Disclaimer: I do not own Cardcaptors or any of the names from that show, OK?
S.M.K Fighters
Chapter 3Sakura was running, instead of through the sewers, down a small alleyway. She had decided to go the longer way around because she was by herself, and she knew this way like the back of her hand (...as in very well).
Sakura stopped at a door and knocked 5 times, stopped, knocked 3 times, stopped, knocked 7 times and took a step back. A split second later the door opened, revealing a man dressed in a tracksuit. He stood aside so that Sakura could walk in, and he closed the door behind her with a click.
"The boss is on the second floor, waiting for the parcel. I'm sure he's expecting an apology too." He said as he walked down a hallway, and disappeared around a corner. Sakura walked up the dimly lit stairs and walked into a small room at the end of the hall where a young man was sitting at a desk but his face was covered in shadow. She walked up to the desk and laid down the parcel.
"Here," Sakura said "can we stop stealing for you now?"
But as Sakura said this, she heard a yell from down stairs and someone screamed, "Help, I'm under attack!" Sakura bolted out the room and looked over the stairs to see Scott had just knocked the guy in the tracksuit out. Then he looked up at Sakura.
"Ah," he smiled "there you are, I was looking for you! Your friend is on his way to hospital, and I thought you ought to know." With that he turned, stopped to look back at Sakura and said "so, you coming?" and walked out the door.
Sakura stared at the door for a second then bolted down the stairs and out the door "Wait!" She screamed after him, "Please, will you drive me there, to the hospital?"
Scott turned "Sure, I'll take you-" Sakura grabbed his arm and started dragging him down the street, without a thought of her boss back in the building, she wanted to get away from there as quick as she could.
"HEY!" called Scott "this is my truck," Sakura stopped sharply, but Scott ran into the back of her and made her land on her right wrist (cast) and Sakura screamed with pain. "Oh, MAN! I've hurt someone else now...great" he said angrily as he helped Sakura to her feet.
But Sakura only said, "Where are your keys?" Scott fumbled for his keys, searched every pocket, got distracted when the zipper of his pants got stuck and dropped the keys twice! Sakura was just about ready to burst when Scott opened the door and stepped aside for Sakura. She climbed in and waited for Scott to get in...after falling over once and getting his seat belt stuck, he turned on the engine and they were off – a little slower than Sakura had first expected.
"Doesn't this truck go any faster?" Sakura said through gritted teeth
"Not much faster, but then I may get pulled over and then it'll take TWICE as long to see your friend," Scott said. Sakura folded her arms (auquardly from her cast!) and looked out the window She couldn't believe she used to like this guy!
"You know, you owe me a favor!"
Sakura looked blank for a second, then grabbed a pen off the windowsill and a piece of paper and started to write something down.
"there's my number," she mumbled as she wrote her name, "so if you think of something you want from me you can just call..." then underneath that she wrote someone else's number, "and here's my friend, you call her, as soon as you drop me off...maybe when you get home. Just to tell her where Li and I are...?"
"O.K, Sakura, but first, how did you get that cast? I never got to ask you when we were in the gym."
"To tell you the truth, I don't think you'll believe me!"
"Tell me first, then I can tell you if I do or don't...ok?"
Sakura turned her head to him and sighed "ok, I walked through a trap and an arrow went through my arm...do you believe that?"
"...yes," he answered after a pause "I do as a matter of fact."
Sakura's eyes widened a little, then she frowned and looked out the window again.
"Would you like a bandage, Sakura?"
She turned again "...why? What makes you think I need one?"
Scott pointed at her cheek "You got grazed a bit there," then pointing at her shoulder continued, "and you're bleeding a little too." Sakura looked at her shoulder too and saw that she had been grazed quite badly and there was a bruise forming. The more she thought about it, the more it throbbed and started to sting, her face too. She looked through the glove compartment in front of her and found, in a first-aid kit, a bandage that she wrapped around her shoulder loosely so the circulation wouldn't be cut off. But she ignored her cheek.
"We're almost at the hospital now Sakura, do you want me to come in?"
"No, I'll be fine thanks."
Scott stopped the truck and Sakura quickly opened the door.
