(A/N: Chapter dedicated to... my latest reviewer upon the writing of this chapter, whathappenedtotruelove! Thank you for your kind comments! They really help me keep going. *burst of confetti* Sorry, no prizes... but still!)
cupid17 • Thank you so much for your review! :)
deadflo • Ah, yes... hopefully some confusion is cleared up in this chapter.
xxXandraaLingxx • Why thank you so much! And yes, your review really pleases me and helps me update faster! :)
redeyes143 • Well, you're in luck! This chapter is the longest so far.
Mishrav Mikura • Oh wow! Good eye! Yes, haha, I'll go back and change that as soon as I can. Thanks for catching that :)
Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius • Hm, did Yelan really kill Nadeshiko? Only time will tell... Cool name, btw.
Okami Hime Sakura • Thank you so much for your review!
LadyMidnightGuardian • Hmmm, let's see, shall we? You might not know why in this chapter, but rest assured the reason will out itself soon enough...
SakuSyaoLvr • Your questions shall be answered! :) Thanks for your review!
whathappenedtotruelove • Thanks so much for your comments! It really means a lot to me. Yes, I hope for this to be somewhat comedic, but it also has some very dramatic moments. Keep reading! :)
agedashi • Thank you so much for your two reviews! I'm very glad the clichéness in the beginning isn't offputting. As for the optimism, I really hope to bring that part back to Sakura even though she has a right not to be! Yeah her mother died and Syaoran pretty much cut off communication... but I'd like for her to keep her base personality. And yeah Syaoran's still pretty broody. :) Once again, thanks for your reviews and I hope you like this chapter!
(A/N: Thank you everyone for your kind reviews! Please keep reading and reviewing!)
4
::-::
"Scriptreading?" Sakura repeated.
Tomoyo nodded eagerly. "This Friday, eleven A.M. sharp. You can give him the gift then."
"I thought I hadn't officially accepted yet," Sakura said suspiciously.
"Well, I knew you would eventually, so I went ahead and accepted for you," Tomoyo said coolly.
"Tomoyo-chan!"
"What? It's true! You would have accepted!"
"Well, yeah, but—"
"Ohohohoho!"
Outwardly, Sakura rolled her eyes, but inside, she was rejoicing.
She couldn't wait for Friday.
::-::
"Ah, home, sweet, home."
"Eriol. Tell me."
"I think I shall always love Tokyo. Perhaps I just have a thing for big cities."
"Eriol."
"Or maybe it's the sights? All the lights are very pretty at night..."
"For all that is right and good in this earth...!"
"What's that, Meowers? Yes, come to think of it, I think I do hear a cricket chirping..."
"Kami, Eriol, I am not a cricket!"
"Persistent, this cricket."
"Eriol! You said you knew something about Sakura! I went. I talked with my mom. Now tell me before I cut your toenails with a rusty toothpick!"
"Violent, this cricket." Eriol glanced sideways at him. "And scientifically incorrect. I believe only metal can rust."
Syaoran leaned his head on the couch seat and let out an audible groan. "What have I done in a past life to deserve having this as my manager?"
"Something awe-inspiringly wonderful, apparently," Eriol said with a cheeky grin.
Syaoran rolled his eyes.
Eriol reached into his pocket and pulled out his buzzing phone, answering it with a strange smile. "Yes, this is Eriol Hiiragizawa, manager of Syaoran Li. How may I help you? ...Why hello, Director Tsukimoto... Yes... Yes... Oh? Sakura accepted?" (Syaoran twitched noticeably at this statement.) "Yes... Yes, we were on the plane and then before that I wasn't taking any calls... Tomorrow at eleven? No, shouldn't be a problem... See you then."
"You knew," Syaoran growled. "You knew she accepted."
"Oh? How would I know that?" Eriol said innocently.
Under different circumstances, Syaoran might have launched another complaint about how cruel and useless his manager was, but he was too shocked and happy that Sakura had actually accepted the offer.
"Scriptreading is tomorrow at eleven," Eriol said, sensing Syaoran's good mood and seizing his chance. "Be ready by ten. Wouldn't want to be unprepared for your lover, now, would you?"
"Eriol—!"
"Er—Syaoran? That's a knife. That's a very nasty knife. Please put it away before you hurt anyone. Syaoran?"
::-::
"I'm sorry for killing Sakura's mother."
Syaoran's jaw tightened. "Mrs. Li."
"It seemed like a wise decision at the time, alright? Your father supported it. I even... I even thought you might support it. You didn't even seem too fond of the girl. You did tell me she was annoying..."
"Mrs. Li!"
