Disclaimie:

Insert disclaimer.

(Sorry for the last chapter, oh well, qué será, será... Did you know that I actually forgot about Kero? I feel like an idiot now, how the heck can anyone forget about the obese dog? Evidentially, its possible...)

Dodging the Raindrops

Chapter 12: Overcast

Plot by: The Can-Can group

Sakura stared at the mess in the kitchen. Kero was in the corner looking as guilty as ever. She was making dinner and he leaped on her while she was making some batter. Then end result was flour all over the place, vegetables on the floor (which Kero ate, making the reason why the place smelt so bad...), the freshly baked chicken (also eaten by Kero...) on the floor, and a few of her best dishes all in shambles.

Of course, that was the time Syaoran entered the apartment. "Hm..." he said as he surveyed the damage. "And here I thought your cooking was good."

"If you don't want to die, I'd suggest that you just shut up while you're ahead."

He grinned. "No thanks, I need my head in order to eat."

Sakura sighed. "How's about we got out for dinner?"

"Sure."

"Of course, that's after I punish Kero..."

Oh and punish she did.

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(Some Diner...)

Ah, Some Diner, the sister restaurant to Some Café, which is the sister café to Some Vendor, which is the sister to Some Toliet... The diner has the best berry pies and the worest coffee ever, making it a very popular place to get a bit to eat.

Syaoran looked at the food in distaste. He poked at it to make sure that it wasn't alive and kicking. When he offered to pay for dinner (wherever Sakura chooses) he hadn't expected this place. Li Syaoran, bachelor, billionaire, has once again been reduced to eating at a third rate restaurant.

"Its not going to come out and eat you, so stop playing with it." Sakura said as she eats what seems to be... a UFO, Ugly Food Object.

Syaoran pretended to ponder about what she said.

"Shut up and eat."

He grinned as he tried some of the... food.

"So, how's everything at work doing?" Sakura asked, trying to make light conversation.

"Its going great, all that's next to do is to hire contractors and then we can start building, which will in turn lead us down the path of success."

Sakura seemed reluctant at the next question on her mind, something that he noticed, of course, he can tell what she's thinking about, she's such an open book, so easy to read and yet interesting at the same time. He sighed. "In case you're wondering, I'll probably stay here for a year to make sure that things will go smoothly, then I'll have someone be in charge so that I can go back to China and do business from over there." Syaoran watched her expression start to go crestfallen. "But don't worry, that's going to be awhile from now." She seemed a little happier at that.

Sakura's stomach then seemed to give off the weirdest sounds ever, ones that don't sound like normal sounds. "Augh, I think the chicken ("So that's what it was," Syaoran commented) isn't agreeing with me anymore." She stood up quickly. "Tell the waitress that I want a berry pie." After that, she ran as quickly as she could to the bathroom.

Sakura sighed in contentment as the dinner was released from the other end and into the yellow (it was white when the diner was brand new...), abyss that is the toilet. After that was done, she left the stall singing an idiotic song about the potty and why you shouldn't hold it all in. As she was washing her hands, she noticed another one of her ex-husbands stalker notes on the mirror in front of her. It's like a game for her now, she reads the notes and then rates them to see how scary or weird they are. This one reads:

Dear Sakura,

Nice underwear, all black and lacy, I hope you aren't expecting any action tonight, you know that's reserved for me... And don't worry about your daughter; she's just taking a long nap right now.

Sakura rated it a three, not one of the best ones he has written, but still... Then the words "long" and "nap" hit her head. That could mean one of two things: the first being the literal meaning (she's sleeping right now) or the second, she's dead. She gave a small prayer that it was the first one and not the later. After that went through her head, the first statement came rushing at her head, making her blush. She sucked in some air and prepared to scream.

Syaoran finished up Sakura's pie for her, she was right when she that they had the best pies, not even the ones the cooks at home made could be compared to this one. Just as he put the spoon down on the cracked plate someone from the bathroom screamed, "PERVERT!" causing the other diners to jump up in surprise. Syaoran knew who the voice was and ran to the bathroom, readying himself for any rapist that needed to be taken care of. He entered, not caring that it was the woman's room.

"Are you all right?" He asked as he entered. He saw Sakura heading to the stalls to get rid of a piece of paper. Knowing whom it was from, he grabbed it from her, earning himself a "hey!" and an evil death glare. He scanned the sentence long note. He nearly burst out laughing. "Is that true? Man, that guy is a pure genius." And judging by the huge blush on her face, it was true.

