Chapter 4: Attraction

"Hey would you stop pushing? Not because you're older than me you can push me around." Andy hissed at her tormenter.

Tomoyo defended. "I'm one month older than you."

"It still counts."

"Will you two stop it? You're two years older than me and both in college but you still act worst than ten year old brats." Sakura scoffed.

"She started it?" Tomoyo point a finger at Andy.

Andy retorted. "Nu-uh, miss bossy here started everything?"

"Well, you are my slave for the day, remember?" Tomoyo reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah I'm regretful of what I did okay? But you must admit it did work?" Andy proudly babbled.

Tomoyo ignored her last statements, "You don't sound regretful?"

"I—"

"Shut up both of you! We're going to be late!" Sakura yelled exasperated.

"Well tell your cousin being a slave does not cover—" Sakura then glared at Andy making her stop with her blabbering. They reached the side of stage in time to hear the last sentence of introduction of the band.

"Give it up for Busted Halo."

Ohh…

If I give up on you I give up on me

If we fight what's true, will we ever be

Even God himself and the faith I knew

Shouldn't hold me back, shouldn't keep me from you

Tease me, by holding out your hand

Then leave me, or take me as I am

And live our lives, stigmatized… yeah

On the other side of the stage, a teen tries to shake off something from his arms pathetically. "Dude, will you stop clinging?" Syaoran tried to shove Eriol away. "What's your freaking problem anyway?"

Eriol clinging for dear life replied, "I'm just afraid to get lost from you guys, it's a large crowd you know."

"Yeah, right," Rika teased. "Dude, then why Syao? You could hang with us girls, it would be less weird." Rika pointing her fingers to her and Miyu. Like a leech Eriol still didn't let go of Syaoran. In mockery, she taps her shoes, hands on waist while waiting for an answer, "Well?"

Not noticing her cousins Miyu gasped at the crowd, "Mei's band is so popular, they've got so many fans. Oooh, I envy them. Wish I was up there with them." She sighs dreamily.

"No, need to be jealous cuz, but Syao's my favorite cousin and if we're spotted together, we attract more girls in the crowd." Eriol airily stated as if stating the facts to her innocent cousin.

"Girls? Dream on cuz." Rika snorted, "Well, it doesn't seem like that dude. Base from your positions I could clearly say you're both gays. You're gonna attract more boys than girls."

That comment got Miyu's ears and for the first time, became aware of Syaoran and Eriol's position. Eriol leaning his head in Syaoran's right shoulder, his arm in loop in Syaoran's right arm, as Syaoran struggle to get rid of his weird hormonal cousin's arms from his.

"Eww, incest!" Miyu points at them laughing her ass off. Syaoran reddened from embarrassment, and looked around if anybody heard his cousin's accusatory statement.

I can feel the blood rushing through my veins

When I hear your voice, driving me insane

Hour after hour day after day

Every lonely night that I sit and pray

Tease me, by holding out your hand

Then leave me, or take me as I am

And live our lives, stigmatized

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah

We live our lives on different sides,

But we keep together you and I

Just live our lives, stigmatized

"Will you shut the hell up?" Syaoran shot back at Miyu as she giggled uncontrollably. "And you, get your gay hands off me or I swear I'll release your naked picture when you were eight clinging to a clown who was crying and trying to get away from you in our webpage, or—"

"I-I w-a-was eight, an-and that damn clown had my favorite shirt stuck in his wig, so I ran after him," Eriol stuttered from humiliation.

"Winnie the Pooh shirt? That was your favorite shirt," Rika hugging her tummy from the pain of laughing too much.

Miyu sarcastically gasped and grinning like a maniac, "All the while, I thought the teletubbies' shirt was your favorite."

"Oh c'mon guys not so loud, for crying out loud, I was eight." Eriol whined still clinging to Syaoran's arm, frantically looking around if they caught anybody's attention.

Syaoran trying to control his voice from laughing so hard, "… well how about your impersonation video of Tina Turner singing and dancing your ass off…" At this Eriol, let go of Syaoran and glared at his three cousins, who won't stop laughing at him.

"That was one wicked vacation that memory is sooo deeply etched in my mind," Miyu guffawed, holding her knees for support.

Eriol who is in deep shade of red by now, retorted, "That was a damn dare, you guys forced on me."

"A dare you eagerly and expertly performed in front of the whole Li household, two months ago," Syaoran sniggered loudly catching the attention of people around them.

