.A/N- The Illusion of Happiness! That's how I wanted to describe it! Ugh, I can't ever describe things! LoL… Thanks kirjava-chan!
Flowers for my Girl- Chapter 9
Syaoran sighed a breath of inward relief. There was nothing wrong. The only reason he was feeling strange was because of a dream that he was starting to remember. 'Well… Meiling was a clown in my dream? No wonder I feel so strange! That must be a very creepy thing to see! And Shing… what was it about Shing in my dream?' Syaoran grunted.
"Anything wrong?" Sakura whispered, leaning over so that no one else could hear her.
"Huh?" Syaoran asked, returning to the reality of eating lunch at the tables of Seijou High.
"You were zoning out… that's my job!" Sakura said playfully.
Syaoran blinked and smiled at Sakura. With a bite of his lunch, Syaoran decided that pointless dreams were nothing to ponder about.
Sakura was talking with the rest of the group about plans for what they could do after school.
"So, does that sound good to everyone?" Sakura asked.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Syaoran hadn't heard what she said, but nodded anyway.
"All right then! We'll go to a movie later! Yay!" Sakura proclaimed.
'A movie? Ok then, that works…' Syaoran thought.
Everyone began chatting on the same time from then on out. They began to talk about which movie they should see, how long and tiring school was, and other things that Syaoran could not comprehend. Syaoran looked over at Shing. Shing was staying out of the conversation, like him. Something about the look in Shing's eyes made Syaoran feel uneasy. His eyes seemed to be glazed over, but yet he looked like he was paying attention to the world around him. Syaoran shrugged. 'Meiling has the weirdest taste in guys…' Syaoran thought before realizing that she used to like him.
A few minutes later, the bell signaling that lunch was over rang. Sakura complained, "Lunch is too short!"
Every nodded. Shing simply put his sunglasses on and began walking away. Syaoran nodded along with the rest of the group and watched as Shing left. Meiling jumped out of her chair and yelled, "Hey! Wait for me!"
Shing paused and waited for Meiling to hook her arm around Shing. Syaoran kept watching Shing till they disappeared. Sakura pulled Syaoran out of the seat and said, "Come on! You're being so lazy today! I keep having to pull you out of your chair!"
Syaoran stood up and randomly said, "I don't trust Shing."
Sakura giggled. "You haven't trusted him since the day you met him! I don't think that any guy is going to be good enough for Meiling in your opinion."
"That's right," Syaoran sighed. "Let's get to class."
They walked hand in hand to their next class and got into their seats before the bell rang. Sakura winked at Syaoran, causing him to blush. 'Why am I so hesitant? I keep going through this! There is nothing wrong! But… why do I keep questioning it then?'
The teacher began to teach the lesson and Syaoran once again pushed his doubts away.
~*~*~*~*~*~
School was over. The big group of friends began to walk to the movie theater. Takashi remarked, "You know, movies were started…"
Before he could get into his legend, Chiharu elbowed him in the side and said dryly, "No one really cares why they started. We only care to watch them…"
The movie theater wasn't crowded, to their delight. Before they got in live for their tickets Sakura asked, "What movie are we going to see?"
"How about 'Desires Awakening?'" Naoko asked.
The boys groaned. Takashi complained, "We agreed to a movie, but not some mushy junk like that! Can't you tell just by the name that it is just going to be kissing and people telling each other how much they love each other? Sounds disgusting!"
Rika asked in her chipper voice, "What about 'Teacher's Love?'"
Everyone gave her a questioning look.
Rika sweatdropped and said in an angry voice, "What?! It was just a suggestion!"
Sakura sighed and said, "Ok ok! How about 'Flowers for my Girl?'"
Takashi groaned. "Didn't we just go through the thing about mushiness? 'Flowers for my Girl?' Sounds like it's about some guy that got a girl mad, then gave her flowers and they made up and started kissing!"
Sakura insisted, "But that's not at all what it is about! It's about a girl that dies and a guy that visits her every day, laying flowers at her gravestone."
"That sounds morbid…" Meiling, who was quiet with Syaoran and Shing the whole time, commented.
"That's kinda sweet…" Tomoyo countered.
"Anyway," Sakura said, "The guy decides that he is going to bring the girl back from the dead and goes through a number of tests before bringing her back…"
Syaoran's eyes popped open. "That sounds so familiar," he said aloud, mostly to himself.
Shing replied smoothly, "They make a lot of movies with this kind of theme lately, maybe you've seen one like it."
