Tied By Fate
By: pnaixrose

Disclaimer: I don't own, so please don't sue.

Chapter 10: Rain Brings Surprises

A few days passed since Syaoran's...discovery on his odd feelings. Those few days seemed like eternity to him. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. He had no one to ask and no one to talk to about this. Eriol and Tomoyo were out of the picture. Ever since they had that talk at the amusement park, they had been oddly different around him. They weren't ignoring him or anything; it just felt as if they were keeping a secret from him or as if they knew something that he didn't know. But it was okay. He had to figure this out himself anyway. He's too stubborn and proud to go around asking what he was feeling. It was his feelings. He should know what it meant. Besides, it would be horribly embarrassing if anyone else knew what this was. The note that she had left on his cell phone was embarrassing enough. He still hadn't opened it since then. It lay immobile on his coffee table, and it was going stay like that.

But luckily for him, the days that had passed since the amusement park had not been in vain. As he desperately tried to figure out what his emotions were, he had practiced over and over again to use that shield that hid his feelings from Sakura. He didn't even have to concentrate like the first time anymore. It was almost as if it was permanently there. He even kept the shield up when he slept for fear that he would think about her in his dreams. Not that he did sleep these days. His mind was too confused, too full with thoughts of her. He was frustrated and angry. What the hell was he feeling? Why had it come so suddenly? And whatever this feeling was, why in the world did it have to be her?

He did know one thing. He couldn't let her know about it.

Also, since two days ago, it's been raining nonstop. It only added a dreary atmosphere to his rather anxiousness. Hearing the rain pattering outside against the closed windows, he remembered something that Wei always said when rain came.

"The showers bring uncertainty, but always end with a surprise."

And right now it seemed absolutely right; well, the 'uncertainty' part anyway. He didn't exactly get his surprise yet. And he kind of didn't want to.

He stared straight ahead from his assigned seat; straight into the girl's honey brown hair; the hair that belonged to none other than the girl who's been plaguing his mind. Damn the teacher who assigned him here. Now aside from worrying and contemplating on his little 'problem,' he has to stare straight into her head! He couldn't wait until his next class. There, he could relax at least a bit.

"Psst.."

He broke out of his trance and looked around in confusion and found out the Four-Eyes was calling him. "What do you want?" he hissed. "Shouldn't you be listening to the sensei?"

Eriol shrugged, a smirk playing at his lips. He had been observing Syaoran for a while now and found that it was exceptionally amusing. Just think, the courageous, serious, smart Li Leader didn't know what his feelings were for the Card Mistress! He knew four certain giggly, hyper women who'd love to hear what's been going on in their little brother's life! But he decided against it. Instead, he settled to teasing him a bit. "You aren't listening to the lesson," Eriol retorted. "Figure it out yet?"

Syaoran glared at him suspiciously. Hiiragazawa knew what was going on. And now, he was boasting about it, knowing it would anger him. Ha! Well, Syaoran wouldn't give him that satisfaction. "Mind your own business, Hiiragazawa. Go listen to the lecture," he growled, looking straight ahead.

"Well, being reincarnated from an older man, I'm afraid that I already hold much of this knowledge," Eriol whispered. "And stop changing the subject. Did you figure it out yet or not?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Syaoran said, pretending to ignore him.

Eriol, his interest fully on Syaoran now, smirked wider. "You're as stubborn as a mule, you know?"

Syaoran gave a slight snort but stayed silent, hoping that this would end the conversation. Unfortunately, it didn't.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Syaoran," Eriol said. "I can't believe that you're clueless. You know, Tomoyo and I have an inkling on what it is." Eriol's eyes seemed to glitter with amusement. "Care to listen?"

"No!" Syaoran hissed. "I want you and Daidouji-san to stay away from me."

Eriol frowned." Now, now. I understand why you want me to stay away from you, but why sweet Tomoyo?"

At this, Tomoyo who sat in front of Eriol turned her head slightly to listen. "You know, you guys don't whisper all that well."

Syaoran groaned again. What an annoying pair! "Because you two are exactly the same: nosy and strange."

Tomoyo giggled. "Aw Li-kun," she said. "We didn't mean to annoy you."

Eriol turned to her with a big smile. "We didn't?"

Syaoran groaned again. "Would you guys just please go away!"

