Way to the Top

by FoxxFeather

[SxS] It was a lesson learnt in Syaoran's life not to judge a book by its cover. He enters the world of fashion and drama, a place where a man shouldn't be. He knew that when he sees his boss, a complete turn of events. Just read the reviews. [R]

4. The Impulse

WAY TO THE TOP

By Freya-Wings

Chapter 4

Wow! I got more than 26 reviews in total! I am very happy with all of your great reviews on this story. I love you all to bits! 'Hug'

I was so happy when I got your reviews that I just had to write it soon. I owe you. But just keep in mind I'm writing three stories plus my homework and a humungous project I have to do, so consider this a good treat. 'grins.' My final presentation is due next week and I will certainly die!

For my reviewers:

seducehotchocolate: I'll take you love lemons. LOL… I'll put that down as your vote. Thanks so much for reading, I have updated as soon as possible. Happytofu well it's great that you like it. And I didn't mean to make it fast. I guess I just want to get the good part sooner. So you like fashion? Awesome! I'll take the little lemon count in the voting. Cheers HUG. Flushpink: I guess everyone says I'm going too fast. I'm sorry. Lol. I'll take that sign as a lemon. Lol… cheers HUG. Totallykawaii: you're such an awesome reader. Well yeah, I don't want the plot to be so boring. Lol. Thanks, and keep reading and reviewing HUG. lidoOlashunsweetie: well, the introduction to Yuuki is on this chapter. Thanks for your review! HUG. Rawristkim: hahahaha… every one as in… all kinds of lemon??? Sure, no probs. HUG. MizUnapprochable:Hello there. Well you have a lot of questions to ask LOL… but the explanation will be set in this or later chapters. As for now, I think you should stick with curiosity; it's much fun that way 'grins.' I can't explain it to you here because that will spoil the story but never fear! This chapter is just ready to answer all your questions HUG. Ffgirl-07: I didn't want that chapter to seem too straight forward. There's a reason behind it… lol.. I've got your vote! Thanks fo0r reading HUG. Cherryheart: thank you very much for the reply. I looked at the story again and noticed it didn't upload properly. So I re-uploaded it. But thanks! HUG To'xx'y: thanks for the comment. Lol… just so you know there was a mistake in the uploading of the story and the French question was suppose to be asked to someone else. So sorry. Cheers HUG. Chibiangelle: a little lemon? Okay. Hm, Yukito will come around, for sure. LOL. HUG

P.S. I have made this story onto characters POV. Just read on… and if you have time, come read my other SyaSa story called 'irreplaceable to the heart.'

Disclaimer: you all know CCS is not mine. If it is, I'll be a millionaire.

Chapter 4: The Impulse

Last Chapter:

She started to push him back and Yuuki was blaring angrily at Syaoran. He pointed his finger at him and said menacingly, 'don't you ever touch my girl.'

Sakura was blushing as she grabbed her coat and pushed him out of the office. Yuuki looked at him before turning around arrogantly and walked out of the office, 'let's go Sakura.'

Syaoran could see Sakura's strange gaze before she closed the door to her own office. Syaoran just stood there in shock. What the hell was that about?

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Syaoran's POV

I felt rather strange the next morning I woke up. The sun was shining on my face, delicately caressing my skin. I groaned and checked my alarm clock. It was half past nine on a Saturday. Today was my day off. I closed my eyes again and felt my head started to spin.

Suddenly, the door to my room opened and came in a yawning Eriol. He looked rather frizzy and his glasses weren't fixed properly on his nose.

'Good morning man,' Eriol said and he opened the curtain, exposing the blaring morning sun onto my face. I groaned and put a pillow over my face. 'It's Rika's birthday tonight. Don't forget to buy her a present.'

'Don't you mean you too?' I asked underneath the comfy pillow.

Eriol chuckled strangely, a mixture of tiredness and surprise, 'well yeah. I choose and you pay.'

