Author's Note-Now I know the last chapter was a cliffhanger (readers groan) hey! Hey! Hey! I think it makes for a good story sometimes! So here it is, chapter ten. A little warning: this chapter will be a little on the mushy side. But of course, that's a good thing! And as always, review!

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own CCS or anything about it. It belongs to CLAMP respectively. So don't sue me because all my money is stocked into anime videos.

Chapter Ten-Because I Thought You Could Save Me

            Never before had Li Showran felt like this in his life. Everything seemed to be tumbling down around him. Here he was, professing his love to the one person that mattered most and she wasn't saying anything. But the look on her face said enough, almost more than her tears. He could not imagine life without her. "Please, Sakura…please…"

And never before had Sakura saw Li like this. Yes, he had given her glimpses and opened up to her but this…this was a complete outpour of everything. She was emotionally moved. She was feeling the delightful nausea in her stomach. She was dying inside. "Li, don't say those things to me! Don't! You hear me?" She said, grabbing his face and kissing it. Sakura caressed his face and hair, looking over the whole of him and she realized what he was saying. She would miss all of it.

"What are you saying, Sakura?" Li was unsure of what was going on. Baffled beyond belief. He fell off the earth along time ago. "Do you…" He couldn't finish it, either way. Love him or hate him.

She nodded her head. "Yes!" She smoothed the hair from his face, now wet from a few tears and sweat above all. "I love you, Li." They kissed. Lightening struck.

He separated, desperate not to cry anymore. Li was the type of person that would never cry. Not many people have seen him emit this type of emotion. But for once he felt almost comfortable doing it. But he did not cry again. Instead he caressed her face and smiled, resting his forehead against hers. Eyes were shut. The world was put on hold. "I can't believe you love me,"he whispered to her. So softly. "I just about fell off the earth before."

She looked at him. His eyes looked as if someone pierced them shut. "Open your eyes." He did and they backed away but an inch away from each other's faces. "I could never leave you. You're my best friend. My boyfr…" She trailed off and glanced back down and then up again. Piercing his eyes with her green. Hers were the opposite of envy. "Whatever this is I…"

"Why aren't we together, Sakura?" He said, cutting her off. "Why aren't you my girlfriend?" He was totally serious. She tried to back away to rationalize but he pulled her closer. "Be with me."

"What? Li, I don't understand what…"

"You don't need to understand!" He said with excitement and happiness. "Just be with me and only me, Sakura." He kissed her hands and then her lips and held her for a moment. When he released her of their kiss, he still held her tight and hugged her. Kissed her ear softly and then whispered sweetly in it, "Sakura, I love you. Save me."

"From what?" She whispered back. "You're strong enough, Li. You can…"

"No, I'm not. I'm not half as strong without you,"he whispered, kissing her neck, right below her earlobe. "Save me from this world that binds us."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you can be quite poetic sometimes?" She said, giggling.

"Once,"he said, laughing back. Remembering the words Zach had told him once.

She paused and separated to look at him. The smile on her face faded away to one of seriousness. His face mimicked hers soon after. "You know what this means right?"

He smiled. "Yes, I do. And I want it Sakura,"he said, taking her hands in his and kissing them, and then brought them to his chest and held them there. Next to his heart. She could feel it beat behind her hands. "It means I can love you freely and nothing will get in our way…"

"That's not what I meant, Li,"she said, bringing their hands off of his chest. Sakura played with his fingers and rubbed them gently. "Everything WILL be in the way. There are forces already trying to pull us apart. Can't you feel it?"

"That doesn't matter. My love for you is stronger than anything, Sakura. Nothing and I mean NOTHING will ever keep me away from you ever again. I chose to be away from you once…I won't make that mistake again."

She paused for a moment, concentrating on his words. She didn't care what he said. She knew he knew it as well. There were forces trying to pull them apart. Forces seen and unseen. That is why she wanted them to wait. At least a month, maybe more. But there was something in his eyes that said otherwise. Something that proved her wrong. Wanted to prove her wrong. For he vowed that never again he would choose to be away from her. She promised that never again would she let anything destroy something beautiful.

And that's when she smiled. He didn't know what to make of it at first as he watched her look at him and then her hand. She pulled away from him and stood up, turned around and looked down at her hand. "Sakura?"

She turned to him with both of her hands cupped together. Sakura walked towards him and kneeled on the floor next to his bed. "Give me your hand." He didn't hesitate as he extended his left hand towards her. She took it and placed a silver ring on his ring finger since it was too small for most of his other fingers. "Remember when we went on that weekend getaway with Madison?"

