"The First Date"


Sakura stared at herself in the mirror, examining the light makeup she had attempted to put on.

She groaned, realizing how ridiculous she looked with the crooked eyeliner on her lids. She grabbed some of the makeup wipes and scrubbed her face clear of the makeup. She hated that she grew up with two men who knew nothing about the art of makeup.

She had Tomoyo who often played with it on her, but there was no way that Tomoyo could be here since she supposedly knew nothing about her staying with Syaoran. Tomoyo had tried to teach her, but it was a little hard to catch on to something she knew little to nothing about so fast.

Deciding that she would not let this ruin her night, she concluded that she looked prettier without the makeup anyway. Tonight was supposed to be special, so she did not want to stress too much about her appearance. It was the big night she had been anticipating all week since Syaoran planned it. She had not seen him much this week after school, but the glances and lingering stares he would give her in class told her he could not wait to go on this date with her either.

Her cheeks warmed at that thought, making her shake her head of the thoughts. She thought about how intense their last physical contact had been in his car earlier that week. It had been so different from the other times they had kissed, but Sakura could not place her finger on what it was. It almost felt more like a promise of something she knew nothing about. And unconsciously agreed to the unknowing.

Unfortunately, she had not really had the chance to talk with him about it or ask him if something had changed between them because she sure felt like it had. Their mornings were always brief and quick, as if Syaoran were in a rush to get Xing and her to school so he could get to work.

Kenta had been taking her home after dropping Xing off at home on the days she had cheer practice as well. Things had been moving so fast this week since their last kiss, and nothing happened between them anymore to let her know where they stood. Finally, it was the big day she had been feeling nervous about. It would be their first date. Without Xing being there to interrupt anything between them. She had been second guessing herself about going on the date, but thinking about their last kiss, she knew she wanted this more than she should have.

She knew that Syaoran and Xing would not be staying in Japan because they were from Hong Kong, but she reasoned that she could enjoy them while she had the chance to. She could remain optimistic and positive about her experience and time with them. That would make their time that much more memorable.

Sakura applied clear lipstick to her lips, adding shine to them since she would not be able to do all the other extra things she wished she could. Something looked appealing about her, at least. She moved over to her bed where the outfit she would be wearing lied.

Syaoran had surprised her by leaving it laid out on her bed with a note telling her that they would be going somewhere nice, so he wanted her to look her best. She had seen it when she arrived home from school, making her wonder when the man had found the time to get it for her. She felt awfully embarrassed that he had already known that she did not have many nice clothing for special events like fancy dinners.

She fingered the tag on the dress that had not been removed from it, no doubts the person who had brought the dress here forgot to.

132,707 yen.

Sakura knew he hated when she complained about him spending so much money on her, so she opted to not text and chastise him for it. And on top of that, she wanted to look good for him since he was taking her out. It was only fair, she reasoned to ease the guilt of accepting such an expensive gift.

She picked up the dress, examining it closely, thinking about how Tomoyo would be proud to see her with it on. She wished her best friend could be here with her while she prepared for her first date. She had already accepted somewhere in her heart long ago that she would never have a mother who raved over her first date. But, she had always imagined that her best friend would with her, at least.

Sakura thought about it for a moment before going to get her phone on the dresser. She swiped it up to the camera and then snapped a picture of it. She went to her best friend's contact name before sending the picture and leaving a message that read, 'What Syaoran has me wearing tonight...'

It only took a few seconds for her to respond. 'Ohmygoshh—' A video call came through before Sakura could read the rest of the text. She smiled, swiping across to answer the phone.

"There is no way you're wearing that without me taking any pictures!" Tomoyo exclaimed through the video camera.

Sakura giggled, shaking her head as her cheeks warmed. "I feel like it's a bit much, but it does look very...beautiful," she said shyly, fingering the soft, expensive material.

"Beautiful? That's sexy. Oh! Put it on now, please!" Tomoyo nearly begged.

Sakura burst out laughing at her best friend's absurdity. "I can't right now. I wish I had you here to do my makeup…"

"Come on, Saku. I taught you a little bit about makeup, didn't I?"

"Well, I had on eyeliner earlier, but it looked too crooked, so I just took it off. Only you do makeup perfect," Sakura praised.

"That is so not true! I bought you that makeup so you could practice too, remember? Mascara is the easiest thing to put on, so how about you do that? That's all you need anyway because you have a naturally cute face," Tomoyo complimented as she stared back at Sakura dreamily.

Sakura could feel her cheeks warm again, seeing the slight blush that caressed her best friend's cheeks. Tomoyo had always had a rather odd obsession with Sakura's appearance, but Sakura often times wrote it off as just admiration. "I'll try for that then," she said, leaving the camera view to grab the mascara.

She applied a nice amount of mascara before looking at the product. It enhanced her features, making her eyes appear larger than usual. She showed Tomoyo her product, which had her best friend raving over it.

"That's all you should do! You look absolutely stunning!" she exclaimed, screenshotting Sakura.

Sakura smiled, blushing at her friend's constant screenshots. "Tomoyo," she whined, wanting to end the call.

"I'm serious. Please, put the dress on now?" she begged, giving Sakura the puppy dog eyes.

Sakura sighed, shaking her head with a smile on her face. "How about this...as soon as I put the dress on, I'll take a lot of pictures in it and I'll send them to you. I just have to do a few more things before I put my clothes on. He won't be here until after seven."

"I see...so...that's like an hour and a half away," Tomoyo said.

Sakura pressed the screen, looking at the time before nodding. "Approximately. We shouldn't be getting back in too late. He has work in the morning and I have school, so I'll be sure to tell you all about it when I get home," she said.

Tomoyo let out a "hmm", in a suggesting tone. "Tell me all about it tomorrow," she said.

Sakura blushed, knowing what she meant by that. "Nothing like that will happen. Gosh, it's just one date. Besides, it's not anything like that. It's just a date," Sakura said.

That thought had not bothered her too much, as she did not think they would get in a relationship. This was kind of like a friend taking another friend out. That had been part of the deal when she agreed to let him take her on her first date.

"Are you sure? The way that man looks at you in class makes me think otherwise," Tomoyo said, shaking her head unbelievably.

Sakura giggled, shaking her head again. "It's nothing like that, 'Moyo."

"If you say so," Tomoyo said, chuckling on the other end.

"Whatever," Sakura said, rolling her eyes playfully. "I'll talk to you later when I get home if you're up."

"Exactly. If I'm up," she said.

"When I get home, I'm going to bed."

Sakura thought Tomoyo was acting a bit silly right now. Syaoran might have enjoyed kissing her, but he would never go any further than that. He had always remained restrained every time they were physical with each other. Even when she wanted to escalate things, he always deescalated them every time. Syaoran had more self-control than she did, so Sakura knew nothing would come of their physical relationship than a few kisses here and there.

"If you say so."

They bid each other goodbye before ending the call. Sakura smiled, shaking her head good-naturedly. Tomoyo could be such a perv sometimes.


Sakura stared at her appearance in the mirror, a blush painted on her entire face. She had attempted to curl her hair in random spots, which she had thought had been rather successful, but a fail at the same time. And then she had it pinned up in a messy, curly updo.

When her eyes fell down to the dress, her blush only burned her cheeks more. She knew the man had to be trying to kill her with embarrassment.

The dress showed just the right amount of cleavage and the right amount of legs, as it stopped at mid-thigh. It was a blue V-neck that hugged all the curves of her torso before it loosely hung down her waist to mid-thigh, only subtly showing the curve of her behind. It was an open backless dress, that had the form of an X on the back, holding the dress together against her waist tightly with the strings tied together.

The dress was not too fancy or too casual. It was a mixture of both, which made the dress perfect. The material felt so soft against her skin that she never wanted to take it off. There had been a gold necklace that came with it as it glistened in the mirror on her neck.

As if Syaoran knew her to be a klutz, he settled on some fancy sandals that tied up to her ankles with ribbons.

Staring at herself in the mirror, she almost did not recognized the girl, especially with the way she felt, staring back at her. She felt...sexy, as weird as it sounded since she had never described herself that way.

She had never felt so…sexy, confident, and bold. She almost felt powerful; that she could woo any man or woman if she wanted to, which was so foreign to her. She wondered if all beautiful women who dressed up this way felt.

She gave herself one more glance over before grabbing her phone and snapping a few pictures in different angles to send to Tomoyo. Once she sent them, she decided that she had made Syaoran wait long enough. He had gotten home an hour ago, but he went to shower and said that he would be waiting downstairs for her in the living room.

