...Heeeey. Long time, no post. Like 41 days. I'm tired, and you all just want to read the chapter, so I'm not going to talk much today.

Unknown POV

"Auntie?"

The elegant woman sitting across the table from me looks up.

"What is it, child?" she asks in her silk voice that always reminds me of a brook, it's water calmly trickling from one location to another.

Readjusting my posture, I look directly at her while I speak. "I've been thinking for a while now about my plans for New Year. It's just that everyone is doing something except for me, and I haven't seen Xiao Lang since the summer..."

"You wish to visit my son in Japan?"

Too anxious to speak, I nod.

"Have you spoken to Xiao Lang about this?"

"Well, no. I was hoping to surprise him."

"You of all people should know by now how much he hates surprises." I hesitate, and before I can reply, she goes on. "Are you just afraid that he is going to try to convince you not to come?" A small smile plays on her lips.

Flustered, I stutter, "Of c-course not."

"No need to defend yourself, my niece. It's fine by me if you go."

Yes! I jump up from my chair and do a little victory jump. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, aunt Yelan!"

Across from me, my aunt lifts her glass and says while swirling the wine, "Be sure to contact the house and let them know you're coming. At least let Wei know you will be dropping in for a visit."

Settling back down in my seat, I respectfully agree. "Of course, aunt Yelan. I'll call as soon as dinner is over."

"Good." She pauses, the glass against her lips and lowers it. "Oh, and when you do see Xiao Lang," I look at her expectingly, "tell him to call his mother a little more. Honestly, the boy seems to be calling less and less lately." With that, she tips the glass back and gracefully sips the deep purple liquid.

Sakura's POV

The first snow of the winter is today, less than a week before break. We were in class when it happened. I was just absentmindedly staring out the window when something suddenly passed in front of my line of sight. It took a moment for me to start noticing the other little flurries in the air slowly dancing to the ground.

One of my classmates noticed a few seconds later, blurting out the news to everyone. The others spent a good five minutes conversing and hovering by the windows before Mr. Terada finally decided we should probably probably get started on our work again. Unbeknownst to him, any attention I might have been paying to the lesson was gone by then.

As soon as lunch started a few minutes ago, I came out here to the back courtyard in order to just sit and watch it. The first snow of every winter is difficult for me. I still remember the blanket of white that swept the landscape the day of my mother's funeral.

Today, however, I just stand with my arms spread wide and my face lifted to the sky letting the tiny flakes of snow land effortlessly on my cheeks, nose and lips.

"Doesn't that make you cold?"

I lift my lids, but don't turn around. "Just a bit. It's a good sort of cold, though." Lowering my arms, I speak softly, "It reminds me of her. The snow." I slowly kneel down and scoop some up, cupping it in my hands. "She used to make Touya and I hot chocolate with marshmallows after we'd been out for a while," I tell him, smiling at the memory.

There's a crunching sound as Syaoran approaches me. A moment later he's in front of me, holding out his hand. I inclining my head, and our eyes meet. "There's something I want to show you."

Wiping my hands dry, I reach out and let my fingers, still stiff from the cold, slip into his warm hand. He gives my hand a gentle tug. Before I know it, I'm on my feet, holding Syaoran's hand as snow falls around us.

After a moment of silently holding hands and watching the dusty flakes flutter down around us, Syaoran gently squeezes my hand before releasing it. I follow close behind him as he leads us out of the back courtyard.

While we walk, I allow my eyes to take in his figure from behind. It occurs to me that even though I see Syaoran almost every day and spend enormous amounts of time with him, I don't often get to just look at him, which is a shame, because he's incredibly attractive. Even from the back, there's something about him that just seems to draw me in like a magnet. Maybe it's those two little pieces of hair on the back of his head that stick up in two different directions. Or it could be his unnecessarily sexy, broad shoulders. Finally, my eyes travel downwards from his shoulders to his arms. They're both lean and welcoming in a way that makes me just want to curl up in them and let all my troubles vanish from his embrace.

How is it that I don't have to shove my way though a flock of girls every time we're out in public?

Then, he looks back at me, amber eyes bright with mirth. Ah, I think to myself. That's right. Syaoran doesn't look at most people that way. He usually puts up a shield to protect himself from people. It's unfortunate that more people don't get to see this side of him, but for some selfish reason I'm a little thankful for it.

Suddenly Syaoran stops walking, and for a moment I think it's because he's caught me staring, but then I notice where we are.

