Disclaimer: I own CCS. Or so I wish.

Syaoran looked at his house. Then at the female's house. Syaoran actually went pale: He's got a neighbor from hell!

The next day, Syaoran arrived at his school with a positive thought that everything would come out right. Then he saw a very familiar figure running in the very hallway that he had trodden. Syaoran let out a groan before finding himself sprawled on the floor with his auburn-haired neighbor from hell on top of him.

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Kami-sama Conspiracy

Round Two: Stuck

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Sakura was too preoccupied of her tardiness and hardly noticed Syaoran who had just gotten out of the men's room. She bumped into him and sent both of them sprawling on the floor.

"Do you have a habit of hitting people you hardly know?"

Sakura gasped. "What are you doing here?" she stupidly asked as she looked at the uniform that Syaoran was wearing. "Oh no," Sakura groaned. "Do NOT tell me," she warned him as she came up with the same realization as Syaoran did before she rammed into him.

"Wow. For the first time, I think we're agreeing on something," Syaoran bit out sarcastically as he brushed himself.

Sakura glared at him. "Just make sure that you don't show your butt-ugly face whenever I'm around or I'm gonna shove it up your own—"

"Likewise," he cut, as he struggled getting up. "Now if you don't mind, move your sloppy butt or I'm going to be late for my class."

"Hoe!" Sakura screamed near Syaoran's ear and scrambled to get up.

Syaoran didn't know if she meant that to render him deaf, but she had given him no reason to believe otherwise yet. He decided that it must be a definite "yes".

Sakura just remembered why she was running like Kero on a mission: She remembered that she going to run late. Again! Sakura scrambled to get up and grabbed whatever she had clumsily dropped on the floor. Darn that goku for being in my way again!

Syaoran was snapping his bag into place when he felt it disappear—no, fly from his arm—in a blink! He looked behind him and saw that the strap of his bag had looped around the strap of Sakura's bag, who was now running along the hallway, his bag poorly dragged on the floor.

Syaoran cursed through gritted teeth as he ran after her until he caught his bag. "Hey—"

"Kinomoto!"

The girl sprinting in front of him halted abruptly and so unexpectedly that he bumped into her. "What the—"

Sakura turned around expecting one of her professors but she instead found herself facing a huffing and half-cursing chocolate-haired boy.

"Nyaah!" she squeaked. "Why are you still following me?" she asked as she jabbed her index finger at his chest.

Syaoran was about to point out that her bag was caught in his but the man behind him called again. "Kinomoto!"

Sakura turned her surprised eyes to the other man. "Terada-sensei!"

The professor then turned to Syaoran. Syaoran felt a bead of sweat trickle at his back. Somehow, he was extremely sensing that whatever this Terada professor was going to say was not to his liking.

And how right he was. "Kinomoto, I see that you've already met and befriended our new student."

Sakura's smiling face cracked. "N-nani?" Befriended!

Syaoran would have laughed at his neighbor's loss of composure. But the professor suddenly addressed him.

"Li Syaoran, isn't it?"

"Hai," answered Syaoran with a slight bow. "Good morning, sensei. I'm afraid I'm running a bit late," he said and bowed slightly again.

Sakura looked at this Li Syaoran boy who was being ever so polite at her favorite teacher. Sucking up this early, huh?

"Terada-sensei," intruded Sakura. "I must go now!" Sakura excused herself and started to walk. But she was immediately held back again. Her back landed against a chest, her foot landing on an uneven floor.

Then she heard a familiar someone muttering a string of expletives near her ear about his foot being stepped on for the third time. There was definitely no guessing whom.

"You are a complete disaster," she heard him say.

A vein throbbed at her forehead. Did she hear it right? This newcomer just told her that? She, the First Year Class Representative? Excuse me!

"Why are you tagging along by the way?" she asked instead as she turned around and faced him, their noses only inches apart. "Planning to plant yourself near me again and wreak havoc?"

Syaoran returned the glare, lifted their tangled bag straps and simply pointed at it without breaking eye contact. "FYI."

Oh. Sakura cursed herself for not being able to control the flush that had colored her cheeks. "Why didn't you just say so?" she hissed softly refusing to look down.

Syaoran's left brow moved and Sakura believed that it was what they call a raised eyebrow. If this Syaoran guy would only just shut his mouth more like this then she could actually find him attractive just as he was right now—with him just staring at her with his liquid-hot amber eyes and saying nothing.

"Ehem," coughed a voice beside them.

Both heads turned in the direction of the sound and saw the forgotten professor. Only then that Syaoran and Sakura noticed that they were standing perilously close to each other—a slight push would make their lips brush against each other—with just mere inches and thick tension separating them.

