Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Until There Was You ❯ Tumultuous Emotions ( Chapter 4 )

Hellmaster here. Disclaimer: All the CCS characters found in this fic belong to their respective owners. I do not own them in any way. Please don't sue! I have no money! (:c

 

In the series, Syaoran made an anything-but-nice impression on Sakura (and Touya, for that matter) since he was too absorbed in getting the Clow Cards to make himself stronger. Let's see what happens when they are much older and there are no Clow Cards to cause Syaoran to 'bully' Sakura the way he did in the first season. Will he even cast her a second glance?   

 

 

 

 

Until There Was You

Chapter Four: "Tumultuous Emotions"

 

 

 

 

Night. It was probably his most cherished time of day. The welcoming coldness of the nocturnal breeze surrounded him with its silent embrace, tenderly reminding him of his earthly roots. He shivered involuntarily as a sudden chill pierced through his skin.

 

Tall dark trees stood valiantly around him, casting rather asymmetrical shadows on the cemented pathway.

 

He liked this darkness --- the darkness most people fear.

 

It gave him the sense of tranquility he needed to gather his thoughts and somehow manage to escape to his own world --- a soundless world where no other beings dwell. Only him and the illusory creatures of the dark.

 

Most people would call it loneliness. He called it bliss.

 

After all, it was all he ever knew.

 

Syaoran continued walking, trudging heavily on the pavement. He knew trying out for the team would only take up his time, which is something he had none of especially now. This made him wonder even more why he had even bothered to show up at practice that afternoon.

 

A loud crack coming from the forest interrupted his thoughts.

 

Syaoran immediately scanned the surroundings for anything suspicious. He moved forward cautiously, his keen eyes alert to any unnatural movement in the forest. He then caught sight of a shadow that moved swiftly to hide deeper into the forest. 

 

A stifled gasp made him look straight ahead. There he saw another figure on the pathway, making him completely forget about the other shadow.

 

The figure suddenly whirled around and ran. Mere impulse drove him to pursue, making the person even more agitated. Apparently, he had only made the situation worse.

 

The figure ran straight into the busy street. It was then he realized he had been chasing a girl. He slowed down a bit when he saw the girl collide into a drunk middle-aged man.

 

"Gomen nasai!" he heard her say.

 

The man grabbed her wrists, pulling her roughly towards him. "Hey there, girlie..."

 

 

 

 

Sakura could hear her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She struggled to wrench her wrists away from his grasp, but his brute strength had won over her. With a harsh pull from her aggressor, she felt herself crash against his waiting chest. "Let go of me!" she managed to scream.

 

The man laughed, his breath reeking of alcohol. "And why should I?" he challenged. "No one here will help you." He glared at all the bystanders and took out his pocket knife. A police officer came rushing towards the scene. He glowered. "... and if they did, you'll find yourself bleeding to death." He placed the sharp blade against her throat.

 

Sakura froze, terrified of what might happen if she made any sudden movement. After a while, his stout hand began to wander on her trembling body. She felt tears running down her cheek, unable to do anything to save herself. 

 

For the first time in her life, she felt helpless.

 

A couple of startled gasps erupted from the crowd gathered around them. Without any warning, she felt herself being pulled away from the drunkard and into the protecting arms of her savior.

 

The man moaned in pain, cradling his right hand that was now twisted in an awkward angle.

 

"Arrest him, officer," she heard a voice say. Sakura looked up and saw the very object of her earlier thoughts with a somewhat grim expression on his face.

 

With those words, the drunkard was immediately handcuffed and was led to the police station.

 

The crowd admiringly applauded the heroic act they had just witnessed. Sakura found herself speechless as she searched the sea of amber that had engulfed her in its depths. After a few moments, the crowd eventually dispersed to go about their own business.

 

 

 

 

Syaoran studied the emerald eyed angel with golden brown hair, his face void of any emotion.  

 

After a while, her thin pink lips finally moved. "T-Thank you..." she stammered. Her quivering lips revealed just how rattled she must have been by the incident.

 

It was odd. Examining the frail girl before him, he felt a certain affinity towards her. It was as if he had known her for the longest time. Conflicting emotions flickered across his tawny brown eyes.

 

There was an awkward pause.

 

The girl had her eyes lowered, her cheeks flaming red. He looked down and realized that he still had an arm around her waist. He gently drew back his arm and mumbled his reply,

 

"You're welcome." 

 

Still blushing, she bowed gratefully and gave him a sweet smile. "Truly... Thank you."

