With chapter two, comes the cementation of the rest of the story in my
head. I finally know exactly what is going on with this story, and where
it's headed. I've also found a good way to tie in the meteor shower too, go
me! ;) Anyhow, nothing much to say this time. Except that this chapter's
inspiration came from looking at pictures of a meteor shower, and from DJ
Sammy's song "Sunlight". That is all. Enjoy! ^_^
Syaoran groaned as he heard his phone ring, not wanting to move from his position on the couch. After the third ring, he carefully lifted Sakura's head from his chest, and reached out with his left hand to grab the telephone lying on the table in front of him. Six rings got out before he finally picked up. A little annoyed, he spoke into the receiver.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Did I call at a bad time?" The Chinese boy let out the breath he'd been holding in while awaiting a response, and spoke as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake his sleeping girlfriend.
"Well, yeah, to put it simply. What do you want?" As much as he tried not to sound cranky and impatient, he knew his cousin would pick up that tone in his voice.
"Well, if you hadn't been busy, I was going to ask you if you could come and pick me up. But since you're busy, never mind. I'll just walk home."
"Hold on Mei, where are you?" Even though he would rather throw the phone across the room and lay back down, Syaoran couldn't help but be intrigued as to why Meiling would inquire for a ride home. She usually walked everywhere.
"I'm down at the market. It's no problem though, sorry to bother you." Without waiting for a response from her cousin, Meiling hung up, embarrassed by the phone call. She returned to the chair she'd occupied at the café, and sat back down to finish her drink.
Syaoran was stunned, hearing the dial tone in his ear for a few seconds before laying the phone back on the table. He was still curious as to why Meiling had called him in the first place. But since he had no number to dial back, he would have to wait until she returned in order to pry it out of her. Unable to fall asleep himself due to his curiosity over his cousin, he simply laid back on the couch, cradling Sakura in his arms. He didn't notice as she awoke, too immersed in his thoughts. Not until she kissed his nose did he realize she had awoken.
"Oh, you're awake. The phone didn't wake you, did it?" She shook her head, and sat up, stretching her arms over her head.
"Who was on the phone though?" Sakura turned her head to face him, noting the puzzled look on his face.
"It was Meiling. She wanted me to come and pick her up at the market."
"Really? Meiling, asking for a drive? That's odd. Did she say anything else?"
"No. She hung up before I could ask her why. She said she was at the market, and wanted me to come and get her if I wasn't busy. Then she just hung up on me. Am I right to be a little curious?" Sakura sat back against the couch, just as perplexed as Syaoran.
"It is weird. Even in bad weather, she always wants to walk or run wherever she's going. Maybe she sprained her ankle or something, and was just too embarrassed to say so? But she's so careful and graceful. Maybe she's sick?" Syaoran shook his head.
"She doesn't get sick. And I've never seen her injured, unless it was from a fight. But who would she be fighting in broad daylight, in the market? The more I think about this, the more worried I get." Syaoran leaned his head down, rubbing his temples.
"Do you think we should take a drive down there, see if we can find her?" Syaoran mumbled a reply, and rose to his feet. Sakura followed him as he grabbed the keys to his car, and headed out to the driveway. They both got in the car, and Syaoran backed out of the driveway, heading west down to the market area. He didn't sense anything wrong, so he wasn't too worried. Just confused.
Meiling changed a look out down the street from her chair, noting with despair that the same black car was still sitting there at the curb. She hadn't realized the car had been following her until she sat down at the café. But she remembered now having seen this car on a few occasions, seemingly following her everywhere that she went. She didn't know who was inside, but she had a sneaking suspicion it was the man she had seen the night before. That one who had known who she was. Normally she would have pushed the car out of her mind, and walked home. But today, she was feeling a little different. For the first time in her life, after the episode from the previous night, she was feeling a little vulnerable. She didn't like this new feeling, but yet she couldn't help but give in to it. As she finished her drink, she stood up, walking up to the counter and paying her bill. She briefly considered what course of action she would take. She could always hail a taxi, and take it home. She had tried calling Syaoran, but couldn't think of a plausible explanation as to why she wanted him to pick her up. She couldn't tell him about that man. She couldn't really tell anyone, since no one knew that she worked there. If her family ever found out, then her plans would never come to light. So she had hung up on her cousin, knowing that he would be worried, but knowing that his worry would be better than this story coming out. Staring down the street again, she decided that she would not allow this black car, or that man, to impact her life anymore. She walked down the café steps, placing her two feet on the sidewalk. As she cast another glance down the street, noticing that as soon as she looked that way, the car quietly turned over, making no attempt to hide the fact that whoever was driving was following her. She turned her back to the car, and started walking down the street, in the general direction of her home. She would be damned if she was going to let vulnerability and fear invade her life.
