Glossary of Japanese words
that I use:
'Arigato' – Thank you
'Nani' – What? (used to ask
what is the person saying or talking about)
"Silly. That's the feeling of love." Syaoran looked down at his tabletop, staring at his literature text. He picked it up and stuffed it into his backpack. I love her? He stepped out of his room and began to head for the main door.
"Syaoran! Wait for me!" An all-too-familiar voice called from behind him.
"Meiling…" Syaoran stopped to wait for his cousin. "Are you ok? Do you still want to go for classes?"
"No problem at all. Come on, let's go. We can't be late."
* * *
The man parked his vehicle under a tall tree, his eyes
trailing to the apartment building. At least, I have found out where he is
staying. He stepped out of the driver's seat and amused himself with the
flicking of the cigarette lighter. What should be my next move?
Out of the corner of his eye, an auburn-haired girl stepped out of the building. Maybe, I can get some information from the people staying here. He covered the distance between himself and the girl.
"Hello. Are you staying here?" He asked. I must be casual.
"Yes. What can I do for you?"
"Oh, I just moved here but I don't really know the people staying here."
"Really? Nice to meet you. I'm Sakura, Kinomoto Sakura."
Why does her name ring a bell? "I'm Goh, but you can call me Mingwei. Nice to meet you too." Sakura Kinomoto…. Fujitaka Kinomoto… Sakura Kinomoto… Fujitaka Kinomoto. Yes! I finally found her. Xiaoyue, wait for Papa. The money for your medical fees is coming.
"I'm sorry but I got classes. See you then." The girl made a bow and then headed off in the direction of the university.
"See you." The man muttered and a smile appeared across his face.
* * *
"Syaoran, have you told her about your feelings towards her?" Meiling looked at her cousin, as they walked towards the campus compounds.
"No… I haven't."
"What! You got to tell her fast. With her dense personality, she won't realize anything. Besides, the boys seem to like her a lot. If she got snatched away by someone else, I will be extremely angry."
"But I…"
"No more buts. Tell her as soon as possible," Meiling's eyes twinkled with excitement. "If not today."
* * *
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The same commotion arose as the students packed their books and notes into their bags and made their way out of the campus.
"Sakura, are you free?" Meiling stood in front of the auburn-haired girl with emerald eyes, her ruby eyes scanning in between Sakura and Syaoran with excitement.
"Yes, I'm free till six in the evening. Why?"
"Oh, I was just thinking. How about the three of us going to the park for a walk?"
Syaoran shot a look at Meiling. What are you thinking of? Why the sudden idea of going to the park? He caught a glimpse of the sparkle in her eyes. Why do I have a feeling that she has something up in her sleeves?
"Ok. That's a great idea. Come on, let's go." Sakura smiled cheerfully.
* * *
"It's so beautiful." Sakura exclaimed, taking a deep breath of the clear, fresh, crisp air. She turned to face Syaoran and Meiling. "Arigato, for bringing me to this beautiful place."
"It's ok." Syaoran smiled in spite of himself. He turned towards Meiling and hissed into her ear, "What do you think you are doing?"
"Creating an opportunity for you, of course." Meiling whispered. "Sakura, I'm going to get ice-cream. Do you want any?"
"No, thank you." The girl replied, while she was submerging herself into the bright warm sunlight.
"I will be back in a while." Meiling exclaimed excitedly. As she turned to leave, she landed a tap on Syaoran's shoulder, "Make the best of it."
"Wait. I…" Syaoran began but Meiling had disappeared into the bushes. He turned back to look at Sakura, who was enjoying the best of the moment.
A gentle breeze rustled her hair, her bangs curling up to her face. A soft sound traveled through the park as the lush green leaves swayed to and fro, in a rhythmic movement. The chirping of the birds and the sound of the crickets blended in harmoniously with the gentle breeze. Sakura closed her eyes, letting Nature surround her.
Syaoran watched her in silence and a deep-rooted blush set in upon his face. "Beautiful…" he muttered under his breath as he allowed himself to be mesmerized by what he was looking at and time seemed to be like an eternity for that short while.
From behind a bush, a pebble flew out and hit the back of Syaoran's head. He let out a small yelp as he clutched at the back of his head.
"Who did that? Come out!" Sakura practically shouted. Syaoran watched her, his face emitting surprise as he rubbed the sore bump that was appearing. "Come out now, or else…" Sakura started in the direction where the pebble had come from but Syaoran stopped her.
"Sakura, never mind about that. I got something to tell you."
* * *
Meiling crouched behind the bushes, her heart beating rapidly. That guy. If I haven't thrown that pebble at him, he will just continue to stand there and stare at her all the way. She took a deep breath. But I'm surprised at how Sakura shoot up to his defence. She must have really cared about him. But then, the pebble will only cause a small bump. Meiling giggled. Well, it's all up to you now, Syaoran.
* * *
"Are you ok?" Sakura reached out to touch his wound but Syaoran moved away from her. The concerned looks on her face changed to that of sorrow. "It's all my fault. I am a jinx. I can't change the fact that people around me will always get hurt, no matter what." She buried her face in her palms and began to sob.
I shouldn't have done that. Syaoran moved closer to Sakura and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "No, it's not your fault. I just was not careful enough. That's all."
Sakura looked up, tears shimmering at the edges of her eyelids. Syaoran reached over to wipe them away. "Hush, don't cry. Anyway, I… I got to tell you something and it's important."
"Nani?" Sakura whispered, as she shook off the tears in her eyes.
"I…" Syaoran kicked the ground with his left foot, making a rustling sound. "I…" He focused his eyes at her, realizing the redness on his face.
"I like you."
Author's Notes: Actually, I am a bit hesitant on writing
this chapter because I feel that somehow, I am rushing the relationship
together, which is by no way what I had planned for. What do you think? Do you
feel that I am giving you this impression? I also read the reviews for the past
2 chapters and there is a suggestion of wanting to let Meiling have a boyfriend
in the end. Well, I have to admit that that has never been part of my plan when
writing this fanfic and it's really a bit late to add in a new character, but
I'm really grateful for your suggestions. I will take that into consideration
when I work on another fanfic, that is if I finish writing this one. Oh, my
exams are coming in about 2 weeks form now, even though it's supposed to be the
summer vacation. So, I won't be putting up any new chapters that soon, and if I
do, it must be an extremely good day where I manage to finish all my revision.
In the meantime, bear with me. I'm sure you are all looking towards my ending,
which is some distance from now.