"A Family Reunion"
What were they doing here, so soon?
He had not expected them to arrive just a week after Meilin. This was too much for him.
"Syaoran!" Feimei exclaimed, running towards him with her arms reached out in front of her.
Because he was caught off guard by their arrival, she tackled him to the ground, hugging him tightly.
Feimei was the youngest sister amongst his four older sisters. She has long, brown hair and light eyes, that appeared very innocent like.
For a brief moment, his heart warmed, seeing her appear the same after all these years, before the feeling disappeared with anger that she was here now.
He was not sure what made him feel upset. It could have just been the fact that she was here, or that he felt a sense of happiness, seeing her after so many years.
He struggled under her tight grip as she held him tightly, landing kisses on his face relentlessly.
He was almost sure that he would be the laughing show of his hospital if she continued on with this.
Too much was happening at once that it was starting to get hard to keep up with. First, there were the rumors, or actual facts, going around that he was finally seeing a woman and staying committed to her. And then, Meilin showed up, trying to force him into talking to her about why he had been away for so long. Then, Sakura had told him that he was not ready to be in a relationship.
It was not the fact that he could not be in one, it was who he could not be with. That alone was hard to deal with, and now, his sisters were here.
"Feimei, get off," he hissed tightly, still trying to push her.
She giggled, releasing her hold on him a little, but not enough to get her away. "Aww, you're still the same, Syaoran," she said, using one of her hands to pull on his cheeks.
He grimaced, pushing her off him gently, not wanting to hurt her the least bit. He just wanted space.
"Why the hell are you guys here?" he asked, glaring at her gently.
Even though he had rehearsed in his head many times how he would treat his sisters when they got here, he could not bring himself to hurt them.
"How do you know it's not just me?" she asked with a pout on her lips.
He groaned, standing from the ground. "Because you guys come in packs, just like you came out during birth. If it's one, it's all," he said, sounding agitated.
"Well, we were all looking for you…but, I was the lucky one to find you," she said, grinning. "Oh, you're still so cute with your messy hair!"
She grabbed his head, pulling his face down to her breast so she could reach the top of his head to ruffle his hair easily.
He let out an exaggerated sigh and pulled his head from her. "Will you stop? People are staring at us," he hissed at her.
She burst out laughing, turning to everyone who seemed to be standing around, watching the scene. "Isn't my brother just the most adorabl—"
He grabbed her wrist, dragging her with him before he barked at everyone, telling them to get back to work, which they all hurriedly did.
He surely did not expect his day to turn out this way.
"Why are you guys here?" he asked them all grouchily after he made them sit on the couch in his office in a mannerly order.
Him and Feimei searched around the entire hospital to find them all. It had taken him a while to get them off of him, showering him with their "love."
More like smothering…
Fuutie stood up, pointing at him with an accusing finger as she glared at him. "You know exactly why we're here so early, mister," she said.
He sighed, remembering why she was exactly like him. Bold, critical, straight to the point, and always willing to get her point across. Though she was less cold-hearted than he was, he still felt that he could relate more to her than his other sisters.
She has brown hair, just like Feimei, but shorter.
"You did not fly here because I said something to hurt Meilin's feelings," he said, equally glaring at her, but not as harsh as hers was.
There was a fierce look in her eyes, possibly similar to his, but he knew that he would never be able to argue her down if they were put in a situation to go against each other.
That did not mean he would never give it a try.
"You're right, it's not," she said. "Father's sick."
His face faltered a bit, before the façade of anger replaced it. "What?" he asked.
Shiefa stood up, walking in front of him as well. "He is. He has pneumonia," she said sadly.
Shiefa was the second oldest after Fuutie and has the shortest hair among them all. She was always happy and cheerful, sometimes as happy as Feimei. She was also vocal and obnoxious at times, but never over the top, like Meilin.
Syaoran shook his head. "Why didn't you guys just tell me that over a phone call, so I could send my regards?" he asked, despite the ridiculous feeling he felt inside at that statement.
Pneumonia was very treatable, so he knew that his father would be fine if they took him to the hospital and got the right antibiotics.
