Chapter 3
Love is A Battlefield

The second term of sixth grade came and went, and time flew by quickly. Before everyone realized it, junior high school loomed in front of them. Sakura stood before her full-length mirror that day, staring at her own reflection. She certainly looked different in her brand new uniform. In a way, even if she hadn't changed much from yesterday, this morning she seemed to be a little bit taller. And her gaze just a little bit surer, her arms longer, her body more defined…

"Sakura! You look really cute!" Kero ambushed her from out of nowhere, and letting out a yelp of surprise, Sakura fumbled with a tangle of miniature limbs and wings that were all over her face before she could see properly again.

"Kero! You're ruining my hair!" she held the floating plush toy at arm's length, even as he continued to flail in excitement.

"Junior high student! Junior high student! This is such an exciting day!" Kero bounced around happily, and Sakura eventually couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. It was the beginning of a new chapter in her life indeed. She felt sad to have to say goodbye to Tomoeda Elementary School, but since most of her friends went to Tomoeda Junior High School with her, she wasn't going to miss too many of them. More importantly, both Tomoyo and Syaoran were going there too, so all was well.

"I'm going to breakfast now. Don't want to be late for my first day at junior high school!" she waved to Kero, who tried to sneak into her bag unsuccessfully. "Stay, Kero! And be nice! I'll be home soon!" she ordered sternly, waving one finger at him.

Kero pouted. "But I really want to see your new school! Fine, I'll just spy it later myself." He crossed his arms as Sakura's room door closed behind her.

Downstairs, Fujitaka Kinomoto was standing by the breakfast table with a camera. As Sakura appeared at the door with her bag slung over one shoulder, he took a picture of his daughter, the camera flash freezing Sakura in surprise. "Dad! What was that about?" she protested when she finally realized what happened.

Her father just grinned. "Had to take a picture of your first day as a junior high student. You're growing up too fast, Sakura!"

"Agreed. At this rate, she'll be a full-grown monster in no time, and then we all have to worry for the well-beings of the people in town," Touya chimed in from where he was lounging on one of the chairs, a half-eaten bread held casually in one hand.

Despite her best efforts to be graceful, Sakura marched over and tried to kick him, only to hit one of the table's legs instead. "Quit it with the monster thing! I'm not a kid anymore now!"

"You're twelve years old," Touya pointed out. "That's hardly an adult. Barely a teenager, really."

"Well, it's not long before my thirteenth birthday!"

"Hey, are you still dating that brat?" Touya changed the subject suddenly. And just like that, the tinges of red on Sakura's face turned from signifying anger to portraying full-blown embarrassment.

"Don't say it like that! And he's not a brat!"

"I thought you wanted to be all grown up. 'Dating' is what we call it in the adult world. Considering you're still blushing at the mention of his name, I really don't think you're ready to stop being a kid, little sister."

Sakura growled in frustration and hopped onto her chair, starting to eat her breakfast.

"So how long do you two plan to continue… this little… relationship of yours, whatever it's called?" Touya asked again.

Sakura glared at him. "What kind of question is that?"

"Well, I'm just saying, it's junior high school. Time to broaden your horizon and all, including when it comes to guys. It just feels like a shame if you keep holding on to one person since elementary school," her brother raised his eyebrows tauntingly.

"Why is it a shame?" she asked back defiantly.

"Well, because who marries their elementary school boyfriend?"

"Don't be mean, Touya. Your mother married her high school sweetheart, even if I wasn't exactly a student as well at the time," Fujitaka replied with a fond smile, and all three of them turned to look at Nadeshiko's picture.

Touya's mouth twitched ever so slightly. "I know. I was just trying to see how committed she is to the little brat. I guess I can approve of him, just as soon as I get to interrogate him."

"You won't do such thing!" Sakura exclaimed in annoyance. "And let me tell you, I'm really committed to him. He's the most important person to me," she stated clearly, even as her cheeks felt hot and she was looking more at her food than at her brother.

Touya glanced at her and finally really smiled, "Good for you. Just so you know, it's only going to get tougher from here. Better prepare yourself for the real world."

