FALL PLAY
by Daidouji Tomoyo

DISCLAIMER: (gotta love these! = P) Card Captor Sakura/Cardcaptors © CLAMP/Kodansha. "Fall Play" is a fanfic written by----- ME! This story takes place sometime during the series (or maybe an alternate scene..?)--- Meiling and Eriol are present in this, both are students along with Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and others at Tomoeda Elementary School.

To the readers/reviewers: Now you see why I didn't make Sakura as Juliet in the play...? ^_-

Thanks for the reviews, minna-san! I really do appreciate it. ^_^
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CHAPTER 6: If I Am Meiling, Wilt Thou Kiss Me?

There was that weird dream again. You know, the one about me in a cast and Syaoran coming in to my room to spend the night with me? It was the same, exact dream, and it ended exactly when Syaoran was about to kiss me... AGH!! I'm getting kissing nightmares!!! This is bad, really bad... no wait... actually... this is GOOD! Please let it be a premonition... I know it's got nothing to do with Clow Cards but it's got something to do with Syaoran-kun... just let it come true... oh goodness... I woke up in the middle of the night. I looked at my clock to see what time it was. Whoa, 4:30 am?! Ack... too early... must go back to sleep... I lied back flat on my bed again and tucked myself warm. I closed my eyes and let myself fall into my usual slumber. Few minutes later, I woke up again and checked the time--- 4:32 am?! I tried to get back to sleep again so I can get my full eight hours of sleep, but somehow, for the first time ever, I couldn't even make a single yawn. Tossing, turning, even covering my face with my pillow, and the slumber spell already worn off.

What's wrong with me? Why can't I go to sleep?! I looked at my clock again: 4:35 am. With Kero-chan still sleeping peacefully on his little bed I decided to finally get up and wash myself up. I know Dad and Touya would be mad at me for waking up TOO early (not that I always wake up early anyway...), it was better the fact that I did wake up early instead of fifteen minutes before school started. Now that I'm up, I decided to gear myself up for today's "kissing session" with Syaoran. Let's see... I got Tomoyo's mom's magazines here... got my romantic shoujo manga collection here... I got some romance videos including the old '60s version of Romeo and Juliet itself... I got my favorite stuffed animal here (and I don't mean Kero-chan either!)... and I got some magazine pictures of supermodels that I snatched from Touya's room so he can practice his lips on them... oh yeah... of course... I noticed the Clow Book right on top of my desk and glanced at it. Just for emergency, I should bring this too... And then, one more thing on my mind... oh, wait... I hope we still have some more...

Slowly I climbed down the stairs and tiptoed towards the kitchen cupboard. I opened it slowly and went inside to check on the stock that we have. "Okay... hmm.. I hope we still have some more... where is it...?" I searched high and low of the cupboard, ins and outs, over and under until I found a huge box filled with new, unopened sweets. I took the box out, opened it, and searched through many bags of sweet goodies. "Come on... come on... come on..." Right on the spot, I found what I was looking for. "Yes! Hershey's Kisses! Sorry Touya, I know they're your favorites, but the Chinese punk brat needs them more than you." I put the box back in to the cupboard, turned off the lights, and went back up to my room to pack this huge bag of Hershey's chocolate Kisses in my really big duffel bag. I figured that since Syaoran is so addicted to chocolate that maybe these Hershey's Kisses (get it?) would even inspire him to kiss girls.

Finally in the bathroom, I stared at myself, still looking a little messy and still wearing my favorite PJs. I felt nervous a bit, thinking that this little kissing thing with Syaoran was like my first date with him. If it were my first date, then... shouldn't I look myself pretty for him? I decided to look through my dresser to see if I still have my makeup set that Tomoyo-chan gave me for my birthday last year. I was never a makeup person in the first place and I never really used it just to make myself look pretty. I stared at the small makeup box, complete with blush, eye shadow, and even lipstick. I was thinking of making myself look pretty just to see how Syaoran would react, but I thought to myself... Nah, I'll just stick to just plain, regular ol' me... I don't want him to think that I'm trying to copy Meiling... So I put my makeup kit back in to my drawer and just left it alone.

I prepared my school uniform and the stuff that I needed for today. I looked at the time--- 5:15 am. I thought to myself that at this time, Tomoyo should be awake. I know Tomoyo is a flat-out early bird, so I decided to call her on her personal phone. I dialed my phone to see if she's awake.

"Daidouji Tomoyo desu... ohayou gozaimasu.. (This is Tomoyo Daidouji, good morning!)" Yes! She's up!

"Guess whooo...?" I giggled on my side of the phone.

"Sakura-chan!!" Tomoyo giggled right away, recognizing my voice immediately. "You're up really early!! Wow, what happened...?"

"Oh, I couldn't sleep anymore..."

"Anxious to see Li-kun today, hmmm...?"

"Hoe..." I blushed lightly. "No... I just had this weird dream and I couldn't get back to sleep anymore... Tomoyo-chan, I'm so nervous..."

"Well, do you know what to do now?"

"Well, I packed some things up... I have your mom's magazines, some romance videos including my dad's copy of the Romeo and Juliet video, I got my stuffed animal, some photos of supermodels from my late mom's photo collection, and even some chocolate kisses too!"

"Chocolate Kisses...?" Tomoyo giggled once more. "Be sure they're plain, fresh milk chocolate, that they're THE original Hershey's Kisses, and they don't have any of those almonds or rice krispies in them... Li Syaoran wants them PLAIN!" Both of us chuckled, thinking of Syaoran's pickiness when it comes to chocolate.

"And you know what, screw this, I'm just gonna be my plain ol' self and get through this... I'm gonna do what it takes to make HIM kiss Meiling in that play or my name isn't Kinomoto Sakura!"

"Including giving up your sweet, innocent lips to him...?"

"Hoe----?!" I shrieked in horror. What the hey did she mean by that?! "What do you mean by that, Tomoyo-chan?"

"Well, as the saying goes, if all else fails, you must give yourself up to him..."

"Ack.. I've never even heard of that saying! Mou..." I shook with nerviness, thinking of what Tomoyo just said. "What do you mean by that?!"

"I'm saying that if all of that stuff you use to train him doesn't work, you could always have HIM practice his kissing on you..."

"Agh, Tomoyo-chan, shut up! That's not funny!! I mean, what if he freaks out and all of a sudden later he doesn't want to hang arould me anymore? He'd be scared of me more than he'd be scared of Meiling now... gosh, I'd be so sad..."

"Awww..." Tomoyo giggled softly. "I doubt that. I bet you on the bottom yen that Li-kun wouldn't mind kissing you, Sakura-chan!"

"He... doesn't like me... that way..." I gave away more shades of blushes and yet I felt a little sad thinking about Syaoran not having the same feelings for me. Well, I guess it's a boy thing... boys his age don't go to this kind of stuff yet than girls do...

