I can't believe how many people actually reviewed me after I finished Chapter 3! Thanks to everybody who did! I appreciate it a lot!! I don't want to spoil this chapter, but the ending is a so-so one. You might like it, you might not, and so it's your own opinion.
I've made a sequel to it, but I'm far from done, so it won't come very soon. The sequel will be named something else. I'm also thinking of making another story the same as this, but instead of Sakura's point of view, it'll be Syaoran's, so you'll all know what he's thinking of the entire time. Please review about this idea and tell me if you think it's a good idea or not.
Summary: Two best friends, Syaoran and
Sakura, are in college, and they're faced with a lot of problems throughout their
time there. This story focuses mostly on their 3rd college year and
on. They're already in love with each other, but haven't really reached that
point of falling in love where you're ready to love one another the rest of
your life. Here's the 4th part.
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~ * ~ _______ ~ * ~ : Means other P.O.V.
"_____" : Basic talking
'_____' : Basic thoughts
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Last scene:
"-I don't believe I'm worth it. If I don't believe it, then if someone else says it, I can't believe it."
"Then you have to believe you're worth it. To me you're worth it all…"
"I'll believe you then." I murmured. He leaned down and kissed me slowly and softly. We parted and he smiled.
"Night babe."
"Goodnight."
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PART 4 – FRIENDS FOR ETERNITY
Two months later…
I woke up earlier than usual. It was really weird since I slept late last night, but I woke up early that morning. I stared out the window and saw the sun rise. "Oh wow…" I murmured. I glanced at my room after the sun shone and went to the bathroom.
When I came out, Syaoran was sitting on my bed close to tears. "What's wrong?"
"Huh?" He looked up at me. "I got bad news."
"We haven't had bad luck in a while…so, what is it?"
"I-I…" His eyes welled up in tears.
"Syaoran what's going on?"
"Geez, this is hard…"
I felt my heart break in pieces, just dreading his news. "What happened? Tell me."
"I have to go back." He muttered.
"Go back?"
"To Philadelphia. They want me to go back."
"Who are they?"
"My folks."
"What?? Why??"
"They want me to go to college there. They want me to drop everything here and live there with them, because the only way my parents are gonna stick together is if I go and live there."
I put a hand over my mouth to keep from crying out loud. I fell on the bed and tears brimmed my eyes. "W-what…?"
"I know! I thought they went back together! But my mom called at 2 this morning and told me everything."
"B-but w-why do you need to be there??"
"Dad's gonna try to go back with mom if I live there. I don't get it either, but…" He glanced at me. "Sakura…"
I slowly nodded my head and stared at the bed sheet. "Just give me a second…" I mumbled slowly as I hid my face on a pillow and started crying. "I don't want you to go!!"
"Hey…" He hugged me from behind. "Shh…it's ok…"
After about 2 minutes, I wiped away my tears and slowly turned around to face him. "W-when a-are you leaving?"
"Later this week. They said the ticket is in the airport. I just have to go pick it up."
I nodded.
"I'm not gonna be here anymore."
I looked down sadly.
"We won't see each other for a long time."
"You mean never."
"No. If we still keep in touch, then we'll probably see each other later on."
"No."
"Fine."
"I don't get it."
"Get what?"
"You leaving for your parents. You're in college; you don't have to be in between their problems! They should be able to fix it! They want you to drop out of a university and go to a freaking college in your hometown so that they end up together?? You have your own life to live and they want you to ruin it!" I said angrily. "God knows I like your parents a lot! And I really want them to be together again, but no! This is too much!! Especially for you! How can you stand your parents tearing you apart like this??"
"Family is the most important thing in my life, Sakura." He said just as intense. "I will do anything to keep their marriage and my family together. Wouldn't you do everything you could so your parents could stay together?? Huh?? Don't dare tell me you wouldn't, because I know how important your family is to you. And it's not like I won't get my diploma! College is just a lower level than university, but who cares?? At least I get to study and be with my family at the same time! They're not ruining my life, all right?? They just want me to be there for them! Can't you understand that??"
I stared at him with shock and surprise all over my face. I thought he felt the way I did, but this was just really…shocking. "That's how I feel, so sorry to disappoint you." He looked out the window. I stuck my hands in my pockets.
"Fine." I understood. "If that's how you feel, go ahead and do it. I thought differently. I'm sorry."
"Look, –"
I looked down at the floor. "Um, I think you should go." Tears streamed down my face. "I-I can't talk to you…not after that."
"Sakura-"
"I get your point, Syaoran. I understand. Do whatever you want. I'm not family, so why should I matter, right?"
"Wait a minute, you-"
"Please…could you go?" I looked up at him and roughly brushed away my tears. "Please?"
"I'm sorry."
I shook my head. "Don't apologize for my mistake. Could you just go away? Please."
"Fine." I opened the door for him and he looked at me and left.
I fell on my knees when I locked the door and cried hard. "Don't…you get…that…I'm going to miss you so much…" I whispered to myself. "I love you Syaoran…you're my best friend in the entire world…" 'And you're my first love…'
Half an hour later, I glanced at the clock, and saw that it was about time to go to class. I slowly changed to my clothes and headed for first class. I sat on my seat and stared out the window. The room was half full and was quiet. Most people were studying and some were quietly talking. I knew someone asked me something, but I didn't quite hear it.
I turned my head and saw Julian looking at me with concern. I stared at him blankly. "Sorry?"
"I asked if you were okay. What's going on?"
I shrugged carelessly. "Nothing important."
"Is it about Syaoran?"
