Chapter Nineteen

Card Captor Sakura

Jagged Amber

starjade

Accusations

Sakura looked back at him, wonderingly. " Why are you so angry for? I thought you wanted me to leave."

" Then why aren't you gone?" Syaoran responded, not answering her question, his back still facing her.

" Because I want to stay!" She screeched back.

" WHY?" Syaoran yelled at her, whirling around in fury.

" BECAUSE OF YOU!" Sakura yelled back even louder, anger filling her body.

Syaoran lay on his bed, his arms folded behind his head, eyes closed as he recounted her words. He wondered what expression was on her face as she said those words. Because of you...she wanted to stay. She wanted to stay.

His fists clenched. Don't get yourself so worked up over that, Syaoran growled lowly to himself. She probably said that to get extra marks for her stupid project. And her stupid project is me.

He slammed a fist down on the mattress and got up, pacing about. He yearned to strap on his clothes and just release his anger, training outside but if Sakura caught him doing that, she would rip him to shreds. He had practiced all day yesterday for the fight that would occur today and according to Sakura, if he trained anymore, he would fall apart.

Don't you want to get better? She would squeal in that high pitched tone she used when she was angry. Why are you killing yourself for?

Syaoran felt nerves rush through his body as he stared outside, as the sun rose above the mountains. Today...today was the day when he would fight for the title of the best fighter in China. And he was going to win. He would show everyone...a blind man was worth just as much as a man with eyes.

He imagined himself, holding up the trophy high in the air as last year's winner tied the belt, proclaiming him to be the best fighter in china around his waist. But he wouldn't be able to see the elders, standing to their feet and clapping. He wouldn't be able to see Sakura's proud face, cheering for him...maybe she would run down and hug him...maybe-

" Syaoran!"

" AHHHHHHH!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, moving back and tripping over his legs, crashing to the floor behind the bed.

Sakura raced around the bed, yelling, " Are you okay?"

" I'm FINE!" He growled, rubbing his head. What the hell was wrong with him? Why would he imagine such a horrid scene. Sakura hugging him indeed...that wasn't something he wanted whatsoever!

" Uh huh..." Her voice was amused and Syaoran flushed even harder. " I believe you..."

" Shut up," He muttered, getting to his feet hurriedly and stumbling towards the dresser. His senses were sharp once more, after he had recovered from his injuries, but they weren't the same as before. He pulled out his emerald green martial arts costume and turned around, glaring at her.

" Why are you still here?" He snapped.

" Because you want me to be!" Sakura said, her voice light.

Syaoran felt another hot flush come to his cheeks. " W-What are you talking about, obviously I don't want you here otherwise I wouldn't be asking you why you're here because-"

Then he felt a finger press against his lips and he froze, every single muscle taut with apprehension at the strange feeling against his lips. Then he felt her whisper, " Get ready...your match starts in an hour...you don't want to be late, do you?"

Then the finger left his lips and he heard her walk out the door and close shut behind her. Then he let himself breath.

What the hell was that?

Sakura stared at her finger in wonderment. She couldn't really believe what she had done. But it was kind of funny to see his reaction. His eyes had gotten so wide, it was unbelievable. She giggled slightly, a little triumphant at the way she had won a match between them...finally!

Smirking, she got ready and joined up with Meiling and Syaoran. Meiling had mellowed down a lot and it was quite surprising. Once, Sakura even thought Meiling had SMILED at her. It was as if the world was ending, it was that much of a miracle.Therudeness and glares were still present but she wasn't as mean anymore. Sakura thought that this mostly had to do with the fact that she was leaving in three days.

Three days...

Three more days. And then she was gone. Back to Hong Kong, back to her old life. Tomoyo had already gone back to Hong Kong after telling her mom that she didn't want to stay here or the school that her mother had forced her to go to for a month to "test" the waters of Japan. But Tomoyo loved Hong Kong...

And there was someone Sakura loved in Japan. She hardly could think about leaving him anymore.