"A tree?" I ask. Syaoran glances over at me and flashes a grin.

"Not the tree, it's what you can see from it."

"You're going to climb it?"

Syaoran shakes his head, chuckling. "No, we are going to climb it."

He's not serious, right? Climbing a tree at school during our lunch break? What is going though this boy's head? He must be joking; although, the pull on my hand is telling me otherwise.

Great, I think to myself. Another climbing expedition with Syaoran. Thank goodness I'm wearing leggings this time.

Syaoran's POV

"How exactly do you expect me to get up there? In case you forgot, most people don't have insane ninja-like abilities when it comes to climbing trees." Under her breath, she adds, "Unlike a certain someone."

"What can I say? Years of practice."

"Yes. As I recall, you used to ditch me at lunch and eat up on your own little isolated branch."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. It gets kinda annoying having lunch with a bunch of girls all the time, though."

"What about poor Yamazaki?"

"He hardly counts as a guy."

"I'd like to see you say that to his face sometime. Let me know before you do, though. It's sure to be interesting."

"It's almost as if you want to see me get beat up. Although, that would never happen. The worst that anyone has ever managed to land on me outside of martial arts training was a slap." I smirk. "In fact, the lady herself is here with us today. Give a warm welcome to Miss Sakura Kinomoto, the only person not in my family to have hit me. Well, aside from martial arts, of course."

"Am I ever going to live that down?"

"Climb up with me and I'll try not to mention it again." I extend my hand for her. She eyes it suspiciously.

"What are you planing?"

I chuckle. "I can't offer to help you climb up a tree without plotting something?"

"Seeing how I've been nothing but a bother to you lately, I wouldn't be surprised if you finally got sick of having to deal with me all the time."

Well, that's just outright impossible. If anything, I want her around even more. And I don't mean just to look at the back of her head during class, as nice as that may be. I want her around more so that I can talk to her. That and finding lame excuses to hold her hand, like–say–climbing a tree. Every time I make her smile or blush, it's like she's just giving me a gold metal for most awesome guy on the planet.

"Hate to break it to you, but you can't get rid of me by bothering me."

"Good to know."

There's a momentary silence in which I just stare at her while she stares right back. "You gonna take my hand any time today?" She blinks and looks down as if she totally forgot that my hand has been extended the entire time.

"Oh, right." She slips her hand in mine, sending tingles up my arm. "So, um, how exactly–ah!" A yelp passes her lips as I pull her up onto the branch with me. "Warning next time, please."

"Sorry about that," I say not at all apologetically. How can I be, though? This is the most fun I've had in quite a while. It feels like we're kids again, back before life happened.

A rush of excitement overwhelms me as I guide her farther up the tree. One branch after another, we slowly ascend higher into the tree until I grab hold of a sturdy branch that's a nice height from the ground. Pulling myself onto it, I sit down and face Sakura, who stands with one hand in mine and the other on the trunk of the tree.

"Alright, your turn."

She eyes the branch doubtfully. "How do you expect me to get up there?"

I roll my eyes. "Come on, it's not that far. Just grab one of the upper branches."

She grumbles and removes her hand from mine to turn around, grab hold of another branch, and pull herself up. While she glances around at her accomplishment, I ball my hand up into a fist, fighting the urge to take her hand again.

"See? Was that so hard?"

In response, she nudges me, then focuses her attention off into the distance.

There's a moment of silence which Sakura breaks when she says, "You were right."

"Hm?" I glance over at her. "About what?"

"The view from up here." She leans back slightly, taking it all in. "It's amazing."

I smirk. "Well, of course. After my many years of climbing trees, I have a mental account of all the best spots in Tomoeda."

Sakura gives me a look of disbelief. "You should really try to find a new hobby." All I can do is laugh. She's probably right.

Switching the topic, I say, "So, only two more days before break. Are you excited?"

Her eyes immediately light up. "Oh my gosh, of course! I can't wait for New Years. Wouldn't it be awesome if it snowed?"

"No," I say plainly. Looking around, I add, "Really wish it weren't snowing right now, either. I should've showed you the school's indoor heating, instead."

Sakura tries to suppress a grin while shaking her head. "You are so weird, Syaoran. You've lived in Japan most of your life; how do you still hate the cold so much?"

"If only I knew." And if only she knew that I ask myself that exact same question every winter.

