Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Prince Charming ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The morning and going to Sakura's bakery from Syaoran's point of view. The mystery person who lives above Sakura's bakery is revealed again, with more afterwords on the subject. Syaoran goes to work at the local hospital and more characters are introduced. The foundation of the story is built up.

Anime/Manga: Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Mystery / Romance / Suspense | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.22.2008 | Pages: 4 | Words: 7.1K | Visits: 173 | Status: Work In Progress

PRINCE CHARMING
BY
PRINCESSxSHAWN

CHAPTER FOUR

SYAORAN'S POV

The soft smell of pastries and fresh bread wafted softly through my bedroom, slowly awakening me. My eyes flickered open to the bright sun rays piercing through my flimsy curtains. I moaned lightly, pushing the covers off of me. A small meow of protest sounded from the depths of the covers and I chuckled. Pulling some more of the covers back, I peered down to see Yue, curled up lazily in the sheets. Lately he had been sneaking out of his bed in the kitchen and would slip into bed with me. I was normally a light sleeper and his movement usually woke me up, but after the long night that I had had, even I slept like a log. It had been a few days since I had those two long surgeries, followed by the whole stalker incident. Hmm... and in those few days, I hadn't seen nor heard from Sakura Kinomoto. I guess that meant everything had worked out, not my problem anymore. I sighed.

Leaving Yue where he lies, I moved into the bathroom. I tried to clean up as best I could and I grabbed a clean pair of clothes. I slipped into a pair of dark dress pants and a soft blue dress shirt from my small closet. And lastly I added the simple brown silk tie my mother had bought me last year. I look down at my watch, checking the time. And I groaned. I was late. Again. It was eleven-fifteen and I usually preferred to be up around seven or eight. No wonder the sunlight had bothered me. Luckily, I didn't have to be at the hospital until one. I had no patients today, just a large load of paperwork. Paperwork, oh joy.

Heading into my office, I grabbed my coat from the top of my small desk. The office really wasn't much, not like the office I had at the hospital. The one I had at the apartment just held a few books, files, and my computer.

Rushing to the door, I paused just long enough to give Yue a quick rub behind the ears and check his food dish. I grabbed my keys from the small rack on the wall and left, locking the door behind me.

I reached the bottom stairs rather quickly, and walked out of the small alleyway that held the outside door to my apartment. The sunlight brightly lit the fallen snow, illuminating everything. Cars were passing by busily and a few people occupied the sidewalks. Quite a few people were either entering or exiting the lower part of my building, the popular bakery and eatery, the Magic Blossom.

I usually stopped in the Magic Blossom every morning. They had the best pancakes in town (despite their cook's cranky attitude) and their baked goods were just as good. It was funny how I had been going there for weeks and hadn't even recognized the main baker a few nights before.

Sakura Kinomoto. The name stuck in my head. How many times had I seen her before? It had to take a stalker going after her for me to finally notice her. Such a great and observant guy I was. Strike one.

I quickly slipped through the main doors of the small shop. The bright sunlight filtering through the large windows filled the room with flowing light. A couple of people sat about at the small tables, a few more waiting for their orders at the counter. I peeped around the waiting people, to see if Sakura was working in the back. To my disappointment... wait, my disappointment? No. I helped her. So what? And she did thank me and yes she was cute, but I doubt she would even remember me. Besides, it was dark. So... whatever with that, next subject, moving on.

I waited in the line of people to buy my usual pastries and breads. I usually bought some bread for myself and a couple of pastries for some of the nurses I worked with at the hospital.

At the counter was the dark haired English gentleman, Eriol. I had seen him many times before at the shop, but it had been a long time since I'd seen him last. Occasionally I saw him at the hospital as well, for whatever reasons.

“Ah, hello again Dr. Li,” Eriol said happily. He had dark black hair that was longer than from what I remembered. Now it almost reached his uniform collar. But the dark eyes that watched me through the thin wire glasses were the same. Kind of creepy too, now that I really paid attention.

“Hello Eriol, it's good to see you again,” I replied. “It's been quite a while since I've seen you here. How have you been?”

“Oh I've been fine, thank you. I went back to England to visit some family. I just got back today. How have you been Dr. Li?”

“I've been all right, nothing special. Can I have my usual?”