I couldn't believe what happened next. I just suddenly blew up. "Why does everyone think that all of my problems are based on him?? Just because he's a friend of mine doesn't mean he's my whole life!! I mean, seriously, he doesn't think I'm so important to his life, so why should he think he's important to my life??" I blurted out to Julian.
"Whoa, Sakura, I-I'm sorry."
I wasn't done yet. "No really, I don't get it. I really can't understand it! Why does he have to go back home and never come back and leave me?? Why are his parents doing this to him?? Don't they know he's just hiding his feelings because he wants them to be happy??"
"W-what's wrong?"
I stood up. "All right, maybe I'm not as important to Syaoran as his family is, but I don't want him to go home! Not just because of my own reasons! He can't just drop everything he's learned and go to a new school!!" I felt hurt and sad. "He'll have to make new friends and m-meet new…people…and…girls…and he…" I sobbed. "Gets to…gets to…" I sobbed silently, covering my face. "He's…he's my best friend…I-I don't want him to go…I love him…a whole lot…I care about him so much…"
Everything was quiet, so I kept on.
"Plus…I'll never get to s-see his face again…he'll never w-wake me up in the morning t-the way he always d-does…I won't h-have someone to talk to…about anything. T-the only person…I ever confided in…in this damn place…is m-moving far away from me…"
I felt someone crush me into his arms. I figured it was Julian, because he was the one I talked to but the scent was different. I then knew it was Syaoran who held onto me. "I'm so sorry babe." He muttered in my hair. "I love you so much too. I didn't even think of what you were feeling. I was really stupid."
I had nothing to say, so he kept going. "I'll always miss you Sakura. I'll never stop loving you either. You're my best friend too. You'll get through this place, all right? You don't need me for everything."
"Yes I do." I sobbed.
He half-laughed, half-cried. "It'll be all right. You'll see. I'll keep in touch with you. We could always email each other."
"But I don't want you to go." We pulled away and looked at each other. "I need you here."
"But I have to go."
"I know."
"So…?"
"I'll be ok…someday." I smiled slowly at him. "You just worry about your…going back."
"You're as important to me as my family, all right?"
"You sure didn't show it this morning."
"I know. I… was angry."
"I know." I nodded in understanding.
Later that day when it was noon, I walked with Syaoran to all of his classes and he explained about his moving to another college. "Syaoran, this is a very difficult process, you know that, don't you?" The secretary told us in the office.
"Yeah I know, but you have to do it."
"What we need to do is get every single one of your student records, ship it to the college you'll be going to in Philadelphia. This means that you'll have to try for that college once again."
I shook slightly as the secretary explained the whole process. When she was done, Syaoran looked really worried. He held my arm and brought me over to the closest bench. "Oh man. I didn't know how hard this would be."
I knew how hard it'd be, but I couldn't tell him that. "You'll be able to go through it all, Li. You're strong. I know you and you'll try your best to reach your goals."
"But I almost never reach my goals." He gave me a weary glance.
"Sure you have. Every goal you've ever had ever since you were a kid, you got, didn't you?"
"No!" He laughed. "No one ever reaches their goals by sheer luck. I worked real hard to reach my goals Sakura, and now I'm not even getting close to it."
"What…are your goals?"
"To graduate…to get a diploma…to have a successful job…to meet someone special…to have a family…"
"I know you'll get all those." I smiled slowly. "You'll be successful, because you're very smart and well-behaved. You may have a comedic attitude to you, but you do take things seriously when they need to be. Syaoran, I don't get why you're really worried that you won't reach your goals. I mean you're within arms length of graduating, especially getting a diploma. You just change schools, but that gives you a better chance of even passing, because universities are a little advanced than college. You'll be ahead of most of your classes. And…then when you find a job that you'll really like, you'll find that someone." I swallowed invisibly. "You'll be walking somewhere, just trying to get some peace, and then walks in this really beautiful girl. You'll start to fall in love with her and you ask her for her number. You guys go out on dates, then maybe after 2 months of dating, you'll think of marrying her. You might even…" I shifted. "You know, and then 8 months later, you're married, and she's pregnant with twins."
"Where do you get these ideas?" Syaoran asked me.
I glanced at him. "I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders. "I just see it go that way."
"You're wrong, though." He answered.
"How am I wrong?"
"Well, I'm not gonna fall in love with a girl who just happens to walk past me. I don't believe in love at first sight, remember?"
"Oh right." I remembered when we first met. We were real enemies at first, big enemies, then we suddenly opened up to each other and we became best friends.
"Right." He sighed. "Besides, whoever the woman will be, will you be in my wedding…?" He looked up at me hopefully. (Of course, we know who'll be the bride ^_^)
"Um…" Just thinking of seeing a girl and Syaoran get married made me cry. "Of course I will. I am your best friend after all."
"Good." He went over to me and hugged me tightly. "Thanks."
"For what?"
"Helping me out." He pulled away and stared at my eyes. "Thanks for just being here."
I blushed. "That's what I'm here for."
He laughed that wonderful deep laugh of his. Suddenly it dawned on me that I would never see his face ever again, unless we sent pictures of each other, but I would never be able to hold him again. I kept it all in my heart, because I didn't want to stress Syaoran more than he already was. I had 2 more years of college left before I could graduate…and to think that for those 2 years, he wouldn't be on my side anymore…
Throughout the week, Syaoran started packing all his things, and had many discussions with all his teachers. One night, two days before his flight home, he went to my room, and talked to me about what was going to happen.
