Author's Note:
Hi, there! I'm Abisinia and this is my first Card Captor Sakura Fan
fiction!!!!!!!!!!!! Just to make a few things clear: 1) Sakura and friends are
about 17 years old in this fic 2) Since they are about 17, they don't think or
act as the 10 year old children they were in the series, if you know what I
mean 3) Eriol has gone back, just like in the series 4) Syaoran hasn't told
Sakura about his feelings YET 5) Syaoran hasn't gone and won't go back to Hong
Kong (yessssssss!!!!!!!!!!!) 6) Since I'm not used to those "kun", "san" and
"chan" stuff, I won't use them 7) Don't be too hard on my pitiful grammar
skills, since English isn't my first language
Firstly, I want to thank Kyralea, Absolut Angel, Satashi and THE MOUSE,
the four wonderful authors who inspired me to write this story (although they
probably don't know me)! I'd also like the readers to know that this is MY
story, so don't hate me if you don't like it, because I did my best. And
please, I beg you, send me FEEDBACK (flames or whatever)!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!
I'd also like to thank the first reviewers of this fic:
Moshimoshiqueen, Nako-chan, LiNa, Lyss chan, sakura, nonie77, DawnRising, Cherry_Blossom,
chescaOtaku, Sakura Li, CATGIRL, Happy Individual, Flower Kid, ~*princess
icestar*~, Yeslek25, Star Mistress, Sakura Kinomoto Li, ~lil~ Sakura~chan, Jane,
Silver Kitsune, kari, Intrams and AyaChan! You've helped me a lot!
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Card Captor Sakura. Clamp
does. Sue THEM if you want to…
Disclaimer 2: I DO own Lin Su Hin (the pronunciation is "Lin Su HAN" and
"Lin" is the surname)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't forget:
"……….." = Thinking
- ………… = Speaking (duh!)
~*~*~*~* = Change of scene
or/and POV
(A.N.:……) = Author's note
There are also a few thick black lines in the middle of the text,
I'm not sure where. Please ignore them: it was an error I wasn't able to do
anything about! L
Love or Hatred?
By Abisinia
Chapter 2: And that's how it finishes… ?
- WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
This was the first thing Sakura heard as
she opened the door.
- Hoe! You scared me, Touya!
Her brother had an angry and worried look
on his face. He was completely aware that he still treated his little sister as
a 10-year-old child, but he just couldn't help it… and he didn't make any
effort to quit that behavior. It was his rightful job to protect and take care
of her.
- Sakura, where have you been? You made me
worried, even if you're a squirt!
The amiable look in his dark eyes betrayed
his attempt to insult her, as always. And she knew that Touya was that kind of
"jealous-extra-protective-annoying-big-brother", so didn't pay much attention
to his babbling.
"I'm almost seventeen now! I can take care
of myself!"
- Soooo?
Where.were.you?????? – The dark-haired man repeated, impatiently.
- I was at Syaoran's! – It was already too
late when she realized she shouldn't have said that. Her brother hadn't
understood yet that they were friends now… he still remembered Li as an
insolent boy, with half of his height, whom he used to have glaring contests
with, that had hurt Sakura right in his first day in Japan. The Card Mistress
also knew Touya would never forgive him for that…
- WHAT? You have been for all this time in
THAT CHINESE BRAT'S house? – His jaw was down at the floor, and his eyes were
wide in complete astonishment.
- Yes... - Sakura felt herself blushing
lightly, but she just couldn't help it. If her brother knew what had (almost)
happened in "the Chinese brat's house"... She tried to sound confident-What's
wrong about that?
Touya sat down on the sofa, breathing
heavily. He looked at Sakura, feeling a bit sad. She definitely didn't know how
to lie… and he was surprised that she was trying to hide something from him…
HIM! And it was all because of that brat!
"She's grown... So what? That doesn't
mean Sakura doesn't need my help anymore!"
- Look, Sakura... I know that you think
that you're old enough to take care of yourself, but... if that br- ahem, boy
or anyone else ever does anything to you, just let me know...
