Hello again! I'm doing a bit better now. Heh, I had an Alice in Chains marathon for a few days so I got to hear plenty of Layne's voice. ^_^ I wanted to specially thank Ongaku, my only reviewer! This chapter's dedicated to you! Here's the third chapter of Haunted by the Past, Open Your Eyes.

[Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is just made for fun!]

Chapter Three: Open Your Eyes

[In Tomoeda, Japan…present…]

I sat up in bed, trying to make my hair somewhat decent. The rest of the week had passed smoothly and Annalí-chan and the rest of us were good friends now. I barely remembered the incident that had happened the day we collided. There was no need to…I could hardly think of Annalí-chan in anyway other than friendly. I finally swung my legs over the side of the bed and got up. I heard and felt something crumpling under my feet. Picking it up, I saw it was a note. There were only four words written. 'Go to the window.'

I wonder what this is…Ah! There was another note by the window. It was…a poem. It said:

Before long his mistake I will reveal,

To be the Cardcaptor and break the seal.

Under Sun and Moon, I'll take what's mine,

As promised to me from the dawn of time.

Learn soon, Sakura.

Hoe! Is this a joke? Maybe I should ask Syaoran about this. After picking up the phone, I dialed his number.

"Moshi moshi, Li desu." I think it was Wei.

"Ohayo gozaimasu Wei-san! Kinomoto Sakura desu. Is Syaoran-kun there? Please, tell him it's urgent."

"Aa, ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-sama. Hai, he's here. Hold on, please, I'll get him." I thanked him and heard him put the phone down. A few moments later, I heard footsteps and the phone was picked up.

"Sakura?" It was Syaoran!

"Syaoran-kun! Ohayou! Listen, can you come to my house? There's something important I need to show you. I-I really don't know what to make of it, but I'd like your help."

"Of course I'll come. I'll be there in a few minutes. Ja ne, Sakura." I hung up the phone and sighed. H-hoe!! I'm still not dressed and Syaoran-kun should be here soon! I quickly got dressed in a pair of jeans and a red sweatshirt and made my way to the bathroom. After combing my hair, I put in my usual barrettes and hurried downstairs. Right as I made it down, the bell rang.

"I'll get it!" I called out when I heard Onii-chan coming. I opened the door to see Syaoran there in a pair of jeans and a black sweatshirt. His hair was tousled and he was out of breath.

"Ohayou! Ano…Syaoran-kun, did you run here?" He blushed.

"Hai…you said it was urgent." Changing the subject, he quickly added, "Anyway, what do I need to see?"

I motioned for him to follow me up the stairs and in to my room. I turned to face him to explain what had happened thus far.

"When I got up this morning, I stepped on this piece of paper here," I told him, bending down to pick up and show him the note I'd received.

"Go to the window," he breathed, looking hard at the tiny message. Quickly, he walked over to my window and picked up the note he found there.

"You're reading the reason why I called," I told him. He was carefully studying the note when his eyes widened in shock. He started to mumble something, but I couldn't hear what he said. Syaoran looked up at me with fear.

"Sakura, this note…I feel a magical presence around it. I need to analyze it at my house. You might want to come."

I nodded and wrote a message to Otou-san, saying I was at Tomoyo's house. Deftly, Syaoran jumped out my open window, carrying both letters in his hand. I ran over to the window, and looked down. Syaoran was perfectly fine and gestured for me to jump. Fear ran through me and I'm sure Syaoran saw me hesitate.

"I'll catch you, don't worry. You do trust me, right?"

I nodded. Of course I trust you, Syaoran…I trust you with my life. At that moment, I crawled onto the windowsill and, with a slight hesitation, leapt downwards. Hair blew into my eyes as fear came over me again. But just as he had promised, Syaoran caught me easily. I smiled at him in gratitude and expected him to put me down. He didn't. Instead, his grip tightened and his eyes stared into mine. I felt a shiver go down my spine. Suddenly, he shook his head and put me down quickly. However, it wasn't quick enough for me to miss the blush that stained his cheeks. I smiled. He could really be so adorable sometimes. But he wouldn't ever…Syaoran's just a friend that's all. Yes, just a friend.

"Well, let's go then." He grinned. "I'll race ya!" And with that, he ran fast towards his house.

"Hoe! Syaoran-kun, matte! That's not fair!" I complained while trying to catch up to him.

Soon we were both breathing heavily at his doorstep, having run five blocks without stopping. His cheeks were flushed from the race and I'm sure mine were as well. Although we were both good at running, we ran here extremely fast, the both of us trying to outdo the other. He grinned at me, then opened his door. He stepped aside to let me in. I thanked him and stepped inside.

After we were both in, Syaoran said, "Let's go downstairs to my work area. I have a bunch of books there that might help us." I nodded and we headed down.

We had been downstairs for what seemed like hours before Syaoran finally found something that could help us. He read aloud the passage.

"Most magical beings leave a presence on items they have touched. Even after hundreds of years, the essence remains. To find the owner of the presence," Syaoran turned the page, "you must…you must…oh crap! There's stain right where the rest is! Well, I can tell there's a magical presence, a strong one, on these notes. But the rest I don't know. I'm sorry Sakura. I thought I could help."

I shook my head at his negativity and smiled. "That's okay Syaoran-kun. You tried for me. Arigatou!"

I kept on smiling until I noticed that he was staring at me again. The look he gave me was close to one of…admiration. Slowly, he leaned towards me and closed his eyes. I did the same and soon I could feel his breath mingling with mine. Right when our lips were about to touch, Meirin's voice was heard echoing through the apartment and Syaoran and I broke our trance. We almost kissed. But, he couldn't possibly love me. He had Meirin already and he could choose any girl at our school easily.

"I-I need to go. I was going to Tomoyo-chan's house today and I hope Onii-chan and Otou-san haven't already called there. I'll see you later…Syaoran-kun. Good-bye." I told him, then ran up the stairs. I noticed Meirin look at me oddly while I was leaving. I waved at her quickly and exited the house.

[End: Chapter Three]

They almost kissed! Yes, well, it wasn't a good time for them to do it yet. Besides, I suck at romance. :-P Later on I'll do it. I wanted to thank Ongaku again. Thanks!!! Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner. Ja ne, minna-san!

--Ari

R.I.P Layne Staley (1967-2002)