Shadows of the Heart
Chapter Eleven
Repairing the Damage
"Yumi, get out."
"Get out? I am not leaving until you agree to go to court! There's no way-"
"Please!" a nurse hissed. "This is the hospital!"
"Shut up! This isn't any matter of yours!" Yumi shot back.
She narrowed her eyes at her, then walked away with her nose high.
Yumi's hands were crossed. She stood, tapping her shoes loudly.
"Sakura shouldn't be pressed right now. If you continue to do that, I will sue you for harrassment, bullying, and accusation. Please, leave before that is my last option," she warned.
The girl stood there for a few minutes. She humphed, then began to walk away.
Tomoyo opened Sakura's door a little bit. "I can't believe they still let her in," she murmured. "Hmm. It's probably because she's threatening to sue the hospital."
She frowned. "Syaoran can visit her today," she told herself. "I should leave, then, so there would be no awkwardness."
Indeed. A few minutes later, after Tomoyo was long gone, Syaoran slowly walked toward the room. He hesitated every step, and kept starting to retrace his steps. Finally, he was beside the doorknob.
He reached out his hands.
Should I? I mean, I want to explain about Yumi and me, but wouldn't that be more suspicious? Tch. This is bullshit.
The door opened before he could even react.
Sakura stood on the other side of the door. She stared intently at him. "Syaoran, what are you doing here?" she asked, a bit surprised.
"I was... I came here to say hi."
She smiled. "Then come in."
Syaoran walked in. First, he looked around. The room was oddly cheery. There was a desk next to the window with a vase on top.
Sakura sat down next to the desk, on the chair. She pulled another chair next to her. "Did you bring me anything?"
He looked at her. "No. I forgot. Sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about. There's always next time, anyway," she said happily. "So, you came here just to say hi?"
"Actually," he replied, sitting down, "I want to tell you something about... what happened."
"What, as in me getting hurt a few days ago, or the few weeks ago?" She didn't even sound sad when she said that.
"Sakura, are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm happy. You don't want me to be happy?"
"I want to be happy, of course. Nevermind." He paused. "I found a lawyer-"
Oblivious to the fact that Syaoran knew about Yumi wanting to sue her, Sakura butt in by saying, "Tomoyo already found me one. Actually, the detective that's working on my case found me one. His name is Lang Ho."
"'Lang Ho'? Are you sure?"
"Yep. She seemed really happy when she was telling me about him. And Eriol got really red in the face, too. He's been doing that a lot lately," she informed him, a thoughtful look on her face.
"He's the guy I'm trying to tell you about."
"Whoa - Really? What a coincidence!" Sakura clapped her hand, smiling.
Syaoran smiled, too. "Yeah," he agreed.
She suddenly stopped being cheerful. "What about Yumi?"
"What about her?" he asked. "Sakura, I-" He wanted to try to tell her that he and Yumi is going different directions now, but they just haven't broke up yet.
"You're seeing her, and if you're on my side, wouldn't she be unhappy?"
"Unhappy? Why would she be unhappy? What do you mean 'side'? Yumi's not in this."
Sakura gasped. "Nevermind," she said quickly.
"No, you didn't answer me yet, Sakura. I answered your questions. You need to answer mine now."
"It's nothing."
"You're leaving something out. I can see it."
"Syaoran, it's nothing."
"You're hiding something. Come on, tell me," he insisted.
"No," she replied firmly.
Syaoran narrowed his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
He didn't reply.
"What are you doing, Syaoran?"
Still no response. All he did was stare into her eyes.
"Syaoran! You're scaring me!"
"I'm looking to see what you're hiding from me."
"I'm not hiding anything."
"Then why are you looking away?" He got up and looked into her eyes.
Sakura tried to avoid him, but it wasn't working. He wasn't using force, or anything. All he did was move from his positions and stood in the way she was looking. Finally, Sakura closed her eyes and stared straight ahead.
When she opened them, he was right in front of her. She practically shrieked and leaned back. Syaoran caught her before she fell.
"Sorry," he said.
"I'm fine. I'm okay."
"Are you sure? You don't look it."
"Yes, I'm sorry. I just need to sit down."
He led her back onto the bed, keeping a close watch on her. "Sakura, I'm sorry I have to bring up this subject, but can you tell me what you're talking about a while ago, when you mentioned Yumi?" he asked, sitting on the bed next to her.
