---- She Will Be Loved
----- Written by Iris Dreamer
------DISCLAIMER: Card Captor Sakura belongs solely to Clamp. However, the plot is mine and I would like to remain it that way. Thank you.
----- AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would like to thank everyone who offered their condolences upon knowing about the death of someone close to me. It really warmed my heart and made me cry with happiness; it really is miraculous how people you've never known can touch you so deeply. I've been rereading Mitch Albom's the five people you meet in heaven often, and I love this line:
"'Strangers,' said the Blue Man, 'are just family you have yet to know.'"
All of you lovely strangers are becoming part of my family whether you like it or not! ) Thank you for being there, like any other friend/family would have.
--iris dreamer
----- BACKGROUND: He's reached his happiest moment of his life: he has an awesome job, a circle of close friends, a good reputation, and most importantly, the girl he loves is now his fiancée. But happiness is short lived and everything he once had was thrown away and there he meets a girl that totally enraptures him, but this girl is just your normal, in the bad section of the city, prostitute.
----- DEDICATION: To the strangers that have been, are, and will be, in my life.
----- SPECIAL THANKS: chibiNeko192: I'm so glad that you like this story, especially the realistic personalities! You have no idea how much that means to me! Thank you, really, for all those compliments!
Hououza: You have a special way of wording things, that's oddly comforting. For everything that you've said, thank you, even though you deserve more than thanks. Your comments on the story have helped me develop better and deeper personalities for the characters. Even though it sounds repetitive, thanks.
Cherry Princess Sakura: I don't want to be spoiling the innocent minds of young children, but simply put, Meiling's job isn't a legal one and something inappropriate. Ryoko, being a police officer, was offended that she lied to him. Because of Meiling's job, her team was disqualified for the fashion show unless a person of authority can vouch for their behavior. That was how Yukito helped. I hope this cleared everything up. If not, ask again and I'll try my best. Thank you for the condolences. It means a whole lot.
Majia: I hope you got all the way to the eighth chapter, seeing how you left reviews for chapter one and three. However, I'm really glad you like it that much!
Dancer5: Thank you.
AnimeObessionFantasy: You don't know how much your words "miracles do happen, you just have to look around and eventually you'll find one," meant to me when I read them. Thank you for giving me permission to use that line in this story. I had meant to use it in this chapter, but this chapter turned out to be longer than I expected. However, no worries, it will come though! Thanks.
Light in the Darkness: Thank you for your encouraging words. They truly helped a lot and made me my heavy heart feel much lighter. )
Avelyn Lauren: Girl, where have you been? I've missed you so much! I'm so very glad that you're back, and I'm simply overjoyed that you're reading my stories! So let's see. I have lots to say in response to all your reviews! As for the alternative ending to A Sort of a Fairytale, I'm really sorry to say that I couldn't find it over summer when I was back home, so now it all depends when I get off my lazy butt to actually find time to write a new ending. Hopefully something will spark. However, I'm glad that you like the characters in my new story. As for Inuyasha fic, I'm a diehard Kagome and Inuyasha fan. Though the first chapter is pretty much done, I don't know when I'll post it since I don't want it to be forever until I update. I'm thinking of maybe after this story, since this story, sadly, is coming towards an end. Now, last tangent: teacher's aid was a summer job that I did for two months. Now that I'm back at UVA, I'm back to volunteering at the elementary schools that I've done all last year. To conclude, thanks for the condolences (I'm much better), and thanks for all the reviews. It was really great hearing from you again. )
ChryBlsms: Thanks. Really, I mean it. Rainbows coming after the rain, that's something I'll have to remember. I'm much better now, and I'll definitely remember to smile when I pass by a rainbow.
Broadway Belle: Thanks!
Bayb-Munki: Sorry about taking forever to update. Happy reading.
The baby tree: Yes, Oniichan means older brother. Sorry for not having a translation at the bottom of the chapter. I hope you like this chapter!
Ai-chan: Thanks for your review. I'll remember to email you once it's done.
Rika: What you said really helped me stand straight and smile. Thank you for reminding me what's important.
Flurrie: You're welcome for the timeline! Haha, it actually took me a while to think everything out. Happy reading!
