'Incorporated'
By Majah
Disclaimer:
I don't own CCS, but I do own the story in this fic and things that are non-CCS related. All the name of places, historical events and other things mentioned, which you don't seem to know IRL, are products of my imagination. Any similarities with the actual thing are purely coincidental.
From Previous Chapter:
Yet, in the midst of all the past tales, he couldn't help but to smile.
Damaski-is is finally together with his Agatha. He knew that even though the man would not admit it, he liked the girl more than he lead on. If there was something to get Damaski-is attention it was if he admired something in you. And Agatha surely got his attention. She can throw him off even better than I can.
Yukito sighed. And no, I am being offered the opportunity to break them off. I've been cruel once…after I've found out who he really was…should I be…cruel again? He glanced back at the smiling family in the picture.
Should Cedric Tavenzouh inflict more damage to a person that used to be his…friend?
Chapter Twenty: "DAYS with Li Syaoran Part II"
"You've cut your hair and even started wearing glasses. So 'rich' and 'decent' of you, Hiiragizawa." Yamazaki said with a smirk.
"I think it suits me well." Eriol spoke and adjusted his spectacles.
By this time, the tabloid reporter had opted to get out of his jeep to stand in solid ground. He was prepared to lurch at the lawyer and do any measures possible to retrieve his camera.
Yamazaki snorted. "No matter how much you try, you will always look the same to me. The scumbag who ruined my career." His eyes pierced right through the other man, but amazingly Eriol didn't waver a bit. He remained calm with the same taunting grin on his lips.
"And here I was thinking that you've forgotten everything, Yamazaki, considering that you seemed contented in that disgraceful tabloid you work for."
"You are in no position to criticize my employer, Hiiragizawa. You and your employer are no different." Yamazaki retorted. "Oh wait…I mean your EX-employer, because for some unknown reason…you are working for Li Syaoran now." Or are you still working for Reed and Li is just a cover. He added to himself.
As if to answer the other man's thoughts, Eriol spoke. "I am still working for Clow Reed if that's what you want to find out."
Yamazaki was dumbfounded. He wasn't expecting for the lawyer to be honest. "You…I…you do realize that informing me of such information is futile, don't you, Hiiragizawa?"
"Eh? Futile?" Eriol started to laugh. "Tell me. How can divulging such information to a worthless reporter like you be of any threat to me?"
"Why you," Yamazaki gritted his teeth. His hands balled into a fist.
"Don't tell me that you are still not used in being called 'worthless'." Eriol motioned to the boxes of belongings Yamazaki had at the back of his jeep. "It's not like anything you would say or do would convince anyone…especially if you will write it down at the puny tabloid of yours."
Yamazaki was growling inside, but he still managed to control his anger. "Oh really?" He clenched his fist. "If what I write and do won't convince anyone, then why do you have to bother taking my camera and is talking to me right now?"
The lawyer lowered his head and for a moment he admired the other man's clever retort. "I can see that you are still sharp, Yamazaki." He smiled. "That's nice to know that you haven't deteriorated that much."
Yamazaki would have taken in advantage the lawyer's admittance, but time spent with him told him that the smile, which the older man has on his face right now, meant something else.
He frowned. "What are you planning, Hiiragizawa?"
"Eh?" Eriol looked at him innocently. "Aren't you glad that I am actually complementing you, despite of what your present appearance suggests?"
"Quit it." The disheveled man was shaking inwardly. "I've dealt with you enough to know that you are scheming underneath that lax attitude."
Eriol was thrilled. The younger man still had that very same 'edge' which caught his eyes years ago. Such personality had proven difficult to handle, but in this situation, he would rather have it than none at all. It would make the 'bargaining' easier. This time the lawyer didn't hide his intentions. His smile became a devious grin which matched his glinting eyes. Yamazaki could almost feel the power surging from the other man's physique. A sweat crept down his neck. He had to summon twice the effort to look squarely at him.
"I am happy to see that there is still some feistiness left inside you, Yamazaki. That is why I am going to be direct from here on." Eriol started to say.
The reporter narrowed his eyes. "Where are you getting at?"
"I'm sure you've seen Li Syaoran's and Kinomoto Sakura's little interlude back there and even took the liberty to get a memento." Eriol motioned to the camera he snatched from the other man. "I'm quite aware that you will eventually show this to the public…ready to gamble your currently 'compromised' reputation. Unfortunately, I can't allow that even for a tabloid expose'. It will ruin our plans."
