Disclaimer: I've been forgetting this, haven't I? I hope big, bad Nelvana doesn't rip me to shreds… or feed me to that polar bear that is some logo…(*assistant 487-F whispers in ear*) What… you don't honestly mean that…(*faces readers in pure, unadulterated fear*). I swear, none of this belongs to me. It all, *ALL* belongs to CLAMP, Nelvana, that company that starts with a K, and anyone else with legal proof. Even take my story, just… just never force me to watch those dubbed things again…(*men in white suits cart wicherwill away*)

~*~

Trust Sakura and Syaoran to mess it up.

Damn.

~*~

Tomoyo tilted her head to the side, her headset strapped to her head and auto-dialling a particular dorm for the *millionth* time. She glared at her cold dinner, as if this was all the fault of her miso soup. "Sata-san, what now?"

Her bodyguard broke off her conversation with the pilot, obviously angry. "Tomoyo-sama, the pilot is having… difficulties securing landing permits. The airport refuses to authorize a pass to this aircraft since it flies without take off passes."

Tomoyo took a deep breath and then dialed a different number on her phone. "Eriol. I need you to do something to the people at the Hatakeyama airstrip. No, I don't care what, just do something!" She hit the speaker button and sat back.

"One step ahead of you, love."

Tomoyo gasped as a projection of the blue haired man appeared for a brief moment, then disappeared as the plane dropped. She stood up the minute that she felt the plane touch ground.

"Can I leave?" "The airstrip has been cleared. Team Alpha passing parcel to Team Under. Repeat, Team Alpha passing parcel to Team Under. Over."

Tomoyo smiled as a thickly muscled woman helped her with her baggage. She could almost swear that she had half-smiled back, but that would have meant practically eliminating her from the surface of the earth. After watching her being shunned from every bodyguard agency. Playing with dynamite, Sata used to say.

Tomoyo took her briefcase and strode out to Eriol, who was waiting. Taking the handheld screen offered to her by the same luggage carrier, she starting showing something to him, something that had 5:1 Dolby digital sound accompanying it…

There are those who follow, those who lead, and then there are those who make things happen. As Daidouji Tomoyo walked with her fiancée, she knew that she was back in her place.

~*~

Sakura sat at the bottom of a large oak tree, simply enjoying the summer sun that filtered through the leaves. Not a cloud in the sky, birds singing, the whole deal… She was firmly convinced that this was the picture of a perfect day.

Glancing side to side, she frowned. There was Syaoran, walking up to Ume, who had just come out of the Journalism wing… He was bending over to fix her collar… She was laughing at something he said… He was hanging his head in apparent shame…

Sakura looked away, determined to hold on to her disposition for as long as possible. All too soon, however, (slightly unwelcome) voices arrived on her left.

"Sakura! You, Syaoran, and I are like the only ones left on campus!"

Sakura smiled, more in awe of Ume's show of cheerfulness than anything. "Right. You seem… happy…"

"Coming from the Queen of Genki herself? Nah, I just found out something," she glanced slightly at Syaoran, "great from Yuhara."

If Sakura hadn't known better, she would have believed that she was telling the truth. As it was, she knew Ume's capabilities at bending the truth and stood up to start to leave. "That's great, I'm really happy for you. Yuhara's still working? This was supposed to be the study weekend, wasn't it? No papers… I'm relaxing as much as I can. And then do my traditional stuffy marathon."

"Same here… Although with Gem gone, I basically spend my time cleaning up a semester's worth of living with a slob." Sakura sweat dropped. "Feel free to come over to my house any time… Tomoyo's been gone only a day, and my place is a mess. That, and I can't seem to be able to cook anything with the ingredients I have at home… basically just sugar, pudding, milk, and instant cake mix."

"I never knew you two ate junk food… you eat so healthy!"

"Ano… w-we have guests over frequently…"

Syaoran laughed, and both girls jumped a bit, slightly guilty at leaving him out. "Speaking of eating, I'm inviting the both of you to dinner. Tonight, at seven?"

