Chapter 4 – Everything that Starts, Ends (Li's POV)

I went to leave Sakura at her home while I gave her my jacket. It was the least I could do for making her trouble herself, and all because of Mei's friend. Actually, Mei Ling didn't come back after the aquarium incident, and the day after that, she just went away. It seemed she was so busy.

"Thanks for taking me home, Li." She said, as I helped her get through the stairs, and she kissed my cheek. "Bye."

"Bye." I said, while I turned away. I began to walk, with my head down, while I thought of another way to mend my mistake in front of Sakura. I checked my pockets, and there I felt I still got the two chocolates with golden coupons Mei Ling had given me. I decided to give them both to Sakura, but with something else…I looked around, and found a tree that had pink blossoms, so I jumped to it, picked up one, and got to the side of the house where Sakura's bedroom was supposed to be. I climbed the tree that was there, while I heard the voice of Kero.

"…I noticed it, and this afternoon you called him up angrily. What did you told him?"

"Well…it's just that I saw him kissing with another girl."

"WHAT?!?! Sakura, he's playing with your heart."

"No, I'm not." I said, while I sat on the windowsill.

"Li? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked quickly.

"Well, I wanted to say good night for the first time." I smiled.

"Good night?" She asked confused. I thought it would be a very romantic thing.

"Oh, it's the little trouble boy again." Kero said looking at me angrily, and I got startled. "Why are you playing with Sakura's heart? She deserves more than you!"

"I'm sure she deserves even more than me, but I am not playing with her. I love her."

"Yeah, right, give us a break and get out of here before someone comes." Kero was getting red of anger, but I didn't care, as I took out a chocolate of my pocket.

"Don't worry; I brought you some food to cool you down." I said while I threw the chocolate bar to my love's desk.

"A chocolate bar? You can't buy me w—wait a minute…is this chocolate that has the—"

"Golden coupon on it? Of course." I nodded, while Kero looked at me suspiciously, but jumped to the chocolate, and started to open it and eat it like crazy. I saw Sakura, and before she said what she wanted, I said: "I also brought one for you."

"Oh, thanks." And I launched the last chocolate to her as she caught it and put it in her pocket.

"Well, I'm going to get dressed to sleep." She said, and she got out the pajamas from her wardrobe, and she headed to the bathroom to change up, leaving Kero and me look at each other, while he ate the hard chocolate.

"Hey Kero."

"What?" He asked harshly.

"What do you do for fun?"

"I play videogames. And now I'm playing one I'm sure you'd never beat."

"Well, yeah, I'm not good for videogames, but, I'm good as the Cardcaptor's helper, right?"

"Helper? Weren't you Sakura's enemy at first?"

"Well, yes, bu—"

"But you've changed, I know…but hey, why so kind in all of a sudden towards me?"

"Because I realize now that you're Sakura's guardian, and I hope that I can be the friend of the one who will protect Sakura."

"Seems like you care too much for her?"

"Totally."

"Enough to play with her heart, right?"

"I wasn't playing with her heart, Kero, I swear." I said, innocently again.

"And was the kiss at least good?"

"What?!? How can you ask that? It's like if you said 'Hey, I got beat up by this monster' and I said 'Was it good?'"

Kero laughed, and I laughed with him.

"Are you two laughing?" Sakura asked in surprise, as I turned to her.

"Sakura, go to bed." Sakura's dad's voice was heard, and a chill went down my spine. "Tomorrow you have to get to the meeting with me."

"Oh yeah, I'll be sleeping now."

"OK, I will do what I came to do. Good night." I said, while I walked inside her warm room and gave her a sweet but quick kiss. Kero said: "Oh c'mon, in the TV they do it better than that."

I laughed a little: "Well, see you later Kero." I jumped to the windowsill, ready to disappear, but not before turning to Sakura to say: "Good night Sakura, I love you. And by the way, I brought you this." And I launched the pink blossom, while I heaved away from my heart's house, and back to mine's, where Mei Ling would surely shout at me for getting her worried.

