Well, first, let's bless these peops...

Esmi

RequiemElise

Aik0

black shinigami

Tritomy99

Michelle

A/N: I'm so glad there are people reading my little story...Thank you all so much!!! Oh, and I've changed a little bit of stuffies in here.

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Card Captors...doesn't everybody know that?

Chapter 4: Remind me again...

I watched in awe as the basketball team full of jocks (a.k.a. Hiiragizawa, Syaoran and the rest of them) dribbled down the court and continuously made 3-point shots. The blue-haired star made effortless attempts to making half the team's score. The game was over in an impressive five minutes.

Did I feel nervous by now?

Like hell I did.

I swallowed. The winning team went to their original seats, smirking triumphantly at everybody who cared to watch...which was many. Feeling Hiiragizawa's eyes on me I quickly turned to Sakura and Chiharu and desperately started a conversation. "So, uh, you guys excited?" What a beautiful question. They paid no attention to me whatsoever as they stared at Syaoran and Yamazaki, who were talking and jostling each other as they sat beside Hiiragizawa. I sighed.

Rika's team and Terada sensei's other team went up and battled...I mean played. I made a mental note to sympathize about the girl's situation later (for...ah, there was a connection between sensei and her), but right now, I was too engrossed in my own inner conflicts to care much. Insert smiley face here.

It really was unfair that I was on Er-Hiiragizawa's bad side. I mean, we knew each other briefly when we were in elementary school, but nothing more came out of that. He became the popular guy and Sakura and I the common peoples. And then Syaoran had to go and become best friends with the guy after he and Sakura fought over a tiny little mishap. I was disappointed to not see them get together. All my hard work with the video camera. All those nights running around and chasing them as they fought against...cards. All that exercise!!... I held a grudge against them still.

Now I was enemy with the blue-eyed wonder, whom the school worshipped, even the stalking nerds. Yeah, how messed up was that? I mean, I didn't even know him. All I knew was that he was rich, handsome, intelligent, athletic and didn't give a damn about anything that didn't have to do with him. That could explain his oh-so-sympathetic actions toward me recently.

And here I was, sitting miserably on the ground about to have a match against Him (Hiiragizawa, not the devil...though it can be connected...). Not an academic match, where I would have a slight advantage, nor music, where I would have a.....decent advantage, nor holding a staring contest with goldfishes, a superior advantage that none would have over moi.

No, I had to face off E-Hiiragizawa in a basketball game in front of hundreds of high school students who are betting for me or against me.

Where had Tomoyo Daidouji, heiress of Mother's Toy Company Place, gone wrong? Where? Did I toilet paper his house? No! Did I pee on his head? NO! Did I do anything to deserve this? ...Uh...now, what did I do that day at the café?

Oh-ho-ho...yes. The memories of that day put a smile on my face. No, wait, I shouldn't be smiling! I dropped the smile and frowned forlornly. It was because of THAT incident that I was in this huge pile of a mess.

But...it was very Funny. Oh, yes, FUNNY. The smile switched back on.

However...if it weren't for the stupid banana peel I wouldn't have been put under all this stress. I was wearing my entire outfit inside out for goodness sake!

If only I hadn't listened to Sakura when she said she wanted me to throw away her lunch, which Syaoran had held for ten seconds, saying there were snakes in it. Then she wouldn't have been hungry and begging to go to the new café. Then I met Hiiragizawa and the banana peel and the whole bet.

I should have made her eat the bloody lunch.

"Tomoyo..." I looked up with wide eyes and stared at the standing Sakura and Chiharu. "We're up." My heart sank and my throat felt dry. I could feel the whole school's eyes on my team as we walked to the court. Sakura was nervous also, and she sent me a weak smile that was obviously meant to cheer me up.

Oh, but it gave me strength. I attempted a smile and turned my attention back to the court. We were up against Kaede #2, the class that had gone up first. I swallowed, remembering the way they had played and hoped I would make it through without injuries. After all, it wasn't like I was some macho woman. Nah, that was Sakura.

