Disclaimer: After seven chapters of me always going, "Look to the front of the story." one would expect you'd gotten the picture by now. But I don't own the Matrix, or any party involved in it.

Notes: Yeah, I'm a total bitch. I hate myself for making you all wait so long. I wanted it not to happen, but six out of seven times is pretty good…right? I mean, you're not going to flog me, are you?

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I Dare You to Dance

Chapter Seven: Twist and Shout

By Emmy

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Sakura had an interesting mix of temperatures in her bed.

Sakura turned over, feeling cold air hit her bare flesh; then she snuggled towards the nearest bit of warmth and her bed became warm. One side of her bed was cold, the other was warm. She really liked the warm side and decided to stay there, until an arm, a warm, velvety smooth arm draped over her and pulled up the blanket to cover her. Now all of her was warm. She felt kisses being littered all over her now warm shoulder and in her minds eye, all she could see was Syaoran's lips. She allowed a smile to creep onto her face, remembering just what those lips will do.  

She lazily turned round and kissed his delicious lips, "Good Morning."

He smiled softly and bundled her up in his arms and kissed the top of her head, "Go back to sleep."

Sakura pouted, "I can't."

The room was draped in a comfortable silence for a minute, until out of the blue Syaoran spoke up, his voice came out muffled from being smushed into her hair, "You get the feeling you're forgetting something?"

Sakura snuggled into his chest, "Yeah, a little."

Sakura reflected on how close their bodies must be. She could feel their legs completely intertwined, so it became like one big leg, and she was wrapped up in his arms, her head fitting neatly onto the crook of his neck. She giggled, and he looked down at her, a warm smile spread across his face and he just allowed her to giggle. He loved moments like this, he loved it when she was peaceful and tranquil and everything seemed perfect.

But back to the point at hand, both felt like they were forgetting something. And frankly, neither really cared. Sakura looked over to her alarm clock and her eyes widened, "Oh god…it's today!"

He sleepily mumbled, "What?"

She struggled a bit to get up and out of his grip, "The competition, it's today…I can't believe we forgot!"

Syaoran smirked as he watched Sakura climb of bed, wrap herself in a sheet and saunter over to the bathroom, "We had better things to do." 

Sakura had left the bathroom door open and Syaoran propped himself up on his arm and watched her with lazy, lust filled eyes, she yelled back, "We better start thinking about going, seeing as it's one 'o clock!"

He sat up, twisted his legs to the side and hopped out, pulling on some boxers to get breakfast ready for Sakura and himself.

And then it hit him. He had slept with innocent, sweet Sakura. He had been with, in the strongest sense of the word 'with', her in something he would truly love to do again. Everything about him wanted to be with her again. Every moment, every sigh, every single breath had been incredible.

Sakura was thinking along the same lines in the bathroom, except she was remembering something…or trying to. Everything was so hazy and completely amazing. She felt tingly and free and so happy. But she knew there was something she was neglecting, just something! Something so important that it didn't deserve to be forgotten.

Sakura stepped out of the shower and dried herself off and went over to the sink, brushed her teeth, and realizing they had no time for her to do her make-up; she threw her hair up in a bun and ran into their-her room. She could almost slap herself, it was her room, no their. Her. Singular. She pulled on some underwear and a bra and a pair of jeans and a warm black jumper and ran to the kitchen, and was faced with one of two miracles. Firstly, Syaoran was still here, he was shirtless and he was only in boxers. Secondly, it had started to snow.

She ran over to the window and pressed her hands up against the glass, squealing, and she felt warm arms envelope her and a warm voice invade her ear, "Do we have to go?"

Sakura nodded and turned around, "You better get dressed. It'll be cold in just that." She winked and went over to pull on some boots.

Syaoran shrugged and went inside their room and pulled on the discarded clothing he had left behind. He came out five minutes later, dressed and with shoes on. Sakura threw him a jacket and the two ran down the stairs, eager to get to the competition.