"Well," she begins, "you can stay inside drinking hot chocolate all day while everyone else has fun." Very abruptly, she turns to me as if remembering something. "Oh, I almost forgot! Are you going back to Hong Kong for the break?"

I shake my head. "No, my mom has some sort of business thing she's going to this year. Twenty-fifth anniversary for something. As for my sisters, I'm pretty sure they're all doing their own things. Fuutie is going with my mom to learn more about the business. Shiefa said something about going to the tropics with her boyfriend." Sakura's jaw drops. "As for Fanren and Feimei, those two have been going on and on about some sort of fashion show thing that's supposedly a big deal."

"Wow." She takes a while to process everything. "Should I feel bad that I have no idea who is who anymore?"

I try not to laugh. "No, it's been a while."

"Good to know." A downcast look crosses her face. "That's actually kinda sad." I'm confused until she goes on, saying, "That you don't get to see your family."

I shrug. "Yeah, but I'm going to see them after graduation, so..." The look on Sakura's face makes my voice die in my throat. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" She looks up at me, almost startled. "Yeah, of course. What makes you ask?"

For a minute, I struggle for the right words, but then just shrug it off, going back to what we were initially talking about. "So, I hear everyone is planning a get-together right before the new year."

"Actually, from what I understand, it's going to be New Years Eve. Everyone was planning to go to the shrine together. The girls want to go sing karaoke afterwards."

I cringe, and Sakura laughs.

"I know; I feel the same way. I've already had to go once, and it was pure torture."

"At least it's an indoor activity that I don't have to partake in."

"Of course, for you it's optional. For me, if I go, I will be dragged up and forced to sing against my will."

"Don't you sing at the café you work at?"

"Yeah, but that's different. When I sing at the café, it's part of my job. I get paid."

"Big difference."

She shakes her head, and ignores the comment. "So, are you going?"

"To the New Years Eve thing?" She nods. I shrug, and she immediately scowls.

"Don't just shrug. Look a little excited. It'll be fun! There will be stalls set up and everything!"

"I'm not crazy about all the stalls. Plus there are so many people all clustered in one area."

"You've gotta be kidding me. Aren't you the one who's supposed to take over a business when you graduate from university?"

"What's that got to do with-"

"How are you going to run a business when you can't stand being around people. Businesses are all about relationships, right?"

I give her a half-lidded look. She can't seriously be using this against me right now.

"That's different. I don't like crowds."

"Admit it, you don't like talking to people in general."

"Okay, now you're not even trying to prove your point anymore."

"That's debatable."

Ugh. Can't she just give me a break. "Never-mind, then. Just forget it."

"What ever you say, Mr. Wise-guy."

I smirk. "Don't you mean 'Mr. Perfect'?" Sakura's face immediately turns bright red.

"W-why you..."

Before she can proceed to yell at me and call me all sorts of foul-mouthed names, a voice interrupts us from below.

"Hey! Sakura! Li!" We both lean forward to find Chiharu and the others below us. "Lunch is almost over. We've been looking all over for you two. What are you doing up in a tree?"

Next to her, a glint appears in Yanagisawa's glasses. "Kissing possibly?"

Psh. I wish. Er... Cough. I mean, of course we aren't.

Chiharu, Takashi and Daidouji all try not to laugh at that. I avoid looking over at Sakura.

"No," Sakura defends.

"Oh, it's alright, Sakura. You don't need to be shy about it."

"You've got it all wrong!"

Ugh. Kill me now.

"Then why are you two siting in a tree together and avoiding the rest of us?"

"We aren't avoiding you guys! I came out back to think and then Syaoran showed up."

"Doesn't explain the tree?"

"T-that's," Sakura sputters. "What difference does it make, anyways?"

"Well, the saying goes, 'sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g'."

As the two go back and forth, I lift my head up and turn to Sakura. "Can we just get down from here already?"

"Oh." It's like she forgot I was sitting next to her. "Yeah. Better go before we're late."

Who cares what the reason is? Just get me out of this damn tree. I'm never climbing one again. Not when anyone else is around, anyways.

As she clumsily steps down from the branch we're on, Sakura almost slips, nearly giving me a heart attack.

"This is a lot harder than it was to get up. Thank goodness I wore leggings today."

"Were you planning to climb a tree?"

"You're the one who's idea this was," she defends. "I wore them because Touya seemed to think it was going to snow today. And he was right."

"Go figu–Sakura!" Her foot slips slightly, causing her to lose her balance. I immediately lunge forward and grab her around the waist. "Be careful!"

