The New Teacher

Chapter 35

Sakura's Point of View

I didn't feel right walking away and leaving Syaoran simmering there like that. I didn't like that he was angry at me, and I wanted all of our problems to just go away but I also didn't feel right leaving Yelan and Minghua like that either. I knew there was something wrong with Yelan's story. There was something that Minghua had never told her.

I reached the corner where Syaoran's father had disappeared and stopped, wondering which way he'd gone. I scanned the area and saw the place he might've run off to. It was a quaint little café that didn't seem like his style at all. Which is why he would be there now, hiding so that no one would see him with his emotions out of check.

I dashed across the street and glanced in the window. I had to look hard to spot him, but sure enough, he was there—sitting in the corner seat, furthest away from the window, rubbing his temples harshly with two fingers.

I went into the small shop and ordered a latte, then went over to Minghua's table and sat down across from him. He glanced up in surprise, then gathered himself and stared at me icily.

"What are you doing here?" he asked abruptly, wringing his hands together as discreetly as he could.

I took a sip of my latte, taking my time swallowing. Then I set it down and wiped the foam away from my lip delicately with a napkin. I could see him holding back from strangling me. It was odd. I'd seen that look many times on Syaoran. I guess they were kind of alike, in a way.

Hopefully Syaoran will never know that thought crossed my mind.

"I'm here," I started slowly, "because I want to hear your side of the story."

"What story?" His gaze was still cold.

I narrowed my own eyes and fixed him with my chilly stare. "You know perfectly well which story I'm talking about. Now cough it up."

He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, no longer afraid to show that he was so irritated with me he could just pick up my hot coffee and throw it in my face.

"I won't leave you alone until you tell me," I warned.

He met my eyes and saw my pursed lips and knew that I was serious. He sighed, rubbed his temples one last time, and then sucked in a breath.

"We—"

"I know the first part. You were so in love. Syaoran made your world perfect. Then you cheated. No?" I interjected before he could even start.

He ground his teeth, shaking his head. I took another sip of my coffee.

"I didn't cheat. Not until she did," he spat.

I raised my eyebrows. A change in the story already.

"She started avoiding me one day. She wouldn't look at me, and she was never home. So one day, I decided to follow her." He licked his lips, recalling a bitter memory. "And I found that she was running off to meet some guy. They talked in whispers and she kept giggling excitedly."

I hid my smile. I know I shouldn't really have been smiling, but I was already putting the pieces together from Yelan's story to fit this one.

"I couldn't believe it. She was seeing some other guy. And there I was, thinking we were so completely in love. I felt . . ." He stiffened, suddenly guarded. Then he let his gaze wander to mine and something in my eyes told him he could trust me. His frame loosened again. "I felt so stupid." His voice was a whisper.

"So you ran off and cheated on Yelan to even the playing field," I continued for him. The smile was disappearing. Knots in my stomach were replacing it. Their relationship could have still been going on today, they could've been that adorable older couple if it weren't for one misunderstanding. It nearly brought tears to my eyes, but I shook them away. There wasn't time for this.

"I didn't mean to—it was—I wasn't—" he cut himself off with a frustrated sigh, running his hand over his salt and pepper hair. "It wasn't supposed to go on forever. It was just supposed to be one night. But then, the next day, Yelan was acting all cool and distant. So I reacted the same way. And the affairs continued." He clamped his fingers together until his knuckles turned white.

"And then Daisuke-kun came," I went on.

"I didn't expect that to happen. But what I really didn't expect was his mother dying two months later!" There was a wild look in his dark eyes that said he was reliving that day in his mind. "I didn't want to just give him to some crowded, filthy Chinese orphanage, and there was nowhere for him to go in Japan. So . . . I asked Yelan to take care of him. I was desperate. More desperate than I'd like to admit. Especially to you," he added, as if for safety. I smiled innocently back at him. "When we found out the girl was pregnant, things between Yelan and I became even chillier. When Daisuke was born, icier still. And then it just built up and we started seeing each other maybe once a year, not even. When Syaoran left, we stopped talking completely." He shrugged, his eyes in a faraway place. "This is the first time I've seen her since then."

