THE NAMELESS BLACKMAIL
WRITTEN BY ----- VIOLENT HAYES
RATING ---- PG13 (situations, violence, and language)
GENRES --- Action & Adv./ Romance/ Suspense
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AUTHOR'S COMMENT --------------------------[+]
Here I am again! =) Happy Birthday Cherry Jade!! (Even though it's a completely and inappropriately late, I had the intention of doing it before) I'm sad to say that I've had the most horrible two months ever! I've been stressed with public classes, exams, family problems, computer meltdowns, artist's blocks, blah, blah, blah. I'm having a hard time writing since all my inspiration seems to have been drained completely, and to top it off, Word has decided to shut down entirely so bear with me the next grammar mistakes. =( Hope you enjoy it still.
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CHAPTER 3 --- One more day ---[+]
Mornings are supposed to be filled with fresh new starts and sweet melodies, at least that's what Sakura thought a day back. The unbearable truth was sharing her room with her gorgeous ex-boyfriend – who also happened to be, by the way- a murderer, who had somehow managed to barge in and sleep through the night in her own room. Sakura gripped her head with both of her hands as if bearing a headache. Syaoran, who had thankfully put on a shirt, stared at the TV screen with disbelief.
She grunted. This is not happening to me! This is all a stupid nightmare I'll wake up from. "Don't worry, the TV isn't alive." She added taking a glance from the corner of her eye.
Syaoran sent her a glare with a package full of shivers included. He didn't have time for jokes.
After regaining her composure, she continued, "So, the cat's out of the bag. They found out that you killed the weird man. You know, they were bound to find out about it… Don't give yourself a hard time. "
He amusedly snorted. "Do you believe that- shit? "
Sakura got a surprise. "Huh? Didn't you go to murder at night? "
"No." He rolled his eyes, reminding her how naïve she could sometimes be.
Ignoring his reminder, she managed to choke out. "B-But you had all night to do it. I mean after meeting your oh-so-pleasant buddy..."
"What did you say?" Sakura could feel how ticked he was getting by the progress of the conversation. "Besides, I was too busy taking care of your sleeping spell to really do it. "
Sakura actually blushed at the mention of the taking care part, but then she realized, "Hold on a second. You mean to tell me, that you would have killed him anyway? "
It took a while for him to answer, but nonetheless he nodded.
Sakura sighed. "And I thought that you had actually considered the man's life. You have no right in deciding when someone should die… Shame on you! "
"Hey! I had no choice okay? I-" Before he could get all the yelling out of his system- and believe me, he did have a lot- Sakura hushed him as a melodic tune rang from bottom of the stairs.
"Sakura, honey, are you feeling all right? Your breakfast is cold! You have to come down, or you won't go out today, and stay with me doing the chores around here! "
Sakura slapped her forehead, and the murder issue was forgotten. "I'm almost done dressing! I'll be down in a minute! "
Sakura stood up from her bed, to find herself still in her pajamas from last night. She quickly rushed to the bathroom, and shut the door.
A warning was soon heard, "Don't you dare try anything, Li!"
Syaoran rolled his eyes. As if… I'm not a stupid pervert. He continued to watch the television screen absentmindedly. What am I going to do now? Suddenly, the telephone rang breaking his thoughts. A frustrated grunt came from the bathroom, and Sakura rushed out already dressed and sparkling with her strong cherry blossom essence. It nauseated Syaoran to know that she still used the same perfume since he had last saw her, yet at the same time he felt a hidden nostalgia which tried to breach open his inner memories.
" Already done?" Syaoran asked amazed.
" Don't go there." Sakura retorted as she approached the ringing device, and sweetly answered, "Kinomoto Residence."
" May I speak to Sakura?" A male voice asked.
