I Promise - Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

“I thought you said your name was Sonomi?” Syaoran asked, looking confused.

“It is!” Sakura scrambled for something plausible.

“I call her that because I couldn’t pronounce her name when I was younger, and it stuck.” Tomoyo had appeared next to Sakura, and was lying through her teeth to get them out of this situation. “Hi, my name’s Akane, and Sakura, sorry, Sonomi, and I have somewhere urgent to go right now. See you!” And Tomoyo practically dragged Sakura away, only to have Syaoran walk quickly to keep up with them.

Sakura fumbled with her purse, taking out a pen and a scrap of paper. She scribbled her phone number on it, and stuffed it into Syaoran’s hand. “Call me tonight, okay?” Sakura knew that this was a long shot. It was most likely that Syaoran would deem her strange and totally ignore her.

But lucky for Sakura, Syaoran, compelled by reasons unknown even to himself, said, simply, “Okay.”

“Well, at least you’re starting to get where you wanted to with Syaoran,” sighed Tomoyo.

“Yeah, but under a fake name. Your mother’s name, no less.”

Tomoyo ignored Sakura, and continued. “How did the phone conversation go?”

True to his word, Syaoran had called Sakura back after they had left the festival. While the phone call was more than a little bit awkward after they ran out of things to say, Sakura felt like she had taken a step towards creating a new type of relationship with Syaoran. And she would continue this, nurturing this relationship, until she became a part of Syaoran’s daily life.

And that she did. Six months had passed since the festival, and Sakura met Syaoran for coffee without fail every morning. In the beginning, Sakura was sure that Kyoko would find out, and somehow kick Sakura out of Syaoran’s life again. But that didn’t happen, and figured out that for some reason, Syaoran was keeping Sakura a secret from his girlfriend.

True, Sakura’s daily routine now also included being hurt, varying from a huge amount to the littlest bit, depending on what she and Syaoran had talked about that morning. The upside, however, was that she woke up on time every morning now, looking forward to seeing Syaoran.

Today was going to be one of those days, she decided. One of those days where the hurt struck her like a lightning bolt. Why? Because she had spotted Syaoran holding a ring box, and there was no way that it would be for her. So of course, it would be for Kyoko.

“What do you think? Do you think she’ll like it?” Syaoran asked her anxiously.

Sakura looked at the simple ring in the small, velvet covered box. She shrugged and told mostly the truth. “Well, I don’t know much about her, but judging from what I do know, she’d love it.”

Syaoran sighed with relief. Sakura observed him, noting that he seemed insecure. She voiced her thoughts.

“I’m always insecure around her. I don’t know why. Maybe because I’m scared she doesn’t love me as much as I do.” Sakura flinched, knowing that he really truly loved her, even if he still thought that Kyoko was Sakura.

These were the times where she wished that she could disappear and make life simpler for Syaoran. She was also getting fed up. True, it was she who had initiated these morning meetings, but if they kept it up, she thought she might explode.

“Oh crap!” Sakura looked up at Syaoran’s exclamation. She followed his gaze to the café’s opening doors, and spotted the source of his dismay; Kyoko. “She doesn’t know I meet you everyday!” Syaoran hissed as Sakura stared at him with raised eyebrows. “I’ll be right back. Just sit tight.” He rushed off to the men’s bathroom, and Sakura decided to do him and herself a favor as she brushed her hair to cover her face so that Kyoko wouldn’t be able to recognize her. As she hid beneath her curtain of hair, she thought back to how this whole thing had started.

After that very first phone call from Syaoran, she had somehow dragged his phone number out of him; obviously, he had moved. A couple days later, Sakura worked up the courage to call him, and stammered out an invitation to coffee the next morning. When Syaoran had remained silent, Sakura’s heart had beat faster than normal, scared she was going to be rejected.

“You do know that I have a girlfriend, right?” Sakura sighed, but not heavily enough so that Syaoran would hear over the phone.

“Of course,” she said. “I’m asking you in hopes of getting to know you better so we can become friends.”

“Well, that’s…fine, then. Where do you want to meet?”

And that had led to them becoming the best of friends and meeting every morning for half an hour to eat breakfast or have a cup of coffee.

Sakura was startled out of her reverie when her cell phone rang; she scrambled to find her phone, which she finally discovered in her coat pocket.

“Hello, Syaoran.”

“Is she gone?” She quickly scanned the room, but Kyoko was no where in sight. Guess the café wasn’t to her liking.

“It’s all clear. You can come out of that smelly bathroom now.” As she looked, the door to the men’s bathroom slowly eased open, and Syaoran’s head stuck out as he did his own check of the café. Satisfied that his soon to be fiancée was gone, he walked back to their table.

When Syaoran noticed Sakura staring at him with unfathomable eyes, he tilted his head to the side. “Something wrong?”

Once again, Sakura shook herself out of her thoughts. She smiled softly up at him, and made up her mind. Tomorrow will be the day, she thought. The day where he can finally be free.

“Tomorrow, meet me at Penguin Park at eight P.M. Or whenever you’ll get off work.”

Syaoran was confused, but he nodded. He trusted his best friend.