After an hour and a half of driving around, Syaoran pulled the car over to the side of the road, frustrated. He had seen no sign of Meiling, and when he had called home earlier, no one had answered. If she had walked home, she would have been there by then. So he sat in his car, staring out the window, paying no attention to Sakura, who was submitting reasons for Meiling's absence.
"Let's just go home, maybe she is back there, but outside. Maybe she was taking a shower." Sakura placed her hand over Syaoran's, trying to get his attention.
"You're right. She probably is back." Still feeling uneasy, Syaoran pulled out onto the road again, and drove back to the house he and Meiling occupied. The drive back was quiet, both of them eager to get back, certain they would see Meiling standing in the doorway, wondering where they had gone. Syaoran reached his hand over, and grasped Sakura's fingers, a little uncertain as to why he felt so uneasy. If something were wrong with Meiling, he would have sensed it. He would know.
As he pulled into the driveway, he quickly shut off the engine, following Sakura up the steps to the house. No more than a foot inside the door, and he couldn't help but call out for Meiling. When no voice answered him back, he raced up the stairs, flinging open the door to her room. She wasn't there, but he did notice that her shoes were there, and her slippers were gone. So she must have made it back.
"Syaoran, do you sense something?" Sakura stared intently at her boyfriend, having noticed him staring down at the floor, as if in concentration.
"Oh, not really. I just noticed that her shoes are here, but her slippers are gone. So she must have gotten home fine." Sakura nodded at the revelation, turning out of the room to wander through the rest of the house, looking for her friend.
Meiling sat outside, at the back of the yard, in the garden. Unaware that Syaoran and Sakura were back, she stared up into the darkening sky, looking for appearing stars. A slight chilly breeze had sprung up, and she hugged her arms around her knees. Her walk home had ended up being nothing to worry about. Surely, the black car had followed her home, but nothing had happened. No attempts at running her off the road, no attempts at stopping and picking her up. It had just followed her here, and she was fine with that. As she had decided earlier, she wasn't going to allow the presence of that car to throw her off her daily routine.
She was faintly aware of a noise coming from the house, but she had no interest in it. She continued to keep her eyes glued to the sky, her interest in staring up into modern day astrology growing more as of late. As she made out a few constellations, she heard her name being yelled, and contemplated on whether or not she should answer. The two were obviously back now, and it would only be a matter of minutes before they found her sitting out here. But her disinterest in talking to either of them forced her mouth to remain shut, enjoying her last few moments alone before she was discovered. They didn't last too long, as she heard plodding footsteps behind her, and could sense her cousin's presence, based on the sounds the wind made while blowing against his body. She took a deep breath, and with no excuse to counter the questions he'd be asking her, she turned around, looking up into his eyes.
"We've been looking for you for the past two hours nearly! What happened?" Meiling kept herself collected, as she watched the changing emotions evident on her cousin's face.
"Oh? Why were you looking for me?" Meiling knew the answer, but made an effort to make him feel foolish for chasing after her. It was the only way she'd be able to get out of explaining her phone call.
"Well, you called me and then hung up so suddenly. I was, I was just curious as to why you'd called me." Meiling knew by the way he had hesitated, that he had been going to tell her he'd been worried about her. But, being the stubborn male he was, refused to show his emotional side.
"I had just felt a little tired from walking around in the sun. I had a headache." She said the first thing came to mind, and instead of darting away from his eyes, she retained a strong gaze. It took him by surprise, forcing him to be the one floundering for words.
"But I've never seen you get tired from just walking around. And you never ask for a drive anywhere, no matter if it's pouring rain out. You always pride yourself on getting everywhere you have to go on your two feet. I just thought it was weird that you'd called and asked."
