So go on and read the final chapter to Back to Your Heart, sequel to Learning To Love. The Thank You's are at the bottom as always! .
Dedication: This fic is dedicated to a very good friend of mine
I met through ff.net when I was just starting out and then met personally
a few months later. Final Fantasy Princess (Brenda, or Bren-Bren, as I
like to call her), thanks for always being there, you're a great friend.
It's so creepy considering all the things we have in common! And although
it's depressing that you're going to college in Buffalo while I'll be in
NYU, I wish you the best of luck and watch out! I'll come and bother you
in no-sun-land at some point! Oh well, we'll always have summers and breaks
to hang out right? And don't scare the people in Buffalo, you'll give them
a bad impression of us New Yorkers down here hehe! Best of luck girl, you
deserve it. Don't ever let anyone bring you down, ignore mean people, don't
give them that satisfaction of seeing you put down. When you leave to Buffalo,
remember that I'll always be cheering for you, here, back at home. And
since we can't make it to each others HS graduation cuz they both fall
on the same day, I'm definitely going to your graduation from Buffalo,
and you better be there when I graduate NYU!!! Hehehe! I'll be dressed
in fruityliscious purple! You'd think that, being a top school and all,
they could change their color to something preetier but nooo...ugh...I'll
have to get used to being a "Violet" rolls eyes...ick -.-;; I'm going
from being from the Fighting Tigers to the Fighting Violets!! How dorky
is that?!?!? >.
Chapter 9: And she chose....
"It's too late, It's never going to work out between us."
Syaoran let go of Sakura's hand, he felt as if he had just been slapped across the face. He couldn't believe it. After all that had happened, the trouble he had gone through to get here, all of this just to hear her say it was too late. What the hell was that supposed to mean anyway? Too late for them? or was it that he arrived too late to stop the wedding?
"You heard her, you bastard. Now get the hell outta here before I--"
"The wedding's off Larry"
Sakura said in a loud stern voice. The look on her face was emotionless, she didn't dare look at neither of the men. Larry looked equally surprised as Syaoran had a few minutes ago.
"W-W-What? Why?! We can just call security, have these people thrown out of here and continue on with--"
"The wedding, is off"
With that said, Sakura hurried down the aisle, her tears blurring her image. She felt her dad's familiar arms wrap themselves around her shoulder as he led her out of the church. She could hear Tomoyo's clicking heels right behind her along with Touya's furious whispers. She didn't care what he was saying to Tomoyo or what he thought of the whole situation. She just wanted to go home, she wanted to get away from it all...
Larry turned to glare at Syaoran and let out a bitter laugh,
"Well would you look at this? She didn't pick either of us! Who would
have thought?"
"Shut the hell up. You're lucky I'm not sending your ass to jail"
Syaoran retorted back angrily. The crowd in the church began to disperse, trying their best to ignore the feuding men while Meiling, Eriol, and a couple of other friends stood by, not knowing when was the right time to step in.
"Send me to Jail? HA! On what charges? Stealing your girlfriend? Aww..boo-hoo. You took her away from me first. I'm just claiming what was originally mine!"
"Stop talking about her as if she's some prize to be won! I know you were the one who set up those men to attack me. You were afraid of this happening huh? Well, sorry if I rained on your parade"
A content smirk found its way onto Syaoran's face. Larry looked like he wanted to kill but then let out a laugh,
"Sorry to rain on yours but, must I remind you? She turned you down
too. Or would you like me to refresh your memory?"
Larry made an expression as if he was holding back tears, and in an
exaggerated high-pitched voice said,
"It's too late, It's never going to work out between us."
Syaoran made a lunge for him and both men fell to the floor. Eriol and Meiling immediately went in and separated Syaoran and Larry from each other.
"Stop acting like a child Syaoran! So Sakura doesn't want to have anything to do with you, get over it!"
With that said Meiling proceeded to drag Syaoran out of the church letting out a long stream of profanities. Larry let out a laugh as he wiped away some blood streaming from his mouth,
"So what if Sakura doesn't want to be with me anymore! At least I have the satisfaction of knowing you won't have her either and that's more than what I could have asked for!"
Syaoran was ready to run back and attack Larry when a fist came out of nowhere and struck Larry hard, sending him to the floor unconscious. Everyone looked at the usually calm Eriol in surprise. That they did not expect!
