" As I read this article, I smiled at how well she described everything without giving
way to the gory details. She probably wont read this, and probably doesn't care but im
writing to make it known that 'the leader of the vagabonds' has read it and nearly
choked up, which is saying a lot for me. Glad to heat im missed and actually worth
looking for.
-Just another Street Rat"
I think I started crying, or it was raining on me only, cause my face was streaked and my
eyes were red. I tucked the paper under my arm and began running as fast as I could down
main street and made my way towards Tomoyo and Eriols apartment.
"Just another Street Rat…" Tomoyo repeated, laying the paper across the kitchen table and
sighing.
"Interesting that he would think that a name like that would make us not realize who he is.
Syaoran Li is not an easy person to forget." Eriol said, looking up from the paper. I nodded
in complete agreement.
"So what do you think?" I asked, hoping they might have an idea as to what I should do. They both shrugged. Damn, I hoped they wouldn't.
"Not much you can do, sweetie, and hey, you said yourself that just knowing he's alive was
enough…" Tomoyo said in a comforting tone…well she meant it to be comforting, it didn't
help much though.
"Eh. I suppose your right. He's alive. That's good enough…for now." I muttered, standing
up and downing the rest of my coffee.
"Will you listen to her? For now? What Sakura?? You think he's magically gonna show up
and…and what? Pray tell, im dying to know." Eriol said snidely. Whoo. That was snappy,
what is he jealous that someone might be more gallant than he? I should have blurted that
out, but the last thing I needed this morning was to fight with the people who were providing
me with room and board. I owed them more than what I already was paying them… But I
couldn't complain much because it was cheaper than an apartment in New York. Those
things are PRICY. I sighed and put my cup in the sink.
"I gotta go to work. See you guys later." I said, turning around and heading out the door.
Work…right. If today's work field required that all you do is sit around and type up simple
stories for about 15 minutes, then fart around for about three more hours and say your doing
work, than by all means, get a job as soon as you can. At 10 bucks an hour for sitting on my
butt, journalism was a pretty cozy job. I couldn't say the same for some of the other people
that worked here, the ones that weren't on the paper. Those like the Photographers.
They're always running to and fro, taking pictures of one thing or another, they remind me
somewhat of worker ants.
I study this particular job because I noticed that there was somebody new today… he must
have replace Lou, who was about three million years old and still working two jobs and
driving. Laci told him that he should quit to savor what little of his health he had left. I
suppose he finally took that idea to heart. This new guy , however, was much younger. He
looked about a couple years older than I, with dark brown hair that was held down under a
baseball cap turned backwards, making his hair stick out at odd ends. He had strange,
yellow brownish eyes… kind of like a topaz, I had seen somewhere before, maybe in a
dream. His skin was a pale color, but he looked well adapted to the outside…and I am
paying WAY too much attention to this guy. I mean, he's just a janitor…but he looks kind of
familiar. Maybe I was in an orphanage with him or something, I dunno. I wasn't gonna sit
here and mull it over. Instead, I thought of something more productive to do with my time;
talk to him.
"Hi!" I called, swiveling in my chair a little. He looked up and shoved a little chunk of hair out
of his eyes.
"Um…hi." he said a few minutes later. Before he said that though, I could have sworn he
said something like "Omygod." under his breath, but what the hell do I know.
"You're new here, aren't you?" I asked, keeping myself busy. He sighed and stood up
straighter, leaning on a desk a little bit.
"Yes…im new here. Replaced Lou on Friday." he said sighing. Ah, I wasn't here on Friday,
Saturday or Sunday, so that's why…
"Hmm. Im Sakura." I said as politely as I could and I managed to get a little grin out of him.
A really familiar grin…
"I know who you are… Im Lee by the way." He said, walking over and shaking my hand.
And now, I am having the weirdest feeling of Déjà vu. I SWEAR I HAVE SEEN THIS
GUY BEFORE. Damn.
"Hey… don't mean to be rude, but do I know you from somewhere?" I called as he was
making his way to the door. He turned around and practically beamed at me.
"Yea…yea you do. " He said. WHAT?? I do?
"I do?? From where! I mean, you look so familiar!" I cried, watching as he tightened his grip
on the trashcan at the fact that I didn't remember…
"Well. You figure it out. We've known each other for a while now." He said, sounding really
depressed. I managed to call out a sorry before he closed the door behind him.
