Sakura gave him her best smiled when, he greeted her. "Morning!" She hoped that she seemed like her usual self. Sakura then noticed he was out breath. "You okay? You look like you ran a marathon." She stood there waiting for his respond with a concern look on her face. The thoughts of yesterday slowly began pouring through her mind.

Syaoran smiled as he finally caught his breath.  "I'm fine.  I overslept, so I had to run the last mile," he said.  He didn't really want to bring up his conversation with Wei.  Sakura looked like she was in a good mood.  No need to worry her by mentioning something related to his mother.

The warning bell rang as they stood at the gate.  "We should go in."  They quickly made their way into the building, stopping briefly at their shoe lockers and then going straight to class.

Sakura was having a hard time paying attention during her classes throughout the school day. She was either dozing off or thinking about her failed attempt at capturing that evil spirit the other night. She hoped that her body would get used to using more magic soon. She didn't want the others to notice her fatigue and she was terrible at hiding it. She glanced out the classroom window and let out a faint sigh. Sakura was praying that Eriol would send her some kind of sign about capturing spirits. He was told not help her, but Apollo failed at telling her the sealing spell. So it wasn't consider helping, right? 

When school was over, she bid Syaoran and Tomoyo goodbye and headed off to her first cheerling practice. Sakura wasn't in the mood for practice today. She just wanted to go home and crash. She went into the girls locker room and changed into her practice uniform. She then joined her teammates as they made their way onto the soccer field. Practice lasted for about an hour and when their coach told them it was over, Sakura left at once. She rushed home and went straight to her room. Sakura threw her school bag onto her bed and took off her school uniform. She put a T-shit and a pair of sweat pants on. Kero was busing playing a game like usual. She greeted him, when he was going through his game menu. He turned to face her.

"How was school?" he asked.

"Okay," Sakura replied with a tired looked on her face.

"Oh?" The guardian beast frowned slightly at his master's answer. "Did something happen?"

Sakura shook her head.

"You seem tired.."

"Today was the first day of cheerling. I'm a bit out of it so today's practice made me tired."

"Ah." Kero nodded his head and accepted her answer. He then went back to his game.

Sakura went over to her bed and unzipped her school bag. She thought it would be best to do her homework soon as possible. Who knew when an evil spirit would be active. As she pulled out her textbooks, Sakura noticed a letter that addressed to her. She grabbed and it recognized it was Eriol's handwriting. Sakura bit her lip trying to contained her excitement. This had to be the sign she was waiting for!! She opened it and pulled out the letter and began to read it. 

Sakura,


I apologize for forgetting to inform you about the evil spirit sealing spell. The spell is:


Evil Spirit! Be gone!


Good Luck,
Eriol 

Sakura almost nearly crushed the letter with her hand. She couldn't believe that the spell was so simple. However, it seemed easy enough to remember. She stuffed the letter back into its envelope and glanced back at her guardian. He was focusing on his game still so Sakura stuffed the envelope under her mattress. She would have to discard it when her guardian wasn't around. Sakura then grabbed her text books and went over to her desk to start on her homework. She worked on it and was able to finished it before dinner time. When her father called her down for dinner, Sakura put her homework away. She then joined her family in the dining room.

For the rest of the evening Sakura wore her spirit bracelet. She just laid on her bed watching TV shows with Kero. She would glanced at the gem every few seconds to see it was glowing. Nothing happened all evening which made Sakura happy. She didn't have to make an excuse to Kero. After Kero's drama was over, it was time for bed. Sakura changed into her PJs and said goodnight to Kero. He went into his little room while Sakura slid into her bed. She turned her alarm clock on and threw the covers over her. she then drifted off to sleep. In the middle night she was awaken by the gem glowing brightly on her wrist. She sat up and looked at her clock. It was one in the morning.

"Of course..," Sakura mutter to herself angrily. She remained sitting in her bed wondering how she would sneak out. She could use the Mirror card, but if Kero woke up he would know that she was gone. Sakura then decided to use the Sleep card. It would keep both her family and Kero asleep while she was out. Sakura got out of her bed and walked over to her desk. She slowly opened her top desk drawer open trying not wake Kero. She pulled out her magic book and opened it up. She summoned her wand and Sleep. She then order the fairy to keep everyone in the house asleep.

