Previously… on Destiny at Work
Syaoran slammed a fist on the hard wood. "Something happened to convince you to not get married. What was it? Who was it? Was it my mother?"
"Why do you even want to know? It's been seven years, Syaoran. Let it rest. Forget it!"
"No," Syaoran shook his head. "I need to have an explanation."
Meiling was desperate. "Why?! You don't even love me anymore, Syaoran!" He took a step back when he realized she was right. Meiling resigned, "I don't love you anymore either."
Syaoran vowed, "I will find out why you left, Meiling." (Man)
…
"You're saying you want to take Li-san's case because of the subject," Suoh interpreted. "You find it interesting because two different clients want to know about the subject." Nokoru nodded. "You just don't want the information on Meiling Li to be misconstrued without the complete truth."
"Yes!" Nokoru grinned. "Then we shall continue our investigation!" (Damsel)
…
Sakura smiled softly. "I kinda believe that these things should happen naturally… and not left some computer program."
"I believe that too," Syaoran nodded. "So thank you, again."
Grinning, Sakura pointed with her spoon. "Don't think I'm doing this just for you now. I'm not an angel. They say the best way to get over someone is to find someone new, right?" (Date)
…
"No," Meiling gritted her teeth. "You're not allowed to touch my desk. You're not going to leave the 'pure of heart' by herself, now are you? Hurry up."
"Alright," Syaoran conceded. Sakura hid a small giggle behind her hand after she watched them argue. They're definitely close friends, ne? (Girl: Nighttide)
…
"Now Li-san will be warm and stylish when she rides her bike."
"Wait, bike?" Syaoran repeated.
"You didn't know?"Sakura said. "Li-chan is a motorcycle rider. We have competitions once a month, and Li-chan is always one of the top with Onii-chan. But you should see her ride some time. Li-chan is amazing." (Girl: Eventide)
…
"No computer program will decide for me who I should love. I will never, ever, fall in love with you," Meiling stated. "I'm not going to return, Syaoran, because I do not love you!" (Day)
…
"Eriol," Meiling pointed out, "you know why I'll never return to Syaoran! You honestly think I would go through all this trouble when I know I'm not going to end up with him?!"
"You still love him!"
"I do not!" she denied vehemently. (Day)
Destiny at Work… where Fate brings couples together
Stepping out of the white tent, Sakura glanced left and right but did not find what she was looking for. She watched the race for awhile but didn't hear the name pop up once so Sakura looked elsewhere. She finally found Meiling sitting alone in the bleachers. For a moment, she stared at the proud and stubborn woman who had deteriorated into one of vulnerability and despair, tugging at the strings of Sakura's heart. There was nothing more she wanted to do than to hug Meiling tightly so Sakura did just that.
"It's going to be okay," she whispered into the long locks of black hair, "Everything's going to be okay."
When Meiling finally pulled away with a watery smile, she tried to laugh it off. "I'm glad. I mean- It's not as if I was worried, or something." She nodded, to convince herself further. "It's not like I love him."
Sakura blinked. "That can't be true." Shaking her head, she amended, "That isn't true Meiling-chan."
And even though she had been denying that every single time, this moment was different. "What are you saying?" she asked. Because it was Sakura.
"Of course you love him," Sakura smiled. "I thought that was obvious. When I first saw the both of you together, I immediately thought you were close. There's no mistake about it."
Frowning, Meiling replied, "All you saw us do was bicker."
"You only argue with the people you care about," Sakura nodded confidently. "You would never bother with someone who isn't."
And she was right, Meiling realized.
"Meiling-chan," said Sakura as she put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I can see that the two of you have a bond together. I know it, and you know you know it. That kind of bond doesn't go away, no matter how long you've been apart or how much distance stands between you. Of course you love him," Sakura insisted.
For once Meiling had nothing to say, but Sakura knew the wheels were turning in her head.
"He's going to wake up soon," smiled Sakura. "You should tell him. He would want to hear it."
Standing, Sakura stretched out her hand. "Come on. Syaoran is waiting for you." And with an encouraging smile, Sakura pulled Meiling out of her seat.
