Fuck. Sakura was gone. He had only begun to comprehend that fact. Shocked faces stared back at him, hitting him like an anvil. His heartbeat quickened and he swallowed hard. His feet seemed to have been rooted to the stage floor. Erika, with a proud smile etched across her features, was making her way towards him. But in the mere second it took gossip to spread like wildfire, he regained his senses. He dashed towards the exit Sakura had just run through moments ago, brushing past Erika along the way. Syaoran never looked back to see her face contort with anger, nor did he see the wide smirk across Tomoyo's face as he ran past her. His surroundings became a blur of colors as his mind concentrated on searching for one figure. But it wasn't one figure he found.
A block in the distance, he spotted the shimmer of the pearly pink dress he had so generously purchased for her just hours before. The paparazzi were swarming in her direction, hoping to snap a crisp, clear photo of the crying girl. Normally, Syaoran would have avoided them. His pictures always made front page, but today there was something more important he had to tend to. So without a sliver of hesitance, he ran for her.
It took him but a mere minute to catch up, but an extra two as he waded through the reporters fiercely. He shook his head, ignoring the stars that were sprouting from the flashes of endless snapshots. When he finally reached her, it seemed as if the world had stopped for them.
"Sakura!" He reached out, wanting to fully embrace her shaking figure. But she stepped back, glancing at him with sorrow filled eyes. Tears were spilling onto her porcelain skin and Syaoran had never wanted so much to wipe them and rid her of her pain. His heart was thudding painfully, a feeling very much foreign to him.
"…Sakura" He took a step towards her but she took another one back.
"Don't touch me." Her voice was barely audible, but he could hear her perfectly. And so could the dozens of paparazzi who were standing too still, wanting to catch every nanosecond of the possible career-high article they would produce.
Syaoran's mouth went dry. There were too many thoughts rushing through him. He wanted to comfort her, to kiss her and to murder the crowd of people around them who were attracting way too much attention. "It's okay, everything's okay. Let's just –."
But her sharp voice cut him off.
"No. It's not okay. Don't you understand?" Her voice was rising with every word. "I'm not good enou-."
"Shut up Sakura! That's bullshit! Don't listen to what Erika –."
"NO! Syaoran!" Her tears were freshly spilling once more, her voice choked pitifully but she forced herself to continue. "She was right. Erika was right. I'm a nobody. I'm not -."
But before she could continue, Syaoran had grabbed her out of anger, pulling her against him. He vaguely heard the shutter and clicks of cameras, but that was the last thing he was worrying about. With all rational thought fleeing, he encircled his arm around her waist, catching her lips with a drugging kiss. She pushed against him, desperately wanting to escape his touch before his passion consumed her. But his lips were doing a wonderful little something. And so her arms weakened, falling into the trap he had set on her more than once. Sakura attempted to free herself once more, but to no avail. His grip was too powerful. She finally allowed herself to succumb to his strong arms, supporting her light weight. She acknowledged the soft nibbling sensation on her lower lip and parted her lips, not denying him of his sweet pleasure. And she too, was lost in the moment.
When time seemed to have gotten out of its standstill, they broke apart, panting slightly at their lack of breath. He released her and she felt her legs were made of jell-o. They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like the longest time, while Sakura slowly regained feeling in her legs.
"Sakura," he spoke, his voice obviously affected by their previous happenings. His heart was beating erratically. "Let's –."
But she shook her head, almost unnoticeably. Dread filled Syaoran almost instantaneously as he braced himself for her next words.
"Syaoran, I'm sorry." And then she was gone, leaving Syaoran and the many reporters, dumbfounded.
'Li Syaoran, Rejected?!' read the headlines of Tokyo daily.
'Yes that's right, the Li Syaoran who supposedly was spilling his heart out at yesterday's exclusive Representative's Gala was stunned to find the beautiful women he had fallen for was caught up in a heated argument with the well known model, Erika Ito. After a short catfight between the two, Sakura Kinomoto, age 16, fled the scene. Li Syaoran, the dashing knight in shining armor ran after her. But what's this? During their short confrontation, she had rejected him a cold 'Syaoran, I'm sorry.' leaving the handsome man shocked, stunned and worst of all, alone. Is Syaoran losing his touch? Is he –'
"Eriol, you better stop reading before I throw you out this window."
"…Is he officially off the market? Has our infamous playboy-."
"Eriol, I'm warning you. It's a long fall from here." He stood up; ready to show Eriol just how good of a mood he was in. Eriol held up his hands in defense, dropping the newspaper.