"He was getting on my nerves"
Was the only thing he mumbled before stepping over the unconscious
body.
"Umm...This is a bad time to be asking this question but umm...What will the priest say when he gets back?"
Naoko asked as she looked around nervously. Eriol looked down and frowned, he had no clue, he hadn't thought of that. Heather fished into her purse and pulled out a few bills,
"I guess we leave him a tip of some sort? Kinda as a forgive-us-for-ruining-your-church
and-for-the-unconscious-guy-on-the-floor."
"He can hire someone to clean up this mess with the money"
Chiharu said, trying to make some sense out of this whole thing.
"True, true. And he can take the rest as a sorry-for-the-trouble money...right?"
"right!"
The remaining few put some money out before making a dash for the exit.
A week had gone by since that dreadful day. Sakura had done nothing but stay in her father's house, sheltered away from the outside world. She had received numerous calls, but she didn't answer any of them. Touya was the one who took care of answering the phones and assuring everyone that his sister was just fine. Tomoyo told her that Larry had finally admitted to his wrongdoing and kept on begging for forgiveness. He said he done it because he loved Sakura and didn't want to lose her. Sakura also found out that he had finally acknowledged that Tiffany's daughter was also his. Syaoran though, was a different story. The only thing she knew was that he talked to Tomoyo once. He told her that he was giving up, it was no use going after Sakura, it was obvious she didn't want to be with him. Sakura let out a sigh and closed her eyes. After the incident at the church she was almost ready to swear off men forever, but she couldn't. There was one in particular that always lingered in her memories, in her dreams, and in her heart. She had made a mistake that day at the church. The choice she had made wasn't the right one.
'Stop thinking about it so much. What is your heart telling you? When you figure that out, go for it. Forget about the rest and just go for it.'
Tomoyo had said that to her a few days earlier. But it was so hard to know what she wanted. She didn't know if she would be able to trust in this particular person again. His lies had brought her pain in the past and she didn't want that anymore. And yet, she loved him. There was no denying it.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Sakura laid down on her bed and stared into space. She knew what she wanted now. She just had to figure out how to tell him...
A few days later, Sakura stood in front of an apartment, calming her nerves as she readied herself to ring the doorbell. She had made up her mind and was not going to turn back now. After ringing the doorbell, and what seemed like an awful long wait, the door to the apartment Sakura was standing in front of opened. It was obvious that her visit was a surprise, she could tell by the look of the man's eyes in front of her. She gave him a nervous smile and was about to talk when she heard a faint voice calling out "mommy" and running towards the door. A little girl with red-auburn hair appeared next to the man and looked at Sakura with disappointed eyes.
"Not mommy?"
The little girl asked as she pointed to Sakura. The man shook his head and carried the little girl in his arms,
"No, that's not your mommy."
Sakura looked somewhat hesitant when the man turned to look at her, his eyes seemed to pierce right through her. Sakura suddenly felt like the biggest idiot in the world. What was she going to tell him? After all that happened and...
"Umm...You're back with T-Tiffany I see?"
She tried to sound cheerful and hide the fear in her voice. The man
shook his head as he let the little girl down and she ran back into the
apartment.
"I'm just watching over Angel. Tiffany had to go to work last-minute and wasn't able to find a baby-sitter. I'm sure you didn't come to ask that question though."
Sakura gave him a half-smile and nodded,
"You're right, I didn't."
The man in front of her opened the door a bit wider and gestured for
her to come in with his hand. Sakura gave him a grateful look and stepped
into the livingroom. Angel was also in the room but her eyes were glued
to the television screen.
"Daddy! Daddy, look!!"
Sakura turned to look at the man and bit her lip nervously,
"She's uhh...calling you daddy?"
"It's simpler for her to say then--I see Angel, why don't you go watch
T.V. in my room? I'll be there in a few minutes."
The little girl skipped away happily, leaving the two adults now alone.
"So umm...what is it Sakura?"
The man asked as he stood in front of her, his expression told her
nothing of what he was thinking or feeling. Sakura drew in a deep breath.
