1 Chapter 9
The students of Tomoeda Elementary filed into the cafeteria, chatting noisily. Syaoran saw Sakura ahead of him in line. He noticed the bandages on her arm and winced as if the pain was his own. I should never have let that happen, he thought sadly.
He watched as Sakura casually picked up her food while talking and laughing with Tomoyo. He decided to sit with them. It's not as if I have a whole lot of other friends, he said to himself. I never even tried to make other friends. I guess I never thought I'd be staying here in Tomoeda. I'd never thought I'd want to. But now... He smiled dreamily, still watching Sakura. It's amazing how she changed me...
"Hey, kid!"
"Huh?" said Syaoran, suddenly jerked back to reality. The cafeteria lady was glaring at him.
"You're holding up the line. You buying food or what?"
Syaoran blushed and picked up a sandwich, glancing apologetically at the annoyed people behind him.
After paying for his lunch, Syaoran looked around the cafeteria until he spotted Sakura and Tomoyo sitting with Rika, Chiharu, Naoko, and Yamazaki. He managed to elbow his way through the crowd and grabbed the last available seat at the table, across from Sakura.
She smiled at him. "Hi, Syaoran."
He blushed and smiled back, looking down shyly. "Hi."
Sakura began eating her salad. "Hey, this isn't bad!" she commented. "I haven't had a salad in a long time."
Suddenly Syaoran stiffened. He sensed... But it was gone again. Not about to make the same mistake twice, he leaned forward.
"Sakura," he hissed.
She looked at him. "Yes?"
"I just sensed the dragon. Only for a second, though. It's gone now."
Sakura looked worried. "Why would it just come and go like that? We didn't even see it."
Syaoran shrugged, trying not to act as worried as he felt. "I dunno."
"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, smiling brightly. "I didn't know there was a tomato in my salad! I love tomatoes!" She speared it with her fork and put it in her mouth. As she chewed, Syaoran felt increasingly uneasy. Something doesn't feel right...
Sakura began talking to Tomoyo about how hard the math was when she suddenly grew quiet. She moaned quietly and began to fall over.
"Sakura!" exclaimed Tomoyo, catching her friend before she fell. Syaoran stood up, palms flat on the table, leaning forward towards Sakura. Sakura weakly stood up, then stumbled to the garbage can at the end of the table. She clung to the rim and began to throw up.
Syaoran looked away. He couldn't stand to see her like this...
Finally, Sakura wiped her mouth and slumped to the floor. Tomoyo was by her side. "Sakura, are you okay?" she asked frantically.
Sakura did not answer. She was pale and sweaty, noticeably shaking.
Syaoran jumped over the table and came to her side. She knelt next to Sakura and touched her forehead. She felt cold and clammy. Fear gripped his heart. What was wrong? She had been fine five minutes ago... He gently picker her up in his arms and carried her to the nurse's office, oblivious to everyone in the cafeteria staring at them.
"Food poisoning," said the school nurse matter-of-factly.
"What?" said Syaoran dumbly.
"Food poisoning," the nurse repeated. "Do you know of anything she may have eaten that may have been rotten at all?"
"I don't know," replied Syaoran, thinking hard. Suddenly, it hit him. The dragon poisoned her at lunch... The tomato... But how...
"Can I take her home?" Syaoran asked softly, looking with concern at Sakura as she lay on the cot, sleeping restlessly.
"Let me check with her father," replied the nurse. Syaoran waited nervously while the nurse made the phone call. Finally, holding her hand over the mouthpiece, she replied, "It's fine. You are Li Syaoran, right?"
"Yes," he replied. The nurse finished up the conversation and hung up the phone.
"Go ahead. You can take her home. Her father says there's a spare key under the doormat."
"Great," said Syaoran, gently touching Sakura's cold, sweaty face. "Thanks."
He picked her up again and began walking to Sakura's house. Worry and fear overwhelmed him. What did the dragon do to her? And more importantly, how can I help her?
Syaoran sat on a chair next to Sakura's bed, watching her toss and turn in her fitful sleep, moaning incomprehensibly. He reached and touched her face. The cold feeling was gone. She was feverish now. He felt sick with worry. Should he call a doctor?
Syaoran stood up and started pacing. Kero hovered nearby. "How is she?" he asked nervously.
"She's got a fever," replied Syaoran. He turned to face Kero. "Do you know where they have aspirin?"
Kero nodded, disappeared for a second, then returned with a small bottle of aspirin. "But how will you give it to her?"
