ツバサ の 秘密

" When the both of us are older, I'll make you, Sakura, my wife. " The young boy said sternly, to Sakura. Sakura looked at the raven-haired boy, and chuckled, " Well, then you'll have to find me first then. " The boy stared at her, then, replied "I'll search high and low, even go on a international search just for you, and I will be there for you, " . ........

" I love you...." Sakura suddenly woke up, as Mrs Kinomoto tapped Sakura's shoulder, as the lesson came to an end, the students were going off for their very first Co Curriculum Activity with the various groups that the school provided. Sakura stood up and placed everything in her bag then ran off with Tsubasa.

Ryuuzaki stood at the side of the staircase, waiting for Sakura, as soon as he saw her, and vice versa, Sakura took off in a opposite direction, and collided with another Ryuuzaki. Sakura pushed him away then rushed down the other flight of stiars, her face growing redder as she went.

Ryuuzaki was already at the bottom of the stairs when Sakura arrived at the bottom of it, Ryuuzaki gave her a hug, as she struggled helplessly. " Can you tell me how you feel about me, instead of running away from it? ", Ryuuzaki asked the girl in his arms. Sakura's face turned pink.

" I love you too...... " Sakura answered, in an undertone, Ryuuzaki smiled then kissed her on her forehead, " I'll be late for my CCA if you don't let go of me.... " Sakura said, and Ryuuzaki let her go of her, " I'll see you during recess, in the library ok, make sure you're there! "

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Sakura's heart skipped a bit, as she lingered outside the library nervously, her heart and mind going into recollection on what she said to Ryuuzaki, then she took 3 steps away, hesitating on how Ryuuzaki would react to her presence differently. Just then, Ryuuzaki's reflection appeared behind Sakura's on the glass doors to the library, " Little Miss Weird, why are you still hovering outside ? " , Ryuuzaki said, as he took Sakura up, and placed her on his shoulders, as he went in with her on his shoulders.

Tsubasa and Yuki was already waiting for them at the end of the entire library, Ryuuzaki laughed as Sakura struggled on his shoulder, " My dear, you're afraid to be on my shoulders or what? ", Ryuuzaki asked as he placed Sakura down on the lush leather sofa.

" I'm not afraid to be on your shoulders, it's nice there....... somehow, " Sakura blurted out, and Ryuuzaki chuckled at Sakura's reaction, " I mean, in a way or another, I can walk, but, it's nice, being carried....... " , Sakura answered, and then turned away, trying to avoid seeing Ryuuzaki's reaction.

The entire library was empty, except for the 4 of them, the numerous bookshelves in the library was filled up with books, and the air conditioner hummed silently, as Mr Kinomura laid out the meals for the 4 of them, the spread consisted of 4 big bento box, filled up with tempura prawns, unagi, and more ingredients underneath.

" Let's eat! " The four of them shouted in unison, and dug into their bentos. A sudden draft of warm air blew in as Ryuuzaki turned his attention to the entrance of the library. Mai Hanabishi stood there, and with her was Juubei and his cronies. Ryuuzaki stood up, as Mai entered the library. Tsubasa and Yuki stood up as well, " Mai, what do you want? I won't let you lay a finger on Sakura! ", Ryuuzaki exclaimed, as Mai came nearer and nearer.

Ryuuzaki darted in front of Sakura in defense, " You're awfully protective of her, aren't you, Ryuu? " Mai said, calmly, as she stepped a step forward, and she was face to face with Ryuuzaki, " Can I speak to you for a minute? You'd better agree, or your pint sized beauty will be in mortal danger. " , Mai requested, and she wound her hands around Ryuuzaki's waist, in a loving hug. Ryuuzaki threw Mai's hands off him, and glared angrily at her, his gloves sparking dangerously.

" Ok, " Ryuuzaki answered then turned round to face Sakura, " Sakura-chan, I need to skip today's lunch ok, you'll better eat, ok. I do not want my precious little angel to starve herself. " Ryuuzaki said, to which Sakura nodded and smiled, then on an act of impulse, stood up, tip toed and kissed him softly on his cheeks. Ryuuzaki smiled and ruffled her soft black hair, then left with Mai and her group of people.

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Ryuuzaki returned back to class after recess, his face was serious, and his brows creased as his mind focused on that very conversation that he had on the roof with Mai. Yuki tapped Ryuuzaki on his shoulders, and with that one touch, saw everything, till the last memory of him, the conversation at the roof, the promise he made with Mai.

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" I thought you'd promised me to protect her, and not make her upset, and now, you traded her love for you away from her, and thus retaining her health and life. Do you know what you're dong? " Yuki asked Ryuuzaki, while they were rushing to the hall for P.E.

" You saw, didn't you? She was threatening me with Sakura's life, nothing's more important than making sure that Sakura lives! " Ryuuzaki replied in an undertone, as the both of them placed their belogings in their respective lockers, his tone was gave, and there was a tinge of anger and frustration in his voice.

" You're the only person I've seen Sakura be with that isn't a hostile relationship. Without you here, have you got no idea how badly she'll be bullied? " Yuki asked, his tone raising, his hands curled into fists as he tried to keep his cool with Ryuuzaki.

" You think I've no idea how much badly she'll be treated here, once I'm not with her? Well, then you're wrong, I do know, and I do not want to leave her, but with a situation such as this happening, I'm left with no choice. "

" I do know of 1 thing, you'd better break the news to her gently, or I'll be the one showing and telling her of this pact you've made with Mai. " Yuki said, with an expression between an scowl and a smirk.

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Sakura watched as the rest of the class ran around the track, she had to rest because of the illness that had plagued her had left her weak and it'll be a week of rest before she can resume class for P.E. The students down there in the tracks cursed and sweared silently, wishing they could be where Sakura sat, protected by the sun, which was scorching them even though it was Spring.

" Well, well, well. Sakura, you're certainly looking better now! " Daisuke Kagurazaka's voice floated through the air, Sakura turned around to see Daisuke's face smiling at her, and then Sakura burst into laughter. Apparently, Daisuke had a butterfly up on his hair, and the butterfly stuck there on his hair, awkwardly, trying to free itself from his tousled locks.

" Hey, get out of my hair! " Daisuke shouted as he rustled his hair in a desperate attempt to get the butterfly off. Sakura stood up, and still chuckling, placed her finger on his hair, and the blue-winged butterfly wiggled free, then flapped its wings, then landed on Sakura's nose, looked at her then took off.

" Your hair must be smelling like flowers, what shampoo did you use? " Sakura asked while chuckling, Daisuke stared hard at her, the girl looks so happy, so innocently happy that she doesn't know of what is going to happen to her, he thought sadly to himself. Sakura looked at the dazed Daisuke and smiled, her large blue-green eyes peered at him innocently.

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Ryuuzaki looked at the girl beside him, who was twirling and dancing, her black ebony hair, twirling and glittering in the sunlight as the both of them made their way up the stairs, up to Sakura's home.

The sunlight bathed the two in orange light, as it sets slowly down the horizon. Ryuuzaki's heart ached silently knowing that Sakura would never be this happy again, after tomorrow. " Sakura-chan, if I were to leave you tomorrow, what would you do? " Ryuuzaki asked the girl.

Sakura froze in her tracks, " I would train myself to be stronger, I would want to prove to the students in school that I'm not a pushover, even if the very existence of you was essential that I was alright, I will be alright. I do not need you to protect me, or even rescue me, I will c0me out stronger than before. "

Sakura looked at Ryuuzaki, who was looking the other way, as a tear trickled down his eyes, I'm sory, Sakura I'm really sorry, I only hope that you don't hate me, he thought silently. as he wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.

" I have to go now, Sakura, I'll have to go for a dinner with my parents ok? " Ryuuzaki said, as he sent her to her doorstep, then waved as Sakura watched him descend from the stairs, and into his limousine he went.