She smiled. Her brother could be so sweet sometimes!
But it was really nonsense to think Li would do anything to her… and if anyone
else did, she was quite sure that the warrior would be the first one to offer
his assistance to help her… although she didn't know why he always did that.
- Don't worry, Touya! I'm positive that
Syaoran would never harm me, but if anyone does I'll make sure to tell you! –
She stood up and placed a mocking kiss on her older brother's cheek.
And then Sakura went upstairs to her
bedroom, with a grin on her pretty face.
"What does she see in that brat,
anyway?"
Suddenly, he heard his sister's voice. She
had just remembered something that could maybe relax her worried brother…
something that was partially true. She shouted:
- Tomoyo was there too!
Touya couldn't help to smile cynically at
that...
"She still wants me to believe that
nothing happened..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That night, Sakura woke up with the same
nightmare she had had on the previous night. As her sobbing slowly faded away,
she decided to report everything to Kero. Something was very wrong about that
dream… that mysterious person had such a frightening aura!
- Kero, wake up! - She said, pushing his
tummy gently with her fingers.
- Uh? Let the Great Guardian Kerberus
sleep... – he mumbled.
- Oh? Is this a CANDY BAR, here in my
backpack? - She said, giving a LOT of emphasis to the "candy bar"
part.
The yellow magical creature almost jumped
from his "bed", his tail swinging in excitement. When sweets were
involved, he was the first one to show up.
- CANDY BAR? Where? I want it! – The black
dots that were his eyes grew wider and brighter, as he pictured a table full of
cakes, pies, ice-creams, chocolates, cookies and such things.
Sakura sweat-dropped. She was sorry for
having to use those dirty tricks to wake Kero up, but it was really necessary.
- Sorry, Kero,
but it was the only way to get your attention... I had a bad dream...
- WHAT? Come on, Sakura! You're a young
lady now! You have to sto-
- KERO! - she interrupted - I guess it was
a kind of prophetic dream!
- Oh...sorry.
She sat down on her bed, with a concerned
look on her face. Why hadn't she told him earlier? After all, he was the
Guardian Beast of the Seal, and if someone could help her out, it should be him
(although it usually wasn't)!
- It's the
second time I had it... it started last night.
- And may I know why you haven't told me
about it? – He put his paws on his "hips" and frowned. He felt very useless
when his dear Mistress didn't tell him about her problems, especially when it
had anything to do with mysteries and magic.
- I forgot... – she looked down, as she
realized how disappointing her words had sounded.
It was Kero's time to sweat-drop. Sakura
had always been absent-minded about everything. He had hoped that it would
change as she grew older, but it hadn't… and not even a bit. But she wouldn't
be Sakura anymore if she had changed in that aspect, would she? And the Guardian
Beast loved her just the way she was…
- I can't believe it... tell it now, then!
– He said, trying to cheer her up again.
Her sparkling emerald eyes smiled at him
as she lifted her head to face her stuffed-animal-like friend. But then, her green
orbs darkened, as she concentrated on was she was about to tell him. That dream
really had a weird effect on her! Sakura told Kero everything about the
nightmare, describing every tiny little detail about it, feeling again all the
sensations it brought her. He heard everything patiently, and she also told him
about all the relevant events of the day: the coming of the new student, the
presence she had felt and her conversation with Li (okay, maybe she didn't tell
him EVERYTHING that had happened).
- What do you
think? – She asked, anxiously.
- One thing is
for sure… - he started, seriously.
- W..What is
it? – Kero had never used that serious tone before.
- You're
totally, madly, hopelessly and unfortunately head over heels for the Li brat! –
The magical creature burst out laughing. Sakura was really incapable of hiding
her feelings!
- Kero! – She
exclaimed, intrigued. Was she an open book or what?
The miniature-sized-stuffed-winged- lion
dried his tears with his paws… he had laughed so much he had even cried! Then,
he looked at his Mistress, ignoring her red-colored face.
