Sakura
cringed as the man beside her smiled in a way that made her think
that he had more than just taking her to his home to keep her safe
for a while in mind. She opted for staring out of the window, away
from the mans sly smile. The scenery wasn't much to be wowed by,
but it was more interesting than the black leather dash board. Naoko
had told her once what leather was made of and now it made Sakura
sick to her stomach every time she thought about it. "Hey,
it's not that bad. Just think, in a couple months you'll be back
with your friends." Haritu, the smiling man, said. Sakura
didn't answer him. Maybe if I ignore him he'll leave me alone.
"Oh come on. Don't be like that. Listen they're only-"
"Don't be like what?" Sakura seethed, cutting Haritu
off. "Don't be pissed that I'm doing this against my own will?
Don't be sad because I'm not with my friends?" "Whoa,
you don't have to be mad at me. I was trying to help." Haritu
gave her a confused look. "You've helped enough, thanks.
Now keep to your own business." Sakura bit out and turned her head
away from him again. Haritu mumbled an apology that could only be
heard if you strained your ears. On the long highway, Sakura
started paying attention to the signs. 460 miles…455 miles…450
miles to Ontario, Canada. Canada. How could he? She
thought. "Canada?!" Sakura yelled. "Yes,
Canada. I've already talked to Touya and he thinks its safe
enough." Syaoran said, side glancing at Selina, just incase Sakura
started to get violent. God knows that Syaoran deserved it for what
he was subjecting Sakura to. "But…I thought Touya was
coming with me?" Sakura said, silently going into a panic. "Sakura," Selina stepped towards her. "He…can't come.
He's needed here, you know that." Sakura stepped back
from Selina, flinching away when she reached out to touch her
shoulder. "No. He said he would be with me." She protested. "I'm sorry-" "No! Don't try to tell me that
this is for the better! Leaving me behind in fucking Canada!"
Sakura yelled again as she started walking away, into the hall and
down the stairs to the next level, Selina and Syaoran in tow. After the plane ride they had come to a house that welcomed the
Wolves with open arms. The small house wasn't much but it was
keeping them warm from the cold night air. But 'small' was no
understatement. When Sakura reached the bottom of the stairs, she
stepped into a room full with everyone else. Some looked on at the
scene, others looked away in pity. Syaoran was the last to
get down the steps and as he looked around he knew what they were
thinking. Poor Sakura. Syaoran's such a jerk to her. Yeah…that's
what they're all thinking. I hate that it's true. "I
know, it doesn't seem fair. But we want you safe, and if that-" "And if that means you have to stick me so far away that it
hurts, you will?" Sakura shook her head. "I can't believe you.
I can't-" WHAP!Sakura's head whipped to the
side, almost cracking the tight bones. Her right cheek stung and she
could feel it burning from the skin on skin contact. Drawing her eyes
upwards, she recognized that everyone in the room was paying
attention, even the ones who were looking away before. Chiharu
gasped, Tomoyo hid her face in Eriol's shoulder. Sarah struggled to
go to her friend weakly in Nicholas' grasp, Jamie gave her a sad
stare and Touya left the room.Sakura brought her hand to her
face and slowly turned her head to look blankly at Selina. Selina
brought her hand back down and walked up to Sakura and hugged her. As
soon as Selina's warm body enveloped her, Sakura sobbed into her
shoulder. She grabbed at Selina's hoodie to pull her closer,
needing to feel more than just a simple hug. Syaoran
contemplated stepping closer but thought better of it, seeing only
more trouble if he said or did anything now. She won't ever
forgive me for this. He sighed and took a couple steps back
instead, seeing no need to be tense anymore. "I don't
want to be alone. I just don't want to be alone." Sakura cried
out, not bothering to hide how she really felt anymore. "I
know. I wish I could help that, but there's nothing we can do."
Selina soothed, rubbing Sakura's back. "Yes there is.
Keep me here. I can help. I'll get over…wha-what happened. It's
in the past now. So it doesn't matter anymore." Sakura said,
weeping and trying to convince them to agree with her at the same
time. "It doesn't work like that… Oh Sakura I really
wish I could change things. But there's nothing to be done. We've
already arranged everything, you're leaving tonight." Selina
glanced over at Syaoran who had remained quiet throughout the entire
scene. He nodded, to her. "It's time to go now." Touya didn't even say goodbye
"Listen, you-" "No, you listen. If you're going to be like this the whole time you're with me, at least have the courtesy of doing it when you're not around me." Haritu barked at Sakura. "Hey, I didn't ask for this alright? It's not my fault they landed me with you." Sakura crossed her arms like a pouty young girl. "And it won't be my fault for throwing you out of a moving car. Technically distracting the driver is illegal and it's my car so I can kick you out whenever I want and how I want. Sound fair to you? Look, princess, you're just gonna have to suck it up, cause no one's going to be there to hug you when you're upset, or dry your eyes when you cry." Haritu said, calming down only a little. Sakura stayed silent for a little while, fuming inside at the way he talked to her. But she deserved it didn't she? I am being a bit obnoxious. I guess he has a right to be mad. She resisted from sighing again and looked over at Haritu, seeing the hard line that was slowly disappearing from the crease in between his eyebrows. He's right…No one's going to be looking out for me anymore.
