Chapter characters:
Sakura Kinomoto – 17
Tomoyo Daidouji – 17
Syaoran Li – 17
Eriol Hiiragizawa – 17
Yelan Li – Early 40s
Yang Mae – 17 (My character)
Chapter 10 – Halloween Night Part III
"The court jester is Yamazaki, Takashi," she stated and he went up and received his jester's hat and rod (with little clown head on top).
"The princess is Kinomoto, Sakura!" There was a mass collective intake of breath and a couple of people clapped which progressed to a polite applause. Everyone was quite shocked that she was not queen. Sakura walked to the stage and received her tiara and stood beside Takashi.
"The prince is Hiiragizawa, Eriol." Everyone clapped but they were still reserved. They expect Eriol to be prince but they were still in shock about Sakura. Eriol went up and got his crown and stood beside Sakura. He gently squeezed her shoulder to support her but she shrugged in return. She didn't care if she was queen or not, in fact she preferred not to be queen.
"Our king of the Halloween dance this year is… Li, Syaoran!" Every person cheered loudly, especially the girls. Every single girl who voted voted him as king. He went to the stage and accepted his crown and sword. He then turned and gave Sakura a confused look. She again shrugged and averted her eyes. He turned back around to face the crowd, he stood beside Yelan since the king and queen stand at the front of the stage.
"And finally the Queen of the Halloween dance as voted by you all is… Mae, Yang!" Yang screamed with excitement. She ran up to the stage and practically grabbed her crown and sceptre. She stood beside Syaoran and attached herself to his arm. His eyes narrowed with annoyance. Yang was popular, but it had gone down exponentially ever since Sakura came to the school, therefore it was peculiar for her to win.
"Now you may dance," Yukari stated as slow music started to play. Eriol took Sakura's hand a led her to the dance floor, while Kyoko dragged Syaoran there after leaving they're sceptre/sword behind. Takashi found Chiharu and started to dance with her. Sakura stopped dancing with Eriol halfway into the song and led him to Tomoyo and told them to dance. She left the main hall and slipped into one of the adjoining hallways. When Syaoran was with that girl, something deep down hurt. Syaoran's eyes didn't leave her until he couldn't see her anymore. He wanted to push Kyoko off, but she held on tight.
"Syaoran-kun, we should spend the rest of the night together. You know, since we're king and queen," Yang started seductively. "I mean, I've liked you for the longest time and this is the first time I've got to be close to you. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy me better than her."
"Oh god Mae, do you sell yourself to every man? This is not very attractive. I can't wait until this song is over," he replied coldly. She looked up at him, tears starting to sting her eyes. She couldn't believe that he was so cruel. But, she never let go of him, she was going to milk this dance as much as she could. She didn't rig the voting for nothing. Syaoran was surprised that she didn't run crying. Other couples started to dance and the song gradually ended. Syaoran pushed her off and went in search of Sakura. He went through the same door she did. He knew his house and this hallway led to a music room on one side and a library on the other. He tried to use his aura to scan for her but there was no trace of it. He had to figure it out. He decided to go to the library, since that's where he goes to hide.
He entered the library and scanned the area. Then went to the back where all the ancient books were stored. There he found Sakura sitting on the floor in the corner where he normally sat. She was reading one of the dusty books.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," she replied but did not look up.
"What are you doing here?" Syaoran asked.
"I just wanted to get away. I felt crowed with all the attention," she responded.
"You're lying. I mean you're a world famous superstar and you sang that song solo in front of everyone. Don't give me that bullshit."
"Well, what do you want me to say?" She looked up at him.
"The truth," he replied.
"I can't tell you the truth," she smiled sadly. He was confused. 'I can't tell him. I can't get this close to someone, not at this juncture.' She got up and walked passed him. "I'm fine now, let's get back they'll miss their king."
"Sakura…I like you," he whispered. Sakura was so shocked to hear this. She stopped walking and turned around. Syaoran hoped she didn't hear him, but obviously she did. Now he hoped that she would say something. She was about to but didn't. She turned back around and continued walking to the hall. Syaoran's heart fell, for the first time he opened up but he was obviously rejected. He followed her back to the hall. 'Why wouldn't she say something? She probably doesn't like me at all. Did I misinterpret those signals she was clearly giving me? Or maybe she likes Koji better.' They entered back into the hall and sat back down in their seats.
"Hey guys, you came back in time for the food," Eriol said. Sakura just smiled softly in response.
"What's gotten into you?" asked Tomoyo.
"Nothing," Sakura answered. Tomoyo and Eriol gave each other knowing looks, something did happen.
"Alright, let's just eat," Syaoran stated. Everyone went to their seats (Eriol beside Tomoyo, Tomoyo beside Sakura and Sakura beside Syaoran). A shimmering gold light appeared and out of it the food did. Each person's plate contained their favourite appetizers. Eriol and Tomoyo lovingly fed each other little bites of the appetizers. While in contrast to this display of affection, Sakura ate without a glance at Syaoran while Syaoran stole a few peeks. Each course appeared individually, meaning once the person finished they'll get their next course.
"The last song of the night shall be played and it's dedicated to all the couples out there," a soft feminine voice stated. It was heard throughout the hall. Couple went to the dance floor, including Tomoyo and Eriol, and a soft slow song called "Tong Hua" by Guang Liang started to play. Many couples held each other tightly. Meanwhile Sakura and Syaoran just sat in their seats. They didn't dare ask each other to dance, even if they wanted to. They were afraid of the consequences of dancing with each other. As the song came to a close everyone started to leave the hall. Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other slightly.
"Wow, that was a great night," Tomoyo said as she and Eriol came back to collect their stuff.
"Yeah," sighed Sakura. "Let's go."
"Alright, but I'm driving this time, there's no way I'm going to get into an accident after this perfect night," declared Eriol. Everyone got up and walked to the main doors. They went the way they came and got into the car with Sakura and Syaoran in the back and Tomoyo and Eriol in the front. It was a tension filled ride but Eriol and Tomoyo were too caught up in their world to notice, while Sakura and Syaoran just stared out their own windows.
The first to be dropped off was Sakura and with a little encouragement of Tomoyo and Eriol, Syaoran walked her to her door. They didn't say a word until they got on the porch.
"I had a really good time," Sakura irked out. Syaoran gave her a strained smile. He then impulsively kissed her softly on her cheek. Everyone including Syaoran was quite stunned by this sudden romantic gesture. It so sweet and soft, no one expected this from Syaoran especially Sakura. She had treated him quite awfully after he had admitted that he like her. Syaoran headed back into the car and Sakura went into her house. When she closed the door she leaned against it and started to cry quietly to herself. 'I did the right thing tonight. I can't get involved with someone at this time. He could be targeted and used against me. He'll be used against me. But, my heart still hurts. The look in Syaoran's eyes and the diminished vitality of his aura when I didn't say anything makes me feel as if it wasn't worth it. What am I to do?"
Tomoyo, Eriol and Syaoran left and with issues still unresolved, the night ends.
Tong Hua by Guang Liang
Link: go to youtube (dot) com and search Tong Hua by Guang Liang