Pretty Baby, Why Can't You See?
By SwEeT AnGeL 1004

Chapter 3: Long Lost Cousins

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What do you mean you're Meiling?" Syaoran asked in a low, dangerous voice.

"I mean what I'm mean. I'm Li Meiling. You're freaking cousin. Where's Eriol? I'd like to see how he's changed in the past, oh, thirteen years," Meiling said in spite of herself.

Syaoran's expression didn't change, but he said, "We're going back in, getting some more food, and talking."

Meiling shrugged and following Syaoran back into the restaurant.

"Hi, welcome to--you again! You must really like our food," Sakura grinned at Syaoran.

"Meiling! What are you doing here? I thought you'd be home. And what are you doing with him--?" Sakura asked.

"You two know each other?" Syaoran asked, pointing at Meiling and Sakura.

"Long story. Take us to a private booth, will ya, sis?" Meiling asked, enjoying the way Syaoran's eyebrows shot up at the word 'sis'.

"Okay. Didja know Tomoyo and some guy named Eriol are over on that side? She's actually one a date. One menu?" Sakura asked.

"Really? Eriol…" Meiling trailed wistfully.

"You know him?" Sakura asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Like I said, long story. Yes, one menu."

"Have a nice time," Sakura said, and sat Meiling and Syaoran in a seat, putting the menu in front of Meiling.

"So, 'Meiling', do you have any proof of who you are?" Syaoran asked.

"Nothing but the memories I have. Of us. Let's see, remember that time we were young and actually having fun? We were in the pool and you did a dive and your shorts fell off? And lets see. Up until you were nine, from when you were four years old, you got up at four, did extra training all by yourself until six, had breakfast, lessons until 12, two hours of training with your father, more lessons till five, an hour of recreation which you used to play soccer with Eriol, then dinner, homework then sleep," Meiling said triumphantly.

"Wrong," Syaoran said quietly, "It was three hours of training with Father."

Meiling shrugged and said, "Now do you believe me?"

Syaoran abruptly got up and hugged Meiling, who was shocked.

"When did you learn to hug like that?" Meiling said, and felt tears spring to her eyes.

"I'm glad we're back together now. But how did you survive thirteen years in this jungle of a city alone?" Syaoran asked.

"I didn't. Right after I lost you on the docks, Tomoyo found me and she took me to the apartment. She had met Yuki, and he took me in with Sakura, who had the time was knocked out. We went to school, graduated from the local college, and we've been working since," Meiling explained, and added, "You?"

Syaoran got a hard look on his face and said, "I live with Eriol and this guy named Touya in an apartment. We get paid pretty well on our job."

Meiling didn't press any further, but said, "It must really pay well for you to be driving around a Lexus. Especially an SUV. LX 400"

"Yeah. What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything will do. So, how do you know Sakura?" Meiling asked.

"Uh, I saw her at the gym. She seems pretty nice. And I guess I'll be seeing her around a lot, since you, her and Eriol's girlfriend live together," Syaoran said casually.

"Mm. Ooh, can I order this? Steak?" Meiling asked.

"Sure. Eat the lobster fettuccini, you look too skinny."

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"I had a nice time," Tomoyo said timidly, as Eriol walked her to his car.

"Me too. You're an excellent conversationalist," Eriol said, and smiled at Tomoyo.

She blushed and returned the smile, and Eriol said, "You want me to drive you home?"

"Um, you can just drive me to the corner of 8th street and Hojashi Avenue. My apartment's close from there," Tomoyo said.

"All right."

Eriol easily steered the car to the streets Tomoyo had pointed out, and Tomoyo unbuckled her seatbelt to let herself out.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?" Eriol asked.

Tomoyo smiled and replied, "I'll be fine. I'll see you later."

"I'll call you," Eriol said.

Tomoyo blushed again and quickly left the car, walking towards the direction of the apartment building.

Eriol smiled at the back of her figure, then zoomed off into the night.

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"So this is where you live?" Syaoran asked distastefully at the run down apartment building.

"It only looks like that on the outside," Meiling reprimanded.

She unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the Lexus.

"You wanna come in?" Meiling offered.

"Sure. I'm curious to see where you've lived for thirteen years. So you're 22 now, right?" Syaoran asked, turning off the engine of the car and getting out.

"Yeah. You?" Meiling led Syaoran into the apartment building and started climbing the endless stairs.

"Twenty three. Are you dating anyone?" Syaoran asked.

"Nope. You?"

