Summary: AU-She was kind and too forgiving. Everyone picked on her, beat her. She never seemed to hear them, but it was a heavy burden. What happens when she meets Syaoran, a seemingly ordinary bully? Will she forget the past, and move on? S/S

AN: I've been quite quite busy, and haven't a minute to spare for myself. Finals are coming up in a month or so, I am STRESSED OUT! Ok, in case you're confused, this chapter occurs on a Friday night, I hate skipping days, but it was only like…2…so, I'm sure everyone will be fine. Plus, even though the first part of the chapter is long enough to stand alone, I felt bad for not having Syaoran in it AGAIN, so I'll kind of add the next part to it too.

And please, again, in case some people failed to notice, please don't flame! It's like spam and pop-ups. It's annoying, and I'll most likely block you or delete the review. I mean, thoughtful comments are welcome, but this:

"Wuh Da Fuq Is Dis Crap? This Story Sucs Bigg Time Especially When It Is Written By Someone Like You! No Wonder You Hardly Ever Update! Haha! Suckas!"

That is a big no no. I mean, this person could've spent a few modest minutes reading some fanfiction they liked. It's not like I'm forcing you to read it…ok, anywho! Well, everyone, that's all for now!

"talking"

'thinking'

written/typed

flashback

Crystal Dropplets

By Dream4luv

Chapter 12-Reconciliation

Sakura had gotten out of the hospital by Friday morning. The nurse had made sure she would get better if she took her pills twice a day. Not only that, she had also sent Sakura home with an extra bottle, just in case.

After the incident, Tomoyo had gone by the hospital everyday to visit her. And they had agreed that the weekend she was released, they'd have a sleepover to catch up on old times.

Tomoyo had also (somehow) convinced Sakura to go to a party with her. Everyone would be there she had said, and it would be a good chance for Sakura to get to know everyone and make her "new" mark on the world.

"Ahh! Sakura! I haven't seen you in years! You've grown into such a beautiful teenager!" Tomoyo's mother exclaimed in excitement. "I kept telling Tomoyo to bring you over sometime, and then…well, I knew it would happen!"

Sakura blushed and smiled shyly, "Well, um, thanks Daidouji-san, it's nice to see you too. And you still look wonderful."

"Ah, well, if you need me, you know where to find me!" she said to Tomoyo and Sakura taking a seat on the couch.

"We'll be in my room, so if you to find us, if you get called on emergency or something…" Tomoyo informed her mom while leading Sakura upstairs.

"Your house hasn't changed much." Sakura noted quietly.

"Well, we added a west wing with 10 guest bedrooms." Tomoyo said laughing. "Come on, Sakura-chan, you don't have to be shy around me. I know we've just got to talking a little these few days, but it can be like old times. You used to run around the house screaming your head off, well, at least when my mom wasn't here. There's no need to change that."

"I'm sorry, I just haven't been around you for such a long time. It'll take some getting used to." Sakura said, offering her best friend a smile.

"I know. And I'm sorry that I pushed you around. I drove everybody away from you. I guess you're still not used to people in general..." Tomoyo remarked slightly, grimacing at her own past actions.

"You still know me as well as you used to." Sakura said casually.

"No, I don't think I knew you that well…or else we wouldn't have had that fight. I hate thinking about it." Tomoyo sighed as she shuddered.

"We don't have to talk about it. You can help me with my homework, and then we'll have the whole night to ourselves." She offered.

"Ok." Tomoyo seemed to cheer up as they made the rest of the way to her room.

"Wow, I never knew I could get done with homework so quickly with your help!" Sakura said stretching her limbs as she got up from the table. It had been about two hours and both girls were done with all their nasty schoolwork. It seemed like Sakura had gotten used to having Tomoyo next to her, just like when they were little. It seemed so natural to have her there.

"I guess it comes to me by itself. I like to have time for everything else." Tomoyo shrugged, "But I'm glad I can help, somehow. So what do you want to do now?"

"Why don't you pick?"

Tomoyo looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well…there HAS been something I've been meaning to do for a while."

Sakura looked at her friend inquisitively. "What?"

"These!" Tomoyo squealed as she held up a box set of 5 DVDs or so.

"What are those?"

"Movies! Of you! Remember when I was little and I used to take that video camera everywhere with me? I transferred all the stuff I recorded onto discs and then I wanted to watch them with you. But we never got to, and I haven't touched them since. So, what do you say?"

"Well…I'd say it's too embarrassing, but you're going to make me watch it anyways." Sakura said sighing. "You always knew what you wanted to do, huh?"

