"Rejection Destroys the Soul"
"Dr. Li's a great surgeon, wouldn't you say?" a man said, grinning at Syaoran.
Syaoran smiled at him half-heartedly, though the smile was forced. He had been here for the last hour trying to look grateful and excited about the trial they were about to start, but he could not feel it. All he could feel was pain and abandonment as his eyes scanned the room every few seconds.
He could barely focus on the important conversations with the rich people from around the world who would be giving money to his hospital.
Despite everything to distract himself from her, his mind and heart always drifts back to her. She had really left him hanging without anything.
There was no kiss, no goodbye, or even a text to let him know that they were over for good.
There were so many questions running through his head like, did he do something wrong? Or, wasn't he a good person? Was he not good enough?
He had thought they were still good after their lovemaking that night. He knew he had been angry with her for giving up on them like that and showed her, but he did not mean for her to think he did not want to have anything to do with her.
When he saw her missing body the next day, no note behind or text, he felt used. And then, she had not cleared this feeling up after ignoring his texts and calls the following days.
She had used him. For what, though? To have one last act of intimacy? A distraction from her problems?
Has she been using him this entire time while he has been wanting to be with her?
He could not help but feel like this was karma coming back to bite him in the butt for treating all those women like that in the past.
He wanted to pull his hair out in frustration of not knowing anything, since she was ignoring him.
When he called her tonight before the event started, he had the slightest bit of hope that she may answer and tell him that she would show, but she still ignored his call.
Nothing had ever hurt more than this.
"Master Li?" a familiar voice called, snapping him out of his thought.
He looked up, seeing a familiar tall man with grey hair. He had the same moustache Syaoran had seen years ago and the same spectacles.
"Wei?" he called, staring at the man.
Wei offered him a kind smile, walking closer to him. "It has been a while," he said politely.
Syaoran did not know what came over him to do this, but he engulfed the man in a tight, friendly embrace, feeling his mind and heart ease a bit.
Wei stood in his spot, unmoving of Syaoran's behavior, which was no surprise to Syaoran. He had been Meiling and his butler back in the day when Syaoran stayed in Hong Kong. He had been more than a butler to Syaoran, though.
He was more like a mentor that guided Syaoran in every aspect of his life. He was his best friend.
"What are you doing here?" Syaoran asked once he pulled back.
"I heard from your sisters and Meilin-sama about the event and the project your hospital will be a part of," he said.
Syaoran could not help but feel grateful for his sisters and Meilin's mouth for once. He had not seen this man in years, which he could admit is his fault, but that did not matter. He is here now.
"You could've told me that you were coming, and I would've had everything arranged for you and a place to stay. When did you get here?" Syaoran asked, smiling half-heartedly at a man who had just walked by, greeting him.
"I just got in yesterday," he said. "I didn't want to bother you or bring anymore stress on your plate."
Syaoran shook his head. "Of course not. You know I would never consider you bringing stress in my life," he said.
Wei smiled at him gently. "I'm glad to see that you're doing well," he said.
Syaoran sighed. "Yeah. A lot has changed."
"I can tell. I'm proud of you," Wei said, making Syaoran smile genuinely for the first time that entire night.
"Thank you."
"Your sisters and Meilin are coming over right now," he warned, looking behind Syaoran.
Syaoran did not even bother to turn around, not wanting to show them his gratitude. He was never one to wear his "pleased" emotions on his shoulder. He was very grateful to have them here for him, though.
"There you are, baby brother!" he heard Feimei say, hugging him from behind.
This made him turn around, having her hang on his shoulder. "Let go, Feimei," he hissed, starting to feel embarrassed when he saw others staring at them.
"We've really been looking for you all night," Fanren said, staring at him. "Glad to see that Wei could make it too."
They all greeted Wei before turning their attentions to Syaoran.
"I've been busy, if it isn't obvious," he said dully.
Fuutie nodded. "We know. We just wanted to tell you how proud we are," she said, smiling at him.
Syaoran could feel his cheeks warming at the sincerity in his sisters' actions, yet he had been treating them horribly since they arrived. He felt a little bad.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "You guys look beautiful, too."
When they squealed and started hugging him, he regretted giving them the compliments.
"Guys, stop," he hissed, trying to get them off.
They always caused a scene everywhere they went, which would bring direct attention to him.
"Oh! There he is," Syaoran heard Clow say, pointing at him as he walked over to him with another man at his side.
His sisters released him, moving back to give him his time. "We'll be sitting at that table over there," Fuutie said, pointing to a nearby table.
