Hello, I'm back!!! Did ya miss me? Stupid homework and exams, keeping me away from my beloved fanfics! I'm finally here to give you the next chapter! This might be the last time I'm gonna write an author's note and a recap. I'll be adopting a new style of writing! *claps loudly* the song Sakura sings in the first part is a song I heard when I was little but I don't know who wrote it. It's a very sweet and comforting song. Happy reading and belated Merry Christmas!!!
Disclaimer: CCS belongs to CLAMP no matter how much I wish it could be mine. If it were mine though, I wouldn't be here writing fanfics now would I? All the original characters are mine though!
~Recap~
"Xiao-Lang..." Sakura simply refused to stand up. She just kept on holding her head in pain, crying and muttering indecipherable words. Syaoran began to worry. Sakura, what's happening to you? Syaoran picked her up and carried her in his arms to the clinic soothing her with words.
"It's alright... I'm here so don't worry anymore."
"It hurts so much..." Syaoran hugged her tightly. Please be alright Sakura... I don't want anything to happen to you. You're important to me. Exactly how important, I don't know yet.
~End Recap~
Chapter Four: Goodbye Riku
Sakura closed her eyes as the wind caressed her face and tangling itself in her hair. She smiled contentedly as she sat on top of a cherry blossom tree branch in the part of the school's garden which was quite deserted. Feeling a little refreshed, she sang an unfamiliar song softly.
"If there is no sun, I still have the moon. If there is no moon, I still have the stars. If there are no stars and there is no light, I'll just go to sleep and dream there is light."
'Hmm...' she thought to herself. 'Where did I learn that song from? I've never heard it as far as I know.'
"If there is no dance, I still have the songs. If there are no songs, I still have you here. If you are not here and there is no love, I'll just go to sleep and dream you're with me..."
"That's a beautiful song Sakura."
"Hoe?" Sakura looked down and there she found Syaoran smiling up at her. She was so surprised that she fell off the tree and tumbled down.
"Sakura!" Syaoran said as she plummeted to the ground. Sakura shut her eyes tightly as she braced herself for the fall as the ground came nearer. "Watch it!" Sakura fell on top of Syaoran which made them tumble a few yards away from the cherry blossom tree. Syaoran's arms instinctively wrapped themselves around Sakura to protect her as they tumbled. "Itai..." he groaned when they finally came to a stop.
"Gomene Syaoran." Sakura said with her eyes still shut.
"Daijoubu dayo Sakura?" he asked as he hugged her closer to him.
"Hai, I'm alright." she said as she opened her eyes. To her surprise, she found herself lying on top of Syaoran with their arms wrapped around each other and her face was extremely close to his. She could hear him breathing fast as he calmed himself down and she could feel his heart beat beating fast. She slowly looked up into his warm yet intense amber eyes, her emerald eyes boring through his. Sakura blushed at their closeness. She tried picking herself up from the floor but failing miserably, she fell back on Syaoran, making her kiss his cheek. She blushed again when she kissed his cheek and quickly muttered an apology to him. Syaoran blushed when he realized what Sakura did accidentally. He helped Sakura get up first and she helped him get up. "Gomene Syaoran."
"It's alright, the fall didn't hurt much."
"No, I meant about the-the k-kiss." She said blushing really hard. Syaoran blushed just as red too.
"It's okay Sakura. Let's just forget about it, I don't want us acting weirdly around each other."
"Hai, I got it." She said, dusting off the dirt from her flared denim pants.
"What were you doing up in that tree? Didn't the nurse at the clinic, Meilin and I tell you to be careful and not to exert yourself too much?"
"I was thinking! I am able to think most clearly when in a tree."
"Alright then but next time warn me before you start falling out of trees so this time I can get you a trampoline. That way you'll be protected from your clumsiness."
"Hey, I am not that clumsy!"
"Oh yeah? The first time I met you, you bumped into me in the halls!"
"That was an accident!"
"And not to mention that right after that, in the gym you also fell down!"
"That was because of the earthquake!"
"I nor the others fell even after Tomoyo's attack against the monster."
"Those were all accidents! Completely incidental! Besides, I wouldn't have fallen if you didn't surprise me! What were you doing down there anyway?"
"I was looking for you. Lunch is ending in ten minutes so I wanted to check how you were."