He's still holding my hand! Sakura thought, trying not to look down. She felt guilty, but she didn't want him to release her. "I just..." She flashback to all her encounters with Yumi. The day they met at the restaurant, the... kiss on the hospital parking lot. "You... were with her? I'm sorry I... kissed you, Syaoran. I didn't know you were with someone else." She looked down.
He put his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay. I probably should have told you, not to mention that I forged as your boyfriend." He laughed.
"You did? No wonder Tomoyo kept - You jerk!" Sakura exclaimed, pushing him away.
Syaoran was surprised, so his head hit the wall.
"Sorry. I don't give out sympathy," she told him, looking away with her arms crossed.
"Are you sure?"
Sakura sighed. She thought about Tomoyo and how she had lied to her. "Syaoran..."
"Hmm?" He rubbed his head.
"I... did something very wrong. Should I apologize to that person?"
"What? Of course. What did you do? Did you lie to me?"
She ignored the question. "But I thought it would make it better."
"If you'd tell me what you had done, then I would help."
She turned back to him. "Remember the few days after I tried... to commit it?"
"Hmm? Yeah."
"Well," she said, looking away and staring at the floor, "on the day I woke up, I lied to Tomoyo and said I had amnesia."
"'Amnesia'! 'Amnesia'! Couldn't you have came up with a better one?"
"Fine! Then I should lie to you, too!" She glared at him.
"No, no. It was bad enough, lying to your very good friend like that. You should admit to yourself that you had lied, and admit to Tomoyo that you had lied."
"But - But I'm afraid. I don't want Tomoyo to lose her trust in me."
"Hey, you admitted it to me," he pointed out.
"This is a different story!"
He gaped, sniffling.
Sakura ignored him. "Get out!" she said. "No more visitors for the rest of the day, Syaoran! Sorry!"
"But - But-"
"Leave!" She kicked him out and slammed the door. Quietly, she whispered, "Sorry."
Syaoran stood outside for a while.
Neither of them moved from their positions.
"Sakura, pretend Tomoyo had said that to you. Pretend she had told you she had amnesia. Wouldn't you have forgave her? Loyal and true friends don't give guilt trips in serious situations. Think about that, and I'll come by tomorrow to get your answer. Afterwards, you can tell her."
Then he left.
Sakura leaned on the door, sliding to the bottom. She thought about what he said over and over again. It was hard to believe him, but, soon, she started to realize that Tomoyo will understand.
Someone pushed on the door.
Sakura was moved forward. "Ow!" she said, getting up and rubbing her butt.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Sakura, but what are you doing down there?" Tomoyo asked, pointing to the floor, and then back at her.
"Nothing. I was doing nothing. Why are you here?"
"So, how was Syaoran? Did you like him? Do you remember him?"
"Remember him?" Of course! Tomoyo doesn't know - Shit! "Kind of. Anyway, it's getting sort of late, and I feel really tired from all this visiting. Go visit Eriol, Tomoyo."
She smiled. "Hmm. Yeah. He's probably worried sick."
-
It was early the next day. Like usual, Yumi came. But this time, Tomoyo wasn't as early, so Yumi bombed right into Sakura's room and started yelling at her. Thankfully, Syaoran was there, too. He remembered what he told Sakura and rode to the hospital. As soon as he heard the yelling, he immediately advanced to Sakura's room.
"Yumi - What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.
"Oh, Syaoran," she said, turning around. She was surprised to see him. But the surprise turned into rage. "Why are you still visiting this bitch? You're still cheating on me, aren't you? And I thought I could trust you! Syaoran, what is happening to you? You never answer my calls, tell me where you're going and who you're with, or even in your office anymore! I'm really worried about you, Syaoran." Yumi tried to reach out for him.
"No. This is going too far. Why are you here?"
"For no reason. I want to tell her to stay away from you, and to catch you coming toher!" She growled with every word.
"That's not the truth! I heard you yell at her! You were saying you wanted to sue her for lying! I'm telling you, Yumi, Frank is the liar-"
"You're telling me he's the rapist - my college friend and our co-worker? How long have you know her?" Yumi demanded, pointing and glaring at Sakura. She returned her gaze to Syaoran. "You've been lying to me - It's like we're drifting apart every day. I don't want this relationship to end, Syaoran."
Sakura was sitting in her corner, covering her eyes. Her eyes were closed tightly. She was humming, so she couldn't hear what they were talking about.