He sat beside me and hugged me securely. "I'm going to miss you, Avalon." I felt a huge lump in my throat, but I tried my best to keep the tears in. "You don't think I'm going to miss you??" I mumbled.
He slowly pulled away and put both his hands on my cheeks. "Sakura, you have to promise me something."
I stared back at his shimmering eyes. "What is it?"
"Promise me that…you won't be so down all the time. You'll let go of the past and make new friends. You have to be strong while I'm gone. Promise me that."
"I-I promise, Syaoran." He slowly smiled at me.
"Good. Communication isn't much of a problem for us. I mean, we can always email each other right? We can send pictures through the Internet and I'll write you letters and send them here. The Post Office isn't that far."
"You're right, we can do all those things." I answered glumly. "Can we talk on the phone?"
"I don't know…but Sakura, it'll be all right, won't it? We'll still be best friends even after all this."
"That's thing, I don't know. Are you going to keep trying…or you'll forget after a while?"
"I want to keep trying, but it seems so impossible to keep a friendship alive for God knows how long! Never worked for me…my buddies and I aren't buddies anymore."
I looked down at my hands. "My whole life I've made hundreds of friends, and twenty best friends, but not one stayed as my best friend. Even Madison or Meilin…they're not my best friends anymore, because of the distance between us. That caused our friendship to stretch a little bit. I'm so scared that's going to happen to us, Syaoran. I don't want to lose your friendship. I…I love you." I bit my tongue to keep from saying 'not as a friend, but…as a guy'.
"I love you too, babe." He grinned and embraced me again. "I don't want to, either, but the way this conversation's going, it seems like that is what's gonna happen."
I merely nodded at his words.
"So what now?"
I thought hard. After maybe 2 minutes of complete silence, I turned around and faced him. "We've got two more days before you leave here for good, right?"
"Yeah."
"And you finished packing?"
"I guess."
"Your flight is on Monday at 2:30pm."
"I know."
"Syaoran, why don't we spend the whole weekend together? Just the two of us for the whole 48 hours! You can sleepover. It's not like we're going to do something…stupid." I finished lamely. "I mean, we can talk all night about everything. How about it?"
"Yeah all right." He stood up and pulled me along with him. "How about we hang out here the rest of the night? I'll go buy some food down by the cafeteria."
"Ok." I looked around my messy room. "My room's messy…don't you think?"
Syaoran smirked. "You just thought that now, or-?"
"Don't you think you should buy the food now??" I interrupted and pushed him to the door.
The only way I could take my mind off Syaoran's big move was to clean up my room. I started with my bed. I threw the pillows on the carpet and pulled off the bed sheets. I replaced them with new ones and neatly folded it to the sides. I put the pillows back to the head of the bed, and moved on to my drawers.
"Oh geez…" My clothes were scattered around the floor. The drawers were full of crumpled and unfolded clothes. Some even smelled bad! Talk about hygiene! Anyway, I picked up all the clothes on the floor, threw it in the laundry, took out all my clothes inside the drawers and neatly folded them back. It took a while, but I did my best.
I felt lazy cleaning the bathroom, but I had to. I stared at the mirror as I wiped the corners of it. Glancing at my own reflection, instead of seeing my usual cheerful bright eyes, I saw gloomy sad eyes. I tried to look cheerful, for Syaoran, but somehow I couldn't. The pain and sadness I was feeling dreaded my heart, and I couldn't feel the happiness I used to feel.
I slowly walked to my bed and sat Indian-style. I looked down at my hands intertwining with each other. The next two years of my life would be just like this. I couldn't even stand not seeing him for a week! I sobbed silently, feeling the tears in the corners of my eyes. I didn't try to cry; it all just came out. I didn't whimper or anything. I then remembered this essay I did for English 2 years ago when Syaoran and I became friends.
In the essay I wrote about the meanings of a friend. I was totally stuck on that subject for almost 3 days. Syaoran and I weren't speaking to each other, because we just had a fight. That memory was still fresh in my head. It was a very unforgettable occasion.
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Normal Point of View
Sakura looked at the computer in front of her. 'How am I ever going to get this done??' Her last best friend was Madison from high school. They didn't communicate much, but they were still friends. Sakura couldn't call her, because she lived too far, and it would be a little embarrassing for her to ask an old friend for homework after months of no communication.
Her feet swung quick and low as she played with her pencil, twirling it in her fingers. 'I can do this. Yeah. It's not like I went to college for nothing. I'm smart!' She said confidently. After a moment of thinking, she groaned. 'I'm so dumb. How could I ever think I didn't need help for this?? Oh shoot…why didn't I listen in class? What am I gonna do now??'
Her eyes trailed to the door. She stared at with furrowed brows until she realized she was thinking of Syaoran. 'I can't ask him! He hates me and I hate him! We'll never be friends!! As if I'll ever befriend a cold person!! He can rot for all I care!' She rolled her eyes. 'Besides, even if I ask him, he won't help me! He's so mean! Is he even taking English?? I bet he isn't! He's TOO dumb to even take a serious subject like that!' She sighed heavily. 'Why am I talking to myself??? I am so clueless right now…'
She walked to her bed and collapsed on it. "What I'll do is just go to English and ask the teacher for help. She'll help me. I mean, she's a nice teacher." Sakura glanced at the clock. "AAH!" The clock showed a quarter past nine. "So I guess I'm stuck with asking…him." She slowly stood up and walked to the door. Hesitating to turn the knob, she stopped before she could finally open the door. Finally, she walked out of her room and stood by herself in the middle of the hallway. Wearing only a pair of shorts and undershirt, she shivered almost immediately. Suddenly, as if on cue, Syaoran's door opened and he emerged carrying a garbage bag. He stared at Sakura, with widened eyes, and a slightly opened mouth.