"Oh Ume, Syaoran's asking me on a date. Help me, I'm fainting!" Sakura pressed a hand to her forehead, dramatizing to keep herself coherent.

"No way, he likes me." Ume sidled up to Syaoran, her normal expression firmly in place, but her eyes were laughing in mirth.

"No, I like someone else…"

Sakura could almost swear that he glanced at her for the briefest of seconds, but she closed her eyes. Laughing, she said, "So, something about dinner…real food would be lovely."

"Yes, my relative opened a new restaurant, and so technically I'm being pressured into going… but really, it's a good place. Could you make it tonight, at seven?" A small frown crossed Ume's face. "No, I don't think so… I have other plans. It's okay, you two go and have a good time without me."

Sakura looked out of the side of her eye, and saw Syaoran about to protest, about to reschedule. She opened her mouth, not quite sure of what was going to come out and embarrass her, and blurted, "Oh, that's too bad. We sure will. Won't we, Syaoran?" She covered her mouth with her hand the moment the words were out of her mouth.

He stared at her for a long moment, and then turned back to Ume. "I'm really sorry about that. Maybe another time?"

"Definitely. Ja." Sakura watched as she turned and started to run off campus to her dorm, her short auburn hair flying behind her. For a split second, she was almost convinced that it was her that was running off, as the two of them had the same hair colour and cut.

"So… seven is okay? I'll come pick you up."

"Arigato."

"Oh, and…" He looked away, slightly flustered. "…It's a formal kind of restaurant, so if you could just grab something from Daidouji's closet, that would be great." Sakura almost laughed at the apprehension in his voice.

"Sure. I'm sure she won't mind. Ja." Sakura walked away, gradually picking up speed until she was flat out running back to her apartment.

Sorry, Ume, but…

Smiling, she made her way up the stairs to get ready. 

~*~

A few hours later, Sakura was starting to get a little frustrated. Just a bit.

Okay, a bit times infinity.

After most of the afternoon had passed, the only thing she had been able to find to wear was her red cheongsam. It was pretty; a mandarin collar, which trailed off into a wrap around type thing that wound around her. And it had something that Tomoyo had called a frog button, plus the flower embroidery was nice. Tomoyo had made some alterations to get it to fit her like a glove, and it did… with the help of Big and Little, of course.

Okay, so it was the only dress she technically owned. The rest of it came from the Human Sewing Machine who lived next door.

Okay, she had never worn it before. That was definitely a plus, since that meant he had never seen it.

So his mother had given it to her. That didn't mean that he would know the dress, right? After all, she had given it to her slyly, telling her not to show it to him until the best moment. Of course, that was when she was certain that he liked her and whatnot. This was as great a moment as any other.

Satisfied, she pulled out Big to enlarge the dress a teeny bit, so that it was humanly possible to actually wear.

"IIIIIIE! Sakura! Stop!"

Sakura dropped the dress onto her bed, startled. "Hoe?! Tomoyo? What… weren't you in Tomoeda?"

"Well, I came back when I found out from someone that someone had convinced herself that someone didn't like her…" "I didn't exactly understand that, but from what I gather," she stopped herself, a calm, serene smile on her face, "Tomoyo, he likes Ume, and I accept it. In fact, I'll help him confess, because I know he won't otherwise. I mean, he-"

"Except that this someone is your destined, as Eriol was mine!"

"Tomoyo, onegai. If you get me started, I'll never get through dinner."

"Dinner? You weren't killing yourself or anything? Wearing a beautiful dress so that at your spring funeral you would match with your mahogany coffin?"

"Tomoyo!"

"Gomen, gomen… Oh! We have to get you ready then!"

Sakura's eyes widened as Tomoyo dragged her into the third bedroom, where she had set up her 'shop'. "Help me… Help me! Kero! Yueh! Someone! Help meeeeeeeeee!"

~*~

A few thousand miles away, Yukito blinked.

"Um… Yueh? Did you… did you just feel that?"

Sakura-sama needs our help!

Yukito froze as Yueh concentrated on the Hatakeyama campus. Seconds later, he started to choke.

