Chapter 7: Cliff diving

A week had passed.

Syaoran and I were taking daily shifts at Rush Hour along with Tomoyo, Eriol and Meilin. Ever since the night at the carnival, we were always together.

Over the course of seven days, I picked up a few things about my companions.

Meilin wasn't just having the munchies that day. She ate all of the time. I also found out that every single time she ate potato chips she needed a cigarette.
Meilin hadn't exactly warmed up to me yet, but we were getting there. Maybe.

Eriol basically revolved around Tomoyo. When he wasn't around her, he was thinking about her. It was kind of sad, really. He spent so much time trying to get her attention when she was just too blind to notice at all.

I think Eriol grows an inch everyday.

Tomoyo was always making outfits- she claimed it was her hobby. She was always trying to convince me to try on her clothes, but I begged her not to. I once considered the possibility that she was one of those kids who mother denied a Barbie doll, so now she was trying to use people as them.

I'm pretty sure during the week; Tomoyo has used up over 50 rolls of film.

Syaoran and I played Truth every chance we got. Everybody picked up on it after a day or two, because we were always going off alone. Meilin and Eriol seemed to think it was pretty odd- but I really couldn't think of any better way to get to know somebody. Off the top of my head I can list Syaoran's worst nightmare (frogs eating him), his fears, his dreams and how old he was when he got his first kiss. How many people can you list all of that about off the top of your head?

It's pretty amazing that neither of us have lost yet. I'll admit it- I hope nobody wins or loses. I wish that out game could go on forever.

Because it was getting later in the summer, and much hotter- Syaoran and I managed to convince Hanako to save energy and turn off the lights. The extra luminance was killing us and her bill too. After two painful days of arguing, she finally caved. I was extremely happy.

It was now July 5th. I was busing a table by myself in Rush Hour mid afternoon, and to no surprise, no customers were there. The blaring heat was probably too much to bear. I sat down in the table and looked out the window towards the beach. There were tons of people everywhere in the water and on the sand tanning. It was probably too much effort to walk across the street to buy food when there's a canteen on the beach.

Eriol came out of the kitchen untying his apron. "Gah!" he shouted and pulled it off. "I can't stand staying back there! Too hot!" I sighed, and he just slumped over the counter.

"I'm dying here!" he shouted again, as if he was expecting me to do something. "Why doesn't your dad invest in air conditioning?" I tried. He glared up at me and I twitched with fright. "Because he is a cruel, cruel man."

Tomoyo walked out of the bathroom, and Eriol sat up. "H-hey," he stuttered. Instead of giving him a usual smile, Tomoyo sighed. Eriol frowned and turned around. He leaned against the counter.

"So…" he tried to break the hovering silence, but it just wasn't helping. The heat ruined everything.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes, and picked up a mop against the wall and leaned against this. "This is shit," she mumbled. Eriol groaned in response, and I looked back at all of the people on the beach.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and two familiar faces were beaming at us. "WOOP, WOOP!" Meilin exclaimed eagerly. "What do you two want?" Eriol grumbled.

Syaoran and Meilin were both grinning from ear to ear. Meilin seemed to be ready for the beach, dressed in a straw hat and a bikini top and shorts, while Syaoran was just wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He was holding a beach ball.

"What do you think, Eriol? This place is dead to the world. We're going to the beach!" Meilin pointed out the window towards Syaoran's jeep.

"Are you serious?!" Tomoyo squealed, fidgeting with excitement on the spot. "Yes, I'm serious. We have stuff packed and everything," Meilin explained.

Eriol sighed. "I can't just close up for no reason, Dad would kill me." "Oh contraire, my tall friend, we already asked him. He said it was cool." My eyes widened. Meilin had to have bribed him or something along those lines.

Eriol was just as surprised as me, but then Syaoran spoke for the first time. "Dude, it's cool. Just come to the beach with us." Eriol then hopped over the counter and stumbled over. "Alright!" He grinned.

Tomoyo had made her way towards them too, and then they all looked at me. "I'm assuming you're coming too?" Meilin questioned in a bored way. "Sure… I mean if you guys want me to," I rubbed the back of my head.

