Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Until There Was You ❯ Denial ( Chapter 6 )

Hellmaster here. Disclaimer: All the CCS characters found in this fic belong to their respective owners. I do not own them in any way. The story, however, I do own. [:-}]<--(and this smiley face as well. :P)

 

 

 

 

Until There Was You

Chapter Six: "Denial"

 

 

 

 

The familiar sound of footsteps running back and forth could be heard from upstairs as Meiling rushed to get her things ready for school.

 

Waiting patiently for his cousin, Syaoran took a small sip of his coffee. 

 

Ten minutes passed. He glanced at the wall clock and shook his head. It was already six forty five. Time to give his beloved cousin a deadline. "Meiling, I'm giving you one minute!" With that said, he casually stood up from his seat and headed towards the front door.

 

There was a loud thud. Then another.

 

Expecting to see his cousin in a short while, Syaoran opened the door and stepped outside. Wei was already in the garage waiting for them.

 

"I'm ready!" Meiling announced breathlessly from the door. Dragging two huge bags on the coarse ground, she staggered comically towards their car. "Let's go!"

 

 

 

 

"Were you able to bring everything, Sakura-chan?"

 

A bit startled, the auburn haired girl blinked. Tearing her attention away from the chair she had been staring at for the last few minutes, she turned to look questioningly at her best friend. "Huh? Did you say something, Tomoyo-chan?"

 

"I asked you if you brought everything," reiterated Tomoyo. A concerned frown appeared on her pretty features. "Are you sure you're feeling well, Sakura-chan? You seem to be distracted a lot lately."

 

Sakura gave her a reassuring smile. "Iie, I'm fine. No need to worry." She stood from her seat and said, "I need to get something from my locker. Excuse me for a while."

 

 

 

 

"Mou! Hurry up, Xiao Lang! I'm going to be late!"

 

Trailing way behind, Syaoran was carrying both their bags, the heavy weight of her enormous baggage burdened on his shoulders and back. "Are you kidding me?" With an irritated groan, he gradually quickened his pace to keep up with his cousin.

 

The classroom door slid open before Meiling even had a chance to reach for it.

 

Meiling immediately recognized the auburn haired girl that stepped outside. "Oh, Sakura! Ohayou!" Glancing briefly behind her, the crimson eyed girl let a sly grin form on her lips.

 

Sakura looked surprised at first, but it was almost immediately replaced by a welcoming smile. "Ohayou, Meiling!" Her cheerful smile soon faded when her gaze fell on Syaoran.

 

The young man was too preoccupied with the heavy baggage to notice. "Meiling, where did you want these? I need to get to class." He dropped the load at their feet, relieving himself from the burden his cousin placed on him. It was only then he finally became aware of the emerald eyed girl openly gaping at him.

 

Their eyes met in a fixed stare.

 

Sakura was determined to sort out her feelings. Taking a deep breath, she managed to give him a sincere smile. Keeping in mind that her misleading emotions for him should be ignored, she opened her mouth to say something. `Come on,' she egged herself on. `Say something to him, Sakura. Say anything!' She gulped as her insides turned dangerously.

 

Gathering all the audacity that she could muster, Sakura managed to put together a decent sentence. "I-I really want to thank you again for tutoring me, Li-kun."

 

"It was my pleasure," came his cordial answer.

 

Although he said this in such a genial manner, Sakura felt the cold indifference hidden beneath his voice. She would be lying if she said it did not hurt her feelings even just a little bit. However, this only proved to serve her purpose, encouraging her to say more. "It was really nice seeing you again." With a poised smile, she added "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get something from my locker." Giving him a slight bow, she walked right past him in a casual stride.

 

Meiling was so stunned her jaw dropped. That was not how she expected things to happen. She glanced at her cousin, who did not seem to have anything else on his mind other than disposing the unwanted baggage she so generously placed upon him.

 

With a disappointed sigh, she said "Just leave it there."

 

 

 

 

Skipping happily towards her locker, Sakura felt positively elated. She was right after all. Li Syaoran was simply a fascinating person that she wanted to get to know more about, and perhaps even befriend if he was willing. Holding that thought in her heart, she knew everything would once again become less complicated.

 

At least she hoped it would.

