She Writes His Heart, Chapter 2: The Beginning, Twice Over

When Sakura saw him, her heart leapt as it always did. Today, his light hair had been ruffled by the gentle wind outside; his glasses were slightly askew, and his smile was as wonderful as ever. Seeing him made Sakura's day better, always. It was like the fact that he existed was enough to make her world a better place, and Sakura was happy that he was in her life.

But.

Sakura sighed and turned away from Syaoran Li, her kind officemate, whom she had been talking to. "I'll just say hello to Yukito-san," she murmured, blushing, then she ran out of their shared cubicle to greet Yukito.

When will he ever notice my true feelings? Sakura smiled as she accepted the bouquet of orchids and sunflowers from Yukito Tsukishiro, her brother's best friend. He brought her flowers once a month, from the flower shop he ran. Jokingly he called it 'giving Sakura samples'; the first time it had happened, when she was finishing her primary education course in college, she had nearly died of the thrill. But when no confession followed, and their relationship continued to be the gently platonic one it always was, Sakura's heart plummeted. As it continued to do so now.

She had loved him for years, ever since he'd moved to Tomoeda when she was in the third grade. His warm hazel eyes, his gentle smile, and his sweetness had captivated her all those years ago… and to this day she wished she was more than just "Touya's little sister" to him.

Often, Sakura had fantasized about the day he would realize his feelings for her. She'd played out the scene in her mind so often, it felt like a memory.

One day, out of the blue, after spending the day together on the beach, he turned to her, as the sun was setting, and said, "Do you know, I've loved you for so long, Sakura-chan?"

And she looked at him, eyes shining in joy, and answered, "I've always loved you, Yukito-san!"

He would open his arms and smile that warm smile of his, then she would be in his embrace, for the first time as a lover.

What would she give to have that become reality?

Oh they'd gone on dates, all right. Every Christmas, which was Yukito's birthday, they would go to the amusement park, as they always had since she was ten and had mustered the courage to ask him out. On her birthday, he would take her out to a nice restaurant. If she seemed sad or down, he would take her out too. They would hold hands as they walked, and Sakura would be thrilled when people mistook them for a couple; Yukito looked young enough to be her age despite being six years older.

Often, she swore to herself that she would tell him how she felt, now… but always, something happened to prevent it. A minor road accident interrupted when she was in high school; in college, they were alone when a couple hidden in the bushes began to argue. She was beginning to wonder if the fates were trying to tell her something.

Yeah, they are, and it's 'Sakura, you've been in love with this guy for more than ten freaking years and you're not going to get anywhere,' she thought a little bitterly. Sakura blew some air upwards, moving her bangs off her face, and placed her head on her arms.

In truth Sakura was beginning to wonder what it would be like to love someone else. Yukito was her only close male friend; all her other friends were girls. She was curious as to what it would be like to spend time with someone else, to slowly fall in love with someone her own age, because she couldn't imagine it. Again she sighed.

Syaoran watched Sakura as she accepted the bouquet from Yukito. Her smile was radiant, and he realized with a shock that she was in love with the gentle-looking older man. He felt something sink in the region of his chest, and he stifled the urge to turn and run away.

Running away was how he coped with problems as a child. Often, stuck for words or something to do, he would turn tail and leave girls he liked behind. Syaoran was well aware that he had developed a reputation for being a jerk as a result, but over time, he'd learned to stay where he was and suck it up.

Not that it didn't suck when he did stay and face things.

He watched as Sakura spoke to the man she'd called 'Yukito-san,' looking perkier and happier than he'd ever seen her. Yukito replied to whatever it was, smiling; he laughed, patted her head, then left.

There it was, Syaoran thought. It was in the way Yukito looked at her: with tender affection that was almost paternal. He didn't return Sakura's feelings, and the thought made him sad for her.

Sakura watched as Yukito left after delivering the flowers and asking how she was doing at her new job. He asked after her best friend Tomoyo, who was entering design school, and told her to do her best at her job.

A kid sister. That's all I'll ever be to him, she thought glumly.

Then a voice asked, "Are you all right?" Syaoran was looking at her, his brown eyes full of concern.

"Well, yeah," Sakura smiled at him reassuringly. Her problems didn't need to be his problems, after all. He was just such a good guy—and a cute one to boot—that she thought was strange he didn't have a girlfriend yet.

If only she knew.