"Why wouldn't we?" Tomoyo then grabbed my hand and we all made the way outside. Eriol locked up Rush Hour and we were gone.

- - - -

We had to make stops at Hanako's, Tomoyo's and Eriol's to get all of our stuff. I was last, and when I got inside and Hanako asked if I was going to the beach with Syaoran, I said yes. She smirked, turned back to the TV, and chuckled. I wasn't sure why she did this, although I wasn't sure why Hanako did anything she did.

When I reached my room to search for a bathing suit- I realized that I only had a bikini I'd bought last year in effort to look more feminine. I'd never worn it, I didn't have the guts, and besides how lame would it look to show up at the beach alone? I groaned, wondering what I was going to do.

There was no way I was going to show up in a bikini.

I sat on the bed, and then glanced at my dresser across from me. Resting on it, nicely folded, was Toya's old t-shirt. I smiled.

I proceeded to put on the bikini, then Toya's t-shirt. I put my shorts I'd had on before back on, glanced at the mirror, and nodded. I went to the hall closet, grabbed an old towel, and made my made down the steps. I slipped my feet into an old pair of sandals and grabbed the door handle.

As I was leaving, I shouted goodbye to Hanako, and wondered what sort of things we'd do at the beach.

- - - - -

Since I had no idea where the beach was, I didn't bother to question why we'd been driving for a least a half an hour, but once Eriol began demanding which beach we were headed too, I became confused.

"I thought we were going to that beach just off West Road?" Eriol asked casually. Meilin, who was driving although we were in Syaoran's jeep, grinned. "Nah, it'd probably be too crowded."

"Like this car?" Eriol joked, and gave me a smile. He was right, the car was pretty stuffy. Meilin and Syaoran were situated up front, while me, Tomoyo and Eriol were all in the back.

"Oh well, at least we're all together," Tomoyo declared, and rested her head on Eriol's shoulder. I watched him gulp nervously, and couldn't help but wonder how on earth Tomoyo didn't know what she did to him. She must know to some extent- because she only ever flirted with him. I wondered if she liked him back.

It seemed as if Eriol was trying with all of his might not to have a heart attack, so I tried to calm him down by changing the subject. "So where exactly are we headed?" I inquired.

"You'll see." Meilin grinned deviously, and Syaoran looked back at me. His lips curled into a smile, and I felt like my stomach was going to catapult out my throat. The car then pulled off the highway onto a dirt road, and I turned away from Syaoran, not wanting him to see, from what I could tell, my red face.

We drove a few more miles, and suddenly Eriol squeaked. "What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked, who'd been resting on his shoulder the whole time and was quite surprised.

"TAKE ME BACK!" He demanded, shaking. He pressed his face against the window, and was groaning loudly.

"Oh shut it Eriol, it'd be a waste of gas to take you back now. We're almost there," Meilin grumbled, her lips pursed as if she knew this was going to happen.

"Honestly Eriol, I think it's time you really got over that fear of heights." Syaoran said. I suddenly became confused. What did going to the beach have to do with heights?

"Oh." Tomoyo sighed, as if it'd been painfully obvious. "I completely forgot about that." She pointed a finger against her temple and twisted it, as if trying to recollect something.

"There is no way I'm going to that place!" Eriol shouted. I spotted Meilin roll her eyes in the mirror. "Fine. You can sit at the top, while scorching to death and probably get eaten by a bear." Meilin chuckled menacingly, and Eriol gulped.

A few seconds later, the jeep halted to a stop. I looked around, trying to spot a beach, or at least a lake. "Where's the water? And…the people?" I asked, spotting only trees and wet moss. This is sort of gross, I thought while looking around at the mud.

"Welcome to Black Cove, Sakura!" Meilin grinned, and pulled the keys out of the jeep. She tossed them at Syaoran and hopped outside. The rest of us followed, although Eriol's legs were shaking.

Black Cove seemed to be in the middle of a patch of swamp, and due to the extremely tall trees surrounding it- it was relatively shaded. I could hear the faint sound of crickets humming, and there was an aroma of cigarette smoke in the air. I looked to my left and saw a few broken beer bottles that looked probably a few weeks old.

