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.

6. More Decisions

Spoil of War 6: Decisions

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.

Previously: The death of Fuutie Li sends Syaoran into a murderous rage, and he tortures some answers out of a servant. Eriol and Tomoyo begin the consummation of their unusual bargain and relationship.

xXxSxSxXx

Eriol covered his ears when the screeching reached intolerable levels. Here he was, still burning with need for Tomoyo and lacking a good night's sleep; he'd gotten back to his chambers after they had retrieved Fuutie's body, and the princess was asleep, so he hadn't disturbed her, though he longed to finish what they had started, to touch her skin and to give her pleasure.

But then Syaoran had called for him to help interrogate that ungrateful, traitorous servant of Fuutie's, and on the way back they had dropped by Syaoran's quarters to fetch Sakura, who was now hopping around and embracing her best friend and yelling as though they hadn't seen each other for years instead of days.

"You're really here! I told Syaoran I wanted to see you . . . and you are here!" Sakura squealed.

"That's because he was too stupid to do reconnaissance and got me instead of you!" Tomoyo shrieked with laughter.

The girls hugged and Eriol took it as his cue to leave the room. He left a warding spell in place and headed for the training grounds, where he took up the sword and began to spar with some of the younger trainees.

Syaoran had asked him to help him keep his promise to Sakura to be able to see Tomoyo that morning. As soon as the funeral preparations for Fuutie were done, and the servant they were interrogating placed in the dungeon, Syaoran and Eriol had gone to pick up Sakura. The introductions were awkward; Eriol said nothing about seeing Sakura earlier, but his knowing smile made her flush.

As the two young men walked Sakura to Eriol's quarters, Syaoran was quiet, though Eriol noted the possessive way he placed his hand lightly at the small of her back, how he leaned towards her, and how he glowered at passing guards who looked at Sakura curiously. Eriol knew it meant Syaoran was still angry, but the tenderness with which he had kissed Sakura goodbye and reminded her not to leave Eriol's quarters without Eriol was touching.

That was because Eriol know how Syaoran could kill. He'd once disposed of an entire family to punish a traitor, down to a small baby who was barely a year old. The traitor had caused the deaths of several troops, using poison in their rations, and destroying many families who relied on those men for support. Syaoran had been furious with the betrayal; the traitor had applied as a cook and had pretended to be a friend to the men he had killed. If there was anything Syaoran hated, it was that, and the reason he'd given for destroying the entire family was to make sure no one would come and take revenge on behalf of the traitor. He'd then appropriated the traitor's and his family's holdings, dividing the money among the survivors of those who had died.

On the battlefield, Syaoran was also famous for killing with one stroke. In a way it was a mercy; lingering deaths on the battlefield were often without honor. Warfare was never as clean or neat as those who have never been in it think, but Syaoran's talent for dealing death was such that sometimes, his mere appearance was enough to quell minor insurrections.

His demeanor had often led people to suspect he was some emotionless demon; he spared little mercy for others, and pushed himself as hard as he pushed his troops. Syaoran became a cold-blooded and efficient killer on the battlefield, a credit to his family's training.

Yet with Sakura . . . Eriol knew from the episode in the throne room that Sakura had actually lied to Syaoran . . . and Syaoran had defended her decision to do so to his own mother.

He smiled. The girl was changing Syaoran, and for the better.

Said girl was now confiding the events of the past two days to her friend.

"So he's the one in your dreams?" Tomoyo asked incredulously. "That imbecile is your sexy lover?"

"Why are you calling him an imbecile?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Let's see—because he mistook me for you and then carted me off and had to come back for you? Goodness, Sakura!"

"But he's very sweet, really." With a blush Sakura recounted how she had stopped Syaoran from making love to her in the Clow temple with her lie about how the loss of her virginity would mean the end of her dreamseeing powers.

"What do you mean you lied to him?" Tomoyo yelped.

