A/N: Whee, here comes my next chapter. Man, this story is so unpopular, only four reviews. Pathetic, I know. Well, can't blame them readers, can I? The first chapter was so boring. Well, according to my good friend spunkygal.
I seriously hope this chapter is more interesting... Yeah, it's long, I know. Oh, and I know it's weird if you add Japanese words suddenly into the story, like when Sakura speaks and whatnot, but I find it fun, so I'm really sorry if you get confused; it's like Sakura speaking both English and Japanese, ain't it? But since Sakura's SUPPOSED to speak Japanese, I might as well write in some I can actually understand. I know, I can hardly understand anything. (This was another comment brought up by spunkygal.)
So please take some time to read this! I'm sounding so desperate, argh. Well, okay, you can ignore it, I don't mind, but REVIEW! I love reviews and they're practically my inspiration. I'm lucky I finished a few chapters before posting, or I would have trashed this whole thing.
Sorry for all that trash. You can skip this and continue... wonder if anyone bothers, eh? (:
---
Lost
Who are you?
"Don't be afraid. I just need you for a while, all right?"
Water droplets spill to the ground. A leaky pipe hangs overhead, dripping ominously. The glint of something held in his hand was obvious in the pitch darkness.
What's that? I don't like it here. I want to go home. I want Otou-san and Onii-chan. Who are you?
"It's for a tiny short while. Please wait. It won't hurt."
A syringe was what he held. The liquid was red, transparent and sweet-smelling.
I don't like injections; what are you going to do to me?
"It won't hurt a single bit. Promise."
Where is Syaoran? Why aren't I in his house? Where am I? What are you trying to do?
"Hold still! You're making things difficult. Now, calm down and let me inject you."
No, no, it'll hurt a lot. I need to go away. Go away! Don't try to kill me, you're no good guy!
"I'm a good guy, I swear; hold still and everything will be over."
The needle moved closer and closer, shining, catching the solitary ray of light streaming in from a barred window.
My instincts tell me you're bad. Something's wrong; let me go!
"We really have to thank him. He's brilliant, bringing her here so easily. Where is he?"
Footsteps pattered against the slippery cemented ground, making sloshing noises.
"Yes, yes, wonderful. I thank you so much, for bringing her here. And where are her beloved family members? I think they'd better come and see this little girl before... yes, yes, that's better, now place them there."
Why can't I see them? Who are they? Stop it, let me go! What are you doing?
"Hold still, Sakura, we're not done yet."
The needle shone.
Please stop it, go away, where's Onii-chan and Otou-san, where's Li, where's everyone, stop it, stop it, ow, it hurts, it really hurts, what are you doing, stop pushing it, what's that thing, what's that silvery thing, ouch, stop, stop, STOP –
"STOP! Stop, I want Otou-san and Onii-chan, stop! It hurts, it really, really hurts, where's Li's house, where's Li, stop-"
"Oi, stop it! Are you all right? Wake up! Oi!"
A distant voice shattered her thoughts, snatching her back into the real world. Wailing frantically, Sakura opened her eyes and stared straight into a pool of deep golden brown, which strongly emanated worry. She blinked, and noticed she had been staring into Syaoran's eyes, for a lock of his dark brown hair had flopped into them.
"Are you all right?" he asked, eyebrows creased with worry, perspiration streaking his face. Sakura practically burst with relief.
"Li-kun! I'm in your house! I'm still in your house! Thank goodness!" she cried, sinking weakly into Syaoran's arms, for he had been clutching her shoulders. Her eyes were blurry with tears from her relief, and laughing happily, she raised her head.
"Hey, hey, are you all right?" he asked nervously, seeing the tears filling the corners of her eyes and threatening to overflow.
"No injection, no needle! No freaky guys trying to kill me!" she said, her voice trembling. The tears poured forth, staining her cheeks, and Sakura leaned her head against Syaoran's shoulder, her shoulders shaking.
"Hey, um, don't cry," he said, patting her awkwardly on the head, his other hand still gripping her shoulder.
"It was so scary," she sobbed into his shoulder, laughing at the same time. "But it was all a dream! A dream!"
"What?" he said abruptly, pushing her away and seizing both her shoulders. "What dream?" Sakura stared at him, wide-eyed.
"A nightmare," she corrected herself. "It was a nightmare."
"What nightmare?" he asked urgently. "Tell me!"
