A Cherry Blossom's Death
Yay! I actually made it this far to write a fourth chapter ::cheers madly and presses hands to face:: "I can't believe it…omigod! It' s a miracle…!!!
Yeah…the usual…I don't own CCS, never will…who says I can't amount to anything? Yeah…so CCS isn't exactly mine, but at least I'm bein' creative with the story.
No…::sighs in defeat:: you're right…I can't amount to ::sob:: anything!!!
Uh…sorry, this is what happens when the caffeine gets to me…
(AN: I realized that the story might get a lil confusing since I never exactly told you guys wut all the symbols mean, so here goes.)
//emphasis (substitute for italics)\\
~ * ~ *~ period of time passed
***flashback***
@ thoughts @
::these usually come up only in ANs and they're when I'm DOING something::
^^^^^^^^ change of POV (yeah, I know usually I just write a new POV without doing this…but I'll try to remember, okay? And it's really not a POV thing anyway, because the whole story is third person, but you know what I mean…at least, I hope so…)
Chapter Four: Too Many Secrets
Syaoran ambled up the walk, his mind not really on the gardenias and chrysanthemums spread across the lawn, but on the two birth certificates which had brought more puzzling thoughts into his mind last night. What had happened so that Seria hadn't been raised with Sakura? (AN: hehe, seongmi, I know you wanted to know this one ^_^)It was too, too confusing, and of course, there was always that numb pain in his heart whenever he thought of Sakura. He rang the doorbell, waiting impatiently for the door to open, when Eriol stepped out and Syaoran drew back in surprise. "Eriol! What are you doing in Tomoyo's house this early?" He'd been about to add something else, but thought better of it when he saw Eriol's grave face.
"Tomoyo's gone a little…crazy," Eriol informed him solemnly. (AN: uh…okay, that's a //very\\ tactless way to say it. Lol)
If the situation had not felt so somber, Syaoran would have burst out laughing at the way Eriol had said it. However, Syaoran had a little more sense than to clutch his sides hysterically and proclaim that a //very\\ good joke on Eriol's part. His brow creased in concern. "Tomoyo?" he asked incredulously. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Tomoyo? I mean…this is lovable, Sakura's best friend, Tomoyo we're talking about. Sure she loved that camera but I wouldn't go as far as to say she was crazy…"
Eriol gave him a look to inform him that his smart-a$$ comments weren't welcome this morning, and Syaoran shut his mouth hastily. He knew his magic level wasn't as high as Eriol's yet, and wasn't exactly hoping for a toasting so early in the morning. Eriol cleared his throat.
"I dunno what happened to set her off. When I arrived she was already sobbing like she was possessed or something. She kept telling me that Sakura was alive…the doctors are looking into her right now. I don't have any idea what's wrong. If I did, I'd try to help them out…" Eriol jerked his thumb in the direction of the house, and waited for Syaoran's reaction. He didn't bother to tell his friend that Sakura had opened up a communication link with him. That part seemed fishy, and why had the magic been weaker? Sakura had always managed to maintain a high magic level. He made a solemn vow not to tell Syaoran until he was certain about last night's events.
He didn't want Syaoran hoping that Sakura was still alive. Look where it got Tomoyo. Syaoran cleared his throat and looked around to make sure nobody overheard him. "Listen," he said in a low whisper.
"I found out something last night that might help us track down Sakura's killer." He paused to add effect then continued. "Eriol…did you ever know that Sakura had a twin?"
~ * ~ * ~
"Listen," Eriol whispered urgently. "I can't stay long…I have to go back to see how Tomoyo is doing."
Syaoran ran a hand through his unruly hair. He hadn't had a proper haircut for a long time.
"Okay, but please just try to remember if anybody mentioned anything about Sakura's sister. In the meantime, I'll ask Mother. Maybe she knows a thing or two about it."
Eriol nodded and turned to head out of the door. "If what you're saying is true, then maybe Tomoyo did see Sakura after all…"
"Seria…" Syaoran finished for him. "Be careful, okay. This is one deadly game that may be cut out for us."
Wei came through the door, holding a tray of biscuits.
"Leaving so soon?" he asked in surprise. "I just made another batch of these," he said, gesturing to tray that he held in his hands.
Eriol smiled and shook his head. "Maybe some other time."
~ * ~ * ~
The doctors had finally left the house and Tomoyo noted, with some relief that it was empty. Her own mother had been foolish enough to believe that she would be all right by herself. Didn't she care? With shaking fingers, she grasped the small plastic container from beneath her pillow. She had placed it there last night right before Eriol had come, and she had just barely shoved it inside the lining of her pillowcase. One second later and he might have caught sight of it/
The inscription read 'take one, once a day…' and Tomoyo laughed to herself.
