CCSxSt Tail. Two rival gangs at Tomoeda High; Sakura's and Syaoran's. Both hate each other equally, but what happens when they have to stand side by side against another school? DM ET but especially SS
HIIII!
…are you all mad at me?
…but this chapter was so hard to write!
…and this chapter was very long!
…
…sorry?
Please forgive?
My lovely, lovely reviewers…please come back to me!
Disclaimer: 'tis not mine. No characters r mine, juz the storyline...
The Ice-cream Parlour: Decisions
The birds chirped sweetly outside and the sky was blue. Sunlight streamed through the icecream parlour's windows and shone on a lone slouching figure.
Syaoran closed his eyes tiredly. 'Damned birds,' he thought as he laid his head on a jumper he had folded neatly and placed on the counter. He was sitting on one of the bar stools, and looked as if he was about to drop off it any moment. Mr Mikarzhi found him asleep at the front door of the parlour early in the morning, and had invited him in. Syaoran listened to the machines humming and Mr Mikarzhi washing the spoons and cups, ready for a busy day of business.
Syaoran rubbed his eyes and nestled back on his jumper-pillow. He hadn't slept all night. How could he? The image of Kinomoto's hurt expression haunted him every time he closed his eyes and the feeling of her lingered on his lips. And every time he thought of what he did to her he somehow felt very empty, like the guilt was gnawing at him from the inside.
"What's up, Wolfie?"
Mr Mikarzhi leant on the counter. Syaoran propped himself up with an elbow, and Mr Mikarzhi's wizened face came into view. 'Wolfie' was Mr Mikarzhi's nickname for him ever since he was a kid. Though he had liked it then, he hated it now because it made him seem childish. Unfortunately the name stuck and sometimes Syaoran wondered if Mr Mikarzhi called him that out of habit or just to annoy him.
"Nothing much…" It was a lie. A whole lot had changed since his last visit here.
"Really…you look like crap just sitting here," Mr Mikarzhi said, unconvinced. Syaoran hid a smile. One of Mr Mikarzhi's qualities was that he was blunt and to the point.
When Syaoran didn't respond, Mr Mikarzhi decided to change the subject. "How's school?"
"Great."
"Well…if you feel like talking anytime soon, give me a yell 'right buddy?" Mr Mikarzhi gave him a nudge, giving him an encouraging wink with his hazel eyes. "Ease up, eh?"
"Yeah," Syaoran said, settling back on his pillow.
Eriol hadn't slept all night either. He wandered in, eyelids heavy, paying no attention to the 'Closed' sign at the entrance, the glass door making him jump when it snapped shut behind him.
"You're early," called Mr Mikarzhi from the counter. Eriol acknowledged the figure with a mere nod of his head. Mr Mikarzhi already had an apron on and was wiping the surface down with a tea towel, trying to avoid a disturbingly familiar lump that was hunched over the counter.
"Have a rest…you look like crap too, Eri," Mr Mikarzhi commented, busily at work.
Eriol only nodded dumbly, and ignored Mr Mikaarzhi's nickname for him. 'Eri' was such a girlish, babyish name that usually, he would have said something insultingly witty back; but today, he was just too brain-dead to care.
He pulled out the seat next to Syaoran. His throat seemed very dry because he hadn't opened his mouth to speak to anyone since last night. 'Looks like Syaoran isn't keen to talk either,' he thought, looking at the unmoving body beside him. 'I was right…something unexpected did happen last night…'
Recalling the recent events that occurred, Eriol suddenly felt very unsure and insecure, unlike his usual cool and confident self. All the drama made him feel out of place. The Wolves weren't off to a very good start, and things weren't going well for Eriol either. Last night, he remembered, Daidouji gave him a rather special present.
.
"You are all dismissed. Clear out!" Syaoran ended his speech and frightened, everyone rushed for the nearest door. Eriol felt her struggle against him and finally he let her go. Once free, she instantly grabbed his arm, nails digging in, and dragged him backstage.
"Hiiragizawa!" she practically yelled. Eriol winced at the volume of her voice as he rubbed his arm. She was a scary sight; her bun was becoming undone and her eyes were icy.
"You…you…have no…idea…" she said between huge breaths.
"Calm down Daidouji," Eriol said, scared that she'd blow any moment.
"Calm DOWN?" she sent him a lethal look. Eriol gulped; she usually looked so sweet that he thought she wasn't capable of such a look. "Why the hell did you have to hold me back?"
