Knowing Me
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.
Well, I mentioned earlier that this was just a ramble, but I guess I didn't mention it could also be a ramble with very staccato updates... Well, here we go, Chapter 3...
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Chapter 3: And To The Dinner.
Syaoran walked down the hall, cursing under his breath, remembering the predicament Jin Su had found him and Sakura in just a little while ago and then cursing even more when he couldn't seem to find his cousin anywhere in the halls. He mentally cursed at himself for letting Jin Su find them in the library when he did. He only hoped Jin Su wouldn't tell the Elders.
Jin Su had ran off after seeing their little show of intimacy, and like a little idiot, Syaoran had let him get away, knowing full well that any time that Jin Su was away with knowledge of what happened meant a greater chance of him bumping into someone and babbling it out and a greater chance of the Elders finding out about their relationship. But it had been how many years since he last seen, let along touched, Sakura? He had been dazed and entranced even after they had broken apart that neither his body nor his mind was reacting to the possibilities of the dangers. And just like that, he had let his cousin get away before he could tell him to keep the matter quiet.
He was paying for the consequences now. Cursing like a scoundrel, he searched for his cousin upstairs and downstairs, turning the house upside-down as he went, all the while suffering the mental outcomes of what would happen should he not find him. One wrong person that heard, and Syaoran would never see Sakura ever again. Forget rendezvousing in secret if ever his heaps of schedules of duties lightened; forget dating if his duties ever crossed visiting Japan for more than a few hours, let along half a day near Tomeada, Japan; forget the possibilities of substituing his leader position to rest his mind in favor of a trip to a random place (Japan), like there was ever a possibility of a break to begin with; and forget miracle encounters such as that that had just happened only moments ago. The Elders would have him locked tighter and married sooner, not to mention maimed and broken and chained, but who else was counting? Syaoran cursed. Realistically, the Elders couldn't and wouldn't harm him, he was after all their leader and precious heir no matter how much they may regret to admit it, at least they wouldn't do anything too permanent and damaging, but they certainly could force him to marry sooner and thus break his loyalties to Sakura, something Syaoran would die before doing, and thus had successfully avoided through good conduct since and before his coronation.
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Meanwhile, Sakura scolded herself as she paced back and forth in her room with Kero watching.
Great, just great. I'm suppose to impress Syaoran's cousins and his family, not blow everything up and show them how disrespectful I am all in one blow. Now they'll never let me marry him for sure, Sakura thought, depressed, and flung herself onto her bed, hugging her pillow.
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"Ching Wang!" Syaoran suddenly called, having looked up and spotted the next best thing besides Jin Su himself.
Ching Wang turned around, having heard his cousin and leader call his name and waited for him to catch up.
"Yeah?" Ching Wang questioned Syaoran once he caught up.
Syaoran, relieved to have some possible lead to where Jin Su might currently be, popped the question he had been dying to have answered.
"Do you know where Jin Su is by any chance?" Syaoran asked.
Ching Wang looked at Syaoran in surprise. He had indeed seen Jin Su running off to his car and driving away some time ago, probably in a renewed nervous wreck from the idea of asking their leader and cousin the question and then popping the question to Sakura. He was surprised, though, to find Li Syaoran, the cousin that seemed to be attempting to avoid Jin Su and the rest of them after their little trip around the city actually looking for Jin Su instead of the other way around like it was suppose to be once Jin Su actually got the guts to pull himself together that is. He answered Syaoran none-the-less.
"Oh, he left the mansion a while ago," Ching Wang answered.
If Ching Wang was surprised before, he was even more surprised to hear the normally collected and calm, if not a bit solemn, Syaoran curse under his breath and then ruffle his hair with a sigh right before his eyes.
"Thanks, Ching Wang. I'll see you around practice then," Syaoran answered, having no choice but to let the matter go and leave as Jin Su could very well be anywhere aound Hong Kong, a big city in its own rights, by now.
"Actually, the Elders have canceled practice for the dinner tonight," Ching Wang replied, startling Syaoran.
"Dinner?" Syaoran couldn't help but ask, raising one of his eyebrows. As far as he was concerned, the Elders never canceled practice, let along for any dinner. It made him want to narrow his eyes in suspicion.
"Yes, the Elders wanted you to meet our newest guest, the Clow Mistress, from Japan," Ching Wang answered.
Syaoran stared at Ching Wang in utter surprise at the news. At any other time, he would have been thrilled at the prospect of getting to be at the same table as Sakura. It was true that he, of course, already knew of her presense in the Li Mansion. But it was one thing for the Elders to host the Clow Mistress in the Li Mansion as respect for their ancestor and the Sun Guardian; it was another altogether to invite the foreign girl who had stolen the cards from the clan and thus humiliated them to a formal dinner. That could have shown more respect and intimacy then was needed, especially a formal dinner featuring their own leader as acknowledgment, no matter how low they thought of their leader for losing the cards to her in the first place. All in all, Syaoran was rather surprised to hear what to any clan member with experience with the Elders' workings would have been ludicrous, and even more surprised to note that Ching Wang didn't seem to find the news to be all the shocking.
"Oh," Syaoran replied, still stunned.
And then leaving each in their own thoughts, the two cousins bide farewell.
After each turned to pursue their own destination, Syaoran sighed, having nothing left to do except turn around and go to his room to catch up on some studies. Upon reaching his room though, he caught Sakura passing by and couldn't help but smile
Sakura, having noticed him as well, stopped and smiled as well.
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Syaoran fidgeted in his seat while the maids passed by with more plates of food. He was plainly nervous and with good reason. He had no idea what this dinner was all about. And so, like a bat flying in a dark cave, he had absolutely no idea what to expect. And, to make matters worse, he was somehow propped right next to Sakura, of all people, and rather insistantly. It made his heart pound not only from being close to her, but from fear of being found out. Did they guess? Was that why he was forced this close to her? So they could prove themselves right by detecting any break in his barrier? It didn't help at all whatsoever that he felt like all eyes were on him, like he was giving them away with every little movement he made.
Ching Wang and Ling Ming, from across and down the table glanced at each other nervously. It was already half an hour into dinner, and Jin Su was no where in sight. Everything was already prepared. Syaoran was propped next to Sakura as planned for him to get to know better. The whole family, at least those that could make it, was there for support. The only thing missing was Jin Su himself to introducethe two and pull the formal request on Syaoran after dinner while the rest of the family distracted Sakura. So, the question remained. Where was Jin Su?
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I think I'll stop here. It's not nearly as long but I'll stop here. Tell me what you think.
