Sugar Pink: Thanks for all the reviews and support, you guys! I love you all! I hope you will review this chapter too!

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Fate's Journey

Chapter 3: You Do Care

"Syaoran? Are you home?" Yelan asked as she heard the front door click. She was a woman in her mid 40's with ebony hair tied up into a bun. She was wearing an apron as she placed a bowl of steaming soup on the table.

"Yes, mother." Syaoran said with a light smile on his face.

"Son, what happened to you?" Yelan asked in shock.

"What's wrong, mother?" Syaoran glanced at himself.

"You're all wet! Did your car broke down on the way home?"

"Oh, no. The car's fine."

"Then why are you..."

"It's a long story, mom. I'll go dry up for dinner." Syaoran said, jogging up the stairs.


"Whoa, you're all wet." Touya glanced up from his magazine at his sister.

"Well, it is raining outside, you know." Sakura said sarcastically.

"You took the bus?"

"Nope, my boss gave me a lift home. I'm going to dry up for dinner." Sakura said, heading up to her room.

Touya shook his head as his little sister was gone. "Her boss gave her a lift and she's still soaked?"


Drying her hair with a towel, Sakura looked at the weaver girl propped up on her computer desk. She felt a smile coming on her face.

As she stroked the weaver girl doll gently, an image of Syaoran Li's face floated across her head. She felt her cheeks redden.

"You are so cute..." she said with a soft smile.


Next day

Sakura finished the last bite of her pancakes and placed the plate in the sink.

"Do you need a lift to work, kaijuu?" Touya asked. He came down the stairs with his briefcase in hand.

"I'm not a kaijuu! And no thanks, onii-chan, I don't need a ride today. I know you have an early class today, so you better hurry up!" Sakura said. Touya Kinomoto was a professor, working at the local university.

"Okay, kaijuu. See you." Touya said.

"Have a good day, onii-chan! AND SAKURA IS NOT A KAIJUU!" Sakura yelled, but Touya was already out the door.


Sakura strolled down the streets of Tomoeda. Today she was wearing a simple white top with a knee length khaki skirt. Her honey-brown hair was flowing freely in the soft wind. In her handbag was a couple of files for work, and of course, the special weaver girl doll.

Sakura paused and pressed the button on the light pole for the light to change to green. Soon, the light for the cars turned red, and the light turned green for the direction Sakura was heading towards. As she was about to step down from the curb, a honking sound stopped her.

Looking to her left, Sakura spotted a familiar look silver vehicle. The window rolled down and Syaoran's head poked out of it.

"Hey!" he greeted.

"Hi," Sakura replied.

"Do you want a ride to work?" Syaoran asked. Sakura thought about it, but only for two seconds.

"Sure," she said. Sakura quickly got into the passenger seat before the light changes. She made it in the nick of time.

They drove on in silence. Finally, Sakura broke the silence by letting out a sneeze. Syaoran handed her a tissue from his tissue box.

"Arigatou." Sakura said, accepting the tissue.

"No problem." Syaoran smiled. "Did you catch a cold from being in the rain last night?"

"I guess so. Did you catch one?" Sakura asked.

"Nope, I rarely get sick."

"Does that mean that when you do, it's really severe?"

Syaoran laughed. "You could say that."


Once they entered the office, Syaoran went into his room and Sakura sat down at her usual seat. As soon as Syaoran was out of earshot, Ariya leaned over.

"Got another ride from Mr. Li eh?" she grinned teasingly. Sakura felt her cheeks heat up. Claire glanced up from her work.

"I ran into him when I was walking here." Sakura explained. She took out her weaver girl doll and set it down by her desk. She smiled when she saw it, and a wave of happiness and relaxation came over her.

This doll is lucky, she thought.

Ariya gasped.

"What's wrong, Ari-chan?" Sakura asked, glancing over at Ariya.

"That doll!"

"Yeah, I know! Pretty cute, eh?" Sakura smiled as she turned on her computer and waited for it to load.

