Sakura stood outside Syaoran's door three days after the incident in the park. She hadn't been feeling well the past few days, so instead she had locked herself up in her room, sleeping and eating and wondering where her magic was going. She still refused to see that something was actually taking it. That wasn't what she wanted at all.

School was starting in a week. Grade eight. Sakura felt the familiar jumpy happiness at the thought of seeing her friends again. She couldn't wait!

But what she couldn't wait even more for was to see Syaoran again. She had tried calling him numerous times, but everytime he wouldn't answer. Sakura felt that he was ignoring her, but she tried to brush that thought off. And it was a beautiful day outside! One of the last sunny, hot, and blue sky days they'd see in a while. The next month was forecast for rain, rain, and more rain. She wanted to spend her time with Syaoran.

Without hesitation, Sakura knocked firmly on the door. No answer. She rang the doorbell. Still no answer. She stood, silent, scuffing her shoe on the cement. Finally she rang the doorbell underneath the other. It was the one that would take her face to the phone upstairs. He couldn't not ignore the ringing of a phone.

Just as she had hoped, someone picked up.

"Syaoran! Hi! It's Sakura!" Sakura said, bubbling over with happiness. "I wanted to know if you wanted to do something today, given the beautiful weather—"

"This isn't Syaoran," said a happy voice.

"M-M-Midori?" Sakura asked suddenly, feeling something writhe within her navel area. "What are you doing at Syaoran's? And why are you answering his phones?"

"Well, I have no place to stay. So, the obvious place was to stay here!" cooed the voice. "Syaoran hasn't let me out since then though. I don't think he trusts me," she whispered suddenly. Sakura felt very odd having a conversation with someone she couldn't see.

"Er…"

"And he keeps calling his mother, asking questions about me and this and that." Midori gave a stifled giggle. "Anyway, what did you want?"

"I-I-Is Syaoran there?" she asked, feeling suddenly stupid. Why hadn't Syaoran answered it himself?

"Oh, he's busy right now," Midori gushed. "But I can let you in if you'd like!"

Sakura nodded primly, then mumbled a "yes please." She didn't really want to know what Syaoran was busy with.

"SYAORAN! YOU HAVE A VISITOR!" screeched Midori the minute Sakura stepped into the house. She slid on slippers and padded across the hardwood, heading straight for the couch to flop down on. Even walking to his house had been somewhat tiring.

"Who is it?" asked a voice from the back. "It better be Mother coming to take you back to Hong Ko—" Syaoran appeared from behind a door, a bowl in one hand, spoon in the other, and an apron fit for a girl tied around his body. He stared at Sakura.

"Sakura?" he asked. "Oh, well…hello."

"Hello," she said somewhat stiffly. Shouldn't he be apologizing for not answering her calls? Or visiting her? Or better yet, calling her?

He looked down at what he was wearing and a blush slowly crept to his face. "Er—would you like some lunch? I was just making some…"

Sakura felt her stomach rumble. "Oh, well, I guess," she said instead.

Syaoran paused, as if he were going to say something, but instead marched right back into the kitchen. Sakura didn't even bother to follow him. Instead, she sank lower on the blue leather sofa, finding it as uncomfortable as the wooden floor would be. She took in the living room as she waited in stiff silence. In front of her sat a coffee table with a glass top, and on the other side was another sofa similar to this one. The room was very empty—nothing else existed in the living room except a few potted plants and two pictures hanging limply from the wall. Sakura sighed heavily, watching her bangs fly up. This wasn't how she had wanted to spend her time with Syaoran…was it?

"How's your magic?" chirped a voice from behind Sakura. She knew it was Midori, trying to be polite. Sakura desperately wished she hadn't saved the girl.

"It's good," she said, not understanding why she was being so cold to this girl. She had no right to judge her…yet.

"Good, good!" Midori said, jumping over the back of the sofa and landing with a soft plop beside Sakura. She mentally cringed.