She unscrewed the lid, and shook nine or ten pills into her clammy palm.
She had to do it carefully; if she didn't everything would go all wrong and she'd end up choking them all out. One at a time, she popped them into her mouth…taking a gulp of water each time…and swallowing.
@ I'm sorry…Sakura…@
~ * ~ * ~
"Tomoyo!" Eriol called, half an hour later, knocking on the door so hard that his knuckles were turning red and raw. "Tomoyo! C'mon…open up…it's me."
He smiled tenderly thinking that she must be asleep.
@ Poor thing…I'll just go see her in the morning@
~ * ~ * ~
"Hello…Mother?" Syaoran sighed. "Kaichi (AN: okay…this is supposed to be one of his sisters, but I don't know their real names so I'm making them up…and you can't stop me!!! XP) Kaichi…yes…put Mother on the line please."
There was a pause and then he heard hurried footsteps. A few seconds later a deep feminine voice came onto the line. "Syaoran…I've heard the news," his mother informed him, hoping not to upset her son.
Syaoran took a deep breath. "Yeah…well, I've just learnt something interesting…" he began, hoping against hope that she might be able to help him out. "Sakura has a twin sister…I think she might be involved in all of this…I…"
He was cut off by his mother's sharp tone. "Syaoran…I don't want you meddling in this business. I know Sakura…well, I know Sakura meant a lot to you, but what's done is done…promise me you won't meddle."
Syaoran was shocked. "But Mother…I"
"Promise me Syaoran," she insisted. "There are a lot of forces at work here and I don't want you getting yourself into danger."
There was no arguing with Li Yelan.
Syaoran sighed. "Alright Mother…"
He hung up the phone and stared at his index and middle finger which he had crossed while he had been speaking with his mother.
Lucky for him he believed in superstition.
"Touya…"
Syaoran stepped into the house, not caring if he got an invitation or not.
Touya's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Gaki…" he greeted him. Syaoran ignored the less-than-friendly greeting. "Touya…I want to know…do you know anything about a girl named Kinomoto Seria?"
Touya stumbled backwards as if he had been punched in the face with a hard blow, along with a sharp kick in the groin. "Seria…" he murmured. It had been so long since he had heard that name.
He looked up sharply at the Chinese-gaki and glared at him. "How did you know?…you've been snooping haven't you?"
Syaoran chose not to answer the question, and sat down in a chair.
"It doesn't matter…Touya…how does Seria fit into this picture?"
If Touya had shrunk back a moment ago, he was the total opposite now.
"Get out!" he ordered. "Get out!!!" Syaoran didn't budge.
Enraged, Touya grabbed his shoulders and half-pushed, half-dragged the younger boy out of the door and out of the house.
"Let go of me!" Syaoran yelled, kicking and hitting with all of his might.
He struck a blow to the side of Touya's cheek, and it was as if Touya seemed to crumple up. He shook his head dazedly and slumped down on the floor, pressing his face against his hands and crying…deep racking sobs which shook his whole body. Syaoran knew that the feelings of the past three weeks had been locked inside…until now, when finally Touya let his anger and sorrow show through.
"Touya…tell me," he urged Sakura's brother.
Touya took his face out of his hands to reveal a red and blotchy face.
"Sakura was too young to remember. I think she still didn't know, even when she died…"
Syaoran doubted that. He knew Sakura had figured it out. That was the reason why she had died in the first place.
Touya took a deep breath and continued. "I remember our mother…I wasn't there when she gave birth, of course. But they came home that night with two baby girl…Sakura and…Seria…and my father…he knew just by looking at that face…that one of his daughters bore the markings of the devil…. I remember his exact words. 'One of our daughters carries flames within her heart.' I thought it was just a joke at the time…but then strange things began to happen. Our house…the one we'd owned before this…burnt down, and I remember Seria used to play with our old cat…and night before it died…she fed it something…I dunno…"
Touya sighed and Syaoran stared at him expectantly.
"One night…my father came home with only Sakura in his arms…he said he'd gotten rid of the 'demon-child' but we all knew that he hadn't killed her…Dad was too good for that. We all knew she'd come back…just didn't know that she'd kill Sakura too…I think she wanted to take her place…but something must've stopped her…"
Syaoran nodded…listening to the story. So many things were still left to be answered. So many things had kept hidden and were only to be dug up now, years later…
~ * ~ * ~
Eriol's eyes widened in shock as he read the morning paper. The toast that he had been eating for breakfast had fallen from his lips and now lay unforgotten on the floor. He scanned the newspaper praying to God that it wasn't true.
Oh God…don't let it be true.
…Rich Girl Dead: Attempted Suicide After Claiming Dead Friend Still Alive…
No Tomoyo! You didn't!
Well…there you go…another cliffhanger!
