Author's Note- This is the last chapter for today...Sad day. LOL. Kind of
short, sorry. REMINDER- does anyone know Syao's sisters names ? _ ? Hehe.
Syaoran will talk with Sakura again...finally. LOL. R&R!
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October Chill
By: Cobalt-eyedAngel
Saturday morning Sakura hoped to get to the museum village early, to give herself extra time before she had to open the tavern. But her brother wanted to talk.
"Is everything all right, Kaijuu?" 'kaijuu' was her pet name Touya had given her when she was younger, she hated it. She'd been asking her brother since fourth grade to call her Sakura, and he'd been pretty good about it until recently, when he reverted back to kaijuu in a softer tone.
"Yeah," Sakura said, "Fine."
"You just seem so...quiet...lately. Father and I are worried."
"I'm fine," Sakura repeated.
"You seem to be taking more of your pain medication." Sakura shrugged. It was just a headache. But- because of where here tumor was- her brother wouldn't believe it was just a headache.
Her brother said, "Because any time you want to talk..."
Sakura let the unfinished sentence hang there. What could talking solve?
"DO you want to talk?" her brother asked.
Then, because her brother looked crushed because of the rejection, Sakura added, "It's good therapy for me."
Her brother brightened at that. Support group was all for not feeling sorry for yourself. "Just don't work too hard," he said, "Don't let yourself get worn-out."
In the end, by the time her brother dropped her off in front of the administration building, she was even slightly later than usual. Sakura fairly flew down the path, past the Old-Fashioned Sweet Shoppe, around the gazebo, through the covered toll bridge, past the blacksmith shop and the apothecary, to the Tiluke Spa Tavern. She slammed the door behind her and called, "Syaoran, are you there?"
The air shimmered, and she was so relieved she forgot herself: She went to hug him.
Syaoran stepped back, and only her arm passed coldly through his arm. "What's happened?" he asked, "What's wrong?"
Her arm was numb to the elbow with cold, and she stood rubbing it, having been brought up short. "I...was just happy to see you." (A/N- Has Tomoyo would say...KAWAII! LOL. Ok, Srry)
His aloofness dissolved into a smile. "I'm happy to see you too, Sakura."
She said, "I kept thinking about you all week, worrying about you."
The smile faltered. "All...week?"
"Since the last time you were here."
"It's been a week?"
Sakura nodded. She could see him accept what she said without understanding why it should be so. "Syaoran," she asked, and her voice quivered, "where are you when you're not here?"
He considered, then shook his head.
"Why did you come here?"
"You called me," he told her.
"The first time?"
Again he paused to consider. He repeated, more slowly, "You called me." He sat in one of the chairs and rested his elbows on the table. "I...heard you crying..."
"While you were at your farm?" she prompted.
"Yes. No. I don't know where I was. I heard you crying and..." He looked at her quizzically. "I knew...somehow...that you were thinking of taking your life."
That was a cold draft up Sakura's back, colder even than seeing Syaoran disappears that first time. It had been a thought. On and off, when the world closed in on her, when she tired of fighting a battle she knew she could never win- it had been a thought. Rarely verbalized, certainly never acted upon, always there was an option: Wouldn't it be easier now than later?
He must have been able to tell from her face that he hadn't been wrong. "And," he continued, "I thought: She can't do that. She doesn't..." He blinked, then finished in a very quiet voice. "She doesn't know what it's like being dead."
Sakura sat down at the same table. Heavily. 'Not yet,' she could have said, 'I don't know yet.' Instead, she asked, "You remember now? Being dead? Dying?"
"No." He rubbed his arms as though he was cold. "Don't die, Sakura."
"Everybody dies eventually," she said. She ached with realization that she couldn't take his hand. He could touch his own chest, the furniture, everything but her. "It's just..." She couldn't say it. She was starting to cry again, and she sniffled, angry with herself. "It's just so pointless."
Syaoran reached to wipe the tears, and the touch felt like an ice cube on her cheek. He snatched his hand back in obvious frustration. "Please, Don't...don't cry..." he started.