 

 

 

 

Tomoyo listened attentively to Meiling as she recounted what had happened that morning. "Can you believe it?! Just like that, POOF! It was gone!" Meiling huffed in irritation. "Enlighten me on this, Tomoyo, because I don't think my feeble mind can comprehend it anymore. Doesn't she like him anymore?"

 

A knowing smile could be seen on the face of the recipient as she remained visibly composed. "The loving heart works in the most peculiar of ways."

 

"What is that supposed to mean?"

 

"You'll see." Tomoyo's furtive smile gradually spread into a grin as the object of their conversation entered the classroom. "Did you get what you need, Sakura-chan?"

 

"Hai!" responded Sakura, sounding a bit more cheerful than she was just a while ago. 

 

"I sure hope you did. Maybe you could get your best friend what she so desperately needs right now." Rolling her eyes, Meiling muttered under her breath "... a good counseling."

 

Sakura blinked twice, entirely clueless. She turned to Tomoyo and asked, "Did you want to get something from your locker?"

 

The girl with raven hair only smiled at her and shrugged.

 

Meiling threw her arms up in defeat and shouted in exasperation, "I'm surrounded!" Shaking her head, she walked away and sank dramatically in her seat.

 

Sakura could only react. "Hooee?"

 

 

 

 

School was exceedingly tiresome and it seemed like ages before midday finally came to their aid. Animated by the typical swarm of famished students racing to buy decent food, lunch time was never a bore in their school. Being the most favored subject aside from dismissal that time of day almost always ensues a little bit of chaos.

 

Despite this, Sakura and her friends always managed to keep out of trouble's way.

 

As usual, their small group sat peacefully under the shade of a tree while eating their homemade lunch. This time, it was Maya's turn to bring their obento. Since she was in a pleasant mood that particular day, she also made her specialty --- freshly baked brownies. It was a nice treat to reward themselves with for being able to go through the first half of the day unscathed.

 

"These are delicious, Maya!" Meiling exclaimed after she finished her first brownie.

 

Sayako grinned. "Which is the reason why I always nag her to make some!" She tossed a small piece of the delectable pastry inside her mouth.

 

"She's the master at baking!" Chiharu winked playfully at Maya. "Ne, Maya-sensei?"

 

"No kidding! Can I have more?" Meiling asked eagerly.

 

Maya smiled, blushing a little from all the praises. "Sure, help yourself."

 

"Great! Syaoran loves chocolate. I'm sure he'll like this!"

 

Tomoyo smiled when Sakura automatically looked up from her food at the mere mention of Meiling's cousin.

 

"It would be our little way of showing our gratitude to him for helping me carry all the stuff we needed for our presentation a while ago," continued Meiling. Taking a piece of brownie from the box and placing it on a clean tissue, she stood up and said, "Be back in a minute!" She sped off to find her cousin.

 

Sayako breathed a wistful sigh. "God, her cousin is hot."

 

"Way too hot," Karumi agreed longingly. "Who would've thought I was right?! They are related!" She turned to Sayako, her eyes twinkling. "Let's go follow her!"

 

Sayako mumbled her reply. "Ugh. Too lazy..."

 

Resting a hand on her belly, Karumi groaned. "And definitely full," she added. "... but he's really hot," she reasoned.

 

They sighed simultaneously.

 

"Even hotter than Daron!"

 

Sayako's head moved in a slow nod. "We know that too well..." Another sigh escaped from their lips.

 

"So... why don't we go follow her?" Sayako suggested.

 

It was Karumi's turn to make an excuse. "But I can't feel my legs..."

 

"Oh..." After a momentary pause, she asked "... so we're not following her then?"

 

The others sweat dropped at this verbal exchange. Maya was unable to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the two fan girls. "What an intellectual conversation you guys are having," she remarked sarcastically.

 

Sayako glared at Maya through narrowed eyes. "Pooh. As if we care about sounding smart."

 

"You've been hanging around Mikah way too long," said Karumi.

 

Chiharu swallowed her food and took a gulp of her canned soda. "Speaking of which, have you seen Mikah around?" she asked. "I feel like I haven't seen her for a while."

 

"She told me she had an appointment today." Maya shrugged. "Said it was very important but... I don't know. She didn't tell me much."

 

"Oh, I see."

 

Sakura spoke up in a worried tone. "I hope she's okay though... She was acting a bit weird the last time I saw her."

