©2003 By Julia and Tania
E-mail: ccs_fanz@juliaandtania.com
Cardcaptor Sakura: The Attractive Power
Episode 9

        From heights of the sky, above the courtyard of this familiar environment, a light southerly blew across the bordering trees, their leaves rustling whilst the wind traversed the quiet grounds below. A leisurely exit was made short moments later, returning the atmosphere to its original, undisturbed, serene mood.

        It hadn't changed a great deal. It was the same old place left behind a year ago. The buildings continued to stand tall and proud, boasting a fresh coat of paint that was ready for many summers to come. Its verdant fields lavished with life were cared for, mowed, and trimmed perfectly around the edges; raised concrete footpaths swept and spotless; and the centre piece at the back-the beautiful water fountain found several strides from the two wooden benches often seen occupied by its ex-student, Kinomoto Sakura-held crystalline water that sparkled against this afternoon's golden, setting sun.

        No-Tomoeda Elementary was nostalgically the same.

        Being a Saturday, it was a half-day today. And judging by the absence of the hustle and bustle often seen at the end of the school day, students had been released for a good couple or so hours, leaving the school to its solitude until the next day of learning.

        All quiet, Sakura and her friends-Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Yoshiro who was invited to join in their tour of the past-were able to explore the grounds to their discretion, without the feeling of imposing into the school's regular routine. They appeared through an alley of the school to meet up with the common sight of the school's open courtyard.

        "Hmm." Tomoyo paused, lost amidst a thought for a moment as she gazed out at her surroundings. Her attention returned brief moments later. "This place holds a lot of fond memories, doesn't it, Sakura-chan, Li-kun?"

        Sakura nodded, coinciding with the one expressed by Syaoran who stood behind the girls, alongside Yoshiro. A small smile then spread across her facial features as her reminiscent eyes moved through the locale filled with memories. In the hour or so she had been in this place, many memories had flowed into her mind. How many had already arisen this afternoon?-how ever many, she hadn't cared to count.

        Like Tomoyo had announced not too long ago, there were many here. Every direction she turned, set her eyes on, there was not one object, nor place that did not have a memory embedded in it. The school's clock tower overhead reminded her of the numerous times she had dashed past it, wishing that the second hand would freeze and stay put-at least until she got to class.

        Averting her eyes from the glaring sunlight, she caught onto the window to her classroom: who had replaced and occupied her seat, was the question that came to mind first. Was this person like her who regularly sought the scenery outside her window during a difficult exercise, or when she found the lesson slightly hard? Sakura hoped that whoever this person was, found as much comfort in this seat as she had, especially during the winter season when the long, encompassing tentacles of the sun's rays would settle upon her with its sleep-inducing touch.

        She smiled to the thought before her attention left it as she made her way down the steps to land on the concrete surface of the playing field. Her short, golden-brown hair drew back against the moving air, its glide like the brush of silk on her face. There was another time she felt that same sensation-whilst cheerleading for Tomoeda Elementary.

        It was one out of a couple extra-curricular activities she had taken throughout her school years here. The joy in rooting her peers on and helping extend encouragement and confidence in their success was gratifying-so much so that she had carried it on to Seijyu. It was a thrill to have participated in events such as those, cheering on Tomoeda Elementary. and now for Seijyu-although, as much as she loved cheering for this new high school that she belonged to, a part of her allegiance still remained with the school that she felt so sentimental towards, the school that had done and given her so much.

        "It's great to be in Tomoeda Elementary again," Sakura affirmed. She came to a stop with her back to the nets that separated between her previous and current school. "I miss going to our old school; there surely are a lot of good times here, Tomoyo-chan."

        Her friend came around to Sakura's left, taking in the view in front of them.

        "Hai (Yes). If we could've come earlier, we might have been able to see some of our former teachers as well."

        "It would have been nice to meet up with Terada-sensei again."

        Tomoyo was amidst finishing a nod when recollection hit her. Her facial expression tugged momentarily, "Oh wait-" her mind bringing up an earlier conversation they had with their classmates. Sakura further turned in her direction, displaying wonder to what had enlightened her so. "Didn't Rika-chan say that Terada-sensei was on that course?"

        Now puzzlement dawned on Sakura's features, "Course?"

        "Hai. During lunchtime, Rika-chan was talking about Terada-sensei attending a teacher's seminar for the day," Tomoyo explained.

        "Oh yeah, I remember now. That's right. Then I suppose we'll just have to continue to say our hellos to Terada-sensei through Rika-chan, huh?" A lingering, fairly curious smile formed before Tomoyo nodded firmly in response.

        Sakura directed her attention back towards her surroundings. She noticed the intensely bright sunlight present-what seemed like-a moment ago had reclined to let a soft, bluish ambience settle, suggesting that evening was beginning to set upon them. There was still a lot of light left, but it was getting late, and by the way Syaoran and Yoshiro were casually glancing at things here and there off in the distance, she sensed their outing's end draw near.

        "Do you have anywhere else you want to take a look at?" Sakura asked.

        Not needing to give too much thought to the question, Tomoyo simply replied, "No. Shall we get the guys, then?" Sakura nodded.

        Just as they went on their way to fetch them, a voice called from behind:

        "Oh Sakura-chan."

        They turned around to be greeted with a flushed Yukito on the other side of the net. His hair lacked the usual volume as most of it was weighed down; short tendrils that fell at the front adhered to his forehead area. On his plain white-coloured t-shirt were evident marks of sweat, and in his hands, held three bottles of bottled water-it appeared he'd been participating in some sort of physical activity.

        "Konbanwa (Good evening)," he greeted.

        It was just like the old times.

        "Come on Touya. Show him what you're really made of!"

        Yukito stood at the sidelines of Seijyu High's one-on-one basketball court expressing words of encouragement as Touya's eyes bore into his opponent's, his feet scuffing to the left then right before coming to stand still shortly after. The steadier-paced, hollow sound of the ball's bounce resumed, its echo reverberating through the quiet vicinity once more.

        Standing right next to Yukito were Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Yoshiro. After an exchange of information to each other's reasons for their presence at the school grounds this evening, they had decided to extend their outing a little longer, joining Yukito in watching this basketball contest between Touya and their friend.

        The shout caused Sakura to jerk her ears away ever so slightly towards the side her friends were found standing. Even though there was a slight hint of a laugh behind the shout, it was loud in contrast to his usual placid tone-much more than she was accustomed to. It had conveyed an alien quality of such assertiveness that never occurred to her could have existed in him-not that it curved her perception of Yukito's gentle nature; just that it had caught her by surprise.

