Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptors or any of the names from that show, OK?
S.M.K Fighters
Chapter 3The gym...
Sakura had changed into her loose fitting track pants and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, but her bangs still hung down at the front. She started at the punching bag and was throwing punches and kicks at the bag.(only left arm of course, her right arm was still in a cast!!) She suddenly started thinking, again, about how life would be if she was with Li instead if Madison...
In her fantasy Li walked into their house.
"How are you Sakura honey?" Li said sweetly, walking up to the chair Sakura was sitting in.
"Great, how about you sweetie?" Sakura replied sweetly.
"I'm fine..." Li planted a deep kiss on Sakura's lips, and Sakura kissed back.
'Wait just a second!' called Sakura's conscience as Li leaned further over Sakura, kissing her harder, 'this isn't right! What about Madison?'
Sakura realised all of this and it made her angry to think that she was thinking this way and not even considering her closest friend!
She quickly snapped out of her fantasy.
Sakura suddenly kicks the bag with a scream of fury and rage, but she kicks it so hard that it comes flying off the hook that it was hanging from and smacks into a guy walking past who gets knocked to the ground. Sakura stares for a second then rushes over to help him up.
"Had a rough day Sakura?" said a familiar, muffled voice. Sakura lifts up the bag and shoves it back down in the guy's face again.
"Hi Scott," said Sakura with a grin as she kicked him playfully in the ankle and walked off in the other direction, she was planning on going home as she walked toward the lockers, when she was grabbed by the shoulder and pulled back to a halt.
"Wait Sakura-" Scott was cut off by Sakura,
"Look, I know what your going to ask me and no, I will not go out with you Scott, for the last time." Said Sakura as she shrugged of Scott's arm and continued walking towards the locker rooms to change back into her jeans from before.
"But for once," Scott tried again, running to her side and walking with her, "I wasn't going to ask you that, because I already knew your answer. I was just wondering what the answer to the question was, that I asked before...have you had a rough day?" Scott asked again, with a smile on his face that was so big that the ends of his mouth almost ran inside his ears. He had saved that smile for just Sakura lately.
Sakura frowned at him.
Scott had black hair and blue eyes with an 'x' shaped birthmark on his right cheek and a few freckles that were visible across his nose. Sakura stared at him for a while as they walked...till she tripped over a bag and found herself caught in Scott's arms.
Sakura blushed in embarrassment, turned her head the other way, and raced off toward her bag in the next room. Sakura had had a slight crush on Scott since they were little kids, because they went to the same primary school and were always put in the same classes.
"That girl!" Scott sighed with a sweat drop down his head, "She's so beautiful, but she can also be a real klutz at times," said Scott as he walked back to the punching bag to put it back on the hook and try a few moves of his own.
Scott ran the gym when his dad was away on another job or when he was sick. This gym was therefore under his care for another 4months because his father was a boxer and he had to travel to America to compete in some tournaments. If he won, he could come back with over $20,000 so that he could buy some more equipment for the gym and some furniture for the house. Scott lost his mother when he was 3, just like Sakura, except that he didn't have half-a-million pictures to put up around the house, he kept them all in a photo album under his pillow...but he did carry one photo with him in his wallet.
He took it out now. It was on of when his mother was very young, so it was black and white. There was a young girl in it with hair just like Sakura's but with a straw hat over her head, tied around her neck with a ribbon. She wore a puffy dress that reached her ankles. Under them were some shiny black, buckled shoes.
But this photo was all tacky by now and frayed at the edges with crease lines all over it from folding and refolding it time and time again. Scott sighed, but jumped into the air with fright as a hand touched his shoulder and a voice said, "Wat'cha got there?"
Scott shoved the picture back into his wallet and turned around to see that it was only Sakura. Scott frowned and turned on his heel back toward the punching bag without even a word.
"Rude!" Sakura said quickly as she walked toward the door and stormed out, not knowing something that she thought she ought to ticked her off.
She stormed all the way back to her house without a thought of Madison and Li, or that Tori and her dad were still home, waiting for an explanation...
Inside Sakura's home...
