The Charade
Anh D-ao
Chapter One: Falling Into Pieces
"I don't understand," Sakura stated, her once calm voice giving way to the panic bubbling in her throat. "You're telling me that there is nothing at all that you can do?"
The officer looked disgruntled, eyes shifted around the station as if looking for a way to leave without incurring her wrath. Were this a different situation she would feel pity for the broad-shouldered man who looked far too overworked. At this point however she was beyond pity.
"I am sorry miss." The man pointed out in the most patient voice he could muster, "But there is nothing we can do at the moment, we just don't have the manpower to take care of this at the moment."
She sat, appraising him for a moment, trying to get her thoughts under control as she spoke. All around her the station bustled with activity, criminals being dragged in and thrown into small crammed cells, shouting abuse. "What exactly am I meant to do then?" she inquired, her voice cracking.
As one particularly persistent prisoner managed to break free from the man holding him the officer seated before her surged into action.
"Figure it out for yourself." He threw back over his shoulder, running into the fray to attempt to subdue the criminal.
She watched for a moment or two longer, tears settling at the back of her eyes as she finally gave way to reality. Standing she pulled herself together as much as she could and exited the station. No one noticed as she left.
Walking away from it for a few metres before she realised that she had nowhere to go Sakura scuffed the ground with the toe of her boot, memory returned to the scene just a few hours earlier.
Panic had begun to set in as the phone rang out once again. As the dial tone clicked over to messages she practically screamed.
"Matsura-san, it's Kinomoto Sakura, something's wrong with my finances, they're taking my house! The bank said there was nothing left in the account."
Eyeing the repo man taking her couch who was eyeing her somewhat sympathetically she sighed and redialled the number.
On the fifth ring without answer she gave up and tried instead to plead with the man who was currently evicting her from her house.
"There must be a mistake. This is my house."
He frowned at her looking around at the large estate. "Sorry m'am, there's nothing we can do, the house and everything in it has been sold."
Somewhat deflated Sakura looked around her now almost empty house. "But it can't have been sold." She whispered, more to herself than to the man watching her with a mixture of sympathy and irritation.
"Listen," he said somewhat grudgingly, "I have a friend, Kosuke he owns a café in the city, Bounty. Tell him that Kenji sent you to get a job."
When he had said it she had treated the news rather scornfully, sure that the police would deal with the matter in all haste and she would have her home and her belongings back by nightfall. Looking back on it now she wasn't quite ready to give up on the idea. Anger warred with commonsense as she considered whether or not it would do her any good to go back and scream at the men until they actually did something. Finally she chose not to, realising that at best the men would ignore another person screaming abuse at them, and at worst they would lock her up in the cells with them.
Pulling her bag off of her shoulder and pawing through it until she found her purse Sakura pulled it out and examined how much money she had left on her. A twenty-dollar note and a few coins were all that she had there. Cursing silently she wished that she kept more money on her. As a child her parents had taught her that carrying less money meant that if she were ever robbed she would lose less.
The money was enough to catch a taxi into the city however she knew better than to use it now. If she didn't get a job that money would be all she could survive on.
Exhaling slowly she put the purse away and slung the bag back over her shoulder. Preparing herself for the long walk until the bus stop Sakura trudged slowly along the road in the 3-inch high heels she generally wore.
Drumming his fingers against the table impatiently Li Syaoran turned his attention away from the gaggle of waitresses queuing in the area surrounding him. To everyone in the restaurant around him he was the picture of boredom; the other hand propping up his chin as his eyes idly scanned the restaurant around him.
The waitress refilled his coffee mug with a wink and a smile; nodding politely back at her he picked it up and tasted the hot bitter liquid. He was well into his third cup of coffee by now and the time was slowly slipping away from him, another few minutes and he would have to leave entirely.
A slim fairly attractive girl approached him, smiling shyly at him. "Um, excuse me?"
Glancing up at her he offered a small smile, "Yes?" he queried politely.
"You're Li Syaoran aren't you?" at his nod of confirmation she beamed, "I was wondering if I could get your autograph."
