A/N: Sorry for the humongous gap of unproductivity. I was so busy with school work and upping my grades before the marking period ended...well, I finally got around to writing and then, I had writer's block. But, I eventually got past that and here I am. Alive and well. ^.^ Here's the shout-outs:
Kishi: Awww...thanks so much! That's so sweet!
Li Syaoran Is So KAKOII: lol, thanks for the review!
azngurL: Muhahaha. ^.^
Reann Fumasu: Thanks...sorry I had to make you wait!
ana: Thanks!
amarachan: Ehehehe...thanks.
Enjoy the chapter! --miha
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS. However, the wonderful people at CLAMP do.
They began to again walk in silence. 'Ehh...what else...I could tell her...but...what if she doesn't feel the same...?' he thought. 'I guess there's only one way to find out...'
"There's another thing..." Syaoran started. Sakura looked up at him, acknowledging that she was listening. Syaoran looked back into her emerald-green-eyes and thought, 'Here goes...'
Syaoran looked at her and began, "I..."
"Yeees...?" Sakura prodded him. Syaoran's eyes darted away from hers in nervousnessl, but he willed himself to look her straight in the eyes.
"What I wanna say is...I--"
A muffled shout came from Sakura's book-bag and both Syaoran and Sakura's eyes contracted to dots. Sakura unzipped her bag and Kero emerged, wagging a paw at Syaoran.
"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO THAT GAKI'S BASKETBALL GAME! He's probably going to miss the hoop entirely and knock you unconscious this time..."
"Kero? You're just everywhere these days, aren't you?" Sakura said, with an eyebrow lifted. "And you have chocolate on your breath..." Sakura paused to take another whiff. "YOU ATE MY CREAM PUFFS!"
Kero suddenly grew quiet and quickly said, "Oh, look at the time! Gotta run!" And he made an attempt to escape but only flew into Syaoran's open hand.
"I'm not going to miss the hoop," He said calmly. He then took Kero, balled him up, and tossed him into a trash bin on the sidewalk with a clang.
"YAAH! Why you--" Kero growled from the trash bin. "Hey, there's an unfinished pudding cup in here..."
Syaoran smirked and looked back at Sakura. She smiled at him, making his heart pound.
"Oh...you were about to say...?" Sakura asked him. Syaoran hesitated for a moment and responded,
"...Nothing. It's not important." He smiled and thought, 'Another day...'
---
"Yea! Go Panthers, go!"
"Wooooo!"
The coaches stood at the sidelines, waving their fists in the air. The towel boy of the opposite team held up a small cage with a squirrel in it and repeatedly pointed at it, shouting, "HE KNOWS YOUR SECRETS!" The crowd inside the large gymnasium roared as their boys' basketball team duked it out with the opposing school. Sakura sat with Tomoyo in the bleachers, cheering for the team along with everyone else.
"You know Sakura..." Tomoyo began, pointing her camera at her friend. Sakura flashed a "V" sign at the camera and grinned. "...if we win this game, the team's gonna go on to the regionals!"
"Wow...I had no idea that our team was that good. Go Syaoran!" Sakura cheered. Tomoyo watched her friend in the LCD screen of her camera, studying her excited expression. 'How can she not notice that Syaoran likes her...what a dense girl...^.^;;'
Tomoyo set down her camera and watched the game with Sakura. Syaoran dribbled the ball down the court and gave a quick fake to the right and passed it to the left to another teammate. His teammate dribbled further down and went for a shot -- but didn't make it. Syaoran rebounded the ball and effortlessly tossed it into the hoop. The crowd stood up and shouted, cheering for the two points that put them ahead. Sakura bounced up off of her seat and waved in the air at Syaoran, "Yay, Syaoran! Way to go!"
Tomoyo, who remained seated, smiled when she saw Syaoran wave back grinning like a little boy. She giggled and nonchalantly said to Sakura, "Syaoran really likes you, you know." She realized what she had said and brought her hand up to her mouth as she glanced up to see if her friend had heard. She had.
Sakura's eyes widened and she had an expression of surprise plastered all over her face. "No way!" she exclaimed.
'Egads...I promised Syaoran I wouldn't tell her...' Tomoyo blushed a bit and hastily explained to Sakura, "Of course, it's just a hunch...did you see the look he had on his face when he saw you waving?"
Sakura regained her color a bit and nodded. "Mmm. Yea. But we're always like that! It's nothing big..."
Sakura sat back down and tried to concentrate on the game. 'Now that she mentions it...'
---
Syaoran had a family affair directly after the game, so Sakura couldn't meet up with him to congratulate him on the winning game. She walked alone towards her home. 'Could Syaoran really...like me?' She thought, remembering Tomoyo's comment. 'It couldn't be...nah...' Sakura continued to reassure herself that Syaoran viewed her as just a friend.
Before bed, she stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Syaoran. 'So...if he does like me...then why doesn't he ask me out? Do I want him to ask me out?'
"Arrrrrrrgh!" Sakura said, frustrated as she buried her face in her pillow. 'I'm just reading too deep into this...after all, Tomoyo said it was just a hunch. Just a hunch.' Without knowing why, she kept assuring herself that Syaoran liked her as a friend and a friend only.
'Still, it wouldn't be so bad.'
---
Syaoran carried his bag over his shoulder and walked towards the school when he saw the familiar auburn head walking a way in front of him. "Ohayo, Sakura." Sakura's head whipped around at the sound of his voice and almost looked surprised.
"O-ohayo, Syaoran!" she replied to him. She immediately and involuntarily looked to her feet. 'Don't think about him liking you, don't think about it...' She looked back up at him and saw him smiling at her. 'AACK! DON'T BLUSH! DON'T DO IT!' But Sakura's face didn't comply with her thoughts and she could feel her ears begin to heat up and the heat spread to her cheeks, tinting them a rosy hue. She nervously turned around again towards the school and began walking with her head down. "C-Congrats on the big game! You played real well." 'Stupid...why are you blushing?! It's just Syaoran...'
"You think so? Thanks." Syaoran walked beside her. Sakura felt the embarrassment melt away a little and she looked back up at him, confident that she wouldn't blush again.
She was greeted by his grinning smile and smiling eyes. Sakura felt all the blood immediately shoot up to her face and she stuttered, "A-ah...I-I forgot...I hafta c-check in with a teacher a-a-about some missed assignment..." She hastily waved her hands in front of her, trying to excuse her cursory. "I'll see you later in free period! Ja!" Sakura bolted in the school and ran into the nearest restroom.
'What's come over me?!'
---
A/N: Hope ya enjoyed! I apologize if you were disappointed with this chapter...-.-;;...reviews are always welcome. Also, if you're looking for some good clean fun, join Cardcaptor Sakura Roleplaying (http://groups.msn.com/CardcaptorSakuraRoleplaying)! It's headed by my coz/besh friend Lauren (or you may know her here as azngurL). Guaranteed fun...anyways, sorry again for the delay of this chapter. Have a nice day! --miha