Are you scared? Well, you shouldn't be. Because it's almost Thanksgiving, and you get to read my fantastic story. Which will most likely end well. I mean, I could always just kill off everyone, but I don't know how well that would go over. Whatevs.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You- you want to-"

"I know you may have mixed feelings, but-"

"Mixed?" she spat. "Don't think I'm debating it."

Demoratus smirked.

"You may be..." she sighed. "...very... attractive..."

He left his seat and walked toward her.

I forgot my point.

"Sakura, I can end this war with your little brat in a heartbeat. But I need some form of payment, don't I?"

"I don't think you do. The holidays are coming up, and you could just be in a giving spirit."

He let out a small laugh. "You aren't accustomed to politics."

"You're not accustomed to being nice. I think we both have something to learn here."

Demoratus leaned in closer to her, his breath tickling her lips. "I will learn nothing."

"Hell you will."

He raised his eyebrows. "I don't-"

Sakura chose that moment to punch him in the jaw, knocking him backwards into the heavily adorned wall.

"Element of surprise." She grinned.

Demoratus stayed silent for a moment, then slowly stood back up. "You have quite the nerve," he began, "to act this way to a king."

"I treat most royalty like this," she shrugged. "Syaoran thinks it's hot."

"Does he?" He loomed toward her. "We have little in common."

"Except that you both want me. And if you were to harm me in any way, he wouldn't hold back on you. Seriously. Don't be stupid."

He sighed. "Whatever. I'm tired. When's your kid coming to save you?"

She shrugged. "Probably by the end of the week. So, can I go now?"

"Sure. Good night," he added as an afterthought. She curtsied and scuttered out of the room.

That was... weird.

Sakura realized after a few minutes that she was completely lost. After a huff of impatience, she sat down and rested her legs. This whole place was just confusing. She wished that she were home, with the huge sprawling gardens and-

It was then that Sakura realized that she had completely forgotten her old life.

Her home wasn't in a castle at all. It was in a tiny little cottage, with no complications, and no one was kidnapping her. Syaoran wasn't her home. He was a stranger, who she barely knew anything about.

Who kind of kidnapped her in the first place. She was just prone to being kidnapped.

Oh well. She was pretty much over it. She just wanted to be somewhere familiar.

Syaoran's not really be rude, she thought. He's been really nice, and I kind of took advantage of it. I mean, he's not that bad. Maybe I should be nicer to him.

"Syaoran," she whispered.

"Yeah?"

Sakura jumped up and screamed, looking around frantically. "I am not insane."

Then she saw him; he was peering out of a corridor sneakily. "I'm hiding," he whispered. He was grinning.

She was torn between laughing and beating him into the ground.

"I'm breaking you out. Come on," he urged. She stared at him blankly.

"So, instead of talking this out like an adult, you're going to sneak me out and avoid any conflict." She laughed. "I understand why he thinks you're immature."

"Who?" he demanded. "Demoratus? He's an idiot. I can't believe you talked to him." He paused. "Let's go."

She ran a hand through her hair. "Uh. Well, good news and bad news."

"Shoot."

"Cyou's here."

He winced. "That is bad news."

She pushed him into the wall. He grinned maniacally.

Sakura stared at him. "You're drunk."

He laughed.

She groaned.

"Come on, we're going to get Cyou." Sakura grabbed his wrist and dragged him in a random direction, hoping it was the right one. After a while of meandering, they finally found the dungeon. There was no torch on the wall; Sakura sighed and began the dark descent with no help except Syaoran, who wasn't any help at all.

After an average hostage-escape scenario, Sakura and her crew began the tedious task of finding a way out. It was one thing to find her way out alone, but with a drunk Syaoran that kept grabbing her and Cyou still half asleep, she felt like the mother of two very high-maintenance children. Well, maybe just one child, because the other would just be creepy.

Sakura had no idea what time it was; there were no windows in the stupid castle. She swatted Syaoran's hand away from her impatiently and looked around the hall. "We're lost."

"I thought we were just walking in circles for fun," Syaoran drawled. She was glad that even in his complete drunken state, he still kept his love of sarcasm.

"Okay. I give up. Let's go to bed." Sakura dragged her extra baggage into an empty room and sighed. "We'll figure it out later."

Syaoran struggled to keep his eyes open. "I know how to get out. You should have just asked me."

"Seriously? You couldn't have told me this earlier?" Sakura fought the urge to kick him as he yawned, curled up against the wall comfortably.

"I forgot," he muttered. She groaned as he slumped over, clearly done talking.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Sakura slapped him numerous times trying to wake him up; though she'd never admit it, she enjoyed it more than she should have. It wasn't necessary at all, she just relished the fact that he wouldn't remember.

He wouldn't remember anything she did to him.

He couldn't hold it against him.

