Disclaimer: CCS and the characters
do not belong to me, they belong to CLAMP and Kodansha.
" Speech
* Thoughts
~ Sounds
Glossary:
matte: wait
nani: what
By ~Xiaoling~
Chapter 3: The Photograph
Syaoran blinked in shock, but he was snapped out of his revere when Meiling tugged at his sleeve.
"Xiaolang! Why are you just standing there and staring at the balcony?" Meiling asked, a bit confused.
"Don't you see her?!" Syaoran turned to look at her and pointed a finger towards the girl.
Meiling followed his finger, and saw nothing there. "...You must be seeing things Xiaolang..."
Syaoran turned back, and the girl wasn't there anymore. "She..she must've been the ghost!"
"What ghost?" Eriol and Tomoyo came running towards them. "There was nothing out of the ordinary on our side. Anything here?"
"Syaoran claims that he saw the ghost," Meiling said. "But I didn't see a thing!"
Syaoran didn't hear what they were all saying, he was just staring at the place where the girl had just been standing.
*Her name...is Sakura?* He repeated the name in his head.
"I guess you guys should be leaving...maybe come back another day and we can find that ghost," Tomoyo suggested.
Eriol looked at Tomoyo worridly. "Are you sure you'll be safe with a ghost in your house?"
"Yes, I'll be fine," Tomoyo smiled at Eriol.
Meiling nodded and pulled Syaoran downstairs with her. "We should be going home. Night night Tomoyo and Eriol," She waved good bye and practically dragged Syaoran home.
"What's with you?" She asked when they were almost there.
"I saw her! Sakura!" Syaoran exclaimed.
Meiling raised an eyebrow. "Who's Sakura?"
"...I don't know...but I saw a girl, she was humming, and she said that her name was Sakura!" Syaoran uttered, but it made no sense to Meiling.
"I think you're not feeling well...you better get to bed," Meiling said with a sigh as she pushed him into his room and went to her room.
Syaoran sighed and frowned to himself as he sat down at his desk that was in front of the window. He fumbled with a pencil aimlessly and started scribbling on a peace of blank paper for no reason.
*Who is she? Sakura...that name...* He blinked at what he had just drawn on the piece of paper. It was the girl's eyes, staring up at him innocently. Her auburn hair in the picture seemed like it was blowing gently with the wind. Syaoran frowned and quickly scrunched up the picture and decided to go to bed.
You don't remember me do you? You don't remember our wonderful memories together...so peaceful and serene. I'm your little cherry blossom, that's who I am...
Sakura placed her hand on the window, the only thing separating her from Syaoran. She smiled, looking at him sleeping peacefully in his bed.
See you tomorrow Shaoran...
"LET'S GO TO THE MALL ONEGAI!!!"
Syaoran hid farther into his blankets and groaned. "Go away Meiling."
"Oh pwetty pueeze?!" He heard Meiling beg while shaking him with her arms. "They're having a big sale at the mall today! COME ON!!"
Syaoran groaned harder and threw his blanket in the air and jumped out of his bed. "FINE!!! Geez! Don't I get some peace here?!"
"No," Meiling said sweetly. "Well, let's go!" She started pulling him out the door.
"Matte! I'm still in my pjs Meiling!" Syaoran dashed into the bathroom with some clothing and came out again. "Now we can go."
Meiling smiled, "Yay!"
"Isn't that wedding dress gorgeous?" Meiling's eyes had sparkling stars in them as she looked up at the light pink satin dress with her hands clasped together in awe.
Syaoran sweatdropped as he dropped all the shopping bags that belonged to Meiling. "Hurry up will you? I'm already doing you a great favour by carrying your bags." He muttered.
"Alright!" Meiling rolled her eyes and skipped into a jewelery store. Syaoran sighed anime style as he followed suit with his head drooped low in tiredness.
He crashed right into the glass door when he noticed that it wasn't opened, and he stumbled back and dropped all the shopping bags. Syaoran sighed and slowly got up.
"Need help?" He looked up so see where that voice had come from and he met emerald eyes.
"You!" He scrambled to his feet quickly.
The girl tilted her head slightly. "Me?"
"Yes you! You're Sakura!" Syaoran uttered.
The girl smiled, "You remember me." She said happily and beant down to help pick up some of the bags and handed them to Syaoran.
"Who are you?" Syaoran asked.
Sakura frowned sadly, "You don't remember neh?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Xiaolang!! Help me with the bags here!!" He heard Meiling's yell and he turned his head.
