Hey!! I think some of my readers are a little bit confused. Okay, here's
something I probably shouldn't do as an author and I'll probably regret it
in the future, but here's a huge hint; PING IS NOT A NICE PERSON!!! As in
not to be trusted… you know? This chapter's a bit short cause I was
dealing with a bit of writer's block…
Here it is!! Please READ AND REVIEW!!! SEND ME IDEAS PLEASE!!!! I've got a horrible case of writer's block!
Sakura felt like she could cry. Here was the person she trusted most telling her that the person who did those horrible things to her didn't really do them. It was actually someone else and she was too stupid to realize it. "Syaoran, I want to go home."
"Oh no Sakura, you're not running away." He replied firmly, "You have to face this before it can get better."
"But you…"
"No buts, come on, the others are waiting." And with that, he took her hand and pulled her back onto the path.
******************
Tomoyo couldn't believe the way Syaoran was acting. She couldn't see how he could be so blind; didn't he care about what he was doing to Sakura? Sakura was uncomfortable and miserable, Tomoyo could tell. And Syaoran made her walk in between him and Ping, what was he thinking?
She couldn't stand seeing her best friend in such a state. "Li-kun, I need to talk to you."
He glanced over at her, "If you say so, Daidouji." He replied tolerantly. "You guys can keep walking, we'll catch up in a while."
Tomoyo was about to protest, she didn't want Sakura to be alone with him! But on the other hand, it was the middle of the day in the park, he would try anything. And she didn't want to talk about this in front of Sakura…
"Hai Xiao Lang, we'll meet you at the fountain in the center of the park, okay?" He walked away, waving, and Sakura followed very reluctantly.
"Li-kun, what are you thinking?!" She demanded.
"What do you mean?" He wondered calmly.
Tomoyo was fuming, "I told you about Li-san, I'm pretty sure Sakura told you about him too!! I hope you didn't tell her what you told me?!"
"I told her the truth. If she's confronted by it, she might realize that she was wrong and Ping…"
"I thought you cared about her Li! Sakura's not stupid, I know that, you know that… How many people in this town look like him? No one I've seen so far!!!"
"It could just be a slight resemblance…"
"*You* look like him! A lot like him, in fact! Why didn't she freak out when she saw him and not you? Answer me that! And another thing to think about; can't you see how much this is hurting her?"
Syaoran was confused, "What?"
"She's ready to break down again, and it will be all your fault when she does." She finished, not explaining further. He can figure it out for himself, since he's so smart… "Come on, we've left her alone with him for too long." Tomoyo stalked off ahead of a confused yet determined Syaoran. Ping had not done it, he knew that for a fact. How could he have? And Tomoyo didn't understand… if Sakura wasn't able to face up to her fears, if she didn't realize that Ping wasn't the person, she would be afraid of and resent him for no reason. She was strong, he knew, and he really didn't want to hurt her like this, but it couldn't be helped…
*************
Sakura walked beside Ping, head bent, eyes on the ground. She could feel his eyes on her, covering her entire body. It made her feel so dirty, she wanted to run away and hide, but she kept walking, hoping that Syaoran and Tomoyo would come around the corner any second… but they never did.
"I know a short-cut to get to the fountain." Ping said, speaking suddenly, "Here, why don't we go this way." He took her by wrist and pulled her towards a side path. Sakura knew where this lead, to a grove of trees, a dead end. She wanted to fight back, but for some reason couldn't.
Once inside the grove of trees, he spun her roughly around so they were face to face. "You've been a very bad girl, my Sakura." He said in a harsh whisper, grasping her wrists so tightly it was painful. "Because of you, my dear cousin attempted to chop me into pieces. But we've worked through that, thankfully, and I've been able to convince my cousin of my innocence. Either way, you'll have to be punished so it won't happen again."
That was all the warning Sakura had. He then threw her to the ground ruffly and began to advance on her.
***************
"Where are they?!" Tomoyo wondered in frustration. The had reached the fountain and found neither Sakura nor Ping.
Syaoran shrugged, worried but hiding it. Nothing was wrong, how could anything be wrong? "They're probably just late getting here."
