Chapter Eight

Meet the New Routines

If you have no fears,

No sorrows,

No anger,

Then you're not living.

December 2019 – Tomoeda, Japan

'Take ten more hits.' Syaoran instructed. 'You're doing well.'

Sakura smiled nervously as she stomped another ten times in the air with her right arm. Her left arm was still useless, but she had insisted on beginning her training. And because Syaoran disagreed firstly, she only got to do some warming ups to start with this week.

And she had to say, this was only her second day, but she was completely drained from energy. Lying in the Hospital for half a month made sure she had to start all over again.

In the three weeks after that, she returned to school, but because Eriol brought her everywhere she wanted, and she had to skip gym and clubs, none of her former energy returned. Sure, her feet, knee, thigh, shoulder and ribs healed, but she wondered if it would have been better if she had listened to Syaoran to wait with the training until she was completely healed.

Syaoran got up an hour earlier than her to finish his own training before she started. Now he made something to eat for them, before school would start. He kept one eye on her, and one on his food, and seemed completely fine with this diverted attention.

'Tired yet?' He asked with a false grin.

'Shut up.' Sakura huffed at her sixth punch. 'I'm not tired, I'm drained. I can't believe this is only warming up!'

Syaoran had to laugh at this. 'At least you're getting your energy back with this. As soon as your arm has healed as well, the real trainings begin. Then you'll know what being drained is.'

Sakura glared at him and came to sit at the table. When Syaoran set the food in front of her, her stomach made an embarrassing sound. 'Looks delicious.' She remarked softly.

'I hope so! Your energy won't come back without some good food.' He sat down as well, and started to eat.

'Syaoran?' Sakura asked between two bites.

'Hm?'

'Thank you for training me.' She quickly took another fork full, so she didn't have to look at him.

'It's okay.' He answered. He was glad she wasn't looking at him, because a small blush crept up his cheeks. He wondered where it came from.

After a while, she started again. 'You know, you should be a cook. I think you have potential.'

Syaoran let out a laugh. 'You think so?'

'Hm!' Sakura nodded enthusiastically. 'It's the best!'

'Well, I learned from the best...' Syaoran remarked softly.

'And who's that?'

'My butler, Wei.'

He has a butler?

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

With one hand, she fastened her scarf around her neck. It had become really cold these past days. Winter approached quickly.

It was Saturday morning, and Sakura had just been dropped off by Touya at her part-time job. She couldn't do everything yet, that she used to do, but they gave her other work which only asked for one hand.

Being put alone in the basement of the building, she had all the time to think. Her chief gave her the key from the only door, and so she locked herself up, thinking that was saver. No one could bother her now. Sorting out all the papers that were piled up in here, Sakura's thoughts drifted off.

Her training with Syaoran had begun, but she knew that it wasn't serious yet. It was simple and short at the moment, but because of lack of condition it was more than she could handle.

Syaoran had seemed a bit bored at the trainings so far, and had done his homework while she was sweating. It bothered her, thinking that he didn't really want to train her. But maybe it would change, once her arm was completely healed.

Between her and Syaoran, nothing really changed. He was still glaring ninety percent of the day, and only laughed when they were having an actual conversation. They were pretty close, but it stayed at that.

They trusted each other, but at the same time, they had secrets which they wouldn't talk about. She knew he was still hiding something important about his past, but she was afraid to ask him about it.

After all, it could be worse than her own experiences and she knew how it felt when others wanted to know about it. She didn't want him to relive something terrible, just because of her curiousness.

And this brought her to her own problems. She created an inhumanly distrust against others, which she was perfectly aware of. She was, if she could say so herself, very able to hide it from everyone, and they all thought that she had recovered in record time, again.

But she didn't, really. She was frustrated that everyone pampered her, but at the same time, she was scared to walk alone over street, scared to leave the classroom alone, scared to work in this dark and creepy basement where nobody could hear her.

She found it harder to make friends, and she didn't want to save anybody on school anymore. Sometimes she imagined that every whisper was a new complot against hers, and that it wouldn't take very long before a third happening would appear, and this time probably an actual assassination.

Being scared of that made her realize, that she actually wanted to stay alive. There was still so much that she needed to do – and she needed to be alive for that – which she didn't dare at the moment.

For instance: she really, really wanted to find someone to love, someday. Someone that could take care of her, love her and make her happy. But she was scared that it would all be a fake when she finally would find that one person.

And this brought her to her last, just found out and well hidden problem.

There was someone that came awfully close to being liked by her, and although she did trust him, she would never admit it, scared to be hurt all over again.

Slowly, very slowly, she had realized that she liked Syaoran just a little more than a friend, and it didn't help that this feeling grew every day. It certainly didn't help that she was quite sure he would never think about her like that.

Syaoran wasn't the type to return anyone's feelings. It was not believable that he would ever find himself a girlfriend. Not that he couldn't, he had, after all, thousands of fan girls, but he would probably never love someone that much.

Now, she didn't mean to say he wasn't able to love, it was more like he did his very best to not let that happen.

Which gave her automatically, just like his fan girls, no chance.

And although it did bother her, it also was a relief. This was a fear that she at least didn't have to face.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Syaoran stretched as he finished his morning trainings. It was a quarter to six in the morning, and he felt refreshed, even though he was suffering from lack of sleep. He had been working a lot these days – the new year was nearing, which meant a whole lot of extra work – not to mention his personal trainings, his school, homework and Sakura's lessons.