"Where do you live anyways?" Sakura asked.
"Toronto, in a stingy apartment. But I can't complain. I'm grateful I even have a place to live." Haritu smiled. "Do you like dogs?"
Sakura's face lifted up by the tiniest of fractions. "I love them."
"Good. I met this girl a couple of years ago. Scared as hell of dogs and didn't even tell me. She came over once and left screaming. Heh, haven't heard of the poor girl since." Haritu chuckled.
It went silent again, leaving an awkward silence between the two. Well, at least for Sakura. Haritu seemed to still smile.
Probably thinking about what good times he's had.
"I have to stop at the next gas station. Do you want anything?" Haritu asked, pulling off of the highway and onto a bridge that connected to the rest stop.
"Um, I'm just going to get a drink." Sakura said, sliding out of the car.
"Wait, you're gonna need Canadian money." Haritu said, tossing Sakura a couple of coins. "You know how the difference works?"
"Yeah. I do have an education…" Sakura teased.
"Good…cause I have no idea. I've lived here way too long to remember." Haritu laughed and made for the gas pump.
Stepping inside, Sakura immediately looked for the time. The clock on the right hand side of the wall told her it was 6:43 am. She let out a sigh, thanking that Haritu wasn't there to hear it and made her way to the back of the grimy store, looking for something to drink. She settled on a can of root beer and went back up to the till. She paid and headed back out, looking back only to catch the cashier staring at her back side. Sakura rolled her eyes and hopped back into the toasty vehicle.
When Haritu came back into the car as well, after paying for the gas, he chuckled and said, "I just got complimented on having a hot girlfriend and how she pulls the grunge look off like a stripper." He waggled his eyebrows at her.
"And that grungy stripper would be…me?" Sakura inquired.
He rolled his eyes. "Do you see any other grungy girls that could possibly be a stripper in this car?" Haritu laughed, peeling out of the station and back onto the road.
……………………………………..
Sakura……
When you fall asleep you loose all track of time. The music you hear on the radio suddenly changes from My Chemical Romance's "To the end" to Johnny Cash's "Ring of fire". The scenery constantly changes from desert to town, back to desert again, making it seem like you're just going in circles. I feel the uncomfortable leather under my head and I think of all the cows that died to make this one shitty car. I feel the cold that seeps through the tiny cracks in the window and I pull my coat closer to me. I hear Haritu tell me we're almost there about five times.
Awake, asleep, awake, asleep. One pattern that can confuse the mind to the nth degree.
I wake up and I see hookers on the side of the road, talking to men in a shiny Volvo. I wake up and the sun seems to be higher than it was what felt like two seconds ago, and wondering where the hookers went so suddenly. I wake up and I'm surrounded by buildings, all tall and business like.
"We're here." Haritu nudges me with his elbow and gets out of the car. He comes around to the passenger side with my bags in hand. "Well, come on. The car isn't that comfy." He pulls the door open for me and I step out, shaking the sleep out of my legs so that I could walk knowing that I won't walk into anything.
We passed by a couple people on the street, busy and talking on their expensive Black Berries with coats that would cost fifteen dollars if it didn't have a brand name on it. Their over made up faces look at me and Haritu and almost cringe at the sight of us, grungy and in the same clothes on we wore the day before.
"You get a lot of those people here. Stuck up with cash to burn. You get used to them looking down on you after a while." Haritu commented, glancing back at me over his shoulder. "But you shouldn't worry about that now."
Haritu led me into an apartment building that really didn't look half bad. He lived in a loft type place. A large window with a fire escape, two bedrooms, a kitchen at the corner of the room, a clean looking bathroom, and some furniture that didn't look all that bad. If I had the choice of living here or at my house back home, I'd choose Haritu's place.
"Make yourself at home. You'll be here for a while, so get comfortable now." Haritu said, opening a cupboard and taking out a pack of smokes.
I looked at him, stared was more like it. Maybe things won't be as bad as I thought. Mind you I have every intention to get back to Hong Kong as soon as possible. But for now, I would have to make do.
"Oh, sorry. I hope you don't mind that I smoke. I don't very often anyways. I'm one of those people that can go for a long time without smoking, so I'll hold off as much as I can." Haritu apologized; searching for what I assumed was a lighter in his pockets.
