Hola! (hi!) How are you? Well, I'm handy dandy now and I REALLY want to
write! Yay! I guess I'm just in one of those moods! I read my reviews and I
was SO happy! And I still am of course, which isn't really good because of
what's about to happen, but enough of me! I don't want to spoil it or give
anything away! I also don't want to babble! Sorry about the cliffhanger but
I just HAD to stop that chapter! It was WAY to long for me to keep going
and going and going, like the Energizer Bunny! `-_- I think I'm a little
hyper right now! I'm typing a mile per minute and that isn't good because I
keep making spelling errors! By the way, there is a raccoon in my attic!
Just thought I'd share that with you! I'm home alone right now and it's
kind of freaking me out because I keep hearing it move above my head and it
sounds like someone is up there! Oh, well. I'm babbling, exactly what I
DIDN'T want to do. Sorry. `-_- Hope you enjoy the chap! Don't worry too
much! NO FLAMES!
~ What's Gone On Before ~ ^-^
"You two! You're the ones that were dancing during class! MY class! PERFECT! You two will dance and show the Queen that I'm not a complete failure! Now……GO!!!"
She threw us out into the middle of the dance floor just as another song started. I almost tripped but caught myself just in time. I realized that the whole room went quiet except for the music. Now we were the center of attention. "Hoeeeeeeeee," I mumbled. I looked over at Syaoran and saw that he was blushing MAJORLY! I was too because of so many people watching us! And… maybe one other reason. [AN: Awwwwwwww!]
Syaoran was looking down at the floor and then shyly looked up at me. He held out his hand and I gasped. "W-w-would y-you like to d-dance?" He asked.
I felt myself blushing even harder as I excepted his hand. "O-okay."
CHAPTER 18????? Or is it 17? I kinda lost track. `-_-
*****Syaoran*****
I asked Sakura to dance, hoping with all of my heart that she wouldn't turn me down, and when she excepted I had never been so nervous about a little, stupid, dance before! I mean, if I fell or embarrassed myself, it wouldn't be the end of the world… right? WRONG!!! In front of Sakura?!?!? You might as well call me cooked duck! Well done, too!
We were both incredibly nervous, but after a few moments we really got into the song. When she gave me a huge 100 watt smile I relaxed completely. I didn't know what is was about her that made me feel this way. She was so happy all the time. She lived life to the fullest and nothing could keep her down, not even a Clow Card! She was stronger then I could have ever imagined, and I wanted to know everything about her. EVERYTHING! She was so beautiful… so… Sakura.
While we danced it felt like we were flying. The only person I concentrated on was Sakura. Everyone else just faded from view. It was like this was meant to be. Everything was perfect. Too good to be true. When the song ended and we stopped dancing everyone in the room clapped and cheered. I turned bright red, for the millionth time, and tried to look away so that no one would see. Another song started and this time a few other couples came to join us on the dance floor. I looked over at Sakura once again. "Would you care to dance again?" I asked, not daring to look at her.
"I'd love to," she said sweetly.
*****Sakura*****
After the first dance we danced once again and were now very comfortably with eachother. I knew that when the song was over he would be swarmed with other girls and that I wouldn't have another moment to be with him, to talk or to dance. I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder. I thought I felt him stiffen, and almost pulled away not knowing what I did that was wrong, [AN: DENSE Sakura!] when he relaxed and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I blushed when I smelled his deep, clean scent. I felt like this was perfect, but couldn't really explain it. I couldn't put it to words, how I felt deep down. I was so comfortable in his arms, I felt safe. Actually, nothing had ever felt safer.
Then it felt like my heart shattered into a million pieces. I gasped and then held my breath as it felt like my heart was being wrenched from my very soul. I stiffened and realized that Syaoran and I had stopped dancing. I pulled away and stood there, unable to breathe. What was happening to me?!? Syaoran looked at me with such concern in his eyes that I wanted to assure him that I was alright, but I couldn't. I wasn't capable of doing so. He had a hurt expression on his face, like he thought he did something wrong. I shook my head so he would know that everything was alright. Finally able to do SOMEthing. I still couldn't breathe! I still felt my heart shatter deep within. I brought my hands to my throat and Syaoran finally realized that I wasn't breathing. I panicked look crossed his face as he looked frantically about the room for something to help me; anything.
