Disclaimer - I do not own CardCaptor Sakura, Cardcaptors, or any of their characters. Wish I did though...

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'I'm late!' Sakura cried out as she leapt out of bed. There was a small thumping noise as Kero-Beros hit the headboard. He yelled and clutched his head. 'Owww! Sakura! Do you have to yell like that?' He rubbed his head and yawned 'you'd think that sleeping in would be something you'd grow out of...' he grumbled as he watched Sakura fumbling for her clothes and rollerblades. 'Kero! Shut up and help me find something to match these shorts!' Kero sighed 'Top drawer, Tomoya bought you something yesterday, remember?' Sakura winced – Tomoyo, her best friend since junior school, cared deeply about her and always treat her. But she had a rather wild passion for designing costumes and capturing the result on camera once Sakura had the outfit on. Kero didn't seem to understand that whilst it was sweet, it was a bit embarrassing sometimes. She was surprised as she brought the gift out of her drawers and held it against her. It was a tight pink sleeveless top cut short at the midriff to show off her figure. Her eyebrows rose in surprise – it was different from Tomoyo's usual flamboyance, and looked good.

'Morning!' she said cheerfully, running past her father and her brother Touya. 'Good morning Sakura' her father replied with his usual quiet amusement. Touya looked up from his coffee 'Hey squirt' he ducked as she threw some bread towards him. He caught the bread and wolfed it down 'thanks squirt.' he laughed as she fumed 'Stop calling me squirt dammit!!' she was 18 now, but her brother still teased her with her kid nickname that he'd used since she was little. She sighed and wolfed down some pancakes and milk that her father had prepared for her. Her father smiled at her then looked at his watch 'Oh. I've got to go. I have a lecture today, I'll see you later.' Her father was always busy rushing here and there with his work, but he always did what he could to spend time with his children. He leant down to kiss his wife's portrait that stood on the kitchen side. Sakura's mother had passed away whilst Sakura was too little to remember her, but her father still loved his wife as deeply as the day he had first met her. Sakura ran to the door pausing momentarily to say goodbye to her mother. 'Bye Touya!' She said as she ran out of the kitchen. She waited at the door to put her blades on. 'I'll be back late today – I have baton practise after school.' He nodded behind his newspaper.

Sakura set off at a fast pace, she was already late but she was determined to get to school in time for first lesson, today that was Drama. She wanted to see Tomoyo today as well before the classes began. She went through a housing estate that boasted an impressive amount of cherry blossom trees, the petals swirled around her as she sped along the path, and she cornered sharply and headed through the park. As she approached the large stone bridge she neared her friends 'Good morning!' she called cheerfully as she passed them, 'Morning!' they replied. Sakura put on a final burst of speed as the school gates came into her sight.

Running up the flights of stairs to get to the lockers she spotted Tomoyo collecting her schoolbooks for the first class. 'Tomoyo!' Tomoyo turned and smiled at her 'Hello Sakura. Oh, I see you got my gift, wow, it looks so great on you.' Sakura grinned broadly; she couldn't help the sweet smile that always entered her face when Tomoyo was pleased with a job well done. Sakura paused and thought for a moment 'I like it Tomoyo, but I was wondering, when did you give this to me? I can't remember you coming over yesterday.' Tomoyo grinned and replied 'I made Kero sneak it in, I told him to make sure you wore it today.' Sakura opened her locker and took out her books. She turned to Tomoyo and looked blankly at her 'Why? What's so important about today?' Tomoyo looked over her friends shoulder 'Oh, it's walking over to us now.'

Familiar voices rang out down the corridor, Tomoyo waved and said 'It's Syaoran.' and Sakura let out a small squeak of shock. She turned to see what the noise was all about; Syaoran had found an old friend. 'Takashi I don't know, I just got here. Yes, I'm staying for a while. Takashi please, I've got a lot to do today, I'm sorry I won't be able to attend your party which is a big shame.' Syaoran tried his hardest to sound sincere but somehow Sakura didn't believe him – Takashi, although he meant well and was a decent guy, talked a lot. He was a lot even in small doses and a party with him hosting would require a lot of patience from the guests. Takashi paused and frowned 'No. That won't do Syaoran.' Syaoran stopped and turned 'What do you mean "Won't do?"' Takashi tensed up angrily 'I demand that you tell me why. Tell Me!' Syaoran's eyes widened in shock – Takashi never got angry, he was always level headed and calm. 'Takashi?' Takashi stopped and relaxed 'I'm sorry Syaoran; I got a bit carried away. If you can't make it... I understand. But tell me if you change your mind.' He shrugged and walked down the corridor.

