May 2008: Deaths in Spring
Again I apologize for the delay due to many issues, so I won't make any promises as to the update except to say I will try to put it up as soon as I can. There is a lot of new material in this chapter, and so I would like to invite you to please read and review; suggestions and criticism are very welcome because while I have a beta for Slowly Sweetly I don't have one for this story. Thank you for being so patient!
And I wonder if you want me to follow the original story or if I can change the ending for this one? Do let me know, please, thanks!
~o0o~
May came into Sakura and Syaoran's lives like a welcome relief; April had lived up to what a poet had once said about it being the 'cruelest month' of all, and it was with relief that the two had caught the last cherry blossoms on Sapporo.
Syaoran had insisted on renting a boat, and when he had, to Sakura's surprise, managed to row it close to the cherry blossom trees lining the riverbank, had gloated, "You thought I didn't know how."
"Well, yes," Sakura grinned. "Seeing as you're inept with everything else."
"Hey!" Syaoran assumed an exaggerated hurt expression. "Is that any way to treat a guy who's been selfless and kind, who's propped you up past the worst times of your life and sacrificed…uh, sacrificed…"
"…his time and dirty jokes to be with me," Sakura inserted playfully.
"Yeah, whatever, now do your sakura blossom viewing," Syaoran pretended to grouse.
Sakura stretched out a hand and caught a little pink blossom. "For you," she smiled.
Syaoran took the flower, turning it over in his hand. He didn't tell Sakura that the reason why he knew how to row the boat was because he had learned it from Loraina, and that they had made love once, in another place in Japan, on a boat as the cherry blossoms fell around them. He'd thought it was one of the most beautiful things in his life. He still did. He missed his ex-wife, and he was grateful that Sakura was such a good friend. Helping her through the mess with Yue had helped him as well by giving him time and space in which he didn't obsess about the loss of Loraina.
A happy laugh cut through his thoughts; the boat rocked slightly as Sakura stood up and threw her arms up in the air. A breeze rustled past, showering them with the blossoms, and she looked so happy, so beautiful that Syaoran had to smile.
"Look, look, Syaoran!" She twirled lightly, not losing her balance despite the mild rocking of the boat. "I can almost believe that I'm in ancient Japan, like I hadn't a care in the world." She sat back down, and took Syaoran's hands in hers.
"I believe there is always a rainbow after storms," she said. Syaoran noted how flushed her cheeks were, how giddy she looked. "I believe that things will be all right. And I believe that we will be all right."
"Doesn't excuse that asshole Yue," Syaoran fought a grin that was tugging the corners of his mouth upwards. "Just because sakura blossom viewing is making you all hanyaan doesn't mean you should forgive the poncy bastard Yue for what he did to you."
"Always, so serious," Sakura chided him. Then she drew a camera from her pocket and snapped Syaoran's surprised look, the flowers, the other boats floating past.
"Have you turned into Daidouji?" Syaoran demanded.
"No, no, but she made me promise to take photos. Here," and she gingerly sat beside Syaoran.
"W-watch it!" Syaoran did not move, scared the boat would tip over; the inn they had lodgings in was quite a ways off if they walked and it was still a bit nippy; Syaoran disliked cold very much.
"Don't worry. Smile," Sakura pressed her cheek to Syaoran's neck—she couldn't reach his own cheek without stretching—and extended the hand holding the camera. A click announced that Syaoran's uncertain smile and Sakura's happy grin had been immortalized forever, and when Sakura brought the camera back, he saw himself, an uncertain smile on his face, beside a happy Sakura. He had to smile.
Going back to her side of the rowboat, Sakura pressed the 'review' button and laughed. "Could you look any more scared?" she teased Syaoran as she showed him the photo; he had a forced smile on, and she had her eyes squeezed shut. "Don't know how to swim, ne?"
"Please," Syaoran said in a mock condescending, hoity-toity tone. "Excuse me but I was worried a certain crazy woman would tip the boat over. My jacket's a Burberry, my jeans are Guess, and my shirt is Harajuku Hardware, you know."