        Her attention returned to the game at hand.

        "You can cheer him on all you like, Tsukishiro-kun; and Kinomoto-kun can try, but I'm fast," the unidentified male's voice sneered.

        "We'll see about that." Touya was just as confident.

        Up and down the ball bounced, steady in its pattern and line. Touya's form crouched, legs spread slightly beyond the breadth of his shoulders, and his expression reserved of anything that betrayed his line of attack. Standing in his place, Touya was in the midst of playing another game-a mind game.

        "So this was where Onii-chan (Brother) was going," Sakura thought. Her brother had left so suddenly this afternoon in polo shirt and shorts and sports bag on shoulder that it allowed her little time to inquire of his evening plans.

REPLAY MODE.     

        Sakura inserted her house key to the keyhole of the door. She gripped onto the handle, preparing to open it, when suddenly, the door opened itself. Sakura expressed a cry as her foot was clipped under the bottom, unable to move out of its way fast enough. The door continued to oppose her, forcing her to become unbalanced.

        "Ah-ah-ah-ho-oeeee!?!?!"

        Ungracefully, Sakura tumbled down, landing onto her hands and backside. She moaned and groaned at the pain that pulsated in her wrists.

        "Sakura.?" Touya appeared through the door, supporting an expression of curiosity, looking down at a dishevelled Sakura.

        Finding herself to be okay, Sakura looked up. "Onii-chan." she said wearily.

        "What are you doing on the floor?" His intonation changed to a tease, facial display also changing accordingly, "You didn't need to dirty your school uniform. If you wanted to clean the porch, there's a broom inside, Kaijuu (Monster)."

        Sakura frowned. "I am not trying to clean the porch!"

        He shrugged, "Whatever you say, Kaijuu," before extending a hand to help her up. Sakura took it, brushing herself off. Touya changed his expression to a more serious manner. "Anyway, are you alright?"

        "Hai (Yes), I'm fine."

        "Alright then, I'm going out; won't be home for dinner tonight. Dad said he'll be home late, so make your own dinner to eat, okay? There should be some leftovers in the fridge."

        "O-oh okay, Onii-chan." Touya then walked off, heading out the gates. She raised a hand with question, shouting after him, "B-but where are you going?"

        "I'm going out with some friends." Then he was off as she watched the back of his hand wave to her.

END REPLAY MODE.

        That was all he had said, but she guessed she found the answer in the end, catching up with him here, on this basketball court.

        Touya was still dribbling the ball as his eyes firmly trained on the rather tall male opponent that was marking him. This guy that was challenging her brother in the game at the moment was of the same build-tall and lean, the same physique as her brother in fact, and for the short time she had been at the courts watching the contest, she had identified him as the athletic type; his movements, swift and astute in their execution.

        "Are you done psyching me out?" The intonation of Touya's opponent was mocking, apparently aware of Touya's tactics. His reddish locks of hair carelessly danced against the breeze as an entrance of a smirk finished off the very confident and relaxed display.

        Touya stayed unresponsive; his remarks were not going to affect his game. He may not have been able to deceive him the last two times he tried to fake his moves, but how long could his mind stay concentrated?-with time came self-doubt, and once self-doubt settled in, not too long would weariness soon follow. Let the third time be the charm.

        In a jerking motion, Touya put his plan into action. He faked right, dribbling the ball faster as he stamp-slid his right foot with force. His opponent followed him; Touya briefly twitched a corner of his lips before slapping the ball to dribble on the other hand, going hard left.

        Successfully moving past his opponent, he charged ahead towards the goal. Strides were taken as Touya felt complete control; his opponent had been tricked to fall behind him (yes-third time was lucky). Everything now going his way and the path clear between him and the basket, Touya focused his attention on the hoop, eyes never leaving it. He came to a stop, legs set apart, creating a firm base before he transferred the power to his legs.

        Leaping into the air, ball steady in hand, his eyes continued to remain on the basket's rim. Just as he reached the pinnacle of his jump, Touya propelled the ball towards the basket.

        The line was perfect, as if travelling along a guided path, not even a centimetre of deviation seen in its flight. Touya felt good about this, he could hear his gut scream with unabashed certitude-that was how confident he was of this shot. Then, to his uncalculated surprise, a blow was dealt to his gut seconds later, when the ball was intercepted and slapped away in one swift motion.

        Stunned by the rush of an image that passed him by, Touya spun his head sharply to his left before realisation kicked in. Internally, he cursed at his misfortune and the guy's frustrating intercept. Somehow, his opponent had managed to come from behind and seize the ball.

        Gasps of astonishment coursed through their spectators. Yukito continued to cheer from the sidelines, "Almost Touya. Nice steal, Chen-kun!"

        "Hard luck," Yoshiro commentated from two positions right of Sakura. "Your brother's friend wasn't kidding when he said he was fast," he added, amazed.

        Judging from the slow nod Sakura responded with she hadn't thought too much different. Her attention stayed with her brother who had regained his composure to appear strong and determined in his defensive position, while his opponent took the ball back towards the perimeter.

        "Well, Kinomoto-kun." Chen's intonation was less arrogant than previously. "Last point: will the game be mine? Or could it be yours? What do you think?" Touya's brown eyes drilled into Chen's green ones, no words escaping his even lips, as if attempting to reach into the part of his psyche that would send him sprinting off to a remote, cavernous cave in search of refuge.

        Neither of them surrendered nor spoke; only the persisting, intense concentration seen through the steadfast gaze of their eyes articulated the intentions of one another-that was, of course, to prevent the other from winning the challenge. Audible pants had subsided to quiet breaths of air as everything seemed to have fallen to a standstill; all surroundings remained unchanged, and if it were not for the bounce of the ball in Chen's possession, the two men would've appeared like statues caught in time.

        The right eyebrow of Chen's twitched high. " Mine !"

        Chen forced the ball to Touya's blind side as he rolled around to rendezvous with the ball rear of him; Touya quickly spun around. Normally, his characteristic, lightning-speed reaction would save him from any situation, but it seemed this time was not to be one of them.

        His watch came to meet up with the basket-the place he had hoped not to see the ball the most-but it was exactly where the ball was.

        Round and round it went, travelling along the rim of the basket, taking its time in picking which of the two men it wanted to side up with. It seemed to take forever, but finally the ball had made its choice. Chen's residue touch must have influenced it as the ball tipped into the basket, giving Chen the point and the game.