"Are you deaf?" Fuutie said with wide eyes. "Your own father being sick wouldn't even bring you home to visit?"
"That's not my home," he said, fists clenching at her statement.
Here it comes…
"Oh, really? You didn't have shelter? Food? Water? A bed to sleep in? Love? Don't let me make the list longer," Fuutie said, glaring at him. "Don't make yourself sound like an ungrateful child, please. That's not the Syaoran I know."
He wanted to yell at her—them—for even being here, but he could not bring himself to.
Even though he had dreaded them coming here since he found out they would come, he could not say anything to hurt them. Somewhere deep down, he knew that he was happy to see them because he missed them.
That did not mean he had pleasant feelings on the surface about them being here, though.
"It doesn't matter. Just…I'll get you guys plane tickets, and let father know that I hope he gets well," he said quietly.
"Syaoran," Fanren interjected, seeming to be tired of his ridiculous talking.
Fanren was the third oldest. She was just as happy as the other two were, but she has a more mature atmosphere about her.
"Look, I'm glad to see you guys here, but you can't stay here," he said, letting his eyes stray from their hurt expressions.
He could take looking at anyone else, aside from Sakura, who may have been hurting, but not them. His sisters…
It was too much. Even though he has this burning hatred and anger towards them for being oblivious to everything that went on at home, he still could not see them hurting.
"Why? What's your excuse this time?" Fuutie asked.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see her fists clenched at her side angrily. "It doesn—"
"Yes, it does matter. You should be glad that we didn't bring mother here either."
At the mention of her, his entire form froze, feeling all the blood in his body boil. "Get out," he said quietly, trying his best to remain calm.
"Wha—"
"Get the fuck out, now!" he yelled, not caring if the entire hospital had heard him.
"Syao—"
"No, Feimei. We should go," Fuutie said softly, sounding like she knew that their stay was not welcome anymore.
Syaoran would have sighed in relief and thanked her, but could not even think, feel, or concentrate on anything besides the rapid beating of his heart and his blood rushing through his body.
He faintly heard Fuutie whisper, "We'll talk when you're ready, but it's not going to be forever," before they all disappeared.
As soon as the door closed, he let out a loud breath, not even aware that he had been holding it in, since they mentioned her.
He needed…
He paused, taking in the emotion that he felt. For the first time ever, he realized that he needed something else, other than sex.
Before he could stop himself, he was already grabbing his keys and rushing out of his office to the locker room, so he could change.
"Would you all mind if I shared what I wrote this past week?" Syaoran heard the same woman he had seen a few weeks ago, ask, as he closed the door to Sakura's practice.
He was a little late but decided on a whim to come and see her. It had been a while since he last came to a session. He knew this is exactly what he needs. And for a change, it was not just so he could see Sakura.
He actually wanted to know how the others were progressing and feeling about abstaining from sex, like he was doing. After the arrival of his sisters, he knew that sex would not fix this feeling he has.
He needed something greater and better than sex, which was talking about the feeling.
All eyes turned to him, causing his cheeks to warm when he felt Sakura's eyes on him.
Great.
"How very nice of you to join us, Li-san. We missed you last week," Sakura said, smiling at him.
His cheeks flamed even more as he nodded, sitting in the empty chair in the room.
"Would anyone like to give a recap on what we talked about last week?" Sakura asked. "And, following after that, Akiho can read her journal, as she asked."
Akiho smiled widely, nodding her head.
"Well, Dr. Kinomoto offered some great advice here last week," Tanaka Rui said, smiling brightly.
Sakura's cheeks colored, and she swatted her hand bashfully. "Don't flatter me," she said shyly.
Syaoran stared at her reaction, not enjoying her flushing over another guy like that. But then, he remembered, she told him to trust her; that he did not have anything to worry about. Plus, he did not want to add on to his problems.
"Really…even though it has only been a week, writing down in the notebook has helped me tremendously. Not only with avoiding sex, but with my depression, anxiety, and everything else that I struggle with…" Rui said quietly.
"I agree, Dr. Kinomoto. This was a great idea," Yamamoto Sato said, smiling at her.
"Well, I'm glad that it's been helpful for you guys," Sakura said.