"Well, I DID love my video camera." Tomoyo agreed as she stuck the first disc into her DVD player.

"So, how are you doing with that?"

"Well, I got offered a contract in filming one of those high school videos that the administration shows to middle school students, you know, so they know what high school life is like."

"Everyone's got to start somewhere." Sakura said.

"Oh wait! Watch, it's starting." Tomoyo said excitedly, tapping her friend on the shoulder.

By the time the videos had ended, night had fallen, and it was time for bed. Tomoyo slipped into her sleeping bag next to Sakura.

"Ok, talk time, Sakura."

She could hear Sakura sigh next to her. "Yeah, talk time."

"When did we have the fight?" Tomoyo asked as she turned off the lamp light, leaving the room in still darkness.

"I don't know, in the middle of fourth grade year? Is that when we started having problems?"

"Yeah, it was then. I remember. That was the day I had invited you over so I could film you in my first hand made costume. And it was your birthday, and I wanted to surprise you. But I knew you and your mom were spending the day together so I invited your whole family over at 8:00 so we could all get together and see you in costume. At 7:30, I got everything ready, and I was so, so excited to see you. I couldn't wait. But then, an hour passed, and it was 8:30, and you still hadn't come. And I told myself not to cry because I knew you wouldn't let me down. Before I knew it, it was 10:00, and my mom was tucking me into bed. I was crying and angry. I kept thinking to myself that you could've at least called to tell me you weren't coming. I had balloons all over the place, and I had bought your favorite kind of ice cream cake. But you never came."

"I'm sorry," Sakura's whisper was heard in the dark room. "I didn't know how much trouble you went through for me."

"No, it wasn't your fault. It was mine. Because the next day, I was so angry at you for forgetting and not calling. I just left you on the playground by yourself. But then I realized how silly the fight was. And you apologized, and everything seemed ok. But in the middle of that year, we stopped hanging out after school. I thought you had a new best friend. I didn't know why you kept disappearing, and forgetting to call. You were distant at school and hardly ever talked to me. I thought that if you could find new friends, I could find new ones too."

"I know. And I-I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to. I was visiting at the hospital everyday. And when I came home, I was so tired and scared and upset to call you. I didn't want you to know about it because I thought you'd think I was a freak, since my mom was in the hospital…" Sakura trailed off as she gazed out an open window at the moon.

"Wait, your MOM was in the hospital!" Tomoyo asked. Why hadn't she known? Why hadn't she known that Sakura's mom had been sick too? She felt so horrible for getting mad at Sakura. She berated herself. She was so stupid. How could she accuse Sakura without a reason? Without trying to find a reason?

"Yeah, my mom died when I turned nine. She was in the hospital for a long time. Like she was in a coma or something. That day, on my eighth birthday, when you invited me over, she was in an accident, she fell down our attic stairs…and well, we took her to the hospital, and she seemed fine in a few days. But then she forgot stuff. She forgot about me, and…Touya, and dad. She couldn't remember who we were. So we took her to the hospital again. The doctors said that she was losing her memory and ability to function. Something was wrong with her brain and it triggered her to lose her memory of everything spontaneously. They said there was no treatment for her. We asked neurologists and brain surgeons, but they all said it was untreatable. So they kept her in the hospital for a year, and by the end, she couldn't do anything, and we pulled the plug on her." Sakura said, remembering all of it. It triggered tears and she cried silently, burying her face in the pillow. She knew Tomoyo couldn't see her, but she would be able to hear her.

"Sakura. Don't cry, I'm sorry. None of it was your fault. And I'm sorry I didn't know. And because I didn't, I ditched your mom's funeral. I said that I didn't want to have anything to do with the Kinomoto's because I was so angry. I remember it was summer and I had thrown a fit to get away from going. I guess I didn't understand then." Tomoyo could feel her own voice catch in her throat as she admitted all the horrible things she had done, "I didn't know why we were going to your house, I didn't know it was for your mom!" she said desperately

"T-Tomoyo, don't cry. It's not your fault either. And I'm not blaming you. I could hardly understand it myself." Sakura cried, holding her friends shoulder and hugging her tightly.

"But I didn't go! Sakura, up until now, I always thought you had the perfect family. That your dad was wonderful and your mom cared and loved you. I never knew that they…that both of them…"

"It's ok, Tomoyo. No one expected you to know. I didn't tell you and your mom thought you were too young to know. To know what seeing death was like." Sakura said, still sniffling as she held onto her friend's hand.

