Readers, I wanted to make a quick note that- just so you don't feel totally blindsided next chapter- Syaoran is from Hong Kong in this Fanfic. I kept it like the anime in a lot of ways, that being one. I should've clarified that, but if you watched the anime, it's kind of common knowledge.
On with the chapter.
Sakura's POV
The weekend seems to fly right by. One minute it's Friday night, and the next it's Monday morning.
Rolling to school, it feels like an effort just keeping my eyes open. When I woke up this morning, I started to feel the effects of all the long hours. Touya starts up work again next week, so it's not so bad. I should be able to get through the rest of the week without too much trouble.
I get to school before Syaoran, as usual, but today it feels like a lot longer before he shows up.
As soon as I see him walking my way, I check my watch. Just as suspected; He's five minutes late. So much for punctuality. To think, just last week I nearly severely injured both of us trying to get here on time. Clearly he doesn't share the same concern as I do.
I don't wait around for him to walk up to me. Instead, I give him a wave of acknowledgment and turn to head inside.
In the library, I sit down before him, and as he walks up, rather than sitting down across from me, he stands beside the table and rummages through his bag for a moment. I feel myself fill with dread when he pulls out a thick packet and lays it down in front of me. I read the front page and recoil. Review.
Blink. Blink. . . Never ending 'No!'
"What is this?" I dare to ask, looking up at him with a cringe.
He pays no mind to my horror. "A review packet. You're going to take it home and finish it by the end of the week."
"What?" I shout. "Home? End of the week? I don't think." Shoving the packet away, I cross my arms in defiance.
Syaoran calmly reaches out and slides it in front of me again. "I beg to differ. It'll be good practice, and we both know you need it."
Sure, I know he's right- which is why I let my head fall onto the table. To follow it up, I let out a long groan, and a cross between a laugh and a sob. The laugh, because of pity. The sob, because this packet will be my downfall.
"You'll live." How can he be so heartless? And, more importantly, how the hell am I going to finish all of this by the end of the week?
As it turns out, Naoko is super smart. No surprise- she's always reading and writing, after all.
When I get to the library, I don't grab the book from the shelf. It seems to spike Naoko's interest, because she asks me about it. I end up telling her about my tutoring sessions with 'the jerk who sits behind me in class'. Yes, that's actually what I'm referring to him as now. She offers to help me out, so I agree, not wanting to pass up the opportunity. It's pretty sad that, even after two weeks of suffering, I still have to get her help with every other question. I only know how to do about half the problems on my own. On the bright side, though, that's half more than I knew before.
By the end of lunch, we've only finished the first two pages, out of about thirty. I realize that I'm going to have to do all the problems I know at home, and just get Naoko's help with the ones I absolutely can't do on my own. Where exactly is sleep fitting into this schedule?
After the sun has gone down, and I'm finally home for the night, I go to my room and pull out the review packet. Looks like I'll have to start staying up late this week. I get through a fair number of pages, before my eyelids finally give in and I collapse onto my bed, too tired to continue.
The next day, I head to school rubbing my eyes and yawning. I have trouble riding my skates because my legs feel so heavy. I did a lot of back and forth yesterday at work- even more than usual. All those trips to the kitchen carrying heavy plates must be causing the extra tension.
By the time I reach the front gate outside of the school, my heart is pounding and my breaths are shallow. I take the same rout everyday, and never have this problem. Rather than thinking about it too hard, I close my eyes and wait for Syaoran to show up.
I don't become aware of Syaoran's presence until he's right in front of me. "Kinomoto? You there?" I reluctantly open my eyes to find Syaoran standing a few feet away from me, examining my face. The look he gives me reminds me of Tomoyo's face when she wakes up to find a blemish on her face; something that happens once in a blue moon with Tomoyo's skin being next to flawless. "Wow, you look awful!"
"Well, gee thanks." I want to move- but at the same time really, really don't. Is there an option where I have my own, personal motor scooter to take me anywhere I need to go? If I were rich, I would buy myself a segway, that way I'd never have this problem again.
