Pretty Baby, Why Can't You See?
By SwEeT AnGeL 1004
Chapter 8: Back Home
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Touya scowled, and tried to wipe his eyes without showing Syaoran.
He closed in eyes in pain, and said quietly to the younger man standing in front of him, "I just asked her something. Well, I confronted her about something."
"And what exactly is that?" Syaoran asked.
"That she's my sister."
Syaoran's eyes widened slightly; Touya had barely talked about his long lost sister.
"What made you think that?" Syaoran demanded.
"I was suspicious. She looks exactly like my mother did in her pictures; green eyes, brown hair, that same facial structure," Touya said.
"And then?" Syaoran prodded.
Touya blinked, "I saw her ring. I remember it. Our mother had it made, and she passed it down to Sakura. Sakura had it on a necklace, and she says that she had it ever since she was found by Yuko or whatever that guy's name is."
"Yuki," a new voice said from the doorway.
Syaoran and Touya whirled around to see Meiling leaning against the doorframe casually.
"What did you say?" Touya asked.
He narrowed his eyes at the name 'Yuki'…it sounded vaguely familiar…
"The scar."
"What?"
"She had a wound on her arm. She still has a slight scar. I'm assuming it's from the gun shot that scraped her arm?" Meiling said.
"How'd you know?" Touya asked.
Meiling shrugged, "Good intuitive. When you were staring at her in the car, her past. I did two and two and figured it out."
"But why was she crying?" Syaoran asked impatiently, "Wouldn't she be glad to find her brother?"
"You insensitive male-dork," Meiling said, "She can't remember anything. Her past is so sensitive to her. I mean, how would you feel if you lost all memory of nine years of your life, then suddenly this guy who you knew for two weeks suddenly said that he's your brother?"
"Oh," Syaoran reflected on that for a moment, "I understand. Still…a DNA test?"
Touya shook his head mournfully, "She doesn't want one. She just said that we should stay friends and forget about this ever happening."
"You can't blame her," Syaoran said slowly.
"Where is she?" Syaoran asked Meiling.
"She was with Tomoyo and Eriol. Why?"
"Eh. Just wondering," Syaoran replied, averting his eyes from Meiling's piercing gaze.
"You can go talk to her, you know. You guys have a good connection," Meiling suggested.
Syaoran shrugged, "Never mind."
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Touya stepped out into the dark after dinner.
It had been stifling, with everyone avoiding each other's looks, no one was talking and the air was clearly uncomfortable.
Touya sighed and ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up.
He headed out into the main street and turned into the direction of downtown in search of a drink.
Touya looked at the sign in front of him, and wrinkled his nose.
Tavern? Oh well.
Touya walked into to door, and immediately the smell of smoke wafted up to his nose.
He sat on the stool at a counter top where a bartender was wiping down the table.
"Do you want anything, sonny?"
"The most bitter, strongest drink you have," Touya answered.
His intent was on getting as drunk as possible and drowning away all memories of that day.
"Are you sure, sonny?" the man asked.
Touya said, "Yes! And stop calling me sonny."
"Sure, sonny. Here you go," the man poured a large bottle of clear-ish brownish into a tiny glass.
Touya took it and gulped it down, ignoring the stinging burn as the bitter drink traveling down this throat.
"One more," Touya said, clunking the glass back down on the table.
"You sure, sonny?" the man inquired, "This is some pretty strong stuff."
"I'm sure. In fact, get me a huge mug of it."
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It was after midnight, and Syaoran was wide awake, his mind lolling over the past events that had happened that day.
They were leaving tomorrow, and tonight was their last night at the cabin.
Talk about leaving with a big bang.
Syaoran yawned and stretched out his long arms and legs over the bed.
He glanced over at Eriol, who was fast asleep and quietly snoring, his purplish hair tousled around his face.
Syaoran quietly got up and put on his slippers and bathrobe and strolled downstairs.
He decided to go out on the porch, and was surprised to see Sakura had already beat him there, lying on the fallen snow that had covered the porch.
She was staring up at the sky, with tears falling down her cheeks.
"Aren't you cold? It's a little late to be making snow angels," Syaoran said.
Sakura rolled her head over, and said wearily, "No. I can't feel anything right now."
"Physically or emotionally?" Syaoran asked seriously.
Sakura turned her head back at the sky, now aware of the icy snow that was soaking her hair.
She'd probably catch pneumonia and have to go to the hospital, run up a terrible bill, linger several months and die.
Sakura sighed.
That'd be a lot better than what she was going through right now.
"Well?" Syaoran asked.
She had forgotten he was there, and said softly, "Both. I'm freezing my butt off. And all this stuff is too much for my mind. A hand, please?"
Syaoran got up from the bench he had been sitting in and pulled Sakura up from the snow.
She was shivering; the snow had finally gotten through to her.
"Here," Syaoran took off his warm bathrobe and draped it over Sakura's shoulder.
She gratefully said, "Thank you. I'm such an idiot."
"We all are, at times," Syaoran said seriously.
"Indeed," Sakura said quietly.
She padded over to the living room and sat on the couch, curling up in a corner with her head resting on a cushion.
"Been thinking a lot?" Syaoran asked.
Sakura turned her head to face him and nodded, "Yeah. It's just so hard sometimes. I wish…I wish I had a normal life. With a loving family, going to graduate school, have a boyfriend and a fun job with tons of friends."
"None of us have normal lives. Eriol and I left Hong Kong when we were nine, Meiling did the same, and we've been living alone since then. Even before that, our lives were focused around studying and fighting. You haven't had a normal life, neither has Tomoyo. Or Touya," Syaoran said.
Sakura winced at the sound of his name, "It's hard."
"Of course it is," Syaoran said, "But we will overcome these trials and become strong people."
Sakura nodded thoughtfully and got up to give Syaoran a brief hug, "Thank you, Syaoran."
Syaoran was surprised, "For what?"
"For being a good friend. I'm glad you're around. It seems like I've known you forever, and there's a really good connection between us. Thank you."
Syaoran said, still taken aback, "You're welcome, I guess."
"Good. Now I'm going to go to sleep."
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Meiling woke up at one o clock.
She sat up and peered over at Sakura and Tomoyo, and both were fast asleep.
"I need a drink," Meiling muttered, and went outside.
She couldn't help herself, so she peeked into Syaoran's and Eriol's room.
Both were sleeping heavily, with Eriol snoring lightly.
"Hee hee hee," Meiling giggled softly.
Meiling paused at Touya's door and opened it.
Much to her surprise, the bed was still perfectly made, and no sign of Touya.
"Where could he be?" Meiling thought.
The answer hit her.
Where else?
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Meiling stomped into the tavern, and everyone's heads turned to her way.