" This is she. Who is this? "
" Hiroshi, from the police. Remember me? "
" Of course. What's the matter? "
" Well, first of all, Li Syaoran has recently escaped from jail, and we believe that you are in danger. Has anything strange occurred lately? "
Sakura turned to Syaoran while thinking over the question. It would be a complete lie if she told Hiroshi everything was okay, but while she though about it, she suddenly felt the hard and cold stare only emitted by him. She soon noticed how tensed up he was after figuring out who was on the other line. A glint of a smile showed up on Sakura's face for she could easily tell Hiroshi the truth and get away with it. As if reading her mind, Syaoran hurriedly mouthed a big "no", followed by a "you wouldn't dare!", but Sakura simply caught the cord in her finger, happily hinting "want to try? ". She winked.
Admitting his defeat he mumbled. "Ok, I'll do anything you want."
She triumphantly smiled and answered, "Not lately."
" Good. I'm glad to hear you are okay. You must be careful. Call me whenever you need anything. "
" Sure. Thank you, Hiroshi."
She hung the phone, and brightly paced around the room.
"Why do you even talk to that guy?" He muttered.
"Hiroshi? He's a nice guy. You know, he saved me from you." She hinted while secretly thanking her luck. "What's wrong with him?"
"He's a cop for god's sake! You can't trust them, and that means no flirting either."
Sakura actually felt her cheeks tingle with a slight reddish burn. "For your information, I wasn't flirting."
Syaoran laughed as she was trying to hold up her pride. "Oh, and what do you call that?"
"He was just checking up on me."
"Sure…" Syaoran smirked. For some damn reason, he wanted to get on her nerves. "Sakura, you are an amateur. I'm thinking two years of absence has made you rusty."
This got him a pillow thrown at his head, which was easily caught before causing any impact.
"Just remember Li, he's my ticket out of this mess." She reminded while going toward the door; her dreadful day had gotten much more better. "From now on, you'll follow my rules. If anything goes wrong, I'll tell Hiroshi where you are currently living. "
Syaoran sent a glare only to strike against the closed door. "A mess you got yourself into."
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Another snowy and grayish day hung over Tomoeda, as mist hid realities and a possible illusion could be seen. Sakura walked from street to street, keeping her steady pace and watching out for the people that could incidentally bump into her. She wasn't alone; Syaoran, dressed in black clothes (including shades and a hat), joined her. He had stubbornly forced her into agreeing, for he didn't want to get stuck in a house with a crazy aunt. However, while his "stupid costume" did the job at masquerading him, it was absurd for him to wear glasses on a foggy evening.
" Won't they suspect anything? " Sakura whispered, as people often took amused glances at the fool who was with her.
" Nah, just tell them, I'm your bodyguard." He assured her with a smile.
She sighed. Yeah right… like they are going to buy that. And even so, you tried to kill me a day ago.
Even though the situation seemed rather odd, Sakura got a few bonuses. First of all she was being fought for; which in some alternate universe meant that he still had feelings for her. And secondly, even though Syaoran had tried to murder both the man and herself, he was still sexy and handsome, and possibly single. And ironically, people would notice she was right if he took off those silly clothes. But what the heck was she thinking? She hated his guts for dumping her for another "stupid girl". So her whole mind started back from scratch: I hate Syaoran, and nothing he'll do will get me to forgive his sorry butt. There, I've thought it.
" Ahem."
" What?"
" You don't have to be that rude, you know? Anyway, can we have a coffee break? I'm thirsty, and I haven't eaten in a whole day..." He stated, looking straightly ahead.
" Not my fault," she mumbled, but agreed, and they stopped by "CAFÉ LE GRAND", sitting on the chairs outside in the park.
Sakura asked for the usual, and Syaoran for a mocha with some cherry-filled cookies. They both started quiet for a while, until Sakura's curiosity burst through, "That's your healthy meal?"
" Okay, so I lied. I have eaten, but anyway, you were walking too fast." He complained, after getting a taste of the hot coffee. Sakura could only stare and sweatdrop.
