13

By FreyA-wings

..:: Chapter 7 ::..

Chocolate on Chocolate Trifle

My woes and cries of apologies may not be heard to you but I shall try. Life just takes you in and thereafter consumed my daily writing ritual. I hope that your interest in this story will continue to satisfy you. And hopefully my creative mind won’t be pulled back by the harsh reality.

Lots of aishiteru,

Freyadee

Last Chapter:

Suddenly, as she was moving back, she hit a person and Sakura turned around to apologize.

‘Oh, I am so---‘ Sakura’s words were even deeper in her gut when she realized who the person she bumped was. Sakura felt her knees weaken and her body frozen. The concept of being utterly bewildered is an understatement to what she was feeling at the moment.

It did not take long for that person whom Sakura bumped into realized who Sakura was. He was exactly the same handsome man that Sakura felt sick with the day before. And it was more sickening that Sakura saw the look of utter disgust, as if she was a deadly disease and that she should be terminated before she could involve other people.

Sakura couldn’t really count the amount of times she humiliated herself through her periods of depression, angst and happiness. She found the catastrophy of her humiliation was caused through the simplest and idiotic personification of her inner emotions. Now, walking into the building of poison ivy was indeed pressurizing every inch of her body and soul, frightening her to the very core of her worst nightmare. But then again, she was keen on surprising herself every new step that she took, much to her dismay. All of her frightening moments could not be compared to the last one she did. And this one certainly hit above the target mark.

Sakura swore her heart stopped when she saw him walking into the room like some royal descendant who appears to hate every single human being that roams anywhere near his territory. If Sakura could describe her feelings the moment she saw the man, the feeling of being buried in a mighty puddle of crap and then piling additional dead bodies that this man had brutally slaughtered is much too generous.

The man saw her expression but Sakura could not understand the meaning of his look. Only momentarily Sakura saw a flicker in his eyes, before she cast her eyes away. The secretary walked in and bowed to which the man did not acknowledge. His eyes wandered towards Sakura, motionless and expressionless. Sakura frowned and wondered how his body could stay still for that long. And without her realizing it, her head tilted and a wondering look was plastered on her face. Sakura swore the man’s eyes were smiling.

The man suddenly spoke. His deep throaty voice seemed to drill a hole in her head at every single word he made. ‘Why is she here?’

The secretary smiled nervously and looked at Sakura with a frightening look on her face. What happened to all the sweet and merry-freakin’-poppins look on her face? Sakura wondered. ‘She is the candidate that we sent here, Sir. She was invited for the lunch party,’ the woman said and bowed again with flush of pink spreading more rapidly on her face.

The man turned his head slightly to the side but his eyes never leaving Sakura. ‘I am here to meet with the director, to which you should be well aware of and that it is an immediate action to prioritize what is more important.’

‘Um, y-yes Sir, the Director will come out shortly,’ the secretary giggled nervously and played around with her hair. Sakura was certain that the secretary felt both awed and frightened at the young man.

‘You should tell your director that my time is not to be considered and that there are less important matters that can be arranged later,’ the man said and finally his eyes shifted towards the secretary in which she jumped in surprise. There was an air of impudence circulating his body and it felt dangerous to be near him. But there was something in his eyes that attracted Sakura. His face was too beautiful, almost looked deadly and that made Sakura ever more curious.

Sakura looked at the frightened woman and stared at the man in bewilderment for his rude actions and that just pissed Sakura straight off the bottom. ‘I beg your pardon. That is not how you treat people,’ Sakura spoke in her ‘beware’ voice. The Secretary immediately stared at Sakura with an expression that suggested she was facing her death. The man looked at Sakura but she did not flinch. The first time they met, Sakura felt too embarrassed to be defending her self. But in this case, he went too far and his rudeness and his insolence personality did not intimidate her. Instead she felt angry with him.

‘You should watch that mouth of yours,’ the man spoke with a low voice. The secretary looked at Sakura and then to the man and then back to her again with a very worried expression.

‘It’s rude to talk to people that way. For someone who is hopefully intelligent such as you should have at least the slightest bit of knowledge as to behave like a gentleman,’ Sakura spoke back, unyielding.

The man looked down at her and this made the secretary lose her mind. She stumbled back and hit the wall behind her as she tried to regain her composure from her weakened knees. The tension in the room was drawing a bigger fighting ground but luckily for the secretary, the door to the director’s room opened.