The only thing coming out of his mouth was, "uh…?"
"S-S-Syaoran…" She shivered. "I-I-I n-need h-help."
"What the hell do you think you're doing?? It's freezing out here and you're wearing that??" With his Nike clothes, thick jogging pants with matching hooded sweatshirt, he was unaffected by the blasting cold.
"N-no s-swearing. I-I-" Before she could say anything else, Syaoran put an arm around her shoulders and pushed open his door.
"Get in here and wait for me. I'll be back."
Sakura patiently waited, walking around his room. The heater was slightly off, but the room gave a surprisingly warm atmosphere. To her surprise, Syaoran didn't have much in his room. He had a bed, a drawer, and a desk for studying. He also had a dark green laptop turned on. He had his own bathroom of course, but the room nonetheless was almost empty. The closet was closed, so Sakura couldn't really see any of his clothes. The desk was very messy though, with many piles of paper, and the bed was neatly arranged, but with dozens of books on top. She sat in the empty space on the bed. No more than 5 minutes later, he came back in and stood in front of her.
"What do you want?"
Sakura pouted. "I need help."
One eyebrow rose. "Why are you asking me??"
"Because! I can't ask my teacher! It's already nine! I can't ask my friends; they're not here!! Besides I'm new, Syaoran! The only person I know is you!! And I know we had a fight, but I'm desperate!! I need help!!"
He looked annoyed for he rolled his eyes. "Sakura, you're making a fool of yourself."
"Please, please, Syaoran?? Please!!"
He sighed. "Well…all right. What is it?"
"English homework."
"Oh ok."
"Do you have English this semester?"
"Last block. You?"
"First block." Sakura said glumly. "My teacher's strict."
"So is mine, but that's how it's gotta be for us to learn, right? Slacking off isn't really gonna do any help."
"I know."
Sakura stayed on the bed while Syaoran took the papers she clutched at her hand and walked back to his desk. The silence killed her while the guiltiness waved over her heart and mind.
"Syaoran…I'm sorry." His head sharply turned her way.
"No big deal. I got over it. You should too."
"I know. It's just that, it's really not fair for you to be helping me the way I treated you before."
"Don't feel bad, Sakura. It was just one fight, no biggie." Syaoran offered a lopsided smile. Sakura giggled at his adorable face.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Ok. Well I'm sorry anyway."
"Me too."
Sakura slowly walked over to Syaoran's desk and peered down at his hand. He was writing some notes on a piece of paper. "What are you doing?" She asked silently, not wanting to disturb his concentration.
"I'm just putting some ideas down so you could start writing your essay."
"Oh okay."
After he wrote a few more, he stood up and turned at Sakura. "What you could do is maybe think of a friend, not a best friend, but a friend who you approached and talked to, someone who you wanted to befriend."
"Could you explain a little more?"
Syaoran glanced at her serious face. "For example, two girls, let's call them, uh…Sarah and uh…"
"Sherry."
"Fine. So Sarah is new and Sherry wants to make Sarah her friend, so Sherry approaches Sarah and introduces her to her friends and show her around the school. Now, they have a relationship called 'new friendship'. What you need to do in the essay is talk about what Sherry means to Sarah and what Sarah means to Sherry during the period of time Sherry befriends Sarah. It's a little confusing, so I wrote it down here."
"It is confusing, but I understand." Sakura gave a huge smile. "Thank you so much, Syaoran!!" Without thinking, she flung her arms around Syaoran's neck and hugged him tightly.
"No problem, Avalon." He grinned. "Now could you go? I have my homework to do."
"Ok. Thanks a lot, Syaoran." Sakura mentioned again, this time with more meaning. "Does this mean we're no longer fighting? And friends again?"
He sighed. "Yes it does. Does that make you feel better?"
"Mm-hmm!!" Sakura laughed and smiled again. "I'll go now. Bye-bye."
"See you later."
Sakura put her head back in. "Goodnight, Syaoran Li! Sweet dreams!" She said sweetly.
"Night Avalon." He said just as friendly.
That night Sakura wrote about the new friendship she and Syaoran had just made. She felt exhilarated and ready to write an excellent essay. When she finished, it was at least 5 pages long.
So the next day in English class, Sakura handed her essay in. The English teacher read it thoroughly and gave a hidden smile. 'Incredible, absolutely incredible.' Then the next day, Sakura received an A+ for doing a really wonderful job in the essay. There was a small note in the back from the teacher. It said, 'Sakura, this is remarkable work! How ever did you get this topic to mean something a whole lot deeper than it originally was? This is the best work I've ever seen from you. Keep it up, Sakura!'
Sakura felt like jumping up for joy and just screaming out the happiness she felt in her heart. After class, she ran to second class, knowing that Syaoran would be there. When she entered the door, she spotted him reading a book in the back sitting down. She suddenly started running and hugged Syaoran tightly, burying her head in the nape of his neck.
"Sakura?" Syaoran asked, slowly putting his arms around her.
"Syaoran, I got an A+!!!! Syaoran, it's all because of you!!! Thank you Syaoran Li!!!!" She kept her head buried there. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!"
"No problem, Avalon." He grinned. "Let me see it."
"Here." She pulled it out from her bag and handed it to Syaoran.
The only word that came out of his mouth was, "amazing". After he read the whole thing, he asked. "How…did you do this?? I only gave you ideas, but you were the one who wrote it."
