Disclaimer: Card Captor Sakura is strictly property of CLAMP.

So… about the late update… I have an excuse! It's kind of the same as every last excuse I've had… except this time it's about tennis! I just recently have been made captain of my team, and am, thus, extremely busy.

Still, I know that the quality of my work has gone down just a little… xP even with all this extra time I'm taking. Sorry! I'm trying my best! I hope you can enjoy the chapter anyway! I made it a little longer than usual… to kind of make up for my slack. Sorry!

One last important announcement. This story is this close to being finished… I know I haven't given much warning, but either this chapter, the next, or the one after that will be the ending… sad, I know! But a Christmas special is being thrown your way afterwards so keep your eyes peeled and REVIEW!

Ice Queen

Chapter Thirty-Six

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"You look beautiful tonight, Sakura-san," Shinichi smiled charmingly as she stepped quietly down the stairs.

She held in a sarcastic laugh because of Yelan-sama and Yukito's presence, and merely settled for a, "Oh. I'm sorry I couldn't be beautiful all the time then." This, of course, only caused the young Li clan member to chuckle to himself with good humor, which, of course, caused Sakura to be even more infuriated. But, more because of Yelan's presence than Yukito, she held in her cold remarks.

Sakura didn't know why, but she really respected the regal, Chinese woman. The woman had such an incredible… air surrounding her. It wasn't cold or detached like Sakura's aura was, but more… dare she say… royal?

"Excuse me for being late," Sakura bowed her head at the two sitting at the head of the table and, ignoring Shinichi's pre-offered hand, walked directly to the table, taking one of the only two empty seats… which were conveniently right next to each other. She had a hateful suspicion that the other belonged to a certain cocky Li… and she was correct.

To be perfectly honest, the dinner was completely and utterly… boring. Sakura nearly fell asleep as the sushi was served… and nearly mistook the washbowl for her soup.

"Excuse me for asking… but is there a special occasion, for which both Yukito and I have the delight (she stepped on Shinichi's foot) of your presence at dinner?" Sakura turned to Yelan.

Yelan turned to Yukito, surprised, but the silver-haired snow bunny merely smiled. "Well, I suppose I forgot to inform you about the dinner, but, I have told you about the upcoming wedding, I'm sure."

Sakura cursed under her breath, realizing that it was a setup, but Yelan seemed to catch a few of her… words, and looked at her sharply. She immediately looked down into her lap, but she could have sworn she saw the woman turn at the last second to hide her laugh behind her napkin.

"Must. Have. Slipped. My. Mind." She forced out, her teeth clenched tightly together. "And when was the wedding planned, again?"

The four sisters, Feimei, Fanren, Fuutie, and Shiefa all stared at her as if she had grown another head.

Sakura sighed, "It's tomorrow morning, isn't it?"

They all nodded at once.

"Well then, if you'll please excuse me…" she stood. "Yukito, give me the keys to Syaoran's room."

All the Li family members turned to stare at both Yukito and Sakura as she said a name so foreign and yet… familiar to them. It was, after all, a name written in their native language.

"There won't be much to see there, you should go get some rest," but even as he said this, he handed her a ring of keys. "Do you still remember where it is?"

Sakura nodded stiffly before leaving. The truth was, there was no way she could forget. She had been thinking about Syaoran every moment… ever second of her passing days. Still, she was surprised that Yukito had just given the keys to her. Filled with suspicion, she grasped the keys in her hands firmly and ran over to the building adjacent to the one they were eating in.

"Damn… I should have asked which key it was…" her fingers felt cold as she fumbled with the lock. "Which one of these fu-" The door swung open.

It… it hadn't been locked at all?

She didn't even have to look in. She could feel it… the coldness… it was seeping back in…

"You!" her voice dripped with venom as she pointed at a poor maid. "Go bring Yukito here to me immediately."

The small, blond creature cowered in the corner, unable to move… frozen by Sakura's icy stare. "T-Tsukishiro-sama said that…"

Her emerald eyes fixed upon the girl's blue ones. They no longer sparkled, but were dull… detached… frozen over. She took one cold, echoing step towards the servant and the maid bolted, shrieking "Tsukishiro-sama" the entire way.

"You shouldn't have done that… Yukito has already retired and is sleeping… something you should be doing as well," Shinichi drew out from behind one of the large pillars in the hallway. "He probably won't be coming… and that poor maid will be distraught."

