Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Until There Was You ❯ Faded Memories Revisited ( Chapter 7 )

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 Seven: "Faded Memories Revisited"

 

 

 

 

A little girl sat on the tarnished swing set, humming a melody that was vaguely familiar. Soft creaks sounded as the little girl swung back and forth, her shoulder length brown hair tumbling behind her back.

 

Crisp leaves fell from each crimson tree, the dried foliage moving lazily to a silent tune.

 

A small smile graced her lips as she watched a familiar young boy slowly approaching her. Grinning, he said, "Sorry I'm late. Mother made me do the dishes again."

 

The little girl shook her head. "It's okay..." Their warm gaze never wavered as the boy sat on the swing beside her. Later on, she asked, "You said you wanted to tell me something?" She tilted her head, curiosity clear in her facial expression. The boy turned away, his dark hair covering his eyes. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

 

"I'm moving away..."

 

The girl recoiled at the sudden news. She pursed her lips and lowered her head, tears forming in her eyes. "So you're going to leave me?" It was more of a bitter statement rather than a question.

 

Smiling gently, the boy placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not like we're never going to see each other again." She nodded briefly, clutching his hand. The trembling girl looked up to gaze at him. There was a silent plea in her eyes as she murmured, "Promise me..." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "We'll see each other again..." Pulling her in a tight hug, he whispered, "I will never forget you... I promise..."

 

All of a sudden, there was a flash of light and a wailing screech.

 

 

 

 

Sakura's eyes snapped open. She placed a cold hand on her forehead, wincing as her temples throbbed momentarily. The alarm clock went off just as she sat up on her bed. Ignoring its persistent bleeping, she stared into empty space as she tried to recall her strange dream.

 

She frowned. "That little boy... he seems so familiar..."

 

A loud noise shattered her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. Guessing that it was probably Touya, she opened the door to her room and called to her brother, "Are you okay?" A muffled voice answered her. "I'm fine!" Glancing at the clock, she went back inside her room to change.

 

 

 

 

The locker room was empty as he had expected.

 

Stepping out from the shower, Syaoran wrapped a towel around his waist, beads of cold water still embedded on his masculine form. He reached for another towel in his locker to dry himself. Leaving his chestnut hair still damp, he changed into a clean shirt.

 

Voices echoed in the narrow hallway outside. Within a few seconds, his teammates entered the locker room. The stench of sweat and mud immediately filled the closed space.

 

Fully dressed in clean apparel, Syaoran began fixing his belongings so he could leave as soon as possible.

 

Daron Itsudouji walked past him, followed by a couple of admiring freshmen. They hung on his every word as if he was infallible. "All you need to win is absolute confidence in every move you make," he was saying to them.

 

Someone from the shower cut in, "I'm telling you people this guy knows exactly what he's saying. Heck, he already has one of the cutest girls in school wrapped around his finger!" Daron laughed good-naturedly at this. "Not exactly how I'd phrase it," he said with a smile.

 

Syaoran looked up from his duffel bag to listen.

 

"Don't be so modest," another senior spoke up. "That girl never went out with anybody until now. Look at Ikagami here."

 

The robust male with navy blue hair scowled at him. "Don't you start with me Takeshi," he hissed irritably. This only encouraged Takeshi to provoke him some more. "Admit it. She trampled on your miserable pride!" he declared laughingly. It was all Ikagami could take. He began to move threateningly towards Takeshi making the sniggering senior inch away and say, "Okay, okay! I'll stop now!"

 

Daron chuckled with amusement. "Break it up, you infants."

 

"Say Itsudouji... Are you really serious about this Kinomoto girl?" a red head asked. "I heard you never dated anyone for this long." The unexpected question made the young man with gray eyes think for a while.

 

"I'm not quite sure myself..." he finally answered.

 

"Well, just don't let her slip away until you're ready," the red head told him. "You won't find another girl like her."

 

"No kidding," Ikagami agreed in a solemn voice. "You are so lucky, man!" He gave his teammate a loud slap on the back.

 

An unnamed emotion stirred within Syaoran as the image of the auburn haired girl lingered in his mind. Shaking his head slightly, he stood up from his position on the bench and flung his duffel bag over his shoulder.

 

"You leaving already, Li?" someone called after him.

