Spoil of War

by swallowingtears

She is his captive, abducted from her home and made to share her prophetic dreams. As his spoil of war, she belongs to him, body and soul. But there are other—more sensual—ties that bind them, beginning with their meeting in dreams.

5. Decisions of War

Spoil of War 5: Decisions of War

Summary: The beautiful dreamseer is his captive, abducted from her home and made to share her prophetic dreams by the ruthless, handsome general. As his spoil of war, she belongs to him, body and soul. But there are other—more sensual—ties that bind them, beginning with their meeting in dreams.

Warnings: Adult themes and content. Please click back button if offended. (Yes I know just about every author of M stories says this, and I don't want to take risks!)

Disclaimer: YES I own CCS and a hunky adult Syaoran, but only in my wildest dreams. I wish.

Thank you xCrazyKindOvWeirdx, who helped me toss around ideas for this chapter!

xXxSxSxXx

Previously: "You cannot unmask me. But I can show you the event you cannot prevent."

A beautiful girl with hair the same shade as Syaoran's, and blue eyes the same shape as his was running in the rain. Sakura could feel her fear, thick and overwhelming, as something chased her. She was begging for help, but no sound was coming from her mouth. The pursuer gained on her; Sakura fought to try and see who was chasing her, but could not.

In desperation Sakura tried to fling herself between the girl and her pursuer; the girl seemed like a princess, and was too delicate to fight. Sakura knew that she could at least buy the girl some time . . . if she could just reach her . . .

But no matter how hard Sakura tried, she could not move. She watched, horrified, as the girl tripped; rain began to fall, hard, as the girl's pursuer drew a wicked looking blade and ran it through her.

Sakura began to scream as the dying girl's eyes met hers.

xXxSxSxXx

"You do realize," Tomoyo gasped against Eriol's lips, "that this is considered molestation of someone who is not a prisoner of war but who is technically a guest . . ."

"Oh do shut up." Eriol's eyes twinkled. "Must you be so long-winded, Princess, and always rationalize these situations? Can you not simply live with the moment, be reckless and carefree?" He moved his lips to her ear and began to nibble at it gently.

Tomoyo pushed Eriol away. "You utter bastard," she whispered.

"Now, Princess, such names do not hurt me. After all, I am a bastard," he smiled.

In frustration, she asked, "Does nothing hurt you?"

"I would not tell you then, would I? For it is your specialty to observe people, after all, and learn their strengths and weaknesses."

Tomoyo's jaw dropped. "How . . ."

Eriol grinned. "You compliment me by not hiding your surprise, and so I shall pay you back with honesty. Do you think Sakura-san is the only one who can see things in dreams, Princess Tomoyo?"

"Have you been watching me?" Tomoyo demanded, indignant.

"You caught me." Eriol shrugged. "I have long watched and wanted you. That is why I knew who you were when Syaoran brought you here. I never thought I would ever see you, but when I did, and you offered yourself to me . . . who could stay in control at that?"

Tomoyo gasped and stared at Eriol. Sometime in their struggle his robes had opened and she could see his lean, hard chest. How can a magician have a soldier's body? She found herself wondering.

"Because Syaoran and I train together," he said.

Again her palm aimed for his cheek; this time, though, Eriol caught it, and kissed it.

"I knew we would meet somehow, someday. You've told Sakura what you wanted in a man several times, and you've mentioned . . . Ah yes, 'pleasing to the eyes.' And so I made sure I would be as close to that as possible."

"Get out of my mind!" she yelled as she backed away. "You fiend!"

Eriol's eyes darkened. "But Princess, I did not need to read your mind. The way your eyes raked my body . . ."

Horrified at having been caught, Tomoyo kept her face impassive. What was it about this stupid arrogant obstinate intrusive . . . handsome irresistible mysterious bastard that intrigued her so?

Then Eriol dropped his robes entirely, revealing his upper body completely.

"What . . . why . . ."

"Tell me to stop," he said huskily as he came closer. "Tell me you don't want me, and tell me that as the truth. Tell me no, and mean it. But if you even find me the tiniest bit interesting, then I want . . . No, I demand the chance to be your lover!" He was now talking against her ear and his breath was warm against it.

"How dare you!"

"Right answer," he murmured, then he began to kiss her ear as his hands caressed her nape.

