Author's Thanks

TimeStream
sakatrina90
CCShsmSTMlover
BananasRgood4u
lil sakura
sparkle00
SnowCharms
2 OVERLY obsessed
Butterfle - Please refer to Chapter 12
tanminhhuynh
tokuteiyouji
Cat
lazzykane

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: Run of the Mill

More than a year has passed and our sweet Sakura is still now as cheerful as ever. She is now nineteen years old.

"Good morning!" Tomoyo, her best friend who turned nineteen earlier than Sakura, approached her.

"Tomoyo! Good morning!" Sakura energetically greeted her when Tomoyo stepped down from her limousine. "I just want to thank you for last night! And the night before that..! And the night before before that! And the night before before before!"

"Oh c'mon, don't mention it..!" Tomoyo replied in glee. Sakura had a sleepover at Tomoyo's place for a whole week straight. "I had fun too. Let's go Sakura..!" She exclaimed as she pulls her friend's left hand, "The first day of classes is about to start! We don't wanna be late, do we..?"

"Yes yes!" She gladly responded as she lets Tomoyo drag her towards the Fine Arts building.

"Hey girls, what's the rush?" A male walked in.

"We don't wanna be late sweetie, that's why we're in a hurry..!" Tomoyo explained while doing big skips. Eriol just shrugged his shoulders- his classes are going to start in an hour or less.

It's quite a long run before they got to their classroom at the fifth floor. They didn't take the elevator; they just took the stairs…so imagine how tired Sakura got when she finally took a step at the fifth floor. Remember how she hated staircases? (A/N: See chapter 1, hehe)

"Sakura!" One exclaimed when they were about to enter the classroom door. She looked to see who it is with droopy eyes.

"..Ken..!" She lit up a bit and hurried to approach him.

"Wow, you look exhausted..! Still have a summer hang over?" He asked her.

She shook her head and threw her arms around his neck. "The stairs just worn me out…Hehe! I missed you..!" She exclaimed and then she parted from him.

"I missed you too..!" He replied with the same tone as hers. He then bent down a bit and kissed her cheek. "We're classmates this semester."

"Really? That's good news!"

"I know, right?"

"Yeah hehehehe! See ya around then..!" She waved goodbye to him and continued to enter the classroom. 'I really missed my friends. Damn Sakura, where have you been all summer?' She thought to her self.

At lunch time, Sakura was hanging out with Tomoyo and Eriol. "Why are there only three of us? Hmm? Why is it?" Sakura asked as she beams at Tomoyo and Eriol in one of the cafeteria tables.

Eriol was busy reading his magazine while Tomoyo was having a mind battle with the menu. Tomoyo raised her eyebrow with Sakura's childish questions. "Gawd sakes, you're nineteen dear." She referred to Sakura as she decides whether she'll have pasta or salad.

She childishly frowned then turned to Eriol, "Why is it then? Why are there only three of us?"

Eriol's eyebrows made a weird angle while reading. It's like he's thinking if Sakura is making a fuss about Syaoran's disappearance when it's already more than a year since he left. "I don't know what you want me to answer."

"I'm not making you respond a certain answer..!" She babyishly beamed at them. "I just want you to answer anything..!"

He adjusted his glasses and muttered "For the love of God, you're nineteen."

"Sweetie..!" Tomoyo snapped when she elbowed her boyfriend and continued with her menu issue.

Sakura's frown grew more childish. "I wasn't asking what my age was! Just give me an answer or I won't shut up..!"

"I knew something is wrong with you today." Tomoyo looked at her. "Are you having a new crush or probably developing old feelings for.. ehem.. Ken."

"Nooo…!" She flirtatiously exclaimed. "Just answer… Anything..! Huh? C'mon! Why are there only three of us?"

Eriol slightly sighed and uttered, "It's because you don't have a boyfriend."

Tomoyo felt cautious about his statement. "It is kind of true…" she muttered gently.

"Well yeah… Ok then, I'll get a boyfriend this semester! Thanks Eri!"

Tomoyo gaped at Sakura who's gotten excited and then to Eriol who seems like he doesn't mind anything in the world except for his magazine. "What about 'him' then? You're still enga-"

"Sakura is doing fine with the way things are right now..! Don't say bad words, sweetie." Eriol cut her off without taking his eyes off the reading material. Tomoyo sighed and agreed while Sakura just pretended she heard nothing. 'Did Tomoyo meant to mention the word 'engaged'? Hmm… That reminds me… Syaoran never called me again. He said he had time… But oh well… What the heck!' She never knew she'll be able to deal with it this fine.

Sakura's POV

"Wow… Mum hasn't been home for a long time now, e?" I muttered as I slowly chew my food.

"She'll be back soon, dear." Dad tried to comfort me. We're eating dinner in our house. Once again, it's only me and my Dad at home. "Anyway, how was Tomoyo's twentieth birthday the other night?"

"It was fun, Daddy. Thanks for letting me go there." I told him, initiating a smile on my face.

"Why wouldn't I? She's your second cousin and Sakura, you're old enough to attend parties..!" Dad made it a point with a chuckle.