Naoko smiled. "It kinda sounds scary, I like scary movies. I say we should see it!"
Rika, Chiharu, and Tomoyo nodded enthusiastically. "And it's romantic, but kind of eerie."
Meiling shrugged and Syaoran squinted eyes. Shing shrugged along with Meiling.
Takashi sighed and muttered, "Fine fine."
"Then it's agreed!" Sakura yelled, pointing her finger in the air triumphantly.
She gathered the money and went up to the counter. "Nine tickets to 'Flowers for my Girl,' please!"
The lady at the register took the money and produced nine tickets. "Enjoy," she said, before Sakura left.
Sakura gave everyone their ticket. They filed into the theater and got their snacks. Then they proceeded to the showing.
Syaoran sat down next to Sakura, and watched the previews. Then the movie began to start. The first thing Syaoran thought about the movie was, 'These actors are very bad. They have such corny lines!'
The girls were fully intent though. Meiling was sitting upright in her chair, a look of enjoyment on her face. Shing looked bored with the movie. Syaoran couldn't shake the idea out of his head that the idea for the movie was very familiar. The thing that Shing said about it being made into a movie before made sense, so Syaoran tried to accept that answer. He decided to watch some of the movie and see what it was like.
~~ The man smiled at this and said, "You ask too many questions. My name is of no importance. I am from a world beyond this one. The one where your beloved is now.~~
Syaoran smirked. 'This definitely sounds familiar. I bet I saw this movie a while ago and slept through it.' He listened for another quote.
~~'Do you have any advice for me?"
Almost smiling the man said, "Wise question. Advice? Always remember who you're fighting for. The life of you're loved one. Also remember that if you lose, then that person is lost forever in the between. You will be lost too. Life is beautiful, if there is something that you should treasure, it is life. Never give up and believe in the powers in you. Use your mind because without it you will get nowhere."~~
'Yup, I definitely saw this movie before! So I guess that means that I should just sleep through it this time through too cause this movie sounds pretty boring…'
And with that, Syaoran fell sleep. Shing saw Syaoran's eyes shut and smiled. Seeing Syaoran sleeping, Sakura considered waking him up, but noticing how peaceful he looked, Sakura decided against it. 'His loss,' she thought.
After about 2 hours, the movie ended. The credits began rolling through. Sakura shook Syaoran awake. He opened his eyes slowly and lazily said, "What's going on?"
"Remember? We're at the movie theater! The movie just finished… let's go!"
"Oh… ok," Syaoran said, still in a dazed state.
The sun was beginning to set when the group walked outside. Syaoran was fully awake now. "So, er… great movie, eh?" he asked.
Sakura glared. "Nice try… I know you were asleep the whole time."
"Not true!" Syaoran persisted.
"Oh yeah? Well, do you see things through your eyelids?" Sakura asked.
"I remember the man saying, "Never forget who you're fighting for!" That was kind of cool…"
Sakura laughed. "That was at the beginning of the movie though!"
"Ok, well… I remember that the third test was about… um, conquering fears!" Syaoran proclaimed.
Sakura's eyes widened. "Woah! I guess you really can see through your eyelids!!"
Shing muttered, "He's seen the movie before…"
"Yeah, I guess I did watch of it before. I don't remember what happens at the end…" Syaoran replied.
Sakura knitted her eyebrows together and said mysteriously, "How could you have seen this movie before? It just came out yesterday!"
Syaoran gave Sakura a clueless look. "I didn't see any movies yesterday. That movie was really familiar though."
Everyone listened to the conversation. Naoko said, "The mystery! It sounds just like a book I started to read!"
"What happened at the end?" Tomoyo asked.
"I didn't finish it… it got boring," Naoko said, shrugging.
Tomoyo sweatdropped.
"I've got to go!" Rika proclaimed.
"Yeah… I do too," Takashi said.
Within a few minutes, everyone began splitting up. The only people left were Sakura, Syaoran, Shing, and Meiling.
"There are movies like that though. I'm sure that's what it is," Shing casually said.
"Then how did I know what the third test was?" Syaoran demanded.
Shing shrugged carelessly. "It was a good guess."
Syaoran knew that he should forget about it. The movie didn't matter. But he had had the uneasy feeling all day. He had tried to repress the feeling all day, but it had gotten to a point of ridiculousness.
"Good guess? I doubt it!" Syaoran yelled.