"Now Syaoran, keep your voice down and be a good, little boy. Maybe then we'd tell you what you need to know about Sakura."

Syaoran gave him a venomous glare. Hiiragazawa had put so much emphasis on her name and spoke it fairly louder. It was a miracle that Sakura hadn't heard. "Why you–"

"Hoe?"

Syaoran felt the blood run to his cheeks as he saw that he wasn't staring at the back of her head anymore. She had turned around probably because of the baka's loudness.

"What about me?" Sakura asked densely. She had just been trying hard to listen to the teacher's words when suddenly she heard someone say her name. And of course, as curious as she was, she turned around.

Eriol smiled a sweet but evil smile at her. "Why hello, Sakura. Nice of you to join our little conversation."

"Yup," agreed Tomoyo. "Don't you think so, Li-kun?"

Sakura stared at them curiously. They both had big, innocent grins on their faces but when she turned to look at Syaoran, he had a nervous look on his face and was avoiding eye contact. Her eyebrow raised in confusion. "Hoe? Umm...okay."

Then she realized something. If Syaoran was feeling nervous – which was obvious he was– why hadn't she felt anything? Why hadn't she felt that growing anxiousness inside her? Actually, she hadn't been receiving any feelings from him in a few days now. She just hadn't noticed it until now. This was weird. And something strange was going on.

Regaining his ability to talk, Syaoran frowned. "Y-You guys should listen to the teacher. We'll get into trouble."

"Since when did you care about getting into trouble?" Tomoyo asked. "I always thought that you were the kind of guy who got into trouble all the time. No offense."

"I'm not some kind of...bad boy. But I'm no goody-goody either!" he defended.

"Oh yes you are," Eriol corrected. "I remember once when you were young, Wei told us not to touch the cookies that he baked. And when I took one and asked you if you wanted one, you said no." Laughter twinkled in his azure eyes. He loved recalling all these embarrassing memories.

"How would you know that I just didn't want cookies?" Syaoran retorted.

"They were chocolate chip cookies. Your favorite."

Sakura and Tomoyo giggled and Syaoran glared at them with an embarrassed look on his face. "Syaoran-kun, I'm sorry. I just never saw you as the cookie-eating type," Sakura said in between giggles.

"You four in the corner!" a voice boomed.

Sakura and Tomoyo whipped around quickly to face the front but it was already too late. Their sensei had caught them in the act.

"Mind telling us what's so funny? I reckon it's more important than your education because you are absolutely not listening." He gave them all a stern look. But it was the class's atmosphere that was scary. Everything was silent. Not even the constant rain outside seemed to make a noise at the moment. No one dared to speak back to this teacher when he was angry. And by the way his face was turning red and the tight frown on his lips, they knew that he was definitely angry. When the teens didn't answer, the teacher added, "Well?"

"G-Gomen," Sakura mumbled, looking at him guiltily. "It won't happen again."

"It better not," he replied curtly, "or else you'll have to stay for detention next time."

Tomoyo gazed longingly out the window. It felt kind of depressing and saddening today because of that rain. But she also knew it was because of the problem between Sakura and Li. Li was beating himself inside, trying to find some kind of answer in his head of his feelings for her. It kind of made her guilty actually. She and Eriol knew exactly what it was. But it was too important to just blurt out. Besides, Li should really find out by himself.

Wait. Maybe they should tell him. Maybe just hint it to him or something. Tomoyo almost sighed aloud. How in the world can you hint that kind of thing? How can you bring up something like that in a conversation? They couldn't just say, 'Oh by the way, we think you're in love with Sakura.'

Maybe Eriol would think of something.

Sighing again, she longed for lunch to come. But it was still some classes away. Then, remembering what had happened in her last class where she, Sakura, Li, and Eriol sat near each other, she gave a bit of a giggle. Fun times can come when you least expect it can't they?

Suddenly a small folded piece of paper found its way to her desk somehow and she looked around curiously. She saw Eriol, the only one of her close friends in this class, a seat diagonal from her. He looked up and gave her a quick grin. Smiling back, she turned to the front again and opened the folded paper.

'You're sighing way too much, my precious. Something on your mind?'

Tomoyo let out a quick, quiet laugh. Grabbing her pen, she wrote:

'You tease too much, Eriol. But yeah, something is on my mind...'

