Watch the Rain Fall, by CheeseyCraziness
Summary: Sakura appears to die in an inferno and Syaoran vows never to love again. When she wakes up in someone else's body, Sakura discovers that she can never reveal herself to those she loves, or Syaoran will die. But fate has a way of stepping in... SxS
Last Chapter:
The smile hurt him. Did she know how much? She couldn't. But that smile, it was so like her, and his heart hurt with the memories. Angered, Syaoran couldn't control himself, and wasn't even aware that by losing control he was losing the fight – but it didn't matter. He just wanted that illusion of that vision of sexiness with that damned smile of hers to go away, to leave him be!
The real, not-Illusion-card Sakura's eyes widened. Suddenly Syaoran glared at her – directly at her – and raised his sword high, yelling out furiously, "Kashin… Shourai!"
Flames exploded from Syaoran. Sakura froze, terrified for a split second, but then using Fiery she darted through the flames to knock the sword from Syaoran's hand, not even caring that the battle was over – she just wanted to end the fire.
The flames left; Syaoran's sword was on the ground a few feet away from him, and Sakura still held hers. Syaoran came back from his cold rage to see her wide, fearful eyes but inches from his and her lips too close as well.
Syaoran didn't even think before closing the gap.
.o0o. Chapter Nine: Lose Yourself .o0o.
Syaoran's lips crashed on hers with a strangely tender violence; he was passionate and fierce, yet sweetly soft. Without thought Sakura responded, her arms thrown around him to pull him closer, and surprised at her own actions, she opened her mouth. He licked her softly, and then nibbled a little bit on her lip, causing her pleasure she hadn't known to be possible. This was so new – for in her dreams, perhaps, she had been kissed like this, but dreams could never quite match the feeling of him kissing her for real.
Tasting her was something Syaoran couldn't get enough of. Her soft lips, her sweet mouth, it all called to him like nothing else, he wanted to have her taste forever. He moved slowly, savoring her, taking control and using it for both of them. Syaoran's hands were on her back, then lower, and then higher again, below her shirt. He lightly stroked her back's soft skin, and the touch caused waves of overwhelming feeling for them both.
On her part, Sakura was delighted. This was entirely beyond anything she'd before experienced. There was sweetness in the kiss, surely, but at the same time there was some kind of hunger, a desire that Sakura hadn't before known. Was this that fizzing that always came when she saw him? Sakura had, of course, taken Sex Ed, and fantasized a little about it with Syaoran – but she'd never actually thought about it happening. She hadn't felt like that. Sakura had been content with just those loving kisses.
Sakura realized, yes, that fizzing was her need for him, to fulfill a primal instinct she hadn't before noticed. The old Sakura would have been terrified of this, probably. But now, Sakura felt so wonderful – she needed this attention from Syaoran, as much as her body did. Though somewhat scared, she found herself responding equally against her better judgment. Her hands slipped beneath his shirt as well, and for the first time Sakura felt Syaoran's oh-so-toned chest. Firm, hard, warm and oh my god, Sakura was amazed. He seemed to be enjoying it too, enthralled with the feeling of her soft hands on his bare skin. This was so different, so new, so wonderful…
His hands had reached her bra. He softly touched her through the material, rubbing it softly. She gasped against his lips; he was touching her there!? Albeit through her underwear, but even so… He stroked her lightly, sensually, and Sakura felt an ache in her at his touch, building up alongside her pleasure. "Xiao Lang," she whispered.
Sakura pulled him closer to resume their kiss. Oh, the taste of his mouth, sweet, wonderful. He tasted her too, her honey-sweet tasted only made him want to keep her to himself forever… She tasted just… Like in his dream…
Dream? It was no dream, Syaoran realized. She tasted just the same. And that dream had been so realistic. No, that dream… It had really happened!
He suddenly pushed Sakura away with no warning, and stared at her, panting. He took deep breaths, staring at her shocked blue eyes, and then he looked away, unable to bear it any longer. Wordlessly he walked inside, picking up his sword on the way. Sakura stared after him.
What had just happened?
.o0o.
Sakura was in deep thought when she met up with Mei Ling in homeroom. She was staring out the window, watching the beautiful green of the flourishing spring trees as she thought, or tried not to.
"Xing Lin..."
