Author's note: Right. New chapter everyone. Thanks for waiting! I must be inspired or something, haha. Actually, since this is more on the light side, it's easier to write than any of my other stories. For all the dear people who left reviews… Thank you! You guys never fail to make me smile. Now, let the craziness continue. Enjoy! XD

Disclaimer: CCS and all its characters belong to CLAMP. They own all rights to them. I've learned long ago that there's no use wishing it was mine.

Chapter 7: A Request for Towels

Rating: T

-oOo-

The staredown was getting quite ridiculous in Eriol's opinion.

Syaoran had been staring at his cookie box for the past who knows how long. Eriol was sure that had he asked, Syaoran would be able to recreate the complex pattern that decorated the box. His charge had already memorized the size of the thing. In was indeed smaller than the box Eriol had. Feeling a bit curious, he actually measured both boxes when Syaoran went out for a few minutes. He was lucky that there was measuring tape nearby. His box measured 10 cm by 10 cm by 15 cm. Syaoran's box measured 10cm by 10 cm by 12 cm. The difference was indeed 300 cubic centimeters. He laughed at the discovery but said nothing of it when Syaoran returned.

Despite his Casanova reputation, he was actually clueless when it came to relationships. Eriol knew of Syaoran's dating history. So far, Syaoran's relationship history was still non-existent. His manager actually found it cute. He knew Syaoran was attracted to Sakura even though he vehemently denied it. And as much as he wanted to enjoy himself and tease the hell out of Syaoran, the circumstances that occur whenever the two were together was starting to worry him. He wasn't superstitious but he was slowly believing there was a high chance of something happening whenever they were within touching distance of each other.

Throughout his entire internal monologue, Syaoran was staring at the cookie box, unmoving.

Having quite enough, Eriol said, "If you're not going to eat it, you may as well give it to me since -"

"No."

Eriol tried to suppress his smile. "But all you've been doing is staring-"

"No," he said again.

"It's probably melted from the intensity of your gaze. You should-"

"It's mine, damn it!" Syaoran snapped.

Eriol couldn't help himself. He doubled over laughing. "Relax. I'm joking. It'll go to waste if you don't eat it. They're pretty good. I mean, all four flavors that I got was good." Eriol put emphasis of the number, loving how Syaoran's eyes narrowed a few millimetres.

"So she likes you better than me. Big deal. I don't even like her," he shrugged.

Eriol snorted. "Says the man who valiantly protected her from a three meter fall."

Syaoran sighed tiredly. "Anyone would have done what I did, Eriol."

"Why did you even go near her?" Eriol asked. If bad luck followed them like a plague, Eriol knew he'd never go near a possible trigger.

There was a moment of silence before Syaoran answered, "I like koi."

He looked at Syaoran for a long while. "…Koi?"

Syaoran's face was impassive. "Yes. Koi."

His charge was lying. Eriol could practically smell Syaoran's lies. "I should definitely take note of this the next time we release a photo book of you. I'm sure your fans would want to know of something so… interesting."

Eriol let the matter drop. Still, he wouldn't let his guard down. He'd only rest easy once filming was done and Sakura miles away from Syaoran.

-xXx-

It was one of the worst decisions in Touya's life.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

Touya didn't know why he actually went with it just like that.

"Ohayo, Kinomoto-san!"

Really… What was he thinking?

"Nice to see you again, Sakura-chan."

His head was throbbing.

"The cookies were excellent. We'll take them off your hands when you have extras, Sakura-chan."

Could he go back in time and change everything?

"You're going to be a great wife, Sakura-chan."

A vein popped in Touya's head.

"My sister is not allowed to date let alone marry!" he snarled at the person who had just dropped that wife remark.

Everyone around him froze. That included Sakura who was politely replying to the greetings the staff members were giving her. Just as he feared, those cookies completely broke the wall he created between Sakura and the staff members. He had been careful to ensure that Sakura did not interact with them but that cookie fest she instigated as an apology for causing trouble completely overturned that. Now, everyone adored her. He even heard whispers that there was some love potion mixed into the cookies for why else would they immediately warm up to his sister?

Foolish question.

