"A New Beginning"


Syaoran still found it hard to draw a conclusion about the girl, but it was getting damn-near hard to not see how much of a great person she was.

Not that he had a checklist, but she could cook, from what she told him, she was sweet, kind-hearted, and passionate about people. Most importantly, she was compassionate about his kid. She treated Xing as if he were her own and that was…different. He had never met a person who treated Xing, his, at times, devious son, as their own. Seeing the way she showed concern for his son last night was eye-opening for him about the girl.

No one outside of family had ever been that good with his stubborn, mischievous son. But, somehow, Sakura pulled through. She made Xing fall in love with her in one of the most obvious ways, yet it seemed so confusing. She treated him right. She had always been genuine with him. She had been so many things, not that he was stalking their every interaction, but he may have known more than he had even seen. Yes, he did have Kenta and Hana keep him updated about everything to their interactions together. Syaoran just could not understand how she did it. Why was she doing this?

Syaoran glanced at her from the corner of his eyes briefly, seeing her eyes glued to the phone before paying attention to the road. "Who are you texting this early?" he asked, hoping to sound nonchalant about the question, despite him dying to know. Quite frankly, he was not sure why he wanted to know to begin with. He wanted to know if she had given her number to anyone else other than the Daidouji girl since they talked a lot. He knew it was none of his business, but he could not help but want to know.

"Tomoyo. She says that she may be a little late for class today," she said as if it were normal.

Syaoran had to tighten the muscles in his face to hold himself back from smiling at her response. Not because her friend would not make it to class on time, but because there was no fear in her tone or demeanor, which meant she felt comfortable. He felt this sense of accomplishment for staying awake to talk with her last night, which reminded him of another thing she was good at; listening and acting like she gave a damn about the things he said or did. He had never felt...heard by a person before like that. It felt...good, that it made him want to reciprocate the action, yet he did not know how to.

Damn it...

He looked in the front rear view mirror, seeing Xing sit in the back seat, staring out the window. Frowning, Syaoran cleared his throat to get the little boy's attention. "Xing," he called.

Automatically, Xing looked to the front in the mirror at him. "Yes, sir?" he answered quietly.

At the fear in his tone, Syaoran was sure something had been wrong. Xing had been short and brief with him all morning, kind of like Syaoran is with people when he does not want to be bothered or felt uneasy. He wondered how Sakura noticed something off with Xing before him. "What do you want to do this weekend?" he asked, deciding to make up loss time with him this week. He would try, at least.

Xing opened his mouth, ready to respond before it closed.

Syaoran's eyes trained on the road again, waiting for him to respond.

"Nothing," Xing said.

Syaoran felt Sakura's eyes on him at that response, making all the hairs stand on his body. He reasoned that it had been cool in the car from the air conditioner. "You don't want to swim? Go to the park, or get any ice cream?" he asked, hoping to a get a reaction out Xing. Syaoran's eyes briefly looked at Xing before they strayed back to the road.

"No," he said quietly.

A frown tugged at Syaoran's lips. "Are you sure? We can go wherever you want," he suggested.

"No, it's fine."

"Are you sure, Xing? It'll be a lot of fun if we could all go somewhere together again," Sakura chimed in. Syaoran could see her turning her head around from the corner of his eyes.

"Yes," Xing said softly.

"Daddy isn't going to have to work, so he'll be able to spend time with us. Are you sure? It'll really be fun if you come and spend time with us," she said, her voice sounding so encouraging.

Syaoran almost felt a little jealous that he could not be that way with his kid. Okay, maybe a lot.

"Well...since you're insisting, okay. I want to go to the park with Sakura and Daddy again, and then sit in the pool alll day," he said, his voice sounding a bit more cheerful.

"Done then. That's exactly what we'll do," Syaoran said immediately.

"Like old times?" he asked in a small voice.

"Just like old times," Syaoran repeated after him.

He cheered, sounding a little bit happier than he was before. Syaoran pulled up to his school and turned the car off. "I'll be back," he told Sakura as he unbuckled Xing's seat belt to help him out.

When Xing did not say anything to Sakura, Syaoran was surprised, as Xing was always ready to hug her goodbye. He turned to the little boy. "You don't want a kiss from Sakura?" he asked without thinking.

It fell silent in the car, making Syaoran realize what he had really said. He would have never said anything like that to anyone. "Uh—"

"Can I get a kissy, Sakura?" Xing asked, pulling himself from Syaoran's gentle hold.

Sakura's eyes shifted to Syaoran's, pinning him with her beautiful, green eyes. It was only when she raised a brow that he realized she was asking if it was alright. He felt that he had no other choice, so he gave a slight nod.

"Come here, squirt," she said in a teasing tone, making Xing giggle and lean forward so she could kiss his cheek.

Watching the scene made Syaoran's lip curve slightly at the sight. He felt there to be something endearing about it...

"Fish kiss!" he heard Xing exclaim, snapping him out of his unusual thoughts. He grabbed Sakura's face and kissed her lips with a loud smacking sound. When she did not appear surprised, Syaoran could barely hide his shock with it. She just laughed, causing this weird feeling to stir inside him. He could not tell if it was good or bad.

"Come on, Xing," he said softly.

"I'll see you later, right?" Xing asked, looking at Sakura.

"Right," she said before Xing climbed out of the car.

Syaoran closed the door behind him after telling Sakura he would be back. He held Xing's hand as they walked in silence to the building. It was only when Xing stopped walking that made Syaoran realize the tight grip on his hand. Syaoran turned and stooped to his height. "What's wrong?"

"Am I going to see you today after school?" he asked.

Syaoran masked his surprise at that question. "Xing—"

"Because it's not fair that I don't get to see you much. You said that I should be fair, so you have to be fair too!" he exclaimed, folding his arms across his chest stubbornly.

Syaoran just stared at the little boy. "Xing, you know I would if I could –"

"No, you wouldn't! You never even played with me when mommy was here, and you surely didn't after she left. You do it more than you used to with Sakura here, but it's not a lot!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking at the end of the sentence.

Syaoran released a silent sigh. "Come here," he said, holding his arms open for him.

Xing vigorously shook his head, wiping at his eyes angrily to get rid of the threatening tears. "No! I-it's not fair anymore, Daddy. I tried and tried for a very long time to be okay with it, but it's too hard. Even Sakura loves me more than you do!"

Hearing that nearly broke Syaoran's heart, so he did the only thing he could think of, grabbing Xing's arm, pulling him into an embrace. Xing struggled against him, but he held him tightly. "That's not true. What's really bothering you, Xing? Tell me what's wrong so I can fix it," he said, letting down his walls a little for the boy. He knew he was not the most affectionate and loving, but he thought he had been doing a lot better lately.

"You're never fair! You never want to play, and you never want to see me—"

"I've cleared my schedule after four today, so I'll come home, okay?" he said into his ear. He felt a stab of guilt of actually canceling his meeting because his pride would not let Sakura meet with the Masamoto man alone today. He would clear the rest of his schedule after that too though.

The sobs suddenly stopped. "R-really?" Xing asked hopefully.

Syaoran released him, pulling back so he could look Xing in the face. "I promise that I'll try my hardest to get home today to see you," he promised, meaning every word spoken.

Xing sniffed, using the back of his hands to wipe his tears away as a smile slowly crept to his face. "Okay..." he said quietly and then hugged him tightly.

Syaoran silently sighed, hugging him back while praying that he really could. He had only told his secretary to clear his four o' clock meeting.

They walked inside the building, bidding each other goodbye as usual before Xing ran off to play with the other kids. Syaoran turned to the teacher, stopping her before she could leave. "Hey, I know it's the first week, but is everything alright with Xing? Any odd behaviors?"