"Um… is there a problem… with your, um, b-boyfriend?" Syaoran asked. He could have smacked himself as soon as the last word left his lips; he knew Yukito wasn't her boyfriend but could he blurt that out loud? If not then what else to call the man? Ah well, too late, maybe I've offended her, he thought.

Sakura couldn't help it; a "hah!' escaped her before she could control herself. He raised a curious eyebrow at that.

"He… he's not my boyfriend."

Syaoran's heart gave a little leap for joy when she admitted what he knew, but when he saw what the admission cost her, he stifled his reactions. "And… um, is that the problem? Th-That he's not?" He looked away; was what he said too forward?

How did he know? Sakura looked up wonderingly at Syaoran, then sighed. He had a knack for cutting to the heart of a problem; it was something she'd noticed early on about him. He didn't say much but when he did, it always mattered.

"Well, yeah," she said reluctantly.

He looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face, then when Sakura wondered if he was ever going to say anything, he suddenly said, "Let's have lunch."

"Hoe?"

Food always cheered Sakura up, Syaoran had learned over the time they'd spent together. And besides, he'd said he'd treat her to lunch. But not at the cafeteria… Syaoran decided to take her to a nice Thai restaurant he'd discovered some time ago.

"Come on. I said I'd buy you lunch, so…" He cocked his head towards the door.

"Uh, okay…" Sakura stood up and grabbed her bag. Syaoran shook his head.

"My treat. Just bring your cell phone, in case we get called back." He marveled at the fact that he was able to talk to her now… why did it have to take a depressed Sakura for him to act this way?

Sakura followed Syaoran, and when they got on the train, she asked, "But where are we going?"

He allowed himself a small smile but said nothing.

"Fine, be mysterious," Sakura grinned. The train was full at the lunch hour, and every now and then, she was crushed into Syaoran by the people moving in and out of the exit. She grabbed onto his arm, apologizing as she steadied herself.

Oh crap, Syaoran thought. He liked it when she pressed into him, and when she looked up at him and smiled then said, "Sorry" after one particularly bad lurch, his own heart gave a little lurch.

Why did she have to be so damned cute? Why did he have to like her warmth and her smile? Well, Syaoran realized there were other reasons why he liked her: she was cheerful in contrast to his dourness, she looked at the bright side of things, and she was just so real, unlike other girls with their coquettish ways and artificial voices and flirty mannerisms.

Too bad a friend was all he probably could ever be for her.

On the other hand, Sakura was enjoying herself; the change of pace was nice, and since she'd grown up in Tomoeda, getting to see new places in Tokyo made her happy. As three stations passed, she looked at Syaoran curiously and found him watching her. It made her feel warm inside to know how considerate and protective he was, and she wondered if it would be a good idea to set him up with a friend… it would be such a waste for a kind, handsome guy like him to be single.

But who to set him up with? She frowned as she mentally rifled through her list of friends.

That's it, Naoko! She's a great girl, and Syaoran is such a nice guy! I'll set them up this weekend! She almost clapped her hands in delight, except the train stopped again and she had to grab onto Syaoran's arm for support. He stiffened, and she said, "Sorry!"

"It's okay," he said without looking at her; Sakura smiled because he reminded her of her brother Touya. Syaoran, she realized, was shy and often misinterpreted; if only people tried to get to know him, they would see what a great person he was. And of course he was easy on the eyes too; Sakura thought he was one of the most handsome men she'd ever met. Must tell Naoko that when I set them up, she thought happily. No, better yet, she would take a photo so Naoko could see for herself how good-looking Syaoran was.

After a while, Syaoran said, "This is our stop," and he waited for her to get off first. As he followed, he nearly passed out when Sakura held his hand.

"You have to hold on to me," she squeaked as the crowd pressed against them. "I don't know this part of town and I don't want to get lost!"

Syaoran didn't trust himself to speak; he nodded and when her grip tightened, he was grateful that his back was to her so that she couldn't see him blush. From the way his ears were heating up and passersby were staring at him, it meant he was monumentally red. Oh great. Unrequited love plus a side order of humiliation meant he was in for a bad time of it.

They made it to the place called Khao Pad within minutes, and Sakura was delighted when Syaoran explained what the menu meant and encouraged her to order what she liked; they would share the food. She chose the salted fish, omelet, and raw mango brown rice; spring rolls with ground chicken and glass noodles; tom yum soup; broiled pork with hard-boiled egg in soy sauce and vinegar; and the sautéed whitefish in sweet chili sauce; Syaoran was amazed to note that she chose most of what he himself would have ordered, and he found a little smile working itself on his lips as a result.

