Maple: Hi everyone! *waves enthusiastically* I only waited 2 days after posting chapter 6 to start this one, so I hope I don't take forever on it. Thanks for the reviews, everyone!

White Eternity-I hope this update turns out to be "soon"!

L-chan-You know what? I'm posting the rest of the Dear Me letters in this chapter at the beginning, Tomoyo's should be second, after Eriol's. I'm glad you liked Touya's letter, I wasn't sure how to go about that so I just had him rant about Tomoyo. Oh, and thanks for pointing that out, I didn't really proofread carefully. If you check back, I fixed it ^_^. Just scroll down to see what happens next.

Maple's Disclaimer:

OK, *technically*, I don't own CCS, but in my LITTLE DREAM WORLD, where it counts, I do! So there!

~P 3 4 3 C 3~

Dear Me,

She hates me.

She really, truly hates me.

How could I lose control of myself, anyways? At least before she thought me acceptable-now she thinks I'm a jerk! Perfect. Lovely. I doubt she ever wants to see my face again-and I don't blame her. Maybe I should just crawl into a crack in the bridge and change myself into a rock. No one would miss me that much, anyways. Well, that is a comforting thought. If all else fails, I could turn myself into a rock.

Then again, she might hate me so much now that she'd hunt me down, human or rock, and kill me slowly and painfully. Well, that was a pleasant thought. I hate myself.

With all respect that is due,

Hiiragizawa Eriol, 14

*

Dear Me,

I really don't know what's going on. Things with Li-kun and Sakura-chan could never be better-thank goodness for that! Unfortunately, it's the only thing going well. I suppose Eriol and I are far too alike-but Meiling! It really gave me a shock when he said that! And I think it's strained my friendship with her, too. It's not her fault, but I can't help feeling a bit upset with her. I think she's feeling the strain, too. She seems to choose Sakura and Chiharu over me for girls' nights nowadays. That is strange enough because the reason I stopped going to Sakura and Chiharu for girl talk was because we didn't have as much in common anymore-mainly, they have boyfriends now. I guess I should have expected it, as well as Eriol and I avoiding each other. It's really not his fault, but I wish, just once, I wouldn't be rejected. And then there's Touya...before, I thought of him as a brother, because Sakura-chan I and were so close. I guess I just thought of him as her onii-chan and not as an entirely seperate person. I've been helping with the cooking lately, and I've gotten to know him. I really feel like I never gave him a fair chance. It's not like we didn't get along, but I never tried to get to know him. He's really sensitive and protective, and sweet. He's only worried Li-kun will hurt Sakura, and that's why he doesn't like him. I guess it's reasonable, as the first time he met Li, he was trying to take the Clow cards from Sakura by force. Touya worries too much. It's kind of cute how he's so protective of Sakura-chan. I guess she reminds him of Nadeshiko. Okaa-sama simply adored Nadeshiko! Even now, she absolutely forbids me to cut my hair, because she wants me to wear it like Nadeshiko's! Touya looks a lot like her, from the pictures Okaa-sama keeps in every room of the house. There's a good ten in every room, each one different. Just like Sakura-chan's and Touya-san's otou-sama, Okaa-sama saved all Nadehsiko-sama's old pictures. It just shows how loved she was. I really do see the resemblance between Touya and Nadeshiko, even if everyone else I know thinks he favours "Kinomoto-sensei". Touya also looks a lot like Sakura-chan, which is explainable. They have the same ears, and I think pink might be his colour, too. I made a pattern for a nice pink jester suit for when I got mad at Syaoran, but if I got Touya's measurements, i think it would look better on him. I'll start on that when we get back home. I can probably get Touya's measurements from Sakura, just ask her to bring me one of his outfits. And I can use that pink velvet and the nice pink tulle left over from one of Sakura-chan's dresses for trim. Sounds like fun, ne? I feel a lot better now. Perhaps I'll go help Touya make breakfast.

