SORRY I'VE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG! I had midterms AND the flu! But
now I'm on Spring Break, so I promise to update more frequently. Enjoy!
Previously on Queen of Clubs:
After a while of watching Sakura, Syaoran began to feel his own head grow tired. Letting out a last yawn, he closed his eyes not to open them again until the next morning.
Chapter 11 – Man Talk
Syaoran woke up with a start from a bright flash of light hitting his eyes. After finally being able to focus his sight, Syaoran found his oh-so-devilish cousin Meilin taking pictures of him as he slept. He growled in a most-unpleasant manner and was about to swat the camera out of Meilin's hand when he felt something heavy rest of his left shoulder. He quickly turned his head to find out what was holding him back from attacking his cousin when he saw a tightly-sleeping Sakura rest her head on his shoulder.
Unable to move or utter another sound, Syaoran sat and gaped at the sight of the sleeping inductee. Seeing another flash, he looked back and glared at the giggling Meilin.
"Someone's getting cozy," Meilin laughed out, snapping even more pictures of the couple. Hearing Meilin's naturally-loud voice made Sakura slowly wake from her slumber. As she leisurely opened her eyes, she noticed a madly-blushing Syaoran look at her in desperation.
"Hoee!" Sakura screamed, jumping away from Syaoran as if he was the embodiment of all evil. Meilin broke out into a fit of laughter. Syaoran lightly frowned when he saw her move to the opposite end of the couch.
"Sorry to have spoiled the moment," Meilin said between giggles, "but it's nearly 12 in the afternoon and I thought that it would be best to wake Sakura up so that she could finish her work. All of the members of our society are returning tomorrow morning, so the rooms have to be done by tonight."
Sakura sat huddled at the other end of the couch, trying her best to cool off her bright-red face. She nodded and stammered out, "T-thank you, Meilin. I'll get right to work."
Meilin then turned to Syaoran, "And I had to wake you up because Uncle wants to see you. I told him about Sirota stealing the picture and he said that he would like to discuss something with you concerning the situation."
The mention of Sirota's name immediately wiped away the embarrassed blushes of Sakura and Syaoran, reminding them of the previous night's events. Syaoran's face hardened in its expression and he replied in a most serious tone, "I have something to discuss with him as well…"
He then stood up from the couch and left the room without saying another word. Meilin followed her brooding cousin, giving Sakura a playful wink before leaving her to her thoughts. Sakura watched Syaoran's retreating form with a rosy tint coloring her cheeks. 'I can't believe I fell asleep on him! And I can't believe he let me…' Sakura blushed even more when she realized that she had just woken up from the best sleep that she's had in years.
"Oh, what nonsense! I shouldn't be thinking like that! There is no way he would ever like me!" Sakura tried to rationalize with herself. 'He's much too arrogant to involve himself with a plain girl like me…' she thought with a hint of sadness.
Shaking her head free from thoughts of Syaoran, Sakura decided to have some breakfast and begin her last day of the task. She knew she had a long day ahead of her. 'I only hope I'll be able to finish all the rooms today…' she thought as she walked to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Syaoran made his way to the upper level of Clubs Castle to speak with his uncle (after finally being able to get away from the teasing and nagging Meilin). Though he tried to focus on the matter at hand – Sirota – he simply could not get the image of the sleeping Sakura from his mind. A blush once again found its way to his cheeks.
'Maybe I really CAN make her warm up to me… She seemed pretty comfortable leaning on my shoulder…' Habitually, he smirked and decided that he could always bring up this morning to tease her. He liked the idea of making Sakura squirm, but he also like the idea of Sakura being comfortable with him. He admitted that he couldn't remember the last time he slept so contentedly.
He let out a sigh, but this time it was not a sigh of desperation, irritation, or loneliness. He let out a sigh of final acceptance. 'I know I like her… And I know exactly what I have to do to make her mine. But first things first…'
He stopped in front of a set of large mahogany doors and loudly knocked. After a few moments the doors opened and revealed the figure of a tall, well-dressed man with sleek, long hair tied up in a loose ponytail.
Recognizing his nephew Syaoran, the man opened the doors even wider and gave him a warm smile. Deep indigo eyes sparked behind the glasses that the man wore. "I'm pleased to see you, Syaoran," he greeted, motioning for Syaoran to step inside.
Syaoran entered the large living room of his uncle. "You too, uncle. I heard that you wished to speak to me?" Clow Reed nodded in reply as he closed the door behind him and Syaoran.
"Yes," he finally said, while adjusting the glasses on his nose and walking over to an enormous plush red chair that vaguely resembled a throne, "Meilin has informed me of the trouble Sirota has been causing to one of the new inductees. I wanted to ask you what you planned on doing about the situation."
"Ah," said Syaoran as he sat down in a brown lounging chair that faced Clow's red throne. When the two gentlemen were finally settled in their seats, Clow Reed took a few moments to study the face of his nephew. A small smile formed on his lips for he noticed that Syaoran's eyes betrayed the look of earnest concern.
No longer being able to stand the staring, Syaoran decided to break the silence. "Sirota tried to force himself on Sak - I mean… Miss Kinomoto last night. Luckily, I was around to prevent him from causing her any harm. However, I have serious reasons to believe that he will not stop or regulate his behavior."
Clow listened to Syaoran with the utmost attention, frowning when he heard that Sirota is beginning to show signs of forcefulness. Knowing that he has his uncle's attention, Syaoran continued to voice his anxieties.
"I fear that Sirota will become angry or violent. I don't think it is wise or safe to keep him in the same house as Miss Kinomoto."
Clow slowly nodded, "I see… I think you are right – it would be unwise to keep Sirota so close to the object of his apparent obsession. Then you propose removing the said Miss Kinomoto?"