Letting loose a lightly concealed sigh he plastered a smile to his face and took the piece of paper she offered, scribbling over it quickly before handing it back and watching as she scrambled back to her table, showing the paper to her friends.
Just as he was considering giving up the encounter she waltzed through the door looking classy and stylish in a black mini skirt, white blouse and the only visible designer label upon her a Chanel pearl belt.
He visibly straightened, his attention moving towards her and smile lighting his face in the smile so often captured on camera.
Smiling at him as she spotted him she waltzed over and dropped into the seat opposite him.
"Sorry I'm late Syaoran."
He smiled back at her, "It's fine. Are you hungry? Would you like me to order something?"
Waving a hand at him disinterestedly she responded amusedly, "No, no it's fine. How was your trip?"
He grinned, "Boring as usual."
She cocked an eyebrow, "Oh? Where's my present huh?"
Pursing his lips as if in thought Syaoran shook his head soberly, "No, no gifts for you."
Narrowing her eyes and clucking at him disapprovingly she stole a sip of his coffee, face creasing as she took in the bitter taste she gave him a soft tsking.
"I don't know how you can drink it like that."
They lapsed into silence for a moment while he studied her. As always Tomoyo Daidouji was incredibly beautiful, her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail highlighting her delicate features.
He opened his mouth to ask how her day had been but she broke the silence first.
"He came back today."
Any words Syaoran was about to speak died on his lips. His hands clenched involuntarily, the nails biting into the palms while he tried to work out an appropriate answer.
She didn't seem to notice the time it took him to answer, instead she hurried on with her conversation, face lighting up as she spoke about him.
His heart dropped at her obvious joy. Tomoyo had been in love with Eriol for six years and in that time he hadn't once paid attention to her feelings. He hated that his friend received freely what he had been longing for since they were children. Chastising himself he leant forward trying to catch the portion of her conversation that he hadn't paid attention to.
Fiddling with a strand of hair hanging over her shoulder Tomoyo smiled at Syaoran. "We should all catch up, it's been ages since we were last all together!"
"Alright, but have dinner with me tonight, I have something to tell you."
She frowned at him, "Why can't you tell me now?"
He grinned, "It's a surprise."
"Right," she responded dryly. Rolling her eyes and uncrossing her long slim legs Tomoyo stood up. "Alright then. Tonight at seven. Message me where you want to meet."
She was hot, tired and uncomfortably sweaty. Her arms strained with the pressure of carrying armfuls of heavy plates. Smiling and offering a meaningless word of greeting to the new customers she pulled out the cloth in her apron, wrinkling her nose at it in distaste. It was the one she had been given to use all afternoon and the stench of spilt food and drink clung to. Wiping a hurried arm across her forehead she swiped the cloth across the table, cleaning it of the scattered bits of food and condensation rings of water.
"Miss, I want to order!"
"I'm coming!" she called back forcing her tone to be cheerful.
She had to keep up appearances after all; this job was all she had at the moment. The owner had indeed been looking for a worked as the Repo man had said, and after a moments hesitation he had agreed to hire her, resume-less and all. Warning her that he wouldn't put up with incompetence or laziness he'd put her straight to work serving much to her dismay.
He'd even gone so far as to recommend another job that was currently hiring night shifts. The influx of pay from both sides would allow her to at least rent a motel room until she figured out what she could do.
Clinging to the hope that everything would work out she rushed around the little coffee shop, doing what she could.
Turning around she found another person seated in her section. Sighing she walked over to him plastering a smile to her face.
"Can I take your order?"
He looked up from the paper he was reading, dark blue eyes crinkling into a smile behind thin-rimmed glasses.
"Just coffee thanks."
His voice was soft and melodious. He was probably a good singer. Studying his face she found dark shiny hair flopping against his forehead. He was definitely handsome.
Nodding back in return she went to get him his coffee, waylaid several times on her way there by other customers.
