[I decided not to TYPE any more for chapter two, simply because there was
nothing else to type…
But, these chapters are going to be interesting, and MUCH MUCH longer!!! :D
I must say, these are going to b HECKUVA interesting chapters! There's gonna be:
~ Spin the bottle ^o^
~ *moments*
~ And towards the end, a WHOOOOOOOLE lotta angsty, depressing stuff. But the beginning and middle's happy!
~ Er…self-inflicting injuries…as I said ANGST, DEPRESSION
~ AND FUN FUN FUN AND MORE FUN!!
One more thing…
I don't own this. Don't sue me.
AND ONE MORE THING…
Um, this is six days after Syaoran beat Hishirito and he burst into flames, it's Friday.
~SAKURA~
I yawned in class, Friday afternoon, watching my teacher drone about proofs and angles in some language that they call geometry. The sun finally started shining through the window as I stifled another yawn. I guess the rain stopped… My head started to droop, just as a voice echoed in on my brain.
-Sakura you have to stay awake.-
It was Syaoran. I smiled slightly—he was always the one to keep me awake, and always cheer me up. I was in a good mood, only six days ago Syaoran had burned, roasted and toasted Hishirito, and now that a power hungry wizard was gone, I was happy. Now I had more important things to tend to—Like Syaoran.
-I know, it's just so boring-, I replied in Mandarin; he had taught me a couple years ago.
"And that's all for today's lesson, please work with the person sitting next to you."
Suddenly, I blushed. Syaoran sits in the row next to me. Eriol sits in front of him, and Tomoyo sits in front of me.
Eriol and Tomoyo pushed their desks together, and Tomoyo turned her head ever so slightly so I could see the evil smirk hovering on her lips.
She was my best friend. And through all of our years of being friends, I never, ever thought she was evil. I had never questioned it. But when she got together with Eriol, they could cook up some scary schemes to get Syaoran and I would get together.
Ha. Like that'd ever happen. I wish they'd work though…
"Sakura?" Syaoran again.
"Yeah?" I said, looking at him, smiling cheerily.
"D'you wanna start working on this?" he asked, avoiding my eyes.
"Sure!" I replied, scooting cautiously towards him.
I heard Eriol cough—but it was more of a barely disguised laugh—into a tissue.
Syaoran glared menacingly at him, but shoved his desk towards mine, and we started working on the homework together.
"So we insert y WHERE?" I asked, befuddled.
"Right here," he replied patiently. "And we don't put it there, we substitute 2x+4 where the y is so we can find out what x equals. Understand?"
"I think," I replied uncertainly, tapping my pencil against the desk. "Wait! So if you substitute the formula for y and put it in the parenthesis, then you distribute the four to each number, therefore making it 8x+16 and then combining the 8x with the 2x! I GOT IT!" I crowed. (A/N: We had to do this worksheet with the same problem today in Geometry. It's for these stupid exam things. But anyway, if any of you know what I'm talking about, this isn't proofs.)
"Right!" he exclaimed. "Good job, Sakura."
I blushed, and I heard Tomoyo sneeze in a very fake way. I narrowed my eyes and kicked hard her in the back of her chair, blushing terribly.
Syaoran smirked as Tomoyo fell into Eriol, and both blushed deeper than we had ever seen them.
I giggled, and Syaoran hesitantly smiled back.
"CLASS," wheezed our teacher, clapping her hands together, "As you are aware, you'll be going on a surprise at the end of the week. But it's not a surprise any more!"
Miss Mitsuki came into the class room, followed by Mr. Terada, who was smiling broadly.
"Class, you're going to perform a talent show for the elementary school next week!" he said cheerfully.
"A talent show?" I murmured curiously; but I wasn't the only one. The whole class started whispering excitedly.
"Did you know that tal—" started Yamazaki, but Chiharu interrupted him, and slammed her Geometry Textbook on his head. He slid down his chair, swirly eyed. She dusted her hands proudly, as Mr. Terada cleared his throat.
"Tomoyo, please pass the forms out for the school talent show, in case anyone wants to sign up."
~ERIOL~
I watched Tomoyo fondly as she flicked back a strand of dark hair, and smoothly walk to Miss Mitsuki. She calmly passed out the heavy papered forms, eyes flicking from face to face. I noticed, smiling, that she was weaving around the room oddly, and she wants me to be the last person she hands the paper to.
I swear her eyes lingered on mine, and I forgot everything as I stared into those amethyst pools.
She dropped the last two forms, one on her desk, and one to me. We were still watching eachother.
"Is there something on my face?" she asked self-consciously, touching her cheek.
"Uh, n-nope," I stammered, running a hand through my hair. -So much for being causal and aloof-, I scolded myself.
"Oh." She smiled sweetly at me, then turned her attention to Mr. Terada and Miss Mitsuki.
Irritably, I realized that I could have stopped time, and just let me and Tomoyo be alone. But Li and Sakura would probably sense it, so they'd be unaffected by the time freeze.
So I watched our teachers tell us the same thing the form said.
"Hand these in next week, because Sunday we'll have the dress rehearsal and then Tuesday we'll have the show."
-Is anyone going to do it?- I asked, feeling somewhat foolish.
-Possibly,- answered Sakura. -I just don't know what I'd do.-
The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and the class scrambled for their bags and books.
"Are you guys gonna do anything?" Asked Tomoyo animatedly, pulling her hair into a loose pony tail.
"Sure," said Sakura distractedly. "Dad won't mind. . . Where's my book? Have you guys seen it?"
"I'm coming. Are you, Li?"
"Maybe," said Syaoran, handing her book.
"Oh, thanks Syaoran." She blushed, cramming it hastily into her overstuffed bookbag.
Tomoyo and I exchanges sly smiles, as Tomoyo said, "Shall we go?"
"Of course," I replied promptly, entwining my arm with hers.
She laughed lightly, and we walked out the door together, and Syaoran and Sakura, both blushing, followed us.