He smiled at the memory. "How could I forget? It was a wonderful weekend with you, Sakura." Li kissed her softly but she ended it abruptly, wanting to finish her story.

"I went shopping with Madison on that Saturday and I wanted to get a ring. I don't remember why but this ring just stood out to me. Any other day and I wouldn't have looked at it twice but that day…you kissed me that morning." She traced the ring with her fingers, picturing the memory in her head. "I remember that exact moment. You had just woken up and like it was second nature…kissed my forehead. And when I saw this ring I was drawn to it almost. I know it sounds silly but…"

"Hey,"he said, putting his other hand over hers. "Some people might consider a deck of cards with magical powers a little silly." They both laughed. "Sakura, I think this is perfectly normal." As they laughed some more he released her hands, "I have something for you." Li stood up and went over to his drawer and took out a small box. He took the contents of it out and then put the box back in the drawer. "I've had this for years." He turned around and walked over to his bed and sat down, Sakura between his legs. "I want you to wear it."

She examined the silver ring as he put it on her ring finger. She recognized it completely. "You used to wear this all the time."

"Yeah, before I went back to Hong Kong. But if you haven't noticed already, I grew a lot since then." He wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her hands. Both of them looking at their rings. "I used to wear it around my neck. I never knew why until I returned. I think it reminded me of you. How much I missed you. How alone I was without…"

The next thing he knew, Sakura was in his arms and holding him tightly. "But you're not alone anymore, Li. We're together now."

She finally said the words. It was official now. Everything was coming together perfectly. "You're finally my girlfriend." He had wanted to say that forever. Before it was only a dream but now…it was real. "So, what do you propose we do now?" He asked, standing her up with him. "Are you tired?"

"Not at all,"she responded smiling, holding his hands. She could feel the cool metal against her skin and it made her spirit soar.

"Any suggestions, my lady?" He brought her close to his body feeling her breathe before him. Sakura starred deep into his eyes and slowly shook her head. After thinking for a moment, he decided that a moonlight stroll wouldn't be such a good idea. It was chilly out and catching cold wouldn't help matters much. So what about the opposite of the cold? He thought as a sly smile appeared on his face and he kissed the girl in front of him. "How about fire?"

An hour or so later, Sakura and Li were snuggled up under a blanket on his couch, a fire raging before them. It was about 2:30 but the pair had lost track of all time.  They sat apart as they told stories and drank cocoa by the fire, as if it was snowing outside. Both with their pajamas on (Sakura in long, green flannel pants and a white t-shirt and Li in a pair of blue fleece pants and a white t-shirt as well), they talked about their pasts…

Sakura tried to stifle her laugh as she tried to continue on with her story, "And so that was the last time that Madison ever tried to film me during field hockey practice! Even for the video yearbook!"

Li was laughing too as he listened to her. "I can't believe you Sakura! Hitting Madison with a field hockey ball!"

"Hey!" Sakura said, defending herself. "It was purely accidental! And it didn't hit her so much as it did her camera. After it almost shattered, Madison assumed that she shouldn't tempt fate again. Needless to say, she hasn't learned her lesson when it comes to cheerleading. Even though one time, at a practice, she was a little too close when I did my tumbling pass and I almost smacked her with my legs!"

Li shook his head. "And all this time I thought you were innocent…" A smile crept on his face at his own little joke but he noticed that she wasn't smiling. Instead, a seductive grin was shaping her lips.

"Whoever said I was so innocent…"She said, suddenly moving much closer to him, practically on top of him. "…didn't know what they were talking about." And just as she was about to kiss him, the fire crackled and spurt some embers onto the wooden floor. Li quickly jumped up and threw the embers back into the fire and added another log for good measure. "I guess we shouldn't tempt fate…huh?" She asked.

            He gave a chuckle as he slowly stood up and walked towards the couch. "I guess but…I don't believe in destiny, Sakura," Li said, closing in on her.

            "You don't?" She asked. A smile crept its way onto her face as she realized what he was doing.

            He shook his head as he slowly descended over her, placing his hands on either side of the couch, blocking her in. "Not really. If things are meant to be then…it will happen regardless. Doesn't mean you can't change it,"he whispered. His breath caressed her ears.

            "Oh, the world according to Li Showron,"she said with a happiness to her tone. As she watched his eyes scan her face, looking from one eye to the next, her tone and voice dropped, to an uncertain whisper. "Interesting,"she remarked.

            "What?" He said, moving in closer.