“Sure.” Eriol quickly collected my usual order and placed it in a small bag with the words Magic Blossom printed across it. “Here you go; two chocolate pastries and one large croissant. Are you going to stay for breakfast today?”

I glanced on farther down the counter. Glaring back at me was the crabby co-worker, Toya. He may have been able to make the best pancakes, but he still had the worst attitude. We fought constantly and he always seemed to forget that I wanted maple syrup.

“I guess I will if Toya's not cooking,” I shrugged my shoulders as I headed toward the stairs that led to the eatery. “Then I won't have to worry about such poor food quality. I guess I'll grab myself a sandwich that is actually good.” Eriol chuckled behind me as I left. All the while I could feel Toya's hot, hate-filled gaze follow me up the stairs.

I swiftly ascended the short flight of stairs. But upon entering the eatery, I stopped dead in my tracks. Talking adamantly to the other cook, Yukito, was the very woman I had been thinking about since I met her. Seated behind the counter and chatting happily with another customer sat the brown haired emerald eyed goddess that had occupied my dreams last night.

Argh. Now wait just a second. Okay sure, I dreamt about her, and sure, she's attractive (okay, she's down right gorgeous) but she probably doesn't even remember me. And someone as beautiful as her surely already had herself a boyfriend. Maybe even more than one for all I knew. Hell, I didn't know anything about her. She was frantic last time I saw her sure. She... she was just so scared... No, I've told myself this all already! She said thank you and walked out of my life. And I walked out of hers. End of story.

But whatever she had been talking about, she must have finished for suddenly she stopped. Yukito was smiling at me and I realized they must have finally have noticed me.

“Good morning Dr. Li,” Yukito said happily to me. He turned and slipped back into the kitchen. “The usual?” I nodded and casually moved forward. Picking out a stool that was not too close, but not too far from where Sakura and her friend sat.

With the golden rays of light shining through the windows it took everything I had to not stare. Sakura ran a hand through her soft, auburn hair. Calling it brown would have been like comparing a pearl to a rock. Her soft features, but her set jaw drew my eyes to hers. They were a brilliant emerald green, sparkles of life flickering through them. Thick, full lashes made every blink a wondrous event.

I gathered my courage. I had to say something. Anything. “Hello again.”

Sakura smiled softly at me. She smiled at me! And she gently bowed her head. “Good morning. Thank you again for helping me the other day.”

I shrugged. Like I said before, what was I supposed to do? Leave her and let get raped or killed or something? I may be a jerk to some, but even I wasn't that cold.

I glanced at the woman sitting at the counter whom she had been talking to. She looked oddly familiar.

Sakura must have noticed my stares. “Oh, this is Ms. Tomoyo Daidouji, a friend of mine,” Sakura explained. “Tomoyo, this is Dr. Syaoran Li.” Ah, Tomoyo Daidouji. That's why I knew her. She was a famous model and actress. Hell, I wouldn't have been surprised if she had been at one or two of the parties my parents often held at the vineyard. She did often buy wine from us.

“It's nice to meet you,” Tomoyo added softly. I simply nodded. Silence began to grow. Now what did I say? Crud.

Yukito suddenly returned with my meal. My food consisted of a simple turkey sandwich, some chicken noodle soup, and a small piece of bread. It would keep me full until the late afternoon break at the hospital.

And suddenly the silence fully bloomed between all of us. Yukito cautiously left, going back into the kitchen. I picked up my sandwich and took a bite. All of the courage I had built up before had left. I really could not think of anything to say. Ah well. That was the end of that I suppose.

Suddenly, Sakura spoke again, directing a question at me. “So, uh, Dr. Li. I hear you are a regular here. I didn't recognize you I guess the other night.”

Now that she mentioned it, it was true. I was a regular here. I'm sure I'd have met her at least once before, but surely she would have made more of an impression on me. Because really, what were the chances that we had never run into each other this whole time? Everyone else knew me. Eriol and Yukito knew my orders by heart. And of course, I guess there was Toya too. But I wonder... why hadn't I ever seen her before?

I nodded in response to her. “I come for breakfast. You're cook may have a crappy attitude but his pancakes are the best.”

Sakura laughed softly, hesitantly. Yeah, I just blew that. Strike two.

“Well that is Toya for you. Anyways, I'm sorry for making you go all the way back to the hospital the other night. You didn't seem like you wanted to be there.” Bingo, she had hit it right on the mark.