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Sakura walked up the hill up the school as Ryuuzaki had said that he would be preoccupied in the morning today, Tsubasa and Touya Tsukino appeared suddenly beside her, " Sakura, where's Ryuu? ", Tsubasa asked, trying hard not to giggle, as she watched Sakura''s ears going pink, then Sakura dashed off into the school, trying to avoid the question.

" Sorry, sorry, I didn't see you there........... Ryuuzaki? " , Sakura exclaimed as she looked up at Ryuu, there was something different about him, his expression was fierce,, it was as though he was angry at her, "Ryuu-kun, I think we should get up to class now, " Mai said as her hands wrung around Ryuu's arm. To which Ryuu smiled and turned to Sakura and exclaimed, " Sakura, you're dumped, Mai's way more powerful than you. And much more beautiful than a freak like you! "

At that instant, Sakura's heart was ripped into two, she suddenly dropped her bags, her stuff, as a tear trickled down her eyes, " Thank you, Ryuuzaki, for making me feel loved, even if it was for a while ........ " Sakura said, her voice shook, ,and her hands curled into fists, " I guess the dream have ended finally. ".

Sakura grabbed her stuff hastily, and took off, her heart, her soul, it wasn't a dream, it was the pain coursing through her heart, that made her weak body well up with sadness, it was unbearable, she stopped finally as the gust of wind welcomed her to the school roof. Her tears was gried up with the strong gust, Sakura sank into the ground, and sobbed painfully.

The patter of footsteps grew louder and it suddenly stopped, " I have your Ryuu now, so can you return him that glove of yours? " Mai Hanabishi's voice sounded behind her, Sakura turned around, then stood up, " No, I won't! ".

Sakura suddenly gave out a bolt of strong electricity that took Mai off guard. " You're not going to get them, they're mine. " Sakura said, resolutely, as she worked out another bolt of electricity, now aiming it at Mai.

" When do you get this ability, you freak? " Mai asked, her voice trembled with fear, and her body shivered, involuntarily.

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" I thought that you were going to tell her gently, but look at the situation now! " Daisuke shouted as he slammed Ryuuzaki angrily against the locker, grabbing his collar, as he stared angrily at him, " You had to do it in front of the entire school, don't you? You had to call her a freak, don't you, everything that you've said today, do you have any idea how much pain it caused her, you stupid idiot? "

" WHAT DO YOU THINK I SHOULD DO?! " Ryuuzaki shouted, as tears streamed down his eyes, " She loves me, but what I am doing now, is going to save her life, you have no idea how much this hurts me! ", Ryuuzaki said, amidst the tears, " I love her, that's why I had to break her heart..... "

Yuki stood there in silence, wondering on where Sakura had went, his question was answered in that very instant, as a bolt of pink lighning flared from the roof top, and the skies darken as dark stormy clouds closed in on the sun, " SAKURA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " Ryuuzaki realised, and freed himself from Daisuke's grip, " The gloves, the gloves, MAI! " Ryuuzaki shouted in recollection of what Mai had said before going off.

" SAKURA, HANG ON! " Ryuuzaki shouted as he sprinted off, and the rest of them followed.

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Mai's fingers closed on to Sakura's neck, as she tightened her grip on her neck, as Sakura's breath became shallower and shallower. Sakura raised her one of her arm, and tried to gather electricity from the sky, but was having difficulty concentrating as her vision blurred and her thoughts focused on one solitary thought, Ryuuzaki.

The sudden gasping of breath from Sakura was music to Mai's ears, she smiled as she watched as Sakura's pupils dilated, and her heartbeat lessen significantly. " MAI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " Ryuuzaki's voice came floating through the air, Mai turned around around and saw Tsubasa Tsukino, Daisuke Kagurazaka, Yuki Tadashi and Ryuuzaki, whose expression was a murderous one. His hands clenched into fists, and there was tears fl0wing down his eyes. Mai took her hands off Sakura's neck, and Sakura saw a glimpse of Ryuuzaki then everything disappeared to darkness.

Sakura floated up, in mid air. There was a strong gust that swept through the roof, and Ryuuzaki felt a weak pulsating forcefield around her, the same one that he had felt when carrying her out of the Sports Hall on the first day of school. Ryuuzaki took two steps towards the sphere-like force field containing Sakura, and felt a sudden pain in his heart, " I still love you....... " Sakura's voice whispered into Ryuuzaki's ear.

" This, this voice, this emotions, " Ryuuzaki said, as he paused, he was reminded of the time, before he had to leave Sakura 7 years ago. It was like telepathy between Ryuuzaki and Sakura.

The young boy ran into the streets, as he tried to retrieve his ball from the road, as a sudden screeching car came into sight, and the was a slight push, and the car collided with his playmate, Sakura, but there was a sudden soft voice that called out to him, as he looked on helplessly at the unconscious girl lying on the ground, " I'll be alright, ok! " , it was the voice of his playmate, and he felt relaxed upon hearing her voice, and ..................

Ryuuzaki sank onto the ground, kneeling, the wave of emotions that was flowing into him was torture, " I respect your decision, and I will definitely be stronger, I will. " Sakura's voice sounded softly in him.

Mai looked on, her heart was in ups and down, Sakura Hoshino why do you mean so much to him, why? , she thought, as the sun peeked through the clearing dark clouds. Sakura's forcefield broke off, and she opened her eyes, and searched on for Ryuuzaki, but at that point, Ryuuzaki had left, and the despair in her grew.

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Sakura didn't attend school for a whole week already, and both Tsubasa, and Yuki worried endlessly for her, and the two of them wondered if she was doing well. Daisuke visited the Hoshino's family shrine every single day after school, but Sakura refused to see or meet him, she would only talk to him, from behind her room door.

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The cherry blossoms trees on the sides of the roads going up to Sakuraba Academy was changing colours, from pink, when it was filled up with blooming cherry blossoms., to green as it was changing it's leaves. The students were walking briskly towards school, but stopped in their tracks suddenly, a girl with thigh high socks, short skirt and a short boyish haircut attracted their stares.

The girl was wearing the uniform of the Special Sector, and on her hands, she was wearing a pair of pink gloves and there was a long wooden sword attached to a belt, which was synched to her waist, her short skirt was 2 cm above her knees, there was something familliar with her. " Sakura, is that you?" Yuki asked, as the girl smiled and waved at him, " Yeah, you don't recognize me? " Sakura replied with a smile. Tsubasa stared at her, and Sakura chuckled, " Come on guys, we're going to be late. " Sakura said, and she went through the gates of Sakuraba Academy.

" Ryuuzaki! Ryuuzaki, RYUUZAKI AMANO! " The girl cried out, as she pushed opened the door, tears running down from her face, there was no one there, no teasing, no making fun of her, not even that familiar laughter from him. She sank into the ground, her eyes welling up with tears, " Why are you crying, Little Miss Weird ?" , a familiar voice called out to her, she looked up, and saw the familiar face of Ryuuzaki Amano, beaming down at her.

" Ryuuzaki Amano! " , Sakura exclaimed, then tilted her head back, letting the tears flow back into her eyes.

Ryuuzaki suddenly asked, " Why do you do that? " , Sakura stared at Ryuuzaki, her heart skipped a bit, Ryuuzaki never once asked her that. Sakura took 2 steps back, and then broke into a run, her mind spinning, " That wasn't Ryuuzaki!" Sakura exclaimed, her tears falling, as she tried to find an exit, from the extensive line of rooms in the house.

" Why are you pretending to be Ryuu, you stupid Shapeshifter ? ", Sakura asked, while she paused to take a breath, " Show me your true form NOW! ", Sakura shouted, her tears flowing down her cheeks.

" I'm here, you weirdo, " A voice called out, from behind Sakura, Sakura spun around, and saw a handsome young man standing over her, his eyes were chestnut brown, his hair was black, with streaks of gold in them. " My name's Daisuke Kagurazaka. Nice to meet you, my beautiful priestess of Yoshida City. " , he introduced himself, as he helped her up.

