Daphne: "Hi, all! I just want to straighten out something. I did not have
any idea that the last three chapters would look like they did. I was
rather surprised as well, when I entered the story and saw the way that it
was formatted. I did not mean for it to come out all as one paragraph. I
have seen similar problems on other stories, so this is going to be my
guinea-pig chapter, to see if something is wrong with the way
Fanfiction.net transfers my story from my program, to the net. If it messes
up again, please bear with me! Other than that, I am glad that you are
enjoying the story, and I want to remind you that there *will* be a sequel,
so keep your eyes open!
~*~*~*~
Forced to Love by: Daphne Li Chapter 10.
Six days later, Sakura had decided to take another visit to the meadow, which she had become quite fond of. Tomoyo and Alongue decided to stay at the castle, for unknown reasons.
"I still think that disguising Sakura's room in green and then giving it to Syaoran is a perfect way of getting them together!" Tomoyo insisted. Alongue shook her head. They were in the drawing room, thinking up matchmaking schemes for Syaoran and Sakura. They were sitting on puffy, cushioned stools (Tomoyo's lavender in color, and Alongue's pink,) and absentmindedly working on needle-pointing as they talked.
"No, I think that we should tell him *where* her room is, and let him decide whether or not he wants to visit her there. Then, if he doesn't, we should pull the whole 'get them lost in the castle and then lock them inside a room together' idea." Alongue argued. Tomoyo sighed.
"Maybe you're right.and locking them in a room would we a whole lot more fun!" She gave a squeal and Alongue giggled.
"I have never had this much fun since my horse ran away, taking me with it!" She laughed, making Tomoyo look at her strangely.
"You are going to have to tell me that story, later. So.how do you like your dress?" She asked anxiously. Tomoyo had insisted on making Sakura and Alongue dresses as soon as they had arrived. The queen had ordered the fabric, and Tomoyo made the dresses, proudly displaying them three days later. Sakura's was pink silk, with long scoop sleeves and a full length floaty skirt. The dress was decorated with cherry blossoms, and Tomoyo had made a net of them to twine through Sakura's hair.
Alongue was in a light blue silk dress similar to Sakura's, except the sleeves were strips of fabric, held together in some places by fancy gold bottons. Tomoyo had pulled some of her hair back into a half ponytail, and left the rest to hang down her back. With the half-ponytail, Tomoyo had artfully twined it around the base of the dainty opal and gold tiara that she was forced to wear during all occasions except the occasional excursion into the other world.
For her own dress, Tomoyo had taken the embroidered lavender silk and made it into a dress similar to the other girls. Her dress, however had sleeves that were just pieces of fabric, that had bracelets sewn into the end of it. Then the bracelets slipped onto Tomoyo's wrists. This left most of her arm bare, but also allowed the fabric to fall over her arms and warm them occasionally. All the dresses were equally lovely, and they seemed to be made just with their owner in mind.
"I love it, Tomoyo. How did you ever get it done so soon?" Alongue asked, fingering the fabric of her dress. Just then, the door opened and a servant stepped into the room.
"Your highness? They are here." He said. Alongue simply nodded, and motioned for the man to leave.
"Who does he mean?" Tomoyo asked softly.
"I don't really know. Perhaps someone papa wants me to talk with?" Alongue shrugged, going back to sewing the needle-point on her lap. The door opened again but this time, neither girl looked up, both of them used to servants walking in and out of rooms at odd times; but this time was different.
"Why, if it isn't a fallen goddess and her counterpart!" Came a silky voice. Tomoyo gasped, started off her cushion, and spun to face the door. Alongue looked up, curious.
"Prince Eriol! Prince Syaoran!" Tomoyo gasped, the needle-point dropping to the floor from her limp fingers. Alongue's face brightened. She recognized all the young men from portraits that she had seen before. Well, at least two of them. Tarren she had met by working in his castle.
"Miss Tomoyo, what a surprise!" Eriol smirked, his voice still silky. Alongue rolled her eyes and stepped forward.
"I take it you are the infamous Prince Eriol that Tomoyo has been speaking to me about. And you must be Sakura's husband, Prince Syaoran." Alongue said, focusing on Syaoran. Syaoran's eyes lit up and he stepped forward eagerly.
"She is in the upper meadow. Take the trail through to grove. You can't miss it." Alongue said. Syaoran gave her a grateful glance and then hurried from the room.
"Excuse me.but could you tell me where a Gue lives?" Tarren asked hesitantly. Alongue smiled prettily at him, but from the look on her face, Tomoyo could tell that she was going to take him on a ride.at least for a while.
