"Pushing the Limits"
Syaoran looked down at his phone, staring at the text the man sent him. He could almost feel his organs twist in knots. He was certain the man would not text him back so soon, or even at all, really. So, it was a big surprise to see that he had in the end.
He read over the message one last time before switching his phone off.
"What is it? Did something happen?" Sakura asked, walking over to the couch where he is, with a cup of coffee in her hand.
He smiled a little, hearing the concern in her voice, as he shook his head. "No, I texted, uh...Watanabe," he said sheepishly.
Her face brightened up, turning to give him all her attention. His heart almost melted into mush at the feeling she caused. "How's that going? I mean, if you don't mind me asking. If you want to keep it private, then that's fine too—"
He reached over and grabbed her closest hand, wanting physical contact with her. "I have nothing to hide from you."
"O-oh—"
He switched his phone back on, handing it to her with the message still on his phone.
For a moment, it looked as if she hesitated to take it before she accepted it.
He watched her face as she read through the message. "He wants to go out for lunch one day this week?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I guess so. I'm not sure why. After he told me how many times he's given in, he just asked if we could."
"Are you going to?" she asked softly.
He looked at her worriedly, wanting to question if he should.
As if she knew, she smiled, squeezing his hand gently before handing him his phone. "That's up to you. Do you want to?"
"I... don't know what to expect, so I don't know. What do you think I should do?" He looked at her, almost telling her to tell him what to do.
She giggled, shaking her head. "I'm not making your decisions for you, mister," she said, raising a brow at him.
His eyes shifted from hers, glaring at the floor. It was not that she made him feel upset, but the whole idea of the situation did. And then, she insisted on not helping him make the decision like she normally would.
"There's something I need to tell you," she suddenly said.
He looked up immediately on hearing that. His heart tightened, unaware of what she would say, making him fully aware why he hated this relationship.
Even though she told him that he could trust her, something told him that he could not trust this. Them. The relationship they have.
He knew if he made one mistake, it could end things. Said one simple word, and she could end it all.
He was not ready for that, and quite frankly, he never would be, he realized. So, statements like this make him nervous; scared that she would end them.
She had all the power in this, which is something he hated.
"What is it?" he asked in a calm tone, not wanting her to suspect that he felt scared.
"I talked to Meilin."
His head jerked in her direction, eyes glaring daggers in her soul. "What? When? Where? What did she do? Tell you? Did she hurt you in any kind of way?"
He was up on his feet, ready to confront her for whatever she may have done to Sakura, until he felt soft hands on his arm.
He looked down at her, eyes immediately softening when he saw a small smile on her lips. "No, we had a pleasant conversation," she said. "Sit down."
Slowly, he sat down, keeping his eyes on hers, waiting for any kind of reaction from her.
"Tell me everything she said," he demanded.
She remained quiet for a moment, making him even more anxious than he already is.
"Sakura," he called, grabbing her hand gently.
"She...just wanted to know how you were doing," she said quietly.
"What else?"
"Nothing of importance. I didn't let her tell me much because I wanted to hear everything from you myself," she said.
He turned to her on the couch, glaring at her. "What else did she tell you, Sakura?" he asked tightly.
He knew that Meilin had said something else to her. He could feel it.
She let out a defeated sigh. "An argument occurred between you and your father...but I don't know what it was about. Let's talk about that today," she suggested in an encouraging tone.
He pulled his hand away from her, feeling himself crawl back to that hole of self-hatred.
He should have never tried to say anything to his father about her and her health. It was his wife, so of course his dad would get defensive when he tried telling him that she needed serious help. He just wished he had gone about it in another way, rather than going by his emotions of hatred and anger.
"Syaoran, are you with me, still?" He could hear Sakura's voice ask so distantly that he could barely hear her.
"I'm right here with you, still." She squeezed his hand, snapping him out of the yesteryears.
"I told him that she needed help," he said quietly.
"Who is she?" Sakura asked so innocently that he almost looked pass her attempt at trying to get him to say her name.
"That...woman,'" he said with so much distaste.
"What's her name?"
"Sakura, we're not doing that today, okay?" he told her, pulling his hand away from hers.
