Disclaimer:
I don't own...
So here's chapter, um... I think its the 4th looks up at the bar at the top yep
Chapter 4: Clouds
Plot by: The Can-Can Group
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She had gotten up early this morning. This of course, surprised Suzo, her mother never got up as early as this morning. Sakura had to get up early; she received a phone call the day before asking her to attend a meeting with the principle and Tinamori's parents. If she was late to the meeting, the meeting gets delayed, and if the meeting's late, she's then late for work, meaning she has to stay later and would have to get Tomoyo or someone to pick up Suzo (which she didn't like to do because it was like using your friend).
When she had gotten up, she was about to feed Kero, but Syaoran had told her that he had already have been feed. Then, proceeded to tell her that he had been feeding Kero every morning for a while now.
"I was wondering why he seemed to get fatter."
Syaoran laughed at it like it was some joke (which it wasn't). Kero shrank away, upon realizing that his trick was discovered. After a quick breakfast she and Suzo left and went to the preschool.
So, that's how Kinomoto Sakura ended up at the door that cut off the principle's office from the rest of the world.
With a light knock, she entered the room. Three people greeted her sight. The first to catch her attention was the woman seating at the large oak table across from the door. Her hair was pulled up into a large black, slowly graying, hair, which Sakura supposed was a bun and her bark brown eyes gave Sakura a small greeting.
Sakura took a seat next to the other two people. To Sakura they looked like some kind of posh people. The woman wore a salmon colored female business suit. Her blond hair was pulled up into a very tight bun. Horned rimmed glasses covered her violet eyes. She had on a pearl necklace around her throat and wore flashy jewelry of other kinds.
The man, whom Sakura presumed to be the woman's husband, had black raven hair that was greased backwards, his blood red eyes looked over her to her, as if sizing her up. A mustache occupied his nose and he wore a brown business suit that basically said, 'Look at me, I'm stinking rich!'
The woman looked at her, like her husband, also sizing Sakura up, "So, you're the girl's mother." She leans over to her husband and whispered something into his ear, he nodded in agreement.
The woman sticks her hand out towards Sakura, "I'm Mrs. Kurata Aya." Sakura and Aya shake hands, "This is my husband Mr. Kurata Sacho." Sacho nods his head towards Sakura.
"The reason why I called you all here is there seems to be some issues between your two children." The principle clasps her hands together as she leans forward, "Yesterday, I found Tinamori with her hair stuck in the chains of the swing." She looked down at a piece of paper, "Tinamori said that she was minding her own business when Suzo just came up to her and pushed her, getting her hair caught in the swings."
The two parents nodded, that's what Tinamori had told them. They trust her enough, because they know that they raise a trusted and honest daughter.
"That's not what Suzo said." Sakura had a confused look on her face. Last night, Suzo had told Sakura what happened. Never had she seen someone cry as much as Suzo did as she retold the events.
The parents frowned, she was implying that their daughter was a liar, "Are you implying that our Tinamori is a liar?"
The principle looked at a yellow folder in front of her. It contained all the reports that came from the classroom about Tinamori, "She does have some character issues."
The Kurata's looked at her terrified.
The principle continued, "She doesn't shore, she has to be the first and best in everything, always has to have the biggest piece, she causes fights by provoking, she-"
"This must be some mistake," Aya said, her face showing her confusion, "Tinamori was brought up to be a well respected young lady." Sacho nodded in agreement to his wife's words.
Sakura frowned, "Then why did she grew up into a bully?" She mutters.
The two parents look at her in aghast, "Are you saying that out Tinamori is," The mother gets a disgusted look, "Uncivil?"
Sakura shook her head, "I'm just basing my opinion on based on what I have heard."
"What do you think should be the appropriate punishment?" The principle broke in, trying to stop a fight.
Sacho coughed, "Well, I think that Miss Kinomoto's child should be suspended for two weeks for hurting our little Tinamori." The wife nodded in agreement.
Sakura looked at the them, "What about your child?"
"Our Tinamori is a little angle, she would never hurt anyone."
Sakura started to get frustrated. They only think of their child as perfect, even if the evidence proves otherwise. To Sakura, they seem to be very stubborn, not easily persuaded, set in their ways as soon as they figure it out. "Wait," Sakura's eyebrows started to knit in confusion, "Are you saying that my child is the bad one?"
A mock-insulted look went across their faces, "No, we're just saying that your child had a bad up bringing."
"Oh, now I get it, you're saying that I did a bad job."
"Oh no, we're just saying that since your child doesn't have a father, she only got half of the discipline that she needs."
Sakura unconsciously clenched and unclenched her hands. They had just a sore subject and are starting to dig themselves deeper and deeper.
"Oh yea? What about you guys, you seem rich enough, why is Tinamori in a public school? Why not in a private?" Sakura raised a challenging eyebrow, "Or are you just very cheap?"