Destiny at Work
Hitsuzen Nineteen
The Daring Race, part two
"Then, it's finally decided! The 'Dragonfly Race' Champion! The cutest of them all! And the fastest of them all! 'Wing Egg'!" –The Dragonfly Race Announcers (Tamayo Kizaki and Takashi Yamazaki) from Tsubasa RESERvoir CHRoNiCLE (By the way, the winner of the race was Sakura)
Author's Note: Cardcaptor Sakura and its characters rightfully belong to CLAMP: The following characters appeared/mentioned/referenced in Hitsuzen Nineteen also belong to CLAMP:
Angelic Layer- Angelic Layer Host and Ichiro Mihara
X/1999- Karen Kasumi, Fuuma Monou, and Tokiko Mogami
Wish- Shuichiro Kudo
RG Veda- Karura-ou, Ryu-ou, Kujaku, and Koumoku-ten
Tokyo Babylon- Hokuto Sumeragi
Tsubasa RESERvoir CHRoNiCLE- Grossom
Magic Knight Rayearth- Tatra, Tetra, and Geo Metro
Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders- Eri Chusonji
Clamp School Detectives- Nokoru Imonoyama, Akira Ijyuin,and Suoh Takamura
Two Hours Earlier
"…KAREN ON A DAYTONA TRIUMPH T100, RYOU ON THE SILVER KAWASAKI ZZ-R1200, SHUICHIRO WITH A BLACK KAWASAKI ZZ-RR1200, KARURA ON A SILVER HONDA CBR1100XX, KUJAKU WITH THE BLACK KAWASAKI ZX12R, KOUMOKU WITH…"
"Helmets, gloves!" Sakura called, with two motorcycle helmets in her hands, running through the bikers competing for the Endurance Run. "All safety gear on, everyone!"
She handed one rider a helmet. "You're absolutely sure about this?" she asked Syaoran softly.
"Of course," he answered, taking the helmet. He watched her face fall a bit. "Hey. I passed the preliminaries with flying colors, remember? Here."
Sakura took his contract rather reluctantly, looking it over. Sure enough, Karen's stamp of approval glared back at her, allowing Syaoran to ride in the Endurance Run. Then her finger trailed down to his emergency contacts and she froze. Syaoran had put her number down in case something happened.
I trust you, Sakura understood his intent. "You can trust me," he said, slipping on the helmet. "I can do this."
She smiled and for an extra measure she hooked pinkies with him. Syaoran looked startled for a moment but did not at all think the pinky promise was childish when she grinned, "Ganbatte." He nodded, letting her return to duty. "Last call for contracts!" Sakura called out louder. "Hokuto-chan, you can't ride if you don't turn one in."
"LAST MINUTE ADDITIONS ARE: GROSSOM AND HIS BMW K1100RS, HOKUTO-CHAN ON HER SUZUKI GSX-R600, TATRA ON THE ORANGE DAYTONA 675, TETRA ON THE YELLOW DAYTONA 675, GEO ALSO ON A KAWASAKI ZZ-R1200…"
"Thank you," Sakura checked over Hokuto's contract and added it to her clipboard. "Let's have a good race, everyone! Be safe and don't do anything reckless. You may start your engines."
Sakura glanced at Syaoran and he winked. She winked back.
"Good luck everyone! Your lunches will be waiting for you," she teased before heading off the tracks to her customary spot at the watchtower for the Endurance Race.
"…AND SYAORAN ON THE BLACK DAYTONA 675!"
What?! Meiling's head exploded. Why the hell is here? Who in the effing seven hells let him in? What is he thinking? Doesn't he hate motorcycles? What the hell is he trying to prove? Does he even know how to ride? The idiot!
"BEFORE THE RACE BEGINS, LET'S TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK KAREN KASUMI FOR THE RACETRACK TODAY, SAKURA KINOMOTO FOR KEEPING THINGS WELL ORGANIZED, ERI CHUSONJI AND ICHIRO MIHARA FOR BICYCLE REPAIRS, AND DOCTOR TOKIKO MOGAMI FOR TREATING TODAY'S MINOR INJURIES AND THE THREE CASES OF HEAT EXHAUSTION. REMEMBER TO KEEP HYDRATED…"
Meiling looked stretched out her neck to see the black Daytona. Okay, Meiling tried to calm down. Black helmet with a green stripe, black shoes, borrowed white gloves, rented green and white jacket –hell, of course Syaoran and his obsession of green. Black, white and green, Meiling. Black, white and green. She revved her engine determinedly.
