Author's note: I'm having problems with regards to the format of the fic, so onegai if if it looks a bit cluttered. Some notes for my reviewers:

Crystal- magnolia: Well, what Syaoran said in the last chapter, the 'screw the bet' part, he was actually referring to their bet before,(that who gets the most number of dates, wins) and he's kind of joking Sakura about it. It's also a way for him to say that the bet was called off already.

And also, special thanks to teenureen and CherryFreakyFunk for your constant reviews. ;)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE DATING GAME

It was inescapable.

Or rather, he was inescapable.

Sakura sighed, as she smoothed the periwinkle skirt she's trying on. She's preparing for her date with Syaoran and she doesn't know why she even bothered trying to look extra nice for him. She's been changing clothes for about half an hour now.

Syaoran was every bit of a man she was not supposed to start liking. And she knew the reasons. She perfectly knew them all.

He's a player. He's an arrogant jerk. He thinks he's god's gift to women.

She mentally enumerated in her thoughts, trying to dissuade herself from all these madness she was going through.

And I don't even know if this thing we have going on between the two of us is good while it only lasts.

Sakura's eyes darted at her reflection in the mirror as she instinctively selected the outfit she finally decided to wear for their date.

I'm going back to Tomoeda after my work here and I can't afford to like him. And most of all, I couldn't afford to fall for him. I shouldn't, wouldn't and mustn't do that.

And she felt her heart tinge a bit, as if disagreeing with her.

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Sakura tried her best not to feel self-conscious as she glanced around the hotel's lobby, scanning for that familiar face she was half-expecting to meet.

"Now, where's that baka?" she half-muttered.

Just when she thought that the jerk backed out of their plan already, her eyes laid sight upon the familiar good-looking face of Li Syaoran, dressed handsomely in a crisp white Gap polo-shirt and a pair of nice fitted jeans, walking slowly towards her, a small smile plastered on his face.

"There you are! I'm starting to think you chickened out." Her eyes narrowed at him.

Syaoran's smile widened.

"Missed me too soon?"

"Don't start encouraging yourself with false ideas, Li."

He laughed softly at her retort. Sakura still never failed to surprise him. This girl always has a witty comeback on the things he has to say.

"My, Kinomoto…it worked for me!" He glanced at her pretty face, his mind acknowledging the fact how she dressed quite good today. "If I didn't do that, who would've thought we'd eventually go out on a date today?"

She rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help laughing at his flirty remarks.

"Yeah, right."

Syaoran winked at her impishly and bowed his head slightly, his one hand extending towards her, just like those valiant gentlemen Sakura have watched in movies with medieval themes.

"Now, Milady…shall we go now?" he had spoken with such flourish and sweetness that made Sakura almost wanted to burst in a fit of giggles. She bit her lip, trying hard not to laugh at such silliness he was demonstrating.

"Yeah, sure. Oh, I mean—of course, Sir Li Syaoran." She replied, playing along with him.

He winced mockingly.

"You made it sound like I'm an old man."

"Just admit it." Sakura chuckled. "You really don't fit in in the gentleman category."

"You might be surprised." He replied casually at her. He took hold of Sakura's hands that it definitely caught her in surprise. It was a bold move really, that her mind was literally having a hard time processing that piece of information.

He hold my hand! Sakura thought in surprised. Does he always do that with his date?

"So, what do you have in mind?" She asked him, still debating silently whether she should pull her hand away from his. But Syaoran's soft and firm hand, clasping her own small and fragile hand, felt too nice to be ignored.

Syaoran didn't answer her. Instead, he led her outside the hotel, past across the swimming pool and the beach, before finally halting in the parking lot.

She looked at him inquisitively.

"Where are we going?" She couldn't help asking.

"Come on, Kinomoto." He walked again, his hands still never letting go of hers. Her brow raised in surprise when she saw him stopped beside a black BMW.

"Don't tell me where going away from the hotel. Since when did you bring a car here?"

Syaoran couldn't help smirking at her naivety.

