Finally updated! School is killing me! I hate 0 period. Hafta wake up so early. Arghhhh. Also, I probably wont b able 2 update as early as I want so ull hafta wait bout a week or so till t next chaps up cuz I have school n tons of hw. K, ill stop talking bout school now since u probably don't wanna hear bout it. Ooh, btw, I rote a new story. But personally I think that 1 suxs more than this. O well. . . but if u would r+r it I would b grateful. Thanx! Hmm. . . im thinking of deleting it. I wasn't in a very imaginative mood when I rote that. -_- Tell me if I should in ur reviews 4 that story k?

Kawaiipup-thanx 4 reviewing

Stargurl-uh. . . how will i? but thanx 4 t suggestion

Cherry Tenshi-lol. I no I do. Don't u just LUV them? ;D

Master Li-thanx

LicyBabe2002-your welcome

Sweetcherry-ill try. . .

Sunnie Anderson-lol. Ur reviews r very funny. N I no what ur going through. -_-u I literally hafta kick my older bro off t comp sumtimes. I no, I no, im younger so how can I kick him off. Well, if that doesn't work than I bug him 2 death. Lol. ;p

Chapter 6 "Happy Birthday"

There were five dead bodies lying on the ground. Each one had a knife sticking out of his chest. There were ropes on the ground also, ropes that were cut away. The criminals were nowhere to be seen. Touya was going around, kneeling down next to every lifeless body, checking for pulses. When he found none he shook his head angrily and closed their eyes. After he was done with the last body, he stood up and wiped his hands. Then he turned to Fujitaka.

"Well?" Fujitaka asked impatiently.

Touya shook his head, "I'm sorry, Father, but they're all dead."

"Dammit!" Fujitaka made a fist and punched his other hand, fist in palm. (A/N: I no, hes kinda ooc. Normally hes very calm.) "And what about the criminals?"

"They got away."

"Touya, I want you to remember their names and faces," Fujitaka said with anger in his voice, gesturing towards the dead guards. "When we get home I want you to send their families some money and inform them of what happened."

"Yes, Father." (A/N: that must b his fav phrase or something. ^-^)

"Sir," one of the two remaining guards spoke up after he recovered from the shock, "I don't think it's safe to stay here anymore."

"He's right," the other guard agreed, his face white, "we should leave right away."

"No!" Fujitaka faltered, shocked at his voice. "I mean, no. We will stay here and wait for Sakura. They cannot scare us away. We're not that easily frightened. If they're going to kill us they would have done so already. I think they're afraid we would still be able to defeat them, that's why they ran away instead of fighting us."

"I think two people should stay awake and guard each night," Touya suggested. "And switch shifts with two other people every two hours. That way we won't be caught off guard in case they plan to ambush us."

"That's a good idea, Touya," Fujitaka nodded. "Who wants to take the first shift?"

"I will," a guard volunteered.

"I will too; I insist," the other guard offered.

"Good, wake us up in two hours."

"Yes, sir."

"And I mean it. Promise me you'll wake us up when your time is up."

"But. . . sir. . . you need your rest. Why don't we stay and watch for four hours instead of two?"

"No, you must rest too. I don't need you two not being able to watch because you're too sleepy."

"But. . ."

"No buts. That is an order and it's final." (a/n: geez, sounds like my parents.)

They sighed and obeyed. Since the house was in such a bad shape and hasn't been cleaned for years - eighteen to be exact - they decided to sleep outside, behind the house, so they'd have more protection. The night wind blew gently, lulling them to sleep. A fire burned brightly, chasing away the darkness. The two already drowsy guards kept the fire going by adding some wood now and then. The hooting of owls could be heard far away, in the darkness of the night. Crickets chirped merrily and frogs croaked. The crescent moon gave off a fair amount of light despite its size. The clear sky was bright due to the white moon and twinkling stars. The guards stifled a yawn and sighed, one of them taking out a candle from his bag. Then he marked a spot on the wax and lit it.

"There," he said, pointing towards the mark, "when the flame reaches that mark we wake them up."

The other guard acquiesced and they resumed to their task, whistling and humming slightly as to not wake up Fujitaka and Touya and to keep themselves occupied so they won't fall asleep.

*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*

Everything was misty and Sakura could barely see her outstretched hands. Slowly the mist faded away and revealed Fujitaka standing there, a smile on his face.