~SYAORAN~
It was really cold even though the sun was shining weakly, and puddles of cold water dotted the sidewalks and streets. Eriol had decided to walk Tomoyo home, so I just decided to walk with Sakura for a little bit.
"Syaoran?"
"Hmmm?" I asked, too much absorbed in her to realize what she asked.
"Uh…well, we passed your apartment," she stated.
"It's okay," I decided. "D'you want me to walk you home?" I asked then, terribly embarrassed.
"Sure, Syaoran," she replied, smiling a little. Then she dropped it.
"What's the matter?"
"Well—it's just that every time we go on a field trip, weird stuff always happens, like. . .the. . .Void. . ." and she fell silent.
"But you caught and transformed all the cards. . .so there's nothing to worry about." I assured her.
"Yeah, but. . ."
"But. . ."
"What if something happens?" she asked worriedly.
"You can take anything that gets thrown at you," I replied awkwardly. "And we'll all help you, no matter what."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm positive. And besides, this is supposed to be fun."
"I'll try and remember that if I'm about to be thrown off the stage by some weird force." She commented dryly.
I laughed softly, and repeated, "But we'll all help you."
"Thanks Syaoran," she whispered. "You always know how to cheer me up."
I smiled crookedly. "Well—" words got caught up in my throat, as we paused in front of the stoop at her house.
"Syaoran, I—" she half said, then bit off her words.
"Yeah?" I asked casually, pretending not to feel my heart thudding in my throat.
"Uh," she whispered, shifting the binder into her other arm. A strong wind blew, and some papers flew out of the notebook. "Oh no!" she cried, leaning forward to grab one that was dancing near her, but her bookbag straps suddenly split, her bag tumbling off of her back, and stumbled over it, then she tripped in a crack in the sidewalk, that I SWEAR was not there, and fell into my arms, our faces perilously close to eachother. I blushed immediately, and she just stared at me. [A/N: Hmmm, seems as though some other _forces_ are involved with Sakura falling into Syaoran. ^.~]
I could see my reflection, vaguely, in those big emerald eyes. Her amber hair spilled across her face, and she began to blush prettily. A wind blew again, and she moved forward a centimeter, her hands gripping my jacket.
We just froze. Magnetically, I started moving closer to her…
~SAKURA~
I was shocked, and my cheeks felt warm. Wait, that was an understatement—how a bout almost bursting into flames?
But I was literally inches from Syaoran's face, and I was utterly surprised I had not fainted yet. His warm honey eyes were locked into mine, his dark mahogany hair in more of a disarray than usual. I couldn't move. My hands were holding onto his jacket in a death grip, and his arms were around my waist. My waist! Syaoran was practically hugging me!
And a gust of wind pushed us closer together, and my heart went from a fast beating to a barely distinguishing banging against my ribcage.
And it was like a magnet—we started drawing closer to eachother.
Oh my god—we were about to kiss, and he kind of flicked his hair out of his eyes by tilting his head, and pulling me in…
When a huge pickup truck roared down the road, driving through a gigantic puddle of water that *happened* to be in the road—and splashing us in the process. A huge wave of water hit us, drenching us from head to toe.
We pulled away, instantly embarrassed, and I, mortified. I blushed, realizing he looked even hotter when he was soaking in his school uniform. I was more than tempted to fry that truck into a heap of dust. My hand went to my neck, and I gripped my Key of Clow necklace.
"Are—are you okay, Sakura?" he choked, hitting his chest.
"Yeah," I wheezed, pushing soggy strands away from my eyes. I blinked a couple times, and sighed. "Well," I muttered unhappily, "I gotta go get into dry clothes."
"Right," he said quickly, stooping and handing me a mass of soggy papers.
"Thanks," I sighed, heaving up my bookbag.
"Bye Sakura."
"Bye Syaoran."
He walked me to my door, carrying my bookbag and I opened the door with my house key, and he turned to leave after handing me my bookbag. "Syaoran?" I called quickly.
"Yeah?" he spun around.
"Uh…I'll s-see y-you t-tom-m-tomorrow," I stammered, "A-at T-Tomoyo's c- Christmas P-Party, okay?"
"Are you cold?" he asked worriedly.
"Y-yeah," I shivered visibly, and slumped my shoulders slightly. I was happy
He frowned. "Well don't get sick," he cautioned.
"B-bye, Syaoran!" I called.
"See you tomorrow, Sakura."
Grinning, I closed the door with a snick, and tromped upstairs, to be greeted with a golden-brown projectile fly into my face.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING HUGGING THAT BRAT?" He yelled, waving his tiny arms about. "YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU ALMOST KISSED!"
"I wish," I sighed, grabbing a pair of jeans and a sweater from my closet. "I'm gonna go take a shower," I said, dancing light steps to the bathroom.
Kero sat on my bed and watched me go, shaking his head.
~SYAORAN~
I watched Sakura close the door, and smiled, shaking my head and accidentally splattering everything with in a ten foot radius with water. Sighing, I began to walk home.
I cursed as a wind, incredibly cold, cut across the street and chilled me to the bone. Then my face softened as I thought about Sakura. Again. Suddenly, I thought of something. Didn't the city just repave all of the sidewalks and streets in Tomoeda last week? So there should be no logical reason why there would be a huge crack that Sakura could trip over. And her book bag straps couldn't just split like that…not unless…
"ERIOL!!!" I roared, spinning around. There was Tomoyo and Eriol, floating behind me.
He grinned widely, as Tomoyo started laughing. Loudly. Mockingly.
I ground my teeth together angrily, clenching my fists. Water dripped from my hair, as I glared menacingly at him.
Smiling, he replied, "Don't you WANT to get together with Sakura?"
I reddened, and stepped back, and retorted, "That's not the point."
"Of course it is," pointed out Tomoyo.
I noticed then the silver camera in her hand. "You—two—are so evil." I growled.
Tomoyo smiled angelically, and Eriol shifted in front of her protectively.
"Why don't you just tell her?" asked Tomoyo over Eriol's shoulder.
"Because," I muttered
"You're hiding something," said Eriol knowingly.
