A/N: Review, please!

Very Important Note: My laptop had broken down a few months ago and I couldn't quite get the rest of my chapters unlike this one. Thankfully this chapter survived but now I am asking any of my loyal readers, if you can, whoever has a copy of my chapters in your hard disk to kindly send them to me. Please?

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Denial

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Twenty-two seconds.

Nineteen minutes.

Seven hours—

—and a week had passed since it all started.

It was all lies. He knew. All those time that they were together and lively and happy. It was just something that his mind wanted to torture him with. Because, really, who would be dumb enough to believe such fantasy?

He did.

Because—it was something he wanted to believe—needed to. It was his inspiration to live for everyday. It made him feel significant to her and it was something so impossible that it made him retch. He just couldn't find himself living without her by his side.

She was his life.

Even though she didn't know it. She didn't. She didn't know that she ruined him. She gave him hope, triggered that certain impulse that there was something to live for spite all those troubles. But really, it was all her fault. She'd done this to him.

And now—he was scared. Scared to know that she found him disgusting for even thinking of such incest love, of knowing that she didn't love him after all. It was a new sense of panic that he knew that would haunt him till his final days—till she'll accept that he had finally fallen.

Though it was forbidden.

A light breeze wafted towards his room and sunlight streamed inside. Piles and piles of various notebooks and books scattered around his room unaligned on top of his table until the very end of his bed. His sheets disarrayed, his pillows askew, and his lamp lay below the desk.

It was a bleak Saturday morning of which he found extremely difficult to face. Especially with—

All these confusions—all the deceptions.

He couldn't take them anymore.

So.

There was nothing else he could do about it now. He took drastic actions and this was the consequence. His eyes narrowed abruptly at an innocent pen and cussed it.

"Syaoran!"

A voice so familiar, so special, so…

"Onii-chan, where are you?"

Sakura.

He slowly perched himself on the edge of his bed and waited. Loud footsteps echoed through his motionless room and still—he waited.

The door opened slightly and an auburn head popped itself from the back of it. Sakura's head came into view and Syaoran's heart skipped a beat.

She giggled and fully came into view, opening the door till it's out of the way. She gleefully strolled towards him and smiled. Syaoran blinked, transfixed by those bright emerald eyes of hers that always makes him feel… alive.

She squirmed under his intense gaze and coughed. She coyly looked up at him and blushed. "Onii-chan, papa is waiting for you downstairs. He said he has something to tell you."

"Sakura," Syaoran began, his voice oddly gruff. "I thought that—"

She held up a hand. "Don't start," she mumbled. "Papa is leaving in a few minutes so please Syaoran," she cringed. "Just… go to papa."

Syaoran's brows furrowed in thought. "He's leaving? But he just came home from work early this morning! Where's he going to—"

"Syao!" Sakura whined, tugging at the sides of his sleeves. "Just go already!"

He nodded his head and took a hold of her hand.

Like always.

He dragged her along and she didn't seem to mind. Because. He knew she wanted this. He knew. He needed to believe that she wanted it. He groaned inwardly and sighed out loud. His grip on Sakura's hand tightened.

He'll never let her go.

They practically flew down the stairs and neared the living room where their father stood, facing his back on them. He turned as soon as he heard Sakura's voice.

"Sakura," he smiled, his eyeglasses reflecting the rays of light outside the house. "Syaoran," he nodded his head towards his son and gave him a grin. "Finally you came out from your room."

Syaoran blushed and met his father's patronizing gaze. "You're going, father?"

Fujitaka nodded his head and took a hold of his baggage. "The usual business trip in central Tokyo." He chuckled. "But knowing that you're here and you're the one to take care of your sister, my mind is at rest." He lovingly ruffled the brown locks on Syaoran's head.

Syaoran blushed and his gaze traveled at Sakura's form. She was blushing fiercely and she seemed a bit uneasy. She weakly gave him a smile. He nodded his head as his father went out of the house and walked towards an awaiting cab.

"Of course, father."

Fujitaka laughed as he put his bags inside the backseat and sat himself comfortably in the front. He waved his hand in a gesture of goodbye. "I know you will, Xiao Lang. You children take care of yourselves, now."

Sakura came towards his side and took his hands in hers as she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Syaoran whipped his head to face Sakura's form. She was waving as their father departed. "For what?" He asked guilelessly.

Guilty wince.

Sakura flushed and dropped her hand to her side. "For being so inconsiderate." She mumbled and turned on her heel, walking towards the kitchen. She uncovered a plate of waffles and sausages. "Breakfast?"

Syaoran shook his head fondly, closed the door and walked inside the kitchen and sat himself down on one of the chairs. "Thanks for the offer, I'm famished." He noticed the sudden change of topic but didn't mind.

As long as she is still with him.

Sakura giggled and passed him a plate. "Well, considering that you stayed up in your room starting from yesterday's early afternoon, I can say that you are indeed starved."

Syaoran chuckled and happily dug away…

… and he was fine.

&

She hummed happily, twirling a stray auburn lock of her hair and for her—life was perfect. She skipped, she danced, she wiggled her butt playfully at Syaoran and he laughed back.

Yes, life was certainly blissful.

"Buy me an ice cream cone!" Sakura proclaimed with a playful pout. "Or I will punish you!"

Syaoran chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes, my highness. Please don't punish me with your sexy, seductive lingerie—" Sakura blushed. "—What flavor would you like?"

"Chocolate!" Sakura chirped happily and bounced on the tip of her toes. Then stopped. Blushed and remembered the occurrences—the very interesting ones—that had happened yesterday—their theme was chocolate—and froze.

She stoically watched Syaoran's cackling form in the distance as he bought her the ice cream she wanted. He—he was certainly different from the others. Considering that he was her brother and he was drop dead gorgeous, he was also the campus crush of their school.

And what they were doing was something that would be unacceptable to the public so… it really doesn't matter what she thought of him now because it will just confuse her all the more. That would be an awful… but endearing thought.

She smiled as soon as Syaoran neared her form, clutching on both hands are chocolate ice cream cones. He chuckled when he saw her look eagerly at the cold treat. "Here," he murmured as he gave it to her.

She quickly snatched it from him possessively and licked it hungrily. Syaoran laughed and slowly did so as well. He licked the top portion deliberately, catching the eye of a blushing Sakura.

She coughed and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, hiding her blush from his view. He chuckled lightly and rubbed her back soothingly, cooing lowly. "Take it easy, Sakura."

She mutely nodded her head and took a slow lick from her ice cream. Syaoran's eyes darkened at said gesture and he licked his ice cream cone from the bottom to the top portion. Sakura choked and the coldness overwhelmed her as she loosely tried to gobble down the whole lot of the dessert.

Drips of ice cream tainted Sakura's lips and cheeks. Syaoran smirked mischievously at this. He put out a hand and reached out, wiping some of the ice cream from her cheeks. "Naughty Sakura, should have been more careful." He leaned in towards her and licked the trails of ice cream on her cheek.

She blushed and her eyes fluttered wide open. He licked his lips and smiled at her knowingly. "Ice cream tastes better that way."

Just like the chocolate we tasted yesterday.

"Uhn huh," she agreed and leaned towards him, licking the sides of his lips earning herself a gasp from him. "Much, much better." She giggled in delight.

Syaoran laughed loudly and hugged her with his free arm. "I've corrupted you!" He exclaimed happily.

"Uh huh," she said and snuggled closer to him as she licked away at her abused ice cream. "But I'm going to fix you." She said absentmindedly.

"And you'll fix me back," lingered at the air as Syaoran expectantly waited her to continue but became disappointed as she didn't.

Syaoran shook his head, a smirk creeping to his face. "And how are you going to do that?" He asked, running a lazy hand through his hair.

Sakura finished her ice cream and stretched her arms lazily above her head. "—Well," she began. "I'm thinking that I'll give you less sugar—because you're really hyper whenever I'm with you—and that'll make you, well… less evil because you're really—"

—And he kissed her.

She moaned and helplessly leaned towards him and kissed him back. He mumbled against her lips, "I didn't know what else to make you shut up."

She giggled and hiccuped. "Oh, shut up," she took a step back and blushed when he cupped her cheeks and nibbled lightly on her bottom lip. "When someone sees us—"

"We wouldn't care…" He whispered, warming her lips.

She groaned and pushed him lightly on the chest. "Yes, I would."

He growled and pouted, stubbornly blowing on a stray lock of his hair. "Are you depriving me of my happiness once again?"

Sakura winked at him and jogged away, her hair bouncing at the small of her back. "Huh, I wouldn't know…."

Syaoran chuckled and shook his head and ran, catching up on her. "Oh you!"

And their afternoon came and went with laughs and bickers of joy—

—they were happy.

&

Night came and went as Sakura slept soundlessly and comfortably when Syaoran tucked her in. He, for once, slept by her side on her bed without getting all touchy-feely on her.

Though… it disappointed her just a bit.

A tad bit.

Okay!

Well, now, as the cold water splattered across her body as she showered, she felt rather alive yet adrift. Her mind kept on drifting towards her brother and her body kept on reacting… differently than before.

A warm feeling uncoiled itself from her stomach that traveled towards her breasts and down, down, until—

"Sakura!"

Came his deep, entrancing voice and she shuddered.

"What is it, Syaoran?" She yelled back. She turned off the shower and grasped her towel blindly that was placed on the rack that was sort of far from the actual shower.

"Are you finished?" He called, knocking on the door.

"Yes! I'll be out in a minute!" She rolled her eyes and covered herself slightly with the towel and opened the door, revealing a smirking Syaoran who was… half… naked…

Eep!

He chuckled. "What?" He asked innocently and walked around her, slipping inside the bathroom. "Never seen me naked before?"

Sakura blushed and her hands flew towards her eyes, blurring her vision on Syaoran's flawless—built—sexy… stop!

Her face burned in humiliation.

She was turning into him!

She shook her head and didn't notice that the bathroom door was already closed and that distant chuckling can be heard inside. She huffed in annoyance and muttered under her breath, "prat!"

She turned, quickly dressed her school clothes and knocked furiously on the door. "Syaoran!" She shouted, hearing his muffled voice from the other side of the door. "Aren't you finished yet?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't get your knickers in a twist." He laughed—that dark, rich laugh that sounded so… foreign yet familiar to her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and the door opened to the bathroom.

Syaoran emerged… butt naked with his towel swung over carelessly on his shoulder. Sakura's eyes widened and hastily turned around, shielding her eyes away from that… that… that thing!

He shook his head amusedly and strolled towards the room, getting his clothes from the bed and putting it on without haste. Sakura was still blushing furiously.

Syaoran sighed. "Get used to it, Sakura… now that we're more, well, intimate—" Sakura blushed madly. "—with each other I'm now more open towards you."

Sakura mutely nodded her head and strutted out of the room, her cheeks flaming of embarrassment.

Damn.

After the embarrassing incident, both Kinomoto's took the long way towards the school. They passed by the cherry blossom field, a small coffee shop where they took a quick drink and they finally arrived at their school.

"SAKURA!" An ear-splitting squeal resonated through their ears as they crossed the boundaries of sanity to… well, insanity. Tomoyo came to them, wrapping her arms around Sakura's confused form. "Guess what!"

Sakura scratched the back of her neck. "Erm, what?" She asked sheepishly.

Tomoyo squeaked and an evil glint in her eyes told her to stay away… far away from her right now! "Well," she sighed. "I signed you up to a, well, let's just say that you're now in the beauty contest of our school."

Sakura gaped, Syaoran's jaw dropped and well, Tomoyo was still giddy.

"I know!" She clasped her hands eagerly. "Isn't it just wonderful?"

Sakura shook.

Tomoyo was absolutely, certainly—

DEAD!

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Next Chapter's Title: Dress-up