"You haven't seen each other in that long?" I exclaimed.

"When you're who we are, and were, and something like that happens between you . . ." He shook his head a tiny bit. "Something inside of you dies."

"So what, you stopped believing in love completely and decided to hunt Syaoran down and try to crush his soul as well?" Now I was suddenly getting angry. "Why did you became such a ruthless man?"

"I just told you!" His words were a rumble ripped from his throat. "You can't beg me to tell you and then just get pissed!"

"I have a right to be pissed! You almost killed me, you ruined my boyfriend's life, you tricked me, you took my boyfriend away from me, and then before I even knew he was back you crept into his room and tried to like, convert him again! Even though he rejects you every time! God, you're like a teenage girl!" I thrust my finger towards the arm with the new found cut. "Hell, you even cut me! Like, literally!"

"Blame Yelan!" he yelled, and then bit down on his lip, hard.

"Do not blame me!"

I blinked, realizing a new voice had entered the conversation. I looked behind me, and hiding behind the wall leading to the bathroom, was Yelan. She stepped out from her hiding place, looking furious. Minghua went white. Then he flashed a glare at me. "You planned this?"

"No," I stammered. "I didn't know she was here."

As Minghua opened his mouth to yell at me some more, Yelan cut him off. "She didn't bring me along. I followed her."

Minghua stood, gritting his teeth. "Do you understand why everything is your fault now, Yelan?"

"No, I now see why it's your fault," she spat back.

"What?"

Their voices were rising in anger.

"You two never even shared your stories with each other, did you? You didn't even talk about your problems!" I shouted, getting to my feet suddenly too.

"I knew what happened, I didn't need to! It was obvious what her message was!" Minghua yelled back, anger masking the hurt in his voice.

"You have no idea what happened, you imbecile!" Yelan spat loudly.

"So tell me what happened!"

"I wasn't cheating with that man when you saw me!"

Minghua was taken aback. "What else could you have possibly been doing?"

"I was planning a romantic evening for the two of us in Paris for your birthday!"

All the shouting from our little corner had made the entire shop go quiet. All eyes were on us. I saw the man behind the counter start coming out to break it up, but I shook my head frantically at him.

Minghua's eyes were wide, his pupils small. His mouth hung open. ". . .What?"

"You cheated for nothing," Yelan went on, tears glazing her eyes. "And then I caught you cheating and I cheated for real."

"Why couldn't we all just have played fair?" I put in helpfully. They glared at me with red hot anger. I sank into my seat.

"Why did you cheat after you saw me cheating?" Minghua yelled.

"Why did you cheat after you THOUGHT you saw me cheating?" Yelan yelled right back. "You hypocrite!"

"You screwed everything up!" they both said at the same time. They both took a breath.

"I'M SORRY!"

The two had, in unison, shrieked the apology. There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone processed what had just happened and what was happening.

Yelan couldn't help the tears slipping from her eyelids again, and put her hand over her eyes, her lips twisting like they do when you sob. Minghua looked like he was near tears himself.

"I've cried twice today because of you," Yelan sobbed angrily. "You ass."

"I'm sorry." He stood up hesitantly, and Yelan ran over to him and flung her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. "I'm so sorry…"

Tapping my foot anxiously, I stared a hole into the door in front of me, as if it would help Syaoran answer faster. I needed to tell him that the problem with his parents had been resolved. And then our problem was next.

Finally, the door creaked open. Syaoran set his cool gaze on me and leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. "Yes?"

I swallowed. "Uhm, I just wanted to tell you that . . . your parent's problems have been fixed. They made up." I tried an innocent smile.

"I know. I heard," he replied, his eyes flicking over me once as he studied me. I wonder if he took in the nervous way I was fidgeting.

"You did?" I asked in surprise. "Are they back together?"

"No," he answered curtly.

I blinked and stared down at my feet. "Oh. I thought they'd . . ."

"After this long, it'll take some time if they do decide to get back together."