""Scuse me, have you seen a tall guy with blackish hair? Name's Touya?" Meiling hollered.
"Here, sonny!" a bartender raised his hand, and Meiling headed over to him, saying, "Don't call me sonny. I'm not a guy."
There was Touya, his head on the cold counter, staring glassily at his mug, which was empty.
"Good god, how many of these did he have?" Meiling asked in shock.
"About five or six. I tried to stop him, sonn---. Ma'am," the bartender said, "But he insisted. He did pay us."
"Ugh. Touya, snap out of it!" Meiling yelled at the man in front of him.
"Huh? Meiling? Is that you? What are you doing here?" Touya asked, his speech slurred.
"Get up. We're going home. We're leaving tomorrow, and I'm sure you don't need to hangover that's going to come tomorrow."
"No, no, I can walk by myself," Touya said, waving away Meiling's arm for support.
When he got up, he staggered heavily, nearly falling down on the floor.
He picked himself right up and wobbled forward, taking one step at a time.
Once they were outside, Touya started singing drunkenly, "PreEtY baaaaabY doon't leaaaaave me!" he warbled, horribly off tune.
"What the hell are you singing?" Meiling asked, gagging at the reeking smell of tequila from his mouth.
"Why can'ttttt you seEEE?" Touya continued, lurching around.
Meiling rolled her eyes in disgust, and took Touya's hand.
"I'm dragging you home," Meiling said, and tugged roughly at his hand.
They managed to make it home in one piece, Touya singing one of Vanessa Carlton's old songs. (Disclaimer: I don't own any of her songs, especially this one "Pretty Baby".)
Meiling sighed, and sent Touya up to his room.
She went to her own room and glanced at the clock.
2:30.
A couple more hours to sleep.
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Syaoran finished loading the last duffel bag into the trunk and shut the door with a clunk.
He got into the front, Sakura sitting next to him in the front passenger seat.
Syaoran was driving that day, since Touya was feeling horrible with his hangover from all the alcohol he had consumed last night.
They had found Touya in his room, still in his clothes and smelling like beer.
He was napping in the back, stretched out in the third row, while Meiling, Tomoyo and Eriol were squished together in the second row.
Tomoyo and Eriol were, as usual, snuggling together in the second row.
"Are we ready to go?" Syaoran asked.
"Yup," Tomoyo said, "We're ready to go back home."
"Especially me," Sakura said, too soft for anyone to hear but Syaoran.
They rolled out of the driveway, and headed back onto the freeway for the long ride home.
Sakura turned on the radio, and tuned it to the nearest classical station for some peaceful, soothing music.
She turned her head and leaned against the headrest of the seat, and she was staring out Syaoran's window.
She inadvertently started gazing at Syaoran's handsome face.
Wow. He had such a great body.
It would be so nice to hug him through his cotton shirt…feel his hard body around her arms and feel his six packs.
It would be heaven to run her hands through his soft hair, and to kiss those soft, velvety lips of his.
To rest her head against his firm, toned chest with her arms around his torso and sigh happily.
"Like what you see?" Syaoran asked, turning his head slightly to her.
"Huh?" Sakura's head snapped away, "Sorry. I wasn't thinking about you. I was just kind of staring at you, you know. You know?"
Syaoran laughed, a ringing sound, "I know. You looked like you were in a nice daydream."
Sakura colored slightly, "I was."
Syaoran smiled, "I won't ask what it was."
Sakura blushed, "Thank you."
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The drive home was quick, and everyone was awake by the time they rolled into the city limits of Tokyo.
"Are we going to pick up my car?" Sakura asked eagerly.
"I was actually thinking of dropping it off. I mean, I want to say goodbye to it one last time," Syaoran said, a goofy smile on his face.
It took Sakura a minute to realize he was joking, and she playfully hit his head, "Hey!"
"But seriously, we can go to my apartment, load the luggage into your new car, then Sakura can drive it home," Syaoran said.
"All right."
Syaoran continued driving, and Sakura was lost in her thoughts of a new car.
Well, semi-new car.
She was imagining how to decorate the inside with stuff animals, seat covers, a cute steering wheel cover, and a cute little plastic animal to put outside on her antennae.
She didn't snap out of her dream world until she realized that they were in the garage of the guys' apartment.
"It's parked somewhere in the back," Syaoran said, peering out into the darkness of the underground garage, looking somewhere for his car.
"There it is. I've barely used it since I bought it, it only has about 200 miles on it. Plus, there's a card for six free oil changes," Syaoran explained.
"Ooh. It's so beautiful. So feminine," Sakura saw, in obvious contentment at the mid-sized silver Toyota Corolla.
"Thanks," Syaoran said, rather sarcastically.
Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Whatever."
Syaoran parked the huge Explorer next to the smaller car and let out Sakura, who was digging through her backpack for the keys.
She found them, and clicked the little remote, making the lights on the back of the car flash.
"It's unlocked!" Sakura exclaimed gleefully, and quickly opened the door.
Sakura released the trunk door to let the men put the girls' luggage in.
After the three chaps (Chaps! Like my word?) put everything in, Meiling got into the front passenger seat and Tomoyo in the back.
Eriol and Touya disappeared into the Explorer, leaving Sakura and Syaoran alone.
"Thank you so much for this car. This is absolutely the best Christmas that I've ever had. Thank you," Sakura gave Syaoran a big hug, squeezing him under her slender arms.
"Uh…your welcome," Syaoran squirmed.
"All right! I guess I'll see you around," Sakura smiled at him, and waved as she got into the front seat.
"Hmm," Sakura murmured to herself, "Let's start this baby up."
Sakura put in the key and turned on the engine, and the car purred softly as she changed from parking to reverse.
"Steady now. You haven't driven in a long time," Meiling reminded.
"Yeah. A LONG time," Tomoyo said nervously.
"It's all right. There's nothing to it!" Sakura said, trying to ease them.
They drove out of the garage and into the main street without any incident.
They made it to their apartment with only one accident, which was almost hitting a pedestrian.
"Ah, we're home," Sakura breathed in the familiar scent of their apartment lobby.
They were lugging the bags and backpacks up to their floor, and Meiling quickly let go of one her duffel bags and knocked on the door.
There wasn't an immediate answer, so Sakura hollered, "Yuki!! We're home!"
They waiting several more minutes, and slowly the door creaked open.
There stood Yuki, grinning at them.
"Hey, Yuki!" Tomoyo was the first to give the tall skinny man a hug, and they dragged their bags into the spotless house.
"Long time no see. We brought presents for you!" Sakura exclaimed.
Meiling took off her backpack and got out three packages.
"This one's from me," Meiling said, and pushed forward a big package.
