Here's chapter three! Thank you for your reviews :) the magic in this story isn't terribly obvious, as it's more centred around the building of their relationship, if that makes sense? If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask. I won't bite.
i'm gunna go munch on tim tams now.
enjoy!
Sakura woke to one of the maids shaking her shoulder and calling her name, and as she opened her eyes she was surprised to see them so close to her face. The maid had dark straight hair and dark blue eyes and an oval-shaped face. She wore a black dress with white cuffs at the end of the sleeves and a white collar, custom to what most maids wore, with a white apron over the top. The skirt was long, stopping just above her ankles, and on her feet were plain black heels.
"Good morning, My Lady, I'm glad to see you're finally awake." She smiled sweetly and stood up straight.
Sakura sat up and watched as the maid walked over to the chest of draws, pulling out a fresh set of underwear for Sakura and then walking over to the wardrobe and pulling out a gown. She looked over at the empty space beside her and wondered where Syaoran was.
"Lord Syaoran is awaiting your presence in the dining hall." The maid said, as if to answer her question. Sakura pushed back the covers and stood, and then allowed the maid to assist her into her gown.
"My name is Mira. I'll be tending to you." She said politely as she tied the back of Sakura's gown.
"Thank you, Mira, I appreciate it." Sakura smiled, and then headed out of the bedroom and down to the dining hall. Sakura was feeling apprehensive about seeing Syaoran. She had a feeling that he was frustrated with her about what happened the previous night.
She released a heavy sigh, straightened her shoulders and continue onwards with her head held high.
Syaoran was sitting patiently in wait for her, and as she sat down the maids brought out their meal.
"I've called a doctor I'm well acquainted with. He'll be coming around in an hour to see you." Syaoran told her.
"I understand." She replied quietly.
"Good."
They ate in silence and afterwards she went with him to the lounge where they also sat in silence; she looked beside her and saw her embroidery equipment on the table, so she picked it up and continued with it. Syaoran watched Sakura for a moment, and then he picked up his book and continued reading until the doctor came.
A maid knocked on the door and Syaoran told them to enter; he looked up as the familiar face of a friend walked in. He stood and shook the doctor's hand, "Thank you for coming, Yamazaki, I appreciate it."
"No problem. Congratulations on your marriage, I hope everything is going well?"
Syaoran stayed silent and Yamazaki took the hint. "Oh, I see."
Sakura looked up at the doctor; he was about Syaoran's height and wore a grey vest over his white shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he wore black pants. His hair was very dark and messy, his eyes almost the same dark colour.
Syaoran gestured to Sakura, "This is my wife, Sakura. She locked herself in a room for three days straight without eating anything." Syaoran said with displeasure.
Sakura scowled at him and Yamazaki laughed. "Alright, I'll take a look at her."
He set his briefcase down and checked Sakura's pulse, and then he pulled out his stethoscope to listen to her heartbeat and lungs.
"How have you been feeling?" he asked.
"I haven't been able to sleep well… So, I feel a little fatigued during the days." Sakura replied quietly.
"Alright. I believe it's just fatigue. You'll need plenty of rest and comfort, and make sure you're eating properly." Yamazaki said.
"Thank you." Syaoran said.
"Well, call me if you need anything else." He said with a smile.
Sakura smiled politely and thanked Yamazaki, who nodded and then left the room with Syaoran.
Syaoran walked with Yamazaki to the door and sighed. Yamazaki raised an eyebrow and smiled. "So, it's really that bad at the moment?" he asked.
"She's such a pain." He muttered.
"You've been married for only a few days-have you tried to get to know her a little more?" Yamazaki suggested.
"Oh god-I don't need marriage advice from you of all people."
"Hey-Chiharu and I get along quite well. Do you want to know why? Compromise and negotiation. It's called communication-the shit works." Yamazaki said, and just as he was about to step out the door, he turned back to Syaoran. "Oh-she's quite pale at the moment. Be careful with her-she looks very fragile."
