Evil Starrie: well, it was REALLY close!
Starrie: kay...now the WIINNER?????
Evil Starrie: Choice number.....uno!!!
Starrie: yay! Congratulations to the winner! *throws a small party then gets serious again* anywho, that means that this is the last chapter! anywho, like I said at the end of my last chapter, I'm seriously thinking of making the sequel my last fic. I would love to continue doing fics but I'm really running dry on inspiration. Its not like when I first started out and my mind was filled with fic ideas. (if only I can find that book where I wrote all my fic ideas!! Grrr!!! >.) but so far it's not looking good. There's this ONE fic idea that's been in my mind for over a year now (yeah I know...THAT long) but I'm not sure on whether I should write it up. I'm afraid it might totally suck and I'd hate to put out a fic that I feel unsure about. What if you guys don't like it? That would make me feel like a complete failure! So this is not a sure thing, but I've decided to give my friend Brenda's idea a thought. I still have to decide though. I'm going to do either two things, After the sequel I'll stop writing fics completely or I might take a mini break from ff.net. I'll make my decision by the end of the sequel though and I'll keep you guys informed. Sorry for the bit of depressing news but you've all been so great to me that I feel its only right that I share this with you. Your reviews are so inspiring that I thought I had made up my mind completely about quitting but after reading your reviews I've realized I don't want to quit! You guys are great! It feels so good to know that there are people out there who enjoy reading what I write and what I have to say. And even though some of you have never met me in your life, you're able to see me as a friend. I even read the reviews by..... to my friend Sapphie and she was like "aww... you can't quit now!! Not after what they wrote!!" and you know what, I guess she's right. You guys might not believe this but I treasure all of your reviews and compliments. I've received so many reviews for all my fics put together and I find it baffling that every single one of them is praising my work. I've always been called 'creative' for my ideas and I never truly believed it until now! Trust me, I can come up with the weirdest stories in the world...and I have no idea where I get them from! I swear you guys would never want to be in my dreams...my dreams are so weird that even I wake up laughing my head off at myself! I once had a dream with these Charlie Angels people that keep saying "rule number one, never run in high heels!" (My friends found that hilarious) and that my best friend and I were being chased down by these spies...all for a box of girl scout cookies!! o.O;; I told you my mind is wacked up!!! lol anywho, enough with my rambling, on the fic!!! *blink* how the hell did I get from writing fics to girl scout cookies? @_@
Learning To Love
Chapter 13
Meiling had been watching TV when she heard Syaoran come home. She looked up at him and smiled,
"Hey you what took you so long?"
She asked cheerfully. Her smile went away when she realized her cousin
looked upset..
"Syaoran, what's wrong?"
She asked in alarm as she stood up and walked to his side. He looked
devastated, as if something horrible had happened. Syaoran looked up at
her and then dropped his gaze back to the ground, not being able to look
into her eyes. Meiling took hold of his arm and led him towards the couch.
"Come, tell me what happened"
She asked sympathetically. Syaoran rested his head in his hands. Meiling wouldn't be so sympathetic as soon as he told her the whole truth. He let out a sigh and lifted his head up to look at her. He was tired of lying; he was going to tell her the truth...no matter what her reaction may be....
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Tomoyo honey, what's wrong?"
Eriol asked as he saw his girlfriend press on re-dial once again. Tomoyo
remained quiet as the phone on the other line rang. After 4 rings, a voice
mail came on. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Tomoyo hung up.
"Tomoyo?"
Eriol asked questioningly. Tomoyo looked at him with a frown on her
face,
"around mid-day I got this weird feeling...as if something was wrong. I don't know why but Sakura was the first person to come into my mind. I been calling her all afternoon and I can't reach her"
Tomoyo looked down at her watch worriedly,
"It's nearly eleven, she's not home and she's not even answering her cell phone."
"Maybe she's with Syaoran"
"You think?"
"You never know"
"Should I call him?"