"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about what happened at the church the other day. I shouldn't have left so suddenly it's just that, so much was going on and I felt that I was being pressured to make a decision on the spot, and I didn't want that pressure and I--"
"Sakura, calm down. You made your decision, that's that. If you keep
lingering on the past, you can't move on. I've learned that with you. All
these weeks I've done nothing but think and..."
The man let out a deep sigh as he attempted his best to smile,
"I've decided that I should try my hardest to move forward in my life.
You've chosen your path, and I respect that. You live your life, while
I just focus on mine."
He looked at her sadly,
"I have to admit though, it would have been nice if we were married."
Sakura's body began to shake with unshed tears as she looked into the brown eyes of the man in front of her (SN: keep in mind BOTH men have brown eyes...don't make any assumptions yet! Read till the end!! >.) and she bit her lip to hold back a sob. She took in a deep breath.
"No, I made the wrong decision that day at the church. Deep inside, I knew which one was the right one but I chose to ignore it. I can't anymore though, I love you too much."
The man in front of her remained silent. He didn't know how to respond to the one thing he had wanted to hear for so long. Sakura casted her eyes to the ground,
"I understand if you want me out of your life. I wasn't exactly all that great to you and--"
Her voice began to choke up once again,
"I'm sorry. You did all of that because you loved me and yet I was too blind to see it. A-A-And because of my stupid mistake, I ruined our--"
"You didn't ruin anything"
Sakura heard the all-too familiar comforting voice say as a pair of
strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. He wiped away her tears with
his thumb and looked into her emerald-green eyes.
"I'm the one who should be sorry. I've always said I love you, yet I was the one who caused you the most pain."
Sakura shook her head in disagreement,
"That's not true. I lo--"
She felt the man's index finger on her lips; he was shaking his head slowly,
"Don't say it, please, don't say it. At this point, I wouldn't know whether I should believe you or not"
Sakura bit her lip and nodded in agreement as she held back more tears. She knew it, she had ruined it all, she deserved the type of treatment she was getting. The ringing doorbell interrupted her thoughts and she was actually thankful. It was the perfect excuse to get out of that apartment. She felt like a complete idiot, it was a mistake coming here. Sakura rose from the sofa, the man followed her lead.
"I should get going, plus I think Tiffany's here to pick up Angel. I-I-I...wish you the best and I'm sorry for wasting your time"
Before she could get a response, she opened the door and quickly slipped out into the hallway, past Tiffany and behind the door that led to the stairs. She quickly made her way down two flights of stairs before stopping at a landing. She leaned her back against the wall and allowed the tears she had been holding back to flow freely. The one person she loved, did not love her anymore...
Kasumi stared at her mother in awe as she was finishing the story.
"That's so sad!! And then what happened?"
Sakura grinned,
"You know the rest!"
Her daughter let out a laugh,
"Yes, I do. But I love hearing the story about how you and dad got together!"
Sakura laughed and shook her head.
"Well, I'll tell it to you another day. Your father and brother should be coming home soon."
Kasumi stared at the young man in the picture intently. A certain question was burning in her mind,
"And what happened to him?"
Sakura sighed and raised an eyebrow as she stared at the picture.
"Well, being as stubborn as always, he didn't give up. He went months trying to contact me but I always found ways to ignore him. Then one day, he suddenly dissapeard and we haven't heard from him since. Which is actually a good thing because if your dad ever lays eyes on him again, he'd probably kill him."
Kasumi giggled as she pulled out a picture of her parents on their wedding day,
"And you got the wedding of your dreams afterall"
Sakura laughed and nodded as she stared at the picture her daughter
was pointing to,
"Yes, I got the wedding I always wanted"
"We're home!!"
A 16 year-old boy ran into the kitchen and headed straight into the kitchen to smell the food.
"Smells good mom!"
He said approvingly as he went up to his mother and kissed her forehead.
He looked at his twin sister and smirked, she scowled in return. Their
green eyes clashed.
"Nice wake up call this morning huh lil' sis?"
He ruffled her hair and snickered as he pulled out a plate from the cupboards. Kasumi combed back her hair and glared at her brother.
"I'm older than you by two minutes so don't call me little! And how
dare you wake me up so early today!!"
"Well, you might be older...but you are little"
Kasumi growled; she hated when her brother made some reference to her size. He had inherited their father's tall athletic build while she had inherited her mother's petite form. Sakura let out a sigh as she watched her kids argue, some things never change.
