Ahh, I'm so sorry to any readers that enjoyed It All Began With A Chatroom. However, the writing sounded too juvenile and predictable to me, and so I ran out of inspiration for that story. Hopefully I'll do better on this one. I procrastinate so much that it's hard to remind myself to update.

It's Only The Beginning

It was a brisk winter evening. The tree branches were bare and shivering, desperately awaiting the warmth and cheer of spring. The snow had fallen earlier in the day, an apt beginning to the long winter break ahead.

A pair of sharp, beautiful, emerald eyes glistened as they watched little children running about, screaming and laughing merrily. Sakura smiled, and turned to her best friend, Yukimi.

"Aren't they adorable, Yuki? Just look at them. They have no cares in the world but the events of the next week and a half. They're free of school, and all the torture that it brings. If only the same could be said for us. Sure, our winter break starts in two days, but think of all the major exams we'll have to take before then." She groaned at the prospect.

Yukimi laughed and put her arm around Sakura. "Don't even worry about it, Sakura! You're the smartest girl in all of 10th grade. With the right amount of preparation, you'll completely ace your exams with flying colors."

"Oh, Yuki, you're not even the least bit worried about the exams, are you! I don't see how you can be so laidback about these matters, and yet do so brilliantly in your classes." Sakura sighed. "I mean, there's nothing good about school. Nothing at all. Sure, it helps us with our future, and gives us information to prepare us for whatever comes ahead. But we'd be able to relax and learn more, instead of stressing out about tests and assignments."

"Well, there is one thing that's good about school." Yukimi laughed and nudged Sakura, then pointed in the direction of a group of 12th graders.

Sakura glanced in their direction, and smiled. Syaoran Li, she thought. Definitely one of the better things about this school. It's a shame that a 10th grader like me is completely invisible to him and his friends. Not that they really matter.

"Y'know, I think you should really go over and talk to him. He's in your English class, isn't he?"

"Yeah. The smartest guy in my English class, or rather, the smartest guy in the entire school. He has almost every girl in Toshimi High fawning over him. I don't think he needs someone else to add to the mix."

Yukimi smiled. "Well, he has talked to you once, right? That should give you some hope."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "He asked me if he could borrow a pen! I'd hardly consider that as affectionate encouragement." However, unable to resist herself, she glanced over at Syaoran. Her eyes lingered on him for a few seconds more. His face was mostly made up of serious features, showing signs of hard work and a lack for any nonsense. However, his eyes betrayed everything else. Sakura knew that they were more than just amber eyes. Syaoran's eyes contained his emotions, and they had the power to make a girl melt, or intimidate even a teacher. She had never seen him smile, though she knew he had the ability to, seeing as how his friends were so good-natured and happy. It must be to them, and only them, that he showed a softer side.

She sighed and turned back to Yukimi. "Oh, I just wish I had the courage to go over there and say hi to him. But I'm sure it'll be like I'm not even there. Anyway, he's graduating this year and going off to college, so maybe I'll be able to get my mind off of him once he's not around to remind me."

"Sakura, that's not a good excuse! And since you bring up that point, what's the harm in saying hello? There's nothing to lose, since he's leaving Toshimi High and going on to pursue other things, possibly in another region of Japan. He might even go back to China, who knows?"

Sakura groaned, but thought about what Yukimi said. She does have a point… but I'm just so shy! Ugh, why do high school and boys give girls like us so much grief? Well, I should go over and talk to him. Yes. Say hello, maybe even flirt a little? Like Yuki said, what do I have to lose? She hesitated and took a few steps towards the group of 12th graders, then turned back around, scurried over to Yukimi, and dragged her in the opposite direction towards Yukimi's house. Then again, another day is just fine.

"Syaoran, you need to have some kind of perspective on your future. You're so smart, you can be anything you want to be!"

Syaoran gave a sideway glance to his best friend, Eriol. He sighed, looked down, and kept walking.

Their group had split up a while ago. The guys had suggested going to the pizzeria and maybe playing some video games at the new game station in Tomoeda, as a way to christen the beginning of the break. They had claimed that this break was "ten glorious days of freedom, relaxation, and getting some babes".

If only Syaoran could think of the winter break as a way to "escape" from school. But the truth was that school was the real distraction for him. Strange as it was, he felt more comfortable at school, knowing what he was doing and the next classes he'd be going to. Who he would see, who he would talk to. With the break coming, it meant that winter would soon be coming to a close, and then spring would begin. That was too close for comfort, since it also meant that he had to decide on what colleges to apply to, and what he wanted to major in. Therefore, his parents would be pushing him more and more to decide on what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

It was an uncomfortable thought, and as much as Syaoran wanted to push it away, he knew he couldn't keep dodging that responsibility forever. As Eriol had so gently put it, Syaoran could do almost anything. There was no one subject that he excelled in more than the other. But that was the problem. He'd give anything to exceed in one subject, to have complete devotion and passion to one thing that he knew he could be great at, instead of having a million things to choose from. Being a "genius", as his friends called him, wasn't such an easy thing to deal with.

