Note: Empty Pockets (me!!) does not own CCS in any way, shape, or
form. As anyone
can tell you. Party on, dudes!
*
~#~#~#~#~****IN TRUTH****~#~#~#~#~
By: Empty Pockets
ChapterONE: Time Spent Apart
*
"It's over…" Sakura whispered, letting a few tears escape. Tomoyo draped her arm around her best friend's shoulder and patted her arm, trying to comfort the forlorn figure. Sakura straightened up and wiped away her tears, and smiled at her friend. "I'm okay now…really." She said falsely. Tomoyo sighed, then smiled back.
"I'm glad, you haven't been yourself lately. I was getting worried." In actuality, she still was worried. Sakura had been in this sad and sorry state for a week now, ever since the business with the Clow cards had come to an end, and since he had left. Tomoyo had done everything in her power to try to help her friend, but hadn't succeeded in much of anything. It was too painful for her to forget.
"Oh, Sakura…are you feeling sick?" asked Chiharu, who was looking puzzled. Sakura, Tomoyo, Naoko, Rika, and Chiharu were walking back through town from school. They had stayed late at school to work on a project.
"Yeah, you look a little pale." Naoko commented, fixing her glasses.
"No, I'm okay, I'm just a little tired. That's all." She said nervously.
"Maybe we should get going. I think it's getting late." Tomoyo suggested, her gaze still held on her friend. Sakura agreed and the group parted ways. Tomoyo walked Sakura home. They didn't talk much, just walked quietly beside each other in the direction of the Kinomoto house.
The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was awash with bright orange, yellow, purple and gold light. The trees were bare and the still air smelled of the oncoming winter.
"Sakura, if you ever need anything…" Tomoyo began when they had reached her front door.
"I know." She replied, her eyes stuck to the ground. Then she looked up. "Thanks for all your help Tomoyo, I don't know what I would do without you." She spoke softly.
"It's no problem, I just want you to be happy, like old times, ya know?" smiling, she gave Sakura a hug before setting off for her own home, with promises of calling her the very next day. Sakura stayed on her porch until her friend was out of sight, then reluctantly entered her house. She knew Touya would be on her back about getting home so late.
She slipped off her shoes quietly and started up the stairs to her room. Touya leaned against the doorframe, wringing his hands in a dishcloth (he had been making dinner) and watched his little sister retreating up the stairs, her shoulders sagged and she climbed the stairs slowly. It seemed to take a lot of effort to make it to each step.
Touya knew what was going on. He hadn't seen that Li kid in a while and Sakura never talked about him anymore. He frowned and decided this was not a good time to start calling her squirt and hassling her for answers, so he sighed and went back to making the
Okonomi-yaki for dinner.
Sakura had finally made it to her room. She had had a hard day. While she had been smiling on the outside, she was deeply pained inside, and her sides ached from a void within her. She could tell Tomoyo was doing her best to help soothe her feelings, but she just couldn't help but miss him as much as she did She softly closed the door and leaned against it for a few moments, before hobbling over to her bed and sitting down on it. Kero was asleep in the drawer of her desk, she could tell because he had not bothered to barrage her with questions of her whereabouts yet today. She thought it strange Touya had not done so either.
She idly stared at her feet, not sure of what to do with herself…it was getting harder with everyday. She knew if he could see her, in this weakling condition, he would have probably poked fun at her. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the card that had materialized before her very eyes the day Syaoran left for Hong Kong. Staring at the front, a slight smile formed on her lips. She still had hope, even when there was so much doubt, at least she had hope.
****~****
At the Li mansion in Hong Kong, Yelan Li sat in her room with needlework on her lap. A peaceful breeze was blowing the flimsy lace curtains gently about through the window. She paused from her busy work to look out the window where she spotted her youngest child. Ever since he had arrived home from Tomeoda, he had been sullen and brooding, even more so than when he first started on his journey to capture the Clow cards. She had been disappointed when the other child, some Japanese girl…she couldn't remember the name particularly, had been named Mistress of the Cards instead of her son becoming their rightful master.
But she knew better than to reprimand him for losing to her. She longingly stared at her son, desperately wanting to help him; it was obvious he wasn't himself. Yelan wasn't one to meddle in people's business, and she thought gossip was for fools. Strictly speaking that she didn't stand for much nonsense either. But she knew who could help her find out what was troubling her Xiao-Lang.
