Disclaimer: Cummon, you all know that if I really owned 'em, we wouldn't have to do disclaimers...

A/N: *flexes fingers* where to start...first things first...Sakura is very out of character, just to warn you...Syaoran is too...a bit...this took forever to type up...so...read and enjoy!



"RRRRIIIIIINNNNGGG!!!!!!!!!!!" The final bell rung loudly as Sakura sped into the school gates on her oh-so-famous roller blades. She saw her lifetime friend, Tomoyo, walking slowly to class, every once and a while casting a sideways glance. She was far away, by Sakura's measures, but she could tell her friend was worried, and this time, it wasn't about her...or was it?

"Tomoyo!!!" She cried out, gliding up to her friend.

"You're late again, baka." She said, dismissing any sign that she was upset. Sakura cocked her head to one side as she answered.

"It's the first day of eighth grade! Of course I'm late!" she smiled as if it was nothing new. Well, actually it wasn't. Sakura wasn't the one to be on time to certain events...such as school.

"You haven't changed a bit!" Tomoyo laughed, pointing out the obvious.

"You have. Look at you! So much tanner! So how was your trip to Hawaii?"

"Great!" she exclaimed. "Sakura, you should have seen some of the guys there they were so...so...KAWAII!" she added, with her favorite word at the end. "Or were you already busy checking out someone?" Tomoyo smiled as her friend blushed.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about..." Said Sakura as she felt her face turn hot.

"Oh honestly, Sakura, I know you love him!"

"N...nani? Am I that easy to read?"

"Hai, and now we're gunna be late! Common!" Tomoyo grabbed Sakura's wrist and dragged her off to class.

*~*~*~*~*

"Hoe, I hate maths..." said Sakura to herself after school. She was putting her roller blades on, grumbling about how she hated math class.

"Ya know, Sakura, I'm sure Syaoran would be pleased to tutor you..." smiled Tomoyo. Sakura looked up and scowled.

"How come I get the feeling that if I don't tell him soon, you will for me..."

"Maybe that's because I will - and I'll catch it all on tape!"

"Oh no! You wouldn't!"

"You've liked him since you captured all the clow cards, just tell the poor kid! He has a right to know. He did come back from Hong Kong for you..."
"Hai, maybe you're right." Sakura sighed in defeat and skated off.

"If only they knew..."whispered Tomoyo, walking the other way.



*~*~*~*~*

"Sakura! Wait up!" someone behind her called

"Nani?" she stopped roller blading, and turned around. "Oh, Syaoran, it's just you."

"Hai. I wanted to ask you something."

"..." She stared at him, waiting for him to answer. She looked up at him. '...Do you think he feels the same way?' Sakura once again got lost in those amber eyes that she had come to know and love since the days of the cards. They had been long since captured, and Sakura had thought Syaoran would be staying with his clan...but he came home late last year. She was going to tell him how she felt about him, but never did.........one of her worst mistakes...
He himself looked overjoyed that his mother had let him come back, and when he saw the happiness on her face, he had gathered her up in a hug. But that was a while ago, he should've said something then, it wouldn't be so hard to do so four years later when his love for the card mistress had grown. He was going to tell her if it killed him...

He began to blush under her stare. 'This is going to be harder then I thought...'

"Could you meet me tonight at midnight?"

"Umm, sure, Syaoran, I just need to make sure my baka brother doesn't find out, you know what he'd do to you..."

Syaoran shuttered at the thought.

"Hai...meet me at Penguin Park?"

"All right."

"Oh, and don't bring Kero-chan." With that he turned on his heels and ran off. 'Maybe next time it will be a kiss goodbye...iie, wishful thinking..."

"Okay..." Sakura cocked her head to one side. 'If that wasn't the strangest thing...' she sighed and continued skating to her house. 'Syaoran's so cute when he's embarrassed' she said, remembering how much he had blushed when she looked at him '...Tomoyo would've loved that...' She headed towards her house pondering Syaoran's words. '...Tonight at penguin park it is, then!' she thought...

*~*~*~*~*

"Sakura, you're acting differently..."

"I know Kero, Syaoran wants to ask me something tonight at penguin part at midnight..." Kero choked on the cookie he was eating.

"If that gaiki lays one hand on you...I'll...I'll bite his finger!"

"Chill, Kero-chan, you're not coming."

"NANI?"

"Sayoran said not to bring you."

"But - Sakura!"

"No, Kero, not this time. I promise, nothing will happen!"

