Chapter Five: Forgetting Sakura

Chapter Five: Losing Sakura

Syaoran diligently practiced his kendo and kung-fu for the last couple days…two days since Sakura told him that she now loved someone else. Syaoran squeezed his eyes shut and pictured an opponent inside his mind. Twirling around his kendo stick with ease in his fingers, he plunged the stick up, down, and across the opponent. Syaoran opened his eyes. His body was drenched with sweat from the late hours of practice. He decided that was enough for the day. Syaoran left the practice room and walked inside the bathroom for a cold shower. He needed it.

As the water hit his back, Syaoran thought about Sakura again. It was so hard to get rid of her in his mind. There were too many memories for her to be pushed out, and it drove Syaoran crazy.

'Why did I even consider coming back?'

As Syaoran implored this question silently in his mind, he began to subconsciously remember all the memories he had when he was with Sakura. Syaoran remembered a kind of insecurity he felt from Sakura as they sought out each card. It was true that Syaoran treated her harshly, but that was partly due to his own personality and how he was brought up.

Growing up did not come easily to Syaoran. He didn't exactly have the 'normal childhood' that most children had. In fact, his life was far from normal. Instead of having the traditional mother, father, sibling family, Syaoran lived a life with no father and literally no mother. The Lis were a rich and powerful group in Hong Kong. They were respected and held with the highest honor. Syaoran's mother was always off somewhere else since the day of his birth. She was stoic, silent, and emotionless. She left Syaoran in the hands of martial arts experts and scholars, who taught him brutally with discipline. Syaoran was no stranger to being whipped for making mistakes while in training. He never expected anyone to take care of him, so he relied on himself most of his life. Syaoran didn't know how to love and how to let others love him.

Starting off the day at the crack of dawn, Syaoran ate little, and spent his free time doing Kung-Fu. Syaoran was forced to do five hundred kicks and punches in a row each day, exercises that taught him balance and coordination. When his legs and arms faltered, the elders punished him by doing more exercises on top of additional whippings. (Aria's notes: I got this info from martial arts masters and the Jackie Chan biography. It's pretty horribleL )

Years of training desensitized Syaoran's body and mind. Pain was no stranger to him, and he learned to completely ignore it. Syaoran also learned not to cry when he was hurt and not to smile when he was feeling okay. He was taught that nothing in life was served on a silver platter, and that life was nothing but misery and pain. It was best to block the pain out. It was Syaoran's duty to protect his mother, his sisters, and his clan. Leaders like Syaoran didn't have time for feelings or suffering; they were signs of weakness, Syaoran learned.

But that all changed when he was sent to Japan to retrieve the Clow Cards from the unknown girl who accidently broke the seal to the book that contained them. When Syaoran first met Sakura, he felt engulfed with rage and anger. How dare this impudent Japanese schoolgirl mess with something she obviously had no power over? Syaoran tried to steal the cards away from Sakura until her brother stopped him from doing so.

'If it weren't for Kinomoto, I would have gotten my way and left Japan for good.' Syaoran closed his eyes for a second. If it weren't for Touya, Syaoran wouldn't have gotten to know Sakura as he knew her now. She was possibly the most innocent person he'd ever met. Sakura had no impurities or major faults. In fact, because of her purity, Sakura was oblivious to anything with a hint of dirtiness. That was the one aspect of her that made Syaoran fall in love with her. Sakura was gentle, kind, innocent, and extremely likable. And, now…she belonged to someone else.

Syaoran opened his eyes and became aware of his surroundings. He was in the shower, with the ice-cold pelting water hitting his back. Suddenly, he felt angry. 'It's my fault that I didn't come back for her earlier, and here I am, sulking.' Syaoran remembered how he treated Sakura earlier. He left her alone at the park, and he knew that she was miserable to tell him the bad news. He had probably caused her more pain by just leaving her on the spot.