"Daddy!" Sakura exclaimed joyously. She ran to him and leapt into his open arms. "Oh, Daddy, I've missed you so much!"

Fujitaka smiled as he hugged her. Then the smile turned into an evil laugh.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" she asked, frightened, as she looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" he echoed evilly, "Why, nothing's wrong! Everything's just perfect!" He seized her wrist as she backed away, confused and scared. Then slowly his face changed to that of the leader. She shrieked and pulled her hand away, but to no avail; he had her in his tight grip. Two figures emerged from behind - Touya and Fujitaka. Their eyes were blank; they appeared to be under some sort of trance.

"What's going on? What did you do to them?!" she demanded angrily.

Syaoran suddenly appeared next to them. His eyes were very much alive; he wasn't under anyone's control, but his face was expressionless.

"Li!" she cried, reaching out with her free arm, "Help me, please!"

"You think he's going to help you?!" her captor laughed cruelly.

"Li. . . why-why aren't you doing anything?" she whispered, still squirming to get out of his hard grip.

With a gesture from him, Syaoran approached her with a rope that magically appeared in his hands. His dark ember eyes were filled with sorrow as he walked slowly and reluctantly. Seeing the ropes, she went wide-eyed and stepped back, still trying to pull away. Syaoran stopped and held up the ropes as she slumped and fell to the ground. The leader stood laughing triumphantly.

*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*

Sakura woke up to confusion. She was lying on a small comfy bed in a windowless room that was partly dim. The room was plain and simple; small and bare. The only furniture was the bed, and the only accessories lying around were a sword and a pile of neatly folded clothes. The floor was of hard dried dirt. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"That was a weird dream," she contemplated. "Why would Li obey him for? (A/N: theres a reason 4 this dream. Ill tell u later.) Huh? Where am I? What is this place?" Sitting up on the bed carefully, which made her feel really dizzy; she stretched to loosen her stiff joints. Her eye quickly scanned the room and found nothing interesting but the sword. It looked ancient but shiny. She wonder what it was for. The shabby wooden door creaked open a few inches, letting a little light in. A woman's head popped in and Sakura turned to face her. Seeing that Sakura was awake she opened the door all the way and walked in. Sakura squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the bright light that poured into the room. (A/N: umm. I don't really no how yelan looks like so uh, im not gonna b able 2 really describe her. betcha ppl r really happy huh? Lol. I no im really descriptive but I heard that a good story is 1 that's descriptive n unpredictable. So yea. im trying 2 do that. Hehe. :P)

She was a regal woman that carried herself with a stately grace that made her common clothing look like it was spun from the finest silk. Even without the aid of jewelry or makeup she still looked fairly attractive for her age.

"Ah, I see that you're awake," she stated.

"Yes, but um. . . where am I? And who are you?"

"You're at my home, and my name is Li Yelan. You're Kinomoto Sakura are you not?"

She nodded. "Li. . . are you related to Li Syaoran?" (A/N: dense, huh? ^-^)

"Yes, I am his mother."

"Oh. . . But, um, how did I get here? The last thing I remember is that I was trying to get ants off of me."

"Err. . . yes, so I was told." Her eyes held merriment as she recalled what Syaoran told her about the ants. "Well, you fainted from your fever and my son carried you here."

"He did? Wow, that's the second time he saved my life. Um. . . do you know where he is? I'd like to thank him, again."

Before she could answer four hyper girls came storming it like a stampede.

"Ooh! She's awake!" Feimei squealed with delight.

"She's even cuter when she's awake than when she's sleeping!" Fuuti exclaimed happily.

"Yes, I agree wholeheartedly," Fanren declared.

"Now we can play with her!" Seifa giggled.

Sakura sweat dropped as Yelan shook her head at her hopelessly hyper daughters.

"Hi?" Sakura greeted nervously as they were still giggling like a bunch of crazy schoolgirls.

"Hi!" they chirped in unison.

"Sakura, these are my daughters - Feimei, Fuuti, Fanren, and Seifa. Everyone, this is Kinomoto Sakura," she introduced as each one nodded when their name was said.

Just then Syaoran walked in to find everyone in his room and froze. "Oh, great," he murmured, "Of all t times they can visit her they just had to pick now. With my luck Meiling's probably going to come visit also." He was just going to get his sword and leave as to not wake her up. Never did he expect to find her awake and his whole family crowded around her. Quietly he tiptoed to where his sword laid, hoping he could get it and get out unnoticed.