        Touya expressed a sigh within. He walked up to the victor. "Good game," accepting the defeat with grace.

        The victor faced him with a friendly smile, "You played well, Kinomoto-kun." He appeared to have finished, but then to add, "But it's like me trying to beat you at your number one game."

        "Wow, Chen-kun, you are a very skilled basketball player!" Yukito said with admiration, coming onto the court. "Here are your drinks, Touya, Chen-kun."

        Chen took the bottle of water that had been tossed towards him as he smirked in response to the compliment. "Yes, but I hear that Tsukishiro-kun is quite the basketball player too. Maybe we could have a one-on-one as well some time?" A modest smile appeared on Yukito's lips.

        "Oh, Touya, look who came to visit you?" Touya turned to look behind his shoulders, in the direction in which Yukito had directed his gaze to.

        His curious eyes turned to apathy at the site of Sakura. "How come you're here, Kaijuu?"

        Her friends trailing her steps, Sakura walked up to the university students, heavy in her steps, resisting to charge at Touya like a mad bull. As soon as she arrived in the company of the new face, her demeanour softened to show civility.

        "We were visiting our old school, Tomoeda Elementary. We were about to head home, but then we saw Yukito-san. and then Onii-chan playing basketball, so we decided to stay and watch."

        "Is this your younger sister, Kinomoto-kun?" Chen asked.

        He nodded. "Sakura," then drank ample amounts of water, relieving his parched throat.

        Chen moved to address Touya's little sister, "Nice to meet you, Kinomoto-san. I'm Chen Shaojian." His gaze swept across to the quiet ones behind her. "And who are your friends?"

        Sakura bowed. She started her introductions from right to left, "This is Daidouji Tomoyo, Sato Yoshiro, and Li Syaoran."

        "Nice to meet you." Chen looked at each of them in turn. ".Daidouji-san .Sato-kun .Li Syaoran." He then returned to Touya and Yukito. "Good game, Kinomoto-kun. See you in class."

        Touya nodded while Yukito replied, "See you later, Chen-kun."

        "Anyway, Sakura," Touya called after Chen's departure, "I'm going to be at Yuki's, you'll be alright with dinner?"

        Syaoran listened with interest to her answer.

        Sakura took a moment to think as she ran her mind through the items she remembered to be in the fridge. There was a bit of meat, fish, vegetables, and in the pantry, noodles-she could probably throw something together. "Hai, it's all settled!"

        Satisfied with the answer, Touya prepared to head off to gather his basketball and sports bag from the sidelines. "Alright, I'll see you at home tonight. I'll be home around ten."

        "Hai!"

        "See you later, Sakura-tachi," Yukito said in his usual pleasant tone. "Walk home safely."

        "Hai," they replied.

        Touya swung his sports bag over his shoulder as he casually made his departure with Yukito by his side. But only a few steps into his journey, danger called upon him to reverse in his path; the tone of that voice which had reached his ears was so disturbing, reinforcements of the other senses had been alerted to aid immediately, offensive patterns on standby. The one he addressed as "gaki" (boy) had only expressed: "Sakura" so far, but the motive sensed behind the intonation was enough to proceed to code yellow.

        "Huh? Why have we stopped, Touya?" Yukito's expression was blank and confused.

        Eyes through slits and at the corner, he growled, "Something's up." Yukito raised an eyebrow before following Touya's gaze.

        "Would you like to have dinner with me, tonight?" Syaoran asked.

        He waited patiently for her answer, gazing into Sakura's green eyes which stared back, perceiving none of his thoughts. On the outside, Syaoran stood with composure; beneath the surface however, a light stirring of butterflies reeled at his innards. It was not a reaction to the possible rejection-that possibility he could handle, but it was the significance of the occasion which he had yet to disclose to her, if she were to accept.

        He saw Sakura's lips curl upwards. "Okay, sure Syaoran-kun!" still unsuspecting she replied.

        A small smile showed through Syaoran's lips before straightening in hesitation for the briefest of seconds. Then the smile returned. "Please. dress nicely."

        "H-hoe?"

        "Li-kun." Tomoyo stepped in, positioning herself between the two. An even smile spread across her face, casually asking, "Are you taking Sakura-chan out on a date?"

        Sakura's eyes widened. Her attention previously focused on Tomoyo, transferred to Syaoran, in search of a translation, as if the combination of the words used in the sentence were unfamiliar to her comprehension.

        "Hai," Syaoran said huskily, corners of the lips lifting.

        Right-that was it. And Touya was off. In a huffing and puffing manner, he set off in his tracks, keeping a tight focus on the boy as his annoyance fuelled his advance. The nerve of him-how dare he ask his barely , thirteen-year-old sister out on a date! .Not that brat-if he had anything to do with it. He was going to get in there right now and spread some of his wrath onto that Li Syaoran; nothing was going to stop him!-until he felt resistance at his arm that was.

        "Touya." It was Yukito who had taken hold of Touya's left arm. Touya turned around, "you don't want to ruin this for Sakura-chan, do you?" He didn't reply, waiting for the reason behind Yukito's advice.

        "Sakura-chan likes spending time with Li-kun-" A jagged spark of electricity seemed to have exerted from Touya's eyes at the mention, shooting both of them towards Syaoran's position. Better change tact; his words were aggravating the situation much more than it helped.

        "It can't be fun for Sakura-chan to spend the entire evening by herself. " Smooth. Yukito had managed to alter direction. "A girl her age should be out with her friends-don't you think, Touya?"

        He stood, stubbornly contemplating Yukito's words. It stayed for a few seconds before a deep grumble came from the man. Reluctance. But in this situation, it was a good sign.

        Yukito played on his indecision. "C'mon, Touya, let's get something to eat. I'm kind of hungry." Then a smile spread across his lips-most likely one that he often used in situations necessary of persuasive means.

        Touya relaxed his frown, muttering, "Why did that Kaijuu have to like that Gaki?"

        Yukito gave a light laugh to the comment, "Great! I can't wait to get some food into my stomach," before dragging him away from a scene that had turned into quite a one-person frenzy at the moment.

        "Oh this shot is great. This one too. Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!"

        "Daidouji-san. that camera." Yoshiro, who wore a mystified expression, inclined left and right, trying to search around Tomoyo for something that might accommodate the filming device. "Did you have that with you this afternoon?"

