Okay, I'm finally back! Sorry about the delay. That last chapter wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, but I did like the letters. ^-^ Well, I am REALLY in the mood to type so I'll get started! THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE FABULOUS REVIEWS! S+S FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^-^ Hee hee hee!



*****Sakura*****

Syaoran kept me company until later at night when Meiling and Tomoyo came to see me, and the nurse said that I could finally go back to my bedchamber. I went to bed right after I bathed and knew that tomorrow would be a busy day. I sighed as I collapsed onto my bed. For some strange reason I wasn't very tired… I wonder why THAT was.

"Did you remember that the Ball is tomorrow?" Tomoyo asked from her bed on the other side of the room.

Even though the whole room was dark I would have bet ten horses that she saw my eyes widen three times their normal size as I sat up in bed to stare at her. "You have GOT to be kidding!" I said, shaking all over.

"Nope." I could hear the laughture in her voice. "I made you the most KAWAII dress EVER!!!" She squealed happily as I groaned and collapsed back down onto my bed.

"Uhhhhhh. Why me? Why do I have to go to a stupid Ball?"

"Because it's mandatory. Need I say more?" Tomoyo asked sweetly. Too sweetly.

"Nooo," I moaned. "I would rather you hadn't reminded me at all in the first place. At least then I wouldn't have nightmares all night. Naoko told a scary s-s-story t-t-too. I-it w-w-was ab-b-bout a girl… a-a-and she was a g-g-g-gh-ghost. She haunted Ballrooms because her true love never d-d- danced with her." I pulled the covers over my head, trying to forget all the little details. "There won't be any g-g-ghosts there… will there Tomoyo?" I asked, scared out of my wits.

Tomoyo giggled. "No, Sakura. There won't be any ghosts. I promise."

I sighed with relief. "Thank goodness." I lifted the covers off half way, but that was all I would permit. I tried to sleep peacefully, but to tell the truth, I probably didn't get a wink of sleep.

In the morning, I must have dozed off, because I slept in… A LOT!

"Sakura…" I tossed and turned. Who's voice was that? Was that a voice in my dream? "Sakura…" It echoed, over and over. 'What?' I wanted to call. 'What do you want?' "SAKURA! You need to wake up! We're going to be late for breakfast again!!!"

That got me up in a hurry! "WHAT?!?!" I yelped. What time is it?"

"Nine," Tomoyo answered simply.

"HOOOEEEEEEEE!!!!"

"Hurry and get ready! We have to be downstairs in fifteen minuets!"

I jumped out of bed and found an outfit all ready for me. Tomoyo must have picked it out. That's Tomoyo for ya! I got into my dress and all of the proper layers OF the dress in five minuets flat, and then Tomoyo did my hair as I put my shoes on.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready!" I announced.

We ran through the corridors and hallways, down two sets of stair cases, and then through even more hallways until we finally burst through the large oak doors and into the dinning hall. We were both gasping for breath and many heads turned our way. We both tried to smile and were failing miserably, sweat dropping.

"You're almost late," Ms. Ketsuji said in a monotone voice. I sighed with relief. "You may both be seated now. If you cause any further disruptions you will have ANOTHER detention with me. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Tomoyo said respectfully, looking properly ashamed.

"Yes ma'am," I echoed, looking at the floor, not daring to look into Ms. Ketsuji's eyes.

Tomoyo and I went to sit down at our usual seats as Ms. Ketsuji decided to add one more thing. "And girls?" She asked venomously.

"Yes?" We asked in unison, wincing in our minds.

"That is your last warning."

After that little episode, everything went normally. We all started eating and the room filled with chatter about happier topics. That is, if the Ball was a happier topic.

"I'm going to wear a dark forest green dress," some girl stated very loudly.

"I'm wearing a SCARLET and SLEEVELESS dress," another girl said.

"Well, I'm wearing a BLACK dress that SPARKLES and is BACKLESS!" Another girl exclaimed.

"Hoeee," I muttered under my breath.

"You don't like Balls Sakura?" Syaoran asked.

I shook my head a million times per minute.

"I guess we can take that as a 'no'," Rika stated. I gulped.

"They aren't THAT bad," Chiharu said.

"Bad?!?" Tomoyo said. "THEY ARE FABULOUS!!!"

"Well, still. You should try to make the most of it. What are you wearing?" Naoko asked. I looked over at Tomoyo.

"It's a surprise. You'll all have to wait and see," Tomoyo said with an all- knowing smile.

In these cases, I hated surprises. Mail came as usual as always. I didn't get anything, but didn't really mind this time because I heard from them yesterday. Tomoyo get a letter from her mother, and so did Chiharu. Rika got a letter from Mr. Terada even though he was staying here at the Li Palace. She was blushing the whole time she read it. ^-^

"Which classes do we have today?" Meiling asked. [AN: Sorry everyone, but I just realized that I type 'Meiling' two different ways. Meiling and Mei Ling is the same person, okay? Sorry about that! `-_-]

"All of them," Syaoran answered quickly when he saw Yamazaki open his mouth and point one finger up in the air.

