A/N: Hey all, SakuraJade here. This was my first attempt at a Cardcaptor Sakura fanfic (it was actually written 7 years ago, more on that in the author's note at the end of this chapter), but not my first attempt at a fanfic in general. I had written a few Ranma ½ ones before this.

Disclaimer: "Now I know you all know that I do NOT own Cardcaptor Sakura or any of the CCS characters in this story, CLAMP does. But this is my proof I'm not taking credit for their work, just, ah . . . barrowing it temporarily, yeah, that's it:)" I do, however, own the story plot and the characters I make up, which happen to be based off real people (with Japanese names for obvious reasons) in this chapter.

Description: This is a sort of alter universe fic that takes place about the middle of the series. When I originally wrote this I didn't know how the series ended b/c all the episodes hadn't been subtitled and released in the U.S. yet so that's why it's kind of a middle of the series AU fic Syaoran still has some of the cards, Melin and Mizuki-sensei are still here, nobody knows Eriol yet, and I won't be putting any yaoi type moments between Toya and Yukito in this (I have nothing against gay people, it's just not my style to write it that's all). Yue isn't in it either, sorry to anybody who's a fan of him. One more thing, this is a Syaoran & Sakura fic, and they are all 14 in this fic, 10 is just too young. They met a year ago when they were 13. And this is around when Syaoran and Sakura start to develop feelings for each other. I'm also a Melin fan, but not of her and Sayoran as a couple, so even though she starts out as a bitch in this fic, she'll get better :) And yes, the cards do get used in this fic. They have all the cards they just haven't gone through the final Judgment yet. They also have the cards they get in the movies but the movie stuff didn't happen (they were just regular captures like the rest). This story contains: Humor/Waff and Fluff/Action/ Suspense. Hope ya like it!

" means spoken words

italics means thought

( insert sound, movement, AN etc.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Chapter 1: Babysitting Blues

Sakura and Tomoyo were walking down the hall. School was over for the day, so the girls were heading for the doors.

"So Sakura, what are you doing tonight?" her best friend asked.

"I'm supposed to baby sit," came Sakura's reply.

"Bummer, what a way to spend your Friday night."

"Yeah. . . . but at least I'll be making some money," Sakura added as she shifted her satchel from one shoulder to the other. Tomoyo brushed a long strand of her beautiful purple hair out of her eyes as she spoke.

"That's true. So who are you babysitting for?"

Sakura smiled. "A little girl named Yumi."

Tomoyo bit her lip thinking of a face to go with that name. It took her a second but she remembered the girl. "Oh, the little girl that lives in the apartment complex by Penguin Park?"

Sakura nodded her head. "That's the one!"

The two walked down a flight of stairs and out the front door. When they reached the street they saw Syaoran and Meilin. Sakura waved to them, a smile gracing her face.

"Hey guys!"

The two Chinese cousins turned around to see Sakura and Tomoyo walking towards them. Syaoran stared at them with a blank look, well Meilin gave them, or at least Sakura, a scowl.

"What do you want Kinomoto?" she demanded curtly.

Sakura smiled slipped off her face. She thought she would have been used to Meilin's attitude by now. After all, the Chinese girl had been on her case for almost a year now. But no matter how many times Meilin or Syaoran we're mean to her, it still hurt just as much the next time. Sakura answered Meilin hesitantly.

"I just wanted to say 'hi' . . ."

Meilin turned her nose up definitely at her over-friendly classmate as she said, "Humph, don't bother! I know you're up to something so don't think for a minute that you can fool me! Come on Syaoran, let's go!"

Meilin turned around, grabbed Syaoran's hand, and started to drag him down the street behind her as he let out an annoyed sigh. Sakura and Tomoyo watched them go till they turned the corner, then Sakura spoke.

"After all this time those two still hate me. . . "

Tomoyo put her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Sakura, if they want to be like that then let them. It's their loss. You're a good friend, trust me I should know!"

Sakura cracked a small smile at her best friend. "Thanks Tomoyo."

Tomoyo smirked ever so slightly as she said, "Besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't think Li hates you."

