Chapter 9

C.L.A.S.H

………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Normal POV)

Sakura sat on her bed quietly alone in the dark. All the drapes were drawn and the lights were still off. He was now gone.

"I'm so confused." She murmured to herself.

She finally found the force to stand up and leave the room. As she strolled across the living room she saw his shirt on the floor. The same shirt she eagerly unbuttoned. She started to remember how it got there. With wobbly hands she picked up. She glared at it with intensity. Her tears threatened to fall as she slowly released it from her hands. As she stood still in what felt like an empty apartment, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she spoke in a trembling manner.

"It's me, Ryu."

Sakura quickly walked to the door. He looked at her ominously. Tears began to flow from her eyes.

"Sakura, what's the matter?"

Sakura took two steps closer to him and buried her head in his chest. He wrapped his hands around her.

"Why are you crying?"

Sakura didn't want to say anything. She just wanted him to keep holding her. She sniffled and wheezed before pulling away from him.

"What happened to you? Your hair is everywhere and…" he paused. "Did he do something to you?"

Sakura didn't know what to tell him. She shook her head.

"Are you sure? Sakura, you don't have to protect him. If he did something to you, you can tell me." Ryu said worried. He was convinced that Syaoran was the only person capable of hurting Sakura to that extent. (Don't you just hate him right now?)

Sakura nodded again. "I don't want to talk about it…it's not him…it's me."

"You tell me everything. Why not this…I'm worried about you. I think you're trying to protect him. You can't keep doing this…giving him a benefit of a doubt each time he hurts you."

Sakura unintentionally ignored him as she reminisce the last words Syaoran told her.

Ryu noticed the love bites on her neck. His gaze lingered on her neck before he spoke.

"Did he do that to you?" he asked angrily.

"Ryu…I just want to leave this place. I'll explain everything later."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm probably going crash over at one of my friend's apartments…maybe Chicharu's." leaving the apartment was her way of trying to overcome the confusion.

"You can come live with me for awhile."

"Are you serious." She said groggily.

"Yes. Pack everything. Don't leave a single thing behind." He said resentfully.

Sakura walked closer to him and hugged him "Thank you."

As she walked off to pack her things, Ryu pondered. He tightened his fist and thought "How could he do that. I knew I should have never trusted him. I'll make sure Sakura never sees this place again after I take care of him."

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Syaoran looked down at the wooden counter. Another drink and he was ready to call it a night. He kept his eyes fixed on the counter and cupped his hands around his fifth bottle.

"I feel like I drinking till I pass out." He said taking another sip.

"Slow down Syaoran!" Takashi an old friend of Syaoran exclaimed.

They never hang out as much as they did in high school. They often ran into each other at bars or parties. He came to bars to watch sports; his girlfriend Chiharu hogged the TV back at their apartment. Syaoran on the other hand came because he wanted get smashed; He wanted to drink his worries away.

All of a sudden Syaoran started to laugh. He shook his head then kept quiet. Yes, he was officially drunk.

"What's so funny?" Takeshi asked.

"I spilt my heart out for her and you know what she did?" he chuckled.

"Who? What?"

"Sakura Kinomoto…Sakura…Sakura. I did all that I could. I have nothing left…what am I going to do. I can't make her love me…I can't-she thinks she's in love with some asshole."

Takashi laughed inwardly. "I thought you two broke it off years ago? I didn't know you two got back together."

"We never got back together! I hope she'll be happy…who am I trying to kid. I hope she'll be as miserable as I'll be for the rest of my life."

Takashi shook his head feeling nothing but sympathy for the poor guy. "Did you tell her you love her?"

"I told her a lot of things."

"But did you tell her you loved her?"

"It doesn't matter. It's all the same." Syaoran frowned.

"Not it isn't." Takashi argued.

"Yes it is." Syaoran said in stern tone.

Takashi shrugged his shoulders "I might not know much about women but one thing I'm sure of is that women want to hear those words. They are not a lot but they say so much."

Syaoran turned away and mumbled "Well…it's too late now."

"It's never too late." Takashi said unflinchingly.

"When did you become Mr. Sensitive?" Syaoran mocked.

Takashi chuckled "When Chicharu made me take cooking classes and ballroom dancing. You can kind of say I got in touch with my feminine side."

"Oh…" Syaoran then made a face "Why do you let her boss you around."

"The same reason why you'd be willing to do anything for Sakura."

"It's more complicated than it sounds." He laughed hoarsely.

Syaoran sat still. She loved him…she had to. In his mind, it felt like the end of the world.

Takashi now saw his sadness, even under the casual laugher and the bravado indifference.

Suddenly he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around. Ryu was standing before him looking rather aggressive. Something cold and terrifying was in the air between them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

"So that's the asshole." Takeshi thought while taking a sip of his drink.

"What did you do to Sakura?" he growled.

"What happens between Sakura and I is none of your business." He said lightly. Syaoran's strategy was not to take Ryu too seriously.

Ryu roughly grabbed Syaoran's t-shirt. He pulled him then held him tightly against the wall with his eyes staring fiercely into Syaoran's.

Syaoran made a face and chuckled. "What do you plan to do…kill me? You're messing with the wrong guy. Sakura would also hate you if you did." Syaoran knew how to anger him.

"How could you…you never deserved her before and you still don't"

Syaoran kept a grin on his face that made Ryu sick to his stomach.

"You forced yourself on her didn't you?"

The surface smile left his face. His eyebrows descended. A cloud of rage gathered in his eyes. He clenched his teeth and said in an angry undertone "Go to hell"

Ryu grabbed Syaoran's neck and slowly started to choke him.

Syaoran accumulated enough strength to push him away. Ryu fell back a step with a sudden fear of showing his face.

