Konnichi wa minna-san! I'm very sorry for the wait...
Kero: Oh boy, here we go again!
LY: ... I've been busy preparing for exams.
Kero: ....
LY: ....
Kero: That's it?
LY: What did you expect?
Kero: A huge long excuse for not updating sooner.
LY: Nope, that's the only reason.
Kero: Are you sur-mph!
LY: Here, have some cake. ^-^
Kero: Phankoo.
LY: Now, on with the story! Kind of a short chapter, but I'll try to update again tomorrow.
Kero: *gulp* Please don't forget to review!
LY: And many thanks to those that have reviewed, I really appreciate it. And more reviews = faster update!!
Kero: Anyway, here's the next chapter, I named it myself. ^w^
LY: I hope you enjoy it!
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My One and Only
by Lady Yunaleska
Chapter 8: Meiling Initiates Plan B
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"You!" Meiling pointed her finger at Sakura and glared angrily. "What's up with you?! Have you been treating Syaoran like that too? You better hope not or else-"
"Whoa, calm down Meiling! What are you talking about?"
"I saw how you yelled at that poor kid! How could you do that?"
"Oh, that. Come sit down and I'll explain the problem." Sakura did her best to make Meiling understand the circumstances.
"This is pretty hard to believe. You freak out and pass out but don't even remember? I'd say it's just stress." Meiling crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.
Sakura sighed, " I thought that at first, but I felt an evil presence at the concert, and I know it had something to do with why I went crazy."
Meiling stood up and posed triumphantly, "Well, don't worry! Now that I'm here, we'll get to the bottom of this!"
"I hope so." Sakura perked up a little, "Come on, Meiling. Tomoyo and Syaoran will want to see you."
They made their way to the auditorium, where Tomoyo Syaoran and the crew were busily working to get everything ready for the evening.
"Whoa, what a mess!" Meiling stared wide-eyed at all the video equipment. Several sound systems and screens were set up, and wires were everywhere.
Tomoyo spotted them and scrambled through the mess to greet them. "Meiling! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to help with the Psycho-Sakura problem."
Tomoyo smiled. "That's great. We could always use more help."
Meiling walked across the stage to one of the sound systems. "So what is all this for?"
"It's part of our plan to show everyone that Sakura isn't mean." Syaoran explained. "Hey, Meiling."
"Syaoran!" She jumped into his arms. "How's my favorite cousin? Sakura hasn't been treating you bad, has she?"
"Of course-cough- not. Meiling... *gasp*... you're choking me!"
"Oh, sorry, Syaoran!" she quickly apologized. "It's just been so long since I've seen you."
"Yeah." Syaoran rubbed his neck. "Anyway, we have to get back to work. There's only a couple hours left before the show starts, and we still have to move all of this outside.:
"Okay, I'll help too!" Meiling smiled brightly.
They continued to work hard, and soon everything was set up and ready to go.
"Okay," Sakura said, "Let's hope this works!"
Outside, protesters and fans were hushed when Sakura came on the screens that were set up at the doors. "Hello, everyone. I know many of you are upset about my outburst in New York, and you have every right to be mad. I can't say why I did what I did, because I don't know for sure, but I can assure you that it won't happen again. I'm very sorry, and i t was very out of character for me."
"How do we know it's not just an act?!" One angry protester yelled out.
Microphones on the screens allowed Sakura to hear everything outside while she remained safe inside from the mob.
"I can answer that." Tomoyo replaced Sakura on the screen. "I've known Sakura almost my whole life. I've made many recordings of her over the years, and I have some to show you. She's not a monster and won't ever hurt someone on purpose. Please watch."
Various videos of sakura helping people played for the protesters and fans. They didn't seem convinced.
"People change! She may have been kind and considerate before, but now she's just a spoiled brat!"
"Yeah! She's no role model for my child!"
Riots began again. The seemingly fool-proof plan had failed. They were back to square one. Meiling pushed Tomoyo out of the way and presented her idea to everyone.
"What if one of you spent the day with Sakura? You would see what she's really like!"
Rapid whispers shot through the crowd as they discussed the idea. The leader of the protesters spoke for them all.
"Okay, we accept your proposal. One of us will spend a full day with Sakura and report back to us with the details. And we swear to be 100% honest."
Sakura was shocked at the sudden agreement. She had no say in the matter, and was slightly worried about it.
Tomoyo came back on screen. "We'll have a contest then. Anyone can enter. Submit your name and telephone number via email, or you can drop it off at the receptionist's desk in the auditorium. You have 24 hours beginning now. The winner will be announced at 5:00 pm tomorrow evening. Thank you and good luck."
The screens shut off and people scrambled to get their entries in. Inside, Meiling flashed a huge smile at the group.
"See, I told you I would help."
"Thanks, Meiling." Sakura sat down on a chair and thought about the contest. "I think this will work out just fine."
For the rest of the day hundreds of people dropped off their entry forms at the auditorium. As Tomoyo and Sakura were leaving out the back exit, Sakura suddenly stopped.
"There it is again."
"What?" Tomoyo stopped as well. "What's there?"
"I sense an evil force... the same one that was in New York!" Sakura ran in the direction of the presence. She stopped near the front of the auditorium and peered around the corner at all the people. Standing at the front of the line was a young man whom Sakura thought she recognized. He placed his form in the box after kissing it for good luck, then turned to leave. Sakura examined all the people in the area, but couldn't find who the evil was resonating from. Soon the feeling was gone and she regretfully returned to Tomoyo.
"Did you find anything?"
"No," she shook her head. "I can't pinpoint the evil, but I can feel its strength. I'm worried, Tomoyo."
Tomoyo put her arm around her best friend, "It will be alright, Sakura. We'll figure this out soon. In the mean time, let's go back to the hotel and relax a bit. Syaoran is already there with Meiling."
"Okay." They walked off together to the limo that would carry them away from all the madness.
~*~*~*~
"Master," Juka bowed deeply, "Everything is in place. This time I will not fail to bring Sakura to the darkside."
"Good. See that you don't fail. This is your last chance."
"Yes, master." Juka bowed once more and left Diablo's chambers.
"I will not fail. You will be one of us, Sakura." He laughed evilly and vanished into the night.
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LY: So that's it for now! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'll be back soon with the next.
Kero: And remember to review! More reviews means a faster update!!
LY: Thanks everyone, see ya next time!