Chapter Five: "Giving Up"
Disclaimer : I do not nor will I ever own CCS as the wonderful fantabulous CLAMP does. Therefore please don't sue me cuz I only have five cents
Updated: July 4,2005
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Class the Next Day…
"So that's it… the damn fool is giving up." Yamazaki shook his head.
"As I recall, he technically isn't since he was 'never looking for anything to begin with.'" Fei finished cutting out a chain of paper people, labeled each head with someone's name, and cut off Aki's.
"Well, we shouldn't force Sakura out of or Syaoran into a relationship. I mean, he's right. Look how happy she is." Tomoyo, Yamazaki and Fei all looked over at Sakura laughing over something funny that Aki said.
"But it's so obvious to everyone that they're destined to be together." Fei held up her chain of two and a half people, where Sakura and Syaoran were connected, and proceeded to cut off Aki's link to them.
"Obvious to everyone but her," Naoko sighed, "Such a typical love dilemma."
"Wait, wait, wait-- so now she's in a relationship? With some guy she's only met twice?" Rikka began to freak out. This was not like Sakura at all.
"She couldn't stop talking to me this morning about how they stayed up until 2am just talking on the phone. She's crazy about him." Tomoyo rested her head on her hand. It pained her to think that years of steering Sakura towards Syaoran could end in such dismal failure.
"Maybe she's just crazy." Yamazaki suggested.
"I can't believe you're still letting him go to your party Tomoyo," Chiharu frowned.
"Well, I can't really help it. It is an open party. And besides, people seem to like him." Tomoyo looked over at Sakura and Aki, and there was now a crowd gathering around them.
"Syaoran's headed this way." Chiharu shhed them.
"So, Syaoran-- you ready for tomorrow tonight?" Tomoyo asked.
"Sure." he glanced at Sakura, took a seat, and forced a half smile.
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Li Residence After School…
"Syaoran, you know you can't just win her over with a song." Yamazaki flipped through some sheet music.
"Besides, you're tone-deaf." Eriol finished stringing his guitar and started playing an off-tune melody.
"Dumbass, you didn't even tune it yet." Syaoran snatched away Eriol's guitar and started tuning it.
"How the hell is it that you can tune a guitar but can't sing a single line right?" Eriol asked.
"I don't intend on wooing Sakura with a song. She isn't mine to woo, anyway. I just wana prove that I'm better than that idiot, Aki." He plucked the G-string (no pun intended) and tightened it a bit.
"Ahh... I see your plan. You prove that you're better than Aki and Sakura will leap into your arms and say, 'Oh Syaoran! I can't believe I chose that loser over you! Syaoran I see now that you're better than him. Let's get married and have pretty babies and live happily every after!'" Yamazaki acted the entire scene for them (complete with crayon drawings).
"Are you quite finished?" Syaoran asked, eyebrow raised.
"I dunno, when you we put you guys side-by-side, you're pretty much even." Eriol said as Yamazaki pulls out a comparison chart.
"According to a poll conducted on our fellow classmates," he slammed a pointing stick at a bar graph, "You and Aki-san scored evenly on quote-unquote hotness, physique-" Eriol flipped the graph, "Not to mention brains and attitude."
"Speech eloquence."
"Style."
"No one's voted on musical ability since no one's heard him sing or play anything, anyway."
"Therefore they can't compare him to you."
"You hold an advantage over him when it comes to wealth."
"But you know what they say-"
"Money can't buy love."
"Still, he holds an advantage when it comes to technological stuff."
"Heh… he helped me hack into the school computer… we had the sprinklers go off while Chiharu and them were running laps."
"She's in the same class with Tomoyo. Haha… you gotta love them white t-shirts." they gave each other a high-five.
"You guys were fraternizing with the enemy? You know, forget it. Let's just practice okay?" Syaoran picked up his guitar and began to play and sing (in tune, surprisingly). Practice went on for a couple hours before Eriol and Yamazaki decided to leave.
"See you guys tomorrow?" Syaoran saw them to the door.
"Yeah, we're going to Tomoyo's a couple hours early to set up and stuff."
"Later."
"Later."
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On the Bus With Yamazaki & Eriol…
"You think he's actually okay?" Yamazaki was playing his guitar on the floor of the bus with his case open for donations (for the "Send Yamazaki to College Fund").
"Hell no. I know it's killing him inside."
"You could call it suicide."
"You're right." The bus came to a halt at a red light. "Hey, isn't that Sakura and Aki?" Eriol and Yamazaki looked outside to see Sakura and Aki walking hand in hand down the street, talking. Aki leaned in a little bit and kissed her lightly on the cheek, causing her to blush.
"WHAT THE...?" Eriol and Yamazaki both went bug-eyed with their hands and faces pressed to the window of the bus.
"What is she thinking?" Eriol unstuck himself from the window.
"Dude... at least Tomoyo and them aren't here. They'd jump out of this bus and drag her away. Fei'd probably beat the crap out of him."
"Whatever Fei does to him would be nothing compared to what Touya would do."
"True. Speak of the devil... Here comes Touya now." Yamazaki pointed as Touya drove by on his motorcycle and stopped next to them.
"Hehe... look at Aki sweat."
"He's gonna get it now!" the two of them laughed evily. Touya and Sakura exchanged a few words when much to their surprise, Touya reached out his hand and shook Aki's.
"Is the whole world going insane?"
"Madness! Madness!" Yamazaki ran around the bus flailing his arms wildly.
"Please! You two are disturbing the other passengers! Either sit and calm down or get off!" The driver yelled. The two of them apologized as they watched Sakura hop on the back of Touya's motorcycle and she and Touya waved goodbye to Aki. The stop light turned green, and at last the bus was free to move.
"Dude, what the hell just happened?" Yamazaki counted his "earnings."
"No clue, but don't you think they're moving a little fast? You said so yourself- only two meetings and they're an item."
"Something's up."
"Definitely."
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Walking Hand in Hand...
"Some weirdo got the notion that in order to be worthy of dating this chick, you had to beat her in a hand-to-hand fight. It was insane! Every morning there'd be lines to the nurse's office." Aki swung his fists through the air, as if beating an invisible opponent.
"Wow! And she won everytime? Was she really worth getting beat up for every morning?" Sakura asked, amazed.
"You should ask the guys who fought her. In my opinion, I think they should've just let her pick. But then she got engaged you see-"
"Engaged? Did someone finally beat her?" Sakura was even more intrigued by this tough cookie.
"Nah, it was arranged. They hated each other at first, but you could tell they were getting fond of each other by the end of high school. He'd save her and fight for her all the time."
"How sweet... I hope I can find someone who can be like that for me." Sakura sighed dreamily. Aki leaned over a bit and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, "You think I could be that someone?"
Suddenly the roar of a motorcycle was heard from a distance. Touya appeared as if from nowhere, "Oy kaijuu, what are you doing out late? And who's this?" Touya's eye twitched.
"I'm not a monster! And this is Aki Ryu. He was--"
"Just walking her home. You see, she had to stay late afterschool and she missed the bus. I didn't want her walking alone, especially with perverts and thieves in the streets." Aki finished for her.
"You know kid, you're all right." Touya took his hand and shook it firmly, "Come on, kaijuu... I'll drive you home."
"I'll see you tomorrow, Aki-kun!" Sakura climbed on the back of her brother's motorcycle and put on a helmet (safety first!). She and Touya waved good-bye as they sped off.
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Next Chapter: get this party started
Tomoyo's long-awaited party has finally arrived. Unfortunately there's some conflict on the horizon, which may cause the night to end in heartache... but for who?