"Sure, if it'll make you feel better"
Tomoyo smiled at Eriol and took out her cell phone again.
"You're right, she's probably with him"
She said, relaxing a bit.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Syaoran how could you do that to her?!"
Meiling yelled out furiously as she stood up and glared down at Syaoran.
"I don't know! I know it was stupid of me!"
"Stupid is an understatement! More like insensitive bastard!"
"Meiling you think I don't know that already?!"
"Syaoran Sakura is the best thing that ever happened to you and this
is how you repay her!?"
"I regret what I did to her, I really do"
Syaoran looked at Meiling pleadingly,
"You have to believe me Meiling. I haven't cheated on her since we left for Hong Kong. That's when I realized I truly loved Sakura and I changed completely."
"Arrgh! I could kill that bitch Tiffany!!"
Meiling yelled out angrilly as her hand curled up in a ball. She couldn't
wait to get her hands on her.
"And what about Eriol? Does Tomoyo know that he was in on all this?"
Syaoran shook his head,
"No she doesn't. Unless Sakura tol--"
ring....ring...ringggggg
Meiling and Syaoran glanced towards the house phone. They hadn't heard it ring because of all their yelling.
"Hello?"
Syaoran spoke into the cordless phone as soon as he took hold of it.
"Oh, hey Tomoyo"
Syaoran's expression went from being nervous to worry.
"She's not with me. Did you try her house?"
"What is she asking?"
Meiling asked curiously. Syaoran just ignored her.
"I...haven't seen her since this afternoon. You see...we got into this argument..."
"Sakura? You're talking about Sakura? What happened!?"
Meiling asked, her voice filling with panic. Syaoran glared at her
so she would shut-up but Meiling just glared back. Tomoyo asked Syaoran
something that made him look uncomfortable.
"Tomoyo...you're with Eriol now right?...well, can you two come over to my apartment now? Eriol and I...have something important to confess..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A pounding headache.
That's what Sakura had the moment she opened her eyes. she let out a pain-filled groan as she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Larry. Letting out a gasp, she quickly tried to get out of his arms, which only caused her to feel dizzy all of a sudden. She gripped Larry's arms tightly as she shut her eyes, wanting the spinning to stop. Larry let out a chuckle as he gently caressed her hair.
"It's okay I'm not going to hurt you"
he said soothingly. He let out another laugh,
"I'm sorry if I scared you earlier. I guess I came on a little too strong"
Sakura opened her eyes and stared at him, not even daring to say a word.
"here...you might want this for the pain"
Larry said as he leaned forward and picked up a glass of water from
the coffee table along with two white tablets. Sakura looked at the pills
in his hands distrustfully.
"Sakura...It's okay you can trust me"
He said, as if reading her mind. Sakura looked at him and then at the pills again, not sure of what she should do.
"It's for your headache Sakura...that's all."
Sakura stared at the pills and took them into her hands. She really needed the aspirins. She placed them into her mouth and then took hold of the water and drank some of it.
"Why are you doing this?"
She asked as she placed the glass back on the table.
"Because I care about you...that's why"
Larry answered truthfully. Sakura broke their gaze and stared at the mess in her livingroom. Exactly why had she been so frightened earlier? She couldn't remember anymore.
"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have been so forward"
Larry said to her as he too stared at the mess.
"It's just that...I couldn't help myself. Sakura I still love you. I swear to you, I've learned from my past mistakes. If I could go back I would never have cheated on you. You're special Sakura...you deserve better. Your heart isn't some toy that can be played around with. That guy Syaoran, he didn't know how good he had it"
Sakura's eyes began to fill with tears at the sound of Syaoran's name.
"Larry, please leave me alone"
She whispered as she got up from his lap and looked outside into the pale white moonlight. Larry nodded silently and got up.
"Alright...I'll call you tomorrow to check up on you"
He said as he walked towards the door. he opened it and stepped out.