            "Your eyes. They're so beautiful." She moved her hand slowly towards his face, brushing a strand of hair away from his eyes so you could see them better. But it just fell back into place. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her hair, his arm muscle flexed for a mere seconds. It was all driving her crazy. "You're beautiful, Li."

            "In what sense?"

            She placed her hands on his chest and he took a slow intake of breath, feeling the warmth through his shirt. "In every sense,"she said, lowering her hands to the bottom of his shirt and tugging at it. "Every sense of the word. You are gorgeous. Through and through." She started to lift his shirt and slowly lifted it higher and higher until it was over his head but since his hands were still planted on either side of her, it never came fully off…yet. "I can't describe it,"she whispered. There would be no louder talking between them. Just slow, gentle, soothing lines of poetry.

            "If you could manage to put it into words,"he said, standing up and away from her, taking off his shirt. Her eyes didn't move away from him as he threw his shirt on the floor. "What would you say?" Li walked close to her but did not sit down, instead he offered a hand to her. She accepted.

            "Your eyes. The way they can convey so much raw emotion but then…I can't tell what they're saying." Sakura let him pull her towards him as they stood about half a foot apart, holding hands. "Your voice. It could frighten me if need be yet…lull me to sleep." She moved a little closer to him and gently turned him around so that his back was towards the couch. He hardly noticed. "Your mouth. 'Nuff said,"she said laughing. He did as well but then they both stopped abruptly as she walked closer to him, causing him to fall back onto the couch. "The feeling of love. The feeling you give me. I have never experienced such…bliss."

            "Well they say ignorance is bliss."

            "Are you saying I'm ignorant?"

            "No." He shook his head. "What if we're blinded?"
            "How could that be?"She asked, straddling him, sitting on his lap. He looked up at her and lost all control of the point he was trying to make. Raw emotion was driving him now and like before, he was afraid of moving too quickly and losing her. But now he saw the way her eyes reflected the light, the way the shadows danced across her body, obeying her every whim and desire. This was bliss.

            "We're not ignorant, Sakura. Just…hopeless." She was closer to him now, her hands were all over his well-sculpted chest. She was right. This was different than what he ever felt. There was love and yes, lust but this was different than Selena or any other girl. This was magical. It was right. There were no mistakes. No in-betweens. "I've fallen for you."

            She smiled as she moved towards him and captured his lips in a kiss. Before they both knew it, they were drunk off of each other and just couldn't get enough. More clothes joined the lonely pile started by a question and a gentlemanly gesture.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

            How many times had Sakura awoken from a dream and he was not there? This one time made her forget the rest. The rest that he wasn't. Her eyes slowly opened and the first thing she saw was him. Li. Underneath her and thank god…fully clothed. Well…on the most part.

            She smiled as she lifted herself from his bare chest and carefully, as to not wake him, became free of his protective grasp and stumbled onto the floor, getting used to gravity. Sakura then noticed what clothes she had left on. A sports bra and her underwear. As she walked towards the end of the couch and grabbed her flannel pajama bottoms, she struggled to remember what happened last night.

            There was kissing most definitely and a lot of roaming hands getting used to each other but nothing more. Some clothes discarded when getting caught up in the heat of their passion but nothing really happened. Thank God, she thought. I wasn't ready for anything more. Not yet. And he knows it. She remembered a few lines from their conversation.

            "Sakura,"he said, gasping for air as he broke their kiss. Li noticed that her shirt was gone and he realized he had to say something before it became too late. "I don't want you doing anything you're not ready for, okay? No pressure. I love you very much,"he said sweetly, kissing her softly. "But this feeling of passion or lust, does not even compare to the emotional bond I have with you, alright?"

            "Don't worry, Li,"she reassured him. "I may be a virgin, but I know my limits. And thank you for telling me this. It's a comfort to know that you think of our relationship as what you described to me. Because I feel the same way. My love for you comes first."

            She smiled at the memory and bit her lip softly as she turned to him and just looked. "You are beautiful,"she whispered to herself. And with that, she walked off shirtless to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

            Searching the cabinets, she didn't find much. Figures, she thought to herself. Note to self, remind Li to go shopping. As she rummaged around the rest of the kitchen, she decided to make a very non-traditional breakfast: Frosted Flakes and strawberries. She hummed to herself quietly, as to not wake her love from his slumber; Sakura found two bowls and poured the cereal in. After that, she took to cleaning the strawberries and started to cut them up. As she put the slices on top of the frosted flakes, she felt two hands wrap around her stomach and lips kiss her back and shoulders. "Good morning, beautiful,"a deep, sexy voice said to her before kissing her shoulder once more and then resting his chin on it. "Sleep well?"