" Why am I here? And how did you get me here?" , Sakura asked, her voice shaking, from fear and a tinge of shock.

" Well, you were sick, and I couldn't get the person responsible for it to cure you, so I decided to cure you myself, " , Daisuke replied, his voice was smooth, with a tenor's high note.

" The person responsible for it? How can you heal me when you're only a Shapeshifter?" Sakura asked, trying to understand how Daisuke did it. " Who's the one responsible, who? And where's Ryuuzaki, TELL ME! ", Sakura demanded, her voice full of anguish and frustration.

Daisuke sighed and took a deep breath, " I saved you because I knew, that by sending you to the hospital, Ryuuzaki had broken the rules, you are going to die, if any painkillers were to be administered to you, " , Sakura just listened intently, her back facing Daisuke, " So I knew that I had to save you, I'm not a normal Shapeshifter, I have always been able to manipulate other people's ability when in their body, like this, " , he turned into Ryuuzaki, and Sakura spun around, and saw bright sparks coming from his gloves, " See, like I told you, " , he said, as he reverted to his real form.

" How did you get to know me? "

" I saw you on TV a while back, and I recognized you, in Ryuuzaki's arms. I saw that Dr Nakamura was going to drive you to the hosital, and I followed, " Daisuke replied.

" The one who poisoned you was Mai Hanabishi, she was afraid that Ryuuzaki would be snatched by you, " Daisuke replied, as Sakura paced around anxiously, " I knew this because I had known Mai for 4 years, after I transfered here, and just the other day, I overheard Mai's conversation with her clique. That's why I knew. " Daisuke finished, and Sakura stared at him, trying to absorb the information given to her.

" Does Ryuuzaki know I'm here? "

" Yea, listen to me, we're going to miss school today, Ryuuzaki will be here in a while, for now, please relax before you give yourself another asthma attack, " Daisuke replied, taking Sakura and dragging her to her room.

" Stay here, and he'll be here in a while, he's already here, just at the entrance, " Daisuke reassured her, as he placed her on the bed, " You better rest well here..... " , he said, as he closes the door, leaving Sakura inside the room.

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Ryuuzaki knocked hard at the main door, waiting anxiously, for Daisuke to open the door, the door swiftly opened, and standing there was Sakura instead of Daisuke. Ryuuzaki eyed at Sakura suspiciously, Sakura smiled at the figure there, then Ryuuzaki raised his arm, and slapped her, Sakura's eyes watered up, then transformed back into Daisuke.

" Why did you do that for? ", Daisuke asked, rubbing his cheek, as he led Ryuuzaki into his mansion, his house was as big as Ryuuzaki's, but the interiors was like a garden, with potted plants here and there, the stairs that led to the upper floors was covered in grass, Mr Kagurazaki, top of Japan's architecture world, was Daisuke's father.

" Well, Sakura would run towards me, and give me an embrace, You, just stood there, like a piece of rock,and lastly, Sakura's eyes are blue-green, but your version is green-blue, please notice that, ok, " Ryuuzaki replied, and ran towards the last door at the second floor.

" RYUUZAKI!!, " Sakura exclaimed as she leapt off the bed and into Ryuuzaki's arms, Ryuuzaki hugged Sakura and threw a look at Daisuke, a look of total smugness, which Daisuke desisted. Daisuke transformed into Mrs Kinoshita, taps Ryuuzaki's shoulder, which Ryuuzaki reacted by punching her in the face.

Daisuke transformed back to his original self, then sighs, as he wipes off blood from nose, Sakura stared back at Daisuke, and gasped, then she asked, " Are you ok? ", her big blue-green eyes staring at him.

" He'll be alright, Sakura, now, it's you that I'm worried about, are you feeling better? " Ryuuzaki asked, as he looked at Sakura, his brows creased, and there was a stern expression on his face.

" Umm, I'm alright, " , a blushing Sakura replied, as Ryuuzaki felt her forehead, " Eh?! Oh really? Then, why is your cheeks so red? ", Ryuuzaki asked, trying hard not burst out laughing.

Sakura looked at her reflection from the glass window, then, clapped her hands up to her cheeks, and looked away shyly, her ears going red as well.

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" Ryuuzaki! " Sakura cried, waving her hands as she got off the car, Ryuuzaki ran towards Sakura and lifted her up, and threw her on his shoulder, " Hey, let me go! ", Sakura struggled, as Ryuuzaki carried her up the stairs, amidst the stares and giggles that were directed at the two of them.

" Hey, don't you dare do that again, ok? " Sakura warned a chuckling Ryuuzaki as he placed her down on her seat in her classroom, " Well, I dare to, but then, my precious Sakura would be angry, right? ", Ryuuzaki replied, as he ruffled Sakura's hair lightly. Ryuuzaki whispered something in Sakura's ear that made her blush pink, Tsubasa looked on at the two of them, and chuckled as she saw Sakura's ears turn pink.

After Ryuuzaki went off, Sakura giggled softly, as she clenched her pink gloves, " What did Amano-san tell you? ", Tsubasa asked, Sakura turned around, her eyes were big and surprised, " Erm, nothing much....... " Sakura lied, as Tsubasa chuckled heartily at Sakura's reaction.

As they made their way there, students gawked at them, whispering, pointing, and wondering where they were heading to. Ryuuzaki walked in front, paused several times to check that Sakura and Tsubasa was still with them. Ryuuzaki was silent as they walked on. Sakura looked on at Tsubasa with an inquiring look. Tsubasa shook her head, indicating that she did not know of where they were going. Suddenly, Sakura paused, and she winced, as a sudden pain coursed through her body. She hurried forward as she tried hard to ignore the pain within her.

Ryuuzaki turned back, and Sakura forced a smile on her face, though her body seemed to be showing him that she was unwell, her face was pale, and she was sweating, profusely. Ryuuzaki went up to her, and with no warning, had carried her to his shoulder, Sakura made a weak protest, but Ryuuzaki didn't seem to hear her.

" Are you ok, Sakura? " , Ryuuzaki asked, as he pushed opened the door to the library, his voice, sounded worried.

" Ummm, I think I'm going to be ok. " , Sakura replied, as Ryuuzaki placed her down at the end of the library, on a lush sofa made of leather. Yuki Tadashi was there, leaning on the one of the bookshelf, a half smiling half frowning expression on his face.

Sakura looked around her, the entire library was vacant, except the 4 of them there, Ryuuzaki stared at Sakura intently, as if trying hard to understand where the discomfort that she felt.

" Sakura, are you sure you're ok? " , Ryuuzaki asked, as Sakura curled up in her seat, her hands were clenched into fists, as she winced, he sat down next to her, and patted her shoulders softly.

" Yeah, I'm fine. " , Sakura lied, the pain increasing every other minute, her hamds that was clenched into fists, had turned white.

Ryuuzaki heaved a big sigh, and took out his phone, and dialled for Mr Kinomura. Mr Kinomura came in carrying a huge picnic basket, and along with him was Dr Nakamura.

" Miss Hoshino, are you sure you're alright? " , asked Dr Nakamura, as she went towards Sakura and felt her head, checking if she was having a fever, her head feels normal. so she went into a check up, while Mr Kinomura laid the lunches out on the table.

" Amano-kun, she's fine, but I've yet to understand the source of her pains, so I'll be needing a bloodtest from her, " , Dr Nakamura explained to Ryuuzaki.

At the thought of a upcoming bloodtest, Sakura hid behind one of the bookshelves, shuddering, " You never changed, do you, still afraid of bloodtest eh?! " , Yuki asked, and Sakura spun around, Yuki was standing behind her, as he chuckled loudly, Ryuuzaki took a glance at Sakura, then broke into laughter.

