Are You Gonna Let Her Get Away?
Chapter Four: Christmas is a Wonderful Time of Year, Part Two
A Helping Hand?
Yelan Li had not become the nominal head of the Li clan for nothing, and she knew her son well. Thus, when she assembled data on his movements during the past few days, she was more thorough than the Terrible Trio, having her assistants interview security guards, janitors, and camera technicians at the Li Tower.
A cleaning lady had seen Syaoran with a pretty girl named Sakura Kinomoto in his collection room a week or so ago. She said they looked like they were embracing when she walked in, but she wasn't sure. That Syaoran had brought someone to his sanctuary raised a flag, and Yelan asked for a file on Sakura.
Then the Li Tower guards reported a blackout confined to Syaoran's floor the other day...the night Syaoran had failed to come home. The morning after the blackout, a security guard had glimpsed Syaoran exit the private elevator holding hands with a girl who matched Sakura's description, and they had been laughing.
Syaoran, laughing?
Yelan's lips crinkled into a smile. Now that was a good sign. She'd wondered if she'd been too hard on her son, pushing him to be responsible so soon. But if this young woman could bring Syaoran back to his youth...then perhaps...
She turned to the file on Sakura Kinomoto, and was quickly struck by the girl's open smile, aura of good health and innocence, and wholesome prettiness. Yelan was liking what she saw more and more, and when she read Sakura's astrological chart, she laughed.
Sakura was a perfect match for Syaoran in terms of Chinese astrological compatibility. She would bring good fortune and a long life to her mate, and would be a loving and loyal companion.
She then received a phone call from an assistant who told her that a flight steward had reported to Eriol that Syaoran had arrived in Hong Kong with a dark-haired girl. Yelan wanted confirmation, so she ordered a discreet tail placed on them with the objective of getting a photo of the girl and a description of how Syaoran behaved around her.
A few hours later, she had her answer. Though Syaoran had arrived with a girl with dark hair that was described as "looking like a wig", dark glasses, and a trenchcoat, he was now with the golden-haired Sakura, and he was escorting her around the Mongkok Night Market. Yelan almost laughed; the attempt at concealment was somewhat ridiculous, and she was surprised no one had noticed.
Unless Syaoran had wanted people to notice the girl's false appearance, that is. Never underestimate your only son, she thought. Syaoran could be smart and cunning when he needed to be, and given how Yelan had been pressuring him about getting married, she felt a reluctant admiration for how Syaoran had concealed this relationship. Perhaps he wants no interference as he gets to know her better before introducing Sakura to me, Yelan thought.
The accompanying photos showed them walking happily hand in hand around the market, and Yelan was struck by how young and carefree Syaoran looked. Sakura's affection was clear; when they weren't holding hands, she was looking at him, or touching his arm, or raising herself on tiptoes to try and tame his hair.
He was smiling in each photo, or looking down at the girl—he was a head taller than her—with an expression of love darkening his amber eyes. He'd brought her to the Shrine of Wishes, where he had kissed her. Yelan drew her breath in upon seeing the photo; Sakura had her arms around Syaoran's neck, her eyes closed, completely trusting him. Syaoran had bent down to kiss her, and it was clear that the kiss was very tender...the kind lovers gave to each other.
My son is in love. Yelan found a thrill shoot through her at the prospect. Ah, if only her husband Xiao Lang had lived to see this...
The accompanying report amused her no end. "Female subject playfully arguing with male subject about prices of items in market. Refused to let him pay for her purchases, and insisted on paying for their dinner at a small sidewalk cafe."
Yelan was relieved that the girl wasn't a gold-digger. And she's feisty too, she thought with amusement. She continued reading the report that tracked their movements, ending with: "Male subject checked into Hong Kong Mandarin, two separate rooms, under name of Eriol Li-Hiiragizawa."
Two separate rooms? Syaoran hasn't seduced her yet? Goodness! Yelan frowned. How am I going to get my grandchildren if Syaoran goes slow with this girl? She is almost past prime childbearing age. And I think I will have beautiful grandchildren from them, she smiled. Now, to work out a plan...can he stand up for her to me? How much does he love her?
She needed to know; if Syaoran could pass this test, then he certainly deserved the freedom to court and marry this woman.
Several hours later, Eriol was standing nervously in front of Yelan Li. He sent a hasty text message to Tomoyo and Meiling: "Yelan called for me. Oh shit."
"You'd do well to put that phone away, dear boy," her regal voice cut across the room. "I want you to do something for me."
"Er, yes, Auntie. What is it?"
"I want you to court Sakura Kinomoto."
Eriol's eyes almost bugged out, and he stared at Yelan. Out came a suave response, "Hu-whhaat?"
"Really now, Eriol. You're a playboy. You can handle this. I want Syaoran to be jealous."
How the hell did she know? And...wait, she doesn't know about Syaoran being in Hong Kong right?
"But why?"
"Eriol. Drop the games. You and I both know he likes this girl very much. The fact that he kept it from me is proof positive."
In desperation, Eriol blurted out, "He's in Hong Kong with some floozy right now!"
"Are you questioning me?" was the icy response.
"No...Auntie...We tried to set them up, but it backfired. Syaoran discovered Sakura likes someone else, and went off with some other girl, I think to console himself. Sakura is in her hometown right now with the other guy. And Syaoran is preparing some kind of revenge on us for trapping him in the Tower with Sakura a few days ago!" Eriol's words rushed out, and he had never felt more like a naughty little boy than he did now.
Yelan fought a smile. Eriol clearly had no idea what was really going on, and from the sound of it, Syaoran had manipulated events to mislead his cousin. And..."we"?
"Who is 'we'? And I want you to share your information with me."
Eriol fought to regain his equinamity. "Meiling and Tomoyo and me."
"Ah. Then they will help you. You will make Syaoran jealous."
"It's not going to work, Auntie. He's in Hong Kong with this..."
"You will report to me every evening," Yelan's tone brooked no interference. "I want you to pay special attention to the girl whenever Syaoran is around. And do not make it look obvious, or I will find out."
"Yes, Auntie," Eriol said, in a defeated tone.
How was he ever going to pull this one off?
"You mentioned that you have files? Send them to me. I want to know what you know."
"Yes, Auntie."
Such a playful prank...how had it gone so completely wrong?
Falling is a Wonderful Surrender
Again Syaoran woke up as the sunlight hit his face. He groaned, then rolled over, hoping to sleep in some more. But then he remembered who was in the next room, and he smiled.
I have to wake Sakura up. Now what would be a nice way to surprise her? When he remembered what her favorite flowers were, he quickly changed, and went to a nearby flower shop, grinning like a young boy.
Sakura stretched before opening her eyes. Hong Kong is a wonderful place, she thought. Especially with Syaoran around. She smiled, then opened her eyes.
"Hoeee?" The room was filled with cherry blossoms, peonies, and roses. Syaoran stood near the door, wearing a devilish smile, a black shirt, and jeans.
"I really love hearing that from you, you know, Sakura?" He sat down beside her, and she snuggled up to him happily, placing her arms around him, drinking in his clean scent of citrus soap, and a crisp undertone that was his alone. She raised her head to find him looking at her gently, stroking her messy hair.
"Thank you so much, Syaoran. It's a wonderful surprise." She smiled, then threw her head back and laughed. "However did you get all these flowers up here?"
"That's my secret," he grinned. And then they were kissing again, the best part of the day, the first part of the day. Sakura wound her fingers in Syaoran's tousled dark brown hair, earning a chuckle from him. "What is it about you and my hair?"
"I hope you never go bald," she said impishly. "I love running my fingers through your hair. Better than you doing it, ne?"
He laughed. "Oh, so you noticed."
"That, and the throat clearing."
"I thought I annoyed you," she said, as she nuzzled his neck with her nose. "But when you finally kissed me, I knew."
Sakura reached up, and kissed his neck, trailing kisses to his chin. "I could do this forever," he whispered. "But we'll miss breakfast, little blossom."
She laughed. "You're right. Most important meal of the day and all." She stood up, wandering around the room, touching some of the flowers and smelling the others. "Gosh, they're beautiful. I wish we could keep them alive."
"Maybe I should get you a garden, then." Syaoran knew he was serious. Anything that made Sakura smile was worth it.
She laughed. "Don't be silly. You'll never haul a garden up the stairs. Half a one, maybe. Then again, maybe a garden is better than handing me a bunch of dead flowers." She giggled, and he laughed with her.
And he loved her even more for her humor, her infectious optimism, her innocence, her good cheer. He'd given up resisting, and acknowledged that he was deeply, madly in love. Not that he had told her yet; Syaoran didn't want to scare her off. Who falls in love in a month anyway? he thought. Only me. If I tell her I already want to marry her, she'll probably run off to another planet; I'd sound like a stalker.
Still, she was here, with him, now. Whoever was the god who sent you to me, I should find out so I can build a temple for him or her. He remembered kissing her passionately at the Shrine of Wishes, and found himself hoping the legend was true: lovers who shared a kiss there would be married soon. Coming home to Sakura as her husband would be a wonderful thing. He strode over to her, and stroked her soft, smooth cheek gently.
"You know, if you keep trying to surprise me this way in the morning, you're going to run out of ideas," she said, as she kissed him. "Hang on. I'm going to change."
Syaoran gave in to an impulse, and said with an evil grin, "Need help?"
"Ha! You wish," but her eyes twinkled. "Come on, I'll just be a moment. M'kay?"
"I'll do some damage while you're in there."
"It's eight in the morning and you want to torture the Terrible Trio?"
"Who says I can't?" Syaoran broke into an evil grin, which Sakura adored.
"Good point." And she disappeared into the bathroom with a change of clothes.
Syaoran is a Bad Boy!
Syaoran then dialed Tomoyo's cell number. He knew she would still be asleep, and relished the thought of waking her up.
"S-syaoraaan?" Tomoyo's sleep-fogged voice answered on the eighth ring.
"Tomoyo! Sorry to bother you but I need a serious favor. I want a sexy black dress for a girl who's size six. Where's a good place to buy it?"
Tomoyo sat up quickly, sleep all but forgotten. Her sharp fashion eye allowed her to estimate sizes even at a distance, and she knew the mystery girl with Syaoran in the photo Eriol showed her was a size six.
"Are you sure about this?" she blurted.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know the girl well enough to buy her clothes?"
"Absolutely. I adore her," and Syaoran had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "And I don't intend for her to be wearing it for a long time." He felt something soft hit him; Sakura had balled up a towel and thrown it at him from the bathroom. Ah good, she could hear him. He smiled at her, then prudently moved out of her missile range.
Tomoyo gasped. This was bad, very bad! Syaoran...he must be having...wild monkey sex...sex with that floozy!
"So, where's a good place?" Syaoran prompted.
"I don't know...Fashion Lane? Lane Bryant?" Tomoyo refused to name her favorite places, not wanting to share good designers with the hussy who was stealing Syaoran away from the one they wanted him to be with.
"Those are in Hong Kong," Syaoran deviled her, trapping Tomoyo with her own words.
"Well! Ah, those are, er, just a flight away! And I'm sure the girl will like it. I mean, she's a sexy society girl and all..." Oh no! Tomoyo knew she was giving herself away. Damn that Syaoran for calling her so early!
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Syaoran's voice was innocent. "Is there a problem?"
"Wah...no. I'm just...sleepy. Yeah, sleepy me, ha ha." Tomoyo laughed nervously.
"Any designers I should watch for? What's a good style?"
"Um...halter tops, tube tops..." A stroke of inspiration hit Tomoyo. "They have a fashion consultant at Lane Bryant. How about if you hire her? Okay?"
"All right, then. Thanks. I appreciate this. You're such a great friend, you and Meiling and Eriol," Syaoran said sweetly, fake sincerity dripping from each word. As soon as he ended the call, he burst into a great shout of laughter.
"I take back what I said yesterday about you being evil," Sakura said. She'd heard most of the conversation, at least on Syaoran's end. "You're a sadist."
That fast, Syaoran had grabbed her around the waist and she found herself whipped downwards, coming to rest above his chest.
"Want me to show you just how sadistic I can be?" His face hovered near hers, and he was speaking against her lips. Syaoran's tongue snaked out to barely touch Sakura's lower lip, and she sighed, opening her mouth to accept an intimate kiss from him. Which never came.
"Hoee?" He was looking in her eyes, his own darkened nearly to the color of bronze.
"You want me to kiss you, don't you?"
"Oh yes, Syaoran..."
"And you called me a sadist, right?"
She closed her eyes and nodded.
"So I won't." Syaoran rolled her off him, grinning widely, and stood up.
She threw a pillow at him. "You...you..." He dodged it easily.
"I'm a what? Come on, Sakura. Tell me." He laughed as another pillow sailed past him...
...and out of the open window. Wow, she sure could throw hard.
Sakura stood there, her hands over her mouth, which was hanging open. She dashed to the balcony. Syaoran felt a thrill of horror come over him; was she going to jump after the damned thing? He grabbed her as she swept past him, and held her tight.
"No, sweetheart! Don't!"
"The pillow! It..."
"Don't worry, baby. It's okay."
"But what if it hits someone?"
"We're above the pool," his eyes shone with amusement. "Stop worrying."
"Someone might be sunbathing!" Sakura's beautiful jade-green eyes were wide open, and she was thinking of what she would have to do if someone sued her for hitting them with a pillow.
"In the middle of December?" Syaoran raised an eyebrow.
"Oh. Right." She blushed.
"So. I'm going to have to turn you in, you know." He held her wrists as though he were arresting her. "Damaging hotel property. Tsk, tsk. Bad girl."
"Any chance I can talk you out of it?" She was smiling again, drawing close to him.
"Talk, no. You can, however, persuade me in other ways," Syaoran said suggestively.
And he was ready when Sakura pressed her lips against his and slid her tongue into his mouth. This delicious banter, the time he spent playing with her...he felt like a new man, and he was grateful as he kissed her back.
When they pulled apart, he had his hands behind her neck.
"What are you doing?"
"Giving you something you liked yesterday, when you thought I wasn't looking." Syaoran had fastened the slender white gold chain around her neck, with a tiny butterfly pendant; its wings were sprinkled with tiny diamonds. He adjusted it so that it fell into the hollow of her throat, then kissed her again. "Perfect. I knew if would look good on you, little blossom." He turned Sakura around to face the mirror. "So. Like it?"
"Syaoran...You didn't!" She thought he had been in the toilet when she had sneaked into the jewelry store and looked longingly at it. It had been out of her price range, though, and she had returned it to the sales clerk reluctantly. "You can't be giving me these presents...It's so expensive...On top of the flowers...You paid for the flight and the hotel...I can't even give you anything back, just some throat pastilles! I don't want people to think..." She had gone red.
Syaoran raised her chin gently. "A simple 'thank you' would be nice," he teased her.
"No...I didn't mean to be ungrateful...I'm so, so sorry...It's just that I don't know what to give you, and you always have something wonderful for me. I feel like such a loser; I don't know what would make you happy...oh," and she was on the verge of tears.
Syaoran used his thumb to wipe away the tears forming at the corner of Sakura's beautiful eyes. "Stop saying sorry," he commanded sternly. "Nothing's too good for you, all right? And if it bothers you, well...too bad, you'll have to get used to it, because I fully" and he kissed her, "intend," another kiss, "to spoil you. And it would honor me if you wore that. For me. Do it for me; that's your gift for me. Besides, who says you've never given me anything?"
To Sakura's surprise, he produced the tin of throat pastilles she'd given him. "I've kept them. They worked. Thanks," and he smiled.
"You kept them? Why?"
"Because they were a gift from you," he said softly. "Anything from you is a wonderful thing." He paused, his large eyes fixed on her, then he dropped another kiss, on her lips, gently sliding his tongue in and entwining it with hers as he caressed her nape.
"Now. Can you wear that for me?"
"For you," she breathed. "I will."
"So," Syaoran touched his nose to hers. "You were going to show me just how grateful you are...?"
Sakura grinned. "Mmm, depends on how you define the term."
By the time they finished expressing their affection and thanks to each other, it was almost time for lunch. Not that they minded at all.
The Terrible Trio, Getting Into and Making More Trouble
Five o'clock, and Meiling, Eriol, and Tomoyo were meeting in Meiling's office. Eriol and Tomoyo had just finished telling their stories to Meiling, and they were glumly contemplating what to do.
"So the photo proves he was with that Tanya girl, and his call to me is just more nasty icing on the cake," Tomoyo said.
"No, no, I said it looked like her, that's all," Eriol said.
Meiling's eyes, currently scarlet red, flew wide open. "Oh no. She's a gold digger!"
The Terrible Trio looked at each other, and simultaneously groaned. Eriol resisted the urge to bang his head on the desk. It had started as a practical joke, but now things were barreling out of control.
"You know, they could get married there," Eriol began, and stopped as Meiling shrieked.
"Absolutely not! We have to stop this without involving Auntie!" Eriol nodded fervently; if Yelan Li's precious Syaoran wound up with some cheap society girl, heaven help them all, especially since she now knew what they had done a few days ago. Though the Li matriarch had not said anything, she looked quite displeased.
"We have to come up with a plan..." Tomoyo began. Eriol and Meiling groaned.
"Like the first one worked perfectly," Eriol said sarcastically.
"You two. Stop right there," Meiling said. "I've got it. Eriol, you be aggressive, but only when Syaoran is around. Tomoyo, you follow Eriol and Sakura and take photos. I'll make sure it lands in the tabloids, and have this sleazy reporter I know write a mean article about her. Syaoran is sure to defend her! If this doesn't draw Syaoran out, nothing will. He's got to fight for his girl."
"What about the other guy, the one she's with right now?" Tomoyo's eyebrows were raised.
"I'll hire detectives to track him down. If we pull this off, Syaoran will come to Sakura's rescue once the tabloids start going after her for being with Eriol."
"And what of that society girl?" Tomoyo inquired.
"Eriol can 'dump' Sakura and go for her!"
"That's a..." Eriol stopped before he could say "stupid" because he knew the consequences...and it had only been months since the other vice presidents had stopped calling him "Mr. Teddy Bear". He cleared his throat, then, "That's one way of doing it, but there are too many holes, too many unknowns. What if Sakura is engaged to the other guy? Nothing I do will work. What if Syaoran has rushed into marriage with the floozy? Or what if he's started an affair? I think we should focus on getting information first before we do anything."
"Sounds good to me," Tomoyo said.
Overruled, Meiling sighed. Then she glanced at Tomoyo, who was looking thoughtful.
"Spill, Daidouji. You have something up your sleeve," Meiling commanded.
"We still have the Christmas ball for the Picayune," Tomoyo said slowly. "If we made it a mandatory partners dance, and arranged for them to 'draw' each other as partners..."
"Then they would have to spend time together during the ball!" Eriol grinned.
"Hmm. Liking this better," Meiling said. "And we can get our hands on Sakura if we pretend we're making her over for the ball. One of us can go through her things if we bring her to Ritual Spa, right, Tomoyo?"
"Ooh, yes! And then I can do the best thing of all," Tomoyo said.
"And what's that?"
"Make her costume for the ball!" Tomoyo squealed.
An Antidote for Darkness
Syaoran happily returned to the office, and his bubble of happiness was noticed by all who worked with him. He also began coming in to the office a little later- eight, even nine in the morning, and leaving earlier, always asking to be brought to a nearby mall, then coming home on his own. He'd also developed the habit of wandering around the office frequently, and his secretaries noticed him using another cell phone, the number of which none of them knew, to send messages.
The Terrible Trio watched him warily. It had been two weeks, it was nearly Christmas, and Syaoran hadn't done anything to them at all. The suspense was beginning to get to them. Syaoran would greet them cheerfully when they met, and he was sometimes missing at lunch time. He was more willing to delegate responsibility, and once, he even disappeared from the office for several hours, during which no one could contact him at all.
His secret relationship with Sakura was a source of thrill for him. A high point of his day was wandering over to her area of the office, then heading for a storeroom nearby. She would follow after a few minutes, and they would dally a bit, kissing each other hungrily. Syaoran always embraced her for several minutes, trying to memorize the feel of her, her scent, even the way her heart beat against his. He still hadn't told her he loved her, and he planned to do so during the New Year.
Sakura was on Cloud Nine. Syaoran always appeared at her house every night; she'd given him a set of keys, and he always came when he could. He'd even cooked her dinner one night, a delightful pasta dish paired with some panini, and then, when the snow came down over them, slept over.
That had been a wonderful night. He'd started out in the guest bedroom, but when the lights went out around midnight, she had screamed. Syaoran was in her bedroom in a flash, and wordlessly, he put his arms around her to keep her calm.
"I never did get to ask you, Sakura," he said when the lights had come back on, "why you hate the dark."
Sakura kept her head snuggled firmly in his neck. "My mother died during a blackout," she sobbed. "I know it's stupid, because I'm already an adult, but when the lights die, I think something bad is going to happen—a ghost is going to come out, my brother used to tell me. I'm afraid of ghosts. I don't know why."
Syaoran stroked the back of her neck gently, knowing this gesture calmed Sakura down. "Don't blame the dark, little blossom. But maybe if you learned to live with the darkness, you'll discover that it makes you appreciate light," he said softly.
He carried her back to her bed, pulled the sheets over her, then walked off.
"Please don't leave," Sakura said.
"I'm not," Syaoran said gently. "I'm staying right here, but I'm going to turn off the lights. Okay?"
"I feel like such a stupid baby," she said as she cowered under the sheets.
"No, don't," Syaoran said as he turned out the lights. Sakura gasped, but relaxed when he slid in next to her.
He put his arms around her, letting her rest on his chest. "Feel better, little blossom?"
She sighed. "I do now."
They lay quietly as they listened to the snow coming down. Sakura snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes and savoring the feel of Syaoran's strong arms and sturdy chest. She knew she had fallen very deeply in love him in such a short span of time, and didn't dare confess her feelings to him for fear he would reject her. I never want him to leave me, she thought. I'll wait until he feels the same way.
Syaoran turned her head towards his, and began to kiss her gently. Sakura discovered she could open her eyes as he kissed her. In the moonlight, with his eyes closed, Syaoran was simply beautiful. He rolled on top of her, and continued kissing her gently, sliding his tongue in and meeting hers waiting for him.
Then he began to kiss her chin, traveling down to her neck. Sakura sighed his name lovingly, and he felt her fingers slide to his hair, a gesture Syaoran was beginning to love. He began to nibble gently on the hollow of her neck, where the butterfly chain he'd given her rested, and her slim shoulders. She tasted as sweet as he thought she would, and she began to stroke his ears with her fingers.
I better stop here, he thought, before I do anything we'll regret. Syaoran made his way back to her lips, then whispered, "Feeling better, sweetheart?"
"Yes," she whispered back. They both laughed, and then he held her close until they fell asleep.
Thank Yous
Wai! Because I love you guys, I updated this...while writing in the office, haha! The beginning of this story is based on real life; I know a couple who started out that way. Theirs was not a happy ending, though (they were forced to break up by the guy's family) but I can't do that to Sakura and Syaoran! So I wrote the story the way I felt it should have happened :)
Thank you for the reviews; it was wonderful to see so many! Thanks and hugs to rosedreamer101, StarAngel02 (Technically he isn't doing anything, haha!), animelover0328 (You know that with the Terrible Trio around, things are simply going to get more complicated, because they keep jumping to the wrong conclusions! XD), jennycuenca (Fluff is fun! So are the three!), aya-chan91, y-chan (We can expect nothing less from Syaoran, and from his mother as well ), AngelEmCuti (But the evil makes Syaoran absolutely desirable!) , ccsread, Lily887787, KibumiWong (glad you liked the lines!), MysticMoonEmpress, Ejoong (Checking it out, because I am interested in Bleach, thanks:D), Hououza (Yep, Yelan is too sharp, and she plays a key role here...I reviewed the first CCS movie and remembered she rocked!), DiamondRose3 (Even more fluff!), SakuraLover (Isn't Syaoran's mom just as evil as he is? XD), Pipi-chan (no lemons! Just for you! XD Kidding aside, even if they are adults, I thought it would be sweeter, and more in keeping with their natures, to wait a while; notice how Syaoran keeps holding back? Heh heh. Poor boy—well, he gets a LOT in the next fic so hey), iNuQTpIe (Momiji and Meiling both had to give up someone they loved to make them happy—if you like I can send you the first chap!), lhaine07 (sorry if it's diabetically sweet, haha), Rachel, Teruna-Hime (Aw, thanks. I enjoy making people laugh...which may be why the revisions of the other 2 fics is taking some time. Re plane scene-now wouldn't we all love to pass time on a scary plane flight doing just that with our favorite chocolate-haired boy? SQUEAL! XD),
I know this is going slowly for now, but I want to show you how the two are falling for each other. More Terrible Trio goodness in part three of this chap!