Twin Strangerss
Written by: Ciuline Ihmenjo
Cardcaptor Sakura does not belong to me. The characters in Cardcaptor Sakura do not belong to me. CLAMP owns CCS. Besides, even if you do try and sue me, I have no money.
= Announcements =
Well, this chapter just came out suddenly, so this update is very much ahead of what I suspected it to be! Anyhow, please read, review, and recommend me (to others)! Anyhow, pardon my spelling and grammar once again as I hurried through this one so I could post it before I lost the idea!
Italicized words are thoughts; Bold words are emphasis; CAPS WORDS are shouting; words in asterisks signify changes in scenes like the beginning and end of flashbacks or dream sequences
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Chapter 5: Five's a Crowd
After a few minutes, both the brat and Sakura stop staring at us. In that time, I move over to the couch to set you gently one it.
Syaoran just glares at me. "And you accuse me of stealing your sister." He sighs and then shrugs. "So exactly how long have you been together?"
Sakura makes a few sputtering noises. After a moment, she settles back against the wall and just watches the scene. "You're taking this a little too well," she says to him.
"I had a hunch." He sighs again, this one deeper. "I'm surprised that you didn't harbor your own suspicions as well."
"Well, it's oni-chan we're talking about."
You take this opportunity to defend me. "Your brother is perfectly capable of having a girlfriend thank-you-very-much." And then you grab my arm protectively.
"That's not what I meant," she says, looking at me, her eyes meeting my own. "That came out wrong."
I sigh. "Listen, now you know. We're a couple. That's all there is to it."
"How long has this been going on?" Syaoran says.
"Two years," you say softly, "it's been nearly two years now."
"WHAT?" Syaoran and Sakura exchange surprised looks yet again.
"But that's right when…" Sakura trails off. I know she can't bring herself to say the words: Yukito left you…
Syaoran jumps right to the point. "How did you manage to," he fumbles for a word, "hide it for so long?" He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "No one knew about it. I had my suspicions you had found another guy, but," he points at me, his finger trembling with accusation, "him?"
"Yes," you say calmly, "him is Touya. He is the one that I love." Your arms encircle my waist. "It's almost like you and Sakura."
"How?" she asks. "We're completely different."
"It's something that, in all rights, should not really happen." I look at my sister, "In the beginning, he was your rival, and yet, you two fell in love. I hated him for that and thought that he and – pardon my saying this Meilin – his gaki cousin should go back to China." You grumble something in Chinese and Syaoran sniggers.
"No, no, he defiantly hated both of us Meilin." He says with a sigh. "So, how far have you two gone?"
You begin to speak, but your words become muffled as I clamp my hand over your mouth. "Far enough, that's all." I turn and put my mouth just next to your ear. "I don't believe they want to hear of our exploits in bed my dear," I whisper fiercely.
"So you know then?" he says quietly. He shuts his eye for a moment as if trying to forget something painful.
I nod in response. "If I ever get my hands on the bastard, he will die."
"Good luck, because you'll be cleaning him off the pavement." He smiles at me. "At least it's something that we agree on." And we share a short laugh.
Meilin looks away and Sakura just cocks her head slightly to the side. "Hoe?" she says, the confusion evident on her face.
"Never mind," I say, waving the idea off with my hand. "So, what do we do now?"
"Well," Sakura clears her throat, "I was thinking. We haven't had dinner yet." Her stomach growls. So, I was wondering if the option for you to cook was still open." She gives me her best puppy-dog eyes and clasps her hands together.
You look at me with a raised eyebrow and laugh. "Well Touya, I'm pretty hungry too."
"You eat after we talk," Syaoran says, pulling you aside and onto the couch. "Let them cook."
"What?" Sakura exclaims. "But we haven't been able to spend much time together in the last month." She sighs and pulls her apron of the hook. "I'll make sure to poison your food," she says with a mischievous glint in her eyes. I notice his adam's apple bob up and down as he nods nervously. "Actually, Meilin, you can wait. I must talk to Sakura about the wedding." He walks over to her and gives her a kiss on the lips. I clear my throat and they break apart. Her apron has magically reappeared back on its hook.
"I'll work on dinner, you two work on keeping your clothes on." They blush. Sakura grabs him by the hand and leads him in the direction of her room.
You get up and pull on the spare apron. "So, does the master chef need any help?" She pulls out a knife and cutting board. "I'm sure I can find something to do other than turn our dinner into charcoal. The least I can do is cut food up. I'll be more useful that way."
"You are getting better a cooking."
"Yeah, I can boil water," she says sarcastically, placing the board and blade by the sink. "And toast, I forgot about toast."
