Sakura Yume

By Angelikyte Alexiel

Disclaimer: I am neither the owner nor the creator of CCS, or any of the related characters/

Chapter Six: Just Another Notch

- - - - - - - - - - -

Sakura slipped into her room quietly before Touya could hear her come in. As she closed the door, she hit the small lock to ensure her privacy, and fell back on her bed, closing her eyes as she sighed.

'What a night…' she thought to herself; letting a few tidbits of the night fly through her memory as she smiled slightly. She hadn't expected things to go the way they did; everything went smoothly for the most part, and she had felt so comfortable with Syaoran.

'Syaoran…' she thought again, the name rolling off the mental tongue like music. 'Syaoran…'

Suddenly, Sakura's eyes shot open, and she jumped up as her cheeks became rather flustered.

'What's wrong with me?!' she thought to herself, feeling stupid for letting herself melt as she thought of him. It seemed so silly to her; she barely knew him. If it hadn't been for the dream she'd had, she might not have even given Syaoran Li a second thought. And yet…

And yet…she couldn't get him off of her mind.

The phone rang rather abruptly, waking Sakura from her thoughts. Snatching it up before Touya got to it from his room, she pressed the 'on' button. "Hello?"

"Sakura?" It was Tomoyo. "How did it go tonight? What happened? Did he kiss you? Tell me everything!"

Sakura groaned. "Tomoyo; you could have woken up Onii-chan! Can't you just wait until tomorrow?"

Tomoyo whined on the other end of the receiver. "Sakuraaaaaaaa…" she pled; "Come on; you know I won't be able to sleep tonight if you don't give me any details! So, spill already!"

Sakura sighed as she fell back on the bed again. "Well, the café was very nice…" she started.

"I know about the café!" Tomoyo exclaimed; "Tell me about the date! What did you do at the café? Did he compliment you on your dress?"

Again, Sakura sighed. "No," she replied; "Though, the look on his face when he saw me said enough, I think."

She could picture Tomoyo sitting up straight on the edge of her bed, clutching the receiver, wide-eyed. "The look on his face!" she echoed excitedly; "What was the look on his face! Tell me now!"

Sakura laughed. "I'm sure you've got it all figured out, Tomoyo-chan." she replied, not answering her question. "I'm really tired; I have to go now."

"No, wait!" Tomoyo cried; panicking. "Did he kiss you?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she smirked. "No," she replied; "He didn't."

"Well, did he try?" she asked desperately. She needed some kind of drama or romance from the story.

"Yes," Sakura replied sarcastically, "But I ducked out of the way, and told him that I thought he was ugly."

"WHAT!" Tomoyo screamed, making Sakura hold the phone as far away from her ear as possible.

"I was only teasing you, Tomoyo!" she exclaimed weakly, placing the phone against her other ear as she used her free hand to massage the damaged ear. "Did you really have to scream like that?"

"You freaked me out!" Tomoyo exclaimed; followed by a muffled; "Sorry! Go back to sleep!"

"Well, I'm going to bed." Sakura said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Aww, you're no fun, Sakura." Tomoyo whimpered.

Sakura smirked wickedly. "Too bad." She replied; "Nighty-night, Tomoyo-chan." With that, she hung up the phone, and sighed once more. Getting up, she walked over to her closet, and pulled out her nightgown; her emerald eyes staring far off.

'Syaoran…'

- - - - - - - - - - -

'Sakura…'

At the exact same moment, Syaoran was laying back on his bed, thinking about Sakura as he closed his eyes. He had figured that he would ask her out, maybe tease her a bit, and then spend the rest of the school year dating around. But, there was something about her…he hadn't expected such a reaction from himself. He was Syaoran Li from the prestigious Li clan; he had been with many girls before he came to Japan, he was a player. But Sakura…there was something about her innocence that intrigued him; something about her eyes, her smile…

Or, maybe it was just that stupid dream telling him that there was something about her that was different.

In any case, there he lay on his bed; his hair slightly mussed from riding home with the windows rolled down; his shirt unbuttoned to expose his chest; sighing like a silly schoolgirl with a silly crush.

'Damnit…'

His thoughts were interrupted when the phone rang. His reaction was quite different from Sakura's; as he opened his eyes lazily, and grabbed the phone from where he lay.

"Hello?" he mumbled, feeling a bit sleepy.

"Syaoran?" a feminine voice asked, making Syaoran sit up.

"May I ask whose calling?" he asked; the voice sounding distantly familiar.

"Silly!" the voice giggled; "Don't tell me you've forgotten the voice of your beloved already!"

