Short Stories with Tragic Engings

Chapter 8

-Syaoran Li-

The boss wasn't too pleased with me when I told him that I wanted a week off, no, that I needed a week off. I have a baby on the way, I need to help my wife prepare and I need to be there for her when ever she needs me.

I need to be there when she looks at herself in the mirror turned sideways and ask whether or not she looks like a whale. I'll answer that she doesn't and that she looks radiant, because although she is a minor 60kg whale she is still radiant and more beautiful than I can remember. She's glowing all over, with red cheeks, glossy hair and a bright twinkle in her eye I can do nothing but stare and admire her.

She has stretch marks, and swollen ankles and enlarged breasts, but she is still radiant, beautiful even without her clothes. I told her that and she laughed saying that I'm only trying to make her feel better, a moment later the baby kicked confirming what I told her. He or she agrees, mom is the most beautiful woman in the world.

If we have a girl we'll name her after her long since deceased grandmother, Nadesiko, and I will love her with all my heart and protect her with everything I have. If we have a boy we'll argue about a name for a few hours and then turn to teach him how to be a strong independent young man with a sense of the world and a sharp mind. Boy or girl, I don't mind. A child created in love should be reared in love and that is exactly what we plan to do.

"Detective Syaoran Li." I answered my phone.

"Syaoran son, how are you?"

"Fine thank you mister Kinomoto, and you?"

"I am prefect! I found a delightful family home for you." I immediately sat up in my chair. "Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a nice basement area for office space, a large kitchen, a family room, dining room and living room as well as a washing room and double garage."

"Sir… Where did you find it?"

"Oh it was really easy actually, I just moved out of it into a cosy little apartment close by."

"But sir!"

"It was getting too big for me my boy. Toya doesn't need or want it and I'd love to have you here."

"You have to let me pay for it, please sir."

"I'll have an agent evaluate the house and I'll get back to you. How does that sound?"

"Fantastic! Thank you so much sir."

"Anytime son."

"Wait until Sakura hears this!" I hung up laughing.

"Hear what?" I turned around and found my wife leaning in my doorway with a hand over her belly and I curious smile on her face.

"Your father found a house! A really great house, one you'll love."

"Really? And what is so special about said house?"

"It's the house you grew up in." I kissed her brow softly. "And soon it will be our house."

"Daddy gave us the house?"

"No, I am buying the house form him. It won't be right to accept something so expensive. And then, we can really call it our house. Yours, mine and the baby's."

"That sounds wonderful." She smiled.

"Why are you here?"

"I went shopping and I thought I'd bring you lunch. I made some for Tomoyo and Eriol too." She held up a small cooler bag with a proud smile.

"How thoughtful of my darling wife." I teased.

"Yeah, first and last time I can tell you. It's tiring to walk around." She eased herself into a chair. "My feet hurt, my ankles hurt, my back hurts and my butt hurts when I sit too long. I feel like an old woman."

"You're far from old." I laughed and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Hey Syaoran, we're going to get some lun… Sakura!"

"Hello Eriol." She turned her head to see past him. "And Tomoyo."

"Want to join us for lunch?" Tomoyo asked with a hopeful tone in her voice. A tone I haven't heard before. It seems that they are slowly but surely becoming friends.

"No need, I brought lunch to you." She pointed towards the cooler and I zipped it open. Inside

was pasta salad and juice, neatly packed for every one of us. "I thought I might as well act the part of diligent wife at least once in my life." I handed her her bowl and fork as the others sat themselves down in my small office. The place is not made for four people sitting and having lunch.

It was fun though – the lunch. It took my mind off everything that has been keeping me awake the past few months. I felt relaxed once again.

He is becoming impatient.

He is becoming restless.

He is becoming reckless.

He is becoming…

He is coming…

The fingerprint that they found at one of the crime scenes was a dud. It belongs to one of the cleaners of the apartment complex the victim lived in. It belonged to an old woman who just happened to have the same shade of blonde hair, only hers wasn't so natural anymore. We found another fingerprint… Actually we found hundreds of the fucking things, and one by one we had to eliminate each one of them. Every fingerprint belonged to an innocent bystander – a victim of sorts. Loved ones, employees…

How many more people is he going to kill? How many more lives is he going to ruin?

I can't take this anymore. I can't take this uncertainty, this constant fear of what might happen…

I am so damn scared. So scared…

I buried my hands in my hair, my eyes fixed on the table underneath my elbows. This fear was gripping my heart, strangling. It is like two hands crushing it, slowly crushing it. The pain, the fear… Every beat… After every beat it is more painful, more unbearable. It is the same way I felt the day…

Please no.

I grabbed the phone and dialled Sakura's number. Nervously I bit my lip as I listened to the call being connected before it started ringing. Once, twice, three times… Come one Sakura, where are you? Four, five, six…

"Hello?" I sighed at the breathless voice.

"Sakura where are you?"

"On my way home, why?"

"Nothing, I just…"

"You just what, Syaoran?"

"I have a bad feeling… I'm… Just keep safe, okay? Lock the doors and keep your phone close to you."

"Okay… Are you feeling alright?"

"No, not really."

"Well, can't you leave a little bit earlier then? If you're not feeling well then you shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard."

"They need me here."

"And I need you here too, but really Syaoran, you shouldn't push yourself so hard. You don't sleep anymore."

"I do…"

"And that's why I can feel you rolling around at night?"

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Once this is over and the baby is here we can start from scratch. We'll move to Tomoeda, be close to daddy… It will be the life we've always dreamed of. You'll be the boring old cop who relives his glory days and I'll be the has been reporter stuck writing articles about old ladies and their cats in the local gossip paper."