        Continuing to parade around the bewildered Sakura and Syaoran in the centre of the circular path she had travelled, Tomoyo replied, "Hai!"

        Her response was firm, but the answer lacked anything that convinced Yoshiro she had given much attention towards it. Leaving it at that, he set the thought adrift, simply chuckling, "Oh. Then. it must be my mistake."

        ".Ooh perfect!" Tomoyo finally calmed down to stand still in one spot, camera set on Syaoran, over the shoulder of Sakura. "Li-kun, I didn't get you asking Sakura-chan out, so could you ask Sakura-chan out again?" Syaoran raised an eyebrow, facing into the lens of the camera. She continued over his hesitance. "And Sakura-chan can answer Li-kun again, okay?"

        "Hoeee. Do we have to Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura was just as hesitant as Syaoran, but knowing how deep they were in Tomoyo's territory now, neither she nor Syaoran could really deny their friend of the request.

        "Hai! It is the beginnings of any great romance movie, Sakura-chan!"

        A romance movie!?! -"Hoeeeeee."

        "Alright, remember what you have to do, Li-kun?"

        "U-uh," Syaoran nodded, less than willing, wincing at the foreseeable, face-reddening future.

        One smile came from Tomoyo behind the camera before she commanded, " Action! "

        It was always a wonder how much power food held over the guardian beast. Provided that there was enough to even cater his mountainous appetite, Kero could most likely be left alone days-on-end, down in a basement somewhere, and it would undoubtedly keep him entertained for the period.

        "How's that cake?"

        Kero was delightedly feasting on the last half of his cake as he sat on the side of the plate which once held the other half of the butter-cream chocolate dessert, devoured by him not too long ago. He took a semi-break from it. His cheeks swelled in amidst scoffing down another helping as he spared the moment to respond.

        "I don't know why no one wanted this cake, Tomoyo-it's great!" A cake slid down his oesophagus. "It was nice of you to bring this over for me to eat!"

        Tomoyo smiled from her position at Sakura's bed. "No problem, Kero-chan. It was just sitting in the fridge."

        True. But it was not as simply as she had put it. The chocolate cake was in fact waiting to be the Daidouji's dessert course later tonight, but it seemed Tomoyo believed occupying Kero's stomach meant much more than satisfying their own this evening; keeping Kero in good company, and as much out of the way as possible was just as important as the occasion itself.

        For a few moments more, Tomoyo watched Kero with an amused smile before switching her attention to set her focus across the room to her right. "How is it, Sakura-chan?"

        Standing at the wardrobe door was Sakura studying her reflection in the full-length vanity mirror. Her eyes gleamed and her smile was wide, "It's so beautiful, Tomoyo-chan!" she replied ecstatically. "Thank you-I love it so much!"

        Sakura could not keep her eyes off the elegant dress that Tomoyo had made for her-one out of the many in fact. Spread out over her bed were many other beautiful designs that she could have chosen from, but the dress she currently had on was the one she had settled with, purely for its simplicity.

        A pinkish-hued dress, in the colour of her favourite flower was adorned with mid-length, free flowing ribbons made of light, delicate material that streamed down the front and the sides of the shoulders. On the left strap was an embroidery of-yet again-cherry blossoms made of beads of pink and white; and finishing off the one-piece was a humble thistle choker where a small imitation glass wing hung.

        Sakura felt wonderful in it. Through the soft appearance of Tomoyo's design, it had bestowed a gentle sophistication, granting her a sense of maturity; she felt like she no longer looked like a little girl, but a young lady. She hoped that Syaoran thought the same when he saw her later tonight.

        "Did this take you very long to make, Tomoyo-chan?" she asked whilst she continued to admire the outfit.

        "Nope," Tomoyo replied simply.

        Sakura then looked into the reflected eyes of her friend in the mirror, feeling a sort of guilt. "Hmm. Tomoyo-chan always spends so much time making things for me, but-"

        "Of course," she quickly interrupted, "only the best for my Sakura-chan! Besides, I had a lot of fun making it-" She stood up, moving to Sakura's position then began to smooth and position each of the wide, wing-like ribbons. Suddenly, her cheerful expression was replaced by the steep slant of her eyebrows. Tomoyo exhaled heavily in dejection:

        "-although, Sakura-chan doesn't ever have the chance to wear my battle costumes anymore." Another sigh followed, falling further into the mood. "I was so sad when I realised this." Sakura's expression slowly began to take the same form as her friend's cast. Then the quick upturn of Tomoyo's mood caused Sakura to change to curiosity. "But while I was feeling sad, I realised something else!"

        "Hoe, what's that, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked with anticipation.

        Her face lit up upon recalling the moment of illumination. "Well-now that Sakura-chan and Li-kun are officially together, I figured that, although Sakura-chan may not be able to wear my battle costumes, there will always be special occasion outfits to be made, right?"

        As Tomoyo began to float into the sea of calendar dates and their corresponding outfits, Sakura straightened whilst an eyebrow slowly rose in puzzlement. Tomoyo soared even higher.

        "Outfits for. Sakura-chan's dates, Sakura-chan's birthday, White Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas... lunch dates."

        "Oh." A half-smile lingered on her lips, uncertain whether to be excited or frightened. "That's. great, Tomoyo-chan."

        While Tomoyo continued to list many more unofficial dates of importance, Sakura soon found herself staring blankly into the mirror, drifting into the reverie of those mentioned occasions. There were many in the year that she could look forward to now. Days that were previously just any other day to her, now held great meaning-another one of Syaoran's gifts to her.

        And tonight, it was going to mark her first date with him. Like any other person in her situation, she felt nervous at the moment-excited, but nervous. Before she left the basketball courts, Syaoran had said that he'd be taking her out to a restaurant; he had informed her that he'd be waiting for her outside-on account of Tomoyo's insistence that she be taken in a limousine tonight, to arrive with class. Sakura wondered how he was doing, what he was wearing.

        Probably something really handsome, she thought seconds later.

        Then the thought of a poster she once saw in a department store unexpectedly came to her mind, replaying what she had seen. A guy and a girl sat in a car, parked in the park's car-parking lot. The couple stared intently into each other's eyes, intrigued by one another.

        "For a smoother, tastier, and everlasting experience. New fruity flavoured lip balm, try it; it's like eating the fruit," it had said underneath the advertisement. And this catchphrase had her caught; drew her in like bait to a fish in purchasing what it was promoting.

