Talapots – Hey, guys! I'm so sorry for the late update. I was so busy with college life. I hope this chapter is as good as what you guys predict or something! Please review and share your thoughts! :D


Chapter 3: The First Step

Sakura's POV

There he was. The boy who haunts me in my everyday. The guy who had a chestnut hair, amber eyes. Also, his smirk is one of the reasons why my cheeks were beet red. But as much as I don't wanna notice, he was talking to my bestfriend, who actually liked the guy who I was living with at this moment. Syaoran was holding out a pen. Actually, I recognize that pen. It really is Tomoyo's.

"You jerk. Give me back my ballpen." Tomoyo practically ran, angrily, towards Syaoran, and jumped to reach it. Syaoran's a lot taller than us, actually, so I can't help but feel helpless for my bestfriend.

"You should thank me first, sweetheart." He replied.

Did I hear it just right? Sweetheart? Tears are building up my eyes, and I end up running away from that classroom, going to the back door. I think I heard Tomoyo shout my name, but maybe that's just me. Running to the rooftop is no sweat, even though it is apparent that I am desperate for air. My eyes are red and puffy, so were my cheeks.

"Sakura?"

As I turned to that person who just called my name, I am kind of confused. That voice belongs to Eriol. He sat beside me, and offered his water to me. Do I look like I'm in a state of speaking terms with anyone right now?

"Yeah." I replied.

"What happened? I thought you're gonna give that letter to my bestfriend? He's downstairs, you see." He asked, his voice full of concern.

I suddenly remembered the day he rescued me. I was twelve back then, and I assume, so does he. Of course, I was still an independent girl who loved pink stuff, ribbons, and unicorns. Yeah, I'm so childish at that time. Or maybe until now. Anyway, I'm the cheerful type, and get so shy everytime. Of course, it is a fact that my brother, Touya, is an operprotective pain in the ass.

I was walking to where pink roses were in that garden where the wedding was held and bunch of guys, in my same age, were coming to me. Their smirking faces are giving me creeps, and I was at the corner, stiffened, and full of disgust with this bunch of people. I think they were the sons of the richest people in here. They were laughing like crazy, and when they reached me, they smiled, and took my purse.

"There are candies! As expected! Hey, this is mine!" These idiots shared the candy in my purse among themselves.

"That's mine!" I shouted, and cried at the same time, and took the pulled the purse from them. My strength was not enough, though.

Like magic, there's a guy with eyeglasses that helped my pull the purse. The force made us lie on the ground. The guys who took my candies ran off, laughing and eating like crazy. And I am bounding to cry because of those guys, and the fact that my dress was so dirty. My dress was white and was so long that my father had to cut off the edges before the wedding.

This guy smiled at me, and offered his handkerchief. He helped me stand, and using the handkerchief, tried to get rid of the mud and dust in my dress, but with no success.

"Thank you." I whispered.

He just smiled at me, and got off.

Back to the present, I just realized that the guy who helped me before, who was Eriol, and the popular guy sitting beside me is still the same person who always save me from all my troubles. I really don't know how to pay back to everything he did.

"It is irrelevant, anyway." I replied, answering his question, and suddenly remembered how Syaoran showed some interest to my bestfriend.

"You know, it is better to do everything, so that when you reached the end of it, you will think, "Hey, I did everything. I will not regret anything."" He said, and smiled at me. The tears were sliding down my cheek, unknowingly, and I quietly closed my eyes and cried. I was shocked when there were arms wrapped around me. I looked, and saw Eriol, with his eyes closed, and his hands soothing my back.


My hands clenched, thus the letter in my hands got a little crumpled. My legs were shaking, and am trembling, as I walked towards a gate of someone's house. After that crying thing with Eriol in the rooftop, I went back to the classroom, and saw Tomoyo ran towards me. She apologized, and assured me that she does not really like Syaoran, that she only like Eriol. She also told me that there is no way Syaoran would like her.