Sakura snatched the note back and proceeded to flush it down the toilet. "Well," she said as she remerged. "I didn't think that it was funny, and besides, how did he know that I was wearing that? He could still be in here."

Syaoran shook his head, while still laughing. "Nope, I was watching the door. He could have been watching you this morning. And after timing it to when there's no one in the bathroom, he tapes it up onto the mirror, puts laxative in your meal and waits patiently for you to go and read it." OR he could be in the vents right now watching them, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Hm... I guess that could be true. Oh well, I've got more pressing matters on my hand now, like that piece of pie." She smiled happily as she left the restroom. He followed after her, gulping along the way just wondering what she's going to do when she finds out that he had eaten it. Syaoran decided that he was going to try to leave without her noticing, no such luck though.

"You ate my pie." She said in a very low and very dangerous tone. "You will die."

Syaoran could tell that it was going to be a very painful walk home.

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(Wednesday...)

Sakura heard the phone ring for the hundredth time that night. Knowing full well whom it was, she allowed the answering machine to pick it up. Tomoyo's voice blasted from the speakers, "Don't forget! Be here before nine! And if you're not here, I'll come and drag you kicking and screaming!" Her message ended after that. She stuck her tongue at the machine.

"Real attractive." Syaoran commented as he looked up from the book he was reading.

Sakura decided to ignore the comment. She looked at the clock that was displayed on the VCR; it has "6:45" flashing on the screen in a bright green color. She stood up, "We'd better get going."

Syaoran nodded as he put the book down. They hid all the food so that Kero wouldn't get to it and grabbing their coats they left the quite apartment.

Loud music is what greeted them as they entered the building. It has a techno sound that seemed to get the blood pumping. There was a long line of people trying to get inside, most were reporters, and others were fans of either the models or of Tomoyo's. They had to push their way through the sea of people, not exactly caring who got in their way (sort of, Sakura apologized when ever she accidentally hit someone). They finally made it to the entrance where the security guards are with the list of guests. The bouncer asked for their names and Ids and the two did as they were told. The man looked through his list and nodded upon seeing their names.

"Miss Daidoji wants you to report to the dressing rooms immediately," The man said after one of the other security guards led Syaoran to his seat.

After receiving instructions to the dressing room, Sakura wandered the halls looking for the room, getting lost along the way.

As she was about to turn a corner, Tomoyo's voice came ringing behind her. "There you are! Li told me that you'd probably get lost in here. Follow me." Like Sakura had a choice in the matter, seeing as that Tomoyo was dragging her towards the correct room.

Tomoyo pushed Sakura behind a large screen that was opaque to peeping-Tom-eyes. She handed her friend a evening dress and told her to put it on. Sakura did as she was told, somewhat scared at her friend's brashness. The dress was a dark blue color with three quarter sleeves that reached down to her feet and barely touched the ground. A pink ribbon was wrapped once around her waist and left a bow with trailing ends at the back. Sakura stepped out from behind the screen looking nervous.

Tomoyo squealed in delight. "Its perfect! Now, let's get the accessories and make-up." She, once again, dragged her friend to a vanity and set her down on the chair. Within a few moments, Sakura went from bland to princess.

"Wow," Sakura said as Tomoyo put the lipstick back in its original spot.

"I know, isn't it?" Tomoyo asked in a rare show of pride. "Okay, go wait with the other evening gowns, someone will tell you when to go on." With that, Tomoyo went to oversee other stuff.

Sakura did as she was told, however, being the person that she was, she became very impatient. In order to pass the time, she looked through the archway of the side of the stage that she is currently at, trying to see if she could find Syaoran. She did, however, she was surprised to see her father and brother next to him as if it was an everyday occurrence. What shocked her even more was the fact that the rest of the gang and probably more than half of the school were there. Tomoyo must have been busy the past few days, Sakura figured as the last of the swimsuits left the stage.

It was their turn now, one by one; the models went onto the stage, turning this way and that so that everyone could get a look at the outfit. While that was all happening, the announcer would talk about the model and the dress. Slowly the number of evening gowns dwindled down until they got to her turn. One of the backstage crewmembers pushed her onto the stage. Sakura was greeted with lots of faces and camera flashes. The announcers voice sounded distant as she walked down the runway. The arena seemed to be filled to the rim of people like a glass of water.

