Author's Notes: This chapter is kind of angsty, not that the previous chapter wasn't annoying so to speak, but this one is angsty. Once more, there is more Sakura bitchiness, but oh well, someone has to do it. Once again, she will get better, hopefully. I mean, she will get better, but I'm lame and lazy and lack sugar and is unable to go on coffee highs anymore due to my recently developed allergy, which sucks because it makes my writing boring and tedious. sighage That and I've got this horrible headache, which developed from playing too much GTA3 on the X-Box (the perspectives changed way too much for my liking, and once you get a tank, everybody just dies!). Anyways...enjoy...

Oh, and Tenshi, yes, sorry about the lack of cute, nerdy Syaoran. I wrote this before I realized that cute, nerdy characters are so glompable sigh. I feel so deprived now that I've forfeited the chance of making Syaoran adorable and huggable. Bleah, one day, I'll make him cute and adorable and nerdy and fandom Hee-chan like! But...bleah, that will have to wait. Curse my writer's blockness...damnit, I'm not even a proper writer! I'm student damnit! And it's making it hard even to do work! insert random other rantage

Anyways, enjoy all.

And a hug to all my reviewers and readers who don't review. Hopefully none of you are too tall, because my experiences with hugging tall people are far less than desired (who enjoys having to stand on tip toes to hug some guy who ends up still having to bend just so that you'll reach! It's damn annoying and further emphasizes my vertical challengedness).

Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Card Captor Sakura, nor the characters within it. I do however, own this story, so be kind and do not steal it. No profit is being made from this work of fiction.

Summary: Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura are in college, but on completely opposite sides of the social scale. So what will happen when Syaoran AKA The Geek, move in as Sakura's new roommate?

Sweet Blindness

Chapter Two

Syaoran rubbed his eyes under his glasses for the umpteenth time that night. The neon digits of his alarm clock displayed that it was already one thirty AM, yet he was still working. Huge stacks of books littered across his desk while numerous uncoordinated notes took their place both on the desk and a few on the floor. His laptop stood open with a five page long report flashing on the flat screen, still yet to be completed.

His stomach grumbled dully, and he muttered irritably to himself. His last meal had been at one o'clock in the afternoon, and needless to say, he was hungry. However, Sakura was having another sleepover with Tomoyo who seemed to be a regular tenant of the flat. Tomoyo may knew about Syaoran being Sakura's new flat mate, though Sakura certainly didn't know she knew. As a result, Syaoran was left sitting in his room making as little noise as possible as he plowed on with his reports and rearranging his notes, with nothing to eat and only a small sample of water.

He was really starting to regret having agreed unconditionally to Sakura's rules.

The sound of a car somewhere outside jolted the brown haired man out of his revere. Letting out a yawn, he flicked through his text book once again to add yet another footnote to his long report. The words seemed to swirl slightly, and his brain didn't seem to have the capacity to process the information. Instead, the black words shone ominously on the background of white paper with small pictures and diagrams every now and then. Syaoran blinked a few times, hoping to chase away the tiredness. No such luck.

Deciding that he had worked beyond his limits for the day, Syaoran switched off his laptop and lumbered to bed. The soft mattress and warm covers were welcoming, washing away his energy deficiency and sore muscles. His stomach however, remained in pain.

It had been a month since he moved in with Sakura, and it was perhaps the hardest month he had been through since entering the school. True, he had been bullied constantly before. True, some people had used him as a punch bag in his first few weeks of school. However, none of that compared to having absolutely no freedom as to when he wanted to just go outside for a stroll. The window had become a last resort several times, though the fact that it was hovering three meters off the ground (there was a basement beneath) did not make the trip pleasurable at all.

A burst of laughter sounded from the living room, and Syaoran found himself wishing for the two girls to just call it a day and rest so that he could go and get himself something to eat. It was amazing how the two of them were still awake. Then again, he woke up at around five this morning, so it was no wonder he was out of energy.

