I Bet You Love Me

Chapter Three

Merry (belated? XD) Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! X3 Sorry it takes so long for me to update. T-T I started too many fics at one time. That was a bad idea. XD And I still have more ideas, too! Yay! XD Anyways, I think this is a pretty long chapter, right? Does that make up for the lack of update? :3

Sakura and I had been 'friends' for just over a week – ten days, to be exact. I was waiting under the tree before school to ask her about my soccer game. When I saw her coming, I grinned and waved. "Hey, Sakura!"

She looked up, also smiling widely. "Good morning." She jogged the rest of the way.

Something seemed a little…off about her. Her eyes were wide and excited and she couldn't seem to sit still.

"Sakura, what's going on? Why are you so excited?" I asked, chuckling a little.

"Well…" She blushed, looking embarrassed. "I got a call from my parents."

Ah, her parents. They were, basically, the cause of my newfound 'phony friendship'– her mother in particular. I still hadn't gotten a definite answer on whether or not the politician Amamiya Nadeshiko was her mother yet…but I didn't mind hanging out with Sakura all the time, either.

"And? What did they say?" I urged.

"They're coming home for the weekend," she told me, still smiling brightly.

I blinked. That was it? They were just coming home for the weekend?

"My mom said that they'll be staying the entire weekend," Sakura continued, excitement bursting in her voice. "Usually I hardly even get a meal in with them!"

My mouth was hanging open a little; I quickly closed it before she could notice. I guess it wouldn't be so strange for someone like Amamiya Nadeshiko and her husband to have no time for their daughter. Especially when she was caught in a scandal. I guess it wouldn't be strange for their daughter to be excited when they were home for a couple days.

I changed my expression back to a smile. "That's awesome!" So what do your parents do?

I still didn't have the guts to ask her. I didn't want to end my mission so soon.

Sakura giggled and nodded. I was drowning in her happy vibes; I just couldn't seem to make my smile go away while I watched her eyes sparkle. I wasn't exactly in a hurry to, either.

Then I remembered about my game. "Oh yeah! Hey, Sakura, do you wanna stay after school today to watch my soccer game?"

"You play soccer?" she asked, looking back at me.

I nodded. "Yep. And if you come, I promise I'll wipe the floor with the other team," I told her, winking.

She giggled again. Like the tinkling of bells, I swear.

"I'd love to come!"

"Cool!"

The bell rang, and we both ran our separate ways to get to class.

I slipped my soccer shirt on in the change room. Someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned to see Ikkaku, already dressed. My eyes narrowed. "What?"

He wore his infamous smirk, of course. "I see our little investigation is out there in the stands."

I shoved my foot in my cleat. "Yeah. I asked her to come."

"Isn't that cute."

"Yep."

He chuckled with that tint of evil. "I hope you'll get some real results soon. Or could it be you're falling in love with her?" he asked mockingly, his smirk growing.

I slammed my locker door shut. "No," I growled. "I'm not. Now get out of my face."

The coach came in and told us to get ready. Ikkaku purposely bumped my shoulder with his as he walked by. I clenched my fists. I couldn't even begin to explain how much I hated him…!

It was the last point. I wiped sweat off my forehead as we waited for our goalie to throw the ball. This point was the tiebreaker.

Ikkaku casually strolled past me. "You better get some info on the girl soon, Li," he whispered as he walked.

I glanced at him. That was random. I looked over to the stands at Sakura. I could see her breath; her cheeks were rosy and she was shivering ever so slightly. It was the last game of the season; we were ending late this year…I smiled, noticing Sakura was wearing my coat. But I was still wondering why Ikkaku…

The whistle blew, and the ball whizzed right by me. I turned around, realizing what Ikkaku had done. The little crap had distracted me so I'd miss the ball…!

I'm on his team, I thought frantically as I chased the ball. He'd even mess me up here?

Now Ikkaku was running with ball, a clear path to the goal. I growled. He'd be the big hero of the soccer game.

Suddenly, as if an answer to my prayers, Ikkaku stumbled with the ball. It got tangled between his legs and he fell straight on his back, the ball rolling off to the side.

Instantly, a forward from the other team and I dashed for the ball. I grit my teeth; he was so much closer…!

I gasped when I saw another forward from my team jump in, smiling at me, and kick the ball in my direction. I grinned back at him and stopped it in mid air, then started towards the net. Two others were closing in on me…I wasn't gonna make it…

Then I saw Ikkaku lying there on the ground, helpless as he glared at me. I grinned, my hatred for the guy giving me strength. It was a long shot, but I slammed the ball…and it crashed into the net!

The whistle blew. "Tomoeda High wins!"

There were cheers from everywhere, and the team came and high-fived me endlessly. I noticed Ikkaku had gotten up, and he was back to watching me smugly. I frowned; what could he be planning now?

