Holy hello, people! Hahaha. I know, I'm weird. But, oh my gosh, I am so excited! I FINALLY finished! It's been over a month in the making, but Chapter 27 is finally here! *Grins evilly* And I think you all will find it was well worth the wait... Well, hopefully. If not, you may as well just stop reading the story, because it's the best I've got.

SO FAR!

Haha, yeeeeaaah. So, anyways, the chapter totals to 7,830 words in my pages document. It is BY FAR the longest chapter as of yet. Hopefully it stays the longest, because it took way too long to write and edit.

Before I go, I'd like to let anyone who is interested know that I intend to re-post the first few chapters because they have SERIOUS grammatical errors in them. So, if you don't have any idea what's going on or just want to go back and reread some, then those will hopefully be up by Thanksgiving.

Okay, enough of this, it's time for you all to start reading. Better start now, or you'll never finish. (Just kidding, but seriously... Super long.)

Syaoran's POV

It's New Year's Eve and somehow I've found myself standing in my living room with both my cousin, who I thought was in Hong Kong, and the girl I'm in love with, who is probably interpreting this situation entirely the wrong way. This should be one hell of a way to start the new year, don't you think?

Some people wonder why I hate surprises so much, well this is just one instance I would like to point out.

"Meiling," I nervously begin. My cousin has a rather expressive personality. One wrong move and she'll have my head. "I didn't know you were in Japan."

Pulling away, she clasps her hands behind her back and leans forward. "I wasn't." She pauses. "Well, I was, but not until about an hour ago. Would've been less, but customs took longer than I expected."

"Right." I scratch the back of my head, looking behind her at the suitcase sitting just outside the apartment. "So, um, what's with the suitcase?"

Meiling slaps me on the shoulder while slipping by me into the apartment. "Well, I didn't fly here all the way from Hong Kong just to spend the night." As Meiling advances, she locks eyes with Sakura, and there's a pause in her stride. A dark look of mischief and curiosity passes my cousin's face. Sakura stands stiffly composed while Meiling examines her.

All the while, I exit the apartment to get the hot pink suitcase from outside and carry it in, my eyes never shifting from the pair's interaction. This should be interesting.

With the click of her tongue, Meiling harshly twists to face me again, her hair swishing around from the abrupt movement. "Who's your friend, Syao?" The way she says the word 'friend' with such bitterness makes me cringe.

Hesitating, I awkwardly step by the two and set Meiling's things down in the living room. Of course, when I turn, both girls are watching me in anticipation. "I suppose I should introduce you two."

"That would be nice. You know how much I love meeting your friends, Syao."

I wish she would stop calling me that. Every time she calls me by my nickname, Sakura's eyes dart between us as if she's afraid of something.

"Right, well," I step up beside them. "Meiling, this is Sakura. Sakura, Meiling."

Meiling's eyes immediately widen, then harshly narrow in suspicion. "Sakura?" The girl in question flinches slightly as Meiling stabs her with a wicked glare. "As in the Sakura?"

There are a million ways this could go wrong. I clear my throat. "Yes, Meiling, this is Sakura Kinomoto."

Just like that, Meiling's semi-polite attitude turns to straight-out rudeness. She shifts her weight onto one leg, swaying her hips, and crosses her arms just below her chest, pulling her shoulders back. "You don't say." Her eyes openly scrutinize Sakura as they rake up and down her figure. "I don't see what all the fuss was about; she's nothing special."

Horrified, I harshly snap out at her. "Meiling!"

From the way Sakura self-consciously reaches for the sleeves of her kimono and bites her lip, I can tell Meiling's words have affected her. What she doesn't realize is that every little thing that escapes Meiling's mouth is nonsense she's spewing to put down her newfound enemy.

Across from Sakura, Meiling simply shrugs.

Tight-throated, Sakura manages to ask, "Have we met before?"

Meiling shoots her a look of distaste. "Thankfully not, but I've heard a lot about you."

Her eyes darting in my direction, Meiling smirks and strides towards me. "I should properly introduce myself. My dear Xiao Lang seems to be shy today." Before I can stop her, Meiling has linked her arm into mine and is leaning against me, letting her head fall against my shoulder. "I'm Meiling Li, Syaoran's fiancé."

At her words, I find myself choking on air. My what?

Much to my horror, Sakura actually seems to buy it, her eyes widening and darting between me and the girl who is currently hanging off of me.

"Fiancé?"

I open my mouth to answer. Tell her it's a lie, and that she's just my cousin, but before I can, Meiling has already started speaking again. "That's right, so you can go and find some other guy to bother, because this one is taken." As if an afterthought, Meiling looks Sakura up and down once more before spitting cruelly, "Besides, my Xiao Lang would never be interested in some frail little Japanese girl."

"Meiling!" Officially disgusted by my cousin's behavior, I jerk my arm out of her grasp and glare harshly down at her. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but knock it off now before I really get mad."