"I'm alright Syaoran."
"Are you sure? You shouldn't actually be climbing trees like that, you might hurt yourself."
"I'll be fine, I can manage."
"But you've been having a head ache, it's not safe! Who knows what might happen to you?"
"I'm fine, thank you very much. I don't need you sniffing you after me wherever I go. I'm not a little baby and I don't need you!" She said hotly. Syaoran looked down at the ground. Sakura noticed this and instantly regretted saying those harsh words. She looked down her feet in shame. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"No." he said and turned away from her. "I'm sorry for bugging you." He said with his back against her. "I'll go now." He walked briskly towards the school. Sakura quickly ran after him.
"Syaoran," she said, tugging his sleeve softly. "I didn't mean it, I'm sorry." Syaoran brushed her off.
"I have to go to class now."
"Syaoran, I'm really; really sorry for saying that." She said touching his arm lightly.
"Leave me alone." He said coldly. She then released him, a sad look in his eyes.
"Alright then, if that's what you want." Sakura turned away and walked past him. Syaoran realized what he just did and caught her before she went back into the school.
"Wait Sakura." She looked at him ruefully.
"Why? You wanted me to leave you alone so that's what I'm doing." She said without looking at him and turned around again.
"I wasn't thinking when I said that."
"I'm just doing what you wanted me to do." She said with her back on him. Syaoran shook his head and hugged her from behind which complete shocked her. "Syaoran?!"
"Don't do that." He whispered from behind her. "Don't do that to me again." He released her from the hug.
"What do you mean Syaoran?"
"Don't zone me out Sakura. Just because I keep on asking you how you are doesn't mean that I like annoying you. It could mean that I..." Syaoran hesitated in finishing his sentence.
"That you...?" Sakura waited for him to continue with bated breath.
"That I care a lot about you Sakura." Sakura smiled warmly and hugged him; Syaoran hugged her back with satisfaction.
"I care a lot about you too Syaoran." She said. Blushing, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and freed him. "Let's go inside now; we only have like five minutes to get to class." They walked inside. Suddenly a though came to Sakura's head. "Ne Syaoran, were you the one who sang that song? You know, the one I was singing right before I fell of the tree – which was totally an accident by the way." Syaoran blushed.
"N-no, why do you ask that?"
"Oh, okay then. No reason that thought just popped into my head." She said as she entered the classroom. "By the way Syaoran?"
"Yeah Sakura?"
"You have a very nice voice." She said, sitting down in her seat. Syaoran blushed. 'How did she know? I thought she was unconscious!'
~Biology classroom~
"What's with the glum faces you guys?" Syaoran asked as he sat down in his seat behind Sakura's.
"Haven't you heard?" Eriol said glumly. "Riku got a call today from his parents. He's moving to Australia." Syaoran and Sakura both did a double take.
"What?!" they asked in disbelief.
"It's true you guys." Riku said his eyes downcast. "I have to move. My parents are getting separated and until they can fix things out, I'm moving to Australia with my mom."
"Well, cheer up Riku!" Sakura said cheerfully. "It's not like you're moving tomorrow! We can still hangout until then!"
"It ain't possible." Kyou said walking over to them. "He's moving tomorrow."
"Oh my gosh..." Niku whispered. "Can we at least hangout tonight?"
"No, I'm sorry Niku. I have to pack my things for tomorrow." Syaoran was silent as this was all happening.
"Well, there's nothing we can do. We'll just have to keep in touch for the meantime." He said as the teacher walked in.
"Alright then. Don't be glum you guys, it's not the end of the world!"
"You're right." Niru agreed and sat down in the column beside Sakura, one seat down. Riku took his place right next to Sakura. "Hey Sakura, is your headache alright now? You gave poor Syao-Syao quite a bit of a shock there." Syaoran blushed.
"Urusai baka (shut up stupid)..." he murmured under his breath.
"I'm fine now, thank you." She said a little annoyed. People still haven't stopped asking her that question. The teacher started giving the lecture on the new topic and Sakura allowed her mind to wander. 'I can't believe I collapsed again! I thought I could stop getting all of those memory flashes but it seems that I was wrong. I vaguely remember things... I remember... A pair of strong arms carried me to the clinic. I heard two voices speaking around me, one female and one male. I remember a gently voice singing a song to me softly. And I remember... someone caressing my face as scenes flashed in front of my eyes. I can't remember what those visions were nor can I recall whose voices I heard back then...'