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked back up at him. "It looks like . . . there was more to their story after all, huh?"

He stood up straight suddenly, unfolding his arms and placing a hand on the doorknob. My heart started to beat agitatedly.

"Yep. It looks like you were right and I was wrong. It seems like you're happy to have brought my parents back together," he said, flashing me a grin showing all of his teeth that sent a chill down my spine. "I guess you have no more problems to solve, huh? Well I'll see you around then."

The back of my throat burned as he flung the door shut with one strong swing of his tanned arm. Before it close, I shot my foot out and the door smacked against it and creaked slowly open again. Syaoran was staring at me in surprise now; I looked up at him defiantly.

"Didn't that hurt? Like, a lot?" he asked, cocking one eyebrow smugly.

I opened my mouth to tell him no, but just then my foot throbbed and I threw myself at the ground to cradle it, moaning in pain. Syaoran slapped his hand to his face with a sigh and a shake of his head, then stooped over and picked me up.

"You're really stupid." Syaoran walked over to the couch where I was sitting, coffees in hand. He set the cups down on the small table and lowered himself onto the sofa next to me.

"I know," I murmured.

There was an awkward moment of silence as we both looked away from each other.

Why is it like this? I asked myself. It was never like this before. I guess it's because I haven't seen him in so long. Eight months . . . that's a long time . . .

I realized that I really had been insensitive earlier. His eyes had been longing for me to just hug him or hold his hand or anything, but I was all caught up in Yelan and Minghua's issues and I didn't really pay him any attention.

I whipped my head around and said, a little too loudly, "I'm sorry, Syaoran—" at the same time he started to say, "Look, I—"

We both cut ourselves off mid-sentence and I stared at him as he locked his gaze with mine. I felt myself falling into those eyes and forgetting everything around me. I hadn't seen those amber eyes in eight months. I was involuntarily leaning towards him, melting into his body. I just barely noticed him coming towards me, too.

My hands reached up and my fingers held his face, absorbing the feel of his warm skin. I felt his hand cup my cheek and I sucked in a breath as a tingling sensation ran along the surface of my skin. When his lips pressed against mine, I had the overwhelming need to just stay in his arms forever. I stretched my arms out further and knotted my fingers into his hair, pulling me closer to him. His arms, corded with muscle, locked me against his body.

Suddenly, thoughts started trailing into my head. His thoughts. What he was thinking right at that moment, his apology, his insecurities, his worries, his relief, his love. I knew that the thoughts in my own mind were mixing into his head as well, and neither of us needed to explain anything in words. I knew that he was sorry for getting angry with me, that it was just because he felt a little insecure after eight months. He'd even gone as far as thinking I didn't like him anymore, which made me giggle a little internally. I heard him think about how elated he was that he was finally back, that we were finally together again and with a proper reunion.

I awoke the next morning to two cell phones simultaneously ringing. I swore lightly to myself and rolled to the edge of the bed, peering over the side at my bag. There was a bright white light illuminating the inside of it, signalling that it was receiving a call. I reached down and dug it out of the purse, hit talk, and answered with a groggy, "Hello?"

"Good morning, Sakura." It surprised me to hear Yelan's voice on the other end. Eyes widened, I took the phone away from my ear to look at the Caller ID; it was a blocked number. I pressed it back against my ear.

"Good morning, Li-san," I responded, sitting upright as I rubbed my eyes with my free hand. "What is it?"

I heard her sharply intake her breath. "Minghua and I would like to speak to you and Syaoran this afternoon—speaking of which, why isn't Syaoran answering his phone?"

As if on cue, the ring tone that had finally faded started up again. I glanced over my shoulder at Syaoran, whose face was shoved underneath his pillow. I whipped my hand out and slapped his bare shoulder, and I got only a groan in response.

"He's refusing to wake up, the strippers will have to wait," I said loudly, almost shouting. I looked over at him again, and he was peeking up at me with wide eyes. I smirked at him. "Sorry about that, but I succeeded in waking him."