Sakura looked totally confused. "How do you figure?"

Tomoyo's smirk turned into a sly smile. "Well, remember when Li first came here, how he wouldn't even look at you? And if he did, he'd only spare you a glare?"

Sakura nodded her head. "Yeah, so?"

"So, now when you try to talk to Li he looks at you with a neutral expression instead of a glare or flat-out ignoring you. So you see, he may not like you, but he definitely doesn't hate you. His feelings for you are now neutral, and who knows, maybe he'll even start to like you!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at Tomoyo's statement. It was the most asinine thing she'd ever heard. "Yeah right. Some how I highly doubt that."

"Just trust me on this. I may not have magical powers like you and Li, but I do have a knack for these kind of things. You'll see."

Sakura shrugged, losing interest in the current conversation. "Sure Tomoyo, if you say so. Anyway I have to get going. I want to eat dinner and get some homework done before I go and I have to be at the Higurashi's apartment by 5:30."

"Alright then I'll see you later."

"Bye Tomoyo." Sakura waved at her friend, who waved back, then she turned left as her friend continued to go straight. When Sakura got home she changed out of her school uniform and into a pair of jeans with a purple sweater and purple ribbons around her pigtails. Then she started her homework, or she tired to.

"Come on Sakura! I can't wait for dinner! I need food now or I'll starve to death! You wouldn't want to be responsible for the death of the guardian beast of the seal, would you?" Kero whinned as he buzzed around her head. Sakura finally slammed her book shut and got off her bed.

"Alright Kero I'll get you a snack if you'll let me do my homework!"

"I will, I promise I will!"

Sakura stormed out of her room and down the stairs. When she reached the kitchen she saw Toya and Yukito at the table studying. Shr immediately greeted Yukito a warm and affectionate smile lighting up her face.

"Hi Yukito!"

"Hey Sakura!" he said as he returned her smile with one of his own. Toya turned to younger sibling.

"Jeeze Squirt, what are you doing up there?"

Sakura scowled, she hated when he called her squirt and he knew it. "For your information, Toya, I was doing my homework!"

Toya smirked. He loved to get a rise out of his sister.

"Are you practicing for a play or something?" Yukito inquired.

Sakura looked confused. "No, why do you ask?"

"Well, because you were shouting so loud I thought maybe you were practicing lines from a play or speech or something . . ."

Sakura looked totally embarrassed as she put her hand behind her head and laughed sheepishly. "Hehe, a no, not practicing for a play or a sp-speech or anything . . ."

"Then what were you doing Squirt?" Toya asked raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"None of your business, and don't call me 'Squirt'!"

"What are you going to do about it, Squirt?"

"This!" Sakura kicked Toya in the shin and walked on into the kitchen for Kero's snack while Toya held his shin and grumbled about what a pain little sisters are. A few minutes later, she came back out of the kitchen with a slice of cake and a pudding cup. Right as she past Toya he made a comment.

"If you eat all of that you're gonna get fat."

Sakura just ignored him like she didn't hear him, but it was obvious that she did because as she pasted him she slammed her foot down on his which made him grumble some more. As soon as Sakura opened her door Kero was in her face.

"Where's the food!? Where's the food!?"

She shoved the plate at him. "Here!"

Kero squealed in delight. "Caaaaaake!! And pudding, I love pudding! Sakura you're the best! I'll love you for the rest of my life!"

Sakura sweat dropped in response. "Greaaaaat . . . "

She plopped back down on her bed and re-opened her history book. Two hours later, her father called her down to dinner. After she ate, she realized it was 5:20. Only having ten minutes to get to Yumi's, Sakura quickly ran some dinner up to Kero, who was playing Zilon Warriors, and losing, then bolted out the door. She made it to Yumi's apartment with a minute to spare. Of course, that's because she ran the whole way, but who's counting right? As soon as she knocked on the door, it opened and a little girl with short blonde hair and glasses wearing a pair of jeans and a blue long sleeved shirt with pink bunnies on it came flying out to attach herself to Sakura.

"Yay, it's Sakura, she's here!" the little girl cried.