It was dark in the room, and it wasn't until he stepped into the light that he noticed how oddly frightening the Kinomoto heiress looked… how with each inch he moved closer to her… it became just a little bit more… chilly.

"You. Li… you're the one they expect me to marry?" The sarcasm in her voice was ever so sincere… "Very well. A deal is a deal. I warn you, however, this marriage won't be in the least romantic… it'll be a business deal… a contract. I am well aware of the Li family assets… their numbers are quite large, perhaps that is why-"

Sakura's entire body shook. "Perhaps that is why…" Her mind was clouded and broken. At the very least, she would have liked to see Syaoran again… is what her heart said. Her mind screamed that she lived for seventeen years without him… and could manage just fine.

"Sakura-san… are you alright?" but even so, he was… scared of her… didn't want to draw near to her…

All of this, Sakura took note. The only one who had ever tried to draw near to her… who hadn't been with her since the beginning… was Syaoran. But then, why would even he try to make that extra effort? She would be doing him a favor by cutting all ties with him.

"Leave. Go to your guestrooms… whatever. Leave," her voice was commanding, and she strode boldly past him, not even casting him a second glance. "You disgust me."

Shinichi said nothing to stop her.

"Sakura-chan! Up! GET UP!" Tomoyo screeched into her best friend's ear. "How could you possibly sleeping on a day like this!"

Rolling her emerald eyes impatiently, Sakura sat up in bed, still not fully awake, "On a day like what? You're even louder and more perky than usual… and that is saying a lot."

Usually, Tomoyo would have been offended by such a comment, and a cute pout would normally be present on her face. But today, it was different. Instead of the tiny frown, it was a wide… wide gape of horror. "On a day like what! Have you lost your mind? Today is the day you're getting married."

Sakura blinked. "Oh. I see."

"Oh you see? Oh you see! Have you lost your mind? This is supposed to be a-"

"Since when have I acted like normal people are supposed to act?" she stared at her friend coolly. "If it's okay with you, I'd really rather be alone for a little bit."

Suddenly quiet, Tomoyo merely rubbed her friend's shoulder comfortingly, "I'm afraid I can't, Sakura-chan. I'm here to get you ready."

She sighed and hung her head in defeat. Sakura allowed herself to be dressed and pampered like a doll… a very cold, numb doll. When the deed was done and she was staring at herself in the mirror, she should have been amazed. Utterly, completely, flabbergasted. But she wasn't. Yes, she realized that she was beautiful… that she had never looked better. But what did it matter? She had other plans for that afternoon.

"It's very nice, Tomoyo-chan," her voice was deadpan, but she at least made an effort to make her friend feel better. "Thank you very much… can I have just a little alone time? I know that the wedding is downstairs, in the right wing… it'll start in fifteen minutes… can I have fifteen minutes to myself?"

Hesitantly, Tomoyo nodded. Giving the auburn-haired girl a chaste kiss on the forehead, the amethyst-eyed girl took her leave.

For a full minute, all Sakura did was stare. Stare and stare at the mirror. The stupid mirror. The stupid mirror that, although she looked good on the outside was screaming on the inside, could not show her true emotions. All it could express was the detached, cold look on her face.

She had thought of all the possibilities.

One: She could go and get married.

Two: She could kill herself.

Three: She could kill everyone else.

Four: She could run.

The fourth one was her choice… she hated that she was forever running away, but that's how life was for her. Everyone – everything trying to force her to do things she didn't want to do. Murder and suicide weren't really appealing to her, although violence wasn't a problem, and marriage… To anyone but Syaoran would never happen.

"Breathe… I'll go far away… I'll start my own coffee shop and live a happy life… just like that kind lady who took me in."

Gathering up her skirts, Sakura stood and went over to her window. Having made a rope from bed sheets the night before (she didn't trust jumping down in such a flowery gown). Slipping carefully out the small hole in the wall, Sakura propelled herself down, being sure to hide herself behind the shrubbery in front of her room.

"They'll search the entire town for me tonight… and so I can't leave just yet… I'll have to wait until their sources move elsewhere," she ran for the gardens – the Sakura gradens in particular. It would be the first place they'd suspect – and the last place they'd check. Here, there were mountains and mountains full of Sakura trees… and she could last without food for a couple of days. The water was clean, at any rate.

Sitting down onto a small, white bench in the middle of a thick patch of trees, she looked at the sky. It was clear and sunny… she hated that. It should be gray and dreary… just like how she was feeling.

