-----Angels Dancing On Her Eyelids
---------Written by Rainbow Dreamer
-----Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura belongs solely to Clamp. I hold no claims on this fanfiction in any way. The plot, however, is mine and I would like it to remain that way. In other words, no plagiarism you evil little men out there! Hehe.
----- AUTHOR'S NOTE: Right. I haven't been updating this story for around two weeks, which is a bit too long huh? Okay, I'm going to sound like some pathetic little girl making excuses again. Wait, before I do, I'm not going to make any for this one. To put it simple, I've been a complete slacker in this matter and battle scenes for my other fic is harder than I expected. Now, with that matter done, the great bomb.
READ THIS! EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND DEEPEST APOLOGIES! As you already know, it's April. I just finished my midterms TODAY on the 15th! Just totally screwed it as well. THAT'S NOT IT!!!! *In a fake high-pitched television commercial voice* Remember, kids, bad things happen in threes. I have SATs on May 3rd and AP tests on May 7th. As you see, bad things do come in threes and I'm horribly busy.
So, this will be the last chapter I'll be updating until after May 7th.. It's not that long.. Uh, like a month. SORRY! Really I am. I just want to pass all my tests so they won't come back and haunt me. So, if you guys don't see me for a while, you'll know why.
SORRY AND DEEPEST APOLOGIES once again,
Rainbow Dreamer.
I do, however, hope you enjoy this chapter that I'm writing when I should be studying. Don't freak out if I start writing some statistics formulas in this chapter... LoL, just kidding, but seriously, these exams are totally freaking me out. Or neither it's because I'm getting way too LESS sleep these days! Less than five hours a day each week, it'll be no surprise if I become a living dead. Okay, is shouldn't be making such cruel jokes about myself.
----- SPECIAL THANKS: Azure Roses: Wow! What a long review! Did I mention I love reading your reviews? I'm glad you simply loved the play; maybe I should find a job in writing scripts! Hehe. And Tomoyo and Eriol? Will there relationship develop? Well, we'll just going to have to see about that, won't we? Thanks, thanks, and more thanks!
Kawaii Cherry Wolf: Thanks! As long as you're still reading, I'm still wonderfully happy!
Green Crystal: The play was solely MY idea. I've always wanted to write a sweet play that had flower meanings inside.. As you might know, I love that kind of stuff!
Pink Cherry Blossom: I must thank you for your wonderful compliments about my play! Thanks! And you're welcome on the websites! I hope all goes well with your boyfriend and if I do find any good ones while I'm writing this story, I'll be sure to tell you.
SK: Thanks! And as for updating sooner, gomen! For reasons, look under author's note.
KittieKat (aka Cryst) : Oh my gosh! You cried? *Hugs you tightly * I love it how readers get emotional when I write. It gives me the confidence that my writing is at least getting somewhere. Hehe. And as for mailing you, remind me. I haven't checked my email in years. LoL. Sorry.
Cherri ookami: You're kero aren't you? The cookies and the video games give it all away!!!! Hehe. Just kidding there. Perhaps a little too much coffee and too less sleep? Thanks for reviewing.
Ash Night: You thank me? I thank YOU. I'm glad that you still like my fics! What an honor. Thanks, and more thanks.
Pinklover sama: Thank you!
LiL Dragon Gurl 28 (aka May) : Thank you! I'm glad that my story is original yet good, thanks. And what? You saved me as a FAVORITE author? Oh, what great honor! *Shakes your hand repeatedly with enthusiasm *
D: Hmmmm... get your thinking cap on! There's much more to come!
Megami no Hikari: I'm glad you thought it was funny how Eriol kept pushing his "glasses" up. For a moment I thought I was the only one who found humor in that! LoL.
Illusion K: Sorry there. I might not be able to great your wish in updating soon. SORRY. For further explanation, look under author's note.
Elle Poohbear: Thanks and more thanks!
Moshi Moshi Queen: Hehe. I like how you label the guy who "supposedly" isn't Lei as "flower guy." Hehe. Okaaay, maybe it's just me. LoL.
Midnight Moon: Yes, I did write the play myself. I'm extremely psyched that you liked it!
Lucky Ducky 7 too: Thank you.
Gofansfan: No, I didn't base it on anything. It was my own idea and I made Rika write the play in my story. Yep. And sorry for not being able to update soon, gosh what kind of author am I?!, and for further information look under author's note.
Pink panther: Thank you!
Winged guardian: Why, thanks!
Yukimi: Thank you! I love E&T too!
Cherry Princess: I wrote the play! Yay! And your request for updating faster? Oh dear, I'm letting all you guys down, aren't I? Read author's note for reason's why.
Miss Qui Chen: I'm psyched that you loved the songs. Takuro? Takky? LoL, I crack up every time I see that nickname. Hehe. Don't ask why because I don't know why! Hehe....
Cherry Blossom Lover: Of course you don't have an f in English! It must be that you have too much imagination and you can't write it down at once. That's what my English teacher told me once. Hehe.
Harpie Lady: My story going out there? Into the BIG world? Wow! That's a BIG thought! I don't know though... you can add the URL link to my story to your website however. Add more popularity to this website! We need to hype it up here! Woo Hoo! Tell me what you think.
Idiot 1988: Hehe. Sorry about everything, about be not being able to update so soon. Really, sorry. You can decide whether you want to kick Lei to the moon after the whole mystery reveals itself. I still kind of need him on earth. Hehe.
Snow Blossoms: Thank you! Arigato~!
Chibi Neko Chan: Thanks and more thanks!
Anime Obession Fantasy: Thanks. Sorry if the last part of the last chapter was confusing. Perhaps this next chapter will help explain some things.
DID I MISS ANYONE? JUST TELL ME IF I DID AND I'LL THANK YOU DOUBLE. AS FOR NOW, THANK YOU! YOU TOTALLY ROCK!
Happy reading,
Rainbow Dreamer.
CHAPTER NINE:
-----"Give all to love; obey thy heart."
-----Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
----- I love you in secret-----
Tomoyo stared out the window into the deep velvet with glittering diamonds scattered artistically into wonderful constellations of some of her favorites of big dipper, Orion himself and with his bright belt gleaming proudly. She smiled to herself contentedly as she lazily connected the stars together. Then she closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh smell of the night, tinted with the captivating smell of the Gardenias.
------ I love you in secret-----
Was that really Eriol Hiiragizawa who had given those flowers? Sakura thought it was exceedingly obvious and her ability to sense through people's actions came from those years of being blind, even though she acted quite dense sometimes, but she always was perceptive. But she still doubted Eriol's feelings for her, despite the little voice inside her head that wanted to admit that it was true.
She sighed and went to her bed, falling into a deep slumber, a smile tugging lightly at her lips at the thought of the play once more.
----- The next morning at Kinomoto's residence-----
"Ohayo!" Sakura's sweet voice proclaimed happily as she opened the door to see Tomoyo smiling face greeting her.
"Ohayo," Her friend replied, entering the house that was filled with a warm delicious smell of breakfast.
"Tomoyo dear, did you have breakfast yet?" Nadeshiko called from the kitchen where she was preparing buttered toast with egg. Tomoyo smiled and nodded, taking a seat next to Sakura at the table.
"Here Tomoyo," Sakura offered her friend a glass of orange juice before gulping down her hot breakfast in a matter of a few bites.
"Whoa, so you are a kaijuu!" Touya yelled, acting surprised and taking a few steps back.
"Touya!" Sakura whined. "That's totally not funny! You know I'm in a hurry and that I'm NOT a kaijuu!"
"All right, all right." Touya said, sitting down in his chair after kissing Nadeshiko good morning. Sakura glared at him suspiciously and gave him a hard stomp on his foot to make sure he didn't call her names.
"You're a kawaii kaijuu!" He called after her once Sakura was about to close the door.
