Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ The Clow Child ❯ Be My Pal, Partner? ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, I'm not getting paid, and everyone belongs to CLAMP. (but I made up Ms. Hadana)

Author's Note: My first purely CardCaptors fic. It's important to realize that at the time I wrote this, I hadn't seen the entire anime and had no idea that Eriol even existed. That is all…

Summary: Sakura invites Syaoran over for a talk and finds there's more to him than meets the eye.

~...~ are thoughts.


Be My Pal, Partner?


For the first time in his life, Li Syaoran had a really big problem. He had no idea how to face it, or even how to escape it. Not that it was life threatening or anything, but it was certainly distracting. Lately, his grades had been suffering, and that was a really bad thing. If they got too low, he'd be sent back to Hong Kong.

"Syaoran?" the teacher called suddenly.

Syaoran blinked and looked up at her. "Yes, Hadana-sensei?"

"Fifty times seventy-five."

"Three thousand, seven hundred and fifty."

"Very good!" She scribbled something down on her clipboard.

Syaoran smiled. He'd narrowly escaped getting detention for not paying attention in class...again.

"Oh, and Syaoran?" Ms. Hadana asked as she walked past. "See me after class."

There were scattered giggles and snickers around the classroom.

Syaoran sighed and shook his head. It was going to be a long day...

* * * * *

Tomoyo spotted her best friend on top of the jungle gym. She was staring into space, slowly swinging her legs. Tomoyo ran over and climbed to the top, but her friend still didn't move a muscle.

"Sakura, are you in there or what?" Tomoyo tapped gently on her forehead.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura shook her head. "I was just thinking about Syaoran."

Tomoyo smirked. "Oh, really?"

Sakura blushed, but only slightly. "I just thought it was weird. He's always perfect at everything, but today he got detention for daydreaming in class. He must have had something major on his mind."

Tomoyo tilted her head slightly. "Are you sure he wasn't just thinking about stealing all your Clow Cards?"

"Somehow, I don't think so," Sakura said. "Syaoran's changed since we first met. He's actually giving me compliments now. They still sound like threats, but at least he's making an attempt to be nice."

"More like an attempt to get your guard down."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're way too suspicious. I think I'm going to wait around for him."

"Why? So he can insult you again?"

"If Syaoran's trying to be nice to me, I should return the favor. Maybe someday, we'll even be friends instead of competing CardCaptors." She hopped down and waved as she walked away. "I'll call you tonight!"

Tomoyo waved back, a thoughtful look on her face. ~Why is Sakura so concerned about him all of a sudden? Maybe he's not so bad after all.~

* * * * *

"Syaoran, this is the third time I've caught you daydreaming this week. Is something wrong?"

He sighed and shook his head. "No, Hadana-sensei."

Ms. Hadana tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Every time I see you during recess, you're alone. Have you made any friends since you moved here?"

Syaoran thought for a moment. ~If I say no, she'll label me an outsider and think I need help. If I say yes, she'll think I'm okay, but then she'll ask for names.~ "Yes," he said quickly.

"Oh? Who?"

That took a few more seconds of thought. ~There's no way I can say Meiling. The last thing I want is to be told to spend more time with her.~ With a sigh, Syaoran mumbled the only name he could think of.

"What was that, Syaoran?"

He closed his eyes in annoyance and held in a frustrated groan. "Kinomoto Sakura."

"Well, she is a nice girl. Anyone else?"

"Not really."

Ms. Hadana nodded. "Are you and Sakura very close?"

Syaoran turned bright red. "Uh...what do you mean?"

The teacher leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Are you two best friends?"

"Well, no...it's hard to explain. We're more like...partners."

"That's a different way of putting it." Ms. Hadana headed for the door. "Syaoran, even if you don't need any more friends, I would like it if you spent more time with Sakura. Being alone can't be good for anyone."

Syaoran groaned and quickly gathered his things. At every school he'd attended, some teacher was always telling him to make friends or not to be alone. To be honest, he really did like being alone. It gave him time to think of more important things, like capturing the escaped Clow Cards.

He had just made it to the gate when he heard someone call his name. Syaoran froze and closed his eyes, wondering why fate had chosen this day to torture him. The last thing he needed was to talk to her right now. Yet, when he opened his eyes, there she was.

"Are you okay, Syaoran?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.

~Oh, great. I've already got one overprotective cousin I can't stand. Why does SHE have to start worrying about me?~ "I'm fine. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," she said quickly.