"Oh, I know who you mean. She just came back with Sakura. Yes, she works here." Alongue said, a slight teasing in her voice that Eriol caught instantly. He also noticed that Tomoyo was working very hard to keep from laughing.
"She does?" Tarren asked, looking at the lovely girl in front of him, and nearly forgetting his friend 'Gue' altogether.
"Of course! Her parents work here as well. Wait till you meet them! Come!" Alongue said eagerly, purposely taking his hand and dragging him from the room. Tomoyo followed closely, her giggles becoming harder to contain, and Eriol simply watched her in confusion. Finally, Alongue led them to the throne room, and threw the doors open.
"Mother, father, Prince Tarren is here to see Gue!" Alongue chirped. The queen looked at her in shock, which quickly turned into amusement.
"Oh my dear girl! Are you just going to torture the poor boy?" She laughed, hugging Alongue close.
"You didn't tell him either, did you?" The king chuckled. It seemed that both king and queen found their daughter's charade quite funny.
"No, she didn't. Just like she didn't tell Sakura when she brought her here." Tomoyo cut in, earning herself a hug from the king. Alongue glared at her, and then turned back to the astonished Prince Tarren.
"Don't you recognize me without the handkerchief over my hair? I am surprised at you, Tarren!" Alongue teased, shaking her finger at him. He gaped and then shook his head.
"You.Gue.the whole time.why didn't you tell me?!" He finally managed to stutter out. Alongue turned on her little sad pout and walked towards him, her hands out in a pleading gesture.
"Oh, you will forgive me, won't you? Please?!" Alongue pleaded, her bottom lip shaking a bit. It worked, just like it always did. He softened and took her hands gently.
"Of course I do. I can understand why you did it." He murmured, his deep eyes boring into hers. It was then that she realized that he had seen right through her little pity act! With another, more genuine pout, she turned away from him and folded her arms angrily. Tomoyo couldn't take it any longer, and she burst out laughing.
~*~*~*~
As Sakura walked down up to the meadow, her eyes took in every new thing that she saw. Baby deer, new bird nests, a new flower that she didn't know the name of.there was so much for her to see! She was sorry that her friends had not joined her, though. Not that she was lonely, because she was far from it, but because of all the new things that hadn't been there on their last walk.
Butterflies flew past her, intent on where they were going, and only stopping on their journey, to investigate her. She smiled as one particularly pretty blue butterfly landed on her hand and stayed there. She watched its wings move back and forth for a while, and then she gently blew on it, making it fly away. With a delighted laugh, she raced through the tall wildflowers, calling 'hello's' and 'how do you do's' to every animal or insect she happened to come upon.
The slight breeze blew her flower-laden hair back from her face, and caused it to flow out behind her like a sweet flag. With a giggle, she stopped in the middle of the meadow and spun around, her hands high above her head. When she stopped, she rested, and then began to pick handfuls of the sweet- smelling wildflowers. Suddenly, she felt a familiar presence nearby. Not a bad one, but one that caused her heart to speed up. She quickly looked up, and gasped when she saw who it was.
~*~*~*~
As soon as Syaoran had entered the room where Alongue and Tomoyo were, he became antsy. Where was Sakura? He was quite relieved when Alongue noticed that he was anxious, and gave him directions on where to find Sakura. Finally! After three horrible months, he was going to see his cherry blossom again!
He quickly found his way to the path that she had mentioned, and then hurried blindly through the grove of trees, intent on finding his wife. With quick precision, he found the meadow and looked eagerly for Sakura. She was not hard to spot. There in the middle of the meadow, twirling around and giggling, stood his lovely cherry blossom. As he watched she stopped spinning, stood still for a moment, and then flew into action, picking as many wildflowers as her tiny hands would permit. Suddenly, she stopped and stood still, as though listening for some strange sound, her hand still poised to pick another set of flowers. Slowly, she looked up, her eyes frightened, and then.shock flickered through their emerald depths; then, immense joy. A smile played across his lips as he watched her.
"Syaoran?!" She whimpered, taking flight and rushing forward, throwing herself into his arms. He laughed happily as they both tumbled to the ground as a result of her eagerness.
"Sakura! My Sakura!" He murmured into her ear, making her shiver. She was now laying on top of him, her arms about his neck. Slowly, his arms slipped around her waist and her turned them over, so she was on the ground. Silently, they searched each other's eyes, as if looking for something buried to deep to see. Then, he lowered his head and captured her lips with his. She gave a gasp of delight, and twined her fingers in his messy chestnut hair, pulling him closer. His kiss caused waves of shivers to rush up her spine and his warm hands on her waist caused her skin to heat up. He too, was greatly affected by the kiss. Warmth filled his heart and he felt weak with delight of her. When they finally came up for air, they met each others eyes unfalteringly, smiles appearing on both their lips.
