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The Amber Eyed Gladiator: Forbidden Games

By: Sakuratenshi89

Chapter Four

Li Palace, China, 85 A.D.

Yelan entered the throne room, her skirts sweeping the floor. She stood tall and regally, despite the fact that her kingdom had recently surrendered to another. She stood in front of the messenger who was waiting for her in the middle of the room.

"Your Highness," he said and bowed deeply.

Yelan inclined her head slightly as a greeting. "I heard you had a message for me. You may speak."

"I have a message from someone you may know."

"Go on."

"Li Xiao Lang?"

Yelan breathed sharply. "Continue."

"He says to tell you to tell his sisters that he is fine and in good hands. No one should be worried for him. He is on his way to Japan. He says that yes he was captured, but all is well."

"Is that it?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Very well," said Yelan as she placed a few gold coins into his hand.

The messenger bowed and left the palace, following the guards out the door.

"What was that about Ma-ma?" asked Fanren curiously.

"It was a message from Xiao Lang," said Yelan, rubbing her temples. "He says that he is in good hands and not to worry."

Fanren beamed. "Well that is good isn't it?"

"I suppose, but I can't help but worry."

"You never really worried before?"

"I was not allowed to, for he was in training and needed to learn how to continue living without love from the ones he needs it from."

"What the Elders say is rubbish, love is what got him through all their training."

"I know that now," said Yelan tiredly. "I was not so wise back then as I am now. But it is too late, the one person I need to apologize to is gone and I don't know for how long. If only I had recognized my mistake earlier, this would never have occurred."

"You cannot change the past Ma-ma."

"I know, I know."

Journey Back to Japan, 85 A.D.

"Did you get done whatever you went to do?" asked Touya curiously as Syaoran walked back to his tent.

"Yes."

"Well, what did you go do?" pressed Touya.

"Send a message."

"What, of help?"

"No."

Touya nearly ripped out his hair. "Can you please answer me with more than just a 'yes' or a 'no' or something longer than just three words."

"I sent a message to my family," said Syaoran. "There are you happy now? That was seven words."

Touya groaned.

"Fine, I was telling my family not to worry about me and that I'm fine and in good hands."

"Oh."

"You're probably surprised that I considered you to be trustworthy huh?"

"Yeah, I am."

"I just figured I could trust you because you seem pretty honest," shrugged Syaoran. "I was raised to be a good judgment of character and I can read auras. Your aura tells me that you're honest and not trying to trick me into anything."

"You can really read all that from just my aura?" asked an amazed Touya.

"I was trained to do it."

"You're just full of surprises aren't you?"

"You have no idea."

"Well Syaoran," said Touya. "I just wanted to tell you that we will be reaching the ships tomorrow and we will set off towards Japan."

Syaoran shrugged, it didn't really matter to him as to where they were going.

"Sleep well, for we won't be making any stops tomorrow." And with that statement, Touya turned around to return to his tent for some rest before the journey tomorrow.

"I have a question," said Syaoran suddenly, making Touya stop in his tracks.

"Yes?"

"You never explained to me who this girl is that you were talking about before, you know, the one you called a kaijuu?" said Syaoran; he smirked, knowing that Touya had thought that he had forgotten that whole conversation. He really didn't know why the captain was so reluctant talking about her this girl.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I told you about my family, you should tell me about yours."

"Technically, you didn't tell me about your family, just you."

Syaoran scowled. "You said that you would tell me about this person after I told you why I came with you so willingly."

"Fine," sighed Touya, as he began speaking reluctantly. "She's my sister, Sakura. I was just thinking of her, she is sixteen right now and I suppose father would be holding a banquet for the suitors." He scowled at this. "I don't really approve of her marrying so early."

"Overprotective much?"

Touya growled. "Shut up Li. I'll bet that you have some siblings that you're overprotective of."

"True," said Syaoran. "But I don't control their lives, I just merely guide them."

Touya snickered. "Oh, is that the term for control freak today? A guide?"

"Whatever," said Syaoran, narrowing his eyes. "Just continue."

"I just hope that we get back in time before the banquet so I can scare away all the suitors, or that the kaijuu has already scared all of them away with her monster traits."

"Is your sister that ugly?"

"No," said Touya. "I wish she were though. Then she wouldn't attract men like bees to honey."