Midnight Griffin: Okay, I hope I'm not tainting an innocent mind here. A phone sex operator, simply put in plain words with no sugar coating, is providing sex over a phone call. It's not actually engaging in sex, but um, providing the caller with someone to talk to and imagine about I suppose. And no, I've never called one, nor do I have the intention to. I hope that wasn't too blunt and I didn't corrupt you. Sorry if I did.
Daz: Thank you for being there.
Eugiebear: Haha, I definitely know how it feels when there's not another chapter for you to read! I'm sorry about the late update, but hopefully you'll have fun reading this!
) Will do. Shall keep smiling.
S+S fan: Thanks. Happy reading!
Tearsofthefallen: I hope you enjoy the chapter.
xKawaiiIndox: Thanks!
TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS, a huge THANK YOU because it means more than I can ever express. Even if you don't leave a review, just knowing that you read this story encourages me to continue reading because I know someone out there who appreciates it. Thank you.
--Iris Dreamer.
----- CHAPTER NINE: Corners
Tomoyo let out an exhausted sigh as she collapsed herself onto the sofa. The apartment was finally empty, and the silence was soothing as it was welcome. Her eyes wandered to the trinket that she was fiddling with her hands absently. Turning the smooth object carefully in her hands, Tomoyo allowed her mind to wander to events that happened earlier.
The fashion show had ended up being a total mess. It was impossible to win when they were handicapped to begin with. But just to have her work displayed in front of everyone was enough to make Tomoyo burst with pride and happiness. The first step towards her dream had happened and Tomoyo didn't care if it came with a medal or not. All she knew was that she was so much closer to her dream as a fashion designer now.
In truth, Tomoyo was amazed when Sakura came back to her apartment that night, telling her that she had gotten permission for them to enter the fashion show. She had known that when Sakura left, she would get a signature, but it still it impressed her. She knew that sacrifice had been made that night, in order to have the signature, but Tomoyo didn't press for answers. When she saw that the brightened look of renewed hope on Meiling's face and Sakura's soft smile in response, she knew that she had to uphold her role as a friend as well.
It had been hard, calling Eriol and Syaoran. It was Eriol who answered, and his voice of pleasant surprise made her heart flutter again. She told him of the fashion show and how she would like for the both of them to come. He promised without a pause. Just hearing his voice somehow had made the world upright again.
She had forgotten how much she missed hearing his voice.
She didn't see Syaoran until after the fashion show, and that was probably due to both of them avoiding each other. He congratulated her good performance in a stiff manner and said no more. However, him acknowledging her and coming to see her fashion show meant more to her than he'd ever know, and she thanked him profusely.
Eriol was a different case entirely. She felt her heart thump widely when he greeted her with a bright grin after the fashion show and congratulated her enthusiastically. She had blushed, laughed, and blushed again. Sakura had grinned slyly when she noticed, but didn't say anything else other than that she was going to get another chocolate chip cookie now that the fashion show was over.
Tomoyo was touched that Sakura and Meiling had called Syaoran and Eriol to tell them to pass on the note that there was to be a small celebration for Tomoyo after the fashion show. Chiharu and Yamazaki had showed up, as well as Naoko. She was more than delighted to see her friends again. Since the day she had been avoiding Syaoran and Eriol, she had stopped dropping by their office, such that she never got the chance to talk to Chiharu and Naoko.
Meiling was back to her bouncy, enthusiastic self, but whenever she saw Chiharu and Yamazaki together, a sad, longing look would flee across her features. Tomoyo knew what it felt to be heartbroken, and she stole a glance at Syaoran and then at Eriol. When Meiling heard that sigh, she grinned and reminded her that if she wasn't going to take Eriol, she would. That brought out a laugh from Tomoyo.
Sakura seemed almost as ease in the situation, eating chocolate chip cookies while she talked to Naoko about their favorite books. It seemed unlike her to be so talkative around people, but Tomoyo wasn't complaining. She was glad to find one of her best friends getting to know her other friends. And when she actually struck up a conversation with Syaoran, who was trying his best to avoid everyone, Tomoyo was actually surprised. The conversation hardly could be labeled as one as the two spun off with witty retorts, but it was unexpected nonetheless.