"Mr. Li has the other half of the set!" Ariya said. "I saw it on his desk! He absolutely love that cowherd doll!" Ariya said. Claire's ears perked up.

"Yeah, I know he has the other half of the set. I saw it yesterday too. I dropped my doll and Mr. Li picked it back up for me yesterday." Sakura said.

"That is so sweet! You two have the complete set! Did you know that those dolls represent love?" Ariya grinned.

"Ari-chan..." Sakura said, her voice weary.

"I heard Mr. Li was looking all over for the other half of the set-the weaver girl doll. It was some rumour about some girl he met three years ago." Ariya shrugged carelessly, as if the rumours weren't important. "Did he try to buy it from you or anything?"

"Actually, no." Sakura said. She began typing on her keyboard as she spoke. "This doll means a lot to me. It's...sort of a memory of my mom. He told me to keep it."

"Aww...isn't that sweet?" Ariya grinned some more.

As Sakura blushed and lectured Ariya not to do anymore teasing, Claire placed her pen down on her desk. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Syaoran loves that doll. He vows to find and get the other half of the set, so he would have the complete set one day, as a memory of Miyako Tsukono. Why would he let Sakura keep it? Unless...he's developing feelings for her...


Lunch soon rolled around.

"Claire, would you like to join us for lunch?" a co-worker, Kenny asked.

"Yeah, we're going to that new Italian place." Ariya said.

"Nah...I'm going to stay here and finish a few things off." Claire smiled, tucking a lock of her silky navy blue hair behind her ear. However, she had just wanted to stay behind when everyone else is gone. She needs to talk to Syaoran.

"Okay, but don't overwork yourself, Claire." Sakura smiled. She neatly stacked the folders in front of her, then got up to join the others for lunch at the new Italian restaurant.

"Don't worry, I won't. I'll be off soon too." Claire said, as she watched the others headed out. Once everyone was gone, she went to Syaoran's room and knocked three times.

"Come in," his voice said. Claire opened the door to find Syaoran putting his jacket on.

"Hey," Claire greeted with a smile.

"Hey, Claire. Is everyone gone for lunch already?" Syaoran asked.

"Pretty much. Are you going too?"

"Yup. Care to join me?"

"I'd love to."

"Great. Grab your stuff, we're going now." Syaoran said.

"Hey, Syaoran?"

"Yeah?"

"You know the weaver girl doll you were looking for? The one to match with your cowherd?" Claire said.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I heard today that Sakura-chan has it." Claire replied. "I heard that you know too. Why didn't you try to buy it off from her?"

"I decided not to. That doll means more to her than it does to me." Syaoran said.

"But you've been looking for more than three years for it!"

"I know. I realize that it's time I let it go. Sakura will take good care of that doll."

"But that doll was a memory between you and Mi"

"Can we drop the topic?" Syaoran said icily. Claire stared at him. She had known Syaoran for a long time, and the only time he had ever been cold towards her was when they first met. However, Syaoran had been warm and friendly towards her. She knows he has a cold exterior that needs melting, and he could give anyone the famous Syaoran Li silent treatment. She was quite surprised he had used that tone of voice towards her.

Silently, Claire gave a small nod; there were sadness in her aquamarine eyes. It was no doubt that he had hurt her feelings.


The ride to their favourite noodle restaurant was silent. Syaoran sighed as he turned the corner.

Soon, Syaoran and Claire sat down at a table in a small restaurant that sells hot soups and noodles.

"Claire, I'm sorry." Syaoran apologized. "I shouldn't have used that tone of voice with you. I know you were only worried about me. But, really, I'm fine." He gave her a reassuring smile.

Claire looked up with a small smile. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been butting into your business."

Syaoran shook his head. "Don't say that. You're a great friend, and I know you only do that because you care about me."

I know I care about you...but you just don't know how much. "Thanks, Syaoran."

"I'll tell you what. To make up for my attitude earlier, I'll take you out for dessert tonight." Syaoran promised.

"To our favourite spot?" Claire asked hopefully. Their favourite spot was an ice cream parlour, where the two first met.

