Gallery of Broken Hearts
(04: the almost valentine)

"I really don't want to be here today," Sakura grumbled, shoving her fists into the pockets of her jacket as she made her way toward her locker. Tomoyo smiled and wordlessly hooked her hand onto the crook of Sakura's arm, anticipating the girl's next words. "People are so disgusting on Valentine's Day. Maybe if I get sick enough, the nurse'll let me go home."

"You're only saying that because you've never had a valentine," Tomoyo teased sweetly, playfully bumping hips with her to get her to smile. It didn't work. Valentine's Day was clearly a touchy subject for Sakura.

"Gee, thanks for reminding me! It's so nice, not being able to forget I'll be alone. Forever."

"Forever?" echoed Tomoyo, her sparkling eyes incredulous.

"Forever alone," confirmed Sakura, pulling her arm free from Tomoyo's grasp as they reached their lockers. Sakura continued with, "Unlike you. You're every high school guy's wet dream."

"That's totally incorrect…" Tomoyo blushed madly, fiddling with her lock in denial. But Sakura's statement was very much true: Tomoyo Daidouji was very well-liked amongst the guys at Tomoeda High— it was easy to see why, with her glossy tresses and saccharine persona.

Sakura rolled her eyes and counted down under her breath up until the moment Tomoyo pulled open her locker door. "One, two—"

A swarm of envelopes spilled forth from the locker and began to gather at Tomoyo's feet.

"—three."

Sakura snorted.

"Wow," Tomoyo breathed, bending over and retrieving the letters that had tumbled out.

"You shouldn't be so surprised! Guys are always confessing to you on Valentine's Day," Sakura pointed out, diverting her eyes and toying with her own lock. She held her breath and slowly opened her locker. It creaked pathetically, and a moth might as well have fluttered out. Nothing. As usual. Of course.

This didn't go unnoticed by Tomoyo, who decided to remain optimistic for her friend. "Maybe Eriol is planning on giving you something that couldn't fit in your locker! Flowers… chocolates… a teddy bear…"

"If you keep talking about it, it's only going to depress me when it doesn't happen," Sakura mumbled, reaching into her locker and pulling out her books for her next class. "It's okay, though. I don't really care."

Tomoyo knew better than to believe Sakura's halfhearted words.

The hands of the clock seemed to tick slower as Sakura willed time to pass faster. It was ridiculous. History was not her favorite subject and never would be. Sitting behind Syaoran didn't help, because the boy was very fond of leaning back in his chair. This meant that Syaoran's head was always inches away from Sakura's nose. But she had to admit, she was left wondering what kind of shampoo Syaoran used because his hair smelled really—

"Nice," Syaoran said smugly, passing Sakura a sheet of paper. It was the worksheet they had worked on "together" last month. Mr. Tohno was notorious for taking eons to grade even the simplest assignments. "We got everything right."

"'We'? Uh huh, sure," Sakura grumbled, but in her mind she was doing a little cheer. This meant she was well on her way to acing the class. As Sakura stared down at the red "100%" scribbled across the top of the paper, she could hardly bring herself to believe they had already been in their last semester of high school for a month.

And as Syaoran flashed her another one of his cocky smiles, Sakura found it even harder believe that it was getting easier for her to put up with him. She thought back to the moment in the hallway several weeks ago, when Syaoran had tried messing with her through the bikini wax coupon. Even though she had been wholly irritated with him and told him off, they were still talking the next day. They were still at each other's throats, of course, but they were talking nonetheless.

Thrashing away her thoughts, Sakura quickly added, "Remind me to thank you in my valedictorian speech."

"Valedictorian speech?" echoed Syaoran, flashing her a look of contempt. "You really need to stop thinking you're going to beat me in this thing."

"I don't think I'm going to beat you, I know I am," Sakura retorted, shoving the paper back into his hands. She didn't like arguing with Syaoran as though they were children, like they were competing for candy instead of a special diploma, but he was such a kid.

Syaoran scoffed before changing the subject. "So, has anything big happened with Eriol yet? It's Valentine's Day, after all."