 

His dark brows creased slightly. A bit disturbed by the sudden wave of emotions that swept over him all at once, he abruptly shifted his gaze elsewhere.

 

"Don't be so careless next time."

 

The detached words escaped his mouth before he could stop himself. From the bemused expression on her face, he could tell that she had not expected such a reply to be directed at her.

 

Attempting to remedy his rude behavior, he quickly added "Careful on your way home."

 

At those words, her face softened into a look of understanding. He turned and walked away, leaving her to stare at his retreating back.

 

 

 

 

It was not exactly how he had planned it, but that would have to do for now. Yugata glared at the withdrawing form of Li Syaoran. `That imbecile just had to get in the way,' he thought bitterly.

 

Anyhow, things will eventually go his way.

 

It was inevitable.

 

Yugata turned to his side and grinned at the empty space. "Isn't that right?"

 

 

 

 

Touya glanced anxiously at the wall clock just above the kitchen door. It was already seven forty-five and she still wasn't home. With an impatient sigh, he decided to wait a little longer. 

 

Minutes flew by.

 

Then, there was a knock on the door. 

 

 

 

 

Everything that had happened a while ago seemed so unreal to Sakura. Sure, she had seen people getting attacked by bad guys on television or movies, but this was different. It never happened to her before, and she never wished for it to happen. She shivered as she thought of what might have happened if he had not intervened.

 

She paused and thought for a while. `It was him... the same guy I saw at school. He...' Sakura blushed, remembering how pleasantly protective his arm had felt around her waist. `I didn't even ask for his name...'

 

The front door opened and revealed a very irritated Touya. She took a step backward and quickly apologized for coming home late.

 

"Where in the world have you been?! I was worried sick about you!" demanded Touya.

 

"Look... I know I was supposed to be here before six, but cheerleading practice extended and I..." She paused and decided to cease her apologetic rambling. She knew her brother was just worried about her. "... I'm really sorry."

 

Touya groaned, but he was obviously relieved that nothing had happened to his little sister --- or so he thought.

 

"Forgive me?" Sakura gave him a cute smile as she tilted her head to one side.

 

Touya threw his hands up in defeat. "Fine, then. I forgive you." He smirked and added, "After all, monsters have this tendency to forget things and can hardly even tell what time of day it was." He leaned over to her. "Just to remind you. Sky dark, it night. Got it?"

 

Sakura glared at him and stomped on his foot, making him cry out in pain. She fumed and furiously marched into the house. Some things never change, and it just had to be that annoying nickname her brother kept on calling her.

 

"Kaijuu," he muttered under his breath.

 

"I HEARD THAT!"

 

 

 

 

It was extremely cold that Thursday morning. Nevertheless, Sakura was in high spirits. Aside from the fact that she had such a restful sleep the previous night, they had no Math class that particular day. She cheerfully rode on her bicycle, humming an impromptu melody to herself.

 

Familiar short brown hair caught her eye as she passed by a couple of public benches. Deciding to investigate, she got off and approached her moping friend.  

 

Mikah looked awful. Her brown hair stuck out in different directions, looking as if she hadn't brushed it for three consecutive nights of tossing and turning. She seemed lost, her dark brown eyes clouded over with grief and self-disgust.

 

"Mikah?" Sakura gently laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "What's wrong?"  

 

Mikah looked up at her, unshed tears brimming her chocolate brown eyes. She quickly looked away in an attempt to conceal her obvious depression. "I'm fine," she replied coldly.

 

Sakura frowned. "Are you sure? Do you want to talk about it?"

 

"No," Mikah said flatly, her facial expression unchanged. There was definitely something wrong with her, Sakura decided. She had never seen Mikah in this state before. Even with the most hectic academic activities piled up, Mikah never lost her cool.

 

Mikah tensed when Sakura didn't make a move to leave. Instead, Sakura sat quietly beside her. Mikah breathed heavily as she glared at the ground.

 

"No..." more gently now. She knew Sakura will not leave her be if she kept acting like a jerk. "I'll tell you when I'm ready to... Okay?" She stole a quick glance at Sakura, who seemed satisfied with the reply.

 

"Okay." Sakura smiled at her.

 

Mikah waited for Sakura to leave her alone, but no such move were made. They sat there for what seemed like hours, neither one making a move to start a conversation.

 

Moments later, Mikah finally spoke up. "I heard you and Itsudouji are going out."