"I wrote about our new friendship, Syaoran." Sakura blushed greatly. "I really appreciated you forgiving me and I knew that when you let me in your room, you'd want to be my friend. I felt so happy and I just couldn't help but write about it. I hope you don't mind."
Syaoran grinned. "Wow, Sakura. This is great. I didn't know I meant that much to you."
"Well you do!! Even though I hardly know you, you're my only friend in this building!!"
He laughed again. "Don't worry Sakura. You'll make new friends sooner or later." He patted her head teasingly.
"I know I will." She hesitated. "But Syaoran…" 'I want to keep you my friend no matter what.'
"I know." He understood what she meant.
Sakura looked surprised at first, but smiled anyway. "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart."
"And you're welcome. From the bottom of my heart."
Sakura giggled and ran to her desk. She put her head down and squealed happily.
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Someone shook me lightly, interrupting my thoughts. I stared up at the gorgeous man looking down at me. "You ok?" He asked with concern evident in his voice.
I nodded. "I was just remembering that time 2 years ago when I asked you for English homework."
His face broke into a smile. "Oh yeah." He grinned. "I'll never forget that." I smiled back. Then, he put the food on the table. "I got Chinese."
"Ok."
We opened the Styrofoam and dug in the fried rice, pork and chicken, noodles, and vegetables. "So how're you feeling?" Syaoran asked me.
I kept my eyes down at the food. I put a spoonful of rice and pork in my mouth. I shrugged my shoulders. My throat hid a lump in there, so I couldn't really talk. When I swallowed all of it, I finally looked up at him. "I feel sore and tired…upset and angry…" He rubbed my cheek tenderly with his hand. I leaned on it. "I don't know what to do." A sigh mixed with cries sounded so heartbreaking. I tried to keep the tears in, blinking my eyes continuously and keeping my mouth in a straight line, but it was so hard. I looked away from his glum amber eyes. "I try to think positively…I do…but it hurts. Especially here." I put a hand over my heart. "I feel like a thousand needles piercing my whole body non-stop." He was silent. "Why don't you tell me what you feel, Syaoran? I'd like to know." I said to him silently. He moved his hand away from my cheek and secured it under his arm.
"I don't know what I'm feeling." I knew he had more to say, so I didn't say anything. "It's like every once in a while I'd remember some things from when I was a kid thinking of my future or memories of my parents hugging or kissing in special occasions, or even memories of the past three years here." He looked down. "I honestly can't describe this feeling, Sakura. I feel like I'm obligated to do what my parents want me to do, but to also protect and stay with you here. You don't know how my heart breaks every time I think of leaving you. And my parents…" He growled with frustration. "I hate this feeling!! I hate it a lot!! My parents aren't supposed to put this on me!! I already have enough to deal with!!"
He stopped talking. I couldn't think of any comforting things to say, so I just waited for him to talk again. He stood up and walked over to my bed. He then collapsed on it and stared at the ceiling. "When I was a kid, I'd always see myself as a successful guy, someone people adored and looked up to. I'd think about my whole future…how I'd build a house close to mom and dad's, and live there with my whole family. I'd start designing the house and my dad would suggest ideas and draw some things in too. My entire child life was so amazing that it's hard to imagine my adult life so full of chaos and confusion…"
"When you're a kid, life is refreshing and new, and you carry this innocent aura around you. When you're an adult, you then see the real struggles and turmoil of life. Then you have to live through it." I murmured.
"I know." He sighed and glanced at me. "Even though this is killing me, I'm glad it happened to me and not to you."
I turned my eyes at him instantly. I could feel my eyes quivering with tears. My lips turned into a pout and I whimpered. "Syaoran!" I ran to him and hugged him tightly. "I wish this never happened to you. Not to anyone, because this is just horrible…horrible."
He rubbed my back. "I'm strong Sakura. I can take it." He was assuring me when I was supposed to be the one comforting him. "No matter what I'll be able to fix it and live through it. No matter what, all right?"
"Mm-hmm." I listened to his steady heartbeat. I yawned. "Promise me that you won't forget me."
"I promise with my whole heart."
Inside my heart pounded with gladness, but outside, tears rushed down my cheeks. "Then that's enough." The rest of the night we slept that way.
The next morning, I woke up rubbing my eyes. Syaoran's face was very peaceful as his light snores came out of his slightly parted lips. I blushed at the thought of kissing him to wake him up. I then brushed his chocolate hair, feeling the softness.
"Syaoran…" I murmured silently. "Why did this have to happen to you?"
He faintly moved, causing him to wake up. His beautiful amber eyes stared back at my bright emerald ones. His face softened to a smile and he lowered his head to kiss me on the forehead. "Morning babe."
"Morning Li." I answered. "How was your sleep?"
"It was the best I've had in weeks…" He laughed. "Must be cause you were here."
"Stop kidding around!" I pushed him, but he pulled me instead. I noticed he likes to do that.
"I wasn't! I swear!" He grinned and caught me unexpected on the lips.
After 10 seconds, he moved away and gave me a light kiss. "Amazing…" I snuggled closer to his warm body, placing my hands on his chest. His left arm encircled my waist while his right hand brushed my hair. "I wish I had magic, so that I could stop time whenever I wanted."
"That would be cool…" I sighed. "If I had magic, I'd want a whole set of powers!"
Syaoran laughed with his deep voice. It made me want to melt. "I wish you didn't have to go…I wish you could just stay right here with me." I felt his body tense. "I-I'm sorry for ruining it." I apologized unhappily. "It's just that I can't think of anything but this situation you're in."
