I think you guys will like this one. Watch out for a little bit of action between Syaoran and our new boytoy, Ezra! Here goes:

Disclaimer: CLAMP owns Card captor Sakura

Chapter Eight:

Syaoran was here…

Sakura's eyes were still closed. She felt exhausted and drained of energy. She feels bloated and cold and wet. She opened her eyes blearily as a wave of nausea crept into her brain; she groaned. She saw a faint outline of a face. She tried to reach it with her fingers but warm strong fingers grasped her hand and she blacked out again.

She didn't hear someone say, "I'm here, Sakura…"

AAA

"Hey, Sakura!" Ezra greeted her as she went outside into the backyard where several of her classmates and friends were there. There were a few older and unknown people too. There were lights crisscrossing from overhead. Several people were already playing in the pool. He was wearing khaki shorts; his button-down shirt was open halfway, barely hiding his lean chest. His hair was damp and his skin still had a few droplets of water.

"Hey, Ezra. Thanks for inviting us here." Sakura smiled at him. The sight of Ezra and remembering the kiss he gave her made her all light inside. She didn't even mind when Ezra sort of held her hand and didn't leave her side.

"Hi, Ezra! This is Eriol, Mei Lin's cousin," Tomoyo introduced their other friends. Several people were bustling past them to get back inside the house for drinks.

"Hey, man." Ezra shook his hand. Tomoyo was beaming.

"Hey, Mei Lin. Thank you for coming." Ezra added as Mei Lin appeared alongside Eriol.

"Sure thing. I'm sorry, my boyfriend couldn't come here today. I wanted to introduce you guys." Mei Lin said.

Sakura flinched at the word 'boyfriend'. She hummed loudly, trying to block the other words out. Ezra looked at her and whispered into her ear, "Is everything alright, Sakura?" His voice was tantalizing and teasing, his breath tickling her ear. She shuddered involuntarily. Her ears were one of her ultrasensitive spots. She nodded at Ezra and smiled at him. He smiled back; his face was close to hers.

"Okay… We'll be right back!" Tomoyo ushered Eriol and Mei Lin away from the two.

"So…" Ezra started, he looked as if he didn't know what to say.

Sakura laughed at him, her hand flying to her mouth. "Why are you the one who is uneasy? You're the one who kissed me!"

Ezra rumpled up his hair, looking very adorable. "That wasn't a kiss."

Sakura snorted. "It was a kiss."

"It wasn't."

"It was."

"Have you ever kissed before?"

"Uhhh… No."

"See, that wasn't a kiss."

"Oh stop it, will you?"

"It wasn't a kiss." Ezra said in a singsong voice as he pulled Sakura into his arms, his hands on the small of her back. Sakura was already blushing profusely as she let herself be enveloped in his arms. Being held like this was okay. It wasn't really awkward because being with Ezra was easy. He was fun to be with and she didn't mind.

Being liked… Paid attention to?

It was… Surreal.

"Will you spend tonight with me?" Ezra whispered, his closeness making Sakura slightly dizzy.

"Gee… I don't know, Ezra." Sakura teased, pouting childishly.

Ezra laughed and tapped her nose. "Please? Pretty please with sprinkles on top?" his voice was whiny and teasing and made her giggle.

Sakura contemplated for a while. "What if the guests need the host of this party?"

Ezra grinned as he pulled Sakura closer. "So what? You're VIP."

AAA

Sakura was floating-literally.

Ezra left an hour ago to answer a phone call from his mother. She was sitting on a couch with her friends, a glass of alcohol in her hand.

It was her first time to drink without Touya around. He was the one who monitored her glasses, always making sure that she doesn't go beyond two. And she hasn't tried vodka before. After the first few sips, her throat didn't seem to protest as much. And she liked the raspberry flavor.

Sakura knew she had a low tolerance for alcohol. But she wanted to have fun. This would be a chance for her to unwind after days of arduous training, both for the Sportsfest and in avoiding Syaoran.

She was starting to lose grasp of things, she knew she was drunk. It must have been what, five to six glasses already?

But this tipsy Sakura didn't want to stop yet. She felt helpless as she reached out for another glass.

