A new beginning - chapter 5
"A twist to the average day"
Coco cookie: did u noe that I totally fixed up all the past chapters in their grammar and comprehension? So if peoplez look back and realise that it's changed (4 da better) then don't be surprised.
Thanx 4 reviewing Jared ^_^. O.k, let's just say that Syaoran is so befuddled in his old torments and is so insistent on not fooling up this time, that's he not very true to his feelings (sheesh - that sounded corny). It won't be until it's almost too late that he realises wat a mess he's making - and that's their love can actually come alive. Darn it! Just gave away some of da storyline: (
And who said that Sakura liked someone else?! I sure didn't put anything like that in! But of course, that doesn't mean it won't happen later on . . . hee hee . . .
Key: words in braces are thoughts. The starry things indicate a new setting in da storie.
* * * * *
"HOOOEE!!"
"Yep father, she's awake." Touya slipped on his shoes as he stood in the doorway. The quiet morning immediately became a mass of noise as Sakura zoomed down the stairs with her tie and socks draped over her arm.
Between the heaped spoonfuls of cereal she stuffed in her mouth, she shouted at Touya, "How come you didn't come and wake me? You know I've only got 2 min before school starts?"
"Even if aliens attacked the house, made use all into cheese and then mice came to nibble on us, you would still be asleep. How do you think I can wake someone like that?"
"Touya!!!!!"
"And it's not like I have screaming power like yours either."
* * * * *
Just as she got into the school grounds the bell rang - Sakura sighed angrily. [I was so close to getting there on time] Maths was her first period and to make her least favourite subject worse, she just had to have Ono sensei as her teacher. Her other teachers gave up on trying to see if she could get to school on time; they had now accepted the fact that being late was part of Sakura's schedule. But Ono sensei didn't.
Rushing up the stairs with full power seemed completely tireless to her - the whole trip was more like a cross-country event. Sakura felt a lot healthier once she had the loop off her shoulders.
With every step she took, Sakura's mind flew back to yesterday. [He said he might - no he said he would try - to go to Seiju high with Tomoyo and me] As her classroom door came into view, Sakura felt her heart lift and a smile form on her face. [What if he's there? We can go to school together again!]
With her heart pounding like as if it was going to jump out of her body, Sakura slid open the door. Immediately 29 pairs of eyes gazed at her - but none she realised with a sinking feeling, had the dark brown eyes of Syaoran.
* * * * *
"Poor you Sakura, Ono sensei really worked you hard today," sympathised Chiharu as they set out their lunches beside the Cherry blossom tree.
"It was really mean of him to test you on stuff we haven't even learnt yet - he was doing all of that just to embarrass you," Naoko seconded.
Sakura nodded as she dug into her fried rice. Sure the sensei had been mean but that wasn't what really troubled her - she felt totally upset about how Syaoran wasn't there. It brought back those unhappy memories from before when she had also wished that he would arrive - except he never did.
Seeing how upset she was, Asumi changed the subject to something else. "So dear blossom, how did the dance go? You must have won first prize didn't you," Asumi asked in his husky, romantic voice. He leaned so close to her as he said it that his breath tickled her ear.
"Oh she was just great ofcourse! Spending more time wagging school for those made-up competitions - finding more boy admirers and double-crossing you."
Mirano's high-pitched voice cut through the air immediately. Sakura sighed, agitated. Why did Mirano always have to appear and insult her? Still as much as Mirano was beautiful, strangely, she had no friends or a group to hang out with - that ofcourse, still didn't mean that she couldn't wrap a boy around her finger when she wanted to.
"Now I just made a whole new batch of designer clothing Mirano, why don't you come with me and we'll inspect them out?" Without waiting for a reply, Tomoyo led Mirano off by the arm. She disliked Mirano as much as everyone did, but at least she and her got on better then the others.
Watching them go, Sakura began playing around with the strands of grass, twirling and wrapping it around her fingers.
"Now why is my beautiful sunshine so upset?" Asumi asked with a smile as he suddenly took her hand in his. "And where is that glorious smile I usually see?"
Sakura could feel herself reddening under his touch - but still, a smile escaped her lips and adored her face. Letting go of her hand, Asumi's grin widened. "Are you sure you're not magical in any way?" he joked "Your smile makes me feel like as if I can fly."
"Did you know that people who were believed to be magical- "
BAM!
"Why did I ever get stuck with you and not such a romeo like Asumi?" wailed Chiharu. Rubbing his sore head that had been struck with a bat, Takashi muttered, "It's not like I got a total Juliet as well."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"Oh nothing dear, sweet Chiharu - just talking to my friends, the leaves, " he replied automatically with the huge grin on his face.
"Sakura, I must say I missed you when you weren't here on Friday, "Asumi said as he stared right at her with his stunning blue eyes. [Eyes as calm and soothing as the sky] Sakura thought as she smiled again.
From the tree beside them, an apple fell - or more like aimed itself - at Asumi's head. It just missed and landed between the both of them. Sakura blinked a few times as she picked up the apple and then looked over at the tree. [How funny - I never knew apples grew on cherry blossom trees.]
"Probably just some squirrels or something, " Asumi murmured. "Nothing to worry about."
* * * * *
Sakura cartwheeled into the gym happily; sport was her most favourite subject. "Wow Sakura, " commented Rika, "You sure are cheering up now aren't you?"
Sakura smiled as she shook her ponytail off her shoulders. "Hai! Also the school athletics is coming up soon - the training I've been doing will finally pay off!"
For sport, the girls wear a white singlet top and navy shorts that go about mid-thigh. The boys would wear white sleeveless shirts and black shorts that went to their knees.
