AN: I am so happy because I might not have to go to school tomorrow because of a teacher strike! Ahahahahaha!

Sakura: Lucky duck :P

Kero: *sleeping on a pile of pudding* zzzz

Ice: I think Kero's in paradise ^^;;

Sakura: Yeah, I never knew pudding could be so...evil.. *shudders*

Ice: I know, it's scary when you know what the side affects are after having 100 cups of pudding >.

Sakura: I never want pudding again!!

Ice: Me either...well, onto the story and arigatou for the reviews!!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own CCS and it's character, so pooey. CLAMP owns it -.-


" Speech
> Thoughts
() Translation





To Guard our Love
Chapter Four: Don't let Go
Written by Enchanted Ice Star










It had been three days since Sakura's first day at the Li Mansion, and today Sakura rose in a cheerful mood like usual. She smiled in excitement as she glanced at the calendar.

"Kero! Today the class is going on what human's call a ski trip! I wonder what skiing is!" Sakura exclaimed while brushing out her silky auburn hair in front of the mirror.

"Tell me about it when you get back alright?" Kero piped in.

Sakura smiled and nodded, "Of course!" She tied her hair up into the usual pigtails. "FeiMei told me that I should dress warmly and she leant me her old ski jacket and gloves." Sakura quickly went into the washroom and brushed her teeth. "I can't wait!!" She said in a muffled voice since her mouth was full of tooth paste.

She grabbed her school bag and waved good bye to Kero as she ran off to Syaoran's room. She peeked in a noticed that the room was empty and she frowned. "He's gone already?!" Sakura ran down the stairs and saw everyone at the table eating breakfast already.

"Good morning!" She greeted as she took her seat which was across from Syaoran's.

"I heard that today's your ski trip," Fuutie said. "Would this be your first time skiing Sakura?"

Sakura nodded excitedly. "It sure is! I can't wait!"

"I can't wait until I see you fall off a cliff or something," Meiling mumbled, but no one heard except for Syaoran and Sakura.

Syaoran quickly stuffed his breakfast in his mouth and pushed his chair back to leave. Meiling grabbed onto his hand, "I'm coming with you!" She grabbed her bag and followed him. Meiling looked behind her shoulder and made a face at Sakura.

Sakura frowned and quickly got up to catch up to them.



"Ok class! Take your seats boy, girl, boy, girl. Two to a seat!" Mrs. Leaung instructed as the class filed into the bus impatiently.

Tomoyo stuck her tounge out. "We have to sit with a boy, which means we won't be sitting together!"

"At least we'll be skiing together, right?" Sakura said cheerfully.

"Hai," Tomoyo replied.

Sakura ended up sitting with Syaoran and they were right at the back of the bus. Syaoran sat down gruffly with his arms crossed as he looked away.

Sakura blinked and sighed as she looked out the window. At least I can keep a good eye on him this way. But he doesn't seem to happy about sitting next to me.>

Syaoran noticed Sakura sigh and he glanced at her for a second out of the corner of his eyes. It was the first time he noticed how sparkly Sakura's emerald eyes were, and she had a nice feeling around her. He quickly looked away, feeling uneasy.

"So, is this your first time skiing?" Sakura started a conversation as the bus started.

Syaoran grunted, "That's none of your business."

Sakura frowned and Syaoran noticed the hurt expression on Sakura's face, but it quickly disappeared as she continued. "It's my first time. I don't even know what skiing is."

"You don't?!" Syaoran's amber eyes widened.

"Nope," Was Sakura's short reply, and they were silent again through the rest of the bus ride.


Sakura and Tomoyo followed some of the students to the rental place to rent their skies and poles. Sakura stared in amazement at the people on sticks called skies skidding pass her.

"Wow! It seems like they're sliding!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I guess they literally are sliding," Tomoyo giggled as she got her skies and poles. "This is your first time right Sakura?"

Sakura nodded as the lady behind the counter handed her poles and skies. "Yeah..."

"No need to be frightened!" Tomoyo said with a bright smile. "I can teach you in no time!"

"Really?!" Sakura's lips broke into a smile.

"Yep! Come on, I'll show you how to put your skies on!" They stepped out of the rental cabin and out onto the snow. They laid out their skies on the ground and Tomoyo showed Sakura how to push down and get into her skies.

"There! Now hold onto your poles like this..." Tomoyo held her own poles to show Sakura, and Sakura followed. "There, you got it!"