Now that I thought about that apology, I fet a little guilty because I did not tell her that I was living with that guy that she has a crush on, and that comforting scene in the rooftop. It would surely break her, when I tell her. But she is far better than me, apologizing and all.

Anyway, I reached the gate of Syaoran's house. That's right, I'm going to do this. I thought of Eriol's words in the rooftop over and over again, and decided for it.

"Yeah, and she's so stubborn, that girl." That's Syaoran's voice, his steps getting louder and louder as seconds pass by.

"So you like her, huh?" Eriol replied, and my heartbeat rate increased, waiting for Syaoran's reply.

"Maybe. It's just so fun teasing her. That's all. She's not like other girls who would hrow themselves at me. I hate that kind, I guess."

Their conversation stopped when they saw me standing in front of his house. I could barely look at them both, especially at Syaoran. Of course, I can see, in the corner of my eye, Eriol's smiling. I think it's a comforting kind of smile, and I think my mind eased a bit with that thought.

"Who are you?" Syaoran arrogantly asked me.

If this was a normal day, I could have exclaimed for joy, because he was talking to me. I dreamed for this scene for so long. But thinking that I am in this lowly situation, I can't help but run away.

"I'm Sakura Kinomoto. I know I must be... freaking you guys out right now, but I just wanna give you this." I held out my letter, and closed my eyes, waiting for a hand to get this one. I waited for seconds, and no one reached for it.

"Go home. I don't care about your damn letter." He whispered in my ear, and opened the gate. Eriol looked at me, with sadness in his eyes.

My frustration and anger suddenly rose. My face was red, and I stomped my feet towards him. I really don't know whether to rip my pictures of him in my room later, or to block him in my social networking accounts.

"No!" I punched my letter in his chest, and looked directly in his eyes, "I liked you for so long! I know, I don't have any right to talk to you in this manner, but don't be such a jerk, for once!" I got my bag, which fell on the ground, and walked away. "Don't worry, this will be the last." I said, and looked directly in his eyes.


I am repeating what happened in Syaoran's house in my head. I did not have left courage to rip his pictures in my wall, so I just stared at it for hours. I am still smiling whenever I see that silly smirk of his, those amber eyes. Yeah, maybe I still like him.

"Good job." Eriol opened my door, and smiled at me.

"Hey! Knock, will you?" I shouted.

"I did, for like, a minute." He answered, and smiled at me.

"Whatever." I smiled at him, and pat his shoulder while going downstairs. "What do you want for dinner?" I stopped and looked at him.

"Nothing in particular. Hey, let me help." He laughed, and ran towards me.

We laughed like crazy when we got downstairs. It's so easy getting along with this guy. I wonder why I like a stubborn jerk like Syaoran, when there's this savior of mine by my side, smiling and comforting me in my tough and good times.

"I thought you only like me."

Is it just me, or there was Syaoran sitting in our sofa? He smirked, while looking at me. I stopped in my tracks, and just looked at this guy standing, and walking towards me. I hear Eriol's echoing voice, but I can't quite catch the words he's saying. I smiled a bit. Hey, if this was an illusion, at least, he was a gentle kind of guy right now, and caressing my left cheek.

"Syaoran." I whipered, and closed my eyes, feeling this illusion overwhelming me. Then, someone hardly hit my cheek, and exclaimed, "Wake up!"

"Aww!" I screamed, and looked at Syaoran, walking away with Eriol, and laughing like hell. So he's really here? I walked, with embarrassment, towards the kitchen, and looked at Syaoran. He took a knife, and opened the refrigerator, and took some onions.

"Syaoran?" I asked, and he looked up at me.

"So, awake after daydreaming?" He said, and smirked at me.

I was startled. I was. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

Eriol answered, while cutting pork, "I let him stay here for dinner. And he says that he wants to know you." He laughed, and was almost hit by Syaoran.

"I want to give her a chance, that's all." Syaoran said, and laughed.