True to her word, Tomoyo had apparently not told Sakura about him at all. Similarly, she still acted completely indifferent to him on campus, and seemed to be oblivious to his family tree. Whether the reason behind the last statement was because she didn't know or pretended not to know, Syaoran was clueless. Though he was still grateful that that calculating look she had didn't completely rival his own mother's. If she did indeed turn out to be like his dear mother, then he may as well just get up and leave while he was still ahead. His long history of dealings with women like that was not something he enjoyed to reminiscence about.

Another unusual rumble came from his stomach, and he growled irritably at it. He wasn't an idiot, he knew he was hungry. But he couldn't go out of his room now! That would go against the rules Sakura had emphasized so strongly about. Then again, the entire thing was ridiculous, but it was her wish and Syaoran didn't want to upset her normal life just because of his intrusion.

Outside in the lounge room, Sakura and Tomoyo were having an entertaining conversation with each other about something that had happened in Tomoyo's psychology class. Time had flown by, and it was two in the morning before they knew it. However, neither of the two girls felt any drowsiness at all. Though Sakura had a strong suspicion that it was due to the mass amounts of coffee they had drunk earlier on in the night.

Tomoyo laughed again, leaning a bit further against her recliner. She seemed to have something on her mind that she hadn't spoken about yet, though Sakura didn't find that unusual at all. Tomoyo was a perceptive girl who was constantly considering things. Sometimes, it bothered her when Tomoyo would simply sit and glance lazily at her. It seemed as if the violet eyed maiden had the power to see right through her, and read her mind.

'You know Sakura,' Tomoyo began slowly, as if still contemplating whether or not she should say what she was about to say, 'your roommate has been gone for a while, hasn't she.'

Sakura nodded and gulped. She knew that Tomoyo was going to ask that sooner or later, though she had not yet thought of a good excuse. Tomoyo looked thoughtful again for a moment, then started again.

'So what are you using that extra room for now?'

'Just a storage room.' The brunet answered quickly.

'Storage room for what?'

'Oh you know,' Sakura giggled nervously, 'just the usual extra stuff that I can't put in my room.'

'Well, can I check inside then?' Tomoyo asked curiously, getting up as she did so, 'I had a whole lot of extra junk that I've been dumping in Eriol's room. Though if you have an extra spare room, then I could really borrow the space.'

'It's full!' Sakura added nervously, springing to her feet also, 'and it's really messy too.'

'Well, maybe I can help you clean it.' Tomoyo was already at the door, 'and then I can store some stuff in here as well.'

'No no!' Sakura leapt in front of the door, obstructing Tomoyo from further progress, 'I don't want to trouble you.'

'Oh don't worry Sakura, I'll just count it as payback for your helping me clean up my place a while ago.' Tomoyo reached for the door, but Sakura blocked the handle. The raven haired girl gave her a confused look, and she laughed nervously, attempting to convince her that it was full of private items that she didn't want to trouble Tomoyo with. Her friend seemed to be undeterred, and only progressed to push Sakura aside and pull open the door. Sakura gulped painfully, stepping reluctantly to the side as Tomoyo pulled open the door.

Syaoran was still in the process of thinking of a way to sedate his hunger pains when his room's door flung open. He sat up immediately, alarmed that somebody was coming into his room. The door flung against the wall, and Tomoyo stood there. Behind her, a nervous Sakura stood, quivering slightly. Tomoyo's look was one of great surprise, though Syaoran could see the small hint of triumph in her eyes. That look, it so reminded him of one of his sisters, and their ability to conceal all their faults purely in their talent to appear innocent.

'My! What…who…' Tomoyo appeared to be at a loss for words, 'it's Li-san isn't it? What are you doing in Sakura's flat?'

'Uh…' Syaoran glanced quickly at Sakura, who shot him a most anxious look, 'my former roommate kicked me out, and I was left with no place to stay. Sakura-san gave me permission to stay at her place.'

'Really Sakura? I had no idea you were so nice even to Li-san here! But why did you insist on telling me a lie?'