"Yueh? Yueh! Daijoubu?!" He stopped, listening carefully. That couldn't be… no…

Oh… Kami-sama…

Yukito nearly fainted.

Of all things… Yueh laughing.

~*~

Sakura gagged, gasping.

"Tomoyo… can't… breathe…"

"But we're only two inches away from a perfect waist!"

Sakura fumbled with the lacings, finally finding the catch string. She fell onto all fours, breathing heavily. "Tomoyo, you're giving me an extra set of bones. I won't be able to sit down with all this junk!"

"That's what this hinge is for!"

"Hinge? Hoeee!"

"Fine, fine…Okay, go wash your face with this first, then this, then scrub with this, then this, then pat this on, wait seven minutes, then peel off… while waiting, you can mix this and this together, which goes on for five minutes then gets scraped off. After this, we'll wash your face to ready it for the under foundation."

Sakura took the offered items hesitantly. "Tomoyo, it's just dinner."

Aforesaid person nearly had a heart attack.

"Just dinner? JUST DINNER?! For Kinomoto Sakura," she said to the wall, breathing rather forcibly with a glazed look in her eye, "this is an opportune moment for a certain blind, deaf, mum gaki to confess to certain mutual attractions. But," her voice becoming audible again, "that doesn't mean we can't get ready!"

~*~

Two hours later, Sakura was covering her eyes in terror, refusing to look at the mirror. "I'm going to look like an idiot, I have no clue what half of those things you smeared on my hands alone were, I'm going to look like some sort of badly dressed doll, I'm out of shape, I can't believe I let you talk me into this…"

Tomoyo sighed and yanked her hands from her face. She got the answer she needed when her friend froze, glued to the mirror. "There. Now if you'd just remember not to blush and sweat off this stuff-" "Tomoyo, am I to believe that your designer makeup line is not almost permanent?"

"…Okay, so just don't blush cause it doesn't render you any more comprehensive."

"I'll be fine, don't worry!" She was about to leave when the hands came back, holding another piece of paper. "Hands-san, who is it this time? Oh…"

Tomoyo watched as her friend dragged her eyes from the printout with considerable willpower.

"Nani?"

"Tomoyo, if I have ever been a good friend to you, take this paper and do not let me read it until this dinner has become a memory. I daresay that I won't be able to continue if I do." Tomoyo took the offered paper slowly, her eyes scanning it and putting her own two and two together. "Well then, it's almost time… Here's your jacket… You'd better be off!"

Tomoyo handed her a full-length black coat and pushed her friend out the door, looking at the clock nervously. As soon as she saw Syaoran open the door for her, she shot off into her own room. Quickly selecting an all black outfit, she pulled out her cell phone.

"Eriol? Can you hear me? They've left. Is everything all right there? All set?"

"Of course. Spinel is spending the night at your house, so he should be there any moment… I'm set."

"Good. They've just left, so that gives us about five minutes to get settled there before they arrive."

"Sure thing. I'm right outside in five seconds, so come on out."

"Ja."

Tomoyo smiled, lacing up her one-piece black dress and snapping her phone closed with a smart click. As much as she wanted Sakura to stop acting like a dunce, she couldn't wait to see how many different ways she managed to misinterpret Syaoran's meanings this night.

~*~

"Kami-sama… this is… this is just too much." Sakura stepped into the restaurant, enthralled.

"You think so?" He shifted around, clearly used to such opulent surroundings.

"It's… gorgeous."

Gorgeous could be used to describe Imari, the restaurant the two of them were currently at. Any Li was a shrewd businessman, and Li Cong was no exception. Imari was situated around a modest ballroom floor, which faced a small stage where live music could be heard every night. The circles were efficient; waiters dressed in traditional Japanese clothing only appeared through small doors to serve food that the guests choose on small, digital screens.

"I hope you like sukiyaki, that's the specialty here."

"May I take the lady's jacket?"

Sakura smiled and shrugged out of her coat, still taking in the elegant fixtures and the open roof.