"YA THINK?" I yelled, suddenly angry. "YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE FAINTEST IDEA!" I spat venomously—Eriol took a step back.
Angry and confused, I spun around, practically slipping in my wet shoes. and pelted out of there, faster than I had ever ran before.
I reached my apartment in ten minutes flat, hardly winded, then pounded up the steps, and fumbled with the keys, then flung open the door, slamming it behind me. I kicked off my shoes, dropping my bookbag, suddenly exhausted. Wearily, I slunk to the closet, grabbed a towel and slipped into the bathroom.
After a hot shower, I felt much better, and I used a little bit of my magic to dry my clothes, book bag and its contents, and my shoes.
I sank onto my couch, unhappily recounting of what happened. The phone rang, and I picked it up.
"Hello?" I muttered, leaning into a pillow
"Syaoran?" asked a voice at the end of the line.
"Hey, it's me—Tomoyo."
"Oh. What's up?" I asked
"Well, Eriol and I felt bad about what we did to you guys," she started.
I snorted into the phone, and she continued. "But, it's so obvious, Syaoran."
"What?"
"That you like Sakura." she said, as if stating the obviously.
"I—but, if—how…?" I stammered, blushing.
"Syaoran, it's obvious. So why don't you tell her?"
I stayed silent. Tomoyo's one of my best friends…shouldn't I be able to trust her?
"Syaoran?" she asked
"It's…because…I'm afraid of rejection." I said into the phone.
There was silence on the other line. "She wouldn't reject you, Syaoran." Tomoyo said finally.
"How do you know?"
"I just do," she said flatly. "I'm her best friend. But…I gotta go now, so I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Bye."
We hung up, and I sighed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~THE NEXT DAY~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~SAKURA~
For most of Saturday, I just lazed around, getting prepped for the Christmas Party Tomoyo was having tonight. She came over, and she helped me pick out a cute outfit that I could wear there. I ended up wearing a fashionably oversized, cinnamon pink wool sweater with matching ribbons in my hair, dark denim jeans, and platform sneakers. Tomoyo looked gorgeous in a turtleneck that matched her eyes with bell sleeves, and a long black skirt with slits up the sides, and her hair was up in an elegant bun.
We left my house, and went inside to her huge mansion, that was properly festooned with garlands, and other Christmas ornaments.
Her butler let us in, and we stepped inside, as cheery Christmas music played, some of our friends were playing games or talking. Looking around, I didn't see Eriol or Syaoran yet.
"Oh, they're not here yet," smirked Tomoyo.
"Who?" I asked innocently enough
"Eriol and Syaoran, of course. But I gotta go check on the food really quickly, so I'll be back. Most of our class is here."
"'Kay, Tomoyo." I said, drifting away, to Naoko and Rika. "Hey guys!"
"Hey!"
"Hi!"
We chatted for a little while, until Naoko sucked in breath and Rika's eyes turned huge.
"A-are you okay?" I asked worriedly, as they started to giggle and blush.
Suddenly, someone tapped on my shoulder, and I turned around, and came face to face with Sean Jacobson, who was half Japanese, half American. He had lived in America for most of his life, but moved to Tomoeda a year or so ago, when his parents got relocated.
All of the girls had thought he was cute—he had big blue eyes with flecks of purple, and a thatch of blue-black hair. He was the captain of the football team, and his dimples drove the cheerleaders crazy. He was incredibly popular because of his status on the social chart, and his parents were also rolling in money.
I'd heard he had a _reputation_ and it wasn't that admirable to me. Not only did he date a lot of girls, but he went too far with way too many of them. Sure, he was cute, but Syaoran was down right hot, and my amber eyed hottie had _morals_, unlike Sean.
"Hey, Sakura." he said in his deep voice, putting a candy cane behind his ear.
"Uh, hey Sean." I said uncertainly. We barely talked, because I usually hung out with Tomoyo and the others, but Sean was friends with more of the exclusive, snootier people.
"I gotta tell you something," he whispered conspiratorially, leading me away from my friends, and closer to the Christmas tree.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"This." He said and he leaned forward and kissed me on the lips.
~SYAORAN~
I walked in the party, a little bit late, and stood in the door way. And my jaw dropped, as I saw Sakura and Sean kissing. I went hot, then cold, then numb, as I felt my stomach plummet.
Eriol walked up behind me and saw what I was seeing. Brow furrowed, he grabbed my shoulder and pushed me into the hallway.
~SAKURA~
Sean smiled blissfully as he broke away from me, and I blinked as I tried to put together what happened. Vaguely, I saw a shock of familiar brown hair turn away from the door. Syaoran? Had he seen?
"YOU JERK!" I yelled angrily, snapping. The party fell silent. No one, except Tomoyo, had heard me yell—so angrily, before. Every one was watching me and Sean.
"Whassa matter, Sakura?" he asked innocently.
I slapped him across the face, and you could hear my hand hitting his face hard. That drew snickers from the crowd, and Sean stood up indignantly, hand on his face. I ran to the kitchen, collapsed in a chair, and buried my face in my arms.
"Sakura, what happened?" asked a soft voice. Tomoyo.
I whispered her the whole thing, and forced back my tears.
"I'm so sorry…" she whispered, patting my shoulder.
I blinked a couple times, then raised my head. Suddenly, my heart cracked in anguish, as I thought of Syaoran
"Syaoran saw," I murmured, brushing the hair away from my eyes.
"Yeah, I did," said a voice from the wall.
My heart stopped, as I turned to see Syaoran leaning against the wall. Eriol was sitting on the table.
I paled, then blushed, as Eriol sneezed, and said, "Tomoyo, dear, I am famished. Where is the food?"
"Oh, I'll show you, Eriol," said Tomoyo, just as cordially.
Tomoyo—how—why—WHY ARE YOU DOING THIIS!!?!?!?! YOU'RE LEAVING ME WITH SYAORAN, IN YOUR KITCHEN!
And with a swirl of her skirt, they left the kitchen.