"HERE AT THE WATCHTOWER WE HAVE SAKURA-CHAN TO WAVE THE STARTING FLAG FOR THE FINAL RACE. SHE RAISES THE GREEN FLAG AND THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS..."
Black, green and white. Black, green and white.
three...
I can prove damn Meiling wrong. The hell with her.
two...
Please, let all of them be safe. Good luck.
one!
"AND THERE THEY GO! TOUYA AND FUUMA IMMEDIATELY TAKE OFF TO LEAD THE PACK, BUT WHAT'S THIS? MEILING HAS FALLEN TO FIFTH, NO, SEVENTH PLACE! AND QUICKLY DROPPING! IF THIS CONTINUES, MEILING MAY NOT EVEN MAKE IT TO THE TOP TEN! CAN THE NSR 500 PULL AHEAD?"
Syaoran glared at Meiling through the plastic of his helmet. He knew what she was doing. Well, he didn't need her protection. Shifting into a higher gear and pressing on the gas, he left her behind in his dust.
At least he was a quick learner, especially when angry. Good job on teaching him the fundamentals of a bike, Meiling.
"SYAORAN ZOOMS IN FRONT OF MEILING WITH AMAZING SPEED! HE PASSES TETRA AND TATRA ON THEIR DAYTONAS AS WELL, GAINING A SOLID TENTH PLACE! THE ORDER NOW IS AS FOLLOWS: TOUYA, FUUMA, AND KAREN BATTLING OUT FOR THE TOP THREE, FOLLOWED BY RYOU, KARURA, KUJAKU, KOUMOKU - WAIT, HOKUTO GAINS TO SEVENTH PLACE! KOUMOKU NOW IN EIGHTH, SYAORAN MOVES AHEAD QUICKLY INTO NINTH - WITH MEILING AS THE LAST OF THE TOP TEN!"
Fine, he thinks he can hop on a motorcycle and he's god? Meiling gritted her teeth. He's barely pushing past legal speed limit. Well, he'd never traveled near 250 miles per hour before, and right now, Meiling knew she could. She pushed on the gas harder, watching out of the corner of her eye the dial of the speedometer go up.
Bite me, Meiling mocked.
"LOOK AT THIS! THE RED HONDA NSR 500 IS GAINING SPEED AND BYPASSING ALL THE OTHER RIDERS WITH EASE! WE KNEW YOU COULD DO IT, MEILING! DROPPING TO TENTH PLACE IN THE FIRST THIRTY SECONDS, SHE PULLS UP TO FIFTH IN FIVE! RYOU BETTER WATCH OUT BECAUSE MEILING IS RIGHT BEHIND HIM. IT'S SILVER VERSUS RED, KAWASAKI VERSUS HONDA, AND NEITHER IS GIVING UP AN INCH!"
Sakura gasped. Surprisingly, everything was going extremely well. She couldn't help it, but her green eyes followed Syaoran as he made it to the top ten as a rookie. And then he pulled up to seventh place! Was it possible he was a racer in a past life? Because he was being extremely lucky.
Clasping her hands together in excitement, win Syaoran win, she dared to hope.
"AND WE MAKE IT TO THE FIRST CURVE- THE ONE OF THE MANY TRIALS TO RACE THROUGH. ONE WRONG MOVE AND YOU COULD LOSE YOUR PLACE! TOUYA AND FUUMA ARE THE FIRST TO APPROACH IT, BUT WITH FUUMA ON THE INSIDE HE MAY ACTUALLY GAIN A SOLID LEAD. BUT NO! TOUYA REFUSES TO BE SECOND AGAIN AS HE PUSHES AHEAD! KAREN FOLLOWS IN THIRD AND MEILING AND RYOU ARE COMING SOON- CAN MEILING PULL OFF THE SAME THING TOUYA DID?"
Damnit. Looking into her rearview mirrors, Meiling could still see Syaoran's black Daytona. Time to pull it up a notch, because there was no way a newbie like Syaoran could be one of the elite. He was beneath her, past her, absolutely not a part of her at all and she needed to put him into his place.
So in the first bend, Meiling drove ahead of Ryou and Karen. Easy.