"Um, there was a needle," she said, looking utterly bemused. "And there was a syringe, filled with red stuff. I don't know what that was. It was really, really dark, so I couldn't see anything. There was a guy holding the syringe, and he was going to inject me with it. He kept telling me everything would be over soon if I just stopped moving; I think I was wriggling a lot."
"And?"
"I think he told the person who brought me there to come over, because he wanted to thank him for bringing me there so simply. And then, he told that someone to bring over my family members, but I couldn't see anything. Then, I felt a throbbing pain in my forehead," she paused, tapping it to see if it still hurt; it twinged, but that was all, "and, um, that's all. I just started screaming because it hurt so much."
She looked quizzically at Syaoran. He had stiffened considerably, his face pale, and her shoulders were being squeezed unbearably painfully. He seemed to be trying to say something, but the words refused to come out.
"Li?" she said tensely. "Li, daijoubu deska?"
Syaoran snapped out of his reverie, and as if he had been controlled by some invisible force the few minutes before, he sprung back from Sakura's bed and landed in a tangled heap on the ground. Sakura watched him bewilderedly as he scrambled to his feet.
"Hurry, breakfast is ready; the kitchen is three floors downstairs, after that I'll bring you to the hospital. Be wary of my sisters," he said brusquely, dashing out of the room. Sakura widened her emerald eyes, feeling confused as she treaded out of the room.
---
"Oh, KAWAII!"
Four voices squealed simultaneously, and Sakura's vision was instantly blocked by liberal amounts of light brown hair. Squeaking in surprise, she toppled onto the last step of the staircase, while hands reached out to pinch and cuddle her.
"Oh, she's so sweet!" swooned a voice.
"She's so adorable!" said another happily, pinching her cheek.
"Syao-chan made a good pick!"
"Syao-chan!"
"Hoeeee...?" murmured Sakura, trying to get on her feet, feeling her cheeks swell and fill with red from the girls' overexcited pinches. She managed to escape, her hair tangled and messy, an untidy mat of brown. Panting breathlessly, she scrambled onto her seat, which was placed beside Syaoran's. Fuutie plopped down on the other empty seat beside her, looking at Sakura with a rapt expression.
"See, girls, isn't she cute?" she claimed happily. The other three girls nodded vigorously. One of them had shoulder-length light brown hair, carefully combed and silky-looking. Another had short hair, and the last girl's hair just hanging above her shoulders. Three of them had dark greyish black eyes and one of them had the same eyes as Syaoran had. They were all grinning at Syaoran, who was looking intently at his breakfast and eating it extremely slowly.
"SYAO-CHAN!" chorused the girls. "Sakura-chan looks so cute, doesn't she?"
He ignored them, chewing carefully on his food.
"Syao-chan, we asked you something!"
"Who's Syao-chan, I wonder?" snarled Syaoran. The four girls looked innocently at him.
"Why, Syao-chan, didn't you know? It's your new name!" they announced proudly. Sakura noticed that they were all speaking in Japanese for her to understand the conversation.
"No, I – didn't – know," he said through clenched teeth, fuming. He glanced at Sakura. "You can eat anything you want. After you've finished I'm going to bring you to the hospital. Hurry up, though; I can't be late for work."
Sakura, who had been scooping a ladleful of porridge into her bowl, dropped the ladle and stared at Syaoran, her mouth hanging open.
"What?" she said incredulously. "You work?"
"Yes," he said crisply.
"B-but, how old are you?" stammered Sakura softly. He looked barely older than her, and yet he was working?
"17 come this July."
"Wow!" whispered Sakura reverently. Syaoran wasn't looking at her; he was glaring pointedly at the spilt porridge, which had stained the white linen a sickly greyish colour. Sakura squeaked in horror.
"Oh, gomen! I didn't notice! Honto-ni gomen nasai!" she said shrilly, looking flustered as she tried to clear the porridge with a piece of tissue. The porridge dripped off the edge of the table and splattered onto Sakura's skirt. Flushing furiously, she attempted to clear the porridge, but to no avail.
"I'll do it. Go and change," said Syaoran shortly, pushing Sakura lightly in the small of her back and clearing the porridge with one swipe of a rag held in his hand. Sakura looked absolutely wretched, standing there and staring at him guiltily.
"Um, Li, I'm really sorry-"
"Never mind," he grunted irritably. "Just go change."
Sakura gazed at him sorrowfully, and a single tear spilt from her right eye. Syaoran wasn't even accepting her apology or giving any sign he really accepted it. Slowly, she turned around, prepared to run all the way upstairs and fling herself on her bed to cry her heart out; she had never felt this bad, for usually other people would accept her apology graciously and smile at her to reassure her they weren't angry at all. But this time, Syaoran seemed furious with her stupidity.
Suddenly, she walked straight into someone; silk muffling her surprised 'hoe!', she jumped backwards and raised her head.
A tall, fair woman with the same eyes as Syaoran's other three sisters and long, raven-black hair reaching her waist stood in front of her. She was wearing very strange clothes, something she presumed Hong Kong people wore. Her intense gaze was upon the emerald-eyed girl in front of her. She bowed towards Sakura, who bowed back hastily. The woman turned to look at Syaoran.
"Syaoran?" she inquired, as if asking for an explanation. Syaoran had sprung to his feet, back rod-straight as he stood at attention. As if robotically, his head turned to look at his mother. Sakura saw fear and respect burning in his dark brown eyes.
"I – I found this girl yesterday in an alley, Mother," he said, his voice trembling very slightly. "She was badly injured."
Sakura's eyes snapped wide open as she stared into somewhere nobody but she could see. It was all blackness, and hints of red flashes whizzed past. The presence... Syaoran and that lady had the same strange presence she felt the previous night from Syaoran.
"Um, this is my mother," Syaoran said, glancing at Sakura. Sakura nodded timidly and looked at Syaoran's mother.
"I'm Li Yelan," she said, acknowledging Sakura, who smiled back.
Syaoran was still standing as if someone had nailed a board to his back, causing him to stand so straight he could be used as a ruler. He nodded jerkily, watching Yelan sweep her eyes over Sakura once again, her gaze more probing and curious than her first time. Sakura dearly yearned to sit down, but her feet were rooted to the spot.
The blackness swooped down upon her, and something rang in her ears. A swish, caused by another red flash, echoed near her. The weird feeling of Syaoran's mother – stronger than ever, was back. More red flashes blinded her, and more black swallowed her, until suddenly, everything was sucked from her vision as if someone had stuffed a vacuum cleaner into her ear and sucked all of her brain's contents.
"Great power emanates from you," murmured Yelan. She glanced at the antique clock on the wall. "Syaoran, shouldn't you be going for work?"
The imaginary wooden board nailed to Syaoran's back came loose, and in his disbelief he accidentally knocked over his chair while trying to regain his original composure.
"What? Hey, you, come on, we'd better go now!" he yelled at Sakura, darting out of the front door. Sakura blinked.
"But, my skirt!" she shrieked after him, and sprinted up the staircase at a speed which caused all of Syaoran's sisters to look after her with admiring expressions.
"She's really fast," commented Shiefa. "Really, really fast."
"But Syao-chan's real mean to little Sakura-chan, though."
"Syao-chan?" said Yelan questioningly. "Do you mean Syaoran?"
"Yup! Isn't it a cute name?" chirped Fuutie. Yelan looked disapprovingly at her.
"Not at all appropriate for a person of his status," she chided, sitting in an empty seat. "Don't call him that when we have to have meetings with the other members."
"He's so rude to Sakura. We must spread his wonderful nickname!" insisted Fanren, switching swiftly to Japanese as Sakura ran down the stairs. Unfortunately, Sakura didn't notice, and she scuttled right past them, her shoulder-length auburn tresses fanning out behind her.
"All right, Li-kun, I'm coming – HOE!"
There was a crash, and all four sisters winced.
"I think she slipped on the official Li Clan welcome mat. The one with all the weird swirly patterns and stuff."
---
"I don't like hospitals, I don't like hospitals, I don't like hospitals..." whispered Sakura, terrified. She trailed after Syaoran closely, casting furtive glances at dark, shadowed corners. "HOEEEE!"
"What? What is it?" asked Syaoran agitatedly. Sakura heaved a sigh of relief.
"Nothing. I thought I saw something," she said uneasily. Syaoran rolled his eyes and cursed. Why would there be GHOSTS in HOSPITALS, of all places? The girl had no sense, man.
"Is Doctor Chou free now?" Syaoran demanded of the young girl behind the counter. The girl recoiled, looking at Syaoran with a frightened expression.
"Um, in fact, he's got no customers today, only a few around an hour ago-"
"Fantastic. Let's go," he said, dragging a reluctant Sakura into the clinic. A balding old man looked up.
"Do you have an appointment?" he asked immediately. Syaoran rolled his eyes.
"I didn't have time for an appointment-"
"Well, you need an appointment."
"Brilliant! Let's go, Li-kun!" cried Sakura happily, tapping Syaoran's shoulder, but he refused to budge.
"It's an emergency."
