Kalli: *faints* OMG! I got OVER 100 reviews! I LOVE YOU PEOPLE! Your so
kind for reviewing this story! This makes me so happy! I appreciate this
so much! *showers reviewers with candy, money, and anime merchandise*
ENJOY! Oh, yes, and of course, as more thanks, review replies!:
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AnimeObsessionFantasy- Thank you! And sorry that the update took so long!
Iris Dreamer- I'm glad u liked it! I liked Feimei's personality there too, after all, every playboy needs to have a sibling there to keep him in check with blackmail!
Heather-Hezzer-and-Honaluki- *bow* I hope the dress meets your expectations! *wink*
oXAmethystXo - I missed you guys too! ^^ And even though it took awhile, I'm finally back with this story...emphasis on 'finally'. Hehe...I'm glad u liked the tongue thing! (it sounds so naughty when it's put that way, doesn't it?)
cherrixwolf- *tries to sneak away* I was gonna update sooner! I swear it! But, uh, the chapters longer again, so, that counts for SOMETHING, right?
SaKuRa LoVa - Now, that was good to hear. Someone saying that a chapter was worth a 3-month wait brings tears to my eyes to know that this fic is loved that much! *weep* *hug* Ur so kind!
Skylover- Uh.....I kinda hurried with the update...sorta......ok, not really, but at least I got to it, right? *smile*
Sapphire Melody- I like ur pen name! And I take 'fascinating' as an extremely high compliment, so, big thanx!
LiL DuDeTtE- Yes, he can be very sweet when he wants to! Sorry about the slow updates!
Musiq-Mistress101- Well, um, maybe not soon, but EVENTUALLY!
kawaiitenshisakura- This one's long too! Not as long as the last one, but still pretty damn long. Happy reading!
Dragonstar03- Thank you! ^^
LiL oBs3ss3r- Whoa...long review....but ur right, if you were really that bad about trying on dresses, you shouldn't drag your friends along...unless they owe you a BIG favor, of course! I'm glad u liked the 4 hells joke! And I think we all talk to ourselves in our minds..and occasionally out loud too...^^;; But anyway, thanks for your long review!
lilazngurl - Do you realize that u wrote the word 'update' exactly 917 times in that review?! 0.o Well, uh..enjoy! And, sorry about the slow updates.
alessandra - Of course I'll e-mail you! ^^ I hope u enjoy this one!
Sakura-Blossom12- Thank u so much! I'll try to update sooner!
Midnight Crystal- Thank you! But, of course, non-pervertedness won't last TOO long with Syaoran here..hehehe...but, Sakura will keep him in check with her new 'information'. Lol! I plan to keep writing this fic until it's done, so don't fear! It may take a while, but I vow to get it done!
demi-kaijuu- *hugs* Ur so sweet! ^^ I'm glad u thought it was funny. It took a while to get this chapter out, but I hope u still enjoy it!
NEOGALAXY - Thanx! ^~ There's not a whole lot of mush or nething in this chapter, but u may actually LIKE the cliffhanger in here....
mara-jade17- If u didn't like the last cliffhanger, your gonna HATE this one. Thank you soooooooooo much! Original humor is something I strive to achieve! ^^ *hug* I really loved your review! I hope you enjoy this chapter!!!!!
SweetBabyGurl- I think you'll like this chapter if u like long ones! ^^ Hope u like and thank you!
myREEN n' RAAYneer- *backs away* Um...I'll continue, just not very fast.
CCS fic Reader- Sorry I didn't, but enjoy it anyway!
Garfunkelzsnugglebunny- I will keep going, and I'll try to read ur fic soon! ^^
cherryblossomprincess- I promise I'll continue! Just at a slower pace...
bluerose151 - I hope ur still interested! 0.0 I know it took a long time, but at least I got to it, right?
Nightswift - *huggles* Nightswift! One of my all-time favorite reviewers! ^^ Now, I updated so u can't kill me now, right?...RIGHT?! *sweatdrop* BTW, I finally D/Led the MSN messenger, and my hotmail name is FlamingRose23@hotmail.com, so IM me sometime and we'll chat! ^~. Enjoy!
Xx-Angelic Petal-xX- *sniff* You only got 30 minutes, and u used it to R+R this story?! *weep* U..r.so...sweet! I hope u like this chapter!
Pineapple Crush- Thank you! ^^
White Blossoms- I hope u DO keep up with this story, and continue to enjoy it! ^^ Thank u so much for ur wonderful review!
cherry blossom - Well, it wasn't soon, but I did get to it! Thanks for ur review!
Jess - If u didn't like the last cliffy, ur gonna HATE this one! But enjoy it anyway! ^^
Mini Sweety- Well, I've got a few things to say too (I'm not mad! I'm glad u were honest about it!) As for the *nod*, etc. thing, I know it's not really proper, but I'm not trying to be. This is just kind of a fun story, not a more formal one. But, I will try to cut back on it, just not cut it out all together. The last chapter was kinda more of a filler chapter, going over some stuff, so I didn't expect it to be the greatest. I get what you're saying though, about S+S, mainly cuz Syaoran's character seems a little different, and it didn't flow like usual. That's the only way I know how to describe it. And don't worry! I don't hate you at all! Constructive criticism is appreciated, so don't stop pointing out stuff if you feel the need to do so. But, I hope you like this chapter better than the last one!
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Kira: Our guest for this chapter is.........Touya!
Touya: I can't believe my part is so small in this story!
Kalli: Deal with it. I could've had you be a small, unimportant tragedy in Sakura's past, like an angry psycho girlfriend came back to get revenge on you for dumping her and sliced and diced you to itty bitty pieces and nobody cared.
Touya: There's cold and there's mean. That was cold.
Kalli: Shut up!
Touya: *snort* And a psycho girlfriend? Where'd you get that from?
Kalli: Well, I figure they'd have to be psycho to go out with you.
Kira: Hey! I'd probably go out with him!
Kalli: I rest my case. Anyways, if anyone's interested and they've seen the show Inuyasha, I've got a new fic out called Matchmaker Naraku, even though it's just the prologue right now. So, if you want to, check it out sometime! ^^ Well, I think that's all.
Oh, and a short note:
If you see periods going down from the title, it's because that's the only way I could get space between the start of the story and the title.
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. P.S.- Belated Merry X-mas, Winter solstice, Hanukkah, etc., and happy New Year! And sorry, once again, it took so long to update! .
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Dancing, Skating, and A Lady's Heart!
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~~~S+S's Room, prior to Formal~~~ #$Syaoran P.O.V.#$
I swayed back and forth on my feet impatiently waiting for Sakura to come out of the bathroom.
I sighed deeply, and knocked, once again, on the door. "Yes?"
"Are you almost ready?"
"I'll be out in a minute, I swear." Came her pleading voice.
I went back to the couch and plopped down. "One minute, she says. Oh, yeah, that's what she said 10 minutes ago!"
"I can hear you, you idiot. Keep your stupid ranting in your mind, I don't wanna hear your complaining." I heard Sakura yell from the bathroom.
I sulked and sighed again.
"And will you please STOP SIGHING SO DAMN MUCH?!"
"Okay!" I yelled in surrender. "Psycho bitch.........."
"What?"
"I didn't say anything!"
"Okay......." she trailed off suspiciously.
A few minutes later, I heard some rustling and the door finally opened.
I quickly stood up and turned around with a grin on my face. "Oh, yea, it only took you a minute........." I trailed off as I caught sigh of her.
She was a little red in the face and her eyes looked bright as she waited for me to say something.
But all I could do at that moment was stare gratefully at the beauty before me.
She was wearing a deep blue spaghetti-strapped dress that shimmered in the light whenever she moved. There was a small, modest v-shaped neckline that was outlined thickly in a softer black material. It sweeped the ground when she walked, so you couldn't see her feet at all.
I also noticed that she was wearing black gloves that came almost up to her elbow. 'Hmm. That looks good.'
And for the first time, Sakura had straightened her hair and let it down so that it framed her face and made her eyes look slightly bigger. She was even wearing a little make-up.
"Well?" she asked eagerly, twirling around so that I could see the backside of the dress too.
"Could you spin around again?" I asked jokingly.
She glared at me. "I was kidding! You look.....wow.....marry me, gorgeous."
She blushed deeply after I said that. "Li Syaoran! I will not EVER marry you, pervert!"
'Ouch. You have no idea how deep that one cut me. Considering that I have to get you to marry me within 7 months.' I just grinned at her. "Really? 'cause there's a wedding chapel right here, we could have a wedding Vegas style! Waddya say?"
She hit me on the shoulder. I winced, but didn't say anything. 'Damn, she hits hard.'
"I don't think so! If this is one of your attempts at 'woo'-ing me, it really sucks."
I laughed. "It's not. I'm just teasing you. Even I'm not shallow enough to try and do a wedding with someone that I've only known for a short time."
"That's very respectable." Sakura replied, looking surprised and happy at the same time.
"Thank you. I mean, can you imagine being tied down to someone that you married on a drunk whim and then you were stuck being married to them for at least a year afterwards while you were waiting for the divorce to be finalized?"
