Hey guys! Here comes the fluff... hehehe... anyway school has started so now I really think I won't be able to write as much. I started writing chapter 5 during morning orientation though, so oh well. Hopefully I can write in math class or something. I know you'll like this chappie, since things start to heat up a little more.

I know Ami's a complete bitch and you'll learn a little more about her today. I'm hoping this chapter isn't lame... :(

Oh, dancingwindforever, Sakura's a little different because I didn't plan to use CCS characters in the first place. Syaoran is a card captor too but at this time they're almost done with everything they need to do. It is a few years into the future after all. Meiling and Syaoran? Nope. She likes him as a brother. :D

Enjoy, and thanks for the GREAT reviews!

Chapter 4: What He Does

FRIDAY

Homework:

Tests: Math Q next Tues

Projects:

The lunch bell rang as Kinomoto Sakura sat at her desk in room IVB, staring blankly at the planner open in front of her. As the rest of the class stood to say goodbye to the teacher and leave, she gave herself a little time to think of what she was going to do now.

You see, usually Sakura studied during lunch time. She finished all her homework or recopied her notes or reviewed her lessons to pass the time after she'd eaten the food she always bought for herself. Sakura liked doing things regularly, and she'd always thought there was no better way to take advantage of a free period than studying.

Well, until Syaoran came along.

Ever since that Monday afternoon when he'd caught her singing back home, Syaoran had made it his personal hobby to follow Kinomoto around the school, annoying her and encouraging her in equal parts. It was a big change from the usual days she would spend alone with books, and sometimes she wanted to shut the guy in a locker for a few hours and see if that did any good.

Then again, sometimes finding a friend was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Like last Wednesday, Sakura thought, slowly closing the planner and tucking it into her messenger bag. If Syaoran hadn't come and stuck up for me, I'd have probably started crying in front of everyone. And then what?

She smiled faintly. After coming home in tears and throwing the hated dress in a crumpled heap next to her bedroom door, she'd sworn to never ever sign up for any stupid clubs ever again.

But when she'd thought of having to tell Syaoran that she was quitting the drama club, she'd felt bad. She'd felt like she was breaking a promise she'd made to a little kid who believed she could give him the moon for his birthday.

I'm sorry, but I can't anymore, she had planned to tell him, but she'd put it off until the next day. She'd gone through the whole school day being teased and annoyed by him as usual, because he knew I wouldn't quit on him.

After school she'd gotten ready to walk home like she always did, and Syaoran had gone straight to the auditorium to help out. She'd known that she was supposed to practice lines with the rest of the cast that day, and after fifteen minutes of standing at the school gates trying to decide whether to go home or not, she'd gone up to the auditorium after all. It was just as well, because the grin on Syaoran's face as she walked into the room had made her feel like she was doing something good.

So. She was almost used to the idea that she, Kinomoto Sakura, was starring in a school musical. That was good in some ways, and bad in others.

Take today, for instance. It was a Friday, the only weekday when they didn't have practice after school. Syaoran had met her on his way to class as usual, but now that they wouldn't need to rehearse, he clearly had plans to spend the lunch period with his own friends.

If I was a normal girl I would be spending lunch with my own friends, too, Sakura thought. Too bad I don't have any. She knew Tomoyo and Meiling because they'd been involved in all the Clow Card stuff last year, but she'd never gone up to talk to them otherwise, and vice versa. Syaoran was the only person who'd tried to start a conversation with her.

And there's no homework yet… Sakura almost shuddered as she thought of sitting down in one place for a whole hour with nothing else to do but watch the other kids pass by. Great. Just GREAT. What were the things I did before drama club anyway…?

She remembered spending her time planning complicated escapes so she could go home for lunch instead of having to sit all alone in the school cafeteria. Those had never worked, and they'd been fun anyway, but… For once, I don't want to go home right away, Sakura thought, surprising herself. Why didn't she? There was nothing for her here, no one to talk to… except Syaoran.

Hah, as if he changes things.

Sakura made her way to the school cafeteria, noting that everyone else seemed to have at least one other person to sit with. She caught sight of Syaoran and his friends buying their lunch and slid into line a few people behind them, looking up to check on them every once in a while.

"May I please have a paper bag for mine?" Meiling asked the lunch lady innocently. The cafeteria staff seemed used to this already.

"What she said!" Syaoran called out from behind Meiling. Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly. Why were they all getting bags to put their food in? Where were they going?

When Tomoyo had taken her bagged lunch and the three of them had left the cafeteria, Sakura brought her tray to an empty table and sat down to eat at its edge where not too many people would see she was alone. She'd always eaten that way, ever since she discovered that kids didn't walk up to you and welcome you to their table with open arms. It had never bothered her before, but today…

So it does feel weird, being alone after you've eaten with someone else, Sakura thought, biting into her sandwich. Damn it! Before that Li came I didn't care about having people to hang around with.

