TITLE: "A Little Thing Called 'Love'"
GENRE: Romance/Angst
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: Syaoran and Sakura—best friends who never knew what true love meant. To end their curiosity, they agreed to be a couple for 100 days. What do you think will happen?

AUTHOR'S NOTES with darkshadow36:

Ohayo gozaimasu, minna-san! Hajimemashite? darkshadow36 desu. Hope you're all fine and ready to rock with the story! Thanks for finding my plot interesting.

BTW, OCs here are mine. AND, I'll only say this once—I don't own CCS! They're part of CLAMP's wonderful works.

DEDICATIONS: I fully dedicate this to all of you especially to my newest friend here in – Sakura-Angel-Blossom, to my faraway friend rosequartz… Also to my besties—mauinetani and Van Daisuke! You guys are the best! It's ok if you're not reading this right now... I just want to show you how I feel now through this story.

: MAIN CHARACTERS:

Li Syaoran – 16-year old; the school's popular guy heartthrob and Tomoyo's closest friend
Sakura Kinomoto – 15; just your average girl and always engages in fights; closest friend is Eriol
Tomoyo Daidouji – 15; Eriol's talented girlfriend
Eriol Hiiragizawa – a 17-year old 3-point shooter in basketball; another school heartthrob

: SUMMARY FOR CHAPTER 1: It's all about the friendship of the four. How things began… and their real personalities…

CHAPTER 1: The PoPKids and the JazZKids

Our setting is at the Basketball Court of Redstone School. So, what popped into your mind when you've read the first sentence?

Maybe you have probably thought about some players playing in the court. Well, yes… There are players playing in the court!

It was the Redstone Phoenixes and the Easternbridge Tigers. It's already the last quarter of the game.

Redstone High has 2 MVPs when it comes to basketball. And it's no other than Li Syaoran—the basketball player who always manages to get the rebounds and make it to the basket, while Hiiragizawa Eriol is known for being a 3-point shooter. Both are from the juniors. Maybe it came to your mind that they're too old to be juniors, somehow. Anyways, both lads have the looks, the body (hmm…), and the brains!

No wonder the high school girls from Redstone keep on yelling and cheering. These girls—from the freshmen, the sophomores, the juniors, and even the seniors! would want to be with them. The two are famous throughout the whole school. Even students from the elementary department recognize them and know them. The Redstone school paper "GIANT STONE", gets to publish things about them in each issue (students receive school paper copies 3 times each school year). This has been going around since they entered the high school department and proved that they're worthy to enter interschool competitions when they joined the varsity club in first year.

However, even though they're famous, they think like ordinary people, and they are ordinary people too, like us. They don't mind the attention they receive, the autographs they sign, and stuff like that. What matters most to them both is that they have friends and families to support them, and to make people happy. Of course they know no one's that perfect.

"WOO!" the girls cheered. Syaoran made a mad dash and did a lay-up and the ball went straight to the basket.

"The rebound, Li!" yelled Yamazaki, their center.

Kinomoto Sakura looked at them, wide-eyed. She wondered if these girls run out of voice. Daidouji Tomoyo nudged her friend's arm, grinning.

"C'mon, Sakura-chan," she said, "as if you never got used to them. Ah-hey! Look at Karen Yu—she's jumping wildly on her seat!" She laughed. Karen Yu was one of those rich girls who put up a Syaoran Fan Club, which actually annoyed Syaoran.

Sakura seemed not to have heard. "Look at that!"

"What?" inquired Tomoyo.

"Look at that! Over there!" she repeated. "Eriol made another three-point shot! And with a nice swerve move!"

"The score is 95-93!" yelled the announcer. "The Phoenixes are leading! OHMY! 2 minutes left!"

Tomoyo looked at Eriol. The last thing she saw was Eriol made the team handshake with his teammates. She sighed. She was a new student and she still doesn't know things in Redstone. She has heard about Eriol but she had never imagined that he would be that hot and handsome and cool. Syaoran was her classmate, while Sakura and Eriol were classmates.

Sakura had been looking at Tomoyo. She giggled.

"You like my closest friend, do you?" she tickled Tomoyo in the ribs, making her moan and laugh.