"So what do you want?" he asked, trying to seem impatient.

"I was just wondering if maybe...um...you'd like to get together some time?"

Pure surprise seized his features. "Huh?" ~Get together? Is she serious? No, she probably just meant to say something else.~

She blushed furiously. "I meant to talk about strategy! For getting the rest of the Clow Cards."

"Oh." His first thought was to say no, and to say it forcefully. But then he heard a voice in the distance.

"Syaoran! Where are you, Syaoran?!"

An alarm went off in his head. ~No, not today! I really don't need Meiling to see me talking to any girl, much less this one.~ Out loud, he finally said, "Fine, Kinomoto. I'll call you later." With that, he quickly moved past her and rushed out of the gate.

Sakura just watched him hurry off, a puzzled look on her face.

* * * * *

"So what if the kid's acting a little weird?" Kero asked. "I'm on Level 7 of Super Secret Samurai!"

"Kero-chan, I'm serious," Sakura said. "Something's wrong with Syaoran. I think it might even be a Clow Card that's affecting him. He's never behaved like this before."

Kero shrugged and went back to the video game. "Everybody daydreams."

"Yes, but when I asked him if we could get together some time, he said yes!"

Kero snorted. "Well, what do you expect from a snobby...he said WHAT?! Sakura, this is major! That kid HATES you! Why didn't you say anything?"

She rolled her eyes. "I did, but I guess Level 7 was more important to you at the time. Before he ran off, Syaoran said he'd call me."

"Call you? You gave him your number?!"

Sakura blushed. "Of course not! But he does know tou-san's name, and I'm sure he has a phone book."

"This is strange," Kero admitted. "Something's up with that kid, and I'll bet it has something to do with getting your Clow Cards!"

Sakura groaned. "Why won't anyone accept the possibility that maybe Syaoran just wants to hang out with me for once?!"

"Because that would be impossible!"

Before Sakura could kill Kero, she heard the doorbell ring. "Probably one of nii-chan's friends," she muttered.

However, she soon heard her father's voice. "Sakura? You have a visitor!"

"Maybe it's Tomoyo," Kero suggested.

"Couldn't be. Tou-san wouldn't call her a visitor." Sakura quickly ran downstairs. "Who is it, tou-san?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that, dear," her father replied. "He says he sits behind you in school."

Sakura nearly shrieked when Syaoran stepped into view. ~What is he doing here?!~ "Oh! It's you, Syaoran! Um...you must be here to...um...why are you here again?"

Syaoran smiled politely. "Sakura and I are working on a class project. I'll probably be around quite a bit in the near future."

Sakura's father nodded. "I see. What's this project about?"

"Cards," Sakura muttered.

"What was that?"

"Tarot cards," Syaoran added quickly. "We're researching the history of Tarot cards. They're really very fascinating, sir."

"I didn't know you liked Tarot cards, Sakura," her father said.

Sakura grinned nervously. "Oh, sure! I've always liked them, tou-san."

"Well, I'll leave you two alone then. Call me if you need anything."

Syaoran kept smiling until her father left the room. "That was close."

"Syaoran, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked. "I thought you were going to call!"

"I was, but I decided it'd be better to discuss this in person." His eyes darted rapidly around the room. "We should continue this somewhere more private."

"Well, there's my ro-" Sakura stopped herself. "Never mind."

"What?" Syaoran asked.

"Nothing! Um...maybe we should go to the den?"

Syaoran shook his head. "Too much chance of someone walking in. We need somewhere with a door that can lock."

Sakura finally gave up. "I guess we could go to my room..." She expected Syaoran to stare at her in disgust, or at the very least, laugh until his face turned red.

Instead, Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Lead the way."

Sakura turned and headed back up the steps, wondering just how this had happened. She could tell Syaoran had had his doubts about coming to her house, simply from the way he seemed more uptight than usual. Could he actually be as nervous about going to Sakura's room with her as she was about going there with him? Only time would tell...

Once they were safely inside with the door locked, Sakura glanced around the room. "You can sit on the be--um, the chair," she murmured, blushing. ~That was SO suggestive! Way to go, Sakura!~

Syaoran shrugged and took a seat in the chair. "Thanks."

"Sure. Um...does Meiling know you're here?"

For a second, a look of alarm passed over his face. "Why?"

"I just wanted to know if I should expect her to come flying through my window at any moment."

