Hey, you don't like? Don't read. Simple as that. Don't complain to me about how much you don't like it if it's not constructive criticism, because it doesn't help me, and I don't care. I don't write just so you can like it.

kura52 I didn't know when I would update next because I didn't have any ideas for this story, but I usually update once a week, or at least one every two weeks, so no worries. And no one said it was the Elders that did it… Thanks for saying it's not totally pointless…I was writing it when I had barely any ideas, which is not a good way to write, but that chapter does lead to other things…

VampireJazzy I don't really liked that chapter either, but it leads to other things, so it had to be done.

Triena Okay…I can't tell if that was a diss or not but anyways…I admit the characters are inconsistent, but if you read carefully, you'd notice Syaoran is only "mean" to her after something she does or something he assumes. He's trying to be nice to her, but sometimes he doesn't understand the stuff she does.

Rae Sure, I can email you. If you get a fanfiction account, you can have them email you automatically when a story or author updates, but it's no problem. Please tell me if you want me to email you just this once, or for the rest of the story.

Crystal Tearz Thanks for the idea, I really appreciate it :). I don't know if I'll use it, but if I do, I'll give you credit.

Chapter Six

Sakura finally spotted Syaoran after searching for him all day. She quickly caught up to him. "Hey."

Syaoran glaced at her, looking disappointed. Sakura couldn't help but think he had been expecting someone else. Tomoyo maybe?

"Hey."

"Listen, about that Tomoyo thing… I know it was wrong of me, but she called me a lesbian and it just really got to me. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me? Anyways, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't know. But geez, poisoning her because she called you a lesbian? Why would she say that?"

Sakura smirked. "I told her I didn't like you." She quickly realized her mistake, "Romantically, I mean."

Syaoran laughed. "How can you resist me?" he said jokingly.

It was moments like these that Sakura liked to spend with Syaoran. Thinking about that time at the dock saddened her. Why couldn't they stay like this? Syaoran seemed to be thinking the same thing, since he cleared his throat uncomfortably. A thick silence followed; neither one of them knowing what to say.

"Well, I guess I'll be going…want a ride?"

"No, it's alright. I have some things I want to buy before I get home. Or to your home, I mean. But thanks…I'll see you later."

Syaoran nodded and began to walk away. Sakura bit her lip. She really wanted things to work between them. This might her last chance before things got screwed up again. "Wait!" she called.

Syaoran looked at her questionably. "I wanted to ask you…um…if we can be friends. I don't like us fighting. We had some good times, right? I miss those moments…"

Syaoran's face twisted with disgust. "Why would I want to be friends with you?" Seeing the look on Sakura's face, he laughed. "I just was kidding. I thought we were already friends."

Sakura turned away to hide the smile growing on her face.

Sakura arrived at the shopping mall, which was swarming with people. Her friend's birthday was coming up and Sakura knew she had her heart set on a small, silver bracelet, and the mall had one of the biggest jewelry stores around.

Luckily, Sakura easily spotted the bracelet in a large display case. "Would you like to look at that?" asked a salesperson with a plastic smile on her face.

"Sure. Thanks." The salesperson gently lifted the bracelet out of the case and handed it to Sakura. Sakura examined the bracelet carefully. It cost a few hundreds, but her friend was worth it.

Sakura walked out of the store with the small bag clutched in her hand. She decided to browse around and see if she could find anything of interest. She was window shopping at a few clothing stores when a teenage girl came up to her.

"Aren't you Kinomoto Sakura?"

"Yeah…"

The girl's eyes narrowed and she waved her friends over. About ten girls all came over and when the first girl whispered who she was to them, they all looked angry.

"So you're the bitch Syaoran is dating!" one of them shouted. The others all starting joining in, calling Sakura various names. The big group of girls attracted the attention of many shoppers, and they came over to see what the commotion was about.

Several people starting throw garbage at Sakura.

"What's going on here?" a security guard bellowed. The crowd quickly moved away and went back to their shopping. "You okay?" the guard asked Sakura.