"You bet!"


Time flew by after lunch. Soon, it was 5:00PM. Just as Sakura was packing up to go home, her cell phone rang.

"Moshi moshi, Sakura speaking."

"Sakura," it was Touya's voice "are you off from work?"

Sakura frowned. She can tell that her brother was worried, but tried to keep his voice in control so it wouldn't scare her. She can tell, since he only calls her Sakura during serious matters. Usually he just calls her kaijuu.

"Yes, I'm off now, Onii-chan. What's wrong?"

"Come to Tomoeda hospital quickly then." Touya said. "It's Otou-san. He-" Touya's voice was cut off.

"Hello? Onii-chan?" Sakura said, panic rising in her with every passing second. "Touya?"

No sound. Sakura removed the phone from her ear and looked at the screen. She groaned. My batteries were low!Sakura felt her throat dried up. Come to Tomoeda hospital quickly then. It's Otou-san. He...He what? Sakura thought to herself. Quickly gathering her things, she scurried to the door.

"Sakura-chan, what's the hurry?" Ariya asked.

"My father's in the hospital. My batteries are dead and I can't communicate with my brother who's in the hospital with my dad!" Sakura explained, as she dashed out the door.


Five minutes later, Syaoran came out of his room. He was surprised to see half the staff still clicking away at their keyboards. He double checked his watch. Yup, it was indeed 5:05PM.

"Why is everyone still here, five minutes pass 5PM on a Friday?" Syaoran asked.

"We all have a little bit of stuff left, Mr. Li. We don't want it to spoil our weekend. I'm staying another 10 minutes, then I'm done." Kenny said.

"I'm staying another five minutes, Mr. Li." a female employee named Candy said.

"I'm almost done." Claire added.

"I'm done now, Mr. Li. I'll see you on Monday." Ariya said, getting up to leave.

"Have anyone seen Sakura?" Syaoran asked. "I want to go over some details about the meeting with Tokoshi on Wednesday before leaving."

"Oh, she got a phone call about her dad being in the hospital from her brother. Then she bolted out of the office like lightning." Ariya informed. "Don't worry, Mr. Li, she didn't leave early. It was 5:00 on the dot."

"Her dad is in the hospital? What's wrong?" Syaoran frowned.

"I think her batteries went dead and her conversation with her brother got cut off. She's not too sure what's wrong with her father either." Candy added.

Shrugging, Syaoran turned back to his office. As he did, he noticed the weaver girl doll, still sitting on Sakura's desk.

"Her doll...she never leaves it behind." Syaoran mumbled to himself. "She must have been worried about her dad. She already lost her mom...and she says this doll gives her good luck..."

Syaoran looked up. "Does anyone know where Sakura went? The Tomoeda Hospital, I assume?"

"That's what I heard." Ariya said. Nodding a thank-you, Syaoran quickly pack up his things and clutched his cowherd doll in his hand. Walking pass Sakura's desk, he scooped up the weaver girl doll as well.

"I'm leaving to find Sakura now. I need to give her back her doll. She really needs it during a tough time like this. Poor thing." Syaoran said. "Bye, everyone."

"Bye, Mr. Li!" the staff chorused after him.

I guess he forgot about our favourite spot...

Claire held back the tears that were forming in her aquamarine eyes.


"Touya!" Sakura said, rushing to her brother. His black hair was tousled as he looked up to see his sister.

"Sakura! You got here really fast." Touya managed a small smile for his sister.

"How's Otou-san?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"He's still in the operation room." Touya gestured to the closed double doors, with the red light still on over the doors. Sakura felt numb and sat back on the bench next to her brother.

"What's wrong? What happened?" She asked.

"I don't know. I got home tonight and Otou-san was fine. But then, about twenty minutes later, his stomach region started to hurt. He was in a lot of pain, so I took him to here." Touya said. "The doctors took in him the operation without a word. The nurse said the doctors knew what they were doing, and don't have time to explain, but they will after the operation."

