--- Red Bean & Michi --- michigrl@hotmail.com Michi: Yesss, our story is finally done!!! Red Bean: no, it's never done, silly. Michi: Okay, so the story is a hanger. The ending is open, but, hey, who cares? A story is a story, finished or not! Red Bean: Riight. Let's move on to the story now. *We don't own any of this stuff,characters, plot, Blah Blah Blah you know the deal. CLAMP does. Continued from last time . . .7 years later . . . The bright hot sunlight woke Syaoran in his bed. He rolled out and started to get ready for work, but then he realized that it was the first day of his two weeks off. With a sigh, he slumped back in to his comforters. Syaoran slept in until noon. After gulping down some orange juice, he went on a walk in the neighborhood. Syaoran decided to take it easy these next two weeks. He dropped down next to a grove of sakura blossom trees, a bittersweet smile lingering on his lips. "Hey Syaoran!" he turned to see Tomoyo, his childhood friend. She was with her fiance, Tenchi. Syaoran smiled back and waved. It had seemed a long time since he had seen her, and he was surprised and glad he saw her now. She had helped him through hard times, convinced him that Sakura wasn't cruel,just needed space. She was usually away now in other places to promote her new line of clothing. Syaoran strode quickly over to Tomoyo and Tenchi. "Hey, how are you?" Tomoyo hesitated. "You mean, how's Sakura?" Besides being a friend, Tomoyo was also Syaoran's only link to Sakura. "Well, actually, I haven't received any contact from her for a while." Tomoyo searched his face, which had flashed from eager to worried in an instant. "I mean, she could have had no time for the mail or something. Our mail guy is pretty slow" she added hastily, blabbing out an excuse. All that Syaoran heard, however, was 'no Sakura.' He turned and started walking toward his apartment. "Oh dear," Tomoyo fretted, watching Syaoran's retreating shadow. "You should have just told him what is really happening." Tenchi told her, stroking her wavy black hair. "But, if I told him she's already engaged, he'd die." Tenchi sighed. "Even though, I hope you tell him soon." "I will. At the right time." He smiled. "Maybe you should tell him right now." Tomoyo started to argue, then thought about it. "All right," she sighed. Tenchi gave her a little push. "Go ahead. I'll wait here." She ran off after Syaoran. "W-what do you mean?!" Syaoran looked staggered."Tell me your joking, please." His voice was barely audible. Tomoyo shook her head. "It was in her last letter..." Syaoran sat down clumsily as hot tears painted his cheeks, dotting his shirt. He vaguely remembered himself pushing past Tomoyo and stumbling into his apartment. he thought numbly. As the weeks passed, Syaoran grew weak and listless. He refused to eat, refused to go out, refused to work. Everyone was positive he was depressed or going crazy. At night though, with his last shred of sanity, he thought back to when Sakura was his and everything was going smoothly. He wondered groggily if it was all real, if it really happened. he thought bitterly. Slowly, he turned into a transparent ghost of his former self until one day, he passed out and slumped to the living room floor. * * * Sakura looked at the building. She took the elevator to the fourth floor and knocked on one of the doors. It opened and an old, bearded man stepped out. He looked at her guardedly. "Yes?" he asked, rudely. "Uh well do you know which room is Li Syaoran's?" she asked, taken aback by his rudeness. He hesitated. "Two doors down on the left." She thanked him and walked down the hall to stop in front of the designated door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked. "Li san?" she called softly. Nothing. Well, she would have to do this the hard way. Making sure no one was looking, she took out her little key and called on Windy to blow open the door. Making a mental note to replace the lock, she hurried in. Sakura was shocked by the appearance of the apartment. Clothes everywhere, empty soda cans rolled about like tumble weeds. Drippy spills splotched the hardwood floor and fastened her shoes to the linoleum. Walking around the apartment in a stupor, she accidently stepped on a stray can. Something among the debris moaned quietly. "Oh God!" She gasped. It was Syaoran, collapsed in the middle of the living room. She rushed to his side, checking his faint pulse, straining every muscle to hear the shallow breathing. Sakura lifted him easily to the couch and covered his pale torso with her jacket. She dug about in the apartment, looking frantically for something to revive him with. Nothing. Panicking, she grasped into her own purse. Saltine crackers. She broke tiny pieces off the crackers and fed them to Syaoran with a cup of tap water. When the crackers were finished, she decided to go grocery shopping. All that was in his refrigerator were mustard and pickles. she thought. Sakura considered calling a doctor, but she knew Syaoran would not be comfortable. He would be embarrassed at having someone else see him this way. So far, Syaoran was drifting in and out of consciousness. He vaguely sensed someone feeding him crackers. He thought. Then the blackness washed over him again. Sakura picked up her purse and proceeded to the lockless door. "I'll be back!" she called, though she knew he couldn't hear her. Then the door closed. Syaoran was alone now. Half an hour later after she left, he fully awoke. Peeling Sakura's jacket off his feverish body, he got up and walked around. His stomach growled. Syaoran padded around the apartment, searching for the voice that had been speaking to him,for the hand that had been stroking his sweating hair. He still hadn't spoken a word; the apartment was silent. At that moment, the door swung open. An arm wrapped around a bag of groceries appeared. "Aaaaaahhhhh!" Syaoran screamed in surprise. The bag of groceries dropped to the floor, revealing Sakura standing in the doorway. A can of soup rolled by. "Sa-Sa-Sakur-" "-Shhhhhh . . ."she chided."You shouldn't be up. Now, lay down on the couch again." Sakura led him to a seat on the sofa. "Why are you here?"Syaoran asked. "Aren't you getting m-?" "-Shhhhhh . . .Now,"she said holding up a can of soup,"chicken noodle,ooooorrrrr,"holding up yet another,"split pea?" "You didn't answer my question,"Syaoran insisted. "You didn't either,"Sakura cut in."Okay, noodle or pea?" "Pea--but why did you come?" Sakura kept her eyes low,"I'd heard from Tomoyo and Tenchi that you weren't coming outside, or answering calls, ...or eating...And by the look of your fridge, I could tell,"she smiled. "So I brought you soup," holding up the pea soup. "Thanks, but I can take care of myself," Syaoran added protectively. "Oh, and I suppose that's why I found you on the floor unconscious, huh?" Sakura countered. "Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you see that dashing young man that used to be? I see a friend-starved man, whose emotions have drained his body of strength. Look, I came here to help you, not to hurt you. Now," she said,"drink this." Sakura thrust a bowl of green liquid in his direction. He took it. "I was worried for you,"she snapped."Don't do this to me again. After he left me at the altar, I just . . .well I just don't need any more pain." She shaded her eyes. Syaoran was bewildered, what could she mean? "Wait, so you-" Sakura avoided his gaze,"I didn't get married." The end. *** Michi: Whoa. That was a lot longer than I anticipated. Red Bean: We elaborated. It sounds better that way. Michi:I guess. But, really. Saltine crackers? Red Bean:What did you want? Cheese Its? [trademark of Nabisco -_*] Michi: No. Goldfish. Red Bean:Verrrryy funny. Michi: Okay. So anyway, I hope you enjoyed our elaborated, Saltine cracker- enhanced story. 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