He nodded, catching Meilin's eye for a moment before looking away. She had not said anything at all to him tonight, which was shocking.
After Wei informed that he would go with them, they all left just before Clow and the man stood in front of him. "I hope we didn't just run anyone important away," Clow said in a joking tone.
Syaoran shook his head, smiling at the man a little. "No, sir. Those were my sisters, who live in Hong Kong," he said.
"Oh, they came all the way over here for this event to support you?"
"Yes, sir…" he said.
Clow smiled. "It's good you have such a great support group."
Syaoran nodded, looking at the man beside him who has brown hair and brown eyes that were hidden behind glasses. He looked oddly familiar, yet he could not remember where he had seen him from.
"Yes, this is my good friend, Kinomoto Fujitaka. We grew up together from elementary school and have never missed a day where we talked with one another to check up. Fujitaka, this is the man who will change the world and save my daughter's life," Clow introduced.
Syaoran froze, standing in front of the man, who was smiling at him kindly.
"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Li. I've heard nothing but great things about you from my dear friend," Fujitaka said, holding his hand out to shake his hand.
Syaoran could not find the courage or strength to shake the man's hand, seeing that it is Sakura's father. He opened his mouth, trying to speak something—anything that would make sense to the man. Nothing came out, though.
Clow threw his head back, laughing at his reaction, snapping Syaoran out of his stupor. "Dr. Li can be very comical sometimes," he commented.
Syaoran cleared his throat loudly, grabbing Fujitaka's hand, shaking it firmly. "I-I'm very pleased to meet you! I-I've heard a lot about you as well—I mean, I know you're a professor and archaeologist from…" He stopped, realizing that the man may not know about him and Sakura. "I mean…I…I…"
He wanted to disappear at this very moment, making a fool out of himself in front of the one and only man he had ever wanted to impress.
Before he had even met Sakura's dad, he knew that he wanted to, because she spoke so greatly about him. She had never said anything bad about the man, so he could barely wait to meet him when he started realizing he wanted to be with Sakura.
And, now…
Fujitaka chuckled, attempting to pull his hand back, making Syaoran realize he still had a tight grip around the man's hand.
Fuck.
"I'm glad to know there's a person who wants to change the world in one of the most helpful ways possible," Fujitaka said kindly, making Syaoran feel like the worst human alive.
The man had not even said anything offensive, yet he felt like the biggest sinner beside the man.
"Th-thank you," he managed to say.
Clow chuckled, patting Syaoran's shoulder. "I don't know what's gotten into you, boy, but I hope you haven't been acting this way with all the other guests tonight."
Syaoran could feel his entire face flush, embarrassed for being called out in front of the man. "N-no, of course not! I just…" He looked around for help—anyone, at this point. When he spotted Yamazaki, he said, "W-would you guys excuse me? There's someone I have to talk with over there." He pointed to Yamazaki's direction.
Clow chuckled, nodding his head.
"It was nice meeting you, Dr. Li. I hope we cross paths again," Fujitaka said gently, smiling at him.
Syaoran swallowed, bowing his head very low. "Y-you too. And I hope the same," he stuttered before scrambling away from them.
He had not expected to meet her father this way. If he had known he would meet her father tonight, he would have come more prepared than this. He would have practiced his introduction, at least, but now…
Did I ruin it?
"Syaoran!"
Syaoran looked at Yamazaki, nodding. "Glad you guys could make it," he said. "Where's your wife?"
Yamazaki pointed to a direction in the room, making Syaoran look. "Over there with Daidouji and their crew," he said.
Syaoran froze, eyes immediately spotting the back of the head of familiar auburn hair.
"They forced me to come over and get the drinks—"
Syaoran was letting his instincts lead him over to her until she threw her head back, laughing at something someone said in the group. When her head turned towards a person, his gaze followed hers, only to see Akinari standing dangerously close to her.
And then he saw it.
His hand on her back, caressing the little skin that was shown from her green dress.
He stared for a moment, unmoving as his head tried to register the sight. His heart had registered immediately, telling him that she had come here with him, which made the ugly green monster come to life. His head just could not figure out why she would do this to him.
As if Akinari could feel someone glaring fire at the back of his head, he looked over from the corner of his eye, catching Syaoran's eye.
When they locked eyes for a moment, Syaoran ripped his eyes away immediately when seeing Akinari's hand slide down to her lower-back slowly.
And that was his breaking point.