Sakura tugged at Syaoran's arm. "Don't worry about it! Let's just go home…"
Syaoran took his arm out of Sakura's grip. "I can't forget about it. It just doesn't feel right."
"Syaoran! You're just being paranoid! Let's go home!" Meiling said, her fiery temper beginning to rise.
Shing nodded and said, "I gotta go now. Sleep is starting to call out to me…"
Syaoran questioned, "Why do you wear those sunglasses? It's not sunny outside!"
Shing laughed. "Why not?"
Sakura whispered into Syaoran's ears, "He has an eye problem… remember?"
"Eye problem? Then why did you take off your sunglasses at lunch when it was sunny outside?" Syaoran demanded.
"I couldn't help myself… are you getting nervous?" Shing asked.
Syaoran blinked. 'Nervous? Wah?'
Meiling took Syaoran's arm and said, "Sorry, we better go. I think that Syaoran must have hit his head on the back of the theater chair or something. I'll take him home."
Before Sakura or Shing could protest, Meiling dragged the curious Syaoran away. She kept a calm face till they were far away enough that Sakura or Shing would not see them. Then she let go of Syaoran and yelled, "What the heck is wrong with you? Why were you questioning Shing?"
Syaoran argued, "I didn't really question him! I was curious! I know that movie!"
"The movie?! This is all about that movie?" Meiling asked, incredulously.
"Yeah! Why does Shing insist I've seen if before?"
"So that you don't act so crazy? So that you will have an explanation?" Meiling suggested.
"No! He wants me to forget about something!" Syaoran yelled.
Meiling shook her head. "Just get over it, Syaoran! Aren't you happy with the life you live?"
"Well… yeah…"
"Aren't you happy with Sakura? What about the fact that I cancelled our marriage and am living my own happy life? Shing is a great guy! You should be happy!" Meiling cried.
"I'm happy! But but…" Syaoran said.
"No buts! Just be happy!" Meiling urged.
"O… k… Sorry for tonight," Syaoran said, half-heartedly.
Meiling smiled. "No worries," she said.
They walked home together, in a comfortable silence. Syaoran broke he silence. "By the way, how did that movie end?"
Meiling replied briskly, "You shouldn't have fallen asleep."
"Nooo! Please tell me!" Syaoran didn't know why, but he felt like he needed to know what happened at the end.
"The guy didn't pass the tests. He died, and lived happily ever after with his dead beloved in some afterlife thing," Meiling said with a boring expression.
"That's kind of… stupid," Syaoran said, disappointed for no reason.
"Yeah, he failed the test where he couldn't overcome his own happiness. It was sad, there were a lot of people crying," Meiling said, tears appearing in her own eyes.
Syaoran nodded. 'How pointless…'
The apartment that Syaoran and Meiling entered was dark. Syaoran went into his room, and Meiling into hers. "No crazy thoughts!" she yelled to his back as he shut the door behind him.
Syaoran plopped down onto his bed in his room. He closed his eyes. 'Are you nervous?' a voice in his mind said.
Syaoran opened his eyes. "Why did Shing say that?"
And the part of the movie that he watched came into his mind.
~~ "Always remember who you're fighting for. The life of you're loved one. Also remember that if you lose, then that person is lost forever in the between. You will be lost too. Life is beautiful, if there is something that you should treasure, it is life. Never give up and believe in the powers in you. Use your mind because without it you will get nowhere."~~
Syaoran thought to himself, 'Am I fighting for someone? But that's not possible… the only person I would fight for is Sakura, and she is right by me!'
Another dialogue went into his mind. 'Are you getting nervous? I don't blame you… after all, no one has ever survived the tests…'
"Whoa! Where did that come from?" Syaoran asked aloud. Then he remembered Shing say, 'Are you nervous?' when Syaoran asked about the sunglasses.
And the final dialogue that Syaoran thought of was Meiling saying, 'He failed the test where he couldn't overcome his own happiness.'
'His… own… happiness?' Syaoran asked. The pieces were beginning to fall into place. 'But if that's true, and that movie was true… then that means… oh no!'
Syaoran picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Moshi moshi?" a sweet voice answered.
Syaoran said, "Hi Sakura! I was… uh… just calling to apologize about today. I guess I was just feeling funny."
Sakura laughed, "No problem! I gotta admit that you were acting kind of funny though."
Syaoran asked spontaneously, "Do you remember when I said I loved you a long time ago?"
Sakura paused on the line before saying, "Yeah? What does that have to do with anything?"