"So—so, what have you and Syaoran been doing?" Sakura asked carefully. Midori shrugged.

"Oh, well, he doesn't seem too fond of me, so we keep our distance."

Sakura bit her tongue, not wanting to ask the question that was bothering her most. Finally, she gave in. "Does he know I've been leaving messages?" she asked in one quick breath. Midori looked at her carefully for a moment, and then put her finger to her chin.

"Hm. I'm not sure. Want me to go ask?"

Sakura hesitated. She didn't want to seem chicken. SHE should go ask him. But then, the thought of getting out of an awkward situation with Syaoran was oddly pleasing…

"Sure," she said quietly, realizing maybe Midori wasn't all that bad.

"Great! Be back in a sec!" Midori bounced off the couch and ran across the living room.

"Hey—Midori?" Sakura asked suddenly. Midori wheeled around.

"Yea?"

"…Thanks," Sakura said stupidly. But she felt the need to be polite.

Midori grinned—or was it a smirk? "No problem."

"So Syaoran, why aren't you going to visit her? Huh? Huh?"

Syaoran was busy adding some spices to his soup. He chose to ignore Midori and instead sniffed over the pot. He turned the heat up a bit and continued to stir, pretending Midori didn't exist.

"Syaoran? Why aren't you talking to her? She came to visit you, you know!"

"Really?" Syaoran asked suddenly through gritted teeth. "Well, why don't you go ask her why she hasn't been returning my calls? Or answering the door?"
Midori hesitated. Syaoran stopped, glaring at her. "What?" he snapped. "Something you want to tell me?"

Midori grinned and opened her mouth. "Nope!" she cried happily, shaking her head. "There is absolutely nothing I need to tell you!"

Syaoran sighed heavily. "Fine. Whatever. Go away."

Midori winked. "I'll go ask her right now!" She spun around and trotted out of the kitchen, leaving Syaoran more annoyed and frustrated then he had been the past three days.

What he didn't notice was the soft click of the kitchen door lock as Midori left the room.

"Well?" Sakura asked hopefully when Midori came within whispering distance. "What did he say?"
Midori shrugged. "He didn't really want to go onto the topic."

Sakura felt her stomach turn over. "But you made him, right? You made him?"
Midori sat on the sofa opposite of Sakura. "Well yes, of course," she said solemnly. "I asked him. And he said it was because he didn't want to talk to you. Or see you."

Sakura's mouth dropped open. "W-What?" she asked through a suddenly dry throat. "What did he say?"
"He said that if he spoke to you or saw you, he was afraid his own magic would begin to drain. And you know he needs it for battling this new bad guy. Or girl."

Sakura's bottom lip trembled and she rubbed at her eyes hurriedly. How could he say that? Hadn't he told her he loved her? What was going on? "So h-his magic is more important than…than me?"

Midori nodded. "It would seem so."

Sakura paused, and then shook her head fervently. "Syaoran wouldn't say something like that!" she cried, standing up. "He wouldn't say anything like that, and especially to someone he doesn't like!" She paused. "No offense."

Midori shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "No offense taken."

Sakura sniffed. "I think I'll go talk to him." The thought made her feel queasy, but it was the only way anything would get solved, right?

Midori stood up suddenly. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

Sakura sighed. "Why not?"

"Because! He might do something! He doesn't want to see you, remember?"

"So? I can still talk to him through the door!"

Sakura straightened her red skirt and began to walk, sure-footed, to the kitchen door. Behind her, Midori watched with wide eyes. Sudden realization seemed to hit her face.

"Sakura, don't!" Midori took a giant leap towards her, eyes squinted shut as if she were in deep thought.

Sakura turned around just in time to feel Midori ramming into her. "AH!" she cried, falling to the floor with Midori crumpling on top of her and then rolling off. Sakura watched, wide-eyed, as Midori shakily stood up.