I groaned again and threw the pillow at him and Eriol cringed. He smiled at me as I got out of bed. 'So what happened?' Eriol asked as he sat next to me, sipping his morning coffee, 'you look rather blistered.'

'Blistered?' I asked at that odd comment, 'nah. My day at work had never been hectic.'

Eriol nodded as if understanding what I have gone through, 'yeah, I know what you mean. My boss is thinking of firing me.'

I gave a frown at him and Eriol chuckled, 'I kind of went over the board there with his girlfriend.' Typical Eriol, I thought as he sipped his coffee. 'So he saw you this time?' I asked incredulously. Eriol shook his head and fixed his black rimmed glasses, 'no way. I know when to be careful. But I figured he already knew but didn't want to say it to my face. You know, because he lost his girlfriend because of me,' he chuckled again and I shook my head in disbelief.

I finally got up. I had to take today to take some photographs of the list Kinomoto gave me. I walked out of the room and went into the kitchen. I poured myself a hot cup of coffee and shuffled my hair. Yesterday was very strange. First, Kinomoto's brother who happened to be the president of the company showed up unexpectedly and Kinomoto was behaving differently. She looked so upset and angry at her brother, for some unknown reason. And then as soon as I had a special moment with her, another strange person came in and blew me off by pointing his finger at me.

Suddenly a thought struck me. Don't touch my girl? That sentence suddenly registered in my head and a horrible presumption came over me. Does that mean that that handsome blond was Kinomoto's boyfriend? I shouted in my head.

'Syaoran!' a voice called, interrupting my thoughts, 'Li Syaoran. Look where you're spilling.' Reality came over me and I noticed I had been pouring the coffee until it spilled all over the counter and dripped onto the floor. I quickly stopped my bizarre coffee pouring and realized the hot water was on my foot. I yelled in pain and slipped on the slippery water and sent myself flying onto the floor. I grimaced in pain, and struggled to get myself off the floor.

'What the hell was that?' Eriol chuckled as he helped me get on my feet. Like I know, I thought to myself. I just lost track of reality there for a second.

'I don't know but I think I have a headache,' I said as I pressed my hand on my bottom, the pain of falling down still marked at that area. Eriol chuckled again, 'there is something more than just headache. You looked like you went dead there for a moment.'

I groaned and bit my lip. 'Eriol,' I said, 'I think I'm going to go out for a little jog. You want to come?'

'Nah man, it's too hot outside. Besides I have a brunch date with a few girls from the club,' Eriol simply said as he wiped the black coffee from the floor. I raised one of my eyebrows. I guess Eriol would never really change if he's around girls.

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Sakura's POV

I fixed my sunglasses as I exited my car. The morning sun shone on my face and I frowned. Why does my mood never match the weather?

My heels clicked onto the pavement floor as I gathered myself and walked into a small café. When I entered the smell of intoxicating coffee filled my senses. I clutched tightly at my purse as I freed my eyes from my sunglasses to find the person I was looking for.

He was sitting on a small table, sipping his double espresso and looking out the window. When he saw me, he waved his hand and smiled with such grace. I blushed and walked towards him.

'Good morning Yukito,' I said brightly as I sat on the seat opposite of him. Yukito was 5 years older than I am, with amazingly kind eyes and admiral flawless face. His eyes shone brilliantly when he stared into my eyes and I could see deep sincerity behind those rimless glasses.

'Good morning my Sakura-chan,' Yukito said with a sweet voice and I felt my bad mood completely evaporated. This was his magic. Yukito can change people's moods just by seeing his genuine smile.

'You look down Sakura,' Yukito said and frowned. I smiled sadly. Yukito had been the one person in my life that understood me. In front of him, I could be myself. I wouldn't become the hot-headed bitch from the office. I would just be… me.

'Thanks for coming by Yukito,' I said as I placed my order. 'You know I would come no matter what, Sakura,' Yukito replied. I nodded. Of course he had. Through rough and hard times, Yukito was always there for me. This time, I had to get everything out of my system.

