Chapter 11: Decision

'Now if I help Syaoran, I'm betraying Ikki. If I don't help him, he'll get sour with me again and I'm so fed up with his murderous glares. I still have to clear things up with his cousin too if his really into Tomoyo. Jeez what a mess?'

Sakura leaned on the wall behind her, staring at the clouds freely dancing in the sky. 'Sorry Ikki but maybe giving Syaoran a chance is fair. It's really still up to Andy, right? It isn't betrayal it's for a fair and healthy competition.'

A familiar voice snapped her from her chaotic mental debate. "Hey squirt, what are you doing here? They're already starting with this new activity. You better hurry up if you don't want to be your sadistic cousin's punching bag again."

Sakura winced being reminded at the thought of Tomo's temper and hurriedly went to the hall forgetting to thank Ken for the head's up.

"Hang on there, squirt." Ken whispered, as he follows to where Sakura had gone into.

'What the hell did I just…'

Syaoran punched the nearest tree and groaned. 'Argh…'

'I never poured out my soul to anyone before not even with that stupid cousin of mine.' He looked up the sky throwing his questions and hoping for an answer to it. 'Somehow I get this feeling that I could tell him anything…'

Syaoran suddenly stop from walking and drop his jaw as realization hit him. 'This feeling… this is just what I felt with...'

'No wait, that can't be it. He… h-he's a guy. Maybe it's just that he's so open and friendly that's why I felt that comfortable with him. Li-like… like a brother. Yeah, yeah that's it. It should be.'

Who are you trying to fool anyway? A voice taunted him.

'Did I just say it out loud?' He glanced at his left, his right and the sky for the voice who just answered him. The trees gracefully sway with the cool breeze of summer. Rays of the sun peeked through the thick leaves of the old bulky trees. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth.

As he was about to enter the meeting hall, he saw Ikki. Syaoran anxiously rushed to him to have a quick word with him before they reached the now crowded area.

Unfortunately for them, more than a couple pairs of eyes saw this.

"That traitor!"

"Who?" Rika and Miyu glance at the direction Eriol is busy glaring at. "You're not jealous, are you?" Miyu teasingly asked her cousin.

"Look dude, he's just being friendly with a guy from another band. There's nothing wrong with that."

'Oh there is definitely wrong with that picture especially with that damn guitarist.' Eriol seethed in silent anger and ignore his companions.

Rika and Miyu shrugged and left him alone to deal with his sudden change of mood.

"Oh my, I can't believe this. She's really into him."

"Who? Who?" Andy nosily asked, craning from left to right to look over what Tomoyo's talking about.

"Kura and Syaoran."

A very puzzled Andy stared at the two and then back at her best friend. "Ooohhh… wait. You know something. You've got that look again."

Tomoyo feigned an innocent mask on her face. "What look?"

"That matchmaking-look again…." She smirked as Tomoyo got slightly unbalanced from being caught.

To finish off with her torture Andy exaggeratedly gasped. "Oh no! The horror. Poor, poor Kura."

Tomoyo shoved Andy for her taunts. "Don't sympathize Kura you don't know what that silly girl did… ohohoho…"

Andy perked up with her best friend's comment, and pried further, "Wait something already happened? Oooohhh… What is it…?"

"Remember…."

"Dude!"

'Traitor' Eriol heard him alright but pretended he didn't hear a thing. He then, rolled his eyes and walk away. Unfortunately for him, his cousin caught up with him, dragging his sworn enemy.

Syaoran tapped his cousin's shoulder to gain his attention but was dumbfounded when Eriol brushed him off. "What's that about?"

"Nothing."

Clueless with his cousin's mood, Syaoran shrugged it off and proceeded with the introductions. "Anyway, Ikki this is Eriol, our rhythm guitarist and a cousin."

"Hey Eriol!" Sakura awkwardly greet.

Eriol scoffed at her. "It's Hirigizawa to you."

"Dude, you don't—"

Anticipating the reaction, she cut Syaoran off and reassure him with a pat, "It's cool."

She then faced Eriol and continued unperturbed, "I know you might think this is awkward. But I want to make things clear. Tomo and I are not an item. Never was and never will. Andy cooked it up to ward off my fan girls."

