A WINTER'S TALE
A fiction by moondocc
The Re-written Version of A Winter's Tale

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Sakura-chan, you have to go!" The raven-haired girl complained, her hands pushing a thin figure out of the door. The girl called 'Sakura-chan' turned around and gave the raven-haired a dirty look.

"Tomoyo, don't force me, I'm not going, and that's final." Sakura walked herself back into her room again and dropped onto the bed.

"Look, Li-san is going to be home any minute now," Tomoyo warned, "and if he sees you like this, you guys are going to get into an argument again."

Sakura pouted. "He's an ass, anyway." Tomoyo sighed dramatically and slumped herself besides her best friend. "Come on, Sakura, we only have about four hours to get ready, and that's not exactly enough time for seven o'clock."

"I'm not going!" Sakura screamed and Tomoyo instantly stuffed a sock in her mouth. Sakura's eyes widened as she choked on the dirty white sock. "TOMOYO!" She shrieked as she sent the sock flying across the room, "I'm not going with that arrogant, pompous, insolent bastard!"

"YES YOU ARE!" Tomoyo hollered back at her. "It's good for the publicity!"

"I don't care!" Sakura yelled back, her hands locked securely at her waist. "He's such a jerk! He should be boiled and cooked and eaten!"

Three knocks sounded against the hard wood door. "WHAT!" Tomoyo and Sakura said in unison, shooting death glares at whoever dares to enter. The knob turned slowly as a curious head poked from behind it. A scared-looking Syaoran leaned against the frame and looked at the two with pleading eyes.

"Could you guys keep it down?" He asked nicely, "I'm trying to watch Laguna Beach."

Sakura narrowed her eyes indignantly. "Isn't that the show where women degrade themselves by running around naked?"

"No, Sakura, that's Baywatch." Tomoyo answered tiredly, "now could we please get back to getting ready?"

Syaoran watched the two patiently from behind the door. "Good, now you both are quiet, I'll go back to TV."

"Shouldn't you get ready too, Li-san?" Tomoyo asked as she strode towards the closet and coming back with a hanger with a black suit with white stripes dangled from it.

Syaoran smirked mischievously. "It takes me two hours, max. Besides, I'm going to Eriol's to get ready. Maybe you guys should hurry up. I hear it takes forever for girls to dress."

Sakura gasped. Grabbing the closest thing next to her, which was a lamp post, she threw it violently at Syaoran, who ducked just before it gave him another nice-looking black eye. He sighed, and closed the door behind him. "Never mind that I came in," he whispered to himself on the other side of the door before shaking his head.

"SAKURA!" Tomoyo hollered accusingly, "have you lost your mind?"

"What?" Sakura yelled back in complaint, "he was asking for it!"

"Do you want it to look like you abuse your boyfriend, hmm?" Tomoyo admonished, her finger pointing at Sakura's shocked face. "My boyfriend? That insolent pig, my boyfriend? Tomoyo, have you gone from crazy to insane?"

"No, but that's what the public thinks, don't they? All those rumors about you two!" Tomoyo bit her lip, "And that's why you shouldn't give him another black eye!"

"Oh, so it was my fault now that he deserved a nice ass-whopping from Touya, is it?" Sakura wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms. "I didn't ask Touya to do anything."

Tomoyo placed her hand on her forehead and sighed. "Sakura, at least Li-san is generous enough to let you move back in."

Sakura blew a raspberry. "That was only because if he didn't, Jimmy would fire him and make Daisuke the lead actor."

Tomoyo sighed again. "Honestly, is that what you believe?"

Sakura snorted, "Pssh, like that isn't true."

Tomoyo stared at her best friend in disbelief. Who was this girl standing in front of her, dressed in her best friend's clothes, disguised as one of the most popular actresses of the twenty-first century? Honestly, who was she? "I'm not even going to start to tell you what's wrong where."

"Suit yourself," Sakura laughed sarcastically, her hand over her mouth, "suit yourself."

"Honestly!" Tomoyo exhaled deeply, "You are such a spoiled princess! If I wasn't your best friend, but only your manager, I'd fire you!"

Sakura gasped, her hand clasping her heart. "I'm so sorry, Tomoyo, I didn't realize I was being such an ass!" She muttered sarcastically. Tomoyo widened her eyes, let out a deep breath, and walked out the door. "You can dress yourself then!"

"I'm not going, remember?" Sakura reminded Tomoyo sweetly. Tomoyo scowled, and kicked the door closed behind her. Sakura threw herself on her bed as her head met the bed sheets with a violent force. "Ugh!" she sighed loudly and put her arm over her eyes. "How am I going to get dressed now?"