"I wanted to know. I wanted to be there with you. If you had to see it, I wanted to be there for you, and then maybe things wouldn't have been so bad." Tomoyo sobbed into Sakura's shoulder. "I wish I knew! I left you in sixth grade and I pushed you around. Because I was jealous. That's the truth Sakura, I was jealous."

"Why Tomoyo? You don't have anything to be jealous about." Sakura said calming herself down as she ran her across Tomoyo's shoulders to comfort her.

"I was so jealous, because I thought you had the perfect family. A mom that loved you. A dad that cared for you. A brother that set a perfect example. And I had a dad that had ditched my mom for some tramp at a club and a mom that was almost never home enough to love or care for me. Her business was just taking off then, and she left me with a maid almost everyday! And when she was home, she didn't have the time to play with me or "talk" and the only time she did talk to me, it was about you, and how you were doing! I never knew she kept asking because she knew your mom had died. I was so jealous that you had everything I wanted. But I guess you didn't. And I fought with you over that for years, not even knowing about the truth behind you. I-I bullied you Sakura! I did it and…and I enjoyed it!" Tomoyo cried, still holding onto Sakura's hand as tears slipped down her cheeks into the fabric of Sakura's shirt.

"Shh, you don't have to be guilty. I can forgive you. Because we all make mistakes." Sakura said, a few tears slipping from her lashes, but this time, in happiness. Happiness that she had her true friend back. She rested her cheek on Tomoyo's hair and smiled.

Saturday came like a blur. That morning, Sakura and Tomoyo hung out all day. In the afternoon, Tomoyo took Sakura for lunch. They talked like old times, and they had a lot of fun. Sakura found herself smiling more and more openly for the first time in years. She was so happy that Tomoyo had forgiven her, and all was right again.

"I think you should wear this one!" Tomoyo exclaimed happily, holding up a pink long sleeved top and a black miniskirt.

"Isn't that a little short? Maybe something more…I don't know, um…m-modest?"

"Well…" Tomoyo thought for a while. "I have this one!"

She pulled out a white skirt a little past knee length, and a light blue long sleeved sweater. "It's definitely what you'd wear, right?"

"Yes." Sakura's head bobbed a little as she went to change.

The music blasted loudly as Syaoran took a seat on the couch. Who's party was he at anyway? He'd been invited here, and he probably didn't even know the person who threw the party. He shrugged. Maybe he'd just sit here and be the designated driver for all his friends.

Rika took a seat next to him. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Syaoran shrugged as he waved his hands at the mob of people dancing in the living room.

"Why aren't you with someone? People always hook up at these parties. Even Meiling-chan is with someone." Rika squinted as she pointed at a form dancing against some other guy's body. "Parties are fun. Just give them a chance, ok?"

The girl left to go to the punch table. Syaoran sighed. He didn't really feel like dancing with someone he didn't know. He didn't feel like getting dead drunk. And furthermore, he really didn't know how to dance. So it was out of the question. He stared around lazily waiting for something interesting to come up. His eyes turned to the door when Tomoyo bounced in pulling Sakura in through the door. She had her hands clasped in front of her and she looked anxious.

He laughed to himself. She did look kinda nice. He watched as Tomoyo headed his way, dragging Sakura with her.

"Li-kun, I need you to watch Sakura. I'm going to get her a drink that's not spiked and well, you're the only one she knows. So, could you just stay with her till I get back?"

"Sure, I guess…"

He hadn't even finished his sentence when Tomoyo disappeared. 'Oh well…'

He turned to Sakura, "So, what are you doing here? Did Daidouji force you to come with her?"

"Um…n-no…I wanted to come. We're friends again." Sakura said, fidgeting uncomfortably as she fiddled with a loose thread on her sweater. "We spent the whole day today and yesterday together. And well…even though it's late to have my first party, I want to have a good time, a good experience, you know."

A soft smile spread openly on her face as she looked at her hands.

"Well, parties aren't that great anyway. You dance and get drunk. Plus your ears go deaf the next day. It's not all that wonderful. Not to mention if you drink too much, you get a real hangover the next day." Syaoran said.

Sakura giggled shyly.

"What?"

"Nothing. If you hate parties so much, why come?" she inquired, staring innocently at him.

"Well, I have to watch Meiling. We're cousins, and we live together."

"Oh…" Sakura thought about it, "I guess it makes sense. You love her like a sister, so you want to make sure nothing happens. It's nice that you care about her."