"Good night"
He said as he gently shut the door behind him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Larry grinned in satisfaction as he walked towards his car. Everything had worked out as planned. Sakura would soon be his again. He had to admit Tiffany's plan had been brilliant.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What! Both of you were in this?!"
Tomoyo asked furiously as she shot up from her seat and glared down at two equally troubled-looking Syaoran and Eriol.
"Tomoyo, honey I'm sorry!"
Eriol pleaded as he stood up and reached out for her hand.
"don't you even dare come close to me Eriol Hiragiizawa!"
Tomoyo snapped as she moved away from him.
"Sakura is my best friend how could you hurt her like that! Eriol I never thought you were capable of such cruelty!!"
"Tomoyo, it's not all his fault I--"
"oh I k now that! Syaoran you out of all people should know how it is to be betrayed by the one person you loved!"
"Syaoran you're such an idiot! Your ego is so damn big that you let yourself be controlled by it!"
Meiling joined in as she towered over her cousin. Both females looked at Eriol and Syaoran through fury-filled eyes.
"It was stupid of us, we know. But it also took time for us to figure that out. Because of Sakura and You Tomoyo, we were able to grow up. we understand that what we did was...childish of us. That is the reason why we stopped the bet months ago. I fell in love with Sakura, something I hadn't planned on happening. And Eriol made that bet before he even met you. We didn't know that Sakura and you knew each other until the ski trip!"
Syaoran explained as he looked up at Meiling and Tomoyo.
"Tomoyo...I love you. As soon as I realized that I put a stop to this whole bet thing. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have stopped the bet when I did"
Tomoyo's expression softened as she looked at Syaoran and Eriol's desperate faces. She could see it clearly that they were speaking the truth. She remembered a couple of month back and how something seemed to be causing Eriol great disturbance. That's when she finally realized that this whole bet was what was eating away in Eriol's mind.
"Tell me one thing Syaoran"
Tomoyo said as she turned her attention to the distraught looking young
man,
"When you told her you loved her...were you serious or was that still
part of your bet?"
Syaoran looked at Tomoyo deep into her amethyst-colored eyes.
"It was the truth. I love her"
Tomoyo let out a sigh.
"Now comes the hard part...convincing Sakura"
"Where are you going?"
Meiling asked curiously when she saw Tomoyo walk towards the door.
"I'm going over to Sakura's apartment"
Tomoyo answered as she opened the door. Meiling slipped into her flip-flops
and walked up to her,
"I'm going with you too"
She said as she walked out of the door.
Syaoran and Eriol exchanged glances and they both let out a sigh,
"gee thanks Eriol...if it wasn't for you we wouldn't be in this damn mess"
Syaoran snarled sarcastically. Eriol turned and glared at him,
"Hey I said I was sorry. I had no idea things would turn out this way!"
"Yeah well sorry doesn't cut it"
Syaoran snapped as he got up from his seat and walked out.
"where are you going?"
Eriol asked.
"out!"
Syaoran barked back in response as he slammed the door behind him.
Eriol let out sigh as he stared at the now empty living room.
"Great...I'm stuck here all alone...and this isn't even my house"
He said to himself sarcastically.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura let out a yawn as she got up the next morning. Her eyes red and puffy and all the crying she had done last night had only worsened her headache. Shortly after Larry left, Meiling and Tomoyo had shown up at her doorstep in an attempt to console her. She had appreciated their kind gesture but she didn't want their pity at the moment. She just wanted to be left alone. Her phone began to ring and she looked at it as if she wanted to kill it. That phone always seemed to ring at the worst times! Reaching for it, she picked it up and was surprised to find Larry at the other end,
"Sakura...how are you feeling?"
He asked. She could hear that he was worried about her. She smiled,
he had been there for her when she needed someone. That was more than she
would have expected from the old Larry she knew.