Syaoran cursed under his breath and aggressively snatched his phone off the nightstand beside him. He grumbled a greeting and I went back to my own conversation.

"We're going to meet because we'd like to talk to Syaoran about his future," Yelan continued.

I bit my lip. "I see."

"Meet us at the café we were in yesterday at twelve o'clock. All right, Sakura?"

"Sure," I confirmed, casting a quick glance at the digital clock beside Syaoran. Ten twenty two. "We'll see you there."

I hung up just after Syaoran did, and stood up, stretching. I started towards the door and noticed Syaoran receding into the covers again.

"Hey," I scolded, leaning against the door frame. "You can't go back to sleep now, we have to meet them at noon."

He mumbled something unintelligible. I rolled my eyes and turned away. With a dramatic sigh, I said, "Well, I guess I'll have to shower all by myself then." I sighed theatrically again. I stopped halfway down the hall and looked back. He was right on my heels, grinning down at me. I snorted and grabbed his hand.

Minghua and Yelan were at the shop before we got there, as was expected. They were sitting in the same table Minghua and I had been at the day before. Yelan noticed us and smiled up at me; I noticed she was shifting in her seat, as was he. It looked like they were thirteen again, hanging out with their crush. Like if they touched one another they'd get burned.

I slid into the seat across from Syaoran's mother, and he threw himself into the chair next to me.

"Thank you for coming," Yelan started with another smile. I mirrored her smile.

"So," Syaoran said, "my future, huh? Here to drag me back to Hong Kong?" He glared at his father, daggers shooting from his ice-cold eyes. Minghua's gaze was equally as cool. He leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest, keeping his eyes locked with his son's.

"Minghua and I decided to inquire what it is, exactly, that you would like to do in your future?" Yelan asked uneasily, sensing the tension. I myself was winding a lock of my hair around my finger uncomfortably.

"I want to be a singer," Syaoran replied coolly.

I heard Minghua mutter, "Ridiculous," but I cut in quickly.

"Actually," I jumped in, "he already has a deal with a record company. Some of his band's songs are playing on the radio. They're actually pretty popular. It's just that they had to take a hiatus because of Syaoran's going to Hong Kong."

"I was writing while I was there, too, though. I've got some new songs for us to test out," Syaoran offered quietly.

I cast a small smile at him; for this to work, he had to contribute to the conversation, too. And he had to do it well.

"My friends, Kero and Yue, the pop duo sensation, are backing him as well. So really, it won't take long for his band to get off the ground," I went on, feeling a ball of excitement inflating in my stomach. Yelan's eyes were shining, like she was proud of her son. Minghua looked thoughtful, though his expression remained sour.

"I think that's wonderful," Yelan said, putting her chin in her palm.

I looked over at her companion hopefully. "What do you think, Minghua?"

Syaoran and Minghua were still shooting daggers at each other with their eyes. Syaoran's jaw was working and Minghua's leg was bouncing up and down. I grit my teeth frustratedly and abruptly got to my feet, slamming my hands down on the table. Everyone turned their eyes to me.

"You two are acting like children!" I nearly yelled. "Suck it up and reconcile! You can work out a compromise that works for both of you!"

A silence hung in the air at our table. Yelan was looking worried, and Syaoran and his father looked guarded.

"Compromise?" Minghua questioned gruffly.

"Yeah, like, you support Syaoran's band and he'll promote your company, that kind of stuff!" I suggested, gesturing wildly with my hands.

Another silence. Yelan and Minghua exchanged a glance and slight tilts of their heads. Syaoran kept his eyes on his father, but stole a look at me as well.

"That . . . that actually sounds reasonable," Minghua declared, sounding kind of taken aback.

My lips parted slightly in surprise; they actually liked that idea? I'd just spouted it out in an attempt to get them thinking.

"I don't want to advertise your stupid—" Syaoran started saying, but I reached behind his head and yanked a chunk of his hair roughly. He swore in pain and then finally made real eye contact with me. I gave him a look that stared into his soul, and he sighed. "All right. That sounds okay."