"You look cute when you smile, you know," Sakura told him.

Syaoran could feel himself turning red. "What?"

"You're usually so quiet and serious. Girls like that, don't get me wrong," Sakura said. "But I like it when you smile. Makes you more human, you know? 'Cause if you're just this handsome guy but you have this 'I-don't-smile' vibe, it's not as nice as the way you feel to me when you do smile."

He couldn't help it; he smiled. "Oh, okay…"

"You can call me Sakura, you know," she giggled. "You're not used to calling people by their first names, are you?"

Syaoran shook his head, feeling the warmth that was still in his cheeks.

"Is it okay to call you S-sakura? I mean, you've only really known me for a while," he managed to get out.

She smiled that lovely smile in which she closed her eyes, almost as if the act of smiling made her happy, and Syaoran stifled the urge to touch her cheeks affectionately. She's so damned cute!

"I think you're a nice guy, Syaoran-kun," she said. "And I like spending time with you."

She doesn't mean anything special by it, Syaoran reminded himself. She's just too innocent to realize… but I wish it did mean something special! he thought despairingly.

"Uh, thanks," he muttered, then he busied himself chewing the bean sprouts served with the spring rolls.

But after that, the conversation flowed freely when they began to talk about cooking, much to Syaoran's amazement. Sakura impulsively offered to make tenshin for Syaoran when she discovered it was his favorite dish; turned out they both liked shrimp. And Syaoran was irresistibly reminded of Fa Ying when Sakura said she liked noodles; he in turn offered to bring his Cantonese braised noodles with seafood for her to try.

Later, he encouraged her to talk about Yukito, and Sakura shared how she had grown up with him in the picture as her brother's best friend. Syaoran easily read between the lines and could see her frustration over her situation, but he refrained from saying anything. Instead he nodded, laughed when Sakura told him funny stories, and savored being with her.

Then she insisted on taking their photo with the camera of her cell phone.

"W-why?" Syaoran stammered.

"Because this was a fun lunch! Let's take it as a souvenir. Come on, please?" she coaxed.

When he nodded, Sakura summoned a waiter and asked him to please take their photo. She grinned; Syaoran gave the camera an uncertain look, and when they examined the resulting photo, Syaoran managed to blurt, "Give me a copy, okay?"

"Sure!"

After all, it was the only way he could have her. Or so he thought.

Once back at the office, Syaoran learned, along with Sakura, that their audit for that afternoon had been moved to the next day, and Mei Ling told them they could go home instead.

"Oh, too bad," Sakura smiled.

Syaoran nodded at her; he was itching to click on the link in his email that said one of his favorite authors, SkyPhenomena, had updated, but with Sakura looking over his shoulder, he couldn't.

"Um, er… You take care going home," he said as she picked up her bag.

"Thanks again for lunch!" She smiled and patted his shoulder. "See you tomorrow!"

Once she was gone, Syaoran began to read. In the previous chapter, Fa Ying had accidentally released the Reed cards; the scene was about to shift to his favorite character, Xiao Long. He wasn't disappointed; he began to read…

Updated 03-31-10. Author: SkyPhenomena. Chapters: 4. Words 12,684. Rating: T

"What the hell?" Xiao Long dropped the sword that had materialized in his bedroom. He had no idea how to use it, and the edge gleamed wickedly in the scant light from his adjoining bathroom.

He suddenly felt a surge of power go through him, one that knocked him off his feet. Power began to permeate him; he could feel the sheer energy threatening to just make him implode, and he closed his eyes in desperation. But soon the surge vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and Xiao Long was left wondering what had happened.

Hah, he has magic now, Syaoran grinned as he scrolled the page down. Good for him.

Xiao Long jumped when a voice asked, "How long have your powers been locked away, boy?"

A tall angel-like being with silver hair that brushed the floor was standing next to Xiao Long's bed. Xiao Long's eyes went to the sword; following his gaze, the otherworldly creature sighed. "Don't. That is a magical sword and can harm both humans and supernatural beings like myself and I'd rather you didn't."

"W-who are you?" Xiao Long stammered

The angel calmly said, "I am the Moon Guardian, and I am here to teach you the skills you will need to protect Fa Ying, who is the Reed Card Mistress."

"M-me?" Xiao Long felt faint. "B-but I d-don't know… I mean, I…"

"Stuttering is unbecoming of one who is destined to be the consort of the Reed Card Mistress," Moon Guardian said sternly. "Now pick up that sword and we shall begin lessons."

