Standard disclaimers apply.
A/N: I would like to apologize in advance if the update has taken so long. I also won't waste my time explaining my reasons, since these are probably the same words that you've already heard from various other authors whenever they fail to upload earlier. All I want to state in this part of my text is that I am at a complete loss as to what I should write next. I'm still not pulling down TA, but I can't assure you that the following chapters will be easy to come by. That is all.
The end is near. No, not the end of TA, but the end of my days as a dependent student is slowly drawing to a close. In ten months' time, I would be leaving behind my young adulthood and venturing into a new world called real life, and I have to admit that the whole thing is giving me the heebie jeebies as of the moment. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to finish this fic before graduation day comes, so I am making this plea to all my readers. If you think you have the drive to take over TA, then let me know. My email add is on my bio page, so to anyone whose interested, contact me immediately and I'll give you the low down on what I've had planned for TA. Thank you.
Dedications: To my college bud Kang who, after stumbling across several Gwing and CCS fics I had saved in a diskette, got hooked into reading this stuff. More power to you (Habulin mo na si Prof. Tomeldan. Malapit ng mag- expire ang INC mo sa 144.) To Zenin, whose review gave me the drive to finish chapter nine. To Shinrai, whom I haven't seen in a while. Where the hell are you hanging out, dre? And lastly, to my dad and mom, who didn't explode in anger when I told them I failed Economics (yikes!). Enjoy.
WARNING!!! This particular part of the fic contains mature language and indirect reference to sexual activity. I can't stop you from reading this, but since I'm trying to be a responsible adult here I'm declaring this chapter R-18. Don't say you weren't warned. I wouldn't want any of your Mommies to suddenly appear at my doorstep with the morbid intentions of boxing my ears. I happen to like them the way they are, thank you very much.
Additional Comments: One reader commented that Syaoran being a vegetarian in the fic seems a bit weird. Yes, I agree that it seems to be a little out of character for a cold-blooded assassin to actually be restricted to eating only plant foods, but, hey, I figured, making my assassin-Syaoran different from all other assassins was kinda cute. Besides, Monk is a superb private investigator. But he's also an obsessive-compulsive psycho. ^-^ Anyway, thanks for sharing your insight about the vegetarian thing, but I really have no plans of changing it.
00000 – change in timeline and POV
The Assassin by Rei Minomiko
Chapter Nine: Incidental Attractions
Fujitaka looked up from the encyclopedia he was poring through when he heard the door to his study open. Noticing his daughter peering blearily through the open doorway, he smiled invitingly and called out, "Come on in, honey."
His daughter slowly made her way towards his desk, tiredly dropping into a seat on one of the cushy chairs the professor had in the room. "Whacha reading, Dad?" Sakura asked him amidst a huge yawn.
Fujitaka briefly dropped his gaze back on the thick tome he had in front of him. "This? Oh, I'm just double-checking some data for a lecture tonight." He nodded at the short stack of papers set on top of his black briefcase. "In all the confusion about the last dig I went out to, I haven't had the time to completely research on the Inca civilization, which is the topic for tonight. I wouldn't want to disappoint the university bigwigs by coming unprepared."
Sakura frowned at the dark circles under her father's eyes. He was a bit pale, too, and his entire posture seemed to scream tension as well as exhaustion as he sat on his desk chair. She was beginning to worry about her dad's obsession to this particular discovery, and his exhaustion was merely adding to her distress. It wasn't the firs time that her old man had absorbed himself in his work, but his passion seemed to be leading him to crashing down. "You're running yourself haggard, Dad." The green-eyed woman felt the need to inform her father, narrowing her eyes as she took in his appearance. "Don't you think you should take it easy for a while? You know, take a few days' leave, relax...sleep?"
Fujitaka smiled but shook his head. "Even if I want to, Sakura, it won't be that easy." Was all he said in reply. He sighed, shifted in his seat, and raised a hand to tiredly rub his face. "So, you and Eriol just got back?" He started, desperate to suddenly shift the topic away from him and his work. Ever since he had learned of the dangers connected to Operation RAGE, he had ceased feeding his daughter information regarding his and his team's discovery, which, before, was his habit. It was a good thing that Sakura never pried at not being used as a sounding board by her father anymore, but he had noticed that his daughter seemed to have been doubly concerned and skittish around him. He didn't want Sakura to be tiptoeing around the house, but the risk of endangering her life by telling her the importance of his work, not only to his career but for the entire country, was too great. He simply could not allow that.
Sakura looked utterly confused at his remark. "Well, I'm not so sure about Eriol but I just got back." She gave her father an imploring stare. "I thought Eriol was here with you."
He shook his head. "When I went down a couple of hours earlier, the house was deserted. I assumed that you came home, found him waiting, and decided to just eat out." His dark eyes gazed at her, probing. "Where have you been, then, if you weren't with Eriol-san?"
Sakura carefully averted her gaze. Her father didn't need to know about the little accident she had earlier that morning. She didn't want to augment his worries. "I had lunch with some friends." She said slowly, secretly hoping that the sincere smile pasted on her face would be enough of a guise for her father not to see that she wasn't telling the whole truth. Yes, she had eaten lunch out, but it wasn't with any of her 'friends', so to speak. She made a show of checking her watch and frowning. "Maybe Eriol grew tired of waiting up and just left. Anyway, I know he has a meeting this afternoon." Getting back on her feet, Sakura stretched her arms over her head, reveling on the popping sounds her joints gave out as she trudged to the door. "I'm going to try and get some sleep, 'Tou-chan, and I suggest you do, too." She reached the door and was just about to shut it behind her when she turned back to give her tired father a rueful grin. "If you go on that way, dad, I swear, your work is gonna kill you someday."
Fujitaka watched the door swing shut, marveling at his daughter's rather cryptic remark. Flipping another page of his book, he went back reading, while in his heart he couldn't help but think how close to the truth his daughter's parting words were.
*****
His powerful arms slicing rapidly through the water, Syaoran smoothly swam his way across the hotel pool, his thoughts focused on the uncalled for encounter he had with Kinomoto Sakura. It has been two hours since he returned to the hotel, and after nearly an hour of trying to empty his mind of the image the green-eyed receptionist, he decided to make use of the Renaissance's extensive facilities to his advantage to help him loosen up.
It didn't help that he kept seeing the white envelope Yue had handed over to him that morning after he had assassinated Francois Certrude all over his room. As a general rule to himself, Syaoran had made it a point to serve only one master. And since the Federation had him written on the roster for the past five years, he doubted that the Commander would appreciate it much when he hears his prized assassin doing an act of service to his former employer. It won't matter if the job was connected to the Kinomoto assignment. He will be branded a traitor, and would most likely be treated to a painful Communion.
He reached the edge of the pool in a matter of seconds and hoisted his lean body out of the water, not even bothering with the handrails a few paces to his left. A pair of Western tourists was gazing at his toned form with ill- disguised appreciation, but he ignored them both and went to grab his green towel from one of the recliners. As he rid his body of excess moisture, Syaoran slowly surveyed the pool area, noting that only about a handful of guests were lounging around. Partially dry, he slipped the towel across his neck, sat down, and pulled his black laptop(1) on his lap.
So much for trying to relax.
A quick check of his inbox showed that no orders had been wired to his line. Good, he thought. Another order would have meant coming up with another plan and his distracted mind just wasn't up to the task at the present time. Flipping the lid closed (there really wasn't anything else he could do with the blasted computer), Syaoran settled against the recliner and closed his eyes to nap.
*****
From downstairs, the doorbell rang. Thinking that it was his daughter's boyfriend (It was only a minute past four, and the English lad was always eerily on time), Fujitaka raced down the stairs wearing only his dress pants and pulled the door open. "Eriol, I—"
His eldest son, accompanied by his wife and two children, grinned cheesily back at him. "Hi, dad." The older Kinomoto felt his face go scarlet as his two grandchildren burst into a fit of giggles at the image he presented. "Pretty good shape you're in today." Touya commented, straight-faced.