Did I?

Finally the eyes of her fellow classmates became too uncomfortable for her, and Sakura stood, dumping the rest of her lunch in a trash bin. She wasn't hungry anyway. Sliding her tray on top of the other used ones and dusting off her hands, she shouldered her messenger bag again and started walking.

Let's see… I can go to the library, or I can go to the computer lab, or…

Oh, who am I kidding, I'm going to go find them.

She walked out of the cafeteria, grateful that most of the other kids were too busy eating or talking to notice that she was alone, and looking left and right for any glimpse of Syaoran, Tomoyo, or Meiling.

What does he do at lunchtime anyway?

They weren't in the library or by the school's front gate where a lot of people ate. They weren't at the gym or in the bleachers next to the soccer field, though she did see Eriol there with some friends. Sakura almost bumped into Ami who was walking past with her own group, and she hid behind the gym wall to wait until the other girl was gone.

That was when she saw Syaoran and the others, sitting on picnic mats under the one tree on the right side of the soccer field. Syaoran was laughing so hard that he was almost lying down on the mat, and Tomoyo was shaking her head lightly at Meiling, who was doing an imitation of one of their teachers.

For a moment Sakura felt very, very lonely.

Snap out of it! You wanted to see what he does, so now you see it.

She was about to go back to the library and see if there were any more fiction novels she hadn't read yet when she bumped into Eriol. Literally. The other senior stopped for a moment, and then recognized her and grinned.

"Hey, Kinomoto-san. You done eating?"

She nodded stiffly, trying not to look at Eriol's friends. They were all too tall and intimidating for her to handle.

"Oh. So what are you doing around here?"

Sakura looked around and shrugged, opening her mouth as if she was going to say something. It was a little strange to be hanging around between the school gym and the soccer field at lunch time with no one else.

Then Eriol's face lighted up. "You're looking for Li!"

"N-no, it's okay, I—" she stammered out, but Eriol was already turning to wave at the three sitting in the soccer field.

"Oy! Li-san! Kinomoto's been looking for you!"

Sakura froze, turning red as Syaoran looked up from the picnic mat. She couldn't meet his eyes.

Right, I can add this to my list of most embarrassing moments ever. Thanks a lot, Eriol. She looked up at the boy, her scowl softening a little. It wasn't his fault; he thought he was helping her.

That still doesn't change the fact that Syaoran now thinks I am the most desperate loner this side of the Pacific Ocean.

Sakura stared down at her hands, playing with the hair elastic she'd put around her wrist just in case. She heard the footsteps of three people coming up to where she and Eriol stood, and her face started to burn even more.

Okay, Syaoran and his two friends. Great. Just great.

She forced herself to look up at them and try to smile. Syaoran had his irritating 'casually interested' expression on, and it always made her want to see just what could make the guy annoyed for once. He was definitely good at getting other people on the edge of their nerves.

Tomoyo and Meiling ran up to join them and Sakura braced herself for the usual whispers and giggles that she'd seen practically everyone start when they saw her. But the two girls only smiled. Friendly smiles.

"You were looking for us, Sakura-chan?"

She turned back to Syaoran. A hint of a smile had crept onto his face, and his eyes twinkled playfully. Sakura had no doubt that he knew she wasn't looking for them. Maybe he even knew she'd been spying on them.

"Umm, umm…" She looked from Eriol to Syaoran to Meiling and Tomoyo. They all waited for her answer. "I… yes, I was kind of looking for you," she finished lamely.

"Oh, well you should know we always eat under the tree over there!" That was Meiling. She pointed to where their lunches were laid out on the picnic mats.

"Mm-hmm," Syaoran said, his hands in his pockets. "Why did you look for us?"

She didn't glare at him, because the others would see, but she knew this time he was challenging her.

If I break down now and be all quiet, it's okay; I was always like that before, she thought. But I guess he wants to see if I can talk for myself.

She looked him straight in the eye and shrugged, very much like Syaoran himself always did. "I just wanted to ask if you actually are going out 'to buy art supplies' with the props crew," she said. "After all, I heard one of the girls asking you to yesterday. You shouldn't let her down."

Syaoran seemed suspiciously afraid of the way Meiling and Tomoyo were staring at him. "N-no, I said no because I'm going for ice cream with Tomoyo and Meiling after school," he said, grinning at her. "Which reminds me… Do you wanna come sit with us?"

"I'm done eating," she started to say, but he shook his head.

"We're done eating too; we're just talking and stuff." Syaoran flicked his chin in the direction of their tree, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Eriol and his friends start walking away.

She was still a little hesitant. "Do you really want me to?"

In an instant she saw it was the wrong thing to say. Syaoran's smile faded just a bit, and she knew she'd hurt him a little, accusing him of inviting her to eat with them just because she was alone.