Syaoran just stared at them, listening to everyone talk attentively, until it hit him.
This was the exact reason he came here today; to hear how everyone else had been coping with things. He had been trying to get in contact with Sakura for the past few days, but she was always busy. And when she was not busy, he would be, so there was never really time that they could talk much.
He silently sighed, realizing how much they would not be able to communicate with each other. Especially when this trial started.
"Akiho," Sakura nodded towards her, motioning her to read the piece of paper she had in her hand.
Akiho smiled widely. "Well, I decided to tell Kaitou about my problem…" she said.
Sato sighed. "I know it must have been hard on you," he said, tone sounding similar to hers. "Was he accepting?"
Akiho sighed, looking down at the piece of paper in her lap. "It's not like I'm not getting better…" she said sadly. "We haven't had sex because of my issues, I'm actively engaged with you guys, and even some friends I have outside of therapy. I'm more aware of my feelings, and I can talk about them with you guys…including Sakura-san. I know how to come to others when I'm having a hard time with my cravings. I know the route of all of my issues and I'm getting help for them all, right, Sakura?"
Syaoran could hear the tears coming in her voice, and even felt empathetic towards her. He could not help but know the answer she was about to give for Sato's question.
"Of course, Akiho," Sakura said gently.
Akiho sniffed. "And, my behaviors aren't impulsive as they were before. I'm past the feeling of wanting a relationship out of desperation. I don't want a relationship because I want to find self-worth. I'm actually starting to love myself…" she said quietly.
Everyone was quiet in the room, even Sakura, which surprised Syaoran.
"No, I do love myself. I want a relationship to add value to my life; not to feel loved…that's why I don't see why he said that he had to think about it…my past…and everything I told him. I was completely honest with him," she said, now letting the tears fall from her eyes. "I was so honest with him, like you said I had to be, Sakura. How did I lose him in the process?"
Syaoran could feel his heart ache for her, somehow understanding how she feels.
He had asked Sakura if they could get involved in something similar to what Akiho said she wanted, but Sakura had basically said no, for several reasons that he understood why. But still, it had hurt him.
Even though she had not blatantly rejected him, it sure felt like it. But, he could not be mad at her because she made a valid point. He did not want to use or abuse her emotionally in any kind of way. Sakura already seems to have been through so much, and he did not want to add on to her horrifying past.
Syaoran looked at Akiho as she wiped her tears, realizing they were different. Akiho seems to be a lot better than he was. She understood more, and she even admitted out loud that she loved herself. He was not so sure about that.
"Akiho," Sakura called softly, snapping Syaoran out of his thoughts.
Akiho sniffed again. "I'm not crying because I'm sad…it's just…because I understand, you know? He's a great guy, and he doesn't deserve someone with my past. I want the best for him, and…"
Before Syaoran knew what he was doing or even thinking, he cleared his throat, drawing the attention on himself. "Just because you have a terrible past, doesn't mean you don't deserve happiness…" he said quietly.
It was quiet in the room, making him feel awkward for even opening his mouth. Instead of backing down, he continued, "If he's a great guy, then he would see how much of a good person you seem to be."
Akiho let out a short, soft laugh. "Look at this…I didn't even think you were capable enough of being so nice when you first came here," she said softly.
"We're all capable of being whatever we want," Sakura said with a smile.
"You're right. I just said that to say…our doctor is getting better," Akiho said with a smile.
Everyone in the room agreed with her, making Syaoran feel slightly bashful with all the attention on him as they praised him.
That was not his intentions when he first opened his mouth. He just wanted her to feel better because he understood how she felt, but this…made him feel a little better about himself.
Maybe he was capable of getting better like the rest of them were slowly.
"And, Akiho," Sakura called to get her attention after everyone settled down in the room.
"Yes, Sakura?" she answered.
"Just give him time, okay? Right now, he has a lot to think about and come to terms with. Syaoran said it best, if he's as great as you say he is, which I believe you, he'll come around and give you an answer," Sakura said with a smile.
Akiho returned the smile. "Thank you, guys. You're right," she said, sounding a bit happier now.
