A/N: Hi there! Account user Abby here. This account is a shared one actually, by me and my best friend. Just click on our profile for more information! My first CSS fic! So…um…I'm not gonna be saying anything more, except for a "rookie writer warning" since I'm not that much experienced in writing yet, and that English is not really my first language. Consider yourselves warned, but comments are greatly appreciated! I love criticisms too, but not too harsh please XD
Inspiration: Boredom, and the anime Special A.
Note: If some dialogues seem familiar to you in any way, then that's because I got that from Special A :D
Special acknowledgement to my wonderful beta-reader, Sakura-chan Master of the Clow.
Summary: -AU- It was only meant to last for a week; seven days of nothing but pure rivalry. And hell. Fate, however, has other things in store for them, and events then make a turn for the worse. In this game of love, who'd win? Who'd lose? To find out, you'll have to play along. S x T, slight E x T.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN CARDCAPTOR SAKURA, AND THE POEMS USED IN THIS CHAPTER.
The Game of Love
By: Abby
Chapter One
Challenge No. 1: Track and Field
"I win, right?" a young boy said, his still standing straight and composed figure looming over the sweaty, fallen, and exhausted one of a girl his age. His lips then tilted up into an arrogant smirk as the mocking question escape him. He knew he had won alright; still, he found it quite amusing to ask, especially upon seeing the girl's shocked and frozen expression.
The girl was on all fours, panting, breathing deeply, and catching her breath after that long track run. "N-no way…," she whispered as she then looked up to the smirking boy. "This can't be…" she added.
She couldn't believe she had lost. To him. To that seemingly weak and puny little boy. To Syaoran Li.
The very first person she had ever lost to.
"Not so tough now are you? Hm?" He snickered as he left. "I'm gonna find a more worthy opponent."
Opponent.
That word resounded on the girl's mind, and only then had she finally got a grip back on reality. She glared at the boy's retreating figure with all the frustration she could muster. "GET BACK HERE GAKI!" she demanded.
"Why would I?"
.
.
.
"Miss Rank Number Two?"
The girl could only gasp with resentment.
Point Tally: Syaoran - 1; Sakura - 0
"D-don't call me that!"
"Why not? Miss Rank Number Two really fits you, you know…"
"No it doesn't!"
"Yes it does. You lost, Kinomoto. Accept the truth."
"Ugh! Mark my words, Li, someday, I will beat you. Just wait!"
A sigh.
Sakura Kinomoto. Just your average, plain, sixteen-year-old girl, struggling for survival in this thing she liked to call "Hell on Earth." School, in other words; Junior High, to be exact. Right from the start of her high school years, Sakura knew she'd hate it, and as the girl sat by in her Math class that day, lost in her own thoughts and clearly oblivious to the rest that was going around her, she knew she had proven herself right. Yes, just like any teenager, attending tedious and repetitive classes almost eight hours a day wasn't her exact idea of "fun." Nope, not even in the slightest bit.
She slumped sluggishly back onto her seat. She was not particularly interested in listening to her teacher blabbering complete nonsense in front (or so it seemed to her), about some completely screwed up Peethagoorey Theorem. Or something like that. She really couldn't tell truth to be told; she wasn't paying any attention. Thankfully though, some random dude had excused the woman. Probably an important faculty meeting. Instantly, the room burst into noisy chatters. Sakura, however, just resorted to staring out the window.
"Sakura, you seem spaced out," Tomoyo Daidouji, her best friend, noted.
"Oh…that." A shrug. "It's nothing. Don't worry, Tomoyo-chan."
She chuckled softly. "Hmmm….about our History quiz later?"
Sakura's eyes widened. "How did you know? But anyway, yeah, that's it. And I swear, I am soooooo gonna beat Li on that one! I'm sure of it!"
Looking back, she couldn't help but slightly flinch at how her day had badly started. She woke up late, and truth to be told, her brother's wisecracks in the background didn't help much. She practically messed up their whole living room as she scrambled through her school things, and then stepped out of the house with her hair still uncombed. But then, a longing feeling plagued her. Forget about waking up late again. Forget about that annoying Touya. Forget about being seen publicly in a complete mess. Forget even about that long Calculus test she had to take that day. It was a new day. Another day of school. Another chance to go up against a certain amber-eyed boy in their usual competitions.
Syaoran Li. Her rival.
She was determined; face brimming with confidence and assurance of herself. She knew she'd beat him today, she could feel it. This was what she kept reminding herself every single day. Unfortunately for her, she never did get to beat him in anything. Anything. Whether it's from quarterly exams to a simple staring contest, the results were always the same. Puntos for Syaoran, na-da for Sakura.
But today? Ha. She'd make sure she'd turn the tables around. She'd make sure he'd eat dust. She'd make sure he'd surrender. She'd make sure she'd win. Today was different; she could feel it, excitement getting the best of her through and through.
"You'd just be humiliated; I'm sure of that, too," Ryu Hasegawa, another friend of hers, joined in. "Are you sure about going up against him? Again? Think it'd be better if you just give up Sakura-chan— Hey, OW!"
"Like, soooo not helping Hasegawa," Mei Lin Li, still as feisty as ever, scolded the raven-haired boy, her bright red eyes flaring as she faced Sakura animatedly. "Sakura-chan, don't mind that stupid dunce. I say go for it! Heh. It's not every day that you'd get to see someone so determined to beat that cousin of mine. Much more, seeing someone actually beat him…"
"If, someone could that is," an arrogant voice cut in, a voice which Sakura already knew by heart, making her mutter grimly under her breath.
She turned, expecting to see a boy probably a foot taller than her, with chocolate brown hair and amber eyes, a matching arrogant smirk plastered on his face, standing right behind her. And, guess what? She did.
And so, just like any of their other, countless encounters, she burst into a rage of fury.
"DROP IT WITH THE COCKY ATTITUDE, LI. It's annoying." She glared at the boy. "Show off."
Syaoran grinned as he dropped his bag onto his seat. "Whatever you say…Klutz."
"I am not a klutz!"
"Right. You're not."
Sakura could only turn her back against him with an irritated "Hmpf!" From her seat, she then saw her sensei return, and then continue with her lessons, and Sakura, well, just as always, pretended to be listening to her. She didn't understand a thing though.
Stupid Peethagoorey Theorem.
Whatever it is.
"So…what's up today? Got any challenges? Eh? Kinomoto?"
"Ha. You bet Li. I've got a loooooong list here in my mind! And now we're down to...uh...what, number are we in again?"
"Challenge No. 36, 482"
"Right. 36, 482. You are on!"
Syaoran shrugged coolly. "Right then. Prepare to lose."
"That is NOT gonna happen."
"We'll see. Oh, and another thing…"
.
.
.
"It's Pythagorean Theorem. Not Peethagoorey," he grinned. "Miss Rank Number Two."
Sakura frowned.
Oh…she is SO gonna get him.
Challenge No. 36, 482: Race to the cafeteria
Sakura panted as she ran down Tomoeda High's corridors, the ear-piercing ring of their school bell playing in the background. It was recess. She hurried down the crowded place, zoomed right past some baffled guy, nearly bumped into a surprised sensei, and almost tripped along the way. But she didn't stop running. Instead, she raced faster, determined on getting to their cafeteria earlier than…
…Him.
Sakura abruptly halted in her tracks. She couldn't believe it, or rather, she didn't want to believe it.
"Late as always, I see." He smirked.
"W-what…b-but…I-I…" she sputtered, clearly at a loss of words.
This made Syaoran's smirk grow…well…cockier. "What's wrong, Sakura? Don't tell me you actually thought you'd get to beat me?" he mocked.
Sakura flared. "OH SHUT THE HELL UP, LI."
Point Tally: Syaoran - 36, 482; Sakura - 0
"Whatever," Syaoran merely shrugged in response. "Come on, let's get inside. Tomoyo's waiting…"
.
.
"…along with our History test results…"
With this said, Sakura instantly rushed inside, face brimming with anticipation.
Challenge No. 36, 483: History Unit Test
"Tomoyoooo!" Sakura called from across the room. "Let me see my test result!"
Behind her, Syaoran followed, hands in pockets and still as composed as ever. Tomoyo handed the two's papers respectively. Syaoran scanned his paper with expressionless eyes. Sakura, however, had a different response.
"HA!" she blurted out, then shoving the paper proudly in front of Syaoran. "See this, Li? It's a damn, freakin' 'A!'" she boasted. "Bet you can't beat that!"
Syaoran raised a brow. "Uh…yeah. I can."
"W-what?" Sakura sputtered out. "Let me see!" she said as she grabbed his paper, eyes widening as she looked at the red-tinted score largely encircled at the top-right corner of his answer sheet.
'A+'
He got an 'A+'.
Point Tally: Syaoran - 36, 483; Sakura - 0
Syaoran grinned. "What's wrong? Speechless?"
Sakura remained frozen, before then flaring up with determination. "I AM NOT!" she said defensively. "Listen here, Li, in the next challenges…I. Will. Beat. You. Got that?"
"Keep wishing…Miss Rank Number Two."
"ARGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
Challenge No. 36, 484: Poem Writing Activity
"…The beeping stops, and all goes quiet,
Not a single breath comes from among the riot
No pulse, no beat, but a silent scream,
No one to wake from this horrid dream."
"Wonderful!" their Literary teacher exclaimed as Sakura went back to her seat. "Next?"
"Me." —Syaoran.
"Good. Li, please come up the platform."
The boy did as what he was told to do, before then clearing his throat.
"The World's Reality
As a child, we dreamt of jolly things,
Soaring high, flying on bird's wings.
We dreamt of the of the good, but never of the bad,
Of simple pure happiness, the thoughts we had."
Sakura yawned. Bo-ring…
"Slowly and slowly, as we grew,
Our dreams changed, and morphed anew.
We somehow locked the jolly spirit inside,
Kept all those dreams and fun behind.
And in those times of development and change,
The way we think has been rearranged.
The world as we saw it, moments before,
Left all the simplicity, even happiness was no more."
"Wow…his poem's not bad at all," Mei Lin said.
Sakura snickered. "His poem sucks Mei Lin…"
Denial, a silent voice rang in her mind.
"Then we come to see the world, in a different way.
Things had changed, so they might say.
The world runs on riddles and games,
In secret passages, and secret names.
You could wish your life was a fantasy,
Or even a fairytale, from a book could be.
You could always wish for genies in a lamp,
But the fact remains; they're only dreams that are trapped.
Rain or shine, it may never change.
The boundary that can make, people deranged.
The line that separates us from the imaginary,
This little thing, we call 'reality'."
As soon as Syaoran had finished writing his perfectly written poem, he sent a triumphant smirk Sakura's way.
"I win," he mouthed.
Point Tally: Syaoran - 36, 484; Sakura - 0
Sakura sulked, and from behind her, she could hear Ryu stifle a laugh. "Stop that!" she demanded.
"Right...right...pfft-" Ryu nearly choked. "But...yeah. You should've listened to me. I keep telling you Sakura, you'd never get to beat him."
Sakura frowned. "Look, if you're just gonna say something stupid, keep your blabber mouth shut and you'l be doing me a favor. Are you really a friend or what?"
"I'm just telling you the truth Sakura-chan."
"Yeah right," Mei Lin snickered. "Way to enlighten things up baka," she turned to Sakura. "Don't worry Sakura; the day's still long. You'd get to beat him..."
Her voice didn't sound the least convincing.
Sakura sighed. "I guess," she then grinned as dawning comprehension showed in her face. "Yeah, you're right! The day's still long! I'd get to beat him today, you guys just watch!"
"That's the spirit Sakura!"
Five hours later...
Challenge No. 36, 599: Track and Field
"Good luck Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo yelled.
"Tomoyo, your precious voice!" Mei Lin protested. "You might strain it. Let me do the shouting for you, okay?" she turned to front. "GO, SAKURA-CHAN! MAKE SURE TO KICK THAT DAMNED GAKI'S ASS FOR ME!"
Ryu could only groan as Mei Lin's standing figure completely blocked his view.
Cheers and hoots filled their track field as both Sakura and Syaoran took their respective places in the starting line. Sakura took a deep breath, then glanced at Syaoran from the corner of her eye. He seemed confident; no worries, no frets, or rather, showed not even the slightest sign of nervousness, contrary to how she felt.
Easing herself, she then positioned herself, only one thing in mind: To win. There was no way she'd let herself get beaten again. She seemed cursed for heaven's sake, forever condemned in the stinking, second-rank spot. But now, she'd make sure she'd bag the first place. For a change. Relax, Sakura. Relax.
"Ready…" the stern voice of their P.E. trainer broke right through her imaginings.
Sakura's eyes narrowed.
"Set…"
She leaned forward.
"Go!"
And she dashed away.
Their spectators burst into clamors once more, clapping with all their might, yelling their bets and cheering for the two as both ran as fast as they could. But all these went ignored by Sakura as an overwhelming feeling washed through her. She couldn't see Syaoran, but she could hear footsteps quite a distance from behind her, which could only mean one thing.
She was winning.
"She's winning! Sakura-chan's winning!" Tomoyo exclaimed, standing amongst the crowd.
Mei Lin nodded. "Yeah, she is! All right!"
Ryu joined in. "Go, Sakura-chan!"
Sakura smiled. Joy? No. Happiness? No. The feeling was indescribable! Too wonderful to even put in words! Finally, after nine years of trying and trying and trying, she'd get to beat him for the very first time!
"She's winning!" Tomoyo repeated.
"She's winning!"
Syaoran's figure dashed past Sakura.
Tomoyo's face fell. "And…she's not…."
Sakura, still left stupefied, couldn't remember much what had happened, probably because it all occurred so fast. But she swore, she heard Syaoran say a soft "I win, Sakura," the moment he passed by her. The next thing she knew, they were already running up to Syaoran now in the finish line, congratulating him. Sakura slowed down, only a few meters away from the endpoint.
She had lost.
Just like what happened, nine years ago.
"Sakura…" Tomoyo whispered worriedly from afar.
Sakura panted hard, slumping down, hands on her knees supporting her.
She couldn't run anymore. She didn't want to actually. Besides, Syaoran had won already. Why bother?
"Oi oi…"
Sakura looked up to face him. "What? I know you won okay? You don't need to rub it in my face," she sullenly muttered, her emerald orbs refusing to meet his gaze.
"It's not that," he said. "The race. You didn't finish the race."
Sakura sighed as she straightened up. "…What's the point?"
Syaoran frowned. "That's not the Sakura Kinomoto I know. You can't just back down on a competition like that. No wonder you always loose."
"I'm tired."
"You're not worthy to be my rival, then."
Sakura merely turned her head away, making Syaoran quite worry for the dejected girl. Sakura was loosing hope; he could feel it. But he also knew the one thing which would fire her up again. Four words, to be exact.
"Oh well. Sucks to be you..." he grinned. "Miss Rank Number Two."
Sakura gasped. "What...did...you s-say?" she demanded softly, anger marks on her forehead, fists clenched and voice dripping with venom. She then looked up at him once again, her eyes burning with anger.
Literally.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" she boomed.
Syaoran smiled secretly to himself. "Only if you finish the race." He looked at her straight in the eye. "Besides, what's a challenge if one would just back out in the end?"
Sakura stared at him, pondering over his words momentarily. For a moment, she thought all hope was lost. For a moment, she thought she'd never be able to do it. For moment, she thought she never be able to set her mind to finishing this…stupid…race, now that Syaoran had won already. But who would've thought that it would actually be Syaoran himself, who'd encourage her to pursue her goal? She found the thought quite surprising.
Syaoran Li. Her rival.
What's a challenge if one would just back out in the end? He had said.
She smiled. "You're right, Syaoran…uh…Li."
"See? Told you so. Now go and finish this…stupid…race." He grinned.
