Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Stars Reborn ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter Five

 

“Okaa-sama? Sheifa? Fuutie? Fanren? Feimei? I'm home!”

 

“Good timing, Shaoran. I need your help with the curtains,” Fanren called.

 

Shaoran grunted as he started our way. “You've never needed my help with curtains before. I don't see why now would be different, unless you're hanging them in a tree.”

 

With each set of steps my body reacted. First it tensed. Second, I felt my body grow warmer. My legs flexed waiting for action. I turned and as he walked into the doorway, I pounced. All my anticipation, longing, and joy were unleashed. I didn't care if he let me go two years ago. I got to see him again before I died, which was all that mattered. Maybe this is how Meilin felt back in Tomoeda whenever she saw him.

 

Lying on the ground, face to face, Shaoran didn't bother opening his eyes after I tackled him. Instead, a reflex kicked in, “Meilin, how many times have I told you not to do that? Now let go.”

 

Did he realize he was speaking Japanese? I guess Meilin hasn't jumped him since her time in Japan.

 

I blinked twice. Wait a second, he thought I was Meilin? She herself thought this was pretty funny since she was laughing in another corner of the room. That caught Shaoran's attention.

 

“I'm not Meilin-chan.”

 

“Japanese?” Apparently he hadn't noticed what language he was speaking.

 

He opened his eyes and looked into mine, “Green?”

 

I backed my face away from his. “My name is Kinomoto Sakura, remember? Sa-ku-ra,” I sounded my name out like a song. You could practically hear the click in Shaoran's mind as he put all the facts together.

 

“S-Sakura?!” His eyes widen until they resembled dinner plates. After the initial shock wore off, Shaoran's eyes traveled down to look at our position and he turned crimson. I followed his gaze and turned as red as he did. When I landed on Shaoran I ended up straddling him.

 

I hopped off him and kept my head down. “I-I'm sorry, Shaoran-kun. I never meant to… I'll try to restrain myself from now on.” I looked up to see Shaoran's face had softened. He lifted his hand like he was going to reach out and touch me. Half way through the motion he let it fall and reddened again.

 

“It's alright, Sakura. It was just an accident after all,” he said comfortingly.

 

“R-Right,” I nodded. Confidence. I need some confidence in my voice. Less coaching, more doing.

 

“Hey, I have an idea!” Feimei shouted making me jump. “There's not much work left in here, so how about Little Shaoran shows Sakura-chan around the house? That way Sakura can get familiar with the grounds and not need a guide while she stays.”

 

The plan sounded innocent enough. I didn't understand why Meilin and the other sisters were worshipping Feimei with their eyes.

 

“I'll do it. Will you allow me to be your guide, Sakura?” Shaoran bowed in the same manner as Wei. His eyes darted to his sisters and he smiled like he was humouring them. There was something else there too. Thanks maybe? I tossed that thought aside; he was only going to show me around. Nothing to be thankful for there.

 

“Of course, Shaoran-kun.”

 

“Then let us go,” he said waving towards the door. I giggled at the image. He made a good butler.

 

I could hear the sisters arguing as Shaoran and I left the room: “Gee, that wasn't subtle at all, Feimei.”

 

“Well I didn't see you coming up with any ideas, Fuutie. I certainly didn't hear you. Shaoran—

 

The rest of the argument sounded like muffled voices as we walked out of hearing range.

 

“Don't mind them,” Shaoran said.

 

“Huh?”

 

“My sisters and Meilin get into arguments…loud arguments, but they don't mean anything in the end. I find it makes life easier when you walk as far away from the fights as possible. You avoid getting involved and a headache,” Shaoran explained.

 

“That makes sense. Oh, where are we going Shaoran-kun?”

 

“Teaching you where everything is will be easier when you see it from your room. That way you can use it as a reference point, but I don't know what room they put you in, so I thought we'd go outside. Once someone tells me where your room is I can give you a grand tour.”

 

“It's probably best that I don't get the grand tour right now. It may be too much for me,” I tried to smile but it felt more like a grimace.