Sakura then summoned Fly and flew around the city until her jewel was reacting to the spirit. When she flew over the park, the jewel started to go mad. Sakura landed by the King and Penguin and wondered if this was the same spirit from last night. Her question was soon answer, when she saw the fox like spirit knocking down trashcans. Sakura gripped her wand tightly. She was determined to capture this thing. She ran over to it and pointed her wand at it.

"Stop right there!" She cried. " I cannot let you cause havoc anymore!" 

The fox spirit glanced at her with a hiss. It then ran off. Sakura quickly used the Dash card and chased after it. They ran into a nearby woods. When Sakura was about catch up to it, she tripped over a tree root. She hit the ground pretty hard and quickly got back up on her feet. The gem was still flashing so Sakura continued to search for it. When she caught up to it, she quickly used the Loop card to trapped it in the area. The fix spirit ran around like crazy trying to find an exit. Sakura smirk. The spirit was almost hers. She just needed to stun it. She pulled out her cards and went through them. The fight from the last made Sakura realized that she could not be gentle with evil spirits. She smirked again, when she found the card she was looking for.

She tossed it into the air. " Stun my target!" She then struck the card with her wand. "SHOT!!!"  The Pink girl appeared before her master with a huge grin on her face. It then turned into a bullet and struck the fox spirit on its side. It then fell to the ground. At once Sakura threw the blank card into the air. "Evil Spirit!!!" She then struck the card with her wand. "Be gone!!!!" The fox spirit then lost its physical form and its soul transfer into the card. It then disappeared. 

Sakura fell to the ground in relief. She glanced at the Shot card and thank her for her service. The card just smiled at her master and returned to her card. When Sakura stood up from the ground, a white note appear in font of her. She grabbed it and read it.

19 more spirits to go


The note then disappeared and Sakura hurried home.

Syoaran let out a breath as he finished a sequence of forms, his sword in a defensive stance in front of him.  He relaxed bringing the sword down to his side and standing up straight as the sun slowly climbed above the trees.  

He stood in a small clearing in a patch of woods near the park.  Wei had found this place yesterday while he was at school as promised, so Syaoran had decided to check it out in the morning.  His morning exercises were far easier to complete in the open space, and he could add his magic training into his martial arts practice to catch up with his studies.

The clearing was silent other than the occasional breeze and chirping birds, and he was almost reluctant to disturb the peace with his magic.  However, that excuse would never fly with his mother, so he placed his sword on the ground next to his backpack and rummaged through the bag for the book that corresponded to his mother's self-made Ancient Magic curriculum.  

The book was small but thick with pages full of magic theory and old spells passed down through his family since long before Clow's mother was born into the family.  Small notes in the margins of the pages translated the more difficult phrases of old Chinese into a more modern version; though the language itself was still outdated and occasionally hard to understand.  It was due for a second modern translation and probably a reprint.

Syaoran flipped gingerly through the old pages, finding his place a third of the way through the book and read down the margins of the page.  This chapter consisted of ways to use his elemental magic defensively rather than offensively; something he had only dabbled in with his wind magic.  If he was reading the old text correctly, he could use the other elements to simultaneously defend and counter attacks of the opposite element.

Syaoran placed the book, still open on the current page, on top of his bag and picked up his sword.  He had about 20 minutes before he had to head back to the apartment, scarf down some food, and head to school.  That should be more than enough time to meet his mother's requirements.

Somehow Sakura was able to get up in time for school. She got ready and rushed out the door so she would be able to get the school's gate before Syaoran. It was now her goal every morning to beat Syaoran. She was worried if she came to school late he would get suspicious. The problems of having a boyfriend who was well aware of his surroundings. When Syaoran arrived at the gate, Sakura greeted him and they headed into the school holding hands. The rest of day went by pretty fast. Sakura found herself acting normal despite being tired. After school she had practice, and this time she was able to enjoy herself. Capturing last night's spirit helped boost her confidence. She wasn't as worried about encountering them anymore. The only thing she had to worried about now was hiding it from everyone.  