Sakura smiled, and then walked out of the café, not bothering to look back. She had been wrong. Six months ago, she had been naïve. The relationship she longed for with Syaoran would never come to be, and the friendship she had with him right now would never work out. As much as she loved him, she could no longer stand to see so in love with Kyoko.

Her emotions and decisions had ranged far apart and had spiked up and down as each event happened. But now, after this final decision, and final decision it was, she knew she had made the right choice. This time, her mind would not change, and her gaze was unwavering as she turned around to watch Syaoran get into his car to drive to work. Yes, this is how it would end. She still wouldn’t get her happiness, not with Syaoran. But, at the very least, he would get his.

"Crap, crap, crap..." Syaoraon thought to himself. He glanced at the clock in his car, pressed his lips together, and stepped on the gas pedal even harder than he already was. He was running late. About half an hour late, to be exact. He had tried to call Sakura's phone, but it was either dead or she had turned it off. Practically skidding to a halt in front of Penguin Park, he more or less tumbled out of his car. Sakura didn't mind that much when he was late, since she was late half the time anyways, but Syaoran detested it. He looked automatically towards the swings, where Sakura had always waited for him, but all that he saw was a swing moving slightly back in the forth, even though there was no wind. He slowly walked up to the moving swing, and saw something sitting on the swing. It was...a stuffed bear.

The same one that he had given Sakura almost ten years ago. The one that she had dubbed Syaoran. He recognized it instantly by the messy stitches of his unsure hand. When he walked closer to inspect the stuffed teddy bear, he noticed that tucked under the arm of the bear was a letter. As he pulled it free, his hand brushed the seat, and he noted absently that the seat was warm. The letter was unsealed; the envelope and the letter itself were plain.

Technically, it wasn’t really a letter. It was just a piece of paper, with a few words scribbled on it. The handwriting was vaguely familiar.

Look up.

Syaoran looked up, and took a step back, startled.

A ten year-old Sakura was staring him in the eyes. She straightened up, and said, “My Mistress said to tell you, ‘You’ve made a mistake. Realize it and correct it while you can.”

“Sakura?” Why would she do that? She could have just told him.

“My Mistress is not the one that you call Sakura.” Mirror-for that’s the only card that she could have been-covered her mouth, grabbed the bear, bowed, and fled.

“She must have said too much,” Syaoran thought to himself…And she had given him a huge question. If Sakura wasn’t the card mistress anymore, then who the heck was?

Syaoran parked his car, and walked up to his door, and stopped. The door was slightly ajar. He could sense no presence, but he walked inside cautiously. As far as he could tell, nothing had been changed since he last saw his house, but the TV was on. He scanned the screen, moved on to something else, and whipped his head back.

It was the play back from when he was helping Sakura capture the cards, the one where they had played reversed roles. He watched, mesmerized, until he heard the door open, and heard Sakura’s voice.

“Is that what I think it is?” She leaned on the back of the couch he was sitting on, and her hair brushed his face. He caught a strand, and inhaled the scent of cherry blossoms. He always thought it was slightly funny, how Sakura smelled of sakura.

He smiled up at her, and said, “It’s nothing.”

Syaoran switched off the TV.

I can’t wait any longer…

Syaoran blinked as the sunlight streamed through his window. He rolled over to his side, reaching for Sakura, and sighed as his arms cut through empty air. She had no problem nowadays with getting up early. He sat up, and was startled to find the same bear from a week ago floating in the air, once again clutching a letter. Once again, the letter and envelope were plain. One look at the unfolded letter confirmed his suspicions that this was all from Sakura, as he had come to call his best friend. He always thought it was such a funny coincidence, that his beloved and best friend should share the same name, even if for his best friend it was only a nick name. He had even sensed a small bit of magic from her that flared up once when she was annoyed, but he had thought that he had imagined it. But Sakura? The new card mistress? However, all such idle thoughts fled his head when he started reading the letter.

Syaoran-kun,

Heh. It's been so long since I've called you that. It's always Syaoran this and Syaoran that now. Yes, I know what you're thinking. She's never called me Syaoran-kun. What's she talking about?

That's where you're wrong, Syaoran. I used to call you that a long time ago.

I gave you six months, Syaoran. Of course, I intended to stay longer than that, but circumstances can't be helped. Six months for you to remember who I am, and who she is not. I even gave you hints, so many hints.

What was she talking about? Syaoran walked outside to his porch unsteadily, and sat down on the stairs.

I’m not going to tell you. Heh, did you think I would? Sorry to leave you hanging. Don’t worry, I forgive you, even though you probably don’t even know what I’m forgiving you for.

But that’s okay.

Always yours.

The note was unsigned.

Then, it dawned on him.

"Syaoran!" He looked up, partially in shock, but still managed to register the fact that Tomoyo was running towards him.

"Have you seen Sakura?"

"My girlfriend? Or do you mean the real one?" In response to Tomoyo's shocked look, he waved the letter around, and laughed bitterly. "I know now..." He stared down at his lap. He had sat down at some point while reading the letter. His whirlwind of emotions was interrupted by Tomoyo however, who turned his world upside down for the second time in the last five minutes.

"Sakura is missing.”