By: Shirahana
**AN:** It's been a long time hasn't it? Didn't I say this chapter will hopefully be out by August 11th, but it didn't come out then did it? ^,^;; Heh heh.. sorry for the long wait folks! This chapter isn't probably what you had expected. But hopefully, you'll enjoy it... If you must, flame me... ~_~; But be nice...!
Thank you for those who have reviewed! ^_^ I really appreciate your comments!
Chapter 2 : Friendly Encounter
The weekends were Sakura's favorite time of the week. Relaxation was strongly needed, especially for Sakura. Good thing she wasn't a daily reporter, she had thought. She would never be able to live without a short break. This was the only time of the week where she was free to do her own things.
Sakura poked her head out of the blanket, only to find rays of sunlight attack her eyes. Momentarily blinded, Sakura rubbed her eyes sleepily. The clock read exactly noon. A fresh start from all her thoughts proved to be a good idea.
Looking around her room, Sakura realized for the first time how messy it was. Worn clothes were scattered across the room, for she was too lazy to throw it in the overloaded laundry basket. Pens and pencils seemed to sprout out of nowhere. Dust lay on all the untouched high surfaces of shelves that Sakura didn't bother with. Heaps of paper were stashed here and there. Candy (a big favorite of Sakura's) was hidden in convenient areas so she could easily grab them at will. As a result, a big mound of wrappers were piled beside the empty trashcan. But then again, throwing a wrapper half way across the room with Sakura's skill was quite tough. One percent chance to be exact. {AN: -_-; that sounds like me...}
The only clean place in the whole apartment was the area around Sakura's small bookshelf. It contained all of her favorite books in brand new condition. Every once in a while, Sakura would go to the bookstore and buy more to read. Lately, her visits to the bookstore decreased as she became more occupied with work.
Sakura looked at the case of books with hope. Someday, she was going to write a bestseller book, she had told herself from time to time. But on what? The perfect plot never came to her.
Getting a sudden urge to visit the bookstore, Sakura quickly pulled on her white shorts and loose pink T-shirt and brushed her teeth. She grabbed a Hershey chocolate bar and headed out the door, having no intention to eat a very late breakfast. But hey, the chocolate could pass.
The bookstore was not too far away, but with Tokyo's population, it took a while to get there. Sakura was used to all the pushing and shoving. Usually, she would've shoved back, but in today's mood, violence was not even considered.
Sakura stepped in the bookstore and immediately headed for the romance/fiction section. No matter what, she could not get Hanami's words out of her head. The words soon resembled the never-ending song, and Sakura knew she would do anything to get it out of her mind. Maybe reading a few romance novels would help ease away the annoyance. Maybe it could even help her pick out the perfect guy! Who knows? But whatever the way, Sakura was determined to do anything to eradicate Hanami's words.
After roughly rummaging through the selection of books, something finally caught Sakura's eyes, Love and Betrayal by Shirazuki.
The book seemed worthy of buying, but unfortunately, it was at the top shelf. Sakura surveyed the area around her, there was no stool she could use. She tiptoed and tried to grab for the book.
Miss.
Again, she groped for the book. It was not long before her patience wore out and frustration grew.
Out of thin air, a hand simply grabbed the book off the shelf.
Sakura's first reaction was to claim that she was going to buy the book. But when she looked up, a familiar face was grinning down at her.
"Need this?" he asked as he handed Sakura the book.
A bit confused, Sakura accepted, "Thank you, Mr. Li," she said in a formal tone. How else was she supposed to speak to the famous owner of Japan's largest business?
Now knowing what to do or say, Sakura nervously went back to looking for a good book. She felt the eyes of Syaoran Li glancing furtively at her. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for another book.
"So uh, Ms. Kinomoto," Syaoran started.
Sakura did not bother to turn around and look. She kept rummaging through the books.
What was he supposed to say? Striking a conversation was supposed to be easy! Or at least it had been for him...until now. 'I could talk about the weather, wait no. That is the only thing you never talk about,' Syaoran told himself. 'What about "How's it going?" No, too overused. But it does sound casual... Or maybe comment on her hair? No... Clothes? How dimly lit the bookstore is?' Nothing seemed just right.
"Wow, there's lots of books here," Syaoran finally blurted out, not realizing what he had just said.
Sakura stopped rummaging through the books and turned to face Syaoran. She smirked and replied quizzically, "I do believe so, Mr. Li. After all, this is a book store..."
Syaoran could have slapped himself right in front of her. How humiliating! Here he was, the famous, rich and successful businessman, in a bookstore, commenting on how many books there were! Never in his life had he said anything as ridiculous as that! 'How can I be such an idiot?' Syaoran chastised himself.
