The Li Family Affairs

Chapter 4

Meeting in the Park

Hey everyone! It recently came to my attention that this story hasn't been updated in over a year! I last updated it on November 21 of 2005!!! And now its Dec. 28th 2006! So I guess here's the long awaited updated. Thank you to all who read this and if you do, please review!

End of Chapter 3

I had a good time too…thank you." Sakura said, still lost in his eyes. Those eyes…something about them. Andrew leaned in closer. Brown, honey like orbs. She knew them from somewhere. He was so close she could see the freckles on his face. Then, before his lips kissed hers, she impulsive pulled away. Andrew was taken aback and a little hurt by this gesture.

"I-I'm sorry." she stuttered in response, feeling the blood rush through her veins.

"No I'm sorry I totally understand-" He said, panicking a bit. He withdrew. Sakura bit her bottom lip.

"Uhm. Thank you so much. I-I'll see you on Monday." She fumbled with her keys and opened the door.

"Mo-Monday sounds good." Andrew stammered, his cheeks a pale pink.

Giving him a little wave as he walked off, a little rejected, she force opened her door and shut it fast. Falling against the wooden structure, she buried her fingers in her hair and slid down to the mat. Sakura had officially screwed up her first date. Groaning, she thumped her head against the wall. Andrew's eyes…she knew the real reason they had captivated her so much. They were a honey brown. Just like a person from her past. A person she had loved, and she realized, still loved to this very moment. Honey brown- just like Syaoran Li.

Chapter 4

As Sakura sat there pondering in the dark, she could hear the flutter of Kero's wings as he flew down the stairs.

"Hey! How was your date?" he inquired cheerfully. It only took one look to tell him that it wasn't a greatest night ever. Kero's eyes widened.

"If that son of a bitch tried anything funny like-"

"No no kero!" Sakura interrupted, putting up her hand to stop him, "He didn't take advantage of me or anything. In fact, he was really sweet and I had a great time…" her voice trailed off. She scrunched up her knees and wrapped her arms around them.

"So what's the problem then?" Kero asked, landing on her knee. Sakura shook her head.

"I don't know…" she lied. Because she did know. She knew that things would never work with Andrew when her heart was still held by someone else. Kero sighed and as if reading her mind, said

"It's Syaoran isn't it…" Sakura groaned and buried her face in her hands. Kero took this gesture as a sign that she needed to be left alone and out of respect for her, he slowly fluttered off.

A few hours later, between the electronic buzz of his video game, Kero heard Sakura trudge up to her room and quietly close the door. He awoke the next morning and floated over to her domain only to find that she had left the house early on some business which Kero knew couldn't have been work because Saturday was her day off. He sighed deeply and turned to head down to the kitchen. It was then that he saw a photo of Sakura and Syaoran, the one that yesterday had lain in the corner, pushed into the back of a girl's memory. Now it stood proud at her bedside table, free of dust. A brown teddy bear sat to its right, smiling at the winged guardian.

Sakura walked through the park, her steps light but not frisk. She soaked in the peacefulness of her surroundings every now and then interrupted by a child's laughter. The air was cooler now that the summer was slowly dying as autumn's reign approached. It smelled of freshly cut grass that the morning dew had frosted.

Sakura had dressed simply this morning: a pair of denim jeans and a white blouse. In her hand, she carried a black purse which held her cell phone, which was turned off, and a few other condiments necessary to the female figure such as lip gloss, mascara and a compact mirror. The bag swung at her side with each step.

She passed the penguin slide, her thoughts shifting back to her Cardcaptoring days. She remembered it clearly- when Syaoran was enchained by thin threads or the time that she had nearly suffocated in a pool of stuffed sheep. Sakura chuckled at that thought and how childish it sounded now. How things differed from childhood to adulthood. She paused for a moment and watched two little boys race around the penguin slide, beaming of innocence. On the swings, there was a boy and a girl. They swung back and forth until the boy got off and stopped the movement of his friends'. She pouted at first but then the boy reached into his pocket and brandished a slightly smashed daisy. Sakura smiled as she saw the girl's face light up. Then she wondered if she would react the same way if Syaoran brought her a flower.

It took Sakura a while before she realized that she had wandered off to a quiet bridge that connected two sections of the park. It was here where she and Meilin had first met, she recalled. As she took a few steps, the memories flooded back. Sighing, she stopped and stood, resting against the edge and watching the water gently wash over the rocks, wishing that it too could cleanse her life of this terrible ache she felt for Syaoran. Her vow a few days ago to forget him and move on had been broken quite easily. It was amusing how people thought that willpower could win against matters of the heart.

