Chapter Ten

Jagged Amber

Card Captor Sakura

*starjade*

Feelings

" Hello, my dear descendant," A cheerful voice said. " How's life going for you?"

Syaoran didn't even pause to think. He turned with the quick reflexes of a martial artist and slammed Eriol against the wall. A crinkling of glass shattered as Eriol slammed against a picture frame.

" What. The. Hell. Were. You. Thinking?" Syaoran said calmly. Behind his voice there was a barely strained anger.

Eriol rose an eyebrow. " What are you talking about?"

Syaoran guffawed. " You know what shit I'm talking about! What are you trying to do? Get secrets out of Kinomoto? Try to involve her in some evil plan to knock me off the running for the Martial Arts competition? Find some way to disqualify me? Or maybe this is bigger, maybe you want to find something that will disqualify me from being a legal heir to the leadership of the Li clan?"

Eriol blinked at him as Syaoran yelled, " What is it? Tell me, you asshole!"

Eriol let out a little laugh and Syaoran raised a fist to punch him, but Eriol had somehow slipped out of Syaoran's death grip. Syaoran paused, confused as once again, Eriol tapped on his shoulder.

" You are one dense boy, Xiao-Lang," Eriol said, amused. " I asked Sakura out purely based on my own feelings and intentions. Why would this have anything to do with you?"

Syaoran looked baffled. " What?" Syaoran asked, trying to recover his angry attitude again. " But...But why would you want to go out with Kinomoto?" He spat out, making her name seem like a swear word.

Eriol snickered. " In case you haven't noticed, my dear descendant, she is quite the catch. Pretty, intelligent, witty and practical, I am interested in her. The whole world doesn't revolve around you." Eriol sighed. " If you wanted her so much, you should've asked her before I did."

Syaoran purpled. " WHAT? I don't want to ask her to the dance!! That's just pathetic and I won't degrade my family heritage involving myself with Kinomoto!!"

There was no response and Syaoran groaned. Eriol had already left. Why couldn't he sense him?? It would make it a lot more easier!!

Syaoran ran a hand through his hair and that scent of cherry blossoms reached his nose as the door opened and slammed and loud footsteps came toward him.

" Hey, Syaoran!" The girl's voice said cheerfully. It grated against his nerves. She was so freaking annoying. Why hadn't she gone back to Japan yet??

" Syaoran? Syaoran!" Sakura asked, her voice concerned. Why was she like this? No matter how many times he had tried to break her, no matter how many insults, curses, taunts...she was still here, treating him as if he was equal to her, as if nothing had ever happened.

He looked down, his mind confused. How should he treat her then? Nicely?? He didn't have a nice bone in his body!

" Syaoran? I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to come shopping with Tomoyo and me, we're going to go get a dress for the dance...Syaoran?"

Syaoran let out a yell. " Do you think I care about you're worthless life? Just get out of my fucking way and go to your damned dance!! Like I freaking care!" He growled and stomped past her, fury building insider of him as he walked up the stairs and slammed the door into his room.

He didn't care about her.

He didn't care about anyone.

*********************

Sakura leaned against Syaoran's door, banging against it with her fist.

Shouldn't I be the one locking myself in my room, Sakura thought ironically. The words he said to me....But Sakura was learning to live with it and god forbid, actually getting used to it.

" Syaoran! COME OUT! I still have a job to do and I'm going to do it, regardless of your pathetic complaining!" Sakura yelled. She was getting really frustrated. He was like a spoiled kid, seriously!

Why was he so angry in the first place?

Was it because of the dance? Well then, why would he be angry? Maybe he knew Eriol....Maybe he thought she wasn't worthy of Eriol. Well, it wasn't his choice to make.

" SYAORAN! GET YOUR WHINY ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!" Sakura finally screamed, fed up.

Ten seconds later, the door opened slowly.

Syaoran was glaring at the floor. " Whiny ass?" He asked, his voice carrying a note of amusement.

Sakura flushed. " Oh, shut up. We're going out. Come on, get your shoes on."

Syaoran rolled his eyes. " You can't boss me around," He said sullenly as he walked down the stairs with her, not even pulling away as she held out a hand to stop him from tripping on the last step.

Sakura grinned. " That's what you think."

Syaoran made a face and then the corner of his mouth twitched. " So you stare at my ass?"

Sakura turned red to the tips of her toes and she was glad he couldn't see it. It was rather shocking, first of all, to hear him say that. He was teasing her! Syaoran Li was teasing her!

" I do not!! Just get your damned shoes on!!"

Syaoran rose an eyebrow. " Aggressive."

Sakura growled, " Spoiled."

" Bitch."

" Bastard."