"Is that what you wrote about?" Rui asked.
"Yeah, I was very curious about that," Sato added.
She shook her head slowly. "I just wrote about how I felt after his answer…" she said. "Which, I'm sure you guys can guess what that was about since I just poured my heart out to you all about it."
They chuckled, hearing the humor in her tone.
It was only when the door to Sakura's practice opened, that their laughter stopped.
Everyone's attention turned to the door, seeing Watanabe Hayato stand at the door.
Syaoran froze, not knowing how to feel about the man being here. Last time, his blood boiled, seeing him stare at Sakura like that.
He never liked to see another man looking at Sakura, so he wondered how he would react this time if the Watanabe guy stared at her today like that again.
As he thought that, he realized how impulsive his behaviors were.
"You're a little later than normal, Watanabe-kun," Sakura said with a kind smile on her face.
Hayato looked in her direction briefly before letting his eyes drift away from her.
Huh?
"Meeting ran a little late," he said quietly as he walked over to the seat he normally sat in.
Syaoran wanted to question when the man had even started talking. The last time he came here, the man had not said anything.
"That's alright. We're glad you could make it," she said, smiling at him.
"Oh! Are you planning to regularly attend now, Li-kun?" Sato asked, shifting the conversation suddenly.
Syaoran's face faltered, caught off guard by that question.
"U-uh…I guess?" he answered, not sure what answer the man was expecting him to say.
"Kinomoto-san wouldn't that mean he needs an accountable partner now, too?" Sato asked, directing the question at Sakura, though his tone insinuated that Syaoran should answer it.
Suddenly, Syaoran knew what he was trying to say. "Oh, no. I'm fine," he said, hoping that the topic would be dropped.
"No, you're not. Having an accountable partner really helps. We've all been accountable to each other, aside from Watanabe-san, who just started talking here, last week. Why don't you two partner-up?" Rui said with a gentle smile on his face.
Syaoran's face turned a deathly pale color, feeling all the blood drain from it. "No, really. I don't feel comfortable doing that," he said, even hearing the discomfort in his own tone.
"What do you think about it, Watanabe-kun? Since you didn't want to pair up with either of us," Sato said, not sounding the least bit offended by that.
Syaoran held his breath, hoping that the man would not agree to this outrageous idea like him. He was not up for sharing secrets, or his personal life with people.
When he let his eyes stray over to the man, they widened, seeing him shrug his shoulder as if he did not care about it. "Whatever," he murmured.
"It's settled then. Now, Watanabe-kun wouldn't feel left out, or Li-kun," Rui said with a grin.
"I-I—"
"You want to do this, Syaoran," Sakura said softly, locking eyes with him.
His eyes widened, surprised that she had just called him by his first name in front of everyone.
Feeling obligated to oblige to everyone's suggestion, he nodded, not knowing what else to say about it.
He sighed after everyone, except for Hayato, applauded to his agreement.
Looks like he had no choice but to see what this accountability thing was about.
"Have a great one," Sakura said, waving goodbye to Akiho who was walking out of the door.
She was the last one to leave, aside from Syaoran, who was still sitting in his chair. She was a bit surprised that he had even shown up, without telling her.
They had not really talked with each other since he stayed at her place on Saturday night. She had been trying to distance herself from him a bit, especially after his confession of wanting to be with her.
She had not expected him to say that, of all things. She was still shaken up by that declaration but felt that she handled it the right way. She was not ready for a relationship, and she knew that he was not ready either.
Plus, she had been busy lately with her patients. She had more patients coming in and could not even find the time to spend any with Syaoran lately. And, Syaoran had been a lot busier than normal too, so there was just no time for them.
She silently sighed as she looked at him, sensing a gloomy aura around him. "Syaoran," she called softly, somehow knowing something was wrong.
He looked up at her, seeing her stare at him. He smiled at her sadly and motioned with his head for her to come over.
She walked over to him slowly, sitting in the chair beside him. "What happened?" she asked gently.
"Can I just…" He stopped, making her look in his direction.
Her heart almost broke, watching his lips quiver like that. She was almost sure that he could break down at any moment now and cry.
