HI-YA! Sorry it's taken so long, but as I've explained before, I've have
major writers block + homework; not a good combo. There's something I
forgot to mention, I think. At *this* time, Sakura and Syaoran AREN'T
together. They *had* been going out before Syaoran moved back to Hong Kong
and turned all cold again. So as of now, they are JUST friends (but
obviously still have feelings for each other… he he….)
*****DISCLAIMER**** Ah, my new favorite phrase; Laudas me; culpant me. Praise me for my story, ye sue me for no disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN CCS!!! Thank you, that is all.
*Key*
******= time change
*word* = emphasised
Words= thoughts
Tomoyo grabbed the bag 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 that Li-kun would complete what 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…
*******
"Here Sakura-chan, I got some things from your house for you." Tomoyo said. Sakura looked up from the bed, running a brush through her wet hair. The blemishes on her face were now black and blue, and probably painful too.
She smiled slightly, "Thank-you Tomoyo-chan. Were there any messages?"
Tomoyo shook her head, "No, but you had a visitor."
"Hoe?"
"Li-kun, he was coming to check if you were okay."
"Did you tell him I was at your house?"
She paused, this probably hadn't been the best subject to bring up… "No, I didn't. But I told him you were all right."
Sakura was silent and she was almost certain that her friend was going to be angry. Even if she would never admit it, Tomoyo knew Sakura still had feeling for Li-kun, even after everything that had happened.
But surprisingly, she just nodded, "Thank-you Tomoyo-chan."
Her friend was shocked, "You're not angry?"
Sakura shook her head, "No, not at all. I… I think it is better that Syaoran-kun doesn't know where I'm staying, just in case he were to tell Li- san."
"That's what I was thinking, but I thought you…"
A knock on the door interrupted the rest of her sentence, "Miss, you have a phone call; your mother." Announced one of the maids.
Tomoyo got to her feet, "I'll be right back."
Strangely, as soon as her friend left the room, Sakura's pink cell phone rang. Hesitantly she picked it up and answered, hopping it would be her brother of onii-chan…, "Moushi Moushi."
There was a silence on the line, then an all too familiar voice was heard, "Hello Sakura-chan."
Her throat tightened with fear and she fought down the panic that threatened to engulf her. There was nothing he could do to her over the telephone… "W… what do y…you want?!" She demanded shakily, confronting him for the first tie.
Ping chuckled sinisterly, "Soon you will see, Sakura. Good-bye for now, my Ying-fa…" And the line went dead.
Sakura stood immobile with the phone to her ear, the sound the dial tone vibrating through the room.
The door opened; Tomoyo had returned, "That was really strange, when I picked up the telephone no one was… Sakura-chan, are you okay?"
Numbly she brought the phone from her ear and closed it with a snap, throwing it suddenly onto the bed as if it were contaminated. Both her hands covered her mouth and her eyes were now scrunched shut, glimmering with unshed tears.
"Sakura?" Her friend wondered again, putting a supporting arm around her shoulders. "Sakura, what happened?"
"He… he.. he called m…me." She whispered, a tear rolling down her check.
"Who? Li-san?!"
Sakura nodded.
She looked at her best friend with a sad look; it hurt so much to see Sakura going through so much pain. Bastard! I will make him pay for hurting Sakura-chan so much… But a sudden thought came into her mind, a way to win Li-kun over with the truth.
Retrieving Sakura's cell phone, she dialed his number.
"Li Syaoran." He answered
Tomoyo wasted no time in getting to the point, "Where is Li-san?"
"Daidouji, is that you?"
"Yes it's me. Is Li-san at your apartment."
Syaoran sounded puzzled, "No, he's not. Why?"
"Sakura just got a very disturbing telephone call."
"What are you talking about? You mean the person *called* her?! Is she all right??!!"
"It was Li-san."
"You have no proof."
Tomoyo completely lost her temper, "Damn it, Li-kun!! What more evidence do you need?! Sakura told you it was him, that *should* be enough for you, but now Sakura receives this phone call and Li-san just happens to be nowhere in sight. Doesn't that seem just a little suspicious to you?!!"
"May I talk to Sakura?" He wondered coolly, as if he hadn't heard what she had just said.
She glanced at her friend, wondering if Sakura was up for the conversation. Her friend obviously knew what was going on and nodded, reaching for the phone.
"Hi Syaoran-kun." She greeted in an upbeat tone. Even her face was stretched into a forced smile, although tears still dotted her face.
Sakura, why are you doing this to yourself?
"Sakura-chan, are you all right?"