“I had had a bad day,” I commented, shrugging again. “But it was no big deal better than you getting hurt.” I turned away from her, trying to hide my face. I had always been bad at controlling those horrible little red blushes from taking over my face. And I sure as hell didn't want her to see me blushing. I went back to my food, taking another bite.

See, I could be a sensitive, caring individual. I looked out for her when she was alone on the cold street in the middle of the night. When she was in the direst need for help.

Wait a minute. Why was she out in the snow so late? It's not a normal pastime for people to wander the streets randomly. Even more so for those lucky individuals with stalkers.

Swallowing my food, I glanced back over at Sakura. “What were you doing walking around so late the other night anyway? You weren't walking home were you?”

Sakura smiled at me. Her lips parted softly and I felt my heart skip a beat. She nodded and her soft, beautiful auburn hair gently graced her cheeks.

“I had just closed up the shop. My apartment doesn't have a parking spot so I have to walk. It's not that far.”

“Still, that was reckless of you,” I commented sternly, my brows knitting together as I knew they would when I frowned. “You should be more careful.”

And then the silence flourished again. I continued to eat, finishing up my sandwich and moving on to the soup. I raised my hand, peering at my watch. It was already going on eleven-fifty. I probably should at least try and get to the hospital early. God I had so much paperwork to do.

“It's too bad Sakura has to walk home,” the silent Tomoyo suddenly said. I looked up as she swirled her spoon in her soup. I took a quick bite of the small remainder of my bread after dipping it in my soup. Damn it was good. Yukito sure was one fine cook.

“It would be best if she could have bought the floor upstairs,” Tomoyo continued. “But someone already bought it.”

I nodded because of course I already knew that. So why was she bringing it up? “You say you don't live far. But how exactly far away is it?”

“Well it's sort of far away,” Sakura answered, tilting her head to the side while she thought. “A good twenty or thirty minute walk.” And alone and at night with a stalker? Those could be a good long twenty minutes.

“We don't know who lives on the third floor. Such a man of mystery. Or it could be a woman of mystery I guess...” Tomoyo added before drinking some of her soup.

I laughed, on the inside. Well I guess it made since that they wouldn't know I lived there. If I had been a regular for so long and she didn't know, then it was possible Sakura had missed all those time I had come in through the inside door. Although, I guess I did usually work late and sometimes she had already left.

“Oh I know who lives on the third floor here,” I began. Both girls audibly gasped, their eyes wide open with surprise.

This time I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the surprised look on Sakura's face. As soon as I did so she smiled at me and I gazed back into her eyes. She seemed at such peace and happiness and the calm of her face made it hard for me not to jump up and pull her into my arms, and never let her go.

“You do? Oh who is it?” Sakura asked in a soft vice that melted my heart.

And I just couldn't help myself from telling her. “I live there.”

The calm and peaceful look on Sakura's face died instantly, only to be replaced with surprise and exclamation. And suddenly she was falling backwards off her chair. At the same instant, red soup came spewing from Tomoyo's lips in a most unladylike fashion. With a great clash, Sakura sat bewildered on the floor and Tomoyo quickly grabbed some napkins, dabbing at the countertop.

Yukito rushed in from the kitchen. “Sakura are you all right?” Sakura faintly nodded and Tomoyo repeated the question. Sakura nodded once again, staring at me. Without realizing it, I had jumped up and out of my seat, leaning foreword over the counter.

Offering her his hand, Yukito helped Sakura up.

“Thanks Yukito,” Sakura mumbled softly before turning her attention to me. “Dr. Li, are you telling me all this time you are the one who has been living up there?”

I looked down at her small form and nodded. “Why? Is there a problem?”

Sakura shook her head but clasped her hands to her heart. “No but, are you interesting in selling?”

“No,” I snapped, suddenly finding myself angry. “Absolutely not.” I loved my apartment. It was perfect for me and finding good real estate now, with so many people moving into town, it would be impossible. I just loved my apartment; I just loved what I had. And I was not about to let it go. “I have to go.” Moving quickly, I grabbed my coat and my purchases, dropping some money on the counter for my food.

Damn it. It was obvious my words had hurt her. It wasn't like she was about to cry or anything but... that look in her eyes. It was of hurt, of being taken aback. Man was I a jerk. Strike three, you're out.

