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            Sakura quietly made her way down the corridors, humming absently to herself as she headed for the kitchen. It was a few hours after dawn, and not many people were up yet, which was how she liked it best. For the past few months, every single maid and butler had came up with some sort of excuses to walk with her every single time they saw her. Once, a stable boy tried to convince her that he was really just strolling around, although why he was strolling around on the roof of her room, she never understood.

            She knew, of course, that they were acting under some orders to watch over her, and she appreciated the concern – more or less. But when the royal cook stopped in the middle of frying a huge chicken just to make sure she got past the room safely which resulted in the cook's apron catching on fire and the chicken being burnt black, Sakura thought the whole business was getting rather out of hand.

            Sakura pushed open the door to the common room where the maids and butlers usually lounged around before getting on with their work. The peal of laughter that burst almost hysterically inside made Sakura grin. There hadn't been much laughter ever since assassination attempts began.

            Wondering what was so funny, she entered, and gaped at the sight of Tomoyo rolling on the floor, clutching desperately at her stomach. Next to her, sat Sakura's supposed bodyguard, upright with a grin on his face as he shook his head in amusement.

            But then he noticed her. The grin faded and one eyebrow rose.

            Tomoyo only noticed Sakura after she had rolled all the way across the room. "Oh! Your Highness!" she choked. "We were just – aheheheheh – exchanging stories about our hometowns." She started laughing again. "It's just so funny!"

            Sakura wondered if she should risk helping Tomoyo up at such a delirious state. "Yes, I'm sure it is. Come now, Tomoyo, get up. You're getting dirt all over your clothes." With that, she dragged her giggling friend up by the shoulders. 

            Tomoyo hiccupped once, and then sighed contentedly. "I'll go get breakfast for all of us," she offered, and hiccupped again. "You've got to tell me more stories once I come back, Syaoran!" Waving happily, she set out for food.

            Sakura stood, dumbfounded. "Your name is Syaoran?"

            He only rubbed one eye. "Doesn't matter what my name is if you can't even remember it."

            Sakura frowned slightly. "How could I remember when I don't even know?"

            "I didn't tell you my name?"

            "No. You were a bit too busy yelling at me."

            He thought about it. "Oh yeah. I didn't tell you because I didn't think you'd care."

            Sakura realized she was still standing and that he hadn't offered her a seat like a proper gentleman. But never mind, she decided. Standing up and looking down on him when he was seated seemed to be advantageous. "Of course I'd care. I'm not a snob."

            He gave a dull look and lazily pointed out the window. One of the stable boys was busily getting the horses out for their morning exercise. "Tell me, princess," he said in a slow drawl. "What's his name?"

            Sakura studied the figure outside. "That's… Miki."

            Syaoran stood up and went to the window. "Hey there!" he called out to the boy, who looked back in surprise. "What's your name?"

            The boy flushed at the sudden attention. "Jimin, sir! Nice to meet you!"

            The smirk on Syaoran's face was so sharp it could've cut through wood. "Thanks, Jimin. My name is Syaoran. See you around." He turned back to the princess.

            Sakura rubbed her cheek nervously. How on earth did she get that wrong? "He's got a twin," she remembered. "They're twins." She said now, quickly. "Miki and Jimin. I couldn't tell the difference because he was so far away and –"

            "Save it, princess."

            "No, no, I do know his name, I just thought –"

            "You just thought he was nothing more than a servant so you didn't see the point in knowing his real name," he finished with a roll of the eyes.

            "No," Sakura insisted, "that's not true. He has a twin! They look alike! How was I supposed to –" She gritted her teeth and gave up when Tomoyo reappeared with three bowls of steaming porridge.

            "Better eat them hot," Tomoyo advised cheerfully. "Why, princess, do have a seat. Why are you frowning so? You're all tense and edgy. Maybe you should've slept a little longer. Syaoran, come and join us."

            He obliged without a single complaint. "Why is the princess eating her breakfast here?" he inquired casually. "Wouldn't she be better off having one of you send her food to her room so she can be spoon-fed in bed?"

            Tomoyo laughed. "The princess likes company."

            "Most of the time," Sakura added, still insulted.

            Syaoran only shrugged. "Of course, I am no fit company for the royalty." He gave her a brief sidelong look. "I'll take my porridge somewhere else," he announced, getting up. "And by the way, princess," he said without even looking at her, "just in case," he opened the door, bowl of porridge in one hand, "my name is Syaoran Li. Try to remember that."

            Sakura could feel hot smoke coming out from her nostrils and ears.

            When the door had closed behind him, Tomoyo smiled winningly. "He's such a nice person!" she declared.

            Sakura gave her friend a withering look. "What?"