"Sean's a jerk, you know," said Syaoran.
"Yeah, I do." I said ruefully, drawing my knees up to my chest.
"Don' t let it bother you, he won't after I get through with him." He growled, clenching a fist.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'll kick is butt if he does that to you—if anyone does that to you---ever again."
I blushed, and whispered, "Shall we go back?" I stood on shaky knees, because I almost started swooning and blushing at the same time. HE SAID HE'LL KICK SOMEONES BUTT FOR ME! OH MI GOD!!!!
[A/N: HAAAAAAANYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!]
"Sure," he said, and opened the kitchen door for me, letting me go through first. I tried to remember if he'd ever done that before.
"SYAORAN!!!" squealed an inhumanly high voice, as a blond girl ran headlong into his arms. Kia, the assistant captain of the cheerleading squad, had a huge crush on Syaoran. And everybody knew it. Including me. I forgot my anger, sadness and confusion, and instead I ground my teeth together, watching her as she fussed over him.
"Hey Syaoran…" she cooed, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Guess what we're standing under…"
She was watching the mistletoe that was dangling above our heads. "No..NONONONONONONOOOO!" he wailed, Syaoran—actually WAILED, and he began trying to run. Her fingers were clamped around his wrist, twisting him around. I inched away, my eyes shut in disgust, as she planted a big kiss on his cheek.
Winking, she walked away.
To my extreme confusion, Syaoran began to bang his head against the wall. "Uh…what are you doing?" I asked, touching his shoulder lightly.
He flinched at my touch, and then muttered, "I'm purifying myself."
I started laughing, then we walked together to find Tomoyo and Eriol, who were sipping punch and talking casually. They turned to look at us, and Tomoyo smiled.
"Hello! We're kinda bored…" stated Eriol , smiling slowly. I suddenly became very wary, as that certain smile meant utter humiliation for me in the near future.
"How 'bout we play a game?" suggested Tomoyo casually, flashing Eriol a brilliant smile.
"N-no g-games," I stammered, knowing exactly where this was leading.
Syaoran suddenly blushed, catching onto my train of thought, and said, "Uh, I agree with Sakura…no games."
"And what if you don't play? What are you to gonna do? Make out under the mistletoe?" smirked Eriol evilly.
I was mortified, and Syaoran was about to throttle the smug guy when I grabbed him by the back of his shirt, grabbing a Coke and handing it to him.
"I—WILL—KILL—you!" he growled, squeezing the can.
"We'll play." I relented hesitantly, as Syaoran relaxed.
"GREAT!" Tomoyo chirped happily. "I've wanted to play Spin the Bottle all evening!"
Poor Syaoran squeezed the can so hard it exploded, covering Eriol and himself in soda.
Eriol sighed, and snapped his fingers, both becoming dry in an instant.
"Dear descendent," he declared loftily, "I do believe we need to send you off to anger management."
"Anger management my ASS!" he snapped, crossing his arms. "It's too bad that the first time you went to the institution you scared every one away!"
"Touché, descendent."
"Don't Touché me."
I started giggling, along with Tomoyo, who started leaning on my shoulder, and filming it all.
"Time to play our game!" she exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the fire place—where all of the kids where, save for us four, waiting expectantly.
Eriol forcefully pushed a struggling Syaoran towards us, his face tomato red—the kind you make salsa with.
Naoko produced an old glass bottle from nowhere, and offered it to Tomoyo.
Yamazaki said, "Wait—we need to lay down some rules. First, opposite gender kisses are thirty seconds long ON THE LIPS. Same gender kisses will not be allowed, there fore, only hugs will be issued. Whose gonna go first, Tomoyo?
"Tomoyo is the hostess, so she should go first," Chiharu said reasonably.
Tomoyo flicked her wrist, and lo and behold, it landed on Eriol. She leaned forward and kissed Eriol for thirty seconds. I was using her camera, and smiled gleefully as Eriol's face turned the most satisfying shade of magenta.
Yamazaki, Syaoran and the other guys were roaring in laughter, as the thirty seconds came to a close, and Tomoyo pulled away, and winked at Eriol.
It just so happened I was sitting next to Tomoyo. "Your turn, Sakura!" said Tomoyo.
I then noticed that Syaoran was sitting next to Sean, and I blanched. What if it landed on Sean? WHAT IF IT LANDS ON SYAORAN?!
I spun the bottle, and it started to rotate lazily…it passed Yamazaki…Ryan…A.J…and it slowed in front of Sean, slower…slower…and it was on Syaoran. And it stopped. There was a silence, and Tomoyo looked from Syaoran to me.
"Well go ahead and kiss her!"
"YEAH!"
"KISS HER!"
Sorry…Sakura. he sent regretfully.
What's there to be sorry about, Syaoran? I asked, suddenly shocked in my over confidence. He coughed slightly, and he grinned slyly. He leaned forward, and kissed me on the lips. I was almost about to faint—well past the nosebleed, because he wrapped his arms around me, and I gripped his shirt, and I was so happy…because…our kiss, it just felt so RIGHT, and so heavenly perfect…
I swear, they only gave us ten seconds.
"TIMES UP!" called Chiharu over the noisy clamor of whistles and yells.
I broke away from him, and watched the rest of the game in a haze.
Yamazaki and Chiharu kissed, Naoko and AJ kissed, Kia and Ryan kissed, and a bunch of other people kissed. I watched lazily. Until it came to Sean. Suddenly, I grew pale. What would Syaoran do? What would Sean do? He spun it, and everything seemed to go into slow motion. It slowed to a stop on me, and Sean, lips puckered started leaning closer…and closer…as I heard a yell, as though filtered through molasses:
"NOOOOOOO! SSSAAAAAAAAAAAKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRAAAAA!"
It was Syaoran. He lunged forward, and tripped over Tomoyo's camera, coincidentally falling on top of me. And Sean kissed Syaoran's foot.
I turned hot, then cold, and began blushing as Syaoran stared at me with wondering eyes. His arms were locked in a push-up position, and he wouldn't move.
