This is the sequel to Last Question. Very sorry it took so long to write! I honestly hit a blank for the longest time…
Here's a refresher:
In Last Question…
Sakura was going to admit her feelings to Yukito before he leaves for college with Touya. However, while walking home and discussing her plans with Li, she was caught in a storm and so had to stay over at Li's apartment. She learned that Li didn't love Yukito but someone else and he hadn't admit anything to that person. However, Li was leaving Japan in a day and would probably never be back. Desperately trying to persuade Li to confess his feelings to the person he loved before his departure, Li merely replied that the person he loved already loved someone else. Just minutes before Li had to catch the shuttle to the airport; Sakura struggled with the decision of whether or not she would see Li off. However, Li merely pushed Sakura out the door telling her to confess her feelings to Yukito before he leaves for college while quietly, behind the door, confessed to himself that he loved Sakura.
Again and Again
Comments are always welcomed at smilie_smilie@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the general Card Captor Sakura story. It's the property of Clamp. This story is written as a past time. No copyright infringement intended.
------------------------------------------
It was a quiet evening with the sun dimming in an orange glow and a light breeze blowing past the layers of green leaves on blooming fruit trees. Fluffy white clouds drifted over the sky casting a silhouette over the tall buildings in Tomoeda, Japan. For most students, this was the first quiet evening of their summer vacations. A few children were still wandering around the park with sundaes in hand. However, Daidouji Tomoyo was sitting in her grandiose room of her mansion peeping outside. Letting out a quiet sigh, Tomoyo stole a side-glance at her telephone lying untouched across the room on a small mahogany end table. Letting out a disappointed sigh, Tomoyo returned to staring blankly outside the window.
Daidouji Tomoyo was worried. Her best friend, Kinomoto Sakura, had been missing since yesterday. She remembered at the end of the last school day of the term, she left before Sakura did so she could have a rid home. After all, yesterday had been a rough weather day with severe rainstorms and gusting tornado winds. Then she called the Kinomoto residence later that night only to find Sakura never returned home. Sakura's brother, Touya, and his best friend, Tsukishiro Yukito, were frantically looking all over town for the lost girl hoping desperately that she found shelter on her own. Meanwhile, her father, Fujitaka, stayed at home waiting for Sakura to call. As the night worn on and the storm intensified, both Touya and Yukito had to quit their search. It was becoming dangerous for them to stay outside. Since, Tomoyo had yet to hear any news of her best friend returning safely home.
Lost in her sea of passing thoughts, Tomoyo was suddenly snapped back into reality as her phone ringer chimed through the room. Jumping from her comfortable chair by the window, Tomoyo leapt across the room and quickly grabbed her phone. Her long curly greyish black hair swung behind her while her lavender eyes glittered with the slightest bit of hope that there is news about her friend.
"Moshi moshi?" Tomoyo's high-pitched voice answered.
"Tomoyo-chan desu ka?" asked the voice on the receiver.
"Sakura-chan? I was so worried about you! I called last night to see how things were but oniisama said you weren't home. I think your whole family was worried about you. We were all going to look for you in the morning when the storm settled," Tomoyo raced to finish her sentences relieved to finally hear her friend's voice.
"Gomen nasai," Sakura began, "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble for you too. It's just that I was caught in the storm when I was walking home with Li-kun and so I decided to stay with him until the storm passed," Sakura explained apologetically to her friend.
"But not even your father knew where you were! Didn't you give them a call from Li-kun's apartment?" Tomoyo asked trying to piece together what happened to her friend last night.
"I wanted to but…" Sakura paused. All of a sudden, her voice seemed to muffle into a quiet solemn whisper. Although Tomoyo only heard Sakura's voice, she knew right away her best friend was sad. Something must have happened last night and was still bothering her.
"Nan desu ka?" Tomoyo probed her own voice filled with concern.
"I couldn't call home because Li-kun's apartment didn't have a telephone," Sakura said in a hush whisper.