Yuki smiled shyly, and tore the wrapping paper slowly.
It was a collection of huge books, labeled, 'Shakespeare's Greatest Books'.
"I figured I should give you something you like, and you like reading, I got you these at the bookstore up there," Meiling explained.
Yuki nodded calmly at her in gratitude, and Sakura handed him another package.
Yuki opened it again, and it was gift box from a men's clothing shop.
He lifted the top up and it revealed a knitted sweater.
"I didn't know what else to get you," Sakura admitted, "So I got you that. I hope you like it."
Yuki nodded at Sakura, smiling, and took the next box from Tomoyo, which was a pair of shoes.
"Well, we're going to get settled back in," Sakura said, "Unpacking, you know."
"I'm going to run down to the corner drugstore and get these pictures developed," Tomoyo said, waving around three rolls of film.
"All right. And I'm going to take a nap here," Meiling yawned and patted the ground.
"Are you doing anything today, Yuki?" Sakura asked.
Yuki shrugged, but shook his head.
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"Uh oh. I got a call from Tsukiro," Touya slammed down the phone.
Syaoran winced.
He had completely forgotten about his assignment for the last two weeks.
"What'd he say?" Eriol asked, rummaging through the fridge.
He found a cold beer and popped the can and drank it.
"A meeting with him and us three, pronto. He's expecting us in twenty minutes, and no more."
"He sounds serious," Syaoran said glumly.
"No shit," Eriol said, "God, I get scared of him sometimes. He could kill us like that," Eriol snapped his fingers.
"Mm," Touya nodded, remembering painfully what had happened to his father.
"Well, let's get going," Syaoran said.
He stopped what he had been doing and walked towards the foyer to put on his shoes and jacket.
The other two men did the same, and they walked out the door, dreading what would happen next.
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"Hello, Touya. Eriol, Syaoran," Tsukiro Akatchi nodded at the three men who walked into their boss's office.
"Hello, sir," the three men bowed respectfully.
Tsukiro took out a cigar and lit it quickly.
He took a long drag, and he seemed to enjoy the anticipation of his three best workers.
"Well, Syaoran. I was just going to call you to this meeting, but I decided to add Touya and Eriol. You will be including them in your assignment. Since you can't seem to get anything done," Tsukiro said.
He blew out a ring of smoke, and Syaoran said, "Thank you, sir. I'll try to do my best with Touya and Eriol."
"All right. That's it," Tsukiro said.
They left to office, nodding at the five scary bodyguards standing defense at the door.
"Whew," Syaoran sighed in relief as they got into Eriol's Mercedes.
"What assignment is he talking about?" Touya demanded.
"Huh? Oh. I didn't tell you?" Syaoran asked.
"Nope. Now explain everything."
On the drive home, Syaoran clarified what they were supposed to do.
"So we're supposed to get the disc or the weird white man?" Eriol asked.
"I'm guessing both. If we can't get a hold of the disc, we might as well get the man," Syaoran said.
"All right. I'll start one the project," Eriol nodded.
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New Year's Eve…
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"Ooh! There they are!" Sakura waved over to Syaoran and Eriol, and Touya, who was lagging behind.
"Happy New Year's Eve!" Sakura exclaimed happily.
"Wow, a whole new year coming. Amazing," Eriol said, looking into Tomoyo's eyes.
Her heart nearly skipped a beat, and Meiling said, "Oh, enough with the mushy stuff. Two more hours until the ball drops."
"Only?" Tomoyo asked, "It's 10 already?"
"Duh," Sakura said, but she shivered, "It's cold out here."
"Do you want my jacket?" Syaoran asked, taking his off already.
"Oh no--well, since you offered," Sakura grinned and she snuggled into Syaoran's large coat.
They were standing in the middle of Tokyo Memorial Square, and were waiting for midnight and the ball to drop.
Sakura yawned, "I'm tired."
"Me too. I've been on the computer all day," Eriol said, and he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
"What were you doing all day?" Tomoyo asked.
"Work. Researching some stuff," Eriol said, shrugging.
"Oh, don't work so hard. It's vacation!" Tomoyo said.
Eriol smiled wryly, "I know."
The two hours flew by, with Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Eriol and Meiling chatting happily while Touya was lurking around them, bored.
"Two more minutes!" Meiling cheered, looking at the big clock.
"Now one minute and fifty eight seconds!" Sakura exclaimed.
Syaoran laughed, and Sakura grinned.
The crowd at the square had gotten larger, and Sakura was squished up next to Syaoran.
"One minute and twenty nine seconds!" Sakura said.
"And now a minute and twenty seven," Syaoran said.
Sakura smiled at him, and continued looking at the clock.
The minute whizzed by, and soon the crowd was shouting, "Five!"
"Four!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The ball dropped and exploded, showering the multitude of people with confetti.
Sakura impulsively stood on her tip toes and kissed Syaoran on the cheek, confetti floating around their shoulders, and said, "Happy new year, Syaoran!"
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Next Monday…Meiling's first day of her new job…
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Meiling straightened her tie and asked Sakura, who was hovering next to her, "Does this look okay? Do I look like a nurse?"
"An assistant, you dork. Hm," Sakura scrutinized Meiling's outfit.
Meiling was wearing silver glasses, a white collared shirt and a pair of gray slacks.
She had a gray tie on with a small silver pin attached on it, and her hair was tied back neatly.
"You look like a business woman," Tomoyo said, "But won't they give you a uniform?"
"Oh yeah. Most likely," Meiling agreed, "But I'm going with this outfit. Oh, Sakura, can I take your car?"
Sakura laughed, "You don't need to ask me. It's your car too. And yes, you can."
"Oh yeah. I finally cashed in the check. Want to go out to dinner tonight?" Meiling asked.
"What about lunch?" Sakura asked.
"Lunch? That sounds good. A late lunch?"
"I'm fine with that," Tomoyo said, "Eriol will pick me up. Where and what time should we meet?"
"All right. How about the King's Garden again? They have a good lunch," Meiling suggested.
"You're treating us out. One o clock is good with me. That's right at the end of my gym class," Sakura said.
"All right. I'll have Syaoran pick you up," Meiling said.
Sakura blinked for a minute, "Oh. All right. Does he know where the school is?"
"He'll figure it out," Meiling said.
She looked at her watch and almost squealed, "I'm going to be late!"
She grabbed a jacket and ran out of the apartment.
Sakura called after her, "Okay!!"
Tomoyo laughed, "Don't worry. I'll call Syaoran and remind him to pick you up."
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Meiling quickly drove the car to the hospital, Tokyo Medical Hospital.
She found her way to the mental health department, and asked a person, "Excuse me? Where can I find Dr. Hanako Fumiyo?"