It was unfair; Tomoyo could feel Eriol slowly exploring the back of her neck, tasting her every now and then as his hands . . . her gown dropped to the floor.

"Princess," he breathed.

Everywhere his hands traveled was pure pleasure, and Tomoyo closed her eyes. Soon she took his hands in his and guided him to the places she enjoyed his touch: her breasts, her hips, her back . . . Taking the offensive, she spun around. "You're my slave," she said.

"I am yours, Princess."

She caught a fistful of his hair in her hand and pulled him back. "You worship me."

"I know you want me to obey, and so I shall. I will be what you want," he said softly as his hand came up to untangle her hand from his hair.

"Then," and Tomoyo took the plunge, allowing herself to lose control, "if you want to marry me, show me how you can make me feel."

Eriol did not reply; he picked her up in his strong arms and brought her to the bed, kissing her hard and greedily. Feeling wild and wanton, Tomoyo kissed him back, her hands exploring his chest muscles, knowing that when he sighed and shuddered, she was the cause of it.

She pushed Eriol under her once they were on the bed; placing her thighs on either side of his waist, she pinned him down and let her long raven hair brush his body. "Tell me you want me," she commanded.

He groaned when she proceeded to rub her body against his; like animals they thrashed against each other, and soon she tore off his trousers and loincloth so that she could see her first naked man.

And the sight of him did not disappoint her. She let her eyes feast on him, enjoying that he was fully naked and at her mercy, his arousal plain to her, while she still retained her undergarments—well, most of them.

A part of her, the one that had obeyed her mother and stayed chaste and rejected so many suitors, was screaming indignantly: why was she acting like a whore? Why couldn't she go back to being in control, to being the prim and proper princess she was?

But another part of Tomoyo had come alive and she wanted this man to pleasure her. His need for her was in his eyes; he docilely obeyed her commands, placing his mouth where she wanted it, touching her where no one else ever had. The pleasure! She reveled in the taste of Eriol, in how he was putty in her hands.

"Do I please you, Princess?" He had been laving her breasts with his tongue and fingers, and now, he was positioned between her thighs.

She did not answer; instead she looked at him and shuddered when he brought his mouth down on her womanhood, teasing and licking at her until she screamed her pleasure. He came up to kiss her again and Tomoyo could taste herself on Eriol's lips, and she kissed him back greedily. She could feel the evidence of his wanting her: his hard penis rubbed against her thigh, and she laughed as he moaned when she touched him there. She gripped it firmly between her hands and began to knead it, stroking up and down as she had read in the books and scrolls that had been hidden in her mother's private library. His gasps and groans told her that his sanity was in her hands.

Suddenly he drew away from her and cursed so hard, she was startled.

A tiny ball of light was dancing in front of Eriol, who groaned. "Not now, damn it, curse it to hell" He was furious, but once he touched the light he paled then quickly kissed Tomoyo. "My apologies, Princess, but I must go. Fires of the underworld, witch sorceress of Hades!"

Shocked back to her senses, Tomoyo realized the light ball was a message for Eriol, one he could not ignore.

"Go then," she said, feeling strangely disappointed. But when he kissed her again, hard, as he struggled into his trousers and robes, she knew he would be back—and he would want her even more now that they had been so rudely interrupted.

She rolled on her back and touched the places where he'd marked her with love bites. Would Eriol take her hard and fast when he returned? Or would he make sweet love to her, slow and patient?

He'll do as I want, she realized, and a large smile, like that of a cat that had stolen cream, and gotten away with it.

xXxSxSxXx

Syaoran ran outside his quarters, doubling the spell that warded off intruders and breathing a prayer to keep Sakura safe. As he bolted through the palace corridors, he thought of the girl he'd left behind in his chambers. She brought light into his life, light and laughter and other happy emotions he'd thought he was incapable of. Being with her was like being in another world, one where there was no blood and no need to kill. He had no illusions about who he was: he did what was necessary, and if it meant killing on the battlefield to protect his home and those he cared about, then he would do it.

But what he felt could not be denied. He understood one thing about himself: abrupt as it was, he loved Sakura. He had fallen in love with her in dreams that had started four years ago, and now, barely a day after finally meeting her in real life, he knew the flame had simply been stoked. Syaoran understood that his lust for her was an expression of the feelings he was no good at communicating; even as a child, he'd preferred to express himself with actions instead of words. He wanted to make love to Sakura because he wanted to show her how he felt with each touch and caress.

