Memories
Witch-Mistress-Animaru
A/N: This fic evolved from a similar one I had entitled Mnemosyne, after the goddess of memory in Greek mythology.
Note to self: This is why you can't make a career out of writing novels in the future. Being too whimsical and moody when it came to finishing stories, you'd have gone hungry for months before you get to finish one story.
Sigh.
Maybe if this was the only thing I do, then I'd have finished two or three stories by now. As life would have it, however, I do not have the luxury of having all the time in the world devoted to FF, so I beg you all to forgive me.
For MikanReiSakura, who PM-ed me to remind me to update my stories. It was really my intention to update Memories first, although I never got around finishing this chapter earlier. This story is one of my favorites, too. :)
9: Betrayals
It could not be true.
She is Venice Niels, isn't she? Isn't she? A voice inside her head rose in panic, daring not to believe what Jared was saying.
She cannot be this…this Li Sakura.
She cannot be married to some stranger.
Yet…as she gazed at the wedding picture, she cannot help but doubt.
The woman in the photograph was her but not her, in the same way that she wasn't who she was yesterday.
They made it all sound simple: she was Venice Niels's dead ringer, whom they happened to save from the plane crash.
According to them, she was afflicted with long-term amnesia. Her recovery remains in question.
It only brought more doubts on her mind, if they were indeed telling the truth…
Yet here was evidence of her true identity. All those pictures, those memories she tried to remember, were false, and she never would have remembered them.
Jared Niels and Randall Black deceived her.
Her fear of the sea, it turns out, is an aftermath of the airplane accident she encountered when Flight 407 of Nipponsei Airlines crashed on the North Sea.
However, the most ludicrous part of the story was that she was married to a business tycoon. It was a love match, the man she only knew as Mr. Hawkins had said—and that was what she doubted. She gazed dispassionately at the picture of her supposed husband, her mind reeling.
She cannot have loved that cold and unfeeling man in the picture. Just the thought of spending time with that man gave her the creeps.
It was all a rather unpleasant shock to her. Try as she might, her mind cannot remember, won't remember her past.
Moreover, she cannot forget the pain of Red and Rand's betrayal…
Strengthening her resolve, she made her choice.
She was going to get her memories back. She was going to retrieve what she lost that fateful day two years ago, including her legacy, her true family, her husband, her whole life…
--
Miles and miles away from Dover, Li Syaoran remained blissfully unaware that his unwanted wife was finally found by the investigator hired by both the Li and Kinomoto clans.
In fact, he was too busy contemplating a future well ahead of him with another woman…a future which, unbeknownst to him, might just never come.
He was grinning stupidly to himself as he thought of the woman he intended to be his wife, her simplicity and thoughtfulness—that sweet, easy disposition which evoked tenderness within him.
Yana Wang, after all, was quite younger than he was, a pretty girl who served tables at a fast food chain in Tokyo, with soft brown hair and eyes like silver coins. She was a refreshing change in his overly jaded life.
Gazing at his wristwatch, he thought absently of the proposal he was planning to surprise her with this evening. It would be romantic, perfect for both of them.—they'd dine out at a posh restaurant in Tokyo. He'd asked the manager to prepare a special dessert for her with the ring concealed in frosted cream.
Not very original, he admitted silently to himself, but she deserved something sweet and unforgettable for that night.
When the wall clock in his office struck noon, he stood up abruptly from his chair that it nearly overturned. His steps were bouncy as he made his way out of his office.
"Cancel all my appointments in the afternoon," he instructed his secretary before he closed the door behind him.
He drove his car out of the parking lot and headed straight to the jeweler's where he pre-ordered their engagement ring.
"Mr. Li!" The shop owner, a plump, bespectacled woman in her fifties, strode forward to meet him as soon as he entered the boutique. "How wonderful that you are here now. Your order just arrived!"
He wished she won't be so loud about it. Her rather befuddling sentence construction, as always, left him a bit confused and testy. Nonetheless, he kept smiling at her.
