For the record (i've already mentioned this in my profile, but for those that might not have seen it...), I have never heard of Dark Angel until people started comparing this fic to the TV series. I have never watched a single episode of it, nor do I know anything about it. Just thought I'd state that before anyone starts accusing me of copying that show. Because, in all honest truth, I would feel insulted if people thought I did take the idea of this fic from this... Dark Angel.

Besides, I haven't had cable in years. -sulks-

---

wonderland.12 Her Smile

---

She knew she was far too deep into the kiss to even bother to try and push Syaoran away.

And the thing is… she was so deep that she just didn't care that she was kissing and practically making out with Syaoran.

The only thing Sakura's mind was registering was how much closer she wanted to get to him. Their bodies were molded together as he sandwiched her tightly between him and the brick wall, their body heat emitting against each other and making them forget completely about the fact that it was December, it was winter, and all around them the wind blew like ice. Hasty fingers combed through tousled and tangled hair while they pulled away from the kiss only for a moment before their lips came crashing against each other in a bruising kiss. Sakura's arms around Syaoran's neck tightened as her hands came down and her fingers raked at his shirt and clutched his shoulders and her legs squeezed securely around his hips. She could feel his tongue delving into her mouth, brushing against her teeth and the roof of her mouth before rubbing against her own tongue and doing other wonderful things.

Strong, calloused fingers combed roughly through auburn hair before grasping a handful of the tendrils and giving it a soft tug. Their lips parted as he gently forced her to tilt her head back, exposing her neck, and Sakura was about to protest when he suddenly licked the base of her neck before trailing wet butterfly kisses along the side of it. She squirmed, soft sounds coming from her as her breath hitched when he started to suckle on a particularly sensitive area.

Before this day, if someone would have told Sakura she would be making out with the infamous Li Syaoran… she would have merely cast them a nasty glance and called them crazy. But now – now that she was making out with him, and not minding it at all – she realized it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. It was actually quite nice…

Sakura wasn't blind. She knew Syaoran was good-looking (well, more than just good-looking…), she just never commented on it because she didn't want to boost his damn ego. She knew if, by some crazy, freak-accident she became attracted to him, it would be purely physical. Like then and there. Physical. Pent up sexual frustration was finally getting the better of the two adults who, like any other normal, young adult, had raging hormones themselves.

Fingers tangled through chestnut locks. Auburn hair was yanked as more slender neck and skin was exposed.

Teeth scraped and nipped lightly against skin, leaving small love bites and marks behind against pale skin.

The cold had no effect on them as nothing but heat emitted between the two bodies, pants falling breathlessly from parted lips as Syaoran's searched for hers once more and they met, tongues dancing and lips meshing together. Sakura was clinging to him now. He was pressing her against the brick wall. Her fingers scraped and clutched the material of his shirt, her nails digging through the material and to his back as she desperately tugged him as close to her as she could. She did not mind the fact that she was smashed up against the wall as he continued to press himself to her.

He wasn't close enough. He needed to get closer.

Her legs around his waist tightened as a small moan elicited from Sakura, her hands pulling back and clasping his shoulders. She could feel his muscles shift against her fingers as he tensed and tried to get closer to her.

Even she felt the need to be even closer – though it was physically impossible.

But then again –

This sense of desperation was new to Sakura. Never in her life had she ever felt this… strong urge to get so close to someone; to want that someone to be in her, holding her, close to her, against her, embracing her, kissing her…

It made her want to cry because it seemed physically impossible to get any closer.

It made her even more desperate.

He moved his head back someone and his lips down as he nibbled on her bottom lip and gave it a playful tug before he flicked his tongue out across her lips and then delved into her mouth once more. His hands caressed her face, brushed through and clutched her hair, crept and rubbed up and down her sides. It was amazing how he could be so gentle and yet so rough at the same time, making pleasant shivers wash across her skin like a wave.

They were – seriously – about to keep going.

They were so going to just do it right then and there, regardless of the fact that it was below zero degrees Fahrenheit.