"Hai, it was just a phone call." Her tone suggested that was true, but the look on her face suggested differently.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes Syaoran-kun, you don't need to worry."
He sighed, "I'm so sorry this happened Sakura, we need to find out who he is so we can stop him.
At that statement, her smile quivered, but she agreed.
"Was there anything he said that might help us identify him?"
Sakura was silent, thinking, "He called my something strange just before he hung up." She said thoughtfully.
"What?" He wondered eagerly.
"He called me Ying-fa or something…"
Syaoran was silent before muttering, "That's Chinese."
"What does it mean?" She wondered a little nervously.
"Cherry blossom." He replied, "It's the Chinese translation of your name. That must mean *he's* Chinese, or speaks it…"
"I think you're right." Sakura replied, her tone shaking.
"Why don't you get some sleep, Sakura-chan." He said sympathetically. "If you feel better tomorrow, maybe all of us could do something."
"All right, good-night Syaoran-kun."
"Good-night Sakura."
***************
"Come on Tomoyo-chan, if we don't hurry we'll be late meeting Syaoran- kun!" Sakura's voice called from downstairs.
Upon hearing her friend's cheery voice, Tomoyo shook her head. Sakura was really getting good at this game, too good. There was no way she could really be that happy, not when they were about to spend an entire day with Li-san. Li-kun would be there too, of course, but still… Tomoyo had asked Sakura over and over again if she would be all right, and each time she had assured her she would be. Tomoyo finally gave in and decided to accept Li-kun's offer, but only after promising Sakura she would not leave her side.
From the closet she retrieved her purse and grimly placed her faithful video camera inside. Under normal circumstances, the machine would have been used to record Sakura-chan's happiest memories; today it's task was the exact opposite.
She was going to get hard proof, a tape, and show it to Li-kun. There was no way he could avoid the truth if he saw it right in front of him…
"Tomoyo! Hurry!!"
"I'm coming Sakura-chan!" She called, slipping in a few extra batteries and a role of tape. Her purse had a small slit in the front, one just big enough for the lens of her camera… Turning it on, she ran down the stairs to meet her friend below.
****************
"This was a great idea, Syaoran-kun! It's the perfect weather for the beach!!" Sakura exclaimed happily. Her, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Ping were walking through the warm sand with bare feet, waves crashing onto the shore a few feet off.
Syaoran was up to his plan, again. Sakura was between him and Ping, but to everyone besides Tomoyo, she looked perfectly happy. Tomoyo was quiet most of the time, keeping an eye on Ping. She noticed that he kept looking at Sakura, and his hand kept brushing against her, as if by accident, but she knew it was no accident.
Glancing down at her purse, Tomoyo smiled grimly. Her camera was catching every minute…
Sakura suddenly fell foreword into the sand and Ping was the one to help her up.
"Are you okay?" He wondered, but his lips kept moving after.
She forced a smile and nodded shakily, brushing sand from her jeans. "Yea, thank-you Ping-san." She looked over towards Tomoyo, her face filled with barely concealed panic. "Would you some with me to the rest room, Tomoyo-chan?" She wondered, desperately trying to keep her tone neutral.
Tomoyo agreed, of course, and they left the boys on the beach as they headed for the parking lot. As they walked past a shaded picnic area, Tomoyo looked at her friend and noticed the tears in her eyes.
"Sakura?"
She just shook her head and took a seat on a bench. "I can't keep doing this
Tomoyo-chan." She said helplessly, burying her head in her hands.
Tomoyo took a seat beside her, "I don't know why you think you have to do this in the first place."
"For Syaoran, I told you." She replied through tears, "But I can't. I thought I'd be able to standing being near *him*, as long as you and Syaoran were there, but… he keeps watching me and… and t…touching me…"
"What else did he say to you when he helped you up?" She wondered softly.
"He t..threatened me again… He s..said, 'Watch out Ying-fa, I'm c…coming for y…you…"
Tomoyo got to her feet and pulled her friend up beside her, supporting her with an arm around her shoulder, "Come on Sakura, we're going home."
She nodded, "All right, I just need to get my things, would you go tell Syaoran-kun and I'll meet you back in the parking lot?"
"Sure Sakura-chan." Tomoyo replied. The two girls went in different directions finish their different tasks.
***************
Tomoyo had reached the parking lot and Sakura wasn't there. She had waited for two hours more, and still she didn't arrive. Something was wrong. At that point she had found Li-kun and they had split up to look for her. That was earlier that morning; it was now turning dark outside.
