104 Once Upon A Time 2

Sarah's bedroom.

Little Daniel looked at Sarah who was playing with her dolls and play house. She turned her head to face him while clapping her hand like a boss."Okay! Remember you will be the husband and I'll be the wife! You must say 'I'm home' and I'll say 'Welcome home, Dear!', alright? Now start, and action!"

Daniel walked back and then went forward to her side again, he said. "I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Dear!" Sarah hugged Daniel and peck his cheeks. Daniel startled and looked at her while widening his eyes. He held his burning cheeks. Ignoring him, she continued cutely, "Do you want to have dinner? Bath? Or me?"

He blinked his eyes from her beaming smile. Then, suddenly laughed as he hugged her little body. He didn't want to continue this embarrassing play. He pinched her chubby cheeks. "Let's play something else."

She pouted her lips and complained, "No! I don't want!"

"How about police and criminal?" He suggested to her.

She pondered for a while and then nodded her little head. "Okay, then you'll be the criminal and I'll be the police."

He curled his lips and responded to her, "Alright."

In the green backyard.

They both dress up, one as a policewoman and the other as a criminal prisoner. Sarah held her water gun as well as Daniel.

"Give up! Your time is over!" As she pointed her gun to Daniel. He made a surrender gesture. She continued, "Drop your knee and gun to the ground! Or I'll shoot you!"

Daniel followed her instruction and threw his gun. She walked closer to Daniel with a serious expression. "Ma'am! I didn't do anything wrong! What is my crime?!" Daniel shouted wrongly.

"You stole my precious treasure. So, you must go to jail!"

"What treasure? I didn't steal anything! I've been accused wrongly!" He wore his innocent face.

Sarah scoffed, "Haha, I know you lie to me. The proof is on the ground. That's my pistol you stole!"

Daniel tilted his head and blankly said, "But you're the one who gave me though."

"..." Sarah's face turned dark. "Daniel! Cooperate with me!"

He laughed jokingly, "Alright." Coughing, he continued. "This! This is not what it looks like! I found this by chance!"

"Shut up and die!" Sarah pressed her water gun toward Daniel. But it missed! "What?" She shockingly said. He dodged it swiftly.

From this opportunity, Daniel hurriedly grabbed his gun on the ground and started to shoot her back. "Ahh! No! You're cheating!"

Pwuih! Pwuih! Pwuih!

The sound of the water gun been shooting.

"Hahahaha." Daniel laughed as his clothes drenched from the water. It was the same as Sarah. They both running and chasing each other to shoot.

"Got you!" Sarah shouted and the water hit his face. Sarah chuckled victory. But the next round Daniel chased and shot her back twice more. "Ahh! Daniel!!"

"Come and chase me again!" He let out his tongue, mocking her. Sarah's face turned to red, she hated it when someone treated her like this!

"Why you! Come back here Daniel!" She shouted ferociously.

...

Not until one hour later, Lucy Ginga came to check on them. She was startled from their appearance. They were muggy and also dirty. A mud was covered on their body. She asked them, "What happened to both you?" She held her painful head.

These kids, really!

"Now! Wash your body quickly!" Lucy Ginga held her anger and ordered them to wash upstairs. Sarah felt wrong yet at the same time, she didn't upset. She was having much excitement awhile ago thanks to him! Daniel held her hand and went to the bathroom together. With the help of servants, they finished refreshing themselves.

Daniel chuckled, "It's your fault, Sarah."

"Why is it my fault?" She asked annoyingly. He was the one who accidentally stumbled into the mud while dragging her with him! Hmph!

He lifted one of his eyebrows and remarked, "You chased me around. Of course, I fell down!"

"Hmph! It was your fault to not pay attention to surround!" Sarah retorted ridicule.

Knock! Knock!

They turned their head to the source of the sound. Kezia was standing beside her bedroom's door. Her face was gloomy as usual. She looked at Sarah irritatedly. "Dinner." Slightly glanced to Daniel and turned away, heading downstairs.

They looked at her departing figure. Daniel couldn't help asking Sarah curiously, "Your sister?"

Sarah nodded lightly, "My half-sister."

"She's pretty, just like you." Daniel praised them both honestly.

Sarah squinted her eyes to him. She felt a little jealous. She didn't know why. "Who is more pretty between the two us? Her or me?"

"Hmm, you," Daniel stated while smiling sweetly to her. She blushed and held his arm. She said, "That's more like it! Hehe! Come, let's have dinner with us!"

He halted her and asked firmly, "Are you sure? I'm not a member of the family."

She folded her little hand to the front and smugly said, "Soon, you'll be!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean you're a guest! Let's go! Let's have dinner! " She tugged his shirt and went down together. Daniel was looking at this girl strangely yet he didn't hate it.

...

...

Four years later, in the middle school years.

"Daniel! Come! Hurry!" Sarah was hiding inside a trash bin. "Come! Quickly hide!"

