Forgotten Friendship, Remembered Love

Disclaimer: I still don't own CCS, andI never will.

Chapter 3 – Conversations

Syaoran followed Sakura into the classroom. He saw her make her way towards the chair with green hair ribbons tied to it.

"Ano, Kinomoto-san?" Syaoran asked tentatively.

"Hai, Li-san. What is it?" Sakura answered.

"I was just wondering, are those hair ribbons tied to that chair yours?"

"Hai! Is there something wrong with that? It looks quite pretty, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah. It… um… makes it… stand out from the… uh… other chairs. But why tie ribbons on your chair? Is it really just for decoration or for something else?" Syaoran managed to let out.

Sakura giggled. "Funny you should ask. Actually, it has another purpose besides to decorate my chair."

Sakura paused talking and started to untie the ribbons from her chair.

"You see, I usually arrive late or just in time. So that means that I'm usually ('or rather always,' Sakura thought secretly.) rushing a.k.a. running towards school. Because of that, I don't get that much time in fixing my hair up. And even if I manage to fix my hair, my best friend would tell me that it's all messed up by the time I get here so I usually have to redo it again."

"So you tied your hair ribbons to your chair to save time, right? That way you won't get even later. You tie your hair when you get here to school, you save time and your self from getting punished. Right?" Syaoran guessed.

"Exactamundo!" Sakura exclaimed. "With the ribbons there, I also find my seat quickly. Not that I don't know where my seat is!" Sakura hastily added because of the look on Syaoran's face.

"O-kay. But don't you get caught when you fix your hair in class?" Syaoran looked dubious. "Most teachers get mad when girls fix their hair in class."

Sakura walked towards the blackboard to write the date. She continued talking to Syaoran while writing the date.

"Nope! Homeroom's the first subject, which means Mizuki-sensei. Mizuki-sensei doesn't get mad easily and she's really kind to us," Sakura turned to face Syaoran. "Have you met her yet? I'm sure you'll like her!"

"Oh, um, yeah. Eriol and I have met her already. And she does seem really kind," Syaoran answered. 'And mysterious as well as very calm.'

"Eriol?" Sakura looked at Syaoran. "Who's –"

"Ohayo!"

The classroom door suddenly opened, revealing a girl with long raven locks.

"Tomoyo-chan! Ohayo!" Sakura greeted enthusiastically.

Syaoran, not knowing what to say or do, just decided to stay quiet and talk only when he was introduced.

"Sakura-chan? Is that really you? Dear God, somebody please pinch me, I'm dreaming. Either that or I'm seeing things!" Tomoyo said dramatically.

Sakura giggled cutely at her best friend's antics.

"Don't be silly Tomoyo-chan! You're not dreaming or seeing things. I really am here, standing in front of you, early for school!"

Suddenly, before you can even say "Kinomoto Sakura", the raven-haired girl had a video camera whipped out of nowhere in front of her face and was now in front of Sakura, filming everything for all she's worth, with stars in her eyes.

"Kinomoto Sakura has come to school early! A must-capture-on-tape moment! Tell me Sakura-chan, how did you do it?"

Sakura, not to mention Syaoran, sweatdropped. "To-Tomoyo-chan! It's not that big a deal. Oniichan just –"

Sakura suddenly stopped in midsentence, realizing, just now, what had happened earlier that morning. Her alarm clock, her watch, her brother not waking her up the usual way (which was pouring water over her or screaming at the top of his lungs at her ears), her brother not joining her for the going-to-school rush; everything just clicked into place.

"ONIICHAN!"

Sakura screamed loudly. Loud enough to almost deafen her companions but thankfully not loud enough to send a custodian, or worse a teacher, sprinting down the halls towards their classroom.

Somewhere in Tomoeda

'Huh? What was that? I thought I heard something…' Touya stopped what he was doing and strained his ears to hear the sound that had somehow died after catching his attention. 'Nah, must be my imagination. Oh well.'

Back to the classroom

Syaoran slowly removed his hands from his ears while eying Sakura cautiously, as if expecting another such outburst from her. Syaoran was completely lost at the two girls' conversation from the beginning.

'Is Kinomoto-san really that late in coming to school? I know she said usually but that doesn't mean always, does it? As in every single day in school, she's late that it's unbelievable she's here early? And this friend of hers, Tomoyo I think her name is, where – just where exactly – did she pull that video camera out from! And what was with the starry-eyed look? And most importantly, WHY did Kinomoto-san suddenly scream! I thought my eardrums were going to break.'

A lot of thoughts were circling around Syaoran's mind at the moment. He stood there, trying to figure things out and waiting to be recognized, when Tomoyo suddenly shook him out of his reverie by questioning the seething Sakura.

"Daijobu desu ka, Sakura-chan? Is there something wrong?"