Syaoran groaned. "You have the wrong number." He said bluntly; hanging up the phone before the girl on the other end had a chance to reply. He then got up and walked to his dresser; fishing through his clothes to find a pair of sleep shorts. Within a minute or two, the phone rang again.

'Now who!' he thought to himself, dropping his search as he answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Quit playing around, Syao-kun!" the feminine voice giggled once again; "I know it's you."

This time, Syaoran growled into the phone. "Don't fucking call this number again." He said coldly, slamming the phone on it's charger.

'Stupid bitch…' he thought angrily, lying back on the bed again. 'How the hell did she get this number, anyway?' Ignoring the fact that he was still in his khakis and dress shirt, he shut off the bedroom light, and closed his eyes as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Sakura was toying with the padlock on her locker; trying to get her books before the bell rang. A few strands of hair had escaped the bun she had put her hair up into, and she tucked them behind her ear as she tried to focus on the padlock; trying desperately to turn the key in the lock.

'Damnit,' she thought to herself, panicking as she hurried; 'If I don't hurry up, I'm going to be late for class again!' But, despite her best efforts, the key remained stuck in place; refusing to turn.

Suddenly, she felt a warm, sweet breath close to her neck, and a smooth, deep voice spoke.

"Let me get that for you." Syaoran said calmly; his fingertips lightly grazing her had as she let go of the padlock and key; pulling her hands back as she let him try to open it for her. With a simple twist, he turned the key in the lock, and slipped the padlock off of it's hook. "I have a way with padlocks." He said, smirking slightly as he showed off just a little bit.

"Thank you…" Sakura replied meekly; opening her locker as she fished out her books. "The key just decided to get stuck today."

"You're welcome." Syaoran replied, and Sakura could feel his eyes gazing over her. "Just let me know if it happens again. I know how to get a stubborn key to turn."

Sakura simply nodded to him nervously, and hurried her way to class. She had felt herself becoming flustered again, and needed to escape before her embarrassment became too obvious.

As Sakura left, Syaoran smiled to himself; watching her as she hurried to class.

'I don't know what it is about you,' he thought to himself; 'But there is something about you that intrigues me, Sakura Kinomoto…'

During the lunch break, Sakura was mercilessly attacked with questions from Tomoyo.

"I told you what happened last night!" she exclaimed weakly; reaching for her soda.

"You only told me a little bit!" Tomoyo exclaimed; "I need more details!"

"There really isn't much more to tell!" Sakura replied wearily; "There aren't any other big details that would interest you!"

"Come on, Sakura!" her friend whined. "There has to be something else! Quit holding out on me!"

"Come on, sweetie." Eriol said calmly, taking a bite of his sandwich. He paused to grimace as he forced himself to swallow. "I think Sakura told you everything of relevance. Besides, would you tell her every detail of our dates?"

"But that's different!" Tomoyo insisted. "You and I do the same things most of the time!"

Eriol frowned slightly, and started to drink more of his soda. "You really know how to make a guy feel special…" he said quietly; pretending to be truly hurt.

"Aww!" she cooed, leaning over as she wrapped her arms around him. "You know I care, hun."

Eriol smiled. "That's a bit more like it." He replied, taking another gulp of his soda. "Seriously, though; these school lunches are going to help me lose weight."

"You don't need to lose weight!" the girls exclaimed simultaneously. Upon hearing themselves, they began to laugh.

Suddenly, Sakura sensed another presence approaching, and she felt a faint rosy color creep its way into her cheeks. 'Perfect timing…' she thought to herself as Syaoran sat down next to her.

"Hello, Sakura." He said in the smooth, deep voice that made her heart skip a beat. He then looked over to Eriol and Tomoyo, and nodded. "Hey."

"Hi, Li-san." Eriol said nodding back before taking a sip of his soda. Tomoyo smirked at him, and waved in reply.

"Have a nice time last night, Li-kun?" she asked, nonchalant as she rested an elbow on the table; watching to see the looks on Syaoran and Sakura's faces.

Sakura's blush made Syaoran grin. 'Lovely.' He thought to himself, looking only at Sakura as he replied; "I thought it went rather nicely. In fact, Sakura; I was wondering if you wanted to do something after class lets out."

"Oh, I don't know…" Sakura replied; her emerald eyes darting this way and that as she replied. At one point, her eyes met his, and they both looked away; making Tomoyo grin excitedly as she caught a faint blush on Syaoran's cheeks.

"Go for it, Sakura!" she insisted; "You don't have any plans today!"

Sakura chuckled weakly as she looked back at Syaoran. "So, what do you want to do?" she asked.

