Full Summary: Sakura was your average well-loved girl that was graduating from medical school that year, and was she happy about it. She only had a year more of the torture of exams and waking up early in the mornings until she would finally be able to do what she really wanted – practice as a psychologist. But now that the exams for her third year had finally finished, she expected nothing out of the ordinary to happen to her. Just having her best friend/cousin move out of the apartment the two shared and attending her and her other best friend's wedding. Oh! And sharing the apartment with a new roommate, one of her cousin's fiancée's friends. A man named Li Syaoran. But who would have known this single man would turn her world upside down… along with all the expectations everyone had for her. Including her own.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or anything like it, it strictly belongs to CLAMP. I do own this plot though, and a few characters here and there.

Thank-you to: Avelyn Lauren, SaKuRaStArS, chikichiki, LadyAkina, AnimeObsessionFantasy, animemistress419, FlowerLover, Pinaygrrl, iluvanime493, lilqtazn625, Mystic Moon Empress, zeddy222, VampiricEternity, Ereshkigalgirl, kurisitaru, Spyrothetitan06, A Little Someone, Lil-Sakura-Angel, BitterSweetMel, czakali, iloveanime8, kawaii-fan, maixwolfblossom, kmmgirly, Wolf Blossom, Doggie-Love, kawaiiseeker987

Love Over Lust?
Chapter Nine
Written by: SweetBabyGurl

Crossed legged on the floor, eyes shut tightly, palms softly placed on her knees, Sakura sat. She wasn't meditating as her friends thought when they opened her door, only to close it quietly once more, and she was doing anything with her magic as Eriol and her older brother thought. She was simply thinking. Simply thinking how things had gotten so complicated so suddenly. Why had she trusted Tai in the first place? Why had she even gone out with him when she knew there was a suspicious air that hung around him? Now that he knew she knew about him, how the hell was she going to protect her magic and everything else she held dear? She knew that one thing clear though. The reason why she felt so uncomfortable in his embrace and spending time with him as a girlfriend was because she didn't love him. She just loved the prospect of being with him… of being with anyone. She just didn't want to be alone. But Tai and her cards were the last of things in her mind. The thing — or rather person who occupied her mind the most was the one who made her do things she never would have thought doing, say things she never thought she would say, think things she never would have thought: Li Syaoran.

There was something about this man that drove her crazy… both in good ways and bad. Before she could even worry about how he felt about her… she needed to know how she felt about him. She thought he was hot and an incredibly amazing kisser; his kisses always made all of her senses alert. That was a given. That was there from day one, even when she thought she still was in love with Tai. But there was something more with this Li Syaoran. No matter how much she pushed him away from her, no matter how much she tried to keep her distance from him, it couldn't be done for long. It was as if there a magnetic pull there… and it kept on beckoning her to him. She thought about him all the time too. When she was awake, she constantly thought about what he was doing or what he was thinking. Hell! She even had dreams about the man. So, at first her thoughts were infatuation. But… if it were just infatuation why did she want to get to know him better? Why did she love the way he treated her? Why did she love him both inside in out. Suddenly, her emerald green eyes shot open in a shocking realization.

"Oh…my…God…" was all that escaped from her lips in something short from a whisper.

"Yuki's just wrapping up some of his meetings and telling everyone there's an emergency back home. He'll be here by tomorrow morning considering he still has a few more things to do that can't wait," Touya told the three in the kitchen. Syaoran nodded slightly, while Tomoyo bit her lip.

"That's good. I've added onto the barrier around the place and the same barrier that Sakura's placed around us. With both of our magic, it should be stronger and with an additional spell I've placed around us, any spells directed at us will only be absorbed, making us stronger," Eriol explained. Everyone nodded, silence enveloping them once more.

"I think you should talk to her Syaoran," Tomoyo voiced finally, breaking the thoughts of her companions.

"What!" Both Touya and Syaoran asked, one outraged, the other bewildered, snapping their attention to her.

"She's my best friend. I know her better than anyone. And trust me; she's really confused about things right now. And most of that centers in around you, Syaoran. She feels something for you, and right now she's still figuring out if she wants to accept it," Tomoyo explained.

"Has she talked to you about anything like that yet?" Eriol asked, curious.

"No, but your friends always figure out how you feel for someone before you do. Sakura figured out I was in love with you before I did," Tomoyo told her fiancée.

"That's true," Eriol murmured.

"Listen here gaki, the moment we no longer need you for anything anymore, you're outta here. Don't get any bright ideas. And until then, stay the hell away from my baby sister!" Touya growled, standing up so he towered over the sitting Syaoran.

"You listen. I don't even know what I'm going to do about your precious baby sister! I have enough problems with this as it is! I finally find a girl I like and she has to be the mistress of the cards. She took the title from me! So back off old man!" Syaoran yelled back.

"Syaoran, calm down," Eriol told his friend, knowing this wouldn't lead to anything good.

"Who do you think you're calling old man!" Touya questioned, a vein sticking out from the side of his head.

"Now Touya-kun, no need to get so hasty," Tomoyo told her older cousin timidly. She was always quite scared of Touya.

"Who does it look like I'm calling old man!" Syaoran asked, standing up also, rolling up his sleeves.

"That will be enough," Sakura's quiet, but powerful voice spoke out, causing the two men to stop their bickering.

"Sakura are you feeling better?" Eriol asked.

"Did you want to get something to eat?" Tomoyo asked immediately after Eriol.

"Yes, I'm feeling better, and yeah. I'm going to out and get some pizza for everyone. Pepperoni good?" Sakura asked as she looked around, her gaze lingering on Syaoran before turning to her brother. "If I take longer than usual, don't worry. I'm going to buy some groceries as well since we have none."

"I'll go with you," Syaoran volunteered, grabbing his jacket.

"Like hell you will," Touya threatened.

"Touya, you can't come with me. I need you to stay here, you're not safe if you go out there… I can't worry about you too. If you want to come, then come Syaoran," Sakura told the two as she put on her shoes and left.

"Don't worry Syaoran. It'll get better soon," Tomoyo told him comfortingly while he just nodded and ran out the door after her.

"Will it?" Touya asked, worried.

"I hope so," Tomoyo murmured before turning to the sink to wash dishes.

"Never lose hope. Because sometimes, that's all you've got left," Eriol told the two comfortingly, hugging his wife and placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

TBC

Readers: Hey there everyone! Just to let you know, for those of you who are also reading I Hate You! It's being put on hold until this fiction is finished. If you'd like some more details, please go to my profile for they will all be there. So how was this chapter? Some things have been discovered, and in the next chapter, Sakura and Syaoran will be left alone to talk things through. What are they going to do about Tai and Sakura's forgotten memories? Is Syaoran bitter about the fact Sakura is the ruler over the cards, a role he was supposed to have? Or is he accepting the fact and moving on — with or without Sakura? Better yet, will Sakura accept him for who he his now that she knows more about him than she'd rather? You'll have to find out in the next installment of Love Over Lust?

— SweetBabyGurl