"Hi Yumi."

Yumi grabbed Sakura's hand and started to pull her inside. "Come in, come in!"

Mrs. Higurashi came out of the kitchen to greet Sakura. "Hello Sakura, it's good to see you again."

"You too."

Mr. Higurashi came out of the bathroom. "Good evening Sakura."

She gave a small waved. "Hi Mr. Higurashi."

"Satoshi and I are going out to dinner and a movie so we'll be back home around 9:00, 9:30 at the latest. Yumi doesn't need a bath, and she already had dinner, but if she gets hungry there's another plate in the refrigerator. Just pop it in the microwave for her," she turned to her daughter, "Bedtime is 9:00 o'clock, and no later, is that clear Yumi?"

"Yes mom . . ." her daughter whined in response.

Mrs. Higurashi turned to Sakura and smiled. "It's so nice to finally have a babysitter Yumi looks forward to being with."

Sakura returned her smile. It was nice to hear that. Mrs. Higurashi turned back to her daughter. "Now you be good for Sakura alright?"

"Okay!" Yumi replied enthusiastically. Mr. Higurashi glanced at his watch.

"Lets go Kasumi."

Yumi ran over to her father and gave him a quick hug. Then she walked over to her mom and did the same. Mrs. Higurashi kissed Yumi on the forehead then left. As Sakura watched, she couldn't help but feel kind of sad. She never got to do that with her mom. In fact, she couldn't even really remember her mother Nadeshiko. She died right after giving birth to Sakura and all she had were the memories her dad and brother told her. Luckily, before Sakura's thoughts could get any sadder, Yumi started pulling on her arm, which snapped her out of her thoughts.

"What is it Yumi?"

"Can we go to the park, oh can we please?!"

Sakura patted the top of Yumi's head. "Yeah sure, we can go to the park."

"I'll go get my coat!"

As soon as Yumi had her black coat and shoes on they left for the park. On their way out of the building, of all people, they ran into Syaoran and Meilin. They had obviously been home since school because they weren't in their uniforms anymore. Syaoran had on a pair of khaki pants with a green sweater, and Meilin had on a pair of jeans with a long sleeved red shirt with white dragons on it. Sakura was the first to speak.

"Li, Meilin, what are you guys doing here?"

"We live here! What are you doing here?!" Meilin snapped.

"I'm babysitting."

Syaoran and Meilin looked surprised. "You're what?" the Chinese girl asked in disbelief.

"Babysitting," Sakura replied sheepishly.

"You're kidding?!" Meilin cried.

Sakura shook her head nonchalantly, "Nope."

Syaoran pointed to the apartment complex, "Here?"

"Yeah, Yumi here lives on floor three apartment #304."

"We live right next door, apartment #305."

Sakura clasped her hands together, arms hanging down in front of her. She had babysat Yumi a number of times and yet she never realized she was right next door to the Li residence.

"How strange . . ." was the only thing she could think of to say.

Yumi started tugging on Sakura's arm to get her attention.

"What Yumi?"

Yumi stared at Syaoran and Meilin as she asked, "Sakura, who are these people?"

"Oh, these are my friends-"

"We are NOT your friends!" Meilin interjected. Sakura looked a little taken back.

"Uh, these are two of my classmates from school. This is Syaoran Li and his cousin Meilin Li. They're from Hong Kong."

Yumi's face lit up with recognition.

She pointed at Syaoran, "Now I remember! You're that guy that's always on the roof practicing with a sword."

"That's right." He nodded.

"You're really good!"

Sakura smiled, "Yes he his. Li is the best swordsmen I know, and Meilin is an excellent martial artist."

Syaoran blushed ever so slightly at Sakura's compliment. Though it was faint, it did not go unnoticed by Meilin.

"Flattery will get you no where Kinomoto!" she seethed, angry at the blush the auburn haired girl invoked in her cousin with a simple compliment and smile.

"But I-" Sakura tried to respond, but Yumi interrupted her.

"Miss Meilin?"

Meilin looked at Yumi with a quizzical look on her face, "Yeah, what is it?"