I sighed and licked my dry lips. 'Yukito,' I said, 'why does my brother do this to me? Why does he think he could do whatever he wants with me?'

Yukito's face suddenly grew serious and he replied with a soft tone, 'Sakura. Last night you met Ryu Edwards?'

I frowned and nodded. So Yukito knew about that. Of course he would, he was Touya's good friend. Even if he didn't work in our company, he comes along often to see Touya. There was a special bond between him and Yukito that they strike me more than just mere friends.

I sighed. Should I reveal our secret to Yukito? I thought hard to myself. I have been keeping this to myself all this time. I had to tell my secret to someone or I would lose my head. This was our company's secret. What would happen if I told Yukito?

No, I said to myself, I was determined to tell Yukito. I had to tell him.

But Yukito seemed to understand my facial expression and he smiled, 'Sakura-chan, you don't have to force yourself.' I could feel a huge knot in my throat began to grow. My chest hurt and I bit my lips to imprison my bursting emotions.

'I need to tell you Yukito, before I lose my self control,' I spoke bravely; 'I trust you will keep what it is I am going to tell you.'

Yukito glanced into my eyes and found myself silly. Of course I trust him, I thought in my head.

I sighed again as the waiter brought me my ice lemon tea and continued, 'you know Touya-sama for almost 5 years now. He had always kept secrets to himself. He didn't want to burden anyone. Since my father got into prison he had been acting very differently. Our relationship grew tense, not as soft as they were before.' Yukito slowly nod his head in appreciation and I gulped, realizing I will be telling the whole truth. 'The reason for that is because of Ryu Edwards.'

Yukito saw my terrified face and took his hand and held mine to his. I could feel his warmth relaxing me. 'My mother had built this company from scratch. We grew up within her hard work so, since we were little we were put into an environment that keeps us pressured and demanding. But her hard work paid off and then we began living in a dream world, a world where I felt pure happiness.'

I gulped and sipped on my cold ice lemon tea, releasing the stoned muscles of my shoulder and spoke again, 'But at that time we were very happy. I swear to god we had never been happy in our entire life. Our father was also a perfect human being. He had supported my mother every step of the way.'

Yukito held my hand tightly and I felt my cheeks blossoming. I shook my head and was determined to continue. 'Suddenly… we had a problem, a big problem. During the economic crisis we were slowly suffering. We had lost more than just the company …' I paused as I felt tears began to take over my sight.

I shivered and felt my body weakened all of the sudden. 'I didn't want to talk about this to anyone but you Yukito,' I said and forced a small and sad smile, 'I need you to understand. After my mother died, the same time the company lost millions of dollars, and also... when my father got into prison because of his stupid fucking drug consumption… He had been using them ever since my mother died. I thought that my life would never be the same again. Our happiness only lasted a while… and that was it.'

I looked up at Yukito with glimmering eyes, 'it's as if my brother and I were punished for being happy.'

A sudden weariness spread over my body. I felt weak and tired. Yukito held my hands and squeezed it, absorbing my helplessness. Yukito looked sad as he stared into my teary eyes.

'So why did you have to see him last night?' Yukito looked at me with a worried expression on his flawless face. I sighed and breathed out, 'that bastard wants to make an agreement with us. He wants to buy the company from us. Just as you would have probably thought too, Touya didn't atone to that decision. Even when we both knew Ryu Edwards could help save the company. But it was our mother's hard work. If we sold the company to him then my mother's sacrifices would just go to waste.'

Yukito made a sad smile and held my hands tighter, 'Sakura, you have gone through a lot of hardship. I know you have a strong heart. I'll help you think of something.' I chuckled strangely at the thought of how, after all the sacrifices and hard work my mother had suffered to get us this far, she didn't gain the everlasting happiness we all thought we could have.

'Yukito,' I said again with a tired look in my eyes, 'there is another way to stop Edwards from buying our company.'

Yukito frowned and waited for my response. I gulped and felt my throat dried, 'Ryu Edwards would consider cancelling his proposal if only… I would marry his son.'