The boy guarding me eyed me up and down and smirked. I tried my best not to make a face but nodded amiably. His team obviously didn't take me very seriously, and that thought made me irritated. It also fired my system up. My adrenaline started pumping. I was just as good as Sakura (though they didn't know) and she was pretty good. Well, I'll just have to show them. Muah ha hah.

I had been previously nervous because Hiiragizawa, and the rest of the damn school, would be watching me closely, but now I cast the worry away. Sports have always been the least good thing I could do, but I was adequate and pretty darn good. Besides...

The Daidouji charm would help and protect me. If it didn't...I'd be in deep pashoonk...whatever the heck that meant.I clutched the necklace around me neck and stared at the boy determinedly.

The whistle blew and the game started.

Hah, they never expected that! Ooh, they didn't expect that one either! I was in my element (sort of) now as I raced up and down the court, jumping for the ball like a baboon. By this time I think everybody forgot about my outfit and paid more attention to my powerful skills. Which is what we all want.

I forgot about everything else around me except for the game. My entire focus was getting the ball and shooting it in that basket thing as many times as possible. Of course, Sakura, Chiharu and I had a special mind link and were therefore able to work as a splendid team.

Well, no, maybe not exactly a mind link. More like we screamed at each other.

The boy guarding me was no longer smirking and looked a little dumbfounded. Yeah, I would be too if I were him. My necklace, bless it, stayed under my shirt and gave me luck...at least, I like to think it did.

Finally, the buzzer rang and the game was over...with my team as winners! Yes! I grinned happily despite my panting and high-fived the other two in our power of three. With a triumphant pose, I waved crazily over at my loyal group of geeks in the lower stands. They jumped up and down and cheered. How...pathetic.

I didn't even have to look to know that a certain pair of eyes was staring at me very intensely. Eriol Hiiragizawa.

I think he was trying to cut holes through my head. It's a very eerie habit of his that he's been doing lately...me as the target. I wonder what he thinks about me. I immediately rolled my eyes and shook my head, as if to clear it. Who cares what he thinks about me? I certainly did not. Yup.

Now that he knew what my playing style was he mentally calculated what my strengths and weaknesses were. Or maybe he was creating a strategy. And if he wasn't, well, his friends were. Syaoran and Yamazaki were furiously drawing on a piece of paper, arguing and staring over at us. Haha, Hiiragizawa's friends were stooping so low as to try and make a plan, eh? Well, look at my friends...

Sakura and Chiharu were hastily drawing a rough sketch of the court also, discussing how to block Syaoran and Yamazaki.

Eh...oh well.

I fervently wanted this whole basketball thing to be over now so that I could go home and actually have a full night's sleep. Maybe if I win this tournament Hiiragizawa won't be so intent on embarrassing me in front of the whole school. Yes, that was the only way. My eyes narrowed with fiery determination.

"Tomoyo, are you okay? You look kind of feverish...your eyes are all bright and shiny..." I blinked and stared at my green-eyed cousin, who was staring back anxiously. I shrugged and smiled.

"I'm fine...keep drawing your strategy," I started, staring boringly at the clock on the wall. The tournament wouldn't last much longer. Perhaps we will have no more time to continue and would...

These thoughts, all boring and useless, continued and rambled on for twenty short minutes. And believe, me, they were very short minutes.

The last teams to go up were my team and Hiiragizawa's (surprise, surprise) and this was supposed decide the champions for the basketball tournament. As my team went to the court, I giddily saw Sakura and Chiharu giving me thumbs-up signs and taking their places in front of Syaoran and Yamazaki. I wondered where my rival was when I turned casually and nearly glanced by Hiiragizawa's chest.

...whoa. His chest?? My cheeks blazed as I looked up and stared into those dreaded, mysterious blue eyes.

"Um, what's up...?" I said awkwardly. He raised an eyebrow. I could've slapped myself. I backed away quickly and wondered why I was so close to him in the first place. I could practically smell his cologne...which wasn't much, now that I think about it. I only glanced at him and looked pointedly over at Sakura, who was too busy glaring at Syaoran. Everybody else was guarding each other so I was expected to guard HIM...