- Now…
seriously. I still don't know what it is, but you should be careful… Some sort
of unknown magic is disturbing you and the brat… so don't take it for granted!
- Thanks, Kero… - then she yawned, loudly
– I guess we should get back to sleep, it's quite late now…
In response, he only nodded and went back
to his drawer. So, Sakura went to bed again, curling her body under the covers
and holding her pillow gently; in a few seconds she was fast asleep, with a
sweet smile on her face, as she gripped her pillow tighter, thinking about a
certain someone…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Syaoran just couldn't get back to sleep.
He had woken up with the very same dream he had had the previous night. He
looked at the clock: he still had two hours before his "waking up
time". Putting his hands behind his head, he took a few minutes to stare
at the white ceiling, while his mind wandered away in deep thoughts.
Then, with a sudden blink of his amber
eyes, he lifted his body and swung his legs out of the bed. He had already
given up on trying to sleep again. The warrior got up, stretching his arms; he
put on his blue high-school uniform, washed his face with a pleasantly cold
water, ran his calloused long fingers through his now messier chestnut hair, in
order to put it away from his forehead and leave it just as messy as necessary.
Then, picking up his backpack and books, the young man headed to school.
He walked in slow pace through the empty
streets, dreamily observing the sky as the sun, which was about to rise, mixed
red, orange, yellow and blue, better than any painter could ever do in his masterpiece.
When Li finally reached the school gate, he wasn't surprised at all to find it
closed.
"Obviously...so
what?" He thought, indifferently.
The sorcerer slid
his books under the gate and threw his backpack up the wall, to the other side;
then, he climbed the gate with a natural ease, moving with the agility of a
cat. He calmly picked up his material from the ground and, entering Tomoeda
Elementary, he headed for the sakura tree.
At first, he could only see the pink
delicate flowers that covered the top of it; then, the comfortable branches he
intended to seat on in a few moments; and, finally, exactly as it happened in
his dreams, he saw a beautiful Sakura, with a sweet smile on her face, sitting
under the tree.
He
stopped, feeling his heart beating faster.
"It can't be her... What would she be
doing here?"
He rubbed his eyes in complete disbelief, and when he
looked again, she was gone. He was almost sorry for that… he would be literally
sorry if it had actually been Sakura, in flesh and bones, the one he had seen…
But he knew it wasn't.
"It was my imagination... that
dream..."
Step by step, he finally reached the tree.
A feeling of "coming back home" surprisingly grew inside him. That cherry
blossom tree brought him so many memories, pleasant and unpleasant… The card
captor climbed it in an easier way he had climbed the school gate... after all,
he had been doing that for years. He sat on his favorite branch, stretching his
long legs along it, and laid back at the trunk, his hands casually behind his
head, as a pillow.
He shut his eyes, gladly inhaling the
pleasant scent of the cherry blossoms that surrounded him, filling his mind
with images of an ethereal fallen angel with honey auburn hair. Finally, after
so many years, he had allowed himself to think about her… and she was such a
natural thought for him!
Suddenly, he frowned. He could feel
something… something that was sending pleasant shivers up his spine… something
as soft as silk, lightly touching his lips.
"What is this?"
He lifted a hand to touch his mouth and
opened his shining amber eyes. It was a small petal of sakura flower, which had
fallen from a higher branch right on his lips. The sorcerer picked it up and
observed it for a few seconds. His friend and that petal had so many things in
common! The name, the softness, the beauty, the scent, the delicacy, the
mysterious ability to make him dreamy in a few seconds…
The day before had been a little weird. He
had gotten so surprised when she put her arms around his neck and hugged him...
although she used to do that quite a lot, now that they were close friends, the
situation had intrigued him. And then their faces had gone closer... Why had
she done that? Or was it just his
imagination: she hadn't done anything and he was the one to lean closer? And
what would've happened if Tomoyo hadn't arrived at the critical moment?