"No, I can't, but I'm sure it'd be horrible." She said flatly, giving me a very amused look.
I grinned. "Are you ready to go, gorgeous?"
"Yes, I am."
I held out my arm for her to take. She eyed it critically. "Your not gonna try anything funny, are you?"
"I just want to escort you." I said truthfully.
She glanced at me, then hesitantly took hold of my arm and allowed me to lead her to the elevator, then into the ballroom without a word.
Once we entered the ballroom, Nakuru immediately ran up to us with a smile on her face and a glass of champagne in her hand.
"Well, don't you 2 just make a cute couple!" she chirped happily.
"We're not a couple. He's just escorting me." Sakura snapped with a glare.
"She's my date."
"I am NOT your date!" she hissed.
"Trial date, Sakura dear."
"Oh, yeah. That." she said, scowling.
Nakuru laughed. "Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to borrow your lovely date for a while."
"But we just got here! You can't take her away from me now!"
Nakuru rolled her eyes. "Silly. I was talking to Sakura."
I paused. "You mean your calling me 'lovely'?"
"Yes." Then she laughed. "I was kidding. I need to borrow Sakura."
#$ Sakura P.O.V.#$
"Why 'lovely'? Why couldn't you have called me 'hot' or 'babe magnet' or something that wasn't 'lovely'?" he continued on.
I exchanged glances with Nakuru and we walked away, leaving him to ponder why he'd been called 'lovely'. Or so he thought, anyway.
"I swear, something's wrong with that guy." I said, shaking my head.
Nakuru giggled. "Well, at least he's improving his women skills."
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Haven't you noticed that since he's been with you, he hasn't been seeing anyone else."
"For the last time, we are NOT 'with' each other!"
Nakuru eyed me critically. "If you say so."
I sighed. "But, yes, I have noticed that. I think he's planning something."
Nakuru smiled a 'I-know-something-you-don't' smile. "Me too."
I fleetingly wondered if they were planning something together.
"So, where's everyone else?" I asked quickly, wanting to get my thoughts on something more pleasant.
"Well, I think Naoko's dancing with Eriol, Karina's probably getting something to drink and Watanabe is........." she paused to look around.
"Right here." Came his voice as he walked up behind us. "Would one of you lovely ladies like to dance?"
We glanced at each other. "Certainly." Answered Nakuru, putting her glass on the table behind us. "Sakura, do you want to or do you just want to look around a while?"
"I'll just look around a while. But save a dance for me later, okay?"
He nodded, and took Nakuru's hand, then they waltzed onto the floor gracefully.
I smiled at the 2, then proceeded walking to take in my surroundings. Ya know, familiarize myself with the fire exits, that sort of thing. Or just cause I was curious.
"Would you like to dance, miss?"
I glanced to my side and saw a smiling blonde man looking at me. "I'm sorry. Come again?"
"Would you like to dance?"
I had to think about it for a little while. 'Well, why not? You've walked around enough and you might as well try to socialize.'
So, I smiled and said "Yes.", then let him take my hand and lead me around the dance floor in a slow waltz.
I saw him wince as I accidentally stepped on his toes. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've danced."
He grinned reassuringly. "That's fine."
After the dance was over, he bowed and kissed my hand. " 'Twas a pleasure, miss." And walked off.
I blushed lightly. 'What a gentleman.'
"Hey, Sakura. You look great!"
I turned around to face Karina and Naoko smiling at me. "Oh, thanks! You guys look amazing! Have you been dancing much?" I asked, noticing their flushed faces.
Naoko nodded. "I just got done dancing with Eriol."
Karina smiled. "I danced a while ago with one of the other businessmen. Here's a tip: if you can, try to avoid names. It just gets so confusing."
I grinned. "So far, so good. I've only danced once."
"With Li, perhaps?"
"No, I didn't get his name."
"Good job."
Naoko smiled. "Are you here as Li's date?"
"It's a TRIAL date, okay?"
They exchanged sly glances with each other. 'Why must everyone keep doing that?!' I thought with frustration. "Surrrrrrrre."
"Do you guys have dates?" I asked smugly.
They shut up and glared at me. I just smirked with satisfaction.
Then Naoko glanced at something behind me and nudged me. "Sakura, there's a guy coming this way and I think he wants to dance with you."
I did my best not to turn around and look. "What does he look like?"
"Oh, he's very handsome." whispered Karina.
Naoko nodded in agreement. "Oh, yes."
Then I felt someone tap my shoulder, and I turned around to see a smiling Syaoran.
I whirled back around and glared at Karina and Naoko who were smiling innocently. 'Thanks a lot for the warning, guys.' I though sourly.
I sighed and turned back around. "What do you want?"
"A dance, milady." He spoke with an accent, holding out his hand.
"I suppose." I said hesitantly taking his hand, then shooting one last glare at Naoko and Karina.
After we started dancing, he decided it would be a great time to start a conversation.
"So, enjoying yourself?"
"You mean right now?"
He paused. "Don't answer that."
"Good choice."
Then for a few moments, there was silence. Then.......
"Is this the first dance of the evening for you?" he said with a smirk, and I could just tell that he was thinking I'd saved my first dance for him. He can dream on.
I smiled politely and briskly answered. "No, my first dance was with a blonde man. He was very nice."
Syaoran's smirk turned into a frown. "Oh."
I was tempted to laugh in his face, but that would be mean..........
Syaoran scowled at me. "What's so funny?"
That's when I realized I had indeed been laughing in his face. "Uh, nothing."
"Right." Then he paused only long enough to smirk. "So, are you still sure you don't want to do a Vegas wedding?"
"Will you shut up about that? I'm gonna say no anyway." I said, getting irritated.
"You're just saying that. You don't mean it. I can tell that you want to marry me."
I blushed. "Ok, now we both know that's not true."
"Oh, I don't think so. You want to marry me, you want to kiss me, you want to-"
I stomped on his feet to get him to shut up. "Hush!"
"Oh, it's completely true."
"No, it's not!"
"You want to hold me, you want to make sweet love to me, you want to-"
I couldn't stand it any more. I was already blushing furiously. I stepped away and slapped him. Hard. Then I stalked off the dance floor with a crowd of people exchanging surprised whispers and glances behind me.
I quickly weaved through the throng of people around me to get to the wine table. "1 glass of wine please."
"What kind, miss?"
"Surprise me." I snapped at the poor bartender.
He nodded, looking a little frightened, and poured a glass of a red colored wine. "Here ya go."
"Thanks." I said shortly, and walked away, only to have a hand catch my shoulder. I whipped around, expecting to see Syaoran standing there, but thankfully, it was only Eriol.
"Oh, good, it's you."
"I'm happy to see you too, but do you mind explaining what happened out there?"
"Well, he was just being a pervert. Ya know, since they have a wedding chapel here, he wanted to do a Vegas wedding and he went on and on about me wanting to- well, um...do stuff that I don't want to do......."
"Uh-huh. That'd be really funny if there were actually a wedding chapel here."
My head snapped up to face Eriol. "You mean there's not?!"
"Nope. And as far as I know, there never has been."
"So......all that....."
"And you had nothing to worry about."
"Damn him."
"I'm sure. So, besides that, how is it going?"
"Not too bad, but it's not great either. I think I'm going to try to leave soon."
"I'll bet. Syaoran just kind of slinked off somewhere, so he might've already gone up."
"Nah. I saw him walk out towards the bathroom."
We turned to face the new voice. It was Nakuru who had spoken, and Naoko and Watanabe were beside her with blank expressions.
"Oh. Do you think maybe I shouldn't have slapped him?" I said, with guilt slowly seeping into my veins.
Eriol patted my shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sure it was something he deserved."
"Thanks."
After that there was an awkward silence among the group, considering that there wasn't really anything to say at the moment, so we all just stood there, nodding and trying to avoid eye contact.
"Hey, Sakura, are you still up for that dance?" asked Watanabe to try to dissolve the silence among us.
I smiled politely and nodded. "Sure."
He bowed, then led me to the floor by the arm and we joined into the crowd that was dancing.
When we were close to the end of the dance, Watanabe looked at me with a quirked eyebrow. "What did he do exactly that made you so mad?"
"He talked about us getting married in the chapel here-"
"There isn't a chapel here."
"I know that now. But that was only part of it. After that he went on to say that I wanted to do with him things that newlyweds....do."
"Oh. I see."
"Yeah."
Abruptly, the music stopped, signaling the end of the dance. Watanabe bowed, then walked away.
I was about to do the same myself, well, besides that whole bowing thing, when Eriol stepped in front of me. "How about one more dance and then I'll let you go on back up to your room, okay?"
I gave him a lopsided grin and shrugged. "I suppose."
A brisk, fast tune had already started up, so we did our best to join the flow of the crowd and blend with them, but only succeeded in stepping on OTHER people's feet and making those around us somewhat.....pissed off.
But fortunately, Eriol seemed to be a good bit more graceful with dancing than I was and quickly pulled me into a clearer spot to regain my balance.
I blushed red at the disapproving looks people were giving me and quickly followed Eriol's lead, and soon enough, were floating along silently.