Tomoyo smiled. "You want to beat that school record don't you?" Sakura nodded energetically as she began doing stretches. She wanted to beat the record for the 1.5 kilometres event; last year she had missed out just by a few minutes. [But I'm going to reach my goal this year] Sakura thought confidently.
"I don't know why you even like sport so much, I'm never any good at it anyway, " Noako sighed as she fiddled with her glasses. "Coach even says that I might fail this subject - unless I do better and manage to do well in the race." She frowned. "To make things worse, it's a cross country event - I can't stand long races."
"Class gather round, " commanded the coach. He was absolutely someone not to fool around with; over 2 metres tall with a solid muscle build. Not to mention also being quite impatient and commanding. Luckily, Sakura was one of his favourite students and he stuck up for her in every way.
"Then maybe we can get together sometime, " Sakura whispered to Naoko as they hurriedly got into line, "I'll help you train."
* * * * *
"Aren't you going home now Sakura?" Tomoyo asked as she stopped outside the school gates.
Sakura shook her head. "Not yet - I'm going to jog around the school for some exercise."
"Shouldn't you do that in the morning? The weather and air's so much more nicer."
Sakura looked rather sheepish a she began fiddling with her thumbs. "Hoe . . . "
Tomoyo laughed as she began walking in the direction of home. [Poor Sakura - she can't wake up on time]
Then just as Sakura was waving goodbye to Tomoyo, Asumi came along. Winking at her with those stunning blue eyes, he said "See you tomorrow Sakura."
Sakura smiled, "Hai Asumi, bye!"
Watching him leave the school, Sakura went to sit under the cherry blossom tree. Then she took off her school shoes and after looking around in her bag, pulled out some runners (sneakers, sport shoes - what ever you call them) to wear.
"Who was he?"
With that, the person jumped down from his spot on the tree and landed steadily on both feet. He stared down at her from under dark, brown bangs - his tall and muscular body totally shading hers.
Wide-eyed with shock, Sakura gasped, "Syaoran?" She backed up a few steps, afraid that she was hallucinating (I like that word - it has a funny tingling feel when you say it).
"Who was he?" he asked again, totally ignoring her question.
"Hoe! Why do you always surprise me like this? We just always have to meet with you up a tree don't we?"
Folding him arms, he sighed. "My question is simple - can't you answer it?"
"That was Asumi - he's really nice." Sakura smiled grandly.
Syaoran frowned. [She seems so happy whenever he's included.]
"So where were you today Syaoran? When'd you start hiding in that tree?" Sakura asked.
"In the morning I had the rent settled and now Eroil and I have a place to stay. So the next step was to find a school to attend. And since you insisted on Seiju high, well, that step was then completed. Now all I had to do was find the sort of uniform I needed to get - so I went into the school, found a tree to sit in and just observed." And yes he had observed - more then he was supposed to actually.
~ FLASHBACK ~
[Now recess should begin about . . . now.] Just as he looked up from his watch, the bell rang and kids from all the buildings came out.
Making sure he was comfortable and totally invisible in his spot on the tree, he searched around the place till he found a boy. [Their uniform is a dark, navy blazer and grey pants. Then add the white shirt and tie.]
Knowing all he needed to know, he was about to jump into the tree beside him and make his way out of the school - until he heard a familiar name called.
"It was really mean of him to test you on stuff we haven't even learnt yet - he was doing all of that just to embarrass you."
Glancing at the speaker, he realised she looked very familiar. She had short brown hair held by a headband and glasses. Then examining the rest of the group one by one, his eyes soon fell onto Tomoyo and Sakura.
He could feel his eyes practically falling out their sockets when he looked at Sakura. She appeared totally hot in the school uniform. The girl's one was a navy, short skirt and white shirt. Then ontop of that they wore a navy vest and a tie.
Seeing that she was walking in his direction, he hurriedly murmured a spell that would ensure the fact that she couldn't sense him. Just in time too - Sakura seated herself right next to the tree. To his utter annoyance, a good-looking boy sat right next to her; he had long, black hair tied casually in a ponytail and quite a strong build.
Watching the boy's actions, Syaoran could feel himself boiling. [That's it! He just made Sakura smile for the 2nd time!] Clasping his hand around the first thing he could find in his pocket, he chucked it down at the boy's head.
~ FLASHBACK ENDS ~
"You were hiding in the cherry blossom tree all that time?" Sakura cried. She had been sitting right next to it without even knowing. "Shouldn't I be able to sense your power at least?"
Syaoran grinned - so tiny that it was barely visible. But without a doubt, the corners of his mouth had moved. "It's a spell I learnt, " he said simply. He couldn't help but find her expression quite entertaining - the way her eyes were so wide and how she looked like as if she couldn't decide whether to strangle him or just remain speechless.
"You could have at least told me you were there!" Sakura suddenly wailed, "Don't you know how much I missed you? Since you weren't at school that day, I thought you wouldn't be coming after all!"
Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm superman and I can just handle everything overnight?" But under his collected mask, he was extremely surprised at her words. It was just like the way she had responded yesterday - she had also showed her emotions toward him. [Oh what am I thinking? We're nothing but friends - that's all.]
"Hey, " Sakura paused as she laid a finger on her cheek, "if you were in that tree - were you the one who threw the apple?!"
Now it was his turn to lose his calmness; he could feel himself stammering excuses of all kinds. Still he couldn't help it - the darn guy was totally flirting with Sakura.
"Eh . . .well . . . I think I've got to go back home and unpack the things. Eroil was supposed to do that but he's probably slacking off, " Syaoran stuttered.
Immediately Sakura smiled - totally forgetting what she was trying to get out of him a moment ago. "Can I come? I'd love to help you out Syaoran!"
