Disclaimer: I do no own them. I repeat, I do not own them. Not satisfied yet? I DO NOT OWN THEM.
Warnings: AU. Different behaviors and lifestyles of characters. SXS, EXT.
Feedbacks: Yoohoo?! Anyone there? Review!
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Tenshi: You are so going to kill me after this chapter.
Thanatos: *nodding* Just try to remember that I am only her muse, ok? I don't want to be involved in a bloodbath.
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FORBIDDEN LOVE
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Chapter Five: Major Setback
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Sakura sailed away from school in a daze, unaware that the wheels of her ten-speed were touching the ground—until she hit a pothole that nearly caused her to lose her balance. After that she slowed down enough for Tomoyo, who was pedaling furiously half a block behind, to catch up.
"Whew!" Tomoyo sighed as she mopped her heat-flushed face with the sleeve of the sweatshirt that was knotted loosely over her shoulders. "You're not thinking of trying out for the Olympics by any chance?"
"I just want to get to my dad's office," Sakura explained between breaths.
Tomoyo looked puzzled. "Can't you talk to him at home?"
"I could, but it wouldn't be the same. I want this to be sort of like, um, a business call. I figured he might take me more seriously in more professional surroundings."
"I get it," said Tomoyo with a knowing grin. "In other words, he can't yell at you if people are listening."
"You're something, Daidouji," Sakura retorted. "You're the only person I know who could make a jock felt like a Fuller Brush salesman."
Tomoyo smiled innocently. "I'll take that as a compliment."
They finally slowed down as they approached the welcome shade of downtown Clinton, swerving now and then to avoid getting drenched by a sprinkler. Clinton always reminded Sakura a little of an oasis in the middle of a desert. Unlike many Central Valley towns, Clinton's founding fathers had spared nothing when it had come to planting trees and other assorted greenery. The result was that in the middle of heat spells, which regularly soared into the hundreds, their little town looked cool and inviting.
At that time of the year, the mock plum trees surrounding the town plaza were a solid cloud of pink. Tiny, fragrant petals fluttered in the girls' wakes as they turned onto Main Street, where most of the shops and businesses were clustered. Normally they would have stopped at Baskin-Robbins for an ice cream cone, but since Sakura was in a hurry and Tomoyo on a diet, they bypassed it reluctantly. Sakura could hear her friend's soft groan as they rode past the familiar pink polka-dot façade. Finally Sakura braked to a stop in front of a small, rustic-looking building, surrounded on one side by the Bank of America and on the other by the Wee Care Pet shop. The sign outside read: UNIFIED INSURANCE GROUP—FUJITAKA KINOMOTO, AGENT.
"Call me when it's over," Tomoyo called as she breezed past. "I'd rather not be around when the heads start rolling, if you don't mind!"
Sakura shook a clenched fist in reply.
Mrs. Willet, her father's longtime secretary, looked up from her computer as Sakura entered the air-conditioned reception office. Her plump, powered cheeks lifted in a wide smile. "What a surprise, Sakura! I haven't seen you in ages." She wagged a playful finger. "I supposed it's a boyfriend who's taking up all your time now."
Sakura blushed, thinking of Syaoran. "Not exactly."
Absently Mrs. Willet patted her immaculate, sprayed silver coif. "Well, never you mind, dear. One of these days a nice boy will come along, and he'll make all the waiting worthwhile."
Maybe he already has, Sakura told herself. Then again, maybe not. Syaoran had said he liked her, nothing more. Liking someone didn't necessarily mean instant romance. Go slowly, Sakura Kinomoto, don't let your emotions run away with you.
"Is my father busy?" she asked the secretary.
"On the phone," she replied. "But go ahead in. I'm sure he won't mind your waiting inside so long as you're quiet."
No sooner had Sakura tiptoed into the wood-paneled inner office than she realized she couldn't have chosen a worse moment to make her appearance. Fujitaka Kinomoto sat hunched over the phone, his face an ominous dark red. He was speaking loudly—the loudest a person can get without actually shouting—to whomever was on the other end.