" You're afraid of anything with needles, aren't you? " , Ryuuzaki asked, trying hard to suppress laughter, Sakura nodded, " Well, you'll have your lunch, then I'll accompany y0u to have your blood taken , ok ? " Ryuuzaki answered, with a smile.

Sakura nodded, and as she walked towards Ryuuzaki, and everyone, the pain inside her doubled, and she sank onto the floor, her hands gripped the sides of the bookshelf as she tried to stand up. Ryuuzaki came to help her up, and noticed that Sakura was burning up. Her skin was burning hot, and she seemed to be struggling with her breathing, Dr Nakamura said something to Ryuuzaki that she couldn't hear, and with one last look at Ryuuzaki, she fell into the darkness.

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'Will you be with me ? ' A little girl lying in her bed asked the boy who was sitting in a chair looking at her, holding her hands tightly. The girl had tubes going all around her, and on her face, her mask was pumping oxygen into her.

The boy smiled at her, and replied,, " I'll be here, don't worry. " .

Ryuuzaki held onto Sakura's hands, as Dr Nakamura sped along the expressway, they were heading to the hospital. Sakura coughed, and blood came out of her mouth, Ryuuzaki's eyes filled up with tears, as he looked on at the girl lying in his arms. I promised I'll stay with you that time, but I didn't, I'm sorry, Ryuuzaki thought to himself, as tears flowed down his face. Yuki gripped Ryuuzaki's shoulder, hoping to calm him down.

" The traffic, of all times, you picked today for a traffic jam, damn it! " , Dr Nakamura exclaimed, hurling some expletives on the way, the roads was jammed with a dozen cars in the front, and the line was moving at a snail's pace. Ryuuzaki took off his blazer and wrapped it around Sakura, hoping it will reduce her temperature. He looked down at her, and wiped off the blood from her mouth, his shoulders shaking slightly as he cried.

" Tsubasa-chan, would you mind breaking the rules, and take us airborne? " Dr Nakamura asked, Tsubasa stared, then replied, " I'll try to do something about the cars in front, ok ", then she closed her eyes, and focused on the cars in front, then suddenly, the speed of the cars in front increased, because Tsubasa shifted the accident car to 1 side, of the kerb, ensuring a faster ride to the hospital.

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Dr Nakamura stopped the car outside the Emergency and Ambulance Center of Yoshida General Hospital, Ryuuzaki emerged from the car, with Sakura in his arms, and Tsubasa and Yuki followed on out, as Sakura coughed once more, more blood coming out.

Ryuuzaki ran up to one of the doctors, and requested, " Doctor, please help her! Please! ", the doctor took one look at her, went away to discuss with another doctor then came back, with a stretcher, and Ryuuzaki placed Sakura down, and Ryuuzaki was made to wait outside the room. Tsubasa dialled for Sakura's parents, requesting for them to come down to the hospital as soon as possible. Yuki sat down on one of the chairs, his face in his hands.

Ryuuzaki paced around, his mind on Sakura, he punched one of the signboards there in frustration, and Yuki had to calm him down, " She'll be alright ok, so please stop hurting yourself ok ! " , Yuki chided him, and Ryuuzaki sank slowly down into the ground.

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Inside the examination room, one of the nurses took Sakura's gloves off, and inserted 2 needles into her hands. The Chief Doctor, Dr Kazumi Kitamura stepped in, suited in a white lab coat, and her hands was in sterilized rubber gloves. She took a checkup on Sakura's status, and ordered the nurses to inject painkillers to her. Dr Kitamura took a needle, and drew some blood from Sakura, then sent the blood sample for testing.

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" What happened to Sakura? " , Mrs Hoshino asked upon seeing Tsubasa, " I'm Sakura Hoshino's mum, where's my daughter? " , Mrs Hoshino repeated again, to Tsubasa and Yuki, who was gawking at her, in shock, not believing that she was Sakura's mum. And with good reason, Mrs Hoshino has the physical appearance of a slim and shapely 20somethimg woman, she was decked in stylish clothes, and resembled those models from those glossy magazine spreads

Mrs Hoshino walked towards Ryuuzaki, " I trusted you to take good care of her, what happened? " , Ryuuzaki gave no answer, but just stared silently at the ground.

Dr Nakamura who went to enquire on Sakura's condition, explained the situation to Mrs Hoshino, who slowly calmed herself down. Ryuuzaki walked and paced around, his head spinning wildly, Sakura's suffering, but he cannot help her, or share her pain, but he can only watch by the sidelines, helplessly.

The school bell sounded, signalling the end of yet another boring History lesson by Mr Takana, the class burst into life, as Mr Takana left. The class had Physical Education every Tuesday and Wednesday, and today was their first P. E lesson. The class took their bags and headed to the Sports Hall to change.

Sakura gathered her stuff and went off with Tsubasa. As they were going to the Sports Hall, Sakura heard from the excited whispers from the girls that 1B is having P.E with them. Sakura's heart did a double flip, as she thought of Yuki Tadashi and Ryuuzaki in the swimming pool, in their swimming trunks, then tried hard not to think about it.

The both of them went into the lockers, placing their bags, and went into the toilet. Sakura took out her swimming costume, and sighed, her heart beating hard, and it was so audible that Tsubasa from the other cubicle heard it. Tsubasa chuckled nervously, as she went out of the cubicle.

Sakura went into the Swimming Hall with a towel wrapped around her, and saw the rest of the girls of her class gathering at the entrance of the Boys' Bathroom, Sakura laughed nervously, trying hard to calm herself down. She sank into one of the benches, and glanced around nervously, everyone was walking around in their swimming costumes, except her.

" Why are you wrapped in a towel, Little Miss Weird? ", Ryuuzaki asked, Sakura looked up and saw him, in his swimming trunks, his awesome physique was there before her.

" R-R-Ryuuzaki! " Sakura gasped, and Ryuuzaki laughed, " Don't scare me by appearing so suddenly! " , Sakura chided him, Ryuuzaki laughed even harder.

" I was here, looking at you since you sat down, and my dear Little Miss Weird is thinking again, were you thinking something lewd? " Ryuuzaki asked, and chuckled, as Sakura threaded him angrily, with her feet.

" Well, all the girls here are so pretty, and their bodies looks great in swimsuits. But not mine. " Sakura muttered, and Ryuuzaki heard it, and replied, " Well, if you must, they do look great, but I think you look better than them. "

Sakura walked off, into the locker room, and blushed, thinking of Ryuuzaki's words, she took off her towel, folded it, and walked slowly to the Swimming Hall.

As she approached Ryuuzaki, she was aware that all the boys in the Swimming Hall were gawking at her, so she hurried on her paces and hurried t0wards Ryuuzaki, only glancing at her feet as she went.

Ryuuzaki felt Sakura's embarrassment, and went towards her, smiling at her, and held her hand as she walked towards the benches. Sakura looked up at his smiling face and was comforted by his very presence, " See, I told you that they were going to stare at me? " Sakura uttered in an undertone, her face burning red, as she blushed.

Ryuuzaki chuckled, and replied, " Well, you should have heard what they were discussing about you, you are amazingly beautiful, and your body fits this swimsuit very well.".

A dark skinned beauty entered the Swimming Hall, her skin was tanned, her hair, was raven black, she resembled a princess from Aladdin, the only thing different that this lady was that she was wearibg her sweatshirt, and a whistle hung on her neck on a string. She face. Then she spoke.

" CLASS! PLEASE STAND UP! " She shouted, and the students from the 2 classes, stood up, and formed a line. " Those who can swim, please enter the pool, and those who can't, well go grab a partner, ", her voice was very masculine, unlike her physical appearance. Ryuuzaki strided over to her, and discussed about something that Sakura couldn't hear, then he went towards Sakura, smiling.