Syaoran stammered. He didn't mean that at all. Of course he didn't want Sakura to be moved from the castle! He wanted Sirota to be moved! Clow took notice of the way Syaoran was momentarily flabbergasted and smiled. 'My boy seems to have finally found someone to his liking…'
Regaining some of his composure, Syaoran began to speak, "No… I do not think we should remove Miss Kinomoto. If she is not in the castle, we will not be able to keep an eye on her safety." 'There,' he though, 'That's a good reason! Uncle will buy it…'
Clow Reed nodded. "But then how do you plan on keeping Sirota away from her? You yourself said that you don't think it safe to keep the two in the same house."
Syaoran hesitated. 'If I tell him I want to move Sirota, he will most likely disagree. Sirota is much too important to us right now… But I don't see another way.'
"I want to remove Sirota," Syaoran finally stated in a calm and resolved voice. A silence filled the room. Clow Reed was comfortably sitting in his plush, red chair, watching Syaoran begin to squirm under his piercing gaze.
"Impossible. Sirota is much too important to us right now," Clow said in the same resolved manner. 'Knew it,' thought Syaoran. But this King wasn't about to give up without a fight.
"I know that his position in the peace talks is important to The Clubs, but I don't think we should put that before the safety and well-being of our members." Syaoran's amber eyes stared into Clow's with a hint of defiance and his uncle immediately understood that no matter what, Syaoran would get his way.
"Alright…" Clow said slowly, "I can see that this is a subject you will not let go off. But I hope you understand the consequences that could arise from the removal of Sirota." Syaoran nodded in apprehension.
"In that case," Clow continued, "I want you to wait." Syaoran was about to open his mouth in protest but Clow cut him off with raising his hand in a gesture to stop him. "The situation is tricky. I want you to wait until Sirota does something bad enough to kick him out of our society. This will also give us some time to take the necessary precautions. I will contact Eriol and relate to him our situation. Hopefully he can alert the Ace of Hearts in England and convince him to join our side in case China will decide to break off the peace talks due to the absence of Sirota."
Syaoran listened to his uncle and decided that he was most likely right. If he is to kick out Sirota, it is important to make sure that his part of the society still has the upper hand. He nodded to show his agreement with Clow's ideas.
Clow continued, "I will also contact our ambassador in America. Hopefully he can convince the Ace of Diamonds to become our ally as well. If Sirota will do something to put Miss Kinomoto in danger, I want the leaders of the other suits to be prepared for the breach of our peace talks with the Spades of China."
Syaoran nodded once again. "And one more thing," Clow then said in conclusion, "I wish to meet Miss Kinomoto."
At this Syaoran stared at his uncle in pure shock. "W-what?" 'Uncle never associates with people from the lower ranks!'
Clow Reed smiled at the reaction of his nephew. "I wish to meet the girl that is causing all this trouble for our society," he said with a smirk and then added, "But I suppose I COULD just wait until you make her Queen…"
Now Syaoran was simply stunned. "What? H-how did you - ?" He tried his best to find the right words to question his uncle, but found himself tongue-tied. 'It's as if he can read minds! How did he know that I plan to make Sakura the Queen?'
Clow Reed gave out a quiet chuckle. "You wouldn't go through all this trouble just for anybody. It is clear to me that you took a fancy to the girl. I am glad. Your mother will be happy that you found a girl suitable to your tastes. I only hope she is worthy of the position."
Syaoran took a few moments to compose himself, but could not prevent himself from blushing at the mention of Sakura. "She is worthy, I assure you…" Syaoran mumbled out, trying to hide his red cheeks.
"In that case, I'd like to meet her as soon as possible. This girl must truly be something if she can endanger the peaceful future of The Deck AND conquer the heart of Syaoran Li in less than a week." Clow let out a hearty laugh while Syaoran turned a deeper shade of crimson.
"Although," Clow said with a hint of mischief, "I must admit that Meilin has been kind enough to inform me of all your interactions with this inductee. Therefore, I'm not too surprised to find out that you would like a girl like Miss Kinomoto as your Queen."
'That Meilin!' thought Syaoran, 'I'll get her for setting me up like this!'
While The Ace and The King where thus spending time talking, Sirota paced his room in disquietude. His bedchamber was in complete disarray – his bed was unmade, shattered glass glimmered on the floor, and pieces of paper and books were flying around the space. It looked as if a whirlwind came raging through the room. Even pieces of furniture were knocked over on the floor, creating such a mess that it was almost impossible to walk through the room without getting hurt.
Sirota paced like a wild beast, every once in a while picking up an object – such as a vase or a chair – and throwing it at the wall or at the floor while letting out an animalistic cry.
"WHY!" he screamed, "Why will that damned Li not let me have her!" Sirota picked up a heavy volume of 'Shakespeare's Complete Works' and tossed it at the wall, causing a loud thud to echo through his room.
He clenched his teeth and growled. 'I don't care if he likes her, too! I saw her first! She is mine!' "She's MINE!" he yelled, picked up a glass statuette and threw it at his window, shattering both the glass and the statuette.
"And how DARE she say 'No' to me!" he roared, picking up the same book of Shakespeare and throwing it at his door, causing a small dent to form in the wood.
He stood there, in the middle of his wrecked room, and breathed heavily. His hands were clenched into tight fists as he swore to himself, "She will be mine. Whether you like it, Li, or not. Whether SHE likes it or not. She WILL be mine."
Outside Sirota's door, a frightened Meilin stood and listened to him rage. She came to his door after first hearing a crash and eavesdropped ever since. 'This is definitely not good,' she thought, 'I should alert Syaoran. Sakura might end up seriously hurt.'
Finally dragging herself away from the madman's door, Meilin ran towards the stairs that led to the upper level. 'I hope Syaoran is still with Uncle. Both of them need to hear this…'