"Stop Sakura, Eriol!" Tomoyo said frantically. She couldn't believe she let Sakura get this drunk. Touya would skin her-alive!

Eriol took hold of Sakura's hand before it reached the glass. Instead of letting her drink it, he downed the rest of it. "See, no more vodka, Sakura."

Sakura's words were slurred. "You fweaking dwank it, Ewiool…"

Eriol chuckled. Sakura whined like a little kid. "Enough, Sakura. Touya would get mad, you know. Plus, he's going to skin Tomoyo alive. And we, especially I, wouldn't want that to happen." He winked at Tomoyo who started blushing.

"Oh, just go ahead and kiss her, Ewiool." Sakura swayed and dropped her head on the couch's backrest. She closed her eyes.

"There is no way I can get Sakura to come home in that state." Tomoyo shook her head.

Mei Lin wasn't listening. She wasn't drinking at all and it was evident that she wasn't having that much fun. She was busy texting Syaoran who was going to pick her up any minute.

"We'll just have to call Touya and say that… Sakura is going to spend the night at your house?" Eriol was desperate for a plan. Even though he didn't know Touya that well, he could guess how big of a volcano he can be.

"Aargh!" Tomoyo groaned, cupping her face in her hands.

Eriol patted her back. "Just have fun. We'll take care of Sakura okay?"

Tomoyo rested her head on Eriol's shoulder. He still smelled wonderful. She was in perfect bliss and nothing could ever dampen her spirits when Eriol was around.

"Watch over Sakura for me, okay? I'll just go to the bathroom." Tomoyo told him after a while. Eriol nodded, staring at Sakura's sleeping figure on the couch.

There were still several people partying both inside and outside the house. It was already past midnight and everyone was still wide awake. The music was loud but you get used to it after a while. Instead of leaving, it seemed as if more people were arriving.

"Syaoran's here, Eriol. He's around here somewhere. I'm going to look for him, okay?" Mei Lin stood up and straightened her summer dress. Eriol just nodded. He would have gone and looked for Syaoran with her but he had a drunk Sakura to watch over.

Just then, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and answered it.

"Hey, Eriol! I'm at the backyard! I can't find you guys!" It was Syaoran.

"Huh?! What? I can't hear you, man!" Eriol said. The music was too loud.

"COME OUT!" Syaoran shouted.

Eriol still couldn't hear anything. He stood up, keeping a close eye on Sakura; he went into a corner to be able to talk to Syaoran.

"What did you say?" Eriol asked again, still staring at Sakura who was stirring feebly.

"I said I'm at the backyard. I already texted Mei Lin. But I can't find you guys." Syaoran said.

"She's out there looking for you." Eriol said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes for a while. Standing up suddenly made him a little bit dizzy with all the alcohol he had just consumed that night.

"Okay, then. I'll see you guys in a bit. Are you inside?" Syaoran asked.

"Yeah…" Eriol grunted. "I can't come out. I have to watch over Sakura. She's drunk." As he opened his eyes, he scanned the couch where Sakura was supposed to be sleeping. But the person he was babysitting for was nowhere to be found.

Sakura was gone.

AAA

Syaoran cursed under his breath. He was outside in the backyard where the pool was. He was feeling very out of place in his dress shirt. Some people were already glancing at him. It was a good thing he left his coat and tie inside the car.

Eriol had mentioned that Sakura was here.

Part of him wants to see her.

The other part is telling him to forget it.

He hasn't seen her for days and he was thinking of her less and less. Isn't that what you're doing here tonight? To see her? He scolded himself.

Syaoran weaved in and out of the unknown people as he searched for a familiar face.

Then a flash of brown hair and emerald eyes caught his attention.

Syaoran's heart stopped. It was Sakura, walking rather differently, as if each step was worth a lot of energy. He remembered Eriol's words, 'I can't come out. I have to watch over Sakura. She's drunk.'

Syaoran gasped as he saw Sakura walking towards the pool. Nobody was giving her a second glance. He started walking fast towards Sakura, sure that she was going to jump into the water.

"SAKURA!" he shouted, trying to catch her attention. She didn't seem to hear anything. "SAKURA!"