"Okay, okay jeez. But you have to admit, it's kind of funny…" he trailed off when he saw the glare directed at him. "Fine, but on a serious note, have you contacted her yet?"
Syaoran shook his head.
"You know…she must be overwhelmed…" Syaoran scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"I know that. She's not picking up her cell, her home phone, she's not answering the door and she's not even answering her e-mails!" he growled, frustrated. He was going to go crazy, or sprout white hair, both of which sounded equally unappealing.
Eriol shrugged. "Why'd you do it anyway? Do you really like her?" he asked curiously.
"She's cute." he said, truthfully he was unsure himself. "Plus, Yelan has been calling more frequently than ever. You know what that means."
"Syaoran! You can't just play around with her to make your mother happy! You've noticed it too, I'm sure. Sakura isn't just like any other girl."
"…It'll be like a lesson then, teaching her how the world works."
"That's cruel Syaoran! You might really hurt her!" Syaoran looked up at the blue-haired boy suspiciously.
"Do you, by any chance, have feelings for her?"
"Maybe so! In case you suddenly went blind, that girl is gorgeous!" A little monster by the name of Jealousy roared in him.
"…Anyway, call Tomoyo or something. She'd know where Sakura is." Eriol's eyes widened, nearly cringing in distaste.
"No way. There's no way I'm putting up with her again. You call her."
"Eriol! It's your job to do what I say, so hurry up and call her!"
Eriol grumbled lowly, finally relenting. "Fine, I'll call her. But you have to call Erika to clear things up."
As if on cue, the shrill ringing of his cell blasted throughout the room.
"Li Syaoran speaking."
"Well, well son. Imagine my surprise when the mailman drops by with the newspaper and I see your face plastered all over it. Another scandal? It's your third one this month."
"Mom, don't worry about it. It'll pull over, it always does."
"Who is she?" his mother's sharp voice came from the other side.
"Sakura Kinomoto, but it doesn't matter because –"
"Kinomoto?" she said in a strange, nostalgic tone. "Is she the daughter of Fujitaka Kinomoto?"
"I don't know, mother, maybe." He looked at Eriol who was staring at him nervously. "Eriol, who's Sakura's father?"
'Fujitaka Kinomoto' he mouthed a minute later.
"Well?" his mother asked.
"Yes, she's the daughter of Fujitaka Kinomoto."
"Oh my, what a beautiful girl his daughter has become." Then with an undeniable cold voice, she spoke, "Syaoran, if you hurt this girl, you know what happens…"
"Alright damnit, I told you I'd take care of it!"
"See to it that you do. Have a good day." She hung up on him abruptly, to which he slammed forcefully on his table. Somehow his mother loved pushing his buttons.
"What happened?" Eriol asked meekly, clearly expecting the worst.
"Apparently, Mother knows Sakura's father. Meaning this situation has just become more difficult."
"Right." He nodded. "So you call Erika and Tomoyo and…I'll go look for Sakura."
Then before Syaoran could throw his coffee at him, Eriol darted out of the room laughing. He really, really hadn't wanted to call her.
"Sakura…" Tomoyo chided gently. "How are you feeling?"
Sakura who hadn't left her bed since she arrived home in tears had pulled the covers up over her head.
"Sakura…" she tried again. When she heard no response, she inwardly smirked. Her plans had gone better than planned last night. Well, she hadn't actually planned for Erika to actually slap her, but rather it was more of a bonus. She vaguely wondered what Syaoran was up to now. How would he regain his playboy status after his name had been slandered for being rejected? She thought of the path she had just opened up for herself. Syaoran was no longer caught up with Sakura, meaning he was up for grabs. All she had to do was show up at his office, play a little sob story about Sakura and weasel her way into his good books. It couldn't be that hard, could it? She frowned at the thought of Eriol; he had the nerve to ask her to the Representative's Gala, but then left her alone the whole night!
Taking a seat on her bed, she nudged Sakura lightly. "It's okay Sakura, everything's okay." But still there was no response. What the hell was she doing under there? Peeling the covers off slowly, she felt no resistance. Instead, she saw the face of a pale, sweaty Sakura.
"Sakura…" she said louder. "Sakura Kinomoto, wake up." She raised a hand to her forehead and pulled her hand away just as quick. Shit. She had forgotten…
Tomoyo rushed to the nearest phone, dialing 911.
Syaoran had just had an annoying conversation with Erika. It wasn't her sickly sweet words; it was her screechy high-pitched voice. He could still hear it, ringing in his head.
"Yes, Syao-dear?" she had spoken the moment she picked up.
"Don't call me that. What did you say to Sakura yesterday?"