"Silly. Of course I didn't bring a car. You were my seatmate when we went here!" He couldn't help smiling inwardly at the faint blush that registered on Sakura's cheeks. Whether she was blushing because of her being gullible, or something else, that, he didn't know.

"I rented this one from the hotel, you know, for our date." He emphasized the last two words.

A hint of surprise was evident on her emerald eyes but she was quick to hide it away.

"Wow. I never thought you had it in you." She said slowly, almost sarcastically, trying to irritate Syaoran.

"You obviously underestimated me." He replied just as sardonically.

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"Ok, just close your eyes."

"Are you making fun of me?" Sakura asked him doubtfully. They've been driving for about half an hour now and for that whole duration of their trip, she was trying to squeeze even just a bit of information from Syaoran as to where he was taking her. But he'd been so secretive that she had just given up on him. And now, he's asking her to close her eyes? She must admit she was getting a bit surprised on this newfound Syaoran she had just discovered. This side of him made her think how hard it was not to like him.

"Of course, I'm not." Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Could you just trust me on this one?"

Sakura couldn't help smiling at the almost pleading look on his face.

"Ok, ok." She narrowed her eyes at him doubtfully before closing her eyes. "There."

About three seconds after, Sakura couldn't help herself that she just have to opened her eyes to take just a quick look. She slowly lifted her eyelids , hoping to sneak a peek on Syaoran's 'surprise' but she was caught by an amused looking Syaoran.

"Hey! No peeking!"

Sakura laughed quietly as she was caught red-handed. She closed her eyes hurriedly, still grinning at the sight of Syaoran's bewildered face.

"Who said I'm peeking?"

"Oh sure, you weren't." He replied sarcastically.

Sakura felt the car moved slowly, in contrast to the anticipation building up quickly inside of her. She was trying hard not to look curious but she knew her face tells her otherwise.

"Kinomoto." Syaoran's smooth voice interrupted her thoughts. "You may now open your eyes."

"You're not letting me see something I don't want to see, right?"

Syaoran didn't respond but she could feel him chuckling softly. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a little at the glaring sun that greeted her. It took her a few seconds to adjust to the surroundings around her. As she absorbed the sight laid out infront of her, her mind slowly comprehended the beauty proudly beaming back at her.

Their car was parked just a few safe meters from a cliff, overlooking the vast, blue ocean just below them, and the mountains looming far ahead. She saw a flock of birds, flying in V-formation across the middle of the sea and she couldn't help smiling in awe, as she hears the ripple of the waves echoing loudly in her ears.

"This is…" she paused, at sudden loss for words.

"Awesome?" Syaoran added helpfully, his face boring a neutral look. Sakura didn't know if he's happy that she was happy or not.

She shook her head.

"No…it is, breathtaking." Sakura glanced at him and smiled at him truthfully. It was the first time she actually felt the honesty and the happiness of wanting to smile at him. "Arigatou for taking me here, Li."

He just nodded in reply.

"How did you know about this?"

"What do you mean?"

Sakura gestured her hands widely, pointing out the scenic beauty right infront of them.

"How did you learned about this place? You were not from Japan, isn't it?" She glanced at his profile curiously.

Syaoran shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I have my ways."

"You know, I never thought you would come up with something like this…I mean, it's not like your character to…"

"Tell me, what do you think of me?" Syaoran smiled at her, his amber eyes staring at hers thoughtfully. "You seem to have this idea of me already that sometimes, you looked like you're so sure you already knew me."

Sakura felt her cheeks flushed a little. How could she tell him how negatively she thought of him?

"I thought…well, I always found you arrogant and moody and a player, if I may say so." She paused contemplatively. "And you looked kind of a spoiled, rich, brat that—"

"Ouch!" He feigned a hurt look on his face. "Okay, I get the point already."

"Well, you asked me what did I think of you…I'm just being honest."

"I know. And I couldn't blame you." He snorted. "I was being an asshole. When I first met you, I was having a really bad mood. Too bad I couldn't help but pick a bad day of being angry, 'cause that was when I met you and well—you know the story."

Sakura nodded quietly.

