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With You
Chapter Seventeen: Breaking Out

I…was grounded.

No, Touya didn't ground me, he didn't have the authority, but he sure as hell told my dad everything when he got home from work.

Snitch.

So now I was grounded, lying on my bed, my hands behind my head. My cell phone, I could hear from my dresser, was vibrating, but I wasn't aloud to answer it.

Because that's how things go when your grounded; your life ends.

Two weeks. I had two weeks of waking up, going to school, and coming back from school, and then doing the same thing the next day.
On weekends, I was free to do whatever I wanted as long as it did not include friends, Syaoran, and anything electronic.

So, basically, nothing.

I hadn't even expected my dad to get as mad as he did. I mean, I had saved Syaoran's ass and done a good deed by taking care of him, but Touya had to walk in at the most inopportune moment and screw everything up.

So there I was, lying on my bed, again, staring up at the roof, again, being forced to do nothing but think.

I was doing this, however, until there was a soft tapping at my window.

Now what?

I sighed and looked at my clock; midnight, and turned to the window.

I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life.

There was Meilin's face, just right there in my window.

I kind of gasped and shot up really fast, thus falling off my bed and onto the hardwood floor.

"Meilin what are you doing here?" I hissed, sliding open my window.

The Chinese girl smiled. "We came to save you!"

"Save me?"

We?

I looked beyond her. Sure enough, there was Eriol's dark blue SUV parked across the street, Eriol, Tomoyo and Syaoran standing outside it, waiting for Meilin and I.

"I can't." I sighed. "I'm grounded."

"I heard what happened." Meilin shrugged. "And I'm not surprised, plus you weren't answering your phone."

She heard what happened? Everything?

God I hope not.

"I really can't Meilin." I said flatly. "I'm in big enough trouble already and I don't want Touya, or my dad, anymore pissed off than they already are."

Meilin sighed. "Come on Sakura! It's the weekend! Get your uniform. We're all going to Eriol's house for a sleepover and in the morning we're all going to school together. Just come!"

"I'd never be able to see you guys again if I did." I said tonelessly.

"You didn't do anything wrong though!" Meilin cried. "You saved Syaoran from getting his ass kicked and your getting punished for it!"

So maybe she didn't hear everything…

But, she did have a point. There was no reason that I should be grounded. I mean, I knew Syaoran, it's not like it was some random guy off the street that I brought into the house, and he'd needed help. So I'd done a good thing…right?

I sighed. "Give me ten minuets."

"Yes!" Meilin grinned, climbing in my window as I stepped away from it.

"So why did you get grounded, if you didn't do anything wrong?" Meilin asked as I slid open my closet, very carefully, and grabbed my backpack.

I shrugged. "Because Touya is a freak."

I began stuffing pajamas, I hadn't changed into them yet, and my uniform and some other essentials into my backpack, totally ignoring the acid look at Meilin was giving me.

"Your lying to me Sakura." she said tonelessly, folding her arms across her chest, looking rather defiant in the dim lighting. "What happened between you and Syaoran?"

"He didn't tell you?" I said, trying to make myself sound surprised. No, I doubt Syaoran would tell anyone, even Meilin, what had really happened.

"Tell me what?" Meilin asked, sitting on the edge of my bed as I quickly put on some shoes.

I sighed. "Nothing."

"I bet I know what." Meilin grinned.

"I bet you do." I rolled my eyes. "So you can keep going with that thought."

"He kissed you, didn't he?"

I felt my face turn bright red. Why did I always have to turn red at the most inopportune moment.

"Actually, no." I said nervously. "Almost, but no. Touya came in just before."

"Ha! I knew it!" Meilin all but shouted.

"Shut up!" I hissed. "Unless you want Touya to come in here."

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Meilin snickered. "I knew it. I knew you still liked him."

I sighed. "Yeah, I do. Okay? I do! I feel so stupid for breaking up with him in Hong Kong…and now…damn it."

"Wait." Meilin breathed, getting up from the bed, walking over to me. "You don't just like him, do you?"

I looked away from her, probably too quickly, because she gasped and grabbed my hands. "Omigod!"

"Don't say a word." I hissed. "Or I will haunt you when I die."

Meilin nodded, but was still grinning. "I knew it! I knew you feel the same way about him as he does!"

"Shh!" I hissed, cutting her off. "Let's just go okay? We can talk later."

Meilin nodded and climbed out my window, gracefully making it down the side of the house and onto the grass below.

I quickly ran to my dresser and grabbed a pen and paper, scribbling a little note for my dad and brother.

Dear family,
As you may have noticed, I am not here. And I am not telling you where I am because then you will hunt me down…which you will probably do anyway. Whatever. Don't worry, I'm not running away, I'll be back home after school. I left because grounding me was totally unfair! I helped him and I get punished. And Touya, you know what happened in Hong Kong, so can you really blame us?
Love Sakura

I tossed her my bag and climbed down after her, running across the street to the car.

"And we bust her out of captivity!" Eriol grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, you are all-powerful. Let's go, its cold out."