"Well it didn't require you to send out a search team. I can take care of myself you know." On that note, she seized the opportunity to walk away, feigning offence. In reality her heart warmed, knowing that he had actually been worried for her. But she couldn't allow those emotions to interfere with seizing the opportunity to escape unscathed. She hurriedly walked back towards the house, slipping in through the screen door. She heard him coming after her, and made no effort to wait for him.
"Meiling, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean to imply you couldn't hold your own or anything. I didn't mean to offend you." She stopped, and turned back around.
"I know. I'm sorry I snapped at you, it's just been a long day. I think I'm going to go for a shower." She turned to go back up the stairs, heading to her room, leaving her cousin to stare up after her. Not until her heard the shower turn on, did he realize that she had managed to skirt his questions about her phone call. He knew the excuse she had given him was a bluff, and felt a little offended himself that she wouldn't confide in him. But he decided that if she didn't want to admit to him what had happened, then he would just let it go. After all, nothing bad appeared to have happened to her. He was likely just overreacting. He found Sakura in the living room, and joined her on the couch, sharing the details of his conversation. Sakura agreed that they should let the issue go, if Meiling was all right, then there was no reason for worry.
From the window in the bathroom, Meiling looked out into the sky before stepping into the shower. She was feeling strong, she had managed to outskirt Syaoran, and everything was fine. But just as she turned from the window, a glint caught her eye. It was then that she noticed the black car sitting on the other side of the road, parked in front of their house. The tinted window was down this time, and she was able to see an arm, the elbow resting on the door. She noticed a cigarette dangling from the fingers, and smoke being blown out the window. She couldn't see anymore, due to the angle of elevation she was at in the upstairs bathroom. All she wanted to see was a face, but all she could see was an arm, and a hand. She backed away from the window, trying hard to regain her shattered composure.
So what, some car was sitting outside her house. It was nothing to get worked up over. It was just a car. Nothing important. But would that car still be there when she snuck off to work tonight? Would it follow her home again? She stepped into the shower, trying her hardest to contain her tears. She hadn't cried in a long time, and she wasn't about to let some stupid car cause her to start up again. But the longer she thought about it, the harder it would become to hide this from her family. She just hoped she could find the strength to hold out long enough.
Syaoran groaned as he heard his phone ring, not wanting to move from his position on the couch. After the third ring, he carefully lifted Sakura's head from his chest, and reached out with his left hand to grab the telephone lying on the table in front of him. Six rings got out before he finally picked up. A little annoyed, he spoke into the receiver.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Did I call at a bad time?" The Chinese boy let out the breath he'd been holding in while awaiting a response, and spoke as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake his sleeping girlfriend.
"Well, yeah, to put it simply. What do you want?" As much as he tried not to sound cranky and impatient, he knew his cousin would pick up that tone in his voice.
"Well, if you hadn't been busy, I was going to ask you if you could come and pick me up. But since you're busy, never mind. I'll just walk home."
"Hold on Mei, where are you?" Even though he would rather throw the phone across the room and lay back down, Syaoran couldn't help but be intrigued as to why Meiling would inquire for a ride home. She usually walked everywhere.
"I'm down at the market. It's no problem though, sorry to bother you." Without waiting for a response from her cousin, Meiling hung up, embarrassed by the phone call. She returned to the chair she'd occupied at the café, and sat back down to finish her drink.
Syaoran was stunned, hearing the dial tone in his ear for a few seconds before laying the phone back on the table. He was still curious as to why Meiling had called him in the first place. But since he had no number to dial back, he would have to wait until she returned in order to pry it out of her. Unable to fall asleep himself due to his curiosity over his cousin, he simply laid back on the couch, cradling Sakura in his arms. He didn't notice as she awoke, too immersed in his thoughts. Not until she kissed his nose did he realize she had awoken.
"Oh, you're awake. The phone didn't wake you, did it?" She shook her head, and sat up, stretching her arms over her head.
"Who was on the phone though?" Sakura turned her head to face him, noting the puzzled look on his face.
"It was Meiling. She wanted me to come and pick her up at the market."
"Really? Meiling, asking for a drive? That's odd. Did she say anything else?"