"No…" Sakura bit her lower lip. When Syaoran had informed her that Eriol and Aiko were no longer together, she had practically thrown a party for herself. But her joy disappeared when she remembered that she became a rambling idiot whenever she was around Eriol. There was no way a suave, nearly untouchable young man would fall for her. She attracted guys like computer nerds, no offense to the computer nerds.

"And why the hell not?" demanded Syaoran, squinting at her in disappointment. "Don't you have any game, Sakura?" He sighed, giving her a once-over. "You really need to start wearing tops with lower necklines."

Sakura's eyes bugged out and she glanced down at her plain green t-shirt. "What?"

"Forget it. You probably don't have any cleavage to show off, anyway."

"Shut up, Syaoran!" fumed Sakura, lifting a fist and shaking it at him.

"Kinomoto! Li! Please, it is not wise to have a lovers' quarrel on Valentine's Day."

"Sorry, Mr. Tohno," they replied in unison, both through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, a student burst into the room, wearing nothing but white bed sheets draped over his chubby body. The class widened their eyes while Mr. Tohno narrowed his.

"What is this tomfoolery?" grumbled the teacher, pressing a finger to his temple in irritation. "I am trying to teach a class here."

"I'M CUPID!" trilled the unidentified male, pulling a bow and arrow from his shoulder and striking an unflattering, jiggly pose. The students in the room struggled to hide their laughter as Mr. Tohno merely raised a single bushy eyebrow.

"… You have got to be kidding me."

"Not at all, love!" piped Cupid, reaching into the tote bag draped over his arm. He pulled out several red and pink heart-shaped cards, each one with a chocolate bar attached to its surface. He waved them in the air. "I hath arrived with Valentine grams for the lot of ye! Well, the ones with secret admirers, at least…"

"Please," Mr. Tohno's robotic voice did not contain one ounce of amusement, "make this quick."

Cupid grinned cheekily and nodded obediently, waddling his way across the room and calling out the names of the Valentine recipients.

"Mio Kazuki… two for you! One for you, Reina Kaito! One for Yamada Akiko, three for Makoto Lieu… ah, and Syaoran…"

Sakura felt the corners of her mouth twitch in exasperation as a large pile of Valentine cards plopped onto Syaoran desk.

"Twenty-four for you, Syaoran Li! You go, Syaoran Li!"

Cupid did a little jig, and Syaoran suppressed a chuckle. The amusing scene ended as Mr. Tohno glared at Cupid, indicating that he was done with letting such nonsensical behavior occur in his classroom. The underdressed fellow bowed at everyone before leaving.

"You're going to get fat like Cupid, eating all that candy," muttered Sakura, resuming her History work.

"You're so bitter," Syaoran replied quietly, a small grin playing at his lips. "You must've never had a secret admirer before." When Sakura declined to answer, Syaoran continued. "It must suck when no one in a school of hundreds wants to be your valentine."

Before Sakura could reply, the bell's ringing sliced through the air, ending the school day. As Syaoran gathered the Valentine cards into a stack and turned around to shove them into his backpack, he caught a glimpse of Sakura's eyes.

They were watery.

"Yeah, it does," Sakura whispered, grabbing her bag and brushing past Syaoran as she left the classroom before the tears could spill.

As Syaoran stood there for a moment, a strange, foreign feeling began to creep beneath his skin, making him shudder slightly. Was he really feeling… guilty? No, that couldn't be it. He had never felt remorse when it came to saying something terrible about Sakura, or anyone, for that matter… so why was he feeling it now? Was it because she was about to cry? The image of Sakura's green eyes gleaming with tears flashed through his mind again, and he began to feel a little sick. He had only glanced at her for a second, but he couldn't get rid of that image of sadness.

"Damn it," Syaoran mumbled, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and making his way out of the classroom. He turned at a corner, toward Sakura's locker. Sure enough, she was standing right in front of it, dabbing the rims of her eyes with a tissue. Syaoran sighed, sinking his teeth into his lower lip before approaching her. As she lifted her head, he immediately caught her solemn gaze, though it quickly turned hostile. Right at that second, Syaoran nearly changed his mind altogether, but something within his gut told him to stay put. He didn't know what the notion was… but it kept him there.