"Do you love me, Sakura?"
"Of course I do, Syaoran! Why are you asking such a question?"
"I don't know… but it makes me feel a lot better. I have to go now, ok?" Syaoran asked.
"Ok! See you tomorrow!" And with that, Sakura hung up.
Syaoran sighed. 'Hearing that Sakura loves me is the thing that would make me the happiest. This is all too good to be true. Remember who I'm fighting for? Never give up? Use my mind? That was the advice that I had received… from Shing!'
Syaoran began to think, bringing back all his memories. He slowly began to remember his tests. The first test was strength, the second was to overcome himself, the next was a crazy version for his fears… and this one was to go beyond his own happiness! Everything clicked into place. He knew what he had to do next.
Without another thought, Syaoran jumped off his bed and bolted out of his room. He ran to the front door. Meiling yelled, "Where are ya going?"
Syaoran ignored her and ran. He ran for a few minutes before a dead silence began to envelope him. 'Yup, this is the place,' Syaoran thought.
Syaoran entered the graveyard. He slowly approached the place where Sakura's tomb should lay. Of course, being that Sakura wasn't alive in this world he had made, her grave wasn't there. But the empty lot was still there.
"I know you are here Shing!" Syaoran called out to the air around him.
Shing appeared from behind the tree. He asked innocently, "Why are you here?"
"I figured it out, this is not real! All my thoughts of being together with Sakura, it's all fake!!"
"It's all in your head. Go home Syaoran. Wake up tomorrow and be with Sakura," Shing said passively.
"NO! I can't! I can't… because… she's dead… and I don't want to fail the test," Syaoran said hesitantly.
Shing began to clap in amusement. "Wow, that's intense. But didn't Meiling tell you what happened at the end of the movie?"
Syaoran gave him a puzzled look. "The boy failed the test and died?"
"Yes, but they lived happily together after death… isn't that good enough?" Shing asked.
"That's just a fantasy life! I can't live a life of fantasy... I don't know that that would happen. That was just a movie! That wasn't reality."
"Yes, but you don't want to give in now?"
Syaoran glared and said, "You annoy me so much! I don't want to give in! Didn't you say that I shouldn't give up? I should remember who I'm fighting for? I want Sakura and me to live a happy life in the REAL world!"
"This world is very real…"
"That's different! It's only real in my head." Syaoran sighed. "Do you really want me to fail that bad?"
Shing sighed too. "That's not it. But you are getting nearer and nearer to the end of your tests. And this would be a perfect place to stop, I just want you to think about it."
"I want to go on. I've gotten this far," Syaoran said quietly.
"Very well, you have passed the test," Shing said.
"Now what?" Syaoran breathed deeply in relief.
Shing produced a new potion. "Drink this."
Syaoran laughed and said, "Ha! I'm not touching that thing! Who knows what it will do to me!"
"This will bring you back to the world where Sakura is dead," Shing said, flatly.
Syaoran grabbed the bottle out of Shing's hands. Before he drank it though he asked, "Why did you give me so many clues?"
"Huh?"
"The movie? 'Flowers for my Girl'? Without it, I wouldn't have figured it out. And the "Are you nervous thing?" thing, it confirmed my suspicions."
Shing laughed. "The movie was something that the back of your sub conscious made up. I had nothing to do with it. That surprised me though. That drink was suppose to make you forget everything. But somehow you produced those images… the funny thing is that you couldn't believe your own thoughts. You fell asleep in the movie, that was pretty sad… And as for the "Are you nervous?" question, I only gave you the original answer that I said before. You asked about the sunglasses and that's how I replied. It was only fair that I say the same answer when you asked again."
Syaoran smiled and said, "Thanks."
"Nothing to thank me for, now drink!" Shing said imaparitively.
Syaoran thought, 'So, my own mind came up with that movie? That's kind of cool… In the future, this would make a great movie…' Syaoran tipped his head and drank the contents of the bottle.
He once again fell to the ground, and slept soundly.
A/N- Whewwwwwwww… that took a long time to write! This is the longest chapter yet, yay! I think it turned ok, right? The movie? LoL, I couldn't help myself… I had to name it what I named the story, it fit too well. And I don't know what I picked a movie. I didn't know what else to do -___-. It fit though^_^. Please review! After all, all those reviews is what got this chapter out! I was so amazed! 11 reviews!! I almost started skipping in the house! Lol… So, I gotta say… Do ya love it? Hate it? I'm almost done w/ this story! Yay! Bye!