"Well, go to the A&E room. I repeat, you need an appointment."
Syaoran growled and scowled heavily at the doctor. He withdrew a business card from the pocket of his pants and slammed it on the table.
"There. Li Corporation. Can't blame me if I didn't have time to make an appointment, can you? I only found this girl yesterday midnight."
The man brushed his finger across the card, awed.
"You're the boss?" he whispered disbelievingly, staring at the teenager before him.
"Yeah. So check this girl, or it'll be your fault if I'm late for work."
The doctor nodded professionally.
"Yes, sir, of course."
He pulled Sakura around the table and peeled off the bandages around her forehead sharply, making her squeal.
"Ouch," said Sakura tearfully as Doctor Chou bent curiously over the bloody mass on her forehead.
"You call yourself a doctor?" said Syaoran sceptically, raising an eyebrow at Sakura's painful expression. "I thought all doctors do things quickly and painlessly."
"Bad. Very bad injury. She might have had a concussion," mused the old man, ignoring Syaoran's remark and stroking his wispy white beard thoughtfully. "Whoever bandaged her up did a good job, though. Stemmed the flow of blood."
"How nice. Now does she need an x-ray or whatever? I really need to get going," said Syaoran impatiently. Doctor Chou waved at him vaguely.
"Hold on, boy. Now, she should have stitches, if she wants her wound to heal faster."
Sakura squeaked in horror.
"Stitches?" she repeated anxiously. The old man nodded solemnly. Sakura squeaked again, looking terrified.
"No stitches! I hate stitches! They hurt! It'll hurt more than this!" she said, petrified. She pointed at her bloody forehead. "It's not even bleeding anymore! It's healing! I don't need stitches!"
"But, it'll be better if you get stitches," said Syaoran, eyeing her forehead.
"Please, Li, I hate stitches!" she wailed.
"Without stitches, it'll take longer to heal, of course. I have no idea how her wound managed to stop bleeding so fast. She could have bled to death, with an injury like this. And all you needed was some bandage and cotton?"
Syaoran nodded.
"Hurry up, I really need to get going," he said, glancing at his watch and tapping his foot irritatingly. The old doctor scribbled down an illegible prescription and shoved it towards Syaoran.
"Painkillers and some of our special ointment. Nothing else I can do about it. It's best to use stitches, but, seeing as our young patient here dislikes them, I have nothing to say," he grunted. Syaoran gazed pointedly at Sakura's forehead, which was really rather disgusting to see.
"Shouldn't you bandage it up? We wouldn't want germs getting into the wound, would we?" said Syaoran coldly. The old man jumped, stroking his beard nervously.
"Oh, yes, slipped my mind. Age is catching on fast, blame my poor old head, greatest apologies, though," he said carelessly, watching Syaoran fearfully as he wrapped Sakura's head up with fresh bandages. Syaoran glanced back down at his watch.
"Could you hurry?" he said tersely. The old man jumped at Syaoran's tone, and in a blink of an eye he was done. He bowed courteously and showed the way out, even though he really didn't need to.
"Thank you!" Sakura said cheerfully as Syaoran lugged her out of the door. The old man waved back warily, before closing the door and leaning against it, breathing heavily. The Li boss was really freaky.
---
"Okay, so, you stay in my office. I really have to rush; don't touch anything," said Syaoran hurriedly, pushing Sakura down into a plush seat. He shoved some newspapers (sadly, in Chinese) towards her and waved vaguely at them. "Check if there's any news about you; if there isn't, you'd better go to the police." With that, he ran helter-skelter out of the room, slamming the polished wooden door behind him.
Sakura blinked blankly. She stared back at the desk on which there were the newspapers. Tentatively, she picked them up, the smell of freshly-printed newspapers wafting into her nose. She sneezed uncontrollably, plunging towards the ground with a loud crash.
"Li! Anything wrong – who are you?"
Sakura coughed raggedly, trying to sit up.
"These newspapers are really stinky," she commented, blinking tears out of her eyes. A man, probably a few years older than Syaoran, was staring at her cautiously, his hand hovering near his pocket, which was bulging slightly.
"Who are you?" he asked, taking another step towards Sakura. She looked up, tilting her head to one side curiously.
"Li told me to stay here," she said carefully, giving another few half-hearted coughs as she struggled to sit up. The man scrutinized her through his rounded glasses.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Kinomoto Sa – Sa – Sakura," coughed Sakura, leaning herself on the seat of the chair as she tried to push herself up. The man raised an eyebrow before smiling gently.