She suddenly felt nervous, only because she did not know how he would react when he saw her dressed as a woman. Not some school girl with a uniform, signifying her youth; her innocence.

She took a deep breath and released it. She could do this, she tried convincing herself. She opened the door, heading towards the stairs. The further she got to the stairs, the more she could feel her heart beat against her chest rapidly. When she began walking down the stairs, she could hear how loud her heart was drowning out all noises. Calm down, Sakura!

Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Syaoran standing near the couch with his head buried in his phone. She swallowed, not knowing how to get his attention. He seemed so engulfed in whatever he was doing on his phone that she almost changed her mind about the date.

She cleared her throat, making his head snap towards her direction. She froze, unsure of how to react when his hand stopped tapping on his phone during mid-tap. His eyes trained on her for God-knows how long, making her wonder if there was something off about the dress he had bought her.

"Fuck, you look..." He made his way towards her slowly, making the anticipation rise in her chest. "Stunning."

Her cheeks warmed when he reached her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his body, to her surprise. Her nostrils were filled with his scent and the cologne he had on, almost making her feel intoxicated.

She looked at him shyly through her thick lashes. "Thank you," she said, smiling at him.

He leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss so gentle that she barely recognized the kiss as his. When they kissed, it was normally passionate, filled with lust or pent-up frustration. This was a lot different.

She stood on her tiptoes slightly, wrapping her hand around his neck, kissing him back. He groaned in her mouth suddenly, pulling back from the kiss before it could transpire into something more.

"I don't know if I want to take you out while you're looking like this," he said against her lips, making her smile bashfully.

"You picked the dress," she accused teasingly to lighten the tension between them.

He leaned his forehead against hers with his eyes closed. "When I agreed to my assistant picking that, I didn't think you'd make it look this good...I regret it now," he said, his face looking so frustrated.

"I mean...I could always go back up and change..." She trailed off, leaving room for him to suggest another option.

"No, you look…perfect. I just want to keep you here, so I don't have to share how beautiful you look to the world," he said, kissing her nose teasingly.

"Oh, stop..." Her eyes took in his appearance, seeing he looked equally as good as herself. He had on very dark jeans with a button-up, two of the buttons left open at the top.

Sakura could not stop the thoughts of what it would be like if she could unbutton the rest of them to see his naked flesh. But she got rid of the thought immediately, reasoning that the man would just push her away. She was not even sure why she thought of doing something like that.

"You look good too."

His cheeks colored before he released her, stepping back slightly. "Thanks..." he said, sounding a bit distant now.

Sakura smiled, realizing he really did not take compliments too well. "So...you talked to Xing yet?" she asked, deciding to change the subject for his sake.

"Yes. Ms. Hana sent me a text, informing me that he was getting ready for bed," he said.

She nodded. "It took everything to convince him to go with Kenta-kun," she said, thinking about Kenta picking him up.

Syaoran and Sakura had agreed that it would be best if Xing stayed the night with Hana instead of him seeing them go out together.

Sakura had been hesitant, fearing that he might not want to at first, but Syaoran assured her that it would be fine, and that Xing had stayed the night at her house multiple times now. Apparently, he liked to go over and play with her grandkids who often visited.

"Kenta?" he questioned.

"Yeah, he wanted to stay here with me and—"

"Since when are you guys on first name basis? He refers to you as 'Sakura' also. What's that all about?" he asked, sounding a bit offended.

"Since we first met—he went to the park with us a week ago too, so we get along well. I didn't think it was an issue...is it?" she asked uncertainly. She had not thought she was being unprofessional with the man, but Kenta had encouraged her to treat him as a friend, rather than a 'bodyguard'.

Syaoran was quiet for a second too long for her liking, making her feel a little nervous about it.

"No, I just didn't think..." He stopped again, making her raise a brow at him in question. "I didn't know you guys had gotten so close."

"Oh, well...I thought it would be okay since we'd be seeing each other so much and he's really kind and—"

He grabbed her hand gently, stopping her from rambling because that's exactly what it was. "It's okay. I just didn't know you guys had become so close. It explains a few things now, actually."

Sakura wondered what those things were, but decided that it was none of her business. "Oh...well, to be fair, he told me to since we would be seeing each other a lot," she explained.

He nodded before tugging at her hand lightly. "Okay, we should head out," he said, sounding as if he was no longer interested in the topic.

She raised a brow, wondering the sudden interest in it to begin with, but decided not to press further. She followed behind him closely as he held her hand gently, creating that fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach. She had expected him to release her, but he had not yet. It felt…kind of nice.

"So...where are we going to go?" she asked, squeezing his hand a little to make sure it had not been a dream she would wake from.

They walked out the door and he locked it behind them before they headed to the car, which he opened her side of the door for her.

When he settled in the driver's side, he turned to her, making her cheeks warm at the extensive amount of attention from the man. "You look so goddamn beautiful," he complimented, leaning over to kiss her lips gently as if he could not control the urge.

He was ruining her lipstick again, so she pulled back with a small smile. "I wish you would've told me that I shouldn't wear anything on my lips tonight," she teased.

His entire face turned beet red before he turned towards the steering wheel, making her giggle at his reaction. "I-I never told you to wear lipstick to begin with," he said under his breath and then turned the car on.

When he pulled out of the driveway, she stared at his face, admiring the structure of his perfection. It was almost unbelievable that she had such a beautiful man taking her out. This kind of thing seemed like it only happened in movies. The attractive guy going out with the average girl, though she thought herself to be a little above average tonight.

Sakura had not struggled with her self-esteem in looks most times, but that did not mean she had a big head about them either.

"Are you trying to stare a hole in my face with that gaze of yours?" she heard him ask, snapping her out of her admiration trance.

She blushed, feeling embarrassed that she had been caught gawking once again. "I was just thinking...how was your day?" she asked, changing the subject so he would not ask her what she had been thinking. She was a terrible liar.

He proceeded to tell her about his day as he kept his eyes on the road. She was a little surprised that he opened up a bit about his job, telling her what their meeting was about and all. It felt refreshing to know he felt more comfortable in opening up to her now. Before, he would be short and brief, but now he was telling her about a new project they were working on.

"Sounds like a lot of work," she said once he finished explaining what project they were working on. "How come you decided to teach as well? Isn't that a bit much on you?"

He let out a sigh, shaking his head slowly. "That's a different project. I made a deal with a man to merge our companies because my mo..." He stopped, looking as if he were thinking about what he wanted to say or not say. "Because I wanted to. Mr. Hiroshi agreed to merge our companies if I did it, so I agreed. Plus, he's a family friend and I wanted to help out."

She smiled, missing how carefully he had spoken about the topic. Like he had not wanted to disclose more than he did.

"That's very kind of you. I really appreciate you taking your time out of your day to do that. I've learned many things about business since you started teaching," she said, hoping he could hear how much she appreciated him. "You don't get paid for that either, right?"

He shook his head slowly. "Money isn't the issue though."

"What's the issue then?" she asked, not even knowing there was an issue.

He did not say anything for the remainder of the ride to the restaurant, so she took the hint and did not bother to press on the topic. She decided to respect his sudden need of silence.

Five minutes passed before they pulled up to a large, fancy glass building.

"This is one of my favorite restaurants here," he said, breaking the silence as he parked in the lot.

"Do you go out often to these kind of places?" she asked, a sudden thought coming to mind. Had he taken other women to these kind of places, or was she the first woman he brought here? Was what she wanted to ask, but knew not to overstep.

She mentally slapped herself, trying to snap out of it. She knew she was not the first woman he had brought on a date before. The man was 23, so of course he had dated other women aside from his deceased wife.

"I've only come here with Xing, if that's what you're asking," he said, seeming to read her mind.

She blushed, feeling like she had been caught red-handed at her jealousy. That was none of her business. If he wanted to date other women, he could, she mentally chastised herself.

"Oh..." she said softly, still feeling relieved to know that he did not take other women out.

"I've never been interested in taking women out."

"What do you mean? Are you saying you're not interested in women?"

He made a face. "I'm very attracted to the opposite sex. I just mean...I've never really been interested in courting anyone because I hadn't found anyone I wanted to," he said thoughtfully, but she could hear the honesty in his tone.

"But now?" she asked, noticing him speak in past tense. "You're speaking in past tense as if it's different now."

"Oh..." he said, looking deep in thought again. "I don't know. I just...I wanted to take you out."

Sakura raised a brow, not understanding what he was saying. He did not necessarily answer the question. "Okay," she said, deciding not to press again. She wanted them to have a good time tonight, which meant she could not pressure him into opening up to her. She realized the more she pressed, the more he seemed to shut down or become distant.