It takes her a minute to steady herself using my shoulder and the trunk. "All good. Don't freak out." She looks over at me and her eyes narrow. "How is it that you haven't slipped? You don't even have anything to hold onto."

Ha! "I'm just that skilled."

Now she's glaring daggers at me. Okay, maybe that was a little smug.

"Kidding." I point at the branches around us. "Just grab onto one and you'll be fine."

"You two be careful, alright?" Daidouji stares up at us looking terrified, as if she were the one in the tree.

"We're alright, Tomoyo," Sakura shouts down. Then adds under her breath, "For now."

"Relax. We aren't even that high up."

"We're like ten feet off the ground! Don't sound so relaxed!"

"Since when were you afraid of heights, anyways?"

"I'm not, I'm just worried that since I'm in a tree, and I'm not good at climbing, I could potentially fall and die."

"Die? At ten feet?"

"Oh, if you don't shut up, I'm going to strangle you!"

"Or you could just push me. Apparently that'd kill me, too!" Maybe I should stop talking soon... She looks like she really does want to push me.

Taking a deep breath, but keeping the hostility in her voice, she say, "No, because you'd probably just magically land on your feet. Now, will you please let go of me?"

Let go of... My eyes travel down. "Oh, sorry." I pull my arm from around her waist.

"Hey, would you two stop flirting and get down here already?"

"Forget you, I'm going after them when we finally get down there."

Sure. Whatever you say, Sakura. I think I'll just laugh and hope she doesn't change her mind. I'd at least like to make it to eighteen.

Sakura's POV

"You know, I don't remember ever agreeing to this."

"Oh, quit your complaining. You said yesterday that you would help. Besides, you're just choosing what shade you think I should use."

"Maybe so, but... But..." Touya nearly shouts my ear off as he demands, "Why are you making something like this in the first place?"

I cringe away, rubbing my ringing ears.

Break started two days ago, so I asked Touya yesterday if he would help me with picking out a color for a scarf I want to make. He agreed reluctantly, which is why we're standing in the family room right now arguing about shades of yarn.

"It's a gift for a friend. A thank you present, sort of."

"Which friend?"

"Does it matter?"

"It does if the friend is male."

"Whatever would give you that idea?" I ask innocently.

Touya glares down at me and grabs the ball of yarn from my hands. "Because this is green."

"So?" I snatch the yarn away from him. "Girls can wear green, too, you know."

"I have never seen any girl wearing anything this shade of green. If the person is a girl, why not use pink–or purple if it's Tomoyo."

"It's not Tomoyo."

"Then it's a boy."

"You know, I really don't see what difference it makes. And either way, it's none of your business," I state.

"Actually, it is. I'm your brother."

"Exactly. Brother; not parent."

"Oh, so that's how you wanna play it?"

"It is in fact."

We both turn to the man sitting across the room, reading the newspaper and sitting on the couch. "Dad!" He looks up from his newspaper.

"Does it matter to you wether I give a gift to a male friend versus a female friend?"

"Keeping in mind that you know nothing about who this person is or what their intentions are with our precious Sakura," Touya butts in.

"Do you think I associate with known sociopaths or something?"

"Of course not!" I smirk in triumph. "They're obviously not known, or I'd hope even someone as dense as you would be smart enough to figure out to stay away."

Damn him! I slam my heel into the floor, but before I get a chance to talk back, our father interrupts by clearing his throat.

"Is it safe for me to speak now?" Touya and I exchange dark looks, but then turn back to our father and nod. "Good. Now, I believe that Sakura is mature enough now to decide who she does and does not associate with."

"But-"

"Not long from now, neither of us will have a say in the matter. She's almost eighteen."

Beside me, Touya grumbles something under his breath, glaring off to the side.

"Touya."

He looks back at our father, rolling his eyes as he turns his head. "What?" he grumbles.

"From what I can see, you've done a wonderful job raising her. Sakura can take care of herself. No matter how much you want her to yourself, one day she won't need you there for her anymore."

"Excuse me?" Wow, there. Now he's starting to looked pissed.

Still relaxed, our father explains, "You love your sister, and you want to protect her. That's fine. In fact, it's natural. Parents feel something similar towards their children."

At the parenting comment, Touya winces. "I'm twenty-four."

"And single," I cough under my breath.

