Chapter 30 How It Started

Sakura has been practicing since eight in the morning. Having finished her internship already and with the competition approaching fast, Sakura felt the pressure building so she started working double time. She was already a little confident with her short program but her free program was another story. Even though Eriol had composed it according to her personality, actually having to skate it while incorporating some of the dance elements Koji Mikagami had taught her and the things she learned in ballet was really a painful experience.

Eriol had dropped by, wanting just to get away from his own practice sessions. He was exhausted so his father finally caved in giving him a break, even for a day. Eriol thought it best if he could just go where no one would ever find him, at the skating rink with Sakura.

He sat there near the skating rink. He smiled as he watched Sakura skate. When he first saw her fall, he wanted to help her but then stopped himself as he could sense that Sakura didn't need it. She got up on her own. He watched her, taking his mind off the things that he was supposed to be thinking. He didn't notice when someone sat beside him. It wasn't until the man cleared his throat when Eriol turned and noticed that he wasn't alone.

He turned and saw Ryu sitting beside him, also watching how Sakura was doing. "Hey." Eriol greeted.

"Hey!" Ryu answered, not really looking at Eriol.

They then turned back and watched Sakura do her thing on ice. It seemed that she had a world of her own as she didn't mind that they were there. She was more bent in trying to perfect her skills than being shy at the moment.

"So…" Eriol started.

"So?" Ryu asked.

"You're in love with Sakura's aren't you?" Eriol asked point blank.

It surprised Ryu. He didn't see that one coming. And to think that it was Eriol who had asked it…he would have understood if it were Touya, Yukito or even Tomoyo but Eriol? Never in his wildest dreams did Ryu think that Eriol would ask that from him.

"How about you? Are you in love with her?" Ryu decided to say, rallying the question back at Eriol.

Eriol grinned a little as he continued to look over at Sakura.

"It's strange…how a simple girl like her can come at you and stir emotions beyond your wildest dreams? I understand though why everyone she encounters seemed to find this need to protect her. I feel it too. Sakura might strike you as this very delicate lady, full of life, easily toppled down by the most gentle breeze. But as I got to know the real her, I was surprised to find this very strong cherry blossom that no matter how strong the wind is, she just keeps dancing along with it, bring her even farther where she'd been." Eriol answered.

He smiled before continuing, "She is simply amazing. I want her to find the happiness that is fitting for someone like her."

Ryu took in Eriol's words. He felt the weight of his words. It was something that he could not deny. Eriol had spoken of the truth. He could feel his own emotions battling inside of him. It made the pain a little sharper than it had been. It was starting to become heavier as Ryu glanced back at the woman Eriol's eyes fell upon.

"It is true. She does that have that effect on you. It simply is Sakura." Ryu answered back.

Eriol smiled. He knew it. Ryu was head over heels with Sakura. He could see clearly in Ryu's eyes that he was battling strong emotions inside. Eriol could tell that by the way Ryu looked at Sakura, he had already come into terms that he was never going to have her. She belonged to someone else. Eriol had doubts before but now everything was certain.

They both remained silent as they watched Sakura practice a little bit more before her Coach finally gave her a break. Sakura started to skate back to where she had left Eriol. She was surprised to see Ryu there. She smiled at him as she approached.

"Ryu-san." Sakura said as she got out of the skating rink and walked slowly to one of the chairs where she had left her things. Sakura sat down and removed her skates.

"You didn't tell me that you were coming." She said.

"Yeah well it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I said something." Ryu said.

Sakura looked up at him and smiled.

"Coach gave me a thirty minute break. You guys want to talk about something? I just have this feeling that you guys have this certain question burning inside your head." Sakura said as she got some rubbing oil from bag. That was when both Ryu and Eriol that her feet were bandaged.

"You got yourself hurt and you still continue to skate?" Ryu commented.