They grabbed a cab, Syaoran paying after an almost violent but playful scuffle. Sakura spun around in the snow outside the dance studio, people on the street looking at her as if she was crazy. She came at a stop at the site of Syaoran smiling affectionately at her, realizing she didn't care at all what people thought. She was happy. He brushed a snowflake off her nose and she gave him a huge smile, melting him completely. She hadn't expected the whole lust thing to last past the wonderful night. Apparently it had. And Sakura liked it. She was intending for it to last just a tad longer, if she could help it.

They ran inside the building as fast as they could, realizing just how late it really was.

They went into the studio and were greeted by a pacing Lisa, she looked up, and a maniacal grin came on her face. Sakura stepped back a little, Syaoran moved ever-so-slightly so his body was covering Sakura's. They both looked afraid by this sudden – craziness! This change in Lisa had been so frightening, so…so…unexpected, that neither knew what to do. Lisa helped them along, "Get into the middle of this studio, and dance. If you don't dance well, then I swear to God, I will never ever speak to either of you again."

Syaoran accepted this dramatic comment; Lisa was well-known for her outlandish moods. Sakura just did as she was told.

Syaoran drew Sakura close, closer then usual. They had been getting steadily more seductive in the past weeks, not to mention a whole-heap better. They danced with furious abandonment, their hips mimicking what they had done last night. Their feet intertwining like a pattern and when Syaoran spun Sakura out for the big finish, their bodies seemed to want each other back. When he spun her back in, they came so close that they were almost kissing.

Oh, how Sakura loved dancing with Syaoran.

And how Lisa loved to watch, but today, she had almost wanted to look away, they were just so good. And it was almost like watching something that she shouldn't have been watching. It was like the porn on at one 'o clock in the morning that Lisa's boyfriend swore he wasn't watching. He knew he shouldn't watch it, that it was dirty and sickening, but somehow he couldn't look away. And it was like that for Lisa, she couldn't stop. They were just so good. But somehow, she felt that she wasn't supposed to be there.

Something had happened, something majorly large. And Lisa had a good feeling of what had happened. And she didn't care, as long as it helped them dance, not hinder.

Sakura ended up closer to Syaoran then they'd even been while dancing. And he was so warm…and she was so cold. She innocently snuggled up against him and he put his arms around her and gave her a cuddle. Sakura blushed as she saw Lisa's gaze and broke apart, she muttered something containing a sorry and looked to the side.

Lisa shrugged, "Whatever. You two have your fun. I'm not stopping you."

Lisa stepped into Syaoran's arms and showed Sakura how to quickly do a move, to add a bit of flourish. Sakura's eye's narrowed at Lisa. 'How dare she!' screamed Sakura in her mind. That little slut! She crossed her arms and patiently waited for the two to stop, a none-to-pleased look on her face. But a sense of panic descended upon Sakura. What if Syaoran got comfortable? He saw Lisa enough to wonder what it would be like in another woman's arms.

Sakura hadn't had a serious relationship for a long time; she'd been busy with life and work and so much stuff! And now that she had the beginning of one, she didn't want to lose Syaoran so quickly. She forgot how strong jealousy could be and anyway, it wasn't often that you found the love of your life.

Sakura did a little back-step in her mind, she loved Syaoran. She really did. But how did she process this information so she didn't turn around and embarrass herself by blurting it out?  Should she just get it over with and tell him? Sakura was pulled gently into Syaoran's arms and they adopted the dance position, as they had done a million times before. She thought with dread, 'perhaps he thought it was a one-night thing.'

Sakura knew how some guys were, they did the whole wham-bam-thankyou ma'm sort of thing. Syaoran had been there when she had woken up, perhaps she was just being a little old-fashioned and she believed that he was going to continue waking up with her. But she loved him. She wanted him next to her always. He was so sweet, so caring and he was gorgeous! How was she, a woman at heart, supposed to ignore that?

Sakura glumly realized that the two of them never had much of a chance at friendship.

She shook out of her thoughts and looked up at Lisa, "How long have we got?"