"Do you think it's too late for us to get to know each other again, in a whole different light?"

"I understand. I mean, we're always getting into each other's skin from day one!" She couldn't help laughing as she remembered their arguments.

"Not to mention the bet." Syaoran added.

"Oh yeahhh." She pouted her lips mockingly, making Syaoran snicker in amusement. "I guess we're even on that one, right?"

"I guess so." Syaoran adjusted his self on his seat so that he was looking at her comfortably. "So, nobody won right? Nobody has to do anything to the other person, right?"

"Awww…I was hoping I'd get the chance to dress you up in some bimbo clothes." She remarked disappointedly, her shoulders slumping in obvious regret.

"Nani?" He looked at her incredulously. "Remind me not to be involved in a bet with you, anymore."

Syaoran shuddered at the thought.

"Well, as if you were not thinking of ways to embarrass me or anything." Sakura blinked at him innocently. Syaoran tried hard not to gaze too much at her large emerald eyes, looking back at him. "Well?"

"Well, I actually thought I'd get to kiss you if I had won." He smirked.

"Nani?" Sakura echoed in the same fashion as Syaoran did a while earlier. She was about to say something else but he saw her cheeks reddened at whatever idea she had in mind.

"Don't worry, Kinomoto. It's not like I'm going to kiss you again."

"Really?" she asked doubtfully.

Syaoran grinned at her mischievously. "You almost sound disappointed."

By now, Sakura's face was turning into an obvious shade of red that the most logical thing she could ever think of was to get out of the car as soon as possible (she was totally getting embarrassed by blushing too much around him).

"Baka!"

Syaoran laughed as the car door slammed in annoyance.

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"There you are! We've been looking all over for you." Ema said to her as soon as she returned from her date.

"Why? Is there anything I've missed?"

"No, not really." Ema shook her head gently. "But there's a contest that's going to start now in a few minutes and I think it's quite interesting to watch. Or you could participate if you want to." She added.

"Huh?" She asked in confusion.

Ema couldn't help but giggle at the confounded look on Sakura's face.

"There's going to be a dating game being held at the beach."

Sakura frowned as she heard the words 'dating game'.

"Oh no, no, no, no!" She shook her head vigorously. "I'm not taking part in any of those silly company games that they've conjured for us not to get bored. I'm not interested on those."

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If Sakura could kill her boss, she would, right now.

As if by some stroke of luck (not!), Mr. Cheung saw her strolling with Ema as they hurried to watch the 'Dating Game' and whatever demon that her boss was possessed with, he suddenly called out her name and asked a favor from her.

Sakura had no problem with favors; it's just that, of all the favor her boss would ask from her, it had to be this.

Now, she was sitting here as one of the searchees hoping to capture the heart of that elusive searcher.

She glared at the door, supposed to be concealing her (as well as the other searchees), from meeting the man of her dreams.

"Treat yourself to a little fun before you go back to Tomoeda, Ms. Kinomoto."

Sakura remembered the cheerful face of her boss. She couldn't help slapping her forehead for not being able to say 'no'.

"Okay,searchees, introduce yourself to your searcher please…"

She couldn't help flinching as she heard the sweet-diabetes-inducing voice of what appears to be the host of this silly contest.

"Hi. I'm Ms. Searchee number one and I'm pretty much sure that I'm everything that one could ever wish for in a girl. I'm pretty, smart, and definitely sexy." The first contestant said in a silky voice that made Sakura almost laugh in disbelief. She tried hard to cover her microphone to prevent it from picking up the sound of her giggle.

As she listened to the other three remaining contestants, she couldn't help thinking how their introduction got sillier and sillier by the minute. (Well, except for Searchee number three who sounded almost normal, as what Sakura thought)

"And you Ms. Searchee number five?" The host paused as they waited for the contestant's introduction. "Hello? Ms. Searchee number five?"

Sakura suddenly realized that she was the 'Ms. Searchee number five' that the host was referring to.

"Uh yeah..Hi. Um, I'm Ms. Searchee number five and I don't even know why I'm here." She stifled a laugh.

