*IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!*
Ok, now that I have your attention, I thought I'd let you know that I now have my own xanga page. Xanga is basically a weblog type of thing, for those who don't know. But anyway, I'm using my page to post which story I'm gonna update next, chapter progress, new ideas, etc.
So, if you want to know when I'll be updating again, CHECK THE PAGE! There's a link to it on my author profile where it says 'Homepage'. Click on the link and you'll find all you need to know!
Ok, now we can get to the review replies:
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. Hey again! ^^ I'm really sorry about the slow updates, but you guys seem to be pretty patient about it! Thanks so much for your patience with the updates in this story! Now, for the review replies:
Linda-liu – Thank u! (and mucho thanx for reviewing most of my other stories!)
Lonely Tear – Yeah, this is my angsty fic of the bunch. I hate family photos too, especially if EVERYONE in your family wants a picture. Geez, people, just take them at the same time! Anyways, thanks so much! And sorry about the slow update pace......
EdgeOfChaos – Aww, thank you! That's so sweet! Sorry about the slow updates! (you may have to get used to hearing this from me......*hangs head in shame*)
Lavenda – I like ur pen name! Thanks for your comment, but I bet that you have a ton of talent! I'll check out ur stories sometime!
Kawaii Bunnii – Well, it might not be as exciting as you think it's gonna be, but I hope u still like it! Thanks for ur review!
Cherryblossomprincess – Thank you! Sorry 'bout the slow updating!
DitzyLemon37 – Thank you so much! I hope it DOES turn out to be a great story that'd be a dream come true. It's just a dream for now, though!
SweetBabyGurl – Well, this chapter goes back to the darker themes of Sakura, and a little more is revealed about her. Syaoran's pretty much gonna stay normal for the most part. He's much nicer here though, but still kinda shy. I'm sorry it took sooooooooo long to update (again, but I'm afraid I probably won't be much faster in my next update *sweatdrop* But I WILL update eventually!), but thanx so much for another long review! *huggles* .
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Anyway, not many notes on this chapter. However, I should warn you, S+S are NOT going to like each other much at first, but their not going to hate each other either. They're going to start off with a neutral relationship. It's not gonna be a story where they meet and all the sudden their in love the next week. But, no worries, in the end, they'll like each other......maybe.
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Where Ends Will Meet
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~~~~~~~~Early Morning at Eriol's apartment~~~~~~~#$Normal P.O.V.#$
"Okay, Nakuru, you know what to do, right? And your not gonna forget?"
"Of course not! I promise not to forget Syaoran!"
"Just to make sure, I'm going to the tactic of bribery. If you remember to pick Syaoran up AND tell him that my friends are coming over after school to meet him, I'll cook you a big chocolate cake as a reward."
"Really?!"
"Uh-huh."
"I won't forget!"
"Remember! You have to pick him up ON TIME!!!, then tell him about everyone coming over today. Got it?"
Nakuru sighed heavily and waved her hand around in the air. "Yes, I get it! You're such a control freak! Geez."
"Right." Eriol rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm off to school." He said dully, then walked out the door in his uniform.
After he'd gotten down the steps from the apartment, he looked back up at the building. "I give her exactly 10 minutes before she forgets."
~~~~~A few hours later~~~~~
Nakuru bounced around the apartment singing to the radio as she put away her laundry. Then she looked up at the clock, which read 9:32.
She tapped her chin with her finger and her eyebrows creased as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "Wasn't I supposed to do something right now?"
Then her favorite song came on the radio, and she quickly dismissed the thought. "Nah, I didn't have anything to do."
A few minutes later, she flipped on the TV to check what was on and a picture of downtown Hong Kong popped up on the screen, and something finally clicked in Nakuru's brain. "Hong Kong........Li Clan...Syaoran........coming to visit! Shit! I totally forgot!"
She hurriedly flipped off everything and rushed out the door to get to the airport.
~~~~Airport- 10:25~~~~~
Syaoran checked his watch once again. 'I bet she forgot. Man, what were the elders thinking when they gave Nakuru the responsibility of being Eriol's guardian?'
Suddenly, he heard an ear-piercing scream behind him. "SYYYYYYYYAAAAAAORANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He winced, then wished that she had forgotten him so he wouldn't have to be so embarrassed at the current moment.
But, there she was, scrambling towards him frantically. "Syaoran! I'm so sorry! I lost track of time! C'mon, let's grab your bags and go out to the car."
She grabbed one of his suitcases and started walking briskly, hauling the heavy luggage behind her, with a dumbfounded Syaoran left with nothing to do but follow behind.
After they had loaded all the bags into the car, they sat down inside and after a few minutes, they were cruising along silently.
"So, Syaoran, did you have a good flight?"
"Yeah. It went good."
"That's nice. So, looking forward to your stay?"
"Yeah."
"Great." She said, nodding and tapping her fingers against the wheel. "So, got a girlfriend yet? Besides Meiling, I mean."
"Meiling doesn't let me get close enough to anyone else of the female species to have a girlfriend."
Nakuru snorted. "Poor you. That's too bad, cause I'm sure there are plenty of girls that like you. You're a very attractive guy."
"Is this supposed to be a pep talk?"
"No. I'm just saying you're very cute."
"Uh...thanks?"
"Sure. Actually, why don't you give me a call in a few years?" she asked, winking quickly at him in the mirror.
Syaoran froze. 'Nakuru as a girlfriend? Oh god, I'd probably die from exhaustion on the second day.'
She saw his distress and laughed. "I'm kidding. But there are lots of cute girls here. But To-mo-yoooooooo is off limits!" she sang happily.
"I've heard."
"That's right! Cuz' Eriol likes her! And I think she likes him! She called one time and we talked for a while, but Eriol doesn't need to know that! I haven't met her yet, but I've seen her in pictures."
"Yeah, Eriol sent me a picture of everybody."
"I've only met Yamazaki. But everyone else looks nice too. I believe that Sakura, Naoko, and Rika are available if you're interested.........."
"Eriol said that he thinks I'd like Sakura."
"She sounds like an interesting character. Supposedly she's like a tortured artist or something."