He stormed over to the group, pushing past the people in his way, getting ready to yank Sakura away from Akinari but someone stopped him.
"Dr. Li! I'm very pleased to meet you!" the man said, holding his hand out to shake. "My name's Yazuka Rui."
Syaoran kept his eyes on Sakura, shaking the man's hand. He could faintly remember Clow mentioning something about this man donating a large sum to the trial, but his jealousy clouded that.
"Yeah, yeah, you too. Could I get back to you? I have to get somewhere," he said, hoping to sound polite, but he really did not care. He just wanted to get over there and talk to Sakura after killing Akinari for trying him this way.
"Oh, I didn't know you were in a rush—"
"Yes, I'll be right back."
Before the man could respond, Syaoran was already rushing over to the group of people. He almost snapped on the other people who kept stopping him to congratulate him and wish him luck on the new trial.
When he finally reached the group, he grabbed Sakura's shoulder gently, making her turn around to face him.
His breath caught in his throat, seeing how beautiful she still looked after not seeing her in three weeks. Her emerald eyes stared at his in shock, making him unable to look away from her face. Everything about her looked the same, minus the extra makeup on her face that enhanced her beauty.
If he were as irrational as he was months ago, he would have leaned down and kissed her red lips in front of all these people without a care in the world.
"Li-kun," he heard someone in the group call, but he could not tell who it was, too entranced by the woman in front of him.
"My date looks beautiful, doesn't she?" Akinari asked, snapping him out of it.
"Aki," Sakura hissed, glaring at him.
"Date?" Syaoran questioned, sounding highly offended, not caring that everyone in the group could tell. He thought it was his imagination earlier when Akinari touched her like that when he caught his eye, but now he was sure the man was pulling on his leg.
"Please," Sakura said, begging him with her eyes to not do this.
How could he not, though?
"Yes, date. I asked her to come with me, and she willingly said yes," Akinari said confidently.
Syaoran clenched his jaw, closing his eyes tightly to calm himself down. He could not ruin his night by acting out in front of all these people who are putting their trust in him. He had too many people trusting and believing in him.
He could remain calm until he got the man alone. Then, he would kill him.
Tomoyo giggled, drawing the attention to her from everyone. "Akinari don't be rude to the other men here who thinks I did a fabulous job on Sakura," she said.
Chiharu laughed along with her, nodding her head. "That's very true. Sakura does look gorgeous," she said.
"Mou, was putting this much attention on me necessary?" Sakura asked sheepishly, cheeks coloring.
"Blaming it on the boys here fighting over you," Chiharu said, winking at her.
Syaoran looked away from them, catching Akinari's eye again and then looking down at his hand on her lower back still. He was sure he had a murderous look on his face, demanding the man to get his hands off her.
Akinari's hand slid a little lower before he removed his hand with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.
He is doing it on purpose!
"There's no fighting when she's already mine tonight," Akinari said, grinning at the group.
Sakura frowned. "Aki," she murmured.
"Oh, look! There's Yamazaki and Eriol coming back with the drinks!" Tomoyo said, pointing towards the two coming over to them.
"Oh, look who decided to join the group," Eriol said.
When Syaoran and Eriol caught each other's eye, there was a silent agreement between them that said they would behave.
Since Eriol had come to his hospital asking about his wife, Syaoran and him had been on a mutual ground. Not friends, but not hating each other, either.
Whenever they saw each other, Eriol never commented on his addiction and him getting help, so Syaoran did not have any problems with him anymore.
He nodded, acknowledging Eriol.
"So, this is where you ran off to," Yamazaki said to Syaoran.
"Yeah… I didn't know that all of you would be here tonight," he said, hinting at Sakura that he is still upset with her disappearance.
"Of course we would be, Li-kun. We support you," Rika said.
Syaoran looked at everyone, seeing that Naoko and Rika were here as well. He had not even noticed them, thanks to Akinari playing with his emotions right now.
"Thank you, guys. I really appreciate your support," he said sincerely.
"Any time. I know a lot has went down between us, but if you need anything when the trial starts, just ask," Yamazaki said.
"He's right," the others agreed.
For the second time that night, a genuine smile crossed his face. "Thanks," he said, though his heart still had that tightening pull in his chest, since Sakura had not said anything.
She would not even look at him. That hurt like hell too.
He let out a breath, hoping it relieved some of the pain. "I'm—"
"Dr. Li! There you are," he heard someone call from behind him.
He turned around, seeing an old, wrinkled lady with grey hair. "Ms. Ahiru," he acknowledged. Clow had told him about her too.
