Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura, names and places belong to Clamp. I don't own CCS in any way or manner, so um, don't sue. Really.

Note: There's a name trait among the Japanese that I've used in this story, where very close friends call each other by their first name and acquaintances use last names. Also, keep in mind that I came up with the ideas for this story when the US version of CCS first aired, so I knew nothing of Shaoran's gift and of Eriol. Therefore, both things are not in this fic.

This story's timeline happens when Meiling returns back to Hong Kong permanently and before Sakura receives the news about Shaoran's departure. It's a different ending to the TV series, you could say. This is my first CCS fic and is the first time I've tried writing a fanfic in first-person, so be kind in those reviews!

Taking Happy Moments

"Hey, Shaoran!" A faint female voice calls from a distance behind me. I'm tired. No, tired isn't quite the word to use. I'm absolutely drained. So much, I can't recognize the person that's calling my name. I'm positive I'm coming down with something. Bleh. Good thing the weather is overcast and not blinding with brightness and sun. I'd be more the zombie than I am now. I probably wouldn't have registered that my name was Shaoran Li.

"Shaoran, hey, can't you wait up?" The voice is right behind me, then walking to my left. "Boy, you're one speed walker. What are you trying to do-" Sakura Kinomoto stops in mid-sentence, peering at my sullen face with concern. She's frequently like that. "Hmm. You're not yourself today."

I crick my neck, still processing that it was Sakura. Upon recognizing which girl it is, I relax. "Tired. Not feeling too great," I reply with little energy. When I'm with Sakura, I don't have to flat out lie like a dog.

"Oh." Sakura momentarily goes silent. Probably thinking of something to say next. She seems to latch on to a whim and starts to turn the lightest shade of pink and she looks straight ahead. "Uh, maybe you'd like some company? I could...I don't know...make some tea?" As if remembering something relevant, she swings her book bag around and rummages through an inside pocket until she finds what she's searching for. She flourishes a handful of small, brightly colored packages.

Already expectant of the questioning look I shoot her with, she says, "Tomoyo let me have some. It's imported." She grinned at the mention of her best friend, Tomoyo Daidouji.

I blink. "Imported what? An inflatable Kero-in-a-pack? Rip open the paper and have your very own nuisance for the day?"

"What?" Sakura stares at me like I'm one confused boy. In many ways, I still am. Seventeen and still not understanding things, like the little child. For instance, out of all the weeks in the year, why do I catch a virus on the most hectic week? And it's not plain schoolwork that's filling my mind, either.

"Nothing. So what is it?" The drug of disorientation is kicking in. My attention span is slowly whittling down to zero.

"I was getting to that," she says pointedly. She begins to chatter. "So, this is imported tea. They came in this cute little box with a lot of different samples and since there were more than one of each flavor, Tomoyo let me have some so I can try them whenever I like at home. It's fantastic, Shaoran! I've never had these kinds of tea before. I mean, have you ever heard of tea made of peppermint? I don't know what that is, but it sounds yummy! And this tea business happened a couple days ago. I forgot all about these until I suggested it now." Sakura finally glances over and her face noticeably drops. "Oops. Guess you're not up for listening to me talk this minute."

I groan at myself, rubbing my weary eyes with the back of my hand. "Sorry. Like I told you earlier, I really feel like sleeping." I frown, looking at Tea Girl in confusion. "Did I say that to you? Or was that in my head?" I suddenly feel hot and weak and maybe not able to make it to my room.

"As far as I'm concerned, that was in your head." Sakura smiles sympathetically, feels around her skirt for a pocket, then realizing her uniform had no such thing, she sighs. As we near the street where we split paths, she says, "So I'll be seeing you tomorrow, then? Let you squeeze in your much needed nap before doing homework."

I consider her departure. As much as I loved heading into my perpetually silent room and slinking down under the covers for a blur of a short sleep and then snapping right up to attention to complete the day's schoolwork, it'd be nice to have someone else as company. Change the routine. Chat for a bit, lounge for a bit, and if the luck still lasted, maybe I could discover an important gold mine of thoughts coming from Sakura's heart.

I say as nonchalantly as I can, "If you like, you can come over for an hour or so. I want to try out that tea you're flaunting." I hope I didn't sound too much like the happy kid I was starting to feel bubbling inside.