"Fine. Thanks." What had she done wrong? She couldn't stand these people. They didn't even know her, or Syaoran, and yet they were so quick to called her a slut, just because she was with Syaoran, and they weren't. She would gladly trade places with those girls. She was seriously beginning to regret getting this job. The audition process had been overwhelming, and the reward was this?

Syaoran looked up as the door opened. Sakura walked in, looking like a mess, with pieces of garbage still stuck on her.

"What happened?"

"Some of your crazy fans."

Syaoran understood instantly. "Sorry. I'll go get you some clean clothes."

"It's not your fault. Thanks, I think I'll just go take a shower now."

After getting out of the shower, Sakura flopped and the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Syaoran woke up after hearing a scream. 'Sakura.' He hurried to her room, where he found her sitting up, gasping.

"What's wrong?" he asked frantically.

She turned blank eyes on him. The emptiness in those eyes scared him. "Nightmare. I've never had one before."

"Will you be okay?"

Sakura nodded, but Syaoran wasn't sure she would be.

"Um…if it helps, you can sleep in my bed…"

"With you in it?"

"It's a big bed…"

Sakura didn't need another invitation. She followed Syaoran to him room. He was right, the bed was big. So big, in fact, they could both sleep comfortably without touching each other.

Sakura sank into the bed and felt better immediately. It gave her a warm, safe feeling she had never felt before, but she liked it.

"Better?"

Sakura smiled. "Much."

She sighed softly. If only she could feel this way everyday. She was filled up with a happy feeling that she couldn't describe, but it rose up for her chest and spread to her entire body, so strong she was sure it couldn't be coming from her.

She closed her eyes, savouring the moment carefully, because chances were, she would never feel like way again. If only she knew what caused it...then she could have this moment forever.

Morning came quicker than Sakura wanted it to. She woke up in an unfamiliar setting, then remembered the events of last night. Just as she had predicted, the warm, happy feeling was gone. Looking beside her, Sakura saw an empty space that indicated Syaoran was already awake. (AN: You didn't think I would have them waking up wrapped around each other, did you?)

She padded out of the room in slippers, and found Syaoran in the kitchen, reading the news. Which wasn't really news, because he already knew about it. Syaoran sensed Sakura's presence and tried to hide what he was reading, but Sakura already knew. She had seen the pictures of her covered in hamburger wrappers and other various things.

The doorbell rang and Syaoran went to get it. When he came back, he wasn't alone. With him was Tomoyo Daidouji.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura spat. Syaoran frowned at her tone, but didn't say anything.

"You're not still mad about yesterday, right? I mean, it was only a joke, you didn't have to take it so seriously."

"No problem." Sakura replied coolly.

"Oh, and I'm here because Syaoran asked me to. I'm sure he told you," Tomoyo replied, her voice sugarcoated.

"She's here to rehearse the script." Syaoran sounded crossed. He turned to Tomoyo. "I thought you were the one who said you wanted to go over lines."

Tomoyo looked confused and let out a little giggle. "Whoops. Must have slipped my mind."

'Gee, I didn't know you had one,' Sakura thought.

As they rehearsed, the argument was forgotten. Sakura had to admire Tomoyo's acting skills. But that's all it was, acting. In reality, she was totally different. Even Syaoran seemed impressed.

When Tomoyo was getting ready to leave, Syaoran wished her a good day, sounding like he genuinely meant it.

"What was that all about?"

"She said she wanted to rehearse, since we don't have time in the studio tomorrow. It sounded good to me that she's so serious about acting."

"Get real. She only wanted to spend time with you."

"Why are you so hard on her? Give her a chance, she's really nice. I'm sure she was only joking when she called you a lesbian. You shouldn't hate her just because of that."

Sakura sighed. Syaoran wouldn't understand. Tomoyo was different around him than her. It looked like he was falling under her spell, and there was nothing she could do about it, not that it mattered to her. Syaoran was a grown man and if he chose to associate with Tomoyo, why should she care? Yet, something inside her told her she should care.