Meiling seems surprised for a moment, then her eyes narrow once more, this time in suspicion. "Why are you defending her? She's the one who caused your depression, isn't she? The bitch doesn't deserve to be anywhere near you. Why the hell is she even here? This is unbelievable. I come here expecting a warm welcome, but instead I'm greeted by the same little-"

"Meiling." Just like that her mouth snaps shut, not daring to speak anymore. She continues to glare at Sakura with enough force to pierce the brunette's skin. Sakura's hurt eyes follow me as I step towards her. I give her an apologetic look and stand beside her, facing my stunned cousin. "Sakura is here because we're friends, and are going to celebrate the new year together. If you have a problem with that, you can talk to me about it, but leave Sakura alone; she never did anything."

Satisfied with my lecture, I redirect my attention to Sakura. "Ignore everything Meiling said; she's just jealous."

"Me? Jealous?"

"Yes, Meiling," I say, looking over at her.

"As if. I'm protecting you, Syaoran. We both know what happened the last time you got too close to the Kinomoto girl."

"Well that was then and this is now. So, if you'll excuse us, Sakura and I have to go meet up with some of our friends." I lead Sakura down the hall, snatching the forest green scarf from the coffee table as I pass, and before exiting, I turn back to Meiling to add, "By the way, when I get back, you and I have some serious talking to do, especially about you dropping in unannounced."

Meiling cringes slightly, and I can't help but smirk. She shouldn't have showed up unannounced then insulted the girl who I'm in love with. Very bad combo.

Sakura's POV

Here I thought that going to see Syaoran early would just mean having to give him the gift, but apparently along with embarrassing myself, I also got a nice insult session to go along with it. From Syaoran's apparent 'fiancé' nonetheless, a girl who–up until less than ten minutes ago–I didn't even know. I should've just ignored his voice and kept on walking when I heard him call out to me before.

We've been walking for at least five minutes now, and all Syaoran has done in that time has been apologize. He has still yet to explain how after knowing each other for ten years, he's never once mentioned the existence of a fiancé of all things. What is she even doing in Japan, anyways? Clearly she knows Syaoran from Hong Kong, because she was calling him Xiao Lang and speaking in what I assume was Cantonese.

"Hey, are you going to ignore me forever? I already told you not to listen to Meiling. She's just bitter because of how I treated her when my mom made me go back to Hong Kong all those years ago."

I just keep walking, trying not to let his words affect me.

Finally, Syaoran sighs and shakes his head, running a hand through his wild hair. "Alright, I get it. Go ahead and give me the silent treatment if it makes you feel better."

At that, I shoot a side-glance at him. Part of me wants to pat his shoulder and tell him I'm not mad, but to be honest, I kinda am. Even if he doesn't know that I have feelings for him, we're still friends and he should've told me that he was engaged.

After making him suffer for another few seconds, I finally decide to say, "Your fiancé sure seems nice, don't you think?"

Oddly enough, Syaoran's head suddenly snaps back to me. "Fiancé?"

Great, playing dumb. What's the point when I was standing right there when this 'Meiling' stated it herself? While hanging off his arm, might I add. "Yeah, Syaoran, your fiancé. You know, the girl who I'd never met before that just insulted me because I'm hanging out with you. That fiancé."

Syaoran proceeds to stare at me completely dumbfounded before finally saying, "You mean Meiling?"

I give an exasperated nod, and Syaoran suddenly stops walking and grabs me by the arm to stop me as well. Irritated, I glare up at him. "What?" I snap.

Almost desperately, Syaoran steps close to me and states, "Sakura, Meiling isn't my fiance, she's my cousin."

Wait what? "Um, no, that's not what she said."

"Well I'm telling you that she was lying."

"Why would she lie about something like that?"

"She's jealous! Meiling made a deal with me that if I ever fell in love, she'd back off, so she doesn't like me getting too close to anyone, especially since I only see her a few times a year."

"What? But…" I struggle with my words.

"Look," Syaoran's thumb rubs against my arm, making me look briefly down at it. "I'm not engaged, alright? If I were, I think I would've told my best friend by now."

Meeting his gaze, I find myself both pleased and disappointed as I ask, "You think of me as your best friend?"

Syaoran shyly pulls away and shoves his hands in his pockets. "Well, yeah, I guess. We've been through a lot together, and I just thought-"

Nudging him, I blush slightly saying, "Relax, I think of you as one of my best friends, too." Jokingly, I add, "Second to Tomoyo, of course. Don't get ahead of yourself."

Syaoran chuckles, sounding somewhat relieved. "I wouldn't dream of it."

With that, we start walking again, but something weighs on my mind. We're nearing the shrine when I finally muster the courage to say, "Syaoran, you said that you're not engaged right now?"

He glances back at me, an eyebrow raised. "Yeah, I do believe that's what we were just clearing up."