There was only one other time that she had seen him cry, and it was only for a brief moment because he panicked and left before she could even comfort him.
"Can I just…sit here for a moment?" he asked quietly.
Sakura's face softened, and she nodded. "Of course, you can," she said softly.
She did not know how long they sat there in silence, but she patiently waited for him to place his thoughts together.
"Father's sick," he said after a few more minutes of silence.
Sakura turned to him with a frown on her face. "How did you find out?" she asked gently, already knowing that this was not the problem bothering him.
He was quiet again, making her curiosity increase. Still, she waited patiently for him to open up to her.
She had not even planned to stay here after the group session ended, but now that he was here, probably in one of his most vulnerable states, she did not mind.
It was not every day that Li Syaoran opened up so freely without her having to coerce him.
"Meilin, that…" His teeth clenched as if he were trying to hold himself back from saying something so cruel. He took a deep breath and then let it out. "She went back to my sisters and informed them of how I treated her."
"Oh," Sakura said softly, not wanting to force any details out of him.
"So, now, they're here…" he said.
"Syaoran—"
"And, I'm so angry…so fucking angry that I felt…happy to see them, even after everything that I rehearsed over and over in my head. The feelings of hatred and anger disappeared, after so many years. And, I hate that. I didn't want them to disappear because I still feel those things deep down…but they just…"
Sakura did not say anything, at a loss for words for the first time as a therapist. She normally knew what to say, but she had not expected him to say that.
"I don't know, Sakura. I couldn't say anything to hurt them like I tried to hurt Meilin. I couldn't even look at them, seeing such hurt on their faces after I told them to leave. I don't know what happened," he said sadly.
"They still hold value in your life," she said quietly. "That's why…you felt happy to see them, but angry at the same time because you remembered everything they didn't know you went through."
He sighed, running a hand down his face, frustrated. "I told them to leave, so angrily, with so much hate, that I'm sure they detected it. At least Fuutie did…"
"Why did you tell them to leave?" she asked.
"Because…Feimei…" He frowned. "She mentioned something about…that woman, as if she had any kind of special significance in my life," he said, suddenly speaking in such a bitter tone.
"Because, she doesn't know, Syaoran. None of them knows," Sakura said in a reasoning tone.
"How could they not have known about the abuse, Sakura? Only sick, twisted people would look past a child's abuser," he said, clenching his fists tightly.
Sakura dropped her hand on top of his, gently pulling them apart so he could stop inflicting the pain on himself. "Do you think they're the type of people who would look past your pain?" she asked softly.
He was quiet for a moment, staring down at their joined hands together blankly. "No," he said after a few more seconds passed.
"Exactly—"
"But, I still hate them for being so oblivious to all of it," he said sadly.
"I know…"
He was quiet for a moment, as if he were thinking about everything. "I don't think I can talk to them about anything, like I talk about everything that happened with you…" he said. "I don't trust them…and, I've realized the more I talk about things...the more I feel...relieved? It hurts to talk about it, but there's this feeling I can't describe that I have after talking about things with you."
"So, we can, then. Whenever you're ready, we can talk about whatever you want," she said, offering him an encouraging smile.
"Really?" he asked, hopefully.
"Of course. You can trust me, right?" she asked.
"You know I can."
"Then, you can talk about it whenever you want to," she said.
He smiled at her a little, turning his hand over to hers to hold it gently. "Thank you…and…" he trailed off.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Today, I didn't think about actually giving into the urge of sex to make myself feel better; in control of my feelings…" he said shyly.
Sakura's face immediately brightened, hearing him say that. "Really?" she said.
She could see his cheeks being tainted with a blush as he nodded sheepishly. "No…I just wanted to come here, and…get involved with everyone, who I'm sure are going through the same problems as me," he said.
"I'm so glad to hear that," she said, truly meaning it.
She could slowly see his mood shifting from the look in his eyes. There was relief, happiness, and a pleased look, if she was seeing correctly.
"I understand that sex isn't the answer to everything. Even though Sunday was a bad time for me and I tried to have sex with you, I knew you weren't going to do it before I had even tried…" he said.
"Why did you try, then?" she asked, even more curious about what had been going on through his head lately.
It had only been a few days since they had really talked. She could not help but wonder if he had been talking to anyone else about these things.
He shrugged. "Just to see if I would get my way, I guess," he said quietly. "And, I'm sorry for that. For trying to use you…"
She shook her head slowly. "Syaoran, I'm not going to allow you to use me, okay? When we had, or have sex, it's a consensual thing, not because I feel obligated to, to make you feel better. And, if you haven't noticed, we don't have sex when you're influenced to by your emotions."
He was quiet for a moment, as if he were thinking again.
Just tell me everything that's going on in your head already!
"You're right. I remember you saying that the times I shouldn't have sex, is when I'm most influenced by the negative emotions because that's the reason I'm…dependent on it."
"That's right. And, you're doing a lot better," she said, smiling at him.
"I feel like I am…" he said bashfully.
She could feel her smile widening at his response. "You know, it's not just about the sex, right?" she asked.
He looked at her, confused now. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Being addicted to sex, drugs, alcohol, or anything isn't about the substance or act," she explained.
"What is it about then?" he asked quietly.
"It's about the hole in your life and how you try to fill it. Alcohol makes you feel good in the moment and so does drugs. Be honest with me, okay? Sex really isn't about the intimacy to you, is it?" she asked.
He was quiet for a moment as if he were thinking about it now. "Before it wasn't. It was just to make me experience that euphoric feeling, which was normally a result of…how I was feeling," he said sadly.
"See? You can become addicted to anything that makes you feel good. And because of your past, sex came into the picture because you didn't experience love."
"It didn't always feel like I was loved when I had sex…but I guess I thought that when I first decided to have sex for the first time. But then, I lost track of that because of how good it felt. I felt so in control of my life and happiness; that I, Li Syaoran, lesser than anyone else, could make another person feel that great. Seeing a woman experience such great pleasure gave me pleasure, knowing I could make someone so happy. Even if it was with sex, I still made another happy. And, knowing I had that much control over happiness, made me feel secure—happy—that I could do that," he explained while staring blankly at the floor.
"You're speaking in past tense," Sakura said quietly. "Why?"
"Because…when we have sex, it doesn't feel like that anymore. I don't know what it feels like, but it doesn't feel like I'm doing it anymore to feel like I have control," he said.
Sakura smiled a little. "That's good."
"How? When I don't understand how it makes me feel now," he said sadly.
"Does it feel bad?" she asked.
He shook his head, no. "No, it makes me feel…" He sighed. "I don't know. I'm sure it's a positive feeling, though."
"Well, let's give that thought time before you discover how it makes you feel," she said.
He nodded, looking deep in thought as a comfortable silence settled between them.
"Can I ask a question?" he asked after a while.
"Of course. Anything you want," she encouraged.
She wanted him to always feel this comfortable and at ease around her.
"When is it alright to say that I'm healed from this? And, when is the right time to get in a relationship?" he asked.
Sakura smiled, already knowing what he was thinking about. "Akiho-san covered most of it," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"When you're active and involved in a recovery group and don't mind being in support groups."
When Syaoran stared at her, she knew that he wanted her to elaborate and explain more.
"You become more aware of your own feelings and you're able and willing to talk about them to others, so that's why. You learn how to go to others when you're having a difficult time with your feelings or cravings and you can acknowledge the problem and want to fix it, too," she explained.
"Relationship?"
"And, for the relationship question…I guess it's when you want a relationship to add value in your life, rather than it being out of desperation to have love from another," she said.
Syaoran was quiet for a moment, as if he were thinking again, which annoyed Sakura slightly.
"It's all about self-love, Syaoran," she said after he still did not respond after a while.
"Self…love?" he questioned.
Sakura nodded. "Yes. With most addicts, or all, it's about the worth a person feels for themselves. Having sex with so many people and not thinking about your own health or the results of your compulsive and risky behaviors show how little respect a person have for themselves. And then, a person who doesn't want to feel like they're anything, and like they have no worth, tends to turn to others who are willing to make them feel like they are something, which is sex, for you."
"Oh…" he said, appearing deep in thought again.
