Author's note: New chapter is up. Hope you guys weren't waiting for too long. I usually update this when I feel depressed and all but recently, I've been able to write even when I'm happy. So, let's spread the joy! Please leave me a review to tell me what you thought! :D
Disclaimer: CCS and all its characters belong to CLAMP. They own all rights to them. I'm just a fan who can not get over their amazing work.
Chapter 6: An Innocent Cookie Box
Rating: T
-oOo-
Touya draped an arm around Sakura protectively. He was currently conversing with the director, asking permission to leave the set. The director was eyeing Sakura curiously, a fact Touya did not miss. Sakura, for her part, was trying to hide herself behind her brother. Yet again, she had caused another monumental delay in filming. One of the stars of the movie they were shooting was currently in an ambulance on the way to the hospital after he had cushioned her fall into a pond. A very shallow pond. With water not reaching her knees. Full of huge rocks at the bottom. And cute little koi swimming around.
Sakura was convinced there was a secret rule of the universe that stated she and Syaoran had to have really bad luck when they were together. They had not been together for a few minutes when disaster struck. She was so ashamed at what happened even if it was an accident. That ledge she was leaning on looked perfectly sturdy. She saw many people leaning on it before her. Why did it give way when she gave it a go?
There was no use grumbling because as soon as she realized what happened, several people were already rushing to them. Li lost consciousness, probably from getting his head slammed into a very prominent rock beneath him. An ambulance was called immediately and weird looks were shot towards her. She rushed to her brother when he appeared. She was wet and embarrassed, not really knowing what to do at being put on the spot.
She was trying her best to keep warm with the flimsy piece of cloth they gave her to dry herself with. A cold breeze came the moment she got out of the pond, causing her to shiver. She was unable to dry herself off properly because she was immediately taken away by her brother. That same brother was now demanding that he be allowed to take Sakura home despite the fact that she had just ruined today's filming. In almost the same manner she stopped filming the last few times. Accidentally. Again.
"Maybe I should just shoot myself?" Sakura mumbled.
Thankfully, her brother did not hear her because he was too busy arguing with the director.
"Kinomoto-kun, even with Li-kun out of the picture, we have to maximize our time here." The director was trying to reason with Touya.
Long story short. No one was going anywhere.
Touya was frowning, not a very good sign. Sakura was trying to think of a way to fix the big mess she caused. It wasn't all her fault though. It was an accident. And Li should have known better and stayed away from her given their horrible history together. Still, the whole things messed up filming and now her brother, because he was always over-protective of Sakura and worried over her incessantly, refused to continue filming just so she could fix herself up away from the set. Ahhh... Yes. It was another beautiful day of shooting.
"Niisan, I can do it myself."
Shee looked at Touya and she smiled to reassure him. From the corner of her eye, she saw the director nod approvingly. At least she was doing some good.
"We're in an unknown place, Sakura," Touya said with a frown. Nadeshiko would throw a fit if she saw Touya frowning. Less frowning, less wrinkles was her motto.
"I didn't get soaked, just my legs. Li got the brunt of everything. I'll just wash off my legs and get a new pair of pants from my things in the dressing room. I'll be fine."
Touya didn't look convinced.
"Listen to your sister." The director was now cajoling Touya into agreeing. "She understands how the business is run. It was an unfortunate accident but now everyone has to pull their weight and make things work. You are a professional, aren't you?"
Her brother stiffened at the insinuation. Sakura agreed with the director. She didn't want Touya to destroy his reputation just because of her.
"Niisan, the sooner we finish the work here, the sooner we can go. I'll just be a little inconvenienced. I'm more worried about the filming. It would be a pity if it stopped again." She put on her pleading face and hoped her brother wasn't too desensitized for it to actually work.
It took a few seconds before Touya finally gave in. "All right."
Both the director and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.
-xXx-
The taste of muddy water was the first thing that came to Syaoran's mind when he woke up. There was a lingering taste of mud and dirt on his mouth that he could not stomach. His head felt like it had been hit by a sledgehammer from behind. There were spots in his vision that would not fade no matter how many times he tried to blink it away. He looked around him, the unfamiliar scenery an unwelcoming sight.