A third uneasy silence blanketed the four of us. I realized I was still standing and sat down again. I examined the table and guessed what they were thinking.

"This means you won't bug Syaoran anymore," I said pointedly at Minghua. "You've nearly ruined both of us and our friends multiple times. Promise you won't go to psycho extremes to try and make Syaoran come be your heir in Hong Kong. Don't bother him about that at all anymore. You know it only makes him want to rebel even more."

Minghua closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with a resigned sigh. There was a long pause. "Fine," he said finally, opening his eyes and looking directly at Syaoran, whose fists were clenched under the table.

"And you, Syaoran," I continued, speaking more softly now, "you won't bash the Li company. You'll help it in the public, as you'll be receiving support from it. The media will know that you're Li Minghua's son as well, and familial problems in that media might cause trouble. So you two have to be on good terms."

He gave a noncommittal shrug.

I pursed my lips. "Shake on it."

They looked up at me questioningly. "Shake on it," I repeated. "Hell, spit shake, I don't care. As long as you do it and promise you'll both keep up your end of the bargain."

After a moment of hesitation, Minghua offered his hand. Syaoran stared at it, looking like his brain was working a mile a minute until he suddenly spoke to me.

"He's put us through so much hell, Sakura," he said quietly. "Are we really giving in so easy?"

I reached over and rested my hand on his thigh, meeting his gaze. "The problem escalated because you were in love with me. That's what pissed him off—the whole thought of love." Snatching a glance at Minghua, I saw that he was staring fixedly at the tabletop. Even then he seemed uncomfortable at the thought of it. "But now that problem's being patched up. It won't be completely repaired for a long time, Syaoran, maybe not ever. But this is the first step. You guys could even be a family again, soon enough."

"We're not—we're not—back together or anything," Yelan stammered, her porcelain complexion stained by a blush.

A corner of my mouth quirked up at her reaction; Minghua was blushing too, holding his hand up to his face to hide it.

"See?" I encouraged, squeezing Syaoran's leg. "You just have to try, too. If everyone really and truly wants to forgive and forget, then it can happen. And everyone can live happily, right?" Syaoran looked ready to argue again. I leaned in closer to him and my voice became a whisper. "You couldn't even dream of an ending as happy as this could be a week ago. A year ago. Forever ago. But it's possible now. Happiness. You just have to reach out and grab it. Like, literally." I beamed at him, and his expression softened. "You're the one that's gonna make it happen."

The next thing I knew, he had his lips pressed lightly against mine. He pulled away and looked into my eyes again. "It's not me. It's you, Sakura. You're making my family whole again. If anyone else had come up to me and said they'd sew my family back together, I'd have punched them in the face and burned my cigarette into their forehead to remind them of their stupidity. But you . . ." He shook his head, a blissful smile breaking out on his lips. "It's like anything is possible with you, Sakura."

My cheeks tingled with heat and I had to bite back my goofy grin. Syaoran turned back to his father and thrust his hand out. They shook hands firmly, nodding at the same time and exchanging a look that I couldn't quite decipher. I looked at Yelan and smiled. It was finally over.

Outside the coffee shop, we were saying our goodbyes to Yelan and Minghua. They would be heading back to Hong Kong in a few days.

As Yelan and Syaoran talked, Minghua stepped over to me.

"I've done terrible things to you and my son," he said brusquely. "And I want you to know how deeply sorry I am for it. You . . ." He shook his head, as if in disbelief. "You're an amazing girl, Sakura. You can turn any rotten apple into a good one. You've proved that love is real. It's true. You solved a problem that had been simmering for almost two decades. You've—" he shrugged, almost speechless "—you've reunited a family. In fact, I'm going to call Daisuke and invite him for dinner in our hotel room tonight. Maybe . . ." He ran his palm over his head, looking bashful. "Maybe we can all eat together at Christmas. Twenty years ago, that was my dream. My vision. That my whole family would eat together and be happy, especially at a time like Christmas. And now, with every thanks to you, that dream can come true."