" Cow."

" Orangutan!"

Syaoran halted and looked at her strangely and Sakura groaned. " Just get OUTSIDE!"

**************

Sakura led Syaoran into a crowded area. Syaoran kept on bumping into people and was getting redder and redder by the moment.

" Where the hell are we?" Syaoran growled.

Sakura smiled happily. " It's a carnival sort of thing."

" A what?" Syaoran asked.

" A carnival!" Sakura said, and when he looked at her blankly, she stared at him in confusion. He didn't know what a carnival was?

Syaoran growled at her. " Why did you bring me to a cranivolo-whatever for? I knew it! You're worthless as a tutor ! You bring me to things that have absolutely no point! I still haven't forgotten the flower bed!"

Sakura rolled her eyes." Shut up! It's a carnival. It's a festival. Don't you know about it? The school's been talking about it for weeks!"

Syaoran crossed his arms resentfully. " I don't care. Lets go back."

" Oh come on!" Sakura cried, pulling on his arm. " Let's go! I'll buy you food! Seriously! I will!"

Syaoran's will was slowly dissolving, more rapidly at the mention of food. " Fine. But if you try to make me do something crazy, like you're idiot mind always tries to do..."

Sakura sighed, her heart light for the first time in days. " I won't! Let's go. Look, there's a hot dog stand right over there."

Syaoran glared. " I can't exactly 'look' Kinomoto, if you've forgotten."

Sakura flushed hard. " S-Sorry-"

" Just get me a damned hot dog," Syaoran cut in, even though he probably should've let her stumble on awkwardly. He felt her hand leave his arm and then a person jostled him from behind. Syaoran stumbled a bit then regained his balance. He inched forward a few steps, but then another person shoved into him. He felt helpless, and that made him angry.

Where did that wench go, Syaoran thought bitterly as he forced himself to keep his hands at his sides then risk looking like a typical disabled person, reaching out when he could perfectly well find his way on his own. He took a minute to gather his senses, though it was harder to walk at the carnival since there was so many people around.

Finally, he was able to walk, sensing his way around people and around large objects. He tried to find Sakura's scent, but it was mingled with too many others.

" Why should I find her?" He mumbled to himself. " I could just leave right now..."

But his feet kept walking and his senses kept on working to find Sakura.

Suddenly the scent of cherry blossoms hit his nose and he sighed with relief and then tensed as he heard another voice.

" What, do you have a boyfriend?" A nasty voice was sneering.

Sakura's voice came back strong. " Just leave me alone, would you?"

" You should know by now, pretty girls like you shouldn't be left alone..." The man drawled and Syaoran bristled.

Suddenly Sakura screeched, " Let go of me!" But her voice was cut off and a clapping sound was heard as the man clapped a hand over her mouth.

Anger filled Syaoran like a tidal wave and he roared, " Let her go, you asshole!" There was a moment of shock and Syaoran pulled his senses in tightly, and closed his eyes tightly, trying to pin point where the guy was. A smell like cheap cologne and a harsh sound rang in his ears and years of martial arts gave him a faint outline, engraved at the back of his mind, of the person.

He wasn't holding onto Sakura anymore and Syaoran spared a small thank you as he flew towards the man and punched him straight in the stomach.

" What the f-" The man started to yell as Syaoran kicked him and punched him, bringing him to his knees and gasping for hair. Just as Syaoran was drawing his fist back for another punch, the man came out of nowhere and punched Syaoran in the stomach. Syaoran doubled over and the man swung out with his feet, tripping him and making him fall and then punched him straight in his face. Syaoran felt his senses lose control and he punched out blindly, concentrating instead on Sakura's voice which was screaming at him to stop.

The punch made contact and the man fell to the ground. Syaoran got up and grabbed the man's hair, pulling his face back.

" Don't you dare touch her again, alright?" Syaoran growled deep in his throat.

The man nodded, violently and Syaoran let go of him harshly adding one more kick for good measure. His senses were lost and all he could hear was Sakura, crying out his name. He stumbled into someone and they grabbed his shoulders, holding him in place as he felt a familiar hand grab his arm.

" Thank you," Sakura's voice breathed to the person who was holding him and the hands let go of his shoulders.

His senses were coming back to him, and he was once again aware of the roar of the crowd, of the space around them. People were crowding around them and he guessed the fight had attracted many people. He was once again aware of the music, of the smells, and of Sakura who was standing in front of him.

A salty smell hit his nose and Syaoran's eyebrows shot together as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist tightly. " God, Syaoran!" Sakura's voice was shaky. " I could've taken care of myself! Why did you come after me? I had it all under control!"