"Good morning, brave knight."
He turned to the voice and saw Eriol looking at him with unreadable eyes.
He tried to remember what happened to him before he blacked out. Koi was the first thing that came to his mind.
"Koi?" he asked himself more than Eriol.
"Koi?" Eriol echoed in confusion.
He closed his eyes and an image of Sakura flashed in his head. Comprehension dawned on him instantly. He had tried to catch her when the ledge gave way.
"Sakura," he breathed.
"Sakura." Eriol said in agreement.
"Is she all right?" he asked, still a bit groggy from the incident. Somehow, her well-being went before his. After all, he already fell into her I-need-a-protector trap that day in the aquarium. He was such a fool.
"Shouldn't you be more concerned about yourself?" Eriol's voice was a little on edge, causing Syaoran to look back at him.
"Is something wrong with me?" He reached for his head and felt a bandage circling his skull. "Did I hurt my face?!" He immediately started groping his face, feeling for cuts of bruises. He felt relieved when he didn't find any. "Quit scaring me, Eriol."
"Me scare you? After what you made me go through in the past three hours, you dolt!" Eriol slammed a fist on the table beside him, easily grabbing Syaoran's attention.
Syaoran raised his hands up in front of him like a shield. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay?"
Eriol eyed him, anger plain in his face. "You better call your sisters and apologize for worrying them."
"Yes, Sir," Syaoran replied immediately.
Eriol sighed and wiped his long-suffering face with his hand. "Next time, think about the consequences of your actions."
"I wasn't really thinking then," he admitted.
"Do you like her or do you like her?" Eriol asked seriously.
Syaoran flinched. "I don't like her. Anyone would do what I did."
His manager scrutinized him for a long time. Syaoran tried to keep his face impassive. He truly believed what he said. Anyone would have tried and helped her. The ledge would have given away for anyone. It was just bad luck that it did when Sakura leaned on it. Syaoran would have done the same if anyone else had fallen. Of course, he wouldn't be actually near the ledge if Sakura wasn't but… hypothetically… had he been there, he would have done what he did for anyone. He was pro-life after all. And it was also coincidence that it happened when Syaoran was with Sakura. It wasn't because there was a jinx whenever he was near her. No, Sir.
"Thank you for being so chivalrous," Eriol said flatly. He sighed and looked at him seriously. "Are you all right? Do you feel weird anywhere?"
Syaoran shook his head. "I feel fine. I just need to brush my teeth. That pond water tasted awful. What's my damage anyway?"
"Nothing so far. No concussion or internal haemorrhage. No memory loss as well since your talking to me perfectly right now."
"And Sakura?"
Eriol raised an eyebrow at the question.
"I just want to know my good deed had good results," he said hastily.
"I see." Eriol didn't look like he believed him. "She looked fine when we left. Although that was only a momentary glance. Besides, her brother is with her. That should make anyone rest easy."
"Yeah, I guess."
"And just like that we've delayed filming for another day or two."
Syaoran looked sheepish. "Sorry."
"That's fine," Eriol said with a wave of his hand. "I like Kyoto food anyway."
"Sorry," Syaoran said again.
"You two are jinxed, you know that?" Eriol told him, a smile finally breaking through his cold exterior.
Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Don't I know it."
-xXx-
The incident with the pond caused filming to be delayed a few days. Li Syaoran's parts were moved back until he could come back and all other scenes were moved forward. The second and third day of filming without happened continued without a problem. They made good time and finished everything. They had a one-day break before filming continued. Sakura decided to use this day to make her peace offerings for the staff and director. She spent a lot of money but she knew it was the right thing to do.
Touya was helping her make her offerings. He frowned when she told him she had to make over a thousand cookies for everyone. He had been helping her since this morning, both with the baking and the packing. Sakura enjoyed herself because even if her brother was grumpy doing all this work, Sakura always loved spending time with him. Touya's black mood lasted only a few hours and eventually, both of them were having fun.