Damn…I'm really confused. I swear I know him, okay, now it's a fact that I do…but I
wouldn't forget somebody like that. Those eyes, you defiantly could never forget. Id have to
mull it over, and fast, because now I feel terrible about not remembering him. Laci came in
around three o clock, with Lee in tow, waltzing right over to my desk…it was creepy the
way she walks. Its more like gliding, because its like, one moment she's there, and then two
seconds later, she's two inches from your face. Highly annoying, but admirable, because
anyone who can 'glide' in four inch heels, gets my sticker of approval.
"Sakura!" she said, sounding genuinely thrilled to see me. I swiveled in my chair and set my
cup of coffee down.
"What's up, Laci?" I asked, my eyes mainly focusing on Lee, trying to figure out where I've
seen him before.
"THIS… is Lee. He replaced Lou." she said, motioning to him. I nodded and smiled.
"Yup, we already met." I said, referring to both times, only the one, I couldn't remember.
"Ah, that makes this easier. Sakura, Your job, whether you choose to accept it or not, it
doesn't matter, your doing it anyways, is to A: Do a hard hitting report on the subject of your
choice, I don't care what it is, as long as its good. And B: You get to show Lee the ropes,
how things work around here and He's going to be doing the photography for your article.
Got it?" she said, pulling up a swivel chair and shoving Lee into it.
"Now then. I have a four thirty appointment with my therapist and if I leave now, I can beat
traffic." she said with a smile and whizzing out the door. Awkward. I never pegged Laci as a
therapy kind of girl, but hey, why not.
"Okay, so that was weird." I mumbled, turning around to face Lee, who was spinning
around much like a small child. Again reminding me of…no, that wouldn't even be possible.
"Okay, so the ropes….right. Its basic and easy. You sit around, pretend like your doing
something while inconspicuously getting something done, just to show that you aren't
completely slacking off. Um, the coffee machine only looks broken, but really, all you have
to do is kick it. It works fine. Ah…um…yea. .. Dammit. Why don't you just out and say
who the hell you are!!" I said, breaking from my tangent and facing him angrily. He grinned
and swiped my coffee, taking a swig and setting it back down.
"Because its more fun this way. And, I always did like it when you were so determined to
figure things out for yourself. Hate to deprive you of the privilege now." he replied snidely.
"That's good coffee, by the way." he said, trying to change the subject.
"Ugh. Cant you just give me hints? A hint? Something??" I pleaded, not helping my case any.
He smiled and nodded.
"Okay. How about this. Ill leave something of significance on your desk until you figure it
out." he proposed. I sighed.
"Fine. Anything's better than nothing. Shake on it though. Don't want you backing out on
me." I said, extending a hand. He smiled and grasped my hand firmly, shaking it once before
letting go, in which he seemed a little hesitant.
And thus it began. Every day I would come in and find something on the right edge of my
desk, right next to my coffee mug. Yesterday, it was a picture of a boarded up door, the day
before that it was a toothbrush. He had even put a blue ribbon on my desk…which only
reminded me of Suppi, and couldn't think of any other reason as to why he would put that
there, so I figured I must have seen him on the streets. We had met a good amount of kids
on the streets, Syaoran and I, it could have been any one of them. This morning, however,
was something that really hit me hard. It was a picture of the bridge we lived under… the
date of the picture was just a couple of days ago, so the thing was still standing, and exactly
as we left it. The black tarps were still hanging, the rubble was still piled to one side…
everything like Syaoran and I left it. My cheeks grew red and I flushed, not sure why though.
As soon as he came through the door with a cup of coffee and his camera, I frowned and set
the picture down in front of him.
"How do you know about this. Never once did I mention in my article about where we lived,
save a little mention of the house, but I never said anything about a bridge…my bridge…
your not spying on me or anything are you?" I asked angrily, tears welling to my eyes. His
eyes, in turn, grew wide with horror and shook his head.
"NO! No…I…I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, Sakura, know that at least, even if you
don't remember it." he said, shaking his head and rolling backwards. He stood up and
walked away, clearly upset about my little outbreak. He was becoming more and more to
me like Syaoran, but I was refusing to let myself believe that it may be him, they didn't have
the same name… that was the only thing that didn't add up however.
Today I came in and began the waterworks before I even reached my desk. It was easy
to see what was sitting on it today. It was my blanket. The one I had carried around with me
for ages because it was my only tie to my mother. I had lost it when Syaoran and I were
separated…I went back to look for it after I was adopted, but never found it. I snatched it
up from the tabletop and held it close, squeezing my eyes shut to block out the tears. It was
clean, I could tell from the way it smelled, but nobody could tell except for me, and maybe
Syaoran, from the looks of it that it was at some point, a blanket. The floral pattern was long
since faded and dirt and grass stains were irreversibly stuck on there forever. There was a
tear along the bottom from when it had got caught on a trash bin one time, and in the upper
left hand corner I could still see it clearly, is where Syaoran had written his name in black
magic marker, he was teaching me English still, when he wrote that, and was showing me
how to spell his name. It was a bit faded, but still clear enough to see that the scratchy
writing spelled out " Syaoran Li." It was about that time that I got hit in the head with a lead
balloon. I rushed upstairs and darted into Laci's room, where she nearly spat her tea over
the whitewashed wall behind me.