"Xiao Lang," Yelan called and everyone turned around, "where are your manners? Come ask how she's doing."

Grudgingly he made his way over to them. "How are you?" he asked wryly.

"I'm fine, Li, and thank-you for saving me again," she smiled.

Syaoran didn't reply and started walking towards his sword. Yelan crossed her arms and cleared her throat.

Syaoran sighed and said, "You're welcome." Then he picked up his sword and headed for the door.

"Oh little brother. . ." Seifa called in a taunting voice, "Did you know that Meiling's coming over sometime soon?"

Syaoran froze at the door as a chill went down his back. "She is?" he groaned, "Oh, no."

The other three sisters burst out laughing and Sakura had a confused look on her face.

"I don't get it," stated Sakura. "Shouldn't he be happy to see her, whoever she is?"

Feimei was able to stop laughing long enough to explain, "She's our cousin, Meiling, and little brother hates having her around."

"Why? I'm happy whenever I see my cousin, even though we live in the same manor."

"You'll see why," said Fuuti with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh, by the way, what does Xiao Lang mean?"

"It's Syaoran's name in Chinese."

"Oh. Um. . . what's he going to do with his sword?" Sakura inquired.

This time Yelan spoke up, "He's going to kill himself because he made you sick." Her face was calm; a poker face, but her eyes held mirth. (A/N: sorry but im feeling a lil crazy rite now. Hehe. . . @_@)

"What, no!" Sakura cried as she ran out the door.

Yelan let out a little laugh as the four clutched their stomach, laughing so hard that tears came to their eyes.

"Oh my god, I can't believe she actually fell for that! She's so dense!" Fuuti exclaimed.

"Well I can't believe you actually did that, Mother," giggled Feimei.

"There's a reason I did that," Yelan said, regaining her calm composure.

"And what exactly is that reason?" they asked.

"If we can get those two together, then he won't be so cold and distant anymore."

"Oh, Mother, you're so smart!" they squealed.



"Li!!!" Sakura yelled, running as fast as her legs can carry her, "Don't do it!!!"

Syaoran paused the unraveling of his sword that was covered with a green cloth - which was now halfway off - and looked at Sakura quizzically. She halted right in front of him, catching her breath. Then she grabbed his sword, trying to take it away from him.

"What's the matter with you?! Are you out of your mind?!" he demanded.

"Li! Don't do it! Please, it's okay!"

"What the heck are you talking about?!" he inquired, confused, and hanging onto his sword.

"Please, don't kill yourself! I'm fine, really, just don't kill yourself!"

"Have you lost it?! I'm not going to commit suicide! I'm just going to practice!" He then snatched his sword back and in doing so cut himself but didn't notice.

"Huh? You mean. . . you're not going to suicide?"

"No! Wherever did you get that idea?!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" she breathed a breath of relief.

"Well? Where did you get the idea that I was going to commit suicide?" he said in a calmer tone this time.

"Um. . . well. . . you see. . ." she blushed, abashed, "your mother told me," she said in a tiny voice.

"What?!" he shouted, shocked, and started marching towards the house.

"Li, wait!" Sakura called as she ran after him.

Syaoran stopped and turned around. "What now?" he asked, annoyed.

She finally caught up to him and grabbed him on his sleeve. "I think she meant it as a joke, but of course me being so dense I couldn't figure it out. So please don't blame her."

He stood there for awhile, indecisive. "Okay," he sighed.

Sakura smiled and let go of his sleeve. That was when she noticed that his palm was bleeding. "Oh, Li, you're bleeding!"

He looked down at his hand and saw blood trickling out. "Oh, it's nothing. It'll eventually heal."

"But if you don't cover it up it can get infected."

"I said it's alright. I've been through much worst; I think I can handle a little scratch."

"It you're not going to cover it up then I will. After all, it is my fault you got cut." Before he can protest she took out a pink handkerchief and began wiping away the blood. Then she wrapped it around his hand and tied it securely with a gentle touch. She did all this while Syaoran stood watching.