To Syaoran's surprise, his eyes caught a lovely blush tinting the Kinomoto character's cheeks: as pink as her lips and as fresh as spring cherry blossoms.

She should definitely shut her mouth more often, Syaoran absently thought.

"Ehem!" coughed the professor again more loudly this time. "I believe we're all late. I know that you probably want to, er, talk more but the class is waiting."

Sakura couldn't believe what she heard that she blushed again. Did Terada-sensei just imply that she, Sakura Kinomoto, wants to spend more time with this buffoon?

"Professor—" Sakura attempted to correct her professor as she tried to untangle their bag straps. There was no way she's letting him think that there is something going on between her and the buffoon!

"Go in, go in," he shooed them inside the classroom. "I think I can arrange something for the two of you."

Sakura gasped before letting her jaw drop. "Professor?" She looked briefly at Syaoran to see his reaction, but he was seemingly oblivious to it as her neighbor untangled the straps that Sakura failed to unknot. Sakura rolled her eyes at him and dragged her eyes back to her teacher.

To her great horror, the professor winked at her, seemingly pleased with himself and his obvious matchmaking. Then he left them, with her gaping at her professor's back. The only matchmaking that's happening was a match—in its most literal sense—a match that can cause fire!

"Move," she heard a voice intruding her thoughts.

"Huh?" Sakura turned around and faced the gaki goku.

"I said—"

"I heard you first time," Sakura cut. She is not going to let this Li monkey get the last word. Over her dead (and beautiful) body.

Syaoran made a face. "So why aren't you moving? Brain having a hard time processing a one-word command?"

"No, but—"

Syaoran pretended not to hear the rest as he edged swiftly to his left, intending to sidestep Sakura.

Sakura had no intention of letting him pass that easy: she edged swiftly to her right blocking Syaoran's path.

Syaoran glared at Sakura and Sakura glared back. There was open challenge in the looks they were sending each other. It's only five minutes past seven but both their tempers were flaring hotter than the morning sun. They were oblivious to it but some students inside the classroom were already sweatdropping at the almost tangible flying sparks that the two were sending each other.

Syaoran moved to his right. Sakura moved to her left at the same time. Syaoran moved back to his left. Sakura moved to her right again at the same time.

"Just what are you trying to prove?" demanded an incensed Syaoran.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Sakura asked.

"To the zoo. Duh." Syaoran answered. He tried to snub the slow horror creeping up his spine already. "And what do you think you're doing?" he asked as he looked at her and then at her hand perched on his shoulder. "Ow! What do you think you're doing?" he asked dubiously again as he flinched in pain.

"Pinching you to know if this nightmare is real." Sakura thought this gotta be a nightmare. It's bad enough that they were neighbors, but he couldn't possibly be in her school, much less in her class!

Something in Syaoran snapped.

Syaoran had always been always been patient. Having five unpredictable women in the house had taught him the value of patience. But unfortunately, not temperance. He did the only thing that's been running in his head the night before. He suddenly grabbed Sakura by the arm and shut the door close. First impression be damned, this lady needs to know the rules right now. My rules.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Sakura shrieked, trying to pull away from him. Syaoran speared her with the most chilling look he could muster that Sakura never thought could shut her up.

Sakura squirmed and tried to break free. But Syaoran gripped her tight and dragged her near the end of end of a deserted hallway. "You're hurting me! Terada-sensei's going to mark me late again!"

"Like I care." Then Syaoran spotted an open room. He shoved Sakura in, flicked on the lights and locked the door. Syaoran leaned back at the door, crossed his arms and stared at the gaping Sakura. Syaoran also noted that Sakura had gone pale. Maybe she was coming to think that he wasn't someone whom she could just bully? Maybe she'd buckle up and ask forgiveness for irritating him? Or maybe…

"You stupid jerk!" Sakura screamed when she found her voice. "You locked us up!"

"No, really. It wasn't that obvious," Syaoran sarcastically replied.

If there was anything that Syaoran had anticipated, it definitely wasn't being called a jerk again. Is there no way to scare the lady? Here he was, in his best I-could-kill-you-with-a-look attitude and the girl had just slapped his arm and tried to jiggle the door knob.

"Look—"

"No! Look here, stupid," Sakura interrupted in a high-pitched voice.

"Oh you're calling me stupid now!"

"This door is and has always been jammed." Sakura advanced in on him and jabbed a finger at his chest. "Congratulations. You've just managed to imprison us on the room where anyone rarely visits."

Syaoran's loud groan was absorbed by tiny stock room's interiors.

(TBC)