Love...

God..

What had she gotten herself into...

" KINOMOTO! You're so frickin slow! We're leaving!" Syaoran shouted at the doorway. He wrinkled his nose and then asked, confusedly, " Are you putting on makeup?"

Sakura looked at her lightly scented lip gloss that she hadn't even opened yet. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. " Maybe?"

Syaoran rose an eyebrow in return. " Uh huh...well, makeup won't do you any good, you're ugly enough already. Now lets GO before I'm late for the BIGGEST FIGHT OF MY LIFE!" He shouted, raising his arms in frustration.

" I can't believe I'm saying this, but keep your voice down, Xiao-Lang!" Yelan cried from the foot of the stairs.

Syaoran roared, " She isn't hurrying, Mother!"

" She'll come down on her own time. Why are you so worried about whether or not she comes?"

" Pfft...I...I'm not worried! I was just saying because YOU care..."

" Uh huh. Anyways the car's started, Wei is waiting for us outside. Sakura, lets go!"

" COMING!" Sakura responded, running out of her room after applying the lip gloss, patting Syaoran on the head and running down the stairs.

" Don't touch me!" Syaoran cried as she ran off. Then he stood silently for a while, and scratched his head. " Strawberry flavour? I thought she would be more of the cherry type.."

Then he flushed hard, bonked his head hard against the wall and raised down the stairs and to the car, his body taut with apprehension and hope. He had to win...

He WOULD win.

The roar of the stadium was deafening. People had packed the audience bleachers until there was hardly enough space for Sakura, Yelan and Meiling to fit squeeze theirselves into. People were already hooting and screaming, some cheering for Syaoran, but many of the audience members had their hopes riding on Syaoran's opponent.

Sakura made a face. They were probably gambling on the game anyways, and they knew Syaoran's previous injuries and his blindness would cause a problem.

" God...I hope Xiao-Lang wins..." She heard Meiling mutter to herself, her fists clenched tightly in her lap. Sakura stared at the vast stadium, the sand blowing off of the ground in little clouds and shivered.

All Syaoran wanted was to be treated equally. To be seen as a normal guy. That blindness wasn't something to be treated like a defect and it shouldn't be treated as a deadly disease and everyone had to baby him. He wanted it to be treated like a different hair colour or maybe a different hair style.

He just wanted to prove that he wasn't a defect.

Why he had to nearly kill himself to do that was beyond her.

She was going home way too soon. She wanted to stay here. She wanted to stare at Syaoran's strong jaw line, the muscles rippling in his strong shoulders, his messy chocolate brown hair and those burning auburn eyes. The way his eyes would soften slightly when he heard her enter a room, or the way he would relax when she was near..

She had finally gotten close to him, finally! And then she had to leave? Sakura snorted, remembering the beginning of this project where she would've given anything to be back in her hometown with her friends and taking care of her father and her family..

She knew she had to go...but she didn't want to..

" WELCOMMEEE CHINA to the GREATEST event of the YEAR!" The announcer nearly screamed into the microphone, blasting it around the stadium and causing an uproar that sounded like a lion's roar to arise from the restless crowd.

Apprehension gripped Sakura and she felt her body tighten with tension. Please don't get hurt, Syaoran...please...

" Kinomoto."

It was a quiet voice but Sakura heard it, remarkably, in the bustle of the noisy crowd. She turned around and felt Yelan and Meiling turn as well.

Her eyes widened. Robed, regal figures stood behind her and her jaw dropped in surprise. Their presence was astounding. It had silenced the people around their seats and everyone had turned, staring at the royal elderly men who stood, staring at Sakura. Yelan and Meiling shot to their feet and Sakura quickly followed as they bowed.

" Elders..." Yelan whispered. " What are you doing here? And..." her eyes flitted in Sakura's direction and she asked, " and...what do you want with Sakura?"

" She is to come with us," One of the men said. " Please leave with us now before we take extreme measures."