"You can sue me all the way to the Supreme Court for all I care!" he barked into the receiver. "That doesn't change the facts one iota. If that irresponsible son of yours—yes, that's right, irresponsible—was such a good driver, why couldn't he get insurance in the first place?"
Sakura slunk down in her chair. She didn't have to be a genius to guess it was Syaoran's mother he was talking to.
"Well, if you ask me—what the boy needs is a good talking to by his father!"
Pause.
"Hrrmph! There's no need to get insulted. I'm sure your marital affairs are no business of m—"
Pause.
"Not that kind of affairs. Now just hold on a minute, I didn't mean to imply—" His expression blackened. "Slander? You can't sue me for slander! I never—"
There was a sound of the dial tone, and Mr. Kinomoto stared at the receiver for a bewildered, furious moment before slamming it down. For the first time he took notice of Sakura, slumped miserably in a chair. Slowly a sheepish grin began to steal over his stormy features.
"Guess I kind of got carried away, huh?" he said. "I've never known a woman who could get under my skin the way that one can, though. Stubborn as a mule!"
Sakura cleared her throat, smiling weakly. "Sounds a little like you, Dad."
He chuckled softly. "Well—maybe. But a man has to stand his ground these days—the way you gals take advantage."
"Ugh!" she rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "I don't see how Syaoran's mother can be all that bad. She did a pretty job raising Syaoran."
His brows shot up. "And what would you know about that, young lady? I hope you haven't been hanging around with this boy—he's trouble, don't kid yourself about that."
"Oh, Daddy, you act like he's some kind of juvenile delinquent. I promise you, he's nothing like that at all. He's really nice. If you could only meet him—"
"Spare me the honor," he said. "One Li is about all I can handle at the moment."
"But—"
"And I don't want you hanging around with that character, either. Understood?"
"But Dad—that's so unfair!" Sakura was dangerously close to tears.
Mr. Kinomoto heaved his solid frame from his chair and came around to place his arms around his daughter's shoulders.
"Look, Cherry, I know things haven't been all that easy since Mom—" He paused, as if unsure whether or not the water he was treading was too deep. "I'm not saying I'm such a perfect parent, but I do know a few things in spite of my ancient ideas. So trust me on this one, ok?"
Sakura's throat was so tight that all she could manage was a nod, even though she wanted to disagree.
"Now what was so urgent that you couldn't wait to tell me until I got home?" he asked.
She bit her lip. "Nothing, Dad," she lied. "I—I just wanted to stop in and say hi, that's all."
"In that case, what do you say we sneak down to the ice-cream parlor for one of those butterscotch sundaes you're so crazy about?"
Stop treating me like I'm a little kid! She felt like shouting. When she was five years old and scrapped her knees, her father bought her ice cream. Nothing has change, at least as far as he was concerned.
"Some other time, ok?" she mumbled. "I've got a ton of homework."
He shrugged, trying not to look hurt. "Sure, Cherry. We'll got another time."
Sakura fled quickly outside so he wouldn't see that she was crying.
* * * *
"GOODNESS! I haven't seen such a long face since that boyfriend of yours moved to Philadelphia," said Mrs. De Vries, pausing in the midst of mopping the kitchen floor to peer at Sakura over the tops of her spectacles.
"Oh, Katie, that was two whole years ago. And Yukito Tsukishiro wasn't my boyfriend! We were just friends—he never even kissed me." Actually, he tried once, but she was wearing braces at that time and had a morbid fear of cutting his lips.
The stout housekeeper tapped the side of her head. "HA! I knew it! That's what's behind this face of yours—a boy!"
Katie de Vries fancied herself something of a mind reader. She also believed that almost every sickness known to mankind could be cured with one of her herbal teas. Sakura loved Mrs. De Vries and regarded her as a part-time grandmother.
"No—yes—sort of," she confessed. "It's complicated."
"Well why don't you come over here and try explaining it then? Never mind about the floor. Sit down and I'll make you a nice cup of comfrey tea." She winked. "Good for the nerves."