After he had gotten the message on the paper, she found it on her desk again.

'Oh yeah? Someone as pretty as you shouldn't have so many worries.'

Tomoyo smiled. Eriol flirts too much. But hey, she wasn't complaining! She was growing exceptionally close to him these days. He was fun to be around and he always made her smile; even on paper! She realized that she liked him a couple of weeks ago at the Trail's Trials. But that time with him hadn't been so well. Remembering it, she frowned. Again she repeated the question that she had at the Trail's Trials in her mind. Was it okay to love him? Was it right to love Clow Reed's reincarnation?

But before she knew it, she received another note.

'...You should look at what your heart tells you. But I say...yes. It's quite all right to love Clow Reed's reincarnation. I mean, he's not exactly Clow Reed. And after all, Eriol is Eriol, ne?'

Her amethyst eyes widened. He had known exactly what she was thinking. But she turned around to see him but he looked deeply involved in the page in the book they were supposed to be reading. She smiled, turning to face front. He was right. Eriol was Eriol.

She began turning red. He knew! He knew how she felt! How the heck! Oh the embarrassment was just too much. Then looking down at her desk, she found yet another note. How in the world were these popping out of nowhere?

'You can ask me all the questions you want later. Besides I need to talk to you too. But, we have a little matter in our hands: Syaoran.'

'You have a plan?'

'Honestly, no I don't. My mind is all muddled. I can't think of one damn thing!'

'We can try talking to him, Eriol. That way, you won't have to use any magic.'

She was still worried that if Eriol does try anything, he'd use magic. And we all know what happened last time. He fainted. Due to the fact that he gave a lot of his magic to Sakura's father, he'd have to use up his own energy to make up for the lost magic to cast any hard spells. Tomoyo definitely did not want that to happen again. She had been so worried.

'Maybe you're right. And hey, maybe Syaoran will actually do something right and realize it for himself! ...ha. I doubt that though.'

"That teacher was so mean," Sakura muttered as she walked with her three friends. It was lunchtime now and they decided to eat together again like they've been doing for past couple of days.

"Just be happy we didn't get detention," Syaoran said as they sat at an empty table. They had to sit inside today to avoid getting soaked in the rain. "We shouldn't have been talking though."

Tomoyo, who was sitting next to him while the other two sat across from them, nudged him playfully with her elbow. "Well it seems that our Li-kun is a goody-goody," she said giggling.

Syaoran glared at the three laughing people he always seemed to be with these days. "Shut up. No I'm not." Then he grudgingly took out his lunch and chopsticks.

"What were you guys talking about anyway?" Sakura asked. "I just heard my name and I just turned around."

Tomoyo sweetly smiled as Syaoran grew rigid in his seat. Eriol tried to contain his laughter. "Oh it's nothing. Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said. "We were just babbling."

Sakura shrugged even though she still had an inkling that something was going on. Eh, maybe it was just her imagination. Besides, something else was on her mind. She stared at the boy across from her, fidgeting around and staring straight into his lunch like it were the most interesting thing on earth. He looked nervous. He looked really nervous. Why didn't she feel anything from him? Was he hiding his feelings from her somehow? She distinctly remembers the time at the entrance of the Trail's Trials where he looked deeply troubled but she hadn't felt any emotions emitting from him. She hadn't given it any thought probably because she was hanging out with Yukito-san. But now that she thought about it, it seemed that he was hiding his emotions from her after all.
She tore her gaze away from the boy and looked down at her lunch in a daze. Her heart sank. She had thought that they had really been getting closer. But she was probably wrong. After all, for the past few days all he's been doing was staring off somewhere and avoiding eye contact with her. Had she done something? Was he still mad about the roller coaster incident at the amusement park? Had he just covered his emotions up because he didn't trust her?
Wait. She was overreacting. Of course he would shield his feelings. Everyone needed their privacy. But still...

Syaoran looked at the suddenly quiet girl, abandoning his gaze at his lunch. Even though he had shielded his feelings from her, he could feel hers as vivid as ever. He looked at her carefully, while feeling her sadness welling up inside him.

Meanwhile Tomoyo gave a quick blush as she realized that she was staring at Eriol. The notes. He hasn't mentioned it ever since. What does he have to tell her anyway?