He had been skipping a lot of his evening trainings, due to lack of time, and still he slept four hours at most. And this was going on for nearly two weeks already. He was drained, but also trained for this, so he kept going, not showing anyone how tired he actually was.

Another reason for his tiredness, were his worries for Sakura. He just knew that she wasn't doing well at all, and that she faked her own remarkable recovery. If she kept this up, then eventually, she would end up completely depressive or something like that. And he didn't know if she could be cured by then.

She had to get over it, fast.

His concern for her was new for him. He used to only be concerned about his mother and sisters, the Li-corporations and every now and then about Meilin. Eriol and Ryu could take care of themselves perfectly well.

But this concern was completely new for him. It surprised him that it seemed so easy and normal to be so concerned, so easy to accept her as a friend, so easy to like her.

He had never expected to ever make new friends, let alone stand to feel so close about one, and so concerned.

He rapidly stepped in the car, ready to pick Sakura up. Touya had to start early, and wouldn't be able to bring her at Syaoran's place. The houses flew by, as he drove smoothly through the streets in Eriol's car – Eriol really didn't want to get up so early, so he lent the car to Syaoran.

When he neared her house, the lights were already out, and Sakura waited at the door. She wore a thick winter jacket and a wooly scarf, but she still shivered from the cold winter morning air. She got in with a cheerful early morning great and put on her seatbelts. Syaoran greeted her and turned the car back to the street.

This is what I mean... this is fake cheerfulness. It was well known, that Sakura wasn't the early morning type of person. But because she faked all her cheerfulness, she also started to fake it on the moments were she never before had been cheerful.

Sakura talked to him, and he only listened with half an ear, as usual. They were useless stories anyway, and he was too sleepy to do too many things at a time. Sakura didn't seem to notice, and he was glad for that. She really didn't need any more concerns on her mind right now.

Arriving at his home, the training started. It was obvious that Sakura had still a long way to go, before she would regain her normal strength and condition, before she would be fit enough to start the real training. That's why he only let her do the warming ups for now, until she had fully recovered.

But after five minutes, she was already tired.

Syaoran sighed from behind the table at which he was currently doing his homework at. This training somehow seemed a waste of his time, especially this early. These exercises where simple enough for her to do at home, which would mean more time for him, for his own stuff. Namely sleeping…

But he just couldn't bring himself to say that to her. Besides the fact that it would hurt her and not help her out of her current situation at all, he also had to admit that he liked these moments with her. It reminded him of his first trainings with Meilin, but then… completely different.

He wondered how the actual sparring trainings with Sakura would go. He could imagine that she would give up very soon. But then again, she really insisted on these trainings. He just had to wait to see what she was made of.

As Sakura took a break to catch her breath, Syaoran gave her the next set of exercises. And as he observed her when she continued, he suddenly saw her pain very clear. With each step or punch, she poured in all her pains and troubles. It was visible in her eyes, in the grim line of her mouth and in the fury of her fists. But at the same time she was doing a great job of hiding these feelings for the outside world. He could only see it if he focused on it, and looked long enough.

And he became worried that she hid too much.

Maybe it's best to consult this with Eriol and Tomoyo, Syaoran thought. Maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to get Sakura out of this.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

She stared ahead of her, her fake smile plastered on her face and her eyes set off in the distance. She couldn't really figure out what it was, where she was looking at exactly. It was somewhere between the window besides her and the trees behind it. She only knew it was better than listening to the ramblings of Yoko, who held a presentation at the moment, in front of a bored class.

It was obvious though that, despise the boring subject – which she had already forgotten – everybody in the class did a great job of pretending to be interested and to listen carefully.

Yoko, Miki and Naomi had increased in popularity since Sakura landed in the Hospital. Not positive popularity though. They were nearly as feared as Tomiko herself and a lot of students obeyed them at anything they said.

Sakura continued to stare in to nothingness, feeling miserable in every vein of her body. Her body was almost healed though, but inside her mind everything was still messed up. She was scared, more than she ever thought possible. Her condition increased slow but steady and she thought herself able to at least run away if necessary. But that did not cease the fear.

She convinced herself that if she was able to defeat Syaoran in martial arts, that she would be save. That only then she was truly able to defend herself.

And so, she promised herself to train more: to get up earlier, train before Syaoran would pick her up. But also to train between school and work and after work. She wanted to start running again for her condition, until she was able to run for more than an hour, like she could do before the accident.

The sound of the school bell broke her out of her reverie. It sort of sealed the promise and she was sure she could keep it, even if it meant less sleep. She got up from her seat by the window, followed by Chiharu who complained about the boring presentation, and together they headed to the canteen.

At least, Sakura thought, she had her friends to cheer her up, and she knew they would approve of all her decisions. Not that they succeeded in cheering her up, these past days…

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Touya sat in one of the few comfortable chairs in Yukito's home. The door to the bakery was open and he smelled the scent of freshly made bread. Yukito was working there, for tomorrow's first shipment of the day.

Yukito started this bakery a couple of years ago and since then it had only grown. It truly had become one of the best bakeries in this region. Yukito loved to work here, which was the reason Touya hardly came over. It was just that, when Yukito was near the bakery, he just had to work there. So coming for a nice chat, was really just a waste of time.

But nonetheless did Touya come here. He needed to talk to his best friend, regarding Sakura and, well... you just couldn't do that when she was there, right? So he came all the way here, only to be talked from the bakery. Yukito practically had to yell for Touya to hear him.

'I actually do think she made a good decision.' Yukito poked his head around the corner of the small hallway which separated the bakery from his home. 'It might be just what she needs to get over this. It's better than locking her up in her own room.'

