Title : Long Lost Drifter
Author : Lain in the Wired
Chapter Six : Don't Speak
It had been a couple of days since I received my tattoo. I was already remaking the group my mother had so helplessly abandoned for her own happiness. There were people, now friends, from both sides of the spectrum. They loved each other like family thanks to my leadership.
But I was a harsh leader. I was still nice, but my sparkle had gone. It was replaced by seriousness and a longing as I watched my Drifters.
I had avoided Syaoran as much as I could in the past few days. He knew why and didn't question my motives. But with every glance at my tattoo I was reminded of my pain. Did he feel the pain too? I could only imagine.
My grades were slipping but my teachers seemed not to mind and slipped in a 100 or two to keep my grades were they were. Even Syaoran cheated my grades.
But I wouldn't have cared if I was failing. My deep thoughts kept my mind working and thinking about other things more important than how to divide polynomials.
The last bell rang again and I trudged to my locker. I threw an offhanded assurance at Tomoyo and Meiling that I'd meet them again after my detention. Syaoran lifted his eyes to meet me as I walked in but I didn't hold the gaze. I sat down in my desk and began to grade.
"Please, Sakura, look at me," he said. I looked up at him with my new, dull green eyes. I saw him catch his breath. "Sakura…" he whispered in shock as he rose to his feet. He rushed to my side and a single tear plummeted down my cheek. He grabbed me into a tight embrace.
"Syaoran, I'm ok," I said softly. He pulled back and held my shoulders at a distance.
"Sakura!" he cried out. "Look at what this is doing to you. Please don't keep it bottled up inside of you!" he begged with me. I lowered my head.
"I have to. I promised. I can't let my feelings get in the way of other people's happiness," I said coolly but my heart was pounding. My mind was crying out for him to hold me again but I kept my mouth clamped shut.
"Sakura. You've organized them. Let them live their own way. If they can't do it they're never going to. You aren't going to be there as a peace-keeper forever." I looked, again, at my hands. "Sakura," he whispered. His strong hand slipped under my chin and forced my eyes to his. "I…"
"No," I said, suddenly afraid. If he said it, my feelings would be named and there'd be no way I could escape them. "Don't say it to me."
"I can't help myself, Sakura. I love you." I felt my eyes watering again. One tear fell. Another followed. Soon, I had a waterfall cascading down from each eye.
Using his hand, still under my chin, he moved my lips to his own. It was soft but passionate. I could feel his power hidden behind the kiss; respecting my feelings.
When he pulled away I could feel warmth leaving me. I shivered and I know he saw it. "Sakura, we have to get out of here. You can't live like this anymore. I can't bear to see you in so much pain." His voice was bare of the teacher. He was kneeling in front of me as a twenty year old man in love.
"But, what will they do to me? I can't let them down," I cried softly.
"You've done all you can for them. You organized them, you made them friends. But now they can get on their own way. They'll stay friends when you leave. That's what your mother did, and then she stepped back."
"But they fell again!"
"No. They didn't fall on their own. Someone started sabotaging the Drifters and they broke up. Even if she had been there she could not have saved the group," he explained. So had Eriol lied to me? Or hand he not known the whole story?
"Who?" I managed to choke out. "Who did such a thing?"
"Your grandfather," he said softly. My eyes widened. He was the one who wanted me to get them together in the first place! But he also wanted to make me unhappy.
"Why should I believe you?" I asked, but not cruelly. Just a curious tone. I did just want to know the truth.
"You have no reason to, except that I've not lied to you yet," he said. I cocked my head jokingly. He made a face at me and then we laughed lightly.
"Ok, then I believe you," I said in between giggles.
"Good," he smiled at me. He gave me another kiss and grabbed my hand. He pulled me to my feet and started to lead me to the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" a dark voice said at the door we were walking to.
"We're leaving," Syaoran said. I recognized my grandfather immediately as he walked out of the shadowed doorway. I glared at him.
"Sakura, dear, why are you glaring at me? Has this man told you something bad about me?" he said smoothly. I found myself loathing his persuasive voice. It was sickening.
"He's told me no lies," I spat at him.
"Remember your promise, Sakura," he growled.
"You lied to me, breaking my trust in you. So I'm breaking your trust in me, even though you never deserved my trust in the first place. I'm breaking my promise to you. I fell in love," I said.
"Sakura!" I heard a female cry. I looked back to the door. Tomoyo was standing in the doorway with Meiling at her side. Tomoyo's eyes were red from crying and Meiling was glaring.
"Bitch!" she spat. She ran forward and slapped me hard across the face. "You promised you wouldn't hurt us!" I smiled at her sadly and held tighter onto Syaoran's hand.
"I didn't lie to you, Meiling. I'm still concerned for your feelings and the rest of the Drifters. But now I'm making sure that you are real to yourselves. Remember what I've taught you and remember your friends and you won't need me. I'm letting you go. It's like I'm your mother. I hate to let you go, but you need to be on your own in order to live your own lives," I said softly. Then Meiling did something I wasn't expecting. She ran to me again and hooked her arms around my neck. I hugged her back and she started to cry.
"I love you, Sakura Amamiya," she cried. Tomoyo joined the hug.
"I love you, too!" Tomoyo said as she too let her tears fall.
"I love you both as well. And now I must let you go," I said as tears began to grace my own eyes.
