Chapter Two:
"E-Eriol?" Sakura's choked voice echoed throughout the silence of the courtyard as everyone gaped at the newcomer.
The young man's face broke into a smile, and his eyes softened a bit when he met her eyes. "Sakura." Then his eyes hardened again when he caught sight of the offending arm tightly gripping her arm. "Let her go," he said sharply to Chen, his eyes cold once more, walking forward a little.
Chen grinned at him, "Why should I?"
Eriol rolled his eyes at him. "Because Sakura doesn't like you touching her, and because I said so."
Chen's eyes narrowed while some of the girls giggled at his words. They were apparently attracted to this mysterious guy. "On a first-name basis, huh? Who are you anyway?"
"Though I don't even know why you should know, my name's Eriol Hiragizawa," he said, then he grinned unexpectedly, making Chen narrow his eyes even more.
"Who do you think you are butting in on us? You're not wanted. And what are you smiling at?" he growled at Eriol.
"Why I choose to smile is none of your business. And I told you already who I was. Which part of 'my name's Eriol Hiragizawa' don't you understand?" he asked in a mock exasperated tone, making the spectators burst out laughing outright.
Chen flushed. "Why you-I'll show you!" With a roar, he flung Sakura away, and she stumbled to the ground, clutching her arm, while Chen charged at Eriol like he was a bull and Eriol was a big, red, irritating blob.
His opponent's eyes flickered a little, but he didn't move a bit even if the people behind him hurriedly stepped backwards. They knew how violent Chen could get when he was pissed off, and supportive though they were of Eriol, they didn't want to get in harm's way.
Sakura was looking at them impassively. She felt a twinge of pity in her chest as she shook her head towards the two. Chen didn't know what Eriol was like. With another twinge of pity pinching her heart, she thought to herself, 'Chen shouldn't have done that.'
Chen's fist was a hairsbreadth away from Eriol's nose in one second; the next, he was on his back, unharmed, though out-of-breath behind a crouching Eriol. Only a few had even seen him move, and Sakura was one of those privileged few. It was a classic move, Sakura thought. Eriol had ducked down at the last possible second, then flung his hands out to catch hold of Chen's arm. Then, using the larger guy's own momentum, he had pulled on the arm forcefully and had successfully flipped him on his back, hence the current scene.
He stood up, brushing off his black pants nonchalantly as he stepped back to allow room for Chen's friends to crowd around him and check if he was okay. "He's not hurt, just unconscious. I suggest you take him home now, before I do further injury to him," he said to them quietly. The other guys took one look at him and hurried away quickly, carrying Chen. The watching students all laughed in delight as they watched the bullies of their school running away from a single guy.
Suddenly, Eriol's eyes became sharp once more, and he whipped his head around to look at Sakura, who was still nursing her arm and staring at him blankly. "Sakura," he whispered.
"E-Eriol?" Sakura's choked voice echoed throughout the silence of the courtyard as everyone gaped at the newcomer.
The young man's face broke into a smile, and his eyes softened a bit when he met her eyes. "Sakura." Then his eyes hardened again when he caught sight of the offending arm tightly gripping her arm. "Let her go," he said sharply to Chen, his eyes cold once more, walking forward a little.
Chen grinned at him, "Why should I?"
Eriol rolled his eyes at him. "Because Sakura doesn't like you touching her, and because I said so."
Chen's eyes narrowed while some of the girls giggled at his words. They were apparently attracted to this mysterious guy. "On a first-name basis, huh? Who are you anyway?"
"Though I don't even know why you should know, my name's Eriol Hiragizawa," he said, then he grinned unexpectedly, making Chen narrow his eyes even more.
"Who do you think you are butting in on us? You're not wanted. And what are you smiling at?" he growled at Eriol.
"Why I choose to smile is none of your business. And I told you already who I was. Which part of 'my name's Eriol Hiragizawa' don't you understand?" he asked in a mock exasperated tone, making the spectators burst out laughing outright.
Chen flushed. "Why you-I'll show you!" With a roar, he flung Sakura away, and she stumbled to the ground, clutching her arm, while Chen charged at Eriol like he was a bull and Eriol was a big, red, irritating blob.
His opponent's eyes flickered a little, but he didn't move a bit even if the people behind him hurriedly stepped backwards. They knew how violent Chen could get when he was pissed off, and supportive though they were of Eriol, they didn't want to get in harm's way.
Sakura was looking at them impassively. She felt a twinge of pity in her chest as she shook her head towards the two. Chen didn't know what Eriol was like. With another twinge of pity pinching her heart, she thought to herself, 'Chen shouldn't have done that.'
Chen's fist was a hairsbreadth away from Eriol's nose in one second; the next, he was on his back, unharmed, though out-of-breath behind a crouching Eriol. Only a few had even seen him move, and Sakura was one of those privileged few. It was a classic move, Sakura thought. Eriol had ducked down at the last possible second, then flung his hands out to catch hold of Chen's arm. Then, using the larger guy's own momentum, he had pulled on the arm forcefully and had successfully flipped him on his back, hence the current scene.
He stood up, brushing off his black pants nonchalantly as he stepped back to allow room for Chen's friends to crowd around him and check if he was okay. "He's not hurt, just unconscious. I suggest you take him home now, before I do further injury to him," he said to them quietly. The other guys took one look at him and hurried away quickly, carrying Chen. The watching students all laughed in delight as they watched the bullies of their school running away from a single guy.
Suddenly, Eriol's eyes became sharp once more, and he whipped his head around to look at Sakura, who was still nursing her arm and staring at him blankly. "Sakura," he whispered.