"Well, Eriol seems to have managed to make some interesting friends."
When he got no reply from Nakuru, he looked over to see that her face was screwed up in concentration. "Nakuru?"
"There was something I was supposed to tell you."
"And what is it?"
"I'm trying to remember. But it had something to do with Eriol's friends."
"Okay."
There was silence for a few minutes until she finally gasped in realization. "Oh yeah, they're coming over to meet you today after school!"
"They are? All of them?"
She nodded. "Yah."
"Oh."
She smiled proudly. "Ha! Chocolate cake, here I come!"
Syaoran turned to look at her with worried eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Eriol said that if I remembered to come pick you up on time and tell you about his friends coming over, then he'd bake me a big chocolate cake!"
"But you didn't come pick me up on time." He said coyly.
She blinked, then smiled sweetly at him. "You won't tell him that, will you?"
"For a price, I won't."
"What do you want?"
"1/4 of the chocolate cake."
"A fourth?!"
"Take it or leave it. Eriol will trust what I tell him."
She glared at him in the mirror and pouted. "Fine, ¼."
"Deal. Now, I think I'm gonna catch up on some lost sleep, so if you turn on music, keep the volume down." He said, leaning back into the car seat with his eyes closed.
Nakuru smiled, then turned down the volume knob to what she thought of as low volume, and flipped on the radio.
Syaoran bolted up away from the back of the car seat. "TURN IT DOWN!"
"It IS down!"
He quickly lowered it down to where it was what normal non-deaf humans considered low volume. "Geez, Nakuru, at this rate, it's a wonder your not deaf."
"Hey! Turn it back up, I can hardly hear that."
"Ya know what? I think I've got a solution to our problems."
"And what's that? You'll turn it back up to where I can hear it again?"
"No. I'll do this." He said as he reached over and quickly turned the radio off.
"I wanted to listen to something!"
"Gimme a break. I just went on a 14-hour flight with a really bad in flight movie, and I sat in front of a little kid who kicked my seat every 2 freakin' seconds! I think I deserve some rest!"
"Yeah, maybe you won't be so cranky if you get a nap."
"Shut up and drive."
"As long as it'll help your horrid mood......"
Syaoran grunted, then closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat for a peaceful nap.
~~~~Half an hour later~~~~
"Geez, and I thought I was the one that was hard to wake up."
Nakuru poked Syaoran for the umpteenth time and watched to see if he showed any signs of being alive. "Syaoran? Did you die?"
Nakuru shook him lightly. "Syaoran! Wake up!"
Syaoran's reply was to turn his head to the other side. Finally, Nakuru shook him back and forth against the seat. "YO! SYAORAN! WAAAAAAAAAAKKKEEEEEE UUPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!"
His eyes snapped open and he took in a deep breath of air. "What?!"
Nakuru immediately released him and gave him a million-watt smile. "Oh, good you're awake."
He glared at her, but she just couldn't be phased. "Come on, get the rest of your bags and let's head up to the apartment."
Syaoran took a deep breath and shook his head, then followed Nakuru sullenly up to the apartment.
She showed him to his room, where he set his bags down and looked around curiously. "Not too shabby."
It wasn't anything special, just the regular cream colored walls with one window that faced the small town. There was a TV/VCR combo set on top of a plain brown table and a small desk near the window.
He looked around a bit more and saw a closet door beside an old mahogany dresser. Yeah, he could live with this. His main concern was adjusting to the new people.
He set his bags down, then flopped down on the bed, deciding to unpack later, and flipped on the TV. He smiled to himself as he flipped through the channels. 'Finally, a little freedom..........'
~~~~~School~~~~~#$Sakura P.O.V.#$
"So, he's coming in today?"
"Right, Chiharu. I'm glad someone was listening when I told you guys that yesterday." He said, eyeing Rika and Naoko, who scowled pitifully.
She grinned at him. "I'm so curious! I can't wait to meet him."
Naoko leaned towards Eriol a bit with a sparkle in her eyes. "Say, is he........ya know........hot?"
Eriol gave her a clearly disturbed look and I couldn't help but snort at it, which caused Eriol to turn on me. "Something funny, Sakura?"
"Maybe."
"Do you think it's funny that Naoko just asked me if I consider my MALE COUSIN hot?"
I smirked while everyone else just laughed. "Well, apparently I'm not the only one."
Then Tomoyo nudged him. "Well? Is he? Huh? Huh?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
He groaned and put his head on the desk. "Not you too."
"I'm just kidding! But I'm curious about him too. Give us some details."
I rolled my eyes. All I needed to know was that they thought that Eriol's cousin and me would make a 'cute couple'. Blech. I've never had a boyfriend, I'm still a virgin, and I've never been kissed...
Well, not that I know of. There were a few times in the past when I was too intoxicated to remember what I'd done.
So, while they blabbered on, I looked out the window. Blue sky, sunny days, and a few picture perfect clouds.
Oh, goody. The world looks like it's all sunshine and lollipops. For one, sun will cause you to get skin cancer and lollipops are really bad if they're sugar-free. And if they aren't, they're bad for your health.
My thoughts quickly drifted to the sudden craving I had for a cigarette. So, I got up and proceeded to walk out of the classroom, receiving questioning looks from my friends.
"Miss Kinomoto! Where do you think you're going?"
"Outside."
"I'm afraid I can't permit you to leave class without a pass."
"Give me 15 minutes and I'll be back." I snapped.
"Class is starting as soon as that bell rings, which is in 1 minute!"
"Then I'll be late for class. See ya."
I slammed the door on her protests and walked down the hall, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket as I went.
I walked outside to find a guy smoking a joint. He looked like he was real high in the clouds, so I just walked right past him, until he spoke to me. "Hey, you're Sakura Kinomoto, aren't you?"
I stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "Yeah."
He smirked and took another drag off his joint. "I hear you used to deal drugs last year."
"What are you getting at?"
"You still got some? I'm getting low on supply, and I thought you might at least know somebody who's got some good stuff."
"I don't do that shit anymore, and half the dealers I did business with got caught, and I don't know where the others are."