Just as Sakura walked through her front door, she realised her mistake and, seeing her big brother staring at her sternly, started to think of excuses.
"Dad, Sakura's home. She just came in through the front door," Tori yelled out, and then he turned back to Sakura and frowned. "You have a lot of explaining to do, and don't expect desert tonight unless you make it yourself squirt." With that, Tori walked out of the room, just as Aiden rushed in. he stopped at the doorway as Sakura hid her right arm behind her back in hopes that her dad wouldn't find out what happened. Her father rushed towards her and wrapped his arms around her tight. This was too much pain for Sakura to keep quiet. She screamed and Aiden let go quickly. Sakura brought out her arm and hugged it close to her chest, trying to think of more excuses; but she put her left hand over the dent from the bullet.
"Oh, Sakura," Aiden didn't know what to say. For the third time in 2 days Sakura had a tear roll down her cheek. "Will you tell me what happened? Sakura?" Sakura wiped away her tear roughly while trying to think of an excuse that wouldn't reveal the 'S.M.K fighter's' secret. Instead of telling him the truth she lied.
"We were practicing shooting arrows in Li's backyard when I slipped and knocked Li so that his arrow went through my arm – but it was MY FAULT!" she quickly added in, "so Li drove me to the hospital and I got this cast put on me." Sakura sighed and looked away from her father...but she wished she hadn't.
"Sakura, you have bruises on your neck, where did they come from?" Aiden turned Sakura's face towards his and looked deep into her eyes, searching for the truth. He bought Sakura's last story, but from the look in Sakura's eyes, fear, pain and agony, made him let go of her face and stand up. He hadn't seen her like this in years.
Sakura saw her chance and ran away crying up the stairs into her room, where she flopped onto her bed and balled her eyes out.
Aiden didn't want to chase her daughter and force it out of her. Tori came back into the room (from wherever he went to?!?!) and asked his father "What's up with the squirt?"
"sigh. She just needs a little time alone Tori, she'll be fine in a while or so." Aiden didn't want Tori to get worried about Sakura, but Tori knew that he was lying. He played along though and smiled. Aiden smiled back and walked down to the basement/library to find a good book to read. Tori stared after him, sighed, and decided to go to his room as well...
At the dinner table that night...
"Hey, SQUIRT! Get DOWN here and EAT something...dad cooked tonight," Tori yelled, worrying that her tea was getting cold, because he had almost finished his at this point and was even thinking of eating Sakura's for her...except that there was still dessert to come, chocolate cake, one of his favourite desserts.
Tori got worried and went to check up on her. He waited until Aiden had left the table (he had said before to just leave her be) and quietly grabbed Sakura's dinner and headed up the stairs. He knocked on the closed door and opened it, not waiting for an answer, nor expecting one.
But to his surprise, Sakura was asleep, with a cast by her side. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her pillow was still visibly wet, so he guessed that she was just faking to sleep. Then, he saw it, the bruises around her neck from when she was dangling in the air, being held there by the fat, ugly bully. Of course Tori didn't know this.
The bruises were a dark purple and red colour and Tori rubbed his neck as if he had the bruises. Tori slowly walked towards his little sister and put the plate on her dresser. Then he shook her gently and whispered her name by her ear.
Sakura's eyelids fluttered as Tori stopped rocking her and brought her the plate while getting her to sit up and putting her pillow on her lap.
"Sakura," Tori sighed, "will you do me a favor?" Sakura looked at her plate and didn't say anything, but Tori continued. "Will you tell me what happened, who hurt you and why you go out late every night...hmm?" Tori persisted. He wanted an answer so that he could maybe help her, not to tell on her or anything. He wasn't like that. "Will you please tell me?" Tori asked again. He noticed a single tear fall from her face onto the blanket. He gently took Sakura's chin and turned her head to face his.
Sakura avoided his eyes as a single tear fell from her eye and rolled down her cheek. She turned her head the other way and whispered to Tori "promise you won't tell anyone?" Sakura sobbed as she turned her head so she looked straight into Tori's eyes, searching for an answer. Getting no answer, she hung her head as more tears streamed down her cheeks, even though she was fighting them back. They rolled from her face and hit the pillow, one by one making a small puddle on the blanket.