The morning was certainly beautiful. Xiao Lang had become partial to walks; he now took them whenever he needed to clear his head and when his memories became too painful to bear. His arms folded behind his back, he continued to walk quietly down the dirt pathway in the large gardens of his mother's property. She often told him it would soon be his, when the elders decided, that is. He didn't want to think of that though. He had always thought his future would include Sakura, but now he wasn't quite so sure. It had taken a lot of courage for him to admit his defeat to his mother.
But he knew one thing he could never tell Yelan was how he felt about the beautiful and wonderful girl he had left behind in Japan. He was sure she didn't feel the same about him. He had always been able read her like a book, and he was positive that she didn't like him in the way he wished she would. Sure, they had been nothing short of being best friends, but it would never be anything more than that.
As if in answer to his mood, a slight wind blew through the trees and rustled his glossy brown hair. A few petals from the trees above him lazily fell to the ground carried by the wind. He held out his hand and a petal softly landed on his palm. A sakura petal, delicate and a pale pink.
He quietly studied the petal, and it strongly reminded him of her. He could remember the way she smiled and laughed, and how the room would light up when she entered. And the way her eyes would sparkle when she looked at him.
Still in his quiet reverie, he remembered the many adventures they had not too long ago now; even when they had been rivals. He frowned. He didn't think he could stand much more of this. He was too far away and already out of her life.
"Hey, Xiao Lang!" He recognized the unmistakable voice coming from behind him right away. Clenching the petal into his fist, he turned his head to face the intruder upon his solitude.
It was Meillin, it was always Meillin. She looked at him with an inquiring look on her face, her black hair was pulled into its signature buns. "How goes it, fiancée?" she said just a tad bit too cheerily.
~~~~~~~~~
^_^; End of chap. 1! Tell me what ya think! I appreciate it greatly…even flames! (Constructive flames, I meant!! O, just be nice to me! )
***Sorry there isn't much dialogue in this…but the story will pep up some more in the next couple chapters or so. Promise!!!!!!***
can tell you. Party on, dudes!
*
~#~#~#~#~****IN TRUTH****~#~#~#~#~
By: Empty Pockets
ChapterONE: Time Spent Apart
*
"It's over…" Sakura whispered, letting a few tears escape. Tomoyo draped her arm around her best friend's shoulder and patted her arm, trying to comfort the forlorn figure. Sakura straightened up and wiped away her tears, and smiled at her friend. "I'm okay now…really." She said falsely. Tomoyo sighed, then smiled back.
"I'm glad, you haven't been yourself lately. I was getting worried." In actuality, she still was worried. Sakura had been in this sad and sorry state for a week now, ever since the business with the Clow cards had come to an end, and since he had left. Tomoyo had done everything in her power to try to help her friend, but hadn't succeeded in much of anything. It was too painful for her to forget.
"Oh, Sakura…are you feeling sick?" asked Chiharu, who was looking puzzled. Sakura, Tomoyo, Naoko, Rika, and Chiharu were walking back through town from school. They had stayed late at school to work on a project.
"Yeah, you look a little pale." Naoko commented, fixing her glasses.
"No, I'm okay, I'm just a little tired. That's all." She said nervously.
"Maybe we should get going. I think it's getting late." Tomoyo suggested, her gaze still held on her friend. Sakura agreed and the group parted ways. Tomoyo walked Sakura home. They didn't talk much, just walked quietly beside each other in the direction of the Kinomoto house.
The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was awash with bright orange, yellow, purple and gold light. The trees were bare and the still air smelled of the oncoming winter.
"Sakura, if you ever need anything…" Tomoyo began when they had reached her front door.
"I know." She replied, her eyes stuck to the ground. Then she looked up. "Thanks for all your help Tomoyo, I don't know what I would do without you." She spoke softly.
"It's no problem, I just want you to be happy, like old times, ya know?" smiling, she gave Sakura a hug before setting off for her own home, with promises of calling her the very next day. Sakura stayed on her porch until her friend was out of sight, then reluctantly entered her house. She knew Touya would be on her back about getting home so late.