‘What’s with all the racket?’ A woman spoke and Sakura turned around and faced an elegant lady. She was tall and thin, fit to be a model. Her wavy dark brown hair was cut short, emphasizing her intimate neck. She was wearing a gorgeous black suit and red stilettos which made her look even taller.

The woman looked at the man without any sign of acknowledgement to Sakura. She walked up to him and gave him a pleasant smile. ‘You know you shouldn’t be making a scene. It’s a high class territory and you’re making my work even harder. You tend to do that on purpose I know it.’

‘I suppose so. You look tired,’ the man said and kissed her on the cheeks, ‘I haven’t seen you in 8 months.’

‘Well, someone painstakingly did not contact me for that 8 months and I’ve been wondering if he decided to ignore me for the rest of my days. How was France?’

The man smiled, and Sakura looked at him in shock. ‘You know business. I can never go back empty handed. I’ve got something to show you. But first, I want to visit your new office.’ He kissed her on the cheeks again before walking into the woman’s office.

It was when the woman stared at the closed doors that she noticed Sakura. The secretary stammered, ‘um, this is Sakura Kinomoto. She came here for the interview and the lunch party. She said you invited her over.’

The woman’s eyes stared at Sakura for a long time and Sakura became seriously nervous and sweaty. She had a powerful appearance despite her elegance. But then she smiled and walked towards Sakura.

‘I apologize for keeping you. I have heard so much about you. But you seem to have appeared at a wrong hour. An unexpected guest has arrived and he seemed to be rummaging through my stuff right about now,’ the woman said and smiled again.

‘Ah, it’s alright, I can wait,’ Sakura said back, ‘there’s someone else more important to deal with.’ The sarcasm in her voice was easily detected by the woman.

The woman raised one eyebrow, ‘yes, I believe so. My name is Sayuri Tanaka. You can call me Sayuri. I think we’ll be seeing each other more often.’ She smiled knowingly to herself but Sakura could not perceive why that was. She decided to leave it be.

‘Chiyo, please bring Miss Kinomoto to the lounge. I shall be right with her,’ the woman spoke to the secretary and she bowed in understanding. The woman gave one last smile at Sakura before walking into her office.

When the door shut, Chiyo gave a large sigh of relief. She looked back at Sakura, ‘you should never speak another word to that man. Although I appreciate your concern, you should not turn him into your enemy.’

‘Well I’m already one, so why not make it more noticeable,’ Sakura responded and gave a small laughter, ‘I feel unwanted.’

‘Oh, well I wouldn’t put it that way; this is a competitive company after all. We are a talent agency that is looking for a fresh face and we have auditioned plenty of models and women alike but again, this company won’t tolerate mediocrity,’ Chiyo explained as she ordered Sakura to follow her. They walked into large spaces and halls and offices. Sakura dreamed of being in an office like this someday.

‘Have you been working here long?’ Sakura asked, wanting to know more.

‘Yes, it’s really tough to get my position. Climbing was hard and I had to fall on my bottom plenty of times, and I mean that literally. It’s a rough ride but it’s hella worth it.’

Sakura smiled and sighed, ‘I wish to work in a place like this someday.’

‘Oh honey, the fashion industry is the same as any other, competitive, snobbish… except that we don’t fight with ego, we fight in style. I think that’s the appropriate way to put it.’

Sakura laughed with her as they walked into the lounge.

It didn’t take long for Sayuri to finish her business with the man and Sakura was thankful for that small amount of time to shake off her nerves.

‘Alright, let’s get to business, we don’t have much time,’ Sayuri said as she walked in. They both sat down at a comfortable chair that was facing the large window. Sayuri was very intimidating to Sakura and she knew that she had to be professional. She cannot afford to humiliate herself again, for her sake.

‘So I’ll just cut to the chase,’ Sayuri said, ‘we have a meeting with some international designers in a few weeks and we will be putting on a show case. It will be big. Tremendous amount of publicity and, may I also add a respectable amount of funding goes into this show case. It will be Japan’s first and we have been searching high and low for a spokes model, someone who has not yet seen the light of the camera. It was tough until someone recommended you.’

Sakura was listening attentively and as Sayuri finished her sentence, she realized that she had been holding her breath. She wondered just what connection Rika had in the fashion business but if she did all of this then it was unbelievable. At first Sakura could not say a word, all she could do was open her mouth and a look of surprise pictured on her face. Sayuri smiled.

‘There are so many talented people out there, hundreds even. And yes, you will be auditioning for us to get this case. It is a great opportunity, not only to be in the spotlight but opening your future for a greater career.’