A strangely cold breeze blew the petal away from his
fingers. He sighted sadly, as his amber eyes lost a bit of its brightness, and
laid back again on the familiar trunk, closing his eyes and getting lost in his
private thoughts (A.N: PRIVATE, not FORBIDDEN, you perverts!)...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sakura woke up with the annoying ringing
of her alarm clock, feeling an urge to throw it against the wall... it would be
so pleasant to hear all its tiny little noisy pieces crashing and being
silenced for good! But she barely rubbed her eyes, very slowly: she felt so
tired! During that night, she had woken up around 6 times...
- I'm late... – she yawned - Kero, why didn't you wake me up? - She continued in a muffled voice.
Kero went out of the drawer in a
heartbeat, alarmed by Sakura's tired tone. She was never like that, so
something was surely going on!
- What's wrong? – He asked, worriedly.
- I didn't sleep well... – She said,
simply, as she lazily stretched her arms.
Slowly, she got up and pulled her uniform
out of her wardrobe. After the Card Mistress was dressed, she headed to the
bathroom, picked up her comb and slid it through her silky golden hair, just as
a routine, because she wasn't paying attention at all at what she was doing.
Then, she picked up her backpack, placed a strap on her shoulder, picked up her
books (they seemed so heavy!) and went downstairs, almost falling after each
step. As there was no caring father and her protective brother had gone to
university already, she didn't even remember to eat before leaving to school.
Sakura walked mechanically all her way to
Seijou High. She had an amazingly sleepy look when she arrived in her
classroom; going straight to her desk, she let go of her bag and her books and
sat down, burying her head on her arms, which were folded in front of her.
- Good morning, Sakura!
- Uh? Good morning... Tomoyo... - she
said, not moving a muscle.
- Are you OK? – The amethyst-eyes girl
asked, worriedly. Sakura was usually so cheerful!
- Yes...I'm just sleepy...that's all... –
she managed to mumble.
- The teacher is late... I guess you'll be
able to rest... for a while.
When Sakura was about to fall asleep, glad
for Tomoyo's words, she felt a warm hand on her arm. It felt so comforting! A
male voice started talking to her.
- Sakura, what's wrong?
She turned her head, as she realized the
voice was different from the one she had been expecting to hear, and opened her
eyes. She saw a very handsome young man, knelling beside her, with a warm smile
on his face and a comforting hand on her arm. His hair was very dark and his
eyes were light green.
In surprise, she lifted her head and
backed her face away, embarrassed for it being so close to his. She felt a
light blush creeping to her cheeks.
- Sorry. Did I scare you? I didn't mean
to… - He apologized, sincerely.
- No... Not at all, Su Hin - she smiled.
Why was the new student being so nice?
- You don't look well... – he continued,
worriedly.
- I couldn't
sleep at night... nothing serious. Thanks for asking. – It was a little embarrassing
to talk so casually to Su Hin, but it was also pleasant, somehow.
- Seeing such a beautiful girl in this
mood would make anyone worried, Sakura! – His eyes suddenly sparkled with
malice, although he sounded honest.
The sorceress blushed even more, making
Tomoyo giggle at her reaction. She wasn't used to hear such strict compliments,
especially from boys she had met the day before. That was the sort of thing
Syaoran would say, but it surely sounded different… Li would say that jokingly,
just like they always did when they said those compliments to each other… in a
"friendly-flirting" way.
- T...Thanks... – she managed to gasp,
looking away from his gaze.
- You don't have to thank me for telling
the truth! – That would have made Sakura go deep crimson if she hadn't heard
another known voice.
- GOOD MORNING
Sakura looked at the desk behind her.
Syaoran was placing his books on his desk. She could feel anger expanding his usually
restrained green aura and his warm eyes were now blasting amber. It was
curious, but that apparent bad mood, made him look more charming than
ever…
"This is getting interesting!" -
Tomoyo thought, excitedly. Maybe with a rival for Sakura's attention, Li would
turn out confessing his feelings for her!
The male Card Captor hadn't even tried to
hide his angry tone when he had spoken, and the Card Mistress had also noticed
that. Coincidently, he had arrived exactly while she had been blushing furiously
for Su Hin's compliments. She'd pretend she wasn't aware of his attitude:
- Syaoran! Good morning! So you did come
today! – She smiled, as she'd usually do.