"Doushite?"
"Li-kun left for Hong Kong this morning. He is moving back and won't be in Japan anymore," Sakura finally explained.
"Sou desu ka…" Tomoyo replied sympathetically. Although Li and Sakura had been rivals when they first met, the two had resolved their differences and were close friends. Tomoyo figured Sakura must be sad to see one of her friends leave. "So you had to bid him farewell this morning,"
"No," Sakura paused. "I wanted to see Li-kun to the airport but he insisted that I go home to see off oniichan and Yukito-san for college,"
"Then how did it go?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura had vowed to herself that she would finally admit her feelings for Yukito before he left for college. That way, she could wait for him to return and he could wait for her to finish her own education. Sakura had been planning the perfect time and moment for her confession and Tomoyo even helped out by designing a special dress just for the occasion. However, from the unusual solemn tone in Sakura's voice, Tomoyo was already expecting the worst.
"Well…" Sakura hesitated. Her throat began to swell again and her voice was caught. "Tomoyo-chan…" she tried her best to begin. "Yukito-san…" she choked.
Tomoyo's head dipped sympathetically. Without saying another word, Tomoyo knew what had happened. Yukito must have rejected Sakura. She felt her heart sink for her best friend. After all, Sakura had loved Yukito since the day she met him all those years ago. Tomoyo had so much hope for the two of them—the perfect romance of complete loyalty. Besides, Sakura never saw any other boy the way she had for Yukito. She loved him no matter his faults and she would always love him.
"Yukito-san said he loved me but it isn't the same love. He loves me as oniichan's imouto and nothing more. He said I love him like I would love otousan and oniichan. He said I am confused about how I feel about him because I'm young. He says there is already a person who loves me best and I love him best in return though I haven't found him yet. Besides, Yukito-san already has someone he loves and so…" Sakura couldn't go on. Her words came out in short pants as she struggled to contain her tears. Finally, unable to contain herself, Sakura's voice broke through the receiver in quiet sobs.
"Daijoubu?" Tomoyo asked meekly knowing best that right now, Sakura needs space and time to heal.
"I should be happy, ne Tomoyo-chan? I should be happy for Yukito-san because he has someone he loves best and I'm sure that person loves him best too," Sakura asked looking for reassurance. "You told me that your happiness is the happiness of the person you love best. Then why am I crying?"
"Because it's difficult," Tomoyo explained tenderly. "Sometimes, it's difficult for me too but if I can see the person I like smile, then I feel all better,"
"Li-kun said something like that last night. There is someone he liked but he didn't tell that person yet. He said it doesn't matter because the person he liked loved someone else and that he hoped they would be happy," Sakura recalled as another lump caught her throat.
"Li-kun is really kind, ne?" Tomoyo said quietly.
"Un," Sakura replied as she tried to scoff down another sob. "Li-kun always helped me no matter what I did or what we were doing…" she trailed off.
"Maybe we'll meet him again," Tomoyo suggested meekly.
"I hope so," Sakura replied, as her thoughts drifted to the boy who had somehow became one of her most important and closest friends.
There was a long pause as the two returned to their own train of thoughts. It was a comfortable silence that the two friends could share. They began remembering the times when they had been together learning about the fascinating world of magic. They were immature and green then. Though the whole ordeal was only months ago, now it seemed like an eternity had passed. So much had happened since and all of them have grown out of their naivety.
"Anou, Tomoyo-chan, maybe I should take a rest now. Yesterday and today had been tiring," Sakura suggested letting out a small weak yawn.
"It must have been tough," Tomoyo agreed. "Good night then, Sakura-chan," she said before hanging up and returning to her perch by the grand window of her room watching the dimming orange glow as the sun set for another day.