" You, are going to learn swimming, from, me! ", Ryuuzaki exclaimed, excitedly, as he pushed Sakura into the pool. Sakura gasped, her arms flailing wildly, as she struggled to keep her head above the water surface, The pool was 1.5 meters deep, and Sakura is only 141cm tall! Ryuuzaki was in the pool, and suddenly he emerged, in front of Sakura, holding her hands, as he paddled with his legs, thus keeping her afloat.

Sakura opened her eyes to see Ryuuzaki in front of her, smiling, " I want to learn to swim, not learn to drown, you idiot! ", Sakura scolded, trying to break from Ryuuzaki's tight grasp.

" If I were to let your hands go, you'll drown, you know, ", Ryuuzaki said, and Sakura relaxed, " Now, I want you to kick, your legs, up and down in the water, " , Ryuuzaki continued, and Sakura followed, softly at first, then harder.

Ryuuzaki Amano, just what am I to you? Sakura wondered, as she continued paddling, basking in Ryuuzaki's warm smile, unable to not look into his kind aquamarine eyes.

" Now, use your hands to push away the water, don't worry, I'll be here for you . " Ryuuzaki said, reassuring Sakura as she stared at him, with her blue-green eyes.

Sakura tried as Ryuuzaki held her hands, her heart racing. Ryuuzaki beamed at her, and Sakura tried harder, noticing that the rest in the pool were staring at the two of them. Tsubasa was trying hard to swim, with the aid of Yuki Tadashi, Sakura chuckled to herself, and Ryuuzaki gave an inquiring look.

Sakura shrugged and continued on with swimming with Ryuuzaki for the rest of the lesson. Sakura wasn't sure of her feelings towards Ryuuzaki, it's comforting being near him, and when's she's away from him, her heart yearns very much of him.

As the lesson drew to an end, Sakura was completely exhausted, she had been paddling in the water for an hour, and Ryuuzaki laughed, as he pulled her out of the pool.

Sakura scowled, and grabbed the towel handed to her by Mrs Kinoshita, who gave her a wink.

As Sakura grabbed her stuff in the locker room, she heard girls gossiping about Ryuuzaki and her, " Hey, did you guys saw how Ryuuzaki treated Sakura? ' , " Yea, who does that heterochromic idiot think she is anyway, sticking to the Prince like that..... " , another girl replied, Sakura hid behind her locker, not wanting to seen be seen as the girls rattled on. Sakura thought of Ryuuzaki as a tear fell swiftly off her face.

Ryuuzaki was in the showers when he noticed his gloves was producing weak pink sparks of Electricity, and he rushed out, wearing his clothes in a hurry. His shirt was unbuttoned, and his hair was still wet.

Tsubasa walked out of the showers, and noticed that Sakura's stuff was all over the place, and her school books laid scattered all over the floor. She heard a gaggle of girls laughing, from the swimming hall, and went out to take a look. Sakura was in the pool, and she was underwater, as the gaggle of girls chanted, " Haha, well, here lies the great Sakura Hoshino, healer of Yoshida City. She was a great girl with great gifts, but too bad, cos we did her in! ".

Ryuuzaki was standing there, with Mrs Kinoshita, who was fuming, Ryuuzaki dived into the pool, and hoisted a soaking Sakura in her uniform, and she wasn't breathing.

He pinced her nose and attended CPR to her, but still, there was no response. Ryuuzaki bended down and gave her Mouth to Mouth Resuscitation. He felt her hands for pulse, and she suddenly sputtered water, sat up right, and looked away, her face, blushing, red as a tomato.

The footage of what the girls did to her was caught on CCTV and they were sentenced with 2 months of detentions. Te

Ryuuzaki carried her to Dr Nakamura's office, on the way there, he suddenly asked, " Eh? Little Miss Weird was blushing eh, just now, after that Cpr thingy eh? "

Sakura, kept her silence, and was looking at the sky, not wanting to reply to him.

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" ARRGGGH! Ryuuzaki, that Prince! ", Sakura exclaimed, in the middle of the class, as she woke up from her slumber. The entire class stared at her then burst into laughter, even the usually calm and collected Mrs K chuckled. Sakura stared at Tsubasa and asked, " What have I said? ".

" You went 'Oh Ryuuzaki, my prince, how doth I love you so ? ' and then you woke up. ", Tsubasa replied, trying hard not to laugh. The entire class was in chaos, laughing away like a nest full of mocking birds.

"Sorry! ", Sakura muttered sitting back down, and the class resumed back into session. Sakura sat uneasily in her chair, as she struggled to stay awake. Mrs K was going on about the Human populations, and mortality rates, and Sakura listened intently, focusing hard on Mrs K's lesson, not wanting a repeat of the fiasco just now.

The recess bell rang, and as Mrs K dismissed the class, the classroom door slid open, and Ryuuzaki was standing here, in his pose, his blazer slung on his shoulder, as he clutched it with one hand. the girls in class shrieked in unison, Ryuuzaki whispered something to Mrs K, and Mrs K nodded, then turned to Sakura, and motioned her to come to the front.

Sakura stood up from her seat, as she walked towards Mrs K, she was suddenly aware that the whole class was gawking at her. " Hey Little Miss Weird, please accompany me to the school library, Tsukino-san also, " , Ryuuzaki said, and the 3 of them left.

" Hey, are you ready to go now, Little Miss Weird? ", asked Ryuuzaki, his voice, coming from outside Sakura's room, Sakura sat in front of the dresser, combing her black hair, " I'm done in a minute. ", answered Sakura as she straightened her uniform, grabbed her school bag, and stepped out of the room. Sakura was given a new set of uniform, her uniform before was stained with her blood, and the blood refused to fade no matter how the maids tried to clean it.

Ryuuzaki stared at Sakura, as they were going down the stairs, there was something different about her that Ryuuzaki couldn't quite pin his finger on. Then he realised that she was actually anticipating to go back to school. She hummed a soft tune as she twirled around in the large porch, occasionally staring back at Ryuuzaki with a bright smile on her face.

" Are you always this cheerful and hyper to go back to school, aren't you afraid of the bullies might come and get you? ", Ryuuzaki asked, as the long limousine pulled into the driveway. Sakura stopped twirling, and stared at Ryuuzaki.

There was an awkward silence as Mr Kinomura drove off, Sakura sat beside Ryuuzaki, both of their bags stting in between them.

" Well, I'm trying to forget the bad things and remain happy, " , replied Sakura, with a smile.

---------------------------------------------------

The long limousine cruised into the school gates, something that Ryuuzaki requested to do, as he came out of the car, with Sakura on his shoulder, Sakura looked at the students who are gawking at the two of them and smiled, then punched Ryuuzaki hard on his shoulder, and he placed her down.

" Pl;ease don't do that anymore. " , Sakura said, as she treaded Ryuuzaki's foot hard, " Are you out of your mind?! I can walk now, you know. ", Sakura continued as she was taking her books out from her locker, Ryuuzaki looked at her, as she rolled her eyes at him and he burst out, laughing.

Sakura saw Tsubasa Tsukino, and went forward to say hi, leaving Ryuuzaki there, still chuckling.

Yuki Tadashi's locker was next to Ryuuzaki's and he arrived to school, seeing him, chuckling as he whistled a little tune, and got out his books, Yuki tapped his on his shoulder, Ryuuzaki spun around, and asked, " Oh, it's you? What do you want? ".

Yuki, from his contact with Ryuuzaki, had seen his memories, and realized that Ryuuzaki was a part of Sakura's missing memories, and knew that someone had altered Sakura's memories.

" Hey, you're the missing part of her memory, the big blank part from when she was 2 years old, until she was 6, right? " asked Yuki, and from the look of Ryuuzsaki's face, he's right.

" How did you know that ? ", Ryuuzaki asked, as he sank down into the benches there, " No one knows about this. ", He paused, as he took Yuki somewhere private, where they are no eavesdroppers.