Standing up again, Sakura paced around the room, looking at what a mess she has made it. Ever since she moved back, she has completely trashed Li Syaoran's spotless apartment into a dog mansion. Papers from the scripts of the movies that she's starring in is in every corner and clothes of different varieties (of course, all borrowed from the ever-so-style Tomoyo, and, never forget the "compensations" from our darling Li Syaoran) slept peacefully on the floor, on the bed, on the desk, in the wastebasket. Sakura sighed dramatically. "How am I ever going to get dressed?" she mumbled to no one in particular.

Syaoran turned the volume of his TV lower after he stared stupidly at a furious Tomoyo Daidouji who whooshed past him and practically tore his door down on her way out. He didn't dare talk to her, but now he was making an extra effort to pay attention to the happenings in the hall for the room on the left side. He was pretty sure that Kinomoto Sakura was a) crying, b) bitching, c) sleeping, d) taking her anger out on the closest thing to her, or e) have no idea what just happened. As he neared the door, he glued his ear on it and listened for any movements within the room.

No sound came from within. Maybe she's sleeping, Syaoran thought carefully as he pressed his ear down farther. She really shouldn't be sleeping when the premiere is in four hours… Just as Syaoran was going to turn the other way he was stopped abruptly and fell right back when the door opened and a very surprised Sakura caught him just in time. Her face was slightly flustered, her emerald eyes widened in shock as her lips vaguely traced his forehead. He found his eyes gazing intently into hers as if they were giant green earths that seized his empty soul in with their monstrous gravitational pull.

Yes, there was no denying that it was surely an awkward moment when Sakura finally let go of his collar and let him fall back flat on the ground. "What the hell was that for!" Syaoran complained as he got up and rubbed the back of his head. "Great. Now I have a bump and a black eye."

"Sorry," Sakura apologized quickly. Then her eyes brightened and her cheeks turned fully red, as if she was going to explode. "Why were you leaning against my door!"

Syaoran leaned back. From Sakura's view she could trace his Adam's apple rolling down his neck. "Uhh…um…hmm…" Syaoran stuttered while the wheels in his head struggled to keep up, "I was just telling you that Tomoyo had left!"

Good move, Syaoran Li, the sarcastic voice in his head rang. Shit! Syaoran cursed. That was a horrible excuse. Sakura's lips began to move slowly as if trying to suck this bit of information in. "Oh, ok…" stupid Kinomoto. He can't believe she bought it. That was probably the worst lie ever performed in the history of this universe, and this twenty-one year old bought it. How sad.

"Need help?" Syaoran offered as a troubled-looking Sakura nodded indignantly. "Now that Tomoyo left, I'm not exactly sure what to do…"

"Well, I'm no good at dressing girls up, but I'll do what I can," Syaoran smiled sincerely. For a moment Sakura looked at Syaoran as if he was an alien, and then she shook her head and smiled back. "I'd like it if you helped me, Li." She smiled back. Lord knows how that happened.

"This is mascara! I keep telling you that, Kinomoto!" Syaoran explained patiently, "it goes on your eyelashes!" Sakura looked at the stick in fear and drew back. "No way am I letting you put that on me! What if you poke my eye! I'll go blind!"

"No you won't, Kinomoto, I've done the rest of you well so far!" Syaoran protested indignantly, pointing at the fabulously-dressed woman cowering in the corner. "Your dress looks fine, your lips look fine, your cheeks look fine, so I just need to finish your eyes and your hair!"

Sakura blew a raspberry. "How do you know so much about makeup anyways?" she tilted her head sideways and watched him with big watery eyes.

"Oh no, we're not getting into this," Syaoran said seriously as he walked over to Sakura and dragged her onto the chair. He had almost brushed her eyelashes when she stopped his hand in midair and pouted her lips, "come on, Li, tell!"

"Or what?" Syaoran smirked slyly. "Or I won't go to Only Hope with you and you'll suffer there and take all the blame for all the shit you've done to me!"

Syaoran sighed. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Nope," Sakura gave him an innocent smile worthy of a beautiful child's. "Come on, Li, tell me!" she gave him her best puppy eyes. "Aww, don't do that to me," Syaoran sneered, "my conscience! Why did you have to poke my conscience?"

Sakura stared at the man. "Oh fine!" Syaoran gave in. "Look up," he ordered as Sakura looked up. Syaoran dangled the mascara in the air and applied it on her thick eyelashes. "My sisters used to dress me up and put makeup on me… I have four of them."