Right when I figured it would be best just to give up I felt my heart almost explode. It was like it bust within me, yet was still pumping blood through my veins and keeping me alive. Finally the pain ceased and I inhaled a sharp breath of air. It never felt so sweet and wonderful then just now, and I was thankful for every little sip of oxygen I had ever had. Tears were streaming down my face by now. Syaoran looked relieved that I wasn't about to die on him any time soon, and then he took my hand and led me outside to the royal gardens. We sat there on a bench perfectly still and quiet, me deeply inhaling, making sure nothing was permanently damaged and that nothing would happen like this any time soon ever again.
"What is it?" Syaoran finally asked, breaking the silence. "What happened in there?"
There were still tears in my eyes when I looked up at him. He was worried, and he was being so nice to me. I wanted to cry so bad. I didn't ever want to stop. Before I knew it or could help myself I was balling my eyes out, right in front of Syaoran.
"I was so scared," I finally choked out. "It hurt! So bad! I couldn't breathe! My heart…" I couldn't get any other words out. It was a marical(how do you spell that?) that I even could say that!
"Shh," He said softly. "It's okay. Don't worry." Then his arms came around me and he hugged me, while I cried into his shirt. "Can you explain it? Or does it hurt too much?"
"I don't know. It's…hard to explain," I said in between sobs. "All I know is… something is not right. I'm so scared."
"Sakura, look at me," Syaoran said, pulling back so he could stare into my eyes. I had never noticed until now just how amber-brown his eyes were. They reminded me of the richest honey in the land, and they expressed a lot of emotion right now. It was hard to place it all. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. No one will ever harm you. Not while I'm here."
I gave him the tiniest of smiles and tried to wipe my face. "Thank you Syaoran. I don't know what I would do with out you. What ever is about to come our way, I'm glad you're with me. I feel that… together… we could do anything, and overcome any obstacles. I don't want you to get hurt though. Especially by protecting me. I would never be able to forgive myself."
"Sakura…" He tilted my head up to look deeply into my eyes, cupping my chin in his hand. I shivered, not able to say anything. "I will always be there for you, no matter what. If I get hurt, it's my fault, not yours. You need to understand that. I will do anything in my power to keep you from harm, but I'll also try to be strong and not kill myself in the meantime." He said with wry humor. Despite my effort I gave a wry laugh, I couldn't help it. "Everything will be alright in the end. I promise." Then I realized too late that our faces had been inching together the whole time. I gasped right before our lips touched. His arms slowly wrapped around my waist and then went up to rest on my back. Before I knew what I was doing my arms stretched up and clasped behind his neck. I absentmindedly ran my fingers through his hair. Magic crackled all around us, bringing us closer together, and creating a wind that wasn't there earlier. When we pulled apart I stared at him, dumbfounded and unable for speech. What ever I had felt earlier, was almost completely mended because of this kiss. He looked at me lovingly and I saw that his face was an odd shade of red. I felt heat rise up on my face as well and realized that I must have been blushing.
"I-I-I h-h-have to…uh…um…go," He stuttered, looking at the ground now.
"O-okay," I said, looking a little to my right.
"G-good night… Sakura."
At this I did look up at him and automatically blushed when I saw that he was staring right back. "G-good night…S-Syaoran," I said in a quiet voice. He got up and walked away, but I noticed he didn't go back into the Ballroom. I stood up after a while and decided to just go back to my room. I had had enough…excitement…in one day. I blushed once again and pressed a finger to my lips. They were warm, and I could still feel the kiss lingering there. I tried to reason everything out, my feelings for him, his feelings for me, and… everything. Did I like him more than a friend? Did I… love him? Didn't I love Yukito though? I didn't know Syaoran that well, and Yukito I have known… forever! What were all of these feelings I was feeling? What am I feeling now? Will anything ever be clear? It's just that… it felt so right! How could that be? What was happening to me?
"Ugh!" I yelled out into the night. "When will everything be clear?!?" I made my way up to my bedchamber after I entered the palace and walked up the stairs. I changed into my nightgown and sat on my bed in the peace and quiet. Everyone else was probably still at the Ball. I tried to sort everything out, but it was too hard. It hurt my head to think about it. I groaned and fell backwards onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. 'Why is everything so confusing? What was that pain I felt when we were dancing? Why did he kiss me? Or…did I kiss him? What do I really think about Syaoran? Is he… more than meets the eye? Do I like him… more than a friend? I need some serious help! And what about that Kizutsu girl? What happened to her? I know I've heard of her before… but… what happened to her that caused her to get so beat up? Even though I don't know her, I hope she gets better soon. [AN: Aww! Kind Sakura. TOO BAD KIZUTSU IS TRYING TO GET SYAORAN AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IT!!!!! Sheesh! `-_-]
With all of these thoughts running through my head, I fell asleep, all of them unanswered. I didn't hear Tomoyo come in late at night, giggling because she saw the whole thing. Yep. Tomoyo was spying on me once again.
