Disclaimer: Cardcaptors doesn’t belong to me; it belongs to CLAMP and all the other people who created that anime. Only this idea of this story is mine, Sakura Avalon Li.

**NOTE: I’m sorry if the first part of the story doesn’t make sense, but I did that for a reason. You’ll find out further on why I did that. AND, Li DOESN’T have a crush on Julian in this.

Short Preview: Xiao-Lang (Li, for those who didn’t know) and Sakura are both on a school field trip to the beach AGAIN (first time was "The Cave" episode), and things are starting to get interesting. Their classmates are undergoing some weird feelings, and both cardcaptors are at a little mishap of love. Xiao-Lang, help! She’s a victim of ANOTHER Clow card here! (sorry, but I made up a Clow card for this story!)

Risks and Influences

The memory was as clear as bell.

"Force, know my plight; release the light! ...Lightning!"

and...

"You are LOOKING at Raiju, the thunder beast," Xiao-Lang retorted. "Boy, you ARE hopeless."

Sakura was thinking about that night again; that night when she first met Xiao-Lang in battle form. ‘That was ages ago’, she thought. ‘So why am I still thinking about it? Well, I DO know why. It’s because of Xiao-Lang.....Li. Li especially. He was downright mean to me, always criticizing me, calling me hopeless. What right does HE have to do that? Even Tori isn’t like that to me.’

"Miss Avalon!"

She glanced up from lying on her desk. Mr. Torada was looking down at her, sternly. "AHH!" she yelped, jumping up.

"Miss Avalon, I said that we’re ready to get on the bus," he said. "Grab your things."

She obeyed and grabbed her bags, joining up with Madison, Rita and them. Madison tugged at her sleeve. "What were you so dazed about? (whisper) Clow card again?"

Sakura looked at the ground. "Yeah...you can say that," she edged. ‘It hurts to think that Li would say things like that,’ she thought. ‘Why am I still calling him Li? His name is Xiao-Lang, and Li’s his last name. Old habits die-hard, I guess. Besides, "Little Wolf" is over-emphasizing his personality.’

She got onto the bus sat in her nest of friends, but she wasn’t too far from Li (*OK, I’ll stick with the name "Li", and I’ll stop mixing in "Xiao-Lang" with it). She noticed he was staring at her, with a serious look. ‘What’s his problem anyway?’ she thought once again. ‘Can’t he give me any credit?’ A saddened face formed as she turned away from him, deciding to not let "work" get in her way.

Zachary plopped down next to Li, with a backpack in his hands. He tried to get a good-look into Li’s eyes. "Careful Li; your face might get stuck that way," he teased.

Li faced him and sat back. "Some cardcaptor SHE is," he mumbled.

"What?" Zachary asked.

"Oh—nothing!" Li corrected himself. He secretly tried to look at Sakura’s face again. She had a sad look on her face, but she tried to mask it over with a fake smile. She caught him looking at her, so she quickly turned the other way. ‘What’s wrong with her?’ he thought. ‘I was just looking at her, and nothing else.’

‘Admit it, Xiao-Lang; even if she doesn’t deserve to be a cardcaptor, you still don’t like to see her sad,’ his conscience argued. ‘Afterall, you’re used to seeing her smile, cheerful, and dancing around. Just unusual, huh?’

The bus took everyone to the beach once again, and everyone climbed out. Grabbing their bags, it wasn’t too hard for someone to lose something with this many kids. And surely, Sakura lost one of her belongings; the Clow key.

"Hey, stop pushing!" Chelsea complained to Zachary. "Zachary, you’ll get out soon enough, so you don’t need to push."

Sakura turned to Chelsea and smiled. "Yeah Zachary, it’s not like this is our first field trip to beach. We came here last time remember? The ancient walk to the shrine, and..." She paused. ‘And the Erase card,’ she finished. ‘Boy, that was close.’ "Well, let’s get going to our cabins and change," she suggested.

"Yeah," Madison agreed.

Li, however, found the key and was trying his best to push through the crowd. Being way in back of everyone was especially hard. "Sakura!" he yelled, gripping on to the key.

She couldn’t hear him. All the excitement and with everyone talking was too hard to hear through. Sakura was too busy talking and walking off to notice him.

"Sakura! Hey Sakura!" he hollered again.

