Title: One More Day
Author: Feit
Site: http://atare.com
E-Mail: hawk_witch@hotmail.com

Quote of the Chapter:
"It's all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation."
Dr. Rob Gilbert

Disclaimer: I have no more funny disclaimers. I need more imagination. I don't own them.
CLAMP does.

(AN: Japanese Translations are at the bottom.)

Sakura: This is gonna be a good chapter!
Feit: Oh indeed! I had fun writing this one.
Sakura: ...Even if you did procrastinate...
Feit: oh hush.

-- Chapter 7 - Imperfect Party --

Sakura pulled the door open to the apartment building, check in hand. She walked quickly to
the reception desk at the back of the room, finding the landlord himself standing there. He
looked up at her expectantly, his hand trailing to her hand and the check that it held. She
handed over the check.

"Down payment. Just like I promised. When's the earliest I can move in?"

"Umm... As soon as you'd like."

"Good! Now, may I have my key back?"

The landlord blinked silently, staring at her. Then he obliged with the comment that 'giving
her key back' sounded awkward seeing that he was the landlord and she was just moving in.
Sakura smiled and headed for home. She was ready to move today.

The walk home was quiet. It was early in the morning, and business hours were just underway,
so there was no cars on the roads and no one besides herself walking about. She turned off
the sidewalk onto the pathway that led up to her front door. Entering, she stepped out of
her shoes and slid into her house slippers, and climbed the stairs and into her room.

Sakura paused by the computer, queing her Winamp and randomly selected a playlist. Then she
went straight to her closet, ignoring the sleeping Kero and Li, at opposite ends of the bed.
She pulled down a suitcase and flopped it onto the bed in between it's two occupants, waking
them abruptly. Amongst Kero's angered shouts of protest, Sakura emptied two of her drawers,
filling her suitcase tightly. Zipping it closed, she pulled another suitcase from the closet
and used it to replace the first one. Kero, realizing she was set about packing and totally
ignoring him, moved to the playstation, Li following. Removing the items from the other two
drawers, Sakura packed the second suitcase. She pulled at the edges of the bag, pulling all
the empty spaces to the top as the items inside shifted downward. She hummed as her computer
played an Nsync playlist which she had qued. Kero was still sitting in front of the
playstation, whilst Li attacked his hands, if you could call them that, which were drumming
upon the controls. Sakura twirled lightly, giddy with happiness. She stuffed a few more
pieces of her possession into the bag, and forced the zipper closed. She wiped her brow
symbolically, but stopped in mid-motion.

"What's this I hear about you moving?" Touya's voice called from just inside the doorway. It
was most unpleasant. Sakura closed her eyes and sighed, glad that her back was to her older
brother. He may be a wonderful older brother, but his instinct of protection was
suffocating.

"That's just it, Touya. I'm moving." She dropped her arm, and leaned over the computer. She
turned of her Winamp, and proceeded to shut down her computer. Crawling under her desk, she
unplugged cords as Touya continued the conversation.

"What made you do this?"

"I wanted to move."

"Why?"

"Because, Touya, to be honest, I feel suffocated here."

"So that's why you're moving the the Chinese gaki's old apartment?"

"What's so bad about moving into an apartment I know I'll feel comfortable in?" She
counterquestioned as she pulled herself out from underneath the desk. Touya remained silent
for a while, and she started pulling the monitor off her desk and put it heavily onto the
bed. She did the same with the tower and other gadgets she had attached to her computer.

"How are you going to afford this apartment, may I ask?"

"I've got a job, Touya. You know that."

"I doubt very much that working at Radio Shack is going to do you much good, Sakura. You're
going to college, too, if I'm not mistaken. How are you going to afford everything?"

"I'll be tight on money for a while, true. But as for college, I have a college fund. And so
did you when you went to college. What do you think college funds are for, onii-chan?"
Sakura looked at him exasperatedly.

"Sakura..." Touya said warningly.

"I'll be fine, Touya. I'm not 10 anymore. You can't protect me forever!"