That love, though, was putting Sakura in danger. By all rights he should return her to Tomoeda, where no one could touch her and she would be safe with her loved ones. And best of all, it would remove a temptation from him to dally with her, to bring her into his violent and uncertain world.

But he could not bear to have her leave his side. Syaoran knew that Sakura's presence weakened him; warriors with loved ones to protect always carried the risk of having the loved one used against them to be bent to the will of another. Yet it was a risk he was willing to take.

Syaoran felt Eriol approaching and as they passed the entrance to the palace, Syaoran leapt on his horse. Officially it was named Grand Khan of Thunder but in the stables it responded to the name Sparky. The whimsical nickname had been given by the very sister he was now trying to save—Fuutie—and the memory pained him. She was a sweet, silly girl; Syaoran had looked forward to introducing her to Sakura, as he felt they would get along.

Assuming they could save her.

Behind him, he could hear Eriol chanting a speeding spell on their horses, and the hoofbeats of the horses of their most trusted men, a small band of twenty young men Syaoran had trained personally and which included Wang, who had grown up with him. He would have preferred that Wang not join them because the slightly older man was in love with his sister, and had been in the process of courting her. But this had to be done, and quickly.

The rain pounded on them as they made their way to the promenade, a place Fuutie liked to walk around in when she was bored. But in these dangerous times, Syaoran had instructed her to avoid the place at night, and so far she had obeyed. Syaoran rapidly processed things in his mind. Why would Fuutie have been alone? Where were her guards? Where were her servants? Surely one of them could have raised the alarm if someone had attacked them.

No, unpleasant as the thought was, she had been betrayed.

He was grateful that Eriol did not ask questions about how he knew Fuutie was in trouble. Certainly many would question why he trusted Sakura's word, and would ask if he'd gone soft or if his need for her had had addled his head. But Sakura was the one person who had no reason whatsoever to lie to him.

Except for one thing, that is. Syaoran bit his lip and pushed the thought out of his head.

As they drew closer, Syaoran, who was in the lead, spied a form on the ground. Heart in his throat, he leapt off the horse and ran for it.

It was Fuutie. Syaoran quickly cast a shield to keep the rain off his youngest sister, only a year older than him.

Eriol, who had been right behind Syaoran, leapt off his own horse and when he reached Fuutie's side, without being bidden, he made a light and found the wound. It was a single sword thrust that had been aimed at her vitals; she had lost a lot of blood and Eriol tried desperately to keep the slender thread of her life from fraying completely. Syaoran touched Eriol's shoulder with his hand, infusing the magician with his energy; he understood Eriol would need a lot of it as he tried to repair the sinews, muscles, and torn organs. Though healing was the one magical art Syaoran could not seem to master beyond small cuts and scrapes, he understood how much it took out of a magician to heal.

Unbidden he thought of how Sakura had healed his hand when he had cut it to pretend he'd deflowered her. How many other talents did that beautiful little woman hide?

Wang pressed forward, ignoring tradition and protocol, and Syaoran let him hold Fuutie's hand.

"Beloved," he whispered, pressing her hand to his cheek.

Fuutie opened her eyes. Her jaws worked, as if she were trying to say something. For a moment, hope flared in Syaoran's chest and he poured a surge of energy into Eriol.

But too much damage had been done, and they had lost too much time. As Eriol was trying to repair the damage to one of her arteries, he felt her slipping away. Fuutie died with her eyes on Wang, who wept silently as he clung to her hand.

Anger and frustration moved Syaoran to scream at the rain. Then he gathered his wits and barked orders to his men to search for tracks, for any trace of her assailant. To another assistant he gave orders to detain all of Fuutie's guards and servants.

Syaoran stood in the rain; Wang had wordlessly asked permission to be the one to carry Fuutie's body back, and he had given it.

He vowed to punish whoever was responsible, and Syaoran could feel his anger surging through him. He used it to focus his hatred into energy, energy he would use later as he questioned the people closest to his sister.

xXxSxSxXx

Sakura curiously traced the wall with her fingers. She could see the door there, and had opened it to peek at a darkened corridor, but obedient to Syaoran's request, she did not leave the room, quelling her curiosity with common sense.