He loved when she touched him, but he refused to hurt her any more than he already has. Talking about his past made him a little more aggressive than normal, so he knew not to push his limits.
"Why? We've been at this for a few months now, so I think it's time for you to say her name out loud," she said.
He sighed, shaking his head. "My father got mad because...I was mad and... said some stupid things..." he said quietly. "I should've just kept my mouth shut."
"What do you mean?"
"I told him how...she treated me for all those years. How much she hated me and..." He shook his head as if he wanted to get rid of the memory. It was not possible, though. That was the last time he saw his old man.
"It was stupid of me. I don't know what I was expecting anyway. That he would come to the rescue and save me? Defend my well-being? Give her the help I tried to give her for so many years? It was dumb. It was..." He closed his eyes tightly, fists clenching. He felt a little embarrassed, thinking about what he felt at that time. "Me looking to find out if I was the victim..."
"You are the victim," Sakura said immediately.
Syaoran shook his head, not believing a word she said. He trusted Sakura, but this was one thing he knew not to believe.
"I'm not the victim, Sakura," he said, allowing anger to course through his body. "I deserved all of what she gave me."
"Syaoran—"
"I did deserve it. There's nothing you can say to change my mind," he said in a finalizing tone.
"Why? Why did you deserve to be abused?"
"I—" He stopped, realizing he had never thought much about why he deserved it. At times, he reasoned that no person deserved to be treated that way, but at others, he felt that he did deserve it.
"Why?"
After a few moments of silence, he opened his eyes, staring in her eyes. His heart nearly shattered into pieces, seeing tears brim her eyes.
Feeling the anger and every other emotion vanish, he grabbed her face gently, wiping under her eyes with his thumbs to get rid of the tears before they could fall.
"What's wrong, baby? Don't cry," he said, cradling her face with his hands.
He pulled her over to his body, so he could offer her some kind of comfort and support to let her know that he was there for her.
She pulled back, shaking her head. "No. You don't understand how this makes me feel, knowing that you don't think you're the victim in this situation. You were abused by your own mother, Syaoran. A woman who carried you for nine months, made a promise to love and cherish you the moment she decided to keep you...how could you not think you're the victim?" she asked the last part so quietly that he barely heard it.
She wiped her eyes, shaking her head. "Help me understand why you aren't the victim," she said in a shaky voice.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair frustrated. "I never should've been born, that's why. She should have never kept me. Every day, for years, I wished that she never kept me. That she got rid of me while she could. I hated living so fucking much that it hurt like hell. There wasn't a second out of 24 hours a day, that I didn't wish to be alive."
Sakura stared at him, making him look down to avoid eye contact.
"I killed my brother. She didn't kill him, she didn't deserve to live through that pain. She shouldn't have had to either...I killed him. And, that's why I deserved the punishment from her. I loved that pain, Sakura. I loved it so fucking much that I would sometimes pray to whoever is above, for her to give me that pain on certain days."
He took a deep breath, trying to get his breathing under control. He was angry. At what, though? He did not even know what.
"How?" Sakura asked softly.
He looked at her. "What?"
"How did you kill him?"
Syaoran stared at the floor, wondering how he should answer that question. He knew the answer, but how could he tell her? She had just nearly cried, listening to him tell her that he is not a victim.
How would she react to how he killed his brother? His twin.
"Syaoran, look at me."
On cue, he looked at her, seeing a sad smile play at her lips. "I thought you trusted me."
"I do trust you. I just...I don't want you to cry or be sad. It affects me," he said in a calming tone to let her know that he is not upset with her.
"I'm sorry. It was a moment of weakness on my part. I'm not sad," she said.
He nodded, believing her, once again. "I killed him because...I was born..." he said quietly.
He looked to see her reaction, but only found that she is patiently waiting for him to continue, so he did.
"She...had a complicated birth. Her body was too weak to carry two...but she refused to get rid of one of us..." Syaoran sighed, hating this part of the story. His father had told him the story one time, but it was engraved in his brain as if he had a thousand times.
"During the delivery...only one of us could survive out of the two of us. I was the one who fought to survive...taking away what my brother could have had. I..."