***

"Is there something on your mind, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked gently, bringing Sakura back from her reverie. She looked up at her best friend, standing in an identical uniform as her own, and shook her head.

"Just something my brother said this morning. I still don't understand what he meant. But I'm alright, don't worry about it." Smiling wide, she pulled Tomoyo to the announcement boards. "Let's check out our new classes! If we're lucky, we might be in the same class again."

The two girls approached the crowd already milling in around the announcement board, and after making their way slowly to the front, they finally managed to get a good look at the list. "There!" Tomoyo said delightedly. "Class 1-A! We're together, Sakura!" She hugged her friend excitedly at the same time as Sakura spotted both their names. Squealing happily, she squeezed Tomoyo's hands, unable to believe her luck. But then her eyes darted back toward the list, looking for another name. Not long after, she reached the bottom of it and couldn't find it. Her heart sank.

"Sakura, Tomoyo," a new voice joined them, and Sakura turned to see Syaoran appearing as if on cue. "Good morning," he said to the two girls. "I'm afraid we're not in the same class. I'm in 1-B," he pointed to the list next to Class 1-A's names. Sakura followed his gaze and found his name there indeed. She was disappointed, but then she realized they couldn't have all stayed in the same class forever. They wouldn't get to know new people otherwise. Trying to put it out of her mind, she put on a brave smile.

"It's alright. We can still see each other at break time," she said reassuringly, partly aimed at herself.

"And walk to school and back home together," Syaoran added quickly. A smile formed on his lips too, and Sakura instantly felt less upset. She grinned and nodded. Of course, this was just a minor inconvenience. They were still going to be okay.

***

At break time, Sakura strolled out of her new class with Tomoyo and a few new girls that didn't come from Tomoeda Elementary, and when she passed Class 1-B, she looked inside to see if Syaoran was still inside. She found him quite easily, leaning against a window, speaking animatedly. Smiling to herself at the sight of him looking more excited than she'd ever seen him before, she suddenly paused mid-step when she finally saw who he was talking to.

It was a girl she'd never seen before, and she was strikingly beautiful with long dark brown hair and eyes as blue as the sky. Her posture showed that she was confident and very comfortable with herself, and for some reason she looked very mature for a junior high student. From her body language, it was clear that she was someone who knew exactly how pretty she was, and was quite proud of it.

"Sakura?" Tomoyo finally noticed that she had stopped walking, and followed her gaze inside. Before she could say anything, Syaoran suddenly turned as if aware he was being watched, and saw the pair of them. He looked surprised, as if he'd quite forgotten about them, and then quickly walked toward them while motioning for the mysterious girl to follow him.

"Sakura, Tomoyo, uh… this is Suzuki Seira. Suzuki, these are Kinomoto Sakura and Daidouji Tomoyo, my friends from elementary school," he introduced them in turn.

"Nice to meet you," Tomoyo smiled at Seira and shook her hand. Then she nudged Sakura, who was still a bit frozen, until she finally snapped out of it and blushed.

"Oh! Right, I'm Kinomoto, nice to meet you," she offered her hand too and Seira shook it with a firm grasp.

"Nice to meet you both as well," she said, her voice clear and confident. Sakura could already tell that she could easily have a career as a singer. "I was just getting to know Li here. I didn't expect anyone here to know martial arts at such a young age, but apparently he's quite professional! That is awesome, because I've been looking for a teacher for so long, yet my mother wouldn't let me because she doesn't think a girl ought to do such thing! But you'll teach me, won't you, Li?"

Syaoran smiled at her. "Just as long as you're sure it won't get me in trouble with your mother."

"Of course not! We'll be discreet. And I still can't get over how you're from China! That is so cool!" She grinned with enthusiasm, and Sakura and Tomoyo looked at each other with an uncertain smile.

"So, Li, are you joining us for lunch?" Tomoyo asked. "Of course, Suzuki could come too."

"Oh, but I thought you were going to show me some basic moves today?" Seira interjected. "You promised!" she added with a pout.