"So, you don't do that shit anymore, huh? But I see that you still manage to get some cigs." He gestured to the one I was holding in my hand. "I know you're underage. Who'd you get those from?"
I grit my teeth and did my best to hold back and not punch the guy's face out. "I used a fake ID"
"Hmm. Whatever."
When it was obvious he wasn't going to say anything else, I glared at him and walked over to one of the benches and lit my cigarette. I took a long drag and relaxed into the cold seat.
It wasn't like this hadn't happened before. Plenty of people thought I still did drugs, and I don't blame them. I'm pretty screwed up for just being a sophomore.
Potheads asked me to deal to them or tell them who to go to. I never did.
Preps and judgmentals called me a druggie behind my back when they thought I couldn't hear them. But they don't realize that they whisper real fucking loud.
I actually got a 3-day suspension for knocking out this one chick who told me I was a "druggie bitch who needed to get laid so that I would relax and stop being such a freak."
In reply, I told her that she could "go fuck herself and all her little preppy slut-wannabe friends, then maybe SHE could relax and learn that she's the one who's going to end up a crack whore on the streets."
Then I punched her lights out.
I looked down at my cigarette again. I really hated my life. But you know what the sad part was? I didn't even know why. I guess I was just sick of living. Sure, my friends are interesting and all, but it's just so routine. I need something different. Maybe some traveling or something.
I shrugged my shoulders, then stood up and stomped out my cigarette. As I walked back to class, I fleetingly wondered if maybe Eriol's cousin would add some spice.
Then I thought 'Eh, fuck it, who cares?'
The rest of the day went pretty normally. I was informed that I was going to have to stay 15 minutes after school because of my tardiness. I shrugged and gave my usual reply of "Whatever."
And that's where I am now. 5 more minutes and I'm outta here. I'd rather be making out with Eriol's currently unknown cousin than have to sit around here. (a/n- Wouldn't we all......)
I sighed and watched as the clock ticked in its painfully slow rhythm.
~~~~~Eriol~~~~ #$Normal P.O.V.#$
Tomoyo groaned. "Sakura, dear, I love you, I do, but must you always be a bad-ass?"
Chiharu patted her shoulder in comfort. "Of course, otherwise she wouldn't be the authentic, I'm-gonna-kick-your-ass-or-rip-it-off-your-body Sakura that we've come to love."
Tomoyo grinned. "That pretty much said it all."
Eriol shook his head, then took out his cell phone and dialed the home number, then waited for an answer.
"Hello?"
"Syaoran?"
"No, I'm a stalker in your apartment going through your underwear drawer." Was the sarcastic answer.
"Oh, well, tell me then, which one do you think is sexier, the black leather boxers or the red g-string?"
Everyone but Tomoyo gave him a curiously disgusted look. Tomoyo just grinned. "Black boxers, definitely."
"Eriol, please don't ever make me think about that again."
"Sure. Well, I'm glad to see Nakuru didn't forget you. Was she late?"
"Nope, she was right on time. She also tells me that you're bringing your friends over today, right?"
"Right. That's okay with you, isn't it? Because if you're tired from jet lag, they could just come another day."
"No, that's fine. It'll be good to know somebody besides you tomorrow."
Eriol grinned. "Great. Hey, where's Nakuru right now?"
"At the grocery store getting ingredients for a chocolate cake."
"Oh, goody."
"Do you even know how to bake a cake?"
"By following the directions on the box?"
"You guys must be eating out a lot."
"Oh, I can tell that this is gonna be a fun year, Syaoran. Well, we'll be there soon, so if you've been partying too hard, clean up now."
"Well, I better get started so that you guys don't slip on the vodka I spilled."
"All right. See ya in a few."
"Bye."
Eriol turned off his phone, then looked back at the rest of the group. "He says it's still fine for you guys to come."
"That's nice, but, uh...Eriol, dare I ask what your conversation had to do with bondage-type underwear?" asked Chiharu, who looked a little queasy.
"Long story."
"Don't make it short for us, please!"
He put his hands on his hips and glared. "What? You don't think that I would look good in leather boxers or a g-string?"
"Boy, I'm glad I missed that conversation."
Everyone turned around to see Sakura staring at Eriol like he was dressed as a dancing girl. "I don't even wanna know. Let's just go and meet your cousin. I've gotta cook dinner tonight, so let's hurry."
Everyone walked along peacefully, listening to Naoko and Yamazaki argue over how horror stories came into existence.
But after a while, they had reached Eriol's apartment, where he noticed; Nakuru's car was gone from the parking lot.
After they were in front of the apartment, Eriol took out his key to unlock the door, but instead Syaoran opened the door expectantly. "Hey."
Eriol smiled. "Syaoran, how was your flight?"
"There was a hyper 5-year-old sitting behind me. Do I need to continue?"
"No. Well, come on in, everyone."
Syaoran opened the door fully and everyone walked in, Sakura being the last. When she entered, she turned to look at the mysterious cousin she'd heard about, and he did the same.
They exchanged a neutral glance and Syaoran gave a small nod in her direction, which she returned.
"Well, Syaoran, this is Chiharu, Yamazaki, Sakura, Rika, Naoko, and of course, Tomoyo." He said, gesturing to each person, and flashing an extra grin to Tomoyo, who rolled her eyes playfully.
Syaoran gave a small smile. "It's nice to meet you all."
They all smiled, save Sakura and muttered small replies, then Naoko immediately burst out the first of a long string of questions.
"So, is Hong Kong really as glamorous and violent as they say it is?"
Syaoran looked surprised at the bluntness of the question. "Not really. It's more violent than some places, yeah, but it's not exactly 'Grand Theft Auto' or anything. At least not from what I've seen."
Tomoyo smiled sweetly at him. "It's nice to finally meet you. We've all been looking forward to meeting this mysterious cousin of Eriol's."
"It's nice to finally meet the wonderful Tomoyo I've heard so much about from Eriol."
Eriol's face tinged red and he snuck a shy glance at Tomoyo, who smiled. "You flatter me."
Then he turned his gaze on the bored Sakura. "So, you're Sakura."
She met his curious gaze with an intense one of her own. "And you're my 'match.'"