They were – seriously ­– about to do the Bed Tango, the Love making, the Hanky Panky, the Get Down And Dirty (That Should Only Be Kept In Bed and Behind Closed Doors)…

But –

..you see, there was this annoying buzz in their ears.

It wasn't so much as a buzz but a voice trying to get their attention, they realized.

And no, it wasn't their conscience.

"Where are you two?"

Through the haze and the (body) heat and the need for some mm-hmm (wiggles eyebrows), it took them a while to figure out they were not imagining or hearing things, but that Meiling was trying to get their attention through the earpieces they wore (conveniently tucked in their ears).

"Hello? Sakura? Xiaolang? Someone answer me, damn it! What's happening?"

They pulled away, staring at each other, faces flushed and lips bruised as they panted. Neither of them replied right away, but then Syaoran responded:

"…We're fine, Meiling."

"Then what the hell's taking you two so long?"

"We got sidetracked. We had to throw the cops off. We'll be there soon."

"Well hurry your asses up."

And silence as they figured Meiling cut them off.

And they stared at each other some more, heat still blazing in their eyes, both still very needy.

And then Syaoran leaned in towards her, but he did not kiss her on the lips. Instead he kissed her lightly at the junction where her neck and jaw connected. It was a sensitive spot for her as she shuddered while he suckled her skin and licked her there. She arched her neck to the side a bit to give him more access, her eyes rolling into her head as he brushed and scraped his teeth against her skin, murmuring something to her in French, his voice husky.

"J'ai envie de toi…"

And then… he pulled away and Sakura slouched and slid down against the wall. She had enough composure not to slide all the way to the ground as she stood on wobbly legs, her heart racing and her mind swimming. If she did not have more sense she would have reached out to him and whined, but she held such childish antics back, although not being able to hide the disappointment that flashed on her face before quickly disappearing all together.

He glanced at her before turning his back to her, running shaky fingers through his messy hair and sighing lowly to himself. He didn't want to stop but…

Goddamn Meiling.

Syaoran mentally cursed her in all colorful ways possible. He didn't want to stop because of how good it felt to be kissing Sakura, and because… well… he needed her. His body needed her. And he knew after this, she would not let him get close again.

He sighed through his nostrils.

"Let's go," he murmured gruffly to Sakura.

She nodded silently and followed him out of the alley.

They suddenly realized just how cold it was outside.

---

Syaoran was not quite sure what had possessed him to make out with Sakura.

He told himself it was because the cops were coming, and if they did what they had done, then the cops would not recognize them and only see them as two students caught doing something very naughty.

And his plan worked.

And that should have been it. They should have stopped. He should have stopped and pulled away and smirked at her and playfully ask Sakura if she liked the kiss and if he was a better kisser than Kaname.

She should have been angry with him. Her face should have flushed from anger (or embarrassment) and she should have thwacked him and yelled at him and scold him for kissing her – and maybe add that Kaname was so a better kisser than him.

…but what should have happened did not happen.

They did not stop. He did not pull away. She did not push him away.

He could not blame it on a fever this time.

This time was different.

And he would be damned if he did not admit he didn't like kissing Sakura. When he kissed her… he felt different. Syaoran's kissed plenty of girls in the past. Just because he is an infamous thief, that did not mean he didn't make time to satisfying his raging, male hormones (because, after all, he is very much male, and he very much has hormones just like the next guy). But all those kisses were meaningless. All those kisses he's given to other women were mindless, heated, purely physical kisses with no strings attached.

With Sakura…

…He wanted more. He knew he would keep coming for more. It was strange. It was like he was addicted to her.

Maybe if he just screwed her that feeling of wanting more of her would go away.

Syaoran pressed his forehead against the wall of the shower, hot water pelting and steaming around him as the black dye in his hair seeped down his body and mingled with the draining water. He opened his eyes as he stared at the swirling water and black dye, mingling and swirling and being sucked in the drain. That's probably it. I'm just physically attracted to Sakura.

He just wanted to kiss her.

He just wanted to "have sex" with her (just mindless sex. No strings attached. No "love making").

He just wanted… her body.

Then why…

Why did he want to keep her all too himself?

