A BIG thank you to all who reviewed! This time, I've tried to make it a longer length for you guys. I know I haven't been writing much, sorry!!! Thank you for your kind comments, feedback and understanding. As I said before, if I could make it more interesting for some of you (action-wise) I would, but this story has to go a bit slowly in order for me to get everything in place. My use of vocabulary is bad, but I will be revising this later on in the future, so please bear with me! This chapter gets a little bit better I hope. Please review!!! Thank you so much!
Disclaimer - I don't own anything! Read and Review!
Summary – Based on a Korean Drama: Waiting for her first love, Sakura Kinomoto is in her last year of high school. By chance, she misses her stop after dozing off on the bus. When she awakes, she finds her head on the shoulder of a boy named Syaoran Li, who has also missed his stop. As it ends up, Syaoran is actually a new student in her school and is in her class. Although the aloof Syaoran seems distant, he edges closer and closer to Sakura. However, as love blossoms and snow begins to fall, things will begin to unravel... and everything that seems to be, will truly be revealed...
Chapter Four – Newfound Happiness, and Hidden Shadows...
Syaorans POV
It was one late October day at school, I was bored.
Sakura had gone off with Eriol to see Tomoyo rehearse during lunch break. No offense to Tomoyo, but I wanted something to do, to occupy me, so I decided to go off on my own and told Sakura I would meet her back in class after lunch was over. I supposed it was a gift from heaven to Eriol, because as soon as he heard I wouldn't be tagging along, an instant smile spread on his face. It was obvious on that smug face of his; he wanted me away from him and Sakura from day one. Stupid idiot. I began to roam the hallways of the spacious, old school, my mind wandering...
I saw a few people sitting down just chatting or eating their lunches. I caught a glimpse of Sakura's two friends, Chiharu and Yamazaki. I watched them closely. Chiharu was feeding Yamazaki some sushi, while he began to rant about some history lesson they had that morning. He was talking about something else as well, knowing him, and judging from the way Chiharu looked at her boyfriend...
Yamazaki was probably lying again.
I smiled to myself and walked on.
I saw other couples holding hands, heads bent together, whispering excitedly about their plans together for the weekend.
That was probably something I could never even begin to comprehend.
Relationships.
Somehow, although it wasn't a complex word, I couldn't find the depth of it, the true significance. I didn't understand why people wanted to spend so much time together; maybe it was because I had never experienced anything of that sort. I was always made to take lessons and such. My sisters tried to take care of me, and when I had free time they would often take me along wherever they went. Mother was always attending to business matters, from time to time, she found a bit of time to bid me goodnight or talk to me about my studies. But that was all.
So, as you can see, I wasn't used to socializing. It's not like I have a choice anymore anyway, I'm supposed to find a bride for goodness sake! How in the world was I, Syaoran Li, supposed to find a bride worthy enough?
Most of all,
How was I supposed to find a bride that would love me and not my money?
I guess I had been thinking a little too much, and I realized that the hallways were suddenly silent. Had everyone gone to class? Had I lost track of time? I looked at my watch; it was only 11:30. I had half an hour to go. Where was I?
I must have wandered off without even thinking about it. I had never been in this hallway before, and judging by the looks of the empty corridor, it was safe to assume there were no classes here either. Then I noticed a room with double doors, most possibly a gymnasium. Curiosity got the better of me as I walked towards it and pushed open the double doors.
Inside it was dark and foreboding, only a bit of light penetrated through the white, dusty curtains and it was silent as a tomb. It looked like this room hadn't been used in a long time. As I surveyed the objects in the room, I noted that there were several music stands lying in one corner of the room. Bleachers were situated nearby, guessing from the contents of this place, it had probably been a music room at one point. Sweeping a final, fleeting glance about the room, I noticed one final thing. There, in the shadows of the room, was a beautiful piano...
