Papers fell to the floor silently as Sakura stooped down to pick them up. She stacked them on her desk, making a neat pile. Smiling, she turned off the light, leaving her room neat, no dust, no trash, only silence.
Opening the door, Sakura walked to the elevator. Suddenly, her phone rang.
"Moshi moshi. Kinomoto Sakura speaking. How may I help you?" she greeted, the "worker's" way.
A deep, male voice replied: "Hi, this is Frank. Sakura, my boss has finally decided to meet you. But you'll have to come at one thirty."
Frank was a man almost directly under the owner of the most successful company in all of Japan.
Sakura gasped. "Oh, thank you, F - One thirty? I only have fifteen minutes," she panicked. "The meeting is held in the main room, right?"
"Yes, of course," the voice answered, a little eagerly. However, Sakura paid no attention.
She hung, bid adieu, and placed her cell phone back in her pink handbag.
Sakura was so excited! For about a month now, she had been asking permission to meet with the richest man. Her reason was on issues about people who were raped and the rapist had only served a number of years in jail, not a death penalty.
The elevator doors closed, trapping in some cold air around Sakura. She shivered.
"I hope I'll never get rape," she murmured. "Those people (the ones who got raped) are so stupid! Never go around in the dark by yourself! Geez, common sense." She shook her head, exiting the machine and out the door.
"Or at least protect themself. Carry a cell phone or pepper spray."
It was dark out; she had been working well into the night. Sakura was too happy to even think about her safety.
Sure, she was trying to get more rights for the victims of rape. Some of these people were never the same after their accidents.
"I'll never be like that," she was saying, crossing the streets into a dark alley.
Soon, Sakura was walking toward the dark building of the company, Protection Company. The building was many stories tall and well-contructed. Its main goal is protecting the rights of citizens in Japan. Important rights, like drinking and driving.
As she neared the front door, Sakura noticed that there was no one in there. Looking blankly at her reflection, she saw someone standing behind her. She gasped, then sighed from relief. It was a friend. Turning around, she was knocked unconscious.
- - - -
"Please, can you tell me something about Kinomoto Sakura?" an amethyst-eyed female demanded, eyes with threatening tears that will fall any second. She was standing in front of the nurse's desk, hands on the counter.
The nurse was a slightly old woman with gray hair and thick glasses. She looked at the visitor with compassion. "I'm sorry, miss, this is a hospital. You must be quiet."
The visitor was breaking up by now, sobbing without control onto the counter. Then she wiped her tears, calming down a little bit. "I'm sorry," she said silently. Then, looking at the nurse's eyes, continued: "May I please have information concerning a girl named Kinomoto Sakura? She's my cousin."
The woman softened up a bit, a new look in her eyes. Yesterday, a girl with the last name "Kinomoto" was rushed into the hospital. She bit her lips. "Here, miss, you'll have to sign this visitor's sheet in order to gain access to Kinomoto-san's room."
The girl's eyes widened. "What happened to her? What happened to Sakura?" she demanded, new tears falling from her angelic eyes.
The nurse refused eye contact. "Please, miss, this is a hospital. We need the patience on this floor to rest, too."
The girl panicked. Then, resting her head on the counter again, started breathing in hard. When someone came and stood beside her, she looked up.
The second visitor was a male, brown hair and amber eyes. He looked as though he exercises regularly. His regal expressionless face looked at the nurse straight in the eyes.
A soft voice said, sternly: "I'm here to visit a patient."
The nurse smiled. She handed both visitors a visitor's sheet, along with a pen.
The first visitor sobbed quietly, sitting in a corner. The amber-eyed male noticed this, but remained quiet as he filled in all the information required.
In the space asking for her name, she wrote: "Daidouji Tomoyo"; then the space asking for relations with the patient: "Cousin/Best Friend."
The male's name was Li Syaoran.
As they returned the paper, the nurse gave Tomoyo a sympathetic look. "What room do you need, miss?" the nurse asked, directing the question at Tomoyo.
Syaoran wasn't exactly paying attention, so both of them replied in unison: "Kinomoto Sakura's room." Both of them turned to the other and gasped.
The nurse's eyes widened after scanning the information filled by Syaoran. "You're her boyfriend?" she inquired, an eyebrow raising as she looked directly at Syaoran.
Tomoyo looked more shocked. Her hands covered her mouth. "Sakura didn't tell me she was going out with somebody," she whispered.
Syaoran looked at them nervously. Then, dropping his head, said, "Yes."
Tomoyo smiled faintly. "At least I knew she was happy with someone."
Syaoran winced. "Can we visit her now?" he reminded.
Tomoyo nodded eagerly. The nurse typed something on a computer nearby. She returned with a visitor's badge and a key. "Kinomoto-san's room..." She whispered the last part. Both of the visitors gasped.
