Wow, thanks for the reviews! I never thought you people would like it so much (I thought you'd hate it actually)! Well, here's the first chapter for you! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura.

Snippets from the previous chapter…

Syaoran stared into the depths of her emerald orbs, taking in the deepness in them with a passion. They seemed so…different from the eyes of others. Syaoran could not put his finger on it.

A shiver went down his spine when the girl in his arms lifted a finger to trace his cheek. Syaoran forced himself to tear his eyes away from her and focus on his destination:

Home.

And he was bringing her along with him. He could not leave her out on the streets alone, after all.

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Chapter 1

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Syaoran squirmed uncomfortably. He could feel dozens of inquisitive eyes burning a hole into his back, and it was no wonder. After all, a guy carrying a bedraggled young girl in his arms, bridal style, was not something one sees every day.

That piece of knowledge did nothing to lessen his awkwardness. And the way the girl kept snuggling into his jacket was not helping either.

He walked as fast as he could towards his apartment, keeping his eyes on the stone pavement before him. His face was beetroot red with embarrassment by the time he stood before his door.

Hastily, he fumbled for his keys, searching as well as he could while trying to keep the girl in his arms. It was no easy job.

"Keys, keys, keys, where are those keys d -!" he grumbled, stopping himself from cursing in the nick of time. Must not curse, must not curse, must…not…curse…GRR!

Suddenly his silver keys dangled in front of his eyes. Syaoran blinked and accepted them, only to find that he had touched something soft and warm. He traced it to a hand, and finally an arm belonging to the grubby-looking girl he now held in his arms.

"N-Nani?! How – Where did you -" he sputtered. Wordlessly, she pointed to the left pocket of his jacket and snuggled once more into his chest, her fingers curling around the soft fabric.

Syaoran fidgeted and hurriedly stuck the right key into the lock. The door clicked open, welcoming its master.

A whirlwind entered and slammed the door shut, panting heavily. Syaoran doubled over and tried to catch his breath, the mysterious girl still lying in his arms. She blinked and stared at him.

"So, who are you?" he gasped as soon as he caught his breath.

She cocked her head to the side as though contemplating her answer. She then lifted a finger and pointed at herself. Syaoran nodded.

"What is your name?"

"Watashi wa…" she trailed off hesitantly, unsure of how much she could reveal to this stranger who had carried her off to this scary new world. "Wa…Watashi wa…Ki-Kinomoto…Sakura. Anata wa…?"

"Li Syaoran."

She nodded and laid her head on his chest. Syaoran blanched, but he was reluctant to push her away. Ethic code: Never defy a lady. Even when she makes you feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Why don't you take a shower?" he suggested, cooking up a polite way to get away from her.

"Clothes," she murmured, tugging at her grimy dress. It was torn here and there, and Syaoran could not decipher its true colour. In fact, all he could see of the fabric was brown.

Syaoran was in a dilemma. What was he to do?! He did not have any girls' clothes with him (why should he? He was no pervert, and definitely not an avid lingerie collector).

Well, he sighed inwardly. She would have to do with a set of mine, I suppose. He tried to get up but was pulled back. He glanced down.

Syaoran could have smacked himself. How could he have forgotten that she still clung to him? Gently (and none too happily because he had to touch a girl), he pried her fingers off his jacket and ushered her into the bathroom.

He sighed in relief when the door clicked shut, slumping into a chair.

"Li-kun?"

Syaoran shot up like a bullet and whirled around. Sakura was peeking out of the bathroom and was staring at him quizzically.

"What is it?" he sputtered, taking care not to look at her.

"How do I use it?" She opened to door wider (Syaoran only heard the door creaking, he did not see it) and indicated the shower. "Li-kun?"

"Mm?"

"Help?"

Syaoran covered his eyes with his hands and turned to face her. He closed his eyes tight, unwilling to open them. What if…what if…?

"Can you wear your clothes first?" he asked, carefully keeping his eyes closed.

Sakura looked at him, puzzled. "Clothes?"

"Yes, clothes. Wear your dress first."

"Um, Li-kun?"

"Yes?"

The girl sighed and opened the door wide, exposing her body. Syaoran yelled and backed away.

Of course, since his eyes were shut, he tripped over his sofa and he fell down with a crash, bringing the sofa with him. Sakura winced.

"Li-kun, daijoubu?" she queried once the dust had settled. Syaoran was winded, his legs and arms sticking out at weird angles. His sofa lay on its side, none the worse for its fall.

"Aaah! Stay away from me! Stay away!" he yelled, waving his arms wildly.

"Li-kun."

"Wear your dress first!"

"LI-KUN."

"N-Nani?"

"Open your eyes."

"Iie." He could not do this, he could not do this, he could not do this! It would take away her dignity!

Sakura sighed and bent over him. Syaoran shuddered and tried to back away. His sofa blocked his only escape route.

Poke, poke.

The boy squirmed about on the floor.

Poke.

Sakura prodded him gently upon receiving no response other than squirms. "Open your eyes."

"Iie!"

The girl reached out and pried his fingers away from his eyes, one by one. Syaoran cringed when her amazingly soft fingers made contact with his skin, closing his eyes all the tighter.

Now his face was exposed to her. Unfortunately, his eyelids hid his eyes from view.

"Open your eyes now," she commanded in that soft voice of hers.

Syaoran shook his head vigorously.

"Just open your eyes."

"Wear your dress first."

Sakura snorted. "I am dressed, silly."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

Syaoran peeked out tentatively through his fingers, taking care to avoid looking at her body. The girl groaned. How long does it take for him to understand that she was not nude?!

Frustrated, she grabbed his hand. Her actions elicited an indignant yell of protest from him. She ignored him and brushed it against a portion of her dress.