It could be heard from outside, "I'm not a kaijuu!" Touya hummed happily and was acting a bit too innocently.
"Touya, you really shouldn't tease your sister like that," She scolded lightly, failing completely to share an amused smile.
Touya looked up and grinned. "Yeah, well, she's going to be my little kawaii kaijuu forever." Nadeshiko laughed and sighed in defeat.
"We just love her too much, ne?" Touya nodded in agreement, the both remembering the time when Sakura regained her sight again. It made them love her more dearly, knowing that she was happy and contented. And they did all that they could to see that she wasn't hurt again.
Tomoyo and Sakura walked happily along the road, enjoying the may breeze that was blowing gently on them. Sakura was singing happily to herself, swinging her bag.
Tomoyo giggled. "Why so happy today?"
"I don't know. I just feel something's going to happen!" She declared, walking backwards so she could smile at her best friend.
"Sak-," Tomoyo started pointing behind.
"Hoe?" Sakura asked, turning around to see what she was pointing at. "Arggh!" She screamed, not being able to see anything.
"Can't you watch while you're walking?" An extremely annoyed voice questioned.
"Hoe?" The auburn haired girl asked, looking up confusedly. Then her emerald eyes lit up happily. "Ohayo Li!" She chirped as if nothing had happened.
"Yeah yeah, ohayo to you too. Watch where you're going," He mumbled, turning around and kept on walking.
"Ohayo Sakura, ohayo Tomoyo!" Meiling greeted. They smiled and returned the greetings, the three talking happily with Syaoran grunting a few words here and there when expected. Tomoyo parted along the crossroad, but two friends kept on talking, completely ignoring the existence of Syaoran.
"Oh, why math? On a perfect sunny Monday, why math?" Sakura cried in despair, talking to her schedule as if expecting it to reply. The paper just stared at it mutely, half weighing the possibilities that this girl was crazy or not.
"It's not going to reply you know," Syaoran's voice was annoyed yet contained a hint of amusement.
"You saw?" Sakura said, her eyes widening into disbelief. Why was it that every time she did something stupid Li-kun was around her???
Syaoran gave her a half smile. "Let's just say it doesn't make you look any smarter, talking to a piece of paper." He smirked. "Come on," He gestured to the door with his head.
"Go where?"
"Math." He raised an eyebrow weirdly.
"Oh. Yeah. I knew that." She replied hurriedly, grabbing her books and following Syaoran who had decided to start walking before she forgot something else.
Sakura couldn't help but smile contentedly at perfume of the blooming flowers gliding with the wind with the smell of fresh cut grass mixed inside. The sky was blue, unbelievably blue without a single cloud in the sky, like there were no worries at all. This day was simply perfect for a picnic and suddenly she had a strong urge to go to the cherry blossom trees with Tomoyo like on her birthday. But of course that was just wishful thinking. Besides, the cherry blossom trees weren't even in bloom anymore.....
Then, she felt an annoyed poking at her side that totally ruined her little daydream. "What?" She asked annoyed, looking to her right.
"Am I that good looking that you have to stare at me for the whole two math periods?"
"HOE?" She couldn't believe what he was saying. When did he get so egoistical?
"Class's over," He replied bluntly before leaving the girl sitting at her desk confusedly, still pondering over his words.
"Hoe!" Sakura dashed up and grabbed her bag before chasing after the chestnut colored hair young man who had smartly, left the room again. Had she ever mentioned that she was thankful he was in most of her classes? It was usually him who brought her back to reality from her thoughts.
"Wait up, Li-kun!" She called, running up to him. "So.." He looked at her with his intense brown eyes, as if daring her to say something stupid once more. She gulped and continued weakly in a voice slightly above a whisper, "What was math class about?"
On the contrary, Syaoran was glad to answer. And once he started to talk, Sakura quickly regretted. How could she forget that math was simply his favorite subject? "Just some concepts of graphing functions, with the horizontal and vertical asymptotes and finding the limits when x approaches the positive and negative zeros." Syaoran replied quickly, as if he was told to spell out his name. Sakura just ogled at him. "Oh, and about finding the maxima, minima, and point of inflections. We also had to remember which part of the graph would concave upwards and downwards, which would be very important or your graph would be totally wrong." Then he paused for breath. "Oh, and there's also a test tomorrow on what we covered in class today."
Sakura stopped in her tracks. "NANI?" She cried, catching only the last line of his speech, which happened to be the only thing important in her mind.
"There's also a test tomorrow on what we covered in class today." He repeated with a smirk.
"But I didn't listen in class!"
"I've noticed. Instead you spent the whole TWO periods staring at my wonderful features." He teased.
"Shut up!" Sakura whined. "It's not funny!" This made Syaoran grin wickedly even more. "I was looking at the flowers outside, not you! Who'd look at you?" She shot back.
"Oh! I'm insulted!" Syaoran said, jokingly "I'm leaving."
"Ah! Li don't leave!" Sakura, who obviously didn't know he was joking, ran to catch up with him. "Onegai, could you teach me what we taught today? You know I'm horrible at calculus! Please?"
"Ask some else. You just insulted me; you've terribly wounded my pride."
"Li-kun! I'm sorry, really I am. Please?"
"Ask Meiling or someone. They'll be more than happy to teach you."
"But they're not in the same class as me."
"Ask someone from our class then."
"Li-kun! Onegai?" Sakura begged. "I'll make it worthwhile."
"With what?" Syaoran replied, smirking with a smiling twinkle in his eyes. He loved teasing her; she had the most interesting reactions, especially if he got her off guard.
"I don't know!" She cried out exasperatingly. "But I'll think of something! So can you teach me? Like after school at my house or something?"
"Is there really no one else?"
"You sound so reluctant!" She pouted.
Syaoran laughed, ruffling her hair before walking off. Sakura just stared at him leave. Then he stopped and called over his shoulder. "Hey, are you coming or not? We have physics next and you still haven't told me how to get to your house and when."
Sakura squealed happily and almost squeezed the breath out of him with a tight hug. "Arigato Li kun!" She thanked, her emerald eyes sparkling happily. "Yay! My day's looking up again!" She hummed.
Syaoran just smiled a small smile and walked after the skipping girl who had just solved her current problems with math.
"Syaoran, you didn't forget did you?" She demanded, walking up to his desk after the last bell rang, announcing school was over.
"What?"
"Don't tell me you forgot!" She wailed.
"Forget what?" Meiling questioned, hearing Sakura's loud wailing from outside the room. Sakura turned to her with teary eyes.
"Li-kun PROMISED me to tutor me math today. We have a test tomorrow," She replied. "But he just forgot!"
To her surprise, Meiling laughed. She was expecting that she would hit her cousin on the head and scold him for forgetting. Nope, she was laughing and having a great time at that. "Gomen," Meiling finally apologized, getting over her fit of laughter. "My favorite cousin here was just teasing, Sakura. He's an elephant, doesn't forget anything. Right, dear old cousin?" She asked, clasping a hand hard on his shoulder. Syaoran just sighed.
"Oh."
"So, Sakura. Why does my dear cousin have to teach you math?"
"I'm horrible at it."
"But why him?"
"I spent the whole two classing daydreaming,"
"About me," Syaoran interjected.
"Not you! How many times do I have to tell you that I was looking at," She was cut off again, this time by a teacher who called her to bring the art portfolios to the art classroom since she was daily monitor today. Sakura groaned.
"Well, Sakura, I'd help you but I have a dojo meet today," Meiling apologized.
"No, no you go ahead. I'm fine." Meiling nodded, giving her a tight hug and whispering a few words to her cousin, making him glare at her, before running off. Sakura groaned, seeing the huge stacks of art portfolios. Syaoran carried around half while she carried the rest, the two walking out the academic building to the art building under the bright sun that refuse to sleep yet.