"Ruin the plans!" Yamazaki exclaimed. "I knew it! You, Reed and Li are into all of these. InterVEST was suspicious enough before, so now the great 'plan' is set in motion. I can't believe you and Reed also had a beef against the Kinomotos." He went back to his earlier deductions. "The three of you probably tricked poor Kinomoto Sakura into being Agatha!"
Eriol was speechless for a moment. He could handle the accusations of their conspiracy with each other, but for the reporter to blurt out about the Kinomoto princess being Agatha was simply unexpected. Any person would automatically assume that Li Syaoran might have abducted the girl to settle scores, but this man…
Yamazaki Takashi…you are one hell of a journalist. The lawyer admired secretly.
"If this was any other situation, I would have denied everything." Eriol started to say. "But since I said that I'm going to be direct, then I will not."
"So, you are admitting it?" Yamazaki asked. Damn! Where's a recorder when I needed one.
The lawyer waved one free hand in front of him. "No…no…you got it all wrong. There is nothing for me to admit if I am going to base it in your little theory. But I am willing to correct you."
Yamazaki scowled. "You're just going to lie. What makes you think that I will believe you considering what you've done to me years ago!"
"No, I'm not going to lie and I'm not asking you to believe me. Just hear me out. I don't think you have any other important things to do." Eriol said with an innocent face. "I'll promise to give you certain facts."
The other man narrowed his eyes, but nevertheless, he waited for an explanation.
"First off, Li Syaoran doesn't know my involvement with Clow Reed and that I am still working for the old man." Eriol remarked as if it was just something normal.
"What? You're lying to Li? Doesn't he regard you as a close friend? You're really a scumbag, Hiiragizawa. I almost felt sorry for the man."
"Ah…ah…'almost' sorry but not quite." Eriol gave a light chuckle. "Don't get me wrong. This is for Li Syaoran's own good…for both families. That feud of theirs had extended long enough. It is time to settle it once and for all."
Confusion was written all over Yamazaki's face. "Settle it once and for all? I don't get it. Why does Clow Reed even care about whatever happens to the Lis and Kinomotos? And you…what about you? It was not like you were close to the Lis even before you worked for Li Syaoran. Why are you doing this? Why did the two of you decide to get involved with something which doesn't concern neither of you?"
"Wrong again, Yamazaki." Eriol's voice suddenly croaked a bit. "The Reeds are involved in this little feud much deeper that anyone can think. Even though, both the Lis and Kinomotos weren't aware of it. That's why InterVEST was formulated in the first place. As for me, you know what kind of life I've once walked on. You know that if it wasn't for Clow Reed, I wouldn't be where I am today."
- A memory flashed inside Eriol's mind. It was an image of a young man in his teens sprawled on top of a hospital bed with his head and torso wrapped in bandages. Not far, a man with graying hair sat in a nearby stool. -
"That is why…I would do anything for that old man." The lawyer's taunting demeanor left him for a moment.
Yamazaki was slightly taken aback at how the other man's composure seemed to have wavered. He diverted his gaze to the bumps on his jeep. Sure, he knew what kind of past Hiiragizawa Eriol had. When he first stumbled upon the true owner of the upcoming grand online game, he made an efficient background check on the man who had protected old Reed all these years and tried to get a weakness of some sort that the public would love, and the government should hate. One might call it…the 'hidden strings', which made everything ran, that were supposed to be against any law in the world. But it backfired at him.
- This time, it was Yamazaki who suddenly spaced out at the recollection of a court room. He was a witness and had all the evidence he needed to expose the truth behind the game development and management of InterVEST, which was only in Alpha testing during that time. Everyone was made to think that different people owned it…but in truth…only a single corporation has the ownership rights. And that corporation had violated every law available to avoid proper taxation and even a risk of monopolization of the e-commerce industry. It was like money laundering in a deceivingly beautifully wrapped package. And him…being the aspiring young reporter that he was…had figured everything out.
But…
Hiiragizawa Eriol's younger self flashed before him. The lawyer's hair was still long back then and was tied in a neat ponytail at the back. He remembered cursing under his breath as the man stood up and delivered his rebuttal against his findings. And to think that the awful man didn't stop there. He kept on attacking until the reporter's license was revoked and credibility damaged for eternity. The exclusive newspaper he worked for refused to have any connections with him after that. He was fired, and no respectable media would want to hire him. Finally, he ended up applying for the indecent tabloid. -
"You destroyed my life," Yamazaki said weakly. The wounds of the past, which he had always told himself to forget, started to sting once more. "And to think you were not a full-pledged lawyer yet back then. I turned out to be some kind of case study for you!"