She was sick with worry, not knowing where her friend was of what had happened. And it looked hopeless; with the darkness came the thought that they had to end the search. Tomoyo drove by Sakura's house one last time and a spark of hope was rekindled inside her; there was a light on!
The door was unlocked, she discovered, and the house was dark but for a single light in the living room. Tomoyo walked towards it and saw her friend curled into the chair, clutching her knees to her chest, and starring blankly at the wall across from her.
"Sakura! Where have you been?!" Tomoyo demanded, rushing towards her.
She didn't reply, just continued starring straight ahead.
"Sakura! Hello!" After many attempts, her friend finally seemed to notice. Dully, she looked towards her, "Please, leave me alone." She said softly, turning back to the empty wall in front of her.
Tomoyo was hurt, but knew Sakura wasn't doing this on purpose. Well, there was one more person that might get her to talk.
Stepping out of the living room and into the kitchen she turned on the light and dialed Syaoran's number. "Li-kun? Yes, I found her…. I'm not sure, she won't talk to me… yes, she's at her house…. Okay, please hurry."
Syaoran arrived minutes later, alone. However, he was greeted with the same attitude Tomoyo had received.
This is not good. Tomoyo thought to herself, watching him desperately trying to get Sakura to talk. She won't even talk to Li-kun, or me. There has to be someone else… One such person popped into her head.
"I'll be right back, Li-kun." She said as she walked through the door, though she wasn't sure if he had heard her.
Ten minutes later she was standing outside of a different house. The door opened, revealing a tall, silver haired man.
"Tomoyo-san, it's nice to see you." He said curiously.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Yukito-san, but I need to have Touya-san's number."
"Is something wrong?" He wondered.
She nodded, "Yes, something happened to Sakura-chan." Briefly, Tomoyo explained the situation; Yukito was horrified. "Come inside, you can call him using my phone." He said urgently, gesturing her inside.
Yukito gave her the number and she dialed. The phone rang five times before Sakura's older brother picked. "Moushi Moushi."
"Touya-san? This is Tomoyo. Something's happened to Sakura and I think she needs you here."
****************
I know, not much detail on Yukito's reaction, but I was getting a little lazy. What do you think? Now Touya's involved in this. He still doesn't know exactly what happened to Sakura, but when he finds out… Oh man, watch out. R+R, any suggestions are welcome and any help is need GREATLY. Does anyone know what the Void turned Hope Sakura Card does? (What a long name….) pikogio@yahoo.com
*****DISCLAIMER**** Ah, my new favorite phrase; Laudas me; culpant me. Praise me for my story, ye sue me for no disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN CCS!!! Thank you, that is all.
*Key*
******= time change
*word* = emphasised
Words= thoughts
Tomoyo grabbed the bag 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 that Li-kun would complete what 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…
*******
"Here Sakura-chan, I got some things from your house for you." Tomoyo said. Sakura looked up from the bed, running a brush through her wet hair. The blemishes on her face were now black and blue, and probably painful too.
She smiled slightly, "Thank-you Tomoyo-chan. Were there any messages?"
Tomoyo shook her head, "No, but you had a visitor."
"Hoe?"
"Li-kun, he was coming to check if you were okay."
"Did you tell him I was at your house?"
She paused, this probably hadn't been the best subject to bring up… "No, I didn't. But I told him you were all right."
Sakura was silent and she was almost certain that her friend was going to be angry. Even if she would never admit it, Tomoyo knew Sakura still had feeling for Li-kun, even after everything that had happened.
But surprisingly, she just nodded, "Thank-you Tomoyo-chan."
Her friend was shocked, "You're not angry?"
Sakura shook her head, "No, not at all. I… I think it is better that Syaoran-kun doesn't know where I'm staying, just in case he were to tell Li- san."
"That's what I was thinking, but I thought you…"
A knock on the door interrupted the rest of her sentence, "Miss, you have a phone call; your mother." Announced one of the maids.
Tomoyo got to her feet, "I'll be right back."
Strangely, as soon as her friend left the room, Sakura's pink cell phone rang. Hesitantly she picked it up and answered, hopping it would be her brother of onii-chan…, "Moushi Moushi."
There was a silence on the line, then an all too familiar voice was heard, "Hello Sakura-chan."
Her throat tightened with fear and she fought down the panic that threatened to engulf her. There was nothing he could do to her over the telephone… "W… what do y…you want?!" She demanded shakily, confronting him for the first tie.
Ping chuckled sinisterly, "Soon you will see, Sakura. Good-bye for now, my Ying-fa…" And the line went dead.