Yukito stared at me with wide eyed and I thought my heart stopped as I announce the agreement to Yukito. 'So… what was your decision?' Yukito breathed, a deliberate shocked expression broadened on his face. I breathed a sigh and bit my lip. If anything could save this company was only for me to marry his son, Yuuki Edwards.

I didn't answer to that question, many thoughts swirling inside my head. I thought my brain was going to explode from all the problems I faced each and everyday. This was by far the most complicated problem I faced. Yukito looked at me with a remorseful gaze and held on to my hands tighter as if giving me strength. I looked up to him and saw a supportive gaze on his face. Yukito's magic was always the one that keeps me going.

'Yukito,' I barely whispered, 'I don't know what I could do without you.' Yukito smiled and I felt more encouraged.

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Syaoran's POV

The bustling streets were filled with working people passing by. So many different people walked along the concrete path and I felt odd to see all these different faces as they pass by quickly. The place was crowded and I took the advantage to snap some photographs. The sun was shining brightly and I relished on the hot rays of sunlight against my skin. Not everyday I could get a tan, I thought to myself as I rolled up my short sleeves.

Suddenly I noticed a familiar figure walking in front of me. It was a silhouette I have come to be proverbial with. I grinned when I noticed her golden brown hair gleaming healthily over the bright sun light. She walked towards the end of the walking path and looked at her watch and frowned. I ran quickly to her, feeling breathless every time I saw her.

'Good morning Kinomoto-san,' I said when I reached her. She looked towards me with a surprise on her face.

'Well, hello Li,' Kinomoto said with barely a smile. I made a small smile. So she changed to the office bitch already, I thought in my head as I saw her usual arrogant face. Kinomoto looked at her watch again and groaned, 'time is precious Li. Are you snapping pictures like I told you to?'

I smiled and nodded, 'yeah, I was just having a little jog and I took the advantage to snap some photographs. I think I've got some great shots,'

'Well you have to give me good shots if not you are not competent enough to be in our company,' Kinomoto said with a flat tone. My mood dropped a little and I rolled my eyes. I think she kept saying that phrase 17 times a day to my face.

'Hey, are you free or something?' I asked casually, realizing I didn't want to leave her. There was something rather peculiar when she stepped off out of the café, as if the coffee she probably had had drained her mood.

Kinomoto looked at me with a strange expression and her black limousine slowly parked in front of us. I nodded in understanding as the driver got out of his seat and opened the door.

'Why do you ask?' Kinomoto asked me. I smiled and said, 'well there is a great place that I wanted to show you all this time. I mean, I know a great place where you can see good shots of people of the streets. You see, my friend Rika own a gallery just down the block and she puts up photographs and artworks of infamous artists. You would be surprise with all the great shots they take with limited budget.'

'Tell you what, why don't you make a copy and give them to me,' Kinomoto said with a bossy tone and was about to get into the car when I held her arm. I was rather tired of her rude mask she puts on every time she has her work clothes. I knew she didn't really mean what she said. She looked up with a surprise face and I grinned, 'It's your day off isn't it. Come on, come with me.'

Kinomoto was about to protest but I took her arm, wave an apologetic smile to the grinning driver and walked away from the car. Kinomoto wiggled away from my grasp and she looked at me with an angry face. Goodness, I awoke the beast.

'What the hell do you think you are doing?' She yelled in my face but I only smiled and gave her an apologetic glance. If she wanted to fire me, she could've fired me ages ago.

'I'm sorry I was being rude, but I had to save you before you drown in your own misery,' I said as I stared deeply in her eyes. Yes, she had a sorrowful gaze. Something or someone was hurting her and I could see, only for a second, a little glimpse of fear in her eyes.

'So you think I would follow you after treating me like that?' Kinomoto demanded and blushed as I took her hand gently and gave a delicate smile. She looked away, looking flushed. I grinned. I knew there was something different today.

Without saying another word, I took her hand again, this time more gently and walked slowly. At first she resisted but the driver had already run off and she quietly followed me.