Her brows scrunched together in confusion as she slowly nodded her head. "Everything's great. He's the most advanced amongst his peers, and he gets along with everyone just fine. We talked about him getting into the afterschool program to aid in his Japanese, but other than that…he's great. Is there something he mentioned?" she asked, looking a little concerned.

Silently, Syaoran sighed again, shaking his head. "No. I was just making sure," he settled with.

She nodded. "Of course. You know that I'll inform you of anything that makes him uncomfortable," she said.

Syaoran nodded. "Alright."

With that response, he bid her goodbye before walking back to his car, feeling like the lowest human on Earth. Something was wrong with his kid, and he did not even know what it was.

Once he settled into the car, he turned to Sakura, surprised to see her staring at him. "So, we're going out this weekend?" she asked, a smile beginning to play at her lips.

His eyes shifted from her direction when he felt his face warm a little. He turned the car on and cleared his throat. "If he's up for it."

"I'm sure he will be, as long as you're with him," she said softly.

He looked in her direction again, seeing her stare down at the phone, though she did not have it on. "What's wrong?" he asked, not able to stop himself from asking. He hated how alert and ready he was to find a solution to her problems. He did not know what was wrong with him lately. He was realizing how much he had started showing that he cared.

"It's..." she stopped.

"Yes?" he pressed impatiently.

She sighed and smiled sadly. "It's nothing."

"Sakura," he called softly. He felt surprised with how gentle he called it. He needed to go to the doctor to get himself checked, he concluded. He was suddenly acting different after having a conversation last night. All she had did was show interest in knowing him.

"It's nothing, Syaoran," she insisted, annoying him a little.

He let it go and began to drive. He did not want to force anything out of her, so he kept quiet. He did not want to say anything, nervous that he would ruin what they had so far, which was…

What do we have?

"Are you coming to the restaurant?" he heard her ask beside him.

He briefly looked in her direction before training his eyes on the road again. "Yes," he said shortly.

"You know... I don't think that you're a bad father," she said suddenly as if she could sense what had been bothering him.

At hearing that, his heart began to drum against his chest loudly, making him wonder if she could hear it. Goosebumps broke out on his skin and he could feel his face warm again at her compliment. He forced himself to think other things to get rid of the blush before she noticed.

He did not say anything, wondering why he really wanted her approval of him. It was not like it mattered…right?

"Xing doesn't think so either. He thinks so highly of you. He talks about you non-stop and he..." she sighed. "He loves you, despite when he says otherwise."

He swallowed, hands tightening around the steering wheel. "It's hard to tell sometimes," he said.

"He does. I can tell," she said, sounding so sure about it.

"How?" he asked.

She hummed. "I don't think he would want to spend so much time with you if he didn't," she said.

He remained quiet for the rest of the ride, thinking about what she had said.

"Do you want to..." he trailed off when he pulled up to the school.

She turned to him with an adorable expression on her face that showed confusion. "Instead of riding with Kenta…I was thinking you could ride with me to the restaurant," he said hesitantly.

When she did not say anything, his eyes shifted from hers, feeling his cheeks warm. He really needed to go to the hospital with all of this blushing he rarely experienced.

"We could be discovered," she reminded again for the umpteenth time.

Syaoran knew it was risky, but he would be sure that would not happen. "We won't," he said, not really thinking about the consequences of that happening.

Besides, it was not like there were reporters following him around, nor did they know what kind of car he owned. He had purposely chosen this one, so he did not stand out from everyone here. He did not want any attention drawn to him or Xing when they moved there. He just wanted their stay to be peaceful and quiet. He wanted Xing to live a normal life as much as he could too, so that would not ever be an issue. He had been at the school long enough to see that there were not many other students around when he left, so he felt they should be fine.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He nodded.

She let out a small sigh and smiled at him. "If you're sure, then alright," she agreed.

He looked away, feeling his cheeks warm at her smile and tone of voice.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"I'll see you later," she said, stepping out of the car, and then waving at him.

He gave a nod of acknowledgement before she closed the door behind her. He released a breath he did not know he had been holding around her.

There had been nothing special about last night, so he could not understand why he suddenly felt different around her. It was just a conversation that showed she cared a little about him, he thought dreadingly. He needed help.


"Alright, class. Don't forget to do the assigned homework," Syaoran said in a dismissing tone.

Everyone began to gather their things as usual and stood from their seats.

Syaoran watched as everyone left the classroom, responding to any questions or statements that they had about the lecture. When he heard laughter in the back of the classroom, his eyes followed the sound, blocking out the person who was currently talking to him about something mentioned in class about marketing.

Damn it, here he was again, getting distracted by that sound. He wished he could concentrate in her presence. Everything was much easier to do with her not being around...but then again, that meant more thinking.

He internally cringed at that thought, remembering how he had humiliated her the other day in class. He knew she did not deserve that kind of treatment because he could not deal with his own emotions towards her. Being around her just made him feel more than think, which was not a good thing in his book.

Logic and reasoning is what his book said. He always handled things carefully. Everything he did was always well-thought out, but for some reason, he was not doing so much of that lately.

He looked away from her direction when he felt his cheeks warm when her eyes briefly met his with a smile on her mouth. He could not understand this feeling one bit. He answered the question that the student asked with a half answer before wrapping up the conversation.

Once everyone left the room, he headed to his office, closing the door behind him. He sat in the chair behind the mahogany desk, instantly resting his head in his hand, tugging on his hair.

Thirty minutes...

He had thirty minutes to rest and finally take a breather away from the world. His world, that seemed to be a bit too much for him nowadays. Automatically, he pointed the blame to Sakura, something unusual.

He sighed, shaking his head. He knew it was not her fault and that he needed to stop doing that, putting all the blame on her like she had done something. She had not done anything wrong. He felt a sting of guilt stab at his chest.

He knew how much this was not right. How wrong he had been about this whole ordeal. Kissing her had been wrong, reprimanding her in front of her classmates had been wrong, and feeling this way about her is certainly wrong. He felt like he was taking advantage of her kind and sweet nature, at this point. He felt disgusted with himself. She had not done anything besides treat him and his son with kindness...

His heart tightened in his chest, thinking about Xing and his behavior that morning. He could not understand why he kept letting his mind force him to believe that Xing was happy all this time. He just wished he knew when Xing had started being so sad. Even Sakura knew how to answer all of these questions. It had only been a few weeks since she arrived, yet she knew so much more about his kid than he almost did.

"Uh...are you okay?"

His head shot up in the direction of the familiar voice instantly. "Kinomo—Sakura," he stuttered, feeling his face heat up at her presence after thinking about her. He wished this stupid blushing disorder would disappear.

A conversation had caused this, he thought, though he knew it was her show of interest.

"Are you okay? You look like you're in distress and now your face is red. Are you not feeling well?" she asked, sounding confused and lost, yet concerned at the same time.

He silently took a deep breath and then let it out, blowing out some of the steam in his face.

Get it together, Xiao Lang.

"Yes. You should go head out, and I'll be right behind you," he said calmly, afraid that he might trip over his words. He certainly did not want her to pick up on his odd behavior around her.

"Alright," she said with a smile before leaving his office.

He looked around his office, letting out another relieved sigh at letting her escape without his hormones coming in the way again. He knew that needed to stop as well. She was seventeen. He knew that. Clearly, he did, considering how much his mind kept reminding him almost every minute of the day. He was just not sure why he felt this way around her. He thought of several things that could possibly have made him feel so drawn to her.