'I…' Sakura was at a loss for words, 'I…I didn't want you to know Li-san is staying here.'

'Why ever not?' Tomoyo asked, her eyes slightly sparkling.

'Because he is a nerd!' Sakura yelled angrily, 'I didn't take him in! He could die for all I care! But the school signed me up with him for flats since his old roommate kicked him out. I don't want him around! It is an embarrassment to have someone like him breathing the same air as me, let alone share a flat with me.'

Her words, though expected, hurt Syaoran slightly. So that was what everyone thought of him. A nerd who was an embarrassment to mankind? That seemed to be pushing the limits a little though, even if they did hate him. Syaoran hadn't expected to be called such a foul name. He took a deep breath to settle his feelings, before turning an impassive face at Tomoyo and her companion.

Tomoyo looked shocked, and this time, there was no mischievous glint in the eyes. She seemed purely shocked that Sakura had burst out so suddenly like that, and had said such awful things. She glanced over at him, eyes full of shock and apology. Syaoran shrugged it off, getting up from his place on the bed.

'Well ladies.' He smiled, 'if we have nothing else to say, then can well all please leave? Unless you want to continue examining the state of my room, I'm going out.'

'Where are you going?' Tomoyo asked distractedly, backing away from the door.

'Just a midnight stroll I suppose,' Syaoran shrugged, 'then I got to get myself something to eat.'

'Oh…' Her voice was still worried.

Syaoran walked out the door, with Sakura now leaning against the wall just outside of his door. He closed the door behind him, and walked by without looking at her. When he got to the door, he bade both girls farewell before walking out the front door, shutting it behind him with a soft snap.

Sakura let out a sigh.

Tomoyo looked disgusted.

Without another word, the dark haired girl collected her things and headed for the door. Sakura made a move to stop her, calling her back just before she reached out to the grasp the handle. Tomoyo swerved around, her eyes filled with rage.

'What is wrong with you Sakura?' Her voice was shaking with fury, 'how could you say that to Li-san? He is just another uni student, just like the rest of us. So what if he's not popular and people think he is a nerd, what has he done to you for you to treat him like trash?'

Sakura was shocked. Tomoyo had never yelled at her before, much less than over somebody like Syaoran. It took her a while to find her voice, but when she did, it was one of arrogance and irritation.

'What's wrong with me Tomoyo? What's wrong with you!' Sakura yelled, 'here is a geek, living in my flat. So what if I treat him like trash, doesn't everyone else? But you don't blow up in their faces? Why…no! Don't tell me you like the nerd! Please Tomoyo, you can do-'

'Sakura, listen to me!' Tomoyo said calmly, her soft voice radiating with suppressed fury, 'Li Syaoran has never done anything to you, and yet you are still treating him like filth. So what if I turned around and started treating you like that for no good reason, how would you feel? What if everyone turned their backs on you Sakura, how would you feel? But no, you wouldn't allow that. You would merge and become as cruel as they are until everyone accepts you. But when that happens, you are no longer Sakura and although others accept you, it is only because you have morphed into one of them and is no longer yourself. Tell me Sakura, what happened to the carefree little girl who came into college with the dream of graduating with a great score and coming out with a boyfriend who actually loves her for who she is, and not because of what she looks like or her popularity? I've been standing beside you, always accepting and helping you through. But I'm sick of it Sakura. Li-san is a nice person, and yet, you end up treating him like a prisoner in you flat. He did nothing wrong to you, but you end up calling him filth and vermin to his face. How would you like it if I called you that?'

Sakura was taken aback. What Tomoyo had said was true, she didn't have a right to treat Syaoran like she did. She may be popular around the campus, but what right did that give her to dominate over him? And yet, he had put up with her and accepted her dominance without question, he had not questioned her actions at all. But Sakura hadn't thought of him as somebody who was tolerant because of that, instead, she had formulated that he was simply a week geek who should do what she said when she said it. Since when did she become such a dictator? Since when did she walk around like she owned the place and that everyone was below her?

