Revised version. Please R+R. I don't own these characters.

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Saturday morning.

Sakura had woken up a long while ago, but she hadn't felt like getting out of bed. Apparently Kero was still asleep on his drawer, for he hadn't come over to check up on her. She felt depressed. She couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible was going to happen soon. It was bound to happen: ever since the day that strange shadow had attacked her and Syaoran the presence hadn't abandoned her senses for a single second. It was hard for her to sleep, to eat, to live. It was like carrying ten times her weight on her shoulders. How she wished that this would end, and they could go back to leading their normal lives. This wasn't fair for anyone. Not even Kero, who was supposed to tutor her and help her. He too deserved a little peace and quiet...

Tears stung her eyes when she remembered the reaction he had had when she told him she'd buy him a present. She didn't even know if she was going to be around to give him the present he'd promised him...

Sakura wiped the tears away and set her jaw in determination. She was the Card Captor! She had to be the first to think that everything was going to be all right and that, with the help of her friends she would beat whatever this thing was. This person. The phone rang.

"Hello, this is Sakura"

"Hey you" replied a too familiar voice from the other side of the line. Amazing how he could brighten her whole day with two simple words.

"Oh, hey!" she said, sitting up and straightening her hair with an idiotic grin on her face "Is something up?"

"No...I just wanted to...talk to you..."

"Okay. You're like, the worst actor in the world. Tell me what's going on, please"

He sighed in defeat. "You've been depressed for days and it worries me, that's all"

Sakura blinked, surprised. He was admitting to be worried about her? Unbelievable!!

"That's so sweet" was all she managed to say.

"Tell you what. I'll buy you lunch. This'll sound weird, but maybe I can cheer you up. If not, you can talk to me about...well...what's wrong..."

"You should know what's wrong, Syaoran" she sighed, sadly.

"Well, yeah...what do you say? Meet me at Penguin Park at, say, noon?"

"Deal. Syaoran..."

"Yes"

"Thank you"

"Aww, shut up. I'll see you in a few"

And he hung up. It was Tomoyo who had suggested him to call her up and ask her out, and make her believe that it was all because she looked sad. It wouldn't look like a date but it would certainly be one. After all, she needed someone to keep her company, and not even Tomoyo could be a better company. Shame she couldn't tell him that. They were both such babies! They should have realized by now they were crazy about each other, and they were yet clueless...it had looked like a job for Tomoyo from the very beginning.

Sakura got up from bed, feeling a weird mixture of sadness and bliss in her heart. She was going to spend the entire afternoon with her favorite sorcerer in the world, and doing things two seventeen years old would normally do. No horrible training, no monsters, no magic cards...only Sakura and Syaoran in a...date! That's when it dawned on her. It was a date all right, even though he hadn't meant it that way. He was so sweet for caring enough to think about this. So she would put away every feeling of frustration, or anger, or sadness, and would smile her brightest smile for him.

Syaoran felt so stupid when he caught himself wondering what he'd wear for his meeting with Sakura. How had she done this to him? He had sat by the phone, had lifted the speaker like a hundred times, wondering if he'd have enough courage to coldly ask her. Without turning into a babbling idiot, of course, and make her believe his excuse. Then he'd finally decided to go through with it. He had felt a wave of relief wash over his body when he hung up. He had to give Tomoyo some credit...she was the master. When he thought it through, he found out the excuse was indeed, perfect. He was sure she'd be around taping everything, but he had to let her, even as a small payment for the hand she'd lent him. He couldn't sit still though. It was ten in the morning and he was already pacing the whole apartment, not knowing what to do until noon. He looked at his watch every five minutes. Time passed way too slowly whenever he had to wait for his sorceress.

It had been this way even from the first day he'd returned to Hong Kong. He appeared to be so distressed his mother allowed him to go back to Japan, under the one condition that he would come back someday and assume the leadership of his clan. He would agree to anything to rid his chest of the aching feeling he experienced every time he thought of the beautiful emerald green eyes so far away from him. How it would feel to hold her, to smell her scent even from afar, to watch her smile at him. She smiled a lot, but whenever she smiled at him there was a whole different feel to it. She really cared about him, he could tell. But did she care enough to take him for the rest of her life? To someday leave everything she knew here in Tomoeda District to follow him to Hong Kong and become the very beloved and pampered wife of the mighty leader of the Li Clan? Could he ever ask this of her? And what would happen to him if he asked and she declined? His heart would be so shattered it would be impossible to mend. For he could never in a thousand lifetimes love anyone like he loved her. But...for him to ask all these things he had to...tell her first.

*****

Syaoran couldn't help but arrive like half an hour early to the Penguin Park, where he was supposed to meet her. He sat on a bench, unsuccessfully trying to distract himself with anything while she arrived. All he could think about was her. If everything went well, he might even...at least hint her about his feelings for her. She was clueless about everything, and he wasn't sure he could find a subtle way of letting her know...and he was way too shy to just blurt it out. He would find a way. If everything went as planned. He caught a glimpse of Tomoyo and Kero hiding in some bushes not too far away from where he was sitting, and waved at them to make them aware that he'd spotted them. His cellphone rang right after he did that.

"Hello, Tomoyo"

"How did you know it was me?"

"I've got a sixth sense for these things" came his sarcastic reply "Listen to me. Don't be too obvious...a little privacy might be on order at some point, you know what I mean?"

"You're gonna tell her!!" Tomoyo yelled into the speaker, making Syaoran withdraw the phone from his ear, wincing.