" Can I ask you a question Sya-?"
" It's supposed to be Yamato, remember? " he calmly reminded her, not wanting to draw attention.
" Whatever. Why didn't you want the police to get you. Didn't you threaten the man with them? "
Syaoran faked a cough, and stared fixedly at the cloud-filled sky. "My, what a foggy day."
Sakura got bugged by this. "You know, I'm supposed to get to my part-time job…"
" A few minutes of peace won't hurt. Anyway, I need you to do me a favor..." He added, pouting before Sakura could even grouch over it.
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And sure enough, after Syaoran finished drinking, Sakura seemed somehow forced to accompany him through his absurd journey. It could have been her curiosity gnawing her brain out that kept her going, or maybe his pout had gotten through her. A thousand questions soon filled her head, only to be thrown away at the sight of an old apartment building.
" What are we doing here? " Sakura asked, staring at the crooked ceiling, the dust-filled windows, and the messed up porch.
" Just paying a little family visit… It won't take long…" he assured, while knocking three times at the door.
After what seemed like a minute, the door creaked, and an old woman's thin face popped out from behind. Layers of wrinkles from experience seemed to overwhelm her small petite face, and her hair, like a silky spider web, was hung up in a tight bun. Sakura soon avoided her large and intense eyes, for they seemed to penetrate through her skull. No wonder he inherited those eyes…
" Yamato, is that you? " the old woman asked.
Syaoran smiled, and answered. " Yeah, it's me."
Strong exotic essences soon penetrated through Sakura's nose, making her cough and sneeze as they entered the dimmed apartment. Incense, candles, and all sorts of weird objects left a trail of mixed smoke that played with her senses. The lights were dimmed, only to a candle's flicker, and getting through the battered room, was harder than they thought it would be. When they reached a place in the floor where a round green carpet lay, the old woman motioned for them to sit down.
" I've realized how bad the situation has gotten. I'm thinking you need to get out of this town as fast as you can." She replied showing no concern whatsoever.
" I know, but the police are after me too. It's going to be a hard one…" Syaoran added.
The old woman sighed staring down at two empty coffee pots lying in front of her. "I've done my readings, and they guarantee that someone will die in the near future. Odds are that it's her."
"No!" Syaoran objected, hitting the floor with his hand. "I will not loose another life."
Sakura's hopes suddenly filled up. Where they talking about her life? Did Syaoran still care for her as much as she had hoped for? It all seemed to real to come true, like a fairytale where the maiden waited until her prince charming would come. Then again, there were horror stories in which the maiden turned into a ghost and kept waiting for years and years.. She let the thought scurry.
"A life, -the greatest mistake- has been already faded, boy. There probably isn't another way. Let fate take her. You know she is brave enough to do it." Even though they were words that appeared like wisdom, the woman could not hide the fact that she didn't want to believe in them.
Sakura's face paled. Were they going to let her die? That couldn't be… The old hag is wrong, I'm going to live.
As if reading her thoughts, the woman turned to look at Sakura. She squinted through her eyes. "What is she doing here?"
A lightning bolt struck down into Sakura's brain. They weren't talking about me.
Syaoran tried to explain. "She is now tangled in my problems. My only choice is to bring her along…"
"I'm guessing she's the one who called the police…"
Syaoran nodded.
"She should have died." She softly spoke.
Sakura started to get infuriated by the comment. "Hey lady, I only did what was right! Why do you keep treating me like I am invincible?"
"She is going to be another burden you'll have to carry. Why are you doing this?" The old woman told Syaoran, which got Sakura even angrier.
" I wasn't asked to do this. I didn't know anything. Why are you all blaming it out on me?" Sakura retorted.
" I can't have another life lost." Syaoran simply answered.
"Very well. Do as you wish, my child. Just remember that you have to get home as soon as possible. Traveling is going to get you weary, but you must chose the hardest paths."