"Age has nothing to do with it. You're her brother." Nod. "You love her, and want to protect her." Nod. "Even if that sometimes means restricting her freedom." Nod. Nod. "Possibly by keeping her away from anyone who you see as a threat to the natural order of things."

"Like the entire male population," Touya mumbles, looking down and rubbing his chin, deep in thought. "Maybe if found some sort of boy-repellent."

"Uh-huh," I sarcastically agree. "And how do you plan to be anywhere near me, then?"

"It would only work on guys your age."

Spotting an opportunity, I ask, "What makes you think he's the same age as me?"

"So it is a he!"

Crap. Okay, I walked right into that one. "Fine, I'll admit it. I'm making a think you gift for one of my guy friends. Is there really anything wrong with that?"

"Yes! There is! Who is this friend? The last I checked, you didn't have any guy friends."

I think a vein just popped in my head. "Actually, I do. I'll have you know that my circle of friends has become considerably larger."

"And now you associate with boys?"

"Yes, Touya! I have friends who are guys. If it makes you feel any better, one of them is dating Tomoyo, and the other has been in love with the same girl since we were kids."

"Huh?" Touya begins shouting again. "You're friends with that kid? I thought I told him to stay away from you!"

"I was talking about Yamazaki, and Syaoran is not a kid!"

Touya suddenly blinks and his eyes narrow in suspicion. "Syaoran?" he spits out the name. "I thought you called him by his last name now. And why are you defending that brat?"

"I-I'm not." Crap! I'm so exposed!

"Touya," our father calls from behind us. "I know that you may not like the boy, but he's good for her."

"Wait, what? You knew about this?" Touya turns to me, pointing at our father. "Okay, how come it feels like you tell him everything now-a-days instead of me?"

"Because I know dad won't totally freak out when I tell him who my friends are."

"Ha! Friends, you say."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Touya looks away, avoiding my eyes. "Nothing."

Why does he do this? He's always been like this when it comes to talking about Syaoran. He'll say something weird and then refuse to explain. I've learned to just go with it, but it still annoys the crap out of me. At this point, all I can really do is shake my head and ignore it.

"Dad's right. Syaoran has helped me out a lot lately."

"Oh, I wonder why that is."

"Okay, that's it! What's with the sarcasm, Mr. Wise-Guy? Syaoran's been there for me a lot recently–so, yes, I'll admit it. He's the one I'm making this for."

"Should've know. That brat always was obsessed with green, wasn't he?" He meets my eyes. "Ironic, when you think about it."

"Well I'm not thinking about it. I'm making a scarf as a thank you. Is that alright by you, or do I need to get permission first?"

"I doubt that's the 'thank you' he had in mind."

"Touya!" My face burns red as I try to shove out the horrifying possibilities of what he could be implying. "Stop saying weird things and just tell me which stupid color to use."

"None of the above. That brat doesn't deserve a gift. He doesn't even deserve your friendship, for that matter. Why are you hanging out with him again, anyways? I thought you hated him for what he did to you."

How many times am I going to have to retell this story to people? "I held a grudge, but then we talked and decided to put the past behind us," I say, before adding, "Like mature adults." Touya rolls his eyes.

"So you two are happy-go-lucky pals again?" Now I'm rolling my eyes.

"More or less. We bicker, and I may have slapped him the other day, but-"

"Woah, wait. You slapped him?" Touya stands in front of me grinning ear to ear and clapping his hands together in amusement. "I really did teach you well. Seems unlike you, but that damn brat had it coming. Up top, squirt."

Has he always been this much of a jerk? How am I just now seeing this?

I glare in disgust at the hand he holds up, then over at him as he continues to look proud and smug. "It's not something to hi-five over, Touya. I felt–no, I feel really bad about it. He was just trying to help me, but I ended up hitting him for it. Of course it wasn't really intentional, but still..."

"Don't feel so bad. After everything he did to you, he deserved it."

Memories of all the times I ignored Syaoran begin to fill my mind. Ignoring, hissing cruel words, dealing death glares–I did it all.

"You're just making me feel worse, Touya." Hanging my head, I sigh in frustration and turn to leave. "Never mind, I'll pick out the color myself. I know Syaoran better anyways. Thanks for the help," I hiss, my grip tightening on the balls of yarn. Ignoring Touya, I race up to my room.

Okay, Sakura.

I stand in front of Syaoran's apartment pacing back and forth.

You can do this. It's just a scarf. Nothing big.

Pausing in front of the door, I raise my hand, poised to knock, only to stop less than an inch from the door and retract my hand, returning to my pacing.

