§ Cherished in My Heart §
A fiction by moondocc
Rated T/Genre: Romance/Drama
Chapter 2: A Broken Promise
A young girl about eighteen with shy emerald eyes walked on the silent street, her lone silhouette brushing this world a defining shine. Spring was already here, as soft zephyrs strolled cheerfully her way, lifting strands of her long hair as they danced violently, covering her face. The girl brushed her hair away and smiled. Something had caught her eyes. On someone's house big bold black letters wrote "Happy Birthday Ling!"
"April 1," she said dreamily. "My birthday is today." She sighed, and continued to walk. Her hands waved by her side as her mind explored her past again. I wish I could remember being part of this world, she thought curiously, scanning her surroundings. What was I like?
When Cherry Kura was eight, a plane crash had taken hold of her life and flipped it completely upside down. She would have random flashbacks of her past, but that was it. That was all that she could ever remember. Random callings of a name she could not put her finger on, and random events that lasted all but a second. Sometimes she wished she could claim her past again, she wanted desperately to know everything about her childhood, because it all had faded away when she woke up at the hospital three months later.
Amnesia. That was what they had told her. She was lucky to have survived such a turbulent storm and nevertheless lucky to fall 5,000 feet from the sky and still be alive.
Boy, was she lucky.
But she wasn't happy at all. Despite that she had been once reborn, the price of her rebirth had cost her all her memories of the before the accident, everything from her parents to the people she loved. It even included taking away her…
What is my real name? Cherry thought bitterly. It seemed strange that she would be wondering her origin on the first day of going to Hong Kong University, but the thought had bothered her ever since and she hasn't gone by a day without thinking about who she was.
She wanted so desperately to belong in this strange and fantastic world. Yes, it's been ten years. Yes, multiply 365 by 10 years and you've got a girl who's been wondering about the life she couldn't remember for 3650 days.
Look at this stuff
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has everything?
Look at this trove
Treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Looking around here you think
Sure, she's got everything
I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty
I've got whozits and whatzits galore
You want thingamabobs?
I've got twenty!
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more
"Cherry!" A raven-haired girl with beautiful amethyst eyes hollered from behind her. Cherry turned around, her face instantly brightened.
"Tomoyo," she said happily, and flashed Tomoyo a smile.
Tomoyo's eyes narrowed, and spoke in a gentle yet calming voice. "Are you thinking about the accident again?" she asked carefully. Her best friend was always thinking about the accident.
Cherry nodded. She looked down at her feet awkwardly and cleared her throat. "You know what? Over these ten years I feel like I'm hiding something from my life. I mean, I've always been dreaming of who I was before I was eight," she stopped, looking away painfully. "I can't remember, Tomoyo. The thought of never knowing…scares me a little bit," she braved a weak beam.
"Cherry," Tomoyo broke off, pained to see her friend so mentally abused, "you know that there is no way to retrieve your memory before the accident," here Tomoyo put her hand on Cherry's shoulder. "It's alright."
Cherry forced a smile. "I know, Tomoyo. I know."
"I'm sorry, but today is a happy day! It's the first day of going to Hong Kong University! And it's your birthday as well! We need to celebrate!" Tomoyo laughed, trying to cheer Cherry up.
"Ha," Cherry chuckled lightly. "Today is also the day my father and my brother died."
Tomoyo looked worried. "At least you lived." Tomoyo admitted. "The grand duchess Sakura Kinomoto died too, on your birthday! And she was the heiress to the Kinomoto Grand Hotel, and 23rd to the throne."
"Great. Another person died on my birthday." Cherry said angrily. "I feel like I've only been alive for ten years sometimes."
"Oh Cherry," Tomoyo said sadly, her lavender eyes reflecting rays of sorrow, "you've been through a lot. Living a short life is sometimes the most romantic way to die."
"I'm not dying, Tomoyo," Cherry said seriously. "I know, I know, I was referring to the princess. How romantic it must be for her to die like that!" Tomoyo said dreamily.
"Tomoyo!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm spacing off again. I hope you find Hong Kong to your liking, Cherry-chan. I know we've moved from Tomoeda and all, and it's a different atmosphere, but it's such a beautiful place." Tomoyo said happily, hoping that her happy self will also cheer up Cherry.
Cherry gave an utmost blank expression.
"Anyway, your birthday is today isn't it?" Tomoyo said as she took out a wrapped present from her book bag. It had pink wrappers and a white ribbon tied in the center, with thinner ribbons trailing down from the big ribbon. The pink wrapper was shiny and had white stars on it. Tomoyo loved to give Cherry random presents, but by the look of the box…
"Tomoyo, you shouldn't have!" Cherry gasped at the pink wrap.
"Happy eighteenth birthday, my best friend!" Tomoyo chattered excitedly, her hands clapped together.
Cherry looked at the box curiously. Then, stretching out one finger, she brushed it against the wrapping and found an opening.
"You know, Cherry, I spent an hour to wrap that thing," Tomoyo joked. Cherry stared at her, and chuckled. "Alright, I'll be careful when I open it. But seriously, an hour? You turtle!" she mocked and Tomoyo laughed. "Oh ho ho ho ho ho! It would take Cherry-chan just as long!"