"MEILING MAKES IT TO THIRD! THIS IS ASTONISHING! BUT CAN MEILING DEFEAT TOUYA AND FUUMA TO DEFEND HER TITLE? AS WE REACH THE STRAIGHTAWAY, HERE IS THE ORDER AS RIDERS CROSS THE FIRST KILOMETER MARK: TOUYA, FUUMA, MEILING, RYOU, KAREN, KUJAKU, KARURA, HOKUTO, SYAORAN, KOUMOKU, GEO, SHUICHIRO, TATRA, TETRA, GROSSOM..."
Crap. With that curve Syaoran lost two places and just barely hung onto the top ten. He was worth Meiling's time, damnit! But with Meiling in the third, it seemed almost too tough. Syaoran smirked. Impossible was not in his dictionary.
He would just have to go faster, wouldn't he?
"GEO KNOCKS KOUMOKU OUT OF THE TOP AND GAINS THE TENTH SPOT! SYAORAN ALSO MOVES AHEAD TO THE EIGHTH SPOT, BUT HOKUTO'S NOT READY DONE JUST YET. THE BOTH OF THEM ARE TIED FOR SEVENTH- OH! KARURA REFUSES TO GIVE UP! AND HERE COMES THE SECOND CURVE- MEILING COULD MAKE IT TO SECOND JUST YET!"
Yet the top five remained the same with Touya in first and Meiling in third. But Sakura almost didn't care- Syaoran had secured his spot as seventh place and he was gaining on Kujaku. It was exhilarating: the excitement and hope, along with a touch of danger... all in the spirit of competition.
This was what the race was all about!
"THE NEXT GROUP IS MAKING IT TO THE CURVE- HOW WILL THIS CHANGE THE ORDER?"
Faster, faster, faster, the engine of the black Daytona hummed. Stepping on the gas for all it's worth. Meiling was just ahead, he could still see her. Syaoran could- would make it as the motorcycle thrust forward faster than he'd experienced. Just a little bit more, he focused on the red phoenix on the back of Meiling's jacket and leaned into the track's curve. Faster. Harder!
So focused Syaoran was that he saw too late when the black Kawasaki swerved in front of him.
Meanwhile, there was a strange feeling pooling at the pit of Sakura's stomach. Yue liked to call it a premonition, but both Yukito and her believed it was just because Sakura cared so deeply that she could just sense if something was not right. Worry began to gnaw at her intestines and Sakura could stand still no further. She had to be there whenever whatever happened. She practically flew down the steps of the watchtower.
"Code yellow, code yellow!" she shouted.
Brake! Syaoran's mind screamed. Instinct kicked in and just like in a car he slammed on the brakes with his foot. The rear brake pulled the back wheel to a stop immediately with a skid of rubber against pavement, smoke billowing out from the friction. But with the engine still running and the Daytona leaning right, Syaoran realized that this was a terribly bad idea. Visions of a mocking Meiling filled his head. "Rear brake. Not that you need to know. Just to be clear," with a belated response Syaoran pulled at the correct brake but the brake system had already locked up, "this is the front brake."
But it was too late and Syaoran could already feel himself falling.
As for Meiling, all she felt wrong was the lack of the announcer's annoying commentary. Then, looking up, safety guards started waving the yellow warning flag and obediently she squeezed the front brake to gradually slow down. A yellow flag meant no passing, that there was something wrong. Wha- the thought was interrupted by the screeching sound that grated Meiling's nerves like nails on a chalkboard. No idiot! Meiling wanted to scream at the unknown rider. You never brake in a middle of a race, especially never that suddenly! Who the hell…
Then literally red flags started waving.
"Code red, code red!" Sakura repeated into the walkie-talkie. "Get sensei here!"
"THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. I REPEAT, ALL RIDERS PLEASE HEED ALL WARNING FLAGS AND PULL TO A SAFE STOP. SYAORAN HAS FALLEN BENEATH HIS MOTORCYCLE, KUJAKU HAS BARELY MOVED AWAY, HOKUTO HAS TUMBLED OFF HER BIKE, AND KARURA HAS VEERED INTO THE GRASSY AREA. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. WE ARE PAGING DOCTOR TOKIKO MOGAMI TO THE SCENE. PAGING MOGAMI-SENSEI…"
By the time Sakura raced up to the scene, Kujaku had pulled an unconscious Syaoran out from the Daytona. Karura was fine but a bit shaken and Hokuto pulled her head from her helmet, shaking her head blearily. Geo and other later half of the riders were beginning to form a crowd.