"I guess I wasn't thinking right," he laughed at himself. Trying to make a quick recovery, he quickly asked, "So what brings you here today?" He thought he almost saw a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks.
What was she supposed to say? 'I'm here because I'm seeking a boyfriend? That'll sound even more ridiculous than what he had said!' Sakura cried in her mind.
"I'm simply looking for a book. Now that I found one, I must go buy some groceries now," Sakura informed matter-of-factly.
Before Syaoran had a chance to respond, Sakura hastily paid for the book and rushed out the store. Confused, Syaoran followed her out.
Outside, Sakura sighed. Why had she just done that? It made her look like a total fool! But what chances did she have to see him again? Probably none. 'There is no need to worry,' she concluded.
She entered the local mart, filling her cart up quickly with anything that looked yummy. By the time she reached the cashier, she realized her cart was full. Correction: overflooded. She couldn't possibly give up the ice cream, chocolate or chunky chocolate chip cookies! {AN: heh heh ^-^; a personal favorite of mine...} This was the only time she had for renewing the food in her refrigerator. If she didn't buy it now, she wouldn't have time to buy it later. She sighed, might as well just purchase them all.
After paying for the groceries, Sakura could only stare wide-eyed at the number of bags she had to carry home. With a defeated sigh, she carried seven bags in each hand. She could barely get through the exit door, how could she possibly get through Tokyo's population?
She trudged through the thick crowds, losing momentum with each step. The heavy grocery were not helping one bit.
"Need help?" came a familiar voice from behind.
Sakura spun around in surprise and found herself face to face with Syaoran. She tried to murmur "No" but ended up speechless.
Without waiting for a reply, Syaoran quickly grabbed a whole bunch of grocery bags from Sakura. "So where do you live?" he asked.
Sakura stared in disbelief. She was no only holding three bags! Her face flushed red immediately. He acted as if it was absolutely normal! Like he did this on a regular basis! But she did need help...
"Well, it's just around the corner..." she stammered slightly. Embarrassment was inevitable. Having a famous stranger carrying groceries for you in the public was unthinkable to Sakura. She walked quickly, hoping to escape the situation she was in, and not even considering the fact that the person beside her was carrying something really heavy.
Syaoran strode breathlessly next to Sakura. "Ms. Kinomoto -"
"Sakura will do," she interrupted rudely.
Her rudeness went unnoticed by Syaoran. "Fine," he smiled. "Only if you call me Syaoran. Say, doesn't Sakura mean some sort of a flower?"
"Hai," Sakura nodded. "The cherry blossom to be exact. It just so happens to be my favorite flower, too," Sakura announced somewhat proudly. She finally slowed down her pace.
"So what do you do as a job?" Syaoran questioned.
"A newspaper reporter," she replied. The topic suddenly reminded herself of the article she was supposed to do. "You know the new building you constructed here in Tokyo? I'm supposed to do an article on that sometime soon. May I schedule an interview with you whenever you have some free time?"
{AN: Recall in Chapter 1 where Sakura was supposed to do an article on a building? Hope you still remember... ~_~;}
"Sure, there's nothing planned for tomorrow. Would seven in the evening be okay?" Syaoran asked as they approached Sakura's apartment.
"Fine with me," Sakura agreed. Then a horrid thought struck. She couldn't possibly let Syaoran see her apartment! It was too messy! Plus, she was already in enough embarrassment. How awful and messy it would make her look! "I can take it from here, thank you very much!" She hastily grabbed the bags from Syaoran and ran into the building.
"You're welcome," Syaoran murmured with a slight smile on his face, turned around, and headed home.
Inside, Sakura fumbled for her apartment keys. After several tries, the door finally swung open. She dumped the groceries on the floor and leaned against the door. Why was she suddenly anticipating the interview tomorrow with Syaoran?
"Syaoran..." she repeated his name out loud. Her attention drifted to the pigpen that lay in front of her. Realizing the groceries were not yet in the refrigerator, Sakura lugged all 14 bags into the kitchen. After putting away all the grocery, Sakura rested her hands on her hip and bit her lip. Exactly how was she to even start? She gave an exasperated sigh. What the real question was, how did she even become so messy? Memories of her old self came flooding back. She used to be so neat and organized. It was mainly Tenouchi who had encouraged her to be -
Her thoughts came to an abrupt end. "Tenouchi," she whispered, extending an arm out as if reaching for an invisible person. She couldn't believe it! He was really gone...; gone from the world...
Dead.
The only man whom she had ever fallen in love with... The only man who had treated her differently other than the Ice Queen who was to be ignored. He had cared about her... He made her feel special, even when she felt like the unluckiest girl alive. He brought happiness in her cold gray prison she locked herself in. He was...everything...