I let out a laugh and she laughed with me. "That sounds perfect."

"Just don't forget the three little bundles running around causing chaos as they go."

"Three?"

"I thought it would be a nice number, between my brother and myself's two and you and your sisters' five. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, that is perfect."

"Good. I have to go, my keys are somewhere in this bag and I can't get them out with my only open hand clutching my phone to my ear while I speak to my husband."

"You are one crazy woman."

"That's why you married me."

"Yeah." I let a goofy smile slip onto my face. "Love you."

"You too." She hung up.

"Sir." I looked up and found Chihiru standing at my door. "Sir, we have a positive ID a fingerprint."

"Who?" I followed her down the corridor.

"It was found at the last crime scene, the most recent one I mean." She handed me a photo of a man. I felt my breath caught in my throat as I stared at his image. Dead blue eyes. "He has one prior, that is why he is on the system" A cruel smile. "It was a minor though, drunk in public about five years ago." Sickly pale skin.

"He was a student back then. It is a common charge for most male students, especially around festivals. The thing is though there is no record of him ever having a reason to have contact with the victim. There is no explanation as to why his fingerprint should be found at the scene of the crime."

"Except for one."

"That's our guy."

Long blonde hair.

Standing so close knowing that it kills me to breathe you in.

Standing so close knowing that it kills me to breathe you in.

But this table for one has become bearable.

-Sakura Li-

I fumbled with my keys and nearly dropped them in my bag again, but finally managed to get the right on in the lock and the door open. I pushed the door open with my foot, balancing my over sized bag, the over sized shopping bag and my over sized stomach on my other foot. "Wow there princess! Shouldn't you be taking things easy?"

I looked up at the voice. I could feel a frown etch its way onto my face before realisation struck me. "Yue! My goodness."

"Hey Sakura. I'm glad to see that you still remember me."

"Of course I remember you."

"Here, let me help."

"Thank you." I handed him the shopping bag and let him enter the apartment. "Sorry, the place is a bit of a mess. Too small for all our stuff and the baby on the way…"

"But its home."

"That indeed it is. What brings you here? Tea?"

"Yes please. I'm here for business actually and thought I'd stop by and see how my favourite writer is doing."

"Not so much writing now a days I'm afraid."

"Why? Weren't you covering the senator case?"

"Yeah, I was. I quit though. The stress was too much after everything that happened and now I have to take care of more than just myself you know. I don't mind though… Okay, I mind a bit. I miss the action. What about you?"

"I'm a sports writer actually. I'm here for the tennis."

"Oh yeah, I read about that. Do you enjoy it?"

"My two loves combined, what's not to like?" I laughed as I led him towards the living room. The tea was comforting as it slipped down my throat. "You've changed Sakura."

"I've gotten fat. You haven't changed one bit though. Still the same old handsome Yue that I remember."

"Really now? Is that what you thought of me?"

"Come on, every girl had a crush on you."

"Except you."

"No."

"Liar."

"So not!"

"You had a crush on me?"

"Yeah well, we were in first year… And stupid, and I didn't know who you were back then."

"Well that's encouraging." I laughed. "You happy?"

I let a small smile slip onto my face before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I am."

"I can see it."

"What about you?"

"I will be, when this trip is over and I can finally rest."

"Demanding job?"

"You have no idea. The people scream bloody murder every time. You would think I was standing over them with a butcher's knife."

"They can't be that bad?"

"Ever tried talking to a celebrity?"

"Luckily not. I leave that section of the paper to the social beings that roam the office." I smiled as an uncomfortable silence fell upon the room. The baby suddenly kicked and I stat up straight, my hand slightly pressing down on the area. "Excuse me. When you have kid growing in you your bladder suddenly shrinks down to a quarter of its size."

"Quite understandable."

"Help yourself to some more if you'd like."

"Thank you." I smiled at him as I made my way to the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and sank down on the closed lid. I have no desire to go, I just needed to get away from him. He is not the same Yue I remember. Not that I knew him well enough back then. I touched my phone in my pocket, hidden beneath my extra long length maternity shirt.

I shouldn't jump to conclusions. It's only Yue. He won't stay long. He never had in the past. He'll finish his tea and leave and I'll only see him again years from now when we bump into each other by accident. That's what happens. It was the same with Urd the other day. The same awkwardness.

Standing up with a sigh I flushed the toilet to make it at least seem that I was indeed preoccupied with my bladder and not my nerves. A chill ran down my body when I stepped out of the bathroom. He was still sitting on the couch with a small pleasant smile on his face. I smiled back at him. "I'll be with you in a moment, Yue. I just need to get myself a jersey."

"Quite alright. I don't mind."

I sighed once again as I opened my closet door and searched for the only jersey that seemed to cover my now overly large belly. It was one that I bought years and years ago at a sale, and even though it was old and a bit big, it was still as comfortable as the day I fitted it in the dressing room. My ears picked up a sudden noise. I frowned. It's probably just Yue moving around. I pulled it over my head and pulled my hair out.

I turned around and froze when I suddenly found him standing right in front of me. A smile etched itself onto his face.

"Always trust your instincts Sakura."

I now take comfort in this, and for this, I cherish you.

AN: NB. If you missed the Notice that I posted at the beginning of the week, please note that I've made a couple of changes to the story. It is not essential that requires a rereading of the story to fully understand this chapter and chapters to follow, but it will help to add to the atmosphere of it all. Thank you very much for your patience and for sticking around.

Lovies, Tella