"Nothing much baby, I was just putting her in her place…"
"Cut the bullshit."
"My my - such crude language from such a skilled mouth. Are you busy tonight?"
"I'll ask you one last time, what did you say to her and why'd you do it?"
Almost instantaneously, Erika went into bitchmode. "She was taking what belonged to me" she said angrily, "Syaoran, you know I love you. Don't you remember those nights we –."
Syaoran hung up before she finished her sentence. Damn, how did he ever find her attractive? He sighed, resting his head against his armchair. Or at least he was until a few seconds later when Eriol burst into his room looking breathless.
"S-S-Syaoran. Sakura," he perked up at the mention of her name. "Sakura, s-she's in the h-hospital." He managed to finish. It took Syaoran about a millisecond to comprehend what he had said.
"What the fuck?" he said; no longer sitting. He grabbed Eriol by the collar, "What happened?"
Eriol broke away from Syaoran's hold, grabbed the nearest water bottle and gulped its entire content in what was ten seconds (in reality) and hours for Syaoran. "Sakura's in the hospital for high fever. Tomoyo called for the ambulance earlier today and I found out from-." But before he could finish the sentence, Syaoran had already disappeared down the hall.
'Damn' he cursed under his breath. Grabbing two water bottles (knowing they would need it soon), he ran out after Syaoran.
Lucky for them, the hospital was merely three blocks away. But it's still tiring running at full speed while attempting to weave through the crowds without sending them to the hospital. Syaoran would have been proud to say he reached there in two minutes flat.
Once inside, he had created a commotion within the hospital staff. He had asked the nurse frantically where Sakura Kinomoto's room was, but she wouldn't tell him unless he signed an autograph. Syaoran had been ready to pee in his pants, knowing he was so close to her, yet so far. When she finally gave it to him (slowly and on purpose) he had left without so much of a goodbye, as if he hadn't been there at all. He proceeded in running to the fifth floor, and somewhere along the way heard Eriol calling his name. Racing down the halls, which is frowned upon by the nurses, especially ones holding utensils, he knew he had found the right room when he saw Tomoyo sitting there sipping on Starbucks coffee.
"Where's Sakura? How's Sakura?" he asked breathlessly. She looked up at him, flashing a small smile.
"Syaoran, you came." She stood up slowly. "Sakura's fine, it's just a fever. She always becomes sick after being depressed. But you; how are you?"
Syaoran heard a crash behind him, and looking back he found Eriol running down the path he'd been at just minutes before. "Here." He called out, throwing a bottle at him.
Syaoran looked at it, nodded a 'thanks' wordlessly and turned back to Tomoyo. "Can I see her?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.
"Yes, but -." Before Tomoyo could finish the sentence, he had already made his way inside. Tomoyo made to follow him in, but Eriol held her back.
"Let them have their privacy." He said. She glared at him from the side and bit her lip but nonetheless complied. Fine, but there would be plenty of time to get her plans into action later on.
"Sakura." He breathed out. The sight of her, pale and sweating had his heart wrench involuntarily. He walked over to her, taking a hold of her hand and noticed its abnormal warmth compared to his. He placed his free hand on her forehead and bit his lip. Damnit, he felt terrible that he had been the cause of this. He would rather have it be him in the bed (though he hated hospitals) than to have her, sick and suffering.
"Father…" he heard her mumble in her sleep. He listened attentively as she mumbled incoherent words. He grabbed a chair, sitting besides her, the words from her pouty lips setting him in a trance. "Touya…Sakura no Kaijuu…" He smiled softly; she would make a beautiful monster. He hadn't realized the effect she had on him. The way she evoked emotions from him that he thought were all lies and fairytales. The way his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach the moment he heard she was admitted to the hospital. "Syaoran…"
He tightened his hold on her hand, looking at her intently. Had she just said his name? "Syaoran…" she said again. This time he knew he wasn't hallucinating. He listened carefully for her next words. "Please…please don't hurt me…"
Something within him sparked. It was then he was pretty sure he knew what it was. Damn, he cursed at himself, he had fallen for her.
A/N: Sorry for this strange, abrupt chapter after disappearing for months :( I kind of noticed many people no longer use It seems that some of my favorite authors have disappeared as well. Okay, so anyway, the reason I hesitated writing this chapter is because the plot is nowhere near what I expected it. I rushed things and I'm still rushing things (which isn't good!) But from now on, in order to ensure more frequent updates, I will write shorter chapters (like this one). So be on the lookout! Thanks to everyone who has been waiting patiently. I'll begin working on Sinful Temptations, okay? Just remember to review!
Until next time,
Descension.