Nadeshiko called in an hour after lunch asking how they were. She left them their address in Mexico in case they needed to reach them. Touya's annoyance at his mother faded like soap bubbles in light of her up-beat personality. Their mother could charm the very devil himself to do her bidding. Like always, Touya just let it go, very much aware that his mother always did whatever she liked.
Sakura was a bit surreptitious with her information gathering the past few days. She had managed to get Eriol's number and asked how Syaoran was doing. She felt quite guilty not only for delaying production but also putting Syaoran in danger. She was relieved when he told her everything was fine. He offered to pass the phone to him but Sakura was too embarrassed to actually speak with him. She simply wished Syaoran well and ended the call.
"Why are there three boxes?" Touya asked, curious about the three decorative boxes on the kitchen counter. Two boxes were the same size but the third one was slightly smaller. He had been wrapping cookies in biodegradable plastic and finishing them off with colored bows for the past hour.
"For the cookies," she answered absently, her mind trained on the batch that was being baked at the moment.
"For who?" Touya asked, his voice dangerously low.
Sakura felt as if she had just been thrown onto thin ice. "…People, of course." She evaded answering his question.
Touya's eyes narrowed. "And these people are?"
Sakura should not have bothered trying to hide it. Her brother had ways to get the answers he wanted. "Eriol-san, the director and Li."
"Why?"
Touya was surprisingly calm.
"Well, since I inconvenienced them the most, they deserve more cookies, right?" she replied innocently.
There was a pause before Touya answered, "I guess."
Trying to distract her brother, Sakura pointed to the oven. "Niisan, are these cookies okay?"
Her brother sighed and moved to check on them.
-xXx-
"Are you well now, Syaoran?" th Director asked.
Syaoran gave him a deep bow. "I'm sorry for the trouble."
Eriol was bowing by his side. "He's fully recovered, Sir. No sign of anything wrong. I had him stay at the hospital for two days to be sure."
The director nodded in relief. "That's good to hear."
Syaoran straightened up and smiled. "I'm rearing to go, Sir. What do we have to do first?"
"Right, we'll go with scene 43 first. Have wardrobe fit you and then make-up will take over. The location is the same as last time."
Syaoran gave another bow. "Right."
Both the director and Eriol watched him jog to the costume department's tent. Eriol turned to face the director and bowed again. "I'm really sorry for causing the delay."
"Are those two dating or what?" he asked with a laugh.
Eriol smiled in response. "Someone is in denial of his attraction."
"Well, she doesn't look like his type. She's too covered. Can't even tell if she's girl."
"There is that," Eriol answered.
"Excuse me, Director, Eriol-san." Both men turned towards the new voice. Sakura Kinomoto was standing in front of them, two boxes in her hands. Touya Kinomoto was beside her, a big bag slung over his shoulder. They could only wonder at its contents.
"You're here today, Sakura?" Eriol asked in surprise. He heard from the director that they finished filming the parts for all the other actors except Syaoran.
"Yes, only for a bit. Please accept this." She offered the boxes she was holding to both Eriol and the director.
They looked to her in confusion. She then gave a deep bow. "I'm so sorry for causing trouble. I made this to apologize to everyone."
The director looked into the box and the smell of wonderfully-baked cookies filled the air. Eriol looked into his own box and saw four stacks of different cookies. They smelled and looked divine. Eriol found himself smiling wide. The director immediately took a bite of one.
"This is delicious!" he exclaimed as he took out another cookie and started wolfing it down.
Sakura looked happy at the compliment. "I'm glad. I wasn't sure they'd turn out good but-"
"You made this?" Eriol looked at the contents of the box again. He was pleasantly surprised that she would do something like this.
"Hai. Niisan helped me," she said with a smile.
The director laughed out loud. "To be given the honor of eating something made by such a famous person, I'm honoured."
"I only helped a little, Sir." Touya replied. "Sakura did most of the work."
"Thank you, they're wonderful."
"Thank you, Sir," Sakura said with a bow. "If I may be excused, Sir. I still have to go and apologize to everyone else."