Just as I began to walk towards it, my mind drifted back to reality and I realized that it was time to back to class. I would come back later, for now, I had to go. I headed through the double doors of the dusky room and jogged back to class.
Sakura's POV
While Eriol and I had been watching Tomoyo rehearse for the upcoming concert, Meilin met up with us in the auditorium. She greeted us with a beaming face and a "Hello!" But as soon as she found out the Syaoran wasn't present, the beaming smile instantly turned into a frown. That was a classic Meilin expression... I turned away from her to hide my smile. So, she did have a bit of a crush on Syaoran! When I turned back to her, the smile had returned.
"I have an idea."
My smile was equally as wide as hers now.
"Really? What?
"Let's go out on a little 'camping trip'. You, me, Eriol, Tomoyo, Yamazaki, Chiharu and..."
She trailed off, fingering a few strands of hair that lay hanging loose over her shoulder.
"Syaoran."
I felt myself shake with excitement.
"Yeah! That would be great! Then Syaoran will be able to have some fun with us! When are we going to do it?"
"I don't know, do you think it would be alright to do it this week? We have a three day weekend, so it would be perfect!"
"Where would we go for this? That place near the lake, the one that's about half an hour from here?"
"There's nowhere else we can go that has a nice view of everything. Not to mention it's close to home, and our parents won't worry so much about us being away."
Meilin winked at me and walked off towards Eriol. Leave it to her to spread the news. I smiled and walked off to class, Syaoran would probably already be there, knowing how... punctual he was. I broke out into a laugh as I walked down the hallway. Punctual? Give me a break!
Syaoran's POV
As I walked into the stuffy classroom, Sakura greeted me with a big friendly smile.
"Guess what?"
I grinned in spite of myself.
"What?"
"Meilin is planning for all of us to go on a little trip. You could say it's like camping."
I looked at her in disbelief. Sure, I had heard of camping, but I had ever gone camping?
No.
"So... who's going?"
"Me, Meilin, Eriol, Chiharu and Yamazaki."
"Really, that's good. I hope you guys have a good time."
"You're coming too!"
"Er... I don't think so Sakura. I don't know the first thing about camping."
She didn't seem fazed at all by my statement.
"Don't worry about it; after all, we have Eriol and Yamazaki to help us. I'm sure they'll teach you!"
I doubted Eriol would help me, seeing he always avoided me. He would give a curt hello when I walked into class with Sakura, but I would always sense that it was forced. Sakura always tried to get us to talk to each other, but it would always be in vain. That Eriol was as tough as a rock. And I for one, did not plan on moving him.
"So will you come anyway Syaoran? Please?"
I looked into her pleading emerald orbs. I doubted it would be as fun as she thought. I mean, how is going into a forest and singing stupid songs fun? How were we going to eat decently? I shuddered as I imagined all of us eating tree bark... But as I looked into her eyes, I felt awful. I'd give this one shot, but if anything went wrong, I'd call Wei to pick me up immediately.
"Oh, alright..."
"Thank you!"
She let out a bit of a happy squeal and hugged me. After a few seconds of shock and registration, I tentatively hugged her back.
The rest of the day went by in a blur...
After school had ended, I headed back to the deserted hallway I had accidentally stumbled across when I had been wandering around that day. I inhaled the scent of the old room as I entered. I didn't know why, but I felt at peace here. Although the atmosphere wasn't exactly what you call cozy, it was comforting in a way I cannot describe. Look at it this way, you may go to another home to stay for a little while, they make you feel welcome, give you what you need. And yet, nothing is better than your home itself. This place felt like home to me.
I immediately strode to the piano, fingering the dusty ivory keys. I sat down on the seat, looked at my surroundings once more, and began to play my favorite song. The First Time...I lost myself in the music, totally unaware of who I was, where I was, what I had to do... Frankly, I didn't give a damn about anything, except playing the song with all the happiness, pain, fear and sadness in my heart.
You see, before he passed away, my father taught me this song.