It was now Friday and Sakura hasn't encounter a spirit since Tuesday night. Which she didn't mind at all seeing how homework was starting to pile up. After school ended, Sakura was gathering her things up wondering if Syaoran was busy this weekend. They haven't gotten a chance to spend time together since Monday night because of her cheerling practice. Then idea hit her. Why not ask him out on a date? They haven't been on their first date yet. She turned to face him.

"Syoaran, are you busy this weekend?" she asked him with a smile. "I was wondering if you would like to see a movie or something..." Sakura wasn't quite sure if he would be up for a movie. It was only thing that popped into her mind at the moment.

Syaoran shoved a few books in his bag.  He turned as he heard his name and smiled when Sakura asked him to the movies.  The voice in the back of his mind was telling him he needed to continue catching up with the training he couldn't do before Wei found him the clearing.  It was only one day, though, and he could spend extra time training in the morning or evening.

"Sure.  Do you have a certain movie in mind?" he asked.  He wasn't really sure what was out in Japan's theaters, but he would probably enjoy whatever she suggested; if only because he would be with her.

"Um," Sakura replied. "To be honest I'm not sure what movies are out at the moment. But I'm sure we'll find something we both like." She was open to any movie as long as if it wasn't scary. 

"Sakura," spoke a voice from classroom door. Sakura glanced over and saw it was Chiharu. " Coach wants to meet with us briefly. We're meeting in the locker room." 

"Alright," she answered and then looked back at her boyfriend. " I'll meet you at the theater at seven. See ya!" She grabbed her school bag and then left the classroom with Chiharu.

Tomoyo listen to their conversation as she placed her books in her school bag. A small grin appeared on her face. This would be their first official date. She had to make sure it would be prefect. Tomoyo turned to face Syaoran after Sakura left. " They're currently reshowing Beauty and the Beast. It's Sakura's favorite Disney Princess movie. Since it's a reshowing you two might be alone." Tomoyo gave him a wink and then stood up from her desk. "Oh, why not take her to dinner afterward?" She grab her bag and then made her way out of the classroom wondering if she should spy of them or not.

Syaoran watched Tomoyo go, feeling a blush spread over his face at her implication.  Why did everyone tease him about advancing his relationship with Sakura?  He pushed the thought from his mind a moment later as he reminded himself to expect a little subtle teasing from Tomoyo.  She was always perceptive when it came to his relationship with Sakura, so friendly teasing was inevitable.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket as he walked down the hall towards the school's front doors.  He needed to tell Wei that he would be out for dinner before he had time to prep a meal.  He didn't want Wei to work harder than he needed to.

Once his text was sent, Syaoran headed to the library to finish some homework and look up a nice restaurant to treat Sakura to.  Then he made a quick stop at home to change and headed for the movie theater.

Kero was sitting on the bed reading a manga as his master was going through her closet. It's been over an hour since she got home from school. At first Kero was helping her trying pick out an outfit for her date tonight. But she was being so picky that he gave up. Girls were really baffling sometimes. He glanced back at his master and saw that she had a new outfit on. A pink top with a white skirt with pink ruffles at the bottom. It was so her. Kero sighed and flew over to her. 

"Is this the one?" he asked her folding his arms.

Sakura frown and looked at herself in the mirror. "I'm not sure.."

"Oh, come on!" Kero spoke in frustration. "You look great! I'm sure he will love it."

"Kero,.." Sakura mumble slightly in embarrassment. "This is our first date..so I want to look good.."

The guardian beast let out another sigh. "Well, you do!"

"Do you mean that?"

He just nodded his head.

Sakura glanced at her self one more time. She was still doubtful.

"Sakura, I wouldn't lie about fashion. I hang around Tomoyo after all. I'm sure if she was here she would agree with me."

His master chuckled and looked back at him. "You're right. Thanks for your help! I appreciate it."

Kero sighed in relief and flew over back to his manga. "So what time are you meeting him?"

