Disclaimer: Characters belong to the geniuses known as CLAMP.

Author's Notes: Here's the rewritten/edited/longer version of my former oneshot, Profile, as promised. Will be written in three to four chapters, and the ending and some other things might be slightly different than the older one. Hope you guys like this! Ü

Profile

She has always been a great observer. She knew how to read people's actions and understand their personalities through their choices. But when she suddenly meets this guy in a cafe, would she able to understand her own feelings?

one.

School girl, continuously biting her lips—anxious, meeting someone or in trouble, conscious of her surroundings, troublemaker? …No, dusts off her skirt, fixes hair again, has a date.

Office worker, always checks time and cellphone, fidgety yet calm, he's not familiar around this area. No, he's not from here, Armani suit, Michael Kors watch—lives in a high class penthouse for sure. Continuous look at the surroundings, has a date. No wait, he's married. Married but is meeting with someone else. Someone important; he has an affair, his wife is probably in the next neighbourhood where their penthouse is located.

Curious, creepy and bored—things that would describe her situation right now. She was currently sitting on her favourite spot in the café, doing what she always do whenever she's by herself. Others who would observe her would say that she's more of a creep than curious, but definitely bored. She's aware of what people say with regards to her hobby, which is why she learned to keep the small observations to herself rather than sharing it with others.

She couldn't help it.

She had friends, she had a loving family, but solace would always be endearing to her. There were times when she preferred to be alone, but not necessarily lonely. No, never. Because for her, loneliness would only be felt if you think negatively about your being alone.

The first time she felt this loneliness was when she was left behind by her father at the store for hours. She was only seven years old that time. She felt scared and panicked, but did what her father always told her if anything like that happened: stay put in a safe, public area and wait for someone to fetch her. She never knew she would do that sooner than she thought, but she remained to be a good girl, wiped her tears, and sat inside a McDonald's restaurant and waited for her father to come back.

And that was when her hobby started. She realized, at such a young age, that people are curious beings. Her eyes widened at the different things she sees, like a boy who fell then cried, a man who was on the phone accidentally spilled his drink on some lady, and the janitor walking up towards them and cleaned the mess. She would observe interactions of different people, and wondered if they do the same thing every day.

She never realized how much time has already passed that her father finally saw her, and it even seemed that she was disappointed for having to go from her spot, leaving those strangers behind and the actions they do.

Curious. Every child is, but she was just on a different level of curiosity and this was what made Sakura Kinomoto different and interesting ever since that day.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

"Sakura, you're daydreaming again!"

The snapping fingers and the familiar voice woke Sakura up from her activity, and smiled sheepishly at her friend.

"Hey Rika," she said.

Rika put her hand down after successfully catching her friend's attention. She placed the glass of iced coffee on the table, which was followed by her blueberry scone.

"Here are your orders Saks, I added extra whip cream like you said." Rika said.

Rika was currently working part-time at the café ever since she was kicked out of her parents' house after they found out about her relationship with their teacher from elementary school. She lived with him since then and even though Terada disapproved of her working since he could provide for both of them well, she still decided otherwise and besides, college tuition isn't really that cheap.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Sakura beamed, sipping her drink in delight. "But I could've gotten my orders myself Rika."

"We tried that many times Saks, but you would always be in your people land that you tend to not hear your name for your food." Rika sighed. "So who are they today?" She then raised a brow, a hand on her hip while the other was holding the tray. The shop wasn't at all crowded so she had time to chat for a while.

"A girl who's anxious for her date and a man who's meeting with his mistress." Sakura replied nonchalantly.

Rika just shook her head and gave a giggle. "I don't know how you do it Sakura, are you sure that's what their backgrounds are?"

Sakura shrugged, taking a bite of her scone. "I'm pretty sure a wealthy man like him wouldn't just drive all the way here to buy flowers. His plate number's registered to another city."

"You should work as an investigator." Rika teased.

"Hey there's an idea. Not." Sakura laughed.

"I'm starting to not understand why you chose to take up an Art course when you could've succeeded greatly in Psychology or something."

"Are you mocking my artistic individuality?" Sakura asked in a mock-offended tone.

"Don't worry Saks, never did. Just suggesting." Rika giggled. "How are your plates turning out?"

Sakura whined. "Ugh, don't remind me. I have a painting due tomorrow and I'm not even halfway through."

"Well maybe you'll be able to finish it soon if you're not here and just watching people." Rika teased.

"Oh yeah? Well, how are your plates doing, Rika?" Sakura tossed back.

"My plates are very well polished and clean thanks to the kitchen people at the back." Rika grinned. "But my feasibility paper's almost done and I'm proud of it!"

Sakura nodded. "Good for you then, and I'm starting to envy you already. Can't I shift to your course instead?" She laughed.

"And waste three years of you suffering in your Art course just to shift to Hotel Management? Not really a pretty idea to me." Rika said.

