Revenge is Sweet, Love is Sweeter
By Zilver Wings
Chapter 9
Epilogue
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Summary: She was once the innocent girl, kind and trusting . Yet, after the incident with her classmate, Li Xiao Lang, she changed. And now, seeing him again, she seeks revenge.
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"What should I do?"
18- year old Sakura sighed to herself in the middle of the ballroom, not having any idea why she was in this mess.
FlashbackSakura routinely put her hand into the mailbox to check for any mail when a small, white envelope fell out.
She dropped the groceries for a second to pick up the mail and was surprised to find her name written in beautiful cursive.
After she went home, which was empty since her brother had left for university and her father was working even though it was already summer vacation. She opened the letter carefully and in it were an invitation and a map.
The invitation simply read 'Welcome to my 18th birthday masquerade' without any name or signature on it, and the map was one of Hong Kong, with a big red circle on a building Sakura assumed was where the birthday party was to be held.
Feeling puzzled, Sakura immediately phoned her best friend, Tomoyo, to ask about the mysterious party.
"Moshi, moshi, I'm Daidouji Tomoyo, who is it speaking?"
"Ohayo, Tomoyo-chan! I'm Sakura."
"Ohayo! Sakura-chan, what's the matter?"
"I just got an invitation to some birthday party in Hong Kong, but I don't even have any friends there, what should I do? And it's only a week away too."
Silence greeted her.
"Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked worriedly.
"Gomen, Sakura-chan, I was just thinking about something. Do you know anything about the age of the person who is holding the party, and where is it?"
"Hai. The person is going to be 18 years old, and the place… I think it's the ball where you've been to last year to promote your clothes. I hear that it's very grand. Whoever person that is much be very rich and powerful!"
"Oh my gosh! Sakura-chan, I'm coming to your house this moment, ja ne!"
With that, the phone went dead, leaving a bewildered Sakura behind.
"Tomoyo-chan?"
Shortly after, the doorbell rung and Sakura went to open it to reveal Tomoyo, who was holding a large bag, and her bodyguards outside the gate.
"Daidouji-sama, we will leave now. Please call us when you are ready to go home."
Tomoyo gave them a brief nod before ushering Sakura back into the house.
"Sakura-chan, I need to do all your measurements to make a perfect and kawaii gown for you by tomorrow, so please cooperate."
Sakura raised up her eyebrows.
"You are going to the ball aren't you? It is a grand place isn't it? You'll need an evening gown won't you? So I'll be the one to make it, won't I?"
Without letting Sakura a chance to answer all those questions being bombarded at her, Tomoyo pulled out her measuring tape from her bag and attacked Sakura.
Ten minutes later, after Tomoyo was satisfied with the measurements, she left immediately, saying that she needed as much time as she could to make the perfect gown for Sakura.
The next morning, Tomoyo appeared in Sakura's bedroom and practically dragged Sakura out of her bed.
"Hoe? What are you doing up here so early in the morning, Tomoyo-chan? I want more sleep."
"Oh you pig. Here." Tomoyo gave a light-hearted laugh as she stuffed a huge bag onto Sakura's lap, which was covered in a blanket.
Sakura peered into the opening to find a pair of white high heels and some pink material.
"Take it out."
Tomoyo looked worriedly at Sakura as she pulled out the gown. She gasped when she saw it.
"It's breathtaking."
Sakura whispered softly, and Tomoyo's shoulders relaxed and demanded her to try it on.
It was a light pink off-shoulder satin gown that reached the floor with a small trail being left behind. There was a knee-length opening at the front, so that it showed partly of her slim legs. It was tightened at the waist, but loosened when it reached the hips so it would flow. On it were strings of half transparent white cherry blossoms sown on it, and a thin sash of white was tied to the waist. The design was simple and yet elegant. None of the gowns Sakura had been modeling was able to compare the one she was currently wearing.
Tomoyo directed Sakura to sit on a chair nearby and put a thin silver chain with a wolf pendent on her neck.
"It's nice, but why is it a wolf?"
Sakura turned her head to see Tomoyo smiling knowingly at her.
"You'll figure it out later when you meet the person. For now, my advice for you is to make yourself look at your best or you'll regret it, for one, I'm going to slaughter you if you don't since this is my masterpiece and you're a famous model. Good luck and goodbye, you know that I'm going to promote my fashion line in Europe starting from tomorrow until two weeks later."
Sakura wanted to question Tomoyo further but knew better than that. Tomoyo was very tight about secrets, and no way was she going to be able to make Tomoyo reveal the truth.
"Ja ne, Sakura-chan."
"Ja ne."
End of flashback'Oh, what shall I do?'
Sakura started to panic as the sea of people began to spread out and dance as classical music flooded in. As expected, the ballroom was grand as it could be. It was huge, and the walls were painted in gold. There were chandeliers hanging everywhere, and there were a lot of stands, which were occupied by people. She still had no idea who held this ball since no one really talked about it. All she heard around were people who were blowing ones trumpet. The men were talking about their successes in business, and the women about their designer clothing.
