Chapter Fourteen
Card Captor Sakura
Jagged Amber
starjade
Trouble
Sakura paced back and forth in her room, staring at her dress on the bed and at the three calls left by Tomoyo and the one left by Eriol. Syaoran had to know about the dance. He had to! She didn't want him coming down and yelling at Eriol and her. It would be so embarrassing!
Half of her, however, almost....anticipated it. Which was half of the reason she hadn't told him yet.
Well, it was such a big thing! He would have to know...unless, like her, he had forgotten as well.
With a sigh, she collapsed on her bed and stared at the ceiling of her room. This sucked. Really sucked.
" Sakura!!"
Sakura jerked and fell off the bed. " Oww..." She groaned and looked up to see the person at her door.
It was Tomoyo. She was giggling as she walked into her room. " Well, Sakura, hope you had a nice fall."
" Thanks for not surprising me and telling me you were coming,' Sakura moaned, as she got up, rubbing her elbow that had hit her dresser on her fall to the ground.
Tomoyo rose her eyebrows. " So those three calls I left for you weren't warning enough?"
Sakura made a face. " Pick on the girl with the problems, don't you?"
" Problems?" Tomoyo asked, interestedly. " What sort of problems do you have now?"
" Wouldn't you like to know," Sakura said sarcastically, glaring at the dress lying on her bed?
Tomoyo followed her gaze and rose her eyebrows. " Girl, something's up and I'm listening. Take full advantage of this rare moment."
Sakura sighed and fell on her desk chair with a groan. " I forgot about the dance tonight."
Tomoyo nodded her head slowly, looking confused. " But you know now...so what's the problem?"
Sakura clenched her fists. " Well, Syaoran-we've been having a good day-and well-god, how am I supposed to explain this?"
" He hates Eriol and when he figures out that today's the dance, your great day will turn to a mud puddle in your hands and you'll be walking away with an F in a week, right?" Tomoyo said, a bit amusedly.
Sakura paled a bit. A week....she only had a week left here....suddenly, she felt a wave of-well, she wasn't sure what it was, but a feeling that twanged deep in her chest and she knew, with utmost conviction, that she didn't want to leave. That she wanted to stay here and wait, for as long as possible, for that smile to light up Syaoran's face, for his amber eyes to shine with happiness and for him to say, ever so softly, " Sakura.."
" KINOMOTO! You deaf ass, Mother is CALLING you!!" The same voice shouted from the bottom of the stairs.
Sakura felt her shoulders droop a little. So much for THAT fantasy....
Then her eyes grew wide. Fantasy?? She was fantasizing about Syaoran?? THE SYAORAN who hated her, who called her names, who made her feel like shit? Holy, she was seriously going mental. She had heard about a mental institution nearby who'd take anybody-
" Sakura, you know Syaoran's mother is calling you," Tomoyo's voice broke through her haze. Sakura let out a yelp and screeched loudly.
" I wasn't fantasizing! I swear, I wasn't!!" Sakura shouted.
Tomoyo blinked at her and Sakura realized what she said and turned beet red. Tomoyo started to giggle and then her giggles turned to full-fledged laughter.
" You were fantasizing??" Tomoyo snorted. " About who?" Here her eyes grew mischievous. " Eriol?"
Sakura let out a sigh and grinned, sheepishly, feeling relief drain over her. " Yeah....yeah, Eriol..."
Even as she went out the door and climbed down the stairs to see what Yelan wanted, she still felt her cheeks warm up at the thought of Syaoran, smiling, just one smile, and for him to just say her name, without bitterness, without anger-just once.
Syaoran growled as he heard the doorbell ring. He had just changed into his work out clothes and was planning on one loong workout, but no, he had to get the door. What good was a tutor from Japan if she couldn't become your slave??
The bell rung again and he shouted, irritated, " You impatient little asshole, wait!!"
He reached the door and swung it open, and said, " What the hell do you want??"
" Sakura." Was the person's answer.
Syaoran froze. That voice....was it....Eriol?? Oh nooo....Eriol did NOT just come to his house, and ask for Kinomoto! No. Friggin. Way.
" You little bastard, what the hell are you doing at my house??" Syaoran roared.
A tinkling laugh answered him. " Why, you don't know, dear descendant?"