He heard another shout of Sakura's name. He scanned the crowd and saw Eriol and Tomoyo waving frantically as they tried to get near Sakura too.

With only a few meters separating them, he tried to grab her arm before she went within two feet of the pool. But his hand was roughly pushed away by an arm accompanied by a shout, "EVERYBODY IN THE POOL!"

Syaoran could only watch as he saw Sakura being lifted into the air, grinning as if she didn't care someone else was holding her. She landed into the pool with a huge splash. Several people also jumped into the pool.

"GET HER, SYAORAN! SHE'S DRUNK!" Tomoyo screamed from the other side of the pool. Mei Lin was also shouting something. Eriol was already starting to remove his khaki shorts.

But he was the one nearest to Sakura.

Without hesitating, he quickly slipped off his shoes, wrenched the top part of his shirt, popping a few buttons and launched himself into the water.

It was chaos. He was surrounded by legs, flipping and flapping. He kept his eyes open as he felt his wet clothes getting heavier and heavier. He scanned the aqua blue water in search for Sakura.

Many people were still jumping into the pool. All he could think was what if Sakura was hit by someone, and what he'll do to the kid who threw Sakura into the water.

Finally, in the midst of all the blue water and the bubbles around him, he saw a flash of terrified emerald eyes and swirling brown hair.

Sakura.

He swam closer to her, feeling his clothes stick to his skin. Before he could reach her, a body landed into the water and hit Sakura on top of the head.

The emerald eyes closed as Sakura blacked out from the impact. Syaoran grabbed her under the armpits and swam upward. The cool air stung his face as he broke into the surface of the water. He took huge gulps of air as he struggled to keep himself and Sakura afloat. He looked around to see several people being ushered out of the pool by Eriol, Tomoyo and Mei Lin.

"Everyone out of the pool! It's a fucking emergency!" Tomoyo was shouting out loud as she dragged someone out.

"YOU, IDIOT! I JUST SAID NO MORE PEOPLE INTO THE POOL!" Mei Lin scolded one person who still dived in.

"SYAORAN! OVER HERE!" Eriol was extending his hand.

Syaoran gripped Sakura tighter as he swam towards Eriol. The music has stopped and most people were already watching the scene.

Syaoran took a deep breath as he hoisted a limp Sakura out of the water into Eriol's waiting arms. He grabbed the edges of the pool and pushed with all his might. Cold air hit his wet and exposed body. He ignored the goose bumps. He crawled towards Sakura who was being checked by Eriol. Tomoyo and Mei Lin were nearby, clutching each other.

"She got hit. Is she breathing?" Syaoran gasped as he kept his wet hair from his eyes.

He wanted very much to see Sakura breath, to see her chest rise up and down.

"She's unconscious. Her breathing is shallow. Her pulse is faint." Eriol let only Syaoran here. He was sure that if Tomoyo heard, she would panic.

"Give her room!" Syaoran said loudly as he took over Eriol. The spectators moved two steps back.

"Come on, Sakura…" Syaoran muttered under his breath as he tilted her face upwards and brushed her hair back. Making sure there was nothing blocking her throat, he bent down and planted his lips on hers.

It was not the time to marvel at how her lips where so soft even when they were cold. He pushed the thought of how perfect their lips were together as he blew air into Sakura's lungs. All he could think of was to get Sakura breathing again. He blew another gush of breath into Sakura's mouth, resisting the urge to abandon the resuscitation and just kiss her until she wakes up.

At last, she coughed. Syaoran drew back and turned Sakura on her side as she coughed out water.

Syaoran sighed in relief as he heard Tomoyo give out a cry and launched herself into Eriol's arms. Syaoran didn't notice Mei Lin who was hugging him from the back. His eyes were kept on Sakura, making sure she doesn't stop breathing again.

Feeling the same surge of anger from before, he scanned the crowd for the boy who threw Sakura into the water. He saw the face and felt his face boil.

"I am so glad you're fine, Syao. I was so worried!" Mei Lin sobbed into his shoulder. Syaoran patted her head, giving her the usual kiss on the forehead; he stood up and approached the kid menacingly. The kid backed a few steps.

"Hey, man. I didn't know she was drunk…" he said lamely. But Syaoran couldn't control his anger. His fist collided with the kid's jaw. He felt bones cracking beneath his knuckles.