"For someone who seems like they can be nice . . . you certainly are rude."

Syaoran and Sakura started to sweat drop while Meilin got anger knots on her head, her fingers twitching slightly.

"Why you little . . ."

Sakura decided it was time to get going.

"Yeah well, we better get going. Come on Yumi it will be too dark to go to the park soon."

Sakura and Yumi continued on their way to the park while Syaoran watched them go, Meilin standing next to him red in the face from Yumi's comment. Syaoran turned around and started to walk up the stairs to go home, but his irritated cousin had a different idea. She grabbed his hand and started pulling him in the direction Sakura and Yumi went.

"Meilin, what are you doing?!"

"This is something I've gotta see, come on Syaoran!"

He sigh as Meilin continued to drag him to the park. When they reached the park, Meilin jumped behind a bush and pulled Syaoran with her. They saw Sakura and Yumi go down the King Penguin slide. When they hit the ground they laid there and laughed for a minute, then they walked over to the swings. Sakura gave Yumi a push to get her started, then sat down on the swing next to her.

Syaoran whispered to his cousin, "Meilin, will you please-"

She put a finger to her lips and cut him off, "Shhhhh! I'm trying to hear them!"

"Humph," Syaoran grunted as he crossed his arms over his chest and sat down with a sour look on his face. He didn't want to be there but that didn't stop him from eaves dropping anyway. Yumi continued to pump on the swing as she talked to her babysitter.

"Hey Sakura?"

Sakura looked over at the blonde haired child, "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "Sure."

"Why are you so nice to those two from my apartment?"

Sakura wasn't expecting that and remained silent.

Yumi continued, "I mean they're awfully mean to you, why don't you just forget about them? You don't need them anyway."

Sakura looked down at the ground and swirled the playground rocks around with her feet as she said, "You know, my friend Tomoyo said the same thing, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because . . . I'm not that kind of person. Besides, if I did that I'd be no better then them," she took a deep breath before continuing, "You see, when Li first came here to Tomoeda, I wanted to be friends, but he wanted nothing to do with me."

Yumi continued to pump her legs to move the swing she was sitting on. "Why didn't he want to be friends with you?"

Sakura brushed a stray strand of honey hair out of her eyes and continued. "Well, it was, because of these special cards. We were both trying to collect them so I wanted to team up with Li and be partners. But he only saw me as an incompetent rival that was always in the way. And when Meilin came things went from bad to worse."

"What do you mean?" Yumi asked more curious than ever.

"Well, when Meilin came I was hoping we could be friends too and maybe Li would just come around eventually. But Meilin seemed to hate me more than Li and I couldn't, for the life of me, fathom why. The first thing she did was try and compete with me in everything she could think of. And it didn't stop there either. The few times that Li and I would work together and start getting along Meilin would do whatever she could to keep us from become friends."

Sakura sighed and gripped the chains of her swing harder.

"But, like it or not, I do need them, both of them. I'm not afraid to admit that the cards can sometimes be too tough for me solo. And that's where they come in. Li, and even Meilin have done their share. If it weren't for the two of them I might not be here today. I don't care who gets the cards, as long as they are captured, sealed, and kept in safe keeping away from where they can hurt people."

Sakura leaned back in the swing and looked up at the sky, "But Li and Meilin don't feel that way. All I can do is get along with them as best I can until all of the cards are locked back in the book and they return to Hong Kong where they can't constantly put me down."

Back in the bushes Syaoran and Meilin had guilty looks etched on their faces.

Syaoran was fidgeting with his fingers as he looked at Meilin. "I had no idea she felt that way . . ."

"Neither did I . . ."

The two looked back at their classmate and continued to listen.

Sakura had a wistful, yet sad look on her face as she continued to stare at the orange evening sky. She shook her head and smiled at her little companion. "Hey Yumi, thanks for listening."

Yumi smiled brightly in response, "Well, I don't know what these special cards are, or why you need to collect them, but I think you're very brave. And as long as listening helped than I'm glad you told me."

Sakura nodded her head slightly. "I do feel better."

"You know what else I think?"

"What?" Sakura asked.

