then opened again, a wide smile across her face now.
Syaoran held the handkerchief tightly to his arm, tears coming to his eyes for the first time in a long while. He smiled back, whispering in a voice so low that she could barely hear him, "I'm glad you still remember me, Sakura...."
The sun had set, the little remaining light casting shadows at odd angles. Those two were taking too long, maybe they had escaped. Gritting her teeth, she relaxed her grip on the bow and returned the arrow to the quiver. She'll find out tomorrow whether she had succeeded today. There was still plenty of time for her to complete her mission. Slinging the bow over her, she jumped into the semi darkness, melting instantly into the shadows.
"Ahh....so the entire party is here...." a familiar voice, dripping with sarcasm came out of the shadows. "My, aren't shouldn't you guys take it somewhere else? The park isn't exactly the perfect place to make out you know..."
Syaoran stiffened, recognizing the voice instantly. Only one person had that amount of sarcasm and that was....
"Eriol-kun!" Sakura exclaimed, seeing the magician appear from the shadows, followed by his guardians. Behind him, tittering to herself softly came....
"Hoe! Tomoyo-chan, you too?" stammered Sakura, going red. Just how many people had seen her and Syaoran?
"Ahehe Sakura, I was coming back to hand you this," she held up Sakura's wallet, "You dropped it higher up the path but I didn't expect to see you doing...." she trailed off, smiling widely at the two.
"Ehhhh...." two voices, one deeper and the other higher and smoother, stammered out at once, earning a squeal of delight from Tomoyo who had her video camera up and filming and a smirk from Eriol, who was just standing there watching the scene.
"So, now that we're all here.." Eriol finally voiced out, "We can get to business. I'll keep this short so I don't expect anything...funny to happen." he threw a knowing glance at Sakura and Syaoran who were both turning a similar shade of red, much to Tomoyo's delight. Finally, something worth filming again!
Syaoran sighed to himself, smiling wryly. Some things...just never changed....
A/N SYAORAN'S BACK, SYAORAN'S BACK WEE!!!! =D -bad feeling I overdid this a little- ^^''