 

Looking back, Syaoran answered the question briefly. "My cousin is waiting for me." With that said, he turned around and went outside. After he left, Takeshi voiced out his thoughts. "I will never understand that guy," he stated in a convinced tone. A few others murmured their agreement with him. 

 

"Why doesn't he train as often as we do?" a curious freshman asked. "I barely see him except on weekends."

 

Daron answered almost automatically. "Coach told me he had other things to attend to aside from school and varsity. Whatever it is, I strongly believe that he should train regularly just like the rest of us. But then, since Coach actually allowed him to have his way, there is nothing I could do about it." There was an unmistakable trace of envy in his voice as he said this.

 

"I wonder why..." the freshman thought out loud.

 

Daron dismissed the subject. "Enough of that. We'd better get cleaned up. I'll meet you guys later at the pool." He grabbed a dry towel from the metal rack and went inside to shower.

 

 

 

 

The school building was unusually quiet compared to the typical bustle during weekdays. Walking along the empty corridor to find his locker, Syaoran took a quick glimpse at the row of bulletin boards nailed to the wall. Seeing that there was nothing needed to be taken note of, he quickened his pace a little bit. When he reached the intersection, he glanced at the left hallway. To his surprise, there was another person inside the building besides him. 

 

He looked more carefully and saw that it was Yugata.

 

Yugata panicked at the sight of him and immediately stumbled to escape from the piercing gaze that always seemed to rattle the poor lad with fear. Frowning, Syaoran decided to ignore it. Meiling was already waiting for him.

 

 

 

 

"Sakura-chan!" a feminine voice called.

 

Sakura smiled and waved cheerfully at her best friend. "Ohayou, Tomoyo-chan! What kept you?" The pale girl with raven hair responded by aiming the lens of her video camera at the emerald eyed girl. Sakura sweat dropped.

 

"You look so kawaii in that outfit, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo squealed with delight.

 

Sakura grinned at the compliment. Although she was only wearing a simple peasant top paired with faded jeans, Sakura looked exceptionally pretty in her casual clothes. "You always say that," she laughed.     

 

"Hey guys!"

 

The two girls whirled around to see Chiharu waving at them. Yamazaki was also with her, wearing his trademark smile. Both dressed in blue, the couple looked absolutely adorable together.

 

"I told Rika and Naoko to meet us at the entrance. We'd better hurry!" Chiharu told them.

 

Thankfully, the ride to the amusement park was a short one. It was just enough time to prevent Yamazaki from telling his highly imaginative story on how babies were made. For some reason, being subject to not doing anything for a long period of time always seemed to fuel his odd creativity in storytelling.

 

Splashed with vivid colors and characterized by the enchanting music high in the air, the amusement park looked as though it was taken from a child's fantasy. Ecstatic cries of mirth and excitement rung in their ears as the theme park's main attraction sped past them. 

 

"Minna!" someone called. "Over here!"

 

They looked to where the voice came from and saw two familiar girls waving enthusiastically at them. The first one had straight shoulder length brown hair while the other had untamed wavy hair that curled near her delicately shaped chin.

 

"Naoko! Rika!" Chiharu exclaimed as the girls met in a group hug. "How are you guys?! It's been a while since we last saw each other!"

 

Naoko grinned at them. "We're good. Stressed, but good." She let out an exhausted sigh, giving them an apologetic smile. "We never seem to have any time for ourselves on usual days. I'm really sorry we couldn't go out as often as we used to."

 

"School has been a little difficult lately..." Rika added in a timid voice.

 

When Naoko and Rika each moved to another district a few years ago, contact with Sakura and the others became their main priority. Both girls would always visit their old home every other weekend just so they could spend time with their precious friends. Recently however, the frequency of their routinely visits diminished noticeably to only once every two months.

 

"Don't worry about that!" Giving them a playful wink, Chiharu beamed. "Let's just have fun today!"

 

As soon as she said this, a slight commotion stirred the curious crowd staying near the park entrance. Bystanders were sent out of the way as the heavily adorned gate of the amusement park opened to make way for a black Jaguar. Once the entrance was wide enough for the car to pass through, the black vehicle moved forward smoothly on the asphalted road. People whispered among themselves in a flurry as they attempted to disclose the identity of its owner. Spellbound, Sakura and the others could only watch. 

