Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CARDCAPTOR SAKURA NOR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS - THEY BELONG PURELY TO CLAMP

NOTE: I have finished my dig, and I am still job hunting, while trying to get to writing. So thank you for being so paicent!

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Bad Eriol! Entering our dear Gypsy into a competition? What will Syaoran do?

Review Replies:

koolmint26: Thank you! There are more prequel/sequal shots coming up(maybe to do with a sequal story - depends) Thank you soooo much for reviewing!

Sakura evil twin of Sango: YES! There are more chapters, along the way! Thank you soooo much for your review!

NKitty29: I like to think that too. Thank you sooooo much for reviewing!

A big thank you to all of my reviewers once again!

Gypsy Dance
by Brooding Darkness

Part 5

Li Meiling was a very interesting woman. At age 24, she was the head secretary and primary assistant to the CEO of the largest Company in the world. She was very good looking with long black hair and sharp red eyes. She was tall, nicely shaped, and had the benefit of money for her good taste in clothing. Also her closest cousin was so protective of her that he only let her date real gentleman.

Since her cousin Syaoran had moved the HQ of Lady Yelan - may her aunties soul rest with peace - to the UK, she had decided to tag along. It wasn't like all their other cousins weren't involved somewhat with up-holding the business in other parts of the world. If anything she enjoyed the change, and she felt that Syaoran getting away from the Clan Elders eyes for a while would do him some good.

Yet she still couldn't fathom why one Daidouji Tomoyo knew more of her cousin than she did. They had grown up together, and Meiling had helped Syaoran out through the whole fiance'e business when Tomoyo wasn't around, so why that woman - who he only knew from college, not his whole life - had more personal conversations with him than she did was outragous!

But now, it was all coming together.

Kinomoto may've ruined almost everything, but Meiling now had a second chance to make her cousin happy.

Well, she thought she did. Until Syaoran had a small temper-tentrum in his office.

Syaoran's office was very furnished. It was homely with a forest-green carpet, pine desk, draws and shelves, and the walls where white washed with red, gold and orange ornaments. Two comfy red love-seats sat before his desk, and a matching couch was to one side of the room. his own chair was large, and very well cusioned that he could just sink into it. Plotted plants were dotted over the room, and the shelves were filled with numerous colourful books, the wardrobe like cabinet stood taller than even Eriol, at 6'5". One half held a rack where clean suits and casual wear were placed in case of any situation. the other half was filled with smaller shelves. On one of the top shelves was a large cushion, that had once been his fathers - Li Xioulan had loved it when his wife and youngest child had visited, sadly Syaoran had usually fallen asleep, so the cushion was used for him to sleep on, which made quite the site - and was now a comfort to him, even at age 23.

Since Syaoran was a very small boy, he had always kept his emotions bottled up until he burst. The calmest way he could let out his anger was to take the large cushion, and scream into it while stomping on the spot for a few seconds.

So, being a CEO and as old as he was, it was a humorous sight that his cousin still loved to see.

Exhaling, Syaoran gathered himself, before looking over at the closed door where he could hear Meiling snickering from behind.

"Come in, Meiling," he sat down in his chair as the red-eyed woman entered and closed the door. He flopped back into the seat, and cuddled the large cushion in his arms, as he reguarded the woman before him. "Oh, grow up Meiling. At least I'm not hurting anyone."

"No, no. You're quite right. The only thing you're hurting is your reputation - not that you've ever cared about that." She slid into one of the seats opposite him, placing a mug of hot chocolate on the well placed wolf mat on his desk, and then sipped at her own herbal tea. "So, what was it this time?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "It's nothing, really."

Raising an eyebrow, Meiling scoffed. "Yeah, right. Anyway, I just want to ask - you drink that all up," she always reminded him of his mother when she did this, "- who this mystery man is. I mean, you really seem to like him."

Syaoran's eyes widened in surprise, although he knew he shouldn't be, Meiling always caught on to these type of things. Hell, she made it her business. "When did you know?"

"A few weeks after Kinomoto. You've never looked at women the same since. As for your mystery man? Well, you do like to keep your calls to him long," she snickered again. Kinomoto was still a touchy subject, but he seemed to have gotten over her. "How far have you gotten?"

"What?" he choked out. He didn't really like to talk about such things to someone he regarded as a sister. But this was Meiling, she just wanted to know every little detail. She was the other hentai that he knew. He rubbed his temples, as he thought, That makes three complete hentai's, and two semi-hentai's. What type of people am I surrounding myself with?

"Well, have you gone all the way yet?" She stared at him over her cup, her eyes slanted awaiting her answer - not that she hadn't already guessed, mind.


She knew that she wouldn't be welcome. But after recieving that phone call, Sakura just had to see him.

She and Syaoran had met, and she had foolishly led him along taking his support and love in place of the loss of the man that she had just been rejected by. Syaoran had always been a stable support for her, and along with Meiling, the three were barely ever seperated. The proposal had been a slight shock, but she had jumped at it, feeling that she could get over her brothers lover with it. She had used him. And he had known. He had always known, but he had hoped that she would change and truely love him, just for being him.

And now, she wanted to explain it all in person. She wanted her best friends back, and she wanted to heal the gaping wound that still remained with them all.

Meiling stood as the green eyed model approached the desk. Crossing her arms, she reguarded the woman before motioning towards the office door.

"He know's you're here."

Nodding, Sakura braced herself, and entered the office.


Glancing up from the documents scattered neatly over his desk, Syaoran motioned to one of the plush chairs in front of the desk. Seating herself, Sakura studied the man before her.

He hadn't changed in her view. His messy chocolate bangs still framed his face hansomely, and his large amber eyes held that serious sharpness, yet the firery curiosity underneath could still be seen. He could never resist a mystery, she recalled. He was still well toned, and from what he wore, he seemed to have gotten a great fashion sense that was more casual looking that when they had first met. His lips were set in a slight quirk at whatever he had just read - he had always liked it when his employees added a personal touch to their reports, and this just confirmed to her that he hadn't changed much at all.

Although... something was different.

Eying him, Sakura crossed her knees, pulling the hem of her skirt down so that it didn't ride up. Something had changed in him. And she hoped that she would have the oppotunity to know what.

"Did you need me for something?"

Jumping out of her study of him, Sakura realised that he had been staring back at her for a while now. Composing herself, she nodded, trying to word it all properly.

"I wanted to put things right- well as much as possible, anyway. I know that you must hate me.."

"I don't. Believe me, Sakura, hate is a word that I can never associate with you. No matter the circumstance." Her eyes widened in surprise, and she felt a bubble of happiness rise in her. "But, that doesn't mean that I forgive you."

"What were you expecting, Syaoran? You knew how I felt-"

"And you didn't do anything about it."

"W-well, that doesn't mean that I'm completely to blame," she protested.

"I'm aware of that. However, I thought that you're feelings had changed towards me. I thought that you were in love with me. And you knew that," his chin was set stubbonly, his hurt was concealed under many layers of distrust. She had started to change the way she had acted towards him as their relationship had progressed, and he had genuinely thought that she had fallen in love with him. "Besides, you could've just said 'no'."

Wincing, Sakura nodded solumly. That was too true. She had not handled it well at all.

"Look, what do you expect to happen? I can't trust you, even if I've forgiven you," Syaoran's eyes stayed firmly on hers, keeping their eye contact to gauge the womans reaction.

"You've forgiven me? Syaoran, I never expected you to trust me, or forgive me. But, I do want to be friends. You, me and Meiling..."

"And Tomoyo."

"Hoe?"

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Even Meiling had to smile.

It been so long since she had heard that expression. Syaoran had felt it endearing, and had made constant jokes about the implications of shouting it out in the middle of the street as the green eyed teen had tended to do. A frown re-settled onto her face once more as she sighed. Syaoran may have forgived her, but Meiling didn't find it so easy. And it hadn't even been her heart.

They were proberly dicussing the blind-date, and Meiling was deciding if she should day anything about it. While Sakura and Tomoyo seemed to be a perfect match, the designer didn't know what the model was made of. And even if Meiling was slightly annoyed at the bond between her cousin and Satan re-incarnated (Tomoyo), she still liked the girl. If just for the shoes that she had leant her.

Shuffling some papers around her desk while trying to listen in on the rest of the discussion, Meiling noticed from the corner of her eye as a very hansome silverette approached her desk. Cold honey locked with blood-red. And Meiling knew that Syaoran's trouble was only just starting.

Biting her lip, she made an almost unconcious decision, and picked up her phone, dialing a number that only one other person in the building knew.

Within the next thirty minutes, shouting had burst out of the CEO's office, despite the closed door, and the silverette sitting nearby sighed sadly. Sakura's voice was highly evident, and he was surprised to hear such venom coming from her. The whole floor heard the argument, and most were quite surprised to find that their employers voice was not as commanding as it usually was, if anything it sounded like it had cracked in one or two places. Nevertheless, he held his ground, and it was a last biting comment that had the green-eyed model fleeing from the room, angry tears streaming down her cheeks.

Syaoran had then placed on a jacket and had left his office not speaking or listening to the quiet babbling of his workers.

It was then that Meiling took the phone off speaker.

"I have to go. I need to take over things here. Bye."

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Eriol had cancelled all of his meetings and within the same hour he had turned up on Syaoran's apartment doorstep. And he was horrified to see the brunettes eyes red-rimmed. Syaoran wouldn't meet his eyes, and all he could do was hold out his arms to comfort the other man.

Meiling's phone call had been a surprise, but one he was eternally grateful to her for.


Brooding Darkness: I know, I know. Its all over the place, but everything is still being set up, and I've even managed to get the two sub-plots going! As for the darker themes? Bame the songs I was listening to whilest writing this (New York Minute by Don Henley for instance). Please review! Thank you! More fluff still to come!