She was always spaced out or in a daze as if she were deep in thought. But then, she would be very perceptive and observant sometimes. Especially when it came to Xing. She had been independent the moment he met her, determined to do what she had to do in order to survive in the world without a caregiver. It was clear that she had not liked to depend on others, especially after the first night they met, and she did not want him to pay for her food. Instead, she resorted to saying that she was not hungry, when clearly, she was. She had been sitting at the company all day, watching his kid without anyone even asking her to.

After he had someone run a background check on her, he saw how much she had been through, yet she seemed happy as though she had been through nothing. She had lost her mother, father, and brother. And any other trace of her family seemed unknown. He was not even sure how she could smile without having anyone.

He concluded that it was her strong, independent, and ambition traits that made him want to take care of her. That is what he had been trying to convince himself of, at least. He had this strong urge to protect her from the world as long as he could. He understood how cruel and ugly it can be. He wanted her to see that she had him now and to see that his intentions were all good. To keep her safe and protected. And he knew it would have to start with treating her better than he had been since she came in his life.

He had come up with all of this because they had a nice conversation last night. He wanted to bang his head against a wall for being this stupid and getting ahead of himself.

He stood up from the chair, grabbing his things and followed out after a few minutes passed. After looking around outside, seeing no students around, he walked towards her as she stood at his car.

He unlocked the door for her from a far and she opened the door, climbing inside. He slid in the car next, closing the door after himself.

The doors automatically locked when he turned the car on, making his heart beat a little faster than normal. Okay, Xiao Lang... calm down and just act normal...and apologize...

"Sakura," he called, turning to her.

When her head turned towards him, eyes widened a little, all thoughts vanished from his head. He could not even remember why he had called her.

"Are you okay, Syaoran?" she asked worriedly. "Your face has been looking a bit flustered all day."

Shit...

Had she noticed him staring at her every move?

"Uh...yeah," he said, hoping he masked his nervousness well enough. "I just..." He had never been at a loss for words before. He mentally reminded himself to set up that doctors appointment again.

"Yes?" she asked curiously.

He swallowed, turning away from her to focus on leaving the school. "I'm fine," he said shortly, pulling out of the parking lot.

The ride to the restaurant was quiet, aside from Sakura explaining the directions to him. He had finally received some background information on the man. He had not been more relieved when his secretary came through his doors this morning, giving him the files that Hiroto had found on Masamoto.

After looking through all the files, he had already formulated a plan that he knew Sakura would not be pleased with, but he felt it was for the best. He just hoped it would not draw a wedge between their newfound relationship he was not even sure how to define yet.

"Uh..." Syaoran briefly looked in her direction, but trained his eyes on the road immediately, after hearing her voice. "I was thinking of joining the cheerleading club this semester like I usually do," she said.

His jaw clenched, mind already thinking about how she would look in a cheerleading uniform.

No, stop right there.

"Okay."

"Yeah...so, I would have to get home a little later. It shouldn't go as long as Xing's afterschool activities, but I'm not positively sure yet…" she trailed off.

"What?" He was confused at what she was trying to say as his mind had too many things it had no business imaging before it hit him. "Oh. It'll be fine...Kenta could stay with Xing for a little while until you finish if it does go over a little," he said.

"Okay," she said. "I could ride the bus home instead of making them wait around too."

He sighed, shaking his head. "No, I still don't feel comfortable with that idea," he said, dismissing the idea from the topic immediately.

"Really, I'll be fine, Syaoran," she said in an insisting tone.

"Sakura," he called, hoping that she would take the hint in his tone that he really did not want to continue this conversation.

"You're very kind," she said quietly.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered, feeling his cheeks warm again for the umpteenth time that day. Again, he needed that checkup. He never stuttered.

A stupid conversation had him tripping over everything. Last night had been a mistake, he concluded for the one hundredth time that day. Yet he felt glad about it. His feelings were all over the place at this point.

"You're just worried that something bad could happen to me," she said.

"N-no! I just..." He mentally reprimanded himself for stuttering again.

He was glad when the restaurant came into view. He parked the car, deciding not to continue that conversation. He turned to her, leaving the car on, trying to figure out how he wanted to bring up his plan to her.

"So…what's the plan?" she asked as if she had read his mind.

"I'll do the talking, you just listen." He wanted to punch himself and put some tape on his mouth for being demanding. His mouth was like a curse with her; always saying the wrong things to set her off. Something he realized after their conversation last night. A mistake.

She frowned. "I haven't seen Masamoto in…a month, which is probably the longest I've gone without talking to him since I've met him. So, no, I won't just listen," she said.

He bit his tongue, holding himself back from biting an insult or saying the wrong thing again. He wondered when he had ever held his tongue before for anyone. He found he had not.

"We can go with my plan, where we…tell him the truth, but stretch it a little…" she said slowly as if she were treading lightly.

"And what's that?" he asked, deciding to entertain her idea, though he planned to stick to his own in the end.

"You're my boss and that I do watch Xing. I'm living in a nice home with…a family member who found out about me," she said, shrugging her shoulder.

"And if he asks what family member?" Syaoran tested.

"I have it under control. Just…try to trust me for once," she said the last part under her breath.

"Okay," he said, though he had planned not to. It was for the best, he reasoned.

"So, you ready?" she asked, offering him a kind smile.

He shrugged, reaching over towards her in the glove compartment to grab his sunglasses out. "Yeah."

They got out of the car together, walking towards the restaurant, Sakura leading the way. Syaoran opened the door for her, looking as if they did not know each other. He did not want to draw any attention on him. He hoped that no one would notice who he is.

"Sakura!" Syaoran heard someone suddenly exclaim, alerting him immediately.

He was surprised to see a middle-aged man, a boy around her age, and two other girls around her age rush to her before she had even fully walked through the restaurant. He decided to linger back, not wanting to draw any attention, but he watched the scene.

"We've missed you so much!" the boy with sandy-brown hair and ocean blue eyes was at her side in mere seconds, grabbing both hands between his own.

The sight felt like a slap in the face and he had to do a double take to make sure she had really been welcoming of the boy's physical contact.

Syaoran had to bite his tongue, yet again, from stepping in and screwing this up for them. He had promised that he would not act out irrational today with her. There was nothing he could do about this. He had to keep telling himself that or he would surely lash out.

"I missed you guys too, Kaname," Sakura said, pulling the sandy-haired boy in her arms, burying her face in his chest. Syaoran had to hold his breath, feeling his blood boil at the way the boy wrapped his arms around her body possessively. He wanted to wrench the two apart, but knew everything would be ruined if he did.

She released him and hugged the two girls next, to Syaoran's relief.

"Where the hell have you been, missy? We all phoned you like only one hundred times," the girl who Sakura was currently hugging, said, releasing her.

"Sorry to have caused any of you trouble. Turns out my landlord was a creep who wanted more than the rent money," Sakura explained with a look of disgust on her face. "So, I moved from that place to another."

"I'm so glad you're safe. He didn't…succeed in anything, right? You know I'll take him one on one," the Kaname guy said, holding up his fist.

Syaoran almost rolled his eyes at the attempt to impress her. He was getting tired of watching the interaction. And more importantly, he could not understand why she was entertaining the boy like she actually cared. Like she did with Syaoran last night. It infuriated him how much she showed interests in every guy in her life.

His eyes shifted to the man he had come here for, Masamoto. He had been sitting back and watching the little reunion as well, not saying a word. It annoyed Syaoran.

Giving the man a quick glance over, he was reminded of Sakura's attempt at convincing him that nothing had gone on between them. The man definitely looked twice Sakura's age, so maybe he had been a little wrong about his assumptions. His files had said he was thirty-six, so there was no way that Sakura took interests in him…right? But the question that bothered Syaoran was, did this Masamoto guy take an interests in her?