All my love,

Daidouji Tomoyo, 14

*

Dear Us,

Did you see Sakura-chan's star last night, Yue? It's quite lovely, isn't it? I think we're both very proud of her. Of course I'm proud of her. What is the point of this? Sakura-chan said everyone seemed to have a lot on their minds lately. Personally, I don't think that included me. Or me. Well, you did have that very confusing ordeal with Yanagisawa-san, Yue. That's all over and done with. I know. Perhaps we should wake the others. You can. I'm going to sleep, I've been out all night. Well, good-night then.

Sincerely,

Tsukishiro Yukito, 21, and

Yue, 682

*

Dear Me,

It's not like I chose to love her. It just happened. But as long as she's in the same school as me, we can't be seen together. I've been saving up lately, and I made a small purchase before we came here...you know what it is. I just hope she'll like it. Of course, I'll get a new job. I'm thinking about law school...I've even sent in my application. They should send it back soon. I just hope she'll like it...

Signed,

Terada Yoshiyuki, 32

*

Dear Me,

Takashi is simply impossible! The other day, we were eating strawberry shortcake, and he tried to pitch that story about the running strawberries to poor Sakura-chan again! Honestly, he could at least make a new lie! Uh oh, I just heard him say "Did you know..". That can't be good.

Truthfully,

Mihara Chiharu, 14

*

Dear Me,

I simply must work on my lying voice. It's already very convincing, but Chiharu keeps hearing me and dragging me away. It ruins the mood...I need to have a quieter lying voice. Also, when she catches me lying she beats me up. Really, that girl can hit. Once she hit me so hard my eyes opened! It was a big shock to both of us. She told me later that I had really bright blue eyes. Can you see me with blue eyes? Amazing!

Imaginatively,

Yamazaki Takashi, 14

*

Dear Me,

Why won't the baka just leave me alone! It's not like I would ever do anything to hurt Sakura! I would die first! We can never be alone together, he follows me around. If Sakura didn't tell me not to...or if he wasn't her brother...let's just say he's awfully lucky she did and he is. I never want to me within a 10-metre radius of that jerk ever again. I'd like to give him a piece of my mind, too. Ughh...almost time for more of his poison food. Great.

Regards,

Li Syaoran, 14

*

Dear Me,

I just wish Onii-chan and Syaoran-kun would stop fighting! Why can't they come to terms? What is it with guys and their grudges? Well, not really guys...Touya, Syaoran, and Tomoyo's Okaa-san. All of them. I hope they come to terms before I'm eighty-two and a physical fight might do them both fatal. Honestly!

Kinomoto Sakura, 14

*

)Meiling's POV(

I sighed. It would be so much easier to just be alienated from him for the rest of my life...so much easier, but so much more painful. I had to apologize. I rapped on Eriol's tent-pole.

The flap opened and Eriol's head popped out. "Li-chan?" he asked.

I nodded. "It's me, sorry." I joked. "Anyways, I just came to say I'm sorry if I was rude yesterday, I guess I was kind of confused."

He looked at me. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

"I don't see any reason to be mad at you, Eriol. Anyways, I thought, since we had that fight, maybe we can just bury the hatchet and compromise."

Eriol smiled. "Done. But how do you plan to compromise?"

I grinned evilly. "Well, I thought, since Christmas is coming in a few days, we could do some *holiday decorating* at the mess hall."

He smiled. "I can't believe I forgot to take advantage of the season!"

So, arm in arm, we ran off to my tent to get supplies.

*

We had popped all the popcorn I had brought and were just stringing it on when Tomoyo poked her head out.

"What are you two doing?" she asked suspiciously.

I smiled innocently. "Just making the mess hall a little more...festive."

She smiled. "I suppose you're going to use mistletoe, too?"

