Disclaimer: It's there, bite me.

Notes: Okay, so this was ACTUALLY on time. I'm back on a schedule thanks to school starting again. And I actually rather like this chapter, one of my favourites. If you read carefully, you'll find out the reason why Sakura and the witch fought. It's in the 6th paragraph so I just made it literally impossible not to find. Please, as always, read and review.

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Chapter Five: Dangerous Electricity.

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"She's where?"

A cold, steel-like voice sharply cut through the darkened hall and the messenger began to shake. A figure descended from the shadows, feminie hips moving slowly, like a serpent. The woman came into the light, her black hair fanning out behind her and her coal black eyes sparkling menacingly "I am not pleased with this. Five hundred years as a tree should have taught her something...the better question is how she got out. I guess the little priestess has a bit more magic in her then I figured."

She stood up, her dress adjusting over her curves and she began to pace, "I'm going to have to do something."

The woman stopped and ran a lazy finger down the enraptured messenger's cheek, "Agree with me?"

The man nodded vigorously, wishing to please his mistress. Angering her was one of the last things anyone could ever do, he'd heard tales, frightening ones. The creature in front of him was immortal, with powers unlike anything seen before. But, his mistress had a frightening obsession with a girl named Sakura, and a little bit of magic that was cast upon the girl. A little magic, truly was an understatement, it was a legend in the magical community.

The tale was that his mistress had battled against a powerful mage that was prophesied to kill his mistress but she won and turned her into a tree. It was a bit like that ridiculously unrealistic story 'Sleeping Beauty'. The woman in front of him though, was no longer the once un-challenged powerful witch she had once been. She had been forced into refuge as decades passed, changing the world from what it once was. She was confused on how this one worked, no longer was magic practiced openly, and war fare was fought with weapons that spat fire.

"I've humoured this little game far to long; I'll cut down the tree myself."

The seductive figure went from beautiful to insane alarmingly fast. It started as a few chuckles, but soon she was cackling with laughter.

The messenger watched with fear. Whoever this legend was, she was in a lot of danger.

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A week had passed since Sakura had danced at the Li Estate and she and Li Xiao-Lang, better known as Syaoran-san to her, were seeing each other often, almost every day in fact. They had talked at the dinner, after he had saved her from a potentially embarrassing situation. Their conversations had led onto sword-combat, and of course, magic. He asked for her often, close to every-day, and Sakura was doing something rather dangerous and unusual. She was falling in love with the handsome heir.

It was amazing how quickly the seed had taken root. Every day the two learnt new things about one another, she told him stories and he sparred with her, proving to be the better and teaching her. It had seemed they were meant to find each other; fate had pushed two unlikely people together and forced them to have things in common. Sakura believed strongly in fate, and she hoped her fate lay where ever Syaoran's did.

In her other outings from the tree, she had been a street urchin, a powerful witch, an actress in a travelling show and a princess in another. But no matter how hard she had looked, she had never found the one who would free her from the curse. Had she finally found him? No, she didn't believe so, how could he love her? She was the lowest in the chain, a mere men's entertainer . . . a whore. She wasn't good enough for him, he was to perfect.

"Sakura?" a rich voice filtered through her thoughts. It was his voice. "Sakura, we're underneath that tree I wanted to show you."

She looked up and around, smiling, it really was a beautiful tree in bloom. "Oh Syaoran-san, It's beautiful!"

She looked at him, a small smile playing on his lips, "Sakura, I call you by your first name, call me by mine. I will have no more of this 'san' business."

Sakura bowed and threw her arms up in pure joy, "Syaoran, this has been the most fantastic of days. I'm so happy here; I don't overly want to go back to the house."

She grasped his hands and spun him round, his eyes showing that he thought she was crazy, but he spun with her anyway. They stopped and Syaoran sat down, leaning against her tree and she followed his lead and watched the fish dart about in the pond near them. The two sat in companionable silence until, "Don't go then."

She looked over at him, confused, "Pardon?"

Syaoran looked determined, a red blush appearing on his cheek, "I said, don't go. Stay here, I can take you away from that life, stay with me."