Just as she got to the middle of the runway, the lights went out, causing panic and chaos. Sakura could feel someone's arms snake its way around her waist followed by a cloth on her face that has some weird smell to it. The last thing she registered as her blacked out, was the face of her ex-husband, looking pleased...

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(Unknown...)

Suzo woken to find some more food sitting next to her, felling parched and very hungry, she eat the food. Just as she finished the last bite, the door opened. Renjiro entered with her unconscious mother slung over his shoulders. He smiled at Suzo as he laid Sakura down onto the cement floor. After ruffling her hair, Renjiro, the crazed stalker, left.

Suzo bounded over to her mother. Using her shoulder (seeing that her hands are still tied...) she tried to wake her mother up.

Sakura moaned softly as her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes seemed unfocused as she tried to regain her bearings. She looked up to her daughter with major surprise. "Suzo?"

Suzo smiled. "Hi mommy! So, when are we going to stop playing this game? It's getting kind of boring, and I'm hungry."

Sakura wanted to cry, but that would end up scaring Suzo. Her daughter thought that this was all just a game, how she wished that it was true, but its not. However, Suzo is just a child and shouldn't be introduced to any horrors or the real world just yet. How Sakura whished that they were at home, dreaming this horrible nightmare, a nightmare that only happened in stories and in movies...

"Mommy? How come you're crying?" Suzo asked, confusion evident on her face.

Sakura didn't even notice the tears rolling down her cheeks. She did her best to wipe them and smile as she replied, "don't worry, the game is almost over."

Suzo crawled into her mother's protective embrace. "I hope so. Is Mr. Li playing?"

Sakura tightened her hold on her daughter. "I don't know."

"I think he should, he would have some fun."

Sakura seriously doubted it. "Come on, let's go to sleep." Sakura laid her head down onto the cold floor and got into a position that was comfortable for the both of them.

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(Apartment...)

"Damn it!" Syaoran swore as he paced around the kitchen. Renjiro was 'kind' enough to leave him another note that had some stuff explaining why he was doing this.

"Stop doing that," Eriol said as he got somewhat dizzy from his cousin's pacing. "This is not helping either one."

"Neither are the police!"

Eriol wanted to smack some sense into Syaoran's head, unfortunately, when he got like this, he be came somewhat... unpredictable. "Yeah, and what about Sakura's family? Toya has gone into shock and depression and Fujitaka is at my house, cleaning like crazy. Face it, you're not the only who is feeling like this. And if you don't stop that pacing I'm going to cut all company ties with you." That seemed to stop the enraged man; unfortunately, he's now tapping the counter top.

Eriol sighed. What he was going to do next might get his friend upset the next morning, but it needs to be done. "How about I make you some tea to calm your nerves?"

Syaoran nodded as Eriol went to the stove to get the kettle. After a few moments of waiting, tea was put into his awaiting hands. He took a few sips and started to feel drowsy. He put the cup down and yawned. He felt so sleepy suddenly, like he was... "Damn you," he said weakly as he headed in the direction of his bedroom. "You put in some of that sleeping powder." His voice quitted to a whisper as he went in.

"I had to, you're dangerous when you're like this." Eriol all but whispered as he went to the living room to sleep on the couch. As he was leaving, he grabbed the note Syaoran was scrunching up earlier.

Dear Mr.Li,

If you want them back, leave 2.5 billion dollars in the trashcan at the train station by 12 midnight Friday. If you don't, I won't be held responsible for them and whatever damage is applied to them.

Eriol crumpled the paper in disgust; the man was a greedy person who acted like he was sick in the head. His objective the whole time was to get rich off of Syaoran. By taking the two girls, not only has he awoken a sleeping lion, but also he insulted Li Syaoran, someone with the power to hurt anyone, whether directly or indirectly, something that is never good. Renjiro is going to have hell to pay for what he has done...

&&&

Syaoran woke up the next morning feeling groggy as hell. He went through his usual morning routine of taking a shower, getting dressed, and preparing himself breakfast. However, something was amiss when Sakura didn't come to the table at her usual time. That's when the memories of the night before hit his head. He swore softly as he stared into his coffee. At first, he was angry with Eriol for putting some type of a sedative in his coffee, but now that he has a night's rest, he was kind of thankful towards him, now he can search for Sakura and Suzo with a clear head and not based on emotions.