However, Tomoyo couldn't have been more stunned when the party was over, Sakura had suggested that Syaoran take her home. Syaoran shrugged indifferently, but Tomoyo knew that he was just as surprised. "We need to settle on how much money he owes me," was what Sakura had said shortly, shooting a glare at the tall brown haired individual. When Tomoyo asked about Meiling, the Chinese girl told her that she was thinking for a late night training to get her mind off of things and that Naoko had been more than happy to drop her off there.
Perhaps she had been avoiding being alone with Eriol, Tomoyo thought wryly as the event has passed. He had made her laugh more than once that evening and had reminded her of how much she really had missed him. Somehow, he had captured her attention the whole evening despite her being the spotlight of the party. She didn't know what to think when she felt that familiar flutter of butterflies in her stomach when Eriol grinned at her.
It had taken them a while to cleanup everything, but it was oddly nice to have Eriol all to herself. He talked about random things, and it wasn't hard to notice that Eriol had carefully avoided the topic of work and Syaoran altogether. She had heard from Sakura that Syaoran was staying at Yamazaki's, and that the two were still on not talking terms. However, she didn't ask, and instead talked about her growing friendship with Sakura and Meiling.
"You know, I've missed having you around Tomoyo." His words echoed in her thoughts smoothly, sounding like hot caramel melting over vanilla ice cream.
Tomoyo blushed again as she thought of the words and his soft smile on face. She turned her mind back towards the present as her eyes settled on the trinket in her hands once more.
It was an elegant abstract figure of a cat made out of sleek slivery metal. Its curves were smooth, and the high arch of the cat expressed style and grace. Eriol had grinned when he gave it to her, saying that it reminded him of her.
That would have been like the millionth time she had blushed that night.
But truly, it was a gorgeous piece of art and it was something Tomoyo knew that she would keep by her side forever.
Running a hand down the cool metal, Tomoyo smiled.
"I think I'm falling in love with you all over again," she whispered softly into the dark night.
-----
"Why the hell do I have to drive you home?" Syaoran muttered angrily as he drove down the poorly lit street.
Sakura shot him a dirty look. "Because you know where it is," she snapped. "Besides, it's about time you let Tomoyo go and forgave the both of them."
Syaoran glared. "I hate people who interfere with other people's business," he told her. "Especially matchmakers,"
"Especially matchmakers," Sakura mimicked his voice, pitching it higher than normal. "Will you please grow up?"
"Watch who's talking, miss schoolgirl," he retorted. "I don't see why you could have hitched a ride with Yanagisawa,"
"Because Meiling's going to the gym and Yanagisawa doesn't know where I live, and for some odd reason, you do," she replied scathingly. "So stop whining like a little boy,"
"You always manage to see my bright side don't you?" Syaoran asked, as he drove towards her house with ease.
"And you're the brightest crayon in the box," Sakura answered sarcastically. "Really Li, when are you going to stop acting like a brat and grow up? Isn't there that stupid cliché that says,"
"What? Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all?" Syaoran filled in bitterly.
"No, I was thinking along the lines of 'if you love her, you'll let her go,' and some other corny lines about her happiness is your happiness, and on it on it goes until my land is your land." Sakura grinned lopsidedly at lame joke she had injected in the end.
That brought a half grin out of Syaoran. "You have an odd way of making one feel better," he said, smirking at her.
Sakura laughed, to her own surprise. "Tell me about it," she said. "So how's life?"
"Like crap," Syaoran said. "Not that Takashi's bad company or anything,"
"You hardly know what crap means," Sakura informed him. "I can imagine worse things than living with Takashi, while losing a best friend and a fiancé,"
"You forgot my mother threatening to disown me," he added offhandedly.
"My apologies," she replied, her tone hardly remorseful. Then she paused. "Though that doesn't surprise me,"
"What? You've been threatened to be disowned before?" It had meant to be a bitter comment, but it hardly seemed to affect Sakura the least.
"No, my best friend was. Or rather her mother was a long time ago," she replied cryptically.
"Who are you talking about? Rae?" Syaoran questioned.
Sakura raised her eyebrow. "I've never doubted your stupidity, Li," she said calmly, "but I never knew that you were that hopeless. Take a hike down the memory lane, and I'm sure puzzle pieces will start to fit all together."
Before Syaoran could open his mouth to ask what she had meant, Sakura had already changed the subject. "Hey, do you want to go bowling?"