"At seven. I think I'm just going to head out now and walk around the town for a bit. I just can't sit here and wait."

"Nervous?"

" A bit.. I know we been together for awhile, but I hope I don't make a fool out of myself."

"You won't!" Kero jumped up from the bed and flew back over to her. "You're Sakura Kinomoto! Master of the Sakura Cards! You can do anything!" 

Sakura laughed really hard. "Thanks again, Kero." She then grabbed her purse off her desk. See you later tonight." 

"Good luck!!"

Sakura smiled at him and left her room. She then entered the kitchen and left a note on the whiteboard. Sakura wrote that she would be out late tonight. She then made her way out of the house and headed into town. She walked around the shopping district and window shop. She felt her nerves settling down.  When it was almost seven, she made her way over to the theater. She was first to arrive so she stood outside waiting for Syaoran.

Syaoran arrived at the movie theater a few minutes later, worried that he was late.  Wei had stopped him momentarily to remind him getting too far behind in his training would be stressful later.  Syaoran had shrugged off the warning, knowing Wei just wanted to make sure he had some progress to share next time his mother called.  He'd practice the rest of the weekend and worry about his mother later.

Syaoran stopped in front of Sakura, his heart skipping. He couldn't help noting how perfectly her outfit suited her.  "Hey, sorry to keep you waiting," he said.  They had a quick discussion about how he hadn't kept her waiting before he suggested seeing Beauty and the Beast.  He was sure her excitement turned his face ten shades redder.

An hour and a half later, they exited the theater.  He wondered if dinner was still a good idea.  They had shared a medium popcorn during the movie, and it was a little later than dinnertime.  He mentally shrugged and decided to throw the idea out there anyway.  "Do you want to get dinner? It's my treat."

Be our guest! Be our guest!!

Sakura couldn't help, but to quietly sing along while her and Syaoran watched Beauty and the Beast. Every month their movie theater would reshow an old movie. Sakura was happy that the staff picked a movie that she knew. The manager usually picked a movie that was older than her! After the movie ended, Sakura was humming Be Our Guest as they excited the theater. She turned to face Syaoran, when he asked about dinner. She nodded her head and the two went on their way. As they walked Syaoran brought up a restaurant that he would like to take her to. He guided them there and were able to get a table right away. The host lead them to a booth and they both took their seats opposite from each other. 

She glanced around and saw that it was a lovely place. The host asked about them their drinks and they both order water. When the host left, Sakura looked down at her menu. It had a little bit of everything. Sakura couldn't decide what to get. Everything sounded great and she wanted to order something that wasn't too expansive. Syaoran paid for the movie and the popcorn after all.  

"Here are your drinks," spoke a voice. "Are you guys ready to order?"

Sakura glanced up and look of horror appeared on her face. Their waiter was Toya. 

"Toya!" Sakura spoke up. "I thought you worked at that sushi bar?" 

"I did," her brother replied. "But the owner refused to work with my class schedule."

"You didn't tell me you changed jobs.."

"You didn't ask."

Sakura bit her lip angrily and shoved her face into the menu. She was so ticked off. Why must he be everywhere?

"I'll come back later then," her brother continue on. "Just so you know they don't have anything that a monster would like." He then left the couple alone.

Sakura took a deep breath and didn't say anything to her brother. She had to stay calm seeing how her boyfriend was here. She wasn't going to let Toya ruin her date.

Syaoran couldn't believe it.  Luck was never kind to him when it came to trying to spend time with Sakura.  What did he have to do for them to be able to go out together and avoid her brother?  Take her out of town?  No, Toya would probably end up working somewhere in the middle of nowhere if fate deemed it so necessary to mess up their plans. 

He sighed and looked at his menu.  The restaurant itself was very nice, and the food sounded like it would be good.  It would have been perfect if Toya didn't end up working there.  "Do you know what you want to order?" he asked both out of curiosity and an attempt to ignore the fact Toya would be coming back soon.

Sakura glanced down at the menu and read through it once more. When she found something that caught her eye, she showed to it Syaoran. Pretty soon Toya came back and took their orders. She gave her brother a look not tease them, but he ignored it. After Toya left, Sakura brought up a light topic to lighten the mood. 