"Reed is a licensed lawyer. I can defend as long as I have internship permission from him." The lawyer remarked. "It may have been a bit harsh, I must admit."
"HARSH? HARSH? It was CRUEL!" Yamazaki exclaimed angrily. "I already lost, Hiiragizawa! But you weren't contented! You kept on coming until there was nothing left with my career!"
"Well, you weren't someone easy to deal with either." Eriol retorted with a touch of irritation evident in his voice. "You were no ordinary member of the press, Yamazaki. You were regarded as the rookie reporter of the year during that time. For someone who was fresh out of college, people were already looking up to you. If I stopped there, then there will be a great chance that that the matter will be opened again. Hence, I needed to make sure that you'll be completely discredited and won't be taken seriously in the years to come. I wouldn't risk that book being reopened once InterVEST goes into full swing."
"So, the bloody life of one person is good enough sacrifice for that materialistic world Clow Reed had created!" Yamazaki glared at him.
"Don't you dare judge the old man just like that." It was Eriol's turn to grit his teeth. "You really had the gift of snooping, gathering information and figuring things out. But you know what your problem is, Yamazaki? You really suck in finally concluding things!"
"Why? HAVE I BEEN WRONG BEFORE? Didn't my evidences say it all!" Yamazaki shouted. They were fortunate that no other people were around since they were near the vacant parking lot and it was rare for people to pick that route in going around the small subdivision.
"You were right about many things, but sometimes you must also learn on what should be exposed and what should have been best kept as a secret!" Eriol was losing his temper as well. One could almost be grateful that the rundown jeep was between them. "You've seen yourself before as one of the best in your field, well hear this, Yamazaki…YOU CAN'T BE REGARDED AS THE BEST IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE LEAST RESPECT FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS. NOT EVERYTHING SELLS FOR A GOOD SCOOP!"
Yamazaki was silent for a moment with the lawyer's sudden outburst. His hands were still balled into fists when he finally spoke. "Is that why you are here, Hiiragizawa? Are you trying to convince me not to sell this scoop?" He smirked. "I didn't know that lecturing was also one of your ways in keeping the beans from spilling. After all these years have you gone soft as well? Why bother having this kind of conversation when you can always reach inside your coat to retrieve that silver gun of yours, point it towards me and pull the trigger." He said bravely. "Or did Clow Reed rehabilitate you that much?"
Eriol's eyes were unreadable. This was why it affected him so much earlier when he saw the yellow jeep parked near the vacant lot. Not only does this man had an encounter with InterVEST legalities before he was also fully aware of the lawyer's roots. "I've opted to consider such an act as my very last resort. And Clow Reed is not the one you should be thanking for what seemed to be my renewed 'policy'."
"I'm not going to stop just because you told me to, Hiiragizawa." Yamazaki said firmly. "And don't you dare make it sound like you're the victim here. As far as I'm concern, it was my career. I was my life! I have nothing left! I have no one!" He couldn't restrain the bitterness from his voice as he spoke.
"I'm not here to stop you." Eriol said with a dead serious face. "I'm only here to ask you to postpone whatever it was you were planning to do."
Yamazaki's brow shot up. "Postpone…?"
"I'm going to be honest with you, Yamazaki. I hate you for being so dense in handling certain issues, but I like you as the great reporter and snoop that you are." Eriol continued to say. His eyes were locked on the other man's. "There were times that I truly admired your resourcefulness that is why I decided to strike a bargain with you."
"A bargain?" The reporter asked. "You just want to use me."
This time, the lawyer couldn't help but to grin. "See. That's what I like about you. So yes…I am going to use you."
"Then, forget it! You're crazy if you think that I will allow myself to be one of your tools!" He exclaimed.
"I said this is a bargain I am offering. It is only natural that it will contain something that will benefit me." Eriol adjusted his glasses. "Why don't you hear what you will be getting in your end first?"
"No way." Yamazaki spitted and climbed inside his rundown vehicle. "If you want that camera so much then it's yours. I'm sure I'm going to get another chance in getting the proof I needed."
"With me knowing that you're on the trail…I highly doubt that." Eriol said as he placed a hand inside his pocket.