Someone tapped at the still-closed shutter. "Ssst, Sakura," Tomoyo hissed. "Drake's coming. Better get a move on."
Syaoran stood, but didn't disappear.
Sakura got rid of her tears. "Yes. Almost ready," she lied. How could she have forgotten the Harvest Festival? Hayrides in the meadow, minuteman maneuvers on the green, apple bobbing in the square. All sorts of extra programs. Lots of visitors before the close down for the season. Mr. Drake would be semihysterical all weekend and breathing down everybody's neck.
They could hear Tomoyo's footsteps hurrying down the path as she continued on her way.
"Right," Syaoran said to Sakura. "What needs doing?"
"Mugs out," Sakura said, "cider poured, shutters opened...Oh, damn!" She'd nearly tripped over a box that one of the workers had brought in some time before she arrived.
Syaoran had already gone behind the bar and was getting the mugs. "What?"
"Snickerdoodles."
He gave her a blank look.
"They're these colonial cookies-"
"I know what they are," he said, sounding exasperated.
"I'm supposed to make some." She started pulling supplies out of the box: ingredients, bowls, cooking utensils. The cider was provided year-round; the snickerdoodles only for special occasions, like Harvest Festival Weekend.
"This is an INN," Syaoran objected.
"Yes, but we don't have a license from New York Street to serve alcohol, so we serve cider and snickerdoodles instead.
"New York STATE?" he repeated in amazement.
She shook her head, indicating there was no time to explain, and started measuring the sugar.
Syaoran opened the shutters, started the cider heating, and tossed a handful of cinnamon into the fire, which made the tavern smell as though she'd been baking for an hour. She smiled at him, and he blew her a kiss.
A moment later, as the first tourist started to push open the door, he was gone.
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Author's Note- Whelps it's pretty late, so I gotta go to bed. R&R! I'll see u sometime after Sunday! Bye!!
Babybluestarangel- Your reviews are so nice!! ^^. You've been asking for Syao-kun so here he is! LOL. Please keep up the nice reviews, they brighten my day!! ^^.
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October Chill
By: Cobalt-eyedAngel
Saturday morning Sakura hoped to get to the museum village early, to give herself extra time before she had to open the tavern. But her brother wanted to talk.
"Is everything all right, Kaijuu?" 'kaijuu' was her pet name Touya had given her when she was younger, she hated it. She'd been asking her brother since fourth grade to call her Sakura, and he'd been pretty good about it until recently, when he reverted back to kaijuu in a softer tone.
"Yeah," Sakura said, "Fine."
"You just seem so...quiet...lately. Father and I are worried."
"I'm fine," Sakura repeated.
"You seem to be taking more of your pain medication." Sakura shrugged. It was just a headache. But- because of where here tumor was- her brother wouldn't believe it was just a headache.
Her brother said, "Because any time you want to talk..."
Sakura let the unfinished sentence hang there. What could talking solve?
"DO you want to talk?" her brother asked.
Then, because her brother looked crushed because of the rejection, Sakura added, "It's good therapy for me."
Her brother brightened at that. Support group was all for not feeling sorry for yourself. "Just don't work too hard," he said, "Don't let yourself get worn-out."
In the end, by the time her brother dropped her off in front of the administration building, she was even slightly later than usual. Sakura fairly flew down the path, past the Old-Fashioned Sweet Shoppe, around the gazebo, through the covered toll bridge, past the blacksmith shop and the apothecary, to the Tiluke Spa Tavern. She slammed the door behind her and called, "Syaoran, are you there?"
The air shimmered, and she was so relieved she forgot herself: She went to hug him.
Syaoran stepped back, and only her arm passed coldly through his arm. "What's happened?" he asked, "What's wrong?"
Her arm was numb to the elbow with cold, and she stood rubbing it, having been brought up short. "I...was just happy to see you." (A/N- Has Tomoyo would say...KAWAII! LOL. Ok, Srry)
His aloofness dissolved into a smile. "I'm happy to see you too, Sakura."