He called out to Sakura as she climbed out the truck "Don't forget, you owe me a favour! See you round Sakura!"
Sakura closed the door, then thought 'I wonder if Li's going to have to stay here all night? I hope he's ok...' The truck drove off and she sped inside the front door...
Inside of the hospital...
As Sakura ran inside, she was almost knocked back out the door by someone in a bed being rushed to another room; He looked very green in the face. Sakura checked that it was safe to go and went over to the counter. The lady was chewing gum and typing on the computer in front of her.
When Sakura came up she immediately answered(without looking up from the screen) "You want to visit someone, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Are you family? Or friend?"
"...Family," Sakura lied. She knew that sometimes they only let family members visit patients.
"How are you related?"
"I am...his, cousin!"
"Who are you wanting to visit?"
"Li, Li Showran. Has he been admitted yet?" Sakura asked desperately, looking worried.
The lady tap-tap-tapped in some words, and clicked the mouse a few times, then looked over the rim of her glasses at Sakura. "He's in ward 'S-2'.
"...and where is that?"
"There's a map," she waved her hand over the top of the desk vaguely, her eyes back on the computer screen, "on that wall somewhere. You'll see it." She then blew a huge bubble with her gum. Sakura walked over to the wall that the lady had apparently pointed at and tried to look for a map. When she found it she saw that Li had been put on the 12th floor, and started looking for the nearest lift...but she couldn't see one from the hustle and bustle that was now rushing around her. One lady looked pregnant, one had a gash to his forehead and another was walking around with only one arm!
The only thing Sakura could find was the stairs. She didn't want to just stand here anymore. She ran to the stairs and went up them 2 steps at a time. But as she went, she slowed till she had stopped and then leaned against a wall.
'What if he doesn't WANT to see me?" she thought "what if he hates me now, now that I've rejected him...' Sakura sighed and hit her head against the wall angrily. 'Why did I reject him? I like him now, a lot...and I yelled and screamed at him!?' then another thought clicked in 'What about Madison though? That's why I stopped...but Li doesn't even like Madison anymore...does he?'
Sakura stood straight and started running up the stairs. She had anger rushing through her now. 'I'll kill him; if it's the last thing I do...he just went with Madison for kicks! He BETRAYED Madison, my best friend!'
Sakura stopped in front of a big blue door reading wards 'S-2 to R-10' Sakura pushed it open and looked in the first ward to her left to see Li just laying there, staring at the ceiling with his leg in a cast, and a sling holding it there. His expression, so extremely blank. Sakura walked up to his bed and stood by him, waiting for him to look at her. Instead Li just looked the other way and closed his eyes.
Sakura sighed as she tried to hold back the tears, welling up in her eyes. She didn't really want to be here at all, and she had now decided that she may as well forgive him, Sakura knew he could really be a nice guy at times.
Sakura walked up closer to Li's bed till she could feel the cold metal of the bar pressing against her legs. Sakura knew she was falling in love with Li, but she couldn't help it anymore.
A tear rolled down her cheek as her chin quivered slightly and she said "Li?" in a small quiet voice that was only just loud enough for Li. He turned his head to face her and opened his eyes so that Sakura saw he was starting to cry too. Sakura was slightly shocked at this and put her hand on his for comfort.
"Li, I... I forgive you sniff I'm sorry I was so mean and left you there on the sidewalk after you were hit," She looked at Li's cheek to see a purple-ish bruise of a hand mark "and I'm sorry I slapped you in the park as well. Will you forgive me?" Sakura smiled a little as another tear rolled down her cheek.
Li reached over to Sakura's cheek and caught the tear before it fell from her face onto her shirt, then gently brushed the others away from Sakura's cheeks. All this time Sakura had been staring into Li's soft, chocolate-brown eyes lovingly and she sat on the side of Li's bed and held tight to Li's hand.
"Sakura," Li said "I forgive you"
Sakura sighed and continued to look into Li's dark, endless eyes and wished that he were hers. Then Li sat up and snaked his arms around Sakura then laid back, pulling Sakura on top of him, then Li pulled her head closer till their lips touched and kissed her passionately. Sakura closed her eyes and kissed back without another thought about Madison.