Sakura gasped, "But . . . you don't want me," she stumbled, standing up quickly, ". . . No, you don't want me to stay here. I am just a charity cause for you, and I thank you Syaoran and count you highly among men, but I don't want charity."

He shook his head and pulled her back, keeping a secure grip on her hands, "No, Sakura, I want you to stay!"

Sakura tried to wrestle away from his grip, she really did, but his eyes had such an intense pull. She looked away, "But . . . why?"

He dropped her hands and looked puzzled at the question for a moment, and then He put one finger under her chin, and forced her to look at him, "Just say yes, and I'll explain."

Sakura felt so in love at that moment, that all she could do was nod. He smiled, "Sakura, I want you to stay with me because . . ."

"Xiao-Lang, Sakura, please come inside!"

His mother's voice broke the electricity flowing between them, almost instantaneously and he stood, held out his hand and helped her up. "Later," He whispered and walked with her inside. He looked at his mother, almost glaring at her for breaking a moment. "Yes?" he said exasperatedly,

"Now, now dear. That is no way to talk in front of guests." She chided, and smiled at Sakura, "Dear, will you stay here? Xiao-Lang has grown at a little attached to you and it's quite a journey to get here."

Sakura smiled and bowed, "I am grateful for your hospitality, yes, I will stay."

"Good, that's excellent. Also, Xiao-Lang, a guest has arrived. Her name is Karella Longton; she comes from another country, from the British area, a small island perhaps."

A girl stepped out of the shadows, about his age, "It's a pleasure."

She had long raven hair that was twisted in a loose plait and reached the middle of her back. She was clothed in an elegant dress, a corset type top with off the shoulder sleeves, and a bell skirt. The dress itself was black with white adornments. Sakura wondered if she was uncomfortably warm in the April weather of Hong Kong. She had a feeling she recognized her, then it hit as her coal black eyes landed on Sakura, a smirk twitched at Karella's pretty features. Sakura couldn't believe it was her; she was dead, gone, dust in the wind, perhaps a reincarnation?

Then it hit Sakura just how old she would be turning. It would her five hundredth year, half a century as a tree. This was that horrid witch, coming to see the end of the spell, in which Sakura would die. Sakura felt overcome with shock and soon she felt the cold ground rushing up to meet her as she fell. Sakura didn't hit the ground though, but she was out cold. Syaoran quickly grabbed her before she hit the ground; he nodded politely to Karella and hurried away with Sakura bundled in his arms.

"I'm so sorry," Yelen began,

"It's alright, and those two truly are a cute couple." Karella was quick to interrupt, her voice dripping with lies.

"I'm afraid you have the wrong idea, Miss Longton. Perhaps in London that is how they do things, but not here in China. She's nothing more then a phase, a plaything." Yelen was quick and sharp with her reply.

Karella nodded, and smiled politely and looked around at the beautiful home. She reached up and touched paintings, stroked furniture and let her hand slide over the wood. "You do have a beautiful home; it is most grand compared to my own, especially the grand paintings. You don't see things like this in London." She said dreamily, looking at a portrait of the cherry blossom.

"It is a lovely painting. One of the loveliest in the house." Yelen's cool business-like tone seemed to trip for a moment.

Their conversation was cut short as Syaoran strode through the halls, doors slamming in his wake. He arrived and launched into a brief update on Sakura, "Mother, Sakura is sleeping in one of guest room. She is in no immediate danger and I expect her to stay for the evening. Who shall inform the House?"

"I shall." Yelen's cool tones didn't drop at all, not even in the presences of her son.

He nodded and went through the halls again, the almighty racket of doors slamming following his. Yelen turned back to Karella, "Miss Longton, you shall be staying on the third floor. Allow me to show you around."

And so Yelen showed Karella around the grand house, and after settling her in, dinner came but was a strictly private affair, for family and invited guests only. Sakura had awoken, and now, having been embraced in the Li family home, she was allowed to serve herself. And that evening, Sakura adopted the beautiful room she had rested in as her own. The time passed quickly, two days felt like two minutes to Sakura and Syaoran, growing ever close still, and the beautiful Karella not saying a word, content to paint and write.