 

Much to their surprise, the vehicle made a complete stop in front of them. The door of the car swung open and out stepped a grinning Meiling. "Hey there!" came her casual greeting. 

 

Wearing a pleased smile on her face, Tomoyo made the brief introductions. "Everyone... this is Li Meiling."

 

"Just call me Meiling," provided the crimson eyed girl.

 

"Meiling," a voice coming from inside the vehicle cut in. "Close the door."

 

"Whoops!" The girl from Hong Kong knocked herself gently on the head as if to scold herself. "Sorry about that! My bad." She turned to her new acquaintances. "By the way, this is my cousin, Li Syaoran."

 

Sakura's eyes suddenly brightened upon hearing his name. Lowering her head, she managed to take a small peek inside the black vehicle so she could greet her friend's cousin. Having seen him, she waved animatedly at him as if they were miles apart. Amused, Syaoran lifted a hand to acknowledge her.

 

Giving her cousin one last smile, Meiling closed the front door of the car and watched as her cousin drove away. Beaming at her companions, she exclaimed enthusiastically, "What are you guys waiting for?! Let the fun begin!"

 

 

 

 

Ryoshinaru Hayuma took an occasional glance at his wristwatch, tapping his left foot restlessly on the polished floor of his office. It was already a quarter past ten and his elusive associate was still nowhere to be found. For him, tardiness was inexcusable. Not only was the deed distastefully rude, it was also a complete waste of his time. In any industry, as the clichéd saying goes, time is money. Had it been anyone else, he would not even bother waiting this long. 

 

But then, this was not just anyone else. He was dealing with Li Syaoran, an impossibly stubborn young man kin to one of the most prominent families in China. Now living in Hong Kong, the Li family not only gained easy access to various parts of Asia, but also the recognition of being one of the most renowned in the field of business. As a matter of fact, the mere mention of their name could make the most ignorant head turn.

 

"He'd better show up soon," the impatient Hayuma muttered under his breath.

 

After a few moments, the faint sound of heels clicking against the floor could be heard approaching. A petite woman with straight ebony hair then entered the office and told him, "Mr. Li Syaoran had just arrived to see you, sir."

 

"Good." The gruff man with receding white hair let out a relieved grunt as he shifted to a more comfortable position on his gigantic chair. "Send him in."

 

 

 

 

"How about that ride?" suggested Meiling, referring to the steep water slide. Excitement filled the eighteen year old as she watched the passengers scream at the top of their lungs as they plunged into the artificial river below. "It looks so much fun!" She turned giddily to face her companions. "Let's go try it!"

 

Chiharu dragged Yamazaki along as she followed the eager Meiling who was already running towards the ride. "H-Hey! Wait for us, Meiling!"

 

Meanwhile, the rest of the group did not attempt to move from their spot on the bench. Sakura gave them a shy, unsure smile. "Would it be okay with you guys if I..." A blush rose on her cheeks. It was obvious that she also wanted to go on the ride. Tomoyo smiled and gave her best friend a small nod, telling her to go ahead and have fun. Naoko answered that she wished to sit this one out while Rika still seemed a bit dizzy from the last ride.

 

Sakura smiled gratefully at them. "Thanks, guys!"

 

When the auburn haired girl was out of sight, Naoko turned to Tomoyo and asked, "Where are the others? I thought you said they were coming along with us."

 

Tomoyo thought for a while before answering. "I remember Maya telling me the other day that she and Mikah had plans for this weekend. Sayako and Karumi, well..." Her amethyst eyes twinkled with laughter.

 

"Apparently, the prospect of seeing Daron in tight swimming trunks was much more appealing to them than a fun day in the park!"

 

At this, the three girls burst into a fit of giggles.

 

"They sure know how to spend their weekend!" Naoko laughed.

 

Ecstatic shouts calling them by name caught their attention, making the girls look up to see their friends waving at them from the topmost portion of the steep water slide. They cheerfully waved back. Then, the water ride started to move.

 

 

 

 

Hayuma studied the young man sitting across his desk. Unable to suppress a smirk, the older man spoke in his low authoritative voice. "So we have a deal then," he affirmed with much conviction.

 

There was no immediate response.

 

Just then, he began to feel strangely uneasy, completely wary of the steady amber eyes locked with his deep olive ones. It was as though he was being read by the absurdly young male in front of him. Dismissing this unlikely possibility, Hayuma decided that it was simply ludicrous to even think such a thing.