"Do I look like I would? Where is this damn apartment anyway?" Syaoran asked, following Meiling as they continually climbed up.

"Twenty second floor. You get used to it once you climb it three times a day. Good exercise," Meiling replied.

They finally reached it, and opened the door.

Tomoyo was already inside, lying on the couch with a pair of bunny slippers on and worn pajamas.

"Augh! Who did you bring?" Tomoyo asked, leaping up.

"My long lost cousin, Syaoran. Remember my cousin? Who I lost thirteen years ago? It's him. And what a coinkidink, his best friend just so happens to be Eriol," Meiling introduced.

"We already met. But, hi. Excuse the appearance," Tomoyo said, and reached out to shake Syaoran's hand.

"Eriol's a lucky guy to catch a lady like you," Syaoran said. "Big change from the sluts he brings home," he added under his breath.

"So this is where I live. We redecorated it a couple years ago to add some color. We all sleep in the master bedroom with Yuki, and have a nice happy life," Meiling said.

"Yuki?"

"Yeah. He's the guy I told you about. I don't think he's home now. He comes home in the morning, about," Meiling said.

"Is he some kind of drug addict? Drunk? Does he ever touch you guys?" Syaoran demanded.

Tomoyo laughed, "No! Yuki's the most gentle guy you've ever met. He doesn't talk, though. And he's bald. And super pale."

Syaoran's mind flashed to this morning, when he had bumped into a pale, white man.

'Couldn't be,' Syaoran thought, and diminished the notion.

"Well, I guess you should be going, now. Here's my phone number. Call me sometime. Maybe we can catch up on the lost years with some coffee. And maybe I'll meet Eriol and your roommate. Maybe I'll drop by your apartment," Meiling said, and handed Syaoran a scrap of paper with digits scribbled on it.

Syaoran asked casually, "Have you contacted Yelan or your mom?"

"Yelan who?" Meiling asked.

"My mom," Syaoran said.

"Oh. No. I haven't. This is kinda sad, but I've sort of moved on in my life. I don't think about them anymore," Meiling said curtly.

"All right. Me too. Just asking," Syaoran said, "I'll be leaving. Nice to meet you again, Tomoyo."

"Bye!" Tomoyo replied, and waved.

Syaoran left the apartment building, and Meiling sat down on the couch with Tomoyo.

"What a surprise. I never expected him to be your cousin," Tomoyo said.

"I know! I can't believe I actually met up with him," Meiling said happily.

"You're lucky," Tomoyo said.

"Indeed I am. So how'd the date with Eriol go? Last time I saw him, he had purplish hair, round glasses and pale-ish skin," Meiling said.

"Same. The round glasses kind of make him look rather hot," Tomoyo said and giggled.

"You really like him?" Meiling asked.

"Yeah," Tomoyo said sincerely, "Every time I see him, I get this weird feeling. Like tingling all over my body."

"Sounds like love to me!"

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"Hello? Eriol? Guess who I just met. Meiling! Yes, my cousin Meiling! And she's living with the hostess Sakura and your date Tomoyo," Syaoran said on his cell phone.

"Seriously? That's big coincidence. Don't you like Tomoyo? I've never met any girl like her," Eriol said.

"I can tell. Where are you right now?" Syaoran asked, coasting through the streets.

"Home. What time is it?"

"Like ten. I'm going over to the Noshiko gang's headquarters to do some investigating. I got a new assignment to kidnap one of their computer technicians. You heard about the whole disc thingy, right?" Syaoran asked.

"Yeah. Listen. I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time. We came to Tokyo in your father's honor. Haven't we served him long enough? Why can't we go back to Hong Kong to resume our life/" Eriol said.

"I don't know. It started out like that…but…it's not that easy. We can't go back to Hong Kong. Everyone thinks we're dead. Father's dead. I have nothing back there. Why not just continue this life? I mean, so far we haven't done much sinful things except deliver drugs. We haven't used them, we don't murder people. It's just a normal job as a delivery boy," Syaoran said.

"So are you saying we're just going stay here?"

"Yeah, if that's fine with you."

"Fine with me. I just don't think this is like you," Eriol said.

"It doesn't matter. Meiling's here, let's just live a quiet life. After Tsukiro passes away, Touya will take his place. Then, we can quit, find regular jobs and live a regular life. Listen, I gotta go. I'm entering their territory, and the phones might not be secure. Talk to you later," Syaoran said, and snapped his cell phone shut.

He parked his car a good distance away from the building he had been in earlier that morning.