That was last chance, at the moment. Mr. Torada already told everyone to go change into his or her swimwear, for scuba diving and fishing. Zachary dragged Li along. "Come on, Li!" he dragged.

‘Maybe she’ll forget about it,’ Li presumed, ‘and then, I can keep this key for myself. Then, I can get the Clow cards, just as I was sent here to do.’ He opened up his palm and glanced at it. ‘Still...I can’t,’ he continued, ‘and it’s not right. But why? I’M the descendent of Clow Reed, not her. So why is this so weird?’

Soon enough, both boys were in their cabin. They both settled their things down, and got ready. Li was done in a flash, but he just sat on the bottom bunk, staring at the key in his hands. Even though the cabin was dim, the reflection of the key shone in his hand. The message "hi Li!" from Sakura seemed to glow on it. He went over to his bag and unzipped it, finding that his sword was hidden in the middle of his clothes. ‘Maybe I can leave it here?’ he thought.

"Li, come on! We got to go; Mr. Torada wants the boys out first to help load out the equipment," Zachary cried. He motioned his hand. "Let’s go!"

Li stood up and gripped on tight to the key. "You go ahead; I’ll be there in a sec’," he answered, walking out the door.

In Sakura’s cabin, she was also done, but she scrambled through her things. "Madison, I swear I had the Clow key on me, like I always do," she said, ruffling through everything. "Did you see where I left it?"

Madison shook her head.

Sakura stood still. "Oh no, if I lost it, what’ll happen? The fate of the world is with that key! I think."

"Sakura, maybe it’s best if you dressed first before Mr. Torada comes looking for you," Madison suggested. "Come on, I’ll wait for you."

Sakura plopped onto her bunk, sighing heavily. "All right," she gave in. "But can you help me look for it while I do?"

"Sure," Madison answered. Good thing that the other girls weren’t here, or otherwise there would be trouble. She got onto the floor and searched.

Meanwhile with Li, he was still holding the key and staring at it, strolling around. ‘Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,’ he thought. ‘Sakura might – no, she wouldn’t. I should just give it back to her...soon.’ He walked up to Sakura’s door and turned the doorknob, walking right in with his eyes still on his palm. "Hey Sakura, I got your—"

"LI!!!" Sakura screamed, throwing a pillow at him. He looked up just in time to have it hit his face.

"Hey Sakura! What’s the deal!"

She quickly finished dressing and cried, "Ever heard of knocking first?" Gee, she’s more aggravated than she usually ever is. Madison leaped, but she hit her head against the bunk of the bed.

Li was calmer than usual. "Gee, sorry ‘Miss Cardcaptor’," he apologized. He walked over and placed the key into her hand. "But you’d probably need this."

Sakura forgot her anger as she danced with joy. "My key! Wow, thanks so much Li! (hugged him) Oh, I looked almost everywhere! Where did you find it?"

He faintly blushed, stammering, "Well—you see....okay, I saw it snap off from your necklace onto the ground at the bus." ‘What’s with her today? First, dreamy, then sad, then mad, now all hugging? Weird,’ he additionally thought.

"Thanks a lot, Li," she remarked. Standing up, she grabbed his hand and suggested, "Let’s go!"

"Hey! Sakura!" Li complained, stumbling after her.

* * *

Mr. Torada outside waited for everyone to come out. "Now, we’ll first go scuba diving under the water first. Each of you will be going singly first, then with your partners. Now about your partners--"

The whole class started cheering.

"I will be assigning them," he continued. The whole class moaned.

Madison whispered to Sakura, "OK, maybe we’ll luck out and be paired together."

"Maybe," Sakura answered, doubtful.

"Chelsea, you’ll be paired with Zachary," Torada started. Madison and Sakura listened carefully, hoping to be called. Madison didn’t get paired with Sakura. Can you guess? "And Sakura, you will be paired with—Li."

Sakura gulped, and Madison gasped. Typical, huh? "Li?" she gulped.

All the students have been paired, so Sakura decided to lighten up. ‘Maybe it won’t be so bad,’ she thought. She kept that thought and put on a smile on her face, walking over to him. Li, surprisingly, didn’t look mad. He...looks kind of uneasy. None of them talked to each other. They put on the equipment and dove into the water together.