            "Yes, wonderfully." She poured the milk into the two bowls before turning around in his arms. He buried his head in her neck and just relaxed there, holding her tight with one hand on her upper back and another on her lower.

            "Too lazy to put on a shirt, I see,"he said through her hair.

            "I could say the same about you." She rubbed her hands along his chest muscles and lightly kissed the area under his collarbone. "Are you complaining?"

            "Not at all,"he said, pulling away and kissing her forehead, before taking both of their bowls in one hand and leading her with another to the bay window. He sat down first and spread his legs and motioned for her to sit in between them. She did and took her bowl and watched the world outside of his home.

            "I didn't even notice it was raining,"she said, starting to crunch down on her food.

            "It's a perfect day to stay inside and just…,"he trailed off as he kissed her upper back and shoulder while sighing a 'hmmm'. She laughed and then started to concentrate on where his mouth was. Her bare shoulder, and she could feel his smile. After a moment or two he kissed her shoulder once more and sat back, pulling her along with him and continuing where he left off. He finished his bowl pretty fast and then put it down on the floor before he wrapped his arms around her securely. "I wish we could do this every morning."

            "Yeah, me too,"she said, finishing her bowl and putting it next to his. She leaned back into his arms and kissed the nearest part of it to her mouth. He hummed a soft 'hmmmm' and she giggled softly. "But you know we can't. School will be starting in another week and a half in the beginning of April. After that there are only about ten more weeks of school before summer vacation. And you know what that means."

            He sighed, "I go to Hong Kong." Li hated this. Although he was fortunate enough to live here during the school year and be with his friends, his mother had protested that he still live there in the summers. This meant more training and of course spending time with his mother and sisters. "It's not fair."

            "I know it's not but be thankful she at least let you school here, Li. Otherwise we would never see each other."

            "Well, you got me there." They both continued to stare out the window, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain. "It's almost hypnotizing."

            "Yeah. It is." She jumped up and then turned to him, stretching her arms. "April showers bring May flowers."

            Li laughed. "It's March, Sakura."

            "Whatever!" She said, starting to back up.

            Curiouser and curiouser. "And where are you going?" He asked, walking in her direction.

            "I'm going to take a shower, if that's alright with you." Sakura backed up until she hit his bathroom door.

            "Oh, I see. Care for some company?" Li asked, half joking and half not. Of course he would love to hold her in the warmth of the shower. But they both weren't ready for it and he just wanted to witness her reaction, which would no doubt be a slap or something to that extent.

            "Sure."

            He was wrong beyond a doubt. "What?" He said quietly, watching her open the door and step in.

            "Just kidding." She blew him a kiss. Li just stood there, still shocked. She had acted so calm when she said 'sure'. It was almost believable. "I'll help myself to the towels, alright." He just smiled, shaking his head. "Alright?" Again, just the smile. "Li, what are you doing with that stupid smile on your fa…" He quickly kissed her, catching her by total surprise. "I love that about you,"she said, finally breaking the kiss and shutting the door on him to take her shower. Once on the other side, she leaned against the door and sighed. Everything is going great, she thought. Her smile disappeared. How long can this keep up? She pondered this as she started the water and prepared herself for a nice warm shower.

            While Sakura was in the shower, Li cleaned the bowls from their breakfast and picked up the living room from their mess the night before. How did this happen to me? He thought, while putting a blanket away in the closet and then fixing the couch up. How did I get so lucky? He put the pillows where they belonged on his couch as his thought shifted slightly. Both teams are going to be attending a little luncheon thing at two. He looked at the clock on the wall. That gives us about four hours until we have to be there. "Better find something nice to wear," he thought to himself aloud as he walked to his bedroom. The doorbell rang though, so he went to go answer the door instead. And what he saw, surprised him. "Selena." In a bad way. "What are you doing here?"

            "Um, returning this old shirt of yours. And I can tell you're going to be needing it,"she said, looking at his bare chest. He rolled his eyes and took his shirt and mumbled a 'thanks' before returning back to the inside of his home. Unfortunately she held the door open and walked into the frame of the door. "What's the urgent urgency?"

            "What are you talking about?" Li asked. He didn't want to play any of her mind games.

            "You're practically throwing me out."

            There's no practically about it, he thought. Okay, try to be somewhat civil. "What are you doing here?" He repeated himself. "If you were just returning my shirt, you would have left by now." He paused, glaring at her. "What do you want, Selena?"

            "Can't I stop by a friend's house?"

            This got him mad. "Don't call me that. I'm not your friend. Things haven't changed since the last time we talked."

