This is pretty much my favourite chapter and you'll soon know why lmao. Thanks for your awesome reviews everyone. You're all amazing.
***Touya and Sakura are NOT related in this fic***
It was late in the morning when Sakura woke, which she found to be rather strange, as usually Syaoran would have sent for Mira to wake her by at least nine. But it was nearly ten thirty and no one had come for her yet, so she was a little confused.
Oh wait, Mira doesn't work on a Sunday…
She rolled over and found herself facing Syaoran, who was still asleep. He looked rather pale, so she placed her hand against his forehead to check his temperature. He had a bit of a fever, and she sighed. He opened his eyes briefly and closed them again.
"What's the time…?" he asked.
"Ten thirty." She replied.
"I need to get up…"
"I hate to say it, but your sick." She said.
"Go call Yamazaki." He muttered.
"Fine, mister 'I'm not sick unless a doctor says so'." Sakura muttered as she kicked back the covers and walked straight out of the room in her thin nightgown.
She walked down the hall to the lounge, entering and walking over to pick up the phone. She quickly dialled Yamazaki's number and waited for him to pick up.
"Hello, this is Yamazaki speaking."
"Good morning, this is Sakura, Syaoran's wife."
"Oh hello-what can I do for you?"
"Syaoran asked me to call. He's sick but won't admit it." She muttered.
Yamazaki laughed, "What are his symptoms?"
"Fever and most likely vomiting in about five minutes." She replied.
He laughed again. "Ok. I can't come today because my schedule is full, but I'll come by tomorrow. If you have any simple pain relief, that should do for now." Yamazaki said.
"Alright, thank you." Sakura said and noted down his instructions before hanging up.
She headed back to the bedroom where Syaoran was just returning from the bathroom from vomiting.
He slipped back into bed, "What did he say?" he asked.
"Stay in bed. General pain relief should be fine, and he's sorry he can't come around to see you today, but he'll come by tomorrow." Sakura replied.
"Oh." He muttered.
"So, what can I get you for the fever?" she asked.
"In the study there's a cabinet with feverfew on the top shelf. The key is in the top draw." He replied.
She didn't bother getting dressed before leaving the room. She headed towards the study and opened the door, stepping inside and walking over to the desk; she opened the top draw and found the key, and looked around the room for the cabinet.
She immediately spotted it in the corner of the room and walked over, unlocking the doors and looking for the herb. There were rows and rows of different medicines to Sakura's surprise, and she never knew that Syaoran had all of the different types of drugs and medications inside the cabinet, though it made sense with his profession.
She spotted what she was looking for and reached for the jar it was held in, carefully grabbing it and carefully locking the cabinet back up and placed the key back where it belonged before heading back to Syaoran.
She followed his instructions on how to prepare it and gave it to him, to which he thanked her gratefully for.
"You should get dressed." He muttered.
"I think I can handle being in my pyjamas for the day." She snapped.
He rolled over, putting his back to her, and she sighed. She stood and walked into the bathroom to get a cold compress for him and walked out to lay it on his head.
"What do you want to eat?" she asked.
"Nothing."
"Syaoran!"
"I don't want anything."
"Not even a small amount…?" she asked quietly.
"No."
"Fine."
She left the room and walked down to the kitchen anyway. Ami was in there looking at recipes and looked up with a surprised smile. "Oh, your still in your pyjamas…"
"Syaoran's sick. I'll force feed him if I have to, but can you make him something?" Sakura asked.
"Of course." Ami smiled. "I'll bring it up as soon as it's ready."
Sakura smiled, "Thank you."
Ami nodded, and Sakura returned to the bedroom where Syaoran had fallen back to sleep, so she pulled the covers up over him to keep him warm and sat on the edge of the bed. She changed the cloth when it got too warm, and roughly half an hour passed before Ami knocked on the door. She placed the tray on the bedside table and left quietly.
Syaoran woke to the sound of the door closing and could smell the soup beside the bed.
"I'll spoon feed you if I have to." Sakura said flatly.
"Go ahead, I dare you." He smiled smugly.
"Now you're just being an ass." She muttered.
"I already said I don't want anything." He said.
"Stop acting like a child!" she snapped.
He sat up and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Men are such babies…" She mumbled as she picked up the tray and placed it on his lap.
She glared at him as he made her feed him, and as she picked up the tray she muttered something about payback.
"What?"
"Nothing, sweet husband, just talking to myself." She smiled and walked out of the room.
She placed the tray back in the kitchen and on her way back up the stairs she noticed a carriage pulling up outside. As Mira wasn't working for the day, she thought quickly about what to do and opened the nearby cupboard of the maids' quarters. She found something around her size and pulled it on quickly, followed by the shoes and fixed up her hair.
She heard the doorbell ring and walked straight out to get it.
She opened the door to see a tall, serious looking man who would have been a little older than Syaoran and she assumed he was one of his colleagues.