"But you get to make food!"

"And yours is starting to get cold. I wouldn't heat that up for you no matter how much you beg, Saks."

"Yes you would! You're my best friend!"

Rika snorted. "I'm flattered." She suddenly turned and saw her co-worker calling for assistance. "I'll talk to you later, got to get back to work." She said and left her friend's table.

"Work hard!" Sakura cheered.

She sat back against the loveseat and sighed. She ran her fingers across her long honey hair that landed mid-arm, closing her emerald eyes in attempt to relax. The atmosphere inside the café was very soothing and she always liked their choice of songs. She mentally noted needing to pass by the supplies store before going home since her old brush recently broke.

Her eyes opened and allowed themselves to do its usual activity: looking outside the window and watch the people pass by. The whip cream on her drink was slowly melting and mixing away with her coffee, as her scone started to cool. But it didn't matter, because the people outside are much more interesting.

Are they the same people as they were yesterday?

The question that started when she was young never went away. And she liked it, having to try answering it by watching from the same spot thrice a week.

And suddenly, she saw him.

Dark brown hair, brown eyes, tall, great built—is he already working? …Varsity bag over shoulders, he's a student. He's around 22 or 23, haven't seen him around my department so he doesn't go to my school. Standing at the corner, about to cross the street, watch looks kind of expensive—he's probably rich. He checks the time and thinks of hanging somewhere for a while before going back to class. Has a date most likely? Maybe with the girl from a while ago… okay, scratch that since the girl is not there anymore. So he's single.

And it was late when she realized that her last thought was more likely a wish than just an observation. The young man crossed the street and stopped in front of the shop, deciding for a second if it's a good place to hang out.

And Sakura's second wish was that he decides that it was.

…

And now she thanks whoever's up there for granting at least one of her wishes for today.

But then of course, her eyes instantly focused on another group of people that stopped her from ogling at the new guy now entering the café.

-x-

"Good afternoon and welcome to Heaven and Coffee!"

He walked towards the counter, a hand in his pocket and the other carrying his bag over the shoulder. He looked up at the menu and scanned for anything he assumes is good and placed his order. He took out a few bills and paid for his food and was given a receipt in return.

He looked around to find any good seat. His eyes soon saw an empty table and he walked towards it, placing his bag on the loveseat and sat on the one across it. He checked his watch briefly and saw it was already 3:44 in the afternoon. His next class wasn't until 5 so he still had time to lounge around. He opened his bag and took out from it a book, something that seemed to be significant for his work.

Sakura, on the other hand, was still busy watching other people. Her focus on the man was gone as she found another person far interesting.

I wonder if that guy's aware that he's about to walk towards the metal pole? Sakura silently waited, and then it happened. The guy was so focused sending a text message that he never realized that he was about to create an accident for himself. She was trying her best not to laugh and so she let her lips form an entertained smile.

"A café macchiato and a double chocolate brownie for Syaoran!"

Said man got up from his seat and went back to the counter. He got his receipt stamped and took the tray back to his table. It was only then did he notice the rather good-looking girl sitting at the table near his. But something was rather strange about her, she just kept on looking out the window, her food barely touched.

Syaoran's eyes remained indifferent, but decided to start a small conversation otherwise.

"I'm pretty sure that guy loves you and he'll come soon." He said.

The space between their tables wasn't too big for Sakura to not hear it. She heard him all right, but what he said just didn't make sense for her. Her face was back in its usual straight look whenever she's doing her hobby, and it never changed when she pried her eyes away from the crowd and looked at the man a few feet in front of her.

Oh, so he's the guy from a while ago. She thought. He's more interesting from a far than now, I think.

Syaoran raised a brow, wondering why this girl wasn't even saying anything. He couldn't have offended her, could he?

Sakura studied him for a while and processed his words in her head. She then looked back outside the window and finally replied, "You're a complicated man, aren't you?"

That wasn't exactly what Syaoran had in mind. What's up with this girl? She's a bit strange. Still, he kept his composure and since he wasn't really this friendly, approaching guy, he just came up with the simple "What?" as a response.

Sakura found herself smiling, turning to acknowledge the man again. "I said you're a complicated man." She repeated.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, curious. Slowly, he mixed his drink with the stirrer he got and took a bite off his brownie.

"Well," Sakura started. "You ordered a café macchiato: espresso marked with little milk. The drink itself is complicated considering how hard it would be for the barista to mark or design the top of your order. Then you ordered a double chocolate brownie, I don't really agree that it's a great partner with your drink which also helped in the idea of how complicated you are.

"And you're not really appreciative of other people's work, are you? Or should I say, you have high standards. You mixed your drink, not really caring about the hard work the barista gave when he or she made the design on top of your coffee. Either that, or you just like your coffee that way, but regardless of how you like to drink it, my interpretation of you having high standards is still applicable." She explained.