"It's hard to catch you around here. Come with me, boy, I'd like you to meet someone," she said, voice trembling a bit.
His heart tightened even more in his chest, knowing that he would have to leave her behind with him. He was stuck between telling the woman "no," while also going because he had to. Clow had told him that he would have to kiss up to these people so that they would feel giving.
"We'll catch you later, Li-kun," Sakura said, making him turn around to look at her.
He was almost sure that his heart was bleeding at this point, because she had stabbed him right in the chest.
"Come on," Ahiru said, grabbing his arm.
"Yeah, I'll see you guys around," he said, turning away from them, deciding that he would just wait to get Sakura alone before the night was out.
He would make sure of it.
"Why would you do that, Aki?" Sakura hissed at him, glaring as they stood where the entrance of the hospital was, away from everyone else.
Akinari had used the excuse of seeing some of his coworkers to get them away from the group when Sakura caught his eye.
Akinari chuckled, shaking his head. "Because it was funny," he said nonchalantly.
"It was not! That was very mean and unlike you—well, not unlike you, but that was wrong on so many levels. Did you see the way he looked when you said that? He had asked me to be his date for this event, but I rejected him, thinking I had to go to another event and you just threw it in his face back there. How could—"
"I thought you were over him," he interrupted her.
"W-what?"
"You're not in love with him, remember? It was your decision to reject him and ignore him, remember?" he asked.
She was baffled by his response, not believing he had just said that. "Y-yes, but—"
"Why does it matter that he's jealous that you're here with me as my date, then?"
"I-I never said it matters, but you…"
When she looked up at him, she glared, seeing a knowing smile on his face. "I'm not in love with him, idiot—"
"Then, it doesn't matter that he's flirting with that beautiful nurse over there, does it?" he said, staring somewhere behind her.
Immediately, Sakura looked in the direction Akinari was looking. Syaoran was still with the older woman, looking like he needed an escape.
Akinari burst out laughing, causing a frown to form on her face. "That was mean," she murmured.
"The look you just had on your face! I didn't think it mattered since you aren't in love with him, remember?"
Her frowned deepened and she shoved him playfully. "Stop…" she said quietly.
He shrugged before wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her over to him in a hug. "I'm sorry. I just don't want you in this much pain anymore," he said, kissing the side of her head.
"And telling me that he's talking to another woman will help?" she asked.
"No. Just helping you realize your feelings," he said.
"Oi!"
Sakura looked up, seeing her brother walk over towards her with a frown on his face.
Akinari dropped his arm from around her when Touya glared at him dangerously.
"Do you have to be mean to my guy friends, too?" Sakura asked, pursing her lips.
She had seen him earlier, along with her father, Nakuru and Aika. They had talked together for a bit before Clow came and snatched her father, claiming he wanted to introduce him to someone important.
Sakura had said that her and Akinari would go where their friends were after a while, which Touya allowed, saying they would not be alone, so it was okay. She had rolled her eyes, feeling happy that her brother was still the same after everything that happened.
"Only the ones who can't keep their distance," he said, making Akinari move over from her a little.
"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized.
Akinari chuckled, shaking his head. "Not a problem. I like him for this. Maybe he'll scare the others away," he said, being painfully obvious who he is talking about.
She shook her head. "Is Yuki and Yue here?"
"What does he mean by others?" Touya asked, completely ignoring her. "I hope he isn't referring to that gaki."
"Oh, he knows about him?" Akinari asked, raising a brow.
"Please, can we not get on this topic here?"
"Of course I know that bastard was looking at my sister like that. I would've buried him after murdering him if it were not for me being in recovery," he said.
Sakura pursed her lips. "Are they?" she asked, referring to her earlier question.
Touya shook his head. "They couldn't make tonight. Yue's not coming down, and Yuki's coming to spend Christmas with us—Dad didn't tell you?"
"He told me that Yuki would spend Christmas with us, but I figured they would come tonight, since they're pretty close with Mr. Reed," Sakura said.
"Nope. Why are you guys here, though? Come where everyone else is. I don't feel comfortable with you guys being here alone," he said, motioning them to follow him.
Sakura rolled her eyes, pulling Akinari's arm to drag him along with her to make Touya feel comfortable.
"Your brother's still scary?" Akinari murmured to Sakura.
"I heard that," Touya said, glaring at the man, making Sakura giggle. "Sit at this table here. They're supposed to be starting the bids very soon. I just need to see where Mr. Reed has dragged father—and where is my wife with my kid?" Touya was already walking away, looking around for said people.