- Yes - he
replied, dryly. That seemed to hurt her, and Li kicked himself mentally for
that, although he didn't show it.
- Is something wrong? – She continued,
seriously. Syaoran had never acted so coldly towards her… and it was so weird
to hear him use that tone with her! It sounded so unfair!
- No - he simply answered, while he gazed,
with flaming eyes, at the smiling new student who was kneeling beside Sakura,
with a hand placed casually on her arm. How dared he? He had taken so much time
just to touch her in a friendly way! Now that strange guy was resting his
damned hand on her and they hadn't even known each other for more than 24
hours!
Sakura followed his gaze and finally
realized who he was looking at. Instinctively, although gently, she pulled her
arm away from Su Hin's hand, feeling surprisingly cold on the spot his hand had
been resting on.
- Syaoran, this is Lin Su Hin, the new
student from Hong Kong. Su Hin, this Li Syaoran, he's my… - she gasped - …friend.
Had
the warrior heard a bit of hesitation before her last word? Nonsense…
- Nice to meet you – Su Hin said, with a
strange tone in his voice, as he looked straight into Syaoran's burning amber
eyes.
- Yeah... - the Card Captor replied,
facing the new student's freezing green glare.
Sakura noticed her friend's unusual behavior
towards the newcomer, in puzzlement. And, as if it wasn't enough, Su Hin was
also acting weirdly towards Syaoran. They were having quite a glaring contest…
even Touya (who used to have those kind of contests very frequently with the
chestnut-haired young man) would be surprised by the intensity of their gazes.
The Card Mistress felt her friend's green
aura growing brighter and wider, as his temper reached higher and higher. When
she finally thought he would reach his top, the dark-haired one said:
- I'd better take my seat, now - with
that, Su Hin went to his place, behind Tomoyo, and started up a casual
conversation with her. The amethyst-eyed girl was glad that she could help her
two friends to have a moment to talk without any disturbances…
Finally, the opportunity to talk
"alone" with Li! His attitude was really weird, and Sakura wouldn't
leave him alone until he told her what the matter was! He had been her friend
for so many years and she had hoped he would trust her even a bit to tell her
about his problems…
- Are you sure you are OK? - She asked,
worriedly, turning to face him.
- That doesn't matter... - he replied,
looking into her sparkling emerald eyes. She saw that he was somehow hurt...
his amber eyes were not flaming anymore and only the usual warmth they held
could be seen. His aura had almost changed back the way it always was… it still
held a feeling in it, although she didn't know if it was anger or pain. And why
was he talking like that? The Card Mistress's eyes suddenly filled with water,
as she reflected about his words… how could be say that it didn't matter?!
- Of course it matters! It matters to me,
because you're my friend, because you're important to me and because I care
about you!
- It's nothing... - he managed to say,
turning his face away. He had never expected such reaction from her, and he was
still amazed by the sweet sound of those words coming from her "… you're
important… I care about you".
Sakura felt his aura getting warmer and
calmer. It was strangely warmer than it had ever been, and that meant a sudden
change of the feelings inside him. Weird… but at least she knew that he'd be
better, and that was all that mattered. Maybe later he'd be able to tell her
what had happened…
As she observed him, she saw something
lightly pinkish on his golden chestnut hair. That was really intriguing, since
"Li and pink" didn't match at all… she just hoped he didn't follow that rule
when it came to people! Sakura lifted her delicate hand, hesitantly, and
reached to his silky hair, to take the unusual thing off. Then, her fingers
lightly touched Syaoran's hair. Feeling a chill running through his body for
the unexpected touch, he instinctively turned is head to the side, to face
Sakura, and her hand accidentally rested on his cheek. They stood still for
some time, as paralyzed, her warm hand on his cheek in a caring way, their
minds lost in each other's surprised eyes.