"Maybe he'll figure it out when he's a little older, Sakura-chan.. but then again, he sure matures really fast... he's the most mature kid I've ever met in my life, you know?"

"No, actually Hiiragizawa-kun... 'wink wink'... is the most mature kid I've ever met in my life--- if you know what I mean..."

"Stop that, Sakura-chan..." We giggled again endlessly, thinking about our crushes. "Oh, I really do wish I'd get to work with you guys on the kissing session today..."

"Why's that...?" I asked her, scratching my head at the same time.

"SO I CAN TAPE YOU GUYS... OOOH, SO KAWAII!!!" I knew she was going to say that at my first thought, but I wasn't so sure. That's Tomoyo for you...

"Well too bad, not this time, Tomoyo-chan! Besides, maybe it's the camera that's also preventing Syaoran-kun from kissing Meiling in the play, you know?"

"Darn... you could be right..." We continued talking throughout the early morning until 6:30 am. We basically talked more about the play, this prize of spending the summer in England if we were chosen by the London acting school guy during performance night, and all the other stuff that didn't involve Syaoran or Eriol. "Welp, time to get ready for school!"

"Yep! See you in school!"

"Yeah... in the morning... remember, you're spending the whole day in the classroom with Li-kun..."

"Well I'll STILL see you in school, so don't get all excited!" We both laughed again as we finally exchanged our goodbyes and hung up.


I dressed up properly and I did not look too messy like I always was every morning when I head to school. I wore my uniform all neat and clean, I even had a chance to take a shower and fix my hair neatly, which made me decide that I would just let my hair loose without the clips and barrettes and the headband on my hair. It was a nice change. Plus, I even dabbed a little bit of my sweet-smelling cologne my dad gave me for Christmas last year on few parts of my neck, just to feel fresh and clean if you know what I mean (whoa, that rhymes!). I don't really use this cologne that much anyway except for special occassions when I go to a party or something. It smelled like those sweet little white flowers that I often smell on the air everytime I pass by my next-door neighbor's house. What was it called again...? Jasmine, I think... well, I forgot what it was. But today was definitely a special occassion--- I get to spend the whole school day alone with Syaoran, trying to teach him how to do the kissing scenes.

I brought along my schoolbag and my huge duffel bag filled with stuff that I just packed earlier in the morning. I even decided to make Dad's coffee and even make breakfast--- pancakes (my total favorite!), scrambled eggs, bacon, and some toast. I even poured some orange juice for myself and Touya. I waited till Dad and Touya come downstairs so we can eat together. Dad came down first, all dressed up to go to college. "Ohayou, Tousan! (Good morning, Dad!)"

"Well... ohayou, Sakura-chan! (Good morning, Sakura-chan!) I'm impressed... you're up early, all perked up and looking nice! Hm, no ponytails or headbands for you today? Well, I can tell you had a nice morning shower and you sure did made your hair so nice and cute... why not let it loose, hm?" Right away, Dad gasped at my breakfast preparation, all freshly cooked and ready to be eaten. "Wow... breakfast! Thank you, sweetie!"

"I'm so happy, Dad... I am going to have a good feeling that today will be such a good day!" I perked up with a huge smile as he and I started eating our breakfast.

"I'm also having that same feeling for you too, Sakura-chan!" I blushed happily, thinking about what may happen later today in school. Syaoran-kun... "Hm, I wonder where your brother may be---"

I heard footsteps heading downstairs. Obviously it was my brother. He arrived at the breakfast table, fixing his tie on his school uniform. He gasped right away when he saw me all up and ready and gave a little suspicious look at me: "Whoa... you're actually up early?! I've heard of an early bird, but I've never heard of an early monster before..."

I glared immediately at him and turned to my father: "Dad, can I take Touya-niichan outside and beat the crap out of him for calling me a monster?!"

Dad frowned right at Touya and said: "Touya, stop tormenting your little sister..."

Touya yawned and stared right at me as he went to eat his breakfast: "Hey, where's the little pigtails that I like to make fun of...? And do I smell cologne on your neck??"

"So?!" I stuck my tongue right at him. "You got a problem with that?!"

"Are you trying to impress somebody in school today?!"

"Yeah--- I'm gonna try and impress my teachers and my classmates during rehearsals, that's who I'm trying to impress!"

"Why do I get the feeling that it's a boy that you're trying to impress, huh...?" Uh oh, I thought to myself. He'd better not find out about my feelings for Syaoran ...

"Touya, that's enough," Dad crossed his arms at him, glaring at the same time. "Sakura-chan's just a happy girl today, okay? If she wants to look nice in school, then let her be who she wants to be for today, okay?"

"Dad, I'm a little suspicious, that's all..." Touya yawned again. I went ahead and finished my pancakes, drank my orange juice, and got up from my seat.

"I'm going now, Dad!" I stretched my arms and grabbed my schoolbag and my duffel bag.

"Whoa, what's with the big duffel bag, squirt," Touya looked at me suspiciously once more.

"They're PROPS for the play, okay? I'm going now!"

"Have fun, sweetie!" Dad waved at me, as I waved at him in return.

"Thanks, Dad... see ya later! Oh, Touya, say hi to Yuki-san for me!"

"Go away already, you little monster..." Touya smirked at me as I ignored my brother's torments and skated my way to school.


Today was really chilly; the fall breeze was really strong, as it carried the dried-up leaves of the trees and at the same time, also blew out these soft, simple, yet so beautiful cherry blossom petals from all the cherry blossom trees I see in every corner of the street to every backyard of every house in the neighborhood. I glanced at these cherry blossom trees and sighed happily. Fate was right after all--- today was definitely going to be a wonderful day. I felt as if the cherry blossom trees were smiling at me, everytime I passed them by. The wind seemed to have blown a million of these gentle petals as if I was walking through the wedding aisle or something... instead of rice being thrown over the newly-wedded couple, it was cherry blossoms instead.

Speaking of cherry blossoms, I remembered the time where my dad told me the story of how I got my name--- sakura, which means "cherry blossom" in Japanese. Mom always dreamed that when she had a daughter one day that she would name her Sakura because she wanted a daughter who would be completely opposite of her. What she meant by this, my dad told me, was that while she lived through fame and through a lot of makeovers during her modeling career, she wanted me to have a different life from her. While the beauty that she has, according to her, seemed a little artificial in some way because of all the makeovers she had to go through for her modeling, she wanted me to be completely natural. Simple yet delicately beautiful, down-to-earth yet not too boring, and someone who likes the company of people--- any kind of person from any kind of background. She said that simple beauty reminded her of one of her favorite flowers, the cherry blossom. The cherry blossom looked so simple to look at in shape, but overall with its bright, light blush pink, it was beautiful to look at and to feel its soft, cottony petals. She wanted me to live a simple life and to be a girl with simple beauty. Not too extravagant, not too plain, but just overall right.