He was the first partner that didn't talk to me during the dance, and boy, was I grateful. I was having trouble enough trying to keep the guilt out of my system.
After a while, the dance finally ended and I was able to bid everyone goodbye, then go up to the room.
I quickly changed out of my dress and into my pajamas, then washed the make- up off and pulled my hair back into a loose braid.
I was surprised at how different I looked with pajamas and no make-up compared to how I looked in a glamorous dress and accentuating make-up. It really was amazing.
And did I mention how fascinating it is that oranges are orange? No? Well, it is.....
Fine, I'm trying to think of anything that doesn't have to do with Syaoran.
I believe a nice dose of sleep would be in order. But what if I dreamed about him? Wait, cross out dreamed and put 'had a nightmare'.
Well, I was damn tired, and maybe I'd get lucky and drift off before he got back.
So, after flipping off the light, I crawled into bed and snuggled down under the covers.
'I feel guilty about slapping him now. Even if he deserved it.'
'Shut up! Get to sleep!'
'Make me!'
'I will!'
'Your still thinking, which means you're still awake.'
'Will you stop THINKING, already?!'
'Um......no.'
'Grr. I hate thinking at times like this.'
'You just thought something right then.'
'Fuck you.'
'Technically, you just told yourself to go fuck yourself.'
'Let's not get technical.'
'You said it, not me.'
'Damn....'
Then I heard the door open and close and footsteps coming down the hall.
'Oh, please let it be a burglar.....'
But of course, the door opened and in the lit hall, I could see it was Syaoran, with an expressionless face. Fortunately, he seemed to think I was asleep and quietly got dressed in the bathroom, then came out and got in the bed beside me.
I could feel his stare practically drilling a hole through the back of my head. 'Oh, boy. What's he gonna do now?'
Then I heard a small whisper. "Sakura? Are you awake?"
I squeezed my eyes shut, frantically trying to figure out what to do next. I finally decided to try to talk to him. "Yeah..........."
There was an awkward silence, and then we both spoke up at the same time.
"Look, I'm-" we both broke off and laughed a little.
Then that silence came again. Finally, Syaoran coughed a bit and said "I'm sorry, Sakura. I didn't mean to make you so mad. I was just joking. I guess I took it a little far."
"Damn right, you did."
"I'm REALLY sorry!"
I sighed. "Fine. Look, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have slapped you. Well, not so hard anyway."
"Wow, thanks. That was so heartfelt and touching." He answered sarcastically.
"Shut up. I am seriously sorry. So, let's forgive and forget, okay?"
"Deal."
"Oh, one more thing."
"Yeah?"
"Where's that wedding chapel they have here, huh?"
"So, you finally decided to say yes?"
"You wish. It just occurred to me that I've walked around this place plenty enough to know that there's not a freakin' chapel!"
"Uh.....it was just a joke..."
"Dumbass." Then I yawned loudly. "Forget it. I'll get revenge some other time. I'm going to sleep."
"Good night."
"Um-hm." I mumbled before snuggling into the covers for a good night's sleep.
A few minutes later, I felt Syaoran's arms encircle me right as I was about to doze off.
"Syaoran..." I whispered.
No reply except for a light snoring sound from him.
"Syaoran!" I whispered more urgently.
Still no reply.
"Syaoran!" my voice wasn't a whisper anymore.
He just grumbled and held me tighter.
So, I tried to pry his hands off. No luck. After a few more attempts, I was too tired to do anything about it, so I just growled and tried to go back to sleep.
Maybe if I had turned to see his face, I would've noticed his one eye looking at me with a big grin.
~~~~Next Morning~~~~
I woke up to the phone ringing beside my ear. I groaned and picked it up drowsily. "Hello?"
"Hello, this is your wake up call from the hotel. We hope you have a good day, ma'am."
"You too." I mumbled.
"Thank you very much, ma'am. Goodbye."
"Bye." I said grumpily, then hung up the phone, and swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
When I turned to check the clock, I glanced at the bed and realized that Syaoran wasn't there. 'I wonder where he went. It's only 8.'
I shrugged to myself and padded over to the bathroom door, but when I opened it, I got quite a surprise.
There was Syaoran, with just a towel around his waist, with a razor in his hand, and when he turned to look at me, I saw that half of his chin was covered in shaving cream.
I couldn't help it, once I saw the that shaving cream, I burst out laughing, then closed the door behind me, nearly choking at the image still fresh in my mind.
After I had finally finished with my laugh fest, I walked back into the bedroom and changed into a pair of jeans and a white shirt, since we were leaving for home that day.
I was in the process of brushing out my hair when a fully dressed Syaoran walked in, looking totally unfazed, and I couldn't stop myself from letting a small giggle escape when I once again was struck by the image or Syaoran with half his chin covered in shaving cream.
He sent me a questioning look. "What is so funny?"
"Um..nothing."
He rolled his eyes. "Women."
I rolled my eyes in imitation. "Men."
"Can't live with em' can't live without em'."
"I beg to differ. You are a living example of a man I could live without."
"Ouch."
I grinned. 'Score: Sakura-1, Syaoran-0.'
"So, are you packed? We're leaving in about 10 minutes."
I quickly threw my brush and a few scattered clothes into my suitcase. "Ready!"
"I already went to get breakfast. I grabbed a bagel for you in case you were hungry, it's on the table."
"That was thoughtful of you."
"Shouldn't I get a 'reward' for it?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"I see where you're going with this, and yes, you do deserve that reward."
He was clearly surprised. "Really?"
"Yes. I'll let you have half of the bagel."
His face fell and he shook his head, but not before muttering "Stupid, manipulative chicks."
I cackled lowly to myself. 'Score: Sakura-2, Syaoran-0.'
After that, the morning passed pretty uneventfully. We slept on the bus, and arrived back home a few hours later.
When we arrived, I stepped off the bus with my luggage and said goodbye to everyone as they left, until Syaoran was the only one left.
"Do you need a ride?" he asked.
"No. My ride is just a little late, I guess."
"Oh. I'll wait with you until they come."
"You REALLY don't have to."
"You can't get rid of me that easily, so, just to tick you off, I'm gonna stay here, even if your ride doesn't come for another hour."
I growled in frustration. "Whatever."
Fortunately, I only had to wait another 2 minutes until Touya pulled up. "Oi, Sakura, let's go!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Syaoran frown. After a few seconds, I understood why. 'He must think Touya is my boyfriend! Hmm...well, even though that's a disgusting thought, I think that I'm allowed to have a little fun with his mind.'
So I put on a big smile. "Hey Touya! I really missed you while I was gone!" I said sweetly as I started walking towards the car.
Fortunately, Touya took it as being sarcastic, which it was, I mean, c'mon, who would REALLY miss TOUYA?!
"Yeah, I almost kinda missed you a tiny bit too."
I stepped into the car and gave Touya a quick peck on the cheek. Even though I may have been disgusted, it was worth it for the look Syaoran had on his face. "Well, let's go, Touya!"
I turned and waved cheerily at Syaoran, who looked like he wanted to become a pyromaniac at the moment, and seemed to be directing his anger towards Touya.
As we drove off, I giggled in evil glee at Syaoran's distress, earning me a weird look from Touya. "The hell is up with you?! Did you smoke something you shouldn't have at that convention?"
"No. I'm just very pleased with myself at the moment." I happily added another point to the scoreboard under my name.
"Why?"
"Because I can be. Now, shut up and drive!"
"Geez, fine!"
I smiled to myself, thinking of how much fun it was gonna be tomorrow. Then I remembered that I had promised to try to help Syaoran find a new hobby. "Hey, Touya, can I use your skating gear?"
"What for?"
"Well, I was gonna skate some after work tomorrow, but the strap on my skates is broken, so I can't use them. And I wanted the colors to match, and you never use your stuff anyway." I lied.
"Sure. Just make sure you wash your feet first. I don't want my skates to smell like kaiju feet."
"Baka!"
~~~~~~The Next Day~~~~~~#$Normal P.O.V.#$
I practically bounced into the office after waving goodbye to Meiling, who had given me and Naoko a ride. I hummed happily to myself as Naoko struggled to keep up with my fast pace.
"What's got you so happy today?"
I proudly held up a blue gym bag. "In here, there are 2 pairs of skates. 1 is mine, the other is going to be used by the bossman himself! I told him he needed a different hobby besides women, so I'm trying to help him find one. Oh, revenge is sweet."
"Oh, your good."
We walked into the elevator talking about all the wonderful hobbies we could think of for our wonderful boss, and when we stepped out, we saw Eriol and Syaoran talking beside Eriol's office door.
Syaoran spotted me, and motioned for me to come to them. "Sakura! You've got some files to work on!"
I sighed and walked a few steps before crashing into someone and falling back on her butt. "Oh..damn..."
"I'm so sorry, miss! I wasn't watching where I was going? Are you all right?!"
I tilted my head up to see a hand in front of my face. I grabbed it and got hauled up off the floor pretty quickly. When I looked to see who had helped me up, I realized it was a familiar face. "Hey, you're that blonde guy I saw at the convention!"