Syaoran crept into the quiet, abandoned building.

In the center of it, there was a group of people waiting.

A hole in the building shone in moonlight, and Syaoran settled down behind broken down crates, hidden safely in the darkness, and watched the three or four people wait.

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It was already 11 pm, when Sakura left the darkened restaurant.

She head out onto the sidewalks, beginning the journey home, when she spotted a familiar figure.

"Yuki!" Sakura whispered under her breath, and stared in amazement.

It was the first time she had ever seen him outside, and he looked pretty odd, wearing a black suit, black hat and dark sunglasses.

He was also gripping a black briefcase in his hands that seemed to almost reflect the bright moonlight.

In the darkness of the night, he seemed to be glowing from inside, but it was actually the paleness of his skin.

Sakura quickly ducked behind a bush, and watched with her eyes Yuki walking quickly.

"I'm going to follow him," Sakura whispered to herself.

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And indeed, Sakura did follow him.

All through the streets, until Yuki came to a run down building.

Sakura quizzically followed Yuki into the building, making sure her shoes didn't crack the dry branches scattered on the floor.

Yuki came into the center of the building, which looked like a factory.

The building was empty except for a group of people waiting in the middle, and crates strewn around the place.

Sakura hid behind the door, watching Yuki sit on a crate in the center of the group, and pull out a laptop from his briefcase.

Yuki expertly turned on the laptop and behind to type away, and extracted a disc.

Sakura watched in wonder as Yuki continued his work, entering the disc inside the laptop, and continuing to type, type, type away.

"Is the formula done?" a voice asked within the group, and Yuki nodded.

He was looking very frail, sitting in the moonlight with his dark glasses, clothes and hat.

"I've heard that the Tsukiro group wants our formula. We need to watch out with that. We need it in safe keeping. So let's put the formula to work starting tomorrow," the same voice said.

'Formula? Tsukiro group? DRUG GANGS!' Sakura's brain alerted.

Sakura stumbled out of the building back outside in shock.

Yuki? No way. Part of a drug gang?

Absolutely ludicrous.

Sakura quickly left the building area, walking as quickly as she could, away.

Away from what Yuki might've been doing to care for her and her two 'sisters', away from drugs, gangs, murders, pain.

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Syaoran sighed with impatience as he continued to watch the man type away.

This was all he needed.

Syaoran quickly took a mental photograph of the man sitting on the crate, and stealthily left the building.

'Strange. Meiling's description of Yuki seems to fit this man. But it's not possible, is it? I mean, who knows if this guy is bald? He's wearing a hat,' Syaoran's brain said.

"Probably," Syaoran said to himself.

He quickly got into his Lexus and started to slowly drive down the deserted streets, when he was suddenly aware of a frightened shriek.

Syaoran quickly u-turned and headed towards the sound.

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Sakura screamed for help, but one of the guys roughly covered Sakura's mouth.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? A little treat for all of us, I daresay," the leader of the bullies said.

"MMm!" Sakura said, muffled.

Sakura had stumbled into an alley, where a group of chain smoking guys had captured her.

"Tie her up," the leader said.

He was the smallest of the group, but he had the most scars and had a look of power in his eyes.

The other guys were sluggish and stupid, mostly huge but muscular.

One of then got out a roll of duct tape and roughly taped Sakura's thin wrists together.

He was breathing down on Sakura's face, filling her senses with the unpleasant smell of smoke.

Sakura coughed and helplessly tried to kick the man who had gotten her.

The leader walked towards her and lifted her face up, and blew a ring of smoke at her, making Sakura cough even harder.

"Leave her alone," came a bored voice from the entrance of the alley.

"Who are you?" the guy asked, and Sakura's savior smirked, "You don't want to know. Just let her go, and I'll refrain from beating the snot out of you five bastards."

"What, you think you can beat us? Five against one?" the leader asked.

He let go of Sakura's chin, and walked towards the man who had stepped in.

Sakura craned her neck to see who had saved her, but she couldn't see his face in the darkness.

The man suddenly let a blow go from his foot to the leader's head, instantly knocking him out.

The four other big men drew back.

"Yeah, come on. Bring it on," the man taunted.

It all happened at once.

The four men ran towards the other man, who reflexively ran towards Sakura, and so the four men collided with each other.

The man quickly cut the duct tape from Sakura's wrist and said, "Run!"

He grabbed her wrist and they ran, stepping over the fallen bodies.

The man stuffed Sakura into the passenger's seat and seated himself behind the wheel and quickly drove off.