There was no way that I can ever compare myself to a flower, especially to a cherry blossom. A cherry blossom is very graceful when it was being blown by the wind. Me, on the other hand, I was a complete klutz and a naive little kid in which it would take me awhile to realize the things I needed to understand with the world around me. Besides, who the heck would compare me to a cherry blossom anyway other than my parents? Touya, not really, I'd always be the "monster" as he always called me. Certainly not Tomoyo-chan either, since lilies are her flowers, but... well, actually, maybe yeah, but I don't think she's the type of person who would that to me anyway... See what I mean? No one would ever compare me to a cherry blossom or any other flower in fact. I'm just plain ol' Kinomoto Sakura--- plain and simple and happy as can be. I guess I am what my mom expected me to be. It was just too bad that she didn't live long enough to see me grow up... but on the other hand, I still love my mother very much. I just wished I had a chance to get to know her more myself rather than having Dad or sometimes Touya tell me stories about her (Dad, especially).

I arrived on time (again) in school and met up with all the other kids hanging around the front of the school building. In the meantime, I saw Tomoyo, Chiharu, Naoko, and Yamazaki hanging out at the stairway. I skated my way towards them and waved happily right at them. "Hey, it's Sakura-chan!" Naoko cheered out. They all ran towards me happily as they crowded themselves around me. "Hey there, Sakura-chan!"

"Hi, you guys," I greeted at them. "You all look so happy today!"

"I heard that Hiiragizawa-kun's gonna take over Li-kun's role as Romeo during rehearsals," Chiharu said. "I feel kinda sorry for Meiling, since she won't be able to kiss Syaoran during rehearsals..."

"That's because Sakura-chan is gonna spend the whole day alone with Li-kun teaching him how to kiss!" Tomoyo-chan suddenly exclaimed happily with starry eyes. I slapped myself and sighed--- Why did she have to tell them loudly...?

"Oooh, KAWAII NE!!!" Naoko giggled happily. "I always thought that you and Li-kun would look so cute together!"

"You and Li-kun totally CONNECT to each other, Sakura-chan!" Chiharu added with a huge smile on her face. "Tomoyo-chan, you've gotta tape them!!"

"NOOOOO..." I cried with a little pout on my face. "Terada-sensei made me do this with Li-kun... it's not like I'm looking forward to this anyway..."

"Yeah right..." Naoko smirked while Chiharu and Tomoyo chuckled along with her.

"Welp, speaking of that..." Tomoyo suddenly revealed her videocamera and started to tape us. "Smile! You're on Daidouji Tomoyo's camera!"

We all smiled right at the lens of her camera as Yamazaki decided to speak through it: "Did you know that teachers are actually matchmakers in disguise?"

"Yamazaki, that's too old," Chiharu frowned right at her boyfriend.

"Hoe...? Matchmakers?" I blinked, feeling a little nervous at Yamazaki. "How...?"

"Take Terada-sensei, for example... what else would be the real reason why he wanted you to train Li by yourselves alone in a locked room? It's obvious... you're a match made in heaven! Besides, why do you think teachers like to pick on a certain boy and a certain girl during class, huh? Li is Terada-sensei's favorite student, while he enjoys teasing you because he knows you're afraid of ghosts!"

"Waaah..." I shrieked in horror as Yamazaki started laughing at his little lie. Chiharu just shook her head and frowned at her boyfriend once more.

"He's lying, Sakura-chan," Chiharu informed me right away.

"Whew..." I sighed deeply in relief, though deep in my heart that the part where he said that Terada-sensei wanted me to be alone with Syaoran would be true.

"Hey you guys, let's head to the auditorium now and meet with everybody!" Tomoyo informed us while she continued taping us. We just let Tomoyo tape us as we headed towards the auditorium.


When we arrived at the auditorium, I was really impressed to see that half of the stage props were up already. The painting of the actualy city of Verona, Italy was already up, plus the prop of the balcony was also up too. The backstage crew had some help with professional carpenters and artists to make all these props. Right now, the teachers and the students were checking to be sure that the balcony prop was strong and sturdy so it won't collapse when Meiling gets on it and when Syaoran starts to climb the balcony. It looked so beautiful, it almost looked like the real thing!

"We stayed up at night to make all these, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo informed me. "We actually had fun, we had our little backstage party while we were making these... and the designs for the costumes are done too! I'm already making them at my place!"

"Ii ne, Tomoyo-chan! (Awesome, Tomoyo-chan!)" I cheered happily. "But aren't you guys tired?"

"Oh, we're fine, actually. Terada-sensei, Mizuki-sensei, and even my mom were here last night to help us out. We had a lot of fun big time... and we also assembled our own lighting and sound crew too! Mom was able to find some really good reliable people who would do the lighting and sound--- everything is perfect according to plan!" Tomoyo continued on and on.

"Plus, the actors are on the roll too!" Naoko added along with us. "The only thing needed now is to fix Meiling's melodramatic acting--- I mean, I know Juliet's not that dramatic--- and Syaoran's kissing problem!"

"Yaaay!" I cheered happily. "If everything works out, we're definitely going to win that acting summer camp trip in England!!"

"Yes... England..." Tomoyo murmured softly. I saw a lot of blushing coming on her face, plus her eyes were looking out on the air somewhere. Obviously it was already a hint to me--- when she hears England, she thinks of Eriol Hiiragizawa-kun.

"I wanna go to England!!" Naoko cheered happily. "I wanna see the London Tower, the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, the gravesite to the sinister Jack the Ripper, and to those little places and museums where Goth was derived from!!" Uhh... I know that I was always the curious one, but this time, I decided to not bother asking Naoko who Jack the Ripper was and what exactly "Goth" was.

"Hey, Hiiragizawa-kun can be our tour guide when we get there!" Chiharu cheered along. "And he needs to teach us how to speak English with that super-cool accent of his!"

"He's so cool when he talks English with that accent... I wanna talk like that too! And Shakespeare talk is so cool too!!" Naoko joined along with Chiharu while Tomoyo continued to sigh deeply, blushing different shades of red.

"Oh yes... that accent... he sounds so wonderful..." I heard Tomoyo murmuring her sweet words from her mouth. I have to admit, Eriol really did sound so good everytime he spoke his native language, especially with that distinctive, native British accent of his. His Japanese was so perfect and clean as well! I wish I knew other languages fluently too... there's Japanese, my native, then there's English without the British accent (like the one Eriol has), and I'm really hoping if I can learn how to speak Chinese... I'm sure you already know why... Syaoran-kun... sigh...

"AAAAAAAHHH!!!" I heard a loud scream from behind as we all turned to see who it was. Rika dashed right at us happily with different shades of red appearing on her faces. "YOU GUYS... OH MY GOSH..."