"Why did you do that?" Sakura asked rather grumpily, feeling that it was a kind of useless move.

"I had to stop you!" Midori cried, more loudly then necessary.

"But why?" Sakura asked, scrambling up.

A shout from the kitchen seemed to answer her question.

"SYAORAN!" she screamed, running to the kitchen and opening the kitchen door with a leap.

But it didn't open.

Sakura jiggled at the knob. Then she shook at it, hearing noises from behind the door.

"SYAORAN?" she called. There was no answer, only the clattering of pots and pans and other metallic things as they hit the floor. There was a shuffling noise, then a sniff, and then more running and angry yells. Things seemed to be falling or being thrown, and someone seemed to be running around the kitchen.

"SYAORAN, ANSWER!" Sakura cried desperately. "THE DOOR IS STUCK, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET IN!"

He didn't answer. She couldn't hear any coherent words. That was odd. You think she would be able to hear some yelled words. But everything sounded fuzzy, like a radio that wasn't working properly…

"Did you sense it or something?" Sakura asked Midori, who was standing behind her, wide-eyed.

"I guess so," she said slowly. "I just knew there was something in that kitchen…"

"I should have been able to sense it too!" Sakura cried desperately, rattling the doorknob hopelessly. "Why didn't I sense it?"
Midori could only shrug.

Sakura closed her eyes as she heard more clatters and muffled cries from behind the door. She was thinking rapidly. What could she do? What was behind that door? Whatever it was, it was attacking Syaoran…

"SYAORAN! I'M COMING!" Sakura forgot everything he had said about her. With one flick of her wrist, Sakura had her key. "RELEASE!" she cried, and the staff grew into her hands. She faced the door defiantly, mind racing and body trembling.

"Sakura?"

"What?"

"You mean you're going in there…even after what Syaoran said?"

Sakura turned around to face Midori. "I…I love him," she said evenly, hearing the words come out of her like they were a strange new language. "And I can't just let him be attacked by whatever's in there!"

Without talking anymore, Sakura pulled out a card. "THROUGH!" she cried, throwing it into the air. Without a moment's hesitation a large black hole grew in the door. Sakura took a steadying breath and then took one step through the hole with her eyes shut tight.

When she entered the kitchen, she saw more chaos then she could have ever imagined happening in less than two minutes. Pots and pans were scattered all of the kitchen, some dented and banged up, hanging off of cupboards or lying helter skelter on the floor. Cupboards were wide open and seemed all the things in them had been thrown at something. Spices and other foods and ingredients were spilling out of their containers, littering the floor and counters. Lights were broken, chairs turned over, and a pot of soup was lying right in front of her, spilled all over the floor.

But the worst thing was on the other side of the large kitchen. Syaoran was standing up on a wooden dining table, sword in one hand and the other hanging onto a broom for dear life. In front of him, curled up on the floor in what seemed like a threatening position, was a giant snake.

But as Sakura looked closer, it wasn't exactly a snake. It looked like one, but the scales looked tougher, and shinier. On its head the eyes didn't seem to exist. Just black slits and a large, open mouth with a tongue that was definitely not a snake's. It was a deep burgundy, flashing different colors in the kitchen's light. And on the end of its tail sat a threatening, spiky end, formed in the shape of a sphere. Sakura bit her lip at the sight of Syaoran bruised, rumpled, and completely out of breath.

"Syaoran!" she finally managed to cry. He looked over at her, eyes wide. He made a shushing motion, pointing at the lizard-snake. When Sakura peered over her staff, she saw that it had its head in the air, listening. Then it hit. This thing couldn't see. It could only hear. She realized with a sickening realization it was staring in her direction. Her mind fumbled for a card. A card, a card, any card…

She let out an inaudible squeak as the beast slowly unraveled and traveled over all the items on the floor her way. She took a step back, but felt her back press against the kitchen door. She jiggled the knob. It was locked. Without thinking she fumbled for the lock, but couldn't find it anywhere. She looked behind briefly to see…wait. There wasn't a lock! Then how…?