"I will somehow find a way."
"No one will believe you, especially if you will write it down in that tabloid of yours." The lawyer pointed out.
"I'm going to take my chances."
"Even if I am going to offer you the whole truth and story behind InterVEST…Reed... the Lis and the Kinomotos?" Eriol felt like a devil trying to tempt a prey for his soul. "Think about it. That expose' you were planning before was just a tiny part of a huge plan whose intentions is far deeper and greater than e-commerce monopoly or tax money laundering."
Yamazaki stared at the lawyer.
Eriol tilted his head. "Even the truth about the feud of these two prestigious families which I'm sure that even they had forgotten how it all really started." He whispered in a small yet audible voice. "How Kinomoto Sakura ended up being with Li Syaoran, and what are Reed's true intentions in this whole thing."
Yamazaki remained silent and unmoving that the lawyer continued to lure.
"Don't be foolish, Yamazaki. Why waste energy fighting me when you can concentrate more in these revelations free from my restraining grasps? What I am offering you in a nutshell is the chance to redeem yourself. There is no guarantee that people will accept you if you worked alone. But with me…I can 'arrange' things and get you back on track. Just where you left off before and even more."
The other man gripped the steering wheels tightly. Chiharu's face flashed before him. "You said you want to postpone. What exactly do you mean?"
"Simple. Don't publish this…" Eriol pointed at the camera. "…yet. Discover more things behind everything then when the appropriate time comes, go expose it to your heart's content. BUT…I also want to make sure that you got things right this time. It would only add insult to injury if wrong information will get written down." And to himself he added, Detailed facts will cause more panic than false assumptions for our dear hero and heroine.
"I have no reason to trust you, Hiiragizawa." Yamazaki remarked.
"I don't blame you. Reed should be the only one authorized to trust me because I am loyal to him and no one else." Eriol answered.
"I can't believe you are betraying Li Syaoran."
"I am not betraying him. I am helping him."
Yamazaki felt silent again. He has a deeper frown etched on his forehead than ever before.
"I'll leave you for a while." Eriol said. "It's obvious that you need more time to absorb everything. Just think about what I said." He prepared himself to walk back to the white convertible. "All of us are going to meet at Alberta Café for lunch later. I'm going to need an answer by then. If you agree then I will trust your word… despite our history together…and give you back your camera. If not then, I'm sorry, but I will destroy your first evidence." And with that he briskly strode towards the street where he left Kinomoto Sakura's car.
From behind, he heard Yamazaki holler.
"You really like manipulating people, don't you?" The disheveled man said.
Without looking, Eriol replied. "It's a gift to 'straighten' things out."
"You are not God, Hiiragizawa."
This made the lawyer halt in his tracks. "God, you say? Are you sure that there is even one? Because if there is then I would ask Him why He had abandoned me years ago."
"Hiiragizawa…"
Eriol raised his head and glanced back enough for the journalist to see the pain which swam back in his eyes. "You should understand that…amongst all people, Yamazaki. You know where I truly came from." And with that he continued to walk and waved a hand.
"Your answer by noon…Yamazaki Takashi…I shall expect it," he said. "Be there."
Half an hour had passed since Sakura called the unsuspecting Tomoyo, and somehow, her and Li Syaoran's bickering toned down. A deafening silence ate most of the time. There were occasional clever retorts but the strain in their tones was obvious.
It looks like the reality of our true bloodlines finally became a toll on us. Sakura silently thought. At the corner of her eye, she looked at the man beside her. He looked so serious behind the wheels. And so darn quiet. She added to herself. Heaven knew how many times she had resisted the urge to turn the radio on, which her companion seemed to have ignored, but it wasn't her car. A few more minutes passed and both of them were still silent. She began twisting the handkerchief she held in her hands. If it was paper, it would have been torn in shreds already, but she kept on torturing the poor piece of cloth. She continued to do so until…
…Li Syaoran's hand shot out and clutched her hands.
Sakura gasped; wide-eyed and startled.
"Enough already with that handkerchief!" he exclaimed.
Sakura became aware that Li Syaoran was touching her. She stared down at his strong hand that restrained both of hers. She suddenly felt her heart thump faster as her body grew warmer. Syaoran had all eyes fixed on the road that he doesn't seem to notice Sakura's reaction. Instead, he kept talking.
"Seriously, if you keep doing that I might end up buying you a new one." He gritted his teeth.