"You're joking right? It's like all swimming in dust and cobwebs, " Syaoran insisted. But her smile didn't waver one bit and she still looked at him hopefully. Turning toward the direction of his home, he grumbled, "Fine then. Come along."
* * * * * *
"Meiling lives with you right?"
"Yeah."
"Then how come she wasn't there when we came to perform?"
"You mean steal."
"Hoe! We didn't mean it, but we had to find some way to get in!"
"Do you want to know about Meiling or not?"
Sakura nodded.
"A year ago, she just suddenly announced one day that she wanted to travel. Don't know why - maybe she was bored with life at home. Eversince that day she's been like everywhere, she came back to visit just a few weeks before you arrived." His voice was as unemotional as usual, but Sakura was sure she heard a single note of sadness.
Sakura observed him for a moment. Then a quiet voice, she asked, "You miss her hai?"
Her words shocked him and he cast his gaze down at the floor. They were silent for a moment - all that could be heard was the wind whipping onto tree leaves. "Why would you say that?" he asked quietly.
"Well, you two are really close, cousins and all-"
"Never mind. Let's go, " he interrupted. Then with that, he continued his fast walking pace - making Sakura have to jog to catch up with him. [What's the point of discussing this with you? You won't understand - no one does.]
* * * * *
He had chosen an apartment that was actually quite close to her home - only a few streets away. It wasn't completely large and luxurious but still homey and fitted all his needs.
Looking over the millions of boxes that stood in the room, Syaoran glared angrily at Eroil. "You didn't clean any of this up did you?"
Seated casually on the bare carpet floor, Eroil just smiled. "I did descendent ("Finally - you dropped the cute," Syaoran muttered) - I spent all morning putting my stuff back in their place."
"You only put yours away? How about the rest of the things?!"
"Oh I decided to leave them for you. Sharing is a vital part of friendship."
Seeing that Syaoran was about to kill him, he hurriedly grabbed Sakura by the arm. "You can clean this up and we'll go shop for the right uniforms to wear." Dragging Sakura toward the door, he said with emphasis, "Since summer's coming up, wouldn't Sakura need a swimming costume? I'll help her pick one then."
"But I've already got heaps of them Eroil, " Sakura said as she scratched her head in confusion. Although she didn't get it, Syaoran did. "Go by yourself!" he yelled as he yanked Sakura from his hold.
* * * * *
Directing her to one of the mountains of boxes, Syaoran said, "You can look through this pile. I'll be over there if you need me."
Sakura's eyes goggled over the mess. "Do you always carry this much stuff with you?"
Syaoran shook his head. "More then half of this is clan books and spells - there should be only one box that actually holds my possessions." With that he teared open one of the boxes on the other side of the room.
Sakura sighed as she looked over her portion. [Where should I start?] Her eyes then fell onto one that was tied with a red ribbon. Tearing off the tape that held it closed, she lifted the cardboard lid. "Hoe? "
Without turning his back as he placed the china onto their shelves, Syaoran asked, "You found the training gear didn't you?"
"Hoe - is this training gear? I thought it were pieces of junk that you collected - eh I mean, " Sakura stopped with a squeak. "Well . . ."
Shrugging his shoulders, he just went to place the couch in a proper position. Sakura watched with awe as he just easily slid the heavy thing into place - it would have taken her at least a few minutes to do that. [He's so strong] Sakura thought as she continued to stare at him.
"Are you going to help me or not?" Syaoran demanded as he looked up at her. Sakura gulped as she quickly averted her attention to the boxes. [He caught me staring at him] Sakura reddened at the thought.
"So, uh, where do you want me to place these things?" Sakura asked as she held the weights and weapons in her hand. They were all damaged in some way; some burnt completely black, some covered in deep sword marks and others dented and charred in every place. [Wow, he must have gone through a lot with these things].
"Over there beside my bedside." He watched her nod and walk off in that direction, stumbling under the weight of the equipment she had to hold. Making sure she wouldn't hear, he murmured some words under his breath. He smiled slightly [There - now this will make things lot easier to you and me.]
* * * * *
They were doing well for progress; by the time it was 6:00, they had put most of the things away.
"Isn't it funny Syaoran? I now feel as if I know how all the things should be placed around here. " Sakura rested his sword gently against the wall. "I even feel so much more stronger!" To confirm this, she picked up one of his training weights and easily threw it up a few times.
Keeping his back to her so she wouldn't see his amused expression, he replied, "Yeah I agree. It's very strange." Even if she did see his face, she was too dense to suspect anything anyway.
Looking over how much they that managed to clean, Syaoran whistled. Running a hand through his hair, he said, "We did quite well didn't we?"
Stretching her body as she straightened up, Sakura walked over to Syaoran with a huge smile on her face. " You said that you wouldn't need me to help you out - now look at how much we've done together!" She poked him playfully on his chest. "Say that I'm useful - come on!"
He looked down at her large, emerald eyes and that cheeky smile. He suddenly felt a loss for words and his thoughts blanked.
Poking him again, Sakura pouted. "Well?"
Ignoring the fact that she was impatiently waiting for a reply, he just looked intently at her. They were just centimetres apart - their eyes totally drawing the other one in. [She looks so cute] Syaoran thought running the words along his mouth. Cute . . . the word tasted so funny when he said it. [But yes - she looks really cute].
"Syaoran are you even listening to me?" Sakura insisted. He just kept staring at her, looking like as if he was lost in his own world. She waved a hand in front of his face. "Syaoran?"
His arms that lay lifeless beside him wanted to hold her, to hold her soft, slender body. And he wanted to be closer to her, to fill up the small gap between them-"Syaoran?"