"I'd love to meet the person in charge of this… Syaoran? Are you okay?"

Syaoran had frozen the moment she had taken off her coat, and any normal person would think that it was because the dress was gorgeous. "Where… where did you get that dress?"

"Your mother gave it to me… why, is it too much?"

Using what seemed like superhuman force, Syaoran shook his head. "No, it's just that… actually, nandemonai. Come, I have a table reserved in the back…" He led her behind a screen to a small, outdoor patch of lawn by the ocean. A few tables were set up, and they were in roughly the shape of a quarter-circle, allowing the seated occupants to both watch the sunset… or each other. Sakura knelt down, being careful not to mess the dress up.

"Konban wa. Welcome to Imari. Li Fen desu, and I'll be your waiter for the night."

Sakura turned around to see a female splitting image of Syaoran holding a pad.

"H… Hoeee?"

The lady-Syaoran laughed. "You must be Kinomoto Sakura. Kami-sama… that dress… congra-"

"Fen, it's not. This is just where it disappeared to," Syaoran cut in with clipped tones.

The smile on her face fell a teeny bit. "Oh. Well, welcome to Imari and whatnot… ano, we have great sukiyaki, so I hope you like it."

Sakura found herself liking this woman more and more as she reeled off her spiel. She almost laughed out loud too, when the two Lis displayed identical tastes and suggestions that fit in with their appearances perfectly.

"Okay, I'll come out with the complimentary sake and your appetizer right away."

Sakura watched her go, slightly confused. "Syaoran, what was she saying about my dress?"

"Oh, it's just that… Okaa-san wore it once and Fen really liked it, and wanted a copy of the pattern with jasmine flowers instead."

Sakura nodded, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that he wasn't quite meeting her eyes when he said that…

Soon, however, she was immersed in a delicious meal and was rapidly chatting away with Syaoran. Growing up with four sisters who were chatter-mouths must have done something to his brain. I remember Otou-san during my spiels...nod and smile, that was his tactic. She laughed at the thought, completely immersing herself in what she knew to be a lie. However, the truth hurt, and this felt… right.

"That was a horrible night… Eriol insisted that I accompany him to every single ring store in bloody Japan. And then, once we had found what he thought was the perfect ring… He hadn't brought the correct size."

"Oh, that's where you two were. Tomoyo was out of her mind with worry, cause you had disappeared without a trace. Come to think of it, I was more worried over what had happened to you. Kero hadn't helped; he was recounting all the horrible situations he could remember about dark, stormy Friday nights and demons and Li members who went missing. I was so scared by the end of that night…I was convinced that you would turn up in a black sack."

"I remember that…the minute we walked into your apartment, I was sure that you would yell at us for dripping water onto your carpet, and instead you launched yourself at me and I bruised my tailbone…" He chuckled.

"It's not funny! I was really scared that you had died and had left me all alone!"

He paused, looking carefully at the swiftly darkening sky. "You've grown so much since I've first met you, and I can say this as a person who turned into an adult when most were becoming teenagers. But you're still vulnerable, Sakura, and," he turned, taking her hand in both of his, "it's part of you. So don't you ever forget, I will always be there for you. Always."

Sakura paused, barely breathing.

And for the second time, Sakura could almost swear that this was the way it was meant to be, that he loved her. His face was mere inches from hers; it would be a simple matter to move closer… She could almost swear that he was moving closer too, and she became acutely aware that their hands were still entwined on the table. Funny, how well they fit. Sakura closed her eyes, shivering slightly in anticipation. Any moment now, she would feel his lips on hers…

"Xiao Lang? Someone told me you were out here!"

Sakura jumped back, her eyes opening as quickly as if she had been electrocuted. Looking at the figure now appeared through the curtain, she glanced out the side of her eye. He was already composed, realization dawning on his face as the voice echoed through her head, slightly familiar… but where?

"Feimei! What… what are you doing here?" Syaoran looked over the hug he was receiving from his youngest sister at Sakura, confusion evident on his face.