Sakura had no time to think about that. She trembled from head to toe, but her hands were sure as they picked out a card.

But her choice was destroyed when the beast made a sudden snapping motion at her, its body stretching out faster than any normal animal. With a shriek, she grasped for the first card that could save her from those massive jaws.

"JUMP!"

She bounded over the beast and landed softly beside Syaoran on the table. The thing had now stopped. It was listening again.

"W-What is it?" she whispered in a trembling voice. Syaoran looked at it warily.

"I have no idea," he whispered back harshly. "Now shut up."

Sakura shut her mouth as he had ordered, wondering where it had come from. Okay, she thought, trying to calm her nerves as the serpent beast wiggled its head some more in the air, I just need a card. A card, a card, any card. But it's not a card itself! I don't know how to get rid of its body! Sakura felt her body starting to sweat at the thought it would never leave. What could they do? And Midori! Where was she?

Sakura didn't have time to crane her neck and look. Syaoran's yell of surprise was enough to send her diving off of the table and rolling onto the pot and food littered floor. Scrambling back up she saw the beast's head lying on the table where she and Syaoran had been standing a few moments ago. What she really needed was Keroberos, more than anything. Yue would be so much help as well.

"Sakura! Pick a card, already!" Syaoran cried, lashing at the beast with his sword. It snapped at the metal, hearing it chink against its scales. Sakura narrowed her eyes. She was sick of this beast, roaming in the kitchen as it pleased. And after she beat it, she was going to ask Midori how she had known it was here, and then she was going to ask Syaoran where it had come from!

Sakura grimaced. What card had rarely failed her in all of her times as Master of the Cards?

"Windy! Form a cage around the beast!" Sakura cried, watching as Windy flew out of its card and surrounded the beast in a cage similar to that that captured Yue.

The serpent lashed within its cage. Sakura wondered if this thing had been sent by that shadow woman. If that were so, this thing would, in a matter of time, overcome the card. Then it would be hopeless.

"Now what?" she asked Syaoran nervously. "I've rarely dealt with something that isn't a card before!" The cage shook dangerously. Syaoran stared at it, and Sakura knew he was doing some quick thinking.

"Well, it's obviously magical. So we need to, I don't know, magically erase it…"

"Erase it! That's it!" Sakura whipped out her second card. "ERASE!"

The tail of the serpent was taken first. Slowly but surely the rest if its body withered away into the air, taking more time to be erased than it should have. Sakura supposed it was because it was magical. She watched it nervously, feeling a seed of pity for it when it gave one last, lingering cry, before its head vanished into thin air.

When Sakura was sure the beast was gone from the messy kitchen, she sank to her knees. She felt immensely weak, but not as much as the other day, even though she had used the same amount of cards. Maybe she would feel tired much later. Syaoran was at her side in a second, steadying her with an arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Sakura nodded up at him, smiling feebly. "I'm all right. But what about you? Where did that thing come from?"

Syaoran shrugged, his eyes as hard as stone. "I don't know. I was just in here—um—cooking," Sakura noticed his cheeks grow pink, "when suddenly it was just sitting on the other side of the counter, all coiled up and ready to strike. So I jumped up and started throwing anything I could at it out of the cupboards. It decided to ram into a few itself though." He gave a heavy sigh. "This is going to take forever cleaning up."

Sakura didn't hear his last statement though. Her eyes drifted to his arm that was gripped tight onto her shoulder. She let out an audible gasp.

"Syaoran!" she cried, grabbing the arm and inspecting it. "You're hurt! You're bleeding!"

"What? Oh…I guess I am," he said, shrugging. Sakura gazed at the long cut that began near his wrist and went all the way up to his elbow. It was bleeding, but not as heavily as it had obviously been earlier.