"I was scared! I mean, I don't even really know him and then . . ."

"Gods! Sakura-chan I would have leapt into bed with him! Don't you realize that the imbecile loves you?"

"You want me to sleep with someone you call an imbecile?" Sakura asked incredulously.

Tomoyo waved a hand impatiently. "That's beside the point! He is your dream lover! You should have made love to him!"

"Tomoyo-chan, you're scaring me now," Sakura said slowly. "Why are you all . . . well, like this? Whatever happened to the Tomoyo-chan who counsels patience and prudence?"

"Finish your story then I'll tell you," she smiled.

Sakura's face became pensive. "I . . . I saw another side of him, and I don't know what to think." She related her dream of Syaoran with his mother and Eriol—how Syaoran had tortured the man to get information.

Her best friend was silent for a while, then, "Sakura-chan, that is a part of life we are not privy to but which we have to accept," Tomoyo said quietly. "Our men need to have that side to protect us, and Syaoran, well, he is the general of the Lis in Hong Kong. He needs to be the way he is, do you understand?"

Nodding, Sakura continued her story. When she got to the part where Syaoran said he knew she lied, Tomoyo gasped, and did it again when she heard how Syaoran did not care about the lie.

"Oh Sakura-chan," and she clasped her friend's hand, "he loves you. Who he is, is something you have to accept. You can't just love parts of a man, you know."

"Should I . . . make love to him then, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura's voice was tiny and unsure.

Hugging her friend, Tomoyo said, "That's your decision to make, Sakura-chan."

Sakura hugged Tomoyo back then stared at the love bites on her friend's shoulders. "Tomoyo-chan . . . why do you have those?"

Her best friend blushed furiously. "Ah, those. Well, you see . . ." And it was her turn to tell Sakura about the discussions she and Eriol had had, and how they had wound up nearly making love before Eriol had been called by Syaoran.

"And that's just another reason why he's an imbecile. Gods, Sakura!" She closed her eyes in sensual remembrance. "He did everything I wanted him to do. Do you know how much I've wanted a man to do that, to be so exquisitely in tune with what I want?"

Jaw dropping open, Sakura asked, "Are you sure you're Princess Tomoyo? Since when do you go making love to handsome men you've just met?"

Giggling, Tomoyo said, "Since now. Don't you see it, Sakura-chan, sister of my heart? I am free here. I don't have to be prim and proper because he doesn't care who I am or what I do. He understands me; I don't know how or why, all he said was that he sees me in dreams as well. I proposed marriage and then . . ." Gleefully she related the saucy, sexy tidbits of the night before, leaving Sakura gasping, blushing . . . and asking for more.

"So you didn't finish it?" Sakura pouted when the story was over. "But who will I ask now? Because . . . because . . ." and her expression turned serious, "I would like to give myself to Syaoran."

"Don't make that decision simply because you feel guilty about him protecting you," Tomoyo warned.

"No . . . I know I don't love him, as in truly love him but Tomoyo-chan, Syaoran is such a wonderful person. You're right . . . I can't just choose the parts of him to love. But we met in dreams for a reason—I just know it—and I believe he is the one for me."

"Then don't just bed him, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said as she patted her friend's hand. "Marry him. Love him."

"But he hasn't said anything about it yet!"

"Who says," and Tomoyo's eyes sparkled with mischief, "you can't ask him to marry you? If I understand it right, you may be in danger of being raped by this Lao Hu person. So why wait for him to do that? Let Syaoran have at it instead. You never know," and her eyebrows raised in naughty amusement, "what that imb . . . er, I mean, man, can show you."

Sakura smiled. "Oh Tomoyo-chan . . . I don't love him yet. I know my heart, and would it be unfair for me to give myself without love?"

"Who says this cannot lead to love, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo pointed out sagely. "You told me you believe he's the one. So wouldn't making love to him set you firmly on the road to loving him?"