Keisha chimmed with a smile. "Yeah, 'Tou-chan. Nice and buff."
Fujitaka threw both his son and daughter-in-law a baleful glare before pulling the door open all the way to let them in. "I was dressing up for a lecture, Touya, and Sakura's still asleep." He tried to explain as he followed the little family to the living room. "What brings you guys here?" He wanted to know as he crossed his arms over his chest to cover up his state of half nudity.
As the two children started chasing each other around the room and Keisha excused herself to powder her nose, Touya turned to his father, the almost mischievous expression in his face falling. "I've been called in for another flight, and Kei has to be at the studio until midnight," he began seriously. "I thought of leaving Colin and Xiaran here for the night, but I didn't know you had a lecture. And since Sakura has to go to work—"he trailed off.
Fujitaka heaved a small sigh. He knew where this was going. To any other parent of a family man, being asked to baby sit their grandchildren was somewhat insulting. But Fujitaka knew enough that his son does this because he knew that his children will be safe under his care. But Fujitaka couldn't tend to the kids that night, either. "I could ask Sakura to call Eriol if he's free." He told his son slowly as his eyebrows creased together in thought.
Touya looked a bit embarrassed at the suggestion. "Do you think he'd do it?" The tall commercial pilot asked his father uncertainly, "I mean, the past times that I brought the kids here, Eriol just happened to be visiting. I don't want to force him—"
Just then, the doorbell rang again. Touya immediately headed towards the door to greet the newcomer. An immaculate Eriol stood waiting patiently at the doorway.
"Speak of the devil!" Fujitaka exclaimed with a big smile, hurrying over to usher the young man in. "I'll go and wake Sakura, Eriol. And Touya, maybe you should just ask him." With that, the older man thundered up the stairs.
Touya turned to the young English man, seemingly at a loss for words. Eriol, for his part, already knew what the taller man was about to ask. He had been about to ring the bell when his sharp hearing caught the small conversation the father and son were having in the living room. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to tend for the children as well. Upon waking up he had received an urgent message from his colleague stationed at the Japanese Bureau of Defense to meet with him that night to report. The other agent claimed to have found some evidence that could prove the involvement of an assassin in the ThinkTank plane crash. The evidence wasn't a direct link to the Federation, which was what Eriol had really been hoping for, but an assassin was an assassin. He knew he had to hear this out.
Touya cleared his throat. "Anou, Eriol-san?" he began humbly, "You doing anything important tonight?"
The young agent hated to disappoint his girlfriend's older brother. It had been very hard to get into the over-protective Touya's good graces when he and Sakura started dating, but he had a job to do. Pasting a soft smile on his face, he softly responded, "As a matter of fact I do. I just came to drop off Sakura at the hotel."
The other man's face fell at his declaration. "I see." He said with a drawn out sigh. Eriol's looked slightly guilty, and Touya was quick to reassure the younger man with a light clap on his shoulder. "It's cool. Thanks, anyway. Honey," he called out as his wife emerged from the bathroom looking all fresh and pampered. "I guess we'll have to call up a babysitter for tonight."
"Why for?" A feminine voice suddenly asked from the stairs.
Xiaran was suddenly shrieking "'ba-chan!!!" and streaking across the living room from where he and Colin were playing to attach himself on Sakura's left leg. "La-lan play ball?" He asked hopefully.
Sakura, still decked in a pair of pink flannel pants and a white tank top, picked up her nephew and cuddled him. "Maybe later, darling." She cooed. Turning to his brother and boyfriend still standing by the door, she repeated her question.
Eriol quickly explained the predicament they were in to her, and Sakura chewed on her lower lip as she tried to come up with a plan. She couldn't skive off work tonight (Minomiko-san would skin her alive if she did), and neither could the others. And she didn't want just anybody taking care of her nephews, even if it were only for a few hours. A light bulb suddenly came on in her head, and she wasted no time in explaining her idea to the others.
When she finished, Keisha was smiling. Touya was worrying his lower lip in reflection, until, finally, he cracked a little smile. "And here I was thinking that the pea-brain kaijuu had no hope." At the off-hand insult, Sakura turned to glower at her brother. He unabashedly grinned. "That's actually a damn good idea, munchkin. Just do me a favor and tell Hana to keep her evil claws off my sons, alright? I don't want them home in pieces."
*****
Syaoran was dreaming.
Caught in the arms of sleep, relaxed against the comfortable surface of the poolside recliner, he was being chased by his demons. Visions of his father and sisters, all swimming in pools of blood...his mother splayed and raped on the dining table...Rae Meilin's supplicating gaze on him as he unlatched the safety on his gun...
Rae Meilin.
Meilin...
Why?...
*****
Over the pile of brochures she was supposed to be sorting out into different piles, Sakura squinted at the sliding doors that led to the hotel swimming pool, trying to see what her two nephews were up to. After much pleading with her manager, Minomiko-san finally caved in and allowed the two boys to stay at the hotel provided that Sakura did not neglect her duties to look after the boys(1). She and Eriol had stationed her nephews at the play area near the pool, an area immediately within range of Sakura's view. So far, there had been no trouble with the two at all, but it HAS only been two hours since Eriol left. The night was still young, especially for her two rambunctious nephews. The thought was enough to make her wince.
A sudden poke on her back turned Sakura's attention away from Colin and Xiaran. "Huh?"
Tomoyo was directing a wide-eyed look at her. Sakura stared at her in confusion, until the morning's events caught up with her. "Oh!" She exclaimed, quickly straightening up and stationing herself a few inches beside her friend. Subtly she threw quick glances all around her, making sure that no one else was around to hear her story. Fraternizing with guests was strictly prohibited, and even though no one was currently within the immediate area to report them, the walls do have ears(2). Keeping her voice low, she narrated that morning's events to her friend. When she got to the part about Certrude-sama's death, her voice broke, and Sakura noticed her companion pale at the news. Thankfully, Tomoyo refrained from asking her anything. But when she started on the motel incident with Li Syaoran, Tomoyo's expression suddenly took on a manic glint that was by no means scary.
"What?" Sakura couldn't help but ask, bristling at the expression on Tomoyo's face. "What the hell are you thinking now, Tomoyo-chan?" She wanted to know.
The raven-haired woman's voice was dripping with fake innocence when she replied. "Nothing!"
Pursing her lips, Sakura decided to ignore the biting sarcasm in her friend's one-word answer and went on with her story, ending it with Li Syaoran's hasty retreat.
Tomoyo thoughtfully fingered the edge of a brochure as she digested everything that Saura had told her for the past few minutes. "That's it? I mean, he just said 'you'll be fine' and hightailed out of the diner, leaving you sitting there like a complete moron?" The disbelief was evident in her voice as she played the scene in her head. Li Syaoran certainly was one confusing guy.
Sakura started banging the brochures on the table, her anger flaring up as she recalled the incident that morning. "Yeah, that's it." She muttered in irritation, her eyes almost crossing. "You know, I kinda figured that he'd be a gentleman and drop me off, considering the events that happened, but right then and there he just dropped me like a hot potato. He is such a bastard!"
Tomoyo directed a measuring look at her friend. "Well, he DID help you when you truly needed it." She pointed out diplomatically, reaching forward to arrange the pile of glossy brochures that seemed a bit mis-aligned, not missing Sakura's snort of annoyance from her side. "And he did display gentlemanly behavior when you guys were in the motel room. If I were a guy in his place, I would've jumped your bones, plain and simple."
Sakura threw her a baleful glare. "That's hardly beside the point, Tomoyo!" She spat out angrily. "The fact of the matter is that HE—"
Her angry outburst was suddenly interrupted by a child's voice screaming "Oba-chan!!!!"
*****
00000
Soft, warm hands lightly grazed across Syaoran's spine, and the only thing that kept the young assassin from shivering at the touch was all the years he had spent training his emotions into him. The mouth that was on his was silky and pliant—a bit clumsy, to tell the truth—but sweet and definitely erotic nonetheless. Gently, he reached up and tangled one of his hands through Meilin's hair, swallowing the woman's loud moan of pleasure in his mouth as they moved in perfect synchrony.