"No, I didn't say that. I just...this is probably one of the few chances I'll ever get to...hang out with her...you know..." he gestured towards the bushes.

"I understand...I'll just stay for a while and then I'll leave you guys alone. After all the brainstorming I had to do to come up with such an idea, I'm not about to be the one who ruins it right? Have fun!!" she grinned and hung up.

He put his cellphone away just as Sakura approached the bench he was sitting on. He jumped up the bench to greet her, feeling suddenly awkward. He never thought this would actually happen to him, and he was so unprepared. Tomoyo watched them through the bushes, starry-eyed.

"They make such a wonderful couple!! Don't you think, Kero?"

"I only came along to check up on her. I don't know what that guy could come up with, and I have to be ready to defend her if the occasion rose up. I'm her guardian!" he mumbled, munching on the chocolate chip cookies Tomoyo had bribed him with.

"Oh, Kero! Do you think he would actually do anything to harm her in any way? All he does is protect her!"

Kero swallowed what was in his mouth, and his expression softened in defeat.

"No, I don't think so" he growled despite himself. He had to admit the kid did nothing but love his Mistress. At times, he had been tempted to yell it out to her, but it just wasn't his place to do such a thing...she had to figure it out by herself, but man, was it taking her long! And he was so jealous. For years he and Tomoyo had been her only companions. Of course, there had always been the Chinese kid, but he never saw him as an actual threat. He hadn't considered the fact that Sakura would grow up and seek for a different kind of company. Like the one she was getting from the Li brat. He didn't want to share his adored Sakura...but something told him he would soon have to.

*****

"You're here early" she pointed out with a shy grin.

"Yeah, I--I had a couple things to do on my way here, and I finished early" he lied. He couldn't possibly tell her he had been sitting there for the last half hour just waiting for her...

"I see. Shall we go?"

He nodded. It had been so long since he'd seen her like this, not worrying about anything, laughing and talking about anything silly, not their enemy, ignoring even for one day the nagging feeling of danger they could both sense. How he wished he could always see her like this!

They had lunch at the only Chinese restaurant there was in Tomoeda District, at Syaoran's request, after a very long walk. Sakura listened in fascination to his stories about how life was in Hong Kong, his sisters and his mother, the gigantic Li estate, and how he wished she could visit some time, for he was sure she'd love it. He had also started explaining to her what the Dim Sum they were having was made of, and she hadn't let him finish, because if she knew what she was eating she probably wouldn't be able to finish it. After lunch they walked downtown for some ice cream, and even though they were having a lot of fun, something was bothering Syaoran. Could he ask her? He would probably embarrass her if he did, but he so needed to know...he hadn't forgotten for a second about it, and it was driving him crazy. Just like this predicament did. That was it. He would ask her.

"Sakura?"

"Yes" she answered, toying with her drink.

"I was wondering..." How was he going to do this? "What was that you've been wanting to tell me?"

She coughed into her glass, turning ten shades of red in one second.

"Okay, I shouldn't have asked that" he said softly, willing to drop the subject if it made her so uncomfortable. As anxious as it made him to know there was something so important she hadn't told him.

Sakura looked up to him and saw the disappointment on his eyes. She hated it. She was dreading herself right then for being so stupid. But the words refused to come out of her mouth.

"I'll walk you home" he said, realizing he had just ruined the day. What a jerk he could be at times. She nodded and got up from the table, wishing she had never opened her big big mouth in the first place to tell him something like that. What good could it have done her if she'd told him? He was probably to marry someone his own status back in Hong Kong someday. Maybe even accustomed to that idea. How, then, could he like someone like her? She wasn't at all like him. She was just a girl from Tomoeda District, who happened to be the Card Captor. Who led a life that was only a little less ordinary. What did she have in common with him? Magic? That was hardly something that would pull two people together. Especially two people like them. Was it better off as a secret, then, even though it broke hear heart? Probably.

This time Touya didn't yell his sister to come in when he saw her standing by the fence with the Chinese boy. Something told him they were onto something really serious. He had never known for sure, but he suspected his sister was not an ordinary person. There was something about her, something she kept even from her family and only he was sensitive enough to notice. What it was, would probably remain a secret forever. A secret that somehow, that Chinese brat was aware of. She knew what she was doing, or so he thought. So he left the window, and walked silently to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Neither Sakura, nor Syaoran had uttered a single word since they'd left the ice cream parlor. There it was again, that tension between them that they both hated so much. Neither of them knew what to say or do to break the silence, so they just stood there, one in front of the other, once they reached Sakura's home.

"I'm--I'm sorry I screwed up" he stammered in deep shame.

"You didn't. It's all my fault. What I wanted to tell you..." she sighed "Is something that it's better off kept a secret. A some point I thought it would be better if you knew, but somehow, I don't think it's that important anymore. You shouldn't worry. It wasn't a big deal anyway"

"It's your call. I won't worry. Sakura..."

"Yes?"

"I really had fun today...I'm glad you accepted...meeting me..."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad you called"

"Yeah. And..."

"Yes?"

"Please don't forget to call me if anything comes up"

"You can feel it too, right?" she grinned, a mixture of sadness and fear in her beautiful eyes. He could only nod in agreement, not liking what he saw. She was sad again and was probably up for a really bad night.

"It's close" she whispered through her suddenly flowing tears, just as he reached out his arms to hold her. It was the only way he could find to reassure her.

"Really close"

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