Hey guys...

Sorry it's been so long since I last updated...No one has given me any ideas...And I'm running out...I just need filler...

BTW, I don't own CCS... other wise, I wouldn't be writing fanfic... oh, well...

R+R, hope you like!!!

Oh, and a Happy New Year to you all!!!

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Tomoyo lazily opened her eyes and glanced at the clock. What she saw there made her jump up and scream. "Sakura!!!!! WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!!!!"

Sakura sat straight up in bed, then lay quickly down again, moaning and groaning in pain.

"WE ONLY HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS!!!!"

"Fifteen minutes? That means I have ten more minutes of sleep..."

Kero, who had been scared out of his wits by Tomoyo's senseless screaming, awoke and started yelling at Sakura as well... "SAKURA!!! THIS MAY BE THE ONLY DAY YOU ARE EVER AWAKE EARLY ENOUGH TO PERHAPS BE ON TIME!!!"

"If I ever stop getting yelled at, I might get up out of bed."

Tomoyo re-entered the room with Syaoran at her side. Sakura looked up confused, not realizing that Tomoyo had even left the room. Syaoran rushed over to her bedside and gently lifted Sakura out of her bed. He set her on her feet, and then shouted at Tomoyo.

"I just realized something!!! We didn't bring any bags!! We don't have any clean clothes for today!"

Sakura began to regain her senses as she commented, "Tomoyo may wear one of my outfits...Syaoran, I guess you are just on your own. You'll just have to wear the one from yesterday."

After Tomoyo was done acting like a mother hen to Sakura, who was about as useless as a newborn giraffe (A.N. newborn giraffes are very clumsy and have a very hard time standing up on their own), dressing her very neatly—well as neatly as she could for as much as she was rushing, afraid of being late.

Five minutes later, Sakura and Tomoyo were downstairs, dressed and ready. Syaoran, on the other hand, was still in his pajamas. "I refuse to wear my dirty uniform."

"Will you just wear it so we can hurry on to school? I can't rollerblade, so that means we have to run-walk," pleaded Sakura.

Syaoran melted at the look on Sakura's face and immediately gave in and left to hurry and get ready. "You girls go ahead and eat, cause I already have."

"We don't have time..." Tomoyo moaned.

"Sakura needs her strength, Tomoyo. I demand that she eat something...Anything."

Sakura turned a couple of different shades of red. This did not go unnoticed by Tomoyo and it reminded her painfully that she didn't have her camera with her.

Tomoyo obediently made some toast for Sakura, who jammed it down her throat. They met Syaoran at the door. He had his uniform on, but it looked very rumpled and disheveled. Sakura looked up at his face. He wore a look that said "I'm not happy about wearing a dirty uniform, but I'm doing this just for you". Syaoran stood there with everybody's bags and handed Tomoyo hers, slinging his own and Sakura's across his back.

"Syaoran, I'm well enough to carry my own bag."

"No, I don't want you to be in any pain."

"Whatever...You have been acting very weirdly this morning. Are you sure you're ok?"

Syaoran stiffened as he heard a few giggles escape Tomoyo. "I could tell you what is wrong..."

Syaoran turned slightly pink. Tomoyo had a pleased/starry look on her face. He realized it was possible that she could sense why he was being so protective of Sakura.

"You can tell her later. If we don't stop standing around here talking, we are going to be late."

Tomoyo agreed and her face fell. She was waiting for the perfect time to tell Sakura what she had seen the previous night. "I guess I'll have to tell her later," she thought.

They dashed as fast as was possible with Sakura trailing behind them. They were all too out of breath when they reached the classroom to say anything, so they all took their seats, just as the bell rang.

Mrs. Fuji did not look pleased that all three of them had nearly escaped the tardy bell. Sakura was expected to make a mad dash, but Tomoyo? Her earliest student? And Syaoran? Her best and brightest student? She understood that Sakura needed to be taken care of, but how far could it go?