" What! Extreme measures? What is the meaning of this?" Yelan cried but one of them had already grabbed Sakura around the arm and hauling her through the crowd whose eyes had once again, turned back to the upcoming fight.

Meiling stared after them with wide, ruby coloured eyes and then her gaze went to Yelan. " What...what was that?"

Yelan's gaze was fixed on the place where the elders and Sakura had disappeared to. " I don't know, Meiling. But I will find out."

Syaoran sat in the dressing room, trying to block out the sounds of the crowd. He kept his head down and tried to concentrate on meditating. It was how he had taught himself to use his senses and forget about sight as if it was never there.

He didn't NEED sight. All he needed was the echo, the sound, the smell...the feel of the movements and he would be able to crumple his opponent...and finally prove himself..

His eyes closed he quickly began to define the objects in the room with his senses. Clothes on his left, because of the sweaty smell emitting from it...water trickling in the northwest direction, indicating the showers...he stood up begin to stance out, slowly executing his moves, concentrating more on blocks. He began to quicken, faster and faster until he was a green whirl and then he finally collapsed onto the bench.

He had to do this to strengthen his senses. Everyday, he would pick out every single object with his senses and keep on doing so. He would try to pick up emotions through movements...maybe then he would be able to sense if the opponent was angry and therefore weakening.

" Why are you still here?"

" Because you want me to be.."

His mind whirled around these words and he cursed himself for thinking so hard. What did she mean by that? Did she...no, no, he was just a project to her...a blind man full of self pity.

He tried to convince himself of that, but her voice sank into his mind and he began to wonder what it would feel like to hold her...trace his fingers along her skin and just...just...

" Young love. It's sweet, isn't it?"

Syaoran's head jerked up and his body tensed. " Hiirigizawa..." He growled. " What the fuck are you doing here."

Anger boiled through him as Eriol laughed. " I'm here to cheer you on, dear descendant. Or is that so wrong?"

Syaoran got up and tried to prevent himself from waving about and trying to figure out where Eriol stood. He glared at Eriol.

" Get out of my dressing room."

" Over here, Xiao-Lang."

Syaoran burnt with embarrassment and turned around to where Eriol's correct position was and yelled, " GET OUT!"

" Alright, alright. Just one thing. If you really love Sakura...you better as hell be willing to sacrifice a few things for her. You want to prove yourself? Well then stop being a tool."

Syaoran's eyes widened and he stood in complete silence. Then he shouted, " I don't love her!"

But it was to a silent room. Syaoran sat back down and groaned. Love was just a waste of time, he thought. She was leaving anyways. What did it matter if he loved her or not?

" Xiao-Lang! Get ready! They're calling your name soon!" A man came bustling into the room and grabbed Syaoran's arm. " Hurry!"

Syaoran followed the man down the corridors and then he began to feel the wind , the heat and the sand blow against his ankles. He felt the light blare down on his skin and he suddenly felt a strange feeling of emptiness and being totally surrounded as the roar of the crowd nearly deafened him.

" XIAO-LANG LI FROM HONG KONG, THE BLIND MARTIAL ARTIST! WHO WILL WIN!" The announcer shouted and Syaoran winced.

He could feel his opponent, his breathing and the twitches of his opponents muscles. His opponent was big, muscular and huge. Syaoran bent down to his fighting stance.

You better as hell be willing to sacrifice a few things for her...

Pushing the thought out of his mind, he clenched his fists. He would fight until death.

Sakura sat in her knees in a respectful mind, but her mind was whirling. Her face was bewildered and she was frozen with shock.

Pictures were strewn in front of her. Pictures of Syaoran carrying her...pictures of Syaoran close to her, pictures of them in suggestive positions, all taken at accurate angles, providing more information then the picture was meant to display.

" What...what are these? Who took these? Syaoran and I...we aren't...no!" Sakura said, words bubbling out of her mouth until she could not control them.

" We did not ASK you to speak. So until further notice, you are to remain quiet!" The elder boomed and Sakura shut up.