I ran over to Sakura. "Yo! I hope I didn't bore you!" I said, panting.

She shook her head. "No, no, you were amazing! Really! Congratulations on winning, Syaoran!"

She reached out and hugged me, and I gladly hugged her back. All thoughts of the bet were out of my mind…for now.

After I'd gotten changed, I met Sakura outside the school.

"Sorry to make you sit in the cold like that!" I laughed. "At least you're wearing my coat, huh?"

She snuggled into the jacket. "And I'm never giving it back!" she joked, and we laughed.

Suddenly, I heard Bad Romance blasting from somewhere. Sakura fumbled in her pockets, and pulled out her iPhone. My eyebrows arched. Impressive. Made my LG Neon look a little crappy…

By the time Sakura had finished her conversation, her mood had become a lot darker. I blinked, stunned.

"Sakura…are you okay?" I asked, confused.

She looked up and forced a smile. "Oh, yeah…I'm fine…I, uhm, I really have to go now..."

I grabbed her hand, stopping her. "Well…it'll be dark soon. Let me walk you home."

"No…" She wiggled out of my grip. "No, no…I can go home alone, it's all right. I'll see you later, Syaoran." And with that, she took off, without even turning around to look at me. She was just gone.

I stood there, my teeth chattering, the wind whipping at my face and making it feel numb. But I wasn't paying attention to that. I was worried about Sakura; what was that phone call all about? Why was she suddenly so sad?

I wanted to help her, but at the same time I didn't want to interfere. So I reluctantly spun around and started back to my own home.

After finding out where she lived, I hadn't really gotten any more information on Sakura. She and I were a lot closer, though. And it hurt. Sometimes I wanted to come clean and tell her. Sometimes I wanted to throw in the towel and lose the bet. But one thing remained – I always wanted to hit Ikkaku.

I always enjoyed my time with Sakura, but not as much as I wanted to. Because every time I did, Ikkaku's smug face came to mind, challenging me with his ten thousand yen bet. I really liked Sakura. And I really hated Ikkaku.

I realized I was standing in front of my house, and sighed. I leaned up against the fence and stared at the sky. Sakura's phone call was really bugging me. I wanted to know what it was about it.

…No, I had to know what it was about.

I threw my bag over the fence into the yard and dashed back the way I had come. As I was running, I realized it would take a while to get there. It was getting dark, and I wanted to be there soon. I skidded to a halt, nearly slipping on an ice patch, and raced over to a catwalk just down the road. I slowed down a little as I entered the park; there were more spots of ice. I jogged carefully through the park, the sun setting steadily behind me. As I was going up the last hill before the other catwalk, the sun disappeared completely, dipping the trail in darkness. The park lights automatically switched on, and I saw a shadow on the swing set. I glanced over quickly, wondering what kind of kid would still be here at this time. I had to double take; it was Sakura!

I immediately turned and marched over to the swings. She was sitting still, holding the chains, her head hanging low.

"Sakura…?" I started cautiously.

She quickly jerked up, surprised by my voice. "S-Syaoran…"

I frowned when I noticed her eyes were red and puffy. I walked over and sat on the swing beside her. "What are you doing here? I thought your folks were coming home for the weekend."

She whimpered and looked down again. Her hands trembled and she gripped the chains harder. "…They cancelled…" she murmured, almost inaudibly.

My eyes widened. "What…?" I guess that would make sense. That was probably… "Was that what that mysterious phone call was about earlier?"

She nodded her head. My heart sank. At that moment, she was the embodiment of despair.

I reached out and rested my hand on her back, trying to comfort her. She looked up at me, her lip trembling, her eyes glazed. She jumped over to me and buried her face in my chest. My arms automatically wrapped around her, and she gripped my coat as she sobbed.

We sat there, like that, for a few minutes and eventually Sakura's tears ran out. She glanced up at me, and then pulled away. Reluctantly, my arms released her.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes. "But thank you. I feel a lot better now." She sat back down on her swing, exhaling calmly. "They always do this. But I can never get used to it…"

"Of course you can't," I told her. "And they should feel ashamed for always canceling. They should wait until they know for sure."

"Well, that's Mother's life…" she mumbled.

A moment of silence passed between us. Then she looked up at me eagerly.

"Since my parents won't be home…" She took a deep breath. "Do you want to stay at my house tonight?"

I stared at her. "What…?"

"Yeah! Please? You can call your parents and ask…" she said hurriedly.

My face broke into a smile. "I guess," I chuckled. I pulled out my cell. I didn't bother calling; I just texted my mom that I was staying at a friend's.

Sakura stood up, grinning excitedly. "You can use my father's clothes for tomorrow, don't worry." She giggled. "I just won't tell him!"

She grabbed my hand and tugged it; I stood up and allowed myself to be dragged back to her house.

My mouth hung open as I scanned my surroundings. It was amazing. Expensive this, expensive that. Fancy this, fancy this.