"C-consort?" Xiao Long felt faint; the last time he'd checked that meant he would be… Fa Ying's lover?

"Never mind that. Let's begin with the five attitudes of sword holding. Pick up the sword, boy."

And true to his awkward nature, Xiao Long blurted, "Now? But I have work tomorrow morning!"

He could have sworn Moon Guardian rolled his eyes. "Now. The beginning stance for swordfighting is like that of a dance…"

And the night faded away as Xiao Long was swept into a magical world he had never known existed.

What followed was a hilarious description of a laconic teacher who would simply tell Xiao Long to do something without demonstrating it then criticize him sharply for making mistakes. Syaoran stifled his chuckles when Xiao Long swung the sword and accidentally embedded it in his own bedroom wall; Moon Guardian sighed and said something about Rome not having been built in a day.

Fun chapter, Syaoran thought when he reached the end. He typed in his customary review, thanking the author for a great read, then stretched. Night had fallen, and it was time for him to go home; everyone else had left the office.

As he walked home to his condominium several blocks away, he decided to check if the latest issue of Kawaii had gotten in yet; it hadn't, and the newsstand owner, to his shame, gave him a knowing look, as if she knew he was buying it for himself and not for a fictitious little sister—his sisters were all older. Syaoran fled and ran the rest of the way to his building.

Ah, adventure and romance, Syaoran thought as he turned his key in his lock. I'd wanted to read the next Captors chapter, when Fa Ying confesses to Moon Guardian's false form Yuki Kitushiro. Poor Xiao Long! Too bad my life is slow and boring.

Too bad he had no idea that his life was about to change drastically.

Creak.

Clatter.

Crash!

Sakura tiptoed into her father's basement library, wondering what the strange clattering noise had been. Twenty-two is too old to be afraid of ghosts, she admonished herself, but she clutched her old cheerleading baton tight anyway. Of course it escaped her that a baton would simply pass through a ghost but then when people are scared or stressed, they hang on to anything that can give them support of any kind.

"About time," a small voice said. "What does it take to get your attention?"

"Hoe!" Sakura only let out that childish exclamation when she was startled... which she was, now. She started and tripped over a few boxes and wound up in a heap on top of some old books, which fell over.

One red and gold book glowed as it fell open on the ground. Curiously, Sakura picked it up and the book's lock clicked open.

What is this? Cards? Sakura picked up the pile of nineteen cards embedded in a hollow in the book, which had been labeled 'CLOW,' She turned over the top card and read its name out loud: "Windy."

Unusual. English writing on an oriental design?

Suddenly, in a blinding flash, the cards she was not holding flew away from her; she managed to grab onto one as a strong wind blew throughout the basement. Mysteriously though it did not disturb the books lined on the shelves, but it did blow a window open. Something rustled through it, and soon the wind died down.

"Ho-e," Sakura breathed when things returned to normal. All she was holding was the card labeled 'WINDY'; all the others were gone.

"Way to go," someone said dryly. "And I thought things might be easier because you're an adult."

Who was talking? There was no one there, and Sakura gripped the baton even harder when she realized the voice was coming from a tiny gold-colored stuffed tiger which was staring up at her, mouth agape.

And it was hanging in mid-air, supported by its tiny wings.

"Yaahh!" she yelled as she brought the baton down on its head.

"Nooo!" it screeched.

Across town, in a fairly large condominium unit in Tokyo, Syaoran was practicing his t'ai ch'i forms; he did that every night before going to bed as they soothed him and helped him stay fit. He'd always wondered if he should have gone for sword fighting or judo or taekwondo or win chung; that way, he would feel safer when walking through Tokyo at night. Or not.

He'd just finished his last forms when he felt a surge of energy blast into him. Knocked off his feet, Syaoran gritted his teeth as the energy seemed to pour into him. What the devil was going on?

Then as soon as it started, it was over. He stood up, feeling a bit strange and shaky; he wiggled his fingers and toes, trying to figure out what had happened.

That was weird, he thought. A power surge? Static electricity? He shook his arms, wondering if he'd imagined it all, when suddenly his right hand began to glow and a sword began to form in it.

"What the hell!" Syaoran dropped the sword, which made a loud metallic CLANG! on the floor. He stepped backwards, breathing hard; he closed his eyes, wondering if they were playing tricks on him.

