It was a restless night for Syaoran. He tumbled in his bed, alone, with Sakura haunting his dreams and her harsh words burning into his mind… Lying on his back, he recounted the last sentence before she had left his apartment, "There is no way you could have put your offer that would have tempted me to accept it." The truth of her words resonated like a camera bulb's flash in his retina. He winced, remembering the expression of pure disgust written clearly across her features. Oh Sakura, he pondered, what have I done that would make you do this to me? I don't even know what drove me to do what I did. It is something about you, something that makes me want to love you. No one has ever refused my offer before…there are so many that would have accepted my advances in a second… he continually pleaded with Sakura in his mind before he drifted off to sleep slightly after dawn.
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Sakura's night was similarly spent. Her only comfort she could find was in her Kero doll, a stuffed animal that somewhat resembled a lion. She tossed and turned continuously clutching Kero, remembering too the awful truth she'd said. Do not be ashamed, she thought, he needed to know. You couldn't be with a guy who is so selfish in his being that he could only want you for pure desire. Sakura too pleaded with herself, begging herself to forgive and forget that night. She did want to forget, she struggled to push it out of her mind, yet the memory of his kisses intoxicated her, filling her nose with his scent of wood and cinders. Her dress was doused in his smell, and she had unwittingly brought it to bed with her, as a comfort from the storm brewing inside her heart. I don't know how I feel about you, Syaoran Li, but I do know you haven't can't have my hear, and I'll fight to the very end to keep it from your bruising clutches.
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The next day, Eriol, usually oblivious to his introvert friend's feelings, instantly sensed something amiss the moment he entered the studio. Gently, before anyone was there, he confronted Syaoran.
"Hey, what's wrong? You're wandering around as if you're caught in a perpetual daze, and by the look on your face, it isn't enjoyable." He almost smirked, but a glance at Syaoran stopped him.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand. So who is she, Syaoran?" Eriol pleaded with care, knowing the pain his friend was in.
"It's…" Syaoran was almost on the brink of confiding in Eriol, when he controlled himself and took on his normal icy neutral tone, "Nothing." He silently thanked Eriol for his concern, and moved onto work. There was a job to be done, no matter what the present circumstances.
The day went by without a hitch. The cold atmosphere of the morning slowly burned off into a pleasant warmth by the afternoon. Even Sakura was joking with Eriol by the end of the day, the unpleasantness of last night pushed aside. In fact, the shoot went so well that by the end of the night, Syaoran realized that tomorrow could be a wrap. He was exhausted by the physical stress that Sakura put on him, but in the back of his mind, he could only think, I'm almost done. I've almost completed the project that has been lingering in my dreams since before I can remember. Perhaps I can now lead my life how it was meant to be lead: full of love, laughter and happy moments.
Because that was the reason why he was so cold and angry. This woman called to him; made him so alive with desire that he burned to please her, and when he could not he was physically hurt with the disappointment. Her approval meant everything to him, even though she was but a dream. And something at the back of his mind kept nagging him, prodding him, saying that Sakura was the woman that preoccupied his dreams. She was the cause of his countless sleepless nights on a quest to fulfill her yearnings. Syaoran slept that night, finally rewarding himself for the excitement of the conclusion of his destiny.
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Sakura was vaguely aware of the end of the shoot. It came in a bustle of worry and confusion. She was sad to leave Eriol, as Tomoyo and she had grown an attachment to his constant wit and fascinating nature. And Syaoran, in her own way she would miss him too. His attitude seemed rushed that last day, as if the end could not come soon enough. He had not spoken a word to her since that fateful night in his loft, and she was somewhat disappointed. She did, however, catch him glancing at her once in a while, but she shrugged that off as simply the calculating gaze of a photographer. She had decided to keep all her outfits, for Tomoyo had made them all herself, from designs she based off Syoaran's descriptions. And Tomoyo was sure she could rework some of the battle costumes as unique dresses for award shows and such.
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Even Tomoyo was sad to see it end. She was sure something had happened between Sakura and Syaoran, but where Sakura was concerned, she would not kiss and tell, it seemed. But there were other reasons why she did not want to leave. Certain interests had been introduced to her when she spent an evening alone with Eriol. He could be very charming when he needed to be, and she was quite taken by him. Nothing physical had happened, but there was always the promise of tomorrow. They had exchanged numbers, and she truly believed something would come of the whole episode. I suppose I was wrong about Sakura. She is stronger than I thought she would be. Tomoyo sighed and quickly left the studio, lost in her thoughts of Eriol.
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Syaoran was sad to see Sakura go. As she left the building, he noticed a curiosity in her eyes, almost too casually searching the studio. Her emerald orbs focused on his amber ones for a second, and she then left him alone again. He didn't know if he would ever see her again, but he restrained himself from calling after her. He had caused her too much pain, too much worry to create any more. Methodically, he processed the last of his film, looking forward to the hard work of actually developing the film that had driven his ambition all these years. He knew that her image would inevitably be connected to his fantasy, but he reveled in the thought of finally satiating the spirit of the woman who would make him finally happy. It was his destiny.
Sleep came quickly that night. And before he drifted off to a peaceful slumber, the first night of complete sleep he would know in years, he realized something: The night Sakura left with her kiss on his lips, the fiery maiden didn't haunt the little sleep his upset state provided…