The fake smiles faded off of the two parents. Aya said, through clenched teeth, "We can assure you that we aren't 'cheap', we prefer to save our money."
"Like there's a difference?" Sakura mumbled.
That was the last straw for Aya. They aren't bad parents, they just don't know how to handle their rude child, but the last comment Sakura had just said made her snap. There's been too much stress, between the loss of some of their stocks and the whole thing between Tinamori and Suzo just added onto the stress.
Within the next moment, Sakura was sprawled on the floor; the left arm of the armchair was digging into her side. The chair had fallen over with Sakura in it. Papers were flying all over the place, Sacho looked at his wife in horror. The principle looked angered and shocked.
"Your child is a bastard child," Aya says in a cold and dangerous tone.
"And you are wrong," Sakura wiped the blood from her nose, "You damn bitch, Suzo isn't a bastard child, she's got enough love coming from me that she doesn't need no stinking son of bitch, crapped up piece of shit, bastard of a father."
Aya growled, and started to attack Sakura. Hitting her, slapping her, pulling her wavy auburn hair. Her husband tries to restrain her with help from the principle.
"You bitch," Aya tries to wiggle out of the grasps of the principle and Sacho, "How can you defend your child when she was the one to hurt my Tinamori? And another thing, I didn't want to send my Tinamori to this crap hole, I wanted to send her to a finishing school, but she wanted to go public. Do you know what that does to one's social status, do you?"
Tears formed at Sakura's bruised emerald eyes.
"It ruins it!" Rage went through Aya's glasses covered violet eyes.
Sakura started to laugh, her tears flowed freely, "Are you really so self- centered, that you think you're the only one with problems?"
Rage continued to seethe through Aya as she managed to slap Sakura again.
"I mean com'on," Sakura continued, ignoring the spreading pain, "There's people in Africa who are starving and dying of diseases, there's homeless people all over the world, there are children with out any parents to guide them through life, people are dying of wars, diseases, and other things." Sakura laughs again, "But oh no, their problems compare nothing to yours."
Aya gave a weak slap and broke down, her husband cradled her as she begun to cry in his arms. Sacho turns to the principle; "I'm taking Tinamori out of public school and sending her to a polishing school or a nunnery." The principle nods, one less child to worry about.
Sacho turns to Sakura, who is starting to pick her bruised and battered body up, "Sorry about all of this." Sakura shakes her head, "Its okay." No its not, she thinks to herself, no apology will make up for the hurt. Sacho takes picks up his wife and leaves. Sakura stays to help the principle clean up the place.
She leaves also, on the way out; she looked into the glass window that showed the small preschool classroom. Sacho was dragging a crying Tinamori. Her hair was cut up to the nape of her neck, it was a blunt cut and made her look more like a guy.
Sakura smiled as she saw her daughter playing and laughing with another child.
People stared at her bruised face and body as she walked to the apartment. The attacking Aya left slap bruises and scratch marks all over the place.
Sakura kept on walking, ignoring the annoying stares. She was heading towards her apartment to get her self cleaned up a little bit. She had never met someone as violent as Aya, which leads Sakura to wonder about Tinamori. Was she the one to start all of those fights? Or was she the one to provoke them? Sakura shrugged as she entered her apartment.
She went to the bathroom, where the first aid kit was located in the mirror cabinet. Sakura used a washcloth to get rid of the slowly drying blood. Put some hydroproxide on the cuts and placed bandages on them. She used cover up on the red areas, even though she didn't want to.
After saying goodbye to the sleeping Kero, Sakura left the apartment and headed to work.
(Retail store...)
"So, what really happened?" Brianna asked, with her 'tell me the truth, or I'll have my spies find out about what happened and I'll hurt who ever did this to you' look.
Sakura frowned, "Like I told you, I met the wrong end of a pole." More like the wrong end of a bitch. She hoped that her dark haired friend from the States believed her.
No such luck, "Yeah right, like I'm going to believe that."
"Does accidentally walking into a fence and tripping over it work?" Sakura asked with a hopeful look.
"Nope."
Sakura sighed, "Didn't think so." She ringed up a customer.
Brianna gave a sigh of frustration and gave up, "So, what about your boyfriend?"
Sakura laughed nervously, "B-boy-boyfriend? What on Earth are you talking about?"
"You know. That guy, the one who came in with Suzo."
Sakura gave a look of understanding, "Oh, that guy, he's my roommate for a little bit."
Brianna blinked, "So, he's not your boyfriend?"
"Nope."
"Phew, for a second there I thought it was the end of the world."
"Shut up."
Brianna laughed. When Sakura had first come in, the first thing she noticed was the swelling spot on her face. Brianna had asked what happened, but Sakura didn't say anything. That was about five hours ago. Then when she finally said what happened, Brianna didn't believe her for a second. Sakura's eyes told her that she was lying, but Brianna just played along.
