Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Don't Leave a Third Chance ❯ Chapter 3: Remember Me ( Chapter 3 )

Don't Leave a Third Chance

A/N: Yeah, people, Sakura and Syaoran get jiggy with it! Lol! Anyway, long time no see, I know. I want to thank lilblossom 82, Ava, Mandy, Michelle, terracannon876, Spellblade5777, Imsolittle, and emi() and Gohans Chick (woah…Videl!) for reviewing. I LOVE YOU GUYS, YOU"RE AWESOME! And for those who haven't reviewed but read my story... ah well... what do I care. So guys, S/S meet again, and I admit, I love Kazumi Tsukishiro. SO NOBODY CLAIM HIM!

Disclaimer: All I own of CCS are plushies that I MADE of CCS characters... NOTHING MORE! Shoo lawyers, don't bother me!

Chapter 3: Remember Me

"Syaoran!" Sakura gasped, and then rubbed her eyes of the tears in them and gave a quivery smile. "Long time no see."

Syaoran tried to speak. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He tried to swallow, but found that his salivary glands weren't working properly. He tried to speak again, but his vocal cords wouldn't come out. Even in sweatpants and a sweater that reached her mid-thigh, she still looked amazingly beautiful. His gaze fell from her face to a bundle that she was holding. A sleeping child with black hair nestled himself on her breast. Kazumi, on his mother's left, was sucking his thumb and looking at the strange man with a sort of deep recognition that was abnormal for a child. His hair color had changed into a very sandy color from his mass of auburn curls that he had as a baby. Green overalls with a little truck on the front clothed the little boy, and underneath that, he wore a yellow shirt. The picture of them, Sakura and her two children, brought a fresh new surge of pain to Syaoran. This should have been his family, his baby in Sakura's arms, his little toddler standing so close to her, chubby hands tugging at her pant-leg.

Sakura tried to talk to Syaoran again in a sort of nervous manner. "So, how's it been with you? I heard you've got a promotion." She let out a strange giggle, or was it a sob? Syaoran's eyes upon her were unnerving her on top of her distress.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this Syaoran. I... " Sakura cut herself off when she spotted Tomoyo coming out of the elevator trying to manage her briefcase and portfolios.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo exclaimed and, managing to pile all the documents into her bag, she walked briskly over to her and hugged her loosely, so as not to disturb the sleeping baby. "Why don't you come in? Why are your eyes red? What happened?"

She unlocked the door with the key that Syaoran gave her, and gently guided Sakura into the flat with her hand. She picked up Kazumi before turning to Syaoran, giving him a look that said "Move it or you're getting locked outside." Syaoran managed to snap out of his paralysis and followed after Tomoyo, shutting the door gently after him.

"Care to tell me what happened, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, setting down her cup of tea on the coffee table. She and Sakura were sitting on the couch, Tomoyo with the baby, Kouji, in her arms, and Kazumi sitting on the floor near the armchair where Syaoran was sitting.

Sakura blew her nose and wiped her tears away, but couldn't say anything. She didn't want to chase Syaoran out of the room, but what she was about to tell Tomoyo was…rather private. A few years ago, it would have been Syaoran that I would have turned to, Sakura thought sadly. It disappointed her that Syaoran never came to Kouji's naming ceremony, and although she tried to contact him, she had long since forgotten his phone number and Syaoran wasn't in the phone book, being the paranoid person that he was. She felt guilty about forgetting Syaoran after her marriage. It seemed like she could only keep one guy in her life other than family, no matter if he was her lover or her ex-best friend. Seeing Syaoran again brought on a fresh surge of guilt and repentance, and especially shame. What would he think of her now? She had never contacted him and now, she just appears out of nowhere, looking completely broken down with her children about her. He must hate her, he must think of her as some worthless particle that was once part of his past life. Did he even remember who she was?

"Syaoran-kun, would you mind leaving the room for a moment?" Tomoyo said gently, but with a pointed look in her amethyst eyes. Syaoran knew it was her polite, friendly way of saying that she would rather be alone to discuss Sakura's problems. He nodded at her briefly, but before going, he gathered enough courage to walk briskly to the couch to give Sakura a brief, light hug. He wanted to make it last longer, but he was too afraid that she would push him away and reject him. His inner self knew that she wasn't the type of person to do that, but he knew that she didn't love him, and that she hugged back only because of gratitude. Then, he walked stiffly to a bedroom, but not noticing Kazumi toddling after him.

Sakura was a little shocked by the hug. Syaoran, in all the years that she worked with him before her marriage, had never been open with his affections or even very much sympathetic. He was kind to her, yes, but he was always reserved around her. He had enough patience to help her in whatever she needed help with, and he would always be there for her, but there was always some sort of awkwardness between them, that barrier that she supposed was there because she was too cheerful all the time, and always manages to get on his nerves. She felt comforted by that brief hug, but still, what had traumatized her so that she would try to seek out Tomoyo was making her grieve?

