Chapter Eight

Jagged Amber

Card Captor Sakura

*starjade*

Exploding

" Wake up, Syaoran!" Sakura said cheerfully as she walked into Syaoran's room with his breakfast tray.

Syaoran groaned, burrowing under his covers even more.

Sakura sighed. " Syaoran!! Come on, get up! I'm missing a whole week of school to be with you!! So can you please just get up and let me help you with breakfast?"

Syaoran ignored her and Sakura sighed. This was really harsh. He never allowed her to feed him and Yelan would always walk in, even after Sakura pleaded, yelled and cajoled him. She tried again and again and again...she didn't think she could do it anymore.

Sakura thought forlornly about the end of the month when she would have to go back to Japan. With a failing grade.


" Come on, Syaoran," Sakura finally said, her voice soft. " Please...for me, can you eat? Don't make me feel anymore worse than I already do. Yes, I admit I was wrong. And I'm guilty. You know how guilt feels, don't you? Can't you spare me just a little bit?"

No response.

Sakura finally got up. Today wasn't going to be any different. She set the tray down on his bedside table and walked out into the corridor, ready to call Yelan.

" Fine."

Sakura froze and looked back. Syaoran was out of bed, rubbing his eyes and staggering to his feet, his arm still in a sling. " Do whatever you want. But then after, you have to leave. Right away. I don't want to be near you any longer than I have to."

Sakura stared at him and her heart rose. He wanted her to help him! Trying to contain her excitement, she touched his arm gently and lead him to the bathroom. He jerked away from her, giving her a disgusted look. " Alright, come out when you're done. I left your clothes on the counter and then just come back for some breakfast, alright? I'll be waiting right out here."

Syaoran grimaced. " I'm not a child."

Sakura giggled inwardly. " I can tell, Syaoran."

Syaoran gave her a look and walked into the bathroom. Sakura jumped up and down, giddy with excitement. He was letting her help him!!

It was rather a twist of emotions for Sakura. She was so used to being right that when she was wrong, she did all she could to make up for it.

When he finally came out of the washroom, his buttons were all mixed up. Sakura winced. This was going to be awkward.

" Uh, Syaoran?" Sakura said, a bit cautiously.

Syaoran looked as if he hadn't heard her.

" You're...buttons-" she reached him and started to unbutton his shirt. He pulled her hands away from him, his face bright red.

" Get the hell away from me!" He said, his voice strange.

Sakura looked at him and sighed. Yeah well. Nothing new. He turned away from her and rearranged his buttons and then sat down on the bed. Sakura sat in front of him and grabbed the tray.

" Here's some juice and I'll feed you the porridge. Don't get all huffy with me, goodness!" Sakura said, trying to maintain a cheerful tone.

Syaoran growled, " I can't believe this..." As Sakura raised a full spoon to his mouth.

Sakura tried not to giggle. " Open up!"

Syaoran kept his mouth closed and Sakura punched him lightly. " Come on!! Just one spoonful!"

Syaoran gave her a look and Sakura shut her mouth. Don't get too comfortable, Sakura reminded herself. Just because he's letting you help him doesn't mean he's going to get all human on you.

Syaoran finally opened his mouth and Sakura stuck the spoon in his mouth. She continued to feed him spoonful by spoonful and started to relax a bit.

" I think I'm going to have to go back to school tomorrow. This is going to be all over that school. Wonder what your girl-Yen is going to do me tomorrow."

Syaoran had a little smirk on his face. " I hope it's something horrible like, she cuts your hair or something."

Sakura shoved the spoon a bit forcefully into his mouth and he yelped. " My hair is already short, thank you!" Sakura said, angrily.

Syaoran stared at her and then looked away. " How short?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. " I don't know, but if she does cut my hair then I'll choke her with my own bare hands!"

Syaoran rose an eyebrow as Sakura began to pack away the food. " You? You're the weakest person I've ever met. Yen would probably squash you."

Sakura got up, her hands on her hips. " Excuse me?? Let me tell you, just cause I'm short doesn't mean I'm weak!"

There was a bit of silence after her statement and Sakura grew aware of their surroundings. Her eyes flitted back to Syaoran.

Syaoran was quiet but his eyes seemed to freeze a bit. His mouth tightened and he growled, " Get out now."

He turned around and got back under the covers. Sakura stared at him. Two seconds of civil ( if you could call that civil) conversation and he gets all icy with you.

Sakura got up and ran out of the room, stomping down the stairs. Yelan met her halfway. She gaped at Sakura then down at the empty tray.

" He...he let you feed him?" Yelan asked, her voice awed.