Sakura was speechless at first but then she breathed out and smiled, ‘I’m sorry. It’s quite a lot of information to digest.’

‘Yes I know. But I will stuff you with more. The concern is that we are competing with some of the major agencies out there to perform this show case. That is where that lovely man you saw just a few minutes ago came for. He will be helping us with this case.’

Sakura snickered to herself at the mention of lovely for a description of that man.

‘He is a good dear friend of mine and we need both the chosen spokes model and him to cooperate on making this a success. Now, we know that you are still in high school and you will be finishing you certificate in the next few weeks. I don’t want to be a burden for you because it is important that you finalize your high school. We cannot have a failing spokes model.’

Sakura nodded her head, trying to take in the overwhelming information that she was faced with. She blinked and said, ‘I am very grateful for this opportunity but… are you sure that I might be one of them… the best one you can find? I’m sure that I lack a lot more than the other girls out there.’

‘Well if you want to add it in that scenario then no, you are not the only one. But we want the best of the best and I personally think that you can do this, even though I don’t know much about you.’

Sakura was still slightly confused, ‘well, what happens then?’

‘I will leave the rest for later. As for now, I have a lunch party to go to. At first I wanted you to come but my good friend thinks it would be best if we keep you for later.’

‘Um, may I know who that man is?’ Sakura asked in curiosity.

‘His name is Sano Takamura. He’s very good at what he does, trust me. But not everything he can do. For now, I trust his judgment. At the time being, I want you to think deeply about this. I appreciate your time with us.’

Sakura stood up as Sayuri did, ‘no, thank you for inviting me. It was my pleasure.’

‘I do hope to see you again,’ Sayuri said. Sakura made a bow as she left the room. Sakura crashed back to the chair, feeling overwhelmed by everything. The opportunity that she sought was right in front of her eyes, but why does she feel uneasy about this. She glanced out the window and saw the view of the city down below. It looked crowded and busy, unlike the sky above.

‘Oh and Sakura,’ the Sayuri said as Sakura was about to open the door. ‘This meeting is a secret to both of us okay. I trust you can keep a secret.’ Sayuri smiled and gave an encouraging look.

Sakura quietly nodded and exited the room. Secret?

Sayuri walked into her office and found Takamura standing in front of her large window. He looked beautiful like he always did, although age and work had clouded his face. His features were not as soft and smooth as it used to be. He looked more articulate and rough now. He appeared worn down by the object of his desire. She walked and stood beside him, accompanying his presence.

‘I don’t know what you’re thinking,’ Takamura finally said, filling the silence.

‘I thought about it. Whatever makes good business then what will be shall be,’ Sayuri said in a low voice.

‘She’s vulnerable and stupid. She might open her mouth too much,’ Takamura continued.

‘You seem to be taking a lot of interest in her.’

Takamura sighed, ‘we met on an unfortunate occasion, one that I won’t bother to explain. I just hope you thought is through and well. We cannot risk this. It’s much of a flight to what we have been working for.’

‘You mean challenging ourselves to what we know the outcome would be,’ Sayuri said and smiled, ‘the consequences we shall face later. For now, I am following my gut.’

‘Well, I hope your gut is ready for lunch. We should be heading down now.’

Takamura walked away but Sayuri stood still, watching nothing in particular. She sighed and followed him soon after.

Sakura walked along the street with a load of thoughts floating through her mind. The opportunity is there. But it will definitely risk her studying. She knew that in order for her to pass, she needed to work extra hard. That would mean she needed more help than she thought she needed. Although the whole purpose of her studying hard was for her to go in Tohka University.

Finally, she decided to walk to the chocolate house and find Yukito or Syaoran, anyone that she could talk to. But as fortunate as she thought her day was, she met Eriol instead.

‘Sakura, I finally found you,’ Eriol called out to her from her favorite chair. As much as she loved him, she didn’t have the interest to see him at the moment. The feeling left her at a loss. He was the last person she wanted to meet and the feeling felt alien to her.

‘Hi Eriol,’ Sakura said, trying to sound enthusiastic. He smiled at her warmly as she sat down opposite him. He looked as radiant and gorgeous as he can be. Eriol fixed his glasses and called out a waiter who happened to be other than Syaoran or her brother. Sakura felt uneasy all of the sudden.

‘They have a new dessert that Yukito-san made out. It is really good and I think you should try it,’ Eriol said in a happy tone. Sakura made a small smile in response.