"Oh, so she's quite the opposite."

"Yeah."

"Is she like you in any way? Because that would be just plain scary," said Syaoran, shuddering at the thought of a girl who was exactly like Touya.

"She's my opposite. Though I wish she were like me, then I wouldn't have to make sure she'd never get married, because she wouldn't ever get married."

"Geez, you'd think that some people would be glad to get rid of their siblings," muttered Syaoran.

"Well not me."

"Why not?"

"Because she's my sister!"

"You don't own her."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Oh yeah? You wanna bet?"

"Listen Li," Touya sighed heavily. "Just drop it okay? You really wouldn't understand. It goes deeper than…just forget it."

"Fine."

Emperor's Palace, Tokyo, Japan, 85 A.D.

"So, Sakura, how was the ball?" asked Tomoyo eagerly. She wanted all the fine details of her cousin's night.

"It was…" said Sakura dramatically. "Awful."

"What?" gasped Tomoyo. "But whenever I looked at you, you seemed to be having the time of your life."

With that, Sakura started laughing. "The look on your face was priceless!"

"Sakura!!!" huffed Tomoyo. "That wasn't a very nice joke."

"Yeah it was," giggled Sakura.

"Now tell me the truth."

"All right," said Sakura. "It was awesome. I met the most wonderful man in the world."

"I told you he was a good man," said Tomoyo knowing that Sakura was speaking of Paul.

"You were right," she grudgingly admitted.

"When will you see him again?" asked Tomoyo.

"We're meeting tomorrow in the afternoon in the gardens. I found out that he is going to be staying in one of our guest houses."

"How interesting," said Tomoyo slyly. "Are you going to meet him in the gardens at midnight? Sneak outside for a little midnight rendezvous? That would be so romantic."

Sakura laughed nervously as she saw Tomoyo's starry-eyed look. "No, we aren't going to do anything like that."

"Yet," smirked Tomoyo.

"Ye…Tomoyo!!!!" Sakura turned beet red. "I don't even know the man that well!"

"I'll bet that he kissed you or you kissed him," said Tomoyo. "You did didn't you!"

Sakura turned an even darker shade of red if possible and muttered something that was too low pitched for Tomoyo to decipher.

"What was that?" asked Tomoyo, cupping her hands to her ears.

"He kissed me," mumbled Sakura.

"Where?"

"Why do you need to know this Tomoyo?" whined Sakura. "Geez, sometimes you're even worse than Touya!"

"I just want to know, I'm your best friend, and best friends tell each other everything."

"Fine," pouted Sakura. "He kissed me…"

"Don't keep me waiting!!! Where??? On the cheek, on the lips, on the neck!"

"Tomoyo!!!"

"Then talk!"

"Fine, he kissed me on the lips," Sakura blurted out finally.

"Oh, is that it?" asked Tomoyo, disappointed. "You guys didn't make out or anything right?"

"We just met for Kami's sake!" cried Sakura.

"It would have been terribly romantic," sighed Tomoyo. Her cousin's life was rather boring to her utter disappointment.

"What about you?"

"W-what about me?" stuttered Tomoyo.

"Your night yesterday at the banquet of course!"

"So?"

"How did it go?" asked Sakura, evilly.

"It's not really as exciting as yours or nearly as important as yours was," said Tomoyo nervously.

"Spill! I want details!"

"Okay then, fine, I got drunk and then ended up making out with some person in the gardens," confessed Tomoyo, turning bright red.

"Kami!" breathed Sakura, "Did anything happen? Oh Tomo-chan, you didn't sleep…"

"No, no!" cried Tomoyo, horrified. "I would've killed myself if I did, we kind of just passed out and fell on top of one another. I don't even remember who he is. I just left him there in the gardens because I woke up before he did. I couldn't face the embarrassment of confronting him."

"I'm sorry I asked Tomoyo," said Sakura as she hugged her cousin. "I didn't know."

"It's okay," said Tomoyo. "I needed to tell someone sooner or later and I'm glad it was you."

"You can trust me, I won't tell a single soul."

"I believe you, Saku."

"Lady Daidouji! I know you're in there!" yelled a voice from outside Sakura's door. "Open this door up, or I will knock it down!"

"Who is it?" asked Sakura in a frightened voice.