I stopped at the doorway, just before the stairs. Running my hand through my hair, I sighed heavily. I didn't turn around but I peered over my shoulder at her. That look was still in her eyes. Damn. Staring down at the floor, I figured I had to say something.

“If your stalker ever comes back,” I muttered, running my hand through my hair again, “then you can stay at my place instead of walking home alone. If I'm not home, there's a key in a fake brick at the bottom of the stairs. Just watch out for my cat, don't let him out.”

There was a slight pause before her soft response. I couldn't really tell by her tone, but she seemed... happier? Satisfied?

“Thank you. I'll remember that.”

Without another backward glance, I left.

Sometimes I enjoyed getting to work early. Today was not one of those days. Mainly because of one single person. The craziest bitch I've ever met, the new nurse, Meiling. She made it a point to say what was on her mind, when it was on her mind. And once she made a decision, nothing could sway her otherwise. Which is why of all the nurses at the hospital, she was my absolute favorite, except on her bad days. Which, oh-so-lucky me, happened to be today.

“Syaoran!” Meiling snapped at me as I entered my office. There she sat, in my chair I might add. She wore the basic nurse uniform, the white button up shirt and the clean simple skirt. A small pale hat sat atop her long black hair that she had wrapped into two small buns on the sides of her head. Her piercing orange red eyes struck me and I stopped in the doorway.

“Y-yes?” I stammered.

Meiling frowned. She stood from the chair, flipping her hair over her shoulder with her hand. “Cuz,” she began as she placed her hands on her hips, “weren't we supposed to have breakfast together this morning?”

Oh shit.

“Well uh... I uh...” I stumbled.

Meiling walked around the desk, slowly approaching me. “I called your house. Several times. It seems that you were out.” By now Meiling was right in front of me. She looked up, as I was taller than her, and glared at me with her fiery orange eyes. The eyes that could send a chill down any man's spine. Not a chill of seduction, not with me at least. But a chill of fear and the instinct to flee suddenly filled my very heart. “You. You weren't out with some... woman were you?” she spat.

Oh double shit.

I threw up my hands in defense. “No, no! I'm sorry! I just, uh, forgot! Honestly!”

Although we were cousins, Meiling was more like a picky older sister to me. She had lived with my family ever since we were kids and we had grown up together. And any girl I dated or even considered had to meet up to her standards. And let me tell you, no girl ever even came close to be considered. I couldn't count how many girlfriends she had chased away or scared off. Just recently I heard that the last one had just gotten out of the hospital a few weeks ago. If Meiling found out I had been talking to Sakura Kinomoto, that apartment would soon become available. Hell, the whole building would become available.

Meiling stared at me, her jaw set. Looking me over, she finally seemed satisfied enough to calm down. “Fine. But you still owe me breakfast.”

I quickly nodded. “Of course. How about tomorrow?”

She nodded back as a large smile broke out across her face. “All right then.”

Practically skipping, she went around me to the door. I crossed the short office space to my desk and sat in the large desk.

Unlike the office I had at my apartment, this office was much larger and comfortable. Across from my desk was a small couch, for whenever I had to talk privately with patients. Or when it was one of those really, really long nights. Bookshelves filled with all of my reference books lined the side walls, and behind me sat four or five file cabinets. A potted plant in the corner and a couple of pictures on the walls and on my desk were the finishing touches.

“Oh,” Meiling said just before stepping out the door and into the busy noisy hallway, “before I forget, Chiharu has more files for you for later. So you might want to get those that I put on your desk done pretty fast.” She chuckled evilly at my pain.

I glanced down at the new pile of files that sat on my desk. The stack was a good foot thick. Damn, it was going to be a long, long day.

“And then,” Meiling continued, “Rika will be in to get your order for our late break. She'd picked some new place this time.”

Pulling my pen out of my chest pocket, I quickly went to work. “All right then, I'll see you later. I'll get these to you as soon as I'm done.”

Meiling nodded. “Don't forget now! You. Owe. Me.” She laughed evilly again, shutting the thick heavy door.

Damn. I ran my hand through my hair. So much work to do... and I'd have to deal with Meiling afterwards.

But as I worked, I found my mind running away with me. Sakura. I was so surprised she had remembered me this morning.

Maybe... just maybe this could work our after all.