Sakura snorted. "Rich boy."
"Silly girl," Syaoran retorted.
Sakura was about to slap his arm when the boat rocked. She drew her hand back and gasped; as the boat settled, she giggled.
"See what you made me do?"
Syaoran risked a gamble. "What, proved that you are silly?" he twitted her.
"Oh, just you wait until we get back to the inn!" Sakura fumed.
"And what, you'll short-sheet my futon? As if you can." Syaoran grinned.
"Row us back to shore this instant!" Sakura pretended to boss Syaoran around. "And then we choose weapons on land!"
"Bare hands. One arm tied behind my back," Syaoran needled her.
"You…You…" Sakura tried to find words insulting enough to penetrate what she considered Syaoran's thick hide, as he rowed calmly back to shore.
"Don't worry, Sakura, you have all day to find a word to insult me," he drawled.
"Argh!" Sakura turned her back on him. "It's like you're another Touya sent down—no, up from hell to torment me!"
"He wishes," Syaoran grinned as the attendant handed him the docking rope. "Come on, cherry pig, let's go."
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" Sakura slapped Syaoran's arm hard, earning an "Ouch!" from him.
An older couple waiting to use the rowboat looked at each other and smiled.
"You two are utterly cute," the lady, who looked like she was in her early fifties, smiled.
"That's it," the older man coaxed Sakura. "Train your young husband well, so he'll always obey you."
"No, I mean, we…" Sakura blushed. Syaoran gave her an evil grin and put an arm over her shoulders.
"My wife is ashamed because it was she who begged me to marry her," he said with an earnest face. "But I love her nonetheless."
Sakura's jaw dropped open at Syaoran's sheer effrontery. He was definitely winning the battle of wits now.
"Oh, don't worry," the older woman smiled at Sakura, mistaking her outraged expression for shame. "I'm sure he loves you too." She and her husband bowed, then took their places in the rowboat.
Syaoran waved cheekily at them then, "OW!" Sakura had kicked his shin, hard.
"What did you do that for?" she asked furiously.
"Hey. Two losers in the romance department, that's us," he said as he bent down to rub his shin. "Might as well, yes?"
His twinkling eyes made Sakura join in the game. "Only loser I see is you," she sassed back.
He knelt just as a large crowd of Korean tourists passed them. "Please, don't divorce me," he announced in a loud voice. The girls in the group turned, giggling at the sight of a handsome young man clinging to Sakura's knees in what looked like desperation. "I would die without you!"
Sakura, outraged, looked into Syaoran's eyes; he was choking down mirth, which was quite uncharacteristic of him. She was about to kick Syaoran when he turned his amused eyes on her again. She sighed, sat down on the cold ground, and began to laugh. Syaoran in turn began to laugh as well.
"See? Being 'married' to me isn't such a bad thing," Syaoran grinned.
"You would have to pay me," Sakura sniffed.
"Ten yen a day," Syaoran offered a pittance.
"A hundred thousand," Sakura countered, "for putting up with your mood swings and weirdness. Luckily I know I'm not in danger of having to marry you," she smirked, "so no problem there."
Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Come on, I'm hungry," he said as he trudged towards the inn. "Keep up if you can, cherry pig."
"WHAT?"
He laughed then began to run as Sakura chased him. He could almost pretend that all was right in the world, here in the hinterlands where no one knew them both.
~o0o~
When they returned to the city, Syaoran learned of a trip Sakura's father was raising funds for, and decided to drop in on the older man's office at Tokyo University. Fujitaka had invited Syaoran over to give him papers, maps, and photos for the next dig scheduled in the hinterlands of the Philippines. Syaoran was quite interested, and had it not been for some recording obligations with Eriol—and the fact that Touya was coming on the trip—Syaoran would never have bothered inquiring about the trip.