He grinned. "And you're the lovely lady I danced with. I couldn't forget eyes like yours."
I blushed a little bit and tried to hide her face shyly. Why'd he have to be such a gentleman and make me blush?! How embarrassing. "So, what are you doing here?"
"Well, long story short, I've been looking for a better job than I did have, and I thought going to the convention may bring in that job, and I was right. Eriol hired me as his personal assistant and stock manager for this branch of the company."
"Really? I'm Li's personal secretary."
He looked disappointed. "Oh, I see."
"Not by choice. It's a court thing."
"Court?"
"I'm in a complicated case right now, so they put me in here to keep a closer eye on me. It's kind of a community service thing."
"Oh, I gotcha."
"SAKURA! FILES-NOW!"
"I think he's getting impatient. I'll see you later! Enjoy your new job!"
He smiled and kissed her hand lightly before waving goodbye.
I sighed dreamily before finally turning my attention back to a fuming Syaoran. "Ok, I'll get to the files. Geez."
"I think we need to talk."
I hesitated. "Why?"
"You'll see. C'mon."
All I could do was follow him into the office. We both sat down in the chairs on either side of his desk. "Sakura, it's bad enough that you already have a boyfriend, but flirting with another guy is even worse. And just to let you know, I'm not giving you up without a fight."
I decided to play innocent. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well, you do have a boyfriend, don't you?"
I shook my head. "Not that I know of. Where'd you get an idea like that?"
"That guy that picked you up yesterday wasn't your boyfriend?"
I gave him a repulsed look. "Eww! No, that guy's not my boyfriend!"
"He's not?"
"That was my brother!"
Syaoran flushed red at his mistake. "Oh...well, uh...this is awkward."
"I think somebody's jealous."
"Not jealous, just angry at the thought that some other guy would stand in my way of courting you."
"You still haven't given up?"
"Not till the day I die."
"Oh, I just had a vision. It was a newspaper headline, and the date was tomorrow. It read 'Li Syaoran, head of the Li co., dies in freak car accident.'"
"I think that was your fantasy, not an actual psychic vision, my dear."
"Whatever. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"Well, now that I know you don't have a boyfriend, what's going on between you and blondie?"
"I don't even know his name! We met at the convention, and we were just chatting a little. You certainly do get jealous easily."
"It's not jealousy, it's anger at someone getting in my way!"
"Ya know what?"
"What?"
"I believe that is the definition of jealousy."
He just gawked, because he obviously knew I had won this round. ' I believe that I'm now up by 3 points, and he still has none.' I thought triumphantly to myself.
"Now, where are those files I was supposed to type up?"
He sighed and handed me a small folder of figures. "Here." Then he turned to walk out the door so that I could start typing.
"You didn't forget that I'm teaching you a new hobby today, right?"
He froze in his tracks. "Uh...."
"That's okay. You can do this one in your work clothes." I said, smiling sweetly.
"Okay...is this gonna painful?"
"I don't think so."
"You're getting revenge, aren't you?"
"Of course not, how absurd! Now, I think you've got some work to do!"
He shook his head in defeat as he walked out the door grumbling about sadists. After he left, I cracked my knuckles and got to work. And to anyone who was gonna say anything about cracking my knuckles, I don't care if it DOES give me arthritis, just to let ya know...
~~~~~A few hours later~~~~~
I checked the clock. 'Just a few more minutes'. I sighed and continued the spell checker on the documents. 'Ignore, Ignore, Ignore,...ooh, definitely gotta change THAT one...Ignore, Ignore,...'
Finally the 'Your spell check is done' box popped up and I grinned happily, then turned and checked the clock again. '4..3..2..1..' I thought, before jumping out of my seat and rushing out into the worker's area where I was gonna find Syaoran.
And I finally did find him, after much looking around, talking to Eriol. I snuck up behind them to listen in on the conversation.
"I think she has some sort of revenge planned. Call it a hunch." I heard Syaoran say.
"She could take you horse-back riding. Remember how sore you were last time that your sister made you come with her a few summers ago?"
My eyes widened. 'Horseback riding? Hmm..now, THERE'S a good revenge idea.' I was tempted to cackle evilly, but I realized that if I did, my hiding place would be revealed, so I snuck away quietly and backed right up into someone.
I jumped and turned around to find myself, once again, face-to-face with the blonde guy.
"You!"
He smiled charmingly. "You."
"Sorry about that."
"Do you normally back up into people like you've been sneaking around?"
"Maybe."
He laughed. "Well, I guess I'll get used to it."
All I could do was laugh nervously, and I'm sure I was blushing a bit. I mean, c'mon, here I am, confronted with a handsome young guy who has manners and charm. Surely you'd do the same.
"Ahem."
We both turned to see whom the new voice belonged to. Oh, how lucky. It was my victim! "Syaoran! You ready for Day 1 of your hobby search?!" I asked enthusiastically.
He blinked in obvious surprise. "Uh...sure..."
"Great! We're going to the park."
"The park? As in the park with the gigantic penguin slide?"
"Yes, I thought that maybe sliding would be a good new hobby for you."
The 2 men stared at me in disbelief. "A-heheh. Just kidding!"
Syaoran cleared his throat nervously. "What ARE we doing?"
I winked and put a finger over my mouth. "You'll see..." And then, for effect, I chuckled darkly.
"Oh, and we're taking your car. And I'm driving."
"Not if I have the keys, you don't." he said smirking, then reaching into his back pocket. I smiled as the smile slipped from his face and he got nervous. "Where are my keys?!"
I took the key ring out of my pocket and twirled it around on my finger. "Ya mean these?"
"How?...."
"You left em' on your desk."
He flushed red. "Fine, you can drive."
I patted him on the shoulder. "Now, that's a good boy! C'mon, let's move it!" Then, as we walked away, I waved to the blonde man. "See you tomorrow!"
He smiled weakly. "You too!"
I could hear Syaoran grumbling beside me. "What was that?"
"Getting jealous again?"
He glared at me, but thankfully, DID shut up. After finally getting to the bottom floor, I stepped out and walked out to his car, then fiddled with the keys until I found the right one, and hopped into the car, with an oh- so-happy Syaoran beside me.
After fighting over the radio station, we both finally decided on keeping it off the whole time, so the whole ride was an awkward silence.
After we got to the park, I lead him to a bench next to the walkway that weaved through the park and sat down grinning.
He sat down beside me, looking a little nervous. "So, what ARE we doing?"
I unzipped the gym bag I had been carrying around all day and held up Touya's black skates. "Ta-da!"
"You're kidding."
"Nope! We're going rollerblading! Here, put these on, and these too." I said, while enthusiastically handing him the skates, a helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads.
"All of it?"
"Yep."
By the time I had all my gear on, he was still struggling with his left skate. I giggled at his distress and he glared at me. "Gimme a break, I'm not used to suiting up for this kind of thing."
"Riiiiight. Okay, take your time." I pretended to examine my nails as he grunted and groaned trying to get the skates on.
Finally, I took pity on him and leaned down to help with the skates. "Here, I'll take care of these. You just worry about getting the rest of the stuff on."
He smirked. "This wasn't quite how I imagined it, but it'll do."
I quirked an eyebrow. "This isn't how you imagined what?"
He smiled innocently. "This isn't how I imagined you being on your knees in front of me."
I glared and smacked his shin swiftly. "You pervert! Ya know, your much more appealing when you're nice!"
"Oh, so I appeal to you?"
I couldn't help but blush a little. "That's not what I meant!"
"Then what'd you mean?"
"I..I..oh, shut up and get back to your helmet!"
He chuckled and continued buckling the straps on his gear until he finally had it right. "Alright, I'm ready to go."
"Oh, that's good. Now, skate a bit and let's see how good you are."
I had to stifle my laughter as he wobbled forward pitifully, going about 2 miles an hour. I easily skated up behind him and gave him a push forward, but, unfortunately, he didn't go forward faster as I had predicted, but he fell to the side, taking me down with him in the process.
I closed my eyes and waited for an impact with hard concrete, but, luckily for me, I landed next to Syaoran on the grass instead.
I slowly opened my eyes to see Syaoran's face in front of me, with both his eyes open and staring at me.
I stared back at him for a minute, and it was then that I realized just how painfully close our faces were.
And that Syaoran's face was slowly inching closer.........
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Kalli: Hmm....somehow, I don't think that the first part of this chapter had enough spice to it. Oh, well. But, I'm sure all my reviewers will be pleased with that nice little cliffy. *insert evil laugh*.
Kira: Yeah, they'll be REAL happy about that one.......*sweatdrop*
Touya: *snicker* Always the smart one....
Kalli: -_- Shut it, you! *looks in random direction* Hey, is that Nakuru?
Touya: *whimper*
Kalli: Who's laughing now?! Anyway, no preview for the next chapter. Mainly because I don't really know all of what I'm gonna do next chapter, but I'll tell you now, it will involve another hobby, and possibly (POSSIBLY, meaning not for sure) that 'date' that Syaoran's been trying to get Sakura to go on with him.
Kira: So indecisive...