When I woke up I took a long bath hoping to cleanse myself of my unanswered questions. Too bad for me water didn't take them away… at all. [AN: You figure?] I dressed into some breeches and a loose shirt that I tucked in and then pulled out a little bit so that I could easily raise my hands above my head. I made my way down to the practice courts and saw Meiling and Syaoran already there. I blushed a deep red as I neared them, remembering last night's kiss.
"Good morning!" I said cheerfully.
They both turned in my direction and Syaoran turned scarlet when he saw me, then he quickly averted his gaze.
"Good morning, Sakura," Meiling said with her usual spunk.
"Morning," Syaoran said quietly to the ground. It was then that I realized that they weren't practicing, they had been talking. I stepped closer to them, wondering what it was about.
"Why didn't you come earlier?" Meiling asked, thoroughly disappointed. "I wanted to fight you!"
"I'm sorry. I took a bath this morning. I didn't mean to show up so late," I apologized.
When I said that Syaoran looked up at me, then nodded his head slightly. "Have you heard?" he asked, the first sentence all morning. "There is another person in the nurse's chamber. Got the crap beaten out of him pretty badly. He's not as messed up as Kizutsu though. He's still conscious. He said it happened at the stables. Someone just decided to fight him I guess. They couldn't get any more information out of him though."
Now I was worried. "You don't think this person is looking for someone, do you? I mean… like… they want to kill a certain person and if you aren't the person then they will torture you till they get info?"
He shook his head. "No one is looking for you Sakura, at least not here. You're safe, okay?"
I numbly nodded my head. "Yeah, okay."
We didn't have any time to practice because by now we had to return to our rooms to change. We said our good-byes and I made my way to my bedchamber. Little did I know that Tomoyo would be there prancing around me while I sweat dropped. Why was she acting like I just got married?!? [AN: hmm ::grins mysteriously:: I wonder.]
*****Syaoran*****
I made my way to my room, Meiling right on my heels. Her bedchamber was sort of near mine, not really though. Earlier I thought that Sakura wasn't going to show up because of last night. I was glad when she did though. She had an excuse. I believed her, why shouldn't I? Besides… her hair was still wet.
I felt so different today. I couldn't explain it. I didn't know what it was. Okay, maybe I do… Sakura. No one has ever had this affect on me. Ever. I wasn't really scared, although this WAS new to me. I… I couldn't tell if I loved her or not. I didn't know what her feelings were towards me. She didn't push me away when we kissed, but… I just don't know.
"Urgh!" I exclaimed into the quietness of the halls. Meiling looked at me quizzically.
"You seem different today Syaoran," she stated. "Why? You were so dissapointed this morning, but when Sakura showed up you were a red tomato! You like her, don't you?"
I groaned. Just like Meiling, getting right to the point. "I don't know!" I shouted.
"You do. I can tell."
I couldn't tell if Meiling was sad or not, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings or anything. "Meiling!"
"No. Don't say something you might regret later Syaoran. I knew that you would never… could never love me. But I still hoped, Syaoran, more than you could ever imagine. Even when the engagement was broken I thought that there might still be a way to win your heart. Guess not. Now I know it was a waste of time and energy." She struggled to keep herself under control. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."
"Meiling…" I said, depressed. "I don't want to hurt you. That's the last thing I would ever want to do! I do love you, but only as a friend… a cousin. You understand, don't you?"
"Yeah. I understand, Syaoran. Now," She let out a sob as she covered her eyes with her forearm, "I have to go!" She ran down the hall to the left, and then disappeared. I couldn't even hear her footfalls any longer. I sighed and debated to go after her or not, but realized that even if I did she wouldn't talk to me or let me go into her room to apologize. I finally decided against it at went to my room to change. When I was done I went to the Dining Hall and found Meiling already there, teary-eyed.
