AUTHOR'S NOTES with darkshadow36:

I'm back! Now here's the second chapter. Sorry if ever I updated late. Please make sure you're updated, though! This kind of took me long 'coz I had my third tri exams during Tuesday-Thursday (that was March 8-10), and then we had a soiree ('twas Friday, March 11)! It was my last day of school yesterday. And to think that I have attended SULONG (Students United in Leadership Onwards the Next Generation) in school for the last three days after my exams.

I wanna go thank first those who reviewed my first chap!—ksara, Kawaii Bell, Pinaygrrl, cristal-shian, and LiL.feLLow! Thanks for the support!

I suppose that's enough chatter now, eh? NOW READ! Don't forget to review! Hehe… Hope you enjoy!

(UPDATED: March 19, 2005) Chapter 2: Life's Options

Perhaps it was one of those worst days for Sakura. She was sitting alone in her big room. It was a Wednesday morning.

Today was her 2nd day from suspension. But she didn't mind that. She was thinking of something else with a grave face…

…FLASHBACK…

It was a very sunny Monday morning in Redstone. It had already been two days since the basketball game.

Sakura hurried to her classroom. She thought she was the usual early bird. But when she opened the door of Room 3-A, she was shocked to see Tomoyo sitting on her chair. Her angelic smile reached the heavens above.

"Konnichi-wa, Tomoyo-chan… Why are you here? And… You're so early!" Sakura exclaimed.

Tomoyo hugged her friend. "I… already answered Eriol! Get what I mean?" She said humbly. Her eyes were sparkling and she was blushing. "I told him my answer yesterday—"

She stopped when Sakura's bag fell off from her shoulder. "Really?" She forced herself to smile. "I'm happy for you, Tomoyo-chan."

"Happy?" Tomoyo looked at her skeptically. "But… why do you look so sad?"

Sakura made herself an excuse. "It's just… my breakfast this morning… It tasted bad!" She smiled forcefully. But Tomoyo didn't mind. "Gee, I'm so happy for you two!" she continued. Tell me more about it!" But actually, she doesn't want to hear more.

Tomoyo was about to start when Sakura signaled her to stop by holding up a hand.

"Wait… I'm just gonna go to the CR and… puke there!" she pretended to look pale. She was very good at this.

She didn't show up until it was morning break. It came to Ms. Yano's knowledge that Sakura had cut classes in the morning.

For the third time this month, she landed again in the high school principal's cabbage-smelling office.

"So, you skipped classes this morning, Ms. Kinomoto?" Ms. Yano looked at Sakura sympathetically. Of course Ms. Yano also has her soft side in front of students.

She understands Sakura because of her past… (More about it in the later chapters)… And Sakura knows that she did understand her situation.

"Yes, ma'am," Sakura looked down the floor as she sobbed.

"Do you wish to tell me anything?" Ms. Yano asked the troubled girl in front of her. Sakura shook her head.

"Just… go ahead and send my guardians the note telling them of my three-day suspension—"

"No, Sakura, I really don't want it—"

"Do as I say, Yano-sensei," Sakura said sharply. She talked as if she were in level with Ms. Yano, who pursed her lips quietly, thinking.

"If that's what you want, Sakura," she looked at her sadly.

Sakura shrugged. "I wouldn't mind, anyway," she said stiffly. "You're the discipline coordinator, and since the principal is away because of her pregnancy… You're in-charge. You must stick to the school rules. It would be a shame for Redstone if people knew that students from this school are not well-guided…"

Ms. Yano was silent for a while. "I said all right if that's what you want!" she almost wanted to yell, but she stayed calm as ever. "Yes, I know, Ms. Kinomoto that I must stick to the school rules myself. But to me, you are a different case. Nobody else knows about how your past and present affects you deeply. No one knows anything, not even your best friends as you've told me! Am I right?" They maintained eye-to-eye contact with each other.

Sakura nodded thoughtlessly. "Yeah… And I don't have the intention to tell them anything… That's why whenever people ask me about my past, I would just stare at them with cold eyes and I would leave their thoughts confused." She somehow wanted to cry, but she still maintained that strong face she always has in front of people.

"Uhmm—"

"I guess we should leave it here by now, Yano-sensei," Sakura stood up from the chair and started walking towards the door, "Sayonara!" She said without even looking back.

…END FLASHBACK…

Sakura was glad though that she could tell Ms. Yano anything. She kept her secrets throughout these years she has been in Redstone. She was approachable even though students knew her as a strict and loud woman.

That morning she still wanted to sleep, but hearing her guardians' loud snores filled her with anger.

…On the other hand… The Wednesday morning filled the students with hope to make it through this day… through the boring classes… through the day-mares… through love life and hopeless relationships…

"So, what do you think, Li?" asked Eriol. "I think I've already found myself a soul mate… Sorry anyway 'coz I haven't told you yesterday immediately—"

"Where's Kinomoto-san?" Syaoran butted in immediately. He looked quite stubborn. "I haven't seen her here around for days… Do you know what happened? I tried calling her but no one answers the phone in their house these days." He gave Eriol an angry look.

"Anything the matter, Li?" he asked, quite nervously. 'Why the angry look?' he wondered.

Syaoran shook his head and gave a small smile. "Oh, nothing of the sort at all, Hiiragizawa…" his mind seemed to drift off elsewhere.

Eriol tried to stay as calm as always. "So… Uhmm… What do you think of Tomoyo and… me?" He looked away. The latter yawned sleepily.

