DISCLAIMER: I don't own any CCS characters, they belong to CLAMP.
a/n: You'll have to excuse me today, I have a lot of random things I feel the need to share. Aren't I on a roll? Anyone here remember back in febuary when I actually had the time to update one or twice a week? If only I had that kind of time still. Oh, I wanted to share with you all the reason I didn't update for so long previously - 1) I was on vacation and 2) my favorite place to be online (clowsage) went down right before I went on vacation. *sniff* Well, I found myself a new online home, but that doesn't really mean I have time. arrrgggghhhh.
I just realized that the last chapter ended with kind of a cliff hanger...Darn. I missed a chance to "play ominous music". hehe.
Lian Leviathan - I have a feeling you think that Syaoran's not going to get Sakura....tell me if I'm right.
Lilyflower - As for you question about Tomoyo....She's not going to be in this story, except for maybe a sentence or two...she's more involved in Sakura's story though, the story that goes along with this one...gomen ne.
Looking back, I realize that there were many things I should have noticed that I didn't, and for the longest time, I would feel guilty about my negligence. Even though everything's fine now, and everything that happened needed to happen in order for Sakura to be free of her past, sometimes, I still feel like I wronged Sakura by not noticing. But now I'm getting ahead of myself.
"Syaoran! You're darker!" Kaiba greeted as he walked into Eriol and Kaho's house eagerly looking around.
"Am I?"
"Yeah, are they here?"
"Who? Kaho and Sakura?"
"Yes."
"No."
"I'm early then?"
"I really don't think it matters," I laughed.
"So where did you go?"
"I really can't remember all the names."
"Knowing you, Syaoran," Eriol cut in, "You probably were too busy thinking of other things to pay attention to geography."
"I did want to come back as soon as possible," I admitted.
I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was going. Thankfully, Kaho and Sakura had excellent timing.
"Syaoran!" Sakura squeeled and threw arms around my neck. "I missed you!"
I felt my face heating up and looked around. Eriol had ducked into the living room and was probably laughing. Kaho was smiling indulgantly and Kaiba, Kaiba...a possessive look flashed through his eyes, but I didn't connect it to anything.
"It's good to have you back," Kaho said.
"It's good to be back," I returned.
"Tell me," her eyes grew thoughtful. "How do you know Hitas?"
"Hitas? Goddess of Health?" That day after Meiling died flashed through my mind. "I've only meet her once, but I was...not in a state of mind that would allow me to remember very clearly."
"Yes, she said something about you being in grieving when the two of you meet."
I nodded, wondering where the heck this conversation was leading. But Kaho wouldn't say anything else except I'll tell you later in my mind.
So I went through dinner wondering what could Hitas want with me. Dinner itself was uneventful. I was too absorbed in Sakura to really pay attention to anything else. I don't think she or Kaiba noticed though.
I was about to leave later that night when Kaho stopped me. "I was going to tell Hitas to forget about this, but..."
"But what?"
A crooked smile appeared on her face. "She likes you...like as in like like."
"Oh...kay..." I said, rather shocked.
"Well? What are you going to do?"
"Um...what...what I am supposed to do?" I asked slowly. My mind wasn't functioning that day. I wasn't really tired from my trip, but I was trying to keep from focusing too much on Sakura...needless to say, it wasn't working.
"You aren't thinking very hard today are you Syaoran?"
"Umm...what am I supposed to be thinking?"
"Hello! You are obviously in love with Sakura-" I cut her off, shushing her. "You're obviously in love with her, what are you going to do about Hitas?" she continued.
I looked around furtively, hopefully, no one heard what Kaho had practically yelled out loud. "Um...leave her alone?"
"You aren't supposed to leave her alone!"
"Well then you tell me what the heck I'm supposed to be doing about this, you're the Goddess of Wisdom," I demanded, exasperated.
"I'd tell her you're not interested, but only when she approaches you-"
I cut her off again. "Kaho, why didn't you just tell her I wasn't interested?"
"Because she wouldn't have believed me and because this is your problem!"
"My problem?!?"
"Yes your problem, how many times do I need to clarify that point?"
"I guess I have to deal with it then," I said reluctantly.
"Yes, you have to deal with it."
I sighed. "Why do I feel like this is going to be harder than anything I've ever done in my life?"
"Because you're a nice guy and you hate hurting a woman's feelings," she said sincerely.
"It was a rhetorical question, Kaho," I mumbled. Kaho laughed and ushered me out the door.
It wasn't until the next day that I realized how serious Kaho was. What happened next, scared all thoughts of Sakura out of my mind. Actually, it wasn't so much what happened, it was the tone of what was said that was so disturbing to me.
"Sir, someone to see you," one of the servants said while I was showing Eriol something new I learned during my trip.
"Show him in here."
"It's a she, sir, and she followed me here."
I stopped; Hitas strolled in; Eriol stopped to see what I would do. Oh shoot. I have no clue how to tell her off, Eriol, I said mentally.
Best of luck to you my friend, he shot back as he siddled towards the door.