Sakura stood immobile with the phone to her ear, the sound the dial tone vibrating through the room.
The door opened; Tomoyo had returned, "That was really strange, when I picked up the telephone no one was… Sakura-chan, are you okay?"
Numbly she brought the phone from her ear and closed it with a snap, throwing it suddenly onto the bed as if it were contaminated. Both her hands covered her mouth and her eyes were now scrunched shut, glimmering with unshed tears.
"Sakura?" Her friend wondered again, putting a supporting arm around her shoulders. "Sakura, what happened?"
"He… he.. he called m…me." She whispered, a tear rolling down her check.
"Who? Li-san?!"
Sakura nodded.
She looked at her best friend with a sad look; it hurt so much to see Sakura going through so much pain. Bastard! I will make him pay for hurting Sakura-chan so much… But a sudden thought came into her mind, a way to win Li-kun over with the truth.
Retrieving Sakura's cell phone, she dialed his number.
"Li Syaoran." He answered
Tomoyo wasted no time in getting to the point, "Where is Li-san?"
"Daidouji, is that you?"
"Yes it's me. Is Li-san at your apartment."
Syaoran sounded puzzled, "No, he's not. Why?"
"Sakura just got a very disturbing telephone call."
"What are you talking about? You mean the person *called* her?! Is she all right??!!"
"It was Li-san."
"You have no proof."
Tomoyo completely lost her temper, "Damn it, Li-kun!! What more evidence do you need?! Sakura told you it was him, that *should* be enough for you, but now Sakura receives this phone call and Li-san just happens to be nowhere in sight. Doesn't that seem just a little suspicious to you?!!"
"May I talk to Sakura?" He wondered coolly, as if he hadn't heard what she had just said.
She glanced at her friend, wondering if Sakura was up for the conversation. Her friend obviously knew what was going on and nodded, reaching for the phone.
"Hi Syaoran-kun." She greeted in an upbeat tone. Even her face was stretched into a forced smile, although tears still dotted her face.
Sakura, why are you doing this to yourself?
"Sakura-chan, are you all right?"
"Hai, it was just a phone call." Her tone suggested that was true, but the look on her face suggested differently.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes Syaoran-kun, you don't need to worry."
He sighed, "I'm so sorry this happened Sakura, we need to find out who he is so we can stop him.
At that statement, her smile quivered, but she agreed.
"Was there anything he said that might help us identify him?"
Sakura was silent, thinking, "He called my something strange just before he hung up." She said thoughtfully.
"What?" He wondered eagerly.
"He called me Ying-fa or something…"
Syaoran was silent before muttering, "That's Chinese."
"What does it mean?" She wondered a little nervously.
"Cherry blossom." He replied, "It's the Chinese translation of your name. That must mean *he's* Chinese, or speaks it…"
"I think you're right." Sakura replied, her tone shaking.
"Why don't you get some sleep, Sakura-chan." He said sympathetically. "If you feel better tomorrow, maybe all of us could do something."
"All right, good-night Syaoran-kun."
"Good-night Sakura."
***************
"Come on Tomoyo-chan, if we don't hurry we'll be late meeting Syaoran- kun!" Sakura's voice called from downstairs.
Upon hearing her friend's cheery voice, Tomoyo shook her head. Sakura was really getting good at this game, too good. There was no way she could really be that happy, not when they were about to spend an entire day with Li-san. Li-kun would be there too, of course, but still… Tomoyo had asked Sakura over and over again if she would be all right, and each time she had assured her she would be. Tomoyo finally gave in and decided to accept Li-kun's offer, but only after promising Sakura she would not leave her side.
From the closet she retrieved her purse and grimly placed her faithful video camera inside. Under normal circumstances, the machine would have been used to record Sakura-chan's happiest memories; today it's task was the exact opposite.
She was going to get hard proof, a tape, and show it to Li-kun. There was no way he could avoid the truth if he saw it right in front of him…
"Tomoyo! Hurry!!"
"I'm coming Sakura-chan!" She called, slipping in a few extra batteries and a role of tape. Her purse had a small slit in the front, one just big enough for the lens of her camera… Turning it on, she ran down the stairs to meet her friend below.
****************
"This was a great idea, Syaoran-kun! It's the perfect weather for the beach!!" Sakura exclaimed happily. Her, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Ping were walking through the warm sand with bare feet, waves crashing onto the shore a few feet off.