"Hmm?" Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and smiled cheerfully at her friend. "Oh - good morning, Meiling-chan."
"Are you okay?" When Sakura gave her a noncommittal shrug, Mei Ling added, "How was your first night at the house with Xiao Lang?"
"Okay," Sakura admitted truthfully. The night had been okay...
"Then why are you so nervous?"
It was then that Sakura realized she was tapping her pencil against her desk. She stopped, suddenly self-conscious, and shrugged, biting her lip.
"Shinrin-chan..." Meiling sighed. "Can't you at least tell me some of it?"
Sakura looked away; oh, how she wished Tomoyo could be here for her, how she wanted to tell Mei Ling all about how she'd become Xing Lin, how the days passed in agony with Syaoran always around. And she couldn't. She simply couldn't.
Still... Mei Ling was a friend, and one of her best. Perhaps, she thought, I'll trust her. A little.
"He kissed me," she whispered, half-hoping Mei Ling wouldn't even hear her.
So much for that. "He what?" Mei Ling's eyes grew wide, "No way - Xiao Lang - I - I can't believe it!"
"It's true. And I kissed back."
"Well, that I can believe," Mei Ling dryly murmured. She looked at Sakura for a moment, and then nodded, determined as she said, "Fine. I'll believe you."
Sakura smiled slightly at Mei Ling, thankful.
"I take it you liked it?" the girl teased, sitting in her seat in front of Sakura with a little grin.
Blushing, Sakura replied, "Yes, and a lot. But - I - I don't know what it meant, Mei Ling. I don't know why..."
"Xiao Lang wouldn't do that, not without reason," murmured a thoughtful Mei Ling. "How did this happen?"
"Well, we dueled - it was swords and magic; disarm the other first to win - and when it ended, we were close and he just..." Sakura shook her head. "I don't know."
"And after?"
"He pushed me away, and left. We haven't talked since this morning. I walked here alone and didn't see him at all."
Mei Ling scowled. "I don't know. That's so unlike the Xiao Lang I know."
"I don't know either, so don't worry about that," Sakura muttered.
Just before the start of class, Syaoran decided to make his entrance. He didn't even spare Sakura a glance on the way to his seat, and he seemed, if possible, colder than ever. When he sat, Mei Ling prodded him to gain his attention, and he glared at her.
"What?" he asked. His voice was rough and deep, somewhat angered, and Sakura shrunk in her seat, even though Mei Ling was the one being addressed.
"Don't glare at me. What's up?"
He stopped glaring at her, but turned away, and didn't respond.
Mei Ling glared at him, and then looked back at Sakura, furious. "Just ignore him if he's going to be like this. Don't worry; I doubt it's personal. I mean…"
"No, I get what you're saying," Sakura murmured. "Thank you, Mei Ling."
Her friend smiled. "No problem." With a mental promise to talk to Syaoran later when Xing Lin wasn't around, Mei Ling let the subject drop.
.o0o.
In the hallway after homeroom Sakura had to try to get Syaoran's attention. She needed something, some sort of answer from him, something to help her work out if he had kissed her just because she was pretty, or if he'd forgotten about his long-ago love for her, or if there was something else…
"Xiao Lang!" She yelled. But he didn't even turn back, or flinch, or respond – he just kept walking. Sakura's face fell; Mei Ling put a consoling arm around her shoulder in a half-hug.
A few girls from their class approached, looking sad. "Xing Lin, that's terrible of Xiao Lang. He's like that, but it's cruel of him to ignore you entirely. At least he spares some of us passing glances, but that was uncalled for," one of the girls said. "I'm known as Meng here. Friends?"
Sakura looked at them, and was about to shake the girl's outstretched hand when Mei Ling pulled her aside.
"Xing Lin! These girls are the most popular and well-known girls in the school! Don't agree. You might regret it."
Sakura considered Mei Ling's words briefly, but in the end she smiled at the girls and shook hands with Meng. "Of course we can be friends!"
Meng grinned; Mei Ling sighed.
"But Mei Ling is still my friend, okay? I apologize in advance if she's still annoyed with me and decides to continue scowling like she is now." Sakura didn't even look back to see if Mei Ling was scowling. She just knew.