"Fuck, I hate running from fights," Syaoran muttered to himself.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran slowly parked on the sidewalk, and flicked the car light on.

"You!" they said in unison.

They stared at each other for a moment, and Sakura managed to say, "We've been seeing each other a lot for just one day."

"Indeed," Syaoran said.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Sakura asked, looking at Syaoran's body, concerned.

Looking at him, Sakura was reminded of the comment she had said to him earlier--'nice abs!'

"I'm fine. Are you? Did they do anything to you?"

"No. Thank goodness you showed up on time. Who knows what they could've done," Sakura said.

"I know. What are you doing out so late? And walking?" Syaoran asked.

"I just got off from work. And I don't have a car so I usually ride a bike--oh!" Sakura clapped her hand over her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked.

"I left my bike at work. Could you just drive me there? I'll ride myself home," Sakura said.

"Sure, but I'll do more than that. Why don't you just let me drive you home? I can put the bike in the trunk," Syaoran said, and gestured to the back of the car.

Sakura first noticed Syaoran's car.

It was a gold Lexus, a box-like SUV which was roomy, and a sign of Syaoran's money.

"Thanks," Sakura said. Her stomach grumbled suddenly, and Sakura gave Syaoran an apologetic look, "I'm a bit hungry."

"Why don't we get a burger from McDonald's or something? I mean, you live with Tomoyo and Meiling right?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura looked surprised and said, "How'd you know?"

"I'll explain. Let me treat you to a snack, first. A Big Mac?"

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Sakura and Syaoran sat in the car, munching on food, silently.

They had parked in the parking lot of McDonalds, eating food in the car rather than going into the fast food restaurant.

"So how do you know Tomoyo and Meiling?" Sakura asked.

"Well, it's rather complicated. I'm Meiling's long lost cousin. I don't know if she's ever told you that. And Eriol's my best friend, and he's going out with Tomoyo. I live with Eriol and another guy named Touya," Syaoran said.

Sakura blinked at the words, "Touya."

"Touya?" Sakura asked, and searched her brain for some recognition.

"Yeah. You know a guy named Touya?"

"No…no, I don't," Sakura said.

"Anyways, I better take you home. It's already midnight," Syaoran said.

"We have to get my bike first, though," Sakura said.

"Right. Let's go get it," Syaoran said.

They left the car and locked it, and walked over to the side of the building, where the two restaurants' walls faced each other.

Sakura quickly spun the lock on her bike, and clicked it open.

Syaoran heaved the bike out of the rack and easily carried it back to car.

"Open the trunk," Syaoran directed, and Sakura quickly obeyed.

The spacious trunk easily carried the woman's bike, and Sakura and Syaoran went back to the front to drive home.

Syaoran drove Sakura home, easily finding the way from Meiling's past directions.

"I'll walk the bike up," Syaoran said, and Sakura got out of the car.

He carried the bike back to the foyer of the apartment building, where Sakura again locked it in a bike rack.

"Well, thank you so much for everything. For saving me, for buying me some food, and for driving me home," Sakura said.

"All right. Can you find your way back up?" Syaoran asked.

"Of course. Bye…and I guess I'll see you around," Sakura said.

"Okay. Bye," Syaoran said.

He watched Sakura climb the stairs until he couldn't see her anymore, then turned and left for home.

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"Where were you, man?" Eriol asked when Syaoran came in.

"I dropped Sakura home after I found her tied down by some thugs," Syaoran replied coolly.

Eriol laughed and said, "Things are going well with her, right?"

"I don't know what you mean," Syaoran said, and rummaged around in the kitchen for a drink.

"You know damn well what I mean. You like Sakura, don't you? I can tell, even if you've just met her," Eriol said.

"Shut up," Syaoran rolled his eyes and slammed the fridge door when he found a cold beer.

Syaoran plopped down on the couch and flipped on the television, where there was a soccer game going on.

Syaoran opened the can of beer, letting the air hiss out, and took a long swig from it.

He put the drink down on the coffee table, and asked Eriol, "Where's Touya?"

"I'm not too sure. So did you get any info?" Eriol asked.

"Not a lot. I saw the disc, and I saw the guy who created it. My plan is still in the planning stages," Syaoran said.

"Whatever. I'm taking a shower then going to bed. It's already one, man. When are you going to sleep?" Eriol asked.

"When I feel like it. Oh, did I tell you I met Meiling?" Syaoran asked.

"What?" Eriol asked.