"Rika-chan, what's wrong?! What's going on??" I wondered, looking really worried. Rika took heavy breaths as she murmured along with her heavy breathing:

"Li-kun......... outside....... he's.... oh gosh.... he's.... you...... look at him... outside..... aaah... can't... help... it..." Rika suddenly blushed even more, making me feeling curious again.

"What's wrong with Li-kun?" Yamazaki blinked.

"I know I'm in love with someone else and all but Li-kun looks soooo....." Rika sighed deeply and leaned against the wall, placing her hand on her palm and sighed deeply.

"I gotta see this!!" Naoko gasped.

"Wait for me, Naoko-chan!" Chiharu giggled and followed her.

"Oooh, I gotta tape this!!" Tomoyo giggled along and turned to me: "Sakura-chan, you comin' or not? Come on!" Before I was about to say something to her, she dragged me along with my hand as we ran towards the entrance. Before we can even reach there, I already heard Meiling's boasting nearby the entrance as Tomoyo and I stopped from approaching the door.

"Make way for Romeo and Juliet... thank you!" The whole crowd of girls crowding around the door split apart as they let the couple enter the auditorium. Meiling and Syaoran entered, arm in arm, and it looked like Syaoran wasn't twitching like he usually did whenever Meiling tried to hang on to him. Something must have happened, I thought to myself. I wonder what happened between those two...? Then again, since they're both engaged, anything can happen between them anyway.

So this is what the big fuss was about. There was something a little different about Syaoran's appearance today. I can even feel his strong aura all over me, but that was not what the fuss was about. It looked like he combed his hair properly though it still looked a little messy like what his hair usually is, and I can even smell a faint yet sweet aroma of him from not too faraway. I noticed the other girls blushing and drooling completely at him that even Chiharu and Naoko were gawking at him as well. Tomoyo stood there, videotaping the "star-crossed lovers" and their little entrance. Finally when they reached the spot where Tomoyo and I were standing, I blushed deeply, completely crimson red. Syaoran looked completely even more handsome and dashing and mature than ever... so good-looking that somehow the dark forest green blazer that he was wearing along with his school uniform made him seem older than his actual age. It really made him look more attractive than ever. Though green always looked so good on him, to be honest, he would look good on any other color. I wondered to myself why he seemed changed in appearance today... the gods may have heard my plea to make today as a special day, since I would be spending the whole day along with this Chinese prince...

Meiling saw me again and the usual glare (not that it's new) and was about to say something. Then from out of nowhere I heard Terada-sensei from the stage and called her up. Meiling frowned in dissatisfaction as Syaoran told her something in Chinese. She nodded at him and ran towards the stage, leaving Syaoran by himself. The girls were getting closer to where we are, while at the same time I tried to run away just so no one else would notice my intense blushing, but it was too late.

"Sakura..." I froze right at the spot and tried not to show my usual interested look on my face to him. Syaoran turned his cocoa eyes right at me and smiled a bit: "Good morning."

"Goo... goo... goo..." I found myself studdering, really tongue-tied this time. Then Tomoyo suddenly elbowed me gently from the side as I finally blurted out what I was supposed to say: "Good morning Syaoran-kun!"

"You look really nice today, Sakura," he replied with a little smile on his face. I just stood there like a little idiot and scratched my head, trying to be modest.

"Um... heheheheh... thanks... well, I mean, I'm still the plain ol' Sakura, but... heheheh... thanks, Syaoran-kun!" Tomoyo elbowed me once again as I frowned right at her. I rubbed the area of my arm where Tomoyo elbowed me, as I gave away my usual smile at Syaoran: "Um, you look really nice too, Syaoran-kun!"

"Huh? Oh, this?" Syaoran looked at his blazer and just shrugged it off. "It's my favorite blazer... I only wore it on special occassions, but for some weird reason I felt like wearing it..." Uh oh... just like me when I wore this flower cologne Dad gave me for Christmas last year... really weird... talk about... what's that word... doji vu...? dejo vi...? Well, something like that...

"Wow!" I cheered happily. "That blazer looks so nice! It looks expensive!"

"It was a Christmas present from my sister after she had her vacation in Italy," he said. Ack... I just said Christmas too... this is TOTALLY weird!!! What's going on...?

"Ohhhhhh!" I giggled modestly along with my little expression. "Well, it's a really beautiful and I like the green color too!"

"Thanks," he said. Before we were about to talk some more I heard another voice coming from the entrance too, calling for me.

"Kinomoto dear.. where are you...?" The only one who would always say endearing names such as "dear," "darling," and all the other sweet names I can come up would be the mysterious blue-eyed British kid himself.

"Hey Hiiragizawa-kun!" I waved towards him as he approached his way towards us. "Good morning!"

"And a good morrow to you, dear Kinomoto-san!" He finally reached us and he winked right at Syaoran. "Good morrow to you too, my cute little descendant!"

"Can't you call me by my real name for once, Hiiragizawa?!" Syaoran retorted when I hushed him softly so we don't get in trouble by the teachers.

"Dear dear Li Xiao Lang of the powerful Li Clan of China, can't your ancestor ever have some fun for once...?" Eriol replied back with his usual smile. Then he turned his eyes right back at me. "Anyway, sweet daughter, I meant to talk to you about---" Before he can continue, he was distracted by the sight of my best friend standing next to me, who is now drooling her eyes out and was even ignoring her videocamera recording all this at the same time. "Ah... Daidouji-san my darling... I'm so sorry that I didn't see you here..."

"Uhh.... uhh... uhh..." Now it was my turn on this one by elbowing Tomoyo on her arm, causing her to finally say what she wanted to say: "Good morning, Hiiragizawa-kun!"

"Good morrow, sweet flower..." Eriol smiled sweetly towards Tomoyo, which even made Tomoyo more nervous and completely red all over her. "The beauty of the stars are now just a mere reflection of thy natural radiance, dear Daidouji-san..."

"Oh.... my...." Tomoyo suddenly dropped her videocamera on the soft seat. Luckily it wasn't the floor, since we were standing in front of the seats anyway, otherwise her camera would be broken.

"What's with the mouse squeaking, Daidouji-san? The world would never be a stage without the sweet music of thy voice, my dear..."

"Um... um.. um..." Again, I elbowed Tomoyo on the side, making her blurt out what she was supposed to say: "Sorry, but I was just lost in my thoughts right now, that's all, and I can't wait to get this play going on so we can have our hopes of being chosen to go to your country for the summer... um... yeah..." And again, the blush on her face continued to redden.

Eriol chuckled softly and replied: "Let me show you the London Tower where the Royal Family store their historical crown jewels when we get there... I really do need to speak to the jewel appraisers there to see how much and how rare your beauty matches with the rest of these precious treasures..." Okay... now he has gone way too far with this flattering... so far that I even found myself fainting... luckily Syaoran isn't this kind of person...