But Sakura's mind was starting to whirl in havoc inside which only caused her to grip the handkerchief some more.
"And I'll have my initials embroidered on it, so you will have a hard time trying to hide it from your family!" He made it sound as if it was a huge threat. "Or maybe…," he suddenly got preoccupied with his idea. "…I should place more than my initials." Finally, he released his grip of her, much to Sakura's relief, and started waving his hand in front of him as if the handkerchief he had in mind was just in front of them.
"Yes. More than my initials. Something that would make it more problematic for you. Maybe I should just put…'To my beautiful Kinomoto Sakura, from your beloved husband, Li Syaoran.'…" He started laughing deviously. "That will surely give that brother of yours a heart attack."
"Hoe!" Sakura exclaimed.
Still, Syaoran continued. "Oh wait! Perhaps it should specifically say 'To my beautiful wife—' or something like that." He said while imagining the whole design.
"I can't believe that you are actually thinking of such a thing!" Sakura gaped. Her hand automatically shot out and hit the other man with her creased handkerchief, much like what she did earlier using her bag. Yet despite of it all, she knew that she was blushing. Did he have to use the words 'beautiful' and 'beloved'? It felt twice as weird as their situation already was.
"Bah!" Syaoran looked annoyed as he grabbed hold of her new weapon. He snatched it out of her hand and threw it at the back seat. It landed on top of his discarded jacket.
"Of all the—" Sakura started to say.
"Yeah…yeah whatever." Syaoran cut her.
"Hmph!" She slumped back to her seat and faced the window with slightly flushed face. "Nice to know that someone still finds our little situation amusing."
"Do I look amused to you?" The other man retorted. "You're just building more tension with that handkerchief of yours." He drove the car into a shaded area. The enclosure seemed to look like a private place with sturdy cement fences and large oak trees.
"And you're trying to make fun of something that isn't funny at all!" Sakura snapped back at him. "Imagine really putting something like that on my handkerchief" Her cheeks got redder. "As if I'm really going to accept something from you!"
Syaoran slowly parked the black Mercedes under the shade of a tree and took the opportunity of finally stopping the car to glance at the girl beside him. "Well look here…" His voice trailed off when he saw her face. He blinked and no sooner than later, the corner of his mouth twitched into a smile. "Wow…are you actually blushing?"
Sakura gasped in horror as Li Syaoran looked at her intensely with an amused expression. She clasped her hands to her cheeks and felt them hot. There and there she knew that she was indeed…blushing. That was an understatement. She might be all red by now and to think that the man before her was seeing it.
"No, I am not!" She lied defensively. "What makes you think so?" She faced forward as if to give him a snobby shrug but in truth she was trying to hide her face, but her hands never left her cheeks.
"I don't need to think…I only need to see." His smile widened.
"Well you need to get your eyes checked!" Sakura persisted but she knew that her face was only getting redder than it already was with those unblinking amber eyes focused on her.
"Oh really?" Syaoran unbuckled his seat belt and started reaching out to her.
Sakura panicked. "What are you doing!"
"Let's see if I really need to get my eyes checked." The chestnut-haired man replied with a hint of mischief in his voice.
"What?" Sakura inched towards the car window to somehow widen the gap between them.
"Come on, now…take off those fair hands of yours." He grinned as he placed a hand at the back of her seat's headrest.
"Eeep!" Sakura only hid her face more and sunk down on her seat to avoid direct contact.
But it didn't do any good. The car wasn't exactly the vastest space in the world and with Li Syaoran finishing off his little cage by placing a free hand on the car window at Sakura's side; she has no other area to move to.
"I am not blushing." She mumbled and shook her head lightly.
"If you're not then why are you hiding your face?" Syaoran asked her challengingly.
"I am not hiding my face." Sakura said stubbornly.
"Yes, you are."
"No, I am not."
"If you don't take your hands off…I'm going to kiss you." He threatened. He was NOT about to back down in this argument.
"You can't kiss me. My hands are all over my face." She pointed out.
"Then you admit that you are hiding your blushing face by covering it with your hands?" Syaoran chuckled.
"My hands on my face don't necessarily mean that I am blushing! It could be because of another reason." She remarked defensively.
Syaoran took advantage of the fact that she also had her eyes covered to lean closer. By this time, he could smell the same fragrant scent that seemed to have been carved in his memories from the Central Park incident and up to last night at the hotel's hallway. "Such as?" He said in a rather husky tone than he had anticipated.