            "The last time…do you remember that, Li?" Selena stepped from out of the frame and into the house. His house. Li didn't say anything as she approached him, but the anger was building inside of him. "Remember that wonderful day? I sure do. We had just came home from a party and you were a little under the weather. I wouldn't expect any less. It was the first time you got drunk." He looked away from her gaze as she walked towards him more. "We came back to your place to…well, you know…and she was there. You're little cherry blossom. The little bitch…"

            "That's enough, Selena,"he said, releasing his anger. He took a few breaths before calming down. "I died that night."

            "I know. Unfortunately, she wasn't around long enough to clean up your mess. You're always leaving messes, aren't you?" She walked to the cabinet in the corner of his kitchen and took out a coffee mug. "I believe this is mine."

            He watched her carefully as she came to the other side of the table that he was leaning on. She mimicked his position and just looked at him. "You've got what you came for now leave."

            Selena shook her head slowly from side to side and grinned. "That's not all I came for,"she said, reaching for him but he instinctively pulled away. "Oh c'mon!" Her mood suddenly changed and she was getting angry. "Stop denying yourself of what you really want!" Sakura walked into the kitchen with a bathrobe on, hearing someone else in the house.

            Li took her hand and drew her near him. "I've already got what I want,"he stated, pulling Sakura behind him, as if to shield her.

            Selena looked from boy to girl, finally comprehending what was going on. "Oh, I see how it is,"she said. Selena took a few steps forward, confronting the both of them. "Were you still planning on accompanying me to the ball, Li?" He looked away from her gaze. "Oh, how gentlemanly of you. But that's a stupid excuse." Li looked back to her. "I can't believe your still going to the ball with me even though the love of your life is finally…yours." Selena walked towards him and put her hand to his face, but Li just shook it away.

            "I'm only going with you because I promised that no matter what I would. That's the only reason, Selena. Don't read into it too much. You'll be disappointed." Li let go of Sakura and motioned for her to step away and she did. "I will only be your date and that's it. Someone you can show off to your parents but no more. Is that clear, Selena?" When she just stood there with a smug look on her stupid lips, he raised his voice. "Is it clear?!"

            "Crystal,"she said with not an ounce of emotion. "Pick me up next Friday at seven and don't be late either, Li. I don't like to wait,"she said and then started to walk towards the door.

            "And what if I don't?" This grabbed her attention and she turned to him. "Did it ever occur to you that I hate you more than anything? Why would I want to be somewhere with you?" Sakura stepped towards Li and grabbed on to his arm.

            "Li, maybe you should just go with her…"

            He turned to his beloved and just shook his head. "Let me handle this,"he said and then turned his attention to Selena. "I'm not gonna let you come into my house and force me to do this. You have nothing against me."

            She stood where she was and they both could see the anger build into her eyes. "I have plenty against you. I know your little secrets. I know what you say when you think no one else is listening. So don't even begin to get comfortable because I'm probably just around the corner."

"That's not gonna be good enough this time."

"You're right. But what if your coach found out about how you got drunk and the other little experimenting you did?" Li looked away from her, ashamed. "That's what I thought." Selena walked to the door and grabbed the knob but turned to them for one last comment. "Don't fuck with me, Li." And then she added with a smile. "Nevermind. You already did." She slammed the door on her way out.

            Li went to the couch and sat down. He never planned on her stopping by, much less while Sakura wasn't around. "Shit,"he muttered and then turned to face Sakura as she sat down beside him. "I'm sorry about all this. She was a horrible mistake."

            Sakura watched her boyfriend as he ran his fingers through his hair like he had done a million times before. "We all make mistakes. It's what makes us human." Sakura tried to comfort him but unfortunately it wasn't working. "But what was she talking about, Li? Experiments? You don't mean with…"

            "I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm not the man you thought I was. I'm still a little boy," Li said, burying his face in his hands. "That night was crazy. Drugs and alcohol everywhere. I don't even know what I took or what happened."

            "That's not you, Li. I know who you are. We all screw up."

            "Not with this."

            "Li, it's bound to happen eventually,"she said, rubbing his back and trying to look through his hands to his face. When he finally uncovered it, he looked at her, his eyes were glassy but she knew he wouldn't cry. "Don't worry about it too much. Everything's going to be fine. I promise you."

            "Then why does it feel like I'm burning for this?" He asked her. When she didn't answer him, he just looked at his hands. At the ring she had given him. "Why can't she leave me alone?"

            "I don't know,"Sakura answered. She didn't have much to offer him right now.

            "There's something off about her."