Everyone warmed up to Sakura the moment they spoke with her. That was one reason Touya did not allow her to talk to just anyone. Those cookies paved the way for those people to get a chance to talk to her. They now consider Sakura one of them. Since they arrived here a few minutes ago, 2 in 5 greetings aimed their way were directed at Sakura. At this rate, they might even fall in love with her! Touya had to watch his sister like a hawk. from now on.

Touya should really have known better. He really did not think much of it. Rather, Sakura used her persuading tactics to get him to agree. It took just one pout and her eyes almost brimming with tears. It was pathetic. Touya should have hardened his heart. Now everything was going downhill. Touya hated it. He especially hated the smiles a lot of the male crewmen were giving her. If he had a bat he'd be swinging it around them to ward of dangerous predators and evil spirits.

"Kinomoto-kun!"

He turned his head towards the sound and saw the director walking towards them. He gave a deep bow. "Good morning, Sir."

"Good morning," returned the director. His eyes roamed to Sakura who was behind Touya. "Welcome back, Sakura!" he said, genuinely pleased to see her.

It was those cookies again, Touya thought to himself with a suppressed groan.

Sakura returned the greeting with a blinding smile. Touya had a nagging feeling that everyone was looking at the smile and getting blinded themselves. He was mostly immune since he'd seen it for 18 years but the others weren't so blessed. Yes. He was being paranoid again.

"Good morning, Director," Sakura said with a deep bow.

The director seemed to be looking for something as he kept roving his glance around Sakura. "You don't happen to have any more of those cookies with you today, do you?"

Sakura laughed. Touya thought he must have been imagining it but Sakura's laugh was a bit lilting. Did men find that cute? He hoped not.

"No, Sir," she said with a shake of her head. "We ran out. I can make some for you again soon."

The prospect of more cookies seemed to delight the director. Touya was sure the other people around them were looking forward to it, too. Well, Touya would have to give them a rude awakening sometime soon. He wished his parents' honeymoon would end faster so he could keep Sakura away from everyone here. He was starting to notice far too many inquisitive glances sent their way. Two people, a man and a woman, actually checked Sakura out. Touya made sure Sakura wore the appropriate attire coming here. Read: nondescript and androgynous. And a hat. Never forget the hat. It covers up most of her face. He doubted that a lot of people here actually knew what she really looked like. Touya had every intention of keeping it that way.

"Ah, then I look forward to it."

It was Touya's turn to bow and greet. "Good morning, Sir," he said again.

"Kinomoto-kun, is something wrong? You don't look pleased at something."

"I ate something that disagreed with me for breakfast," Touya lied easily. "I'll be fine in a few minutes, Sir. It won't hinder my work." This was true. Touya had finished modelling numerous jobs despite being an almost vegetable.

"That's good then. Let's start as soon as you get ready. I'll brief you on the scene I want to portray once you get back to me."

"Yes, Sir."

The director looked back at Sakura and smiled. "Take care of your brother and of yourself, Sakura."

"Yes, Sir," she answered with a salute.

More than a few people laughed at the gesture. Count on his sister to charm people without meaning to.

Once they were left alone, Touya directed them to his tent. They dropped all of their things and Sakura sat down with a smile. "Everyone seems so happy today. I wonder what happened?"

His sister could be so dense at times. It was the reason Touya had to look out for her. "Maybe a raise," he supplied.

"That would make me happy, too."

-xXx-

"What are my instructions?" Eriol asked for the tenth time that day.

"Do not go near Sakura."

"Why?"

Syaoran sighed. "Because something stupid might happen."

Eriol clapped his hands like a pleased teacher. "Very good. Here's a star." He pretended to stamp something on Syaoran's arm.

Syaoran snorted. "Please. I can take care of myself."

"Let's hope so."

"Didn't we come a little too early?" They had actually arrived a few hours before their call time. The filming had a schedule and different actors always came at different times in order to maximize the actors' limited time.

"Well, we didn't have anything better to do. That is, unless you count staring at that cookie box something important."

Syaoran had narrowed his eyes a little. Eriol had been teasing him about that damned cookie box since yesterday. He was threatening to eat the cookies if Syaoan didn't make a move. Unfortunately for Eriol, Syaoran already consumed the box. It wasn't intentional, really. He called it a moment of weakness. He had been staring at it one minute and the next thing he knew, he was already scarfing down the last cookie. He even had crumbs all over his shirt! He was glad Eriol had left then or the teasing he was receiving would increase ten-fold.