Eriol was behind him in an instant, holding him back. "He's not worth it, Syaoran." He said roughly, fighting Syaoran's strength.

"Next time, watch who you're throwing into the water, twerp." Syaoran said threateningly. He didn't feel a bit of remorse as he watched the kid stand up shakily, holding his jaw. "Get out of here." He hissed.

The kid took one look at Syaoran and staggered as he rushed to get himself away from Syaoran's fist.

The other people were still silent as Syaoran wrenched himself from Eriol's grasp, went to Sakura, lifted her into his arms and walked back inside the house, closely followed by Mei Lin, Tomoyo and Eriol.

Syaoran instructed Eriol to get his extra shirt in the car as he lowered Sakura onto the sofa. He could see Ezra rushing down the stairs.

AAA

"What happened?" he asked Tomoyo frantically.

Tomoyo couldn't answer. She was still in shock over Sakura.

"Sakura was drunk… Someone threw her into the pool…" Mei Lin said softly as she helped Syaoran take off Sakura's shoes. She pulled Sakura's oversized t-shirt over her head as Syaoran lifted her back.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Ezra shouted, frustrated. He wasted an hour, convincing his overprotective mother that he was fine while Sakura was left out here drowning to death? How could he ever forgive himself?!

Syaoran was tight-lipped as Ezra ushered the other people outside into the pool. Music filled the outside air again. Ezra closed the doors, blocking out some of the music.

"And you saved her?" he asked Syaoran who was taking off his shirt.

Syaoran didn't answer. If this was the Ezra who was courting Sakura, he didn't want him for her. He was careless, leaving Sakura like that. He was angry and upset. He knew he could have done a better job of protecting Sakura than Ezra's measly attempts.

"Yes… He did." Eriol answered for Syaoran. He knew that Syaoran was angry. Several years of friendship and a lifetime of being brothers taught him to know when Syaoran was beyond frustrated. What he couldn't understand was why Syaoran was angry at all.

"Thank you…" Ezra said, still staring at Syaoran's back.

"Look. If you're going to court Sakura, you'd better do it properly. If you can't take care of her now, how can you take care of her when you two are already together?" Syaoran said forcefully. His tone was clipped and he was shaking. His hands were balled into fists.

"I was…" Ezra couldn't think of a thing to say. He knew that saying he was on the phone was unreasonable even though it was true. However, he couldn't help being stunned by Syaoran's words. Every bit of what he said was true also. Ezra hung his head, feeling very guilty about the whole situation.

Syaoran, Eriol and Ezra turned their backs on Sakura as Tomoyo and Mei Lin got her out of the wet clothes and into Syaoran's fresh and dry shirt.

"I'll lend you clothes." Ezra was all he said as he traipsed back up the stairs into his room. He slammed the door, feeling very angry and frustrated at himself.

That man was right, whoever he was. How can he be sure that he'll be able to take care of Sakura when they're already together when he can't even watch over her from the start?

Guilt filled his mind as he scourged for clothes to lend to Syaoran. He took a deep breath as he opened the door again and went back downstairs to find Tomoyo, drying her eyes while being hugged by Eriol and Mei Lin, drying Sakura's hair with a big towel from one of the maids. Syaoran was at the window, looking outside.

He handed the clothes to Syaoran. "You can change in the bathroom. It's the second door on the right in the hallway." He said in a strained voice. He was feeling utterly embarrassed right now.

"Thank you." With one last look at Sakura, he left.

"I'm sorry." Ezra addressed the room.

Tomoyo sniffed as she shook her head and looked at Ezra. "It wasn't your fault."

Mei Lin nodded in agreement as she sat down beside Sakura who was now dressed in Syaoran's white long-sleeved shirt. She was still sleeping.

"You have to forgive Syaoran. He gets upset easily." Eriol said, apologizing for Syaoran's outburst.

Ezra shook his head as he sat down on one of the couches. It felt weird that they were all in here, worrying about Sakura when the party was still ongoing outside. "No… everything he said was true."

Eriol didn't answer. He knew that too.

A heavy silence fell down upon them. They didn't know what they were going to say to each other. They were all waiting for Sakura to wake up.