When they finished, Syaoran let himself slump on the other end of the satin- shrouded bed, his eyes lazily drifting shut as a sense of deep fulfillment enveloped him. Reaching forward, he gathered Meilin's limp form within his arms and held her close, softly kissing her forehead. The air was filled with the exotic aroma of their lovemaking, the scent of it only amplified by the light fragrance of Meilin herself, permeating the muskiness of the air and obscuring the lust.
Meilin shifted against him, turning her face up to plant a chaste kiss on his left cheek. "That was wonderful, Hao Shi." She murmured appreciatively, lowering her lashes at the onslaught of heat coloring her cheeks. He merely let out a non-committal grunt in response to her phrase.
To her credit, the raven-haired woman did not seem to be bothered by her partner's lack of response. Instead, she snuggled even closer to his well- muscled chest and closed her eyes, saying, "Wake me up before you leave, all right?"
"Hn."
Soon, the soft sounds of Meilin's even breathing filled the room. The feeling of satiation was making Syaoran drowsy, and he had only just closed his eyes when the soft chime of his celphone rang through the darkness.
Careful not to wake up the slumbering woman, he slipped out of bed and padded over to the study, picking up his coat from the table and pulling out the offending contraption from the pocket. "Li."
The voice on the other end was flat and emotionless and perfectly mirroring Syaoran's hostility. "It's time for his Communion."
In spite of knowing that the order was inevitable, Syaoran's heart leapt to his throat, but gave no visible sign otherwise. "Understood." He simply replied. Cutting the call off, he started pulling on his trousers, his heart heavy with dread at the task that he knew he had to perform.
He was about to commit the ultimate sin against the woman that he had only recently learned to value.
He was about to kill her brother.
00000
*****
Syaoran roused from his troubled sleep when he heard the pleading, almost hysterical voice crying for help. Still have dazed with sleep, his mind switched to assassin mode and surveyed the area for any possible threats. When he caught sight of a young boy standing across the far end of the pool waving his arms madly, he immediately looked down. His eyes widened ever so slightly when he saw the prone figure of another much younger boy floating facedown on the water.
He didn't even pause to think. He quickly jumped into the pool.
*****
Sakura had never run faster her entire life, Tomoyo hot on her heels. Her chest was rising and falling heavily with each breath she took, but even the shortness of her breathe wasn't enough to stop her from her intent: get to her nephews, and fast.
Her high-heeled shoe slipped against the hotel lobby's smooth marble floor, and the emerald-eyed woman practically felt her bones grate together, but she gritted her teeth and instead poured on more speed, clamping down the pain she was feeling. In her mind dozens of morbid situations flashed, frightening her even more. It was indeed a blessing that the lobby was empty. If it were otherwise, the hotel guests would have been treated to a strange sight; a receptionist running around as though crazed towards the pool.
She reached the play area in record time, her eyes quickly scanning the area for her two boys. She located Colin standing with his back turned to her a few feet away, at the far side of the pool, the boy rooted to the spot beside the smooth back of a man leaning forward and pumping air into—
"Oh, my God!" Sakura shrieked in panic, immediately rushing towards the trio, almost falling headfirst into the pool herself in her haste. Xiaran, their sweet Xiaran, was lying on the wet poolside ground, his face completely slack. "Oh, God! What the hell happened?! Colin!" Immediately she grabbed her older nephew and pulled the unresisting boy towards her, crushing his face against her side to shield his eyes away from the horrible scenario being played in front of him. "Oh, God!" She cried again.
Tomoyo's panicked voice rang behind her. "I'm going to call an ambulance!" Sakura barely heard her friend's fading footsteps over the loud pounding of her heart. 'Please, oh, please let Xiaran be all right!' She silently prayed.
The man that Sakura had not had the chance to identify yet blew one last breath into her nephew's mouth. His small chest rose at the sudden gust of air, and then he started coughing. The hacking wheezes the boy was making was music to Sakura's ears, and she all but sagged with relief. His rescuer immediately turned him to his side and began rubbing the young boy's back soothingly.
"Oh, baby!" In a flash Sakura was on her knees and cradling the weeping little boy on her lap. "Ssshh. It's ok. Oba-chan's here. Ssshh." Sensing the presence of someone moving silently beside her, Sakura turned, her mouth open to automatically thank the good soul who had saved her nephew. As soon as she saw the face of Xiaran's rescuer, the words of gratitude froze on her lips and, instead, gasped. "YOU!"
Li Syaoran did not even blink at her surprise. Instead, he leaned forward and gently pried the little boy off Sakura's firm grip and began checking him up for any signs of more serious damage.
Watching the other man examine her nephew as though Xiaran was his own, and remembering in full detail all the trouble that the man went through to help her not even twenty-four hours ago, Sakura immediately felt embarrassed. "I mean, Li-san, I—"
But Syaoran merely shrugged her off. Still rubbing his hand in soothing circles on the boy's back, he said quietly, "I don't think all the water from his lungs has come out. It would be wise to bring him to a hospital and have him checked over." Sakura was nodding obediently at his suggestion, her arms tight around Xiaran once again.
Footsteps pounded on the stone floor, and a few seconds later, Tomoyo rushed out to the pool area, followed closely by Hidako, the hotel night manager. Both wore anxious expressions on their faces as they hurried towards their little group.
"The ambulance will be here in five minutes, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo reported, reaching forward and giving her friend a quick hug. The raven-haired woman helped Sakura hoist Xiaran in her arms. It was only then that Sakura noticed that her younger nephew was shivering. She opened her mouth, about to ask Colin to go and ask for a towel, when Syaoran suddenly appeared by her elbow, silently offering his own. She didn't even realize that he had moved away from them in her panic.
"Here," the assassin offered gruffly, wrapping the towel around the shivering boy's shoulders when Sakura merely turned to stare blankly at him. He turned to leave, but was halted when Sakura reached for his arm, gently squeezing his bare bicep.
"Arigatou, Li-san. For everything." She murmured softly.
"Hn."
She was undeterred by his lack of response, however. "I mean it, Li-san." Her voice was firm. "You saved my nephew's life."
"Hn." In spite of the cold night air chilling his flesh, Syaoran could not help but be fully aware that the arm where Sakura had grabbed him felt deliciously warm. Without turning, he mumbled, "You're welcome. I have to go and change, though." With that, he left, dripping wet and clad only in his swim trunks, heading towards the bank of elevators.
Sakura was left behind staring at the dark-haired man's retreating form, admiration and respect shining in her eyes.
*****
Eriol's dark eyes quickly scanned through the papers in front of him one more time. "Is this everything you have?" He asked his companion, not taking his eyes off the documents he was reading through. The two men were sitting inside a small, elite coffee shop a few blocks away from the Tomoeda district.
Yamazaki Takashi took a small sip from his latte and nodded. "Yes." Leaning back against his chair, the European-born Japanese agent threw Eriol a sour look. "It isn't much, but getting my hands on that information wasn't easy. There had been certain.. obstacles.. while I was doing my work."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. There's this guy at the office, Tsukishiro (3), I think. Weird kid. Kept on popping in places where he wasn't really needed." Yamazaki leaned forward on the table, unease coloring his tone briefly that went unnoticed by anyone except Eriol . "He freaks me out."
Eriol's attention momentarily shifted from the papers he had in his hand at the news, completely understanding the underlying meaning in his companion's words. An unknown person possibly tailing a secret agent? That wasn't normal when they were on duty. "Really." He intoned, glancing appraisingly up at his companion. "How come?"
Yamazaki lifted his left shoulder in a little shrug. "Oh, just the odd things he does." He explained airily. "Every time I chat with a couple of fellow employees, the bastard just shows up armed with errands. And once while I was on overtime working on the computer, the guy appears in my office with a computer technician in tow. Said the friggin' system had a virus." He shook his head. "Like I said, freaky guy."