"WRONG? Wrong! Let me tell you what's wrong. Oniichan woke me up one hour early, making me waste precious sleep time then made me believe that I was late! I am going to KILL him!" Sakura fumed. "Kill him, kill him, KILL HIM!"

Syaoran was taken aback with Sakura's display of emotions. 'WHOA! I didn't know Kinomoto-san can be so violent. And here I thought she's quite harmless. Just proves how surprising life and people can be. She's got one hot temper to watch out for, that's for sure! Her temper actually reminds me of someone…' While thinking about these things, Syaoran was trying not to get noticed by the currently mad Sakura.

"Demo Sakura-chan," Tomoyo spoke again. "Didn't you look at your watch on your way here? And how about the big school clock?"

"Iie Tomoyo-chan," Sakura was beginning to calm down, much to the relief of her two companions. "Oniichan must've adjusted my watch as well because when I looked at it, it was advanced as well. And I was worrying too much that I'll be late I didn't look at the school clock."

Both Tomoyo and Syaoran sweatdropped at the last part of Sakura's explanation.

"Okay then," said Tomoyo. 'Typical Sakura-chan. Always rushing to school because she's late, even though this time she isn't really late.'

"Kinomoto-san is really one in a million. I haven't met anyone just like her. She's a really interesting character,' Syaoran mused.

Just then, Tomoyo finally noticed Syaoran. She turned and bowed politely to him. "Ohayo gozaimasu! Who might you be?"

Sakura looked at Tomoyo then at Syaoran. Then she mentally slapped herself for forgetting to introduce them to each other.

'Sakura! How could you forget to introduce them to each other? How could you be so impolite to Li-san? He is new here after all,' Sakura mentally scolded herself for her mistake.

"Gomen, gomen! I forgot to introduce the two of you. Tomoyo-chan, this is Li Syaoran. He's a new student here. Li-san, this is Daidoji Tomoyo. She's my best friend," Sakura introduced the two of them.

Syaoran bowed politely at Tomoyo. "Nice to meet you, Daidoji-san."

Tomoyo bowed again and replied politely. "Nice to meet you too, Li-san."

"Um, Kinomoto-san, are you… uh… sure you're okay now?" Syaoran asked.

"Ehehehe. Sorry for the, um, outburst. I'm perfectly fine no, thanks anyway," Sakura said guiltily.

Tomoyo suddenly looked as if she's got an idea. She put away her camera and began to talk to Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, I've got a favor to ask of you."

"What is it Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked curiously.

"You see Sakura, since you've come early today, maybe you could clean the room by yourself? I did it alone last time we were the ones on duty. PLEASE?" Tomoyo pleaded while making puppy-dog eyes at Sakura.

"Well…"

But Tomoyo just looked at Sakura full force with her puppy-dog eyes. Sakura had no choice but to give in. Meanwhile, Syaoran was just watching the two friends talk with a small smile on his face. It was so small you have to have sharp eyes to notice it.

"Oh all right!" Sakura sighed defeated. "I guess I do owe you one since you cleaned by yourself last time. But what are you going to do while I clean?"

"Practice of course!" Tomoyo said happily.

"I see."

"You really don't mind; do you, Sakura-chan? I wouldn't do it if you don't want me to," Tomoyo said, looking carefully at her best friend's face, trying to see if there were traces of sadness, indignation, or any else.

"Of course I don't mind Tomoyo-chan! I was just trying to remember if you've got another performance coming."

"Oh. Nope, no performance as of now but we do have choir later after school, so I was thinking of doing a bit of practice," Tomoyo explained.

"Okay then! Don't worry about a single thing. I do owe you one after all!"

"Thanks a lot Sakura-chan! And don't worry about being all alone, I'm sure Li-san will keep you company for a while. Right, Li-san?" Tomoyo asked as she stood by the classroom door, turning to speak to Syaoran.

"Huh? It's okay, I guess," Syaoran answered somewhat helplessly.

"Thanks Li-san and Sakura-chan! Dewa mata!" Tomoyo called as she excited the room, heading towards the Music room.

Once again, Syaoran and Sakura were alone, but this time silence and awkwardness surrounded the two of them. As Sakura went around the room to tidy up, Syaoran watched her, his mind wandering over unusual things as he searched for something to say to Sakura. Sakura was also looking for an interesting topic to talk about, or any sensible topic at all so as to prevent herself from saying and/or doing stupid things, seeing as she had forgotten already what they were talking about a few minutes ago. She took a deep breath as she tried to start a conversation between them once again, willing herself not to do anything embarrassing in front Syaoran. 'Here goes nothing.'

"Ano, Li-san?" Sakura asked tentatively, breaking the silence surrounding them.

"Yeah?" Syaoran tried to answer nonchalantly even though he was slightly surprised that Sakura spoke to him again, meaning that she found something for them to talk about again already.

"Well, I was wondering if I could call you Li-kun, since… well… I dunno. But if you prefer me to call you Li-san I won't have any objections. It is your name, not mine," Sakura said hurriedly.