Syaoran felt bad about lying to Takashi. It was a shame to hurt his feelings but he was struggling to contain his own. 'This is the first time I've seen her for a few years' he thought. He had kept in touch with letters and the occasional phone call to her when he could, but he had missed her and words just couldn't compare to seeing her, he stared at Sakura and was lost for words. She was gorgeous! The 10 year old girl he had developed a crush on in junior school had grown up into a stunning young woman, her baton practise and gymnastics had helped tone her all over her body, her hair was still that beautiful chestnut brown, her eyes were deep emerald green. Syaoran felt weak at the knees and considered running – what was he doing here? He looked at her and saw she looked sad, she probably didn't think of him as anything more than a friend anymore, 'Why oh why did I come here?' He shook himself 'Snap out of it!' he blushed at his sorry state and mentally commanded himself 'She won't find it very endearing if you stand here feeling sorry for yourself, so say something! Anything!' Syaoran cleared his throat 'Hi Sa-' he started before Sakura started to say 'Hi Syaoran' both parties froze in mid-sentence blushing deep crimson.

Syaoran had grown since she had last seen him, but he still had his hair cut with a fringe and his eyes still bore the intense look of calculation. His eyes were sSyaoranghtly shadowed with his hair and it made him look mysterious and severe, but at the same time, very attractive. He wore a green vest and white trousers, the look wouldn't have worked normally but Syaoran's skin had tanned slightly with the last few days out in the sun. He had physically developed into a young athlete but what showed at the moment were his arms, the muscles toned whilst not being overdeveloped to constrict movement.

'He's not forgotten how to expect the unexpected' Sakura noted. Whilst she had focussed on abiding by Kero's oft used phrase, the same roots applied in Syaoran's regime as 'Be prepared for anything.' Sakura found herself wondering if Syaoran had worked out the rest of his body as well as his arms then it occurred to her that Syaoran hadn't seen her for years. What if he had found someone else? He hadn't known her for very long before he left. She felt saddened by the prospect but noticed that Syaoran was staring at her and blushing. 'Oh no. He's looks foolish because I'm not saying anything!' She started to say hi but stopped as Syaoran said the same. She suddenly realised that he was staring not at her this time, but at her clothes.

'Hi Sakura. You're looking well. Are they new?' Syaoran said. He quickly looked up into her eyes. She felt herself grow hot and stammered 'Oh yes. I'm new. I mean they're new. I-I mean-' She cringed at her poor choice of words 'Great, now I look like an idiot' she cursed mentally. But to her surprise Syaoran acted as though she hadn't said anything remotely foolish, he smiled shyly and said 'You look lovely.' He walked to just past her shoulder and started talking to Tomoyo. Sakura smiled and blushed happily. He thought she looked good! She felt very tingly and warm inside. She sighed softly and hugged her books harder against herself. Tomoyo leaned over, 'Sakura, you alright there?'

Syaoran turned to see what Tomoyo was talking about, Sakura had a distant, dreamy look in her eyes and that flush and the smile... he'd seen that look before many times on his former fiancée Mei ling. She'd always had that look whenever she thought of Syaoran and her together. Syaoran's heart beat frantically and he wanted more than anything to admit his feelings now, but he was worried he might push it too far. 'No', he thought, 'I'll give her some time to think about it' He backed away from the two whilst they were busy and ran into a full sprint as soon as he was around the corner. He smiled to himself as he dodged busy students, barely noticing them as he flew past them – Sakura was happy! She was happy he'd complimented her! His satisfied smile broke into a full boyish grin as he ran back home. He'd call her later on, and see what Sakura was up to. He had the feeling that somehow she'd make time for an afternoon stroll...