"That's me," a deep voice came from behind her, and Meiling whirled around, facing a tall, broad chested man.
"Hi, I'm Meiling Li. I'm supposed to be the new assistant?" Meiling asked.
She looked up at Hanako's handsomely chiseled face, and he answered, "Yes, you are. In fact, you'll be working under me. I'm going to let you tag along me today and see what I do. Tomorrow, you'll start helping me. I understand you have some physical education?"
"Black belt in karate when I was eight, sword fighting since I was five, and I worked in a gym for a couple of months as an advisor," Meiling said.
"Impressive," Hanako said, "Very impressive."
"Thanks," Meiling shrugged, "So can we get started?"
"Yes. Follow me," Hanako started walking briskly down the hall, Meiling following behind.
"First I have to check up on my newest patients. Their families seem to think they have some disorders, it's pretty sad. Afterwards, I got to check on my other patients who are on lockdown and see if they have any progress. I'll be needing a lot of help there," Hanako explained.
"All right," Meiling nodded.
They walked into a quieter part of the building, when Meiling suddenly asked, "Do I need to wear a uniform?"
Hanako laughed, "Not if you want to. Well, actually, we prefer you assistants wearing white clothes. A pair of white pants and white shirt?"
"Oh, all right. I'll have to go shopping tonight," Meiling made a mental note.
Hanako chucked, and Meiling realized she had been talking out loud.
"All right. This may be slightly traumatizing, but please be still and just watch," Hanako advised.
Meiling nodded, and watched as he walked to a quiet couple.
Meiling listened to his conversation, "Hello. How are you doing? I understand you checked in your daughter, Kimi Nosoti?"
The man nodded, "Yes. Ever since a couple of months ago, she started…changing."
"In what ways?" Hanako asked.
"She started acting childish for about a month. You know, asking what was going on, wanting her mother to sing to her and sleep with her."
"And then?"
"She snapped out of it, and got serious. She shaved her head and started wearing black lipstick. Her speech was perfectly fine, but she said she needed to do those things," the mother said.
Meiling winced, that didn't sound too good.
Hanako continued to talk with the couple, and Meiling paid close attention.
She couldn't help but admire the way he was so calm and rigorous.
Hanako finished up the conversation, and they left.
"So you're going to put her in?" Meiling asked.
"Yes. I think it's a mild case, though. There's been worse," Hanako said.
Meiling nodded.
The rest of the day, she followed Hanako around and watched him do his work.
At one point, a young teen started fighting Hanako as he tried to talk to him.
Hanako received several blows to the face until Meiling managed to grab the boy and wrestle him down to his room.
"You should take some martial arts or self defense classes," Meiling said, looking at Hanako who was painfully rubbing his cheek.
"Eh, I'm more of a academic person than physical. I hated gym, I'll admit that," Hanako explained.
"What time is it?" Hanako asked.
"Oh, twelve forty five. Oh, darn! I have a lunch date with my friends--do I get any time off?" Meiling asked.
"Yep. We eat lunch whenever we have time in between check ups and appointments. But since this is your first day, be back by three," Hanako said.
"Thank you!" Meiling exclaimed, and said, "All right! See you!"
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Sakura was in the middle of class outdoors in the parking lot drilling the students on a jump rope exercise.
It was cold outside, after all, it was the first week of January.
"All right, lift those arms and count! One!" Sakura exclaimed loudly, "Come on!"
The scraggly group of sophomores half-heartedly did their drills, and Sakura glanced at her watch.
"Um, there's a guy. I think he wants you," a voice came from the group.
Sakura looked up and saw the girl pointing behind her.
Sakura turned around and saw Syaoran standing in the parking lot next to his silver Porsche, and a guy from the class whistled and hollered, "Nice car, man!"
"Oh, hi, Syaoran. Aren't you a bit early?" Sakura asked.
Syaoran looked down at his Rolex watch and said, "Oh. I guess I am, aren't I?"
"Oh, well. You can watch me wonderfully teach my class," Sakura said.
Syaoran chuckled, "That I will do."
A girl raised her hand, and Sakura asked, "Yes, Katelyn?"
The ditzy girl asked, "Um, like, since you have a date and all, can we like just go inside now? We, like, won't tell the principal, or like whatever."
Sakura laughed, "All right. In the winter spirit, run two laps around the track, do six pushups and you guys can go in and change."
The class groaned, but Sakura grinned humorously at them and stuck out her tongue.
"Can you give me two minutes for me to change?" Sakura asked.
"Sure," Syaoran said.
He waited the two minutes while Sakura ran inside to change, and she came out in fresh clothes.
"All right. Let's go," Syaoran said.
"Okay!" Sakura said, and they climbed into Syaoran's car.
They quietly drove to the King's Garden restaurant, where they saw Touya, Meiling, Tomoyo and Eriol already waiting for them at the entrance.
"Hey!" Sakura greeted everyone with a nod, and said, "I'm ready to eat. I hope you brought a lot of cash, Meiling."
"I did. Oh my gosh, I can't wait to tell you about my job!" Meiling gushed.
They walked into the restaurant, and they were seated a table by a waiter, which was fortunately not the last waiter who had asked Sakura out.
They were given menus, and they quickly picked out what they wanted to drink and eat, and when the waiter left, they started talking.
"Okay. I went there, right? And then I asked somebody where Hanako Fumiyo was, right?" Meiling asked.
"Right…" they answered.
"And then this deep voice from behind me was like, 'I'm right here.' And then I whirled around, and there he was," Meiling said dramatically.
"Who?" Sakura asked, clueless.
"The doctor, you idiot," Meiling said playfully, but continued, "Anyways, he was really hot, Eriol. You were SO wrong! Anyways, I followed him around and saw what he was doing and everything. And I got to go back later. But anyways I don't have to have a uniform. I just got to buy tons of white clothes!"
"Sounds great," Tomoyo said sincerely, "This is going to be a great experience for you."
"I know! I like it! And Hanako doesn't know how to fight, either! So basically I'm just giving medicine, and maybe wrestling down some patients," Meiling said happily.
"That's cool. Oh, by the way, Touya, I'll do it," Sakura said, glancing at the sullen man.
He perked up, "What?"
"I'll do the DNA test."
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End of chapter 8. Next chapter, 'Test and Results'.
A/N: Haha. Well, you knew I'd make her do. I just made her refuse so that I move the story along a little. Well, please review!! Next chapter, chapter 9, will be up on the 5th of April, which is a Saturday. I'm going to be posting these every week and a half so that I'll be done by the summer. I haven't had time to write lately, but I'm on chapter fourteen right now. It's wrapping up, I'm guessing it'll end on chapter fifteen or sixteen. But for now, REVIEW!!!