Sakura was happily humming to herself to keep her mind off the heavy books. Syaoran half smiled. "The sun's nice today huh?" She nodded happily. "Hey, why don't we go have a treat or something before we head over to your house?" he asked.
Sakura grinned. "You mean it?"
"Yeah."
"Are you treating me?"
Syaoran shot her an amused look and sighed. "No, it's your turn to treat me, remember?" The girl cried out gleefully.
"Yay! I win,"
"Only because I let you."
"Li-kun! If I weren't holding books right now, I'd hit you over the head."
"Oh! Looks who talking," Syaoran spoke sarcastically. "Here I am, in the middle of a hot day, carrying heavy portfolios and having to teach someone math later! Oh Kami save me!"
Sakura laughed. "Okay, I'm sorry okay?"
They settled down at a nearby hamburger shop that was more part of the bustling crowds of Tomoeda. As they settled down and hadn't talked more than a few words when loud words of cursing were heard. (Sorry about the cursing below.)
"Damn you! It was all your fucking fault, loser!" A black haired punk yelled to his companion, a dirty blond. "We just lost all of our money and more! How are we ever fucking pay back?"
"Just shut the fuck up will you? You're the one who made me lose you wimp!"
"You called me a what?"
"A WIMP! Oh, I forgot, you can't hear."
"Shut the hell!" The blacked hair punk screamed, punching his friend hard in the stomach.
Sakura and Syaoran shared a worried look. Here were two punks, fighting just a meter away from them. "Maybe we should leave?" Syaoran suggested. Sakura nodded and followed him out the door. As she was passing, she accidentally bumped into the black haired gangster.
"Gomen," She quickly apologized.
"Watch it whore!" He yelled, pushing her roughly away, making her crash into a wall and breaking a pot in the middle of the process. The last thing she remembered was Syaoran's loud voice, yelling, his hands shaking her shoulders lightly and the sound of distance punching with curses mixed between before she fell into unconsciousness.
"Is my baby alright?" Nadeshiko demanded, her husband and son right behind her as she rushed into the hospital after hearing that her daughter was hurt.
"Where is she?" Touya yelled furious, at the same time.
"Please," Fujitaka pleaded.
This was their kawaii kaijuu and they didn't want to see her hurt again. Ever. She was just too precious. She was just loved by too many.
"Kinomoto?" A nurse questioned. The three whipped around and quickly followed the nurse down the long hallway, their footsteps rushed, clicking away on the tiled floor, echoing in distance. As they walked on, they noticed a young man sitting depressingly on a bench, waiting. Touya, however, immediately was glaring.
"Gaki, what did you do?" Touya yelled furious, picking Syaoran up from the collar of his shirt and slamming him to the wall. "What did you do to my kaijuu!" He demanded, tears leaking from his eyes as he hit Syaoran to the wall again.
"Gomen." Syaoran apologized sincerely, his autumn eyes swimming in sadness and blame for himself. "It was all my fault; I didn't protect her well enough."
"Hell yeah! It's all your fucking problem! What were you thinking, to bring her to a place like that?" Touya ranted furiously. When his mother put a hand on his shoulder, he swore and punched the wall next to Syaoran's head.
"Touya, that's enough," Nadeshiko quietly scolded. "Apologize. This isn't the time for this nonsense. Sakura's most important now."
Touya gruffly mumbled some apology, but shot Syaoran a dirty look before walking away. Syaoran slid onto the floor, resting his head against the cold wall. He could feel their coldness to him, and he didn't blame them the least. This was all his fault. A tear trickled down his cheek.
Meiling and Tomoyo rushed in just after the rest of the Kinomoto family left. Once they saw Syaoran in that state, the two sat down beside him on the floor, not saying a word because they weren't needed.
----- Hours later -----
Sakura stirred lightly from her sleep. Nadeshiko was immediately beside her, humming soft comforting words. She smiled softly and turned her heads towards her mother, wanting to comfort her and tell her that she was all right.
But she wasn't all right.
She found that she couldn't open her eyes any longer.
No. God couldn't have taken her eyesight away did He? No.
She screamed.
This couldn't be happening.
The doctors had heard her screams and had come rushing in, worried. They quickly calmed her down, giving her a glass of water and a sedative. She slumped back into a dreamless state of sleep once more.
When she woke up again, she was shocked into silence. Sitting there upright on her bed quietly, not saying a word. Her doctor came in, his eyes sad seeing the girl's dimmed happiness.
"Who's there?" Sakura called. Her senses had not died. They had sharpened immediately once she couldn't see again.
"It's just Dr. Waleigh, Sakura. How are you feeling now?" he asked, his voice soft as he took the seat next to her bed.
"Why..."
"Why can't you see?" He prodded softly. She could just nod. "From what I gather from Li, there was a fight at Moss Burger. You accidentally bumped into one of the two men who were fighting and he slammed you into a wall, causing a pot to fall. You aren't able to see because we had to do a slight operation because some pottery shards got into your eyes."
Silence filled the air and the girl's head hung depressingly low. The doctor placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sakura, it's only temporary. Thank God the operation went smoothly and that your body is marvelous resilient. You'll be able to remove the bandage and return back to school in about two weeks."
Sakura just nodded her head and made no comment or suggestion that she was happy that she could see.
Dr. Waleigh sighed quietly to himself, running a hand through his tousled whitening hair. He wished he could do more for her.
Sakura turned to him and quietly spoke, "Don't blame yourself Dr. Waleigh; you've done all that you can and more." Though her voice was soft, it contained a sense of steel and strength. Her doctor smiled lightly, amazed at his patient's bravery and her keen senses to feel what others were feeling.
"Quite the opposite, Sakura. I truly admire your great courage and that of your friend's."
"Friend?"
"He told me his name was Li; he was the one who rushed you to the hospital."
"Where is he?" Her voice suddenly turned abnormally high from anxiety.
"Outside waiting for you quietly. Your parents and brother are also outside. Do you wish to see them?" He asked softly, seeing the girl's hand shake lightly before she clamped her hand into a fist.
"I would like to see my family first, thank you." She replied, her voice calm, betraying her feelings inside.
"I'll call them." Yes, this girl placed her family first before herself... before everything she felt.
"And Dr. Waleigh?" He turned around and waited patiently for her to go on. "Please tell Li-kun thank you and that I'll see him later."
"Of course Sakura." Then the door clicked behind him and she was left alone, back in the hospital and in silence. But not for long. The door quickly opened again, and she sensed three people, as expected, rushing up to her bed, panting.
"Sakura, are you okay?" Nadeshiko and Fujitaka asked immediately at the same time.
She put a smile on her face and nodded. "Hai. I'm fine." Her voice firm and stubborn. Her mother nodded and hugged Sakura closely to herself, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry if I made you worry," She apologized in a small voice, feeling her family's concern of her well being.
"Oh dear, thank Kami you're all right." Her Okaasan soothed, rocking her child in her arms. "I was so surprised when Li called to say that you were in the hospital and that we should hurry over."
"It was an accident, Okaasan." Sakura spoke coldly. "Li-kun didn't do anything wrong."
"Sakura, he hurt you!" Touya burst. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that gaki."
"Touya! He is not a gaki! Onegai..." Her voice, starting strong, broke off, her voice cracking. "He's my friend." She finally whispered hoarsely.
"But Sakura," Her Oniichan started. Sakura covered her ears, refusing to listen.
"Dear, I'm just glad you're okay and that the hurt is temporary." Fujitaka finally spoke up after a dreadful moment of silence. "We were so afraid that we'd lose you."
"Hai. When the doctors called to say that you were in the hospital and that you needed an operation, I was so afraid that I'd lose my baby daughter once more. Sakura, though you tried to be happy those years you were blind, I just couldn't stand seeing you pretending yourself." Her mother continued. "We only want you to be happy."