"Son, Where's your father?"
"He went to pick up the mail"
A few minutes later, a tall frowning man walked into the kitchen with a stack of letters in his hands.
"Bills, bills, bills and ah yes, more bills. Don't these people give it a rest? I say they should take the day off"
Sakura couldn't help but giggle as she walked up to her husband and hugged him. He looked at her and smiled, forgetting all about the bills he had been complaining about.
"How was your day at the office honey?"
She asked as she gave him a small kiss on the lips.
"Same as always"
He answered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer. He felt like the luckiest man in the world just knowing that she was his wife. He kissed her softly on the lips,
"I heard the wedding story you were telling Kasumi a bit earlier"
Sakura raised an eyebrow,
"Oh really?"
Her husband frowned somewhat,
"I didn't know you kept his picture"
Sakura giggled at her husband's jealousy,
"I didn't know they were there. I guess it must've slipped one day"
He stared into her deep green eyes and brushed his fingers along her cheek gently.
"Sakura"
"Yes?"
"Have you ever regretted...becoming my wife?"
Sakura stared at her husband and seemed to be deep in thought,
"Actually....yes."
Her husband looked at her in complete shock.
"I remember the time I was in labor with those two, I was ready to swear you would never lay another finger on me again!"
"Hey, it's not my fault they both wanted to come out at once!"
Her husband defended himself. Sakura began to laugh as she wrapped
her arms around his neck and brought his head down closer.
"Of course not"
his face lightened up,
"I'm glad to here that"
He closed the small gap in-between them and kissed her deeply. He could
hear small comments of
"Aww...how kawaii!!!"
And
"Hey, some of us are trying to eat here!"
From his kids but he just ignored it. The only thing on his mind was he and his wife...and how lucky he was that she had chosen him.
"I love you"
He whispered into her ear as he kept her close.
Sakura smiled, there was no doubt in her mind, she knew she had made the right choice.
She looked into the dark-chocolate colored eyes that she adored and pushed a strand of chestnut colored hair back.
"I love you too, Syaoran"
Scenes of that cold day at the park flooded her memory, the day that had changed everything...
Months had passed since the last time Sakura had seen him but his face never once left her memory. She could recall his laughter, his frowns, and of course, his glares, at any time. Whenever she saw someone who had a similar feature to his, her heart would skip a beat and her breath would get caught in her throat. Yet every time she came to realize it wasn't him, her heart seemed to grow numb with sadness. Forgetting him was impossible, a million years could go by and she would still love him as much as she did at that moment. Sakura shivered as a cool breeze sweeped all around her and hit the back of her neck. She zipped up her jacket and pulled the band that was holding her hair in a ponytail off. The wind gently played with her hair as she slowly swung on the swing of a park. Why was it that every time she visited her father, she always found herself in this particular area? Her memory took her back to the day she had been there with a particular someone and she smiled, of course, that was the reason. Something cold and wet hit her forehead and Sakura lifted her head to look at the sky. Was it raining? She felt a few more light drops hit her face. That was when she realized what was falling from the sky, it was snow; the first snowfall. Sakura smiled sadly as she stuck out her hand and let the small flakes gently land on her hand and then almost instantly, disappear.
"Someone once told me, if you make a wish during the first snowfall, your wish will come true. I sure hope mine does today"
Sakura's heart began to accelerate and she felt the familiar choking feeling return to her throat. She was frozen in her spot, not daring to look back. This was probably just her imagination. Soft footsteps were heard as the person who had spoke came closer and moved in front of her. Sakura stared at person in the long black coat in front of her, blinking over and over again. This wasn't her imagination or a dream, it was him. His gentle brown eyes looked at her tenderly and just seeing his smile filled her heart with the warmth it had been yearning for. She wanted to run into his arms at that moment, hug him tight, beg him not to leave her, she needed him, she loved him.
"S-S-Syaoran?"
She managed to choke out after much difficulty. Syaoran nodded as he
walked closer to her and took hold of her cold hands into his warm ones.
He let out a frustrated sigh,
"I tried Sakura, I tried so hard. I moved back to Hong Kong, buried myself in my work, tried to forget about everything, but it wasn't possible."
Sakura smiled,
"I guess we both have the same problem. I've tried forgetting too."