 

Shaoran seemed more alert after I said that. He was almost frantic as he said, “Why would it be too much?!”

 

“This is my first day up. I've been unconscious for at least a week.” I admired the way I said that casually.

 

Shaoran opened a sliding door to the houses courtyard and pointed at the edge of the deck. “Sit down and tell me everything that happened,” he ordered. His sudden authority startled me but I was obedient. I told him about the stalking presence, my fight with the hooded figure here in Hong Kong, and the staff breaking. I left out me transferring to Hong Kong to stop him from losing his head. Still, he didn't look happy.

 

“No one told me you were here. Seems like everyone except me knew—even Meilin and she lives in a different house!” That explained why he was so shocked to see me sitting on him. “You said the staff broke. What do you mean?”

 

“I'll show you,” I said getting up. I held the key in my hand and recited the incantation. When the staff formed it looked more like a pink stick than a magical weapon. Shaoran's jaw dropped a little when he saw it.

 

“It's just a rod. No star, wings, anything! Can you still use the Sakura cards? Have you tried reforming it?”

 

I just shook my head. “I don't know how to reform it and I'm afraid I'll break the…rod if I try. I thought that as long as I have this much I still have a chance at fixing it. As for the cards, I don't know if I can still use them. I doubt it though.”

 

“I see. In that case, I-I'll protect you,” Shaoran went red as he said that. “I did it before in Tomoeda and even when you came to Hong Kong with your family and I'll do it again.” His eyes were gazing into mine burning with his passion, determination, and duty.

 

I sat down next to him and rested my hand on his arm—his skin blazed beneath my hand. I smiled and said, “Thank you, Shaoran-kun.”

 

He started stuttering. “Y-Y-You're…N-N…” In the end he had to look away to say anything straight. “Anytime, Sakura.”

 

After that we sat next to each other in silence enjoying the breeze. The rustle of grass blowing in the wind was relaxing. Summer vacation was seemed so short at times like these. I couldn't complain though. Having a whole month off in the summer was a big vacation compared to the small holidays throughout the year. “It's too bad summer vacation is over in a week or so…” I voiced my thoughts.

 

“Summer's only half way over, Sakura.”

 

“What?”

 

“Don't you know? Summer vacation in Hong Kong is July and August. Now that I think about it, you started high school back April, but here in Hong Kong the first term starts in September.”

 

“W-What?! The school year hasn't even started?”

 

“Yup.”

 

That was not what I wanted to hear. I felt like curling up in the grass and crying. All those math tests… Something must have been off on my face because Shaoran started to worry.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“No. Everything is just fine.” Inside I was sinking faster than the Titanic. I was feeling worse and worse about keeping my school transfer from Shaoran. Convincing myself it's for the best Shaoran doesn't know was becoming a weak argument. The guy had just dedicated himself to protecting me minutes before! If something were to happen to me while in Hong Kong and Shaoran somehow found out…

 

Shaoran lifted my eyes to his, “You know you tell me anything, don't you?”

 

“I do.”

 

Before Shaoran could press the topic and get me to spill my guts, Meilin came running across the courtyard—probably from the doors in the main room. Her hair was flying around her like Medusa's snakes as she ran as fast as she could. “Shaoran! Kinomoto-san! Finally I found you.” Meilin was out of breath when she stopped in front of us. She must have been running through the whole property trying to find us. “Shaoran. The black car that's been going around this part of town is on our street!”

 

“The stalker car is here?!” Meilin nodded.

 

“And Daidouji-san is one of the people driving it! She must have been looking for Kinomoto-san! It took me so long to find you that she's probably here by now.”

 

My sinking ship of a life lifted hearing that Tomoyo is here. “Can you take me to see her, Meilin-chan?”

 

“Of course I'm going to take you to her! Why do you think I came to find you?!” I swear, Meilin is a needle to my balloon. She motioned to follow her, “Come on!”

 

As I followed the Li cousins Meilin started questioning Shaoran.

 

“What were you two doing all the way out there anyway?”

 

“Talking.”

 

“Is that your final answer?”

 

“If I stuck to any other answer, I'd be lying.”