He snorted. "Oh no, did they tell you that too?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I think you should be careful. They like to manipulate people into thinking strange things."
"Have you been a victim thus far?"
"Not yet. As long as I'm still smarter than them, I'm fine."
"It shouldn't take too much effort to be smarter than Eriol, but Tomoyo might be the one with the evil plans here."
She eyed Tomoyo, who smiled like the Cheshire cat.
"I have my suspicions about her too." Then she turned her head towards Eriol. "Hey, do you have anything to drink?"
"Sure. There's some sodas in the fridge."
She muttered quick thanks and walked into the kitchen. Syaoran quirked an eyebrow at him. "Well, we might hook up to plan your untimely demise or something, but other than that, I don't think that either one of us see too much of a dating future."
"Untimely demise?"
Tomoyo patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "Try not to think about it. You might have nightmares."
"Wow, I feel much better now."
She giggled and smiled serenely at Syaoran. "Give it some time, you might be surprised what kind of effect a few weeks time can have on a relationship."
Suddenly, Syaoran found himself face-to-face with Yamazaki. "Speaking of time, did you happen to know that time was inv -"
He was cut off quickly by Chiharu's hand clamping his mouth shut. "You'll have to forgive him, he has a bad habit of telling stories that AREN'T TRUE." She said, glaring heatedly at the poor male in her grasp.
A muffled chuckle came from Yamazaki, and the group burst into laughter.
"You'll get used to it after awhile, considering they go through this routine EVERY. DAY." commented Rika sarcastically.
"So, do you think you're gonna miss your friends in Hong Kong?" asked Naoko.
"Not really......." He said, trailing off uncomfortably.
Eriol eyed him skeptically. "Be honest, Syaoran, are you gonna miss anything about Hong Kong?"
Syaoran grinned and shook his head. "Nope. I am finally FREE!"
Yamazaki gave him a sound slap on the back and nodded. "Right on! And now you can go with us to raves and clubs and wild frat parties!"
"Uh................"
Chiharu growled in frustration. "Yamazaki is lying, again. We don't go to clubs because we're not old enough."
Naoko continued for her. "We don't go to raves because there's no good place to have them around here."
Everyone blinked in confusion, then Naoko laughed nervously. "I was just kidding, guys! We don't go to raves because 1- we're not invited. 2- Our parents would kill us. Syaoran, Sakura, and Eriol are the only ones who could do that without getting into any trouble."
Tomoyo nodded. "Yeah, you 2 could do it because Nakuru's not exactly the responsible adult type. Hell, she'd probably be going too, so she could give you a ride."
Eriol nodded in agreement. "Wouldn't surprise me."
"And Sakura could get away with it because her dad is out of town half the time, and she knows how to sneak out without getting caught."
Suddenly Rika stood up and slipped her jacket back on. "I gotta go guys. Mom's gonna freak if I'm not home soon. She probably thinks that I was kidnapped, raped by numerous men, and now I'm crying my eyes out in a cold, deserted alley all by myself without a friend in the world."
Naoko snorted. "Probably. I guess we should all get going. It was nice meeting you, Syaoran. Oh, can I call you Syaoran? Or should I use Li?"
"Syaoran's fine. I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Oh, good, so you are coming to school. See you then!"
Tomoyo smiled. "I'm gonna wait for Sakura, so I'll see ya later."
"See ya then!" said Rika with a dramatic wave before closing the door behind her.
"Where is Sakura, anyway?" asked Eriol.
"Right here. I was just having so much fun watching your conversation that I just couldn't interrupt."
The other 3 looked up to see Sakura standing in the doorway of the kitchen sipping a soda calmly.
Then she walked to the door and slung her bag over her shoulder. "C'mon, Tomoyo, let's get going. I need to stop and buy a pack of cigs before I go home, do you mind?"
"I thought I told you to quit."
"You did."
Tomoyo sighed and shook her head. "You'll get cancer."
"Or I could live to the ripe old age of 100 and become the little old lady who sits outside on her porch swing smoking all day and throws sharp objects at innocent children who walk by."
"If you keep it up, you might actually live to the ripe old age of 30, is more like it."
Sakura rolled her eyes and walked out the door. "You coming or not?"
Tomoyo nodded. "Somehow I always end up going with you anyway." She picked up her bag and gave the 2 boys a small wave. "Nice meeting you, Syaoran. See you 2 tomorrow!"
"It was nice meeting you both!"
Sakura gave a small nod, then slammed the door harshly behind her.
"She smokes?"
Eriol nodded. "Yep. Has been for a while."
"Oh. How old is she?"
"Old enough that she has to get them illegally, if that's what you mean. She's 15, but she'll be 16 soon enough. She's a dark one, but she didn't have a nice past. It's good that the only thing she smokes is cigarettes now. It used to be much worse. She was a dealer at one point, but it's not my place to really say anything else."
"And how do you know all this?"
"Tomoyo. I wanted to know about Sakura's past, so she told me."
"She just told you?"
"Oh, well, I had to sleep with her first, but-"
"What?!"
"I'm kidding! Actually, she accidentally let it slip one day, and that's the only reason I know. I don't know anything else about Sakura's past except that her mother died when she was younger and she lives with her brother and father now."
"Oh."
Before the conversation could continue, the phone rang shrilly. Eriol picked it up quickly. "Hello?"
After a few seconds, he turned to Syaoran. "It's Meiling, she wants to talk to you."
Syaoran paled and shook his head fiercely. "No!"
"Just kidding. It's Nakuru. She's getting take-out. You can go and take a nap if you want. Oh, and she picked up your school uniform on the way too."
"Okay. I think I'll go ahead and take that nap. Wake me up for dinner though."
"I will."
Syaoran wandered back into his room and flopped down on the bed. 'Well, so far, so good. I guess I'm just playing it by ear from now on. But, still, I have freedom now! No more chains and restraints!'
He grinned happily at the thought.
'And best of all, no clingy, insane female family members........'
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Well, that's the longest chapter yet! Sorry that the some of the dialogue was just 'blah', but I'll try to make up for it by updating faster (I hope).
Goodbye for now, lovely readers and reviewers!
And please review!
You know you want to.......