"…Yes, I really want you to," he said.

"We really want you to, too," Meiling chimed in, and then laughed at her own words. "To, too, how confusing is that?"

"Mei-chan, you are so weird sometimes," Tomoyo was saying as the two of them started walking back to the tree. Sakura looked up at Syaoran, biting her lip a little. She couldn't say 'sorry' because he wasn't supposed to know she'd seen him get offended.

"Thank you, Li-kun," she said finally, and he shrugged.

"It's nothing. Come on, let's go." For a moment it seemed like he was going to take her hand, but then he shoved his fists deep into his pockets once more and started walking.

Sakura followed, growing more angry at herself the more she thought about what had just happened. Why did I even think of him holding my hand, hmm? Honestly, it's like I'm this different person now.

"Oy, Kinomoto-san, hurry!"

She looked up in surprise to see Tomoyo waving her over. Meiling rummaged around in her bag and then brought out what looked like a game of Twister. Syaoran turned to look at her.

Well, if this 'different person' gets friends, I guess it can't be too bad.

Sakura smiled and ran over to join them.

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"Bye Sakura-chan!"

Sakura turned and waved back to Meiling and Tomoyo. "Meiling, remember to go talk to Eriol tomorrow!" She grinned and then let the ice cream parlor's door slide shut behind her, joining Syaoran on the street afterwards.

"What happened?" Syaoran asked, looking slightly amused.

"Oh, Meiling said she wanted to be part of the musical too. So I told her to go and ask Eriol if they were accepting any more extras." Fastening the buckle on her bag, she looked up to see Syaoran shaking his head and grinning. "What? What did I say?"

"No, no," he laughed. "I was asking 'what happened' because I'm not sure this is the same Kinomoto Sakura walking next to me."

She shrugged, blushing a little. It was nice to have friends to walk with between classes, and Tomoyo had promised to be her partner for their art project since Meiling would be Syaoran's. As soon as school ended they'd all gone out to the nearby ice cream shop, and Tomoyo had paid for her scoop before she could even open her wallet. These were nice people. "I can change," she said awkwardly.

Syaoran only laughed again. "Not too much though, okay? We don't want you turning into a popular girl and leaving us behind."

She scoffed. "Yeah, like that's ever going to happen." The word 'popular' made her think of Ami, who had girls wanting to be her friends and boys wanting to be more than that. Sakura had never really talked to her, and before the dress thing she'd even thought that Ami was a nice, well-rounded student who had a lot of friends because she was a good person.

Of course, if being a good person meant totally humiliating the new girl in drama club, then Ami was the perfect example.

She felt Syaoran looking at her and knew that he could guess what she was thinking about. And a few days ago I thought he was insensitive. Neither of them spoke for a while until she got the words out.

"I just… don't know why someone like Ami would be so mean."

Syaoran shrugged.

"I mean, she's a popular person. She has loads of friends and she has pretty good grades, so why would she want to pick on someone like me?" Sakura shook her head.

Syaoran thought for a moment. "Being popular isn't easy, I guess," he said carefully. "If you want to stay on top of things, you have to do something big every once in a while, to remind everyone to look back at you again, you know?"

"Nope. I never got how social status works, so yeah."

"Well…" For a moment he looked uncomfortable. "I… I… went out with her once, a long time ago."

Sakura stared at him. "Her!"

He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. We lasted two days. There's something about that girl that makes her friends start to feel uncomfortable."

Sakura didn't bother to ask what it was. He'd get there.

"Sometimes when I was talking with her, I felt like she was hanging on to me too much. She was always telling jokes and stories and being funny and smart, but they all felt like ways to make sure that I was still her friend." He shook his head. "Ami's kind of… desperate."

Sakura was quiet. I guess everything comes with a price.

After a few more seconds, Syaoran broke the silence. "Anyway, so today's Friday. Are you doing anything this weekend?"

Sakura shook her head. She lived alone most of the time, since her dad was always out on business travels and Touya was in college. She'd gotten used to it.

"Then maybe I'll stop by and we can practice the songs this time," he said. "I'll call you—can I call you?"

This was getting a bit too awkward for Sakura's comfort, but she nodded and gave Syaoran her phone number. He repeated it to himself three times to memorize it, and by this time they were at Sakura's gate.

"…So tomorrow, okay? Don't go to any big parties…?"

Sakura laughed at him and swung her bag at his leg. "Go home already!"

He grinned and then pointed to the edge of a plastic container hanging out of the corner of her bag. "Careful with that."

"What is it?" she said, getting ready to unfasten the buckle. Syaoran came over and tugged on the end of the plastic bag.

"No, don't, it'll tear—"

The plastic suddenly ripped apart and the air between them exploded with pink and silver glitter. Sakura shrieked and Syaoran's shout turned into a laugh as he realized that he was covered all over with it.

