Author's note: First of all, I would like to thank my wonderful reviewers, with your wonderful questions, who have asked things I may have overlooked (I'm human, all right! I make mistakes!!) Enjoy the 4th chapter in my lil saga!!
Syaoran had always been a light sleeper. It was a habit which he developed when he was very young and new to magic. Any strange feeling at all and his eyes would be wide open. It was a sixth sense, his mother once said. Thus when Syaoran noticed a shadow over his eyes in the dark living room of the Kinomoto house, he already had woken up. Yet it proved to be useless as the person who had woken him was well prepared. The person put a hand of steel over Syaoran's mouth to keep him quiet then half picked up, half dragged Syaoran across the room and out the door.
Syaoran twisted and kicked his legs half-heartily, for he knew the person who held him did not know how to use magic. Once outside, a chilly wind bite at Syaoran's exposed skin. "You make one sound, Gaki, and I'll lock you outside." a deep voice growled. Touya, you ass, Syaoran thought. Now that he knew who his captor was, Syaoran stopped wiggling and went limp.
The hand over his mouth had not moved, so Syaoran was only able to make muffled sounds, many of which were directed at Touya. Touya, meanwhile, seemed not to notice or care and he continued to dragged Syaoran across the lawn. After another ten minutes of walking, Touya reached his destination. It was a secluded field of grass, hidden behind a wall of trees and bushes. At last he removed his hand from Syaoran's mouth and let go of his body. Syaoran was quiet unprepared for the sudden loss of balance and he fell onto his back, knocking the air out of him.
"What was that for?"
"You were heavy." Touya smirked. His smile went away after a moment and he looked at Syaoran. "I needed to talk to you."
"No duh. You think you could have done so earlier, like when it was light outside?" Syaoran lashed, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
Touya shook his head. "Sakura would have noticed you being gone. Plus I needed to make sure no one would overhear us."
Syaoran looked up into Touya's eyes and, for the first time since he woke up, he felt no anger emitting from Touya's aura. "What's a matter with you?"
Touya looked down at Syaoran, taking a deep breath. "I hate you," he said simply.
Syaoran blinked. "That's it? You woke me up to tell me that? It's not that hard to figure out-"
"Shut up." Touya interrupted, barely above a whisper. "I want you to promise me something..."
At the Kinomoto Household, several hours later
Sakura ran down the stairs. "I got it! We can go." she pointed to her books under her arm. Touya and Syaoran stood side by side, silent. "Thank you so much for taking us to school Oniichan."
Touya gave a quick nod of his head then headed outside to the car. "Come on, Syaoran." Sakura said,
turning to grab Syaoran's hand and led him out. Syaoran kept his head ducked low, so Sakura could not see his face. He had been acting somewhat odd since last night. Sakura did not want to press the issue so she left it. He would tell her if he wanted to.
The ride to the school lasted only a few minutes. Sakura got out of the car, followed by Syaoran who still kept his head low. Touya gave his sister a long hug and a quick pat on the head. "When are you coming back, Touya?" Sakura asked.
Touya shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe in two weeks, when I have some more money."
Sakura flashed a bright smile. "Really?" Touya nodded. The bell rang. "Hoe? I thought we had more time. Come on Syaoran, we need to hurry." she turned around and started to take off towards the doors of the school at run. Before Syaoran could follow her and hand landed on his shoulder. He looked back.
"Remember what we talked about." Touya said.
Syaoran nodded. "I won't break my promise." He said then took off running behind Sakura. Touya watched them until they disappeared behind the doors. He let out a long sigh then got into the car and drove off.
Inside Sakura's classroom
When Syaoran stepped on the tiled floor in the class, silence greeted him. Then there was a burst of whispers and giggles. Syaoran hid his face and followed Sakura, who seemed oblivious to the commotion.
"Li! You're awake!" a loud voice said. A short girl with long black hair ran over to him. It took a moment for Syaoran to recognize who this girl was, her features much different then before.
"Daidouji-san?" he asked. Tomoyo nodded. "You're in Sakura's class?"
"Yup," she said. "Kids from the same school normally stay in the same class, at least for half of the day. Then the other half they mix us all up. But I'm not the only one you know," she turned around and pointed to a person in the corner.
The person pushed his glasses up to the top of his nose and walked over. "Good morning, sleeping beauty."
Syaoran could not believe it. "Eriol! What are you doing here in Japan?"
Eriol grinned. "I'll tell you later" he straighten his shirt then went back to his seat before Syaoran could say another word.
"Sakura-chan, who is this?" a new voice said and Syaoran turned around. There was a new boy next to Sakura. He was a very tall thin looking boy with a deep voice. His jet black hair was in a stylish mess, sticking up in odd places, and smelled of hair product. His dark green eyes looked at Syaoran with resentment. Syaoran, on the other hand, did not care who this person was.