Wildlife under the sea was extremely beautiful. Sea life was swimming everywhere, and amazing creatures seem to be greeting them both. Sakura turned to Li and pointed at an octopus, indicating to use it for their report. He nodded and got out some equipment for notes.

After a while, trouble arose. Sakura went to feel it for analysis, but it suddenly glowed green and blue. She screamed and pulled on Li. She gurgled, "LI!! The Oooocctoopuuus!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the way. Too late; it’s got her. "Li! A Clooooow Caaaard! Uuuse your Tiiiimme Card!"

He glanced around, making sure that no one was in the way. Good; no one was around in this end of the waters. But, he couldn’t use his card; his sword was in the cabin. ‘It can’t be a Clow card!’ he thought. In a quick flash of thought, he grabbed Sakura and slammed the octopus away with his foot. Everything was done, and both of them broke the surface for some air.

Li patted Sakura’s back. "I’m surprised that you noticed the octopus, but I don’t think it was a Clow card," he panted.

"I thought it was," Sakura gasped.

Li turned to her again. "You’re hopeless Avalon; octopuses just likes wrapping its tentacles around, and they thrash at whoever’s getting too close!"

"Well SORRY, wolf-boy," Sakura argued, jumping up. "Anyway, that whole thing didn’t make sense! (turned away) I’m glad we’re done, ‘cuz I’m outta here!"

"Sakura!" Li yelled. ‘She’s right,’ he thought. ‘That whole thing under the water didn’t make sense. Could she be right again? Could be a Clow card?’

Later on that evening, Li went back to the cabin and sat down, thinking about that incident again. ‘Maybe something octopuses have evolved into?’ he thought again. An idea crept up into his mind. ‘No one will know,’ he finally concluded. Li opened up his bag and dug through his pile of clothes, grabbing out a bunch of photos. ‘The prettiest ones...’

"Li?"

Li jumped up in fear and accidentally tossed the photos everywhere. "Zachary? Whoa, I didn’t hear you come in," he recovered. He gasped. "My photos!"

Zachary bent down and started picking them up, examining each one. "Li...what are all these?"

‘Oh man,’ he whined. "Well, Sakura and I like to trade photos, that’s all," he quickly answered.

But Zachary could see right through. "It’s okay Li," he assured, smiling. "I know. (stared them) You sure have a lot of them. For one thing, Sakura wouldn’t trade photos of her for other photos of her. I won’t tell." And with that, Zachary gave the pictures back and left the cabin.

Li sat back down again. "I’ve gotten so deep that I’m carrying pictures of her wherever I go! What’s gotten into me? I used to be so serious, so assured, but now...because of Sakura....I lost some of it. But—how did she do that? (desperate) Zachary, PLEASE don’t tell.’

* * *

‘I sense something,’ Sakura thought. ‘It’s somewhere close by. But, am I losing my mind? I captured a Clow card the last time we’re here, so there shouldn’t be another one, right?’

She ignored her other thoughts as she went to bed. Squinting her eyes closed, she started to think back to what happened earlier today. She was partnered with Li, and there was that dumb underwater accident. ‘Well, how was I suppose to know that octopuses do that? Man, cardcaptoring has gotten me jumpy,’ she thought. ‘Li...and Li didn’t have to be so mean to me. Although, I SHOULD thank him; I would’ve been strangled if he hadn’t untangled me. This seems so stupid; THAT was stupid.’ Stopping, she sat up and moaned. "I just can’t sleep tonight," she said. "Just like last time."

Sakura walked out and shivered in the night air, strolling down the steps of the cabins. "Maybe I’ll just sit by the beach, just like how Li and I did last time. The breeze always helps."

"Help!"

Sakura froze in place. The cry was a dry, almost whisper-like sound. A cloud of fog blurred in front of her. She gasped. "Rita!" She ran down to where she was, just in time to catch her from fainting. "Rita? What happened?"

No answer. Rita fainted from her little incident, and Sakura shook her. But...she’s glowing a blue tint? ‘Where have I seen THIS before?’ she thought. She looked up and saw...a cloudy figure? It looked illusionary, with sash-like sleeves on her wavy arms. "I was right! It IS a Clow card! But which one is this?" she cried.

The Clow card stared at Sakura with its sharp, pale eyes. Sakura dragged Rita to the side of the staircase and went to work. Taking out the key, she commanded, "Key of Clow, power of magic, power of light; surrender the wand, the force ignite. Release!" The key transformed into the wand form, and she grabbed it. "Power card! Carry Rita back to the cabin! Release and dispel!"

