Special Dedication to: Miroku34 and me! Our b-days are on 4/28! She's turning 15 while I'm turning 14!!! Yeah yeah yeah!

**

A/N: Another chappie!!

**

Chapter 8: A Lost Memory

            "So is that a yes or no?" Cherry asked.

          "Why do you want to go out with me?" Syaoran asked amusingly.

          "Look, idiot, I'm simply trying to make up what I have done to you two months ago. I mean, even since what I said to you during that time when you and Natalie broke up, you haven't been going out with anyone. I thought you might like to go to the dance, and I AM ONLY TRYING TO BE NICE." Sakura replied.

          "Oh, I feel so loved!" Syaoran muttered sarcastically.

          "Fine. I will ask Eriol out." Cherry turned around.

          "FINE. Go then." Syaoran stuck out his tongue.

          "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Tomoyo whispered angrily as Cherry turned to her books.

          "What? The guy is a freak." Cherry answered simply.

          "But you are supposed to ask him out!" Tomoyo argued.

          "He's crazy. Simply out of this world." Cherry shut her eyes in relief. "I would never go out with him."

          Never go out with him…

          Never…

          Go…

          Out…

          With…

          Him…

          Syaoran stared blankly into the space between them. Everything went black. Was he really that unlovable? Would no one really want to go out with him? Eriol's words sounded inside of him again—" And he ended up single. SINGLE. Can you even bare that word?"

          He glared at Cherry's back, and focused on her. She looked so much like Sakura Kinomoto, Syaoran thought. Did Sakura Kinomoto love him? She never said the word… Does that mean that she doesn't love him?

          Syaoran sighed in frustration. Everything's a mess. The only reason he didn't want to date was because of the deep scar that Cherry has given him. "Sakura might still be alive!" An auburn-haired girl smiled widely at him, her emerald eyes glimmering under the bright sunlight.

          "Syaoran, you know, you gotta make a friend some time," Sakura smiled.

          "I don't care. As long as I have you, I'm alright." Syaoran replied simply.

          Sakura sighed deeply. She placed her hand on his face and turned him around. "Someday, you just wait, Syaoran, there won't be a Sakura Kinomoto anymore. Someday, Syaoran, you are going to find a girl who is more beautiful, more intelligent, and more athletic than I am, Syaoran, and you are going to love that girl forever, and protect her with everything you have."

          "Sakura, I have already found that girl." Syaoran whispered.

          "Oh?" Sakura smiled secretly.

          "It's you." Syaoran answered after a while.

          A soft chuckle rang from his side. "Syaoran, you don't love me. You just have a crush on me, that's all. This isn't love, Syaoran, this is 'like', love is—well, love is a beautiful emotion that makes you all tingly inside and makes you want to spend the rest of your life with the person you love." Sakura smiled.

          "It's love, Sakura." Syaoran said definitely. "I want to spend my whole life with you."

          "Syaoran, we're only ten," Sakura laughed, "besides, we're best friends! We are going to spend our lives together anyways!"

          Syaoran gazed at her face, his piercing amber eyes reflected sadness. Sakura smiled, "Come on, Syaoran, let's go home!"

--

          Syaoran lowered his head in thought. The class bell has already rang. As he got out of the room, he found Cherry talking to Tomoyo.

          "Cherry," Syaoran said in a rush.

          "What, Li?!" Cherry said grumpily.

          "You got a minute?" Syaoran said nervously, racing his hand through his chestnut hair.

          "Can't you see I'm talking to Tomoyo?" Cherry said, annoyed. Syaoran pursed his lips, and grabbed her towards the janitor's closet. As he slammed the door behind him and turned the light on, he sat on top of a big bucket and gestured Cherry to do the same.

          "Excuse me, Li, I believe that I was just talking to Tomoyo?!" Cherry shouted. "And I am so not going to sit on this stinky bucket."

          "Shut up." Syaoran said, annoyed with Cherry's pickiness.

          "Why did you drag me over here?!" Cherry demanded.

          Syaoran looked around in irritation. "I need to talk to you."

          "I need to talk to you," Cherry imitated.

          "Will you shut the fuck up and listen to me?!" Syaoran yelled, grabbing Cherry's wrist and pushed her against the wall. Cherry breathed, and quieted down.

          "L-look, I'm sorry, Cherry, I think I'm having an emotional breakdown right now," Syaoran said as let go of Cherry's wrist.

          "I-I'm sorry too, you know, f-for being such a b-bitch," Cherry apologized. "So, what do you want to talk to me about?"

          "I-it's not so important, but, I need an honest answer." Syaoran sighed.

          "OK," Cherry nodded.

          "Tell me the truth—why did you want to go out with me?" he asked.

          Cherry paused for a moment. "W-well, I thought that you were lonely a-and loyal to the one you love—"

          "Sakura Kinomoto doesn't love me." Syaoran cut in.

          "WHAT?!!" Cherry shouted.

          "After you asked me out, I remembered Sakura's words. She knew she was going to die before me, and well, she said that someday I'll meet a girl that I love, and would want to spend my whole life with her." Syaoran said sadly. "I told her that she was the only one in my heart, but she simply laughed."

          "Laughed?" Cherry asked.

          "Yes, she laughed. It was the most beautiful sound in the world, and it is fading away from my memories." Syaoran sighed and lowered his head. "Well, I learned that our love is just a made-up fantasy created by me to remember her."

          "That's not true! You shared beautiful memories together, and you loved each other so!" Cherry exclaimed.

          "Cherry," Syaoran said sadly, his eyes showed full of disappointment, "she never loved me." As he opened the closet door, and waved a simple good-bye to Cherry, his shadow emerged out to the door.

          "Wait, Syaoran!" Cherry called after. Syaoran stopped in his tracks, and whispered in a low voice, "What?"

          "S-Syaoran, you said that I might be Sakura Kinomoto right?" Cherry breathed.

          "Yes."

          "Well, do you have pictures of her?" Cherry asked concernedly.

          "I have about five." Syaoran replied slowly.

          "Can I see them? If they looked like me, we might match my DNA with Sakura's, or see if she has a twin! Then I'll be able to tell you whether she loved you or not!" Cherry said excitedly.

          Syaoran thought for a moment before deciding that it was a great idea. "Sure, I'll bring them to school tomorrow."

          "Great, bye!" Cherry smiled and jogged down the hall.

          She had the smile that would light up a room…

          "Hey Kura!" Syaoran called after.

          Cherry turned around with a puzzled face. "What?"

          "You wanna go to the dance with me?" Syaoran asked nervously.

          Cherry smiled. For a moment, Syaoran thought she was going to say no. "Sure! Why not?"

          "Someday Syaoran, you just wait, there won't be a Sakura Kinomoto anymore. Someday, Syaoran, you are going to find a girl who is more beautiful, more intelligent, and more athletic than I am, Syaoran, and you are going to love that girl forever, and protect her with everything you have."

A/N: How was this chap?!! Please RR!! *luv this fic*

Please also read

//Eyes of Hate//

//Ultimate Betrayal//