Chapter Two
Panic
It was a little early in the morning, slightly cold and a little windy. The clouds were a little too big for anyone's liking. A few people were walking to stores, and the roads were busy with traffic. It was a peaceful Sunday, the day in which most people gets to stay home with their families.
Eriol turned on the radio, trying to make time go by faster. A sad song began to play.
Tomoyo turned to another station, growling quietly. She was still upset about Sakura. Eriol could understand; he couldn't pressure her to smile.
He stopped at a red light, listening to the news on the station Tomoyo had just found.
"The weather forecast today is windy in the afternoon and possible rainfall during the evening. Please, if you're outside, protect yourself. There is also news of a rapist-"
Tomoyo turned it off after that. She popped in a CD, her head resting on her left arm resting on the car door. She messed with her violet scarf with her right hand, mumbling something.
Eriol winced. Tomoyo noticed it because she was looking at the front of the car.
"What?" she said politely, looking at him inquisitively.
"It's - It's nothing," he replied, refusing eye contact.
Tomoyo narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, looking away, eyes closed.
Eriol softened. "It's okay. I mean, I would've been long gone if you were raped," he said.
Tomoyo's eyes trembled as she looked at him. "W-What?" she asked.
Eriol laughed mentally. Wrong choice of words, he thought with regret. "Um..."
"You want me raped? Huh? Say something, Eriol!" she snapped.
The cars behind them honked. Eriol sweatdropped and started driving to be excused from being questioned.
"Eriol!"
"Um... ohh," he whispered. "I don't want you raped, Tomoyo," he replied calmly, scared to death.
She scoffed, mumbling words under her breath. Eriol reached for her right hand and held it, squeezing it gently, trying to comfort her. Tomoyo returned the squeeze, only with rudeness instead of comfort. Eriol winced again.
They passed by a store and went in. Eriol was secretly treating his left hand, red and cold from Tomoyo's squeeze. Tomoyo ordered a lot of breakfast meals. Guess it's because Eriol offered to buy.
They left the place and returned to the car.
"Why couldn't we go to the drive-in instead?" Eriol whined, starting the ignition.
"Do you think Sakura will get used to us today?" Tomoyo suddenly inquired, rolling down the window.
Eriol looked at her. "It's only been the second day since we've seen her in the hospital," he replied.
Tomoyo shrugged warily, looking out the window. "I want to visit her. Do you think we can bribe her with these food? I bought apple pie."
Eriol sweatdropped, wondering why Tomoyo had decided to act so strangely. "It's worth a try," he forced out.
- - - -
Syaoran stepped out of his car. He was dressed as a guy would dress going to a carnival. His clothes were, in a way, still very expensive. He entered the hospital and got a visitor's badge.
What happened? he thought. Why was she found there?
Syaoran found Sakura's room. He looked in through the square window and saw Sakura sleeping peacefully in her bed. He took time to notice the pink wallpapers and the scenary from the window. There was a small pond and people feeding some ducks that crossed by. It was early in the morning, so the scene seemed peaceful.
He turned to Sakura, a sad look appearing on his face.
When Sakura stirred, Syaoran tensed. She got up. Syaoran bent a few inches short so she couldn't see him. His heart was beating fast, wondering is someone by any chance would coincidently walk by and cause panic in Sakura.
It was really quiet. Syaoran could hear Sakura taking soft steps toward him. He closed his eyes, waiting for her to open the door and start screaming.
A moment of relief settled when he heard her sigh somewhere inside the room, away from him. He heard the window slide open.
"I'm so tired," Sakura said.
"Um?" Tomoyo said, tapping into Syaoran's thoughts. Syaoran was blocking the doorway to Sakura's room.
"Hmm?" he replied, turning around. Syaoran was a little embarrassed. He was daydreaming. I'm not that desperate! he thought, slapping himself mentally. "Sorry..." Syaoran couldn't recall what this girl's name was. He scratched his head stupidly, trying to pull out the memory.
Tomoyo narrowed her eyes. Eriol, standing behind her, seemed quiet suspicious. However, he didn't say anything when Tomoyo spoke up.
"You're visiting her this early?" she asked, smiling at him.
Syaoran winced; he didn't want to keep lying, but what else can he do? What, say: "Hi, I don't know your friend, but I think that whatever's happened to her has something to do with me. So can I come inside her room with you? You know, to ask questions?" She'll beat him up or something more horrible, like expose it and give Syaoran's good name a bad one.