'I heard that before...' Touya muttered. He had just explained the last details to Yukito. He had hoped Yukito would be on his side, but then again, he never did.

'Oh right! This Li Syaoran is like one of the best if it comes to martial arts, right? That means that if Sakura learns from the best, she might actually become a martial arts champion!'

'You're joking, right?' Touya shot back. 'She is a little monster; of course she can't do that.'

Yukito laughed at that. 'I'm not the only one who is joking, right?'

Touya growled a bit under his breath. Yukito was right, again. He might call Sakura a monster, but that didn't really mean that he actually meant that. 'That is not the point here, Yuki. That gaki is the Li Syaoran, the cold hearted beast. You know the rumors... I really don't like that this kid hangs around with my sister, he has the worst reputation ever.'

Yukito let out a laugh again. 'You're exaggerating, Touya. Reputations are build on purpose, based on false rumors. You know very well that Li Syaoran might actually be a nice guy. I personally do like him already and I only met him once.'

'Hmpf... You like everyone.' Touya stood up to help his friend in the bakery for a moment, before he had to go and make dinner for Sakura.

He smiled at himself. Yukito was a good guy, one of those rare, really nice persons. But if Yukito could muster up to trust the gaki, then he might actually not be so bad at all. He hadn't told him yet about the fact that Li actually paid for the hospital. Normally, he wouldn't hide anything for his friend, but he couldn't bring himself to tell this little fact. That was just like admitting he was wrong, that the kid really didn't have a false reputation, and that it really was okay for him to hang out with his little sister.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Tomoyo and Eriol sat in the living room in Syaoran's home and Syaoran sat across from them and Meilin and Ryu were on the phone again. They were talking about a solution for Sakura's problems.

'I don't get it!' Meilin whined. 'If she acts cheerful, then how do you know for sure that she isn't?'

'It's like you just said yourself, Meilin. She acts cheerful, and she really isn't that great of an actor.' Eriol explained a bit bored. The girls worried for Sakura's sake, which made them somewhat… annoying. It made that this wasn't the place where he really wanted to be. And even worse, it was Syaoran who invited them over, who was most worried of all. He called off work, especially for this.

'The thing is; how can we get her over this?' Tomoyo whispered, just loud enough for Meilin and Ryu to hear on the other end of the line.

Ryu spoke. 'Why do you so desperately need to help her get over this? Isn't completely normal for her to react this way? She needs time to get over this. I don't see why it is better if we mingle in this.'

'She can't do this on her own.' Tomoyo responded sadly. 'That's her problem: caring to much about everyone else. As long as she hides it, she won't get over it. But as long as she cares for us more than herself, she will hide it.'

'So basically...' Syaoran spoke softly, his eternal glare deepened from worry. '...we have to get her to spill everything towards us.'

'And let us help her.' Eriol added.

Tomoyo sighed. 'I'll do anything for her, as long as I can see that smile of hers again. I don't even feel like taping her anymore!'

'Maybe we must make her understand that we worry more if she is like this.' Meilin opted through the phone.

'Anyhow, we must confront her, right?' Syaoran asked. 'Then who's up for the job?' He immediately looked at Tomoyo, for after all, she was her best friend.

But Tomoyo shook her head. 'I already tried. She won't talk to me, she knows me to well.'

'Same hear.' Eriol said.

'And we aren't exactly around the neighborhood either.' Meilin said.

'I think you are the best option, Syaoran.' It came nearly as a whisper, and Tomoyo looked sad, though you could see the hint of vague stars in her eyes. 'She cares for you a lot, but you don't know each other for that long. It's probably easier for her to talk to you, than to us.'

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Syaoran postponed this "talk" for a while. He had to admit that he didn't look forward to it. How to start? It wouldn't be easy, she wouldn't like it at all, and she might get really mad! He had to find the right time and the right words, but he just couldn't come up with anything.

And he didn't have time for this. All the worry made him sleep uneasy. All his work, school, home work, trainings and Sakura's trainings made him sleep less and less. He had already started to think less clear at unspecific times of the day. He skipped meditating often, which made him even vaguer of mind.

But he couldn't possibly stop going to school, or doing his homework. His own future depended on that. He couldn't even think of stopping to train Sakura, because she really needed this. He couldn't stop his own training, because in all those years, it had become a part of him. And work... stopping work was like letting LiCo down.

It was hard, but he eventually decided to do less training, maybe even train during Sakura's training, and only go to work when he was desperately needed there. But that had to start after December, because LiCo was always so busy at this time of the year. He just had to make it until then.

Just one more week of school and the Christmas Holiday starts. Then I can sleep longer in the morning.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

It was cold and even her thick jacket and scarf didn't help her to stay warm. The sun didn't show itself, hidden behind mass of clouds. The snow that fell out of those clouds was wet and the wind blinded her.

A frown plastered itself on her face and she scolded at the clouds.

She used to love this time of the year. When she was younger, she played with her friends in the snow, made snowmen and snow castles and held snow fights. They used to go skiing with school and she loved to run through and jump in the snow.

But now...

She didn't feel like it was right to enjoy this moment of the year. Nor the rest of the year. It didn't feel right to be here, between all the innocent snowflakes, which, by the way do hurt you cheeks with their icy cold.

Actually, she didn't feel right at all. Everything was just... wrong!

At this moment she was wandering through the schoolyards, not feeling like going inside. She sat down on the wet ground, her jacket long enough for her school uniform to stay dry. With her knees pulled up to her face she waited for more than 40 minutes. Only then did she realize she waited for nothing. No one would come out here in the cold. Not her friends, not her family and no one to talk to.