Meng laughed, and the others all joined in. Eventually, even Mei Ling cracked a smile. It WAS funny, after all.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for Xing Lin to befriend these girls. Or maybe not. They'd been watching Xing Lin for the past week, and obviously had decided she was a good person. Or at least a good-looking one, which was really all she needed for these shallow creatures.
But not even Mei Ling saw the girl hiding behind the corner of the hallway, watching. And nobody saw that girl's face slowly fall.
"So much for that," she muttered bitterly. "I hope the best for her. For now." The girl shook her head and walked away, slipping into the crowd of students silently, unnoticed, unseen.
During the last period of the day (history, which Mei Ling and Syaoran had, but somehow Xing Lin did not), a small piece of paper suddenly dropped upon his desk.
It was red paper, which meant only one thing - Mei Ling. With a sigh, Syaoran opened the note and read it.
Xiao Lang, you win a duel, then you kiss her, and now you ignore BOTH of us. I'm done playing it safe. Now that Shinrin-chan isn't here, you CANNOT stop me from asking. I want an answer - NOW.
He took out a special pen, shaking his head at Mei Ling's words all the while, and began to write on a torn piece of paper. He scribbled his note to her quickly, and then with practiced precision flicked it over to her desk when the teacher was turned away. Mei Ling opened the note and read, her eyes wide.
She won, not me. And this is none of your business.
"Miss Li?"
Mei Ling blinked, confused, and looked up to see the teacher. Giving the woman a cheeky grin, she said, "Can I help you?"
"No passing notes," she responded strictly.
"What note?" Mei Ling asked, the perfect picture of innocence. She held the paper up for the teacher to see. The teacher snatched it from her hands, and turned it over and over, as though trying to find the note she knew was there. And yet, nothing was written.
Mei Ling smirked. That special pen of Syaoran's was magical - the ink disappeared after being read. But of course, this old hag couldn't know that. She frowned, and was forced to give up, after one icy stare at the smiling Mei Ling. It was very hard for Mei Ling to keep from giggling at the look on the woman's face as she returned to her teaching.
Class resumed; Mei Ling considered Syaoran's note with confusion, idly writing notes as she thought in the back of her mind.
Xing Lin... Had won? Against Xiao Lang? Despite Aunt Yelan's insistence on letting Xing Lin keep her secrets, Mei Ling couldn't help but wonder just how magically powerful Xiao Lang's wife-to-be was. Mei Ling had come to really like Xing Lin. She was a little shy, but when befriended she had blossomed, becoming a somewhat chatty girl with kindness and a good sense of humor, definitely a girl with her heart in the right place. But she was always slightly guarded, and seemed to be constantly hurt.
It was in her eyes. Every now and then, something would trigger it - a sentence, or the mention of Xiao Lang in particular - and then this pain would appear.
Like the others, Mei Ling assumed that Xing Lin "liked" Syaoran, because what girl wouldn't? He was the best-looking guy Mei Ling knew, with Jiao Long being, of course, not included. And every other girl had liked him for the same reason. But there was something else - a wistful feeling, a longing, and then that pain that Mei Ling couldn't bear to see in her friend.
Something that seemed, to Mei Ling, more than a mere crush, more than some infatuation. Something stronger.
Maybe someday Mei Ling could ask Xing Lin what it was, but right now, she knew secrets were to be kept. Frustratingly, all she could do was try to figure it out on her own, and be there for her new best friend.
The period ended without Mei Ling realizing that so much time had passed. She shrugged as she rose. Bookbag in hand, she left the room, but made sure to give Syaoran a contemptuous glare to let him know what she thought of him. Her cousin… He just had to be so stubborn.
Xing Lin was found at her locker, ignoring the staring boys as she organized.
"You WON the duel?" Mei Ling accused in Japanese.
Not bothering to turn, Xing Lin replied, "Didn't I say that, Mei-chan?"
"No."
"...Oh. Sorry. Yes, I won our little duel."
"Nobody beats Syaoran in swords," Mei Ling said, as if taunting her.
"Except me," Xing Lin replied casually. Finally finished, she shut her locker and turned with a smile. "Shall we go?
Mei Ling was about to reply, but then stopped. There it was; the sadness in her blue eyes was there again, that deep-rooted pain and loneliness that Mei Ling just couldn't understand. Where had she seen it before? It... It…
"Shinrin-chan."