            "Like what?" She asked. He looked to her and she could tell what he was after. "She's definitely not a sorceress, Li. I've already checked her out."

            "Then I don't know,"he sighed as she pulled herself closer to him. There was a long pause as he played with her hair, pondering things. "Sakura?"

            "Hmmm?"She said, looking up. "What is it, Li?"

            He watched her hair fall around her face as she looked at him. He could feel her ring against his skin, the cold metal felt good. And the look in her eyes, the mixture of anticipation for what he wanted and love was just pure bliss. Li smiled at her as he cupped her face. "I love you,"he said kissing her. He wrapped his arms around her back, bringing her closer to him. The cloth robe against his skin felt like moss in the spring.

            Once they parted, he began to kiss her neck and she started to giggle. "I love you too, Li."

            "Thank you for understanding,"he whispered into her neck as he held her tight in his embrace.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

             The banquet was a chance to take a vacation from the happenings as of late. With the speeches, dedications of awards and a 'farewell to seniors' presentation, Sakura and Li didn't have time to think about their dilemmas. When the athletes were finally given a chance to converse, of course this question popped up:

            "So are you two together or what?" Mumbled Zach through his consumption of macaroni and cheese. Chelsea just looked at him and sighed. The other people at the table consisted of Sakura, Li (obviously), Nikki, Rita, Madison ( "The Video Yearbook needs to document this!" "Sure they do, Madison.) and Megumi; the latter four were very interested in what Zach had just asked. For some strange reason, Megumi was just as interested as everybody else.

            "Nice way to be subtle, Zach," Chelsea said, hitting him playfully with her purse. He looked at her as if saying 'what?' "Oh, nevermind!"

            Sakura laughed and then looked at all of her friends. "Yes, we're together."

            "Well it's about time too! We almost gave up on you altogether!" Nikki said, then smiled at her friends. "But seriously, we're all happy for you. We all knew it would happen…"

            "WHEN it would happen was another story,"Rita finished. The whole table laughed at her joke as the food was beginning to be served.

            "I guess I just don't understand," Megumi commented. Sakura looked up from her pasta at her. Megumi seemed genuinely interested. "Maybe someone could explain it to me."

            "Oh sure!" Chelsea answered, placing the napkin in her lap. "Sakura and Li have been in love with each other for a long time you see…"

            "They've been friends for even longer though," Rita added.

            "Right," Chelsea said, agreeing. "But they never told each other how they felt but…"

            "But it was painfully obvious," Rita interrupted again.

            "Yeah, to everyone except them. And by them I mean Li and Sakura."

            "Of course."

            "Right. Of course. So anyways," Rita continued. "We decided to let their love run its course."

            "Big mistake."

            "Exactly. Sakura's so oblivious…"

            "Hey!" Sakura chimed in.

            "And Li's so stubborn…" Rita added, nudging Li.

            "That's a matter of opinion," Li said quietly.

            "Desperate times call for desperate measures!" Chelsea got back on track quickly by covering Rita's mouth so she could finish without going back and forth. "But fortunately, we didn't have to intervene and they figured it out just fine. Knew they would eventually." Chelsea uncovered Rita's mouth and smiled sweetly. "Sorry, Rita."

"Wow," Megumi sighed. "How romantic. So uh, how did you guys meet?"

Sakura and Li looked at each other. Oh yes, Megumi, Sakura thought the answer out in her head, Li tried to forcefully take a bunch of magical cards away from me because he's the ancestor of the most powerful magician even though I am the Mistress of the cards. Yeah, Sakura, that sounds great, she told herself. "We went to school together."

            "I transferred from Hong Kong," Li added, remembering the first moment he saw Sakura. He always could tell she was different from everyone else. It just took awhile to make sense.

            "Well, you know what they say. There are no coincidences. Only inevitabilities."

            Sakura's eyes widened at this comment. Li looked to her and she glanced sideways at him. "Uh, yeah…sure," she said a little shakily and then placed her hand on Li's leg. She started to trace letters on his leg subtlety as she finished her soup.

B-R-5. He tapped her hand as he realized her message. "I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

            "Thanks for the declaration," Zach said. Sakura hit him playfully as she left as Chelsea just rolled her eyes. She mumbled something to herself and just continued to let her fork play with her salad.

            As if clocked internally, five minutes later, Li excused himself ("I think I left my lights on.") and left the vicinity of the dining area in search of Sakura. Another five minutes later, when he couldn't find the bathrooms, as if on cue, Sakura grabbed his arm and dragged him off to a corner.

            "Where were you? I've been going to the bathroom for ten minutes now."