Eriol was frowning thoughtfully as he picked his way through Yamazaki's cryptic narration. A few moments later, he settled back against his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, sucking lightly on a mint he had pulled out from the little box on their table. "You're right. The guy does seem a bit strange. But things will get better with him after a little while, as with others." At the questioning look from Yamazaki, Eriol smiled and leaned forward as well. "I'm almost at home base. If he's a man, I'll see to it that someone is sent along to help." He spoke these words casually, but he knew that Yamazaki had gotten the message. He was almost into the Federation mainframe. And if this Tsukishiro proves to be hostile and in the roster, Eriol will contact the EIU for aid.
Yamazaki smiled back at him before taking another sip of his coffee. "So how are things going along with you?" He asked amiably as Eriol popped another mint in his mouth.
The dark-haired man shrugged lightly. "All right. Except that my dog got shot this morning. I didn't see who did it." He shrugged again, as though the whole thing was not too much of a serious situation to dwell into. "I have talked to some people, but no one saw anything." Idly, he started picking at his unfinished roll, knowing that somehow, Yamazaki had completely understood what he meant.
He was right. His companion's entire face was scrunched up in thought. "I did hear about that." He commented slowly. "Though I have to say, I wasn't aware that it was your dog. I thought for sure it was somebody else's." His slanted eyes bore into Eriol's meaningfully. (4)
Eriol lifted one corner of his mouth into a sardonic half-smile. "You're telling me." He drawled lazily in reply. "I didn't think it was mine at first. But after looking through stuff, it turns out that it is."
Yamazaki snorted. "Shocker."
Eriol shifted his gaze out the window. "Yeah." And a really big one at that, he couldn't help but add to himself as he observed a young man walking his dog across the street.
*****
Sakura gently raked her hand across the sweep of Xiaran's dark hair, smiling a little as the young boy made a soft sound of contentment in his sleep. She had already informed Keisha and her father about the accident, and the two had promised to drive over to the hospital immediately. She also placed a call to Eriol, but, surprisingly, the English man's mobile phone was turned off. She left a message on his voicemail, instead. Hidako- san was kind enough and gave Sakura the rest of the night off, and the woman was never more than grateful for the chance to rest. The stress of the entire day finally seemed to be taking its' toll on her, and all Sakura wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep her weariness away. First, though, she had to watch over Xiaran at the hospital until his mother or her father arrived to relieve her.
She turned her attention to the small couch behind her to check on Colin. Like his brother, he was fast asleep, two arms pillowing his head. Seeing the two boys slumbering was also making the emerald-eyed woman sleepy.
Sakura stretched her arms over her head and yawned wildly. 'I guess it can't hurt for me to have a little shuteye,' she thought to herself as she nestled her head on her folded arms. 'Dad and Kei-chan might take a while.'
She was almost asleep when a warm hand gently shook her awake. Through heavy-lidded eyes, she turned her head to the person who woke her up, fully expecting her father or Keisha standing behind her. A barely concealed squeak of surprise passed her lips when she recognized who their visitor was.(5) "Li-san."
"Kinomoto-san." Syaoran murmured tonelessly at the sleepy woman, inclining his head slightly in greeting. His eyes fell on the slumbering boy looking pale and clammy under the off-white hospital bedding. The indifference reflected in those amber orbs quickly disappeared, replaced by genuine warmth and fondness. He laid a hand on Xiaran's pajama-clad leg poking from underneath the blankets. "How is he?"
Sakura watched his tender actions silently. "He's okay." She responded softly, reaching forward to touch Xiaran's leg as well. "Just tired from all the struggling. The doctor said that I could take him home now, but his mother didn't want to take any chances." She hesitated, then, gently, laid a hand over Syaoran's, softly squeezing the man's knuckles with her palm. He stilled before flicking his eyes towards Sakura, his eyes hooded. She met his gaze steadily with her own and flashed him a grateful smile. "Again, I thank you for helping Xiaran. And I as well." She looked away, suddenly bashful, and started to withdraw her hand.
With surprising swiftness, the man grabbed her hand in his in a loose grip. Shock waves rippled across Sakura's body at the unexpected contact, and, slowly she raised her eyes to meet Syaoran's intense stare. "Uhm, Li-san—" she began uncomfortably as she licked her lips in nervousness.
He shook his head at her. "I came to see how he is, not to pressure you to thank me again." He softly intoned in a voice laced with undecipherable meaning. His eyes never left hers when he added, "I did what anyone else in the same situation would have done.
"And I would have been thanking that person over and over again, too, Li- san."
He shrugged carelessly. Throwing another look at the still-sleeping Xiaran on the hospital bed, Syaoran let go of her hand and headed for the door, muttering, "See you around."
Sakura watched his retreating back with furrowed brows. Clearly, it was obvious that something was wrong with the man from the very first time she laid her eyes on him.
Li Syaoran was a walking enigma. *****
His feet moving soundlessly on the tiled floor, Syaoran rapidly made his way towards the hospital exit, cursing himself for his stupidity at every step he took. Why he came to the hospital in the first place was a mystery, even to him. After throwing on a set of dry clothes, he had immediately taken the elevator back down to the lobby and caught the ambulance as it was pulling out of the driveway carrying Sakura and her two nephews. Without stopping to think, the young assassin then hurried to the garage, jumped into his car, and drove after the wailing vehicle. As soon as he had parked in front of the hospital, his drive suddenly failed, and he actually took a few minutes to gather his thoughts before moving towards the reception area. On his way to the little boy, Xiaran's, room, he repeatedly questioned his motives about coming over. His queries led him to no absolute answer, however. And that fact alone was enough to drive the young assassin to a wall.
No sooner had he exited the building when a hand suddenly grabbed him and hauled him within the safety of the shadows. Quickly shifting to assassin mode, Syaoran made a grab for his gun, but stopped when a voice by his ear purred, "Lost, Syaoran?"
Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest, recognizing the voice even before seeing the actual speaker. "I told you to stop tailing me, Yue." He spat out harshly. Deep inside, though, he was aware that Yue's presence in the scene had nothing to do with the Capo's orders of having him followed.
The moonlight shifted, and suddenly, Yue was bathed in pale light, looking for all the world like a wraith. The assassin's expression was lost of its usual airy indifference, and was almost anxious. He shook his head at the other man. "You're resolve is weakening, Syaoran." Yue observed calmly, shaking his mane of long, silvery-white hair against the sudden breeze.
Syaoran's throat tightened at Yue's words. He knew, he KNEW that he was weakening, damnit! And the knowledge of it was torturing him. He forced himself to respond as unconcerned as possible, however. "What business is it of yours, then, if I am?" He retorted softly.
Yue sighed. "You told me yourself once, Syaoran. You won't make the same mistake twice. If you're not careful, you'll have another Rae Meilin in your hands. Don't say you haven't been warned."
And with that, the long-haired man turned and walked away, leaving Syaoran confused and alone in the deepening darkness.
TBC
FOOTNOTES:
In 'Maid in Manhattan', we can all see that J-Lo was allowed to bring her son a couple of times with her to work, provided that he doesn't move around all over the place. From what I've gathered throughout my course, this action is truly against hotel policies. I really don't give a shit, of course. ^-^
I'll be taking my practicum this summer, and about a week ago my batch was asked to attend a seminar of some sort. This is just one of the many things we were warned NOT to do while on training. (Can you just GUESS how OLD I am already?! ^-^)
I know I've already mentioned this little fact in previous chapters, but I'm going to say this again. Yue and Yukito in this fic are two separate entities. So don't be surprised.
For those readers who are somehow confused by this particularly strange conversation between Yamazaki and Eriol, the two are actually talking about Certrude. The poor French man is Eriol's 'dog'. Yamazaki wasn't aware that Certrude was Eriol's mission. Eriol's 'You're telling me' remark is supposed to give Yamazaki the message that he, too, doesn't have any idea how Certrude is connected with the Kinomoto case.
Three guesses as to who this is, people. * sigh * I am beginning to be soooo predictable in my plot, damn!!!