Kero started to whine from beside the door. Syaoran got up to see what is wrong with the dog and was quite surprised to see the golden retriever with a leash in his mouth. "Odd mutt," Syaoran muttered as he hooked the leash onto Kero's collar. He grabbed his own coat and opened the door (after setting the alarm systems, like that's actually going to affect anything...). Kero immediately dragged him down the hallway, almost ripping the man's arm off in the process.

Kero seemed to have a one-track mind as he went through the crowded streets of the city. He was growling the whole way, like he was irritated by the fact that Syaoran wasn't going fast enough for him. He stopped outside of the park, put his nose to the ground, and started to sniff. He gave another growl, a sure sign of giving up, as the smell he had been tracking was lost.

Syaoran sighed in irritation. "Warn me next time you are going onto a wild goose chase, mutt."

Kero just gave him a 'bite me' look as he lay down from that entire running.

"Jeez, could you have lay down near a bench?" He started to tug on the leash in an attempt to move near the bench that was only about five feet from where he is now currently standing. Kero growled in a dangerous tone, making Syaoran re-think his decision. He sighed as he sat down on the ground cross-legged. People stared at him as they walked by; some even dropped a few coins next to his legs, thinking that he's a homeless person (which was totally ironic...).

"Damn it! I'm not poor!" He shouted as another person dropped another coin. The person ran off looking scared and muttering things about ungrateful people.

"You happy now?" Syaoran said to the dog, which just gave him a lazy, contemptuous look before settling his head back down on his paws.

It was an hour before the dog was finally rested enough to get up and go back to the apartment. Syaoran looked at the clock and decided to go to work before he's late for the meeting he has with some hot shots in the conference room. He had to rush to get to the building, knocking over secretaries and company employees.

He entered the room with the meeting located in it and was surprised to see no one in it.

"We figured that you would've stayed home, so we decided to postpone the meeting," came Eriol's cheerful voice.

Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "And why would you assume that?"

Eriol gave him a knowing look. "By the way, sorry about last night. I was-"

"Thanks."

It was Eriol's turn to raise an eyebrow. He seemed to want to say something else, but thought better of it. He smiled and replied, "You're welcome."

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(Unknown...)

Sakura woke up in one heck of a very uncomfortable position, not only that, but her head hurt and was being supported by something cold and hard.

"Hi mommy." Suzo chirped seeing that her mother had her eyes open.

Sakura grunted in response. She looked around the room and saw nothing of much interest. There's no window and the only escape is a stainless steal door. It was one of those times when she wished that she was back at home in Tomoeda and doing nothing except for playing games with Tomoyo and her friends. However, she couldn't go back to those days, not with the hasty choice she made after high school...

"Can we play 'I Spy'?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "There's not much to spy for. How's about we play 'Concentration' instead?"

Suzo pondered on that thought. "Sure," she said enthusiastically after a moment. They started the game. For Suzo it was something to do to pass the time. For Sakura it was something to take her mind off of how bad the situation is. Their quite voices ranged out through the small room. They were playing 'names of fruits' version and for some reason Suzo was dominating the game.

"Jeeze," was all Sakura said as Suzo beat her for the fourth time. "I'm never suggesting this game again."

!#$&()&$#!!#$&()&$#!!#$&()&$#!!#$&()&$#!!#$&()&$#!!#$&()

Authoress's Notie:

Okay, here's the many reasons (and excuses) on why I haven't updated since, well... awhile... First, I live in Northern Virginia and we got hit by 3 (count 'em up people), 3 hurricanes (or at least, the remains), then school is going to be somewhat hard this year. My harder classes are Honors English (it's a little more advanced then the college prep course, which is what most people are taking) and my teacher sounds like a stoner (he claims that he hates Hippies). Not only that, but I'm also taking Human Physiology and Anatomy, which is meant for seniors (I'm a sophomore, in high school) and I've had two projects so far, both of which I wasn't exactly prepared for...

There was also an incident on our bus that has left me somewhat shaken up, so... um yeah...

B/c of all of this, that means that I'm going to be paying more attention to school, I will keeping working on this story, especially since there's probably only a chappie or two left. Also, I have a few ideas floating around my head that I want to get working on.

So, um... yeah...

For some reason, I can't save stuff from the internet onto the combuter anymore, and normally, I save my reviews so that I can answer them, but for some reason, it won't allow me to, so that means that I won't be able to answer any of y'all's reviews, sorry for the inconvenience...

So, instead, I leave you guys a quote:

"Don't forget to wash you feet before you put it into someone's else's food."

Its one of mine...

Review!