"Bowling? You want to go bowling?" Syaoran repeated incredulously.
"Yeah, why not?"
"You're asking me to go bowling with you at midnight,"
"Li-san, stop being stupid and repeating everything that you just heard," she said exasperatedly. "It's getting annoying. So do you want to go bowling or not?"
"Wouldn't that be my decision to begin with? If I recall correctly, I'm the one driving here,"
"Li, would you like to remind you of how much money you owe me?" Sakura had her arms crossed and her eyebrow was raised elegantly as she dared him to reply.
"I swear," Syaoran said, as he made a left turn away from where Sakura's apartment was, "you're one demanding wrench,"
"And I was just about to mention how you're a pompous bastard," she replied in a sweet voice. "Now let's see who's better at bowling, me or you."
It was Syaoran's turn to raise his eyebrow. "There's no way a girl like you could ever beat me in bowling."
Truth being, Sakura proved to be horrible in bowling. Her balls would roll down the center and just as it neared the pins, the ball would take a sharp right turn and roll into the gutter. The first time when it happened, Syaoran burst into laughter and Sakura had inelegantly hit him on the head.
It happened a second, a third, and a fourth time. When the sixth inning came, and Sakura was still up for zero points, Syaoran was more than dully impressed.
"Kinomoto," Syaoran said, amazed as he looked at the scoreboard. "I have to say that you have a special talent that I've never seen before."
"Shut up," she replied heatedly and punched him hard in the shoulder for the comment.
"That hurt," he mocked, and it had.
"Stop being such a prissy," Sakura retorted, as she passed him to get her ball.
"I'll treat you to dinner if you hit a pin," he called out.
"And what if I get a strike?" she challenged, holding the heavy bowling ball in her hands carefully.
"What would you want?" Syaoran asked.
She grinned evilly. "Let me think for a while," she replied as she studied the pins in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she threw the ball out.
The ball rolled down the middle. That in itself was nothing surprising. What mattered were the last few inches where the ball would meet the pins. Slowly but surely, it had started to lean towards the right once again.
But to Syaoran's astonishment and Sakura's ultimate delight, it hit. It wasn't a strike, but it wasn't far from one. Three pins had remained, huddled in the farthest left corner.
Sakura turned around, smugly. "So you were saying something about a dinner, Mr. Hot Shot?"
Instead of a crossed expression she had been expecting, Syaoran was grinning good naturedly. "How about a midnight snack?" he suggested.
Sakura's grin matched his. "Sounds like a good idea. Bowling is a stupid game anyhow," she agreed. "And these shoes, they couldn't have made them dorkier,"
Syaoran bopped her lightly on the head. "Baka," he said. "You're the one who wanted to play bowling."
Ignoring the comment, Sakura skipped happily towards the counter where she returned the bowling shoes in exchange a pair of black boots. He never really noticed until now, but she was really gorgeous. Okay, so he had noticed that when they first met in Goddesses, but today, even though she was just dressed in black pants, a white top and a denim jacket, she seemed to look even prettier. What was different, he couldn't exactly pinpoint.
"Hey slowpoke," Sakura called. "Can we go have pizza?"
Syaoran tried to put a cool look on his face and cover what he was thinking with his usual harsh retort. "I thought models don't eat oily foods, especially in the middle of the night."
"Shut up," she responded. "The stupid modeling thing is over, and I doubt I'll ever return to modeling again. Besides, you have a problem with pizza?"
"If only I get to choose the toppings," he responded.
"Well, you're paying anyways," she agreed.
When the two of them had finished a large mushroom and pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, it was already nearing three am in the morning. As Syaoran drove away from her apartment after making sure she arrived safely as noted by the light that turned on, he couldn't think of a time where he had that much fun in a long while.
No matter how hard he tried, the image of Sakura's rare but soft smiles that had slipped out every once in a while could not be erased. Her sweet laughter that he managed to hear three times the whole time that they were out, echoed in his ears.
Oddly enough, he didn't find it the least bit annoying.
-----
She was avoiding her. When she had heard Sakura come in, she had pretended to be asleep even though Sakura had called out her name questionably to see if she was awake. Meiling didn't know what was wrong with her. And this morning, Meiling made herself stay in bed until she heard Sakura leave the apartment. Even the aroma of Sakura making breakfast or her strong urge to go to the bathroom had made her get up from her stubborn position on the bed.