"You're giving cookies to everyone?" Eriol asked. He chanced a glance at her brother and saw that he did not like the prospect of doing so but he was willing to do it since it was Sakura asking. He then looked at the bag Touya was holding and knew what it contained.
"Hai, I've inconvenienced everyone so I have to apologize. I'll just give this and go so I won't cause any trouble." She bowed and left, her brother following her.
"Now that was a surprise," the director said.
Eriol looked at him and saw him happily consuming the contents of his box. "Definitely," he said in agreement.
"Charming little lass. Maybe I see why he's attracted. Not many people go through such lengths. And not many people make such wonderful cookies either. Is this a talent of theirs?" Cookie crumbs were flying out of the director's mouth. He had completely forgotten about anything else in the face of those cookies.
Eriol laughed at the sight. "Maybe."
-xXx-
Something was definitely up, Syaoran thought to himself. All of the staff was busy talking about something Syaoran did not know. They were huddled together, laughing like there was no tomorrow. They were also eating cookies. Everyone was eating cookies. Even the director. Even Eriol when he saw him earlier. Everyone but him.
"Why the hell am I feeling so insecure about some stupid cookies?" he said in frustration.
And he was insecure. His co-actors were also munching on the things so he assumed everyone got some. Everyone but him apparently. And like a petulant child, he was shallow enough to actually let it get to him. He had enough presence of mind to reply graciously to the people who greeted him and asked his well-being but a nerve would pop if he saw those damned cookies. It was irrational, he knew, but what could he actually do? He hated them. He didn't know why but he did.
He was still annoyed when he got to his tent. He ripped off his tie and started undressing. He'd have a bottle of beer back at his penthouse to relax him.
"Who cares about cookies? You sure don't," he said to himself.
He was about to pack up the things on the table when he saw a box that had not been there before. He went closer to inspect it and saw a note attached to it. He unfolded it and started reading.
Hey. I couldn't catch you since you were so busy filming. Sorry for causing trouble that time. And thanks for helping. –Sakura
A smile came to his face. "That girl," he said with a shake of his head. He opened the box excitedly but the smile disappeared when he saw what was inside.
"Cookies?" he asked in disbelief. His mind turned to the cookies everyone else was eating. "You gave everyone else cookies! That doesn't make me special at all," he grumbled.
His jaw dropped when he realized what he just said. "I did not just say that."
As if to make things harder for him Eriol walked into his tent, a box in his hands. Syaoran noted that it was a bit bigger than his own. He bit his lip in annoyance at the pathetic things his brain had been registering in the past few minutes. All because of those damn cookies!
"I see you have one, too." Eriol gestured towards the box by Syaoran's side.
Syaoran only grumbled a response.
"Sakura gave these to me personally to apologize for the trouble your little pond-jumping caused. Isn't she the sweetest?"
The fondness Syaoran heard in Eriol's voice wasn't really helping matters.
"She even gave me four different kinds of cookies. Such a thoughtful little girl."
Syaoran unconsciously looked at the contents of his own box and saw there was only one kind. No, he definitely wasn't jealous. It was just cookies.
Oblivious to everything, Eriol continued. "The pistachio one is great but I definitely loved the dark chocolate chip ones best. Everyone else got four kinds, too. Those on a diet couldn't resist."
"Is this a pity gift or what?" he mumbled under his breath.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing."
Eriol walked towards him and inspected his box. "Oh. You have only one kind."
Syaoran blew up. "So? So what if I have one kind? So what if my box is some 300 cubic centimeters smaller than yours? I don't even like cookies. They're full of empty calories."
Eriol looked at him, shocked at his outburst. "Relax, what the hell happened?" Eriol was asking but he already knew what was wrong.
"I need some air. Sorry," Syaoran said as he made his way out.
His manager looked at the box once again and laughed. "Too bad. I was going to tell him that this kind wasn't given to anyone else." He shrugged and closed the box.
-oOo-
Author's note: This story is more for entertainment. If you wanted something deep then you'll be disappointed. Anyway, please tell me your thoughts! Until the next chapter! :D