Flowers for my Girl- Chapter 9
Syaoran sighed a breath of inward relief. There was nothing wrong. The only reason he was feeling strange was because of a dream that he was starting to remember. 'Well… Meiling was a clown in my dream? No wonder I feel so strange! That must be a very creepy thing to see! And Shing… what was it about Shing in my dream?' Syaoran grunted.
"Anything wrong?" Sakura whispered, leaning over so that no one else could hear her.
"Huh?" Syaoran asked, returning to the reality of eating lunch at the tables of Seijou High.
"You were zoning out… that's my job!" Sakura said playfully.
Syaoran blinked and smiled at Sakura. With a bite of his lunch, Syaoran decided that pointless dreams were nothing to ponder about.
Sakura was talking with the rest of the group about plans for what they could do after school.
"So, does that sound good to everyone?" Sakura asked.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Syaoran hadn't heard what she said, but nodded anyway.
"All right then! We'll go to a movie later! Yay!" Sakura proclaimed.
'A movie? Ok then, that works…' Syaoran thought.
Everyone began chatting on the same time from then on out. They began to talk about which movie they should see, how long and tiring school was, and other things that Syaoran could not comprehend. Syaoran looked over at Shing. Shing was staying out of the conversation, like him. Something about the look in Shing's eyes made Syaoran feel uneasy. His eyes seemed to be glazed over, but yet he looked like he was paying attention to the world around him. Syaoran shrugged. 'Meiling has the weirdest taste in guys…' Syaoran thought before realizing that she used to like him.
A few minutes later, the bell signaling that lunch was over rang. Sakura complained, "Lunch is too short!"
Every nodded. Shing simply put his sunglasses on and began walking away. Syaoran nodded along with the rest of the group and watched as Shing left. Meiling jumped out of her chair and yelled, "Hey! Wait for me!"
Shing paused and waited for Meiling to hook her arm around Shing. Syaoran kept watching Shing till they disappeared. Sakura pulled Syaoran out of the seat and said, "Come on! You're being so lazy today! I keep having to pull you out of your chair!"
Syaoran stood up and randomly said, "I don't trust Shing."
Sakura giggled. "You haven't trusted him since the day you met him! I don't think that any guy is going to be good enough for Meiling in your opinion."
"That's right," Syaoran sighed. "Let's get to class."
They walked hand in hand to their next class and got into their seats before the bell rang. Sakura winked at Syaoran, causing him to blush. 'Why am I so hesitant? I keep going through this! There is nothing wrong! But… why do I keep questioning it then?'
The teacher began to teach the lesson and Syaoran once again pushed his doubts away.
~*~*~*~*~*~
School was over. The big group of friends began to walk to the movie theater. Takashi remarked, "You know, movies were started…"
Before he could get into his legend, Chiharu elbowed him in the side and said dryly, "No one really cares why they started. We only care to watch them…"
The movie theater wasn't crowded, to their delight. Before they got in live for their tickets Sakura asked, "What movie are we going to see?"
"How about 'Desires Awakening?'" Naoko asked.
The boys groaned. Takashi complained, "We agreed to a movie, but not some mushy junk like that! Can't you tell just by the name that it is just going to be kissing and people telling each other how much they love each other? Sounds disgusting!"
Rika asked in her chipper voice, "What about 'Teacher's Love?'"
Everyone gave her a questioning look.
Rika sweatdropped and said in an angry voice, "What?! It was just a suggestion!"
Sakura sighed and said, "Ok ok! How about 'Flowers for my Girl?'"
Takashi groaned. "Didn't we just go through the thing about mushiness? 'Flowers for my Girl?' Sounds like it's about some guy that got a girl mad, then gave her flowers and they made up and started kissing!"
Sakura insisted, "But that's not at all what it is about! It's about a girl that dies and a guy that visits her every day, laying flowers at her gravestone."
"That sounds morbid…" Meiling, who was quiet with Syaoran and Shing the whole time, commented.
"That's kinda sweet…" Tomoyo countered.
"Anyway," Sakura said, "The guy decides that he is going to bring the girl back from the dead and goes through a number of tests before bringing her back…"
Syaoran's eyes popped open. "That sounds so familiar," he said aloud, mostly to himself.
Shing replied smoothly, "They make a lot of movies with this kind of theme lately, maybe you've seen one like it."