"Because…I didn't want you to shred my best friend into pieces?"
"And what about my best friend? He shred her into friggin' pieces!"
Eriol knew what she said was true, but nevertheless still defended his friend. "I'm sure Syaoran didn't…didn't mean to… He has his reasons…"
"REASONS? Give me a fucking reason why is it okay to lead a girl on, then steal something as precious as a first kiss away from her?"
"Er…look, it wasn't that big a deal," he tried to amend his mistake. He certainly wasn't used to Daidouji swearing.
"Not…that…big…a deal?" her eyes bulged. Oops. Looks like he just made it worse.
"Well…she has to be kissed by sometime…it's just that it was by Syaoran-"
SMACK.
"You are the most insensitive, uncaring jerk I have ever met," she bit her lip, close to tears.
He rubbed his cheek. Her slap didn't hurt but her words sure did. And the sight of her crying because of him tore his heart. He reached out a hand but she turned her heel, walking away from him.
-
Eriol buried his head in his hands, the memory fresh and clear; Daidouji's upset face vivid in his mind. "Go away," he moaned, resting in the same position as his troubled friend.
Asuka pushed the glass doors open and nearly stumbled when he knocked into Mr Mikarzhi, who was holding a tray of glasses and ice-cream cups. The cups wobbled dangerously from the impact and Asuka quickly steadied them before any fell.
"Daiki," Mr Mikarzhi frowned, "be careful…"
Asuka growled in response. "Don't. Call. Me. That." Daiki was Asuka's actual first name, except he never let anyone call him it. Even Syaoran and Eriol call him 'Asuka', his last name. Mr Mikarzhi was the only person, in the whole of Tomoeda, to call him 'Daiki'. Asuka assumed it was just to piss him off.
"Why, Daiki?" Mr Mikarzhi teased good-naturedly.
Asuka had to bite his tongue to stop the abuse from slipping out. He sighed; it was not like it was going to make any difference if he did swear at Mr Mikarzhi; there was no changing him (besides, he had tried this many times before).
He was surprised to see Eriol and Syaoran already there, both motionless, both slouching so that their faces were hidden. Asuka joined their little group and sat in silence. A glimmer of gold flashed past his eye and he jerked his head up to find that it was only the reflection of Mr Mikarzhi's gold watch. Asuka gritted his teeth and slumped back in his seat. He had not had a good night last night, nor a good morning. Whenever something gold and glittery caught his eye, he would suddenly stop and his gaze would immediately follow wherever it went.
He didn't even realize he was doing it. It didn't matter what it was…all morning his head had been snapping in different directions at necklaces, earrings, dog collars, gold rimmed glasses; cars with gold badges; a man's briefcase with gold buckles; a small boy's gold key ring… 'I have some problem…' he had told himself as he walked down the street, his vision getting dizzy from all the activity. And he knew exactly what had caused his problem, or rather, who had started his crazy obsession…
Haneoka, of course. Everything was her fault.
Why did she have to look so good in that gold outfit? She just bumped into his life and sparkled so cutely and turned his life upside down, that deceiving bitch…
And left him stranded like this.
All he wished now was for it to go away. Just like the image of her face would go away every time he closed his eyes.
"Why all the glum faces?" Mr Mikarzhi smiled broadly at the three depressed boys in front of him, a patch of light reflected on his balding head. He had finished all the preparations for today and he changed the 'Closed' sign to 'Open' on the glass door.
When none of them answered, he pressed on in an attempted-to-be-fatherly tone. "What is it…girl problems?"
"NO!" they all answered too quickly, suddenly springing back to life.
His grin grew bigger. "Can I guess who you're thinking about?"
"Mind your own business," they said sulkily.
"Okey-dokey, if you all insist…" he replied cheerfully, though as he walked away, he started singing 'Love is in the Air' off tune.
The three clapped their hands over their ears.
As time passed, people began to fill up the icecream parlour quickly. The hustle bustle blur of the crowd moved around Syaoran, Eriol and Asuka, who remained firmly seated on their bar stools. People came and went. Eager little children holding their pocket money in their small hands for a single cone. Happy couples sharing the 'Lovers' Special' topped with cherries and syrup. Teenagers hanging around in groups, drinking sundaes and laughing the day away. Grandparents sipping their cappuccinos peacefully, treating their grandchildren to their first banana boat.