Sakura giggled, shaking her head. "My brother always has his nose in everything," she said.
"He just worries too much, it seems," Akinari said, looking around at all the people. "Are you going to give me a dance tonight?"
Sakura looked around at all the people who were conversing with each other and enjoying themselves. She turned back to him with a smile on her face. "If you go and get my drink," she said.
He rolled his eyes. "Wine or something much stronger?"
"Wine is fine."
"Wait here," he said, already standing from the chair and walking away.
She let out a relieved sigh, finally able to breathe correctly. Ever since Syaoran had spotted her, she had been on edge all night. She had tried her best to keep herself together when he approached her like that.
When she saw him, everything hit her at once, making her heart ache in her chest. They had been lost in each other's presence, yet they were surrounded by so many people. It was always like that when they were together.
She reminded herself to thank Tomoyo for breaking the trance between them. If Tomoyo had not, she would have let him drag her out of that place, so they could go somewhere alone if he had tried to.
"Sakura-san?" a soft voice called her.
She looked up, seeing the Li sisters standing, staring down at her. Uncomfortable and awkward was the only thing she could feel.
"H-hi!" she stuttered, standing from the seat, bowing to them.
"We haven't seen you all night. We were sure you wouldn't be coming," Fuutie said, smiling at her sweetly.
"Have you seen our brother tonight, yet? I know he's been occupied with all these old farts," Feimei said.
Sakura giggled, nodding. "I saw him briefly earlier," she said.
When she counted all the sisters, she noticed one person missing.
"Where's Meilin?" Sakura asked.
"Uhh…she said she had to go to the restroom when we told her that we'd come to look for you," Fanren said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Oh," Sakura said, getting a bit curious about her absence.
"You want to come sit with us? It must be lonely sitting here alone because your brother left you," Shiefa said.
"O-oh, no. He hasn't—"
"And, who are these beautiful ladies?"
Sakura looked at Akinari, seeing that he had the glass of wine in his hand. He handed it to her, making her stand. "U-uh…this is Syaoran's sisters, Fuutie, Shiefa, Fanren, and Feimei. Guys, this is Akinari, my…good friend," she introduced awkwardly.
The sisters were quiet for a moment, looking at him, almost suspiciously before they shook his hand.
"It's nice to meet the Li sisters," he said once they all shook his hand.
When an awkward silence passed between them, Akinari let out an awkward cough, looking at them. "I'll leave you ladies to it, then. I'm going to go and speak to some of my coworkers," he said.
They all bid him goodbye before turning to Sakura when he left.
"He's your date?"
"I thought you were my brother's date?"
"Does he like you?"
"Did something happen between you and Syaoran?"
"I…" Sakura shook her head, unsure of how to answer all of their questions.
"I understand why you decided to come with someone else, though. I mean, look at our poor brother. He's literally getting dragged around by everyone," Fanren said.
"Or, is there something more to that excuse?" Fuutie asked, staring at Sakura intensely.
The look reminded her of Syaoran's. It was a bit unnerving.
"N-no. It's nothing like that. Aki is just a good friend I went to—"
"Aki?" Fuutie questioned. "I thought his name was Akinari."
"It's a long story, you see—"
"Sakura owes neither of you an excuse," a masculine voice interrupted, making her look in his direction immediately.
"Syaoran," she said breathlessly.
He grabbed her wrist, making her stand up. "Come on," he said dangerously, already pulling her with him.
"Hey, can't I walk on my own?" Sakura said, attempting to pull her arm back from him, but his grip tightened as he pulled her towards the staircase after opening the door.
When the door closed behind them, Syaoran cornered her in the wall and his body so she could not escape. "So, you can run off and disappear again? I don't think so," he said, glaring down at her.
Her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest. Quite frankly, she was not sure if it was because she was scared or excited to see him again.
"Why the fuck are you here with him?" he asked, resting his hand on the wall and cold window, beside her head.
Her breathing picked up, looking down so she could not see his eyes.
"Sakura," he called, irritation dripping from his tone.
"I…" she stopped. "We should go back before people start to notice you're gone."
"I don't give a fuck about that right now, Sakura. Make me understand why the hell you told me no to being my date, but you're here with this bastard," he demanded, closing his eyes tightly.
She could see the pain written all over his face, yet she could not bring herself to stop this pain that she knew he had been suffering with forever. The only difference this time was that she was the source of this pain.
