Sakura woke to find a note left on Syaoran's pillow in his absence. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she picked it up to find Syaoran's neat cursive handwriting telling her to stay in the bedroom until he returned. She sighed and rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. She wondered if there was another attack that he was taking care of, or if he was just checking to make sure the security he had put in place was secure.

With that thought, her mind drifted to what Syaoran had told her the other day. He was going to teach her how to pass the examinations.

She wondered if he had some ulterior motive, or if he just genuinely wanted to help her. It was a strange declaration, and yet...she felt her chest warm at the gesture. And after what he had done for her, having organised for Tomoyo to visit her for a day... she wasn't sure how she should feel about him. She was so confused.

"Oh good, you're awake." Syaoran said as he entered the room.

Sakura sat up, wincing at the throbbing pain in her shoulder. Her wound was nearly healed, but it still ached from time to time.

Syaoran noticed and he wore an expression of concern. "Is your shoulder hurting you again?"

"A little. It's not bad, just aches." Sakura replied.

He assessed her body language for a moment and then nodded. "Just be careful."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes, sir."

Syaoran couldn't help but crack a smile. Ever since Lady Tomoyo's visit, Sakura was far more open about her feelings. She had relaxed with him considerably and she was no longer glaring at him. Instead, she was smiling brightly and the time they spent together was no longer tense. Things were shifting and he felt it was for the better.

"There's something I want to show you after breakfast." Syaoran told her.

Sakura stared at him suspiciously. "Are you going to drop me on the floor again?"

Syaoran laughed. "No, nothing like that."

"Well, okay..." she murmured, "What were you doing this morning while I was asleep?"

"I was organising a few things." He answered.

"Is this for whatever you're going to show me?"

"Something like that."

She groaned. Then, she recognised what he was holding.

"Is that clothing?"

"Yes. I asked Tomoyo what your size was, so they should fit." He said as he gave her the clothes.

"Err...Thank you?" she blinked, feeling a little flustered.

"Put them on. I'll wait just outside the door." Syaoran said as he headed for the door.

He closed it and Sakura looked at the clothing, furrowing her brow. It was...riding gear?

Deciding not to think too much into it, she dressed herself, finding the clothes fit perfectly. She pulled on the black knee-high leather boots and brushed her hair before stepping out of the bedroom.

Syaoran looked up and she felt herself blush under his gaze. He smiled and nodded, "It suits you."

"Thank you." She replied.

He turned and headed for the stairs and she followed behind as they headed for the kitchen. Breakfast was already waiting for them-Syaoran had made pancakes, something he had discovered that Sakura loved from Tomoyo. Sakura's face lit up.

"Pancakes!"

He stared at her with surprise. She looked ecstatic.

"Err...Lady Tomoyo told me you liked them." He confessed.

"I love them." Sakura grinned at him.

Syaoran smiled and picked up his plate. "I hope you like them. I don't normally make them, to be honest."

"Do you not like pancakes?" she asked curiously.

"It's not that...I just never had much of a reason to cook them."

"I've missed having them. I tried making them myself a few times, but I always failed miserably." Sakura confessed as she picked up her plate.

"Let me guess-you got yourself completely covered in flour again?" he snorted.

"Something like that." She mumbled as she headed for the dining room. Syaoran smiled and followed her.

They sat in the dining room together as they ate. Sakura savoured the taste of the pancakes as she ate, grateful that Tomoyo had given Syaoran the information.

"Thank you for breakfast." She said when she finished.

Syaoran smiled. "You're welcome."

"I'll clean these up." Sakura said as she picked up their plates and carried them back to the kitchen, and Syaoran watched. He hoped she liked what he had prepared for her.

He finished drinking his tea and then stood, walking into the kitchen where Sakura had already begun to clean the dishes and helped her with drying them. She was humming softly to herself, so he didn't disturb her and let her continue. As she handed him the last plate to dry, she smiled.

"So, are you going to tell me what it is you want to show me?"

He finished drying the plate and then placed it on the bench before turning to her.

"Come with me."

Sakura followed him outside. It was another pleasant day, though the wind was a little cold. Syaoran led her to the stables, which for the last ten years had been empty. But now there were two horses-one a golden honey colour and the other chestnut brown. Sakura gasped, her eyes widening.

"When did-how...?"

"It's taken a while, but I was able to get the elders to agree to allow this. While we can't go very far, we at least have this forest." Syaoran explained. "You'll have to stay close to me though."

"This is great! I've missed riding," Sakura grinned.

"Want to go out for a while?" he asked.

"I'd love to!" she replied.

Syaoran walked over to the golden horse and led her by the reins over to Sakura. "This is Athena, named after the Greek goddess."

Sakura smiled softly. "She's just as beautiful."

"She's yours."

"Are you sure?" she asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"Positive." He laughed.

Sakura stepped forward and took her reins, running her hands over Athena's silky pelt as Syaoran brought his own horse forward.

He mounted the saddle and looked to Sakura, "Well?"

Sakura pulled herself up into her saddle and looked at Syaoran expectantly. With a smile, they headed for the forest, keeping pace with each other. Sakura took in the beautiful scenery of the green trees, some of which had pink and white flowers blooming on them.

Sakura remembered very vaguely when her mother had taken her on a ride. She remembered her mother's scent and the scent of cherry blossoms.

"What are you thinking about?" Syaoran asked curiously.

She smiled. "A ride my mother took me on, I think. I don't remember it well, but I remember the warmth of her arms and the smell of cherry blossoms."

Syaoran smiled.

"Can I ask you something?" Sakura then asked.

"Of course."

"Why do you go so far to do these things for me?"

Syaoran was quiet for a minute, trying to decide how to answer her question. "Well...the easiest way I can say this is that I wanted to see you smile."

Sakura felt her face turn red. "R-really?"

"It's true."

She smiled, her heart warming.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... what did you occupy yourself with during these past years?" Syaoran asked, though he worried that the question might just cause her pain.

"Well...I did a lot of sewing and drawing, I suppose. I'm pretty sure I've also read every book in the library by now." Sakura answered.

Syaoran laughed, "And yet your cooking is still terrible."

"Oh, thanks for rubbing it in." Sakura mumbled.

"Sorry," he grinned.

"No, you're not."

Syaoran just laughed again, earning himself a glare from Sakura.

"By the way," she said, "What exactly will you be teaching me for the examinations?"

"How to survive." He replied bluntly.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I gathered that much."

"This upcoming examination will be the worst one you'll go through." Syaoran said, "I'm not sure exactly what they're planning, but I know the basic details, enough to teach you the necessary skills you'll need if you don't already possess them."

"What could be worse than being locked up for ten years?" Sakura wondered.

Syaoran was silent. Sakura quickly realised he wouldn't say anything further on the topic, so she decided not to press any further.

"Thank you." Sakura smiled instead, catching Syaoran by surprise.

Syaoran smiled, "How about a race?"

"Huh?"

"Winner gets to make the loser do whatever they want!" he kicked his horse into a gallop and passed her.

"Hey!" Sakura shouted and chased after him.

…

Having lost the race, Sakura sat at the dining room table with her head buried in her arms. There was no end to Syaoran's teasing, even while he was cooking dinner.

She groaned. "Stop teasing me..."

He walked over to her and rested his arm on her shoulder with a smug grin on his face.

"Weren't you telling me you'd beat me in that race?" he asked.

Sakura puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Well?"

"Okay, okay! I get it!" she growled as she stood up. "Now what is it you want from me?"

He leant back against the table. There was a glint in those amber eyes of his. She waited as minutes ticked by, the two of them never breaking eye contact.

"Kiss me."

Sakura started. What did he just say? She searched his expression for any hint that it might be a joke, but she couldn't find anything to suggest such a thing. Her heart pounded in her chest. A kiss. She swallowed anxiously and stepped closer to him. His eyes burned into hers and she shivered beneath that gaze. God, why did he have to be so attractive?

Cheeks burning, she leant up, hesitating for a moment and then pressed her lips against his. He responded, moving his lips against hers and wound his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

Sakura found herself enjoying the feel of his lips against hers and the warmth his body gave her, but then he broke the kiss, parting from her and looking into her glassy emerald eyes. Sakura didn't understand what she was feeling, but that kiss left her wanting more, and while it scared her it also excited her.

"Sakura..."

She looked at him, wondering what he was going to say.

"You know, you could have just kissed me on the cheek." He said.

Sakura turned a very dark shade of red when his words hit her. Oh god. She just... she just kissed the prince!

"But-you said-oh my god..."

"You just kissed the heir to the throne on the lips. What will you do?"

Sakura froze. Was he angry? He lifted his arm and she flinched, expecting him to maybe hit her, but instead he placed a gentle hand on top of her head.

"I'm just teasing you."

Sakura was speechless. "Y-you...!"

"Dinner is ready, by the way. Why don't you go sit in the dining room while I organise it?" Syaoran suggested.

Sakura turned and left in a hurry and Syaoran smiled as he moved to dish out dinner.

They ate in silence that night and Sakura hurried upstairs to take a bath and calm her nerves. As she relaxed in the water, Sakura sighed softly. She had kissed him, and she had enjoyed it. And worse, she wanted more. She felt ashamed. She hated that having been isolated for so long had made her cling to his presence more.

Her mind wandered back to the kiss and she found herself wondering how Syaoran felt about it. She hoped he wasn't upset...

She then glared at the water. He didn't specify where in the first place! So, it wasn't entirely her fault.

She slid further into the water. He could be so frustrating! Where did he get off, teasing her like that?

A knock sounded on the door.

"Sakura, is everything okay? You've been in there for nearly an hour." Syaoran called out.

Shoot. She hadn't realised.

"I'm fine! I'm getting out now." She called.

Sakura stood from the water and wrapped her towel around her frame before stepping out of the water. She dried herself and then got dressed into a nightdress, then headed out into the bedroom. Syaoran was sitting in a chair by the fireplace.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." She apologised, avoiding his gaze.

"It's fine. It's just unusual for you to take so long, so I was worried." He confessed.

Sakura smiled. "Well, I'm going to try and get some sleep."

Syaoran stood and walked to his side of the bed, deciding to do the same.

Sakura crawled beneath the covers, "Syaoran?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Can we go for another ride tomorrow? I really enjoyed today. It's been a long time since I had fun like that." Sakura said.

He smiled, "Sure. Try not to lose, okay?"

"Oh please." She muttered and closed her eyes.

Syaoran switched off the lamp and he smiled as he lay down next to her. But...sleep didn't come easy. Syaoran was too busy thinking about the kiss they had shared earlier that night. Her lips were as soft as he had imagined and holding her closer to his body during that moment had been intoxicating. She was like some kind of drug he wanted more of.

"Sakura?"

"What's on your mind?" she replied. She was tired, but she couldn't find sleep either.

"Do you regret kissing me?" Syaoran asked.

There was quiet. He guessed Sakura was too surprised to answer.

"No..."

"I'm glad." He murmured.

"Why did you ask me to kiss you?" Sakura asked, anxious to know the answer.

"I don't know." He confessed. "I guess I wanted to see how you'd react."

Sakura puffed out her cheeks irritably. "Of course, you did." She muttered.

"Are you angry?" he then asked.

Sakura sighed softly. "No. I want to be, but I'm not."

He laughed.

"One day, I'll get my payback." She mumbled. "That's a promise."

"Very well. I'll be waiting." He replied with a smile. He'd make sure it would never happen though-he would keep winning their little races. And that was a promise.

...

Syaoran woke just before the sun rose. Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and scratched the back of his neck. As he shifted, his hand brushed against skin and he looked over at Sakura. He smiled as he watched her sleeping face. He had gotten used to her tossing and turning during the night-he remembered during their first week together, he had woken multiple times to being kicked or nearly crushed from her tossing.

He couldn't believe it had been two months since then. It wasn't long, but it felt like he'd been with her for much longer than that. It was a strange feeling. He reached over to brush her hair from her face, but hesitated.

What his family had been doing for hundreds of years was wrong. He didn't have any right to ask for her forgiveness, or for her love.

Syaoran was confused. What could he do? What could he do to put an end to this torture they inflicted upon their most powerful mages?

While he figured that out, he would teach her everything he knew so she could pass...

But even so. She might not pass anyway.

Gently, he brushed her hair out of her face and leant in, kissing her forehead.

Hello again everyone! Today, I've been busy typing up and editing a bunch of chapters so I can upload them (No, I'm not uploading them all at once hahaha) I have up to chapter 16 written so far. The upside to being unable to work due to health problems is that I can spend all day writing or drawing. I'm actually looking at getting one of my works I've been working on for the last few years published!

Thank you all for your wonderful support! Just to answer some questions-Tomoyo and Eriol will eventually pop up a bit later, but not until the second half of the story, I'm afraid. As for your questions about Syaoran's and Sakura's relationship and their feelings for each other... well, stick with the story and you'll find out! hahaha.

Review?