I nod slowly. "So... Does that mean you're... that you've... fallen in love?" Just thinking about it makes me feel sick. The thought of Syaoran being in love with someone else, and that person doing all the things with him that I've dreamt of, it's as if there's a barbell being pressed against my chest, constricting my breathing and making my heart throb painfully.

There's a slight pause in his stride, but he doesn't let himself fall far behind. "I guess that's what I said, isn't it?"

Anxiety tugging at me, I finally give in and cut him off just as we're about to reach the entrance of the shrine. "Wait." I hold up my hand and gently press it against the center of his chest to make him stop. Not daring to meet his gaze, I force myself to say, "Syaoran if… If there were someone who you… who you are in love with, you'd tell me, right?"

I hold my breath in anticipation, but nothing comes. The corners of my lips tug down against my will and I don't dare look up.

Right when I hear Syaoran start to say my name, it comes from a completely different direction. "Sakura! Li!"

Biting my cheeks, I quickly turn around before Syaoran can see me. "Chiharu, happy New Year's Eve!"

She catches me in an embrace then lets go to ask, "Where have you guys been?" Looking back at Syaoran, she adds, "And why are you two getting here at the exact same time?"

Not liking the slight suggestive tone in her voice, I explain. "I decided to swing by Syaoran's before coming here because I needed to drop something off."

Chiharu raises her eyebrows and nods slowly. Thankfully, the others come up from behind her, effectively stopping any more questions.

"Hey, you two, happy New Year's Eve."

From Naoko's seemingly innocent greeting, Yamazaki suddenly chimes in with his signature phrase, "Speaking of New Years, did you know…" Although, he never finishes the thought with Chiharu slapping him upside the head without so much as looking at him. Yamazaki laughs while she continues to disregard him.

"Sorry if we made you guys wait long."

"Not at all," Tomoyo tells me, walking closer and smiling familiarly. For the briefest second, she flashes me a concerned look, to which I give her a small, weak smile. Somehow Tomoyo always seems to know whenever something is bothering me. It's both a blessing and a curse.

Rika goes on to say something while I meet Tomoyo midway and whisper hushed words into her ear, to which she nods and we return our attention to the others. Most of them doesn't seem to notice the interaction, but I can feel a certain pair of amber eyes watching me.

Several minutes later, all eight of us find ourselves shuffling through the crowds as we make our way closer to the shrine. Tomoyo and I walk in step with each other while the others continue on ahead of us.

"What's on your mind, Sakura?"

Being sure to glance Syaoran's way first, I shift my attention to the purple haired girl beside me and explain the events of the evening. Everything from my indecisive debate as to whether or not I should give Syaoran the scarf I made for him, to the sudden appearance of his cousin/formal fiancé. The entire time, Tomoyo listens attentively as if I'm going to quiz her on the information at the end.

When I finally get to the part about Syaoran having someone who he's in love with, Tomoyo's demeanor begins to shift from serious to mildly annoyed.

"This is serious, Tomoyo. What if he..." I glance over to our party to make sure none of them–especially Syaoran–are listening. Lowering my voice, I ask, "What if he's in love with someone? I don't know what I'll do, Tomoyo. I mean, it's not like I expect him to ever return my feelings, but for him to be in love with someone else... I'm not sure I'll be able to cope with losing him again a second time."

With an exasperated sigh, Tomoyo stops walking and turns fully to me. "I love you, Sakura, but you really can be an idiot sometimes."

Taken aback, I blink a few times. "Huh?"

Disregarding my obvious confusion, she just challenges in a way that reminds me of Chiharu, "If this is really so important to you, why don't you just tell him how you feel?"

"Tell him?" I practically shout. A few people walking by glance our way, but the others have managed to get too far ahead to hear. Lowering my voice again, I quietly demand, "Are you insane? If I tell Syaoran, it's sure to ruin our friendship."

Tomoyo briefly rubs her temples, then pulls her arms down and asks me as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, "And if he feels the same way?"

The question stumps me. She looks dead serious, but the suggestion is too far-fetched to be anything but a joke. "He doesn't," I state simple and surely.

"Have you asked him? Has he ever outright said, 'I don't like you, Sakura'?"

"No, but-"

"But if he hasn't told you, then you'll never know for sure, so stop making assumptions."

For a long moment, I just stand there gawking at her and trying figure out what's come over her.

Of course Syaoran doesn't like me. If he did, he surely would've told me, right? Besides, he has no reason to like me. All I am is a nuisance to him. The only reason why he's always helping me is because he's a kind person and we're friends. There's no other reason. If there were, he would've said something, or done something to show it. Sure, there are times when it feels like what we're doing would suggest something more, but those things are either initiated by me, or things I've built up in my mind because of how I feel for him.

So, no. Syaoran doesn't have feelings for me. Meaning that if he's in love with someone, any hope at something more than a friendship will basically be crushed.