"Then we should have passed them on the way here!! Li-kun, something's…"
"Xiao Lang?!" They both looked up and saw Ping running towards them, panic vivid on his face. "Xiao Lang, you have to come quickly… Sakura…"
He felt his heart beat quicken, "What about her?!"
"There's no time, you need to hurry." He insisted, pointing down the path. Syaoran was off and running before another word could be said. Ping bolted ahead, leading the way. The two boys reached a grove of trees ahead of Tomoyo and Ping pointed shakily to a hunched over shaped, "Sakura?!"
Syaoran rushed to her side and she looked up, her face was covered with bruises and tears. "What happened?" He demanded, kneeling down beside her.
Ping thought he was asking him. "I don't know… I asked her to wait while I went to restroom, but when I got back, she wasn't there…. Then I found her here and she wouldn't let me near her…"
He nodded, acknowledging his cousin and looked back down to Sakura, "What…"
"Sakura!" Tomoyo had arrived on scene. She rushed to her best friend and pulled her to her feet, away from Syaoran. "Sakura-chan, are you all right? Did he do this to you?" Her gaze was fixed on Ping.
Syaoran got to his feet as well and gave Tomoyo a glare of his own. "Ping did not do anything." He exclaimed forcefully.
She meet his look full on (AN: scary thought, Tomoyo and Syaoran glaring… at each other…), "Ask Sakura-chan! She'll tell you…"
Sakura put a hand on her friend's shoulder and found her voice, "It's all right Tomoyo-chan, Syaoran's right." She replied hesitantly, forcing a smile and wiping her face with her sleeve. "But Syaoran, if you don't mind, I'd like to go home and try to clean myself up a little."
Mystified by her friend's behavior, Tomoyo volunteered to go with her.
"Are you sure you're okay Sakura?" He wondered again, unwilling to let her out of his sight.
"Hai, positive. Tomoyo will be with me, so don't worry." She assured him.
"All right…" He replied, very reluctantly.
A small smile, tinged with sadness, fluttered across her face. "Bye Syaoran-kun."
Tomoyo linked her friends arm with hers and led her away from the two boys, fixing Syaoran with one last look. After they had walked a ways down the path, she turned to Sakura and asked, "Sakura-chan, it really was Li- san, wasn't it?"
Sakura stopped walking and fixed her eyes on the ground, "Hai, it was."
"Why didn't you tell Li-kun?"
The same sad smile found it's way onto her face, "Remember I told you I thought Syaoran looked up to him? It's true, and… I don't… I tried to tell him, but he didn't believe me."
"You need to make his see the truth." She insisted.
"Could you imagine how betrayed he'd feel?" Sakura wondered, "I know if I were in his position… if something like this happened with onii-chan…" She shook her head.
"But Sakura-chan, how would you feel if you were Li-kun and someone was keeping something like this from you?"
Her friend didn't answer.
Tomoyo sighed, "What are you going to do, Sakura? Smile and pretend nothing happened?"
She turned her gaze to her friend's eyes, her emerald eyes filled with sadness, "Hai, that was the plan." Was her soft reply.
"Let me call my driver, he'll be here soon." Tomoyo said, sadly shaking her head.
"That's okay Tomoyo-chan, I just live around the corner." She objected.
"I never said you were going home." Replied the other girl, dialing a number on her cellular phone and speaking a few words before closing it again.
Sakura started to protest, "But I…"
"I know there's no one waiting home for you, Sakura-chan, and I don't want you to be lonely. Plus, we've got to fix your injuries and I don't trust you to get it done the *right* way by yourself."
****************
Through the entire rest of the day, Syaoran was fuming. How could that have happened, in a park, in the middle of the day, and right under his noise!! Once again, he had broken his promise to Sakura. She had been hurt again…
Was she doing okay? Tomoyo had taken her home, but he was nearly positive that she had been lying about having to meet her father or brother. What if she were all alone? What if something else happened because she was alone and unprotected?
He got to his feet and started to make his way towards the phone, but stopped. She probably wouldn't be answering anyway. I guess I'll go over to visit her. He thought, getting his jacket from the hook by the door. Outside, dusk was setting in. Ping had gone on some small trip, and Syaoran was slightly surprised that he wasn't back yet. Ping can take care of himself. He reminded himself with a smirk.