"Sakura." He sat down and pulled me beside him. "I know that this is something that's upsetting us both a lot, but what can we do? I already made my decision. You have to learn to deal with it. Life goes on. Remember that."
I barely nodded as the pain built up faster than before. His words trapped itself in my mind, and I knew I'd never forget it ever. 'Life goes on.'
The rest of the day I tried to forget our conversation earlier. I helped him clean out his room, but there wasn't much to clean up. He already packed most of his clothes in the suitcases except for some underwear and casual clothes to wear for the trip. I ended up cleaning the bathroom for him. He was doing laundry with all the curtains and bed sheets he used. I wiped the sink, the bowl, and the mirrors. I sprayed the floor and the bathtub and started scrubbing.
I heard the door open after a while and I turned to see Syaoran sneaking a glance in the bathroom. "How you doing?"
"I'll be fine." I turned around and kept scrubbing. "Is the laundry done?"
"Not yet. One more load."
"To wash or dry?"
"Dry."
"Ok."
"When will you be done?"
"In a few minutes or something. I just need to clean the bathtub."
"Ok." He answered. "And Sakura?"
I turned around and faced him again. "Hmm?"
"Thank you." His face was all set.
I smiled and cocked my head. "I've done nothing but complain ever since you told me. What do you have to thank me for?"
"For being a best friend." He answered simply and shut the door.
I stopped cleaning and sat down on the floor. 'For being a best friend.' My lips turned to a smile. 'No matter what happens, Syaoran won't forget me. Come what may, we'll be best friends; always will be best friends, in the time we've been together. So if he and I never see each other again, at least I have my memories to remember our friendship. I don't have to worry, because nothing can ever change the past and the fact that we were best friends for 3 years.
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Day of flight…
My whole body felt rigid and cold. I gripped my hands tightly together while my heart pounded fast and intense. Syaoran called for a taxi instead of his car, because it was getting shipped to Philadelphia. I looked at Syaoran. His face looked troubled and he was as stiff as me. He kept his eyes glued out the window. I could see beads of sweat forming under his hair on his neck. Not knowing what to do, I placed my hand on top of his.
He slowly turned around and faced me. "This is hard." He gripped my hand and pulled me really close. He hugged me tightly when I was close enough. "Sakura, I can't let you go. I can't."
"Syaoran, don't worry now. You've got through the last two days. You can do this. You're not letting me go. I'll always be here, Syaoran. No matter what." I rubbed his back. "Just remember what you have to do, ok? It'll be fine." It seemed to me like I was convincing myself more than I was convincing him.
Inside the airport, my heart just leaped out of his place and jumped down to my feet. It wanted to get squished and torn and thrown around like some kind of toy. Tears leaked the corners of my eyes and I didn't bother wiping them. What was the point? I glanced at Syaoran and his eyes, usually amber, were red.
We stopped in front of the gate to his plane. The line was fairly short and his plane would leave in 30 minutes. I couldn't help it. My emotions all came tumbling out and mixing with each other. I suddenly just threw my arms around him and clutched onto him as close I could. "Don't go. Please don't go." I whimpered. "Don't this to me, Syaoran. Don't…"
"Sakura." I felt his chin rest on my head and his strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist. "Sakura, stop crying right now. Don't start crying on me now…" His voice broke at 'crying'. I heard his silent sobs. "God, I knew this'd be hard, but I didn't know it would be this hard…"
He lifted my chin up. "Take care of yourself, ok babe?"
I nodded my head. "I will."
"I'm depending on Julian to take care of you."
I cried harder. "Please don't say that."
"You better not be fooling around when I'm gone." He joked. "Don't be looking for trouble now."
I slapped his chest. "Stop joking Syaoran!" I sobbed.
"I'm sorry." He apologized. "Sakura." I didn't stop crying. "Sakura." I still didn't. "Sakura!"
I looked up. "Yeah?"
"I'll call you when I get there."
I nodded sadly.
He gave his ticket to the attendant. "No…" I heard myself repeat over and over again. Syaoran's hands shook as he handed it. He pulled me away from the line and hugged me one last time. "I'll miss you babe. I won't ever forget you."
"I'll miss you too Syaoran. I'm never gonna forget you."
"One last time." He leaned down and kissed me on the lips. I responded back. This time the kiss was intense and full of emotions. When we moved away, he smiled down at me. "Love you."
"I love you Syaoran." I grinned despite the tears.
When the time finally came, he released me and started to walk to the flight attendant. I hugged myself and cried. 'This'll be the last time I ever see him.' When he was going to go in, my breath caught in my throat and I felt like I was going to faint. A hand wrapped around my mouth and only a whimper could be heard. Suddenly I wanted to say I love you to him that meant I really did love him in a romantic way, but my heart didn't have any control.
Unexpectedly, Syaoran turned around and looked at me. "One last thing you need to know, babe."
"W-what is it?"
"Watashi wa anata o aishitemasu, Sakura. Ever since I laid eyes on you." I thought he was done talking and I could freely faint, but he added one more thing. "Maybe I do believe in love at first sight." He then turned and walked away. For good.
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When I got back to the university, I had no strength left to pick myself up and walk to my dorm. The taxi driver was looking at me weirdly, but I didn't care. My eyes were swollen red from crying and my body was tired. I saw the university when the taxi pulled up, but suddenly everything turned pitch black and I couldn't breathe.