Lisa looked at her watch, "We've got half-an-hour to get you in costume, make-up, etc. And you've got to practice while in costume."

Sakura nodded, and gave her best try at a confident grin, "We can do it!"

Lisa gave her a hi-five and nodded, she turned to Syaoran, "At the end of the studio, in the corner, there's a suit for you."

She pointed to where it was and he jogged over, she turned to Sakura, "And you, let's get you to my office."

Sakura was dragged into the office and passed a black sparkling skirt that show a large portion of her thigh when she twisted. Her red top was scandalous, tight around the middle but almost falling off her shoulders. She was made up, her stage-make-up heavy looking when not under stage lights but natural under them. She had one black jewel on the side of her face, beside her eye. Her hair was half-up with a flower placed and taped behind her ear. Her feet were in black ballet shoes that were laced up to her ankle. The shoes themselves had a large heel that Sakura was not completely comfortable in.

Sakura walked out of the office, blushing heavily, her hands firmly on the top of her top. She hissed, "Dear Lord, Lisa!! How am I supposed to keep this top from falling down and exposing myself?"

Lisa winked, "With a hope and a prayer."

Sakura glared a little and Lisa smiled and clasped an arm around her shoulder, "Don't worry, you'll be fine!"

Sakura smiled slightly as they entered the studio and then she looked over to Syaoran. He looked up at her, gave a small wave and smiled a little. Sakura breathed in deeply, he looked fantastic. He strode over, looking extremely manly with his suit. He was wearing black dress-shoes, some black slacks, and a shirt with no tie and a dinner jacket. Lisa admonished him, "Where's your tie?"

Syaoran shrugged, "I looked like an idiot."

Lisa shook her head and whispered with much fierceness, "Men."

Syaoran put an arm around Sakura and kissed the top of her head, "You look wonderful."

Sakura smiled and with a sigh, leaned into his embrace, "As do you."

Lisa rolled her eyes, "Okay, I don't want to…you know…break up the cuddle-fest but we have a show to get to in oh…I don't know…ten minutes!"

She began muttering about how lucky they were it was in the same building. Sakura laughed and the trio made their way out of the studio, down the dank stairwell and into a large auditorium. Sakura breathed in deeply as she saw the scenery on the stage, it was of a Spanish-like courtyard and was so finely painted that it looked almost real. She asked Lisa, "They did that for us?"

Lisa laughed, "Good God no! That's for the opera that was staged here a few weeks ago. I think it was 'Carmen.'"

Sakura nodded, her mouth in an 'o' shape. She saw that Syaoran didn't look to amazed either, and Sakura began feeling like some small-town hick. An extremely nervous small-town hick. She stood a little closer to Syaoran who put his arms around her shoulders and they stared at the stage, seemingly lost in the enormous feat they were about to take part in.

Lisa looked over to see the two wrapped in each other's arms. She was personally glad that it had happened, Syaoran needed a woman. She made a mental note to tell Sakura that their first-born child was to be named Lisa. After all, she'd played a large part in the whole get-together. She rubbed her hands together, and pointed towards the stage, "Onwards!!"

Sakura and Syaoran shared a look and walked towards back-stage, and there, were greeted with about thirty other couples. Sakura immediately went for Syaoran's hand as she felt her nervousness completely bubble over. She looked up to him with big wide eyes, "I'm scared."

He smiled and squeezed her hand affectionately, "So am I."

Sakura felt plain and silly around the other girls who were all so lean and long and just…dancer-like. She looked up at Syaoran, nervous he noticed those beauties as much she did. Lisa found their spot and drew them over for a little pep talk, "You're around the start, number three. The competition starts in fifteen minutes."

She looked at them with seriousness on her features, "I believe in you. I've seen you dance; show this crowd what you are made of. Make them excited to see you, make them want to see you again."

She dragged two chairs over and the two sat down, never unclasping hands. Lisa smiled wistfully, "Okay, I'll be back in ten minutes with water and telling them you're here."