 

Sakura blushed. "No, it's nothing like that. We just went out on a few dates, that's all..." She lowered her gaze thoughtfully. It had been two long weeks since the night of the drunkard's attempted harassment on her. She never told anyone about what had happened, but this had noticeably unsettled the poor girl, making her friends worry. Then, before she knew it, Daron was asking her to go out on a date with him. Sakura suspected it was all Tomoyo's doing. But then, she was glad Tomoyo did so. Aside from the fact that she liked Daron, it also took her mind off things.

 

Yet... Sakura always caught herself searching the large mass of students for the certain someone who had saved her that particular night. Much to her dismay, fourteen days had passed and she never saw him even once. At least, not yet.

 

She noticed Mikah suddenly grew silent beside her. Sakura peered at her friend. 

 

Mikah stood up. "We better get going."

 

 

 

 

"Good... good..." a scrawny boy cooed, hiding behind the tall bushes. He watched vigilantly as the two headed towards the school building. "The little princess' problems are piling up on their own. That's good to hear, isn't it? Timing is the key. The key to everything..." he murmured. Strands of dark brown fell to his eyes as he observed each and every movement of the green eyed girl with auburn hair. Soon... soon, he would ---

 

"Yugata."

 

Yugata whirled around, his eyes widening in shock. He started sweating nervously as he felt overpowered by the intimidating presence of Li Syaoran.

 

"Sensei wants to see you," came the brief instruction.

 

"H-Hai."

 

Syaoran remained impassive as his skinny classmate scampered away. He glanced at the direction Yugata was looking at earlier. 

 

No one there.

 

 

 

 

"Sakura-san."

 

"Oh, Daron-san! Ohayou!" She smiled cheerfully at him. Daron smiled back. A bit uneasy, Mikah opted to excuse herself and immediately left when Sakura gave her a small nod.

 

Daron took her slender hand and gently pressed it against his lips. Sakura turned crimson. [Author turned green. ::barf::] She felt her embarrassment rising as a few people stopped and watched them with interest.

 

"Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to a play this coming Saturday night?"

 

Sakura paused and thought for a while. `Since Father doesn't have any plans for Saturday night and Touya would be staying at home to hang out with Yukito-san... I guess it wouldn't hurt to go.' "Sure. I'll go!" she replied happily.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Tomoyo and Meiling had been listening all throughout the brief exchange between the couple.

 

"Did you hear that, Tomoyo? They're going to a play! I wonder which play it will be?"

 

"It's entitled 'Ummei no Namida' by Naomi Kawamura."

 

"How in the world did you know that?"

 

"I just do." Tomoyo giggled to herself, but her expression later diminished into a disappointed one. "Oh gosh... I just remembered! The tickets are sold out and we can't enter the theater without tickets..."

 

"Let's sneak in," suggested Meiling. "I'm sure that would be easy enough."

 

Tomoyo shook her head. "Tight security. Trust me, I know."

 

"Then how are we going to videotape them?" 

 

Tomoyo sighed dejectedly as Meiling tried to rack her brain for a new plan. They were too busy thinking about their own concerns that they failed to notice the girl standing quietly behind them. It was Mikah. She had been listening too. She scoffed and walked away, grumbling disgustedly about how people make such a big deal out of trivial things.

 

 

 

 

Hours had gone by and it was already dismissal time. Sakura gathered her books and placed them in her bag. She approached Tomoyo and said she would go ahead.

 

"Onii san swapped places with me in cooking the dinner for tonight. I should get going and make dinner for them as soon as possible so I'll get some homework done," she explained.

 

Tomoyo smiled fondly at her. "I understand. Take care, Sakura-chan!"

 

Meiling, who had just arrived at Tomoyo's table, grinned cheerfully. "Get your butt moving then! See ya!" She slapped Sakura gently on the back.

 

"Thanks, Tomoyo-chan! Meiling-san! Ja ne!" Sakura rushed out the door.

 

After she left, Tomoyo leaned over to Meiling and whispered, "Got a plan for this Saturday?"

 

"Nope, not yet. Let's talk it over at my place. My cousin is in one of those moods and he doesn't need me worrying him all the time. Besides that, your house is near mine anyways."

 

"Okay then."

 

 

 

 

"... rice -- check, three peeled potatoes -- check and some curry powder -- check." Sakura had taken out all the ingredients she needed to make the quick dinner and leisurely spread them on the counter.

 

She rolled up her sleeves and put on her apron.

 

"Let's get to work!"