But, these chapters are going to be interesting, and MUCH MUCH longer!!! :D
I must say, these are going to b HECKUVA interesting chapters! There's gonna be:
~ Spin the bottle ^o^
~ *moments*
~ And towards the end, a WHOOOOOOOLE lotta angsty, depressing stuff. But the beginning and middle's happy!
~ Er…self-inflicting injuries…as I said ANGST, DEPRESSION
~ AND FUN FUN FUN AND MORE FUN!!
One more thing…
I don't own this. Don't sue me.
AND ONE MORE THING…
Um, this is six days after Syaoran beat Hishirito and he burst into flames, it's Friday.
~SAKURA~
I yawned in class, Friday afternoon, watching my teacher drone about proofs and angles in some language that they call geometry. The sun finally started shining through the window as I stifled another yawn. I guess the rain stopped… My head started to droop, just as a voice echoed in on my brain.
-Sakura you have to stay awake.-
It was Syaoran. I smiled slightly—he was always the one to keep me awake, and always cheer me up. I was in a good mood, only six days ago Syaoran had burned, roasted and toasted Hishirito, and now that a power hungry wizard was gone, I was happy. Now I had more important things to tend to—Like Syaoran.
-I know, it's just so boring-, I replied in Mandarin; he had taught me a couple years ago.
"And that's all for today's lesson, please work with the person sitting next to you."
Suddenly, I blushed. Syaoran sits in the row next to me. Eriol sits in front of him, and Tomoyo sits in front of me.
Eriol and Tomoyo pushed their desks together, and Tomoyo turned her head ever so slightly so I could see the evil smirk hovering on her lips.
She was my best friend. And through all of our years of being friends, I never, ever thought she was evil. I had never questioned it. But when she got together with Eriol, they could cook up some scary schemes to get Syaoran and I would get together.
Ha. Like that'd ever happen. I wish they'd work though…
"Sakura?" Syaoran again.
"Yeah?" I said, looking at him, smiling cheerily.
"D'you wanna start working on this?" he asked, avoiding my eyes.
"Sure!" I replied, scooting cautiously towards him.
I heard Eriol cough—but it was more of a barely disguised laugh—into a tissue.
Syaoran glared menacingly at him, but shoved his desk towards mine, and we started working on the homework together.
"So we insert y WHERE?" I asked, befuddled.
"Right here," he replied patiently. "And we don't put it there, we substitute 2x+4 where the y is so we can find out what x equals. Understand?"
"I think," I replied uncertainly, tapping my pencil against the desk. "Wait! So if you substitute the formula for y and put it in the parenthesis, then you distribute the four to each number, therefore making it 8x+16 and then combining the 8x with the 2x! I GOT IT!" I crowed. (A/N: We had to do this worksheet with the same problem today in Geometry. It's for these stupid exam things. But anyway, if any of you know what I'm talking about, this isn't proofs.)
"Right!" he exclaimed. "Good job, Sakura."
I blushed, and I heard Tomoyo sneeze in a very fake way. I narrowed my eyes and kicked hard her in the back of her chair, blushing terribly.
Syaoran smirked as Tomoyo fell into Eriol, and both blushed deeper than we had ever seen them.
I giggled, and Syaoran hesitantly smiled back.
"CLASS," wheezed our teacher, clapping her hands together, "As you are aware, you'll be going on a surprise at the end of the week. But it's not a surprise any more!"
Miss Mitsuki came into the class room, followed by Mr. Terada, who was smiling broadly.
"Class, you're going to perform a talent show for the elementary school next week!" he said cheerfully.
"A talent show?" I murmured curiously; but I wasn't the only one. The whole class started whispering excitedly.
"Did you know that tal—" started Yamazaki, but Chiharu interrupted him, and slammed her Geometry Textbook on his head. He slid down his chair, swirly eyed. She dusted her hands proudly, as Mr. Terada cleared his throat.
"Tomoyo, please pass the forms out for the school talent show, in case anyone wants to sign up."
~ERIOL~
I watched Tomoyo fondly as she flicked back a strand of dark hair, and smoothly walk to Miss Mitsuki. She calmly passed out the heavy papered forms, eyes flicking from face to face. I noticed, smiling, that she was weaving around the room oddly, and she wants me to be the last person she hands the paper to.
I swear her eyes lingered on mine, and I forgot everything as I stared into those amethyst pools.
She dropped the last two forms, one on her desk, and one to me. We were still watching eachother.
"Is there something on my face?" she asked self-consciously, touching her cheek.
"Uh, n-nope," I stammered, running a hand through my hair. -So much for being causal and aloof-, I scolded myself.
"Oh." She smiled sweetly at me, then turned her attention to Mr. Terada and Miss Mitsuki.
Irritably, I realized that I could have stopped time, and just let me and Tomoyo be alone. But Li and Sakura would probably sense it, so they'd be unaffected by the time freeze.
So I watched our teachers tell us the same thing the form said.
"Hand these in next week, because Sunday we'll have the dress rehearsal and then Tuesday we'll have the show."
-Is anyone going to do it?- I asked, feeling somewhat foolish.
-Possibly,- answered Sakura. -I just don't know what I'd do.-
The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and the class scrambled for their bags and books.
"Are you guys gonna do anything?" Asked Tomoyo animatedly, pulling her hair into a loose pony tail.
"Sure," said Sakura distractedly. "Dad won't mind. . . Where's my book? Have you guys seen it?"
"I'm coming. Are you, Li?"
"Maybe," said Syaoran, handing her book.
"Oh, thanks Syaoran." She blushed, cramming it hastily into her overstuffed bookbag.
Tomoyo and I exchanges sly smiles, as Tomoyo said, "Shall we go?"
"Of course," I replied promptly, entwining my arm with hers.
She laughed lightly, and we walked out the door together, and Syaoran and Sakura, both blushing, followed us.
~SYAORAN~
It was really cold even though the sun was shining weakly, and puddles of cold water dotted the sidewalks and streets. Eriol had decided to walk Tomoyo home, so I just decided to walk with Sakura for a little bit.