"Man, we almost didn't make it!" gasped Syaoran. "But it's a good thing we got here just on time...Mrs. Fuji looks ready to kill, or at least hand out detentions at the drop of a hat... I think we had better watch ourselves the rest of the day." Sakura nodded as she turned to face a very grumpy and disheveled-looking teacher.

"Miss Kinomoto. And where is your project?"

"Ummm...Hoe...Tomoyo told me that our project wasn't due until Monday, because you made an exception for me because of all the trouble I got myself into..."

Mrs. Fuji did not look satisfied with Sakura's answer. "My rule was exact, Miss Kinomoto. You are not an exception to my rule. All projects are to be turned in on time unless you lay dying on your deathbed the day the project is due, and I'm thinking about changing that rule because even if you lay dying, a family member should be able to bring it up here for you."

Sakura shrank back into her seat. She was speechless. Why had Mrs. Fuji picked today to be meaner than she had ever been before?

"Ten points off Miss Kinomoto, that is if you manage to 'whip one up' over the weekend and turn it in on Monday."

Sakura wanted to curl up and die. Luckily no one was laughing at her. They were, however, staring at their teacher in horror as they were powerless to go up against her might and defend their friend.

Fortunately, Mrs. Fuji left Sakura with that warning and proceeded to the front of the room to begin the morning announcements.

"I wonder what has gotten her so riled up this morning? I mean, I know she's just naturally and normally mean, but today she was ruthless...And you couldn't help that you were in the hospital for a few days..." Syaoran's words of comfort fell on deaf ears. Sakura was crying with her head laid on her desk. Syaoran instantly wished he could make the world better for her, and felt his insides give a jerk at this sense of not being able to change what had just happened. If Mrs. Fuji had been a monster, or a card that needed capturing, he would have destroyed her without any trouble. But she wasn't. She was his teacher, and teachers were to be given respect, whether they deserved it or not. Syaoran attempted to put his hand on Sakura's back to at least know that he was behind her and he felt sorry for her and wished he could protect her—wait, he didn't want her to know that much...—but at least he wanted to remind her that it would all be ok.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Fuji caught sight of this attempt and stopped it in its tracks. "Mr. Li. Sakura is much deserving of the stern rebuke for her procrastination. Your comfort will only encourage her."

Syaoran jumped back into his seat, but noticed that Sakura had risen to a sitting position and looked somewhat better because of his effort. He smiled. He'd do anything for his broken emerald-eyed angel. Anything.

Mrs. Fuji cleared her throat, trying to regain control of the class. It seemed that they were not too happy about the goings on of the morning and were quietly discussing it amongst themselves.

"If you chatterboxes are quite done, you will have your morning announcements. If not, you will go without your precious news."

The class, not wishing to invoke any more wrath, and certainly not wishing to be the next victim of her anger, quieted down to a silent mass.

"The school has had a lottery of sorts for the decorating team for the dance. This class will have the opportunity to decorate the school's gym with the appropriate décor for the dance. The theme, then, is needed in order to decorate properly."

One student was bold enough to cross the lion's warpath and ask why the information in detail was necessary.

Mrs. Fuji's answer was curt and sharp. "Because our class has been chosen to decorate."

Loud whoops went up through the room. They were going to decorate! And they had such skilled fashion bugs, that they knew that the dance was sure to be a success. When were they supposed to decorate? Surely not after school...There wasn't enough time. The weekend perhaps? Too early...The dance wasn't until a week from then. Another round of cheering escaped as they realized they would have to get out of class to turn the gym into a dance floor.

A loud roar was heard, and the class went dead. Mrs. Fuji, apparently, was not done. "If you think for even one moment that you are getting out of doing my work, you are sadly mistaken. I will allow you MY time for your precious little dance, ONLY because I am required to do so by the principal. You still have to make up for the work you will miss, and I will only allow the excursion from my class to occur on that Thursday and Friday. All other days will be purely devoted to my class, and my class alone. Any more mention of the decorations or dance is strictly prohibited. If I so much as hear a whisper escape your lips about any of it, detention is where you will find yourself instead of the gym on those days, and you will be doing a double load of homework."