A fraction of a smile appeared on Syaoran's face. "No. Besides, this is strictly CardCaptor business. Meiling has to learn that she's not one of us, and that she's not my girlfriend." He paused and looked at her. "Are you going to stand there the whole time?"

Sakura blushed and quickly sat down on her bed. "Sorry. I'm a little nervous about this whole thing."

"Nervous?" He seemed surprised. "What, you thought I came here to steal your Clow Cards or something?"

"Well...the idea was suggested to me twice," she admitted. "But I never thought it was true! At least, I hoped it wasn't." ~Sure, just go ahead and encourage him to knock you out and take your Cards, you big dummy!~

"Sakura, I know we're not exactly best friends, but I'm not going to steal from you. When a Clow Card is sealed, it goes to whoever it belongs to. If it comes to me, fine. If it goes to you, fine. I don't care, as long as we recapture them all."

"So why do you always give me such a hard time?" Sakura asked.

"To be honest, you're a second-rate CardCaptor."

"HEY!" she cried indignantly.

"I'm serious. I'm only hard on you because it drives you to do better. The stuffed animal was right when he said you're getting stronger. One day, hopefully soon, I won't have to be so hard on you, because you'll be on my level."

Sakura had to admit that Syaoran's insults did make her want to become a better CardCaptor. "So when that day comes, you think you could start treating me like a partner instead of a pest?"

Syaoran smiled, something she rarely ever saw him do. "I can do that now. Just by calling our first strategy session, you're showing that you're serious about our mission." Then, a little uncomfortably, he added, "Thanks."

"Huh? For what?"

"For being concerned about me earlier. I appreciate it. Really."

"You just seemed so distant today in class. You want to talk about it?"

Syaoran closed his eyes. For a moment, he actually considered telling her everything, right then and there. Then his sense of mandatory privacy kicked in. "No, but thanks for offering."

"Sure." Sakura was silent for a few seconds. ~Might as well ask him, or I'll be wondering all night.~ "Syaoran, may I ask you something...personal?"

He stared at her. "Depends on what the question is. Go ahead."

She lowered her head as well as her voice. "Do you...like me...at all?"

He hesitated. "Like you in what sense?"

~Well, THAT'S not a good sign.~ "You know...in the sense that you'd consider...being friends?" she added hopefully. "It'd be a lot easier for both of us if we actually got along. I mean, since we are working together and everything. Plus, if you ever needed to vent about Meiling, it'd be nice to have someone to talk to."

"I should go." Syaoran stood up and walked to the door.

Sakura looked up in surprise. "What? But why? You just got here!"

"So it was a short strategy session." He started to open the door.

Purely on impulse, Sakura grabbed his hand. "Syaoran, wait! I'm sorry if I was getting too personal, but that's no reason to leave!"

Syaoran was about to argue the point when thunder roared outside, followed by the pounding of rain. "I still have to go," he said, reading her thoughts.

"But you'll be soaked! At least let tou-san drive you home!"

He sighed. "Fine. Are you happy now?"

She frowned. "Not really, but it's a start."

* * * * *

"Anything wrong tonight, Syaoran?" Mr. Kinomoto asked as he neared Syaoran's house.

Syaoran glanced over at him. "No, sir. Why do you ask?"

"Sakura seemed quiet tonight. You do, too. Differences of opinion on the project?"

~More like she was getting too close to the truth.~ "No, sir. We agreed on the project. It was...something else."

"I see." Mr. Kinomoto kept his eyes on the road. "Syaoran, you look like there's something on your mind."

Syaoran sighed heavily. "It's just...your daughter...she confuses me, sir."

The man laughed. "Join the club, son. Women have been doing that to us for centuries."

"But it's not women in general. It's only her." ~Well, her and Meiling, anyway.~

"What's so confusing about her?"

Syaoran shook his head. "It's hard to say. I guess it's the way she reacts to me. In the past, I've treated her like dirt, and tonight she asked me if I'd consider being her friend. I just don't understand her at all."

Mr. Kinomoto chuckled. "I've always taught Sakura to turn enemies into friends. It pays to have good friends, especially if you've been alone for a long time."

* * * * *

Sakura was used to getting insulted by her big brother on the way to school. She wasn't used to him asking questions about her social life, which is exactly what he did.

"So, I hear you're working on a project with that Chinese brat."