Something was out there; she'd felt it when she opened the door. And when something had called out her name in a sibilant hiss, she slammed the door shut and bolted it. Heart pounding, Sakura had raced for Syaoran's weapons and chosen a small dagger; she could not lift his swords and she did not know how to use his other weapons. Then she hid in the shadows behind the bed in case whoever had called her could get into the room.

A glow from the door told her someone was trying to get in, and she slowed her breathing, fighting the gasps of fear her instinct was bidding her to take so that the intruder could not find her if he got in. But the glow faded; Syaoran's spell had held.

Once she could no longer sense the person near the door, Sakura crossed the room, still clutching the dagger, and traced the door's outline with her fingers as she tried to learn how Syaoran had done the spell so that she could reinforce it. She would not be an idiot and go out to find out what was scaring her; Priestess Mizuki-sensei had taught her to never explore strange places alone, and she did not intend to flout her training. But Syaoran's magic was different; there were papers with markings lining the door, and she did not understand how it was done.

Outside, the man who was lying in wait gritted his teeth in frustration. Calling Sakura's name had not lured her out, and Syaoran's spell on the door had been impossible to break without knowledge of how he had done it. And worse, he could feel Sakura trying to reinforce the magic herself.

Damn that girl! He had taken her for an idiot; she'd seemed light-headed and weak when Syaoran had brought her in. But she was proving to be interestingly resistant to charms that had easily lured other girls out when he had wanted to rape them.

He set his jaw and turned to leave when he heard the clatter of hoofbeats which meant Syaoran was returning with his bastard brother. Killing Fuutie had been pleasurable; he'd chosen the most innocent and vulnerable Li as his first victim. The choice of Lis after her would be one he would savor; whose lifeblood would adorn his blade next?

And now . . . He cast a glance back at the X that marked the entrance to Syaoran's quarters. Now he would have to manipulate Syaoran and his mother into granting Sakura freedom of the palace . . . so that he would have more opportunities to get at her.

xXxSxSxXx

Yelan Li was waiting in the palace entryway, and her normally impassive face gave way to grief when she saw Wang carrying her youngest daughter.

As it was futile to blame the heavens or to cry out against fate, she touched her daughter's cold cheek, then kissed her forehead gently. Fuutie was only twenty-one, and had been discussing Wang with her mother; she had been intending to accept his courtship, after all.

Now she would never have a chance to do so.

She suppressed her anger, but her cold tone gave it away. "Have you detained her guards and servants?" she asked Syaoran.

He nodded. "I'll question them myself."

Some of the guards winced; they had seen Syaoran asking questions in the past, and knew he wasn't above certain forms of coercion to get what he needed.

Yelan nodded. Giving in to self-pity and excessive grief would not do—the Li clan leader needed to set an example for her people. She needed to stop this violence against her family . . . and she needed all her resources to do so. So Yelan issued commands to have Fuutie prepared for the funeral and cremation which would follow. Once she was done, she turned to her only son.

"Syaoran." It was a command.

He understood that his mother was not being cold, but was attending to necessary business. He followed her to a tiny room off to the side of the throne room, and waited for her to cast spells against eavesdropping so they could speak.

"How did you know about Fuutie?"

"Sakura dreamt it and woke me up," Syaoran said.

He used her name. Yelan almost smiled at the telltale slip. "She is in your chambers? The dreamseer?"

"Of course." He hardened his face.

"Then she has already proven her worth. Dreams are capricious and hard to master. Did she dream in symbols?" Yelan asked.

"No. She saw the event as it happened," Syaoran said. "She woke up screaming."

Yelan did not reply, realizing that Sakura was even more valuable than she thought. Few dreamseers could see the actual future in their dreams; many dreamt in symbols that needed to be interpreted and thus were hard to understand. For Sakura to dream as soon as she arrived in Hong Kong meant the dangers were very imminent.

Syaoran watched as his mother stood deep in thought. He knew she would speak soon; she was shifting positions and had given out a small sigh. But when she did speak, he was startled by what she said.

"You did not rape that girl; you said it so that you could falsely claim her as a spoil of war to protect her. But what you do not realize is that your denial put her in even greater danger. Your cousin casts avaricious eyes on her, and if he uses magic to twist her dreams or her mind, he shall do so through you."

"Mother?"

"Syaoran, I gave birth to you and I trained you. I know you, and heartless as though you may seem, I can tell you already love her. Only one such as I can see this—everyone else in the palace, even your sisters, think you have been cruel to the girl. And so I give you this counsel now: Do not fear your feelings for the dreamseer. They are there for a reason. I know you met her in dreams, and I know you do not give your heart easily."