Sakura groaned once again. It wasn't the fact that she wanted to kiss him. Absolutely not. But maybe it'd wake him up. Yes. That was the only reason, she thought as she leaned in toward him.

She was shaking as she pressed her lips against his. Wake up, she thought. Her hands lay awkwardly on his shoulders. This was a dumb idea.

Suddenly his head tilted forward and his arms wrapped around her waist tightly. She smiled.

"Good, you're up. So-"

He pushed her onto the floor and hovered over her lazily, muttering something under his breath. She took a shallow breath before he kissed her again, slowly. Sakura wanted to roll her eyes and push him off. She wanted to tell him he was stupid and to show her the way out already. But she couldn't; first, because he weighed a lot, and there was no way she could push him off her.

And she was enjoying it way more than she should.

This was a dumb idea, she resented as he caged her against the floor and his lips trailed her jaw tenderly. She finally made out what he was muttering as his breath lingered on her ear.

"Mine."

There was something endearing about him; he would never kiss her like this if he were sober. He would have attacked her, show her he's in charge. Because he had a huge ego.

But now that he was past the pride issue, she finally realized that he had a completely different side: romantic.

Syaoran and romantic were two words that she was sure would never be used in the same sentence. He was sexy, aggressive, powerful. Not tender, loving, or romantic. And she wanted to kill herself for saying it, but it was the most attractive thing he had ever done to her.

She felt his lips curve into a smile against hers. "Mine," he whispered. "Mine."

She sighed. "You're awake."

He ignored her.

"If you get us out of here I promise to pick up where we left off," she coaxed, tugging gently on his hair. He laughed; his voice was low and... really hot.

But hey, someone here had to have self-control. And judging by his behavior so far, Syaoran wasn't the best example. She rolled him off slowly and couldn't help but giggle. She was really happy.

"Come on," he muttered, kicking Cyou awake. "Don't even try waking him up," he warned, glaring at Sakura. "Unless you just give me special treatment." His glare turned into a maniacal grin.

She rolled her eyes and shook Cyou slowly. "Wake up. Let's go home."

He opened his eyes slowly. "What's going on?"

"We're going home," she said impatiently. It took self-restraint to keep from yelling at him and kicking, much like Syaoran's strategy.

"K." He rose quickly for someone practically in a coma. They followed Syaoran quickly through the dark halls, pausing to watch a guard pass every now and then. Sakura almost cried when she saw the front gates, and the beautiful sunrise outside.

"Do we have a plan?" she asked Syaoran quietly, eyeing the two guards outside. He laughed.

"Run."

"Syaoran, I swear, you're an idiot."

He smiled. "Okay. Let me tie your wrists behind your back."

"Okay, I'll run. Sorry for calling-"

"No, no. We're going to take you out like a hostage. See," he gestured to his clothes, "I'm already in their uniform, and that idiot is so dirty you can't even tell what he's wearing. Now let me tie you up." He laughed darkly as she surrendered her arms and he tied them up slowly. "Do you enjoy this as much as I do?"

"I'm sure if I were as twisted as you I would."

"Could you guys tone it down?" Cyou pleaded. "I'm still here."

Sakura glared; Syaoran smirked. With a final tug he finished tying her, and they began to escort her quickly. Sakura noted with resentment Syaoran's hand was nowhere near her arms.

Sakura was surprised at how easy it was to break out of Demoratia. No one gave them a second glance as they walked out of the city and into the forest toward home.

"Are we going to walk the whole way?" Cyou asked quietly. "It's going to take forever."

Syaoran scoffed. "Take it easy. There's two horses waiting a little farther out. I was planning on two people being here... but honestly, it's not a big deal if you ride with me. I mean, I know you find me irresistible," he whispered to Sakura. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Apparently he was done with the whole romantic thing.

"Hey, third wheel," he called. Cyou glared at him. "Ride ahead and tell everyone we're okay. Sakura has a weak stomach, and therefore will be riding slowly."

"I know," he muttered, jumping on the horse. "See you later, Sakura," he said darkly before riding away.

"I don't have a weak stomach," she protested as he tried to help her onto the horse. She managed to get up by herself, ignoring his invasive hands. He laughed and gracefully swung on behind her.

"It's not ladylike to straddle a horse. Although, you're not exactly the embodiment of ladylike behavior." Sakura glared. "Oh well. You're about to prove that you don't have a weak stomach."

She turned quickly. "What-"

He took off immediately, sending Sakura into a panic as she tried to find something to hold on to. She felt his chest vibrate as he laughed. She glared at nothing in particular and held on tightly to the edge of the saddle.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura didn't realize she was crying until they stopped riding. She looked up at the castle through blurry eyes and smiled. She never thought that this horrible place would ever be considered her home until Syaoran came along.

Syaoran raised an eyebrow as he lifted his arm to help her down. "Are you crying?"