"I think you're a great babysitter, and I think you're going to be a great mother someday."

Sakura's eyes began to fill with sudden tears. Her watery eyes didn't escape Meilin's keen sight.

"I wonder what's wrong with Sakura?" she whispered out loud.

Syaoran shook his head, "I don't know, but she looks like she's going to cry . . ."

"Oh Sakura, what's wrong?!" Yumi cried, afraid she had upset her babysitter.

Sakura blinked back the tears.

"I-it's nothing, really. It's just, you don't know how happy I am to hear those words from you. My mother died when she was only twenty-seven (A/N: For the record, the age gap between Toya and Sakura isn't as big in this story as it was in the original show. It's more like she's in eight grade and he's a junior in hs). She died giving birth to me, so I really don't remember her. But even though I never got to know her I still miss her very much. There are so many things I missed out on. I wanted to be just like her. All I really remember of her is what my dad and brother told me. That's enough for me to still love her with all my heart though. I do know she was very kind and gentle, beautiful too. In fact, she was a model before she passed away," Sakura finished proudly.

Yumi's eyes widened, interested in hearing about Sakura's mother. "Wow really?"

Sakura nodded her head, "Yeah, she was really special, but I've always been afraid that I wouldn't be a good mom someday since I didn't get to grow up with one. It's nice to hear that someone thinks other wise though."

"Don't worry Sakura, you'll be a wonderful mother, and I'll even bet you'll become a model!"

Sakura couldn't stop a small giggle from escaping her mouth despite herself. "Well I don't know about that, but-"

Just then Sakura felt a strong yet scary presence. She shot up from her swing with a look of uncertainty on her face. She combed the playground with her eyes but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Syaoran and Meilin saw the look on her face and knew something was wrong.

"What's going on Syaoran?"

Syaoran was staring intently at Sakura. "It looks like Kinomoto senses something . . ."

"Do you sense anything?"

He closed his eyes and reached out his senses. "Yeah I do. But I don't know what it is."

Yumi clutched the chains of her swing as she watched Sakura not sure what was going on. "Sakura, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Sakura took Yumi off her swing, took her hand, and stated walking back towards the apartment building glancing here and there as she walked. "C-come on Yumi, we'd better get back."

"Okay . . ."

After Sakura and Yumi were out of sight, Syaoran and Meilin stood up from behind the bush.

"That was strange . . ." the black haired girl said.

Syaoran was still looking around for the source of the power he was feeling. "Something weird is definitely going on."

Having no reason to stay at the park, Syaoran and Meilin headed home. As they passed The Higurashi's door Syaoran glanced at it, then went inside his own apartment. After Sakura and Yumi returned to the apartment, Yumi ate the extra plate of food in the fridge while Sakura had a snack. After that Sakura played Yumi in a game of checkers. It was close, but Sakura won. Then they watched some t.v., and before they knew it, it was 9:00 o'clock. Five minutes after Yumi went to bed, her parents returned home.

Sakura shut the tv off and got up from the couch.

"How was the movie?" she asked.

"Good. Satoshi and I both really liked it," Mrs. Higurashi answered.

She handed Sakura a 2,000 yen note (roughly $20 bucks), which Sakura slipped into her back pocket then she asked, "Is Yumi in bed?"

Sakura nodded her head and said, "She went to bed about five minutes ago, so I don't think she's-"

Yumi came tearing out of her room and flew into her mother's arms.

"Mommy!"

"asleep . . ." Sakura finished grinning sheepishly.

"How was you're evening dear?" Yumi's mother asked as she scooped her daughter up in her arms.

"It was great, but I'm glad you're home now mom,"Yumi replied, hugging her mom.

Mrs. Higurashi kissed Yumi on the head and started to carry her back to her room while she rambled on and on about all the fun she had with Sakura. Sakura watched with that sad look in her eyes again. She said her good-byes to Mr. Higurashi and let herself out. Sakura walked out of the building and stopped in the middle of the street. She looked around one more time then started walking home. Little did she know, Syaoran was watching her from the roof of the apartment complex. He and Meilin had been up there practicing their martial arts skills. When they were done, Meilin went to bed, but Syaoran stayed up to practice with his sword.