But what if he doesn't like it? Is it weird for me to give him a scarf out of the blue? So weird. He'll probably think I'm even more strange than he used to. What if he laughs at me?

Nope. No, no, no. This was a bad idea. Very bad. I should just go home and pretend I never came to visit him early. If I leave now and show up at the original meeting place, he'll never even know that I stopped by.

Yeah. That'll work. It'll have to.

Turning around, and beginning to walk away, I'm stopped in my tracks at the sound of a door opening behind me.

Keep walking; it might not even be him.

"Sakura?"

Darn it! Why doesn't anything ever go my way when it comes to this guy?

Plastering a huge smile on my face and thrusting my hands behind my back, I spin on my heels to face him.

"Syaoran!"

It takes serious will-power to keep my face looking innocent as he asks, "What are you doing here? Weren't we supposed to meet up in front of the shrine?"

"Er, yeah, but I just thought I'd drop by. I finished getting ready early and figured I could come over and say hi to Wei," I say, lying through my teeth. As I walk up to him, I glance down at what he's wearing, giving him a disapproving look. "Come on, you aren't wearing that are you?"

He looks down at his jeans and t-shirt. "What's wrong with it?"

Nothing, I want to say. You're drop dead gorgeous.

Holding my tongue, I say, "It's New Year's Eve. Surely you have a kimono somewhere in your closet."

His face scrunches. "How is a kimono going to keep me warm?" He looks down at me. "You look nice, but aren't you freezing?"

I blush at the comment and shake my head. "Nope," I say, trying to ignore the way his eyes linger on my hands clasped behind my back.

"What are you hiding?"

"Hiding? What do you mean?"

"Behind your back."

Crap. "Nothing." He quirks an eyebrow. "Er, I mean my purse!"

"Right. Well, Wei and I were just making some snacks for tomorrow if you wanna join in."

I grin eagerly. "Sure! Although I'm not really sure what I'll be able to do if you're the one cooking."

Amber eyes shine with amusement. "You can do the decorating. After all, you have the practice."

True, I do have experience in the arts.

"Works for me!" Forgetting about the bag in my hands, I spring forward into the apartment. Looking around, I wonder aloud, "Where's Wei?"

"Kitchen." Syaoran steps around me and leads the way down the hall. In the living room, he points to the coffee table and grins evilly at me. "You can set your 'purse' down there if you like."

Why you–

"'Kay, thanks!" With a fake smile plastered on my face, I reluctantly set the the green gift bag down on the table, not meeting Syaoran's amused gaze.

"Nice purse," he says sarcastically. "Never knew fashion took such a... unique turn."

"Oh, shut it," I grumble, shoving past him to the kitchen. Inside, I find Wei working on the food.

"Wei-san!" Without hesitating, I race up to him and give him a quick hug. "Happy New Year!" Pulling away, I add, "Well, technically it's still Eve."

"And a happy New Year's Eve to you as well, Sakura-sama."

"I've got the a-okay to help out, so what can I do?" I quickly run my hands through the sink and return to Wei's side.

"She's on decorating duty," Syaoran says from the other end of the counter.

Wei nods at this. "In that case, I've got just the thing."

And so the three of us hustle around the kitchen for the next fifteen minutes or so, all doing our own things and trying not to run into each other.

"Done!" I claim victoriously.

"Thank you for your help, Sakura-sama."

I smile up at Wei. "My pleasure."

Syaoran walks up beside me. "We should probably head out. If we don't leave soon, we'll be late."

"Would you like a ride?"

"That's alright, Wei." Syaoran glances at me. "Do you mind?"

I shrug. "Only if you you do. It's getting colder and colder out, you know." The way he cringes makes me laugh.

"On second thought..."

"Nope! We are going to walk and enjoy the wonderful scenery exclusive to Tomoeda, Japan." I lead the way into the living room again. "Besides, it isn't too bad out."

"Alright, but if you get cold, I'm not giving you my jacket this time."

"Fair enough."

There it is. My eyes fall upon the gift bag, and I am once again filled with dread. Syaoran starts to say something, then stops.

"What's with the face?"

I frown. Should I give it to him? He's already seen the bag; if I walk around the festival with it, that would look strange.

So I should give it to him.

But what if he doesn't like it? Maybe he'll think it's weird that I'm giving him a gift even though we're just friends. Is that weird? Friends give each other gifts sometimes... Right?