I dug into my jean pocket and tossed a lighter I stole from Nicholas at him. "I don't mind. I have no say whether you smoke or not." I answered, giving him a simple smile that vanished when I felt an odd presence around my feet. I looked down to see the cutest thing on four legs with eyes that could melt an iceberg. I couldn't help the loud "Awe," that escaped from my mouth.
"That would be Truffles. The least scary thing you will ever see in your life." Haritu chuckled, walking over and rubbing the dogs head then picking it up and putting him in my arms. He stuck the lighter back into my pocket for me with a momentary thigh graze which he apologized for.
Truffles yipped at me but cuddled into my arms and panted quietly. "Awe." I uttered again. "He's so charming. Can I keep him?" I joked, never taking my eyes off of the tiny animal in my arms.
"Uh, no. But I guess I can share." Haritu said, walking down a tiny hall and into the bathroom, calling "I'll be right back", before he disappeared behind the door.
So I started looking around more, Truffles following me like I was his mother. It was almost flattering. I say almost cause, well…it is a dog…
Music. Haritu was really into music. All kinds of genres too. It went from your typical rap and hip-hop to your death metal and rock and even to techno and metal core. I actually really liked his collection of CDs. Except for the one bearing the Barbie symbol. When I asked about it when Haritu came back into the room he explained that he had a niece that was all about Barbie, so he kept a cd and other Barbie paraphernalia for her at his place when she visited. I bet she was heartbroken when they announced that Barbie and Ken broke up.
"Do you like Subway?" Haritu asked me a little while later when we were seated on his couch, Truffles at our feet, surfing the all of ten channels that he got in his medium sized TV. Half of them were static-y.
"Sure." I shrugged. Food at the time wasn't anything to be picky over.
"Good, cause that's what we're having for lunch. My buddy Vanin's bringing it over."
He says 'good' a lot.
I gave Haritu a look which I'm pretty sure told him that I wasn't in the mood to meet new people already.
"Don't worry. He's a good guy. A little flighty actually, but loyal." He smiled.
"If you say so."
"I say so." Haritu nodded.
"I have never seen less pathetic channels in my life." I said, throwing down the clicker, making it bounce off of Haritu's thigh and onto the floor.
"It's better than nothing. I'm just grateful for what I have." Haritu responded, bending down at the same time I was to pick up the clicker. Our heads connected with a bang and we both retreated, Truffles yipping at us.
"You're grateful for a lot aren't you?" I inquired, rubbing my head and making no move to grab the mechanical device that Haritu bent down again to retrieve.
"You could say that. I could be off a lot worse than I am, so I don't ask for a lot. Except a little respect now and then…" Haritu gave me a sideways glance, his face set quizzically but humored.
"I get it, I get it." I laugh, rolling my eyes. "I'm sorry. God at least I'm over it now. Be thankful for that."
Haritu got up, throwing a pillow in my face, going to the door; both of us hearing someone knock on it. "You don't know how thankful I am. Another minute of that and I'd send you straight to hell….Vanin! Come in!"
I got up and brushed off the invisible dust and turned to look at Haritu and his friend, Vanin that walked into the apartment.
Vanin. I'm sure I've heard that name before.
"Hey man I want you to meet someone." Haritu said, walking over to me, his arm around Vanin's shoulders. "This is Sakura Kinomoto. Came from Hong Kong. I'm taking care of her until Touya makes sure everything's ok with them down there." He explained, pointing behind his back, signaling that he meant down in Hong Kong.
The second Vanin looked at me he smiled the most infectious smile you would ever see. "Hello!" He said in such a happy voice I was nearly blown over. "It's nice to meet you. I knew Touya had a sister but I didn't think I would ever get to meet her!"
"Well it's nice to meet you too Vanin." I smiled at him as well. It was hard not to. He was like Wolf, you couldn't help but sit there and listen and be nice back to him.
"She's so polite! I like her already!" Vanin commented, making me laugh.
"You think she's polite now, but," Haritu wagged his finger. "Just wait until you get to know her more."
"Here Sakura, you must be hungry." Vanin said, handing me a bag that held a neatly wrapped sandwich in it, completely ignoring Haritu.
I honestly wasn't all that hungry, but I wasn't about to be rude to such a nice person, so I ate the whole sandwich and the M&M cookie that came with it. After I felt sleepy. Eating makes me tired sometimes, and now was no exception.
"You should get some sleep, Princess. You look really out of it." Haritu said, standing up and helping me up from my sitting position on the ground. I couldn't argue with him on this one, though I mentally protested on being called a princess. I wasn't that high maintenance was I?
Haritu showed me into the room on the room on the right side of the loft. My stuff was already in there thanks to Haritu. The bed looked comfy enough; clean sheets, fluffed pillows, and a warm looking blanket.
"Sleep. I have to go out for a little while to do some errands. But Vanin will be here if you need anything, he's got nothing better to do now anyways." Haritu said, watching me sit down on the bed, laughing when I slid a little off the edge.