Sakura nodded, her eyes still narrowed. " That ungrateful little brat needed one hell of a lot more spanking when he was little..."

Yelan was still staring at her. " Xiao-Lang...my Xiao-Lang let you feed him...this is...this is wonderful!" Yelan cried and ran up the stairs and into Syaoran's room. Sakura stared after her and walked the rest of the way down the stairs, confused.

Then realization dawned on her. Syaoran let her feed him! He talked to her!! She let out a cry and danced around the kitchen.
This month had to be a success, she thought happily. Syaoran will be healed of all emotional damage and I'll come home with an A+!!

****************************

Meiling hissed at her, " You watch out, girl, you're really going to get it for hurting my Xiao-Lang."

Sakura sighed. " I didn't hurt him-"

" I don't need any of your pathetic excuses, you brat," Meiling snapped. " I won't let you near my Xiao-Lang ever!"

Sakura sighed. She had almost got used to Meiling's insults and threats. She thought of Japan, where she was welcome. Where people actually liked her and people actually wanted her there. Here she was, a foreigner, tutoring a cold blind boy who hated her, feeling more unwanted then she had ever felt in her life.

She hoisted her bag as she walked up to the school after being dropped off by Wei, the butler. She looked around and took a deep breath. Whatever happens, let it happen.

She walked into the school and all the chatter stopped as she took the first step in. Sakura's cheeks flamed as she walked down the dead silent hallway, towards her locker.

When she stopped at her locker she gasped. Across it someone had scrawled, Japanese Slut in black permanent marker.

Her jaw dropped. She turned back to the crowd, who turned away as soon as she looked at them. " Who the hell did this?" Sakura shouted, anger filled her. Suddenly, someone behind her pushed her hard and she went sprawling across the floor.

" Who cares who did it? It's true isn't it?" Someone sneered. Sakura looked up shocked at the face of Yen, the girl who was obsessed over Syaoran.

Sakura got to her feet and hissed, " What the hell is wrong with you? I didn't do anything wrong and you're-"

The Yen girl's eyes widened. " Excuse me, bitch? Are you telling me that you did nothing wrong? You hurt my Syaoran, and because of that you're going to pay!"
Sakura felt an urge to slap Yen across the face but she kept it in. " You don't even know what happened-" Sakura started, furiously.

Yen stepped close to her, until their noses were almost touching. " I know exactly what happened. Stay away from Syaoran...if you know what's good for you."

With that, Yen pushed Sakura and Sakura fell down once more, sprawling across the floor. The crowd laughed and jeered and Sakura got to her feet, her whole body aching as Yen and her group walked away.

Angry tears filled Sakura's eyes and she punched the locker nearest to her. " What did I do to deserve this?" Sakura said, her voice bitter. " What did I do?"

*******************

Syaoran strained to get up, his head still pounding. His arm was still in a sling and his senses seemed to weaken for he could hardly sense what was in front of him anymore. He had walked into his dresser, into a closed door, into the bed...

He hated feeling weak.

He was missing school too. The Principle said that if his head was feeling better then he could come back to school tomorrow. Syaoran was determined to make sure he went back. He was bored.

He couldn't even practice marital arts anymore. How could he prepare himself for the finals?? How could he beat people he couldn't see if his senses were so weakened, if he needed to be waited upon and fed by..

Syaoran's eyes narrowed. He hated having to be fed by that girl. The girl who caused all of this. That damned peer tutor. But what else could he have done? When she had spoken of guilt...something ripped through him and he remembered the crash, the last time he had seen colours, the smile on his father's face, the look of love on his mother's face, even the adoring looks of Meiling and his sisters.

His head began to throb and he held it hard, trying to reach for a chair. Suddenly, a gentle hand reached out and lead him to a chair. Syaoran followed it, not even understanding anything as he was pushed gently into a chair. Syaoran groaned and tried to breathe. When the throbbing subsided, he tried to find out who was in the room.

A scent of cherry blossoms wafted through the air and he growled. Kinomoto.

" What the hell are you doing here?" He yelled.

Kinomoto didn't answer, surprisingly. He tried to sense if she was still in the room. Yes she was. So why wasn't she saying anything.

" I knew you didn't have much of a brain in that empty head of yours, but if you need me to speak in simpler terms, why are you in my room when there are clearly no pigs allowed?" Syaoran said slowly, as if he was talking to a moron.

Still, no response.

Syaoran smirked. " I knew it. The Japanese were always a bit on the slow side, especially a slut like you-" Suddenly he stopped. The atmosphere had gone cold. He craned his neck and heard her breathing hitch and come out in ragged breaths.