He cleared his throat, unbuckling his seat belt. "Anyway, we should head inside," he said.

She smiled, nodding her head before unbuckling her own seatbelt. They both got out of the car, which he came to her side to help. He surprised her by grabbing her hand, pulling her close to him. Her heart tightened in her chest at the burst of emotions his loving act caused.

Calm down, Sakura. You're getting too ahead of yourself!

He led them towards the building, opening the door for her to walk in first when they reached it. She was surprised he had not released her hand when they approached the host at the stand. "Mr. Li," the middle-aged man greeted with a warm smile on his face. It looked like he had been expecting them tonight, Sakura noted.

Syaoran offered him a nod, acknowledging him. "Just two tonight," he said formally. He was back to the closed off version of himself that he always had up.

"Yes, sir. You can come right this way with me," the man said, already leading them inside of the restaurant.

There were not many people there, but it was still full in the front area. The host led them to the back of the restaurant in another room where it seemed a lot more secluded. He showed them to their seats and sat the menus down on the table.

"I will have someone serve you right away," he said, bowing to the two politely.

Sakura smiled. "Thank you."

He smiled before leaving them alone.

"Everyone knows you in this town, huh?" Sakura asked once she settled in her seat in front of him.

"I've come here multiple times. That's why he knows me. It's hard to get reservations here too, so I keep in close contact with the staff here because this is a highly popular restaurant here," he said. "And it's one of my favorites."

Sakura looked around the restaurant, noticing the beautifully lavishing decorations. The low lighting provided that romantic feel as her eyes took in all the fresh flowers, art pieces, and candle lights on the tables. Even the linen tablecloths and napkins looked ready to serve royalty. The soft, classical musical only added to the effect of the place.

"Not because you're an influential man?" she asked, hoping to mask her astonishment of the environment. She almost felt out of place.

"That too, but he's familiar with me because I'm here often," he said.

"How does it feel?" she asked softly. "Being so well-known and all. Do you feel like you're always being watched?"

"It feels a lot different in Japan. Here, I don't feel like my every move is being watched," he said, picking up the menu.

"Is it because not as many people know you here?" she asked, abandoning the thought of food.

"It's not that. Here, people more so admire me and respect me as a businessman, but in Hong Kong...expectations, standards, and everything else is held over me, so it's like, people admire me, but they also watch to see if I can maintain those standards," he explained.

"Sounds like a lot of pressure," she said.

"Look at the menu to decide what you want," he commanded gently.

She smiled, picking it up to look through it. Everything looked so delicious and rich on the menu. Her eyes stayed away from the prices though, knowing she would want to leave.

"It is a lot of pressure. It feels similarly the same, as I do still maintain those standards here though. I wouldn't let myself down, but sometimes..." He stopped, making her eyes stop scanning the menu as they trained on him.

"You can't help but want to feel free," she finished for him.

When he did not respond, Sakura knew her answer hit close to home for him.

"I get that a lot. Sometimes you want to feel like you can...be you and do whatever you want. It's rare to ever feel that you can, but when you do feel it...you never want to stop," she said, smiling at him.

"You feel that way?"

She shook her head slowly. "Not all the time, but most times I do feel like I can be who I want to be."

"Hello, my name is Ayame and I'll be serving you guys today. Can I start you guys off with something to drink? Any appetizers?" Sakura heard a voice say, interrupting their conversation.

She turned to the voice, seeing a young waitress with a notepad and pen in hand. "Water, please," Sakura said, smiling at her.

"And you, Mr. Li?"

He ordered a wine that Sakura had not heard of before and water. "You didn't want anything else?" he asked, looking at her.

She shook her head. "I'm fine," she said shortly.

"You can order whatever you want off this menu. Don't hold back," he said.

Sakura smiled, feeling her cheeks warm again for the umpteenth time that night. "I'm positive," she said shyly.

"Alright. Do you guys need a little more time deciding what you want? Any appetizers?" she asked, smiling at Sakura with a knowing smile on her face.

"Sakura?" Syaoran called, making her realize that he was waiting for her.

"Oh! Yes, I need a little more time."

"Alright, I'll give you guys more time while I go and get those drinks for you and I'll go and get some rolls for you," the waitress said before walking off.

"What's good here? Everything looks so delicious that I can't decide what to get," she said, looking through the menu again.

"Everything. You could always just order what I get though," he said, closing his menu.

"That works," she said absentmindedly as she still glanced over the menu. "Is this also Xing's favorite restaurant?"

When he did not respond, Sakura looked up, only to see him staring at her with that heated look in his eyes again. A blush stained her cheeks once again. She had been successfully ignoring the heated glances all night, but it was starting to get a little hard to. He would stare into her eyes the entire time they talked, only making her body grow extremely hot with the gaze.

"W-what is it?" she questioned.

His eyes drifted down to something else on her face, making her bite her lip uncontrollably. His jaw tightened, as his Adam's apple bobbed from him swallowing so hard. "Do you know what that does to me when you bite that lip?" he asked in a husky voice, making her release her lip from her teeth.

"I-I'm sorry," she apologized, though it was not sincere. She was not sure exactly what it did to him, but she had some idea about what it did, and she liked it. Gosh, what has gotten into me these days?

"No you aren't," he said, slouching in his chair slightly, which looked extremely out of character for him.

Unable to find her voice, she just stared at the man with a blush on her face as her mind conjured up things she wanted to try with him. She had only seen him weak and at her mercy two times, but he would normally snap out of it before they could try anything more than kissing. She wanted more than kissing though. She was not sure what she wanted, but she knew there was something else she craved from the man.

"If you keep looking at me like that, we won't be eating any food," he said, snatching her out of her lustful trance.

She looked away shyly, hoping he could not tell what she had been thinking about. "S-sorry, I can't help but..." She stopped, not sure where she was going with that.

Get it together!

"But what?"

"I feel so—"

"Here are your drinks and….your rolls," a voice interrupted them, and a basket of rolls was placed on the table.

Syaoran sat up straight once the waitress sat his drink on the table.

"Thank you," Sakura said, not even able to look at the woman's blushing face. Apparently, she had sensed the tension between the two when she came over to interrupt things.

"Are you guys ready to order?" she asked.

Syaoran responded, ordering them both the same thing before the waitress took their menus.

"Your food will be out shortly," she said before leaving them alone again.

Sakura let out a sigh, hoping it would calm her raging heart. "That was embarrassing," she said without thinking.

"She didn't notice anything," he said, clearly missing the blush on the waitress' face.

Sakura looked at him, almost uncertain. "I don't know...you just make me feel so weird," she said truthfully, answering his earlier question. "I've never felt like this with anyone before."

"What do you mean?" he asked, never taking his eyes off her.

God, would he stop?

"Like..."

"Like?" he pressed. "Just say it."

There was no way she could, "just say it." She could not tell him about the tightening ache between her legs when he kissed and touched her. Or the way her nipples hardened, and her breasts feeling too small for the bra she had on when he looked at her like that. It was too personal and overstepping what they were currently offering to each other.

"Sakura," he called, making her look at him.

"I don't know..." She trailed off before picking up the roll. She took a bite out of the it to distract herself from the conversation. She nearly moaned at the roll melting in her mouth with its buttery rich taste.

"Turned on?" he asked, making her stop mid chew. "That's what you're referring to, right?"

She chewed the roll slowly, suddenly not able to chew it into bits of pieces anymore. He raised a brow, making her swallow the food quicker.

"I-I guess..." she said shyly.

He smiled, picking up a roll to eat himself. "Aren't you almost 18?" he questioned, making her feel even more embarrassed because of her lack of experience.

"And? What's your point?" she asked, pursing her lips in annoyance.

"Nothing. I don't think it's a bad thing," he said. "I just figured that most people would have experienced some form of sexual feelings by 18, even if it's not during sex."

"I've just never had the chance to experience them freely," she explained. "I mean…I know of the feelings, but I've just never…"

"I like that about you," he said, surprising her by his sudden bluntness. "Not everyone maintains their innocence this long."

"I'm not dumb to everything. I know what things are, I just haven't..."

"Experienced those feelings, I know what you meant," he finished for her. "And I like that."

She dipped her head a little before grabbing her glass of water, taking a sip from it, hoping it would calm her heated body. "Why?" she found the courage to ask.

"Because—" He stopped, looking deep in thought about that question now.

A silence passed between them, not even the least bit awkward, surprisingly. She waited for him to answer the question.

"The thought of anyone else taking that innocence gives me an unsettling feeling," he finally said after a while.

"What do you mean?" she asked, not sure what he was trying to get at with that answer.