"I know now that was just my misinterpretation. You had strong feelings for her; of course you were going to seem awkward." She turned. "Syaoran... Please. I know why you've distanced yourself from her, but... Don't let this old woman's mistake ruin your life. I killed Nadeshiko, not you."
"There won't be a difference to Sakura."
"Yes, there will be. Sakura is an intelligent young woman and thinks of you as a childhood friend, not a murderer."
"Mrs. Li..."
"I'm near the end of my life, Syaoran. I don't want to hear my son calling me so formally. Come here... I think that now that I've told you everything, I might rest in peace."
She left the world like that; sleeping, cradled in Syaoran's arms as he cried and cursed...
::-::
Childhood soulmates Kinomoto and Li costar in romantic drama!
Famous actors Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li were once involved as children in the classic, much-loved runway hit Deus Ex Machina. For years afterward, fans talked of possible romance between the two—and now, the possibility is showing itself!
Reliable sources have stated that Kinomoto and Li have agreed to costar in a romantic comedy crime drama titled The Law of Love. Little is known about the drama at the present moment, but rest assured we will find the details as soon as possible.
Shall the childhood soulmates fall in love on set? Will onscreen chemistry carry into their real lives?
::-::
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Sakura moaned and rolled over on her stomach, jamming her pillow around her ears in a vain attempt to block out the insufferable sound of her alarm.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Sakura tossed her pillow off her bed and slammed the heel of her hand down on her alarm clock, which had begun to accumulate a rather large dent in its center.
But then she remembered today was Friday.
The day where she was going to see Syaoran face-to-face for the first time in years.
And suddenly she felt quite awake.
"Oh Saaaaakura! I just had a wonderful inspiration, right in time for this wondrous occasion!" Tomoyo burst through her door, dangerously waving a large curling iron in her hands. "Hurry and get up! I have to do your hair—oh my! Sakura-chan! You're... actually... awake!"
Sakura blushed slightly, in the middle of combing her shoulder-length auburn locks. "Y-yes, you could say that..."
"Ohohoho! It's because of Li, is it not?" Without waiting for a reply: "I knew it! Oh, Sakura, don't you think I'm a genius? I mean, the love between you two even after all these years is so obvious—"
"Tomoyo."
"You know, what I never understood is why you keep doubting his feelings for you. If he keeps sending you gifts, he is obviously likes you!"
"Tomoyo."
"Oh, Sakura, please. Couldn't you just take a hint for once? And honestly, why do you keep saying my name like that? I know what I'm talking about! No need to ruin a girl's dreams..."
"Tomoyo, which dress should I wear?"
Tomoyo stopped in her tracks and stared at Sakura with wide eyes.
"You mean... Sakura-chan, you weren't going to... rebuke me? You're asking for... fashion advice?"
Sakura shifted uncomfortably, glancing between a chiffon cream sundress and a satiny emerald casual cocktail. "Um... yeah. I just... I want to look my best, you know? I mean..."
"I never knew this day would come!" Tomoyo nearly swooned. "This is so wonderful! I—I don't even know what to say!"
" 'Cream' or 'emerald' would suffice."
Tomoyo suddenly became serious. "Go with the cream. It's the first meeting, right? You don't want to look stuffy. The emerald cocktail can be for your first date."
Sakura made no comment on that. She slipped into the dressing room adjacent to her bedroom, handing the emerald cocktail to Tomoyo.
"And when you're done, let me do your hair, darling!" Tomoyo called.
...Darling?
::-::
"We're here."
Syaoran clenched his hands into sweaty fists as he stared at the broad gate before him, proud letters etched in gold: Sunrise Studios. "I-I can see that."
"Aww, is the likkle Syao-Syao scared?" Eriol stuck out his bottom lip in a mock pout. "Does he wanna run home to his Mommy—Oh, uh, I mean..." He coughed loudly into his sleeve.
"It's fine," Syaoran mumbled, wiping his hands on his slacks. "We'd better go in."
"Uh, right." Eriol slipped a little box into Syaoran's pocket. "Remember to give this to her."
"I don't think I could forget if I wanted to."
"Just remember. You're Syaoran. The famous actor. Cool and calm, but not a jerk. The Number Two Desirable Male in Japan."
"...Let me guess who the Number One Desirable Male in Japan is..."
"Yours truly." Eriol grinned and stepped out of the compact but comfortable Toyota Corolla. He had suggested they go to the studios in the limousine, saying it would impress Sakura more, but Syaoran hated burning extra gas. He also pointed out that Sakura was used to riding around in limousines herself; why would it impress her that he would use one?
"You wish," Syaoran said weakly, squeezing his untucked dress shirt so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Now, sir..." Eriol bowed and motioned toward the gates. "Welcome to your doom."