            "Sorry. I got lost." Sakura started to laugh. "What? It's true."

            "I believe you, it's just funny,"she said and then quieted herself, remembering why she had called or more exactly, scrolled on his leg to meet him in the first place. Sakura dragged him down so they were both in crouching positions on the floor. "You heard what she said, Li…didn't you?"

            "Yeah. 'There are no coincidences. Only inevitabilities.'" Li heard a noise and moved closer to Sakura, letting the plant in front of them conceal their presence. "She knows."

            "About what? The cards?"

            Li shook his head and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I don't know. But that's certainly not coincidental that she said that."

            Sakura sighed, "Jesus…this is getting complicated. What does Megumi have to do with all this? I mean…" She was cut off by Li's hand over her mouth. She shoved it off, "Li!"

            "Shhh!" He said, trying to whisper. "Do you feel that?"

            Sakura looked at him strangely but then shook it off as she concentrated on her surroundings. And then it came. She felt it. It sent shivers through her body. "What is that?"

            "I don't know,"he said, shaking his head. "But whatever it is…there's two of them. You feel it?"

            She nodded and slowly started to stand up, trying to sense where it was coming from. "Yeah, I do…upstairs. In the ballroom."

            "Are you sure?" Li stood up as well, holding her hands.

            "Yeah. My dad held a meeting at this hotel once when I was little. I remember sneaking upstairs to this ballroom they were renovating," she said, looking towards the winding staircase that led to the floor above. "It's definitely coming from there."

            The lights suddenly started to flicker. Li and Sakura looked around to see what was happening but were suddenly masked in total darkness. Except for the moonlight pouring in from the windows, they couldn't see much. "Shit. Not good, Sakura." She brushed past him and slowly started walking towards the stairs. "Sakura?"

            "Li,"she said, turning around. "Go tell Madison to call Kero and Yue."

            "And what are you going to do? Handle two cards at once?" The way she looked at him answered it all. "No way. It's too dangerous."

            "I have my cards, I'll be fine."

            He walked up to her and grabbed her hands, "Are you sure?"

            "Yes. Just hurry."

            "I will,"he said, kissing her forehead. "Be careful."

            "I will,"she said, mimicking what he had said. That always caused him to smile and he almost felt a little better leaving her alone with two cards.

            As she watched him run towards the dining room, she couldn't help to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was something odd about the presence upstairs. Something not right at all. "Please hurry, Li,"she said, even though he would never hear her request as she watched him vanish into the darkness.

            The staircase looked more threatening than ever. Definitely not the image she remembered as a child. Sakura reached for the pendant around her neck and prepared to call the words, but they would not roll off her tongue. Swallowing them whole, she hesitated. "I don't like this,"she told herself. Glancing at her ring that Li had given her and then shifting her gaze to the key, she smiled slightly and closed her eyes. "Key of the Star with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine your light! Release!" Sakura gripped the staff tightly as she threw a card in front of her, "Glow! Release and Dispel!"

            Now being able to see, Sakura could ready herself by discarding her cardigan, revealing her black velvet tank top. As she walked up the stairs, her long black skirt flowed behind her, Glow showing her the way. Once she turned the corner, the stairs were gone and upon further investigation she figured that it wasn't the work of a card, but carelessness. "I guess they never did finish renovating."

            Sprouting wings with the help of The Fly Card, Sakura easily made it over to the other side. As she landed and the wings disappeared from her back, her eyes wandered to the large set of doors in front of her. Suddenly she felt like a little elf compared to the giant pieces of wood, covered with dust and cobwebs. Upon closer examination, she noticed a set of handprints. "These were recent." She put her hands up to the prints, almost an exact match. "I wonder…" Sakura reached out and as her fingertips were about to reach the handle, the doors swung open slowly without a touch.

            The scene before her was amazing. "It's just like with the first card…" And it was indeed. The room was not a room at all but like a different world. The walls were still intact but it was consumed by growth of vegetation, various types of plants and trees. The left part of the room had an environment much like a deciduous forest while as she moved her eyes to the right side, it slowly faded to a grassy field. This is what she could see, but like the rest of the hotel, it was shrouded by darkness. A wind blew from her north and flowed through her hair. A sweet breeze. She held onto her staff tightly as she watched a pair of eyes focus on her. Bittersweet.

            Even though it was dark, Sakura could still identify what was coming at her and she almost mistook the creature for Keroberos. It looked much like a sphinx from the Greek mythology stories in her father's library, with a face of a human, wings, and the body of a lion, though definitely very feminine. What sign is this? She wondered. I never read anything about a sphinx at all. But maybe… "You're Leo aren't you?"