Power appeared and laid Rita back inside the cabin in her bed. It came back in a flash. "Power card, grant your power to this wand!" Power transformed itself to be in the wand, and a glow appeared on it and Sakura, showing its power. "All right, Clow card! Take your best shot!"

The Clow card swung itself like ballet at Sakura, but she dodged it easily. Sakura swung the wand and almost landed a hit on the card, but she missed. Instead, the card whirled itself behind Sakura, leaving her looking around. ‘Oh no, I lost track of it!’ she panicked.

A sudden chill brushed at Sakura as she whirled around. She raised her wand to slam the card, and she did, but at the price of being strangled up. "Hey—let go...of me!" she cried. A wave of red was glowing through her, and she started feeling tired. "Power—card! Return!" She returned the card, fearing that it might be taken over by this card.

‘What card can I use next?’ she struggled. ‘I can’t use the Shadow card; this one’s power is way too strong for it. Sword card maybe, but I can’t move! And—anyway, this card’s sashes got me and my wand tied up...I can’t budge. (collapsed to her knees) Now I know...how Rita felt...’

"HAAIII—YAA!"

Li leaped down from the top of a tree and kicked the card away, just in time. The card toppled down several steps and stopped, with Sakura dropping to the ground. Li jumped to where the card was and started to fight (it’s a lot easier with just regular clothes). He swung several kicks and punches, but the card dodged them. Instead, it lashed out one of its sash-like arms and wrapped Li’s waist with it. With some quick thinking, he swiped out his sword and slashed away.

Li held up his sword and challenged, "Let’s go!"

The card stood up and stared at him, but it just vanished. Li put down his sword and watched it go. Fuming, he whirled to her, demanding, "Sakura, what did you think you’re d—" He stopped short in turning to her. Sakura struggled to her feet, limping each step towards him. "Sakura!" he cried, running over to hold her up.

Sakura looked into his eyes with half opened eyelids. "Li...thanks..." she breathed, her legs giving out.

She fell back and let the wand out of her hands, but he grabbed her and the wand just in time. "Sakura?" he softly asked, shaking her. "Sakura? You okay?" He placed a finger under her nose. "Good; she just fainted," he concluded. "But...(grunt) how am I...(grunt again) suppose to get her up?" Li looked down at the wand he had in his hand. "I can’t use this; I don’t have to power to use it!" he struggled. After a few moments, he laid her down. "No, but I CAN use the cards...I hope." He searched Sakura’s pockets and found the cards. "Now, which one..."

He scrambled through and found it: the Power Card. Li picked up his sword and tossed the card up into the air. ‘This better work,’ he thought. "Power card...lend me your power!" He punctured the sword at the card, and surprisingly, the power could be released. Quickly, Power glowed through Li, the same red glow. He placed his sword back in its case, gripped onto the wand, and picked up Sakura into his arms. He ran up the steps to her cabin and silently opened the door.

‘Where’s her bed...’ he thought, spotting it and laying her down. Li covered her up and struck a match to his candle. Placing the candle down, he quietly ordered, "Power card, return!" He struck his sword down and returned the card. He carefully put it back into her hands in her blankets, and he hid the wand and his sword under her mattress. He continued, ‘So she was right; the octopus was with the card. That means...it might come back, here! It doesn’t make any sense. Maybe...maybe I should stay here, just in case.’

At that word, he sat down at the bottom of Sakura’s bed, laying his head on the mattress. Leaving is hand on her shoulder, Li slowly drifted off to sleep. ‘If that card comes back for her or anyone else...it’ll have to get through me...’ he lastly thought.

* * *

Sakura dizzily opened her eyes. ‘Was that a dream? That was some card,’ she thought, still faint. ‘That felt so much like a nightmare...’ She clenched her hands and paused. She looked down at it. ‘The Power card! It wasn’t a dream? (felt her neck) Where’s the key? Oh no...I must have dropped it. Great, I lost it twice! Wait, how did I get back here?’

She tried to sit up, but she couldn’t; something held her back. There was almost no light, except for the little candlelight in the cabin, and a little dawn light. ‘I’m so tired,’ she continued. She forced herself up and peered down at her bed, feeling a hand slide off of her. She gasped. ‘Li! What’s he doing here?’