She smiled brightly, "Welcome to Master Syaoran's humble abode! May I ask for your business with the master as he is currently unwell and has requested only certain people to be allowed to enter his chambers?" she greeted.
The man stared at her for a minute with an unreadable expression. "Good morning; my name is Touya and I am a work colleague of Lord Li's. We spoke the other day about a few things and I've come to pick up some documents and a drug." He replied.
Sakura thought for a moment. He shouldn't be here long… "Right this way, please!" she beamed.
He stepped through and she walked him up the stairs, and she was trying hard not to burst into a fit of uncontrolled laughter.
"May I ask where his wife is?" he asked.
"Oh, I'm afraid she passed away in a tragic accident." Sakura said sadly.
"Oh, I see. That's very sad to lose someone so soon."
He's awfully gullible for someone so bloody serious.
They entered the room and Syaoran stared at Sakura who walked around to him. "Lord Touya has come with business." Sakura spoke.
Syaoran just stared at her, and Touya apologised. "I'm terribly sorry for your loss. It's so sad to lose her so soon." He said.
Syaoran looked at him with confusion. "I'm sorry-I haven't lost anyone…"
Sakura smiled sweetly at Touya, "I'm afraid it's a very touchy subject. He's still very deep in denial."
"Oh, I see."
"Er, could you excuse us for a moment?" Syaoran smiled.
"Of course."
Syaoran waited until Touya was out of the room and pulled Sakura down. "What the fuck are you doing!? Are you trying to get me killed!?"
Sakura giggled, "Maybe," she winked.
"Listen here you…"
"There, there, it gets easier." She said as she petted his head, and walked over to the door to allow Touya back in.
Syaoran sighed heavily but couldn't bring himself to tell Touya who Sakura really was. Touya had strong opinions and certainly would not approve of such events transpiring in a high-class citizens house.
"How can I help you?" Syaoran asked.
"I came here today for the documents and the drug we were discussing the other week." He said.
"Oh yes. Sakura, could you go to the study and find these things please?" Syaoran asked, handing her a piece of paper with a couple of things written on it.
"Of course, ma-"
"Go."
Sakura tried not to burst into a fit of giggles and walked out and down to the study to search for the documents. Luckily they were sitting on top of the desk and were easy to find, along with the drug, so she picked them up and carried them back safely.
She carried them over to Syaoran who checked to make sure they were correct, and he handed them over to Touya. "I hope this helps."
"Thank you, I hope you're feeling better soon." Touya said.
"Thank you."
Sakura escorted Touya out of the house and watched as he left, and then closed the door. She burst into a fit of laughter, clutching her stomach, and collapsed on the ground.
She eventually got back onto her feet and walked back up to the room where Syaoran was waiting, and when she shut the door she turned around to find him looking really unhappy.
"What? Still in denial that your wife is dressed as a maid?" she laughed.
"I'm surprised you kept a straight face through all of that." He muttered.
"What, don't you think this looks good on me?" she asked as she did a twirl.
"I prefer you in your normal clothes." He muttered.
"Well that's disappointing." She sighed.
"Black and white doesn't suit you on its own." He said.
Surprised, she looked at him. He lay back down and closed his eyes to go back to sleep, and she smiled. She wondered what he liked best on her as she began to take off the clothes, and she pulled on a lilac coloured dress instead.
…
When Syaoran woke again, he caught sight of Sakura in the middle of a sketch. Last time he'd caught her he'd scared her and had said the opposite of what he was really thinking. After that he never saw her with a pencil in her hand again.
She saw that he was awake and panicked, but he placed a gentle hand over hers and smiled. "May I?" he asked.
She was shy at first but handed over her drawing to him. He looked it over, noticing all of the fine detail, each delicate pencil stroke she had made on the paper to capture the image of a young girl in a dress in a field of flowers holding a bouquet of lilies to her face, capturing a light spring mood.
Syaoran wondered what other sort of things Sakura had drawn in the past, and how she had developed an interest in art, and as he looked up he noticed she looked rather awkward.
"Have you finished it yet?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"I'd like to see it when it's done."
She suddenly relaxed and smiled. "Alright."
"I apologise for scaring you about that." He murmured. "I didn't know what to do." He laughed.
"My father taught me…" Sakura mumbled quietly.
He looked at her with surprise and a small smile pulled at her lips.
"When I was really little, every day he'd sit me on his lap and teach me how to draw. From there, I learned how to paint. I think it was the one thing Mother only ever allowed me to do that women aren't commonly allowed to do. It gave her a reminder that our father was still with us, even if he was gone." She whispered.
He stayed silent for a moment, unsure if he should ask the question playing on his mind or not. "May I ask what happened to your father?" he asked.
She smiled sadly, "He passed away when I was seven. It's really hard without him, and I really miss him. He taught me all sorts of things, he taught me that it was ok to be who I am, and that it's ok to cry." She whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks.
He squeezed her hand comfortingly. "I lost my mother when I was three." He murmured. "She passed away from an illness that couldn't be cured, and my father passed away last year from an unknown cause."
"I'm sorry to hear that." She said softly.
"It's hard not knowing, but I'd like to think that at least they're together now." He smiled. "Perhaps not having a mother from such a young age is the reason I can't handle you." He joked.
She rolled her eyes. "Do women freak you out that much?"
"Do stitches freak you out that much?" he retorted.
"Stitches are a different story-they actually hurt!"
"I could say the same about you." He muttered. "How is your shoulder, by the way?"
She smiled, "It's not too bad, but it's still sore."
"Let me have a look; I haven't checked it today." He murmured.
"I'm fine."
"Sakura."
She groaned and sat on the bed with her back to him, waiting for him to unlace the back of her dress. He gently pushed the fabric off her shoulders and checked her wound. It looked more painful than what she let on, and as he applied slight pressure she whimpered.
"It's not too bad, you say?"
"Shut up." She mumbled.
He thought for a moment, trying to think of something that would ease the pain, and went to get up.
"What are you doing?!" she freaked.
"Just let me get up for five minutes-for crying out loud." He muttered.
"You're sick!"
"It's nothing I can't handle." He said as he pushed past her and walked out of the room. She went to follow after him, but he turned back to her, "You're going to walk around the house half undressed?" he asked.
She mumbled something under her breath and walked back over to the bed.
Syaoran walked into the study and searched the cabinet for the right herbs and then walked down to the kitchen where Ami was sitting, flicking through a book.
She was surprised to see him since she knew he was sick, and she watched as he ground up one of the herbs, crushed another and boiled the other. He mixed it all together in a cup and let it sit for about five minutes or so, and then he picked it up and carried it back up to the bedroom.
"Here." He said as he handed the cup to her.
Sakura took it and cringed. "Smells gross."
"It's not meant to smell good." He snapped.
She tipped the cup up and drank some, and tried hard not to spit it back out. He grabbed her nose and tipped her head back and she swallowed it quickly, and she glared at him.
"I have to do that with children a lot as well. Occasionally adults."
"Don't you ever worry that they might choke?" she asked irritably.
"If you block their nose it forces them to swallow, so no."
She continued to glare at him and he smiled. "Need me to do it again?"
"No, I'll be fine, thank you." She murmured, and quickly drank the rest of the herbal medication.
He took the glass and set it on the bedside table.
"It might make you feel a little drowsy." He said. "It should take about half an hour to take effect."
"Thank you." She smiled.
"Do you want me to tie the back of your dress up?" he asked.
She shook her head, "I'll just change into something else-I wouldn't usually change until I went to bed, but it's just for today, so it's ok." She mumbled.
"Alright," he murmured.
She walked over to the draws and found that the only thing left inside was her emerald green satin nightie given to her by her sister; she turned bright red and suddenly felt very awkward and anxious, shutting the draw quickly.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Um-nothing." She said, looking over her shoulder.
He was already back in bed and lying on his side, facing away from her. She couldn't wear that-not yet, anyway. Actually, not ever.
"Um…when was Mira meant to do the laundry…?" Sakura asked.
"It's already done." He answered. "Why?"
"Oh…None of my night dresses and stuff are here…" she said.
"Hm? There's a green one in there, right?"
"That's a prank by Tomoyo!" she snapped.
Syaoran looked over his shoulder at her, finding her face to be bright red. He didn't understand what the fuss was about.
"It'll have to do for now."
"If you look I'll cut your eyes out." She growled.
He laughed.
She sighed and opened the draw again, pulling the green piece of lingerie out. She stripped out of her dress and pulled it on. She couldn't deny that she did like it; the piece had a low, sweetheart neckline that revealed the top of her breasts, and the satin fell to just above her knees. Thankfully the straps didn't bother her injured shoulder too much. She walked around to her side of the bed, and Syaoran looked to already be asleep but she wondered about that.
She slipped in beside him and she smoothed out the satin after pulling the covers further up over herself. Syaoran opened his eyes and noticed her bare shoulders, and she blushed intensely.
"So you really are modest." He said.
"Don't look." She mumbled. "It's embarrassing." She clutched the sheets closer to herself and he rested his head on his arm.
"What are you worried about?" he asked.
She stayed quiet for a minute. "I'm scared of what you'll think…" she mumbled.
He laughed, and she hid herself beneath the covers, but he managed to tug them away from her hands. She pouted, and he rolled over, so he wasn't facing her.
She smiled, "Thank you."
After dinner Sakura walked around in her dressing gown completing a few things she felt like doing while Syaoran rested in bed. When she finally looked at the clock, it was almost ten o'clock and it was getting late.
She headed back to the bedroom where Syaoran was reading and walked into the bathroom, drawing a bath, and then walked back out. She walked over to him, and he looked up.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Get in the bath."
"You get in the bath." He retorted.
"Do I have to drag you?" she asked. He looked at her with a smile and she glared at him. "You're being a royal pain in the ass today."
"Gee, I wonder why." He replied sarcastically as he shut his book.
"You're still pissed because I keep running off without telling you." She muttered.
"I wouldn't say 'still'. It's more like payback."
"Ass." She muttered under her breath.
"Just because I understand you a little more, doesn't mean I wasn't worried about whether or not you were hurt." He said a bit more seriously.
She looked to him with surprise and he looked a little bored. "You seriously don't expect me to drag you out of bed?"
He smiled sweetly, and she glared at him. "I will stick a collar around your neck with a dog tag on it if you make me."
"Fine, you win." He muttered.
Sakura turned the other way while he undressed, and she felt an awkward feeling deep in her abdomen and her cheeks flushed red.
Think other thoughts! Other thoughts!
She occupied her head with thoughts about Christmas, which wasn't too far off, and then entered the bathroom to help him wash his hair. She was a bit more concerned that he'd pass out or something despite his medical training, and she just wanted to make sure he was ok.
"I'm washing out the soap now." She said before pouring the water over the top of his head.
He shook the excess water out of his hair, covering her with water, and she felt really annoyed.
"Damn you." She muttered.
"You're welcome." He said, and then splashed her with water.
"I can't sleep in wet clothes!" she snapped.
"Then don't sleep with any." He shrugged.
She turned bright red and she was sure he could feel the heat radiating off her skin. He looked over his shoulder and through the wet white dressing gown could see the green satin. He raised an eyebrow and she covered herself quickly.
"Why do you embarrass me so?" she asked.
"Because it's fun."
"Well, I suppose I did a pretty good job of embarrassing you in front of that doctor today. That was hilarious."
"Please don't ever do that again. I have no idea how I'm going to explain myself."
She smiled mischievously. "Oops."
"Well, for now I suppose you can borrow one of my shirts. I'll ask Mira about your clothes tomorrow-that shouldn't have happened." He murmured.
"Thank you." She said with a smile, dropping her guard, and he splashed her with water again. "You…"
He smiled innocently as she sat there completely saturated.
"Now I'm freezing!"
"By all means, get in."
"You did not just say that!"
He looked at her with a raised brow and shrugged. She was utterly speechless as she sat there shivering, knowing he'd done it on purpose.
"I won't." She mumbled.
"I didn't think so." He smiled. "But at least dry yourself so you're not shivering."
She sighed and stood, her clothes clinging to her figure, and he watched her as she walked out.
Sakura peeled the wet clothes off of her body and wrapped a towel around her naked self and sat on the bed. She felt awkward in nothing but a pair of underwear, and as Syaoran walked out wearing a pair of pants and a towel around his neck he spotted her and then walked over to get a shirt out for her. She looked to him and he looked back, and they stared at each other.
"What?" he finally asked.
"Turn around." She said.
He sighed and turned his back, and when she was sure he wasn't looking she dropped the towel and pulled on the shirt. She never realised just how much of a difference there was between them as the hem came to her thighs and the sleeves were much longer on her.
She walked over to the bed, and while she wasn't looking, Syaoran looked over his shoulder. He turned his head away and smiled. He never thought she could get so embarrassed about herself, but he was definitely wrong.
"You can turn around now." She mumbled.
He walked over and turned the lamp on before turning the bedroom light off and slipped in beside her. He lay facing her, and he noticed she was lying on her injured shoulder.
"Sakura?"
"What is it…?" she asked.
"Can you lie facing me tonight?" he asked.
She stayed quiet for a moment, "Why…?" she mumbled.
"Because I want to see your face."
She felt herself blush, and she rolled over. Her cleavage was clearly visible to him but he didn't look to save her the embarrassment; instead he looked straight into her eyes as he gently cupped her cheek and smiled softly.
"Thank you for taking care of me today." He said.
She smiled, "In a strange way, I had fun. Just don't get up without my say so tomorrow."
"Hey-I feel fine!"
She glared at him and he rolled his eyes. "Wife orders." She said with an unbelievably straight face, and he couldn't help but smile.
"Fine, you win." He said as he rested his arm over her waist and turned off the lamp.
She was shy, but she lifted her arm and returned his hold. She could feel her cheeks burning. They had been married for more than six months, but this was the first time they had held each other in such a warm embrace since.
Geheheheheh. Did i weird you out? Amuse you? Confuse you? Poor Syaoran hahaha.
If you're curious about other works I'm working on and will be uploaded soon, check out my profile. I've written summaries of my projects. I typically only upload two stories together at a time though, so I don't lose track of what I'm doing.