Sakura's giggle interrupted his thoughts, making him look at the group again. "Of course he didn't. You know you would have been the first person I called if he did," she said, winking at the boy playfully.

And Syaoran saw red, especially after the shaggy-haired boy's cheeks reddened a bit as he laughed sheepishly. "Well, good," Kaname said, punching his hand against the palm of his other hand.

"So, how have you guys been? Akiho, Himari? " Sakura asked, smiling at the girls beside her.

Syaoran drowned out the rest of their conversation, not being the slightest bit interested in it. He wondered how many other guys Sakura flirted with that way. They seemed too familiar with each other that it irritated Syaoran to the core for some reason.

"My dad tells me that you have another job and you live with your uncle now and babysit for him?"

That question caught Syaoran off guard.

Uncle?

"Uhh...yeah, that's actually why I'm here today. I didn't know you guys would be on the clock. Masamoto didn't tell me that," Sakura said, eyeing Masamoto with appreciation. "But, yeah, I babysit for my uncle to make a little extra money to save up for college. Touya left behind a lot for me to go to college too, so I should have enough by the end of high school," Sakura explained. Syaoran wondered why she had not used that money after losing her job, but figured she probably would not have access to it until she turned eighteen.

"Your uncle, huh…" Himari said suspiciously. "That's a little weird, considering he hasn't been around since your brother…you know," she said softly towards the end.

"Okay, guys, I will have to burst in on your little reunion. Me and Sakura have business to talk," Masamoto said, interfering in the conversation before it could get out of hand.

Despite how Syaoran felt about the man, he could not be more relieved that he had jumped in. He could not believe Sakura would be so careless to say he was her "uncle". He had just said he would treat her better, but he found it hard to be nice when she did outrageous things like this.

Her uncle.

His blood boiled at the thought of her thinking of him as her uncle; as blood-related family when he had been anything but that to her.

"You three get back to work," Masamoto dismissed the three.

"Don't leave before giving me your new contact info, Kura," Kaname said, making Syaoran's fists clench at the suggestion in his tone.

"What Kaname said, honestly. You had us all worried," the girl, Akiho, said, looking concerned at Sakura.

"Agreed," Himari said.

"I won't," Sakura said, scratching the back of her head nervously.

The three left Sakura and Masamoto alone, going back to their jobs.

"Masamoto…" Sakura started, sounding a little worried, as if she knew she was in trouble.

Syaoran did not like that one bit.

Masamoto was in Sakura's personal space in a couple of seconds, drawing her in his arms. Syaoran just watched the interaction with cool detachment.

Sakura had wrapped her arms around the tall man's body, leaning into him as she rest her head against the man's chest. Syaoran found everything to criticize about the man until he realized he wished he could throw those criticisms at him. And for the love of Christ, why were they hugging for so long? At what point did a hug become a lover's embrace? Syaoran wanted to know just how innocent this relationship was.

He was almost sure she had been involved with the Kaname guy, but now the older man too? If he was not mistaken, this Masamoto guy was Kaname's father from what the boy had called him earlier and what he knew about Masamoto's. He wondered just what kind of family wanted to be involved with the same girl.

Okay, Syaoran knew he was being a little illogical with his thinking, but the way they were all interacting, he could not help it.

They finally pulled apart, to Syaoran's relief again.

"So…the infamous Li is your…'uncle'," Masamoto said, making Sakura gasp in shock.

Syaoran had not been surprised that the man picked up on his observation of Sakura and the glaring. He had not been as subtle about it as he tried to be. He walked over to the two smoothly, letting the man know he heard their conversation.

"Shall we talk somewhere private?" Syaoran suggested, looking the man directly in the eyes, not feeling the least bit intimidated by him.

"Of course. My office, as usual, right, Sakura?" Masamoto said, giving Syaoran a confident look.

That statement rubbed Syaoran the wrong way, but he refused to let the man know he was getting to him.

"U-uhh…" Sakura started, seeming to sense the tension between the men. "Yeah…"

They followed Masamoto to his office quietly, Syaoran avoiding any eye contact with anyone in the restaurant. He felt relieved that there were not many customers present. Once they settled in the small, cramped office, Masamoto closed the door quietly.

Syaoran was sure to stand closest to Sakura, but at an appropriate distance that would not raise questions in Masamoto's head.

"So, Mr. Li, it would be…greatly appreciated if you could tell me how you are related to my dear Sakura? She tells me that you're her uncle…"

Syaoran glared at the man, hearing the sarcasm in his response. "That's—"

"Yes, we are related on my dad's side. It's just really far distant, you know…which is why it never came up. My dad…was related to this man named Clow Reed, who is…also distantly related to the Li family," Sakura explained slowly.

Syaoran looked at her, masking his shock at her knowing Clow Reed. He really had been a distant relative to the Li family. He just wondered how she had known that. And why she was still trying to put up this façade that he was her uncle. He was not even old enough to be an uncle to her. Yet something else that made him feel weird about their small age gap. She really was digging her own grave when they left here.

"Oh…" Masamoto said thoughtfully.

"Actually, Clow Reed is, in fact, a distant relative of the Li's, but Sakura here, is not related to my family. She is the nanny to my four-year-old child. She also stays in my home, under my care and I give her an allowance every week for her hard work," Syaoran said, deciding to take matters into his own hand. He would not let her keep up this façade that made him feel uncomfortable with himself and his feelings for her.

"A nanny?" Masamoto asked, raising a curious brow.

"Masamoto, he's a jokester at times, but we really are related, so please…don't get the prime minister involved in this," Sakura pleaded, glaring at Syaoran slightly.

"I…don't know if this is safe, Sakura. Mr. Li, I respect you and your work, but I think you know more than all of us here, that this is a dangerous arrangement for all parties involved. If this gets out to the public, you, Sakura, and your child will be in trouble. You may not care about Sakura's well-being, but I do, so with all due respect, please let me take Sakura under my care until she finds a stable job where she can afford to live on her own again," Masamoto said respectfully.

Despite the man speaking some truth, Syaoran still felt offended by the man's insinuation that he did not care about Sakura. It was like a slap in the face that he had not been the nicest to her. He thought him offering her a place and money and protection is enough to show that he care though. "I will let no such thing happen. As long as Sakura is under my care, she will be safe," he said, offering the man no explanation or details about how he would do that. He just knew she meant something to him and that he would do anything to keep her protected. Except get rid of her. He was not ready to explore what that "something" was nor why he did not want to get rid of her.

"Mr. Li—"

"Masamoto, please…I promise that everything's alright. I'll be out of here in less than a year since I graduate this school year. I'll be out before the public could even find out about it," Sakura interjected.

"Sakura, do you not know how dangerous this situation can get? You barely know this man. You are an under-age girl, staying with an older, influential man who can ruin your reputation at any given moment. You want to be great and thought of highly, right? Staying with this man and the public finding out will destroy your image. You're a smart girl. Use your head—"

"Like you used yours when you raped some girl in high school and knocked her up, creating that son of yours who works here?" Syaoran interrupted. If this Masamoto man wanted to play dirty in front of him, Syaoran could too.

"Syaoran," Sakura hissed in a reprimanding tone.

He ignored her. "Let me see…when else did you use your head? Oh, when you cheated on your wife with the girl you impregnated a couple of years ago…shall I continue?" Syaoran said.

"Masamoto, please, don't listen to him—"

"I guess I will have to involve the prime minister in this—"

"Oh, no you will not," Syaoran said, leaning against the door with his arms folded across his chest. "Or, I will be buying this restaurant out and speaking to a journalist to let everyone in Japan know how much dirt you've done."

"Syaoran!"

"Sakura," Masamoto called, silencing her. He looked at Syaoran with a calm look on his face, though Syaoran could see defeat in his eyes. "I will not be getting the prime minister involved."

Syaoran held back a triumphant smirk. He knew this had been wrong, but he could not help but feel glad about the information on the man coming back today. He reminded himself to thank Hiroto later.

"But, I will not just let this go, because it is a very dangerous situation," Masamoto threatened. "You know I care for you, right, Sakura?"

"Of course I know that—"

"Then you wouldn't be interfering with her life like this," Syaoran said. "She is not a child—"

"Nor is she fully adult—"

"—so you shouldn't treat her as such. She'll be eighteen when again? In less than a year, I believe, yet you are treating her as if she is a child who does not know right from wrong. How will she grow if you baby her? Prevent her from making her own decisions?"

"Syaoran, stop this—!"

"It's true, isn't it? Unless you like being treated like a child," Syaoran instigated.

"I don't, but clearly he—"

"That's enough, Sakura," Masamoto interfered. "Perhaps this was not a good idea, huh? I guess I will end this here…"

"Masamoto…" Sakura called softly. "Please…"

"Don't worry, Sakura. Your secrets safe with me because I want the best for you. Please, don't ever think otherwise," Masamoto said gently.

Syaoran almost bit the man's head off at his tone with her. The man purposely moved towards Sakura, cradling her face with his palm and that was Syaoran's undoing. "We have to leave," he said coldly.

Sakura pulled back from the man's loving touch, frowning at Syaoran.

"Xing."

At that name, her eyes widened as if she remembered the little boy existed. "Masamoto, please give the others my new number," she said softly. "I'll call you later…"

Masamoto leaned forward, kissing her forehead gently. "Please, be careful," he whispered.

"Sakura," Syaoran called softly, not wanting to scare her away. He already knew how upset she was about this little meeting, so he did not want to add any more fuel.

"Okay, Li-san," she said, her tone dripping with venom that sounded uncharacteristically. It did not sound like her at all. And she had addressed him as if their relationship were nothing to her.

Syaoran realized how much his mouth had landed him in more trouble than he planned. He almost found himself trying to point the blame at her again for being careless, but stopped himself when he realized that is what made him seem like he dis not care.


When Syaoran pulled up to Xing's school, he could not be more relieved than he felt at that moment. The ride there had been uncomfortably quiet, Sakura keeping her head straight, staring at nothing the entire ride. To sum it up, she was beyond pissed at him.

He had not known what to say to fix the situation when his mouth usually worsened things with her, so he chose not to ruin anything more with his silence.

"I won't be long" he told her as he opened the car door.

She did not say anything, which he only half-expected.

Syaoran sighed, stepping out the car, being glad to get away from her. He could finally breathe in peace. Being in that car with her felt like he were sitting by a ticking bomb that would explode at any minute if he made the wrong move.

"How was he today?" Syaoran asked when he arrived in the building after signing Xing out.

"He was good. He had a little tantrum when one of the kids didn't want to share with him," his teacher said.

Syaoran looked down at Xing with a raised brow, only to see him looking down at his shoes sheepishly.

"Alright, thank you," he said.

She told Syaoran a few more things about Xing's day and how he was before they were now walking out of the classroom.

"Why'd you act out today?" Syaoran asked, trying his best to come off as gentle. This was unusual behavior from Xing when it came to authority. He may have acted out with the nannies, but he had never acted out with anyone else before, even his tutors.

"Kaitou didn't want to share his crayons with me..." Xing said quietly, holding onto Syaoran's hand tightly.

"They were his crayons, though," Syaoran said in a reasoning tone.

He did not respond.

Syaoran stopped walking and stooped down to his height. He grabbed his shoulders, gently turning Xing to him so he could look him in the eyes. "Look at me." When Xing looked at him, he said, "What's going on? I heard that you acted out yesterday too."

Xing's eyes began to fill with tears. "I..."

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked, pulling him to a nearby bench on the side.

"All week, the other kids were talking about their mommies and, and, and," he hiccupped and began to sob.

"Xing," Syaoran called, pulling him over into his lap to hold him tightly. He hated not being able to make his son feel better about this topic.

"And, I know..." he sniffed uncontrollably, trying to get his breathing under control.

"Take deep breaths," Syaoran instructed, rubbing his back gently.

He did as Syaoran told him before he calmed down a bit. "I know that I can never see her again and really…it's not that I want to, but it's..." More tears spilled down his cheeks, making the back of Syaoran's eyes burn with tears, but he suppressed the urge to let them fall at his son's pain.

"It's hard sometimes when everyone else has a mommy and they talk good things about her, Daddy. I had happy moments with mommy too, but most of them were sad so I can't talk good things about mommies. And it's not that I want another mommy like everyone else, because what if the next mommy is mean too, but hearing everyone talk about their mommy makes me…ugh," Xing shouted, showing how angry he felt about that.

Syaoran frowned, realizing his son did not understand what he felt. Syaoran had easily detected it as anger and pain though.

"I don't know what it makes me want, but Sakura makes me happy...very happy, and it makes me think that maybe she'd be a nice mommy too, but she can't be mommy because what if she becomes mean like mommies are? So, I don't want her to be mommy! I don't want another mommy! I want Sakura to be Sakura with me because Sakura makes me the happiest. She can just be Sakura because Sakura is just nice…and then you're never here to make me the happiest to talk about with my friends to make up for not talking about a mommy! Sometimes I want to play with you too. Even though mommy isn't here anymore, I'm still happy that I have daddy and Sakura with me, but you don't love me anymore. You never want to be with me...and I don't know," he said between sobs.

Suddenly, Syaoran wished he could have Sakura here with him to help fix this. He knew she would be best at handling this situation, but remembered that he was the parent here.

"I love you, okay?" he said. Syaoran wanted him to understand that he really does. He just did not know how to.

Xing sniffed, moving back a little so he could look Syaoran directly in the eyes. "Then, why don't you want to play with me?" he asked.

"I do want to. I really want to, buddy, but there's work that I have to do too. I work hard at my job every day for you, so I can give you food to eat, a bed to sleep in. Even all your awesome toys. I work hard for you, Xing, so it's not that I don't want to be here with you all the time. I…even work hard to keep Sakura here with you," Syaoran explained, hoping that he understood what he meant. He was not sure how to dumb himself down more for the boy. He was used to talking logical and with intent and reason, but talking to a kid meant talking like an idiot. A four-year-old would not understand logic.

His tears stopped falling and his mouth opened in awe. "R-really? So, you work very hard to keep Sakura here with us?" he asked timidly.

Syaoran could not understand why that surprised him. Of course he would pick Sakura out of all the things he named. "Of course. She needs a place to stay and people to care for her. Also, she wants to be here for you too, so I'm giving her all of that. If Sakura is here, then I'll be able to keep you at your happiest," he explained. He did not realize how truthful that statement was until he actually said it.

A smile crept to his lips and he wiped his tears away. "Okay. If Daddy has to work very hard to keep me happy, I can…be happy," he said.

"Really?" Syaoran asked, pulling the little boy in a tight embrace. Hearing Xing say that reminded him of himself growing up. Though he was a kid who did not crave attention and did not mind being alone, he remembered thinking that he would be content as long as his parents were.

"Yes," he said softly into his shirt.

"I promise that I'll find one day out of the week to spend all of my time with you. No work, no phone calls, or anything that could cause any distractions to take my attention away from you," he said in a determined tone. He had made promises in the past but was unable to keep them, but he wanted to keep this one this time.

"So... like our Saturdays, except you won't stop them fast because of work?" he asked.

"Yes," Syaoran said.

"Pinky promise?" Xing asked, looking up at him suspiciously. "Me and Sakura always makes pinky promises and she never breaks them. So, if you pinky promise, you have to keep it!"

Syaoran could feel a small smile tug at his lip. He held his pinky up.

Xing's face brightened up, and he linked their pinky. "Sing the song to seal the deal!" he exclaimed, making Syaoran almost chuckle.

Syaoran sang the song, rocking their hands together before Xing cheered. He let out a relieved sigh, ruffling the little boys hair with his other hand before he stood up. "We have to hurry. Sakura's sitting in the car waiting for us."

Xing gasped, pulling the string of his bag up on his arm. "Oh no! We have to hurry then," he said, already taking off towards the exit.

Syaoran followed behind him, grabbing his hand so he would not run out in the middle of the parking lot when they got outside. He sighed in relief again, glad that he was able to have that talk with the little boy. He had a slight clue that it had something to do with his mom. Syaoran just could not understand how he could act so blind to the fact that the other kids would talk about their moms.

Syaoran opened the car door for Xing and he immediately jumped in, reaching to the front seat to wrap his arms around Sakura's neck in a hug. "I missed you so much!" Xing said loudly in her ear, making her flinch a bit.

She snapped out of her mood and giggled, gently grabbing his arms from around her neck. "I missed you too," she said in a loving tone.

"What took you guys so long?" she asked Xing once Syaoran settled in the car on the driver's side. He could tell that she was purposely ignoring him.

Syaoran looked at her, seeing the concern in her eyes. Looking away, Syaoran shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly. "Had to talk with his teacher," he answered as if she were talking to him.

"Is everything alright?" she asked in a quiet tone, so Xing would not hear.

Syaoran nodded. "Nothing for you to worry about," he said, turning the car on.

The ride to the house was peaceful, especially listening to Xing talk about his day in the familiar cheerful tone that he normally has.


As soon as they pulled up to the house, Xing asked if he could take a nap because he was tired.

"It'll only be an hour nap," Syaoran informed him.

"Okay! And then, when I wake up, I can play with Daddy and Sakura! Right?" he asked the last part quietly.

A small smile crossed Syaoran's lips and he nodded. "Of course. Come on," he said, already unbuckling his car seat from the front. He stepped out of the car and helped Xing out next.

After he was out, Syaoran turned to Sakura who was reaching down to grab her bag out of the car.

When a mental image appeared in his head of her bending down in a different position, his eyes shifted from her. She was still upset with him, he reminded himself "Uh... I'll put him down while you get settled in," he said awkwardly.

Fuck, get it together!

"Okay."

Syaoran silently sighed, ignoring her short replies for now. He would have a conversation with her about the restaurant incident later. They walked in the house, only going their separate ways when they entered the hallway where Xing's room is.

Syaoran changed him into more comfortable clothes before putting him into bed.

"When I wake up, you'll be here, right?" he asked again in a timid voice.

"Of course. I promised that I'd be here this morning, didn't I?" Syaoran asked.

Xing smiled a little, nodding his head as his eyes began to droop a little. "I'll see you then," he said.

Syaoran nodded before Xing's eyes closed completely. He sighed, standing from the stooping position by the boys bed. He walked out of the room, leaving the door cracked open a little and then headed to his office to get some work done.

He felt a bit conflicted with himself on whether or not to talk with Sakura or get more work done. In the end, he decided to go with the work. He knew nothing good would come out of talking with her. He would probably just do something stupid again. Like opening his mouth and upsetting her more. Or kissing her.

His cheeks grew unnecessarily hot at the reminder of her soft lips against his. Kissing had never felt so good at the few times that they had done it already. Knowing that she would kiss back and feel okay with it, made it so much easier to initiate the act. He knew he should have never started this whole physical relationship with her. He was a deprived man of sex though, he tried reasoning with himself.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, frustrated that he was even thinking about her instead of doing work right now. Especially with them not even being on good terms right now.

With the way his mind was working right now, he decided that he might as well just have that conversation with her to get it over. He stood from the chair and left his study, closing the door behind him.

They had...

He looked down at his watch to see that he had been thinking about her for the last ten minutes. He had fifty minutes to spend with her without Xing interrupting...

Shit, that sounded so wrong.

He told himself that they would not do anything besides talk about what happened today.

That's all...

He began to walk down the hall until he heard a loud crashing sound and a squeak that followed after it. He rushed to the kitchen where he heard the noise, only to see Sakura sprawled out on the floor, grabbing her head.

Forgetting her being upset with him, he rushed to her side, stooping down to her. "Are you okay?" he asked. He grabbed her arm, helping her sit up with a glare thrown at her.

She laughed nervously, leaning into his grip. "Yes, I just...fell," she said.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, searching to see if she had any marks.

"I'm fine. My bum is just a little sore," she said reassuringly.

He felt himself relax when he did not see any marks before annoyance crept in. "What the hell were you doing?" he asked, glaring at her.

Her cheeks turned a rosy color. "I couldn't reach something from the counter, so I..."

He sighed, standing up while gently pulling her up with him. "Don't be so careless," he demanded.

As if she remembered the restaurant incident, she snatched her arm from him as if he burned her. "Like you were today?"

"Wha—"

The sound of a much louder crash resonated in the room as a palm met the flesh of Syaoran's cheek, causing a stinging sensation to follow. "How dare you disrespect Masamoto like that? Take away my voice?" she hissed with venom lacing each word, landing another blow to Syaoran.

Syaoran grabbed his stinging cheek, feeling the heat rise on it. He was at a loss for words, not believing he had just been physically assaulted. Plus, no person had ever hit him before like this.

"Masamoto did not rape that girl in high school and you knew that if you really did run a background check on him without his consent. It was a false accusation that she came back and said, and she even apologized for it," she said, her fist clenching at her side now. "The nerve of you to treat someone I care about like that—"

"Someone you care about? The asshole is clearly trying to have his way with you, suggesting you to stay at his place," Syaoran hissed, unable to bite back his insults anymore at her defending the man and attacking him. Syaoran felt like he had done more for her than the man in the short time frame they had known each other.

"What is with you and thinking such sick thoughts? Masamoto is the closest thing to a father to me and he clearly cares about me—"

"Then he would keep his fucking nose out of your business. The bastard threatened to bring the prime minister in this if you didn't do what he wanted. If that doesn't scream manipulation to you, then maybe you aren't the smart girl he claimed you to be," Syaoran said angrily. He was screwing up again. He knew it. He found his mouth uncontrollable now though. He wanted to stop, but hearing her side with the Masamoto man when Syaoran had been trying to protect her from being put in the system was infuriating.

He could see the hurt flash in her eyes at that statement, but it was replaced with anger immediately. "The one who's manipulating here is you. If I'm not so smart, then why do you keep me around your kid? Aren't you afraid that my idiocy will rub off on him?"

Regret ate at him immediately. When had he ever felt regret before? He could not even answer that himself. "Sakura, I didn't mean tha—"

"You meant exactly what you said. Why do you have to be this way? One minute I think you're not that person and then you remind me that I'm an idiot for believing you would never do anything to hurt anyone. I just don't know with you anymore!" she exclaimed, angry tears forming in her eyes.

"Sakura—"

"No, y-you tried to say that Masamoto was treating me like a child, yet here you are, calling me dumb because I'm not agreeing with your decision to hurt someone dear to me like that. Like, I'm a child who doesn't know how to make decisions. That was low, Syaoran. Did you see how much you hurt him, telling him that you would buy out his restaurant that he worked so hard to get after everything that's happened to him? Maybe I should stay with him and Kaname until I get a better job to get back on my feet again. Maybe they'll take how I feel into consideration. I know they'll treat me better than this! I just don't want to leave Xing behind because he means so much to me now, but I can't keep letting you treat me this way because—" She stopped as the tears slid down her cheeks, as she tried to get her trembling voice under control.

