Chapter 4

Syaoran let his feet sink deep into the wet sand at every footstep he took. He looked out at the dark sea in front of him. The last time he'd come here was almost four years ago, with his first love. They had never been lovers, but they shared something precious. Acquaintances in high school who became best of friends in university, Yuki and Syaoran were what people would call soul mates.

Syaoran found a clear area on the dry, soft sand and sat cross-legged. He grabbed a small shell by his knee and let the moonlight shine against it. She loved these kinds of things. Yuki, he remembered, would grab so many of them, then throw them into the ocean just before they'd leave the beach. She was rarely happy, but there were moments, especially here, where her smiles and laughter were limitless in a day.

Syaoran had grown up alone, without anyone around him. His parents had abandoned him at a young age and he grew up living with different families throughout his life. Once he graduated from high school, he made it a goal to become independent and live his life with a purpose. Meeting Yuki literally changed him for the better.

All his life, he avoided relationships with people, knowing it would just hurt even more every time they walked away. Yuki, he had decided, would be the only person he'd let in. He fell in love with her, so hard that the only thing left to do was to tell her. He'd found the courage to do so after a long, long time, but she had declined, claiming she didn't feel the same way. Though it bore a wound so deep in his heart, he put their friendship first and kept the pain in.

They were 22 years old when Yuki brought him to this beach for the last time. He didn't know at the time that that day was one he would never forget. She stood, staring out at the sea and sunset. He remembered how long she had her eyes fixed on the view. She had been crying. He could barely hear her over the waves, but what she said had been like a knife stabbed deep into his heart. She had a disease, and it was progressive. There was no cure. And that the last time she'd visited the doctor, he had estimated six months.

"I wrote you a letter," Yuki said as she glanced down at the water, lapping at her feet. "I know it's stupid and corny, but I put it in a bottle and buried it over there." She pointed to the big rock at the end of the coastline. "Don't open it until…until I'm not here anymore."

Despite his painful upbringing, when she'd said that to him, it was the only time he'd ever cried in his life. Now Syaoran glanced over at the same rock she'd pointed to. Her death had been too traumatic and painful that he couldn't get himself to come back. It still continued to haunt him how easily a young life could be taken away like that. She was barely twenty-three when her body stopped fighting. Though four years had passed, he never looked for the bottle, not once. He didn't want to read it, afraid and unable to face it head-on.

Whilst immersed deeply in his memories, the sound of shuffling feet broke through his thoughts. Syaoran glanced over and saw Sakura and Soshi walking towards him. Are you kidding me? He swore under his breath. They were the last people he wanted to see at that particular moment. Furious that they stormed into his own personal time like this, Syaoran pushed himself up. He couldn't get himself to muster up that usual cheerfulness he usually projected, so instead, he tried for a polite nod.

"Syaoran. We didn't see you at dinner," Soshi spoke first. "Did you settle in all right?"

"Yes, I did."

Sakura studied his face, noticing how there was something so incredibly sad in his expression. Finding it unusual, she could only stare. Not once since she met him had she ever seen him this way. Cautiously, she said, "I thought you hated the beach."

He merely shook his head. "I guess it's not so bad." No sarcastic joke, nothing. He buried his hands in his pockets. "See you guys later." He nodded at Soshi, then met Sakura's eyes briefly.

Her heart pounded. She turned, her gaze unwavering from him even as he walked past her. What had happened?

"Sakura?" Soshi asked, trying to get back her attention.

She was frowning for the second time that night when she turned back to Soshi. Even as she tried to shake it off, her mind remained on Syaoran. What happened? She asked herself once more, with no answer to offer.

Soshi took her hand in his. Jolted at the touch, she met the warmth in his eyes. Then, reminded of why the two of them had come to the beach at this time, Sakura forced Syaoran to the back of her mind. I'll find out later. It was the wrong time to be thinking about another man, she reprimanded herself, and placed back all her attention on Soshi. There was one reason why she prepared so much for this trip and the reason was standing beside her. Time to let it all out.

...

In a state of euphoria, Sakura walked back to her suite, feeling as though she was floating in clouds. It couldn't have ended more beautifully. Soshi had accepted her feelings and subsequently gave her a kiss on the cheek. He'd admitted that he felt the same way but was unsure of her feelings. As much as she had wanted this fairy tale dream to come true, she hadn't expected in a million years that it really would happen to her, but now it did. It was a glorious, glorious feeling.

When she arrived at her hotel suite, Syaoran's face popped back to her mind. In mere seconds, the exhilaration dissipated out of her. He'd looked so distraught at the beach, she remembered. He'd never looked that way before. And remembering it now, her heart ached a little. Sakura sighed and rested her forehead against her hand. Why was she so caught up in it anyway? Remember, this is the Syaoran who bothers and insults you endlessly on a day-to-day basis. But that was it exactly. He had become an entirely different person out there and it was just plain unusual.