"Someone get Mogami-sensei!" Sakura ordered as she knelt beside Syaoran, shaking his shoulder none too gently but he remained unresponsive. Geo nodded and ran off in one direction. She pulled off the black helmet and leaned in, her heart pounding as she heard nothing.
"Is he going to be alright?" Tatra was saying.
"Is he breathing?" Tetra voiced.
With a relief Sakura found his pulse. She thanked the gods silently and she unzipped his bulky jacket. At least he wasn't bleeding. Come on Syaoran, she pleaded silently, opening up his airway and tilting his head back. She had done this before, but never so personal. Two rescue breaths, she remembered. One hundred compressions for sixty seconds. Then repeat.
She pinched his nose and placed her mouth over his, giving him air. Nothing. She placed her right over her left hand and interlocked her fingers and positioned herself over his chest. Pushing down, she counted quietly. One, two, three, four…
"What happened?" Fuuma asked as he and the current top five racers arrived. As the crowd opened to reveal Sakura administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Touya swore explicitly. Ryou immediately went to go get help.
"What an idiot," grumbled Touya as he knelt on the other side. He gave his little sister a look and she nodded, as she finished with a, "…ninety-nine, one hundred."
Sakura moved away from Syaoran's chest towards his head as Touya placed his interlocked hands where Sakura had been but did not push. Please, Sakura silently begged as she pressed her lips against his. She pulled back and out of the corner of her eye she saw Meiling sink to her knees in numb shock. Sakura leaned in again and met his unyielding lips once more desperately. Please, Syaoran.
Touya had only started the compressions when Syaoran started coughing. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the signs of life. Elated, Sakura hugged him.
"We're here," Dr. Tokiko turned up, with Geo and Ryou in tow. Her patient had slipped back into unconsciousness, but the doctor confirmed that he had regained a normal breathing rate. "He just needs some rest. Help him on the gurney," she commanded.
"Emergency responded," Sakura said into the walkie-talkie. "Patients are at a non-critical level. We restart the race in one hour." She ordered Kujaku, Hokuto, and Karura to have a check-up and they followed the ambulance in the go-cart.
"EMERGENCY HAS BEEN AVERTED, EVERYONE! NONE OF THE VICTIMS ARE IN CRITICAL CONDITIONS BUT ARE BEING TREATED FOR MINOR INJURIES. AFTER WE TAKE A MOMENT TO CLEAR THE TRACKS, WE WILL START THE RACE AGAIN IN AN HOUR."
"C'mon, Meiling," Fuuma said as he pulled her up. She had this blank look on her face that didn't sit well with him. "Let's go get ready."
Meiling wrapped her arms around herself. It was as if the world had gone cold. He could have died. And the last thing she told him was that he was worthless. She was the one who goaded him! "I can't, Fuuma. Tell the coordinators I'm going sit this one out."
"Meiling, he's fine now. Sakura-chan saved him."
"Racing can't clear my head today, Fuuma. Not today."
He gave her a long searching look before he finally said, "He's the guy you were trying to leave behind." When her eyes widened Fuuma knew he was right. He nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to Karen and the others." Meiling nodded thankfully.
And so, much later, Sakura stepped out of the white tent, looking for Meiling…
Now
"I'm only going to say this once," Meiling said as she looked at him seriously. "I love you."
A beat passed between them and for a second Meiling regretted even listening to Sakura. But Meiling couldn't help it, believing in the petite auburn-haired woman was as essential as breathing.
"You're saying this now?" Syaoran asked incredulously.
The bitch that was Meiling came back in a flash. "You don't believe me," she threw up her hands.
"Of course I don't," he said snidely. "You're the woman I haven't talked to seven years-"
"Oh, don't be so dramatic."
"-who left in the middle of the night-"
"It was five o'clock in the afternoon!"
"-without a word or a letter as much as a goodbye-"
"I told you we were breaking up when you called!"
Syaoran stopped in mid-rant when he heard this. "I thought you were talking about the phone line, not about our relationship!" he growled out. "And over the phone, Meiling? You ended our engagement over a phone call?"