I looked right, and in a corner I spotted a sign placed on top of a tree branch. It was made of a slab of cardboard, and written in thick marker was 'M-CHAN, TOM-CHAN, WOLF-KUN AND ERI-CHAN'S SPOT. DO NOT TRESSPASS' and underneath, written in different handwriting was 'OR WE'LL WRING YOUR NECKS!' Next to the sign was what looked like a lamely made path.

I raised my eyebrows in confusion. "Guys, should we be here?" I asked yet another question. When I realized everyone (except Eriol, who was sitting on a rock, shaking) was stripping to their bathing suits, I became even more confused.

"Are we even in the right place?!" I became irritated, and came to the conclusion that every single one of them was crazy. "Calm down, Saku!" Tomoyo gleamed, throwing her t-shirt onto the ground. She fixed her bathing suit, and then approached Eriol. She whispered something to him I couldn't quite make out.

"This is our personal spot for swimming," Syaoran explained. "No one else knows about it." He pointed towards the cardboard sign. "M-chan is Meilin, Tom-chan is Tomoyo, Wolf-kun is me," he coughed, and I smiled. "And Eri-chan is Eriol." He chuckled.

"Okay, well, where's the water?" I asked, with my arms crossed. Meilin laughed, and Syaoran walked up to me. Suddenly, his hand grabbed mine. I felt like I was going to stop breathing.

"Over here," Syaoran whispered, giving me a mischievous look. Wait, what?

Without warning, he took off into a dash, pulling me along. My flip flops flung off in the process, and in a flash we'd reached the end of the patch of grass. Suddenly we were falling downwards, tumbling into what I wasn't sure.

"Syaoran!" I screamed, but I lost my breath when we were submerged in water. It was cold; I instinctively closed my eyes and panicked. I felt Syaoran tug onto my hand, and I suddenly was embraced by warmth. I opened my eyes.

I could see Syaoran; for he was so close I could sense his heartbeat. His arm was wrapped around me, and his body was grazing mine. His hand still gripped mine, and I clasped it tightly. His face; only an inch from mine, had an expression I couldn't quite place. His smile was warm, while his eyes looked into mine almost yearningly. I couldn't bring myself to surface, for I was mesmerized by him.

He's beautiful. I thought.

If it wasn't already painfully obvious, I suddenly knew that I must have had a crush on Syaoran. No, I couldn't just have a crush on him, no other crush I'd had made me feel so alive. From the moment I met him, Syaoran had put a spell on me. Syaoran had awoken me from the dead, where I thought I'd belonged. But that wasn't true- I belonged with people. With him.

Could I be in love with Syaoran Li?

I pulled myself closer to him, if that were possible. To my surprise, I was not rejected. Our chests were pressed together, and before I knew it our hands moved so we were completely wrapped in each other. I squeezed his neck, not wanting to let go.

His nose grazed mine accidentally, and suddenly I snapped out of it. Hell no! I wasn't in love! Not after a week and a half and definitely not after everything's that happened. My throat pained, seeking air, and I pushed Syaoran away. I kicked violently, pushing my body to surface.

I gasped for air, and soon Syaoran's head popped out too. He took a breath, but then put his nose and mouth back in. All I could see were his eyes, which were obviously confused. I felt awkward, knowing that I probably just ruined a moment, if it even was one.

I avoided his gaze, and looked upward. I saw that Black Cove was not only clearing but a cliff, which was about 30 meters high. I stared at it in awe. Wow, that was a long way down. I immediately understood why Eriol didn't want to be here. I turned around, and saw that the lake we were in was not exactly tiny, but not huge either.

Suddenly, a body came flying over the top and was plunging downward. I turned, and recognized it was Meilin, with her trailing hair and high-pitched scream. I scrambled out of the way, not wanting to be splashed by water.

After Meilin plunged in, she surfaced and turned to glance at Syaoran, who was now floating on his back, staring into the sky. I coughed awkwardly and asked Meilin what Eriol and Tomoyo were doing.

"They should be down here any moment." Meilin chuckled, and then swam over to Syaoran. She began conversing with him when I heard an extremely loud scream.