My eyebrows met. So, he thinks he's that charming and awesome, and handsome and all? He thinks that I still like him after that stupid encounter that afternoon? Well, guess what, my feelings for him are dead and gone. Arrogant guy. Why did I even liked him in the first place?

"Of course, you still like me. It's kind of obvious, after you closed your eyes when I caressed your cheek." Syaoran confidently answered, while chopping.

"Lalala! You're a jeeerk!" I sang while covering my ears. I can't quite follow what the conversation was all about, until I realize that maybe, I spoke everything that was in my head. Dumb me. "Let me help." I said, after singing for a minute, and these guys looking at me as if I'm a crazy girl or something.


"Sakura, come on! We'll be late for school!" Eriol shouted at me, and I ate everything at once, and got ready. After how many minutes, I ran towards him, and stopped my tracks. Why is he waiting for me? My bicycle isn't really fixed, and he was on his own bicycle. He eyed the kind-of-seat in his front, and my mouth suddenly twitched.

"Okay, I have no choice anyway!" I got on his bike, and it was amazing how he could handle both of us in this mode of transportation.

In the down-slopes, I almost shouted in fright.

"Eriol, wait!" Syaoran's voice was towards us. He's surprisingly fast and cool with that green bike of his'. I am utterly biased, seriously.

I can't believe how things are progressing. Last time, we were sneaking in a building just to stare at these guys. Yesterday, I confessed my love for that jerk with chestnut hair. Then, this morning, it's as if we're bunch of friends going to the school together.

"Kinomoto." Syaoran said, while looking at me.

"What, assface?" I looked at him too, and surprised by my courage to do that.

"It's just that, I had fun last night. You know, in your house." He paused, and continued. "You are one sociable being, and your innocence and dumbness seemed so funny to me."

I was smiling, but wondering why he was saying this. He looked straight at the road, while talking to me. I could hear my own heartbeat increasing, and I can't help but cry because of this fright and delight overwhelming inside me.

"But we should be friends, you know, for starters." He continued, and stopped the bike. We already reached the school. Oh, I didn't even notice.

"Yes, we should." I held out my hand, "I'm Sakura Kinomoto, just call me Sakura, you idiot. Kinomoto is, like, so long."

"Syaoran. Syaoran Li." He shook my hand, and for the first time, he smiled at me, just like what my imagination was showing these past years. The way he smiled, it's like the world stop. Eriol's view, in the corner of my eye, vanished. I can't hear people around us anymore. It's like, the two of us are the only people in this bright place.

His eyebrows met, and whispered to me, "Don't look at me like that. I feel like you're going to eat me soon. You know, last night, you ate almost everything we cooked. Pig." He laughed, in unison with Eriol, and parked their bicycles. They walked towards the main building of our school.

"Hey wait!" I shouted, and ran towards them.

My cellphone vibrated, and read the message. An unknown number.
"Don't like me that way, my new friend. Stop liking me."

The mystery of the number was no surprise to me. Of course, it's from Syaoran. I wonder where he got it. I never gave Eriol my number, by the way. I ran, towards them, but with their long legs, they reached the steps of the building than I could.

I texted. "Huh, stalker."

Syaoran and Eriol waited for me at the top of the stairs. I saw Syaoran took his cellphone, and smiled with whatever he's staring at. I guess that was my message. I took a glimpse of Eriol, who smiled while shouting my name, and begging me to run faster. "Okay, it's just that, I have ridiculously short legs, you know!?" And they started laughing. I reached at the top of the stairs, and reached out my new buddies' shoulders.

And then I saw two things that bugged me the second I saw them: Tomoyo's ballpen inside Syaoran's back pocket in his pants, and a pair of eyes looking at me with anger. I looked up, and saw Tomoyo, stared at me so hard that I find it so hard to breathe.


For next chapter: What is Syaoran's real motive of befriending Sakura? Will Sakura ever learn to appreciate other people's affection instead of focusing on Syaoran? Will Tomoyo forgive Sakura for hiding the truth from her? What is Eriol's insights about Sakura? Is it just all about being friends, or something more?