Chapter 10: Adaptation

Bang… cling… bang… bang…

"What the hell?" Eriol yelled as he rolled off his bed. The whole camp awoke from an upbeat but really annoying rhythm. One by one they rolled off their beds and advance to their porches to see the riot outside, each still drowsy from the lack of sleep, well, except for two deep sleepers residing in one of the boys' cottages.

Ren then open their door to peek on whose making the riot outside, only to give access for the facilitators to barge into their cottage lead by Touya himself. Touya pat his shoulder as he walk passed and looked for her sister. When he noticed that Sakura wasn't up yet, he smirked and hurriedly filled a bucket with icy water and cautiously approached her bunk.

Touya's smirk grew even wider as he noticed Syaoran, sound asleep at the bottom bunk of Sakura's. 'Two birds with one stone.' He silently cackled evilly gaining sweat drops from his audience. He then tips the end of the bucket and spills its contents to the two sleeping forms.

"SHIT!"

"WHAT THE?!"

Two screams echoed into the room as two teens were drenched from his exploits. Bewildered from their situation, the two glared throwing imaginary daggers at the snickering Touya and the crowd behind him. Sakura immediately jumped off the bed cursing and hurriedly went to the bathroom to fix her drenched disguise while Syaoran rolled off the bed only to loose his composure as he felt pain shot through his legs that causes to gain more fits of laughter. He muttered curses, gathered a change of clothes and waited outside the bathroom door.

'Shouldn't kick his bed the whole night...'

As he was about to knock furiously at the door, Sakura brusquely brushed pass him and out through the main door seething, ignoring the facilitators giving some instructions to their other roommates.

After changing his set of wet clothes, Syaoran went outside to clear his head disregarding the fact that the cottage was now empty.

He walked aimlessly as he pondered about the humiliating wake up call he received earlier. Reaching the edge of the forest he suddenly sensed someone behind him. Deciding it was an unwanted presence, with a swift movement Syaoran released a punch.

But knowing her arts, she easily dodged and blocked the following attacks. They sparred a little more before settling under the shade of a tree.

"You're good, haven't had a decent fight for quite a while. So what brings you here?"

Syaoran dusted off himself and turn to face his annoying roommate. "None of your business"

"What's up with you? I just want to be your friend."

"Whatever." Syaoran shrugged, turning to leave her behind.

Exasperated, Sakura tried to hold on to him. "What the hell did I even do to you?"

Syaoran halted, and turn around scowling. "What the f#%$, you're asking me…" He menacingly walked towards her, "What the hell is wrong with me?" and roughly shoved her. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Don't put me up with that innocent act a-gain."

"Stop being a cryptic ass and tell me what the hell it is… you gaki!" Sakura unwaveringly bit back.

Syaoran clearly loosing all his patience, rolled his eyes, 'How dense could this guy get?', and disgustingly retort. "Damn it, you're acting as if fooling with the whole damn band is nothing. I can't believe how sick can one be to have the guts to cheat with his own friends."

"Fooling?"

"The whole camp knows that you already had that bassist as your girlfriend. Yet you still shamelessly flirt with your drummer and lead guitarist. You f#%$ing bi or this is just something natural for you? You truly know how to multi-task or do you guys work on a schedule or something?"

Sakura finally getting what he's implying suppressed her giggles, "That's it?"

"What the… Are you f#%$ing kidding me?" Syaoran lunged at her again, grabbing her collars, and pressing her violently at the trunk of the tree.

"Gaki shut up for a sec!" Sakura grabbed his hands on her throat, shove it away irritably and barked at him. "It's not what you think. Ren is like a big brother to me just as Tomoyo and Andrea is a sister to me."

Sakura shivered from the thought of having something between her cousin and friends. 'Eww!' She then pondered on her impulsive reply. 'Not the real Ikki though… with Andy for that matter.'