She jumped off the horse without the help of his hand. "No." She quickly wiped the tears away.

He laughed. "I thought I was the one who wasn't supposed to show emotion. Besides, it's always a good feeling to be home." He paused. "Do you feel at home here?"

She nodded. "I want to go to bed."

He swept her into his arms silently and carried her into the castle. She would have protested, but she was tired, and he was so warm. She felt her eyes close involuntarily.

They were greeted first by Yelan, who looked furious. "Syaoran, what were you thinking? You could have gotten- Oh. Okay." She looked down at Sakura and smiled. Then she glared up at Syaoran. "Put her up and we'll have a talk." Yelan glided away, half furious, half grandmother-ly. He carried her up to her room silently, a grin tugging at his lips.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura rolled over in her bed tiredly. Her eyes opened slowly to the sight of Chiharu and a few other servants watching her sleep.

"Look, she's awake!" Chiharu grinned. "Welcome back, lady Sakura!"

Sakura laughed and sat up. "Oh, it's so nice to be home."

Suddenly Chiharu's face fell. "You have to get ready for dinner!" she shouted, running to the dresser and opening it hastily. "We don't have much time!"

Sakura couldn't stop smiling as she watched the maids run frantically across the room. "This really is home, isn't it?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She wore Cyou's dress: even though it had bitter memories, it was her favorite. Chiharu spent more time than usual on her that night. Sakura assumed it was because she had been kidnapped, or it was just her way of welcoming Sakura back.

She walked through the doors quietly to find the entire dining hall in a white fantasy. Her smile widened as she greeted the court; her family. She took her place next to Syaoran gratefully, no resentment as he looked at her and smiled.

"Hold on," he whispered and ran to the front of the room, where the king and queen would normally sit. Sakura was reminded of how personal the Li kingdom truly was, never separating themselves from their people.

"Everyone, excuse me," Syaoran yelled, sending the hall into whispers, then silence. "I have something that I would like to say."

Sakura looked up at him pleasantly. At times like this, she only hated him a little bit.

"Uh... yeah." He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "So, I know I've never really been the nicest person to be around. I'm conceited, and arrogant, and it's never mattered before." He sighed. "Until I met Sakura."

Her jaw dropped.

"Sakura, you bring out the best... and worst in me, but mostly the best. Around you I feel happy, and I don't want to... I feel like my life has a purpose."

She looked back at Yelan to see her holding back tears. She cleared her throat and looked back at Syaoran.

"I know my intentions when I brought you here were twisted, and I never want to keep you here if you don't want to be here." He coughed. "So, uh... If you want to leave, please do. I want you to make your own decisions."

Her heartbeat drummed in her ears.

"But, if you want... I, uh..." He laughed. "This is weird." He looked at her longingly. "Damn it."

She felt her legs moving, walking toward him slowly.

"I want- no..." He ran a hand through his hair.

She stood in front of him, eyes dancing.

He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "Will you marry me?" He opened his hand to reveal a beautiful ring.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. His face fell.

"Just say no if-"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him before he could finish. She heard their audience do something, whether it be disapproving or whatever. She seriously could care less.

"Is that a yes?" he asked quietly, face red. "I swear, if it's a no-"

"Yes." She pulled away to look at his eyes. "Yes."

He laughed; not sarcastic or rude, for once. She never wanted him to stop laughing. "Give me my ring."

Syaoran slid it onto her finger slowly and grinned. Then he turned to the court and laughed. "Yes!"

Sakura felt her face blush as they stood and clapped, cheering for her. That was going to take some getting used to. Syaoran grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You're my princess."

She winced. "That sounds weird."

"Then I'll never call you that again. Unless I'm really mad at you."

"Fair enough." She glanced over the crowd again. "Okay, can we go now?"

He laughed and led her down the steps and through the room. She smiled as he walked her to his room, where she had only been once. Awkward memories were repressed as he led her to the bed slowly.

"Now," he whispered, hovering on top of her, "let's finish where we left off."

Sakura's mouth flew open. "You were-"

"You assumed, Sakura-chan. Bad things happen when you assume." He lay his face on her chest. "I really did enjoy that."

She wanted to crush his skull in, but she refrained. "A promise is a promise."

He let out a low grunt of agreement before kissing her gently. She smiled.

"Can Cyou stay here?" she whispered. "That's the only thing I'm asking."

He shrugged. "Sure. I'll make him captain of something. Now stop interrupting me."

She stopped interrupting him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well, there you have it. I really hope it wasn't anticlimactic. I hate conflict.

So, this took like, over 2 years? Is that right? Wow. Sorry about that. Uh, I'm just happy I figured out an ending at all. Sigh. Now I can start updating other stories. Kidding.

And just to let you know, they lived happily ever after. The End!!!! Finally.