"I don't want anyone else touching you or ruining your innocence."

Sakura noted that she did not feel pure and innocent with him around, but she decided to keep that to herself. She saw no use in him knowing that.

"And you haven't been?" she asked, wondering if he thought he was out of the category with everyone else.

His cheeks colored before he shook his head. "I-I didn't know you felt that way about our interactions," he said, sounding guilty about them now.

"I don't," she said quickly. "I mean… I like it, at least."

"You like feeling that way or me touching you?" he questioned. "I want to be the only man who touches you."

"I-I..." she stuttered, trying to figure out what to say before a face came to mind that she knew was safe territory. "Xing was really excited about going to Ms. Hana's place. He must really be close to her grandkids."

Syaoran straightened up after that, a calm, gentle look forming on his face. "Yeah...I've known Ms. Hana for a while. She's been a family friend for years, because she used to live in Hong Kong as my personal chef," he said, taking a sip from his wine.

"Then...?"

"She moved to japan after Xing's mother passed because she had to take care of her grandkids," he explained.

At the mention of Xing's mother, Sakura's curiosity got the best of her. "You never refer to her as your wife," she said hesitantly. "Why?"

He looked deep in thought at that question. "I don't," he stated blandly without any emotions in his voice.

"Why?"

He shook his head slowly, staring at nothing in particular. "I just don't because I...don't know," he said, surprising her. He always had an answer to everything, so seeing him at a loss for words was beyond strange.

"Hmm..."

"Enough about me, how about we talk about your day? Your interests. This is supposed to be a date. Isn't that how they work?" he said, suddenly shifting the conversation.

Sakura did not want to pressure him any further, but she was glad that he had not closed off, so she just went along with it.

She told him about her day at school and how things went before he asked her about herself. It was not too long before their food came out after telling him about the activities she had been involved in over the years. Once they thanked the waitress for their food, she left them alone again.

"So, you're just very athletic then," he said after taking a bite out of his food.

"I take after my father. Did you play any sports while in school?" She took a bite out of the yakitori from the stick, surprised to feel it nearly melt in her mouth. "Mmm, this is delicious!" she exclaimed before he could even respond. "Sorry, you can answer the question."

He smiled a little, shaking his head at her behavior. "I'm glad you like it," he said gently. "I played soccer, but that's kind of the only extra curriculum activity I could do at school because I had other things to do. Besides, I was homeschooled majority of my grade school years."

"I know. Mr. Smarty-pants was too busy doing college work in high school," she said teasingly.

"Yeah…" he said.

She looked at him, hearing the tone of his voice. For a moment, it sounded like he was disappointed that he was doing that instead of living a normal high school life. "Does it feel like you're in high school again teaching?" she asked.

"No," he said shortly. "But I feel that way now."

She raised a brow. "Like you're in high school?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm..." she hummed, not sure what that meant, but she brushed it to the side by asking him something else about himself.

Where he provided little information, she knew he did not want to share. So, she would not force it unless it were absolutely necessary. And she was okay with that as long as he stayed connected with her.


The night had been going great with their date. Syaoran had been wonderful all night too and cooperative. She had learned so much about him within the last two hours of them spending time together.

He had told her a lot more about himself than she had found out on her own. It had not felt like he was giving an autobiography either. He had told her about his hobbies, though most of them surprised her.

He practiced martial arts when he had free time, which had not been a surprise, but the fact that he liked to read fictional stories, had been.

If he had stuck to saying he liked reading educational books, she would believe that, but he said he often read fictions and horror. He had not seemed like the type, but it made her find him that much more interesting. The rest he told her about himself was not too surprising, but it felt refreshing to get to know the real Syaoran. Not the one that everyone else thought he was.

The real Syaoran was actually sweet and kind; always holding the door open for her and pulling out her chair, showering her in compliments, trying to protect her, and the list went on. She quickly realized that he was the type of person she could fall in love with. The type of person she could see herself being with.

She quickly eliminated that thought when they arrived at the park. She realized that they were having too much of a good time together for this…whatever they had, to only be temporary. She found that she could not stop it though.

She giggled, feeling Syaoran's hand slide up her back gently as they walked through the park. She decided that the man had had one too many drinks, because he was extra touchy. It felt comforting to know he felt so comfortable and open with her now.

"My driving isn't that bad," she retorted to his comment about almost killing them.

She had convinced him to let her drive his car to the park after they left the restaurant. He decided that they go to the park they went to without Xing. It had taken a lot of begging and...coercing to get him to agree. She had hit the nail on the head when she told him that he had been drinking and she felt it would be safer to let her drive. Granted, Syaoran was not drunk, but he sure felt looser than normal.

"It wasn't, but mine is far safer," he said, sliding his hand down her back again, sending chills down her body.

Sakura was so glad there were hardly any people out. Otherwise, a lot of people would have been looking at the two as if they were lovesick teenagers—with the exception of one of them not being one.

"You're just saying that because you've been driving longer than me," she said.

He shrugged. "Well."

She smiled. "I disagree. I had great teachers."

"And who were they?" he asked testily.

"Yukito and Touya," she said confidently.

His hand dropped from her lower back immediately, making her look in his direction. "The English teacher?" he asked stiffly.

"...yeah," she said quietly, sensing him revert back to his usual self.

"The guy you're interested in," he corrected himself, sounding upset now.

"Syaoran—"

He turned to her abruptly with an expression of disapproval. "Stop liking him," he commanded with a glare on his face that was not necessarily directed at her.

"W-what?"

"The little fairy," he scoffed, making her frown. "Stop liking him."

"Don't talk about him like that," she said, in defense for her deceased brother's best friend. "Yukito is very kind."

"So you'd rather be here with him right now then?" he asked.

Sakura frowned. "What's the problem?"

They were just having a good time—matter of fact—they had been having a good time all night and he was trying to ruin it with his rude attitude again.

"I'm enjoying my time with you," she said in a reassuring tone. "I only said that he taught me how to drive with my brother, so I don't know how you got any of that out of that statement."

He did not say anything, making her grow frustrated with him. "Syaoran," she called.

"Why do you like him?" he asked.

She closed her mouth tightly, knowing this conversation was not a good idea for tonight when they were enjoying each other.

After mustering up the courage, she grabbed his hand, moving closer to him. "It doesn't matter in regards to our date. I'm here with you right now," she said, interlocking her fingers with his. "And I don't want to be with anyone else right now."

His fingers clenched around hers automatically, making her look up at him. She mentally sighed in relief, seeing a blush on his cheeks. He looked down at her, making her regret the move. He had not even bothered to look around to see if people were watching before he dipped his head lower, capturing her lips with his gently.

Sakura knew she should have pushed him away, but something in her liked the fact that he felt comfortable showing such affection to her in public. It meant he was not ashamed of her; that he did not mind the world knowing how he felt about her.

Her eyes closed automatically as she stood on her tiptoes a little to kiss him back. She released his hand, wrapping her own around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

A moan slipped past her mouth when he deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him. His hands glided down her bare back until he reached the curve of her behind over the soft fabric. He grabbed a handful of her ass as he slipped his tongue between her parted lips, exploring her mouth.

Her cheeks warmed, feeling his hand squeeze the flesh as his lips became more demanding of the kiss. Her fingers slid up his neck to his hair, grabbing his soft, messy hair as her tongue battled with his expertly.

She was surprised when he pulled his lips back from hers so he could kiss down her face to her neck, letting his tongue snake out a few times. She lifted her head slightly so he could have better access to her neck.

When his lips wrapped around the curve of her neck, she bit her lip, holding back a moan. One of his hands moved up to the tie of the dress behind her, making her wonder if he could tear it when he grabbed the string gently.

"Sakura," he called against her skin, making chills glide down her body. It suddenly felt hard to stand on her own. "Let's head back, it's getting late."

Her heart nearly dropped to her bottom, hearing him say that. She could not help but feel like that statement meant so much more than them needing to get sleep.

"Yeah," she squeaked. She closed her eyes tightly, embarrassed at her reaction.

Calm down, Sakura. Li Syaoran, one of the most influential men in Asia, is not going to deflower you.

She reasoned that they had only known each other for two months and been on one official date, so she was getting way in over her head. He had only just started kissing her and he always made sure they stopped before things could go too far. He would never try and take what they had further, no matter how much her body cried for it.

He moved from her neck, but kept his body pressed to hers. Her cheeks warmed, feeling something hard press against her stomach.

"You're right," she said shyly, looking up at him hesitantly. "I'll drive?" she asked to lighten the mood, though she could still feel the tension between them.

"I don't know about that," he said.