Syaoran quickly tries to correct himself. "Not like that- I just meant that you look really out of it." I give him a blank stare, and he shakes his head. "Never mind." Good, because I don't want to use any more brain power than needed right now.
I follow close behind as we approach the building. "So, have you started the packet yet?" The thought of the evil review packet makes me wide awake from the sudden wave of irritation.
"Yeah. Stayed up late working on the stupid thing."
He glances back at me, and I want to slap him when he says, "clearly."
You- if I weren't so exhausted right now, I'd make you regret that, Li. I glare daggers into his back the rest of the way to the library.
Throughout the lesson, I'm only half there. I try my best to listen to what Syaoran is saying, but the information only goes to my short term memory for a few seconds before vanishing as if he never said anything in the first place. I almost feel a little bad about it, but there's not much I can do about it, so I just sit in silence, pretending to be soaking up everything he's telling me.
Syaoran's POV
I'm not stupid. I can tell that Sakura zoned out the second I opened my mouth, but I decide not to say anything about it. It's not like me getting mad at her is going to make her any less tired.
Even though I wish I weren't, part of me is worried about her. Sakura has never known when she's pushed herself too far, and it's clear now that she has. I'd tell her to take it easy, but if she hears it from me, I know she'll either ignore it, or just go and do the exact opposite out of spite. So, in the end I keep my mouth shut and watch her stare blankly at the textbook between us.
I can't help feel a little relieved when the bell rings. Even during class, Sakura stares out the window, not hearing what Mr. Terada is saying. I can see Tomoyo giving her worried looks every so often, but keep my eyes trained on the blackboard.
It's not your problem, Syaoran. Sakura's health is none of your concern. I tell myself this, yet I'm not sure I believe it. Probably because I don't want to believe it. Pretty sad- seven years later, and I'm still in denial.
Sakura and I reach the school building at the same time Wednesday morning. I'm not very surprised when I find her wearing normal shoes. With the pace she's going right now, I'd say she doesn't have the energy for them. Even so, it rattles me a little.
She spots me after a few seconds.
"Nice timing today," I comment. She doesn't reply. We walk towards the building side by side, with me throwing subtle side glances in Sakura's direction every once in a while.
During the lesson, I can tell that she is trying to concentrate. Her eyebrows knit together, and she stares at the paper with such intensity that I think she might burn a hole in it. In the end, though, her efforts are in vain. I give her a pop quiz right before the bell rings, and she jumbles up the information from today with the information from other units throughout the year. We aren't going to be anywhere near ready for midterms at this rate.
Sakura's POV
I don't even realize that I've started to nod off until I feel someone nudge my shoulder. Terada-sensei is still at the front of the classroom, writing on the board as usual. I lazily turn my head to the side and find Tomoyo watching me. She mouths, 'is everything alright?' I nod weakly, then turn back to the front of the classroom.
At work, the evening seems to drag on forever. I move slowly, but try by best to keep up. I can see Chiharu giving me stressed, yet concerned looks whenever we pass each other in the kitchen.
On Thursday morning I wake up late, so I have to resort to grabbing a protein bar and running out the door. It's not the most ideal breakfast, but it's better than nothing. So much for balanced meals.
Syaoran's POV
She's late. The possibility that she might be staying home sick crosses my mind, but I realize less than a second later that's not something Sakura would ever do. Sometime around ten after, Sakura finally shows up. She comes running around the corner looking like she might topple over if she takes one more step. Slowing down first, she stops in front of me and bends down to put her hands on her knees. I can hear her erratic breathing, and wonder if it's from the running or the exhaustion. Probably a combination of both.
"You okay?"
She nods, and straightens herself again. "Yeah. Sorry I'm late."
"It's fine." I tilt my head to get a better view of her face. "Need a minute?"
She stands up, and starts walking ahead, still panting. "No, I'm good."
I watch disapprovingly, but keep my mouth shut.