 

“You are a stick in the mud. Nothing happened? Really?”

 

“Yes, Meliin. Nothing happened.”

 

Meilin was digging for something that wasn't there so I stopped listening and focused on Tomoyo being here. She must have been searching for me ever since I fell. Did she search the whole city or did she see what specific area I fell in? She must have been so worried. And who was with her? There are her bodyguards but they're always nearby so people tend to not count them—Meilin and Shaoran stopped walking once we got to the main room causing me to bump into them. Melin turned around.

 

“Pay attention to where you're walking and those around you, Kinomoto-san! One of these days you're going to walk into the wrong person,” she crossed her arms as if she were lecturing a child about crossing the road. “Isn't one near death experience enough for you? None of us would be able to stand it if we actually lost you.”

 

I saw Shaoran give Meilin a glare so cold I got chills.

 

Someone giggled. “I see things here haven't changed much,” Tomoyo said. She was sitting in a chair across from the door. The other people she had been with were sitting on a couch surrounded by all of Shaoran's sisters. Onii-chan and Yukito.

 

“Tomoyo-chan!” Tomoyo ran over to embrace me like her long lost child.

 

“I'm so glad we finally found you. Don't you ever worry me like that again, Sakura-chan.”

 

“I promise, Tomoyo-chan.”

 

“What's he doing here with Sakura?” Oni-chan said pointedly. He glared/stared at Shaoran and Shaoran did the same back.

 

“He lives here,” Tomoyo said calmly.

 

Onii-chan got off the couch—the sisters were sad—never taking his eyes off of Shaoran. “You mean my little sister has been staying in the same house as him?!” His glare deepened. “If I found out you did anything to scare or hurt Sakura, I'll kill you.” There was no hesitation or falsehood in his voice. Onii-chan was taking things to far again.

 

Meilin started to put Onii-chan back in line before I could. “Shaoran hasn't done anything to your sister! In fact he didn't even know Sakura was here until this afternoon! Any accusation you make will have nothing to back it up since all they did was talk on the deck.” There was a hidden message in her tone saying she was disappointed with that.

 

“You expect me to believe the brat didn't even know she was here? Even he's not that dense.”

 

Shaoran must have felt the need to defend his honour. “I was visiting my grandmother all week. I just got back today.”

 

“Whatever. Sakura, come on. We're leaving so say goodbye to all your friends and this brat if you feel the need,” Onii-chan practically stormed out of the house. Losing never did go over well with him.

 

“Touya, wait!” Yukito sighed getting up—the sisters were even sadder. On his way out of the room he bowed to Shaoran and Meilin, “I'm sorry about Touya. Thank you and your family for taking care of Sakura.”

 

I sighed. “We better go before Onii-chan gets impatient.” Tomoyo giggled.

 

“Yes, let's.”

 

Tomoyo, Meilin, Shaoran, and I all bowed as equals. “Thank you for all you've done, Li-kun, Meilin-chan. I am in your debt.” Tomoyo said.

 

Meilin waved her hands in front of her. “Don't be silly, Daidouji-san. You don't owe us anything. It was our family's duty to take care of the card mistress and our friend.” Shaoran nodded.

 

My turn. “Thank you, Shaoran-kun, Meilin-chan. This was a fun day. I hope we can see each other soon.”

 

“We'll have to see you again just to check and make sure you're okay,” Meilin joked. “We'll miss you.”

 

“Goodbye, Sakura,” Shaoran said. He looked so sad as I walked out the door with my friends and family. It was as if he thought this was the last time we would see each other ever. Seeing that face I vowed I would keep in contact. Even if he never returned my letters.

 

* * *

 

I'm so so so so sorry for the wait with this chapter. The wait for the next chapter shouldn't be nearly as bad as this one. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do in this chapter for…a while but I know exactly what I want to happen in the next one. The avatar finale had me distracted and my head filled with Zutara story ideas that I couldn't focus well, but after writing out two scenes in my head I got Zutara out of my system for the moment. I love Zuko but tormenting him is so fun XD

 

~Kelso (Send me a review with your thoughts! I love them!!)