When she finally stumbled into the kitchen to find a neat stack of French toast on the table, Meiling sighed to herself.
"You know, you're a hard one to lure out."
Meiling jerked her head up suddenly at the voice and choked on the mouthful of French toast. Sakura grinned from her hidden position in the poorly lit corner of the small kitchen. She went over to the sink and filled a glass of water that she placed in front of her best friend.
Meiling managed to shoot her friend a glare before pouring the water gratefully down her throat.
"That was an evil trick," Meiling said, trying to continue being angry.
"You were avoiding me," she said casually. "When cooking breakfast didn't wake you up, then I figured pretending to leave would suffice."
Meiling pouted. "Was it that obvious?"
Her best friend laughed. "Let's just say I've seen better acting," she replied as she slid into the seat across her friend. "So Meiling," Sakura reached over and poked her finger at her friend's forehead, "what's wrong?"
She sighed. "I don't know why I was avoiding you really," Meiling muttered, toying at her food.
Sakura reached over and stopped her friend from mutilating her toast. "I'm sorry for not being here to talk with you, especially what's been happening with me. I suppose I acted selfishly when I told Li-san to drive me home last night."
Meiling shrugged. "I wanted to go the gym anyhow,"
"Meiling, you don't have to do this to yourself." Sakura told her sensibly.
"What are you talking about?"
"I saw the way you were looking at Chiharu and Takashi last night," she responded gently. "And the flash of rejection when instead of going home with you, I opted to ask Li-san to drive me home."
Meiling looked away.
"Besides, Mei, you didn't even bring your gym bag with you last night."
Meiling tried to smile, but it ended up weak and she knew she couldn't hold it up much longer when the tears she had been trying to stop came slipping down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, sniffing.
Sakura got up from her seat and pulled Meiling up into a hug.
"I miss him so much it hurts," Meiling wailed into her best friend's embrace. She hiccupped. "I had forgotten how much it hurts,"
Sakura's eyes saddened as she pulled her friend into a tighter hug. "Oh Meiling," she said quietly, not knowing what to say.
"I was so stupid to think that something would have happened between us," she continued. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. "Why am I so stupid?" Meiling looked up at her best friend for an answer.
"You're not stupid," Sakura replied as her eyes started to tear up. "You just wanted to be loved, that's all."
Meiling sighed as she wiped her tears with the palm of her hands. "But apparently it's too much to be asked." She cocked her head and tried to smile. "Right?"
"Don't be silly," her best friend admonished. "Love is something that is never hard to give out. Instead, it's harder not to love, especially since you're so loveable Mei. Give your stud some time to think about it, and I'm sure he'll know his true feelings, okay?"
Meiling blew her nose noisily. "Fine, but only two days,"
Sakura grinned. "Two days," she echoed. "Now why don't you finish your breakfast, take a shower, and head over to the gym?"
She smiled lopsidedly as she rubbed her red nose. "I think I could deal with a real workout," Meiling agreed.
"Meanwhile, I'm going to go visit Touya before I head over to find Jack,"
Meiling's eyes saddened. "You're going back to Goddesses?"
Sakura shrugged. "Touya needs the money for the operation this week. The fashion show is over and I've hardly made enough money to cover for his medical needs. I have three days to come up with the sum. It was a miracle in itself to get a heart donor that was compatible."
"Is it not enough even with the money I have?"
"I'll make the ends meet," she replied. "Touya's too important to me."
When she saw Meiling's worried face, Sakura tried to smile. "Don't worry. I won't be doing anything rash, Meiling. I'm just going to talk to Jack about getting my job back and seeing if he can loan me on some amount of money."
"You don't have to ask Jack," she objected.
"He's the only one who won't question my need for money," was Sakura's neutral response. "It's enough that you're involved in this already."
"I want to be part of it," Meiling protested.
Sakura smiled wanly. "I know," she replied softly. "Thanks. But even with your money, it wouldn't be enough. Besides, we need your income to support the two of us."
Meiling hung her head in defeat. "I wish there could be more I could do for you,"
"Just make up with your stud, be back to your usual hyper self, and I'll count it as equal," Sakura said.
"Don't you even dare to think of resorting to prostitution Sakura? Promise me?" Meiling demanded forcefully.