Sakura moved her chair a little closer, her face paling underneath all the heavy make-up. Syaoran put an arm around her and the two began one of those nonsense conversations, the kind that only makes sense when you're in love. Syaoran watched her smile and her laugh, her head fitted neatly into his shoulder. He just stayed silent and allowed her to rant about this and that. He noticed her talking about how she wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, and he squeezed her shoulder affectionately, "You'd be perfect."

Sakura sighed, "I love kids, and its just it's so expensive to go to teacher's college here."

She yawned, "I can make do with waitressing until I make enough."

He winced; it hurt for him to think about her waitressing in some dodgy little café like someone who had no dreams or hopes. He couldn't stand the thought, he just couldn't. She could get mugged, or harassed again…that'd be horrible. He'd be around of course, to protect her, but there was only so much he could do. He wanted to do more, lots more.

"My mother can sponsor you."

Sakura's eyes shot open and she looked at him with hope in her eyes, "What?"

Syaoran nodded quickly, "Mother would do it, and it'd be good for her to be seen doing that. I can talk to her later tonight."

She gaped a little, "Syaoran, what does your mother do?"

He opened his mouth but Lisa barged in and he gave her a helpless look. Lisa grinned and passed them two large pieces of paper with the number three stuck on them, she pinned it to the back of Sakura's top and to the back of Syaoran's suit. She sat in the middle of them and put her arms round their shoulders, "We're gonna do great!"

Sakura laughed nervously, "Sure we are."

Lisa glared at her, "We are. And you're up in ten minutes. Go stand by the stage."

They stood and wound their way through the crowd, arriving by the stage. They watched the audience grew larger and larger, until almost the whole auditorium was filled up, Syaoran looked over to Sakura and whispered, "Guess this is a little more popular then I thought." 

Sakura waved delightedly as she saw Natasha and Jake take some seats. Sakura relaxed a little, not to much, but it helped seeing the people she loved there. They watched quietly as the first two couples gracefully executed a beautiful Salsa. They were good, especially the first couple. It made Sakura feeling a little bit sick, no…a lot sick. They were on, defiantly, truly on. This wasn't an event that was going to happen in their lives, it was happening.

"And now for our third couple, Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li."

The two stepped onto the stage, the music started and Sakura freaked. She didn't want to be there. But she had to. She took up her dance hold with Syaoran who was muttering things under his breath designed to calm her down. They weren't working. Sakura went through the movements like a robot, before she allowed a little sensuality into her moves. Syaoran's hands were in dangerous places, in front of a crowd.

Then they picked up the pace and then things got sexy. Seriously sexy. They twisted and turned with such precision and grace, that the audience gasped. They became the favourite in the eyes of so many. Their moves were quick, synchronized, sexy and mesmerising. It made people want to get up and dance, it was a beautiful thing.

Sakura breathed deeply, and then they were going through the motions of one of their more complicated moves. It was a simple thing to remember, a series of feet movements, delicate and precise. She'd done it a million times, it was just she hadn't limbered up before going on stage, she'd forgotten about it. She slipped, just a fraction and landed on her ankle funny. She heard the crack, so did Syaoran.

She fell quickly, a yell escaping her lips. It was all going through her hands like sand. She couldn't move and her ankle hurt so badly. She didn't dare look at it; she could've gone into shock. Syaoran swooped down and put his scooped her up, careful not to jar Sakura's ankle. Lisa ran from the front row to the judges and then ran up onto the stage; she hissed quickly, "What happened?"

Sakura closed her eyes and buried herself closer to Syaoran who spoke for her, "She twisted a little and hit her ankle in a way and it's broken. I heard the snap."

Lisa shrank a little and put her head down, obviously disappointed, "Okay, get her to the hospital."

Syaoran nodded and took her down the stairs and into the street; they boarded a cab and went to the hospital, neither speaking.