Tomoyo was in a state of depression again. Her eyes moisten, causing her vision to become blurry. She fell to her knees, no will to keep herself up. Someone bent down behind her and helped her up. "Eriol," she whispered, resting on his chest.
The nurse looked at Eriol, specs and blue hair and eyes, intrigued to why this has to be the day that visitors come and come and come. "How may I help you?" she asked Eriol. She returned her attention to Tomoyo.
"Sorry for being late," Eriol whispered. "I'm with her." He hugged Tomoyo closer. She was sobbing quietly into his shirt.
"I know how it feels," the nurse suddenly said after a long period of silence. "It's happened to my cousin, too." She looked down. "But don't be too hard. I mean, it's better to know what the victim feels than see them happy and hide the dark thoughts."
Tomoyo stopped, turning to the nurse. She smiled sadly. "Thank you."
The nurse returned the smile. "It's what I do. Now, why don't you go visit Kinomoto-san? She's waiting for all three of you."
"'Three'?" Eriol asked, an eyebrow raised in question as they walked toward the elevators.
"Him; he's Sakura's boyfriend," Tomoyo said, gesturing Syaoran to say something. A white hankerchief was in her hands, wiping away the tears. Eriol was leading Tomoyo to Sakura's room.
Syaoran's thoughts were somewhere. At the mention of Sakura, he turned to look at the couple. He had never had a relationship like theirs.
The rest of the way, Eriol was deep in thought. I never knew Sakura was with someone. She would've told Tomoyo; the girl was never able to hide anything from Tomoyo. Sighing, he helped Tomoyo out of the elevator.
The way to Sakura's room seemed to take forever. They didn't say anything, making the silence more deadly than it already is. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. The windows at the end of the hallway was open, letting in golden rays of sunlight. A soft wind found its way in, passing through all three of them. Shivers was sent down their spines. Tomoyo's hair was lifted by the soft blow until it disappeared, leaving gray-purple hair.
Tomoyo sniffed when they reached the door. There seemed to be a deadly aura coming from inside. None of them could describe the dark holes inside of their hearts.
Shaking hands grabbed the golden key and pushed it into the keyhole. The doorknob turned silently, adding more coldness to the air. The door creaked slightly as it was pushed inward.
Sakura's room was pink, as Tomoyo had asked the hospital people to make it. A few days earlier, Tomoyo was informed that Sakura had had an accident. Thinking that it would make Sakura feel better, she had asked the room to be painted pink or have pink wallpaper. Tomoyo never thought this would happen. Only this morning had she received more bad news of Sakura.
Sakura was sitting at the bottom of the bed, her comforter around her shoulders. Talons wrapped itself around her right index finger. A small canary was resting on Sakura's right index finger. It was yellow and young, wings not fully formed. The canary was a present from the nurses who pitied Sakura, the most healthy girl that had entered the hospital from a deadly accident that she could never walk away from, an accident that had left an imprint on her life.
The window had pink curtains that Sakura could open from her bed. Sunlight shined through the glass. A rectangle table was placed in front of the window, beautiful peonies resting in a vase in the middle of it.
The door creaked open.
Sakura jumped a bit. She thought it was the nurses from the previous days, coming inside to give her something wonderful for breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper. They all had different names for each meal.
The heads that popped in scared the hell out of her. Not trusting anyone other than the few nurses that she let in (mostly old ones because of how nice they were), she gave a small outburst. Being pushed inside its cage suddenly, the canary gave a sharp cry. Sakura flung the comforter around her head and the cage. The bird fluttered around its home, chirping loudly.
The expression on Tomoyo's face was nothing but pain. Her eyes disappeared for a few seconds, trying to swallow up the tears. Eriol was standing behind her, unable to say anything as her body shook violently.
Syaoran was speechless. He couldn't believe what had happened to her. He had thought she was always cheerful, but from this new perspective... He breathed deeply, letting out the air silently.
They were still standing at the doorway. Sakura's reaction caused a dark atmosphere to settle. The pink clock at the top of the bed ticked loudly.
Tomoyo took a step forward, making Sakura back farther away. Tears streamed down her face, but she managed to wipe them away quickly. It's hard to imagine a close friend and cousin of yours in a state like this.
"Sakura-" Tomoyo started, but Sakura only whimpered and went farther into the bed. Terror struck all three sane people: Sakura had disappeared.
"Please, Sakura," Tomoyo begged, going in closer. Eriol had to hold her back.
"Stay away," Sakura spoke up softly. Her voice was begging, matching her wet eyes. "I don't know you. Stay away."
Tomoyo fainted. Eriol picked her up. "You take of her," he said, leaving quietly.
Syaoran didn't know what to do. "Kinomoto-san," he said.
"Stay away!" Sakura argued, her tears falling now. The canary chirped even louder now. Sakura was sitting in a corner by this time.
Syaoran's eyes softened. He felt sorry for her. Was it his fault? Without pretest, his eyes rested on the floor. He left quietly.
