Caught In Between

By: Ame Mitsukai

Chapter 2

The orange streams of the sunset light poured through the window beside Sakura's desk as she worked on her homework. Her pencil tapped on the piece of paper lightly as she thought about her current question. But with a hefty sigh, she ended up dropping the writing utensil to get up and change for work. Another night of work.

It wasn't as if Sakura didn't like her work. In fact, she enjoyed it. Every night, she would sing at the bar and even if there were people watching her, it always brought a sense of calm in her being. It made her feel happy to know that her talent was acknowledged by her viewers.

Which dress should I wear tonight? Which song should I sing? These thoughts coursed silently through her head as she picked through her closet looking for an outfit that suited the season. In a few minutes, she picked out a black skirt that looked a little like a petticoat and a dark red lady's dress shirt. Sakura, you look so tired, she thought to herself. A sudden wave of sadness passed through her then. If I keep this up, I'll probably end up not sleeping forever and turning into some nocturnal being. Like a Vampire.

Sakura blinked and stared at herself in the mirror then she suddenly giggled.

"No way is that going to happen. How can I think like that?" She applied some light make up on her face and spent the next 10 minutes looking at herself, looking for anything on her face that needed to be fixed.

The phone suddenly rang and she hurried across the room to pick it up. "Hello?" Her voice didn't sound surprised.

"Hello? Kinomoto-san? I was just wondering if you're still up to coming down to the bar tonight." A man's voice was heard over the receiver.

"Yes, of course Tanaka-san. I'll be there soon." Sakura knew it was him who was calling. He called her almost everyday to ask if she would be singing that night.

"Thank you so much. You won't believe how many people have asked me to have you sing again at the bar. They absolutely adore you!" his voice sounded so excited, it was hard to believe he was the owner of a bar. His blabbering made the young singer blush. "Well I'll see you tonight. Thanks again Kinomoto-san!"

"Alright, bye." Sakura hung up and looked out the window towards the last beams of orange light of the setting sun. She stood there until the sun disappeared completely before grabbing her keys and jacket, putting on her shoes then heading out the door.

xXx

Syaoran let out another sigh as he sat at the bar counter swirling his drink in its glass. The longest day of his life—if he even had a real life anymore—continued to drag longer. Forever. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat very much. No matter how much he drank, he couldn't get drunk. The only thing it did to him was slither down his thirsty throat and make him ache for more. Nothing seemed to make him falter.

He didn't drink blood. He had been tempted, but he drank alcohol all the time to keep that temptation bearable. He didn't want to be the monster that he was; a monster that never slept, that drank blood; a monster that could kill innocent beings. The very thought sickened him.

"Sir, would you like another?" The bartender pointed at his glass. Syaoran looked irritated but nodded.

The bartender swooped his glass off the counter top and filled it with some more of the alcoholic drink, placed a cherry on top of the red liquid and handed it back to him. Syaoran avoided his eyes as he accepted his glass back and took a sip. The added fruit made it taste sourer than it should be. Damned senses, he thought bitterly. Even my taste is enhanced. And he knew why: these better senses allowed the average vampire to be able to hunt. The smell and taste of human blood would lure the creature to want more.

The bartender noticed his sour expression and looked uneasy. Syaoran felt it at once, glancing at the other person's face, and then composing his own to calm the atmosphere between the two of them down. At once they both relaxed and the calm mellow mood returned.

It was like the bar was at last night, Black Rose, except it wasn't full of his kind; it was full of humans. Like what he used to be before that incident. The room held the stench of blood and alcohol, but after all the cocktails he'd been having, he could bear the desire to be thirsty. There was a singer and some musicians on stage playing a calm tune as everyone either sat and talked to each other or went up to the tiled floor to dance lazily with the melody

After a few minutes, he downed his drink and let out another sigh. There were so many people here. The scent of blood was overwhelming at first, but after feeling the sting of alcohol in his nose and throat, he felt more comfortable being around it. But at that moment, he heard the entrance open and a new delicious smell wafted into the room, surrounding him and drowning him, making him crave with his thirst.

Syaoran swallowed. He had to get out of here before anything happened. The smell was so delicious; it was like a beggar smelling freshly made food at a grand feast. He would want to feast on who ever had such rich smelling blood. Abruptly standing up from his sitting position and startling the bartender, he turned briskly towards the exit, trying to turn his head and find something for his eyes to be distracted with. Anything, he thought desperately. Anything. The smell was getting stronger as he walked and he froze in his place. This definitely wasn't going to work.

Sakura was walking up the same path as Syaroan in opposite directions, distracted by the singer on the stage. She neared closer with no intention of slowing down, and within seconds she ended up bumping into him by accident. The succulent scent of her blood exploded in his mind.

"Oh!" Sakura gasped in surprise as she rebounded off of him and staggered backwards, her jacket flying to the floor. Oh my god, I'm going to fall, Sakura thought, panicked. Instinctively, she tried to bring her arms back to help break her fall but something cold grabbed onto her arm and snaked around to her back. Within seconds she was standing upright with something cold wrapped around her and leaning against something—or someone very stiff and tense. He smelt very nice, and he was very cold.