I let my gaze fall to my feet. "I can't tell him, Tomoyo. I'm not going to risk our friendship on the possibility that he might someday learn to return my feelings."

Across from me, Tomoyo huffs. "But isn't it worth the chance? Would you really rather spend the rest of your life regretting having never said anything? Honestly, what exactly are you afraid of? If your friendship with him is as strong as you've led me to believe, then something like this shouldn't change that."

Frustrated by her endless repetition, I lift my head and am nearly shouting as I say, "It's not going to happen, Tomoyo. Okay? Unlike you, the person I like isn't some guy who showed up one day and instantly returned my feelings, asking me out within a week of when we first met." Tomoyo and I are both surprised by my outburst. "Sorry," I mumble. "It's just that I'm scared. I've never felt like this for anyone else, and the thought of losing this feeling, of losing him for any reason terrifies me."

Tomoyo sighs again, only this time it's a sigh of defeat. "I know, Sakura. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be pushing you into doing something you aren't ready for. You know that you can talk to me whenever you need to, though."

I nod. "Of course I know that, Tomoyo. You're my best friend. I love you like a sister."

A moment of panic comes when her eye's glaze over, but then she pulls me into a warm hug. "Why do you have to be so adorable, Sakura?"

Giggling, I return the gesture. "It runs in the family. Mother's side, I believe."

Pulling away, Tomoyo smiles in amusement then glances off into the crowd. "We should probably hurry up before they think we ran off."

"Ha, yeah. This way?" I point in the direction I last saw the posse.

"Sure hope so. Only one way to find out." So we head off in the direction I'm pointing and pray we'll find the others soon.

Syaoran's POV

Alright, that's it. We've been walking around for close to an hour and my stress levels are beyond the shrine gate. Ever since my talk with Sakura earlier, I've just had this really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach like something bad is going to happen.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, I fall back in attempt to find her in the back of our group with Daidouji and Eriol; however, when I reach them, Sakura is nowhere in sight.

"Daidouji, have you seen Sakura? I need to talk to her."

The girl gives me an odd look and turns around. "Isn't she-" Daidouji's amethyst eyes grow wide and her head frantically darts every which way. "Oh, no! I think she might have said something about grabbing taiyaki, but I didn't realize she had walked off." The girl's thin, pale fingers twist anxiously at her locks of hair.

"Don't tell me..." Dread fills my entire being.

Daidouji bites her lip. "I'm sorry, Li, I didn't even notice."

I blame Eriol for this. Why? Because had he not been so busy flirting with Sakura's best friend, she might not be missing right now.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault," I reassure her. "Can you tell the others I'm going to find her? I doubt she'll find her way back on her own."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to-"

"It's fine, Daidouji. I'll call Takashi when I find her."

Daidouji hesitates for a moment before nodding. "Alright, thank you."

"Yeah. I'll be back soon." Turning around, I head towards the taiyaki stand we passed by a few minutes ago.

Sakura's POV

Wonderful. I turn my back for two seconds, and suddenly everyone is gone. Confused as to what's going on? Well, allow me to explain.

It all started when Touya decided he would make dinner, even though dad offered multiple times to take over. Of course, the meal ended up being somewhat less than edible, so I just went ahead and ate some leftover rice for dinner. Consequently, it ended up leaving me not quite satisfied.

The small amount of food took its tole on me when our little group came across a nice taiyaki stand and I told Tomoyo I was going to go grab some. She was talking with Eriol at the time, so I probably should've known better than to rely on her to hear me, let alone remember that I had walked off.

Anyways, I was only at the stall for maybe a minute or two, and when I'd purchased my food and turned back to join my friends, they were all gone.

So, I am currently stuck aimlessly wandering around in search of my friends, and munching on the warm fish-shaped pocket of wonderfulness.

The overall point is that right now I'm stuck wandering around in search of my party. It's been close to ten minutes now, and I'm starting to panic a little. Stupid me didn't think to bring her phone since she was so worried about the scarf she was going to give to Syaoran. I'll admit, I'm not the best at planning.

Nope. Not this way either. Sighing, I turn around, only to nearly run straight into the group of men that I didn't even know was standing behind me. I quickly step back and mutter an apology, turning the other way once more. Much to my dismay, one of the men grabs my arm.

What the-?

"Hey." I face the man who's hand is wrapped around my arm. He stands beside two other men, all in their mid-twenties or so and looking like they just got into a fight with the way their cloths are messy and tattered. "Are you all by yourself?"

Next to him, another speaks. "Someone as pretty as you shouldn't be all alone for New Years."

The third and last chimes in, "Why not come with us and let us show you a good time?"

Even though I'm confused I know one thing for sure: there's not a chance in hell I'm going anywhere with these people. If Touya has taught me anything over the years, it's to stay away from weird old dudes who suddenly invite you to go somewhere, or who just act a little too friendly to be real.