XxXxX

"Where's Ruby?" I asked, stepping into the Hirazagwa household, which was completely deserted except for Eriol's cat, Spinel, and the five teenagers that had just walked in.

"She's out of town for a while." Eriol shrugged. "So I get the house to myself."

"Nice." Syaoran smirked. "Where do we sleep?"

"Syaoran and Eriol in Eriol's room." Tomoyo said. "Sakura, Meilin and I in the guest room."

"I'm guessing you've done this before." Meilin snickered.

"Many times." I smiled, walking with Tomoyo and the others to the back of the house, which was rather huge, and into the room where we always slept.

It was, like the house, a big room, with a huge four poster bed and elegant drapery and the like. Eriol's parents had died years ago, and left everything to him and his older sister, Ruby.

Needless to say they were rich and didn't have to really worry about anything ever again.

"Wow." Meilin breathed. "Nice place."

"It is." I smirked. "I call the floor!"

I don't know why, but I liked to sleep on the floor. It was comfy.

I grabbed some blankets and extra pillows from the closet across the hall, setting them out on the floor. Tomoyo and Meilin did the same.

"So, what do you think your dad will do when he finds you gone in the morning?" Meilin asked.

"I'd ask what I thought Touya would do." I sighed, lying on the blankets, my arms folded over the pillows. "And as for my dad? Probably freak out and think I'd run away. Touya would, instantly, go to your house."

"Why my house?" Meilin asked.

"Because he hates Syaoran and probably thinks I'd go there just to piss him off." I giggled.

"Everyone comfy?" Eriol asked, standing in the doorway, Syaoran behind him.

"Good to go." Tomoyo smiled, doing the hand thingy from that Taco Bell commercial…or maybe it was Taco Time…who knew.

I smirked. "Night guys."

"Who said we're going to bed now?" Syaoran said, he and Eriol walking into the room.

That's when we noticed what was in their hands.

Pillows.

Meilin, of course, had no idea what this meant, but Tomoyo and I did.

"Don't you dare." I said, getting to my feet, my own pillow in my hands. "Please Eriol not this time!"

"Oh come on Sakura, it's a tradition." Eriol smirked, he and Syaoran walking towards us.

Meilin had, finally, gotten the point to the pillow thing, and gotten to her feet, along with Tomoyo, pillows in their hands.

Pillow fight time.

And then it was on.

You may have already noticed, but my friends and I do rather childish things. But hey, it's fun!

So it was girls against guys, as always.

Normally, Tomoyo and I always won, resorting to Eriol running back to his room in defeat. But this time? He had Syaoran.

I'm guessing Syaoran had done this before, pillow fighting, because he was pretty good at it.

As I found out when he hit me, hard, with his pillow.
"Oh that's it Li." I growled. "You are so going down."

"Yeah right, Kinomoto." he laughed. "You probably couldn't hit the broad side of a barn."

"Wanna bet?" I smirked, hitting him over the head with the pillow.

Ha! In your face Li!

So yeah, we had a pillow fight.

About ten minuets into the all-powerful battle, Meilin fell under Eriol's attacks, and Tomoyo and I went after Eriol full force.

Well, I tried to. Tomoyo made it to "save" Meilin, but I didn't, because, Syaoran was in my way.

"Move Li." I said tonelessly. "I have a job to do."

"I don't think so." he smirked, hitting me with his pillow.

"That's it!" I shrieked attacking him, literally.

I don't know when the first pillow ripped, but it did, and soon there was feathers flying everywhere like a heavy snow.

"Ah!" Tomoyo giggled. "I am so not cleaning this up!"

I laughed, hitting Syaoran with my pillow, sending a cloud of feathers in his face.

After a little longer of the fighting, our pillows were totally empty of all their stuffing, and tiny feathers were soaring through the air all around us.

"Wow." I breathed. "It's actually kind of pretty."

"Yeah." Syaoran said, standing in front of me. "I so kicked your ass."

"You did not!" I gaped at him. "There's no way that you could have defeated me!"

"Oh, but I did." he smirked.

"Not!"

"Did so."

"Did not!" I laughed, pulling a feather from his hair, though it didn't really help because they were still floating around everywhere, sticking to anything and everything.

Just as my hand left his hair, Syaoran reached out and grabbed it, holding it firmly in his own hand.

"W-What are you doing?" I asked, feeling my cheeks flare.

He smirked and leaned forward.

And then the power went out.

I don't know how, but it did. And the room was suddenly filled with Tomoyo and Meilin's screaming and the sound of thunder outside.

I hadn't noticed that it had begun to storm.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit up the room, and I found that Syaoran's face was inches from mine and his hand had moved from mine to the back of my neck.

Damn he was fast. How did he do that?

Then we were plunged into darkness again as the lightning went away.

And I have to admit, I was kind of nervous, just standing there in the dark, Syaoran's hand on the back of my neck, his breath delightfully warm on my cheeks, the only sounds were of the rain, our breathing, and Meilin and Tomoyo's nervous laughter.