"Isn't that what every parent want?" Sakura replied bitterly. "This accident was no one's fault, Okaasan. Syaoran didn't hurt me; it was the punk in the restaurant."
"He shouldn't have brought you there in the first place!" Touya objected furiously. "You were to come home immediately after school."
"Why does everyone have to protect me? Why can't I have a little bit of freedom to go out and have some fun with my friend? Why can't you all understand?" Sakura cried. "I just want to be a normal girl." She was sobbing; she didn't care if the bandage over her eyes was getting wet and that it would itch later.
Her family was hushed into silence with her words, the only sound left were the depressing sounds of their little one crying.
"Sakura, gomen." Her mother pulled her daughter into a close hug. "Gomen. We just-- we just wanted you to be happy Sakura."
"That's all we want." Fujitaka echoed.
"What do you want from me?"
There was a brief moment of silence when the three family members looked at one another. Finally, Fujitaka nodded his head, as if agreeing to something.
"Sakura, we want you to stay away from Li Syaoran."
They waited patiently for Sakura's reaction. But there was none. All she did was sat in stony silence, shocked from the words that she clearly had heard. But yet, it all seemed like a dream. Confusion swept around her, like wrapping a blanket around her, yet it didn't feel comfortable. She felt hot and sticky; she wanted the blanket off. The blanket that was not only confusion, but also an unintentional smothering love that came from her family.
But they were her family, and they loved all. All they wanted was she to be happy. And all these years they helped her along the way, cheering for her to live on. She couldn't live without them.
"Is that all you want? For me to be happy?" Sakura's voice cracked with emotion, the conflicting emotions she was having inside herself.
Her father, the person who was chosen to tell her, nodded silently.
"May I see Li-kun?" She finally whispered. Her father studied her. "For one last time," She choked out the final words of goodbye, of leaving a great friend behind.
"Take your time," her father replied and ushered the rest of his family outside. Sakura swallowed another eruption of tears, not wanting to cry in front of Syaoran. A polite knock came from the door before it opened, the person walking quietly, as if from purpose from all those years of practice.
"Li-kun?" Sakura asked, as she felt someone sit beside her. Yes, this was Syaoran. "I want to tell you thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."
She was met with silence. Finally she heard a strangled voice. "Gomen, Kinomoto. I couldn't protect you, and you're one of my best friends. I wish so much that it could have been me who was hurt, not you. You've been blind already, I don't want you to see the dark again, never."
She was touched. Truly she was. Those words warmed the cockles of her heart, feeling surge of newborn life running freely in her veins. "Oh, Li- kun." She whispered with emotion.
"I'm so sorry. Really I am. Your parents looked like they wanted to kill me, and I don't blame them." He laughed, yet it was empty, cold and harsh against her ears.
"Syaoran."
Pause. "You called me by my first name."
It was Sakura's turn to pause. "I wanted to try it on my tongue before I can't." She replied.
"What do you mean, before you can't? You have a whole life in front of you and the doctor said you'll be back in school in two weeks at most."
"Gomen, Syaoran." She whispered, choking on a sob that was rising in her chest. "Gomenasai."
"What are you talking about Sakura?"
She froze. He had spoken her name. "You called me by my first name," She said, echoing Syaoran's earlier words. She smiled wobbly at him.
"What's wrong?" He reached over and grasped her hand tightly in his.
She didn't reply. Instead, she breathed in deeply of that familiar masculine scent that was scented with autumn and spices, like cinnamon. She felt his hand, running over every curve, every callous, as if to remember them in her brain forever. Then suddenly, without warning, she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his torso. Syaoran was surprised at first, but then he slowly wrapped his arms around his friend. Sakura snuggled deeper into his embrace, feeling warmth and great security. She could hear the steady beating of his heart and that calmed her down enough to tell him what she had to.
"Syaoran?"
"Nani?" His voice was soft, his breath gently blowing against her hair.
She couldn't say the words, not with his arms so tightly wrapped around her. She took one big breath before pushing him away from her. She could sense his confusion as he slowly took his hands away from her.
"We, we have to not see each other again," Sakura spoke, her voice cold and quiet.
"What the hell?" Syaoran's voice rose.
"We can't see each other anymore, Li. We can't be friends, don't you see? We'll just end up hurting each other!" She cried, gritting her teeth.
"What are you talking about!" His voice harsh against her ears. "What's wrong? Why can't we be friends anymore? Is it because I wasn't there to protect you? Are you doing this because of your parents?" He shot back, standing up abruptly that his chair fell down, the echo floating in the room. "I tried to protect you, Sakura. I'm so sorry." He lowered his voice, talking with his head bent.
"It's best for each other. Onegai, Li." Her voice was at the verge of breaking. She couldn't go on further, she had to end this now. "Arigato for sending me to the hospital, Li-kun. You may leave now, I need to rest."
Syaoran stood here, loneliness and despair feeling his heart. "If that's what you want, Sakura." He finally spoke, every word speaking of his sadness. She could feel her heart breaking; she didn't want to lose such a great friend like him. Oh Kami, this was so hard. "I hope you get better soon," He paused, eyeing her. "Kinomoto."
Thank Kami that he wasn't able to see her eyes, for she was weeping quietly. Syaoran turned and left quickly out the door, a tear sliding down his cheek before he shut the door quietly behind him.
Meiling and Tomoyo immediately rushed up to him, peppering him with questions. He just looked at them with dull eyes. Meiling stepped back, unsure. "Where's the Kinomoto family?" He asked hoarsely.
"They're talking to Dr. Waleigh, why?" Tomoyo replied. Then she turned and saw his cold, hard eyes and gulped. "What's wrong, Li-kun?"
He just looked beyond her and didn't reply. "Syaoran, what's wrong?" Meiling asked desperately, shaking his shoulder.
"Let go Meiling!" He barked. "Just leave me alone, will you?" He stormed off, his feet slamming quickly against the titled floor, running around the corner and left the hospital.
Tomoyo and Meiling shared a look. "Shall we," Tomoyo started. Meiling shook her head.
"You go, Tomoyo. Sakura trusts you."
"She trusts you too," Her friend objected. Meiling smiled warily.
"I know she does, but you're more of a sister in Sakura's eyes." She smiled. "Go on, Tomoyo and see Sakura. I'm going to find my favorite cousin."
Tomoyo finally nodded, reaching out for the handle. As she wrapped her hand against the cool metal, she turned around to Meiling again. "Call me when you get through Li-kun."
"Of course. We're friends, Tomoyo; that isn't going to change." Meiling replied. "Ja," She called, running the same way Syaoran did.
Tomoyo took a deep breath and entered. She quickly ran over to Sakura once she heard the girl's sobs.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" She asked, horrified, at the scene of Sakura crying, her bandages soaking wet. All Sakura could do was cry and lean into her friend's arms, but that made her cry harder, reminding her of the arms she just had around her that was gone from her forever.
-----
Meiling was rushing down the pavement, trying to spot out Syaoran. She found him walking aimlessly down the road and she quickened her pace over to him. "Baka Syaoran, what's wrong?" She asked.
He turned to face her and she was surprised to see tear tracks on his face. She, in all her life, had never seen him cry except for the one time when his father died. "Syaoran?" She questioned tentatively, touching his shoulder lightly. "What's wrong?"
-----
"We're not friends anymore." Sakura gasped through floods of tears.
"We're not friends anymore." Syaoran replied, his voice dull and lifeless.
Tomoyo and Meiling gasped, once. And that was it. Sakura and Syaoran weren't friends anymore.
And that was how things had ended.
Kami save us. They all prayed.
----- How was it? I know, I know, it's such a sad chapter! Sakura losing her eyesight for a brief period of time. Her family demanding that she couldn't see Syaoran any longer. Wahhhhh..... I can't believe I wrote such a sad chapter!
Okay. As you guys know, I won't be updating a while, gomen. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was sad. I'll try my best at updating though!