The both of them reached the roof of the school, and Yuki finally answers him, " Well, I can see your memories with one touch, just now, when I tapped your shoulder, I saw all your memories, including those with Sakura in it. " .

Ryuuzaki heaved a big sigh and said, " You do know that she's very vulnerable right? ", to this, Yuki nodded, and Ryuuzaki continued, " Can you promise me that you'll never reveal anything about her missing past to her? Her parents told her that she was in a car accident that caused the missing memories. "

Yuki could see that Ryuuzaki was serious about Sakura and he replied, " Ok, i won't tell her a thing, but please be true about not leaving her, if you make her cry because of you, I'lll really make you pay! ", there was fierceness in his voice.

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As Tsubasa and Sakura chatted while going up to their classroom, the girls around them were casting weird looks at Sakura then, whispering back, to their friends.

Sakura opened the classroom door to find Hanabishi Mai staring at her, then Mai went up to her, bowed deeply, and apologized, Sakura was shocked, then smiled at her, " It's ok, I know what it feels like, " . Mai took a step back, utterly shocked at her forgiveness.

" You're not mad at me? " , asked Mai, and to her utter shock, she shook her head, then replied, " To fight for the one you love takes courage, and I admire you for that. " .

" But, I poisoned you, " cried Mai, tears falling down her face, from guilt and sadness, Sakura smiled again, and replied, " Thanks for curing me, I should say that, ".

Sakura stood up, and hugged Mai, and whispered, " Let's forget about this, ok? ", Mai nodded, as she calmed down.

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During the lessons, Tsubasa noticed that Sakura was putting a lot of energy into staying awake. t There were some instances where she fell alsleep then suddenly jolted up in surprise, then continued with the lessons after apologizing to the teacher. But during mathematics, she fell asleep, and Miss Nanohana didn't even bothered waking her up. The boys in the class expressed their unhappiness towards the teacher's bias attitude, but then, Sakura woke up, and the boys were silenced by Mrs Nanohana, who was teaching the class about algebra. The rest of the teachers didn't seem to mind that she was asleep, and continued teaching the class.

Juubei and company scowled as they glanced in the direction of her, they have a long sentence of dententions for them, and Principal Hoshimura had clearly expressed her desire to protect Sakura, that she made a rule about it. Juubei wsas angry that he didn't get the chance of getting back to Ryuuzaki Amano. His hands curled into fists, as he thought about it.

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" DIING DOONG ", the recess bell went off, waking up a sleeping Sakura, as Mr Yoshimoto left the classroom. Sakura suddenly remembered that she didn't pack her lunch today , as the maids in Ryuuzaki's mansion didn't let her cook, or do anything.

" Little Miss Weird, ", Ryuuzaki called out to her, and she chuckled, and saw that Ryuuzaki was standng at the doorway of the class. He wasn't wearing his blazers and the girls in the class, all stared at him, as he posed in the door way like a model, holding his blazer with one hand, showing off his beautiful physique.

" You, are going off with me for lunch, ok? ", Ryuuzaki asked, as he threw Sakura on his shoulder, the boys of the class was awestruck by his strength, impressed by him.

Sakura kicked and struggled violently, " Hey, I can walk, you know?! ", she exclaimed.

Ryuuzaki chuckled loudly, and said, " Well, you might run away then! ", as he ascended up the stairs, and opened the door to the very windy roof of the school, Yuki Tadashi stood there with Tsubasa.

" Eh? Yuu-chan?? ", Sakura asked, as Ryuuzaki placed her down, " What are you doing here? " , asked Sakura, her blue-green eyes staring at him, Tsubasa looked on at the two of them and chuckled softly.

" Well, Amano-kun invited me here, " , Yuki replied, as Sakura glanced around the roof, as though waiting for something to happen.

" Ne, Little Miss Weird is hungry, isn't she? ", asked Ryuuzaki, as he sat down on a pinic mat, and Mr Kinomoto hurriedly laid out a feast fit for a king.

There was a large sushi platter, a tempura platter, a large bowl of seasoned jellyfish, and 4portions of fish and chips, and lastly, ice cold mango sorbet for dessert, Sakura sank to the ground, and didn't know where to start.

Ryuuzaki glanced at Sakura and tried not to laugh as Sakura reached out for the fish and chips, an expression of joy and happiness was apparent on her face.

Ryuuzaki watched Sakura intently as she sat there, enjoying her food as his memories took him back ......

" Wow, there's so much food! ", cried a tiny girl, walking into the dining hall, " Yea, and you can have whatever you want here, " , a young Ryuuzaki replied, smiling at the girl. She clambered on to one of the dining chairs, and Ryuu laughed, she was obviously too short to be seen on the table. " Hey, Ryuu-kun, can you please pass me the fish and chips? ", and her little hands waved in the air.........

Sakura and Ryuu ate quietly as they listened to the conversation between Tsubasa and Yuki. The two chatted endlessly, swiftly going to one topic to another.

-------------------------------------------------------

The recess bell sounded, and Ryuuzaki placed her Sakura down on to her seat, and was going to leave when Sakura whispered, " Thanks for the meal, and thanks for being here. ".

Ryuuzaki smiled, rustled her hair, and went back to his classroom, leaving half a dozen of girls staring at Sakura, and enquiring her of where she went and stuff.

But before she could comment and tell them of what happened, Mrs Kinomoto strided in with a pile of books, and smiled at Sakura as she laid the books down at the teacher's table.

" Class, you guys will be having swimming lessons for P.E tomorrow, go and get your school swimming costume at the School's Uniform shop, and I say this again, as I have done so for the last 2 yyears of teaching at this school. NO bikinis are allowed, only School swimming costumes are allowed ! " , Mrs Kinomoto announced and it caused a big commotion in class.

Amidst the chaos, Sakura sat there, fretting over tomorrow's swimming lesson, she can't swim and she panicked whether the class will laugh at her or not, Tsubasa leaned over from her table and asked, ' You don't know how to swim, do you? '

Sakura nodded nervously, and Tsubasa smilm md, " Actually, me too, ' , she replied.

" Tsukino-chan too? ", asked Sakura, incredulously, staring at Tsubasa, Tsubasa chuckled, and nodded.

" Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one........ " Sakura muttered, and Tsubasa chuckled.

The rest of the lesson was spent in class, listening to Mrs Kinomoto teaching about Geography, Sakura sat in her seat, her mind still worrying about swimming, and swimming costumes and the reaction of the class.

" Sakura, Sakura, HOSHINO SAKURA! ", Mrs Kinomoto shouted, and Sakura snapped back to her senses, realising that the whole class was staring at her, " Please answer this question on the whiteboard. ", Mrs Kinomoto continued, as Sakura stood up, and went up to the board.

Juubei stared at Sakura from the back of the class, silently wishing Sakura could get the answer wrong. And as Sakura went back to her seat, Sakura caught Juubei's eyes, scowled in his direction, and sat back down in her seat, which was near the wind0w.

Mrs K read Sakura's answer, and she clapped loudly and exclaimed, " Wow, it's right, and all the points are written and explained, carefully, and clearly. " , the class stared at her even harder, wondering, how she could have done that when she was clearly thinking of other things.

-------------------------------------------

The class yawned in unision as Mr Takana went on, about the 1870s civil war in Japan. Sakura laid her head to the table, and still worrying of the swimming class tomorrow. She shifted uneasily in her chair, yawned, and looked out of the window, the fluffy white clouds that was there today morning had turned into menacing grey coloured ones, signalling that it's going to be a wet evening.

Mr Takana was the most boring History teacher ever, as he yakked on in his monotone voice, half of the class was asleep, and the sky rumbled, as a thunder flashed in the sky.

Sakura sat, staring at the sky, wishing for the lesson to end, so that she can go home, to rest. And wanting to get back to her own home, own room.

" Class, you're dismissed "Mr Takana announced, and the class wakes up, and the entire school buzzed into life, as the sound of pushing chairs, chatting students, and footsteps sounded thorough the entire school.