"That mean old snake got your arm!" she tutted, standing up and dragging Syaoran by the arm out of the kitchen. "I've got to fix it!"

"Sakura, I'm pretty sure I can clean a cut myself," he informed her dryly. Sakura ignored him, only continued to drag him down the hall and to the nearest washroom.

"Sit," she said, pointing to the toilet. Syaoran rolled his eyes and set the lid down, sitting uncomfortably on the hard plastic. Sakura grabbed a washcloth from the cupboard and waited until the water was lukewarm. She let the washcloth soak in water, and then she turned off the tap and began to wring the washcloth until it was only damp. She walked over to him and knelt down, holding out her hand so Syaoran knew to stick out his arm for her.

It was silent as Sakura washed the cut, except for two or three gasps Syaoran let out when the washcloth hit a sensitive part of the cut. Sakura only smiled, blushing to herself for no particular reason.

When she was done washing she dug around, on Syaoran's instruction, to find a box of bandages. They were the old kind, which wrapped around until you snipped it off of the roll. She did just that, covering the whole left forearm until the cut was concealed under bandages.

"It says here," Sakura read from the back of the box, "to change them when you wake up, before you go to sleep, and to take them off when you bathe or go swimming."

"Hm," was all Syaoran said, inspecting Sakura's bandaging job. "I want to know how it got into my kitchen," Syaoran suddenly said, his voice sharp and angry. Sakura looked up at the sudden change in his tone.

"I want to too," she told him. "I don't even know what it was. I mean, who could or would send something like that into the kitchen?"

The two seemed to have momentarily forgotten about the other person not returning the others calls. But just like that, both remembered. They didn't know what triggered it. Maybe it was because they both heard Midori singing something as she cleaned the kitchen, reminding both of their earlier conversations with her.

"Syaoran…"

"Sakura…"

The two paused and blushed at their overlapping statements. "You first," Syaoran mumbled.

Sakura coughed nervously. Now was the time to ask him herself. She leaned more against the bathroom wall; glad she was at least sitting down and not standing. "Um…Syaoran, I was wondering why you weren't, well, returning my calls and—and why you weren't calling me," she added, feeling selfish at the last statement.

Syaoran's jaw dropped. "Y-You've been calling me?" he asked loudly. "I've been calling you! I thought you weren't calling me, either!"

The two fell into a silence, filled with both relief and confusion.

"Did you leave messages?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," Syaoran said hesitantly, deciding not to add he had left ten of them in one day.

Sakura nodded slowly. "So did I. But I checked my phone!"

"Me too…"

"What's going on here?" Sakura wondered aloud. "Do you think some kind of force erased our messages?"

"But why?" Syaoran asked in disbelief, crossing his arms defiantly. "I mean, who in the world would care about us leaving messages for each other? Or calling each other?"

Sakura shook her head defensively. "I don't know, but I know Toya wouldn't have erased the messages. He would have told me."

"And there's no one in my house but myself and…"

"Midori!" they both cried at the same time.

"But what about at my house?" Sakura asked. "I mean, it makes sense for your house, but…"

"I don't know, and I don't care. I'm confronting Midori right now!" Syaoran stood up and strode past Sakura and out the door. She scrambled up and followed him cautiously.

"Syaoran…" she began to say. But Syaoran didn't listen. He swerved into the kitchen, his face visibly angry.

"Midori!" he cried angrily. "What do you think you're doing, erasing all my messages and Sakura's? That's so stupid! Why wouldn't you want us to talk to each other?"

Midori turned slowly around, red hair shimmering. "Hm? Oh, yes. About that."

"AND you were lying straight to my face! Saying she said she didn't leave messages!" Sakura reached out nervously for Syaoran's arm, but he brushed her off, fully intent on chewing on Midori and then spitting her back out until she was crumpled and dead.

She shrugged. "I felt that the closeness of you two would deprive me of the space I needed between you."

"Space you needed? What does THAT mean?" Syaoran yelled.