            It appeared that Tomoyo wasn't alone in her high opinion of Syaoran Li. Quite a number of other people found it necessary to relate to Sakura what a charming lad Syaoran Li was, how he held interesting conversations, how he brought them to fits of giggles with mad stories and how he had an enchanting smile. The last part had come largely from the female side.

            It contrasted so much with Sakura's own opinion of him that in the end, she concluded that he was nice to everybody – except her.

            But why?

            What on earth did she ever do to him??

            It would be okay to be hated if there had been some basis to it. Some logical reasoning to explain where the hatred came from. But Syaoran Li had detested her at first sight. Was it something she did in past lives or did she greet him wrongly? Maybe he didn't like the way she said 'hello'? Maybe he didn't like the language she spoke in?

            "It doesn't matter," Sakura reminded herself out loud. "Everybody is free to hate whoever they want to hate."

            But why???

            Brooding over it, she barely noticed a second presence until she stepped out of the hallway into the bright sunshine. Pausing as casually as she could manage, Sakura pretended to coo over a bud of flower on the ground even as her eyes scouted the area cautiously from under her fringe.

            Somebody was around. She could feel it. But her senses weren't sharp enough to locate the exact spot. Move a little, she urged the unknown company silently. Just one little scratch on the bum will do. It'll be enough for me to know.

            Nothing.

            For a few seconds, there was nothing. The air was perfectly still.

            And then the air wavered and a rock the size of a chicken leg came hurtling for her. Sakura managed to evade it and released a small dagger in the direction where the attack came from. Her dagger hit the wall and bounced back.

            Sakura straightened carefully. He's fast.

            "I know you're here," she announced. "Please don't do this. I don't know who you are or who you work for, but please understand that killing me to get the throne won't win you or your master the people's support."

            Silence.

            "There is a solution to this," Sakura continued. "There is no need for you to creep around looking for chances to murder me. Come right out. I will fight you."

            She felt something being aimed at her, but then something crashed loudly, and there were screams and grunts as a scuffle went underway. Hitching her skirt up, Sakura ran for the source of noise, but stopped abruptly when Syaoran emerged from a hole underneath a thick hedge. His clothes were splattered with blood. However, his face was even scarier.

            "YOU IDIOT!" he bellowed, loud enough to shake the trees. Sakura took a full step back, wincing. "What the hell were you thinking trying to hold conversations with assassins??"

            "I was just –" Sakura attempted to explain as he advanced on her, but then decided it was useless since his temper was in full swing anyway. "What did you do to him?"

            "What did I do to him?" he yelled furiously. "I hit him square in the face, tore his eyeballs out and ate them for my afternoon snack – and that is NOTHING compared to what I want to do to you!"

            She only stared at him. Clenching his fists, Syaoran barely held himself back from stomping angrily on the unoffending earth. Taking a deep breath, he spoke between gritted teeth. "The idiot killed himself before I could get some answers out of his swearing mouth," he snapped.

            Sakura raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "Such loyalty to save his master," she murmured in awe. "How many more are going to be killed in this futile attempt?"

            "Zero," Syaoran answered. "If I kill you now and save them the trouble."

            He looked so serious that Sakura had a fleeting desire to run away screaming. "Don't say that," she reprimanded uncomfortably, bristling under the hot gaze. "I'm sorry I troubled you -"

            "Damn right you're troubling me," he interrupted. "You're troubling every single living body in this place! Your people – who for some reason seem to love you - are worrying their brains out for you and what do you do?? You walk head-on into a trap and ASK FOR A FIGHT!" He was pacing around her, ranting loudly. "Come right out," he imitated her, "I will fight you. What was THAT?"

            "I wanted to see the face of my killer." Sakura murmured.

            Syaoran stopped right in front of her, just inches away. "Look at my face," he told her. "This will be the face of your killer if I could have things go my way."

            Sakura stared into his fabulous, almost golden eyes and clearly saw that he meant every word. Clutching at the second dagger she had hidden on her left thigh, she kept the eye contact steady. "Whose side are you on?"

            "Mine." He lowered himself onto a crouch on the ground, and for a second, looked as if he was about to pounce on her. And then he was up again, and with a nasty snarl, walked away.

            Sakura watched him go with a heart less than steady. She had escaped close death. She had been yelled at with words she wouldn't have dared utter. And the very person whom her father said would protect her had threatened her.

            All in the space of five minutes.

            Sakura willed her legs to move, but stopped when she felt something against her waist. Looking down, she saw her dagger, which she clearly remembered hurtling to the other side of the court, neatly tied to her pretty sash. She looked sharply at Syaoran's back as he exited the place.

            He put it here, she realized uneasily. He had picked it up sometime in between his furious lecture and placed it back on my waist in the single second that he crouched down.

            Syaoran Li had fast hands.

She was not a match for him.

            If he's serious about killing me, Sakura thought silently. I better start preparing my coffin.

*nothingtodo places an order for a pretty, white coffin*