"Oh, come off it, this is a Li contact point, didn't you know that?"

"I haven't seen Cong, true… How's Wu and little Donglu?"

"Fine, fine…oh, Sakura-chan! Remember me?"

"Of cour-"

"Kami-sama! The dress! Congratulations! Xiao, when did you plan on telling the family? Maybe after you-"

"Gomen for interrupting, but what is with this dress? You're the third person to make a comment about it."

Feimei froze, looking back and forth from Syaoran to Sakura. After a while, she directed her glance at Syaoran, and Sakura guessed that she was talking mind-to-mind. She concentrated and then relaxed, remembering what Kero had told her. Relax… breathe in, breathe out…

…Not tell her what that dress is! Mama never told any of us what she did with it, not even when Jiao was getting married, and she had so wanted to wear it… She deserves to know!

Feimei, it's not polite to talk mind-to-mind in the presence of others.

Don't you dare put me off track! Imagine if Cong had come out instead of Fen… it would have been all over the tabloids by now, that The Li was marrying the Card Mistress… in any case, she can't talk mind-to-mind, you told us.

That's no matter, can you imagine how she'd feel if she knows? I mean, she- damn!

"Damn!"

The last was said out loud as Sakura stood up, tears in her eyes.

"Syaoran… gomen… I had no idea, really, and I didn't mean to almost-" Sakura stopped herself before she went too far, "just gomen." Turning, she ran out, the curtain flapping noiselessly behind her.

~*~

Kero watched from a corner of the room as his mistress flung the brilliant dress she had been wearing across the room, then sat on her bed and proceeded to cry into her knees. "I'm such a blubbering idiot… I can't believe I did something like that. He thinks I'm an idiot, he must know I like him, he's going to hate me. I honestly wish the next demon sends me off into the seventh gate…"

Kero started, considering helping her, but stopped when he realized that she was just seriously distressed. He watched, his eyes widening in anticipation, as she reached for the printout that he had read over and over that evening. He smiled, content. As much as he hated the brat, if her finding out his blatantly obvious feelings made her feel better, he was game. He got ready as she cleared her throat, still talking to thin air.

"Dear Koi-chan. Thank you for your advice. Well, you had better be happy, it's costing me my sanity. Blah, blah, I asked her friends. Really? When was this? I mean, you could talk to me. I've only been your closest friend for what, ten years?! You were right, they became quite open the minute I confessed. Oh lovely, should I go and tell you all the different people she's fancied the minute that you tell me you like her? Oh wait, you've already done that. I also tried subtly – not! – mentioning I liked someone else. No, you didn't. You were as subtle as a bull in a china shop. And you got it messed up, because you said it at the wrong time. I'm going to try asking her… out to dinner at a nice spot."

Kero nearly fell out of the air in surprise. Exactly how dense was she? He was about to go and try bashing that thick head of hers when he saw her face fall, in a familiar expression of (as usual, totally undeserved) sadness and guilt.

"Great. Now I messed it up, all because I wanted to go with him. Should have been more insistent, shouldn't have acted like an inconsiderate prat…"

Kero followed her to the computer, hovering above her shoulder. He watched as she picked up her hands, and then dropped them back into her lap. Numerous times.

"Hey kiddo, need some help?" He flew safely out of dangerous territory as she jumped.

"Mou, Kero, how long have you been spying on me?"

"Since you came in here," he said frankly.

She made to swat him, but dropped her hand halfway. "Could you transform into Kerberos? Please? I need an older face, sorry."

Kero shrugged, transforming and coming beside her so that she could run her fingers through his fur. "Can I give you help in this form?" 

She laughed. "No, I'm okay. It's just been a stressful weekend, and I'm slightly tired out."

"Is that it?" Kero tried his hardest to keep a face like Clow's when she picked up her head and stared at him. Then, before he knew what was happening, she had enveloped him (as best she could) in a hug and was telling his back the entire story, starting with seeing the brat for the first time, through his coming back in junior high, until this weekend, when, from what he could tell, her world had come crashing down upon him.