Syaoran blinked several times. [What had I been thinking?] His gaze fell onto Sakura who was watching him anxiously. Seeing that he was o.k again, she frowned, "Was that all a joke Syaoran? Because it wasn't funny!"
[No it's not a joke] Syaoran thought as he looked around him. Everything seemed strange and unfamiliar. [Something weird just happened - and I don't why or how]
* * * * *
"Wow - it's past 7:00. I really better get home or else Touya will fret again." Just as she was reaching for her schoolbag that she had left on the table, Syaoran suddenly held onto her arm.
"You must be hungry. Stay here and I'll cook you something first."
"Hoe!" Sakura looked down at the way he held onto her. "You're so busy - cooking would just be a nuisance." Still her heart thumped crazily at his actions. [Why are you suddenly like this Syaoran?]
"Don't worry. Anyway I'm starving too, so why can't I cook something for both of us to eat?"
"If you're hungry, then we can go to my place or order something."
Syaoran frowned. "I'm making you something and that's final." Letting go of her arm, he went off in the direction of the kitchen. "Now stay put and don't move, " he instructed.
"Syaoran . . . " Sakura immediately followed. "I'm not really hungry - you really don't have to do this."
Tying the apron firmly around his waist, he responded, "Set the table." Then he took out some ingredients and wouldn't listen to any more of her complaints.
Sakura sighed in defeat. Laying out the chopsticks, she couldn't help but smile. [I don't know why you're doing this Syaoran - I've never been good at understanding these things - but it's so extremely nice] Slipping back to the kitchen and peeking out from the door, she said gratefully, "Thankyou Syaoran, this is really sweet of you."
"Whatever," he grumbled.
* * * * *
(I have no idea how Syaoran can make dumplings in less then half an hour - it's impossible. So please just ignore this weird phenomenon - Coco cookie.)
"Syaoran this is just delicious!" Sakura exclaimed as she popped another dumpling into her mouth. "And they're so cute too!" she added as she began poking their oval-like shapes with her chopsticks.
Syaoran watched her from across the table. "It's just a dumpling Sakura - no big deal." Then he raised his eyebrow at her when she began squealing again.
"But they're delicious! And I hardly ever get to eat them - unlike you." She then looked up at him with her beautiful green eyes. "And they taste even better because you're such a good cook." She smiled brightly.
Syaoran began fiddling with the tablecloth, all this praise was embarrassing. "Glad you like them, " he finally muttered.
"Can you show me how to make these some time?"
"Yeah if you want to." Then suddenly a bell went off in the kitchen. Syaoran got up from his seat and said, "Well the soup's ready now. I'll go get it."
Sakura suddenly stopped him. "No I'll get it - you haven't eaten anything so far. And you were the one who worked the hardest today." Firmly she seated him back onto the seat.
Taking a large bowl from the shelf, she went to the pot of soup that stood over a steady oven fire. [I can't believe what a great day it's become.] She was so drawn into her thoughts that when she lifted the soup up, she didn't turn the oven flame off. Immediately the heat scorched her thumb that had been closest to the flame.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
She hurriedly dropped the pot back onto the oven and luckily, it didn't spill. Then she stuffed her thumb into her mouth, looking like a cute baby - though not feeling like one. At her scream, Syaoran immediately ran in.
Taking the thumb out of her mouth, he led it to the tap at once. "What were you doing?" he scolded as he rang cold water all over it. Still his words were soft and even sympathising.
Sakura blinked back her tears of pain. "Hoe, sorry," she sniffled.
"Why say sorry to me dummy?" Syaoran replied rather teasingly. Seeing that her thumb was at least back to its normal colour, he closed the tap and gently, held it in his hand.
"It's alright now Syaoran," Sakura reassured him.
"Shhh," he replied. Then holding her hand like as if it was a piece of glass, he ran his fingers along it gently. "I'll bandage this up for you."
Wiping away the tears that still clung to her eyes, Sakura said, "Syaoran it's okay-"
"Come with me." Without another word, he led her to one of the cupboards in the other room. Taking out the bandages from one of the shelves, he told her to sit down on the sofa. Then kneeling in front, he wrapped the bandage firmly, but gently around her throbbing thumb. After a few seconds of silence between them, he finally said, "There, your thumb should be as good as new now."
Looking at her fat white thumb, Sakura giggled. "This looks hideous." Then she flinched - moving her thumb was quite painful.
Immediately Syaoran took her hand in his again. "You're not very careful are you?" he sighed. Then with that, he began blowing onto it, hoping to help relieve the pain.
Sakura felt blush creeping up her cheeks and her heart jumping wildly [Syaoran . . .] Suddenly a sound of shuffling interrupted the moment.
Immediately Syaoran got into a martial arts position - positioning himself protectively in front of Sakura. "Come out, " he demanded as his eyes searched the dark room.
Suddenly the light was switched on. Walking out from his hiding place behind the door, Eroil looked rather sheepish. "Darn plastic bags - can't ever keep them silent. I really wonder how they manage to do that in films."
* * * * *
Coco cookie: oh dear - S+S get so close but then once more, are interrupted. Darn Eroil GRRRR . . .
Oh and why did Syaoran make Sakura a dinner? It was like a thankyou pressie - how sweet of him ^_^
11 Reviews! YAY! I'm so happy - sniff, sniff. Finally people are reading this again and my work is put to use ^_^ How happy can I get?
Because of the lack of reviews, I was almost afraid that I couldn't continue the story any more - how sad would that be? Well at least we noe that won't happen!!!!!!!!
Boy is this chapter long - I envy those people who manage to write such short chapters: ( Oh well, longer chapters are fun to read when you've got a good storie.