Inside, Sakura's heart was thumping fast again. Her nose told her that Li Syaoran was indeed very close with that musk cologne; same with her ears which vibrated his words throughout her body. I don't understand it…why must he, amongst all people, have this effect on me? She asked herself.
"I'm waiting." He spoke once more.
"Such as," Sakura tried hard to gather her thoughts. "there's something blinding my eyes." It was a weak reason, but she couldn't think of anything else.
Syaoran chuckled again. "If something is blinding your eyes then you could just squint it off or shade your eyes from it."
"Well I just felt like covering the entire thing!" She persisted stubbornly yet cowered down even more.
"What if I told you that I just felt like kissing you? Would you accept such a reason?" Syaoran blurted out unintentionally and was shocked a bit at how honest he sounded.
Sakura took a sharp breath. If she said 'no' then it would make her statement earlier invalid.
"Well?" Syaoran waited patiently while his eyes roamed around the lady's features. Kinomoto Sakura isn't exactly ugly. He observed.
"Well what? Why are we back in that kissing thing again!" She knew that her color was far from toning down to normal.
"Because it is my little threat to you if you don't place your hands down."
"It's not much of threat because like what I said earlier; there is simply no space on my face for you to kiss since I have my hands taking up every inch."
"Who told you that a kiss is only limited on the face?" His roaming eyes stopped at her smooth neck. Again, memories of falling on top of the bear mascot flooded back to him. He felt weak at the recollection.
Without much thought, Syaoran blurted words absentmindedly. "I could just… very well…kiss you on that soft-looking neck of yours."
This made the auburn-haired lady gasped. "You wouldn't dare."
"I would." He replied in a deep tone. "So, choose."
Sakura just shook her head. "You're just playing with me!"
"Very well, then…" He lifted himself to a more comfortable position, so he could lean his head closer. "…you give me no choice."
Sakura felt him shift his position and for a moment she was scared at what the man would do. Is he really serious? "If you do that…ummm…then, I'll sue you for sexual harassment!"
This only made the man laugh. "Sue me and what? Let the whole world know about the truth why you're here with me? Even so, I'd say go ahead. I have the best lawyer that can defend me." And with that, he tilted his head and inched down towards her neck.
Sakura shivered as she felt his warm breath against her skin. By this time, her heart was skipping beats. He is really serious about it! She screamed inwardly. What am I going to do? She knew that in a manner of seconds his mouth would definitely touch her, so without a moment longer she removed her hands from her face and shot it out instead, towards the man's chest to push him away.
"You shouldn't kiss a Kinomoto!" She blurted out in panic.
For a moment there, Syaoran looked shocked at Sakura's sudden outburst. He stared at her as if he had been hit by a hammer.
Neither of them spoke after that. Silence was once again deafening that Sakura almost wished that she didn't say what she just said.
silence –
silence –
silence -
"I…ah…I'm," she stammered. "…didn't mean to…ah…"
"You're right." Syaoran interrupted her. His eyes were cold and the teasing demeanor he had earlier was gone. "I keep forgetting who you really are." He said blandly and went back to his side of the car.
"Hoe!" Sakura was surprised on how indifferent he suddenly became.
A deep frown crept on his forehead. "You might as well get rid of whatever thought that made you blush in the first place." He added.
Her mouth dropped open. Now, he sounded so arrogant.
"I mean, you should be thinking of our business plans amongst anything else." He continued to say with an unattached tone.
"Of all the…! Why are you making it sound as if I'm the one goofing off!" Sakura countered angrily. How dare he throw this to me! "You're the one who started it with your 'embroider your name' thing and then threatening me with that 'kiss' of yours. Your moves are totally uncalled for!"
"Well, I wouldn't have said anything if you didn't keep twitching that handkerchief of yours!" Syaoran gritted his teeth.
"And we're back again to the handkerchief."
"Yes, we are back to your blasted handkerchief."
"This is so foolish!" She exclaimed. "How shallow can you be!" Plus, she couldn't believe how he jumped from one mood to another.
"Not as shallow as you are by blushing with such a small comment."
"Wai! I can't believe you are reasoning in circles!"
"I am not doing such a thing!" Syaoran contradicted.
"Yes, you are!"
"NOT."
Both glared at each other with completely disgusted expressions on their faces.
"You know what?" Sakura started to say. "This is childish and I can't believe I am having this argument with you!"