But still, I noticed she wasn't even home.

…

I woke up while my phone rang. I looked at my clock while I yawned, as it was 8 in the morning. And I wanted to rest before getting to school again! I took my phone and answered with a heavy voice:

"Yes?"

"Hello, Shiaoran Li." I got impressed as I heard my mother's voice.

"Mother."

"Yes. Is your cousin home?"

"No, mother, she's…she's out."

"Well, you'll be good delivering her the following message: you'll be leaving to Hong Kong in a week."

"What?!?" I shouted, very surprised, but I calmed quickly, as I realized I couldn't shout my mother. I blushed.

"I need you and your cousin here urgently."

"Yes, mother."

"Do you have a problem with the appointment?"

"Well, not really, but I just have to inform one person about it, and it is not my cousin."

"Then do it."

"At what time do you want us to be there?"

"You must be at 11am at gate 13. Any other questions, my son?"

"No mother, I'll be sure to deliver the message to Mei Ling. Thank you."

"Thank you, good bye, may we see soon."

"Good bye." And I clicked the phone off, while I left it on the base. In some seconds, I began to hit the pillow. Why did I have to go? I wanted to stay with Sakura! Still, she was my mother, and she sounded different, like she had caught a cold or something. I scratched my head, thinking how could I tell Sakura that I was going, or the most important thing, how was she going to react? Comprehensively? Would she do a lot of questions? Would she cry? Would she not care? Would she be angry? I decided to think all about that in the morning while I ate breakfast silently.

Mei Ling came home at midday, and I let her eat, as she seemed very tired. She said that she had gone to the house of Tomodachi (the girl who was the sister of the one who had kissed me in the aquarium) and had arranged everything for their departure. After her story, I let her knew the news, as she gasped.

"But, what about Sakura?"

"That's the same I'm thinking. How am I supposed to tell her, Mei Ling? You're the expert in these things."

"Well, just say it directly, and give her the real explanation, and answer all of her questions."

"But how is she going to react?"

"I don't know, but you better tell her as soon as possible." I nodded, lifted from the sofa, and went to the garden, to think about it.

It took me two hours to decide that I should call Sakura. I went to my room, picked the phone, and started calling, but hanged up immediately. I forced myself to call again, but after waiting, it seemed she didn't respond. I waited ten minutes, until it was 2pm exactly. I picked the phone again, breathed deeply, and then called her, when I received the voice that made my heart jump:

"Hello?"

"Sakura."

"Li, my love, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that…" I wanted to tell her the whole story, right by the phone, but then, I though it would be better to tell her in person, so I said: "We need to talk."

"Talk?"

"Yes…but…if you're occupied we could talk tomorrow at school." It was a simple excuse to delay things.

"Tomorrow? Well, if you want, but I'm not occupied today. We can see again if you want today."

"No, tomorrow would be fine."

"What? Don't you want to see me?"

"No, it's the entire contrary but I…I really prefer if I told you in school what…what I have to tell you."

"Well…whatever you wish for, my Li."

"Thanks Sakura, I knew you would understand."

"Thanks to you…and the chocolate you gave me last night was delicious."

"Oh, thanks." I blushed.

"Well, was that all you had to tell me?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Then, you're sure you don't want us to see today?"

"Sorry Sakura, but…I really prefer tomorrow."

"Ok…well…until tomorrow. I love you so much. Bye."

"Bye, me too." I hanged…and then, I went to my bed to take a quick nap again.

…

I went running through the streets; I had been wakened up by Wei, as it seemed that our alarm had broken. I managed to get to class at the last time.

"Shiaoran!" Sakura greeted me, and I tried to smile, but I couldn't, and I sat behind her desk without saying anything.

"Shiaoran, what did you want to tell me?" Sakura asked, turning to me.