He grit his teeth before he blatantly stomped on these ridiculous thoughts of his, shoving his confusion to the furthest and darkest corners of his mind before he shut the shower off and reached for his towel. He dried himself off and stalked into the room, pulling on some black slacks and a white shirt. He rubbed at his hair with his towel before slinging the towel around his shoulders and heading downstairs to the bar area. Syaoran and Sakura had not gone back to the hotel because they knew it wouldn't be safe, so they came back to Red Light with Meiling and the others.

Rika had closed the bar down, but the lights were on and everyone was gathered in the bar area. Syaoran trailed down the stairs and immediately felt warm. It was always warmer downstairs. Rika was making some drinks for Takashi, who was trying to engage Naoko in a conversation, but the book-worm was sending him irritable looks as she tried focusing on her novel over his pestering chatter. Meiling was watching the others playing poker again, and Syaoran could tell by the noises and what was being said that Sakura was beating them (again).

As he made it to the bottom of the steps, amber met emerald for a short moment before Sakura looked away to focus on her cards. Syaoran sighed to himself and went to the bar table.

Sakura was ignoring him now.

He knew she would not talk to him until she had completely put aside the memory of their make-out session to where she could pretend it never happened.

He knew he would do the same.

Rika handed him a bottle of Corona to which he thanked her. Takashi glanced at Syaoran curiously before he turned to completely face him.

"So… what's going on between you and Sakura-chan?"

"Hm?" Syaoran looked at him from the corner of his eye, a brow raised.

"It's obvious there's some tension going on between you two," Takashi pointed out as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Rika leaned on the bar table as she added in softly, "And it's obvious you're both avoiding each other."

"Hn." He shrugged carelessly and took a swig of his drink. "Nothing happened."

Takashi, for a rare moment, opened his eyes in order to roll them in a show of exasperation. "What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did something?" Syaoran asked indignantly.

"Because Sakura-chan doesn't get mad unless it's someone else's fault," Takashi said simply.

"…Che." He snorted and looked away.

"So come on, my dear, bestest friend in the whole world, tell Takashi-kun what happened," he insisted sweetly.

Syaoran shot him a look. Rika smiled somewhat in amusement. Syaoran sighed and took another long swig of his Corona. There was silence as Rika and Takashi looked at him expectantly. Even Naoko seemed to be listening because her eyes stopped scanning the book and remained frozen on a single spot. All that could be heard was Devante's cursing as Sakura won.

"…I made out with her," he murmured.

There was a collective gasp among the three listeners. Naoko had torn her eyes from the book in order to look at Syaoran in surprise.

…Well, after they got over their initial shock, they realized it wasn't that shocking…

Takashi clucked his tongue and shook his head. "I should have known."

Syaoran gave him a dark look.

"You know you don't just go around making out with Kinomoto Sakura," Takashi reprimanded.

"It's not like she pushed me away or anything," Syaoran added.

"Oh… well… Hm. That's new." Takashi tapped his chin, looking stumped. "Aa well… if she hasn't killed you yet then I guess that means you have a chance."

Amber eyes looked at him skeptically. "A chance at what?"

"You know! Asking her out!"

"Why the hell would I want to do that?"

"Don't you like her?" It was Rika who asked that. She looked at Syaoran innocently as he gave her a very ludicrous stare.

"No, of course not."

"Then why did you make out with her?" Naoko.

"I… it was to throw the cops off," he grunted, looking away from their prying gazes and downing most of his drink. He frowned irritably when they did not stop staring at him. "What?"

They shrugged, muttered incoherent words, all three looking away and busying themselves with one thing or another. Rika wiped up some glasses with a clean rag. Naoko went back to reading her book. Takashi drank his own bottle of Corona. But all three exchanged discreet glances as they hid their smiles and agreed upon one thing:

Syaoran was in denial.

The chestnut-haired man lowered his bottle against the surface of the bar table as he glanced over his shoulder, watching as Sakura looked at her cards and then looked at the men at the table. He watched as she stared at them blankly, urging them to show their cards, which they ended up doing. He watched as she silently observed their cards, not giving any reaction, before a smirk tugged at her lips and she showed her cards to them. He watched as she laughed when Devante cursed again and Kuma chuckled in amusement and Jamie gave up all together.