A few minutes went by in silence, until finally Eriol spoke up, ‘I realized that I had been a bad friend to you.’ Sakura looked up and wanted to interrupt him but Eriol cut her before she could say anything. ‘And it just seems like these past few days you have been running away from me. You are my best friend and I want to stay that way for as long as possible.’

Sakura felt her body became rigid at his last sentence. She tried to look at him in the eye with a straight face, and all she could see was a blurry shape. She turned away and laughed, ‘well of course you are still my best friend Eriol. We had our unforgiving moments and we went past it. The whole point of having your best friend with you all the time is because we understand each other. And honestly, I think having you around isn’t so bad at all.’

Eriol smiled, ‘I’m glad you’re back to your happy face. I wanted to tell you that I will be free for this week if, you know, you’d like to have a study group together or something.’

Sakura smiled, ‘well that’s thoughtful of you. To tell you the truth, I’ve already got someone to help me with. Considering how you can be an asset in the intelligence program, I found someone that can help me better than you.’

Eriol chuckled, ‘you’ve got a secret power behind you that I don’t know of? Okay, I accept that. Well, if you need any help, you know you can always come to me.’ He smiled as the waiter placed down a very good looking cake.

‘It’s called chocolate on chocolate trifle. I’ve tried it before and I think you will like this more than any other desserts in this place.’ Sakura looked at it with eagerness and as she placed the chocolate in her mouth, she melted in response. It tasted bittersweet, exactly as she was feeling right now. Eriol watched her with an expression Sakura never saw before. He looked almost sad. She decided to ignore it.

‘Is there a reason why you are here Eriol?’ Sakura asked. Her question seemed insignificant but Eriol answered her anyway. ‘I’m actually here to see Tomoyo. We… we are going somewhere after this.’

‘Oh…’ Sakura whispered but she didn’t question him further. There was a moment of awkwardness before Eriol broke the tension. ‘Why are you here Sakura? Although I do know that you need chocolate at least once a day.’

‘I do. In every box of chocolate, you never know what you’re going to get. Just like life as it is…’ Sakura said and took another bite of the delicious chocolate pastry. She looked at him as he sipped his coffee and her thoughts wondered on the conversation that had her swirling in anxiety. She thought about confronting Eriol with his lasting image of models or any people of that kind. She recalls how much he respect intelligence over looks. It was true in some cases but it would be a lot better if intelligence is also accompanied with personality. Surely Sakura has what it takes. She might not be smart but she has the spirit to strive for it.

Sakura glance over to the counter and searched for a familiar face. Her brother was piling glasses neatly behind the counter. Yukito was busy preparing dishes but there was no sign of Syaoran. Sakura saw the busyness that is happening at the moment and wondered if he needed any help.

In that moment the door to the shop opened and came in Tomoyo in rather fancy dress. Sakura looked at her carefully as she neared them. ‘Hi guys,’ Tomoyo greeted, ‘it’s been forever since we’re all together in this chocolate shop.’

‘Well it’s not too rad. You look rather fancy today Tomoyo,’ Sakura exclaimed, ‘going someplace special?’

Tomoyo and Eriol exchanged looks. ‘It’s just a formal greeting with my mother,’ Tomoyo said rather casually. Sakura nearly choked on her chocolate truffle.

‘You what?’ Sakura nearly yelled.

‘It’s not a big deal Sakura,’ Tomoyo said as she pushed her dark locks behind her ear, ‘I need to straighten things out with her before it’s too late. I’ve been ignoring her too much lately. I’ll be fine, I swear.’

The one thing that made Sakura over protective about Tomoyo is because of her nearly deranged mother. It’s not that her mother is psycho. It’s just that she doesn’t understand her daughter very much and her conservative personality was the reason Tomoyo was so depressed. The reason why she moved out was because she couldn’t stand the pain and the abuse. The feeling reject and lack of love to one another made Tomoyo helpless. It wasn’t until Sakura took her in and both she and Eriol guided her through her pain, almost like a therapy. She is now constantly happy and almost lost her fear. And now her mother wants her back and will do anything to get her back.

‘I swear, Eriol is coming with me Sakura,’ Tomoyo said with a plea in her voice.

‘Yes, I have to be there even if she doesn’t want me to.’

Tomoyo threw her gaze aside and did not speak. Sakura glanced at Tomoyo and finally said, ‘I shall be waiting for you at home. I’m just… why didn’t you tell me? I could also be there for you.’

