Agent08 Reporting for Duty!

Disclaimer: I don't own zilch! The plot is mine and that's basically it. OH YEAH, and Sophie :).

"..." - talking
italic font - thoughts/exaggerated words
- ... - - scene change/flashback

Now...on with chapter seven!

Meeting Sophie

It had been exactly just one day since Sakura and Syaoran had gone hunting. It was quite early in the morning, and Sakura awoke with a grunt, and a bandaged wrist. She scrunched up her nose, and rubbed her eyes, and although she would usually have a smile on her face in the morning, she had on a frown.

"Grr..." Sakura growled.

She got up from bed, and saw that Syaoran wasn't in his. She slowly walked up to his bed, and kicked it furiously, and earned nothing but a huge pain in her toe. She gave out a painful cry, and limped all the way into the bathroom, stopping at one part of the hall, and kicking it with her other foot, just not as hard.

After she had gone to the bathroom, she walked back into her bedroom and changed into proper home clothing. Then she walked into the kitchen where she saw Syaoran with a tired look on his face, and a bandaged arm cooking breakfast. Syaoran heard her come in, and smiled weakly at her. "Good morning," he said very cautiously, afraid that if he said anything wrong, Sakura would blow into a million pieces.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Sakura growled, walking up to him and kicking him in the shins.

"OW!" Syaoran shrieked in reply, and rubbed his shin feverishly hoping the pain would go away. "Do you have to do that every morning? I said I was sorry!" Syaoran said, his face scrunched up making everything look wrinkly.

"YES, I have to do that every morning! It's all your fault that my wrist is like this! You're just lucky that our parents allowed us to go back to the castle incase of any emergency!" Sakura replied angrily stomping her way to her seat. Apparently it seemed as though when she was kicking Syaoran's bed and the wall, she was practicing for when she approached the real thing.

"Kinomoto, I'm already making breakfast, lunch, dinner, your bed, and cleaning the house for the next three days! Don't you think that that's enough for you to forgive me?"

Sakura snorted and stuck her nose up high in the air. "No, Sir! The only reason you're doing all that is because your Mother forced you to! Just like she forced us to live with each other! If she hadn't told you to do all this, you probably would let me do everything even if I had a bandaged wrist! Also because this Poison Ivy stuff will wear off in those amount of days," Sakura finished, sticking her nose out of the air to smell the eggs. "Mmm..." she breathed.

"Hey! I have much more damage done to me than you! Why should my mother let you do nothing while I'm here doing all the dirty work?"

"Well after you almost scared me to death, your mother and I seemed to think you deserved it."

Syaoran sighed heavily and continued making the breakfast. He knew he was never going to convince Sakura to get her to forgive him. Why did he care so much in the first place? He didn't seem to know. There was a weird feeling in Syaoran's stomach, ever since he had accidentally planted the Poison Ivy onto Sakura's wrist. It had started in his chest, and dived down, deep into his stomach, throbbing wildly everytime Sakura shot him an angry look from across the room. Maybe it was fear? Or a different feeling that Syaoran didn't want to identify?

He looked at Sakura from where he was standing, and studied her posture. She was sitting upright on the kitchen chair, trying to get an even greater whiff of the eggs than she had sniffed last time. Syaoran would've laughed because she looked so funny. The way her nose scrunched up, and the way her nostrels went small when she tried to smell the eggs again. But he didnt. If Sakura even heard the tiniest giggle erupt from Syaoran's mouth, she'd smack his arm as hard as she could, and probably start yelling at him at how he shouldn't be laughing since they both had Poison Ivy.

"Well..." Syaoran began, serving the now finished and boiled egg onto Sakura's plate, "Your father and my mother seem to think that we can't accomplish very much if we have our arms and wrists the way they are...So, they're sending over some hired help,"

Sakura shrivelled around to face him, and put on a confused look. "What do you mean, 'we'?" she asked. "You're the one that'll be doing all the house work for the next three days. You don't need any help!"

"Yes I do!" Syaoran protested, taking a seat across from Sakura. "Why do you care anyway? You're not the one that'll be doing any house work. Don't you think I deserve just a little bit of help?"

Almost choking on one of her eggs, Sakura burst into a fit of laughter, rocking back and forth on her chair. "Yeah, right!" she said, finally gaining control of herself. "It's all your fault we're like this anyway. You should pay for your own crimes," Sakura stated.

Syaoran glared at her, and walked into the kitchen area. He leaned on one side of the table, and folded his arms. "Hmmm," he grumbled with an annoyed look on his face. " 'Pay for your own crimes...' hmph. Whoever said getting the Princess of Japan's wrist covered in Poison Ivy was a crime must've been really full of themselves,"

Then there was a knock on the door. Both Syaoran and Sakura walked into thel living room area, where the only door into the cottage was. Before answering the door, they both starerd at each other, as if waiting for the other to open it. "Well?" Sakura said, lifting one eyebrow. "Answer it!"