Coco cookie: did u noe that I totally fixed up all the past chapters in their grammar and comprehension? So if peoplez look back and realise that it's changed (4 da better) then don't be surprised.
Thanx 4 reviewing Jared ^_^. O.k, let's just say that Syaoran is so befuddled in his old torments and is so insistent on not fooling up this time, that's he not very true to his feelings (sheesh - that sounded corny). It won't be until it's almost too late that he realises wat a mess he's making - and that's their love can actually come alive. Darn it! Just gave away some of da storyline: (
And who said that Sakura liked someone else?! I sure didn't put anything like that in! But of course, that doesn't mean it won't happen later on . . . hee hee . . .
Key: words in braces are thoughts. The starry things indicate a new setting in da storie.
* * * * *
"HOOOEE!!"
"Yep father, she's awake." Touya slipped on his shoes as he stood in the doorway. The quiet morning immediately became a mass of noise as Sakura zoomed down the stairs with her tie and socks draped over her arm.
Between the heaped spoonfuls of cereal she stuffed in her mouth, she shouted at Touya, "How come you didn't come and wake me? You know I've only got 2 min before school starts?"
"Even if aliens attacked the house, made use all into cheese and then mice came to nibble on us, you would still be asleep. How do you think I can wake someone like that?"
"Touya!!!!!"
"And it's not like I have screaming power like yours either."
* * * * *
Just as she got into the school grounds the bell rang - Sakura sighed angrily. [I was so close to getting there on time] Maths was her first period and to make her least favourite subject worse, she just had to have Ono sensei as her teacher. Her other teachers gave up on trying to see if she could get to school on time; they had now accepted the fact that being late was part of Sakura's schedule. But Ono sensei didn't.
Rushing up the stairs with full power seemed completely tireless to her - the whole trip was more like a cross-country event. Sakura felt a lot healthier once she had the loop off her shoulders.
With every step she took, Sakura's mind flew back to yesterday. [He said he might - no he said he would try - to go to Seiju high with Tomoyo and me] As her classroom door came into view, Sakura felt her heart lift and a smile form on her face. [What if he's there? We can go to school together again!]
With her heart pounding like as if it was going to jump out of her body, Sakura slid open the door. Immediately 29 pairs of eyes gazed at her - but none she realised with a sinking feeling, had the dark brown eyes of Syaoran.
* * * * *
"Poor you Sakura, Ono sensei really worked you hard today," sympathised Chiharu as they set out their lunches beside the Cherry blossom tree.
"It was really mean of him to test you on stuff we haven't even learnt yet - he was doing all of that just to embarrass you," Naoko seconded.
Sakura nodded as she dug into her fried rice. Sure the sensei had been mean but that wasn't what really troubled her - she felt totally upset about how Syaoran wasn't there. It brought back those unhappy memories from before when she had also wished that he would arrive - except he never did.
Seeing how upset she was, Asumi changed the subject to something else. "So dear blossom, how did the dance go? You must have won first prize didn't you," Asumi asked in his husky, romantic voice. He leaned so close to her as he said it that his breath tickled her ear.
"Oh she was just great ofcourse! Spending more time wagging school for those made-up competitions - finding more boy admirers and double-crossing you."
Mirano's high-pitched voice cut through the air immediately. Sakura sighed, agitated. Why did Mirano always have to appear and insult her? Still as much as Mirano was beautiful, strangely, she had no friends or a group to hang out with - that ofcourse, still didn't mean that she couldn't wrap a boy around her finger when she wanted to.
"Now I just made a whole new batch of designer clothing Mirano, why don't you come with me and we'll inspect them out?" Without waiting for a reply, Tomoyo led Mirano off by the arm. She disliked Mirano as much as everyone did, but at least she and her got on better then the others.
Watching them go, Sakura began playing around with the strands of grass, twirling and wrapping it around her fingers.
"Now why is my beautiful sunshine so upset?" Asumi asked with a smile as he suddenly took her hand in his. "And where is that glorious smile I usually see?"
Sakura could feel herself reddening under his touch - but still, a smile escaped her lips and adored her face. Letting go of her hand, Asumi's grin widened. "Are you sure you're not magical in any way?" he joked "Your smile makes me feel like as if I can fly."
"Did you know that people who were believed to be magical- "
BAM!
"Why did I ever get stuck with you and not such a romeo like Asumi?" wailed Chiharu. Rubbing his sore head that had been struck with a bat, Takashi muttered, "It's not like I got a total Juliet as well."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"Oh nothing dear, sweet Chiharu - just talking to my friends, the leaves, " he replied automatically with the huge grin on his face.
"Sakura, I must say I missed you when you weren't here on Friday, "Asumi said as he stared right at her with his stunning blue eyes. [Eyes as calm and soothing as the sky] Sakura thought as she smiled again.
From the tree beside them, an apple fell - or more like aimed itself - at Asumi's head. It just missed and landed between the both of them. Sakura blinked a few times as she picked up the apple and then looked over at the tree. [How funny - I never knew apples grew on cherry blossom trees.]
"Probably just some squirrels or something, " Asumi murmured. "Nothing to worry about."
* * * * *
Sakura cartwheeled into the gym happily; sport was her most favourite subject. "Wow Sakura, " commented Rika, "You sure are cheering up now aren't you?"
Sakura smiled as she shook her ponytail off her shoulders. "Hai! Also the school athletics is coming up soon - the training I've been doing will finally pay off!"
For sport, the girls wear a white singlet top and navy shorts that go about mid-thigh. The boys would wear white sleeveless shirts and black shorts that went to their knees.