I smiled up at him, feeling tears sting the backs of my eyes. "That's so beautiful, Minghua," I whispered, momentarily forgetting any respectful terms. But he didn't seem to mind. Then I realized what he'd said. "Did you say that you and Yelan are sharing a hotel room?"

His cheeks tinged pink and he glanced away, looking back at Yelan. "We've decided to stay married for the company's sake, and for media purposes." He let out a dejected sigh. "But I don't think we can ever go back to what we were before."

"Don't think like that," I scolded immediately. "Of course you can. I know you both want to, so that right there tells you that it's possible. All you have to do is talk. Talk a lot. About your problems, about what you love about each other. Make sure nothing like what happened all those years ago will ever happen again. Be happy."

His face melted into a smile. It was definitely the first genuine smile I'd seen him give in the time that I'd known him. In fact, it was probably the first genuine smile anyone had ever seen on him in over fifteen years. He took me by surprise when he stretched his arms out and hugged me.

"Thank you so much for everything, Sakura," he whispered. "I can never repay you, or make up for what I've done. But I'm sorry. And thank you."

"You better be sorry. And you're welcome," I added, my lips curving into a contented smile.

He pulled away and made his way back to Yelan. He held out his hand and Syaoran grasped it, though he was hesitant. Yelan suddenly turned to me and walked swiftly towards me, happiness bubbling in her eyes. I opened my mouth to say my goodbyes to her, but she embraced me in a hug before I could even begin.

"I haven't shown so much emotion in, what, seventeen years? Now it's all just boiling to the surface!" she giggled, and when she let me go I saw tears in the corners of her eyes. She was smiling gleefully, and it made me grin, as well. "Farewell, Sakura. I hope that we will see you soon. I think we will, actually. I have in mind a big family dinner that you are certainly invited to."

I laughed. "Thank you. I'll be looking forward to it."

Her eyes locked with mine, and I felt like they were looking deep inside of me. She cupped a hand gently over my cheek. "You are beautiful, Sakura, inside and out." I blushed. She planted a kiss on my cheekbone that made me blush more. "Goodbye for now. Oh, and thank you for giving life to the possibility of reviving my marriage," she added with a wink as she turned away. I could only smile in response.

When the limo that had come to pick them up finally drove away, Syaoran was standing beside me. He laced his fingers with mine.

"Well," I breathed, "your parents love me now."

He chuckled, but didn't say anything. I frowned, finding that odd. A Syaoran with nothing to say? I glanced up at him. "Is something wrong?"

He ran his fingers through his hair roughly, and I saw the red rimming his eyes. My lips parted in bewilderment when I saw the moisture building up and threatening to drip over his eyelashes.

"Syaoran!" My voice was incredulous. "You're crying!"

He looked like he wanted to deny it, but his voice cracked and he choked when he tried and he cut himself off. He shook his head and dragged his hand down his face. Then he surprised me again by kissing me.

A giggle bubbled up in my confusion. "What are you doing?"

"You don't know how much I appreciate you, Sakura," he murmured, pushing a strand of loose hair behind my ear. "You turned my life around."

"Oh, come on," I said softly, blood pooling at my cheeks. "Don't flatter me. You know I know you love me. And I know you know I love you. A lot."

"But you don't understand that . . . I wouldn't be who I am today without you. I wouldn't be thinking about the next time I'd see my family, I wouldn't be standing here with a high school diploma, I wouldn't be—"

I reached up and touched the bandage over his eye. "You wouldn't be part blind," I suggested.

"I'd probably be worse. And it wouldn't be just temporary. I'd probably be trying to take on some guy six times my size. I'd probably be unleashing my anger on everything by this point. I'd be in jail, for all I know." He touched my jaw lightly, and sparks ran through my body. "But I'm not. And what's more, I have the woman I love standing beside me, loving me back, and we're allowed to show it in the open now."

My heart swelled at the realization and it caused me to gasp. "We are," I whispered. "We can show it in the open now." I kissed him. "I love you, Syaoran. My life would be so different if it wasn't for you, as well. I'd probably still be with Ayumu. That pathetic little son of a—"

Syaoran threw his head back and laughed. "You're right." His voice softened again. "You're right."

