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Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to the wonderful CLAMP, not me.

Sensei, I Love You

Chapter 13

Sakura was hopping off the motorcycle even before Syaoran could kill the engine. She tossed her helmet to him and was rushing into the house in record time using the spare key that Syaoran gave her. Thanks to the spare key, Sakura didn't have to wait for Syaoran to leave the school before she could go home. However, she still felt weird to be living in her homeroom teacher's place and that was the reason why she always kept to her room—she didn't want to have another episode of sleeping in Syaoran's arms even though it was really pleasant.

"Wait up!" Syaoran called out, trying to halt her but she was quick on her feet.

"Thanks for the ride!" she replied cheerfully, giving him a slight wave before she climbed the stairs in record time and closed herself into her spacious room. She leaned her back against the door and sighed. It was a long and tiring day. Syaoran's presence in the shop only added to her stress level for the whole day. It was difficult for her to concentrate on anything else besides knowing that he was there in the same place as her.

Her bag slid from her shoulder onto the floor with a loud thud. Paying no heed to it, she lumbered forward to her bed and plopped face-down onto it. She squeezed the pillow into her face for a few seconds as if that would give her an energy boost and flipped onto her bed in the next second to stare at the ceiling. Her mind was too tired to work. The only thing she knew was she needed to take a bath before sleeping but that thought slipped away as she slumbered.

Sakura jerked awake with a start, clutching her covers in a tight grasp and breathing hard. Her alarm clock continued to buzz loudly, its sound was sharp and annoying. She released a breath she didn't know she was holding on to and slapped down her alarm clock.

Her stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her that she had to eat something before heading off for work. She stumbled to the adjourning toilet to prepare herself for a busy day. She wasn't surprised to see Syaoran had already woken up and was hovering over the kitchen stove.

"Good morning, Li-sensei," Sakura greeted and seated herself at the dining table, letting her head drop onto the surface tiredly.

Syaoran turned to frown at her. "Must you call me sensei at home?"

"Absolutely!" Sakura replied with a grin.

"You are awfully cheerful today," Syaoran remarked, tossing the pancakes onto the pile on the plate. She remained prone at the table even as he placed the delicious looking pancakes-her favorite- on the table. "Hey, you look pale. Are you feeling all right?"

Sakura stifled a groan as she sat up straight in her chair. Funny, she was perfectly all right just a few moments ago. Her head spun as she straightened and she stifled a groan when the dizziness hit her. "I'm fine," she grounded out. She was far from fine but she didn't want to worry Syaoran. "I just need some food in my stomach."

Syaoran passed her a plate and watched as she slid one pancake onto her own plate and poured maple syrup over it. She caught his worried look and sent him a weak smile. "You really don't look good. Why don't you just rest at home today?"

Sakura shrugged. The cosplay cafe would be really busy and she couldn't afford to miss day at work since Tomoyo was the one who introduced her the job. She didn't want to leave a bad impression on Junko. "I'll be fine later on," she promised and that was a lie. She was beginning to feel a little light-headed.

"Skip work," he urged again, pulling her plate away so she couldn't eat.

"I can't!" she said, tempted to throw the fork onto the table in annoyance. "I can't let Tomoyo-chan and Junko-san down. I have to work. I promised them."

"Not when you are in this condition. It can get worse, you know?"

"I don't have much of a choice," she grumbled and snatched her plate from his hands. She gave him a death glare. Her appetite was gone and she was just playing around with her food on the plate. With a resigned sigh, she tossed the remains into the bin and laid on the sofa in the living room.

Syaoran hovered over Sakura, casting a shadow on her body as she blinked blearily up at him. He placed a gentle hand on her forehead and his frown intensified upon the temperature he had felt. "You're burning up!"

"Just let me rest for a few more minutes and I'll be as good as new," Sakura replied and turned to her side so that she wasn't looking at Syaoran. "Promise me you'll wake me up?" she asked, sounding like a lost little child.

"Later," he agreed and watched as her heavy eyelids fluttered close.

Sakura felt something wet and heavy on her forehead and tried to swat it away, scrunching up her nose in annoyance when it came back again. She grabbed whatever it was and flung it to the floor before shifting into a more comfortable position.

"How unladylike," a deep male voice said. "I really wonder what he sees in you."

Her eyes widened and she was awake in the next instant as if she was doused with a bucket of ice water. She shot into a sitting position and almost screamed out in shock when she saw an unfamiliar male in the living room with her.

"Oh, she wakes!" he mock squealed like a little girl before narrowing his eyes at her as if he was trying to sum her up from his first impression. "Pretty eyes, rosy cheeks and a cute little mouth. I think I can start to understand him better."

"Who are you?" Sakura squeaked, scampering behind the sofa for cover. "Why are you here? Where's Li-sensei? Don't come any closer or I'll scream!" her voice ended in a loud crescendo, causing the man to wince at the sharpness of it.

"Haven't you already done that?" he muttered.