Since she met up with Soujiro, that's when. Soujiro was popular, and Sakura was overwhelmed when he had offered to be her boyfriend. But now that she thought about it, their relationship had never been intimate at all. And the numbers of times that she had caught him flirting with another girl was endless, though she just shrugged it off as a typical Soujiro activity. She had tolerated him and changed herself while doing so, leaving this radical tyrant who goes around and terrorizes people she didn't even know.

Tomoyo breathed deeply, then gave Sakura one of her looks. Sakura didn't look at her, she couldn't bring herself too. Not only was her mind a blur, but also the fact that sweet, charming, collected, cool Tomoyo had screamed at her as if there was no tomorrow. She heard Tomoyo move, and she almost expected her to come over and hug her, telling her that it was her fault and not Sakura's. She felt that it was Tomoyo's duty to come over and apologize and convince Sakura that she had never done anything wrong in her life, or that it was purely Syaoran's fault, and that she wouldn't spread anything about their relationship. She thought that it was purely Tomoyo to come over and comfort her and reassure her.

But the front door opened and closed, leaving Sakura alone in the room.

--

The night air was cool, and clearer than usual. There wee few cars going around at the hour, and even fewer people wandering around. Syaoran was amongst the few that did walk around at the hour, though he hardly noticed the rarity of the number of pedestrians around. In fact, he didn't realize much at all. His thoughts were still on the previous scene, with Sakura telling him he was a geek and an insult to humanity. He knew he shouldn't feel bad, and that her telling him that he was a geek was just the same as some other student around the school telling him the same thing. However, he felt particularly hurt at her comment, especially since he had put such an effort into trying to follow by what she wished and staying as far out of her way as possible.

But it was expected, he thought dully, kicking a random piece of rock across the pavement as he walked by, Sakura had displayed her sense of superiority over him from the very moment he walked into that flat. She had set the rules of the game and he had followed them without question, and yet, she still wasn't pleased with him. She still thought of him as vermin. Syaoran scowled, it seemed as if nobody was going to help his pledge against his mother.

No. To say no one was helping him was a lie. Sakura's friend, Daidouji Tomoyo had been attempting to help him, and although she failed, she still tried. Syaoran felt very grateful towards her. It seemed as if she and her boyfriend Eriol (who proved to be a very nice guy who thought of Syaoran as a normal human being) were the only ones who made an effort to understand Syaoran. They had been fair and non-judgmental, and Eriol had even put his reputation on the line to become Syaoran's friend. But the blue haired boy didn't seem to think of his reputation as anything to worry about, rather, helping Syaoran seemed to be more important.

The amber eyed boy released a sigh as he strolled into a Subway takeaway. He bought a twelve inch long sandwich which he stored in a paper bag and carried with him as he walked off. He didn't quite feel like walking around eating, rather, he wanted to get back and eat it in the privacy of his room and fall asleep when he wanted to.

He was crossing the intersection between Yanagi Lane and Sonada Street when he ran into Tomoyo. The blue eyed girl looked harassed and about to cry. Syaoran dashed over quickly, wrapping an arm around her to keep her steady.

'Are you okay Tomoyo-san?' He asked worriedly. Tomoyo shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

'Sakura, I yelled at Sakura.' Her voice was soft and without emotion. Syaoran nodded quickly, knowing how close the two girls were. It hurt him to know that he was the reason behind their fight, though the thought that Sakura was probably hurting as well didn't bother him as much as it normally would have should she had been another girl.

'Why don't I take you home?' He offered helpfully, 'tell me Tomoyo-san, where's your flat?'

'Just down the road.' Tomoyo murmured.

With his arms still around Tomoyo, Syaoran walked down the street until they reached Tomoyo's flat. With the key that she passed him, he opened the door and closed behind him. Unlike Sakura and his flat, Tomoyo's was decorated richly and it appeared that she did not have a roommate. Syaoran helped Tomoyo to sit down at the couch before dashing off to the kitchen to make her a cup of tea. Bringing the tea with him, he took a seat beside Tomoyo on the couch and offered her the tea which she took gratefully. His sandwich sat unnoticed on the coffee table.