Tentatively, she pivoted and faced the door across from hers. After several moments of hesitation, she brought her fist up and knocked. Waiting for a reply, she stared blankly at the door. What was she expecting out of this?

When it opened, Sakura blinked in surprise. The sadness was gone. There was no trace of it whatsoever. Her eyes narrowed automatically, scrutinizing him.

Syaoran's brow rose as he leaned against the doorway. "What's up?"

"Uh…I guess…you're all right then. But...well...I mean..."

"What are you talking about?"

Still bewildered, her shoulders fell. "Nothing. I guess. Never mind. It's okay. Good night."

As she walked back to her room, he interrupted. "Were you successful?"

Sakura met his gaze again. "I was. He…said he felt the same way." Her voice carried a lilt to it that told him exactly how happy she was. "I guess we'll be spending the rest of the weekend together."

Emotionally tired, Syaoran gave a nod of understanding and smiled slightly. "It's good you got what you wanted." Thrown off at the sincerity, Sakura's brows burrowed. Ignoring her scrutiny, he straightened and held onto the door knob. "Good night."

What the heck was this? No sarcastic comment. No lecture about Soshi being imperfect and boring and a liar. Where were the snide remarks, the famous Syaoran smirk? Oh, what the devil was wrong with him? Aggravated that she had no answers to any of these questions running around in her head, Sakura put her hand against the door to stop it from closing shut.

"Wait."

At the resistance, Syaoran pulled it back. "What?"

"What's wrong?" She demanded. "You…you're being nice! This is so unlike you." She grabbed his arm and pulled him to the hallway. "What happened to you out there? Something must have happened for you to be acting so weird right now," she argued when he began to shake his head in denial. "Tell me."

Annoyance shot through him at the fact that she saw through him completely. "What are you going on about now? I'm just being civil, like Boss asked."

Dissatisfied with his answer, she continued to stare back at him stubbornly. "You rarely listen to Soshi, if ever. Did something happen at the beach? You looked like-"

"Nothing happened," he interrupted curtly. "Everyone's got a right to go wherever they want and do whatever they want." Why the hell did she care so much? "It's none of your business anyway. I'm going back to bed."

She grabbed his arm again, letting out a sigh. "Look...I just...I'm worried, okay?"

Baffled by that, he gave a short laugh. "You, worried about me? That'll be the day." He wasn't in the mood to think about the sincerity in her eyes or his own reaction to it. The day was already bad enough as is. When she let go of his arm, he grabbed the doorknob. "Get some rest."

:::::::::

All in all, the three-day weekend was amazing. Things couldn't have gone better than they did. After spending the entire Saturday together, Sakura had gotten to know Soshi enough to confirm what she'd already known – he was a real prince through and through. He'd talked about how he established himself as executive head chief of a thriving company after giving all his efforts at school and odd jobs that followed. Everything he spoke or did convinced her even more how flawless Soshi was. During their times at the beach, he'd been a perfect gentleman, showering her with sweetness and courtesy.

Now on the train heading back to Tokyo, the sun was beginning to set on what had been a fun-filled Sunday. She had spent much of it in the city with co-workers, visiting the old shops and trying out dishes purely served just in Yuigahama. It was a team bonding experience, one that she enjoyed thoroughly. There were moments where she felt like it was high school all over again; work became nonexistent and they were all just normal people, spending the day together and getting to know each other.

Someone from behind pushed her seat forward. Taken out of her train of thought, she got on her feet and spun back. Syaoran looked up at her, an innocent look in his eyes.

Come to think about it now, Syaoran was gone for most of the weekend. This was the first time since that night that she actually faced him. Either he had completely avoided her or he had gone away from the resort itself. As grateful as she was that he stayed out of her business the entire weekend, she couldn't help but grow curious as to how exactly he spent his time in Yuigahama.

"It's not my fault. You were leaning so far back to the point that the seat hit my foot." He then sent a smile that dripped with sarcasm. "So this must've been a great vacation for you, huh? Did you and the boss get some …intimate moments going-"

"Get your head out of the gutter," she interrupted hotly. The old Syaoran was back, she thought with relief. That other side of him, she wasn't quite sure how to react to. She rested her knee on the seat and reached over to slap the top of his head. "It's none of your business anyway, Li!"

Syaoran laughed as he shielded his head from her outstretched arm.

"And to think I was worried about you for a second there," she muttered. "Don't hit my chair again or I really will pull out every single strand of hair on that ugly head." She then turned back and settled comfortably in her seat. Maybe she really did just imagine it completely.

Syaoran shifted slightly and look out the window. So even after this time, he couldn't do it. He hadn't looked for the bottle, after all. He'd considered it over and over again, even spending a good day at the beach itself so he was close enough to look for it and get it over with. With a dull ache in his heart, he sat back against the seat and wondered how long it would take to be ready, to finally let go and move on. He was just so damn tired already.