Syaoran stayed silent but nodded after a moment.
"See you later Syaoran-well, at work, anyway." Yamazaki said, and then left.
Syaoran shut the door and returned to the lounge, sitting back down in his chair across from the fire. He then gave Sakura a sharp glare.
"Scowl at me again, and you'll regret it." He threatened.
"Yes sir." She replied sarcastically under her breath.
"Excuse me?" he narrowed his eyes at her, daring her to talk back.
"Nothing-I'm just saying that I understand." She said as she continued with her embroidery. She didn't even flinch as he slammed his hand against the back of her chair, pinning her between him and the chair, and she slowly looked up at him. They glared at each other for several minutes, tension filling the air.
"You've got some nerve to speak to me like that, you know that?" he snarled
"Well, it looks like we need to get to know each other better." She retorted. "Now, if you don't mind, I really need to use the rest room."
He shifted his position and she stood up, heading for the bathroom.
…
During the late afternoon, Syaoran spent his time in the study tending to work matters and various other things. He worked as a doctor, though he specialised in the field of magic like his father.
He shifted through some paperwork and sorted it into files before placing it into the filing cabinet, and then picked up the envelope sitting at the top of his desk. He broke the wax seal and pulled out the letter inside, finding it addressed to both him and Sakura. He read through the contents quickly and sighed; there was a ball coming up in about two months for everyone to socialise. Formal gatherings weren't uncommon among the upper class, so it came as no surprise to him.
There was a knock at the door and he called out for them to enter. He looked up to see Mira smiling with a tray in her hands; on the tray was a cup of tea and a pot of tea, and she walked over and set it down on the part of the desk that he wasn't using.
"Thank you." He said as she poured him a cup.
She set the cup down in front of him and smiled, "How's the work coming along, My Lord?" she asked.
"And why would that be any of your business?" he asked.
Mira walked around to where he was sitting and leant over, placing her hand on his leg. Some of her cleavage was visible, and he didn't like what she was doing. "If you need anything, all you have to do is tell me." She said with a flirtatious smile.
"What do you think you're doing? Get out." He ordered, and pushed her hand away. "Go see if my wife needs anything."
She pulled back and with a smile, curtsied. "As you wish, My Lord."
He watched as she left and shook his head with disgust. He had hoped that she would stop once he was married, but apparently not.
"Women are such a pain…" he muttered to himself under his breath, and then returned to his work.
Dinner was quiet as usual. Sakura ate silently, and it appeared she didn't have much of an appetite. Syaoran watched her carefully, and she hated how he watched her as she ate-she felt like a child. She ate everything regardless so that she wouldn't have to put up with his complaining later on, and she watched as he drank his wine, and she felt a little jealous that she wasn't allowed any. It wasn't customary for women to drink wine or any kind of alcohol unless they were given permission by their husband, however whenever Sakura had gone out on her little trips into the city before she was married, she'd often go to the bar and have a drink or two. They saw it as business, so they didn't care.
"There's a ball coming up in about two months." Syaoran said as he placed his empty glass back down on the table.
"Is that so?" Sakura murmured.
"We'll be going to the tailor's next week." Syaoran told her.
Sakura cringed at the thought. She hated functions with a bloody passion. Now that she was married, he got to choose what she wore, and she didn't like the idea of that.
Dinner was finished and so he stood, and she followed. They spent the night in the lounge in silence once again, and Sakura decided to go to bed early with the excuse that she wasn't feeling well to save herself the trouble of dealing with her husband later on.
She tossed and turned in the sheets, feeling agitated and anxious. How long would it be before, as he put it, she would have to carry out her 'duty' to him?
She had always imagined her first time being with the person she loved, but now that she was married, there was no way that was going to happen unless some miracle occurred.
Yes, he was an attractive guy, but he had such an attitude problem and it pissed her off. He treated her like she was beneath him, barely even considering her feelings, and honestly that was distressing.
Wild and anxious thoughts continued to run wild in her mind as she lay there in the dark. The door opened and she closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep, and she could hear Syaoran moving about the room. She felt the mattress dip beside her and she tensed. She tried to keep her façade up as she lay there, but it was a while before he fell asleep.
Once she was sure he was asleep, she cracked open her eyes and trying not to wake him, she sat up. As she went to stand, however, his hand shot out from beneath the covers and grabbed her wrist. Sakura yelped and looked over to see him looking at her irritably.
"You're terribly obvious. I knew you weren't asleep thanks to you being as stiff as a board." He said as he forcefully pulled her back into the sheets.
"Let go!" she demanded.
His grip tightened. "Why should I? Your family is saved from its financial crisis thanks to me. In return I got you."
Sakura flinched and immediately started trying to pry her wrist away, but only succeeded in having his grip tighten more. He was far stronger than her, she knew that, but it didn't stop her from trying. "I'm not some object you can have your way with!" she shouted, tears stinging her eyes.
He laughed. "And I'm not some bank account you can do with as you please."
She looked at him, shocked, her body still. She hadn't realised that her body was pinned beneath his, her wrist still trapped in his grip. When she noticed, she immediately started trying to get away, panicking.
"Look, I didn't want this marriage any more than you did!" she cried.
He glared at her for a moment and she immediately regretted her words. Although he was pissed with her, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her any further. Instead, he released her wrist and removed his weight from pinning her body down and rolled over onto his side, putting her back to him.
Sakura, unsure of what had just happened but relieved she was free from beneath his weight, focused on calming her breathing. She could feel herself shaking with terror and she curled into herself as if trying to protect herself from harm. Eventually, she fell asleep.
…
The next week Sakura headed out with Syaoran to the centre of town; she was quiet most of the carriage ride since they didn't have much to talk about-over the last week their relationship seemed to have gotten worse, more than anything. They argued or ignored each other and at night Sakura still couldn't seem to sleep. She still refused him, still refused to sleep with him-she'd die before that happened.
The carriage came to a stop and the door opened; Syaoran stepped out and then assisted Sakura out of the carriage, and he waited for her to take his arm, and though she absolutely hated the idea, she forced herself to do so. She slipped her arm through his and they walked down the path towards the tailor's, many others nodding at them as they passed.
They entered the shop and bells sounded at the door as they stepped through. A young girl ran out and saw who was standing in the lobby, and her eyes grew wide with surprise. She took a step back and ran through the doorway behind her.
"Misa?" A woman's voice sounded with confusion.
A woman walked out and spotted Sakura and Syaoran, and she smiled. "Good afternoon; how may I help you today?" she asked.
The woman was dressed in simple brown heels and a burgundy coloured dress with crème lace trims. Her pale brown hair was pulled back into a bun and held in place with a clip, her eyes hazel and her face kind.
"We have a formal function coming up in two months, so my wife needs a gown suitable for the evening." Syaoran answered.
"Would you like it custom made or would you prefer to choose something off the shelf?" she asked.
"Preferably custom made." Syaoran said.
She nodded, "Come this way." She said, "My name is Eve. I'm pleased to meet you."
Eve introduced herself as she led them through to a room with some dressing mirrors and a couch with a coffee table in front of it. There was a clothing rack with a few different gowns hanging on it, and there was a shelf with a bunch of different materials folded neatly inside.
"Please, take a seat." She gestured for Syaoran to sit at the couch and pulled Sakura over to the dressing mirrors and sat her down on the stool.
"Would you like some tea or perhaps something else?" Eve asked politely.
"Coffee might be nice for a change." Syaoran replied with a polite smile.
"Of course; just a moment." Eve smiled and then quickly hurried out to make him a cup of coffee.
Sakura couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He treated her nice enough, but treated her like dirt. It only made her hate him even more.
She came back not long after carrying his coffee and set it down on the table. "Thank you." He said.
Eve walked over to the fabrics, "Were there any specific colours you had in mind, My Lord?" she asked.
"Not really. Do you have any ideas?" he asked, his tone of voice sounding rather bored.
She turned to the fabric cupboard and pulled out a few different coloured fabrics, making sure there were different shades of the colours in case one shade didn't quite suit, but another did. Eve then walked over to Sakura and placed the fabrics on the small round table next to her.
"First we should get you out of your gown so we don't distort the colour." Eve said with a smile, and pulled her off of the stool and started unlacing the back of Sakura's crème coloured gown.
Sakura suddenly felt extremely anxious, but she couldn't cover herself or turn away from his view. The worst part was that as she looked over at him, she knew he was enjoying her turmoil. Syaoran watched as Eve pulled Sakura's dress off over her head, leaving her in her lightweight underdress that was almost see-through. She then allowed Sakura to sit back down and began to place some of the fabrics against Sakura.
Some were darker, and those were the colours that Sakura preferred the most-particularly the dark reds and the dark blues-but Syaoran dismissed them immediately. He must have been reading her facial expressions. Eve then started with the pale colours, working her way through different shades of crème and white. He dismissed those too. As soon as the rose coloured satin came along she cringed, hoping he hadn't seen her expression since he'd picked up his cup. He looked at her for a moment and smiled.
"I think that colour suits her perfectly." He said.
"Any particular style of dress you would prefer?" Eve asked.
"I'm sure you're good at your job, so I don't mind what it is." He replied, and then looked to Sakura who was scowling at him. He gave her a warning glare and placed his empty cup back in its saucer.
"Is there any specific deadline?" Eve asked.
"A month will do." Syaoran answered. "Thank you for your time."
Eve wrote it down in her book and smiled. "That won't be a problem."
She helped Sakura back into her dress, and then they left and headed back to the carriage. As they headed back home, Sakura smiled.
"What?" he asked dully.
"Nothing. I just didn't know that you could actually be nice to a female." She said with a shrug.
He slapped her, and she looked at him angrily. "Sorry, did I touch a nerve?" she laughed bitterly as she cradled her cheek.
Syaoran looked furious with her but stayed silent and did nothing else.
…
When Sakura woke the next morning, Syaoran was dressed and looked like he was about to head out for the day. He looked over and saw that she was awake, and returned to finishing tying his tie.
"I've got to go out for most of the day to take care of some business for work. I won't be back until late, most likely." He said.
"Alright." Sakura mumbled.
She waited for a moment and then heard the door shut, and she mumbled something to herself. Then, she realised that since he'd be out all day she could go see her sister! She jumped out of bed and ran over to the window, watching as Syaoran left in a carriage and she smiled.
She quickly dressed herself in her favourite royal blue velvet skirt that fell to the floor and a soft white cotton top with short sleeves that hung slightly off the shoulders with a black corset over the top. She slipped some black heels on her feet pulled her hair back into a bun, tying a blue ribbon around its base. Then, she headed down to eat breakfast and snuck out of the house.
She walked across the yard towards the stables and walked inside; a smile spread across her face and she walked towards the dark chestnut coloured horse that was resting towards the back. She ran her hands over its soft pelt and whispered a few calming words, and for the first time she felt some sort of happiness in her new home.
"You're a beautiful horse…I wonder what your name is…?" she said softly with a beautiful, gentle smile.
The horse nudged her hand, immediately taking a liking to her, and she walked the horse out of the stables and hoisted herself up onto it's back and rode out of the manor. Women weren't really taught how to ride horseback, so she knew if Syaoran found out he'd be extremely displeased with her-not only for taking and riding his horse, but because she had left the manor without his permission.
She headed for her sisters new residence which was only about half an hours ride, and when she got there she dismounted the horse and climbed through one of the open windows. As she stepped into the room, she turned around to see that the room was empty. She walked over to the door and opened it and stepped into the hallway, immediately bumping into her sister.
"Hello Sakura; did you climb through a window?" she smiled cheerfully.
Sakura looked at Tomoyo with surprise. "How'd you know?"
"You used to climb through the window back at mother's all the time. You never change." Tomoyo smiled. Sakura giggled.
Tomoyo hugged Sakura gently and then pulled back and looked at her, "How are you doing, sweetie?"
Sakura rolled her eyes and slumped her shoulders. "I've been better." She muttered.
"Why don't you join me in the lounge?" Tomoyo smiled. "We can drink tea together."
"Sure, sounds great." Sakura said.
They headed down the hall together and into a large room with a fireplace and big, soft couches. In the middle was a large coffee table, and Tomoyo began brewing some hot tea.
"So, how did you get here, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked casually.
"Horseback." Sakura replied casually.
"Here's your tea, and of course you did. How are things going with you and Syaoran?" Tomoyo asked as she sat down with her tea.
"Things are getting worse. He treats me like shit." Sakura mumbled.
"Oh, I see…" Tomoyo sighed sadly as she traced the rim of her teacup.
"There's a ball coming up shortly-I don't want to go to a ball… Syaoran forced me out to the tailors yesterday. God it was horrible." Sakura complained.
Tomoyo tipped her head to the side, "Hm? How so?" she asked.
"Eve, the tailor, undressed me so that she could lay the colours against me without it being tarnished. I felt so exposed…I was only in my undergarments-do you know how embarrassing that was?" Sakura buried her face in her hands. "So, she continued laying colours against my skin, and it appeared that he was watching my facial expression-he knew my preference was for the darker shades. But anyway, Eve laid a rose pink colour against me and I cringed."
Tomoyo giggled. She knew perfectly well how much Sakura hated the colour pink. "What happened?"
"Syaoran wasn't looking, so I thought I was safe-but no, I was very, very wrong. I'm so pissed!"
"Do you like my new teapot? Eriol bought it for me-it's so beautiful." Tomoyo smiled cheerfully.
"You like tea far too much." Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Yup!" Tomoyo smiled. "So…how are you sleeping?"
"I hardly sleep. I go to bed earlier than him just so I won't have to deal with him putting the moves on me or whatever. I think he's pissed because I won't have sex with him." She mumbled.
Tomoyo seemed troubled by what her sister told her and thought for a moment. "I did ask him not to hurt you…" she mumbled.
"He hasn't hurt me yet. All we do is argue, it's so annoying." She mumbled, leaving out what had happened the other night. "So how is your marriage going, Tomoyo? Better than mine, I hope?"
"Eriol's lovely." Tomoyo smiled cheerfully. "He lets me do whatever I like."
"Aren't you lucky… Do you mind if I sleep a little? I'm really tired." Sakura said. Admittedly, she was a little jealous that Tomoyo seemed to get along with her husband so well. But she was also relieved that Tomoyo was okay.
"Go ahead. But won't Syaoran wonder where you are?"
Sakura shook her head, "He's out for the day. Besides, who gives a shit?" she muttered, and lay down on the couch.
Tomoyo shrugged and drank some of her peach flavoured tea and watched as Sakura fell right to sleep. She looked so peaceful, despite a tear sliding down her face. She reached across and wipe it away, and then continued on with some of her embroidery.
…
Syaoran got home earlier than he had expected, and as he entered the manor he noticed that it was strangely quiet. He walked upstairs to place his things away and looked for Sakura, but she was nowhere to be found. He continued walking around the house, but she was still nowhere to be found.
"My Lord!"
He turned around and Mira ran up to him.
"What is it?" he asked with a frown.
"Lady Sakura is missing!" she said.
He suddenly felt angry with his wife and continued his investigation. He pushed past Mira and headed down to the gardens to search for her, but couldn't find her at all, and so he walked across the courtyard out the front of the manor towards the stables and found his horse to be missing.
How the hell…?
He swore and returned to the house, waiting very patiently for his wife's return.