Fujitaka explained that archaeology in the Philippines was a mess compounded by intrigue, politics, and corruption. "But that country has a history which may stretch longer than ours," he explained. "I would like to get the brightest minds there together so that we can figure out what happened in the era when a land bridge connected it to Malaysia and perhaps even to us."
"Wish I could go," Syaoran said wistfully.
"Life sometimes gets in the way, Li-kun, but we work around it." Fujitaka smiled as Syaoran perused some academic papers on the subject. He noticed that Syaoran was fidgeting with his left ring finger, which betrayed signs he'd worn a wedding ring on it until recently. Sakura had given Fujitaka a rundown on Syaoran's sad marriage and the older man placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder.
"Give it time, Li-kun," he had smiled gently.
"Give what time?" Syaoran asked, confused.
"I believe that love always finds a way, and the best kind of love tends to creep up on us when we least expect it."
Syaoran looked away. "I—you know I'm not really over my ex-wife yet, sir."
"Still hurts?" Fujitaka asked sympathetically.
Looking out the window, Syaoran sighed. "She…she was the one who left me…and…" He clenched a fist. "I think I drove her away."
He felt am embarrassed redness on his cheeks; why was he confiding in Fujitaka so easily?
"But," and Syaoran bravely turned and forced on a smile, "Sakura has been my friend. She…she helped me see things. Maybe…Sir, may I ask you something?"
"Of course, Li-kun."
"How long…how long did it take for the pain…to go away…when your wife died?"
"It never really does," Fujitaka's smile faded a bit. "You learn to live with it, to cherish the memories you made together."
"I'm sorry," Syaoran said regretfully. "That was rude of me. She—Loraina, that is, didn't die. Your wife did."
"Don't worry about it," Fujitaka smiled kindly.
Syaoran sighed. "Maybe someday I can forget. Maybe…" He turned to Fujitaka again. "Do you believe in second chances? I feel like maybe someone else might be waiting for me. Does that make sense to you, sir?"
"It does, and I know." Fujitaka's eyes twinkled. "But time truly is our friend if we choose to make it so."
That brought a small smile to Syaoran's lips. He hadn't been close to his father, whom he had nonetheless adored. But Fujitaka—he could see why Sakura was the way she was, delightful and kind and wonderful and strong. It was her father's influence on her.
"You raised a wonderful daughter, Fujitaka-san," Syaoran ventured. "Her friendship means a lot to me."
The older man paused, then smiled. "It makes me happy to hear that, Li-kun. I hope you find her…and remember, sometimes what we need and want the most can have been there all along."
Fujitaka stood up; Syaoran knew the older man was busy, and so he bowed himself out, musing on the advice he'd been given.
He would have much time to think it over in the days to come.
~o0o~
"Don't burn the house down while we're gone, monster!"
"Geez! That joke is so old, it has wrinkles," Sakura complained.
"But it still pisses you off," Touya grinned. "Have the Chinese brat come over and make you a meal. Better yet make the rich brat buy you one."
"Will you just knock it off! Oooh, I could just…"
"What, stomp on me? Too bad you never outgrew me."
"ONII-CHAN!"
"Touya-kun," Fujitaka chided gently, "come on. Shall we?"
Touya grinned and hauled his luggage to the small car the Kinomotos owned. He and Yukito were joining Fujitaka for a trip to the Philippines, and had agreed to meet up at the Kinomoto household with him.
Sakura reached up and hugged and kissed her father on the cheek. "Now don't you overwork yourself, otou-san," she chided gently.
"I promise, Sakura-san." He kissed her forehead.
Yukito smiled at Sakura. "You take care, okay?"
"I will." She hugged him; she still loved him very much but as a brother, now. He returned her hug.
To her surprise Touya grabbed her and hugged her roughly as well.
"Hoe?"
"I'll miss the monster," he said as he kissed the top of her head.
Sakura wrinkled her brow, unaccustomed to this strange display of affection from her brother. "Ooo-kay. I love you too, Onii-chan."
