Eight: Kimiko and Chiyo
A couple of Nina's friends crowded around her bed in her small hospital room, gossiping to her. Nina smiled up at them but her expression changed as they started talking about Syaoran.
"You know what, Nina?" a brunette with pretty blue eyes, Kimiko, said. "Li-kun is going out with Kinomoto-san!" Her expression was one of disgust, like Sakura was a boil that had appeared on Syaoran's face.
Another girl, a blonde, Chiyo, nodded her head. "It's crazy! She probably seduced him; she probably doesn't even care that you're here in the hospital, suffering!"
Nina cocked her head and laughed. "Chiyo-chan, I'm not even suffering. They said I'm going to be out of the hospital in a week or so. Are you talking about Kinomoto Sakura-san?"
The two girls nodded.
"She's not like that, guys. She's a good girl." Nina smiled and waved her hand, dismissing their crazy ideas.
Kimiko's eyes blazed and she threw her hands up in the air. "No, she's not! It's all an act! She's just really, really good at playing the innocent little girl!"
Chiyo nodded again. "Why did you break up with Li-kun, anyway?"
Nina smiled sadly. "He was distant. It…it was just too painful to be with him and know that he didn't love me the way I loved him," she said, sighing and looking away. "You guys should go. It's getting late."
The two girls said good bye to their friend and walked down the hospital hallway, both deep in thought.
"Kinomoto isn't as innocent as she seems," Kimiko said suddenly, as if she was reading the words off a script and she had just remembered her line.
Chiyo nodded yet again and said, "No way. She just wants Li-kun for…for something."
"Maybe she doesn't even want him. Maybe she just doesn't want Nina to have him!" the brunette said loudly, looking at Chiyo. "You know what?" she said in a much quieter voice.
"What?" Chiyo whispered.
"Let's make sure Kinomoto slut-san can't have him either."
--
SAKURA
There was a quiet knock at the door and I stared at the dark wood of it nervously. I looked at Touya and he cocked an eyebrow, his expression reading I just cannot wait to kill this Syaoran punk. I took a deep breath, got up, and answered the door.
"Hey," Syaoran said in his soothing voice. I smiled and started to get on my tiptoes to give him a kiss when my darling brother cleared his throat.
I glanced over at Touya and gulped; from the angle he was sitting at, he couldn't see Syaoran yet, and part of me wanted to shove Syaoran out the door and run away from Touya with him. Maybe to Alaska or something.
"Sakura," Touya said, a warning in his voice.
I took another deep breath and, grabbing his hand, I led Syaoran into the house. "Touya, this is my boyfriend, Syaoran Li. Syaoran, this is my older brother, Touya." I smiled widely, but the tension between the three of us was so thick I could've used it as a blanket.
"Hello," Syaoran started politely, holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Touya shook Syaoran's hand gruffly and looked him up and down silently. "Sit," he finally said when he let go of Syaoran's hand.
I was about to sit next to Syaoran on the long couch but Touya gently gripped my wrist and pushed me down to sit next to him. "Yes, Touya, I would love to sit next to you," I said sweetly, a layer of sarcasm coating my words.
"I'm sure you would, kaijuu," Touya said, glancing at me for a second before turning his head to glare at Syaoran.
"I'm not a monster," I mumbled, blushing. Syaoran smiled at me and I smiled back. Touya frowned.
"So. Do you think Sakura's 'hot?'" Touya said, his gaze on Syaoran never wavering.
"Touya!" I punched my brother on the arm and quickly looked at Syaoran. "You don't have to answer that! I'm so sorry! Oh! Syaoran! W-would you like some-something to drink? We have soda and lemonade and o-orange juice and, and--"
Syaoran looked like he wanted to chuckle but was scared to. "I'll have some water, please."
I quickly bolted out of my seat and rushed over to kitchen, blushing furiously. Touya was so embarrassing! I breathed in and out and few times and grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and a glass for Syaoran.
"How long have you been with my sister?" I heard Touya ask Syaoran quietly but roughly.
"A few weeks," Syaoran answered coolly. I smiled; I'd never seen Syaoran get nervous or anything. It was weird because Touya had made some of my other boyfriends cry.
I walked out of the kitchen hurriedly and, of course, I tripped over the edge of the rug and let go of the glass and water bottle, ready for impact with my carpet. But it never came. I opened my formerly shut-as-tight-as-humanly-possible eyes and looked at the person who was holding me.
--
SYAORAN
"Ah!" was the only thing Sakura muttered as she tripped over something and let go of everything she had been holding. I jumped off the couch and scrambled to grab Sakura, just barely catching her by the waist and stopping her from face-diving into the carpet.