"I already told you before I wouldn't," she replied, walking towards the door. "I don't know when I'll be back, so don't wait up okay?"
Meiling's eyes saddened. Somehow, without her knowing, Sakura was walking further away from her, to a place where she wouldn't be able to follow. She could see the worry that Sakura tried to hide beneath her eyes. Cramming the last bit of toast and gulping down the last mouthful of water, Meiling dashed to get changed.
There was no way she was going to let Sakura disappear from her life.
-----
Eriol stared at his image in the mirror. Somehow that silly grin wasn't coming off his face, no matter how he tried. He sighed, but even the sigh still held the smile.
"Yo, dude, when are you getting out there?" A voice yelled from the other side.
Hearing the voice only made Eriol's grin wider, if that was even possible. It was nice having Syaoran back in the apartment; he had missed his presence more than he had thought.
"You've been in there for thirty minutes Eriol," Syaoran growled. "What the hell are you doing in there?"
"Nothing," Eriol replied cheerfully.
"Ugh, you sound like you're on drugs," his friend told him flatly.
Eriol opened the door.
"Finally," Syaoran muttered when the door finally opened. But one look at his friend's face, Syaoran raised his eyebrow. "Hell, you look like you're on drugs too."
"I'm glad you're back," Eriol said happily.
"I'm glad too," Syaoran replied cautiously. "You're not going to hug me are you?" he asked, as he carefully took a step back.
"Nah," he replied. "Why'd you call me?"
"Lunch's ready. Besides, Daid, I mean Tomoyo, called while you were in there," Syaoran said.
"You and Tomoyo friends again?"
Syaoran shrugged. "We talk,"
"What caused the sudden change?" Eriol asked as he walked towards the kitchen. "I don't believe a fashion show and a small party afterwards would induce such a great change."
"I got annoyed," Syaoran said irritably.
"You mean you missed us," His best friend translated. "Don't worry. I've missed you too. I'm glad that we can be friends again, despite all that happened between the three of us. You're not still angry are you?"
"If I were, would I have moved back?" He demanded crossly. "Now are you going to eat or what?"
Eriol grinned. "I am; I am! No need to be so rude. I was just asking,"
Syaoran snorted.
"So, how was your night ride with Kinomoto-san?" Eriol asked after a moment's silence. Syaoran spit out his coffee and started to cough at the sudden question.
His best friend smiled amusedly. "I'm assuming there was more than just giving a ride home," Eriol filled in for him. "I believe she likes you. I mean, she did ask you to drive her home last night during the party. And I couldn't help but notice that the two of you talked quite often."
"You dimwit," Syaoran muttered angrily. "She was trying to set you and Tomoyo up,"
Eriol paused, and thought about this considerably. "You mean, you don't mind?" He asked softly. Eriol looked at him seriously over the breakfast table.
"Keh," Syaoran finally said, turning away from his glance. "What you guys do doesn't concern me. It's not like I'm her dad or anything,"
"But you were once to be married to her. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Eriol pressed timidly.
"Fuck," Syaoran cursed loudly, slamming his cup of coffee on the table. "Of course it means something to me! I felt like my whole world had collapsed on me, especially when I realized that she loved you the whole time while she was with me! But god damn it, I can't make her love me and since you're the one who she loves, I'll kill you if you ever make her cry."
Eriol smiled lopsidedly. "Aye, aye, captain,"
"Whatever," Syaoran said. "Now that this conversation is officially over, clean up this mess while I go change," he directed, standing up to go change his coffee stained pants. Eriol hummed happily as he got up to clean the coffee spill from the table.
He couldn't express how grateful he was for Syaoran's forgiveness. Here, he had stolen his best friend's fiancé, and yet, only after a matter of a few weeks, Syaoran had forgiven them in his gruff manner.
The Syaoran he once knew was fast to anger and slow to forgive. It had been two weeks since Syaoran had moved out, and no words were ever exchanged during the period unless necessary. He had surprised when Syaoran actually came to party last night, and he had wondered why, but by studying his reaction around Kinomoto, Eriol started to smile. Perhaps she was what Syaoran needed.
If Kinomoto-san was helping him and Tomoyo get together, he didn't see why he couldn't return the favor. And that would require him calling Tomoyo. The thought of meeting up with Tomoyo and talking to her made him smile once more.