We all sweat dropped. We were thankful that we wouldn't have to hear another one of Yamazaki's lies though. `-_-

"ALL OF THEM!" I whined when reality sunk in. That meant that not only would I have to go to Embroidery and Dance and Manners class, I would have to ALSO go to… History Of The Past. *shiver* YUCK!

"I know how you feel," Syaoran said wryly.

During most of the classes that day they were either really slow or they went by fast! It sort of felt like everything was a dream. In History Of The Past I tried not to get called on and I didn't say a single word. Ms. Ketsuji was watching me at every moment and it kind of freaked me out. In Embroidery I was still horrendous, but once Tomoyo saw that she automatically came to the rescue and showed me little by little what to do. In Dance and Manners we learned a few more dances and were paired up as partners. Syaoran and I were partners, of course. But there was one extra girl in the class and she insisted on being paired up with Syaoran too so I didn't get much dancing in. It was okay though. The other girl needed practice. [AN: GO SAKURA! Shut down to the other girl and Sakura didn't even realize it! That's what I call DENSE! `-_-] History of the Past wasn't too bad, except for the fact that I almost fell ASLEEP! Legends and Tales was okay. Only Syaoran and Tomoyo had that class with me though. Ms. Mizuki seemed really nice though. She makes me go all floaty inside. In Defense class Mr. Terada made us take it easy and I was thoroughly embarrassed. Last was Nature's Song. Tomoyo loved this class. She said it was her favorite.

"Sakura, I want you to come and get ready for the Ball now!" Tomoyo said excitedly when all of our classes were over.

"Now?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, now. We haven't got all day! It'll be so much FUN! Besides, I want you to try it on so I can make some last minute adjusting. I want it to be PERfect!"

I sighed as I let Tomoyo drag me away from the others. They all sweat dropped, and so did I. Tomoyo was completely oblivious for once. "By guys! I guess I'll see you later!" I called after them. When I passed a group of girls all crowding around someone or something, I felt it. The presence of a Clow Card. Or maybe I didn't. I walked by in sort of a haze. I wondered what was going on. I looked back over at Syaoran and realized that he didn't sense it, so it must have been my imagination. His eyes were locked on mine, and for a moment, I couldn't look away.

Tomoyo led me inside the castle and as the doors closed with a bang my eyesight of Syaoran was gone. I stared at the dark doorway as I kept getting farther and farther away from it. The corridor was dark, and I once again got the feeling that something wasn't quite right.

"Heading to your room so soon?" Asked a kind and gentle voice. I recognized that voice! I turned so that I was facing the same direction as Tomoyo.

"Ms. Mizuki!" I shouted.

She smiled. "Why, hello Sakura. What are you two up to?"

Tomoyo's smile was genuine. "We're going to our bedchamber so that I can see if the dress I made for Sakura fits all right."

"So you two are going to the Ball tonight?"

I nodded gloomily and Ms. Mizuki gave a little laugh when she noticed. "Don't we have to?" I asked. "Isn't it mandatory?"

"I guess so," Ms. Mizuki answered. "I will be chaperoning. Mr. Terada was supposed to but I think he promised a very special lady to dance.

"Rika," Tomoyo said all-knowingly.

"I believe you are correct."

I looked from Tomoyo to Ms. Mizuki. I guess they knew something I didn't. I shrugged it off and then was once again being led away by Tomoyo. "Bye, Ms. Mizuki. I'll see you later tonight I guess," I said as we turned the corner. 'That was strange. Just as I started to feel a strange eerie presence Ms. Mizuki showed up. When she did, it vanished. I wonder what happened.' I kept my mouth shut, pondering what might have happened. Before I knew it Tomoyo and I were in our room and she was already digging through her closet. I sighed and held my arms out so she could make any last measurements and when I was in the gown did the same for re-adjusting parts of the material. I thought it would take forever, so I was glad when she finally said she was done.

I sighed with relief and turned around to face the mirror. My arms were sore from holding them up for so long. I stared at my reflection in awe. "The dress is BEAUTIFUL Tomoyo," I breathed.

She smiled appreciatively. "Thank you."

It was a pale pink dress that trailed down to the floor. It hung on my every curve, and the sleeves were one-inch straps that were bunched together. The dress cascaded to the ground in many folds and creases. I twirled around and it fanned out to my sides, rippling around me. Tomoyo pined my hair up with little white and pink flowers. Stray strands hung down in just the right way. My sandals were slip-ons and they were a shiny silver color. They gave me a three-inch boost in height. I had white gloves that went just past my elbows, and two skinny silver bracelets on one arm.

"What about you?" I asked. "What are you going to wear?"

Tomoyo smiled. "A lavender dress that I made a month ago. I'll go and get ready now. Don't eat or drink anything that will stain or get crumbs on your Ball gown. One second."