Syaoran squeezed his eyes shut and felt embarrassed. 'I'm still her friend,' he told himself, willingly. 'I am. I should have been more understanding about the whole deal. After all,' he clenched his fists, 'that guy is probably a better person that I'll ever be.' Syaoran decided to go over to Sakura's to give her his blessing, so he turned the water off and climbed out, drying his soaked hair with a towel. 'I just hope she doesn't hold a grudge against me for doing what I stupidly did. Man, it really surprises me how much of an idiot I am sometimes.'

Syaoran pulled on his clothes and grabbed his car keys. This was going to be one of the most painful things he was going to do. Syaoran was going to give up his treasure that he held on to for so long. Willingly, Syaoran walked out the door, not even bothering to lock up.

Chapter six: Enter Reid

Sakura couldn't bear having one of her friends angry with her, and it tore her up when he/she didn't want to talk with her. Well, the feeling was far worse when Syaoran decided not to know her anymore. Sakura was supposed to leave Japan the other night, but she decided to stay for a couple of more weeks until school opened up again in Los Angeles. In a way, she was overjoyed to stay with her family, but it gave her a sense of uneasiness being in the same country as Syaoran Li.

"It's your turn, Sakura…Sakura? Sakura!"

Sakura blinked. "Oh, sorry, Tomoyo. I must have been daydreaming again."

Tomoyo smiled. "That's alright, Sakura. It's your move."

Sakura moved one of her knights on the chess table and fell directly into the trap of Tomoyo's horse piece.

"Check," Tomoyo said, dully, as she removed Sakura's slayed knight.

"What's with you, Sakura? You're not usually this sloppy at chess."

Sakura laughed nervously. "I guess I am getting pretty sloppy."

Tomoyo sighed. "You were thinking about Li again, weren't you?"

Sakura didn't answer.

Tomoyo pushed away the chess table and sat next to her best friend. Sakura laid a troubled head on Tomoyo's shoulder. " I just need time to forget him, that's all."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like a hundred years. Why don't you call him and say you want to be friends again?"

Sakura shook her head. "I can't. He'll just hang up on me. I know it."

Now Tomoyo shook her head. "He won't do that to you. Never to you."

Before Sakura could answer, a loud rendition of "Twinkle…little star" played from the door. Sakura and Tomoyo jumped at the sudden noise. "Whoa, who could it be at this time and hour?" Tomoyo asked, checking her watch.

Sakura shrugged. "I'll go and see. If it's your mom or someone, I'll check to see if you could stay for a while." Tomoyo nodded in agreement.

Sakura went up and pressed the button to the phone. A fuzzy picture of a tall, Japanese guy with spiky ebony hair was viewed in the screen. Sakura's breath caught in her throat. The screen focused a little bit clearer and the picture was made out.

"It's Reid!" Sakura cried, signaling Tomoyo. Tomoyo instantly got up and walked up next to Sakura. "Lemme see, Sakura!" Tomoyo said. "I've always wanted to meet this guy of yours!" Sakura let him in and Reid wasted no time getting back into Sakura's arms.

Sakura struggled to breathe in Reid's massive grip on her.

"Uh…Reid? I can't breathe, man."

Reid released her and smiled broadly. "Surprised, Sakura?" He spoke in English.

Sakura scratched the back of her head in surprise. "Something like that…yeah. What made you come here?"

Reid opened his mouth to say something, but Tomoyo interrupted him before he could start. This was a good opportunity to test out her English. "Hello, Reid Matsuyo! Nice meet you! My name Tomoyo Daidouji," Tomoyo spoke in broken English. She held out her hand and smiled.

Reid forced a smile on his face and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you too, Daidouji," he spoke in smooth Japanese. Tomoyo looked embarrassed. "Oh, you speak our language?"

Reid smiled again. "Of course. I'm Japanese, aren't I?"