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Sakura's POV

Who the hell does he think he is? I screamed in my head as I followed him. He was wearing a casual outfit and I was wearing my working Prada clothes. What kind of a couple were we? I thought as passerby passed us, looking at us strangely.

Li was grinning to himself and smiled at my annoyed face every once in a while. I had no idea why I gave in and followed Li. Maybe it was because of that incredibly handsome smile he gave me. Or probably because I felt vulnerable after I spoke to Yukito about all my problems.

I glanced at the grinning young man beside me. He was handsome in his own way. He had such delicate and yet deeply intensifying eyes. When he charmingly smiled, I swore he took my breath away. I made a small smile, wondering why I blush every time I see his handsome face.

Soon, we stopped in front of an old looking building. It had an old oak door surrounded by old red bricks. I wondered what year this building was built. Before I could think further, Li had already ran up the steps and paused at the front of the door and looked back at me, 'hey boss, come on up.'

I frowned and gave him and annoyed look which he just shook off with his cocky grin. I bit my lip and felt my feet moving on its own, up the stairs. He opened the large oak door and we entered to find the most beautifully spectacular large space. The room had high ceilings and it was filled with partitions which held various artworks.

Before I knew it, my eyes widened in awe and were drawn to the room. I didn't notice the smirk on Syaoran Li when he heard my awing gasp. I scanned about the room. It wasn't as glamorous as most of the art exhibitions or galleries I have ever been to. This one drew a homey familiarity and I noticed the partitions were positioned to make it look more welcoming.

Li walked pass me and looked around. 'Rika-san!' he yelled and a few seconds later, a young woman with a white short skirt and loose turquoise shirt walked in. She looked so beautiful and mature. She smiled genuinely at me and I noticed her intelligent brown eyes.

'Syaoran, what a great surprise,' the young woman said with a soft smile. She looked similar to Tomoyo, I thought as she came up to shake my hand. I acknowledged by taking her hand and gave a convivial shake.

'It's great that Syaoran brought other people to see this gallery,' Rika said and smiled. I nodded, not sure about how I should react to that sincere smile. 'This is Sakura Kinomoto, the editor in chief of the company that I am working with now. Miss Kinomoto, this is my best friend and the owner of this gallery, Rika.'

I nod my head and simply smiled back. 'It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Kinomoto,' Rika said.

'It looks like a beautiful gallery,' I said with a flat tone. She looked at me oddly but then smiled again. What a strange woman, I thought as she grasped Li's hand and swing it back and forth. I saw what they were doing at the corner of my eyes as I pretended to scan the place and felt a pang of jealousy.

'Syaoran, you're coming to my birthday party tonight right?' Rika said with a friendly smile. 'Of course I will Rika. And I have made sure Eriol will not bring along his girlfriends,' Syaoran said with a chuckle. They both laughed heartily, and I could feel their friendship. Suddenly, I felt so alone. They both looked so comfortable with each other, showing their childish character.

Then Rika looked at me and beamed, 'hey, maybe you can come too. Oh, it will be great if you could come, Ms. Kinomoto.' I was startled by the invitation and wanted to decline but then paused. I saw the twinkle in the young woman's eyes and she reminded me of someone I knew. Li was looking at me curiously and I was about to say something but Li interrupted, 'you know what, I think it would be great if you could come. It'll be quite different, Miss Kinomoto.'

I felt my chest hurt when he said Miss Kinomoto. The only people who called me by my first name were only Touya, Yukito and the insufferable Yuuki Edwards. I licked my lips and tilted my head, 'I'll see about it.'

'Well there are some rules though,' Rika said with a dangerous smile. I looked at her, intrigued, 'what do you mean?'

Li laughed and put his hands on her shoulders. Unwillingly, I felt my heart twist in every direction. So she's a friend, best friend or…. 'Well first of all, you are not allowed to wear formal attire. If you do not follow that one particular rule, don't even bother coming,' Li said with a smirk, 'and second of all, you have to talk to all the people and play whatever games we want.'