He returned his sword to its yin-yang charm form and put it in his pocket before he climbed down the fire escape to follow the other Cardcaptor.

I had better follow her. Something IS out there, and wherever Kinomoto goes trouble almost ALWAYS follows . . .

Once on the street, he trailed closely behind Sakura without her knowing it. After a minute, she turned left. Syaoran realized right away that they were no longer heading for the Kinomoto residence.

I wonder where she's going . . .

Suddenly Sakura stopped at the gates of a cemetery. She gathered her courage and walked in. She stopped at a tombstone not too far from the gate while Syaoran hid behind a tree. Sakura bowed in front of the tombstone and started to speak softly. Syaoran started to sneak closer so he could hear what she was saying, but he wasn't paying attention and stepped on a stick, which made a loud cracking noise. He silently cursed as Sakura whirled around with a look of fear in her eyes.

Sakura backed up a little from the sound of the nose not sure what to expect. "W-who's there!? Show yourself!"

To Sakura's surprise Syaoran was the one that stepped out from behind the tree. There was shock and surprise written all over her face.

"L-Li! What are you doing here?!"

When Syaoran didn't answer right away Sakura continued, an agitated look etched on her face, "Look Li, I don't know what you're doing here, but right now I'm NOT in the mood for one of your lectures on what a pathetic and weak Cardcaptor I am. So could you save it for later, like tomorrow or something?"

It was Syaoran's turn to look surprised. He couldn't believe that Sakura would automatically think he would come to her with the soul purpose of putting her down. Had he really been that mean to her in the past? Now that he actually thought about it he realized that he had, and that actually made him feel kind of bad. As if that wasn't enough, now Sakura seemed mad at him, which actually made him feel kind of sad. For some reason he just couldn't bare the thought of Sakura being mad at him and he had no clue why. Syaoran walked up to Sakura and stopped in front of her.

"Actually, I came here to apologize," he finally revealed.

Sakura's eyes widened, "Huh? For what?"

Syaoran started to fidget a little under her intense stare. He focused his gaze on his shoes as he said, "Listen, I heard what you said at the park."

Sakura blinked in confusion, "What were you doing at the park?"

Syaoran started to blush a little, mostly from embarrassment, while he twiddled his fingers and continued to stare at the ground.

"Well, uh, Meilin wanted to see just how good of a babysitter you really are, and she just kind of dragged me with her to spy on you. We were in the bushes by the swings."

"I see," Sakura said flatly.

When it was apparent that Sakura had nothing more to say about that, he continued.

"The point is I was a real jerk to you when I shouldn't have been. You're just as much a Cardcaptor as I am. And you were right, the most important thing is to get all the cards safely sealed away, no matter who gets them in the end. We should have worked together to collect the cards like you wanted to, but I was selfish and wanted all the cards for myself. I was wrong, and I'm sorry."

Sakura just stared at Syaoran in shock. She couldn't believe what he just said. It was so . . . un-Syaoran-like.

"Di . . .did you really mean all that Li?" she asked.

Syaoran looked up and locked eyes with her. The shade of green was captivating. He could have stared into her eyes for hours just marveling at the color. He took a deep breath to gather his wits then answered her.

"Yeah, I did."

A big smile spread across her face, which made him blush faintly.

She's got a really cute smile . . . What am I thinking?! I'm just starting to like her as a friend, and that's it . . . right?

Maybe Tomoyo was right . . . thought Sakura.

She held out her hand for Syaoran to take it, "Friends?"

Syaoran smiled back. It was the first time Sakura saw him smile a real genuine smile. She couldn't stop herself from thinking how cute he was with a smile on his almost always sour face.

Wow, Syaoran's pretty cute when he smiles . . . What's wrong with me?! I'm just now starting to become friends with him! There's no way I like him as more than a friend . . . right?

He took Sakura's hand in his, "Friends."

With that simple action they each felt much better, especially about the other. Sakura gave Syaoran's hand a light reassuring squeeze, as if to seal the deal, then let go, much to his regret.