I looked up, only to find that they hadn't even jumped. Eriol was clinging to Tomoyo, and she was laughing hysterically. Meilin waved to Tomoyo, and she waved back.

Tomoyo then whispered something into Eriol's ear. He then scratched his head, and nodded. She took his hand, and then she ran into the air- Eriol being dragged behind. I laughed out loud; he was too funny.

Once they were in the water, and Eriol finally stopped shaking, we all started splashing around and playing games. Syaoran was sort of quiet, which I couldn't help but feel like it was my fault. Was I making him uncomfortable?

After we swam around for awhile, we decided we should all jump off again. Eriol protested to this, but ended up doing it anyway once Tomoyo convinced him.

The five of us bombarded off of the cliff, and I felt like I was flying. This time I was sure of what was going on- and tumbling through the air was exhilarating. I knew why these guys loved that place.

After about an hour or two the sun began to set, and we decided we would watch it go down from the top.

The sun was a soft, bright tangerine color. There was a soft breeze, and the faint cricket sound I'd heard earlier began to grow. I sighed, and turned towards Syaoran who was sitting next to me. He seemed entranced by the scenery. Or so I thought, because as soon as I looked at him his eyes glanced at mine.

"What?" He asked. He didn't sound angry; he didn't sound happy either. I shook my head. "Nothing," I mumbled, but I didn't think he heard me.

Meilin stood up and stretched her arms. "We should get ready to leave soon," she said to no one in particular, and Tomoyo nodded. She stood, pulling Eriol along as they were still holding hands.

The three began to walk to the jeep; Syaoran and I were alone. We sat for a moment while the others gathered their things. I wasn't expecting Syaoran to speak when all of a sudden,

"Would you like to do something with me tomorrow?"

I gasped. Seriously?! My mind began to race.

I found myself nodding without even realizing I had. Oh god. I thought I'd decided that I didn't like Syaoran? Well, just because I wasn't in love with him didn't mean I couldn't like him. Who was I kidding?

We could hang out, I thought.

"Okay," Syaoran smiled. "We can take a walk around town, or something." I nodded again, with a jolt of excitement in my heart. He stood, and reached a hand out to help me get up. I took it, and he pulled me off my feet. For a moment, we stared into each other's eyes.

We could totally hang out.

Suddenly, Eriol roared with laughter. We glanced behind at the others, and they were standing by the jeep. Meilin was staring at us, with a glare in her eye. Eriol seemed to be laughing at something Tomoyo had just said.

"I'm pretty sure Tomoyo agreed to go out with him." Syaoran said, shaking his head in amusement. "What?!" I said. When did I miss that? "Well what else do you think made him jump?" Syaoran laughed and I smiled.

We walked towards the jeep, and then we made our way.

- - - - -

After dropping off Eriol, Tomoyo and Meilin, Syaoran and I drove home. We played Truth along the way, and I came to the conclusion that I definitely hadn't made it awkward earlier.

Once we pulled into Hanako's driveway, I was overwhelmed with surprise. Actually, more like shock. Who I saw was probably the last person I'd expected to see in Tomoeda, of all places. I hadn't expected for him to be there, leaning over the fence of the front porch.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Syaoran snorted, seemingly annoyed. He was staring at me, and I knew that Syaoran knew I knew him (A/N: that's awfully confusing, sorry). Once I got out of the jeep, I slammed the door shut.

I ran towards the man, and I shouted his name. "Sakura!" he exclaimed, and ran off to porch. I met him halfway and poured myself into his arms. He lifted me high into the air, and he squeezed me tightly. As we were hugging, he made a comment about my shirt. I laughed, although I wasn't sure if I should do that or cry.

I heard the jeep door slam, and he put me down. I turned to look at Syaoran, who was leaning against his car, with a look that screamed death.

The man looked down at me, with a hand resting on my shoulder. "Who is this boy, Sakura?" he asked.

"Uh, well, this is Syaoran." I said, and Syaoran rolled his eyes. "And Syaoran, this is someone very important to me. This is Yukito Tsukishiro."

- - - - -

I'm terrible at cliff hangers.