But as soon as I felt his lips met mine, it all kind of melted away.

XxXxX

Surprisingly enough, I was up early the next day, the sunlight pouring in through the window, the smell of freshly cooking eggs and toast wafting in form the kitchen.

I sat up and stretched, looking around at the millions of feathers strewn across the floor.

Tomoyo and Meilin were still fast asleep, they had somehow found their blankets and stuff through the dark, for the power hadn't turned back on. Eriol, however, wasn't there, and I suspected that he was the one cooking.

Syaoran? He was sleeping peacefully beside me, his arm draped to the side, which had been under my neck only a few moments ago, my hand still clenched tightly in his.

No, nothing had happened, thank you.

After he'd kissed me, Eriol had called to Syaoran through the darkness, saying that they should probably get to bed, but Tomoyo had refused to let Eriol leave her, seeing as she was terrified of the dark.

And Syaoran wasn't about to leave, either.

Syaoran and I had stayed up most of the night talking. Yes, talking.

I hadn't told him how I felt, I had come close, but I didn't tell him. And I regretted it.

But, obviously, I had fallen asleep in his arms.

I guess we didn't really hate each other anymore.

See what pillow fights can do? They can bring people together. That, and umbrellas.

Gently, so as not to wake Syaoran, I got up from the floor and walked silently from the room, walking down the hallways towards the kitchen.

Were, as I'd predicted, Eriol was making breakfast.

"Morning." I smiled, walking into the room.

"Hey Sakura." Eriol said, smirking at me. "Sleep well?"

I glared at him. "Yes, actually."

"Touya called." Eriol said. "Twice."

I groaned. "What did you say?"

"I said that you were sleeping." Eriol shrugged. "And you were safe and for Touya to stop yelling at me."

I smiled. "Sorry bout him."

"I'm used to it by now." Eriol shrugged, setting a plate of eggs in front of me. "Here."

"Thank you Eriol." I smiled.

"What exactly happened last night?" Eriol asked, sitting across from me at the table, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"What do you mean?"

He looked at me over the cup of steaming liquid. "You know what I mean."

"Nothing happened." I assured him. "I'm surprised you didn't hear us talking."

"Nope, I fell right to sleep." Eriol shrugged. "How late were you two up anyway?"

"Don't know. I couldn't see anything." I snickered.

Eriol sighed. "You do know Sakura, that he goes home at the end of the year."

I almost choked on my eggs. "W-What?"

"You know that, don't you?" Eriol said. "Maybe even after Christmas. I talked to Meilin, she said they haven't decided yet."

I stared blankly at Eriol, feeling as if my world was tearing apart.

Syaoran was…leaving?

But hadn't Meilin said that, if they liked it here, they'd stay, for good?

"I-I…" I breathed, my words cluttered in my throat.

Eriol sighed. "I thought you knew that Sakura."

I did…deep down I did…but I guess I didn't fully realize it until then.

Thanks a lot Eriol.

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Later that night, Syaoran, Meilin, Eriol, Tomoyo and I all sat outside in Eriol's backyard around a crackling fire, marshmallows and sausages on a small table beside us.

Yeah, we were having a wiener/marshmallow roast.

Hey, we went back to school the next day, why not?

I smiled, leaning back against Syaoran, his arms comfortably around me, his chin resting on the top of my head.

Could it get more perfect?

Doubt it.

"So what did you guys do while we were gone?" Syaoran asked, his breath tickling the top of my head.

"Mostly things with our family, seeing as it was the Christmas season." Tomoyo shrugged. "I went to Tokyo for a few weeks with my mom."

"I went to England for three weeks." Eriol smiled. "To visit family."

"And I was here, a loner, making snowmen and having snowball fights with myself." I smirked.

Did I mention that there was still snow on the ground? Yeah, there was snow on the ground and yet we were outside, sitting on blankets and crap around the campfire, trying to keep warm.

God we were insane.

Oh well, it was fun.

"I never knew you were from England, Eriol." Syaoran said, hugging his arms more tightly around him.

I missed his arms around me.

Eriol shrugged. "Well, I am. But God, I don't want to go back there, my aunts and uncles are just so…creepy! They insist on having tea and crumpets every few hours."

"I thought you liked tea, Eriol." Tomoyo said.

"I do." Eriol sighed. "Japanese tea, not English. It's just…weird."

I laughed, really, he was being stupid. "Okay then Eriol."

"So, you two ready for school?" Tomoyo asked, pressing a cup of hot chocolate against her lips.

"Not even close." Syaoran groaned. "Everything was so hectic in Hong Kong, I wanted time to relax…guess not, though."

I just noticed it then, I don't know why, but Meilin was being really…quiet. As in freakishly quiet.

What was her deal? She kept on staring at Syaoran and I as if she wanted to scream something at us…or, rather, him. And when he mentioned how 'hectic' things had gotten in Hong Kong, her frown only deepened.

What had happened in Hong Kong?

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