‘She’ll try and hurt you and you know that,’ Tomoyo said, tears in her voice.

‘Then I’ll call the police,’ Sakura said back at her.

‘It won’t work. She’s too powerful.’

‘It’s alright Sakura,’ Eriol said quietly, ‘this time I’m with her. It’ll be fine.’

Sakura gave a harsh sniffle and turned to look away. Her irritation was now caused in the fact that she chose Eriol over her. Sakura knew all three of us are close to each other. But as much as she tries to ignore it, it was jealousy. It was the same jealousy that Sakura have been fighting with ever since Eriol came into their lives. Why does it have to be Eriol? Why can’t Tomoyo just ignore him for once and lean on her shoulders.

Sakura finally gave a sigh and turned to them, ‘just make sure you are home by nine. I will be waiting for you with freshly baked chocolate cookies.’

Tomoyo smiled but Eriol didn’t change much. He bit his lip and wanted to say something more but stopped. Instead, he nodded and forced a smile.

The night was stiff and the air was humid as Sakura walked back to home. The street was alive with people getting into restaurant and shops. Sakura passed the dumpling shop and tried to ignore the sensation of throwing up when she heard a familiar voice.

Sakura turned to look at the corner of the street, just a few meters to where she stood, and saw Syaoran walking with someone… a woman. Sakura quickly moved back into the shadows, for a reason she didn’t know. She just felt like she was not supposed to see this meeting.

Sakura eyed the couple and saw their backs as they stopped in the middle of the street. Fortunately, it has gotten quieter and within her distance, she could hear parts of the conversation. The woman turned around and Sakura saw a beautiful young woman with light brown hair, long and silky waves. She has a very sensual outfit, elegant but not too revealing. She threw a sympathetic look at Syaoran who was not looking at her.

The woman muttered something and Sakura heard, ‘stop… right thing to do… love her or love… disgust… useless…’ Sakura frowned. Was this woman Syaoran’s girlfriend? Her voice was pretty and soft and she had a look of an angel. Sakura wondered why she didn’t irritate her.

Finally Syaoran spoke, ‘I do what I think is right. I may not have power but I believe in myself and that’s my prerogative. I hope you understand me’

Sakura turned away. There was something in Syaoran’s expression that made her look away. There was something… very different… very vulnerable. She couldn’t understand it. She looked around the street to find a way to get out of there without being seen. Sakura looked back at the couple only to find that she had left, and Syaoran stood there in the middle of the street.

He looked so forlorn and Sakura felt the urge to walk up and hug him. What is it with him that made her feel this way? He is a kind person. She realized that she needed him and it appeared he needed her. But Sakura took one careful look back at him as he stood there with the same sorrowful gaze and walked away.

Eriol looked back towards the entrance of Tomoyo’s house and held a weeping Tomoyo in her hands. She was crying and shaking and Eriol felt the anger within him wanting to burst. But he kept his composure and helped Tomoyo get away from that place.

They finally reached a bench near a very expensive park, the kind of parks that you see in expensive neighborhoods. He let Tomoyo sit on the bench and held her in his arms until her tears died down.

Finally, in the cold dead of the night, Tomoyo spoke, ‘it’s useless. I’m still her daughter. I’m still underage. I’m still under her power of custody.’

Eriol didn’t say anything for a while, ‘I won’t let you get married Tomoyo. He is one heck of a sick bastard. I saw how he looked at you. I cannot believe your mother would let you… let you…’ Eriol didn’t continue his sentence because Tomoyo stood up, wiped her tears and looked at him.

‘She’s going to do anything in her power and will try and stop anyone that comes in the way until I am at her mercy. I won’t let that happen.’

‘You can’t give up now Tomoyo. There is still hope.’

‘There isn’t. She’s deranged. She is completely out of her mind. No matter where I run to she’s bound to find me. No matter how much I run. Wherever I look she’s there. It’s killing me inside.’

Eriol was quiet for a moment. He was thinking. The lights in the streets were dim and they could hear the trees whistling. It was a cold night and it had gone a lot colder. But as he stared at Tomoyo’s vulnerable face and watched as the wind blew her beautiful hair, he saw enlightenment. He saw the truth. It was in that cold of the night that Tomoyo heard Eriol speak, ‘… then marry me.’

I am finally done with the seventh! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope to continue a fast pace. I am studying and working full time but that and my long nails that click everything I hit the keys are not ones to stop me. I shall prevail! So please look forward to the next chapter of Chocolate.

Lovely hug

Freyadee