Kalli: Shut up! And to the people reading this, please R+R for me! *sweet smile* Oh, pretty please with Syaoran and Eriol and whipped cream on top?! (take that last sentence ANY way you like...*wink wink*)
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AnimeObsessionFantasy- Thank you! And sorry that the update took so long!
Iris Dreamer- I'm glad u liked it! I liked Feimei's personality there too, after all, every playboy needs to have a sibling there to keep him in check with blackmail!
Heather-Hezzer-and-Honaluki- *bow* I hope the dress meets your expectations! *wink*
oXAmethystXo - I missed you guys too! ^^ And even though it took awhile, I'm finally back with this story...emphasis on 'finally'. Hehe...I'm glad u liked the tongue thing! (it sounds so naughty when it's put that way, doesn't it?)
cherrixwolf- *tries to sneak away* I was gonna update sooner! I swear it! But, uh, the chapters longer again, so, that counts for SOMETHING, right?
SaKuRa LoVa - Now, that was good to hear. Someone saying that a chapter was worth a 3-month wait brings tears to my eyes to know that this fic is loved that much! *weep* *hug* Ur so kind!
Skylover- Uh.....I kinda hurried with the update...sorta......ok, not really, but at least I got to it, right? *smile*
Sapphire Melody- I like ur pen name! And I take 'fascinating' as an extremely high compliment, so, big thanx!
LiL DuDeTtE- Yes, he can be very sweet when he wants to! Sorry about the slow updates!
Musiq-Mistress101- Well, um, maybe not soon, but EVENTUALLY!
kawaiitenshisakura- This one's long too! Not as long as the last one, but still pretty damn long. Happy reading!
Dragonstar03- Thank you! ^^
LiL oBs3ss3r- Whoa...long review....but ur right, if you were really that bad about trying on dresses, you shouldn't drag your friends along...unless they owe you a BIG favor, of course! I'm glad u liked the 4 hells joke! And I think we all talk to ourselves in our minds..and occasionally out loud too...^^;; But anyway, thanks for your long review!
lilazngurl - Do you realize that u wrote the word 'update' exactly 917 times in that review?! 0.o Well, uh..enjoy! And, sorry about the slow updates.
alessandra - Of course I'll e-mail you! ^^ I hope u enjoy this one!
Sakura-Blossom12- Thank u so much! I'll try to update sooner!
Midnight Crystal- Thank you! But, of course, non-pervertedness won't last TOO long with Syaoran here..hehehe...but, Sakura will keep him in check with her new 'information'. Lol! I plan to keep writing this fic until it's done, so don't fear! It may take a while, but I vow to get it done!
demi-kaijuu- *hugs* Ur so sweet! ^^ I'm glad u thought it was funny. It took a while to get this chapter out, but I hope u still enjoy it!
NEOGALAXY - Thanx! ^~ There's not a whole lot of mush or nething in this chapter, but u may actually LIKE the cliffhanger in here....
mara-jade17- If u didn't like the last cliffhanger, your gonna HATE this one. Thank you soooooooooo much! Original humor is something I strive to achieve! ^^ *hug* I really loved your review! I hope you enjoy this chapter!!!!!
SweetBabyGurl- I think you'll like this chapter if u like long ones! ^^ Hope u like and thank you!
myREEN n' RAAYneer- *backs away* Um...I'll continue, just not very fast.
CCS fic Reader- Sorry I didn't, but enjoy it anyway!
Garfunkelzsnugglebunny- I will keep going, and I'll try to read ur fic soon! ^^
cherryblossomprincess- I promise I'll continue! Just at a slower pace...
bluerose151 - I hope ur still interested! 0.0 I know it took a long time, but at least I got to it, right?
Nightswift - *huggles* Nightswift! One of my all-time favorite reviewers! ^^ Now, I updated so u can't kill me now, right?...RIGHT?! *sweatdrop* BTW, I finally D/Led the MSN messenger, and my hotmail name is FlamingRose23@hotmail.com, so IM me sometime and we'll chat! ^~. Enjoy!
Xx-Angelic Petal-xX- *sniff* You only got 30 minutes, and u used it to R+R this story?! *weep* U..r.so...sweet! I hope u like this chapter!
Pineapple Crush- Thank you! ^^
White Blossoms- I hope u DO keep up with this story, and continue to enjoy it! ^^ Thank u so much for ur wonderful review!
cherry blossom - Well, it wasn't soon, but I did get to it! Thanks for ur review!
Jess - If u didn't like the last cliffy, ur gonna HATE this one! But enjoy it anyway! ^^
Mini Sweety- Well, I've got a few things to say too (I'm not mad! I'm glad u were honest about it!) As for the *nod*, etc. thing, I know it's not really proper, but I'm not trying to be. This is just kind of a fun story, not a more formal one. But, I will try to cut back on it, just not cut it out all together. The last chapter was kinda more of a filler chapter, going over some stuff, so I didn't expect it to be the greatest. I get what you're saying though, about S+S, mainly cuz Syaoran's character seems a little different, and it didn't flow like usual. That's the only way I know how to describe it. And don't worry! I don't hate you at all! Constructive criticism is appreciated, so don't stop pointing out stuff if you feel the need to do so. But, I hope you like this chapter better than the last one!
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Kira: Our guest for this chapter is.........Touya!
Touya: I can't believe my part is so small in this story!
Kalli: Deal with it. I could've had you be a small, unimportant tragedy in Sakura's past, like an angry psycho girlfriend came back to get revenge on you for dumping her and sliced and diced you to itty bitty pieces and nobody cared.
Touya: There's cold and there's mean. That was cold.
Kalli: Shut up!
Touya: *snort* And a psycho girlfriend? Where'd you get that from?
Kalli: Well, I figure they'd have to be psycho to go out with you.
Kira: Hey! I'd probably go out with him!
Kalli: I rest my case. Anyways, if anyone's interested and they've seen the show Inuyasha, I've got a new fic out called Matchmaker Naraku, even though it's just the prologue right now. So, if you want to, check it out sometime! ^^ Well, I think that's all.
Oh, and a short note:
If you see periods going down from the title, it's because that's the only way I could get space between the start of the story and the title.
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. P.S.- Belated Merry X-mas, Winter solstice, Hanukkah, etc., and happy New Year! And sorry, once again, it took so long to update! .
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Dancing, Skating, and A Lady's Heart!
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~~~S+S's Room, prior to Formal~~~ #$Syaoran P.O.V.#$
I swayed back and forth on my feet impatiently waiting for Sakura to come out of the bathroom.
I sighed deeply, and knocked, once again, on the door. "Yes?"
"Are you almost ready?"
"I'll be out in a minute, I swear." Came her pleading voice.
I went back to the couch and plopped down. "One minute, she says. Oh, yeah, that's what she said 10 minutes ago!"
"I can hear you, you idiot. Keep your stupid ranting in your mind, I don't wanna hear your complaining." I heard Sakura yell from the bathroom.
I sulked and sighed again.
"And will you please STOP SIGHING SO DAMN MUCH?!"
"Okay!" I yelled in surrender. "Psycho bitch.........."
"What?"
"I didn't say anything!"
"Okay......." she trailed off suspiciously.
A few minutes later, I heard some rustling and the door finally opened.
I quickly stood up and turned around with a grin on my face. "Oh, yea, it only took you a minute........." I trailed off as I caught sigh of her.
She was a little red in the face and her eyes looked bright as she waited for me to say something.
But all I could do at that moment was stare gratefully at the beauty before me.
She was wearing a deep blue spaghetti-strapped dress that shimmered in the light whenever she moved. There was a small, modest v-shaped neckline that was outlined thickly in a softer black material. It sweeped the ground when she walked, so you couldn't see her feet at all.
I also noticed that she was wearing black gloves that came almost up to her elbow. 'Hmm. That looks good.'
And for the first time, Sakura had straightened her hair and let it down so that it framed her face and made her eyes look slightly bigger. She was even wearing a little make-up.
"Well?" she asked eagerly, twirling around so that I could see the backside of the dress too.
"Could you spin around again?" I asked jokingly.
She glared at me. "I was kidding! You look.....wow.....marry me, gorgeous."
She blushed deeply after I said that. "Li Syaoran! I will not EVER marry you, pervert!"
'Ouch. You have no idea how deep that one cut me. Considering that I have to get you to marry me within 7 months.' I just grinned at her. "Really? 'cause there's a wedding chapel right here, we could have a wedding Vegas style! Waddya say?"
She hit me on the shoulder. I winced, but didn't say anything. 'Damn, she hits hard.'
"I don't think so! If this is one of your attempts at 'woo'-ing me, it really sucks."
I laughed. "It's not. I'm just teasing you. Even I'm not shallow enough to try and do a wedding with someone that I've only known for a short time."
"That's very respectable." Sakura replied, looking surprised and happy at the same time.
"Thank you. I mean, can you imagine being tied down to someone that you married on a drunk whim and then you were stuck being married to them for at least a year afterwards while you were waiting for the divorce to be finalized?"
"No, I can't, but I'm sure it'd be horrible." She said flatly, giving me a very amused look.
I grinned. "Are you ready to go, gorgeous?"
"Yes, I am."