He did not say anything; his mother had always had the uncanny ability to see right through him, and in the light of Fuutie's violent death, her senses had been sharpened even further.

"You must understand: news of her feat will spread no matter what we do. People will expect things from her, and some may beg for her help. She does not seem the kind of girl to say no when one asks for her help . . . or to fail when she sets her mind to something. And once Lao Hu finds out, he will redouble his efforts to snatch her from you. A dreamseer is a valuable ally in the war we are waging. While we do not have proof, I am convinced he is our enemy, and we need to know who his allies are before we move against him. She can help us trap his underlings and trace who is helping him. And if you claim this Sakura as your woman, she can be afforded the full protection of the Li clan."

Syaoran looked away. "I do not wish to force her into anything. As it is, she lied to me about her powers; I believed her at first but I realized later that she had told me that I could not take her virginity because she was afraid."

"These times demand a certain ruthlessness, Syaoran. You clearly are aware that seducing her will not strip her of her powers. But we need her with us; we need her abilities. She is not a princess, and so consummating your foolish declaration will not bring us to war with Tomoeda. If you do so, she will be bound to you firmly, with the ties that such an act brings between two powerful people."

"You are asking me to sleep with her?" Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"Would you rather that Lao Hu raped her?"

"No, but I can't do that to her."

Yelan merely stared at her son.

Syaoran did not allow his frustration to show. He knew Sakura had some residual fear of him; sensual ties aside, he understood that she was unwilling to give herself fully to him because she did not know him too well yet. Forcing himself on her was out of the question; he loved her too much, and he had no desire for violence with her. He wanted Sakura to give herself willingly, to want him as much as he wanted her. And he knew his mother would see that as a weakness; the good of the Clan came first, after all.

"I shall place trusted men around my sisters. As for Sakura, perhaps there is another way," he said slowly.

"You think a false marriage to her will be enough?" Yelan raised a brow as she divined her son's intent. "It would be quite the coup to bring that dreamseer into the family; I can already foresee how powerful your children will be—if you consummate the marriage, which I can see you do not intend to do so unless it is on her own terms. But Syaoran . . . Sometimes you must make difficult decisions for the greater good . . . and claiming Sakura for real is one of them. Surely she has feelings for you as well. Use those feelings; if forcing her is distasteful, then seduction would be best. But do it, and do it soon. She must be bound to you so that Lao Hu cannot use the spoil of war rule to claim her and use her abilities to destroy us."

So now it was a choice between his family and Sakura.

Syaoran turned away without saying anything and when he was told that Fuutie's guards and servants had been rounded up, commanded that they be brought to the throne room. He would take out his frustration on them instead.

xXxSxSxXx

Sakura tried to stay up and wait for Syaoran, but when the sun's rays peeked into the room, she fell asleep, tired from the events of the past day.

But sleep, when it came, was not restful. She found herself in the throne room of the Li palace, and Syaoran . . .

He was someone else entirely. He was clad in a white shirt and trousers, and a black band of mourning encircled his arm. He looked cold and his face was dark as he held a whip.

Prostrated in front of him in chains was a servant. "Tell me who bribed you to slip sleeping potion into everyone's drinks!" Syaoran said as he brought down the lash on the man's back. Then he used his magic to silence the man's cries.

She had never seen such cruelty, such intensity in Syaoran. Why was he doing this? Sakura crept closer; she could see a very beautiful woman with black hair and eyes standing apart from them, dressed in the white of mourning, her face impassive, watching the proceedings. A young man with dark blue eyes and long black hair, dressed in dark purple robes, was holding a potion which she recognized as a healing potion. What was that for?

"How could you betray Fuutie, after all she's done for you and your family? How ungrateful a wretch can you be?" the other young man asked, and Sakura suddenly had a vision of Tomoyo standing next to him. She shook her head, dispelling the image. Was Tomoyo here, in this palace? Syaoran had promised to take her to Tomoyo, after all.

The servant Syaoran had whipped suddenly laughed. "So your sister is dead, Li? I only hope my master had time to take her virginity before she went. I exist only to serve my master!"

"And who is that master?"

"Fuck a goat, you inbred creature," the servant said. "Your sister got what she deserved. She was born a Li and that was enough."