"There, all done," she said, looking up at him. For the first time she got a really good look at his eyes. She stared into his eyes, lost in pools of chocolate. (A/N: mmm. . . chocolate. . . hehe, im getting hungry. ;D well, bac 2 t story. . .) He had a scowl on his face but she didn't notice. 'Those eyes, those deep eyes. Their so. . . so. . . stunning. But. . . I sense some pain in them, something must have hurt him deeply. Yet, he's pretty cute, why haven't I noticed that before?' she thought, then blushed at the thought.

As she was drowning in pools of chocolate, Syaoran was spellbound. He was entranced by those jade orbs. 'Their so beautiful. . . she's so beautiful. Wonder why I never saw that before?' he pondered. Then got angry with himself thinking like that, but a little redness still crept into his cheeks. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, he cleared his throat, and Sakura found her way back into reality again. "Thanks," he said gruffly. "I need to practice now."

She nodded and walked away. The she noticed a small cherry blossom tree next to the house. It wasn't very old and didn't have any blooms in it yet but she didn't care. She thought it looked beautiful; it reminded her of her favorite Sakura tree back home.

Syaoran noticed her walking to the tree but didn't say anything. He had forgotten that there was even a tree there. He unwrapped his sword all the way and wiped his blood on it away. Then he remembered what his mother and sisters told him. The sword belonged to his father, and grandfather before that, and it was the same sword his dad used to protect his family that tragic night. The general had taken the body but not the sword. So Fuuti retrieved it, as it was the only thing left they had to remind them of him besides their memory of him. For Syaoran, it was all he had to remember him by. They were outraged the general couldn't even spare them his body so they could give him a proper funeral. Fire lit up in his eyes as he readied himself in a fighting stance. Then he began slashing his sword fiercely, moving back and forth.

Sakura watched in awe at his swordsmanship. He and the sword seemed as one as he did forms after forms. He had a catlike grace; moving swiftly and silently, almost stealthily, as he jumped all over doing complicated moves. He seemed to dance rather than fight. Well to him, it was a dance, a dance of death.

Five people stood in the doorway, watching them. They were too absorbed - Syaoran in his training and Sakura in her watching him - to notice they were being spied on. Yelan, Feimei, Fuuti, Fanren, and Seifa saw everything - from her trying to stop him from "committing suicide" to now.

Yelan's dark eyes gleamed merrily. "The plan is working so far. Now you four must go convince her that he isn't that cold and distant. Or at least why he is who he is."

"Yes, Mother," they piped. They made their way over to the tree where she was sitting and sat down.

"I see you find him interesting," Feimei teased.

"I do not!" she objected, then blushed slightly.

Seeing this the four laughed. "Poor little brother, he never got the chance to know Father," Fuuti said sympathetically.

"How come?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Because our father was murdered the day he was borne," explained Seifa.

"By whom?" she gasped.

"We don't know, but we promised we'll find him and kill him to avenge our father," Fanren said determinedly.

"That's why little brother is so cold and distant. We never thought he'd take it so hard, especially considering the fact that he's never known him. You know, he wasn't always like this. When he was just toddler he was really playful and happy. But when he started to understand things and asked where Father is, we had to tell him. Ever since then he turned cold and distant. It was so sad to see a little boy not being able to enjoy his childhood because of his past hanging over him."

"Really? I wondered why he acts so coldly towards me. I thought he hated me."

"Yes, and he's especially anti-social this time of month."

"Why?"

"Because today's his birthday; the day Father died."

"Really? That's weird, because today is also my birthday. And my mother died giving birth to me. But what happened to your family is so much sadder."

"That's amazing! You two having the same birthday!" The four shared a look that said oh-my-god-does-this-mean-it's-destiny? But of course dense Sakura doesn't notice anything.

"Yes. . . isn't it?"

"Pity he can't enjoy this day though. He blames himself for Father's death. He always said that if he was never born then Father wouldn't have come home and get killed trying to protect us."

"I blame myself too. . . ''

"Oh, Kinomoto. . . you shouldn't blame yourself. It's not your fault. We keep telling him that but he won't listen."

"Please, call me Sakura. We're friends now are we not?"

"Yes, we are. Well, we have to go prepare him a birthday dinner now so we'll leave you alone now. Bye!"

"Bye."

The four went back to their house after finishing their task. Sakura was left to watch him some more. Sweat dampened his clothes and hair, making it wet and dark. His clothes hung to him, revealing the outline of his well-built body. She began to get drowsy after awhile and drifted off to sleep while Syaoran continued to practice.