"Li-kun is alright," Syaoran answered after pondering the request for a bit. "It's okay if you call me that. Li-san might be a bit formal. Well at least I think so."

"Okay then. That's great!" Sakura exclaimed. "Phew! Now I'm done tidying up."

Sakura turned to face Syaoran who was leaning by the desk in front of hers.

"Kinomoto-san, you were asking me earlier who Eriol was before Daidoji came in, right? Well, he's a cousin of mine." Syaoran said as he remembered the last piece of the conversation he had with Sakura before Tomoyo arrived. Sakura, however, was momentarily lost with what Syaoran just said.

"Eh? Eriol?" Sakura said while frantically searching her mind. "Ah! Yes, him, I remember now. So, is he going to be our classmate as well?"

'Unfortunately, yes. That guy won't give me peace for the rest of the year, I just know it. He looks nice, but he's only nice for half of the time. The other half he spends with his evil diabolical plans and grinning that annoying Cheshire cat grin of his. Stay clear of him if you know what's good for you.' Syaoran thought, but even though these words were what he really wanted to say to Sakura, he knows he can't without looking cracked in the head. So instead he went, "Yeah, he'll be another classmate. He just went to the music room for a while to pass time."

"I see. Tomoyo-chan will meet him then. She's also going to the music room to practice."

"Is Daidoji-san a singer?" Syaoran asked out of curiosity.

"Hai! The best in my opinion," Sakura said proudly.

The door opened again, but this time somebody else was on the other side.

"Mizuki-sensei!" Sakura greeted with a smile. "Ohayo gozaimasu!"

"Ohayo gozaimasu to you as well, Sakura-san. I see you're quite early today. What a nice change this is. I hope you keep this up!" Ms. Mizuki said as she returned Sakura's greeting.

Sakura smiled sheepishly at her teacher. "I'll try to Mizuki-sensei."

Ms. Mizuki smiled her calming smile at Sakura as she said, "I hope so Sakura-san." She turned her attention to Syaoran who was just watching the two chat. "I see that you've met one of you're classmates already Li-kun."

Syaoran nodded.

"I hope she made you feel welcome to Tomoeda Junior High School. Sakura-san is one of the most cheerful students here. Before I get carried away, I would like to ask you to come with me for a while. We want to surprise the class so we can't have you here before class starts. Is it ok?"

Syaoran just nodded once again to show that he understood and agrees to what his teacher said.

"Arigato Li-kun. Shall we go now then? We still have to get your cousin at the Music Room," Ms. Mizuki said. "I'll see you later in class, ok, Sakura-san? And please keep this a secret for now."

"Hai, Mizuki-sensei," Sakura answered politely.

Ms. Mizuki just smiled again at Sakura and left the classroom.

"I guess I'll see you later too, Kinomoto-san," Syaoran said as he started to go to the door.

"Mm!" Sakura replied as she nodded her head. "I'll see you later, Li-kun!"

When Syaoran was at the door already and just about to go out, he suddenly remembered something. He turned to Sakura who walked him to the door and said, "Kinomoto-san, later on when we get introduced to the class, that's still me, ok? Dewa mata!" With that he went out and broke into a run to catch up with his adviser.

Syaoran's words left Sakura completely baffled. She went to her chair again, lost in her own thoughts, and sat down, trying to figure out what in the world caused Syaoran to say that and what it really means.

"Hoe-e. What did Li-kun mean with that? Hoeee…"

Japanese words:

-san/-chan/-kun – suffixes added to names.

–San is formal and directly translates to Mr. /Mrs. /Ms.

–Chan is usually added to friends' or best friends' names, usually for girls I think.

–Kun is for boys in the same manner (I think), although in one issue of K-Zone it says it's used to those younger than you. Not sure.

Hai – yes

Iie – no

Demo – but

Gomen/ gomen na sai – sorry

Dewa Mata – see you later

Sensei – teacher

Ohayo/ Ohayo gozaimasu – good morning

Oniichan – brother (in this story, big brother)

Daijobu desu ka – are you alright

Author's notes:

So what do you think? Is it lousy or what? Please tell me so I can do better next time. Feel free to tell me my mistakes in a review. Put in your other comments and questions as well if you have any. I love to get reviews, especially since this is my first fic, so please be nice and review!

Sorry for being so long before I finally updated. I had a bad case of writer's block and laziness, that's why. I'll try to put up the next chapter before June 7, which is the start of another school year (bummer!). Any suggestions on what you want to happen in the story? Review and tell me please! I'll try and see what I can do. Well thanks for reading my fic. Hope you enjoyed it! And thanks for all those who have so far reviewed my story! Really sorry if I can't put your names yet, i'll try to in the next chappie, which will hopefully be soon.

Bye for now!

p.s. don't forget to review! PLEASE!