When we sit down in the library, Sakura pulls out a rectangular object from her bag. She holds it up to show it to me and asks, "do you mind? I didn't have time for breakfast this morning." Of course; It's a protein bar.
Okay, at this point I think she's just trying to make me worry. That, or make me feel guilty about giving her that stupid packet. Both of which she has already done very well.
We aren't supposed to eat in the library, but I nod. "Go ahead." I'm not a stickler for the rules, and even if I were, it's not as though I can just say no when she's so clearly getting sick.
She unwraps the protein bar and looks at it like she's just found water in a desert. When she takes the first bite, a smile stretches out and reaches the corners of her eyes. She seems to melt into her seat a little. It's actually pretty adorable. Damn it, Syaoran, stop thinking about that stuff!
To distract myself, I pull out some papers and get us started.
The bell rings, waking Sakura from a trance sort of state. She shoots her head up and looks around. Then, she grabs her things and stands up. It's like she's totally forgotten about me. I start to gather my things as I observe.
When she's on her feet, she suddenly stops short. Her hand rests on the table and she leans on it for support. Her eyes are directed at the table, but they aren't focused in on it. She blinks with rapid fire.
I watch her silently until she starts to come back to reality, then I speak. "Dizzy?"
She nods weakly, and slowly steps back from the table, removing her hand.
"Need to go see the nurse?" Any attempts I make are futile, but I decide to try anyways.
As predicted, she shakes her head. "I'll live." Well, that's not very reassuring.
I follow close behind her the entire way to class, being sure to watch for signs that would suggest she's about to fall over or pass out. Fortunately, we makes it to the classroom without an incident. Still, every time I see her stand up from her seat, she takes a moment to steady herself before walking. It leaves me feeling unsettled.
Sakura's POV
At work, I can tell that Mrs. Matsumoto knows something's up. She approaches me during one of my breaks to talk to me.
"Sakura, are you feeling alright today? You're looking flushed and a little pale."
"Yeah," I lie. "I'm fine. Never been better!" I give her an enthusiastic thumbs up.
She eyes me suspiciously. "Alright, but if you need to take some time off, just say the word." I give her a reassuring nod with no intention of doing so.
Syaoran's POV
This is getting ridiculous. By Friday, I'm about ready to just take Sakura and drag her, kicking and screaming, to see Ms. Mizuki in the infirmary. She comes walking up red faced and breathing heavily. Thing is, she's even running today. If anything, she's walking slower than usual. Why is she even at school?
"Are you here to tell me you're staying home sick today?" I shouldn't even bother asking, but I decide to give it a shot. Who know, maybe it'll plant the idea into her mind. Unfortunately, she just looks confused. So much for that idea. Sakura's too dense for something as elaborate as inception, anyways.
"No, why would I?"
Because you look like you just went to hell and back. I decide to go with a somewhat more subtle approach. "You aren't looking too good, Kinomoto." Okay, so it wasn't all that subtle, but what the hell, right? What's the worst that could happen at this point?
She'd probably look a lot more annoyed were she not about to keel over from fatigue. "I feel wonderful. Can we get started?" I breath out a low whistle, and smack my lips. Have it your way, Sakura.
"Well, alright, then. Off we go."
Inside the library, Sakura is practically nodding off. Finally, after what feels like forever- but is really only about ten minutes- I shut the textbook and set down the pencil in my hand.
Sakura looks up at me, puzzled. "What are you doing? We still have, like, forty minutes left."
"I'm not about to waste both of our time by sitting here, trying to teach you this again for the third time in a row, if you're not going to listen to me again."
"What?" She's turned hostile. "I am listening!" Emerald eyes boar into me. Tired emerald eyes.
"Clearly not, or you would have realized by now that I explained all of this to you on Wednesday, and then again yesterday."
Faint frown lines appear on her brow. "No, you didn't! Yesterday we talked about-" she stops short.
"See? You don't remember. You've been too tired these past few days to hear anything I've said." I lean back in my chair and watch as she fumbles for words.