        She was on her way out the department store she and Tomoyo had visited, in search of a new pair of slippers in central Tokyo, when the advertisement played in her mind, just like it had done so now; and kept on playing until her mind finally settled on the fact that she needed to head back to that counter that displayed the sticks of lip balm, and buy it!

        The strawberry-flavoured lip balm she had picked out now permanently had a place next to her face mirror, alongside her plush toys, still in its seal, unopened. Maybe she would open it tonight and use it for this occasion.

        "That's much better. You're almost ready for Li-kun!" Tomoyo's voice came in, breaking her thoughts. She looked to the reflection in the mirror. Tomoyo was holding a hair brush and had just finished running it through, having apparently come back down from her fanciful thoughts. She had also secured sections of her hair with an ornament of beads, ribbons, and feather tassels.

        Returning to her surroundings, Sakura gasped at the sight of the accessory. "Oh, Tomoyo-chan, that's so pretty!"

        Tomoyo smiled upon the pleasure she heard in her friend's tone. "I'm glad you like it, Sakura-chan." She flicked the feathers a couple of times, distributing a bit of air, volume and life into them. "Good."

        "Arigatou (Thanks), Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura giggled at the delightful decorations on her hair. She twisted and turned in the mirror, contented by the sight. Then she moved her attention away from the mirror towards the direction of her study desk, "What do you think, Kero-chan?"

        Hearing the call, Kero lifted his head upright, his two paws stopped amidst assisting another cake's demise. It had been placed three-quarters the way inside his mouth when Kero froze all actions-quite a welcoming reprieve for this piece of cake really; Kero hadn't left a moment to breathe since Tomoyo set the cake in front of his face-before he pulled it back out, politely closing his mouth to spare a moment to his mistress.

        Kero didn't speak as he studied her appearance for a few seconds, before finally, he responded with an enthusiastic: "You'll knock him over, Sakura!" followed by a second more of attention, and a small smile (with cream on the side), then forwarded his attention back towards his beloved cake to begin feeding again.

        "Thanks, Kero-chan!" Sakura assumed his answer was most likely calculated judging from the display she just witnessed, but she grinned at the response nonetheless, accepting the compliment with great satisfaction.

        Tomoyo moved away from the wardrobe area to head over to the bed. There, lay a plain shopping bag of which Sakura was drawn to set her attention on. Curiosity had wanted her to ask what it was that was inside the bag, but she refrained from doing so. Instead, she waited patiently for Tomoyo to unveil whatever it was inside.

        She had pulled out another bag-one that was plain white, with a branch of hand-embroidered sakuras curving along the bottom-left corner. Tomoyo came around to stand in her original position, next to the wardrobe. "Hai (Here you go). A girl can never go out without a fashionable evening bag."

        Sakura clutched onto the bag by the handles. She looked at it then at the dress she was wearing. Tomoyo-chan must have made this too. Everything Tomoyo-chan did, she really does do it right to the end. She smiled with further gratitude, "Arigatou, Tomoyo-chan," then moved to take her friend into her embrace. "I can't thank you enough for all of this."

        "But we're not done, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo said, breaking from the hug. Sakura watched her walk in the direction of the study desk with raised eyebrows when a ringing tone was heard sounding through the room.

        Tomoyo jumped slightly at the noise. It was her cell phone. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. Hold on." Sakura nodded as Tomoyo headed to her carry bag on the desk, to where the sound was coming from. "Moshi, moshi (Hello).?" she answered, "Mother... Hai."

        Leaving Tomoyo and her mother to their conversation, Sakura turned herself back towards the mirror, gazing happily then ponderously at her reflection. I wonder what Syaoran-kun will think of this.

        She began fiddling with the strap of the shoulder, needing to fix it until it was at a position of her liking. But those movements soon became slow and indolent. Her hand stopped to rest at her arm as she stared blankly into the mirror, relocating herself to her thoughts.

        Several moments later, Sakura was pulled back out, "Hoe?"

        ".Hai, Mother. I'll be waiting outside shortly then." she had heard Tomoyo say. Tomoyo put the phone down then headed towards her with a saddened expression. With concern, Sakura asked, "What is it, Tomoyo-chan?"

        She took hold of Sakura's hands upon reaching her, "Mother has requested me to come home and help her out with some business at her toy company."

        "Is everything okay?"

        "Hai. but I won't be able to take Sakura-chan to her date with Li-kun anymore," she said with disappointment-probably more disappointed than Sakura herself.

        Sakura shook her head. "That's okay, Tomoyo-chan. You need to help your mother-I can get myself there. Don't worry." She looked at the clock sitting by the ledge above her headboard. "If I hurry and leave now, I'll still be able to make it on time."

        Taking a few steps to her left, Tomoyo held open the curtains to her bedroom window, looking outside. "Hmm. it's quite dark-I can get some of my bodyguards to escort you there."

        Again, Sakura's head shook, quickly dismissing the offer: the thought of an entourage of black-suited escorts accompanying her to her date didn't settle too well. It wasn't as if she was a famed celebrity or anything like that; having them there would only send too many unnecessary stares her way, and she certainly did not want that.

        "I-it's okay, Tomoyo-chan. I'll be alright," she reassured her, but it didn't relieve her friend's concerned cast. She added, "If I get into any trouble, I've always got the cards by my side. Don't worry. But thanks for worrying about me, Tomoyo-chan."

        Reluctantly accepting Sakura's decline, Tomoyo returned to her original path before she was interrupted by the call from her mother. "There's something you must put on before you see Li-kun."

        "Hoe?" What else had Tomoyo brought along to go with this outfit? She had already considered it complete; with the dress, hair, the matching bag-and those shoes downstairs which Tomoyo had also brought along-there couldn't be anything more.

        Once again, she watched her with curious eyes, head inclined to a side. Tomoyo was heading towards the study desk, appearing to be reaching for the bag she had her belongings in, when she stopped short of that. She pointed to a red box.

        "This is where the jewellery is stored?"

        "Hai."

        Sakura watched her open the lid, wondering what might've brought Tomoyo to the jewellery box. Her friend had pulled out the red, Chinese fabric envelope she had received as part of a gift months ago. A quiet gasp escaped her: Oh, the anklet!

        "We should put it on this evening."

        "Hai!"

        A cool sensation tickled her skin as Tomoyo wrapped the slender silver anklet around her ankle. Sakura lowered her eyes to gaze upon the piece of jewellery, at which an unexpected flare of a tingly sensation began to diffuse through her body. Maybe it was its beauty, maybe it was the evening-or both-but the longer she kept her eyes on it, the giddier she got.