"Stop daydreaming," Syaoran cut through his thoughts. "You're not thinking of doing something weird are you?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. "You have that evil smile on your face again."
"What evil face?" Eriol replied innocently. "Don't say such silly things,"
"Dude, you're so on drugs today,"
Eriol brushed away the thought with the wave of his right hand. "Hey, want to go hang out with Tomoyo today? I'm going to go pick her up right after lunch and we're going shopping actually."
"Shopping?"
"Tomoyo insisted. She said she wants to buy gifts for Kinomoto and Rae-san to thank them for helping her in the fashion show."
Syaoran shook his head. "I have things to do today,"
"Like what? Another date with Kinomoto-san?" Eriol teased.
Syaoran shot him a withering glare. "No. I have to call mother today."
"Ouch," his roommate said. "Is she still trying to disown you? Want me to talk to her for you?"
"I'll do it myself. You have fun with Tomoyo."
Eriol nodded. After placing his dishes into the sink and grabbing his car keys, Eriol waved before disappearing out the apartment. As he started his car, Eriol grinned. He would be having fun with Tomoyo, especially if it concerned matchmaking two very interesting people.
-----
"Hello," a female voiced asked politely.
"Hi,"
"Syaoran, is that you?" the person on the other side shrieked happily. "Hey ladies, it's our baby wolf calling back home! He's on line three,"
"Fuutie!" Syaoran protested. "Stop it! I wanted to talk to mother, not you annoying crazy sisters, especially not all of you at once,"
"Come on, stop being so selfish," a new female voiced interjected. "You never call us and we miss you!"
"Exactly, baby brother," Fuutie said smugly. "Besides, only be and Fanren are home right now, unfortunately for you. Sheifa's out for something dealing with her job and Fu has gone on a shopping spree. Anyhow, so I hear that the wedding was canceled with Tomoyo."
"Yeah, what was up with that?" Fanren interjected. "We're really worried, and so is mother even though she threatened to disown you, though we all know that she wouldn't do that since you're her favorite."
"Nothing," Syaoran replied lamely. "We just decided that perhaps we weren't met to be. Besides, Tomoyo likes Eriol and Eriol likes her, so it's better this way."
"No way," Fanren exclaimed. "Fuutie, Eriol accomplished the number one impossible thing, to date with the fiancé of his best friend. I thought only things like that only happen in movies,"
Syaoran rolled his eyes annoyed. "If you guys are going to gossip, do it behind my back and not on the phone when I'm still on,"
Fuutie laughed. "Since we're on the line of gossiping, how was Tomoyo's fashion show?"
"It was good," Syaoran replied.
"That's it? You do realize that you're not going to get away with only that, especially with Fanren on the phone right?"
Fanren chuckled evilly. "That's right. Technically, since Tomoyo's out of the picture to put it bluntly even though I really liked her, how was her model? I heard from Tomoyo that she's really pretty,"
"You talk to Tomoyo?" Syaoran asked incredulously.
"Well, she was about to marry you Syaoran," Fuutie said sensibly. "After last time you introduced her over the phone to us, all of us kept in touch with her occasionally. I mean, we had to make sure that she was perfect for you."
"So I hear that her name's Sakura Kinomoto," Fanren chatted happily. "Hey, is that the same Kinomoto as that famous model? The one with really pretty dark gray hair and gorgeous eyes?"
"Now that you mention, I kind of remember. She married right at sixteen, to her teacher right?" The eldest sister said. "She passed away when she was really young too, before she even reached the age thirty! It was so sad, and everyone knew about it."
"Yeah, it was all over the television," her other sister answered. "Nadeshiko Kinomoto was a huge star and widely known in the modeling world. I still have tons of posters of her,"
"Who are you guys talking about?" Syaoran interjected.
"Nadeshiko Kinomoto," Fanren replied off-handedly. "So is she related to the famous Nadeshiko? If she is, I bet she's really gorgeous!"
"How should I know?" he replied annoyed.
"Why wouldn't you know?" Fanren demanded.
"Oh hush," Fuutie said lightly. "There are many Japanese who hold the same last name, Fanren. Besides, let's hope not. I mean Nadeshiko would have then died when she was really little. And Nadeshiko's husband away ten something years later. Imagine how horrible that must have been,"
"How come you guys know so much about this?" Syaoran asked.