"W-wha?" She is trying to compose herself, when she remembers something. "Well, I finished your stupid review packet, so... Ha!" She pulls out the thick stack of papers from her bag and tosses out onto the table. "Must be doing something right." I just stare at the packet between us. I want to take the thing and shred it- or, better yet, burn it. Yeah, burning would be way more satisfactory.
Had I not given Sakura the packet, she might be in better shape. She might actually be able to stand up without nearly passing out. Damn it! I lean forward onto the table, and run my fingers through my hair.
"Look, Sakura, I didn't mean for you to-" I freeze. Wait a minute. Did I just-? I look up at the girl in front of me. I imagine that we have the same expression of horror and disbelief on our faces. She stares at me wide-eyed for a moment, but then her face twists into one of rage. Her already flushed face turns even redder.
"Don't call me that!" At lightning speed, she grabs her eraser and pitches it at me. I shoot my hand out and catch it before it can hit me. The action only pisses her off even more. I calmly set the eraser down in front of her. She almost takes another shot at me, but I don't pull my hand away, so she doesn't try to get the tiny object from beneath my palm.
"Kinomoto." She raises her eyebrows in acknowledgment. "What I'm trying to say is that there's no use in me trying to teach you right now. You're way too tired, so just lay your head on the table and get some rest. I'll wake you up when the bell rings." I lean back in seat, pulling my hand away. Her eyes don't go to the eraser, though. Instead, she watches me suspiciously.
"I'm not tired," she insists.
"Sure you aren't."
"I'm not!" Somebody is in denial.
"Well, do it anyways. Either that, or just sit there the rest of the time while I look over the packet." I really don't want to have to look at it, but I am the one who gave it to her, so I don't have much of a choice.
"I could leave, you know." Is that supposed to be some kind of threat?
"And go where?"
"I know a place."
"Just give it a rest already."
At first she glares at me, but I see her eyelids drift shut, and then they flutter a few times. With one final drifting shut of her lids, Sakura brings her arms up and finally lays her head down.
I watch her do these things. It stirs something inside of me as I watch her. From the way her hair falls across her face, to the way her face looks as she sleeps, I find it beautiful. I find her beautiful. But then, I guess that's not really saying much. I've always seen her as beautiful.
When the bell rings, I keep my promise and nudge her a few times to wake her up. Her head rises slowly. She has to blink a few times to really understand what's going on.
"What time is it?"
"Time to go. The bell just rang. Come on, lets go."
I stand and wait for her to gather her things. I earn a glance as she walks up to me. She rubs her eyes as we walk out of the library. I keep pace with her the entire time, which she doesn't seem to mind too much. Part of me can't help but wonder if she would avoid walking side by side if she had more energy. I don't think I really want to know the answer, though.
It's after school, and I'm just about to leave the building, when someone calls out to me.
"Li!"
I turn around to find Chiharu walking towards me. "Mind if I walk with you for a minute?"
This is unusual. Chiharu and I don't typically interact much outside of lunch, unless Takashi is around.
Wondering what she wants, I nod, and hold the door open for her.
"So, what's on your mind?"
She anxiously glances over at me. "Remember the other day how you were saying that I should rekindle my friendship with Sakura?"
Ah, here we go again. Why does it feel like all my conversations as of late are surrounding Sakura? Probably because they are.
"I didn't mean that you should, necessarily; I was merely pointing out that you could if you wanted to. It would sure make things a lot easier. Especially for Daidouji."
"Tomoyo? How do you figure?"
"Come on, Mihara. Daidouji is close friends with both you and Sakura. She has to choose between the two of you sometimes. Lunch, for example. Usually she eats with Sakura, because Sakura doesn't really have anyone else to eat with. She's been sitting with you this past week because she's worried about you. In turn, she has to leave behind Sakura." I wonder if I should've left out the last part.
Chiharu's eyes drift to the pavement beneath our feet. "Yeah, I guess so." We pause just outside of the school gate. She looks up at me again. "Well, thanks, Li. I'll-" She stops short, catching sight of something over my shoulder. I follow her gaze behind me and my eyes zero in on none other than Sakura Kinomoto herself.