The entire class went stiff, mainly because now they understood why the lion was in such a rage. She had had her tail stepped on by a higher authority and was powerless. That was why she had bitten Sakura's head off earlier.

Sakura, who had been cheered up to some degree, dared to approach the raging lion and asked, "You were going to tell us the theme of the dance..."

Mrs. Fuji almost exploded at the mere word "dance", but had to calm down to some degree when she realized that she had meant to tell them earlier. "The theme for the dance," she sneered, "will be 'Winter Wonderland', since it is so close to Christmas."

Sakura, ever the polite one, thanked her teacher for the information, which nearly sent the lion into a tirade.

The rest of the day went smoothly, except for a few times when Zach tried to make a joke to lighten the mood, which only succeeded in enraging their teacher.

The last bell of the day rang mercifully, loud and clear, as if to announce that the torture for the day was over and the prisoners were being let out of their cells. Syaoran, Sakura, and Tomoyo gathered their belongings. Syaoran, of course, slung two bags over his shoulder, one of which was Sakura's. He saw her attempting to protest, but cut her short.

"I am in no mood after what Mrs. Fuji did to you this morning to see you in any more pain. Nothing you can do or say will dissuade me from carrying your bag."

Sakura discovered it was useless to resist such chivalric behavior, especially coming from him. He was always nice to her, but in an "I'm-ok-with-you-just-so-long-as-you-keep-your-distance" kind of way. She had never seen the prince charming side of him. She wished it would come out more often.

Tomoyo was watching and wishing sooooooo badly that she had not forgotten her camera at home. It was moments when Syaoran's protective side came out that the camera appeared and did it's best work. She glanced at the cute pair. Syaoran had two bags over his shoulder and was beginning to escort Sakura out of the room, and Sakura had turned about two different shades of pink. Why this of all days had she forgotten her extra limb? Instantly she brightened and ran after the couple. Coming behind them and poking her head between theirs, she declared, "Remember how we don't have any overnight bags? Well, I need to go home on our way to Sakura's house and pack a bag. It's kind of out of the way, so I'll let you two walk on home and I'll meet you there when I'm done!"

Syaoran looked a little hurt. "I need to go to my house and get clothes more desperately than you do, and Sakura is NOT walking home alone, something could happen to her."

"I guess you'll just have to go over to your apartment and get your bag as soon as I get back with mine, since you OBVIOUSLY won't let Sakura be by herself."

Now, it was Syaoran's turn to become the blushing fool. "Uhhhh...Uhhhh...Yeah, that sounds like a good plan Tomoyo," he managed to stammer.

"Good, then the plan goes like this: You walk Sakura home while I go to my house to get my stuff. Later, you go to your house and get your stuff."

"Yeah."

"Bye, then!" Tomoyo yelled as she ran past the couple out into the hall. "Have fun you two love birds," she mumbled under her breath.

Syaoran was now left alone, speechless...Well, not quite alone. Sakura was still there with him, stunned as he was about Tomoyo's urgency to get her belongings. Normally, she would have told Syaoran to go home and she would walk Sakura home. But today she was acting oddly, well more oddly than she normally was.

Sakura managed to break the silence. "Syaoran, shouldn't we head home?"

Syaoran stumbled from his standing stance and agreed.

Slowly, as to not injure his precious angel, he guided her through the door and into the halls, ready just in case she should need him for any reason.

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Sorry to leave you like this...I am running out of ideas fast!!!! If you have any that would be helpful in any way...email it to me murphypanther2003@yahoo.com or include it in a review...

Sorry to make Mrs. Fuji soooooo mean, but it helps develop the plot, no?

And what is Tomoyo up to? Why is she acting so weird, and why is Syaoran so protective?

And I'm very sorry about not making it an entire day long, but I need ideas and no one has volunteered any...

Anywho...Review!!! The more I get, the faster the next chap gets done!!!