***
Kinomoto Sakura replaced her phone on her desk and plopped down onto her bed letting out an exhausted sigh. Her golden honey brown hair fanned across her pillow and her jewel-like jade green eyes glittered just a bit from the reflection of the light on almost dried tears. Today had been especially emotionally draining with the departure of one of her closest friends and the rejection of her life-long crush. Her father was helping Yukito and Touya with their move-in and had yet to come back. Letting out a disappointing sigh, Sakura stared blankly at the ceiling as her mind continued in an effort to absorb all the confusing emotions and commotion that surrounded and somehow composed her life.
Today was probably the darkest day in her life. She figured she was a puppet tied by millions of strings manipulated by a twisted playwright in a sick drama. After all, she did have the worst of luck today with Yukito's rejection and Li's departure. Today had been a roller coaster ride for her emotions: first with confusion of deciding whether to see Li off to Hong Kong or to see Yukito and Touya off to college. Then there was the slim hope that Yukito may love her in return. Then there was nothing but pessimism with his rejection. Now, there was apathy and darkness as she figured that fate had been against her all along.
As painful the rejection was, somehow, her heart was not aching as much as she anticipated. In fact, after crying a bit right after the rejection, she had yet to shed another tear. She felt just a bit sad but otherwise fine. Now after talking to Tomoyo, she didn't even feel an ounce of misery.
Perhaps she was just too exhausted to care.
Or maybe she had finally come to terms with what happened.
Somehow talking to Tomoyo made her feel much alleviated. After all, talking out the problem was the first step to coping and solving. Then again, maybe it was not her conversation with Tomoyo that pulled Sakura from her depths. After all, it was at the end of her conversation that Sakura finally felt comforted. With a tender smile and a light blush, it might have been the mention of Li Syaoran that helped Sakura. Everything about him seemed to shed warmth onto Sakura from that rare smile he reserved only for her to his endless advice in matters of school, magic and even of the heart. Thinking back to their last night together in that empty apartment, Sakura to finally found peace in her mind. Every word he said resonated in her mind like a familiar childhood lullaby slowly pulling her away from darkness and pessimism. Though he was no longer by her side, it was as though he was still somehow caring and looking out for her wherever he was. Li always provided her with a sense of security, reassurance and comfort. For that, Sakura would always keep him in her mind and heart. He would always hold a special spot within her. With a wider smile, Sakura wiped dry her eyes and took a deep breath of relief. Letting thoughts of Li Syaoran fill her mind, Sakura slowly and happily found serenity.
Then her thoughts were interrupted as a yellow creature floated across the room calling to her. "Daijoubu, Sakura?" the yellow stuffed animal-like Kero asked as he hovered over Sakura looking at her tenderly.
"Daijoubu, Kero-chan," Sakura replied opening her eyes with the same glitter as always and a bright smile. "I'll always be all right because I have you and I have my friends and family," she continued.
"What about the Snow Rabbit? Are you all right with that? You were pretty upset this morning," Kero pointed out as he took a seat on Sakura's bed next to the girl.
"It's all right. I know Tomoyo-chan and Li-kun are right. I'll be happy because Yukito-san is happy. Besides, even if I love him and he loves someone else, as long as he's happier with that person, then I shouldn't stand in the way," Sakura reasoned as she sat up on her bed and gave Kero a reassuring smile.
"What about you? I thought you wanted to wait for that Snow Rabbit to come back and then he'll wait for you to finish school," Kero asked. "I thought he was the person you loved best in the world."
"Well, Yukito-san is right about me not liking him that way. The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes. Yukito-san reminds me a lot of otousan," Sakura smiled with a slight blush. "I'm sure there is someone that will love me best and I'll love that person best in return. Yukito-san said that he already exists and so I will have to try my best to find him,"
"Do you know where to look?" Kero muttered pessimistically.
"Not yet," Sakura replied as she pushed herself off her bed and walked over to perch on her windowsill. "But, somehow, I know he exists and I have a feeling that we've already met and that I just have to realize who he is," Sakura continued as she gazed outside where everything was in a shade of dark reddish orange. "I know all I have to do is to wait for him to come back and I hope, he'll wait to meet me again,"
Sakura paused and took in a deep breath of fresh air. All of a sudden, the world seemed less cruel and fate no longer twisted her like a frail puppet in an endless, odd drama.