A grin shone on the girl's face. "I get to try the tea earlier than I thought!"

"Good thing we're almost home, then." I return the look, trying to push away the creeping headache that would surely swoop in and steal away my thoughts.

We talk more, as people are conditioned to do. I was enjoying the conversation despite the hurtful pulses passing my head. Sakura was the one bringing up the topics of discussion, so it surprised me when she ceased talking at one point. It wasn't one of those comfortable quiet lapses, either. I could feel there was a pressed weight to it. And her focus was kept ahead, as did I; but every so often I would catch from the corner of my eyes, her gaze alternating from the trees to me, then back again. That gets me antsy. "What's with the silence?"

Sakura's head shakes in fluster. "No reason. Can't I stay wordless for a few minutes? Not a crime, you know."

"You can. But I know there's something wrong." I tilt my chin higher. "So what is it?"

Fidgeting begins. "Don't think I'm trying to intrude, but I heard.......you might be going back to Hong Kong?"

I'm so caught off guard that I stop walking. She wasn't supposed to find out until my final decision was made. Of course, that was if I was intent on going. If I didn't, the subject would never have needed to be mentioned. My head was spinning a little crazier than a minute ago, and I pray it's my imagination. But when does unaccounted news never bring about a dizzying result? I start walking again. "Who told you?"

"Meiling. She e-mailed Tomoyo and wanted to know if I had gotten the news of you going home."

My eyes fall. Something about a passing away of a relative I barely knew and since I'd already be in Hong Kong, why not stay and avoid the hassle of returning? I tell her just that.

"When...do you have to decide by?" Eyes on the trees.

I follow her gaze. "A week."

Her head spins to me and her mouth falls open in unhappy shock. "A week!? That's so soon! How-? When were you going to tell everyone?"

I shift my view away. With my forehead throbbing, this was not the best time to talk. In a clipped tone, I say, "Could we not talk about this now? I'm not-"

"Feeling well, I got it." Sakura nods and her shoulders drop.

At my front door, I fumble for the key. Sakura follows behind as I head upstairs to my room. I don't hear Wei so he must be out. I don't bother looking for a note. Wei's been my guardian and I never hear him leave the house to be with friends or relatives. Sometimes it's a nuisance to have him around day and night, so it's nice to be left alone and have the place to myself.

Surprise washes over Sakura's face when I open the door and my sparse, but orderly room came into full view. I search my mind, extracting whether she had seen it before. Nothing significant comes to mind. "Something the matter?" I say to her as I drop my bag at the foot of my bed. She's still looking around in awe.

She closes the door and blinks, thinking of an appropriate answer. "I just...It's- uh, different. For some reason, I expected it to be...a mess. But it's great that you're tidy. Won't have any trouble looking for a matched pair of socks." She laughs nervously. She walks to my desk, giving the scattered contents a once-over. "But I suppose this part of your room gets the punishment." She then claps her hands together. It's the equivalent of one's nervous tapping of the foot on the floor.

"Now what?"

"U-uh, well, in the rare occasion whenever I'm in Touya's room, he's always warning me to avoid touching anything. So if I do step on a little ball of lint, he goes...ballistic? And I was waiting to see if you'd do the same." Another uneasy laugh.

My attitude turns sour at the mention of the name. "For one thing, I'm not him nor do I ever want to be. And second, I don't yell." I cough. " I... don't get too many chances of having others in my room. Just don't touch everything."

Sakura smiles as she looks out the huge glass of my sliding doors. "Just like Tou-ya."

I barely respond as I am in the midst of lying back. That's when I remember I need to boil the water for her tea. Plus, I couldn't fall asleep! Sakura was a guest and besides, I don't snooze in front of guests. Maybe I did when I was younger, like five, but that was an exception. What did I know about people then?

"The tea," I say wanly, indicating her to pass me the packets.

"It's okay. I'll make it. It's just hot water, right? I'll find everything." She waves the said items in the air. "You can lie down and be lazy. You look like you need it." My door almost closes when her head pops back. "What kind do you want?"

The aching is getting worse. It's squeezing my head like it's in a vice and some evil maniac is slowly winding it up, enjoying the infliction of pain as they turn the crank. My entire body is sore, not just the head. Or was that just an illusion?