"Because, we can't be together," she finally said.
His eyes shot open, making her freeze in her spot, seeing the pain in his amber eyes. "Tell me you don't want to be with me then. Just fucking say it so I can know if I need to move on," he demanded.
When her silence made tears well in his eyes, she knew she could not give him false hope. "I…" She closed her eyes, not able to lie and look him in the eyes.
"No, you fucking look at me and tell me. Don't you dare try to take the coward way out of this. I told you we could make this work if we both want it, so you tell me your answer now," he said.
Her lips trembled as she opened her eyes. "Have you been with anyone else for these three weeks I've been gone?" she asked, fearing his answer would break the rest of her bleeding heart.
"No," his answer was quick and confident, making her almost fully believe him.
"How do I know that?" she asked, looking him directly in the eyes.
"I don't know, Sakura, but you're just going to have to take that leap of faith and believe me when I say it," he said, letting his hand slide down beside her head to her shoulder.
Her breath caught in her throat as her body set on fire the moment his hand touched her bare skin. "D-don't touch me," she stuttered, though she made no move to push him away. She knew how this would end. It always ends the same.
She would try to have a reasonable conversation with him, but he would start kissing her, making her fall under his spell. She would not let it happen this time.
"Do you believe me?" he asked quietly.
"No," came her response, though she did not mean it.
"So, you think I haven't changed at all, even after everything we've been through? All the conversations?" he asked, looking at her desperately; begging her not to make him feel like he was still the same guy she met months ago.
When she did not say anything, he let out an aggravated sound, making her look at the door, fearing that someone would hear and walk in on them. "Will you just be honest with me? Please, for this once, Sakura. Just this once, tell me the truth," he said, moving his hands from her body to respect her wishes.
"You've slept with someone else," she stated, looking away from his eyes. "When you finally admit that, then I'll tell you the truth."
"Who the hell do I want to sleep with besides you, Sakura? You know I don't have the desire to even look at another—"
"I don't know that," she said, despite her heart and mind knowing that.
"Look at me and tell me that, then. You should at least have the decency to do that," he said, his voice starting to crack.
God, please don't cry…
"Can you please let me get back to my date?" she asked calmly, trying her best to keep her emotions in check. If she did this, both of them could move on with their lives.
She could see his teeth grit in anger at her question. "What the fuck, Sakura? Are you enjoying putting me in this much pain? Is this your way of getting back at me for everything I've done over the years? I deserve every bit of it, but give it to me while being with me," he said, letting his hand caress her face, making it heat up.
"Aki—"
"I don't give a fuck about that bastard, so will you stop mentioning him?" he said through grit teeth.
"What do you want me to say? You wouldn't want everyone here to think that you came and took one of your employee's dates because you couldn't get your urges under control, right?"
His breath caught in his throat, making him drop his hand from her face. She knew that had hurt him. She just hoped it hurt him enough to want to move on from her, so they could get on with their lives. With her life that would be back to being the miserable one she had been living for years.
When he did not say anything, she moved her hand to his shoulder, attempting to push him out of her way, but he grabbed her hands, pinning them to the wall behind her. "Say it, Sakura. Just fucking say it," he demanded, sounding angry now. She could hear the hurt in his voice too, though. "Say it!"
She looked up when he yelled that. "If I wanted to be with you, I wouldn't have ignored you for this long, right?" she asked, masking all her emotions with a bland tone.
Syaoran's eyes widened, hands dropping her wrist as his eyes watered with threatening tears. "Wh-what could I do to change your mind? Is there anything I can do? Do I need to change? Do you really not want me? What was the point in playing with my emotions for this long then? How could you play with me like that? You've never had…how…how…"
When Sakura saw and heard this, all she could hear was the little boy asking for his mother's love and how he was willing to do anything to get it, so she broke.
"I do! I do want to be with you, but we can't—"
Syaoran cut her off with his lips, not needing to hear anymore after her confession. He deepened the kiss, surely smearing her lipstick on their lips. He dropped his hands down to her waist, pulling her closer to him.
He pulled back when they needed to breath, looking down at her. "I love y—"
The door opened, making them both freeze in their spots.
Neither of them had time to react, as they were the first thing a person could see when a person walked in.
"Woah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the man said, turning away, clearly shocked by their compromising position.
Syaoran moved back from her body, glaring at the man. "What the hell, Haruka," he said.
Sakura looked at the man, embarrassed that they had been careless, once again, getting caught.