She said, "I kept thinking about you all week, worrying about you."
The smile faltered. "All...week?"
"Since the last time you were here."
"It's been a week?"
Sakura nodded. She could see him accept what she said without understanding why it should be so. "Syaoran," she asked, and her voice quivered, "where are you when you're not here?"
He considered, then shook his head.
"Why did you come here?"
"You called me," he told her.
"The first time?"
Again he paused to consider. He repeated, more slowly, "You called me." He sat in one of the chairs and rested his elbows on the table. "I...heard you crying..."
"While you were at your farm?" she prompted.
"Yes. No. I don't know where I was. I heard you crying and..." He looked at her quizzically. "I knew...somehow...that you were thinking of taking your life."
That was a cold draft up Sakura's back, colder even than seeing Syaoran disappears that first time. It had been a thought. On and off, when the world closed in on her, when she tired of fighting a battle she knew she could never win- it had been a thought. Rarely verbalized, certainly never acted upon, always there was an option: Wouldn't it be easier now than later?
He must have been able to tell from her face that he hadn't been wrong. "And," he continued, "I thought: She can't do that. She doesn't..." He blinked, then finished in a very quiet voice. "She doesn't know what it's like being dead."
Sakura sat down at the same table. Heavily. 'Not yet,' she could have said, 'I don't know yet.' Instead, she asked, "You remember now? Being dead? Dying?"
"No." He rubbed his arms as though he was cold. "Don't die, Sakura."
"Everybody dies eventually," she said. She ached with realization that she couldn't take his hand. He could touch his own chest, the furniture, everything but her. "It's just..." She couldn't say it. She was starting to cry again, and she sniffled, angry with herself. "It's just so pointless."
Syaoran reached to wipe the tears, and the touch felt like an ice cube on her cheek. He snatched his hand back in obvious frustration. "Please, Don't...don't cry..." he started.
Someone tapped at the still-closed shutter. "Ssst, Sakura," Tomoyo hissed. "Drake's coming. Better get a move on."
Syaoran stood, but didn't disappear.
Sakura got rid of her tears. "Yes. Almost ready," she lied. How could she have forgotten the Harvest Festival? Hayrides in the meadow, minuteman maneuvers on the green, apple bobbing in the square. All sorts of extra programs. Lots of visitors before the close down for the season. Mr. Drake would be semihysterical all weekend and breathing down everybody's neck.
They could hear Tomoyo's footsteps hurrying down the path as she continued on her way.
"Right," Syaoran said to Sakura. "What needs doing?"
"Mugs out," Sakura said, "cider poured, shutters opened...Oh, damn!" She'd nearly tripped over a box that one of the workers had brought in some time before she arrived.
Syaoran had already gone behind the bar and was getting the mugs. "What?"
"Snickerdoodles."
He gave her a blank look.
"They're these colonial cookies-"
"I know what they are," he said, sounding exasperated.
"I'm supposed to make some." She started pulling supplies out of the box: ingredients, bowls, cooking utensils. The cider was provided year-round; the snickerdoodles only for special occasions, like Harvest Festival Weekend.
"This is an INN," Syaoran objected.
"Yes, but we don't have a license from New York Street to serve alcohol, so we serve cider and snickerdoodles instead.
"New York STATE?" he repeated in amazement.
She shook her head, indicating there was no time to explain, and started measuring the sugar.
Syaoran opened the shutters, started the cider heating, and tossed a handful of cinnamon into the fire, which made the tavern smell as though she'd been baking for an hour. She smiled at him, and he blew her a kiss.
A moment later, as the first tourist started to push open the door, he was gone.
*
*
Author's Note- Whelps it's pretty late, so I gotta go to bed. R&R! I'll see u sometime after Sunday! Bye!!
Babybluestarangel- Your reviews are so nice!! ^^. You've been asking for Syao-kun so here he is! LOL. Please keep up the nice reviews, they brighten my day!! ^^.