"This wasn't supposed to
happen..." - she thought. But then she smiled at Li. If he was in his
usual mood, he certainly wouldn't loose the opportunity to say something like
"You never leave an opportunity slip through your fingers, do you?" But she
knew he wouldn't say that now…
- Don't move,
Syaoran… There's something on your hair! - she giggled, as she took her hand
away from his cheek and reached up for his golden locks.
- Uh? – Although he was confused, he
obediently stood still, following her hands with his curious, amber eyes.
She managed to pick up the "pink
thing" that was intertwined in the charming mess of his chestnut hair and
then she showed it to Syaoran. He saw a fragile, small petal of a sakura flower
on her long fingers… that made him smirk almost unseeingly.
- See? It was
on your hair... - Sakura looked at the petal in awe and asked, with THAT smile
and the sweetest tone of voice ever - Can I keep it? It is my favorite flower!
- Sure - he answered, simply… but it
wasn't in the cold or in the dry way he had used a few minutes ago. Far from
that! It was a warm, friendly and caring "Sure", that was worth more than a
hundred words to Sakura… with the exception of three little words she wouldn't
allow herself to think about at the moment. The warrior felt so defenseless
when she used THAT smile, as if she was easily making the walls he had built
around him crumble… he simply couldn't deny her anything.
- Thanks! - she picked up her diary,
inside her bag, and opened it on the page were "July 13 - Syaoran's birthday"
could be read, in an elegant handwriting. Then, she carefully placed the sakura
petal there, closing her diary again as she finished.
The Card Mistress didn't even have enough
time to have a last glimpse of his face before the boring classes started. The
teacher had finally arrived.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(A.N: I'm skipping non-relevant
description of their classes, if you don't mind… You do? Sorry... too
late!)
- Hoe! Lunchtime! - Sakura shouted
excitedly, as she stood up, outstretching her arms, after long hours of tedious
classes, with a big smile on her cute face - Tomoyo, Syaoran! Hurry up!
- You DO seem a lot better now! - Tomoyo
observed. She was glad to see her best friend back to her usual cheerful self.
The dark-haired teen only wished that her conversation with Li were the reason
why she was feeling happy again…
- Sure I am! – Her smile grew wider,
showing her perfectly white teeth.
- I have a few things to do... I'll see
you later – The Chinese warrior said, while he looked down at the floor and
walked slowly out of the classroom. After seeing the new student's attitude
towards Sakura, he had noticed how much afraid he was of loosing her. And,
during the classes, he'd decided he'd have to do something if he really wanted
to have a chance with her. He'd tell her. Today. And he needed a few minutes
alone to get all his courage, deep within him, before he confessed…
Sakura looked at him, a little shade of
explicit hurt on her jade green eyes. He was still acting weird. However, he seemed
sad and concerned now, while, firstly, she had noticed he was angry. She felt
that he needed someone to talk to and expose his feelings… and she wanted to be
that someone.
- Wait, Syaoran! - She suddenly ran
towards him.
He turned back to face her, trying hard to
hide his surprise. The warrior noticed her uneasiness… and mysteriously, it
made her even more beautiful.
- Yes?
- I...I... - she started, not finding the
words she wanted to say. Why did she always act so dumbly when she was around
him?
- You? - His amber eyes were anxious,
piercing into her emerald ones… it seemed that he was trying to grasp the words
she couldn't say from deep within her, just with the power of his gaze.
- I'd like to... talk to you... later... -
she finished, smiling, although she was looking at the floor. She had never
succeeded standing his gaze for a long time…
- To me? Ok... – He was burning in the
inside. He would take that chance to tell her… but what was SHE going to tell
him?
- Meet me at the sakura tree, later... –
He smirked to himself at those words… He'd meet her even in hell, just to know
what she wanted to say!
- Sure. See you later, then. - He blessed
her with one of his rare, stunning smiles and walked away.
Sakura followed him with her eyes until he
was completely out of her sight. She'd stare to the empty corridor for the
whole day if someone hadn't brought her back from wonderland…
- SO... Decided to make the first move,
huh? - Tomoyo teased.