Syaoran nodded. "I'll take notice of it. Thank you." He courteously bowed and motioned for Sakura to stand up. She reluctantly did the same, having been discriminated for some sort of reason.
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Working on her job, Sakura seemed to be lifeless by the minute. First of all she was angry by the way she had been treated a while back; disappointed because she wasn't the damsel in distress she had hoped for; and stressed from all the problems that seemed to somehow pop into her mind. She had arrived a little late to work, but compared to what Hiro had missed, Masao let it go. She was also relieved that Syaoran had disappeared to apparently do some "business" evading any sorts of explanations. So here she was alone, waiting for her shift to end, and her life to return to normal.
After thinking for a while, she grew weary, and decided to stare outside at the full moon that seemed to hide behind silver clouds. She drew a sigh and day-dreamed of flying in the sky, reaching out to touch it. In the process, the bells jingled scaring her a little. It was Syaoran in his "costume".
" Still working?" He asked with a casual tone.
" No. I'm just passing time." She answered sarcastically.
" What bugged you?" He looked surprised.
As if he didn't know. Sakura only shrugged, she didn't want to get into an argument.
Well, okay. You don't have to tell me." He simply added while going off to one of the aisles.
" You are going to buy something?" Sakura asked incredulously.
" For my trip. It's going to be quite long. Got a problem with it?" Syaoran answered searching for his items.
" Where did you get the money? "
" From the old woman we visited a while ago." He refused to reveal her name.
" Oh."
She decided not to pay attention and continued staring at the moon. Her eyes suddenly fixed in a nonexistent detail. He is going, and I'll probably never see him again. He is off to an adventure where he will save someone else's life. She felt a strong feeling inside. Maybe it was jealousy. She would have done anything to get away from the wreck she currently lived in; her aunt, Touya living in another city, her father dying, and she, working to death. But she knew she had to deal with it, and the adventure he was about to have was obviously going to be filled with innumerable danger.
She sighed confused, until she suddenly heard Syaoran say something.
"Huh?"
"I'm done." He answered, pointing to the items he had picked.
"Oh, sorry."
She quickly started registering them without taking a glance at what he was buying. She did it almost mechanically, and once she was done, Syaoran handed her the money. He waited for the change.
"What's wrong?" He asked again.
Is that concern he is feeling? I must be delusional. She admitted to herself, while not answering his question. But by the way his amber eyes stared, he did have a tinge of worry inside of them.
"Nothing. I'm just glad you are finally going away."
"You know, for a minute, I thought I was going to be stuck with you in your room. But I guess you are pretty lucky, huh?" He was back to his old self.
Lucky? He wishes.
"Well, I guess that's not going to happen now, is it?"
He simply shrugged as he grabbed both of his bags. In that same instant, Akio stepped inside.
"Hey Sakura, ready to change shifts?"
"I'll be more than glad to," She smiled already moving away from the counter.
"By the way, who is he?" He asked.
"Who?" It hadn't occurred to her that Syaoran hadn't moved at all. Akio made it clear that he was the only person apart from them in the shop.
"Oh, just my annoying cousin, Sy-Yamato." She answered.
"Nice shades." He added with mockery.
Syaoran tried to hold the anger that was building up inside of him. His senses told him not to trust the guy for an apparent reason. Akio's attitude simply bugged him. He managed to fake a cough.
"Uh…he doesn't understand us. He speaks another language." Sakura added, knowing the rage that must have build up inside of him.
"What a pity. I really wanted to get to know him."
And I really wanted to punch him in the face. Oh well, until next time. Syaoran thought.
"Right. Better get some rest and a goodnight's sleep." He tenderly smiled.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled back, while grabbing Syaoran's hand since he wanted to stay and beat the crap out of Akio.
Once they were outside, Syaoran managed to ask. "What is it with you and your friendships?
"What do you mean?"
"Out of all the people in Tomoeda, you choose to be friends with that weirdo and the cop."