Sakura gasped when Syaoran, eyes ablaze with fury, struck the man so hard, he drew blood. She realized, thanks to her studies of the healing arts, that Syaoran was deliberately aiming where he would not do serious damage but would elicit much pain, and she shivered.

Was this the Syaoran she knew? She drew back and bit her lip. Could she give herself to this cruel man?

Syaoran turned to the other young man and nodded. The blue-eyed man, whom Sakura recognized as a magician, placed a hand over the servant's eyes, rendering him unconscious, then daubed the healing potion on the man's wounds.

"I cannot penetrate his mind. Apologies," he said. "But there is a level of pain that will buy him. I shall keep healing him as you—ahh, encourage him—until he breaks."

"He had to have accomplices," the older woman said. Something about the set of her face reminded Sakura of Syaoran. "Who is shielding their minds?"

"I say we kill Lao Hu now and get this over with!" Syaoran snarled. "You know he's behind this!"

"We have no proof! We would be subject to the same violence if we executed him without proof," the woman said. "And that is the proof we need from your dreamseer, Syaoran."

"I am not having this conversation now, Mother," he muttered.

She advanced on him. "Oh yes we are. You need to keep her away from Lao Hu, and to do that you must take her maidenhood and complete the terms for a spoil of war! Otherwise you will have condemned us all—Lao Hu will not stop until he has her. Already spies are reporting to him that your Sakura saw Fuutie's murder, and if he cannot have her, he will surely find a way to kill her. She is of no use to us dead!"

"Then what difference does it make whether or not she becomes my woman?" Syaoran yelled, his voice reverberating in the hall.

"We need her," his mother said, her voice grating. "And it so happens that in claiming her you will also be protecting her. You love her. Can you not convince her of this, and take her?"

Sakura gasped, then covered her mouth, but no one heard her. Why was he protecting her when she was completely at his mercy? But wait . . . Syaoran loved her?

"I will not," Syaoran said coldly. "If she was afraid enough to lie about the significance of her virginity then I will not force her into anything for my benefit."

"It's not merely to your benefit. Where is the ruthless general who makes the hard battle decisions? We are in a war, Syaoran, and your Sakura is an asset. If she is on our side, then bind her to us! Marry her if you must but she must never fall into Lao Hu's hands. She must dream for us! Stop letting this strange newfound . . . sentimentality of yours cloud your reason."

Sakura took a few steps towards Syaoran, then hesitated. She knew they could not see or hear her but . . . the situation was beginning to dawn on her. Syaoran knew all along she had lied . . . and he had never said a word, playing along with her lie. He was under pressure to take her, and yet . . .

He took me from my home, one part of her argued.

But I let him do so! No, I begged to go with him when he wanted to leave me behind.

He tortured that servant! What else is he capable of?

He's protecting me and I . . . I've placed him in this situation!

She could feel the dream dissolving into mist, but before the throne room faded, to her surprise, the other young man turned to her, looking nonplussed.

"Ah, there you are. I shall see you later, Sakura-san," he smiled kindly. "Your friend, the princess, is with me, and she is safe. Ask Syaoran to take you to her. Now go to true sleep, and do not let what you have seen torment you. Trust Syaoran—and yourself."

"Who are you?" Sakura asked

But the blackness of sleep claimed her, and Sakura slid into the restfulness of a dreamless sleep.

(Continued in Chapter 6)

xXxSxSxXx

Chapter 6: We see what's going on in Tomoeda. Sakura and Tomoyo meet again, amid much screaming. Syaoran receives an unusual proposal from Sakura.

Here's a tiny preview so that you can have more of an incentive to review!

She bowed her head. "You can . . . can t-take me . . . if you w-want," and she unfastened her robe, blushing violently as she dropped it and stood completely naked before him without looking at him.

"What . . . Sakura?" Syaoran's brow creased; what was this?

She shook her head. "Just . . . just . . . do it . . ." She couldn't help it; a tear crept out from one eye. Sakura impatiently brushed it away.

Then his hands were on her shoulders, sliding her arms through the sleeves of the robe. He tied the sash back on, then pulled her into an embrace.

"Why?" he asked as he stroked her back gently. "Won't you lose your dreamseeing gift if I . . . make love to you?"

