Chapter 9: A Quote by Orlando Battista

This chapter is very emotional, sad, and romantic, in my opinion. Anyway, something in this chapter happens that is very similar to my last story in Chapter 5. Now if you've read that one, you know what's going to happen, but not everything is the same. It's very similar, yes, but different.

Illusion K – the last scene was actually just something I didn't write. It was a sort of memory thing that Syaoran remembers from a time when they were together. I didn't include that in any of my chapters, just to clear things up.

Oh yeah, the days might get a little confusing, depending on if it's a weekday or a weekend, but that doesn't really matter. Just focus on the story, ok? Thanks to all the reviewers!

Last Scene:

"What's I love you in Chinese again?" Sakura asked, looking closer into his eyes.

"Why do you want to know?" He teased playfully, pulling her closer.

She blushed. "Because."

"Wo ai Ni." He answered.

"Hmm…" She smiled. "Wo…" She kissed his left cheek.

"Ai…" She kissed his right cheek.

"Ni." He kissed her lips.

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The next day Syaoran still didn't go to school. Sakura was very worried. Her plan was to ask Eriol for the directions to his house, but she didn't get a chance to talk to him by herself. Takara and her passed by each other several times in the halls of the school and yet Sakura glared and ignored her.

----

"So mom, what about it?" He asked.

"You're in luck, honey. The plane's got a few vacant seats. I've bought a ticket. All you need to do is go to the airport and pick it up. The flight is at 6:30pm and you should be there by 6." She explained more about the flight number and the airplane, etc.

"Ok." He answered. "Great." 'I don't feel great!!'

"Syaoran? Is everything all right there?"

"Yeah mom. No worries." He said. "I'll talk to you later. See ya."

"Bye."

Syaoran looked at the window outside and just thought about everything. That meant he had to go the next day. His flight was the next day, which meant he would never see her again. He felt unbearable pain, but didn't show it. This was a huge decision for him. He had made many friends in Japan and he even found his soul mate, but…because of one thing, he was leaving.

'I'm running away…I'm running away from this problem…' He thought to himself. 'I'm such a coward.'

'And what about your heart?? You'll never find happiness…not when she's here!' A voice protested.

'But I have to go…she said she didn't love me. She said it was all a joke. A mistake.' He was disgusted by the thought. 'And I opened myself to her…and she threw it away. She doesn't love me.' That thought stayed in him.

----

Later that day, Sakura got home feeling blue. As she entered the house, she heard two people talking in the living room. Walking quietly, she glanced over in the living room and saw Takara talking to Yukito.

Her eyes were bloodshot. "I don't know what to do Yuki…They both hate me. I know I did something so terrible! I know I shouldn't have done it, but I did! And I hurt both of them!! It was only so I could know what it felt like…"

"You shouldn't have even done it." His voice was really sad.

"I know." She sobbed.

"You even told me that you were happy for them."

"I-I thought I was! B-but I guess not…"

"I can't believe it…"

"Neither can I!"

"Takara, how could you do this? You got your sister's trust! You told me that you wanted that! And yet you break it…" Yukito shook his head.

"And the worst part is Syaoran said he's gonna go back to Hong Kong!! Now that they're fighting, he might just think of going now!!" Takara sobbed on her hands.

Sakura's heart stopped. She had a hard time breathing and held the walls to keep her standing. 'W-what…?' Tears found its way down her cheeks, but she felt nothing. She walked up the stairs weakly. When she got to her room, the words finally made sense and hit her heart.

Great tears flowed and her heart felt like it was just a drop of blood. She jumped on her bed and cried for as long as about 2 hours. Her pillow was drenched when she had finished crying all her tears, but the pain she felt emotionally and mentally was immense. Her heart felt like it was about to burst any second from the pain.

She ran downstairs and saw that they were still both talking. "Takara, I want to talk to you." Her voice was dry and weak.

"S-Sakura?" Takara stood up.

"Sakura." Yukito glanced over. "How are you doing?"

"I want to talk to you." She ignored Yukito. "I need to ask you something."

"S-sure what is it?"

She took a deep breath. "I-is Syaoran leaving?"

Takara's eyes widened. "Sakura…"

"Is Syaoran leaving??" Her voice got stronger.

She could only nod, feeling tears brim her eyes.  "I-I'm so sorry Sakura…"

Sakura's mouth pouted and her eyes were feeling watery again. Her bottom lip trembled and her legs could no longer hold her. It gave way and she fell on the carpet.

"Sakura!" Yukito called.