Sakura was suspicious to say the least of Karella, and was frightened of her, steering clear of her as best she could. It was a week until her official five hundredth year but to Sakura, it felt like this truly was the end and it wasn't fair. Sakura could have honestly stomped her foot, she was falling in love with Syaoran, and although it could go no where, all she needed was one kiss. A small joining of lips, but there had to be love from both parties.

Sakura snorted, 'Like he'll ever take an interest.'

Sakura had also found out some rather interesting things in these two days, on the night of her final trip back to tree-land, there was going to be a ball. Sakura did love balls, and there was a dress code as well, western. She had seen the beautiful dresses that Karella had been wearing about the place, and was desperately hoping Syaoran would ask her.

She softly laughed to herself, thinking it was most defiantly nice to dream.

She heard footsteps as she leaned against her tree, her eyes closed, thinking. She heard a soft thump as someone sat next to her, she could never imagine who. She cracked open an eye and smiled softly, "Good afternoon Syaoran."

He nodded to her, showing he'd heard, and then he began to fiddle with some of the tufts of grass, "Uh, Sakura? I know this is forward, and slightly out of the blue but. . ." She heard him take in a deep breath, she nodded him on, and he proved he would need that breath as he said it all in one breath "wouldyoucometotheballwithme?"

She sat up, and widened her eyes. Sakura had defiantly got the gist of the sentence and her mouth came from her soft smile to a wide grin, and she threw her arms around him as best she could, "I'd love to Syaoran!"

He smiled but he didn't hug her back, "I had a feeling you might like to go and I hadn't gotten a date and there were a few men in the kitchens talking . . ."

He dropped the sentence, his eyes twitching slightly as he fell silent for the next few minutes. Syaoran regained his composure and stood to leave, "I'll get you a dress. See you tonight Sakura."

She knew what that meant, training, she shivered with joy. The gleam of the sweat on his muscles, his dark eyebrows knitted together in concentration and he was quite often shirtless. Yes, training time was defiantly her favourite time.

Sakura flopped back onto the grass; her smile growing wider still as the stars beginning to show in the twilight, 'Today has been an interesting day.'

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Half an hour after dinner and about two hours after we left our heroine, she entered the gym. A loose pair of pants and an old top of Meiling's, a little on the baggy side for Sakura's lithe frame, but it would do. Syaoran had promised hand-to-hand combat, Sakura's hidden specialty. She strode out onto the woven mats, and there stood Syaoran, shirtless and obviously not thinking she knew what she was doing.

Syaoran's first mistake of many that evening.

They bowed, and crouched into a fighting position, then sprang at one another, battle cries sounding. There was a flurry of action, to difficult for an un-trained eye to see or even to guess who was winning. No one was, the skills were evenly matched, and Syaoran's chest was going to be a rainbow of colours the next day. Sakura attempted to aim a very well placed kick to the mid section, but Syaoran caught her leg and threw her down, pinning her.

She rolled him over, till she was on top of him. "You're ok for a girl." wheezed Syaoran. She grinned and suddenly, it was as if the electricity sparked again and nothing could be heard except each other's heavy breathing. Nothing mattered for these two except the locking of chocolate and emerald. Slowly Syaoran began to lean up and Sakura closed her eyes, letting the magnetic forces pull her towards those beautiful lips.

"SYAORAN?!"A shocked sound voice came from the doorway; Sakura was yanked off Syaoran by a pair of strong hands.

"Where the HELL are you taking her? SAKURA!! GET AWAY!" Syaoran's voice rang through her ears, but she kept eyes shut as tight as possible.

And soon, all went black as she felt a twist of a finger near her neck.

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What certain things mean. . .

Bold = usually means that someone is angry, shocked and is shouting. I don't like it all in caps, so I use bold instead. Or it's used to emphasize things. You be the judge.

Italics = Characters thoughts and my starting and ending notes.

------ = Change of scene, start of scene, etc.