Agent08 Reporting for Duty!

Disclaimer: CCS is not mine, never will be. And although, I hate to admit it, neither will the characters. Farewell, beloved, Syaoran-kun! x)

"..." - talking
italic font - thoughts
- ... - - scene change/flashback/exaggerated words
(A/N: ...) - my interruptions

Now...on with chapter three!

Shocking Developments

"Sakura, Syaoran...listen,"

Sakura began to tremble in her arm chair. The way her Father was speaking was beginning to scare her. Sakura nodded stiffly. "Yes, Father. We are. Now please, tell me what this is all about?"

Touya nodded in agreement. "Yes, Father. I'd like to know also,"

Syaoran just stared at Fujitaka. He made no agreement to what Sakura and Touya had said. He just stared blankly at Fujitaka, wanting to know what he had to say next.

Yelan suddenly stepped up from behind Syaoran, and went beside Fujitaka. She held her hands together, as if to prevent them from shaking. You could almost see the sweat that was starting to appear on her forehead. Whatever the two of them had to say probably wasn't going to be very good news.

"Father," Sakura said in a quivering voice. "You're starting to scare me...please. Just tell us!"

Fujitaka nodded once more, and looked both Syaoran and Sakura square in the eyes. He opened his mouth, and was about to make his announcement...

Sakura watched as her father opened his mouth, and words began to form. What if what he had to say was something really bad? Life threatening?

"Sakura, Syaoran...I don't know how to say this, but...The both of you will have to live with each other...and ONLY you two...for six months,"

Sakura looked up at her father. No...it wasn't something really bad. No, it wasn't something life threatening...

It was worse.

"WHAT?" Sakura screamed, getting up from her chair. "WHY?" She looked at her dad for an explenation, but when he gave none, she turned to Yelan for an answer that her dad obviously couldn't give her.

"Those reasons will remain unknown, for the both of you," Yelan said. She looked alot more calm then she did just a while ago. Now, she looked quite stern, and she wasn't sweating anymore. It was as if she never even had that look of nervousness on her face just thirty seconds ago.

"Father...are you really going to let my sister live with that...that...that gaki!" Touya shrieked, stepping forwards.

Fujitaka scolded Touya once more. He would not tolerate any insulting at this moment. "Touya! Do NOT talk about Prince Syaoran like that! I've already told you that once!"

Touya nodded solemnly once again, and sighed. It looked as though it took him all his strength not to burst out and strangle Syaoran. "But Father...please, you cannot possibly let my sister stay with...him!"

"It's quite possible!"

Sakura walked up to Fujitaka, and looked at him with pleading eyes. The same pleading eyes she gave him whenever her father would make her do something she didn't want to do. "Father...please! Don't let me stay with him! For six months! Please!" She screamed, almost deafening the ears of her dad.

"Sakura! Settle down! We will discuss this in a calm, quiet manner. Agreed?"

Sakura nodded, and Yelan and Touya did also. Except, for Syaoran. He had been quite quiet during this whole conversation. But, not for long.

"Father, if you're actually going to force me to live with this man for six months, the least you could do is tell me why!"

Yelan and Fujitaka shook their heads. "We cannot do that," Yelan said. "Fujitaka, help me explain." she asked, looking to Fujitaka, who was staring at the floor now.

"W - w - well, you will find out sooner or later, but...not now. Until you have spent the full six months together, that will be the time we will tell you,"

Suddenly, jumping up from his chair, Syaoran burst out and yelled just as loud as Sakura. "BULLSHIT!" Everyone looked up at him with shocked mouths. Except for Sakura though. This wasn't the first time she had heard Syaoran swear. Although it probably was for everyone else in the room. "That's CRAP! I will NOT spend six months living with that GIRL!" he screamed, spit flying from his mouth.

Yelan stepped up, and tried to get him to sit down, but her attempts to get him to calm down were futile. "Xiao-Lang! You will not speak like that!"

"I'll speak how I want! And I'll do what I want! And what I want to do is to NOT have to live with that girl!"

Then Sakura walked up to him, and began to scream also. "I agree Father! I am NOT going to live with this spoiled brat!"

"Oh, if I'm a brat, that should make you a prissy girl!" Syaoran shot back.

Touya emerged from the back of the chair once again, and walked threateningly up towards Syaoran. "What'd you just say about my sister?" he asked, taking more steps towards Syaoran. Syaoran did the same, as if wanting to beat him up also, but Fujitaka broke them apart. "Boys! Boys! You will not hurt each other!"

"Father get out of the way! It's time for me to do what I've been wanting to do for the past twelve years!" Touya screamed, and tried to push his father out of the way.

"NO!" Fujitaka screamed. But no one seemed to have heard him. Touya and Syaoran were still trying to get past him, and at the same time, Syaoran was shooting insults at Sakura, who was doing the same in return. Yelan was trying her best to get his attention, by screaming in his face, but that only made things alot louder than they already were.

Fujitaka screamed with all his might. Maybe that would get their attention. "Everyone stop it!"

It worked. Sakura had stopped half-way into insulting Syaoran, Touya had frozen, his arms still in the air trying to punch Syaoran, and Syaoran's arms in the same position, and Yelan's mouth was hanging open. "Thank you! Now may we PLEASE discuss this in a calm, quiet manner!"