Sakura was surprised. Syaoran had made himself scarce in less time than it took to say it out loud. She felt a pang of regret that she didn't get to see more of him. Tomoyo giggled; she was reading Sakura's face like a book. She smiled at Sakura and shook her 'C'mon Sakura. He'll show up again, he always does. And if not then I suppose you could create some trouble for yourself. His response time for that sort of thing's unmatched.' Sakura face beamed delight 'Do you think he'd come running? Even though I've got the cards?' Tomoyo nodded her head and confirmed it. 'Well sure, or didn't you see the way he was staring at you?' The bell rang for first lesson. Sakura walked towards the class with a slight bounce to her step. 'I wonder what he's doing later?'' she thought as she entered the room.

Kero was agitated. He couldn't say why exactly, for aside from a rude awakening he had been having a good day. He was acing every level on the video console and he had found some leftover pudding that Touya hadn't eaten. This was a good morning, but all the same, he knew something was wrong. His gut told him that something was off. His senses had flared up and he had almost seen it for a moment when it had been next to something with no magical energy to hide its presence, but then the anomaly had faded and disappeared. At first he'd thought that it was Yue, but Yue been intentionally secretive. This thing had waited first before moving, which meant it wanted to remain undetected.

Syaoran walked back home in good spirits. Approaching his gate he looked at the place he called home, with its history of magical occurrences the Li family had thought it prudent to have a place for their only male heir to live if he had to return. It had a small garden in the front that was mostly covered in small white flowers. Syaoran entered and called out 'Tenby? I'm back.' A polite quiet voice sounded from inside the house 'I'm in the kitchen Master Syaoran.' an elderly thin man stepped into sight. 'Shall I prepare some food for lunch sir?' Syaoran shook his head and smiled. 'No thank you Tenby, I'll have some tea upstairs if it's not too much bother.' The house was a small two storey building. The ground floor held the kitchen, living room and a small bedroom with bathroom attached, the second floor boasted the master bedroom with its en suite. However on the second floor Syaoran's favourite spot was sitting on the balcony that overlooked the garden. It was a spectacular sight; Tenby had been a butler for the Syaoron family for many years and had spent much of his spare time tending to the garden. He was a valued addition to the Li family and Syaoran was fond of the old man.

Syaoran sat thinking about Sakura. He looked at his untouched tea, and looked back up at his view. Tenby was once again outside in his garden, Syaoran wondered what he should say to her when he next saw her – should he invite her for a walk? Or could he invite her to his house for the evening? He groaned inwardly, being 18 brought too many complications – it was hard to say what he should do, Sakura still thought well of him and he didn't want to ruin that by being too forward in his advances. He considered their relationship; they had known each other for years now. They respected one another and she knew he cared for her, or he thought so at least. Maybe he should take her out for dinner or treat her in some way to remind her of his feelings. Actually that's not a bad idea he though with a smile. 'Thinking of your Miss Kinomoto are we my young master? I can tell. You rarely blush.'

Syaoran almost fell off his chair in shock. 'Tenby! Must you sneak up like that?'
Tenby raised an eyebrow and sipped at his tea. 'Sneak Master? You were engrossed in your fantasy. Not that it's any of my business of course.' He smiled knowingly and turned to go.
'Tenby?' Syaoran started to ask, however the aged butler turned and cut him off with a prepared answer 'Invite her over sir. Then say what should be said. Will that be all?'
Syaoran nodded slightly then composed himself, 'What does a lady like to eat around sunset?'
the Englishman considered carefully before answering 'Tonight young master, I shall arrange only the best. I recommend a light stroll before your evening meal. Leave your repast to me sir, and focus of being the charming young man I know you are. You have five minutes to prepare your invitation then I shall call the young lady. One should strike while the iron is hot, sir.'

Sakura lay on her bed, eyes closed hugging her pillow. She moaned in frustration and rolled over throwing her pillow across the room. Kero who was flying through the door had to manoeuvre to avoid being carried away with it. 'Hey! I wasn't warned we'd be pillow fighting! No fair!' Sakura felt a blush rise to her cheeks 'Sorry Kero. I got a bit carried away.' He scratched his head 'you've been like this since you got back. Want to talk about it?' Sakura turned crimson 'No! No... I'm fine. It's just been a confusing day.' She mumbled lamely.
Kero raised an eyebrow and shrugged. 'Okay. If you say so.' He went over to the games console and turned it on to play his latest Mega Quest game. Sakura watched him play intently. She breathed a sigh of relief - she wasn't ready to admit to Kero that Syaoran had come back. Kero and Syaoran, despite being friends, always argued and fought and it made the situation a bit awkward for her to talk to Syaoran. The phone rang and she heard her father answer. 'Hello? Yes, this is the Kinomoto residence. May I ask whose calling? Oh I see. I'm glad to hear that. He wants to speak to Sakura? Certainly, I'll put her on, wait a moment please.' He turned to call and his eyebrows raised in surprise as his daughter ran down the stairs. He smiled affectionately as he passed the phone over and walked past her to his study.