Sakura would give very careful thought to what Tomoyo had said for the rest of the day.

xXxSxSxXx

Lao Hu paced the meeting place, chosen for being both public and accessible, angrily. The moon, light and full, floated above him; there were no sounds other than the rustling of trees in the wind.

Some of his plans weren't falling into place; how could he avenge his parents now that he was having a hard time securing Sakura Kinomoto? He believed Yelan Li and her late husband Tai Lang Li had cheated his father out of his position as the Li clan head. The Lis controlled a large portion of Hong Kong, and the wealth that flowed into their coffers as a result was a prize worth killing for; with it he could buy a fine mercenary army to march on the rest of Hong Kong and take it over.

Thank God the heads of the other fiefdoms in Hong Kong had a non-aggression pact that protected him. Tired of the constant intrigues and assassinations that often threatened peace pacts, the heads of Hong Kong's fiefdoms had rules against in-family assassination. Unless solid proof could be brought of his activities against the other Lis, he was protected by that pact. Lao Hu felt safe as he'd carefully covered his tracks.

His father, Lao Xing Li, had been the eldest son, and Lao Hu had inherited his raping and murdering ways, cruelty, and greed from the man, whom many whispered had not been his real father. The elder Lis had passed over Lao Xing and given leadership to Tai Lang; Lao Hu's father had spent the rest of his life angrily trying to recover his lost status. The Lis had agreed that his greed, ruthlessness, murdering and raping ways did not suit the honor of the Clan.

Honor, bah! Power was what mattered. If Lao Xing had seen fit to terrorize the peasants and servants by forcing himself on the prettiest of them, and working them to the bone, then he showed a ruthlessness that was commendable in a leader. And Lao Hu knew that a few of the older and more influential Li Clan elders could be swayed if he had custody of a powerful dreamseer—which Sakura was.

He'd managed to eavesdrop on the conversation between Yelan Li and Syaoran as Syaoran tried to get answers out of Fuutie's servant and betrayer—and he rejoiced in knowing he was right. Sakura was still a virgin, and fair game to him.

Now if only he could get at her!

But he knew that nothing short of the darkest magic would do at this point. With that dratted Eriol Hiiragizawa now firmly allied with Syaoran despite Lao Hu's attempts to turn the young general against his half-brother, he knew Sakura would be well-guarded.

At least Syaoran's honor bought him time. Lao Hu sneered, knowing Syaoran would be true to his word and would not touch Sakura unless she desired him as well. Based on what Syaoran had said, Sakura was not in love with him, and was afraid of him to boot. Excellent. The girl's fear could be used to his advantage. Taking Syaoran on one on one would lead to certain defeat, but forcing him apart from Sakura was sure to devastate him.

And now he would collect a very important ingredient for a spell he intended to cast to muddle Sakura's dreams. Frightening her in them was only a start; he could not harm her there. But now, he would have a chance to hurt her relationship with Syaoran by poisoning the dreams she trusted so well.

The three elder Lis he was waiting for arrived: three wizened old men who were not happy with the prospect of Fanren Li succeeding as Clan head instead of Syaoran or some other man. He'd played on their insecurities to get them to agree to meet with him.

"You have claimed the dreamseer?" one of them, the eldest, Kang, asked.

"Not yet."

"Then what use is coming here?" the most selfish of them, Po Zhu, asked haughtily.

"You must know that Syaoran lied to all of you. The dreamseer is a maiden yet," Lao Hu announced triumphantly. "And I will have her soon."

"Make sure we don't wait too long. Women must not lead the clan," Kang said.

"And how much of your ambitions are predicated on the prediction of the dreamseer being the mother of a mighty line of Lis?" the one who had been silent until now, Qui, asked.

"You knew." Lao Hu's smile widened.

"I concern myself with matters of power and tradition," Qui said.

"Mark my words. I will father Sakura's children, and begin a new line of Lis with power enough to take back even mainland China itself," Lao Hu boasted.