Upon realizing that they had noticed, Sakura smiled as she slowly removed the bandage from one foot. She then said, "No. These are for added support. I don't know what other skaters do but it really helps me during practice. As you've seen I fall a lot and I can't afford getting my foot broken or sprained so I put some bandage for extra support. When I skate, I forget that I have them on."

"Then what's the oil for?" Ryu asked curiously.

""Muscle relaxation, again to reduce the strain on my feet. Aunt Yelan made it especially for me from herbs she grew in her garden back at Hong Kong. She said that it will help a lot. I've been using it for days now and she's right. It sort of makes me ready to skate again, especially now since I stumble a lot and it gets pretty painful afterwards when you've skated like a couple of hours and have fallen a lot."

"Is Shaoran's mother a doctor or something?" Eriol asked. He noted that with the mention of Shaoran's name, Ryu tensed a little. He smirked inwardly.

"Oh no. She's not. Gardening is just a hobby of hers and she reads a lot of books about plants and herbs and their uses. She told me that that was one of the things she had in common with my mother. She said that they used to do a lot of gardening together back then before my mom died. They were really close friends, you know."

"So your parents were close friends, huh? Then it was inevitable that you and Shaoran would become best friends." Eriol thought out loud.

Sakura started laughing. She then said, "It was part of it, yeah, but not exactly."

"Come to think of it…" Ryu started as Sakura and Eriol's attention shifted to him. Ryu adjusted himself on his seat.

"How did you and Shaoran become best friends? You two seemed two very different people." Ryu asked.

Sakura smiled. It was a question not all that new to her. She had heard it about a thousand times for years. She knew that it was a question thrown towards Shaoran just as much. She was always amused that people saw things that way when the truth was the complete opposite.

With the thought in mind, she couldn't help shake her head. She just continued smiling at them before she finally said, "You'll be surprised if you knew just how wrong that scenario is. We are very much alike rather than what is popularly believed. It's just we were never really that interested in correcting how people thought. It's much more amusing that way." She started laughing a little. She could remember the time when she and Shaoran agreed to just let them think the way they wanted to and not to correct them in anyway.

"Right so seeing people's confused faces is some sort of entertainment to you guys…I'm starting to see you in a different light now." Eriol commented laughing.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh too while Ryu smirked. She then said, "It's not that…well part of it…but it's mostly because no matter how we explain it, they don't get it. So we figured, why waste all our energies trying to straighten out something that is so trivial that it couldn't even pass as important trivia."

"You've got a point. I think I like that excuse. The world would be boring without a little fun in it." Eriol replied with a smirk. Sakura kept laughing.

"So how did you two become best friends?" Ryu asked, there was tinge of sadness in his voice that Sakura couldn't miss. She let her laughter die down as she looked at him and offered a small smile.

"To tell you quite frankly…I don't know. It just happened." Sakura answered.

It wasn't the answer that Ryu or Eriol had expected. It was a surprising revelation. They said nothing though as they just let her speak.

"I've known him forever and well, it's so easy to tell him stuff without being afraid of not being understood and all. I was born here in Japan but I wasn't even a year old when my family had to move to Hong Kong because of 'tou-chan's work. You guys already know that our parents were friends so when 'tou-chan was at work, 'ka-chan would bring us over to Aunt Yelan's house. Both 'nii-chan and I were both too young to go to school so we spent a great deal of time there. Pretty soon a couple of years passed and well…" Sakura started.

She then started to reflect on life back then. A smile crossed her face as she continued, "Shaoran has older sisters. He never had a brother. Of course, Shaoran didn't like to play dress-up or dolls and I didn't want to play with make-believe alien wars or toy soldiers that 'nii-chan was into back then so Shaoran and I ended up playing together. We have only a year in age difference so I guess it was easier for us to just play together. Wei-san said that we loved to run around and play hide and seek, although he said that there were also times when Shaoran's sisters played dolls and dress-up with me. He told me that while I played princesses and castles with Shaoran's sisters, Touya would come around and let Shaoran join in his games as well."