Sakura felt even more numb.

"You must be hungry. I'll go to the canteen and buy you a coffee." Touya said, getting up.

"Thanks, Onii-chan." Sakura said softly. As soon as Touya left, she felt tears threatening to fall. She reached into her bag, to find her favourite doll. However, it was not there.

"Where did it go?" Sakura said to herself.

"Looking for this?" a voice said. Looking up, Sakura saw Syaoran. He was smiling, and he was holding out her weaver girl doll.

"Oh, yes! Where did you find it?" Sakura clutched the doll to her chest.

"You left it on your desk. I heard you were upset about your father being ill, and I thought you would need the doll." Syaoran smiled, taking a seat next to her.

"Thanks, Mr. Li." Sakura said gratefully. Syaoran gave her a disapproving look. Instantly, Sakura blushed. "I mean, thanks, Syaoran."

"It's no problem. Look." Syaoran held out his cowherd doll. "Maybe believing that they bring good luck is a good thing. Your father will be fine."

"Thanks."

"Where's your onii-chan?"

"He went to get-"

"Hey, who are you and what are you doing so close to my sister?" Touya's angry voice said. Sakura and Syaoran glanced up.

"Onii-chan, this is Syaoran Li. He's my boss and he came all the way here to bring me back my doll. I left it on my work table." Sakura explained. "Syaoran, this is my older brother, Touya."

Touya was about to protest, but then the red light over the double doors of the operation room went off, and the doctors walked out.

Instantly, Sakura and Touya rushed towards the man.

"Doctor, how's our father?" Touya asked. "He was in a lot of pain earlier and"

"Relax." the elder man laughed. "Your father is fine. He just had an appendix infection. We removed the appendix for him, so he should be fine now."

"You sure? It sounds like a complicated operation." Sakura frowned.

"Oh, no, patients have their appendixes remove all the time. Even little babies do when they were born because their parents don't want an infection later on in their lives. Trust me, the operation was a small one, and everything is fine. Your father should be ok. His health is in good shape. You may go in to see him. We're taking him to the resting rooms." the doctor said.


"Dad! Are you okay?" Sakura asked worriedly. Her dad opened his brown eyes, still feeling sleeping from the anaesthetic.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan. Who's this?" Fujitaka's eyes glanced over at Syaoran.

"I'm Syaoran Li, Sakura's friend from work. Nice to meet you, Mr. Kinomoto." Syaoran smiled. "I'm glad you're better. Sakura was really worried."

"How are you feeling, Dad?" Touya asked.

"Just a bit sleepy." Fujitaka said. Touya gave the nurse a questioning look.

"It's the anaesthetic." the nurse answered.

"I think I should be leaving now. Have a rest, Mr. Kinomoto." Syaoran smiled.

"I'll walk you out." Sakura offered.


"Thanks for dropping my doll by, Syaoran. I really appreciate it." Sakura smiled.

"It was no problem. I thought if there's a time that you would really need that doll for comfort, now would be it." Syaoran said.

"Well, I really need to get back inside. Thanks again, Syaoran." Sakura smiled, walking back into the building.She's really something special, Syaoran smiled after Sakura's retreating figure. He took out his cell phone and dialled a number. Three rings later, someone answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Oh, hi, Syaoran."

"So, still up for ice cream at our favourite spot?"

"...you still remember about our ice cream meeting?" the voice on the other end sounded surprise.

"Of course. Did you think that I would forget?" Syaoran chuckled.

"Yes," was the honest answer.

"I'll never forget something this important. So, can you make it now?"

"Absolutely."

"Great. See you at our favourite spot in 20 minutes?"

"I'll be there."


"I guess he does remember after all..." Claire hung up the phone line and smiled to herself.

Maybe he does care. Maybe there is hope after all...


Sugar Pink: And that's the third chapter, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed it! Please R/R! I love you hear from you guys and I do personally read each and every single review that's ever written! Tell me what I need to improve on or what you think is missing!

Thanks! R/R!

Sugar Pink