"Oh... oh... Hi... i... ra... gi... za... wa.................... kun............." All of a sudden, Tomoyo passed out, which freaked me out.

"Aaah... Tomoyo-chan!! Tomoyo-chan!!" Luckily I caught her just in time while Syaoran and Eriol were standing behind me, looking at what just happened to Tomoyo. "Wake up, Tomoyo-chan!!"

"Was it something I said...? Oh my, I humbly apologize... surely I must be careful next time... oh so sorry, darling Daidouji-san ..." Eriol murmured as he gently covered his mouth.

Syaoran glared right at him and replied: "Jeez, for someone who is my ancestor, you sure are a big flirt ..."

"Ay, me ..." Eriol sighed softly, still looking at the fainted Tomoyo while I tried to wake her up. "There's so many beautiful girls here in Tomoeda, my cute little descendant..." He turned to Syaoran and looked at him sadly: "... and I'm sooooo lonely..."

Syaoran shook his head and dragged Eriol away from the scene: "Hiiragizawa, you have an identity problem, you know that...?"


Finally we were at our early morning brief meeting again with the teachers. This time, Terada-sensei generally explained about the new changes in rehearsals, with me spending time with Syaoran in the classroom training him how to kiss and that thing about that guy coming from England and the theater summer camp too! Boy, I really wanted to win that trip... it would be such a brand-new experience for me. Anyway, Tomoyo finally got her conciousness back and was now resting her head on my shoulder, still looking a little tired after what just happened. In the meantime on the other side I saw Syaoran sitting with Eriol and Yamazaki while Meiling was also resting on Syaoran's shoulder. I wasn't too worried this time whenever I see them close together like that. Later today, I will be having my chance to spend alone with Syaoran. I can't wait till Terada-sensei finishes his briefing!

And I surely just wish Eriol would stop flattering Tomoyo too much... we all know how sensitive Tomoyo can be when it comes to things like that. I whispered to Tomoyo softly: "Looks like Hiiragizawa-kun has the same feelings for you..."

Tomoyo frowned at me and sighed sadly: "He always says that to all the girls... including Mizuki-sensei... You really can't tell if he really likes you or not..."

"Kawaisou, Tomoyo-chan... (poor Tomoyo-chan...)" I placed my arm around her and comforted her, as Tomoyo whispered a "thank you" to me.

Just a few minutes later, the briefing meeting was concluded. It was back to work again and the time has come. I went backstage to get my stuff with Tomoyo helping me carry my schoolbag. We were about to go to the area where Syaoran was when we were immediately interrupted with the familiar call from that same area: "HEY, KINOMOTO!"

"Oh Sakura-chan," I heard Tomoyo murmuring, "Juliet is calling out for you..."

I turned my head to see who it was. Oh great... I stood still and watched Meiling leave that spot, dragging Syaoran along with her, and headed right towards our direction with that same glare at me. Finally they reached right towards me as she shot at me: "Don't you DARE touch MY Xiao Lang, Kinomoto! I'm warning you!!!"

"Meiling---" Syaoran attempted to interrupt, but Meiling continued on her rambling:

"Just because you're the director, doesn't mean you have to take advantage of the situation! I've kept my eye on you since day one and until now you're still trouble for me AND Syaoran, and here in this play that I am finally going to have a chance with him and declare OUR love for each other IN PUBLIC, but YOU had to come along and had to ruin EVERYTHING in here!!"

"Meiling---" Again, Syaoran tried to interrupt, but I decided to reply to the impatient Chinese Juliet...

"Calm down, Meiling," I said to her, "you're overreacting! It's NOT my fault that I'M the director, it's NOT my fault that I HAVE to teach Syaoran how to kiss, and it's for sure that it's NOT my fault that I HAVE to do this ALONE with him, okay?! Besides... don't you want Syaoran to kiss you for real on stage?!"

I heard Syaoran murmuring on my ear: "Uhh... where are you getting at, Sakura...?"

"I KNOW GIRLS LIKE YOU, KINOMOTO!" Meiling continued on. "You know how long I've been protecting Syaoran from boy-crazy girls like you, Kinomoto? Ever since back in Hong Kong when OUR family presented him to the whole country when we were little... and ever since he was exposed to public by attending a public school with the rest of the kids, there has been too many girls who wanted to be friends with him, to play with him--- EVERYTHING! And even until NOW that here in Japan, it's all the same!! You are gonna be SO SORRY if you do ANYTHING to him at your little 'kissing session'... you have better NOT lay your dirty little lips on Syaoran's sweet ones or YOU DIE, got that?!"

"UGH, SHUT UP ALREADY, MEILING!!!" Before I was about to reply again, Syaoran suddenly shot out his anger towards her. "I'LL HANDLE THIS KISSING PROBLEM MYSELF WITH SOME HELP FROM SAKURA, OKAY? DO ME A FAVOR AND STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Uh oh... we've got an angry Li Syaoran on the way here... Personally I get really scared everytime he gets angry. In fact, the whole class--- heck, the whole school even--- do not want to mess with him when he's very angry. Tomoyo even fled and ran to Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko, probably passing out the word about the three of us again. "Syaoran-kun, calm down..." I tried to get in, but again, Meiling was first to reply to him.

"But... but Xiao Lang, Kinomoto---"

"MEILING, I'M NOT KISSING KINOMOTO, I'M KISSING YOU, REMEMBER?! SO CALM DOWN AND JUST REHEARSE YOUR PART WHILE I REHEARSE MINE, ALRIGHT?!"

"Xiao Lang..." Meiling murmured and again, started to talk to him in their native language again. What does this mean for Kinomoto Sakura? Time for me to leave the scene. I decided to take my stuff and walked away from them, knowing this was another one of their private talks (arguments, whatever...). I headed towards the teachers to let them know that I'm going to the classroom and set up this session with Syaoran. Tomoyo and the other three girls went up to me and asked me if I was alright after this little three-way fight with Meiling and Syaoran. However deep inside, I really did feel horrible. Maybe Meiling was right... maybe I was being selfish and tried to win the heart of a special boy when it was already won by someone else. But then again, if that was true then why did Syaoran call me last night, even if Tomoyo gave him my phone number without him asking for it? And... also, he wouldn't be taking a break with me yesterday by sitting next to me, drinking water and... stuff, you know?

I opened my duffel back to be sure that the Clow Book is still in there (or else I'd be in big trouble, you know?) and sighed in relief. I don't know why I brought the cards with me in the first place, but just in case some weird things happen in the meantime, I want to be sure that I'm prepared. Tomoyo and the others looked really concerned about me and my little "involvement" with the future couple of the Li Clan: "I don't know why Meiling always blames you for all her troubles with Li-kun..." Tomoyo frowned. "I know you would never intend to ruin their relationship, Sakura-chan!"