But they broke it off when they both heard an "Awww," sound from some patients around them in their own beds, staring at them dreamily. Sakura and Li looked around nervously while their faces got redder by the second.
Sakura was about to get up and run when Li grabbed her hand. She stopped immediately, and so Li called a nurse to get him in a wheelchair and move him to a private room.....
Around 5 minuets later...
Li was in another room on the top floor. It looked much better and could almost be a normal room in a house...except for the hospital bed! Sakura was sitting in a chair by Li's side and they were holding hands. She knew what she did and what she was doing was wrong and so she was trying to find excuses to tell Madison (incase she ever found out), but she couldn't think of a single explanation for it. She may just have to tell the truth.
Sakura pulled out of her thoughts and looked over at Li. He was staring back at the ceiling, looking quite stressful. Sakura gripped his hand tighter for support and Li did the same, then turned his head in her direction and smiled.
"That was pretty embarrassing back there, am I right?" Sakura giggled
"Yah," was all that Li said. Sakura stopped smiling and stared right into his eyes
"But it was wrong," Sakura said quite seriously "and we have to tell Madison the truth if she ever finds out." Li nodded and stopped smiling too.
"I hope she doesn't, I do still love her" Li said and looked back at the ceiling "But at the same time I love you too Sakura and I don't really want it that way because I know that you two are really good friends," Li looked back at Sakura, smiling "But now I don't know what to do...will you spend the night here with me? It's already nearly midnight, and I don't want to be here alone tonight," Li waited patiently for Sakura's response.
"...yes, I will, Li" Sakura eventually said "But ONLY for tonight." She smiled now and Li just laughed and gripped her hand tighter. Sakura blushed as Li took her hand and lifted it to his face and kissed it gently. Li smiled sweetly as he let Sakura's hand fall and he closed his eyes to sleep, and dreamed...
Li's dream...
"Did you come here to train?" Little-Li asked, as though to expect it.
"Yes...let's go!" Meilin said, while jumping up and down on the spot and then jumping back toward the pole. Li stood and walked toward Meilin while dusting off some dust from his pants. They walked past the pole to a small dirt circle in the grass. They then both went to either end, bowed slightly, stood in fighting positions and waited for either one to make the move. Then Meilin rushed forward with the look of determination plastered across her face. Li ran forward as well, with his hand in a fist behind him, ready to swing. Meilin ducked and tried to trip Li up, but he jumped her leg and landed on the ground in a crouching position. He stood and was about to turn, when a fist came flying at his face. He put his hands in front of his face and cringed, waiting for the pain to hit him...
But something got in the way, and the next thing Li knew Meilin was sitting on the ground holding tight to her fist and tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"You don't have to be so rough Li," Meilin sobbed, but Li was a little bit shocked. What had stopped the punch? Li didn't do anything...did he?
Li looked around himself as he stood, but he couldn't see anyone or anything, except the pole...but it was snapped in half, and laying by his feet! The next thing he knew he was his normal, older self again and Meilin had disappeared...
The end of Li's dream...
Li woke up in the hospital bed with Sakura curled up in the small chair beside him. He looked at the clock that said it was 5:30 AM, then looked out the window and saw that it was pretty close to sunrise. Then Li remembered something Sakura had said to him a while ago...
'I've never seen the sunrise before, I always get up too late!' He gently shook Sakura awake. Sakura stirred, and asked for the time.
"It's 5:30 now,"
"Why do you want me up so early? Is there something wrong?" Sakura rubbed her eyes and opened them.
"I want you to look out the window, for me."
"...Why?" Sakura asked suspiciously "What's out there?"
Li looked out the window himself, then chuckled "Have a look for yourself Sakura, you'll love it."
Sakura did look to see the clouds mixed with the colors orange, purple and pink and the sun just coming over the hills in the distance.
"Wow!" Sakura said in awe, "It's beautiful Li, thank you!" She smiled and turned back to Li, "I want to go you get in a wheelchair?" Sakura asked.
"You ask." Li said as Sakura ran out the door to get a nurse...
Viking-Ulf: it's beating around the bush a bit, I know, but it'll get to a point soon...I've just written the story already, that's all!. REVIEWS PLEASE!!!
.::VikingUlf::.