Syaoran blinked slowly as he watched her eyes twinkle in the same amusement as Kuma's, as her eyes scrunched up when she grinned and laughed.

…He never saw her laugh before.

Giggle, maybe. Chuckle sometimes. Smirk other times. Grin and smile a little… but never laugh.

Something twisted inside of him as he vaguely thought she should laugh and smile more and that both suited her more than frowning and scowling.

He vaguely wondered if she was always like this.

Syaoran finished his drink just as Meiling called for everyone's attention. She pulled up a seat next to Sakura.

"We're probably going to have to get moving if we don't want Kaname and the other fed's finding us," Meiling said. There were several nods of agreement. Sakura gave no reaction as she counted up her money. Meiling's eyes landed on Syaoran, who turned around in his seat to face them. "What should we do, Xiaolang?"

"Getting out of this city is a main priority at the moment," he said, one elbow propped back on the bar table. "After that we'll decide what our next step will be."

"Hm… I know where we can go," Sakura suddenly spoke up as she pocketed her money away. All eyes fell on her. "But me and Li will need new passports, new identification…"

Syaoran mentally winced when she called him Li. Hadn't he told her to call him Syaoran?

"That won't be any problem," Jamie said, smiling.

Sakura nodded. "Alright." She pushed her chair back and stood up and looked at Rika. "Is it okay if I take a shower?"

Rika nodded and led her upstairs to find Sakura some clothes to borrow and to show her where the shower was. All the meanwhile Syaoran hadn't taken his eyes off of her. Only when she disappeared up stairs did he sigh and climb off his stool, going around the bar table in order to help himself to another bottle of Corona – and maybe something stronger. Much stronger.

---

Later on that night, most of them had left to go to the hotel they were staying at. Takashi, Sakura and Syaoran were the only ones who stayed in Rika's bar/home. Takashi normally stayed in the guest room, but since there was another lady there, he offered Sakura the guest room and opted to sleeping in another back room, a lounging room that looked more like a living room. He was snoring on one of the couches, sprawled unceremoniously with one leg dangling off of the edge. Syaoran knew because he was 'sleeping' on the other couch.

But he wasn't really sleeping. Takashi's snoring was keeping him up.

That and his mind would not stop swimming. He blamed it on the alcohol he was drinking earlier (but in reality he only had himself to blame for drinking in the first place). Syaoran was thinking about a lot of things at that moment; things such as Sakura, the kiss which really wasn't a kiss but more of a make-out-kind-of-kiss… Sakura… oh and the kiss... which we've already deduced wasn't really a kiss but something much more advanced than a kiss.

Syaoran scowled into the darkness of the room.

All this thinking was driving him mad, and he hoped Sakura was going just as mad as he was over this. Yes. Misery loved company. He didn't mind being miserable so long as he knew others were miserable with him.

Syaoran shook his head irritably before he shoved his blanket off and climbed off the couch, making his way into the dim bar. Everything was dark, and if the moon hadn't been shining through the window, he wouldn't be able to see anything. He selected himself a shot glass and a bottle of something – what he didn't know since he didn't bother to check. He just knew he was in a bar, so whatever he grabbed was some sort of alcohol, and he could use more alcohol at that moment. Maybe it would stop his mind from being so… active.

He poured himself a shot and downed it right away, pausing to let that burning sensation pass through his throat and settle at the pit of his stomach before he dared to take another shot. Syaoran realized after two or three more shots that the alcohol must be getting to him because he did not hear when someone came walking down the stairs and sat down on the stool across the bar table. He lifted his head up and merely flashed Sakura a crooked smile when she quirked an eyebrow at him.

No words were spoken as Sakura merely took Syaoran's glass from him. He wordlessly poured her a shot. She drank it and then made a face at that burning sensation before she let out a breathy, satisfied gasp when it finally died away and she felt she could breathe properly again.