"Likewise, but hey…what do you expect from a spoiled Kinomoto princess?" Syaoran snorted.
"If I'm spoiled then you're arrogant! You think you're so hot that all women swoon under your feet? Well listen here, buster…if ever my face was red earlier, it wasn't because I was blushing…it's because I am angry!"
"Angry?"
"Yes. Angry! Angry at how I allowed myself to be manipulated and tricked by a TWO-FACED LI WHO'S SO LOW THAT HE EVEN LIES TOWARDS HIS OWN FAMILY, NOT EVEN CONSIDERING HIS OWN MOTHER'S HEALTH THAT MIGHT BE AFFECTED WHEN SHE FINDS OUT ABOUT THE TRUTH JUST BECAUSE HE'S SELFISH ENOUGH TO SACRIFICE HIS HERITAGE ONLY FOR THE SAKE OF HIS DREAMS!" Sakura shouted on top of her lungs.
She had her eyes closed the whole time as she exclaimed her thoughts. She was expecting an equally angry retort from him, but nothing came. The man before her was silent that she slowly opened her eyes to peer at him. She blinked at how taken aback Li Syaoran looked.
"You are," he started to say in serious calmer tone. "the second person today who associated my dreams with the word 'only'." He pulled his gaze away from her, but it was obvious that a feeling of hurt danced in his eyes.
Sakura was speechless for a moment. Had she, by any chance, stroke a sensitive nerve inside Li Syaoran? Had she spoken beyond what the situation required?
Had I been tactless and judgmental?
"A-no…" She murmured weakly.
"I have been sacrificing a lot, haven't I?" He said in a wavered tone.
"But…a-h…" Somehow, she felt awful.
"I am supposed to be taking over the Li Industry since my mother is getting old."
"Hoe."
Syaoran gave a small laugh. "But look at what I am doing." He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe I am actually hearing this from my enemy." Then, he finally glanced at her. His amber eyes were suddenly full of weariness. "Funny. I've spoken so bravely this morning…defending my side to my older sister as to why I keep declining the position as head of the clan…"
"You keep…declining?" Sakura asked which almost came out as a whisper.
"Yeah…"
"Why? Was it because of your plans with SkyLark?" She dared to query.
"No. I thought that was the reason, too, but now…I am thinking otherwise."
"Hoe?" She inclined her head with childlike eyes.
"It was because…I thought I had someone who can support my dreams with me…my very own dreams." Syaoran laughed weakly after that. "That was the reason why I was so brave talking to my sister like that." He kept chuckling, but it was evident that his laughs were hollowed and forced. "Once again, you were right. How selfish of me to think so. I can't believe that a Kinomoto will be the one to make me realize this."
"Li…"
He looked away once more; avoiding her eyes. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"?"
"I think it is foolish to continue my trivial plans when my family's heritage is far important than anything else." He said.
"What are you trying to say?" Sakura remarked in a small tone.
"Let us not continue with SkyLark anymore." He replied.
"What?!"
"Let's break this partnership off." Syaoran supplemented. "It is doomed to fail anyway, considering who you and I really are. We had a rocky start. It is a good enough omen to me. And besides…an established entrepreneur doesn't need to play kids' stuff in these online games. There are more serious things in life to get busy with. " He seemed to be combining Mei-Ling's words with his own.
"Kids' stuff? Wai!"
"Let's just stop it while it was just starting. While we can still go back."
"You're letting go of SkyLark and InterVEST just like that?" Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Yes."
"But…but…" She started to mutter.
"What are you so panicky about?" He calmly spoke. "You should be happy. I wouldn't be bothering you anymore. We could just go back to who we were before our paths crossed in InterVEST."
There were a lot of things swarming inside Sakura's head, but she couldn't quite put them into words. In result, the other man continued talking without any interruption.
"Don't worry. There is still a way out. And you wouldn't lose anything. I would, since I'm a Veteran player…and I have IRL investments right from the start…but you…hey…I think you are actually going to earn something from it because you're a rouge before and most of your assets were in-game. Congratulations, you will have something converted into real cash." He tapped her arm playfully.
"I don't have any idea what you are talking about." A small frown started burrowing on her forehead. Great…he goes from being irritated then to being mischievous…. then flirtatious…then cold…then angry and now…he is laughing. This guy must be crazy. She said to herself. And to think that I am alone with him. Sakura squirmed at the thought.