::::::::

Sakura stepped out of the building with Soshi's hand in hers. This was going to be their very first lunch together. He'd been unavailable all week following the trip, but eventually he had found some time to spend with her. And as much as she was looking forward to this lunch and essentially their first date together, the new pair of shoes she had bought specifically for this moment was giving her extreme pain and badly hindered her excitement.

Unable to hold it in any longer, she tightened her hold on his hand. "Ah Soshi…I'm sorry, these shoes," she began, embarrassment colouring her cheeks. "I think I need to buy a pair of flip-flops or something. My feet are in pain."

Oblivious to it, he glanced down at the gold, strappy 3-inch heels. What was wrong with them? They were glamorous and beautiful on her feet. "They hurt? Why, did you get the wrong size?"

"What? Oh no, I just…I didn't realize they were going to be this hard to walk in." She explained, still forcing on a smile despite the pain. She hadn't realized, until now, that it was incredibly hard to act delicate and ladylike all the time. "Sorry, do you think we can quickly go to a store selling open-toed sandals?"

Getting hungrier by the second, Soshi glanced down at his watch. "I don't know if we've got the time," he said with regret. He sent her a sympathetic smile and squeezed her hand in support. "Darling, I haven't had a break since the day started. Could we grab something to eat first? We'll look around after, I promise."

Stunned at his reaction, Sakura could only stare. Without waiting for her reply, he turned and led her to his car. As they walked, she followed speechlessly. What the hell? Did he not care that she was hurt right now? Prince charming cares about his woman first and foremost, she argued, so what was he doing right now? Was he really that hungry to ignore her pain?

Okay, wait, wait, Sakura. Now you're just being bratty. Don't be an idiot. You don't want to ruin this! Just because he said something you totally didn't expect doesn't mean he's not prince charming anymore. He must've just worked really hard all day and needs a break. After all, this is Soshi, the man you`ve been waiting for, for a long time. She took a quiet deep breath. Yes, exactly, she was just being completely selfish, and this was her fault, not his, so why did he have to suffer for it?

…

After a long lunch that Soshi of course paid for, Sakura stood up and immediately felt the back of her heels digging in slowly. She bit back a cry as Soshi took her hand again and pulled her along with him. Every step bit into already-bad blisters, making it even more difficult to keep walking. She opened her mouth to say something, but he spoke just as he glanced over at his watch again. "Sakura, I honestly thought we'd have more time. Looks like we both need to get back to work…that was a terribly long lunch." With an apologetic sigh, he sent her a sympathetic smile. "We just don't have the time to shop now…but I'm sure you'll be fine. You can walk to the parking lot, right?"

Was he kidding? When she continued staring at him, waiting for him to say it was all a joke, he merely stared back at her, patiently waiting for her response. She couldn't believe it. He showed no gentleness and worry for her whatsoever. "Ah…I guess I have no choice now. I'll just go after work," she replied in a murmur.

"There you go. That's a wonderful idea."

Despite how much she'd obsessed over him for years, at that single moment, she badly wanted to punch him in the jaw. When he let her go, Sakura felt bitter discontent. Why didn't he care? So it was her fault for buying such bad shoes, but… When she glanced down at her bleeding ankles, she felt a wave of disappointment cover her.

...

"So much for prince charming," Sakura muttered under her breath when she returned to her desk, limping. Slowly, she pried off the good-for-nothing, expensive shoes. The blisters on her ankles had gotten worse. Of course they did. Damn, there was blood on the backs of the shoes too. She slightly moaned at the pain when she touched one blister tentatively. "What did I do to myself?"

"What happened to you?" Syaoran interrupted from behind. He bent down and caught a glimpse of just how bad the blisters were. Instinctively, he stepped back. "God, why would you do that to yourself?"

The echo of her own question irked her. Great, here was yet another source of frustration. "Leave me alone. I'm already in a bad mood."

She blew at the hair waving in front of her face, exasperated. Suddenly, Syaoran bent down and grabbed hold of her left calf so he could get a better look at her wounds.

Sakura's head shot up. "What are you doing?"

"You need to wipe the dirt off." He then got up, walked to the kitchen, where she saw him grab a piece of paper towel and drenched it with cold water at the sink. Sakura stared in bewilderment.

A moment later, he bent down on one knee and gently wiped the traces of blood away. Sakura twitched several times at the pain, but continued to watch him. Syaoran then grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and dried the blisters thoroughly.

He glanced up at her then, sending her a smirk. "So you're a fashion-over-comfort kind of woman?"

At that, she frowned again, glancing over her shoes now sprawled on the floor. "Well, they're pretty…" She broke off when he carefully placed band-aids at the backs of both ankles.