"What of Syaoran? He can protect her very well," Po Zhu said. "And that young man is powerful."

"I'll deal with him soon."

"Killing him would be most unpleasant unless you can destroy Tai Lang and Yelan's entire line," Kang pointed out. "The mother has resources we do not understand."

"That is why I killed the little pet first. Fuutie was planning to marry a soldier—a commoner in Syaoran's little elite band! I shall kill the sisters one by one, and by the time I am done, Yelan will be so demoralized, her spirit so broken, that she will be easy for me to take down."

"That still does not account for Syaoran and your father's bastard son, that Eriol. How did you lose Eriol to begin with? Why is he not joined with you in this?" Qui smirked. "Maybe it's because he can firmly trace his ancestry to your father, while your lineage is, shall we say, muddied water?" he taunted Lao Hu.

Lao Hu clenched his fists; he had tried, but Eriol had ignored his insinuations that the right person to ally with was himself. "We shall kill him as well," Lao Hu said confidently. "For I have acquired this," and he held out his palm.

The three elder Lis gasped. "No, you can't . . ." Kang said. "Those ofudas may only be used by the rightful heir of the Lis, and that's about a hundred years from now! And you have the thunder ofuda, the strongest of them all!"

"Yes, I dare use it," Lao Hu said. "And I will test its powers on the next Li I target."

"You understand the cost to yourself?" Qui asked.

Lao Hu sneered. "Only fools fear power and its price."

Po Zhu grinned. "Pull this off, Lao Hu, and you will have my eternal admiration."

"Don't I already?" Lao Hu smirked. "You came here to test me, and you thought to try and betray me to Yelan Li as Fuutie's murderer. So I came prepared."

Three strips of paper which had originally been concealed came alight with power, and the three elders gasped as thunder shot out at them from the ofuda Lao Hu held before they could scream. Their blood trickled into a bowl Lao Hu had placed under the pavilion they were in, and he caught some of it into a vial which he stoppered quickly.

"Thank you for your contribution to my cause," he chuckled. "Now I have the elder blood I need for the empowerment ritual."

He left the pavilion and never looked back at the bodies of the three elders he'd left behind. They had served their purpose.

xXxSxSxXx

Sakura was awakened a few hours into the night by rustling. She had been escorted back to her quarters by Eriol, who had told her that Syaoran was taking care of things and would be back late. Bolting upright, her hand on the dagger under her pillow, she saw Syaoran stripping as he prepared to enter his bathroom. She let go of the dagger and watched him.

There were lines on his handsome face, and he seemed very tired. There was no trace of the cruel Syaoran she had seen in her dream; it was just the Syaoran she knew, and it looked like the world had collapsed on him.

He glanced at her and managed a weary smile. "Sleep."

Sakura stood up and approached him. It was like her dream all over again, except this time he was looking at her.

The dream! She gasped when she realized what it had meant: she had failed to warn Syaoran in time, and now his sister was dead. Add what his mother had said and she realized she had placed him in his impossible position because she had insisted on going with him to see Tomoyo and now he had to protect her and sacrifice his principles for her.

How shameless could she be? Biting her lip, she touched his cheek and kissed it. Surprised, Syaoran let his hand drop from his loincloth, which he had been unfastening.

"What is it, Sakura?" he asked gently.

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 . . ."

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

"I lied," Sakura sniffled, "and you knew and you forgave me for lying. And yet . . . and your sister . . . I . . . I wasn't in time to stop it!"

She began to cry in shame; he'd agreed to bring her to Hong Kong partly because of her dreams and yet she had not prevented his sister's murder.

She then felt his lips on her forehead.

"No, Sakura," he said quietly. "You're not responsible for her death; that you saw it was very important to me. We found her, and that's what matters. Your dreams deal with the inevitable, and blaming you for what happened is pointless."

"B-but I lied to you . . ."