Oh, no you don't. You're my moral support, stupid! You can't leave me stranded!
Then what are you going to do if you ever end up telling Sakura about your feelings?? he "yelled" back. Thankfully though, he stopped where he was.
"Hitas," I acknowledged.
"Syaoran," she nodded, "Eriol.
I was paralyzed with fear. What the heck was I supposed to be doing? I really didn't want attention from her, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Thankfully, she spoke first. "I just wanted to welcome you home, Syaoran," she mumbled. She ran out of the room before I could respond.
Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I had given Hitas a chance and possibly learned to love her. I do wonder.
Before I go on, I have to explain about Hitas. Hitas was a gorgeous woman who had rejected all her suitors, saying that she would find her own man. There are scores of Gods who trembled in her presence, even now, even though she's found her guy, plenty of Gods still go after her, unfortunate for her husband, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I didn't particularly want her attention. Granted she was extremely beautiful and she was a good deal more observant than Sakura, I still preferred Sakura. Call it predestined love if you will.
I started thinking about trying my hand at a garden again, but I couldn't muster enough energy to get started. Everytime I'd go outside and look around, wondering where to start. I had various visions for this imaginary garden of mine, none of them came true because everytime I'd also walk back inside, too lazy to think about it anymore. It was during one of my "standing-in-front-of-my-house-wondering-what-to-do" sessions that Sakura came up to me and startled me. "Syaoran," she called out, drawing me from my reverie. I looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. "Syaoran!" she laughed again.
"Yeah?"
"I think you need to do something about this," she gestured at our surroundings.
"Yeah."
"Can I do something about it for you?" shd inquired.
"Yeah." Boy was I talkative or what? I couldn't bring myself to say anything except for "yeah". I must have sounded so dim!
"Ok," she laughed and shooed me inside, saying, "don't come out until I tell you. Promise."
"Promise," I repeated.
"Pinkey swear pomise," she said sticking out her pinkey and hooking it with mine.
"Ok," I said, blushing.
She smiled sweetly and the closed the door. It seemed to take forever. Several times I was sorely tempted to walk outside and demand what was happening. I could hear the ground creak underneath my house and sometimes there would be small tremors, but I stayed inside like I promised I would, hoping she wasn't destroying my house. I can't say I trusted her as much as I loved her.
When she came inside to call me again, I noticed her excitement. "You'll love it," she kept telling me. And I did. The weed covered lot that used to surround my house was now turned into a grassy plain. On either side was a large study tree with plenty of good branches that you could climb up onto. A few evergreens grew in the back yard. There was a small pond, filled with little fish. The pathways around the house were lined with flowers and various shrubbery.
When she was done showing me everything, she went to the side of the house and started climbing one of the trees. "Sakura, be careful!" I yelled, but she didn't hear. I tried again and this time she just laughed.
"Don't worry, I've been climbing trees since before I can remember!" she said gleefully while perched on one of the branches of the tree. "Come up here! It's cooler."
I scrambled up the tree after her, and she made room for me on the branch she was sitting on. The flowers on the tree were curiously shaped and smelled heavenly. "What kind of tree is it?" I asked.
"A cherry tree. My mother named me after these flowers," she replied, picking a bunch from the tree and smelling it. So, now I could look out the window and have a little bit of Sakura in my yard 365 days a year.
She kept talking, but her voice was more distant now. "When I was little...there was a festival in the village every spring for these flowers. We'd all go and pick the cherries...and we'd make all sorts of foods with them. The little kids would run around filling the baskets and the men would be in the trees picking the cherries while the women would pitt them and preserve them, and what not," she looked at me. "When these the cherries are ready, I'll come and make something for you." I must have turned red because I could feel my face heating up.
"Anyway. Don't they smell wonderful?" she asked, decorating her hair with the alluring flowers.
I couldn't even will words to come out of my mouth, so I nodded instead. Up to this point, all of her movements were graceful and spontaneous. And then, all of a sudden, she seemed to remember something and her movements were stiffer and she turned to me hesitantly. "Syaoran...syaoran. Will...will you teach me self defense?"
I was shocked. Why would someone as sweet as Sakura want to learn self defense for? "Sakura. What for? Are you sure you want to learn self defense?"
"Positive," she replied, ignoring my first question.
"Well...All right then," I said, "but I can't for the life of me understand why you would need it," she heard me mumble.
Sakura smiled at me again and kissed my cheek. "Thank you." She climbed off the tree saying, "I'll be back tomorrow then ok?"
From my perch in the tree, I watched her walk off and then dissappear in her pink fire. I couldn't have imagined how important my agreeing to teach her would be in the future.
a/n: Well what did you think? What do you think of Hitas? Don't you just love it when authors add twists in the story? This is going to be fun....bwahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! review!!
p.s. I suppose this is kind of a cliff hanger, depends on whether or not you've read the other story. I happen to think that this story is more fun if you haven't read the other one though.....DUN DUN DUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
p.s.s - Everytime somebody says "shrubbery," I think of monty python and the holy grail and the knights of ni!
