Disclaimer: only CLAMP owns CCS…

Disclaimer: only CLAMP owns CCS….only CLAMP

Chapter 9: The two sides

Syaoran's POV

So…I actually had a great afternoon with Sakura. And now, I actually call her Sakura! Isn't that great?! Okay, so maybe it's not that great but for me, it's….just great!

I casually entered our house trying to look a bit exhausted and angry so that nobody would ask about what happened that afternoon. I sat at the couch looking a bit annoyed too, but I think it is not working too well because Mother is giving me the look. Also, Eriol's laughing. Did I give myself away that easily?

"Xiao Lang, did you do what your cousin asked you to do?" Mother finally asked, I knew it was coming.

I loosened the collar of my shirt a bit while Eriol started giggling. "What are you talking about Mother?" I managed to say without stuttering.

"It won't work on us Syaoran." Eriol spoke out of the blue.

"What won't work?" I said trying to sound innocent and a bit confused, but really, I guess I should stop it now because Eriol just snorted at my question.

He looked at me shrewdly, I hate it when he does that. "When you came in…well…."

"Well what?" I knew it! How did they know? I acted the way I usually do, I even went the extra mile of putting up the act of annoyance for what Meiling made me do. So, what the hell went wrong?!

"Well…you came in casually…" Stupid Eriol, I knew it, he was bluffing. Of course he couldn't get past my acting skills I'm such a great actor! "But, you were grinning."

What the heck?!

"Yes, Xiao Lang. Eriol's right. We would've actually bought your drama if not for the fact that you were grinning. It was quite a sight, I shall say. I never thought you'd actually come home smiling." Mother pointed out to me. Was I grinning? Really, I don't remember doing such a thing! Perhaps thinking so much of Sakura gave me away.

I sigh. Stupid family, they always have to know how my stupid personality is. Still, good thing Meiling hasn't shown up yet! I'll just get Eriol and Mother to not talk about it today. I smile satisfactorily, at least a few hours to think of how to break the news to Meiling!

"Good evening auntie." Speak of the devil, oh, no! What am I going to do? Mother just nodded in recognition and motioned for her to sit by the couch. I see Mother has understood my situation and is cooperating just fine. Now, how to tell Eriol?

"Oh, Syaoran! There you are! So, what happened? It actually took you all afternoon to get back. I guess you made a new friend out of her, huh? She's really great, isn't she? I'm sad I haven't got the chance to meet her 'coz we only communicate at the internet. I've seen her photos, she looks really great." Meiling finally finished blabbering and was now looking at me with such expectant eyes. How do I tell her? She's gonna strangle me to death!

I look away. What do I tell her? I suddenly remembered my conversation with Sakura earlier.

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"Besides, I'm sure they wouldn't get angry if we told them what made us forget, right?"

"Well, what did make us forget?"

"You're so silly, Syaoran!" Sakura started to giggle again and a blush formed on her cheeks as she added, "Each other's company, of course!"

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Should I tell Meiling that?! She wouldn't understand at all!

"Syaoran…is something wrong?" Meling called me out of my thoughts.

"No, nothing's wrong. Why?" I asked uncertainly.

Meiling examined me closely as if I was crazy. "You were…" she stopped abruptly as if debating in herself if she would continue, "You were…blushing."

What?! Blushing?! I'm kicking myself mentally now. Like, how stupid could I be?! This is so not good! Smiling then blushing? What kind of monster have I turned into?! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Okay, back to reality. "No, I wasn't. It was just probably because of the heat."

"If you say so." Thank the heavens that Meiling bought that lie. "So, what happened?"

"Happened? Are you asking me what happened?" I asked, trying to prolong the moment of truth.

I can tell Meiling's getting very impatient by the moment. Her cheeks are starting to flare. Eriol and Mother sure are enjoying watching the two of us. I am sure to wipe that smirk out of Eriol's face later.

"YES, like are you dumb? I'm asking what happened."