Do politician's really make that much money…?

Sakura lead me into a big room that I assumed was the living room. A big TV sat in front of a large couch, with a computer set up along the wall. Mahogany bookshelves filled with thick hardcover books were on either side of the TV – a plasma, by the way. Huge.

Sakura flopped down on the couch, sighing. I sat down next to her.

"It's so nice to not be alone all the time," she said, smiling.

I wondered why she didn't have any maids. But I wasn't sure how to approach that… "So…if you live in a house this big…don't you have any…butlers, or something?"

She frowned. "They only come when my parents come home. Otherwise, Father tells them not to bother. He says I only needed a babysitter when I was a baby. And I'm not a baby anymore…"

What kind of father was he? So what if she wasn't a baby – she can't just live her life all alone!

I tried to change the subject. "So…what games do you play online?" I asked, sitting forward.

She named off a few – and it turns out I was on her friends list for two of them!

We talked for a really long time. Even after hanging out with her all the time for the past ten days, we'd never talked like that before. It was like we were officially friends from then on.

While I was there, I tried to keep the bet locked out of my brain. But sometimes it came crashing back, and I felt sick. But I just looked back at Sakura's smiling face and forgot it all again.

It was around four in the morning – we had been talking and playing video games for a really long time. After finishing another round of Mario Kart Wii, Sakura suddenly stood up.

Without a word, she dashed off into another room. I blinked, confused. What could she be doing?

I wasn't left hanging for long, however; within a few minutes, she had come running back. Her face was a little pink, but she was still beaming.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

She giggled and held her hands out to me. I stuck my hand out, and she dropped the object she was holding into my hands. I looked at it; it was a key?

I stared at her. "What is this all about?"

"I'm giving you a key to my house," she stated proudly.

I blinked. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I just want to. Now you can come over any time."

I dropped my gaze back down to the key. For some reason, a smile crept onto my face. "Awesome. Now I'll have a place to go when my folks kick me out," I joked.

She clapped her hands and then hugged me. I was a little startled by the gesture, but I welcomed it warmly without a thought. When she pulled away, Ikkaku flashed through my mind again.

My heart suddenly seemed to thump so much louder. My palms got a little sweaty. I had to ask her. I had to make sure.

I opened my mouth, and nothing came out for a moment. But finally, I gathered the courage to ask.

"So…what do your parents do, exactly?"

Silence rung in the air as she slowly turned her head towards me. The look she was giving me creeped me out. Her gaze was locked with mine for a good few minutes. I felt like I wasn't allowed to breathe, or blink.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Sakura spoke again.

"Syaoran…are you my friend?" she whispered.

I clenched my fist as hard as I could without making it bleed.

"Yes," I replied in an equally quiet voice. It hurt so much. I was drowning in her beautiful eyes. I couldn't look away. That made it hurt even more.

She inched closer to me. I was shaking.

"My mother is Amamiya Nadeshiko," she murmured in my ear, as if everyone would know if she said it any louder.

My head was spinning slightly. The confession I had been searching for. The only reason I started talking to her.

After looking away for a brief moment, I looked back at Sakura. It had been a gigantic secret, something she could never tell anyone. And she'd told me.

Azusa had picked up on it somehow. Was I going to confirm his suspicions?

She looked worried, her eyebrows creased, her lip trembling. I moved my hand on top of hers comfortingly, smiling. Her face relaxed, and she rested her forehead on my shoulder.

I looked out the window at the moon; it's light shone into the room through the trees outside.

No.

On Monday, I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face. In fact, I had been smiling the whole weekend. Even when I got home and my mom was yelling at me for not giving her more information on where I was staying, I was grinning carelessly.

I stood at my locker, picking out the right books for my classes. When I closed it and started walking, I felt someone wrap their arms around my back. I craned my neck to see who it was.

"Sakura?" I asked.

"There was more crap about my mother on the news yesterday," she mumbled. "About her with some guy."

I turned around to face her. "Well…is it true?"

Her eyes got a little watery. "I think so."

I put my arm around her. "It'll be okay, Sakura," I whispered. "Amamiya Nadeshiko is a strong person. So is Kinomoto Fujitaka. You'll all get through it."

She gripped my shirt. "What if we don't?"

"Then I'll be here for you whenever you need me," I told her. She wrapped her arms around me tightly, and then ran off to her classroom.

I smiled as I started off to my own classroom. But my smile instantly disintegrated when I turned the corner.

Ikkaku was grinning insanely at me. He'd heard Sakura and I talking.

Dontcha just hate Ikkaku? XD Tell me in a review! The whole soccer thing was just to show what a bad person he is and why Syaoran hates him…and cuz it's cool. XP I don't know anything about soccer though, so it's all just guessing. XD Well, I hope you liked the chapter! Please review! :D:D Merry Christmas, Happy New Year~