He trailed off, wanting to continue but not knowing how to.
"My mom died giving birth to me."
Syaoran looked at her, seeing a sad smile on her face.
"She didn't survive because of me," she whispered.
Instantly, he shook his head. "That's not true. These kinds of things happen to women because their bodies can't take it. It's because they're weak or have some other type of condition. It happens to so many women, so you can't blame yourself. It's not your fault that your mother died, so please don't believe that," he said.
She looked at him before a smile that told him she was alright, formed on her lips. "So, the same could be said for you too."
He paused, realizing how...right she is. He was always ready to jump and encourage others not to feel a certain way about something when he never did the same for himself.
"You survived for a reason, which gave you a purpose on this earth. If you didn't deserve to be here, then I can guarantee that you wouldn't be here," she said.
He was quiet, wanting to sit in this silence and think about everything that has been said.
Sakura was right, as always.
"Where were you 15 years ago when I needed you?"
She giggled softly, shaking her head good-naturedly. "In grade school," she said.
A small smile played at his lips, hearing her smart comment. "If I had known you at 13, I wouldn't have had sex so early. I wouldn't have slept with so many women over the years." He frowned. "Why couldn't we have met earlier? I..."
"Things wouldn't have been this way if we had," she said.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because...before...I wasn't the strongest person. I mean, I wasn't weak, but I surely wouldn't have had the strength to tolerate your rude, cold-hearted behavior. I would've been scared—frightened by you. Besides, I had this huge crush on you because you were so well-known at such a young age. Didn't you go to Tomoeda?"
"Only a few years. That's how I met Yamazaki and his wife," he said. "You had a crush on me?"
He could feel his cheeks flaming hot at finding out that piece of information.
He could see a blush creep to her cheeks. "I was a kid," she tried to reason.
He smiled. "You still did, though. If I had known you existed back then, I would've had a crush on you too," he said.
She rolled her eyes playfully. "Of course, because I'm of the opposite sex."
His smile immediately dropped. "I'm not like that anymore, Sakura. I haven't had sex with anyone other than you since we started. I haven't even thought about it," he said.
She giggled. "I never said you did."
Syaoran sighed in relief. "Good. And I won't, okay? It's just you."
"H-how did we stray away from therapy, anyway?" she asked, drastically changing the subject.
He frowned, hating how she always changed the subject about them being exclusive.
"Are we exclusive?"
Sakura turned to him immediately. "What?"
"Are we. Exclusive?" he asked again.
"As in…—"
"As in, you don't fuck anyone else, and I don't either," he said bluntly.
He hated when she played dumb with him.
"I told you that I don't just sleep with anyone," she reasoned.
"So then, yes we are," he concluded.
"I..."
"Damn it, Sakura. Would you fuck anyone else, besides me, right now?"
"Of course not. And stop using that word," she said, lowering her voice at the end.
"So, we're exclusive," he finalized.
"Yes, but we aren't going to talk about this anymore," she said.
"Okay. As long as it's out there, that's all that matters," he said.
"Now let's get back on to topic."
"Therapy..." he trailed off.
"Yes. That should be our main focus when we come here, okay?"
Syaoran sighed. "I know, but you come along with that too. You have this huge impact on my life that the focus is on you too, now," he said.
"I understand. I want to focus on you, though. You only. Nothing else matters in these minutes of therapy besides you and your emotions. It's all about you," Sakura repeatedly reminded him.
Syaoran stared at her for a moment, feeling his heart tighten in his chest. "Okay," he said, not understanding this feeling.
He felt cared for, but at the same time, conflicted about her wanting to focus so much on him.
He never really had anyone care about him so much that they were willing to make everything about him. This all felt new to him and he did not really like new.
"Can we take a step forward today?" she asked, giving him an encouraging smile.
"H-how?" he stuttered.
"By saying her name."
Syaoran swallowed, and then opened his mouth, wanting to do this for Sakura, and most importantly, himself. How could he take a step forward when he kept falling two steps back, though?
"Yel..."
He stopped, deciding to take the conversation in another direction. "Sometimes at night, I think about what life could have been like to have a mother. A real mother. I don't mean this in a way to make you feel...offended since you didn't have a mother. I just mean..."