"No," I say my heart pounding against my chest. Glancing around, it's like everyone around is completely oblivious to me, the teenage girl, being abruptly grabbed by some group of men way too old and unkempt to be anyone I know. "I'm not..."1

"There you are!" A deep voice calls from behind me, followed by an arm snaking protectively around my waist and another crossing my chest and taking my shoulder, brushing the stranger's hand away. "I've been looking everywhere for you." His voice is so flirtatious that almost don't recognize it.

My breath abruptly hitches as his lips brush against the side of my neck. "Don't make me worry like that." Raising my arms, I curl my hands over the arm crossing below my collarbone. His breath sends shivers up and down my spine as I struggle not to make a sound. "Play along," he whispers in my ear, making me light-headed.

Forcing myself back to reality, I twist around and bury my face in his chest, wrapping my arms around his torso. "I'm sorry. Please don't be mad."

Syaoran puts his hand to the back of my head, holding me close. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. I could never be mad at you."

There's a tense moment, then I hear Syaoran's more malicious voice hiss out, "Can I help you?" Something tells me Syaoran's idea of 'help' isn't as much helpful as harmful.

The men stutter and disperse before I can even register it. Syaoran's grip begins to loosen and he quietly tells me, "It's okay, they're gone." But, rather than pulling away, I find myself leaning even more against him and deeply inhaling his scent. "Um... Sakura?" I hum softly against him, not really listening. "They're gone. You can let go now."

Suddenly I take note of the hands resting unsurely on my shoulders. "Oh." I pull away from him as casually as I can, glancing over to where other passersby continue on, some glancing our way, noting the unusual scene before them. So now they decide to look, I think bitterly to myself. "My bad."

"Er... It's fine." Glancing his way, I find Syaoran eyeing me.

Great, way to look like an idiot, Sakura. A very clingy idiot, nonetheless.

Thankfully, he doesn't comment on the odd behavior, instead he reaches into his pocket and fishes out his phone.

Letting my eyes drift to where the men vanished, I find myself asking, "Was all that really necessary?" I can still practically feel Syaoran's lips against my neck and his arms possessively enveloping my frame.

Holding the phone to his ear, Syaoran looks at me and says in the most dead serious voice, "Yes." I raise my eyebrows, awaiting an elaboration. Looking annoyed, he goes on, sounding both defensive and frustrated. "You know what they were trying to do, right?"

I cross my arms. "Of course I know." He raises his eyebrows doubtfully, so I add, "They wanted me to go somewhere with them."

Syaoran runs a hand through his hair, sighing. "And do you know why they wanted you to go with them?"

Unsure, I hesitantly ask, "Because I was alone?"

He shakes his head in disapproval. "It's because you're an attractive teenage girl who looked lost. Your appearance does not help you in this situation." He flips his phone shut, cursing silently and redialing.

Offended, I glare at him and demand, "Excuse me?"

He looks confused for a moment, then says words that leave me absolutely breathless. "Especially in the kimono, you look like a goddess straight out of a fairy tale." He looks and sounds so nonchalant that I don't think he really realizes what he's just said until he notices me gawking. "Um, I mean..."

At that very moment, the person on the other end of the phone picks up. A look of relief passes over Syaoran, and he eagerly speaks into the phone while I continue to stare, wide-eyed, and mouth most likely agape.

"Mihara! Finally, someone picks up. Tell Takashi to switch his phone to vibrate."

On the other end, Chiharu says something, and Syaoran turns away from me while he speaks.

"Yeah, I found her. She's fine, just got a bit lost... Sure, where are you?" There's another pause. "Okay, we'll meet you there." Syaoran stays silent for a while longer, then he cracks a smile and glances over at me. "Don't worry, I won't let her go wandering off again... See you guys soon." With that, he hangs up the phone and slips it back into his pocket.

"Just to be clear, I didn't wander off. I told Tomoyo where I was going, and only turned my back for a minute, then the next thing I knew, you guys were nowhere in sight."

"Uh-huh," Syaoran says, clearly not caring. "We're going to all meet up at the back of the shrine. Apparently the fireworks are starting at midnight, which is about twenty minutes away, so we need to get a move on if we want to get a good view." He starts walking and motions for me to follow.

"Right," I agree, jogging up alongside him. Syaoran glances over at me, but when I quizzically meet his gaze, he just eyes me for a moment before looking away again.

Curious, I ask, "Something on your mind?"

Syaoran frowns and then sighs almost reluctantly. "About what you asked me earlier," he begins.

As if on cue, I immediately tense up. Does he intend to tell me right here, right now? I asked him the question earlier, but to be honest, I'm not so sure I'm ready to know the answer. Regardless of what he says, I'll have to change the way I act around him. If he says, yes, I'll have to respect that he's in love with someone and give up on him. If he says no, then that means there's no way he's in love with me. So do I really want to know the answer?