"I'm sorry," I whispered as I went to sit down. She tried to give me a smile, and that eased my troubled heart a little. Sakura and Tomoyo came in shortly after and sat down at their usual seats. Chiharu and the gang came in last for once and she kept talking about last night and how many lies Yamazaki told her while they were dancing. We all laughed and began eating our breakfast that was served to us. The talk about Balls and dancing caused not only Sakura and me to blush, but also Rika I noticed. She must have danced with someone very special to her.
After the mail was delivered and everyone was done eating breakfast we all made our way to our first period class. We had 1,3,5,7 today. None of us were very thrilled that we had to go to History of the Kingdoms today. But then again… we weren't thrilled about having to see Ms. Ketsuji either.
We were all sitting down at our desks, and the teacher was giving us a lecture on… basically everything. She kept glancing at Sakura as if to find her doing something wrong so she could pounce on the opportunity to hand out lunch detentions. When she finally started talking about the Kinomoto Kingdom I heard Sakura groan. Lucky for her Ms. Ketsuji didn't hear or she would have been in BIG trouble. I knew that not all of what the teacher was saying was true, but later I wanted to ask Sakura so I would be able to tell. There was something about the Kinomoto Kingdom that interested me. Maybe it was because Sakura lived there.
We all jumped when there was a knock at the door. NO ONE interrupted Ms. Ketsuji's room during class. NO ONE! She pursed her lips until the edges were white. "What is it?!?" she snapped. Sakura glanced back at me and grimaced, then quickly looked forward again before the teacher noticed. She was too busy to even look at Sakura though, all she was concentrating on was the door. It slowly opened and I recognized the short little man with a funny looking hat. It was purple today.
"WHAT do YOU want?!?" She asked incredulously. "I am teaching a CLASS here! I do NOT wish to be interrupted!"
"S-s-sorry ma'am, but this letter just arrived and…"
"A letter?" She asked. "A LETTER?!? You disrupt my class because of a puny little piece of PARCHMENT?!? How DARE you!!!"
The whole class visibly winced, but she didn't seem to notice. She kept on ranting and raving.
"Letters are only to be delivered at breakfast! You should know that!"
"Is there a problem here?" came a soft, smooth voice.
Some of the people in the class gasped when they heard it and I sat up as straight as possible. 'What is MOTHER doing here?!?' I thought to myself.
Queen Yelan stepped through the door and Ms. Ketsuji stood up and curtsied. "No, my Queen. There is no problem. I just do not like to be interrupted during class. Can't this letter wait until tomorrow?"
"I think it is an important letter. 'Urgant,' is written on the front of it," mother said, not about to back down.
"Whom is the letter to, my Queen?" Ms. Ketsuji asked, still in a curtsy.
"To Sakura, of the Kinomoto Kingdom."
Now the teacher was standing. "To her? She is a disrespectful…"
"Do not go on unless you wish to find a job somewhere else," Queen Yelan said in an icy voice.
"Yes, my Queen," she mumbled in defeat.
I noticed that Sakura was itching with anticipation to get the letter. I didn't have to see her face to know that there was a huge smile on it. Mother took the letter out of the weird guy's hand, and walked over to Sakura. As she passed desks of other people they quickally stood and either curtsied or bowed. I stood up straight in the air, arms straight at my sides. Sakura stood up and curtsied.
"Thank you so much…" she started to say.
Mother put her hand on Sakura's cheek and I held my breath, shaking. "Your parents are good friends of mine. I am curious to see how they are doing." Then she leaned closer to whisper something in Sakura's ear. "There is a strange aura coming from this envelope. I haven't felt it in… well… many years."
I saw Sakura look at mother in a daze as she was handed the envelope. Then Sakura was her normal self and a huge smile crossed her face. She tore open the envelope and read as fast as she could. Then I noticed that something wasn't right. Her smile slowly disappeared as tears came to her eyes and tumbled down her cheeck and onto the letter.
"No…" she said, her voice tight. "NO!!!" She ran out of the room before anyone could stop her and I had an urge to run after her. I felt like a huge chunk of my heart had been ripped out and stomped on. I looked at mother in horror.
"What did you do?!?" I growled.
Mother stood there, looking after Sakura with a distant look in her eyes. "I didn't do anything." Then she left the class. Before she stepped out of the door though she told Ms. Ketsuji, "Please excuse Tomoyo and Syaoran at lunch. They will be having a picnic lunch in the royal garden under the Sakura trees." Then she vanished from view. Tomoyo and I looked at each other, trying to figure out what just happened there. Mother knew something we didn't. That's all it came down to.