Touya drew back slightly at the comment. He didn't want to stop protecting her. There was no
one else he had ever trusted... except for that brat. But he went back to Hong Kong without
more than a crude 'goodbye' on an answering machine. Touya no longer trusted him. But he
didn't worry, either... the brat would never be there to hurt his little sister as he did
when he left. Touya had overheard Sakura's conversation with Tomoyo, and he couldn't stand
the heartbreak he heard in her voice.

"I know, Sakura... I know." He said, his eyes drawn to the floor. After a few seconds, when
Sakura had continued her packing he looked up at her. Her hair shone with the sun's rays
supplying the light, but her eyes shone brighter, and with light of their own. She was
beautiful, and sometimes her appearance and her naivety mixed together was a curse upon her.
"But there won't be anyone else there to."

Sakura looked at him quickly. "Touya... please..." Her voice started to waver. Her brother's
protectiveness was indeed suffocating, but it was everything to her when he let it go, and
let her be free. She walked over and silently hugged her brother. "I have to do this. I'll
always be nearby, Touya. I promise you." She felt Touya hug her back, and she wiped a stray
tear from her cheek. She loved her brother, and she always knew there'd be somewhere she
could go if she found herself in pain or in trouble.

Touya let her go and left the room as silently as he had come in. He was letting her test
the winds with newly grown wings.
________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Two Weeks Later]

Sakura walked through the doors of Tomoyo's home. It was an two hour before the party, and
Tomoyo had just called, beckoning for her to come and have her dress fit. Sakura didn't
really see what the point was, Tomoyo knew her measurements probably more than she knew her
own.

Tomoyo rushed quickly down the steps near the front door, causing her hair to bounce with
each slipping step. "Sakura! Great! Come on!" As soon as Tomoyo reached Sakura, she grabbed
her hand, and started to pull her back up the stairs. Sakura laughed as her friend slipped,
and braced herself against the handrail. Tomoyo, however, wouldn't hear of it. She grabbed
Sakura's hand once more, and pulled her to the top of the stairs. "I wanna see you in the
dress I slaved over! Come on, come on, HURRY!"

Sakura laughed again, her thoughts fleeting, and stepped into the doorway Tomoyo had
attempted to drag her through. Her breath caught in her throat, and tears threatened to
form. There stood her dress, in a pale green lined with even paler pink. Pink cherry blossom
designs graced the bottom of the skirt, gathering as if they had fallen from the branches of
a cherry blossom tree. The shoulders of the dress weren't an obtuse angle like it was in the
drawing, instead it layed parellel to the ground, made to accent the wearer's collarbones.
Transparent green material still made the wrap that would grace her elbows. The back of the
dress dived boldly until it reached the middle of her back, ending in an abrupt horizontal
line.

Tomoyo looked expectantly at Sakura's expression. "I made some alterations. I hope you don't
mind?"

Sakura stepped silently to the dress, reaching out, almost afraid to touch it. And yet she
was to wear it. "It's perfect."

Tomoyo jumped with glee. "Good, now lets get it on you!" She pulled the dress off the dummy,
and handed it to Sakura. She led her by the elbow to the bathroom, and ushered Sakura
inside.

Sakura emerged, feeling the skirt that flowed about her tentatively. "I love it, Tomoyo.
It's absolutely perfect."

"Not quite. We need to tuck in some spots. Stand in front of the mirror. You know the
routine."

Sakura obeyed, still marveling at the dress. Slowly, adrenaline rushed through her veins.
She was excited and as happy as she could only have imagined for the past few weeks. Tonight
would be absolutely perfect. 'With or without Syaoran.' She thought, the smile still pulling
at the corners of her lips.

Tomoyo looked up at her smile, and a needle slipped. Sakura cried out with pain. "Sorry,
Sakura! Are you losing all your blood yet?"

Sakura shook her head silently. Tomoyo make her form jerk several times before her
adjustments were complete.

"Now... it's perfect!" Tomoyo exclaimed proudly.

Tomoyo put her tools of clothwork away and sat Sakura in front of her full length mirror.
Tomoyo pulled makeup from her desk and began to apply it on Sakura's face.

"I feel like a clown with all that powder you're putting on me."

"You look great, Sakura. Like an angel."

"No, I don't. And there's no one to impress... I don't see why you're going to these
extremes, Tomoyo."