Sakura noticed Tomoyo's odd faces she was making and momentarily forgot about Syaoran. "Tomoyo? You look kind of flushed," she said curiously.

Syaoran looked at her too while Eriol just smiled. "Maybe she has an important man in her mind," Eriol said.

Tomoyo looked at him wearily and in embarrassment. But he just returned her gaze with a soft, gentle smile. He wasn't making fun of her. He was being serious.

Sakura's mouth dropped. "Really? Tomoyo! You haven't told me anything!" she cried. "Well, spill it! Who is it?"

Syaoran smirked as he followed Daidouji's gaze. It led to none other than the Four-Eyes Creep. Even someone as smart as Daidouji would fall stupidly for someone like Hiiragazawa? It was just a scary thought. He didn't know her too well but he definitely knew one thing: Hiiragazawa and Daidouji together were a dangerous and evil team. "Heh," he said, returning to his lunch. "What bad taste."

"Hoe?"

Eriol and Tomoyo just looked at each other for one more second before Eriol broke it off. Fortunately for Tomoyo, no one mentioned her anonymous crush...for the moment anyway. "There's a saying that goes with these rainy days," he said, changing the subject. "'The showers bring uncertainty, but always end with a surprise.'"

Sakura nodded slowly in agreement, slumping back in her chair. "I hate it when you don't know what's wrong..." she said, plopping some rice in her mouth. She had thought that she and Syaoran were getting along so well! But now...she wasn't sure if he even thought of her as a friend. She may have said that she thought of him as a friend, but he hasn't said anything at all.

Tomoyo half shrugged, half nodded. "I guess it's true..." For her, the uncertainty was that whole Eriol thing. If only he would talk to her about it, maybe things would work out. But he had said that they should probably finish the whole Li/Sakura thing first, so she couldn't do a thing.

"I've heard that quote before," Syaoran muttered. "Damn...it is true after all." As for Syaoran...well, we all knew what his uncertainty was. Emotions can be so confusing and troubling sometimes, but then again, some are very comprehendible. Boy, if only they weren't so complicated.

Eriol smiled. "Wow. I never knew that the simple statement was true." Then, he paused a bit, looking thoughtfully into the air. "Actually now that I think about it, I guess it's true for me too."

Sakura looked at him in astonishment. Eriol? Uncertain! "Wow Eriol! I didn't know you have doubts too."

Eriol chuckled. "Of course. Everyone has their doubts."

"Hmph," Syaoran said. "So tell us. What does the Great Half Reincarnation of Clow Reed doubt? Don't tell me that it's girl problems." Then he let out a noise that was half a grunt and half a short laugh.

Eriol gave a big, sly grin, his glasses twinkling in the light. "Actually..."

Sakura got deeply interested in the conversation. Wow, Tomoyo and Eriol like someone? How come she never noticed? "Oh! Eriol-kun likes someone too! Who?"

He just simply smiled at the raven haired beauty sitting across from him and smiled. "Well Sakura-chan, you know her very well." He looked at her without fazing, the same gentle expression on his face. It was as if he was telling her something through their eyes and it seemed to be working well.

Tomoyo immediately blushed as Sakura gave a pout. "Aww! Eriol that's not a good enough clue!" Turning to Tomoyo she asked, "Do you know, Tomoyo-chan?"

"Umm...well..." The poor girl's tongue was tied in a knot. She was too flushed and embarrassed at the moment. Oh, and did I mention pretty excited? After all, he was looking at her with that look on his face. Hmm...wait. This has to be a misunderstanding. Sure she may like him. But Eriol liking her? He didn't seem to be much interested in girls.

"No fair!" Sakura said seething playfully. "You told Tomoyo-chan, Eriol-kun?"

Eriol put on an even gentler smile, his eyes not looking away from those appealing amethyst ones. "No. I haven't told her anything yet. I'll be sure to tell her very soon, though..."

Tomoyo flushed even more which caused Eriol to chuckle. However, Sakura had turned to Syaoran and didn't catch what was going on between the two others as expected. "You don't know do you?"

Syaoran gave a snort as he continued chomping on food. "Of course I do."

Sakura's eyes widened. What! Even Syaoran knew! "H-How!"