"Listen," Syaoran began, biting his lip again as Sakura pretended not to listen. He continued in spite of it, refusing to back down. "I'm sorry. For earlier. For saying… what I said."

"What an eloquent apology, Casanova."

She wasn't going to make this easy, was she? Syaoran had to strain in order to keep from glaring at her. "Look… you shouldn't have to feel so crappy on a day like this. Even if it's a stupid holiday. And… yeah."

"And yeah?" For some reason, Sakura couldn't help but laugh. It was short and empty, but it was a laugh nonetheless. She looked right at Syaoran, raising an eyebrow. "You're normally so smooth with girls."

"I know, right?" Syaoran grouched, practically giving up. He leaned against the lockers, tossing his head once to shake the hair falling over his eyes. "But that's only because I'm such a beast at lying. When it comes to words I really mean, they're harder for me to say. So I guess you could say I'm… genuinely sorry."

There was a beat of silence, and Syaoran couldn't figure out what was going on in her mind, but a wave of relief suffused through his body as Sakura began to smile. "Fine. I believe you."

"Alright then," Syaoran said, a corner of his lip lifting flippantly as he reached over and shut Sakura's open locker. "Let's go."

"Huh?" Sakura peered at him with eyes wide with puzzlement. She frowned as Syaoran wordlessly grabbed her backpack from the ground, forcing her to follow him down the hallway and out into the school's parking lot. She grunted weakly as she tried tugging her bag away from him, but to no avail. "H-hey! Syaoran! What the heck are you doing?"

"Entertaining myself, first of all," snickered Syaoran, unlocking his car as they reached it, opening a door and tossing Sakura's backpack into the backseat. Sakura growled under her breath, diving for the bag. She shrieked as Syaoran slammed the door before she could climb out of the car. With a quick press of a button, the door locked. Sakura rolled down the window and glared angrily at him, her narrowed eyes demanding an explanation. Syaoran leaned down, leveling his face before hers. "Gotcha."

"Yeah, you got me," Sakura replied dully, her voice flat and annoyed. She huffed. "Now that you've entertained yourself, can you let me out?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"Because we're going to make Eriol your valentine."

"W-what?" stuttered Sakura, clutching the rim of the window and blinking at him in disbelief. "Why would you help me?"

"Because… you've been helping me," Syaoran answered, moving his gaze elsewhere and shrugging once. "I'd be in deep shit right now, if you had decided to rat on me when you found out about my business. And now that I got Aiko out of the picture for you, I'm going to help you get with Eriol. You've got so much dirt on me, it'd be wise to keep you happy, right?"

Sakura leaned away from the opened window, her body slightly numb and limp in shock. She furrowed her brow and looked at him in confusion. "Right…"

Why hadn't she thought of that before?

"I overheard that Charming's going to be hanging out at Gerry's Ice Cream Parlor today," Syaoran began, unlocking the car once more and letting himself into the driver's seat. "And so that's where we're going."

"Fine then," Sakura replied, still surprised she was receiving help from her rival. It was a difficult idea to accept, especially since they had never helped each other before their deal. Her eyes met Syaoran's in the rearview mirror. "Can I at least have shotgun?"

Syaoran smirked, sticking his keys into the ignition. The engine roared to life. Syaoran set the car in reverse and slammed his foot on the gas pedal before abruptly braking. Sakura screamed as she tumbled onto the floor of the car.

Syaoran burst out laughing. "Not a chance."

"Jerk!"

A cluster of small, golden bells jingled overhead as Syaoran and Sakura stepped through the doors of the ice cream parlor. The sweet fragrance of combined ice cream flavors, paired with a sugary chill, greeted them. As the duo added to the growing line of customers, Sakura's eyes darted around the room in search of Eriol.

"Way to be subtle," teased Syaoran, fishing his wallet out from his back pocket. "You look like a lioness looking for prey… only, less sneaky."

"Do I really?" Sakura frowned, insecurity worming its way into her delicate features. Syaoran blinked at her, quickly moving his gaze to the menu before replying.

"Really," he said, scanning the flavors. "Just relax. Wouldn't want your pretty hair to turn gray."

