Disclaimer: As you all might've guessed, I don't own CCS...if I did, this wouldn't be here.

Kura-chan: So how'd y'all like the first chapter? I think this might be the hardest fanfiction to write mainly because I've never written a story where the two main characters just can't seem to fall in love...we'll see how it goes, and please tell me if you like the story when u review! And if you have any suggestions...well, who knows, they might help out.

Yue: Kura-chan is very excited about this story. She all of a sudden just jumped up in the air to hurry to the computer to work out the idea in her head...

Kero: But before that, she fell flat on her butt!

Kura: Kero-chan! blushes It still hurts, and you're a demon for mentioning it to all my readers!

Inuyasha: Did somebody say demon? Where? I'll show it a think or two!

Kura: sweatdrops Inuyasha, you're in the wrong story. In fact, you're at the wrong author. I have yet to write an Inuyasha fic.

Inuyasha: Oh, right...r u working on that problem?

Kura: I'll start once some of my other stories are finished, how's that?

Inuyasha: Sounds fair. sniffs I smell a demon, and it's after Kagome! Oh no!

Kura: Well, now that he's gone, we can start off with the second chappy...hope u like!

Chapter 2: The newest roommate

Sakura sighed as she locked the door behind her. God was she exhausted! She'd just got back from work, and she was sore all over.

"Meilin-chan, are you here?" Sakura called out as she dropped her duffel bag in the training room.

"Hai!" came the reply. "But, Sakura-chan, we have a problem! I forgot to go shopping, so there's nothing to eat in here! I have to go!"

Sakura cocked her head to the side. Meilin usually wasn't so worried about food. I mean, they could always just eat out or something. A thought was tugging at the back of Sakura's mind...there was something she was forgetting.

"Li-san! Oh, that's right! I'd totally forgotten!"

Meilin nodded her head furiously, her hair going every which way. "Yeah, and he's a boy, and you know how much boys eat, Sakura-chan. Oh, how could I have forgotten!" Meilin quickly grabbed the keys to her car, put her purse over her arm, and started to give orders. "Get a shower and change, Sakura-chan. And see if you can't tidy up a bit. He'll be taking a cab from the airport, and he might get here before I do. Just let him in. He probably won't talk much, but that's how he usually is. Don't let him get to you, because he'll try. Ja ne!" she called as she walked out of the house.

Sakura waited a moment, and then set about doing the things Meilin ordered. While doing so, her mind wondered a bit. It had been exactly 3 years today since the breakup. Sakura remembered how welcoming Yukito had been, not bothering her when she didn't want to be bothered. 'He may not be my brother by blood, but he certainly is by his actions.' She thought.

It had been hard at first. She'd felt unworthy and depressed, but eventually she had gotten through that with the help of Kero, Yue, Yuki, the Cards, and Meilin. They all had helped in their own way. Kero had given Sakura some laughs, Yue and Yukito giving some counseling and agreeing to move out of Tomoeda, the Cards just being there, being friendly, and Meilin with understanding, humor, and friendship.

Sakura had met Meilin at a martial arts competition she'd joined to add to her accomplishments. She'd figured that if parents saw that she'd won so and so, they'd be more likely to sign up their kids. And she had been right. Anyways, so it had been the last round, and it'd come down to Sakura and Meilin. Because of the training needed to control her magic and the fact that a magical spirit or two had helped her train, Sakura had won. Meilin, ever the perfectionist, had been curious to learn some the moves from Sakura that she had shown at the competition. Soon after they had become friends.

At 19 ½, Sakura had decided to move out of Yukito's house. She'd wanted to stay close by, and that had caused a dilemma. But Meilin had some connections, and on Sakura's okay that she and Meilin could be roommates, they had moved into this beautiful home. Right after, Sakura had opened her own dojo, and from there her life had really started.

Now Meilin's cousin—Li Syaoran, if Sakura remembered correctly—was coming to Tokyo for his job at Li Incorporations. To save money and fuss, Sakura and Meilin had both agreed that he could stay with them—they had plenty of room—only if he pitched in with some cash and other sorts of help.

From Meilin's description of him, Li Syaoran wasn't like other guys, which was definitely a good thing. She hated the look most men gave her. Sakura had taken into account how grouchy Li-san was supposed to be, but figured she could handle it. Either she'd be grouchy right back, or she'd make him less grouchy. Either suited her perfectly fine. The only problem was—did he know about magic? She looked at the sleeping guardian—he'd been up all night playing video games.

Sakura had just finished brushing her long auburn—and now dry—hair when the doorbell rang. Sakura gave herself a quick one two in the mirror.

Sakura's hair was shining brightly, as were her eyes—though not as much as they had 3 years ago. She was dressed in a white peasant top that revealed her shoulders and was decorated with sakura petals and an old pair of faded flare blue jeans that had the bottoms torn and ripped from being scuffed by the ground.

Sakura ran to the door and opened it up. "Konnichiwa!" she said as she looked up at the very tall man in front of her. "You are Li Syaoran, ne?"

"Hai." He said, his voice smooth, but cold.

Sakura still smiled. "Do you need any help with your bags?"

At the shake of his head, Sakura motioned for him to follow to his new room.

"Ta-dah!" she exclaimed as she revealed the room.

Syaoran set his bags down and scanned the room. It had hard wood floors, green walls and bed spread, soccer and martial arts posters, a desk complete with a chair, a phone, and a few wolf ornaments. (Note: That was a very sucky description, but I couldn't think of it. Imagine it yourself, will ya?)

"Who designed this?"

"Meilin and me." He just nodded, so Sakura did the talking. "I don't know when you plan on going to work, but I head off around 7 in the morning. I do some basic training beforehand, and you're welcome to join me if you wish. If you're up when I make breakfast, I'll make you something to eat—my pancakes are said to be awesome! Meilin heads off to the mall a little before 9. She has her lunch break at 12, and is usually back here for an hour, then, but I stay and eat out, if I eat lunch at all. Meilin's usually back by 5, but you never know with her. I could be back at any time. It all depends how many students show up." (Note: In case u r wondering, it's summer vacation, so Meilin doesn't have any college classes. She's gonna b a cosmetologist)

Syaoran's POV

As she went on about all the important stuff, I took the time to study her carefully. She was honestly a very beautiful woman, and as far as I could tell, it was natural beauty. She seemed nice, unusually nice, but then again, that's exactly what Meilin had said. She'd also said that I was safe, but I had no idea what that meant. I wondered if Meilin would answer me.

Her eyes intrigued me. They were such a beautiful shade of emerald green, and I felt that if I stared at them, I'd be forever lost. They sparkled with joy, but I could see that they'd lost a bit of their sparkle sometime during her (18?) years. I couldn't help but wonder what had caused this cheerful woman to be brought down. I'd ask Meilin later, I decided.

I heard her talk about her students, and I had to ask a question. I was aghast at the need, but I surrendered to it, figuring it couldn't hurt. "Students? What grade do you teach?"

She turned toward me and winked, and I could feel her casually surveying me as I had her. "You misunderstand. I'm not a schoolteacher. I teach martial arts."

That's right, she'd mentioned training...

Sakura's POV

As I went on about the schedule and what not, I could feel his eyes surveying me. It wasn't anything much, he was just sizing me up, as I did him when I turned around to answer his question about my job.

I was a tad below average with my height, and he was more than a tad above average with his height. He had messy chocolate brown hair that looked good on him, and piercing amber eyes that seemed to glow. They seemed cold and distant, like the rest of him, and I imagined that if he smiled or laughed, he'd be unbelievably attractive. He had a very muscular frame, and I new that he was every bit as good at self defense and what not as Meilin had said he was. I could see a chain of a necklace of sorts from underneath his shirt. It had traces of a green aura, a good green aura.

'He has magic.' I thought.

To test my theory, I unleashed some of my pink aura. It was just enough to surround my figure and show him that I was a sorceress, and a strong one at that. He looked startled for only a split second, and most people wouldn't have even noticed the change in facial expressions.

Normal POV

"So you're a sorceress."

"Hai...and you're not like Meilin."

"Iie." There was silence for a while, but he soon continued to speak. "How powerful are you?"

"Ever hear of Clow Reed?"

"Hai." Syaoran was confused, had she changed the subject?

"Yeah, well, my guardians say I'm stronger than him."

"Stronger than...guardians...are you by chance the Card Mistress?"

"Un." (Note: that is another form of 'yes', isn't it? I'm not sure...)

The conversation ended at that, and Sakura continued to show him around the place. Once she had finished, Meilin came through the door, carrying only one bag of groceries.

"Sakura, could you?"

She gave one nod, grabbed her star key and spoke. "MOVE, transport the groceries Meilin bought from the car to the kitchen." A second passed, and suddenly a bright light went into the room mentioned before. The three people went into the kitchen, and the women in the group started putting away groceries, the male soon leaving for his room to unpack.

When he was almost finished, he sensed a being was watching. "Are you done?" he asked. He heard a short gasp, then a reply.

"You have magic...does Sakura-sama know about this?"

"Aa."

"And she didn't say anything to me?"

He turned around and saw a small orange winged bear flying towards him. "If you're the 'great' Keroberos, she said you were sleeping."

"What's with that sarcastic tone? This is just my false form, you haven't seen my true form."

"What's that? A miniature tiger?"

The bear's face turned bright red, and Syaoran swore he could see steam come out from his ears. Then he made the most horrible noise Syaoran had ever heard. "Saaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" he screeched.

He heard the thump of 2 sets of feet running this way. The door was pushed open, and Sakura and Meilin appeared. While Meilin stayed in the doorway, Sakura entered, grabbed Kero, and asked what was wrong.

"He was being a brat. He said that I wasn't cool!"

Sakura turned to Syaoran, and while there was humor in her eyes, there was also the look of being insulted.

"Are you saying, Li-san, that my guardian isn't cool or powerful, the guardian that I support with my very being? Because if you are, you're insulting me as well. I'll have you know that I would never have made it to the final judgment if it hadn't been for Kero-chan here!" she then turned to the creature in her hand. "Hey Kero, Meilin bought some pudding, would you like some?"

"Hell ya!"

Sakura giggled, and followed Kero out into the kitchen.

Syaoran turned Meilin as Sakura and her guardian left. "You didn't say that Kinomoto-san had magic, why?"

"Because Yue, her other guardian, was right there, and he is very protective of his mistress. He's become sort of a surrogate father to Sakura-chan. Not to mention his other half, his false form, Yukito, has become like a brother. Anyways, if I had told you that Sakura-chan had magic, Yue-san would either have thought I would tell everybody and anybody, or you have magic. Sakura-chan has other sorcerers come after her quite frequently, so Yue-san wouldn't have liked the idea of your coming. It's too late now, though." She smiled at Syaoran mischievously. He knew she was planning something.

Sakura popped in the room, full of happiness. "It's my day to cook! In honor of your arrival, Li-san, I'm going to make Chinese cuisine! Do you like dim sum?" she cocked her head to the side in question.

Syaoran couldn't help it, and at that word, he started salivating.

Meilin giggled. "You hit his weakness, Sakura-chan. If you're not careful, he'll propose to get your recipe!" she turned to Syaoran. "If you thought that Ming's dim sum was good, wait until you try Sakura-chan's! It's like going to heaven. I don't know what the heck she does, but it works. Even I'll admit she's the dim sum champion!"

Sakura blushed furiously at Meilin's statement. "Iie, Meilin-chan, I'm not that good. She's exaggerating! You've surely had better dim sum then what I could make!"

Meilin shook her head. "That's Sakura for you. The reason we're friends is because I boast enough for the two of us." She whispered to Syaoran. "She's really naïve and blind to her own accomplishments, and she'll blush at anything. As Tomoyo-chan would say, kawaiiiiiii!"

Sakura wondered what Meilin had said to Li, and when she heard Tomoyo-chan, she got a little worried. She hadn't meant any of Meilin's family or other friends, except for Syaoran. Soon, though, she shook off the feelings she was experiencing. She was just being stupid.

"Oh, right! Meilin-chan, Yukito called, and I invited him over for dinner, was that all right?"

"It's fine by me, I'm not cooking today!" Meilin giggled. "Yukito eats a lot, and by a lot, a mean a lot."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "I kind of figured that 'a lot' might mean 'a lot' but I wasn't sure."

"Why did Yukito-san call, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled brightly. "Just that he wants to talk. Li-san, if you aren't doing anything, would you mind helping? Meilin is right about one thing, it'd take a very long time to make enough food for Yuki if only I made it, but with two people, and some ice cream in the fridge, we just might have enough."

Syaoran simply nodded, figuring it was the least he could do.

It took a while, but the food was ready. It had been a nerve-wracking situation for Sakura, because, no matter how hard she'd tried, Syaoran wouldn't say anything. He just asked questions on the situation at hand, and that was all. Sakura could tell that living with him would be a challenge, but she was certainly up for it. Finally, as they had just about finished, Sakura had come up with the perfect topic, one she knew Li wouldn't be able to say no to—the martial arts.

"Oi, Li-san?"

He looked at her nonchalantly.

"Well, I was wondering...my school is open Monday through Saturday, and I was wondering if maybe you wouldn't mind coming to the school to help out. Meilin-chan has told me that you've won many competitions, and I hear my students speak your name quite frequently. They'd love it if you were to come by just for a day, and I could even pay you if you'd like..." She looked at him expectantly.

Syaoran, to his horror, could feel his lips tugging up at a smile. She had been trying to get him to talk during the whole process. Finally, she hit his soft spot. He refused to smile, but answered her question. "I guess I could come in...it might be a good thing for all of us. But I'd come in for free."

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Arigato gozaimasu! Wait until I tell my students!"

"So...when should I stop by?"

Sakura shrugged. "Anytime's good, so long as we're in session. Just a couple of minutes would do...some of the boys worship you." She giggled, and then frowned. "But that causes the problem."

"How so?" he realized he was interested, and that ticked him off.

"Well...it's a stereotypical thing to think that girls can't fight, and since I've never actually shown them an actual match, they don't really think I'm any good. But they've seen you, so..."

"They think of you on a lower status?" he finished for her.

"Exactly! Sometimes I get real pissed, but your Meilin-chan's cousin, so it doesn't last long." She looked up at Syaoran, and he could tell she was joking.

Then, the doorbell rang.

"Hai!" called Sakura as she raced towards the door. She opened it, and it revealed a man about average height, around his late 20's, Syaoran guessed. He had a grayish color hair, and brown eyes. He wore glasses, and he looked very casual in his outfit. "Yuki!" exclaimed Sakura as she hugged the man. "I'm so happy to see you! So how was Kyoto?"

Yukito laughed. "Fine, and I'm happy to see you, too." The man bent down and whispered in Sakura's ear, and since Syaoran was nearby, he heard the message. "Yue is too."

Sakura chuckled, and led Yukito into the room. "Yuki, this is Li Syaoran. He's Meilin-chan's cousin. In honor of his arrival, I've made Chinese food. And I'm warning you, Yuki, don't even think about touching Li-san's dim sum, if you do, he just might turn into his namesake!" she giggled happily and started setting the table.

Dinner went along nicely, with idle chit-chat. Syaoran conversed with Yukito, but it was more out of courtesy then pleasure. What was pleasurable was this dim sum!

'Damn,' though Syaoran as he took another bite, 'this girl can cook!'

Syaoran was still slightly confused about the whole Yue/Yukito thing. Nobody explained it, but it seemed like everybody thought they were the same person. They couldn't be, though—could they?

After dinner, they went into the living room. Apparently there was something important to discuss.

"Yukito, if I may speak with Yue?"

Yukito nodded, and Syaoran watched in amazement (not that he showed it) as wings sprouted from Yukito's back, enveloped him, and then revealed a man different from Yukito.

The man had white wings, long, long white hair, odd looking clothes on, and piercing ice blue eyes.

"He has magic." Growled the man Syaoran supposed was Yue as he nodded towards Syaoran.

"Un...demo...he's Meilin-chan's cousin. He's good."

Yue turned his gaze on Sakura. "That's what you said with all of them."

Sakura frowned for a moment, but then smiled and gave Yue a big hug.

"I'm so glad you're back, Yue! I've missed you sooooo much!"

Yue's eyes softened a bit and a small smile touched his lips. He sighed and hugged back. "I've missed you too, Sakura-sama."

Syaoran felt a pang of something or other at the sight, but he didn't know what it was. (Note: Is Syaoran already jealous? Or is it just a stomachache from all that dim sum?)

"So...Yue-san," prompted Meilin, "You said you had something to talk about."

Yue scowled deeply, and you would never have guessed this man to be capable of anything but murder. "I have some bad news for you, Sakura-sama. I saw him in Kyoto, and unfortunately, he saw Yukito. He had the nerve to come up, talk to him, ask how you were doing, and then say he was in Japan searching for you, to win you back. I just thought that you should know." Yue glanced at Syaoran. "Maybe it's a good thing after all that you've met this sorcerer and that he's staying here." Yue looked nervous for a second. "I'm not sure, but I think he was taunting me. I think he has magic and may know that you have some too. He might even know that you're the Card Mistress and that Yukito is I. Take the cards and Keroberos with you wherever you go. He might resort to violence to get you back." Yue smiled again, trying to find a way to make the pain in Sakura's eyes disappear. "Looks like he realized what an ass he was for treating you that way and that he wants you back."

"Bring him on. I never did get to say all the things I wanted to, to his face. Now I just might get the chance."

Meilin, Kero, and Yue all looked at Sakura sadly, and Syaoran wondered who had hurt this girl so much.

After watching 'The Wizard of Oz,' Yukito left, and the rest went for bed.

Kero dreamt of food, Meilin dreamt of her plan, Syaoran dreamt of a pair of emerald eyes, and Sakura dreamt of the day her world changed for the worst.

Kura-chan: So.... you like? Was it long enough? And wasn't it ironic that on the anniversary of their breakup, Sakura finds out that Kenji wants her back? I honestly didn't plan it that way, it just happened. I plan on making the next chapter a mix of Kenji's appearance, Syaoran appearing in class, and asking Meilin questions of Sakura! We'll c how it goes, okay? And remember--review! I personally love them!