        "There you go, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo stood up. "Li-kun will be happy to see this on you."

        Sakura took hold of Tomoyo's hands, "Thank you."

        Tomoyo smiled, "Okay. But before you go, please let me get a shot of our grown-up Sakura-chan." There were no objections.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

        Sakura's evening bag rocked up and down. Inside, harboured a little, furry stowaway.

        "Sakura's taking a while to get there." Kero complained. It was no surprise Kero had joined Sakura; she was heading to a place with food after all. Where there was food, there was Kero-never mind that this was his mistress' date.

        His neck craned with impatience as he stood erect, peering into the clear night above, in wonder of his position. "She won't notice me if I take a look."

        Popping his head through Sakura's bag, Kero scanned his surroundings. He saw a few houses, a few people, quiet; not yet near the market district. But how far was he to the restaurant? He turned to his left: a silhouette of a large bird statue caught his attention.

        An eyebrow rose. "The park.? My food expects me to be there now!" -or, rather his stomach did.

        In disappointment, he sunk back down below, to feel a-a curious shake under him. He ignored the motion, thinking that a slight shift of his weight would settle it-but no. Shortly after, the ground awoke to a violent tremble, slipping and sliding beneath him, throwing him off balance. As he held back-what would have been-a shrilling, feminine scream in fear of his detection, his head jerked in one direction; his feet went in the other, all the while, gravity pulled him back down towards Earth.

        THUMP

        How much it must hurt to arch over an object in such a way. Kero moaned in pain as he lay there with his round belly pointed high towards the sky; his head snapped backwards-still and daring not to move as he waited for the period of caution to pass.

        Slowly, Kero rolled off whatever was underneath him.

        "You!" quietly he hissed. In his grasp held a slender cylindrical object, one that was not too much shorter than him. Kero tightened his grip further around it, giving it a deadly glare: " You almost blew my cover!" before his anger rashly hurled it out of the bag.

        "What?" Sakura peered over her shoulder to see that her lip balm was mysteriously lying next to her feet. Puzzlement spread across her cast as she bent down to pick it up. "How did that get there?" she said as she rose to stand upright again.

        Furrowed brows were briefly directed towards the bag by her side, pondering on the oddity for a moment longer. Something about the bag, the look of it seemed strange, but she couldn't quite grasp onto what it might've been. She shrugged it off as she switched her attention back to the stick of balm in her hand.

        She had fixed her eyes on it like it had some sort of spellbinding power that had kept her there. She took the cap off as she put it close to her nose, smelling the sweet, strawberry scent. If it were the scent of a real strawberry, it'd surely be a succulent one:

        "Oishii (Yummy)!" Sakura then twisted the bottom and ran the smooth feel of the balm across her lips a couple of times.

        "This is going to be great! It's just going to be Syaoran-kun and me tonight." Suddenly, nerves erupted through her. "But my heart is beating so fast when I think about it. I've been alone with him many times before, but. for some reason I've never felt more restless."

        Yes, Sakura was beginning to grasp onto the new level they were approaching in their relationship. Tonight was going to be different. It wasn't just a dinner between friends where they talked about casual topics in a casual manner; there was going to be tension, a lot of thoughts, and there was going to be a lot of expectations coming from both ends.

        The cap clicked closed as Sakura placed it back onto the lip balm. "But I can't wait to see him!"

        She continued to exist in her thoughts as she moved through the relaxed streets, paying no heed to a sudden chill of the night's wind and the aura-the familiar red glow that had begun to materialise around her ankles. It flickered in and out, intensifying to a brighter hue before sinking to settle underneath her soles.

        "What-?" Sakura attempted to move her feet in a convulsing heave. But no amount of force was going to budge them; she was nailed down solid. Any other part of her body she was able to freely move, but her feet, they felt like concrete-heavy and stiff.

        As if they were not her own, she lost balance, descending to the ground awkwardly. Her ankle protested at the angle it was forced to take as she felt the majority of the sprain reside in her right foot. It was then she had caught onto the unmistakable sensation-it was here.

        Sakura slowly stood upright, careful as to not agitate her ankle further. She surveyed the vicinity with her senses.

        It was somewhere close-by. but where was it? She couldn't concentrate. With all the distractions-the people, the rustling leaves. the wind that blew louder than a tiger's roar-it was difficult to do anything, let alone make any progress on the aura's location. But perhaps it wasn't so much the people, the leaves, or the wind (which barely whistled) that held her back in isolating the aura, but more so, the frustration she felt at the timing of the visit.

        Of all the times the aura could have chosen to make an appearance, did it have to choose this evening, on the night of her first date with Syaoran? She knew that there was always a possibility that the aura could drop by and interrupt this evening; it was never too far from her mind, but was it too much to ask?-for an evening free from its chaos, from its interruptions? She had hoped so much for a night free from it all; to be granted this one evening to truly enjoy the moment.

        And she deserved it. No one could deny that fact, but in the eyes of the aura, a moment's respite as Cardmistress was too much to ask for; it continued to try her patience, fluctuating in its presence.

        "I'm sensing the aura."

        Sakura returned from her thoughts to nod to the voice she had registered as her guardian, Kero. The small magical beast positioned himself beside her, on guard.

        What was he doing here?-Never mind; aura first.

        "It's close."

        "Yeah."

        They could feel it at a number of locations: amongst the forest of trees behind the park. near a distant lamppost. in front of the swing set.

        Swing set. Sakura's brow vexed.

        She had felt it at the swings-a site where there was no blockade of any sort to obstruct the line of vision; of close proximity; an open space with no place for hiding. It was there, at the swing set. and yet, she saw no presence of an actual figure.

        The night had become long for the teenage boy. Dressed in a smart yet trendy shirt and pants, Syaoran nervously stood next to the entrance of the popular teenage hangout across town, searching high and low for the girl that was to be his date tonight. But having poured over his watch three times already and surveyed the well-lit streets before him, there was no such relief from the anxiety that had formed since the morning.

        Sakura was only a few minutes late, but twenty minutes waiting to see a black limousine pull in front of him had made his palms become a slippery surface; he, growing ever the more restless further into the wait.

        "I wonder where Sakura is."

        A group of diners filed past him as they made their way into the restaurant. The noise coming from inside had matured to a bustling hum since his arrival-from only a quiet setting, a few heads, to a room packed full of happy diners.