Rainbow dreamer.
-----Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura belongs solely to Clamp. I hold no claims on this fanfiction in any way. The plot, however, is mine and I would like it to remain that way. In other words, no plagiarism you evil little men out there! Hehe.
----- AUTHOR'S NOTE: Right. I haven't been updating this story for around two weeks, which is a bit too long huh? Okay, I'm going to sound like some pathetic little girl making excuses again. Wait, before I do, I'm not going to make any for this one. To put it simple, I've been a complete slacker in this matter and battle scenes for my other fic is harder than I expected. Now, with that matter done, the great bomb.
READ THIS! EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND DEEPEST APOLOGIES! As you already know, it's April. I just finished my midterms TODAY on the 15th! Just totally screwed it as well. THAT'S NOT IT!!!! *In a fake high-pitched television commercial voice* Remember, kids, bad things happen in threes. I have SATs on May 3rd and AP tests on May 7th. As you see, bad things do come in threes and I'm horribly busy.
So, this will be the last chapter I'll be updating until after May 7th.. It's not that long.. Uh, like a month. SORRY! Really I am. I just want to pass all my tests so they won't come back and haunt me. So, if you guys don't see me for a while, you'll know why.
SORRY AND DEEPEST APOLOGIES once again,
Rainbow Dreamer.
I do, however, hope you enjoy this chapter that I'm writing when I should be studying. Don't freak out if I start writing some statistics formulas in this chapter... LoL, just kidding, but seriously, these exams are totally freaking me out. Or neither it's because I'm getting way too LESS sleep these days! Less than five hours a day each week, it'll be no surprise if I become a living dead. Okay, is shouldn't be making such cruel jokes about myself.
----- SPECIAL THANKS: Azure Roses: Wow! What a long review! Did I mention I love reading your reviews? I'm glad you simply loved the play; maybe I should find a job in writing scripts! Hehe. And Tomoyo and Eriol? Will there relationship develop? Well, we'll just going to have to see about that, won't we? Thanks, thanks, and more thanks!
Kawaii Cherry Wolf: Thanks! As long as you're still reading, I'm still wonderfully happy!
Green Crystal: The play was solely MY idea. I've always wanted to write a sweet play that had flower meanings inside.. As you might know, I love that kind of stuff!
Pink Cherry Blossom: I must thank you for your wonderful compliments about my play! Thanks! And you're welcome on the websites! I hope all goes well with your boyfriend and if I do find any good ones while I'm writing this story, I'll be sure to tell you.
SK: Thanks! And as for updating sooner, gomen! For reasons, look under author's note.
KittieKat (aka Cryst) : Oh my gosh! You cried? *Hugs you tightly * I love it how readers get emotional when I write. It gives me the confidence that my writing is at least getting somewhere. Hehe. And as for mailing you, remind me. I haven't checked my email in years. LoL. Sorry.
Cherri ookami: You're kero aren't you? The cookies and the video games give it all away!!!! Hehe. Just kidding there. Perhaps a little too much coffee and too less sleep? Thanks for reviewing.
Ash Night: You thank me? I thank YOU. I'm glad that you still like my fics! What an honor. Thanks, and more thanks.
Pinklover sama: Thank you!
LiL Dragon Gurl 28 (aka May) : Thank you! I'm glad that my story is original yet good, thanks. And what? You saved me as a FAVORITE author? Oh, what great honor! *Shakes your hand repeatedly with enthusiasm *
D: Hmmmm... get your thinking cap on! There's much more to come!
Megami no Hikari: I'm glad you thought it was funny how Eriol kept pushing his "glasses" up. For a moment I thought I was the only one who found humor in that! LoL.
Illusion K: Sorry there. I might not be able to great your wish in updating soon. SORRY. For further explanation, look under author's note.
Elle Poohbear: Thanks and more thanks!
Moshi Moshi Queen: Hehe. I like how you label the guy who "supposedly" isn't Lei as "flower guy." Hehe. Okaaay, maybe it's just me. LoL.
Midnight Moon: Yes, I did write the play myself. I'm extremely psyched that you liked it!
Lucky Ducky 7 too: Thank you.
Gofansfan: No, I didn't base it on anything. It was my own idea and I made Rika write the play in my story. Yep. And sorry for not being able to update soon, gosh what kind of author am I?!, and for further information look under author's note.
Pink panther: Thank you!
Winged guardian: Why, thanks!
Yukimi: Thank you! I love E&T too!
Cherry Princess: I wrote the play! Yay! And your request for updating faster? Oh dear, I'm letting all you guys down, aren't I? Read author's note for reason's why.
Miss Qui Chen: I'm psyched that you loved the songs. Takuro? Takky? LoL, I crack up every time I see that nickname. Hehe. Don't ask why because I don't know why! Hehe....
Cherry Blossom Lover: Of course you don't have an f in English! It must be that you have too much imagination and you can't write it down at once. That's what my English teacher told me once. Hehe.
Harpie Lady: My story going out there? Into the BIG world? Wow! That's a BIG thought! I don't know though... you can add the URL link to my story to your website however. Add more popularity to this website! We need to hype it up here! Woo Hoo! Tell me what you think.
Idiot 1988: Hehe. Sorry about everything, about be not being able to update so soon. Really, sorry. You can decide whether you want to kick Lei to the moon after the whole mystery reveals itself. I still kind of need him on earth. Hehe.
Snow Blossoms: Thank you! Arigato~!
Chibi Neko Chan: Thanks and more thanks!
Anime Obession Fantasy: Thanks. Sorry if the last part of the last chapter was confusing. Perhaps this next chapter will help explain some things.
DID I MISS ANYONE? JUST TELL ME IF I DID AND I'LL THANK YOU DOUBLE. AS FOR NOW, THANK YOU! YOU TOTALLY ROCK!
Happy reading,
Rainbow Dreamer.
CHAPTER NINE:
-----"Give all to love; obey thy heart."
-----Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
----- I love you in secret-----
Tomoyo stared out the window into the deep velvet with glittering diamonds scattered artistically into wonderful constellations of some of her favorites of big dipper, Orion himself and with his bright belt gleaming proudly. She smiled to herself contentedly as she lazily connected the stars together. Then she closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh smell of the night, tinted with the captivating smell of the Gardenias.
------ I love you in secret-----
Was that really Eriol Hiiragizawa who had given those flowers? Sakura thought it was exceedingly obvious and her ability to sense through people's actions came from those years of being blind, even though she acted quite dense sometimes, but she always was perceptive. But she still doubted Eriol's feelings for her, despite the little voice inside her head that wanted to admit that it was true.
She sighed and went to her bed, falling into a deep slumber, a smile tugging lightly at her lips at the thought of the play once more.
----- The next morning at Kinomoto's residence-----
"Ohayo!" Sakura's sweet voice proclaimed happily as she opened the door to see Tomoyo smiling face greeting her.
"Ohayo," Her friend replied, entering the house that was filled with a warm delicious smell of breakfast.
"Tomoyo dear, did you have breakfast yet?" Nadeshiko called from the kitchen where she was preparing buttered toast with egg. Tomoyo smiled and nodded, taking a seat next to Sakura at the table.
"Here Tomoyo," Sakura offered her friend a glass of orange juice before gulping down her hot breakfast in a matter of a few bites.
"Whoa, so you are a kaijuu!" Touya yelled, acting surprised and taking a few steps back.
"Touya!" Sakura whined. "That's totally not funny! You know I'm in a hurry and that I'm NOT a kaijuu!"
"All right, all right." Touya said, sitting down in his chair after kissing Nadeshiko good morning. Sakura glared at him suspiciously and gave him a hard stomp on his foot to make sure he didn't call her names.
"You're a kawaii kaijuu!" He called after her once Sakura was about to close the door.
It could be heard from outside, "I'm not a kaijuu!" Touya hummed happily and was acting a bit too innocently.