"Did you know that basketball was invented...ow," Yamazaki was saying as Chiharu smacked his head. Good for her.

"Ready? Go!" The ball was tossed into the air and the game began. My mind was in a whirl because one minute I was guarding Hiiragizawa, another second he was behind me and I was met with thin air. I was practically tripping over my own feet to catch up with him. This was bad.

"...Give up...?" I blinked. Did I just hear him say that? I stared at the smirking Hiiragizawa as looked down at me. "Give up, yet? You'd might as well..." he dodged me and caught the ball, dribbling down to the basket. "...because you're going to lose..." I managed to keep up with him. He got ready to shoot...

...and missed. And why exactly did he miss?

Because of ME!! Yup! I jumped up into the air and grabbed the ball while it was leaving his hands. With a landing fit for Cat Woman, I raced down the court and shot carelessly; yet my aim was flawless, and my team was winning.

I am SO good.

I saw Hiiragizawa give me a cool look. Hah, he was SO jealous! I bet he didn't know I could do that. Well, of course he didn't, seeing as I just scored points.

I am SOOO totally good.

And then, as we raced with the clock and the ball, I realized something very strange. And unnerving. And quite disturbing.

Eriol Hiiragizawa was starting to sweat, as I was, and was looking incredibly sexy. I found it very hard not to blush every time his skin brushed mine. Soon it was distracting me, and his team managed to tie with my team.

But me...I was all puffy and red and my hair was mostly out of its ponytail, so the sweat was starting to make it frizzy. I probably had an afro.

Suddenly, Hiiragizawa's infamous chest loomed in front of me as he caught the ball over my innocent head and started to make the last point. Oh no you don't! I quickly regained my senses and sprinted toward him, feeling the necklace jump out of my shirt and bouncing up and down. Now that it was out in the open, I barely paid attention to it as I neared the blue-haired boy. He bent to shoot and as the ball spun out of his hands...I jumped crazily and caught the ball. Déjà vu. Totally.

And just as I was about to score some more points, the buzzer rang.

Damn.

We were tied. There was no winner for the tournament.

And just as I walked out of the gymnasium, I looked back and saw Eriol Hiiragizawa staring at me with an unreadable expression. Actually, he looked faintly...amused. And, as if I could read lips, he mouthed slowly:

"That was Round one. This isn't over."

What. The. Holy. Moly.

Sakura and I were walking home soon after the tournament.

"Did you see how I tripped Li?? Hah, the look on his face before he smashed it was priceless!" Sakura punched the air and grinned at me. I kept staring at the ground. "Hey, what's up? We didn't lose, right? Why the long face?" I sighed.

"We didn't win. What am I supposed to do now?" I gave her a despairing look. "He never said what was going to happen if we tied!" I was absolutely clueless about what Hiiragizawa was going to do after the tournament. I thought that if I beat him I would fulfill embarrassing him and he would leave me alone...or not be annoyed with me. But obviously, this wasn't over.

Wait, what was I getting so depressed about? It wasn't as if I actually cared that much if something happened...I sighed once more. I am so confused.

"Tomoyo," Sakura said, "it's all right. You didn't lose and he didn't manage to embarrass you. This means you still get a chance to win and teach him a lesson!" She gave me an encouraging smile, the 'Sakura Smile" and immediately began to sing. I couldn't help but smile and feel my spirits rise as I walked on. Sakura was like that. She could make anybody feel lighter and happier.

Of course, she wasn't aware of the gift, but most people weren't aware of themselves. And of course, she wasn't aware that a chocolate-eyed boy always watched her when she smiled. I was totally aware of it...did that mean I was a stalker? I sweat dropped.

At home, I began to worry about what I was going to do the next time I saw Hiiragizawa. Today was Friday, and I didn't have to see him until Monday, a whole weekend away but it made me nervous anyways. If I was betting Hiiragizawa, I was supposed to expect hectic days full of tricks and revenge plots. Well, it already was hectic, but I thought it would be more...random and exciting than this.

Maybe that's why I was so jittery about this whole thing. It wasn't the normal bet other people had. As I went to sleep that night, I stared at the dark ceiling for endless hours, thinking about the blue-haired boy until finally sleeping.