"Got a problem with it? Since when do you care anyway?" Sakura asked back, her nerves getting on her again.
In a way, Syaoran had vowed to never see her again, to never care…yet she had somehow managed to see him again. It was weird thinking about it. He did not know what to answer.
She started walking, leaving him behind. The trip back home was quiet.
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Sakura reached her bed, slumped on it, and closed her eyes. Her window slowly opened and she started hearing footsteps nearing her.
"Still here?" She asked without bothering to take a glance.
"Yeah. I decided to leave tomorrow. Only one more day…is it okay?"
"Whatever. You still get to follow my rules, you know…"
He sighed. "Yeah."
Sakura, remaining in her position, lifted her head and eyed Syaoran for a while. He had a black traveling bag over his shoulder still with his costume. He took off his hat to reveal his messy hair as well as the shades.
"So, what made you stay?"
Syaoran turned on the TV.
"Police are currently searching high and low for murderer Li Syaoran. Until now, no strange occurrences have taken place, and everything seems to be peaceful for the time being. We hope to catch this criminal as soon as possible, so stay tuned for further details."
"So you made new friends… I see no problem in it." She turned it off.
This earned a glare from Syaoran as he took of his coat. "I'm leaving when the sun starts rising."
"Won't they see you?"
"They'll all be dead from sleep."
"Not literally, right?" She asked, just to make sure.
"Right." He answered while ridding of his boots. He sat in the bed.
"Hope you remember one of my rules..." She sang under her breath.
Syaoran sighed. "I'm not thinking of sleeping with you, if that's what you mean." He stood up. "You know, you can be rough sometimes. Definitely not fit for a lady." He reached out to pull off his shirt.
"Uh-uh. Rule number two: Do not take off your shirt."
Syaoran looked surprised by this one. "Why not?"
Sakura stayed quiet while thinking of an answer.
He continued. "Don't like seeing men almost naked? I never thought you were that innocent…"
"No. It's not that."
"Then what is it? Am I too hot for you? Afraid something else might happen?" He knew he had gone overboard with that question, but something was letting him do it. He loved the way her cheeks went red. He actually smirked when he finished.
Sakura cheeks rivaled a tomato. "Y-You conceited idiot!"
"Gee, I was going for cocky, but you sure made sound like one."
Holding the urge to strangle him, she left her room only to come back with several covers and a pillow. She threw it on the floor. "Rule number three: You are sleeping on the floor."
"I'll boil to death with this shirt on." He insisted.
"Good. Something less to worry about." She said while tucking herself in bed.
"Aren't you going to change?" He asked, already lying on the floor with his head under the pillow.
"I'm too tired." She answered while shifting for a comfortable position.
He started hearing her slow breathing, which meant she was already in a deep sleep. Figures. He thought. Sakura's probably never had trouble sleeping. Wish I could be like that again. His eyes fixed on the ceiling. What am I doing here? I should be already gone! But something tells me I can't… He now closed his eyes. I know you are strong. Please hold out on me. I do not want to loose you that easily.
Soon a bright and vivid picture started playing in his mind. A secret his dreams could only know whenever he lost consciousness in his sleep.
The sky was orange… the fields a golden yellow.
An exhilarating breeze soared through the unbounded sky…
reaching to touch her smooth skin…
her arms spread wide as tough she was flying…
her long hair demonstrated rippling waves…
with eyes shut tight she braced the violence it contained…
a smile spread on the tip of her glossy lips…
a whisper sailed unnoticed…
"I'm waiting."
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AUTHOR'S COMMENT --------------------------[+]
Please take note that the above was somewhat like a poem describing his dream, and part of his secret. Don't worry, as always, little by little things will be revealed, and expect a wild ride for the characters. I hope I can update a bit more faster, I've been struggling a while…but I'm getting my inspiration back, and hopefully you'll see another chapter sooner. See ya later! =')