As the footsteps echoed in the hallway, Sakura bursted into tears, holding tightly onto the covers and the cage.
- - - -
Tomoyo woke up with a start. She looked around in the dark. Warm hands were wrapped around her left arm. She knew it was Eriol.
"Sakura, who did that to you?" she asked, holding onto Eriol's hand. By touch, she felt his face and hair. A sad smile crossed her face as she touched his left cheek.
It was nighttime. Without a sound, Tomoyo left the room. She wandered through the dark hallways. She wasn't using the elevators in case someone asked why she was in the hospital at a time like this. They might not believe that she's a patient because the nurses hadn't changed her clothes.
She could never forget Sakura's room. Arriving, Tomoyo tried to find Sakura through a square window. Nothing. It was too dark. Remembering the key was still with her, Tomoyo opened the door.
She walked to Sakura's bed on tiptoes, not wanting to upset the girl when she wakes up - if she wakes up. A smile crawled onto her face when she saw how peaceful Sakura was sleeping. The canary's cage was set on the end of the table that was beside Sakura.
Tomoyo fell to her knees. She heard Sakura's peaceful breathing. Tomoyo had only touched Sakura's shoulder for a second when the girl got up.
"Ahhh!" Sakura pressed the red button beside her bed. The lights were turned on, by sound. Tomoyo got up. She tried to calm Sakura down. However, the canary had also woken up with a start and made the situation worse.
"Sakura! Please! You know me! Sakura!" Tomoyo cried, trying to hug her.
"Stay away!" Sakura directed, her covers around her. "Stay away! I don't know you! Help! Someone, help me!" Those words echoed throughout the hallway, sending chills down Sakura's spine.
Nurses and policemen bursted in through the closed door, causing more panic in Sakura. The policemen grabbed Tomoyo.
"Wait!" the nurse that helped Tomoyo in the morning said. "She's a patient, too, and Kinomoto-san is her cousin."
The policemen reluctantly let Tomoyo go.
"Please, get out! She is an emotional patient! You're scaring her!" an old nurse hissed. She didn't want to scream, in case Sakura starts throwing stuffs, like she did on the first day in the hospital.
A few minutes later, everything was settled down. The old nurses tried to calm Sakura down, like Tomoyo did, except they succeeded with the help of soft music and lullabies.
Tomoyo, on the other hand, was dragged back to her room by Eriol.
"It was a good try," Eriol said, trying to comfort her. "Let's not do it again when Sakura's asleep, okay?"
Tomoyo stopped, Eriol following her actions. She looked at Eriol in the eye. "It's hard to look at her that way," she said, breathing out sharply. Her gaze fell to the ground. "I want to help her. I know I've never been through what she's been through, but Sakura's a lawyer. She should know that I have no choice." By now, the girl was making no sense.
"Tomoyo, calm down," Eriol tried to say.
"It's hard," Tomoyo continued, her shoulders going up and down constantly. "I don't know what to do, Eriol. She's hurt." Tomoyo fell on her knees. Eriol bent down, his arms around her shoulders.
"Tomoyo, she'll get over it in time," Eriol explained.
Tomoyo's body shook as her sobs became louder. "But what if she never get over it? I wanted to see her happy, Eriol. I wanted to see my best friend married. That boyfriend, Syaoran, seems nice. He'll be good for her."
"Tomoyo, don't be absurb. If 'Syaoran' was for her, then Sakura would've recognized him. But she said she didn't know us, remember? Then that includes him. What if he's involved in her accident?" Eriol realized he had gone too far by now. "She's a beautiful and sweet girl, she'll get married, even if she never returns normal."
"Eriol, that's not a very nice thing to say," Tomoyo whispered, hitting him playfully.
"What, the part about her being a 'beautiful and sweet girl'? You're one better, Tomoyo," he replied, helping her up.
"She's better than me, so don't say anymore," Tomoyo snapped.
"Low self-esteem, Tomoyo," Eriol pointed out.
"I don't want to talk anymore," Tomoyo said, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Okay. But I still think you're prettier."
"Shut up," she whispered, a small smile on her face.
- - - -
To Be Continued...
L.P.B.:
Date of Idea: December 20, 2003. Yay, five days before Christmas. --;; I'm making a "dark" fic because: I've discontinued The Peony and I really loved it; I'm in a state of depression (I wasn't dumped or broke in any way!); and I want to show everyone that Sakura and Syaoran are a true couple.
I'm not done! I'm trying to research for what rooms certain patients are placed in, and a hospital map. If you know a good hospital/court site, then tell me any way you'd like. And things about court! Thanks!
Dedicated To (Reviewers of The Peony Before March 14, 2004):
adriana
Alyanah
AnimeObsessionFantasy
anjuliet
Avelyn Lauren
cherryblossomprincess
FanficPixie
irishstar18
Kawaii Bunnii
kawaii-little-wlf
Kikakai
lil-cherrie-blossym
ms. pac man
Ria