Washed over by a feeling of loneliness, a sob threatened to rise in her throat.

What was she doing here anyway? It was lunch time, and everyone sat in the school, where it was warm, eating happily together, chatting away. So what was she doing here?

Having no answer to that, she stood up and shook the snow of her jacket and hair. It seemed that it had stopped snowing now and she walked towards the school entrance.

'Hey.' A familiar voice said.

She spun around to see Syaoran walking up to her. 'S-Syaoran!' She quickly plastered her smile on her face again. 'W-What are you d-doing here?'

He frowned at her as he reached up with his hand to touch her forehead. 'Are you okay? You look flustered.'

'Sure I am okay!' Sakura answered brightly and she broadened her smile.

His frown deepened. 'No, you're not. I think you have a fever. The snow soaked you, how long have you been out here?'

She felt the heat rise to her face at his accuse. Feeling her own forehead, she figured that it didn't feel right, and her jacket was soaked. How long have I been out here? 'I-I don't know. But I'm fine, really!' She tried her best to let her voice sound normal. 'Let's get in, class is about to start.'

She was about to turn and walk in, when Syaoran stopped her. 'You're terrible at lying, you know. I better bring you home.' He turned her around, so she couldn't just walk in the school.

'What? Then I miss my classes!' Sakura objected furiously. He accused her again and he was worried about her. If he can see through me, can the rest too?

'Not that you can pay attention to it, in the state you are in now.' With a hand on her back, he steered her towards the exit. 'No training for you tomorrow.'

'But…' Sakura tried to object. He was right, she did a better job of going home now, but she could do that by herself, right? 'I better go alone then. You don't want to miss you classes because of me.'

He snorted. 'You actually think I let you walk home in this state? Silly, I don't mind, I can live with missing a few classes.' He steered her towards Eriol's car. He still had the keys, so he might as well use it for something useful for a change. 'Is your father home?'

Sakura got in the car, and settled herself in the front seat. She began to feel a little bit dizzy, but she just ignored it and pretended it wasn't there. 'No, he is away for two months.'

'Your brother?'

'No, he is working, and is staying somewhere else for the next two days. But it's alright; it's just a little fever.'

'Right...' He muttered as he stopped for the traffic lights.

'Hoe..?'

'That's not a little fever, Sakura. I can see through your acting.'

'Hoe..!'

'And so can the rest'

Sakura didn't respond. Her smile fell and she stared outside. Have they known all along?

'They worry about you. I worry about you.' Syaoran swallowed and turned left. He hadn't planned on bringing up this subject, but somehow, the words just rolled out. 'We know you aren't doing well at all, but we don't know how to help you, because you always hide it. Tomoyo is worried sick. She is your best friend, but she doesn't know what to do at all. Eriol, Meilin and even Ryu are equally worried. I can only guess what Chiharu, Yamazaki, Rika and Naoko think.'

He glanced sideways and saw that she was desperately looking outside, as if she looked for something to hold on, a better disguise perhaps. He was silent for a while and he reached her little home. Stopping the car, he got out and opened Sakura's door, but she didn't move a muscle. She still stared into nothing, her smile far from her pretty face.

'Hey.' Syaoran bent down his knees to come face to face. He stroked a hair back, away from her eyes. 'It's okay. If you want it to keep hidden, you may. We only want to help you, that's all.'

Suddenly her eyes fixed on his for a moment, before she gently shoved him away and got out of the car. 'I know, I know.' She muttered, to soft for Syaoran to hear. She walked towards the door, key in hand. 'You better go back now, you can still make sixth period in time.'

But Syaoran shook his head. 'No way, I'm not leaving you here sick, without anyone to call upon.' So he followed her in the house, ignoring her complaints.

Sakura took of her soaked coat, only to discover that her uniform was soaked as well. How can I not notice this? Unconsciously, she started to tremble. Maybe it was the cold, maybe something else, she didn't know. But she did know that when the world started spinning, Syaoran caught her, before everything turned black.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

A cold, wet cloth touched her forehead. She could feel it, but at the same time, she wasn't all too sure about that. Her body burned; namely her chest and head, she could feel it, but at the same time, she had no idea where that thought came from.

The amount of time that passed was unknown, but when she finally opened her eyes a bit, there was indeed a cold whet cloth on her forehead. On a chair besides the couch sat Syaoran, reading a book.

He briefly looked up, only to see her awakening. 'Hey. How are you feeling?'

A grumble escaped her lips. She tried again. 'O-Okay I guess. How long have I been asleep?'

'About half an hour.' Syaoran replied as he put the book down. His glare had vanished, but a deep frown was still visible. 'You should take a hot shower and dry yourself. You'll only get sicker, staying in those wet clothes.'

Sakura looked down at herself. She still wore the uniform, and she laid on top of Syaoran's jacket. Probably in order to keep the couch dry. She slowly sat up, clutching her aching head. 'That might be a good idea.'

As Sakura stumbled upstairs, Syaoran went into the kitchen to get something warm for her to drink. A nice cup of tea, or maybe some hot chocolate. Going through the kitchen cabinets, he only found hot chocolate and coffee, so he forgot about the tea.

When Sakura eventually came down, all cleaned, dried and dressed in a very thick sweater, she gratefully grabbed the cup of hot chocolate. She wore a bright pink flush on her cheeks, and she still shivered a bit. 'Feeling better?' Syaoran asked her.