"I'm getting used to it, Tomoyo-chan," I replied, still checking to be sure that all the stuff I needed were all in here.

"You know what, Sakura-chan," Chiharu frowned right at me, "you can't let Meiling boss you around like that! You're the director, she's the actor... actors CAN'T boss directors... the directors are ALWAYS the boss! If you had to give up your lips for him to practice on just for him to learn, then that's HER problem, not yours!"

"Yeah, so what if she's Li-kun's future bride, doesn't mean anything," Naoko joined in, another furious look. "If she keeps claiming that Li-kun is hers, then how come Li-kun doesn't go around other guys saying 'Meiling's mine, you bug her, you die by my hand' and some other stuff like that? Come on, Sakura-chan, I know you're WAY better than Meiling, she's just being a snooty ol' bully, just because she's engaged to Li-kun, that she's rich and you're not, and she's better in Math than you, and..."

"Okay, I get the picture..." I rolled my eyes. I finally zipped my duffel bag and hung it around my shoulder. "Well, I'm outta here... wish me luck."

"You can do it, Sakura-chan! I know you'll succeed in making Li-kun kiss! We're rooting for you!" I heard Rika giving me a little cheer.

"GO GET HIM, SAKURA-CHAN!!" Tomoyo cheered along while the rest of us just stared at her, looking confused. I tried not to blush this time. "Oops... I.. I... I mean... uhh... GO MAKE LI-KUN KISS AWAY, SAKURA-CHAN!"

I stuck my tongue at them and said, "Thanks a lot, you guys..." We waved each other goodbye as I made my way towards the door. On the way I was greeted by Yamazaki and Eriol, who were both reading their lines in the script.

"Good luck to you both and Li, Kinomoto!" Yamazaki cheered with a big grin on his face.

"Don't be too nervous now, Kinomoto dear, at first, it would feel a little peculiar, but after a few seconds, you and Li will be able to---" Eriol was thinking wrongly on what was going to happen between me and Syaoran, though I really did wish something may happen between us today... not that I do intend to break him and Meiling up, but... why is this heart pining for Syaoran so much...? Why...? I can see it through my heart now, asking this same question as Juliet would ask when she learns that the one she fell in love with was the name of the enemy... while as for me, I fell in love with a boy who was already engaged to someone else and not to mention that he was also my partner in capturing these Clow Cards...

Oh Syaoran, Syaoran, wherefore art thou Syaoran...? Why did it have to be you, Li Syaoran...? Deny thy identity and refuse thy name... and I shall no longer be a Kinomoto...

"Uhh... I'll keep that in mind, Hiiragizawa-kun..." I giggled softly.

"Don't worry about your best friend, Kinomoto-san," Eriol added one more statement. "She will be fine... I should apologize to her for my actions... but she's just so sweet and so beautiful that sometimes my instincts could go wild sometimes..." He sighed lowly as I shook my head.

"Well, I'm going now... you guys good luck..."

"Good luck, Kinomoto... we're counting on you! I want to go to England!!" Yamazaki cheered along.

"Don't be afraid, my cute little daughter," Eriol winked at me, "my cute little descendant is a wonderful kisser... he still has yet to discover that very special hidden ability of his, and at the moment, he is soon to discover it when you and he step into the classroom alone---"

"HIIRAGIZAWA-KUN?!" I blushed deeply when he said that and smacked him on the back of his head, as Eriol just chuckled along.

"Oh my, you shouldn't leave right away, my dear," Eriol continued to tease me like he always does, "don't forget your handsome chocolate-eyed Romeo..."

"Hoe..." I turned my head and saw Syaoran running right towards us. I almost forgot about him... ugh, what's wrong with me? Maybe I got intimidated by Meiling that I tried to avoid him when she's arouond... but we all know that Li Syaoran is completely unavoidable, right?

"You're leaving already?" I heard Syaoran called from behind. I felt another sweatdrop falling on the side of my head while scratching my head at the same time.

"So--- sorry, Syaoran-kun... i-it's just that..."

"Never mind, Sakura, let's get outta here..."

"Okay!" I waved goodbye to the boys again as Syaoran and I exited the auditorium, heading our way back to our classroom.


Few minutes later, we arrived at the classroom and entered using Terada-sensei's keys. I felt nervous and completely shaky all of a sudden when Syaoran closed the door behind us when the two of us entered. I turned to him with an uncertain response on my face, as he turned his face towards me with no reaction at all. "Um.... um.... um.... well... this is it, Syaoran-kun..."

"Yeah... let's get this over with..." Syaoran murmured. I nodded as I walked towards my desk, still looking clean as if I have not been here in almost a week. I placed my duffel bag and my schoolbag there on the side. Then, I opened my duffel bag and looked to see what we should do first. While looking through, I saw Syaoran sitting back on his seat behind me, looking directly right at me.

"Um... I brought lots of stuff... for us to... um... practice... um... yeah..." Syaoran stood up from his seat, bent over towards the duffel bag to see the stuff that I put in there. The first thing that he saw was the Clow Book.

"Why'd you bring this, Sakura...? It's not like something wrong may happen when we're... um..." Syaoran wondered as I looked towards him and replied.

"Well... for emergency purposes... I mean, if all of these other junk may not work at your kissing thing, then... um..."

"Well, whatever, they're your cards, Sakura... just don't abuse them so much..." He placed the Clow Book back into the duffel bag as he sat back on his desk. "What'd you bring anyway...?"

I took out Tomoyo's mom's magazines, some of the romance videos--- both Japanese and American videos, one of my favorite stuffed toys, and a bag of Hershey's Kisses. In the meantime Syaoran was looking at the stuff that I was taking out from the bag and the next thing that he noticed other than the Clow Book was the small bag of Hershey's Kisses... "Whoa! Are these Kisses for me?!"

I blushed lightly and nodded. "Um, yes... I... I thought that... um..."

"PLAIN MILK CHOCOLATE! NO ALMONDS, NO RICE KRISPIES, NO NUTHIN'! THANKS, SAKURA!" Syaoran gave a huge grin and decided to take the bag away when I smacked his hand and took the bag away from him. "Ow... HEY!"

"Not until you learn how to kiss..."

"What is this, torture?! That's not fair, Sakura! You know how I dig those kisses..."

"This bag will be yours when you finally learn how to kiss... romantically..."

"Aw man..." Syaoran frowned and leaned back against his seat. I took the bunch of magazines and placed it on Syaoran's desk. I took my stuffed animal and placed it in Syaoran's hand. "Hey, what's with the stuffed animal?"

"Lesson #1, Li Syaoran... kiss simulation with a kiss dummy..."

Syaoran looked at the pink rabbit toy that I just handed to him and stared at it. "Kiss simulation? Kiss dummy.... wha...?"

"I'm gonna read the instructions in this magazine and you just simply follow along and that pink bunny is your kiss dummy ..."