Syaoran's fists clenched at his side, his heart aching at making the girl cry, once again, even though she was the last person he wanted to hurt. He wanted to make it stop, but knew he was the last person who could do that right now. He had inflicted this pain.

"Sakura…" he called, reaching out his hand towards her hesitantly, not sure if he should touch her or not. "I…"

She sniffed, keeping her head low as she cried silently.

"I can fix this," Syaoran said quietly.

"How could you possibly fix the damage of what's already been done? You hurt him—!"

"For your safety, Sakura. You said you didn't want him to bring the prime minister into this because you don't want to be thrown in the system—"

"I would rather be thrown into the system than hurt a person who cares about me so much," she sobbed.

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Syaoran grabbed her wrist, yanking her in a tight embrace, wanting to stop this pain he caused. "Okay," he whispered, holding her tighter. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry," he whispered over and over in her hair, hoping it would soothe her as he stroked her back gently. He had never apologized to anyone before, yet she had been making him do that a lot lately. He was not even sure why he cared so much to make her stop better.

He held her for a while before her sobs calmed down a bit and she pulled back from him. She sniffed, wiping her eyes of the tears. "Apologize to him. Tell him that you're not going to do what you said you would," she demanded, sounding determined not to let a dear friend remain in pain.

Syaoran frowned. He did not mind apologizing to her, but he certainly was not planning to for anyone else. "I see no point—"

"Apologize!" she exclaimed, making Syaoran's mouth shut at the volume of her tone. "Please…you said you would fix this, so fix it. If you don't, I don't think I can continue staying here, despite how much I never want to leave Xing's side. I need to see that you'll do better, Syaoran. I can't keep letting you treat me this way..."

Syaoran could not believe he was allowing the girl to talk to him however she wanted to. He was letting her command him around without reprimanding her for it like he normally would. Would he really let her do this?

When he looked in her eyes, no longer seeing the tears, but a determined look that said she would not back down, he admitted defeat within himself. Just for this once. He promised himself it would not happen again. "Okay."

She let out a relieved sigh, untensing her shoulders. "Syaoran…"

"I know, Sakura…" he said, already knowing what she wanted to say. He knew he needed to do better. Neither of them had to speak that for him to know that is what she wanted to say. "I'm…trying." He did not even know why he was saying that.

"Thank you," she said softly, seeming to understand that his actions had no bad intents behind them. He felt relieved to know she understood that, because he was not the best at explaining himself.

He touched his own cheek again, caressing the sting to soothe it, though it did not work. If anything, it made it worst. "I guess I…kind of deserved this," he said quietly, hoping to change the subject. He would not let her get away with anything like this again, he promised himself.

"I'm sorry…I'm just very passionate about the people I care about…" she said timidly, glancing at him through her thick lashes. "I hope the mark disappears before Xing wakes though."

Syaoran sighed, shaking his head. "I'll come up with something."

"Did I disturb you or something? I didn't mean to cause a ruckus when I fell…"

"No. I had come in because I wanted to talk to you about some things," he said honestly.

Her eyes widened as if she were horrified of something. "I didn't do anything wrong, did I?" she asked. "I mean…aside from…"

Before he could control it, a smile crept to his lips. "No, I just wanted to apologize," he said. Here he was again, apologizing like it was a normal thing. He mentally groaned, wanting to get rid of his stupid mouth all together at this point.

She swallowed. "For what?" she asked quietly.

"U-uh..." he stuttered.

"Hmm?"

"If I've made you uncomfortable about anything, I'm sorry," he said, hoping that she would take the hint. He did really think about what Masamoto had said. He could get Sakura in trouble and that was the last thing he wanted. He wanted her to understand his intentions were not to hurt her. He had this odd feeling of wanting to...protect her more than anything for some reason. He realized he had to start with protecting her from himself. Masamoto had not been wrong about some things and it really dis make him think. He was putting her in danger being involved with her this way.

"Uncomfortable how?" she asked.

He cleared his throat and stared in her eyes. "Kissing you," he said boldly.

A blush formed on her entire face at his statement, making him feel a bit relieved for some reason. He still had the upper-hand. "I-it's not that it makes me feel uncomfortable," she said softly.

"I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything I initiate or ask of either," he explained.

"Of course, I don't feel obligated. I choose to do what I do because I want to...and, you don't make me," she said reassuringly.

He silently sighed in relief. "Okay. Just because I'm allowing you to live here and paying you, I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything you're uncomfortable with," he said.

"Did kissing me make you feel uncomfortable?" she asked in a small voice.

He looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "A little," he said truthfully. When her face fell, he was quick to finish his sentence. "Because of your age."

"I'm seventeen..."

"Exactly. You're still a minor and what I did to you is unacceptable," he said, voice filled with shame.

"Am I just a child to you?" she asked in a challenging tone.

He stared in her eyes, seeing a fierceness he had never seen before. "No."

"Then, there's no need to feel uncomfortable," she said. "I'll be eighteen in less than a year from now, so it's not like you've done anything wrong. I know what I did, and you didn't force me to do it," she said in a reassuring tone.

He sighed. "That's not the point. I shouldn't even look at you in that way," he said in a conflicted tone.

"What way?" she asked quietly.

He stared at her face, seeing that she was lost. "Like two consenting adults would look at each other," he said, hearing his tone darken.

Her cheeks colored, and her tongue swiped across her bottom lip, setting his body on fire. When she did not say anything, he moved closer to her, letting his hand move up to her face to caress her soft, hot cheeks uncontrollably. "You don't feel threatened by me, right?" he asked gently, letting the rough pad of his thumb caress her skin again.

Her emeralds turned a darker shade as she stared into his eyes. She shook her head slightly.

"Are you sure?" he asked, leaning down towards her face to kiss her. He could hear her rapid breathing as she nodded.

Stop...

No, he needed to stop before things spiraled out of control. He did not want to scare her; scar her...treat her as he had today. He wanted her to trust him, for whatever reason, so why was he still leaning down to get a taste of those lips? Why did feeling her body against his feel so right, even though it was so wrong?

Just when their lips were mere centimeters apart, Syaoran closed his eyes tightly, so he could not see her flushed face and slightly parted lips, but was surprised when she pulled back from the almost kiss.

"I'm still upset with you, so I don't want to do this right now," she said in a small, vulnerable tone.

He relaxed, releasing her face. For some reason, he felt relieved that she had stopped him. She had voiced what she wanted and that had made him feel better about himself. He had just said he did not want to force her and that he felt like he had been forcing her into this up until this point. Hearing her honesty may have stung a bit at the rejection, but it felt good all the same. He wanted to keep her around.

And in order to keep her around, he had to respect her and take things slow. And he knew they had to start somewhere along the lines of what she mentioned the other day, friendship. He had not done this before, but he was willing to try to keep her around. He had not missed the disappointment when he basically told her they were not friends.

He pulled back from her slightly, staring at her face. Involving himself in an inappropriate relationship with her certainly was not the right way to go, so he could definitely try out the friendship first. He would just need her help.

"A-are you okay?" he heard her familiar angelic voice ask timidly, interrupting his thoughts.

He nodded, dropping his hand from her face. "Xing's..." He started, knowing that this would be the official start of this new relationship that he had just decided to form on his own without her knowing. He wished he could explain what was wrong with him.

"Hmm?"

He took a deep breath before releasing it. "Xing's mother passed away a year ago," he finally said.