Naoko smiled. "It kinda sounds scary, I like scary movies. I say we should see it!"
Rika, Chiharu, and Tomoyo nodded enthusiastically. "And it's romantic, but kind of eerie."
Meiling shrugged and Syaoran squinted eyes. Shing shrugged along with Meiling.
Takashi sighed and muttered, "Fine fine."
"Then it's agreed!" Sakura yelled, pointing her finger in the air triumphantly.
She gathered the money and went up to the counter. "Nine tickets to 'Flowers for my Girl,' please!"
The lady at the register took the money and produced nine tickets. "Enjoy," she said, before Sakura left.
Sakura gave everyone their ticket. They filed into the theater and got their snacks. Then they proceeded to the showing.
Syaoran sat down next to Sakura, and watched the previews. Then the movie began to start. The first thing Syaoran thought about the movie was, 'These actors are very bad. They have such corny lines!'
The girls were fully intent though. Meiling was sitting upright in her chair, a look of enjoyment on her face. Shing looked bored with the movie. Syaoran couldn't shake the idea out of his head that the idea for the movie was very familiar. The thing that Shing said about it being made into a movie before made sense, so Syaoran tried to accept that answer. He decided to watch some of the movie and see what it was like.
~~ The man smiled at this and said, "You ask too many questions. My name is of no importance. I am from a world beyond this one. The one where your beloved is now.~~
Syaoran smirked. 'This definitely sounds familiar. I bet I saw this movie a while ago and slept through it.' He listened for another quote.
~~'Do you have any advice for me?"
Almost smiling the man said, "Wise question. Advice? Always remember who you're fighting for. The life of you're loved one. Also remember that if you lose, then that person is lost forever in the between. You will be lost too. Life is beautiful, if there is something that you should treasure, it is life. Never give up and believe in the powers in you. Use your mind because without it you will get nowhere."~~
'Yup, I definitely saw this movie before! So I guess that means that I should just sleep through it this time through too cause this movie sounds pretty boring…'
And with that, Syaoran fell sleep. Shing saw Syaoran's eyes shut and smiled. Seeing Syaoran sleeping, Sakura considered waking him up, but noticing how peaceful he looked, Sakura decided against it. 'His loss,' she thought.
After about 2 hours, the movie ended. The credits began rolling through. Sakura shook Syaoran awake. He opened his eyes slowly and lazily said, "What's going on?"
"Remember? We're at the movie theater! The movie just finished… let's go!"
"Oh… ok," Syaoran said, still in a dazed state.
The sun was beginning to set when the group walked outside. Syaoran was fully awake now. "So, er… great movie, eh?" he asked.
Sakura glared. "Nice try… I know you were asleep the whole time."
"Not true!" Syaoran persisted.
"Oh yeah? Well, do you see things through your eyelids?" Sakura asked.
"I remember the man saying, "Never forget who you're fighting for!" That was kind of cool…"
Sakura laughed. "That was at the beginning of the movie though!"
"Ok, well… I remember that the third test was about… um, conquering fears!" Syaoran proclaimed.
Sakura's eyes widened. "Woah! I guess you really can see through your eyelids!!"
Shing muttered, "He's seen the movie before…"
"Yeah, I guess I did watch of it before. I don't remember what happens at the end…" Syaoran replied.
Sakura knitted her eyebrows together and said mysteriously, "How could you have seen this movie before? It just came out yesterday!"
Syaoran gave Sakura a clueless look. "I didn't see any movies yesterday. That movie was really familiar though."
Everyone listened to the conversation. Naoko said, "The mystery! It sounds just like a book I started to read!"
"What happened at the end?" Tomoyo asked.
"I didn't finish it… it got boring," Naoko said, shrugging.
Tomoyo sweatdropped.
"I've got to go!" Rika proclaimed.
"Yeah… I do too," Takashi said.
Within a few minutes, everyone began splitting up. The only people left were Sakura, Syaoran, Shing, and Meiling.
"There are movies like that though. I'm sure that's what it is," Shing casually said.
"Then how did I know what the third test was?" Syaoran demanded.
Shing shrugged carelessly. "It was a good guess."
Syaoran knew that he should forget about it. The movie didn't matter. But he had had the uneasy feeling all day. He had tried to repress the feeling all day, but it had gotten to a point of ridiculousness.
"Good guess? I doubt it!" Syaoran yelled.
Sakura tugged at Syaoran's arm. "Don't worry about it! Let's just go home…"
Syaoran took his arm out of Sakura's grip. "I can't forget about it. It just doesn't feel right."