" We understand you have been sent to tutor the future Li clan leader. But that does not mean that you must become a temptress and seduce him in order to gain money and power. Did you not think we would catch on?" An elder snapped, his words short and to the point.

Sakura's jaw dropped. " I-I-I'm just a teenager, why would I want-how could you even think that I would be able to do such a thing! I only came to tutor him! Nothing more! I'm not a temptress!"

" Denials. How are we supposed to believe you when the evidence is RIGHT HERE?" The elder slammed his finger down on the pictures and Sakura flinched.

" Those-those pictures are misleading-"

" YOU are a seductress!"

" No, you have to-"

" You have committed the worst sense of crime."

" Please, just-"

" You are to be sent back to Japan and you will NEVER come back. You will have no contact with the future leader of the Li clanwhatsoever and you will leave. You will remain the last two days until your flight at a hotel we have booked for you and in two days, you will be gone. You will receive a mediocre evaluation and this seducing attempt will be mentioned. Is that UNDERSTOOD?"

Tears flooded down Sakura's face. She could not believe what was happening. Only ten minutes ago, she was standing in the audience, cheering for Syaoran and then here she was, listening to claims that she was a...seductress, of all things and she could not do anything about it! She could not prove herself! She couldn't get a word in edgewise, they would think Yelan would be lying for her if she tried to get them to ask Yelan, and no one else knew her well enough to judge on her actions. Tomoyo was gone, Meiling disliked her...and...

She hardly believed Syaoran would stick up for either.

Sakura broke down and sobbed as they all got up. " Your belongings will be sent to your room. You will not have any contact with Xiao-Lang. If you do, you will be severely punished. Are we clear?"

Sakura nodded slowly and then whispered, " You're making a mistake. I am not after Syaoran's money or power."

" We will believe you when we are given evidence," An elder said, coldly. Then they left the room and Sakura sat there, shaking.

Syaoran...she thought to herself. I guess I won't be seeing you then...ever...

The very thought made her want to break down and cry. And so she did.

Fist after fist, punch after punch, the blows kept coming. Syaoran gritted his teeth, trying to pull off his best defence techniques but his opponent was too good.

Too damned good.

He went for his blind spots. Literally. He must have been trained in realizing that his opponent was blind and relied on senses alone to beat his opponent. He didn't make the same mistakes as Syaoran's other opponents made. He was light on his feet, almost soundless in his moves and the only thing Syaoran had to rely on was the feel of his presence. He was getting severely beat and the audience knew that.

He could hear the boos almost louder then the sound of his own chest being ripped apart as his opponent's fist crushed into his ribs.

Syaoran went down on his hands and knees and for a few heavenly seconds, his opponent stopped his batter.

Pity, probably, Syaoran thought bitterly to himself. His fists clenched as he thought to himself what Sakura must be thinking, watching from the crowd, watching him bite back his own words..

He was worthless..

What was he thinking? He was BLIND. He shouldn't be doing martial arts, no, he shouldn't have even THOUGHT about it. Blindness would forever be a disability. He hadn't proved anything..

He hadn't proved himself to Sakura..

He had shamed himself..

His mind whirled, as he remembered her kind words...the feel of her hand against his skin...the absolute...humanness, he felt, when she was around.

Then his blood coated fists clenched and he growled, deep in the back of his throat. He would go down fighting.

He would go down fighting to the end.

a/n: HEYLO! I dunno if you guys can actually see where this story is goin, but you probably can, lol. and yeah, u know pretty much know wut Yen's plan was. She's obsessed with money and power and devised a plan to make it look like Sakura was after Syaoran's money (since Sakura is not financially well off) and in this way, got Sakura out of the picture, her only real threat between her and Syaoran.

Alrighttt! lol. hahaha anyways send in opinions, reviews, suggestions watever, i juss like hearin from u! u can email me tooooo, i know i dont check it enuff but i always get to it, lol.

aight see ya latez,

luvyaa alll!

starjade