Chapter 9: Ready To Go

Sakura and Syaoran just stared at Toya, who was standing at the kitchen door, his fury-struck eyes moving from Sakura back to Syaoran.
The silence was enough to frighten Sakura to death, so she spoke up quickly. "Uh, Toya, it's great to see you, um, when did you get back?"
Toya's eyes turned cold at Sakura's words as he replied in a dark voice, "I think the question is, when did Syaoran get back."
"Toya, I can explain, I-"
"No, Sakura, I think I've seen enough to explain everything." His angry eyes turned to Syaoran.
"Don't start yelling at him!" Sakura warned angrily. "You can't yell at him for something like this!"
"Yes I can!" Toya yelled, rounding on his sister. "Sakura, he's going to take you away from me, and I know it! That's ENOUGH reason!"
"I'm not a little girl anymore!!" Sakura screamed. "Ever since Syaoran came here, you hated him! When he changed, you STILL hated him! Leave him alone! And why can't you just leave ME alone?!"
Silence. Toya's eyes suddenly went from pure wrath to heartbreaking.
Sakura realised that she had said too much. "Toya, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"No, I understand," Toya said quietly, as he turned his back on them and walked out the room.
"Toya, wait!" Sakura put out an arm, but Syaoran stopped her, his head shaking.
"Let him go," he said softly. "He'll get over it."
Sakura shook her head sadly. "I doubt it, Syaoran.." She stared after her brother and sighed sombrely.
It was then that Meilin, Tomoyo and Eriol came down the stairs, peering into the kitchen curiously.
"What happened? We heard yelling," Tomoyo said, looking at the sorrowful look of Sakura's face and the regretting look on Syaoran's features.
"It was nothing," Sakura replied sullenly. "Just had an argument, that's all."
"And just when Toya came back?" Eriol questioned, his eyebrows raised. "I doubt it was just 'nothing'."
Meilin planted her fists on her hips and stared at Syaoran accusingly. "You did it, didn't you? And then Toya caught you doing it?"
Syaoran's cheeks burned up and he whispered out of the side of his mouth, "Not now, Meilin."
Meilin grinned and drummed her feet excitingly against the floor, Tomoyo and Eriol looking at Meilin's excitement and Syaoran's red cheeks with confusion.
"We're totally forgetting about the Cards," Sakura said suddenly. Eriol nodded agreement as the rest of them did.
"Sakura's right," Syaoran said, his red cheeks fading. "Our priority right now is the Cards."
"But Sakura," Meilin asked eagerly, "How are you going to get them back?"
"Search for them," Sakura replied. "Or maybe I won't even have to. Maybe they'll just appear like they did the last time."

**(go to next chapter for continuationà )**