Sakura sigh sadly in remembrance of the warm smile that she could never forget. Why did things have to be this way? Why did she have to lose so many important people in her life? She often told herself this bad luck would soon run out. But maybe it had... Her thoughts floated back to Syaoran. No wait, what was she thinking? She barely even knew Syaoran!
'He's just a nice stranger,' she convinced herself. With the conviction in mind, Sakura decided to start cleaning. 'Might as well do the laundry first...' she thought grimly.
{AN: Okay, I have absolutely no background information on the story I'm writing -_-; Does anyone know how interviews work? Does the reporter go to the person? Or do they schedule it and meet at a particular place? Well anyway, don't be mad at me for making a mistake, okay?}
Dressed in a casual skirt and sleeveless shirt, Sakura grabbed a notepad and pen and stuffed it in her bag, then left the apartment. Though it was only around seven, the night was all ready starting to ascend. In the summer, day seemed to dominate along with heat, refusing to allow the coolness of the night in. But tonight was different. The air was crisp and sharp, and cool breezes came frequently.
During the day, Tokyo was all bustle and business. It was during the night where the wonders came. The tall skyscrapers were alit, each showing off the lights that embellished the skyline. Not too far off, Sakura heard the happy cheers of children. That meant only one thing. There was another small festival tonight. No wonder tourists loved to come! There were festivals almost daily! Tokyo was all about fun!
Distracted by the beautiful skyline and music, Sakura ran head straight into someone. She gave a small yelp and fell backwards. Before she could, a strong pair of arms held her securely. Her eyes widened and gasped for breath, shocked and somewhat fear-stricken. It all happened to fast, Sakura could barely make account of what just happened. Suddenly realizing she was breathing against someone's chest, her head shot up, only to find a pair of caring eyes silently chuckling down at her. Blushing crimson, Sakura quickly pulled away. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered.
"No, don't be. It should be me apologizing. Are you all right?" Syaoran asked, his voice full and evident of concern. He reluctantly released her. For a brief moment, their eyes locked. He suddenly realized how beautiful the girl in front of him was. Her emerald eyes shone, even at dusk. They were absolutely gorgeous. She was absolutely gorgeous.
"I'm fine," she whispered softly, shyly looking away from him.
An awkward silence followed. Neither could bring their eyes to meet each other, or speak a word.
"Why don't we head over to the festival over there? It's too good to miss out," Syaoran suggested.
"Sure!" Sakura agreed. Immediately, the silence that had befallen evaporated in an instance, much to Sakura's relief. She simply loathed uncomfortable silences. She quickly got out her notepad and pencil. "I better start now before we reach the festival," a small hint of excitement shone.
"Well, there isn't a lot to know about..." began Syaoran.
Sakura laughed, "Every little thing related to you always makes the headlines!"
Syaoran groaned in reply, "Hmm, true." he said reluctantly.
"You sure don't' seem too happy about it!"
"I don't quite like being followed. I get this feeling of paranoia hanging in my head. I mean, rumor after rumor gets released into the public and not one of them are even close to the real story!"
"Oh! I remember one where people claimed that you were crazy because they saw you eating grass in your backyard!" Sakura cried.
Syaoran practiced tripped. "That's not true!" he protested. "I was simply planting a few things in the garden! I remember I got some dirt on my face so of course I had to wipe it off."
"And people had mistaken that for you putting grass in your mouth," Sakura finished, grinning widely.
Syaoran groaned again, "You mean people even spied on me in my own backyard?"
Sakura laughed, "Seems so! I always wondered how it was like to live like you..." she said a bit dreamily.
"Well, there are ups and downs for everything," reasoned Syaoran. "I think I better start considering to buy a house somewhere in a secluded forest."
Sakura giggled. "You just ruined one of my daydreams!" she accused. "You make your life sound horrible!"
"Did I?" he grinned back. He almost added, 'It's not pleasant to have your marriage arranged.'
Completely forgetting the interview, Sakura staffed her notepad and pen back in her pocketbook. "Come on," she grabbed Syaoran's hand and ran into the crowded festival, letting her old effervescent spirit out once more.
This time, Syaoran could barely keep up with her, though he had nothing heavy to carry. {AN: -_-; I just had to add that sentence! *lol*} She was constantly skipping from booth to booth, eyes widening and glistening at the different displays. "Come on," she urged teasingly. By the time Syaoran caught up to her and blinked, she was another five booths ahead!