"Don't." She whispered. "Are you happy now, Takara?"

"Sakura I didn't mean to-"

"Don't talk to me about you didn't mean and you did mean!! The bottom line is you betrayed me!! You kissed him! How the hell can you say that you didn't mean it when THAT WAS WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO???" Sakura yelled. "Syaoran loved me, Takara!! He and I told each other our feelings!! And then you do something crazy like that!!"

"It wasn't entirely my fault!!" Takara protested. "He thought I was you Sakura!!"

Sakura stopped. "What?" Her voice was trembling.

"Look, I do have feelings for Syaoran, but I wasn't thinking of doing anything that day…except…when I left the school, he thought I was you. And he told me to come over to him so he could bring you home."

"But you didn't deny it."

"No…" She said silently.

Sakura sobbed. "So you both betrayed me." She took a small swallow. "What did I ever do to deserve this?" She wiped away her tears with her hands. "Tell me what…" 

"You didn't deserve it!" Takara whispered. "I'm so sorry Sakura."

She was quiet for a while. "Your apology means nothing to me now." She cried. "I have to go find him. I don't care anymore. I have to talk to him."

"Sakura—" Takara stopped her. "Why do you forgive him and not me?"

She looked back. "The greatest weakness of mankind is their hesitancy to tell others how much they love them while they're still alive." Sakura recited. "You ever heard of that quote? I told him I loved him, Takara. And I denied it. I don't think you love me at all, because…that's what you show me. You betrayed me.

"But… now, he…showed me he loved me. And I broke his heart." Sakura whispered. "He didn't deserve it. He didn't betray me either, because he had no idea that you were lying to him. So I don't understand why you blame a part of this on him…when you claim that you love him as much as I do. When you love someone, you take all the blame for him, even if it's not your fault, because you love him and you'll do anything for him. You didn't show this."

Takara found her faults. She looked down at her hands. "D-does this mean you'll never forgive me?"

"Never say never." Sakura said in a quivering voice. "He did something that hurt me a lot. He kissed you. Twice. B-but it wasn't because he knew it was you. He kissed you because he thought you were me." 'I hope.'

Takara didn't say anything.

"And I'm sorry if that hurt you. Actually no. I'm not sorry. You hurt me way more than that. But I'm not somebody who backstabs their sister." She turned around again. "Um…don't toy around with Yukito's feelings, ok? I know he means a lot to you, but he means a lot to me as well. And I just don't want to see him hurt because of this, despite what I'm feeling right now." Sakura spoke.

Takara turned to the living room where Yukito was as soon as Sakura had closed the door. She walked back to the couch and sat on it. Her shoulders were trembling and she could feel nothing but tears.

"You've been my friend ever since we were little kids." He whispered. "I'll never leave your side, no matter what. You know that right?"

Takara raised her head and looked into his eyes. "You mean that?"

"Yeah…" He slowly smiled. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that. But…you did deserve it. I can't help but feel that way."

"I know I deserve it." She muttered. "You don't need to apologize."

"I hope you know that I mean well."

"I do." Takara smiled through her tears. "I'm sorry…for hurting you…"

He waved it off. "For what? I was just your friend." He stood up. "I-I think I'm gonna go now."

"Yukito…wait." She stood up as well and stopped him. "Please don't go. You said you'd never leave me…"

"I know. I'll come back later, all right?" He wiped away her tear. "You stop crying now."

Takara flung her arms around his neck. "Thank you Yuki…"

"Hey…" His arms seemed to be frozen. "I gotta go."

"O-Ok." She whispered and moved away. "Bye."

"See you."

----

Sakura didn't know where Syaoran lived, so she didn't know where to go. All she knew was all his family was in Hong Kong and that he was living by himself. She couldn't help but get frustrated. 'How am I supposed to talk to him if I don't know where he is???' She wanted to yell out.

After 2 long hours of searching for his house, the day began to darken. Before long the skies were dark and stars were already twinkling. Sakura felt like all the energy was drained out of her, but she didn't want to give up. She had to talk to him. No matter what! She couldn't lose him…not now. Not when she needed him the most…

She got to the park by the tree where they met on the first date. She looked around her and saw a few people walking on the sidewalks and some around the park. She sat on the grass and leaned on the tree. Looking up, she thought about what had just happened recently. It was weird how Syaoran and her fell in love so quickly, and that she and her sister were friends again. Suddenly, the trust she was starting to build with her sister broke down as Takara betrayed her by kissing him. Sakura couldn't believe how heartless her sister truly was.