Tomoyo smiled. "You want to beat that school record don't you?" Sakura nodded energetically as she began doing stretches. She wanted to beat the record for the 1.5 kilometres event; last year she had missed out just by a few minutes. [But I'm going to reach my goal this year] Sakura thought confidently.
"I don't know why you even like sport so much, I'm never any good at it anyway, " Noako sighed as she fiddled with her glasses. "Coach even says that I might fail this subject - unless I do better and manage to do well in the race." She frowned. "To make things worse, it's a cross country event - I can't stand long races."
"Class gather round, " commanded the coach. He was absolutely someone not to fool around with; over 2 metres tall with a solid muscle build. Not to mention also being quite impatient and commanding. Luckily, Sakura was one of his favourite students and he stuck up for her in every way.
"Then maybe we can get together sometime, " Sakura whispered to Naoko as they hurriedly got into line, "I'll help you train."
* * * * *
"Aren't you going home now Sakura?" Tomoyo asked as she stopped outside the school gates.
Sakura shook her head. "Not yet - I'm going to jog around the school for some exercise."
"Shouldn't you do that in the morning? The weather and air's so much more nicer."
Sakura looked rather sheepish a she began fiddling with her thumbs. "Hoe . . . "
Tomoyo laughed as she began walking in the direction of home. [Poor Sakura - she can't wake up on time]
Then just as Sakura was waving goodbye to Tomoyo, Asumi came along. Winking at her with those stunning blue eyes, he said "See you tomorrow Sakura."
Sakura smiled, "Hai Asumi, bye!"
Watching him leave the school, Sakura went to sit under the cherry blossom tree. Then she took off her school shoes and after looking around in her bag, pulled out some runners (sneakers, sport shoes - what ever you call them) to wear.
"Who was he?"
With that, the person jumped down from his spot on the tree and landed steadily on both feet. He stared down at her from under dark, brown bangs - his tall and muscular body totally shading hers.
Wide-eyed with shock, Sakura gasped, "Syaoran?" She backed up a few steps, afraid that she was hallucinating (I like that word - it has a funny tingling feel when you say it).
"Who was he?" he asked again, totally ignoring her question.
"Hoe! Why do you always surprise me like this? We just always have to meet with you up a tree don't we?"
Folding him arms, he sighed. "My question is simple - can't you answer it?"
"That was Asumi - he's really nice." Sakura smiled grandly.
Syaoran frowned. [She seems so happy whenever he's included.]
"So where were you today Syaoran? When'd you start hiding in that tree?" Sakura asked.
"In the morning I had the rent settled and now Eroil and I have a place to stay. So the next step was to find a school to attend. And since you insisted on Seiju high, well, that step was then completed. Now all I had to do was find the sort of uniform I needed to get - so I went into the school, found a tree to sit in and just observed." And yes he had observed - more then he was supposed to actually.
~ FLASHBACK ~
[Now recess should begin about . . . now.] Just as he looked up from his watch, the bell rang and kids from all the buildings came out.
Making sure he was comfortable and totally invisible in his spot on the tree, he searched around the place till he found a boy. [Their uniform is a dark, navy blazer and grey pants. Then add the white shirt and tie.]
Knowing all he needed to know, he was about to jump into the tree beside him and make his way out of the school - until he heard a familiar name called.
"It was really mean of him to test you on stuff we haven't even learnt yet - he was doing all of that just to embarrass you."
Glancing at the speaker, he realised she looked very familiar. She had short brown hair held by a headband and glasses. Then examining the rest of the group one by one, his eyes soon fell onto Tomoyo and Sakura.
He could feel his eyes practically falling out their sockets when he looked at Sakura. She appeared totally hot in the school uniform. The girl's one was a navy, short skirt and white shirt. Then ontop of that they wore a navy vest and a tie.
Seeing that she was walking in his direction, he hurriedly murmured a spell that would ensure the fact that she couldn't sense him. Just in time too - Sakura seated herself right next to the tree. To his utter annoyance, a good-looking boy sat right next to her; he had long, black hair tied casually in a ponytail and quite a strong build.
Watching the boy's actions, Syaoran could feel himself boiling. [That's it! He just made Sakura smile for the 2nd time!] Clasping his hand around the first thing he could find in his pocket, he chucked it down at the boy's head.
~ FLASHBACK ENDS ~
"You were hiding in the cherry blossom tree all that time?" Sakura cried. She had been sitting right next to it without even knowing. "Shouldn't I be able to sense your power at least?"
Syaoran grinned - so tiny that it was barely visible. But without a doubt, the corners of his mouth had moved. "It's a spell I learnt, " he said simply. He couldn't help but find her expression quite entertaining - the way her eyes were so wide and how she looked like as if she couldn't decide whether to strangle him or just remain speechless.
"You could have at least told me you were there!" Sakura suddenly wailed, "Don't you know how much I missed you? Since you weren't at school that day, I thought you wouldn't be coming after all!"
Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm superman and I can just handle everything overnight?" But under his collected mask, he was extremely surprised at her words. It was just like the way she had responded yesterday - she had also showed her emotions toward him. [Oh what am I thinking? We're nothing but friends - that's all.]
"Hey, " Sakura paused as she laid a finger on her cheek, "if you were in that tree - were you the one who threw the apple?!"
Now it was his turn to lose his calmness; he could feel himself stammering excuses of all kinds. Still he couldn't help it - the darn guy was totally flirting with Sakura.
"Eh . . .well . . . I think I've got to go back home and unpack the things. Eroil was supposed to do that but he's probably slacking off, " Syaoran stuttered.
Immediately Sakura smiled - totally forgetting what she was trying to get out of him a moment ago. "Can I come? I'd love to help you out Syaoran!"