Ok, now that I have your attention, I thought I'd let you know that I now have my own xanga page. Xanga is basically a weblog type of thing, for those who don't know. But anyway, I'm using my page to post which story I'm gonna update next, chapter progress, new ideas, etc.
So, if you want to know when I'll be updating again, CHECK THE PAGE! There's a link to it on my author profile where it says 'Homepage'. Click on the link and you'll find all you need to know!
Ok, now we can get to the review replies:
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. Hey again! ^^ I'm really sorry about the slow updates, but you guys seem to be pretty patient about it! Thanks so much for your patience with the updates in this story! Now, for the review replies:
Linda-liu – Thank u! (and mucho thanx for reviewing most of my other stories!)
Lonely Tear – Yeah, this is my angsty fic of the bunch. I hate family photos too, especially if EVERYONE in your family wants a picture. Geez, people, just take them at the same time! Anyways, thanks so much! And sorry about the slow update pace......
EdgeOfChaos – Aww, thank you! That's so sweet! Sorry about the slow updates! (you may have to get used to hearing this from me......*hangs head in shame*)
Lavenda – I like ur pen name! Thanks for your comment, but I bet that you have a ton of talent! I'll check out ur stories sometime!
Kawaii Bunnii – Well, it might not be as exciting as you think it's gonna be, but I hope u still like it! Thanks for ur review!
Cherryblossomprincess – Thank you! Sorry 'bout the slow updating!
DitzyLemon37 – Thank you so much! I hope it DOES turn out to be a great story that'd be a dream come true. It's just a dream for now, though!
SweetBabyGurl – Well, this chapter goes back to the darker themes of Sakura, and a little more is revealed about her. Syaoran's pretty much gonna stay normal for the most part. He's much nicer here though, but still kinda shy. I'm sorry it took sooooooooo long to update (again, but I'm afraid I probably won't be much faster in my next update *sweatdrop* But I WILL update eventually!), but thanx so much for another long review! *huggles* .
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Anyway, not many notes on this chapter. However, I should warn you, S+S are NOT going to like each other much at first, but their not going to hate each other either. They're going to start off with a neutral relationship. It's not gonna be a story where they meet and all the sudden their in love the next week. But, no worries, in the end, they'll like each other......maybe.
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Where Ends Will Meet
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~~~~~~~~Early Morning at Eriol's apartment~~~~~~~#$Normal P.O.V.#$
"Okay, Nakuru, you know what to do, right? And your not gonna forget?"
"Of course not! I promise not to forget Syaoran!"
"Just to make sure, I'm going to the tactic of bribery. If you remember to pick Syaoran up AND tell him that my friends are coming over after school to meet him, I'll cook you a big chocolate cake as a reward."
"Really?!"
"Uh-huh."
"I won't forget!"
"Remember! You have to pick him up ON TIME!!!, then tell him about everyone coming over today. Got it?"
Nakuru sighed heavily and waved her hand around in the air. "Yes, I get it! You're such a control freak! Geez."
"Right." Eriol rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm off to school." He said dully, then walked out the door in his uniform.
After he'd gotten down the steps from the apartment, he looked back up at the building. "I give her exactly 10 minutes before she forgets."
~~~~~A few hours later~~~~~
Nakuru bounced around the apartment singing to the radio as she put away her laundry. Then she looked up at the clock, which read 9:32.
She tapped her chin with her finger and her eyebrows creased as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "Wasn't I supposed to do something right now?"
Then her favorite song came on the radio, and she quickly dismissed the thought. "Nah, I didn't have anything to do."
A few minutes later, she flipped on the TV to check what was on and a picture of downtown Hong Kong popped up on the screen, and something finally clicked in Nakuru's brain. "Hong Kong........Li Clan...Syaoran........coming to visit! Shit! I totally forgot!"
She hurriedly flipped off everything and rushed out the door to get to the airport.
~~~~Airport- 10:25~~~~~
Syaoran checked his watch once again. 'I bet she forgot. Man, what were the elders thinking when they gave Nakuru the responsibility of being Eriol's guardian?'
Suddenly, he heard an ear-piercing scream behind him. "SYYYYYYYYAAAAAAORANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He winced, then wished that she had forgotten him so he wouldn't have to be so embarrassed at the current moment.
But, there she was, scrambling towards him frantically. "Syaoran! I'm so sorry! I lost track of time! C'mon, let's grab your bags and go out to the car."
She grabbed one of his suitcases and started walking briskly, hauling the heavy luggage behind her, with a dumbfounded Syaoran left with nothing to do but follow behind.
After they had loaded all the bags into the car, they sat down inside and after a few minutes, they were cruising along silently.
"So, Syaoran, did you have a good flight?"
"Yeah. It went good."
"That's nice. So, looking forward to your stay?"
"Yeah."
"Great." She said, nodding and tapping her fingers against the wheel. "So, got a girlfriend yet? Besides Meiling, I mean."
"Meiling doesn't let me get close enough to anyone else of the female species to have a girlfriend."
Nakuru snorted. "Poor you. That's too bad, cause I'm sure there are plenty of girls that like you. You're a very attractive guy."
"Is this supposed to be a pep talk?"
"No. I'm just saying you're very cute."
"Uh...thanks?"
"Sure. Actually, why don't you give me a call in a few years?" she asked, winking quickly at him in the mirror.
Syaoran froze. 'Nakuru as a girlfriend? Oh god, I'd probably die from exhaustion on the second day.'
She saw his distress and laughed. "I'm kidding. But there are lots of cute girls here. But To-mo-yoooooooo is off limits!" she sang happily.
"I've heard."
"That's right! Cuz' Eriol likes her! And I think she likes him! She called one time and we talked for a while, but Eriol doesn't need to know that! I haven't met her yet, but I've seen her in pictures."
"Yeah, Eriol sent me a picture of everybody."
"I've only met Yamazaki. But everyone else looks nice too. I believe that Sakura, Naoko, and Rika are available if you're interested.........."
"Eriol said that he thinks I'd like Sakura."
"She sounds like an interesting character. Supposedly she's like a tortured artist or something."