"I missed you so much." Sakura finally whimpered, closing her eyes and hugging him close.
"I missed you as well. You have no idea how much you mean to me, my Ying- fa." Syaoran whispered, kissing her cheek. Tears appeared in her eyes.
"At one point, I even thought you were dead. I almost died myself. I couldn't stand the thought of living without you." She breathed, as his lips came close to hers. He smiled. "I would never leave you." Was his only answer, before his lips claimed her's again. He kissed her several more times, only stopping when air supply ran out. Finally, she reluctantly pulled away.
"Syaoran, we have to stop this! Alongue will be expecting us for supper." She laughed. He groaned and buried his face in her neck.
"Do we have to go? You are all I need right now." He said, his voice muffled. Sakura turned pink and then nodded decidedly.
"We have to." She said firmly, but her resolve nearly broke when she felt his soft, warm lips start to trail down her neck. With a gasp, she pushed him away, laughing.
"Syaoran! Come." She insisted, standing up and then waiting for him to grudgingly rise as well.
"If Eriol makes any comments about how 'cute' we look, or how 'I must have finally figured out my feelings', I am going to slug him." Syaoran threatened, taking her small hand in his. She giggled.
"I will warn him not to." She promised, as his other arm slipped around her waist and he led her out of the meadow and back to the palace.
~*~*~*~
"Did you see them during dinner?! It was like there was no one else but them in the room!" Alongue squealed, as she, Tomoyo, Eriol, and Tarren made their way to their bedrooms.
"I bet you anything that Syaoran won't be sleeping in his own room tonight!" Eriol said slyly, making both girls hit him on the arms and giggle.
"More like the other way around." Tarren couldn't help but add, earning himself two smacks and more giggles.
"I am so happy for Sakura! She needed him so much. And they were away from each other for so long. It must have been torture." Alongue sympathized.
"Well, if you had been taken away from the person you loved most in the world, you would be pretty unhappy too." Eriol said sarcastically. Tomoyo lowered her head, and Alongue looked at him quizzically.
"I would? I have never been in love before.at least, I don't think I have." Alongue trailed off, thinking about it, while Tarren studied her closely. Suddenly, he noticed that her cheeks went bright red, and she looked away from them. Tomoyo saw this and grinned.
"Oh, you haven't? Could have surprised me!" She giggled, causing Alongue to blush again.
"Tomoyo, can we go into my room and talk?" Alongue asked, eyeing the young men dangerously. They backed off, and quickly went to their rooms.
"All right, who is it?" Tomoyo asked softly, as they entered Alongue's room. Gue glared at her and the plopped down on the bed.
"I don't believe that I am in love with anyone. You, however, obviously are." Alongue said slyly. Tomoyo blushed and glared at her.
"And who would that be?" She asked. The other girl smiled.
"Um, let me think. You agree with everything he says, you blush whenever you are around him, you try to deny the fact that you like him.yes, you definitely love Prince Hiiragizawa Eriol." Alongue finished, causing Tomoyo to blush furiously and look at her hands.
"I do not lo." She began softly.
"You do! Tomoyo, stop denying it. You love him more than you will admit, and it is going to get to you, eventually." Alongue stated, her voice warm but firm. Tomoyo frowned uncertainly, but then smirked.
"If I love Prince Hiiragizawa, then you love Prince Tarren, and there is no use denying it. Even if you have only known him for a few months, you *do* love him, and it is all too obvious in the way you talk about him constantly and blush at the mention of his name. Even your parents have noticed, and they even asked me about it." Tomoyo countered. Now it was Alongue's turn to blush. During the next two hours, the girls talked more on this subject, and then prepared for bed. By the time they said 'goodnight', it was nearly midnight.
Even after the trying day, Tomoyo could not find sleep anywhere in the distance. She tossed an turned for over half an hour, trying to relax, but Alongue's words kept running through her head. With an aggravated sigh, she finally got up and put on her overdress. Her nightgown was a skimpy spaghetti-strap pale purple satin gown, with small ribbons tying the lavender lace to the dress. The overdress had two parts. The creamy white, silk shirt-like part that buttoned to just above her bellybutton and had puffy white sleeves, and the rest was a translucent white gauze skirt, that was attached to the shirt with creamy white ribbons. Both the nightdress and the overdress reached to the ground, so she had to hold them up a bit as she walked.