Just then, he started to stir. Li slowly picked his head up and squinted up at her. "Sakura..." he meekly smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"What are you doing in the girls’ cabin? And where’s the key?" she demanded, quietly.

Impatience started to crawl up his mind as he sat onto her bed. "Sakura, I was the one who carried you back here, remember? The (whisper) CLOW CARD last night?" he hinted, back to his usual mood.

She grabbed her head. "I can’t remember everything," she softly moaned. "I only remember up to when I almost got strangled." She looked down at him again and beamed. "Li...thanks, for everything."

He couldn’t say anything at first, only look at her. "Uh...whatever," he sputtered out, not able to say anything else. He reached under the mattress and pulled out the wand. "Here," he mildly said.

She took it gratefully and returned it to key form. That’s when everyone else in the cabin woke up. Madison leaned over and greeted, "Li, what are you doing in this GIRLS’ cabin? Nice day for a little romance?"

Chelsea sat up and stared at them. "Li? What are you doing here?"

Li stood up and faced everyone. "I—just came over to give back Sakura something that she dropped yesterday, that’s all," he replied. Something struck him. ‘Oh no, my sword! How am I suppose to get it back now, with everyone looking at me?’ he panicked.

He quickly walked back over and motioned Sakura to come closer. He leaned to her ear and whispered, "My sword...I’ll come back and get it when everyone’s out on our nature walk. Meanwhile, don’t do anything to it."

Sakura frowned. "Why would I want your sword?" she whispered back.

Li didn’t catch what she said; he was already at the door, walking out. ‘Did I REALLY have to add that last comment? Same old, same old, I guess. I always keep everyone away from my stuff.’

Later that day, the whole class went on a nature walk through the near by woods. But Li, out last, crept back into Sakura’s cabin and went to her bed. "My sword..." he muttered, pulling it out. "Maybe I should take it with me, just in case? Nah, the whole class will see me. Besides, Sakura has the key—"

He stopped to think for a moment. A vision passed by his eyes, mentally. He saw her, with bright lights and beautiful surroundings. She smiled at him and sweetly said, "Li...you wanna come for a ride? On Fly?"

Then he saw himself blushing. "Sakura....okay, um...sure!"

Li smacked his head against the bedpost, groaning. "What’s gotten into me? Sakura’s getting glued to my mind! Sakura...she’s always so nice to me, even though I live to my name ‘Wolf Boy’ to be mean to her. Wait a minute..." He thought for a second. "Yeah, I might just do that," he finished, smirking.

He grabbed his sword and darted outside, jumping silently up into the trees. He saw Sakura looking around, looking for something. ‘Me, maybe?’ he thought. ‘What am I thinking? Maybe I should go swimming later; all this is getting weird thoughts in my mind.’ "Now, wait for the right position of her...there! (threw up the Time card) Time card...freeze the moment!" he cried.

Time froze for him, and he leaped down from where he was, scrambling over to Sakura. "Afterall, rehearsal’s nice, right?" he said aloud. He patted Sakura’s shoulder and leaned over to her, kissing her right on the lips. Li parted after a long moment and stood there, staring. "Sakura...," he sighed, flushed. He jumped back up to the tree, but he went back to his cabin. There, he yelled, "Time card, unfreeze!"

Time was restored back to normal, and he quickly slipped his sword back into his bag. Then, he jumped the trees to go where everyone else was. "That was pretty smooth, Xiao-Lang," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Sakura still was glancing around. "Madison, Li’s not here yet? He’s usually here with Zachary first thing," she said.

Madison smiled. "Remember the last time when Li didn’t show up on time? It was when Mei-Lin first arrived at our class, and Li was freaked out for the whole time."

Sakura’s heart skipped a beat. "What if—Mei-Lin’s back from Hong Kong? And she’s here now? Oh no, and Li’s with her and not here!"

"With you?" Madison queried, slyly.

Sakura stopped short and faced her directly. "What do you mean?"

"You sound a big like the green giant’s gotten you," Madison explained.

"What green giant? A (whisper) Clow card?" she asked, clueless.

Madison shook her head. "No, are you ‘jealous’, that MAYBE Li is with Mei-Lin? Even though he isn’t?"