"Hiyoshi-san! This is my friend Li Syaoran." Sakura introduced them. They shook hands for an instant then let go.
Hiyoshi glared at Syaoran. "Are you the Li Syaoran? From China?"
"Yes." Syaoran replied coolly.
"I heard of you from you old classmates," he said, his face lighting up in a very fake smile, "And in a few more...selective communities." Syaoran raised his eyebrows, picking up the hint.
Syaoran glanced from Hiyoshi to Sakura, who was looking at him. They both averted their eyes from each other and blushed slightly. Unknown to them, a camera caught it all. In the corner of the room, Tomoyo and Eriol were watching the interaction.
"Tomoyo-chan, put that away. Can't they at least be given the opportunity to share a moment without you taping it?" Eriol asked, putting his hand in front of Tomoyo's lens, who was grinning ear to ear.
"Of course not! They always take to long. With this footage, they won't be able to deny their feelings," Tomoyo stated. "Plus we still need to find Sakura's 'One'. Maybe the camera will show us who it is."
Eriol rolled his eyes. There was no arguing with her, no matter how hard he tried. "There is a much easier way to find out."
This caught Tomoyo's attention and she put down the camera. "Oh? What is it?"
"First you must put that away. You'll have plenty of time to film them later." Eriol said.
She made no movement towards her camera, looking at Eriol. "Tell me how you will find Sakura's One and I might consider putting it away."
Eriol looked at Syaoran, who was talking to the teacher across the room. Syaoran, he noticed, was being watched by Sakura's emerald eyes. "Very easy," he said, "All we do is ask the right questions."
Tomoyo looked at Eriol with a confused look. "Ask the right questions? That's your big idea?"
Eriol pointed a finger at Syaoran. "I have a sneaking suspension that we will start and end our search with him."
Tomoyo looked to where Eriol was pointing and picked up the camera again with sudden eagerness, yet she put it down again slowly. "Syaoran-kun? You think Syaoran-kun is the One? How will you get any answers out of him? Plus, what he is not the One? Kero-chan said that Sakura may not have met him."
Eriol shrugged. "Right now, Syaoran is our best bet. The only way we are going to find out is if we-
"-ask the right questions." Tomoyo finished for him. "I am taping this not matter what."
At last the teacher finished talking with Syaoran and directed him to a seat. He shuffled his feet up to the desk and his voice rose. "We have a visitor today. I hope you all will treat him with the kindness and respect that you have shown me." This was responded by a muffled laughter. The teacher eyes swept around the room and the class went silent again. "Today we shall begin with the fall of the nobles..." and once again, the monotone voice took over.
Syaoran tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying, yet his voice never rose or deepened. He soon found himself being lulled into sleep. Syaoran looked around the room, hoping to find something interesting to keep him awake. His eyes shifted over to Sakura, who was sitting two rows over and three desks up. He noticed she was also having trouble keeping her eyes from shutting, her hand had stopped moving and she cupped her jaw with her other hand.
Syaoran liked to watch her. She would occasionally move to change her position which was virtually impossible in this hard wooden chairs. Her feet would tap the floor, fingers drum the desk. Syaoran could only see Sakura's ear for she was too far up for him to see her face. He continued to stare, and eventually a hour had passed in this manner.
A pang of resentment hit Syaoran's aura and he was shaken from his staring. Syaoran looked around the room, trying to find the source of the anger. He located it quickly, for the person was glaring right at him. Hiyoshi had turned his torso around slightly to glare at the shorter boy. Syaoran sighed; the boy's aura was terribly weak. It may have been because of this fact that Syaoran had no ill will towards Hiyoshi whatsoever, though the boy seemed to have it for him. Since Hiyoshi was not a threat it was very easy for Syaoran to block Hiyoshi's anger. Hiyoshi's face hardened for a second, then he turned himself forward again.
Syaoran returned to his watching, resting his chin on the desk.
Lunch
Sakura looked behind her. All she saw was the back of Syaoran's head, his messy hair splashed on the desk. 'He's sleeping' she thought. 'After all that he said about me sleeping late, jeesh. Better wake him up before the teacher sees'. This, she believed, was not going to happen, as the teacher seemed much more occupied with pointing to the board and taking a sip out of a bottle he brought with him everyday when he thought the class wasn't looking, but it was always good to be on the safe side. Sakura folded a piece of paper into a small triangle and flicked it towards Syaoran's head. A pointy edge of the triangle hit its target, causing Syaoran to sit up.
Sakura glanced up at the clock and let out a sigh of relief. At long last, the hour of freedom was almost upon them. Students began to wake from their slumber and fidget in their seats as the last few minutes of the class ticked by. Then a heavenly sound came from the halls; "BRRRINGGGG!"