"Because when we meet again, we'll always be together,"
***
Li Syaoran stared blankly from the balcony of his mountaintop house out at the busy city of Hong Kong as the sun began to dip and set past the horizon. The view was spectacular and thousands of tourists would travel hours just for a chance to admire the scene; but none of what he saw registered in his mind. Instead, wherever he looked, all Li could see was the hallucinating image of a brown-haired green-eyed girl.
A warm breeze blew by Li's dark chestnut brown hair ruffling through its many intricate locks. His deep and expressive intense reddish brown eyes gazed pensively outside not noticing the various cars that zoomed on the roadways or the masses of pedestrians that crossed the narrow streets. He no longer remembered how long he had been standing in such a position. None of that mattered though. No matter how long he stood on the balcony, he always felt as though he needed just a moment longer. He arrived back at his native land earlier that day; but he simply left his luggage untouched in his room while preceded directly to the balcony where he stood for the most part. He had scarcely seen his family and did not speak a word about magic or his stay at Japan. He knew if he continued to mope by the balcony any longer, his family would begin to worry and suspect. That did not matter though, nothing really did except for Kinomoto Sakura.
Li wondered about Sakura. He wondered if she made it back home in time to meet up with that person. He wondered how the confession went. He wondered if she still remembered him with all the excitement.
He thought about what Sakura had said all that last night when they had been together. He thought of telling her after she urged him to. After all, he did want Sakura to wait for him to come back and he wanted to wait for her to reply to his confession. All that would have been perfect but Li had learned early in his life that life was rarely ideal. Li was sure that if he had told, Sakura might be confused so that she would forfeit her chance to confess to her first love; and instead spent her time thinking about her feelings for him. Perhaps, Sakura would have been too afraid of destroying their friendship that she would say she loved him in return though she really loved Yukito. It was for the best that she never knew.
Then again, Li was scared. There was no guarantee that Sakura would love him in return. He said that himself. In that case, he hoped she was happy with that person and that together, Sakura and Yukito would always be content. However, there was always the possibility. Maybe she had always loved Li but since he never showed any affection towards her, she might have given hope on him.
Then his thoughts drifted onto the confession. Li was curious about how Yukito would react. He was pretty sure whatever the response is, Yukito would put it in a way so that Sakura would understand. Yukito was always sensitive and kind. Li was certain that Sakura held a special spot in Yukito's heart but he would not bet that Yukito felt the same way for Sakura as she did for him. It was a sneaking suspicion that lingered at the back of his mind. That might just have been his optimism trying cloud his judgment but somehow he could sense truth in it.
If Yukito really did not love Sakura like she did for him, then he was sure Sakura would be weeping right about now no matter how Yukito put the rejection. That sudden horror of realizaiton sank into Li's heart as he felt his stomach turn with grief, sorry and pity. He wanted to be there to comfort her though he had no idea what he could possibly do. Somehow, he felt that if his presence could even make the slightest difference, then being by her side watching in pain while she cried would be worth all the trouble. Even if he was no longer near her, he still wanted to be a part of her life. Li still wanted to be the person Sakura ran to when she faced a problem.
His face began to redden as he continued to immerse himself in his chain of thoughts. That was love. Love was what made Sakura appeal to him and the very thing that makes him worry about her.
No matter what form of love she truly had for him—whether it be friendly, family-like, or even genuine romance—Li would always love Sakura just the same.
"Then until we meet again, Sakura…"
------------
Owari!
