Disclaimer: I don't own CCS, Clamp does. But I do own this story.

Pairings: Syaoran x Sakura, Eriol x Tomoyo


Chapter Seven

"Be grateful I'm here now!"


Nothing.

She had absolutely nothing that looked remotely decent on her.

Sakura was currently in her room, rummaging through the few clothes Syaoran spared for her. Nearly all of them had a weird design and they all fit her very loosely.

Giving up, she took the simplest looking shirt (this one had a fluffy cartoon monster shaped like a worm printed at the bottom) and shorts combo and just slipped them on before falling back onto her bed and hugging one of her pillows.

She should just stay inside and not show herself, especially not to that girl. If Sakura stood too close or even came anywhere near her, Syaoran will surely come to his senses. Though she still didn't know if he even had any real feelings for her, what little chance Sakura might have had will surely evaporate as soon as he sees how different Sakura was from-

"It's great to see you Syaoran! It's been too long!"

It's her. Judging from the pleasant tone of her voice, Sakura was sure it was that beauty from the deck of the yacht.

Sakura lowered her pillow form her face and strained her ear. Whoever these visitors were, they had just entered the house.

"Woah, you're huge. Did you spend the last three years locked up in a gym instead?"

The second voice was male and sounded like the same person Sakura heard shouting from the yacht.

So there was one guy and two girls?

The very thought made Sakura feel even more miserable. If that one girl she saw looked that good, she could only imagine how equally good looking the second one would be, even if her screaming indicated a frightening personality.

Sakura groaned and rolled over the bed.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Sakura?"

She stiffened.

"Y-Yes?" she called back nervously.

"Can you come out? My friends want to meet you."

As he said this, Sakura heard one of the girls squeal. Judging by the pitch of her voice, it was probably the one who had been screaming in the yacht earlier.

"I… I'm coming!"

Sakura pushed herself off the bed and darted towards the vanity. She still looked like crap but really what else can she do about it? Her eyes landed on her lip balm and she quickly reapplied a coat on her lips.

When she finished doing this, she grabbed her hairbrush and started yanking it through her tresses. She felt it snag painfully in her hair and she inwardly cursed the fact that she spent hours enjoying the windy breeze earlier.

Not long after, Sakura gave up and tossed the brush over to the bed and decided to just run her fingers through her hair instead, all the while hoping this will flatten her hair enough to look at least a little decent.

Really, these were about the only things she could do.

Breathing in deeply and exhaling just as much, Sakura finally walked over to the door… where she repeated this act four more times before finally turning the knob.

When she pulled open the door, Syaoran was standing there, partially leaning against the door frame.

"Are you okay?" as he asked this, Sakura felt embarrassed. Did he know that she was nervous?

"I'm fine," she said though she really didn't believe herself when the words left her mouth.

Syaoran pushed himself off the frame and turned around to look at her. There was a slight surprised look in his face as his eyes travelled to her hair and Sakura couldn't help but blush at this.

Did it look that bad? Now she wished she just kept it in its usual ponytail. It was probably obvious to him now that she felt self conscious about her appearance and hurriedly made a poor effort of trying to fix herself as a result.

"Don't worry," he then said with a hint of a smile on his lips. "They're a bit weird but they're harmless."

"Oi, we heard that!"

Syaoran rolled his eyes and stepped aside.

The first person Sakura saw was a very handsome and finely dressed man who looked to be around Syaoran's age. He was wearing loafers, khaki shorts and a white button shirt he left unbuttoned at the top. He also had visor shades which were currently pushed back atop his head through his silky looking blue-black hair. He was nearly the same height and he even somehow exuded the same aura as Syaoran despite their difference in appearance.

Syaoran didn't lose to this man in looks but his appearance was hard… tough. This man gave a more refined and gentle exterior.

A smile was on his face, though it looked more mischievous than friendly and a sort of calculating twinkle could almost be seen in his midnight blue eyes.

Sakura immediately took back her earlier thoughts of this man being "gentle." Looking at his face more closely now, he reminded her painfully of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

When their eyes met, he flashed Sakura an even wider grin which made her blush in embarrassment and lower her head.

"Miss Kinomoto Sakura, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said in a surprisingly pleasant manner and he nodded his head in her direction. "I've heard quite a bit about you, my name is Hiiragizawa Eriol."

"N-Nice to meet you… too?"

After saying this, she turned to look at Syaoran unsurely, her embarrassment gone and confusion taking its place. What did he mean? Where had he heard about her? It couldn't have been from Syaoran considering these guests have literally just arrived.

Syaoran was already shooting Eriol a glare but the latter didn't seem at all fazed by it which Sakura thought was an indication of how close they were. Unless they had considerable exposure and were used to it, anyone would have flinched away from Syaoran if that kind of look was directed at them.

"Ahem~!"

The trio turned to the source of this voice simultaneously.

There she was, the young woman from earlier and this time she wasn't wearing her hat or her sunglasses. How that she was standing so close, Sakura thought she looked even better. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of amethyst and her face looked very gentle, befitting a rich young lady.

Sakura subconsciously ran a hand through her hair. "H-Hello, my name is Kinomoto Sakura, it's nice-"

"It's nice to meet you too!" she cut in as she swooped towards Sakura and gave her a tight hug. "My name is Daidouji Tomoyo. I'm twenty-five years old. How old are you Sakura? I can call you Sakura right? You're very beautiful, and your eyes… green! Wow, are you half? My mother actually is a-"

Someone else cleared their throat and Tomoyo pulled away with a frown on her face.

"You're overwhelming her Tomoyo," Syaoran said.

Sakura was indeed overwhelmed by the amount of what she had just said. She hadn't expected her to be this… friendly? Tomoyo looked quite demure that Sakura thought she was the silent type but it seemed like she was the total opposite.

"Hmm?" Tomoyo said, still looking at Sakura with apparent interest and apparently unfazed by what Syaoran said.

Eriol looked from Tomoyo to Sakura and back again before clearing his throat.

"Neh, Tomoyo, why don't you show Sakura the interior of the yacht? You two can use that time to get to know each other. I bet she's depraved of some girly bonding too. She's been stuck on this island with only Syaoran for company after all. You two can even go for a swim or something."

Tomoyo clasped her hands together as he said this, clearly liking the idea and she turned to Sakura.

"What do you think? It took hours just to get here I kind of want to take a dip to cool down~"

"Uhm… sure," Sakura said with a little smile.

There was no doubt about it. Though she only just spoke to Tomoyo, somehow she can see that this girl was genuinely kind.

She turned to Syaoran but he was looking at Eriol and giving the other man a kind of suspicious look which was met with feigned ignorance.

"Yay! Let's go!"

"It's just the two of you?"

When she said this, three pairs of eyes looked at Sakura questioningly.

"The woman we heard earlier," she told Syaoran, "the one we heard screaming about-"

Eriol burst out laughing at this.

"AND WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE LAUGHING ABOUT HUH?!"

Sakura gawked at Tomoyo. So the woman screaming from the boat was her all along?! She was throwing a very cold look at Eriol that it was a wonder he hadn't flinched away.

"SHUT UP! I WAS SCREAMING IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Tomoyo was a little flushed now, either from embarrassment or strain from her screaming.

Sakura guessed it was the latter.

"I'm sorry, I love you but this is just too funny," Eriol admitted with even more laughter even though Tomoyo was now punching him on the chest. She looked like she was giving it all her strength too.

Sakura looked at them and didn't know what to think. Tomoyo was clearly distressed but Eriol seemed to enjoy it. He also said he loves her? So they were going out? Even if it didn't really seem that way at the moment.

She turned to look at Syaoran and tugged his sleeve.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked in a low voice.

He shook his head. "Like I said, they're a bit weird."


Syaoran stood next to the window with his hands in his pant pockets. Tomoyo and Sakura had already gone to the yacht and were nowhere in sight from where he stood.

"So? Mind telling me about her?"

Eriol was sitting on one of the stools situated next to the kitchen island, a glass of wine in hand. He was looking at Syaoran pointedly, waiting for him to start expounding on the current situation which he was clearly very much interested in.

"Fan didn't tell me much except that a girl he didn't recognize was brought to this island with you. He also said you were quite shocked after you were told that she had been brought along. Oh, and he also said that you had her sister buy a few things she might need while she's here which is very considerate of you by the way."

With a sigh Syaoran turned his gaze away from the shoreline and headed towards Eriol who had just poured another glass with wine and handed it over to him.

"Well that's basically the story."

"I ran into Sakura on Jeju Island. The guy you hired to help me escape got separated from me so I stole her phone in order to contact those brothers on the fishing boat. Long story short, she chased after me and ended up hitching a ride without me knowing about it. Fan expected to take me and another person to Seven so he thought that other person was Sakura. I'm assuming that other guy is alright?"

Eriol waved a hand carelessly at this. "Yong-in knew the plan. I also gave him another way out in case you did get separated along the way. There weren't any news of him getting caught so I say it worked out well for him too."

They fell into silence for a while but seeing as Syaoran was with Hiiragizawa Eriol, quite possibly the chattiest person he knew, it was broken quite easily and with a jibe directed towards him at that.

"So you accidentally abducted a young woman… without knowing."

Syaoran scowled at him as he said this.

"Well you can't say that it isn't true," he said with a shrug. "And I don't think I need to tell you that when this gets out, it's really going to hurt any chance you've got in the first place."

Syaoran didn't say anything to this. He already knew this much the moment his eyes landed on Sakura in the yacht on the way there.

"What have you got for me?" he asked instead, deciding its best not to think about it. What's done is done after all.

"Some good news at least," Eriol said in a much lighter tone now. "He is on the move. Just last week we found out that he bought a ticket bound for Hong Kong in five weeks. He's supposedly traveling to see a friend. I think we really found our guy but we still don't have sufficient evidence."

"Not as good as I had hoped but it's better than nothing."

"But on the bright side," he continued with a grin, "he seems to be a total amateur. I'm sure with the right strings, things will blow up in his face in time. I'm just waiting things out until I get a grasp on what he's trying to do exactly. I'll decide on the best course of action after that."

But Syaoran wasn't smiling. Though the news Eriol brought wasn't as good as he might have hoped, the look on his face was still that of someone really bothered by one thing or another.

"I'm still not convinced," he finally said a while later. "He really doesn't seem the type to pull off this kind of crime. I did a lot of thinking about the entire thing and it all seemed well thought-out. And now you're saying he's making things worse for himself. It's like he reverted back to an amateur. How could he have pulled off blaming me for the murder if he's actually this careless?"

With a thoughtful expression, Eriol couldn't help but think the same. That's what he thought at first too but then again…

"He's only human," he said with a shrug. "The fact that you escaped must have really rattled him. He must be screwing up now because of panic. Ever since news of your escape was publicized, people won't shut up about it. Maybe he's worried that the case would be reinvestigated and reopened."

Syaoran didn't say anything to this. He just continued sipping at his glass while looking deep in thought.

"There are other more pressing things to worry about too. For one thing, what are you planning to do about Sakura? I get that you didn't let her leave since her word will be against you but-"

"She still doesn't know."

"Know? Know what? About you?!" Eriol looked and sounded incredulous. "But she clearly knows your name. Don't tell me she…?"

Syaoran nodded and even more disbelief appeared on Eriol's handsome face.

"Trust you to abduct quite possibly the lone woman in Asia who hasn't heard about you," he said, now amused. "That would explain how she acted earlier… huh…"

Silence fell between them for a while before Eriol spoke again and this time he sounded a little hesitant. "Oh, and I can't say for sure but… doesn't it look like that she-"

"She does."

Eriol blinked.

"So she really does like you? Did she actually tell you?!" he demanded, looking a little incredulous. "You didn't do anything to her while you two were stuck here all this time, have you?! You know I never dissuade you in any way where women are concerned but as to this particular woman, as your lawyer, I sincerely advise you not to do anything. It would complicate things even-"

"I didn't touch her," Syaoran interrupted yet again and this time he rolled his eyes before downing what was left of his drink. "Nothing happened between us. At one point something almost happened but it was something minor and nothing ended up happening anyway."

Eriol sighed, clearly relieved.

"Don't exaggerate."

At this statement Eriol raised a brow at Syaoran.

"Who's the one in a bind here? I'm only thinking about your best interests."

It was Syaoran's turn to raise a brow at Eriol.

"You're lucky to have me as a best friend you know," Eriol added rather conceitedly.

"Yeah, yeah."


"Oh you look gorgeous!"

Tomoyo's eyes were positively glittering with happiness as she slowly moved away from Sakura who was currently sitting on a chair. A large sheet was spread out beneath the legs to catch the hair that had been constantly falling to the ground since she sat there.

"Want to see?"

Sakura nodded nervously as Tomoyo helped her up to her feet and started dragging her across the room.

They reached the closet and Tomoyo swung it open. The body-length mirror screwed onto the back of the door stopped right in front of Sakura.

Her eyes widened but it was mostly due to amazement at Tomoyo's handiwork than her surprise that she could actually look this good.

She didn't know that fixing up her hair could make this much of a difference.

True, her hair has already been neglected even before she got to the island. Her bangs in particular had already grown out quite a bit even before she went on vacation in South Korea. It was still bearable though. But since arriving on the island with Syaoran, it got even worse. Plus, the products she usually used back home also weren't available to her here. There's also the fact that she always tied her hair in a messy ponytail, even in her sleep. The only time she probably ever let her hair down was this very day when she tried to make it look "decent" earlier.

"Your hair's amazingly thick and luscious you know," Tomoyo said from behind her and their eyes met through the mirror's reflection. "Just needed a little perking up. All I did was cut your bangs, trimmed the ends, and put in a bit of treatment. There wasn't any need to do much more than that."

"Thank you," Sakura said sincerely. She thought Tomoyo was just being nice by saying that. After all, her hair hasn't looked this good in a while so it must be something she did rather than the natural condition of her locks.

"Okay, next!" Tomoyo exclaimed with a grin and she all but pounced at Sakura and immediately started tugging at the baggy clothes she was wearing.

"Wha- wha- whaaa?!"


"You should get Tomoyo to trim your hair," Eriol commented. "This look does suit you but it feels weird. Feels like I'm talking to your dad."

"How'd he take the news of my escape?"

At this, Eriol chuckled.

"You know how sharp that guy is. He called me out when news first broke out. Pretty sure he knows I have a lot to do with it so he didn't ask me about what I knew. He's probably hoping all this will mean a turnaround not only for you but for the company as well. Li Corp.'s taken a big hit since your arrest and the old man's been managing it as best as possible but I'm sure he's hoping all this can finally be put behind us."

Syaoran couldn't help but think about his family and his family's company now.

He hadn't spoken with his family since he landed himself in prison. At the time, he had immediately sent them word through Eriol to not bother getting in contact with him. It was best that they have as little to do with each other as possible during his incarceration.

Eriol, being his lawyer, also couldn't help but agree to this. This not only saved face for the rest of the Li family and the company itself if it pretended to condemn the heir to the large empire, but it'll also help Syaoran in the long run when they plan for his escape. Three years of neglect from his family will make them least susceptible to questioning and doubt of their involvement. Even Eriol himself didn't contact Syaoran much and even when he did, it was only to put up a show while in his first year in jail that his job as his lawyer was over.

He had already planned on Syaoran's eventual escape the moment he had been sentenced to jail. All he did was have the parties involved trust all that he had been doing all this time without giving them the details. The least they knew about it, the more chances it will succeed.

"What are you grinning about?"

At this question, Eriol turned to him and grinned even wider. "Just thinking about how amazing I am."

Syaoran had to suppress a sigh. Clearly, Eriol hadn't changed in the slightest these past years. He didn't know whether to be happy or saddened about this.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask, why are you here with Tomoyo? It was already surprising enough that you came here at all. What happened to keeping a low profile? And you even brought her with you."

Eriol gave a kind of mischievous snigger.

"It's because we're here on the pretense of an engagement getaway."

Both men turned to the door at this. Tomoyo had just strolled inside with a frown on her face.

"Engagement?" Syaoran echoed.

"Pretense?!" Eriol said at the same time.

Tomoyo threw a hard glare in Eriol's direction.

"I'm happy you took me here Eri since I get to see Syaoran and meet Sakura," she admitted with a frown. "But this trip isn't something I'd call appropriate for an engagement getaway. Since I'm nice, I still accept your proposal but you owe me another trip… one that doesn't involve you trying to get us killed."

Syaoran shot Eriol a look. "So that's how you managed to get this far without being suspected of getting into contact with me? You proposed to Tomoyo as cover?"

"What?" he said with a shrug. "It was inevitable that Tomoyo and I got engaged and married anyway. Even if the timing was less than romantic, it was useful at least."

Again, Syaoran was amazed at his best friend's twisted logic. This was one other prime example as to how he felt both impressed and at a loss with regards to Eriol's manner of thinking.

"Oh don't worry about it Syaoran. I already suspected something like this from him anyway," Tomoyo said with a careless wave of her hand.

"And you're okay with that of course," Syaoran said as he tried very hard not to roll his eyes at her. "Really Tomoyo, you're the only person weird enough to go out with this guy… and vice versa."

Eriol flashed Syaoran a grin while Tomoyo only looked confused.

"Ah, ah, never mind that," Tomoyo suddenly said with a shake of her head before her took on a hint of excitement. "Why don't you guys join me and Sakura outside?" Before either of them could say anything, however, Tomoyo went on to say, "and by the way Syaoran, how can you treat Sakura like this?"

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? Those horrid clothes! Not only are they obviously for guys, I checked the brand on them and they were from Kaiju-Mon!"

"We're not exactly in walking distance to a shopping mall Tomoyo," Syaoran pointed out. "And who do you think sent me those clothes?!"

Kaiju-Mon was a popular Japanese brand which sold a variety of things from clothes to stuffed animals. It was popular amongst children, teenagers, and even a few young adults mainly because of the more than two dozen or so weird looking mascots the brand has.

This was also Eriol's favorite brand and remains a big thorn on Tomoyo's side for many years now.

"Not only are most of the clothes this guy left here for me are from Kaiju-Mon, they didn't even fit me right," Syaoran continued. "I'm just glad Fan included a couple of clothes for me when he came back to resupply the food a couple of weeks ago. I assume he already knew most of the clothes Eriol had brought in before I got here was shit and-"

"How was I to know you'd come out of jail a gym rat?" Eriol countered. "You-"

"Anyway, Sakura didn't have anything else to wear anyway and she didn't seem to mind the design," he continued, thoroughly ignoring Eriol.

Tomoyo huffed, clearly still disapproving before turning on her heel and heading out the door again.

"Well, be grateful I'm here now!" she said rather simply. "Sakura's waiting at the yacht. Let's have a snack there and go for a swim together."

Both men didn't say anything and simply followed after her. All three of them had been friends since they were children and after so many years of friendship and being together, they knew better than to try and argue with Tomoyo about anything.


Author's Note:

Again, sorry for the lack of frequent updates. This chapter is still another one of the few I finished before coming to Florida (I still haven't gotten the chance to write anything while being here) and like the previous chapter, I didn't get the chance to proof read this one either before putting it up. So if you spot any mistakes, please try to look past them (I know, I'm terrible). I'll be sure to try and fix it up on a later date.

Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to upload another chapter soon-ish!

Ja ne!

Raeny