She rolled her eyes as she darted past her brother's bike, trying to show off. "He's not a brat, and his name is Syaoran."

"Isn't he the one that tried to beat you up once?"

Sakura blushed. "That was a misunderstanding! We're cool now." ~At least, I wish we were.~

"So he's not giving you any problems?" Touya asked suspiciously.

"Nothing I can't handle," she replied, skating backwards. "Everything's fine."

"Then how come you're about to crash into that telephone pole?"

"Huh?!" Sakura quickly spun around, though it wasn't a telephone pole she nearly crashed into.

"Hey, careful!" Tomoyo cried, barely catching her friend in time. "I'm glad to see you, too, but you don't have to run over me!"

"Sorry, Tomoyo-chan! Touya told me you were a phone pole." She turned, only to see her brother halfway down the street. "Jerk," she muttered, adjusting her rollerblades.

"Did you ever talk to Syaoran yesterday?"

Sakura smiled mysteriously. "You could say that."

"Really? Give me details!" Tomoyo said, an eager smile on her face.

"Sorry, I can't yet. We're about to be late for school. I'll tell you later."

* * * * *

"Okay, class. In gym today, we're going to try something different. You'll all be working in pairs, which I'll assign in a minute." Ms. Hadana went through the class roster, starting to call out the names.

"I hope WE get to work together, Syaoran," Meiling said with a big smile.

Syaoran groaned and closed his eyes. ~Please, just put me with ANYONE else!~

"Hmm...Syaoran, you'll be paired with Tomoyo."

"WHAT?!" Meiling shrieked. "But you can't! I want to work with Syaoran!"

Ms. Hadana smiled. "Sorry, Meiling. You'll be working with Sakura."

"Yuck! Why didn't you just pair me up with Yamazaki?"

"Well, if you insist. Sakura, I'll find you another partner."

"NO! I was kidding!" Meiling gasped. "You can't put me with him!"

"I'm really glad we're going to be partners, Meiling," Yamazaki said with a huge grin. "Did you know that know that sneakers used to be called quieters?"

"Why is this happening to me?!" Meiling wailed.

Ms. Hadana blew her whistle. "Okay, class. This is something of a trust exercise. To start, I want all the girls to stand on the boys' shoulders."

Syaoran lowered himself to one knee.

Tomoyo grabbed his hands and carefully placed a foot on his back. "Don't drop me!"

Syaoran grunted as she climbed up. "I won't. Just don't make any sudden moves." Once her feet were squarely on his shoulders, he slowly stood up.

"Very good, Syaoran and Tomoyo!" Ms. Hadana said.

"So, how'd things go with Sakura yesterday?" Tomoyo whispered.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes. "What? You want to talk about that now?!"

"Well, she hasn't told me anything yet. What happened between you two?"

"Nothing," he muttered. "Absolutely nothing." ~Not that I helped by running.~

"If it was really nothing, then you wouldn't mind talking about it."

"Here comes the more difficult part," Ms. Hadana went on. "Now, I want the girls to flip forward and have the boys catch them as they fall. Once you're done, you can leave."

There were a few shouts of protest around the gym (especially from the girls), but everyone did their best.

Tomoyo waited until Syaoran was ready, then flipped forward. Syaoran turned to the side and caught her in his arms easily enough. She smiled up at him. "You're pretty strong, aren't you, Syaoran?"

"Whatever." Syaoran quickly put her down.

"So I'll see you this afternoon?" she asked.

"Huh? For what?"

Tomoyo grinned. "For your soccer game after school!"

~Oh, great. Don't tell me someone besides Meiling is in love with me now.~ Syaoran made a face. "Since when do you like soccer?"

"Well, I don't. I'm just going to support Sakura." When Syaoran gave her a blank look, Tomoyo sighed. "She's a cheerleader. You know, one of the girls that stands on the sidelines and cheers during the games?"

"She...is?" he asked slowly.

"Yes! Didn't you know that?"

"Well..." Syaoran scratched his head nervously. "I guess I forgot..."

"But there's nothing to be nervous about. Since nothing happened between you two. Right?"

"Um...yeah, right," he muttered. "I...have to go now."

Tomoyo smiled as he quickly ran off. ~Looks like the tough guy is really soft on Sakura. I wonder if she knows that?~

* * * * *

There were no defenders in sight as Syaoran ran down the field. He took the pass and drove to the left, setting up one of his more effective scoring positions. He glanced to the left, nodding to his teammate, and then drew back his leg, ready to kick the ball straight into the goal. That was when he spotted her.