 

"I would need to see the contract before I agree to anything."

 

"Of course." The executive took out a pile of paper and handed it to Syaoran. Giving it a quick once over, careful not to miss any important detail written on the document, the young man came up with his tentative decision. "Before anything else, I refuse to agree to your condition that my authority in handling the operations be taken out such that your company would take complete control over the distribution of the software. There are a couple of guidelines that would be imposed on your company should you want to continue the deal. Do I make myself clear?"

 

Hayuma became slightly exasperated at hearing this. He managed to keep his temper at bay and thought, `If things work the way you seem to believe it does, this job would be hell of a lot easier.' Another smirk found its way to his lips. Young people nowadays are too ambitious for their own good.

 

"Well, it is your decision to make. And for your own sake, I hope you make the right one."

 

Syaoran did not miss the contempt hidden beneath the other man's voice. "I plan to," he retorted.

 

Without much success, Hayuma pretended that the tactless reply did not strike a nerve. "Well, good. You may leave now." 

 

And so the young man did, but not before he made amends for his earlier behavior. "Hayuma-san," he began, somewhat appeased. "I give you my word that I will take into account your judgment on how this business should be run. Other than that, I cannot promise you anything."

 

The older man gave him a slight nod, his lips curving upward into a pleased smile. "Glad to hear that."

 

 

 

 

One by one the little toy soldiers flew off the wooden shelf as Meiling shot them using a plastic rifle. Their small group cheered her on as she made the last soldier fall. The bewildered vendor reluctantly gave her the first prize. Wearing a huge grin, Meiling accepted the huge Clefairy stuffed toy.

 

"Sugoi! Meiling, that was amazing! Where did you learn to do that?" exclaimed Chiharu.

 

Meiling grinned at her. "My cousin taught me. He's really good at stuff like this. Man, you guys should see him! Vendors actually pay him not to play at their stalls!"

 

Sakura blinked. "Really? Wow..." A small smile played on her lips as she tried to imagine Syaoran in an amusement park. Somehow, it just doesn't seem to fit.

 

Chiharu looked absolutely amazed for some reason. "He..." she trailed off.

 

"He... what?" asked Naoko.

 

"He actually went to an amusement park!?" Chiharu finally gasped out. Sakura sweat dropped at this. It looks like she was not the only one having the same line of thought.

 

Meiling rolled her eyes. "Come on, Chiharu. He was a child once, you know."

 

Chiharu shrugged. "Well, it's just that he doesn't seem to be the 'fun' type of person." Catching the look on Meiling's face, she quickly added "... not that I'm saying it's an entirely bad thing..."

 

Rika turned to Meiling. "Your cousin was the one who drove you here, am I correct?" Meiling smiled. "Hai. It definitely helps to have a male relative hanging around." She gave Rika a good-natured wink. 

 

"Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you..." Naoko began. "Your cousin seems to be a really important person and..."

 

Chiharu cut in. "Yeah! Now that Naoko mentioned it, what is with the V.I.P. treatment you guys had earlier?"

 

"Oh, that." Meiling grinned sheepishly. "Did I ever mention to you guys that my family owns a software company that is currently being run by my cousin? Does the name 'Inter-Global software' more commonly known as IGsoft ring a bell?"

 

"Of course." Yamazaki raised an index finger. "Did you guys know that the software running this entire amusement park is none other than IGsoft?"

 

Rika looked impressed. "Really?"

 

Eyes sparkling, Naoko sighed dreamily. "Suteki... It would be so cool if they could program androids just like in those popular science fiction books!"

 

"Actually, I overheard from a conversation my cousin had with this tall guy wearing a ridiculous pointy beard that they are working on this special android project. The guy said that these androids would some day become the conductors of Japan's public transportation, starting with Tokyo of course."

 

"Yes, that was the rumor I heard," confirmed Yamazaki. "And it was also said that these special androids take the form of a human being and actually moves convincingly like one."

 

Naoko sighed dreamily. "Incredible... I wish I could see it!"

 

Sakura listened attentively to every word that was said, fascinated by all the new information. Then she remembered something. "He told me your family owned a Chinese restaurant here, too."