            The sphinx smiled, almost a smirk as if she didn't care and then lowered slowly to a crouching position. Sakura watched the lights flicker on the ceiling and in that moment, the sphinx disappeared. Sakura turned in circles, looking for the creature. This couldn't be good. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something else move. As it stepped closer to her, it looked like a centaur, with the bottom of a horse or bull and the top of a human….a woman. But in the instance it came, it too was gone and now Sakura was fully alert, prepared to bring out a card at anytime.

            And then at the same time, they both appeared before her, almost working together. Two cards at once. Could she manage? Pulling out The Dash Card, she quickly called upon its aid before almost getting mauled by the sphinx. Definitely not as nice as Kero but it sure shares his appetite, she thought as she ran around the room and quickly up a tree. Big Mistake. The centaur-looking beast stomped her hooves, manipulating the earth. Craggy rocks jutted from the ground and shook the tree, making her fall out of it. Luckily, she called upon The Fly quickly enough.

            How long can I keep this up before they get here? She thought. Turning to look at the door, she noticed that it wasn't there anymore. Nothing was. The ceiling was gone and so were the windows and walls. "It's like another dimension," she said while flying higher. There was the sky open above her and miles upon miles of land around her. "This isn't good at all." Sakura looked at the two beasts below her while trying to figure out a plan. But the creatures would not wait any longer…

            The centaur woman started hurling fireballs at Sakura which she dodged as best as she could. There were so many of them coming from different directions, it was so unpredictable! Trying to fly under the circumstances, she pulled out The Watery and called upon it, "Release!" The Watery showed its teeth and enveloped the centaur woman quickly but it was not having the same affect. The Watery was a powerful card and shouldn't have much difficulty against the opposite element, but for some strange reason…it was.

The sphinx, nowhere in site, Sakura flew down to the ground and as soon as her feet touched, the wings disappeared and she held her staff high. "You are…" Truth be told, she had no clue. It could be The Capricorn…The Goat…but wait…she noticed two blue curled horns that the color matched her skin and body and then she knew. "Taurus! Return to your power confined! Star Card!"

            The Taurus smiled softly as she spoke, "Yes. I am The Taurus. The Bull…in a slightly different form. But know this Sakura…I am always one step ahead of you. Always." The Taurus turned into wispy blue strands and flew to the card and let it take shape, then floated to its mistress's hand.

            Like the other cards, The Taurus had some of its body missing. Her tale and part of a leg. Sakura put the card with the rest of hers and then grabbed her staff tightly, surveying the area for the sphinx. Instead, she saw a red spot on the ground. Blood? She looked over herself and found a few scratches but nothing bled. Upon approaching the item, she knew what it was. "The card…The Leo, but…how? I didn't…" When she went to pick it up it, the card flew past her and into the tree directly behind her. Turning around and walking closer to the tree, Sakura could barely make out the figure in the darkness. She saw a pair of legs and crossed hands in fingerless black gloves but not much else. The figure's black cloak was surrounding most of its body but Sakura was not mistaken when she saw the red card against the material. "Did you transform that card?!" The figure ignored her comment and receded into the darkness slowly and then disappeared altogether.

            Sakura looked to the trees, searching them for an answer but then finding none. The walls came back though, the ceiling and windows as well but the landscape did not change and the room seemed darker than before. The trees changed shape and the grassy area that was green before became overrun with swampy plants and mist. Sakura turned around, surprisingly coming face to face with the hooded figure. It was too late to move because the figure was already behind her, one arm around her waist possessively and another over her mouth.

            She stood like this for what seemed forever, listening to the deep breathing behind her head and then near her ear. The figure slowly moved to the front of Sakura, slowly letting go of her grasp but she could not move still. Sakura watched as the figure backed away, holding out the card as if to taunt her and then it disappeared like a magic trick. The figure stood there for a few moments, arms and legs completely covered now, doing nothing except for standing. It was the most frightening scene Sakura had ever witnessed, watching this ghost of a creature in front of her, just standing there. Neither advancing nor walking away…just standing. Looming, peering through its hood and watching her. The hood started to cave in and Sakura watched as the heavy cloth fell to the ground. Whatever was in it before had escaped but not before causing Sakura to bleed. She could feel some blood flow down her arm and trickle onto the ground next to her. It wouldn't be the last time either.

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Wendigo-So? How was it? Good? Bad? Freakiest thing you've ever seen in your life? (I love The Emperor's New Groove. So good! So good!) Anyways…back on the path of righteousness…review!!!