With that finally settled between the two of them, Sakura decided to ask, "So . . . how'd you know I was here?"

"I was up on the roof practicing with my sword when I saw you leaving the building. I decided I'd better follow you."

"Why?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"Because I saw the look you had on your face at the park and I know you sensed something bad," Syaoran stated bluntly.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest thinking back to the feeling she had several hours ago at the park.

"Yeah I did. It felt like an evil presence just all of a sudden appeared. Did you sense anything?"

"Yeah, I sensed it too, but I don't know what it is. I followed you because this new presence is strong and there's no telling when or where it will attack. I figured we'd better stick together if we want to have a chance at beating this . . . well whatever it is. That's why I followed you, in case it attacked you."

A sweet smile appeared on Sakura's face at his thoughtfulness. "Thank-you Li. That's really sweet of you."

Syaoran felt his cheeks start to burn with a blush. "N-no problem."

Silence descended upon them so Syaoran took the opportunity to ask Sakura a question of his own. "So why'd you come here anyway?"

Her face fell a little and Syaoran noticed.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Well," she began, wrapping her arms around herself, "after talking with Yumi I was feeling kind of lonely and I really wanted to see my mom. Unfortunately, this is as close as I can get," she glanced at Nadeshiko's headstone forlornly, "Sometimes it's so hard to deal with. I miss her so much."

Not being able to hold the tears at bay anymore, Sakura put her hands on her face and started to weep silently. Syaoran had never seen this side of her before and frankly, he didn't like it one bit. She was always so happy-go-lucky and cheerful. Now she stood there crying into her small hands, not at all acting like the Sakura he had come to know and liked to be around. She looked so vulnerable and he hated it. He hated to see her upset like that and before he knew it, he pulled her into a gentle hug, much to Sakura's surprise, but nothing compared to the surprise Syaoran had at his own actions.

What am I doing?! What's wrong with me!?

Sakura was a little shocked at Syaoran's sudden gesture of kindness, but she put her head on his shoulder and hugged him back. She was so upset she was willing to take any comfort she could get. Syaoran could feel her warm breath and tears on his neck. He rested his head on hers and started to stroke her hair with his hand as he shushed her.

"Shhhhh, its okay, please don't cry."

"It's just so hard . . ." she said between sniffles.

Syaoran continued to stroke her hair as he said, "I know it is. I lost my father when I was young. I miss him a lot, but I know that he wouldn't want me to be sad. He'd want me to go on with my life, and I know your mom wants the same for you. So please don't cry. Your mom loved you and she wouldn't want to see you so upset."

For some reason Sakura felt much better after hearing Syaoran's words. She stopped crying and just enjoyed the feel of being in his arms. He liked how holding her felt. It was much better than yelling at her anyway. She was so soft and small, smelled nice too, and she fit in his arms perfectly. He felt very relaxed and comfortable. Syaoran noticed that Sakura stopped crying, so he broke the embrace and held her out in front of his face to look her over and make sure she was all right now. He started to wipe what tears were left on her face, which made her blush faintly. Syaoran stared into her mesmerizing emerald eyes as he wiped her other cheek.

"That's better."

Sakura sniffled one more time then said, "Li?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank-you," she whispered sincerely.

Syaoran looked at her questioningly, "For what?"

Her lips turned up in a half smile, "For being there for me, for being my friend."

A faint smile appeared on his face, "You're welcome."

Silence filled the air once more.

"Come on, I'll walk you home," Syaoran finally said, breaking the silence again.

"Okay."

Little did they know that Sakura's mother, Nadeshiko, was watching them the whole time.

Please take care of my dear Sakura, Syaoran Li. Protect her and help her for she will need all the help she can get to face the upcoming threat. . .

And with that said, Nadeshiko disappeared. As they walked down the street, Syaoran and Sakura discussed what this new, evil presence was and what it came for.

"So . . . what exactly do you think we're dealing with?" Sakura asked hoping Syaoran knew something she didn't.

"To be honest I have no idea. But we do know what it's after."