Syaoran turned to her slightly, a disgusted look spreading on his face. "God...it's so obvious that I'm surprised I didn't notice earlier," he said. Turning back to his food, he sighed. "Why they gotta be so sappy about it though?"

"Hoe?"

Eriol shook his head. To be honest, Eriol was nervous about his feelings for Tomoyo. He wanted to tell her, and he knew she liked him back...but there's always that small chance that she didn't...right? And he wouldn't know what Tomoyo's best friend would do. Maybe she wouldn't approve of him. After all, he had been her enemy just a few years ago.

Syaoran decided to break the ice. "Sakura, what are you going to do on the weekend?"

Her face lit up, changing from the original baffled expression. "Oh yeah! Sonomi-san called yesterday and reminded me of that trip we won, Syaoran-kun! It starts tomorrow! And don't worry, it won't interrupt school. Sonomi-san said that she'd make them wait until we were ready."

He frowned. Tomorrow? "Doesn't that seem a little rushed?"

Sakura frowned. Was he busy? That would be a shame. After all, they had won the Trail's Trials together. So that's how she wanted to spend it. Maybe then, he'd be able to trust her more and wouldn't mind about that whole 'emotional bond' thing. "D-Do you have plans, Syaoran?"

Syaoran shook his head.

She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I thought you were busy and I wanted to spend the cruise with you Syaoran."

Blood ran to his cheeks and his body stiffened in his seat. "Wh-What?"

Sakura nodded. "Who do you think we should invite? Me and you is two...we have three tickets left," she said as she counted with her fingers.

But Syaoran's mind wasn't really paying attention to her question. He was too busy trying to get his heart rate to slow down a bit. "I-I don't know. Y-You pick." Even when he saw Hiiragazawa and Daidouji give each other a sly glance, he didn't do anything.

Sakura's eyes brightened. "Really?" She received a stiff nod. "WAI! Thank you so much, Syaoran-kun!" she exclaimed. "Tomoyo-chan, Eriol-kun would you–"

"Of course we'll come!" Eriol said. "I was wondering if you were going to ask."

Tomoyo nodded as she nodded the stiff boy next to her. "I thought you wanted to spend the cruise with Li-kun, Sakura-chan. That's why I didn't ask if Eriol and I could come." She gave a quick wink to Syaoran who looked about as red as a tomato.

All the poor boy could think of was what Sakura said. It repeated over and over and over and over in his mind. '...I wanted to spend the cruise with you Syaoran... I wanted to spend the cruise with you Syaoran... I wanted to spend the cruise with you Syaoran...'

Sakura laughed. "Aw, you're silly, Tomoyo. I want to spend the cruise with all of you too, you know?" At this, Syaoran's heart stopped beating so rapidly. But for some reason he was slightly disappointed to hear that. "But who should the other ticket go to?" Sakura continued. "They gave us five tickets, and we are only four."

"What about your father or brother?" Eriol suggested. "I'm sure they'd love to come."

Sakura shook her head. "Otou-san's too busy at work. I think there's this big project that he and his class at the university are preparing for. And Onii-chan?" She made a disgusted face. "No way!"

A shadow passed over Syaoran's face as he said the next words. "H-How about...Tsukishiro?" This time, as he saw her blush, his heart slowed and left him upset and down. Why had he said that when he didn't like the way how she reacted to it? Maybe it was so she would be happy. Hold on a minute! Why should he want to see her happy! Dammit...why had he opened his big mouth?

Sakura's heart fluttered, hearing Yukito's name. Jeez...she must look really red by now. "I-I don't know..."

"Okay then," Syaoran said quickly. "I'm sure he must be busy anyway. With college and all."

But he regretted what he said. Sakura's face suddenly fell at his comment and he too suddenly felt saddened. God, he had such a big mouth! "B-But I'm sure we'll think of someone!"

The final bell rang at last, deafening their ears.

"...and so concludes our lesson. We'll continue tomorrow, but remember you have homework on pages–"

But the teacher was long forgotten as students filed out of the class, trying to get to freedom. It was Thursday, and they had just one more day of confinement at school before their glorious, free weekend. They were anxious for it, but days seemed to drag on before the weekend. But still, even if it was still raining hard, anywhere would be better than here.

Sakura was at her locker, getting out her books that she needed for their homework that day while students pushed passed her to get to the exits into the rainy school yard. After she placed some books into her bag, she was about to close her locker when she realized something.