"Should we bring her to the doctor?" Tomoyo asked worriedly as Sakura stirred weakly.

Eriol shook his head. "No need. She's fine now."

Tomoyo just nodded and leaned on Eriol's shoulder again. Mei Lin was sitting on the other couch now, waiting for Syaoran to come back. Ezra, however, was sitting beside Sakura.

He ran his fingers down the side of her face, still feeling guilty.

"Mom is looking for us, Mei." Syaoran said. He was already dressed in Ezra's clothes. They fit perfectly.

"Okay then… but can't we wait for Sakura to wake up?" Mei Lin asked sleepily as she yawned. The events of the night had greatly exhausted all of them.

"I… We can't." Syaoran said, crossing his arms, looking at the floor.

Mei Lin nodded as she stood up and walked over to Syaoran.

"We'll take her home." Eriol said as he said goodbye to Mei Lin and Syaoran. Tomoyo was already falling asleep on his shoulder. He held on to her tighter. Tomoyo fit perfectly into the crook of his neck. He watched Ezra stroking Sakura's cheek.

"Call me when you get her there, okay?" Mei Lin told him.

Eriol nodded. "I'll take care of everything. Don't worry. Thanks for saving her Syao."

Syaoran nodded. Just once. He was still fuming and Eriol could sense it. Without another word, he watched his cousin steer Mei Lin outside and he was left in the living room.

"That was Syaoran Li… Mei Lin's fiancé…" Eriol said softly, not caring if Ezra heard him or not. He was still troubled over Syaoran's unusual behavior. Usually, he would have acted cool and together. As far as he knew, Syaoran hasn't even talked to Sakura yet! So why was Syaoran so torn up and angry about what happened?

"Don't tear yourself up, man." Eriol called to Ezra. He didn't say anything.

Just then, Sakura groaned. Tomoyo woke up in a flash and knelt down beside Sakura. Eriol was standing up behind her. Sakura groaned again as she opened her eyes slowly. Ezra hovered above her. Tomoyo was stroking Sakura's hair, waiting for her to say something.

Sakura's fingers were reaching for Ezra's face. Ezra smiled and took her hand in his. Sakura closed her eyes again.

"I'm here, Sakura…" he said softly.

AAA

Syaoran removed Ezra's clothes hastily and threw them on the floor. He has just entered his room after he tucked Mei Lin in bed. He didn't even turn on the lights.

He was angry and irritated! Not at Ezra, not at the kid who threw Sakura into the pool, but at himself! Why the hell did he let himself get involved in this! He should have let Eriol save Sakura instead!

And let her die?

NO!

Syaoran groaned in frustration. He was arguing with himself! He crawled into bed and closed his eyes firmly. Unconsciously, he touched his lips, remembering the sensation of Sakura's lips on his. He remembered how soft they were and how supple.

Syaoran hit himself on the forehead, trying to forget everything that happened earlier that night. He couldn't let Sakura Kinomoto invade his thoughts once again when he has already been successful in keeping her afar.

Going to that party was a bad idea.

He had been regretting going inside the house instead of waiting in the car ever since he saw Sakura's face in the crowd.

And he couldn't believe what he was thinking.

'He knew he could have done a better job of protecting Sakura than Ezra's measly attempts.'

He couldn't believe he thought of that.

Syaoran groaned and turned on his stomach which was growling in hunger. He wasn't in the mood for food. It was already 2 in the morning.

Syaoran still had his eyes closed. He was now thoroughly confused and he wasn't stupid enough to deny it.

He couldn't even convince himself to only think of Mei Lin when Sakura was already occupying his thoughts. Every time he sees Mei Lin, he can only wish that Mei Lin had brown hair and emerald eyes. Every time Mei Lin was telling him something, he imagines that it was Sakura who was laughing with him.

All these from a girl he never even talked to properly yet.

That was when Syaoran's fears were confirmed. He was afraid of talking to Sakura. He knew that when he did, he would fall deeper into her eyes and lose himself on the way.

He had to get out.

Escape.

Or else he'll go fucking crazy.

Escape.

Soon.

He had to do something.

BBB

So… How did you like it?