"Syaoran?"
"Hmmm?" I asked, too much absorbed in her to realize what she asked.
"Uh…well, we passed your apartment," she stated.
"It's okay," I decided. "D'you want me to walk you home?" I asked then, terribly embarrassed.
"Sure, Syaoran," she replied, smiling a little. Then she dropped it.
"What's the matter?"
"Well—it's just that every time we go on a field trip, weird stuff always happens, like. . .the. . .Void. . ." and she fell silent.
"But you caught and transformed all the cards. . .so there's nothing to worry about." I assured her.
"Yeah, but. . ."
"But. . ."
"What if something happens?" she asked worriedly.
"You can take anything that gets thrown at you," I replied awkwardly. "And we'll all help you, no matter what."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm positive. And besides, this is supposed to be fun."
"I'll try and remember that if I'm about to be thrown off the stage by some weird force." She commented dryly.
I laughed softly, and repeated, "But we'll all help you."
"Thanks Syaoran," she whispered. "You always know how to cheer me up."
I smiled crookedly. "Well—" words got caught up in my throat, as we paused in front of the stoop at her house.
"Syaoran, I—" she half said, then bit off her words.
"Yeah?" I asked casually, pretending not to feel my heart thudding in my throat.
"Uh," she whispered, shifting the binder into her other arm. A strong wind blew, and some papers flew out of the notebook. "Oh no!" she cried, leaning forward to grab one that was dancing near her, but her bookbag straps suddenly split, her bag tumbling off of her back, and stumbled over it, then she tripped in a crack in the sidewalk, that I SWEAR was not there, and fell into my arms, our faces perilously close to eachother. I blushed immediately, and she just stared at me. [A/N: Hmmm, seems as though some other _forces_ are involved with Sakura falling into Syaoran. ^.~]
I could see my reflection, vaguely, in those big emerald eyes. Her amber hair spilled across her face, and she began to blush prettily. A wind blew again, and she moved forward a centimeter, her hands gripping my jacket.
We just froze. Magnetically, I started moving closer to her…
~SAKURA~
I was shocked, and my cheeks felt warm. Wait, that was an understatement—how a bout almost bursting into flames?
But I was literally inches from Syaoran's face, and I was utterly surprised I had not fainted yet. His warm honey eyes were locked into mine, his dark mahogany hair in more of a disarray than usual. I couldn't move. My hands were holding onto his jacket in a death grip, and his arms were around my waist. My waist! Syaoran was practically hugging me!
And a gust of wind pushed us closer together, and my heart went from a fast beating to a barely distinguishing banging against my ribcage.
And it was like a magnet—we started drawing closer to eachother.
Oh my god—we were about to kiss, and he kind of flicked his hair out of his eyes by tilting his head, and pulling me in…
When a huge pickup truck roared down the road, driving through a gigantic puddle of water that *happened* to be in the road—and splashing us in the process. A huge wave of water hit us, drenching us from head to toe.
We pulled away, instantly embarrassed, and I, mortified. I blushed, realizing he looked even hotter when he was soaking in his school uniform. I was more than tempted to fry that truck into a heap of dust. My hand went to my neck, and I gripped my Key of Clow necklace.
"Are—are you okay, Sakura?" he choked, hitting his chest.
"Yeah," I wheezed, pushing soggy strands away from my eyes. I blinked a couple times, and sighed. "Well," I muttered unhappily, "I gotta go get into dry clothes."
"Right," he said quickly, stooping and handing me a mass of soggy papers.
"Thanks," I sighed, heaving up my bookbag.
"Bye Sakura."
"Bye Syaoran."
He walked me to my door, carrying my bookbag and I opened the door with my house key, and he turned to leave after handing me my bookbag. "Syaoran?" I called quickly.
"Yeah?" he spun around.
"Uh…I'll s-see y-you t-tom-m-tomorrow," I stammered, "A-at T-Tomoyo's c- Christmas P-Party, okay?"
"Are you cold?" he asked worriedly.
"Y-yeah," I shivered visibly, and slumped my shoulders slightly. I was happy
He frowned. "Well don't get sick," he cautioned.
"B-bye, Syaoran!" I called.
"See you tomorrow, Sakura."
Grinning, I closed the door with a snick, and tromped upstairs, to be greeted with a golden-brown projectile fly into my face.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING HUGGING THAT BRAT?" He yelled, waving his tiny arms about. "YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU ALMOST KISSED!"
"I wish," I sighed, grabbing a pair of jeans and a sweater from my closet. "I'm gonna go take a shower," I said, dancing light steps to the bathroom.
Kero sat on my bed and watched me go, shaking his head.
~SYAORAN~
I watched Sakura close the door, and smiled, shaking my head and accidentally splattering everything with in a ten foot radius with water. Sighing, I began to walk home.
I cursed as a wind, incredibly cold, cut across the street and chilled me to the bone. Then my face softened as I thought about Sakura. Again. Suddenly, I thought of something. Didn't the city just repave all of the sidewalks and streets in Tomoeda last week? So there should be no logical reason why there would be a huge crack that Sakura could trip over. And her book bag straps couldn't just split like that…not unless…
"ERIOL!!!" I roared, spinning around. There was Tomoyo and Eriol, floating behind me.
He grinned widely, as Tomoyo started laughing. Loudly. Mockingly.
I ground my teeth together angrily, clenching my fists. Water dripped from my hair, as I glared menacingly at him.
Smiling, he replied, "Don't you WANT to get together with Sakura?"
I reddened, and stepped back, and retorted, "That's not the point."
"Of course it is," pointed out Tomoyo.
I noticed then the silver camera in her hand. "You—two—are so evil." I growled.
Tomoyo smiled angelically, and Eriol shifted in front of her protectively.
"Why don't you just tell her?" asked Tomoyo over Eriol's shoulder.
"Because," I muttered
"You're hiding something," said Eriol knowingly.