"It'll be fine," she assured. "Besides, you've been drink—"

"I'm sober. Besides, I only had three glasses of wine. That's barely enough to get anyone drunk," he said, grabbing her hand now. She knew he was not completely there though.

"W-well, I should drive, just to be safe. Please?" she asked, looking at him with the eyes Xing always gave her.

When he looked down at her and his cheeks colored, she knew she had won him over. "Okay, fine," he said, looking away from her now.

She grinned, giggling as she squeezed his hand tighter. "We should head back then," she said, already pulling him in the parking lot direction.

"Funny seeing you two here," a voice interrupted their journey to the car.

Sakura released Syaoran's hand immediately, recognizing the familiar voice.

"Kaname," she called, turning around to see her friend. She was surprised to see him with his father, Masamoto. She cringed, hoping they had not noticed her and Syaoran's intimate moment earlier. Or the hand holding. "Masamoto-kun…"

"Sakura," the man called, looking disappointed in her, almost telling her that they had seen it.

"Ah, Masamoto, wasn't it?" Syaoran interjected before she could even respond. Sakura wanted to be swallowed in a hole at that moment. Their first meeting had not been so pleasant, so she was not expecting for it to be this time either.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked, looking at Kaname for answers, seeing that he would be the more reasonable person here.

"I believe I should be asking that. Where's little bit?" Kaname asked, looking around for Xing.

Sakura shot a quick glance at Syaoran before looking away, remembering that he still had not known about her little secret. She wished she had told Kaname to not mention it when she had the chance to. She just hoped that Syaoran would not notice, though something told her he would. Nothing could get past the man.

"Uhh—"

"Little bit?" questioned Syaoran.

"Oh! He's not with me today—Syaoran, isn't there something you have to discuss with Masamoto-kun?" she asked, giving him a pointed look. She had hoped it would redirect the conversation to something else.

Syaoran looked at her as if she had lost her mind, but also not sure what she was implying. "Excuse me?"

She gave him a pointed look before a frown graced his face at the realization of what she wanted him to do still.

"That's not necessary, Sakura. I don't appreciate insincerity," Masamoto dismissed. "Don't you think it's a bit risky for you two to be out together like this?" he directed the question at Syaoran.

"I believe that is none of your concerns—"

"Oh, that I disagree with, considering you are holding hands with a minor as if this were a date. Don't you think that's illegal? Especially since she has no guardian to consent to this."

"Stop!" Sakura exclaimed before things could escalate as they had last time. She had never been in such an awkward situation. She hated conflict, which was the main reason she avoided it like it were the plague. "Please…can't we all just act…cordial? I don't want us to fight like last time…"

"Last time?" Kaname asked, sounding confused. "Am I missing something?"

Sakura had to hold her breath, feeling this overwhelming tension build in her chest with panic. She had not thought that they would run into anyone they knew so late at the park. If she had known, they would have never come here today.

"Sakura and I got dinner tonight," Syaoran said, looking Masamoto in the eyes, daring him to test him. "Is that a problem for me to take my employer out for a treat? In fact, I regularly take them out for drinks."

"Except this one isn't even legal to drink yet," Masamoto retorted, giving Syaoran a hard look that said he was not playing nice tonight like he had last time.

"'Name-kun, how about we catch up some time later this week? I could come over for dinner and we could all talk. Right, Masamoto-kun?" Sakura suggested, silently praying this would be enough to get out of this situation.

Syaoran scoffed. "Sakura—"

"It'll be on Saturday—my day off—so, I don't see an issue with it, as long as it's not interfering with my job. That was the deal. I get Saturdays and Sundays off if you don't have to be at the office," she said, looking at him hesitantly. She just wanted to tell the pair in front of her that she would see them later that week so they could end this awkward encounter. She would have more than enough time to come up with an explanation for her and Syaoran being in public as a couple so freely. What had they been thinking?

"I think it would be lovely for you to come over for dinner on Saturday, Sakura. We need to properly catch up with each other anyway," Masamoto said sternly, almost as if he were stating his dominance in the conversation. "That's not a problem, is it, Mr. Li?"

Sakura wanted to scream at the silent, obvious battle between the two older men, wishing that Kaname could save her from this all. He had always been the one to save her in situations of turmoil, like he had when he found her at the cemetery. He seemed at a loss of what was going on at the moment though.

"Actually, we will see what my schedule looks like on Saturday. Sakura, you know what we talked about if I have work on Saturdays."

"I-I do, but…"

"Geez, why don't you two piss on her at this point? It's a wonder she hasn't lost her wits yet," Kaname interrupted, grabbing Sakura's wrist gently to pull her in his arm to comfort her.

Her heart skipped a beat, and not for the reason most would think for. She almost feared how Syaoran would react with another boy touching her when he had just stated earlier that he did not want anyone else touching her. Nonetheless, she still felt a little calmed by the notion that someone was on her side here and not trying to win over the other.

"Kaname, why don't you head to the car while I wrap up with these two?" Masamoto asked calmly, handing the set of keys to the boy.

Sakura looked at Syaoran, seeing a glare on his face as he watched Kaname's hand around her protectively. His jaw was clenched tightly, and as if Kaname noticed, he tightened his hold around her briefly before releasing her.

"Well, I'll be glad to excuse myself from this…awkwardly pleasant meeting," Kaname said playfully, sending a wink towards Sakura. "Give me a call when you can if you don't…drown in their piss."

"Kaname," Masamoto called sternly, making the boy chuckle at being chastised.

She blushed, internally groaning at his vulgar language. He had a streak for having a potty mouth at times. She wished she could follow after the boy as he left them though.

"I thought I made myself quite clear in our last meeting, Masamoto," Syaoran said tightly.

"Why, yes, you did, Mr. Li. However, I still have Sakura's best interest at heart. I take it that you thought things through rationally before taking her out tonight, yeah?" Masamoto said to Syaoran, though his eyes remained on Sakura.

"I-it's not like that, Masamoto-kun…" Sakura defended weakly, though she knew the man would see through her lie immediately. Perhaps she should let Syaoran handle it, as much as she did not want that.

"I don't like when people meddle into my business," Syaoran said dangerously calm. "Doing so is like pouring gasoline on fire."

Sakura closed her eyes, hearing the threat in Syaoran's tone. "Syaoran," she called, frowning at him now.

As if he knew she would be upset if he continued on this way, he looked at the man with business written all over his face. "However, I am aware of the risks of pursuing Sakura romantically, her age, and the legality of things. Am I missing any points you need to cover?"

Masamoto fell silent at that.

"Syaoran…"

"Well, since Mr. Li here is aware of all the risks this could place on his career, I suppose our talk is done here. We will see you on Saturday then? Sunday works as well," Masamoto said, looking at Sakura.

She smiled nervously and nodded. "Okay…"

Masamoto rest a comforting hand on her head, ruffling the top gently like he used to before giving Syaoran a curt nod and leaving them.

A minute of silence passed between them, almost making her feel suffocated. Syaoran looked at her with a disapproving look on his face. "You brought that brat around Xing," he said suddenly.

"W-what?" she stuttered.

"Don't play dumb with me."

She fell silent, regret washing over her for keeping this from him. She knew telling him would not have made things better, but not telling him was still just as bad. He would not be fond of the idea of her bringing any of her friends around Xing because they were not supposed to know about her staying with him anyway.

"Have you guys been involved before?" she heard him ask quietly.

"E-eh?" she said, surprised to hear how timid he sounded asking that question.

"Xing mentioned…" He stopped and then sucked in a deep breath. "You aren't allowed to have your…whatever the fuck the brat is, around my kid. None of your people, in fact. I just started trusting you, so I don't know what makes you think I'd trust anyone else."

She swallowed, feeling a stab of guilt and pain at his dismissal of her friends. It was not like she had invited Kaname over to the house, so she saw no problem with seeing him in public. It was bound to happen if she went out with Xing sometimes anyway. His dismissal hurt more than it should have though, despite her agreeing with his decision to do so.

"Okay…" she said quietly, hoping he would not be able to hear the pain in her voice.

"Let's go."

They walked back to the exit of the park together in silence, leaving Sakura to her thoughts. She had just been thinking about Syaoran being the type of man she could fall in love with. Now, she wondered how she could fall in love with a man who did not even want her friends around? She cared about her friends immensely. There was no way she could give up her friends for the family though. That was only an added reason to why her and Syaoran would never work.

She would never willingly give up her friends. Especially Tomoyo.

When they reached the car, he unlocked the doors by pressing the button on his keys and then mashing another button, automatically turning the car on. She briefly wondered if he would still let her drive, but that wonderment immediately left when he went to the passenger's side of the car. She got in the driver's side, buckling up.