Glancing at the windows across from her, it was raining so hard that a small flood was starting to build up in the streets. "Oh no. Do I have an umbrella?" she said worriedly to herself. She turned to the locker and rummaged around but found none. She sighed. Oh well, she'd get soaked in the rain today.

When she arrived at the entrance, only a few people were left waiting for parents to pick them up. However, one person who was just staring into the rainy street in a daze caught her attention. She crept up behind him and leaped, ending up with her arms around his neck and her feet barely reaching the ground. "BOO!"

Startled, he practically jumped out of his skin. "Wh-What the–" He tried to turn but saw that the girl was keeping his neck in place, not letting him to move.

Sakura giggled. " Hiya Syaoran-kun!"

"S-Sakura!" A blush crept onto his face and his heart raced. Oh no...not again. But he felt her body weight against his back and he blushed even harder. God, why did she have to do this to him?

As she jumped off, he regained a little of his composure...a little. "Wh-What did you do that for?" he exclaimed, trying to sound as angry as he possibly could. Unfortunately, that just made his voice sound a big higher than usual and made him feel like a dork.

Sakura laughed. "Sorry. Couldn't resist scaring you." Then after looking around a bit at the people around them, she leaned in for a whisper. "I don't think jumping on you wasn't a good idea. Now all the girls around here are jealous," she whispered, a smile playing at her lips.

He shook his head. "Wh-Whatever..."

Giggling, she asked, "So what are you doing here? Waiting for a ride from someone?"

Syaoran shook his head and turned to the pounding rain. "I didn't think it would be raining this hard this morning so I didn't bring my umbrella. Besides, it was just drizzling a bit this morning. Jeez, I should've just brought it."

"Yeah, I didn't bring mine either. But at least we've learned a new lesson! Always keep an umbrella in your locker," she said.

Syaoran sighed. "But what now? I've been thinking of running my way home but..."

Sakura smiled. "You should. It's quite close by."

He nodded. "I guess..." Then he glanced at her. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

She shrugged, a smile still on her face. "I don't know. Maybe I'll run home too."

The boy was silent for a minute. He couldn't just let her run home. Her house was farther away than his was from the school. Besides, she could catch a cold in the rain. There was only one thing to do...

"S-Sakura..." he started, his facing red again. "Wh-Why don't you just come to my house? It would take longer to get to yours."

She stared at him for a moment while he avoided her eyes. Li Syaoran was asking her to come to his house. He didn't want her to run in the rain. He was...so different from before. More...caring and sweet. She would never imagine that this would happen the first time they met. She gave him the warmest smile he ever saw. "Thanks Syaoran-kun! Thank you so much!" Then she gave him a long hug. "Arigatou!"

As expected, he flushed at her touch and grew rigid. "L-Let's just...g-go..." She nodded.

He took her hand suddenly and they rushed into the cold, pelting rain, running as fast as they could while Syaoran tried desperately to hide his face from her. But of course, because he was holding her hand, the blush didn't go away much.

Unknowing to them, a pair of azure eyes and a pair of amethyst eyes watched their every move from not far behind them.

Eriol turned to his spying partner, a smile on his face. "I cannot believe that just happened..." he said.

Tomoyo nodded a sly smirk on her face as she held up her camcorder. "And I got it all on tape! KAWAII!"

Eriol chuckled at her antics as she put it safely away in her bag. "I guess we really don't have to butt in. I can't believe Syaoran did the right thing."

"It's the power of love even though it sounds really cheesy," Tomoyo said with a giggle. Her laughter faded, leaving a glowing smile on her face. "He really loves her. Really loves her."

He nodded, his smile fading a tiny bit. "If only she'd feel the same..."

Tomoyo sighed. "I think I learned something today, Eriol. We shouldn't force people to love each other. It works sometimes, but when they fall in love by themselves it's much more effective. So, maybe we shouldn't force Sakura-chan to have feelings for him. She'll just realize how he feels...and that's when she'll have to say something. Sakura is Sakura. And whatever comes, comes."

Eriol nodded again. "I hope everything goes all right for them. If it doesn't and Sakura doesn't love him back then..."

"...He'll be crushed. He never felt this way before, hasn't he?"