A/N: I would like to apologize in advance if the update has taken so long. I also won't waste my time explaining my reasons, since these are probably the same words that you've already heard from various other authors whenever they fail to upload earlier. All I want to state in this part of my text is that I am at a complete loss as to what I should write next. I'm still not pulling down TA, but I can't assure you that the following chapters will be easy to come by. That is all.
The end is near. No, not the end of TA, but the end of my days as a dependent student is slowly drawing to a close. In ten months' time, I would be leaving behind my young adulthood and venturing into a new world called real life, and I have to admit that the whole thing is giving me the heebie jeebies as of the moment. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to finish this fic before graduation day comes, so I am making this plea to all my readers. If you think you have the drive to take over TA, then let me know. My email add is on my bio page, so to anyone whose interested, contact me immediately and I'll give you the low down on what I've had planned for TA. Thank you.
Dedications: To my college bud Kang who, after stumbling across several Gwing and CCS fics I had saved in a diskette, got hooked into reading this stuff. More power to you (Habulin mo na si Prof. Tomeldan. Malapit ng mag- expire ang INC mo sa 144.) To Zenin, whose review gave me the drive to finish chapter nine. To Shinrai, whom I haven't seen in a while. Where the hell are you hanging out, dre? And lastly, to my dad and mom, who didn't explode in anger when I told them I failed Economics (yikes!). Enjoy.
WARNING!!! This particular part of the fic contains mature language and indirect reference to sexual activity. I can't stop you from reading this, but since I'm trying to be a responsible adult here I'm declaring this chapter R-18. Don't say you weren't warned. I wouldn't want any of your Mommies to suddenly appear at my doorstep with the morbid intentions of boxing my ears. I happen to like them the way they are, thank you very much.
Additional Comments: One reader commented that Syaoran being a vegetarian in the fic seems a bit weird. Yes, I agree that it seems to be a little out of character for a cold-blooded assassin to actually be restricted to eating only plant foods, but, hey, I figured, making my assassin-Syaoran different from all other assassins was kinda cute. Besides, Monk is a superb private investigator. But he's also an obsessive-compulsive psycho. ^-^ Anyway, thanks for sharing your insight about the vegetarian thing, but I really have no plans of changing it.
00000 – change in timeline and POV
The Assassin by Rei Minomiko
Chapter Nine: Incidental Attractions
Fujitaka looked up from the encyclopedia he was poring through when he heard the door to his study open. Noticing his daughter peering blearily through the open doorway, he smiled invitingly and called out, "Come on in, honey."
His daughter slowly made her way towards his desk, tiredly dropping into a seat on one of the cushy chairs the professor had in the room. "Whacha reading, Dad?" Sakura asked him amidst a huge yawn.
Fujitaka briefly dropped his gaze back on the thick tome he had in front of him. "This? Oh, I'm just double-checking some data for a lecture tonight." He nodded at the short stack of papers set on top of his black briefcase. "In all the confusion about the last dig I went out to, I haven't had the time to completely research on the Inca civilization, which is the topic for tonight. I wouldn't want to disappoint the university bigwigs by coming unprepared."
Sakura frowned at the dark circles under her father's eyes. He was a bit pale, too, and his entire posture seemed to scream tension as well as exhaustion as he sat on his desk chair. She was beginning to worry about her dad's obsession to this particular discovery, and his exhaustion was merely adding to her distress. It wasn't the firs time that her old man had absorbed himself in his work, but his passion seemed to be leading him to crashing down. "You're running yourself haggard, Dad." The green-eyed woman felt the need to inform her father, narrowing her eyes as she took in his appearance. "Don't you think you should take it easy for a while? You know, take a few days' leave, relax...sleep?"
Fujitaka smiled but shook his head. "Even if I want to, Sakura, it won't be that easy." Was all he said in reply. He sighed, shifted in his seat, and raised a hand to tiredly rub his face. "So, you and Eriol just got back?" He started, desperate to suddenly shift the topic away from him and his work. Ever since he had learned of the dangers connected to Operation RAGE, he had ceased feeding his daughter information regarding his and his team's discovery, which, before, was his habit. It was a good thing that Sakura never pried at not being used as a sounding board by her father anymore, but he had noticed that his daughter seemed to have been doubly concerned and skittish around him. He didn't want Sakura to be tiptoeing around the house, but the risk of endangering her life by telling her the importance of his work, not only to his career but for the entire country, was too great. He simply could not allow that.
Sakura looked utterly confused at his remark. "Well, I'm not so sure about Eriol but I just got back." She gave her father an imploring stare. "I thought Eriol was here with you."
He shook his head. "When I went down a couple of hours earlier, the house was deserted. I assumed that you came home, found him waiting, and decided to just eat out." His dark eyes gazed at her, probing. "Where have you been, then, if you weren't with Eriol-san?"
Sakura carefully averted her gaze. Her father didn't need to know about the little accident she had earlier that morning. She didn't want to augment his worries. "I had lunch with some friends." She said slowly, secretly hoping that the sincere smile pasted on her face would be enough of a guise for her father not to see that she wasn't telling the whole truth. Yes, she had eaten lunch out, but it wasn't with any of her 'friends', so to speak. She made a show of checking her watch and frowning. "Maybe Eriol grew tired of waiting up and just left. Anyway, I know he has a meeting this afternoon." Getting back on her feet, Sakura stretched her arms over her head, reveling on the popping sounds her joints gave out as she trudged to the door. "I'm going to try and get some sleep, 'Tou-chan, and I suggest you do, too." She reached the door and was just about to shut it behind her when she turned back to give her tired father a rueful grin. "If you go on that way, dad, I swear, your work is gonna kill you someday."
Fujitaka watched the door swing shut, marveling at his daughter's rather cryptic remark. Flipping another page of his book, he went back reading, while in his heart he couldn't help but think how close to the truth his daughter's parting words were.
*****
His powerful arms slicing rapidly through the water, Syaoran smoothly swam his way across the hotel pool, his thoughts focused on the uncalled for encounter he had with Kinomoto Sakura. It has been two hours since he returned to the hotel, and after nearly an hour of trying to empty his mind of the image the green-eyed receptionist, he decided to make use of the Renaissance's extensive facilities to his advantage to help him loosen up.
It didn't help that he kept seeing the white envelope Yue had handed over to him that morning after he had assassinated Francois Certrude all over his room. As a general rule to himself, Syaoran had made it a point to serve only one master. And since the Federation had him written on the roster for the past five years, he doubted that the Commander would appreciate it much when he hears his prized assassin doing an act of service to his former employer. It won't matter if the job was connected to the Kinomoto assignment. He will be branded a traitor, and would most likely be treated to a painful Communion.
He reached the edge of the pool in a matter of seconds and hoisted his lean body out of the water, not even bothering with the handrails a few paces to his left. A pair of Western tourists was gazing at his toned form with ill- disguised appreciation, but he ignored them both and went to grab his green towel from one of the recliners. As he rid his body of excess moisture, Syaoran slowly surveyed the pool area, noting that only about a handful of guests were lounging around. Partially dry, he slipped the towel across his neck, sat down, and pulled his black laptop(1) on his lap.
So much for trying to relax.
A quick check of his inbox showed that no orders had been wired to his line. Good, he thought. Another order would have meant coming up with another plan and his distracted mind just wasn't up to the task at the present time. Flipping the lid closed (there really wasn't anything else he could do with the blasted computer), Syaoran settled against the recliner and closed his eyes to nap.
*****
From downstairs, the doorbell rang. Thinking that it was his daughter's boyfriend (It was only a minute past four, and the English lad was always eerily on time), Fujitaka raced down the stairs wearing only his dress pants and pulled the door open. "Eriol, I—"
His eldest son, accompanied by his wife and two children, grinned cheesily back at him. "Hi, dad." The older Kinomoto felt his face go scarlet as his two grandchildren burst into a fit of giggles at the image he presented. "Pretty good shape you're in today." Touya commented, straight-faced.