When Haritu left, I laid down, yawning into the blanket. Truffles nudged open the door and hopped up onto the bed with me, folding himself into the shape of my stomach. If he was a cat I'd swear he would start purring. I'm just glad he doesn't understand what it means when humans start crying.
……………………………………..
"I knew it!" Yelled Vanin. "I knew that I knew you from somewhere!"
"Tomoeda Grade School, now here. Small fucking world." I say, laughing.
To catch you up, Vanin and I just figured out how we recognized each other. We both went to the same school and were in the same grade three classes.
"You know I'll never forgive you for that mud pie I made that you threw in my face." Vanin says, tsk-ing me. So I was a violent child that liked to throw mud pies at people. I grew out of it…mostly.
"I'm sorry but you were just the kind of kid that I could pick on." I laugh, though I wasn't really sorry. "If you want, you can throw a mud pie in my face." Though I really hoped that he wouldn't.
"Well pardon me for being a kid that you could pick on. And where do you see mud? We are in the middle of Toronto!" Vanin flailed his arms around. "Geeze you don't even have to try to be frustrating. You just are!" He said but laughed, so I knew that I was forgiven.
Haritu had returned from his little errand trip when I woke up, and he sat now in front of us. It kind of looked like he had worried look on his face when he wasn't smiling or laughing along. I didn't ask him about it. Knowing him he'd probably just think I'm nosey on top of my high maintenance. So I ignored him when his cell phone went off and he excused himself from our presence in favor of his room.
But I couldn't stop the hurt that went through me when I remembered that my own cell phone was taken away when I left the house.
I don't have any contact with them anymore.
Did they understand how much that hurt? Did they know that leaving me with a couple of strangers to a place I've never been before was like running me over one by one slowly on bicycles with spikes on the wheels? A part of me wanted to hurt them all back just as much as they hurt me. But the other part of me couldn't help but want to forgive them and forget what they've done.
A knock on the paper thin door shook me from my abyss of what most people would identify as sadness. I jumped up and ran over to the door before Vanin could open it first.
What most people expect to see from behind a door would be a neighbor or a family member coming for a visit or even a delivery guy. But that wasn't the case. When I opened the door I was met with an angry fist that collided with my stomach and sent me to the ground a foot or so away. The shock of what I was met with kept me paralyzed on the ground, with Vanin that soon joined me, holding his stomach and gasping for breath. I closed my eyes but I could still hear everything, especially when Haritu's door opened and his footsteps rushing over to us.
"What the HELL did you think you were doing?" A booming voice echoed through the room.
"Katsu, what are you doing here?" Haritu yelled back.
"What did you think you were pulling? Bringing a fucking person here when you know the rules!" The man yelled again. His voice hurt my ears when he yelled. I tried to put my hand over my ear that wasn't squished into the ground, but my hand was stopped. I opened my eyes to see what was going on. Vanin was sitting up, his hand on mine, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. Haritu stood in front of us, blocking my view of the man with the loud voice. But I could see two, maybe three other men standing beside him.
"Listen Katsu, this girl needs a place to stay-" Haritu started but the loud voice drowned him out. I looked away. Maybe not looking for the voice would help make it go away.
"She can only stay if she works. You know that Haritu. You should have brought her straight to us when you arrived." I heard a smack and maybe even a cracking of bones, and I felt like being sick.
I felt Vanin kneel down closer to my face and he whispered "It'll be ok. Haritu's fine. Just don't move."
Did my face look like it was worrying about Haritu? I couldn't tell. Did it look like I was going to be moving anywhere anytime soon? I doubt it completely.
"Bring her tonight. I don't want any explanations." Another smack, more bones cracking. "You're fucking lucky that I don't feel like killing you right now." One last smack and its over. No more loud voice, no more punching. It left as fast as it came.
"Can you stand up?" I hear Haritu ask and I look up at him. His bloodied face scared me for a second. But I swallowed the lump in my throat.
I tried to sit up first, but the aching pain in my body wasn't having it. My muscles convulsed and I laid back down in the fetal position, shutting my eyes tight as if that would help make the pain go away. It didn't help. It just gave me a headache.
"Ok, we should get you off of the floor." Haritu said and I felt his arms start to slide underneath me, but I raised my arm and put my hand on his arm to stop him.
"No. Leave me here. I don't want to move. Not yet." I said, trying to relax a little, but finding that from previous wounds to my stomach and the blow I received today was taking a toll on me. Relaxing hurt. So I tried not relaxing anymore.
"But we can't just let you stay here. You'll just feel worse. Let me take you at least to the couch." Haritu protested.
"Come on Sakura. You need to move." Vanin said, his hand now moved to my hand that was attached to my arm that was crushed underneath me. This was a really uncomfortable position for me, but somehow I felt that if I moved than I would just hurt more, so staying down was my one and only option.