"No. But we'll worry about that if the time comes. But for now..." Ht took out his umbrella, his smile back in its place. "Would you like me to accompany a dear, sweet lady like yourself on this rainy afternoon?" He bowed in front of her, offering her a hand.

Tomoyo giggled. "Of course, good sir. I would be pleased." She took his hand and smiled. "I guess there goes my original plan on catching Sakura-chan and Li-kun's kawaii actions on tape." She sighed. "Oh well."

Laughing and talking, they walked in the rain, both under Eriol's big umbrella holding hands.

Hearing nothing but the rain pounding against her body, the cars that zoomed by, and their quick footsteps against the wet sidewalk, she followed the boy who was guiding her through the streets by holding her hand. She smiled despite the soggy and wet apparel she wore. He cared about her after all. Now the only question was why he was keeping his emotions from her. But she didn't have time to ask, for she was out of breath and tired from running so vigorously in cold rain. She gave a quick sneeze and realized that she was catching a cold after all.

Syaoran heard that sneeze and quickly veered her to a shaded and mildly dry place under a big tree. There, he stopped and let go of her hand. She panted in tiredness and yet she looked up to give him a smile.

"I haven't run like that in ages."

Syaoran shrugged. "Sorry...It's just that you might catch a cold."

She sneezed again and wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. "Aw...you worry too much, Syaoran-kun."

He frowned. "But look at you! You're cold, wet, and shivering!" He heard her sneeze again. "And you already have a cold!"

"No I don't."

Sneeze.

She pouted miserably. "Okay, maybe I do..." But then she shrugged, a smile on her face again. "But, oh well. Ready to run again, Syaoran-kun?"

Syaoran sighed, running a hand through his wet hair to get it out of his face. He stared at her. She looked miserable yet she gave him a smile. How could she do it? She was already shivering so terribly that he thought she was having a seizure. He had to find some way to stop her from shivering at least. Maybe her cold won't be too severe that way. But finding that he had nothing except his school bag and the clothes on his back, he took a deep breath. He knew he would regret the next thing he was going to do.

Sakura blinked in confusion when Syaoran didn't answer. Feeling the coldness penetrating through her skin, she really thought they should get going now. It was still a long way to go, and this place under the tree wasn't entirely dry. "Syaoran? Are you ready?"

He stepped towards her. "Stop shivering first." Then slowly and cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her wet, cold body. He drew her close, not daring to breathe. Feeling her still shivering in his arms, he wrapped his arms tighter around her. He felt the slight blush invade his cheeks again, but this time, he barely cared. All he knew and felt was the girl in his arms...and that's all he wanted. He couldn't see her face, but maybe that was best. She would've seen the mixed emotions he was feeling through his eyes...emotions that he didn't know about himself. But the feeling of her body against his...it was just so...right. And no, it definitely wasn't lust he was feeling. It wasn't even a crush or attraction like Hiiragazawa and Daidouji suggested. It was deeper, more complicated than that. He leaned his head against the side of hers, feeling the coldness of her hair as it touched his cheek. He didn't care. He breathed in her scent of fresh cherry blossoms and felt completely at ease. But the feeling he had was so overwhelming. It felt like a tidal wave of emotions just ready to burst out of him. Even keeping that shield around his emotions was tough. It was ready to break any moment, and then all of what he was feeling would be known to her. No, he had to stop. He had to stop hugging her. But...he didn't want to pull away. 'She's still shivering', he thought to himself. 'When she stops shivering, I'll stop. But he knew deep inside that it was an excuse. He wanted to hug her; he wanted to feel her body against his. He didn't want it to stop.

Wait. He hadn't even thought about the possibility and he knew that he was probably wrong but...

Was this love?

No. It couldn't be.

"Wh-Why are you still shivering?" he asked, his voice below a whisper.

He felt her warm breath continue to tickle his neck and it made him tremble. "Y-You're the one who's shivering...Syaoran-kun..."

"I-I'm not cold though."

"...Me neither..."