Syaoran watched Sakura as she slipped into daydream mode. 'I don't know if you remember what happened Sakura...' he thought as a flashback of a certain scene slipped into his conscious mind.
~Flashback~
"I have to get her to the clinic!" Syaoran told Tomoyo as he lifted Sakura's figure from the floor. He quickly made his way to the clinic when one of the classrooms' doors opened.
"Syaoran, you have to hurry and calm her down or else she's gonna have a concussion!" Meifa told him urgently.
"What?" he looked at her in confusion. "Do you know what's going on with Sakura?" she just pushed him towards the clinic.
"Just hurry up, this is the worst one so far." They finally reached the clinic 6 minutes later but there was no one there to take care of Sakura.
"Meifa, there's no one here!" She took the sheets off one of the clinic's beds.
"Put her down here." She instructed Syaoran as he carefully lay Sakura down in the bed. "Get her a warm compress for her forehead. There's one in the cupboard on the left." He nodded in reply. Opening the cupboard, he found different colored compresses. He was about to reach for the green one when Meifa interrupted him. "Not the green one Syaoran, get the blue one. The green one's not warm enough." Syaoran blinked in surprise. 'How did she...?' "Now's not the time to be pondering things, we need to calm her down!" Meifa's shrill voice interrupted his thought once more. 'Whoa, how'd she...?' "Syaoran!"
"I got it." He said handing her the blue towel.
"No..." Sakura murmured. "Help me... it hurts so much... don't leave me alone..." Drawing up a chair beside the bed, Meifa pressed the warm towel against her chilly forehead and indicated Syaoran to sit in the chair.
"Stay here and keep this on her forehead until she calms down. Keep her company and try to do anything to calm her down."
"Where are you going?"
"Someone has to go and inform your teacher about her present condition. Calm her down okay? Appease her."
"B-but what do I do?" he stuttered clearly worried for the emerald-eyed girl. "H-how do I pacify her?" he looked at Sakura as she tossed fitfully.
"I don't know, I'm always the one who gives the messages, I never do the calming down."
"Wait, so this has happened before?"
"Many times already. It's never been this bad before though."
"When did this first happen?" she shrugged.
"I guess the first time it happened was in her first week at Tokyo Elementary back when she was eleven. She had just transferred from Shanghai and she kept having visions every time we asked her about her previous school."
"How about after that?"
"In her first two years in Tokyo, she had it around once a month but once we went to Jr. High and High school, she eventually stopped having them." He nodded in reply.
"I see..." The warning bell for the first class suddenly rang.
"I'd better go. Keep watch over her alright? I'll tell your sensei." She was about to leave when Syaoran stopped her.
"Wait Meifa..."
"What is it?" Syaoran looked at her confused.
"How is it that you knew that Sakura was having a headache or as you say, vision?" Meifa looked down darkly.
"I don't know... its like whenever she's in trouble or in pain, I feel something from her and I always know exactly what it is for some reason. It's like I have a special connection with her so I know what she feels." He nodded again in understanding.
"I understand. You'd better go now before the final bell rings." He said turning his attention back to Sakura who had calmed down significantly but still kept on muttering things under her breath.
"Take care of her Syaoran; I'm placing my trust in you. I'll come check in between classes in case the nurse doesn't come." And with that, she left Syaoran alone with Sakura. Syaoran looked at Sakura, concerned. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind Sakura's ear.
"Shhh..." he whispered. "Everything's alright, I won't leave you alone." Suddenly he remembered something. 'Whenever I was sick, my mother sang to me a song to make me feel better. What if I...' he scanned the clinic making sure that there wasn't anyone there. When he was absolutely sure that there wasn't a single person there, he opened his mouth boldly and began to sing a song to her softly.
"If there is no sun, I still have the moon. If there is no moon, I still have the stars. If there are no stars and there is no light, I'll just go to sleep and dream there is light."
"If there is no dance, I still have the songs. If there are no songs, I still have you here. If you are not here and there is no love, I'll just go to sleep and dream you're with me..."
Sakura stirred slightly as Syaoran finished the last few notes of his song but she did not awaken. She was now merely sleeping, no longer was the head ache. Caressing her cheek thoughtfully, he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Get better Sakura." Suddenly the clinic's nurse came in.