It didn't take very long… five minutes maybe? The running of servants and workers around the estate could be heard. She, however, had thought correctly. There were only a couple of people searching the gardens… the entire estate was far too big. She could move around much more easily in the dead of night.

"And it'd be best if I blended," she removed a small pouch that she had taken along with her. Inside was money, a bottle of water, some snacks, and a change of clothes. "Sorry Tomoyo-chan, I think I may have to sell your beautiful dress." But she soon realized that she had forgotten the shirt. She couldn't very well go around topless.

Her thoughts were cut off as two hands grabbed her from behind. Instinctively, Sakura jabbed her elbow back into her attacker's stomach forcefully. If it hadn't been for her years of experience in martial arts, she would have been a goner. The man hadn't made a single noise while sneaking up.

"I'm afraid that you're going to experience a little pain now," her voice was icy and she flipped the man over her shoulder, throwing him harshly into one of the trees. It was, however, quite a shock when she realized who it was. "S-Syaoran?"

Not knowing what to do… not wanting to cry, not wanting to feel relieved, not wanting the confusion in her mind. Sakura knew that he was not severely injured and instead turned away from him. "What are you doing here, Syaoran? You always seem to pop up when you're least wanted… and to disappear when you're needed the most."

"Did you need me for something?" he brushed the dust off his pants, but winced at the pain in his stomach. "You're fighting skills have improved… I think."

How could he be so calm? Did she not affect him at all? Did he ever love her… even for a moment? Or was it a brother's love… one which only wanted to help her and to protect her… not of romance.

She glared at him frostily. "You haven't answered my question… what are you doing here? You weren't in your room earlier."

"You haven't answered mine either," he frowned. Sadly, Sakura noted that he hadn't changed at all. Still very cool, very silly, and very… Syaoran. His messy brown hair aws as messy as ever, his grin was still so very…

"I asked you first."

"Aww… let's not play that game. We're both old enough to be mature, right?" He laughed a little, but stopped when she didn't join him in laughter. They lapsed into silence. "I've missed you," he said finally. "A lot."

"….."

Then it happened. It was so fast, Sakura didn't even have time to react. Syaoran ran up and pulled her into a warm hug. He didn't let her go, even when she began to fight back. "Listen to me? Please?"

"You should have stayed back at home… I gave you a place to live… somewhere safe from your father… why don't you go back? You're popular, you have friends," she tried to jerk away, but to no avail. His grip was so strong.

"You have many, many faces… did you know that?" he buried his face into her hair. "The Ice Queen… the good heiress… the best friend… but to me, you'll always be Sakura. I love you."

She resisted the urge to be weak… to give in. "And your point?" There was no emotion in her voice… just neutral ice.

"Ouch. You know, Yukito is a strange one… strange in a way I'm not sure I like all too much."

Not knowing why, but simply as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if they had never been separated, Sakura found herself leaning back into his embrace, the two of them seated underneath a large Sakura tree. "Yukito has a bit of a mental disorder… did you know?" she began to share with him. "He's kind of crazy but not really… He'll never go whacko on you, but he does have a multiple personality disorder… he's kind of fixed it and blended it over the years though. Me and Touya used to call his other kind of meaner side Yue. Ever since Touya's death, though… Yue and Yukito have melded together. He still loves us… but he's a bit sadistic."

"Interesting… but you are even more interesting," Syaoran smiled. "To me… you're everything. I believe I will be both fascinated and hopelessly in love with you for the rest of my life."

Sakura went rigid, realizing what she had done. Just because it was Syaoran, someone she was so familiar to, she had let her guard down. "Go away."

"What I said on the night of our 'ball' together I meant," he turned her face so that she was forced to stare into his eyes. "Did you mean what you said?"

"… so you're not here to tell me to go and get married?"

He laughed… the sound of his laughter made her so happy inside… but she would never tell him that. "Married? I think you're getting carried away… you haven't even been proposed to yet!"

"Are you here to tell me to hurry up and get proposed to?" The sarcasm was so bleakly evident.

To her utter surprise (and disappointment) he untwined his limbs from hers and stood. But then, to her utter surprise (and happiness), he got down on one knee and opened up a small black box. Inside was a diamond ring. "What is…"

"I asked you before… if you didn't want me to leave, I would stay by you forever and ever…. Just for kicks… I'm going to ask you again. Can you bear to spend the rest of your life with me?"

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To be Continued…

Hm… I think I'm going to end it there. ) Have fun until I update again!

REVIEW!