Sakura's eyes burst open and she looked at me, staring to laugh. "Thanks, Syaoran. You always save me."
"Don't mention it," I said, kissing the top of her head. She smiled sweetly and then tensed up.
I wondered what had made her nervous when suddenly I remembered her brother, who was, truthfully, scaring the shit out of me. If looks could kill, I would've dropped dead as soon as his eyes laid on me.
"Sakura, are you okay?" he asked, his eyes softening when they landed on her. He was so protective of her; it was sort of sweet, in a scary way.
Sakura nodded and smiled bravely, like she always did when she fell or anything. "Yep! Oh my gosh! Did that glass break?" She wriggled out of my arms and visibly relaxed when she saw that the glass was by the door, in tact. "Okay! Good! Okay, guys, I'll be right back," she said, looking from me to her brother worriedly.
"I'm not gonna kill him, Sakura," he said jokingly, grinning at her.
She sighed and smiled, bounding up the stairs. I took my seat on the couch again and ran my hand through my hair.
"She falls a lot," her brother said, also back in his seat, his gaze lingering on the stairs.
I chuckled and said, "Yeah, she does."
"Don't let her get hurt," he murmured. "She's been hurt so much," he added softly, so softly I barely heard him. I didn't think he was talking about her falling anymore. "He…I thought she would never smile after him."
Him? Who was that? Was he talking about Adam?
Her brother looked at me and, noticing the confused look on my face, said, "So you don't know. That's okay; she'll tell you."
Tell me? Tell me what? I was about to ask him what he was talking but Sakura came down the stairs and her brother's attention was focused back on her.
"Hey, kaijuu, I gotta go. I promised some friends I would visit them, too. But I'll be back later tonight, okay?" he said, smiling lovingly at her.
She smiled brightly and said, "Okay!"
"And Syaoran has to leave," he said bluntly.
"What?" Sakura said, paling.
I blinked, baffled. Did he mean forever? Her brother was really confusing.
"I can't leave you at home alone with a boy, kaijuu!" he said, grinning again.
Sakura blushed like crazy, opening and closing her mouth a few times before squealing, "Touyaaa, you're so embarrassing!"
"I know," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Come on, Li, let me be nice and walk you to your car," he added, throwing me a lovely glare.
"Oh. Th-thanks," I said, getting up and kissing Sakura on the lips.
"Bye, Syaoran! Bye, Touya! Drive safe, both of you!" Sakura waved good bye to us from her porch.
Before I got in my car, Sakura's brother passed by me and whispered, "Please don't let her get hurt."
I looked at her again, sitting on the porch, twirling her hair around her finger, smiling like the word 'hurt' wasn't even in her vocabulary. I smiled at her and muttered, "Never."
--
SAKURA
I closed my locker and twisted my lock around, making sure it was locked. I turned around and squeaked when I saw two girls, a blonde and a brunette, staring at me. It was after school, and I'd stayed after for a club, and I'd thought I was the only one left in the building.
"Hello, Kinomoto-san!" the blonde said, her bright blue eyes wide. "You're in yearbook, right?"
I nodded dumbly.
"We'd like to join! Could you show us where the yearbook room is?" the brunette said. They walked closer to me and, for some reason, I backed up against my locker, like there was a force making me recede away from them.
"W-well, no one's there now," I said, my voice fuzzy-sounding.
"Oh," the brunette said.
"S-so?" the blonde blurted out. The brunette looked at her strangely. "Show us where it is so that we can know where it is tomorrow!"
"Y-yeah!" the brunette agreed, nodding.
"Okay," I said, swallowing. I took a step forward and started to walk towards the yearbook room, the two following closely behind me.
"I'm Sato Kimiko, by the way!" the blonde said.
"Tanaka Chiyo," the brunette added shyly.
"And we already know who you are, Kinomoto-san! You're very popular among the students, male and female!" Sato-san chirped.
I stopped at the yearbook room and said, "Well, th-this is it. I'm sorry I can't show you much more."
"Oh, b-but could you?" Sato-san said, looking at me with her wide blue eyes.
"Yes! P-please, Kinomoto-san?" Tanaka-san added.
"Um…I guess I could show you inside," I said, hesitantly unlocking the door and leading them inside. "It's…nothing special."
Sato-san turned to me and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, gruffly pushing me down onto one of the chairs. "You're nothing special."
--
Yes, this is where I'm leaving you guys! Sorry if you thought that the whole Nina thing was done with…well it is, but not Nina's friends! Yay for crazy friends. Ha ha! The next update will be coming soon; promise!
Thank you for reading! And reviewing! All you are so loyal; it makes me emotional. Ha ha. Honestly, though, thanks. :]