". . . because you were afraid, and you had every right," he said as he continued to stroke her back.

"I have no right . . ."

"Shhh, Sakura," Syaoran crooned. "This is my battle. Not yours."

"And I should have been of more use to you!" Sakura screamed. "All I am is a burden! I . . . I made you lose face before your mother . . . I . . ."

She was silenced when his lips came down on hers in a kiss that was tender and consoling, his lips pressing gently on hers.

"Stop blaming yourself," he said softly as he pulled away.

"Why aren't you angry with me? You should have done what your mother said, just taken me and . . ."

"Oh, so that's what Eriol was smirking about," Syaoran said. "It was you watching us."

"Syaoran, forgive me, I . . ."

"Enough, Sakura," he said. His tone was harder now. "You will not sacrifice yourself to me or to my family. You will come to me because you love me, not because you want to pay for what you think is your mistake. And you will not . . . force yourself to be with me when I know . . ." and his voice softened, "you do not love me yet."

What was there to say? It was true; Sakura did not believe in forcing her feelings, yet she felt an overwhelming emotion for Syaoran.

"I can't let you do this! I was the one who insisted on coming with you, and I ruined everything by coming here!" Sakura insisted, and she brushed her tears away impatiently.

"Sakura . . ." and his tone was gentler. "Please don't do this right now. I just . . ."

Sakura then realized he was in pain. He had been holding himself together the whole day and had not slept the previous night. Syaoran had no refuge in which he could mourn his sister; she knew he could not afford to appear weak in front of his family and troops.

And so she decided that she would be his refuge.

She guided him to the bed and sat down, pulling him with her, then resting his head against her chest, stroking his thick hair and kissing his head gently.

When the tears came, she was surprised that Syaoran cried soundlessly, gripping her and holding her tight. She let him; she wanted so much to give him her strength, to do something, anything for him. It was over quickly, but he met her sympathetic eyes without shame.

"Thank you, Sakura."

Soon he was asleep in her arms, and Sakura held him, watching his chest rise and fall, how his eyelids fluttered, and how he tossed occasionally, feeling a new emotion in her heart.

And so she decided that she would give herself to him because she felt so much for him. Who said this could not be the start of love?

Sakura knew that with her decision would come freedom for Syaoran from his family pressures, a release from his pain, and perhaps . . . perhaps it could be a small payment for how he loved her. She was slightly ashamed of how she did not return his feelings yet, but then she understood that her body's longings could be the start of something deeper between them, and did he not deserve that chance with her? She knew that not all marriages were made for love; had Syaoran not loved her he would still have married her because of who and what she was.

But he did love her. He'd made himself vulnerable by admitting to that love and Sakura knew it was a supreme gesture of trust in her; after all they had only met in dreams, and for all he knew she wasn't who he thought she was.

I will learn to love him, she told herself. I will learn to be a capable wife and partner, not just some helpless girl! I will be Syaoran's love, and he will be mine!

She hugged him, hard, and didn't realize his eyes were open until he touched her hand.

"What worries you?"

Sakura did not know what to say. "I want to love you"? "I don't know how I feel about you"? Neither was a good response, but she longed to be able to say something to him, anything to make him feel better.

"I wish . . . I . . ."

Incredibly he understood. "It doesn't matter how you feel about me," he said, pressing his lips to her forehead. "We can work on that. I know you don't love me yet, but I promise that I will win your love—as your husband—if you give me that chance."

"I'm so sorry!" Sakura buried her head in the hollow of his neck. "I don't want to be a burden to you! I swear," and she raised her eyes to his, "that I will end this war on the Lis! I will find out who is hurting you and why! I will avenge your sister!"

Stunned at the vehemence in her voice, Syaoran could only look at Sakura's blazing green eyes. Then she pressed her lips to his.

"I promise you, Syaoran . . . that I will be by your side to fix this. I will not leave you!"

