Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ the return ❯ The White, Black And Blue Ball ( Chapter 6 )

The Return

Chapter 6 - the white, black and blue ball

"Now, to those of you who are new, or never made the team last year, I'm glad you've decided to try out this year. The players who are still here from last years team will test you out and then I will chose the five that I see fit to play." Explained Yota-sensei, who also happened to coach the soccer team.

Xiao Lang glanced over at the six other players from last year's team, who were standing behind the sensei. Unfortunately, Jing seemed to be the captain from last year.

"You guys can choose who you'd like to test but I'm going to see if Li-kun's soccer skills match his fighting, too." Smiled the sensei, bringing Xiao Lang to his side, much to the dismay of Jing, as the others began the tryouts.

~~

Half an hour later, Li-kun was named co-captain with Jing, who was on the edge of ripping him apart. The guy's who hadn't made the team were in the showers while the new team was having a chat with Yota-sensei.

"Maybe this year we'll win!!" he cheered. The tryouts had gotten the team some very good players.

Yota-sensei quickly went over their training schedule and when their first game would be, and then dismissed them to shower and go home.

~~

"Where did she go?" Xiao Lang asked himself after searching the bleachers. He had showered and changed and was looking for Sakura, who had told him that she'd wait for him from behind the bleachers.

He was turning to go when something hit him in the head hard from behind, knocking him to the floor breathless. Then he vaguely recalled being dragged by many hands around behind the bleachers into the shadows. He was then hoisted up to stand and punched in the face and in the gut not giving him time to catch his breath or think straight; he couldn't fight back or defend himself. Briefly his eyes were open long enough to glance into the face of his attacker.

'Where have I seen those eyes?' he thought, not even noticing that the evil glimmer in those same eyes.

"JING!? LEAVE HIM ALONE!" a familiar feminine voice cried out. He heard a very loud smack and then the hands supporting him disappeared leaving him to fall helplessly to the floor, again.

"Are you ok?" the girl asked and rushed to his side and rolled him over with his head on her knee.

"S-Sakura?" he asked believing her to be his ten-year-old love.

"Yeah, it's me." She answered then gasped when she caught sight of his eye. "Oh my goodness, your eye!! What happened, Xiao Lang?" but hearing the name he was currently using in Japan, brought reality crashing down on him. He sat up on his own and rubbed his head.

"I was looking for you and someone jumped me. I couldn't get back to my feet cause someone was holding me back…I recognized the person hitting me but…I don't know… I can't remember right now…my brain's all fuzzy." He answered getting to his feet. "But I know I knew him from somewhere." He added, swaying slightly before steadying himself against a steel pole of the bleachers.

"It was Jing Chan. Remember? The guy who you beat in gym class today." She explained trying to help him remember.

"Oh yeah." He said and the subject was dropped.

Xiao Lang picked up his backpack, which had been dropped several feet away, and they started walking towards his apartment in silence.

~~

Much later, Sakura was lying on her stomach on his bed doing her homework after a quick lesson, muttering words about how easy the homework seemed after Xiao Lang's help.

Xiao Lang was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, thinking to himself. He figured that Sakura had slapped Jing and he had left but he didn't understand why he hadn't been able to fight back.

'I've been training since I was born, so how could I have let something like this happen? The wind was knocked out of me. That hasn't happened since I used the time card. Sakura shouldn't have hit Jing. Now he'll be after her. He has way to much anger.' He tried futilely to sort out the million thoughts going through his head. 'What an interesting first day of school…'

"Done!" Sakura cried, shaking him out of his reverie. He sat up and looked at Sakura who was smiling proudly.

"Great." He smiled back. But at the same exact moment Sakura's gaze had drifted to a small digital clock on the nightstand beside her. Her look of pride quickly changed into worry.

"HOE!" SHE CRIED. "I'm late for dinner! It's almost nine." She rushed out of the bedroom grabbing her bag and coat along the way.

"Wait!" Xiao Lang called after her, following her to his front door where she was already half out the door.

"What, did I forget something?" she asked shooting a worried glance back towards the bedroom.

"No, it's just-…why don't you stay for dinner? It's no trouble for me and you can call your brother or father or whoever is home now. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if they knew you were also getting help, too." He offered. She hesitated for a second going over the idea in her head.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" he shook his head lightly and smiled when she lowered her bag to the floor and slipped out of her shoes.

"So," he started, showing her into the kitchen. "What would you like me to make?" he asked, taking down some pots and a bowl. "I can make just about anything."

"Well…can you make lo mein? With chicken? It's on of my favorites." She asked.

"Of course." He said and went straight to work as Sakura went over to his phone and explained to her father that she was staying over at a new friends house and that she wouldn't be home for dinner.

"Yeah, he's gonna make me something to eat." Xiao Lang overheard some of what he was saying. He glanced into a shiny steel pot at his reflection and saw the damage Jing had done to his eye.

'Ouch.' He thought to himself as he passed his hand in front of his eye. When he looked again the bruise had healed only leaving a slight discoloration that would disappear by morning. Sakura wouldn't notice a thing.

When she put down the phone she once again felt the presence of familiar magic only it was much closer now. When it disappeared she believed it to be her imagination.

'Keep dreaming, Sakura. He's not coming back.' She told herself and walked back into the kitchen, where Xiao Lang had already put out the food.

"Wow, that was fast." She exclaimed as she slipped into a tall stool in front of where he sat. "And it looks so good" she added and placed a forkful of noodles in her mouth.

"Thanks." He said quietly for her to take the first bite.

"Mmmmm…" Sakura moaned, as the first piece hit her mouth. It was heavenly. "Oh, this is the best dish I've ever had!!" she exclaimed when she'd finished the first bite. Xiao Lang smiled, glad that his new friend was enjoying his unique way of cooking.

"Did you ever notice how easily we connected last night? We just automatically became friends." He asked.

"Yeah. It's like I've known you forever. Weird, huh?" she noted curiously and continued to eat.

~~

"Okay. So, the same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Bye Sakura."

"Bye." Sakura said and walked down the hall.

When the elevator came, she waved slightly and disappeared through the doors.

Xiao Lang closed his door, walked into his bedroom and flopped down on his bed, taking in the new Sakura's scent.

'Ah.' He sighed to himself.

"NO!!" he screamed, sitting straight up. "I've forgotten about 'my' Sakura. The reason I'm in Japan in the first place." He jumped off his bed and started to pace, thinking of ways in which he could find her. But nothing he did could get rid of the picture of a beautiful teenage girl that seemed etched onto his brain.

"Argh!!" he cried after much thought. "Tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow…" and he was asleep by the time his head hit the pillow.