"Touya, you really shouldn't tease your sister like that," She scolded lightly, failing completely to share an amused smile.
Touya looked up and grinned. "Yeah, well, she's going to be my little kawaii kaijuu forever." Nadeshiko laughed and sighed in defeat.
"We just love her too much, ne?" Touya nodded in agreement, the both remembering the time when Sakura regained her sight again. It made them love her more dearly, knowing that she was happy and contented. And they did all that they could to see that she wasn't hurt again.
Tomoyo and Sakura walked happily along the road, enjoying the may breeze that was blowing gently on them. Sakura was singing happily to herself, swinging her bag.
Tomoyo giggled. "Why so happy today?"
"I don't know. I just feel something's going to happen!" She declared, walking backwards so she could smile at her best friend.
"Sak-," Tomoyo started pointing behind.
"Hoe?" Sakura asked, turning around to see what she was pointing at. "Arggh!" She screamed, not being able to see anything.
"Can't you watch while you're walking?" An extremely annoyed voice questioned.
"Hoe?" The auburn haired girl asked, looking up confusedly. Then her emerald eyes lit up happily. "Ohayo Li!" She chirped as if nothing had happened.
"Yeah yeah, ohayo to you too. Watch where you're going," He mumbled, turning around and kept on walking.
"Ohayo Sakura, ohayo Tomoyo!" Meiling greeted. They smiled and returned the greetings, the three talking happily with Syaoran grunting a few words here and there when expected. Tomoyo parted along the crossroad, but two friends kept on talking, completely ignoring the existence of Syaoran.
"Oh, why math? On a perfect sunny Monday, why math?" Sakura cried in despair, talking to her schedule as if expecting it to reply. The paper just stared at it mutely, half weighing the possibilities that this girl was crazy or not.
"It's not going to reply you know," Syaoran's voice was annoyed yet contained a hint of amusement.
"You saw?" Sakura said, her eyes widening into disbelief. Why was it that every time she did something stupid Li-kun was around her???
Syaoran gave her a half smile. "Let's just say it doesn't make you look any smarter, talking to a piece of paper." He smirked. "Come on," He gestured to the door with his head.
"Go where?"
"Math." He raised an eyebrow weirdly.
"Oh. Yeah. I knew that." She replied hurriedly, grabbing her books and following Syaoran who had decided to start walking before she forgot something else.
Sakura couldn't help but smile contentedly at perfume of the blooming flowers gliding with the wind with the smell of fresh cut grass mixed inside. The sky was blue, unbelievably blue without a single cloud in the sky, like there were no worries at all. This day was simply perfect for a picnic and suddenly she had a strong urge to go to the cherry blossom trees with Tomoyo like on her birthday. But of course that was just wishful thinking. Besides, the cherry blossom trees weren't even in bloom anymore.....
Then, she felt an annoyed poking at her side that totally ruined her little daydream. "What?" She asked annoyed, looking to her right.
"Am I that good looking that you have to stare at me for the whole two math periods?"
"HOE?" She couldn't believe what he was saying. When did he get so egoistical?
"Class's over," He replied bluntly before leaving the girl sitting at her desk confusedly, still pondering over his words.
"Hoe!" Sakura dashed up and grabbed her bag before chasing after the chestnut colored hair young man who had smartly, left the room again. Had she ever mentioned that she was thankful he was in most of her classes? It was usually him who brought her back to reality from her thoughts.
"Wait up, Li-kun!" She called, running up to him. "So.." He looked at her with his intense brown eyes, as if daring her to say something stupid once more. She gulped and continued weakly in a voice slightly above a whisper, "What was math class about?"
On the contrary, Syaoran was glad to answer. And once he started to talk, Sakura quickly regretted. How could she forget that math was simply his favorite subject? "Just some concepts of graphing functions, with the horizontal and vertical asymptotes and finding the limits when x approaches the positive and negative zeros." Syaoran replied quickly, as if he was told to spell out his name. Sakura just ogled at him. "Oh, and about finding the maxima, minima, and point of inflections. We also had to remember which part of the graph would concave upwards and downwards, which would be very important or your graph would be totally wrong." Then he paused for breath. "Oh, and there's also a test tomorrow on what we covered in class today."
Sakura stopped in her tracks. "NANI?" She cried, catching only the last line of his speech, which happened to be the only thing important in her mind.
"There's also a test tomorrow on what we covered in class today." He repeated with a smirk.
"But I didn't listen in class!"
"I've noticed. Instead you spent the whole TWO periods staring at my wonderful features." He teased.
"Shut up!" Sakura whined. "It's not funny!" This made Syaoran grin wickedly even more. "I was looking at the flowers outside, not you! Who'd look at you?" She shot back.
"Oh! I'm insulted!" Syaoran said, jokingly "I'm leaving."
"Ah! Li don't leave!" Sakura, who obviously didn't know he was joking, ran to catch up with him. "Onegai, could you teach me what we taught today? You know I'm horrible at calculus! Please?"
"Ask some else. You just insulted me; you've terribly wounded my pride."
"Li-kun! I'm sorry, really I am. Please?"
"Ask Meiling or someone. They'll be more than happy to teach you."
"But they're not in the same class as me."
"Ask someone from our class then."
"Li-kun! Onegai?" Sakura begged. "I'll make it worthwhile."
"With what?" Syaoran replied, smirking with a smiling twinkle in his eyes. He loved teasing her; she had the most interesting reactions, especially if he got her off guard.
"I don't know!" She cried out exasperatingly. "But I'll think of something! So can you teach me? Like after school at my house or something?"
"Is there really no one else?"
"You sound so reluctant!" She pouted.
Syaoran laughed, ruffling her hair before walking off. Sakura just stared at him leave. Then he stopped and called over his shoulder. "Hey, are you coming or not? We have physics next and you still haven't told me how to get to your house and when."
Sakura squealed happily and almost squeezed the breath out of him with a tight hug. "Arigato Li kun!" She thanked, her emerald eyes sparkling happily. "Yay! My day's looking up again!" She hummed.
Syaoran just smiled a small smile and walked after the skipping girl who had just solved her current problems with math.
"Syaoran, you didn't forget did you?" She demanded, walking up to his desk after the last bell rang, announcing school was over.
"What?"
"Don't tell me you forgot!" She wailed.
"Forget what?" Meiling questioned, hearing Sakura's loud wailing from outside the room. Sakura turned to her with teary eyes.
"Li-kun PROMISED me to tutor me math today. We have a test tomorrow," She replied. "But he just forgot!"
To her surprise, Meiling laughed. She was expecting that she would hit her cousin on the head and scold him for forgetting. Nope, she was laughing and having a great time at that. "Gomen," Meiling finally apologized, getting over her fit of laughter. "My favorite cousin here was just teasing, Sakura. He's an elephant, doesn't forget anything. Right, dear old cousin?" She asked, clasping a hand hard on his shoulder. Syaoran just sighed.
"Oh."
"So, Sakura. Why does my dear cousin have to teach you math?"
"I'm horrible at it."
"But why him?"
"I spent the whole two classing daydreaming,"
"About me," Syaoran interjected.
"Not you! How many times do I have to tell you that I was looking at," She was cut off again, this time by a teacher who called her to bring the art portfolios to the art classroom since she was daily monitor today. Sakura groaned.
"Well, Sakura, I'd help you but I have a dojo meet today," Meiling apologized.
"No, no you go ahead. I'm fine." Meiling nodded, giving her a tight hug and whispering a few words to her cousin, making him glare at her, before running off. Sakura groaned, seeing the huge stacks of art portfolios. Syaoran carried around half while she carried the rest, the two walking out the academic building to the art building under the bright sun that refuse to sleep yet.
Sakura was happily humming to herself to keep her mind off the heavy books. Syaoran half smiled. "The sun's nice today huh?" She nodded happily. "Hey, why don't we go have a treat or something before we head over to your house?" he asked.