"Well, Eriol seems to have managed to make some interesting friends."
When he got no reply from Nakuru, he looked over to see that her face was screwed up in concentration. "Nakuru?"
"There was something I was supposed to tell you."
"And what is it?"
"I'm trying to remember. But it had something to do with Eriol's friends."
"Okay."
There was silence for a few minutes until she finally gasped in realization. "Oh yeah, they're coming over to meet you today after school!"
"They are? All of them?"
She nodded. "Yah."
"Oh."
She smiled proudly. "Ha! Chocolate cake, here I come!"
Syaoran turned to look at her with worried eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Eriol said that if I remembered to come pick you up on time and tell you about his friends coming over, then he'd bake me a big chocolate cake!"
"But you didn't come pick me up on time." He said coyly.
She blinked, then smiled sweetly at him. "You won't tell him that, will you?"
"For a price, I won't."
"What do you want?"
"1/4 of the chocolate cake."
"A fourth?!"
"Take it or leave it. Eriol will trust what I tell him."
She glared at him in the mirror and pouted. "Fine, ¼."
"Deal. Now, I think I'm gonna catch up on some lost sleep, so if you turn on music, keep the volume down." He said, leaning back into the car seat with his eyes closed.
Nakuru smiled, then turned down the volume knob to what she thought of as low volume, and flipped on the radio.
Syaoran bolted up away from the back of the car seat. "TURN IT DOWN!"
"It IS down!"
He quickly lowered it down to where it was what normal non-deaf humans considered low volume. "Geez, Nakuru, at this rate, it's a wonder your not deaf."
"Hey! Turn it back up, I can hardly hear that."
"Ya know what? I think I've got a solution to our problems."
"And what's that? You'll turn it back up to where I can hear it again?"
"No. I'll do this." He said as he reached over and quickly turned the radio off.
"I wanted to listen to something!"
"Gimme a break. I just went on a 14-hour flight with a really bad in flight movie, and I sat in front of a little kid who kicked my seat every 2 freakin' seconds! I think I deserve some rest!"
"Yeah, maybe you won't be so cranky if you get a nap."
"Shut up and drive."
"As long as it'll help your horrid mood......"
Syaoran grunted, then closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat for a peaceful nap.
~~~~Half an hour later~~~~
"Geez, and I thought I was the one that was hard to wake up."
Nakuru poked Syaoran for the umpteenth time and watched to see if he showed any signs of being alive. "Syaoran? Did you die?"
Nakuru shook him lightly. "Syaoran! Wake up!"
Syaoran's reply was to turn his head to the other side. Finally, Nakuru shook him back and forth against the seat. "YO! SYAORAN! WAAAAAAAAAAKKKEEEEEE UUPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!"
His eyes snapped open and he took in a deep breath of air. "What?!"
Nakuru immediately released him and gave him a million-watt smile. "Oh, good you're awake."
He glared at her, but she just couldn't be phased. "Come on, get the rest of your bags and let's head up to the apartment."
Syaoran took a deep breath and shook his head, then followed Nakuru sullenly up to the apartment.
She showed him to his room, where he set his bags down and looked around curiously. "Not too shabby."
It wasn't anything special, just the regular cream colored walls with one window that faced the small town. There was a TV/VCR combo set on top of a plain brown table and a small desk near the window.
He looked around a bit more and saw a closet door beside an old mahogany dresser. Yeah, he could live with this. His main concern was adjusting to the new people.
He set his bags down, then flopped down on the bed, deciding to unpack later, and flipped on the TV. He smiled to himself as he flipped through the channels. 'Finally, a little freedom..........'
~~~~~School~~~~~#$Sakura P.O.V.#$
"So, he's coming in today?"
"Right, Chiharu. I'm glad someone was listening when I told you guys that yesterday." He said, eyeing Rika and Naoko, who scowled pitifully.
She grinned at him. "I'm so curious! I can't wait to meet him."
Naoko leaned towards Eriol a bit with a sparkle in her eyes. "Say, is he........ya know........hot?"
Eriol gave her a clearly disturbed look and I couldn't help but snort at it, which caused Eriol to turn on me. "Something funny, Sakura?"
"Maybe."
"Do you think it's funny that Naoko just asked me if I consider my MALE COUSIN hot?"
I smirked while everyone else just laughed. "Well, apparently I'm not the only one."
Then Tomoyo nudged him. "Well? Is he? Huh? Huh?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
He groaned and put his head on the desk. "Not you too."
"I'm just kidding! But I'm curious about him too. Give us some details."
I rolled my eyes. All I needed to know was that they thought that Eriol's cousin and me would make a 'cute couple'. Blech. I've never had a boyfriend, I'm still a virgin, and I've never been kissed...
Well, not that I know of. There were a few times in the past when I was too intoxicated to remember what I'd done.
So, while they blabbered on, I looked out the window. Blue sky, sunny days, and a few picture perfect clouds.
Oh, goody. The world looks like it's all sunshine and lollipops. For one, sun will cause you to get skin cancer and lollipops are really bad if they're sugar-free. And if they aren't, they're bad for your health.
My thoughts quickly drifted to the sudden craving I had for a cigarette. So, I got up and proceeded to walk out of the classroom, receiving questioning looks from my friends.
"Miss Kinomoto! Where do you think you're going?"
"Outside."
"I'm afraid I can't permit you to leave class without a pass."
"Give me 15 minutes and I'll be back." I snapped.
"Class is starting as soon as that bell rings, which is in 1 minute!"
"Then I'll be late for class. See ya."
I slammed the door on her protests and walked down the hall, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket as I went.
I walked outside to find a guy smoking a joint. He looked like he was real high in the clouds, so I just walked right past him, until he spoke to me. "Hey, you're Sakura Kinomoto, aren't you?"
I stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "Yeah."
He smirked and took another drag off his joint. "I hear you used to deal drugs last year."
"What are you getting at?"
"You still got some? I'm getting low on supply, and I thought you might at least know somebody who's got some good stuff."
"I don't do that shit anymore, and half the dealers I did business with got caught, and I don't know where the others are."