"Yeah, sure, I really trust you with that gaiki..." Kero mumbled under his breath. In truth, he was happy for Sakura. He knew they liked each other, but being Kero, he didn't want to let his softer side show.

"Now, where's the phone? Tomoyo wanted me to call her..."

"Over there, under that box of cookies."

".........Kero!"

"What?"

"Never mind..."

*~*~*~*~*

"Ooh! That's sooo romantic!!" Tomoyo cooed over the phone.

"Don't start, Tomoyo..."

"...Where are you guys meeting anyways?"

"I'm not gunna tell you."

"That's not very nice, Sakura."

"It may not be nice, but it will be much more...romantic if there isn't anyone there shouting 'KAWAII!' waving a video camera in our faces..." Sakura smiled. True, she wasn't acting like her normally happy self, but she was nervous, and would be much more nervous if Tomoyo was there. On the other side of the phone, Tomoyo sweat dropped.

"Hai, I suppose you're right," She said. "But I'll be missing some very good shots of you two."

"Yeah.........Oh wait a minute! TOMOYO!!!" Screamed Sakura into the phone, realizing what she had just agreed to. Tomoyo giggled in the other end.

"Sakura, won't your brother be mad," Tomoyo tried to change the subject, looking at the clock... "you're up late, you don't want to give yourself away, do you?"

"Hoe, if Touya found out I was up at eleven..." she whispered. "Oh shoot! My coat is still downstairs...and right next to Touya on the couch..." she sweat dropped, and Kero and Tomoyo laughed at her.

"How could you forget that!? It's twenty below! Now what are you going to do?"

"I might have to use my blanket, all my sweaters are in the wash...Ack! Tomoyo, I'll call you later! I've got to get ready!!" She slammed the phone down without waiting for an answer.


On the other line, Tomoyo laughed. She gingerly placed the phone back to the receiver, and leaned on her bed.
"I knew he'd tell her one day." She chuckled and went off to bed.



Sakura ran around her room looking for something to wear. After a few minutes, she decided on some jeans and a green t-shirt.

"Kero? Where are yo- oh! That's cute!" she giggled at the sleeping guardian, who was using an empty cookie box as a blanket. "I probably won't need these..." She placed the cards on her desk next to the key, (a/n: I dunno why she'd ever leave those, but...) and gathered up a blanket in place of a jacket. She climbed out the window onto the tree, and hurried down. She glanced at her watch before running off.

11:55

*~*~*~*~*

Syaoran stood by the king penguin slide, waiting for Sakura. He ran a nervous hand through his hair slowly, while thoughts raced through his head like crazy.
'After four long years, I'm finally going to tell her how I feel about her...after all, it can't be that hard...can it? After all that training, I can't tell the girl of my dreams that I love her...Syaoran...you're loosing it...mou...here she comes...with a blanket!? Ohboy...'

"Ne, Sakura, why aren't you in a jacket?" he asked, letting his curiosity get the best of him...

"I left my jacket downstairs next to Touya..." she pulled the blanket tighter around her. He ruffled her hair, laughing.

"That wasn't so smart..."

"Yeah, well...why did you want to meet me here at this hour anyways?" she asked, smoothing back her hair...

"......" Syaoran held his breath. 'Ah, now or never...' He had watched her...since the day of the clowcards...admiring her from afar...it was his only hope to finally be close to her...he was going to tell her...but then his mother came for him...it had nearly killed him...and the look she had would have killed him again...Her beautiful jade eyes...her soft brown hair...what he wouldn't give to be close to her...

Sakura looked at him...he was silent...he had something to say-Sakura knew it-so she kept quiet...he turned to face away from her......in thought? Yes, probably, he was always thinking...she prided him for that...there were many times when fighting the clow cards his quick thinking had saved her...she owed him her life...she trusted him with her life...He turned back to her, not sure what to say...

"...Sakura?"

"Yeah, Li-kun?" the tower bell chimed in the background

"...I...umm...I lo~" but before he could finish his sentence, a bright white light surrounded them, and they felt their bodies begin to move...the last thing they heard was the tower bell as it finished chiming midnight...

TO BE CONTINUED!!

Preview of next chapter:

"NOOO! Syaoran!!" she sobbed, hugging his sword agenst her chest. "what...what did you do to him...?" she muttered...

"Why my dear, I simply __________"



heheheh...I love cliffhangers!! Anyway...i'll have the contest results up in a few days...can you believe people are still sending me stuff? Hehe, I don't really care! Ummmmm...you can e-mail me at Radio2@ix.netcom.com...byes!!

KK-chan