Chapter Twenty-eight

Paperwork

Their exam to enter the University took place. Meiling and Naoko didn't take it because they decided they would rather take a year off, look for a job and not study any more. Maybe they would go to university the following year... if they felt like it.

Sakura couldn't be happier. She was going to share a flat with Tomoyo and Chiharu, but if Meiling had also entered Tokyo University... she would have lived with them.

And that would have been really fucked up for her relationship with Syaoran. She didn't want Meiling to know because she'd surely try to screw them up somehow if she found out.

Meiling was going to find out someday anyway, but... better it be as late as possible.

Syaoran would be sharing a flat with Eriol and Takashi, in fact Takashi had rented one very close to their university campus the same day they took the entrance exam.

The six of them agreed to go together to pick up their grades and prepare all the paperwork for the university a few days before Syaoran left for Russia to spend the summer with his father. Sakura and Syaoran had agreed that they would tell the big secret to their friends that day.

They entered their high school together and saw the board where the grades had just been posted, which was completely surrounded by students pushing and shoving each other as they tried to see what they had gotten. The result on that board was the final grade they would get into the university.

Syaoran managed to squeeze through the crowd and immediately found the name Kinomoto on the list.

"You got an eight, Sakura!" he shouted to his friend, who was behind him trying to reach the board.

Sakura felt the enormous pressure she'd been feeling in her chest for days lighten considerably.

"What about you?"

He read the name just below Sakura's name.

"A nine."

She opened her eyes wide in astonishment.

"A nine? Fuck, you must have done it almost perfect to have an A on your entrance exam."

Syaoran grinned, tapping her on the shoulder as they pushed their way out of the hallway where the board was.

"That's the first time I've heard you say 'fuck', so don't start talking shit."

Sakura frowned.

"What about you? You're always swearing."

"Yeah, but you don't and you should stay like that. You can't stop once you start, I'm warning you," he replied, ruffling her hair.

The two of them went outside and waited by the entrance for their three friends, who were still trying to look at their grades. They leaned against the school wall and Sakura sighed.

"I'm nervous, I don't know how they're going to react," she muttered, wringing her hands.

Syaoran draped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

"It'll be fine. They love us and they'll be happy for us," he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"They're going to freak out."

"I know," Syaoran replied, laughing softly.

They heard the sound of an engine and Eriol's motorbike appeared in the street, stopping just in front of them.

"How did it go? What about Tomoyo?" he asked in a nervous voice, taking off his helmet.

"An eight and a nine. Tomoyo hasn't gone out yet, so we don't know. How about you?" Sakura asked.

"A seven. More than enough to study journalism, which is what I wanted," he answered with a smile.

Eriol left the helmet on the pavement and approached them, leaning out to see through the school gates.

"There's a lot of people in there. My high school was the same way."

"Everyone came in first thing in the morning to see their grades," Syaoran said, shrugging.

Soon after, his three friends came out of the school. Sakura, Eriol and Syaoran blanched when they saw that Chiharu was crying.

"What happened?" Sakura asked in a frightened voice.

"Calm down, it's not a big deal. It's just that Chiharu won't be able to study the engineering she wanted because she didn't get a nine, but she got an eight and a half which is great," explained Takashi, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend.

Eriol approached Tomoyo, greeting her with a kiss.

"What about you, princess?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

She blushed at Eriol's affectionate nickname.

"A nine and a half," she replied quietly.

"That's the best grade in our whole school, Tomoyo is the champion," Takashi added, smiling.

Sakura walked over to Chiharu, hugging her.

"Don't be so sad. You like architecture too, and you'll be able to do that degree without problems."

"You're right," Chiharu acknowledged, wiping her tears and smiling.

"I'll be able to get into what I want too," Takashi said, raising both eyebrows.

"Well, come on. Let's do the paperwork now before everyone else goes there," Eriol urged them.

Tomoyo and Takashi nodded and started walking, but Syaoran stopped them.

"Before we go... I have to tell you something."

Sakura felt something icy running down her back, activating every nerve in her body.

"The three of us are going to live together and so are you three. We'll be seeing a lot of each other around campus and we'll be together almost every day, so I think it's time for you all to know the truth," Syaoran said, sighing.

"The truth?" Tomoyo repeated, frowning.

Sakura moved closer to Syaoran, trembling slightly from nerves, and intertwined their fingers. Their friends looked at them blankly, though she saw Eriol's eyes widen, as if he knew what they were going to say.

"Syaoran and I are dating," she confessed quietly.

No one said anything for a few seconds.