It's not that she was plain, in fact, quite a few men found her attractive, to the disgust of their wives, but being a model for years, she was simply not interested in these topics anymore. Tonight, she had her hair up in an elegant French twist, and had on light makeup. She wore all the stuff Tomoyo gave her, although she was still wondering about the wolf pendent, and had also fastened a white feather mask that covered half of her face, only leaving her nose and lips exposed. However, she didn't really look like her model self since she didn't perm her hair or wear contacts to make them turn into a darker shade.
Two years have passed, and a lot of changes took place.
Tomoyo had first opened a small boutique in Tomoeda selling her designed clothing two years ago. It became very popular in a short period of time. Last year, a famous designer in England was visiting Tomoeda when she came across Tomoyo's shop. She was amazed by her talent and immediately promised to help her become famous. She fulfilled her promise, and now, the brand 'Daidouji' is well-known among Asia by it's unique but simple designs, although few know about the designer behind the brand.
For Sakura, she was depressed for a while after Syaoran's sudden depart, but just like the saying 'time heals all wounds' goes, she got over him and became more outgoing. As now as she thought of it, it was really stupid of her to overreact just because her mother's photo was torn apart, which she now knew that Syaoran regretted it. And to know that he had a crush on her, how ironic was that?
Expectedly, her career was still at her highest point ever since being the cover girl of the popular fashion magazine of Asia two years ago, which had boosted her fame quickly. However, she had slowly retreated from the modeling world since she had earned more than enough for university and she is also a part time model for the 'Daidouji' designs.
Although Sakura had gotten over Syaoran, there were still some times when she would space out when his name was mentioned, and a soft smile would grace her features.
When the visions around you
Bring tears to
your eyes
And all that surround you
Are secrets and lies
Sakura was about to walk away to the drinks stand when a hand suddenly grasped her arm and turned her around.
Sakura was face-to-face with a man in a traditional Chinese red suit, and a matching mask on his face. He was really handsome.
He loosened his grip once he caught her attention, and bowed low.
"May I have this dance?"
He asked her in Cantonese.
I'll be your strength
I'll give you
hope
Keeping your faith when it's gone
The one you should
call
Was standing here all along
Not having any escape, Sakura blushed and nodded her head while slowly extending out her hand.
The man slid one arm under her waist and the other one held onto Sakura's own tightly. Their hands found other and an electric shock past through Sakura.
She stared at him, shocked. Why did she feel all bubbly inside whenever he touched her, and he looked so awfully familiar.
And
I will take you in my arms
And hold you right where you
belong
'Til the day my life is through
This I promise you
This
I promise you
She expected him to chat with her, but he didn't. Instead, he seemed to be quite content to just dance with her. Sakura desperately wanted to ask him, but she was too shy to do so.
She looked up and was her emerald eyes were immediately locked with his piercing amber ones that seemed to draw her soul in. No matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't part with them. She swore she saw tenderness and affection in those enchanting eyes, but they couldn't be directed to her could it, after all, she didn't know him, or did she?
I've
loved you forever
In lifetimes before
And I promise you
never
Will you hurt anymore
The song ended, and the man bowed, wanting to ask her to another dance but paused when he saw that she had suddenly grown as stiff as a statue and didn't curtsy back.
He leaned in closer to her.
"Are you okay?"
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by and he felt his face lighten. Realization hit him. The girl had undone his mask.
"Li…"
He looked down to see a shaking Sakura looking at him with tears glistening in her eyes. She dropped his mask, and without another word, ran away from him, pushing the crowd of people roughly aside. He stood, frozen on the spot until he regained his senses and chased after her. He had already let the girl he loved slip past his fingers twice, he was never going to let her run away from him again this time. Never.
I give you my word
I give you my heart
This
is a battle we've won
And with this vow
Forever has now begun
Since Syaoran was wearing pants while Sakura was wearing a gown and high heels, she couldn't run very fast, especially since she got lost in the back garden. He quickly located her by the shimmering of her pink gown, which was reflected by the moonlight, and cornered her.
"Sakura."
"Why are you here?"
She had already taken off her mask, and was looking liked a frightened mouse being found by a cat. It pained him to see her in this state, but he was not going to leave her.
"I'm the one who held the ball."
She looked down, so he went on.
"Since I'm to take over the clan when I'm eighteen years old, I had to hold this ball and invite all the important people who are related to the clan and announce to them tonight."
"Why did you invite me?"
Just close your eyes
Each lovin' day
And
know this feeling won't go away
'Til the day my life is
through
This I promise you
This I promise you
Syaoran was relieved to hear her voice, although it was as cold as ice.
"I want to tell you something."
Sakura suddenly looked up and he saw that she was really crying.
"What? To let me know how honorable you are now to become the leader of the clan? To tell me why you'd left Japan so suddenly without a note? To tell me how lovely your fiancée is? Or are you guys already married and planning to have a child? To get revenge on me?"
She gasped between her angry sobs and slowly sank to the ground, her face buried in her hands. He walked closer to her and wrapped her in his arms but she pushed him away forcefully.
"Don't touch me! Your fiancée would be very angry if she saw you cheating on her."