"Oh, I almost forgot! Eriol-kun, why don't you hang the mistletoe in the doorway?" I asked. He obliged silently, even thought both of us knew that later, we would move it to the *other* doorway. Eriol started to whistle the song the mice in Cinderella sing as he strung, and I stuck the string he had already put popcorn on onto the wall with silly putty. We hung baubles on the string and it stretched around the entire room once. Eriol even magicked a giant advent calendar on one of the walls.

"Ano...Eriol, it's December 24." I pointed out. He nodded.

"We'd better catch up, then, shouldn't we?" he asked, and I grinned.

*

After breakfast and 23 giant pieces of candy, Eriol and I opened the next window and broke the chocolate bar into even pieces before it was split among everyone. Full and happy, I walked slowly back to my tent. Time to make sure my gifts all arrived intact.

I opened the smaller, padded bag inside my huge suitcase. I lifted out a small, padded box and opened it carefully. Sakura's crystal cherry blossom clip was intact-good, it was *very* expensive.

I looked at the gifts one by one - Tomoyo's, Naoko's, Chiharu's, Rika's, Nakuru's, Kinomoto's, Tsukishiro's (both of them-Christmas is his birthday, too), Yamazaki's, Terada-sensei's, Syaoran's (a box of Savoy Truffles), and...

...Eriol's.

Sakura had helped me with Eriol's. They were silver cuff links with two gems on each. One, a sapphire, to symbolize Eriol, and the other, well, that was where Sakura helped.

The other gem took the colour representing the person that the wearer loved best. If Syaoran wore them, the gems would become rose quartz, for Sakura. If Eriol wore them...

Probably the aquamarine, for Mizuki-sensei.

I pressed my fingers to the chameleon gems, now black. I counted to three, then let go.

Sapphires.

I blew on each, so they would stay that way until someone else wore them. I put them back in their box and wrapped them, then threw them on top of the pile of wrapped gifts. I had to get over him.

I sat up straight. Tomoyo's voice rang through the clearing. "Lunch!"

*

After lunch, Terada-sensei stood up nervously.

"I..have something I think you all should know."

Everyone turned to look at him, interested.

"I won't be your teacher for the third semester. I won't be teaching...I'm going to law school.

We all stared at him in silent shock.

He cleared his throat and continued. "So..before I leave..," He got down on one knee, and I was suddenly acutely aware of Tomoyo's camcorder right beside my face, "Rika Sasaki, will you marry me?"

Rika's face broke into a wide grin, her brown eyes shining. "Hai!" she replied, and met him in a passionate kiss.

Everyone else averted their eyes politely, except for Tomoyo, who was filming intently.

Terada-sensei knelt, with Rika's arma around his neck. "It'll be a long engagement..."

Rika nodded. "I've always been patient!"

"We won't have much money..."

"I was never one for extravagances!"

Terada-sensei smiled, and Rika smiled back.

"Kawaii!" Tomoyo squealed from behind me.

*

Sakura and I spent the afternoon collecting everyone's letters and putting them in cream-coloured envelopes, supplied by Tomoyo,writing each person's name on one, and then sealing the corresponding letters inside. Then, Sakura tied it with a pink silk ribbon.

"Where should we keep them?" asked Sakura, "I'd lose them."

"Have Eriol keep track of them." I suggested.

So Eriol sealed them in a special place, and I was left with nothing to do while Sakura "spent some time" with Syaoran. On the bright side, I only spent 15 minutes brooding over anything and everything under the sun (mostly Eriol) before Tomoyo called us for dinner.

*

After dinner, Kinomoto and Tomoyo had to prep for the Christmas dinner tomorrow, so Eriol, Syaoran, Sakura, and I all went to our tents to hang our stockings, then to the bridge to hang out. Sakura coaxed some eggnog out of the quarter-people and we all toasted her for it.

I shivered. "Japan is so *cold*, how do you live, Sakura?" I asked, "Syaoran..."

Syaoran hid deeper within his heaviest jacket. "Don't even think about it." he muttered darkly.