"Yeah, you know, 'cause we're-" -he didn't want to say it, but it still came out- "-a couple." Eriol noticed he cringed, but didn't react.
"I'm glad she found someone like you. I was never fond of some of the guys that were chasing after her. The good ones always stayed miles behind. Um-"
Syaoran decided he should continue his act, and since he knew Eriol was already noting his suspicious rehavior, said, "Um, Sakura and I are together, and you know her, so it's okay to call me 'Syaoran.'" He only lets the ones he knew and trusted - which wasn't that rare anymore since he met his girlfriend - call him by his first name. "I don't mind it if you call me by my first name, either," he said to Eriol.
"Thank you, Syaoran. You can call me Eriol as well." He adjusted his specs.
Tomoyo was glad. She thought this guy really knew Sakura. Eriol, who decided it was for the best, suggested to himself that he should only "chat" with Syaoran when Tomoyo's on the other side of town, just to be on the safe side and not hurt her more than she already is.
Tomoyo continued: "Li - Syaoran, how long have you known Sakura?"
Syaoran's face turned white. "Um - Um... It's... I was having such a good time with her, I don't think I can remember. Maybe Sakura can tell you-" He stopped, realizing what he have just said.
"I'm sure she'll snap out of it, I mean, the person she loved the most is visiting her, along with me, her cousin and best friend. Wait, we've never really introduced ourselves properly, have we? Well, since you know I'm Daidouji Tomoyo, Sakura's best friend and cousin, this is Hiiragizawa Eriol."
The guys sweatdropped. And all this time, we're talking like we've known each other more than two days, they thought.
"I'm Sakura's boyfriend, Li Syaoran." They shook hands; both Eriol and Tomoyo shook Syaoran's hand.
"Li Syaoran"... That sounds familiar. I wonder where I've heard his name before... Eriol was thinking as he shook Syaoran's hand.
"Ahhh!"
They stopped and looked inside the room through the window. Sakura was sitting at the corner of the bed, shivering, the covers over her shoulders, and the cage nowhere in sight.
"Get away from me! No! F - Please! Why are you doing this! I-" At this point, Sakura started mumbling words, crying out something they couldn't quite make out.
"Oh, my God! Sakura! Break down this door!" Tomoyo cried to the two guys.
Syaoran gave her a look. If the atmosphere wasn't so sad, he'd start laughing. Geez, a girl wouldn't order guys to break down a door this often.
Eriol didn't even hesitate. He hit the door many times. Only when Syaoran helped did the door fall. They landed on the door, groaning in pain. Tomoyo rushed pass them and ran over to Sakura's bed.
The commotion upsetted many other patients, but they didn't care.
Sakura froze when Tomoyo was an inch from her. She screamed. "Stay away!" she cried, her voice full of emotions. She was in terror, panicking.
Tomoyo stopped. She felt like breaking down. "Sakura, please," she said, teardrops falling to the ground.
"Tomoyo," Eriol whispered, hugging her.
"What's going on her?" a nurse demanded, coming in. She pushed them out and tried to ask Sakura to go into another room, but she wasn't listening. When the doctors came in and gave her a shot, she finally fell asleep.
Without the screaming, it was dead silence.
Tomoyo walked with her head down, Eriol leading the way. Syaoran didn't say anything as he walked with his hands in his pant pockets.
They separated when they exited the hospital. Syaoran got a taxi; Eriol and Tomoyo got into their car.
Tomoyo cried herself to sleep. Eriol turned on the radio; the music probably calmed her down a bit.
He stopped at a red light. Tomoyo's cell phone suddenly rang. Eriol panicked, trying to find it before Tomoyo wakes up. When he finally got to it, the light turned green.
Before the cars behind him was able to complain, Eriol was already gone.
"Moshi moshi. Hiiragizawa Eriol. How may I help you?" he asked, his eyes focused on the road.
"Huh? But I thought this was Daidouji-san's phone number," a woman's voice on the other end said, slightly surprised.
"Oh. I'm sorry, but Tomoyo's a bit busy now," he replied, stealing a glimpse at Tomoyo. "May I take her message?"
She laughed. "That's really sweet! I'm the nurse from the hospital. You might not remember me."
"Wait... I remember you. You didn't have a name tag attached to your uniform, so I've never had your name."