R and r plz!!!
Yay! I actually made it this far to write a fourth chapter ::cheers madly and presses hands to face:: "I can't believe it…omigod! It' s a miracle…!!!
Yeah…the usual…I don't own CCS, never will…who says I can't amount to anything? Yeah…so CCS isn't exactly mine, but at least I'm bein' creative with the story.
No…::sighs in defeat:: you're right…I can't amount to ::sob:: anything!!!
Uh…sorry, this is what happens when the caffeine gets to me…
(AN: I realized that the story might get a lil confusing since I never exactly told you guys wut all the symbols mean, so here goes.)
//emphasis (substitute for italics)\\
~ * ~ *~ period of time passed
***flashback***
@ thoughts @
::these usually come up only in ANs and they're when I'm DOING something::
^^^^^^^^ change of POV (yeah, I know usually I just write a new POV without doing this…but I'll try to remember, okay? And it's really not a POV thing anyway, because the whole story is third person, but you know what I mean…at least, I hope so…)
Chapter Four: Too Many Secrets
Syaoran ambled up the walk, his mind not really on the gardenias and chrysanthemums spread across the lawn, but on the two birth certificates which had brought more puzzling thoughts into his mind last night. What had happened so that Seria hadn't been raised with Sakura? (AN: hehe, seongmi, I know you wanted to know this one ^_^)It was too, too confusing, and of course, there was always that numb pain in his heart whenever he thought of Sakura. He rang the doorbell, waiting impatiently for the door to open, when Eriol stepped out and Syaoran drew back in surprise. "Eriol! What are you doing in Tomoyo's house this early?" He'd been about to add something else, but thought better of it when he saw Eriol's grave face.
"Tomoyo's gone a little…crazy," Eriol informed him solemnly. (AN: uh…okay, that's a //very\\ tactless way to say it. Lol)
If the situation had not felt so somber, Syaoran would have burst out laughing at the way Eriol had said it. However, Syaoran had a little more sense than to clutch his sides hysterically and proclaim that a //very\\ good joke on Eriol's part. His brow creased in concern. "Tomoyo?" he asked incredulously. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Tomoyo? I mean…this is lovable, Sakura's best friend, Tomoyo we're talking about. Sure she loved that camera but I wouldn't go as far as to say she was crazy…"
Eriol gave him a look to inform him that his smart-a$$ comments weren't welcome this morning, and Syaoran shut his mouth hastily. He knew his magic level wasn't as high as Eriol's yet, and wasn't exactly hoping for a toasting so early in the morning. Eriol cleared his throat.
"I dunno what happened to set her off. When I arrived she was already sobbing like she was possessed or something. She kept telling me that Sakura was alive…the doctors are looking into her right now. I don't have any idea what's wrong. If I did, I'd try to help them out…" Eriol jerked his thumb in the direction of the house, and waited for Syaoran's reaction. He didn't bother to tell his friend that Sakura had opened up a communication link with him. That part seemed fishy, and why had the magic been weaker? Sakura had always managed to maintain a high magic level. He made a solemn vow not to tell Syaoran until he was certain about last night's events.
He didn't want Syaoran hoping that Sakura was still alive. Look where it got Tomoyo. Syaoran cleared his throat and looked around to make sure nobody overheard him. "Listen," he said in a low whisper.
"I found out something last night that might help us track down Sakura's killer." He paused to add effect then continued. "Eriol…did you ever know that Sakura had a twin?"
~ * ~ * ~
"Listen," Eriol whispered urgently. "I can't stay long…I have to go back to see how Tomoyo is doing."
Syaoran ran a hand through his unruly hair. He hadn't had a proper haircut for a long time.
"Okay, but please just try to remember if anybody mentioned anything about Sakura's sister. In the meantime, I'll ask Mother. Maybe she knows a thing or two about it."
Eriol nodded and turned to head out of the door. "If what you're saying is true, then maybe Tomoyo did see Sakura after all…"
"Seria…" Syaoran finished for him. "Be careful, okay. This is one deadly game that may be cut out for us."
Wei came through the door, holding a tray of biscuits.
"Leaving so soon?" he asked in surprise. "I just made another batch of these," he said, gesturing to tray that he held in his hands.
Eriol smiled and shook his head. "Maybe some other time."
~ * ~ * ~
The doctors had finally left the house and Tomoyo noted, with some relief that it was empty. Her own mother had been foolish enough to believe that she would be all right by herself. Didn't she care? With shaking fingers, she grasped the small plastic container from beneath her pillow. She had placed it there last night right before Eriol had come, and she had just barely shoved it inside the lining of her pillowcase. One second later and he might have caught sight of it/
The inscription read 'take one, once a day…' and Tomoyo laughed to herself.