Ryuuzaki stood at the front door of the class, waiting for Sakura to emerge from the class. Sakura carried her bag, and rushed out from the back door, neglecting Ryuuzaki.

Sakura ran as fast as she could, as Ryuuzaki chased after her. Being small in size, Sakura weaved through the human traffic of the school corridors, while Ryuuzaki was left behind, blocked by the people.

Sakura paused and leaned against her locker, as she took a deep breath And looked back, hoping Ryuuzaki was far behind her.

Ryuuzaki stood in front of Sakura and threw her up, on to his shoulder as Sakura protested, wildly.

" Don't do that again, please! ", asked Ryuuzaki, as a tear fell from his face, Sakura was in shock, then muttered softly, "Sorry.... ".

The limousine waited there in front of the school gate, and the female students were gathering around, waiting for Ryuuzaki's arrival.

Ryuuzaki was sighted by the girls from a distance, they perked up, but, as he carried Sakura to the limousine, the girls sulked and dispersed, discussing frantically on who was the lucky girl on his shoulder.

Ryuuzaki placed Sakura dfown in the car, and went in, himself, and Mr Kinomura drove off. TAhere was an awkward silence as MrKinomura drove, until, Ryuuzaki suddenly asked, " Why did you run away, even though you saw that I was there? ".

Sakura glanced at Ryuuzaki, who was looking out of the window, and replied, " I'm glad that you're here and all. But do you know that what you're doing ids inviting stares and mocking from the girls? ".

Ryuuzaki looked at Sakura then suddenly hugged her, and said to her as she struggled, " I'm your knight in shining armout, and I want to p;rotect you, so now, I have a plan. ", and lets Sakura go.

Ryuiuzaki takes out from his bag, a pairof pink gloves, that is identical to Ryuuzaki, " Wear this, then I can be sure that you're safe. ".

" How is this going to let you know that I'm safe? " , Sakura asked, strapping on the gloves, as he glanced back at him, there was some sarcasm in her voice,

" Concentrate, on a image of a person that matters most to you, ", Ryuuzaki requested, and Sakura did as she was asked to, she closed her eyes, and concentrated, focusing on the people sheloved. images of them appearing in her mind, suddenly, as though Ryuuzaki's gloves were charged with electricity, his gloves emitted pink sparks of electricity.

Sakura opened her eyes and saw that pink sparks, was emitting from her own gloves too. Ryuuzaki stared at her, and Sakura scowled, and questioned, " Thanks for the gloves, do I have to wear it all the time, even while having Swimming lessons ? ".

Ryuuzaki nodded, then chuckled, " You don't know how to swim do you? ", Ryuuzaki asked, and a nervous Sakura nodded.

Ryuuzaki laughed, and went digging in his bag again, and pulled out a School swimming costume that has the word 'sakura ' written at the back.

Sakura gasped and snatched it from Ryuuzaki, and went curling up uin her seat, in the corner.

" Ryuuzaki, you stupid idiot. Where did you get your hands on this? ", asked Sakura, her voice, shaking with embarrassment, as she threw her books at Ryuuzaki.

Ryuuzaki laughed, and replied, " Well, you forgot to collect it, and I thought I'll help you get it. ".

-----------------------------------------------------------

The morning sun pierced through the thick clouds, casting a shadow behind Sakura and Ruuzaki as they strolled toward school without the luxury of the limousine. The limousine had broken down, on their way to school, Mr Kinomura had to send for a tow truck. The limousine was a really old model, and it had to be sent to a specialist.

Ryuuzaki swept Sakura off her feet and onto his shoulder as a group of screaming fan girls approached him, and hurried up into the school buildings, and up the stairs.

Sakura struggled helplessly against his iron grip. and he finally put her down, in her chair, ruffled her hair and whispered, " I'll be seeing you later, ", and winked at her then leftthe classroom.

" Sakura-chan, get back, I'm going to give them a taste of what they deserve, " A young boy told her, The boy was about the same height as her, and his hair was as dark as ebony, his eyes, was aquamarine, a sight that she had gotten so used to. The boy looked on at her, and smiled a bright smile, as she took 2 steps back, He strapped on his gloves and........... "

Sakura thrashed around, and opened her eyes, she was in a room, the ceilings were high up, and a crystal chandelier hung beautifully in the center of it, Ryuuzaki had fallen asleep, his head resting on the side of the bed Sakura was resting at. Her hands were connected with IV tubes, she noticed, painfully, as she tried to get out of the bed. Ryuuzaki stirred in his sleep, and held on to her left hand, tightly.

The dream that she had, disturbed her, Who's the boy, and why did he look so remarkably like Ryuuzaki Amano? She wondered.

A nurse, dressed in white came in, along with a maid, dressed in a Lolita styled maid outfit, pushing a trolley full of food, drinks, and the entire set of Fruits Basket manga that Ryuuzaki bought for her.

The nurse went to the side of the room, and grabbed a large needle and went towards her, Sakura stared at her, and the nurse replied, " Hoshino-san, time for your injections, ", to Sakura's pleading stares.

" Erm, I don't think I need it, " , Sakura protested, shaking her head, Ryuuzaki was woken up by her loud protest.

He held her hand and whispered softly in her ear, " Sakura, I make sure that it'll not hurt, ok. ", and he held on to her left hand tightly, and as the nurse injected her, there was no pain.

Sakura opened her eyes, and realized that it didn't hurt at all. " Hey, where are we? ", Sakura asked, as she looked around her, the sun shone brightly from the window.

" You're in my house, you silly girl, ", Ryuuzaki said, and he chuckled loudly. He took a bowl of soup, and gestured for Sakura to eat.

" Erm, what happened to Mai Hanabishi? ", Sakura asked, as she took a little mouthful of soup.
Sakura stared at Ryuuzaki, her mind was still on the incident that happened yesterday, that change in his character was shocking, Ryuuzaki looked on at her with a puzzled look on his face.

" Erm, I'll tell you later, when there's a smile on your face instead of this serious one, ok. " , Ryuuzaki replied, as he rustled her hair with his hand. " You'd better eat first, or else, I won't tell you anything ok, ", Ryuuzaki said, as he stood up, and left the room.

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A maid wheeled her out of the room, and as they were going through the long corridors, Sakura's jaws dropped at the vast space of this house, the corridors were long and had long windows. There was a beautiful garden, and in the center, a magnificent water feature stood in the center of it, Ryuuzaki was resting in the garden under the shade from an umbrella. He wore a wkite coloured long sleeved shirt and the last few buttons on his shirt was unbuttoned, showing off his awesome body.

Ryuuzaki smiled at Sakura as the maid wheeled him to her. " You live here, in this castle? ", Sakura asked, and Ryuuzaki nodded, smiling, then burst into laughter at the look of Sakura's expression.

Sakura scowled at him, and asked, " Are you going tell me about what happened yesterday or not? What happened back there, what happened to you and your change in your character? ", her voice was impatient and irritated, as she sat with her arms crossed in front of her, looking and waiting for an answer from him.

Ryuuzaki smiled, and replied, " Sakura, what happened yesterday was an accident, and it would never happen again, Mai Hanabishi was my primary school mate, and she has the reputation of Poison Mai, as she can secrete a deadly poison to the enemy's body with one touch. And she is the one with the antidote within her. ", he paused, and his face was in his hands, " I never knew she would do something like that to you, but I'm really sorry that she did.... " , Ryuuzaki now turned to face Sakura, his kind aquamarine eyes were brimming up with tears.

Sakura was stunned, then she reached out her right hands, and wiped the tears off, " Idon't blame you for what happened, and you came, twice, in fact, " , she said, " That I'm happy, but, what am I to you? Why do you go through to this lengths to save me, just what am I to you anyways? We barely just known each other! " .

