Dark-wolfling: Hello! I try to update every time an opportunity arrives. Not many yet, so far. Anyway, the story goes.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

[ ... ]

Summary: Sakura studied to be a heart surgeon. She has just started her training in Tokyo's biggest and busiest hospital. Syaoran is her mentor with an insolent attitude towards girls. Can Sakura cope with the extra work and all the strenuous activities in the everyday-bustling hospital? How will she cope with him? Is she going to give up?

Extras: Sakura's father is one of the richest men in Tokyo. But of course, having an older brother, the company was handed down to her brother, Touya. Sakura still can live off with the money her father is going to leave her. But, she chooses to have a career. A heart surgeon career, that is!

...

On the previous chapter:

Yuma had a menacing look on her face. She was glaring daggers at Sakura's back as she confronted her prey unnoticed. In her hand, was a Styrofoam cup filled with a dark brown liquid. Her hands clenched and unclenched, trying not to rip the Styrofoam cup apart.

"Kinomoto," Yuma spat when she stood right behind Sakura's desk.

"Yes?" Sakura said, whipping around on the chair with wheels.

Yuma just smirked evilly and dumped the cup's contents on Sakura blouse. The hot liquid flowed down easily and made contact with Sakura's skin.

Unable to bear the heat, Sakura let out a small scream.

...

Surgical Heart

Chapter 4: Optimistic

...

"Ahh!" Sakura let out a small scream feeling the scorching liquid penetrate her skin.

Syaoran was alerted almost immediately and his eyes darted towards the vocalist. The sight he saw brought him to his senses. As a surgeon, he was trained to see what was wrong with a person very quickly. Seeing the brown stains on Sakura's skin and the red patches on her hands, he shot out of his chair and rushed to her side.

Yuma was dumbfounded when Syaoran appeared by Sakura's side.

Since when was he here? Yuma wondered worriedly. He could have seen me! Oh no, that's going to ruin my chance of going out of him! Yuma panicked inside but stood rooted to the ground. Her mouth widened slightly in shock as she stared, agape with the crushed cup in her hand.

"Doctor Li!" Yuma exclaimed when she found her voice. "What are you doing here?" She couldn't help but blurt out.

Syaoran glared at Yuma. He then eyed the cup in her hand. "I should be the one asking you that, Shingwa," he scowled.

"I didn't do anything! I swear! I'm innocent!" Yuma pleaded. "She-she forced me in doing this! Kinomoto is at fault!"

Syaoran ignored her and held Sakura's burning hands gently. Sakura grappled against him for awhile so he had no choice but to hold on to her tightly.

"Stay still Kinomoto! You're going to get scars if you don't stop struggling."

"No, don't touch me!" Sakura wrestled a bit more but the pain got to her and she allowed Syaoran to take control. Pleased with the power, Syaoran dragged Sakura over to the sink and placed her scalded arms under cool running tap water for around ten minutes. Sakura whimpered when the cool water came in contact with her swollen arms.

"Relax, the pain will leave soon," Syaoran assured as he held her hands delicately as he ordered Yuma to get some gauze. When Yuma returned, Syaoran carefully wrapped Sakura's burns with the dry gauze that had been fetched. Sakura watched helplessly as Syaoran treated her arms with extra care. When he was done, she still stared at the two burnt arms.

"Sakura…" Syaoran started.

Sakura's head shot up hearing her first name being mentioned by Syaoran. "What?" Sakura stuttered, hardly daring to believe her ears.

"I said Sakura. I can call you that, right? I am your mentor," Syaoran added. How does that help anyway, you baka! You just had to accidentally blurt out her name, right? Syaoran mentally chided himself.

Sakura finally nodded. "Yea, I guess," she shrugged. "But I'm still calling you Li."

Syaoran tilted his hand slightly as a nod. "Fine, I didn't request for my name to be called. And plus…" he looked around to see that Yuma had already left the room, "If you actually do that, a lot of envious nurses are going to come after you."

Sakura snorted. "Just because they think I like you?"

"Yea… don't you?" Syaoran said teasingly.

"Of course I don't!" Sakura shouted; her face slightly red.

Syaoran sighed sadly. "And I thought you had a crush on me."

"Li Syaoran!!!"

[...]

"Where is Syaoran?" a ruby-eye girl demanded as she thrashed the covers of the hospital bed.

"Doctor Li is attending to another patient at the moment," Naoko answered.

"But he's supposed to be treating me!"

"Sorry but it's not Doctor Li, Li-san," Naoko said, a hint of fear in her quivering voice.

"What do you mean by not Syaoran?!" the girl questioned angrily, her chest rising and falling from her outburst.

"She means not me, Meilin," Syaoran said, approaching his cousin's bed.

"But…" Meilin pouted. "You promised…"

"I did not promise anything now, Meilin. Your doctor would be Doctor Kinomoto."

"Kinomoto?"

"Yes, Sakura Kinomoto. She is slightly late," Syaoran noted, taking a look at his watch.

"Then I don't want such an irresponsible girl to be my doctor!" Meilin complained.

"Hoe!" a girl's voice was heard just outside Meilin's private room.

"What's that?" Meilin asked. Syaoran just shrugged, looking towards the door as if anticipating for something or someone to come.

"Hoe! Gomen! Aiee! Sorry!"

"Sakura?" Syaoran looked like he wanted to burst out in laughter. Sakura, who had been shouting 'sorry' just now, entered Meilin's room, panting heavily.