Switching on the porch light, he walked through the front door and closed it behind him, not bothering with the lock.
*****************
He reached Sakura's house and found her bedroom light on. Knowing she probably wouldn't answer the door, he climbed to her windowsill and peered inside. Surprising, it wasn't Sakura that he found but Tomoyo. Syaoran tapped on the glass and the dark haired girl jumped two feet in shock. Turing hesitantly to the window, she noticed Syaoran and gave him a look, but she did open the window.
"Where's Sakura?" He wondered, coming inside.
Tomoyo looked him over carefully, "she's not here, Li-kun."
"Where is she?"
The girl shrugged, "She's safe, don't worry."
"I need to talk with her, I want to make sure she's okay."
She smirked, that afternoon's conversation running through her head; ^What are you going to do, Sakura? Smile and pretend nothing happened?- Hai, that's the plan.^ Tomoyo bit back a comment and just looked at him, "Do you still think Li-san is innocent?"
Syaoran nodded, "I know he is. What does that have to do with where Sakura is?"
"If you can look Sakura-chan in the eye while asking her whether or not it was Li-san and believe it is true then…" Tomoyo sighed Then I guess you're blinder than I thought, "Then I guess it wasn't him."
"But for me too do that, I need to know where it is!" He said, his tone slightly angry.
She shrugged, "I'll see how she's feeling tomorrow. Good night Li- kun." Tomoyo grabbed the bad of clothes she had gathered and walked to the doorway, turning off the light and leaving Syaoran standing in darkness. The truth was, she was afraid of that Li-kun would complete the task she asked of him and still believe his cousin was innocent. Everything would rest on that. She knew for a fact that if she had Syaoran's support, Sakura would have the strength to go on. If not… well, then her best friend would do just what she had proposed to do, smile and act like nothing had happened while she was slowly falling apart on the inside…
**********
Sorries! Once again, I 'm falling asleep as I'm writing this! Actually, I have no idea what's going to happen next, so I need some ideas so I can get the next part out soon. Should Syaoran find out the truth soon? Or should that be in absolute last chapter. I already have the ending… but yea… Anyone have any idea what Ping's mission is? R+R plz!!!!!!!!!!!!! pikogio@yahoo.com
Here it is!! Please READ AND REVIEW!!! SEND ME IDEAS PLEASE!!!! I've got a horrible case of writer's block!
Sakura felt like she could cry. Here was the person she trusted most telling her that the person who did those horrible things to her didn't really do them. It was actually someone else and she was too stupid to realize it. "Syaoran, I want to go home."
"Oh no Sakura, you're not running away." He replied firmly, "You have to face this before it can get better."
"But you…"
"No buts, come on, the others are waiting." And with that, he took her hand and pulled her back onto the path.
******************
Tomoyo couldn't believe the way Syaoran was acting. She couldn't see how he could be so blind; didn't he care about what he was doing to Sakura? Sakura was uncomfortable and miserable, Tomoyo could tell. And Syaoran made her walk in between him and Ping, what was he thinking?
She couldn't stand seeing her best friend in such a state. "Li-kun, I need to talk to you."
He glanced over at her, "If you say so, Daidouji." He replied tolerantly. "You guys can keep walking, we'll catch up in a while."
Tomoyo was about to protest, she didn't want Sakura to be alone with him! But on the other hand, it was the middle of the day in the park, he would try anything. And she didn't want to talk about this in front of Sakura…
"Hai Xiao Lang, we'll meet you at the fountain in the center of the park, okay?" He walked away, waving, and Sakura followed very reluctantly.
"Li-kun, what are you thinking?!" She demanded.
"What do you mean?" He wondered calmly.
Tomoyo was fuming, "I told you about Li-san, I'm pretty sure Sakura told you about him too!! I hope you didn't tell her what you told me?!"
"I told her the truth. If she's confronted by it, she might realize that she was wrong and Ping…"
"I thought you cared about her Li! Sakura's not stupid, I know that, you know that… How many people in this town look like him? No one I've seen so far!!!"
"It could just be a slight resemblance…"
"*You* look like him! A lot like him, in fact! Why didn't she freak out when she saw him and not you? Answer me that! And another thing to think about; can't you see how much this is hurting her?"