As Syaoran left the room, Tomoyo watched their reactions with observance. It was clear that Syaoran was still as in love with Sakura as ever, and that Sakura was confused. And she didn't feel disturbed by it. Sure, Syaoran was supposed to be her "boyfriend", but in reality, she knew he loved Sakura, and she did too. She felt no pang of jealousy, like she felt no pang when Sakura married Yukito. She didn't feel sadness either when Syaoran hugged Sakura, only a certain anticipation. And she had a feeling that she knew why she was feeling that way too.

Tomoyo reached over to take Sakura in her arms as Sakura cried into her shoulder. "Tell me what's wrong, Sakura. Don't cry." She said, her sweet voice comforting Sakura as well as her warm hand that was stroking her hair.

"Oh, Tomoyo... I don't know what to do! I feel so unwanted and useless. He doesn't love me! I should have seen it from the minute we were married! I thought that the strange restraint of affection was normal since that big accident with his parents, but the truth was he doesn't love me!" Sakura sobbed.

"Sakura, Sakura, slow down. Tell me what exactly happened?"

And Sakura did.

*flashback*

Sakura hummed happily as she drove into her drive way. Kazumi was busy eating animal crackers, and Kouji was napping in the baby seat. She got out of the car, took Kouji gently out of the baby seat, and held him against her hip. She grabbed the bag of groceries that she got and motioned Kazumi to get out of the car. Kazumi giggled softly at his mother's head nod and jumped with toddler grace out of the car. Sakura pushed the door closed with her hip, and Kazumi tried to help by pushing the door as well. Then, he toddled after Sakura as she walked up the pathway to the door, her head turned back so that she could smile and keep an eye on her little guy.

She set the groceries down and got her key from her purse with a little bit of fumbling. Checking to make sure Kouji was still asleep, she quietly opened the door and picked up her grocery bag again. Kazumi followed her, and after she shut the door, he sat down and started to slowly untie his shoelaces.

Yukito had been taking a nap in their room when she left, and she thought she'd wake him up and surprise him. She loved to watch him sleep and then kiss him to awaken him. He looked so adorable with his hair messed up and his eyes staring wide open at her, still drowsy from sleep. She loved to watch him wake up every morning beside her, just as he had told her he loved to watch her wake up in the morning. She also loved being the first thing that he sees when he opens his eyes, because the way that he looks at her makes her feel like she was the only person in his world. Yes, Sakura was still very much in love with her husband after 5 years of marriage.

After tucking Kouji in his crib, she crept quietly over to the master bedroom, but before her hand touched the door knob, she heard masculine moans. Frowning, she turned the doorknob and opened the door to find her husband, kissing and caressing another man.

She gasped, and Yukito looked up to find his startled wife looking slightly green and swaying. He immediately sat up, as well as the other man he was with, and grabbing his trousers off the floor, he kicked them on before going over to Sakura to try to steady her.

"NO! Stay away from me!" Sakura cried, her voice cracking with her sob.

"I'm sorry Sakura…it's not what it looks like!" Yukito pleaded to her, and indeed, his eyes did show repentance and sorrow. But she wasn't looking into his eyes. She was looking at the man that was in her bed. Yukito's bed. Hers and Yukito's. With a gasp, she recognized the man. How did she not before? The tousled black hair, the dark eyes. She was starring right into the face of her brother, the man who had always protected her and watched over her, the man whom she thought she could always turn to for help, the man who was the uncle to her children.

Touya didn't meet Sakura's eyes, even though he knew she was looking at him. He felt ashamed of himself. He had not wanted to love his sister's husband, and he had not wanted to fall in love with Yukito either. He wasn't even sure if he WAS in love with Yukito, nor was he sure of his own sexuality. He wasn't even sure why he and Yukito had this affair. Yukito just came to him and for whatever reason, they got into this mess. He did feel awful about what he did, but he somehow felt no dread because Sakura had found out. He wanted Sakura to find out. Maybe then this would stop what he and Yukito had. Maybe this would stop Yukito from living in his own dream world of always being perfect and having perfection surrounding him... maybe this will heal them both…and maybe Sakura will realize the lie she had been living in...

Sakura ran out of the room and into Kouji's. Picking up the baby, who was a sound sleeper, she rushed downstairs only to find that Kazumi had just taken off his shoes. Quickly shoving the shoes back onto the little toddler's feet, oblivious to his protests and wails, she carried him and rushed outside to set him down and fumble through her purse to find her keys. Tears splattered all over, but yet they still blurred her vision. And then it occurred to her that the car that she was about to drive with was a one year anniversary gift…but she pushed that thought painfully aside. After a rush of fastening Kouji and Kazumi into their baby seats, she got into the car and drove as fast as she could out of the driveway, unaware of anything but her pain and the endless roads before her...