Sakura finally stopped at one booth, not able to remove her eyes from the glittering object. When Syaoran finally caught up (which he couldn't believe he did), he realized Sakura was staring at a hair comb. He had to admit, it sure did look nice. Many flowers and designs were engraved on it, making it look somewhat like an ancient object passed down only to royal blooded family members.
"Hello miss, would you like to buy that?" The lady in charge of the booth asked.
Sakura shook her head sadly. The price was preposterous! Five thousand dollars! And had to be paid in cash!
Being a saleswoman, the lady quickly said, "These are real diamonds and it is completely hand-crafted by the famous jeweler Fuusha Houjun [pronounced: Foo-sha Oh-hoon.] Absolutely no machinery involved."
{AN: heh heh.... ridiculous pricing huh? Does anyone think I'm sticking in too many author notes? If it's getting annoying, please do tell me in the review so I'll put it at the end of the story... ^-^;}
"Sorry, I -" Sakura started.
"I'll take it," Syaoran cut in.
Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. She turned and stared at Syaoran. Was he crazy?!
Syaoran paid in cash (as asked) and returned Sakura's stare with a small smile. He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and gently tucked the comb in.
Sakura still couldn't believe what had just happened. All she could do was simply blush in return. Her mouth didn't seem to function, leaving her speechless. Her heart almost skipped a beat when Syaoran's hand accidentally came in contact with her cheek.
Syaoran silently marveled her confounded and happy face. What was so special about this girl that made him buy her the hair comb? She was practically a stranger, too! He had never spent this much money on a person all at once before, not even on Yaki. Why did he do it now? To see the upset expression wiped off of Sakura's face? He was quite started for a moment by the answer, for it had been to see her smile once more.
"Thank you," Sakura managed to stutter out after a short silence. "I-I don't know how to repay you..." Again, she was embarrassed. How did he do it to her? She didn't know.
"No need to repay," Syaoran chuckled.
Her nervousness vanished as fast as it had approached. Not able to control herself any longer, she flung her arms around his neck, "Arigatou, arigatou, arigatou, Syaoran! You don't know how much I appreciate this!"
"Hey! Don't attack me there!" he joked as he staggered back. He had to hold Sakura against him in order to prevent them both from falling.
"Gomennasai," she apologized, though giggling. She felt so special all of a sudden, as if someone really cared about her, and that... she cared about that someone back...
The woman in charge of the booth smiled as she watched the happy "couple" embrace. They truly did look good together, not to mention cute in a way.
Syaoran checked his watch. "It's getting late. We should head home before it's too dark."
"Hai," Sakura agreed.
The two left the festival walking hand in hand without even realizing it. The silence that floated in the air was not an uncomfortable one. In fact, the two cherished it, each in their own deep word of thoughts. Before they knew it, they arrived at Sakura's apartment.
Sakura couldn't help but blush as they stood in front of the door to her apartment. She wanted to thank him again, but knew she would stutter. "Arigatou, Syaoran," she managed to murmur.
He smiled back, "It was really nothing," and he meant it. It was an awkward feeling, really. A feeling to satisfy the girl in front of him no matter what. He found that even if he tried to hold the feeling back, it would only grow stronger and break lose anyway. Without really thinking, an urge inside him caused him to bend down and give a small peck on her cheek. "Goodnight Sakura," he whispered softly.
Heart pounding, wide-eyed and awe-stricken, Sakura stood speechless, watching Syaoran slowly disappear. Her hand slowly touched the hair comb and trailed down to her cheek to where the kiss landed, and a dazed feeling swept over her. She couldn't believe what he had just done! Never had a stranger been so generous to her! And... and... was this a dream? She didn't know what to believe! Whatever the emotion was inside of her, she didn't give a thought more about it, for all she cared at the moment was knowing that she was special to someone. She entered her room and closed the door gently behind her, still with her hand on her cheek...
To be continued...
**AN:** Yeah!! This chapter's done!! Woohoo! If you want to be notified, drop your e-mail in your review and tell me you want to be reviewed! Also, I really have nothing to blab about now since I had so many author's notes in the middle of the story! ~_~; Forgive me...? One last thing though, I'm a very busy person! I try to find time to write, but it usually doesn't result like that... So.... the expected date for the next chapter might not come out until 2 months later.. o_O; That's why it is a good idea to join the notify list if you're interested in reading the next chapter! But... I'll try to get it out earlier... (like that's gonna happen ¬_¬;)
Also, the scene in the bookstore was told to me by Shirazuki. She saw this show (produced by the same person who produced ths famous Chinese series called Huang Zhu Ge Ge) with that scene in it, and suggested I stick it in. ^_^ I think that's all to be said...
Expected Date for Chapter 3: December 14, 2002!
Until then...