"The space I need to spy, Syaoran, really." She rolled her eyes and continued to slip pots and pans back into the undamaged cupboards. A vein in Syaoran's temple throbbed.

"WHAT?"

Midori continued to put things back in cupboards somewhat quietly. "I feel that if you two are too close, I won't be receiving…reliable information."

"You make it sound like my mother works for some sort of spy agency or something!" Syaoran scoffed. "When I called her, all she said was that she sent you to make sure the cards are okay. See? They're fine. Sakura's fine. We're ALL fine. LEAVE TOMEODA ALREADY!" Syaoran finally yelled, slapping a hand on the counter in anger.

Midori watched him through suspicious, narrow eyes. "Things won't be fine soon," she told them ominously. Syaoran watched her through angry eyes.

"What, are you psychic or something?"

"It doesn't take a psychic to notice Sakura's power is leaking steadily away from her body. Even your mother noticed it, and she's all the way in a different country! Something is purposely taking Sakura's power for some reason. What that reason is, I don't know."

Midori stood up suddenly. "I'm not going to stay in here if you're just going to act like some little kid, Syaoran." With a sweep of her hair she stalked out of the kitchen, giving Sakura a smile she found was chilling. When Midori left the room, Syaoran slammed his other hand onto the counter, leaning against it and hanging his head in what seemed like an ashamed way. Sakura took tentative steps towards him.

"Syaoran?" she asked nervously. "What's wrong?"

"More like what isn't wrong. It'd be a shorter answer," he moaned.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, rashly grabbing onto his arm to hold onto. He stiffened at the touch, but answered her question, which relaxed his muscles.

"My mother has lost trust me in and sent over some weird spy girl that acts much too old for her age. Your magic is draining and I can't help at all, and I don't have the cards or anything to help against any more villains that might come, and, oh yea, Midori is living in my house. And she seems to know more then she's letting on, which really, really annoys me."

Sakura patted his arm awkwardly. "Syaoran, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine! I'm sure I'm just a little sick or something. I'll be okay. And I'm sure your mom trusts you. Maybe she just doesn't want to bother you…?" She knew her question was stupid as soon as she had asked it. Syaoran shook his head vigorously.

"No, Sakura. You're not okay. Something's happening to you, and…and I can't do anything!" Sakura thought she heard his voice tremble, so she clung on tighter. Syaoran's voice never trembled. It just didn't.

"Syaoran," she said in a pleading voice, ripping his hands away from the counter and holding his arms in place beside him so they could face each other. Sakura felt suddenly very nervous, and she knew her face was as red as Syaoran's. "Don't worry, okay?" she whispered. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll take care of these problems when they come…okay?" She shifted uneasily under his gaze. "Seeing you like this…angry, and—and…" She paused. She wasn't about to say useless, hurt, and sad in front of Syaoran. "Syaoran, I don't want to hear you sound like that again," she decided to say. "Ever."

Syaoran's face was still, but it soon broke out into a comforting, almost sad smile. He didn't say anything. Instead, taking both by surprise, he leaned down and hugged her tightly. Sakura let out a little gasp, but willingly hugged him.

The two clung onto each other for a few more moments, both feeling, at least for the moment, that all was right in the world. It felt good knowing there was always someone there to hug and laugh with, and talk with and…and maybe even more.

The two broke apart, both smiling sheepishly. Hesitantly, tentatively, Sakura stood on tiptoe and kissed Syaoran lightly on the left cheek. As she stepped back down, Syaoran's face was flaming red. Sakura let out a nervous giggle.

"Don't worry Syaoran. I'm always here, okay?"
Syaoran managed to nod, and let out a raspy, "Yea…Yea, me too."

The two smiled at each other, and Sakura felt, once more, the overwhelming happiness that took over her everytime she saw Syaoran.

Things would turn out okay. They would have to, with Syaoran at her side once again.