As usual, comments always welcomed at smilie_smilie@hotmail.com
For those who don't know…
Moshi moshi – hello
~desu ka – Is it ~
Oniisama / oniichan – sir brother / older brother
Gomen nasai – Very sorry
Nan (nani) – what
Doushite – why
Sou desu ka – is that so
Imouto – little sister
Otousan – father
Daijoubu – Are you ok? / I'm fine / Is it Ok
Ne – you know
Here's a refresher:
In Last Question…
Sakura was going to admit her feelings to Yukito before he leaves for college with Touya. However, while walking home and discussing her plans with Li, she was caught in a storm and so had to stay over at Li's apartment. She learned that Li didn't love Yukito but someone else and he hadn't admit anything to that person. However, Li was leaving Japan in a day and would probably never be back. Desperately trying to persuade Li to confess his feelings to the person he loved before his departure, Li merely replied that the person he loved already loved someone else. Just minutes before Li had to catch the shuttle to the airport; Sakura struggled with the decision of whether or not she would see Li off. However, Li merely pushed Sakura out the door telling her to confess her feelings to Yukito before he leaves for college while quietly, behind the door, confessed to himself that he loved Sakura.
Again and Again
Comments are always welcomed at smilie_smilie@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the general Card Captor Sakura story. It's the property of Clamp. This story is written as a past time. No copyright infringement intended.
------------------------------------------
It was a quiet evening with the sun dimming in an orange glow and a light breeze blowing past the layers of green leaves on blooming fruit trees. Fluffy white clouds drifted over the sky casting a silhouette over the tall buildings in Tomoeda, Japan. For most students, this was the first quiet evening of their summer vacations. A few children were still wandering around the park with sundaes in hand. However, Daidouji Tomoyo was sitting in her grandiose room of her mansion peeping outside. Letting out a quiet sigh, Tomoyo stole a side-glance at her telephone lying untouched across the room on a small mahogany end table. Letting out a disappointed sigh, Tomoyo returned to staring blankly outside the window.
Daidouji Tomoyo was worried. Her best friend, Kinomoto Sakura, had been missing since yesterday. She remembered at the end of the last school day of the term, she left before Sakura did so she could have a rid home. After all, yesterday had been a rough weather day with severe rainstorms and gusting tornado winds. Then she called the Kinomoto residence later that night only to find Sakura never returned home. Sakura's brother, Touya, and his best friend, Tsukishiro Yukito, were frantically looking all over town for the lost girl hoping desperately that she found shelter on her own. Meanwhile, her father, Fujitaka, stayed at home waiting for Sakura to call. As the night worn on and the storm intensified, both Touya and Yukito had to quit their search. It was becoming dangerous for them to stay outside. Since, Tomoyo had yet to hear any news of her best friend returning safely home.
Lost in her sea of passing thoughts, Tomoyo was suddenly snapped back into reality as her phone ringer chimed through the room. Jumping from her comfortable chair by the window, Tomoyo leapt across the room and quickly grabbed her phone. Her long curly greyish black hair swung behind her while her lavender eyes glittered with the slightest bit of hope that there is news about her friend.
"Moshi moshi?" Tomoyo's high-pitched voice answered.
"Tomoyo-chan desu ka?" asked the voice on the receiver.
"Sakura-chan? I was so worried about you! I called last night to see how things were but oniisama said you weren't home. I think your whole family was worried about you. We were all going to look for you in the morning when the storm settled," Tomoyo raced to finish her sentences relieved to finally hear her friend's voice.
"Gomen nasai," Sakura began, "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble for you too. It's just that I was caught in the storm when I was walking home with Li-kun and so I decided to stay with him until the storm passed," Sakura explained apologetically to her friend.
"But not even your father knew where you were! Didn't you give them a call from Li-kun's apartment?" Tomoyo asked trying to piece together what happened to her friend last night.
"I wanted to but…" Sakura paused. All of a sudden, her voice seemed to muffle into a quiet solemn whisper. Although Tomoyo only heard Sakura's voice, she knew right away her best friend was sad. Something must have happened last night and was still bothering her.
"Nan desu ka?" Tomoyo probed her own voice filled with concern.
"I couldn't call home because Li-kun's apartment didn't have a telephone," Sakura said in a hush whisper.
"Doushite?"
