Chapter 12: Back at the Li mansion (Part 2)

The voices became louder as I approached the library. I stopped near the door, praying that no one would catch me eavesdropping on the two, and tried hard to catch what they were speaking so rapidly. It was almost as if they were...

...fighting?

"...never give up, do you?"

"No, I didn't mean to, it was..."

"You mean everything you do Kinomoto. You think of yourself as some master seductress or something. Well, let me tell you- not every guy is interested in you."

"I'm sorry if you took this in another way, but I just want us to be friends..."

"And you expect me to believe that- after the way you behaved at that dinner, and now today- you took advantage of my friendly invitation."

"Syaoran, I..."

"It's Li for you." He said coolly. "And stop pursuing me. But I am not sure if you'll stop even now, since obviously you don't understand the meaning of no."

I stood in the hallway, with my eyes wide. I had never heard Syaoran talk to anyone like that. His voice was so cold, so indifferent- it almost made me shiver. I wondered what Meiling had done, for Syaoran to tell her off like that.

It took some time for me to realise that someone was coming out of the library- I could hear footsteps. And I was still standing there, with my pet cat, for the whole world to see that I had been listening to their conversation.

I panicked. There was no place in the hallway to hide and the only way out was to run. I turned, preparing to flee, when the library door opened and-

"Sakura?"

I turned back to find a surprised Syaoran standing wide-eyed. For some reason I felt a sinking sensation, but I brushed it aside. "Umm...hi Syaoran."

"What are you doing here?" he asked. From the corner of my eye I saw Meiling coming out of the library. I didn't dare look at her face, but I could feel her heated glare. She obviously realised I had heard everything.

"Er- I– umm-came with Tomoyo. She wanted to show her designs to Mrs. Li. And I came here to-er-work on my assignment..."

"Oh..." he said. He stared at the floor and opened his mouth as if wanting to say something. Then he frowned and glanced at Meiling, before walking off. I suddenly felt very empty and cold, as I watched his retreating figure.

Meiling walked up to me, her glare still fixed on my face. "You conniving little bitch. You were spying on us, weren't you?" she spat. I looked at my sister and gasped. Her eyes were red and watery- she was crying. I had never seen Meiling cry before. And I just couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"I'm sorry-"

"No, you're not. Don't try to act all innocent with me. I know that you are jumping with joy inside." She sneered. "Look- my pretty, popular sister just got rejected by a guy. And I saw it and heard it, and had so much fun laughing my head off."

I suddenly felt very guilty- it was wrong of me to have listened to them. "Meiling, I-"

"Oh, please Sakura. I'm not interested in hearing your explanations." She wiped her tears off and regained her composure. She looked at me coldly. "You may be celebrating thinking you have me out of the way now. But you haven't exactly hit it off with Syaoran either." She smirked. "Its so obvious from the way he treats you- he just pities you, as you don't have any friends. And you're just too thick to realise that." She suddenly laughed her airy, boisterous laugh, which always got on my nerves, and I found it hard to imagine that she had actually been crying 2 minutes back. "You actually think he's interested in you in that way? God, you are clueless, Sakura." She then flashed me one of her plastic smiles and strode off.

'Pities me? If he just pities me, he wouldn't be calling me-' I had wanted to say to her. But then it struck me- the reason why I had felt that strange sinking sensation when Syaoran had called me---Sakura.

Not Ying Fa.

I scanned the bookshelves. Trying hard to remember the topic of my assignment- report on the theories, applications and something of something. But all I could think of was what had happened and what Meiling had said.

Pities me. It was kind of odd that I had thought of the same thing, but Tomoyo had dismissed it, saying that he wouldn't be calling me...

Why had he called me Sakura? Was he angry that I had been hearing everything?

"Aaarrgh!" I screamed. And why was I getting bothered at such a small thing? Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue.

I shook my head to clear it of all thoughts and brought my attention back to the assignment. I don't have to think of all that right now...