Keisha chimmed with a smile. "Yeah, 'Tou-chan. Nice and buff."
Fujitaka threw both his son and daughter-in-law a baleful glare before pulling the door open all the way to let them in. "I was dressing up for a lecture, Touya, and Sakura's still asleep." He tried to explain as he followed the little family to the living room. "What brings you guys here?" He wanted to know as he crossed his arms over his chest to cover up his state of half nudity.
As the two children started chasing each other around the room and Keisha excused herself to powder her nose, Touya turned to his father, the almost mischievous expression in his face falling. "I've been called in for another flight, and Kei has to be at the studio until midnight," he began seriously. "I thought of leaving Colin and Xiaran here for the night, but I didn't know you had a lecture. And since Sakura has to go to work—"he trailed off.
Fujitaka heaved a small sigh. He knew where this was going. To any other parent of a family man, being asked to baby sit their grandchildren was somewhat insulting. But Fujitaka knew enough that his son does this because he knew that his children will be safe under his care. But Fujitaka couldn't tend to the kids that night, either. "I could ask Sakura to call Eriol if he's free." He told his son slowly as his eyebrows creased together in thought.
Touya looked a bit embarrassed at the suggestion. "Do you think he'd do it?" The tall commercial pilot asked his father uncertainly, "I mean, the past times that I brought the kids here, Eriol just happened to be visiting. I don't want to force him—"
Just then, the doorbell rang again. Touya immediately headed towards the door to greet the newcomer. An immaculate Eriol stood waiting patiently at the doorway.
"Speak of the devil!" Fujitaka exclaimed with a big smile, hurrying over to usher the young man in. "I'll go and wake Sakura, Eriol. And Touya, maybe you should just ask him." With that, the older man thundered up the stairs.
Touya turned to the young English man, seemingly at a loss for words. Eriol, for his part, already knew what the taller man was about to ask. He had been about to ring the bell when his sharp hearing caught the small conversation the father and son were having in the living room. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to tend for the children as well. Upon waking up he had received an urgent message from his colleague stationed at the Japanese Bureau of Defense to meet with him that night to report. The other agent claimed to have found some evidence that could prove the involvement of an assassin in the ThinkTank plane crash. The evidence wasn't a direct link to the Federation, which was what Eriol had really been hoping for, but an assassin was an assassin. He knew he had to hear this out.
Touya cleared his throat. "Anou, Eriol-san?" he began humbly, "You doing anything important tonight?"
The young agent hated to disappoint his girlfriend's older brother. It had been very hard to get into the over-protective Touya's good graces when he and Sakura started dating, but he had a job to do. Pasting a soft smile on his face, he softly responded, "As a matter of fact I do. I just came to drop off Sakura at the hotel."
The other man's face fell at his declaration. "I see." He said with a drawn out sigh. Eriol's looked slightly guilty, and Touya was quick to reassure the younger man with a light clap on his shoulder. "It's cool. Thanks, anyway. Honey," he called out as his wife emerged from the bathroom looking all fresh and pampered. "I guess we'll have to call up a babysitter for tonight."
"Why for?" A feminine voice suddenly asked from the stairs.
Xiaran was suddenly shrieking "'ba-chan!!!" and streaking across the living room from where he and Colin were playing to attach himself on Sakura's left leg. "La-lan play ball?" He asked hopefully.
Sakura, still decked in a pair of pink flannel pants and a white tank top, picked up her nephew and cuddled him. "Maybe later, darling." She cooed. Turning to his brother and boyfriend still standing by the door, she repeated her question.
Eriol quickly explained the predicament they were in to her, and Sakura chewed on her lower lip as she tried to come up with a plan. She couldn't skive off work tonight (Minomiko-san would skin her alive if she did), and neither could the others. And she didn't want just anybody taking care of her nephews, even if it were only for a few hours. A light bulb suddenly came on in her head, and she wasted no time in explaining her idea to the others.
When she finished, Keisha was smiling. Touya was worrying his lower lip in reflection, until, finally, he cracked a little smile. "And here I was thinking that the pea-brain kaijuu had no hope." At the off-hand insult, Sakura turned to glower at her brother. He unabashedly grinned. "That's actually a damn good idea, munchkin. Just do me a favor and tell Hana to keep her evil claws off my sons, alright? I don't want them home in pieces."
*****
Syaoran was dreaming.
Caught in the arms of sleep, relaxed against the comfortable surface of the poolside recliner, he was being chased by his demons. Visions of his father and sisters, all swimming in pools of blood...his mother splayed and raped on the dining table...Rae Meilin's supplicating gaze on him as he unlatched the safety on his gun...
Rae Meilin.
Meilin...
Why?...
*****
Over the pile of brochures she was supposed to be sorting out into different piles, Sakura squinted at the sliding doors that led to the hotel swimming pool, trying to see what her two nephews were up to. After much pleading with her manager, Minomiko-san finally caved in and allowed the two boys to stay at the hotel provided that Sakura did not neglect her duties to look after the boys(1). She and Eriol had stationed her nephews at the play area near the pool, an area immediately within range of Sakura's view. So far, there had been no trouble with the two at all, but it HAS only been two hours since Eriol left. The night was still young, especially for her two rambunctious nephews. The thought was enough to make her wince.
A sudden poke on her back turned Sakura's attention away from Colin and Xiaran. "Huh?"
Tomoyo was directing a wide-eyed look at her. Sakura stared at her in confusion, until the morning's events caught up with her. "Oh!" She exclaimed, quickly straightening up and stationing herself a few inches beside her friend. Subtly she threw quick glances all around her, making sure that no one else was around to hear her story. Fraternizing with guests was strictly prohibited, and even though no one was currently within the immediate area to report them, the walls do have ears(2). Keeping her voice low, she narrated that morning's events to her friend. When she got to the part about Certrude-sama's death, her voice broke, and Sakura noticed her companion pale at the news. Thankfully, Tomoyo refrained from asking her anything. But when she started on the motel incident with Li Syaoran, Tomoyo's expression suddenly took on a manic glint that was by no means scary.
"What?" Sakura couldn't help but ask, bristling at the expression on Tomoyo's face. "What the hell are you thinking now, Tomoyo-chan?" She wanted to know.
The raven-haired woman's voice was dripping with fake innocence when she replied. "Nothing!"
Pursing her lips, Sakura decided to ignore the biting sarcasm in her friend's one-word answer and went on with her story, ending it with Li Syaoran's hasty retreat.
Tomoyo thoughtfully fingered the edge of a brochure as she digested everything that Saura had told her for the past few minutes. "That's it? I mean, he just said 'you'll be fine' and hightailed out of the diner, leaving you sitting there like a complete moron?" The disbelief was evident in her voice as she played the scene in her head. Li Syaoran certainly was one confusing guy.
Sakura started banging the brochures on the table, her anger flaring up as she recalled the incident that morning. "Yeah, that's it." She muttered in irritation, her eyes almost crossing. "You know, I kinda figured that he'd be a gentleman and drop me off, considering the events that happened, but right then and there he just dropped me like a hot potato. He is such a bastard!"
Tomoyo directed a measuring look at her friend. "Well, he DID help you when you truly needed it." She pointed out diplomatically, reaching forward to arrange the pile of glossy brochures that seemed a bit mis-aligned, not missing Sakura's snort of annoyance from her side. "And he did display gentlemanly behavior when you guys were in the motel room. If I were a guy in his place, I would've jumped your bones, plain and simple."
Sakura threw her a baleful glare. "That's hardly beside the point, Tomoyo!" She spat out angrily. "The fact of the matter is that HE—"
Her angry outburst was suddenly interrupted by a child's voice screaming "Oba-chan!!!!"
*****
00000
Soft, warm hands lightly grazed across Syaoran's spine, and the only thing that kept the young assassin from shivering at the touch was all the years he had spent training his emotions into him. The mouth that was on his was silky and pliant—a bit clumsy, to tell the truth—but sweet and definitely erotic nonetheless. Gently, he reached up and tangled one of his hands through Meilin's hair, swallowing the woman's loud moan of pleasure in his mouth as they moved in perfect synchrony.