"Li-kun left for Hong Kong this morning. He is moving back and won't be in Japan anymore," Sakura finally explained.
"Sou desu ka…" Tomoyo replied sympathetically. Although Li and Sakura had been rivals when they first met, the two had resolved their differences and were close friends. Tomoyo figured Sakura must be sad to see one of her friends leave. "So you had to bid him farewell this morning,"
"No," Sakura paused. "I wanted to see Li-kun to the airport but he insisted that I go home to see off oniichan and Yukito-san for college,"
"Then how did it go?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura had vowed to herself that she would finally admit her feelings for Yukito before he left for college. That way, she could wait for him to return and he could wait for her to finish her own education. Sakura had been planning the perfect time and moment for her confession and Tomoyo even helped out by designing a special dress just for the occasion. However, from the unusual solemn tone in Sakura's voice, Tomoyo was already expecting the worst.
"Well…" Sakura hesitated. Her throat began to swell again and her voice was caught. "Tomoyo-chan…" she tried her best to begin. "Yukito-san…" she choked.
Tomoyo's head dipped sympathetically. Without saying another word, Tomoyo knew what had happened. Yukito must have rejected Sakura. She felt her heart sink for her best friend. After all, Sakura had loved Yukito since the day she met him all those years ago. Tomoyo had so much hope for the two of them—the perfect romance of complete loyalty. Besides, Sakura never saw any other boy the way she had for Yukito. She loved him no matter his faults and she would always love him.
"Yukito-san said he loved me but it isn't the same love. He loves me as oniichan's imouto and nothing more. He said I love him like I would love otousan and oniichan. He said I am confused about how I feel about him because I'm young. He says there is already a person who loves me best and I love him best in return though I haven't found him yet. Besides, Yukito-san already has someone he loves and so…" Sakura couldn't go on. Her words came out in short pants as she struggled to contain her tears. Finally, unable to contain herself, Sakura's voice broke through the receiver in quiet sobs.
"Daijoubu?" Tomoyo asked meekly knowing best that right now, Sakura needs space and time to heal.
"I should be happy, ne Tomoyo-chan? I should be happy for Yukito-san because he has someone he loves best and I'm sure that person loves him best too," Sakura asked looking for reassurance. "You told me that your happiness is the happiness of the person you love best. Then why am I crying?"
"Because it's difficult," Tomoyo explained tenderly. "Sometimes, it's difficult for me too but if I can see the person I like smile, then I feel all better,"
"Li-kun said something like that last night. There is someone he liked but he didn't tell that person yet. He said it doesn't matter because the person he liked loved someone else and that he hoped they would be happy," Sakura recalled as another lump caught her throat.
"Li-kun is really kind, ne?" Tomoyo said quietly.
"Un," Sakura replied as she tried to scoff down another sob. "Li-kun always helped me no matter what I did or what we were doing…" she trailed off.
"Maybe we'll meet him again," Tomoyo suggested meekly.
"I hope so," Sakura replied, as her thoughts drifted to the boy who had somehow became one of her most important and closest friends.
There was a long pause as the two returned to their own train of thoughts. It was a comfortable silence that the two friends could share. They began remembering the times when they had been together learning about the fascinating world of magic. They were immature and green then. Though the whole ordeal was only months ago, now it seemed like an eternity had passed. So much had happened since and all of them have grown out of their naivety.
"Anou, Tomoyo-chan, maybe I should take a rest now. Yesterday and today had been tiring," Sakura suggested letting out a small weak yawn.
"It must have been tough," Tomoyo agreed. "Good night then, Sakura-chan," she said before hanging up and returning to her perch by the grand window of her room watching the dimming orange glow as the sun set for another day.