"I've just got to find him…" She whispered. She was getting colder by the minute, but she stayed there, hoping that he'd be there. Nothing happened.

----

Syaoran walked out at 12 midnight from his home to the park where he thought was peaceful. The place was deserted of course, but the trees were still bright and lively. The cold wind blew against his cheeks, but it wasn't as harsh as the winter winds.

He kept on walking until he found a lone body leaning on a tree about a block away from where he was. "That's weird…" He muttered to himself. He jogged and found himself staring at the auburn-haired girl.

'Sakura??' His heart began to thump harder when thoughts entered his mind. 'Oh my god, is she…? No way!! What the hell happened to her??' He knelt down and held her in his arms. "Sakura? Sakura, wake up."

She was still sleeping.

"Sakura, come on!!" He shook her gently.

Still she didn't respond.

"Sakura, please, wake up…" He whispered. He looked at her closed eyelids. "Sakura, wake up!!"

Suddenly those eyelids fluttered open and the emerald eyes he searched for met his amber ones.

"Syaoran?" She whispered in a small voice.

"Hey babe…" At that moment, he chose not to remember the fight between them. "I thought you were dead. You really scared me." He impulsively hugged her tightly.

She flung her arms around him and cried on his shoulder. "Syaoran…" She kept whispering.

He picked her up and brought her to his house. "I need to talk to you…" She said silently, while watching Syaoran's face.

His whole body began to stiff. His arms underneath her froze. "Oh man I forgot about that."

"Please Syaoran, I need to talk to you." Sakura said again. "You can put me down if you want."

He looked away from her, but held her closer to him. "No. You're too weak."

"I-is that the only reason?" She whispered, clutching onto his shirt.

He glanced at her small fists and worried face. His heart just about melted. "No." He admitted softly. "But I'm still upset."

"I know." She looked up at him.

They finally got to his house. Sakura was amazed that he had owned a real house. He put her down on his bed and he went to the bathroom to get changed. She looked around her and was amazed that his room was a lot cleaner than hers. Everything was organized and tidy. All the clothes were either in the closet or on the drawers.

He came out wearing a pair of pants, but comfortable shirt. Sakura looked down at her clothes. She felt cold and tired. "Ugh…" Her head was once again throbbing. He was staring at her and took the smallest shirt he had and a pair of cotton pants.

"Here." He gave it to her. "You might as well rest here. There's no way you're getting out there."

Sakura blushed heavily. "Syaoran…"

"Relax. I don't intend on doing anything with you." He answered. 'Not until we're married anyway…'

She felt a little hurt, but ignored it. "Thank you."

He nodded. "The bathroom's there." He pointed.

"Ok." She stood up. She still felt weak. Before she could fall on the floor, he held her and walked her to the bathroom.

"Why are you so weak?" He asked.

"I-I…" She started and smiled sheepishly. "I was waiting for you in the park since 6pm."

"What???" He was shocked, but still held her tightly. "Why??"

"I didn't know where you lived! And I had to talk to you!!" She complained.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Because…" She answered, biting her bottom lip. 'I love you.'

He stared into her eyes. He really wanted to kiss her, but he just couldn't. He had to talk to her first.

"Get in here and change." He ordered quietly and pushed her in.

She only nodded and frowned. "Syaoran?"

"Yeah?" He turned around and looked at her.

"If I were Takara, would you have brought me here?" She had to ask. Her hands were trembling.

"No." He showed a lopsided smile. "Why would I? The only girl I love is you."

Sakura was shocked. She wanted to cry of relief and happiness, but let it go. She nodded again.

After a few minutes, she came out, and he was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He heard her footsteps and turned his head quickly. He sat up and motioned for her to sit on the bed. She walked over quickly and sat down.

He could feel his heart pounding heavily. She looked very cute on that outfit, especially when it was his clothes. It made him feel like she was his. He swallowed and looked into her eyes.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked.

"I…I was lying." She whispered. "I denied it, because I was upset."

"What are you talking about?" He was surprised.

She sighed. "I do love you…"

He stood up and leaned on the wall. "No you don't." He replied.

"How do you know?"

"Because you told me. You said it in such a…very strong voice." He glanced at her. "All I have to say is I'm sorry."

"Syaoran-"

"No listen to me." He stopped her. "Don't act like you love me if you don't, all right? The mistake I made was I opened up to you. I told you what I felt and I actually thought you felt the same. You might be hurt because I kissed her, but don't you know that I kissed her because I thought she was you? I had no intention of cheating you. I don't even like kissing anyone, but you! When I kissed Takara, I felt like I was kissing my sister. Did you know that?"