Her eyes widened, hand covering her mouth in disbelief.

"There was a plane crash that happened in Hong Kong and... she was in it," he said quietly.

"I'm so sorry," she said brokenly behind her hands.

At hearing that tone, he looked at her, only to see her eyes watering with tears again. "Don't cry," he said helplessly, turning to her.

"I'm sorry, but," she choked back a sob. "I'm sorry." For some reason, it did not sound like she was apologizing for the death of Xing's mother, but something else.

Before he knew it, tears were already streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably again, causing panic to rise in his chest. He did the first thing he could think of; grabbed her helpless form and pulled her into a tight embrace again like he had earlier.

Her sobbing did not stop, but it sure fell a little silent as she stood frozen in his arms. "It's not something you should cry about. We're okay, so don't worry about it" he demanded harshly into her hair. He would rather see her upset than in tears.

She sniffed, nodding her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry for being so emotional today…It's just... I've been thinking all of these awful—"

The doorbell rang, instantly making Syaoran release Sakura and step a few feet from her. He sighed, knowing who it was. "Dry your face so she doesn't think I did anything..." he said with a frown.

She sniffed and then wiped her eyes. "S-sorry..." she stuttered.

He placed a hand on top of her head, leaning down to kiss her forehead without much thought into why he felt the need to. "Stop apologizing..." he demanded again against her skin before leaving to answer the door.

It was exactly who he expected it to be. Hana.

"Surprised to see you here, Master Li," she said in a playful tone.

He nodded, moving to the side so she could come inside. "Yeah," he said shortly.

Her brows scrunched together. "Everything alright?" she asked in concern.

He nodded, leading her to the kitchen. "Hello, Sakura!" she greeted Sakura excitedly.

Syaoran was surprised to see them interact as if they had been long term friends.

"Hey, Hana-san!" Sakura said, rushing over and giving her a hug. It was like she had not shed any tears or experienced any sorrow a few seconds ago.

"Where's Xing?" she asked, looking around for him.

"Sleeping," Sakura and Syaoran said simultaneously, surprising him.

They looked at each other for a moment before Sakura looked away with a blush on her face.

"I see," Hana said thoughtfully. Syaoran wished he could read her mind right now.

"It's okay, Hana. Syaoran will help us prepare for dinner," Sakura said, volunteering him without his permission.

Syaoran looked at her with a raised brow, wondering if she was serious or not. She grinned at him, causing his cheeks to warm a little, but he looked away quickly to get rid of the fluttering sensation in his stomach.

"Really?" Hana asked, looking at him questioningly. He knew what that look meant.

When his eyes looked to Sakura, he saw an encouraging smile on her face, making him feel obligated to help out. "Yes," he said shortly.

"That's very kind of you. How about you two just start with setting the table," Hana said, giving him a knowing smile.

He could not help but feel his cheeks warm a little before he looked away from her. He was almost sure she would hold this over his head in the future...

"And what in heaven's name happened to your face?!"

Syaoran knew he would not be able to live this down either.


"And, sensei gave us all gold stars!" Xing exclaimed excitedly, as he rested against Syaoran on the couch.

"Wow! Really?" Sakura said, feigning shock as she sat on the other side of Xing.

They had just finished dinner, so they were sitting on the couch, 'watching' a random program as Xing told them about his day.

"Yeah, and it's all because of daddy!" he said, grinning at said person.

A small smile tugged on Syaoran's lip. "How so?" he asked.

"Because you taught me everything I know. And the more we know and do, the more stars we get!" he exclaimed.

Syaoran ruffled his hair, making him pout. "Sakura, tell daddy not to mess up my hair," he said.

Syaoran's ears perked, hearing her soft giggle. "It's already a mess, though," she said teasingly, ruffling his hair too.

He groaned, swatting her hand away. "Daddy, Sakura's being a meanie," he whined.

Syaoran held back a chuckle, shaking his head. "Well, how about we go out and get ice cream? None for Sakura," he suggested without thinking. His eyes shifted to Sakura's, seeing her stare at him with mischief in her eyes.

Fuck. Look away...

Xing burst into a fit of giggles, jumping directly on to Syaoran lap. "Really?!" he said.

Syaoran smiled a little, nodding his head. "Of course," he said, standing, but picking Xing up with him.

Xing squirmed out of his arms, turning to Sakura. "You'll come with us, right?" he asked her.

"Just so I can watch you guys eat ice cream? No way!" she said with a smile on her face.

Xing turned to Syaoran, pulling on his arm, making him stoop down. He motioned with his hands for Syaoran to put his ear against him. "Can we surprise her by getting her ice cream too?" he whispered.

Syaoran smiled, nodding his head, and eyes shifting up to her. There was a blush evident on her cheeks when their eyes locked.

"You can come too," Xing said, nodding his head too with a grin on his face.

Hearing her giggle as she stood from the couch warmed something in Syaoran. "Only because I was invited and it's rude to reject an invitation without a valid reason," she said, talking directly to Xing, though her eyes were on Syaoran.

"Yay! We can get our favorite ice cream! Chocolate," Xing exclaimed, already running out of the living room to, where Syaoran assumed, the front door.

Syaoran cleared his throat to rid of the awkward tension in the room with just the two of them there after earlier. "We should head after him," he said, almost awkwardly.

"Yeah," she said, already walking out of the living room.

They had not really said much to each other after Hana arrived and they helped her assist with dinner. He had gone to wake Xing, so they had been with Xing for the remainder of the time.

He could not tell if they were alright with each other, after her outburst on him earlier. He knew they had the conversation about Xing's mother being deceased, but that did not really clear the air between them much. It was getting hard to read her these days...

He sighed, walking out of the living room to where they were so they could leave. The ride to the ice cream shop was uneventful, aside from Xing talking to them about ice cream. Syaoran had never even known the boy to be so talkative until Sakura arrived.

They ordered their ice creams and went to sit at one of the tables outside the ice cream shop. He was sure to keep his eyes opened for anyone or camera that could be around, but lucky enough, there were not many people out at this time of the evening. It was kind of relaxing here. Not too many or too little people. There were mainly parents with their kids, or other couples who were too focused on each other to even notice them sitting here.

"Your ice cream's going to melt, Daddy!" Xing said, snapping Syaoran out of his thoughts.

Syaoran looked down at his hand with the ice cream, noticing it did start dripping a bit. He licked it to keep from making a mess.

"My ice cream's melting too!" Xing said, quickly licking it.

Syaoran heard Sakura giggle, making him remember she had been there with them. He looked in her direction.

Big. Mistake. Possibly the biggest mistake he had ever made in his life because he was sporting the biggest boner he had ever had in public for the first time in his life. He knew he could only blame himself for thinking something dirty from something so innocent as licking icecream. He needed to get laid at this point, he reasoned with himself. He needed to get it together before he—

"Li-sensei? Sakura?"

Syaoran looked up, hearing an unfamiliar voice address him as their teacher. His eyes widened, seeing one of his students look at him in a questioning manner that read, "what the hell is this?"

It was not just any student...

It was Tomoyo Daidouji, one of the last students he wanted to find out about this.

Double fuck.


A/N: I'm rather proud of myself for getting this chapter out faster than I thought I would since I changed a whoooole lot from the original haha. Gosh, this chapter is super long too. It was a little intense, I know, but it may have be one of my favorites thus far in this story because it was a little dramatic :P. But another note, Tomoyo's found out! :), Next chapter is going to be exciting. BUT, I need to get an update out for Doctor Satyromaniac first because I've kind of abandoned that one in the last month...almost two. I'll definitely work on this one as soon as I do though. Don't forget to leave a review!

Ja ne!