Syaoran was confused, "What?"
"She's ready to break down again, and it will be all your fault when she does." She finished, not explaining further. He can figure it out for himself, since he's so smart… "Come on, we've left her alone with him for too long." Tomoyo stalked off ahead of a confused yet determined Syaoran. Ping had not done it, he knew that for a fact. How could he have? And Tomoyo didn't understand… if Sakura wasn't able to face up to her fears, if she didn't realize that Ping wasn't the person, she would be afraid of and resent him for no reason. She was strong, he knew, and he really didn't want to hurt her like this, but it couldn't be helped…
*************
Sakura walked beside Ping, head bent, eyes on the ground. She could feel his eyes on her, covering her entire body. It made her feel so dirty, she wanted to run away and hide, but she kept walking, hoping that Syaoran and Tomoyo would come around the corner any second… but they never did.
"I know a short-cut to get to the fountain." Ping said, speaking suddenly, "Here, why don't we go this way." He took her by wrist and pulled her towards a side path. Sakura knew where this lead, to a grove of trees, a dead end. She wanted to fight back, but for some reason couldn't.
Once inside the grove of trees, he spun her roughly around so they were face to face. "You've been a very bad girl, my Sakura." He said in a harsh whisper, grasping her wrists so tightly it was painful. "Because of you, my dear cousin attempted to chop me into pieces. But we've worked through that, thankfully, and I've been able to convince my cousin of my innocence. Either way, you'll have to be punished so it won't happen again."
That was all the warning Sakura had. He then threw her to the ground ruffly and began to advance on her.
***************
"Where are they?!" Tomoyo wondered in frustration. The had reached the fountain and found neither Sakura nor Ping.
Syaoran shrugged, worried but hiding it. Nothing was wrong, how could anything be wrong? "They're probably just late getting here."
"Then we should have passed them on the way here!! Li-kun, something's…"
"Xiao Lang?!" They both looked up and saw Ping running towards them, panic vivid on his face. "Xiao Lang, you have to come quickly… Sakura…"
He felt his heart beat quicken, "What about her?!"
"There's no time, you need to hurry." He insisted, pointing down the path. Syaoran was off and running before another word could be said. Ping bolted ahead, leading the way. The two boys reached a grove of trees ahead of Tomoyo and Ping pointed shakily to a hunched over shaped, "Sakura?!"
Syaoran rushed to her side and she looked up, her face was covered with bruises and tears. "What happened?" He demanded, kneeling down beside her.
Ping thought he was asking him. "I don't know… I asked her to wait while I went to restroom, but when I got back, she wasn't there…. Then I found her here and she wouldn't let me near her…"
He nodded, acknowledging his cousin and looked back down to Sakura, "What…"
"Sakura!" Tomoyo had arrived on scene. She rushed to her best friend and pulled her to her feet, away from Syaoran. "Sakura-chan, are you all right? Did he do this to you?" Her gaze was fixed on Ping.
Syaoran got to his feet as well and gave Tomoyo a glare of his own. "Ping did not do anything." He exclaimed forcefully.
She meet his look full on (AN: scary thought, Tomoyo and Syaoran glaring… at each other…), "Ask Sakura-chan! She'll tell you…"
Sakura put a hand on her friend's shoulder and found her voice, "It's all right Tomoyo-chan, Syaoran's right." She replied hesitantly, forcing a smile and wiping her face with her sleeve. "But Syaoran, if you don't mind, I'd like to go home and try to clean myself up a little."
Mystified by her friend's behavior, Tomoyo volunteered to go with her.
"Are you sure you're okay Sakura?" He wondered again, unwilling to let her out of his sight.
"Hai, positive. Tomoyo will be with me, so don't worry." She assured him.
"All right…" He replied, very reluctantly.
A small smile, tinged with sadness, fluttered across her face. "Bye Syaoran-kun."
Tomoyo linked her friends arm with hers and led her away from the two boys, fixing Syaoran with one last look. After they had walked a ways down the path, she turned to Sakura and asked, "Sakura-chan, it really was Li- san, wasn't it?"
Sakura stopped walking and fixed her eyes on the ground, "Hai, it was."