"Come again?" A masculine voice asked, a hint of surprise evident on his voice. Sakura could literally hear nothing but silence from the audience watching the game. They must've been busy thinking how weird 'Ms. Searchee number five' was.

"Oh yeah…I think I'm here to meet my soulmate." She added, trying hard not to sound too sarcastic.

And her answer was acknowledged by the audience's enthusiastic applause.

Oh God. Help me.

She couldn't help thinking in desperation and amusement at the same time.

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Sakura was already answering the stupid questions being thrown by the Searcher just as stupidly, that she wondered why on earth why he was not letting her go of this tacky contest?

She even answered his ridiculous question of "How would you make someone like me, a misunderstood guy, get to open up with you?"

"Oh I don't know. Psycho-analyze you, perhaos?" She said in annoyance (she couldn't help it any longer) "Don't worry, I won't charge you on our first session."

Sakura was sure that by her last answer, she would've been 'rejected' already. But no! She was even included in the last two Searchees that the lucky Searcher would get to pick from. Apparently, this guy, whoever he was, was so thick-headed not to realize that she wanted anything more but be his date.

At the idea of a date, Syaoran's face popped unwantedly in her thoughts.

Oh great, my mind's haunting me already with thoughts of him! Just one date and he got my mind thinking already!

But who was she kidding? She knew that even before their date, she was having thoughts of him already. She was just trying hard not to notice it but she knew perfectly well how she was attracted to him. And for the first time in her life, something tells her that this was not just some silly infatuation.

"So who do you think would be the perfect match for you?" The host's voice echoed outside, breaking her reverie.

"I'm having a hard time, really. Searchee number three was really sweet. However, I find Searchee number five, quite interesting too if I may say so."

Sakura rolled her eyes upon hearing the digitally distorted voice of the searcher. (a/n: this was made that way so that the searchees wouldn't recognize his voice.)

"So I think, I'm going out with…" the guy paused. "Ms. Searchee number three."

Sakura literally breathed a loud sigh of relief at that and that she didn't care anymore if the audience heard her or not. She was just actually glad that she didn't won.

The door suddenly opened slowly as she heard a sappy lovesong being played loudly at the speakers. She smiled awkwardly at the crowd of employees teasing, shouting and laughing gleefully at the whole contest. God, they were really entertained.

She tried hard not to roll her eyes.

"And now, it's time for us to meet the remaining two ladies vying for our searcher's heart."

Sakura hesitantly stepped out of her door (she actually wanted not to) and gave a weak wave in response to the audience standing infront of the stage. She saw the host signaling for her to walk towards the center, where the guy (who must be the searcher), was sitting, his back facing her.

She was suddenly aware of another woman, which she suddenly realized was the winner, standing beside her. She suddenly flinched in surprise at the familiar gorgeous face of Otsuka Rina , who used to be Syaoran's date.

"Okay, Mister Searcher, time to meet the woman you didn't select, " Sakura winced a little. " …and the woman who made its way to your heart."

The searcher whirled around on cue, peeling off the masquerade he's wearing.

"Meet, Miss searchee number five, Kinomoto Sakura…" The host paused, planting a fake, sad and apologetic face.

Sakura's eyes grew large.

"Hi." He said before kissing her cheek. He gave her single white rose. "Thanks for your time. Sorry." His lips lifted into a small smile. She could see he was trying not to laugh (or smirk? She thought in annoyance)

"Sakura, meet our dashing searcher, Mr. Li Syaoran." The host continued.

In that one crazy moment, she almost wished she had won.

……

kotsch

A/N: Lol! Falling in love must really take quite some time for them to realize…Some of you might be thinking, 'I want a sappy S+S moment!' but yeah, that will take a while. I'm trying to make this a lighthearted love story and not force them to you know, just suddenly love ach other after hating each other so much . Anyway, enough of my ramblings..hehe..please don't forget to review, guys and let me know how I'm doing. It's quite a bit disappointing knowing that this fic's getting a lot of hits (arigatou) but very few decided to review. Oh well …anyway, thank you very much for those who took their time to review. Thanks!