Syaoran ran, feeling his muscled legs push off the pavement. With each stride, he knew he was growing stronger and so he pushed on. Running had been a solution to him for many years. It was sort of a motto: when in doubt, run. And so he did. He ran whenever he felt dazed or troubled over something and after a while, the steady pounding of his heart and the adrenaline coursing through his body would calm his mind and reduce pestering thoughts to a minimal concern. Now that he was in the city, the only place where he could truly run was the Central Park. He was careful to avoid contact with any human being and when he passed any, kept his head low. A knife was tucked carefully in his pocket. The air here was much thinner allowing his usually strenuous run to appear as nothing more than a light jog. Following the turn of the pavement, he heard the sound of rushing water.

Sakura hear someone approaching her to the left. She instinctively reached for the key around her neck, knowing that there was a possibility that it would do little to help her after what happened last time. She turned.

Syaoran stopped as the figure on the bridge faced him. Beads of sweat dripped down his face.

Sakura stood frozen. It couldn't be…

After his years of training, Syaoran couldn't run fast enough away from Sakura. Or perhaps he didn't want to. Something kept him rooted firmly to the ground as Sakura bounded into his arms which had magically opened to greet her. Her slender limbs wrapped around his neck as her head found its way to the nook of his shoulder. Syaoran's arms closed around her form whether or not he desired to.

Sakura could feel his heart pounding as they stood there and she was sure that he could feel hers as well. Time seemed to have stopped. The stood there, locked in each other's embrace, one unleashing all of their feelings and the other, trying desperately to suppress them. An eternity later, they pulled away from each other yet the distance between them was insignificant.

It was then that Syaoran realized how beautiful Sakura had become. The other night, the darkness and strain of battle had rendered him blind to how much she had changed. Gone were the short strands of auburn hair, now replaced by tresses of the same hue that seemed to float in the breeze. She had grown taller due to the help of long, slender legs. But it was her eyes that captured him the most. Emerald jewels that glittered like stars in the night sky.

"Syaoran…" Sakura searched for words to say, "…you-you came back." It was half a question and half a statement. Syaoran's throat was dry.

"I won't be here for long." He said, slightly diminishing the small sliver of hope that had grown inside of her. Sakura wiped away the dew that had formed around her eyes.

"How are your wounds?" he inquired, trying to keep the topic as impersonal as possible. Sakura smiled and Syaoran felt the heat rise to his face.

"They're much better, thanks to your ointment." She replied, never taking her eyes from his gaze.

"I see." He said, "I'm glad you're okay…" Then he pulled away from her.

"I apologize again for what happened the other night…as I said before, I promise it will never happen" he said and began to turn when she caught his hand. He turned back around

"Syaoran. If you're in any kind of trouble, please let me help you…" she said softly, pleadingly. Syaoran immediately shook his head. He rememberd his personal promise to himself. That he would not allow her to get involved. That he couldn't stand to see her hurt. That this affair was his own burden. That he would do anything necessary to make sure she stayed out of it- no matter the consequences. Oddly, Syaoran felt his loyalty to his vows weakened by a single smile.

"What trouble I have is none of your business." He snapped back, hoping that she would get the hint. Immediately, he regretted being so harsh with her. Sakura shook it off and persisted.

"Five years ago, you helped me through my problems. I'm merely returning the favor." Continued Sakura.

"I don't want you involved in this." He stated firmly. Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"Why not? Is it because you're trying to protect me? Haven't you realized that by now, I don't need to be protected?"

"Sakura, listen to me-"

"No! I'm tired of people thinking I'm weak-" Syaoran gripped both her shoulders to stop her.

"I don't think you're weak." He started slowly, "But what I'm up against possess strength far beyond yours or mine."

"Syaoran… then why can't we work together to solve it?"

"Because-"

"Because of what?"

"I can't say."

"Why the hell not?" Sakura could feel her blood rising. She cared for him so much that it both pained and angered her that he couldn't trust her enough to confess his deepest secrets.

"You wouldn't understand…"

"You're the one that doesn't understand!" exclaimed Sakura. She shook free of his grip, " I waited- I waited for you Syaoran, for five frickin' years! Hundreds of unanswered phone calls and letters. You don't understand what it's like to have so much hope for something that you hold on to their very memory in hopes of them returning! And then once they return, they tell you they don't want you involved in their 'business'." Sakura cried. She could feel the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Syaoran turned away from her and began to walk off. Unbeknownst to Sakura, the pain inside his chest was throbbing even more than hers. He could here her audible attempts to stifle her emotions.