"Enough with the stupid box, Eriol," he warned.

"Fine, fine."

They passed the filming crew right then. It was a scene with Touya and Yuzuriha. Touya seemed comfortable under the lights. Everyone, the ladies especially, seemed to be mesmerized when he spoke.

"Talk about the Kinomoto charm," Eriol said with a smile.

Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"Have you met Fujitaka Kinomoto? I met him during a soiree years ago. Nadeshiko-san convinced him to come. Let's just say I completely understand why no man ever has a chance to win her from him. He was perfect. To the last hair! i even grew a man-crush on the man. A completely different breed. Then there's Nadeshiko-san. I'm sure I don't even need to explain that. Here we have Touya who looks as if he's an alien from Planet Super Hotness. Lastly we have Sakura."

Syaoran unconsciously held his breath.

"The moment Touya lays off her and a stylist gets a hold of her. I'm sure she'll be turning heads. She doesn't actually need much to win over people. If you spoke to the staff after her apology gesture, there was more than one person who showed their interest in her."

For some reason, the news did not sit well sit well with Syaoran. Many other people were falling into the trap named Sakura Kinomoto. He had to hand it to her. Still, he didn't like the thought of all those people leering at her. It irked him somewhat. It felt wrong.

"Anyway, you can go do whatever you want. Just make sure you come back before time. I'm going to go speak to some of the staff." Eriol didn't bother to hear his reply and just left Syaoran on his own.

He watched Eriol leave and shook his head. His manager always enjoyed leaving him like this. But then again, it was nice not having him hover around every second. He watched them film Touya and Yuzuriha for a few minutes, never forgetting to reply to the people who greeted him. Syaoran wasn't a stuck-up actor like some of his contemporaries. He treated every person on set with respect. In his opinion, everyone was just as important as him. Without them, they would not be able to complete any work.

After having his fill of people blushing around Touya, - yes, he noticed – he decided to wander around their location. They had been shooting in Kyoto for the past few days and he found the place agreeable with him. Well, the pond water needed improvements on the taste department but otherwise, everything was good. He was by the prop vans now, a lot of the props men moving around looking very busy with work. They would notice him every once in a while and greet him. Syaoran returned their greetings and moved on, not wanting to distract them. It was just as he reached the end of the vans that he saw a familiar shapeless figure go into one of them. He stared at where she disappeared, his mind in turmoil. He had been instructed not to go near her but the place she went into wasn't exactly a nice place to be. And besides, if she was here as Nadeshiko's replacement, going into those vans was way beyond her job description.

He stood still like a statue for what seemed like hours before relenting and following her.

-xXx-

Her brother had a very unique way of twisting everything to suit Sakura. She was supposed to have come here to help her brother but so far, it seemed like her brother was the one taking care of her. She was stuck with almost nothing to do save for fetching her brother a bottle of water for when he was filming. It was a job that was slowly being taken from her by the many women who wanted to please her brother on set. Thus, Sakura was left almost on her own with nothing to do. That was the main reason she had been feeding those koi a few days back. She was just so bored with everything. There wasn't anything to do.

If she was being honest, her disastrous meetings with Li Syaoran broke the monotony of being on set. It had been aggravating at first. He had been so clueless and judgemental. But lately… Sakura didn't know. The last time they talked, he seemed like an okay human being. Scratch that. He looked like an absurdly good-looking, nice human being.

Was he Sakura's type? She didn't know.

He looked good though. And she liked kissing him. She'd admit that at least. His chivalrous attempt at saving her made her see him in a new light. A make-my-heart-beat-a-little-faster light. That was the reason why she actually made him a special exclusive batch of cookies. It was hard trying to keep it from her brother but considering she was able to give it to Li, or leave it in his table rather, she was fairly certain she was able to pull it off. Funny how being rescued by an extremely talented kisser makes things so different. Even if she didn't really need rescuing. As much as she appreciated the gesture, she didn't need another sight of him beautifully disheveled and sopping wet. And unconscious. She didn't need to see him more physically appealing than he already was.

Was his wet look Sakura's type ? She most definitely thought so.

This attraction thing wasn't really what she expected. She had no idea what to do. Maybe it was because it was her first time. She was sure she'd have no idea how to act if Li showed up beside her and started talking to her.