"Who says I said I love you?" Touya released her, grinning devilishly. "You ought to expect that from your little brat boyfriend. I think he luuuurves you."
"Oh you…" Sakura gritted her teeth. "I told you, Syaoran and I…"
"…are not an item blahdeyblahblah," Touya rolled his eyes. "But he better take care of you while we're gone. It's not like your ugly stupid snotty Chinese gay ex-boyfriend can."
Sakura smiled a bit at the insult to Yue. "Have a safe trip."
Touya couldn't resist a parting shot as he stepped out the door. "It will be cause you're not driving us to the airport."
"Mou! I never learned how!" Sakura yelled as the door closed. Fuming, she peered out the window and childishly stuck her tongue out at her brother, who retaliated in kind.
The house would be a lot quieter without them, Sakura knew, but she would miss them very much. She smiled as she turned back after locking up, then went upstairs to go to bed.
~o0o~
The screeching of brakes woke up the drunken boy who had playfully aimed for the other car in the opposing lane. He thought he'd been playing a video game but the terrified eyes of the driver, who had desperately tried to avoid him and whom he'd followed, gunning the engine, were now closed. Forever.
He got out of the car shakily. The tiny car had been pinned against a light post, and with his large SUV, a rarity in Japan, he had escaped injury when his airbag had deployed.
But the occupants of the other car…One of them had nearly been beheaded. Another had the steering column embedded in his chest along with fragments of the airbag. The third had been thrown clear—into the light post, shattering his body.
So much blood.
They were dead.
"Hey, do I get a one up?" he asked blearily.
No one answered. Passing cars were drawing to a halt and people were pointing, gasping, and turning horrified looks on him.
"Yeah! Points, points, points," he chanted as he walked unsteadily down the road.
"Didja see?" he said as he accosted a truck driver. "I killed them." He began to laugh; the liquor had clearly gone to his brain. "I rule at driving games!"
"This…is not…a game," the truck driver said in a strangled voice. "You ought to turn yourself over to the police."
"Fuck the police! Haha! I made a lot of dollars in this stage!"
The stunned truck driver gave chase as the drunken boy ran towards the remains of the Kinomotos and made to kick one of the bodies. Others pinned him down, and kept him there until the police arrived.
It was not until he was safely in prison that he realized what he had done and in what world of trouble he was in now. An attorney was telling him that he was not going to escape jail time, not with the many videos and photos of him prancing in a drunken, triumphant state at the wreck area.
Frantic calls to his fraternity mates yielded nothing. No one wanted to be associated with the "Drunken Frat Boy Killer," as the media had quickly dubbed him. Even the other inmates sneered at him, threatening revenge on "a boy of his social class."
The next morning, he was found hanging from his cell window. He had escaped justice, at least in this world.
~o0o~
Syaoran knew something was wrong when Sakura called him on that awful May morning. He'd greeted her with his usual flippant, "Good morning silly cherry pig!" and gotten a hesitant, "S-sy-Syaoran?" as a response.
Instantly alert, he asked, "Where are you?"
"Please…Syaoran…I can't do this alone…they…accident…otou-san…car…th-they were g-going t-to Narita airport…onii-chan…Yukito-san…" Her words were choked, like she was trying not to cry.
Shit, Syaoran thought, because his gut was telling him that the Kinomotos and Tsukishiro were the victims in the car accident he'd heard about over the radio that morning, and he'd been annoyed at the description of how the frat boy who had caused the accident had gloated at the scene—and Sakura had told him the night before that they were going on a road trip. "They…are they all right?"
"Uh…Maybe not. Dunno…The morgue…police called…" She was zoning out, and he knew he had to act fast. Sakura was a perky person, but she was not prepared to handle death, Syaoran knew. She had reserves of strength, certainly—but not for this.
"Stay there. Do not leave. Wait for me," Syaoran said, already halfway out the door. He later received an automatic ticket for speeding, and another for cutting several people off on the highway, but since he made it to Tomoeda from Tokyo in thirty minutes, he didn't care.