 

"Don't worry. I'm sure she's fine." Chiharu smiled reassuringly at her kindhearted friend. "Maybe Mikah has a lot on her mind right now, which explains why she seemed a little down lately."

 

With a convincing apathetic guise on her face, Maya pursed her lips and murmured in her head, `You have no idea...'

 

 

 

 

Meiling searched the neglected grounds behind the school building, hoping to find her cousin beneath the massive row of tall trees. It only took her a few seconds before she was finally able to locate him. He was there as she had expected, typing away on his laptop.

 

She held out the brownie to him. "A token of appreciation from us!"

 

Syaoran looked up from his laptop. His gaze fell on the pastry, then Meiling. For a brief moment, she could tell that he considered rejecting their small offer. A beam lit her face when he did exactly the opposite.

 

"What took you so long?" kidded Meiling. Giving him a lighthearted slap on the back, she left him alone to finish his work.

 

 

 

 

Daron approached each cluster of students that was staying on the field, obviously searching for someone. Whenever he was close enough to be in hearing range, the girls that knew him instantly tried to flirt with him, all of which he entertained with his inexhaustible charm. Taking a quick look at his watch, he decided to find Sakura before he completely lost track of time.

 

Later on, he was finally able to spot Sakura sitting with her friends. He walked unceremoniously towards them to say hi. The minute Sayako noticed his gradual approach, she instinctively nudged Karumi in the rib. "Hottie alert!" she whispered sharply.

 

Flashing the group a quick smile, Daron turned his attention to Sakura. "I was wondering if you were free this Saturday afternoon."

 

Sakura thought for a while. Wearing an apologetic half smile, she told him "Gomen... I already promised that I would go to the new amusement park with Tomoyo and the others..."

 

"Don't worry about it. Next time maybe?" He waited expectantly for her answer.

 

Sakura smiled sweetly at him. "Sure!"

 

Before he had a chance to say more, the bell rang. Daron quickly excused himself and went ahead. Gathering their mess in a hurry, Sakura and her friends ran inside the school building.

 

 

 

 

"One! Two! Three!"

 

Kicking high in the air, the petite girl with fiery red hair shouted, "Let's go!" Her huge smile remained stuck on her face as she did their routine without a flaw.

 

With rhythmic movements calculated to be in synch with the tempo, the cheerleaders formed their team diamond while two girls did back flips at the side. Each head doing upbeat bobs, they continued doing their routine as they cheered. Using a human pyramid as the finale, the music ended as they did one last split.

 

"Take five, girls!"

 

Their team captain stretched her left leg and went inside the locker room.

 

Dashing outside to get some fresh air, Sakura used the opportunity to take a small peek at the soccer field. She shivered as the wind fanned her slender legs. On her way, she passed by a secluded area where all the old trees were planted. 

 

A light breeze stirred her auburn locks to life.

 

Feeling an uncontrollable urge to look up, she gracefully tipped her head upward. Her eyes widened in surprise as she gaped at the unexpected sight.

 

Syaoran was sitting on top of a thick branch, leaning comfortably against the tree trunk. He had his eyes closed, a leg propped up on the limb with ease. He did not seem to be aware of his surroundings as he let the vigorous wind tousle his chestnut brown hair. She observed him in wonder, not quite believing how boyish he looked in that position. A playful smile formed on her lips. As she stood there gazing at him, Sakura found herself unable to resist the juvenile impulse to climb up the tree and surprise him. 

 

It was just too good to pass up.

 

Using the strength of her legs to push herself up, Sakura climbed up the elderly tree with feline grace. Because of her attempt to keep silent, she stayed too long at one spot and accidentally slipped as the withering bark crumbled beneath her feet.

 

She winced as she anticipated the fall, but to her surprise, she felt nothing. Sakura opened her eyes and saw that Syaoran held onto her arm just in time. Without saying anything, he pulled her up to sit beside him.

 

Sakura could feel a contented smile forming on her lips. It felt so nice to be sitting there with him, and the view seemed somewhat refreshing in her eyes. There was not much to see. In fact, it was just the same --- only its outlook was from a different angle.

 

She turned to look at him curiously. "What were you doing up here?"

 

He raised a brow. "What were you doing, trying to climb up here in such an outfit?"

 

Sakura sweat dropped at the question. Good question. Grinning sheepishly at him, she replied "To find out what you were doing of course!"

 

"Is that right?" was his skeptical reply.