She still couldn't believe that this had happened. Something like this was a work of fiction; of movies and TV dramas it didn't happen in reality. Grasping a clean mug and the coffee pot she smothered the urge to scream out her fury at the world.
Without thinking she slammed the mug of hot coffee down on the table. A loud yelp distracted her from her thoughts and she realised with a growing sense of dread that the coffee had splashed out over the young man she was serving.
"I'm so sorry," she cried, attacking his shirt with her cleaning cloth, "Oh my god, are you burnt? Do you need to be taken to a doctor? Or a hosp-"
Warm chuckling broke her away from her babbling and she looked up into the amused blue eyes of the man she'd been serving.
"It's alright, perhaps you could bring me another coffee however," he replied smiling amusedly, "It seems I'm wearing half of this one."
Blushing darkly she bowed twice more apologising before rushing back to the counter and grabbing a fresh coffee pot. When she returned the man was reading back to reading his paper, but he looked up when she arrived.
"Is there anything else you'd like sir? It's on the house."
Smile held in place he accepted the coffee, "Your name."
"Of course, I'll go get you-" she stopped in her tracks, twirling around, "My name?"
He nodded.
Wringing her hands Sakura offered him a sheepish grin. Of course he'd want to know her name so he could report her to the manager.
"Sakura."
"Pretty name," he commented lightly, leaning on the tabletop, "Well then thank you for the coffee's Sakura. Even if I didn't get to drink the first one."
Winking at her he turned back to his newspaper and she let loose a relieved sigh. It didn't seem he was going to report her at least.
Walking away quickly she managed to hide in the other half of the café until he had left. A feat that wasn't hard when the influx of customers increased as the lunch period began. When she finally came back to the table later to clear it to make room for new customers, a twenty-dollar bill sat neatly under the coffee cup.
The pretty young woman sat in the waiting area slim legs crossed elegantly, hands clasped lightly in her lap. To the young woman who came forward shyly offering her refreshments she smiled and asked for a coffee, with plenty of sugar and cream, still remembering the bitter taste of Syaoran's.
She recognised the young man instantly when he entered. Standing she walked over smiling as she caught his attention.
"Tomoyo," he said smiling, clasping her in a light hug he kissed her cheek lightly.
"Eriol, where've you been huh?" she asked elbowing him lightly.
He smiled, leading her down the corridor to his private office. "Just out to get a coffee."
Observing him with a critical eye she raised an eyebrow, "It looks like you chose to wear it instead."
Chuckling lightly he nodded, "Something like that."
"So how long are you here this time?" she asked cheerfully as they reached his outer room.
"I'm not sure yet."
A pretty young woman sat at the desk outside his office typing furiously. "Oh, sir you're back?"
Tomoyo scowled as the young woman looked at him through her lashes, flirting lightly. Her scowl deepened as Eriol returned the smiles, flirting back.
"Do you think we should talk?" she asked a slight edge to her tone, "Or should I leave you to your… business."
He glanced back at her, "Could you?"
Taking a deep breath she smiled politely she said to the secretary, "Could you leave us for a minute.
The girl looked askance at Eriol and at his nod left the room stiffly.
"Tomoyo…"
She lifted one elegant hand to halt him, "No Eriol, it's my turn to talk. You've known for years that I love you, you couldn't not have seen it."
He sighed, "Listen Tomoyo, I'm not good for you, you deserve to be with someone who loves you, like Syaoran-"
She stiffened, "Is that what this is about? Syaoran loving me?"
The door opened lightly behind them, "Hey Eriol, heard you were back what's-"
He was cut off as Tomoyo turned furiously on him.
"Tomoyo don't." Eriol said placing a hand out.
"Do you love me Syaoran?"
He reddened, glancing at her furious expression and then to the weakly apologetic Eriol behind her back.
"I-" he began, face dropping, "I'm engaged."
As soon as he said it he regretted it, the words, he was sure, would come back to haunt him.
"You're-" she faltered, "You're engaged?"
He left then, because he wasn't entirely sure what else to do. He did know that he had just gotten himself into serious trouble.