I breathe in deeply, gathering strength, courage and well…breath, "I forgot how your friend looked like and after going around several times I never did recognize anyone at all and I forgot my phone so I didn't had the chance to call you and ask again for your friend's descriptions and I never actually found her. I'm sorry, no, I'm really, really sorry and I mean like really, really, really sorry." I said all that in one quick breath! Isn't that amazing? Anyway, back to Meiling.

"You what?!" she asked in a rather high tone.

"I didn't meet your friend at all." I answered lowering my head, covering my ears, and closing my eyes waiting for Meiling to hit me, or strangle me while screaming, which in fact….never did came.

I cautiously look up only to find Meiling smiling at me. "What? Are you really Meiling or did that fever affect you so much that you've changed or something?"

Meiling's smile only got wider which in a way, kind of annoyed me. "You're not gonna hit me? Strangle me? Even scream at me?"

"No, I won't." was her plain answer.

"Why?" I asked really confused. Do I not know my cousin well enough to not be able to predict her reactions? That's when I heard Eriol snickering. Now, I'm sure there's that went on that I don't know. "Is there something that is should know but you're not telling me?"

Meiling and Eriol suddenly roared with laughter and, as I've noticed, Mother is smiling! I can't believe it; they made a joke out of me! "I checked my email a few minutes after you left and I received a message from my friend. It seems that she also couldn't make it because her mother's coming back from her business trips, and her mother comes back only once in awhile so she can't miss this chance to be with her mother."

I let all the information sank in first before asking her all the while repressing the urge to strangle her, "Why the hell didn't you tell me?!"

This is so stupid, I only made her and Eriol laugh even more. "Well, she told me a very close friend of hers is coming to cover for her and promised me that I would be fond of her friend and that she'll keep entertained the way she would. So, I told her to don't worry since I also couldn't come. She was about to call her friend off when I informed her that I already sent one of my cousins to be there. We both agreed to just let the two of you meet."

"Didn't it even occur to the both of you that her friend and I don't know each other and therefore wouldn't recognize each other even if we had crossed paths looking for people who weren't there at all?!" I asked her enraged that she thought of such a dumb idea.

"Oh, yeah…" she spoke out loud which all the more made me want to burst. "Still Syaoran, you shouldn't be that much angry. As you've said earlier, you forgot your phone, so there was actually no way to contact you at the moment, and nothing would've changed at all."

"Oh, yeah…" it was now my turn to agree with her. "Still, why didn't you tell me that when I arrived?"

I suddenly turned my eyes to Eriol. "You knew, didn't you?"

And to my annoyance, he nodded while snickering. "Then, why didn't anyone bother telling me?!" I snap, I mean, who wouldn't?!

"I was just testing if you'd tell me the truth." Meiling told me.

"And as a bonus, it was fun watching you act when you got back, and of course when you prepared for the assault from Meiling that never did come." Eriol added, which made me boil with more anger inside.

"What are you so angry for? It seems like you enjoyed the afternoon anyway." Meiling said indifferently. She's right, why am I so angry? If it hadn't been for her anyway then I wouldn't have had the chance to meet Sakura and besides, I actually enjoyed this afternoon. With the sudden thought of Sakura, my anger dissolved in the air.

"Earth to Syaoran! Helloooooo…" Meiling could be such a pain sometimes.

"What now?!"

"Just now, you smiled…and blushed. What happened to you?"

"N-Nothing…nothing at all." I croaked out. I'm so pathetic!!

Mother shifted a little in her seat as she told me, "Xiao Lang, why don't you answer your cousin's question properly? Now, what was it that took you so long to come back home?"

I sigh again. Mother is just so…..so…..so Mother. She's very gentle yet authoritative in a way, and almost know one can hide anything from her and, and, and….oh, the list is just so long I don't want to say anything more about her. I still have to answer anyway.

"I met a friend while I was there." I answered shortly trying to cut the conversation short.

"I wonder…who could that be?" Eriol voiced out from behind me, his voice full of malice.

"Just…just a friend."

"Xiao Lang, is there something that you're hiding from us?" Mother asked suddenly, and of course I adamantly shook my head from left to right. Oh, Mother sure is going somewhere with this. "Then you shouldn't mind giving us the name of your friend."