Kids jumped up from their seats with renewed energy. "Hey Sakura-san, you coming?" Hiyoshi called.
Sakura nodded. "Go ahead without me, I'll meet you there." Hiyoshi's smile dropped and his eyes flashed from Sakura to Syaoran.
"...ok, just hurry." he said and went out the door.
Syaoran stood up and raised his arms above his head, stretching. "Do you need to sleep a bit more, or are you going to eat lunch?" Sakura said teasingly.
Syaoran cheeks became a light pink. "Was that you who threw the paper at me?" Sakura laughed and pulled his arm.
"Come on, I'll introduce you to some more friends," she said. While Sakura was leading him, Syaoran had grown another shade of red and was trying to get Sakura to let go of him. It felt a odd for him to be this close to her, though deep down in his mind he was rejoicing. Even so, his mother's strict tongue shouted in his mind and Syaoran unwrapped Sakura's arm hastily.
Sakura walked outside and waved to a large group of people. "I don't believe I have said good morning to you, Sakura-san," a voice said behind her. She turned around and saw Eriol leaning on the trunk of a large oak tree. "It would be a shame to ruin such a tradition."
Sakura smiled. "Good morning, Eriol-kun." she glanced side to side before lowering her voice. "Have you found out anything about that creature?"
Sakura noticed Syaoran's eyes narrowed as he listened in on their conversation. Eriol shook his head. "Very little. The creature is not in my library. It may have something to do with Clow, but now I am not so sure."
"What creature?" Syaoran asked, his voice hushed.
Sakura looked down, her mouth suddenly not able to work. It was never her intent to keep the news of the creature that wanted her from him, yet if he found that out he was sure to find out about Sakura's 'One' problem. The aura inside of her was something very personal, and too many people knew about it already. Plus, it was Syaoran. The same Syaoran that she still had a crush on. He would find out that there was a part of someone in her. Sakura did not know how he would react to that informationnordid she want to find out.
Luckily Eriol seemed to sense this for he said, "I'll explain it to you. Do you mind if I borrow him, Sakura-san?"
Sakura shook her head, still unable to talk. She quickly ran towards Tomoyo and Hiyoshi as Eriol took Syaoran. 'I can't do anything now,' she thought. Tomoyo saw Sakura's sudden mood change.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Sakura sighed. "Nothing. It's all being sorted out." Tomoyo gave her a questioning glance but she said no more. Sakura looked over her shoulder to Eriol and Syaoran. "I hope he can accept me." she muttered under her breath.
Sakura sat down on the bench and listened to the gossip and mindless chatter as she ate her lunch. A large group of girls sat behind her and their voices carried over to her ears. There seemed to be only one topic today.
"Have you seen the new boy?", "Who is that boy Kinomoto came in with?", "Where is that boy Kinomoto came in with?"
"I don't think he is new." a soft voice answered. " I heard he went to school here in the fourth grade."
"Who cares!" another voice shouted. "He's good-looking. That's all that matters to me."
"...and he is not as tall as Hiyoshi. As much as I love Hiyoshi, it's nice when you have someone that doesn't hurt your neck when you look at him."
"Oh my gosh, have you seen his brown eyes?" another girl said. "Forget good-looking. He is downright hot!"
"Why is he with Kinomoto? Is he her boyfriend or something?"
Sakura at this point spat out the water she was drinking. Her face was already red from listening to the girls talk about Syaoran. The really sad thing was that she agreed with them! Not wanting the group of girls to find her, Sakura escaped to the bathroom. Tomoyo came in a few minutes later and found her.
"Wow. Li-san sure is a hit with all girls!" Tomoyo said, helping Sakura off the floor. Sakura sighed and nodded, her eyes begining to water. Tomoyo saw her friends face and wiped the tears away. "You still like him, don't you?" she asked. When Sakura gave the smallest nod, Tomoyo smiled and hugged her. "Don't worry. Everything will turn out fine"
Meanwhilewith Syaoran and Eriol
"What was she talking about?" Syaoran asked.
"There is something hunting our little cherry blossom." Eriol stated. "I don't know what it is or if it is connected to Clow. So far, nothing has turned up."
Syaoran eyes widened for a split second before he shook his head. Eriol noticed this. "Do you know something about this?" he asked.
Syaoran shook his head. "No. At least, I don't think so. Urg! I can't remember!" Syaoran sat down on the grass, "It's like a dream. I remember glimpses of something, but I don't know if its in the correct order. I can't even recall what was said."
"What dream?"
Syaoran's eyes glazed over. "Whatever took control of my body appeared to me in that dream. It made me come here to Japan." Syaoran hit the ground with his fist. "If I could just remember this dream."