When they finished, Syaoran let himself slump on the other end of the satin- shrouded bed, his eyes lazily drifting shut as a sense of deep fulfillment enveloped him. Reaching forward, he gathered Meilin's limp form within his arms and held her close, softly kissing her forehead. The air was filled with the exotic aroma of their lovemaking, the scent of it only amplified by the light fragrance of Meilin herself, permeating the muskiness of the air and obscuring the lust.
Meilin shifted against him, turning her face up to plant a chaste kiss on his left cheek. "That was wonderful, Hao Shi." She murmured appreciatively, lowering her lashes at the onslaught of heat coloring her cheeks. He merely let out a non-committal grunt in response to her phrase.
To her credit, the raven-haired woman did not seem to be bothered by her partner's lack of response. Instead, she snuggled even closer to his well- muscled chest and closed her eyes, saying, "Wake me up before you leave, all right?"
"Hn."
Soon, the soft sounds of Meilin's even breathing filled the room. The feeling of satiation was making Syaoran drowsy, and he had only just closed his eyes when the soft chime of his celphone rang through the darkness.
Careful not to wake up the slumbering woman, he slipped out of bed and padded over to the study, picking up his coat from the table and pulling out the offending contraption from the pocket. "Li."
The voice on the other end was flat and emotionless and perfectly mirroring Syaoran's hostility. "It's time for his Communion."
In spite of knowing that the order was inevitable, Syaoran's heart leapt to his throat, but gave no visible sign otherwise. "Understood." He simply replied. Cutting the call off, he started pulling on his trousers, his heart heavy with dread at the task that he knew he had to perform.
He was about to commit the ultimate sin against the woman that he had only recently learned to value.
He was about to kill her brother.
00000
*****
Syaoran roused from his troubled sleep when he heard the pleading, almost hysterical voice crying for help. Still have dazed with sleep, his mind switched to assassin mode and surveyed the area for any possible threats. When he caught sight of a young boy standing across the far end of the pool waving his arms madly, he immediately looked down. His eyes widened ever so slightly when he saw the prone figure of another much younger boy floating facedown on the water.
He didn't even pause to think. He quickly jumped into the pool.
*****
Sakura had never run faster her entire life, Tomoyo hot on her heels. Her chest was rising and falling heavily with each breath she took, but even the shortness of her breathe wasn't enough to stop her from her intent: get to her nephews, and fast.
Her high-heeled shoe slipped against the hotel lobby's smooth marble floor, and the emerald-eyed woman practically felt her bones grate together, but she gritted her teeth and instead poured on more speed, clamping down the pain she was feeling. In her mind dozens of morbid situations flashed, frightening her even more. It was indeed a blessing that the lobby was empty. If it were otherwise, the hotel guests would have been treated to a strange sight; a receptionist running around as though crazed towards the pool.
She reached the play area in record time, her eyes quickly scanning the area for her two boys. She located Colin standing with his back turned to her a few feet away, at the far side of the pool, the boy rooted to the spot beside the smooth back of a man leaning forward and pumping air into—
"Oh, my God!" Sakura shrieked in panic, immediately rushing towards the trio, almost falling headfirst into the pool herself in her haste. Xiaran, their sweet Xiaran, was lying on the wet poolside ground, his face completely slack. "Oh, God! What the hell happened?! Colin!" Immediately she grabbed her older nephew and pulled the unresisting boy towards her, crushing his face against her side to shield his eyes away from the horrible scenario being played in front of him. "Oh, God!" She cried again.
Tomoyo's panicked voice rang behind her. "I'm going to call an ambulance!" Sakura barely heard her friend's fading footsteps over the loud pounding of her heart. 'Please, oh, please let Xiaran be all right!' She silently prayed.
The man that Sakura had not had the chance to identify yet blew one last breath into her nephew's mouth. His small chest rose at the sudden gust of air, and then he started coughing. The hacking wheezes the boy was making was music to Sakura's ears, and she all but sagged with relief. His rescuer immediately turned him to his side and began rubbing the young boy's back soothingly.
"Oh, baby!" In a flash Sakura was on her knees and cradling the weeping little boy on her lap. "Ssshh. It's ok. Oba-chan's here. Ssshh." Sensing the presence of someone moving silently beside her, Sakura turned, her mouth open to automatically thank the good soul who had saved her nephew. As soon as she saw the face of Xiaran's rescuer, the words of gratitude froze on her lips and, instead, gasped. "YOU!"
Li Syaoran did not even blink at her surprise. Instead, he leaned forward and gently pried the little boy off Sakura's firm grip and began checking him up for any signs of more serious damage.
Watching the other man examine her nephew as though Xiaran was his own, and remembering in full detail all the trouble that the man went through to help her not even twenty-four hours ago, Sakura immediately felt embarrassed. "I mean, Li-san, I—"
But Syaoran merely shrugged her off. Still rubbing his hand in soothing circles on the boy's back, he said quietly, "I don't think all the water from his lungs has come out. It would be wise to bring him to a hospital and have him checked over." Sakura was nodding obediently at his suggestion, her arms tight around Xiaran once again.
Footsteps pounded on the stone floor, and a few seconds later, Tomoyo rushed out to the pool area, followed closely by Hidako, the hotel night manager. Both wore anxious expressions on their faces as they hurried towards their little group.
"The ambulance will be here in five minutes, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo reported, reaching forward and giving her friend a quick hug. The raven-haired woman helped Sakura hoist Xiaran in her arms. It was only then that Sakura noticed that her younger nephew was shivering. She opened her mouth, about to ask Colin to go and ask for a towel, when Syaoran suddenly appeared by her elbow, silently offering his own. She didn't even realize that he had moved away from them in her panic.
"Here," the assassin offered gruffly, wrapping the towel around the shivering boy's shoulders when Sakura merely turned to stare blankly at him. He turned to leave, but was halted when Sakura reached for his arm, gently squeezing his bare bicep.
"Arigatou, Li-san. For everything." She murmured softly.
"Hn."
She was undeterred by his lack of response, however. "I mean it, Li-san." Her voice was firm. "You saved my nephew's life."
"Hn." In spite of the cold night air chilling his flesh, Syaoran could not help but be fully aware that the arm where Sakura had grabbed him felt deliciously warm. Without turning, he mumbled, "You're welcome. I have to go and change, though." With that, he left, dripping wet and clad only in his swim trunks, heading towards the bank of elevators.
Sakura was left behind staring at the dark-haired man's retreating form, admiration and respect shining in her eyes.
*****
Eriol's dark eyes quickly scanned through the papers in front of him one more time. "Is this everything you have?" He asked his companion, not taking his eyes off the documents he was reading through. The two men were sitting inside a small, elite coffee shop a few blocks away from the Tomoeda district.
Yamazaki Takashi took a small sip from his latte and nodded. "Yes." Leaning back against his chair, the European-born Japanese agent threw Eriol a sour look. "It isn't much, but getting my hands on that information wasn't easy. There had been certain.. obstacles.. while I was doing my work."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. There's this guy at the office, Tsukishiro (3), I think. Weird kid. Kept on popping in places where he wasn't really needed." Yamazaki leaned forward on the table, unease coloring his tone briefly that went unnoticed by anyone except Eriol . "He freaks me out."
Eriol's attention momentarily shifted from the papers he had in his hand at the news, completely understanding the underlying meaning in his companion's words. An unknown person possibly tailing a secret agent? That wasn't normal when they were on duty. "Really." He intoned, glancing appraisingly up at his companion. "How come?"
Yamazaki lifted his left shoulder in a little shrug. "Oh, just the odd things he does." He explained airily. "Every time I chat with a couple of fellow employees, the bastard just shows up armed with errands. And once while I was on overtime working on the computer, the guy appears in my office with a computer technician in tow. Said the friggin' system had a virus." He shook his head. "Like I said, freaky guy."