"Now that you've asked, it seems only fair that I tell you... I-"

"Stop!" The word escapes my lips before I can stop it.

"Huh?"

"I don't want to know."

"What? But you asked, and I thought you-"

"I know what I said, but I changed my mind. Just... try to forget I ever asked," I plead.

Syaoran looks down at me almost desperately. It leaves me taken aback. Does he want to tell me? But then he sighs in defeat and returns his attention to making our way to where the others are.

"One of these days you're going to be the death of me; you know that, right?" he asks begrudgingly without even looking at me.

I'm torn between a smart comeback and asking exactly what that's supposed to mean. Unsure how to respond, I decide just to keep quiet.

Not too long after, we reach the back of the shire where we're supposed to be meeting up, but neither Syaoran or I can spot the others.

"Where are they? Aren't they the ones who should already be here?"

"You would think," he agrees, pulling out his phone again. I watch as he appears to read something on the screen, his confused frown turning into an annoyed scowl.

"What?" I demand. "Did they bail and go to karaoke without us or something?"

Syaoran snaps the phone shut again. "If only. Apparently they stopped to get taiyaki of all things." He shoots me a pointed look.

"What? It's good."

"Yeah, and it also seems to be splitting up our group left and right today. You nearly got abducted, and for what?"

"An adorable fish-shaped pocket of goodness?" I smile innocently up at him and bat my eyes a few times.

He just shakes his head and starts to walk in another direction, motioning for me to follow. "Come on."

"Huh? Where are you going? Shouldn't we wait here for them?"

"Well, we could do that, or we could go to the best spot near the shrine and watch the fireworks from there. Who knows when they'll be back. I, for one, don't want to miss out on watching the new year hit just because I'm waiting for my friends to get a snack."

Glancing towards the stalls one last time, I finally give in and catch up with him. "Alright, but where do you plan to go anyways?"

The edges of Syaoran's lips tug upwards ever so slightly, rising my curiosity even more. "Just a place." His tone leaves me practically itching to know more.

"Aw, come on, Syaoran! What's with the cryptic response?"

"It's a surprise."

"Another? You said that the other day when we climbed that tree."

"I happen to know of quite a few secret spots around town."

Glaring up at him feeling annoyed, I grumble, "The fact that I've lived here my entire life and you somehow seem to know more about Tomoeda than I do is starting to bother me."

Syaoran just shrugs and keeps walking, but I catch the little smirk on his lips. Annoyed, I roll my eyes, but follow along nonetheless. The curiosity is too strong for me to protest. While we walk, though, I decide to bring up a topic in the back of my mind ever since Meiling showed up banging on Syaoran's apartment door demanding to be let in.

"Hey, Syaoran?" He glances my way, raising his eyebrows. "You know how your 'cousin'-"

"Don't make air quotes; she really is my cousin. And you can just call her Meiling."

I scowl. "I don't even know her, so I can't refer to her by her first name. Also, I can't call her Li, because you're Li."

"I thought I was Syaoran."

"Well, yeah, you're Syaoran, too, but before you were Syaoran, you were Li."

Syaoran opens his mouth to speak, but I quickly cut him off. "Alright, enough with what I should call your cousin, I wanted to ask you about your name."

"My name?"

"Yes, your name. Before she was calling you Xiao Lang."

"Oh..." Syaoran suddenly looks uncomfortable, raising a hand to run through his hair, but pausing midway through. "What about it?"

"Well, she was talking to you, right?"

"Yes," he says slowly as if unsure if he should be telling me.

"So does that mean it's also your name?"

"Er–technically, yes..."

"Is it your real name?"

"Um, it's the name that's on my birth certificate if that's what you mean."

"Hm." I lift my hand up and touch my fingers to my cheek in thought. "Xiao Lang," I say, letting the name roll off my tongue. "Li Xiao Lang."

An almost choking sound from beside me makes me look over. What I find leaves me somewhat breathless. Syaoran stands beside me, still walking, but seeming hyper-aware of each and every step while he tries to look normal by keeping his arm stiff at his sides. His face betrays any attempt at looking casual, though. I find myself gasping a little at the way his face suddenly looks several shades deeper red than it was a few seconds ago with just the cold air against it.

And then it hits me. Syaoran is embarrassed because of his name. As cruel as it is, the revelation leaves me feeling like I know a little secret about him. Plus, his reaction is absolutely priceless.

Finally, deciding to put an end to his misery–or potentially just make it that much worse–I give him a warm smile and say as gently and earnestly as I can, "It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it? I must say, I think I like it as much as I like 'Syaoran'."

Astonished, Syaoran raises his head and looks over at me. I greet him with a smile, and say, "But you'll still always be 'Syaoran' to me."