Sakura only had a little of the pink glitter on her skin, but she looked up and saw Syaoran's arm and shirt coated with the stuff. Then their eyes met and they started to laugh hard, the kind of laugh where you had to hold your stomach because it felt like it was splitting apart. The two of them stood there in the middle of the street for a while, laughing and staggering left and right.

"You'd… better… wash that off," Sakura finally gasped.

"I don't know, it brings out the color of my eyes…" Syaoran laughed again, rubbing at his face with one hand. It only spread the glitter more. "Why do you have a bag of glitter with you anyway?"

"Eriol asked me to bring it. The props team is thinking of sprinkling a little on my dress's skirt."

"That's not a little, that's enough for the whole cast's costumes." He sneezed. "I really have to go and wash up before I inhale some of this."

She nodded firmly. Syaoran had pink and silver glitter on his left arm, sleeve, and cheek. He straightened up and was almost ready to go when he looked straight at her and came closer. A blush crept up into Sakura's cheeks, but she was red from laughing anyway.

"What is it? Do I have glitter on my face?"

He shook his head, and she started to blush more.

Then he said, "No, it's ice cream." Sakura almost sighed with relief. If it hadn't been something on her face, what would have happened…?

"Where?"

He pointed to the right of his own forehead, where hair met scalp. Sakura frowned. "It might get in my hair," she said, starting to rub at the place.

"No, there's only a bit of it," he said. "You can wipe them off in one swipe."

"Great, it's going to drip down my face soon." She rubbed again and kept looking at her finger, but no vanilla ice cream showed up on it. "Damn it, if I had a mirror…"

Syaoran sighed as if he was dealing with a five-year-old. "Here, here, let me do it."

He stepped forward, and then reached out with his right thumb and brushed it across the side of her forehead. Time seemed to stop and all her nerves stood on edge to feel his hand on her skin, ever so slowly making its way down her face. Then he drew back his fingers for a second, only to have them tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. His hand knocked against her earlobe ever so slightly.

Sakura froze, a shiver going up her spine. The skin he'd touched blazed with sparks of electricity, and she found herself repeating the scene over and over again in her mind. Her heartbeat growing faster, she looked into Syaoran's face with eyes full of puzzlement, as if to ask him, What just happened there?

He'd felt it too, she was sure of it. But in two seconds it was over and a neighbor's door slamming shut a few houses away broke the silence between them.

"I-I'll go now," he said. She stared at him. It was the first time he'd left without her having to nag him.

"Mm-hmm," she said back. "See you tomorrow, I guess?"

He looked back at her and then smiled. "Yeah. See you, Sakura-chan."

Li Syaoran walked up the street in the direction of his house, and for once Kinomoto Sakura stayed at the gate and watched him go.

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RING RING

Sakura raised her head from her pillow and saw the phone ringing on her bedside table. She thrust out a hand and weakly lifted the receiver, pressing the Speakerphone button and letting herself lie back again with a stifled groan.

"Saaaaaaaakura-chan, good evening!" Syaoran's voice blared.

Sakura sat bolt upright and swiped at her eyes with a fist, glancing at the digital clock. It was 10:33.

"Li, it's too late to talk, let me sleep," she groaned, tilting her head back against the wall.

"Too late? Come on, I thought you were going to 'change'. It's still pretty early."

"Pretty early?" she growled back.

"Mm-hmm. What time do you sleep anyway?"

"9:30?"

"9:30 on a Friday night!" Sakura was vaguely aware of how surprised Syaoran sounded, but she was slowly falling asleep again.

"Yeah, and Saturday night too," she said softly. "Listen Syao-kun, I might… fall… asleep on you…"

He laughed back. Was it just her or was his voice far away…? "Oh you were serious about 9:30? Well… sorry. It's okay if you fall asleep…"

"Hey… Syaoran?"

"Yeah?"

"I was looking for you guys because… I wanted to see what you do at lunchtime."

He laughed. "Well it's pretty normal; I hang out with my friends."

"Yeah, normal… normal… Hey Syao-kun?"

"Mm?"

"You… felt it too… right?"

For a few seconds there was complete silence as Sakura drifted off to sleep and Syaoran wondered what he could possibly answer to that.

"…Felt what?" he whispered.

There was no answer. Her breath was slow and regular.

"Sakura? Sakura?"

"Sakura! Felt what?..."

OF COURSE Syao knows what she means... he's just checking to see if they're really thinking the same thing.

Hey, if anyone can make good fanart of Sakura in her princess dress (look at the cartoon one in Sleeping Beauty and make the skirt poofier) just put the link in a review and I'll post it up with the next chapter. I love fanfiction art. :D

Anyway, goodbye to every-night-fanfiction. Thanks again for all the reviews, and wish me luck for the months of torture that await me.

Ja ne!