"Leave me here for just a few more minutes…please? I don't want to move." I said, holding down a cough from my aching throat. Why was everything going wrong? Who were those people? What did they have to do with me?
I'm not going to lie, I was scared out my mind.
…………………………………..
Haritu is throwing words at me that are basically telling me to not live in my body for the next while, or else I might die.
"Don't talk, I'll be representing you."
"Don't move, or else some one will think you have a weapon."
"Don't look at anyone, they'll take that as a challenge or that you want them in your bed tonight."
"These people are bastards like this."
Yeah thanks Haritu, like I didn't get that when you started saying 'don't'.
Vanin is sitting in the seat behind me in the car. I can hear him chatter and grind his teeth as though he's on uppers. In this case, I'd say pass me some of those uppers.
"Ok, these guys here, are just gonna check you for weapons. Try not to look scared or nervous ok?" Haritu looks at me as he shuts off the car.
I nod and get out of the car. Immediately I'm patted down by wandering hands, over my shirt and jeans, checking my combat boots and even in my hair, looking for contact lenses and looking for ear pieces. This was the most thorough check I have ever been through, and when I realized that those wandering hands were taking more than the needed time to check me over, I figured out why they decided to be so thorough.
"Alright man, your good." One of the men said. He looked like he was smiling a bit too much.
Haritu took my arm and led me down a few hallways. There were rooms that we passed by as we went. It was like a classic movie scene. One room was full of gamblers and strippers, one was full of heroin addicts and strippers, one was full of men and strippers, and one was full of dancing people and strippers. Toronto people must really love their strippers.
We stop in front of a closed door. And if I could have one guess, I'd say that, yes, we are going through that door to our possible doom.
"Ok, remember what I told you alright? This is really important and I need you focused. If anything goes wrong, Vanin will take you out of here k?" Haritu said, giving me a nervous smile.
"Kay…" I said, refusing to say more 'cause I know I'd end up yelling out how I felt.
Vanin took my shoulders and squeezed them in an encouraging way. I think if it was just me and Haritu here, I wouldn't be this calm.
I watched Haritu open the door and walk in, and I followed, peaking back to see Vanin following us. If there was ever a time where I walked into a room with more than a hundred people staring at me, it would be now. You tend to shrink under peoples stares. You feel helpless and if you could run, you would. But you can't cause the way they look at you makes you frozen.
I can hear people whisper, "That's her."
"She's the one from Japan, like Haritu and Vanin."
"What was Haritu thinking?"
"New to the business."
"Haritu. Glad you finally came." The booming voice. It's back, but I don't think it's out to kill anymore.
"Katsu," Haritu nodded to him as though they had been buddies the whole time and the incident at the apartment never happened.
"Come here Haritu." A new voice says.
"Yes, Clayton." Haritu steps into the middle of the room, taking my hand and pulling me in with him. Vanin isn't there to help me relax. The staring could make any sane person go fucking crazy.
"What's her name?" Clayton asks. I can't see him properly, but I know he's staring too.
"Kinomoto Sakura."
"And why is she here?" I can see Clayton swirl around a drink. It smells like hard liquor all over the room.
"Her brother has sent her to me so that I can take care of her for a while. He needs to take care of some business overseas." Haritu says so matter-of-factly that it's like he knows my life story.
"Well, Haritu, you do know why she has to work right?" Clayton shifts in his seat so that he's leaning over to the left.
"Yes, Clayton. I understand." Haritu nodded.
"Alright then. That was no problem right?" Clayton was sounding too nice, even to me, a person who's never met this guy in my life.
"Right." Haritu looks like he's about to cringe; he knows too.
"Right. So then why the hell didn't you bring her to me the minute you entered Toronto? I'm sure you got the message from Katsu that that is unacceptable, Haritu. Don't do it again or else you won't ever step into Canada ever again. Got that?" Clayton had come out of hiding. I could clearly see his face and I'm ashamed to say that he was one of the single most beautiful men I have ever seen. Even as he threw down his glass that shattered and stomped forward close enough to kiss Haritu, I could not tare my eyes away from him. But I could have kicked myself for being caught staring at him.
Clayton removed himself from Haritu's personal space and put himself into mine. "Like what you see little Sakura?" He whispered to me. He started circling, I could feel his eyes move all around my body. "She's definitely not bad, Haritu. Makes me wish I was the one keeping her in my house. Yes, she will be good to us." Clayton kissed my jaw and walked back up to his seat.
"I expect to see her out tomorrow night. I'll be keeping a watch for her, Haritu. That's all." Clayton turned away from us and started whispering to the girl sitting provocatively beside him.
Haritu nodded and turned, grabbing my arm almost painfully and walking back out of the room, Vanin behind us. If Haritu was mad, he would have absolutely nothing on me. I hope he knows what's coming to him.