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A week later, Sakura sat at her apartment's table, dressed in warm pyjamas and a robe, her foot on a chair in front of her, the radio playing softly in the background. She watched Syaoran adjust his tie and she called him over, she slid her hands up to the knot of the tie and undid it. He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair while she did it. She threw the tie to the side and nodded, then went back to sipping her tea. Syaoran picked up his briefcase containing his pens, paper and camera.

They went on not saying what was needed to be said.

The silence was getting to Sakura in a big way. It was on the tip of her tongue, and she wanted to say so many things, and she could, the moment she said, "I'm sorry."

Syaoran looked up at her with confusion, "You're sorry?"

She nodded realizing her inner thoughts had been said, "I'm sorry I fell."

He dropped his briefcase, and came over and dropped to his knees before her, "Oh Sakura, it's not your fault honey."

She gave a weird smile. Syaoran nervously said what. Sakura laughed, "You called me 'honey'."

His eyes widened with realization, "That I did."

She gave a huge smile, "I don't mind. Say it all you want."

He leaned up and kissed her lips, before breaking away and whispering in her ear, "Honey."

She giggled, savouring the moment, and then her eyes shot open. It was like being in the Matrix, Sakura decided. She realized something dramatic every five minutes. She realized how much she didn't want Syaoran to go. How much she loved him. How much she wanted to be with him forever. She blurted out into the silence, "Marry me?"

Syaoran was standing by now with his back to her, picking up his briefcase, which he promptly dropped again. He spun round quickly, shock evident on his face, "What did you say?"

She cringed on the inside, hating the whole blurting thing she was doing. On the outside, she stared at him for a long while, before saying in all seriousness, "Syaoran Li, will you marry me?"  

He looked thoughtful for a moment before drawling out casually, "Yeah, sure."

It was quiet for a moment, a song playing on the radio, the couple registering it and it became 'their song'.

She waved, "See you Syaoran."

Syaoran waved and picked up his briefcase and he left with a click of the door. Sakura reached over and turned up the radio, and grabbed a notebook and began doodling in it, smiling all the while.

She looked up quickly, startled. She had heard a loud stomping, and then she heard a large thump on her door before Syaoran burst through. He looked at her for a long while, before stalking over to her and kissing her madly. Sakura sank into the kiss, throwing her arms around his neck and responding with as much passion. He broke away and leaned in, their forehead's touching. Sakura could feel his warm breath all over her body, tingling deliciously.

He looked at her with the most beautiful look in his chocolate brown eyes, Sakura melting all the while. His voice was thick, rich and deep when he said the word's Sakura desperately needed to hear, "Sakura, I love you."

She smiled, hope shining in her eyes, "I love you too Syaoran."

They were crazy fools in love, completely, utterly in love. He had dared her to dance with him one day, and now it had blossomed into this. They LOVED one another. And it was a truly beautiful thing.

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END!

Yes, my darling baby is finally over. And what a funny nine weeks it's been. I love you all, thanks so much for the reviews and the encouragement. I started this in the Christmas holidays, pitching my idea to my beautiful beta Zenin, who puts up with way to much crap from me. I love her to much, she's so wonderful. Anyway, I end this in the Easter holidays. Pretty fitting I suppose. Oooh, I'm going to rant about how cool Zenin is now.

Zenin is the best person ever. She's sweet, funny, and talented as ALL hell. She rocks and she's a way better writer then I could ever hope to be. She inspired me, she still does. I aim to write as well as she does. What I said in my last author's notes about her and her needage to get her ass in gear was a lie. Her ass is in gear, it's in the best gear ever. Go read her stories, she deserves so many reviews. She's my favourite CCS writer, and one of my all-time favourite writers.

If you want to be on a mailing list for updates or for my next story, feel free to leave your email in a review! I'll send you an email when I start my new story.

Finally, thankyou to everyone who reviewed or liked my story. I am so proud to write for you, I adore you all. If I could crush you all to death in an unfortunate hugging accident, I would. Thanks for being patient, understanding and honestly, the wickedest bunch of people ever.

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Was a combined total of 18, 198 words (not counting author's notes)

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Is now Finished