"So, you don't do that shit anymore, huh? But I see that you still manage to get some cigs." He gestured to the one I was holding in my hand. "I know you're underage. Who'd you get those from?"
I grit my teeth and did my best to hold back and not punch the guy's face out. "I used a fake ID"
"Hmm. Whatever."
When it was obvious he wasn't going to say anything else, I glared at him and walked over to one of the benches and lit my cigarette. I took a long drag and relaxed into the cold seat.
It wasn't like this hadn't happened before. Plenty of people thought I still did drugs, and I don't blame them. I'm pretty screwed up for just being a sophomore.
Potheads asked me to deal to them or tell them who to go to. I never did.
Preps and judgmentals called me a druggie behind my back when they thought I couldn't hear them. But they don't realize that they whisper real fucking loud.
I actually got a 3-day suspension for knocking out this one chick who told me I was a "druggie bitch who needed to get laid so that I would relax and stop being such a freak."
In reply, I told her that she could "go fuck herself and all her little preppy slut-wannabe friends, then maybe SHE could relax and learn that she's the one who's going to end up a crack whore on the streets."
Then I punched her lights out.
I looked down at my cigarette again. I really hated my life. But you know what the sad part was? I didn't even know why. I guess I was just sick of living. Sure, my friends are interesting and all, but it's just so routine. I need something different. Maybe some traveling or something.
I shrugged my shoulders, then stood up and stomped out my cigarette. As I walked back to class, I fleetingly wondered if maybe Eriol's cousin would add some spice.
Then I thought 'Eh, fuck it, who cares?'
The rest of the day went pretty normally. I was informed that I was going to have to stay 15 minutes after school because of my tardiness. I shrugged and gave my usual reply of "Whatever."
And that's where I am now. 5 more minutes and I'm outta here. I'd rather be making out with Eriol's currently unknown cousin than have to sit around here. (a/n- Wouldn't we all......)
I sighed and watched as the clock ticked in its painfully slow rhythm.
~~~~~Eriol~~~~ #$Normal P.O.V.#$
Tomoyo groaned. "Sakura, dear, I love you, I do, but must you always be a bad-ass?"
Chiharu patted her shoulder in comfort. "Of course, otherwise she wouldn't be the authentic, I'm-gonna-kick-your-ass-or-rip-it-off-your-body Sakura that we've come to love."
Tomoyo grinned. "That pretty much said it all."
Eriol shook his head, then took out his cell phone and dialed the home number, then waited for an answer.
"Hello?"
"Syaoran?"
"No, I'm a stalker in your apartment going through your underwear drawer." Was the sarcastic answer.
"Oh, well, tell me then, which one do you think is sexier, the black leather boxers or the red g-string?"
Everyone but Tomoyo gave him a curiously disgusted look. Tomoyo just grinned. "Black boxers, definitely."
"Eriol, please don't ever make me think about that again."
"Sure. Well, I'm glad to see Nakuru didn't forget you. Was she late?"
"Nope, she was right on time. She also tells me that you're bringing your friends over today, right?"
"Right. That's okay with you, isn't it? Because if you're tired from jet lag, they could just come another day."
"No, that's fine. It'll be good to know somebody besides you tomorrow."
Eriol grinned. "Great. Hey, where's Nakuru right now?"
"At the grocery store getting ingredients for a chocolate cake."
"Oh, goody."
"Do you even know how to bake a cake?"
"By following the directions on the box?"
"You guys must be eating out a lot."
"Oh, I can tell that this is gonna be a fun year, Syaoran. Well, we'll be there soon, so if you've been partying too hard, clean up now."
"Well, I better get started so that you guys don't slip on the vodka I spilled."
"All right. See ya in a few."
"Bye."
Eriol turned off his phone, then looked back at the rest of the group. "He says it's still fine for you guys to come."
"That's nice, but, uh...Eriol, dare I ask what your conversation had to do with bondage-type underwear?" asked Chiharu, who looked a little queasy.
"Long story."
"Don't make it short for us, please!"
He put his hands on his hips and glared. "What? You don't think that I would look good in leather boxers or a g-string?"
"Boy, I'm glad I missed that conversation."
Everyone turned around to see Sakura staring at Eriol like he was dressed as a dancing girl. "I don't even wanna know. Let's just go and meet your cousin. I've gotta cook dinner tonight, so let's hurry."
Everyone walked along peacefully, listening to Naoko and Yamazaki argue over how horror stories came into existence.
But after a while, they had reached Eriol's apartment, where he noticed; Nakuru's car was gone from the parking lot.
After they were in front of the apartment, Eriol took out his key to unlock the door, but instead Syaoran opened the door expectantly. "Hey."
Eriol smiled. "Syaoran, how was your flight?"
"There was a hyper 5-year-old sitting behind me. Do I need to continue?"
"No. Well, come on in, everyone."
Syaoran opened the door fully and everyone walked in, Sakura being the last. When she entered, she turned to look at the mysterious cousin she'd heard about, and he did the same.
They exchanged a neutral glance and Syaoran gave a small nod in her direction, which she returned.
"Well, Syaoran, this is Chiharu, Yamazaki, Sakura, Rika, Naoko, and of course, Tomoyo." He said, gesturing to each person, and flashing an extra grin to Tomoyo, who rolled her eyes playfully.
Syaoran gave a small smile. "It's nice to meet you all."
They all smiled, save Sakura and muttered small replies, then Naoko immediately burst out the first of a long string of questions.
"So, is Hong Kong really as glamorous and violent as they say it is?"
Syaoran looked surprised at the bluntness of the question. "Not really. It's more violent than some places, yeah, but it's not exactly 'Grand Theft Auto' or anything. At least not from what I've seen."
Tomoyo smiled sweetly at him. "It's nice to finally meet you. We've all been looking forward to meeting this mysterious cousin of Eriol's."
"It's nice to finally meet the wonderful Tomoyo I've heard so much about from Eriol."
Eriol's face tinged red and he snuck a shy glance at Tomoyo, who smiled. "You flatter me."
Then he turned his gaze on the bored Sakura. "So, you're Sakura."
She met his curious gaze with an intense one of her own. "And you're my 'match.'"