"Sweet Mercy Sakura!! What on earth could possibly be of such importance at eight thirty in
the freaking morning??!" she said, wiping the front of her black blouse with a napkin.
"Lee. Is that his real name??!! I NEED TO KNOW." I said severely. Laci looked up and
nodded.
"Yes…well, its his last name. At least. He said he knew somebody here and wanted to
surprise them, so he was going by his last name." she said, my eyes growing wide
and tearing up.
"And…and how…how does he spell it?" I asked shakily, sliding back against the wall.
" L I, why? Do you know him?" she asked, almost like she was expecting it. I shook my
head and pressed the palms of my hands into my eyes.
"Yea." I whispered, moving my hand to the door and leaving without another word. As soon
as I was down on the second floor, I sped past my desk, and flew into the hallway he always
came from, hoping I could still catch him. As I turned a corner, I slid to a halt as I found I
was standing a few feet away from him.
"I…" I called out, not being able to find the words.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered, more tears forming. He looked up.
"Sorry. Sorry? That may be true, but do you have ANY idea what it feels like to finally find
the person you've been looking for, only to have her not remember who you ARE??!" He
yelled, kicking the nearest trash can and throwing a bundle of papers to the floor. I shook my
head. But I knew something similar.
"Yea, I thought not." he mumbled.
"No. I cant say I do. But I do know what it feels like to fall in live with somebody so badly
that when you lose them, its like your heart gets ripped out! I THOUGHT YOU WERE
DEAD!!" I cried, sinking to the floor. I heard him gasp.
"And you don't know what that's like. Thinking and going on with life, thinking that the only
person you ever loved is DEAD. Im sorry. Its been 15 years. Cut me some slack." I said,
drawing my voice to a whisper, watching my tears splat against the floor. Before I knew it,
he was beside me, wrapping his arms around my shoulder. I grabbed onto his jacket tightly,
almost like, if I let go, he would disappear.
"I love you too." he whispered, It was my turn to gasp now, but in relief…or something. I
couldn't really call it that, it was one of those ' everything's okay' gasps. I pulled away &
wiped my eyes on my sleeve, my other hand still clinging to his leather jacket. He looked
down and grinned at me. Something I never thought I'd see again. "Hi." he said flatly. I
laughed, sitting up straighter and switching my hand from his jacket to the floor next to his
hand.
"hey" I replied, getting a grin out of him. He stood up and immediately extended his hand to
help me up. I took it happily and hopped up to my feet, getting wrapped in another embrace
as soon as my feet touched ground. He shifted so that his arm was wrapped around my
waist and we began walking down the hallway.
"Sorry it took so long" I said, regarding both the figuring out it was him and the whole
finding him thing. He shrugged and kissed the top of my head.
"Don't worry about it." he said with a laugh. I sighed, extremely content and looked up at
him, still marveling that he was here. He looked down and grinned.
"What?" he asked. I shrugged.
"Nothing…im just, contemplating whether to kill you for putting me through such hell…" I
said nonchalantly, smiling mischievously.
"Oh? Kill me then? Well then where would you be?" he asked, pulling away from me with a
mock surprised look.
"Well…I've gone 15 years without you, im sure I could manage.." I laughed, attempting to
run when he grabbed me around the waist and spinning me around. When I landed, we were
about inches apart and both panting heavily, both from laughter
.
"Yes, but now that you've found me, I cant imagine you'd want to leave me to rot
somewhere, by your own hand nonetheless…" he said, inching his face closer, so close in
fact that I could feel his breath on my lips.
"Ehh…" I joked, with a shrug. He growled playfully and pressed his lips against mine.
Something I had been waiting for for so long, it was nothing like I had expected. I felt my
arms wrap around his neck and his hands slide around my waist, but other than that, I
couldn't feel anything save for the complete and unadulterated euphoria that was created just
then.
Allrighhtyy. Theres chapter 12!! HOORAAHHHH!!!!!! Throw the confetti and pop
open the kegs ladies and gents!!!! THEYRE TOGETHER!!! YESH…. I know. I
know. Long time coming eh? Okay then, whilst you go about being as ecstatic as I
am, leave a review and ill see you next time!
Ja!
Kirra
Chappy 13 up soon!