        Syaoran retreated to his thoughts. "We're supposed to meet here at seven o'clock, but she hasn't arrived yet. Maybe she thought it was at a different time, but Daidouji had confirmed it to be seven."

        He reached for his cell phone in his trouser pocket. "I should check if she's okay." He dialled the combination of digits that was Sakura's cell phone number.

        No answer-a continuous dial tone.

        He clicked off. "She's not answering." His eyes moved off to stare out into the distance. "Could something have happened?"

        There were moments of indecision, whether to move off-afraid that if he had chosen to do so, she'd arrive to find him absent-or, to stand here, continue to wait and wonder what predicament she might have landed herself in. And having weighed the two against each other, he found the former option to be the better: move off in search of her; standing here, it was not going to do either of them much good. He would take the most likely route Daidouji's limousine would travel-that way, he'd maximise his chances of meeting up with them on the way.

        "Good evening, young man. Nice evening tonight, isn't it?" a passer-by greeted.

        He looked up at the friendly face who had greeted him. This man had a lady friend; they were both dressed up: tux and evening gown; probably heading to a restaurant in the area, or to enjoy some of the organised social events of the night.

        "Good evening. Yes," Syaoran returned politely, before the couple continued in their way, chatting amongst themselves, laughing at something he did not care to catch.

        "Syaoran-kun!"

        Someone else was calling for him now. But this time, without looking, he instantly knew who it was. As she appeared through the darkness, into the light, it was at that point, he realised his eyes had locked in place. on her. They could not move a single inch!

        The cascading ribbons that streamed behind her; the golden bangs that framed her sweet face. It wasn't like the usual, he couldn't say what it was exactly, but it was different somehow; and the dress that she wore-Sakura was. Sakura was.

        Words had suddenly escaped him.

        "Sorry to make you wait, Syaoran-kun!"

        Still, he was silent. His mouth just wouldn't form the words in which his mind wanted to express aloud.

        "I hope you can forgive me."

        Her lips extended to a smile, to a sweet smile. but then he saw it dwindle; her cast had begun to convey a degree of concern. He was beginning to worry her. He had better snap out of this trance. "U-uh (Yeah)." He composed himself further. "Is everything okay, Sakura?"

        "Hai! Shall we make our way to the restaurant, Syaoran-kun?"

        "Uh. yeah."

        They walked side by side. No words were exchanged between the two, for the few seconds that had gone past. Sakura was reservedly walking on the left of Syaoran, staring directly at the pavement ahead of her, as if she had something to risk if she had turned towards his direction. She did, however, have a modest smile spread across her face, hands sweetly clasped in front of her.

        Meanwhile, Syaoran frequently snuck glances back and forth in her direction, continuing to admire. Examining closer though-the creased brow, the long, blank stares-that wasn't quite it. He was apparently unsure of something.

        Finally Sakura turned around to face him; it was then he clicked onto the feeling he was so accustomed to when magic was around-in particular, when the magic belonged to Sakura.

        "Mirror." Sakura's double straightened with slight shock upon her discovery, but she didn't speak. "Why has Sakura sent you-is she in trouble?" Mirror hesitated to reply. Syaoran enquired further-this time with urgency, "Where is Sakura?"

        ".She's at Penguin King Park ."

        Dash had returned to Sakura's side. Grabbing it with her fingers (hands, wrists and arms unable to move an inch from its extended form in front of her chest), she was somewhat relieved Mirror had reached Syaoran.

        Since the appearance of the aura, limb by limb, as each minute passed, they had been forced to take its final position before it was frozen in place by the magic. Few minutes after the locking of her feet came her legs; then, like a reverse head-to-toe scan, the magic moved up to her hips, before her chest became the victim of the magic, and just after the activation of Mirror and Dash combined, her arms were locked with her staff still in her grasp. Now, her head was the only part of the body she was able to move freely.

        "You know," Kero's speech was muffled, prevented from speaking clearly by a cell phone in his mouth, "the kid will notice that it isn't you the minute Mirror arrives."

        "I know, but at least he won't be waiting there alone." Suddenly, Sakura's head flicked to her right. "Kero-chan."

        "It's back," the guardian beast completed. He concentrated on the sensation.

        Again, it was on the move.

        Here. and over there.

        "The magician's dispersing its aura-it's why we can't isolate its position, Sakura," Kero expressed. She nodded with acknowledgement.

        "The aura is always changing its location. Like Dad had said one time when he referred to someone who couldn't stay still: it had ants in its pants. Plus, this aura." She expressed her next thought aloud. "There's something strange about it."

        Kero turned in her direction. "What do you mean?"

        "I don't know, Kero-chan. It just feels. today. like I've-"

        He waited for her completion of the very much broken sentence, but a voice interrupted their circle, calling from behind.

        "Kinomoto-san." Approaching from the far left was a shadowy figure. A female with long, dark hair had her hand up in the air, waving at her. Sakura snapped out of her concentration to curiously wait for the shadow to come into the light, whilst the fluffy tail belonging to Kero was seen disappearing into Sakura's bag. "Kinomoto-san, what are you doing here all alone at night?" she called again upon her arrival.

        It was her peer support leader from Seijyu High. Sakura froze: what was she going to do? Her arms were extended out in front of her and she had her sealing staff out in open view. Her stance was definitely questionable-how was she going to explain this?

        "Oh, Nakamura-san. umm. I was."

        A sign of the question was approaching; Nakamura had pitched her head in scrutiny. "Huh? Tai Chi, Kinomoto-san.? At this late hour?"

        That could work, but Sakura neither confirmed nor denied. She just laughed an awkward laugh before saying, "Does Nakamura-san live around here?" quickly she led the focus of conversation off of her.

        "No. I'm just walking around town with my boyfriend. It's a lovely evening to go out, isn't it?"

        "Hai."

        "Oh, actually he has mentioned that he knows your brother-Kinomoto Touya is your brother, isn't he?"

        "Yes," Sakura replied simply, allowing Nakamura to continue.

        She smiled, "I thought he might be." Her eyes flicked to Sakura's outfit (with a slight raise of the eyebrow upon returning to the sight of her unchanged stance), "What a lovely dress you're wearing. Meeting someone special tonight, Kinomoto-san?"

        "Hai."

        "You should hurry along then; you don't want to make that special someone of yours wait. It's also very dangerous for a girl like you to be out in the night like this."

