A Different Kind of Ache

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, or any of its characters. :P

They were best friends. Syaoran and Sakura. A team. They were always with each other. If you didn't know any better, you would've thought that they were together. That was how sweet they were.

Syaoran had been there for Sakura ever since they were seven. She was his neighbor, so being best friends was no problem.

Sakura was crying while sitting down on the sidewalk across her house. She had lost her kite to the tree, and she had no way of getting to it. Her dad was at work, and Touya was sleeping in the house. She couldn't do anything."Hello. Why are you cwying?" Her head whipped around and saw the amber eyed boy. He was tall for their age, nearly seven years old, and he was cute. Even in the midst of her depression, she still noticed this feature. Sakura stopped crying."My kite, my beautiful kite. Its up in that twee!" Her kite had gotten stuck while she was taking a water break. She left it on the sidewalk, so a strong wind blew it off.Syaoran looked up the tree. Sure enough, the kite was dangling on a high branch. He ran to the back of the tree and started climbing...

Syaoran chuckled at the memory. When he got the kite down, Sakura immediately declared them best friends. He didn't want to be, at first. But then, she somehow knocked sense into him.

Being best friends with this girl was fun. She'd make you experience things you wouldn't have thought you could experience. Things like dancing in the rain, and appreciating the flowers. It was corny, but hey, she was happy. And so was he.

The problem with this little scenario is that, Li Syaoran likes Kinomoto Sakura. A lot.

Even when it hurt him most, Syaoran was always supportive of Sakura. When she had a crush, he'd encourage her. He never told her his feelings. It was far too dangerous for someone like him, the best friend, to confess. It could be the lone thing that could break them apart. So he tried to endure the pain. He took in all the love she can give him, but it wasn't the same. He was still just the best friend. And that was all it was ever going to be.

The brown haired boy was frustrated. Sakura was being stubborn. She kept on telling herself that she wasn't worth anyone's love. It was too much for him to take.

"Just stop, okay? Don't ever say that again. I forbid it!" He hugged her tight, much to her surprise, "You don't even realize how much people around you love you. Tomoyo loves you, your father does, also your mother and even Touya loves you. Heck, I love you, Sakura. Okay? I love you. Even more than a friend. I know this isn't the right time for you to know, but I just had to say it. All right? I can't even begin to compete with all those guys you dated. I know I'm not perfect. I don't have the softest hands for you to hold, or the most mesmerizing eyes for you to look at. I'm just me. Your best friend, who, even after all the heartbreak, still has the biggest heart to love you with."

Sakura's mind was reeling and her heart raced. She turned her head, and then looked away. "How long?"

It was a simple question. "Since that day you told me you wanted your number one to be happy, even if you weren't. You know what? That pretty much described my feelings the last two years."

She began to cry, so he pulled her into a hug. Her voice was muffled, but still clear. "I like you too. Ever since seven months ago, in the park. I thought you didn't feel the same way, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship, so I tried forgetting about it. Didn't work."

He pulled back, and then dried her tears. He smiled at her. "It's okay. We still have each other. Be happy, okay? For me."

Sakura smiled. They had both been oblivious to the other's feelings for them. Thus, they had to endure each other's different kind of ache.