Sakura smiled. "Yeah. That was life back then. Wei-san told me once that Shaoran and I would rather play together at the park where he brought us to. Going on slides. Playing in the sandbox with the other kids. He said that was because 'nii-chan and Shaoran's sisters were starting school so being left behind, we only had each other to play with, not counting Meiling of course. She's Shaoran's cousin. She came around every once in awhile when her parents are in town."

But then her face registered sadness. Eriol and Ryu both noticed it. They wanted to say something but instead held their tongues and waited patiently for her to continue.

"Then Shaoran's father died. At that time, we were both too young to understand the meaning of death. All we knew was that he wasn't coming home. Wei-san, actually everybody, told me that during the time, Shaoran refused to talk to anyone. He wanted his father back. I don't remember what I did but they said that I was the one who got him to talk again."

"Then it was my turn to hold on to him…my mother got sick and just wouldn't get better…she died soon after…I told you before, Eriol, that I never asked what she died from…I still haven't…but I know now…'tou-chan doesn't know…nobody does…I just overheard him as he was looking at 'ka-chan's picture and talking to her after the incident at the embassy. It was the first time I saw my dad in tears and that devastated aside from when 'ka-chan died. He kept apologizing to her for not being able to protect me…he even went as far as saying that it should have been him who died years ago instead of her."

Yeah. Sakura already knew the reason why her mother died. She died saving the love of her life. She was already sick but still she placed her husband's life before her own. Her father had gotten himself into an accident while at work, worrying about Nadeshiko and their children. He needed immediate surgery. The money in Nadeshiko's hands was supposed to be used for her medicines to stop the disease from spreading inside her body fast. Instead, she used the money to pay for the surgery.

"But I was too young to understand then. It became that my mom too had to go somewhere and couldn't come back home. Then, the university called and told 'tou-chan to come back here. I didn't understand why it was all happening…why I was losing everybody…I cried everyday…I didn't want to leave. But it was Shaoran who gave me the strength to believe that it was going to be alright. He gave me his golden dragon, the dragon given to him by his father before he died. He said that it was good luck and that it was special. He said that just like the dragon in the stories Aunt Yelan kept telling us, he said that that dragon would bring much happiness. He said we were always going to be friends. I remember that that was the first time that he truly smiled. I believed him and eventually, it did become better. That's the only thing I can honestly remember at that part of my life. Everything else is just fuzzy and told by others…all except that."

Eriol and Ryu were as silent as ever. Ryu felt his heart crush inside of him. He was right all along. Sakura could never belong to her. He couldn't compete with that. Whenever Sakura found herself in the most trying of times, it was always Shaoran who got her through. He heard her say that even through the embassy incident, it was Shaoran's dragon that kept her together. Shaoran. The truth pierced through him like ice.

Eriol could tell what was going through Ryu's head. It was a good thing that Sakura wasn't looking at them but rather on the ice or she would have seen right past Ryu. Eriol elbowed Ryu to snap him back into reality. Ryu turned to him quite surprised. Eriol gave him a look that told him 'not yet, she'll know.' Ryu seemed to understand as he gave him a nod.

"I guess that was when we started to be best friends without even realizing it. We've been close ever since, especially after he moved here." Sakura said as she smiled a little. She looked at Eriol and Ryu. She judged their expressions and their silence.

Sakura could vaguely see what was unsaid. Her eyes registered this sadness that she didn't want the others to see so she just bowed her head and decided to put on her skates again. She told herself that once she held up her head again, she would put on this mask that she had already been accustomed herself in wearing, to keep others from seeing. She didn't utter another word.

(to be continued…)

With 8 chapters left, the cloud is about to lift. Well it's going to be a life-changing experience for all of them. Be careful because you might not just know what hit you. Hehe. Thanks for reading and reviewing this far. I hope that you continue reading and reviewing. Thanks.

Michiko