" Know what?" Syaoran spat out. " That you're a sneaky little shit that-"
" Xiao-Lang, what words! I would think you would've changed you're habit of cursing, since so much of your personality has changed already. "
Syaoran halted, slightly confused. " What the fuck are you taking about?" He demanded, angrily.
" Oh, you really do not know. How pitiful. Well, I'm sure Sakura can explain this situation to you perfectly." Eriol remarked.
" Wha..." Syaoran trailed off as the familiar scent of cherry blossoms wafted through his senses and he turned around.
" Kinomoto, what-" He started and then it all started to click in. Eriol and Kinomoto didn't have any correspondence-besides that dance-
" Eriol is taking me to the dance, Syaoran," She answered, a bit nervously. " We'd better go then-"
" WHAAAT???"
" Eriol, please," Sakura pleaded, her voice worried. " Lets go..."
Eriol laughed, amusedly. " Bye, Syaoran. I'm sure Sakura will be quite satisfied with tonight....and with me.."
" You fucking bastard!" Syaoran shouted, his mind awhirl. He couldn't think of what he was doing, he was only seeing red. Sak-Kinomoto, his tutor was going to the dance with Eriol!! Why was he feeling so furious?
But as it was Syaoran's tendency not to think before he acted, he had already leaped between Eriol and Sakura, and he grabbed for Eriol, luckily making contact as he shoved Eriol against the wall.
" Syaoran, NO!" Sakura screamed as Syaoran gripped Eriol around his neck.
" Who the hell do you think you are?" Syaoran growled. " I know what's going on in your mind, Hiirigizasa-"
" Do you?"
Syaoran pressed his fingers deeper into Eriol's skin and shouted, " Shut the hell up, I'm talking!!"
" You do like her."
Syaoran froze. Eriol had said the statement low and quiet and Syaoran could only hear it because of his sharpened senses. Sakura could not hear it and was still screaming at them to stop.
" Watch what you say, Hiirigizawa, you're not in the position to talk," Syaoran said dangerously, feeling his face burning at Eriol's words.
" You do. Otherwise you wouldn't care. You wouldn't give a flying shit if I went to the dance with Sakura. But here you are-attempting to kill me just so Sakura doesn't go to the dance with me," Eriol said, his voice eerily soft.
Syaoran flushed hard and he let go of Eriol, but wasn't given the satisfaction of hearing him drop to the floor. Eriol landed nimbly on his feet and said, " Well....after that ordeal, I am quite ready to leave this house-"
" I am so sorry, Eriol!" Sakura said. Syaoran could hear tears in her voice and his cheeks grew redder and he turned away from them. " I don't know what happened-"
" It's alright," Eriol said kindly. " Let's just go."
" Alright..." Sakura said, her voice weak. As Eriol walked out the door, Sakura turned back to Syaoran, and he could feel her eyes on him.
" You just have to ruin everything in my life, don't you?" Sakura whispered softly. Syaoran fought back the urge to flinch and winced as the door slammed shut. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his jaw. He didn't know what had gotten into him. Why he suddenly felt like beating Eriol to a bloody pulp-He didn't care if that Kinomoto wench went with him to a dance. He didn't care if they would go to Eriol's house later on and do-
His face whitened. They wouldn't...
But they could...
They wouldn't...
Syaoran let out a yell of frustration and sat down hard on the steps. He couldn't understand what was going through his mind-frankly, he didn't want to.
He would go to the dance. NOT because of Eriol and Kinomoto-because he just felt like it. Well, that's what he convinced himself of anyways as he grabbed his jacket and slipped on his shoes, yelling for Wei as he did.
He was going to the dance.
He seriously wondered if he was possessed.
Yen grinned at Sairah as they stood in the gymnasium. People bustled about, setting up the floor for the dance that was about to start in half an hour. The stage, the dance floor, the tables, the punch table..
Yen grinned. " Stage One...."
Sairah shook her head. " This is a weird plan, Yen. You know it too. I don't even think that this will work, much less you're overall goal-"
" Shut up!" Yen yelled.
Sairah shut her mouth quickly and Yen clenched her fists tight at her side. If only that girl hadn't come from Hong Kong or whatever hell hole it was and ruin all her plans! Her mother had always taught her-money made the world go round. As women....the only way they could ever get their hands on cash...was through men. Rich men.
The quickest way was through Syaoran. He was blind-an advantage on her part. But this girl-she was ruining it all.
" Just do it. Quickly," She snapped to Sairah. " This has got to work. It just has to."