Thankfully the two of them were able to enjoy their meal. The place was pretty crowded so Toya couldn't bother them for long. Near the end of their meal the lights suddenly went out. Sakura froze in her seat. It was clear night so the weather had no effect on the power. Could it be? She grabbed her purse and looked inside it. She then saw the bracelet flashing. Sakura groaned inside of head. Of course!! 

She looked up at Syaoran. "I wondered what's going. Do you think they'll make us leave?." Sakura was trying to keep cool. She would just have to come back here later tonight to catch the spirit. Hopefully Syaoran had nothing else planned for their date.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes and glanced to each side as the lights cut out.  There were many things that could cause a power outage, but Sakura's sudden grab for her purse seemed like a strange reaction to a sudden blackout.  

"They might make us stay until they figure out what's wrong," he answered among the growing whispers of confusion around them.  Meanwhile, the waiters were huddled in the corner with a couple flashlights, probably deciding how to handle the situation.

Finally, Toya headed to the middle of the dining room, his flashlight illuminating the tables nearest to him.  He had an almost bored expression on his face as he cleared his throat and began speaking, "Good evening, everyone.  We want to thank you for choosing to dine at our restaurant.  Our manager has been speaking with the electric company, and it looks like the entire block has lost power.  Unfortunately, this means we cannot continue service for tonight.  Those of you who have your food may finish and pay with cash only when you leave.  We will give you 15% off your meal as an apology for the trouble.  Those of you who have not received your food can line up at the front desk to receive 15% off your next visit.  Please keep everything as orderly as possible, and have a good evening."

Toya left the center of the dining room, and Syaoran marveled at how he hadn't even tried to cover up how scripted his speech was.  He inwardly shrugged and looked back to Sakura.  "Do you want finish or get a box?" he asked.

"Get a box," Sakura replied. "It's getting late." She then waved her brother over and he brought them two boxes. Syaoran paid for their meal and then took Sakura home. Before Sakura went inside her house she gave Syaoran a hug and thank him for their date. She then walked inside and closed the door shut. Sakura let out a feint sigh. She was sad that their date had to end so soon. She kicked the back of her foot against the door. Stupid council!

Sakura made her way to the kitchen and placed her box into the fridge. She then went upstairs and greeted Kero. She told him about their date as she got into her PJs. She crawled into bed and Kero turned out the lights and went into his bed as well. Around midnight Sakura got out of her bed and made her way outside. She used the Sleep Card on her house and then flew off to the restaurant. She landed outside and looked at the bracelet on her wrist. It was flashing like crazy. She looked around until she spotted it. The spirit looked like a crow. It was tearing apart a shop flag. She quietly approached it and got a card ready, but it noticed her and flew off.

"Geez," Sakura mumbled to herself angrily and she flew after it. The spirit flew over the city and ended up flying through the roof of Sakura's school. She landed on top up of the roof and got out the Through Card. She successfully went through the roof and landed on a lab table in one of the science classrooms. She hopped off the table and entered the hallway. She quietly walked down the hallway and heard noises coming from one of the classrooms. She slid the door open and a statue came to life and came flying at her! Sakura screamed and ran back down the hallway. She glanced back and saw it following her. She quickly got out the Thunder Card and zapped it. The statue blew up and the pieces went everywhere. The spirit appeared and flew through another classroom door. Sakura opened the door up and the spirit has now taken over the teacher's desk. It came flying at her. Sakura made another run for it and was able to hide in a broom closet. She lean against the door and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

"Master," spoke a voice. 

Sakura opened her eyes and saw Hope in front of her. "What is it?"

"I think you need to ask for help," she replied. 

The Mistress of the Cards shook her head. "No, I can do this."

"But, Master.." Before Sakura could say anything they heard a crash. She opened the door and poked out her head. The spirit was inside another statue and was ramming into the classroom doors causing them to fall down. It was searching for her. Sakura gripped her wand and grabbed the Thunder Card once more. She got up from the floor and returned the hallway.