"I'm feeling much better...thank you for asking"
"Sakura I feel terrible about last night. I'm really really really sorry"
Sakura let out a laugh,
"It's okay really. I guess I overreacted a bit"
The other end was silent for a few seconds,
"Sakura...I have something important to tell you. I had a last minute call from my job this morning and...my boss wants me to be in France by tomorrow morning. I'm leaving Japan today at 3pm"
"You're leaving...so soon?"
Sakura asked.
"Yeah...my boss wants me to hire a new employee by the end of the week so I'm in a tight spot right now"
Another silence followed, Larry seemed to be hesitating over something.
"Sakura...I know this is very short notice and all but...I would love it if you could come to France with me. I'm looking for someone with your experience and specialty. I know that with what you're going through right now you'll probably start looking for a new job."
"Larry...I don't know what to say. You're right, this is very
short notice"
"Again, I'm really sorry. Listen, I reserved two tickets to France
for this evening...if you want to come, great! If you don't...then it's
okay, don't worry about it."
"I'm sorry Larry but I don't think that I'm going to--"
"Please, just think about it. It's up to you though. If you don't want to it's okay"
Sakura sighed,
"Alright...I'll think about it. Good bye Larry"
She hung up the phone...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura bit her lip as she pressed
her back against her door. The doorbell rang again, followed shortly
by
a knock.
"Sakura...I know you're in there,
please open the door"
Syaoran's voice came loud a clear.
Sakura shut her eyes and fought back the tears that threatened to spill
out.
"We're through Syaoran...can't you
understand that?"
Sakura whispered softly to herself
as she slid down and sat down on the floor...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sakura, I know you can hear
me"
Syaoran said as he let out a sigh
and stopped knocking.
"I'm sorry...I can't stress that
enough. I know that I'm sorry isn't going to suddenly make everything
better and it can't erase what I did but I swear Sakura, I made a mistake.
You're the best thing that ever happened to me! Before you came into my
life...everything seemed so dark and...lifeless. I was full of resentment
and love? Love was nothing but a word. I never understood what it
meant. To me it was just a phrase, it had no real meaning
You're not like anyone I've ever
met Sakura. I knew that from the moment I saw you and yet...it took
me time to realize how special you truly are. You helped me
become a better person. When you came along I realized that I had
been shutting myself from everyone. I drowned myself in my work because
it was something I could control. But then...you came into my life.
I'll be honest with you, I never
meant to fall in love. When I did though...I was so confused.
I kept denying it to myself. I didn't want to admit that I had fallen
for you, and fallen hard too. After our trip to Hong Kong there was
no more denying it though. That's when I finally did realize that
I did love you. And you know what? I was no longer afraid to admit
it. As a matter of fact, I wanted to tell the whole world."
Syaoran remained silent for a while,
he hesitated a bit,
"I was going to tell you about the whole bet...I just didn't know when and how. I felt bad for keeping it from you but I knew you'd be upset when you learned the truth. I didn't want to hurt you Sakura...you've suffered through so much already. I didn't want to be another person who hurt you. I wanted to be the one that made all your pain go away. The one that you knew you could always count on. The one that would stick by you through thick and thin"
Syaoran's eyes began to sting with unshed tears. He let out a weary sigh,
"But I guess I failed in doing so. Instead I only caused you greater pain. Sakura...I know that whatever I say isn't going to make you open this door and..."
Syaoran became silent and clenched his fist tightly,
"And I understand if you never wish to see me again but I just want to say...thank you"
He exhaled sharply,
Even if we...both end up going our separate ways, I want you to know
that I'm very thankful. Because of you Sakura, I learned how to love. I
learned the meaning of love and how beautiful it can be...but I also learned
that...love hurts. Especially when it's at it's strongest. I have no regrets
though. One of the best life lessons is...learning to love..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura had heard every word Syaoran had said as she sat curled up at the door. She had to restrain herself numerous times from opening the door. She still loved him, there was no denying that. She wiped the tears with her sleeve and got up from where she was seated. She walked over to the couch and sat down. What was she going to do? A part of her wanted to go up to Syaoran and forgive him. If everything he had said was true, then...he truly had changed.