"I don't know;" Syaoran replied; "Maybe you would like to go to the park again?"

Sakura began to smile calmly, and she nodded. "That sounds nice." She replied; "I just need to go home first and change out of my uniform."

"Same here." Syaoran replied. "How about I meet you outside of your place an hour after class lets out?"

"Okay." Sakura replied; gathering her tray. "Touya won't be home yet, so I don't have to worry about him getting upset."

"See you then, Sakura." He replied, finishing off his drink as he watched her walk away.

Tomoyo watched as Syaoran's eyes followed Sakura as she left. "You'd better kiss her today!" she exclaimed the instant Sakura was out of earshot.

Syaoran snapped to attention, and whirled around to look at Tomoyo. "Excuse me?" he asked; wondering how in the hell she knew about the kiss that didn't happen on the previous night's date.

"You know what I'm talking about, Li-kun." She replied, rolling her eyes as she sipped her water. "Have fun with Sakura today."

Syaoran rolled his eyes as well, and shook his head as he got up, and left the table.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Later that afternoon, Sakura was sitting in her room, trying to think of what she should wear to the park. She wanted to look nice, but she wasn't about to dress up, either. As she continued brainstorming about outfits, the phone rang. Groaning slightly, she picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Sakura!" Tomoyo exclaimed on the other end. "You're still there! Good. Have you picked out anything to wear yet?"

Sakura held back a giggle. "Well, I was picking something out just as you called…"

"Well, put it away!" Tomoyo insisted; "I'm bringing you an outfit. I'll be there in a few minutes!"

Before Sakura had a chance to say anything in response, Tomoyo hung up. Sighing, the girl flopped back on her bed, waiting to hear the doorbell ring. Sure enough, the familiar ring played downstairs at the front door, and Sakura hurried downstairs to let her friend in.

Tomoyo burst through the door with a bag. "We've got to make this quick!" she exclaimed; "Eriol called me while I was on my way here; he said that Syaoran should be here in 15 minutes!" Without giving Sakura a second to even attempt to stammer a reply, she dragged the poor girl upstairs, and slammed her bedroom door shut behind her.

Throwing the bag onto the bed, Tomoyo ran after it, and quickly began to pull items out from the bag.

"Here; try these on." She demanded, shoving a miniskirt and tank top in Sakura's arms. Looking up, she noticed that Sakura simply stood in place; looking at her, dumbfounded. "Well!" Tomoyo exclaimed; "What are you waiting for! Try those on! Hurry!"

Sakura groaned, and ran into the bathroom; throwing the clothes on. Despite the fact that she wasn't a huge fan of miniskirts; the style of this particular article of clothing appealed to her, and she liked the way it looked on her. Tomoyo had a talent when it came to clothing; whether it was making a dress, or putting an outfit together for someone. Her clothes flattered Sakura's small, curvy figure, and drew attention in a rather subtle manner.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo cried from the other side of the bathroom door; banging her fist loudly against the wooden barricade. "Hurry up!"

Sakura smirked and rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the bathroom; doing a little twirl as she showed off the outfit.

"Perfect!" Tomoyo exclaimed; clasping her hands together. "Now, as for your hair…"

- - - - - - - - -

Syaoran approached the front door of Sakura's home, and paused for a moment to take a breath. He felt kind of silly for doing such a thing, but he was compelled to prepare himself; in case she managed to take his breath away again. After the moment passed, he rang the doorbell, and waited patiently. He could hear voices inside the house as there was a soft, yet thunderous noise. He immediately recognized it as someone rushing down stairs, and smirked. 'Can't wait to see me, huh, Sakura?' he thought smugly, running a hand through his hair. 'You can't resist me; I know…'

Suddenly, he was snapped back to reality as the door opened. He straightened up as he began to speak. "Ready to go, S…"

Tomoyo laughed at him as she stood in the doorway. "Hiya, Li-san." She said; regaining composure. "Sakura's just looking for her cell phone; she'll be ready in a second."

Before Syaoran could reply, he heard that soft, sweet voice call out to Tomoyo from the other room. "I found it!" she shouted, and he heard her footsteps as she strode to the door. As she slipped past Tomoyo to step outside, Syaoran felt himself freeze slightly; almost as he had done the previous night. She was wearing a relatively short skirt, which complimented her small, yet curvaceous hips, as well as her long legs. The top she wore with it matched the skirt in both style and flaunt; the straps resting ever so slightly loose on her shoulders, the neckline dipping low, yet not too low. Her hair brough even more attention to the neckline as most of the auburn locks rested on her shoulders; a couple of the top layers pulled back into a thin tail. A few strands had escaped to frame her face; which brought attention to her eyes. All in all, it was modest compared to some of the outfits his prior dates had chosen to wear, but it was enough to drive him mad. He hoped that Sakura didn't notice his stare, and he forced himself to quit studying her looks to look her in the eye, and smile.