"It's just that… I always expect him to be there, like a pillar, cause he's always supporting me. I don't know what I'll do after I graduate. Frankly, I don't see how I'll be able to start on my own, with Tomoyo already well into starting TD as a company and Eriol off to Cambridge in England and Onii-chan still in America with Yukito, and I can't ask Otou-san to just drop his work, not on the brink of his promotion…but worst of all is Syaoran still not knowing exactly where he'll continue med school… I'm scared, Kero, I can't work alone."

"Hey, hey… well, you'll always have me."

Sakura smiled, a small yawn escaping her mouth. "Of course. What would I do without you?"

"For one, I doubt you'd ever sleep on a normal schedule… Come on, finish up your letter thing and go to sleep. Where's Tomoyo? I want dinner…"

Sakura wasn't paying attention, typing away on her keyboard. "She said something about going to the AV room at school… don't know what time she'll be back, she didn't say."

When Kero came back, his paws smelling distinctly of the only edible substance in the house, she was about to press send. "Come on then, read it out to me."

Sakura sent him a look, but read it anyway. "Ano… Dinner is a lovely idea, do it more often. Stuff about generally what are good places, and what are not. Some more help on how to mention *subtly* that you like someone else. Oh, and how to ask her out without having to resort to group dates. Sound good?"

Kero nodded in approval, still licking his paws.

"Oh, forget it. I've sent it, so you can't take it back." She was about to turn off the computer and go to sleep when Kero started to talk.

"You know, if you'd just… stop being so… so… so selfishly selfless, you would be a lot happier." Of course, he knew that she wouldn't understand (okay, so that statement was confusing to him too).

But then again, that was Sakura.

~*~

"Li, have you seen Sakura?"

Syaoran looked up from his work, worried. Then he saw the girl named Ohka Gemmei walking with another girl, and became more worried.

"No, but wouldn't she be with you? When did you last see her? Did she appear frightened? Has she disappeared for a long period of time?"

"Whoa, hold it there, Romeo! All I wanted to know was if you had seen Sakura since she – who is perfectly safe – has been doing all she can to avoid anyplace that… well, now that I think about it, anyplace you might be. Ume here and I have gotten barely ten words out of her this entire week, and it's not because of exams. What, did you have a fight? Oh, wait, I forgot. You haven't told her that you've liked her for, oh, eight years, so you obviously couldn't have had a lover's quarrel."

Gemmei Looked at him, and he started thinking that this Koi-chan person had been wrong. Daidouji had been subtle in orchestrations that were not-so-subtle, Hiiragizawa had been snide, Ii had been sappy, but Ohka… he shook his head. Ohka was all of them put together. She was not subtly snide and thought that it was sweet. Of course, this meant she wanted results now.

"Oh. Gomen. And no, I haven't seen her… I have been studying a lot… although you said that was her intent?"

"Yeah, and it's probably all your fault, so if you did anything to her, you'll be getting a-"

"Gemmei, calm down. Can't you tell he's worried about her? Li," Ume directed her words towards him for the first time, "Gem isn't kidding. It's been a week since you went out for dinner, and since then she's basically thrown herself into her studies. Don't get me wrong, she'll be top of class, and that's great, but… what on earth did you do?"

Syaoran ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "In short, the formal dress she wore to the restaurant is the dress worn by every Li female during their wedding. That's not special, I mean, there are just over a hundred kimonos and dresses in a Li wedding, but this was the quai boi, and it caused a small- er, slightly large commotion when it simply disappeared from my mother's possessions. That's it, basically. And Sakura didn't know any of it; she overheard us talking mi-overheard us talking. Since my family ran that restaurant, a number of people recognized it. My uncle, cousin, sister…but honestly, no one took it the wrong way."

Both girls looked at him like he was nuts, but Gemmei had the courage to speak up first.

"You… you… stupid no baka yaro plus gaki plus… how could you be so STUPID?!"

"I agree with Gem, just not so… violently."