        "Hai." Again she had answered the same way she had throughout the conversation, needing to keep this encounter as brief as possible.

        "On second thought-where is that boyfriend of mine? I'll ask him to take you where you need to be." She started scanning her surroundings, not noticing Sakura's persistent shake of the head.

        "No, no, it's okay. Thank you, Nakamura-san, but. I can get there myself." Then she laughed nervously, "It's not a problem. It's okay. really."

        "Here he is now!" She indicated her position to the tall shadow with a hand. Sakura couldn't turn to see who it was she was referring to, but she could hear the footsteps from behind.

        "Akina." he had called in his low, masculine voice. His voice softened, "Where did you run off to?"

        "Oh I saw Kinomoto-san standing here so I decided to come up to her and have a chat."

        Once he had taken his position to stand beside Nakamura, it was then Sakura recognised the guy as the one she had met earlier this afternoon, Chen Shaojian, during the basketball game between him and her brother.

        "Kinomoto-kun's sister-Sakura-san, wasn't it?"

        She bowed her head in politeness, "Hai."

        "I was just talking to Kinomoto-san about how it's not safe for her to be out here alone." The boyfriend nodded in agreement. "Shaojian, you don't mind dropping Kinomoto-san to where she needs to be?"

        Sakura quickly interjected, her tone becoming more desperate, "No, I'm fine. I don't want to trouble you both," but it seemed fruitless in her attempts as they continued to ignore her assurance in her own well-being.

        "Of course not-where are you heading?" Nakamura answered.

        "Umm."

        "Aren't you tired standing like that, Kinomoto-san?" Chen suddenly asked.

        She looked at herself, forgetting for a moment that she was still standing strangely. Catching on, she could only get out a shaky, "What was that?"

        "I've noticed you have been standing like that since I arrived." His eyes then moved to examine the staff in her hand. Sakura's eyes widened upon meeting up with the object of focus. "That's an interesting rod you have there in your hands. What is that?"

        Again she stumbled to answer, "U-umm."

        "Sakura." Everyone turned their heads towards the direction of the voice, behind Sakura-she, once again, unable to see who it was, but recognised the voice. It was Syaoran. ".You took my dare."

        "Syaoran-kun. H-hoe?"

        Calmly, he stood next to her, expression showing little; only a small lift of his right cheek. "To stand here, holding out your pink baton, remember?" he explained. Syaoran had obviously recognised Sakura's predicament and had opted to give an excuse.

        "Oh, yes," playing along.

        "Is that what Kinomoto-san was doing!" Nakamura nodded to her own thoughts, accepting the explanation. Then she turned her attention towards the young boy in front of her. "This must be your special someone, Kinomoto-san."

        "Hai." Sakura relaxed; she was going to survive through this after all. "This is Li Syaoran."

        Nakamura bowed, "Nice to meet you. Li-kun came in the middle of the first term didn't you?"

        "Yes."

        "So where are you two heading this evening? You don't want a lift?"

        "We were planning to stay here for a while," Syaoran answered.

        "Okay, well, if you two are fine." The two teenagers nodded with affirmation. ".we should be heading off. You two enjoy the rest of your evening." Nakamura wished whilst Chen smiled in the background.

        "Thank you," Sakura replied.

        Safe to come out, Nakamura and Chen now in the distance, Kero appeared from Sakura's bag. "I thought she'd never leave."

        "Are you alright, Sakura?" Syaoran leaned in to place his hands of comfort on her shoulders.

        "Hai." Amazingly, standing here after all this time, she felt no pain, no aches; had she held out this position for this long without the influence of magic, her limbs would undoubtedly have collapsed under her by now. There was none of that, but it was a ridiculous stance.

        "Here's Shield." Sakura turned to see Kero gripping onto the card with his paws. He placed it in front of her staff, "You should have used this before calling Dash and Mirror. You would have saved yourself a lot of trouble." A brief glance was directed towards Syaoran. "This brat of a boyfriend of yours could have waited a little longer."

        Not bothered to dignify that with an answer, Sakura began the call, "Shield: surround and shield us from this magic."

        Obeying the order, Shield activated. Sakura could feel her magic take effect as her limbs regained life and movement. But it was shaking, fighting to hang onto its freedom as Shield struggled to gain supremacy over the aura's magic. They had begun to lock up once again. Although the exact location of the aura was still undetermined, she could feel the magic now, it was persistent.

        "Sakura." Syaoran's intonation conveyed surprise: her magic was being challenged and matched by a source of magic he believed was weaker. With a furrowed brow, he watched on, unable to call upon his own magic to her defence.

        But the wavering in faith was unwarranted; it didn't take very long before the situation was back in Sakura's favour. She was gaining mobility again, and this time, it was sustained.

        Syaoran hurried to her side with deepened concern. "Sakura, are you alright?!"

        She was down on the ground, resting wearily. "Sore," she replied. Sakura felt nothing before, but now, the aches, it was all very much present. "But I'm okay." Her eyes looked into his with reassurance, but then they flicked to her left ankle. She began to rub it.

        "Is that sore?"

        "I think I sprained it." Syaoran acknowledged with a nod before he motioned to massage the injured ankle. He wasn't familiar with how this was done, but he made sure he didn't make it even worse, tending to it with care and tenderness.

        Sakura felt a slight blush creep onto her tired face as she looked on. "Thanks, Syaoran-kun," she said in an admiring whisper. He smiled as he carried on massaging.

        A few silent moments passed, Kero, just watching on.

        Sakura then saw his head lift, eyes staring into her own, the distance between his and her face not so far apart. "You. look beautiful Sakura."

        Her lips erupted into a smile. "Syaoran-kun looks great too!" Amongst all the commotion, and then just being captivated by his care with her ankle, she had forgotten to express what she had thought of him also. Then her lips depressed.

        Syaoran stopped massaging. "What's wrong?"

        "I was looking forward to our date so much. but now." She looked at her watch, "it's too late."

        "We can do it another time." Syaoran expressed a comforting smile then glided his hand across her back to the farthest shoulder, his face inching even closer.

        Feeling the disappointment being relieved by his touch and intimate hold, Sakura relaxed, giving in to accept the outcome of this evening. " Our date did get interrupted by the aura this time, but Syaoran-kun is right. We will have other times, and when that time comes, I'll be looking forward to it even more."

        "Are you tired?" his voice came in. Sakura nodded. "Then let's get you home."

To be continued in episode 10: “Sakura and Spinning Out of Control”.