"We're fine, Sakura. I know this idiot, and he's going to keep quiet," Syaoran said before she could panic, while looking at the man threateningly.
"Shit, it is Kinomoto, huh…" Haruka said, making Sakura fidget uncomfortably when his eyes scanned her appearance.
Syaoran stepped in front of her immediately, covering Haruka's wandering eyes. "Keep your fucking eyes in your socket before you lose them," he threatened.
Haruka burst out laughing, shaking his head. "Congratulations, guys," he said.
"W-what?" Sakura stuttered, not understanding what he was congratulating them for.
"What the hell do you want?" Syaoran finally asked.
"Well, Dr. Akinari is wondering where his date has gone, while Mr. Reed is wondering where the hell the star of the show is. They're getting ready to start the bidding," Haruka said.
"Okay. We'll be out in a few minutes," Syaoran said.
"Okay. And, please, wipe your faces before coming out of here…" Haruka said, making Sakura's cheeks warm. He walked out, letting the door close behind him.
Syaoran turned back around to face her with a loving expression on his face. "We don't have anything to worry about with that idiot."
Sakura did not know what to say, feeling her stomach get those unpleasant jitters. She was lost now. She did not know what to do.
"We can talk after the event ends," he said.
Sakura did not say anything. She did not even remember agreeing to anything.
"Please don't go back to that bastard either," he said, wrapping a hand around her waist, pulling her towards him possessively. "He's been purposely irking me all night. I don't want him touching you anymore."
Sakura could feel her cheeks warming as she shook her head. "It's not like that," she said quietly.
"I don't care what it's like. Don't let him touch you like that anymore," he said, leaning down to kiss her lips gently, and then place butterfly kisses down her face to her neck.
Her breath caught in her throat as she leaned her head back slightly, giving him better access before her senses came to her, making her push against him. "W-we should get back inside before someone else walks in…" she said.
He released her. "You're right."
He made a move to leave, but she stopped him by grabbing his arm. He turned around, looking at her, only to see her motioning with her hands for him to wipe the lipstick off his mouth.
A blush spread across his face as he wiped off his mouth, while looking at her. When he finished, he stared at her. "You look…so beautiful," he said. "I'm sorry that I didn't get to tell you when I first saw you tonight. My mind was occupied with other things, but you are…the most beautiful woman here tonight—well, the most beautiful woman that I know."
Her cheeks warmed, making her look away. "Go," she said, pointing to the door.
He chuckled, grabbing her hand, kissing the back of it before leaving the staircase.
Sakura waited a few seconds to recuperate herself. She had not meant to tell him the truth, but that look, those questions—everything about him in that moment—didn't give her a choice. Now, he was thinking that they would try to work something out when she said they could not.
She took a deep breath before releasing it. She would just wing it and pretend like this incident did not happen here, and maybe he would stop.
She groaned, knowing that he would never stop until she said that she did not want to have anything to do with him. How could she do that when she only saw that little boy crying for love when she rejected him, though?
"Everyone's dancing, Sakura, and you still haven't given me that dance you promised, earlier," Akinari said as they sat at the table together, watching everyone else waltz to the ballroom music.
After the bidding ended, Clow had declared that he wanted to end the night with a dance with his daughter. After their song ended, he encouraged everyone else to join, which they all did, but Sakura and Akinari.
She had used the excuse of, "I'm really tired and would just rather watch everyone else."
Akinari being as respectful as he is, agreed to sit with her and said they did not have to.
But, in all honesty, she was unconsciously trying not to make Syaoran anymore jealous than he already was tonight. This was the least she could do, since she had even shown up here as another man's date.
"Even Li's dancing with someone," he murmured.
At hearing that, Sakura looked in his direction, only to see that he was, in fact, dancing with someone else. She stared at him dancing with the blonde. The girl did not look a day older than 18, which made her feel even more uncomfortable with the sight.
Her age should have made Sakura feel a bit more secure, yet it did not. She could not help but wonder if he preferred younger girls now, but she knew she was being absurd.
She ripped her eyes away from the sight, ignoring the sting of jealousy. She looked at Akinari with a forced smile on her face. "Wow, you're right. I guess one dance wouldn't hurt, right?" she suggested, already standing up.
Akinari raised a brow with a smirk on his face as he stood up. "Really, Sakura? That's really mature," he said.
"What are you talking about? I just want to dance with my best friend," she said, grabbing his hand, already pulling him with her to the dance floor.
"After you see Li dancing with another girl," he said.