They weren't. The sword was still there when he opened his eyes again—and it had sliced his rug where it had fallen.

"Oh shit," he gasped.

"Don't worry, that is your sword and it cannot hurt you unless you're careless," a voice said.

Syaoran whipped around and saw an angel-like being standing across him, glowing in the faint light from his bathroom.

Oh shit shit shit! Syaoran cursed mentally, as his tongue seemed to have tied itself into knots.

"It is time to remove the seal on your powers, the one that was waiting for this moment," the angel said. Its impossibly long hair brushed the floor, and a glow like moonlight seemed to surround him.

"W-who…" Syaoran stammered before he began to choke; he'd accidentally swallowed his own saliva. He flailed and gasped for air; the angel glided towards him and gave him a firm thump on the back, which ended the choking.

"I am the Moon Guardian Yue, and I am here to teach you the skills you will need to protect Sakura Kinomoto, who is the Clow Card Mistress."

"M-me?" Syaoran felt faint. "B-but I d-don't know… I mean, I…"

"Stuttering is unbecoming of one who is destined to be the consort of the Clow Card Mistress," Yue said sternly. "Now pick up that sword and we shall begin lessons."

"Wait!" Syaoran backed up slowly. "Oh no. You have got to be kidding. I just read all this in a fanfic a while ago! That's got to be it. I'm asleep. I'm dreaming. Yeah, that's it! Or maybe this is a practical joke; Eriol has the keys to my apartment. Yeah!"

He could have sworn Yue rolled his eyes.

"You are not dreaming, Li Syaoran. Your magical powers were sealed away when you were younger to protect you. Your own mother Yelan did it, and entrusted the unsealing to me. I am your Guardian, just as Cerberus is Sakura Kinomoto's. Under my domain fall the martial arts, swordfighting, and elemental magics, and these are what you must learn quickly, as your first Card is coming to test you both tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Syaoran almost whimpered."You mean, this is real?"

Yue, with an air of infinite patience, nodded.

"But… work… Sakura and me, an audit…"

Ignoring him, Yue began, "Now. The beginning stance for swordfighting is like that of a dance…"

And the night faded away as Syaoran was swept into a magical world he had never known existed—and he was unable to dispel the feeling that everything happening to him was happening according to a script, especially after he embedded the sword in his own bedroom wall.

Just like Xiao Long did in the fanfic he'd read but hours earlier.

To be continued in chapter 3.

Preview of Chapter Three:

"EARGH!" Syaoran yelled as he dropped his sword. Again. The 'Raitei shourai!" spell was hard to control, and he'd gotten grounded as the magic coursed through the sword.

"This is the Li heir?" Cerberus said scornfully. "Yue, I think you made a mistake. This clumsy boy can't possibly be the one Clow said!"

"I don't make mistakes," Yue said coldly.

Syaoran, ears red from shame, picked up his sword and walked off to face one of the trees in Penguin Park, feeling worse than useless. Sakura had learned her sealing spells so easily, and he…

"Syaoran-kun?"

The hair on the back of his neck prickled. Oh no. Sakura was back from flying with her sealing rod, which meant she'd probably seen his humiliation.

Without turning, he asked, "What is it?"

"I'm scared," she said, to his surprise. She moved to face him, and he was startled to see how downcast she was. "I'm just me, and then this happens because it was my fault for opening that Clow book, and I…" She began to sniffle. "Now the disaster of the world might happen because of me!"

His misery no longer mattered—because she was unhappy. Syaoran placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Don't cry," he said soothingly. "We'll get through this somehow, okay?"

I would like to thank those without FFN accounts who reviewed: coco, James Birdsong, stoic reviewer, DeviousChild23 (PMs not enabled so I'm thanking you here). Please do read and review, it would mean a lot to me! Let me know if you enjoyed it, what you'd like to see, anything is fine!

Notes: Yay! Chapter 2 is finished and posted! As MikoKagome1113 notes, I wanted to write a story which was funny (as Addiction is emotionally intense right now!) and in which Syaoran is an adult but hasn't fully banished his demons of shyness and awkwardness. A box of peeled sweet oranges to you Miko!

This is a Sakura and Syaoran story, don't worry. But I want to develop Syaoran's character a little more. The poor boy is going to have to cope with his growing feelings for Sakura just as she decides to take her relationship with Yukito to the next level--just like in the series! (laughs)

As I noted in Addiction, you can find the list of Sakura and Syaoran's favorite food in the manga translations.