I held out my arm for her to take. She eyed it critically. "Your not gonna try anything funny, are you?"
"I just want to escort you." I said truthfully.
She glanced at me, then hesitantly took hold of my arm and allowed me to lead her to the elevator, then into the ballroom without a word.
Once we entered the ballroom, Nakuru immediately ran up to us with a smile on her face and a glass of champagne in her hand.
"Well, don't you 2 just make a cute couple!" she chirped happily.
"We're not a couple. He's just escorting me." Sakura snapped with a glare.
"She's my date."
"I am NOT your date!" she hissed.
"Trial date, Sakura dear."
"Oh, yeah. That." she said, scowling.
Nakuru laughed. "Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to borrow your lovely date for a while."
"But we just got here! You can't take her away from me now!"
Nakuru rolled her eyes. "Silly. I was talking to Sakura."
I paused. "You mean your calling me 'lovely'?"
"Yes." Then she laughed. "I was kidding. I need to borrow Sakura."
#$ Sakura P.O.V.#$
"Why 'lovely'? Why couldn't you have called me 'hot' or 'babe magnet' or something that wasn't 'lovely'?" he continued on.
I exchanged glances with Nakuru and we walked away, leaving him to ponder why he'd been called 'lovely'. Or so he thought, anyway.
"I swear, something's wrong with that guy." I said, shaking my head.
Nakuru giggled. "Well, at least he's improving his women skills."
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Haven't you noticed that since he's been with you, he hasn't been seeing anyone else."
"For the last time, we are NOT 'with' each other!"
Nakuru eyed me critically. "If you say so."
I sighed. "But, yes, I have noticed that. I think he's planning something."
Nakuru smiled a 'I-know-something-you-don't' smile. "Me too."
I fleetingly wondered if they were planning something together.
"So, where's everyone else?" I asked quickly, wanting to get my thoughts on something more pleasant.
"Well, I think Naoko's dancing with Eriol, Karina's probably getting something to drink and Watanabe is........." she paused to look around.
"Right here." Came his voice as he walked up behind us. "Would one of you lovely ladies like to dance?"
We glanced at each other. "Certainly." Answered Nakuru, putting her glass on the table behind us. "Sakura, do you want to or do you just want to look around a while?"
"I'll just look around a while. But save a dance for me later, okay?"
He nodded, and took Nakuru's hand, then they waltzed onto the floor gracefully.
I smiled at the 2, then proceeded walking to take in my surroundings. Ya know, familiarize myself with the fire exits, that sort of thing. Or just cause I was curious.
"Would you like to dance, miss?"
I glanced to my side and saw a smiling blonde man looking at me. "I'm sorry. Come again?"
"Would you like to dance?"
I had to think about it for a little while. 'Well, why not? You've walked around enough and you might as well try to socialize.'
So, I smiled and said "Yes.", then let him take my hand and lead me around the dance floor in a slow waltz.
I saw him wince as I accidentally stepped on his toes. "Sorry, it's been a while since I've danced."
He grinned reassuringly. "That's fine."
After the dance was over, he bowed and kissed my hand. " 'Twas a pleasure, miss." And walked off.
I blushed lightly. 'What a gentleman.'
"Hey, Sakura. You look great!"
I turned around to face Karina and Naoko smiling at me. "Oh, thanks! You guys look amazing! Have you been dancing much?" I asked, noticing their flushed faces.
Naoko nodded. "I just got done dancing with Eriol."
Karina smiled. "I danced a while ago with one of the other businessmen. Here's a tip: if you can, try to avoid names. It just gets so confusing."
I grinned. "So far, so good. I've only danced once."
"With Li, perhaps?"
"No, I didn't get his name."
"Good job."
Naoko smiled. "Are you here as Li's date?"
"It's a TRIAL date, okay?"
They exchanged sly glances with each other. 'Why must everyone keep doing that?!' I thought with frustration. "Surrrrrrrre."
"Do you guys have dates?" I asked smugly.
They shut up and glared at me. I just smirked with satisfaction.
Then Naoko glanced at something behind me and nudged me. "Sakura, there's a guy coming this way and I think he wants to dance with you."
I did my best not to turn around and look. "What does he look like?"
"Oh, he's very handsome." whispered Karina.
Naoko nodded in agreement. "Oh, yes."
Then I felt someone tap my shoulder, and I turned around to see a smiling Syaoran.
I whirled back around and glared at Karina and Naoko who were smiling innocently. 'Thanks a lot for the warning, guys.' I though sourly.
I sighed and turned back around. "What do you want?"
"A dance, milady." He spoke with an accent, holding out his hand.
"I suppose." I said hesitantly taking his hand, then shooting one last glare at Naoko and Karina.
After we started dancing, he decided it would be a great time to start a conversation.
"So, enjoying yourself?"
"You mean right now?"
He paused. "Don't answer that."
"Good choice."
Then for a few moments, there was silence. Then.......
"Is this the first dance of the evening for you?" he said with a smirk, and I could just tell that he was thinking I'd saved my first dance for him. He can dream on.
I smiled politely and briskly answered. "No, my first dance was with a blonde man. He was very nice."
Syaoran's smirk turned into a frown. "Oh."
I was tempted to laugh in his face, but that would be mean..........
Syaoran scowled at me. "What's so funny?"
That's when I realized I had indeed been laughing in his face. "Uh, nothing."
"Right." Then he paused only long enough to smirk. "So, are you still sure you don't want to do a Vegas wedding?"
"Will you shut up about that? I'm gonna say no anyway." I said, getting irritated.
"You're just saying that. You don't mean it. I can tell that you want to marry me."
I blushed. "Ok, now we both know that's not true."
"Oh, I don't think so. You want to marry me, you want to kiss me, you want to-"
I stomped on his feet to get him to shut up. "Hush!"
"Oh, it's completely true."
"No, it's not!"
"You want to hold me, you want to make sweet love to me, you want to-"
I couldn't stand it any more. I was already blushing furiously. I stepped away and slapped him. Hard. Then I stalked off the dance floor with a crowd of people exchanging surprised whispers and glances behind me.
I quickly weaved through the throng of people around me to get to the wine table. "1 glass of wine please."
"What kind, miss?"
"Surprise me." I snapped at the poor bartender.
He nodded, looking a little frightened, and poured a glass of a red colored wine. "Here ya go."
"Thanks." I said shortly, and walked away, only to have a hand catch my shoulder. I whipped around, expecting to see Syaoran standing there, but thankfully, it was only Eriol.
"Oh, good, it's you."
"I'm happy to see you too, but do you mind explaining what happened out there?"
"Well, he was just being a pervert. Ya know, since they have a wedding chapel here, he wanted to do a Vegas wedding and he went on and on about me wanting to- well, um...do stuff that I don't want to do......."
"Uh-huh. That'd be really funny if there were actually a wedding chapel here."
My head snapped up to face Eriol. "You mean there's not?!"
"Nope. And as far as I know, there never has been."
"So......all that....."
"And you had nothing to worry about."
"Damn him."
"I'm sure. So, besides that, how is it going?"
"Not too bad, but it's not great either. I think I'm going to try to leave soon."
"I'll bet. Syaoran just kind of slinked off somewhere, so he might've already gone up."
"Nah. I saw him walk out towards the bathroom."
We turned to face the new voice. It was Nakuru who had spoken, and Naoko and Watanabe were beside her with blank expressions.
"Oh. Do you think maybe I shouldn't have slapped him?" I said, with guilt slowly seeping into my veins.
Eriol patted my shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sure it was something he deserved."
"Thanks."
After that there was an awkward silence among the group, considering that there wasn't really anything to say at the moment, so we all just stood there, nodding and trying to avoid eye contact.
"Hey, Sakura, are you still up for that dance?" asked Watanabe to try to dissolve the silence among us.
I smiled politely and nodded. "Sure."
He bowed, then led me to the floor by the arm and we joined into the crowd that was dancing.
When we were close to the end of the dance, Watanabe looked at me with a quirked eyebrow. "What did he do exactly that made you so mad?"
"He talked about us getting married in the chapel here-"
"There isn't a chapel here."
"I know that now. But that was only part of it. After that he went on to say that I wanted to do with him things that newlyweds....do."
"Oh. I see."
"Yeah."
Abruptly, the music stopped, signaling the end of the dance. Watanabe bowed, then walked away.
I was about to do the same myself, well, besides that whole bowing thing, when Eriol stepped in front of me. "How about one more dance and then I'll let you go on back up to your room, okay?"
I gave him a lopsided grin and shrugged. "I suppose."
A brisk, fast tune had already started up, so we did our best to join the flow of the crowd and blend with them, but only succeeded in stepping on OTHER people's feet and making those around us somewhat.....pissed off.
But fortunately, Eriol seemed to be a good bit more graceful with dancing than I was and quickly pulled me into a clearer spot to regain my balance.
I blushed red at the disapproving looks people were giving me and quickly followed Eriol's lead, and soon enough, were floating along silently.
He was the first partner that didn't talk to me during the dance, and boy, was I grateful. I was having trouble enough trying to keep the guilt out of my system.
After a while, the dance finally ended and I was able to bid everyone goodbye, then go up to the room.
I quickly changed out of my dress and into my pajamas, then washed the make- up off and pulled my hair back into a loose braid.
I was surprised at how different I looked with pajamas and no make-up compared to how I looked in a glamorous dress and accentuating make-up. It really was amazing.
And did I mention how fascinating it is that oranges are orange? No? Well, it is.....
Fine, I'm trying to think of anything that doesn't have to do with Syaoran.
I believe a nice dose of sleep would be in order. But what if I dreamed about him? Wait, cross out dreamed and put 'had a nightmare'.
Well, I was damn tired, and maybe I'd get lucky and drift off before he got back.
So, after flipping off the light, I crawled into bed and snuggled down under the covers.
'I feel guilty about slapping him now. Even if he deserved it.'
'Shut up! Get to sleep!'
'Make me!'
'I will!'
'Your still thinking, which means you're still awake.'
'Will you stop THINKING, already?!'
'Um......no.'
'Grr. I hate thinking at times like this.'
'You just thought something right then.'
'Fuck you.'
'Technically, you just told yourself to go fuck yourself.'
'Let's not get technical.'
'You said it, not me.'
'Damn....'
Then I heard the door open and close and footsteps coming down the hall.
'Oh, please let it be a burglar.....'
But of course, the door opened and in the lit hall, I could see it was Syaoran, with an expressionless face. Fortunately, he seemed to think I was asleep and quietly got dressed in the bathroom, then came out and got in the bed beside me.
I could feel his stare practically drilling a hole through the back of my head. 'Oh, boy. What's he gonna do now?'
Then I heard a small whisper. "Sakura? Are you awake?"
I squeezed my eyes shut, frantically trying to figure out what to do next. I finally decided to try to talk to him. "Yeah..........."
There was an awkward silence, and then we both spoke up at the same time.
"Look, I'm-" we both broke off and laughed a little.
Then that silence came again. Finally, Syaoran coughed a bit and said "I'm sorry, Sakura. I didn't mean to make you so mad. I was just joking. I guess I took it a little far."
"Damn right, you did."
"I'm REALLY sorry!"
I sighed. "Fine. Look, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have slapped you. Well, not so hard anyway."
"Wow, thanks. That was so heartfelt and touching." He answered sarcastically.
"Shut up. I am seriously sorry. So, let's forgive and forget, okay?"
"Deal."
"Oh, one more thing."
"Yeah?"
"Where's that wedding chapel they have here, huh?"
"So, you finally decided to say yes?"
"You wish. It just occurred to me that I've walked around this place plenty enough to know that there's not a freakin' chapel!"
"Uh.....it was just a joke..."
"Dumbass." Then I yawned loudly. "Forget it. I'll get revenge some other time. I'm going to sleep."
"Good night."
"Um-hm." I mumbled before snuggling into the covers for a good night's sleep.
A few minutes later, I felt Syaoran's arms encircle me right as I was about to doze off.
"Syaoran..." I whispered.
No reply except for a light snoring sound from him.
"Syaoran!" I whispered more urgently.
Still no reply.
"Syaoran!" my voice wasn't a whisper anymore.
He just grumbled and held me tighter.
So, I tried to pry his hands off. No luck. After a few more attempts, I was too tired to do anything about it, so I just growled and tried to go back to sleep.
Maybe if I had turned to see his face, I would've noticed his one eye looking at me with a big grin.
~~~~Next Morning~~~~
I woke up to the phone ringing beside my ear. I groaned and picked it up drowsily. "Hello?"
"Hello, this is your wake up call from the hotel. We hope you have a good day, ma'am."
"You too." I mumbled.
"Thank you very much, ma'am. Goodbye."
"Bye." I said grumpily, then hung up the phone, and swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
When I turned to check the clock, I glanced at the bed and realized that Syaoran wasn't there. 'I wonder where he went. It's only 8.'
I shrugged to myself and padded over to the bathroom door, but when I opened it, I got quite a surprise.
There was Syaoran, with just a towel around his waist, with a razor in his hand, and when he turned to look at me, I saw that half of his chin was covered in shaving cream.
I couldn't help it, once I saw the that shaving cream, I burst out laughing, then closed the door behind me, nearly choking at the image still fresh in my mind.
After I had finally finished with my laugh fest, I walked back into the bedroom and changed into a pair of jeans and a white shirt, since we were leaving for home that day.
I was in the process of brushing out my hair when a fully dressed Syaoran walked in, looking totally unfazed, and I couldn't stop myself from letting a small giggle escape when I once again was struck by the image or Syaoran with half his chin covered in shaving cream.
He sent me a questioning look. "What is so funny?"
"Um..nothing."
He rolled his eyes. "Women."
I rolled my eyes in imitation. "Men."
"Can't live with em' can't live without em'."
"I beg to differ. You are a living example of a man I could live without."
"Ouch."
I grinned. 'Score: Sakura-1, Syaoran-0.'
"So, are you packed? We're leaving in about 10 minutes."
I quickly threw my brush and a few scattered clothes into my suitcase. "Ready!"
"I already went to get breakfast. I grabbed a bagel for you in case you were hungry, it's on the table."
"That was thoughtful of you."
"Shouldn't I get a 'reward' for it?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"I see where you're going with this, and yes, you do deserve that reward."
He was clearly surprised. "Really?"
"Yes. I'll let you have half of the bagel."
His face fell and he shook his head, but not before muttering "Stupid, manipulative chicks."
I cackled lowly to myself. 'Score: Sakura-2, Syaoran-0.'
After that, the morning passed pretty uneventfully. We slept on the bus, and arrived back home a few hours later.
When we arrived, I stepped off the bus with my luggage and said goodbye to everyone as they left, until Syaoran was the only one left.
"Do you need a ride?" he asked.
"No. My ride is just a little late, I guess."
"Oh. I'll wait with you until they come."
"You REALLY don't have to."
"You can't get rid of me that easily, so, just to tick you off, I'm gonna stay here, even if your ride doesn't come for another hour."
I growled in frustration. "Whatever."
Fortunately, I only had to wait another 2 minutes until Touya pulled up. "Oi, Sakura, let's go!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Syaoran frown. After a few seconds, I understood why. 'He must think Touya is my boyfriend! Hmm...well, even though that's a disgusting thought, I think that I'm allowed to have a little fun with his mind.'
So I put on a big smile. "Hey Touya! I really missed you while I was gone!" I said sweetly as I started walking towards the car.
Fortunately, Touya took it as being sarcastic, which it was, I mean, c'mon, who would REALLY miss TOUYA?!
"Yeah, I almost kinda missed you a tiny bit too."
I stepped into the car and gave Touya a quick peck on the cheek. Even though I may have been disgusted, it was worth it for the look Syaoran had on his face. "Well, let's go, Touya!"
I turned and waved cheerily at Syaoran, who looked like he wanted to become a pyromaniac at the moment, and seemed to be directing his anger towards Touya.
As we drove off, I giggled in evil glee at Syaoran's distress, earning me a weird look from Touya. "The hell is up with you?! Did you smoke something you shouldn't have at that convention?"
"No. I'm just very pleased with myself at the moment." I happily added another point to the scoreboard under my name.
"Why?"
"Because I can be. Now, shut up and drive!"
"Geez, fine!"
I smiled to myself, thinking of how much fun it was gonna be tomorrow. Then I remembered that I had promised to try to help Syaoran find a new hobby. "Hey, Touya, can I use your skating gear?"
"What for?"
"Well, I was gonna skate some after work tomorrow, but the strap on my skates is broken, so I can't use them. And I wanted the colors to match, and you never use your stuff anyway." I lied.
"Sure. Just make sure you wash your feet first. I don't want my skates to smell like kaiju feet."
"Baka!"
~~~~~~The Next Day~~~~~~#$Normal P.O.V.#$
I practically bounced into the office after waving goodbye to Meiling, who had given me and Naoko a ride. I hummed happily to myself as Naoko struggled to keep up with my fast pace.
"What's got you so happy today?"
I proudly held up a blue gym bag. "In here, there are 2 pairs of skates. 1 is mine, the other is going to be used by the bossman himself! I told him he needed a different hobby besides women, so I'm trying to help him find one. Oh, revenge is sweet."
"Oh, your good."
We walked into the elevator talking about all the wonderful hobbies we could think of for our wonderful boss, and when we stepped out, we saw Eriol and Syaoran talking beside Eriol's office door.
Syaoran spotted me, and motioned for me to come to them. "Sakura! You've got some files to work on!"
I sighed and walked a few steps before crashing into someone and falling back on her butt. "Oh..damn..."
"I'm so sorry, miss! I wasn't watching where I was going? Are you all right?!"
I tilted my head up to see a hand in front of my face. I grabbed it and got hauled up off the floor pretty quickly. When I looked to see who had helped me up, I realized it was a familiar face. "Hey, you're that blonde guy I saw at the convention!"
He grinned. "And you're the lovely lady I danced with. I couldn't forget eyes like yours."
