Sakura looked at the chore chart in front of her and sighed. On top of cooking dinner tonight, Sakura was now responsible for Toya's vacuuming. Even though, she had all day to get it done, she couldn't lift a finger without him. If he got back and saw it was all done, he'd be more than just a little suspicious. Frustrated and irritated, Sakura flopped down on the couch and started mindlessly flipping through TV channels.
"I told you this wasn't a good idea," Kero said, floating up behind her.
"Well, there's nothing I can do about it now!" Sakura snapped at him uncharacteristically. Ever since her thoughts of Mizuki-sensei turned to love, she had become more and more unlike herself and she knew it was worrying everyone around her, but what could she do? She never wanted this to happen in the first place.
"This isn't just stress from the Clow Cards, is it?" Kero deduced. "This is a personal thing, isn't it?"
Sakura nodded.
"Is it one of those... women things?"
"Kero-chan!" Sakura turned red as a cherry.
"Just asking!" Kero backed away, seeing Sakura's fist in his round, yellow face.
"It's not that at all," she sulked down into the cushions.
"Well, pouting isn't getting you anywhere," Kero lectured. "Get up, go get the Mirror Card, and try to enjoy the rest of the school day."
"But Mizuki-sensei..." Sakura turned away as she said her name. Alarms went off in Kero's head as he could see the worry in her eyes.
"So this has to do with your teacher," Kero proclaimed, nodding his head thoughtfully. "Well, that certainly explains things."
"I can't see her right now, Kero-chan. I just... I can't," Sakura tried to explain, but no matter how much she wanted to tell him what was going on, her heart tightened and ached whenever she tried. Not even Yukito had made her this uneasy and this miserable.
"Sakura, you must think I'm a fool," Kero sighed. "You've captured almost all the Clow Cards and you're telling me that you're afraid of talking to your teacher? You're braver than that! Now get up and go to school!"
"I can't, Kero-chan!" Sakura pleaded with him. "I told you I can't!"
"What's so bad that you can't see her?"
"I think I love her!"
Kero became absolutely silent as the floodgates opened and all of Sakura's feelings poured out. "Last night, when I was with her, I realized this is how I feel around Yukito-san. I love being with her, I love it when she smiles at me. She's so smart and cool and I wish I could be her, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since yesterday!"
Kero floated there without for a few seconds, though to Sakura they felt like hours. "You know," he finally began. "Clow once said that love is the most powerful magic out there. Anyone can use it, but no one knows how to control it. Sakura, I know you're scared, but tell me, is it a bad thing to love this Mizuki-sensei?"
Sakura shook her head no. "No... but what about Yukito? What about my feelings for him?"
"I don't know what to tell you," Kero said, not being fluent in the ways of romance. "But I do know things won't get better until you face these problems head-on. Now get out of here. It's hard to play video games when I have to worry about you." Kero nodded thoughtfully, shooing Sakura out the door. "And if you stop anywhere on the way home, get me something yummy!"
"Fine, fine," Sakura smiled, greeted by the warm rays of the midday sun. If she hurried, she could make it just in time for lunch.
---
As Mizuki-sensei called each student up in order to answer various math problems, Tomoyo and Li both could not help but take notice to how she skipped over Sakura every time. Tomoyo had been told last night that Sakura might not be able to speak, but she had not yet told Mizuki-sensei that news. It was almost like she knew.
She did know. Sakura may have looked like she was there, but Kaho knew better. Attuned to magic, she was aware the Sakura in her class was a fake. It had seemed that Sakura's affinity to her was stronger than she had believed. Regardless, it saddened her to know that the bright cheerful girl was taking as desperate measures as using Clow Cards to avoid her.
The chime rang to alert the students that math was over and lunchtime was now. Joyful and chipper voices sprouted up from the rows of desks. "Alright, class, math is over for today. Enjoy your lunch."
"Hey," Li said gruffly from behind who he thought was Sakura. "What's with you? You haven't said anything all day?"
"Oh, and Kinomoto-san?" Kaho requested. "Would you please come with me to the teacher's lounge? There's something I need to discuss with you."
Sakura nodded and rose from her seat, following Kaho out of the room.
"Did the real Sakura stay home today?" Kaho wasted no time calling her bluff as they came out into the hallway. Tensing up, the fake Sakura nodded.
"That's fine," Kaho said calmly. "Just let Sakura know I want to see her tomorrow."
"I understand," the fake Sakura replied.
"Good to know," Kaho smiled. "Now please go back to the classroom."
---
Sakura tried to ignore the stares she got as she raced down the street. A grade-schooler out of school surely didn't look good, but as long as no one noticed her things would be fine. She was only a mile from school when...
"Sakura-chan?!"
Slamming on her heel brakes, Sakura flung around to look into the cool amber eyes of Tomoyo's mother, sipping on tea, eating lunch in what looked like an expensive café. "Sakura-chan, what are you doing out of school?" She continued to interrogate. "Does Tomoyo know you're here?"
"M-Miss Daidouji..." she tried to speak, but the stern eyes that targeted her would not allow it.
"Come in and take a seat," she offered. "Nadeshiko's daughter would have to have a very good reason for doing something like this."