Tomoyo smiled awkwardly. "Yes, but I thought that since you lived in Amer—"

"It's good to have met you," Reid interrupted. He turned away from a puzzled Tomoyo to Sakura. "I'm so glad to see you again, Sakura. I'm here because you haven't returned home on the date you said you would, so I decided to just drop by in case you were in sort of a emergency or something."

Sakura smiled and squeezed his hand. "No, it's just that I felt like staying here for a while. It's home."

Reid smiled coolly and tossed back his hair. Tomoyo frowned. She almost liked the guy at first, but now he seemed to be arrogant and rude.

"Of course you feel that way, sweetie. Everyone misses home once in a while…but, Sakura, why don't you come back to Los Angeles with me now? I mean, I miss you." Reid flashed Sakura another smile that made her face turn bright crimson.

"Sakura can go back when she feels like it," snapped Tomoyo, who now looked irate.

Sakura, oblivious to the tone of Tomoyo's voice, smiled up at Reid. "I will go back, but not now, Reid. I want to spend time with my family and old friends for a while. I won't be seeing them for a while after this visit."

The cool smirk melted off Reid's face and Tomoyo flashed a triumphant smile at him.

"Okay," Reid said, at last, running his fingers through Sakura's hair. "But as long as I'm here, I might as well get a hotel room and stay until you decide to return. Is that alright with you?" He flashed her another blinding smile.

Sakura smiled back. "No need to do that. You can stay here and sleep in Touya's room. He's going back to his apartment in Tokyo tonight. He's here because I'm visiting." Sakura peeled Reid's hand off her face and held it in her hands. She really liked being around Reid, but being with him always gave her butterflies in her stomach. He moved too fast for her taste.

Reid nodded in agreement. "Okay. I'll get my stuff and move it upstairs. But, first, I have to meet this brother of yours. I bet he's a great guy." Reid bounded upstairs in swift leaps.

Sakura giggled nervously. "Oh yeah, he's a great guy, all right. If you only knew what he'd do if he found out that you were my boyfriend." Sakura sighed.

Tomoyo was still frowning. "How long have you known him, Sakura?" Tomoyo wanted to know what made this guy so appealing to Sakura. Because, so far, Tomoyo had found no enticing qualities about him, except for his exceptionally good looks.

Sakura stared off into space. "Oh, I've known him ever since I came to the United States. He was the first person who even introduced himself to me." She twiddled her thumbs. "I'm not as popular there as I was over here. It was hard getting to know people."

Tomoyo nodded in understanding. "I bet it hasn't been easy being the new exchange student. Now I know how Li must have felt."

"Ding ding ding…"

Sakura sighed. "It's almost eleven o'clock at night! Who could it be this time?" Not even bothering to look into the intercom screen, Sakura unlocked the front door and opened it.

It was Syaoran.

Sakura's heart did a flip-flop. There he was. Tall and poised, tantalizing brown eyes sharp, eyebrows arched downwards.

"Hi, Sakura," Syaoran said, softly.

Sakura began trembling. "H-hi, Li-kun."

For a moment there, they just stood staring at one another; each one was not aware of how much they missed each other.

Sakura then noticed the cold breeze and shivered. "Come in, Li. It's cold out."

Syaoran did as he was told gladly and brushed off the breeze from his face. "I need to talk with you, Sakura," he said.

"S-sure, let's go sit in the den. Come on."

Tomoyo grinned at the two. If only she had her camera right now. The sparks were definitely flying, but each one refused to acknowledge. She watched them walk down to the den and smiled to herself. They were definitely made to be with each other, but neither one knew that yet. Sakura was blinded by Reid and mistook her affections for him as love. Tomoyo shook her head. "Boy, they are so complicated…"

Sakura and Syaoran sat opposite of each other at the Cherry-wood card table. Syaoran looked down at his lap and Sakura pretended to be interested in the pretty pattern of the floor rug.

"You really love him, Sakura?" Syaoran asked, still looking down at his lap.