Syaoran watched on with mild interest. He remembered the first day he was here; the day Mr Mikarzhi's shop had just opened. He had watched them refurnish that shop for a while, and he swore to himself that he would be Mr Mikarzhi's first customer.
He clutched the five dollar bill in his sweaty hand, watching the sign on the door change from 'Closed' to finally, 'Open'. This was it. He had watched them for months now; repainting the window frames, carrying bits of wood, putting in new chairs and tables, installing electrical equipment, replacing the shop front with glass windows…he had watched them from a distance, up on the apple tree opposite. The shop was small, old and tucked away into the corner; nobody gave much interest as they passed by, nobody noticed what it was going to be turned into; nobody but him. He had been waiting, waiting, for the paint to dry, for the chairs to be turned the right side up and arranged around the table, for the milkshake machine to start humming…and today, today was the day. His heart sped up considerably as he was ready to push open that glass door…
And was roughly pushed aside
"Touyaaa!" a girlish voice giggled excitedly, "it's OPEN!"
"What's open?" an older boy answered.
"The icecream shop I told you about," she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "You don't remember anything I tell you, do you?"
"'Course not, Monster."
"Argh! Don't call me Monster! I'm not going to give you the money for your icecream!"
"Since when did you get money?"
"Dad gave before we left. You were trying to tie your stupid shoelaces," she stuck out her tongue.
Syaoran sat on the pavement and watched in absolute amazement as the girl breezed past him and stomped inside. The amazement soon turned to absolute anger and he quickly picked himself up and rushed inside, only to see the girl reaching up for the first ever, icecream cone sold by Mr Mikarzhi. His insides boiled with resentment. How dare she push him aside like that?
Then he saw the older boy called Touya at the register, about to order. Without a single thought, he hastily pushed in front of him, and blurted out, "One chocolate single cone please," slapping the money on the counter, breathing heavily. Mr Mikarzhi smiled down at him, and he looked away a bit embarrassed.
"There's plenty for everyone," Mr Mikarzhi assured him, and he turned a bright red. Though he didn't turn around, he could feel Touya's furious stare burning into his back.
As he waited for his icecream, he gave a sideways glance at the girl who was waiting for Touya. Her hair was a light brown, though with tints of red, and big, green eyes blinked happily as she licked her strawberry cone. Who the hell does she think she is? 'Stupid girl,' he thought.
Mr Mikarzhi called him back to the counter for his chocolate icecream, handing him the cone and giving him the change. Syaoran turned to walk out of the shop, but as he headed towards the door, he purposefully knocked the girl's shoulder.
A scream of surprise told him she had dropped her icecream, and he turned his head around slightly and triumphantly to watch her cry. To his astonishment those big green eyes stared back at him, memorizing his face, absorbing his features.
"I'll get you back," she vowed in an unforgiving tone, her voice cool but her eyes ablaze.
Syaoran gave an 'as-if' smirk and exited.
The door snapped shut
-
Oh yes. And that was also the day he made Kinomoto his enemy. Syaoran stopped himself abruptly. Did everything he thought of have to lead to Kinomoto? Maybe he should stop thinking. Or get something to occupy his attention. Or maybe just don't look at anything at all. He closed his eyes and let the darkness consume him.
But then he felt it, and his eyes opened in shock. Kinomoto's aura? It was…on his left. He quickly spun around on his bar chair, which wasn't a really good idea because he nearly toppled over. Eriol and Asuka perked up at his bizarre behaviour, but he didn't care. He could see her at the door clearly through the glass. He steadied himself and waited for her to come in. He didn't know why he wanted her to come in, but he felt he owed her an explanation about last night. Even though he didn't know how to explain himself…
But why wasn't she coming in? He watched her in anticipation. The sunlight highlighted the fact that the temporary dark brown dye in her long hair hadn't washed out yet. She reached for the door handle but she hesitated, and for some reason, turned and walked away.
He tried to swallow the huge lump in his throat. Did she hesitate because she felt his aura in here? At once, a wave of guilt washed over him. Of course, she wouldn't come in, after what he did to her. Damnit, why did he care? It was just Kinomoto, after all…
"Syaoran," Eriol's worn-out voice reached his ears, "we're leaving now…you coming?"
"Huh? Yeah…" His friends stood up and straightened out their clothing, and he did the same. But as he followed Eriol and Asuka out, something held him back. The guilt pulled at him, clawed at his shirt and his chest felt heavy.