"What happened to Miss Kinomoto Mr. Li?" the nurse asked concernedly, approaching him.
"She was having a headache so I carried her here. She fell asleep a few moments ago." She smiled at him.
"Very good. It's alright now, you may return to your classroom now." She said, taking a seat behind her desk.
"No, I want to stay here to watch over Sakura."
"If you insist but please don't disturb her in her sleep."
"Yes, I won't." the nurse stood up and retrieved her wallet from her bag.
"I'll be in the cafeteria." She said, sensing that Syaoran wanted to watch over Sakura alone. "Hold down the fort for me while I'm gone. If anyone asks, I haven't arrived in school. Please tell Miss Kinomoto when she wakes up to take it easy and not to exert herself too much." He answered affirmatively and the nurse left them alone again.
~End Flashback~
'I think Sakura knows that I was the one who sang that song to her! Hmm...' A thought popped up in Syaoran's head again. 'How did Meifa know what color compress I was getting or what colors there were in that cupboard anyway? How did she know about that cupboard in the first place? She only transferred here this morning... Strange... she and Sakura are so much alike yet so different...' His gaze rested on the back of Sakura's head as he thought of a certain emerald-eyed girl. His eyes softened and he smiled at her. Suddenly, Sakura turned around to look at him. She had a confused yet teasing expression on her face. Blushing, he looked down at his desk.
"What do you want Sakura?" he muttered, looking her in the eye.
"Um, Syaoran..." she indicated for him to look up.
"What are you...?" he asked as he looked up at what Sakura was pointing at.
"I suppose Mr. Li, that the head of Miss Kinomoto is more interesting than my lectures eh?" Syaoran's eyes widened as he realized that everyone was looking at him.
"Yes! No, wait, I meant er - no!" he fumbled, a slight blush on his cheeks. Everyone in class began laughing as their teacher smirked. "I'm sorry!" he said, bowing to his teacher who was smiling. 'Ah... young love...' their teacher thought as he looked at Syaoran and Sakura who was giggling at the embarrassed Syaoran.
"Very well, you are forgiven. See that it doesn't happen again Mr. Li. Miss Kinomoto may be a very pretty young girl but you have to keep your mind on biology for now." He reminded Syaoran who was blushing while he said that all that.
"Hai." He said still quite red as he sat back down. 'That's it.' He resolved as the class quieted down. 'No more daydreaming during class – especially about Sakura.'
All the way at the front of the class, two blue eyes as cold as ice glared at Sakura. 'First you take my bestfriend away from me and now you took away the boy of my dreams. Kinomoto Sakura, you are going to pay for all you've done. I will get my revenge on you one day, just when you least expect it'
~dismissal, outside the school~
"Are you sure that we can't hangout tonight Riku?" Niku asked worriedly.
"Sorry babe," Niku blushed at being called a 'babe'. "I really have to go."
"We'll miss you." Tomoyo said.
"We'll e-mail ya." Niru promised.
"You just want an excuse to use your laptop." Riku said sweatdropping.
"Of course!"
"Well, I'll be going now." He said. He started crossing the street and everyone turned back to the school except Niku. Suddenly, a black sports cars whizzed towards him.
"Riku, look out!" Niku cried. Riku turned around but it was too late. The car came crashing into him, hitting him square on the stomach. Blood began spurting out of his mouth.
Niku ran to Riku's side as the others realized what happened. She kneeled down by his side and started crying. Niru rushed behind her, trying to comfort him. Syaoran went to check his pulse.
"Call 911 now." He said. Eriol brought out his cell phone and called. "I'm not entirely sure of his pulse."
"Riku..." tears started pouring out of Niku's eyes. She placed a hand on top of his chest, praying that he'd be alive. Suddenly, a light orange glow radiated from her hands.
To be Continued...
Special thanks to:
F@ntasy K@t, Kikakai, [T]=!F_F, oOoshortayoOo, Avelyn Lauren, Trickster's-Lulaby (hands over bandage. Get your ead back together, I still want you to review!), Chibi_SaKuRa, vale-aqua (new cliffhanger!!!), sailor sakura li, Lavenda, S+S-fan (sorry, it's becoming short now. I'm running out of ideas and cliffhangers.)