Daniel jumped to a big trash bin with her, hiding from the teachers who were chasing them. They could hear their teachers outside. "Why you kids! How dare you mess the whole canteen! Where are they? Where are they?!

"I saw them went this way, let's hurry!" The teachers were all searching for the rascal students who were the food wars provocateur a moment ago.

They were covered by foods stains, cakes, and sauces. It looks horrible to look at. They swore if they see them, they'll make them suffered from schoolwork!

After the teacher left. They both get off from the trash bin and looked around the place secretly. "You have your car?" Sarah asked Daniel. He nodded confidently, he spun his car key in his finger. She said, "Great! Let's go to the villa!"

They climbed the school wall and went to Daniel's white car which parked outside. She went inside, buckled her belt. Daniel started the car and drove away from school. It was their fourth time to ditch school!

Sarah wrinkled her nose, "We're smelly. Let's take a shower later."

"You want to go together?" He teasingly said.

"Daniel!" She flushed from his statement. She held her burning cheeks.

He replied without looking at her. "Why are you so shy about? I've seen your naked body before."

"It was when we were a kid!" She puffed her cheeks.

He said, "It was only four years ago."

"Hmph!" She turned her head away from him and looked at the outside scenery. In the end, Daniel spoke to her first. He complained, "Why did you throw those foods? Now, look what have you done."

"Why are you blaming me? Wasn't it your fault? If those girls didn't bully me just because I'm your girlfriend, all of this would be not happening! Did they think I'm easy to bully because I always spoiled by you? Hah! Think again! And, It's your fault for being popular." She scoffed and pinched his cheek hard.

"Ouch! It hurts!" He held his painful cheek. He sighed and said, "You could deal with them elegantly. Food wars? That's what you call crude."

"You are crude! You're family all crude! They were the one who talks badly at me so I'll be paying them multiple times! Why are you defending those little fans of yours!"

"No, I just advised you, baby. And hey, my family will be your family as well, remember?"

She sneered, "It'll be official until four years later. Why mommy and daddy make us wait too long?!"

He stunned from her words. 'Does she mean?' He pondered. Smirking, "What? Do you want to taste your future husband now?"

She startled from his words. Suddenly she realized what she just said. She turned red as tomato while coughing. Why the car felt hot? She opened the car's window and let the wind hit her face.

She ignored him and Daniel didn't question her further. He knew she didn't want to know that 'stage' at this early. It was too young for them, of course. He didn't have any experience either but when he saw it in school lesson about human reproduction, he finally noticed where the baby came from. At least, he knew what it meant to be intimate.

He glanced at her red ears and nodded. She knew it as well.

Sarah looked at the path they were taking, it was high and she felt she could fall at any moment, yet at the same time, this view was something she always enjoyed whenever she came to their villa.

After they arrived, they quickly took a shower and refreshed themselves.

Sarah was wearing his oversize gray shirt and white hot pants. Daniel saw her half short hair were still wet from the shower. He leaned closer to her and dried it, gently. While he was doing that, Sarah grabbed her white guitar and prepared to play something.

"Do you have a request?" She asked, turning her head to him. Daniel pecked her lips and said, "The usual."

"Alright from our favorite vocal group! Ai Uta from Whiteeeen[1]!"

He sat down beside her and watching her play closely. The sunlight dropped to her face and it made her more shine than before. He dazedly looking at her while his heartbeat pounded faster than before. She began to sing while smirking at him.

(To you whom I love so much, please don't laugh and listen to me.

Saying "I love you" would be kind of lame.

But, that's all I can say to you.

See? You're laughing now, aren't you?

I wouldn't know if the road you chose, being with me.

Was correct, but.

Spending these days.

Crying and laughing next to you.

Has become my reason for living.

I dedicate this love song to you.

Hey, what did we talk about on that day?

The first time we met, we were so uptight talking to each other.

So much has happened since then, we even had our share of fights.

We had spent the time needed to get to know one another.

Under this vast sky, we met and fell in love.

Spending these days.

Crying and laughing next to you.

Has become my reason for living with you.

I dedicate this love song to you.

I'm sorry I'm always causing you so much nuisance.

You went through such tough times.

The two of us, engraving our days.

Making our feelings grow stronger.

I'll send you my badly-written song.

I'll swear to God that I'm crazy about you.

Now and forever, I'll be holding your hand.

So long as my voice exists.

I'll always be next to you, singing my love.

Even if I grow old and my voice grows hoarse.

I'll always be holding your hand.

Just saying "thank you" is not enough.

Let us share our cries, laughs, sadness, and happiness.

Going through endless nights.

I'll always be singing my love to you.)

[1] Whiteeeen: Japanese vocal group, produced by their senior vocal group Greeeen. It consists of six female members, Kana, Hima, Noa, Moca, Akagi, and Nene, who debuted in their teens, and whose identities were hidden.