Boldly, Sakura tore off her robe then slid upwards and kissed him, pulling him down to her level. She was still scared and nervous but she also realized that she wanted Syaoran. She chose to focus on those feelings he always aroused in her when they were together . . . alone.

Gods no, Syaoran thought, as he felt Sakura's nipples harden against his chest, her lips moving on his own, her hands touching his body. She wasn't making this easy! Whatever had come over her and made her suddenly want to sleep with him?

Then her hand was on his erection; she'd slid it into his loincloth. Syaoran groaned as she explored it, squeezing and stroking it with curious, uncertain hands. He'd had the best courtesans suck on it in the past; experienced women had worshiped it with their mouths and hands, but Sakura's touch was different. He wanted it, and she was warm and soft and he could just imagine what it would be like once he slid into her wetness and . . .

Syaoran thought, Curse it, and gave in. He took over, rolling so that he was above her.

"I'm only going to ask once, because I can't control myself forever, Sakura," he rasped. "Are you very sure about this? You know how much I want to take you, and if you offer yourself then . . . then you must become my wife. You realize that if I make love to you, you will belong to me."

"Then marry me!" Sakura said impulsively as she threw her arms around Syaoran's neck, feeling the hand of destiny somewhere in her thoughts.

He looked at her when she pulled away, his dark brown gaze fierce and passionate for a long breathless moment.

"Did you just propose to me?" he asked incredulously.

Sakura blushed; in their world, women weren't supposed to ask for marriage, it was a serious insult in their society. Had she just insulted Syaoran? "I'm sorry, I just thought you . . ."

"Of course I want to marry you, silly beautiful girl!" he interrupted her, grinning. "I just didn't expect that you would be the one to ask."

Then she was being kissed so thoroughly, she wasn't sure where she ended and he began. It began with tender butterfly kisses between which Syaoran whispered her name. But soon his tongue was caressing hers, and his hands . . . his hands were feeling her everywhere, as if he couldn't get enough of her.

There it was, that feeling again, every time he touched her. Sakura was determined to follow it to where it led her tonight, as she gave herself to the one who loved her.

xXxSxSxXx

Next: When he finds out where Sakura is, Touya is not amused. Can you guess what Syaoran and Sakura will be doing?

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

If Sakura had thought that their first encounters drove her crazy with wanting him, this was the borderline of insanity. His hands: he was using magic, Sakura realized; one was hot and the other was cold, and when each hand cupped a breast, Sakura tore herself from his lips and cried out his name; the sensation caused feelings she could not describe or name, but she reveled in them.

Syaoran did not comment; instead he carefully used his magic to allow small sizzles of electricity to touch her skin from his. He would make love to her so thoroughly, he swore, that she would feel very little pain when he united their bodies.

The tiny shocks made her scream and scratch his back in her ecstasy; gods what was he doing? How did he know how to touch her, when to touch her . . . her nipples had stiffened into little pebbles, and Sakura could swear her breasts had swollen from his touch. She parted her thighs, wanting him to do it now, take me now!