"You think my hair is pretty?" Sakura wrinkled her nose and ran a hand through her messy auburn locks.

Syaoran ignored her. "I think I'll have strawberry… with cheesecake squares on top…"

All of a sudden, he felt a sharp pain squeezing at his arm. With alarmed eyes, he looked down to see Sakura's fingernails digging into his sleeve. She was grabbing his biceps, looking like a terrified mouse on the verge of being devoured. He rolled his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She didn't need to answer him; all he had to do was follow her gaze to the entrance of the parlor. Eriol came walking in, hands in his parka and deep blue hair gently tousled by the cold wind from outside. Instead of immediately filing in line, he opted to take a seat at a booth. Syaoran watched with raised eyebrows and a slight wince (Sakura was still piercing into his arm, after all) as Eriol pulled out a book and began to read.

"How weird," Syaoran grumbled. "Who goes to an ice cream shop just to read?"

"What if… what if he's meeting someone here?" hissed Sakura, panic evident in her glittering eyes. Syaoran flinched as Sakura's hold on his arm tightened. She began to shake it back and forth, much to his annoyance. "What if he's on a date?"

"Calm down, will you?" Syaoran retorted, inching forward as the previous customers made their orders. Sakura remained attached to his arm, little whimpering noises sounding from her throat. She sounded like a dejected puppy. "And let me go before Eriol sees. He'll think we're together."

Sakura immediately released his arm, looking a little aghast, as though she hadn't realized she was still holding on to him and was disgusted at herself for it. She let out a worried sigh. "What do I do? What if I try to talk to him and this gorgeous girl comes along and she's his date and I end up looking like a fool, and… and…"

"I'll have a large cup of strawberry ice cream," Syaoran told the employee behind the cash register. Sakura bit her tongue. "And please add some cheesecake squares on top."

"Certainly," said the employee, smiling as she punched in the order on the cash register. She looked over at Sakura. "What'll you have, miss?"

Caught off-guard, Sakura opened her mouth but failed to successfully give an order. Syaoran rolled his eyes again, smiling apologetically at the cashier before saying, "She'll have a large cup of double chocolate fudge ice cream with rainbow sprinkles and pistachios."

Sakura stared at Syaoran unbelievingly as the cashier told him the total of the order and took his cash. The staring ceased to stop as they received their ice cream and found a booth to sit in.

As Syaoran slid a spoonful of pink ice cream into his mouth, Sakura leaned forward and asked, "Okay, how in the world do you know my favorite type of ice cream?"

Pulling the spoon from his lips, Syaoran shrugged. "Third grade, show-and-tell. You had this 'brilliant' idea of bringing in a cup of your favorite ice cream and telling the whole class why you loved double fudge with rainbow sprinkles and pistachios so much."

Sakura looked up and brought a finger to her lips in thought. "Oh, I remember now!" She returned her gaze to Syaoran. "Jeez, how do you still remember that?"

"I don't know," Syaoran replied, serving himself some more of the chilled treat. "Probably because it was so damn bizarre to bring in ice cream for a presentation. You didn't even bring any for the whole class. It was so typical of you, thinking only of yourself."

"That's not true!" Sakura retaliated, tearing her eyes away from his and beginning to shovel the ice cream into her mouth.

"Dear god, Kinomoto. You eat like a pig."

Sakura stuck a brown tongue out at him.

"Yep, Eriol's totally going to fall for you now."

"Shut up." Sakura lifted the cup and began to slurp the ice cream that had already melted. Syaoran couldn't keep himself from laughing at her. She looked like a little girl, and it was almost endearing. Suddenly, a devious idea popped into his mind.

"Eriol's looking!" gasped Syaoran. Sakura nearly dropped the cup in her hands and attempted to wipe the chocolate from the corners of her mouth. She proceeded to smooth back her hair, and it was only when Syaoran sniggered at her that she realized he was only kidding.

"You're terrible," Sakura told him grumpily, slouching on her side of the booth and finishing off her ice cream. Syaoran gave her an impressed look; he had started before her, but he was only halfway finished. Damn. That girl really knew how to chow down.