"Hey!" She shouted at the spirit. It turned to face her. Sakura used Thunder once more, but the spirit got away again. It then went through a window. Sakura opened the window and saw it was flying above the school's fountain. With quick thinking Sakura got out Wave and Freeze. The water from the fountain shot up into the air engulfing the spirit inside of it. The water then froze thus trapping it. Sakura then used Fly to fly over to the spirit.

She threw the blank card onto the sheet of ice. "Evil spirit be gone!!" The spirited then was sealed inside the card and disappeared. A sheet paper appeared before Sakura telling her she had eighteen more spirits to catch. She then flew to the ground and collapsed.

Hope appeared once again. "I really think you should ask for help."

"I'm fine," Sakura replied and stood up. "I can handle this."

"But it will get more dangerous." Sakura just ignored her card and walked past her. Hope followed her master and floated beside her. "Master, please you have to at least tell Keroberos and Yue."

"Hope," Sakura spoke up trying not to sound annoyed. "This is my burden. I don't want to bring the others into this mess."

"But you're lying to them!"

Sakura kept on walking without saying a word. She returned home and jumped back into bed. She was glad that tomorrow was Saturday. She could sleep in.

"Good, now adjust your stance just a little.  You're leaning a bit," Wei said as Syaoran finished his sequence of attacks. His procrastination towards his training had finally caused Wei to force his hand, and they had been out since 4 am. It seemed like Wei planned to cram all the training he'd missed into one painfully long weekend.

Syaoran complied, centering himself until Wei to him to stop before relaxing his stance and sheathing his sword.  "Can we take a break?" he asked, his stomach growling.  It was almost lunchtime.

Wei shook his head, a conflicted look in his eyes. "You have a lot of material to get through this weekend.  I don't want your mother to think you living here is messing with your training.  She might call you back to Hong Kong.."

Syaoran sighed, "I know, but we're going to need to stop for lunch eventually."

Wei smiled.  "Let's do another hour of training, and then we'll eat."

A few more hours passed before they sat down to eat the sandwiches Wei had packed.  The break was short and mostly filled with a comfortable silence until Syaoran decided to break it. "Have you heard from my mother?"  He needed to know if this training spree was a result of his mother's influence.

"Not yet.  I just want to make sure I can tell her something if she asks," Wei answered, taking a sip from his water bottle.  Silence reignited between them as a nice spring breeze blew through the meadow and Syaoran relaxed again.  Wei was just looking out for his best interest, like usual.

He stood a moment later with Wei quietly following his lead.  "How much do we need to get through this weekend?"

"About a third of this book," Wei said, holding up the training book they had been using all morning.  They were only a couple chapters in.

Syaoran held in a groan and stood in a ready position in the middle of the clearing. "Let's continue," he said.  Wei nodded and gave him the next set of directions.

"GAHHH!!!!' Sakura nearly screamed as she rolled out of bed. It was Monday morning Sakura woke up to a motorcycle instead of her alarm clock. Last night she up late trying to capture a spirit and failed. Kero opened his drawer and peeped out to see the commotion.

"Did you forget to set your alarm clock?" he asked her as he rubbed his eye.

Sakura just nodded her head as she dashed around her room trying to get ready for school. Her guardian just shook his head at her and went back into to his little room. After changing into her school uniform, Sakura crammed all her books into her bag. She then bolted out the door and yelled down the hallway telling her father goodbye. She decided to buy lunch at school.

"Please don't be there. Please don't be there," Sakura muttered to herself as she ran down the path to school. She glanced at her watch noting that there was still some time to beat Syaoran to school. She was actually grateful to that motorcycle. Unfortunately Syaoran was already at the gates waiting for her. When she saw him from afar, Sakura quickly hid behind a tree. She got out a small mirror from her bag and fixed her hair. She had to make it seem like she wasn't running late. Once her hair was fixed, She approached with him a smile.

"Good morning," she spoke up trying to sound cheerful.

Syaoran groaned as his alarm screamed at him from across the room.  Sore did not begin to describe how he felt after a weekend of intense training, and he still had to train an hour this morning to be completely caught up with his mother's strict requirements.  The fact they had caught up in one weekend was a testament to how non-stop the training had been.

