The Reconciliation

By Chan Yoruyamatiha

Sorewa Bonsaku...

Thanks for everyone who reviewed my birthday chapter! ^_^ It was a great present from you all who did. *Smiles* I had a great time at my party; boy did we crash that restaurant!!! LOL!!

Michael: Thanks for getting online so early to tell me happy birthday! ^^ It really made my day. There's pictures from the party in your email... I really wish you coulda been there... :( Love you too.

Michael II: Ahhh you hit the review button twice!! lmao

Kikoken: *Chan brushes sprinkles and confetti out of hair* Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Thank u thank u! ^^ I had a great birthday and I'm glad you liked that last chapter; it was so romantic at the beginning! Mitsukake isn't being to shy now, ne? Damn... Wish I got that much attention from guys... *Sulks off*

DeNice: Yayayayayay you reviewed... you pulled away from the game to review...! AHHHHH!!! *Gets emotional and cries* Anyway, Mitsukake Kagatoshi has a message for Darrell as well... "AHHH DAMN YOU GET AWAY FROM SAKURA YOU LITTLE GIRL!!!!!! AND BY THE WAY I SLEPT QUITE SOUNDLY LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!" Okay.... Mitsu, I'm starting to wonder about you...

Jami: AHH I think you said my last name right! AHHH~!! lmao anyways don't worry about that. I had a nice party night with a bunch of friends and a skateboard dude who was skating and doing stunts and crap. *Gets on skateboard and falls off* Wheeeeeeeeeee ow. X,X

Fle- ^-^ Arigatou gozaimasu! I wish I had your Creative Writing class... They'd have to drag me out of that class every day if I could write about whatever I wanted to! ^.^ Glad you like the fic, in this one it's getting a little more friction. Everything's not running so smoothly now... .

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DISCLAIMER: I own no one but Mitsukake. Yes I own you, Mitsu!

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Chapter 10 - Frustration

* * * * * * * * "So here I am, lying in the hospital bed, with nothing to do."

Sakura glanced out the window at the warm sun rising high into the cloudless blue sky as she sighed. She was weary after explaining everything about Akuma to Ken and Ryu. Ryu and Ken maintained their looks of seriousness as neither one of them said anything for a while until they stole quick glances at one another and turned back to Sakura.

"Sakura..." Ryu began slowly. "You do know what this means, don't you?"

With her patience already worn thin, Sakura raised her voice involuntarily at Ryu, who cringed slightly.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO REPEAT THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON!?!?!"

Ryu frowned at her sudden burst of frustration that she was taking out on him and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. A sympathetic look came upon his face slowly as Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears of frustration.

"Why does it always have to be me? Why do I never understand anything?! Arrgh!"

Sakura slammed her fist against her knee in anger as she tried her best to hold back the tears that were threatening to leave her eyes. Ryu's hand removed itself from her shoulder gently as he realized that he couldn't treat her like a child anymore. She was a grown woman now, even though she was having a childish tantrum.

(No... not in front of Ryu...) Sakura thought to herself.

Disobedient tears came slowly down her face as Ken rose to his feet. Without a word, he stepped out of the room to find Mitsukake. Ryu stood by her bed, not understanding Sakura's demeanor at all.

"Sakura... What is it?"

The question sounded stupid when said out loud, Ryu realized after he said it. Sakura let go of trying to stop the tears and buried her face in her hands, her shoulders convulsing from her loud sobs.

"Why... do I always... always... never know... anything... I... I'm tired of being treated like a child!!"

Ryu's frown became more expressed on his puzzled face. He was unsure what to tell her, afraid she was going to blow up on him again.

"Sakura... you... but you're not a child anymore... I can see that... Look at me..."

Emboldened, Ryu took her face and lifted it to where she was looking at him.

"I know the reason why Akuma's after you... I've known it for a while, but I didn't want to tell you because... because you were too young..."

Immediately, Ryu realized he had made a mistake with that last statement, which truly caused Sakura to fly into a rage.

"SEE?!?! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!"

"Sakura, you're being unreasonable-"

"I DON'T CARE!"

"Sakura, you're too mature to be having a fit like this."

"WHY WOULD YOU CARE?!"

Ryu opened his mouth to respond when Mitsukake stormed in the room with a livid look on his face.

"What do you have to say for yourself? Why is Sakura crying?!"

Once again, Ryu inhaled to speak but was cut off by Sakura.

"MITSUKAKE GET OUT!!! I WANT TO FINISH THIS!!!"

Mitsukake widened his eyes as he saw Sakura point to him and then to the door. Her face was flushed and she looked mad. Unwillingly, Mitsukake turned his back to her and Ryu and left them alone. He hated Ryu so much...

The fight between Ryu and Sakura ensued.

"Sakura, please stop yelling at me."

"I CAN YELL IF I WANT TO!"

"If you stop yelling, I'll tell you why Akuma's after you."

"SINCE YOU'VE KNOWN IT FOR YEARS AND HAVEN'T TOLD ME UNTIL NOW, I WON'T STOP YELLING BECAUSE IT MUST NOT BE THAT IMPORTANT!!"

Ryu pressed his lips firmly together and gazed at his opponent in thought and frustration. Was she the same girl who always looked up to him when she was younger? She seemed so... aggressive with her speech. What was this change in her and what was causing it?

(No...)

His eyes widened as a thought came into his mind and confirmed his suspicion. He knew exactly what to tell her now; the hard part was getting her to listen.

(I could fight fire with fire... but I want to settle this in another way...)

Ryu looked back at Sakura, who was now crying into her pillow she was hugging against her face. He pulled up the chair and sat beside her bed as he summarized his thoughts into something easy for Sakura to understand.

"Sakura... listen..."

Gently, he reached his hand out again and touched Sakura on the shoulder, causing her to jump. Seeing a new expression on her tear-stained face, he raised his eyebrows slightly. It was the same sweet face she normally had on. The angry, hateful one had vanished into the pillow it seemed.

"Ryu... I'm so sorry I blew up on you... please forgive me..." She choked.

A small smile came onto Ryu's face as Sakura relaxed a little and listened to him quietly. Wiping away her tears with the back of his hand, he cleared his throat before starting his lecture.

"Look, Sakura... You do know about me and the Satsui no Hadou affects me, right? Sometimes I can't control it and-"

"I know."

"Anyway, Sakura, I think; no, I know, that..." Ryu took a deep breath. This was more difficult than it should have been. "You have the same thing going on with you. Akuma can sense it, and he wants to force you to release it and let it control you... I'm sorry..."

For a while, Sakura didn't say anything. She simply stared at Ryu's face, not actually looking at him, but thinking about what he had just said. It couldn't be possible. It couldn't...

"No..."

She found her throat to be dry, as if it had never tasted water before. A million thoughts were flying through her head at once.

"No... Impossible..."

"Sakura... it is possible... Why you, I don't know..."

Sakura gazed at Ryu fixedly without another word until she heard a familiar scream outside the door.

"What the..."

Alarmed, Ryu bolted up from his seat and dashed towards the door. Slowly, he opened it until it slammed open and knocked Ryu against the wall forcefully. A familiar figure then stepped in the door with a look of utter hatred on his face. He began walking towards Sakura boldly, with a feeling of onmipotence. No one could stop him now...

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Sakura: "Ahhh who could it be?!"

Chan: *Runs away from readers who appear to be trying to kill her*

Mitsukake: Owww.... *Turns to the gone Chan* "Watashi wa kintamagaagattarikudattari... anou?"

^_^ ~Chan Yoruyamatiha