We get into the car and drive off. Not a single word is said. The tension and awkwardness is killing me inside, but I won't be the first to talk. No, Haritu will come to me, as bitchy as that sounds. I want him to know I'm mad.
But he doesn't say anything. Not one word to me or Vanin the entire car ride. In a way, I'm relieved, but again, I want to yell so loud into Haritu's ear that he'll go deaf, so that he can't ever listen to my brother say "I'm leaving Sakura with you" ever again. I've got a lot of rage and it's all centered on one thing and one thing only.
Once inside the apartment, Haritu knocks a plate off a counter, throws loose papers in the air, chucks a shoe a the wall. Vanin winces, I stay emotionless.
"God damn it!" Haritu says, finally.
"Gad damn it?" I say. "Is that the only intelligent thing you can think of to say right now, Haritu?" I'm in bitch mode, and anything Haritu says will be fired right back at him.
"What else do you want me to say, Sakura? I'm sorry that you have to be subjected to this? Cause I damn well am!" Haritu throws his arms up as though that's the answer to everything.
"Try, why the hell didn't you tell me that I had to work for some fucking ass whole!? A little warning might have been good, don't you think!?" I want to knock plates off counters too. I want to throw shoes at the wall too.
"I have no reason ok?! God I know I should have told you, but fuck! Why are you all over me for this?" Haritu says.
"Because you should have told me! If you would have then we wouldn't be in this argument right now would we? Would we?!" I yell at him. If I could punch him and make it hurt, I would.
"No…No. You're right. We wouldn't be fighting right now if I wasn't so stupid. I'd say sorry, but sorry isn't good enough for this." Haritu wipes his face with his hands.
He's taking my argument away from me. He's being the smart guy who knows when they are in the wrong and won't take things any further. This, to me, isn't fair. I want to scream until my lungs give out and I pass out on the floor almost dead. I want to punch something so hard my knuckles would break and bleed.
"What is this work that I'm supposed to do?" I settle with asking.
"Every single person you saw in that room was either a prostitute, or a dealer. That's your job. You need to sell, whether it's your body or drugs. Myself and Vanin, we're dealers. You choose. But as long as you're here and under Claytons watch, you have to work. I'm sorry that it's turned out for you like this, but I can't do shit to help you." Haritu said.
I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. Speak, breathe, move. Anything.
I try to push words out of my mouth, but nothings forming in my head. Maybe it's from lack of oxygen to my brain, that's why I can't think. So maybe I should start breathing again. That's it; let's take this step by step. First breathe, and then get your senses back. I start at my toes, I wiggle them, then I flex my muscles in my legs then I look down and watch my stomach inflate then deflate, then I scrunch my fingers and flexs my arms, then I blink rapidly.
"I don't want to be here anymore. I n-need to go home."
"Sakura…I'm sorry. But I can't take you home. Not for a while. You know that." Haritu walks up to me and rubs my arm. I flinch away and focus on the floor.
"You…you don't understand. I need to go home. I have to see them." I can feel tears coming. I'm not even trying to stop them.
"I know you want to go see them, Sakura. But I just can't let you go back." Haritu grabs my shoulders and doesn't let me turn away from him.
"I can't believe they di-did this to me. They hurt me so much. And now…now I can't even talk to them. I hate them!" I cry into Haritu's stomach as he pulls me into him. And I can't believe I'm crying in front of him.
………………………………..
Hong Kong…..One month Later
Syaoran nursed his wound, cradling his arm as he stumbled through the forest, leaving a bloody trail behind him. He could still feel the fire burning as he went the opposite direction from the building that had purposely gone up in flames. He cursed when he tripped and tried to use his good arm to catch himself but ended up falling on his already broken arm. He laid there for a minute, catching his breath if only for a moment.
But he had to keep moving. Who knew if someone was trailing behind him? He was already a sitting duck, wandering around without a clue where he had to go. Syaoran got back up and started heading off to the left from where he was first headed. He could hear a road or highway close by, which meant he could hitch hike his way back to the hideout, and get to his room before anyone knew he had left.
The journey to the highway had taken longer than he thought, though he was still relieved to be out of the forest. He started walking backwards, sticking out his thumb on his good arm and waiting for someone to stop for him. He used his upper arm strength to hold his broken arm to himself. No one, for the longest time, picked him up. Syaoran expected this. Who in their right mind would pick up a grungy looking guy off the road at two in the morning?
Eventually, a man in a rusted truck drove up. Syaoran got in the car and drove off with him, telling him where he was headed and remaining silent the rest of the trip. He thanked the man when he got out though and watched him leave. He knew it was a dangerous thing to let someone see him and where he was hiding out. If word got around that he was here and was being looked for, whoever that man was now knows exactly where to bring the police.