Sakura smiled. Comfrey. It sounded as if she was going to be wrapped up in a big fluffy quilt and maybe have a bedtime story read aloud to her—which didn't seem like such a terrible idea at the moment. Why was it she couldn't even make up her mind whether she was still a little kid or an almost adult? She planted her elbows on the table and nibbled gloomily at the slice of raisin bread Katie had set down in front of her.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the boy who smashed into your father's car, by any chance, would it?" probed Katie, settling into the chair opposite Sakura.
"How did you know about that?" Sakura stared incredulously into Katie's flushed, sturdy face, framed by an ivory halo of curls.
Mrs. De Vries laughed. "No trick to it this time. Your father was complaining so loudly at breakfast, I wouldn't be surprise if half the neighborhood heard."
"Well, anyway, it wasn't Syaoran's fault. I ran into him. Not on purpose, of course. But Dad won't believe me. I guess it's easier to blame some stranger than your own daughter."
"Now, Sakura, you know our father's not that kind of person," she scolded gently. "Right or wrong, I'm sure he has his reasons for believing what he does."
"But if they are the wrong reasons, what difference does it make? Either way, Syaoran loses out. And I know he'll end up hating me even if he doesn't now." Fresh tears shimmered briefly in her green eyes before she brushed them away with an angry fist.
"Ah!" Katie's brows arched upward. "Now I'm beginning to see. What you're really concerned about are Syaoran's feelings for you, no?"
Sakura gulped and nodded. "It's so unfair. I just know Dad wouldn't be this way about Syaoran if he could only meet him and see how nice he is."
"Perhaps." Katie smiled, a faraway look in her blue eyes. "But you must try and understand your father's feelings, too, Sakura dear."
"What's there to understand?"
"Sakura, Sakura—you've grown into such a pretty girl. Your father sees how attracted you are to this boy, and maybe he's just a tiny bit afraid."
"Afraid?" she echoed. "Of what?"
Katie's large, competent hand patted her arm. "Of the future, Sakura. You don't have to be a mind reader to see that!"
Tbc…
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Tenshi: See? That wasn't so bad, was it? *ducks at sharp-looking projectiles aimed at her* Oh, c'mon! I know you want to have some SXS action, but let's make this a little realistic, ok?
Thanatos: Don't kill her. You won't have your next chapter if you did.
Tenshi: Aww, shucks, my Aibou cares.
Thanatos: . . .
Tenshi: -_-;; Righhhtt. . . Next chapter, I promise! Sakura's gonna audition for the a cappella choir, and. . . *whistles* Nuh-uh! I'm not gonna spoil everything!
Thanatos: . . . zzzzzzz. . .zzzzzzz. . .
Tenshi: I think Aibou fell asleep. Anyway, read and review! Oh, yeah, I wanna answer my reviewers! First, to…
Miss_K: You're a Filipina? Or you only know how to speak Tagalog? And you like Parokya? YAY! You also like Gundam Wing? Double YAY! Oh, yeah, I've read one story of Little Wolf Lover—Wild Things—and I agree that her stories are great. There's just something wrong with her grammar… bar that, everything is great! The other writers… I'll look into them sometime. Thanks for recommending them!
Wait for the next chapter! Heh, what's a story without some competition, ne?
WOW! I'm planning to buy the Complete Collection of Card Captor Sakura Soundtrack (Ya know, the one with four CD's?) and I have all Gundam Wing soundtrack!
You said I'm talented? Shucks, *blushes* thanks!
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SakuraLiForever: Thanks for reviewing! I've read your story, and I'll e-mail you about it.
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Lil-Chibi-Person: You really put me into your faves list? *blushes* shucks… thanks!
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Cherry BlossomAB: Thank you very much! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
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Kanna-sagara: Here's the new chapter, thanks for reviewing!
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Suzu: A kiss? Hm… *grins* wait for the next chapter… that's when the FUN will start!
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Silver Wolf Gurl: Don't fret! Everything's gonna be fine! But not after some misunderstandings… *chuckles*
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Tenshi: Yoshi! I want to thank these wonderful people again for reading and reviewing!
Thanatos: Review, ne?