xXxSxSxXx

Your reviews inspire me and keep me going! To Twilight Kisses, sorry for the SxS cliffie! To MrsHermioneJaneMalfoy, Yes it was. Please don't kill me. Tension is fun! I'm just parceling out the chapters I have ready. To xCrazyKindOvWeirdx, forgive me for posting without sending to you; I just had to get this out ASAP. Talk to you in a bit after I rest; this week was stinky, especially after we joined a job fair. I've had enough of dumb applicants for a lifetime! To SakuraLover, haha I just love exploring the dark sides of ExT cause they get hinted at in the manga and the anime and never explored. What a shame. I suspect Tomoyo maneuvered Syaoran into going for Sakura in the series cause she liked him, LOL! Re Eriol and his powers, maybe even he doesn't know. Don't kill me for the cliffie! To lil ramen lover, aww, don't! Careful with Syaoran, I'm not done showing his dark side yet XD Virtual super prize for seeing what Eriol is like! As for Yelan, well, she's afraid of retaliation, although you have a point; hope this chapter clears it up a bit. To Tsvetkova, I love how you appreciate the updates--big hug to you from Syaoran! Well, ExT action slows down a bit cause we go back to SxS for now. To lhaine07, I just saw your PMs now, sorry haven't been able to reply yet, am so dog tired right now. Relax, SxS will be fine--and steamy! To yingfa07, thank you and here you go! To Skei-Fyr, Ahh I also owe you a reply to your email...sorry, things were just so hectic this week. To Ayr, We'll see (giggles) As the cliffie tells you, poor Syaoran may not be able to hang on much longer. To sootyxsnowpetal, Love the word 'swirliness" XD I've always believed those two have a wild side, and given how they gang up on poor Syaoran in the series, maybe ExT shippers have something there. I prefer the side of Sakura that fights and thinks; I don't particularly like the non-fighting Sakura in some episodes of the anime. So I chose to focus on Strong Sakura here. I bet you can guess how Syaoran's dealing? XD I am so grateful you left a long, in-depth review, it means a lot to me. Now think of Lao Hu's dad's name XD Naah, Touya will never like Syaoran, it's like asking, do bears s#it in the woods? Haha! To magicka1417, Yes, it was the easy route (shifty eyes) sorry! Don't worry; I take ideas for gruesome deaths for Lao Hu! To chainedheart999, It depends on the sisters, but you get a hint here as to why he chose poor Fuutie first. Sorry for the confusion but I was playing with the concept of a human spoil of war. Kind of annoyingly sexist, but I wanted to make sure SxS would use it to their advantage. SxS are both magical, while Tomoyo isn't. Eriol just is a good observer XD Re Syaoran and Sakura, well, we'll see XD To Moons-Chan, Glad you did! It was fun writing steam for ExT, although to tell you the truth it started out as part of my friend Fluffy-chan's The Heart has Seasons (which she can't continue for now). No, I won't let Sakura get raped..and you'll be surprised at who saves her Math? Ugh. Oddly though I loved accounting. Money makes a difference LOL To S2AmethystSwirlS2, I'm updating one story at a time and making sure I have at least one reserve chapter so that I won't drive myself nuts. I know re Sakura; I wouldn't have that level of control haha! To kaijuu101, Oddly I'm enjoying this story myself so I write whenever I have time. Aha! I see the dark sides of Eriol and Syaoran make you go hanyaan! Re hot scenes: Shhh! XD To midnight blue08, I chose Sakura's smarter side; after all if she grows up I figure she'll develop her best qualities. Lao Hu can't get to Sakura directly...yet. To paladin3056, I worry that I'm heading for the realm of fantasy here as Syaoran is a bit too perfect. You know how characters can sort of run away as you write them? He's giving me that problem LOL. To rosedreamer101, You are so close there! Focus on false dreams. To kittypie, well, I hope Syaoran will have fun next chapter! To AClockworkCat, love the handle! I try not to make my rated scenes icky, thanks for seeing that. Honestly yes I do want to take your suggestion but I don't know how...sigh. Wow, I'm glad you like the story! To Enigma infinite, uh : D To xSapphirexRosesxFanx, Haha you have no idea how close you are! To mitsuko310, Ah now that's a question for later XD Yes, Eriol was cursing; I figure to have him say 's#it' or "fck' would not be in keeping with my setting haha. To michiko14anime, I promise not to cheapen that death. Syaoran has always been sharp when it comes to Sakura in the series, after all. To miaow, oh thank you! To MikoKagome1113, oh wait for the next chapter, because--well I guess you know what SxS will do. I'm glad you can see that side of her as well! Thanks! To anigal08, well here you go! To MRS2673, glad you do, enjoy! To kawaiisakura05, whoa hold on to your horses! I update as soon as I can don't worry!