"Oh, you know how I love to play barbie with you."

"I wonder why I let you."

"Cause I'm your best friend and I get you into concerts with my mom's money."

Sakura grinned and Tomoyo put away her makeup cases. Sakura stood in front of the mirror,
and her smile widened. Her green eyes were lidded by silver, and her eyebrows had an almost
invisible sheen of green below them.
________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[A Half Hour Later]

Sakura sat on an empty bench in the large ballroom. She enjoyed watching people come in, and
she could see all the woman's dresses. Most of them wore slick, simple gowns, which
reflected the business suits they wore to work. She sat for a few minutes, before she got up
and walked over to the food table. Tomoyo was right, the table was full with foods
unidentifiable to the inexperienced. Which was what Sakura was one of. She poured herself a
cup of punch, and leaned against the wall, sipping it quietly.

Gently, a hand touched her shoulder. She turned to the man, ready to refuse a request to
dance. She jumped slightly when she found Eriol standing in front of her with his hand
extended... He was hot!

"May I have this dance, Card Mistress?" He asked, with a grin planted firmly on his face.

Sakura put her punch on the table and put her hand in Eriol's. "You may," She replied, her
eyes laughing.

Eriol took her to the dance floor where other couples were already swaying to the music. He
rested his hand on her side, and she placed her hand on his shoulder. They were quiet for
half of an entire song, dancing like the wind, moving their feet without thinking. Then
Eriol pushed Sakura back gently, causing her to look into his eyes. He spoke.

"Syaoran left, you said?"

"Yea... over two weeks ago."

"Do you know why?" He inquiried.

"No."

"Have you told him that you love him?"

Sakura darted a look at him before replying. "No."

"He doesn't know? You waited one too many days, hm..." he commented, rather than asked of
her.

Sakura nodded. "I kept thinking, 'One more day. One more day and I'll tell him.' And then he
was gone."

"So what're you going to do about it?"

Sakura looked at him, slightly startled. "What CAN I do about?"

"Think about it." He left there there, standing in the middle of the dance floor. Feeling
eyes burn into her skin, she abruptly turned and walked quickly through the large french
doors. She stepped into the warm afternoon sun, the wind gently carressing her skin, kissing
her lips and painted eyelids. A stray peice of hair slipped onto her face, and she brushed
it away.

Sakura leaned against the balcony, her elbows resting upon the cold, hard concrete, her
hands clasped in front of her. Her eyes peered over the groping lawn, her mind still roaming
over ideas why Syaoran could possibly have left. She had finally ruled out the thought he
was mad at her, but she could think of nothing else that made any sense. The day before he
left, he had given her Li. She was confused over just about everything. What did the kitten
symbolize? She had thought it was a replacement of sorts for that cat who had died before
her eyes, but now she wasn't so sure. The signals she had recieved canceled all logic,
leaving a blank board written only with confusion.

She scoffed at herself. For some strange reason, she was comparing her thoughts to a math
problem. Although, she thought, 'They are similar enough. I can't understand either one,
enough to solve the problem, however complex.' And so it was. Her mind drawled it's thoughts
as she fought to understand them. Her life was now confusing beyond reason. 'A person's life
should not be so tangled a strand that the one living it is clueless as what should be.'

The wind tossed Sakura's skirt and despite the spring sun, a chill ran up her spine. She had
made her decision. She had a life to live. Thinking about why he left wouldn't help her live
a full life. Then she sighed. 'It's been over two weeks! I should be over it by now!' But it
seemed that whenever a solitary second greeted her, it brought along the memory of Syaoran.
'I suppose I'll stop thinking about him so much after time.' She nodded to herself. 'All a
matter of time.' Lost in her decision and thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps behind
her.

"I told you it would be someday soon, Sakura."

Sakura whirled around, gasping. She covered her mouth with her hand and squeaked in suprise.

-- End of Chapter 7 - Imperfect Party --

Japanese Translations:
------- gaki ------------- brat
------- onii-chan -------- brother

Sakura: ooooh! Who is it who is it who is it????
Feit: Wait til next chapter ^_~
Sakura: But I won't be able to LIVE til then!
Feit: Should I call the morgue now or later?