Silently, Tomoyo made her way out of her room and down the marble staircase to the hallway below. From there she turned left and went straight out a side door, into the back gardens of the palace. She snuck over to the back wall and quietly opened the wrought iron gate. She closed it behind her, and then flew on towards the path that lead to the meadow. She needed to have a long talk with the moon.
Little did she know that more than one person had watched her go.
~*~*~*~
Sakura was looking out a window in Syaoran's room, twiddling with a ribbon on her dress while he prepared for bed, when she spotted a dark figure running stealthily through the gardens. Sakura immediately recognized it as Tomoyo, and she gave a gasp, watching as Tomoyo fled out one of the back gates, heading for the meadow. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around Sakura's waist and she looked up to see Syaoran looking through the window as well. He must have gotten there just in time to see Tomoyo.
"Oh, do you think I should go after her?" Sakura asked earnestly, turning her sweet, worried eyes on him. He shook his head.
"She knows what she is doing. She probably could not sleep." He commented softly. Sakura nodded in agreement, but was still a bit unsettled.
"Look there. If anything is wrong, Eriol will make it better.or worse." Syaoran said, pointing at another figure creeping stealthily out the gate. Sakura giggled at his last words, and then shut the curtain. She turned and her eyes widened greatly, as she caught sight of him. Syaoran stood before her, clad only in a pair of loose, low-ridding pajama bottoms! His chest was enticingly bare, revealing a nicely toned upper body. Sakura caught her breath and looked away, biting her lip. Never, in all her eighteen innocent years of living, had she *ever* had thoughts like the ones she was having right now, run through her head!
Syaoran, gazed at her slyly, quite aware of what he was doing to her. His amber eyes were sparkling with suppressed amusement, and his lips boasted a smirk. Slowly, he moved closer to her, and placed his other arm around her tiny waist, making her shiver.
"Tell me, Sakura. Just how much did you miss me?" He murmured his voice causing trembles to run up her spine.
"Very much." She mumbled sweetly. He smirked even more.
"Can you show me how much?" He asked, starting to gently rub her back. She pulled away and tried to glare at him.
"Syaoran! Really!" She gasped, pulling out of his grasp and stalking over to the door of his bedroom, her heart beating fast. He chuckled and walked after her, capturing her waist once more, before she reached the door. With lightning-quick precision his lips found her neck and began to gently caress her skin. Sakura gasped and stiffened in his arms, shockwaves of pleasure rippling up her spine.
"Syaoran." She managed to whimper, before his lips covered hers and he picked her up, carrying her over to the bed. Sakura gave a muffled shriek and struggled weakly with him. Her lips escaped his and she struggled even more.
"Syaoran, put me down!" She commanded, her voice rising a bit. Syaoran smirked. "As you wish." With that, he released her, causing her to fall with a soft cry. Luckily, she landed on the bed, her eyes wide and stunned. For a moment, she was too shocked to move, and during this time, he climbed onto the bed next to her. "You have perfect timing, my Ying-fa." He whispered silkily into her ear. She trembled for the umpteenth time, and he chuckled seductively. Then he dipped his head down and caught her lips again, giving her no time to retort. His arms slipped around her waist, and in return, she tangled her fingers in his hair. When they came up for breath, he met her eyes, smiled, and then proceeded to place warm, sweet kisses along her jaw. She jumped at the contact, and then moaned as his lips trailed down her neck, leaving a trail of passion in its wake.
Gradually, Sakura began to unfreeze and return his favors. Releasing his hair, she allowed her hands to trail down his back, causing him to shudder. Her fingers slowly and delicately trickled around his waist, to his stomach, causing him to gasp, and then she continued up to his chest. A small smile appeared on her lips, as she realized what she was doing to him. She then reached up and kissed his mouth, making him moan and relax into her arms. She released his lips and then kissed his cheek and chin, working her way down. She ran her lips lightly down his neck, making him gasp and fall weak in her arms, and then made her way back up to his mouth. Here, he took over. He kissed her thoroughly, as though he was afraid of letting her go. When he finally released her lips, she brushed a strand of his hair back from his eyes and then looked into his amber orbs. They were filled with love, need, passion, and gentle understanding of her. She sighed contentedly and smiled up at him.
"Gods Sakura, you have no idea how much I love you." He whispered, burying his face in her neck. Her eyes filled with happy tears.
"Perhaps not, but I am starting to get an idea." She said laughingly. She could feel his lips curve into a smile against her skin.
"That was not the answer I wanted, you know." He reminded her, making her grin.
"I *do* know, but I didn't want to bore you with my proclamations of love. Besides, if Kero knew that I had admitted that I loved you, he would kill me!" She giggled. He growled warningly, his lips still smiling against her neck. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again.