Chiharu and I watch as she 'walks' slowly down the sidewalk. I say 'walks' because what she's actually doing is more like trudging. Her feet barely come off the ground, and it looks like she's about to fall over. She's using the wall to support herself, for crying out loud!
"Is she alright?"
"No," I say. "She most certainly is not." With that, I finally snap. "Kinomoto!" I march angrily up to her, and stand in front of her, effectively cutting her off. Her head looks up robotically. Oddly enough, as her head comes up, her eyelids go down. As well as the rest of her.
"Shit!" I reach out and grab her before she can fall.
"Sakura!" Chiharu runs up to us.
I lower us to the ground, and holding Sakura in one arm, I use the other to pull out my cell phone.
"Are you going to call an ambulance?"
"No, I have an alternative." Just then Wei picks up. "Hey, Wei, I'm going to need you to bring the car around to the school. And can you call the family doctor while you're at it? Thanks." I don't wait for his reply before hanging up.
Chiharu reaches out and puts her hand to Sakura's forehead. "She's burning up." It doesn't shock me hearing this. Sakura's entire face is flushed, and her breaths are uneven.
Chiharu looks up at me. "What do we do? Is she going to be okay?"
"She's going to be fine." I say it party to myself, as well. "I'll take her back to my place and have the family doctor check her out." I can see Chiharu trembling, but don't say anything about it. "You two work together, right?" She nods. "In the mean time, can you tell the manager that Sakura won't be coming in today?" I earn another nod.
"Should I call her house to let Touya know where she is?" The name of Sakura's brother makes me pause.
"No. I'll call." That'll be an interesting conversation. He didn't like me when Sakura and I were friends, so I don't even want to know how he feels about me now. Still, I can't ask Chiharu to call; Not when Sakura will me with me.
I look down at Sakura's unconscious figure. Why did you have to get sick?
Other students leaving the building look over at us and pause. Not wanting to start a scene, I pick up Sakura and say to Chiharu, "we should head probably go somewhere a little more discrete." Chiharu looks over her shoulder and nods.
Together we walk across the street. Chiharu sits down on one of the benches under a tree, and pats her lap. "I'll support her head." I lay Sakura down so that her head rests on Chiharu's lap.
While we wait, Chiharu and I watch Sakura. Her mouth is open in a little 'o' as she breaths heavily, her chest rising and falling. If not for Chiharu sitting there watching, I might have accidentally reached out and taken Sakura's hand.
I'm a little shaken when Chiharu speaks. "It's kinda funny, don't you think?" My eyes move from Sakura to the girl leaning over her.
"What is?" I don't see how this is funny. Sakura just collapsed in front of us on our way out of the building. Quite the opposite of funny, in my opinion.
"That it's the two of us who found her." She looks up and elaborates. "We were two of her closest friends at one point. It just seems ironic that we're the ones here right now." Oh.
"Yeah," I say slowly. "It is, isn't it?" The more I think about it, the odder it seems.
Right then, I hear a car door open behind me. "Syaoran-sama." I turn around. Wei stands there assessing the situation. How had I not noticed him pull up?
"Just a moment." I turn around again. Chiharu lifts Sakura's shoulders up so I can slip my arm under, and then, bringing my other arm under her knees, I lift Sakura up once more. Chiharu supports her head so that it doesn't fall back.
"Call me when you hear from the doctor, okay?" Chiharu looks at me with pleading eyes.
"Of course. I'll talk to you later than." She nods, and slowly lowers Sakura's head. It falls lifelessly back, making my heart squeeze. Chiharu takes a step back and watches as I take Sakura and step into the car. It's not until we turn the corner that I look back and see her begin to walk away.
Another thing: I'll probably go back as I write this story and take down/put up different authors notes in the chapters.
By the way, next week I'm going to include a flashback of what happened to Sakura and Syaoran 7 years ago. That's a little something to look forward to. And Sakura at Syaoran's house; I've been having fun writing that.