Sakura blinked, "And what's that?"

Syaoran got a serious look in his face, "The Clow Cards."

Sakura's eye's widened, "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Why else would it come to Tomoeda? To go shopping? Make new friends? It knows there's strong magic here, it can sense it. Between our magical abilities and the Clow Cards this town is over flowing with magic power, so whatever it is was led straight here. It probably wants more power, evil things always want more power and seeing as that we both have power it's a safe bet that we're the targets, so we'd better be on our guard," Syaoran stated matter-of-factly.

Sakura nodded her head in agreement, "Right."

Shortly after they turned around the corner they were at the front gate of Kinomoto residence. Sakura didn't want to say good-bye, but if she didn't get in the house soon, her family would start to worry. She turned to Syaoran, a shy look on her face.

"Well, thanks for walking me home Li. I really appreciate it."

A rueful smile graced Syaoran's face. "No problem, what are friends for?"

Sakura smiled and gave Syaoran a quick hug before saying, "I'll see you at school on Monday."

She opened the white picket gate as she said, "Please be careful walking home, and if something starts to happen don't hesitate to call me okay?"

Syaoran pointed at her, "Okay, same goes for you."

"Alright."

She walked up the stairs to her front door and turned around to look at him one last time.

"Well, good night . . ." she trailed off as she entered the house and shut the door.

Syaoran stared at the closed door for a minute before saying, "Sweet dreams . . ." then he turned away from the Kinomoto residence and started his walk home.

Try as he might, he could not stop thinking about Sakura.

Maybe I won't have to wait till Monday to see her, maybe I'll run into her over the weekend.

Syaoran didn't realize how right he was. The whole time they were together they were being watched by someone other than Nadeshiko. A shadowed figure in a black cloak was watching them through a large, round mirror in a dark room, a malicious grin on his sallow face. The image in the mirror was spliced in half. On one side he was watching Syaoran walking home, juxtaposed to that image he was watching Sakura talking to Kero.

"You were right about the cards Syaoran Li, but you missed the fact that not only do I want the cards, but the power and life of your dear card mistress too!"

The evil man had seen the look on Syaoran's face when he hugged Sakura at the cemetery and again at her house. It was one of pure joy and contentedness. He knew that Syaoran was already developing feelings for the pretty girl that went beyond friendship and that would make his revenge that much sweeter.

"My revenge on Clow Reed will be even better if I not only take the cards and the life force of the card mistress, but break the heart of his strongest descendant too. Mark my words Sakura Kinomoto, you will die!" he exclaimed, finishing with a heartless laugh.

That night Sakura dreamed, and for the first time in months, it was a nightmare.

End chapter 1.

A/N: So, what'd ya think? Good, bad, let me know. I appreciate comments and even constructive criticism, but if you want to flame me do everyone on this site a favor and grow up, seriously. I came up with the idea for this fic (and wrote it) 7 years ago back in high school while I was babysitting so Yumi and her family are really the people I used to baby sit for way back in the day but with Japanese names. Just to let you know now, even though I have extensive knowledge of Japanese vocabulary, I know everyone out there that reads this doesn't, and that can be a real pain. So for everyone's sake I'm not going to put any Japanese in this fic other than names. It was originally going to be an S&S one-shot, but then I got a good idea to turn it into a muti-chaptered fic. Since this was written 7 years ago it's completed, so it will all be posted eventually but I have to do some major editing since the original is in script format and this site randomly decided one day that wasn't allowed anymore which I have discovered recently must have been the rule I violated (which is lame b/c my stories were up three years before that rule was started so what-the-hell-ever) which led to the removal of all my stories back in 2005. Argo to repost this story, I have to redo the chapters so they aren't in script format is what it amounts to. Plus I write quite a bit better now so I'm editing grammar and spelling, rewording, changing everyone's names (when I originally wrote it I used the English version names and stuff b/c I hadn't gotten to see much of the Japanese version but I own it all now so I can do Japanese instead which is by far preferred I know) etc. But the point is the rest of the chapters will be up. Anyway, chapter two will be up soon, until then, see-ya :)

SakuraJade