How could he do this to her? Was she that unattractive that he would find even a man, her OWN brother, to spite her? And how could Touya do this to her? He knew that Yukito was her husband, and yet, he still continued to... no, it must have been her. Her brother would never do something to hurt her unless it will sooner or later benefit her. But then, the questions came again. What was she doing wrong? Where did she go wrong? Sakura berated herself over and over, reflecting her life, filtering through it in a haze, trying to pick out something that she did that would repulse him so much as to cheat on her behind her back, but found nothing but small, irking details that couldn't have possibly brought about the end of a wonderful 5-year marriage.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid... " she muttered to herself as she began to see the signs that she missed. She began to realize the absentmindedness that Yukito had exhibited over the last few weeks, the sort of state of depression, the way that he looked at her sometimes, almost with guilt. The way that he got her little trinkets, as if almost asking for her forgiveness…but she had thought those gifts were just an example of his undying love and devotion to her…she had never thought those were gifts of sympathy, of shame.

Why hadn't he just told her that he didn't love her anymore? It would have made this a lot less painful. Oh, and what about the children? And what's going to happen to her? Yukito was her life... she kept the house, raised the children, and centered her life around her family, around him and making him happy. She would always wait with excited apprehension for the moment he came home, for that feeling of peace and joy when Kazumi would run on his chubby little legs into his welcoming arms and then, he would carry her child over to her, hand him over, and give the both of them a warm hug and a kiss for her. That image played itself over and over in her mind until she was abruptly honked from a driver behind her when she hadn't begun to drive at a green light. With that beep, the picture of her perfect life shattered, and she was brought to realization that she was at the edge of town. Where was she going? Where was she going to go? As her mind flitted and fluttered over the present and future, she suddenly had the crystal clear image of Tomoyo singing in a choir. Yes, that was it. She would go to Tomoyo, and Tomoyo would know what to do. When they were young, Tomoyo was always the smart one, the one who was in control of her life. The last time she saw her, Tomoyo was successfully managing 3 companies all at once... they had even taken a picture together that was on a magnet besides the steering wheel of her car (A/N: I know they don't have those, deal with me…this is AU after all ^-^). Now, she saw just how gaunt and frail Tomoyo looked besides her pregnant self, nearing her third trimester... how had she failed to notice how sickly her best friend was? She was too wrapped up in her own little world…and now, when her world shattered... she was going to a person that she had ignored while she was in a fantasy microcosm. Sakura felt so guilty, and almost decided to turn back, but she was already past the gates of the Daidouji Mansion, so she continued to drive on.

Kazumi held his grief-stricken mother in perspective, but didn't say a word, nor complain about this sudden turn of events that took away his nap time. His brother was sleeping peacefully besides him, unaware of the sad aura in the car. But Kazumi was well aware of it, and his four-year-old self, although still young and puerile in some ways, was more mature than most adults in others. He knew of his mother's pain, even though he didn't know what caused it, and he knew that his mother was lost in his own thoughts. Therefore, he kept quiet and observed the passing scene calmly, wishing for this awfulness to be over…and slowly, he drifted off into sleep.

When Sakura asked the maid for Tomoyo, the maid had told her that Tomoyo moved out of the mansion to a place of her own. Once again, a person that she needed the most had slipped through her fingers because she was too wrapped up in herself. She burst into tears, and the maid hurriedly gave her Tomoyo's address as well as how to get there…Sakura managed to keep a clear enough head to remember the directions given to her. Somehow, she managed to get to the huge apartment building and to Tomoyo's apartment, only to find that nobody was home... and so she stood there, trying to keep herself from collapsing, sniffling in the hallway, when suddenly, she came face to face with Syaoran...

*flash forward*

Sakura finished her story, calmer, but still occasionally wiping tears away with Tomoyo's handkerchief. Tomoyo still held her, and on the outside, she was every image of a calm, mothering best friend. But on the inside, she was seething. How dare those two brainless chauvinists hurt her precious Sakura?

"Sakura, here's what we'll do. I'll hand over the kids to Syaoran. He's pretty good with them. I remember I have to fax something important at work, so I'll be back, and then we'll work something out, okay?" Tomoyo said, smiling. She kissed Sakura on the forehead, then laid her down on the cushion of the sofa, then getting her coat to cover Sakura up. Sakura sniffled a few times, and then fell into an exhausted sleep. Tomoyo watched her love for a moment before going out the door to confront Yukito and Touya. She didn't bother telling Syaoran about where she was going….he would understand, he would know, and he would have done the same thing if he had known.

AN: Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a LONG LONG time... school, midterms, projects, newspaper stuff... all this drags out, and there's more... as I said, this fanfic will probably drag out for a long time until like February Vacation. I have a lot of things to do, and more and more besides... sorry guys... but I promise you I will NOT give up on this fanfic! NEVER EVER EVER! Thanks for the reviews, keep up the good work!

Next time: Syaoran and Kazumi have an interesting conversation, Tomoyo bitches out Touya and Yukito, and Yukito tells his story...