The drive to the morgue was quiet; Syaoran dared not say anything. He knew the awful truth, and he had no words, not even to comfort her. All he could do was let her cling to his hand as they entered the cold morgue. He swallowed his bile when he saw the ruin that had been Touya Kinomoto's chest, the nearly-decapitated Yukito Tsukishiro, the bloody mess that was Fujitaka Kinomoto. He had met them all and had even made a friend of Fujitaka; even now, in death Syaoran imagined Touya would glare at him and call him the 'rich Chinese brat Sakura hangs around with' as he always did.
But they would never open their eyes again.
Sakura, shaking hard, had tried to look at the bodies. At some point Eriol and Tomoyo arrived—probably Sakura had called Tomoyo, he thought. But they took over, sparing Sakura from more agony. Syaoran had not really seen what Tomoyo and Eriol had done that allowed them to identify the bodies when Sakura had failed to do so; she had brokenly told the coroner, "I don't know," when asked if they were her father, brother, and Yukito. Syaoran led her outside the morgue and leaned her against him.
"Cry," he said gently as he placed his arms around her. "You have to do it now so that you can deal with the funeral."
"Please take me home first," she asked quietly, and Syaoran had driven her home. Once home, she had insisted on straightening her father's office in the basement and his bedroom, then she had shown Syaoran Touya's room as well.
The bodies were quickly released from the morgue and the funeral and burial arrangements were made; Syaoran saw Eriol's hand in it. When Syaoran asked Eriol about it, Eriol calmly ignored the question and said instead, "I can't be at the memorial; I have someone…something to take care of. Please don't leave Sakura-san, and give her my…all my apologies for disappearing at the worst time. I promise, I have a good reason."
Syaoran had taken the call, too distracted to realize what Eriol had really told him, as he was following Sakura around the house. He vaguely said "Uh huh," and "Sure," to everything Eriol said. Sensing Syaoran's distraction, Eriol had hung up.
As Syaoran closed his cell phone, Sakura was saying, "…and when I broke that fishbowl, gosh, was he ever furious but he refused to say anything and he called me 'monster' instead so I wound up stomping his foot and I…"
He'd heard enough and knew what she needed. Syaoran placed a finger on her lips, stopping the confused babble. He'd leaned her against his chest wordlessly, and began stroking her back.
"My life…" Sakura began, "it feels like it ought to be over. I…I feel like I have nothing left to live for."
"It is not a waste or anything of the sort," Syaoran said gently. "Let it go, Sakura. You need to let go now. That way you can be stronger."
"I'm so weak," Sakura whispered. "I…"
"You're not weak," Syaoran said gently. "Life hasn't been kind to you, cherry. You've tried so hard, but…you're still here. So let go now. You need it."
"Someone told me tears are weakness," Sakura said quietly.
"Sometimes…" and Syaoran's breath hitched, because he could have been talking to himself, "sometimes it takes more strength to cry."
The tears came then, and she wept for a long time; at one point, Syaoran picked her up and brought her to her bedroom. The security of her room triggered more tears, but he sat in her bed, propped Sakura up against himself, and hugged her from behind, crooning and making soothing noises when her cries rose to a high pitch. After a long while, she calmed down.
"Please don't leave," she whispered.
He shook his head, and they sat there like children comforting each other until dawn, feeling the house and the presences in it begin to fade around them.
"Thank you," were her first words when the sun rose.
"Don't thank me yet," he said quietly. "Because I'm going to make sure you get through this shit and you might not appreciate my methods."
She turned, looking into his eyes, silently pleading for him to stay by her side. Tomoyo had vanished, and so had Eriol, but with Syaoran there, Sakura felt stronger. Safer.
And she thought she understood why Tomoyo was gone. She had been glowing lately with health and happiness, so in love with Touya that Sakura had rejoiced for her. Now Touya was gone…and Sakura, even in the throes of her pain, understood that nothing save for something truly terrible would have kept Tomoyo from her side.