On Saturday morning, I woke up with a determined mind.

I was going to kick Hiiragizawa's ass for giving me so much stress, and then go back to my normal life. THAT'S what I was going to do. No more doubts and worries anymore. I was going to face this bet head-on and show that Tomoyo Daidouji was not a girl to be messed with. I wouldn't let confusing thoughts get in the way.

This time, I would declare the war.

Sitting straight up in my bed, I pumped a fist in the air.

My stomach growled loudly.

That is, after I eat breakfast.

I called Sakura soon afterwards. "Sakura, do you want to come over today?" I felt bored and lonely and I had nothing to do. She eagerly said she would, because she had nothing to do also and apparently the tournament spurred her spirits. She was as restless as a horse, I could tell by her voice, and she was probably giving her brother a headache.

Very soon, as I was in my room, I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and my door burst open.

Sakura, Chiharu, Rika and Naoko Yanagisawa stood at the door, grinning. Naoko was one of our close friends, and one of the bravest girls around. Her large glasses fit her petite face as she smiled and sat down beside me on my bed. I was bewildered but very pleased.

"Hey girls! I didn't expect you all to be here...but I'm glad anyway." I looked at Sakura's sparkling green eyes and smiled. I knew she would do something like this.

"Yah! I was planning to read and watch TV all day, but coming here is a much better plan," Chiharu said as she plopped down on my beanie seat. Her pigtails bounced merrily as she laid back in comfort. "I'm still reminiscing yesterday's tournament," she said dreamily. "That Yamazaki never knew I could play basketball. He didn't even lie once!" Now that's a surprise.

"I noticed," Rika said, chuckling. She glided gracefully over to the desk and sat on the chair, crossing her skirt-covered legs. "But I still can't believe Terada-san would go and do that..." Almost all of us spoke up.

"Yeah! He is such a traitor!"

"Going against you...I don't know what he was thinking about!"

Naoko said, "I bet it was Eriol-san's idea to have Terada sensei be their coach." Trust Mighty Naoko to think of something like that. The thing is, she was right most of the time. My stomach jumped at the mention of HIS name and I tried to look casual. The look, however, did not go by Sakura, who had crashed with Chiharu on the beanie seat.

"Tomoyo, I think Eriol-kun is crazy to challenge you. I mean, look at his friends!" She paused as the visual of grinning Syaoran and Yamazaki appeared in our minds. "And look at your friends!" We all looked at each other, grinning slightly. Sakura certainly had a point when she said it that way. "Besides, I have an idea—"

And at this providential moment, my cell rang. It was definitely mine, seeing as the Mission Impossible theme started beeping out. Sakura laughed along with Chiharu as they started dancing along with the ring tone. I smiled and shook my head, picking up the phone. I didn't know who the caller was, so I just flipped it and said, "Hello?"

"This is Kei Inasu, Secretary of Eriol Hiiragizawa Corp," began an officious male's voice. I blinked. "Eriol Hiiragizawa offered a challenge for Tomoyo Daidouji, current rival of Eriol Hiiragizawa, and will meet her today at the Tsukimine Shrine, 9 PM sharp. She may bring up to as many as five friends, including herself, and is not allowed to contact Eriol Hiiragizawa until said meeting. Backing out or refusing this challenge will brand the avoiding party as a loser and a coward, thus losing the bet. At the meeting tonight the challenge will be issued, on Eriol Hiiragizawa's terms only. Until then, good bye." The caller hung up and I was left listening to the dial tone, a dumb expression on my face.

What...in heaven's name was that??

Eriol Hiiragizawa...guy I have not a clue about except his enormous ego, and I was going to meet him...9 PM...tonight...Eriol Hiiragizawa Corp...

WHAT???

This was not how my morning was supposed to have gone.


A/N: Ooookay...so I finally updated. Sorry for my laziness. Hmm, I wonder if the story's making any sense so far. I try to keep it as humorous as possible. Hmm, tell me how it's progressing and I'll try to see how to write the story. Well, until the next chapter, adios!