Eriol sat beside Syaoran. "If it took control of your body, then it must have had some sort of magical power. And a lot of it, to take over the heir of one of the biggest magical families on Earth. Do you know how long it was in control of you?"
Syaoran shook his head again. "It could have been between days and weeks. Whatever happened in that time, I don't know. But at least it could not control me for long. It had to have gotten out of my body before it used up all of its magical energy."
Both grew silent, deep in thought. At last Eriol spoke. "Kero said there might be a connection between you and whatever is searching for Sakura. I think he is right."
"You believe that stuffed doll?"
Eriol laughed. "Yes, even though he spends most of his time now playing those video games, I believe him."
Syaoran rolled his eyes. "That's Kero, alright. But what connection could there be between me and that thing?" he paused, waiting for Eriol's answer. Eriol said nothing. "By the way, what are you doing here in Japan? I thought you were studying in England?"
"I moved by here about one year ago. England's clouds never let any sunshine through."
"That's it? You missed the sun?" Syaoran snorted. "What a lame reason to move."
Eriol's eyes glazed over for a second. "Yes...that must have been it. Its been a year so I can't really remember now. Or maybe it was something else..."
Eriol went silent again. He rubbed his chin absentmindedly while toying with his backpack. "Do you feel anyone inside of you?" he asked suddenly.
Syaoran was taken back by this question. It was such a random question that seemed to have nothing to do with the topic. Yet it was also a personal question. The aura inside him was now a part of Syaoran and he felt revealing it would be like uncovering a secret. He did not want anyone to know about this aura, not that he was embarrassed of it, but rather he wanted to protect it. "What business of that is yours? I will not answer such a stupid question!" he lashed out, jumping up and stomping away before Eriol could say another word.
Normally Syaoran's angry answer would have had people cowering before him, but Eriol smiled instead and pulled out Tomoyo's camera, hidden in his backpack. "You wanted proof, Tomoyo-chan, you got proof." he said, grinning. "I think I have just solved the riddle. Now all we need is the last character in this play and all will be answered." Eriol pressed the 'off' switch on Tomoyo's camera.
After School
Sakura looked at Tomoyo, who was cradling her camera in her arms. "What are you so happy about?" she asked.
Tomoyo grinned at her and waved the camera in her face. "Eriol says the answers are on the tape. Oh, I can't wait to go home and watch it!"
"What answers?"
"You'll see," Tomoyo said and walked to her bodyguards, "I tell you later. Are you still going to try out for the play?"
Sakura nodded. She turned around quickly and bumped into someone. "Sorry! That was my fault- Hiyoshi-san!"
The tall boy looked down at her and smiled. "Are you going to show me where the new high school is?" he asked.
Sakura's mouth went dry again. Behind Hiyoshi she saw Syaoran walking towards them. His face was in a scowl ever since he had finished talking with Eriol. He strolled up to them and waited for Sakura. Hiyoshi's eyes twitched when Syaoran appeared beside him, yet his smile did not falter.
"Er...yeah, sure. The try-outs for the play are in a few days. I can take you after school then." Sakura answered.
"What tryouts?" Syaoran asked, looking from Hiyoshi to Sakura. He directed the question to Sakura, but it was Hiyoshi that answered him.
"For a school play at the new high school. Anyone can try out and Sakura-san said she would take me. You can come too, though I doubt a school play would interest the great Li Syaoran from China."
Sakura let out a small gasp. It was a true insult to use someone's first name with not given permission, and with Syaoran it was even worse, considering his quick temper. However, Syaoran merely shrugged.
"I might try out myself. It sounds like fun." He said calmly. His did not even raise his voice or give any hint that it bothered him. "Ready to go?" he asked Sakura, who was too baffled by Syaoran's response to do anything but bob her head up and down.
They walked away together, leaving Hiyoshi standing by himself in the school yard. Once they rounded the corner, Sakura gripped Syaoran in a small hug, who turned beet red.
"That was really brave of you, not to blow up on Hiyoshi-san." she whispered in his ear, still keeping her arms wrapped around Syaoran's shoulders. "You have grown so much."
Syaoran's body stiffened and his breathing speed up. He gave off a series of coughs to get Sakura away from him. She eventually got the message and stepped back. A blush colored her cheeks after she realized what she had just done. Syaoran's breathing had not returned to normal and he squeaked out, "We should go home."
Sakura smiled sweetly at him. 'Some things don't really change,' she thought. 'I wonder what he thinks of me?'
Author's note: Though this chapter is much shorter then the last one, I can assure you Ch.5 is well on its way and is to be expected to be completed sometime next week. Please review. Constructive criticism is always welcomed (and always needed.).
Author's note2: I would like to wish everyone happy holidays and a wonderful new year.