"Hey, guys...you go on ahead, alright? I got something I gotta do…" Syaoran dug his hands in his pockets, hoping he didn't sound suspicious. "I'll meet up at Eriol's house later."
They didn't even ask. They left the parlour, hair disheveled and eyes empty like zombies, stumbling as they walked down the street.
Syaoran made sure they had disappeared past the corner before he made his way to the register.
"Yes? What would you like, Wolfie?" Mr Mikzarhi in a jolly voice.
"Uh…" Syaoran racked his brain. What was that disgusting flavour of icecream she liked?
"Um…pink…gooey stuff…" he managed to remember. Mr Mikarzhi peered at him with curiosity. "You mean…strawberry?"
"Yeah, that," he said, taking out his wallet.
Mr Mikarzhi smiled a knowing smile.
The cloaked man stood behind the icecream parlour and observed the blank wall with interest. At the bottom left corner, were words scratched on the wall with a sharp stone. It was undoubtedly her handwriting.
"Well, well, well…" he said, reading what she wrote, "You hate him, do you, Miss Kinomoto?"
Pausing as he read the following sentence. "He kissed you?"
This was getting interesting. He rubbed his hands together excitedly. The plan was going smoothly.
Tomoyo's House
Sakura was stretched out on the couch, watching Tomoyo take out the rented videos. From her position, she could peek through the gaps of the closed curtains. The night sky was a deep blue, but Tomoyo's front yard had so many garden lamps that it didn't seem dark outside.
She didn't really want to come to Tomoyo's house today. She felt exhausted; mostly because she hadn't a wink of sleep last night. She was tossing and turning for god knows how long, and it wasn't before daybreak that she finally snuggled beneath the covers. All night, she kept repeating to herself that she hated him, that she hated him, hated him, until she got sick of the words. Because if she didn't remind herself she hated him, thoughts of him would slowly seep into her head; thoughts of that kiss would invade her mind. It was when finally, she repeated it so much that it felt as if all her hate towards him had run out, she fell asleep, drained of all energy.
Or it could simply be the fact that she nearly, nearly bumped into him this afternoon.
But Tomoyo had insisted that she must come, because she '-needs to take a break-' and because '-Meimi is at her gymnastics lesson today, I'm all alone-' and '-there is this new movie out-'… Sakura could see through all these lame excuses and knew Tomoyo was just doing her best to cheer her up. So despite feeling so down, here she was, at Tomoyo's house.
"What do you want to watch, Sakura?" Tomoyo interrupted her thoughts. Tomoyo switched on the television and the bright screen flickered on.
"I don't care," she replied listlessly. She played with the hem of her top and sighed.
"What's the matter?" Tomoyo asked, concerned, though she could probably guess the answer.
"Nothing…"
"Liar."
"I…"
Tomoyo frowned. "It's Li, again, isn't it?"
Sakura hung her head. "I saw him, or rather, felt his aura today at the icecream parlour."
"And…?" Tomoyo said questioningly.
"And nothing. I didn't go in," she told Tomoyo, "so nothing happened."
Tomoyo was silent, not knowing what to say, not knowing which words of comfort she should use.
Sakura continued to pick at the hem. "Just knowing he was near me got me so messed up. And…it wasn't all feelings of hate either, which is what I'm most worried about," she confessed softly, "I don't know what's happening to me…I'm just tired, I guess."
Tomoyo's comforting hand slid over her fidgeting ones. "Look, you're probably feeling confused because he…did what he did to you last night. You can't erase what happened, and obviously, it's hard to forget it at the moment. So, the most effective method of healing I propose for you now is…"
Sakura's expression was one of puzzlement. "Yes?"
"Shoving the memory ruthlessly aside for some SUN, SURF, SAND, and some HALF-NAKED BOYS to perve on!" Tomoyo had risen up with her fist in the air, an energetic gleam in her eyes.
"You mean…the beach?" Sakura said dully.
Tomoyo took this as an offense and gasped. "What do you mean, the beach, in that ungrateful tone?" She waved a finger in Sakura's face. "Me and Meimi have already decided on going tomorrow, so you have to come, whether you like it or not!"
"Ehh…"
"Well, aren't we enthusiastic?" Tomoyo said impatiently. "You know, the sea breeze is really reenergizing."