"I—" Sakura trailed. She thought, ‘Possibly, right? Mei-Lin sure has a way to drop in sometimes, like last time.’

(flashback)

"The FIGHT card!" Mei-Lin’s voice hollered, making everyone look up at her.

Sakura cried, "Mei-Lin!"

Mei-Lin leaped down to the ground in front of everyone. Kero asked, "Don’t tell me; lemme guess. You must Li’s girlfriend, right?"

"Do you think you’re gonna capture the Clow card in THAT outfit?" Mei-Lin snitched.

"As a matter of fact, I—"

Mei-Lin smiled, sarcastically, "Don’t worry about it; I’M helping Li now. So you (pointing) can take a hike, girl!"

(then)

"Now, you may have your guardian beast of the seal, but Li Shouron has got me," Mei-Lin boasted. "So it’s time to butt out!"

(end)

"Madison, it’s not possible," Sakura concluded. "Mei-Lin’s gone back to Hong Kong for good, I hear. Li’s family (*I made this up) didn’t want her to be in Readington anymore. And why did I think Mei-Lin was the problem anyway?"

"It’s just a suggestion," Madison kindly reasoned. "But Sakura, you DO seem a little more worried than usual about Li."

‘I guess,’ she thought. ‘As if I had any interest in that cute little "wolf" boy? He’s mean to me quite often, but he sure does come on schedule to help me out. Wait a minute—huh?’ "I guess," was all she managed to pull out.

"And Sakura, what’s with that stuff on your mouth? Looks like water," Madison continued.

"What? (wiped) This?" Sakura asked. ‘Weird,’ she pondered.

Just then, Li arrived, right by Sakura’s side. "Hey Sakura," he greeted, nicer than usual.

"Where were you, Li? The whole class was out here waiting for you," Madison replied. She looked at Sakura again. "Sakura, you still have some of that watery stuff on your lip."

"Still?" she complained, wiping it cleanly. "Wonder what that was."

At that comment, Li furiously blushed. Red started to visibly show on his face, and his palms got sweaty. He quickly wiped them on his pants. ‘Great; some great kisser I am,’ he scolded himself. ‘And I call myself a cardcaptor. Wait—why did I just say that?’ He turned his face the other way and started whistling, his hands fidgeting with a photo in his pocket. ‘Man, I forgot to take this out.’

The class began their nature walk as Mr. Torada guided everyone through the woods, asking and pointing out things on the way. Li, however, was deep in thought:

‘I can’t even kiss right. I may be good at cardcaptoring, but unlike Sakura, I can’t get things completely done well. She can do gymnastics, treats everyone great, has the prettiest smile, is great at sports, and most of all...she especially treats me better than she’s suppose to. Afterall, I criticize her almost every time she does something. No wonder she likes Julian; he’s the guy who’s incredibly nice to her and treats her like a treasure. He even gave her flowers and took pictures with her. Me? I treat her like a sergeant with no real soft spot.

The only other girl who even comes close to matching Sakura’s athletic ability is Mei-Lin. But she’s a lot worse than Sakura; she’s so possessive, always trying to me. She’s a great fighter, and she does gymnastics almost as good as Sakura. Like the first day she was in Readington, she showed her strength. Yet, she gets so mad at Sakura, but for what? Because Sakura’s a cardcaptor and she’s not? Or is it because Sakura could be better than she is?

But Mei-Lin doesn’t treat everyone well like Sakura does. Sure, she treats me well, but that’s not enough! Sakura treats her friends and even ME and Mei-Lin well. And, Sakura seems to have such a spot for everyone. Me? She was almost strangled last night, and that—scared me, a little. Only a little, right? Okay, okay, A LOT. She really scared me. She almost was drained dry...the Influence card is extremely strong. The second time Influence gets her, Sakura...might not make it through—let’s not think about that part. Rita next to Madison looks really tired from yesterday, she looks about to fall asleep any moment. I’m not blaming Sakura as usual? Maybe it’s my fault; I should’ve been there instead of Sakura, so she wouldn’t get hurt.’

"Li, can you tell me this type of plant? You’re from Hong Kong, so you should have an advantage about this," Mr. Torada asked.

Li didn’t hear him. He was still thinking, taking side-glances at Sakura every now and then. ‘Yeah, that’s it; I’ll watch over her from now on, instead of competing with her.’