"Syaoran! You're just being paranoid! Let's go home!" Meiling said, her fiery temper beginning to rise.
Shing nodded and said, "I gotta go now. Sleep is starting to call out to me…"
Syaoran questioned, "Why do you wear those sunglasses? It's not sunny outside!"
Shing laughed. "Why not?"
Sakura whispered into Syaoran's ears, "He has an eye problem… remember?"
"Eye problem? Then why did you take off your sunglasses at lunch when it was sunny outside?" Syaoran demanded.
"I couldn't help myself… are you getting nervous?" Shing asked.
Syaoran blinked. 'Nervous? Wah?'
Meiling took Syaoran's arm and said, "Sorry, we better go. I think that Syaoran must have hit his head on the back of the theater chair or something. I'll take him home."
Before Sakura or Shing could protest, Meiling dragged the curious Syaoran away. She kept a calm face till they were far away enough that Sakura or Shing would not see them. Then she let go of Syaoran and yelled, "What the heck is wrong with you? Why were you questioning Shing?"
Syaoran argued, "I didn't really question him! I was curious! I know that movie!"
"The movie?! This is all about that movie?" Meiling asked, incredulously.
"Yeah! Why does Shing insist I've seen if before?"
"So that you don't act so crazy? So that you will have an explanation?" Meiling suggested.
"No! He wants me to forget about something!" Syaoran yelled.
Meiling shook her head. "Just get over it, Syaoran! Aren't you happy with the life you live?"
"Well… yeah…"
"Aren't you happy with Sakura? What about the fact that I cancelled our marriage and am living my own happy life? Shing is a great guy! You should be happy!" Meiling cried.
"I'm happy! But but…" Syaoran said.
"No buts! Just be happy!" Meiling urged.
"O… k… Sorry for tonight," Syaoran said, half-heartedly.
Meiling smiled. "No worries," she said.
They walked home together, in a comfortable silence. Syaoran broke he silence. "By the way, how did that movie end?"
Meiling replied briskly, "You shouldn't have fallen asleep."
"Nooo! Please tell me!" Syaoran didn't know why, but he felt like he needed to know what happened at the end.
"The guy didn't pass the tests. He died, and lived happily ever after with his dead beloved in some afterlife thing," Meiling said with a boring expression.
"That's kind of… stupid," Syaoran said, disappointed for no reason.
"Yeah, he failed the test where he couldn't overcome his own happiness. It was sad, there were a lot of people crying," Meiling said, tears appearing in her own eyes.
Syaoran nodded. 'How pointless…'
The apartment that Syaoran and Meiling entered was dark. Syaoran went into his room, and Meiling into hers. "No crazy thoughts!" she yelled to his back as he shut the door behind him.
Syaoran plopped down onto his bed in his room. He closed his eyes. 'Are you nervous?' a voice in his mind said.
Syaoran opened his eyes. "Why did Shing say that?"
And the part of the movie that he watched came into his mind.
~~ "Always remember who you're fighting for. The life of you're loved one. Also remember that if you lose, then that person is lost forever in the between. You will be lost too. Life is beautiful, if there is something that you should treasure, it is life. Never give up and believe in the powers in you. Use your mind because without it you will get nowhere."~~
Syaoran thought to himself, 'Am I fighting for someone? But that's not possible… the only person I would fight for is Sakura, and she is right by me!'
Another dialogue went into his mind. 'Are you getting nervous? I don't blame you… after all, no one has ever survived the tests…'
"Whoa! Where did that come from?" Syaoran asked aloud. Then he remembered Shing say, 'Are you nervous?' when Syaoran asked about the sunglasses.
And the final dialogue that Syaoran thought of was Meiling saying, 'He failed the test where he couldn't overcome his own happiness.'
'His… own… happiness?' Syaoran asked. The pieces were beginning to fall into place. 'But if that's true, and that movie was true… then that means… oh no!'
Syaoran picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Moshi moshi?" a sweet voice answered.
Syaoran said, "Hi Sakura! I was… uh… just calling to apologize about today. I guess I was just feeling funny."
Sakura laughed, "No problem! I gotta admit that you were acting kind of funny though."
Syaoran asked spontaneously, "Do you remember when I said I loved you a long time ago?"
Sakura paused on the line before saying, "Yeah? What does that have to do with anything?"
"Do you love me, Sakura?"