"He's your closest friend? I thought it was Syaoran-kun."

"Li-kun?" Sakura's eyes reverted back to the game. "He's only my best friend, and you're the closest of friends. Eriol-kun happens to be the one I usually approach for problems, though."

"I didn't know that," Tomoyo nodded. "Gee…"

Sakura's eyes widened again.

"What is it this time?" Tomoyo chewed her bottom lip. Sakura looked at her with those menacing eyes.

"What?" repeated Tomoyo.

"You still haven't answered my question yet."

"What question?"

"Don't pretend that you don't know 'coz I know you know and that's there is to it. Now give me an answer. Yes or No?"

Tomoyo remembered. But she tried her best to put up a face that shows an 'I-don't-know' expression.

"You're lying," Sakura insisted. Tomoyo breathed. There really is no way of escaping from Sakura's persistent nature.

"C'mon… Admit it…"

Tomoyo finally gave in.

"ALL RIGHT! I do like him!" she yelled.

"Oops…" she realized that all eyes were rested upon her. The players stared around and soon found out where the yell came from.

Eriol had already let go of the ball when the clock signaled that it was just one second left. He had aimed for a 3-point shot. The score was 97-97, tie.

GAME OVER.

Tomoyo was indeed, embarrassed. Eriol shot a glance at her. They were looking at each other eye to eye. Tomoyo blushed and looked away.

But of course the game must go on. The moment Tomoyo settled down after she yelled, the ball exactly went into the basket.

"Ladies and gentlemen… the Phoenixes win with a score of 100-97!"

The crowd from Redstone cheered. Meanwhile, back at the crowd, the Tigers gladly shook hands with the Phoenixes.

"Nice game," they said.

"Thanks, Kimisaki," Syaoran told the center of the Tigers. "You did great, too."

…at the main hall…

"One of the best games I've ever seen! Especially you, Eriol-kun!" Sakura pinched Eriol's cheeks.

"That hurts, Sakura-chan!" Eriol moaned.

Tomoyo was pink. "Yeah… you did very well," she said shortly.

"But… We wouldn't have made it too if not for the King of Rebound—Syaoran!" Sakura beamed.

Syaoran's hand went up his head. "Well… Uh…"

"Admit it, dude!" Sakura whacked her best friend's back.

"But there's another teeny winy thing that completed the game…" Eriol was looking at Tomoyo, who was looking away. "What did you just do awhile ago, Daidouji-san? Who were you referring to when you yelled… those words?" He asked hesitantly. A tinge of red on his cheeks can be seen brightly under the promising sun.

Sakura cut in before Tomoyo spoke. She was doing her best to change the subject because she wanted to protect her friend. "Ah… Well… It was a line from her script in… English."

"But… We don't have—"

"I was referring to you." Tomoyo admitted. Eriol grew quiet, and so were the two. "I like you. I admire you so much. I'm always eager to see you every morning here in school ever since Syaoran introduced you to me."

"Tomoyo?" Sakura broke the silence. "Uhmm… We're supposed to have lunch in the cafeteria. You two… Isn't it that you still have to change clothes?" She looked pleadingly at Syaoran, who knew what she meant.

Tomoyo realized that she actually uttered those words in front of him. She thought it was one of the biggest mistakes she has ever committed.

Sakura pulled Tomoyo close to her and then they walked fast towards the cafeteria. Syaoran pulled Eriol too and urged him to go with him to the dressing room for guys.

"To tell you the truth, Tomoyo… That seemed very foolish… But straightforward! I couldn't do that if I were you…" she grinned. The latter was crying.

"What now?" Sakura shook Tomoyo's shoulders.

"I can't believe I told Hiiragizawa-kun… I wonder what's it like to be his girlfriend… Deep inside me I wish he'd court me and then we'll—"

"Don't be offended, Daidouji, but I'm going to make Hiiragizawa mine," someone spoke behind them. It was Yumina Honshu, one of Karen's friends who put up an Eriol Fan Club.

"What made you say that he's going to be your girlfriend, eh?" Sakura pushed Yumina hard. The people smiled, for they knew it was another fight. They crowded around the two. Tomoyo was left among the crowd, shivering.