Meiling frowned to herself. Even she thought that was tactless, but it was necessary. "I broke up with you because I loved you!"
"What kind of twisted logic is that?" Syaoran glared. "Besides, what do you care? I wasn't worth your time, remember?"
And just like that, Meiling understood what he was trying to prove. "If you weren't such an ass right now, I'd hit you."
"That's right, hurt the wounded," said Syaoran. Apparently in his fall the motorcycle had broken his right arm and his fingers had gotten caught in the handle so were now in a splint. Aside from the other minor scrapes and bruises, Syaoran was perfectly fine.
"You are so stupid sometimes," Meiling started. "You actually believed that so you got on a motorcycle (you know nothing about, by the way) and raced at high-flying speeds just so you could prove me wrong? You could have done a lot more worse than that cast, and you not only put yourself in danger, but you put me and the other racers there with you too. Hokuto's lucky she's not paralyzed!"
She glared at him when he was about to rebuttal. "I'm not done yet, it's still my turn. You could have died out there, Syaoran. You should have known that I was lying. I mean, we spent two years together and we even got engaged. Did you really think that you mean nothing to me? You were just so insistent that you wanted to know why I left, so I gave you the most pathetic excuse in the world to get you to give up."
"Then why did you leave?"
Meiling sighed. "I stand by what I said. I broke up with you because I love you. Still do, actually. When they had to pull you from the accident, I was scared, to think that we lost you."
"Still not following."
"I only want what's best for you, Syaoran. I want you to be happy, and frankly, healthy and unhurt. You should get married with someone who loves you the most and create a happy family with her. And that's… that's not a picture that includes me. That's not what I want… for myself."
"You could have talked to me," Syaoran said like a petulant child.
Meiling grimaced. "You would have convinced me to stay. We would have gotten married, and for the last seven years we would've been unhappy and looking for a divorce. Look at us now, Syaoran. I was the one who goaded you to race today!"
He took the time to listen. She was right, their relationship wasn't the lasting kind. He even admitted it himself, awhile ago, he wasn't in love with her now and she wasn't either. So what were they now?
"Marriage doesn't suit me. I would have dragged you down with me," mused Meiling. "But I still… care about you, Syaoran. I still love you."
"Just not the kind of love where we get we get married and grow old together."
"Nope. Just the kind where we annoy each other to no end."
Syaoran shook his head in amusement. "So that's all? That's why you left? You didn't want to get married?"
Meiling looked into his eyes so he wouldn't think she was lying. "Not to you. I care too much about you to get married to you." Because she wasn't lying.
He accepted that. And to show that he accepted her overdue explanation, he lightly said, "Jeez, I already have four annoying sisters, I don't need an annoying friend."
Meiling tried to smirk as she said, "If it counts for something, I've already filled my quota of annoying brothers too."
Friends. Or quasi-friends now. "You should be nicer to me. I could've died, remember?"
Meiling rolled her eyes. "I take that back. You wouldn't have died."
"And why do you say that?"
"Because you have a lucky charm," Meiling smiled. And her name is Sakura.
Earlier
It was a good couple meters when Meiling finally regained sense of herself. Pulling away from Sakura's insistent grip, she stopped. "Sakura-san…" and the other girl turned around, cocking her head to the side curiously.
"You're right. I do love Syaoran." Meiling said, wanting to be clear. "But I'm not in love with him."
Sakura blinked. "I know," she replied as if it was the most obvious thing the in world.
Frowning, Meiling tried to explain, "But all your talk about love and bonds…"
Another smile blossomed on her face. "Meiling-chan," she said gently, "Don't you know? There are many types of love. The love you share with your friends, your mother, your peers, your brother, anyone! …they are all different. But it doesn't change the fact that it's love." She tugged at Meiling's hand again. "There are too many lonely people who believe they're not loved, so you need to tell him. Right away. C'mon!"
But Meiling pulled away once more. "And what about you, Sakura-san? Do you love Syaoran?"
At that, Sakura paused. Good, Meiling was silently proud. At least she's taking it seriously. Even if the basis of their relationship is fake –there's no way they're in love now– neither Syaoran nor Sakura have the ability to fake their emotions. Especially Sakura, since it wasn't in her to lie. But it was too early for them to be serious, so Meiling made it easy for Sakura by not waiting for the brunette to answer.