- It's not like that, Tomoyo! – The Card
Mistress managed to gasp.
- Just kidding... no need to blush! - She
giggled.
- Let's go - she tried to change the
subject, pulling her friend by the hand out of the classroom.
- Sorry, Sakura... I can't go with you...
– She let go of her green-eyed friend's hand.
- WHY? – During those past years, Tomoyo
had been very busy and always had something to do... this used to hurt Sakura
at the beginning, but she managed to find an equally valuable friend on Syaoran.
Fortunately, he was always available.
- The music teacher asked me to talk to
her... she wants to schedule my future presentations, and we agreed to discuss
about it today. I'm sorry.
- Oh, I see...
- Don't worry, Sakura! It won't take too
long...
- Ok... I'll be under the tree...See
you... – She said, disappointedly.
- See you, Sakura! – The amethyst-eyes
girl smiled and ran to the music room, making her wavy dark hair swing while
she moved.
Sadly, the Card Mistress headed for her
old companion, the sakura tree, where she sat down, just before realizing she
had forgotten her lunch.
- Things are not looking up today...
Then, she noticed that someone had just
sat beside her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- Can I join you? – A cheerful voice
asked.
Sakura looked up to its owner and found
light green eyes smiling at her.
- Su Hin! Sure you can...
His smile grew wider as he took his place by
her side. The shining green jewels that were his eyes were still locked on
hers, bringing a strangely uncomfortable feeling.
- Have you forgotten your lunch? – The new
students asked, simply.
- Actually, yes... – she admitted, looking
away. His gaze was so insistent! Not full of intensity like Syaoran's eyes,
which filled her body mysteriously with warmth and shivers; Su Hin's eyes
seemed cold and made every single muscle in her body tense.
- I'd offer you mine if I hadn't forgotten
it too – he added, giggling softly – Do you always sit here? It's a very nice
place! – And then he finished, suggestively, as he looked at the flowers on the
branches above them – I love cherry blossoms…
Sakura blushed lightly pink at that, but
she decided to ignore the comment. Every word he spoke and every movement he
made seemed to overflow with a mysteriously unnatural charm.
- Yeah... Since I was a child. I don't
think I can picture my life without this tree – and then she continued, staring
dreamingly at the huge trunk – It brings me so many memories… good and bad….
When Sakura stopped to think again, they
were already entranced in a conversation, which she didn't even know how they
had started. But they HAD actually been talking for quite a while… it was just as
she had been hypnotized and had no conscience of her actions until then.
Suddenly, the school bell rang, telling them it was time to go back to the
classroom. Both teens stopped what they were saying, abruptly, and an
uncomfortable silence took over the place.
- I guess we should go, Su Hin. - Sakura
said. When she was about to get up, she felt something warm and firm grabbing
her wrist and pulling her back. Her eyes widened in surprise at the conviction
on that touch.
- Wait... – She heard Su Hin's voice
whispering so close to her that the young woman suddenly felt scared at his
proximity. But, uncontrollably, she turned to face him, wanting to know the
reason why he had stopped her.
Suddenly, the Card Mistress felt a warm,
unexpected pressure on her lips. Hands with a touch she wasn't used to slid
gently to hold her by her slim waist. Instinctively, she pulled him closer,
putting her arms around his neck. She had never felt something like that
before... even though Sakura tried to back away, the only thing she could do
was surrender her parted lips to that totally irresistible kiss... feeling a
tempting, provoking tongue sliding into her mouth and herself unconsciously
doing the same… and thinking it was wrong...
"I can't… if he doesn't love me back…
I'm betraying my own feelings, my own will… WHY CAN'T I JUST STOP, THEN?!"
Sakura's mind screamed at her, blaming her for the total impotence against Su
Hin's kiss.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- So
this is the end of my dream... - Syaoran whispered to himself. He had been to
the tree to meet Sakura, and he had actually found her… with that guy. The
obvious realization suddenly came to his mind... it was the same figure from
his nightmares... to which he had finally seen the conclusion.