Sakura grabbed his hand, pulling it over into her lap. "I know. You don't have to explain yourself to me. I told you this is all about you. Don't think about the way I'd feel or anything, okay? Just show me...you."
Syaoran looked at her and felt his eyes watering at her sincerity. Turning his hand over to hold hers, he made a conscious decision to tell her everything.
"She was sad..." He shook his head, no, as if he remembered something else. "No, she was depressed. Lifeless..." He trailed off, staring at their joined hands.
"Is it sad or depressed? I know a lot of people confuse the two together but there is a difference," Sakura explained.
"No, she was...or is, depressed. She wasn't sad because of one thing or event that occurred, you know? Depression typically is a long-lasting feeling and not about just one thing, right? I mean, she may have started feeling that way because of one thing, but it was more of a trigger. A trigger to all her problems that...I just happened to have the bad end of." He stopped, thinking about why she had been triggered.
"When did everything start? The abuse...the feelings of hatred? Everything."
He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Ever since I can remember. I can't remember a time where she was genuinely...sincere. She never...fed me, cleaned me...or any of that. I just...hate that I feel this way. Talking and complaining about my past makes me feel like I'm still a child. A child who's whining and complaining about life and—"
"Syaoran. Abuse is NOT life, okay? I want you to get that in your head. That is NOT something normal. That is NOT something that should be accepted, no matter who you are, what age you are, or what you've done. No one should have to accept that," Sakura said sternly.
"Why? Why do you feel so strongly about this, Sakura?" he suddenly asked, after picking up on her extremely defensive nature when it came to this topic.
Of course, it is only natural for a person to be against abuse. But, there was something about her entire demeanor that changed. It may have been the tone of her voice. Or even the way she looked, talking about it. Her reaction was not normal.
"Sakura," he demanded after she remained silent. He just wished he could force answers out of her sometimes.
"Did—"
"I've been in a situation where I accepted...no, I willingly accepted something so cruel with opened-arms," she said quietly.
Syaoran froze, feeling horrified, sad, angry, curious—all at once.
"W-what?"
"We call them codependent relationships," she whispered, pulling her hand back from his.
He wanted to pull her over to him and hold her like nothing else matters in this world but her.
"Don't look at me with such sympathy in your eyes. I was not a victim in a sense of me not being able to get out of the situation. I'm not innocent," she said.
"What do you mean? How the hell can you sit here and tell me that I'm a victim and didn't deserve any of what was given to me, while you did? Don't be that fucking hypocritical psychologist that I hate because I know you're not like that. Don't—"
"Stop it! I never said I deserved any of that. No one deserves abuse no matter what they've done. The problem was that I supported my partner with his problems—I enabled him and his problems to help him, or what I assumed was helping him. There's no innocence in that, so don't do that to me. Don't—"
"Is this the reason you don't want to...try anything with me? That you're ashamed of me because you think the same thing will happen again? That—"
"Damn it, no, Syaoran. Just stop it. We can't talk about that right now. This is therapy time. Not our personal problems. Not—"
Syaoran grabbed the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her locks and pulled her face towards his in a hard kiss.
She struggled against him for a split second before she decided to respond in a vicious manner, bruising his lips.
He used his other hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks that had been freely falling since she mentioned how she enabled her partner. He pulled her closer to him by her head, reaching down with his other hand to grab his wallet from his pocket. He untangled their tongues and pulled away from her.
Staring at her panting, blushing face, he took out a large sum of money. He threw it on the table carelessly before turning back to her.
"Our session time is up. It's been over almost 20 minutes ago. This is just me and you talking now. Man and woman talking; not patient and therapist. Just us," he said sternly.
Her eyes widened as the lust slowly disappeared from them.
"Now, answer my fucking question," he said, staring at her hard. "Do you not want to do this...us, because you're afraid that we'll slip into a codependent relationship?"
She shook her head slowly as tears began to well in her eyes again. "No, that's not what this is about. You're my patient—"
"Bullshit. We can stop this therapist and patient relationship right now, wait a few months to a couple of years and get together. Matter of fact, you could tear my charts up right now, deleting any evidence of me being your patient because I haven't used any type of insurance or funds from this country. So, this is about that," he said.