But what if Meiling was right? What if Syaoran just saw me as a friend? Then what if he came to know I have a crush on him?

"Oh Kero, I don't know what to think." I said looking down at him. He yawned and started licking himself clean. I rolled my eyes and sat down on a stool placed near the bookshelves. "I wonder when Tomoyo will be free. I need to talk to her."

"Uh, Sakura..." came a familiar male voice from the door of the library. I stood up but didn't turn around. This time I was sure it wasn't a slip of the tongue.

"Er- your cat- he left this lying on the floor." I turned to find Li Syaoran standing with the worn-out stuffed bear in his hand. I saw Kero looking at it for a moment, then continued cleaning himself as if he had never been interested in it.

I however walked up to Syaoran and took the bear from his hand. I gasped when our hands brushed ever so slightly.

"I had seen it lying on the floor when I had come out of the library after..."he broke off, frowning. "But I thought I'd give it to you later, then I would get a chance to talk to you..."

I felt my eyes go wide and my heart beat quicken. "You wanted to talk to me?"

He smiled slightly. "Yeah. I don't know, I just like our little talks. You know, we have a lot in common, even though we seem so different."

I felt disappointment sweeping through me. Of course, this proved it- he just saw me as a friend.

A moment's silence passed between us before he suddenly said- "So, how much did you hear?"

I was totally caught off-guard by the question. "Nothing!" I answered too quickly. He raised an eyebrow and I sighed. "Yeah, well maybe I heard something..." I bit my lip. "Are you mad at me?" I asked desperately, avoiding his eyes.

He laughed. "Why would I be mad at you? It's not as if you were there on purpose." I felt a stab of guilt. No, I was there on purpose- I was spying on you two, I wanted to tell him but just couldn't get myself to.

"The only person I'm mad at is that sister of yours." He continued.

I looked up. I was dying to know what Meiling had done this time. The question was almost on my lips, but I thought better of it. But I still wondered- had she fallen on his lap accidentally again? Or tried to forcibly kiss him? Or molest him? I shuddered at the mental images.

The protective urge I always felt for Syaoran returned in full force. I wanted to hug him tightly and order him never to go near Meiling again. But all I managed to say was-"I'm sorry about Meiling. She-she just..."

"It's okay, Sakura. I know- she just takes me for some challenge, and quite persistent isn't she?"

I felt the some sinking sensation. Sakura...again. Why?

"Why what?"

I mentally slapped myself- had I said that 'why' out loud? I saw Syaoran staring at me questioningly, and I blushed. "Why- why did you call me Sakura?"

He frowned in confusion and then smiled, after understanding what I meant. "So you want me to call you Ying Fa?"

I looked away, feeling my face burn. "I-I was just curious..."

"I got the feeling you didn't like the name," he said looking at me keenly.

"What! No, I love it!" I said without thinking. "I mean-I-" I cursed myself inwardly, for behaving like such an idiot before him.

He laughed again and I felt my insides turning into mush. "It was your sister, Meiling- she said she heard you saying you hated that name. Oh well, I should never really have believed her. Sometimes I'm just too trusting, or as my sisters put it- naïve."

I heard Kero yawning softly and I looked at him. "I was being stupid by allowing her to come over to my house," he frowned. Then he continued softly "I-I was hoping that you would come with her. I never get a chance to be with you alone nowadays..." Was I just imagining it or were his cheeks slightly red? "Well, the plan worked, didn't it?"

Be alone with me? My eyes immediately shot up to Syaoran's face. His eyes were fixing me with a gaze which sent shivers down my spine. "Why does everyone call you the plain Jane. You are very different from those other shallow girls." He leaned in close. "You are beautiful in your own way...and so are your eyes...green eyes...so rare...Ying Fa" I felt my eyelids getting heavy and I prayed that he couldn't hear my heartbeat which had quickened to a thousand per minute.

My breath hitched when he leaned in even closer, so much so that I could inhale his scent.

And I forgot how to breathe when his lips touched mine.