"Watch," replied Syaoran. He knelt beside Sakura's bed and gently opened her mouth. He put an aspirin in her mouth and started to push it down her throat with his finger. Kero looked on nervously. Syaoran prayed that Sakura would not gag. Once the pill was partly down her throat, he took a glass of water and poured a little in her mouth, then began to gently massage her throat. After a minute, he looked in her mouth. The aspirin was gone. He stood up and breathed a sigh of relief, running his hands through his think brown hair. "That should help," he said, almost to himself. "After a while, if her fever doesn't go down, I'll call a doctor."
Kero looked impressed. "How did you know how to do that?"
Syaoran turned to Kero. "Do what? Make her take the aspirin?"
"Yeah."
"When I was growing up, I used to have to take care of some animals at home. When they got sick, that was how I gave them pills. I just wasn't sure if the same method would work on Sakura." He turned back and looked at her. "I'm glad it did."
"Me too," agreed Kero. "Hey, kid. Do you think she'll be okay?"
"I really don't know," Syaoran replied quietly. "This is no ordinary food poisoning."
"Wha- what do you mean?"
"Right before Sakura got sick, I sensed the dragon's presence, just for a second," said Syaoran, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets, starting to pace again. "Then she noticed a tomato in her salad that she hadn't noticed before. I felt kind of uneasy while she was eating it, then right after that, she got sick..." Syaoran winced, remembering.
"Then what?"
"I took her to the nurse's office, then I brought her here. She was cold before, but now she's got a fever..."
"And you think the dragon's got something to do with this?"
Syaoran stopped pacing and nodded. "I do. But what can we do to help her?"
"What we are doing, I suppose..." Kero said sadly. Then he brightened. "But we don't have to worry too much. She'll be fine."
Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"
"If Sakura were to die, her magic would die with her. That would totally defeat the dragon's purpose. So, as sick as she is, we know she'll be able to recover from it."
"So you think the dragon will try to attack again while she's weak?"
Kero nodded seriously. "We've got to be ready."
Author's Note: Oooh, a cliffhanger! What's gonna happen next? ^_~ Actually, I figured it was long enough, so I should just upload what I had. Now that it's Christmas break, I should have more time to write. Hopefully I'll finish this story over break so I can start on something new! Any suggestions? Let me know! Oh, and feel free to e-mail me with questions, comments, etc. at amber_rules@juno.com. Read on, and review please! Ja ne!
The students of Tomoeda Elementary filed into the cafeteria, chatting noisily. Syaoran saw Sakura ahead of him in line. He noticed the bandages on her arm and winced as if the pain was his own. I should never have let that happen, he thought sadly.
He watched as Sakura casually picked up her food while talking and laughing with Tomoyo. He decided to sit with them. It's not as if I have a whole lot of other friends, he said to himself. I never even tried to make other friends. I guess I never thought I'd be staying here in Tomoeda. I'd never thought I'd want to. But now... He smiled dreamily, still watching Sakura. It's amazing how she changed me...
"Hey, kid!"
"Huh?" said Syaoran, suddenly jerked back to reality. The cafeteria lady was glaring at him.
"You're holding up the line. You buying food or what?"
Syaoran blushed and picked up a sandwich, glancing apologetically at the annoyed people behind him.
After paying for his lunch, Syaoran looked around the cafeteria until he spotted Sakura and Tomoyo sitting with Rika, Chiharu, Naoko, and Yamazaki. He managed to elbow his way through the crowd and grabbed the last available seat at the table, across from Sakura.
She smiled at him. "Hi, Syaoran."
He blushed and smiled back, looking down shyly. "Hi."
Sakura began eating her salad. "Hey, this isn't bad!" she commented. "I haven't had a salad in a long time."
Suddenly Syaoran stiffened. He sensed... But it was gone again. Not about to make the same mistake twice, he leaned forward.
"Sakura," he hissed.
She looked at him. "Yes?"
"I just sensed the dragon. Only for a second, though. It's gone now."
Sakura looked worried. "Why would it just come and go like that? We didn't even see it."
Syaoran shrugged, trying not to act as worried as he felt. "I dunno."
"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, smiling brightly. "I didn't know there was a tomato in my salad! I love tomatoes!" She speared it with her fork and put it in her mouth. As she chewed, Syaoran felt increasingly uneasy. Something doesn't feel right...
Sakura began talking to Tomoyo about how hard the math was when she suddenly grew quiet. She moaned quietly and began to fall over.
"Sakura!" exclaimed Tomoyo, catching her friend before she fell. Syaoran stood up, palms flat on the table, leaning forward towards Sakura. Sakura weakly stood up, then stumbled to the garbage can at the end of the table. She clung to the rim and began to throw up.