"Hi, I'm Hiiragizawa Eriol," he said cheerily, sticking out a hand. Sakura took it and Eriol pulled her to her feet. "I'm Syaoran's secretary."
"Oh, um, cool!" said Sakura, giving a small smile. "Thanks for helping me up; I seem allergic to the smell of these..." She blew her auburn bangs out of her face embarrassedly. "Stupid thing to be allergic of, right?"
"No, of course not, Kinomoto-san, it's quite normal. Sometimes I have these stupid allergies too. Wait; may I call you Sakura?" asked Eriol courteously, his navy eyes shimmering mysteriously behind his lenses. Sakura paused for a moment, her emerald eyes locking with his, before answering hesitantly, "Um, sure, Hiiragizawa-kun."
"Call me Eriol," he said graciously. "Well, what were you reading the newspapers for?"
"Um," said Sakura, twirling a strand of her hair around her forefinger uncomfortably. "I can't read Chinese. I'm Japanese." Her eyes widened, realization hitting her. "Hey, how did you know to talk to me in Japanese?"
Eriol shrugged, grinning.
"Just had a hunch. Well, who wouldn't recognise such a lovely Japanese girl like you are?"
Sakura blushed to the roots of her hairs.
"That's not true," she whispered, sitting down into Syaoran's plush chair. "Eriol, do you know how to read Chinese?"
Eriol nodded.
"Want me to help you read it?"
"Ooh, yes! Thanks, Eriol-kun!" gushed Sakura happily, clasping her hands. "I was found by Li after being robbed by some thieves, and they smashed me into the wall"- here, she pointed to her bandaged up head –"but Li took me to his house and now I have to see if there's anything reported about a missing Japanese teenager because Onii-chan and Otou-san would have told the police by now and Li seems really scary so I should be better off gone, shouldn't I, heheheehhe?"
Sakura had finally realized she had been rattling on and on, but all Eriol did was stare at her worriedly.
"Is your forehead all right?" he asked concernedly. Sakura nodded vigorously.
"Hai! It doesn't hurt - well, not very much."
Eriol reached out suddenly and stroked Sakura's forehead, eyebrows knitted in concentration. Jets of red spurted out from both sides in Sakura's vision, and like the time she met Syaoran's mother, everything became pitch black, other than the flashes of red. The red collected in the middle of all the black, and became bigger, vaster, wider, until...
"I think it'll be all right now," he said softly, pulling back and thumbing through the newspaper like nothing had happened. "Oh, great, there's nothing here about a missing foreigner, Sakura-san. Maybe there'll be tomorrow. Don't worry; you just have to put up with Syaoran for one more day."
Sakura's mouth was hanging open. All she could do was choke out a, "Hoe?"
"Hmm?" said Eriol, still reading the newspaper. "Syaoran seems to be out of the office for many a time lately, and no one else has seen him during those 'missing Syaoran' periods... wonder where he'd gone too, don't you, Sakura?"
"H-how did you do that?" stammered Sakura, fingering her bandages. She peeled them off and felt her forehead with her fingers; her skin there completely smooth, without the bloody mass it had just barely an hour before.
"Do what?" Eriol said placidly, raising his head to meet Sakura's shocked, emerald eyes.
"It doesn't hurt anymore," she said, agape.
"You helped," he said, returning to his newspaper.
"What? What did I do?"
The door slammed open. Syaoran, with his brown hair sticking up in all directions and breathing heavily, kicked it shut and leaned against it, letting out a huge sigh before falling to his knees.
"Oh, hello, Li, saviour of little Sakura-san here," said Eriol, smiling.
"Shut up, Eriol," snarled Syaoran. "What the heck are you doing?"
"Accompanying Sakura," he said mildly. Sakura looked innocently at Syaoran.
"Hi, Li! My wound is okay now!" she said, bubbling with cheerfulness. Syaoran grimaced. Man, the girl seemed to be always happy. "Eriol is nice," she added, smiling.
"Kami-sama, never knew anyone would ever say that," muttered Syaoran, thinking about Sakura's retardation and glancing at Sakura's completely healed forehead. He didn't say anything more about it, for he had heard what his mother had said; great power emanated from the girl, and she didn't know it. He had sensed it too, a power far greater than his own.
Eriol's presence was strange, too, but he doubted he had any magical powers. He seemed too carefree for that.
"Oh, and Li-kun, I need to stay at your house one more day; there isn't any news about me being missing," she continued, smiling apologetically. "Gomen ne, you have to put up with me for one more day."