She nodded. 'Yes.' At that moment her eyes unfocused for a moment, as if she was very dizzy.

'Liar.' Syaoran said it with a laugh though.

Sakura choose to ignore that comment and when the hot chocolate had disappeared down her throat, she went to the couch to lay down for a while. Syaoran followed her and sat on the chair, picking up his book again, making sure he would be there when something happened. 'You're missing all your classes.' Sakura commented.

'Hm, I know.' Syaoran replied. 'I called your brother a while ago. He can't come down now, so he agreed for me to stay here until you are better.'

Sakura's eyes grew large. 'Now you are the liar. Touya hates your guts, he wouldn't allow that!'

A snigger was heard, as Sakura continued to stare at him with those big eyes of hers. 'I'm not lying, he truly agreed. He too knows it's better than you having no one around at all.'

'B-But... you have to go to work after school. You can't stay here!'

'Of course I can. I'm in charge there, they do as I say. I already called to inform them about this.' Syaoran yawned for a moment. 'Besides, I think I can use this break from school and work.'

Sakura eyed him specifically. 'You haven't slept well, have you? Or at least not much.'

'Is that an accuse?'

'So what if it is?'

'Hmpf. Don't tell me you are worried about me.'

'Of course I am. That's what friends are for.' As soon as she said that, she realized her mistake. Syaoran looked at her mockingly. Too late...

'I'll tell if you do.'

Sakura mentally cursed. He is doing this on purpose! And he is even happy about it! And indeed, Syaoran had that glint in his eyes, which said he enjoyed the moment. The corner of his lips reached upwards, ever so slightly. 'You first.'

'Oh, is that it how you want to play it?'

'Take it or leave it.' Sakura sounded revengeful, but Syaoran knew she faked it.

'Fine.' Syaoran shrugged. If that's how it had to go. This might be his one chance to get her to talk. Telling a little bit of his own problems would be a small sacrifice. 'I indeed haven't slept well, and not very often.'

'Why?' She asked boldly. After all, two could play that game.

'I've been busy lately. School, homework, work, training, your training. I haven't slept for more than four hours a day, for the last two months or so. Sometimes even less. Exams are nearing, and I have so much classes, that I can't keep up, without spending a lot of my time on homework. Every company has a very busy time at this month of the year, because the year is ending, and there is just a lot of work. I stopped my own training, because of lack of time, but it only makes me sleepier.'

A worried look had crept upon Sakura's face. 'Is my training in the way? Because if it means more sleep for you, we can end it, or postpone it.'

Syaoran shook his head. 'It only takes one and a half hour of my time each day and I promised you to train you, so I will keep doing that, until you are able to defend yourself more than properly.' He pointed out to her. 'And if the real training begins, then I get a bit of my own training back, by sparring with you.'

Sakura didn't seem fully convinced yet, but ignored it for the time being. 'Then I don't see why you have to go to work so much. I understand it must be very hectic time at the moment, but they have always survived without you helping them, so why can't they do that now? I don't really think it's necessary for you to be there.'

Syaoran was quiet for a moment. She really did have a point there. Being a leader made him want to do to so much on his own, which others could do as well. Maybe she was right. His presence wasn't needed there, as much as it always seemed to be. 'You know, you're right. I am doing things someone else must have done, before I came along. In fact, they won't even realize that I'm gone, as soon as the tasks have been restored with the persons who did them before.' He smiled brightly. 'Man, that's a relieve. I spent more and more time at work than planned and I didn't even realize.'

Sakura smiled back, but it was a weak smile. 'If that means more sleep for you, then I'm glad. Do you enjoy your work?'

Syaoran shrugged. 'Not particularly. I don't like the work I have to do here, but when I take it all over, it will be different. Being the Li heir isn't so much fun, but being the leader over the clan and LiCo is. It gives a satisfying feeling, that you control it all, that everything can be destroyed with a wrong word from you and that it's entirely up to you to keep this company and the clan alive.'

'Fun? Doesn't that create a lot of stress? I mean, if everyone is dependable on you, and you do something wrong...'

Syaoran laughed a bit. 'It does create stress, but I need that bit of stress to feel... let's say alive. I enjoy being in control. And that's why I don't like you to hide everything from me, because that way, I'm not able to help you and I'm not in control. It makes me worry about you.'

Sakura swallowed at that. If she was honest, she never thought about it like that. She hid everything from her friends, so they wouldn't worry, not the other way around. Now it seemed that she was the culprit, that she had treated her friends wrong for the past weeks. No, years. Four years to be exact.

A tear escaped her eyes, and slid down her cheek.

When Syaoran's expression softened, she couldn't hold back anymore and she started to cry. She threw herself in his arms, and cried on his shoulder. He gently put his arms around her and let her cry.

She didn't tell him anything that evening, but that was alright. At long last, she was able to cry to her heart's content, making her feel so much better in the end. When she finally fell asleep that evening, Syaoran carried her to her bed where she could sleep. He himself fell asleep on the couch in the living room.

He fell asleep fast, but not without dreams. He dreamt about Sakura, about the feeling she left behind in his arms and the smell of her hair. And he wondered again, how a complete stranger had gotten to befriend him that fast. How she had become so important to him in such a short period of time.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

When the sun hit her eyelids, Sakura woke up. Firstly, she was rather startled as to why she woke up by the sun, in winter. That would obviously mean she overslept. Very soon after that, she realized that she was sick. Her head hurt, she felt feverish and dizzy. It took her a little while more to remember what had happened last night, and wondered how she end up in her bed. She could swear that she fell asleep on the couch.