Sakura grinned. "You mean it?"
"Yeah."
"Are you treating me?"
Syaoran shot her an amused look and sighed. "No, it's your turn to treat me, remember?" The girl cried out gleefully.
"Yay! I win,"
"Only because I let you."
"Li-kun! If I weren't holding books right now, I'd hit you over the head."
"Oh! Looks who talking," Syaoran spoke sarcastically. "Here I am, in the middle of a hot day, carrying heavy portfolios and having to teach someone math later! Oh Kami save me!"
Sakura laughed. "Okay, I'm sorry okay?"
They settled down at a nearby hamburger shop that was more part of the bustling crowds of Tomoeda. As they settled down and hadn't talked more than a few words when loud words of cursing were heard. (Sorry about the cursing below.)
"Damn you! It was all your fucking fault, loser!" A black haired punk yelled to his companion, a dirty blond. "We just lost all of our money and more! How are we ever fucking pay back?"
"Just shut the fuck up will you? You're the one who made me lose you wimp!"
"You called me a what?"
"A WIMP! Oh, I forgot, you can't hear."
"Shut the hell!" The blacked hair punk screamed, punching his friend hard in the stomach.
Sakura and Syaoran shared a worried look. Here were two punks, fighting just a meter away from them. "Maybe we should leave?" Syaoran suggested. Sakura nodded and followed him out the door. As she was passing, she accidentally bumped into the black haired gangster.
"Gomen," She quickly apologized.
"Watch it whore!" He yelled, pushing her roughly away, making her crash into a wall and breaking a pot in the middle of the process. The last thing she remembered was Syaoran's loud voice, yelling, his hands shaking her shoulders lightly and the sound of distance punching with curses mixed between before she fell into unconsciousness.
"Is my baby alright?" Nadeshiko demanded, her husband and son right behind her as she rushed into the hospital after hearing that her daughter was hurt.
"Where is she?" Touya yelled furious, at the same time.
"Please," Fujitaka pleaded.
This was their kawaii kaijuu and they didn't want to see her hurt again. Ever. She was just too precious. She was just loved by too many.
"Kinomoto?" A nurse questioned. The three whipped around and quickly followed the nurse down the long hallway, their footsteps rushed, clicking away on the tiled floor, echoing in distance. As they walked on, they noticed a young man sitting depressingly on a bench, waiting. Touya, however, immediately was glaring.
"Gaki, what did you do?" Touya yelled furious, picking Syaoran up from the collar of his shirt and slamming him to the wall. "What did you do to my kaijuu!" He demanded, tears leaking from his eyes as he hit Syaoran to the wall again.
"Gomen." Syaoran apologized sincerely, his autumn eyes swimming in sadness and blame for himself. "It was all my fault; I didn't protect her well enough."
"Hell yeah! It's all your fucking problem! What were you thinking, to bring her to a place like that?" Touya ranted furiously. When his mother put a hand on his shoulder, he swore and punched the wall next to Syaoran's head.
"Touya, that's enough," Nadeshiko quietly scolded. "Apologize. This isn't the time for this nonsense. Sakura's most important now."
Touya gruffly mumbled some apology, but shot Syaoran a dirty look before walking away. Syaoran slid onto the floor, resting his head against the cold wall. He could feel their coldness to him, and he didn't blame them the least. This was all his fault. A tear trickled down his cheek.
Meiling and Tomoyo rushed in just after the rest of the Kinomoto family left. Once they saw Syaoran in that state, the two sat down beside him on the floor, not saying a word because they weren't needed.
----- Hours later -----
Sakura stirred lightly from her sleep. Nadeshiko was immediately beside her, humming soft comforting words. She smiled softly and turned her heads towards her mother, wanting to comfort her and tell her that she was all right.
But she wasn't all right.
She found that she couldn't open her eyes any longer.
No. God couldn't have taken her eyesight away did He? No.
She screamed.
This couldn't be happening.
The doctors had heard her screams and had come rushing in, worried. They quickly calmed her down, giving her a glass of water and a sedative. She slumped back into a dreamless state of sleep once more.
When she woke up again, she was shocked into silence. Sitting there upright on her bed quietly, not saying a word. Her doctor came in, his eyes sad seeing the girl's dimmed happiness.
"Who's there?" Sakura called. Her senses had not died. They had sharpened immediately once she couldn't see again.
"It's just Dr. Waleigh, Sakura. How are you feeling now?" he asked, his voice soft as he took the seat next to her bed.
"Why..."
"Why can't you see?" He prodded softly. She could just nod. "From what I gather from Li, there was a fight at Moss Burger. You accidentally bumped into one of the two men who were fighting and he slammed you into a wall, causing a pot to fall. You aren't able to see because we had to do a slight operation because some pottery shards got into your eyes."
Silence filled the air and the girl's head hung depressingly low. The doctor placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sakura, it's only temporary. Thank God the operation went smoothly and that your body is marvelous resilient. You'll be able to remove the bandage and return back to school in about two weeks."
Sakura just nodded her head and made no comment or suggestion that she was happy that she could see.
Dr. Waleigh sighed quietly to himself, running a hand through his tousled whitening hair. He wished he could do more for her.
Sakura turned to him and quietly spoke, "Don't blame yourself Dr. Waleigh; you've done all that you can and more." Though her voice was soft, it contained a sense of steel and strength. Her doctor smiled lightly, amazed at his patient's bravery and her keen senses to feel what others were feeling.
"Quite the opposite, Sakura. I truly admire your great courage and that of your friend's."
"Friend?"
"He told me his name was Li; he was the one who rushed you to the hospital."
"Where is he?" Her voice suddenly turned abnormally high from anxiety.
"Outside waiting for you quietly. Your parents and brother are also outside. Do you wish to see them?" He asked softly, seeing the girl's hand shake lightly before she clamped her hand into a fist.
"I would like to see my family first, thank you." She replied, her voice calm, betraying her feelings inside.
"I'll call them." Yes, this girl placed her family first before herself... before everything she felt.
"And Dr. Waleigh?" He turned around and waited patiently for her to go on. "Please tell Li-kun thank you and that I'll see him later."
"Of course Sakura." Then the door clicked behind him and she was left alone, back in the hospital and in silence. But not for long. The door quickly opened again, and she sensed three people, as expected, rushing up to her bed, panting.
"Sakura, are you okay?" Nadeshiko and Fujitaka asked immediately at the same time.
She put a smile on her face and nodded. "Hai. I'm fine." Her voice firm and stubborn. Her mother nodded and hugged Sakura closely to herself, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry if I made you worry," She apologized in a small voice, feeling her family's concern of her well being.
"Oh dear, thank Kami you're all right." Her Okaasan soothed, rocking her child in her arms. "I was so surprised when Li called to say that you were in the hospital and that we should hurry over."
"It was an accident, Okaasan." Sakura spoke coldly. "Li-kun didn't do anything wrong."
"Sakura, he hurt you!" Touya burst. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that gaki."
"Touya! He is not a gaki! Onegai..." Her voice, starting strong, broke off, her voice cracking. "He's my friend." She finally whispered hoarsely.
"But Sakura," Her Oniichan started. Sakura covered her ears, refusing to listen.
"Dear, I'm just glad you're okay and that the hurt is temporary." Fujitaka finally spoke up after a dreadful moment of silence. "We were so afraid that we'd lose you."
"Hai. When the doctors called to say that you were in the hospital and that you needed an operation, I was so afraid that I'd lose my baby daughter once more. Sakura, though you tried to be happy those years you were blind, I just couldn't stand seeing you pretending yourself." Her mother continued. "We only want you to be happy."
"Isn't that what every parent want?" Sakura replied bitterly. "This accident was no one's fault, Okaasan. Syaoran didn't hurt me; it was the punk in the restaurant."