"Li," Mr. Torada hollered.

Li squeezed his fists and suddenly yelled, "I’ll watch over her! If it wants her, it’ll have to get past ME first!" He paused and looked at everyone. ‘Oops,’ he thought.

Mr. Torada commented, "Li, I’m glad that you’re so protective of these plants, but can you please tell use what these are?"

Sakura nudged his arm, making him look at her. "Li, THOSE plants," she whispered.

He glanced up. "Oh, sorry! Um...that’s the bamboo plant, and pandas eat them. Chopsticks are also made from them too, quite often."

"Thank you Li," Mr. Torada remarked, going back to his lecture. Sakura nudged him again.

"Li, what’s with you?" she asked. "You okay? (hesitantly felt his head) Are you sick? (whisper) The Clow card?"

‘How does she do that?’ he thought. "No, I’m fine; (whisper) but yeah, it’s about the card." He quickly thought about it again. He pulled on Sakura’s arm and murmured, "I need to talk to you later, when I come over."

Sakura was a bit confused. ‘What does HE have to talk with me about?’ she thought.

At dinnertime, Li strolled around the beach, still thinking. ‘After all, a few more couldn’t hurt. Maybe I should ask Madison,’ he thought. He jogged back to the campsite for dinner, finding Madison helping out with the cooking. He pulled her away to the sides and asked,. "Madison, do you have any more of those with you?"

She wrinkled her eyebrows. "What? Any more ‘what’?" she asked.

Li pantomimed with his hands, desperate to not let anyone see him like this. "You know...pictures," he hinted.

"Of what? (realized) Oh, THOSE pictures? Li, don’t you think you have enough? I saw how much you have," Madison replied.

"Yeah, but...I don’t know," Li sputtered, helpless. "You didn’t tell Sakura, did you? Don’t tell her."

"I didn’t tell her, so don’t worry about it," Madison assured. "But if you really want some more, here (took out her little bag). I did some of these on the computer, and some of them filmed myself. But Li, you can’t go on like this. I know everything."

"Yeah, but I want to be the one to tell Sakura, since it’s really my business," Li reasoned. "Yesterday Zachary walked right into my cabin when I was looking at them, and now, he knows." He cringed at that thought. ‘I really hope that Zachary hasn’t told anyone as he promised...especially to Sakura! ‘ he thought.

Madison laughed, "Li, you’ve gotten so deep that you’re bringing them with you HERE? This IS getting serious. When we were on the bus, I saw you still frowning at her, as usual. What changed?"

Li paused for a moment, stumped. ‘When? Good question,’ he thought. A sudden inspiration went through him. "Thanks Madison...I’ve got to go." He sped off and pocketed the photos carefully, in search of Sakura. He found her, chatting with her friends. He pulled on her arm. "Sakura, I need to talk to you for a moment...it’s important."

Sakura stood up and brushed herself. "I’ll be right back," she said to Rita and Chelsea, walking off with Li.

Both of them walked over to the starting trees of the forest, far away from everyone else. "About what I need to talk to you...it’s about...us, and – the Clow card earlier."

"Sure Li, what about it?" she asked.

Li held up the candlelight and started, "Well you see, first about me—I have to tell you that....I really care ab—"

"Li! Sakura! Come over here!" Mr. Torada hollered.

Li mentally sulked. ‘Perfect timing; when will I ever get a chance like this again?’ he cursed. "Well, I’ll just have to tell you another time then," he sighed. "Come on."

Sakura was confused again. ‘That was really strange,’ she wondered. ‘He really cares about what? The cards? He doesn’t need to tell me that. Maybe it’s—‘

"I have some very bad news," Mr. Torada explained. "We won’t be going on night-swims until further notice, nor are we going to the beach next to us. There have been reports of animals in the water pulling people under, and no one knows what it is. It’s been also spotted close to the cabin stairs, so everyone, you must be accompanied by someone else when you go somewhere, even just to the bathroom. It’s not safe."

The class groaned and started panicking. Li, Sakura, and Madison looked at each other, knowing that it’s the Clow card. ‘This is going to be a challenge,’ Madison thought.