"Sakura." Meiling said it without honorifics so the brunette would know she was serious. "As a matchmaker, if there's one thing I know about love, it would be that it starts in the most unbelievable places. One look. One meeting. One experience. But if you aren't open to the idea, it will never work."
The matchmaker took a step back, giving Sakura space. "I will tell him," she agreed, "because he should know. But when you find your answer… it's not me who you should tell."
And Meiling left, heading towards the medical tent while Sakura stood still to contemplate the seed that was planted. Meiling only looked back once, and Sakura smiled in encouragement.
Tell him.
Later
Sakura waved goodbye to the bus filled with motorcycle competition riders as it rode off into the afternoon sun. As it was tradition, the winner of the Endurance Run bought everyone the first round of drinks as they celebrated well into the night. (This month, Fuuma won with Touya again in a close second place.) It was a private event reserved for riders only, so the only thing Sakura was allowed to do was rent a bus so everyone would get home safely. All that was left for her now was to pack up and go home.
A growl filled the silent air and Sakura clutched at her stomach. "Did you even eat?" a familiar voice asked her.
"Syaoran-san! You didn't get on the bus?"
Syaoran wryly chuckled. "Well, considering I couldn't even finish a lap, I decided not to go to the after-party. Besides, spending five minutes with them was more than enough." He raised his cast, where there was barely any white space left as Meiling and her friends scribbled remarks like too bad, better luck next time, and get well soon. Touya and Meiling shared the same sentiment: BAKA!
Sakura laughed as she admired the handiwork. With a pink marker she squeezed in a simple cherry blossom to wish him well. "I won't disagree it was an unwise choice."
"Don't worry," Syaoran said grimly. "I learned my lesson. That's the last of motorcycles for me."
"I'm glad," nodded Sakura. "Because, Syaoran-san, I… I care. I do care about you, if you're hurt or unhappy, healthy or happy. You've become important to me."
He looked at her, beginnings of a smile starting to form. "And you to me as well. Meiling told me you saved my life. Even Magami-sensei said I was lucky you gave me CPR so quickly, any later and I could have suffered brain damage."
"I did what anybody would do," humbly said Sakura.
"You know, that's the second time you've saved me," Syaoran mulled. "First with the Couple of the Year and now my life… you really must be an angel."
"No, I'm not!" Sakura smiled at his teasing.
"And you also know, that's the second you've kissed me. This time it was on the lips."
"That shouldn't count," she insisted. "You were unconscious."
"Kiss of life," Syaoran shook his head. "Definitely counts." He laughed at her dubious glare- it was so wonderfully cute. "C'mon, let's get you something to eat. I hear there are lunches waiting for us…"
They ate a very late lunch together, enjoying the food Tomoyo had made and the sweets from Yukito. Sakura giggled as Syaoran fumbled with the chopsticks in his left hand. She fed him from her own chopsticks (until he could not bear the humiliation any longer and was reduced to stabbing the food in order to eat). Next time, they vowed, they'd get a fork.
Finally Syaoran had gotten the explanation he wanted, so there was no need to keep searching. He and Meiling were friends now and now they had settled into a relationship where they didn't have to be each other's antagonist.
In good conscience he could not continue hiring the private detectives, so he arrived at their office, to be greeted politely by the blonde. The detective with dark hair offered Syaoran tea, but he refused to focus on his task. He would see to it personally that every document would be shredded.
But the blue-haired investigator handed him a manila folder, a P.I.'s standard container of secrets, and he wavered. One look couldn't possibly hurt. One by one he skimmed the contents of the folder, bypassing the mundane…
A copy of her motorcycle license.
…pausing at the alarming…
A newspaper clipping of her accident.
A receipt of a Honda NSR500 paid at once in full.
…until ultimately stopping at the downright betraying truths…
A plane ticket leaving Hong Kong for New York on the eighth of August.
A $500,000 transfer into her account on the eighth of August.
A total balance of one million dollars from various accounts.
All under the direction of Yelan Li.
"What?!"