By SwEeT AnGeL 1004
Chapter 8: Back Home
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Touya scowled, and tried to wipe his eyes without showing Syaoran.
He closed in eyes in pain, and said quietly to the younger man standing in front of him, "I just asked her something. Well, I confronted her about something."
"And what exactly is that?" Syaoran asked.
"That she's my sister."
Syaoran's eyes widened slightly; Touya had barely talked about his long lost sister.
"What made you think that?" Syaoran demanded.
"I was suspicious. She looks exactly like my mother did in her pictures; green eyes, brown hair, that same facial structure," Touya said.
"And then?" Syaoran prodded.
Touya blinked, "I saw her ring. I remember it. Our mother had it made, and she passed it down to Sakura. Sakura had it on a necklace, and she says that she had it ever since she was found by Yuko or whatever that guy's name is."
"Yuki," a new voice said from the doorway.
Syaoran and Touya whirled around to see Meiling leaning against the doorframe casually.
"What did you say?" Touya asked.
He narrowed his eyes at the name 'Yuki'…it sounded vaguely familiar…
"The scar."
"What?"
"She had a wound on her arm. She still has a slight scar. I'm assuming it's from the gun shot that scraped her arm?" Meiling said.
"How'd you know?" Touya asked.
Meiling shrugged, "Good intuitive. When you were staring at her in the car, her past. I did two and two and figured it out."
"But why was she crying?" Syaoran asked impatiently, "Wouldn't she be glad to find her brother?"
"You insensitive male-dork," Meiling said, "She can't remember anything. Her past is so sensitive to her. I mean, how would you feel if you lost all memory of nine years of your life, then suddenly this guy who you knew for two weeks suddenly said that he's your brother?"
"Oh," Syaoran reflected on that for a moment, "I understand. Still…a DNA test?"
Touya shook his head mournfully, "She doesn't want one. She just said that we should stay friends and forget about this ever happening."
"You can't blame her," Syaoran said slowly.
"Where is she?" Syaoran asked Meiling.
"She was with Tomoyo and Eriol. Why?"
"Eh. Just wondering," Syaoran replied, averting his eyes from Meiling's piercing gaze.
"You can go talk to her, you know. You guys have a good connection," Meiling suggested.
Syaoran shrugged, "Never mind."
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Touya stepped out into the dark after dinner.
It had been stifling, with everyone avoiding each other's looks, no one was talking and the air was clearly uncomfortable.
Touya sighed and ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up.
He headed out into the main street and turned into the direction of downtown in search of a drink.
Touya looked at the sign in front of him, and wrinkled his nose.
Tavern? Oh well.
Touya walked into to door, and immediately the smell of smoke wafted up to his nose.
He sat on the stool at a counter top where a bartender was wiping down the table.
"Do you want anything, sonny?"
"The most bitter, strongest drink you have," Touya answered.
His intent was on getting as drunk as possible and drowning away all memories of that day.
"Are you sure, sonny?" the man asked.
Touya said, "Yes! And stop calling me sonny."
"Sure, sonny. Here you go," the man poured a large bottle of clear-ish brownish into a tiny glass.
Touya took it and gulped it down, ignoring the stinging burn as the bitter drink traveling down this throat.
"One more," Touya said, clunking the glass back down on the table.
"You sure, sonny?" the man inquired, "This is some pretty strong stuff."
"I'm sure. In fact, get me a huge mug of it."
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It was after midnight, and Syaoran was wide awake, his mind lolling over the past events that had happened that day.
They were leaving tomorrow, and tonight was their last night at the cabin.
Talk about leaving with a big bang.
Syaoran yawned and stretched out his long arms and legs over the bed.
He glanced over at Eriol, who was fast asleep and quietly snoring, his purplish hair tousled around his face.
Syaoran quietly got up and put on his slippers and bathrobe and strolled downstairs.
He decided to go out on the porch, and was surprised to see Sakura had already beat him there, lying on the fallen snow that had covered the porch.
She was staring up at the sky, with tears falling down her cheeks.
"Aren't you cold? It's a little late to be making snow angels," Syaoran said.
Sakura rolled her head over, and said wearily, "No. I can't feel anything right now."
"Physically or emotionally?" Syaoran asked seriously.
Sakura turned her head back at the sky, now aware of the icy snow that was soaking her hair.
She'd probably catch pneumonia and have to go to the hospital, run up a terrible bill, linger several months and die.
Sakura sighed.
That'd be a lot better than what she was going through right now.
"Well?" Syaoran asked.
She had forgotten he was there, and said softly, "Both. I'm freezing my butt off. And all this stuff is too much for my mind. A hand, please?"
Syaoran got up from the bench he had been sitting in and pulled Sakura up from the snow.
She was shivering; the snow had finally gotten through to her.
"Here," Syaoran took off his warm bathrobe and draped it over Sakura's shoulder.
She gratefully said, "Thank you. I'm such an idiot."
"We all are, at times," Syaoran said seriously.
"Indeed," Sakura said quietly.
She padded over to the living room and sat on the couch, curling up in a corner with her head resting on a cushion.
"Been thinking a lot?" Syaoran asked.
Sakura turned her head to face him and nodded, "Yeah. It's just so hard sometimes. I wish…I wish I had a normal life. With a loving family, going to graduate school, have a boyfriend and a fun job with tons of friends."
"None of us have normal lives. Eriol and I left Hong Kong when we were nine, Meiling did the same, and we've been living alone since then. Even before that, our lives were focused around studying and fighting. You haven't had a normal life, neither has Tomoyo. Or Touya," Syaoran said.
Sakura winced at the sound of his name, "It's hard."
"Of course it is," Syaoran said, "But we will overcome these trials and become strong people."
Sakura nodded thoughtfully and got up to give Syaoran a brief hug, "Thank you, Syaoran."
Syaoran was surprised, "For what?"
"For being a good friend. I'm glad you're around. It seems like I've known you forever, and there's a really good connection between us. Thank you."
Syaoran said, still taken aback, "You're welcome, I guess."
"Good. Now I'm going to go to sleep."
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Meiling woke up at one o clock.
She sat up and peered over at Sakura and Tomoyo, and both were fast asleep.
"I need a drink," Meiling muttered, and went outside.
She couldn't help herself, so she peeked into Syaoran's and Eriol's room.
Both were sleeping heavily, with Eriol snoring lightly.
"Hee hee hee," Meiling giggled softly.
Meiling paused at Touya's door and opened it.
Much to her surprise, the bed was still perfectly made, and no sign of Touya.
"Where could he be?" Meiling thought.
The answer hit her.
Where else?
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Meiling stomped into the tavern, and everyone's heads turned to her way.