She slipped off her shoes quietly and started up the stairs to her room. Touya leaned against the doorframe, wringing his hands in a dishcloth (he had been making dinner) and watched his little sister retreating up the stairs, her shoulders sagged and she climbed the stairs slowly. It seemed to take a lot of effort to make it to each step.
Touya knew what was going on. He hadn't seen that Li kid in a while and Sakura never talked about him anymore. He frowned and decided this was not a good time to start calling her squirt and hassling her for answers, so he sighed and went back to making the
Okonomi-yaki for dinner.
Sakura had finally made it to her room. She had had a hard day. While she had been smiling on the outside, she was deeply pained inside, and her sides ached from a void within her. She could tell Tomoyo was doing her best to help soothe her feelings, but she just couldn't help but miss him as much as she did She softly closed the door and leaned against it for a few moments, before hobbling over to her bed and sitting down on it. Kero was asleep in the drawer of her desk, she could tell because he had not bothered to barrage her with questions of her whereabouts yet today. She thought it strange Touya had not done so either.
She idly stared at her feet, not sure of what to do with herself…it was getting harder with everyday. She knew if he could see her, in this weakling condition, he would have probably poked fun at her. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the card that had materialized before her very eyes the day Syaoran left for Hong Kong. Staring at the front, a slight smile formed on her lips. She still had hope, even when there was so much doubt, at least she had hope.
****~****
At the Li mansion in Hong Kong, Yelan Li sat in her room with needlework on her lap. A peaceful breeze was blowing the flimsy lace curtains gently about through the window. She paused from her busy work to look out the window where she spotted her youngest child. Ever since he had arrived home from Tomeoda, he had been sullen and brooding, even more so than when he first started on his journey to capture the Clow cards. She had been disappointed when the other child, some Japanese girl…she couldn't remember the name particularly, had been named Mistress of the Cards instead of her son becoming their rightful master.
But she knew better than to reprimand him for losing to her. She longingly stared at her son, desperately wanting to help him; it was obvious he wasn't himself. Yelan wasn't one to meddle in people's business, and she thought gossip was for fools. Strictly speaking that she didn't stand for much nonsense either. But she knew who could help her find out what was troubling her Xiao-Lang.
The morning was certainly beautiful. Xiao Lang had become partial to walks; he now took them whenever he needed to clear his head and when his memories became too painful to bear. His arms folded behind his back, he continued to walk quietly down the dirt pathway in the large gardens of his mother's property. She often told him it would soon be his, when the elders decided, that is. He didn't want to think of that though. He had always thought his future would include Sakura, but now he wasn't quite so sure. It had taken a lot of courage for him to admit his defeat to his mother.
But he knew one thing he could never tell Yelan was how he felt about the beautiful and wonderful girl he had left behind in Japan. He was sure she didn't feel the same about him. He had always been able read her like a book, and he was positive that she didn't like him in the way he wished she would. Sure, they had been nothing short of being best friends, but it would never be anything more than that.
As if in answer to his mood, a slight wind blew through the trees and rustled his glossy brown hair. A few petals from the trees above him lazily fell to the ground carried by the wind. He held out his hand and a petal softly landed on his palm. A sakura petal, delicate and a pale pink.
He quietly studied the petal, and it strongly reminded him of her. He could remember the way she smiled and laughed, and how the room would light up when she entered. And the way her eyes would sparkle when she looked at him.
Still in his quiet reverie, he remembered the many adventures they had not too long ago now; even when they had been rivals. He frowned. He didn't think he could stand much more of this. He was too far away and already out of her life.
"Hey, Xiao Lang!" He recognized the unmistakable voice coming from behind him right away. Clenching the petal into his fist, he turned his head to face the intruder upon his solitude.
It was Meillin, it was always Meillin. She looked at him with an inquiring look on her face, her black hair was pulled into its signature buns. "How goes it, fiancée?" she said just a tad bit too cheerily.
~~~~~~~~~
^_^; End of chap. 1! Tell me what ya think! I appreciate it greatly…even flames! (Constructive flames, I meant!! O, just be nice to me! )
***Sorry there isn't much dialogue in this…but the story will pep up some more in the next couple chapters or so. Promise!!!!!!***