We'll live our lives we'll take the punches every day… oh…

We'll live our lives I know we're gonna find our way… yeah…

I believe in you

She really can't stand it anymore. Andy and Tomoyo can't stop bickering at the littlest thing since that fated day when Andy announced to the whole school that Ikki and Tomoyo is an item. And so Sakura wandered on her own to fully watch his brother's performance. Of course, her two companions never notice her absence.

Sakura squeezed her way through the crowd to get a better looked on the stage. As the song reaches its climax the crowd grew more aggressive and she was push forcefully into someone and they both fell on the cold concrete only to her discomfort she was at the bottom.

Even if no one understands

Yeah, I believe in you, and I don't really give a damn

Something soft brushed with Syaoran's lips. Dreading what it was, he stubbornly remained still and shut his eyes almost painfully, pretending it was all a dream. 'Shit, is it a girl? A guy? An old lady? Or an old man?' He shuddered at those thoughts.

The person underneath him didn't dare to move at all. And for five forsaking minutes, he couldn't take it anymore, and slowly open his eyes only to be greeted with a pair of intense emerald eyes.

Sakura finally absorbed everything, touch her lips, frowned and glared at him, 'He just stole my first kiss.'

Syaoran quickly stood up and helped the girl he bumped into. But the girl shoved his hands and stood up by herself.

"Watch where you're going," she snorted and wipes her lips in disgust and turn the other way but was stop with...

Oh stigmatized Oh yeah, yeah, yeah…

We live our lives on different sides

But we keep together you and I…

We live our lives on different sides, Oh….

Syaoran grabbed her wrist before she ran away from him. "I'm sorry. It really was an accident."

"Fine, now will you let go of me?" Sakura scoffed at him, wiggling her arm out of his hold.

Syaoran pleaded at her, still mesmerized by her sparkling eyes. "Will you tell me your name first?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"But w—"

"Syao we've been looking all over for you." Syaoran was suddenly spun around by his idiotic cousin and losses his grip on his newly found fascination.

We're gonna live our lives

Gotta live our lives

We're gonna live our lives

Yeah, yeah…

We're gonna live our lives,

Gonna live our lives,

Yeah, Stigmatized

"He was the only one in panic." Miyu blurted out.

"Yeah, he was really hysterical when he loss his beloved cousin." Rika added playfully.

Taken aback, Sakura trudged the opposite direction to get away as far as possible from the "weirdoes" as if it's not enough to be constantly surrounded by them herself (her cousins and their band mates).

Syaoran ignored his cousins' mockery and whirled around to get back to the girl. Unfortunately, she was already swallowed by the sea of strangers.

'Damn Eriol.'

They reached the back stage but still no sign of Sakura.

"She's not here either? Where could she be?" Tomoyo sat down, exhausted from the search.

"It's your fault we lost her?" Andy accused, pointing angrily at her.

"Me?"

"If it weren't for you, snapping at me all the time since we got here. She wo—"

"She got irritated because of—"

"No, you."

Sakura was about to push the black curtain to get through when she heard the familiar voices of Tomoyo and Andy still at it. She sighed and pondered if she should wait for her brother to get there first before going in.

When she was about to get in and stop the two she heard another argument coming her way. She hid instinctively to avoid any involvement in it. She really had enough of the nonsense of those two and could not take another one.

"Oh c'mon dude. We're really sorry." A guy whined but he was ignored by the other one.

Sakura paled as she saw the guy-who-stole-her-first-kiss came into view with a whining guy and two very amuse girls trailing behind him.

"Syao, please I really didn't know you were with a girl." He continued to whine but the other guy just trudge forward to the back stage without sparing him a single glance.

'That was disturbing. Are they related or in that kind of relationship?' Sakura wonder about.

"Who are you guys? What are you doing here?" Andy asked as a group of teenagers entered the room. "This room is reserved for band members only?"

"But we are a band."

Tomoyo looked up and studied the faces of the visitors. "You're Mei's brother!" Tomoyo pointed at the young brunette. "And the rest of you are their cousins, right?"

"He is?" Andy queried disbelievingly. Syaoran just nodded. "They are?" Syaoran again just nodded, too stunned in seeing her again. 'The guitarist in cap.'

But Tomoyo ignored her, asking them again. "Shouldn't you be in Kyoto?"