"Who is this dog?" Meilin asked rudely earning a glare from Syaoran.

"Hello Li-san! I'm Sakura Kinomoto, your doctor," Sakura smiled in attempt to cover her exhaustion.

Meilin gaped at Sakura before turning to Syaoran. "She – is – my – doctor- ?" Meilin asked, word for word.

Syaoran just nodded. "Now… be nice, Meilin. And I'll send you home when you are discharged."

[...]

"She was sucking up to him!" Yuma cried out, enraged of her previously foiled plan.

"What did she do, Yuma?" May, the nurse who had tired to get Syaoran to go out with her that morning, asked.

"She forced herself on him and made her touch her all over her hands and arms," Yuma said exaggeratingly. She was very, very pleased of the attention she was getting from the nurses. The usual scheming group: May, Kato, Lira and Yuma.

"Ewww…And Syaoran complied?" Kato asked.

"No… As I said… she practically forced herself on him!" Yuma lied.

"But how did she do that?" Lira asked.

"You see, it all begin when I was innocently going to give that Kinomoto a cup of coffee to drink, since she worked up till quite late yesterday. And then she spilled the coffee all over herself, making it seem like I was the one who spilt it on her."

"That b-t-h!" May growled furiously.

"Uh huh…" Yuma nodded her head vigorously. "And then she practically made herself look pitiful to make Syaoran fall for her trap! But you know Syaoran, he won't be that dumb. So… I'm thinking that she has some evil magic powers to steal Syaoran away from us!"

"Yea! That must be it! She somehow possessed him!" Lira said, going with the idea.

"Yes… now that's the problem," Yuma said seriously. "What are we going to do?"

[...]

"Ouch!" Meilin howled in pain when Sakura injected some fluid into her body. "How do I know that you're not trying to kill me?!"

Sakura forced a smile. From the first moment she had met Meilin, she could tell that the girl detested her. She even wondered whether this girl was physically sick or mentally disabled.

"I won't, Li-san," Sakura answered sincerely.

"But you could be lying," Meilin said stubbornly.

"I'm not lying, Li-san," Sakura still smiled, trying to be as polite as possible.

"But you could be lying that you're not lying that you're lying!"

Sakura wanted so sigh, as exasperated as she was, she still had to contain herself. Even she had limits for patience! Sakura just smile sweetly at Meilin, without speaking. It would just provoke Meilin to find faults in her more.

"It's that the smile you used to seduce Syaoran?"

Sakura's smile immediately vanished. "What?" She frowned.

"You seemed to be quite close to him."

Sakura was lost. Where did Meilin get that idea from? What did she do to make her think that? "I think you're mistaken, Li-san. Doctor Li and I are only mentor and student. Nothing more than that."

"Oh really? But he was going to burst out laughing when you entered the room. And Syaoran rarely even shows a smile. He is serious! He just goes around with that frowning face of his," Meilin huffed.

"But…" Sakura was going to protest. How close is she to him, anyway?

"Syaoran was my fiancée before, so I know him more than you do!"

Fiancée? That guy got himself a fiancée?" Sakura wanted to laugh at that idea but thought against it. It was not going to help the present situation.

"And if you dare try to lay a figure on him…" Meilin pinched Sakura on her arm making Sakura wince and pull back. "That's a taste of what you'll get."

Sakura bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming. Her arm was almost on fire. She could still imagine the certain numb parts and the badly scalded parts. After being treated by her mentor, she had worn her white uniform which was long-sleeved and cloak-like.

"I understand Li-san," Sakura said, backing towards the door. "I'll take my leave." And Sakura turned around and raced down the corridors and towards the ladies bathroom.

...

"So that's my perfect plan!" Yuma smiled proudly. "It's sure to get her and she won't even feel it coming her way!"

"Yes, Yuma you are so smart!" Lira patted her friend's back in praise, only to boost Yuma's ego even more.

They heard the door being pushed open harshly and then the chocked sobs of a girl. Being the busybody group they were, Yuma and her friends advanced towards the crying. "What did I do to her?" came the girl's angered voice. "What did I do to her in my past life?"

"Doctor Kinomoto?" Kato asked. She turned to her friends who had to hold back their grins. Perfect! The open door to the start of their plan! Reading each other's mind, the foursome walked towards Sakura.

"What happened?" Lira asked with fake concern. Then they saw that Sakura was rubbing her hand in pain.

"Oh Doctor Kinomoto! I'm so sorry! If it was because of the hot coffee I accidentally poured on you just now, I apologize profusely!" Yuma acted. Her acting was moderately good and it was able to fool Sakura.

"It was an accident?" Sakura asked.

"Yes… and I'm terribly sorry! I just wanted to deliver you a cup of coffee since you stayed up late last night. But I tripped and the coffee landed on you," Yuma continued with her act.

"Oh… it's alright," Sakura broke into a smile. They want to make friends with me? So maybe they don't actually hate me.

"Thank you Doctor Kinomoto!"

"Call me Sakura!"

"Ok Sakura!" the four said in unison.

[...]

Aiee… Sorry for making Sakura so, so dense! Perhaps she didn't see the evil smile Yuma gave her before the cup tilted. Ah well… what do the evil group plan to do with Sakura? Perhaps you all can guess by that one particular scene in this chapter. It'll all be revealed. This is just a part of the story. Not this whole story would be about the foursome rivalling Sakura over Syaoran. Nope. wiggles finger It will include other stuff too!