Chapter 8

I gave birth to a baby girl and named her Machiko Erin Kinomoto. Since I wasn't married to Ryu or we weren't planning to get married any soon. He decided to drop out with me at the end of the 1st semester and that was allright. I was still in hospital tired because the labour happened early this morning. The news about Syaoran being a Prince was out, it had been over 7 months since I last saw him, I missed him but I knew I couldn't be around him. I loved Ryu now and I wouldn't leave him for anything, I loved the way he supported me through this whole situation, and that he was there when I gave birth to Machiko. He just came in the room to get me some food.

'Feeling better, or are you still tired?', he smiled at me, sitting in my bed 'I got you something to eat since you hate hospital food'.

'Still a bit tired, thanks for the food', rummaging through the bag that he brought.

'My parents might come over'.

'That's, fine. Though I want to get out of this hospital as soon as possible. Being in a hospital gives me creeps', he laughed at me and he stood up.

'Okay I'll be back, I'll just tell the nurses outside'. His parents got me and Ryu a place to leave in. A lake house, it was really beautiful there. It was isolated in a place and had a forest around there.

Ryu's parents came in the room and Mai said 'Hello Sakura'.

'How are you doing?' Taro asked.

'I'm feeling fine, just a bit tired'

'So where's our granddaughter?'

'She's in the infant room, you can have a look at her later'

'So what did you decide to name her?'

'Machiko, isn't it a pretty name?'

'Yeah, so cute. Sakura we want you to marry Ryu. I mean you two love each other right?'

'Yeah, but its not my decision, you also have to ask your son if he wants to marry me'

Mai said 'He can't stop talking about it. But before he asks you, he wants to know that you want to do it'

'But I'm so young'

'That doesn't matter right?'

'Okay … but I –', Ryu came in the room and I stopped talking. I didn't want to ruin anything right now. I was so happy that he loved me that much to take in Syaoran 's child and still ask me to marry me. It was a lot to ask from him, but he was still doing it.

Ryu said 'You're allowed to go home as soon as your ready, Sakura I already did all of the paper work'

'Okay thanks Ryu', when Taro and Mai left to see Machiko, Ryu sat near me and he hasn't said anything since he came in.

I was eating my food and I asked 'Is anything wrong?'

'I got an interview for the firefighter job', I stopped eating and looked at him. Honestly I didn't want him to take that job, but it was his dream job. I was scared for him, because what if he went to his job and never came back?

'Really, where at?'

'Around Parramatta area … is that allright with you?'

'Yeah its fine', I was lying through my teeth. I was already holding him back by staying with me because of Machiko and dropping out of highschool because he wanted to be with me and support me.

'I love you, did you know that?', I smiled at him.

'I love you too'.

Early the next morning Ryu couldn't take me home so he had an interview with the Fire Department and I was being driven home in a limo with young Machiko. She was so cute and she was less than a day old. I smiled at her, wondering how Syaoran was now. I kind of felt sorry for him, because he was forced to live 'that' life that he didn't even want in the first place. I though of the situation now, of what may have happened if I stayed with Syaoran . I shook my head and looked down, Machiko's father will always be Syaoran and that made it harder for me to get over him.

I looked around the big house. There was a lot to fix but I had all the time in the world. I wasn't just going to live my life as a mother, but I was also going to follow my dream. I've always wanted to be a fashion designer. I envied the life of those rich and famous people because I've always been a girl next door. I was only 17, years old and so much had happened in less than a year. It was around November. Christmas was soon and I couldn't wait.

The phone rang and I couldn't find it, I accidentally bumped on a box from my house and I opened it. There was Syaoran 's letter in there and I started crying. This started something bad. A maid was taking care of Machiko who was sleeping right at this moment and Ryu came home and saw her crying by the lake. He knew that I didn't take the news so well about how Ryu was a Prince, and I told him everything that happened, because I wanted to be honest to him. He came up behind me and asked 'Are you allright?'

I turned around and said 'Hi Ryu', wiping away my tears.

He smiled at me and asked 'Tell me what's wrong'

'Nothing, just normal feelings …'

'Talk to me about it, I want us to be honest with each other you know'

'It's Syaoran again. Ryu I'm sorry for thinking about him'

'It's not your fault, I guess it normal I guess. He was probably you first love, but we're together now right?'

'Yeah', I looked at him and asked 'Can we go somewhere tonight?'

'Are you sure you want to? You know there's going to be press going after you'

'Its allright, lets go somewhere private anyway'

'Okay', he hugged me tightly and said 'I just want you know I'm here for you no matter what allright?'

'I know'

That night after dinner, I was holding his hand and we were talking. We came home and we were all over each other. He asked 'Are you sure you want to do this straight away?'

I nodded at him and we started moving towards the guest house because we didn't want anyone to hear what we were doing. After we made love 2 times, we just laid in bed panting and trying to catch our breaths. He admitted 'That was amazing'

All I could do was laugh, and I slowly fell asleep in his arms. This was what life was like and I loved it.

Back in Japan. Syaoran 's life wasn't so well. He hated everything about his life now and he was still yearning from Sakura. He took out all his anger in jogging, every afternoon he would jog for at least 2 hours, he did that to get away from all the chaos in his life. He missed her so much and he wanted to see her again. He had heard that she just given birth to a baby girl and that he should be the father beside her, taking care of her. He didn't even know what the baby was called.

Kado and Sachi wasn't around that time because they were in Japan visiting someone. It was Nyoko, Kin & Syaoran eating dinner and he wasn't talking. Nyoko said 'I'm sorry about this Syaoran , but maybe we could visit Sakura sometime if you want. You have a holiday coming up soon and I'm going to allow you to visit her'.

'I don't want to visit her mother', he had been feeling so empty lately and nothing could make it better.

'Syaoran eat your food, you haven't been the same, I don't want you to be unhealthy', said his caring mother.

'Mother I really don't want to eat right now. I'm going up to my room', he stood up and started going to his room.

When he was gone, Kin suggested 'Maybe we should have a party inviting Sakura. He needs to see her, he's dying here.

'We can't remember. My mother doesn't want to see them together'.

'We can't just watch him waste away like this'.

'Maybe we could set up something'.

'I heard she's going for an interview as a fashion designer. We could help her maybe?'

'No, she's a smart girl, she'll be expecting something in return from us'.

'Yeah your right', said Nyoko. Even though I was a drop-out, I still had the potentials.