'Sakura…' for the rest of the day until lunch I couldn't concentrate on any of my classes. I was too worried about Sakura. What was wrong?
Alright! I'm done with this INCREDABLY LONG CHAPTER!!! Did you like it?!?!?!?!?!? I hope so!!!!!! Do you think you know what happened? Well, please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^-^
~ What's Gone On Before ~ ^-^
"You two! You're the ones that were dancing during class! MY class! PERFECT! You two will dance and show the Queen that I'm not a complete failure! Now……GO!!!"
She threw us out into the middle of the dance floor just as another song started. I almost tripped but caught myself just in time. I realized that the whole room went quiet except for the music. Now we were the center of attention. "Hoeeeeeeeee," I mumbled. I looked over at Syaoran and saw that he was blushing MAJORLY! I was too because of so many people watching us! And… maybe one other reason. [AN: Awwwwwwww!]
Syaoran was looking down at the floor and then shyly looked up at me. He held out his hand and I gasped. "W-w-would y-you like to d-dance?" He asked.
I felt myself blushing even harder as I excepted his hand. "O-okay."
CHAPTER 18????? Or is it 17? I kinda lost track. `-_-
*****Syaoran*****
I asked Sakura to dance, hoping with all of my heart that she wouldn't turn me down, and when she excepted I had never been so nervous about a little, stupid, dance before! I mean, if I fell or embarrassed myself, it wouldn't be the end of the world… right? WRONG!!! In front of Sakura?!?!? You might as well call me cooked duck! Well done, too!
We were both incredibly nervous, but after a few moments we really got into the song. When she gave me a huge 100 watt smile I relaxed completely. I didn't know what is was about her that made me feel this way. She was so happy all the time. She lived life to the fullest and nothing could keep her down, not even a Clow Card! She was stronger then I could have ever imagined, and I wanted to know everything about her. EVERYTHING! She was so beautiful… so… Sakura.
While we danced it felt like we were flying. The only person I concentrated on was Sakura. Everyone else just faded from view. It was like this was meant to be. Everything was perfect. Too good to be true. When the song ended and we stopped dancing everyone in the room clapped and cheered. I turned bright red, for the millionth time, and tried to look away so that no one would see. Another song started and this time a few other couples came to join us on the dance floor. I looked over at Sakura once again. "Would you care to dance again?" I asked, not daring to look at her.
"I'd love to," she said sweetly.
*****Sakura*****
After the first dance we danced once again and were now very comfortably with eachother. I knew that when the song was over he would be swarmed with other girls and that I wouldn't have another moment to be with him, to talk or to dance. I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder. I thought I felt him stiffen, and almost pulled away not knowing what I did that was wrong, [AN: DENSE Sakura!] when he relaxed and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I blushed when I smelled his deep, clean scent. I felt like this was perfect, but couldn't really explain it. I couldn't put it to words, how I felt deep down. I was so comfortable in his arms, I felt safe. Actually, nothing had ever felt safer.
Then it felt like my heart shattered into a million pieces. I gasped and then held my breath as it felt like my heart was being wrenched from my very soul. I stiffened and realized that Syaoran and I had stopped dancing. I pulled away and stood there, unable to breathe. What was happening to me?!? Syaoran looked at me with such concern in his eyes that I wanted to assure him that I was alright, but I couldn't. I wasn't capable of doing so. He had a hurt expression on his face, like he thought he did something wrong. I shook my head so he would know that everything was alright. Finally able to do SOMEthing. I still couldn't breathe! I still felt my heart shatter deep within. I brought my hands to my throat and Syaoran finally realized that I wasn't breathing. I panicked look crossed his face as he looked frantically about the room for something to help me; anything.
Right when I figured it would be best just to give up I felt my heart almost explode. It was like it bust within me, yet was still pumping blood through my veins and keeping me alive. Finally the pain ceased and I inhaled a sharp breath of air. It never felt so sweet and wonderful then just now, and I was thankful for every little sip of oxygen I had ever had. Tears were streaming down my face by now. Syaoran looked relieved that I wasn't about to die on him any time soon, and then he took my hand and led me outside to the royal gardens. We sat there on a bench perfectly still and quiet, me deeply inhaling, making sure nothing was permanently damaged and that nothing would happen like this any time soon ever again.