"Her husband, Fujitaka Kinomoto was a world known archaeologist and his photography skills weren't bad either," Fanren filled in. "I've done my research on Nadeshiko. Don't you remember how crazy I was over her?"
"Fanren, you're forgetting that Syaoran was only six or seven when Nadeshiko died. Of course he wouldn't remember much other than the fact that you have so many pictures of her on your wall."
"I must have educated him on this matter before," Fanren whined.
As Fuutie and Fanren dominated the phone conversation, Syaoran frowned. Grabbing his pad of post-its and a pen, he quickly wrote down the two names. Somehow he had the nagging feeling that those were Sakura's parents, and if they were, it would be a whole new insight into her mysterious character. His pen tapped the pad of paper repeatedly as Syaoran thought the whole situation over. It would explain her job, and the reason why her parents never came up in her conversations.
"Syaoran, are you still there?" Fuutie finally asked.
"Huh?"
"What do you mean huh?" Fanren demanded. "You've been quite for the past three minutes and we were waiting for you to get out of your daze."
"Do you have anything you want to say before I connect you over to mother?" Fuutie asked.
"I have this nagging feeling," he started.
"Fanren, aren't you meeting up with your boyfriend? You haven't even dressed up yet and he's coming to pick you up soon," his eldest sister interjected before he could go on.
"But Fuutie," she whined.
"You can pester Syaoran whenever you want. Huwei, as much as he loves you, would rather for you to be dressed up than in your pajamas,"
"Oh fine. Bye Syaoran," Fanren said reluctantly.
When there was a distinct click, Fuutie asked, "What were you going to ask?"
Syaoran smiled. Fuutie, being the oldest, had the knack for knowing when someone, especially him, had something serious to say. He thanked her for getting Fanren off the line, because once Fanren knew something, the whole household would know. Though all his sisters were terrifyingly hyper, Fuutie could be actually normal when she was by herself.
"Does the last name Rae ring any bells?" Syaoran blurted, not knowing how to phrase the question. It had been bugging him since Sakura had hinted that her roommate wouldn't hesitate to kill him, and that her roommate's mom had been threatened to be disowned. There weren't many families that would take the extreme route.
"Fuutie?" he questioned, when his sister didn't answer.
"Did you say something?" Fuutie said, laughing awkwardly. "I zoned out for a while there."
"It's something that I'm not supposed to know, right?" Syaoran asked quietly.
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing," he answered. "May I talk to mother now?"
"Sure," his sister replied hesitantly.
-----
Meiling banged on the door desperately. She was about to knock on the door again when the door opened abruptly.
"Rae?" he asked confused. "How did you,"
"You have to save her. You have to," she begged him. "Please,"
"What's this all about?" he asked. "Look, I was just on a phone conversation. Let me,"
"Please!" Meiling cut in again. "Li, you're the only one who can save her."
"Calm down," he told her, opening the door wider to allow her to come inside. "Who are you talking about? Who needs saving?"
He looked down into serious red eyes, rimed with tears. "Sakura," she wailed. "You have to save her. I don't know who else can. Please!"
Syaoran frowned. "What's happened?"
"She's gone to find Jack. Don't let her go back into that place," Meiling said furiously. "Stop her."
"Jack?"
"I'll tell you everything. Everything you want to know," she told him. "Just save Sakura. She deserves so much more."
Syaoran studied her serious gaze before nodding. Hanging up the phone after a quick apology to his mother, he turned towards the girl who was pacing around his room while biting on her bottom lip, her hand twisting the bottom of her shirt.
"Tell me everything," he commanded.
-----
Okay! That's the end of this chapter. I know, I know, horrible cliffhanger. I'm sorry this took so long to write, but I've been swamped with horrid events known as midterms. Hopefully this chapter was well enough to make up for the long wait.
Thanks once again for those who offered comfort. They have given me the strength to comfort those around me in turn. That's more than I could ever ask for. A small piece of kindness does travel far.
Please review, so I can know how this story's coming along. I have, the last time I checked 3506 hits on this story! Wow. It's so awesome knowing that there are so many people reading this story. So please, please review so I can know how to improve on this story! )
--Iris dreamer