"I'm sorry I put you through five years of misery," he began not turning back, "But this is something I must do on my own."

Then Syaoran's eyes widened. Out of the corner, he saw a sharp object whizzing through the air, aimed at Sakura. Whirling around, he dove at her, sending them both colliding to the ground. The object grazed his shoulder, slicing the skin. He quickly jumped to his feet and dragged Sakura to hers as well.

"Syaoran are you-"

"I'm fine but we need to get out of here." He said quickly, his eyes darting wildly. "Quickly, run!"

Sakura didn't need to be told twice. She yanked the key from her neck and gripped it in her hand. Syaoran had also reached for his weapon although he doubted it would do him much good. They sprinted past the bridge as another dozen star chips whipped through the air. Once again, both dived to the ground. Only this time, when they got up, they realized that they had fallen into a trap. About twenty robed ninjas, as black as the night, encircled them, their swords glinting maliciously in the daylight.

Syaoran reached for Sakura's arm and pulled her closer, whispering softly, "I'm going to attack this guy in front of me and when I do, you run and get as far away as possible." She shook her head.

"I'm not leaving you." She whispered back, showing him her key. Syaoran was about to comment on the last time she had tried to use her magic or how incredibly stubborn she was but fate failed to give him a chance. Syaoran jumped right before three blades could come crashing down on him. Sakura raised the key and concentrated, waiting for it to open. It didn't. A ninja rushed at her and barely missed as Syaoran shoved her out of the way.

"Sakura, RUN!" he cried while fending off five men with a sword that he had retrieved from one of their fallen. Sakura glanced and saw a sword nearby. She grabbed it and whipped it around just in time to block a potentially fatal blow. The guy she was dueling with was undoubtedly stronger than her and each time their swords clashed, Sakura could feel the vibrations on down her arm. Still she held her ground, trying to think of what she would have done using the sword card. Taking into account his tremendous size, Sakura turned and ran towards a tree. He followed and swung hard, lodging his sword into the trunk as Sakura darted out of the way. With a battle cry, Sakura lunged at him with her sword only to discover that his leg had connected firmly with her gut. Sakura was sent reeling backwards, the force of the impact driving her to the ground. The wind had been knocked out of her and she struggled to get up. The man brought his gigantic fist down but Sakura rolled away in time, managing to kick the bottom of his chin with her foot. She grabbed a wooden bat from a nearby body and bashed the head of her assailant. She repeated the motion until his fist collided with her cheek. Sakura landed about ten feet away, the left side of her face numb. As she lay there, her assailant sauntered towards her, the malicious silver tongue of a sword in his hand.

Syaoran withdrew his sword from the neck of a man, A splatter of blood erupted from the neck as the man dropped, lifeless to the ground. Syaoran glanced around and saw Sakura on the ground, edging away from a ninja who was twice her size. Syaoran raced towards them and leapt into the air. He swung the sword and a few seconds later he landed on the opposite side of Sakura's attacker who had now, stopped his advance. Sakura couldn't find the voice to scream when his head disconnected with his body and plopped to the ground with a sickening thud. Her horrific view was immediately blocked by a concerned Syaoran.

"Sakura! Oh shit…I knew this was going to happen…" he muttered, "are you alright?" Sakura nodded weakly although her physical appearance did not correspond with her reply. Syaoran scooped her into his arms, which Sakura noticed was laced with crimson cuts. She motioned for him to put her down.

"Sakura, I don't think that's a good idea."

"You're already injured enough…" she said. Syaoran shook his head. Why was she so damn stubborn? Sakura took a few weary steps. That last blow had really affected her more than she knew. The world was beginning to spin. She felt strong arms once again around her and then lift her off from the ground.

"Syaoran..no…" Sakura whimpered. She cursed herself as to why her magic hand't worked. That was twice in a row now and each time, someone had gotten hurt because of it.

Syaoran looked down at her, his face bruised and spattered with the blood of the assailants. She reached out a hand to wipe away the blood from his face but he caught it, brining it back down to her side.

"I'm afraid you're in no situation to argue." He said to her. He was right; Sakura relaxed and allowed him to carry her home. He took the backstreets and made sure no one saw them. Jumping over the wall to Sakura's backyard, he lightly banged on the back door with one fist.

The door opened and Kero's mouth dropped.

"What the hell happened to you two?"

Review please! And don't forget to check out my other stories which I will TRY to update sometime in the next week. Merry Christmas everyone! Love- JoocieFruit