Sakura was on the sidelines with the rest of the cheerleaders, her pompoms raised high in the air. She was at the center of the lineup, and like the others, her eyes were focused solely on him.

He swallowed noisily. ~She looks so...so...~

"Syaoran, watch out!" Yamazaki shouted.

Syaoran turned his attention back to the game, and realized that the defenders had caught up with him. Before he knew what was happening, his legs were swept out from under him, and the defenders were heading up the field with the ball.

"Ooooh, what a steal!" the announcer groaned. "Li never even saw the opposing team's players coming up behind him!"

Syaoran made it to his feet just as the other team scored, tying up the score. A time-out was called.

"What happened, Syaoran?" Yamazaki asked. "Why didn't you take the shot when you had the chance?"

"I...I just froze," Syaoran muttered, brushing off his uniform. "Won't happen again."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

* * * * *

Sakura bit her lip as the team returned to the bench. Syaoran walked right past her, a determined scowl on his face. "Good luck, Syaoran!" she called. If he heard her, he didn't show it.

"Pssst! Sakura!" a voice hissed.

Sakura turned around to see Tomoyo in the seats behind her. "There you are, Tomoyo-chan! Where have you been all this time?"

"Sorry, but I just got here. I had to get new batteries for my video camera. Anyway, I need to tell you-"

"Can't talk now," Sakura said. "We've got a cheer to do." She quickly ran to join the other cheerleaders on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Syaoran and the other players were gathered around their coach.

"Listen up, guys!" the coach barked. "We've got one more chance to win this game. Syaoran, I want you to stay on number 46. He's their go-to guy, so they'll try to kick it in to him for the goal. Yamazaki, you stay near the goal, just in case. Now, let's win this game!"

As Syaoran returned to his position, he felt a strange presence nearby. Glancing over at Sakura, he could see that she felt it, too. There was definitely a Clow Card in the vicinity, but he couldn't worry about that just now. He had to focus on the game.

The referee blew the whistle, signaling the start of the play. As the coach had predicted, number 46, Hino, got the ball and headed straight down the field. However, Syaoran was with him every step of the way. He forced Hino closer to the edge of the field, trying to make him run out of bounds.

Hino seemed to get faster as he got closer to the goal. Then Syaoran realized that he wasn't getting faster, but larger. With each step, he grew at least an inch in size, and showed no signs of stopping. By the time he was a yard from the goal, Hino was over twenty feet tall. Unfortunately, he was so focused on the game that he didn't realize what was happening to him. His footfalls were shaking the entire field.

Acting fast, Syaoran grabbed one of the boy's shoelaces and held on for dear life. The world flew by in a blur, but he somehow spotted Sakura's face among the swirling colors. "It's The Big!" he shouted. "Use one of the stronger cards, fast!"

Sakura nodded and glanced around her. Fortunately, most of the people in the stadium were already fleeing for their lives. She quickly called upon the Key of Clow, enlarging it to wand form. Then she drew out the Power Card, one she was starting to depend on more and more.

For some reason, Hino finally stopped running and turned around to look at Sakura. Syaoran grunted as his arms were stretched painfully past their normal points for a few moments, just before he was snapped back, slamming into the back of Hino's shoe.

Sakura held out the Power Card. "Power Card, grant your powers to this wand. Release and dispel!" She struck the card with the wand, not really noticing that Hino was charging towards her until it was too late. Just as the energy transfer was completed, Hino's huge hand wrapped around Sakura's waist and lifted her high into the air.

Meanwhile, Syaoran had regained enough of his senses to realize that something was wrong. He looked up in time to see Hino pluck the wand from Sakura's hands. Without it, she wouldn't be able to call on any other Cards. Worse than that, Hino could now use the charged wand against them.

Unable to think of anything else, Syaoran pulled out the Time Card. As he'd predicted, Hino instantly turned to look at him, sensing another Clow Card. Unfortunately, he lost all interest in Sakura and promptly dropped her. From that height, even if she did survive, it wouldn't be a pleasant experience. As Syaoran ran forward, he summoned the Time Card's powers. Everything but him froze. With a sigh of relief, Syaoran grabbed onto Hino's shoe and climbed up, until he reached the hand holding the wand. It took a few more minutes, but he was able to tug it loose. However, as he did so, everything started to move again, only in slow motion. Syaoran quickly realized that he'd taken too long, and that the Time Card's power was wearing off. He climbed back down as fast as he could, then ran over to where Sakura was about to land.