Sakura walked up to him. "Father, I'm sorry, but...please don't force me to live with him!"

"Yes, Father! I cannot possibly let my little sister stay with...him,"

"Enough! I do not care what either of you have to say! Sakura, Syaoran," he said, turning towards the both of them. "Either you agree, or the amount of months you will be staying with each other will be extended!"

At that, Syaoran and Sakura both shutup. Fujitaka continued. "And Touya! I did not raise you to insult the Prince of China! Apologize! And either you stop complaining also, or Syaoran and Sakura will suffer living with each other for two more months!"

Touya froze, and stood stiff. "I'm sorry, Prince. And, Father...if that is what you really want. Then yes, I give Sakura my blessing to live with...Prince Syaoran."

Fujitaka sighed. "Thank you! And how did you know we wanted you down here because of that?"

Touya shrugged. "I kind of figured it out,"

Sakura and Syaoran both walked up to their parents, and gave them pleading looks. When Yelan and Fujitaka both resisted to give in to their convincing eyes, Syaoran and Sakura both sighed heavily. "Oh well," Sakura began. "If that is the way it must be, then I will accept it. Tell me, Father. Will we be staying in our Summer Holiday Mansion?"

Syaoran joined in, "Or will we be staying at our Winter Holiday Castle?"

Yelan and Fujitaka exchanged nervous looks. "Uh - actually - you two will be staying in a..."

"In a what, Father?" Sakura asked curiously.

"A...a cottage,"

"WHAT?" Syaoran and Sakura screamed in unison. "A cottage? Why a cottage?" Syaoran asked.

"Well son," Yelan said. "Both you and Sakura have to learn something out of this experience. There are two lessons the both of you must learn. But the other cannot be revealed until after the sixth month, understand?"

The two nodded, and Yelan continued. "Well, the other reason is that Fujitaka and myself think that the both of you are...much too spoiled,"

"Spoiled?" They yelled, disbelieving looks on their faces, "How can we be spoiled? We most definitely are not!" Sakura said.

"Although I usually don't do this, I agree with the Princess!" Syaoran also said, joining into their conversation.

"Children, listen you yourselves! Did you not hear what mansions and castles the both of you live in when you were suggesting homes to stay in? And do you ever remember helping out in one single dinner that the maids or servants have prepared for you for twelve years? Or do you remember cleaning up your room once? Ever been given rags to wear like the people out in the streets, bless their souls? Do you?" Yelan spoke.

Syaoran and Sakura gave no reply. Instead, they seemed very interested in their feet at the moment, and began to twiddle their thumbs. They exchanged nervous looks to each other, and they both sighed quite heavily, to show a sign of defeat. "Fine," Sakura muttered under her breath. Syaoran did also, except you could barely hear him say "Very well" with the tone of voice he was using.

Sakura brightened up, and looked up at Fujitaka. "At least Kero will be there with me so I can have some company! I'd really need it - "

Fujitaka interrupted her half way into her sentence. "Ah...Sakura, did you not hear me before? You and Syaoran, and ONLY you and Syaoran will be staying with each other in that cottage," The edges of Sakura's mouth pointed downward, slowly forming into a frown. "Also," Fujitaka continued. "This cottage is far from the castle. It is very isolated, surrounded by many trees and such, so the neither of you will be disturbed during your stay there. But it's within walking distance of the village, in case you two need anything."

"The both of you will make meals by yourselves - it is a learning experience! (Fujitaka included, seeing the frown that came upon Syaoran's face.) And you will be cleaning and decorating your own home. There is a river very near to your cottage. That will be the place where you two will bathe, and wash your clothes, understood?"

Syoaran and Sakura nodded stiffly, and gave each other digusted looks. They were still processing the fact that they had to live with each other for six months inside their heads, but now they were given orders to down their own house work? That was too much.

"Mother, when will this...'move' be taken place?" Syaoran asked curiously.

"Two days from now," Yelan replied.

Sakura's eyes widened in the shape of two round coins. "Two days from now? Two days from now? Why must it take place so soon?"

"So soon?" Yelan asked. "It is to be held two days from now! That is long enough! If we had the choice, we'd march the both of you off to that cottage straight away! But, seeing as you need time to pack, that is the only reason there is a two day gap between now, and the time you will be moving in."

Sakura gave one last pleading look to her Father. When he gave no mercy to her, she turned to Yelan. Yelan did the same as her Father in return to her big puppy dog eyes. Finally, she turned to Touya...he possibly couldn't let her stay with Syaoran by herself for six months...and with house duties! But to her surprise, Touya stared at the wall solemnly. Obviously, he couldn't bare to see the pleading eyes of his little sister.

Sakura gave what sounded like a whimper, and trudged out the door to her bedroom, to begin packing. All through the way upstairs, she purposely stomped on the floor boards quite hard, to cause a racket of noise.

Living with the man she despised for half a year...hell itself couldn't be worse than that.

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And there it was. Hope you liked it. My sincere apologies once again if the setting/speaking/whatever else does not seem very realistic.

Wishing You A Safe and Enjoyable Christmas Holiday,
Agent08 - My life as a secret agent xD