Thank You to darkruby, brightestoflights, Kawii-Neko-Neko-Chan, michiko14anime, athene, SnowCharms, SakuraJade, japaneserockergirl, .blueberries., Emerald Divinity, ROAR-Lisa, meow-mix23, Mrs. Radcliffe 13, and StarAngel02 for your reviews! Keep them coming!
darkruby: lol. I know, isn't Syaoran laughingly predictable?! Welcome, new reader!
brightestoflights: Hey! Welcome to the Destiny scene! Thanks for reading my other story as well. Ack, at least Syaoran knows now that racing's a bad idea. (Hey, he made it to the top ten though!) And you're right, Sakura knew, but she had her reservations too. But Sakura's a supporter of free will (as in her speech last chapter) so even though she doesn't like the idea, she'll do her damn hardest to make sure they're safe. (Syaoran's super luck for that, ne?)
Kawii-Neko-Neko-Chan: Thank you! A touch of E&T shall be in the next chapter (Tomoyo definitely begins to suspect something) but as I said earlier, they'll be having separate issues for awhile…
michiko14anime: I love getting new readers! Ohayo! Yup, Syaoran raced. And failed. :D
athene: Hello new reader! Aw, but don't you think S&M could be sweet? Lots of history, you know. Lol. (jk!) But now they are strictly friends, or at least Meiling thinks so… (Vengeful Syaoran is back!)
SnowCharms: Good to know what you thought! Actually, last chapter Syaoran learned the controls of the bike, this chapter it was revealed that he passed a prelims test and he has a natural sense of balance (plus Sakura's luck on his side!) so he more or less was able to control the bike. Though not so much at the most crucial moment… baka Syaoran!
SakuraJade: I've said this before, but THANK YOU SO MUCH for your reviews! They're so detailed and insightful and perceptive and just make my day whenever I read them! I haven't finished completely replying yet, but I'm getting there. Thanks also for adding this story to your faves!
japaneserockergirl: Thanks so much your reviews! You have very important questions, but they will be revealed. In fact, very soon. (grin)
.blueberries.: Another new reader! (hugs!) Thanks again for the review!
Emerald Divinity: Ikr, Syaoran's racing! Although, I have to admit, I was channeling the Dragonfly Race from Tsubasa. Fuuma won (lucky him) and as for the S&S 'date' that term is used very loosely. Tomoyo outlined it as 'meet with each other' when she was talking about their contracts and Meiling referred to it as 'spending time [together]' in the last chapter. And we all know S&S aren't really dating so their 'dates' are really just, for now, two friends hanging out. (pity) So technically, any time they're seen together would count as a date. (key words: technically & for now) Oh, and Sakura got pulled away to keep things coordinated while Meiling swooped in and verbally attacked Syaoran. Lol.
ROAR-Lisa: Thanks for your review!
meow-mix23: Thank you for all of your reviews! I see that you're caught up now. I also feel bad for Eriol but he's been neglecting poor Kaho so it's all his fault. Too bad Syaoran didn't win, but even if he did that would be stretching it, ne?
Mrs. Radcliffe 13: Oh love triangles! (heart) You may hate them but I love them so. Meiling keeps leading Syaoran on because as she said, she loves him. He's important to her and she doesn't want to let go of him despite the reason she left (nope, not sharing that just yet!). A dash of T&E will be in the next chapter. (:
StarAngel02: (grin) I love that you're outraged at stupid Syaoran. Because driving under the influence (even if it's just anger) is still stupid… which is why he ended up in the tent. (Yup, you were right!) As for Sakura, I made her a little older/wiser, especially love-wise. (She had her heart broken by a gay ex-boyfriend, how can you blame her?) I've always seen Sakura as the empathic, selfless one (I'll admit she's a little modeled after Belldandy from Oh My Goddess… so maybe that's where the almost nonhuman qualities come in?) so that's how she knew about Meiling's feelings. This Sakura's not as dense as CCS Sakura, but this Sakura's especially dense in matters of her own heart. (As in this chapter it took Meiling for her to realize that Syaoran was important to her.) And manila FOLDERS! Well, Syaoran has one now, but it doesn't (yet) contain the same things as Yelan's…
Don't forget to review! There's also a poll on my profile about Destiny's mysteries. Please at least check it out, because even if you don't vote, it lists the top ten major plotlines that would be helpful to know. (I would, though, love the votes!)