"Just open up this bloody door!"

"Don't Sakura," begged Tomoyo. "What if it's that man I got drunk with!"

"Well, we'll just have to see won't we," said Sakura bravely as she reached for the handle of her door and opened it.

A man with messy clothes fell through the doorway. He shifted his eyes from Sakura who was standing next to the door to the woman behind her, Tomoyo.

"You can't hide from me," he drawled. "I know you too well."

"Stop following me!" snapped Tomoyo. "Leave me alone, I'll call the guards if you don't!"

"Just hear me out!" he shouted with a certain note of desperation in his voice.

"No, why should I?" asked Tomoyo haughtily. "You've never given me a good reason before!"

"Because, it's for your own good!"

"Um…I hate to interrupt this lovely little um…reunion here, but Tomoyo, who is this man?" asked Sakura, who was confused and utterly lost.

"Uh…well…you see, he is…" began Tomoyo nervously.

"I'm her fiancé."

"WHAT????"

Aboard the Fune no Nadeshiko, 85 A.D.

Syaoran watched amusedly as some of the soldiers and generals, namely Yukito, turned a bit green. He was a little seasick himself, but was trained to not show it, for it would be a showing a sign of his weakness.

"Having fun out here?" asked Touya dryly.

"I think I've seen enough ocean to last me a lifetime."

"I know, but when you get to live on an island your whole entire life, you get used to it."

"Your men don't seem to be."

"I used to go out with my father everyday on a ship and just sail, try and see if we could catch anything," reminisced Touya.

"Isn't he the emperor?" asked a confused Syaoran.

"He was, is," corrected Touya.

"Then how would he have the time to take you sailing?"

"He always made time for me and my sister."

"Oh. Don't you have a mother?"

"She died when I was ten."

"Oh."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Didn't your father or mother ever take you out anywhere?"

"My father yes, but he died when I was five; my mother never had time for me, if she did, it was to scold me for something I didn't do good enough even though everyone else knew that no one could do it any better than I had."

"Not exactly the loving type huh?" asked Touya.

"No."

"For someone who was raised to terribly, you seem to have turned out just fine."

"I have four older sisters," said Syaoran flatly.

"Oh," Touya winced. "I can imagine the torture you went through."

"They were alright most of the time," recalled Syaoran. "At least they were there for me. Other times they were just plain as hell annoying."

"I have a younger sister, she can be like that too."

"But that's different, they don't go chasing you around the whole palace trying to dress you up or pinch your cheek saying 'Aw, isn't little brother so cute?'" grimaced Syaoran.

"True."

"I think you better go take care of your men," said Syaoran as he saw a few soldiers bend over the rail of the ship and clean out the contents of this morning's breakfast from their stomachs.

Touya turned a little green himself before saying, "I don't think so, they can take care of themselves, they're tough."

Syaoran shrugged, "Suit yourself."

"Hey captain!"

"Yes?" replied Touya.

"I don't think that General Yukito is feeling too well."

Touya rolled his eyes. "What now?"

"He's been throwing up non-stop."

Touya grimaced, "That's very nice to know."

"What should we do."

"Let's just hope it's the sea that is getting to him. Put him in bed and place a bowl next to him and stay with him for the night. I'll check up on him in the morning."

"Yes sir!" the soldier bowed and left.

"Excuse me," Touya whispered to Syaoran before running to the edge of the ship and leaning over the rail himself.

"You're very used to the ocean," smirked Syaoran.

"Be quiet," moaned Touya as he stood up straight before turning green again and leaning back over.

Syaoran wrinkled his nose in disgust as the smell reached his nose. This was going to be one long boat ride.

A/N: This chapter was about a thousand words shorter than my previous chapters. Yeah, I count, I know I'm weird, but I try and make my stories really long, I like 'em long. And by the way, Fune no Nadeshiko means Nadeshiko's ship. My Japanese grammar is really crappy, so if anyone knows how to really write it in Japanese, please tell me in your review!!!! Well the next chapter might take a bit longer to update!!!!

The Crystally Water: The story is SS and ET, don't worry, it'll all turn out fine in the end. And Paul's biography thingy will come in a later chapter; he's the heir to the Roman Empire and about the thing where Sakura thinks that she's met him before will come later too! Don't wanna ruin the story!!!