Syaoran was shocked at the usually calm and collected Sakura's outburst. Did all those meant that she had already forgiven him?
"Gomenasai, Sakura, for causing you all the pain, I thought you hated me, so I decided to walk away from your life and leave you alone."
"Yes, I hate you so much, so why don't you just leave me alone now?"
"I can't, I love you too much to let you go."
She smirked bitterly at him.
"You love me? Then why'd you have a fiancée? I'm not three anymore, Li." She spat at him.
Over and over I fall
When I hear you
call
Without you in my life, baby
I just wouldn't be living at
all
"The fiancée was selected by my mother, I hate her, she's Manimiko. I was rude and isolated her. She ate it all up until one day I told her that I loved you and only you alone. She was very angry and almost slapped me, but my mother saw her. All her innocent act was seen through by my mother after she came for a few days. So she made it an excuse to say that Manimiko has been mistreating me and it made me very easy to jilt her." (A/N: Ha, this is soooooooooooo lame, no need to tell me that.)
Sakura started to calm down.
"What about your clan?" She asked quietly.
"I thought you would have known by now that they are probably about to start the ceremony. I think you are smart enough to understand my meaning. No matter whether you were Ying Fa or Sakura, with two totally different personalities, I still fell hard for you over and over again. I'm no romantic, and I've never been so straightforward about my feelings, but… aishiteru. Please,"
His usually cold eyes were soft and pleading.
"just tell me how you feel about me, whether you love me or you hate me, it would be better than just standing there not speaking anything, the suspense is killing me."
However, he saw no reaction from her. She stood there, once again looking at her feet, her bangs covering her eyes.
He sighed in frustration and hit his head on a tree nearby, ready to give up when suddenly, a warm body was pressed against his back.
He turned around and grabbed the person's waist to see that it was Sakura. Although tears were still present on her cheeks, her face was radiating with happiness.
"I've forgiven you the day you've left, doofus."
And I will take you in my arms
And hold you
right where you belong
'Til the day my life is through
This I
promise you, baby
She struggled out of his arms and fished out a small white purse in her pocket and flipped it open for him to see the contents inside.
On the right side was a picture of her mother. Although it was all covered by duct tape, and there were still cracks and messed up among some places, it was complete. Syaoran smiled softly at her. He had kept the pieces in his own wallet after he searched for all of them in the rain for hours, catching pneumonia after he went home.
"If this photo can be complete, then…"
She blushed furiously, unable to continue.
"You're right, so can we be together."
He hugged her tightly, and this time, she didn't protest or struggle away.
Then, he looked at her, as if asking her permission, which she nodded her head firmly.
Slowly, they leaned in and closed the distance between them, and he put his warm lips over her cold ones for the first time, and shared a short but sweet kiss.
"Wo ai ni, Xiao Lang."
Sakura whispered in perfect Cantonese in Syaoran's ears, making his grin widened.
So many years ago, in a dark alley in Hong Kong, a boy had tried to force his crush to say four simple words, which she stubbornly refused. He never dreamt that one day, so many years later, he would finally hear it from her, and not from force too, but from true love.
Nothing could stop him from being with her, not even his mother or his clan, ever.
He buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath. She smelt of cherry blossoms. Suddenly, he pulled back and studied her.
"Sakura, Ying Fa, don't tell me that you are the famous model Cherry Blossom also!"
Sakura blushed softly, and he knew that it was definitely her.
"Oh my gosh, no wonder you looked so familiar! What are you going to have as a nickname next, in French?"
She giggled. Then, she started to play with her pendent thoughtfully.
"I finally understand why Tomoyo gave me this wolf pendent, she is incredibly smart."
Hearing her words, Syaoran gave a low chuckle, but it was ceased suddenly when a pair of lips shut him up gently.
Somewhere far away, a girl with raven eyes sat on her bed looked sadly at the moon, her amethyst eyes downcast.
"Oh, it's so terrible that I won't be able to tape kawii Sakura-chan's first kiss!"
Just close your eyes
Each lovin' day
And
know this feeling won't go away
Every word I say is true
This I
promise you
Every word I say is true
This I promise you
I
promise you
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Okay, I know, this chapter is very sudden and stupid, but I couldn't stand it anymore. My reviews and readers were dropping so rapidly, it was depressing. At first, I had a great plot for this story, but it just turned out to be a great disappointment. The first few chapters made it lead to a totally different direction than I had intended on. I wanted to delete it and start again, but I promised you guys not to, so, it's complete…
Actually, I had finished writing the ninth chapter, but then, I accidentally covered the old epilogue over it, and didn't realize it until it was too late. But anyway, it was just another worthless piece of trash. Oh well, I really really really really x 9999999999 want to thank those who reviewed to my dumb story, added this dumb story to their favorites, or put this dumb story into their alert list, ARIGATOU!
Please just review ONE LAST TIME, and I'll be so happy I'll fly to the moon! No, not really, unless I have too much money to spend…
Well anyway, please support my other stories, Sayonara!
For your information, I actually wrote 3300 words, the longest chapter I've ever written, yeah!
(The song lyrics are from the song "This I promise you", by N Sync)