Just before he reached her, the effects of the Time Card wore off. Syaoran suddenly knew exactly what he had to do and hit the ground in a perfect sliding tackle. As he'd planned, Sakura landed on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Unfortunately, she also knocked the wand out of his hand, and Hino was once again headed straight for it.

Sakura was the first to act. She grabbed the wand and threw it with all her might. The wand spun through the air and slammed into Hino's ankle. Since it was infused with the strength of the Power Card, the wand hit a lot harder than it normally would've, and Hino slowly began to collapse in pain. As he fell, his body gave off a yellow mist, then shrunk to its normal size. Sakura recovered the wand and struck the center of the mist. "Big Card, return to your power confined!" The mist was sucked into its card form, which flew to her hand.

Syaoran slowly walked over to her. "Where'd you learn to throw like that?"

Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry, Syaoran. I really thought I was getting better at this."

He gave her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, you did all the work. You got the wand back, and you broke my fall. If you hadn't, I never would have captured this Card."

"Sakura, some Cards are harder to capture than others. Some will be stronger than us. That's why we have to work together, as a team. If we don't-"

"What did you just say?" Sakura interrupted, turning to look at him.

"Huh? Some Cards are stronger-"

"No, no. You called us a team. You've never done that before."

Syaoran blushed slightly. "Well, we are. What's your point?"

"Nothing." Sakura glanced away for a moment. "Sorry about your game."

He shrugged. "Don't be. I wasn't doing very well, anyway. I keep getting distracted." ~By you, but you don't need to know that...~

Hino suddenly stood up, looking confused and rubbing his head. "What just happened here...?"

Sakura and Syaoran glanced at each other, but didn't say anything.

"...okay." He looked at Syaoran and nodded. "Good game. We'll beat you next time." With that, he turned and trotted off the field.

"Well...I'd better get home," Sakura said. "Are you...coming?"

Syaoran stared at her. "Why would I do that?"

She smirked. "Our Tarot project."

"Oh, that. I'll meet you there. I need to get my gear." Syaoran waited until she was gone, then went to get his bag. As he did so, a sharp pain shot through his chest, and he fell to his knees. Carefully pulling up his shirt, he saw a green liquid smeared all over his chest. With a frustrated groan, he pulled his shirt back down, only to find that the green substance was now staining it. "Great. Now I'll have to change first." He was starting towards the exit when he bumped into someone. Syaoran slowly raised his head.

Meiling stared back at him, and she didn't look too happy. "Syaoran, we need to talk. Right now." Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked away.

Syaoran had no intention of following her, but her some reason, his body seemed to have a mind of its own. He strained to turn away, but his legs kept following Meiling, until she stopped a few yards outside away from the field.

Once there, she turned to look at him again. "Syaoran, I don't know how to say this, but I don't think this experiment is working out."

Syaoran stared at her. "What experiment?"

Meiling sighed. "Don't make it harder. Just hold still while I get this over with."

Syaoran was about to ask what she meant when Meiling executed a perfect roundhouse kick to his head, scoring an instant knockout. "Sorry, Syaoran," she said as she hauled him up, "but this is for your own good."

* * * * *

Mr. Kinomoto glanced at the clock. "I don't think your friend is coming, Sakura."

Sakura sighed. "I guess you're right, tou-san. I just can't figure out why he wouldn't call. Syaoran's always so punctual."

Just then, the phone rang. Sakura surprised herself by rushing over and grabbing it. "Hello?!"

"Kinomoto? This is Meiling."

Sakura frowned. "You haven't seen Syaoran by any chance, have you?"

"Actually, yes. He stopped by my house after the game and said he was going straight home afterwards."

"Oh." ~Why do I sound so disappointed?~ "Did he mention anything else?"

"No, but he did want me to tell you something. Stay away from him."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Mei-"

"Stay away from him!" Meiling shouted. "I mean it, Kinomoto! You don't have any idea what you're messing with! Just stay away from Syaoran!"

Sakura nearly dropped the phone. Before she could think of a response, the line went dead.


Continued in Part 2: The Clow Child

The nature of Meiling's experiment is revealed, Sakura fights a dangerous new enemy, and Syaoran finds that he is not who he thinks he is.