What kept her sane was Syaoran. He had brought his clothes, toiletries, and his portable keyboard, moving into the room that used to be Touya's for the duration of the funeral. Syaoran took over the preparations which Eriol and Tomoyo had begun, coordinating with the funeral home for the treatment of the bodies, helping Sakura decide between burial and cremation, and quietly shouldering the expenses when the family's life plan did not cover the orphaned Yukito Tsukishiro's funeral.
Syaoran had practically lived in the Kinomoto house during the memorial, helping Sakura pass out incense and talk to visitors and serve tea and other refreshments. She had, to his surprise, held up magnificently, helping to clothe the bodies, gathering mementoes, donating clothes to charities, and winding up what she could of their personal affairs.
"Are you her husband?" an elderly neighbor asked as he served her tea. Syaoran smiled and was about to say no when she continued, "She's such a good girl, and you look like a very good boy. Take care of her."
"I will," Syaoran said, just as Sakura came up to give the old lady some rice cakes. He put an arm over her shoulder and squeezed; she smiled gratefully.
"I just want this to be over," Sakura whispered.
"You can stay with me, you know. I'm not sure you should be alone in this house," Syaoran said.
"I'll be fine. Besides, you've lost too many days of work already because of me."
"Screw work. This is important. You are not going to smile or laugh this away," Syaoran said sternly.
"Really Syaoran…"
He pressed her head against his chest. "Shut up," he whispered in her ear. "Okay? I'll just stay with you until this hell is over. If it bugs you," and he let her up; she wrinkled her nose and frowned at him, "you can make all my meals."
"That's just an excuse," she sniffed.
"Maybe it is." He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Now I think that's a high school friend of yours. Go talk to her."
"Okay." Sakura gave him a grateful smile then went off to welcome Rika Terada and her husband, who had been their grade school teacher.
"That's a very sweet boyfriend you have," Rika smiled. "I'm glad he's here for you at, well, a time like this. My blessings and condolences, Sakura."
"Thank you. Oh, no, he's not my boyfriend. He's my friend," Sakura said.
Rika and her husband exchanged glances, which said they would talk about this later. She hugged Sakura and gave a ritual offering of incense. "May the gods speed them on their way to the celestial home," Rika and Yoshiyuki said.
Sakura bowed, and escorted them to the reception area. On the way Syaoran met them with a tray on which cups of tea rested. He offered some to Rika and Yoshiyuki, then went to attend to a few other guests.
"Tomoyo-chan isn't here," Rika observed. "Curious."
Yoshiyuki squeezed her shoulder affectionately. "We'll find out more later, my sweetheart. Let's finish the rites for the dead first."
~o0o~
Sakura settled into a routine after the funeral in which she and Syaoran would spend time together daily. She kept her pain at bay by bringing her work home with her, but every now and then little reminders tore at her. Erasing the notes on the whiteboard which had kept track of their movements for the past twenty years made her cry; Syaoran found her, eraser in hand, unable to finish the task. He'd left the board as is, but made an addition that cheered Sakura up: "Syaoran: Home, will be back with Sakura in the morning."
Sometimes she would turn, thinking she heard Touya knocking or her father calling. As a child she had been afraid of ghosts, mortally so, but now she wished with all her heart that ghosts were real and she could see her father and Touya and Yukito just one more time.
Tomoyo came over a few days later, and Sakura was shocked at how much she had lost weight, how badly she looked, and how weak she was.
"Tomoyo-chan…" she started.
"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said, holding up a hand and talking in an uncharacteristic whisper. "I'm so sorry…"
"What happened to you?" Sakura led her best friend into the house and made her lie down on the sofa.
"Please, Sakura-chan, forgive me," Tomoyo pleaded.
"I'm not angry," Sakura said, beginning to despair, "but tell me why you look like this!"
When no response came, Sakura decided it was time to tell Tomoyo she knew the truth. "Did you…hurt yourself when you found out Touya nii-chan was gone?"