 

 

 

 

Tomoyo watched as an old man placed a tray of sweets on the coffee table. He had receding gray hair and a mustache, and he was wearing this neat black suit and a dark blue bowtie. He turned to her and smiled kindly. "Would you prefer some tea with that?"

 

"Yes. Thank you." Tomoyo replied politely. He bowed and left the room.

 

Tomoyo turned to Meiling, who was rather preoccupied with the phone directory. "Who is he? He seemed really nice."

 

"He is. His name is Wei." Meiling answered, a smile playing on her lips. "He's our butler, but Syaoran considers him as a father. He is probably Syaoran's most favorite person, aside from me. Hehe..." Meiling winked at Tomoyo, sticking her tongue out slightly. "Anyway, he was the one who took care of Syaoran ever since he was a child. Wei is practically the only person alive who really understands that cousin of mine. It seems to me he considers Syaoran as his own son, as well."

 

"Is your cousin..." Tomoyo began.

 

Meiling nodded before Tomoyo could even finish her question. "Yes. He isn't much of a people person and never opened up to anyone before. Not to me. Not to anyone --- even Wei. He usually kept to himself most of the time, which is the reason why he didn't have that many friends back home." Meiling paused. "...but then, he always had this uncanny ability to draw interest from you. This is the reason why he even had friends --- they are the ones who were patient enough and tried really hard to chip off a bit of that protective wall he put up. They never regretted they did, though. Syaoran is a good friend." Her crimson eyes softened as her lips curved upward into a fond smile.

 

"He sounds really great, Meiling-san."

 

"He is." Meiling said proudly. 

 

Silence fell upon them as each girl lingered in her own thoughts. 

 

Suddenly uncomfortable, Meiling cleared her throat. "Anyway, I checked this phone directory and it looks like the Golden Star Theatre is listed. We could call and inquire about the tickets for the play. There might be some reservations that were cancelled at the last minute."

 

After a while, Wei returned to serve the tea. He carefully placed the tray on the side table and prompted to leave when the doorbell suddenly rang. Wei walked briskly towards the door to open it.

 

"That must be Syaoran," Meiling assumed.

 

Indeed it was. Li Syaoran entered the living room, still wearing his school uniform. The two girls stood up as he stepped inside.

 

"Welcome home, Syaoran! This is Daidouji Tomoyo." She gestured towards the black-haired girl with purple eyes. "Tomoyo, this is my cousin, Li Syaoran."

 

He shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Daidouji-san."

 

"Please, Li-san. No formalities."

 

"Then the same goes to you." He then lifted his head at Meiling. "I left some slices of custard cake in the fridge."

 

Meiling nodded. "Okay, thanks!" she chirped happily.

 

"Good. And Meiling... stay at home." he said, giving extra emphasis on his last phrase. Meiling pouted and stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay, that's fine. Mou, Syaoran! I'm not a kid, you know! And I can take care of myself." 

 

He ignored her last remark and turned to Wei. "Is it ready? I'm going to need it when I go to the office."

 

Wei bowed. "Yes, Syaoran-sama. It is ready." 

 

"Thank you." Syaoran left the room and got changed.

 

"He goes to work?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

 

Meiling nodded. "Yeah. The exact reason why we moved here in the first place. He's going to be the one who will manage all the family businesses located here in Japan." She took the phone directory and started dialing the number of the theater house. "Auntie said it would be wise to have some first-hand experience while you're still young."

 

"That sounds reasonable enough," commented Tomoyo.

 

"Yeah, but what about Syaoran? Ever since he was a child, they had always expected a lot from him, which is only natural. He's the only son in their family after all. But then, this only made him push himself too hard, constantly trying to prove himself worthy for the responsibility that will be given to him in the future."

 

"I see..."

 

Meiling suddenly raised a hand at Tomoyo to quiet her. "Um... Hello? Yes, I just want to inquire about Kawamura's play 'Ummei no Namida' --- Sold out? Isn't there any way we could get some tickets at the last minute? --- No...? Okay, thank you anyway..." She replaced the receiver and shook her head disappointedly at Tomoyo. "No luck."

 

"There has to be some way we could get inside..."

 

They were so deep in thought that they didn't even notice Syaoran emerge from the room on the right side. He looked so mature and incredibly respectable in his working clothes but still managed to retain the youthful atmosphere that is his presence. He was wearing a simple white collared shirt that was tucked neatly in his black pants. He also wore a pair of well-polished black shoes and his checkered necktie displayed a dull array of navy blue, dark gray and blue violet. His outfit was simple, yet it seemed to draw out his handsome features even more.