"Yes, it's all very wonderful," he conceded, checking out his watch. She smiled brightly at him as she signaled her assistants to bring a small velvet case with gold trimmings from the stockroom.
"Ah, here it is. Wonderful, wonderful," she said, as if talking to a child as she caressed the jewelry case with her stubby fingers. "It is very pretty, very special, just like—" before she revealed anything more, he cut her off from her speech.
"Of course, ma'am. Shall we?" He motioned towards the cashier. Rather reluctant and disappointed, the old lady followed. Is 'wonderful' the only word she knows?
Finally, the dreadful episode ended and he was driving again. He called up the restaurant manager to confirm their arrangement. Then he went home to contemplate his future life with Yana beside him.
--
Touya sat in his office, poring over some obscure documents when his secretary barged in his office unannounced.
Lifting his head in polite inquiry, he acknowledged her presence with a brief nod.
"What is it?"
"It's Kurosawa-san, Kinomoto-sama," she paused for effect. "He says he's found her."
He frowned, feeling confused with what his secretary deemed as important enough to interrupt his affairs. He was about to tell her off when everything clicked to place. Fumbling, he picked up the phone with shaking hands.
"Kinomoto-san," the voice jostled him. With many names, voices and faces than one could possibly count, the man known as the Shadow (who insisted being called Kurosawa Jin for this assignment) was probably well-deserving of being considered Japan's top investigator.
It was hardly surprising that the Shadow had found Sakura. Where others failed, he always succeeded, he guaranteed when he took the job. And Touya believed him.
"News, Jin?" He asked, knowing he had to stick with the code name and speak nothing specific about the case. Though the Shadow was notorious and highly revered by most of Japan, only very few manage to track him down to ask for his services.
"She is coming home," the Shadow said softly before the line clicked dead.
He stared at the receiver, unable to believe that the man would keep him hanging like that. But then, investigators always operated in secrecy—it was what made them successful in their endeavors.
He put the phone back to the receiver as he sat down, legs weak and knees shaking.
She's alive…
--
Fujitaka was signing several documents inside his office, letting his secretary type up all the dull paperwork needed for several contract renewals.
His son-in-law's decision to remarry was bugging him like crazy. Surely they had not given up on Sakura, had they? He cannot let her legacy go to anybody else, much else another woman her husband had chosen to replace her with.
Yume Consolidated was hers. Touya had his own little company now, and he will make sure that Yume—the one corporation he fought for years and years ago—will not go to waste.
He would do everything to bring his daughter back, and he'd do everything to make certain she had her old life back upon her return.
To be honest, he was losing all hope that they'd ever find her. She could have fallen asleep on the trip and thus trapped inside the doomed aircraft. She could have been charred beyond recognition, as most passengers were.
Yet somehow, hope was all he had, and he was clinging to it the best that he could.
The phone's ring cut off his trail of thoughts.
"Fujitaka-sama, it's Touya-san."
"Ah, I see. Put him through, please." Is there news about Sakura? Please, let her be alive…
"Otousan…" he held his breath. "We found her..."
That was enough for him. He ended the call and dropped to his knees.
Thank god…
--
"Yes, Fujitaka. I understand. Thank god for small mercies. Is she well?"
"There is no news as yet. We are waiting most impatiently for her return."
Yelan ended the call abruptly as Syaoran entered the room. The news gave her relief and removed the heavy brunt of guilt she was carrying for years.
However, she cannot comprehend how she will tell Syaoran everything.
It's now or never…
"Syaoran," she called softly before he could go up the stairs.
"Mother," he said cautiously, almost aloof, and even though it hurt, she understood her son.
From the moment he declared his honorable intentions to Yana Wang, she made herself clear on one thing—she was opposed to the match, as she was opposed to his sudden marriage more than two years ago.
She was certain, however, that she was making the right decision this time.
"Sit down with me for a moment, won't you?" Her voice requested, but she knew Syaoran would take it as a command.