I gulped but smirked a little. 'A-ha, well, I'll see what I can do,' I said and Rika giggled.

'Hey Syaoran, why don't you get the address to Miss Kinomoto? The paper is on the top shelf near my reading books,' Rika said. Li groaned but nodded and took off. Meanwhile Rika smiled at me and said, 'this is your first time in this gallery. Let me show you all of the artworks for you.'

I was about to say that I needed to go back but Rika already took my hand and led me to a larger room. I saw with great surprise at all the photographs. They were placed each one in separate walls. There were different sizes, and had different attraction.

'These are all the artworks of photographers,' Rika explained as I traveled my eyes around the artworks. There were quite a few that I found strange, but then I paused when I saw a photograph of a young woman. She was looking straight into the camera and her freckled cheek was glimmered with a single tear.

Rika saw what I was looking at and came over. She smiled and asked, 'fascinated? It's called what is the meaning of love.'

I didn't say anything. The picture took my breath away. It was such a simple composition and yet I felt like I know what the young woman was feeling. I traveled down to the title and saw with bold letters 'by Li Syaoran.'

I gasped when I saw the name and Rika smiled broadly, 'this one was also Li's favorite. This photograph came second in the spring photograph competition. We were all fascinated at how Li could capture emotions. It was as if he knew what she felt and transfer that feeling onto a piece of paper. A picture is worth a million words. This one is much more than that.'

I could feel my chest starting to ache. The young woman had clear eyes that bore deep in me. I could feel my eyes started to blur.

'Hey, this is the address,' a voice called from behind and I was startled to find a grinning Syaoran behind me. He took out a piece of paper and I took it gratefully and said my thanks. Then he noticed I was looking at his own photography and blushed.

'This is beautiful Li,' I whispered, my breath taken away, 'you are very good at capturing emotions.'

Li blushed and I didn't see Rika's small understanding smile.

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Syaoran's POV

A few minutes later, Kinomoto was out of the building. I joined Rika at the lobby. She looked at me oddly, a serious expression pasted on her beautiful face. 'So tell me, Syaoran,' Rika said as she sat down behind her wooden desk, 'how is she?'

I looked at her and frowned, 'what do you mean? You mean Kinomoto?' Rika nodded in obviousness and I sniffed, 'well, there are some things she does that makes you want to pull out your own hair. She has this work mask every time you see her at the office. She's so bossy and arrogant and quite pretentious.'

Rika made a small smile and I paused, and looked to the ground, 'but, if she takes off that mask, she could be a completely different person, you know. It's like, she is pretending to be someone she's not because of the work demands but I don't see how realistic that is.'

'Maybe she's got a problem at work or in her social life that made her this way,' Rika said softly, 'but when she walked in here, I could see through that mask Syaoran.'

I stared back at Rika and smiled, 'I saw that too Rika. But I knew you could see it better than I do. Darn, you women have observant eyes. No wonder you guys like to talk.'

'Hey that has nothing to do with it,' Rika said in defense as she punched my arm and I winced. I laughed heartily, realizing how happy I was today.

'But, Syaoran,' Rika said with a gentle face, 'just be careful okay.'

I stared back at her, not sure what she meant. But I nodded and then grinned, 'let's see what she's going to wear at your birthday party.'

Rika groaned, 'oh, you make it sound like a 13 year old slumber party.'

'Yeah, with delicious popcorn and amusing pillow fights,' I smirked and received another smack on my arm.

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My friends, big apologies. I am sorry for the late update. I do have a good reason though. So I have made this story longer. I thank you all for your support on this story. The next chapters will double the excitement. Sorry this one is quite boring. I promise a better one.

Meanwhile, please press the review button and ask whatever you want. If there is a mistake or a part that you like, please say so. Also, may I know how old my readers are? I have received the poll on the level of lemony, so we'll see the results in the next chapter.

Cheers to all!

BIG HUG

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