"Xing still needs a father, okay?" he warned quietly to himself, but it was meant for her to hear.

A smile slowly crept to her face, feeling glad that their night was not completely ruined. Something told her that they were not finished with their conversation though. She decided to embrace what good they had left of the evening though. She would just deal with her other worries and pain later.

She giggled weakly, shaking her head. "Everything will be alright. Trust me," she said.

"I don't have much of a choice here..." he murmured.


The ride to the house had been quiet after their short discussion, so Sakura could not feel more happier when she saw the house come into view. It had not been awkward, but there was still a bit of tension that neither of them seemed interested in breaking. It was as if they knew that the other was not ready to ruin the rest of their night together or talk about what had just happened.

The moment she turned the car off, she was suddenly reminded that it would just be them at the house tonight. There was no Xing to save her from the man or the awkwardness like he normally was. Syaoran had turned the car off, making her heart beat erratically against her chest for some reason. She was not sure if it were because they would be alone tonight or Syaoran's upcoming confrontation. She knew it was coming.

They got out of the car and headed towards the house, making the anticipation rise in her chest. He unlocked the door, pushing it open before he dropped the keys in his back pocket.

"I've been meaning to make you a key," he said as they walked in the house. It almost seemed like he was trying to fill in the uncomfortable silence between them, and she could not be any happier about it.

She closed the door behind her, locking the top and bottom lock. "Oh yeah, thanks for talking to Xing's teacher about me coming in too," she said, smiling at him as she remembered the teacher acknowledging her earlier that week.

"More convenient for the both of us," he said. "Come on."

She followed him to the living room. "You're right."

"You have practice tomorrow too, right?" he asked, slipping his shoes off.

Sakura thought it to be strange of him to take his shoes off in the living room. He never did that, especially with how much of a neat freak the man was. She reasoned that it had to be because he had a bit too much to drink back at the restaurant, despite what he said.

That was probably the reason the man remained so calm after Masamoto and Kaname showed up. It was not like him at all to not be an asshole to people he was not fond of. He sure had not held back the first time he met Masamoto. And he had not flipped out yet about Sakura keeping things from him, along with Kenta, obviously, and her bringing Kaname around his kid.

He was certainly not himself since he had those drinks. It was almost like he had taken a sedative that helped him remain calm. This was not the same cold-hearted ruthless man she had grown accustomed to. Then again, it could have just been that he wanted to make sure they had a good rest of the night together. It felt much better to believe that that was the reason for the calm man sitting on this couch. She hoped it was that.

He sat on the couch, motioning her to sit with him.

"I do," she said, sitting on the couch beside him.

Immediately, he pulled her closer to him.

"Hoee..." she let out under her breath as he wrapped an arm around her waist as he switched the television on.

She knew it had to be the alcohol now because he was still being loving and affectionate after her little stunt. And their slight disagreement.

Something told her to retreat to her own room for the night, but her body would not let up on the feel of the man's hands on her though. She wished she were not such a hormonal teenager right now, but she knew there was nothing she could do about this pull she felt towards him. She wanted him to keep pushing and pulling her further in. She felt a bit indecent for the emotions. What had gotten into her? Were they not in a silent fight with each other?

"I'll get Kenta to give you the key when he comes and get you," he said, focusing on the screen in front of them.

"I can't ride the train still?" she teased, hoping to ease the tension in her chest.

He turned to her with a serious look on his face. "You know the answer to that," he said.

She giggled, shaking her head at his absurd, overprotective behavior. "Are you always this protective of your live-in nannies?" she asked, looking him in the eyes.

"No, just this one," he said, eyes falling to something else on her face.

Her cheeks warmed, hearing the meaning behind his tone, yet she could not understand it. "Why?" she asked, not moving an inch in fear of making the wrong move.

"Because you're dangerous," he said blandly.

"How so?" she asked, though she wished she had not.

"For starters, you managed to trick my most trusted bodyguard into keeping things from me."

She fell silent at that, not sure how to defend herself. She knew it was coming, but she had not expected it to come this way while he was still being so loving.

"When did you bring Xing around...that kid?" he asked, sounding a little restrained at the mention of Kaname.

She wondered if he thought of her as a kid like he thought of Kaname. They had been the same age, so she could not help but think that things were weird with him referring to someone her age as a kid.

"I didn't bring Xing around him..." she said quietly, looking away from the piercing look in his eyes now. He had looked upset, which she knew would be the case with this topic.

She had not expected him to remain civilized all day. He would not be Li Syaoran if he had. But, she knew she deserved the bad Syaoran since she had gone behind his back and did this. She could not blame him for not trusting any and everyone around his kid.

"You know what I mean."

"It was...when we went to the park. Kaname had said that he needed to talk with me, so I thought it to be okay for us to meet in a public place. His father knows about me staying with you and Xing, so Kaname does. I didn't think it was a problem to see him with Xing. You wouldn't have liked for him to come here, so I-"

"Of course you can't have anyone come here. What is your relation to him anyway?" he asked, sounding annoyed that they were even still talking about her friend. "You lied about not being involved with anyone. About not dating before."

She frowned at the accusation from the man. "I did not. Me and Kaname have never dated before. He is a special friend who's been here for me since I've met him. He helped me pick up the pieces after Touya passed too. Him and Masamoto have helped me in more than one way, so I'm grateful for them. That's why I didn't appreciate the way you treated him when you first met-"

"You know why I treated him that way though. Tonight should have been obviously clear why I had to threaten him."

"He's just looking out for me..." she said quietly, looking away as she felt exhaustion creep in. She did not want a repeat of last time, but it suddenly felt like it would be. She did not want the yelling to start or the tears to form. She wanted tonight to be like their date had been. Nice, pleasant, and peaceful.

"And I'm not? You don't think I want the best for you too? That I'm not looking out for you?" His voice rose a bit as his annoyance became more evident in his tone.

She swallowed, a nervous habit of hers. "I didn't say that..." she barely whispered. "But, just because you want the best for me doesn't mean that others can't. Others can care for me too."

Silence fell over them as Syaoran released his hold on her, neither of them knowing what to say to clear the tension in the air. Sakura wished she could take back what she said, even though she knew it had been true. Others could care for her, just like he could. She knew she was not his alone to care about.

Somehow, telling him that she had others she could depend on made her feel slightly guilty for some reason. She had not thought of herself as depending on him, but the way he had been treating her since she started being Xing's nanny, it almost felt like she did.

She mentally chastised herself for thinking that, telling herself that it was just a job. She got paid for watching Xing because it was a job, just like she got paid for serving at the restaurant. They were the same thing. Yet, somewhere in her heart, she knew that she had never thought of Xing as a job. There was something much more there with Xing. And Syaoran. They were like her new little secret family that she did not ever want to let go. It was a different feeling than the one she had from the guys back at the restaurant. She felt a lot closer to Syaoran and Xing.

Her heart told her that they were much more than Masamoto, Kaname, and the other guys back at the restaurant, despite her knowing them longer than the little boy and his father. With Xing and Syaoran, she could see a future together with them, as scary as it sounded. She could see herself watching Xing grow older as she helped raise him with the man. And the scariest part had been that she wanted to.

No one had to know that though. She had already made up her mind that she would enjoy them as long as she could before she would lose, yet another family. She had lost one before and survived, so she knew she could do it again. She was strong.

But, she had to stand her ground for the family that she knew would be here longer than the one she actually saw a future with.

"I'm going to their house on Saturday," she finally found her voice, though she felt surprised at the sternness in her tone.

She had to keep the family who would willingly stay with her. She knew that Syaoran would leave in a heartbeat, even if Xing had begged him to stay with her. Kaname, Masamoto, Tomoyo, Akiho—everyone in her life—would never leave her. They would never feel ashamed of her.

His head shot up and looked her square in the eyes. "What?"

"I have to...I...owe them that much, at least. I know that Masamoto-kun cares for me, and he's right about everything he's been saying. Tonight was very risky. I have to clear the air between us before things…get out of hand. I have to explain things to him, or he'll…" She paused, thinking about all the things he could do. But she knew it would all be out of love and care for her. For her safety. "I owe him answers," she said in a weaker voice than she had before when she felt his eyes on her.

Why did the man always make her weak with a single look? Was it his eyes? Or, what she thought he would think of her? What he already thought of her? Why did she even care? Why did it matter?

"You don't owe anyone anything. Why do you have to succumb to their demands?"

"Why do I have to succumb to yours? You're no different from them," she retorted without thinking.

Silence.

The moment she was met with the silence, regret washed over her, knowing that he had not meant to come off as demanding. He had voiced his concerns about not doing that on purpose and that it bothered him.

"Okay. You may do as you please."

She could feel the man distancing himself again, even though he had not said or done anything to make her think that, but she knew what that tone meant. It meant that he was done with the conversation. That he did not care what she did anymore.

Despite her knowing this and being hurt by it, she took a deep shaky breath and then released it. She had to stand her ground on this mission though. She had to make sure she stayed in good terms with the family who would never leave her behind.

"I'll go on Sunday," she said, hoping that the regret could not be heard in her voice.

"Okay."

It felt like a stab in her chest at the bland tone he used, almost making her heart feel like it could bleed. He was closing himself off from her again; like he did not care about her anymore. And for some reason, she wanted the same man she had just chastised for being demanding and bossy. She craved that possessive streak he had earlier, letting her know that he cared and felt something for her. She wanted him to tell her that she could not see them this weekend; that she had to stay with Xing. She knew she was being contradicting right now, but she wanted him to show something that said he cared, even if she fought it.

He had told her that he wanted her for himself earlier, yet now he was telling her she could do whatever she wanted as if he did not care. She wanted to feel something from him, but now...it felt like he felt nothing for her anymore. Everything felt like a lie. And that hurt more than anything. She wanted him to want her again. She wanted him to shower her with his attention and affection as he had earlier—a few minutes ago before this conversation. She wanted him to...

Sakura looked at him, seeing his eyes trained on the TV again as if they had not just ended whatever connection they had. She wanted him to feel something for her again. She wanted to repossess that connection they had earlier. She wanted...

Without thinking, she leaned over and grabbed his face, crushing his lips with her own sloppily. The last thing her eyes registered were his wide pair that showed surprise at her sudden attack before she closed them tightly to avoid the consequences in his eyes that always told her answers.

She was met with surprise when he turned his body towards her and responded to the kiss, taking control of it to make it less sloppy. This kiss felt a lot different from the kisses they had shared before. It felt like they were kissing for the first time again, creating new emotions she had never felt before.

When his tongue touched hers, she could feel the heat rise in her cheeks, making her respond in the way he wanted her to. Their tongues participated in a tango, rather than wrestled like they usually would, creating that stir down south.

Suddenly, the nervousness that she had felt earlier at the thought of them taking things too far disappeared, only being replaced with a desire to take things further than far. Somehow, she knew it would get rid of the feelings she had felt about him not feeling something for her. She wanted to feel what he felt for her again.

He pulled his lips back from hers, kissing down her face as he pushed her back on the couch. He grabbed her thighs, motioning her to turn over so she could lay down properly before climbing on top of her.

They stared in each other's eyes for a moment, giving Sakura the opportunity to see what he felt since his eyes always gave away so much. She could see anger, though she was not sure at what. She could see frustration, possibly at some mental battle he had going on with himself. And most importantly, she could see hunger and that same possessive look she had seen earlier when he told her that he wanted to be the only man who touched her. And that was all that mattered to her.

He began to kiss down to her neck, sliding his hand down to grab one of her thighs to spread them slightly. She felt her dress rise a bit, making her clench her legs closed, but he had already found his way between them first. "Do you trust me?" he asked gently, making her look up at him again.

The look in his eyes sent her body on overdrive of lust, only seeing the hunger rather than the other emotions she had seen earlier. There had been something else there that she was not sure what though.

"Yes," she said softly, biting her lip nervously, contradicting her answer. She wondered where all that confidence had run off to now that he was on board with her unspoken plan. She wanted this.

"Then, relax," he demanded, dropping his hand to her thighs that had been clenched around him tightly.

Hearing the demanding tone he used, she unclenched her thighs from around him, laying under him a bit more relaxed now. She nodded, feeling her cheeks warm at the way he licked his lips, seemingly unconsciously.

He leaned forward to kiss the crook of her neck as his hand slid up her side, stopping at her breast. Her breath hitched in her throat, feeling his hand fall on her covered breast gently. He brought his lips back to hers as his hand squeezed her left breast gently, causing the soft material to brush against her hardened nipple. She had not even noticed how sensitive they had gone in the midst of their making-out.

Her eyes squeezed shut tightly as she tried to hold back the embarrassing sounds that wanted to escape her mouth while kissing him back passionately. His hand groped her breast a few more times before she felt something tug at the sensitive flesh. An accidental moan slipped past her mouth, realizing that tug was his fingers pinching her nipple over the dress.

The material suddenly felt so thin that she could feel his fingers on her bare skin. She felt both happy and regret for choosing not to wear a bra today. Not that she had expected them to take their physical relationship to the next level, but it just seemed a lot more convenient now.

He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers as his fingers continued to rub against the hardened pebble. "Do you like this?" he asked, looking her directly in the eyes, to her embarrassment.

She wanted to slap herself for feeling so shy when she had initiated this; provoked him into feeling something for her. She had known this would work since it had gotten her what she wanted last time. She had wanted the keys to the piano room, and she had not even gone this far to get them. All it took was insinuating that she would come on to him for him to give in, so she knew this would work.

She opened her mouth, wanting to respond, but a stifled moan came instead. He switched breast, giving her right one the same treatment over the dress. Her skin could feel every fiber and pressure the more he toyed with the sensitive buds. His other hand moved behind her, grabbing the ties of the dress from the strings.

He pulled one of them gently, unraveling the strings in the back of the dress. Her entire body froze, conscious of being exposed to him when the dress fell down slightly.

"Relax," he told her, rubbing up and down her arm when he released her breast. "I want to see you."

Of course he would want to! She nearly screamed at herself for being silly when she had done this.

"I-I—" She stopped, staring him in the eyes for a moment. For some reason, Syaoran no longer looked like the experienced, older man she had always assumed him to be. He looked like a curious, innocent virgin who was seeing naked breast for the first time. And nothing had felt more comforting than that.

They just stared each other in the eyes before his hand slid one of the loosened strings down her creamy shoulder, along with the dress, giving him a nice view of the swell of her breast.

"Can I see you?" he asked, stopping his movement of taking her dress off. "I don't have to if you don't want me to."

That warm, fuzzy feeling tickled the pit of her belly at hearing the honesty and sincerity in his voice. She leaned up, capturing his lips with hers again to distract him from seeing her slide the rest of the dress down, uncovering her bare breast. As if he sensed this, he pulled back from her lips, making her lay back on the couch so he could have a full view of her naked breast.

She could see a cloud of lust form in his eyes as he stared at them before he looked at her face with a gentle look in his eye. "You look so beautiful," he said, leaning down to kiss her again.

When his hands moved to grab her bare breast, she released a soft sigh, engaging their tongues in a battle this time.

His lips tore from hers as he moved his face down to her breast, making her sit up slightly.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked uncertainly. She had not known much about intimacy, which had her second-guessing her decision to try and take things further with the man tonight.

He looked up before resting his chin on her stomach. "Kissing you," Syaoran said, placing a kiss on her flat stomach. His lips traveled a little higher until they reached under her left breast. "You said you trust me, right?"

She nodded slowly, unable to find her voice.

"Then show me."

Her mouth fell open slightly when she felt his lips caress the sensitive bud on her breast. He kissed her nipple a few times before taking it in his mouth, sucking on it gently. Her back arched slightly when his hand grabbed the other breast, teasing the nipple to give it the same amount of attention. She could feel a flood of lust pool between her legs, creating another painful sting.

She was not sure what, but she needed...something. Maybe it was some form of pressure...or friction there to get rid of the feeling. She felt his tongue circle her nipple before his teeth tugged at the sensitive flesh, making her moan a little louder while his other hand pulled at the other.

Automatically, her head swung to look behind her to see if there was any movement or anyone in the room with them even though she knew there would be no such thing.

"Xing's not going to be back until the morning," he said as if he knew what she had been thinking.

Syaoran released her breasts, moving up to where her face was so he could look her directly in the eyes. "We have the house to ourselves tonight," he said, making the anticipation rise in her chest.

What did he mean by that? Was he saying they would go all the way? That they would do things she was not sure she felt ready for yet? When she had initiated things, she had not had sex in mind. She just wanted him to touch her a little more than he usually would; or maybe let her touch him since she had never really done that before.

"That's not to say we'll have sex. I wouldn't dare consummate our relationship this early on," he said, making her look at him now. Had she said that out loud?

"S-so, what do you mean then?" she asked in a timid tone, hating herself for sounding so weak. She wanted to be more confident, but it was almost impossible to be when she felt so shy. And, she was inexperienced with things like this.

"Well...you haven't experienced much, so I want to show you what it feels like to be pleasured. I want to pleasure you," he said. "If you don't mind, that is."

"Like how?" She wanted to smack herself for sounding so curious like a child asking where babies came from.

"Have you masturbated before?" he asked bluntly.

"W-what!?" she exclaimed, surprised by his bold question.

He raised a brow as if to question why she had reacted that way. "What?" questioned Syaoran as if it were a normal thing to ask. It sounded like he were just asking about the weather.

"Y-you can't just ask people if they've...I mean— questions like that aren't normal," she stumbled over her words clumsily.

"Well, have you?" he pressed.

Her cheeks warmed as she contemplated about whether or not she should answer the question.

"You haven't," he answered for her like he knew she would never answer the question. He had not been completely wrong.

"I...haven't," she agreed, looking away from him shyly now.

He sighed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "That's okay," he said, sliding his hand down her body slowly. When he reached her thighs, he sat back, pushing her dress up slightly so he could see her orange panties.

She blushed, not sure where he was going with this. She attempted to pull her dress down, but he grabbed her wrist gently, resting them on the couch beside her and leaning forward again. "Can I show you how it feels? Do you want me to show you?" he asked against her skin, and then kissing her neck gently.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the way his lips wrapped around her neck. "Okay, yes," she said, sounding breathless.

She was surprised to hear the honesty in her tone because she meant it. She wanted him to show her what it felt like to be pleasured. She had said that she wanted to have some experience before getting out of high school, so she supposed she could get it from Syaoran.

It seemed like he would know what he's doing. Plus, she was rather fond of him now. It was not like they would have sex, because she wanted to save that for someone special. Someone who...was like the Syaoran that stayed hidden majority of the time.

She shivered, feeling his hand snake down her body, pulling the dress up again. She held her breath when she felt his hand slide lower slowly.

"Breathe," he said against her skin, making her release the breath she had been holding. His hand slid between the waistband of her panties, moving lower. Her breath hitched in her throat when his fingers came in contact with her most intimate parts.

His hand stopped as his eyes landed on her seriously. "At any time you want to stop, you tell me," he said before closing the gap between their lips.

She returned the kiss, tensing under him when she felt his fingers dip lower between her wet folds. He groaned in her mouth, ripping his lips from hers. "You're so fucking wet," he said, making her blush. "Relax."

She relaxed a bit, stifling a moan when his middle finger began rubbing between the folds, setting her body on fire. Sakura quickly realized that nothing had ever felt better than this before, yet there was still this painful sting that told her that her body wanted more.

His finger gently stroked the pleasure bud continuously, making her tremble under him. She bit her lip, stopping herself from crying out as his finger continued to pleasure her.

"Don't hold back," he said, dipping his hand lower into her panties. His fingers teased around the entrance of her core, increasing the tightening ache. She wanted him to go farther. She wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him down to kiss her to mute the uncontrollable sounds. His middle finger teased her, increasing her trembling underneath him as his pointer and ring finger kept her lips spread for him.

She could feel a pressure build in her pelvic the longer he rubbed her most intimate part. A loud moan escaped her mouth into his when his fingers started rubbing counterclockwise against the sensitive bud. His tongue drowned out her moans, his mouth attacking hers vigorously, making it that much harder for her body to keep up with the pleasure. Nothing had ever felt this good before. She could barely think, hear, or speak the right things to put this feeling into words, but she knew something was going to come out. It felt close to the feeling of having to pee.

Her legs began to tremble as they fell open wider for his fingers to continue their assault, giving them better access. "Sy-Syaoran," she managed to call against his mouth when the pleasure was beginning to become too much for her to handle. She felt like she was going to pee. And that was the last thing she wanted to do to ruin the moment.

He pulled his lips back from hers, but never stopping his attack downstairs. Him stopping their mouths from molesting each other only served for her to cry out uncontrollably.

"Stop holding it in," he demanded as if she had voiced her worries out loud.

"B-But—" All of her muscles clenched when his fingers started rubbing quicker. As if her body knew exactly what it wanted, her pelvis pushed up against his fingers and she could see stars as she released with a silent scream.

When his fingers kept rubbing, her body jerked back from his hand, feeling beyond sensitive. She could have sworn that she heard him chuckle in the midst of her panting as he slid his hand out of her panties, but it could have just been the aftermath of his fingers. Li Syaoran did not laugh.

Through her haze of the aftermath, she could see him bring his hand to his mouth, licking them clean with a thoughtful expression on his face. The blush rose to her face like a volcano erupting fire. She had never felt so embarrassed by a man's actions before.

As if he sensed her staring, he opened his eyes, looking her straight in hers.

"I-I'm sorry, I—"

"Did you like that?" he asked, letting his eyes fall on her body where her dress was bunched at her waist with her bare breast and panties on display for his eyes to study.

She blushed, looking away shyly now. She wanted to tell him to stop looking, but knew better than to do that. Instead, she just nodded, staring at the screen of the tv that he turned on earlier. A commercial was playing about some skin care treatment.

"Look at me," he said, making her eyes fall on him immediately. "That there was an orgasm."

She closed her lips together tightly, not sure what to say as her eyes drifted down his body. They stopped at the bulge they saw in his denim jeans.

"I'm fine," he said, grabbing the front of his pants to situate himself. "You don't have to do anything in return. I just wanted you to experience that."

Her cheeks warmed, realizing her mind was trying to make her believe that she would have to return the favor. She did not even know what she would do or how she would do it. She had never touched a man before, so how would she make him orgasm as he had done for her? She felt a little silly for thinking it.

When she could feel his eyes studying her half naked body again, she moved her arms to cover her breast from his greedy, hungry eyes. "Don't just stare at me and say nothing," she said shyly, feeling her eyes grow heavy. Her mind was starting to catch up with her body now.

He smiled a little, grabbing her arms from her chest so he could look as he wanted. "I can stare if I want to. You're beautiful," he said, leaning down to kiss one of her breast as he held her arms down.

She blushed, holding back the moan when he took her sensitive nipple in his mouth again to bite gently. He pulled back, sitting up from the position of cradling her. He looked at the clock on the wall, seeing the time.

He let out a sigh, running a hand through his head. "I didn't even know it had gotten so late. We need to head to bed. You still have school tomorrow and I have work," he said, pulling on her arm to help her sit up.

When his eyes landed on her breasts that bounced slightly when he sat up, she scrambled to pull the strings up and pulled the dress down to hide her lower area from his wandering eyes.

"Would you..." She started hesitantly, remembering them cradled up on the couch a few days ago when they had fallen asleep.

"Xing isn't here tonight, so..." he said, looking at her nervously now. "We could turn on a movie in my room and lay down where it's more comfortable until we fall asleep."

Her eyes widened, surprised to hear him suggest that.

"You said you trust me, right? It doesn't have to be anything funny," he promised.

She thought about it for a moment, wondering if she could really trust him. "Okay," she said, smiling at him. He was no longer disconnected from her and nothing felt better than that. Of course she trusted him now that he was so open with her again.

He stood, holding his hand out for her to take. She grabbed his hand, letting him help her up. One of the strings on the dress fell, due to the strings not being tied in the back anymore. She pulled it up, hoping it would stay put for now.

"Come on," he said, already leading her out of the living room.

She internally cringed, feeling the uncomfortable wetness between her legs. It did not override the warm feeling in her heart at the thought of him showing he cared for her again though.

Please don't make me regret trusting you...


A/N: This chapter was ridiculously long. The original was like 7k words and this revised version ended up being 16k :o. And there was no Xing D:. I just realized that now haha.

So, there was definitely new added drama in this chapter and the start of new drama taken out of this chapter, so bear with me readers who read this the first time. Everything will fall into place in the next few chapters, just a lot of revision is still going to be done, but all in a good way...hopefully, at least :P.

You guys may notice that it was Sakura who initiated things this time, though it was Syaoran in the original. I'm kind of going to have her character headed in a more different direction in this version, considering she's the teenager with the crazy hormones. Plus, she hasn't really experienced these type of feelings before like that. As most of us who have been teenagers' before, once they're awakened, it's kind of hard to make them go away. Especially as a teenager when you experience that first pleasure encounter(whether it's with yourself or someone lol).

No worries though, Syaoran will still be the main initiator, but I don't like the idea of him(the legal adult) being the main initiator all the time. Him giving in is equally as bad, but it's a different kind of bad to me. But, like I said in the beginning of this fic, it's just solely fanfiction and fantasy, so obviously this type of relationship is NOT okay regardless of who's doing what lol. I'll end things here though.

Thoughts? Review maybe? No? Okay! :P.

Ja ne!