She frowned, looking up at him. "No. I'm just giving you your dance I promised," she said, resting her hand on his shoulder, and holding out her other hand for him to take.
Akinari chuckled, shaking his head as he rest his hand on her waist and grabbing her outstretched hand.
When they began to waltz to the soothing music, Akinari cleared his throat, making her look at him. "You know that's one of his patients here, right?" he asked before spinning her, and then pulling her back towards him.
"So?" she said, pretending like she did not care.
"She has cancer too and doesn't have much longer to live," he said. "So, that's why he's dancing with her, I'm sure."
Sakura looked at Akinari, surprised to hear him say that. She frowned. "What the heck is with you? You're really confusing me these days," she said before releasing him. Now that she heard that, her mood was soured. She felt awful for making such an assumption about him, when she knew he had been getting better.
He grabbed her hand, stopping her from leaving. "I was just informing you, so you wouldn't get the wrong idea, is all," he said, pulling her into his arms.
She sighed, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered in his neck sincerely.
When she pulled back from the embrace, her eyes caught Syaoran's who's was glaring at her.
She looked away from him. "I guess this was pretty immature, huh," she said, giving him a half smile.
Akinari chuckled, shaking his head. "I didn't even know you were the type to act out when you like a guy," he said.
She pursed her lips as he led her off the dance floor. "Stop it, because this was your idea to come here tonight," she said.
"I know."
"Can I go and see Otou-san and then we can go home?" she asked.
Akinari nodded, looking in the direction where her dad was.
She smiled at him gratefully, and then walked over to her father.
"You do know you're the most beautiful woman here tonight, right?" he said, grabbing her hands as she stood in front of him.
Her cheeks colored as she leaned down to hug him. "Thank you," she said.
"You look just like your mother."
She smiled, pulling back from him. "I can't help but believe you when you say I look beautiful, then."
He chuckled. "Dr. Li seems to believe that as well," he said, making her freeze in the spot.
"E-eh?"
"I met him earlier when Clow dragged me away from you and Touya," he said.
Her heart began to race in her chest. "O-oh, you did?"
"Mhm. He's a nice young gentleman," he said.
When he did not offer any more information after that, she smiled, and nodded her head. "He is."
"Your mother would have liked him," he commented.
"R-really?" she asked, looking at him.
"Of course. Hopefully, he would've been a bit more orthodox with introducing himself," he said thoughtfully.
"Eh?"
"The boy was so nervous he forgot his own name," Fujitaka said, chuckling.
Oh, gosh.
"I wish I could've seen it," she said, smiling a little.
"Maybe you'll be there next time to help the boy out," he said.
Sakura smiled, deciding to end the conversation there. At least she knew he liked him now.
She gathered her things and was getting ready to grab her satchel before she felt a familiar hand grab her arm gently. She turned in the direction, not surprised to see it was Syaoran.
"Really, Sakura?" he asked sadly.
"I promised him a dance," she said quietly, trying to avoid his eyes.
"After I asked you not let him touch you anymore," he said disappointed.
"I'm not your property, so I can let whomever I want, touch me," she said, looking him in the eyes now confidently. This was true, and she did not even know why she just had not said that earlier.
"I never said you were," he said quietly. "You aren't an object, Sakura."
"Good, now, I need to get home…"
"How are you getting home?" he asked, tugging on her hand, so she could look at him again.
"Aki…"
His grip tightened on her wrist. "Sakura, please," he begged. "I thought we were going to talk."
"We've talked."
"No, talk seriously," he said, putting emphasis.
She sighed, looking around for Akinari before she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She took it out, seeing that she had a text.
'If you need to stay and talk with Li, I'll go ahead.'
She sighed again, knowing what that meant. Akinari knew they had disappeared together earlier, and he was telling her to settle things with him.
"Okay."
A/N: Thank you guys so, so freaking much for all the love and support (I can't help but feel extremely happy whenever I read them, even if I may feel down at the moment)! I know I haven't responded to the reviews yet, but I really do appreciate them all. It's finals week, so I've been getting destroyed lol. I'm a bit crazy right now, because it's late and I have a final at 8 in the morning...Therefore, I need to sleep, like, now, lol!
Thanks to theDeviantMe for getting this chapter edited, despite her busy life as well! I really do appreciate everyone! Now, I'm going to sleep since I'm clearly rambling at this point lol. I'll get around to answering reviews and questions from the previous chapter as soon as Wednesday hits and I take my last final and turn in this freaking 21 page psychology research paper.
Ja ne!