Ryuuzaki just sat there, with his face in his hands, and suddenly looked up at Sakura, sand a weak smile appeared there, and he replied, " Something of utmost importance to me, you dazzle me with your attitude in school yesterday. Most girls on knocking into me, would apologize profusely, then run off. You, on the other hand, hid your feelings, like a turtle would hide in it's shell. Your attitude attracted me to you, and that's why I knew who would take advantage of you, " .

Sakura sat there, unable to reply him, her heart ached for this guy sitting in front of her, and another side of her was in shock, that , not only was she not a "Freak " in this guy's eyes, but she's one of utmost importance.

Ryuuzaki sat in silence, his mind , racing, " I can't tell her of the past we shared, I can only try my best now to keep Sakura as safe as possible. There will be a time in our lives that she will regain her memory, so my mission is to protect her till she reaches that time. " , he thought, as he glanced at the look on her face, a mix between an embarrassed face and a scowl.

Sakura noticed Ryuuzaki's eyes on her, snapped back into reality, and smiled politely at him, and Ryuuzaki asked, " Eh? Little Miss Weird is thinking ? That's a first! ", as he burst into laughter.

Sakura threw him a look and he stopped laughing, " I want to know about your change last night, your attitude, your powers, and why did you get charged up like that, Mai was your friend, do you really want her to die?! ", Sakura asked, there was a hint of fear in her voice.

Ryuuzaki looked at her for some form of understanding glance or anything, but she looked away defiantly, " I have anger issues, when someone of my love is hurt or in pain, I turn into another person, without my knowing, thank god, the Yoshida City SACAD was there, or I would have gone on, destroying the entire place. " , he paused, and he glanced at Sakura, who now was listening intently and staring at him.

Ryuuzaki stared at Sakura, and asked, " Aren't you afraid of me? ", his aquamarine eyes shone, Sakura smiled, and shook her head, " Well, do you think you are? I don't you are ,though, I think you're just mistaken, and not understood. ", and she chuckled melodiously.

Ryuuzaki was taken aback by Sakura's answer, he stared at her as she sipped some tea, " Sakura, you're the only one I treasure, and I will never let you get hurt, ", he thought, as he laid back into the chair, and rested, as a breeze blew through the garden.

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Sakura crept off her bed, and went off on her feet, dragging the IV tubes stand along with her, before she left, she placed a note beside her bed.

The note read,

Gone to explore this place, will inform your Master of where I went, Thanks.
Sakura Hoshino,

The maid who was her caretaker, was shocked of her disappearance, and immediately informed Ryuuzaki of her disappearance. Ryuuzaki was in the library of his house when he got news of it. He went out, and informed every maid of her statistics, and then, to call him when she was sighted.

Sakura was wandering around the west wing of the house, and was looking out at the magnificent swimming pool, from a balcony on the 3rd floor. She took a deep breath of the chlorine smelling air and inhaled it, trying to take in the things that happened for the past 2 days. Sakura looked up at the stars, and traced the shapes of the numerous constellations in the sky, and she saw Orion, the Hunter, and saw the three stars on his belt, she traced the shape of him with her fingers, and closed her eyes as she took in the magic of this place.

It still feels unreal to her, all this things that keep unraveling to her, her Prince that she'd dreamed of, the people in the school. Everything that she had been through in the past 2 days, was like a dream, a dream that she didn't want to wake up from. And a tear fell down from her face, and she sank to the ground. Tears that she couldn't help stop, and the people that she had wanted to say thanks to, but could not get it out of her chest.

Ryuuzaki looked up from the swimming pool, and saw her there, with her face in her hands, the IV tube stand behind, shaking. He rushed up the stairs, and went to the balcony, and stood there, as Sakura sat there, crying. He stood there, not wanting to make a sound, he wanted so much to comfort her, to make her feel safe, but there was nothing he could do about it. " GO AWAY! ", she cried, not wanting to look at him.

He bent down to her level and hugged her, " LET ME GO! ", Sakura cried, but Ryuuzaki did not let go.

Sakura calmed down considerably, and br0ke off from hm, and ran away, pulling the Iv tube stand with her. Ryuuzaki ran after her, trying to understand why she was crying.

" Please don't come nearer, I don't want anyone to see me when I'm weak and crying. ", Sakura shouted, from her room, as she hid behind the blinds, looking down at the garden, where they spent the afternoon.

"You're not weak, instead, you're one of the strongest girl I've known, " , Ryuuzaki called out from outside the room, " Now, can you please tell me why you're crying? ".

" The way you're treating me, the way that everything that has suddenly happened, the way it is, it's so unreal, and painful, like it's a dream, and the dream is about to end, and I'm fighting hard trying to prolong the dream, not wanting to return back into my horrible life, without my Knight in shining armour. " , Sakura exclaimed, and her voice full of tears and sadness, as she broke down.

Ryuuzaki opened the door and sat down at the empty bed, knowing where Sakura was hiding, " Knight, in shining armour? I won't go away, even if I am forced to, Iwon't leave my Sakura alone with those bullies in the school. ", Ryuuzaki said, trying to assure her.

A head poked out from the blinds, and asked, " Really? ", and Ryuuzaki replied, " Yes. " , not turning to look at her, and Sakura came out, and sank into a bow, and uttered softly, " Thank you " .

Ryuuzaki was lost in his train of thoughts, until Sakura's word's snapped him back, " What do you mean ' don't worry about you' ? ", Sakura asked, " Do you really think I can do that? After what you've done, Juubei and his gang are probably furious, and planning a revenge on you! ", she exclaimed, her voice, weak and soft, as she tried to hold back her tears.

" Well, they're nothing, as long as you're alright! ", Ryuuzaki said, as he smiled sweetly. " Look, I'll be fine, ok. Anyway, if they were to attack me, I'll electrocute them, ", his gloves, producing purple sparks.

Sakura tilted her head backwards, to prevent her tears from falling, Ryuuzaki looked out of the window, his mind drifting back to his childhood..................

" Hey, Sakura-chan, please don't cry, ", a little boy pleaded to a little girl, both of their ages looked the same, except for the fact that the little girl's eyes were framed with large round spectacles that made her blue-green eyes seem larger. " No, i'm not crying, ", the little girl said, beaming.

" Sakura-chan, don't kid me, I know what you're doing when you tilt your head back, ok. ", the young Ryuuzaki said, the little girl giggled loudly, and exclaimed, " Ryuu-kun, I can't lie to you, can I? "

The limousine pulled up to a halt and Mr Kinomura opened the door for Ryuuzaki, and as he came out, he looked up, and saw the long stairway that lead to Sakura's family shrine, and muttered, " Things never change eh, ".

Ryuuzaki carried Sakura as they went up the stairs, with Mr Kinomura helping with Sakura's stuff.

" Sakura Hoshino, I promise you that you'll be alright, and so will I. ", Ryuuzaki assured her as they reached the shrine.

Sakura gave Ryuuzaki a swift kiss on his cheek, and went in, her heart beating so tremendously fast. What the hell have I done? She thought to herself, as she closed the gates, slowly, not wanting to make noise.

A scream pierced the air, as Ryuuzaki was descending from the stairs. The familiarity of the scream shocked Ryuuzaki as he sprinted up the stairs, broke the door, and searched the area for Sakura. But she was nowhere to be found. Mrs Hoshino came rushing out of the kitchen, and gasped when she laid her eyes on Ryuuzaki.

" Amano-san? ", Mrs Hoshino asked, recognizing him.

Ryuuzaki replied, " Yea, did you hear the scream just now? Sakura's gone! ". He noticed a piece of Post It sticking on the gate, picked it up and read it.

The note read,

" Ryuuzaki Amano, do you really think that you can protect your dear Priestess? Haha, as if we'll let you win. Sakura is with us now, if you want to get her, unscathed, please come to the below address, alone.

Yoshida Industrial Estate, Block 256, Shueisha Department, 3rd floor, "