"Why didn't you tell Li-kun?"
The same sad smile found it's way onto her face, "Remember I told you I thought Syaoran looked up to him? It's true, and… I don't… I tried to tell him, but he didn't believe me."
"You need to make his see the truth." She insisted.
"Could you imagine how betrayed he'd feel?" Sakura wondered, "I know if I were in his position… if something like this happened with onii-chan…" She shook her head.
"But Sakura-chan, how would you feel if you were Li-kun and someone was keeping something like this from you?"
Her friend didn't answer.
Tomoyo sighed, "What are you going to do, Sakura? Smile and pretend nothing happened?"
She turned her gaze to her friend's eyes, her emerald eyes filled with sadness, "Hai, that was the plan." Was her soft reply.
"Let me call my driver, he'll be here soon." Tomoyo said, sadly shaking her head.
"That's okay Tomoyo-chan, I just live around the corner." She objected.
"I never said you were going home." Replied the other girl, dialing a number on her cellular phone and speaking a few words before closing it again.
Sakura started to protest, "But I…"
"I know there's no one waiting home for you, Sakura-chan, and I don't want you to be lonely. Plus, we've got to fix your injuries and I don't trust you to get it done the *right* way by yourself."
****************
Through the entire rest of the day, Syaoran was fuming. How could that have happened, in a park, in the middle of the day, and right under his noise!! Once again, he had broken his promise to Sakura. She had been hurt again…
Was she doing okay? Tomoyo had taken her home, but he was nearly positive that she had been lying about having to meet her father or brother. What if she were all alone? What if something else happened because she was alone and unprotected?
He got to his feet and started to make his way towards the phone, but stopped. She probably wouldn't be answering anyway. I guess I'll go over to visit her. He thought, getting his jacket from the hook by the door. Outside, dusk was setting in. Ping had gone on some small trip, and Syaoran was slightly surprised that he wasn't back yet. Ping can take care of himself. He reminded himself with a smirk.
Switching on the porch light, he walked through the front door and closed it behind him, not bothering with the lock.
*****************
He reached Sakura's house and found her bedroom light on. Knowing she probably wouldn't answer the door, he climbed to her windowsill and peered inside. Surprising, it wasn't Sakura that he found but Tomoyo. Syaoran tapped on the glass and the dark haired girl jumped two feet in shock. Turing hesitantly to the window, she noticed Syaoran and gave him a look, but she did open the window.
"Where's Sakura?" He wondered, coming inside.
Tomoyo looked him over carefully, "she's not here, Li-kun."
"Where is she?"
The girl shrugged, "She's safe, don't worry."
"I need to talk with her, I want to make sure she's okay."
She smirked, that afternoon's conversation running through her head; ^What are you going to do, Sakura? Smile and pretend nothing happened?- Hai, that's the plan.^ Tomoyo bit back a comment and just looked at him, "Do you still think Li-san is innocent?"
Syaoran nodded, "I know he is. What does that have to do with where Sakura is?"
"If you can look Sakura-chan in the eye while asking her whether or not it was Li-san and believe it is true then…" Tomoyo sighed Then I guess you're blinder than I thought, "Then I guess it wasn't him."
"But for me too do that, I need to know where it is!" He said, his tone slightly angry.
She shrugged, "I'll see how she's feeling tomorrow. Good night Li- kun." Tomoyo grabbed the bad of clothes she had gathered and walked to the doorway, turning off the light and leaving Syaoran standing in darkness. The truth was, she was afraid of that Li-kun would complete the task she asked of him and still believe his cousin was innocent. Everything would rest on that. She knew for a fact that if she had Syaoran's support, Sakura would have the strength to go on. If not… well, then her best friend would do just what she had proposed to do, smile and act like nothing had happened while she was slowly falling apart on the inside…
**********
Sorries! Once again, I 'm falling asleep as I'm writing this! Actually, I have no idea what's going to happen next, so I need some ideas so I can get the next part out soon. Should Syaoran find out the truth soon? Or should that be in absolute last chapter. I already have the ending… but yea… Anyone have any idea what Ping's mission is? R+R plz!!!!!!!!!!!!! pikogio@yahoo.com