"You're not?" Eriol utterly confused gawked at her and look at Syaoran for confirmation. Syaoran just smirked.

"Neither am I hooked up with anyone in my band." Sakura turned to Syaoran to find him scratching his nape in shame. "I didn't come here to collect fans or enemies. So make your move, nobody would mind except for her."

Eriol didn't heard the last part of what she said and just bounced off to his happy place, drooling.

"Dude snapped out of it and wiped it off." Syaoran slapped his cousin back.

"Is he always like this?"

"You have no idea—"

"Okay guys can I have your attention now." A slightly flustered facilitator tries to get the attention of the crowd on stage. "The committee had come up with this activity to make bands get along with the other bands. Pick a representative for your band to come here on stage."

Sakura was then pulled by an unknown force from her left and so in her panic grab hold of the nearest person to her (who else!?) and were both pushed to the stage.

As the stage crowded up with the representative for each band the announcer continued. "Each representative please pick a number in the box. The person with the same number will swap members and would perform tonight from the selected songs.

Well, I guess you guys probably know who's with who.

"Guys, chill. Okay?" Ren position himself between Sakura and Tomoyo, trying to pacify them both.

Sakura sighed for the umpteenth time. "Tomo we can't always be together. We have to balance the bands. If you insist to be in this band the other band won't have a vocalist."

"Bu-but—"

"The band also has to have two of Syaoran's and two of ours. Andy and I have already been decided to be in it. If you would still persist then it would be unfair for them." Sakura desperately reasoned out with her cousin.

'Please don't make things more difficult, I need Syaoran and Andy in the same band and of course me to get them together.' Sakura threw an exasperated look at her cousin, clearly annoyed by her possessiveness.

"Fine, be with your boyfriend. I can't believe this!" Tomoyo hysterically throws a fit.

"What the—"

Unsatisfied she cut her cousin off and heatedly went on, "I thought you love me. I thought I've changed you. You've chosen him over me." Tomoyo dramatically points at Syaoran while Andy tries to hide her snickers. 'Tomo's really good at this.'

"Change me? Tomo what are—"

"We're through Ikki, you hear me we're through." Tomoyo looked meaningfully at Andy and grabbed hold of the gaping Ren and the grinning Eriol, as a confused Miyu followed them.

Though before they continue to trudge on, she turns back and wailed, "You're free to be with him."

Dumbfounded yet somehow finally catching on with what just happened, Syaoran and Sakura looked and pointed at each other accusingly. "You're gay?"

"I'm not. Are you?" They both yelled in chorus.

"Then why?" Syaoran utterly lost with what just happened with Ikki and Tomoyo, looked at Ikki helplessly for answers, who is still in a state of shock from the pretend break-up of their fake relationship.

"Tomo's sometimes a little too melodramatic for her own good." Andy supplied trying to hide her smirk and amusement of the impromptu situation Tomoyo just made. 'That damn genius.'

Too stunned, that Andy replied. Syaoran just blushed, somewhat speechless from the close proximity of his crush, "Oh"

Then it suddenly hit him, "Wait, are-aren't… aren't you guys just pretending?"

Andy gaped at his revelation and pointedly glared at Sakura. "You told him about you being…"

"Yeah, the pretend-boyfriend-thing, you planned for me to be hassle-free from my fan-girls." Sakura scoffed at Andy and returned the glare.

Syaoran confusedly asks for an explanation. "Then why?"

"Just… I don't know…" Sakura fidgets in exasperation, "at least, I'm finally free from a nagging and abusive girlfriend." She yelled out loud knowing that Tomoyo is still somewhere within earshot, eavesdropping.

"Ouch."

"Will you shut up?" Tomoyo nudged Eriol in the ribs for commenting on it.

"But aren't you just pretending? What's with all the drama?" Eriol asked bemusedly.

Ren and Tomoyo stared at him. Just as she was about to retort back, she suddenly froze from the murderous aura Sakura was projecting towards her. 'Well, Andy, Mei Lin it's your turn. Let the games begin.'

- to be continued -

Mar 18, 2009 bangag_pa

June 21, 2013 revised

September 23, 2015 updated