Syaoran carelessly snatched the glass from her and filled himself up another shot. Sakura watched him down it amusedly before she shook her head at him.

"Oi, Sak."

Sakura's lips twitched as they turned into a deep frown. "Don't call me that."

"Ya, ya…" he made a dismissive gesture with his hand, and as he did so he seemed to have to hold on to the ledge of the bar table to keep himself balanced. Syaoran blinked dazedly. "Hn… why is the world tipping over?"

"Idiot." But Sakura, regardless of any tension there was between them before, couldn't help but smile at the hilarity of his actions.

"Right," he slurred out as he poured himself another shot.

He drank it and made a dramatic show of slamming the glass back down and letting out a satisfied breath.

"But I've been-a wonderin'…"

Sakura clasped her hands together and rested her knuckles beneath her chin. "Nani?"

"When did you stop smiling?"

He decided he didn't need the glass anymore as he opted to drinking directly from the bottle.

Sakura was taken aback by his question. "…What?"

"Ya heard me." He swung the bottle a bit. "When?"

"What are you talking about? I smile –"

"Psh." Syaoran snorted, looking ready to topple over any moment. He would have toppled forward if he wasn't already leaning on the bar. "Hardly. But ya should smile more, y'know? You look… nice 'n' shit when you smile… like… nice… 'n'… shit…"

He suddenly slid side ways and landed with a thump on the ground.

Sakura blinked in surprise before she shook her head once more and leaned over the bar table. She looked down with both eyebrows raised as Syaoran took a nice long swig from the bottle. "You… are far too drunk," she decided to comment instead.

Whether he heard her or not, he did not answer. Syaoran tilted his head back so he was looking up at her.

He had the most serious look on his face.

Sakura held her breath as she anticipated for whatever it was that he was going to say with such a serious expression…

"I want to get in your pants, Sakura."

"…"

Syaoran snickered and took another swig of his drink.

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh. If he wasn't drunk she would have punched his face in.

"Baka," she mumbled beneath her breath, walking around the counter. She snatched his drink away from him and set it on the counter top before reaching down to pull him up. "Time for bed."

He snorted, grabbed her arm and gave it a rather harsh tug, causing her to plop down next to him. He didn't give her time to move away as his arm came around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. Sakura blinked in surprise as she found herself nestled and tucked beneath his chin. "Li?"

"Didn't I tell you to call me Syaoran?"

"…Syaoran," she corrected herself.

"Hn." He let out a satisfied grunt before tilting his head side ways so his cheek was pressed against the top of her head. "I don't want to get up."

"Okay," she murmured lightly as she tried to pull away. His grip on her tightened.

"Stay."

Sakura sighed and nodded her head. "…Okay."

These past few days have been… crazy days, Sakura decided. Getting into an argument with Syaoran. Going to that convention. Kaname recognizing her. Running away from the cops. Making out with Syaoran. Ignoring Syaoran. And now sitting here behind a bar counter with Syaoran. Her life was never that exciting… not until Syaoran came into it.

She was still debating whether that was a good thing or not.

But she didn't think much of it because the scent of autumn invaded her senses and Sakura subconsciously moved in closer to Syaoran as her hand fisted into his shirt. Her eyes drooped closed as the sound of his beating heart echoed in her ears, lulling her into a drowsy state. She wondered when she started feeling tired. Now she wanted to sleep so she huddled closer to Syaoran, closer to his warmth that his presence wrapped her in. She drifted off to sleep and Syaoran merely stared straight forward, eyes half-opened, lost in his thoughts.

If he wasn't so drunk he would say that he seriously thought she had a nice smile. He would ask her once more why she didn't smile so often. He would ask her if she was always the way she was; if there was a time in her life where it was a constant thing to see a smile on her face. He would tell her that she smelled of strawberries and that he wouldn't mind dipping her into some whip cream (though that was the influence of alcohol that made him think that). He would tell her the things he hadn't told her yet, like the fact that he, Meiling and the others were all apart of Sarutobi's and Subaro's "perfect humanoid" experiments (1).

He would tell her that he had a sudden craving for peaches and cream, and he would laugh because he would anticipate the horror-struck look that would come on her face.

And then he would fall asleep, like he did that moment, having thought he said all of that out loud and not realizing he was merely thinking it all.

---

"Where are they?"

"They were just here last night! I swear I saw Xiaolang go to sleep…"

"Then what the hell? Why would they just leave in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know!"

"Guys…"

"That is SO Xiaolang. That little good-for-nothing bastard… I swear when I find out where he ran off to I am going to kick his ass…"

"Guys…"

He creased his brows as he tried to block out the annoying voices and get into a more comfortable position. He moved closer against something warm and hugged that warm thing. It was rather hard, but he didn't mind.

"He could have at least left a note saying where he went to…!"

"Guys!"

"What?"

Rika brought a finger to her lips as she gestured them over. Meiling eyed her suspiciously but her and Takashi joined Rika beside the counter. Rika smiled and pointed over the counter, urging them to look. Meiling and Takashi exchanged looks before they leaned over the counter top, their eyes widening in surprise (yes, even Takashi's) at what they saw. Sakura and Syaoran were laying on the other side, arms wrapped around each other and legs tangled together. Meiling's hand flew to her mouth as she resisted the urge to laugh, not wanting to wake them up.

So that's where they were hiding.

Takashi and Rika looked at each other, smiling. They supposed they wouldn't have to worry anymore about there being tension and awkward silence between the two.

Later on, Sakura and Syaoran were roused from their sleep by voices. Syaoran wanted to tell them to shut up.

So he did.

He pushed himself up, his head popping up from the other side of the counter as he glared at Meiling, Rika, Takashi, Naoko, Kuma, Devante, Jamie, Dmitri and Kenji and snarled. His hair looked messier – if possible – and the way his eyes were half-opened made him look haggard and harassed and like he could hardly keep them open. "Can you guys shut up? I am trying to sleep. I am aching every where. My head hurts."

They merely stared at him before several snickers broke out among the group.

"I wonder why," came Meiling's snide teasing as she smirked at her cousin.

He glared at her suspiciously before blinking in surprise when Sakura suddenly appeared next to him, yawning and rubbing groggy eyes.

"What's with all the noise…?"

"Well it's about time you two lovebirds woke up," Takashi said in a singsong voice.

Sakura looked confused. It took her and Syaoran a while to realize they had been sleeping together on the bar floor. Sakura had the decency to blush, remembering how and why they had fallen asleep there. Syaoran… was still confused. He noticed they were still fully clothed so he figured he had not gotten lucky last night. He sighed. He somewhat remembered sitting huddled with Sakura. They must have fallen asleep. They both stood up, avoided eye contact, and joined the others at the table.

"So what's going on?" Sakura asked, adjusting her clothes and her hair.

"Nothing much," Jamie was the one to answer. He slid several items across the table to Syaoran and Sakura. "You'll find your new identification cards, passports, etc, in there, and detailed information about your new identities."

They nodded and took the appropriate packets.

"So where are we going anyway?" Takashi asked, looking at Sakura.

She stifled a yawn.

"Tomoeda."

---

Apparently, when Sakura's mother was pregnant with Touya, Fujitaka and Nadeshiko owned another house – not the one Fujitaka lived in currently (that cute yellow one). It was on the other side of Tomoeda, and a bit ways away from the actual town. After Nadeshiko died when Sakura was younger, they had moved out of the house and into Tomoeda, but Fujitaka kept the house for sentimental reasons. Even if the cops were looking for them, Sakura knew they would continue to look in Nagasaki, and would not think the first place runaway convicts would run to is somewhere close to home.

The area the house was located in was a very open one – a long, old road running straight forward and the houses there were all kept apart and at a distance so they were never too close. If it was summer, grassy green hills and pastures of grass and flowers would be visible. But as it was, it was winter, and the hills and leafless trees were all covered in snow. It was a nice sight to behold though, because as one stared down the road, they could see all the decorated houses, each one adorning Christmas lights and their front yards decorated with other lovely decorations… all houses except for the old Kinomoto household.

Not everyone came to Tomoeda. Rika stayed to look for someone to take care of her bar before she would come and join them. Kuma, Jamie, Devante and Naoko stayed behind to do some research. That and they all wanted to avoid any suspicion if a huge group of people traveled together.

The rest climbed out of the taxi cab that had dropped them off in front of the old Kinomoto house. It looked like no one had gone in to it for years, but it was still in good condition and Sakura figured as she looked upon it that her father had made sure to keep it in shape, even after all this time. Sakura smiled to herself at the thought before she gestured for the others to follow her. They went in from the back, not wanting any neighbors to see them, because if they did they would raise suspicion. After all, no one entered the household in nearly two decades.

Dmitri and Kenji had gone into Tomoeda to rent a car, that way it would be easier if any transportation was necessary. Sakura, Syaoran and Takashi watched as Meiling picked at the lock of the back door. Sakura didn't have a spare key.

When there was a click, they carried their luggage inside. The house itself was larger than the house Sakura grew up in most her life. It was a two-story and by the size of it, would be big enough to house most of them. Maybe some of the guys could share some rooms, and the girls could as well, and whoever was left could sleep downstairs. Sakura had it all planned out. It was dusty inside and most of the furniture was covered up with sheets. The light wasn't working so Meiling gave a call to Dmitri and Kenji to get some new light bulbs.

"And can you tell them to get some food?" Takashi called out from over his shoulder. He had made a bee line straight for the refrigerator when they came inside. The fridge was empty. No surprise there, but it dismayed Takashi all the same.

The kitchen and living room were all wide-spaced, kitchen and living room attached, with a dining room to the right side of the kitchen. There was a set of stairs that ran to the second level from the living room, and if they had gone upstairs they would find four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Sakura and Meiling went to work in removing all the sheets, but when they did heavy clouds of dust kicked up, sending the group into a coughing fit.

They spent the remainder of the day cleaning up the house, only taking a break when Dmitri and Kenji came back with food. After that, Sakura, Meiling and Takashi tackled on the rooms and bathrooms upstairs while Syaoran, Dmitri and Kenji cleaned up the rest of the living room and the kitchen. Meiling and Takashi were cleaning up the other rooms, and Sakura found herself in the middle of the master bedroom where she knew her father and mother used to sleep in.

This was where most of Nadeshiko's things were kept in.

A bed was still there, along with dust-covered dressers and mirrors. Old pictures and photographs hung on the walls and were propped up on some of the dresser tops. There were boxes scattered on the ground, and the closet was left open for who knows how long. Clothes were piled and hung in there, all old clothes that had become worn out from years of neglect.

Sakura looked at some of the photographs. There were lots of Nadeshiko and Fujitaka when they were younger, before her mother was pregnant with Touya, and some where she was visibly pregnant with Touya. There were others of Nadeshiko, Fujitaka and a much younger Touya, and some where Nadeshiko was pregnant with her. Most of the pictures that were taken had obviously been taken in that very house Sakura and the others were standing it. She felt weird being there. She had lived there when she was little, too little to remember anything about the house.

Too little to remember anything about her mother.

She would lie if she said she missed her mother. She had never really gotten to know the woman. Sakura knew from the stories Fujitaka and Touya told her that her mother had been a wonderful woman, that she would sing Sakura and Touya to sleep, that she would hold them and love them for all she was worth. Her mother had a big heart, a big heart she gave to her family, but Sakura could not remember any of that. And the only thing that ever made her really sad when she thought of Nadeshiko was the fact that she could not bring herself to miss her mother, especially when, if she told people she didn't have an Okaa-san, they would look at her sympathetically and say they were sorry, as if expecting Sakura to be sad over the fact that she only had a father. But she would say it was okay, and she would mean it because it really was okay, but they would still look sympathetic anyway.

It was hard to miss someone she never knew, after all. But Sakura knew her father and brother missed her greatly. She knew because whenever she asked them about Nadeshiko, they would always get this sad, faraway, wistful look on thief faces and sometimes they would smile sadly.

But that was all years ago when she was younger. Touya and Fujitaka don't look so sad anymore when they talk about her. They get wistful, but never to the point of sad that it would make Sakura regret ever bringing it up.

Sakura sighed as she pushed the past aside and started cleaning up. It never did her any good to think of the past.

She scrubbed at table tops and mirrors and doors and walls and windows to wash away all the dust that had settled in very possible corner of the room over the years. She beat the blankets and bed spread and boxes and anything else beatable to get the dust off of them. She dumped sheets and blankets on a pile in the floor – she would have to wash them later.

---

Meiling, Takashi, Dmitri and Kenji went out to buy some groceries after most of the cleaning had been finished. Fortunately for them, the washing machine was still working and running and they had dumped as much blankets and sheets as they could into them.

So… now, Sakura and Syaoran were alone… together… in the house.

Sakura was a girl…

And Syaoran was a boy…

And when a girl and a boy are alone together, things can happen – especially if said guy and girl have a history of pent up sexual frustration (which was pretty damn obvious when they were going at it in the alley way…).

They were sitting on completely opposite sides of the couch, both keeping as much distance between each other as possible. Syaoran was trying to look casual. Sakura was fidgeting, her face red.

She couldn't help thinking all the naughty things they could do now that they were alone. She blamed it on Syaoran for kissing her.

And now look at where it left them: in awkward silence.

At least Sakura wasn't ignoring him anymore, Syaoran decided.

But he figured he would rather have that than this awkward silence.

Sure, they've been practically stuck with each other ever since Sakura hit him with her car, but they never had such an awkward silence before. It was… nerve-wrecking. Sakura wanted to do something. She would have offered to make coffee, but then a voice reminded her there was nothing to make coffee with.

And then that same voice offered she make out with Syaoran to break the silence.

And said voice listed off reasons why she should make out with him, reasons that consisted of:

because he made out with her first

because he's hot

because he's a good kisser

because they're both bored

it would break the awkward silence

…because he does nice things with his tongue…

Because he could do nice things with his tongue else where…

Sakura turned positively red as her thoughts took a turn for the worse and she blatantly stomped on her inner voice and locked it up in a dark, dark dungeon and tossed the key away so her conscience could not be let lose on her again. Sakura was not a pervert, and she was not about to start letting her thoughts stray to such perverted thoughts.

Not when Syaoran was concerned. Oh no.

"…You know…" Syaoran suddenly spoke up, to which Sakura was grateful for because it snapped her out of her thinking.

She looked at him quizzically. "What?"

"I could sure use some peaches and cream."

"…"

A cushion collided into his head.

Sakura shook her head as he laughed at her.

She couldn't believe just a few seconds ago she was seriously considering making out with him. Now she just… wanted to pulverize him.

Which she did.

With a cushion.

He retaliated, of course.

The others came back to find two supposedly grown adults hidden behind separate pillow-fortresses as they launched other pillows and cushions at each other.

And even though the others ended up joining as well and taking sides, and most of the pillows were left torn with feathers flying and scattering everywhere, no one mind because they enjoyed acting like children for once.

Syaoran didn't mind because he liked the way Sakura grinned and laughed, how her emerald eyes lit up in ways he never saw them light up.

He decided he would do anything for her to smile.

He decided he liked her smile and laugh.

Syaoran didn't realize it, but that was when he started to fall;

when he started to fall hard for Kinomoto Sakura.

---

To be continued

---

(1) Ok, you so saw that coming, right?

Dum dum duumm…

Teehee. –coughs- Anywho… Uhhh… hm. Well! Right… ummmm… yay for S+S semi-cute moment(s)? –scratches head- And I didn't like how… I dunno… tense it had suddenly gotten when Sakura was cleaning up her parent's old room sooo… I lightened up the mood. A whole lot. Bwaha.

But'ya

Leik… thanks everyone for the reviews and for the support. It all means a lot! And… because I am going through a Livejournal-whoring phase: if you have a livejournal, go ahead and add me as a friend, that is, if you don't mind me ranting about how much in love I am with Sabaku no Gaara (from Naruto. –swoons-). There is a link in my profile.

Anywho! Plz review.

-bows-

--FT