'Hello?' 'Is this Sakura Kinomoto?' a soft, cultured voice inquired 'Yes.' She answered 'Ah! Excellent, I have someone here who would like very much to speak with you.' There was a shuffle as the phone was passed on and Syaoran's voice uncertainly asked 'Sakura?' she smiled softly to herself as she heard him say her name, 'Sakura? Are you there?' 'Yes, I'm here Syaoran.' She heard him swallow and stammer slightly, her smile deepened and she leant against the wall. 'H –how are you?' she blinked 'I'm fine, thank you Syaoran. Are you ok?' 'Yes! Yes I - I'm perfectly fine,' she could imagine him blushing fiercely on the other end of the phone. He took a deep breath 'I was, wondering... if, you might like, Quiet Tenby! I'm asking her! Sakura would you... ?' she frowned in confusion and asked him politely 'Would you repeat that?' she heard the gentle voice reproofing Syaoran in the background 'Come now Master Syaoran is that any way to invite the lady? Try to speak coherently.' She giggled softly and decided to help save poor Syaoran some dignity 'Mr Li did you just invite me to dinner?' there was a soft sigh of relief 'Yes I – Did you just call me Mr Li?' she confirmed it and playfully added 'What time do you have in mind for Miss Kinomoto to arrive?' there was a pause 'Dinner at eight, sir!' whispered the prompting voice 'Dinner at eight?' Syaoran inquired. She smiled happily 'Sure! I'd love to!' they made arrangements for he to be picked up and she put the phone down. She sighed happily and raced up the stairs to get ready.

As she entered her bedroom and proceeded to look for something nice to wear Kero hovered near her. 'Someone's cheerful,' he said brightly 'Good news?' She nodded her head enthusiastically 'mmm hmm I'm visiting a friends for dinner tonight.' Kero grinned 'Can I come too?' she considered what tonight might hold. 'No. Not this time Kero.'
'Aw. Why not?' he demanded. Sakura looked at him carefully 'Because I don't want people to notice you.'
Kero sighed 'Sakura you've not used that one since you were first capturing cards and...' his eyes took on a mischievous glint and he leaned over to her ear. Leaning close he whispered with silken tones 'this wouldn't have anything to do with kissing someone? Would it?' she gasped and flushed crimson 'KERO!' she cried out in embarrassment. Kero burst out laughing 'I knew it! I knew it! The kid came back!' he laughed harder 'all you've done since you got home is sigh and blush! You've still got puppy dog eyes for him haven't you?' She groaned. Teasing from Kero could sometimes last for days. This sounded like one of those occasions. 'So' Kero said chirpily as he resettled himself on her bed 'when did he get back?' she huffed slightly and tried to stop her flush 'Today.' Kero stopped teasing and he took on a look of concentration. He sat down and looked at her thoughtfully 'Say, you'd really like him to stay wouldn't you?' Sakura blinked, caught off guard 'Sure. Why'd you ask?' Kero shrugged slightly 'Oh, no reason Sakura. I was just thinking about something from earlier.' Sakura leaned down to his level and looked at her guardian 'Is something wrong Kero?' he shook his head 'Nah. I'll tell you later - you find something nice to wear.' He chuckled as Sakura growled at him.

Syaoran stood in front of his wardrobe. There was an number of fine choices to wear – the chestnut brown trousers with light cream top, the smart clothes he wore when special occasions arose - which were far too formal for his liking. His family robes were also hung in there; he smiled and caressed the sleeve. All those years ago when he'd first met Sakura she had commented on how she had no robes – Syaoran had felt obliged to defend his family's traditional robes and snarled at her not to involve herself in what she didn't know. He smiled and remembered something. He grinned and selected his clothing; the robes had given him an idea.

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Ok people thats all for now! Please R+R and tell me what you think!