"No. She hung up before I could ask her why. She said she was at the market, and wanted me to come and get her if I wasn't busy. Then she just hung up on me. Am I right to be a little curious?" Sakura sat back against the couch, just as perplexed as Syaoran.
"It is weird. Even in bad weather, she always wants to walk or run wherever she's going. Maybe she sprained her ankle or something, and was just too embarrassed to say so? But she's so careful and graceful. Maybe she's sick?" Syaoran shook his head.
"She doesn't get sick. And I've never seen her injured, unless it was from a fight. But who would she be fighting in broad daylight, in the market? The more I think about this, the more worried I get." Syaoran leaned his head down, rubbing his temples.
"Do you think we should take a drive down there, see if we can find her?" Syaoran mumbled a reply, and rose to his feet. Sakura followed him as he grabbed the keys to his car, and headed out to the driveway. They both got in the car, and Syaoran backed out of the driveway, heading west down to the market area. He didn't sense anything wrong, so he wasn't too worried. Just confused.
Meiling changed a look out down the street from her chair, noting with despair that the same black car was still sitting there at the curb. She hadn't realized the car had been following her until she sat down at the café. But she remembered now having seen this car on a few occasions, seemingly following her everywhere that she went. She didn't know who was inside, but she had a sneaking suspicion it was the man she had seen the night before. That one who had known who she was. Normally she would have pushed the car out of her mind, and walked home. But today, she was feeling a little different. For the first time in her life, after the episode from the previous night, she was feeling a little vulnerable. She didn't like this new feeling, but yet she couldn't help but give in to it. As she finished her drink, she stood up, walking up to the counter and paying her bill. She briefly considered what course of action she would take. She could always hail a taxi, and take it home. She had tried calling Syaoran, but couldn't think of a plausible explanation as to why she wanted him to pick her up. She couldn't tell him about that man. She couldn't really tell anyone, since no one knew that she worked there. If her family ever found out, then her plans would never come to light. So she had hung up on her cousin, knowing that he would be worried, but knowing that his worry would be better than this story coming out. Staring down the street again, she decided that she would not allow this black car, or that man, to impact her life anymore. She walked down the café steps, placing her two feet on the sidewalk. As she cast another glance down the street, noticing that as soon as she looked that way, the car quietly turned over, making no attempt to hide the fact that whoever was driving was following her. She turned her back to the car, and started walking down the street, in the general direction of her home. She would be damned if she was going to let vulnerability and fear invade her life.
After an hour and a half of driving around, Syaoran pulled the car over to the side of the road, frustrated. He had seen no sign of Meiling, and when he had called home earlier, no one had answered. If she had walked home, she would have been there by then. So he sat in his car, staring out the window, paying no attention to Sakura, who was submitting reasons for Meiling's absence.
"Let's just go home, maybe she is back there, but outside. Maybe she was taking a shower." Sakura placed her hand over Syaoran's, trying to get his attention.
"You're right. She probably is back." Still feeling uneasy, Syaoran pulled out onto the road again, and drove back to the house he and Meiling occupied. The drive back was quiet, both of them eager to get back, certain they would see Meiling standing in the doorway, wondering where they had gone. Syaoran reached his hand over, and grasped Sakura's fingers, a little uncertain as to why he felt so uneasy. If something were wrong with Meiling, he would have sensed it. He would know.
As he pulled into the driveway, he quickly shut off the engine, following Sakura up the steps to the house. No more than a foot inside the door, and he couldn't help but call out for Meiling. When no voice answered him back, he raced up the stairs, flinging open the door to her room. She wasn't there, but he did notice that her shoes were there, and her slippers were gone. So she must have made it back.
"Syaoran, do you sense something?" Sakura stared intently at her boyfriend, having noticed him staring down at the floor, as if in concentration.
"Oh, not really. I just noticed that her shoes are here, but her slippers are gone. So she must have gotten home fine." Sakura nodded at the revelation, turning out of the room to wander through the rest of the house, looking for her friend.