Tori saw this and sighed, "O.K Sakura, I won't tell anyone," but he broke his promise by crossing his fingers behind his back as he said this, just incase it was really serious and he had to tell their dad. So Sakura wiped away the tears and breathed in deeply before telling her brother everything that had happened last night (of course nothing about the necklace...if you still remember that one at the very start!)...
A little later, after Sakura had finished her story...
Tori sat stunned as he stared into Sakura's green eyes, just to make sure she was serious...and she was...of course. She sighed and started to eat her noodles and veggies as Tori walked out the room and closed the door. She wiped away a new tear, pulled herself together, and continued to eat her dinner. It was cold and Sakura wasn't all that hungry, but she had to eat to keep up her strength. She had decided to become a vetegitarian just last year when her father accidentally hit a kangaroo on an outing in the country. She didn't get angry at people who actually ate meat, unless they waved it in her face or teased her about it, then they would get a couple of extra knuckle sandwiches on the side.
As Sakura munched on a small carrot, she remembered something,
"The necklace," she whispered loudly "oh, CRAP! I was supposed to give them to the boss last night...great" she mumbled as she pushed her plate aside and grabbed her mobile phone and dialed Madison's mobile to tell her about it...
Ring ring...Ring ri- "Hello?" said Madison cheerfully.
"Hey, do you still have your bag from last night?" Sakura said urgently
"Oh, hey Sakura. You sound kind of grumpy toda-"
"MADIOSON!" Sakura yelled through the phone
"OK OK! Hold on..." Madison put down the phone and rummaged around in her room to find it. She came back within a minute or so and replied "Here it is Sakura."
"Right, now, what do you see inside?" Sakura asked desperately.
Madison fumbled around a little more "it's a parcel- gasp the NECLACE!" Madison squealed, "Oh CRAP!"
"That's what I was just saying!" Sakura said, but Madison didn't listen.
She started pacing the room saying "what are we going to do...he'll have our hides for being late...a whole DAY late, what are we going to DO!?" she squealed again as she stomped, pacing the floor.
"If you're really that stressed, I can just go on my own-"
"NO!" screamed Madison into the phone "you can't go alone. Sigh I'll go with you, and make sure that Li comes too. I won't have you being hurt again Sakura," at that Madison hung up her phone, but Sakura rung her back
"We have to go tonight Madison, where do we meet?" Sakura asked.
"I'll call Li and meet you in the park in, an hour and a half?" Madison said.
"No, make it 2 hours, to make sure that the parents are asleep, right?"
"Right then, meet in the park at 10:00. gotcha! Oh, gota go, got another call, bye!..." With that, they hung up and got some things ready...
In the central park...
Sakura had brought her white backpack with the yellow angel wings on the back, Kero had been left behind, eating some pudding Sakura gave him to make him quiet while she was gone. Sakura wore the same black, skirt with red writing ('Fallen Angel ') and also wore a pair of jeans with writing on the back pocket saying 'BrATz' and flowers sewn on the bottom of the right leg, of the jeans. Around her neck was a small, heart-shaped locket with a picture of her mother inside. She also wore a blue and black cap. Sakura looked around in hopes to see Madison around, but she couldn't see her anywhere, but she did see Li, running in her direction.
When Li reached Sakura he was huffing a little and said "Sorry Sakura, but Madison cant come anymore because her friend rung her just as you hung up and asked her if she would like to sleep over her house. So Madison said yes and then rung me to get me to go with you...and I was running because I didn't want anything to happen to you if I was late and I thought I was late, but I had to do a school project first." He rushed through the explanation, a little out of breath.
"That's ok Li," said Sakura, showing no emotion in her words or expression. "I'll be fine without you." But Li didn't want to leave her by herself.