""Scuse me, have you seen a tall guy with blackish hair? Name's Touya?" Meiling hollered.
"Here, sonny!" a bartender raised his hand, and Meiling headed over to him, saying, "Don't call me sonny. I'm not a guy."
There was Touya, his head on the cold counter, staring glassily at his mug, which was empty.
"Good god, how many of these did he have?" Meiling asked in shock.
"About five or six. I tried to stop him, sonn---. Ma'am," the bartender said, "But he insisted. He did pay us."
"Ugh. Touya, snap out of it!" Meiling yelled at the man in front of him.
"Huh? Meiling? Is that you? What are you doing here?" Touya asked, his speech slurred.
"Get up. We're going home. We're leaving tomorrow, and I'm sure you don't need to hangover that's going to come tomorrow."
"No, no, I can walk by myself," Touya said, waving away Meiling's arm for support.
When he got up, he staggered heavily, nearly falling down on the floor.
He picked himself right up and wobbled forward, taking one step at a time.
Once they were outside, Touya started singing drunkenly, "PreEtY baaaaabY doon't leaaaaave me!" he warbled, horribly off tune.
"What the hell are you singing?" Meiling asked, gagging at the reeking smell of tequila from his mouth.
"Why can'ttttt you seEEE?" Touya continued, lurching around.
Meiling rolled her eyes in disgust, and took Touya's hand.
"I'm dragging you home," Meiling said, and tugged roughly at his hand.
They managed to make it home in one piece, Touya singing one of Vanessa Carlton's old songs. (Disclaimer: I don't own any of her songs, especially this one "Pretty Baby".)
Meiling sighed, and sent Touya up to his room.
She went to her own room and glanced at the clock.
2:30.
A couple more hours to sleep.
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Syaoran finished loading the last duffel bag into the trunk and shut the door with a clunk.
He got into the front, Sakura sitting next to him in the front passenger seat.
Syaoran was driving that day, since Touya was feeling horrible with his hangover from all the alcohol he had consumed last night.
They had found Touya in his room, still in his clothes and smelling like beer.
He was napping in the back, stretched out in the third row, while Meiling, Tomoyo and Eriol were squished together in the second row.
Tomoyo and Eriol were, as usual, snuggling together in the second row.
"Are we ready to go?" Syaoran asked.
"Yup," Tomoyo said, "We're ready to go back home."
"Especially me," Sakura said, too soft for anyone to hear but Syaoran.
They rolled out of the driveway, and headed back onto the freeway for the long ride home.
Sakura turned on the radio, and tuned it to the nearest classical station for some peaceful, soothing music.
She turned her head and leaned against the headrest of the seat, and she was staring out Syaoran's window.
She inadvertently started gazing at Syaoran's handsome face.
Wow. He had such a great body.
It would be so nice to hug him through his cotton shirt…feel his hard body around her arms and feel his six packs.
It would be heaven to run her hands through his soft hair, and to kiss those soft, velvety lips of his.
To rest her head against his firm, toned chest with her arms around his torso and sigh happily.
"Like what you see?" Syaoran asked, turning his head slightly to her.
"Huh?" Sakura's head snapped away, "Sorry. I wasn't thinking about you. I was just kind of staring at you, you know. You know?"
Syaoran laughed, a ringing sound, "I know. You looked like you were in a nice daydream."
Sakura colored slightly, "I was."
Syaoran smiled, "I won't ask what it was."
Sakura blushed, "Thank you."
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The drive home was quick, and everyone was awake by the time they rolled into the city limits of Tokyo.
"Are we going to pick up my car?" Sakura asked eagerly.
"I was actually thinking of dropping it off. I mean, I want to say goodbye to it one last time," Syaoran said, a goofy smile on his face.
It took Sakura a minute to realize he was joking, and she playfully hit his head, "Hey!"
"But seriously, we can go to my apartment, load the luggage into your new car, then Sakura can drive it home," Syaoran said.
"All right."
Syaoran continued driving, and Sakura was lost in her thoughts of a new car.
Well, semi-new car.
She was imagining how to decorate the inside with stuff animals, seat covers, a cute steering wheel cover, and a cute little plastic animal to put outside on her antennae.
She didn't snap out of her dream world until she realized that they were in the garage of the guys' apartment.
"It's parked somewhere in the back," Syaoran said, peering out into the darkness of the underground garage, looking somewhere for his car.
"There it is. I've barely used it since I bought it, it only has about 200 miles on it. Plus, there's a card for six free oil changes," Syaoran explained.
"Ooh. It's so beautiful. So feminine," Sakura saw, in obvious contentment at the mid-sized silver Toyota Corolla.
"Thanks," Syaoran said, rather sarcastically.
Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Whatever."
Syaoran parked the huge Explorer next to the smaller car and let out Sakura, who was digging through her backpack for the keys.
She found them, and clicked the little remote, making the lights on the back of the car flash.
"It's unlocked!" Sakura exclaimed gleefully, and quickly opened the door.
Sakura released the trunk door to let the men put the girls' luggage in.
After the three chaps (Chaps! Like my word?) put everything in, Meiling got into the front passenger seat and Tomoyo in the back.
Eriol and Touya disappeared into the Explorer, leaving Sakura and Syaoran alone.
"Thank you so much for this car. This is absolutely the best Christmas that I've ever had. Thank you," Sakura gave Syaoran a big hug, squeezing him under her slender arms.
"Uh…your welcome," Syaoran squirmed.
"All right! I guess I'll see you around," Sakura smiled at him, and waved as she got into the front seat.
"Hmm," Sakura murmured to herself, "Let's start this baby up."
Sakura put in the key and turned on the engine, and the car purred softly as she changed from parking to reverse.
"Steady now. You haven't driven in a long time," Meiling reminded.
"Yeah. A LONG time," Tomoyo said nervously.
"It's all right. There's nothing to it!" Sakura said, trying to ease them.
They drove out of the garage and into the main street without any incident.
They made it to their apartment with only one accident, which was almost hitting a pedestrian.
"Ah, we're home," Sakura breathed in the familiar scent of their apartment lobby.
They were lugging the bags and backpacks up to their floor, and Meiling quickly let go of one her duffel bags and knocked on the door.
There wasn't an immediate answer, so Sakura hollered, "Yuki!! We're home!"
They waiting several more minutes, and slowly the door creaked open.
There stood Yuki, grinning at them.
"Hey, Yuki!" Tomoyo was the first to give the tall skinny man a hug, and they dragged their bags into the spotless house.
"Long time no see. We brought presents for you!" Sakura exclaimed.
Meiling took off her backpack and got out three packages.
"This one's from me," Meiling said, and pushed forward a big package.
Yuki smiled shyly, and tore the wrapping paper slowly.
It was a collection of huge books, labeled, 'Shakespeare's Greatest Books'.
"I figured I should give you something you like, and you like reading, I got you these at the bookstore up there," Meiling explained.
Yuki nodded calmly at her in gratitude, and Sakura handed him another package.
Yuki opened it again, and it was gift box from a men's clothing shop.
He lifted the top up and it revealed a knitted sweater.
"I didn't know what else to get you," Sakura admitted, "So I got you that. I hope you like it."
Yuki nodded at Sakura, smiling, and took the next box from Tomoyo, which was a pair of shoes.
"Well, we're going to get settled back in," Sakura said, "Unpacking, you know."
"I'm going to run down to the corner drugstore and get these pictures developed," Tomoyo said, waving around three rolls of film.
"All right. And I'm going to take a nap here," Meiling yawned and patted the ground.
"Are you doing anything today, Yuki?" Sakura asked.
Yuki shrugged, but shook his head.
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"Uh oh. I got a call from Tsukiro," Touya slammed down the phone.
Syaoran winced.
He had completely forgotten about his assignment for the last two weeks.
"What'd he say?" Eriol asked, rummaging through the fridge.
He found a cold beer and popped the can and drank it.
"A meeting with him and us three, pronto. He's expecting us in twenty minutes, and no more."
"He sounds serious," Syaoran said glumly.
"No shit," Eriol said, "God, I get scared of him sometimes. He could kill us like that," Eriol snapped his fingers.
"Mm," Touya nodded, remembering painfully what had happened to his father.
"Well, let's get going," Syaoran said.
He stopped what he had been doing and walked towards the foyer to put on his shoes and jacket.
The other two men did the same, and they walked out the door, dreading what would happen next.
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"Hello, Touya. Eriol, Syaoran," Tsukiro Akatchi nodded at the three men who walked into their boss's office.
"Hello, sir," the three men bowed respectfully.
Tsukiro took out a cigar and lit it quickly.
He took a long drag, and he seemed to enjoy the anticipation of his three best workers.
"Well, Syaoran. I was just going to call you to this meeting, but I decided to add Touya and Eriol. You will be including them in your assignment. Since you can't seem to get anything done," Tsukiro said.
He blew out a ring of smoke, and Syaoran said, "Thank you, sir. I'll try to do my best with Touya and Eriol."
"All right. That's it," Tsukiro said.
They left to office, nodding at the five scary bodyguards standing defense at the door.
"Whew," Syaoran sighed in relief as they got into Eriol's Mercedes.
"What assignment is he talking about?" Touya demanded.
"Huh? Oh. I didn't tell you?" Syaoran asked.
"Nope. Now explain everything."
On the drive home, Syaoran clarified what they were supposed to do.
"So we're supposed to get the disc or the weird white man?" Eriol asked.
"I'm guessing both. If we can't get a hold of the disc, we might as well get the man," Syaoran said.
"All right. I'll start one the project," Eriol nodded.
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New Year's Eve…
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"Ooh! There they are!" Sakura waved over to Syaoran and Eriol, and Touya, who was lagging behind.
"Happy New Year's Eve!" Sakura exclaimed happily.
"Wow, a whole new year coming. Amazing," Eriol said, looking into Tomoyo's eyes.
Her heart nearly skipped a beat, and Meiling said, "Oh, enough with the mushy stuff. Two more hours until the ball drops."
"Only?" Tomoyo asked, "It's 10 already?"
"Duh," Sakura said, but she shivered, "It's cold out here."
"Do you want my jacket?" Syaoran asked, taking his off already.
"Oh no--well, since you offered," Sakura grinned and she snuggled into Syaoran's large coat.
They were standing in the middle of Tokyo Memorial Square, and were waiting for midnight and the ball to drop.
Sakura yawned, "I'm tired."
"Me too. I've been on the computer all day," Eriol said, and he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
"What were you doing all day?" Tomoyo asked.
"Work. Researching some stuff," Eriol said, shrugging.
"Oh, don't work so hard. It's vacation!" Tomoyo said.
Eriol smiled wryly, "I know."
The two hours flew by, with Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Eriol and Meiling chatting happily while Touya was lurking around them, bored.
"Two more minutes!" Meiling cheered, looking at the big clock.
"Now one minute and fifty eight seconds!" Sakura exclaimed.
Syaoran laughed, and Sakura grinned.
The crowd at the square had gotten larger, and Sakura was squished up next to Syaoran.
"One minute and twenty nine seconds!" Sakura said.
"And now a minute and twenty seven," Syaoran said.
Sakura smiled at him, and continued looking at the clock.
The minute whizzed by, and soon the crowd was shouting, "Five!"
"Four!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The ball dropped and exploded, showering the multitude of people with confetti.
Sakura impulsively stood on her tip toes and kissed Syaoran on the cheek, confetti floating around their shoulders, and said, "Happy new year, Syaoran!"
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Next Monday…Meiling's first day of her new job…
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Meiling straightened her tie and asked Sakura, who was hovering next to her, "Does this look okay? Do I look like a nurse?"
"An assistant, you dork. Hm," Sakura scrutinized Meiling's outfit.
Meiling was wearing silver glasses, a white collared shirt and a pair of gray slacks.
She had a gray tie on with a small silver pin attached on it, and her hair was tied back neatly.
"You look like a business woman," Tomoyo said, "But won't they give you a uniform?"
"Oh yeah. Most likely," Meiling agreed, "But I'm going with this outfit. Oh, Sakura, can I take your car?"
Sakura laughed, "You don't need to ask me. It's your car too. And yes, you can."
"Oh yeah. I finally cashed in the check. Want to go out to dinner tonight?" Meiling asked.
"What about lunch?" Sakura asked.
"Lunch? That sounds good. A late lunch?"
"I'm fine with that," Tomoyo said, "Eriol will pick me up. Where and what time should we meet?"
"All right. How about the King's Garden again? They have a good lunch," Meiling suggested.
"You're treating us out. One o clock is good with me. That's right at the end of my gym class," Sakura said.
"All right. I'll have Syaoran pick you up," Meiling said.
Sakura blinked for a minute, "Oh. All right. Does he know where the school is?"
"He'll figure it out," Meiling said.
She looked at her watch and almost squealed, "I'm going to be late!"
She grabbed a jacket and ran out of the apartment.
Sakura called after her, "Okay!!"
Tomoyo laughed, "Don't worry. I'll call Syaoran and remind him to pick you up."
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Meiling quickly drove the car to the hospital, Tokyo Medical Hospital.
She found her way to the mental health department, and asked a person, "Excuse me? Where can I find Dr. Hanako Fumiyo?"
"That's me," a deep voice came from behind her, and Meiling whirled around, facing a tall, broad chested man.
"Hi, I'm Meiling Li. I'm supposed to be the new assistant?" Meiling asked.
She looked up at Hanako's handsomely chiseled face, and he answered, "Yes, you are. In fact, you'll be working under me. I'm going to let you tag along me today and see what I do. Tomorrow, you'll start helping me. I understand you have some physical education?"
"Black belt in karate when I was eight, sword fighting since I was five, and I worked in a gym for a couple of months as an advisor," Meiling said.
"Impressive," Hanako said, "Very impressive."
"Thanks," Meiling shrugged, "So can we get started?"
"Yes. Follow me," Hanako started walking briskly down the hall, Meiling following behind.
"First I have to check up on my newest patients. Their families seem to think they have some disorders, it's pretty sad. Afterwards, I got to check on my other patients who are on lockdown and see if they have any progress. I'll be needing a lot of help there," Hanako explained.
"All right," Meiling nodded.
They walked into a quieter part of the building, when Meiling suddenly asked, "Do I need to wear a uniform?"
Hanako laughed, "Not if you want to. Well, actually, we prefer you assistants wearing white clothes. A pair of white pants and white shirt?"
"Oh, all right. I'll have to go shopping tonight," Meiling made a mental note.
Hanako chucked, and Meiling realized she had been talking out loud.
"All right. This may be slightly traumatizing, but please be still and just watch," Hanako advised.
Meiling nodded, and watched as he walked to a quiet couple.
Meiling listened to his conversation, "Hello. How are you doing? I understand you checked in your daughter, Kimi Nosoti?"
The man nodded, "Yes. Ever since a couple of months ago, she started…changing."
"In what ways?" Hanako asked.
"She started acting childish for about a month. You know, asking what was going on, wanting her mother to sing to her and sleep with her."
"And then?"
"She snapped out of it, and got serious. She shaved her head and started wearing black lipstick. Her speech was perfectly fine, but she said she needed to do those things," the mother said.
Meiling winced, that didn't sound too good.
Hanako continued to talk with the couple, and Meiling paid close attention.
She couldn't help but admire the way he was so calm and rigorous.
Hanako finished up the conversation, and they left.
"So you're going to put her in?" Meiling asked.
"Yes. I think it's a mild case, though. There's been worse," Hanako said.
Meiling nodded.
The rest of the day, she followed Hanako around and watched him do his work.
At one point, a young teen started fighting Hanako as he tried to talk to him.
Hanako received several blows to the face until Meiling managed to grab the boy and wrestle him down to his room.
"You should take some martial arts or self defense classes," Meiling said, looking at Hanako who was painfully rubbing his cheek.
"Eh, I'm more of a academic person than physical. I hated gym, I'll admit that," Hanako explained.
"What time is it?" Hanako asked.
"Oh, twelve forty five. Oh, darn! I have a lunch date with my friends--do I get any time off?" Meiling asked.
"Yep. We eat lunch whenever we have time in between check ups and appointments. But since this is your first day, be back by three," Hanako said.
"Thank you!" Meiling exclaimed, and said, "All right! See you!"
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Sakura was in the middle of class outdoors in the parking lot drilling the students on a jump rope exercise.
It was cold outside, after all, it was the first week of January.
"All right, lift those arms and count! One!" Sakura exclaimed loudly, "Come on!"
The scraggly group of sophomores half-heartedly did their drills, and Sakura glanced at her watch.
"Um, there's a guy. I think he wants you," a voice came from the group.
Sakura looked up and saw the girl pointing behind her.
Sakura turned around and saw Syaoran standing in the parking lot next to his silver Porsche, and a guy from the class whistled and hollered, "Nice car, man!"
"Oh, hi, Syaoran. Aren't you a bit early?" Sakura asked.
Syaoran looked down at his Rolex watch and said, "Oh. I guess I am, aren't I?"
"Oh, well. You can watch me wonderfully teach my class," Sakura said.
Syaoran chuckled, "That I will do."
A girl raised her hand, and Sakura asked, "Yes, Katelyn?"
The ditzy girl asked, "Um, like, since you have a date and all, can we like just go inside now? We, like, won't tell the principal, or like whatever."
Sakura laughed, "All right. In the winter spirit, run two laps around the track, do six pushups and you guys can go in and change."
The class groaned, but Sakura grinned humorously at them and stuck out her tongue.
"Can you give me two minutes for me to change?" Sakura asked.
"Sure," Syaoran said.
He waited the two minutes while Sakura ran inside to change, and she came out in fresh clothes.
"All right. Let's go," Syaoran said.
"Okay!" Sakura said, and they climbed into Syaoran's car.
They quietly drove to the King's Garden restaurant, where they saw Touya, Meiling, Tomoyo and Eriol already waiting for them at the entrance.
"Hey!" Sakura greeted everyone with a nod, and said, "I'm ready to eat. I hope you brought a lot of cash, Meiling."
"I did. Oh my gosh, I can't wait to tell you about my job!" Meiling gushed.
They walked into the restaurant, and they were seated a table by a waiter, which was fortunately not the last waiter who had asked Sakura out.
They were given menus, and they quickly picked out what they wanted to drink and eat, and when the waiter left, they started talking.
"Okay. I went there, right? And then I asked somebody where Hanako Fumiyo was, right?" Meiling asked.
"Right…" they answered.
"And then this deep voice from behind me was like, 'I'm right here.' And then I whirled around, and there he was," Meiling said dramatically.
"Who?" Sakura asked, clueless.
"The doctor, you idiot," Meiling said playfully, but continued, "Anyways, he was really hot, Eriol. You were SO wrong! Anyways, I followed him around and saw what he was doing and everything. And I got to go back later. But anyways I don't have to have a uniform. I just got to buy tons of white clothes!"
"Sounds great," Tomoyo said sincerely, "This is going to be a great experience for you."
"I know! I like it! And Hanako doesn't know how to fight, either! So basically I'm just giving medicine, and maybe wrestling down some patients," Meiling said happily.
"That's cool. Oh, by the way, Touya, I'll do it," Sakura said, glancing at the sullen man.
He perked up, "What?"
"I'll do the DNA test."
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End of chapter 8. Next chapter, 'Test and Results'.
A/N: Haha. Well, you knew I'd make her do. I just made her refuse so that I move the story along a little. Well, please review!! Next chapter, chapter 9, will be up on the 5th of April, which is a Saturday. I'm going to be posting these every week and a half so that I'll be done by the summer. I haven't had time to write lately, but I'm on chapter fourteen right now. It's wrapping up, I'm guessing it'll end on chapter fifteen or sixteen. But for now, REVIEW!!!