She was stunned.

"The thing is…uh…you might think I'm a coward for doing this, but…"

She knew what he was going to say. "No…" She whispered.

"I'm leaving. Tonight."

She shook her head. "You can't!"

 "I'm going to stay in Hong Kong. I told you before that I missed it a lot, right? And that…I wasn't entirely happy here either. See, I never should have fallen in love with you, because when I did, I gave you my heart. You broke it." His eyebrows were furrowed as he tried to find the best words without crying.

"Syaoran, I'm just as hurt as you. You have got to understand that! My sister betrayed me! You kissed her!! You think your heart is broken? You think that you're the only one who gave your heart out?? I poured my heart out to you! I love you, Syaoran!! And I only said I didn't because I was mad! I was angry that Takara kissed you! I was mad that she lied to me!! And I took it all out on you!!" She cried out. "I was mad at you, but when I heard that you were leaving…it all went away. I just started thinking about-" She sniffed. "About never seeing you again. And I felt even more pain than before. I may not have shown you how much I love you, but I do. I love you so much Syaoran!!" Sakura sobbed. "Never in my life have I ever felt this way about anyone!! And I don't want you to go! Please don't go! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for hurting you and blaming this on you, because you did nothing!! I'm so sorry!"

He stared at her and he knew slight tears were already down his cheeks. He wiped them away and kept watching her. She was crying out her heart and she looked really beautiful. She looked like a real angel.

 "Do you forgive me?" He asked.

 "F-for what?" She sobbed, looking up.

"For kissing her." He replied, walking over to her and pulling her close to him. "For not being an understanding boyfriend. For making you cry."

She half-laughed, half-cried. "You don't have to apologize. It was all my fault."

 "It isn't." He answered. "I'm sorry angel."

She looked up at him with trembling eyes and lips. "I'm sorry." She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face on his chest. "I love you Syaoran…"

He pulled her closer to him and hugged her tightly. "I love you." He leaned down on her and was aiming to kiss her forehead, but she chose to move her head at that time and leaned up. Their lips met, but neither complained.

They kissed passionately, savouring the moment, after days of fighting and terrible heartache. He smiled at her, but she was still frowning.

"What's the matter?" He asked, worry creasing his forehead.

"A-are you still gonna go?" She whispered.

"I don't know…" He pretended.

"What??" She started to cry again. "Syaoran, don't go!"

"Tell me again the reason why I shouldn't."

"B-because…you can't go." She replied. "I love you and you're not supposed to leave me!"

He shook his head and laughed. "I'm not going, babe. I just wanted to know."

She blinked and turned her back. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her neck. "Watashi wa anata?"

Sakura giggled. "Yeah."

"Ok." He grinned and turned her around. "What's gonna happen with you and Takara?"

"I don't know." Her eyes darkened. "I'll probably never talk to her ever again."

"At least try to hear her out."

"Are you defending her?" She asked suspiciously.

"No! I'm not!" He protested. "You heard me out. I think she deserves a chance too. And besides, why are you getting jealous? You know I only have the hots for you."

She giggled again. "Maybe."

"Sleep here tonight, all right?" He asked. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"No." She stopped. "We can sleep together. We're not going to do anything, right?"

"Right." He replied, giving a smile. "Not till we're married though."

Her mouth turned into a perfect 'O'. "You're thinking about that already?"

"Yup." He grinned and pulled her down to the bed. "It's Saturday today right?"

"Yeah." She smiled.

"Good." He answered. "Let's sleep. I'm tired." He yawned.

"Mm-hmm." She whispered, closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Syaoran."

"Goodnight, Sakura." He said tenderly.

She kissed him softly and he kissed her back. He had his arms around her as she cuddled on his chest. Their legs underneath the blanket were already intertwined. Syaoran watched over Sakura and started caressing her hair. 'Thank you for taking care of my heart, Sakura…' He thought to himself, holding her tighter. 'I love you so much.'

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How was that????? I'm not sure if I'll end it here or if I'll add more!

I think it's enough though. I mean the ending is good. They made up and stuff, but the thing is I haven't really explained about Takara and what her feelings are in this situation.

Also I haven't added more things with Eriol and Tomoyo, but they're not the main couple here, so I'm sorry to all the E+T fans that read this! I'm just not interested them a lot. I think they're cool, but Syaoran and Sakura make the best couple.

Ok guys! Review, review, review!!!