Sakura blinked and looked up. Suddenly, a wave of nausea flooded Sakura's senses.

"I-I guess so," she spoke, softly.

Syaoran clenched his fists and his voice broke as he trembled. "Then…then I have no right to be angry with you," he spoke.

Sakura sat, enraptured by his sight. 'What?' she thought.

"It's my duty to be your friend and protector," Syaoran continued. "I was childish and dense to realize that you were somehow going to wait for a silly childhood memory to come back," he said.

Sakura's eyes glazed over. "You were not a silly memory, Syaoran."

"So you don't have to have a burden anymore. You have every right to see…to see…other people. I still want to be your friend, Sakura, but I'll understand if you are disgusted and never wish to see me again. I'll leave immediately."

Syaoran began to get up to go, but Sakura stopped him by getting up herself and put her arms around Syaoran. He gasped in surprise.

"I could never be disgusted with you, Syaoran. You should be the one disgusted with me. I'm too petty and I never waited long enough for you to return. Don't forgive me for what I've done. I have broken a promise, and a promise is worth a thousand lives." Sakura felt his warm arms enfold hers.

"Then, we're definitely even," Syaoran said.

Sakura smiled and let go. Suddenly she felt cold without Syaoran embracing her. She shook off the feeling and smiled at him. "Stay for a little bit, Syaoran. If Kero didn't eat all the cake, we could have a little night snack."

Syaoran smiled at her innocence and beauty. "Maybe another time, Sakura. It's late."

Sakura nodded as she noticed what time it was: 11:30. She led Syaoran out of the den and back to the living room. In the couches sat Tomoyo and Reid. Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. She almost forgot that Reid was here.

Reid instantly got up when he saw Syaoran. He crinkled his eyebrows. Tomoyo sat in her place, staring at the scene. Reid walked over to where Syaoran and Sakura was and stood beside her, opposite to Syaoran. Syaoran had a glare on his face.

Sakura felt the atmosphere go dry with heat. "Er…Reid, this is Syaoran Li. My best friend from Hong Kong. Syaoran, this is Reid Matsuyo…my boyfriend."

Both guys checked each other out, seeing what they were up against. Reid was the first one to talk. He smiled broadly and held out his hand. "Hey, man."

Syaoran didn't take the hand right away. He had a suspicious glare across his face, and his teeth were clenched tightly together. So, this was the boyfriend. 'How quaint,' Syaoran thought sarcastically. 'He speaks perfect Japanese.' Finally, Syaoran held out his hand, and he squeezed tightly, uncomfortably so.

Reid winced at the pain, but held on. Tomoyo stifled a giggle. Two grown boys battling it out for the affections of Sakura Kinomoto. She kicked herself for not bringing that camcorder.

Sakura eyed the hand-squeeze marathon, and sweat-dropped.

"I've got to go, Sakura," Syaoran said, his eyes never leaving Reid's.

Sakura smiled weakly. "Okay, Syaoran. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Syaoran nodded and let go of the poor boy's hand. (Aria's Notes: Syaoran's power grip!) Reid's hand was red and twitching. Syaoran gave a smirk to Reid's look on his face to fight the pain, and closed the front door behind them.

"DAMN! That guy almost squeezed my hand to death!!!"

@ria'S noteS: How'd you like these two chapters? I named Reid after my brother, who goes to UCLA in Los Angeles. Basically, Reid in this story is the alter ego of my brother, Reid. BUT, Reid Iwaka isn't as horrible as Reid Matsuyo is. I think my brother resembles Touya a LOT actually, rather than the fictional Reid…right down to the looks, brains, and over-protectiveness of his little sis! ARGH! Sorry for not updating much. I'm starting school again, and I have voice and dance lessons on top of that. But I promise that the next few chapters will be the turning point of the story, so watch out for them!

***Special thanks to Jenny, Jessica, and Ashley for mucho ideas!***