Promptly at two there were four loud knocks at my door. “Come in,” I called, scribbling in a file. I was just finishing the stack of files Meiling had brought in, thank the lord. Paperwork was definitely the worst part of being a doctor. And my messed up doctor's scribble didn't help at all.

There was the sound of my door opening and the shuffling of feet coming in. Looking up, I saw two other nurses I had the pleasure of working with. Of the five nurses I worked with, the two that had entered were the nicest ones. That was, until I saw what one of them was carrying.

“Oh God,” I groaned. “Chiharu, are all of those files for me?”

Nurse Chiharu smiled sympathetically at me, placing a stack three times taller than the one I had just finished on my desk. Damn it, I was going to be there all night!

“Sorry Dr. Li,” Nurse Chiharu said, stepping back and leaving the room. She was cute, with long soft brown hair. It was usually tied up with ribbon, as it was today. And she was very nice, especially with the patients. Rumors had been going around that she was seeing one of the newer patients, Yamazaki, but I never met him, nor confirmed it.

“I'm taking orders for break,” Nurse Rika mentioned as she stood in the doorway. “We're going to try that cute little bakery, the Magic Blossom. Do you want anything?”

I chuckled. Was everything going to revolve around that shop today? “Sure, just tell them I want the usual. They'll know what I mean.”

Nurse Rika laughed her soft, delicate laugh. She had soft features, almost like a porcelain doll. It matched her soft brown hair that framed her oval face. “All right then,” Nurse Rika said, starting to close the door behind her.

“Oh,” she paused, “Mr. Fujitaka Reed is here sir, but I know you weren't seeing any patients today.”

“That's strange. Has he asked for me?” I asked. He didn't have an appointment, so why was he here?

She shook her head. “No, he's just sitting in the waiting room. But his test results are in his file. It's somewhere in that pile there.”

I picked up some of the new files, shifting through them. “If I get to his, I'll go out and discuss the results with him. You can go ahead and tell him that. But it may be awhile, and that's if I get to it at all today.” I sighed as I looked at the big pile. “That's a major if.”

Nurse Rika agreed and shut the door behind her.

Sometimes I really wondered about why I was a doctor. Paperwork was such a pain. Patients could be such pains. But when someone was able to breathe the clean crisp air or live happily because of something I had done to help them... that's when I remembered why I did it all. Because I loved it.

My mind strayed back again to Sakura Kinomoto. She loved her job too. At least we had that in common.

I just hope, if she did run into her stalker again, she would stop by at my place. Wait! What was I thinking? I really would love to see her again, but I didn't want her running into her stalker again! What if it happened when she was already too far away from my house? From the hospital? What if she really did get hurt this time? What if I wasn't there to save her again? ...

...let her be safe. Or let me be there to help her, to save her.

CONTINUED

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters, CLAMP does.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'm so so so sorry for such the long wait! Things have been very busy in my life and I haven't been able to write much lately. But I've worked out a system for myself so things should be working a bit more smoothly and there should be updates much sooner than before.

I hope you guys enjoyed seeing Meiling and some other familiar characters. I know we didn't really learn anything in this chapter, but it was really important in laying the ground work for the next one. And don't worry, Meiling will be back. I hope she didn't seem too ooc, I tried. I don't think I ever realized how hard she was to write. Last time I wrote a ccs story, she was nicer, so that made it easier. But I hope you all enjoyed it.

Thank you all for the reviews so far! I'm glad you are all enjoying the story! It was so entertaining to get all of your shocked reviews when I revealed the true third floor mystery person, Syaoran. Hopefully I'll get more reviews with this chapter (hint hint wink wink), and more readers.

But I did make a mistake that I'm going to have to fix. I got the timing off with going back and forth between the two characters. So, this whole chapter is a few days after Syaoran helped Sakura, not the next day. So you might want to go back and read chapter three, because there were some changes in that chapter as well. But we're all on the same page now so it should be good.

I am still updating my profile with story update status, a new poll, and I'm a registered beta reader now if you want to check all that out. Depending on which story wins my poll, I might update it sooner. So make sure to take a look at all of that.

Well that's about it for now. I'm already almost done with the next chapter so that will be out within the next few days. Oh, and this is the longest chapter so far, beating chapter three. This chapter was fourteen handwritten pages and eight and a half typed pages.

So I hope to see and hear from all of you again! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Adios!