He stood and quickly fell into a stretch, working the tightness out of his muscles.  He wasn't sure he wanted to rush an hour training session right before school.  Thinking about it wasted another five minutes, and he quickly decided to train tonight instead.

With that decision made, Syaoran headed downstairs and grabbed the plate of breakfast that was waiting for him in the kitchen.  "Morning," he said as he sat down across from Wei.  The older man had to have woken up an hour in advance to have this breakfast ready for him.

"Good morning, Syaoran.  How are you feeling?" He asked.

"A little sore.  I don't think I've worked that hard since I was a kid.  I think I'm going to give myself a break and finish catching up tonight."

Wei nodded, "just remember to honor that decision tonight."

"I will," he answered.

He left for school slightly earlier than usual, smiling to himself as he wondered if Sakura would beat him  there this morning.  That enthusiasm faded to worry as the time passed the point when she should have arrived and slipped into late territory.  

When she was five minutes ,ate he decided to reach out with his magic, searching for her distinct aura.  He found it moments later, quickly approaching before stopping in one spot (probably behind that tree over there) and then approaching again a second later.

He looked up as she approached.  "Good morning.  Running late?" He asked.

"Sorry," Sakura replied. " I had to clean up the kitchen. My dad had to go in early for work." She then moved forward and the two of them headed toward the entrance. She hoped he bought her lie. She was getting tired of lying to him, but there was no choice. This was her battle not his. Once inside the school, they greeted Tomoyo and made their way to the classroom. As they walk down the hallway there were a group of students standing in front of a door way. They stopped and noticed the door to the classroom was missing. Sakura started at it for a second before realizing she forgot to clean up the school Friday night. She mentally kicked herself.

"Oh, wow," Tomoyo said with a concern voice. "By the looks of things it looked like the door was smashed off the hinges." As they kept walking they noticed more classrooms were missing doors. They made it to their classroom and Sakura took her seat. She wanted to scream in frustration, but she knew it would draw attention herself. She glanced back at Syaoran and wondered what was running through his mind. She was worried he would think something magical happened here over the weekend.

The teacher entered walked and addressed the class about the missing doors. As he was talking Hope appeared behind him. Sakura nearly shouted her name, but quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Everyone in the class staring at her. The teacher did not look amused.

"Kinomoto, is there a problem?" he asked her. 

Sakura blinked. Could her classmates not see her? She glanced around and no one was acknowledging her presence. "Uh, may I use the restroom?"

"Yes, you may, but hurry back."

Sakura quickly excuse herself and was joined by her card in the hallway. She turned to face her and gave her an angry look.

"Hope, what do you think you're doing?" she asked. "My classmates could have seen you!"

"Oh, but they can't," Hope laughed. "I can hide myself from non magic users."

"That means..."

"Your boyfriend can see me!"

Sakura somehow managed to whisper. "Hope! He's going get suspicious now! Do you want him to find out?"

The card folded her arms. 

"Look! He doesn't need to know about the spirits. I'm doing fine without him anyway."

"Sure you are..."

"I've gotten two so far!"

"Yeah, but you're wearing yourself out." Hope gave her a glare and disappeared. 

Sakura let out a heavy sigh. She then walked down the hallway and headed to the bathroom. She had to make it look like she needed to go. As she walked she tried to figure out a lie to tell Syaoran.

Syoaran nodded at her excuse. Like so many explanations before this one, he had no reason to believe Sakura was lying to him; no matter how much it was eating at the back of his mind.  Sakura and her brother always helped their father with the housework.  

However, he became uneasy as they walked through the halls of missing doors. There was something distinctly magical about the situation.  No one could have done this within a night.  Sure, there had been the entire weekend, but he doubted that no one would notice if the school was broken into before that point.  The culprit would have had to enter the school without destroying the front door; a task that was made way easier with the use of magic.