Sakura had the urge to laugh, but she was afraid that that will make Syaoran lose his grip and poke her eyes out. "It was their teenage years and they were experimenting with makeup and I was their guinea pig. I didn't know any better since I was only seven."

"Oh really?"

"Yup. They made sure I knew the names of each of the makeup that they applied on me, because each of them repeated after one another, so that makes it a grand total of four times." Syaoran continued as he brushed eye shadow across his "girlfriend's" eyelids. Sakura giggled at the thought of a seven year old Syaoran Li bullied by his quadruplet sisters who desperately tried to hold him down and stick makeup on him everywhere.

"Do you have pictures of you in makeup?" Sakura asked hopefully as she battered her eyelashes at him. To her surprise, Syaoran admonished her harshly and ordered, "stop moving around, Kinomoto, do you want to be blind?"

Sakura pouted her lips in a straight line and remained silent for the rest of her makeup journey. Oy vey!

"Sakura Kinomoto? Is that you?" Sakura turned around curiously and blinked her eyes. As the man closed in her lips wrinkled into a broad smile as she jumped up excitedly. "JIMMY!" She squealed happily as Jimmy Naozumi brought her a glass of scotch. "You look absolutely gorgeous!"

Sakura blushed and turned away shyly. "I did her makeup and hair," another voice cut in, only a deeper one, full of masculinity and ice. Sakura looked up and broke into a timid grin. "Yes, he did. Li did everything for me."

Jimmy turned to his actor and observed Syaoran as if he was an alien species who has just been dropped from the sky onto his front porch. After a moment, Jimmy smiled and said, "I'm not even going to ask you how you learned to do all these. You both look absolutely fantastic!"

"Thank you," Sakura mumbled quickly and retreated to staring at her high heeled crimson shoes. They were of Japanese style, designed by Jimmy Choo, and hurriedly purchased by Jonu Teroki only this afternoon. Although she had to admit that she did look beautiful with white eye shadow and the ever-so-fabulous crimson dress. She had Syaoran to thank for her hair, too, for it was styled in a loose bun with strands of curls coming around on one side of her head.

She looked over at her co-worker who was busily talking with famous celebrities there about Only Hope as she casually took a mini-sandwich and bit on it. He looked dashing, a black Armani suit with vertical white stripes and a pair of True Religion jeans that fit perfectly on his six-foot size. In one word, Syaoran looked…drop-dead gorgeous. Ok, ok, that was three, but Sakura wasn't counting. She was too busy "checking him out", if you know what I mean.

"Kinomoto…"

"Kinomoto…"

"KINOMOTO!"

"PUMPKIN!"

Sakura whirled around and found a pair of amber eyes glaring angrily at hers. "What!" She screamed back, furious that Syaoran could ruin her image of him in a matter of three seconds. Handsome, my ass.

"Sorry to interrupt your fantasies about me, Kinomoto, but we're supposed to go in now for our premiere." Syaoran said casually, although his tone clearly intended a bit of a tease. Sakura stood looking at the man in front of him as if he were insane; her big, bulb-y eyes scrutinized him in a most unfashionable way—rude staring.

"Why would I be looking at you, idiot?" Sakura retorted.

"That was just a tad slow, Kinomoto," Syaoran smiled wryly, "your brain has gotten rustier since this afternoon. Tell me, just how is that possible? I'm very interested to know."

Ok, ok, that's IT. Handsome image: completely vanished. Gone. Kaboom.

Sakura rewarded Syaoran a dirty look as she dragged his hand towards the entrance. Reporters nearly crushed her, but they were all too joyful to see the "couple" holding hands at their own premiere.

"SAKURA! WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUS WITH SYAORAN LI?"

"MISS KINOMOTO! I HEAR THAT YOU AND MISTER LI ARE ENGAGED! IS THAT TRUE? CAN YOU CONFIRM?"

Man, the red carpet is too long. Sakura immediately let go of Syaoran's hand and gestured him to follow her. She wished that her bodyguard was here. She wouldn't get bombarded with handfuls of questions from reporters that way.

"MISTER LI! IS IT TRUE THAT YOU ARE STILL A VIRGIN!"

Sakura turned around abruptly and stared at the man who immediately froze on the spot. Her eyes trained on his gradually disappearing amber eyes which were lost in the reflections of so many camera lights at the same time. She could almost feel the embarrassment that was boiling inside of him right now as he struggled to come up with words to explain or answer the question posed by the male reporter.