She looked up at him. Didn't he already know she had lied to him about that?

xXxSxSxXx

To Twilight Kisses, Ah, but for all you know Sakura will protect herself :D More SxS next chapter! To Ayr, here is the next chapter, and please keep reviewing, thanks! To magicka1417, Funny how some characters get away from you when you write no? Eriol turned out smexy, to my surprise, and Syaoran, whom I originally planned to be cruel, turns into this loving, protective hunk. Question is, does Syaoran mind? To Love Starshine, LOL and to think I'm not planning a long story! Hell I'd help but as is I'm running to several people for help with ideas (ahhh!) To sootyxsnowpetal, that makes me sound like a master planner, which honestly I'm not! I'll give you a hint: male tigers can be promiscuous and kill the cubs of other males, while wolves mate for life. The oni mask is deliberate concealment; you'll see why later on. Glad you liked ExT here; they are always portrayed as polite, civilized people but the series gives us glimpses of their darker sides which I wanted to explore: Tomoyo's greedy attitude with Sakura taken to an extreme, as with Eriol's penchant for secrets. Fun, eh? Since I rarely write Yelan Li, I wanted her here, and even watched the first movie again to try and nail her character! Oh dear, whatever gave you the idea that Touya won't like Syaoran? (giggles) To MrsHermioneJaneMalfoy, LOL thank you! I wonder: next chapter, should they get it on? (spoiler beware!) Someday I will write a fic in which I shall pair an OC with Tomoyo! Or maybe Kurogane of Tsubasa Chronicles; they seem so cute. Or maybe Fai? Well, that's in the future! To lizziele, I doubt you'll be amused by the interruption in this chapter! Yes, a lot of action here and in the next chapter, so stay tuned! To lil ramen lover, No way! But have faith in Sakura's abilities. We shall save your laptop! To paladin3056, I'm glad you noticed that! He can only really be that way with her. As for Lao Hu, can't answer until the next chapters (grin) You'll see sakura's reaction next chapter. To SakuraLover, doesn't everyone need a break? For me it's writing and reading despite a mother of an asthma attack! Eriol with long hair: Look at the beginning of vol 12 of the manga-isn't Clow hot there? Hell YES reviews--the more the merrier--inspire me to update, as you can see this is going on weekly! have fun! To yingfa07, Hm, now that things are more complicated, hope you enjoy it! To S2AmethystSwirlS2, here's another fast update! No, I don't do rape stories. You're not meant to like Lao Hu the way I did Shuhuaku in my other story, haha. Hot scene here is between ExT but next chapter, ah, back to SxS hotness! To bright-eyesxX, I'm glad this helped. Unfortunately I love cliffhangers but this time I decided not to go with one. To rosedreamer101, well, she is the dreamseer, both here and in the series, so it's inevitable XD To mitsuko310, Of course it's suspicious, haha! More like sexy-evil for Eriol--he does have that dark side only authors like Pinboo have explored. Have fun! To chainedheart999, Well, you have your answer. Haha you really call him Tiger now! Good point there re reality versus the dream but chapter 6 may give both of them some pause--am almost halfway with it! But Sakura is just your typical confused first-love girl. LOL your Tiger comment made me laugh! To Tsvetkova, Unfortunately you guessed right. Sakura will pay for that lie next chapte, but I hope I've twisted things around well enough for that! To xSapphirexRosesxFanx, it's true; actually all of his sisters would like her, if the first movie is the basis for their attitudes. LOL you have good ideas and well, Sakura has to learn Syaoran's magic. To zai-zai, oh thank you, and please stick around! To MikoKagome1113, I wonder what you think of them now? As I mentioned earlier, they have dark sides few people explore; on my faves list are some ExT stories that rocked at exploring this side of them! Thanks again! To michiko14anime, now you know: Fuutie. Aw... To midnight blue08, Yes there is but have faith in SxS! To Hoshi Kuran, OMG that makes me blush and want to try harder! Hell as my friend fluffy chan once joked, I'd give someone else's leg for him (hanyaan!) LOL glad you enjoyed their interactions! To Moons-chan, LOL please do not worry about it! Heck I based Lao Hu and my other bad characters on people I know or have read about so I guess there really are so many jerks in the world. Hope you don't mind how heated; in fact it's almost OOC except I can defend it using extreme scenes from the anime! Homework always sucks unless it's from my awesome social studies teacher, who actually sent us to malls for homework! To xCrazyKindOvWeirdx, thank you for your help with this chapter! Now you know!