 

"He... did?" Meiling blinked at Sakura, casting Tomoyo a questioning glance. Tomoyo only smiled in response. It took a while before Meiling caught on, but when she finally did, her crimson eyes lit up with delight. "As a matter of fact, yes. We do own a Chinese restaurant here, but only as a sideline business. Syaoran goes there from time to time."

 

The auburn haired girl fell deep in thought. "I see... Then he doesn't have much time for himself, does he?" Sakura asked, almost sadly.

 

Meiling frowned a little. "Y-Yeah..."

 

Seeing that the topic was already exhausted, Tomoyo decided to divert their attention to the food stalls. "My, that mango cream crepe looks absolutely delicious! Anyone else want to try it?"

 

Chiharu cheerfully raised her hand. "I do!" She yanked on Yamazaki's sleeve and dragged him to the stalls. "Your treat, Yamazaki-kun!"

 

Everyone else followed them, leaving Meiling and Sakura behind. After a while, the latter glanced at the Hong Kong girl. Worried, she peered at her unusually quiet friend.

 

"Meiling...? Is something wrong?"

 

Eyes watering, Meiling murmured her words. "I never realized until now how much I've been such a brat to Syaoran. I kept on demanding so many things from him despite everything else he had to do. I guess in a way... I just wanted him back. Ever since he began working for the company, we never got to do the things we usually do before. His work kept him away from me, and I couldn't help but feel lonely. I missed him so much..." Meiling turned to Sakura, a weak smile on her lips. "You know... they didn't want me to come here to Japan with him, but I insisted. I couldn't stand the thought of being away from him for so long."

 

Hearing this unexpected confession, Sakura couldn't help but wonder: what was Syaoran like beneath that cold exterior?

 

Sakura gave Meiling a kind smile. "But Meiling... you never lost him. He even cared enough to make time for you... that must count for something, right?"

 

"I guess you're right..." Meiling smiled gratefully and added, "we'd better get going. There are two mango cream crepes waiting at that stall with our name on it!" She took Sakura's hand and dragged her towards the crepe stall.

 

 

 

 

Daron opened the door to his house and went inside. It was an exhausting day as usual. He stood in front of his full-length mirror and noticed that he acquired a new tanned complexion. "I guess I shouldn't have stayed in the pool as long as I did," he said to no one in particular.

 

He glanced at his desk as if something caught his attention. Daron approached the table and opened the first drawer. He gingerly took out a worn photograph and examined it. It was a picture of him and his friends back in England. All of them were still wearing their soccer uniforms as they posed for the camera. It was taken right after they had won the junior soccer championship; the game that had changed him in many ways. He smiled as he gazed at his younger self --- a wide grin on his youthful face, he had his right arm loosely draped over the shoulders of a pale boy with navy blue hair.

 

Daron smiled fondly as the memories came flooding back. Then, he gently returned the photograph inside the drawer and picked up the wireless phone to dial Sakura's number.

 

"Hello, may I speak with Kinomoto Sakura please?"

 

He raised a brow when he heard a muffled growl on the other line. "Oi, kaijuu!" a male voice hollered. "It's for you!" After a while, he could hear Sakura's voice say in an indignant tone "Mou, I'm not a monster!"

 

 

 

 

Sakura glared at her brother from across the room as she went over to pick up the phone. "Moshi moshi? Sakura speaking." Her face brightened noticeably. "Daron! Wow, I didn't expect your call. What's up?" she questioned cheerfully.

 

Touya's eye twitched at Sakura's occasional oh's and uh-huh's, glowering at her from his position on the couch. The tall glass he was holding suddenly cracked when she said, "Sure. We'll meet at the park then. See you! Bye!" Sakura replaced the receiver and met her brother's glare.

 

Touya looked as though he was ready to kill. "Oi."

 

"What?" Sakura asked innocently.

 

Touya muttered incoherent words under his breath and stalked away. 

 

She shrugged and called to her father, "Otou san! I'm going out for a while!"

 

 

 

 

Syaoran slid onto the leather seat of his car and closed the door. It was a nice evening to go out and drive aimlessly on the quiet streets of Tomoeda: an activity he grew to look forward to during the weekends. With a silent purr, his Jaguar moved forward smoothly and he went on his way. 

 

Just for tonight, he was determined not to let anything ruin his evening.

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

Suteki - Wonderful, splendid, and anything to that effect ^-^

 

Moshi moshi - Hello (for telephone conversations only)