***
Kinomoto Sakura replaced her phone on her desk and plopped down onto her bed letting out an exhausted sigh. Her golden honey brown hair fanned across her pillow and her jewel-like jade green eyes glittered just a bit from the reflection of the light on almost dried tears. Today had been especially emotionally draining with the departure of one of her closest friends and the rejection of her life-long crush. Her father was helping Yukito and Touya with their move-in and had yet to come back. Letting out a disappointing sigh, Sakura stared blankly at the ceiling as her mind continued in an effort to absorb all the confusing emotions and commotion that surrounded and somehow composed her life.
Today was probably the darkest day in her life. She figured she was a puppet tied by millions of strings manipulated by a twisted playwright in a sick drama. After all, she did have the worst of luck today with Yukito's rejection and Li's departure. Today had been a roller coaster ride for her emotions: first with confusion of deciding whether to see Li off to Hong Kong or to see Yukito and Touya off to college. Then there was the slim hope that Yukito may love her in return. Then there was nothing but pessimism with his rejection. Now, there was apathy and darkness as she figured that fate had been against her all along.
As painful the rejection was, somehow, her heart was not aching as much as she anticipated. In fact, after crying a bit right after the rejection, she had yet to shed another tear. She felt just a bit sad but otherwise fine. Now after talking to Tomoyo, she didn't even feel an ounce of misery.
Perhaps she was just too exhausted to care.
Or maybe she had finally come to terms with what happened.
Somehow talking to Tomoyo made her feel much alleviated. After all, talking out the problem was the first step to coping and solving. Then again, maybe it was not her conversation with Tomoyo that pulled Sakura from her depths. After all, it was at the end of her conversation that Sakura finally felt comforted. With a tender smile and a light blush, it might have been the mention of Li Syaoran that helped Sakura. Everything about him seemed to shed warmth onto Sakura from that rare smile he reserved only for her to his endless advice in matters of school, magic and even of the heart. Thinking back to their last night together in that empty apartment, Sakura to finally found peace in her mind. Every word he said resonated in her mind like a familiar childhood lullaby slowly pulling her away from darkness and pessimism. Though he was no longer by her side, it was as though he was still somehow caring and looking out for her wherever he was. Li always provided her with a sense of security, reassurance and comfort. For that, Sakura would always keep him in her mind and heart. He would always hold a special spot within her. With a wider smile, Sakura wiped dry her eyes and took a deep breath of relief. Letting thoughts of Li Syaoran fill her mind, Sakura slowly and happily found serenity.
Then her thoughts were interrupted as a yellow creature floated across the room calling to her. "Daijoubu, Sakura?" the yellow stuffed animal-like Kero asked as he hovered over Sakura looking at her tenderly.
"Daijoubu, Kero-chan," Sakura replied opening her eyes with the same glitter as always and a bright smile. "I'll always be all right because I have you and I have my friends and family," she continued.
"What about the Snow Rabbit? Are you all right with that? You were pretty upset this morning," Kero pointed out as he took a seat on Sakura's bed next to the girl.
"It's all right. I know Tomoyo-chan and Li-kun are right. I'll be happy because Yukito-san is happy. Besides, even if I love him and he loves someone else, as long as he's happier with that person, then I shouldn't stand in the way," Sakura reasoned as she sat up on her bed and gave Kero a reassuring smile.
"What about you? I thought you wanted to wait for that Snow Rabbit to come back and then he'll wait for you to finish school," Kero asked. "I thought he was the person you loved best in the world."
"Well, Yukito-san is right about me not liking him that way. The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes. Yukito-san reminds me a lot of otousan," Sakura smiled with a slight blush. "I'm sure there is someone that will love me best and I'll love that person best in return. Yukito-san said that he already exists and so I will have to try my best to find him,"
"Do you know where to look?" Kero muttered pessimistically.
"Not yet," Sakura replied as she pushed herself off her bed and walked over to perch on her windowsill. "But, somehow, I know he exists and I have a feeling that we've already met and that I just have to realize who he is," Sakura continued as she gazed outside where everything was in a shade of dark reddish orange. "I know all I have to do is to wait for him to come back and I hope, he'll wait to meet me again,"
Sakura paused and took in a deep breath of fresh air. All of a sudden, the world seemed less cruel and fate no longer twisted her like a frail puppet in an endless, odd drama.