"Who are you?" she demanded loudly, her quivering of her voice betrayed her emotions. "Why are you here?"

"And she needs to learn not to ask the same questions again and again." He rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, eyeing her coolly.

"Answer me!"

"Well, your teacher sent me here to be a nanny," he said flatly. "Me-a nanny. Seriously, I wonder if his mind is functioning normally."

"Who..."

He flung a hand at her to signal her to stop, catching her in surprise and she was cut half-way through her question. "You want answers? I'll give it to you. My name is Hiiragizawa Eriol, an acting CEO for a big corporation which I'm not in the position to tell you, and I was sent here to take care of you while your beloved teacher is out of the house."

"He left me here with you?" Sakura asked in disbelief. "How could he?"

"I'm just following orders," Eriol replied and flung the wet towel back into the basin of water. Sakura blinked. So that was the thing that was annoying her. "And yes, I'm to look after you so will you lay still and let me be a dutiful nanny to tend to you?"

It was awkward being in the same room with a stranger and a rude stranger at that. He seemed to be around the same age at Syaoran with neat dark hair which seemed to be dyed blue. "Did you dye your hair?" The question was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Her eyes widened in fear when Eriol frowned at her. It was as if he was suffocating her with his angry gaze.

"It's not for you to know." His reply was curt and Sakura didn't dare to question further for fear of her own life.

It was already late and night and the clock on the TV console showed that it was almost ten. Sakura gasped in shock. "I missed my work! Oh my gosh! Junko-san is so going to kill me!"

Eriol snorted. "I doubt that. Syaoran should be working fine there so you can relax and concentrate on getting well."

"Li-sensei is what?"

"I said Syaoran should be working fine there," he replied. "He's doing you a big favor by replacing you for the day and I'm doing him an even bigger favor by nursing you back to health."

"You said you are a... CEO? And you are friends with Li-sensei?"

"Well, if you say so then sure, we are." He shrugged. "Since you have asked so many questions, I believe it should be my turn now."

"Um... yes?"

"Why are you living with him?"

Straight to the point. Sakura couldn't fault him—he must be worried about his friend's reputation but that didn't mean that she was comfortable in replying his question. "Um... That's a long story..."

"Well, we have all night to hear that," Eriol stated.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. All night? "You are... staying over?"

"And she tries to chase me away..." Eriol muttered more to himself and he looked out of the window, as if praying for patience. "Yes, I'm to stay here until he comes back."

Sakura looked uncertain. Syaoran didn't tell her anything or leave a note for her. What if this Eriol was a burglar or someone even worse. She gave him a quick look-over—tall, good-looking in his business suit—and thought he would pass off as someone with authority, not a burglar at all. Still, it would be good to be wary of him.

"Um... Do you want something to eat or drink?" Sakura asked politely.

"There's no need for those. I've eaten at my office before I came over," Eriol said and sat down on the sofa, causing Sakura to stumble away from it to put some distance between them. He gave her a weird look before deciding to ignore her and turned on the TV instead. "You can go up and rest some more. I wouldn't want to face the wrath of Syaoran when he comes back and find you still feverish."

"Oh. Um... right. I'll go rest more," Sakura said dumbly before she rushed up the stairs into the room, nearing slamming the door behind her.

Sakura must have dozed off again for when she woke up, the morning sun was already shinning into the room. She sat up on the bed, feeling a little disorientated but was thankful that she felt a lot better. She scooted to the side of the bed, ready to head off to the toilet when a hand hauled her roughly back onto the bed. She squeaked in fright and whirled around to face the attacker, only to see a sleeping Syaoran beside her. Sakura inhaled sharply, trying to ease her quickening heartbeat from the adrenaline rush.

"Li-sensei!" she gasped when he pulled her down beside him and began snuggling beside her. She tried shoving against his shoulders but he was just too strong, even when he was sleeping. His mouth was practically pressing against her neck and even though it was a pleasant feeling, Sakura knew she had to break away from him. That's when she heard his chuckles and realization dawned on her—he was teasing her!

"Good morning, muffin," his murmured while nuzzling against her throat. His voice was a little hoarse from the sleep, adding to the sexiness level.

"Don't stick so close to me!" Sakura exclaimed, still struggling to free away from him. When he didn't move an inch, she pinched him hard on his arm and he yelped in pain. The moment he let go of her, she scrambled backwards so fast that it didn't register that she was at the edge of the bed till it was too late. She landed on the ground with a loud thump and groaned as pain shot from her scalp. "Ouch."

The sight must be very amusing for Syaoran because he was chuckling at her. She tossed her pillow at his face and watched with satisfaction as it made contact. She stuck her tongue at his shocked expression before going to the toilet.

To be continued

Happy V-Day everyone!

Initially, I had plans to write a one-shot for V-day but I never get to start it. I'm posting an extra chapter to make up for it. So... I just threw in Eriol into the story. What do you think of him so far? :)