He stared at her briefly before he nodded and walked towards her.
She sat regally before her son, deciding when best to drop the bomb.
"Your silence is unbecoming, mother."
She cleared her throat, her nose flaring. "Impertinent, as always. I remember how you…"
"What exactly is this about? You did not ask me to stay just to reminisce, did you, ma?"
Sighing, she resigned herself to her fate.
"All right. It is…about your wife…"
His features hardened immediately. "What about her? If you are still having nonsensical notions that she's still alive, you are entitled to believe what you wish. But please, leave me out of it. I fear you can't convince me to side with you." As he stood up, Yelan followed suit.
"You will listen to me, Syaoran," she said sharply, following him upstairs.
"I will not. I will still marry Yana, you know that."
"I cannot let you marry her, Syaoran. I will have done everything in my power to stop you if I have not heard the magnificent news."
At her words, Syaoran froze just as he reached the second landing.
"What news?"
"I see I finally have your attention," she said smugly. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her arms folded.
"Is it the old tale of the dead wife coming back to haunt the living? I have no time for such balderdash, mom."
"Come down here and we'll talk."
Syaoran stared at her with disbelief before shaking his head. When Yelan remained rooted at the bottom of the staircase, her face set mutinously and imperiously, he slowly made his way downstairs.
When they were seated once more, Yelan knew she had held it off long enough.
"What news?" He repeated.
"You know my views on your decision, Syaoran. Did you expect me to do nothing while you throw away everything for that girl?"
"You don't understand me at all, mother!"
"Of course I do. You fancy yourself in love with that…that girl. No, it cannot be done. It is not done."
"You can't stop me."
"I know I cannot. But Sakura can put a stop to your plans."
"My god, that woman is dead!"
"Not according to what we have learned just today," Yelan said calmly.
"W…what did you say?"
"You heard me. Your wife is very much alive, Syaoran."
"How do I know you aren't bluffing?"
"Have you heard of the Shadow, Syaoran?" She said softly. When he blanched, she smiled a bit ironically. "His services didn't exactly come cheap, but it was worth it."
"You…you found the Shadow to do the work for you? My god!"
"Sakura is very much alive, Syaoran. I am afraid you cannot marry Miss Wang no matter how you wish to."
"It's no matter," he said through clenched teeth, his hands balled to fists at his lap. "It'd be easy to get a divorce now that she's finally shown herself. I think she's grown afraid of being declared dead."
"You will not do anything of the sort, Syaoran. Not until she has returned."
"Will she even return? Maybe you're only holding me up and hope she'd show up to stop me."
"How convenient," he stood up, clearly agitated. "Nothing can stop me from marrying Yana, Mother. Not even Sakura's return from the dead. How much did you pay some Englishwoman to pretend to be my wife?"
"I am not lying to you. Your wife is alive—deal with it."
"I'll prove you're lying. And you won't like my retaliation when I finally do, Mom," he said before he stalked out of the room.
--
"We need to go," Mr. Hawkins said softly, his hand gripping her by the arm.
But Venice didn't really want to go. She never felt more alone in the world than she was today.
"Venn…you don't have to leave," Red said softly, as if reading her mind.
"But I have to…and I am not Venn," she said, although she didn't sit well with the name Sakura.
"Alright, Sakura, then…But believe me, whoever you really are, I have always thought of you as my sister. Our sister," he added fiercely as he turned to Rand who was standing several feet away.
She gazed at them both before a sad smile flitted in her face. "And you are my brothers," she said simply, to let Red know she had forgiven them for their deceptions.
"Promise you'll follow me to Japan once things are all right here," she said softly, her eyes misting.
"We will come at once, Venn — I meant Sakura. We're family, always remember that."
"I will," she answered. At that precise moment, the last call for passengers bound to Japan rang in the airport. She hugged Red and Rand tightly before Mr. Hawkins led her to the boarding area.
Somehow, she didn't like the feeling of leaving—like she was never going to come back.
TBC