Syaoran's medium built and his wit could have fooled anyone. He was much stronger than he looked or sometimes acted. Ryu stumbled a short distance from Syaoran.

He kept his eyes fixed on Ryu "Did she tell you that?"

Ryu took a deep breath "No…she wasn't able to. She was traumatized."

Syaoran stood up straight and chuckled "I could never do that her." He took a step closer to Ryu. "I hate to break it to you but…" he chuckled again. "She let me kiss her."

"Liar!" Ryu growled suddenly throwing a punch at Syaoran.

Syaoran managed to dodge it. When Ryu let his guard down, Syaoran punched him right between his eyes.

Ryu crouched on the floor and hid his face.

Syaoran gave him a long icy glare before walking away.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Later that night when Ryu reached his apartment, he slowly opened the door incase Sakura was still sleeping. He insisted she sleep in his room while he slept on the couch. As he ambled to the kitchen he saw Sakura standing against a wall close to the kitchen door. She wore a tight white vest with pink cotton shorts that had little white bunnies printed on them.

"Hi." She said in a clear tone.

"Are you fine now?" He asked looking down. He did not want her to notice his disjointed nose.

"What happened to you?" Sakura asked moving closer to him.

"Nothing. It's just a little…"

Sakura held his face in her arms "You don't need to be brave around me all the time. Let me see."

He held his face up high. His nose was red and purple all at the same time.

"Who did this to you?"

Ryu look straight into her eyes "Syaoran did."

Sakura gasped, startled.

"I tell you Sakura, that guy is a maniac. He's insane. I didn't do anything to him. He just punched me." Ryu lied.

Sakura now had a quizzical look on her face. "I can't believe he would do this."

Ryu pulled Sakura for a hug "Don't worry, he'll never come near us."

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

(Syaoran's POV)

I slowly walked through the door throwing my car keys on a nearby table. It was awfully quiet. I found it hard to adapt to this empty feeling. As I walked out of the living room, I noticed that the door to her room was open.

I crept into it…it was empty. The only things that was there was the bed, closet and dressing tabled. It was like she was never there.

"Sakura!" I yelled out her name. Maybe she was in another room. My alibi did not make sense. I walked in every room just to make sure. I found myself back in what was once her room. I sat on the bed and thought of her.

"It's over."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Sakura's POV)

It was a cheerless morning; the sky was overcast with dense vapour like a grey veil. I stared blankly at the horizon from his bed. My head lay uncomfortably on the pillow. The sheets only covered a portion of my body and my eyes were half close. Ryu's room was huge with a bay window and maroon curtains.

I thought about it. I couldn't stop. I thought about him and everything he said. I thought about his strange violent behavior towards Ryu. Before, I would never let my mind wander that far.

My phone rang. I lazily held it to my ear.

"Hello?" I said groggily.

"Sakura, hey. Did you hear about what happened last night at some bar?"

I sat up "It's weird, isn't it. Ryu told me everything." I explained to Tomoyo. "Who told you?"

"Takashi was there with Syaoran, he told Eriol and Eriol obviously told me."

"I can't believe Syaoran would do such a thing." my heart skipped a beat when I said his name.

"It was self-defense Sakura. It's not like he had any other choice."

"What are you talking about?" I stood up from bed.

"Ryu came into the bar, accusing Syaoran of forcing himself on you. Syaoran was pissed. He didn't attack him though; Ryu tried to punch Syaoran but failed."

My jaw dropped. "Tomoyo, I'll call you back."

I marched into the kitchen. He was carrying a loaf of bread.

"Honey what's wrong." He said immediately noticing the frown on my face.

"You lied to me!" I growled.

He turned away and placed the bread on the counter "About what."

"…About Syaoran hitting you. You jumped into conclusions and decided to hit him. He's innocent. How could you?"

He moved closer to the centre table "I wouldn't have if you bothered to tell me everything. Don't try to make it my fault." He growled.

"I was in a state of shock. I was feeling so many things I couldn't talk. I promised to explain it to you didn't I?"

"Okay Sakura, we'll have it your way!" he clenched his fist and banged it hard against the table. His lips were folding into a tight line, like he had an unpleasant thought. Climbing anger on his face broke free.

I trembled nervously at the sound of the bang. A sudden chill struck through me without knowingly.

"Explain. Tell me how he managed to get you in bed with him! The thought of his tongue down your throat sickens me. How could you?" he made a face.

"There you go again jumping into conclusions. I did not sleep with him." I argued.

"But you were going to, weren't you Sakura?" he squinted.

I looked up at him feeling embarrassed. My body somehow froze and I stopped breathing.

He grinned "I guess that makes us even!"

I tried to frame a reply but choked on it.

"How could you Sakura! I thought you were smarter than that. How did he manage to seduce you so easily?"

I saw the pain in his eyes.

"Damn it Sakura…I love you. I deserve you more than he ever will." His voice was now softer.

I closed my eyes "Sorry." I wish I said it with a little more sympathy and meaning but for some reason I couldn't.

"Promise me you will never do this again!" he roared.

He moved toward me, grabbed my shoulder and shook me while yelling "Look into my eyes and promise me." His words were harsh. I didn't want him to see how I was suddenly afraid of him.

I swallowed hard "I promise. Ryu please…let me go…you're hurting me." I said softly.

He reluctantly let me go before wrapping his strong arms around me and burring me in his chest.

"I'll make sure you never leave me my sweet cherry blossom." He brushed my hair with his rough hands. "That bastard doesn't care about you." He whispered huskily.

At that moment I thought "I have to get out of here."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N- I know it's short; I can't promise that the next chapter will be long but it will be pretty good. Don't you just hate Ryu right now?

R&R please (BTW I do not own ccs.)