Syaoran's POV

"But you'll always be 'Syaoran' to me." The words, combined with Sakura's genuine smile, leave me breathless and suddenly welcoming the winter night's air. I watch her, unable to say anything, as she suddenly looks straight ahead, switching her attention to something ahead of us.

"No way," she gasps, suddenly running ahead of me down the dirt path surrounded on either side by trees. I follow slowly after her, still feeling somewhat dazed.

"This place is so surreal! How did you find out that there's a pond back here?" Sakura turns away from the silver pond bathed in moonlight to face me.

"Ms. Mizuki," I somehow manage to tell her, my brain not even thinking about it.

"Hm." Sakura nods thoughtfully, then looks directly at me. "Are you alright, Syaoran?"

"Huh?" I blink and straighten, forcing a small smile to my lips. "Yeah. Fine."

She eyes me doubtfully, but doesn't press. I don't know what I would tell her even if she did. Something about the way she told me I'll always be 'Syaoran' to her has left me totally out of it. For some reason, all I want to do is go up behind her and wrap my arms around her, nuzzling my face into the side of her neck. The urge is even worse than usual. Every single part of my body wants to be nearer to her. As if she's a magnet trying to pull me in.

Trying not to let the urge to hold her take me over, I step forward slowly until I'm standing beside her at the end of the small wooden dock. Now side-by-side, we face the lake together and listen to the sound of the crickets and people enjoying the festival off in the distance. When Sakura eventually speaks, it's almost so soft that I don't hear it.

"Hey, Syaoran?"

I glance over at her to find her still watching the lake, but now her lids are lower and something about her seems sadder than usual.

"Sakura?"

From the corner of my eye, I see her intertwining her fingers. I try not to let my eyes wander as she catches her bottom lip between her teeth and briefly closes her eyes.

"After graduation," she says slowly, "what will become of us?"

The question leaves me stunned. It's so out of the blue that I find myself not knowing how to respond. "What do you mean?"

This time, she folds her arms across her body as is she's cold then goes on. "After we graduate, you have to return to Hong Kong. When that happens, what are we going to do?"

My heart tightens at her words. I've been trying not to think too heavily on the matter myself. It's true that after graduation I'm supposed to return to my birthplace in order to finish my schooling at a University in Hong Kong, but it's always felt so far away that I didn't give it too much thought. Now that I'm standing here on a small pond in Japan with the girl I love beside me as we await the new year, the time has never felt nearer.

Looking down, I tell her the only thing I can: the truth. "I don't know, Sakura."

She shifts slightly, finally lifting her gaze to look at me, but now I'm the one unable to look at her. "It's not like we'll just be able to call each other up on the phone and make plans to meet up every few weeks."

"I know," I say quietly.

"And even if we manage to set aside some time to see each other on the holidays, how long will that really last?"

"Sakura..."

"A few years from now you'll probably be taking over your family's business in Hong Kong, and I'll either still be working in the same little café, or trying to find a job somewhere that doesn't require any sort of college education."

The way she says it finally lifts my head up. "Don't say that, Sakura."

"Let's face it, Syaoran, we both know I'm right." My facial muscles tense until I feel the desperate need to reach out to her. "We're from two completely different backgrounds. If you hadn't come to Tomoeda, we would never have met."

I find myself cringing at the thought of never having so much as met Sakura. She's become such a big part of my life that the thought of her not being in it seems impossible.

"No matter how I look at it, there's only one way I can see us ending up." She drops her arms and hangs her head. Her eyes squeeze shut and she sounds almost pleading as she whispers, "I don't want us to become strangers."

Alarmed, I stagger back like I've been struck. Then, as if trying to change the outcome she has predicted, I find myself abruptly stepping forward and protesting. "That will never happen, Sakura! It can't."

She lifts her head and meets my eyes. I find myself looking at exhaustion and surrender. "I'm sorry, Syaoran. I shouldn't be starting the new year off with such a dreary topic, it's just that the thought keeps on looming in the back of my mind."

Sighing, I tell her, "It's fine. Just... please don't think like that. You have no idea how much it scares me when you say those sorts of things."

An understanding and apologetic look passes over her face. "I know. I'm sorry for worrying you so much, it's just that I'm afraid if I don't tell you, you won't realize it and it really will happen."

"Sakura." I smile softly at her. "You don't need to worry about that ever happening, alright?"

She starts to protest. "But-"

"It'll never happen, Sakura. I won't let it. I promise you that I will never let that happen."

Sakura's brows pull together. "How can you promise something like that?"

I raise my voice as if speaking louder will help her to understand. "Because!" Somewhere off in the distance, there's a familiar hissing, but I'm too caught up in the moment to give it any mind. A sudden wave of courage brought on by my need to make her understand washes over me. "I... Sakura, I-"

Boom!

A distant explosion pulls both our attention from each other. For a moment, all I can do is stare up at the falling sparks, too stunned to do anything, but then Sakura's reaction pulls me back down to Earth.

