Ace!

Written by: Chiaki Nozomi

Class 03 – Strength

Disclaimer – No, I don't own CCS, but that won't stop me from writing the poor characters into plots of my evil devising!  BWAHAHAHA!  Clamp, if you do get mad, remember on your websites how you believe in alternate universes and thus created Tsubasa?  Well, I made an alternate universe and created Ace!  ^_^. 

Sakura stared at Li, mouth agape.  He . . . knew?!

Millions of things flashed through Sakura's mind.  It couldn't be over before it started!  Sakura started laughing nervously.  "What do you mean, calling me by the name of my twin sister?  It scared me for a second!"

Li looked at her suspiciously, and Sakura felt her façade start to fade away.  "Then who's Tomoyo," he asked.  Sakura's back stiffened. 

"She's . . . well . . . my girlfriend," Sakura exclaimed and started laughing again.  "I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but I'm in love!  Do you want to see her picture," Sakura asked and dashed to the desk where she lay her and Tomoyo's picture.  "We make a good couple, don't you think?"

Li arched an eyebrow.  "So you aren't gay."

Sakura's jaw dropped.  Li thought . . . Li thought she was gay?!  Well, technically she was because she was in her male form because she is a female but then she would be gay because she is the only one that knows that she is really female and now Tomoyo would think she was gay because she called Tomoyo her girlfriend, but somehow she knew that Tomoyo wouldn't mind that and that fact was a bit scary . . . .

"Kinomoto?  You alive," Li asked while waving his hand in front of his stunned roommate.  His explanation seemed plausible, but he doubted it was the truth.  People could get identical twins mixed up, but not fraternal twins.  And her father called an all male college looking for a girl

Still, until he could get solid proof and discover her reasons for the masquerade, he'd lay low and act like he believed her.  

"Sorry," Sakura said, and fell onto her bed.  An uncomfortable silence fell between the two until Sakura's stomach growled.  She grinned sheepishly.  "Guess I'm hungry.  Do you want something?"

"Not really."  Sakura nodded and walked out of the room.  She walked down stairs, thinking about her previous encounter.  Did Li-kun believe her?  He looked at her suspiciously . . . Sakura sighed.  She needed to talk to Tomoyo to help get her story straight.  But –

"Sorry," a kind male voice said, and Sakura looked up, slightly dazed.  What just happened?  Her bum hurt, and some weird guy was holding his hand out to her.  "Oh my, do we need to take you to the nurse?" 

"What happened," Sakura asked, and blinked.  The man laughed, somewhat softly. 

"I bumped into you and you fell down the stairs!  Maybe you should stop by the nurse."  Sakura shook her head. 

"I'm fine," she replied, then her stomach growled again.  She blushed slightly, "I'm just a little hungry."

"That's unfortunate, because the cafeteria just closed for today."  Sakura's eyes widened.  No food.  She closed her eyes and sighed.  Could her day get any worse?  "But there's a ramen stand on the left corner of the school." 

Sakura grinned and she floated up in happiness.  "Food," she beamed, and continued on her way, paying no mind to the blue haired boy and thinking of only filling her empty stomach. 

Just like the man said, a ramen stand was on the left corner.  The smell of food enraptured her so much that she made a mad dash to the stand.  An old man operated the place, and he smiled gently when he saw her. 

"Hungry?"

"Starving.  One extra large bowl of your best stuff."  He nodded and set to work.  Sakura sighed in happiness.  The old man put a huge bowl of ramen in front of her and Sakura quickly grabbed chopsticks.  "Itadekimasu!"

The man watched in amazement as Sakura inhaled her food at an astonishing rate.  "You sure eat allot for being so small," a male voice said in amazement.  Sakura ignored him and continued stuffing her face. 

As she neared finishing, she began choking on her food.  The man laughed and handed her his drink, to which she promptly gulped down.  "Gousamadeshita,": she exclaimed as she put the drink down. 

Both the old man and young man laughed again.  "You're a cute boy," the younger man said, and Sakura turned to him, blushing slightly, "Just my type." 

Men . . . were hitting on her . . . as a male . . . that never happened when she was female . . . Sakura began laughing nervously.  "Who are you?"

"Akizuki Ryouma.  And you?"

"Kinomoto S-Kira."

"Skira," he replied quizzically. 

Sakura laughed again, "No, just Kira.  My tongue was burned so I ss'd from the pain."  Akizuki stared, somewhat confused.  Then he laughed and flashed a flirtatious smile.   

"Just as I thought!  You are very cute!  What do you say you come to my dorm tonight?"  Sakura shot straight up and bowed. 

"Thank you so much but I really should be going, bye bye!"

The pair watched her dash off to the front of the school.  Ryouma smiled and shook his head.  He stood and put five thousand yen on the table.  "Here's money for the both of us."

Sakura entered her dorm room, gasping for breath and clutching her side in pain.  "What happened to you," Li asked, looking up from his book. 

"Some weird guy was hitting on me," she replied, pulled the comforter off her bed, and wrapped it around her.  "Which seemed weird," she continued, "Because I didn't think there were gay guys here."

Li didn't tell her that he thought she was gay at first too, and instead shrugged his shoulders and returned to reading his book.  They sat in silence and Sakura felt herself start to doze off.  She checked her clock, and her eyes widened.  The clock read seven – she thought it had to be at least nine!  

"I have to call Tomoyo," she muttered and reached for the phone.  Her thumb dialed Tomoyo's number at supersonic speed.  Li stopped reading to gape at her 'speed dial'.  Sakura didn't notice his gaze, and leaned against the wall.

Li half listened to Kinomoto's conversation with Tomoyo.  His suspicions were coming to light the more he watched and listened to the boy, or rather, girl.  Truth be told, she did look rather cute – her hair came to her cheekbone, and curled under or flew out, her eyes were large and bright, light skin, not much muscle, so she probably felt soft . . .

Li scowled and returned to his book.  How could he be thinking of her that way?  Sure, she was the only girl in a school amidst of men but he couldn't he that desperate, could he?  Four years.  Li groaned, shut his book and rolled over, facing the wall. 

"Have you told Li yet," Tomoyo asked, noticing that the time now read eight o'clock.  She had to end the conversation quickly, or else Li, her roommate, would get even more suspicious.  Boys did not normally talk on the phone for hours on end, not even to their girlfriends. 

"About," Sakura asked, confused. 

"Your sleeping problem."

Sakura's face reddened.  The sleeping problem involved her sleepwalking – sometimes she would hold conversations with strangers, sometimes she would fall asleep somewhere strange like the bathtub, and other times she would climb into some else's bed and sleep. 

"No . . ."

"I think you should tell him before he wakes up in the middle of the night because you climbed into his bed." 

Sakura looked at Li, who had rolled over on his side.  She frowned, "I think he's already asleep."  Tomoyo laughed.

"Good luck then, Kira-kun."  Sakura looked uneasily at Li.  Would he get mad if she woke him up to tell him of her problem?  Or would he be grateful?  She bit her lip; what if she really did climb into his bed at night? 

"I'll let you go Tomoyo," she said, "Good night."

"Sweet dreams."  Sakura hung up the phone, then resumed staring at Li.  Judging by earlier encounters, he would be angry.  Just her luck to have a hard headed roommate.  Sighing, she opened her drawer and grabbed a t-shirt two sizes too big and a pair of shorts to sleep in. 

Glad Li slept, she unzipped her vest and changed quickly.  "Kami-sama, please don't let me sleepwalk into Li's bed," Sakura whispered before she shut off her light and went to bed. 

Sakura fingered her hair; it had all grown back. She looked at her body and she wore a beautiful white dress, probably made by Tomoyo.  And the ground looked like the clouds . . . Wait, it was a cloud!  She screamed and fell to her knees and realized she didn't pass through.  A sigh of relief escaped her throat. 

Confidence renewed, she skipped around the cloud, doing flips and ballerina spins.  Suddenly a gust of wind blew, and Sakura shivered and rubbed her arms.  She wanted a coat, or something! 

As she walked around the cloud (it was a very big cloud) a bed came into view, stacked high with down comforters and littered with stuffed animals and pillows.  She jumped with happiness, dashed to the bed, and jumped on it.  Oh, was it soft!  She moved under the blanket and smiling gently, she grabbed the largest teddy bear on the bed.  She pulled it close and snuggled with it. 

Li's eyes opened with a start as something wrapped around him.  He almost attacked the  intruder until he heard a soft voice whisper "Teddy-san." While nuzzling his neck.  Kinomoto had gotten into bed with him.  Suddenly the grip on him tightened and Kinomoto now pressed against his back.  Li swallowed with nervousness.

There was no doubt in his mind – Kinomoto Kira – Sakura – was really a girl. 

Li gently tried to remove her arms, but she moaned in complaint and renewed her hold.  He sighed and attempted to return to sleep. 

Sakura slowly opened her eyes.  What time was it?  What did it matter?  She yawned and sat up.  Odd.  The bed next to her was empty.  Did Li leave already?  She looked down, and saw a sleeping Li. 

"Oh.  My.  God."  Sakura leaped out of the bed, frantic.  Li groaned and leaned up. 

"Good morning," he said, and stretched. 

Tears sprang to Sakura's eyes as she watched Li grab a towel and go to the bathroom to take a shower.   It was over now.