"I-I'm sorry, I should have watched where I was…" her gaze met with Syoaran's and she stopped midsentence. His eyes were a glowing ruby red and his expression was so fixed on her face without moving that it frightened a little. His face was very close to hers letting out a heavy breath from his mouth that caressed her face and she felt dizzy with weakness. It smelt so enticing. His hair was a little messy and chestnut colored and his features were so fine. If Sakura hadn't been so shocked and scared at that moment, she would have thought that this person was very handsome in some odd ways.

Syaoran was just barely holding on. He concentrated on her features: her eyes were a beautiful glittering emerald green, her cheeks were slightly flushed, her expression was dazed, as if she was looking at someone she had loved. Her lips were pink and slightly parted with surprise. The fact that he held himself back from feasting on her pained him to the very core. He was too close yet he didn't want to let go of her.

They continued to stare at each other, standing there in an embrace. Sakura's cheeks started to feel hot. What if someone's watching us? She thought. Her face felt hotter as she continued to gaze into his mesmerizing red eyes. But almost at once she realized that he was in pain. The expression behind his blood colored orbs proved it.

Sakura felt bad immediately. "Are you okay? I'm sorry for being rude and bumping into you." Her brows furrowed and her eyes showed concern.

Syaoran blinked, and then looked away, letting the tasty smelling girl go. He drew his hands in fists at his sides trying to keep the temptation away. He trembled a little.

Sakura noticed. "Did I do something wrong?" She felt like comforting him. The stress that he showed made her feel uneasy. "Here let me buy you a drink." She walked quickly towards the bar and ordered. A few minutes later, she brought it back to Syaoran, who didn't move from his position.

"Here…" Sakura offered him the glass and within less than a second the glass disappeared from her hand and the oddly handsome man drank the whole thing. He grimaced, clutching the glass in his clenched hands and muttered a thanks.

"Why don't we sit here? We shouldn't block the entrance path." Sakura took a seat at an empty table and gestured for Syaoran to sit down as well. Once he did, although he did it very rigidly, she relaxed.

"My name's Sakura Kinomoto. I'm really sorry about bumping into you." She bowed her head in apology.

"Don't apologize. It was my fault for standing there." He muttered and turned away from her, still grimacing.

"No, please don't say that. What's your name? Maybe I can make it up to you or something later. I have a performance later though so I can't really do much right now." The young singer placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin in the palms of her hands.

"I'm…Syaoran."

Sakura cocked her head to one side and gazed at him. "Don't you have a last name? I don't mean to be rude though." She waved her hands in front of her as if not to be offensive.

"I don't belong anywhere anymore." Syaoran looked at the table, still trying to concentrate on the alcoholic sting in his throat. A random waitress holding a tray of drinks passed by and he grabbed one swiftly without her noticing.

Sakura sat there, amazed by his action. Was he that talented and fast? He caught me before I fell and he grabbed that drink without the waitress feeling a thing, she thought. That's amazing. He drank the alcohol and felt her amazed stare. He turned to look at her and she looked away, blushing.

"You don't have a family to belong to? Well I guess you can say I feel the same way." She smiled sadly and faced him. Her smile shocked him. It made him feel something inside of him. What was it about this girl that made her so special?

"What do you mean?" He grabbed another drink from another waitress passing by, once again unnoticed.

"Well…" Sakura bit her bottom lip and paused for a moment. Why was she suddenly talking about her personal life so much? But it wasn't as if this Syaoran was a bad person. "I left my parents because they were a pain to be with. They wanted me to do things that they wanted, not what I wanted. So now I live alone and I sing here to get money to support myself." She looked over to the singer on the stage. She was a pretty woman, the kind that would get all the men swooning over her.

"I see. I'm looking forward to hearing you sing then." Syoaran turned to face her and turned the corners of his mouth up a little. He hadn't smiled in ages. Again, what is it about this girl that makes her so special? He thought, frustrated.

"Oh, I don't know what to say." Sakura blushed again. As she turned back to watch the singer on stage, out of the corner of her eye she noticed him clenching his fists on the table.

"You…" He muttered, "You smell very good…" The look he had in his eyes frightened her again. He looked as if he was about to devour her whole being.

"Why uh…Thank you. I'm very flattered by your compliment…" She stuttered, looking away from his stare. He's handsome and nice, but for some reason, there's something about him that makes the hairs of my neck stand, she thought.

Syaoran chuckled and Sakura looked back at him.

"Wha…What's so funny?" She blushed once again.

"Oh it's nothing. You're just so beautiful when you blush." He leaned forward so that their faces were moments apart. Sakura could feel his breath tickle her face and her eyes started to droop. She felt so drawn to him. His breath was inviting. Just a little closer, She thought. And we would be--

"Oh, Kinomoto-san! You're here! You'll be up in about 10 minutes. Which song would you like to sing today?" Tanaka-san was walking down the isle towards their table with his arms open as if he was going to hug someone. There was a huge grin on his face.

As fast as it had started, Sakura blinked and was put out of her reverie. She stood and faced her boss for a light friendly hug. She smiled warmly at him, but her heart was beating so fast. I swear, she thought. He was just about to kiss me.

Once their little greeting was over, Sakura walked down the carpet isle with Tanaka to get ready to perform. She glanced back to Syaoran one last time and he was watching her, smiling a little. She smiled back and felt very euphoric.

I'm looking forward to hearing you sing.

To be continued…

Well I think that's going to work. If you have anything to suggest to me, please review. :D

Ame