Syaoran shook his head and made his way into the house, not bothering to see if any one saw him come in. He went straight to his tiny room and into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and shook his head yet again. He needed a shower and something to splint his arm with. As he was about to step into the shower, he saw his phone that he had left in his room. Every day since she left, Syaoran expected Sakura, or at least Haritu to call. But she never did. He was hesitant to admit it, but Syaoran was troubled that he hadn't heard from her. It didn't help that they had taken her phone from her to keep her from contacting them. Syaoran had agreed that it was a cruel thing to do, but they had to, knowing Sakura would find a way to let them bring her back. And they just couldn't do that.
He often thought about what she was doing, if she was ok, if she hated him now. Syaoran couldn't stop her from hating him anyways. It was pointless to think that she could possibly forgive him, ever. Syaoran sighed and got into the burning shower. He seethed as the hot water stung down his arm. He needed to do something about that before he made it any worse. It was a shame that Wei left with Wolf to wherever they went. They still hadn't heard from him. Not even a notification that he was ok or that he was coming back. This troubled Syaoran, not knowing what happened to his leader.
"Stop thinking so much, Syaoran. You'll exhaust yourself." Syaoran told himself, wiping his hand over his face. He watched the dirt and sweat leave his body and be washed down the drain.
After he had managed to clean himself without further injuring his arm, he got out and looked around for something that could support his arm. As he was looking through the bathroom, he failed to notice that his room's privacy had been invaded, too distracted to see anything out of the ordinary.
"You've been out again, haven't you?"
Syaoran kept looking around the bathroom. "You could say that."
"Why, Syaoran?" Sarah stepped into the bathroom. "You always come back and you're even more banged up than the day before. Why won't you let us help?" She delicately placed her hand on Syaoran's shoulder to fully gain his attention.
"Because, Sarah, it's just better if I do it by myself. Wolf has left me and Touya to protect you guys. And that's what I am doing. I'm taking risks to help us…and Sakura." Syaoran looked at Sarah, taking in her worried expression.
"I know that and I respect you for it." Sarah bit her lip, holding back before speaking again. "Nicholas says you've changed. But he doesn't know if it is in a good way or not. And…I miss Sakura." Sarah looked away then, turning her back to Syaoran.
"We all do, Sarah, you more so than us because of your connection to her. She'll be back soon enough though. Everything down here will have been taken care of and she'll be with us again, I promise." Syaoran stepped in front of Sarah and gave her arm a tiny squeeze, his way of showing compassion.
"I just want her back. Or at least to hear her voice again…God I'm starting to sound like her long lost lover or something." Sarah laughed and wiped away invisible tears.
"Go back to bed, Sarah. I'm sure Nicholas is looking for you by now." Syaoran half smiled and stood out of the way as Sarah left his room.
Sarah sighed and crossed the hall and crept back into the dark room. She stopped at the foot of the bed and gazed down at Nicholas. He was far from looking for her. But she smiled none the less and pulled the sheets down, exposing Nicholas to the stale air in the room. She lay down beside him and threw the sheets back over top of their bodies. Sarah stared at Nicholas' sleeping face for a moment, bringing her hand up to his face so that she could feel the smooth flesh of his cheek. She trailed her finger down his jaw line and over his lips to underneath his chin and down his neck. Her fingers fluttered over his collarbone and down his chest, feeling his muscles.
"Do you know how pretty you look when you're concentrating?" Nicholas' voice whispered to her. Sarah pulled her hand away and looked up at Nicholas, but he took her hand into his and held both of their fists to him. "What are you thinking about?"
"Sakura." Sarah answered simply.
"What about Sakura are you thinking about?" Nicholas brushed Sarah's hair out of her face.
"Just about her as a person and how she's grown, and how I miss her. She's been all I've been thinking about." Sarah answered honestly, giving a silent apology to the man lying beside her.
"And that's ok. If you weren't then you wouldn't care for her. So it's a good thing to think of the people you love." Nicholas smiled and kissed her forehead. "Do you know who I'm thinking about right now?"
Sarah's face lifted, a smile spreading across her face. She loved it when Nicholas turned romantic and would let it linger on for as long as was possible.
Nicholas brushed his nose with hers. "I'm thinking about this girl." He pressed Sarah's hand to his chest and let go to brush her hair behind her ear. "She has the most gorgeous smile that I rarely get to see. But when I see it, it makes me fall in love with her all over again." Nicholas drew his thumb under her right eye. "Her voice is soothing, like a lullaby, and when I hear her speak, it's like there's no other voice in the world." He ran his fingers across her lips. "And her kiss, her kiss is like the clouds, smooth and beautiful."
Sarah could not lay there and listen to anymore. She quickly pushed her face up to Nicholas' in an attempt to kiss him. But he pulled away, smiling in a teasing way. When Sarah tried again, he did not move away, but embraced her and let her kiss him. As they stopped to breathe, Sarah could feel Nicholas' mouth raise to a smile on her lips.
……………………..