"You're right. Now that Tomoyo's twentieth birthday had passed, I'm looking forward to mine. I'm really getting old Pop…" What a bummer. It's so much fun being a kid- less responsibilities and simpler priorities.

"And you have to start acting your age too..!" Dad chuckled again. "You've should have done that a long time ago. Did you hear that when you were 18, people notice that you act like a 14 year old?"

"Yeah…" I replied simply. "I heard that many many times before… I didn't care. I just don't want to get wrinkly, that's all."

"Acting mature won't get you wrinkles…" He said as he finishes his meal.

"Yeah I know that..! It's just that… Oh c'mon Dad..! Don't make it hard for me..! I'm always your little girl, right?"

"Of course dear, now finish up your plate; you have a lot of school work to do…" He muttered to me.

"Yes Daddy..!" I answered childishly.

After dinner, I went straight to my bedroom. I approached my bag and looked for my unfinished school work…and then…

'Tock.' I heard something tiny hit my window. I gaped at my window waiting for a similar result.

'Tock.' There it goes again. I was about to walk over to it but my cell phone rang. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Sakura, are you in bed already?" I heard Tomoyo's voice from the other line.

"No, why'd you ask?" I replied as I stare at the window.

"I'm here outside your window girlie!" she exclaimed and I walked over to my window. "I've been throwing pebbles at your window..!"

I waved my hand at her upon seeing her thru the window. "Why? What's up?"

"Let's go out..!"

"Out? Now?" I asked her. But I have so much to do!

"Yes, you aren't busy, are you?" Concern present in her voice. "This is sort of an extension to my birthday party the other night..! I'm twenty, Sakura! Let's celebrate..!"

A smile formed in my face. There are times that Tomoyo just can't hide her party animal instincts. "Well… If we go back early, I think it'll be fine to go out tonight..!" I just can't say no, can I?

"Yes! Yes! Now let's go!" I heard her voice from my cell phone and from outside the window.

"Ok then, just wait for me, I'll go down in a jiffy..!"

"No..! Just go out through the window..! It'll be much fun!" She insisted. Out the window? Is she insane?

"Tomoyo! You told me I'm nineteen and I should act like one..!" Well she said it to me before!

"I'll give you an exception tonight..! Just hurry! Let's go!" She eagerly cried out.

"Okay then..!" I replied casually. Days are really brighter with her around.

Normal POV

Six months has passed.

'Just one more week and this nightmarish works are over!' He thought as he puts effort in studying some business paper work. "How do you want your coffee, young master?" A middle aged man walked over to his desk.

"I prefer black, please."

"Black coffee, excellent choice, young master Xiao Lang Li." The man commented. Syaoran rolled his eyes with such formality. Though he is used to these kinds of stuff, he still prefers to live a normal life. But there's no escaping the dire truth about his destiny. He is the heir of the Li clan's fortune; he must be fit to it. But recently, the only thing running in his mind is his freedom.

"And get me some black chocolate too while you're on it." He said without looking up from his small pile of paper.

"Certainly, young master." The man bowed and left his office.

He has been working for about two years and his rank has finally gone up. Soon, he will have many employees, servants, secretaries, etc, to do all the work for him. He just needs to dictate everything to them, and then he'll have time for his self.

He missed everything. He missed hanging out in coffee shops with friends; eating pizza with a couple of buddies; and getting mushy in a Jacuzzi with a girlfriend. Having an arranged path is such a burden to teen life. And he just missed its last years.

There was a knock on the door. He didn't respond to it but the knocker let his self in anyways.

"Umm… Excuse me, sir?" The new male secretary inserted his head thru the door opening.

"Yes?" Syaoran replied plain and simple.

"Well… I'm kind of new here and umm…"

"I know you're new here. I just hired you the other day..!" he uttered, his eyes still fixed on the paper work.

"Yes yes…" The man adjusted his glasses. "Well I was just…" He stepped on the plush forest green carpet as he walks over to Syaoran's desk. "I was told that you called me sir…"

"Called you?" He finally lifted his chin and glanced at the nervous secretary. "Oh yes, you." He plainly said and returned his focus on his work again. "Clean my ash tray, will you?"

"Your ash tray, sir?"

'I just said it!' "Yes, the ash tray..!" 'I knew I shouldn't have hired this idiot..!' He thought while scanning through the printed data.

"Right away sir…" He responded when he took the ash tray from Syaoran's table and then began to walk towards the office door. "Well umm… Sir?"

"Yeah?" Syaoran began to get irritated.

"If it's okay with you… Well umm… I've been wondering sir… Ever since I began working here… Well umm… I've been wondering who that girl with you is…" He pointed the photograph inside the frame on Syaoran's desk. "It's the photo in the frame on your desk…sir."

Syaoran stopped at his reading. He slightly lifted his head and slowly looked at the photograph. Sakura Kinomoto's happy face came into view. In the photo, she's with the amber eyed man. A sweet shot. After a few seconds, he returned to his work.

The male secretary noticed his indifferent gestures so he just said, "Never mind I asked sir. I'll be going now."

END OF CHAPTER

Author's Notes: Yes, I know. Lame chapter. Please bear with me. I'm trying to hold on here.