"Because when we meet again, we'll always be together,"
***
Li Syaoran stared blankly from the balcony of his mountaintop house out at the busy city of Hong Kong as the sun began to dip and set past the horizon. The view was spectacular and thousands of tourists would travel hours just for a chance to admire the scene; but none of what he saw registered in his mind. Instead, wherever he looked, all Li could see was the hallucinating image of a brown-haired green-eyed girl.
A warm breeze blew by Li's dark chestnut brown hair ruffling through its many intricate locks. His deep and expressive intense reddish brown eyes gazed pensively outside not noticing the various cars that zoomed on the roadways or the masses of pedestrians that crossed the narrow streets. He no longer remembered how long he had been standing in such a position. None of that mattered though. No matter how long he stood on the balcony, he always felt as though he needed just a moment longer. He arrived back at his native land earlier that day; but he simply left his luggage untouched in his room while preceded directly to the balcony where he stood for the most part. He had scarcely seen his family and did not speak a word about magic or his stay at Japan. He knew if he continued to mope by the balcony any longer, his family would begin to worry and suspect. That did not matter though, nothing really did except for Kinomoto Sakura.
Li wondered about Sakura. He wondered if she made it back home in time to meet up with that person. He wondered how the confession went. He wondered if she still remembered him with all the excitement.
He thought about what Sakura had said all that last night when they had been together. He thought of telling her after she urged him to. After all, he did want Sakura to wait for him to come back and he wanted to wait for her to reply to his confession. All that would have been perfect but Li had learned early in his life that life was rarely ideal. Li was sure that if he had told, Sakura might be confused so that she would forfeit her chance to confess to her first love; and instead spent her time thinking about her feelings for him. Perhaps, Sakura would have been too afraid of destroying their friendship that she would say she loved him in return though she really loved Yukito. It was for the best that she never knew.
Then again, Li was scared. There was no guarantee that Sakura would love him in return. He said that himself. In that case, he hoped she was happy with that person and that together, Sakura and Yukito would always be content. However, there was always the possibility. Maybe she had always loved Li but since he never showed any affection towards her, she might have given hope on him.
Then his thoughts drifted onto the confession. Li was curious about how Yukito would react. He was pretty sure whatever the response is, Yukito would put it in a way so that Sakura would understand. Yukito was always sensitive and kind. Li was certain that Sakura held a special spot in Yukito's heart but he would not bet that Yukito felt the same way for Sakura as she did for him. It was a sneaking suspicion that lingered at the back of his mind. That might just have been his optimism trying cloud his judgment but somehow he could sense truth in it.
If Yukito really did not love Sakura like she did for him, then he was sure Sakura would be weeping right about now no matter how Yukito put the rejection. That sudden horror of realizaiton sank into Li's heart as he felt his stomach turn with grief, sorry and pity. He wanted to be there to comfort her though he had no idea what he could possibly do. Somehow, he felt that if his presence could even make the slightest difference, then being by her side watching in pain while she cried would be worth all the trouble. Even if he was no longer near her, he still wanted to be a part of her life. Li still wanted to be the person Sakura ran to when she faced a problem.
His face began to redden as he continued to immerse himself in his chain of thoughts. That was love. Love was what made Sakura appeal to him and the very thing that makes him worry about her.
No matter what form of love she truly had for him—whether it be friendly, family-like, or even genuine romance—Li would always love Sakura just the same.
"Then until we meet again, Sakura…"
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Owari!
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For those who don't know…
Moshi moshi – hello
~desu ka – Is it ~
Oniisama / oniichan – sir brother / older brother
Gomen nasai – Very sorry
Nan (nani) – what
Doushite – why
Sou desu ka – is that so
Imouto – little sister
Otousan – father
Daijoubu – Are you ok? / I'm fine / Is it Ok
Ne – you know