Yoshimi walked down the cold dark street, watching her breath as it came out in clouds, then disappeared into the air. Her black boots scuffed heavily on the cement, allowing anyone who was still awake to hear her. She wrapped her arms around herself and thought how she should have worn another sweater. A piece of her braided hair fell out of her ponytail as she lifted her hood over her head. She got out the piece of paper she had received in the morning then, looking at it for the thousandth time.
It was a summons, but only for her. Tigris was still asleep in the rented apartment, oblivious as to Yoshimi's whereabouts. She knew exactly who it was that had summoned her, and she was not looking forward to it. Just because Viper was out of commission, didn't mean that there weren't worse dangers out there than him. Yoshimi knew this, but refused to be worried.
Yoshimi slipped into an very familiar alley, nodding to a man that stood by the doorway of the back door to a club. She passed him by and continued on to the end of the alley then turned left around the corner and entered a doorway quickly. She made her way down a dank hallway, only lit by one light bulb at the end of the hall. Yoshimi turned into a door before the end of the hall and closed the door behind her. She took off her hood and squinted as the sudden bright light was revealed to her.
Still the same…
"Glad you could make it here darling." A deadly voice said, hidden behind an expensive leather chair. "You have always been good at coming when you are called, like a little puppy." The man in the chair swiveled around to face her.
Yoshimi didn't have to look him in the eye to know the look he was giving her; dangerous, lustful… murderous. Lane will never lose that look. She didn't respond to his slight insult, but stood there, addressing that she was ready to listen.
"How long have you been working with Viper now? Ten, fifteen years or so?" Lane didn't wait for an answer. He stood up and slowly made his way over to Yoshimi. "That's a long enough time to have some hatred for him isn't it? After what he did to you and…what's his name? Tigris? Painful story from what I hear."
"You have something against Viper now?" Yoshimi guessed, completely ignoring the sting of hurt that went through her body at the mentioning of Tigris.
"You could say that." Lane let his arms dangle over Yoshimi's shoulders loosely. "He is just an obstacle in my way. I've had plans for killing off the Wolves, but Viper just seems to get in the way every time." He started playing with one of Yoshimi's tight braids, twisting it around his finger.
"So you want me to get rid of Viper while he's down…for good." Yoshimi finished for him. She slid her hands up to Lane's stomach, underneath his shirt. "I can do that."
"I know you can, that's why I called you my dear Yoshimi. You can kill Viper for me, and in return," Lane pressed his cheek to hers, his lips grazing her ear, "I will give you what ever you wish."
Yoshimi shivered and let Lane bite her ear. She was used to him touching her. The very first day they met was the only time she was shocked by him. But now as he touched and kissed her, she accepted it, though in the back of her mind she screamed for this man to be Tigris. They way Lane stripped her of her clothes felt different than it had before. The way he kissed her felt like she had never been kissed by him before. But Yoshimi didn't make any move as to revert Lane from his intentions; that would get her killed. So she took it in pain, never once complaining or resisting.
No words were spoken as she left the building; just a gentle nod and a closed door. A sudden feeling of violation invaded her. Yoshimi had never left Lane feeling that way before. Tigris kept popping up in her mind, aching for his touch again, hating that she would be the only one who remembered how it felt to be in his arms.
Yoshimi grabbed her stomach, an unfortunate hurt in her rumbling heavily. She slowed for a second, then quickly turned down an empty alley and bent behind a trash bin, closing her eyes as her stomach gave way under the pressure and the violation. Tears slipped from her eyes as her stomach was emptied. She stayed bent over for a minute, eyes still closed, but taking in a huge breath then releasing it. Yoshimi wiped her mouth as she stood back up, walking again, slowly so that the sick feeling would fade away.
Getting back to the apartment took no time at all. Time goes by quickly when all you can think about is…him. Yoshimi thought as she entered the bedroom where Tigris slept soundly, not a trace of worry on him anywhere. Yoshimi bent down beside the bed, her face just inches from his. How innocent he looked, the same look he would give her when they shared a small kiss. Tigris hadn't changed one bit despite when Viper had done to him.
Maybe….
Yoshimi shifted on her knees to sit up straight, almost composing herself. She eyed Tigris' lips, but hesitated. Would it be wrong, wanting to know what it felt like to kiss him again? Would it be that wrong to take small advantage of him just to feel a moment of happiness? It was just a kiss after all, what was the harm in that?
Leaning forward quickly, Yoshimi pressed her lips onto Tigris' for one sweet moment, then retreated, standing up and rushing out of the room. She touched her lips as though that would help bring back the memory of them together. Frustrated with herself she fled to the bathroom, and there, she cried.
YOU DON'T KNOW HOW SORRY I AM FOR BEING SO LATE!
I guess everybodys already heard these excuses but I have school and people problems and forgetfulness and blah blah blah. All the usual.
But I do hope you enjoyed!
Again. SO SORRY