"YA THINK?" I yelled, suddenly angry. "YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE FAINTEST IDEA!" I spat venomously—Eriol took a step back.
Angry and confused, I spun around, practically slipping in my wet shoes. and pelted out of there, faster than I had ever ran before.
I reached my apartment in ten minutes flat, hardly winded, then pounded up the steps, and fumbled with the keys, then flung open the door, slamming it behind me. I kicked off my shoes, dropping my bookbag, suddenly exhausted. Wearily, I slunk to the closet, grabbed a towel and slipped into the bathroom.
After a hot shower, I felt much better, and I used a little bit of my magic to dry my clothes, book bag and its contents, and my shoes.
I sank onto my couch, unhappily recounting of what happened. The phone rang, and I picked it up.
"Hello?" I muttered, leaning into a pillow
"Syaoran?" asked a voice at the end of the line.
"Hey, it's me—Tomoyo."
"Oh. What's up?" I asked
"Well, Eriol and I felt bad about what we did to you guys," she started.
I snorted into the phone, and she continued. "But, it's so obvious, Syaoran."
"What?"
"That you like Sakura." she said, as if stating the obviously.
"I—but, if—how…?" I stammered, blushing.
"Syaoran, it's obvious. So why don't you tell her?"
I stayed silent. Tomoyo's one of my best friends…shouldn't I be able to trust her?
"Syaoran?" she asked
"It's…because…I'm afraid of rejection." I said into the phone.
There was silence on the other line. "She wouldn't reject you, Syaoran." Tomoyo said finally.
"How do you know?"
"I just do," she said flatly. "I'm her best friend. But…I gotta go now, so I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Bye."
We hung up, and I sighed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~THE NEXT DAY~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~SAKURA~
For most of Saturday, I just lazed around, getting prepped for the Christmas Party Tomoyo was having tonight. She came over, and she helped me pick out a cute outfit that I could wear there. I ended up wearing a fashionably oversized, cinnamon pink wool sweater with matching ribbons in my hair, dark denim jeans, and platform sneakers. Tomoyo looked gorgeous in a turtleneck that matched her eyes with bell sleeves, and a long black skirt with slits up the sides, and her hair was up in an elegant bun.
We left my house, and went inside to her huge mansion, that was properly festooned with garlands, and other Christmas ornaments.
Her butler let us in, and we stepped inside, as cheery Christmas music played, some of our friends were playing games or talking. Looking around, I didn't see Eriol or Syaoran yet.
"Oh, they're not here yet," smirked Tomoyo.
"Who?" I asked innocently enough
"Eriol and Syaoran, of course. But I gotta go check on the food really quickly, so I'll be back. Most of our class is here."
"'Kay, Tomoyo." I said, drifting away, to Naoko and Rika. "Hey guys!"
"Hey!"
"Hi!"
We chatted for a little while, until Naoko sucked in breath and Rika's eyes turned huge.
"A-are you okay?" I asked worriedly, as they started to giggle and blush.
Suddenly, someone tapped on my shoulder, and I turned around, and came face to face with Sean Jacobson, who was half Japanese, half American. He had lived in America for most of his life, but moved to Tomoeda a year or so ago, when his parents got relocated.
All of the girls had thought he was cute—he had big blue eyes with flecks of purple, and a thatch of blue-black hair. He was the captain of the football team, and his dimples drove the cheerleaders crazy. He was incredibly popular because of his status on the social chart, and his parents were also rolling in money.
I'd heard he had a _reputation_ and it wasn't that admirable to me. Not only did he date a lot of girls, but he went too far with way too many of them. Sure, he was cute, but Syaoran was down right hot, and my amber eyed hottie had _morals_, unlike Sean.
"Hey, Sakura." he said in his deep voice, putting a candy cane behind his ear.
"Uh, hey Sean." I said uncertainly. We barely talked, because I usually hung out with Tomoyo and the others, but Sean was friends with more of the exclusive, snootier people.
"I gotta tell you something," he whispered conspiratorially, leading me away from my friends, and closer to the Christmas tree.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"This." He said and he leaned forward and kissed me on the lips.
~SYAORAN~
I walked in the party, a little bit late, and stood in the door way. And my jaw dropped, as I saw Sakura and Sean kissing. I went hot, then cold, then numb, as I felt my stomach plummet.
Eriol walked up behind me and saw what I was seeing. Brow furrowed, he grabbed my shoulder and pushed me into the hallway.
~SAKURA~
Sean smiled blissfully as he broke away from me, and I blinked as I tried to put together what happened. Vaguely, I saw a shock of familiar brown hair turn away from the door. Syaoran? Had he seen?
"YOU JERK!" I yelled angrily, snapping. The party fell silent. No one, except Tomoyo, had heard me yell—so angrily, before. Every one was watching me and Sean.
"Whassa matter, Sakura?" he asked innocently.
I slapped him across the face, and you could hear my hand hitting his face hard. That drew snickers from the crowd, and Sean stood up indignantly, hand on his face. I ran to the kitchen, collapsed in a chair, and buried my face in my arms.
"Sakura, what happened?" asked a soft voice. Tomoyo.
I whispered her the whole thing, and forced back my tears.
"I'm so sorry…" she whispered, patting my shoulder.
I blinked a couple times, then raised my head. Suddenly, my heart cracked in anguish, as I thought of Syaoran
"Syaoran saw," I murmured, brushing the hair away from my eyes.
"Yeah, I did," said a voice from the wall.
My heart stopped, as I turned to see Syaoran leaning against the wall. Eriol was sitting on the table.
I paled, then blushed, as Eriol sneezed, and said, "Tomoyo, dear, I am famished. Where is the food?"
"Oh, I'll show you, Eriol," said Tomoyo, just as cordially.
Tomoyo—how—why—WHY ARE YOU DOING THIIS!!?!?!?! YOU'RE LEAVING ME WITH SYAORAN, IN YOUR KITCHEN!
And with a swirl of her skirt, they left the kitchen.
"Sean's a jerk, you know," said Syaoran.