In an attempt to distract herself, she decided to go and see if there was any little task she could help it. She was brought in to help but her brother was pampering her instead. She was a little wary of the weird looks and glances a lot of the crew gave her before but that seemed to have disappeared overnight. Things seemed to perk up today as everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Sakura found herself liking the change. She was used to a positive atmosphere and the smiles around her did just that.

She was aimlessly walking around when she ended up by the props van. Everyone seemed to be so busy. No one seemed to notice her.

"I need another hand here!" shouted one of the crewmen.

"I need a hand," another shouted.

Everyone else seemed to ignore the call for help.

"Where is everyone?!" shouted a man that just showed up out of nowhere.

"Too busy!"

"Do it yourself!"

"Hands full!"

"Great, just great!" he said in exasperation.

"Uhm, excuse me?" Sakura tried to call his attention. "Can I help?"

"Sakura! Thank you! I need towels, ASAP. I have to do something else. Bring it to the filming crew when you have them." He placed a flashlight into her hand. "The towels are in that van," he pointed to one of the vans at the very back. "Thanks!"

Before Sakura could say a word, the man had already disappeared into a corner. She looked to where he pointed and shrugged. She did want to be useful. She made her way to the van and gulped as she saw the darkness threatening to consume her. She mustered her courage and switch on the flashlight. The van was full of boxes. She was about to despair when she saw that all of them were properly labelled. She breathed a sigh of relief and started making her way through them.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Sakura jumped and dropped the flashlight. She frowned and looked towards the new voice. Li Syaoran was standing at the end of the van, the light from behind him obscuring his face. Now, she'd normally feel butterflies at his presence but his tone caught her before any butterfly could materialize. It was his haughty, superior tone and she hated it. She reached for the flashlight, completely ignoring him.

"What you're doing is dangerous," he said as he moved close.

Sakura sighed. So they were back to this again. "I'm trying to help," she replied not even bothering to look at him and continued reading through the boxes.

"This isn't your job though."

She shrugged. "Yeah, I realized."

"Would you quit with the attitude?" he asked, his voice sounding a little irritated.

Sakura wanted to snap back but realized she had been in the wrong. She finally faced him. She couldn't make out his face still. "Fine. Sorry."

"Who asked you to do this?"

"I didn't really get a name. They needed towels. They gave me this," she raised the flashlight, "and said to meet them by the filming crew."

He seemed angry when he spoke. "They should not have done that. You aren't used to these things. Hand me the light."

"Eh?" she looked at him in surprise.

"The light?" He ignored her shock. He held out a hand expectantly.

"Why?" she asked, puzzled.

She heard him sigh. "Isn't it obvious? Helping you. The sooner we get this done the better."

She eyed him a little suspiciously. "Huh."

"It's thanks for the cookies. Satisfied?"

She blushed and she hoped he could not see it in the darkness. "Right." She handed over the flashlight and turned away quickly.

"Were you looking through the labels?"

"Yeah. I was here." She pointed to a spot and was smiled when it was immediately illuminated.

"You could have refused, you know."

Knowing what he was referring to, Sakura just shrugged. "He didn't really give me much of a choice," she replied.

"What were you doing hanging around here anyway?"

"I was bored." She stepped onto a box on the floor, trying to read labels that were higher up. Syaoran followed her perfectly, illuminating each place she wanted to see.

"You're too nice," he commented.

Sakura found it funny that he was the one saying something like this. "It's normally Tomoyo who says that."

"Tomoyo?" he asked.

"Yeah. Tomoyo's my best friend. She's a big fashion designer."

Silence followed and Sakura felt like she had just stepped on a landmine.

"…Tomoyo Daidouji?"

Sakura wanted to shoot herself. It was obvious from her conversations with Eriol that he had no idea of the connection between Sakura and the woman he was dating. As if to add more to her troubles, the box she was standing on gave way causing her to come crashing down to the floor. She had expected an impact but was surprised when instead of hard steel, hard muscle actually broke her fall.

"Oh kami, they're soft," came the muffled voice under her. Her eyes turned wide when she realized the voice actually came from something pressing against her chest.

She was about to scream her head off when they were enveloped by complete darkness.

-oOo-

Author's note: Ehehe. I think I'm gonna go now. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought! :D