"Sakura, I don't kiss stuffed animals... only babies, girls, and wussies do that stuff..."

"Would you rather kiss Meiling right away instead...?"

Syaoran immediately shook his head and exclaimed: "Okay already, hurry it up!" I flipped through the page where the kissing column was and read the instructions:

"Ah yes, 'How to Give the One You Love His/Her First Kiss'... step one..."

"Hurry it up already!"

"Step #1 - Be sure that you have a fresh breath, just in case you and your lover end up doing the---"

"Sakura?!!" I giggled softly as I skimmed down.

"Okay, here we go... Step #1 - You must have eye contact with the one you want to kiss..."

Syaoran looked pretty awkward and stared at the stuffed animal. He rose the stuffed animal so the fuzzy little furry face is right in front of him. I was about to laugh at first, but I restrained myself and continued reading. "Step #2 - gently caress your lover's cheeks with your hand, but best recommendation are the tips of your fingers..."

He looked a little disgusted at the pink bunny as he used his tips of his fingers and stroked the cheek of the animal. I was about to laugh again, but I continued reading: "Step #3 - Tilt the head slightly..." Syaoran tilted the pink bunny's head. "Tilt YOUR head, Syaoran-kun, not the bunny's head!"

Syaoran glared at me and said "YOU NEVER SAID THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO TILT MY HEAD... ALL YOU SAID WAS 'TILT THE HEAD'!"

"Well, that's what it said in the magazine!"

"I told you those dumb advice columns in those girly fashion magazines are stupid... you never listen to me, Sakura!"

"WILL YOU JUST DO IT AND TILT YOUR HEAD?!" Hah, finally told him off. Syaoran reluctantly tilted his head slightly, then I noticed him looking at me instead of the bunny. "DON'T LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT THE BUNNY!"

"Gross..." I heard him murmur as he kept his eyes towards the bunny.

"Step #4 - Slowly approach your lover and close your eyes halfway before you reach your lover's lips..." I noticed Syaoran puckered his lips up as I shook my head. "Don't pucker your lips like that, Syaoran... it looks ugly..."

Syaoran glared at me once more as he kept his lips back to its normal state again.

"Step #5 - Part your lips halfway and finally when you touch your lover's lips, gently capture the upper lip with both of your parted lips and gently, softly, and lovinlgly kiss---"

Syaoran went back again and stared at the bunny: "Sakura, this thing doesn't even have a pair of lips... how am I supposed to kiss this thing?! I told you that dumb advice column is stupid!"

"Hoe...." I sighed deeply when he complained once more. Okay, so the stuffed animal simulation didn't work.


My second attempt was instead of using the stuffed animal, I took out all the most gorgeous photos of supermodels from Touya's bathing suit magazine collection. Maybe these beauties would drive him wild and make them kiss their lips. With these, maybe I can help him try to imagine Meiling looking like one of these beauties so it'd be easier for him to kiss her on stage. Syaoran looked at me all weird as I just gave him my usual smile. "What the heck are those...?" Syaoran raised an eyebrow right at me in suspicion.

"Swimsuit magazines," I replied.

"Swimsuit magazines?!" Syaoran blinked in confusion. "How's THAT gonna help me kiss girls, Sakura?"

"Heheheh..." I started to open random magazines and showed some images of whatever to him. "Isn't she pretty...?"

"Gah...." Syaoran found himself choked and immediately froze. "Wh--- wh--- where'd you get that magazine from?!"

"I swiped some from underneath Touya's bed earlier this morning while he was sleeping!" I giggled as Syaoran finally caught his breath.

"Why are you doing this to me, Sakura?!"

"Don't you think they're pretty, Syaoran-kun?" I giggled as I opened more pages and showed him another random pic.

"GAH, MY EYES!! SAKURA, DON'T MAKE ME LOOK AT THEM... I'M TOO YOUNG TO LOOK AT THOSE... THERE'S A REASON WHY GUYS LOOK AT SWIMSUIT MAGAZINES LIKE THAT... IN FACT, THEY'RE NOT EVEN SWIMSUIT MAGAZINES!"

"Hoe...?" I blinked. "They're not...?" I scratched my head and grabbed another magazine, opened it, and showed him another image.

"AAAHHH... SAKURA!!!" All of a sudden, Syaoran fainted with his nose bleeding.

"AAAAHHH!!! SYAORAN-KUN!!!" I dropped the magazine and ran to him. I took out a small pack of clean tissues and gently wiped off the blood from his nose as I tried to wake him up. "Syaoran-kun... Syaoran-kun... please wake up... don't end up like Tomoyo-chan earlier... please..."

"Unnngghhh..." Syaoran murmured as he regained consciousness. "Where am I...?"

"Syaoran-kun! I'm glad you're okay!!" I felt happy when he opened his beautiful brown eyes and suddenly embraced him. "OH SYAORAN-KUN, I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!!"

"Uhhh... Sakura..." Suddenly I just realized, I did it again... I ended up hugging him so close to me. I was going to release him immediately before I turn back in to a tomato, but it was too late. I felt his arms wrapping around me. I blushed even more and just sighed deeply. "Sakura... just..."

"Y-yes, Syaoran-kun...?"

"Get rid of those magazines right now before my nose starts to bleed again... okay, Sakura...?"

"Sorry, Syaoran-kun.. I didn't know that they're..."

"Shh.... just throw them away before the teachers see it, Sakura..."

"Okay..." I didn't want to get up and let him go, but I already felt his arms disappearing from me, so I stood up and took these magazines and hid them in my duffel bag. I'll throw them away later or sneak it back in to Touya's bedroom before Touya finds out that they're missing. I wonder what kind of magazines these are that made Syaoran faint and have a nosebleed like that... Ah well, okay, so supermodels in swimsuits... or whatever the heck they were... didn't work.


My third attempt was watching some romance videos. I got A Walk in the Clouds, an American movie, Omiai Kekkon, a Japanese drama series, To Heart... Koishite Shinitai, another Japanese teen drama series, The Wedding Planner, another American movie, and of course, Romeo and Juliet - British version. Syaoran stood in front of me, looking at the videos that I brought. He gave me another dissatisfying look and stared at the videos. "What? No action?!"

"There's TONS of kissing scenes in these videos... take your pick and we'll watch it... and LEARN from how they kiss..." I said.

Syaoran raised another eyebrow at me and said: "They're just like me and Meiling, Sakura--- they're acting, and their kissing isn't even for real!"

"But they're believable, Syaoran-kun!"

"I'm not in to these romance movies, Sakura! I remember back in Hong Kong when my sisters always make me watch these mushy movies with them and I always end up falling asleep..."