"Yeah, I do." I said ruefully, drawing my knees up to my chest.
"Don' t let it bother you, he won't after I get through with him." He growled, clenching a fist.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'll kick is butt if he does that to you—if anyone does that to you---ever again."
I blushed, and whispered, "Shall we go back?" I stood on shaky knees, because I almost started swooning and blushing at the same time. HE SAID HE'LL KICK SOMEONES BUTT FOR ME! OH MI GOD!!!!
[A/N: HAAAAAAANYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!]
"Sure," he said, and opened the kitchen door for me, letting me go through first. I tried to remember if he'd ever done that before.
"SYAORAN!!!" squealed an inhumanly high voice, as a blond girl ran headlong into his arms. Kia, the assistant captain of the cheerleading squad, had a huge crush on Syaoran. And everybody knew it. Including me. I forgot my anger, sadness and confusion, and instead I ground my teeth together, watching her as she fussed over him.
"Hey Syaoran…" she cooed, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Guess what we're standing under…"
She was watching the mistletoe that was dangling above our heads. "No..NONONONONONONOOOO!" he wailed, Syaoran—actually WAILED, and he began trying to run. Her fingers were clamped around his wrist, twisting him around. I inched away, my eyes shut in disgust, as she planted a big kiss on his cheek.
Winking, she walked away.
To my extreme confusion, Syaoran began to bang his head against the wall. "Uh…what are you doing?" I asked, touching his shoulder lightly.
He flinched at my touch, and then muttered, "I'm purifying myself."
I started laughing, then we walked together to find Tomoyo and Eriol, who were sipping punch and talking casually. They turned to look at us, and Tomoyo smiled.
"Hello! We're kinda bored…" stated Eriol , smiling slowly. I suddenly became very wary, as that certain smile meant utter humiliation for me in the near future.
"How 'bout we play a game?" suggested Tomoyo casually, flashing Eriol a brilliant smile.
"N-no g-games," I stammered, knowing exactly where this was leading.
Syaoran suddenly blushed, catching onto my train of thought, and said, "Uh, I agree with Sakura…no games."
"And what if you don't play? What are you to gonna do? Make out under the mistletoe?" smirked Eriol evilly.
I was mortified, and Syaoran was about to throttle the smug guy when I grabbed him by the back of his shirt, grabbing a Coke and handing it to him.
"I—WILL—KILL—you!" he growled, squeezing the can.
"We'll play." I relented hesitantly, as Syaoran relaxed.
"GREAT!" Tomoyo chirped happily. "I've wanted to play Spin the Bottle all evening!"
Poor Syaoran squeezed the can so hard it exploded, covering Eriol and himself in soda.
Eriol sighed, and snapped his fingers, both becoming dry in an instant.
"Dear descendent," he declared loftily, "I do believe we need to send you off to anger management."
"Anger management my ASS!" he snapped, crossing his arms. "It's too bad that the first time you went to the institution you scared every one away!"
"Touché, descendent."
"Don't Touché me."
I started giggling, along with Tomoyo, who started leaning on my shoulder, and filming it all.
"Time to play our game!" she exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the fire place—where all of the kids where, save for us four, waiting expectantly.
Eriol forcefully pushed a struggling Syaoran towards us, his face tomato red—the kind you make salsa with.
Naoko produced an old glass bottle from nowhere, and offered it to Tomoyo.
Yamazaki said, "Wait—we need to lay down some rules. First, opposite gender kisses are thirty seconds long ON THE LIPS. Same gender kisses will not be allowed, there fore, only hugs will be issued. Whose gonna go first, Tomoyo?
"Tomoyo is the hostess, so she should go first," Chiharu said reasonably.
Tomoyo flicked her wrist, and lo and behold, it landed on Eriol. She leaned forward and kissed Eriol for thirty seconds. I was using her camera, and smiled gleefully as Eriol's face turned the most satisfying shade of magenta.
Yamazaki, Syaoran and the other guys were roaring in laughter, as the thirty seconds came to a close, and Tomoyo pulled away, and winked at Eriol.
It just so happened I was sitting next to Tomoyo. "Your turn, Sakura!" said Tomoyo.
I then noticed that Syaoran was sitting next to Sean, and I blanched. What if it landed on Sean? WHAT IF IT LANDS ON SYAORAN?!
I spun the bottle, and it started to rotate lazily…it passed Yamazaki…Ryan…A.J…and it slowed in front of Sean, slower…slower…and it was on Syaoran. And it stopped. There was a silence, and Tomoyo looked from Syaoran to me.
"Well go ahead and kiss her!"
"YEAH!"
"KISS HER!"
Sorry…Sakura. he sent regretfully.
What's there to be sorry about, Syaoran? I asked, suddenly shocked in my over confidence. He coughed slightly, and he grinned slyly. He leaned forward, and kissed me on the lips. I was almost about to faint—well past the nosebleed, because he wrapped his arms around me, and I gripped his shirt, and I was so happy…because…our kiss, it just felt so RIGHT, and so heavenly perfect…
I swear, they only gave us ten seconds.
"TIMES UP!" called Chiharu over the noisy clamor of whistles and yells.
I broke away from him, and watched the rest of the game in a haze.
Yamazaki and Chiharu kissed, Naoko and AJ kissed, Kia and Ryan kissed, and a bunch of other people kissed. I watched lazily. Until it came to Sean. Suddenly, I grew pale. What would Syaoran do? What would Sean do? He spun it, and everything seemed to go into slow motion. It slowed to a stop on me, and Sean, lips puckered started leaning closer…and closer…as I heard a yell, as though filtered through molasses:
"NOOOOOOO! SSSAAAAAAAAAAAKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRAAAAA!"
It was Syaoran. He lunged forward, and tripped over Tomoyo's camera, coincidentally falling on top of me. And Sean kissed Syaoran's foot.
I turned hot, then cold, and began blushing as Syaoran stared at me with wondering eyes. His arms were locked in a push-up position, and he wouldn't move.