"You're joking right? It's like all swimming in dust and cobwebs, " Syaoran insisted. But her smile didn't waver one bit and she still looked at him hopefully. Turning toward the direction of his home, he grumbled, "Fine then. Come along."
* * * * * *
"Meiling lives with you right?"
"Yeah."
"Then how come she wasn't there when we came to perform?"
"You mean steal."
"Hoe! We didn't mean it, but we had to find some way to get in!"
"Do you want to know about Meiling or not?"
Sakura nodded.
"A year ago, she just suddenly announced one day that she wanted to travel. Don't know why - maybe she was bored with life at home. Eversince that day she's been like everywhere, she came back to visit just a few weeks before you arrived." His voice was as unemotional as usual, but Sakura was sure she heard a single note of sadness.
Sakura observed him for a moment. Then a quiet voice, she asked, "You miss her hai?"
Her words shocked him and he cast his gaze down at the floor. They were silent for a moment - all that could be heard was the wind whipping onto tree leaves. "Why would you say that?" he asked quietly.
"Well, you two are really close, cousins and all-"
"Never mind. Let's go, " he interrupted. Then with that, he continued his fast walking pace - making Sakura have to jog to catch up with him. [What's the point of discussing this with you? You won't understand - no one does.]
* * * * *
He had chosen an apartment that was actually quite close to her home - only a few streets away. It wasn't completely large and luxurious but still homey and fitted all his needs.
Looking over the millions of boxes that stood in the room, Syaoran glared angrily at Eroil. "You didn't clean any of this up did you?"
Seated casually on the bare carpet floor, Eroil just smiled. "I did descendent ("Finally - you dropped the cute," Syaoran muttered) - I spent all morning putting my stuff back in their place."
"You only put yours away? How about the rest of the things?!"
"Oh I decided to leave them for you. Sharing is a vital part of friendship."
Seeing that Syaoran was about to kill him, he hurriedly grabbed Sakura by the arm. "You can clean this up and we'll go shop for the right uniforms to wear." Dragging Sakura toward the door, he said with emphasis, "Since summer's coming up, wouldn't Sakura need a swimming costume? I'll help her pick one then."
"But I've already got heaps of them Eroil, " Sakura said as she scratched her head in confusion. Although she didn't get it, Syaoran did. "Go by yourself!" he yelled as he yanked Sakura from his hold.
* * * * *
Directing her to one of the mountains of boxes, Syaoran said, "You can look through this pile. I'll be over there if you need me."
Sakura's eyes goggled over the mess. "Do you always carry this much stuff with you?"
Syaoran shook his head. "More then half of this is clan books and spells - there should be only one box that actually holds my possessions." With that he teared open one of the boxes on the other side of the room.
Sakura sighed as she looked over her portion. [Where should I start?] Her eyes then fell onto one that was tied with a red ribbon. Tearing off the tape that held it closed, she lifted the cardboard lid. "Hoe? "
Without turning his back as he placed the china onto their shelves, Syaoran asked, "You found the training gear didn't you?"
"Hoe - is this training gear? I thought it were pieces of junk that you collected - eh I mean, " Sakura stopped with a squeak. "Well . . ."
Shrugging his shoulders, he just went to place the couch in a proper position. Sakura watched with awe as he just easily slid the heavy thing into place - it would have taken her at least a few minutes to do that. [He's so strong] Sakura thought as she continued to stare at him.
"Are you going to help me or not?" Syaoran demanded as he looked up at her. Sakura gulped as she quickly averted her attention to the boxes. [He caught me staring at him] Sakura reddened at the thought.
"So, uh, where do you want me to place these things?" Sakura asked as she held the weights and weapons in her hand. They were all damaged in some way; some burnt completely black, some covered in deep sword marks and others dented and charred in every place. [Wow, he must have gone through a lot with these things].
"Over there beside my bedside." He watched her nod and walk off in that direction, stumbling under the weight of the equipment she had to hold. Making sure she wouldn't hear, he murmured some words under his breath. He smiled slightly [There - now this will make things lot easier to you and me.]
* * * * *
They were doing well for progress; by the time it was 6:00, they had put most of the things away.
"Isn't it funny Syaoran? I now feel as if I know how all the things should be placed around here. " Sakura rested his sword gently against the wall. "I even feel so much more stronger!" To confirm this, she picked up one of his training weights and easily threw it up a few times.
Keeping his back to her so she wouldn't see his amused expression, he replied, "Yeah I agree. It's very strange." Even if she did see his face, she was too dense to suspect anything anyway.
Looking over how much they that managed to clean, Syaoran whistled. Running a hand through his hair, he said, "We did quite well didn't we?"
Stretching her body as she straightened up, Sakura walked over to Syaoran with a huge smile on her face. " You said that you wouldn't need me to help you out - now look at how much we've done together!" She poked him playfully on his chest. "Say that I'm useful - come on!"
He looked down at her large, emerald eyes and that cheeky smile. He suddenly felt a loss for words and his thoughts blanked.
Poking him again, Sakura pouted. "Well?"
Ignoring the fact that she was impatiently waiting for a reply, he just looked intently at her. They were just centimetres apart - their eyes totally drawing the other one in. [She looks so cute] Syaoran thought running the words along his mouth. Cute . . . the word tasted so funny when he said it. [But yes - she looks really cute].
"Syaoran are you even listening to me?" Sakura insisted. He just kept staring at her, looking like as if he was lost in his own world. She waved a hand in front of his face. "Syaoran?"
His arms that lay lifeless beside him wanted to hold her, to hold her soft, slender body. And he wanted to be closer to her, to fill up the small gap between them-"Syaoran?"