"Sakura?" My head shoots up to find concerned amber eyes watching me.

"U-um... I..." You can do this! It's a present, not a love confession.

Grabbing the bag, I thrust it forward, my cheeks ablaze. "Here."

I half expect him to tease me, but he just glances at me before taking the bag. "May I?" Nod. Time seems to slow as his hand reaches into the bag and slowly draws out the green scarf. He sets down the bag while I ring my fingers, anxiously tugging them.

Syaoran doesn't say anything as he unfolds the scarf and examines it. I, on the other hand, open my mouth and can't seem to shut it again.

"It's a scarf. You're always saying how much you hate the winter because it's so cold, so I just kind of figured you might like something that could keep you warm. I'm not very good with sewing like Tomoyo, so it's the best I could do. And you're, like, super obsessed with green. I actually had Touya help me decide on a what shade to use. Well, I mean, I say 'help', but he didn't really do anything. It was kind of a big deal, because he was freaking out that I was making something green, since–apparently–green is a guy color. I took offense to that. Not that green is my favorite color or anything, but it's still pretty high on my list of-"

I'm cut off by an uncharacteristically loud and amused laugh from Syaoran. He sets down the gift bag and walks over to me, the scarf still in his hands. "I love it, Sakura." Then, my heart almost leaps right out of my chest as he pulls me in for a hug and whispers, "Thank you," into my ear.

I try to speak, but all I end up being able to do is nod.

Out of nowhere, there's a loud knock on the door. Syaoran pulls away, looking just as surprised as me.

"Expecting someone?" I ask, disappointed by the sudden loss of his arms around me.

He shakes his head. "Not that I know of."

I follow slowly behind him as he sets down the scarf on the table and heads down the hall, stopping at the door. When he leans forward to check the peep-hole, I ask, "Who is it?"

Without answering, Syaoran pales and abruptly jerks away from the door as if it tried to harm him.

"What?" I step around him to look through the peep-hole for myself, but before I get a chance, Syaoran grabs hold of me, one hand covering my mouth and the other wrapping around my waist. I squeak through his hand as he pulls me back.

Before I know it, he's dragged us around the corner at the end of the hall. As I manage to struggle enough to turn around to face him, Syaoran covers my mouth again and pushes me against the wall. I let out a muffled cry of alarm as the other lays dominantly against the side of my head, palm flat against the wall.

"Ow-wan." I struggle against him, trying to call out his name through the hand against my mouth.

"Don't move."

I immediately freeze, then mentally curse myself for listening to him when he's got me shoved up against a wall.

His entire body presses against mine, making it even more difficult to breath. Our chests both move, breathing in. My heart pounds so hard that I'm afraid he'll be able to feel it. It's almost enough to make me faint. Then a female voice comes shouting from down the hall.

"Xiao Lang!" It proceeds to go on speaking in a foreign language, too fast for me to determine which.

"O's iao wang?" Translation: Who's Xiao Lang.

Syaoran swears under his breath as the voice goes on. Finally, his grip on me loosens enough for me to push his hand away. "Who's Xiao Lang? Do you know who that girl is?"

He ignores me, sighing and stepping away from me, creating distance between us. I'm not sure if I should be relieved that I can breath again, or sad that I can't feel his body anymore. Geez, when did I start thinking such crude things?

"Why do these things always happen to me?" Syaoran grumbles, trudging down the hall and opening the door.

On the other side stands a beautiful, tall Chinese girl with long ebony hair pulled into two long, silky pigtails and the most mesmerizing scarlet eyes I've ever seen. The vibrant orbs seem like molten lava in the form of the most beautifully crafted rubies.

"Wow," I mumble. She's probably one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen. Then she opens her mouth and that admiration turns to pure despise.

"Syaoran!" Before I can even blink, she's lunging forward and tackling the poor boy in question to death.

I half expect him to push her off him or tell her to let go, but he doesn't move. He just stands there and lets the strange girl cling to him.

Then, as if he's just trying to kill me, he lifts his arms and returns the gesture.

"Hey, Meiling," he says sounding worn out. "It's been a while."

Haha. I could say that last line to you guys. Right, anyways, this chapter is kind of like that first episode in a new season of anime when they've resolved one plot in the last season and now they're setting you up for the next. You know what I mean? ...Maybe? Never mind, I'm just going to go now.

Until next time... Whenever that may be... (*Collapses on bed* Chapter 26: Most annoying chapter EVER.)