"But I-I thought th—"

"Well ga-ki, you thought wrong. And the rumor about me and Tomo was cooked up by Andy to get rid of those stupid and insane fan girls for me. You don't know how Tomo severely punished Andy for doing it." Sakura shook her head as she tried to brush off the unnerving memory, and refrain gagging from it.

"She did what?"

Sakura puzzled by his reaction asked, "What's it with you?" trying to figure out his expression of concern, and then realized the reason behind it. "Huh…You like her don't you?"

"No, it's not…"

"Ha, I knew it." Sakura paced in front of the now bewildered Syaoran, deciphering his reactions and actions for the past few minutes.

"That's why you hate me… No, loathe me. You thought I… Hahaha…" Sakura try to hold on her laughter to finish her sentence, leaning to a tree for support. "You thought me and Andy are an item too."

"Will you stop laughing for a second, you just sounded like a girl?" He raised one of his eyebrows and scans her from head to toe, "dressed in a guy's outfit…" but before he even finished his sentence a fist came an inch close to his face. He tried to dodge it but was a little bit late and was slightly hit on the left side of his cheek.

Syaoran rubbing his cheek in slight pain, complained. "What the hell is that for?"

"Stupid brat, you're pointing out that I'm gay, I had a girlfriend you know." Sakura glared at him trying to hide her flushed cheeks from humiliation, pretending that she redden from anger.

"Yeah, a fake one. I didn't mean it that way though. It's just that you slightly had a pitch higher earlier that you almost sounded like a girl."

She mentally whacks her brain to squeeze out an excuse for it, "I just had a sore throat yesterday that I squeak way too much than expected."

"Yeah right." Syaoran snorted and stare blankly at the scenery in front of them.

Silence then envelope them. 'Shit! That was close. Gotta be careful next time...' To break the awkward silence around them, she desperately changed the subject, "Well, so how will you go for it gaki?"

Ignoring the insult, "Go for what?"

"Andy of course." Sakura replied mockingly.

'Oh that…' Syaoran sighed heavily and slumped further on the tree's trunk. "I don't know?"

"You don't know? Jeez, good luck with that." Sakura shrug and look up the sky wondering how to proceed with her musings.

Syaoran who was in deep thought suddenly lit up and asked sincerely as he could, "Then, could you help me?"

"Help? With what?" Sakura then nervously glanced at him, dreading the reason behind it and was shocked at his somewhat pleading aura. 'Me and my big mouth... Now what?'

"Why me? You hated my guts awhile ago." Sakura desperately reason out, attempting to get away from the impending favor and averts her attention from his desperate facade.

"Well, I thought you're this merciless player playing with his friends' feelings." Syaoran scratched his nape for miscalculating his new friend. "Um… sorry about that."

She was controlling from snickering and suppressing her anxiousness with the situation at the same time that she look like someone constipating. 'Jeez, his really that desperate?'

"You said you want us to be friends. So let's be friends and help me."

Sakura gaped at his response, mentally hits her head on a wall. 'Shit! Attack me with my own line.'

At her own risk she looked down on him again and regretted it the second she laid eyes on his now begging position. Syaoran, more desperate than ever, is kneeling in front of her, with his head bowed down and chanting his pleas.

Fed up and fighting for her sanity from the traumatic display, Sakura scratched her head, "Okay, okay fine. What do you want?" and tugged at his sleeve. "And stop that before I had nightmares from it."

Syaoran straighten up and dusted himself. "Just set me up for an opportunity to spend time with her. You know, to know more about her."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, for now."

Sakura try to hide her discomfort as she heard his reply. 'Me? Why me?' She successfully covered her red face and attempts to feed her curiosity. "On one condition though, I'll help you if you tell me why Andy?"

"Um… is that really necessary?"

"Yup. Either answer it or it's N-O…"

Squirming in anxiety, Syaoran finally answers, "Because I think I've fallen for her…"

Sakura's eyes widen as she heard him mumbled his last words. 'Oh, Ikki.'

- to be continued -

Mar 9, 2009 bangag_pa

June 21, 2013 revised

September 23, 2015 updated