"No, it's not. You don't understand—"
"Help me understand, then!" he yelled. "Are you just toying with my emotions? Knowing I feel this way about you, but—"
"Let's stop seeing each other, then! We don't have to do this anymore. You could get another therapist to help you. I like you and want to help you, Syaoran, but we can't continue this if—"
Syaoran grabbed her hand immediately, stopping her from talking. "No. You're just talking out of your emotions right now—you said to not do this, so the same applies to you. We can have this conversation at another time when you're not feeling this riled up, if that makes you feel any better."
"I..."
"I'll leave now, Sakura and—"
He stopped, shocked to hear quiet laughter coming from her direction. He looked at her, surprised to still see tears in her eyes, but a smile on her lips as she tried to hold back her laughter.
Has she lost her mind?
"Are you—"
"We're fighting like a married old couple," she said between laughter.
A smile slowly crept to Syaoran's lips, realizing how right she is. "I... heh..." He scratched the back of his head nervously as he chuckled. "You're right. I'm sorry."
He leaned over and kissed her lips apologetically, chuckling when she laughed against his lips.
"No, I'm sorry for taking my emotions out on you like that. You didn't deserve it. I just...This is a part of my past that I haven't shared with a lot of people. I mean, Aki and Tomoyo know a bit of it, but—"
"Akinari?" he questioned, feeling triggered by that name.
"I told you...he was my therapist. Well, he still is," she explained.
"Why? Can't you just come to me and talk?" he asked, looking at her pleadingly.
"It's so much more than just talking, Syaoran. You should know that by now," she said, giving him a pointed look.
He sighed, nodding his head. "Okay... but, I still..."
"I know. Let's call an end to this conversation too, okay? You still have a long day ahead of you and we don't want to ruin it," Sakura suggested, making him silently agree.
What good would come out of him being riled up by something he could not change?
"You're right. I should be heading back to the hospital, anyway. When are..." He sighed after trailing off. "When can I see you again?" He grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips. "And not as your patient."
A blush spread across her face. "Well... I'm going to meet up with Meilin-san for lunch on Thursday," Sakura said timidly.
Syaoran clenched his fist, feeling upset about this. "Why?"
"I'm not allowed to talk to your family?" Sakura asked, raising a brow at him.
When she asked this way, it made him feel ridiculous. "But... I'm not comfortable with it and—"
"So, I'm not allowed to—"
"Sakura, it's just..." He stopped, at a loss for words to tell her.
"Would you like to come with me? Just so you could feel comfortable. You could monitor whatever you want. That way, you'll be more in control of the situation," Sakura said, making him consider doing it.
It was not that he does not trust Sakura. It was Meilin who he does not trust. Her and Sakura had one meeting and she had already opened her mouth and told Sakura information.
"Okay," he agreed, after giving some thought into the answer. "We'll see."
Sakura smiled at him, instantly making the regret wash off his being. "I'm so glad," she said, relieved.
"She says one thing—one word to piss me off, we both leave, okay? I get to call an end to the whole lunch," he said sternly.
He could see her throat bob as she swallowed. "Okay. It's a deal."
He nodded, standing up. He noticed a huge weight was lifted off his chest. He motioned with his hand for her to stand, which she did.
"You're really pushing my buttons, young lady," he said, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her body flesh against his.
She smiled after she saw a small smile on his lips, telling her he was not upset with her. "I have to," she said, standing on her tiptoes to brush her lips against his lightly.
His lips caught hers, instantly deepening the kiss before he pulled back. "I know," he said.
She rests her hand on his chest, making him release the hold on her body. He let his eyes rake over her body, feeling aroused at her appearance.
She had on dark jeans that hugged her skin, and a light pink, causal blouse with pink flats.
Her outfit may have looked simple to everyone else, but she looked like the most beautiful woman alive in his eyes.
"You look beautiful today, by the way," he complimented.
A blush crept to her cheeks, almost matching the color of her blouse. "Thank you," she sheepishly said.
Syaoran chuckled, kissed her nose one last time before pulling away. "I'm going to head out. I have a long day ahead of me," he said quietly.
She nodded. "Okay. I hope you have a good day," she said. "And don't forget to tell me about your date with Watanabe."
He shook his head, hearing the humor in her tone. "You have a good day too," he said, walking out of her office.
Everything suddenly felt alright.
Sakura raked her fingers through her hair a few times as she checked herself out in the rearview mirror. She wanted to make sure she looked presentable to the ladies she is about to meet for the first time. She had given Syaoran the perception that it would just be her, Meilin, and him going to lunch.
Little did he know; his sisters would be there as well.
She could admit that she toyed with his head a little by telling him that he could come and monitor the whole date, which would give him that sense of control in the situation.
She sighed, feeling awful about this whole plan, but somehow, she knew it would work out. Syaoran may be upset and try to leave for the first few minutes, but she would just convince him to stay and talk. Even if it would be for a little while.
Meilin seemed to be more of a trigger than all of them, so she prayed that it would not be as bad as his reaction to meeting Meilin after so long.
Taking a deep breath, Sakura opened the door of her car, and stepped out into the cold air. She grabbed her purse, closed and locked the door, before heading straight to the cafe entrance.
Immediately, she spotted the dark-haired woman sitting in the corner of the cafe at a table full of four other beautiful women who she assumed as Syaoran's sisters.
She walked over to them slowly, listening to her own heart beat erratically in her chest. She had never felt this nervous before, not even when she met Eiichi's family for the first time, so she knew this was serious.
Before she even reached the table fully, all girls turned in her direction, mouths opened in awe at her.
Hoe?
"Kinomoto-san?"
"I—"
"Kawaii!"
Before Sakura could comprehend anything, they were already at her side, tackling her with hugs and kisses to the cheek as they commented on how cute she is.
"Okay, guys, you're causing a scene," Sakura heard Meilin's distant voice over the loud women.
"I-it's nice to meet you guys too," Sakura said sheepishly as her cheeks burned from embarrassment.
"Okay, okay. We have to contain ourselves," one of the women said after releasing Sakura's cheeks.
Sakura wanted to thank her but did not want to offend the others. She silently sighed in relief after they gave her a little space.
"Please, have a seat," the same woman said, motioning her to slide in the booth, which she did.
They all followed after her, still commenting on her appearance.
"We're sorry for not formally introducing ourselves, we just didn't expect the woman Syaoran to be in love with would be so beautiful."
Sakura could not help but notice that this was the sister Syaoran related to the most.
"W-what? He's not in love with—"
"Oh, please. You don't have to explain yourselves. Meilin's already said it all."
"W-what?" Sakura asked, afraid that Meilin had told them everything already.
"Well, she just told us how he acts around you."
"It's like our baby brother to show unconditional love to important people in his life."
A sigh came from another one. "That's true. Our brother has always been like this."
Sakura's eyes just followed each woman who spoke, not able to put names on who they were.
As if they noticed her confusion, one of them cleared their throat; the one who seemed to be like Syaoran.
"My name is Fuutie," She pointed at herself. "Here's Shiefa, Feimei, and Fanren." She pointed to each of the girls as she introduced them all.
"It's nice to meet you guys," Sakura said, smiling at them.
With names attached to them, she could identify each of the girls now from remembering Syaoran talk about each of them.
"We didn't expect Syaoran to have found a girl here. He's been living here for years now, and he never mentioned anything about a significant other in his life," Feimei said.
"I... Well, we just met a few months ago," Sakura said sheepishly.
"Really? How so? Tell us everything," Fanren said excitedly.
A blush stained Sakura's cheek as she looked at the girls bashfully. "It was at the hospital..." she said, before going into full details about everything that occurred.
"So, it was love at first sight?" Shiefa asked.
"Well...uh...I wouldn't say that exactly."
She was not sure how Syaoran felt about her when they first met. Personally, she thought he acted a little weird. A bit flirtatious, but more so on the creepy side, as she remembered the way he looked at her.
"I think it may have been love at first sight for Syaoran," Meilin chimed in for the first time, making Sakura freeze.
She did not know what Meilin would tell the girls, or what she had already told them.
"Syaoran doesn't necessarily allow people in his home, especially without him being there. He's never been that type, so that's why it was a surprise to see Kinomoto there when I arrived," Meilin said. "It's only been a few months and he's already let you do that? It had to be love at first sight."
Sakura giggled nervously, not knowing how to feel about that. Syaoran had hated her when he found out that she is a psychologist. Lust at first sight sounded better than love.
"Really? Our Syaoran doesn't trust anyone that easily," Fuutie said, raising a brow.
"I... I don't know," Sakura said quietly.
"How do you feel about him?" Fanren asked.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but could I get you girls anything to drink today?" A waiter interrupted their conversation.
The girls nodded, and they ordered their drinks and something to eat.
Once he left, they all turned their attention back to Sakura, including Meilin.
They were expecting her to spill her heart out to them about their brother.
"Syaoran, he's..." Her heart beat sped up, making her nervous to continue, but she did. For her sake. "He's such a sweetheart. He's so precious and he...deserves the best. He doesn't deserve to experience any pain. I... I want to give him everything he wants, but I know it's impossible to. I can't..."
"Sakura-san—It is okay to call you that, right?" Sakura nodded. "I'm sure you're giving our little brother enough by being with him. Even though we've just met, I can already see why he's in love with you."
Sakura smiled at Fuutie, feeling that guilt stab at her chest. Their brother deserved someone he could be with.
"Thank you," she whispered, almost wanting to tell them that her and Syaoran's relationship was not as it seemed.
"Of course. Father will be so proud that our Xiao Lang has found someone," Fanren said.
Sakura looked at her immediately, hearing her address him that way.
"Xiao Lang?" she questioned dumbly, though she knew who the woman is referring to.
"Yes, Syaoran. Sorry, that's his Chinese name," Fanren corrected, looking at Sakura apologetically.
"Oh no, I know. It's just...Syaoran told me not to refer to him as Xiao Lang, so I thought that he would say the same to you guys," Sakura said.
"He's...never voiced his discomfort in the name with us before," Fuutie said cautiously.
"Oh...I was hoping you guys could tell me why he didn't like it," she said, feigning innocence.
"Unless... it has something to do with..."
Sakura held her breath as the woman trailed off, sounding deep in thought about her response.
She wanted to know what these women knew; how much they knew.
Fuutie shook her head. "I don't have any clues. Everyone calls him that in Hong Kong."
"Oh..."
"Should we not call him that at all?" Shiefa asked, looking at Sakura curiously.
"Well, I don't want to tell you guys how to address your brother, but... I think it would make him happier if you guys just call him Syaoran," Sakura said, smiling at them kindly.
"Syaoran it is, then," the girls said simultaneously.
Sakura silently let out a sigh, glad that she could eliminate some of his triggers. She wanted this to go perfect, so she was willing to do whatever it takes to make sure it does.
"When will he get here?" Feimei asked.
Sakura looked down at her timer, seeing that he should have already been on his lunch break five minutes ago.
"His lunch break is around this time, so he should be on his way over here."
Just as she said this, they heard the bells of the cafe door opening.
Immediately, Sakura turned in the direction of the cafe entrance, feeling her heart beat erratically against her chest.
And there Syaoran stood, looking around the little cafe for them, making Sakura even more nervous.
Please let this turn out right...
A/N: I'm so sorry, guys! University's kicking my butt already and it hasn't even been a full month yet! I am in my last year, so I don't expect any less...
Anyway, thanks to theDeviantme for editing, because her help always makes my life easier :D.
I remember responding to reviews, but I can't be too sure. Thank you guys so much, anyway! And, sorry for the cliffy, but I had to :P. And, sorry in advance for the ending of the next chapter, because the real drama begins after that with another cliffy. I'm pretty much done with the next chapter, thanks to me starting my routine of writing my stories in class this semester too lol. I just have to tweak up a few things, and then it'll have to get edited and then I'll post it, hopefully by next week or earlier :).
Don't forget to let me know your thoughts on this chapter, considering more information has been uncovered :).
Ja ne!