"I love you, Li Syaoran." She finally whispered, saying the words that he had longed to hear. His smile widened, and he gently kissed her neck, before raising his head and meeting her eyes.
"And I love you, Li Sakura." He murmured, capturing her lips with his in a passionate kiss that was not to be their last that night.
~*~*~*~
Forced to Love by: Daphne Li Chapter 10.
Six days later, Sakura had decided to take another visit to the meadow, which she had become quite fond of. Tomoyo and Alongue decided to stay at the castle, for unknown reasons.
"I still think that disguising Sakura's room in green and then giving it to Syaoran is a perfect way of getting them together!" Tomoyo insisted. Alongue shook her head. They were in the drawing room, thinking up matchmaking schemes for Syaoran and Sakura. They were sitting on puffy, cushioned stools (Tomoyo's lavender in color, and Alongue's pink,) and absentmindedly working on needle-pointing as they talked.
"No, I think that we should tell him *where* her room is, and let him decide whether or not he wants to visit her there. Then, if he doesn't, we should pull the whole 'get them lost in the castle and then lock them inside a room together' idea." Alongue argued. Tomoyo sighed.
"Maybe you're right.and locking them in a room would we a whole lot more fun!" She gave a squeal and Alongue giggled.
"I have never had this much fun since my horse ran away, taking me with it!" She laughed, making Tomoyo look at her strangely.
"You are going to have to tell me that story, later. So.how do you like your dress?" She asked anxiously. Tomoyo had insisted on making Sakura and Alongue dresses as soon as they had arrived. The queen had ordered the fabric, and Tomoyo made the dresses, proudly displaying them three days later. Sakura's was pink silk, with long scoop sleeves and a full length floaty skirt. The dress was decorated with cherry blossoms, and Tomoyo had made a net of them to twine through Sakura's hair.
Alongue was in a light blue silk dress similar to Sakura's, except the sleeves were strips of fabric, held together in some places by fancy gold bottons. Tomoyo had pulled some of her hair back into a half ponytail, and left the rest to hang down her back. With the half-ponytail, Tomoyo had artfully twined it around the base of the dainty opal and gold tiara that she was forced to wear during all occasions except the occasional excursion into the other world.
For her own dress, Tomoyo had taken the embroidered lavender silk and made it into a dress similar to the other girls. Her dress, however had sleeves that were just pieces of fabric, that had bracelets sewn into the end of it. Then the bracelets slipped onto Tomoyo's wrists. This left most of her arm bare, but also allowed the fabric to fall over her arms and warm them occasionally. All the dresses were equally lovely, and they seemed to be made just with their owner in mind.
"I love it, Tomoyo. How did you ever get it done so soon?" Alongue asked, fingering the fabric of her dress. Just then, the door opened and a servant stepped into the room.
"Your highness? They are here." He said. Alongue simply nodded, and motioned for the man to leave.
"Who does he mean?" Tomoyo asked softly.
"I don't really know. Perhaps someone papa wants me to talk with?" Alongue shrugged, going back to sewing the needle-point on her lap. The door opened again but this time, neither girl looked up, both of them used to servants walking in and out of rooms at odd times; but this time was different.
"Why, if it isn't a fallen goddess and her counterpart!" Came a silky voice. Tomoyo gasped, started off her cushion, and spun to face the door. Alongue looked up, curious.
"Prince Eriol! Prince Syaoran!" Tomoyo gasped, the needle-point dropping to the floor from her limp fingers. Alongue's face brightened. She recognized all the young men from portraits that she had seen before. Well, at least two of them. Tarren she had met by working in his castle.
"Miss Tomoyo, what a surprise!" Eriol smirked, his voice still silky. Alongue rolled her eyes and stepped forward.
"I take it you are the infamous Prince Eriol that Tomoyo has been speaking to me about. And you must be Sakura's husband, Prince Syaoran." Alongue said, focusing on Syaoran. Syaoran's eyes lit up and he stepped forward eagerly.
"She is in the upper meadow. Take the trail through to grove. You can't miss it." Alongue said. Syaoran gave her a grateful glance and then hurried from the room.
"Excuse me.but could you tell me where a Gue lives?" Tarren asked hesitantly. Alongue smiled prettily at him, but from the look on her face, Tomoyo could tell that she was going to take him on a ride.at least for a while.
"Oh, I know who you mean. She just came back with Sakura. Yes, she works here." Alongue said, a slight teasing in her voice that Eriol caught instantly. He also noticed that Tomoyo was working very hard to keep from laughing.
"She does?" Tarren asked, looking at the lovely girl in front of him, and nearly forgetting his friend 'Gue' altogether.