What was wrong with her?

Suddenly there was a sound. Like a choked sob, or something.

Syaoran stared into the empty darkness of his mind and wondered, why was she crying? Outwardly, he sneered, " Are you crying cause of what I said? Finally, something gets through you're thick head. A slut, that's all you are-"

" STOP IT!" Sakura yelled.

Syaoran's jaw shut with shock as he sensed her trembling, waves of anger and frustration and sadness pouring off of her.

" JUST STOP IT!" Sakura yelled, her voice threaded with a deep emotion. " I can't take it anymore! I just can't! I'm not a slut and I haven't done anything wrong and yet I'm treated like dirt! I get taunted at school, thrown around and insulted, I come back here and I can't do my job right, you treat me like shit and I can't through to you and Yelan is depending on me and Meiling hates my guts and so do you, and I just can't take it anymore!"

She was breathing hard and her voice was raw with emotion. " Is this what you wanted?" She finally whispered, her voice deathly quiet. " Is this what you wanted? To drive me out of Hong Kong? Make me miserable?"

She laughed and started clapping. " Well guess what, Syaoran?? You succeeded! Congratulations!"


There was a quietness between them and Syaoran couldn't find a word to say. Sakura finally got up and left, her breathing still ragged and sobs escaping her mouth. He heard her whisper, " I just can't take it," Before shutting the door.

When she left, all the warmth left the room. It was cold again. Freezing. Syaoran was left in the darkness and even though he had succeeded...

He felt rotten.

She had left...but not before him.

********************

Sakura walked down the stairs, trying not to think about anything at all. A deep yearning inside of her wanted to go back home. To see her father again, make sure he was well. To stomp on her brother's foot and talk with all her friends.

Yet another smaller part wanted to stay here and help Syaoran...even if he didn't deserve it.

She had to go home. She had to Yelan that she wanted to go home. That she couldn't do it anymore.

Sakura gritted her teeth, trying not to remember how Yen had spilled orange juice all over her, or those big black words scrawling Japanese Slut over her locker. She tried not recalling Syaoran's insults, referring to her as a brainless bitch...

Taking a deep breath she walked into the kitchen.

" No. I won't allow it! We are a Li Clan and I am not going to-yes, my husband is dead. How dare you??" Yelan shouted into the phone and hung up abruptly. She took a few deep breaths and then sighed, getting up. Then she saw Sakura.

" H-Hey," Sakura said cautiously. She looked at the phone and then back at Yelan. " Is something...wrong?"

Yelan rubbed her forehead. " No...yes...sort of. The elders don't want Syaoran to be schooled anymore. They want to send him to some private institution in china which holds all blind kids and help them develop their other senses and still learn their studies."

Sakura looked at Yelan wide eyed. " What made you say no?"

Yelan looked at her, almost pleadingly. " Don't you see? Syaoran wouldn't be the same if he went there. He needs people around him, he needs to be able to cope with people who do have sight which is the majority of the world. Syaoran wants to feel equal to others...."

Yelan took a deep breath. " It just pains me. I remember when he was just a kid and he'd come home angry and holding back tears as kids would taunt him and insult him. He'd almost gotten killed by a car when he had to find his way home after being lead and left in the middle of nowhere by his supposed friends."

Sakura looked down. " That's sad.."

Yelan nodded. "Yet he was so determined to prove he was their equal, that his disability didn't make him unworthy of them. I don't want to unravel all of his work by sending him to some institution..."

Sakura felt her heart throb for the woman. She went up to her and boldly hugged her. Yelan smiled at her. "At least you're helping me. I have hope now, because of you. Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura felt guilt seep into her heart. " Y-Your welcome...but I didn't do much." Sakura said, abashedly, remembering what had just happened before.

Yelan smiled, more broadly. " You have done more than you will ever know."

Sakura smiled back at the woman, a bit hesitantly. Yet she knew, deep in her heart, she could never leave now. She was going to stay, through the insults, the taunts, the harassment. She was going to stay.

a/n: Wat up? Shoot, dis is getting a bit emotional, don't ya think? But believe it or not, this story is da easiest for me to write. lol, seriously! i dunno, it's just so romantic!! I luv it when they hate eachother!

Whenever they're fighting, they have a tendency to yell in huge paragraphs. lol. seriously, if I yell at someone, they don't give ya time to yell, cause they shoutin shit back. lol. Dat ain't reality, is it?

I love all ur reviews! and yah, second sight ( da summary) don't mean he's getting his sight back! He'll probably be blind forever. *cries* Poor Syaoran...

Review...Please?

I lub you all,

*starjade*