"That's true." Cherry admitted, her face reddening. "I'll look at it in my classroom alright? That way I won't 'tear' it!" she said sarcastically.
"Cherry, I'm just joking!" Tomoyo said amusedly.
"I know you are." Cherry laughed. "Because we're at the college now!"
"Yup. First day in Hong Kong University. Isn't this exciting?" Tomoyo giggled.
"It'd better be." Cherry said with a determined look in her eyes.
I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see, wanna see them dancin'
Walking around on those - what do you call 'em?
Oh - feet!
Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far
Legs are required for jumping, dancing
Strolling along down a - what's that word again?
Street
Up where they walk, up where they run
Up where they stay all day in the sun
Wanderin' free - wish I could be
Part of that world
What would I give if I could live out of these waters?
What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?
Bet'cha on land they understand
That they don't reprimand their daughters
Bright young women sick of swimmin'
Ready to stand
"Wow, I never knew it was so big and all!" Cherry chattered excitedly, pointing to the grand entrance and British architecture. It truly looked like a college campus.
"Yeah!" Tomoyo agreed. Cherry and Tomoyo entered the building and saw that the hallway was completely crowded. All members of the crowd encircled something.
"What are they doing?" Cherry asked curiously.
Tomoyo had already squeezed herself into the circle, trying to take a peek at what was going on. Cherry followed her, standing tall between two enormously large heads. Unfortunately, the owners of the two enormous large heads were also…fat. Which means uncomfortable air and suffocation for her.
"Li Syaoran! You horrible man!" a girl with silvery blonde hair and watery blue eyes slapped a boy about their age. "How could you cheat on me?" she accused angrily, her face already red. The boy with messy chestnut hair and a pair of striking amber eyes sneered in amusement, his fingers on his chin.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault, I'm extremely depressed walking around with you. You were getting on my nerves anyway." The boy smirked, rubbing his face. The girl's expression hardened, and gave him one last death glare. Amber eyes looked at her arrogantly as she divided the crowd in half, squeezing her way through. Her face masked death.
The boy scoffed. The crowd closed around him again as dozens of girls began to drool themselves over him. The smirk on his face returned, this time even bolder.
"So, Syao-darling, does this mean you're available?" A girl with long wavy black girl and dark brown eyes said to the boy, her eyelids batting suggestively.
"Um, yeah, of course," the boy said shortly. "That was my 365th girlfriend," he bragged.
"Ooh-la-la, you've been keeping track of your girlfriends?" The girl with jet black hair spoke again, her voice a seductive snake.
"Why wouldn't I?" he said obviously, as if that was the stupidest question he has ever heard.
"I like my guy smart." The girl whispered in his ear.
Cherry squeezed her eyes at the daring boy in the center of attention and glared straight into his piercing amber eyes.
What a player. I hate players like that. Players who go through girlfriends faster than underwear. Which I'm pretty sure he change quite frequently.
Cherry was getting herself worked up. Tomoyo shot her a warning glare as to say "Do not do anything irrational, Cherry." But she couldn't help herself. All her life she has absolutely despised guys like this attention-hogger, and when she's mad, she's out of control. With all her strength, she extended her arms as to part herself between two fat idiots and divided the crowd again. The crowd looked curiously at her as she made her way in front of the chestnut haired boy. "You're in for a real treat," she muttered under her breath.
She stood fearlessly in front of him, her arms crossed defiantly. "You are a real bastard, you know, cheating and treating girls like that. Your face disgusts me."
The boy looked surprised.
Cherry took this as a sign to go on. "In fact, your face disgusts me so much that I want to throw up just by looking at guys like you." She snorted, waiting for his reaction.
"Sakura? Sakura Kinomoto?" The boy's eyes widened in amazement, his fingers rising in the air, as if to touch her.
"What?" That was not the answer that she had expected. Who was this crazy guy referring to?
"Sakura, I've waited so long for this." The boy closed their spaces as curious eyes from the crowd watched intently at the two. He leaned in.
Then, out of all the things that he could have possibly done, he had chosen that. Now that Cherry Kura looked back on it, she should have never let him kiss her.
I'm ready to know what the people know
Ask 'em my questions and get some answers
What's a fire and why does it - what's the word?
Burn?
When's it my turn?
Wouldn't I love, love to explore that shore up above?
Out of the sea
Wish I could be
Part of that world
To be continued…
Author's Note: Hmm, another revised chapter. The song used is Little Mermaid's Part of Your World. I chose this song because it fits into Sakura's amnesia thingy. She wants so bad to be part of "this" world—regular world, where everyone remembers their childhood, but like Little Mermaid, she can't, at least not until later. Anyway, review this revised chapter!
It's a little bit different than the original. I read the original and I was completely disgusted by my writing and by some of the HUGE errors that i made. Gigantic ones. Especially saying she was ten and eight years ago when she was eight and ten years ago. and teh cherry blossom thing. i edited that out and replaced it with a "Happy Birthday Ling!" thing. It was horrid. And Cherry was so angry all the time and so random. I wanted this story to be more realistic.
Anyway…review! And thanks for the reviews!