Little did she know that Syaoran was, in truth, battling many things inside him; two parts of his being wanted two opposite things. Stress and lack of sleep didn't help as well.
What do you think you are doing? His Li-self kept asking him. You don't really expect her to be that someone, do you?
Someone that what?
That will be…
Will be what?
You know what I mean…
Not Really.
If you can't face it then it's obvious that you won't be able to handle it. End it now.
You're right…END IT NOW.
"It would be easier." He said out loud.
"Easier?" Sakura's puzzled expression met him. "I still don't know where you are leading to. You go from being naughty then cold then angry…I don't know what is wrong with you!"
Syaoran's glimpse strayed away once more. "I'm sorry. I don't know what is wrong with me. This rarely happens…almost never, actually. I have no idea why I lost control." Liar. His inner self spoke back to him. You know very well why.
But he pushed his thoughts aside to face the girl beside him squarely. "Like what I said earlier. We should just cut it. Cut our connections with each other. Stop SkyLark while the roots are not yet deep."
"Are you really serious!" Sakura exclaimed. "After all this, you're just going to say that to me?"
"You did mention last night that you're a go if I'm a go. Well, I changed my mind. It's not a go."
"I can't believe this!" She said exasperatedly.
"Well, believe it!" Syaoran snapped. Sakura was stunned for a minute at how sharp his voice sounded. Then in a softer tone, she spoke.
"Does this sudden change of plans have anything to do with what I said earlier?" She asked as she lowered her eyes.
Syaoran stared on the steering wheel. "No."
"Are you sure?" She once again inquired.
"Don't patronize yourself, Kinomoto. What makes you think that your words are that great to affect me?" He answered highly.
Sakura knew that his words had insult in them but nevertheless she would like to point out something. "But you keep saying 'I was right'. This sudden change of behavior probably has something to do with what I said."
"Just quit it." Syaoran shot her the same authoritative voice and commanding look she had seen him throw Hiiragizawa before. Now, she knew why the lawyer was easily silenced earlier. She felt goosebumps crawl up her spine. She was immobilized for a moment, and then finally she looked away without a word.
Syaoran himself was silent after that. He didn't look at her nor uttered anything else. The only thing that was evident was the sound of the car starting up and driving out of the private enclosure they were in.
(Up NEXT Chapter Twenty-One: "Sakura's Drastic Move")
Author's Note:
It has been quite a while. My apologies. I didn't expect to get this busy. You might be cursing me right now because this chapter is shorter than expected. I admit that it isn't the way I planned but the thing is, it's been so long since I've updated that every time I try the 'write a portion every night thing' I found myself in different moods. You don't have any idea how many times this chapter had been rewritten. Not the Eriol x Yamazaki part but the Syaoran x Sakura part. I had plans for Eriol later on that it was easy for me to write the first scene. But the second scene was different. I even had Imac (a recently found online friend from a CCS fanfic mailing list) toss a coin for me when I saw a crossroad coming up but as it turned out, I won't be needing such an action since I changed the scene again…for the 5th time. That's the thing if I prolong update. I know some will tell me that they are willing to wait. I am grateful that you all understand my busy schedule, but then again…this is something personal. A standard for me coz I tend to forget. I tend to forget good lines and scenes; even keep running a specific scene inside my head until I realize that it is no longer appealing for me to write. That happened many times in this chapter that I grew worried that if I don't put up a chapter soon, I might loose good thoughts altogether. Hence, the shorter version than I anticipated.
But don't worry, things will perk up in the succeeding chappies. Hopefully…as planned. I think I just need a break from "Inc". I must indulge myself once again with magic and power. Lolz…"Covens" will be good for me now…to balance my mood.
Well anyway, before this gets long, I would like to announce that I won't be answering reviewers' questions here any longer. It's because I was informed that no longer allows it. I'm not sure if it's true but just to be on the safe side of my story not being deleted or something like that…I'll stop putting a section for that here.
Good thing I made a thread(forum) for this fic in GaiaOnline. If anyone wants to visit it…the links are available in my profile page. I shall put my answer there instead. )
But, I would appreciate it if you all post your reviews here first coz I would rather have them in The reviewer counter gives me inspiration. The thread would be just a handy tool if you got questions for me. I can answer more promptly that way
Reviews remind me in my email that I need to finish this story before November. Why before November? Coz I first started writing November last year. Hoho. I don't want to take this story a year to finish.
Once again, thanks everyone for your continued support. )