"Not worth the money if they're going to screw your feet up," he commented when he stood back up. Sakura's stunned expression made him uncomfortable, but he shrugged it off. The woman was hurt; what else was he supposed to do? "So you must've been in a lot of pain all day." With that, he turned back to his desk, grabbed an extra pair of flip-flops, and threw them down at her feet. "You can use these for now."

Still speechless, Sakura slid her feet into them immediately. They were big of course, but they felt like clouds under her feet. As she pressed down her heels on the soft cushion, she swore she heard her feet sing in happiness.

"Ahh…" A smile of delight then came on her face. When she looked up, she caught Syaoran studying her. Her heart jumped a little. Despite the blush blooming on her cheeks, she forced herself not to look away. "Thank you." He'd been so caring at that one moment, which was totally unexpected. Somewhere in her heart, she couldn't deny the fact that she was ridiculously touched.

Syaoran walked back to his desk. "Learn from your mistakes, right?"

She turned in her chair and scooted towards the desk. Without choice, her mind kept replaying the scene over and over again. Syaoran had been more caring about her well-being than Soshi. It was so unreal, so totally far-fetched from her imagination. There was no doubt that she appreciated his kindness, but it felt odd to be on the receiving end of it, after enduring years of insults from this man. It made her question her own judgement. Maybe Syaoran wasn't as self-centred as he was always projecting himself out to be.

Just then, an anxious feeling settled in her stomach as she once again recalled the image of him bending down and cleaning up her wounds. The first time a man had actually taken care of her and it was…Syaoran. Why was her heart pounding at the thought? She shook her head immediately. I guess he's just one of those people who'll stop and ask a stranger in pain if they're all right. Most people would just walk away and ignore that person. But…he wouldn't. Sakura looked down at her keyboard, but couldn't concentrate. She meant nothing to Syaoran and he meant nothing to her, she knew that. And yet, that one thing he did for her…made her look at him just a little differently now.

:::::::::

The following morning, Sakura arrived at work and was met with a large bouquet of yellow roses sitting in a vase on top of her desk. Her eyes widened in pleasure and excitement. Were they from Soshi? They had to be! Or no, maybe another admirer in the office? Immediately her eyes searched the desk for anything that looked like a card, then her gaze landed on the white rectangular card lying by the roses.

These are for not taking care of you like I should have. Please forgive me. – Soshi

Sakura's heart helplessly melted. So he did realize his mistake. A smile came back to her face. She knew it took a lot for an executive chief to ask for forgiveness, and being a prideful person herself, she knew apologizing was a difficult thing to do. Instantly, she forgave him for everything. She looked back at the flowers, giddy inside, and lowered her head to smell the fragrance. The first time she received flowers and it came from Soshi. He couldn't have been more perfect.

"Women still fall all over this kind of thing? That's really sad."

Oh, why in the most beautiful morning of mornings did he have to taint it? She didn't bother to glare. "Unlike you, other men actually know what women want. This is why you don't have a girlfriend." Then she met his eyes and beamed.

Syaoran snorted as he leaned over and grabbed one of the roses. "Right, like that's what you wanted when you couldn't even walk yesterday?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but failed to say anything. Huh. He was right about that. Reminded of it now, she had to admit, what she had wanted most was to be taken care of by Soshi. But, as she looked back at the roses, this was good enough. It had to be good enough. At least he knew he was wrong and apologized for it. The past was the past.

She grabbed the rose back from his hand. "Hands off."

"Give me my sandals back."

Sakura looked down at her feet absently, having decided to wear comfortable flats for the day. Because she accidentally forgot his shoes at home, she said, "I'll bring them back next week. But…I do appreciate what you did for me yesterday. That was surprisingly nice of you to take care of me like that, so."

"Oh Sakura. Don't you know I'm a man of many layers? That was only one side of me." He flashed her a cocky grin.

Sakura shook her head, laughing in disbelief. "You are unbelievable. I'll be sure to stop myself before complimenting you again. It really goes over your head, doesn't it?"

"It's not over-confidence; just a healthy dose of ego." The smile on her face sent warning bells ringing in his head. Why did she have to have such a damn cute face? Irritated that it was becoming more frequent that to have these thoughts pop out at him, he looked away immediately. "Leave me alone. I'm going to actually do work now."

Sakura returned her attention to the roses. How come all the excitement she'd felt just minutes ago was gone? Now that she studied the bouquet and the card Soshi wrote, she realized how shallow this was compared to what Syaoran had done for her. It was sweet of Soshi to buy the roses, she understood that, but... Syaoran was right. What she'd really wanted was for Soshi to notice her pain. He didn't have to make it go away; just show concern. She bit back a sigh at the disappointment hovering over her heart again at the remembrance.

Geez Sakura. You're expecting too much. He's sorry and he bought you such pretty flowers. Get over it.