"Uh…" Syaoran looked uncomfortably from Sakura to Seira.

"It's okay," Sakura said quickly. "You two go ahead. You've made plans, we can always meet up later on."

"But…" Syaoran still seemed torn, but Sakura quickly grabbed Tomoyo's hand and turned.

"It's fine, really! I'll see you after school!" she waved at him cheerfully and walked away before Syaoran could protest again.

Tomoyo glanced back at the pair as Sakura pulled her toward the quad, almost a little bit too forcefully if she might add. "Sakura, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sakura answered immediately. "Why?"

"It's just…" Tomoyo seemed like she wanted to say something more, but then quickly shook her head. "Never mind. Let's just eat!"

***

Days went by quickly, and lately it seemed every time Sakura tried to locate Syaoran, Seira was always with him. Three days ago she waited for him after school so they could walk home together, and found that Syaoran and Seira were staying back to finish some homework that she couldn't figure out herself, so Sakura decided to go home first. Yesterday she was meeting him up for a trip to the town fair that just opened, but when she called him after waiting for half an hour, it turned out he'd forgotten all about it because he was accompanying Seira to a dojo she'd always wanted to visit, and had lost track of time. He said he was going to get there as soon as possible, but Sakura had told him to stay and assured him that she was okay just going with Tomoyo. She tried to keep thinking positive as much as possible, but Sakura couldn't deny that she was having some worries that would not go away.

Today, unable to get rid of her anxiety, she decided to buy a box of moon cakes that she knew Syaoran liked so much and dropped by his house. She rang the doorbell once and waited. Even as she stood there, her concerns began to melt away. This was one of his favorite food; no doubt he'd be happy to see her surprise visit. And they hadn't seen each other much lately at all…

"Kinomoto-chan?" An unexpected voice greeted her when the door opened. Sakura felt her heart froze as she looked up and found herself staring at Seira.

"Oh," she stammered, confused. "I… I was just…"

"You're looking for Li?" Seira asked lightly, pointing inside. "He's in the kitchen. He's teaching me how to make moon cakes. Apparently it's one of his favorite food."

Sakura found her tongue paralyzed; she couldn't say anything. A few seconds later footsteps bounded on the floor and Syaoran's figure appeared. "Who's at the door?" He asked, and when Seira turned, he finally saw Sakura. "Oh! Sakura?" He seemed more than a little surprised, and maybe a little bit guilty.

"I was just… going to drop these," she smiled weakly and indicated the box of moon cakes. "But Suzuki told me you're baking some already, so I guess I'll eat them myself. Well, I'm sorry to have interrupted you. I'll see you later!" she turned quickly, and before Syaoran could stop her she had disappeared out of his sight.

***

"Sakura, is everything alright?" Tomoyo asked the next day, noticing Sakura's less-than-excited expression all day. Her friend just nodded without even trying to make it look convincing. Tomoyo seemed reluctant to say more, but she eventually asked again, "Is this about Li? Are you two okay?"

This time Sakura shrugged. "I don't know, Tomoyo. Do you think… do you think it's foolish of me to hold on to one person when I'm still so young? When there are still so many people out there and we're just starting to grow up? After all, we've been together for quite some time now, and nothing much has happened, and sometimes I feel we're no different than we were friends anyway, so maybe we should just go back…"

"Of course not!" Tomoyo said at once. "You and Li are meant to last forever, it's so obvious to me! Why spend so much time looking at other people and trying to find the right person when you've found them? You're one of the lucky ones, you know. Other people go through so many heartaches looking for the one they're destined to be with."

"You really think so?" Sakura looked at Tomoyo in wonder.

Tomoyo put her hand gently on top of Sakura's. "I know so."

***

"Sakura, can I walk you home today?"

To Sakura's surprise, Syaoran was waiting right outside her class that day. She wasn't expecting it at all, so it was nice, but she sensed that he wanted to talk about something important, and she was afraid of what she might hear. Nevertheless, she braced herself for it and nodded. Soon the two of them left the front gate, and the chatter of the other students subsided as they entered the smaller streets.