Li looked into Sakura's emerald green eyes for a while then said "No, that's not alright," he took a step towards Sakura so that Sakura felt his breath on her neck. Sakura sighed as she looked into Li's dark, brown eyes longingly. Then Li snaked his arms around Sakura, still staring into her deep emerald eyes and moved his lips so close that they were a millimeter from Sakura's, when Sakura reached up and, not really wanting to, slapped Li hard across his cheek. Li let go immediately and Sakura took 2 giant steps back.
"How COULD you?" Sakura screamed. "I won't let you betray Madison like this, you can't." Li wasn't looking at Sakura, he was staring at the ground, his face still smarting from the slap. Sakura started to pace from side to side. "I thought you loved Madison, I won't let you break her heart. Especially NOT over me...her best friend." Sakura noticed Li wasn't looking at her and jumped on Li's right foot. Li threw his head back and screamed in pain
"You, you BASTARD!" Sakura was furious, she could feel her blood boiling inside her as she stared into Li's eyes, which were now fixed on Sakura's
"sigh I'm sorry-" Li tried to explain, but Sakura butted in.
"SORRY? Well that's not going to help you now, is it?"
"I-I don't even know weather to tell Madison or not-"
"Oh PLEASE no, not Madison," Li begged "I swear that I'm sorry, please forgive me. Sakura looked into his eyes, but all she saw was love, not fear or truth. She had to tell this to Madison. Sakura frowned and grabbed her bag.
"No Li," Said Sakura slowly "I will never forgive you now, and I would like to go on this mission on my own." With that, Sakura turned on her heel and walked in the other direction.
"Sakura," Li called after her "WAIT!" he jogged till he was by her side and walking the same pace. But Sakura stuck her nose up in a huff and started to jog ahead of Li, Li did the same. Then Sakura started to run, Li still kept at it. Then Sakura suddenly shot ahead of Li and as she ran past him...he saw a tear stream out of her eye.
Li stopped and stared after Sakura as she bolted down the path toward the road. Sakura was blinded by her tears and couldn't see where she was going, but she wanted to get away from Li. 'How could he do this, how COULD he!?' Sakura thought. Suddenly she heard the honking of a truck, and she stopped still...in the middle of the road, blinding lights in her face. Sakura knew that she should move, but her feet had frozen in place. Sakura closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to hit her...but as the horn honked again she was shoved out of the way and knocked onto the sidewalk as she heard a scream, in a deeper voice than hers. Sakura sat up fast and saw...Li, just lying there on the road...dead still.
'No...' thought Sakura as the driver of the truck jumped out the truck, ran to Li's side and dragged him to the sidewalk next to Sakura. Her eyes were still filled with tears, but now they overflowed and ran down her face and onto her denim jacket, leaving small wet drops. "Li?" Sakura whispered
"Oh, god...I'm so sorry Sakura, I didn't see you, or him there..."the truck driver trailed off.
Suddenly, Sakura recognized the voice. She brushed away her tears and looked into the driver's face.
"...Scott?" Sakura breathed and quickly stood, "what are you doing here? And in that truck?" Sakura was a bit shaken up, and her knees buckled. Quickly, before she fell, Scott caught her. He lifted her up and tried to get her to stand on her own.
When she did he said "I think you should sit down, ok Sakura?"
She sat down, but didn't say anything.
"sigh I'll call an ambulance then." he started back to his truck. Sakura looked at Li laying next to her. She laid down and put her arm around Li's limp body, then lay her head on his chest and sobbed as Scott ran too his van and dialed the ambulance
Then Sakura heard something in Li's chest...a heart beat!
"Oh, thank god!" Sakura cried and sat up next to him...then she suddenly remembered the jewels and after wiping away her tears started searching Li's pockets for the parcel. When she found them, she whispered to Li "I'm so sorry," and kissed him on the cheek, the one that was now pink from her slap.
Then started running down the street. Her right shoulder ached and her cheek had been grazed on the gravel road from when she had fallen, but she just gritted her teeth and kept running.
Behind her she could hear Scott calling out to her "Hey, Sakura, where are you going?...HEY!" but Sakura ignored him and turned down a familiar alley...
Viking-Ulf: next chapter, coming soon, don't you worry about that!! I've already written more that this, and Madison is coming back in the next chapter too...I think!?