I blushed a little bit and tried to hide her face shyly. Why'd he have to be such a gentleman and make me blush?! How embarrassing. "So, what are you doing here?"
"Well, long story short, I've been looking for a better job than I did have, and I thought going to the convention may bring in that job, and I was right. Eriol hired me as his personal assistant and stock manager for this branch of the company."
"Really? I'm Li's personal secretary."
He looked disappointed. "Oh, I see."
"Not by choice. It's a court thing."
"Court?"
"I'm in a complicated case right now, so they put me in here to keep a closer eye on me. It's kind of a community service thing."
"Oh, I gotcha."
"SAKURA! FILES-NOW!"
"I think he's getting impatient. I'll see you later! Enjoy your new job!"
He smiled and kissed her hand lightly before waving goodbye.
I sighed dreamily before finally turning my attention back to a fuming Syaoran. "Ok, I'll get to the files. Geez."
"I think we need to talk."
I hesitated. "Why?"
"You'll see. C'mon."
All I could do was follow him into the office. We both sat down in the chairs on either side of his desk. "Sakura, it's bad enough that you already have a boyfriend, but flirting with another guy is even worse. And just to let you know, I'm not giving you up without a fight."
I decided to play innocent. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well, you do have a boyfriend, don't you?"
I shook my head. "Not that I know of. Where'd you get an idea like that?"
"That guy that picked you up yesterday wasn't your boyfriend?"
I gave him a repulsed look. "Eww! No, that guy's not my boyfriend!"
"He's not?"
"That was my brother!"
Syaoran flushed red at his mistake. "Oh...well, uh...this is awkward."
"I think somebody's jealous."
"Not jealous, just angry at the thought that some other guy would stand in my way of courting you."
"You still haven't given up?"
"Not till the day I die."
"Oh, I just had a vision. It was a newspaper headline, and the date was tomorrow. It read 'Li Syaoran, head of the Li co., dies in freak car accident.'"
"I think that was your fantasy, not an actual psychic vision, my dear."
"Whatever. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"Well, now that I know you don't have a boyfriend, what's going on between you and blondie?"
"I don't even know his name! We met at the convention, and we were just chatting a little. You certainly do get jealous easily."
"It's not jealousy, it's anger at someone getting in my way!"
"Ya know what?"
"What?"
"I believe that is the definition of jealousy."
He just gawked, because he obviously knew I had won this round. ' I believe that I'm now up by 3 points, and he still has none.' I thought triumphantly to myself.
"Now, where are those files I was supposed to type up?"
He sighed and handed me a small folder of figures. "Here." Then he turned to walk out the door so that I could start typing.
"You didn't forget that I'm teaching you a new hobby today, right?"
He froze in his tracks. "Uh...."
"That's okay. You can do this one in your work clothes." I said, smiling sweetly.
"Okay...is this gonna painful?"
"I don't think so."
"You're getting revenge, aren't you?"
"Of course not, how absurd! Now, I think you've got some work to do!"
He shook his head in defeat as he walked out the door grumbling about sadists. After he left, I cracked my knuckles and got to work. And to anyone who was gonna say anything about cracking my knuckles, I don't care if it DOES give me arthritis, just to let ya know...
~~~~~A few hours later~~~~~
I checked the clock. 'Just a few more minutes'. I sighed and continued the spell checker on the documents. 'Ignore, Ignore, Ignore,...ooh, definitely gotta change THAT one...Ignore, Ignore,...'
Finally the 'Your spell check is done' box popped up and I grinned happily, then turned and checked the clock again. '4..3..2..1..' I thought, before jumping out of my seat and rushing out into the worker's area where I was gonna find Syaoran.
And I finally did find him, after much looking around, talking to Eriol. I snuck up behind them to listen in on the conversation.
"I think she has some sort of revenge planned. Call it a hunch." I heard Syaoran say.
"She could take you horse-back riding. Remember how sore you were last time that your sister made you come with her a few summers ago?"
My eyes widened. 'Horseback riding? Hmm..now, THERE'S a good revenge idea.' I was tempted to cackle evilly, but I realized that if I did, my hiding place would be revealed, so I snuck away quietly and backed right up into someone.
I jumped and turned around to find myself, once again, face-to-face with the blonde guy.
"You!"
He smiled charmingly. "You."
"Sorry about that."
"Do you normally back up into people like you've been sneaking around?"
"Maybe."
He laughed. "Well, I guess I'll get used to it."
All I could do was laugh nervously, and I'm sure I was blushing a bit. I mean, c'mon, here I am, confronted with a handsome young guy who has manners and charm. Surely you'd do the same.
"Ahem."
We both turned to see whom the new voice belonged to. Oh, how lucky. It was my victim! "Syaoran! You ready for Day 1 of your hobby search?!" I asked enthusiastically.
He blinked in obvious surprise. "Uh...sure..."
"Great! We're going to the park."
"The park? As in the park with the gigantic penguin slide?"
"Yes, I thought that maybe sliding would be a good new hobby for you."
The 2 men stared at me in disbelief. "A-heheh. Just kidding!"
Syaoran cleared his throat nervously. "What ARE we doing?"
I winked and put a finger over my mouth. "You'll see..." And then, for effect, I chuckled darkly.
"Oh, and we're taking your car. And I'm driving."
"Not if I have the keys, you don't." he said smirking, then reaching into his back pocket. I smiled as the smile slipped from his face and he got nervous. "Where are my keys?!"
I took the key ring out of my pocket and twirled it around on my finger. "Ya mean these?"
"How?...."
"You left em' on your desk."
He flushed red. "Fine, you can drive."
I patted him on the shoulder. "Now, that's a good boy! C'mon, let's move it!" Then, as we walked away, I waved to the blonde man. "See you tomorrow!"
He smiled weakly. "You too!"
I could hear Syaoran grumbling beside me. "What was that?"
"Getting jealous again?"
He glared at me, but thankfully, DID shut up. After finally getting to the bottom floor, I stepped out and walked out to his car, then fiddled with the keys until I found the right one, and hopped into the car, with an oh- so-happy Syaoran beside me.
After fighting over the radio station, we both finally decided on keeping it off the whole time, so the whole ride was an awkward silence.
After we got to the park, I lead him to a bench next to the walkway that weaved through the park and sat down grinning.
He sat down beside me, looking a little nervous. "So, what ARE we doing?"
I unzipped the gym bag I had been carrying around all day and held up Touya's black skates. "Ta-da!"
"You're kidding."
"Nope! We're going rollerblading! Here, put these on, and these too." I said, while enthusiastically handing him the skates, a helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads.
"All of it?"
"Yep."
By the time I had all my gear on, he was still struggling with his left skate. I giggled at his distress and he glared at me. "Gimme a break, I'm not used to suiting up for this kind of thing."
"Riiiiight. Okay, take your time." I pretended to examine my nails as he grunted and groaned trying to get the skates on.
Finally, I took pity on him and leaned down to help with the skates. "Here, I'll take care of these. You just worry about getting the rest of the stuff on."
He smirked. "This wasn't quite how I imagined it, but it'll do."
I quirked an eyebrow. "This isn't how you imagined what?"
He smiled innocently. "This isn't how I imagined you being on your knees in front of me."
I glared and smacked his shin swiftly. "You pervert! Ya know, your much more appealing when you're nice!"
"Oh, so I appeal to you?"
I couldn't help but blush a little. "That's not what I meant!"
"Then what'd you mean?"
"I..I..oh, shut up and get back to your helmet!"
He chuckled and continued buckling the straps on his gear until he finally had it right. "Alright, I'm ready to go."
"Oh, that's good. Now, skate a bit and let's see how good you are."
I had to stifle my laughter as he wobbled forward pitifully, going about 2 miles an hour. I easily skated up behind him and gave him a push forward, but, unfortunately, he didn't go forward faster as I had predicted, but he fell to the side, taking me down with him in the process.
I closed my eyes and waited for an impact with hard concrete, but, luckily for me, I landed next to Syaoran on the grass instead.
I slowly opened my eyes to see Syaoran's face in front of me, with both his eyes open and staring at me.
I stared back at him for a minute, and it was then that I realized just how painfully close our faces were.
And that Syaoran's face was slowly inching closer.........
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Kalli: Hmm....somehow, I don't think that the first part of this chapter had enough spice to it. Oh, well. But, I'm sure all my reviewers will be pleased with that nice little cliffy. *insert evil laugh*.
Kira: Yeah, they'll be REAL happy about that one.......*sweatdrop*
Touya: *snicker* Always the smart one....
Kalli: -_- Shut it, you! *looks in random direction* Hey, is that Nakuru?
Touya: *whimper*
Kalli: Who's laughing now?! Anyway, no preview for the next chapter. Mainly because I don't really know all of what I'm gonna do next chapter, but I'll tell you now, it will involve another hobby, and possibly (POSSIBLY, meaning not for sure) that 'date' that Syaoran's been trying to get Sakura to go on with him.
Kira: So indecisive...
Kalli: Shut up! And to the people reading this, please R+R for me! *sweet smile* Oh, pretty please with Syaoran and Eriol and whipped cream on top?! (take that last sentence ANY way you like...*wink wink*)