Syaoran didn't say anything, for his face seemed to have turned grey, and his features were tightened in... whatever it was, Sakura didn't know.
"Li?" she said anxiously. "Are you all right?"
"I flirted with Sakura-san here," said Eriol passively. His statement seemed to shake Syaoran out of his stony-ness, though.
"WHAT THE-!" he yelled, looking horrified.
"No wait, Li, he didn't!" squealed Sakura, watching Syaoran stomp threateningly towards Eriol, who just looked up.
"Well, hi!" he said, waving stupidly. Syaoran scowled and grabbed the neck of Eriol's shirt, ramming him into the wall. Sakura squeaked and jumped to her feet.
"Eriol-kun!" she shrieked anxiously, balling her fists, her eyes blazing with worry. "He didn't do that, Li!"
Both of them swivelled their gazes toward the determined, auburn-haired girl in front of them.
"Did you flirt with her?" hissed Syaoran menacingly, so Sakura couldn't catch his words. "You're disgusting, Hiiragizawa, you flirt with every girl who comes in here-"
"I don't! I was joking!" protested Eriol indignantly. "I didn't flirt with that buck-toothed one, nor did I flirt with your mother, and-"
"I've had enough, Hiiragizawa-"
"Eriol."
"Shut up, just listen to me! Don't you dare lay a finger on her! You're such a sicko, flirting shamelessly with every girl who walks in here-"
"Whoa, Syaoran, why are you getting so worked up over this? Do you care for her so much?" teased Eriol loudly and distinctly.
"Hoe?" Sakura went, as dense as always. Syaoran slammed Eriol harder against the wall.
"I told you, shut up and stop talking crap! I do not care for her, all right? Get out of here!" spat Syaoran, as silently as he could. Eriol's eyes widened in shock.
"Well, you seem so worked up! It isn't my fault if I, ahem, suspect you!" defended Eriol, wrenching himself from Syaoran's grip on his collar. "And where did you go just now? It probably wasn't work-related, was it?"
Syaoran turned pale.
"Get. Out."
Eriol raised his hands as if he were a criminal getting caught. He walked backwards, hands raised higher over his head.
"Li, sometimes, you can get freaky."
He kicked the door open backwards and slid out, shutting the door. Syaoran turned on Sakura, who recoiled instinctively.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I got Eriol-kun into trouble. I'm such a nuisance. I'll just... stay here and not do anything."
Syaoran relaxed his shoulders. He had been getting ready to scream at Sakura, to demand of her why she had to succumb to stupid Eriol's trashy words, but she seemed so remorseful and unhappy.
"Uh, just, stay here, all right?" he said, moving past Sakura, who was standing up with her fists still clenched. He opened his drawers and took out a sheaf of official-looking paper. Sakura took a step forwards.
"Gomen nasai, Li-kun, I'm being such a big fat kaijuu today," murmured Sakura ruefully, bowing. Syaoran's raised one dark eyebrow.
"Um, kaijuu?"
'My Onii-chan always calls me a kaijuu!" she cried. "He says I stomp around a whole lot!"
"What does kaijuu mean?" asked Syaoran, his eyebrow still raised.
"You know, a big fat creature which is really fat and ugly and eats people up?"
"That's a kaijuu?"
Sakura nodded.
"We call it guai mut. Monster."
"Oh, cool!" Sakura cried, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Kaijuu," said Syaoran out loud, trying it out. Sakura grinned.
"That's right! But, I wonder where Onii-chan and Otou-san went to... what if they got lost?" said Sakura worriedly, her delicate features creasing into a frown. "I mean, I know they'll turn up sooner or later, but, they would have reported me being missing a long time ago!"
"They'll report you, Sakura," said Syaoran, almost robotically. "They're not lost."
"Oh, sugoi! How are you so sure, Li?" asked Sakura enthusiastically.
"I know where they are," he muttered to himself, staring intently at the whitewashed wall beside him.
"What? Did you say anything?" asked Sakura, tiptoeing slightly as she tried to look over Syaoran's shoulder. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," he said flatly, brushing Sakura away as he sat down at the seat. He gestured towards some fat, squashy sofas at the other side of the spacious room. "You can sit there. There're some magazines."
"Arigatou, Li-kun! Thanks for being so nice to me!" she said happily, flashing an alluring smile at Syaoran before skipping off, humming gaily.
He stared blankly after her.
No, he could not say anything. No matter how innocent, how naïve she was, he couldn't help.
She was their target. And he couldn't reveal anything to her.