"Ready to go, Sakura?" he asked in a cool, collected voice; hiding his intrigue.

"Sure." She replied cheerfully; turning to Tomoyo for a moment. Tomoyo seemed to be hiding a smirk as she had noticed the reaction that she had assembled the outfit for.

"You can hang around the house for a while if you like." She said; "Just be sure to leave before Touya gets home; he doesn't like it when I let my friends stay over alone."

"Got it, Sakura-chan!" she replied, raising her hand as she gave her the V for victory (a.k.a. Peace Sign). "I'll probably leave in a minute or two anyway; I promised I'd hurry over to Eriol's. Have fun, you two!" As she spoke, she slowly closed the door, until the two heard it click shut. Turning back to Syaoran, Sakura caught a brief glimpse of his face as he became slightly flustered; worried that he had been caught staring at her.

"Well, are we going to stand on the porch all day?" she asked teasingly; smirking.

"Nope." He replied, smirking back as he played off his previous reaction. "Let's go."

After spending some time walking around the park, the two stopped at the playground for a break. Sakura sat down in one of the swings, and sighed as she closed her eyes; swinging back and forth as the sun beamed down on her warmly. The golden light seemed to make her glow, and Syaoran once again had to force himself to stop staring.

'Damn…' he thought to himself; 'No wonder she was in my dream…' He quickly shook the thought from his mind, and occupied the swing beside her; swinging back and forth ever so slightly as he watched her. As she opened her eyes, the sunlight glinted off of them faintly; making them shine brilliantly like precious stones. It seemed that, with each passing moment he spent with her, Syaoran was drawn more and more to the thought of kissing her. 'I'll do it this time…' he thought, determined. 'Nothing will stop me this time.'

As he thought this, Sakura looked over at him in almost an innocent manner, and smiled. She could tell that he was deep in thought, but she wasn't certain of what he was thinking about.

'I wonder if he's going to try and kiss me…' she thought; continuing to swing back and forth as she hid an added thought. She hoped that he would kiss her. Even though she wasn't as haunted by her dream lately, her thoughts had been on him a lot; despite the fact that she barely knew him. There was something about him…she hoped that he was someone that she would spend a lot of time with.

"It's so nice out here…" she sighed softly, still smiling at Syaoran. "Don't you think so, Syaoran?"

"Mmm-hmm…" he replied, pausing for a moment before starting to lean a little closer to Sakura. His hand gently came up to her face; and he tucked a few strands of her soft hair behind her ear.

'You're only kissing her to hook her;' his mind said to him; detemined not to let him think that he was dying for their lips to meet. 'You're not really into her; she's just another notch in your belt…'

A tiny voice spoke up in the back of his mind; speaking only briefly as the wrongful thoughts choked it back into its hiding place.

'Liar…' it squeaked; making Syaoran pause for a moment. His lips were only inches away from Sakura's; he was so very close. He could almost taste her sweet breath; the warmth of it gently caressing his own lips as he froze so close to her.

Sakura opened her eyes ever so slightly; wondering what was taking so long. 'Does he want me to move in?' she thought to herself; unsure of what he was planning. Just as she was beginning to wonder about what she should do, she felt his lips lightly begin to brush against hers as he began to move in once again for the kiss. As she felt her face become slightly flushed, she closed her eyes again as she felt herself leaning into him to make the kiss a true one.

Just as Syaoran had begun to lean in, he heard a voice shout out, and he jerked back; ending the kiss before it truly started. 'What the fuck!' he thought; feeling stupid for pulling back when he had been so close.

"Syao-kun!" the voice shouted; both joy and anger twisted into the high-pitched cry. "My Syao-kun! It's me!"

- - - - - - - - - -

A/N: No way! So close, huh? I think this is the longest chapter I've written so far (well, at least for this story in particular). I'm truly sorry about not updating in the past year (I think I got that right). A lot has happened to me since the last time I updated; including getting pregnant and married. I'm due to have a baby in early to mid September; so there's been a lot of rushing around. I also tried to do school for a little while; though, it didn't work out so well. Anyway….I hope I haven't lost too many readers from such a delayed update, but I have updated now; so maybe I'll get some new readers, as well as regain some older ones. I'll try and update again soon!

LYL, Sakura-san; a.k.a. Angelikyte Alexiel