::-::
Director Tsukimoto was cackling so hard in his giant executive chair that those around him feared he would soon burst a capillary.
"Director, please, take a deep breath," begged his secretary, Takashi Yamazaki. "You know, the Meiji Emperor Mutsuhito died from oxygen deprivation when he laughed too hard after pulling a prank on U.S. President George W. Bush..."
"Silence!" Tsukimoto yelled. "Bush wasn't even the President during the Meiji era!"
Takashi frowned and jotted something down on his clipboard. "Note to self: Remind Director Tsukimoto to read up more on the Meiji era."
"Silence!" Tsukimoto leaned forward and stared at the broad monitors before him. "We're just getting to the good part! They're about to meet!"
"You know, Director..." Takashi cleared his throat nervously as he straightened his tie. "Don't you think that using stalker cameras to track the leads' chemistry is rather... unnecessary? They are, after all, good actors. Shouldn't they have good chemistry no matter—"
"Oh, hush! You're ruining the good part!" Tsukimoto reached under his chair and pulled out a bag of popcorn.
"D-Director, where did you—?"
"Shhh! They're going to meet! Be quiet!"
::-::
Sakura clenched her hand over her dress, trying to still her beating heart.Just think of him as another costar, Sakura. Think of him as a fellow actor. Not as... Syaoran Li.
"Sakura-chan! I see him! He's over there!"
Sakura's head whipped toward where Tomoyo was pointing. There he was, on the other side of the gate, staring up at the studio name, hands shoved into his pockets. Her heart jerked as she realized—and oh, this sounded so cliché—how he was more handsome in person than the pictures gave him credit for. His warm amber eyes, nearly covered with his untamed shock of brown hair, and his comforting broad shoulders and confident stature...
Or you just miss him.
Sakura took a step, then another, and then—
"Sakura-chan! What are you doing?" Tomoyo clutched her arm and twisted her around. "You can't look at him! You can't let him know that you know he's there!"
"W-what?" Sakura stammered blankly. "B-but if he's..."
"Nooo! Sakura, don't you remember anything I taught you? What's the first rule of The Art of Attraction?"
"Please, Tomoyo, I... I haven't seen him in forever, I..."
"The first rule."
"...Rule number one: Be available, not easy."
"Precisely. Make him come to you." Tomoyo sighed and took Sakura's hand. "Sakura-chan... I know how much you want to talk to him, especially after this long. But... you want him to want you, right?"
"I thought you said he likes me."
"Well, yes, but..." Tomoyo sighed again. "Please? Just try this."
Sakura couldn't deny that the thought of Syaoran coming to her was enticing. She took a deep breath and forced her eyes to stay away from her childhood friend.
"Okay."
::-::
"She's over there."
Syaoran stiffened immediately, trying to keep his eyes fixated on the gate. "Who is?"
"The trash lady," Eriol said.
Syaoran jerked. "W-wait, wha, huh? Are you serious?"
Eriol rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course I'm serious. You would obviously be interested in the trash lady. Really, cousin? You know who I'm talking about."
Syaoran couldn't stop himself. His gaze roved across Sunrise Studios, searching desperately for the girl he had only contacted through semi-anonymous gifts and bribed media offers for the past fifteen years. It didn't take him very long to find her; ever since he was young, he had prided himself on being able to find Sakura Kinomoto within thirty seconds.
She was with her manager Tomoyo Daidouji, dressed in a beautiful cream dress that looked specifically tailored for her slender figure (although, then again, knowing Daidouji, it probably was specifically tailored). Even from a distance of around sixty feet away, he could spot her sparkling emerald eyes—eyes he constantly saw in his dreams—and her signature auburn hair.
"Oy. Cousin. Snap out of it. Don't you remember what I said earlier today? Play it cool. It'll drive her crazy."
"I..." Syaoran had been so convinced that he wanted her to chase after him, but now... "I don't know if I want to drive her crazy."
"You want her to fall for you, right?" Eriol tapped his fingers impatiently against his folded arms. "You have to make her want you. Look open, but don't go running after her."
"I... I don't know if I can."
"Cousin! You can do this! We've practiced it a million times!"
"Yes, well, I have no trouble not running to you..."
Eriol scowled, choosing to ignore that comment. "One more thing. Stop looking at her. Or she'll catch you."
Syaoran tried to tear his eyes away. He really tried. And perhaps he might have succeeded...
Had not Sakura turned and looked right at him.
(A/N: So, good news and bad news. The good news is that chapters will probably be much longer from now on, like this length! The bad news is that, due to the good news, chapters will be less frequent. But really, I'll try my best to update when I can!
If you could drop a review, that would be lovely. :))