"Sakura-chan, please stop! I'm begging you!"

"Stay out of this, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura said defiantly. "This is our fight. Stay out of this!"

Yumina hit Sakura's arm angrily. Sakura looked at her arm and saw a dark bruise. But she was still determined to win her fight. And so she punched Yumina's nose, which bleed.

"Hiiragizawa is mine!" Yumina's voice was threatening. "So stop it."

"He's my closest and is my childhood friend," Sakura whispered back. "I can never let him marry an asshole." She smiled impishly. "I'm one of the people you can never escape. I've power over words."

"Yeah, I know." She pulled Sakura's hair.

"GO KINOMOTO!"

"GO HONSHU!"

The crowd was cheering.

Meanwhile, Syaoran and Eriol saw that there seemed like a commotion in the cafeteria because a crowd had gathered there.

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked a freshman from the crowd.

"It's a fight between Kinomoto and Honshu," the boy answered. "I think they're from the batch of this year's juniors."

Upon hearing Sakura's last name, he made his way through the crowd. The two girls were bleeding.

Syaoran was indeed, surprised. Sakura studied judo and martial arts, no wonder Yumina has more wounds than she has.

"Stop this madness!" he tried his best to stop them. But he failed.

"STOP!" Eriol entered the scene. He saw Tomoyo and without hesitating, he held Tomoyo's hand and kissed her immediately.

"I'm taken," he said simply, smiling. He was as red as a tomato, though. Yumina was taken aback. Sakura was laughing as always.

"See that, Honshu?" Sakura put a finger on Yumina's forehead.

"Oh, shit! I forgot to bring my camera for the school paper!" said a sophomore from the crowd.

"Kinomoto and Honshu! Detention for you two!" yelled Ms. Yano, the high school discipline coordinator of Redstone.

Sakura wasn't surprise to hear this. She gets to visit the principal's office at least twice or thrice a month. On the other hand, Yumina was complaining.

"She started it!" she said indignantly.

…dismissal at the waiting area… 2 lovebirds talking with low voices…

"Really? I… I don't want to believe it…"

"Yes, Tomoyo… I think I like you too," smiled Eriol. "I like you. I admire you too. Everyday, I would go to school early and eagerly wait for you at the school gate…" He grinned. "What do you say? I'll give you time to think."

"Hai…" beamed Tomoyo. "Thanks, Hiiragizawa-kun."

"Are you finished talking?" Syaoran came bringing two cans of light coke.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" The two lovebirds chorused. They blushed.

"I wonder if Sakura has already got out of Yano's cabbage-smelling office…" Syaoran muttered under his breath.

"I'm back and just fine," Sakura came back with a big smile.

"What happened?" Tomoyo asked.

Sakura sat down. "Yumina was the one blamed." She laughed.

"But—how?" Eriol asked eagerly.

"That I cannot tell," replied Sakura. "Oh… Honshu is such a bonehead, y'know. I told her that I've got power over words while we were fighting yet the ass didn't believe me at all."

Syaoran patted Sakura on the back. "I just wonder… Kinomoto-san," he said, "why do you cuss so much?" Yet he was grinning.

"I just like it!" Sakura reasoned out. "I'm what I call… a JazZkid. That's a big letter J and a big letter Z."

"But what does that mean? Sounds new to me," Tomoyo looked at her friend questioningly.

Sakura chewed her lip. "It's actually just a new name for 'just an ordinary kid'," she explained. "I don't know if you know what I mean, though."

"I know…" agreed Eriol. "And I think there's also something you called… PoPkids? The two Ps are big since they're short for popular."

"Really? Now that's something new I learned today!" Tomoyo exclaimed. They all chuckled, and then hugged each other, as a sign of their friendship.

TBC

AUTHOR'S NOTES with darkshadow36:

BTW, the plot, story, the OCs and things which aren't part of CCS are all mine:D Our first journey ends there. Just wait for the next update, I guess. I hope you found the first chap interesting in a way. More moments in the later chapters! Please don't forget to drop by reviews! Ja ne!