Syaoran looked away. He couldn't stand to see her like this...
Finally, Sakura wiped her mouth and slumped to the floor. Tomoyo was by her side. "Sakura, are you okay?" she asked frantically.
Sakura did not answer. She was pale and sweaty, noticeably shaking.
Syaoran jumped over the table and came to her side. She knelt next to Sakura and touched her forehead. She felt cold and clammy. Fear gripped his heart. What was wrong? She had been fine five minutes ago... He gently picker her up in his arms and carried her to the nurse's office, oblivious to everyone in the cafeteria staring at them.
"Food poisoning," said the school nurse matter-of-factly.
"What?" said Syaoran dumbly.
"Food poisoning," the nurse repeated. "Do you know of anything she may have eaten that may have been rotten at all?"
"I don't know," replied Syaoran, thinking hard. Suddenly, it hit him. The dragon poisoned her at lunch... The tomato... But how...
"Can I take her home?" Syaoran asked softly, looking with concern at Sakura as she lay on the cot, sleeping restlessly.
"Let me check with her father," replied the nurse. Syaoran waited nervously while the nurse made the phone call. Finally, holding her hand over the mouthpiece, she replied, "It's fine. You are Li Syaoran, right?"
"Yes," he replied. The nurse finished up the conversation and hung up the phone.
"Go ahead. You can take her home. Her father says there's a spare key under the doormat."
"Great," said Syaoran, gently touching Sakura's cold, sweaty face. "Thanks."
He picked her up again and began walking to Sakura's house. Worry and fear overwhelmed him. What did the dragon do to her? And more importantly, how can I help her?
Syaoran sat on a chair next to Sakura's bed, watching her toss and turn in her fitful sleep, moaning incomprehensibly. He reached and touched her face. The cold feeling was gone. She was feverish now. He felt sick with worry. Should he call a doctor?
Syaoran stood up and started pacing. Kero hovered nearby. "How is she?" he asked nervously.
"She's got a fever," replied Syaoran. He turned to face Kero. "Do you know where they have aspirin?"
Kero nodded, disappeared for a second, then returned with a small bottle of aspirin. "But how will you give it to her?"
"Watch," replied Syaoran. He knelt beside Sakura's bed and gently opened her mouth. He put an aspirin in her mouth and started to push it down her throat with his finger. Kero looked on nervously. Syaoran prayed that Sakura would not gag. Once the pill was partly down her throat, he took a glass of water and poured a little in her mouth, then began to gently massage her throat. After a minute, he looked in her mouth. The aspirin was gone. He stood up and breathed a sigh of relief, running his hands through his think brown hair. "That should help," he said, almost to himself. "After a while, if her fever doesn't go down, I'll call a doctor."
Kero looked impressed. "How did you know how to do that?"
Syaoran turned to Kero. "Do what? Make her take the aspirin?"
"Yeah."
"When I was growing up, I used to have to take care of some animals at home. When they got sick, that was how I gave them pills. I just wasn't sure if the same method would work on Sakura." He turned back and looked at her. "I'm glad it did."
"Me too," agreed Kero. "Hey, kid. Do you think she'll be okay?"
"I really don't know," Syaoran replied quietly. "This is no ordinary food poisoning."
"Wha- what do you mean?"
"Right before Sakura got sick, I sensed the dragon's presence, just for a second," said Syaoran, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets, starting to pace again. "Then she noticed a tomato in her salad that she hadn't noticed before. I felt kind of uneasy while she was eating it, then right after that, she got sick..." Syaoran winced, remembering.
"Then what?"
"I took her to the nurse's office, then I brought her here. She was cold before, but now she's got a fever..."
"And you think the dragon's got something to do with this?"
Syaoran stopped pacing and nodded. "I do. But what can we do to help her?"
"What we are doing, I suppose..." Kero said sadly. Then he brightened. "But we don't have to worry too much. She'll be fine."
Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"
"If Sakura were to die, her magic would die with her. That would totally defeat the dragon's purpose. So, as sick as she is, we know she'll be able to recover from it."
"So you think the dragon will try to attack again while she's weak?"
Kero nodded seriously. "We've got to be ready."
Author's Note: Oooh, a cliffhanger! What's gonna happen next? ^_~ Actually, I figured it was long enough, so I should just upload what I had. Now that it's Christmas break, I should have more time to write. Hopefully I'll finish this story over break so I can start on something new! Any suggestions? Let me know! Oh, and feel free to e-mail me with questions, comments, etc. at amber_rules@juno.com. Read on, and review please! Ja ne!