Syaoran raised an eyebrow also. "Why should I? I shouldn't - "

He was interrupted by Sakura's wrist, waving infront of his face. He understood Sakura's point, but he still didn't want to do something for Sakura that was so simple that a five year old could do. They both glared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, when all of a sudden, a woman's voice was heard from the other side of the door.

"Hello...?" the woman said. "Is this the Princess Kinomoto and Prince Li residence?"

With one last glare, Syaoran opened the door only to see before him a beautiful young lady that seemed to be the same age has Sakura. She had wavy blonde hair that reached her shoulders, and stunning forget-me-not blue eyes. She was holding a brown basket in her arms, and was wearing a beige corsette top, and a skirt that was slightly lighter than her top. She also had on a broad smile which showed the whitest teeth, and rosy pink lipstick...the kind that Sakura wore.

Unable to speak in the prescense of such beauty, Syaoran stared at her, wide eyed, and jaw dropped. The only response the young lady had for Syaoran was just to plaster the smile on even wider, and stand there, holding the brown basket firmly in her arms. Sakura however, had a much different response to her smile (which she thought was fake) than Syaoran.

"Who the heck are you?" Sakura asked angrily. She had absolutely no idea why she was so angry, but the way Syaoran was staring at the young beauty got Sakura up to boiling point.

Amazingly, as though the young girl's smile could never falter, she widened her grin, even though Sakura had used such rude words infront of her. "I'm Sophie!" She said cheerfully. "I was the one sent from your father, King Kinomoto, and your mother, Queen Li, as hired help!" she said, nodding to both Syaoran and Sakura.

By this time, Sakura had managed to get Syaoran to stop staring so rudely, and begin to start acting like his weird self again. "I - I - I'm Syaoran," Syaoran spluttered, sticking his hand out. The young lady, of whose name she said was Sophie, took it generously, and shook it gently. "Hello Mr. Li!" she greeted.

Sakura had a scowl on her face, and had her arms folded across her chest. She was biting her lip for some apparent reason, and said, "I'm Sakura," she said quite rudely.

Syaoran, obviously very glad that they had such beautiful hired help, pushed Sakura aside, as if she were a piece of furniture, and took Sophie's hand, guiding her into the living room. Sakura, after just being pushed, had her jaw almost reaching down to the floor. She had never seen Syaoran act in such a way infront of a woman like that. He's never pushed her either...not since they were five years old. But she didn't care about that. They were really young. Immaturity had gotten the best of them...but pushing her now! Just to invite that girl inside their cottage? Sakura was absolutely furious about that.

By the time Sakura had reached the sofa on which Syaoran and Sophie were sitting on, Sophie had opened the brown basket, revealing home-made sandwhiches, fruits, cooking ingredients, and house work tools. She was also talking to Syaoran in a mannered way, smiling. No matter what comment was made, she kept a smile on.

"Tell me about yourself!" Syaoran began, looking like a six year old boy getting ready to open up a brand new birthday present.

Sophie switched from a "I'm so happy to be here!" kind of smile, to a "Aww, I'm too shy." kind of smile. But she talked about herself nonetheless, and put on a new smile. A smile that looked like "Aww, I'm too shy, but I love talking about myself, anyway!" Heck, she had so many different kinds of smiles than Sakura did shoes!

Sakura watched the two chatter away, looking happy. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel jealous. The way Sophie's blonde hair whipped the other way whenever she turned her head...the way she never, ever stopped smiling. Sakura just couldn't take it anymore! Syaoran was listening to her, as if he was so fascinated about all the things she had to say...but Sakura knew him better than that. He loved they way she looked...and she didn't blame him either. Sophie was a sight to see! But anyone that looked closely enough could see the true beauty sitting in the living room...the one sitting silently, watching the others...the true beauty feeling jealous and angry at the same time.

Not being able to bare anymore smiles so bright that it could blind someone, Sakura made her way out of the living room, and went into the kitchen, which was where she continued to fume.

Sakura didn't like that Sophie girl at all! She had no idea why though...maybe it was her fake smiles. Her cheerful comments? Whatever it was, Sakura hated it. Even though she only met Sophie a few minutes ago, and only new her first name, Sakura still hated her. She could see right through her fake smiles and cheerful comments. Really! No one smiled that much, and actually meant it. No way!

Basically, if you add up way too cheerful comments, and smiles that never, ever fade, you get one angry Sakura, and Sophie. Actually, a better way to say that would be Sophie plus Sakura, equals to Sophie just being Sophie, and Sakura, hating Sophie. Yup. That summed it all up.

Sakura hated Sophie.

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Flames don't set me on fire. Feel free to insult my story! HAHA.

Signing Off,
Agent08 - My life as a secret agent xD