"There. Happy now?"

Syaoran slapped himself mentally for his stupidity. How could he have thought that she would appear in front of him naked? Sheesh. There goes his pride…

"Hai, fine. So, help with the shower, was it?" he said, trying to keep his cool. Sakura smiled and nodded energetically, reverting from a teenager to a child faster than Syaoran could blink.

"Ikuyo."

….

Syaoran grabbed the door of his wardrobe and banged his head against it repeatedly.

"Baka Syaoran."

BANG.

"Baka Syaoran!"

BANG.

"Baka Syaoran!"

BANG BANG BANG –

"Li-kun?"

Syaoran froze in the middle of banging his head, amber eyes wild. Sakura stood at the door, a green towel wrapped around her thin body. The boy's eyes widened and he looked away immediately, a red wave creeping up his face.

"What are you doing?"

"A-Ah, nothing Kinomoto-san. Here -" he shoved a set of his clothes into her hands "- wear these."

Sakura examined them carefully. "Boy's…clothes?"

"They're all I've got," he said briefly.

"Oh."

An uncomfortable silence reigned. Neither Sakura nor Syaoran made any move to break the ice.

"Um," the brunette's tinkling voice shattered the silence, shaking Syaoran out of his awkwardness.

"…" Syaoran watched her apprehensively. What was this girl a.k.a. the Biggest Mystery in the Universe going to do?

"Can you go out while I change?"

"What? Oh yeah, sure," he said sheepishly and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Sakura flashed him a shy smile.

When he was safely out of his room, Syaoran heaved a sigh. Then he blinked. "What the -?! That's my room!" Why was he kicked out of his own room?! Oh wait, he had left it voluntarily when Sakura requested it, right?

Growling under his breath, he stuck his hands into his pockets and waited…and waited…and…waited….

Just as he was about to nod off to Dreamland, the door to his room swung open to reveal Sakura in his clothes. Syaoran was jerked out of semi-consciousness to gape at her.

Well, what do you know.

That girl actually looked good in boy's clothes.

Sakura was leaning against the door, giving him the impression of a cool person with a laid-back attitude. His forest green shirt hung from her shoulders, reaching her thighs. Beige cargo pants hid her legs from view. Albeit giving her a shrunken look, it suited her perfectly.

Plus the red cap she wore gave an additional touch to her 'bad boy' look…

Syaoran's eyes widened. Red cap?!

"N-Nani -" he sputtered. "- Is that my cap you're wearing?"

Sakura raised a brow and fingered the cap that was resting on her wet brown locks. Her hair did not look half so lifeless now that the dirt and grime had been washed out of them. She gave the cap a little push, tilting it so that it drooped over one of her emerald eyes and gave the infuriated Syaoran a quizzical look.

"This?"

"Yes," he growled. "Now give it back!"

He lunged at her, his angry brown eyes trained on his beloved cap. She dodged him so agilely that it caught him unawares.

Sakura stuck out a pink tongue at him, and that angered him even more. How dare she provoke him?! And with his favourite cap, too!

Using the skills he had learnt back in Hong Kong, Syaoran slipped past her and tried to retrieve his cap. She ducked, and that made him lose his footing.

The boy did a graceful turn in the air and landed on all fours like a cat. Snarling, he dashed towards Sakura, who dodged his move again. So started the game of cat and mouse between the host and his unexpected guest.

….

"I've got you now," Syaoran growled, slowly closing in on his prey a.k.a Kinomoto Sakura. The terrified female backed away, only to find her back against solid wall.

"Eep," she squeaked. All that running and hiding had caused a red tinge to invade her face. Her previously pale features were flushed and sweaty.

Syaoran was angry. No, scratch that, he was furious. How dare she steal his favourite cap?! And lead him on a pointless hide-and-seek game too.

He was now directly in front of her, staring into her deep emerald eyes. Wordlessly he accused her for nicking his cap and making him chase her around his apartment. Sakura was silent, returning his glare with a timid glance.

Suddenly she lurched forwards, her eyes closing. Syaoran was startled by the sudden change but moved quickly. He caught her limp form in his arms, her body pressed very close to his chest.

Sakura did not move. Syaoran shook her, first gently then roughly. Still no response. Panic rose in his chest and he checked her wrist frantically for a pulse. It was rather irregular, but he dismissed it since they had been running about his house for the past hour. Frowning, he turned her face upwards and felt her forehead.

Syaoran sighed. Sakura had fainted because of a fever, and a high one at that.

….

FRUSH.

Syaoran squeezed excess water out of a face towel, draining it of extra moisture. The water dripped down and swirled about in a basin conveniently situated at Syaoran's feet.

The boy sighed and placed the slightly damp cloth on Sakura's forehead. She murmured in her sleep and shifted her position, causing the cloth to slip off her forehead and onto her face. Syaoran replaced it and sat back with another sigh.

His weary amber eyes traveled around his room, finally resting on the skinny figure on his bed. The sight of the fragile female brought forth a groan from him and he hid his face in his hands.

What was he to do with her?

She could not live with him, of course. The mere thought of it was absurd. A girl, living with him? No way. He hated girls.

He could always set her up with a couple somewhere. Or perhaps he could send her to an orphanage? Oh wait, he did not even know her age.

Syaoran moaned and massaged his temples.

He would leave the thinking for another day.

For now, all he wanted to do…was to sleep.

END OF CHAPTER 1

….

Author's Notes:

Well, that's the first chapter! I hope you liked it!

Let's raise the bar a bit. Ten reviews before I continue? Don't worry; I won't do this anymore. I just want to reassure myself that this story is worth continuing. I find it rather hard to believe….