"Hard to do right? Well, I gave up. I'm tired of trying to forget. Instead,
I found a different solution. Let's just give in."
Sakura let out a laugh
"Give in? I don't understand."
"It's quite simple. All we have to do is..."
Syaoran got down on one knee and held out his fist
"Sakura, you are impossible to forget you know that? Well, keeping that in mind, I decided to do the only thing I haven't done yet. Sakura, will you marry me?"
Sakura's smile disappeared and her eyes widened as she saw his fist open to reveal a beautiful sparkling diamond on a silver band.
"I guess that's a no?"
Syaoran murmured in a low voice as he began to slowly close his hand
once again.
"No, no it's not that!"
Sakura got off the seat of the swing and knelt down in front of Syaoran.
She wrapped her hands around his hand that held the ring and stared into
his deep brown eyes. She gave him a small smile as her emerald eyes gleamed
in the setting sun.
"Before I answer your question, I just want to say a few things."
Syaoran nodded slowly,
"Go on."
"Well, first, I want to tell you were right, you've always been right.
If I had gotten married that day, I would have made a horrible mistake.
You tried to warn me so many times and yet stupid me, I never listened.
I'm sorry if my indecision hurt you; all that time you were nothing but
kind and patient with me."
"Sakura I--"
"No Syaoran, let me continue. That day back at the apartment you told me not to say those two words I have wanted to say for so long. Well, I have to say them now and I can assure you that I mean it with all my heart. These past months have made me realize what I've known deep within my heart all along. I love you Syaoran Li."
Syaoran stared into Sakura's eyes deeply as the snow continued to fall around them. In her emerald-green eyes he could see she meant every word, she truly did love him. Without waiting another second, he embraced her and savored the feeling of having her close once again. Her scent was inviting and he loved the feeling of her arms around his neck.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear those words"
He whispered into her ear softly. Sakura let out a small giggle and parted from him slightly.
"And you have no idea how long I've waited to do this."
Before he knew it, Syaoran felt Sakura's lips on his. After he got
over his initial surprise, he pulled her closer and returned the kiss hungrily.
"Syaoran"
Sakura said as she broke their kiss.
"Hm?"
Syaoran asked as he continued to plant small kisses along her jawline.
Sakura giggled,
"Nothing would make me happier than to become Mrs. Sakura Li"
Syaoran stopped kissing her and opened his eyes. He pulled away and
smiled when he saw the radiant smile she had on her face. He took the ring
he had in his hand and gently slipped it into her left ring finger.
"So wishes do come true afterall. I love you so much"
He whispered into her ear as he hugged her tightly. Sakura hugged him
back and smiled as she watched the snowfall gently fall around them.
"I love you too, now more than ever..."
The End
Now please go read my new fanfic Loving Once Again and
tell me what you think, thanx guys for sticking around this long, I hope
you all like the ending, luv ya all!!! muwah!!
Thank You For Reviewing :
WiNdSpRitE11: omg, thank you soooo much for your wonderful review!!!
hugs really tight and no, that was not stupid in any way, shape or for,
it was sweet!! Thank you so much! and why not post your own fics? Hey,
ya never know if you don't try!
SaZzA-003:
Silver Wolf Gurl: this chapter IS the last chapter, surprise!!
Sunny smiles
Joy
Awai-umi
Syaorana: lol, your spelling is okay, it just makes my brain think
a bit! I'm glad you've stuck around this long to finish reading my fic,
that means a lot!
Rose Amulet: Thanx! I hope you'll read my next fic!
Aquatmarine
Emerald Wolf: Thanks for leaving a review even though you didn't in
the past...tsk..tsk...SHAME!! lol I'm kidding
Simplymagical
Strawberry-angel721: so many updates made my head spin .;;
Ryan
Blissful trinity: MUWAHAHAHAHAHA....THE QUEEN OF CLIFFYS!!!!! ahem
thanx i luv that title! smiles innocently
Minifoot: trilogy?? Sorry, I don't think it's possible. I've dragged
this story out for too long ;
x – Cherri – x: thanx for adding this fic to your favorites!
Amy: Lol, I'd WRITE full time if I could afford it!! but school
and friends tend to keep me away from my computer -.-;;
Forestfairy: thank you sooooo much!!! I hope you liked the ending!!
