Five: Photographs

SAKURA

I pulled my jacket tighter around me and tried to hold my camera, but my hands were shaking too much. It was too cold for a football game. I quickly held up the camera and snapped a picture without even looking at what I was taking a picture of.

The cheerleaders looked out of sync, lost without their head cheerleader, Nina. I wondered how she was doing. A car accident, I thought with a shudder. How horrible. Syaoran's face popped into my head without warning and I found myself blushing. Oh. Right, I thought to myself. Him and Nina are going out.

I sighed a little bit. We scored another touchdown. I looked around. There weren't even ten people at the game. They were all probably just sitting at home, curled up with a book, drinking some nice, hot tea. I wished I could be doing that.

"Why do they suddenly have me all over sports?" I said out loud. I shook my head. I snapped another quick picture, probably only my third one, as we won the game. "Yay us," I murmured as I got up to leave.

"Saku!" a familiar voice called my name.

I turned around, having completely forgotten about my plans to go see a movie with Tomoyo.

"Were you about to leave?" Tomoyo asked in a fake scolding tone, jutting out her hip.

"It's just really cold. Cold makes me forgetful," I replied.

Tomoyo laughed and hugged me. "You're just forgetful by nature, sweetie!"

"Oh! Before I forget--" Tomoyo laughed again "—could you tell the cheerleaders to get together for a few quick shots? The editor said there weren't enough of you guys last time."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "He's just a perv. But hold on just a sec, I'll go tell them!"

The girls got together, all smiles and pom poms. I snapped a few pictures of them and then suddenly looked behind them, to the football players. Syaoran was talking to one of the other players, smiling. And then he started laughing and before I knew it my finger had pressed down on the shutter button and I was looking down at the most beautiful picture I had ever taken.

"Okay, Sakura, let us see the pictures!" one of the girls squealed, reaching for the camera.

I automatically pulled the camera towards me, accidentally taking a picture of the girl, startling her. "No! Um, well, I want it to be a surprise! Um…yeah." I laughed nervously and took a step backwards.

"Photographer stuff!" Tomoyo said, smiling, breaking free from the group and putting an arm around my shoulder. "Well, I'll see you girls tomorrow! Bye!"

When we were almost to Tomoyo's car, she looked at me and said, "Can I see the pictures?"

I blushed fiercely and looked away from Tomoyo. She was the last person that I wanted to see the pictures. "I…I really do want them to be a surprise."

She pouted a little. Then suddenly her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, I think Eriol is getting mugged!"

"What? Where?!" I said, looking all around me. It was too dark to really see anything. I felt Tomoyo come close to me and grab the camera, then run away. "Tomoyo! No! Please don't look--"

Tomoyo turned to me and grinned the biggest grin I had ever seen. Ever.

I turned around quickly and started walking away from her.

"Sakura, oh my gosh--" Tomoyo started, walking behind me.

"I…I know! The pictures of the cheerleaders are great, aren't they? That is r-really a quality camera, isn't it?" I blurted out, speeding up, my blush increasing with every step.

Tomoyo caught up to me and stopped me by grabbing my shoulders and standing in front of me. She was smiling.

"What?" I muttered.

She held out my camera, the heartbreakingly beautiful picture of Syaoran on the monitor. I couldn't help it; a smile broke out on my face.

"Sakura Kinomoto! Ah! This is so exciting!" Tomoyo said giddily. "You little minx!"

"Huh?" I said.

She just giggled and turned me so that we were walking towards her car again. She was still holding my camera. The picture had gone dark. "Let's go! We need a plan! Plan Li!"

"Wait, Moyo. Plan? What about Nina?"

She stopped for a second, her brow furrowing, and then she was just walking again. "Nothing to worry about! Leave this to me, hun!"

--

SYAORAN

Eriol was blabbering away about something as we walked to my car when suddenly, "Oh my gosh, I think Eriol is getting mugged!" rang through the air.

Eriol laughed and kept walking. I stopped and tried to look around to see who had said that but it was too dark. "What…what was that?"

"Tomoyo," he said simply.

"Um…okay. Weird," I muttered.

"She's probably trying to distract somebody. Probably Sakura," he added softly.

At the sound of her name I found myself smiling. "Okay, E. Say you're in my situation. What would you do?"

"You mean your situation where your girlfriend is in the hospital after a car accident and you're practically in love with some other girl?" he said dryly.

I gritted my teeth together. "Yes."

"Bang the other chick," he said, laughing.

"Tomoyo is so going to know you said that," my laughter began as his ended.

"No…seriously…I don't know, man. Good luck with that."

"Wow, Eriol. Wow. You have just put me right at the beginning of an endless circle. Idiot," I murmured, shoving him.

"That hurts, Syao. What if Sakura knew you were being such a meanie to me?" Eriol said, sighing.

"If she knows you as well as I do, she'd applaud me."

--

The next day at lunch I was looking for a place to sit when I saw Sakura sitting outside, eating an apple and playing around with her camera. I was going to just sit close to her, to just kinda smile at her and pretend that I didn't secretly want to sit right next to her and kiss her and have her all to myself.

"Go talk to her!" somebody said from behind me in a sing-song voice. I looked behind me and saw Tomoyo sitting at a table, leaning towards Eriol, not even looking at me. "Yes, you. Go!"

I sighed, knowing that if I didn't go willingly, I would end up next to Sakura by Tomoyo's force, even if I was twice her size. Tomoyo is scary that way.

I opened the doors that went outside and a cool breeze hit me. Sakura looked towards the doors, smiling and waving at me. I walked to the table where she was sitting. "Can I sit with you?"

"Of course!" she said, scooting over to make room for me on the bench.

"What are you up to?" I asked her, glancing at her camera.

"Looking for good pictures of them game," she sighed and set the camera down, "but I can't find any. I only took a couple yesterday. It was so cold."

I smiled at her. "Can I look through them?"

Her eyes widened for a second but then she relaxed. "Ah. Sure, if you really want to."

I picked up the camera and started flipping through the pictures. There were pictures of the game, the cheerleaders, and plenty of Tomoyo. I stopped at one picture of Sakura, her lips pouted, her eyebrows knitted together, her arms crossed; mad. I'd never seen her look like that before. She was still adorable, I thought to myself, smiling.

"What?" Sakura said softly, smiling at me.

I pushed the camera towards her. She blushed as soon as she saw the picture. "Oh. Ha ha. Tomoyo took a picture of me and I didn't want her to. I really should erase it," she said.

I put a hand over hers. "Don't erase it. It's cute, really. My mom always says that every picture, no matter how stupid you think it is, is precious."

Sakura smiled, a bit sadly. "Your mom sounds smart."

I laughed and ran a hand through my hair. "She is. Tough lady."

She laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. The bell rang and she stuffed her camera into her purse. "I'll see you later, Syaoran!" She started walking away, but then she tripped over something and fell on her face. "Oof!"

I ran over to her and tried to help her up, but she just laughed and said, "I'm…okay. T-that happens all the time!" She got up and bit her lip. "I f-feel like an idiot. So! Have a great day!" She trotted off, nearly falling again.

All I could do was laugh.

--

My phone rang and rand rang. I groaned. I had just had one of the hardest practices of the year and all I wanted to do was sleep. I got up reluctantly and answered my phone without even looking at who was calling. "Hello?"

"Syaoran? You sound horrible!" a voice chirped on the other line. Nina.

"Mmm," I replied. "Hi, Nina." I sighed; she was seriously the last person I wanted to talk to. I wish I hadn't answered the damn phone.

"Oh! Hi! Anyway…can…can you come to the hospital really quick? Please? Please? It'll only be, like, ten minutes! Please, Syaoran?" Nina begged.

I couldn't say no to her, could I? I mean, that would be really fucked up of me. Ugh. I kind of wished that the male nurse could've seduced her and made her forget all about me. "I'll be right there."

--

I knocked on the door to Nina's room.

"Syaoran?" came her voice from inside.

"Yep," I said, going into the room, plastering a smile on my face.

Nina's face kind of fell as our eyes met, but she recovered quickly and a smile appeared on her face. "Hi, Syao. Um…you can sit." Her hair had kind of grown and most of her bruises were gone. It had been a few weeks since Nina had gotten into the accident; I wondered vaguely when she was going to be allowed out of the hospital. Her eyes were distant, like she wasn't really focusing on what was happening.

I sat down and moved the chair closer to Nina's bed. She wouldn't look at me.

"I don't know where to start," she mumbled sadly. She finally looked at me; her eyes were brimming with tears. "We've grown apart," she said softly, so softly that I almost didn't hear her.

I wondered what my face looked like. I couldn't feel anything.

"It's not the same as it was before, Syao," she continued as a tear escaped. I focused on the tear, which was traveling down her cheek. "T-things happen for a reason." The tear disappeared behind her chin. "Go be happy, Syaoran. I…I can't make you happy anymore."

My mouth opened, but I had nothing to say.

She smiled sweetly. "I'm not blind, Syaoran. I love you, but I can't be selfish and force my love on you."

I shake my head and finally manage to say something. "W-what about…you?"

"You always think about everybody else. Jesus, Syaoran! Go be selfish! Don't worry about me! I'll be fine!" Nina said, her eyes flashing in irritation.

I got up and kissed her forehead. "Take care of yourself," I whisper.

She smiled and said, "You, too."

And just like that, I'm…what's the word? Single? Free? Released? I'm…able to go get Sakura without feeling guilty. I jumped into my car. Then I realized that I had absolutely no clue what I was going to do now.

--

SAKURA

I heard a frantic knock on my front door and Tomoyo yelling, "SAKU! KURA! SAKURA! SAKURA!"

I opened the door, not wanting Tomoyo to tear it down with a battering ram. She walked in, calm as you please, as if she hadn't just been going crazy on my porch step. She turned towards me and grabbed my hands, her eyes twinkling fiercely.

I smiled; she looked a bit crazed. "Um…hi?"

"Sakura Kinomoto," she said importantly. "Do you know what has just happened?"

I shook my head.

"Nina and Syaoran are over. Syaoran freaking Li is single, Saku."

A blush crept along my face as the words sank in. "S-so?"

Tomoyo's face fell but the twinkle stayed in her eyes. "So? He likes you, Saku. He wants you!"

"W-what?"

"Trust me, Sakura. I know these things. That boy wants you. Bad."

A smile crossed my face and suddenly I had to bite down on my lip to keep myself from screaming.

Syaoran freaking Li!

Commentos:

I have nothing to say except…hope you liked it!

To My Beyond Reviewers:

StarAngel02: With the male nurse, Syaoran was just trying to get Nina's mind off of him. Thank you for the review!

dilly-sammas luver: Oh my gosh, that really stinks! Life really is just full of curveballs.

Thank you to everybody else who made my day by reviewing! And if you ever have a question or an idea, feel free to submit it!

:D