Author's Note: Hiya, finally got to the special assignment after a while. I hope you enjoy. School is so bad! _ My mom is still upset about my grades, but I did raise them. So I finally finished this chappie and posted it! Oh, and the entry belongs to ChibiCherry!.


Quote of the Chappie: One thing you can't recycle is wasted time ~Anonymous


Dedication: Sakura-san-thankies for your comment and the assignment!! ChibiCherry-thankies for your support and for doing the assignment and all!! I so DEDICATE this STORY to you GALS!!!!


Disclaimer: I don't own CCS, and Fei's from Xenogears. Okay? Good.


Here's Hoping For Love

By: Pink Cherry Blossom

Chapter 12: Special: Sakura


Key:

blah = Thinking

"blah" = Talking

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It was Tuesday today. Another day for students to be tortured about the assignment and the presentation. And the fact that you don't know if your getting graded. Or even worst, it's weighed.


Mrs. Hajimi was feeling is a fantastic mood. She loved to torture the students. Especially Kinomoto Sakura. She was so easy to manipulate and frighten. Pathetic little Kinomoto. Nothing like her older brother.


The bell rang. "Okay class, we shall continue to read our projects. Kinomoto-san, please, come up on the stage to share your delightful piece. We would all love to here it."


Sakura, shockingly walked to the front for all her classmates to see here. "Okay. Hoe. Ano, I picked out ano...faithfulness. I wrote a short story to go with this."


Once, in a time long ago, there lived a simple young peasant. Her name being Miya, had sweet smile that many came to see and her happiness made her a joy to be around. At the age of 18, she was expected to marry soon, and as everyone suspected, young men began to suddenly remain behind to talk to her about insignificant things.

But suddenly something seemed to have changed with her. It was a positive effect that made everyone even happier, although none knew the cause.

One fine day of the warm golden rays of the sun, Miya had done the normal. She had traveled to a forest nearby the town and gone to collect herbs, as she was the village's healer. Her knowledge on medicinal plants was vast- she had learned it all from her late mother, who had been the village doctor before her.

Once into the forest, Miya had disappeared for hours and had stayed in the forest overnight. She had come back the next day wearing a bright smile, her brightest yet. Her smile continued growing brighter and brighter. Her cheerful attitude made the town an even happier place than before.

Much to the townspeople's chagrin, she never explained to them what happened in the forest and although they cajoled and pleaded with her to tell them, all she gave was a mysterious smile alight in her bright eyes. They all made guesses but to no avail did she answer if the guess was correct or not.

Miya constantly returned to the forest and remained there for long periods of time. The townspeople had decided to respect her privacy and left her alone about the matter but they still hoped that one day she would spill her secret.

But one day Miya came back from the forest with tears spilling down her cheeks. Her happy smile had disappeared.

The townspeople were concerned and all jumped to cheer her up.

However, nothing worked and Miya seemed to dwell in sadness. She could not and would not smile, leaving the town with an air of depression hanging its head. And although she apologized endlessly, she couldn't seem to crack even the slightest smile.

Many questioned her and soon, after far too many attempts to cheer her up, Miya lost her temper. Her eyes were filled with wild fire as she yelled for everyone to leave her alone. The townspeople were immensely hurt. Miya had never lost her temper at them and all they wanted to do was help.

Days passed and Miya remained in her cottage alone. Her conscience ate at her and she was sorry that she had ever yelled. Anger was a new emotion for her and quite frankly, she didn't like the emotion at all. Day after day she persuaded herself to steel herself against emotions like that and after quite a few days, she managed to force a smile onto her face. She came out into the daylight and drank in the warm air and eventually her pale cheeks returned to a rosy color.

Months soon turned into years and although Miya's smile was fake, she gave it her all to smile for other people. She had pushed the men away from her and it was soon obvious that she did not want to marry any of this town.

Over all the time that she was in her pretense to make others happy, she had debated on whether to return to the forest or not. Yet, something connected her to it and that overturned all the odds for her not to go. At the touch of dawn, she left for the forest. She was hesitant to go but left anyway. Her fists were clenched tight as she left for the forest. She looked at her feet as she went and before she knew it she was at her special place again.

Her special place.

She felt salty tears drench her cheeks again as she noticed that he had not reappeared. =You promised!= she felt her thoughts scream. =You promised that if I waited for a year you'd be back!= Her hair covered her eyes and hid her face as she collapsed onto the ground. =You promised..=

I did promise didn't I?

Miya slowly turned around as she a man smile boyishly down at her. A flamboyant smile was smeared across his face. The unknown man bent down and picked her up. She hugged him tightly and then frowned. Why did you go and leave me?

A slight shadow crossed the man's face. It was hard for me to leave you, believe me. The higher Gods commanded me to do so. They believed that mortal woman cannot and could not stay faithful to a lover for a year. They also believed that a God, lesser or not, and a mortal should not be involved with one another in any way. I was desperate. And in an attempt to try to get them to let me come back to you, I made them a bet. If you stayed unfaithful to me in the duration of the time they set, I could not return to this forest and see you again. If you stayed faithful to me, I would have been allowed to wed and see you again. He smiled. You stayed faithful to me and that is why I am able to return

Miya blinked in astonishment. What crude Gods! She frowned a bit. How rude. We mortals are able stay faithful! Didn't you defend me, Tak?

Tak smiled. Of course I did! That's why I made that bet. I knew I would win. He pushed a few streaks of hair out of Miya's eyes. I knew you'd stay faithful to me


Sakura was finally done. She opened up her eyes, and looked around. Then the students started to clap. All except Syaoran, who was at the time, thinking. If only Sakura realized the message she put into the story...


"That was a great piece Kinomoto-san. Good job. The more I hear of great reports, the more you step to getting a grade for it." The teacher heard many groans from that. "Anyway, continuing on..." The rest of the day went by as more presentations were performs.


The bell was once heard again. "Okay minna-san. Time to go. Hiirigizawa, you're next after Takiwasa tomorrow. Good day." And then the students started to get up until Mrs.Hajimi announced, "Oh, and I forget. Gomen, demo Long-san is gone on a trip, it was a family emergency, so he won't be at school."


Sakura was paralyzed to the ground. Why didn't he tell me? He could have phone me or something... Feeling a tug at her sleeve, it erased the thought from her mind. Why?


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A.N. Okay you know Fei is gone. This is almost over, there are like 5 chapters left after these ones. Then I can finish my other four! YAY! ^^ R&R!