"He shouldn't have brought you there in the first place!" Touya objected furiously. "You were to come home immediately after school."
"Why does everyone have to protect me? Why can't I have a little bit of freedom to go out and have some fun with my friend? Why can't you all understand?" Sakura cried. "I just want to be a normal girl." She was sobbing; she didn't care if the bandage over her eyes was getting wet and that it would itch later.
Her family was hushed into silence with her words, the only sound left were the depressing sounds of their little one crying.
"Sakura, gomen." Her mother pulled her daughter into a close hug. "Gomen. We just-- we just wanted you to be happy Sakura."
"That's all we want." Fujitaka echoed.
"What do you want from me?"
There was a brief moment of silence when the three family members looked at one another. Finally, Fujitaka nodded his head, as if agreeing to something.
"Sakura, we want you to stay away from Li Syaoran."
They waited patiently for Sakura's reaction. But there was none. All she did was sat in stony silence, shocked from the words that she clearly had heard. But yet, it all seemed like a dream. Confusion swept around her, like wrapping a blanket around her, yet it didn't feel comfortable. She felt hot and sticky; she wanted the blanket off. The blanket that was not only confusion, but also an unintentional smothering love that came from her family.
But they were her family, and they loved all. All they wanted was she to be happy. And all these years they helped her along the way, cheering for her to live on. She couldn't live without them.
"Is that all you want? For me to be happy?" Sakura's voice cracked with emotion, the conflicting emotions she was having inside herself.
Her father, the person who was chosen to tell her, nodded silently.
"May I see Li-kun?" She finally whispered. Her father studied her. "For one last time," She choked out the final words of goodbye, of leaving a great friend behind.
"Take your time," her father replied and ushered the rest of his family outside. Sakura swallowed another eruption of tears, not wanting to cry in front of Syaoran. A polite knock came from the door before it opened, the person walking quietly, as if from purpose from all those years of practice.
"Li-kun?" Sakura asked, as she felt someone sit beside her. Yes, this was Syaoran. "I want to tell you thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."
She was met with silence. Finally she heard a strangled voice. "Gomen, Kinomoto. I couldn't protect you, and you're one of my best friends. I wish so much that it could have been me who was hurt, not you. You've been blind already, I don't want you to see the dark again, never."
She was touched. Truly she was. Those words warmed the cockles of her heart, feeling surge of newborn life running freely in her veins. "Oh, Li- kun." She whispered with emotion.
"I'm so sorry. Really I am. Your parents looked like they wanted to kill me, and I don't blame them." He laughed, yet it was empty, cold and harsh against her ears.
"Syaoran."
Pause. "You called me by my first name."
It was Sakura's turn to pause. "I wanted to try it on my tongue before I can't." She replied.
"What do you mean, before you can't? You have a whole life in front of you and the doctor said you'll be back in school in two weeks at most."
"Gomen, Syaoran." She whispered, choking on a sob that was rising in her chest. "Gomenasai."
"What are you talking about Sakura?"
She froze. He had spoken her name. "You called me by my first name," She said, echoing Syaoran's earlier words. She smiled wobbly at him.
"What's wrong?" He reached over and grasped her hand tightly in his.
She didn't reply. Instead, she breathed in deeply of that familiar masculine scent that was scented with autumn and spices, like cinnamon. She felt his hand, running over every curve, every callous, as if to remember them in her brain forever. Then suddenly, without warning, she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his torso. Syaoran was surprised at first, but then he slowly wrapped his arms around his friend. Sakura snuggled deeper into his embrace, feeling warmth and great security. She could hear the steady beating of his heart and that calmed her down enough to tell him what she had to.
"Syaoran?"
"Nani?" His voice was soft, his breath gently blowing against her hair.
She couldn't say the words, not with his arms so tightly wrapped around her. She took one big breath before pushing him away from her. She could sense his confusion as he slowly took his hands away from her.
"We, we have to not see each other again," Sakura spoke, her voice cold and quiet.
"What the hell?" Syaoran's voice rose.
"We can't see each other anymore, Li. We can't be friends, don't you see? We'll just end up hurting each other!" She cried, gritting her teeth.
"What are you talking about!" His voice harsh against her ears. "What's wrong? Why can't we be friends anymore? Is it because I wasn't there to protect you? Are you doing this because of your parents?" He shot back, standing up abruptly that his chair fell down, the echo floating in the room. "I tried to protect you, Sakura. I'm so sorry." He lowered his voice, talking with his head bent.
"It's best for each other. Onegai, Li." Her voice was at the verge of breaking. She couldn't go on further, she had to end this now. "Arigato for sending me to the hospital, Li-kun. You may leave now, I need to rest."
Syaoran stood here, loneliness and despair feeling his heart. "If that's what you want, Sakura." He finally spoke, every word speaking of his sadness. She could feel her heart breaking; she didn't want to lose such a great friend like him. Oh Kami, this was so hard. "I hope you get better soon," He paused, eyeing her. "Kinomoto."
Thank Kami that he wasn't able to see her eyes, for she was weeping quietly. Syaoran turned and left quickly out the door, a tear sliding down his cheek before he shut the door quietly behind him.
Meiling and Tomoyo immediately rushed up to him, peppering him with questions. He just looked at them with dull eyes. Meiling stepped back, unsure. "Where's the Kinomoto family?" He asked hoarsely.
"They're talking to Dr. Waleigh, why?" Tomoyo replied. Then she turned and saw his cold, hard eyes and gulped. "What's wrong, Li-kun?"
He just looked beyond her and didn't reply. "Syaoran, what's wrong?" Meiling asked desperately, shaking his shoulder.
"Let go Meiling!" He barked. "Just leave me alone, will you?" He stormed off, his feet slamming quickly against the titled floor, running around the corner and left the hospital.
Tomoyo and Meiling shared a look. "Shall we," Tomoyo started. Meiling shook her head.
"You go, Tomoyo. Sakura trusts you."
"She trusts you too," Her friend objected. Meiling smiled warily.
"I know she does, but you're more of a sister in Sakura's eyes." She smiled. "Go on, Tomoyo and see Sakura. I'm going to find my favorite cousin."
Tomoyo finally nodded, reaching out for the handle. As she wrapped her hand against the cool metal, she turned around to Meiling again. "Call me when you get through Li-kun."
"Of course. We're friends, Tomoyo; that isn't going to change." Meiling replied. "Ja," She called, running the same way Syaoran did.
Tomoyo took a deep breath and entered. She quickly ran over to Sakura once she heard the girl's sobs.
"Sakura, what's wrong?" She asked, horrified, at the scene of Sakura crying, her bandages soaking wet. All Sakura could do was cry and lean into her friend's arms, but that made her cry harder, reminding her of the arms she just had around her that was gone from her forever.
-----
Meiling was rushing down the pavement, trying to spot out Syaoran. She found him walking aimlessly down the road and she quickened her pace over to him. "Baka Syaoran, what's wrong?" She asked.
He turned to face her and she was surprised to see tear tracks on his face. She, in all her life, had never seen him cry except for the one time when his father died. "Syaoran?" She questioned tentatively, touching his shoulder lightly. "What's wrong?"
-----
"We're not friends anymore." Sakura gasped through floods of tears.
"We're not friends anymore." Syaoran replied, his voice dull and lifeless.
Tomoyo and Meiling gasped, once. And that was it. Sakura and Syaoran weren't friends anymore.
And that was how things had ended.
Kami save us. They all prayed.
----- How was it? I know, I know, it's such a sad chapter! Sakura losing her eyesight for a brief period of time. Her family demanding that she couldn't see Syaoran any longer. Wahhhhh..... I can't believe I wrote such a sad chapter!
Okay. As you guys know, I won't be updating a while, gomen. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was sad. I'll try my best at updating though!
Rainbow dreamer.