"Surprise me," I manage to speak from my reclined position before turning away with a grimace. I'm getting warmer by the minute and I'm not aware of how long I'm lying here with my eyes shut, but a furtive hand brushing my forehead. It's like the soft wind, and I feel the presence leave just as fleetingly. The hand wasn't rough, so I know Wei still isn't home.

Don't go, my weak mind automatically protests. The faint clinking of teacups gets louder as Sakura comes in. I inhale sharply when ice water stabs my forehead.

"Looks like you've got yourself a small fever, Shaoran. Congrats." A silly smile is my greeting when my eyes force open and I slowly turn the other way around.

"Wha-?" Usually I would shake my head in dazed perplexity, but the heaviness tells me to forget it. Didn't want my head to break off. Instead, I settle for a roll of my eyes and a moan. "And why is a fever a joyous thing? Because the room can turn round and round? Or maybe it's the "I've got the temperature gauge turned a little too high" warmness that never goes away. You think this is fun-"

"Shaoran, stop!" Sakura was laughing as she held a hand up to stop my yammering. "I only said that to make you feel better."

"Better. And the most you can cheer me up with is "Congrats for your getting sick! Here's your award"?' "

Sakura laughs even harder. "Shaoran! You really are comical when you're feverish! Maybe you should have fevers more often! Oh! Forgot to mention; taped on the fridge is a note from Wei." She produced a slip of paper, holding it out.

I motion for her help to prop me up on my pillow. Leaning back against the wooden headboard, one hand keeping the washcloth in place on my forehead, my free hand takes the sheet and I read it with a squint. " 'Went to visit an old...fogy.' "

Sakura snickered. "That's "friend"."

" "Friend. Will be back late-" " I sigh in defeat. "Forget it."

Out of nowhere, Sakura pops a electronic thermometer into my mouth and takes the note from my hand at the same time. "It's fun being nurse. I can gag you with the thermometer. Also, the rest of the note merely assures you that you'll find your way around the house."

A grumpy sound is my reply. As I'm getting used to the jab of the metal tip under my tongue, she promptly takes it out, tsk-ing at the result.

The Nurse eyes me in sympathy and she sets down the thermometer on my bedside table. "The fever's not that bad. Just a few degrees about normal. Now, time for your tea. Keep the strength up." She reaches for the tray off the small table in the middle of the room. She drops the stern act as she hands me a steaming cup. "I had some trouble deciding on the right one for you. You're such a complex guy."

I hold the teacup as though warming my hands. I stare into the clear liquid, contemplating whether I should take her comment as a joke or a sincere compliment. And whether I should be insulted.

"Anyway, I had to pick one, so I settled on this sleepy type." She sheepishly scratches the back of her head, "Uh, I thought the picture on the front resembled a lot like Kero." A lopsided grin appears. "Try it."

Carefully, I lift the small cup. My lower lip touches the warm porcelain and that action finally triggers my common sense. I bring the drink away. "No way I'm drinking this. Too hot."

A skeptical eyebrow arches. "Then why are you able to hold it if you can't drink it?"

I look down, now wondering the same thing. "Huh. Um, I guess I like its fragrance."

"Glad it's such a hit." The tip of her tongue peeks out from the side of her mouth.

My eyelids inadvertently flutter. "I see you didn't pick yours up," I note, feeling fiery all over. I barely avoid spilling my tea as I set it down on the table with as much care as I could.

"Didn't want to be rude. After all, I'm a guest."

My head lolls back, my heavy eyes descending; this time longer than the last. I try to apologize, explain that I can't focus, but the words wouldn't leave my throat. The pattering of water sounds in my ears. I cringe at the coldness of the familiar cloth comes into contact with my skin. I slide down to my original position of lying motionless, not bothering to open my eyes.

"A-are you sure the fever is small? You weren't lying, were you?"

"You'll be fine. No I wasn't lying." Washcloth dipped into the bowl.

I moan in pain, watching the room tilt, panting lightly. "I should-"

Cool fabric stills my mouth and the mattress shifts as she leans in very close. "Sleep. Talk later." The coolness presses on my cheeks, my eyelids, my throat. I don't protest.