Been thinking a little more on why Syaoran fell for Sakura.

There are hints throughout the show but it’s never explicitly stated.

Cont.

1. The two leaves. Sakura has the cute tiny smooth leaf and Syaoran has the rough/worn leaf. They use imagery to show how Sakura’s leaf gently makes little vibrations in the pool surrounding both leafs and how each wave makes a tiny impact on Syaoran’s leaf.

This, implying little by little Sakura’s kindness, sweetness, and overall friendly nature starts to affect him in multiple ways. For someone who came off so brash and harsh to her in the beginning and then completely 180 because of her influence says a lot about her as a person.

2. He has seen how far she will go to protect her loved ones and friends and how much perseverance she will put forth doing so. Initially he thought she was just a naive inexperienced kid but watching her capture the cards one by one made him realize there’s a lot more to her.

3. Speaking of perseverance, he develops a genuine admiration for her & her cheerful, positive attitude. I forget which episode it was, but Sakura said something like “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I am still going to try my best” and he immediately replied “you’re amazing”.

4. Her joy is contagious. Her spirit influences those around her and makes everyone surrounding her happy. It’s the very first thing he mentioned to her great-grandfather when he asked Syaoran about his granddaughter.

5. Though she is a cute little bean, I think his sweet-spot for her made him realize how pretty she actually was. Obviously this flourished as his feelings deepened and matured.

6. She is always thinking of others first before herself. Of course, he does the same for her when it comes to her safety but she does it for basically everyone. Including sparing them guilt even if they unintentionally hurt her (Yukito).

7. Also I genuinely think there was also a mystical pull bringing them together (red thread of fate). You had all the factors above contributing but I think this was what kept bringing them back to each other and having them crossing paths over and over. Soulmates.