"You don't just play this song Syaoran... You play it with your heart and soul... Release what you feel inside... Fill the song with emotion, with your emotion... and that is what will make it beautiful..."
I always remembered those words...
As I began to recall these things, I began to play faster, my mind and body immersed in the song and nothing more... There was only me, the piano, and the beautiful melody that haunted my thoughts...
I thought I heard a sound, the sound of someone walking... and then it stopped for a while. I continued; although I was aware that someone was listening to me play. Usually I would become tense and ruin the piece I was playing. This time, however, the aura I sensed was comforting and warm... like a blanket on a cold winter's day... Then the presence slipped away, and I was cold again...
As soon as I returned home, I began to pack my things for the camping trip over the upcoming long weekend. Homework could wait, for now, this had to be done before I ran out of time. To tell the truth, I was a bit excited about thing whole thing. I had never experienced a being out with friends, or even acquaintances my age. In fact, if I was ever to have an arrangement of that sort, it would be for business matters only. Besides, the people I met weren't half as interesting or amusing as the ones here in Tomoedea... Like Sakura... I shook my head; she was filling up my thoughts more and more each day. I was wondering if I was starting to feel something that wasn't there before... I turned to the awaiting textbooks. Right now, homework was my number one priority, and the topic of Sakura was forgotten...
That Friday, we met up in front of the school entrance, all ready to go. Lucky for us, Meilin's father agreed to drive us to the place we would be 'camping' for the next three days. The trip was about 20 minutes, excluding us hauling our things into the van... It was amusing to see all of us bringing tents and sleeping bags. The girls brought so many things, it made it seem like we were going to be there for a long time. I smiled wryly at Sakura, who was huffing as she carried her bags up to the van. As I offered to help her, she smiled with gratitude.
Meilin, however was seemingly very envious of this sudden attention, she began to cling to my arm tightly, whining about how she needed my assistance as well. Seeing the commotion, Eriol stepped in and took her bags. Annoyance, and jealously was all that was portrayed in her eyes, she said nothing more.
As we drove on, Tomoyo began to rummage around in small bag, and pulled out....
A video camera...
Everyone sweatdropped...Including me... Several voices broke out at once.
"Tomoyo, please turn that off.."
"Yeah, I'm not photogenic."
"I'm camera shy!"
"I'm... car sick?"
All of us turned to Sakura with our mouths gaping open.
A few seconds...
One...
Two...
Three...
And we all burst into a fit of laughter that lasted for five minutes straight.
We couldn't look at each other without breaking out into laughter again. I could feel my face feeling as hot as fire. I had never laughed like this before in all my life. And I liked it.
Meanwhile...
Two shadowy figures appeared in a dark room, bowing in front of a regal looking woman.
"Lady Yelan... we are pleased to inform you that we have found the whereabouts of your son..."
"The young heir to the clan... Li Syaoran..."
The woman, now introduced as Yelan stood from her seat, eyes flashing.
"Where is he?"
"He was spotted in Japan, in a small town call Tomoedea..."
"He is currently in Wei's care, living in a house away from the bustling heart of the town..."
"Do we have you're permission to retrieve him Lady Yelan?"
"No..."
The two figures looked up, surprised at this statement.
"But.. my Lady..."
"It's the perfect time! The sooner, the better!"
"We will wait a bit longer... just to get him comfortable... I promise the wage I owe you will be greater in sum... and a possible promotion for the both of you may also be in the balance... Don't fail me when the time comes... I will summon you... Leave now..."
"Yes My Lady..."
The two shadowy figures chorused in unison. They bowed once more, and disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke.
Yelan sat back down, a strange smile on her features.
"Soon. When you least expect it my son... we will come for you..."
Then the room was devoid of all people... as if there hadn't been anyone inside in the first place...
To be continued?
Once again, thank you for reviewing! I hope this chapter was longer and a bit better than the last three.