"I don't care about her, she dragged me here. She wants me to learn how to dance! Think of that," Syaoran scoffed and then realized what he had said. He had told this girl that he didn't know how to dance. Would she laugh? Girls always laughed at guys who couldn't dance behind their backs. At least, Meiling sure did.

"I don't really know how either." Sakura admitted, though she didn't seem too embarrassed. "I've never tried before, at least. You're a guy, you have to learn how to dance. People assume girls know how to." Her voice softened to a whisper, "Do you want to dance with me?"

Syaoran spluttered, "W-what? You said you didn't know how to dance, and I sure as hell am not going out there!"

"Please, Li-kun? It'll be fun. You can't learn without experimentation…and, well, it doesn't really matter what others think, right?" she said this as she stood up and offered her hand.

Syaoran looked into the crowd. He didn't REALLY want to dance with her. He didn't REALLY want to make a fool of himself. But, since he had nothing better to do, why not? "Fine," he grumbled as he stood up from the couch and grasped her hand. It felt so small and fragile in his. Her skin was soft and her fingers warm. He pulled her into the crowd.

She looked around, observing all the other teenagers dancing around her. She frowned as she tried to copy them. Her hips swayed slightly to the beat of the music and she brought her hands above her head. It looked strange and unnatural at first, but her eye lids closed as she fell into the rhythm, and her body swayed as if she had been doing it all her life. Syaoran observed her. It probably wouldn't be right if he did what Sakura was doing right now. He stood awkwardly in the crowd.

He was surprised when her voice interrupted his thoughts, "Do I look like I'm part of the crowd?"

"U-uh…yeah, definitely." he nodded as his hands found his jacket pockets, and he turned to go and retreat to the comfy couch when her hand grasped his wrist and pulled him gently to her side. Her backside moved rhythmically against his chest, and her hands lightly placed his hands on her slim waist.

He was a little taken aback, and his hands jumped as if she had shocked him. She turned to face him. She looked apologetically at him,"I'm sorry. I hope you weren't offended."

"Um, not really, just surprised," he said stiffly.

"How about this?" she pulled his hands from her body, and instead, she held onto them, her arm twisting against his. She swayed a little as her arms forced him lightly to move with her. Before he knew it, he was swaying with her, his chin on her head as he was swept away by the music. He felt someone tap against his shoulder, and he opened his eyes.

It was a girl he had seen once or twice before. She had long black hair that was done neatly in a bow. The white shirt she wore clung loosely to her right shoulder and her jean miniskirt was a little too short. Her black 3 inch heals clicked together as she moved a little closer to him. He'd been nice to her a few times. She was one of Tomoyo's friends. Not close, but she ate lunch with the group. Why was she here? "What?"

"Can I dance?"

"Sure!" he heard Sakura say as she moved from him and smiled at the girl. "I'll see you later, ok, Li-kun? I have to find Tomoyo anyway. She's probably worried."

Sakura ran off as the new girl took her place. Her movements were more open, and definitely not as modest as Sakura's had been. She grinded against him, and he really had no clue what he was doing now.

"Hi, I don't know if you know me, my name's Saihara Hana. We've met before, remember? I'm one of Tomoyo's friends?"

"Yeah, I remember." Syaoran said.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me, tomorrow."

"Like a date?" he inquired.

"Yes, of course." The girl said as she swung around to face him, her arms hanging on his shoulders.

"Uh, I guess. If you want." He shrugged. Ok, so he didn't want to go, but it wouldn't hurt. He hadn't had a girlfriend since he was in Hong Kong. Maybe it'd be "good" for him, as Wei had said. It's not like they'd be an item after one date.

The girl's grey eyes shined as she giggled annoyingly, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. "Oh, Syaoran, thank you! Now we can let the whole school know that you and I are officially girlfriend/boyfriend! Hang on sweetie! I'll be back in just a second."

Syaoran gaped. What had just happened there? Oh well. He could dump her if necessary. Besides, she was pretty, maybe he'd get to like her.

"Ok, everyone!" he heard Saihara squeal into the microphone, "Syaoran Li and I are OFFICIALLY going out! So all you sluts keep your hands off of him!"

People turned to look at him. He saw Yamazaki head towards him.

"Wow, you just got asked out by one of the hottest chicks in school! Saihara Hana is known for being extra picky with her men…you got so lucky!" Yamazaki feigned an expression of jealousy, and Chiharu was right next to him to bop him on the head and drag him off somewhere.

Syaoran was feeling pretty lucky.

AN: It's late, I have school tomorrow, I'm not done with my homework, so I'll stop here.