And Syaoran... was he still here? She wanted to call out to him, but her voice was surprisingly weak. Getting up also failed, for her arms felt like jelly. So she just lay there for a moment to feel normal again, so she could get up. Even if it was only to go to the bathroom.

While laying there, her thoughts drifted off, in the complete wrong way. They ended up with him again. Syaoran...

In the last weeks, and especially the last days she seemed to care more and more about him. He seemed to have taken that special place in her life, which she thought would never be filled again. He was the one that made her feel funny with just a glance in her direction, that caused a blush on her cheeks with only a single thought about him, that made her want to be hold by him when she felt lonely.

And that was the exact reason why she didn't want to think about him. Besides what she felt for him, he also was a good friend. A friend that she didn't want to lose. And that she would lose him, if these feelings of hers took over, was a fact.

After a while, she felt a bit better, and able to get up. Slowly she got up and went to the living room. There, on a couch, Syaoran slept silently, yet deep. For a little while, Sakura remained standing by the door, looking at his sleeping figure. She tried to move as quiet as possible while going to the kitchen, wanting to give him some more of his desperately needed rest.

Inside the kitchen, Sakura got overwhelmed with dizziness again. She didn't reach the chair, and sank to the ground.

When she woke, she still lay on the ground. Slowly getting up, she checked if Syaoran still slept. He was. Luckily. She immediately decided that he didn't need to know about this. It would only worry him more. Wait… didn't he tell me yesterday it was the other way around? She could hardly remember, vague as her mind was at that moment, but it seemed pretty logical to her. Maybe she needed to tell him this.

To close the deal, she decided only to tell, if he asked her about it. That way, she didn't hide it, but also wasn't worrying him too much. Smiling to herself she tried to make a cup of tea. When that succeeded, she made another one of Syaoran, in case he woke up and sat across from him in the chair, eying him carefully now that she had the chance.

I mean, ignoring the fact that you like someone, okay, possible. But when nobody is there to witness this, and the object of your affection is asleep? No way! This is a moment, a chance, to feel your true emotions and to take so much of it, that it is enough for a very long time. After all… as soon as he awakes, it would all be pushed back, in order to keep their friendship.

It took him more than an hour to wake up. His eyes slowly opened, and she stared in the most beautiful kind of amber she would ever see. She smiled at him, and he softly smiled back. Suddenly he woke up fully, sat straight on the couch, throwing the blanket of him. 'How late is it?' He asked frantically.

Sakura shrugged. 'I don't know.' She looked around the living room, not finding any clock at all. 'I'm sick, you're sleepy, and so we don't need to know.' She smiled at him sweetly and he gave her a curious look.

He picked up his cell phone, only to see it was eleven o'clock in the morning. His eyes widened and he cursed shortly. 'How long!? How..? Why…! I missed my test by two hours!' He shrieked.

Sakura's eyes widened as well. 'Oh! If I had known that, I would've woken you sooner.' A doubtful look came on her face. 'No, wait. I wouldn't have been awake by then. At least you finally got some sleep.' She pointed at the tea in front of him. 'I made you some tea, if you want.'

Syaoran smiled thankfully at her, grabbing the cup of tea. It was still hot, because Sakura had made new tea, every time the last one got cold, before Syaoran woke up. He currently drank the sixth cup she made for him, the rest had disappeared in the sink.

'It's okay.' Syaoran said, trying to comfort her. Not that she needed it. 'I was the only one to make the test, so it wouldn't cause to much trouble to make it another day.'

'That's a relief. Do you have more plans or tests today?'

'No. I'm going to keep you company until your brother comes back.' He sipped his tea again, before realizing it was tea, something he couldn't find yesterday when he needed it. Suppose they keep it in a different place. 'How are you feeling today? Better or worse?'

Sakura thought for a while, her finger tapping her chin. 'I can't say for sure. It feels worse, but I feel better. Ehm... let's say my body feels worse, but I'm awfully giggly and in a good mood.' She sent a smile towards him, and finished her cup of tea. Literally her sixth one.

Syaoran stared dumbfounded at her. 'I can't decide if that's good or not...'

Sakura giggled and stood up from her chair, quite unsteady. 'I'll go shower now, which will take a while. If you want to train, we have a lot of space around the house, but I'm afraid not in the house.'

'That's okay. I'm used to train outside, thank you.'

She nodded at him. 'Okay, then I'm going now.' She walked towards the bathroom, holding herself upright at the wall and furniture. Ever so slowly, she reached the door, opened it and disappeared out of sight.

Syaoran sighed as she turned the corner. She must be really sick. I wonder if I should call a doctor. He stood up and walked outside. He had no training gear here, so he tossed his sweater and shirt aside, in order to keep them clean. It was icy cold outside, but dry, and he forced himself to pay no mind at the temperature.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

It took her a while to reach the bathroom and even longer to undress herself and get under the shower. When water finally rained down on her, she sat heavily on the ground, overwhelmed with dizziness again.

When the dizziness came, she seemed very conscious of the state her body was in. She felt her fever, her burning and aching head, her tired arms and jelly like legs. But as soon as the dizziness faded, all that didn't seem so important. She became giggly again, and in a good mood.

When she gave it a thought, she realized that the empty feeling she had yesterday, was gone, at least for now. There were no troubles plaguing her mind, she didn't feel scared at all and she had no trouble to show her real smile.

It took her more than an hour to shower, and half an hour after that, she was back in the living room again. Syaoran seemed not inside the house, and she figured he trained outside.

In the iciness.

He's nuts...