"Of course I do, Syaoran! Why are you asking such a question?"
"I don't know… but it makes me feel a lot better. I have to go now, ok?" Syaoran asked.
"Ok! See you tomorrow!" And with that, Sakura hung up.
Syaoran sighed. 'Hearing that Sakura loves me is the thing that would make me the happiest. This is all too good to be true. Remember who I'm fighting for? Never give up? Use my mind? That was the advice that I had received… from Shing!'
Syaoran began to think, bringing back all his memories. He slowly began to remember his tests. The first test was strength, the second was to overcome himself, the next was a crazy version for his fears… and this one was to go beyond his own happiness! Everything clicked into place. He knew what he had to do next.
Without another thought, Syaoran jumped off his bed and bolted out of his room. He ran to the front door. Meiling yelled, "Where are ya going?"
Syaoran ignored her and ran. He ran for a few minutes before a dead silence began to envelope him. 'Yup, this is the place,' Syaoran thought.
Syaoran entered the graveyard. He slowly approached the place where Sakura's tomb should lay. Of course, being that Sakura wasn't alive in this world he had made, her grave wasn't there. But the empty lot was still there.
"I know you are here Shing!" Syaoran called out to the air around him.
Shing appeared from behind the tree. He asked innocently, "Why are you here?"
"I figured it out, this is not real! All my thoughts of being together with Sakura, it's all fake!!"
"It's all in your head. Go home Syaoran. Wake up tomorrow and be with Sakura," Shing said passively.
"NO! I can't! I can't… because… she's dead… and I don't want to fail the test," Syaoran said hesitantly.
Shing began to clap in amusement. "Wow, that's intense. But didn't Meiling tell you what happened at the end of the movie?"
Syaoran gave him a puzzled look. "The boy failed the test and died?"
"Yes, but they lived happily together after death… isn't that good enough?" Shing asked.
"That's just a fantasy life! I can't live a life of fantasy... I don't know that that would happen. That was just a movie! That wasn't reality."
"Yes, but you don't want to give in now?"
Syaoran glared and said, "You annoy me so much! I don't want to give in! Didn't you say that I shouldn't give up? I should remember who I'm fighting for? I want Sakura and me to live a happy life in the REAL world!"
"This world is very real…"
"That's different! It's only real in my head." Syaoran sighed. "Do you really want me to fail that bad?"
Shing sighed too. "That's not it. But you are getting nearer and nearer to the end of your tests. And this would be a perfect place to stop, I just want you to think about it."
"I want to go on. I've gotten this far," Syaoran said quietly.
"Very well, you have passed the test," Shing said.
"Now what?" Syaoran breathed deeply in relief.
Shing produced a new potion. "Drink this."
Syaoran laughed and said, "Ha! I'm not touching that thing! Who knows what it will do to me!"
"This will bring you back to the world where Sakura is dead," Shing said, flatly.
Syaoran grabbed the bottle out of Shing's hands. Before he drank it though he asked, "Why did you give me so many clues?"
"Huh?"
"The movie? 'Flowers for my Girl'? Without it, I wouldn't have figured it out. And the "Are you nervous thing?" thing, it confirmed my suspicions."
Shing laughed. "The movie was something that the back of your sub conscious made up. I had nothing to do with it. That surprised me though. That drink was suppose to make you forget everything. But somehow you produced those images… the funny thing is that you couldn't believe your own thoughts. You fell asleep in the movie, that was pretty sad… And as for the "Are you nervous?" question, I only gave you the original answer that I said before. You asked about the sunglasses and that's how I replied. It was only fair that I say the same answer when you asked again."
Syaoran smiled and said, "Thanks."
"Nothing to thank me for, now drink!" Shing said imaparitively.
Syaoran thought, 'So, my own mind came up with that movie? That's kind of cool… In the future, this would make a great movie…' Syaoran tipped his head and drank the contents of the bottle.
He once again fell to the ground, and slept soundly.
A/N- Whewwwwwwww… that took a long time to write! This is the longest chapter yet, yay! I think it turned ok, right? The movie? LoL, I couldn't help myself… I had to name it what I named the story, it fit too well. And I don't know what I picked a movie. I didn't know what else to do -___-. It fit though^_^. Please review! After all, all those reviews is what got this chapter out! I was so amazed! 11 reviews!! I almost started skipping in the house! Lol… So, I gotta say… Do ya love it? Hate it? I'm almost done w/ this story! Yay! Bye!