"No! No, I would never…You knew?"
Sakura smiled. "I always knew."
"And you don't hate me?"
Brushing a strand of hair that had fallen into Tomoyo's lovely face, Sakura shook her head. "I love you and I understood why you needed to hide."
"I'm so sorry, I…" Tears began to come down Tomoyo's cheeks, and Sakura was shocked at how broken and in despair her best friend was. "Forgive me! I…Oh Sakura I came here to offer you comfort and I wasn't here when it happened but I lost our baby and I can't, I…"
"Baby?" Sakura raised Tomoyo's chin. "I am going to be an aunt?"
Tomoyo threw herself into Sakura's arms and wailed, "It was all I had left of him, God, Sakura, I loved him so much, so so much and I had to go and lose the baby and I couldn't be with you at the funeral and I never got to say goodbye and I never told Touya…" Her voice faded into incoherent whimpering and sobbing.
Sakura felt tears come down her face as well. How cruel fate was! If the baby had survived she and Tomoyo could have raised him or her together, remembering their beloveds that way. She hugged Tomoyo and stroked her hair.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know," she said between sobs.
"Please…please, it was my fault…" Tomoyo whispered.
"Shh. Don't blame yourself. I need you, and I'm here for you," Sakura said softly as she stroked Tomoyo's back soothingly.
The two friends cried together for a while, then Sakura insisted that Tomoyo stay with her if for the night. When Syaoran called and found out that Tomoyo was there, he gallantly told Sakura he would not come over.
"Because you two have a lot to talk about," he said.
And through the night, as the two women talked, they discovered how shared pain can bring comfort, and how love can heal hearts and bring them closer in friendship. Towards dawn Syaoran appeared with a basket of their favorite fruits and breakfast takeout plates, and he asked no questions, instead taking Sakura and Tomoyo out to lunch, then bringing them home afterwards.
"I don't know what I'd do without him," Sakura said as she waved goodbye.
"I'm sure it's more a case of you prefer not to have to do without him," Tomoyo smiled. Having regained her equinamity, she decided that focusing on the blossoming relationship between Sakura and Syaoran would be a good distraction for her.
"Eriol took very good care of you," Sakura ventured. She tiptoed around the subject, because Tomoyo always blithely ignored Eriol's obvious love for her.
"He did. He's a wonderful friend," she said gratefully.
She's not ready, Sakura realized. Even though he's been in love with her for so long.
Perhaps the time had come to talk to Eriol about Tomoyo, she thought.
~o0o~
Sakura had been allowed a leave from her work for two weeks, and she was sorting through her family's papers when a rude knock sounded on her door.
"Yes?"
Big burly men were standing outside the house, their expressions menacing. Behind them was a tall young man with a cruel smirk on his face that kept it from being truly handsome.
"Kinomoto Sakura," he said softly. "My, what a surprise. Where's your silly best friend? Not present?"
Something was familiar about his face, but Sakura could not place it. He thrust some papers at her. "You have an hour to get your things and get out."
"What?" Sakura snatched at the papers and read through them. "My family just died! This is outrageous!" she cried. "What kind of agreement is this!"
"Missed a payment," the man sneered. "Or if you like we can go upstairs and you can make the payment now. You enjoyed your first time with me, after all."
"With you? Who…"
"Kito Kawada," he said smoothly. "Don't remember? You must be such a slut not to remember. You must've fucked so many guys between me and now." He laughed and eyed her slender body. "Although I must say, you never really filled out. That is still the same flat chest I remember."
Her face paled, then she screamed, "Get out! Get out of my house!" She lashed out at him with a palm, intending to slap him, but he dodged the blow easily.
"This is tiresome," he said. "Remove her," he barked at the men with him.
Sakura was picked up and bodily hauled out of the house, then thrown onto the pavement. The neighbors came to see what was happening.
"You there," the elderly neighbor said, hailing Kito. "Why are you doing this to Sakura?"