* * *

Li didn’t get a chance to tell Sakura what he had to tell her after that...at least, not in the way he wanted to. Everyone was sent to their cabins early, and they were only allowed there and the bathroom. Li pouted when he and Zachary walked to the cabin. One of his first times he’d ever do that...especially over Sakura. He really wanted to tell her, but what other chance could he get? Maybe when everyone else is sleeping?

‘I should’ve told her...why didn’t I? Why did I have to ask Madison beforehand? But the other thing I had to tell her...about the Clow card...she wouldn’t go out tonight and try to capture it, right? That card is like a strikeout deal; one time struck you’re okay, but the second time...the ball game’s over,’ Li thought. ‘She wouldn’t dare, right? I hope not. What am I saying? I said I’d protect her! I even stooped to embarrass myself in front of the whole class today to say that! But I don’t want her to go because I go...double jeopardy. What can I do? I can risk going to tell her and she’ll never talk to me again, or I’ll just capture the Influence card without her. Man, talk about risks and influences.’

‘You can do one thing,’ another side of him argued. ‘Dress in your robe to sleep so you can be ready to go out when Sakura’s in trouble. Put your sword under your blanket and hold on to it. Or, if you’re actually brave enough Xiao-Lang, stay up close to her cabin and watch. That way, she’ll see how much you care, and she’ll come to you. Dream come true, right?’

‘Now wait a minute; up until two days ago, I was still frowning at her. Now, I’m FAWNING over her?’ Li thought. ‘One moment tense, the next I’m in love? What a change.’

* * *

Madison and Sakura were sitting on Sakura’s bed talking. Sakura was fixing her bobby hair when Madison asked, "Sakura, about Li...do you like him?"

Sakura clipped on her final clip. "Why—do you ask?" she gulped.

"Well, you DO notice that Li IS a lot nicer to you than before, right?" Madison questioned.

Sakura smiled, "Yeah, and that’s a good thing. But I (whisper) still know that he thinks that I don’t deserve to be a cardcaptor, even though he hasn’t said that to me recently. Not much change."

Madison grinned. "I don’t know about you, but I think Li is starting to like you. He looks more nervous whenever you talk to him, and he stammers a lot more."

She sat straight up. "Since when?" she asked.

"Like today, when he showed up LATE by YOU," Madison said. "And saying hi to you, and also, when he brought you back to the cabin last night. I shouldn’t say brought; he actually CARRIED you back. Also, did you notice him blushing at you on our nature walk?"

"Well..." she trailed. ‘Was that it? Was that what he wanted to tell me tonight?’ she thought, recalling earlier:

"About what I need to talk to you...it’s about...us, and – the Clow card earlier," Li started.

"Sure Li, what about it?" she asked.

He held up the candle light higher and continued, "Well you see, first about me—I have to tell you that...I really care ab—"

‘Madison does have a point,’ she thought. ‘If he wanted the card for himself, he would’ve gone back out and captured it without telling me. But...Li? He likes me? For me, I care about him, like all of my friends, but...like HIM? Xiao-Lang? I have to admit...him being nicer to me has me feeling more comfortable around him, though.’ "You know Madison, you DO have a point, but it’s not really LIKING Li, but with him being nicer, I DO feel more comfortable." ‘Liar; you DO like him afterall,’ her conscience thought.

"Well, at least it’s a start," Madison remarked.

Rita interrupted, "Madison’s right, Sakura. Li HAS been nicer to you especially, but then again, the only one who he’s really been mean to was you."

"Yeah, and Zachary hangs out with him a lot, and he admits that Li is starting to lose his criticizing facade," Chelsea replied. "He doesn’t criticize you after you solved a problem wrong, or said something wrong."

‘Or capture the Clow card wrong,’ Sakura thought. "You guys are right," she agreed.

Just then, Mr. Torada knocked on the door and opened it. "Okay girls, it’s 10:00. Time for lights out for tonight."

"Already?" asked everyone.

"Yep, like all nights," he said. "So it’s time for you to go to sleep, to get you ready for tomorrow."

"Okay," the girls answered, slipping under their covers.

Mr. Torada nodded and went out, turning off the lights. Each girl soon fell asleep, but Sakura couldn’t, once again. She thought about what Madison and her friends said about Li liking her, and her liking Li. All the signs pointed to true as she closed her eyes.

What will happen next? Where’s Li? Read the next chapter to find out! Warning: the ending is a bit sad, especially with Li (nothing bad, though).