 

Syaoran walked towards the entrance hallway but when he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something he neglected to mention to his cousin. "Meiling!" he called from the door.

 

"What is it?" she called back.

 

"A client gave me three tickets to this play called 'Ummei no Namida'. Maybe you and your friend would like to come."

 

With that, Meiling and Tomoyo gave each other dumbfounded looks.

 

 

 

 

Sakura stared drowsily at the stage actors as the play dragged onward. She tried to keep herself awake, but the darkness of the theater made her sleepy. She suppressed a yawn and glanced at Daron, who was deeply absorbed in the play. After an hour or so, the play finally ended and received a loud appreciative applause from the audience.

 

"It actually turned out to be such an excellent play!" Sakura said to Daron as they walked out into the reception area. 

 

"Of course. Naomi Kawamura is an exceptional playwright."

 

 

 

 

"Brilliant! Simply brilliant!" Meiling exclaimed enthusiastically. "And the last part was soooo dramatic!!! I love it!" Tomoyo nudged Meiling hard on the rib.

 

"OW!!! What was that for?!" hissed Meiling.

 

"It's Sakura!"

 

"Oh my gosh, where!?!"

 

"Over there! Let's go!"

 

Without wasting any precious moment, they excused themselves from Syaoran and asked if they could look around for a while. Syaoran gave them a small nod without even thinking. He left them behind as he approached the client he had spotted near the refreshment table.

 

 

 

 

Sakura looked around, feeling as if she was being watched. No one I know would go to a play, she thought. She shivered involuntarily. Okay, maybe she wasn't so sure about that.

 

Daron sensed her discomfort. "Shall we go some place less crowded?"

 

"Yes, that would be great. Thanks!" she smiled gratefully.

 

 

 

 

"'Shall we go some place less crowded?' --- Isn't that swe~eet of him???" Meiling sighed dreamily. "He's probably waiting for his chance to make a move on our sweet innocent Sakura!" She winked at Tomoyo who had the video camera focused on the couple.

 

Tomoyo giggled. "Well, that's what the viewers would like to see." [Girl, you are ever so wrong with that presumption. ::gags::]

 

 

 

 

"Well, well, well... Look who's here?!" Daron exclaimed. His gray eyes twinkled with sheer amusement.

 

Sakura followed his gaze. Her eyes slowly widened in surprise as she recognized the young man Daron was referring to. She blinked a couple of times as if to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

 

 

 

 

Syaoran had just finished chatting with his client when a familiar voice called him over. He turned around and saw Daryouku Itsudouji waving at him.

 

 

 

 

Her heart pounded as he approached them. Suddenly self-conscious, she stepped away from Daron's side, who didn't seem to notice her odd behavior. When he finally reached them, Sakura suddenly found it hard to breathe.

 

His eyes rested on her for a while, then at Daron.

 

Blushing, Sakura fidgeted nervously and quietly waited for Daron to make the introductions.

 

 

 

 

"How did you find the play? I didn't know you were into these kind of things," Itsudouji told him.

 

"Actually, I'm not."

 

"I see..." Itsudouji thought for a while and finally noticed the presence of the petite girl standing next to him. "Oh yes! How rude of me! Sakura-san, this is Li Syaoran. He's a new player in the school's soccer team. Li, this is Kinomoto Sakura. She's in the same year as the both of us."

 

Syaoran nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Kinomoto-san." He extended his hand to her. He waited patiently as her trembling hand found its way to his steady one.

 

 

 

 

Her skin tingled all over as their hands made contact. "Me, too..." She blushed furiously as she shyly withdrew her hand from his.

 

"Anyway, I guess we'd better go now." Daron smiled. "See you on Monday then!" He led Sakura towards the exit. "I'll walk you home, Sakura-san."

 

"T-Thank you," she managed to say.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, two curious spectators hiding behind a large silver vase didn't miss a heartbeat.

 

"Did we just see... what I thought I saw?" Meiling wondered out loud.

 

Tomoyo watched them with growing interest, a smile forming on her lips. "My, my... It looks like this romantic fairytale had just turned into a love triangle..."

 

 

 

 

//=============//

 

Ooh... the irony of the situation! S+S gets introduced by the very obstacle of their potential relationship. hehehe... >:)

 

 

English meaning of mentioned Japanese words/ phrases: (according to my memory)

 

Kaijuu - Monster

 

Ja ne! - "See ya!"

 

Ummei no Namida - Destiny's Tears