Just as she wanted to take a look at him – from behind the curtains – her cell phone rang from her schoolbag. She raced towards it, answered it and became overwhelmed with dizziness again.

'...ra!'

Faintly she realized that her hand held her cell phone against her ear. And that someone talked trough it.

'...kura, are you alright?!?'

She opened her eyes, finding herself lying on the ground, besides the table. Pain shot through her broken wrist, which woke her up instantly.

'SAKURA!!!' Tomoyo yelled frantically.

'I-I'm sorry, Tomoyo-chan, I'm here!' She got out in a squeaky voice, still staring blankly at her aching wrist. 'I blacked out for a moment, sorry!'

'Sakura-chan, are you alright?' Tomoyo sounded extremely worried. 'You weren't here yesterday during lunch, and we heard Syaoran-kun was missing to! And Eriol-kun is angry because Syaoran didn't pick him up from school, and he doesn't know where his car is and..'

'It's okay, Tomoyo-chan.' Sakura interrupted her. 'I got sick, and Syaoran-kun brought me home. He stayed here, because there's no one home these two days. I'm sorry I didn't call you, but I wasn't really in a state to do anything at all.'

'What's wrong, do you have the flue? Should I come over?'

'Something like that. I keep getting these dizziness' attacks and I have fainted quite often. But it's okay, Tomoyo, you don't have to skip school because of this. Syaoran is here and he keeps an eye out for me, so don't worry.'

A sigh. 'Well... if you say so. Call me if anything is wrong, or you need help or whatever, okay?'

'Sure, Tomoyo! Don't worry, I promise to call a doctor if it gets worse.'

They said goodbye and Sakura tried to get up. Suddenly, two strong hands helped her up.

'I saw you falling from outside. Does anything hurt?' Syaoran asked, holding her arm to keep her steady.

'Ah... you saw that?' Came her meek reply. Somehow, a blush had crept up her cheeks. If she remembered it correctly, it wasn't a really charming way to crash down on the ground. Not to mention his two hands that lay for a short while on her waist to help her up.

'So I did. Does anything hurt?' His voice was stern, yet concerned.

'Well...' She felt her body with her hands, trying to see if it hurt anywhere. 'No not really, just... just my wrist I guess.' She showed him her bandaged wrist.

'Hm.' He replied and led the way to the couch, for her to sit on. He sat down as well, and carefully touched the hard bandage. 'It's broken. I mean the plaster, the wrist of course is already broken. Does this hurt?'

He pushed on several places, and she nodded each time. 'Maybe I should call a doctor. I don't think it's good to let it stay this way.' He grabbed his cell phone and dialed the number of the hospital Sakura had been in before.

After just a few words, Syaoran succeeded in getting a doctor to come, because Sakura was not able to go there herself. Sometimes it was a real good thing to be a Li, and the heir at that. It didn't take long for the doctor to arrive at Sakura's little cottage. It surprised him that such an important member of the Li's set foot in a house like that. But he didn't show it, and instead examined Sakura's wrist. He took off the plaster and examined further. After a while he said: 'Your fall didn't worsen your wrist, luckily, but I need to put on new cast. This time, don't try to break it, okay?'

Sakura meekly nodded, not quite sure if he tried to make a joke or not. Soon after, the doctor left, refusing the cup of coffee Sakura offered, because more patients were waiting for him, or so he said. He told her sternly to rest, not doing anything unhealthy and call him immediately when it got worse. He gave her a you-must-obey-me-look before nodding at Syaoran and walked out the door.

Sakura let out a sigh and heard Syaoran snigger in the door opening. 'What?' She asked, being a bit irritated. First the doctor, who she didn't really understand, and now this.

But Syaoran choose to neglect that question and went to the kitchen to make her something to drink. The tea was left on the table, so he made her a cup. If you're sick, you must drink a lot, right? Syaoran thought, remembering it from those few times he had been sick.

When he returned to the living room, Sakura sat herself down at the couch and lied down. She looked longingly at the blanket on the chair, wanting it, but too lazy to make a move for it. He sighed, set the cup on the table and handed her the blanket, which she accepted cheerfully. He made them both something to eat, and served the food on the couch for her. Soon after that she fell asleep, and he started doing his left homework.

In the evening, when she finally woke up, he had finished his homework for the entire week and the book he started the day before. She yawned – rather cutely – and looked at him with a bright smile. 'Good morning, Syaoran!' She greeted evenly bright.

'Morning?' He couldn't suppress the small smile that crept on his face. 'It's already five o'clock. It's evening.'

'But...! When you wake up, your day starts, and usually that's in the morning, right?' she didn't wait for him to answer. 'So that means it is morning for me!'

'Right..' Syaoran shrugged at her strange reasoning. 'How late is your brother coming home?'

'Ehm... About half past six, I think. But he might be earlier, because you are here.'

'Well then, that's within one and a half hour. That's the amount of time you got to go from morning to evening. That means, breakfast, school, lunch, school, calling Tomoyo, and go to your partime job.'

'Hoe?! My job, I forgot!' She frantically began to search for her cell phone.

Syaoran sniggered. 'I think you're getting the time again.'

Sakura mentally cursed. He's so mocking me!

'Touya called your chief to tell you're sick and not coming.' Syaoran said, trying to calm her down. Although it is kind of funny to see her like this.

Sakura scowled at him, a bit to fake to be real and gave a deep sigh. She dropped her schoolbag on the ground again, letting her cell phone in it, and sat heavily on the couch again. She put a hand on her head and sank back in the couch. 'My head hurts...'