"Of course! Her parents work here as well. Wait till you meet them! Come!" Alongue said eagerly, purposely taking his hand and dragging him from the room. Tomoyo followed closely, her giggles becoming harder to contain, and Eriol simply watched her in confusion. Finally, Alongue led them to the throne room, and threw the doors open.
"Mother, father, Prince Tarren is here to see Gue!" Alongue chirped. The queen looked at her in shock, which quickly turned into amusement.
"Oh my dear girl! Are you just going to torture the poor boy?" She laughed, hugging Alongue close.
"You didn't tell him either, did you?" The king chuckled. It seemed that both king and queen found their daughter's charade quite funny.
"No, she didn't. Just like she didn't tell Sakura when she brought her here." Tomoyo cut in, earning herself a hug from the king. Alongue glared at her, and then turned back to the astonished Prince Tarren.
"Don't you recognize me without the handkerchief over my hair? I am surprised at you, Tarren!" Alongue teased, shaking her finger at him. He gaped and then shook his head.
"You.Gue.the whole time.why didn't you tell me?!" He finally managed to stutter out. Alongue turned on her little sad pout and walked towards him, her hands out in a pleading gesture.
"Oh, you will forgive me, won't you? Please?!" Alongue pleaded, her bottom lip shaking a bit. It worked, just like it always did. He softened and took her hands gently.
"Of course I do. I can understand why you did it." He murmured, his deep eyes boring into hers. It was then that she realized that he had seen right through her little pity act! With another, more genuine pout, she turned away from him and folded her arms angrily. Tomoyo couldn't take it any longer, and she burst out laughing.
~*~*~*~
As Sakura walked down up to the meadow, her eyes took in every new thing that she saw. Baby deer, new bird nests, a new flower that she didn't know the name of.there was so much for her to see! She was sorry that her friends had not joined her, though. Not that she was lonely, because she was far from it, but because of all the new things that hadn't been there on their last walk.
Butterflies flew past her, intent on where they were going, and only stopping on their journey, to investigate her. She smiled as one particularly pretty blue butterfly landed on her hand and stayed there. She watched its wings move back and forth for a while, and then she gently blew on it, making it fly away. With a delighted laugh, she raced through the tall wildflowers, calling 'hello's' and 'how do you do's' to every animal or insect she happened to come upon.
The slight breeze blew her flower-laden hair back from her face, and caused it to flow out behind her like a sweet flag. With a giggle, she stopped in the middle of the meadow and spun around, her hands high above her head. When she stopped, she rested, and then began to pick handfuls of the sweet- smelling wildflowers. Suddenly, she felt a familiar presence nearby. Not a bad one, but one that caused her heart to speed up. She quickly looked up, and gasped when she saw who it was.
~*~*~*~
As soon as Syaoran had entered the room where Alongue and Tomoyo were, he became antsy. Where was Sakura? He was quite relieved when Alongue noticed that he was anxious, and gave him directions on where to find Sakura. Finally! After three horrible months, he was going to see his cherry blossom again!
He quickly found his way to the path that she had mentioned, and then hurried blindly through the grove of trees, intent on finding his wife. With quick precision, he found the meadow and looked eagerly for Sakura. She was not hard to spot. There in the middle of the meadow, twirling around and giggling, stood his lovely cherry blossom. As he watched she stopped spinning, stood still for a moment, and then flew into action, picking as many wildflowers as her tiny hands would permit. Suddenly, she stopped and stood still, as though listening for some strange sound, her hand still poised to pick another set of flowers. Slowly, she looked up, her eyes frightened, and then.shock flickered through their emerald depths; then, immense joy. A smile played across his lips as he watched her.
"Syaoran?!" She whimpered, taking flight and rushing forward, throwing herself into his arms. He laughed happily as they both tumbled to the ground as a result of her eagerness.
"Sakura! My Sakura!" He murmured into her ear, making her shiver. She was now laying on top of him, her arms about his neck. Slowly, his arms slipped around her waist and her turned them over, so she was on the ground. Silently, they searched each other's eyes, as if looking for something buried to deep to see. Then, he lowered his head and captured her lips with his. She gave a gasp of delight, and twined her fingers in his messy chestnut hair, pulling him closer. His kiss caused waves of shivers to rush up her spine and his warm hands on her waist caused her skin to heat up. He too, was greatly affected by the kiss. Warmth filled his heart and he felt weak with delight of her. When they finally came up for air, they met each others eyes unfalteringly, smiles appearing on both their lips.
"I missed you so much." Sakura finally whimpered, closing her eyes and hugging him close.
