Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this chapter except for the plot.


Chapter Seven

"I can't believe tomorrow's the day of the dance." Sakura slumped at one of the chairs lying around the lobby of the Mechanical Engineering department building.

Everybody was running around. People were putting up flowers made of crepe paper here and there. Some were calling on their phones for the catering and the sponsors, while some were cleaning up after other's messes. It was chaotic.

Eriol sat on the floor beside Sakura. "Me neither. I hope we don't screw up."

Sakura turned to the raven haired smart-ass beside her, surprised. "Don't tell me you've never done this before."

"Well…"

"I said don't tell me." Sakura sighed. "This is impossible. I'm the one getting nervous for you." She rubbed her temples as if it hurt.

"Oh, don't worry. I promise to nail it. It's just a dance." Eriol grinned, his perfect teeth showing. He sounded confident for someone who hadn't done any public performance of the like.

"Oi Kinomoto, someone's looking for you." Another one of her upperclassmen called to her from a ladder. He pointed towards the big entrance of the building.

Meiling was waving enthusiastically beside the door, Tomoyo at her side. "Kinomoto-senpai!" she exclaimed.

Sakura stood up from the chair and walked towards them. "Hey," she them with a smile. "If you're looking for Li, he's out with the rest of their band."

"Oh yeah, I heard they're playing at the welcoming party." Meiling was becoming more anxious by the minute. "He said they're playing…"

"Meiling!" Tomoyo exclaimed in a low voice. It was intended to cut her off.

"Ah! I almost slipped." She raised both her hands to cover her mouth. "Gomen, -nii-chan said to keep it a secret."

Sakura arched an eyebrow. "Figured he'd tell you." She placed a hand on her hip. "He told me to wait for the party if I wanted to know. But I don't really see why he'd want to keep it a secret from me."

Meiling grinned. Tomoyo, on the other hand, kept her gaze on the floor.

"Anyway, at least he'll owe me a free lunch if the song happens to be disappointing."

"Kinomoto! C'mon, we still need to practice." Eriol stood up from the floor, dusting himself.

"Hai, hai!" Sakura shouted back. She turned back to face Meiling and Tomoyo again, now, looking tired. "Gomen, I need to practice for the opening waltz. I wouldn't want Hiiragizawa-senpai stepping on me or tripping all over the place. But you can stay and watch if you want."

"Don't let us bother you, Kinomoto-san. We'll go ahead." It was Tomoyo who answered her. "Good luck on your waltz."

"Thanks." Sakura smiled. "Ja ne."

O.O.O.O.O

"Are we supposed to play the whole night?" Syaoran asked as he tucked his guitar away into its case. They had just finished playing for the day. From what their ears heard, everything sounded perfect.

Rai shook his head. "Of course not. We just need to play about five more requests. And then they'd play a CD or something." He stared at Syaoran's peculiar expression.

"Eh…"

"Why do you ask?"

Syaoran's eyebrows shot up. "Eto… No particular reason." He pulled the zipper of his guitar's casing to a close.

"Ne Syaoran-kun!" Seichi practically screeched, his hands waving frantically to catch Syaoran's attention. It was a pointless gesture since they were only about six steps apart.

Syaoran flinched at the sound of his name. I am never getting used to that forsaken nickname, he noted hysterically to himself. I swear, the moment killing becomes legal…

Seichi ignored the look of disgust Syaoran shot him. "You're very cute sister is here to see you! And she's with another cute girl too!"

He walked to where Seichi and his sudden visitors were. He shot his poor upperclassman a glare. It was intended as a warning. "Stay away from my sister, Okina-senpai."

Seichi shivered. "Sheesh little wolf. I was only joking!" He slowly walked away towards Rai and Takashi, acting hurt.

So childish. Syaoran didn't dare say it out loud. He turned to Meiling and her companion – who he recognized as the girl Daidouji who Meiling had already introduced to him. "What do you want?"

Meiling scowled. "Man, you're cranky all of sudden," she huffed. "Okaa-sama called."

Syaoran looked at his sister, waiting for her to continue. "And?"

"She wants you to call her back."

"And?"

"That's all."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

Syaoran rolled his eyes. He was tired. Seichi ticked him off. And now, Meiling finally managed to annoy him. "Don't tell me you went all around campus looking for me just to tell me that Okaa-sama called and that she wanted me to call her back?"

Meiling nodded innocently.

"And you couldn't have just called to tell me this?"

She nodded again. "Mou. Where's the fun in that –nii-chan? Besides, we don't have anything else to do. We got bored." She gestured her hand towards Tomoyo.