Syaoran frowned. He pulled Yumi out, and closed the door lightly. He looked at her. "You're sueing her? No wonder she asked me about sides-"
"Sides?" She widened her eyes. "I get it! I get it! You - You were the perpetrator!"
"What the hell did you just say?" he asked, slowly and eerily.
"You raped her! Along with that other girl that came to the conference in the court."
"What girl?"
"She described you as having brown eyes and brown hair - No wonder you were asking me about Frank's appearance. You wanted to change your looks so you can frame Frank, didn't you, Syaoran? I can't believe we're even together! You - You're disgusting!"
"Disgusting? Me?" He began to approach her.
A few nurses walked by. Alarmed by Yumi's statement, they ran to call the police and the security.
"I tell you, Yumi, I would never - never - do something as sick as Frank."
"Don't insult him, you rapist!"
Syaoran clenched his fists. He growled. To his shock, someone held his hand and pushed him against the wall.
"Arrest him, officer! He committed rape!"
"... Whatever you say and do will and can be used against you in the court of law," he said, cuffing Syaoran.
Tomoyo walked into the scene from the opposite hall. She gasped, a hand clamped over her mouth.
They took Syaoran away. Although he wasn't struggling, he still glared at Yumi.
Yumi looked sadly as he left. She didn't mean to do that. She just wanted him to leave the situation before he's humiliated from his mistake. When she turned around, she wasn't surprise to see Tomoyo glaring at her.
Tomoyo bit her lower lip. She shook her head as she said, "You are so cold-hearted." She cried as she entered Sakura's room. Good news had just turned into bad news.
Yumi growled. "Whatever," she said. "I only want what's best for Syaoran."
Sakura looked up when Tomoyo came in. "What - Where did Syaoran go?" she asked.
"He was arrested," Tomoyo answered.
Sakura looked down. She felt that she should tell Tomoyo about that lie. And she wanted to tell Syaoran that she took his advice.
(Isn't this just crappy? Well, I won't make it so that Tomoyo finds out from a different source and gets mad at Sakura, then the whole situation is solved by some way. No. I'll just type it all out now, so don't get mad at me!)
"Tomoyo-"
"Just ignore what Yumi said. Syaoran didn't do it. He would never do anything like that," she suddenly said. Tomoyo forgot that Sakura had amnesia. She gasped and covered her mouth. To her surprise, Sakura's reactions were opposite of what she'd expected.
"I know. I know for certain who did it to me." Sakura looked away. "Tomoyo, I have to tell you something."
She move toward her and sat beside her.
"I don't really have amnesia." Sakura paused, closing her eyes. "I lied to you. When I woke up, I thought I was dead. For some reason, I couldn't remember you for a minute. And when I did, I tried to forget. I told you I had didn't have any memory of you. But, in fact, I was very clear in the head."
Tomoyo scoffed. She sighed. Shaking her head, she hugged Sakura. "It's okay. I forgive you." She let go and looked at her. "But don't ever do that again! I'm glad you still have memories of me, though. And the best thing is that we're truthful to each other. Let's keep it that way, all right?"
Sakura nodded, beginning to cry. "I promise."
"Ohh, there's no need to cry."
"I know. I just couldn't believe it was so easy. If I had been truthful earlier, this would all have been in the past by now." Sakura hugged Tomoyo.
She patted her back. "Well, I wouldn't have good news then."
"What? Good news? Syaoran's been taken away! What would make me feel better?"
Tomoyo laughed. "For one, I met with Lang and he's really focused on getting Frank in jail for life. This night, he's supposed to meet with Syaoran and me to discuss about court."
"But Syaoran's not going to be there to meet you two."
"Huh. Yeah."
"You know, Tomoyo," Sakura started, hugging her legs, "I don't want Frank to be in jail for life, and I don't want to go to court with him."
"Sakura, you can't be so light-hearted. He deserves it!"
"But he's my friend."
She scoffed. "Used to! The only thing he helped you with is getting you a job. Now, if he had never found you the job at the company-" Tomoyo stopped abruptly.
"I'm sure you're right. Just let me think it over. Go to Eriol. He's probably worried you're spending time with another guy." Sakura grinned at her.
Tomoyo gaped. She pushed her playfully. "Oh! If he wasn't abusive, I'd probably leave him by now!"
She gasped sarcastically. "Really?" She frowned, but there was still the cheerful look on her face.