I woke up later and found myself in my dorm room. I sat up groggily, trying to remember what happened. It then registered in my mind that Syaoran was gone. He went back to Philadelphia. I whimpered, putting a hand over my mouth. "S-Syaoran…"
"Sakura, take it easy." My head rose up just in time to see Julian come in my room. "Here." He handed me two pills. "You need to get your strength back."
"Julian?" I took the pills and drank it. "Syaoran…he's gone."
"I know." He took a seat on the edge of my bed.
My mind was in a daze. I had no idea what had just happened. "H-how did I get here? The last thing I remember was…was in the taxi."
"Oh that. I was just going to go out when I saw the driver of the taxi looking all panicked. I decided to help him out and found out you collapsed."
I was surprised. "I…collapsed?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I paid for it, so you don't need to worry. I brought you here."
"Oh." I rubbed my eyes. "Thanks Julian."
"No problem." He moved closer. "You all right?"
I shook my head sadly. "Syaoran's gone…"
"I know."
He let me cry on his chest for a while. I sobbed and cried all together. All I could think of was Syaoran and the last minutes we had together. His words stuck with me. He loved me, really loved me. Not in a friendship kind of way, but in a loving kind of way. And I loved him just like that, but never got to tell him. That bugged me a lot. I wanted to tell Julian everything, because he was the only other guy I could talk to about my feelings, but if I did, he'd be really hurt. He loved me the way I loved Syaoran and the way Syaoran loved me, but I didn't love him. Even though he was my friend and I didn't feel the same, I couldn't hurt him.
"Sakura, it'll be ok. It's not like it's the end of the world. You and Syaoran just have to keep that friendship going on, and then everything will be all right. You'll be able to go through college without him. You just have to move on. Didn't you promise Syaoran that?"
I shut my eyes tightly. "Yes."
"Then live up to the promise, ok?" He wiped away my tears. "I made a promise to him too."
"W-what is it?"
"To protect you and care for you."
"Oh my gosh…" I hugged Julian tightly. "Julian, he never wanted anyone else to protect me. It's so hard…to think that he told you to protect me! He was my official protector, ever since we met. I don't know how it happened, but it just did. And to think, it's not him anymore." I looked up at his grey eyes. It was filled with sadness.
"I'm…I'm not that bad of a protector, am I? I promised to protect you, Sakura. I'll live up to it."
"It's not that you're a bad protector! It's just that…" I stayed focus in his eyes. "Syaoran is my angel, Julian. He's my guardian. You'll protect me yes, but Syaoran…is the angel in my life."
"And you're the angel in mine." He blurted out.
I was taken aback. "Julian…"
He interrupted me with his hand. "Look, I know you don't feel the same way I do, but you're my angel, Sakura. I can't help it. I fell in love with you and I don't know what to do about it. All I can offer you is friendship. I'll protect you and care for you. Will you take it?"
I hesitated, but then thought better of it. I nodded.
He smiled. "All right. I have to go do some stuff. I'll be back later to check up on you."
I nodded again. "Thanks. For everything."
He winked.
Even though Syaoran left and Julian became my new friend, I couldn't help feeling sad and depressed. For the first two hours, I had nothing to do, so all I did was sulk and shed tears. I knew that I had to move on, because I promised him. I couldn't break his promise, not now, not ever. I slowly walked to his room. When I got to the hall, I touched the knob and turned it slowly.
I got in and smelled Syaoran's scent. "Syaoran…you don't know how important you are to me…and…and you'll never know." I broke down in tears again. Oh man. I was killing myself literally, drowning myself in tears. I touched the walls and just carelessly walked across the room. Memories came rushing down my mind and I recalled them.
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Freshman year, beginning of semester 1
Sakura walked the halls of Connecticut State and looked for her dorm, occasionally looking at the folded sheet of paper lying on her hand. When she finally reached her dorm room, she turned the knob and went inside. The place was empty, only thing there was a bed, a closet, and a bathroom. "Ugh. It smells too!"
"Stop whining, kid." A voice broke in her mental conversation.
She turned around to face a guy about her age with gorgeous chestnut brown hair and sparkling amber eyes. He held a comforting look to him, but beneath that, you could almost see the sarcasm he held. His eyes widened a bit as he saw Sakura's face. Her eyes were bright emerald and her auburn hair shone.
"I'm not a kid! This is my first year in college, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm any younger than you." She said smugly.
The guy smirked. "This is my first year too. You just looked young to me, sorry."
Sakura shrugged and smiled. "My name's Sakura Avalon." She offered her hand.
"Syaoran Li." He nodded at her hand. Sakura hesitantly drew it back. "I'll see you later."
Sakura nodded back.
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Freshman year, beginning of semester 2
"Sakura Avalon." Sakura's head went up as she heard her name from a foreign voice. Her eyes darted everywhere looking for it, but couldn't find it. Finally her eyes found a soccer field with a guy in the middle, carrying his soccer ball.
"Syaoran??" He grinned and waved her over. She ran as fast as she could to the field and stood right beside him, feeling shy all of a sudden. "What is it? Why'd you call me?"
He shrugged carelessly. "You looked lonely for a second there. I thought you were sad or something. I just wanted to cheer you up. But guessing that you've just been studying, never mind."
"No, no! It's ok Syaoran. Go ahead and cheer me up. I have just been studying, but I'd like to see some of your skills in soccer."
He smiled at her. "Thanks Sakura."
"Come on Syaoran. Show me."
"Sit on the bleachers. My team's going to come soon, so we'll be playing a small game for fun."
She slowly nodded. "Amaze me, Li."
"You got it, Avalon." He winked.