"Yeah. It turns out she works down at the gym. She lives with Tomoyo and Sakura in an apartment, and has been living with them for the past thirteen years," Syaoran explained.

"Wow. Well, I guess I'll have to go meet her sometime," Eriol said.

"All right," Syaoran stretched and yawned, "On the other hand, I'm going to sleep right now."

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Sakura was brushing her teeth, while Meiling and Tomoyo were already in bed.

"So, tell us what happened with my cousin," Meiling said.

Sakura blushed, "Nothing happened."

She spit out her toothpaste and gargled water quickly.

"Uh uh, you're gargling. That means something's up," Meiling said deviously.

Sakura quickly spat and laughed, "Shut up! Nothing happened! Okay, okay. I was walking home, and then I bumped into some thugs. Suddenly Syaoran showed up and beat the crap out of them, ran, bought me a burger and took me home. That's all."

"Hmm…" Tomoyo scrutinized Sakura, "Do you like him?"

"He's nice. And he knows you guys. That's nice," Sakura said.

"Nice?"

"Whatever. I'm going to bed," Sakura said.

Sakura paused, wondering if she should tell them about what she had seen with Yuki.

'Nah.'

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It was already 11 on Saturday morning when Sakura woke up.

"Mmm," Sakura said, and stretched out her arms.

Tomoyo was sitting on the empty bed, holding their cordless phone and looking pleased.

Meiling was perching next to her, and said, "Tell her what happened."

Tomoyo smiled broadly and said, "Eriol called. He wants to see me tonight."

"Ooh, second date. You guys must be getting serious," Sakura teased.

She got up and went to the bathroom and started brushing her teeth.

"Are you guys going to work?" Meiling asked.

"Nuh uh. I'm taking a break today," Sakura said.

"You?" Meiling asked Tomoyo.

"Nope. We have some cleaning to do today," Tomoyo said and gestured around the house.

"Oh yeah. Fall cleaning. Almost November," Meiling said, "I'm not working today either. Hey, want me to call Syaoran and Eriol and see if they can come help us wash some windows?"

"No!" Tomoyo exclaimed, "I don't want Eriol to see me all grungy in my old overalls!"

"Fine," Meiling said, "Just a suggestion."

"Well, how about you two get started on the stuff and I go grocery shopping? We're out of food," Sakura called from the kitchen.

"No fair! Why do you get to take the shopping?" Meiling asked.

"Because she saves the most money. We DON'T need organic ketchup that costs 8 dollars," Tomoyo reminded Meiling.

"It was healthy!" Meiling protested, then waved her hands in defeat, "Fine. You go pick out some food."

"All right. Actually, can we just move cleaning to next week? I need to go to the gym and work out a little, then I gotta go grocery shopping then get my schedule for next week at the restaurant, and then I need to come home and take shower," Sakura said.

"Boy, you got an excuse for everything, doncha?" Tomoyo teased, "Fine. Cleaning next week. No excuses. I've got to go shopping for tonight."

"I'll go to the gym with you," Meiling said, "As soon as I get some breakfast."

"Okay. Boy, the weather's looking good," Sakura commented, looking out the window.

The leaves were just barely turning brown in the late October weather. The wind looked cool, and most people were decked out in jeans and sweaters rather than skirts and shirts.

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At the gym, Sakura and Meiling were already jogging on a machine, talking to each other.

"Ooh, there's Syaoran. He comes in like everyday, I think," Meiling said.

She waved her cousin over, who nodded and walked over to them.

"What's up?" Meiling asked Syaoran.

"I'm not going to get used to seeing you at random like this," Syaoran said.

"Hi," Sakura said shyly.

Syaoran nodded to her and said, "Hi."

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After working out, Meiling went home to take a shower and go shopping with Tomoyo.

Sakura was left alone with Syaoran, who was working on the pull up bar.

"How many can you do?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Only fifty at a time," Syaoran replied.

Sakura's eyes nearly bugged out--the most she had done was ten.

"You work out a lot, don't you?" Sakura asked.

"Every day," Syaoran grunted.

Sakura continued pedaling on the stationary bicycle she was at, and looked at her watch, "Oh. I need to go to the grocery for some shopping. I guess I'll see you later."

Syaoran looked up and said, "If you give me ten minutes I'll go with you. I need to buy some stuff, too."

"All right."

Sakura sat down on a bench near the entrance of the gym and watched as Syaoran wiped his sweating face with a towel.

He got up and headed towards the men's locker room.

Sakura hummed a soft tune as she waited, and pretty soon Syaoran came out, looking refreshed.