I sat down and did nothing for about a half an hour. I kept fiddling until Tomoyo finally came out of the bathroom door. She was breath taking, as usual. She had a little smile on her face and said, "Ready?" [AN: Sorry, but for her dress I'll have to leave it up to your imagination. I don't want to write about it at the moment. `-_- Eh heh. Sorry.]

"What about dinner?" I asked.

"We'll eat there. They have a lot of little snacks and appetizers at the dance. It'll hold us over."

"Okay. I-I guess I'm…*gulp* ready."

She smiled. We walked out of our room, leaving me to trail after.

"Ohhhhhh…" I muttered under my breath, trying to keep myself from shaking all over.

We entered the Ballroom and I noticed that everyone was sort of crowding against the walls. No one was dancing, and there was a nervous chatter that filled the air.

Tomoyo and I made our way over to the corner of the room. We found Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko talking in hushed voices. "Hi!" I said cheerfully, and a bit too loud for the room. It echoed and I immediately sweat dropped.

"Hi Sakura. Hi Tomoyo. Did you hear what happened to Kizutsu?" Chiharu asked.

I tilted my head to the side. "What? No. What happened?"

"She got seriously injured in a battle. No one knows who she was fighting though," Naoko said, in an eerie voice that I did not like at ALL. "A bunch of other kids got hurt too. Who ever or what ever they were fighting must be really strong! None of them could come to the Ball tonight because they are all seriously injured! Kizutsu is still unconscious!" [AN: SERVES HER RIGHT! ^-^ he he he!]

"Hoeeee." I hid behind Tomoyo. "They don't just come and attack people do they? I mean, if you don't fight out of free will." I was trembling, and tears were streaming down my face. "I don't wanna die!!!"

"Sakura, snap out of it. I heard the story earlier today," Tomoyo said reassuringly. "The person will only fight you if your really good."

"B-b-b-b" I stuttered.

"Don't worry about it," Rika said. "Let's all enjoy the dance."

"Speaaking of which, why isn't anyone dancing?" Tomoyo asked, looking around the room.

"I think they're SCARED!" Came a loud voice from behind us. We all turned around to see Meiling scowling at the crowd around us and crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "This was supposed to be fun!" She whined.

"Maybe they just don't want to be the first ones on the dance floor," Tomoyo said, shrugging it off.

"OR they're COWARDS!" Meiling yelled to no one in particular. "Once they start dancing everyone will be swarming all over Syaoran too. If you ask me this whole thing is a waste of time!"

"Y-y-you don't think they forget their dance steps, do you?" Came an overly worried voice.

"Huh?" I asked. We all looked over our shoulders and saw Mrs. Katomi slouching there and biting her fingernails. "I'll be fired for SURE if this Ball doesn't work out!"

I finally realized where I recognized her from. She was the Dance teacher. "Are you one of the chaperones tonight also?" I asked, thinking back to when I bumped into Ms. Mizuki.

"Uh-huh." She said flatly, looking frantically about the room.

"Don't worry," I said with a smile, trying to cheer her up, "I'm sure everything will work out in the end."

"Humph!"

I saw Syaoran leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed. It didn't look like he would be moving any time soon. If a girl came too close to him he would glare at her mercilessly until she finally backed away. He seemed to be glaring at each and every person there.

"OH!"

I didn't like the sound of that. I looked back at Mrs. Katomi and saw her staring at me with her mouth partly open. I gasped and took a step back. What did she WANT?!? A slow grin stretched over her face as she looked from me to Syaoran, and then back again. By this time Syaoran realized this too and was suddenly suspicious. Before either of us knew it, her arms lashed out and sge grabbed each of our wrists.

"Hoeee!"

"Hey!" He shouted.

"You two! You're the ones that were dancing during class! MY class! PERFECT! You two will dance and show the Queen that I'm not a complete failure! Now……GO!!!"

She threw us out into the middle of the dance floor just as another song started. I almost tripped but caught myself just in time. I realized that the whole room went quiet except for the music. Now we were the center of attention. "Hoeeeeeeeee," I mumbled. I looked over at Syaoran and saw that he was blushing MAJORLY! I was too because of so many people watching us! And… maybe one other reason. [AN: Awwwwwwww!]

Syaoran was looking down at the floor and then shyly looked up at me. He held out his hand and I gasped. "W-w-would y-you like to d-dance?" He asked.

I felt myself blushing even harder as I excepted his hand. "O-okay."



La de da de da!!!!! Hum de dum, hum de dum, no this… is love. La de da da de da de dum. This… is the marical… of…..love! Hee hee hee! I'm am DONE with this chap. The NEXT chapter is when you will finally find out why Sakura has been acting the way she has! I hope that you'll like it! YAY!!!!!!! PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE REVIEW!!!!!! Pretty pretty please! Thanx!!!!! ^-^