Meiling sat outside, at the back of the yard, in the garden. Unaware that Syaoran and Sakura were back, she stared up into the darkening sky, looking for appearing stars. A slight chilly breeze had sprung up, and she hugged her arms around her knees. Her walk home had ended up being nothing to worry about. Surely, the black car had followed her home, but nothing had happened. No attempts at running her off the road, no attempts at stopping and picking her up. It had just followed her here, and she was fine with that. As she had decided earlier, she wasn't going to allow the presence of that car to throw her off her daily routine.
She was faintly aware of a noise coming from the house, but she had no interest in it. She continued to keep her eyes glued to the sky, her interest in staring up into modern day astrology growing more as of late. As she made out a few constellations, she heard her name being yelled, and contemplated on whether or not she should answer. The two were obviously back now, and it would only be a matter of minutes before they found her sitting out here. But her disinterest in talking to either of them forced her mouth to remain shut, enjoying her last few moments alone before she was discovered. They didn't last too long, as she heard plodding footsteps behind her, and could sense her cousin's presence, based on the sounds the wind made while blowing against his body. She took a deep breath, and with no excuse to counter the questions he'd be asking her, she turned around, looking up into his eyes.
"We've been looking for you for the past two hours nearly! What happened?" Meiling kept herself collected, as she watched the changing emotions evident on her cousin's face.
"Oh? Why were you looking for me?" Meiling knew the answer, but made an effort to make him feel foolish for chasing after her. It was the only way she'd be able to get out of explaining her phone call.
"Well, you called me and then hung up so suddenly. I was, I was just curious as to why you'd called me." Meiling knew by the way he had hesitated, that he had been going to tell her he'd been worried about her. But, being the stubborn male he was, refused to show his emotional side.
"I had just felt a little tired from walking around in the sun. I had a headache." She said the first thing came to mind, and instead of darting away from his eyes, she retained a strong gaze. It took him by surprise, forcing him to be the one floundering for words.
"But I've never seen you get tired from just walking around. And you never ask for a drive anywhere, no matter if it's pouring rain out. You always pride yourself on getting everywhere you have to go on your two feet. I just thought it was weird that you'd called and asked."
"Well it didn't require you to send out a search team. I can take care of myself you know." On that note, she seized the opportunity to walk away, feigning offence. In reality her heart warmed, knowing that he had actually been worried for her. But she couldn't allow those emotions to interfere with seizing the opportunity to escape unscathed. She hurriedly walked back towards the house, slipping in through the screen door. She heard him coming after her, and made no effort to wait for him.
"Meiling, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean to imply you couldn't hold your own or anything. I didn't mean to offend you." She stopped, and turned back around.
"I know. I'm sorry I snapped at you, it's just been a long day. I think I'm going to go for a shower." She turned to go back up the stairs, heading to her room, leaving her cousin to stare up after her. Not until her heard the shower turn on, did he realize that she had managed to skirt his questions about her phone call. He knew the excuse she had given him was a bluff, and felt a little offended himself that she wouldn't confide in him. But he decided that if she didn't want to admit to him what had happened, then he would just let it go. After all, nothing bad appeared to have happened to her. He was likely just overreacting. He found Sakura in the living room, and joined her on the couch, sharing the details of his conversation. Sakura agreed that they should let the issue go, if Meiling was all right, then there was no reason for worry.
From the window in the bathroom, Meiling looked out into the sky before stepping into the shower. She was feeling strong, she had managed to outskirt Syaoran, and everything was fine. But just as she turned from the window, a glint caught her eye. It was then that she noticed the black car sitting on the other side of the road, parked in front of their house. The tinted window was down this time, and she was able to see an arm, the elbow resting on the door. She noticed a cigarette dangling from the fingers, and smoke being blown out the window. She couldn't see anymore, due to the angle of elevation she was at in the upstairs bathroom. All she wanted to see was a face, but all she could see was an arm, and a hand. She backed away from the window, trying hard to regain her shattered composure.
So what, some car was sitting outside her house. It was nothing to get worked up over. It was just a car. Nothing important. But would that car still be there when she snuck off to work tonight? Would it follow her home again? She stepped into the shower, trying her hardest to contain her tears. She hadn't cried in a long time, and she wasn't about to let some stupid car cause her to start up again. But the longer she thought about it, the harder it would become to hide this from her family. She just hoped she could find the strength to hold out long enough.