I smile and begin to pull out a bag of vegetable and then some miso from the refrigerator. "You forgot about instant meals and anything you can microwave."
"Good point. Plus, it gives me an excuse to be near you." you say and snatch the bag of vegetables out of my right hand. "So, how about that ring?" you change the subject. "I'm getting tired of talking about my lack of culinary skills."
I nod. "Another good point. I have a friend who custom makes jewelry. I knew him from High School, so it shouldn't be too hard to have him make one. He owns his own store just outside of town. We can go this weekend. I ended up having it off." I hand you some chicken – still covered tightly in the plastic wrap – from last night. "This should still be fresh, so have at it. And use smaller pieces. As much as I'd love to see your cousin choke, Sakura would kill me."
I put the pot on the stovetop and begin to read the instructions for an easy miso soup dish. The rice cooker appears on the counter and I thank you after adding the required amounts of water and rice to it. After about ten minutes, we both lean back against the counter. You take a sip of the glass of wine sitting next to me and sigh.
"How exactly are we going to tell them we're engaged?"
"We're not going to?" I attempt.
"We have to or they'll find out." You ponder your own words for a moment. "I don't know what's worse, them finding out or us having to tell them."
"Well, going with the lesser of two evils, I'd have to say us having to tell them is the better choice." I sigh and pour part of the vegetables into the pot of miso broth. "We can tell them over dinner."
"Tell us what?" Syaoran calls from the top of the stairs. Sakura is blushing furiously and he is keeping calm.
"You'll find out!" you yell back to him. He scowls at you. You stick your tongue out as a response. His expression brightens and I can tell a wordless conversation just went on. Your expression seems different now. I can hear you humming as you begin to place the bowls – full of soup – on the table. A second bowl, this time containing rice topped with tempura-style vegetables follows.
You all take a seat at the table as I hang both my apron and the spare one back on their hooks. You finish doling out pairs of chopsticks and soup spoons before digging into her own meal. She nods at me and I take the seat next to her.
"I know it's a light meal, but it's all I could do in little time with such short notice," I say after finally settling my chair.
"That's no problem," Syaoran says, pouring a cup of tea from the pot for himself. He sets that cup next to Sakura and pours a second for himself. Sakura only nods, her mouth already full of food.
"There's plenty. Stop worrying so much." You emulate his actions and place the pot back in the center of the table.
"So," Sakura says, "what did you two want to tell us?"
"Well," you begin, but Syaoran hold up a hand.
"We have to tell you something once you two finish." He nods at Sakura. She begins to take extreme interest in her bowl of rice. He motions for you to continue.
You glare at him and clear your throat. "Well, it's just that we… that is Touya and I… we're getting engaged." You wave your hands in front of you. "No, I mean, we are engaged. We're getting married."
Sakura drops her spoon. It tries pathetically to stay afloat in her soup, but only succeeds in drowning. Syaoran sips calmly at his tea letting the words sink in. Sakura shakes her head, her amber tresses flying about before blinking rapidly."
"After you guys though, so don't worry we won't steal the show." You laugh a bit.
"I don't think that they're concerned about that," I lean over and whisper in your ear. "Maybe we should have waited?"
"You just read my mind," you mutter. "Well," you say looking up, "what do you say?"
"C-c-congratulations," Sakura stammers.
Syaoran put his cup down and draws in a sharp breath. "Well, we have news too." He sighs, exhaling slowly. "Sakura and I… well, she that is. What I"m saying is that Sakura and I, you see." He continues to stumbles over his words. "She and I are getting married soon and all and well..." He reaches behind his head and scratches himself behind his ear. "What I'm trying to say is—"
He never finishes. Sakura interrupts him. "I'm pregnant!" she blurts out.
You drop your spoon. It doesn't try to stay afloat in your soup; it just clatters against the ground. The tea in my mouth instantly sours and I spit it – violently – back into the cup. The only noise in the room to be heard is the spoon rattling to a stop. You bend down to pick it up and wipe it off with a napkin.
I can feel my eyebrow twitching and I can't hold the words in. "MY SISTER IS WHAT?"
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Closing remarks?
Unfortunately, I have no closing remarks! Sorry guys! Two more chapters and a prequel to go for this story! I'll have the next chapter posted by next Sunday. But I have work and all to attend to, so it may be later!
Keep send in reviews and please, please, please tell others to read and review this as well!
If you have any suggestions or wishes for a story, please submit them to me at: CiulineIhmenjoyahoo.com
That is all…
Ja ne Ciuline Ihmenjo