Syaoran growled, " Like hell you did! He was assaulting you-"

" Syaoran, I've been through this many times before! I know how to take care of myself" One of her arms left his waist and reached up and touched his eye with gentle fingers. Syaoran closed his eyes as her fingers stroked his eye.

" I'm sorry, Syaoran. You get into so much trouble because of me," Sakura whispered. The sensation of her fingers against his skin, of her body pressed so close against him, of her arm around his waist....it brought such an ache to his heart that it was hard to keep his balance. His throat constricted and his whole body was throbbing...with what, he couldn't recognize, for he had never felt like this before.

He wrenched away from Sakura, away from the person who was making him feel like this. He barked out roughly, " Damn straight. I really don't want to always take care of you all the time! When are you going to leave! It's a curse with you around!"

Syaoran was panting hard and he listened for her angry reply. None came. The smell of salt and water hit his nose again and he realized she was crying again. That ache flooded through him once more and he felt like punching himself. So many girls had cried before because of him...why did he care so much now?

Suddenly, the hand was touching his arm once more. " Let's go home, alright?"

Syaoran could only nod numbly as this girl, this girl who sent aches and shivers racing through his body, led him home.

*****************

She couldn't believe she had cried.

What was wrong with her? Seriously! But when she had seen him, angry and furious, charging in, beating up that man who had been assaulting her- God, she was never so frightened in her life.

She felt her heart beating so hard when that evil man had managed to get Syaoran to the ground.....She had never felt such a feeling before, the feeling as if she would die if Syaoran was hurt-

She cared. Dammit, she cared.

And she really did not want to.

She listened to him next door to her, rolling uncomfortably on the bed before flopping down, groaning and then there was a silence as he fell asleep. She rolled over and stared at the wall between them.

Syaoran did have a hurtful childhood. Trained to be the perfect heir to the Li clan and then losing his father at such a young age as well as losing his sight. No wonder he was so icy and mean and didn't want people to get close to him.

She wondered what she meant to Syaoran. A nuisance, probably, Sakura thought, scowling. He thought she was another slut, another money grabber, another glory craver.

It never used to hurt her before. She just wanted the month to be over with, to get back to Japan and get that A she needed so very badly.

So what changed?


What changed?

**************

Syaoran whirled his staff in many complex circles, sweating hard. He was punishing himself again, an extra hour of martial arts practice.

Why?

Well, that was embarrassing to admit. The fact that he actually 'accepted' Sakura's hugs. His face burned at the way he felt at the way she touched him.

It wasn't right. She probably felt pity for him. He was just a 'poor blind boy' right?

Syaoran clenched his teeth tight and added kicks and punches to his staff routine.

" That looks dangerous," Said a kind voice.

" Did anyone ask you your opinion?" Syaoran snapped, gruffly.

" I respect your opinion. Shouldn't my opinion matter?"

" No."

" And why not?"

" Because you're a lower caste slut from Japan."

There was a sigh. " Why do you keep acting like this?"

Syaoran finally couldn't take it. Her voice was causing his heart to speed up and he sure as hell didn't like that. He threw his staff down and charged over to where she sat on the porch steps. He heard her get up as he glared at where she must have been standing, angrily.

" This is who I am. Now if your dim witted mind can't take that, I suggest you leave. No, I WANT you to leave. But you never do! JUST LEAVE, will you? I can't take it! Why are you still here? Your not wanted! Your not needed! So go back to where you came from and let me be happy for once, will you?" Syaoran yelled.

" Are you happy?" Came that voice, still carrying that cheerfulness. It grated against his nerves.

" YES! I WAS HAPPY! NOW I'M NOT!" He roared.

" Are you sure? You were happy. You want to know what I saw? I saw a lonely boy, someone who was never thought of as an equal. Someone who was judged for his disability, for his status and for his appearance. Someone who carried around years worth of guilt and regret. Someone who remained in the darkness...and never stepped into the light."

Syaoran felt his whole body freeze at her words and she continued, lightly, " Will you let go?"

Syaoran's body was trembling. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the emotion to go away. So when he opened his eyes, they were that icy amber once more.

" Get out of my fucking way," He whispered.

" Wait!"

" Get out of MY WAY!" He yelled and she moved aside and he stormed past her, wrenching open the door. But before he did leave, he heard her voice whisper, " I won't leave until you do." Before he slammed the door shut.

a/n: hehehe...yah, well, I think the romance is going somewhere! *ducks rotten vegetables* lol, he's getting....feelings!! Feelings...what can't they do. They sure as hell can bring romance into this story! *dances wildly* Wat wat, please review aight? Come on, yo, you know you want to!

Aight, see ya latez,

*starjade*