Just kill me now…
"This is why…" She did not know if it would be alright to say anything about this, but she felt the need to for some reason. "I can't help but feel that this feeling of self-love that you lack stems from the lack of love the woman who gave birth to you, gave you, so you unconsciously try to get it from others…" she said.
When he did not say anything, Sakura knew that this was a subject he did not want to touch on right now.
"It's just something you should dig deep and think about," she said.
He sighed softly, standing from the seat. "Thank you, Sakura…for everything, but I have to get back to the hospital," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
Sakura nodded, not wanting to push her luck with him today, as her cheeks warmed at the kind gesture. "Alright. I'll see you next week on Tuesday at our regular time," she said.
Instead of retreating immediately, he kissed her lips softly, and then offered her a small smile, nodding. "Okay. I-I'll…call you later, I guess," he said, moving towards the door.
She nodded, waving goodbye before he walked out the door, closing it behind him.
For some reason, she was looking forward to seeing him on Tuesday, knowing that he would talk about his past more.
Sakura slid the shoes on her feet, while rushing to pick up her ringing phone. She had planned to go out with the girls tonight, like old times.
It had been a while since they had all gone out together and enjoyed one another. The guys would always tag along.
"Moshi, moshi?" she answered the phone.
"Are you ready yet? We're out here," Tomoyo said into the phone.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Sakura spoke into the phone, distractedly.
She rushed to the living room and grabbed her purse before rushing out of the apartment. A grin spread across her face as she saw Tomoyo's car parked next to hers.
She felt excited, especially because she knew that they would do their normal ritual when having a girl's weekend; karaoke, makeup, dress-up, and drinking games that would make them do outrageous things.
It had been a long time since they did that, so she was happy when Tomoyo called, telling her about the plan.
"Glad to see you're still alive," Tomoyo said, smiling at Sakura as she slid in the back seat with her.
Sakura giggled, greeting Tomoyo's drivers before turning to Tomoyo. "I'm sorry. You know I can be a little slow sometimes," Sakura said sheepishly.
Tomoyo shook her head, good-naturedly as she smiled. "You're fine. We have to go and get Chi, Naoko, and Rika-chan. Oh, and remember about the friend I was telling you I wanted you to meet?" Tomoyo asked.
Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment, trying to remember the conversation her and Tomoyo had.
She was so busy these days, talking to so many people at once, that it was hard to keep up sometimes.
"The one from Hong Kong?" Sakura asked after remembering their conversation.
"Yes! I invited her out with us tonight since she's been here by herself for the past few days. I think you guys would get along great," Tomoyo said excitedly.
Seeing Tomoyo so excited and happy about them meeting made Sakura excited to meet this person Tomoyo was mentioning.
"That's great. There's no such thing as meeting too many people, right?" Sakura said.
Tomoyo nodded enthusiastically, and then gave the instructions to the driver about the location of the other women's house.
This gave Sakura time to think about the new person Tomoyo had mentioned coming out with them tonight.
Syaoran's cousin, Meilin, had also come down from Hong Kong a week ago.
She could not help but wonder if the two from Hong Kong came down together, and what was so special going on in town that everyone was coming here?
Syaoran's sisters also came, so it must have been something special.
"Are you okay, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, snapping Sakura out of her thoughts.
Sakura turned to her with a smile on her face. "Of course. What is it?"
"You looked deep in thought about something important, is all. Everything alright with you?" Tomoyo asked, sounding concerned about her.
A wide grin spread across Sakura's face, to reassure her best friend that she was alright. "I'm fine. Just thinking about one of my patients," she said.
"Ah-ah-ah, no work tonight, okay? You're partially the reason I planned this girl's night. You need a break every once in a while, away from the world of people who place their problems on you," Tomoyo said gently.
Sakura rested her hand on top of Tomoyo's to show her appreciation. "Thank you, Tomoyo. And they don't place their problems on me," she said the last part teasingly.
"With you, yes, they do. You wear your heart on your sleeves when it comes to listening and helping people," Tomoyo replied.
Sakura silently agreed, knowing that she could not argue with her about this. Sometimes, it even irritated her.