'Then go to sleep again.' Syaoran stood in front of the bookcase in search of something interesting to read.

'Don't feel like sleeping...'

'Then what do you want to do?' He said, while carefully grabbing a book from the shelf. It read: 'The archeological founds of Tomoeda City'. Syaoran didn't know Tomoeda had something like that and this interested him.

'I'm thirsty...'

'Want something to drink? Tea, water, hot chocolate?' The author of the book read: 'Kinomoto Hakai' interesting...

Sakura nodded. 'I want orange juice...'

He nodded and walked towards the kitchen, while reading the back of the book. In the kitchen, he realized what she had said she wanted and that he didn't have any idea where to find orange juice. Walking back to Sakura, still holding the book, he asked her.

'Ehm... Let's see... I don't think we have any.' A bright smile spread across her pale face. 'Then, some water, please.' When Syaoran walked back to the kitchen again, she realized that she was ordering him around and acted like a baby. But when she finally managed to stand up, he had already returned with her water.

'Who wrote this book? Family of yours?'

The question came before she could offer him her apologies. She read the title and smiled dreamily. 'My grandfather did. He was an archeologist and wanted to show the people here what could be found even in their own little town. Not that it helped, but he meant well.' Sakura had never known Hakai, for he died a few years before she was born. But her father told many stories about him, because he had admired him in almost every way.

'Mind if I read it?'

'Sure, go ahead! Daddy won't mind.' Sakura smiled energetically.

'Maybe not, but I do.' Touya entered the house angrily. He hadn't liked it one bit that he wasn't able to go home to take care of his little sister. 'Didn't we teach you not to lend anything to strangers?' Especially that kind!

'Touya!' Sakura scolded. 'If he was a stranger, you wouldn't have allowed him to keep an eye on me!' She stuck out her tongue at Touya, who couldn't answer that, without making a fool of himself. 'And you're back early.'

Touya snorted. 'Only so the gaki can leave early.' He put his jacket and suitcase on the chair, so Syaoran couldn't sit down. Then, he went to the kitchen and started making dinner without a further word.

'I better go now.' Syaoran said. His glare had returned, as soon as Touya had entered. His messy chestnut bangs partly covering his eyes. He quickly grabbed his few belongings and went to get his jacket.

Sakura stood op, still unsteady and followed him to the door. She brought the book that lay on the table, were Touya wanted it to be. 'Here.' She said, as they reached the door, and gave him the book. 'Thank you for staying these two days. I hope you're not getting into trouble for this.'

Looking at the book, he asked: 'Are you sure? I mean, if your brother knows...'

'Don't worry. I'll take care of him. It's the least I could do.'

Syaoran smiled at her, the frown pushed away again. 'That's okay, I was glad to be able to help you. And get a bit more rest.'

She smiled back, though a bit weekly. 'Sorry you can't stay for dinner. Touya refuses to make for more than two persons. Well, just today, of course...'

Syaoran laughed a bit. 'Of course...' For a moment, he had no idea how to say goodbye. But then he mentally shrugged. He didn't need to act, he could just say goodbye like he normally did. 'Get better soon, okay? We'll all be waiting for you at school, and we expect a call when something is wrong.' Alright... not exactly like normal, but close enough.

Sakura gave him one of her true smiles and waved until he was out of sight.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

'What's next?' Mika asked curiously to Yoko.

Yoko shrugged. 'How would I know? She has not told us anything since she became more popular.'

'She likes herself so much that she forgets who her friends are.' Naomi added. 'And she isn't even that popular.'

'You're right.' Yoko nodded at Naomi. 'Everybody is just scared of her, and scared that what happened to Kinomoto would also happen to them.'

Mika looked at them hopefully. 'Maybe we must stop doing this. Let her take care of her own things. We can go back to Hyji.'

For a while both Yoko and Naomi stared at her. 'Miki-chan, think about what will happen to us when we turn our back to her.' Naomi said, fear filling her voice.

Yoko nodded at her friends. 'We're too deep in this already.'

'But...' Miki still looked a little bit hopeful. These were her friends, and she wouldn't ever turn her back on them, so she couldn't leave without them. 'Only more people will get hurt. It wasn't like this with Hyji. He never hurt others that bad.'

'No, he didn't, and I don't like it that Tomiko does, but... I don't want to get hurt either.'

'But... we are to blame for hurting others. I don't want that either.' Miki truthfully said.

Yoko looked at her friend. She, Miki and Naomi had been together since kindergarten. They went through a lot, and stuck together throughout everything. They had always stood up for each other and shared their fates. She just hoped that this wouldn't break them up. 'Then, what do you rather want? Get hurt, or hurt others?'

Miki wavered for a moment, knowing what the consequences would be. 'I rather get hurt. If we turn our back to her, we can make this stop. We can tell the principal, or the police, or whatever.'

'They won't forgive us for helping her. We'll get punished as well.' Yoko stated.

'I know.' A tear fell on her face. 'But we deserve it. We've done something really bad. And I don't even hate Kinomoto. She has never done anything against us.'

Yoko nodded. 'Naomi?'

'I don't know. We could get in jail for this. But if we continue, it could be worse than jail. On the other hand, Tomiko has what she wanted. She got her fame, maybe she will leave Kinomoto and the others alone. And then nothing bad will happen to us. We can cut ties when everything calmed down.'

Yoko just nodded again, saying she understood. They had to do what was best for them in the end. But what was best? Her two friends meant everything for her and she wished she had never opted to join Tomiko. She wished she had never met Tomiko at all.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo