[A/N] Hi everyone! I ended up finishing this chapter much sooner than I expected. There was going to be more at the end, but it was already exceeding 3000 words and I just thought the chapter would get really lengthy if I included those parts. Instead, it will go into the next chapter, so I can keep this one a little more concise and themed.

The song Syaoran singing is a Mandarin song called The Moon Represents My Heart, or 月亮代表我的心. I initially wanted a classic Cantonese song since it's more likely Syaoran speaks Cantonese (being from Hong Kong and all) but in my searching this is the song that really stood out. I guess it's not too farfetched to say Syaoran knows some Mandarin, lol. I chose it due to its connection to the moon, and Syaoran's powers rely on the moon so it felt fitting. It's a really beautiful song and I recommend listening to it.

I also went and researched what the moon looked like on February 15th, 2005, and I was a little annoyed to find it was a waning crescent moon that was barely visible... but I still tried to make it work. I hope.

Thanks for the support and patience so far!

BODY TALK

CHAPTER NINE [月 - Yuè (Chinese); Tsuki (Japanese) - Moon]

Ring, ring…

Syaoran's heart thudded in his chest. The ceiling above him faded into a blurry haze as he struggled to focus in the darkness he had chosen to hide himself in. With one hand across his forehead and the other clutching his cell phone tightly, he idly ran his fingers through his hair, tangling them up in it and tugging at the roots. He needed to feel something, to do something, to say something. Anything.

Ring, ring…

Syaoran gulped, close to choking on his heart as it became stuck in his throat. His heartbeat and the blood whooshing around in his ears were the only sounds cutting through the thick silence pressing down against him.

Ring, ring…

Syaoran's fingers itched as the urge to hang up rumbled inside of him. He came close to pressing the 'end call' button. If it weren't for the fact he was frozen, too stiff to do anything but hold his position with his hand up to his ear, he would have. How many times had the phone rang now without response? Syaoran couldn't be sure. He had lost count, but it must have been about three times. Something stirred inside of him, a cruel sense of optimism that left him hoping Sakura wouldn't pick up, for the sake of delaying it all just a little while longer. Just a second longer. One more ring, Syaoran told himself, one more ring and I'll…

"Hello?"

Sakura's sweet voice, the sound of Japanese after forcing himself to remember Cantonese to converse with his mother… it was refreshing. Syaoran wanted to be happy to hear her again. Syaoran wanted her voice to make his stomach flutter, to make his heart somersault with joy. He wanted that. It wasn't happening. Why wasn't it happening?

Instead, Syaoran spoke gravely, her name a rushed whisper, "Sakura."

Sakura instantly stiffened at his tone. He sounded so tense. It worried Sakura. The worry prompted her to question, "Syaoran? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Syaoran stared up at the ceiling, a million words and thoughts circling around his head all at once. He tried to search for the words that were there; he knew they were there. He could see them in his mind so clearly that he could almost reach out for them and grab them. His arms were just bound to his body, refusing to move.

"Syaoran…" she tried again, making Syaoran realise he hadn't answered her yet. It was as if his mouth was sewn shut, his lips connected together by tight stitches, and he couldn't open it even if he tried. "Syaoran… please, answer me…"

He used his free hand to cover his eye, rubbing it with an annoyed sigh. It may have been his imagination, but he was sure he heard Sakura gasp. He wasn't annoyed at her. He was annoyed at himself. It was just so difficult to make her aware of that. No, maybe it wasn't difficult. Maybe it was him who was being the difficult one, and he was starting to believe that. There was no reason why he should be hiding something so dangerous from Sakura, and there was certainly no excuse.

"I…"

When he finally spoke, just one word managed to slip out, and it felt like he had forcibly ripped his lips open to push the sound out.

Steeling himself, Syaoran decided he was going to tell her. Right there. Right then. No more excuses. No more lies.

"Do you remember…" Syaoran's voice came out hoarse, cracking as he tried to force himself to speak. He quickly cleared his throat, retracing his steps and trying again, "Do you remember how we said it would be okay to call one another, even if nothing came up?"

Sakura finally responded after a short pause, sounding noticeably softer and relieved, "Of course."

"I just wanted to call you. To hear you."

Sakura placed a hand over her heart, feeling it swell with the amount of love Syaoran was making her feel. "Syaoran…"

"I'm here," Syaoran smiled for the first time that evening.

"We were just about to go to bed, Tomoyo and I," Sakura explained lightly. Syaoran's eyes widened. Tomoyo… he had forgotten entirely that Daidouji was with her. He couldn't reveal something so troubling when Sakura had company… no, he could. He could ask her to go into another room where she would be alone. No excuses, no more excuses.

Syaoran bit down on his bottom lip hard, rolling it around in his teeth. He went to speak, to finally speak, to finally spill everything out, only for Sakura to obliviously interrupt him, "Syaoran, can you sing me a lullaby?"

Syaoran was caught off guard, surprised by her sudden request. All he had intended to tell her disappeared into air as she steered the conversation away into talks of going to sleep. She was sleepy, and he didn't want to keep her awake when she was sleepy. Syaoran had clumsily forgotten Japan was an hour ahead, his thoughts so strewn about his mind that he was having trouble remembering anything that wasn't to do with the prophecy and the damning revelation that he would have to sacrifice his powers by making love to a non-mage.

"Why?" Syaoran asked, even though he knew the answer. He knew what Sakura would say before she had to say it.

"Because I sleep better when you sing to me," Sakura responded, poking her tongue through her teeth as she smiled to herself, bashfully twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger.

Syaoran had told Sakura once when they were young how he hated singing in front of others and as a result avoided it at all costs. He barely even sang under his breath because the sound of his own voice embarrassed him too much. But Sakura, being Sakura, had eventually cracked him open enough to get him to sing to her. The first time he had sung to her also served as the first time they had slept together – not in the euphemistic sense of course, but the first time Sakura had slumped her body against Syaoran and declared she was going to sleep using him as her pillow.

She had been scared, frightened over a ghost she thought she could sense, and Syaoran had valiantly inspected the entire room from top to bottom to assure her that she was safe from any ghost. Sakura still insisted however that she was too terrified to sleep on her own just in case, and begged for Syaoran to calm her down with wide, pleading eyes coloured with innocence. Though it felt awkward doing so, Syaoran began to sing to her in an airy whisper. Whatever he had sung to her he couldn't quite remember, possibly something in Cantonese, but what he could remember was the way Sakura's body relaxed against him, her expression calm as she slipped into a slumber.

Ever since that moment, Syaoran would sing to Sakura whenever she needed soothing and reassurance. Even when she couldn't understand what he was singing, she would hum along and feel his words rather than understand him. It may have begrudged him to sing out loud in the same way it begrudged him to always have to scour the room to assure her it was devoid of any ghosts and evil spirits, but it was rewarding to see the one he loved so happy and so at peace. If it made her happy, Syaoran would do anything, no matter how awkward or embarrassing.

"But… won't Daidouji hear me?" Syaoran inquired, eliciting a giggle from Sakura. He groaned quietly, already growing embarrassed as he realised Sakura was amused by his shyness.

"Don't worry," Sakura assured him. "It's just you and me right now."

The words he had bottled inside began to crawl up his throat. Daidouji wasn't around? It was the perfect opportunity, surely…?

He swallowed.

"Then… go to a window, and look out at the moon for me," Syaoran instructed her. Sakura was slightly confused and unsure of why he wanted her to look at the moon, but she silently obeyed and headed to the nearest window where her view of the moon, a waning crescent that night, was clearest. After a few seconds, Syaoran asked, "Are you there?"

Sakura nodded emphatically, humming to affirm she was looking at the moon. Her heart momentarily stirred as she considered that perhaps Syaoran was in Hong Kong, looking up at the same moon as her, and she closed her eyes as she waited for him to serenade her.

After a deep breath and a reluctant start, Syaoran began, "You ask me how deep my love for you is…"

The words were in Mandarin, a language Sakura was still struggling to grasp even after a countless amount of lessons from Syaoran. Her Cantonese lessons were even more of a failure, but Sakura still urged him to teach her and guide her towards fluency in both languages, no matter how complex and difficult she was finding it. Still, Sakura wrapped her hand over her chest as she continued to watch the moon weakly trying to appear in the clear night sky, the twinkling stars so bright Sakura almost mistook them for city lights.

"How much I really love you…"

Sakura closed her eyes, dissociating herself from the reality around her as she paid attention to nothing but his voice. She was no longer in her bedroom, no longer surrounded by her bed and her desk – she was in his arms, his heartbeat the musical instrument accompanying his soft voice, his sweet words that, in theory, should have had little to no meaning to her; she couldn't understand anything he was saying. And yet, his words meant everything. It wasn't what he was singing that was important to Sakura. It was him, purely and simply. It was the fact he trusted her enough despite vehemently proclaiming he detested singing in front of others when they were young. The fact he was singing to her despite once profusely refusing to do so. The fact he was loving her despite swearing they would never be anything more than rivals.

"My affection does not waver…"

They were eleven again, back during the first time Sakura saw the sun illuminated in Syaoran's stormy eyes. Back when he was holding her by the swing set, her face buried in his chest as he rested his chin atop the crown of her head, promising she would find the one she loved most someday. Little did she know the one she loved most had his arms around her right there, right then. No, maybe part of her did realise, if only subconsciously.

"My love will not change…"

Her childhood, school girl crush on Yukito had clouded her feelings for Syaoran, but when the sky cleared and the rain in her life evaporated Sakura soon realised green was slowly becoming her second favourite colour after pink, just because it reminded her of the ceremonial robes she loved seeing beside her so much. The colour green reminded her of serenity, of the feeling of protection and safety Syaoran radiated whenever she was with him. Whenever she saw the moon at night, she stopped thinking of Yukito and his other self, Yue. Instead, she thought of the boy hailing from China who had forced his way into her once ordinary life and changed everything forever.

"The moon represents my heart."

Syaoran's voice faded into silence, his cheeks burning when Sakura improvised and applauded him by slapping her free hand against the arm holding her phone.

"Wow…" Sakura sounded physically winded, as if Syaoran had truly taken her breath away. When she caught her breath back, she sounded excited, the same childlike curiosity painting her voice that had snatched Syaoran's heart in the first place, "What does that all mean?"

"It means…" Syaoran paused, licking his lips to mentally translate the words over from Mandarin to Japanese. "It means that my love for you is like the moon."

"Hoe?" Sakura spoke softly, tilting her head as she stared out at the tiny crescent moon that was more eclipsed in darkness than it was visible. "But… but the moon is really small tonight."

Syaoran made himself turn his head to peek out the crack in his curtains. When he finally caught sight of the moon, Syaoran cracked a smile and explained, "Even when the moon can't be seen, we know that it's still there regardless. It never disappears."

"Like love…" Sakura clocked, understanding, and Syaoran softly hummed in confirmation.

"Just like how we can't see each other right now, but we know our love is there," Syaoran finished. Sakura wished Syaoran could see the smile brightening up her features, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.

"Syaoran…"

"I love you, Sakura," Syaoran whispered, clutching his chest through his shirt as he relayed his feelings. "You know that, right?"

"Right!" Sakura giggled, and Syaoran couldn't help but chuckle along with her. Her happiness was contagious, even to the most immune – something Syaoran had often considered himself.

"When I get back… let's do something," Syaoran spoke before he thought it through. There I go again, making promises I can't keep… Syaoran shook his head. The opportunity to confess was slipping away, water flowing through the cracks between his fingers. Why was he making no effort to clutch the opportunity before it faded into nothing? He swore he valued her life, cherished it even… so why? Why?

Why?

"I'll be back by Sunday," Syaoran added. "If it's okay with you, let's do something this Sunday. Just you and me."

Sakura's eyes twinkled, her body unable to contain the excitement as she enthusiastically squealed in response, "Yes! Is it okay if I really, really look forward to it?"

Syaoran pushed out a small, breathy chuckle. "Of course. See you then."

"I love you!"

Sakura ended the call after blowing a kiss down the line, deciding 'I love you' would be her goodbye. She had always assumed that the more it was said, the staler it would become. She feared that it would lose all its meaning. Sakura had been pleasantly surprised however to find that every time the syllables escaped from her lips, it only solidified her feelings for him. Hearing it in return from him always felt like the first time he had told her. A part of her made her feel that this was true love. It must be. So many people threw the word 'love' around and forgot to attach the sentiment to it. Sakura vowed she would never do that. She vowed that she would truly love the man who reminded her of her father whenever he would share stories of her mother, and that was the exact feeling she got from Li Syaoran.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Syaoran still felt a heavy burden weighing him down like an anchor. The call should have been his means to tell her about the prophecy, and about how he was willing to sacrifice his powers if it meant he would be with her forever without harm or fear she would be torn away from his side.

The catch was just that, in order to sacrifice his powers, he had to sleep with someone else. 'Nothing good comes easy' had certainly never been truer.

Syaoran rolled over on his bed with a groan, his body heavy and sluggish as he struggled to move it. The combined weight of guilt and frustration was suffocating him, crushing his lungs until he could no longer breathe properly without wanting to gasp for air.

If he were to sleep with someone else, Sakura would be heart-broken. That much was obvious. Not only that, but Syaoran would never be able to live with himself. He would never have the right to claim jealousy whenever someone got too friendly with Sakura when he would have touched another woman's body while saying he loved Sakura in the same breath. But he also wouldn't be able to live with himself if he was the reason for her death.

Syaoran had never felt intimidated by that gluttonous guardian Sakura affectionately dubbed 'Kero-chan' thanks to his adorable stature, and he had no qualms constantly picking fights with what he had less than affectionately dubbed 'that plush toy'. Even when Kerberos was in his larger form and had abused his power in pinning Syaoran to the sofa just to push his buttons even more than he already had, Syaoran found it difficult to feel threatened by a lion with wings and a gimmicky Osakan accent.

Yet, all of a sudden Syaoran was starting to fear both Kerberos and Kero-chan, who would do anything to protect his master in either form. If Syaoran dared hurt Sakura… he didn't want to imagine the type of scolding he would receive from Kerberos. He certainly didn't want to think about what the other guardian, Yue, would do to him also. Yue was cold and while Kerberos would ensure Syaoran was scorched and permanently scarred by his rage, Yue on the other hand would ensure all heat in Syaoran's life was removed until he learnt to survive in an eternal winter.

And that brother of hers…

He may have moved out to live with Yukito in some apartment in the city, but Kinomoto Toya was so protective over his little sister, his only remaining memory of his mother now that he had given up the ability to see her in spirit, that he had hated Syaoran ever since the day they first met. Syaoran could admit Toya had absolutely every reason to hate him, especially since their first meeting had involved Syaoran wrestling Sakura to take her cards away. He was still the scariest one of all – even without the advantage of magical powers that Kerberos and Yue boasted.

Daidouji was also very polite and gentle by nature, but it was clear to Syaoran that she could easily flip within seconds if her precious Sakura was ever in danger.

Syaoran hated this.

He hated that he even had to think about it.

It wasn't a decision he was going to make easily. He couldn't, anyway; there was nothing easy about having to betray the one he loved most by using another important woman in his life. A stranger was out of the question, anyone in Sakura's circle was out of the question, leaving just one person still in the question.

Meiling…

Meiling was stunning. Syaoran wasn't blind; her beauty was hard for anyone to ignore. She wouldn't let anyone ignore her beauty anyway, always confidently shoving it in everyone's faces by wearing revealing clothes and speaking so loud her voice could echo in a crowded room.

She was tall, tall enough to be a model, and her legs were long, stretching for miles. Her features were so harshly defined and piercing that she turned heads wherever she went. If Chinese beauty standards were to be personified, they would manifest in Li Meiling.

She just wasn't Sakura.

Her scarlet cat eyes and long, coquettish eyelashes were captivating, but they weren't the sparkling green that hypnotised Syaoran whenever he saw them. He could get lost in a trance looking into Sakura's eyes, and often did drift into a daze that she often had to pull him out from because he was so mesmerised and enraptured.

Her dark ebony hair that reached her waist was pretty and silky, but it wasn't the choppy, auburn cut that came just above Sakura's shoulders. Her ox horns and tails flowing down from them were charming and encompassed everything Meiling represented as a woman, but her hairstyle didn't cause his heart to skip in the same way Sakura's tiny twin tails did. As she got older, Sakura had stopped wearing two pig tails in her hair tied together with bobbles and adorable pink scrunchies to school and out in public, but when it was just her and Syaoran she would wear her hair that way simply because Syaoran had expressed how cute and innocent it made her look.

The way she spoke Cantonese was melodious, but it wasn't the beautiful Japanese song that had ensnared Syaoran's heart.

Her porcelain skin was ethereal and she was like a delicate China doll shielding a fierce personality – but it wasn't the peach flush of Sakura's skin that Syaoran had dreamed of, stroked, and pressed his lips against…

Meiling may have been a beautiful jade.

But she wasn't Syaoran's cherry blossom.

[A/N] So originally this chapter was going to be called Night and have a more cliffhanger ending with exploration into Meiling's perspective, but that's okay. That'll be the next chapter (I guess I just gave away its title... haha), which I will consider a sort of unofficial second parter to this chapter.

kori kaoru himura: Your support means so much to me! Thank you for continuing with my story and leaving such wonderful reviews! I'm really happy that you want to keep up with this story. It's the reason why I can keep doing my best to update every week :)

Depending on how busy my Easter schedule is (which is probably not very busy at all), the next chapter may be a little late, but I will try to keep going. Almost finishing another one of my multi-chaptered fics has made me determined to finish this one too, since I've only ever finished two in the past and those were many years ago. Anyway, I'm rambling. See you again soon!