She could not help but wonder why she had to be such a caring person sometimes.
"You're right. No patients or work tonight."
Tomoyo turned her hands over to grab Sakura's, squeezing it gently. "Thank you. You make me worry sometimes."
"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized.
Tomoyo shook her head as if to tell her not to. "Don't apologize. What you can do is tell me how things are going with you and the mystery man," Tomoyo said, suggestively.
Sakura could feel her cheeks growing hot at the mention of Syaoran. Or, the mystery man.
And then, she remembered. She had not even told Tomoyo about who it was.
Suddenly, she felt guilty for holding this back from her. It was one thing to keep it from Akinari, but Tomoyo was a different story.
Her and Tomoyo had been best friends since elementary school and they always tell each other everything, including confidential information.
Telling Tomoyo would not hurt...right?
Of course not.
With that thought in mind, Sakura turned to Tomoyo with a serious look on her face. She was determined.
"When I tell you this, you can't mention it to anyone, okay? Including Eriol," Sakura said.
Tomoyo pressed the button to close the passenger side out. She turned to Sakura with a kind smile on her face. "Of course," she said softly.
Sakura smiled at her nervously. "The person I've been seeing...is Syaoran," Sakura told her timidly.
The look on Tomoyo's face did not falter, making her wonder what she was thinking about it.
"T-Tomoyo—"
"Li-kun?" she asked softly.
Sakura nodded slowly, letting her eyes drift from hers.
"What's so bad about him that you would want to keep it a secret?" she asked.
Sakura paused, remembering that Tomoyo did not know about his condition.
"Wait, he's dealing with something mentally, isn't he?" she asked. "I remember you telling me that the guy had issues that he couldn't fix on his own."
Sakura nodded slowly. "Partially..."
"Is he a good person now?" she asked.
"Now?" Sakura questioned.
"Years ago, there were rumors about him hanging around prostitution homes and leaving with a different woman every night. People even went as far to say that he was a hypocrite for teaching health when he does not care about his own," Tomoyo said softly. "I haven't heard anything in years, though."
Sakura remained quiet now, not surprised that people had actually caught up his behavior in past. This was one of the reasons she could not bring herself to fully trust him.
"It's complicated," Sakura decided to settle with.
She could not tell Tomoyo yet that he was her patient. And, telling her if he was good now would lead to other questions asked that she may not be able to answer yet.
"I see. Well, I trust that you would do what's best for you," Tomoyo said encouragingly with a kind smile on her face.
Sakura stared at her, feeling the back of her eyes burn with tears at her best friend's choice of words. "Thank you..." she said quietly.
Tomoyo leaned over, hugging her tightly. "Just remember that your well-being comes first," she whispered in her ear.
Sakura hugged her back, nodding her head against her. "I know."
"Now, dry your face. The car has stopped, which means that we're at Chi's house," Tomoyo said.
Sakura smiled, wiping her face gently to not smear any makeup.
Sure enough, Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko were in the car with them seconds later.
In no time, they were engaging in conversation about everything they would do as if Sakura and Tomoyo never had a serious conversation before they got there.
Once they pulled up to the club, Tomoyo thanked her drivers before they left, leaving the girls alone.
"First shots on me," Chiharu said, grinning.
"You did pump before, right?" Tomoyo asked Chiharu.
Chiharu chuckled, nodding her head. "What kind of mother do you think I am? Yamazaki would personally bury me alive and come up with a lie to everyone about how I disappeared into space or something," Chiharu said, rolling her eyes.
Everyone laughed as they walked toward the entrance.
"Hey, did Meilin say what time she would show up here?"
Meilin?
"Yeah, she should be about—"
"Oi!"
Sakura's head was the first to turn towards the familiar voice.
Please let this be a nightmare...
A/N: Another chapter out within a few days, as promised! Of course, because of my awesome beta, theDeviantme! And, thanks to you guys for all the love and support! I know I didn't respond to any reviews, but that's because I've been trying to get all my financial issues with school and living arrangements straight before the next semester start. However, I'll get around to it because I read them all through my email.
I hope you guys did enjoy this chapter :).
Ja ne!