"Whatever," she said, leaving the room as quickly as possible. "Good night."
"'Good night'? It's still morning."
Tomoyo sweatdropped. "Then see you later, Ms. Perfect!"
She slowly strolled towards Eriol's room, thinking about what she'll talk with Lang about. When she opened the door, Eriol was still asleep. She walked in, closing the door as quietly as possible.
Tomoyo approached his bed. She bent down to her knees. Her chin rested next to him on the bed.
"'Sup?"
She practically fell back from surprise.
Instantly, Eriol pulled her back to him. "Why are you sitting here? You almost scared me when I woke up."
Tomoyo raised an eyebrow. "You must be kidding me! I was scared."
He rolled his eyes. "So, why are you here?"
"Nothing. I just want to check up on you." She began to walk toward the door. "Oh, and, Eriol, I'm seeing Lang Ho again tonight. Sorry, but I can't drop by to say good night." She blew him and kiss, then closed the door.
-
"Eriol's probably thinking negative thoughts right now. But that doesn't matter yet."
"Actually," Lang argued, "if he's worried about you that much, you should find a way to assure him that he can trust you. Otherwise, your relationship might end up with a little mistrust. And it can grow. Then, you won't find true happiness, Tomoyo."
She raised an eyebrow. "You must be kidding me. Geez, you're so full of knowledge, Lang."
"Thank you. As for the court - When is it?"
"Probably in December. It's so weird that there are so many people going to court when the people around here-" -she pointed at random people in the restaurant- "-doesn't seem to be causing much trouble."
"Yeah, but there's always a side of someone you've never seen." He paused. He took his his notes and started writing. "Frank... I haven't heard from him for almost half a year. Yet, he's only committed one crime since."
"Not really," Tomoyo started, her head down.
He raised an eyebrow. "How would you know?"
"Well, because..." She sighed. "I've met this girl from where I worked since last month or so, and... She was attacked by him."
Lang narrowed his eyes. "You're sure? No doubts?"
"Yeah."
"If it is true, and she's proved that she was raped, more than likely Frank will be accused of the other crimes he's committed."
"See, that's what I'm worried about. It didn't happen 72 hours ago, so there won't be any evidence to testify against him."
He put his notepad down. "But Sakura has the evidence."
"Even so, I'm not sure if she wants to tell the court about it. This morning, I was talking to her, and she told me she doesn't want to face Frank. And the hospital's information can't be exposed to the public without the patient's approval."
Lang sighed. "She still has to go to court. If Naozumi wins, Sakura can be jailed for attempt murder and suicide."
(Yes, you can be charged for attempt suicide. Well, from what I've heard. And Yumi's last name is Naozumi.)
"Look, Tomoyo, we've been discussing it for quite a while now. I think we can end the meeting. You, if possible, can try to persuade Sakura. And I think we should plan a meeting for her and me so that we can know each other better. That way, it's easier for me to defend her in court."
"Yeah. Thanks. I'll see you later, then."
-
A silence.
Eriol peeked. He laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"I'm a bit over-concern," he said to himself. "Is that good behavior?"
The door suddenly opened. He quickly closed his eyes and pretend to be asleep.
"Eriol, wake up!" Tomoyo hissed, shaking his gently.
"Ohh..." He moaned, turning to the opposite side. He felt like talking to her in the morning. Anyway, it was late.
"Eriol! I know you're awake! Wake up!" She pinched his arm.
"Ow! Do you have to do that?" he shot back, sitting up. He rubbed his arm as Tomoyo turned on the lamp next to his bed. "What is it?"
"Geez! I came to say good night," she said with an attitude.
"All right. Good night. See you tomorrow morning."
"That's just it. I'm going to Sakura tomorrow so she can go see Syaoran in the police station. And Lang's coming to talk to Sakura. I can't see you until the day after. Are you okay? Fine? Happy? Jealous?" She said "jealous" with a smile.
Eriol narrowed his eyes at her, still rubbing his arm. Then he realized it was hurting because he was rubbing it so hard. He stopped and answered, "I'm okay with it. Good night." He lied down, and pulled the covers over his head.
"Aww, Eriol. I still think of you when there's nothing else to think about. I hope you think of me, too." Tomoyo turned off the light.
She bent over, and turned his head to face her. She kissed him.
Eriol pulled her in. "See you later, then," he whispered.
Tomoyo smiled.
- -
To Be Continued...