Eriol was frowning thoughtfully as he picked his way through Yamazaki's cryptic narration. A few moments later, he settled back against his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, sucking lightly on a mint he had pulled out from the little box on their table. "You're right. The guy does seem a bit strange. But things will get better with him after a little while, as with others." At the questioning look from Yamazaki, Eriol smiled and leaned forward as well. "I'm almost at home base. If he's a man, I'll see to it that someone is sent along to help." He spoke these words casually, but he knew that Yamazaki had gotten the message. He was almost into the Federation mainframe. And if this Tsukishiro proves to be hostile and in the roster, Eriol will contact the EIU for aid.
Yamazaki smiled back at him before taking another sip of his coffee. "So how are things going along with you?" He asked amiably as Eriol popped another mint in his mouth.
The dark-haired man shrugged lightly. "All right. Except that my dog got shot this morning. I didn't see who did it." He shrugged again, as though the whole thing was not too much of a serious situation to dwell into. "I have talked to some people, but no one saw anything." Idly, he started picking at his unfinished roll, knowing that somehow, Yamazaki had completely understood what he meant.
He was right. His companion's entire face was scrunched up in thought. "I did hear about that." He commented slowly. "Though I have to say, I wasn't aware that it was your dog. I thought for sure it was somebody else's." His slanted eyes bore into Eriol's meaningfully. (4)
Eriol lifted one corner of his mouth into a sardonic half-smile. "You're telling me." He drawled lazily in reply. "I didn't think it was mine at first. But after looking through stuff, it turns out that it is."
Yamazaki snorted. "Shocker."
Eriol shifted his gaze out the window. "Yeah." And a really big one at that, he couldn't help but add to himself as he observed a young man walking his dog across the street.
*****
Sakura gently raked her hand across the sweep of Xiaran's dark hair, smiling a little as the young boy made a soft sound of contentment in his sleep. She had already informed Keisha and her father about the accident, and the two had promised to drive over to the hospital immediately. She also placed a call to Eriol, but, surprisingly, the English man's mobile phone was turned off. She left a message on his voicemail, instead. Hidako- san was kind enough and gave Sakura the rest of the night off, and the woman was never more than grateful for the chance to rest. The stress of the entire day finally seemed to be taking its' toll on her, and all Sakura wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep her weariness away. First, though, she had to watch over Xiaran at the hospital until his mother or her father arrived to relieve her.
She turned her attention to the small couch behind her to check on Colin. Like his brother, he was fast asleep, two arms pillowing his head. Seeing the two boys slumbering was also making the emerald-eyed woman sleepy.
Sakura stretched her arms over her head and yawned wildly. 'I guess it can't hurt for me to have a little shuteye,' she thought to herself as she nestled her head on her folded arms. 'Dad and Kei-chan might take a while.'
She was almost asleep when a warm hand gently shook her awake. Through heavy-lidded eyes, she turned her head to the person who woke her up, fully expecting her father or Keisha standing behind her. A barely concealed squeak of surprise passed her lips when she recognized who their visitor was.(5) "Li-san."
"Kinomoto-san." Syaoran murmured tonelessly at the sleepy woman, inclining his head slightly in greeting. His eyes fell on the slumbering boy looking pale and clammy under the off-white hospital bedding. The indifference reflected in those amber orbs quickly disappeared, replaced by genuine warmth and fondness. He laid a hand on Xiaran's pajama-clad leg poking from underneath the blankets. "How is he?"
Sakura watched his tender actions silently. "He's okay." She responded softly, reaching forward to touch Xiaran's leg as well. "Just tired from all the struggling. The doctor said that I could take him home now, but his mother didn't want to take any chances." She hesitated, then, gently, laid a hand over Syaoran's, softly squeezing the man's knuckles with her palm. He stilled before flicking his eyes towards Sakura, his eyes hooded. She met his gaze steadily with her own and flashed him a grateful smile. "Again, I thank you for helping Xiaran. And I as well." She looked away, suddenly bashful, and started to withdraw her hand.
With surprising swiftness, the man grabbed her hand in his in a loose grip. Shock waves rippled across Sakura's body at the unexpected contact, and, slowly she raised her eyes to meet Syaoran's intense stare. "Uhm, Li-san—" she began uncomfortably as she licked her lips in nervousness.
He shook his head at her. "I came to see how he is, not to pressure you to thank me again." He softly intoned in a voice laced with undecipherable meaning. His eyes never left hers when he added, "I did what anyone else in the same situation would have done.
"And I would have been thanking that person over and over again, too, Li- san."
He shrugged carelessly. Throwing another look at the still-sleeping Xiaran on the hospital bed, Syaoran let go of her hand and headed for the door, muttering, "See you around."
Sakura watched his retreating back with furrowed brows. Clearly, it was obvious that something was wrong with the man from the very first time she laid her eyes on him.
Li Syaoran was a walking enigma. *****
His feet moving soundlessly on the tiled floor, Syaoran rapidly made his way towards the hospital exit, cursing himself for his stupidity at every step he took. Why he came to the hospital in the first place was a mystery, even to him. After throwing on a set of dry clothes, he had immediately taken the elevator back down to the lobby and caught the ambulance as it was pulling out of the driveway carrying Sakura and her two nephews. Without stopping to think, the young assassin then hurried to the garage, jumped into his car, and drove after the wailing vehicle. As soon as he had parked in front of the hospital, his drive suddenly failed, and he actually took a few minutes to gather his thoughts before moving towards the reception area. On his way to the little boy, Xiaran's, room, he repeatedly questioned his motives about coming over. His queries led him to no absolute answer, however. And that fact alone was enough to drive the young assassin to a wall.
No sooner had he exited the building when a hand suddenly grabbed him and hauled him within the safety of the shadows. Quickly shifting to assassin mode, Syaoran made a grab for his gun, but stopped when a voice by his ear purred, "Lost, Syaoran?"
Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest, recognizing the voice even before seeing the actual speaker. "I told you to stop tailing me, Yue." He spat out harshly. Deep inside, though, he was aware that Yue's presence in the scene had nothing to do with the Capo's orders of having him followed.
The moonlight shifted, and suddenly, Yue was bathed in pale light, looking for all the world like a wraith. The assassin's expression was lost of its usual airy indifference, and was almost anxious. He shook his head at the other man. "You're resolve is weakening, Syaoran." Yue observed calmly, shaking his mane of long, silvery-white hair against the sudden breeze.
Syaoran's throat tightened at Yue's words. He knew, he KNEW that he was weakening, damnit! And the knowledge of it was torturing him. He forced himself to respond as unconcerned as possible, however. "What business is it of yours, then, if I am?" He retorted softly.
Yue sighed. "You told me yourself once, Syaoran. You won't make the same mistake twice. If you're not careful, you'll have another Rae Meilin in your hands. Don't say you haven't been warned."
And with that, the long-haired man turned and walked away, leaving Syaoran confused and alone in the deepening darkness.
TBC
FOOTNOTES:
In 'Maid in Manhattan', we can all see that J-Lo was allowed to bring her son a couple of times with her to work, provided that he doesn't move around all over the place. From what I've gathered throughout my course, this action is truly against hotel policies. I really don't give a shit, of course. ^-^
I'll be taking my practicum this summer, and about a week ago my batch was asked to attend a seminar of some sort. This is just one of the many things we were warned NOT to do while on training. (Can you just GUESS how OLD I am already?! ^-^)
I know I've already mentioned this little fact in previous chapters, but I'm going to say this again. Yue and Yukito in this fic are two separate entities. So don't be surprised.
For those readers who are somehow confused by this particularly strange conversation between Yamazaki and Eriol, the two are actually talking about Certrude. The poor French man is Eriol's 'dog'. Yamazaki wasn't aware that Certrude was Eriol's mission. Eriol's 'You're telling me' remark is supposed to give Yamazaki the message that he, too, doesn't have any idea how Certrude is connected with the Kinomoto case.
Three guesses as to who this is, people. * sigh * I am beginning to be soooo predictable in my plot, damn!!!