'but what if it's not? What if he hasn't changed at all? What if this is all part of an act? He fooled you last time Sakura, don't be stupid and let it happen again'
She said to herself. Her eyes wandered over to her hallway closet that held her suitcases. She tore her eyes away from it and looked out the window. Her mind was made up; there was no turning back. She just had to move on forward.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Later that day)
Larry stood on line at the baggage check area. He scanned the crowded airport quickly, hoping that Sakura would be amidst the crowd of people. A disappointed look crossed his features as a lady behind a desk called him forward.
"Traveling alone Sir?"
The lady asked as she took hold of his ticket.
"ye--"
"I'm sorry I'm late"
Sakura said breathlessly as she appeared next to him. She smiled at him,
"Is that job offer still open?"
She asked hopefully. Larry smiled and hugged her.
"For you, of course! I thought you weren't going to come though. You know, the offer being short notice and all"
Larry searched inside his backpack and pulled out another plane ticket and handed it to the lady. He turned to look at Sakura.
"You sure about this?"
He asked as he took hold of her hand. Sakura looked around nervously and then met his eyes.
"Yes"
She answered firmly. Larry nodded in approval and let go of her hand.
"alright then...to France we go!"
He then turned back around to talk to women behind the desk. Sakura looked outside the airport and into the crowded streets of Tokyo. She hadn't told anyone but her father and Touya about her sudden decision. She didn't tell them about her breakup with Syaoran though. They thought she was going away for a couple of weeks. Once she was settled in France, she would tell them that she had decided to make that her permanent home. Of course Touya won't be happy with the news but then again, there's not much he can do. She was of age and could make her own decisions. She felt bad for not getting a chance to say goodbye to Tomoyo but she knew it was for the best. She wouldn't have the courage to leave if she had gone to Tomoyo. And Syaoran...She'd be too far away from here by the time Syaoran found out.
"Sakura, ready to go?"
Larry asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Sakura looked at him and nodded, she stole one last glance out into Tokyo before Larry turned her around and led her towards their gate number.
'Good Bye...Syaoran'
She thought as a single tear spilled from her emerald green eyes and landed on the cold hard floor...
**The End***
Evil Starrie: *shows Evil Starrie choking Starrie* How could you do that!!!! fics are not supposed to end like that!!!! *crying hysterically*
Starrie: *choking* I know!! which is the reason why I ended it like that!!!!
Evil Starrie: *sob* b-b-but...that's not right!!!!
Starrie: *smiles evilly* I know
Evil Starrie: *goes back to choking her* die!!!!!
Starrie: ack!! I....can't...do...sequel...if...dead!!!
Evil Starrie: *back off* hehehe...oh right *sweatdrop*
Starrie: well, I have good news for everybody, the sequel is going to be 8 chapters long, tops! And....surprise! I already finished the first three chapters!! (I was on a roll!! ^.~) but I'll put out a new chapter every two weeks...I don't want to put it all out too quickly or else I won't have time to write and chapters will come out consistently.
Evil Starrie: so expect the next chapter out soon!
Starrie: see ya in the sequel!! ^-^
Back to Your Heart (sequel)
It's been 2 years since the last time S+S have seen each other. Sakura
has moved to France and is once again Larry's fiancee. The wedding is now
a few months away and everything seems to be going perfect. Sakura is in
love with her husband-to-be...or is she really? A last-minute trip to Japan
will not only make her question a few things...but reveal what—or whom—
caused her to break up with Syaoran....
***IMPORTANT***
if you want to read the sequel just send in a signed review or leave
your email address with your review and I'll email you when the sequel's
out. I'm throwing out my list of email address for "learning To Love" and
starting a new one for "back to your heart" so if you want to continue
reading, leave email address, if not, then don't.