Sakura felt her feet go wobbly since she didn't feel very stable on skies. "Hoe......HOE!!!" Sakura started sliding backwards and down a small hill. "HOE!!!! I can't stop!!!"

Tomoyo pushed off with her poles and chased after Sakura. She quickly grabbed onto Sakura's poles and they stopped after a couple seconds. "Are you alright Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah..hoe...that was scary!" Sakura said with a breath.

Tomoyo giggled, "At least you didn't fall and tumble down the hill! Here, I'll teach you how to snow plow."

"Snow plow?" Sakura blinked.

"That's how you stop. You place your skies in sort of a V shape, but make sure you don't cross your skies," Tomoyo explained while demonstrating. "And the harder you push on the heels, the faster you will stop."

Sakura copied what Tomoyo was doing and she did it for a couple times until she felt comfortable. "I think I get it..."

"I think so too! Why don't we try the bunny slope?" Tomoyo pointed to the little hill below them.

"Hoe..." Sakura sweatdropped.

"HAHAHAHA! Kinomoto is scared of going down the bunny slope!!!" Sakura and Tomoyo glanced over their shoulders and saw Meiling laughing while hugging onto Syaoran's jacket, Yamazaki stood beside them.

Tomoyo frowned, "Sakura's just learning, Meiling."

"Ha, and she doesn't seem to be getting it at all," Meiling snapped back. "I didn't even have to learn at all! I knew how to ski at once and I'm an expert at it!" She said proudly.

Sakura frowned, "Well, I'm not like you and I need to learn."

"Meiling, don't be so mean," A girl in pigtails came skiing over towards them.

"Chiharu-chan!" Tomoyo greeted.

Chiharu smiled, "I'm guessing you're Sakura! We're in the same biology class aren't we?"

Sakura nodded and smiled back, "That's right."

"Hmpth, let's go Syaoran!! Let's go to the EXPERT slope, and leave these BEGINNERS alone," Meiling taunted.

Chiharu sighed as they watched them ski away. "Don't mind Meiling. She's always like that, and I don't see why she's so mean to everyone!"

"Hoe...well, I'm going down that slope!" Sakura said confidently as she moved a little towards the bunny slope and she started sliding forward.

"That's the spirit Sakura! Remember to snow plow to slow down!" Tomoyo called down to her friend as Sakura started skiing down the small slop.

Sakura gripped onto her poles tightly as she tried snow plowing. She sighed in relief when she slowed down, and a smile spread in her face as she turned around and waved back at Tomoyo and Chiharu who were behind her. "I did it!!"

"Yay!" Chiharu and Tomoyo came skiing down towards her.

Oh! I completely forgot that I should be guarding Syaoran!!> Sakura thought distressfully. "Um, Tomoyo-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Where's the expert slope?" Sakura asked, her voice slightly shaky.

Tomoyo tilted her head in confusion. "It's pass those hills over there and you have to take the ski lift, why?"

"Well...er..." Sakura turned around and skied off.

"Matte Sakura-chan! Where are you going?!" Tomoyo and Chiharu called.

Sakura looked back briefly. "I'll be back soon, don't worry!"

Tomoyo and Chiharu blinked, "I hope she knows what she's doing."


After many stumbles and falls, Sakura finally made it to the ski lifts and got on. She went slightly wide eyed when she noticed how high she was going, but then she shook her head. Why should I be scared?! I've been flying in the skies for years and I was never scared...don't be scared...don't be scared...> Sakura repeated in her head.

When she arrived at the top of the slope, she felt her knees go weak. "Hoe..." Sakura sweatdropped and looked around trying to catch sight of Syaoran or even Meiling.

"Xiaolang! Watch me!!!" Sakura turned her head to that familiar voice and saw Meiling skiing down the huge slope in a tremendous speed. Sakura stared in awe but then she quickly remember her duty and saw Syaoran standing a couple feet away with a bored and tired look on his face.

"Li-kun!" She called and slowly skied over towards him.

She saw him look her way and she noticed his amber eyes widening in shock. "What are you doing up here Kinomoto?!"

"To look for you..of...coourrrse!!!!" Sakura started sliding backwards and down the slope in lightning speed. "HOE!!!!!! HELP!!!"

Syaoran watched Sakura's figure zooming down, and he quickly took off after her. "TRY SLOWING DOWN!!!" He yelled down to her.

"I...I CAN'T!!!" Sakura yelped as she clamped her eyes shut. She was sure she was going to hit a tree or something, and she could feel the ground beneath her twisting and turning. "AHH!!!"

