Syaoran had a fit. The minute they arrived home he bellowed for his mother, and Sakura swore she heard her ears ring. His mother delicately floated into the room. She raised a brow at his tone and his raised voice. It was a very long time since he had shown he was upset about anything. They could both sit in the same room for hours, and he would not move or speak unless spoken too.
"Xiao Lang if you wished for an audience you should conduct yourself in a way that bears patience. I will see you in the library in 5 minutes. Kinomoto-san please come in with him."
Syaoran looked chagrined, but turned to Sakura as his mother glided away. "This is clan business we don't need any weak female interference. Why don't you run home and cry."
Sakura for once didn't shatter at his tone; she got closer to him and got in his face. "There is nothing timid or weak about me Li Syaoran, your mother requested my presence and like it or not this is my business."
"Not weak? Every time someone mentions the word ghost or the lights turn out you go berserk. You are weak, and as such you are and never will be a part of my family." He smiled a sinister grin.
"Being afraid of something doesn't make me weak, what is weak is pushing every one you care about away because you are too scared and too weak to embrace them." He lost his smile and became quickly dead pan.
"Feelings are for the spineless."
"Spoken like a true jackass, but guess what Li Syaoran that fact that you are having this argument proves that you FEEL something! It might not be what I want it to be but you feel, you are human, stop acting like a scared little boy." Sakura was worked up, her cheeks were flushed, her hair floated about her angrily and her green eyes were flashing fire. He had to admit he found her attractive pissed off. He however, pushed that out of his mind as soon as it registered and changed tactics. He could scare her off. He stalked up to her, "No one and I mean no one calls me a little boy. If you think I am going to let some little girl push me around you are sadly mistaken, because I push back."
He kept coming and she retreated a few steps until she hit her back against a wall. "Are you sure you aren't scared Sakura" He spoke slowly whispered it very softly.
"What are you going to do Li-san? You have backed me into a corner, what will you do? Go ahead push me around; it takes the weakest man in the world to physically hurt a woman."
"Although I agree with you, this argument is about weakness. I can prove that you are weak." His smile turned into something she had never seen before.
Now she was actually afraid to ask. "How's that?"
He came closer to her until they were inches apart, "I can show you a weakness that you won't be able to fight against, as enraptured as you are…" His hand touched her shirt over her stomach. She opened her mouth to gasp, but quickly bit her lip. He leaned closer to her sniffing her hair delicately making sure to nuzzle her neck. The over stimulation from years spent missing him, was taking a toll. His hand caressed her stomach, feathery. She would not let him turn her into a pile of goo. She moved her own hands, he was going to lose. His body was still that of a teenage boy. She moved one hand into his hair nuzzled him closer, as she felt him take a deeper whiff of her scent. She brought her other arm around his waist pulling him into her body. He hadn't protested yet which was not part of her plan. She felt his lips upon her neck, trying to drive her absolutely insane. If he didn't stop she would not win this one, he would. "I'm surprised you are participating in this experiment in weakness Syaoran."
"I am just following up on the offer you just made."
"Wouldn't that make you feel part of the weakness?"
"Sex isn't a weakness, it is about release, and there is absolutely no emotion on my part. If you wish to give me pleasure, and hand me power over your body that is your choice." Ouch, score 1 Syaoran.
"I am not sure you could feel pleasure Syaoran, that would be a weakness, and I certainly don't think you would know what to do with a woman to get to that release."
He pulled away from her angrily, "You didn't seem to be protesting all that much."
"What choice did I have, you backed me into a wall and I certainly couldn't get away unless I inflicted physical harm unto you, so I guess that goes back to physically harming a woman."
He sprang away from her so angry he didn't pick up the flaw in her argument. "Fuck you, I wouldn't touch you again if you begged me. When you do beg that will be a weakness when you come crawling to me." He was now shouting something in Chinese at her losing a grip on reality. He stormed away down the hallway. His mother casually leaned against the library door frame. Sakura went tomato red at seeing her there.
"Err…um." His mother smiled brightly as she ushered Sakura forward.
They sat down in the chairs, to wait for Syaoran. "It is strange to see my son so full of passion, bravado, and arrogance. It is somewhat of an improvement from the absolute silence. You will be his light in the darkness,"
Syaoran arrived 15 minutes later sullen and somewhat composed as he stomped into the room. He sat as far away from Sakura as possible. "You forget yourself Xiao Lang; you pompously called this meeting and dare to show up late?" He made no excuses and glared at Sakura. She smiled sweetly. Score 1000 points for Sakura.
"Why are you calling this meeting anyway?"
"I want to know what this engagement thing is all about."
"Well when a man and a woman like each other…"
"Stop being facetious mother, it is unbecoming."
"The clan wanted you to pick a bride; you have known this for months. You have not picked a bride so I selected one for you."
"I could have selected my own bride, besides I have plenty of years to think about it
"Your time ran out. They were asking your cousin Meiling again, do you think I want deformed grandchildren?" She gave a haughty look.
"That does not give you the right to choose for me. I don't see how Kinomoto was even in the running; she has no wealth or alliances that would be useful."
"She is close with Clow Reed's reincarnation, and she has powerful magic. We need a new infusion of magic in our blood. She will bear you strong sons, what more do you require."
"She is a weak woman; I need someone who will not need a hero every 5 minutes." Sakura flushed and sent him an angry look.
"She seemed to give you as got as she got in the hallway earlier, and it seems you will be sexually compatible." Syaoran sputtered and they both turned as red as tomatoes.
"Sakura please leave us." Sakura couldn't get out of that room fast enough. Bearing sons, sexually compatible? Jesus it was enough to make her want to never look Syaoran's mother in the eye ever again. She had an unhealthy vision of the two of them being instructed by his mother on how to conceive a child.
"I don't understand why you are so emotional about this decision. You have been telling me that one girl is the same as the next. I am unsure why you are protesting so much. The girl has no family but she has power. She is the best candidate I could dream up. And believe it or not she is good for you."
"She does to have family." He said tersely pointedly ignoring the rest.
"Her father died less than a year ago, the elders refused to tell you in case you felt the whim to fly over there and offer comfort."
Syaoran was stunned, "her father?"
"Painful, slow death. Cancer I believe. I know you feel compassion is a weakness but this girl needs us as much as we need her. Keep that in mind. My decision is final and if I hear of anymore attempts to scare her off I will have you exiled for going against clan wishes."
He stood up and left as gracefully as one could when you had lost an important battle. He supposed it might take a while to resign himself to this.
Yelan smiled as she watched him leave. Her son was reacting to things for the first time in years, and he had genuinely been concerned when he heard about her father. He had feelings, and he wasn't completely lost to her.
There were rumors, but this time they weren't about her. Syaoran walked behind her and Meiling as always when going to school. Meiling was staring avidly and Syaoran seemed to grow more stoic. She had pulled out the voice card to figure out what they were saying.
Did you hear that Li-sama had threatened to beat up Senji, Shou, and Riko yesterday? They had only wanted to go out with that Kinomoto girl.
He must be bothered by how much attention she gets, look at her though you don't see any Chinese girls with eyes or legs like that.
I heard from Meiling she is the only one who can break the engagement. So that means he's stuck with her for life, and he must already think of her as his wife.
Best not to get caught looking, if you know what I mean?
Sakura stopped listening and started to giggle. Li heard them as well and scowled at them. The boys took themselves off in a hurry.
She sat down in class and a boy she had never seen before walked up to her. He stood there waiting for her to speak. She didn't say anything. He looked irritated with her and then looked at her eyes. His eyes widened and he took a step closer to her. She saw a small blush appear at his cheeks. Green, so green. Fire…and the Li clan betrothal ring?
"Err I am Ryo Ling and I think you are sitting in the wrong seat."
"Oh I am very sorry, please sit down."
She sat down on a desk which gave him a good view of her legs. Ling blushed ten shades of red brighter. There was no other seat in the room. Syaoran must have noticed his reaction. He got up and took an extra chair from the back and sat it right next to his own desk. Ling cleared his throat and took the chair from Syaoran. Ryo offered the chair to Sakura and before she could sit in it. Syaoran had blocked her path.
He grabbed her wrist and she understood what he was saying when he addressed the other boy. "You go against your own clan rules Ling. You do not interfere with the engagement of another man, especially not the Li Clan."
Ryo grinned, "Ah Li-san I now understand the jealousy rumor I have been hearing however, I was just being friendly and offering the girl a seat. I am not sure how you can interpret more out of that. You know we have a rivalry Li, and from what I heard she is might be looking into other options. I would keep a better eye on her if you intend to marry her." Syaoran stepped up to him as if things were going to get physical. Ling rubbed him all the wrong way. At that moment the teacher strode in and Sakura plopped into the chair next to Ryo. Syaoran looked fit to kill. "Mr. Li, would you kindly take your seat." He stomped like Godzilla and was breathing fire under his breath at the two looking cozy and getting to know each other.
Sakura whispered something to him and he offered her his wrist. Sakura had learned about information sharing through touch with other people. It only worked between two magicians. It saved her from draining her own short magic supply. Syaoran saw her holding his hand and nearly jumped over the desk. She heard a pencil snap behind her. "Meiling has told me about you, it looks like I might spending some more time with you than anticipated" He said this to her with a look that made her skin crawl. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place She wanted to retract from him because he did seem interested in her; far too interested in her. She had found herself in another tangle.
Class ended shortly after and Syaoran took her by the hand to her next class. He waited until she was in her seat before he left the doorway. Meiling leaned towards her. "I see Syaoran is pretty mad this morning."
"Yeah I think he's mad at me for being engaged to him." Sakura told her he had had words with Ryo in her last class and wasn't sure what his problem was. "The guy was only offering me a seat." Sakura didn't feel like telling Meiling the boy she liked gave her the creeps, and that he seemed far too interested in her body for her liking.
"You are becoming dense again Miss Kinomoto." Meiling giggled as she looked at her perplexed. Meiling did not like that Ryo was attracted to her, but she was becoming dense as the reason Syaoran was getting so angry. She had heard about different things in the house that had happened. Their fight in the hallway to his conversation with her aunt.
The rumors were flying as to what happened to people that got too close to his fiancée. Meiling sighed wistfully wishing he had had that much concern about her when they had been engaged. She figured Sakura wouldn't notice the signs he was staking his claim. He might not be in love with her at the moment, but nobody touched what Syaoran believed belonged to him.
There were no more incidents for the rest of the day as Syaoran kept and extra close eye on her. Ryo Ling had been pestering her all day when Syaoran wasn't in sight. She couldn't get him to go away. She had tried every polite approach there was, but he kept trying to be in her presence. He tried to walk home with them, when she persuaded him to take Meiling to her home because she had an errand to run. Syaoran had disappeared at some point. What she didn't know was that he was watching the exchange from the rooftop. He did not like their closeness, he was glad when Sakura finally managed to get rid of him. He got the other boys in school to maintain a safe distance other than Ryo Ling. Ling was trying to tweak his nose because they were clan rivals.
It was time Syaoran sorted out with Ling exactly what the problem was. Should he become too friendly and it made her uncomfortable, Syaoran would intervene.