*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*

Sakura was suddenly at Nadeshiko's grave. In front of her kneeled Touya and Fujitaka, chained. The leader appeared with a big axe. He lifted up the axe, getting ready to strike. "No!!!" Sakura shouted and tried to run to them but someone held her back. She looked back and saw Syaoran, his eyes sad. "Let me go! I have to save them!" Syaoran ignored her protests and held her tight easily as she was forced to watch him bring the axe down. "NO!!!"

*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*

"Kinomoto, wake up!" Syaoran shouted, shaking her. Still asleep, she tried to fend him off, striking at him. He dodged them effortlessly and gave one final yell, "KINOMOTO!!!"

Sakura jerked awake suddenly, breathing hard. Beads of sweat covered her face and neck. Syaoran wiped them away roughly.

"Sweat. . ." he murmured, "that means. . . your fever is broken!"

"Huh?" she looked at him in confusion. Then memory of the horrid dream she had came flooding back. A tear threatened to spill as she blinked fiercely, but to no avail. Soon she was sobbing violently. He stood there stunned, not knowing what to do. Impulse took over as he kneeled down and put his arms around her before he realized what he was doing. She shook violently as she sobbed into his shirt. All the tears she had been holding in had finally spilled out. Finally the two realized what he was doing and he hastily let go of her as she stopped crying and wiped away her tears.

"I-I. . . uh. . . I-I'm very s-s-s," stuttered Syaoran, his face a cherry.

"You guys, dinner!" Seifa called, coming to their rescue before they felt anymore awkward.

"Coming!" they shouted back and practically ran for the doors.

Inside the house were scrumptious but simple-looking delicacies prepared. (A/N: um. . . lets just say that these foods were picked from their garden n bought from t market. Just use ur imagination, plz?)

"What's with the feast?" asked Syaoran.

"Don't you know that it's someone's birthday?" Fanren retorted matter- of-factly.

"I thought I told you guys that I don't want to celebrate my birthday."

"We're not celebrating your birthday, we're celebrating her birthday," Seifa gestured at Sakura.

"Huh? Her?"

"Yes, don't tell me you don't know its Sakura's birthday also. Funny, it seems that anyone borne on this day always feels responsible for the death of her parent," Fuuti winked at her sisters secretly.

"What do you mean?"

"You mean you also don't know that her mother died giving birth to her? And that she blames herself, like you do?" inquired Feimei.

"No, I don't. And frankly I don't care either."

Sakura looked as if she was about to burst again at the mention of Nadeshiko's death, but she was able to contain herself.

"I'm going to soak in the pond. Be back in thirty minutes," said Syaoran, exiting.

"Ok, we'll wait for you to return then start eating. Besides, we have some finishing touches to do."

"Whatever. Oh, and by the way, Kinomoto's fever is broken. So tell Mother that I'm not going to suicide anymore."

Sakura chuckled nervously and sweat dropped as the four rolled on the floor, helpless with laughter.

*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*

Syaoran sighed as he stood in front of the door to his bedroom. The dinner had been a disaster. The women wouldn't stop giggling as he sat there eating grumpily. Worst of all, they kept telling that weak little girl about all of his embarrassing moments. They kept launching into fits of laughter. It was as if they inhaled laughing gas. He was finally able to sneak away and retire to his room. Sighing again, he turned the knob. What he found inside caught him by surprise. . .

Ooh! Another cliffy! I no its mean but I cant help it. Sorry! Don't kill me! *blocks* but I worked very hard at making this chap REALLY long. So 4give me now? I no I haven't updated 4 awhile, so I think u guys deserve this long chap. Sorry. But w/ school n all, I don't have much time left 4 other things. *sighs* o btw, if any1 nos t rank of t sisters -from oldest 2 youngest - plz tell me. I would really appreciate it. N im trying 2 make this story unpredictable 2. ^^ o, n I no u guys wanna see sum s+s soon. Sorry but I cant make them fall in love that fast. Especially w/ syao being so cold-hearted n everything. Sakura will just hafta slowly thaw out his heart n break his shield. Hehe. ^-^ BUT i WILL show tiny bits of s+s. ill b serving up sum small portions in every chap. . . or at least I hope so. N later t s+s will cum. N im giving u ppl hints 2 t story. So see if u can figure it out k? bye!