'Thank you.' The female murmured after a moment, her shivering hands grasped tightly around the cup she was holding. Syaoran pulled it off her and set it on the table quickly, after getting the impression that she was going to drop it.

'Would you like to talk to me about it?' He asked.

'What is there to say?' Tomoyo asked hollowly, 'for the first time ever, I screamed at Sakura! I was just so frustrated with her always dominating tone and how she thought that everyone should listen to what she has to say and follow her orders just because she is Sakura. I was so angry that she treated you like she did. She had no reason to, and it really reminded me of all the poor people who she probably treated like that in the past, and how I had always stood by and watched without complaint, and even cheered her up afterwards, practically encouraging her! But I couldn't do it this time, because you're a really nice person Li-kun, and you don't deserve Sakura's wrath just because she doesn't think of you as "worthy" enough in her opinion.'

She took a deep breath and continued.

'I was so shocked when you told me about what she was requesting of you, and thought it was really nice how you accepted without complaint. You tolerated her, just like you tolerated everyone else, and it still amazes me that you do. You seem to be the peacekeeper, and while everyone makes fun of you, you take it in without comment because you don't want to be the source of quarrels and don't want to hurt anyone. But when Sakura treated you like that today, when she said those horrible things. I just felt like she wasn't my friend anymore. My friend Sakura doesn't degrade people. My friend Sakura does not judge people before she even gets to know them. My friend Sakura does not make people feel bad just for the purpose of making them feel bad. But there she was, telling you that you weren't worth anything, that she was angry she had to share a flat with you! She doesn't even know you, and yet she is being so damn judgmental.'

'Tomoyo-san, like I said before, I really couldn't care less,' Syaoran muttered, 'Sakura-san is like that, and if she thinks that she has the right to treat me like that, she can think that. I don't give a damn. I just have this last year left and then I would be out of college. When that time comes, none of this would have any meaning at all.'

'But Li-kun, college should be a good experience! But you're letting others dominate over you without any resistance.' Tomoyo scolded, 'I don't know why you are doing it, and you must have a pretty good reason. Because if it was me, then I certainly wouldn't be able to carry on like you do. I would have blown up a long time ago, like I did today.'

'Tomoyo-san, don't bash yourself up for it,' Syaoran smiled, 'I appreciate how much you care for me, but really, don't hurt yourself for it. Of course, your ideas of Sakura are you own. I'm just saying not to fight with her just because of me.'

'I'm not fighting because of you,' Tomoyo reached out for the cup of tea, her hand steadier this time, 'I'm fighting with her because she's become a preppy idiot who nobody likes. I'm her best friend, and yet I think so lowly of her. Think how others think of her, and how they backstab her behind her back.'

Syaoran was silent as he leaned against the back of the couch. Tomoyo continued drinking the tea he made, commenting on how nice it tasted and how she had never managed to make tea like it. She was just about to ask what exactly he had put in it when she realized that he had fallen asleep.

Despite herself, Tomoyo couldn't help but find him handsome. His hair was not gelled back like it normally was, and when she removed his glasses, he really did have a beautiful face. It was a shame that other people judged him so quick, and didn't even take the time to think about what association his name may have with the famous heir to the famous Hong Kong family.

Shifting him so that he lay comfortably on his back on the couch, Tomoyo fetched a spare quilt and covered him with it. Turning off the lights, she washed up and went to bed.

The sandwich lay forgotten.

To be Continued...

Hopefully, you guys found it interesting and worth reading, and hopefully my spelling is correct, because spell-check died (word sucks! Microsoft sucks! They can't create anything that doesn't bloody die! insert more random microsoft bashing). In any case, well, please leave a review because I don't know how to shape my story to what you people like and such otherwise, that and I don't know just how shoddy my writing has become. Bleah, well, at least somebody blew up at Sakura... Yea...review people...

Assassin (still dying from her headache)