With a satisfied sigh, Sakura set down her empty cup and patted her belly. She nestled into the booth's cushion.

"Don't get too comfortable," Syaoran warned, gesturing toward her with his plastic spoon. "Remember, I brought you here for Eriol."

Sakura nodded, looking at Syaoran intently for any word of direction. "What should I do?" She couldn't believe she was asking Syaoran for advice. "I can't just go over there… I don't want to impose!"

"Then you'll never make any progress. Being afraid of getting in the way all the time won't get you anywhere," Syaoran said to her, devouring the last of his ice cream. "If you don't confront a guy once in a while, how else is he going to notice you?"

"Well… I'd love to work up the courage to talk to him sometimes, but I'm always worried I'll be a nuisance instead of a good conversationalist…"

"You need to get rid of that fear," Syaoran replied, pointing at her with his spoon again. He brought it to his lips and began to nibble on it as he contemplated his next words. "Just go up to him, say something cute and casual, and go from there."

"Cute and casual," repeated Sakura, nodding to herself. "Cute and casual… like… 'Fancy seeing you here'?"

"That's way too cliché. Almost as bad as, 'You come here often?'"

"I'm doomed," Sakura moaned, bashing the back of her head against the seat. Syaoran shook his head at her, sighing. He motioned for her to lean closer, and once she did so, he whispered something into her ear. Sakura drew back and looked at him unenthusiastically.

"Seriously?" she asked, scrunching up her face in skepticism. Syaoran nodded, and Sakura gave a shrug, standing up from the booth. "Well, I don't have anything better than that. So here goes."

But before Sakura could step toward Eriol's booth, Syaoran grabbed her wrist.

"Wait," Syaoran said, standing up and chuckling at her. He eyed her chin, lifted a napkin, and wiped away a drizzle of dark chocolate from her skin. Sakura reddened in embarrassment and gulped as Syaoran released her and returned to his seat.

"I look terrible, don't I?" Sakura frowned, her face decorated with insecurity. She patted her hair for the umpteenth time and smoothed out her skirt. It didn't make her feel any better. In fact, it made her feel worse because she couldn't think of any possible way she could enhance her looks at that very moment.

"Don't say that," Syaoran replied, exasperated. He wanted to tell her that she looked fine, but he decided against it. "There's this thing called confidence, you might have heard about it at one point in your life. Try it sometime, it's good for you. But for now, just do your best to not look like a complete idiot, okay?"

"Thanks," Sakura said shortly and sarcastically, stepping away. "Let's hope I don't screw this up."

Syaoran gave her a halfhearted thumbs-up before she turned around, held her breath, and maneuvered her way across the room in the direction of Eriol's booth. She exhaled shakily before stepping right next to his table and clearing her throat. Eriol looked up from his book and smiled at her.

"What flavor is that?" Sakura asked, gesturing to the book and grinning at him cutely. For a moment, Sakura felt incredibly stupid. Had she heard Syaoran wrong, or was that really what he told her to say? She was going to feel like an idiot if Eriol didn't laugh. But he did, much to Sakura's surprise and delight. Who knew such silly words could pique interest? Sakura began to understand. As long as it was a line that could begin a conversation, it didn't matter if it was a little random. There was nothing wrong with making someone smile.

"It's called, 'Eriol's Alone for Valentine's Day,'" he replied, adding on to her joke. Sakura's heart drummed madly in her chest as Eriol gestured for her to sit down.

"Sounds bitter," said Sakura, easing up a little as Eriol laughed once more.

"It's weird, isn't it? Going to to an ice cream shop just to read…" Eriol trailed off, closing his book and setting it aside. "I like it, though. This place has my favorite smell in the world: A mixture of different ice creams, packed in one room, just mingling and filling the air. It's comforting."

Sakura nodded, amazed at how Eriol could easily sound so poetic. "That's… understandable. This place has the best ice cream in the area." She shrugged. "I won't judge you."

"I'm glad," Eriol said, his eyes glimmering with a radiance that curdled the ice cream in Sakura's stomach. He nodded toward the menu. "Can I get you something?"