"Really…"
"And I know that you're free tomorrow, so-"
"But-"
"No buts!"
"Tomoyo!"
"Yes dear?"
"I don't want to go to the beach tomorrow," Sakura grumbled.
"Give me a valid reason, and I'll think about letting you off the hook."
"Well, I…I just don't want to go!" she stammered, exasperated.
Tomoyo pretended to think hard, tapping her chin. Then she said even more brightly, "Nope! Not a valid reason at all! You need the fresh air and you need to soak up some sun! You need to let all the frustration and uncertainties out!"
Sakura was about to protest again when the doorbell rang. Tomoyo took the opportunity to skip out of the room to answer the door, thus preventing Sakura from complaining further. Sakura, not giving up so easily, followed her.
Tomoyo opened the front door to a man in a blue and red jacket with a matching cap. She peered curiously at the man on her doorstep.
"Delivery for a Miss Daidouji?" he said with a thick accent, looking from Tomoyo to Sakura, offering a pen to both of them.
"Yes…" Tomoyo accepted the pen and signed the papers, but was still completely mystified. "What is it, I wonder?"
The man handed over a huge bouquet of flowers. Sakura sniggered. "Ooh Tomo's got an admirer!"
Tomoyo's cheeks tinted a light pink and she proceeded to read the card inside, which contained two simple words:
'Forgive me?'
She smiled slightly and warmth glowed inside. She then turned to the man who was still standing there looking a bit flustered. "Yes?" she inquired.
"Uh…is there…is there a Miss Kinomoto here?" he said nervously, "because I'm supposed to deliver something to her…but when I got there her father said she wasn't at home and I should find her here," he explained all this in a rush.
Sakura peeked meekly from behind Tomoyo. "Father's back from his business trip?"
The delivery man nodded. "He told me Miss Kinomoto would be here."
Sakura took the pen and signed the form handed to her. Tomoyo gave her a teasing look. "I suppose you have an admirer too, then?"
"Don't be stupid," Sakura said as the man gave her a flat, square box. He took the papers back and lifted his cap, and then bade them goodbye.
"I wonder what it is…" The two girls walked into the kitchen, each with a mysterious gift in their arms. Sakura untied the string while Tomoyo took out a vase from the kitchen cupboard.
"So, did you find out who it was from?" Tomoyo asked, filling the vase with tap water at the sink.
Sakura didn't answer.
Tomoyo turned, anxious because of the silence, to find Sakura staring at an enormous, beautifully made, flower-shaped strawberry icecream cake, trimmed with vanilla icing and decorated with strawberry syrup. Tomoyo made her way over to Sakura, who was frozen in shock. On the cake was a single word made out of pink Smarties:
'Sorry.'
Sakura was apparently speechless. Tomoyo looked over the cake thoughtfully. "Well, he is very thorough in this," she commented.
Sakura remained expressionless.
"Just look at all the pink Smarties he used," Tomoyo pointed out, "he must have bought at least three packets of Smarties to have enough pink ones to spell out the word."
Sakura thought very hard, for a long time.
She finally found her voice. "Tomoyo…?" she said, playing with her long ponytail which was still a bit brown from the temporary dye used last night.
"Yes?" Tomoyo said gently.
"Can…can you cut my hair? Now?" she said, running her hands through the long strands of her hair.
Tomoyo took a sharp breath in. "What!"
"Please?" she pleaded, her big green eyes suddenly filling up with tears.
Tomoyo took a step back. It was extremely rare for Sakura to burst in tears for no exact reason (unless under certain circumstances, such as last night). She was always the strong one, and if she did cry, nobody would know about it.
"I'm…I'm not going to do it," Tomoyo said firmly, "I'm not going to cut your beautiful, long hair just because you tell me to. You're emotionally unstable! As your personal stylist, I'm not recommending it!"
"Please?" there was a tremor in her voice, "I think there are going to be some changes in my life…"
Sakura looked up and Tomoyo felt her heart tightened.
"…and maybe, just maybe…I'm not going to regret it."
Syaoran: Hey! Give me back my Smarties! They're for Sakura, you hear! --grabs Scarlet by the collar--
Scarlet: (drunk on chocolate) teeheehee... --drools and laughs hysterically--
-
btw, you thought i've forgotten about the mysterious cloaked man, didn't you? well i HAVEN'T! HAHAHA...
…
R&R
scarletskies