"There's nothing else I could do to make you kiss... I've run out of ideas... watching videos is my last idea..." I sighed deeply and lowered my head. Syaoran-kun... what... what is it...? What is it that's preventing you from kissing Meiling...? What is it...? Why can't I find the reason why... oh I wish I had the ability to read his mind... I looked up slowly again towards him and I noticed him looking curiously at the videos that I brought out. Then from out of nowhere, he found something in my duffel bag and took out another video. I blinked with surprise to see a video that I must have accidentally brought. Luckily it wasn't one of those gross adult movies or something like that.

"'Little Giants'...?" Syaoran blinked, reading the title of the video I must have accidentally brought. It was another American movie that Touya and I watched a long time ago... it was actually about these bunch of ten-year-old kids in some American football league or something and their coaches, opposite of each other, were brothers in a feud or something like that. Though I don't know much about American football, since it's not really much common here, I did enjoy the movie. Not because it was sports, but I think American football looked really fun to play. I loved the Icebox, the only girl in the "Little Giants" football team... she kinda reminded me of myself--- we were both in to sports and we're both cheerleaders... sort of. And for some reason, the quarterback, Junior, whom the Icebox has a crush on, reminded me a little of Syaoran... not completely, but a little. "Hey, what's it about, Sakura?"

"Ten-year-old kids and American football.... look, I didn't mean to bring that along with me, but---"

"LET'S GO WATCH THIS INSTEAD!" Syaoran got excited all of a sudden. "ANYTHING but boring romance stuff is good for me..."

I frowned at him. I felt as if Syaoran became irresponsible all of a sudden and that I had to punish him like an annoyed teacher. "Syaoran-kun, come on, this isn't funny anymore... my heart is so set towards that England trip... please... I'm begging you... please, tell me why you don't want to kiss Meiling..."

Syaoran fell silent and looked directly right at me and murmured nervously: "Uhh... uhh... well... you would never understand anyway..." He went ahead to the VCR and turned on the TV. He popped in the video and sat back to his seat on his desk.

"Syaoran-kun, please... I want to help you conquer it and recover... I don't understand why you can't convince yourself that this whole kissing thing isn't for real..." I was ready to give up. He did not even react to my concerns just hushed right at me.

"Shh... movie's starting... go take a seat... I got some chips... want some...?" I decided to stop arguing with him and join him by watching the movie. I grabbed the potato chip bag as I kept myself quiet, watching this hilarious American footbal movie involving kids our age and stuff. No words were exchanged as we kept quiet by watching.

Right in the middle of the movie were the Cowboys coach and his assistant were spying on the Giants team, I noticed Syaoran moving his seat right next to mine. Maybe he wanted some potato chips, I thought, so I handed him his huge bag of chips as Syaoran took it from me. I stretched my arms and decided to relax back on my seat with my legs on top of my desk table. While watching, too many thoughts were going through my head: I can't believe I'm slacking off from our rehearsal! We're supposed to kiss... I mean, learn how to overcome this kissing problem... look at us now, we're slacking off like a bunch of couch potatoes, feeding on potato chips and watching an American football movie! I can't believe Syaoran's doing this to me... why can't he tell me his problem with kissing in public... or kissing Meiling rather... ugh, why...? I was hoping that something special may happen, but nothing's happening at all! Oh man, I wish I re-checked my stuff again, I can't believe I left that stupid football movie in there... I should've just dragged Meiling in here and make Syaoran kiss her even if I had to tie and glue their foreheads together, but nooo... I'm watching a football movie WITH him!!

An hour and a half later, I realized something in this movie that actually made me realize that this movie MAY even help him learn how to kiss. We were getting to the scene where Icebox was just sitting alone at the lake, watching two teenage lovers making out on a boat in the middle of the lake. She just sat there, sighing sadly, probably imagining herself being kissed by Junior... until Junior arrived and snuck up behind Icebox. Then he took a glimpse at the lovers making out and felt grossed out. From there, the two kids started joking about kissing until later, their little joking turned a little serious. All of a sudden, Icebox asked Junior about her cousin Becky, the captain of their cheerleading squad, and wondered if Junior was in love with her and if he would want to kiss her. From there, Junior seems to be in denial with that question, then Icebox started to wonder if Junior would be attracted to her if she were a cheerleader like her cousin. At that point with the assumptions and the questions, I decided to take the remote from Syaoran's desk and paused the video.

"Hey!" Syaoran frowned and glared right at me. "Why'd you do that for? It was getting good too..."

I became really serious this time and glared at him: "Syaoran-kun..."

"What gives, Sakura?!"

"One question, one answer, Syaoran-kun..." Syaoran got up from his seat and looked right at me. "Do you love Meiling...?"

"What?! Sakura, what's gotten in to you?" Syaoran blinked in confusion as I repeated myself again.

"One question, one answer, Syaoran-kun... Do you love Meiling...?"

Syaoran sat back and crossed his arms right at me and replied: "Depends on what you mean by love..."

"Just answer the question, Syaoran-kun! I need to know, please!!" I found my voice sounded a little bit more serious and almost begging-like, sort of. Maybe if he answered my questions, I would probably figure out how to help him with this kissing thing.

"Why do you wanna know, Sakura?" Syaoran wondered.

"So I can figure out how to finally help you overcome this kissing fear thing you have..."

He sighed and lowered his head and murmured: "Yes... I do love Meiling, Sakura..."

Right at that moment I did not know how to react. Maybe his love for Meiling may help him overcome his kisisng problem, my mind said, however my heart is weeping in sadness, saying that Syaoran isn't really interested in any other girl... me, specifically. Then, I decided to ask him this question: "If you love Meiling, wouldn't you want to kiss her...?"

He looked at me directly and replied: "Perhaps... yes..." Another arrow of heartbreak just targeted my poor, weeping heart directly--- a perfect bull's eye hit.

"Then... let me ask you this question, Syaoran, and please, answer it truthfully..." I gulped nervously at first, then caught my breath: "If..... um... well... if I were Meiling..."

"Hm...?"

"Syaoran... If I were Meiling ... would you kiss me...?" I did not care anymore. I just surrendered my heart and my hidden feelings if I had to... this football movie and this whole kissing thing is completely driving me nuts already that I just had to let everything out. I know this may shock you, Syaoran, but... I do have feelings for you and...

I love you, Li Syaoran... and even if you don't feel the same, I will always love you... deep within my heart...

Syaoran sat silent, looking a little shocked when I asked him that question. I was waiting for his answer, but nothing seems to be coming out from his mouth. In my mind, I asked the same question again:

If I were Meiling... would you kiss me, Syaoran...?


To be continued...

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Sorry, but I don't wanna rush... I wanna make this moment special, you know...? You'll just have to wait till the next chapter comes. =P

Comments? Questions? Reviews? Email me--- lucca@rikku.nu--- or just visit my website--- http://kinomoto.nu! Want to have your Sakura & Syaoran fic hosted? Visit my S&S fanfic archive: Cherry Blossom, Little Wolf - http://kinomoto.nu/cblw