"I think you two would do well," he said simply. "Just take care of Tomoyo for me, okay? She's been my closest friend and I don't want her hurt in any way possible. Keep that in mind." His eyes sharpened. "Hmm… I guess I'll leave you here by now… I think I'm going to cut one class for today…"

"But why—"

But Syaoran left Eriol concerned and puzzled.

During the lunch break, just like what happened to Sakura last Monday, he also landed in Ms. Yano's office. It was one of his most hated places in the whole world.

"So… another case of cutting classes this week, eh?" Ms. Yano looked at Syaoran who was looking down the floor. But upon hearing what she had just said, his head cocked up and his eyes widened a bit.

"Excuse me, Yano-sensei, but… would you mind me asking… what was the first case?" he asked hastily.

Ms. Yano let out a deep breath. "Last Monday, it was Ms. Kinomoto…"

"What?" This time Syaoran's eyes really widened. "No wonder Kinomoto-san was absent for the past two days…"

"Yes," said Ms. Yano, "and today is her second day from suspension. I actually decided to give her an exception… but she refused… said she really doesn't want to be exempted and that I have to stick to the school rules myself…"

"Will that be my fate, too?" asked Syaoran promptly. "I wouldn't mind, anyway… And it's my first time… Think about that…" He whispered the last three words.

"Of course, Mr. Li!" Ms. Yano suddenly looked stern. "But for one day only because you only skipped one class… Ms. Kinomoto actually skipped the whole morning classes…"

Syaoran gulped. "Well… Arigatou gozaimasu, Yano-sensei… I should get going now…"

The next day, Sakura and Syaoran were both not in class. It was Sakura's third day from suspension while it was Syaoran's first and last day from his suspension.

Sakura hadn't been eating properly during those three days.

"Don't you want to eat, Sakura, dear?" asked Yukon, her male guardian. Sakura shook her head roughly.

"I'm going to my room," she said shortly before leaving the two behind.

She cried bitterly as she hugged her pillow once she got into her room. "I want to kill myself… Why am I having such pains like these? Am I… Am I in love with Eriol?" She became confused. "But… I don't even know what true love means!" She gasped. "I don't understand… There are so many things swirling in my head… Ohh!"

DING DONG!

She heard the doorbell, but she didn't mind.

"Maybe it's just the mailman or someone," she continued to cry afterwards. But she was surprised when someone knocked on her door.

"Kinomoto-san, it's me, Li!" She easily recognized Syaoran's voice.

Sakura hurriedly opened the door. "Come in," she said while drying her tears. Syaoran sat on Sakura's computer chair.

"Your adoptive parents let me in without even requiring who I am," he said slowly. He was looking at Sakura's pale face. It sort of bothered him.

"Why are you here?" Sakura snapped. "I'm in my last day of suspension, and—"

"I am suspended today from school," interrupted Syaoran. "Just for one day."

This surprised Sakura. "You—suspended? How come you're suspended whereas you're one of the good guys of Redstone?"

"Well…" Syaoran shrugged, "Starting off with the reason… What made me skip one class yesterday morn was after knowing Hiiragizawa's relationship with Tomoyo-san—"

"That's also the reason why I was suspended for three days…" Sakura looked into Syaoran's eyes. "I cut classes the whole morning last Monday. After knowing it all from Tomoyo herself on that very day… I became jealous… My world whirled inside my confused head…"

"I understand how you feel… 'Coz I also felt the same way…" Syaoran said softly. "I really didn't know what to do then. I don't know what true love really means… 'Coz to me it's only like an ordinary emotion… But this morning, when I woke up to think about it, I thought I fell in love with Tomoyo-san that's why I feel deep pain inside of me…"

Sakura patted her friend on the back. "Yeah… I think I also felt the same way for Eriol-kun… We've been so close since our childhood… But my instincts tell me that he has never fallen for me and never will…" She smiled all the same. "During these three days of suspension, I thought of… letting him go because there's really no chance for us to get together…"

The two both fell silent for a while.

After a few minutes, Syaoran spoke. "What do you say to this—if we try becoming a couple for 100 days?"

Sakura gasped. "Huh?" her eyes went round. "What's that for?"

"Trust me, Kinomoto-san… I think it'll work…" Syaoran finally managed to smile. "I thought of it since we both don't know what true love really means… And I suppose 100 days will be enough for us to understand it."

"That's like 3 months or so!" Sakura exclaimed. "So… when will we start?" She grinned.

"Tomorrow shall be the first day…"

"Well, I guess both of us should no longer be sad," Sakura suggested. "Tomorrow's another day…"

Syaoran nodded. "I wonder how things will turn out," he said. "During those 100 days… I think we can make it… But don't be surprised if ever we see our picture at the school paper for the next issue…"

"Yeah," Sakura mumbled, "if only you're not that famous in school!" She elbowed him in the ribs, making him howl in pain.

"That hurts!" laughed Syaoran. They kept on rolling and laughing and teasing and tickling on Sakura's bed until all of a sudden they both fell on the floor face to face.

They both went red.

"Uhmm… I think you should get going…" Sakura looked away from Syaoran. "So… Remember tomorrow, okay? Bye!"

"Sayonara, Kinomoto-san!" smiled Syaoran, turning to go. "See you tomorrow in school…"

TBC

AUTHOR'S NOTES with darkshadow36:

That's the end of the second chapter. I know it was sort of crappy and confusing, and please do forgive me about that! The real thing begins in the next chapwatch out for it. So, what do you think will happen during those 100 days? Will their plan be successful? I hope you'll still support me 'til the end, guys! Please don't forget to drop by a review. You people rock!