"Here." I looked up from my cocoon to see Eriol, holding out his jacket to me and smiling.

I took it warily. "A-arigato." I mumbled, huddling inside it.

Sakura's eyes lit up. "I've got it!" she proclaimed, standing up and saying her incantation, summoning her staff.

"Create!" yelled Sakura, tapping the corresponding card. "Create a campfire, five roasting sticks and a big bag of marshmallows!"

And it did.

"Create had got to be the most useful card." I stated, helping myself to a marshmallow and a roasting stick, then sticking them both in the fire. The others followed suit.

"Ano..Meiling...do you like your marshmallow on fire?" ventured Sakura.

I looked. She was right. "I sure do!" I said cheerfully, whipping it out, blowing out the flame, and popping it into my mouth with a wink of the eye. Not a smart move.

"HOT!!" I yelled, my voice muffled from the black puff of sugar inside my mouth. I spat it out, right into the centre of the fire.

"That's gross, Meiling." muttered Syaoran, swiftly moving his own marshmallow to another spot.

"Isn't it fascinating to watch burnt marshmallows burn out?" asked Sakura optimistically, watching wide-eyed.

Eriol looked at Sakura and Syaoran, apparently appalled. "Syaoran! It's very rude to tell someone that what they did is gross, even if it is, and Sakura! It's *not* burnt, it's *blackened*!"

Syaoran, Sakura and I rolled our eyes in unison. "Eriol..."

"Eriol!" I said in realization. "We forgot to move the mistletoe!"

His eyes widened. "We did! Hurry, it's not too late!"

So we ran to the mess hall, where Eriol silently untacked the mistletoe and magicked it over the doorway leading into the kitchen. Then, we left, swiftly and silently, to return to Sakura, Syaoran and the campfire.

Once we returned, we laughed, talked, and roasted marshmallows until Syaoran noticed the time.

"It's eleven thirteen." Syaoran told us, surprised.

Sakura yawned loudly. "We'd better go to sleep."

I nodded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

"G'night."

Sakura recalled Create's spell, and we all stumbled, slowly and sleepily, into our tents and sleeping bags.

*

)Tomoyo's POV(

I put the stuffed goose into the fridge and stifled a yawn, glancing at the clock.

"It's eleven thirteen." Touya commented, following my eyes.

I nodded. "Are we done?"

Touya stuck the pudding, uncooked, into the fridge. "Now we are."

I observed the mess critically. "We need to clean up."

So I did the dishes while Touya wiped the counters and the floor, and by midnight the kitchen was sparkling clean. We walked out of the kitchen...

"Mistletoe." I commented. How did that get there?

Touya cursed under his breath. I stood on tiptoe and kissed him, first in a friendly way, then it deepened, becoming more passionate, with each second our mutual longing becoming more evident.

Gently, slowly, reluctantly, we broke apart. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest.

"I love you, Touya." I breathed.

"I love you, too."

~P 3 4 3 C 3~

Charisma: Ooo..T+Tness...oh, and a nice R+T scene in the middle ^_^. And look how early I updated! Only 4 days...(And this might be the longest chapter, too!) I know that usually, Christmas is earlier in winter vacation, but, well, I kind of forgot. The Savoy Truffles for Syaoran was because I was listening to the Beatles..mmm...chocolate...So, I want to know what you think, so just press that little button in the corner, and tell me what you thought. Questions will be answered, comments will be appreciated, corrections will be noted, and constructive critisism will be used and appreciated. Thanks!

Vocab:

Onii-chan-Big brother(casual)

Okaa-sama-Mother(formal)

Otou-sama-Father(formal)

Sensei-teacher

Ne-Eh

Baka-Idiot

Okaa-san-Mother

Hai-Yes

Kawaii-Cute

Arigato-Thank you

Even if you don't have much to say, please review so I know people are still reading this!

P.S. This *is* the longest chapter-beat chapter 6 by .1 kilobytes!