She unscrewed the lid, and shook nine or ten pills into her clammy palm.
She had to do it carefully; if she didn't everything would go all wrong and she'd end up choking them all out. One at a time, she popped them into her mouth…taking a gulp of water each time…and swallowing.
@ I'm sorry…Sakura…@
~ * ~ * ~
"Tomoyo!" Eriol called, half an hour later, knocking on the door so hard that his knuckles were turning red and raw. "Tomoyo! C'mon…open up…it's me."
He smiled tenderly thinking that she must be asleep.
@ Poor thing…I'll just go see her in the morning@
~ * ~ * ~
"Hello…Mother?" Syaoran sighed. "Kaichi (AN: okay…this is supposed to be one of his sisters, but I don't know their real names so I'm making them up…and you can't stop me!!! XP) Kaichi…yes…put Mother on the line please."
There was a pause and then he heard hurried footsteps. A few seconds later a deep feminine voice came onto the line. "Syaoran…I've heard the news," his mother informed him, hoping not to upset her son.
Syaoran took a deep breath. "Yeah…well, I've just learnt something interesting…" he began, hoping against hope that she might be able to help him out. "Sakura has a twin sister…I think she might be involved in all of this…I…"
He was cut off by his mother's sharp tone. "Syaoran…I don't want you meddling in this business. I know Sakura…well, I know Sakura meant a lot to you, but what's done is done…promise me you won't meddle."
Syaoran was shocked. "But Mother…I"
"Promise me Syaoran," she insisted. "There are a lot of forces at work here and I don't want you getting yourself into danger."
There was no arguing with Li Yelan.
Syaoran sighed. "Alright Mother…"
He hung up the phone and stared at his index and middle finger which he had crossed while he had been speaking with his mother.
Lucky for him he believed in superstition.
"Touya…"
Syaoran stepped into the house, not caring if he got an invitation or not.
Touya's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Gaki…" he greeted him. Syaoran ignored the less-than-friendly greeting. "Touya…I want to know…do you know anything about a girl named Kinomoto Seria?"
Touya stumbled backwards as if he had been punched in the face with a hard blow, along with a sharp kick in the groin. "Seria…" he murmured. It had been so long since he had heard that name.
He looked up sharply at the Chinese-gaki and glared at him. "How did you know?…you've been snooping haven't you?"
Syaoran chose not to answer the question, and sat down in a chair.
"It doesn't matter…Touya…how does Seria fit into this picture?"
If Touya had shrunk back a moment ago, he was the total opposite now.
"Get out!" he ordered. "Get out!!!" Syaoran didn't budge.
Enraged, Touya grabbed his shoulders and half-pushed, half-dragged the younger boy out of the door and out of the house.
"Let go of me!" Syaoran yelled, kicking and hitting with all of his might.
He struck a blow to the side of Touya's cheek, and it was as if Touya seemed to crumple up. He shook his head dazedly and slumped down on the floor, pressing his face against his hands and crying…deep racking sobs which shook his whole body. Syaoran knew that the feelings of the past three weeks had been locked inside…until now, when finally Touya let his anger and sorrow show through.
"Touya…tell me," he urged Sakura's brother.
Touya took his face out of his hands to reveal a red and blotchy face.
"Sakura was too young to remember. I think she still didn't know, even when she died…"
Syaoran doubted that. He knew Sakura had figured it out. That was the reason why she had died in the first place.
Touya took a deep breath and continued. "I remember our mother…I wasn't there when she gave birth, of course. But they came home that night with two baby girl…Sakura and…Seria…and my father…he knew just by looking at that face…that one of his daughters bore the markings of the devil…. I remember his exact words. 'One of our daughters carries flames within her heart.' I thought it was just a joke at the time…but then strange things began to happen. Our house…the one we'd owned before this…burnt down, and I remember Seria used to play with our old cat…and night before it died…she fed it something…I dunno…"
Touya sighed and Syaoran stared at him expectantly.
"One night…my father came home with only Sakura in his arms…he said he'd gotten rid of the 'demon-child' but we all knew that he hadn't killed her…Dad was too good for that. We all knew she'd come back…just didn't know that she'd kill Sakura too…I think she wanted to take her place…but something must've stopped her…"
Syaoran nodded…listening to the story. So many things were still left to be answered. So many things had kept hidden and were only to be dug up now, years later…
~ * ~ * ~
Eriol's eyes widened in shock as he read the morning paper. The toast that he had been eating for breakfast had fallen from his lips and now lay unforgotten on the floor. He scanned the newspaper praying to God that it wasn't true.
Oh God…don't let it be true.
…Rich Girl Dead: Attempted Suicide After Claiming Dead Friend Still Alive…
No Tomoyo! You didn't!
Well…there you go…another cliffhanger!
R and r plz!!!