"I missed you as well. You have no idea how much you mean to me, my Ying- fa." Syaoran whispered, kissing her cheek. Tears appeared in her eyes.
"At one point, I even thought you were dead. I almost died myself. I couldn't stand the thought of living without you." She breathed, as his lips came close to hers. He smiled. "I would never leave you." Was his only answer, before his lips claimed her's again. He kissed her several more times, only stopping when air supply ran out. Finally, she reluctantly pulled away.
"Syaoran, we have to stop this! Alongue will be expecting us for supper." She laughed. He groaned and buried his face in her neck.
"Do we have to go? You are all I need right now." He said, his voice muffled. Sakura turned pink and then nodded decidedly.
"We have to." She said firmly, but her resolve nearly broke when she felt his soft, warm lips start to trail down her neck. With a gasp, she pushed him away, laughing.
"Syaoran! Come." She insisted, standing up and then waiting for him to grudgingly rise as well.
"If Eriol makes any comments about how 'cute' we look, or how 'I must have finally figured out my feelings', I am going to slug him." Syaoran threatened, taking her small hand in his. She giggled.
"I will warn him not to." She promised, as his other arm slipped around her waist and he led her out of the meadow and back to the palace.
~*~*~*~
"Did you see them during dinner?! It was like there was no one else but them in the room!" Alongue squealed, as she, Tomoyo, Eriol, and Tarren made their way to their bedrooms.
"I bet you anything that Syaoran won't be sleeping in his own room tonight!" Eriol said slyly, making both girls hit him on the arms and giggle.
"More like the other way around." Tarren couldn't help but add, earning himself two smacks and more giggles.
"I am so happy for Sakura! She needed him so much. And they were away from each other for so long. It must have been torture." Alongue sympathized.
"Well, if you had been taken away from the person you loved most in the world, you would be pretty unhappy too." Eriol said sarcastically. Tomoyo lowered her head, and Alongue looked at him quizzically.
"I would? I have never been in love before.at least, I don't think I have." Alongue trailed off, thinking about it, while Tarren studied her closely. Suddenly, he noticed that her cheeks went bright red, and she looked away from them. Tomoyo saw this and grinned.
"Oh, you haven't? Could have surprised me!" She giggled, causing Alongue to blush again.
"Tomoyo, can we go into my room and talk?" Alongue asked, eyeing the young men dangerously. They backed off, and quickly went to their rooms.
"All right, who is it?" Tomoyo asked softly, as they entered Alongue's room. Gue glared at her and the plopped down on the bed.
"I don't believe that I am in love with anyone. You, however, obviously are." Alongue said slyly. Tomoyo blushed and glared at her.
"And who would that be?" She asked. The other girl smiled.
"Um, let me think. You agree with everything he says, you blush whenever you are around him, you try to deny the fact that you like him.yes, you definitely love Prince Hiiragizawa Eriol." Alongue finished, causing Tomoyo to blush furiously and look at her hands.
"I do not lo." She began softly.
"You do! Tomoyo, stop denying it. You love him more than you will admit, and it is going to get to you, eventually." Alongue stated, her voice warm but firm. Tomoyo frowned uncertainly, but then smirked.
"If I love Prince Hiiragizawa, then you love Prince Tarren, and there is no use denying it. Even if you have only known him for a few months, you *do* love him, and it is all too obvious in the way you talk about him constantly and blush at the mention of his name. Even your parents have noticed, and they even asked me about it." Tomoyo countered. Now it was Alongue's turn to blush. During the next two hours, the girls talked more on this subject, and then prepared for bed. By the time they said 'goodnight', it was nearly midnight.
Even after the trying day, Tomoyo could not find sleep anywhere in the distance. She tossed an turned for over half an hour, trying to relax, but Alongue's words kept running through her head. With an aggravated sigh, she finally got up and put on her overdress. Her nightgown was a skimpy spaghetti-strap pale purple satin gown, with small ribbons tying the lavender lace to the dress. The overdress had two parts. The creamy white, silk shirt-like part that buttoned to just above her bellybutton and had puffy white sleeves, and the rest was a translucent white gauze skirt, that was attached to the shirt with creamy white ribbons. Both the nightdress and the overdress reached to the ground, so she had to hold them up a bit as she walked.
Silently, Tomoyo made her way out of her room and down the marble staircase to the hallway below. From there she turned left and went straight out a side door, into the back gardens of the palace. She snuck over to the back wall and quietly opened the wrought iron gate. She closed it behind her, and then flew on towards the path that lead to the meadow. She needed to have a long talk with the moon.
Little did she know that more than one person had watched her go.