Meiling walked passed Syaoran and towards Rai, Seichi, and Takashi. She seemed to be oblivious of the fact that his brother was almost on the brink of fuming. She simply ignored him and got into an animated conversation with their upperclassmen.

Gah. Freshmen boredom. Syaoran ran a hand through his hair, an attempt to calm down his nerves.

"Ano… Gomenasai." Tomoyo bowed at him, obviously noticing what Meiling missed, written all over her brother's face. "I told her to just call you. But she wouldn't listen. I guess she really wanted to see you."

"See me?" he echoed.

Tomoyo nodded. "It comes with being a little sister."

"You have an older brother too?" He just assumed it was the reason she was able to say such things.

Surprisingly, she shook her head. "I'm a psychology major. I've read about this kind of thing when I was in high school."

"Eh… You're really dedicated."

Slightly, she was shocked by the compliment. She could perfectly remember when Meiling first introduced them to each other. Back then, he seemed like the distant type – the sort of person who would prefer to keep to himself, the kind no one would really approach first.

"Meiling! Let's go," Syaoran exclaimed.

"Hai!"

O.O.O.O.O

"I said, Meiling," Syaoran muttered through gritted teeth as he walked on the shaded pavement. "I didn't say everyone!"

Takashi patted him on the back. "Maa, maa Li-kun. What's so bad with walking back home with everyone?"

Syaoran glared at the corner of his eyes. "I hate crowds."

"Don't worry. We all take the first turn." Rai had a hand on his pocket, as usual, while the other held on to his guitar.

When they reached the right street, Takashi and Seichi waved at Syaoran in goodbye, while Rai simply went on his way. He just stared at them, happy to have his peace and quiet back.

"Oi Meiling, where are you going?" he called after the small figure walking by Seichi's side. She was obviously hoping that Syaoran wouldn't notice until they got a few safe feet away from him so he couldn't drag her back.

"Okina-senpai has the CD I've been looking for for months!" She clapped her hands together, as if in prayer. "I'll just go and borrow it first, ne? You go on ahead."

Syaoran sighed. He knew she wouldn't listen to him even if he says no. "Whatever." He started walking again.

He hadn't notice that Tomoyo was still with him. She lived a little further from where he and Meiling lived and had no choice but to walk in the same direction.

"Ano…" Tomoyo broke the silence that was thickening by the minute.

Syaoran turned, slightly surprised that she was still behind him. "Ah, I didn't know you were still there. Where do you live?"

"Three streets from yours."

He stopped to allow her to catch up. "You should've said something earlier. You were so quiet. I thought you came with Meiling to senpai's house."

Tomoyo smiled. "I didn't have anything to say."

"True." He slowed down his pace. "So, you were going to say something earlier then?"

She kept her gaze at the floor. "Eto…" She crossed her arms behind her. "Actually, I just didn't want to walk alone. You were already so many steps ahead. I couldn't keep up."

"Ah."

Again, silence filled the air. There are only a few people walking at the time. It was Friday and most of the students either had a job to attend to or they had a date, whether with friends or with someone special.

Tomoyo was about to start another conversation when Syaoran beat her to the punch.

"Earlier, did you and Meiling really went around campus looking for me?"

"Well, not really," she started. "We went to your department building first. We saw Kinomoto-san there and she told us you were with your band mates."

Syaoran nodded. "What were they doing? The org people, I mean."

"They were decorating the lobby. Most of what I saw were flowers. Kinomoto-san and another guy were supposedly practicing, I think. At least, that's what she told us she was going to do before we left her. That's why Meiling asked one of the guys by the stairs where your band was practicing. We didn't wanna bother her."

Syaoran chuckled. "She must be scared Hiiragizawa-senpai might step on her, or something, if they don't practice their routine."

Tomoyo tilted her head towards him. "That's what she said." She giggled. "Her partner must be a really bad dancer."

This time, he laughed. "Not really. At least, I don't think so." He adjusted the guitar casing's strap hanging from his shoulder. "I was supposed to be her partner. But then I have to play in the band." There was the slightest hint of disappointment in his voice. Nevertheless, Tomoyo caught it.

She was about to ask a few more questions, just wanting to confirm something, when they reached his house.

"Ja ne." Syaoran opened the gate with a squeak.

Knowing that it couldn't be helped, she smiled before walking off. "Ja."


A/N: I'm glad you guys still read my story. Thanks for the reviews!

Sorry if it was like a 'I'm-making-it-up-as-I-go' kinda chapter. And a short one at that. But I'm glad I was able to update this soon.

Oh, and before you all skin me to death or something, don't worry. Even though Eriol gets to be her partner for the opening waltz, there'll still be an SxS moment during the party.

Next chapter : party time! ^^