BabyWolfGurl: very well planned?? Lol, that's one thing I didn't do
for this fic :P
CrazyViking: Sorry for taking so long to update! >.
Ms.pac man
Onigiri Momoko: hope you like my next fic! starts to bite nails nervously
Fire Temptress: gulp no killing right?? I DID make it SS!! starts
running just in case
Jiruru-chan: Happy belated birthday!! Even though I'm two months late!
>.
Hypercherry
Chibi Chibi Sakura
Sai-Mui
Suzu: how can I be good at cliffys? Uhh...I'm evil? Maybe that's why!
.
Erica6060
Aznneptune: I hope you'll like my new fic!!!
MoshiMoshiQueen
DyeMui
Annie
Cherry blossoms: Yes, that damn school made me suffer like crazy but
in the end it was worth it Sorry for taking so long to update, hope
the wait was worth it!
Blackstar03: thank you so much! It's nice to know that you liked this
fic despite not knowing how it was going to end
Wallpaper
Sally
TiFfa: of course! SS forever!! o
Lilangelwitluv
ME
Sabby: ack! No more poking, I updated!! >. lol, thank for reviewing!
Kit TayLor
Wondering author: you almost gave me a heart attack!! growl lol .
Windome: that's right! If you give up i'll personally strangle you!!
sweet smile
Lyuna
Shalafi: lol, I know I said 8 but i wanted to leave the second to last
on a MAJOR cliffy and the only way possible was to chop the last chapter
into two, which i did. Tell your friends thanx for their review!
Cute-cleo: thanxs for reading all the way through!!! hugz
Fleur137
LittleSilverKitten: lol, I'd tell ya if I knew but i won't know till
august. But if you mean major wise, i'm still undecided..maybe i'll be
a doctor!! Muwahaha...or i'll be a psychologist. I like talking to people
and listening
Ekimozo: awww...thanx! I hope you'll get addicted to my new fic too!!
Red-Emerald: lol, that's so flattering! blushing I'm an unexperienced
writer, but the only way to get better is to keep writing. with time you
start seeing improvments. Oh god my first fic is HORRIBLE!!! >.
Cutekawaii
Ayumi-domo: evil cliffys are my specialty
Kawaii neko
BriAnna
ChErRiBlOsSoM xO
Ccslover: that was the point, i didn't want people to be able to figure
out who she was talking to
Sakura420
Cherry Jade: Wanted? You don't want to go to NYU anymore? Why not??
Give it a try, ya never know! they accepted ME o.O;; you definitly have
a chance!
AnimeObsessionFantasy
Midnightangel: good news: the fic is done, yay!
Azn-phoenix29: lol true. I swear, i sometimes think ppl believe in
me more than i believe in myself! ;;
Light in the Darkness
Ori-chan
KuTiExAzNxAnGeL
Night of the Raven
Lil-Brat888
Emerald
Babybluestarangel: lmao...you make me laugh too much! wiping tears
of laughter away
Mint-grl
Sparkly Aura: is in daydream mode along with kura if only guys like
syaoran existed waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!! It's so depressing that there's only
a handful of those type!!!
Sakume Nohara: sorry for leaving you in suspense for so long!!! I hope
you still remember what's going on in the fic!
Carmela-chan: hehehe, yes, cliffy's are my specialty. Nice talent huh?
.
BlAcKDrKWolF
Xiao MeiMei-Chan: high? raises eyebrow on what mei-chan?? It BETTER
BE CAFFEINE!! Lol, i'm kidding o;;
Cherrixwolf
Final Fantasy Princess: lol, i wont tell nyu of my airheadiness, they'll
regret accepting me! . and omg...can you believe we're graduating in
less than 3 weeks!!! AAAH!!!!! I'm sending you a card AND a graduation
present!!! - mail or personally?? Hmm...the card by mail cuz i've always
wanted to do that!! hehehe! But the gift i'll give personally!
Anjuliet
SweetBabyGurl
puretaurus21
Wo-ai-ni-kai-hiwatari: sorry updating took so long mandy! >.;;
but your wish came true, SS are together!
Marlyn
Demi-kaijuu: hands over mallet here's the weapon of choice, now go
kill Larry!!