Sakura laughed. Probably because he had said the word funnily, or maybe because he had nailed the word right on spot, unknowingly paralleling with hers.
"Sure! And thanks. Means a lot," she said as she sprinted off.
"No problem," Syaoran called ways behind her. "And…"
.
.
.
"BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME…MISS RANK NUMBER TWO."
"I AM NO—AAAHHHH!" she tripped.
Syaoran sweat dropped. "…Klutz…" he whispered.
"Hey…I HEARD THAT!"
Point Tally: Syaoran – 36, 599; Sakura - ...still... 0
Sakura sighed softly as she strained to reach the finish line. She had lost. Again. Too many times she had actually lost count.
Will things ever change?
Well...
...it will.
Challenge No. 36, 600: A game of love. Wait—WHAT?
Sakura collapsed on one of their school's benches.
"Tired?" Syaoran, who had suddenly appeared with two bottles of cool water on both hands, asked as he took a seat beside her. "Here." He handed her a bottle.
"Thanks," Sakura replied in a hoarse whisper before gulping in quickly the water.
"Where are the others?"
She shrugged. "Don't know."
"Sakura."
"Mmm?"
"Are you sick, Sakura?"
Sakura raised a brow. "Why the sudden question?" she shot back.
He raised a brow. "...Not up for another challenge?"
"No…I'll pass."
"Really? Not one?"
"Yeah," Sakura answered firmly.
Syaoran shot her a disbelieving look. "Surprising. Are you sure?"
Sakura was starting to get annoyed. "Yes, I am sure," she mumbled lazily. "Besides, I can't think of anything right now. All I know is that, one, I'm tired, two, I'm tired, three, I'm tired, and four…uh…did I mention I'm tired?"
It was then when an idea dawned upon Syaoran, a grin spreading across his face as the thought popped into his mind.
This left Sakura perplexed. "What's with that smile? Seriously. It's creeping me out."
"I have, a challenge for y—"
"CHALLENGE? HA! I ACCEPT!"
Syaoran sweat dropped. "I'm not finished yet, Sakura."
"Bah. Who cares? That'd probably be a good one anyway. Besides, it's not that usual when you'd be the one to propose a challenge anyway. It's always me who's the…determined…one."
"So you accept?"
"Of course!"
"Anything?"
"Anything!"
"Really? Anything?"
Sakura felt a bit nervous. "O-okay…maybe NOT anything…but—"
"Just answer me. Yes, or no?"
"Um…yes…?" came Sakura's hesitant reply. "What is it anyway?"
"It's not actually a challenge. It's more of a deal actually…"
"Quite straying around and just tell me."
"Alright, fine. Here's the challenge. The deal is we'd date."
Silence.
"Oh…alright then, that's easy enough," she paused. "Wait—WHAT? WE'D DATE? ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?"
"Yep."
"HAVE YOU OFFICIALLY GONE NUTS? HUH, LI?"
"Last time I checked: Nope. I still have my insanity intact thank you very much."
"Whatever. AND WHAT'S WITH THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN?"
"Nothing really."
"…N-NOTHING?"
"Geez. Like, chill. It's only for a week."
"A WEEK? THAT'S SEVEN WHOLE DAYS! And how does DATING each other actually count as a rival-competition?"
"Listen. Here's the twist to that. Yeah, we'd date, go out and whatever. However, there is one rule to this."
"What?"
Syaoran grinned.
.
.
.
"The first one to fall in love, loses," he paused. "Deal?"
-End of Chapter One-
A/N: And so concludes chapter one! Yeah, I know. It's a ciffy! Again, I do not own the poem too by the way. It something my classmate wrote. :)))
Anyway, I'd love to hear from you reader! Please review! PM me, if you want to. :DDDDDD
And please answer these questions:
-What should Syaoran and Sakura's other rivalry competitions be about? How should some of their dates go? Tell me your ideas, and I'll see if they'd do well with this! If ever your idea gets picked, I promise to mention you in my author's note for the help! :DDDD
Till next time! See you!