"I want to tell in recess." I still wanted to delay things.

"Well, OK…Shiaoran, what's wrong? You seem…sad."

"It's nothing." I lied easily.

"But Li, I—"

"It's nothing!" I insisted, harshly, and I regretted immediately.

"OK, OK…" She repeated, as she turned around. Suddenly, I began to play with her hair as I smiled: "I'm sorry Sakura for not greeting you. Good morning!"

"Good morning." She said, without turning.

"Ready for school?" I asked.

"Yes, and thanks for the flower you gave me." She said as she got out the pink blossom out.

"It's just that you have the beauty of millions of flowers, so I brought you this flower as a symbol of my gratitude."

"Gratitude?" She asked, blushing.

"Yes, I thank life that it has left me the chance to be at your side. It is the most precious thing in the world."

"Oooh, thanks Shiaoran."

"It is such a foolish thing not to put you at the first place of the 7 marvels of the world."

"Thanks." I just smiled at Sakura's 'thanks', and I was glad she was happy, though blushing. After some seconds, the professor had entered the classroom.

…

I put attention to the whole class, but it was something I already knew, I began drafting I LOVE YOU in a piece of paper, and made it a ball to send it to Sakura. After that, before the final class, I was playing with her hair when the professor wasn't seeing, but I stopped, thinking it seemed foolish. In the last class, I didn't put attention at all, as I saw through the window, still thinking how Sakura would react. Finally, the final bell rang, and I lead Sakura to a place where nobody gathered.

"OK, Li, what did you want to tell me?" She asked, and my heart jumped.

"Would you really consider it love if I and you are far?" I had decided from the last of the final class to start like that.

"Far? What do you mean?"

"Far from each other. Would you call it love, especially in our relationship?"

"Well, of course. You're the most valuable person in the world for me, Shiaoran." Yes, good answer!

"And you are for me too…but life isn't all fair at all, right?" Duh, what a stupid thing to say! And I was going well…

"What is the point you're getting at?"

"I'm getting off to Hong Kong again." I said, finally, and after that I lowered by head, hearing nothing but silence.

"But I still want you to understand that…that I love you Sakura, and you know that is doesn't just stop there." I said after a while, with a crooked voice.

"Li…please don't go." She said, sounding like she wanted to cry.

"It was an order from my mother."

"When are you leaving?"

"In a week exactly, at this hour." There was another silence as I stayed looking at the ground. Suddenly, I sensed my love's hand raising my head, and we saw each other, as I couldn't get off my attention from her emerald, trapping eyes. She got close to me…I closed my eyes…and we kissed. We separated, and I looked at her again, admiring her.

"Even if you're far, I will write to you every single day of my life." She said, and I hoped it was promise.

"I don't want to go Sakura…I don't want the same events to occur as they did last time…I don't want to see you a last time at the airport. I want to stay with you and love you!" I confessed.

"I also want the same thing Li…but it seems though…that—"

"That I have to return? It's easy to say it, isn't it? You're not the one leaving the one you love!" What was I saying? Something coming from me, like an evil lion, made me say those things.

"Of course I am! Don't you see I love you more than my own life?"

"And then why don't you trust me as you should, as you said? How do I know you have really changed?" What was happening with me? I wasn't controlling myself anymore as I sensed someone else take over my body.

"Please don't talk to me like that!" And she tackled me with a tight hug, and at the feel of her, the sensation of someone trying to take over me vanished quickly. She began to cry over my school shirt.

"Sakura…I'm sorry, I…I don't know what to say." I hugged back while I said this.

"I don't care Li…all I want is your love." She said in a cracked voice. I cleaned her tears in her cheeks, as I saw her as beautiful as ever. I said, hoping my words to be true: "In our last week, I'll make sure that we pass our happiest days of our lives!" After that, I felt like something from me got captured in her gaze, and it was a wonderful feeling…it was the love I have for the most valuable person for me in this world…