"Listen, Sakura, I know I've been… distracted lately," Syaoran began. "And I'm really sorry."

"It's alright," Sakura said automatically. However, upon hearing this, Syaoran stopped short and whirled to face her so fast it surprised her. He looked really troubled.

"But it shouldn't be alright! Sakura, I…" he trailed off, looking frustrated. "Tell me, are you not the least bit upset that I've been spending more time with Suzuki than with you lately?"

Sakura stared at him in confusion, wondering if this was a trick question. "I… well, she's your friend…"

"But you're my…!" he couldn't seem to say it as his face turned red. "You're the most important girl for me," he finished quietly, looking down at his feet. "But I'm not sure if you still feel that way about me too."

"What?" Sakura blinked in utter bewilderment. "Of course I do! Why would you think otherwise?"

"Because of the way you've been behaving! The way you're so okay with everything! I didn't mean to spend so much time with Suzuki, but I did, and that was wrong. And you weren't even upset! You weren't mad! You were just smiling and assuring me it was fine and every time I wanted to cancel my plans with her and be with you, you told me not to! Sakura, can't you see that you're driving me crazy?"

"I'm driving you crazy?"

"Yes! If you really care about me, then you would feel entitled to be angry with me! If you really feel that you're my most important person, then you wouldn't have been okay with me and Suzuki. Why aren't you fighting for me, Sakura? Do you not like me anymore?"

"I do!" Sakura was really confused now. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes. "And I'm… I'm upset! I just don't know how to… I thought it was selfish of me to not share you with someone else!"

Seeing the tears, Syaoran pulled her into an embrace and held her tight. "Oh, Sakura… you're too kind. You're so nice that you don't even know how to be angry with me for making a new friend, one who has started to become dangerously close to something more. Even if you have all the rights in the world to be jealous."

"I wanted to trust you!" she sobbed, realizing that everything he was saying was true. Now she felt like all the emotions that she'd been suppressing for the last week finally destroyed the walls she'd so carefully built around them, and they were all finally let loose. And it felt good to be able to acknowledge them at last. "But I am sad, Syaoran. I do miss you. And I'm scared I might lose you," she blurted out, feeling like they were the most honest words she'd said all week.

Syaoran's face softened, and he looked relieved at this confession. "You won't," he rested his hands on her shoulders, looking straight into her green eyes. "I'm so sorry to have put you through this. I will make it clear to Suzuki that you're the most important thing to me and she can't have me all the time. You will always come first. We may be changing, and growing up, but my feelings for you have stayed the same." She sniffled and hugged him hard, feeling like all her burden had been relieved at last.

"I'm sorry too," she choked. "I'm really bad at this being in a relationship thing."

"I know," Syaoran said in amusement, patting her gently. "It would be nice if you'll fight for me next time. You were always so fierce in battles when you were gathering the Clow Cards, Sakura. So I know you have that in you. Don't lose that. And I… I want to be the one worth fighting for the most to you."

Sakura felt her skin heat up, but she was suddenly reminded by Touya's words. Suddenly what he meant by that became crystal clear. She squeezed Syaoran's hands lightly and smiled shyly. "You are. I promise I'll do my best next time."

"Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you," Syaoran looked at her with an almost sad look. "Maybe you do deserve someone better…"

"No!" Sakura responded immediately. "I forbid you from thinking that way! I'm the one who gets to decide that, and I think you deserve me very much."

Syaoran smiled slowly. "Well, that's more like it. That's the fierce Sakura I know and love. You're getting better at it already."

Her eyes widening, she punched Syaoran playfully. "You were just testing me to see how I would react?!"

"Maybe," he suppressed his grin, and she laughed, feeling relieved.

"So we're okay, right?" he asked her softly, his gaze making her heart feel warm with love.

"We are," she confirmed, wiping her tears from her cheeks with a grin. He grinned back and clasped her hand, then they slowly turned to continue their journey home, each having learned yet another valuable lesson for their ever blossoming relationship.