Sakura said goodbye to a customer and turned to Brianna, "Want to go to Cheeseburger in Paradise and get something to eat?"
Brianna nods, she's never been to the Jimmy Buffet themed restaurant before, not even when she was in America, where it had originated. She has heard that it is a very nice restaurant with great food.
They leave, telling the store manager that they're taking their lunch break.
(Cheeseburger in Paradise...)
...I don't know, where I'm going to go when the volcano blows... The singer on the stage sings.
Sakura and Brianna are sitting next to a window, each with a messy, but yummy cheeseburger and half drunken smoothies.
Sakura stares out the window, humming to the song, she suddenly spots someone who's awfully familiar. That red hair...no it couldn't be! Panic floods through Sakura, Why is he here? What does he want? Does he want more? The last thought frightens her.
"Are you okay?"
Sakura turns her attention to Brianna, "It's nothing." She looks out the window again, the same person stares right at her. Fear caused her to tremble. Someone walks in front of him. Once the person walks by, the man was gone, like he was never there, and it was a figment of her imagination.
Sakura blinked, Where did he go?
"Are you sure you're okay?" Concern was clearly written in Britannia's voice.
Maybe it was someone else...
Brianna looked out the window also, "What do you see?"
"Um... an ice cream truck."
"Oo, really? Where? Let's get some."
Sakura sweat drops, "It passed all ready," she looks at Brianna's smoothie, "And besides, you still haven't finished your smoothie."
The singer on the stage ended the song and started on another one... I'm mad as hell, I want junior mints, we need more fruitcakes in the world... Fruitcakes in the kitchen, fruitcakes out in the streets...
(Jewelry Store...)
This is a boring job Sakura had decided. All you have to do is stand at the counter and wear a fake smile. Then you have to make people's lives easier when they are looking for some jewelry.
Sakura sighed as she propped her elbows onto the glass counter in front of her, and lowered her head to the top of her knuckles. This is a boring job, even though the commission that she gets from each piece that she sells pays well. Hardly anyone buys the expensive stuff, only those who are either so deep in love, that they don't care they earn less than a quarter of the worth of the piece they are buying, or those who are jewelry wearing pimps who like to show exactly how much 'bling bling' they have.
Her gaze looked around the customer less store, and landed on a clock hanging on a far wall.
Hm... 6:35, I think that I'll leave now... Sakura left her spot at the counter and headed to the back to punch out her time. She grabbed her coat and left.
She left, saying goodbye to the other employees who are standing patiently at the gem filled counters, and headed outside where the dark clouds floated above the city. Sakura ignored the threatening clouds as she trudged her way home.
(Apartment...)
Sakura lay down on the couch; she placed an ice bag on her pounding head.
Suzo is in the kitchen, working on her homework. Sakura had gotten her from preschool, after leaving the retail store, and dropped her off at the apartment before leaving for the jewelry store.
The door opened, "Hello, I'm home." Syaoran's voiced ranged out through the apartment.
Suzo came running, "Hello, how are you?"
He shrugged.
Sakura moaned, "Can you guys be quiet? I've got a really bad headache."
Syaoran put his coat away and peeked over the edge of the couch, "What the hell happened to you?"
"Mommy got in a fight." Suzo said, looking at her mother.
Oh yeah, just tell the man everything... Sakura thought, a blush of embarrassment came onto her face.
"With whom?" Syaoran asked, he was curious; Sakura doesn't seem like the type of person to get into fights.
"With-"
"Nobody!" Sakura yelled interrupting Suzo before she could tell him. She sat up, "I got into a fight with nobody. Go finish your homework."
Suzo gave an exasperated sigh, went to the kitchen and started to get back to work on putting things in order on the worksheet.
Syaoran took a seat in the Laz-E-Boy next to the couch, "What really happened?"
"I ran into a fence." Sakura replied, using the same excuse that she had used for Brianna.
"I don't believe you." He replied, his amber gaze boaring into Sakura's own emerald one.
Sakura gulped, "This is something I have to deal with on my own, not with someone I hardly know."
He glared at her foolishness, "You shouldn't be keeping things in, its dangerous especially for you, you seem more like a person who says what's on her mind."
She shook her head, increasing the pounding, "I was never like that even befor-" She stops and starts to pale, I almost told him...
"Even before what?" Syaoran's curiosity grew.
"Nothing." she laid back down, ending the conversation. She places a tentative hand on her forehead, the headache increased even more.
Syaoran sighed and got up. Sakura closed her eyes but reopened them up when he returned. "Here's some Aleve." He hands her two small blue pills and some water. She blinks as she takes the pills and washed them down with the water. "Thanks."
He smiled and shooked his head, "Its nothing. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to cook supper now."
Sakura paled as he went into the kitchen, I hope that his cooking doesn't kill me...
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Authoress's Notie of the week...
Happy Easter Everyone! (I'm going to eat messa's candy now...) and please review!