'But I don't.' Sakura shook her head, willing her thoughts to go away. She faked a smile at Syaoran. "I'll try."

"Sure you will. I'm an actor. I can tell when someone is faking, and when they are not. You are."

Days Later

With a big smile on her face, Sakura waved to the cheering crowd, knowing they didn't give a shit about her. 'Remind me why I'm here again…'

The sound of loud cheering increased as Syaoran winked to the mass of people. In the background, you could hear girls arguing with each other over exactly who Syaoran had winked at. 'Oh yeah…him.'

Then, Tomoyo stepped out and the crowd went nuts. Like Sakura, she was an unknown, but unlike Sakura, she had a major fan base. How that came to be was anyone's guess. Tomoyo smiled mockingly at Sakura as people cheered wildly.

As soon as Sakura stepped inside the ballroom where the charity gala was being held, she headed for the wine. No one noticed because the room was packed with people and besides, no one knew her. She sipped the wine, hating the bitter taste, but continued drinking. When her glass was finished, she poured herself a second. She soon lost track of how much she had drunk and was beginning to feel a little better.

"Care to dance?" A handsome guy held his hand in front of her. Looking around, Sakura spotted Syaoran laughing with Tomoyo. Sakura accepted. The man's arms felt safe and warm. And he was attractive too. What was someone like him dancing with a girl like her?

"So…you're that Kinomoto chick, huh?"

"Yeah, who are you?"

"Yamaki Julian."

Yamaki Julian? He was a world famous actor, known for being quiet and reclusive. He had accomplished many feats and he was only twenty-two. Sakura had seen many of his works and they had fascinated her, but in her hazy state, she had not recognized him.

Seeing the lazy smirk on his face, Sakura knew, he knew that she had recognized the name, if not the face. "You don't seem impressed," he said.

"Am I supposed to be?"

"I don't know. Everyone else seems to be."

Sakura laughed. "I'm not going to like you just because you're famous."

For the first time that night, Sakura saw Julian smile. It lit up his face and made him look even better, if that were possible.

Sakura spent the night dividing her time between Julian and Syaoran, to not attract attention, but it was nearly impossible. No matter how unknown she was, people noticed she hung out with two of the country's most handsome and famous actors. Throughout the night, Sakura found Julian easy to talk to and he just seemed to understand. At the end, they exchanged contact information, and he promised to see her again.

When everyone else had left, Syaoran pulled Sakura aside, worried. "My agent is going to find out about this, and he won't be very happy."

"Find out about what?"

"You. I mean, you and Julian. He's going to say it's bad for our image…"

"Sorry."

Syaoran sighed. "It's not your fault. It's just, I know this is hard for you. It's hard for me…but he just doesn't care about how it makes us feel. There aren't many people in this industry who do."

"I'll try not to let is happen again. I just wasn't thinking…but are you happy? Do you care?"

"Huh?" Syaoran looked confused, but deep inside, he knew exactly what she meant. And he couldn't answer her, because he didn't know. Why had she asked?

When he saw her with Julian, he got the same feeling he got that night when she was talking with Eriol. That gnawing feeling in his chest that weighed him down. Although Syaoran was good at portraying emotions, he wasn't that good at figuring them out.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

Sakura followed, all the while being secretly embarrassed. Why had she asked that? She didn't even know what she meant, it just popped into her mind when Syaoran was talking and slipped out of her mouth. Why did she want to know if he cared or not?

Sighing, she let her thoughts drift to Julian. She had definitely felt a connection with him and couldn't wait to see him again. He was a genuine person and down-to-earth, and that's what she liked most about him.

Syaoran glanced at Sakura, who seemed lost in thought with a serene smile on her face. He had never seen her look like that, and it hit him that the person who made her smile was Julian, and who could blame her? He was handsome, charming, and a great listener. What more could a girl want?

But as Syaoran silently drove, he couldn't help but wonder if he could ever make someone smile like that.

Next chap: SS finally go on a date.