~*~*~*~
Sakura was looking out a window in Syaoran's room, twiddling with a ribbon on her dress while he prepared for bed, when she spotted a dark figure running stealthily through the gardens. Sakura immediately recognized it as Tomoyo, and she gave a gasp, watching as Tomoyo fled out one of the back gates, heading for the meadow. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around Sakura's waist and she looked up to see Syaoran looking through the window as well. He must have gotten there just in time to see Tomoyo.
"Oh, do you think I should go after her?" Sakura asked earnestly, turning her sweet, worried eyes on him. He shook his head.
"She knows what she is doing. She probably could not sleep." He commented softly. Sakura nodded in agreement, but was still a bit unsettled.
"Look there. If anything is wrong, Eriol will make it better.or worse." Syaoran said, pointing at another figure creeping stealthily out the gate. Sakura giggled at his last words, and then shut the curtain. She turned and her eyes widened greatly, as she caught sight of him. Syaoran stood before her, clad only in a pair of loose, low-ridding pajama bottoms! His chest was enticingly bare, revealing a nicely toned upper body. Sakura caught her breath and looked away, biting her lip. Never, in all her eighteen innocent years of living, had she *ever* had thoughts like the ones she was having right now, run through her head!
Syaoran, gazed at her slyly, quite aware of what he was doing to her. His amber eyes were sparkling with suppressed amusement, and his lips boasted a smirk. Slowly, he moved closer to her, and placed his other arm around her tiny waist, making her shiver.
"Tell me, Sakura. Just how much did you miss me?" He murmured his voice causing trembles to run up her spine.
"Very much." She mumbled sweetly. He smirked even more.
"Can you show me how much?" He asked, starting to gently rub her back. She pulled away and tried to glare at him.
"Syaoran! Really!" She gasped, pulling out of his grasp and stalking over to the door of his bedroom, her heart beating fast. He chuckled and walked after her, capturing her waist once more, before she reached the door. With lightning-quick precision his lips found her neck and began to gently caress her skin. Sakura gasped and stiffened in his arms, shockwaves of pleasure rippling up her spine.
"Syaoran." She managed to whimper, before his lips covered hers and he picked her up, carrying her over to the bed. Sakura gave a muffled shriek and struggled weakly with him. Her lips escaped his and she struggled even more.
"Syaoran, put me down!" She commanded, her voice rising a bit. Syaoran smirked. "As you wish." With that, he released her, causing her to fall with a soft cry. Luckily, she landed on the bed, her eyes wide and stunned. For a moment, she was too shocked to move, and during this time, he climbed onto the bed next to her. "You have perfect timing, my Ying-fa." He whispered silkily into her ear. She trembled for the umpteenth time, and he chuckled seductively. Then he dipped his head down and caught her lips again, giving her no time to retort. His arms slipped around her waist, and in return, she tangled her fingers in his hair. When they came up for breath, he met her eyes, smiled, and then proceeded to place warm, sweet kisses along her jaw. She jumped at the contact, and then moaned as his lips trailed down her neck, leaving a trail of passion in its wake.
Gradually, Sakura began to unfreeze and return his favors. Releasing his hair, she allowed her hands to trail down his back, causing him to shudder. Her fingers slowly and delicately trickled around his waist, to his stomach, causing him to gasp, and then she continued up to his chest. A small smile appeared on her lips, as she realized what she was doing to him. She then reached up and kissed his mouth, making him moan and relax into her arms. She released his lips and then kissed his cheek and chin, working her way down. She ran her lips lightly down his neck, making him gasp and fall weak in her arms, and then made her way back up to his mouth. Here, he took over. He kissed her thoroughly, as though he was afraid of letting her go. When he finally released her lips, she brushed a strand of his hair back from his eyes and then looked into his amber orbs. They were filled with love, need, passion, and gentle understanding of her. She sighed contentedly and smiled up at him.
"Gods Sakura, you have no idea how much I love you." He whispered, burying his face in her neck. Her eyes filled with happy tears.
"Perhaps not, but I am starting to get an idea." She said laughingly. She could feel his lips curve into a smile against her skin.
"That was not the answer I wanted, you know." He reminded her, making her grin.
"I *do* know, but I didn't want to bore you with my proclamations of love. Besides, if Kero knew that I had admitted that I loved you, he would kill me!" She giggled. He growled warningly, his lips still smiling against her neck. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again.
"I love you, Li Syaoran." She finally whispered, saying the words that he had longed to hear. His smile widened, and he gently kissed her neck, before raising his head and meeting her eyes.
"And I love you, Li Sakura." He murmured, capturing her lips with his in a passionate kiss that was not to be their last that night.
~*~*~*~