'He's Mei Lin's brother?' Sakura gaped at her cousin's revelation.

"Kajuu? What are you doing out here?"

Sakura nervously twirled. "Onii-chan, I was looking for you?" Sakura fidgeted. She didn't even notice that her brother called her a monster because of her growing anxiety. Unfortunately, Touya did.

"What's wrong kajuu?"

Sakura tried not to stutter her answer, "N-nothing" but failed so she hugged her brother to avoid his lingering gaze. "I'm just glad to see you again. By the way, you're really great back there."

"O-kay." Touya eyed her curiously. He was about to ushered her in when she pulled back her arm.

Hesitating she asked, "Onii-chan if you see Tomoyo and Andy could you tell them I'm heading to the dorm first. I'm really beat."

"Okay." Noticing her strained eyes and pale complexion, he asked again. "Hey, you sure you're alright?"

She sighed. "Yeah. It's just my eyes are itchy with the contacts I wore today. Don't worry about it."

Sakura then staggered away from him. He sighed and watched her sister dejectedly greet his band mates.

"Hey Kura." Mei Lin cheerfully greeted but was responded by a gloomy 'hey.' Even when Yuki and Ken greeted Sakura they've gotten the same response.

"What's wrong with her?" Mei Lin asked Touya as she approached him.

Touya shrugged his frustration and shoved the black curtain. "I don't know."

"Onii-chan!" Andy pounced on her poor brother.

"Woah, kiddo. We still need our guitarist for the next gig." Touya chuckled as Andy quickly released her brother Yuki of her bear hug.

"I missed you too." Yuki hug her gently and removed her cap at the same time.

Syaoran gawked at his crush as her auburn hair flowed smoothly out of the cap. Mei Lin noticed it and rushed to his side. "You're drooling," she whispered.

Syaoran snapped back to reality and shut his mouth. He then noticed Eriol's current state as he too was gawking at the other girl.

"Ken you were really great." Tomoyo gushed at her childhood crush.

Ken sheepishly replied, still not used to her complements. "Um… thanks."

"I've missed all of you." Andy giddily hugged the rest of band as she came to stop with Mei Lin, "Is he really your brother? You don't look alike?"

Mei Lin laughed, "Is it because he's a moody brat? And—"

"Hey" Syaoran beet red, nudged her sister.

"This is Syao, my baby brother." Mei Lin pushes him forward. "Syao this is Andy. And that one is Tomo."

Andy shook his hand while Tomo just waved from her side. Mei then introduce her other cousins to the two girls.

"Oh, before I forgot aren't they supposed to be in Kyoto?"

"They're here for the band camp next week."

"Ah, so we'll see you then."

"You're also going?" Eriol gaped.

"Yeah, Andy and I also have a band. They're just not here right now. Actually I had no idea where they are." Tomoyo scowled at that thought.

Andy chuckled at the inner joke she knew. Tomoyo fully glared at her, threatening her to utter a word about it. "We have to go." Tomoyo pushed Andy to the exit. "We need to find Sakura we kinda lost her."

Yuki, Ken and Touya chuckled at her statement. "My sister is not a helpless five year-old. I just saw her outside; she's on her way to the dorm. She says she's dead beat."

"What did you guys do to her?" Ken eyed them suspiciously.

"N-nothing." Andy and Tomoyo answered in chorus. They stare at each other meaningfully and quickly waved goodbye. "Gotta go."

"Poor Kura." Yuki sighed.

"Who's Kura?" Syaoran asked his sister.

"She's Touya's baby sister." Mei supplied. "Actually, she's a year younger than you."

Touya being the brother that he is, "Why are you asking about her?"

"Just curious." Syaoran shrugged.

Touya menacingly walked towards him. Mei Lin instinctively shielded his brother away from Touya. "Well you better stay away from her, you hear me."

"How could I stay away if I don't even know her at all?" Syaoran retorted.

"Touya..." Mei Lin meaningfully eyed Touya.

"Good, it's better that way." Touya backed off.

"Is he always like this?" Eriol inquired.

Ken replied, "He is when it comes to his sister."

"Poor Kura." Yuki sighed again, shaking his head.

- to be continued -

A/N: Words that are bold and italicized are lyrics to the song, "Stigmatized" by the band THE CALLING. Thanks please review.

Jan 21, 2009 bangag_pa

June 21, 2013 revised

September 23, 2015 updated