"What is it?" Syaoran finally asked, breaking the silence. "What happened in there?"
There were still tears in my eyes when I looked up at him. He was worried, and he was being so nice to me. I wanted to cry so bad. I didn't ever want to stop. Before I knew it or could help myself I was balling my eyes out, right in front of Syaoran.
"I was so scared," I finally choked out. "It hurt! So bad! I couldn't breathe! My heart…" I couldn't get any other words out. It was a marical(how do you spell that?) that I even could say that!
"Shh," He said softly. "It's okay. Don't worry." Then his arms came around me and he hugged me, while I cried into his shirt. "Can you explain it? Or does it hurt too much?"
"I don't know. It's…hard to explain," I said in between sobs. "All I know is… something is not right. I'm so scared."
"Sakura, look at me," Syaoran said, pulling back so he could stare into my eyes. I had never noticed until now just how amber-brown his eyes were. They reminded me of the richest honey in the land, and they expressed a lot of emotion right now. It was hard to place it all. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. No one will ever harm you. Not while I'm here."
I gave him the tiniest of smiles and tried to wipe my face. "Thank you Syaoran. I don't know what I would do with out you. What ever is about to come our way, I'm glad you're with me. I feel that… together… we could do anything, and overcome any obstacles. I don't want you to get hurt though. Especially by protecting me. I would never be able to forgive myself."
"Sakura…" He tilted my head up to look deeply into my eyes, cupping my chin in his hand. I shivered, not able to say anything. "I will always be there for you, no matter what. If I get hurt, it's my fault, not yours. You need to understand that. I will do anything in my power to keep you from harm, but I'll also try to be strong and not kill myself in the meantime." He said with wry humor. Despite my effort I gave a wry laugh, I couldn't help it. "Everything will be alright in the end. I promise." Then I realized too late that our faces had been inching together the whole time. I gasped right before our lips touched. His arms slowly wrapped around my waist and then went up to rest on my back. Before I knew what I was doing my arms stretched up and clasped behind his neck. I absentmindedly ran my fingers through his hair. Magic crackled all around us, bringing us closer together, and creating a wind that wasn't there earlier. When we pulled apart I stared at him, dumbfounded and unable for speech. What ever I had felt earlier, was almost completely mended because of this kiss. He looked at me lovingly and I saw that his face was an odd shade of red. I felt heat rise up on my face as well and realized that I must have been blushing.
"I-I-I h-h-have to…uh…um…go," He stuttered, looking at the ground now.
"O-okay," I said, looking a little to my right.
"G-good night… Sakura."
At this I did look up at him and automatically blushed when I saw that he was staring right back. "G-good night…S-Syaoran," I said in a quiet voice. He got up and walked away, but I noticed he didn't go back into the Ballroom. I stood up after a while and decided to just go back to my room. I had had enough…excitement…in one day. I blushed once again and pressed a finger to my lips. They were warm, and I could still feel the kiss lingering there. I tried to reason everything out, my feelings for him, his feelings for me, and… everything. Did I like him more than a friend? Did I… love him? Didn't I love Yukito though? I didn't know Syaoran that well, and Yukito I have known… forever! What were all of these feelings I was feeling? What am I feeling now? Will anything ever be clear? It's just that… it felt so right! How could that be? What was happening to me?
"Ugh!" I yelled out into the night. "When will everything be clear?!?" I made my way up to my bedchamber after I entered the palace and walked up the stairs. I changed into my nightgown and sat on my bed in the peace and quiet. Everyone else was probably still at the Ball. I tried to sort everything out, but it was too hard. It hurt my head to think about it. I groaned and fell backwards onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. 'Why is everything so confusing? What was that pain I felt when we were dancing? Why did he kiss me? Or…did I kiss him? What do I really think about Syaoran? Is he… more than meets the eye? Do I like him… more than a friend? I need some serious help! And what about that Kizutsu girl? What happened to her? I know I've heard of her before… but… what happened to her that caused her to get so beat up? Even though I don't know her, I hope she gets better soon. [AN: Aww! Kind Sakura. TOO BAD KIZUTSU IS TRYING TO GET SYAORAN AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IT!!!!! Sheesh! `-_-]
With all of these thoughts running through my head, I fell asleep, all of them unanswered. I didn't hear Tomoyo come in late at night, giggling because she saw the whole thing. Yep. Tomoyo was spying on me once again.
When I woke up I took a long bath hoping to cleanse myself of my unanswered questions. Too bad for me water didn't take them away… at all. [AN: You figure?] I dressed into some breeches and a loose shirt that I tucked in and then pulled out a little bit so that I could easily raise my hands above my head. I made my way down to the practice courts and saw Meiling and Syaoran already there. I blushed a deep red as I neared them, remembering last night's kiss.
"Good morning!" I said cheerfully.
They both turned in my direction and Syaoran turned scarlet when he saw me, then he quickly averted his gaze.
"Good morning, Sakura," Meiling said with her usual spunk.
"Morning," Syaoran said quietly to the ground. It was then that I realized that they weren't practicing, they had been talking. I stepped closer to them, wondering what it was about.
"Why didn't you come earlier?" Meiling asked, thoroughly disappointed. "I wanted to fight you!"
"I'm sorry. I took a bath this morning. I didn't mean to show up so late," I apologized.
When I said that Syaoran looked up at me, then nodded his head slightly. "Have you heard?" he asked, the first sentence all morning. "There is another person in the nurse's chamber. Got the crap beaten out of him pretty badly. He's not as messed up as Kizutsu though. He's still conscious. He said it happened at the stables. Someone just decided to fight him I guess. They couldn't get any more information out of him though."
Now I was worried. "You don't think this person is looking for someone, do you? I mean… like… they want to kill a certain person and if you aren't the person then they will torture you till they get info?"
He shook his head. "No one is looking for you Sakura, at least not here. You're safe, okay?"
I numbly nodded my head. "Yeah, okay."
We didn't have any time to practice because by now we had to return to our rooms to change. We said our good-byes and I made my way to my bedchamber. Little did I know that Tomoyo would be there prancing around me while I sweat dropped. Why was she acting like I just got married?!? [AN: hmm ::grins mysteriously:: I wonder.]
*****Syaoran*****
I made my way to my room, Meiling right on my heels. Her bedchamber was sort of near mine, not really though. Earlier I thought that Sakura wasn't going to show up because of last night. I was glad when she did though. She had an excuse. I believed her, why shouldn't I? Besides… her hair was still wet.
I felt so different today. I couldn't explain it. I didn't know what it was. Okay, maybe I do… Sakura. No one has ever had this affect on me. Ever. I wasn't really scared, although this WAS new to me. I… I couldn't tell if I loved her or not. I didn't know what her feelings were towards me. She didn't push me away when we kissed, but… I just don't know.
"Urgh!" I exclaimed into the quietness of the halls. Meiling looked at me quizzically.
"You seem different today Syaoran," she stated. "Why? You were so dissapointed this morning, but when Sakura showed up you were a red tomato! You like her, don't you?"
I groaned. Just like Meiling, getting right to the point. "I don't know!" I shouted.
"You do. I can tell."
I couldn't tell if Meiling was sad or not, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings or anything. "Meiling!"
"No. Don't say something you might regret later Syaoran. I knew that you would never… could never love me. But I still hoped, Syaoran, more than you could ever imagine. Even when the engagement was broken I thought that there might still be a way to win your heart. Guess not. Now I know it was a waste of time and energy." She struggled to keep herself under control. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."
"Meiling…" I said, depressed. "I don't want to hurt you. That's the last thing I would ever want to do! I do love you, but only as a friend… a cousin. You understand, don't you?"
"Yeah. I understand, Syaoran. Now," She let out a sob as she covered her eyes with her forearm, "I have to go!" She ran down the hall to the left, and then disappeared. I couldn't even hear her footfalls any longer. I sighed and debated to go after her or not, but realized that even if I did she wouldn't talk to me or let me go into her room to apologize. I finally decided against it at went to my room to change. When I was done I went to the Dining Hall and found Meiling already there, teary-eyed.
"I'm sorry," I whispered as I went to sit down. She tried to give me a smile, and that eased my troubled heart a little. Sakura and Tomoyo came in shortly after and sat down at their usual seats. Chiharu and the gang came in last for once and she kept talking about last night and how many lies Yamazaki told her while they were dancing. We all laughed and began eating our breakfast that was served to us. The talk about Balls and dancing caused not only Sakura and me to blush, but also Rika I noticed. She must have danced with someone very special to her.
After the mail was delivered and everyone was done eating breakfast we all made our way to our first period class. We had 1,3,5,7 today. None of us were very thrilled that we had to go to History of the Kingdoms today. But then again… we weren't thrilled about having to see Ms. Ketsuji either.
We were all sitting down at our desks, and the teacher was giving us a lecture on… basically everything. She kept glancing at Sakura as if to find her doing something wrong so she could pounce on the opportunity to hand out lunch detentions. When she finally started talking about the Kinomoto Kingdom I heard Sakura groan. Lucky for her Ms. Ketsuji didn't hear or she would have been in BIG trouble. I knew that not all of what the teacher was saying was true, but later I wanted to ask Sakura so I would be able to tell. There was something about the Kinomoto Kingdom that interested me. Maybe it was because Sakura lived there.
We all jumped when there was a knock at the door. NO ONE interrupted Ms. Ketsuji's room during class. NO ONE! She pursed her lips until the edges were white. "What is it?!?" she snapped. Sakura glanced back at me and grimaced, then quickly looked forward again before the teacher noticed. She was too busy to even look at Sakura though, all she was concentrating on was the door. It slowly opened and I recognized the short little man with a funny looking hat. It was purple today.
"WHAT do YOU want?!?" She asked incredulously. "I am teaching a CLASS here! I do NOT wish to be interrupted!"
"S-s-sorry ma'am, but this letter just arrived and…"
"A letter?" She asked. "A LETTER?!? You disrupt my class because of a puny little piece of PARCHMENT?!? How DARE you!!!"
The whole class visibly winced, but she didn't seem to notice. She kept on ranting and raving.
"Letters are only to be delivered at breakfast! You should know that!"
"Is there a problem here?" came a soft, smooth voice.
Some of the people in the class gasped when they heard it and I sat up as straight as possible. 'What is MOTHER doing here?!?' I thought to myself.
Queen Yelan stepped through the door and Ms. Ketsuji stood up and curtsied. "No, my Queen. There is no problem. I just do not like to be interrupted during class. Can't this letter wait until tomorrow?"
"I think it is an important letter. 'Urgant,' is written on the front of it," mother said, not about to back down.
"Whom is the letter to, my Queen?" Ms. Ketsuji asked, still in a curtsy.
"To Sakura, of the Kinomoto Kingdom."
Now the teacher was standing. "To her? She is a disrespectful…"
"Do not go on unless you wish to find a job somewhere else," Queen Yelan said in an icy voice.
"Yes, my Queen," she mumbled in defeat.
I noticed that Sakura was itching with anticipation to get the letter. I didn't have to see her face to know that there was a huge smile on it. Mother took the letter out of the weird guy's hand, and walked over to Sakura. As she passed desks of other people they quickally stood and either curtsied or bowed. I stood up straight in the air, arms straight at my sides. Sakura stood up and curtsied.
"Thank you so much…" she started to say.
Mother put her hand on Sakura's cheek and I held my breath, shaking. "Your parents are good friends of mine. I am curious to see how they are doing." Then she leaned closer to whisper something in Sakura's ear. "There is a strange aura coming from this envelope. I haven't felt it in… well… many years."
I saw Sakura look at mother in a daze as she was handed the envelope. Then Sakura was her normal self and a huge smile crossed her face. She tore open the envelope and read as fast as she could. Then I noticed that something wasn't right. Her smile slowly disappeared as tears came to her eyes and tumbled down her cheeck and onto the letter.
"No…" she said, her voice tight. "NO!!!" She ran out of the room before anyone could stop her and I had an urge to run after her. I felt like a huge chunk of my heart had been ripped out and stomped on. I looked at mother in horror.
"What did you do?!?" I growled.
Mother stood there, looking after Sakura with a distant look in her eyes. "I didn't do anything." Then she left the class. Before she stepped out of the door though she told Ms. Ketsuji, "Please excuse Tomoyo and Syaoran at lunch. They will be having a picnic lunch in the royal garden under the Sakura trees." Then she vanished from view. Tomoyo and I looked at each other, trying to figure out what just happened there. Mother knew something we didn't. That's all it came down to.
'Sakura…' for the rest of the day until lunch I couldn't concentrate on any of my classes. I was too worried about Sakura. What was wrong?
Alright! I'm done with this INCREDABLY LONG CHAPTER!!! Did you like it?!?!?!?!?!? I hope so!!!!!! Do you think you know what happened? Well, please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^-^