They were kissing. Was that the reason why
she had asked him to meet her there? To make clear that he was merely a friend?
The heartbroken sorcerer noticed that Su Hin had his green cold eyes opened,
and that he was staring at him! There was overflowing joy on those hated eyes
of the new student… joy for showing Li what he was doing... something that he
would never have the chance to do…
Seeing the way Sakura was melted under his
touch brought the feeling of a thousand needles penetrating Syaoran's body. The
sight of her waist being held by those hands and her lips being kissed by the
new student's filled him with envy and hatred. The Card Captor wished so badly
to be in his place… No! He really didn't want to be in Su Hin's place… he
wanted to be HIMSELF the one she liked the best, the one she loved… the one she
kissed… And the conscience of the impossibility of those things filled him with
frustration.
- Sakura... I'll leave you alone... - he
whispered once again, clenching his fists and hating the feeling that his eyes
were going wet. And then, he turned around to leave, at first moved by hatred,
and then, by sadness. But suddenly, he felt that strange, challenging
presence...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When Sakura finally managed to open her
eyes, backing away from the new student, the first thing she saw was Syaoran,
with his back turned for her, walking away... just like in her dreams. She felt
heart being shattered on the ground, regretting even more deeply what she had
just done... What if Li had seen them?
"You obviously don't want him to
think that you like Su Hin better than him, do you?" Tomoyo's words came back,
making despair grow inside her.
"No! Never... Syaoran is..."
Sakura stared blankly at the ground, while she lifted a finger to touch her
lips, in astonishment "What have I done?"
She felt tears willing to come out of her
eyes, as she got up quickly, forgetting about the young man who was just beside
her, with a grin on his handsome face
- SYAORAN! WAIT! - she shouted, while she
ran towards him. As the Card Mistress approached, she saw that he had stopped,
and that he was turning around. She tried to move faster, but she felt that her
body was slowing down at each step... She felt suddenly weak and tired... Just
before fainting, she caught a glimpse of a pair of amber eyes… but the usual
fire that filled them had apparently disappeared.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Li had heard Sakura calling out for him,
with such a desperate tone he couldn't help to stop and turn around. First he
turned his head, hesitantly… he saw her running towards him. The vision of her wide
emerald eyes in terror and her auburn bangs blowing because of her high speed
made him breathless, but he suddenly froze in fear, as he noticed something
wasn't right… it was exactly at that moment that she collapsed…
"How many times have you already
saved me, Li? I just hope you'll never to charge me for that… " Those
words came back to him, and, instinctively, Syaoran ran towards her, as fast as
he could (A.N.: and believe me, it was veeeeeeeeeery fast).
Once again, he held her when she was just
about to fall. The warrior knelled on the ground, holding her close to his
chest. He looked at Sakura, seeing her eyes were shut, but noticing they were
wet. Why?
- Sakura, wake
up! - he said, shaking her. She wouldn't move - WAKE UP!
He couldn't hold his tears any longer.
They started streaming down his face, because of the confirmation that Sakura
would never love him in the same way he loved her, because of his worry about
her at that moment, and because of the hatred he was feeling for the one who
had caused all of that...
He looked at the sakura tree. Su Hin had
stood up and was now calmly walking towards him. He had a strange, evil grin on
his face, and Li immediately recognized the black aura that surrounded him,
growing after each step he took.
- What have you done to her? - Syaoran
asked, laying Sakura gently on the ground as she quietly moaned in complaint,
and standing protectively between her and Su Hin. Holding his onyx pendant, he
summoned his sword and held it in a fighting stance - What are you?
- I knew you'd interrupt us sooner or
later... She'll be fine, FOR NOW... - he stopped to make sure his words had
caused enough impact. He glimpsed menacingly at the Card Mistress and then
continued - You may put away your sword...in time, you and I will fight with
our strongest weapons... but this is not the time yet. Be patient, Li
Syaoran...
And then, with those mysterious words,
which were now echoing in the warrior's head, he vanished, as he had never been
there before.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*