There she said it, 'shouldn't'. I knew it. I gulped first before answering. "Sakura…Kinomoto Sakura."

I stood up wanting to leave immediately and be spared of the shame that Eriol will surely put me through. "I- I'm tired. I'll be going to my bedroom. Goodnight Mother and goodnight to the both of you too, Meiling, Eriol."

I walked fast, very fast, away from those people. I don't want to share my memories of my time with Sakura; those are for the two of us only. I made her promise to keep it a secret before we went home.

Sakura…I'll sleep knowing that you'll be in my dream, sweet cherry blossom.

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"I didn't know Syaoran had a friend named Sakura." Meiling suddenly spoke out loud after hearing Syaoran's door close with a thud.

"Yes, well, they got acquainted with each other a few days ago." Eriol said thoughtfully, and then added with a rather amused tone, "I didn't even know he could actually spend a whole afternoon with a girl."

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Sakura's POV

"I'm home!" I yelled throughout our home as I got back.

"What took you so long?" Onii-chan's voice sounded from the kitchen. I wonder what dinner would be. "Tomoyo called saying that her friend told her she couldn't make it. I assumed that because of that you'd come home early."

Oh, shit! Busted! "Wait, did you get lost? You're really so clumsy, kaijuu!" onii-chan taunted suddenly. I so hate him for calling me a monster again.

"For your information, I most certainly did not get lost! And, I, am not clumsy!" I answered a bit hotly. I mean, is that how you show you care and concern for your little sister?

"Oh, really?" he retorted back at me. "Then, why is it that you arrived just now?"

He then stopped talking for awhile and seemed to be in deep thought while I too was thinking if I should tell him the truth. "Did you meet some of your friends while you were there?"

"Yeah." I answered simply and he seemed to be satisfied with my answer so I didn't went any further though, I believe he was referring to Chiharu and the others, but I assume there's really really no need for me to mention Syaoran at all. I'm sure he'll think that I'm dating and all blah blah things like that, and then he'll go scare Syaoran off.

Syaoran…Syaoran…I just love saying your name…Syaoran…

"What? What did you say?" onii-chan appeared out of the kitchen holding up the plates for tonight's dinner. "Oi, Sakura! I asked you, what did you say earlier?"

"W-What?" I asked nervously. My mind raced, what did I say earlier? What?

Onii-chan looked at me shrewdly. "I'm not sure, but I think it was something like... 'Syaron' or was it 'Saron'?"

I can't believe it! Did I just say his name aloud?! How clumsy can I be?! And before I can stop myself, I began to pipe up again, "It's Syaoran!" Why the heck did I just do that?! Can't I just be quiet for once or something?!

'Don't worry you did the right thing Sakura', a tiny part of me spoke out, and added, 'He was pronouncing Syaoran's extremely wonderful and fantastic name wrongly. He can't just do that! You were right to correct him.' With that thought I began to feel happy and proud about my foolishness.

"Syaoran?" onii-chan repeated. "Isn't that a name of a boy?"

"Yeah, it is."

Onii-chan smirked "Well, next time bring him with you back here so that I'll be able to get to know your friend better."

I smiled, I was wrong about onii-chan! His certainly taking the news lightly and with an open mind! He's such a great brother! "Okay, I will. Wait for me before you go eat, I'll just change my clothes."

He nodded at me as I ran straight to my room. I slumped down on my bed first, remembering my time with Syaoran. He's such a sweet guy. Oh, and good thing that Tomoyo's friend also didn't make it, or else I would be dead meat right now. Yikes!

Oh, Syaoran, I promise not to tell much to Tomoyo about our afternoon together.

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"Oh, I'll sure welcome that brat warmly, Sakura. Just wait and see." Touya smirked evilly as he mumbled to himself, patiently waiting for his little sister.

It seems that Sakura failed to notice the hidden goal behind Touya's invitation for Syaoran earlier. She didn't even notice that his smirk earlier was rather full of malice.

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End of the Chapter…

Ok so maybe it was all just their drabble…but hey…

I dunno… just hey…

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