The bar was quiet for the number of staff there; in fact Sakura had the feeling that the owner, a short gruff man, had hired her out of pity rather than any true need for extra help. Then again it could just be a slow night.
Her bones ached, the muscles burning and tired. Every inch of her screamed out for a nice warm bath and bed. She would even settle for just getting off her feet.
Glancing over she found a young man in one of the booths, working his way through his third tankard of beer.
Releasing a soft sigh as the manager called for the night to end she walked over.
"Excuse me, sir, we're closing now."
He glanced up at her through alcohol-muddled eyes. "Wha?"
"Sir, you've got to leave." She urged. "Do you have a way home?"
He pulled himself up, relying heavily on the back of the chair and the table. Stumbling he pulled keys from his coat pocket.
"I don't think you should be driving…" she murmured softly as he fell to the ground, losing his balance.
Helping him up she sighed, her conscience warring with her self-preservation. Finally her decision made she slung her bag over a shoulder and rested his weight against the other, helping him stand.
Plucking the keys lightly from his grip she walked them awkwardly to the door, knowing that taxi's milled around the opening of bars at closing time.
"Come on then," she murmured, pulling him along and hailing one of the taxis.
Shoving him inside unceremoniously she nodded at the driver.
"Where too miss?" he asked.
Poking the man beside her she sighed, "Where are we going?"
He gave the man an address she recognised to be on the other side of town.
"I don't suppose you have any money?" she asked helplessly.
At his blank look she let loose another sigh. So much for being a Good Samaritan.
It took them twenty minutes to reach his home, and all but a few cents of her left over money to pay for the taxi fare. Looking at him grudgingly she helped the now nearly useless man get out of the taxi, pulling him up towards the door of the house. Glancing at the keys she'd taken away from him earlier she sorted through them as she pulled him up the steps to the apartment block.
Trying several of the keys she found one finally let them in the main entrance, pulling him over to the lifts she stood there for a few moments, wondering which button exactly to push.
He solved the problem for her by lurching forward and punching the button for the top floor, bringing her crashing down to the floor with him as he overbalanced.
Nursing bruises Sakura pulled him up grabbing the keys that had fallen to the ground and looping his arm back around her neck ever though the muscles there complained about the deadweight.
When the lifts opened she found a small corridor and a door. Having expected a hallway and several doors on it, thus she was surprised to find the one.
Still, dragging him over to it she tested the keys against it until one fit.
Fumbling around for the light switch she found it and shut her eyes as bright light filled her vision.
Whatever she had been expecting the apartment to look like, what she found when she entered was not it. Lavishly decorated it looked like it must be worth a fortune.
Ignoring it all she looked instead for a bedroom. They never got that far, in fact they managed as far as the couch before he collapsed onto it and refused to get up.
Now that they were in proper light and she wasn't carrying him she got a good look at his face. A gasp stilled at the edge of her breath. Even she knew of Li Syaoran. In fact there were few people in all of Asia who didn't know his name. He was the biggest thing since sliced bread in the acting industry.
Glancing at the clock she registered the time as just past 3 am in the morning. Without any money there wouldn't be any way for her to get home now, the buses stopped running at 12am it was too far away to walk back to her motel.
Releasing a deep sigh, something she seemed to be doing a lot of lately, she pushed his legs which were half on the floor back on the couch before searching around for a blanket of some description.
She found a spare in the bedroom and brought it out to sling around him.
When she was sure that he was comfortable she turned to leave. A hand shot out and grasped her wrist tightly. Glancing down in shock she gazed into his alcohol riddled eyes.
Out of anything she had expected a drunkard to do at that moment what he did next was not it.
"Marry me."
AD: Mk, well this has been in the works for ages. I was waiting to get the next chapter of AE out before I posted this and then to make this chapter suit me properly. I've found it's hard when you know the storyline and just want to get to the exciting bits, but hey, since I know exactly where this is going with any luck (depending on my workload) updates should be regular.
Anyway let me know what you guys think.