Meiling came out of the store with two bags. "What took you so long?!"
"I was talking to her," Syaoran gestured to where Sakura was standing.
Meiling blinked with a sweatdropped, "When did you ever have an invisible friend."
Sakura started giggling at Syaoran's confused look and Meiling's comment.
"What the?" Syaoran found himself so confused. "Don't you see her Meiling?" Syaoran pointed his finger right at Sakura.
Meiling stared at him as if he was crazy and she quickly ran up to him and placed a hand on his forehead. "You don't seem to be burning up with something Xiaolang..."
Syaoran growled and shoved Meiling's hand aside. "I don't have a fever!"
"Then why are you making no sense?!" Meiling exclaimed.
"You're the one that's making no sense! Are you blind?!" Syaoran exclaimed and noticed that Sakura was still giggling uncontrollably. "What's so funny?" He asked the questioned to Sakura.
Sakura held her mouth in laughter and calmed herself. "She can't see me Shaoran."
"...Nani?" He asked, his eyes wide.
Sakura opened her mouth to reply but Meiling started to drag Syaoran away towards the pharmacy store across from them.
"You need some mental help Xiaolang," Meiling pulled Syaoran all the way in.
Sakura giggled and waved good bye
to the confused Syaoran as he disappeared into the store. She turned around,
her pink skirt swinging as she took each step and soon she disappeared.
"I do not have some mental problem!" Syaoran exclaimed and jumped off the seat. "This is just ridicoulous!" He exclaimed and stormed out of the doctor's office with Meiling running to catch up to him.
"But you've been acting so weird lately! You keep on saying you see some girl named Sakura and that your talking to her!" Meiling said in astonishment.
Syaoran crossed his arms and he stopped walking. "Because I'm telling you the truth." He replied and walked off leaving Meiling in the mall.
"What was that all about?!" Meiling
protested. "Matte! You're leaving me with all my bags!!!"
Syaoran had his hands stuffed into his pockets as he walked down the quiet sidewalk. The sun shone gently down on him, and a couple birds flew in a group and sat on a fence nearby.
He glanced up and noticed that he was walking by the yellow house where the crazy man lived. He paused again when he remembered something the older boy had said.
Flashback>
"I'm sorry if my father scared you...he is just a bit out of his mind since the lost of my little sister..." The boy explained sadly. "My father still thinks that my little sister is still alive...but she really died twenty years ago."
"Oh...I'm sorry," Tomoyo said sadly.
"It's alright..." The boy replied.
The old man frowned, "My Sakura is not dead! She is just lost and she can't find her way home again!" The old man said furiously. "But she'll find her way back! I know she will!"
End of Flashback>
"Sakura!" He exclaimed out loud. "...This is all so confusing..."
"It's you again."
Syaoran looked up and saw the old man standing there leaning on his cane slightly. The old man looked him up and down, his eyes seemed to be observing him.
"Just like him..." He heard the old man whisper.
"Come..come in boy," The old man turned around to go back into the house. Syaoran guessed that he meant for him to follow so he entered the house.
It was small and quite cozy, and neatly furnished. Not at all like where a crazy man would live. It was clean, and fresh flowers were on the kitchen table.
The old man gestured for him to take a seat on the couch as he sat down himself.
"Why did you invite me in?" Was Syaoran's first question.
The old man chuckled and placed his cane down on the carpeted floor. "Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I'm as sane as any of you."
Syaoran's eyes widened as he saw the old man in a different way. The man didn't seem like he looked crazy...just sort of sad and hopeful.
"You remind me alot of my daughter's boyfriend," The man explained and took a photograph out from his pocket. He glanced at it and handed it over to Syaoran.
He gazed at the picture for the longest time, his eyes widening in surprise. There was a boy around sixteen in the picture, with messy brown hair and deep amber eyes. He had a small frown on his face, one hand on his hip and the other hanging losely to his side. In the background was the house he was in right now, except that it looked much newer and more cheerful.
"He...he looks like me..." Syaoran uttered in shock.
The old man nodded, "That is why I invited you in. Because you reminded me so much of him."
"...What is his name...?" Syaoran questioned.
The old man paused slightly, and
sighed gently. "Syaoran...Syaoran Li."
AN: Hoe? Syaoran Li?! The boy in the picture is Syaoran? Now how can this be? Well, you will have to find out ;) Tee hee! Thanks for reading and please review!