There was also the fact so many doors were missing.  It took more time and effort for a vandal to find a way into the school without destroying the front doors or leaving any sign of entry and then to destroy so many doors.  It was unbelievable that so much could happen in a short amount of time without being noticed.  The only problem was the lack of magic emanating from the surroundings. At most, all he could sense was the small wisps of ambient magic in the air which was present only due to him and Sakura coming to the school each day.

They sat down at their desks and listened to the explanation of why the doors were missing.  Apparently someone had broken into the school, smashed up the doors, a statue, and a teacher's desk, and left without taking any valuables. No one caught them on tape and there were no clues, but the amount of destruction only furthered Syaoran's belief that something was amiss.

Syaoran was pulled out of his thoughts by the startling appearance of a card, and he had to remind himself that Hope had a tendency to appear when she pleased.  Apparently, Sakura wasn't expecting her arrival either.  He watched quietly as she excused herself and exited the room with Hope following her.

What was that about?  He wondered, ignoring the beginning of the lecture. There was something going on, and he was going to ask her about it.

The day droned on as Syaoran gathered his thoughts and planned on how to breach the topic of the school's magical happenings.  Hope's sudden appearance had him convinced that Sakura was hiding something, and the fact she was late the morning after their school was supposedly vandalized only confirmed his suspicions.  He would get to the bottom of it.

Finally, the lunch bell rang and students flooded the hallway eager to find the best places to eat. He stood and caught Sakura before she could slip over to Tomoyo and the others, probably planning to eat together.  "Hey, want to have lunch outside?" He asked and noted what he thought was a flash of apprehension in her eyes before she agreed.  He hated cornering her like this, but he really wanted to know if something magical was going on.

They made their way outside, and he chose a secluded bench on the side of the school.  It would give them privacy, and not many people remembered it was there so no one would come wandering around unannounced.  He sat down and began to unwrap his lunch before turning to her and starting the conversation.  "So, what did Hope want?"

Damn it Hope!!

Sakura wish she could use her magic to escape from him. He officially knew something was up and she knew that she should do the right thing by telling him the truth. She stared at him for a second and then looked at her lunch. A voice inside her was screaming at her, but then his conversation with his mother flashed through her mind. If she told him about the spirits he would want to help her thus distracting him from his training. Then it would one way ticket back to Hong Kong. 

"She just wanted to see what my day was like," Sakura lied. "That's all." She then bit into her sandwich hoping he would buy it.

Syaoran took a bite of his food.  Her answer was not convincing, especially since he already believed there was something going on.  It's not like she would tell him when she wanted it to be a secret.  He would have to push a little harder before she would tell him.  He decided to try a different angle.

"I see.  It's interesting she appeared on the same day all of the doors in the school are missing.  Don't you think it's weird someone got into the school without a clue to how and then destroyed a bunch of doors, a statue, and a desk without anyone noticing?  Sounds like magic."

He waited, watching her face for a hint of a reaction.

Damn it!! Damn it!! Damn it!! He called me out! He's so calling me out! 

Sakura didn't react to his comment at all. Somehow she managed to stay cool. She had to be strong. She was doing this for them. "Yes, it is odd Hope appeared today, but trust me she was being herself. She likes to follow me around and gets bored easily. She hates being alone." She took a bite of her sandwich. She slightly moved away from him on the bench. She was indicating to him that she didn't want to talk about this anymore.

Syaoran bit his lip and stared at the school building in front of them. He could push harder and remind her Hope had not appeared at school the entire time he had been there, but it didn't feel right. He had called her bluff and she had defended it with an answer that could very well be true.  Hope had been alone for a long time before being sealed, and part of the reason she had taken Sakura's cards before being sealed was so she could be with the other cards.

He sighed, giving the conversation one last shot despite knowing she really just wanted to drop it. He would give it up after this, and hopefully she wouldn't get too upset about him pushing. "I guess so..  You would tell me if there was something going on, right?  You know I'm always willing to help.."

Syaoran's remark caused a tug in Sakura's heart. This was her moment to tell him everything, but she couldn't do it. She didn't want to risk losing him. She just gave him a warm smile. "Of, course I would tell you." She then went back to her lunch and just when she finished, the school bell rang. "We better head back to class." She stood up and held out her hand to him.