He bent down and pressed his lips against mine again, and I pulled him against me, pushing back hard. I felt like my lips would be swollen after this kiss; this kiss was so . . . so amazing. It was unlike any other kiss we'd shared—it was like it was declaring that this was a new beginning for us. And it was.

Eventually we needed to tear away from each other to get more air. I was giggling and breathing heavily, my arm linked with Syaoran's. When I'd caught my breath again, though my heart was still beating incredibly fast, I looked up at Syaoran. His eyes met mine and the world melted away. It was just like when we'd first met, when we were arguing. He'd refused to take his legs off the desk, so I'd pushed him over. Then he'd refused to call me "sensei" so I gave him a death glare—or tried to, at least. It turned into that gaze, the first time I'd ever experienced that wonderful sensation of drowning in his eyes. We'd had no idea what was waiting for us in the future back then. We'd just been creeped out, really. Then it started happening again and again until we were getting closer and falling in love. All the troubles we went through . . . Ayumu, Satan, "the prophecy," the school board, Minghua, our own stubbornness (especially mine, I'll admit). It was all worth it. And it all started with the same gaze I was locked in now.

Only now, it was different—I didn't have to be afraid of being seen. I didn't have to feel guilty. I didn't have to tear myself away from what I desired the most. I didn't have to pull away. I could . . . I could just . . .

I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him hard yet again. When he started turning an unhealthy shade of purpley-blue, I giggled and let go. He immediately drew in a breath and eyed me sharply as I laughed. "Funny for you," he grumbled, rubbing his neck.

Grinning, I grabbed a hold of his hand and dragged him in the direction of an ice cream shop.

"Where are we going?" Syaoran asked.

"To get ice cream," I replied with a smile.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on other things?"

"Yes."

"Like my band?"

"Yes."

"Like getting your job at Tomoeda High back?"

"Yes."

"Like getting my injuries checked out?"

"Yes."

"But we're going to get ice cream."

After all, our problems were pretty much gone. He was graduated. His parents had reconciled. "The prophecy" had been fulfilled. Ayumu was out of the picture. Meiling wasn't after him anymore. We were at home, and happy, and so were our friends.

I turned around to face him; he was already grinning as much as I was. He squeezed my hand intimately and at the same time we said, "Yes."

Well . . . that's it folks. O.O It feels kinda strange. I've been working on this story for over TWO YEARS. And now it's come to an end. Unless, of course, you want that epilogue. But anyways, wow. I remember when I first started this fic it was the one that was the most fun to write. Then I started wavering with the storyline and added magic and all the weird crap—but I think in the end, I did a pretty good job with this story. I really wanna thank everyone who's been reviewing and reading this story, whether it's from the beginning or if you started halfway through. (yingfa07 especially—you've been reading AND reviewing every chapter since the beginning! You're awesome!) I'm really happy that I was able to entertain so many people with my writing for so long, and I hope you'll continue to read my other fics. And then there's also that idea I had of maybe making another fic like this one without magic. Things could get switched up there; Syaoran could be the teacher, Syaoran could be the one that's already in a relationship, Sakura could be the badass, one of them could actually be married, any amount of things could happen. No guarantees on that fic happening but I promise you if I do make it, it'll be good. In fact, you can inbox me if you want me to keep you posted on that, and if I do make a fic like that, I'll PM so you know for sure. ;) Inbox or review your ideas on that new fic too, if you want. Reader ideas are always helpful.

So yeah…please, drop me a review! Tell me what you thought of the story over all, didja like it, didja not, was it good with magic, would it have been better without magic—now's the time to let it all out! As well as telling me whether or not you want an epilogue!

Also, sorry for any confusion with the scene-splitters, I used to use dashes but then the site was like "LOL JK you can't use them!" And deleted them all. I think I filled them all in with the line thingies, but I just figured I'd say that. :P

Thank you all so much for your support! I hope you enjoyed this ride as much as I did, I may or may not be back with an epilogue. ;D