His eyes widened and he pulled away slightly to see her face. Bad idea. They were only centimeters apart and as he drowned in her emerald orbs, he had a strange sensation that compelled him to just press her lips against his then just kiss every inch of her. Damn. Why'd she have to be so beautiful? Yes, he wasn't denying it any longer. He definitely thought she was pretty, the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Not even the wet hair sticking to her face, not the fact that she was absolutely drenched from the rain, and not the way her clothes were sticking to her skin made her any uglier. In fact, if anything it made him want to press his lips against her skin even more. He stared at her silently, just absorbing the look of undeniable innocence and confusion on her face. Oh how he loved those eyes, those emerald eyes that simply drowned him. Dammit. What was happening to him? Why did he get so many tingles up his spine? Why did he think about her so often in the day, that he went crazy?

...Why did holding her in his arms seem so right?

"If you're not cold...then why are you shivering?" he asked.

"I-I...don't know." After a moment of complete silence, he saw her swallow. "Syaoran-kun..."

His mind instantly went crazy at the sound of her sweet voice saying his name. His name. Dammit. He couldn't do this anymore. The shield around his emotions was drastically thinning. If he didn't pull away right now, she'd definitely know what was on his mind.

So that's what he did. He pulled away reluctantly and instantly felt coldness again. "W-We should get going."

Sakura nodded, still shivering. "Yeah..."

As they ran, this time not holding hands, Syaoran's mind was frozen in its place. He wasn't thinking; he was just running in a daze. But he was fully aware of the girl running beside him and couldn't take her eyes of her. Uneasy silence rested upon them and he realized that she had a greater effect on him than he thought.

He had fallen in love. And damn...had he fallen hard.

How did he know it was love? Well, he just knew. It certainly felt like love. But still, how could he be so sure? He hasn't ever felt love before.

That only made him realize. He hasn't ever had these feelings before either.

The feelings he had for her...were the feelings of love.

Damn...were these the uncertainties that rain brings? If they were...he didn't know what the hell to expect for a surprise.

Fumbling around with his keys, he finally opened the door to his apartment. He followed Sakura and closed the door behind him. It closed with a deafening slam. As they walked into the living room, the main room, Sakura turned to face Syaoran slowly. He was avoiding her eyes unlike when he had been holding her. What had come over him? Why did he do that? He was simply trying to keep her warm. That's all. No biggie.

Then why did her heart tell her otherwise? Why did it seem like a big deal?

She was just overreacting. He was sweet. He was trying to prevent her from feeling cold.

And boy, did he succeed.

She just couldn't stop shivering because of the way she felt those pleasuring tingles all over.

"Syaoran..." she said, but he didn't turn to her.

"I'll...uh...get you a towel...j-just...stay..." He didn't even glance at her.

She sighed as he walked away quickly. Standing stiffly on the nice rug and ruining it with the wetness of her shoes and clothes, she sighed. Things just kept on getting complicated by the minute. The rain does bring uncertainties. But she didn't want to be uncertain anymore! She wanted to know! She wanted to know what was going on with him! And she wanted to know why it felt so right to be in his arms!

Suddenly she heard the door open suddenly, breaking the silence. She saw a girl with long, beautiful black hair tied in pigtails with some luggage and boxes behind her.

"MY XIAO LANG!" she shouted happily, a huge smile on her face. "I'M HERE, LOVE!" She seemed to notice Sakura and she frowned. "Oh? Do I have the wrong place? The manager said that this was Li Syaoran's place." She looked at the soaked Sakura up and down. "And you're definitely not Syaoran."

However Sakura was too frozen and shocked. Did this stranger just call Syaoran...'love'? She felt suddenly cold again and felt something come over her. Was it...envy? After all, this girl just barged right in and called Syaoran 'love.' What gave her the right to say that as if he belonged to her! He didn't belong to her! He didn't belong to anyone!

Wait. Why the heck did she care so much?

Suddenly they both heard someone drop something on the floor. Syaoran was standing there, wide-eyed and jaw dropped, the pile of towels he had brought at his feet. "M-Meiling!"

But the girl didn't look happy anymore. In fact, she looked raging mad. "Xiao Lang...why are you soaked? And most importantly...why is a girl – who is by the way as soaked as you are – standing in your living room!"

Outside, they heard the rain stop pit pattering against the windows. Light streamed in, illuminating the room. The rain stopped. But the tension was as heavy as ever. This definitely wasn't how they pictured the rain would end. Usually, the end of rain brought happiness, like rainbows and that sweet scent in the air. But now…

What a surprise. They definitely weren't expecting this.