How horrible! Sakura thought, the little worms just trapping Syaoran Li like that. She felt like she had to do something. She had to save his image. Japan's hottest bachelor cannot be a virgin till marriage! That would practically be…devastating for all the fans that Syaoran has contracted all throughout his acting career.

Syaoran was looking for the right words to explain his answer. The crowd grew quiet, each person hushing the others to shush. He was put on the spot. Damn…why is the red carpet so freaking long?

Ok, she had to do something. "He's not a virgin!" That was stupid. The crowd instantly shifted their focus to Sakura. Syaoran stared at her in awe as his amber eyes grew wider and wider. "And I'll prove it to you!" Sakura shouted determinedly as she pulled Syaoran to her face and kissed him passionately. All around her, hundreds of cameras began clicking at the scene of the proof that the two are officially a "couple". They could see the fire burning on their lips, ice crystals dancing on the tips of their tongues as they intertwined each other in a zealous bliss. After the initial shock, Syaoran began to give in and kissed Sakura back. Ugh…pull back, Sakura! Kissing like a crazy idiot with your co-worker is not a good idea! PULL BACK!

Well…

No! PULL BACK NOW BEFORE EVERYTHING GETS OUT OF HAND!

Sakura pushed Syaoran's face away—another shock that added to Syaoran's tomato-like face. She gave him a…condescending (?) look and walked haughtily away without another word. Reporters and fans were left in complete surprise. Something like this has never happened on the red carpet before. Maybe that was what red was intended for. Red is the color of passion. And passion? Well, that's in our favorite couple's hearts. They just don't realize it. In fact, Sakura Kinomoto doesn't realize that the kiss meant more to Syaoran than anything in his life. Ok, ok, maybe apart from the most important things, but this definitely is a definitive record.

"Come on, Syaoran!" Sakura laughed and waved her arms at the handsome man nailed on one spot on the carpet. His name came rolling off of her tongue like honey. His name… even mixed with the shouts of angry female fans and throngs of reporters screaming at each other, he could still distinguish his name from her lips. It was simply that. He couldn't exactly figure out why they have never addressed each other by first names, but he was pretty sure that he would be more than happy to go on first name terms. Next time, he'll make sure to bring a digital recorder and record his name off her lips.

"Come on," Sakura narrowed her eyes impatiently as she walked back to him and held his hand. "We've got to go!"

"I…I'm very…" Syaoran started awkwardly, trying to find the right way to address Sakura Kinomoto. On his other side, Sakura Kinomoto smiled and turned to him, "yes?"

"I'm…very thank-" Syaoran was cut off when Sakura began to scream "JIMMY!" and ran towards his direction. Jimmy Naozumi, dressed up in a stylish black suit with a white tie and white pants smiled at the cheerful actress who clang onto his expensive Chanel suit. "I'm so glad you came," Syaoran heard Sakura say wistfully.

"Of course I had come; I wouldn't miss it for the world." Now why can't Syaoran talk like that? Oh, his head was hurting really bad. Maybe it's the vodka. He's had too much of that. That's why he wasn't thinking straight. That's why he kept thinking romantic thoughts about her.

Wait, wait, hold up. Romantic thoughts! About KINOMOTO? Has he gone crazy? All the vodka in the world would never make him think a good thing about her. Never. Syaoran stumbled over toward Jimmy and Sakura and struggled to keep his stature.

"Kinomoto… Thank you for your rescue," Syaoran said nervously, but exhaled deeply when he had gotten through the most awkward speech in his life, "I don't feel well, so I will go home now. Shall I take you home?"

"Oh no, that's ok, I will be in charge of Sakura for the night," Jimmy smiled sincerely as he pulled Sakura closer to her. Syaoran blinked. "What, the entire night?"

"Why yes, of course," Jimmy smiled. "What's wrong with the entire night?"

"No-nothing." Syaoran answered quickly. "Nothing's wrong. I'll go home then, I guess." Sakura and Jimmy nodded and dove back into their conversation. Syaoran was left alone dangling the whirling floor of his own premiere with a fastened heartbeat and an out-of-control imagination.

Entire night? Oh god, why was he ever gifted with an imagination?

To be continued…

Author's Note: Oh wow, haven't updated in a month. Well, here's an extra long chapter and I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review please! And thank you for all the wonderful people who reviewed last chapter! I've went from 10 reviews for the chapter for 187 reviews at the 6th chapter. How wonderful! Thank you guys!

oh and also, the fight with Tomoyo... i don't know where that came from... and don't send me complaints abt how mean and selfish sakura is :( i hate those. i think i just created that situation so our dapper hero can waltz in! hehehe. don't worry. sakura and tomoyo will make up:D