Syaoran's eyes widened when he noticed that Sakura was swerving towards the right, which was the edge of a cliff. "SAKURA!!" He tried harder to speed up and he was getting closer to Sakura, and he noticed that her eyes were shut tight in fright.

He was only a couple centimeters away and they were only a couple centimeters away from the edge of the cliff...

The edge of Sakura's skies slipped off the edge, and Syaoran reached out for Sakura's out stretched hand...

Sakura's eyes opened as she felt herself falling backwards, and both her hands letting go of the ski poles..but then she felt a green aura coming close and then she felt something around her right hand just as her whole body went off the cliff.

"DON'T LET GO!!" She heard Syaoran's voice call down, and that was when she noticed that Syaoran was holding onto her right hand and that she was dangling off a cliff.


**Sakura's point of view**

I don't know why I have this weird feeling, but I feel warm inside knowing that someone risked their life to save me. Yet this person was Li Syaoran, and instead of me guarding him, it seemed like it was he who was guarding me.

Our hands are tightly locked together, as I stare back at him with round frightened eyes. I could tell that he was using all his strength to pull be back up, but with my skies and boots, I was just so much heavier.

So much for being his guardian angel...but I can see determination in his eyes. A determination to save me? And I remember him calling out my name... "SAKURA!!" He had screamed.

I felt weird when he had shouted that out. I felt a new determination rise inside of myself to live, but now I was risking his life.

"Let go of me Li-kun," I say softly.

"No," Was his firm reply.

I feel warm after that reply, but I shouldn't be risking his life. I was suppose to be protecting his life with all my life! This just wasn't right! "Let go, onegai (please)?"

"Try pulling yourself up," He ignored my plea, instead he wanted me to pull myself up somehow. I could hear the stress in his voice, and I could feel my hand slipping slowly out of his.

I look back up at him, and I see an intense fire in his amber eyes. Locks of amber hair fell in his face as he tried to pull me up harder, but it just made our grip loosen even more.

"Please, let go," I plea again.

He clenched his teeth and tries once again to pull me up. I feel useless, I should be the one protecting him.

"Just don't let go and everything's going to be fine," I hear him say to me. Somehow, it was actually comforting, and I wanted to laugh. I would have never thought to have heard those words coming from the cold Li Syaoran.

There seemed to be silence after that, except for the howl of the wind...

And I could feel my glove slipping off because of the cold sweat that had built up inside...and my emerald eyes widen...and I see his chocolate brown eyes widen to..

And I fell.


**Syaoran's point of view**

The silence is deafening...and suddenly I feel the weight on my hand being lifted, and all I was left with was a pink glove. My eyes widen, as I see the girl I had tried to save fall to her death.

I feel a sickening feeling in my stomach, and I feel my heart twist. I was still holding onto that glove, with my hand outstretched in the same position.

I can see her falling again...and again...

"SAKURA!!!!"

The name escaped from my lips as her figure completely disappeared out of my site. A billion thoughts raced through my mind.

But then, one question popped in and out of all the thoughts. Why did I risk my life to save this girl? Didn't I hate her so much? Wasn't she as annoying as Meiling and even stranger? But why did I risk my life...to save her?

I don't know why, but I felt like I had to. Sure, she was annoying, and she was like my shadow, following me everywhere and never giving me any privacy. But...but it made me feel like I was protected...she was always trying to keep me in site.

Maybe I felt a responsiblity to save her? I couldn't just watch her die, I had to save her...but here I am, with a pink glove in my hand, and the wind still howling through my hair.

Falling....


She fell.....


I feel...like it's my fault...


....Sakura?







AN: Ohohoho! Cliffhanger!

Sakura: Literally! I was hanging off a cliff!

Ice: *sweatdrop* I meant that the ending of this chapter was a cliff hanger.

Kero: *wakes up* Oh? Uh? Wha? *notices all the pudding underneath him* I'M ON PUDDING MOUTAIN! YATTA! AND MORE PUDDING FOR ME FROM bugmagnent :D:D:D Chocolate pudding from Syaoran's Fan? Hmmm....could be poisonous :S And...^0^ A CENTURY supply of pudding for me???!!! Awwww thankies Mysterious Dark Eyed Wanderer!! SO MUCH PUDDING!!! OH! WHAT IS THIS I SEE?! A CARROT?! :P:P:P But thank neways CCS crazygirl ^o^

Ice and Sakura: T.T

Ice: Well stayed tooned and...

Kero and Sakura: REVIEW =^-^=