He snorted. "Oh no, did they tell you that too?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I think you should be careful. They like to manipulate people into thinking strange things."
"Have you been a victim thus far?"
"Not yet. As long as I'm still smarter than them, I'm fine."
"It shouldn't take too much effort to be smarter than Eriol, but Tomoyo might be the one with the evil plans here."
She eyed Tomoyo, who smiled like the Cheshire cat.
"I have my suspicions about her too." Then she turned her head towards Eriol. "Hey, do you have anything to drink?"
"Sure. There's some sodas in the fridge."
She muttered quick thanks and walked into the kitchen. Syaoran quirked an eyebrow at him. "Well, we might hook up to plan your untimely demise or something, but other than that, I don't think that either one of us see too much of a dating future."
"Untimely demise?"
Tomoyo patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "Try not to think about it. You might have nightmares."
"Wow, I feel much better now."
She giggled and smiled serenely at Syaoran. "Give it some time, you might be surprised what kind of effect a few weeks time can have on a relationship."
Suddenly, Syaoran found himself face-to-face with Yamazaki. "Speaking of time, did you happen to know that time was inv -"
He was cut off quickly by Chiharu's hand clamping his mouth shut. "You'll have to forgive him, he has a bad habit of telling stories that AREN'T TRUE." She said, glaring heatedly at the poor male in her grasp.
A muffled chuckle came from Yamazaki, and the group burst into laughter.
"You'll get used to it after awhile, considering they go through this routine EVERY. DAY." commented Rika sarcastically.
"So, do you think you're gonna miss your friends in Hong Kong?" asked Naoko.
"Not really......." He said, trailing off uncomfortably.
Eriol eyed him skeptically. "Be honest, Syaoran, are you gonna miss anything about Hong Kong?"
Syaoran grinned and shook his head. "Nope. I am finally FREE!"
Yamazaki gave him a sound slap on the back and nodded. "Right on! And now you can go with us to raves and clubs and wild frat parties!"
"Uh................"
Chiharu growled in frustration. "Yamazaki is lying, again. We don't go to clubs because we're not old enough."
Naoko continued for her. "We don't go to raves because there's no good place to have them around here."
Everyone blinked in confusion, then Naoko laughed nervously. "I was just kidding, guys! We don't go to raves because 1- we're not invited. 2- Our parents would kill us. Syaoran, Sakura, and Eriol are the only ones who could do that without getting into any trouble."
Tomoyo nodded. "Yeah, you 2 could do it because Nakuru's not exactly the responsible adult type. Hell, she'd probably be going too, so she could give you a ride."
Eriol nodded in agreement. "Wouldn't surprise me."
"And Sakura could get away with it because her dad is out of town half the time, and she knows how to sneak out without getting caught."
Suddenly Rika stood up and slipped her jacket back on. "I gotta go guys. Mom's gonna freak if I'm not home soon. She probably thinks that I was kidnapped, raped by numerous men, and now I'm crying my eyes out in a cold, deserted alley all by myself without a friend in the world."
Naoko snorted. "Probably. I guess we should all get going. It was nice meeting you, Syaoran. Oh, can I call you Syaoran? Or should I use Li?"
"Syaoran's fine. I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Oh, good, so you are coming to school. See you then!"
Tomoyo smiled. "I'm gonna wait for Sakura, so I'll see ya later."
"See ya then!" said Rika with a dramatic wave before closing the door behind her.
"Where is Sakura, anyway?" asked Eriol.
"Right here. I was just having so much fun watching your conversation that I just couldn't interrupt."
The other 3 looked up to see Sakura standing in the doorway of the kitchen sipping a soda calmly.
Then she walked to the door and slung her bag over her shoulder. "C'mon, Tomoyo, let's get going. I need to stop and buy a pack of cigs before I go home, do you mind?"
"I thought I told you to quit."
"You did."
Tomoyo sighed and shook her head. "You'll get cancer."
"Or I could live to the ripe old age of 100 and become the little old lady who sits outside on her porch swing smoking all day and throws sharp objects at innocent children who walk by."
"If you keep it up, you might actually live to the ripe old age of 30, is more like it."
Sakura rolled her eyes and walked out the door. "You coming or not?"
Tomoyo nodded. "Somehow I always end up going with you anyway." She picked up her bag and gave the 2 boys a small wave. "Nice meeting you, Syaoran. See you 2 tomorrow!"
"It was nice meeting you both!"
Sakura gave a small nod, then slammed the door harshly behind her.
"She smokes?"
Eriol nodded. "Yep. Has been for a while."
"Oh. How old is she?"
"Old enough that she has to get them illegally, if that's what you mean. She's 15, but she'll be 16 soon enough. She's a dark one, but she didn't have a nice past. It's good that the only thing she smokes is cigarettes now. It used to be much worse. She was a dealer at one point, but it's not my place to really say anything else."
"And how do you know all this?"
"Tomoyo. I wanted to know about Sakura's past, so she told me."
"She just told you?"
"Oh, well, I had to sleep with her first, but-"
"What?!"
"I'm kidding! Actually, she accidentally let it slip one day, and that's the only reason I know. I don't know anything else about Sakura's past except that her mother died when she was younger and she lives with her brother and father now."
"Oh."
Before the conversation could continue, the phone rang shrilly. Eriol picked it up quickly. "Hello?"
After a few seconds, he turned to Syaoran. "It's Meiling, she wants to talk to you."
Syaoran paled and shook his head fiercely. "No!"
"Just kidding. It's Nakuru. She's getting take-out. You can go and take a nap if you want. Oh, and she picked up your school uniform on the way too."
"Okay. I think I'll go ahead and take that nap. Wake me up for dinner though."
"I will."
Syaoran wandered back into his room and flopped down on the bed. 'Well, so far, so good. I guess I'm just playing it by ear from now on. But, still, I have freedom now! No more chains and restraints!'
He grinned happily at the thought.
'And best of all, no clingy, insane female family members........'
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Well, that's the longest chapter yet! Sorry that the some of the dialogue was just 'blah', but I'll try to make up for it by updating faster (I hope).
Goodbye for now, lovely readers and reviewers!
And please review!
You know you want to.......