Sakura entered the gymnasium, smiling at the decorations. Loud music blasted through large speakers as people milled about, laughing, socializing and dancing. She kept her eyes away from the couples making out in the corners and kept her mind from.....Syaoran.
She was never more angry at him then she was now. How dare he try to interfere in her life like that? Why did he want to take away every bit of happiness she had? And the fact was, she didn't have a lot of time left in Hong Kong....and frankly, she didn't think she was going to leave Hong Kong with a passing grade.
" Sakura, sweet, keep your mind off of him. He's a jerk. Just concentrate on tonight, will you?" Eriol said softly, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Sakura jerked and looked at Eriol and smiled, a bit guiltily. " Sorry, Eriol. I'm just so mad at him-"
" Some people do stupid things," Eriol said gently. " Especially when they care about someone too much...to let them go."
Sakura rose her eyebrows at Eriol, wondering what he was talking about. But Eriol just grinned at her and grabbed her hand. " Lets go find a place to sit."
" I see a place already," Sakura snorted as Tomoyo waved at them eagerly. Eriol laughed as they walked towards Tomoyo's table. Tomoyo was sitting beside a cute black haired boy and she grinned at them as Eriol and Sakura sat down across from her.
" Hey, Sakura!" Tomoyo yelled over the loud music. " You're looking good!"
" Thanks to you," Sakura yelled back. Tomoyo grinned.
Eriol whispered in Sakura's ear, " Want some punch?"
Sakura nodded and Eriol got up to leave and so did Tomoyo's date as they headed towards the punch table. Tomoyo scooted over to sit beside Sakura.
" Eriol is so cute, Sakura," Tomoyo sighed.
Sakura laughed. " Yeah....I really like him....I just wish Syaoran would understand that."
Tomoyo rose her eyebrows. " What happened?"
" Syaoran freaked. Again." Sakura growled, angrily.
Tomoyo clucked, sympathetically. " Where is Syaoran?"
" Not here, thank god!" Sakura responded, putting her hand over her heart. Tomoyo laughed as Eriol and her date came back with glasses of punch.
But of course, Sakura had spoken way too soon. Because just as the lights flashed on and the music turned fast paced, did the doors burst open and Syaoran come striding in as if he owned the place. Sakura gasped, nearly spilling the punch and Tomoyo's jaw dropped. Eriol just smiled, knowingly.
" What the hell is he doing here???" Sakura gasped, her heart beating so hard against her chest that it hurt.
" I don't know...." Tomoyo trailed off.
Almost instantly, three girls approached Syaoran and surprisingly, Syaoran went with them to sit at their table. Sakura watched with shocked eyes as they flirted with Syaoran....and he hadn't exploded yet.
This was really...weird.
Sakura was still staring at Syaoran when Eriol poked her in the shoulder " Sakura, are you ok?"
She jerked out of her thoughts and smiled at Eriol, hesitantly. " Yeah.....yeah, I'm okay..."
" Well, would you like to dance then?" He asked.
Trying not to give into the urge to stare at Syaoran again, she nodded slowly and took Eriol's hand as he led her onto the dance floor. The song had switched to a slow song so she smiled, remembering Syaoran's dance lessons.
" You're good at dancing, " Eriol remarked.
Sakura giggled. " I had a good teacher..." She said, her eyes trailing back to Syaoran. He was still stony faced, but he had opened his mouth to respond to one of the girl's questions and they all squealed at the fact that Syaoran had talked to them.
It was sickening. Sakura narrowed her eyes. Didn't Syaoran see that they were all just after him for his looks and his money? None of them knew him like she did. None of them were able to understand him...
Like she did...
Confusing thoughts were racing through her mind and she shook her head, trying to clear her head. She wasn't thinking straight....because there was no way she could be getting jealous...no way...
" Eriol, I gotta sit down...just for one second...I'm feeling a bit dizzy," Sakura whispered and Eriol looked at her concernedly.
" Are you okay?" He asked.
Sakura nodded as Eriol led her to the table and sat her down, bringing her another glass of punch. The glass went down easily as her eyes went back to Syaoran, searching him out. The girls who were sitting around him were treating him like a baby, getting everything for him, directing his hand to the glasses-Sakura felt herself getting angry.
" So, Sakura," Eriol's voice broke in. " Tell me a bit about Japan. How was Tomoeda?"