"Did you take a shower?" Sakura asked.

"I just rinsed off," Syaoran said.

"Oh. Are you ready to go?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah. Did you bring your bike again?"

"No. I walked here," Sakura replied.

"We can take my car."

Syaoran led Sakura to another car, which was different.

It was a sleek silver Porsche, which reminded Sakura of James Bond.

"Nice car," Sakura said and ran her hand lightly over the polished surface.

Syaoran grunted again in response and got in.

Sakura got in, strapped herself in and Syaoran quickly drove to the nearest supermarket.

They both got shopping carts and started in the aisles.

"Do you have a list?" Sakura asked.

"I think. Eriol's cooking dinner for Tomoyo--wonder how that'll turn out--, and he wanted me to get some stuff for him," Syaoran said as he fished in his pocket for a scrap of paper.

He got it out and read, "Salmon slices. Does she like fish?" Syaoran asked Sakura.

"Yeah. At least, I think she does. We don't really eat a lot of it," Sakura said.

Their carts were side by side and slowly rolling along as Sakura picked up a loaf of bread.

"I need milk," Syaoran murmured.

"Over there," Sakura pointed out.

They guided the shopping carts over to the dairy aisle where Sakura picked out a carton of eggs.

Syaoran picked one and threw it into his cart and randomly picked a gallon of milk.

Sakura laughed and said, "First, check that none of the eggs in your carton are broken. And make sure they're the right size and grade. Next, they have different types of milk. Always check the expiration date and make sure it's the latest one."

Syaoran chuckled and said, "I guess I don't know much about food, do I?"

"Not a lot," Sakura smiled.

Pretty soon, they were done with all of their shopping.

They stood in the line as Sakura flipped through a magazine.

"Hmm," Sakura said thoughtfully.

"What?" Syaoran peered over from behind her at the magazine article.

Sakura couldn't help but breathe in his scent, and said, "The article. I better copy it down for Tomoyo or at least memorize it."

"The Date Rate," Syaoran read, "How to know if your date means anything. Date number one: he thinks you're hot. Date number two: He's at least interested in you. You should've held hands by now. Date number three: It's getting serious. You should've kissed by now. Date number four: You should've made out at least once. It's REALLY getting serious. Expect some more moves."

Syaoran shook his head and commented, "That's so stupid. I mean, each relationship has its own steps and levels."

"So true," Sakura agreed.

She turned back to the checkout stand and started loading her food onto the moving belt.

Everything was checked out and rung up, when the grocery girl told Sakura, "It'll be thirty three dollars and forty nine cents."

Sakura quickly got out her wallet, and opened up the part where the bills were.

It was empty.

"Oh," Sakura said, embarrassed, "Darn it. I forget to get the grocery money from Tomoyo."

"Charge it on this," Syaoran got out his credit card and handed it to the grocery girl.

"No, you couldn't do that!" Sakura protested, but it was too late.

"Sign here," the girl said and Syaoran quickly jotted his signature.

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As Sakura and Syaoran walked out of the grocery store, Sakura thanked, "Thank you SO much, Syaoran. You've helped me so much I can't even know how to start repaying you."

Syaoran let out a small smile and said, "You don't have to. I mean, just think of it as a favor from your big brother."

Sakura suddenly had a brief flashback-- "I'm your big brother!" a low voice said to her.

"Sakura?" Syaoran asked, concerned when Sakura had stopped rolling her cart and having a glazed look in her eyes.

"Oh, nothing. I'm all right. Just thinking," Sakura said.

"So tell me about you. I've told you my whole life story and now your turn," Syaoran said.

Sakura had a dreaded sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Not much to my life," Sakura said quickly, "I've grown up with Meiling and Tomoyo and Yuki. That's basically it."

"You don't have a mother or father?" Syaoran asked quizzically.

Sakura paused, "None that I can remember."

"Oh," Syaoran didn't press any further.

"Want me to drop you home?" Syaoran asked.

"Actually, could you take me to the restaurant? I need to get my schedule for next week."

"All right," Syaoran started loading the paper bags filled with food into the backseat of the Porsche.

"Let's go," Syaoran said and turned on the engine.

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End of Chapter 3. Next chapter, 'Dates and Plans'.

A/N: Hey! Review!! Haha. Um, you really should check out my profile. I update it a LOT, and I put up when the next chapter's coming, etc. So bookmark my profile page!! And review me with your e-mail address if you want me to e-mail you when i update!! ^_~ review!!!