Syaoran blinked several times. [What had I been thinking?] His gaze fell onto Sakura who was watching him anxiously. Seeing that he was o.k again, she frowned, "Was that all a joke Syaoran? Because it wasn't funny!"
[No it's not a joke] Syaoran thought as he looked around him. Everything seemed strange and unfamiliar. [Something weird just happened - and I don't why or how]
* * * * *
"Wow - it's past 7:00. I really better get home or else Touya will fret again." Just as she was reaching for her schoolbag that she had left on the table, Syaoran suddenly held onto her arm.
"You must be hungry. Stay here and I'll cook you something first."
"Hoe!" Sakura looked down at the way he held onto her. "You're so busy - cooking would just be a nuisance." Still her heart thumped crazily at his actions. [Why are you suddenly like this Syaoran?]
"Don't worry. Anyway I'm starving too, so why can't I cook something for both of us to eat?"
"If you're hungry, then we can go to my place or order something."
Syaoran frowned. "I'm making you something and that's final." Letting go of her arm, he went off in the direction of the kitchen. "Now stay put and don't move, " he instructed.
"Syaoran . . . " Sakura immediately followed. "I'm not really hungry - you really don't have to do this."
Tying the apron firmly around his waist, he responded, "Set the table." Then he took out some ingredients and wouldn't listen to any more of her complaints.
Sakura sighed in defeat. Laying out the chopsticks, she couldn't help but smile. [I don't know why you're doing this Syaoran - I've never been good at understanding these things - but it's so extremely nice] Slipping back to the kitchen and peeking out from the door, she said gratefully, "Thankyou Syaoran, this is really sweet of you."
"Whatever," he grumbled.
* * * * *
(I have no idea how Syaoran can make dumplings in less then half an hour - it's impossible. So please just ignore this weird phenomenon - Coco cookie.)
"Syaoran this is just delicious!" Sakura exclaimed as she popped another dumpling into her mouth. "And they're so cute too!" she added as she began poking their oval-like shapes with her chopsticks.
Syaoran watched her from across the table. "It's just a dumpling Sakura - no big deal." Then he raised his eyebrow at her when she began squealing again.
"But they're delicious! And I hardly ever get to eat them - unlike you." She then looked up at him with her beautiful green eyes. "And they taste even better because you're such a good cook." She smiled brightly.
Syaoran began fiddling with the tablecloth, all this praise was embarrassing. "Glad you like them, " he finally muttered.
"Can you show me how to make these some time?"
"Yeah if you want to." Then suddenly a bell went off in the kitchen. Syaoran got up from his seat and said, "Well the soup's ready now. I'll go get it."
Sakura suddenly stopped him. "No I'll get it - you haven't eaten anything so far. And you were the one who worked the hardest today." Firmly she seated him back onto the seat.
Taking a large bowl from the shelf, she went to the pot of soup that stood over a steady oven fire. [I can't believe what a great day it's become.] She was so drawn into her thoughts that when she lifted the soup up, she didn't turn the oven flame off. Immediately the heat scorched her thumb that had been closest to the flame.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
She hurriedly dropped the pot back onto the oven and luckily, it didn't spill. Then she stuffed her thumb into her mouth, looking like a cute baby - though not feeling like one. At her scream, Syaoran immediately ran in.
Taking the thumb out of her mouth, he led it to the tap at once. "What were you doing?" he scolded as he rang cold water all over it. Still his words were soft and even sympathising.
Sakura blinked back her tears of pain. "Hoe, sorry," she sniffled.
"Why say sorry to me dummy?" Syaoran replied rather teasingly. Seeing that her thumb was at least back to its normal colour, he closed the tap and gently, held it in his hand.
"It's alright now Syaoran," Sakura reassured him.
"Shhh," he replied. Then holding her hand like as if it was a piece of glass, he ran his fingers along it gently. "I'll bandage this up for you."
Wiping away the tears that still clung to her eyes, Sakura said, "Syaoran it's okay-"
"Come with me." Without another word, he led her to one of the cupboards in the other room. Taking out the bandages from one of the shelves, he told her to sit down on the sofa. Then kneeling in front, he wrapped the bandage firmly, but gently around her throbbing thumb. After a few seconds of silence between them, he finally said, "There, your thumb should be as good as new now."
Looking at her fat white thumb, Sakura giggled. "This looks hideous." Then she flinched - moving her thumb was quite painful.
Immediately Syaoran took her hand in his again. "You're not very careful are you?" he sighed. Then with that, he began blowing onto it, hoping to help relieve the pain.
Sakura felt blush creeping up her cheeks and her heart jumping wildly [Syaoran . . .] Suddenly a sound of shuffling interrupted the moment.
Immediately Syaoran got into a martial arts position - positioning himself protectively in front of Sakura. "Come out, " he demanded as his eyes searched the dark room.
Suddenly the light was switched on. Walking out from his hiding place behind the door, Eroil looked rather sheepish. "Darn plastic bags - can't ever keep them silent. I really wonder how they manage to do that in films."
* * * * *
Coco cookie: oh dear - S+S get so close but then once more, are interrupted. Darn Eroil GRRRR . . .
Oh and why did Syaoran make Sakura a dinner? It was like a thankyou pressie - how sweet of him ^_^
11 Reviews! YAY! I'm so happy - sniff, sniff. Finally people are reading this again and my work is put to use ^_^ How happy can I get?
Because of the lack of reviews, I was almost afraid that I couldn't continue the story any more - how sad would that be? Well at least we noe that won't happen!!!!!!!!
Boy is this chapter long - I envy those people who manage to write such short chapters: ( Oh well, longer chapters are fun to read when you've got a good storie.