He stopped stirring. Staring at her, his eyes bore hints of surprise and at the same time intrigue. He rested his back against the chair he's sitting on, an eyebrow raised, and jaw resting on his fist.

"You talk a lot."

Sakura's eyes widened at his remark. And she couldn't deny that it stung her a bit. She murmured a small apology and bit her lip, going back to watching people outside.

"Sorry," she heard him say. She shook her head in response and kept silent after that. This is the reason why she refuses to tell her observations to anyone, how she allowed herself to tell that to a stranger was beyond her, but she knew she just embarrassed herself again and looked like a creepy know-it-all stalker.

"You're cuter when you're quiet and blushing like that." He snickered.

This caught Sakura by surprise again. What is it with this guy? First he makes fun of me being alone, how I talk a lot and now I can't understand if he's making fun of me again or not! Aggravated, she decided to ignore him however her cheeks continued to become a darker shade of red.

"Thank you, I guess…" and there goes the plan of ignoring his comment.

"I actually give you points for knowing me well with based on my drink. Is that how you got your boyfriend to ask you out?" He asked.

"I don't have a boyfriend." She replied.

Syaoran's face was indescribable, in her perspective at least, which was completely against her observation skills. But then she considered the fact how he's suddenly making her feel more embarrassed now than before, thus reducing her skill in the meantime.

"Oh," was what he said.

Oh? That's it? Sakura shrugged, going to the plan of ignoring him again by not responding anymore.

"So is there a name that goes with that talkative mouth?"

He's really trying to get on my nerves, isn't he! She instantly glared, deciding of not allowing him to insult her like that anymore. Her brows creased together in annoyance, anger slowly reaching her eyes and what irked her more was the fact that he seemed so unaffected by it.

"I'm sorry but I don't appreciate people like you throwing rude comments like that." She sneered, and yet his face remained indifferent.

"You're the one who said I'm a complicated person. You should've seen that one coming, huh?" He said.

Sakura kept her glare. She refused to say anything anymore as it anything more would definitely increase her blood pressure. She "hmph-ed" before turning back to mind her own business, and secretly praying that he does the same too.

But apparently her prayer wasn't answered.

"Syaoran. My name's Syaoran, what's yours?" He said.

She ignored him, taking a bite off her scone.

"I only think it's fair if I at least know your name when in fact you know so much about me with just one look."

Sakura snorted. I'm not going to tell you my name even in a million years, bub.

"Hey Sakura!" Rika suddenly called.

So much for not letting him know my name. Sakura groaned.

Rika walked towards her table beaming and said, "My shift's finally over, Saks. Are you still going to stay here or—" She stopped when she found Sakura glaring at her. "Is something wrong?" Rika blinked.

"Rika," Sakura started. "Next time, why don't we try with you not announcing my name around?"

Rika stared. "Huh? What are you talking about? I've always called you by your name."

Sakura just frowned. "Nothing, nevermind. And no, I'll go home now too."

"O-Okay, I guess." Rika said, leaving momentarily to change and retrieve her things.

Sakura sighed, and slowly looked up and readied herself for any word/tease attack from the ehem, hot stranger across her table. But she was surprised to find him looking outside the window too, as if too engrossed in something far more interesting.

She continued to stare. Noticing the little contours of his face, how his eyes though slightly indifferent, still held an intense gaze. She didn't even notice her face turning red again, but she did realize that in that moment, he was definitely a handsome being.

Syaoran. His name entered her mind. He's more attractive when he's quiet and serious like that too.

She watched as his eyes blink slowly as they change their focus, from the window to his drink; and the faint shades under them. He must be a hard worker, a lot of pressure must be on him. His hair looked so soft that she was tempted to run her fingers across them, but knew it was only wishful thinking. She noticed the faint scar on his right hand as he lifted his drink to his lips. And she marvelled at the fact at how he transitioned from this irritating guy to this now attractive fellow whose mind suddenly seemed preoccupied that he never noticed how long she was already watching her.

"Is that a habit of yours? Watching other people?"

Or not. It looks like he has noticed it.

But Sakura was too stunned with her observations of him that she didn't even think of a comeback. Instead, she answered his question truthfully, "Yes."

And the next thing that happened was completely unexpected. He smiled. His lips curve into this lovely smile that Sakura was sure, it was genuine. Oh God…

"That's actually an interesting habit."

Oh God… Sakura repeated.

Syaoran just continued giving her this small smile. She, on the other hand, looked down at her food and ignored how he's still staring at her.

"Hey Sakura, I'm done. Shall we go?" Rika came, taking her by surprise again.

"Ah y-yes," she stuttered. Sakura stood up and grabbed her things, walking beside her friend and made a move to leave.

And just as she passed Syaoran's table, she heard him say, "I'll see you around, Sakura."

Rika looked back for a second at who spoke and then passed a teasing smile to her friend. The latter just bit her lip and exited the store first, knowing that she'll hear a handful from Rika.

to be continued