"Shut up, old hag, unless you want the same treatment," he smirked. The men began to padlock the house as one man held on to Sakura. She struggled furiously in his grip, kicking and screaming. The neighbors began to yell insults at Kito, and tried to come to Sakura's aid, but when one of the men drew a firearm, they backed off.
One of them had called the police, though, and when they arrived, Kito calmly told them he was conducting a foreclosure as a sheriff representing the bank Sakura's father had taken out a loan on.
"Begging your pardon sir," one of the policemen said respectfully, "but I think the lady should be allowed to get her things out of there first."
"Ah but as you can see, she is emotionally unstable. She might burn the house down, and where would that leave us?"
"We'll escort her in, sir," the cop said, standing his ground.
"What's the problem here?"
Everyone turned to see Syaoran, eyes blazing, walking quickly towards them. He moved to the man who was restraining Sakura, and said quietly, "If you value your life let her go."
"Ah the lover," Kito sneered. "Not bad, Sakura. And judging by his car, rich. You fuck him yet? How much is he paying you? Wait, he can't be paying you since you can't pay what your family owes us. You're fucking him for free, slut."
Syaoran cocked a fist, then at the last moment realized that was what the cruel-faced man wanted: to lure him into a fight in front of the authorities, resulting in time wasted at the station for bookings. Instead, he used his most arrogant tone to say, "No but I'm sure you want to fuck me very badly; after all, I'm more to your taste than she is."
It worked; Kito threw the punch first, and Syaoran rolled with it in the direction of one of the policemen, who then took the punch on the face.
Even Kito's goons knew they were in trouble; assaulting an officer of the law meant immediate jail time. Kito was cuffed and forced into the squad car. As he cursed Syaoran, Syaoran drew out his phone and began taking photos of Kito and his men, who fidgeted uneasily.
"How much does she owe?" he demanded of one of the men.
"S'in those papers," one of them grunted.
He scanned them quickly. "One missed payment and the penalty is thirty percent? That's loansharking! I'll have your licenses for this," he said furiously.
"But we…"
"I know the law," Syaoran seethed, "and a debtor is allowed a grace period for a first time missed payment after due warning. So unless you want real trouble, leave her alone," he said. "My lawyer will deal with all of you. Now remove those padlocks and get out of here."
Sakura's neighbors were nodding and pressing around the four men, muttering threats. Without a leader, they were at a loss for something to do, and so when one of them said, "Let's do it then beat it," they followed.
Sakura was leaning against the wall next to the gate, looking blank-eyed and more defeated than Syaoran had ever seen her. He went over and grabbed her shoulders.
"Sakura?"
No response.
He shook her. "Sakura!"
A gentle hand was placed on his arm. "She's in shock, dear boy," the elderly neighbor who had been at the funeral said. "Pick her up and bring her in. Something about that man who got arrested threw her badly."
"What happened?" Syaoran asked as he turned to take Sakura into his arms.
The old lady furrowed her brow. "He said something about being her first then insulted her several times. She tried to slap him and screamed at him to get out."
He didn't like the sound of it. "Shit. Sorry, obaa-san," he apologized quickly.
"Go take care of her," she said.
Syaoran gently took her into his arms and carried her into the house, starting when she said softly, "He's right. I'm a whore."
"What?" He stared down at her, realizing that there was much more to the story than he knew at the moment.
To be continued in chapter 6
My thanks for the reviews go out to (and sorry I was unable to respond this time--I just sneaked out to post this; I'll respond when I can, hope you don't mind!): Jusenkyo, sootyxsnowpetal, pyscho-pyro-shrink, Seirin, More Than Useless, DN Angel and Cardcaptor Sakura, chibiNeko192, winterkaguya, smile4meeh, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, puasloma, Yingfa Dreamer, Wings of Wind, cupid17, XxButterflyxAngelxLover, AngelEmCuti, Julia and Tania, mystic emeralds, YamiNoTomoyo, vreni, butterflyKISSU, camillecamille04.