She gasped. "I'm so sorry. I came from America. My name is Kayla Smith."
"I'll keep that in mind," Eriol said.
"No, you don't need to." She started to explain, "I looked up Kinomoto-san's information concerning to her accident, and it's quite..."
Eriol raised an eyebrow as he parked the car in the garage of his and Tomoyo's house. "Go on," he urged, turning off the engine.
She took in a deep breath. "I have a folder full of Kinomoto-san's appearance, actions, and... the cause." She paused. "I have asked the doctors if I could give this to you, and they agreed only if you're a relative. I understand Daidouji-san is Kinomoto-san's cousin?"
It took Eriol a few seconds to absorb all the information. He was curious. "Yes," he finally answered.
"Would Daidouji-san pick it up tomorrow, or today?"
Eriol looked at Tomoyo, who was still sleeping soundly. "I'll do it," he replied. "I'll come today. Thank you, Smith-san."
"No, no," she said. "It's my job." With a sigh, she continued, "I understand what she's going through. Don't lose her."
Eriol nodded. "Thank you," he repeated. They said bye and hung up.
He gently opened the door on Tomoyo's side and placed her in his arms.
- - - -
Syaoran looked out the window as the taxi continued to ride smoothly toward his company. He didn't seem to be able to hear his cell phone ringing.
"Um, sir?" the taxi driver said.
He growled. "What?" Syaoran replied coldly.
"Your phone," he said. He mumbled something.
Syaoran was about to snap, but decided against it. "Stop here," he said. The driver was all too happy. Syaoran paid him and walked the opposite way the taxi went.
He didn't even know why he was here, or where he is. He just walked and soon found his company. Instead of going inside, he took his car and rode around the city.
There wasn't much he could do. It was still morning anyway. An idea lit up in his mind.
Yesterday, while researching about Sakura, he found out what her favorite flower is. So he went into a flower shop and searched for cherry blossoms.
As he stepped into the hospital, he saw Eriol at the front counter. Syaoran looked inquisitively at Eriol as he advanced toward him.
"Here," the nurse said, giving him a large folder. "Oh, hi, Li-san," she suddenly greeted, seeing Syaoran. Eriol turned around, quickly taking the folder.
"Thank you," he said eagerly, and left.
"Hmm?" Syaoran questioned to himself. He smiled at the nurse. "I never got your name," he started.
She laughed. "It's not big deal. Here's your badge." She handed him the visitor's badge.
"It seems a bit awkward to not know your name," he continued, putting the badge on.
"If you insist," she replied. "Kayla Smith at your service. You know where Kinomoto Sakura's room is and how long you are permitted to talk to her, if you could, that is." She raised an eyebrow, noticing his bouquet of cherry blossoms. She smiled, laughing a little.
He laughed and waved goodbye.
- - - -
"Eriol, where were you?" Tomoyo asked, opening the door. "It's raining," she noticed, taking Eriol's umbrella. Tomoyo saw a large yellow folder in his hands. "What's that?"
"It's business," he said, kissing her. "I'll go change."
Eriol went up the stairs calmly, even though he was dead curious about what happened to Sakura and what Kayla Smith meant when she said "appearance."
He opened his bedroom door quietly, closing it after he was inside. Eriol went to his desk, turning on the light. He opened the folder.
Inside were photos, endless words on the back of each photos and on both sides of white papers. There was newspapers and evidences.
He placed a paper on the desk. It was filled with different prints for different topics. Each topic had its title in bold print and in the center to introduce it.
The first topic:
Found on 455 Peaceful Street, Kinomoto Sakura was laying near the road, in torn clothes. She seems fine, until the doctors suddenly woke her up and cause a panic. As they were trying to calm her down, a cell phone was found. The last person to communicate with the victim called from the Legal Independence Company, located across the street, on 401 Peaceful Street. The only other evidence was a piece of paper. No information was retrievable from the paper; investigators will not give out more information. News reporters were not permitted to expose the situation to the public.
"Hmm..." Eriol said thoughtfully as he heard a rumble. "Legal Independence... Isn't that the company Sakura was trying to contact? And the last person called from inside that building..." His eyes narrowed. "Li," he concluded, the initials from "Legal Independence."
"I suspect this Li Syaoran," he continued. He was thinking of keeping Syaoran from Tomoyo and Sakura, just in case; better safe than sorry.