Sakura ran to the bleachers and sat on the end of the benches at the top. That way she could see everything. After about 2 minutes or so, Syaoran's team came. Syaoran glanced at Sakura. She showed him two thumbs up and he waved back. Soon, Syaoran was running across the field looking as serious as ever. He took the game of soccer very seriously, so that was one of the reasons he was so good at it. At the end of the game, Syaoran scored 4 goals on the other team. He ran to Sakura breathing hard. "Good job Syaoran!! That was great!! You really are good at this game!"
"Thanks." He smiled in between breaths. "I. Tried. My. Best."
"Why though? This wasn't an important game, was it?"
"No." He grinned again. "I tried…my best because…you were watching me."
Sakura blushed.
"And I wanted to show you my skills."
"You really do have them, Syaoran."
"Thanks Avalon. That means a lot coming from you."
She was surprised. "Really?"
He nodded.
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Freshman year, night outing
Syaoran went over to Sakura's dorm and collapsed on her bed. "What do you wanna do today?"
Sakura glanced at Syaoran. "Stay here."
"Don't you remember? Tonight's the night outing. We get to go anywhere we want out of the school."
"Mm…" Sakura mumbled. "I don't think I'll be going anywhere, Syaoran. I feel kinda lazy and um, I don't wanna go."
"Come on Sakura!! It'll be really fun. Let's go ice-skating." He pleaded, clasping his hands together. "I want to go!!"
"Then go by yourself!"
"Come with me."
"No."
"Come on. It'll be fun."
"No."
"Sakura…"
"Syaoran…" He was about to say something, but she interrupted. "NO."
"Fine. I'll just find someone else to go with me."
Sakura fidgeted. "Um…a girl someone?"
Syaoran smirked. "Yeah, I think so. You got a problem with that?"
"Um, no. I'm just…just asking."
"Really now?" Syaoran walked over to Sakura and put his hands on her shoulders. "Come on Sakura. Just come with me. Just you and me."
Sakura was hesitant. "Syaoran…"
"It'll be fun, babe. Let's go." He pulled on her arms. She soon gave up and smiled.
"Lead the way, pretty boy."
Syaoran grinned.
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Beginning of sophomore year; arrivals from summer break
Sakura arrived at the building and found many other college students arriving. She looked carefully for a certain chestnut-haired man, but couldn't find him. "I'll find him later." She murmured. She brought her suitcase along with her as she hurried back to her dorm. When she walked the hall of the dorms, she saw him, standing there, turning the key of his dorm room. "SYAORAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She yelled gleefully.
He turned his head and found the emerald-eyed girl he wanted to see for the longest time. His eyes softened at the sight and slowly, a smile spread on his handsome face. "Sakura…" He said happily. She ran into his arms and he cuddled her close to his body. "I missed you babe. Lots."
"Oh Syaoran…I missed you so much." She talked softly, burying her head on the nape of his neck. "I thought about you the whole 2 months!!!!"
His eyes shimmered with delight and affection. "So did I, Sakura. I missed you a whole lot."
She giggled. "I'm so glad I'm back. I never thought I'd want to go back to school, but you made it all change."
"Sakura…" He was beyond happy.
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Sophomore year, party
"How you feeling?" Syaoran shouted throughout the noise. Sakura sat on the couch glumly. She shrugged her bare shoulders and pouted. Syaoran sat beside her and put an arm around her. "You want to go?"
"Mm-hmm." Sakura slowly smiled and let Syaoran pull her out of the party. They walked slowly back to their dorms.
"What happened to you? I didn't think you came to the party."
Sakura glanced at Syaoran guiltily, and then brought her eyes down to her hands. "I wasn't going to, but when I found out you were………I guess I just wanted to go too."
"Tsk. What kind of attitude is that?"
"Not a very good one." She moped.
"No kidding."
Syaoran opened the door to Sakura's room and they both went in. "You feeling all right? You didn't drink anything bad or ate anything bad?"
"No." Sakura smiled. "I'm fine." She took some clothes and went in the washroom to change to her pj's. When she came back out, Syaoran was still wearing his forest sports pants and Nike jacket. "Thanks for bringing me here. You can go back to the party now." She offered.
He shook and grinned. "Nah. I'd rather spend my time with you." He took off his shoes and lied down on the bed beside Sakura. He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She faced his eyes and he faced hers, both pairs glittering with happiness and contentment. For a long time, they just did that and looked into each other's eyes until it was time for Syaoran to go to his dorm and get some rest.
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Sophomore year, end of the year
"What are you gonna do for summer break?" Sakura asked.
Syaoran glanced at her. "Probably just stay here. I don't want to go home."
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "Don't feel like it. I'll call them."
"Oh ok."
"What about you, babe?"
Sakura looked at Syaoran. "I'm staying here too."
"Really? How come?"
"I don't want to go home. I'll go some other time."
"Understood." He nodded. "Summer turning out to be boring for the two of us."
"Got that right."
"We'll keep each other company, right?"
Sakura grinned and laughed. "Of course!"
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I opened my eyes after those flashbacks. I felt some pain, but mostly happiness for experiencing those things. I wiped away my remaining tears. "It'll be okay. I'll get through this." I kept saying to myself. I slowly left the room, but before I could shut the door, I wrote a small note on the back of the door.
'Syaoran and Sakura – friends for eternity'.
FINAL END!!!!!!!!!! HOPE YOU LIKED IT!!!!!!!!!!! I WORKED HARD ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REVIEW AND TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS…ALL RIGHT SEE YA! ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU SAKURA & SYAORAN FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!