 

He turned away. Sakura tilted her head sideways, studying him. Somehow, Syaoran seemed less distant to her right at that moment. She could see his facial features soften into an amused expression. Encouraged, she decided to start a conversation. 

 

"I thought you have soccer practice?"

 

He shrugged indifferently. "Didn't feel like going."

 

Sakura blinked. "Oh..."

 

It was strange. She never imagined him to be laid-back. From the time they first met, even until now, she had always thought of him as someone who was different from all the others. For one thing, he acted as though he was already twenty one. It was like he was burdened with responsibilities a normal teenager did not have. 

 

This only made her want to probe even more about him.

 

"What were you doing in the restaurant the other night?" she asked, hoping that maybe a piece of the puzzle would fall into place.

 

"My family owns the restaurant," he answered nonchalantly.

 

Sakura was surprised. "Really? Wow! So you mean to tell me you are the one who is looking after it?"

 

"You could say that."

 

Without much warning, Syaoran deliberately slid off the branch and landed gently on the ground. He glanced back at the startled Sakura and began walking away.

 

"H-Hey! Wait for me!" Sakura hopped down from her spot on the tree so she could go follow him. "Where are you going?"

 

Before he had a chance to answer, something else caught his attention. He covered her mouth and pulled her with him to hide behind a bush. He muffled the protest that rose in her throat.

 

"Sempai! Where are you?" called a chubby boy wearing shorts. He paused for a while to look around, failing to notice the two hiding behind the thick shrub. He ran right past them to search somewhere else.

 

His warm hand was still covering her mouth. Blushing, Sakura glanced briefly at him. She could see the mischievous glint in his tawny eyes as he watched his teammate disappear behind the corner. This was a side to him that she never imagined she would witness. In fact, she never even knew it existed. Syaoran looked so serious all the time, and now that she thought about it, she never actually saw him smile. Even once.

 

Sakura yearned to know more about him, but she knew that this was the closest she could get to him for now. It was inevitable. She knew too well that in every person, there is always a rigid wall that would more or less hinder a promising friendship.

 

And it was her job to conquer it.

 

Releasing her from his grasp, Syaoran turned to face the auburn haired girl. "I need to go."

 

She gave him a small nod. "Me, too. I was just taking a break from cheerleading practice. They're probably sending out search parties to find me by now. It's what they did the last time." Sakura smiled fondly at the memory, but since he did not seem interested in what she had to say, she decided to finish her short monologue. "I guess I'll just see you around."

 

Sakura watched with pensive interest as he went on his way.

 

Smiling to herself, she sauntered back to the gym so she could resume cheerleading practice.

 

 

 

 

Across to the outskirts of town, there stood a small wooden house covered entirely with vines. The front lawn was overrun with weeds, and the fractured ground betrayed just how much the owner had taken it for granted. It had a gloomy atmosphere because of the way it was constantly obscured by the dancing shadows provided by the surrounding trees.

 

To passersby, it would look almost as if it was abandoned.

 

Well, it wasn't.

 

Inside a dark room, Minou Yugata could be seen scribbling on a crumpled piece of paper. The faint light of his desk lamp flickered as he paused to think.

 

His contorted face coated with an oily sheen, he let a malicious grin form on his parched lips.

 

"Sakura... my dearest Sakura..." he murmured beneath ragged breaths. "When shall I see you again?" His tongue licked his trembling lower lip as he broke into wicked giggles. 

 

He clicked off the light.

 

 

 

 

Sakura shuddered at the fierceness of the wind's caress. She was already on her way home from practice when a sudden foreboding struck fear in her heart. Looking up at the hazy moon, she felt an ominous premonition that something dire would soon happen in the distant future.

 

 

 

 

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

 

Hmmm... I think the chapters are getting shorter. Oh well, I like this chapter the way it is (though there isn't much linguistic crap going on.) If you noticed, I incorporated some stuff from the actual series --- like the way Sakura can sort of feel what the other person is feeling, and even the way she can foresee the future. You guys will also be encountering a few more familiar characters that came from the original series so keep your fingers crossed should you want your favorite to appear in this fic. =D But unfortunately, I will not be including all those involved with the Clow Cards --- this means that there will definitely be no Kero, Suppi, Nakuru and Yue.

 

 

 

Widely used expressions common in Japan: (according to how I understand it)

 

Mou - used to express one's annoyance