"Wha!" I look over in time to see her excitedly craning her neck to gaze up at the sky.

Boom!

All around us the landscape is coated in an array of colors, but I find myself transfixed on the way that with each loud, echoing boom, Sakura's eyes twinkle brighter than I've ever seen them before.

"They're beautiful," she says wistfully. My mind doesn't register seem to want to register what she's said as what she means by it.

"Yeah," I agree without a thought, my eyes never once swaying from the sight of the celestial being standing less then two feet from me. "Beautiful." My voice comes out as a whisper, but Sakura seems to hear me, slowly turning her head to meet my gaze. The frontal view of her is no less hypnotizing than her profile. If anything, I find the tips of my fingers itching to reach out and caress her features. In a moment of astonishment, her lips part slightly, but no words pass them.

And then it happens.

One minute I'm admiring the girl before me as fireworks burst into light off in the distance, then I'm leaning down, one arm somehow claiming Sakura's waist and pulling her close while the other reaches up, fingers grazing past her cheek, and embedding themselves in her soft, auburn locks.

In the short amount of time before I do anything else, I watch Sakura's eyes widen in disbelief. She doesn't move to push me away, nor does she show any signs of encouragement. All she does is let her eyes flick between the two of mine, trying to read my expression.

Then, hair still between my fingers, I pull her up with minimal force and finally put an end to the question that's kept me up countless nights pondering over. To no surprise, her lips are just as soft and smooth as I guessed they would be. The sensation, on the other hand, is nowhere near anything I could've imagined, and, not caring about the consequences, I finally allow myself to simply kiss her the way I've longed to for years.

As I hold her, three words pass through my mind. They cry out, desperate to be heard, and more than anything, longing to be returned. I love you!

I pull away after a moment, a sigh escaping me. Slowly lifting my lids, I leave an inch to separate Sakura's face from mine. The second our eyes meet, though, I jerk away, startled. In front of me, Sakura stares up, her eyes wide and glazed over. Her cheeks are flushed and her lips are a shade darker than usual.

For the longest moment, we both just stand there, neither moving, maybe not even breathing. And then the moment is over.

A slight gasp from farther down the path sends my head flying in that direction, fearful of what I might find. A mixture of relief and dread runs through me when I lock eyes with amethyst orbs.

Standing at the edge of the thick coverage of trees, eyes the size of platters, is none other than Tomoyo Daidouji. A few feet behind her, Eriol stands watching the events unfold without appearing surprised or judgmental.

At that moment I realize I'm still holding Sakura, and without meeting her gaze again, I drop my ams to my side. "Happy New Year." The words come out as a quiet jumble. I don't wait around to see their effect, though. I all but run down the path towards the shrine. In the back of my mind, I can hear a voice taunting me, calling me a coward, but I'm too far gone to listen at that point.

Daidouji lifts her hand slightly as I pass, but doesn't say anything until I'm a fair amount farther down the path. "Li!" she calls, almost tentatively.

I only pause long enough to look over my shoulder and mumble back, not meeting her gaze, "Make sure she gets home safely for me, Daidouji." And before she can stop me, I let myself disappear into the umbrage.

After swiftly maneuvering far away from the people and the celebration, I fall against the side of the nearest building I come across. Exhausted, I let myself slide down the wall until I land heavily on the pavement.

"Damn it," I curse, bringing my hands up and covering my face. What am I doing? I just kissed Sakura. With no consent whatsoever, I stole a kiss from her. What kind of a friend does that?

The kind that wants something more, a voice in the back of my mind tells me.

Shaking my head and shoving the thought from my mind, I think about Sakura. Kind and innocent Sakura. What's she thinking right now? Is she confused? Is she angry? What will she think of me from here on out? And, most importantly, why was she looking at me like that? As if I shattered some sort of illusion she spent years weaving, or told her that everything she thought she knew was a lie.

"Sakura..." I lift my head, letting it rest against the wall behind me. In the distance, fireworks continue to rain down from the star-filled sky. Closing my eyes, I whisper, knowing she can't hear me, two words. "Forgive me."

And I'm left wondering...

What happens from here on?

Muahahahaha! Oh, how I do love this chapter. Honestly, it's my favorite. I honestly wasn't planning to have the you-know-what *nudge, nudge; wink, wink* this early on, but one night I was super tired, and it just happened. I think I work best in a half-asleep state.

Info on next chapter: It has already been started, but still has a lot of gaps in it. It's likely to be another long one. NOT THIS LONG, THOUGH! *Insert dread-face emoticon* Never again, Cupcake. Never. Again.

Okay, so if you read this, please, please, please comment and let me know what you thought. This chapter is kind of a big deal, so I really need feedback. And yes, NEED. I think I'll curl up into a ball and mope if nobody has anything to say. Kidding again... But for real, comment, 'kay? (And please don't hate me for saying 'kay)

Alright, goodbyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeee!