I surprise myself with the quick update. Anyway, here's chapter four. And thanks to all the people who reviewed my chapter last time!


Married?

by xArcherx

Chapter Four

Cerberus stared at the book in front of him. The Book of Clow. A book, that only the greatest of magicians could have written; a book that held secrets and whose key lay in the hearts of two young people.

He stroked its spine gently. "Do you think it was right to let Sakura get married so early, Yue?"

The figure standing close to him shifted. "Whether it was right or wrong, is not for us to decide."

"But you saw her, didn't you?" Cerberus asked. "She is definitely miserable. We need to do something. Maybe we should—"

"—leave her alone." Yue finished it for him, knowing very well that that was not what he had intended to say. "Let her be, Cerberus. We cannot help her." He placed a hand on Cerberus's furry forehead, seemingly uncomfortable. Yue had always found it difficult to express himself.

There was a pause. Then, "The fire. Do you think it was intentional?"

Yue kept quiet for a long time. "There is no other explanation. How else could a small fire have destroyed the whole building? There were fire alarms everywhere."

"Who hates Fujitaka-san and Toya so much?" Cerberus wondered. "I did not know they had enemies."

"Everyone has enemies, whether they are aware of that or not." Yue said curtly. "But in this case, it does not necessarily have to be an enemy."

"Who then? Why would anyone – who does not hold a grudge against the Kinomotos – have done this?"

"The Kinomotos are not the only ones who own the company, Cerberus." Yue reminded him.

"Sonomi-san and Kaho-san were both on a business trip when this happened." Cerberus said grimly. "They were not the ones who almost lost their lives."

"Cerberus, think." Yue said coldly. "Whoever caused the fire was a powerful person. He or she was able to destroy the whole building. But they also made sure none of the important people were injured. Except for Li." He added.

"What is their motive then? Fear?" Cerberus asked, highly bewildered.

"Perhaps."

Cerberus shook his head, revolted. "So many people burnt to death! How could someone have done this just to be noticed-just to be feared?"

Yue looked at him shrewdly. Cerberus met his eyes and his own ones widened. "No…" he whispered. "It cannot be…not him.."

Yue averted his gaze. "There is a huge possibility that it is him."

Cerberus gazed at the book lying in front of him, still trying to register what he had just unearthed. "But-but…"

Yue cast him a sidelong glance. "We might have been wrong, after all. He is a powerful man. It was foolish to think he was gone forever."

Cerberus swallowed hard. "It-it still doesn't make sense."

Yue knew it was time to change the topic. "He did do a good job of hurting Sakura."

That caught Cerberus's attention. "Sakura…" He looked at the dark sky outside. Then he said abruptly, "The dawn is far away."

Yue grunted. "The darkness is intimidating but we shall fight; hope upon hope…"

It was something that barely passed as what Yue would say that Cerberus could not help but smile. "I see Sakura has had quite a large influence on you."

Yue avoided his teasing gaze. "She is the Card Mistress after all."

Cerberus eyes turned tender. "I'm glad you have finally come to accept her, Yue." He told him gently.

"It was what Clow Reed wanted." For a rare moment, Yue's voice was coloured with emotion. "I could not refuse."

Cerberus averted his eyes back to the sky. "Yes. And I'm sure he's happy."


Yelan sat looking devastated, with a crumpled piece of paper in one hand and a phone in the other. Beside her, Meiling sobbed quietly. Wei stood a little away from them, giving them their privacy, unable to digest the shocking news.

Yelan shifted and Wei caught her whimper. He longed to offer comfort, but he knew not how. With mild hesitation, he reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. He put another arm around Meiling and pulled her closer, words failing him as the girl sobbed into his shoulder. For a long while, the only sound in the room was muffled sobbing.

"Young Master is going to be all right, Yelan-sama." He said, trying to sound confident.

She did not reply but she looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears and her face blotchy. She opened her mouth, as thought to speak, but then closed it again and nodded. The usually confident aura around her had completely gone, to be replaced by wretched helplessness and anxiety.

Wei had seen her so distressed only once before – when her husband had died. He knew that she wouldn't be able to take it if she lost her son too – the son who resembled his father so much. Wei knew Yelan was blaming herself for this and no amount of comfort would erase the feeling burrowed deep inside her heart – the feeling that she had not proved to be a good parent.

The old butler knew it wasn't true. Yelan was a good mother and had brought up her children surprisingly well on her own. All of Syaoran's sisters were happily married and successful in life and Wei knew it was all thanks to Yelan's upbringing.

However, Syaoran had been a different matter altogether. Yelan had been a bit hard on him when he was child because he was the one who would be taking over the Li Corporations when he was old enough. Wei had watched the child as he had grown up and even he could see that Syaoran longed for a father figure more often than not.

Wei had tried to be as much of a parent as he could but there had always been a line that he had been afraid to cross although Syaoran had willingly accepted his fatherly demeanour. Wei had served the Li family for over fifty years now and the respect he had for them made it difficult for him to be more at ease with the Li heir.

And now, the young Master had been reckless enough to run away from home. Wei wouldn't call it an act of cowardice but more of an acceptance of the fact that Syaoran wasn't ready to handle so many things at once. And who else made him feel sane but his wife? It was natural Syaoran had missed her and had wanted to see her.

But the fire had ruined it all.

Syaoran was dangerously close to death and none of them could accept that. Wei looked at Yelan who caught his gaze and seemed to crumble underneath it. Standing straighter, he asked, "Is there anything I can do, Meiling-san, Yelan-sama?"

Meiling wiped her tears and said, "Yes, Wei-san, we would like to leave for Japan today, if possible."

Wei bowed. "Of course, Meiling-san. I will see to it right away." He turned to the mistress of the household, awaiting her orders with such a respectful silence that Yelan couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

"Let no one know of this incident." She said, regaining the commanding tone in her voice little by little. "This is personal and shall remain so." Wei left the room with a final bow and Meiling excused herself to pack their bags.

Yelan smoothened the crumpled piece of paper she held in her hand and read the two sentences over and over again. Stuffing the paper into her pocket, she listened to the mild patter of the rain outside. "You promised, Xiao Lang." She whispered to herself. "You promised to come back and I'm not going to let you get away without fulfilling your promise. You're going to come back home whether you like it or not and I will make sure you do."


Sakura stood staring at the limp figure completely covered in bandages through a glass pane in the door. Tomoyo appeared behind her with a cup of steaming cocoa.

"I-I can't, Tomoyo-chan..." she whispered, without turning back, answering Tomoyo's silent question. "I just can't go inside. It-it's too hard."

"But you know you want to, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo insisted, as tenderly as she could. She could see the fear and hesitation in Sakura's eyes. But she knew that the first person Syaoran would like to see when he regained his consciousness would be Sakura. Tomoyo could guess that the reason Syaoran had even come to Japan would be to see Sakura again. "Visitors are allowed now that they have moved him from the ICU."

"He was supposed to be in Hong Kong- safe and sound." Sakura mumbled, more to herself than Tomoyo. "How could this have happened?"

"The doctor said he's out of danger." Tomoyo tried to sound comforting; cheerful. "We only have to wait for him to wake up."

Sakura's immense relief in finding both her father and brother unharmed had vanished completely to be replaced by fear and worry – stronger than ever before – when she had had heard about Syaoran's condition. He had been dangerously close to the fire. He had been trapped; he had inhaled a lot of smoke; if they hadn't rescued him in the nick of time, he could have-he would have—

"Sakura-chan, he's going to be all right." Tomoyo said for the umpteenth time. "He's safe now. His burns will be healing soon."

"It's just so-so brutal." Sakura whispered. "He had been so close to death, Tomoyo. He could have died! I come all the way here to see Otou-san and Onii-san safe and sound only to realise later that my best friend had almost died! Do you even know how horrible that was? I couldn't breathe – I feel so numb, even now! It's like I can't even take in what had just happened. I-I..." Sakura choked and started to sob.

For the second time that week, Tomoyo embraced her silently. There was too much of chaos; too much of confusion; too much of misery; too much of everything. And it all had to fall down on Sakura's shoulders. Sweet, innocent Sakura who hated the very thought of pain and wouldn't ever dream of inflicting it on anybody – even someone who has caused her misery.

"You're right, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura said after a long pause, pulling away and sniffing audibly. "I have to go inside. I need-need to be there beside him. I can't just stand by and watch while he suffers. I simply can't bear it."

Tomoyo gave her what she hoped was an encouraging smile. Sakura returned it – with a little bit of trembling, after crying so much. She opened the door and stepped inside with Tomoyo watching.

And yet, Tomoyo could not shake away the uneasy feeling that was once again taking control of her. She recalled Sakura's terrified words 'I come all the way here to see Otou-san and Onii-san safe and sound only to realise later that my best friend had almost died!'

'Best friend.' Tomoyo thought. 'She said best friend, not husband.'

Tomoyo knew she might be going paranoid but something felt wrong. What had happened between the two of them? Syaoran hadn't come to visit along with Sakura. Syaoran had been in Hong Kong while Sakura was in Japan – with Tomoyo. He had come to visit Sakura all of a sudden without even telling her. Maybe he had wanted it to be a surprise. Maybe he—

"Tomoyo!" A familiar voice called out. Tomoyo could hear the sound of hasty footsteps behind her and turned to see her Mother fling her arms around her, almost knocking her down.

"Okaa-san!" Tomoyo said happily. "You're back."

"Oh Tomoyo! I'm so glad you aren't hurt. I just heard about Syaoran." Sonomi's voice turned grave. "What is going on, Tomoyo?"

"For once, I would like to ask the same question myself."


Kaho withdrew quietly having watched enough of the mother-daughter reunion. She badly needed some coffee to calm her nerves and energize her exhausted body. She smiled to herself as she recalled the look of relief on Sonomi's features when she had seen for herself that her daughter had not been harmed in the least. Kaho hadn't been able to convince the older woman that Tomoyo couldn't have possibly been harmed since the fire had taken place in Tokyo and Tomoyo didn't live there.

The news of the fire on television immediately had the both of them cancelling their business trip midway and catching the instant flight to Japan. They had both been deeply agitated while in the flight. No news of Fujitaka or Toya had reached them and that had made them deeply anxious. It was quite an abnormal sight – seeing Sonomi so jumpy.

Filling her cup with coffee, Kaho remembered the shock of finding out that it wasn't Fujitaka or Toya who had been harmed but Syaoran. Syaoran, who was supposed to be in Hong Kong; who was not a part of the Amamiya Corporations at all, although the Li Corporations was an ally.

The coffee cup almost slipped out of her hands when she turned around to find herself staring at the last person she thought she would see – especially on that particular day.

"Hello, Kaho." The deep azure eyes stared down at her.

"E-Eriol." She cast an inconspicuous glance around them. Eriol also seemed to have noticed the number of people bustling about around them and beckoned her inside one of the empty rooms. As she went through the open door he held for her, Kaho realised that she should have seen this coming. She heard the distinct sound of a door being locked. She turned around to face him, the look on her face neither defiant nor defeated.

He was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Kaho wasn't in the mood for playing with words. She was too tired to argue with him. "What are you doing here, Eriol?" she asked finally, after the staring competition ended – neither of them knowing who had won.

He seemed to notice the exhausted tone of her voice but decided to let it slip. "I came here to see Syaoran." He knew he could never hide the truth from her.

"He's in the room close to the ICU. I think the number is 201. It's right down this corridor. The room at—"

"How are you doing, Kaho?" he interrupted her. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

"I'm fine." She replied, rather surprised by his gentle voice. "How are you, Eriol?"

He didn't answer her immediately. "I've been better."

The silence that engulfed the room was very bitter. Kaho decided that it wasn't the right time to pursue the subject. There was too much going on already and she couldn't deal with him right then. And she physically felt too tired all of a sudden. "I suppose the Cards are giving you a hard time."

He started, staring incredulously at her, but the amazement was gone in a moment. He could feel himself smiling and replying, "Not really. They are just worried about their Mistress."

"It's a hard time for all of us." Kaho said thoughtfully. "We'll just have to pull through somehow." She stifled a yawn.

He made no reply and she refused to meet his gaze. The wretched silence was back again. She looked around the room and finally noticed that neither Ruby Moon nor Spinel was accompanying Eriol. She was even more surprised that she had not noticed this sooner. Really, the journey and the anxiety had taken a toll on her body. She seriously needed to sleep for a while. "Where are Spinel and Ruby Moon?"

"They know when I need them and when I don't." He sounded distant – almost cold but Kaho pretended not to notice.

"I hope they are doing well." She said, a small smile lighting up her features as she thought about the two of them.

He whipped his head around to catch the smile. It had been so long since he had seen her smile. And it amazed him more than ever now and he stood frozen in place, unable to look away. She noticed his posture and frowned in confusion. "Is everything all right, Eriol? Are you well?" she took a step toward him in concern, and tripped over a leg of the chair, miscalculation its distance.

He caught her in an instant and pulled her to her feet – both of them finally noticing the position they were in. One arm encircled her waist while the other held her elbow cautiously. Kaho immediately broke his grip on her waist. His other hand slipped to her wrist and held it tightly. She stared up at him, making a big mistake. His eyes – his mesmerizing blue eyes – seemed to glow strangely, trapping her in place.

Meanwhile, Eriol couldn't think of letting go of her. She was unique – in her own special way – and the only person in his life who could understand him – his thoughts, his words, and even his actions.

It had been a long time since they had stood so closely to each other. Memories came rushing back into their minds – memories they had tried so hard to suppress. They took control of their minds – only for a moment though because they were both very conscious of their surroundings.

Kaho stepped away hastily and this time, he let her go albeit unwillingly. She hesitated for a moment and then bowed slightly, murmuring a 'thank you' and rushed out of the room.

Eriol stood still, his hands clenched into tight fists. Her eyes, her hair, her face – she had been too close for comfort. Eriol let out a sigh, recalling how broken-hearted he had been the last time she had left – not exactly in the same fashion as she had done just moments ago.

The door opened and he whirled around, half-expecting to see her coming back, but it was only Ruby Moon in her human form. She held Spinel in her hand – who had also taken up his plush-toy form – and he spoke quietly, "Shall we see him now, Eriol-sama?"

Eriol kept his eyes on a dry cherry tree outside as said, "Not now, Spinel, not today. Maybe some other day."


Sakura edged closer to the still form on the bed. She longed to hold his hand, to assure herself that he was still alive and recovering. But he was covered in bandages all over that she was afraid she might hurt him unintentionally.

Her eyes filled with tears as she took in his limp form and his pale face almost fully covered by those bandages but she could still spot his thin, parched lips, his closed eyes, and parts of his cheeks. She put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from sobbing for fear of waking him up. Sakura felt so restrained all of a sudden.

It wasn't fair. Xiao Lang didn't deserve this. He didn't ask for any of this. She took a step back, finding it too hard to keep looking at that wrecked body. She closed her eyes to prevent the tears from spilling down her cheeks. Her lips trembled and her nostrils flared as the lump in her throat increased in size.

And it hurt her the most that he had come all the way here for her. He wouldn't be lying there, damaged from head to toe, if he hadn't flown to Japan just to see her. Somehow it all boiled down to her. Sakura knew she was being idiotic to think all of this was her fault but she just couldn't help it. It was hard enough going through each day with the thought that she had hurt her best friend. It was even harder now to see him hurt physically too – and she had been the cause of it, indirectly.

She woke up every day with a sick feeling in her stomach. Sometimes, she woke up from nightmares that ended the same way each time – with Syaoran smiling wistfully at her.

"Goodbye Sakura."

Those two words were enough to have her weeping for hours together. Every single time she closed her eyes, his amber eyes, looking hurt and betrayed, haunted her dreams. And his lips spoke the same two words over and over again.

They weren't just nightmares. They weren't just a fragment of her imagination. They were a fragment of her memories: the utter truth of what had happened between the two of them. The tone of his voice as he had bid her farewell, the wistful smile on his face, the lost look in his eyes combined with the final realization that she was leaving him – they were all true.

Her mind painted those pictures so vividly in her dreams that they were etched in her mind forever. They had the same effect on her every time they occurred. It had been months now, since it happened, but the pain and guilt were as intense as ever.

They hadn't spoken since then. She knew he had gone back to Hong Kong to stay with his family and she had told him that she was leaving for Japan. He had probably assumed she was going to stay with her family – which was what she had originally planned. But she had changed her mind the last moment. She hadn't been ready to face her family yet. And so, there was only one other person she could turn to.

Tomoyo.

It suddenly dawned upon her that she hadn't been fair to Tomoyo at all. She had kept her in the dark all along, leaving her watching and feeling helpless while she struggled through her nightmares. Sakura could now understand the look of pain that passed through Tomoyo's face whenever she answered her questions in falsely-cheerful voice. And she could understand how helpless Tomoyo must have felt. She could empathise with her now that she was going through the exact same thing.

She had been so engrossed in her own thoughts – and the incessant beeping of the machine close to Syaoran made it hard for her to hear anything mild – that she completely missed the hoarse cough that erupted from the bandaged figure.

It was the movement that caught her attention. Sakura snapped her head back to Syaoran's body when he moved his legs ever so slightly. Then the fingers clutched the blanket spread over him. A few more coughs and then slowly, he opened his eyes. For a moment, his eyes seemed glazed but then he blinked several times and he slowly scanned the room until his eyes finally landed on Sakura, who stood stock-still, amazed that he had regained consciousness sooner than expected.

He opened his mouth but no sound came out. He cleared his throat and tried again but all that came out was a croak. He mouthed her name and she took a step forward, before shaking out of her reverie completely and throwing herself at his bedside. "Xiao Lang..." she sobbed next to him, kneeling on the floor, her hands clutching the bed sheet. "Oh Xiao Lang..you're awake..oh Kami-sama.."

She looked up at him, her face pink from weeping, and realised how weak he looked. He was looking at her worriedly, too frail to speak, but his intent was clear enough – he wanted her to stop crying. Sakura smiled through her tears and nodded, remembering how uncomfortable crying made him. She adjusted his pillows so that he could sit up – which he did with a lot of help from her – and offered him a glass of water. He drank it thirstily while she went around straightening his blanket, smoothing a non-existent wrinkle on the bed sheet, filling another glass with water – anything to calm her nerves that were extremely jumpy now that he was awake.

He watched her subtly in silence, knowing she would be uncomfortable if he openly stared at her. "Sakura..." he finally managed to choke out.

"Yes?" she was immediately at his side, fussing over him. "What is it? Should I call the doctor? Does your back hurt? Do you want to lie down? Would you like another glass of water? Maybe I should call the nur—" she stopped short when he put a finger to his lips.

He shook his head slowly, with effort. "It's nothing. I'm all right." His voice was a hoarse whisper.

She leaned forward, not wanting to miss a single word. "I-I think you should rest some more."

"I've rested enough." His voice was clearer.

She offered him another glass of water, while filling him on what the doctor had said. "The doctor said you need a lot of rest. You're out of danger now but the burns will take a long time to heal. I'm afraid you will have to stay in the hospital for at least another month. He prescribed a lot of ointments but they can be used only after these bandages are removed." She started to speak fast. "You had inhaled a lot of smoke but they saved you somehow. One of the firemen rescued you when he saw you trying to dodge the fire. You fainted right after he got you out. Takashi-kun brought you to the hospital and they had to move you into the ICU right away. You were there for most of the day with doctors tending to your burns. You were moved here only a couple of hours ago. We were all so worried. You were unconscious the whole time and the doctors wouldn't say anything to us at all! We thought you would—" here, her voice failed her but the tears streamed down her face again.

Syaoran reached for her hand that lay on his bed and squeezed it feebly. Sakura started at the gesture, staring at him with wide, green eyes while he tried to smile. Then, without warning, she burst into tears again, burying her face in his pillow and sinking to the ground. She caught his hand with both of hers. "Oh Xiao Lang..." she sobbed. "I was so worried. I thought I'd lost you. You have no idea how afraid I was. But I'm glad – so glad that you're all right."

He took in her worried form, her tear-stricken face, and her trembling hands. He longed to say something that would make the both of them feel better. He could sense the irony of the situation. He had been in the exact same position – although, not physically hurt – only a few months ago, trying to say something comforting to her.

"Sa-ku-ra." He croaked. "I'm fine now. Stop worrying."

She didn't reply but instead reached out and touched his forehead gently. "Xiao Lang, I'm not letting you out of my sight until you've fully recovered."

Syaoran, who had been occupied with her touch, stared at her confusedly. "W-What?"

"In spite of all that has happened between us—" her lips quivered. "—we're still best friends. And I'm not going anywhere while my best friend suffers. I hate this helpless feeling – like there's nothing I can do to help. But I want to help – so much. So I'm staying, Xiao Lang, until you're ready to be discharged."

"But—" she silenced him with a finger to her lips.

"I'm not listening to anything you say, Xiao Lang." Her firmness amused him. Syaoran was surprised that he was able to smile without thinking about the past when the very cause of his despair for the past few months was standing right in front of him, holding his hands so tightly and seemingly afraid to let go.

"Oh ! You're awake!" The nurse came flying in through the door, immediately checking his pulse. She then rounded on Sakura. "You should have informed me, miss." Her accent was unmistakably British.

"I-I'm sorry." Sakura said hastily, her face red with shame. "I was just so glad he was—"

"All right, all right. Now wait outside, miss." The nurse shooed her away, and it was her turn to fuss over Syaoran. "Would you like some water, Mr. Li? I think the doctor might want to check up on you. Try to get some more rest, Mr. Li. Goodness me that girl got the pillows all messed up!"

"I'm comfortable this way, thank you very much." He said, glaring at her as fiercely as he could. She took the hint and left the room, casting him a last cautious glance.

Syaoran inhaled sharply, wincing as the action hurt him. His body ached and itched all over but he wisely kept his mouth shut about it to Sakura. He knew she would have gone into a panic attack with the way she was acting – all flustered and anxious.

'What the hell have I gotten myself into?' he thought grumpily.

He had just wanted to see her. It had been months and he couldn't bear the pain any longer. Endurance and defeat had waged a war inside him and in the end, defeat had won. He had set out to find her, to tell her that he couldn't take the shit any longer. He hadn't planned to persuade her to love him either, but he had just wanted to see her, one last time before resigning to the truth.

And apparently, the Powers That Be had decided that seeing her one last time wasn't going to be enough and had granted him a whole month – or maybe more – with her. Syaoran wasn't exactly sure whether he was happy or angry about that.

Of course, he was extremely happy to see her again but then, she'd have to leave him again and it would be harder to let her go then. Was he up for more pain?

'But it's Sakura.' Syaoran reminded himself. 'I would give up anything just to be with her – even if our days together were numbered.'

And in that, Syaoran knew the answer. Yes, he was up for the pain. A few days with her was more than what he had imagined. And that was enough. That had to be enough. So what if it was going to hurt later? He'd just have to live with.

'Hell yeah.'


Well I think that was one long chapter. Thank you for reading and reviews will be much appreciated.