"Oh! No, I'm fine, I already ate…" Sakura waved her hands in front of her, straining to keep her cheeks from staining red. "Thanks, though."

"Are you here with anyone?"

"Nope," Sakura lied, moving her hands to her lap and squeezing her fingers together. "I'm spending Valentine's Day alone, too, actually…"

Eriol frowned slightly, looking at her with glints of sympathy in his eyes. "Well, that doesn't make any sense at all. I thought you'd have a ton of guys begging to be your valentine."

"R-really?" Sakura giggled. She shook her head. "That's far from the truth, Eriol. But I'll admit, I was thinking the same thing for you."

"Ah, no," Eriol peered at her teasingly. "I don't have very many guys begging to be my valentine."

"You know what I meant!" Sakura grinned, feeling a strange warmth at the back of her neck. She wondered if Syaoran was watching her interact with Eriol. She hastily swatted the thought away, reminding herself to focus on the conversation. But by the way Eriol looked at his wristwatch, Sakura could tell it was going to end too soon.

"It was great seeing you here," Eriol said, picking up his book and smiling at her once more. "But I've got to head out. My dad's out of town and I promised my mom I would have dinner with her for Valentine's Day."

Sakura could have sworn her heart melted into mush right then and there.

"That's really sweet," Sakura replied, standing up when Eriol did. If Eriol was going to spend the rest of his day with his mother, then she didn't have to feel insecure about losing him to another girl as a valentine. For a moment, they stood in front of each other awkwardly, considering they weren't exactly close enough to hug, and it would be too odd to shake hands.

It ended with a little wave from Eriol. But just as he was about to turn for the exit, he stopped himself and asked, "You know how we can get extra credit in Anatomy by visiting the Bodies Museum?"

Sakura's heart solidified and did a little leap. "Yeah… are you going to go?"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go with me," Eriol said, and Sakura noticed a sheepishness in his expression that she had never witnessed before.

"I'd love to," Sakura replied, biting into the insides of her cheeks to keep from smiling too hard. Her breath stuck in her throat and she wanted to throw her hands up in the air and rejoice, but that would have to wait until later, when she was safe within the walls of her bedroom.

"Great!" Eriol was beaming, and Sakura was internally squealing. "We can decide a day and time later. I'll see you tomorrow in class, Sakura."

He nodded to her before making his way out of the parlor. Sakura spun around and instantly connected eyes with Syaoran, who she immediately bounded over to in utmost excitement.

"Since he left, it's obvious you didn't make him your valentine," said Syaoran, observing the bouncy Sakura with a lifted brow. "But judging by your giddiness, I'm guessing you got a date out of him?"

"I don't know if it's a date," replied Sakura, still trembling ecstatically as she settled back into the booth. "But we're going to do Anatomy extra credit together."

"Anatomy extra credit, eh?" Syaoran winked at her. "Nothin' like studying bodies to heat things up."

"You're a perv," Sakura shot at him, dismissing his statement with a short toss of her hand. She looked away and smiled to herself. For the first time since she started taking an interest in boys, she felt like as though she was on the right track. It didn't matter if Eriol had asked her on a date or not— just to be safe, she wasn't even going to consider it as a date. Simply having an opportunity to bond with him was enough for now. Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from her seemingly perpetual smile. If things were to work out the way she wanted them to… maybe Eriol would be her boyfriend before the end of senior year. Maybe she would have a date to prom. Maybe—

Syaoran snapped his fingers next to Sakura's ear, cutting off her thoughts.

"Getting a little lost in your dirty fantasies, Sakura?"

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him for the second time that day. "You know what? I'm leaving. Thanks for your help, but I have better things to do than hang out with you." With a glare of finality, Sakura stood up from her seat, turned on her heel, and left for the exit.

A moment later, she walked back inside and returned to the booth.

Syaoran smirked at her, drumming his fingers on the table. "Need a ride home?"

"Yeah."

A/N: It's February in the fic, but December in real life. Haha. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! There isn't much to say, except I'm a few days away from winter break, so expect this to be updated more frequently within the next month or so. Thanks for reading, everyone. :D I've got lots in store for you, but I'm a little lazy, so I need motivation!