Syaoran had what one would call a… colourful vocabulary, but that smile of Gemmei's was suggesting that her vocabulary was related to a rainbow, and she knew some complementary colours too. He opened his mouth to help himself, but all he managed was a small squeak that sounded like, "Someone help me…"

"Someone help you indeed. Li, do you have any idea of how a formal wedding of any sort goes? Chinese? Japanese?"

"A traditional Chinese wedding must have a number of requirements. First, a go-between must negotiate with the bride's family to get permission to marry their daughter. This is where the first stages of the dowry take place. If permission is granted, then the eight letters, a certified astrologist compares a traditional birth date, known as the eight letters, of the bride and groom. If the letters clash, the groom must drop the wedding immediately. If they do not, then the planning moves onto the first letter, or the-"

"Okay, Li, we get the point."

"Sorry. Autopilot."

"In any case, a Chinese wedding seems like a huge commitment, am I correct?"

"It is. And it is the groom's responsibility to pay for the banquet-"

"Li, shut up. It's a huge commitment, and it takes a lot of time. Getting married into the Li Clan is a big deal, with kimonos and-"

"What Gemmei is trying to get to is that Sakura was probably pretty deeply shocked. She feels like she violated something, and I don't blame her. It's almost like planning your wedding before you even plan on getting engaged. And if you somehow got into that mess, I'm not surprised Sakura didn't go into a slightly crazy fit. If that were me, I'd be talking the head off my stuffed animals, ranting about how the world in general was horrible. Gemmei and I are close to Sakura, but no where near as close as Daidouji, who we've seen even less of-"

"If that were humanly possible. As it is, it doesn't seem like it. Or at least I don't think it is. Wait a second-"

Syaoran raised one finger timidly. "I hope you don't feel offended, but you look just like one of my sisters when she realizes that she's completely missed her point."

"That's right. Ume, he's right. Wow. What was our point? Oh yes, Sakura."

"…Sakura."   

"Yes, it was Sakura."

Syaoran swallowed, then pointed. "No. Sakura."

Ume and Gemmei followed to where he was pointing, and started breathing when it became apparent that she had been too far away to hear anything. Syaoran froze the minute she spotted them and ran towards them. This was not good, she hadn't seen him, and he was beginning to think that maybe the two of them were right and he had messed everything up…

"Konban wa! Hey, anyone up for going to the ice cream store? Ume, Gemmei, Syaoran? Come? Please?"

Three blank faces stared back at her.

"Are you three okay? Syaoran, did," she pushed her hair back, forcibly, over her left ear, in their signal for 'magic', "anything happen?"

Gemmei was the first to recover, and she slid glances to both of them that clearly meant to snap out of it. "Of course we'll come. I have been dying for some mint chocolate chip…" She grabbed Ume's hand and jerked her head at Syaoran, skipping down the hill in perfect time to Sakura.

A block from the store, Ume had recovered enough to do her mother hen questioning. "Ne, Sakura, you're certainly happy… what happened?"

Sakura stopped, running in front of them to open the door. "Who wouldn't be happy? After exams," she paused, grinning, "Chiharu's getting married!"

There was a collective *THUD* as three bodies fell to the ground… no, wait… five bodies…

~* to be continued (I promise) *~

AN: It's my first full chapter with a beta, so if it's tonnes better, then it's because I listened to someone's advice (*another collective THUD*) and had someone read over it. If it's horrible, then it's cause I only pretended to follow her advice. But since I hope it's good, then let's give a round of applause to…

Miss Qui Chen! Who is on ff.net, and is 100% abso-*&$%#-lutely correct in her bio thing. Go check it here: Qui Chen That link should work, it's something new that ff.net came up with. Nifty, isn't it? I can't stand all those numbers!

I just want another chapter after this, really. I don't want this to turn into every other one of these fics I've read, so I've got a cool ending, which I want to write and be finished with. Then I have a number of things wanting to be written, including a huge number of one-shots following OotP…*walks away muttering about resurrection potions and secretly meeting with the Mary Sue Clan Ministry, Misleading Deaths and Other Ways to Resurrect department*

wicherwill ^_^