"What?"
"You love Syaoran, don't you?" she said softly. Mei Ling knew it was the truth when she saw the shock in her friend's face.
Xing Lin was silent for a moment, and then sighed. "I do love him, Meiling-chan. I love him. So much."
"Even as cruel to you as he is?" Mei Ling frowned. "That's silly. Why would you love somebody who's that mean to you?
Sakura looked away, unable to give an answer.
"Now I get it. I thought maybe you crushed on him like everybody else, but that's not right. I'm sorry he's like this to you, even if I don't understand your feelings."
Sakura nodded. "Can – can we go somewhere else, quickly?"
She was about to cry, and she knew it. Mei Ling understood, and they both quickly went to the girl's bathroom. There, Mei Ling watched as Xing Lin leaned against the wall and began to cry softly.
"I really love him... And I want to marry him... But why does he have to be this way? Does he hate me? Why did he kiss me? I'm so confused..."
Mei Ling smiled sadly. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out. He can't avoid us forever." With that, she took her best friend into her arms, letting Xing Lin cry on her shoulder quietly, wishing she could help.
.o0o.
Another place, another search. Yukito and Yue were tiring of this life, but what drove them was more important than being tired. And they were close, so close. He was scared now, they could tell. He never stayed in one place for long, always running from them. No doubt he knew death awaited him if they found him. Vengeance was coming to him, and soon. It was only a matter of time.
Right now, however, it was a time of quiet for Yukito. The day's findings were fruitless, and there was nothing he could do for now.
He closed his eyes, remembering along with Yue.
Touya. How Yukito missed him, and Yue shared in the feeling, doubling it. Yukito recalled Touya's face, every bit of it that he could – from the fine dark hair, swept across his head neatly, but not too neatly. The hair was neither thin nor thick, and smelled always of peaches. Yukito imagined running a hand through his hair. And then he moved down, to Touya's dark eyes. They glittered, always – sometimes with malice and anger, sometimes with solitude, and sometimes, oh, sometimes, they glittered with joy, and with love.
Yukito frowned. Once, he could picture his sharp cheekbones, the nose, arched, and crooked from a soccer game's accident one day. But now, they couldn't come. Still, he saw his lips, pale pink-peach and firm. But his memory of Touya's face was disappearing, surely. A whole year, after all, ate at one's memory of a person. And so, there were some things that Yukito had forgotten.
He didn't want to forget him. Never.
Rattled, Yukito changed his line of thought. The inferno that had caused his love's death. Sakura had survived, in the body of another – but that was so small a mercy. Callous though it was, Yukito would have rather had Touya live, and willingly would sacrifice Sakura towards that end. But no, his love had died, and Sakura lived, for Syaoran, instead of granting Yukito salvation. Damn that Li!
Yukito bore no resentment for it – just grief. After all, had Yue gotten there in time, Yue could have transported Touya out. Yukito held himself as much to blame. They were the same after all. It was as much his fault that Touya had been burned alive by the fire of that bastard. He would pay for all he'd done to hurt everybody. He would.
"Any theories?" he asked "himself," referring to the whereabouts of their adversary.
What about Hong Kong?
"Hong Kong?"
He could go for Li. He knows Sakura's alive, and in Japan. He might try something over in Hong Kong – and besides, it'll be easy for him to hide there.
Yukito thought it through. "Not yet. He won't want to go there just yet. It's not the time. But soon, we'll drive that scum there, and then he's ours."
At last.
The icy chill in Yue's voice would have scared Yukito – had it not been the tone he would have used himself.
.o0o.
Ooh, I just LOVED writing dark Yukito. He's become closer in nature to Yue, with the death of Touya - he experiences the pain Yue had when Clow died, and thus they are similar. So much fun. And yes - Yukito and Touya were intimate, in case you were wondering. How else would Yukito know the SMELL of Touya's hair?
Also, I dare you to find the two hidden hints as to "that scum's" identity here. They're deeply hidden, but they're there; if you can spot them then I bow to your greatness. Or to your knowing my addiction to plot twists too well. Whichever applies.
Thanks as always to SilentCynara - there's your semi-lime, you happy?
Dedicated to PC World - gotta love the freeware you can find, it makes it so easy to pretend I'm working on important things when I'm writing my fanfiction! Hah!