"So", Eriol said, interrupting Syaoran's thoughts, "where do you want to go now?"

Syaoran contemplated this for a moment, and then decided he wanted some alone time. He'd have plenty of it over the break, that was for sure, but he didn't really feel like rejoicing that fact. "I think I'll just head on home."

"Aw, you're such a bore. C'mon, have some fun! I mean, Tomoyo suggested that we could maybe go catch a movie, if you weren't up to doing anything exciting."

Tomoyo and Eriol had been together for two years now. She was also a senior at their school. Syaoran had never seen two people more in love than those two. Love was a very tricky term, but in their case, it was the only thing to describe what they had. Unlike all the other girls Eriol had dated in the past, Tomoyo was gentle, and sweet. She was also incredibly beautiful, in a very fragile sort of way, while all of Eriol's exes could only be labeled as "hot", a word that Syaoran found a bit demeaning.

In short, Tomoyo was the exact opposite of Eriol, who was anything but gentle and sweet. He was the comedian of their group, and he could be very rude, but Tomoyo brought out the best in him. If Syaoran weren't so dead set against relationships and girls in general, he'd almost find it endearing.

Syaoran shook his head. "I'd rather not be a third wheel, but thanks. You two should go anyway, and have fun there without me tagging around."

"You wouldn't be the third wheel! Honestly, don't—"

"Really, Eriol. It's okay. I need to think about some things anyway. I'm not really in the mood to celebrate. Maybe we'll go out somewhere tomorrow or something."

Eriol saw the intense look on Syaoran's face, and he knew that his best friend had some things to think about. Eriol figured it was best to leave Syaoran alone for now, since he knew that Syaoran was having trouble with colleges and the prospect of his future in general.

"Alright then, I'll see you soon."

Syaoran nodded and waved slightly. "Yeah, see you."

After Eriol had left, Syaoran turned in the direction of his house and started walking as slowly as he possibly could. He was hardly in a rush to get home, and it was nice to just contemplate things while he was out here, alone, with nature surrounding him on all sides. As he walked, he noticed how peaceful the silence was. Silence that was soon to be interrupted.

"BYEEEE YUKI! I'LL SEE YOU ON SUNDAY!" Sakura smiled and waved at her friend as she walked out of the house and down the steps. She then turned and started walking home, until she felt the strange feeling of someone's eyes upon her. She turned around, and her own emerald eyes widened in surprise. She was looking at none other than Syaoran Li.

He glanced back at her, and his normally intense amber eyes seemed flat at the moment. Sakura hoped it wasn't because of the sight of her.

Biting her lip, she nervously and slowly raised her hand up in the air, signaling a wave. "Um… hi!"

Syaoran raised an eyebrow and said, "Hi." Hmm, she looks familiar.

Sakura uncertainly smiled, wondering if that was a friendly "hi" or leave-me-alone "hi". "Which direction are you going in?"

Syaoran pointed directly in front of him. Sakura smiled and said, "Oh, same."

The two of them walked awkwardly side-by-side. Actually, it was awkward for Sakura, since Syaoran seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Sakura sighed. No doubt he was thinking about how he had some dorky 10th grader walking next to him.

Sakura was wrong, though. Syaoran was still lost in his own thoughts, already forgetting about the girl that walked alongside him, glancing up at him every few seconds to see if his expression had changed, which it hadn't.

They continued walking in silence for the next five minutes, until Sakura reached her house. She decided that now was as good of a time as ever to say something.

"Well, here I am. This conversation has been truly stimulating."

Syaoran looked up, startled and unaware of how much time had passed since anyone had spoken. "Oh… yeah. I had some things on my mind. I'm not the best of company."

Sakura smiled on the inside. That's been the most he's ever said to me, and was that an apology of sorts for the silence? She turned and glanced at the old, wooden door of her home, and then turned back around.

"Okay then. Well, bye! I'll see you arou—"

Syaoran had already walked off without so much as a word. He was already half a block away, still looking dazed out and contemplative. Sakura frowned. Well, that was a bit rude. And I made an attempt to talk to him too!

She sighed. At least she had had the courage to get it over with, and Syaoran didn't seem all that interesting up close. She walked up the steps to her porch, then smiled and shook her head. After all she had built him up to be, he was really just a regular guy, and he didn't seem as deep as she believed him to be.

Or so she thought.

Well, there goes the end of the first chapter! Sort of, anyway. It's really more of a prologue. You'll just have to stick around to see what happens, hehe. So anyway, please read and review! I hope you enjoy this story. :)