Sakura looked at him as if she had never seen him before. " Uh....Eriol....yes, Tomoeda was my hometown. I've never been outside of it...until I had to tutor Syaoran. Tomoeda is peaceful, quiet and everyone is connected in someway."
She drank another glass of punch as Eriol asked, " So what do you think of Hong Kong so far?"
Sakura giggled and then let out a small burp. " Oh, excuse me!! Hong Kong is great! I love the city....I love the people...well some of the people....not Syaoran. Syaoran is mean to me. He goes through so much pain....but he doesn't know how much he inflicts the same pain on the people around him..."
She giggled again. " I said a big word!! Inflicts!!"
Eriol stared at her strangely. " Sakura, are you ok?"
" I want to dance, Eriol! Can we dance??? Pleaaasseee!" Sakura begged and Eriol complied, a confused look on his face as she dragged him onto the floor. She hung onto his neck and fell against him and Eriol picked her up gently.
" Sakura, I don't think-" He started and Sakura glared at him.
" You don't want to dance? Fine! Maybe Syaoran will!" She broke out of Eriol's arms and stomped over to Syaoran, pushing away a girl who was trying to feed him.
" Syaoran!!!" She shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling him up.
" Get the hell away from me, bitch," Syaoran growled but then stopped. " What the hell is wrong with you?"
" You don't like me, do you?" Sakura bubbled out, swaying back and forth.
" What??" Syaoran shouted. Then he stopped and looked around. " Where the hell is your date?" He spat out the word 'date' so angrily that Sakura stepped back and almost fell.
Syaoran caught her arm quickly and pulled her arm. " Kinomoto??" He asked, a bit confused.
" You don't like me. I KNOW it. In my heart. That's where I know it. You hurt me...because I like you a lot. But you treat me like..." Sakura looked down and then collapsed on the floor. " Like the ground!! You walk all OVER me!!"
She started to laugh insanely and Syaoran realized quickly that she was drunk. Grabbing her arms and pulling her up, he tried pushing through the people. Dammit!! He was blind and helpless, how was he supposed to get Sakura home?? If she stayed here, drunk and acting like this, she would be taken advantage of and there was no way he was going to let that happen!!
Pushing people away from him, he dragged her to the doors. They were attracting quite a crowd as she struggled against him and finally he grabbed her and put her over his shoulders. The music was hurting his senses and his anger was reaching a boiling point and he knew that he would explode soon.
" Dear Xiao-Lang, where are you taking my date?" An annoying voice said nonchalantly.
Syaoran growled and yelled, " How the fuck did you get her drunk, you idiot??"
" I didn't get her drunk, dear descendant. I'm afraid the punch was spiked and she had drunk a bit too much," Eriol said.
" THEN WHY DIDN"T YOU FUCKING STOP HER?" He yelled at the top of his lungs. It was drawing an even bigger crowd, for people had made a circle around the two, anticipating a fight.
Sakura was banging her fists against his back, weakly. " Let me go, you-you-big lug!"
Eriol said amusedly, " I wasn't aware that it was the punch that was making her so emotional. I'd rather thought it was the sight of you surrounded by all those girls you supposedly hated."
Syaoran flushed hard. " Shut the hell up, Eriol."
" It's true, Xiao-Lang. I'd think that you would be a bit more mature about me taking Sakura out on a date instead of trying to get Sakura jealous," Eriol remarked as Syaoran reached out blindly and pushed someone to the ground.
" Missed," Eriol's voice said as it moved away from him. Yelling in frustration, Syaoran just grabbed onto Sakura tighter and pushed through the doors. Damn Kinomoto nuisance. Damn dance. Damn Eriol!
The cold hair enveloped his skin and he felt himself flush hard at the sight he probably made. A girl slung over his shoulder and he had no idea where the hell he was going. Fuck, she was drunk and he couldn't even take her home safely.
" Damn you, Kinomoto!" He growled as he started to walk forward, blindly.
" Sy-Syaoooran..." She trailed off, giggling lightly. " Why do you hate me?"
Syaoran froze. Of all questions to ask...
a/n: END OF CHAPPIE! voot, a long one for ya guys! juss cuz of my quote unquote 'leave of absence' i think...scratches head anyways, tell me if ya guys liked dis chappie and lol, i loved the reviews. especially the reviewer that was talkin about the difference btw my casual and story writing styles. vverry tru!
lol anyways, send in suggestions and comments aight? see ya latez,
starjade