Syaoran was up to his plan, again. Sakura was between him and Ping, but to everyone besides Tomoyo, she looked perfectly happy. Tomoyo was quiet most of the time, keeping an eye on Ping. She noticed that he kept looking at Sakura, and his hand kept brushing against her, as if by accident, but she knew it was no accident.
Glancing down at her purse, Tomoyo smiled grimly. Her camera was catching every minute…
Sakura suddenly fell foreword into the sand and Ping was the one to help her up.
"Are you okay?" He wondered, but his lips kept moving after.
She forced a smile and nodded shakily, brushing sand from her jeans. "Yea, thank-you Ping-san." She looked over towards Tomoyo, her face filled with barely concealed panic. "Would you some with me to the rest room, Tomoyo-chan?" She wondered, desperately trying to keep her tone neutral.
Tomoyo agreed, of course, and they left the boys on the beach as they headed for the parking lot. As they walked past a shaded picnic area, Tomoyo looked at her friend and noticed the tears in her eyes.
"Sakura?"
She just shook her head and took a seat on a bench. "I can't keep doing this
Tomoyo-chan." She said helplessly, burying her head in her hands.
Tomoyo took a seat beside her, "I don't know why you think you have to do this in the first place."
"For Syaoran, I told you." She replied through tears, "But I can't. I thought I'd be able to standing being near *him*, as long as you and Syaoran were there, but… he keeps watching me and… and t…touching me…"
"What else did he say to you when he helped you up?" She wondered softly.
"He t..threatened me again… He s..said, 'Watch out Ying-fa, I'm c…coming for y…you…"
Tomoyo got to her feet and pulled her friend up beside her, supporting her with an arm around her shoulder, "Come on Sakura, we're going home."
She nodded, "All right, I just need to get my things, would you go tell Syaoran-kun and I'll meet you back in the parking lot?"
"Sure Sakura-chan." Tomoyo replied. The two girls went in different directions finish their different tasks.
***************
Tomoyo had reached the parking lot and Sakura wasn't there. She had waited for two hours more, and still she didn't arrive. Something was wrong. At that point she had found Li-kun and they had split up to look for her. That was earlier that morning; it was now turning dark outside.
She was sick with worry, not knowing where her friend was of what had happened. And it looked hopeless; with the darkness came the thought that they had to end the search. Tomoyo drove by Sakura's house one last time and a spark of hope was rekindled inside her; there was a light on!
The door was unlocked, she discovered, and the house was dark but for a single light in the living room. Tomoyo walked towards it and saw her friend curled into the chair, clutching her knees to her chest, and starring blankly at the wall across from her.
"Sakura! Where have you been?!" Tomoyo demanded, rushing towards her.
She didn't reply, just continued starring straight ahead.
"Sakura! Hello!" After many attempts, her friend finally seemed to notice. Dully, she looked towards her, "Please, leave me alone." She said softly, turning back to the empty wall in front of her.
Tomoyo was hurt, but knew Sakura wasn't doing this on purpose. Well, there was one more person that might get her to talk.
Stepping out of the living room and into the kitchen she turned on the light and dialed Syaoran's number. "Li-kun? Yes, I found her…. I'm not sure, she won't talk to me… yes, she's at her house…. Okay, please hurry."
Syaoran arrived minutes later, alone. However, he was greeted with the same attitude Tomoyo had received.
This is not good. Tomoyo thought to herself, watching him desperately trying to get Sakura to talk. She won't even talk to Li-kun, or me. There has to be someone else… One such person popped into her head.
"I'll be right back, Li-kun." She said as she walked through the door, though she wasn't sure if he had heard her.
Ten minutes later she was standing outside of a different house. The door opened, revealing a tall, silver haired man.
"Tomoyo-san, it's nice to see you." He said curiously.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Yukito-san, but I need to have Touya-san's number."
"Is something wrong?" He wondered.
She nodded, "Yes, something happened to Sakura-chan." Briefly, Tomoyo explained the situation; Yukito was horrified. "Come inside, you can call him using my phone." He said urgently, gesturing her inside.
Yukito gave her the number and she dialed. The phone rang five times before Sakura's older brother picked. "Moushi Moushi."
"Touya-san? This is Tomoyo. Something's happened to Sakura and I think she needs you here."
****************
I know, not much detail on Yukito's reaction, but I was getting a little lazy. What do you think? Now Touya's involved in this. He still doesn't know exactly what happened to Sakura, but when he finds out… Oh man, watch out. R+R, any suggestions are welcome and any help is need GREATLY. Does anyone know what the Void turned Hope Sakura Card does? (What a long name….) pikogio@yahoo.com