Eriol resumed on to the next topic: Appearance
Eriol found photos of Sakura's clothes. They were torn, as the article already said. Her eyes were red from much crying. Her auburn hair was a mess, no longer shining. He stopped examining the pictures for obvious reasons.
Then:
- Authorities concluded that the last caller on the victim's cellphone planned the attack
- The victim held a piece of paper, possibly riped from something the attacker held
- The victim's response towards others led to the conclusion that the attacker might have raped her
"What!" Eriol demanded, pounding the table. He suddenly realized what he had done.
"Eriol?" Tomoyo called from the hall.
"Sorry, Tomoyo," he replied, "I just dropped something."
"Oh..." she said. "Well, dinner's almost ready. Or do you want to go out?"
He really wanted to read the rest of the information provided, but didn't want to rouse suspicion, so he answered: "I'll leave everything up to you."
"I thought you'd say that," she remarked, a hint of laughter in her tone.
Eriol focused at the door knob, which turned slightly. He quickly gathered up the papers and pictures, shoving them into the second drawer on the right, which was the only one empty. He was glad he left one empty, in case of emergencies. He didn't know why; it was instincts.
The door opened and Tomoyo's head popped in. She looked at Eriol curiously. "What's wrong?" she inquired. "Your face looks worried... It's okay. I'm fine now." She placed the plates of noodles on the desk, along with chopsticks. "If you need help, I'll lend a hand."
"Thanks, Tomoyo," he whispered, hugging her. He thought it was what she needed most.
"What are soon-to-be-wives for?" she joked. Tomoyo noticed one of the drawers were opened a little, filled with papers and pictures that she can't make out.
The phone rang, disturbing the romance.
"I'll get it," Tomoyo offered, getting up.
Eriol nodded, taking the bowl of noodles.
Tomoyo let the door stay open as she walked toward the phone in the hallway. "Moshi moshi. Daidouji Tomoyo speaking."
A deep voice said, "Moshi moshi, Daidouji-san." He cleared his thoat. "This is Detective Miep (rhymes with "beep") I am aware that you are a relative of Kinomoto Sakura's. If it's not much to ask, do you know her well?"
"Yes; I'm also her best friend," she replied, anxious as to why a detective was calling.
"In that case, please gather everyone she knows and bring them to the police station for questioning tomorrow."
"What!" she demanded. "For what!"
"Sorry, Daidouji-san, but this information cannot be released. I just need you to bring everyone Kinomoto-san knowns to the police station for interrogation," he said firmly.
She rubbed her forehead. "Okay, okay," Tomoyo finally agreed. "I'll do that."
"Thank you."
Tomoyo said bye and hung up the phone.
Eriol came out. "Who was that?" he asked.
"Hmm? Oh, he's a detective that wants to question Sakura's friend." She slid to the ground, her back on the wall, rubbing her forehead.
"Her friends didn't do anything to her, Tomoyo," Eriol tried to comfort.
"No, it's not that," she explained. "It's just that... If I didn't leave her at the company by herself, then this wouldn't have happen! And if I was at the hospital after receiving the news that she was attacked, then she wouldn't have became so... so..." She bursted into tears.
Eriol sat down next to her. He hugged her gently. "It wasn't your fault," she said. "We were just preparing for the wedding, that's all."
- - - -
Meanwhile...
Syaoran looked at Sakura's room through the glass window of the door. The girl was sleeping peacefully. Still, he couldn't find the canary or the cage anywhere. His eyes roamed to the window, out into the hospital's yard.
He examined it better than last time: There were weeping willows, whose branches moved in the direction of the wind; benches sat under almost every tree; nurses and volunteers were helping the patients.
Syaoran took out the key Kayly Smith gave him and opened the door. He was glad Sakura didn't stir as he crossed the room toward the desk.
The flowers were whithering. He emptied the vase. Syaoran left the room, closing the door. He went into the men's restroom, poured the water down the drain, and put in fresh water.
Syaoran re-entered the room, relieved that Sakura still didn't wake up. He put the vase back on the desk and put in the cherry blossoms. Geez, wood won't work well in vases.
He sighed, cleaning up. With the flowers nicely put in the vase, he left the room, opening the window a little so Sakura would get some fresh air.
As his footsteps faded, Sakura's eyes opened...
- - - -
To Be Continued...