"Really? Or is this one of your jokes?" Tomoyo asked, slightly confused.

Syaoran rolled his eyes and grabbed Sakura by the waist, kissing her on the lips.

"It's very real. Sakura is my girlfriend," he replied, looking back at their friends.

Chiharu was covering her mouth with her hands and Takashi was staring at them, astonished.

"Since when?" Eriol asked.

"We've been dating for five months," answered Sakura, who was very blushing.

Takashi started laughing, jumping on top of them to hug them.

"This is great! We'll be three couples living in Tokyo... I thought it was really weird that you've been single for so many months, Syaoran," he said, still laughing.

Chiharu and Tomoyo also approached to hug Sakura, smiling.

"Sorry for not telling you sooner, but..."

"It's alright, we understand. There would have been a big mess if the whole school had found out about it," said Tomoyo, interrupting her.

"How did it happen? You have to tell us everything!" asked Chiharu.

Sakura nodded and the three of them started walking together as they talked. Syaoran and Takashi stayed behind with Eriol.

"Are you angry?" Syaoran asked his best friend.

Eriol shook his head.

"No, but I'm very surprised. I didn't expect this," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"It's okay, there are days when I still can't believe it myself," Syaoran admitted, snorting.

The three friends followed the girls. Syaoran also told them how his relationship with Sakura had started as they arrived at the Tokyo University headquarters, where they had to do their registration.

When all the paperwork was done, the six of them said their goodbyes. They would see each other again in early September, when they would move to Tokyo.

"Please don't say anything about us. If my parents find out, they'll probably try to stop me from going to Tokyo so I can't be around Syaoran," Sakura asked them before they went home.

The four of them nodded and promised to keep the secret until they were far away from Tomoeda.

Sakura went with Syaoran to have lunch at his house. He was leaving for Russia the following day, and she would not see him again until September.

Yelan was not there, she had a lot of work and she had told Syaoran that she would not arrive until the night, when they would have dinner together to say goodbye.

Sakura sighed as they were clearing the table.

"What's on your mind?" Syaoran asked when he heard her.

"I don't want you to go, it'll be almost two months without seeing you," she murmured in a sad voice.

He left the dishes in the sink and approached her, hugging her from behind.

"Escape and come with me," he whispered in her ear.

Sakura's skin crawled all over.

"Yeah, right... and when I come back, I'd have to live in the convent where my parents would lock me up forever," she replied, laughing softly.

Syaoran laughed too, kissing the curve of her neck.

"Starting in September, we'll be together in another city and we'll be able to see each other whenever we want," he said, speaking between kisses.

Sakura smiled and closed her eyes, clutching the arms that were around her waist and sighing at the tingle that each of his kisses left on her skin.

He spun her around and lifted her up, until she was sitting on the kitchen counter. He positioned himself between her legs and kissed her deeply and passionately as he slipped his hands under her shirt, running them up her back.

Sakura let out a small moan and brought her hands up to his collarbone, starting to unbutton his shirt.

With two buttons left, Syaoran broke the kiss and stared at her with his eyes shining brightly.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a nervous voice.

Sakura blushed slightly.

"Can't I?"

Syaoran smirked, resting his forehead against hers.

"You can do anything you want, I'm yours," he whispered before kissing her again, catching her tongue as he wrapped his arms around her.

Sakura smiled in the middle of the kiss and ended her struggle with the buttons, dropping his shirt to the floor behind them. She ran her hands up his bare chest and sighed as she felt his teeth bite her lower lip. Syaoran moved down to her neck, leaving little bites along the way.

"And I... May I?" he asked in a whisper, grabbing the bottom of her shirt.

She nodded, rather nervously. Syaoran pulled away, and a few seconds later, Sakura's shirt was also on the floor next to his.

He swept his gaze over her body, holding his breath. Sakura was flushed and her breathing was ragged, a sight that was driving him crazy.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You've seen me many times in a bikini," she said, embarrassed at his desire-filled stare.

Syaoran shook his head, giving her a mischievous grin.

"It's not the same," he muttered, attacking her throat again.

He pushed Sakura down until she was lying flat on the counter and moved his lips down her neck, kissing and licking the skin just above her bra.

Sakura stifled a gasp when she noticed Syaoran sucking and biting. Opening her eyes and looking up at him, she saw that he had a mischievous grin on his face.

"Now you really are mine," he said, raising both eyebrows.

Sakura looked down at her own body, seeing that there was a very red mark just above her left breast.

She frowned and looked back at Syaoran, who was chucking at her angry face.