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.

7. Respite and Comfort

Spoil of War 7

Respite and Comfort

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: Sakura asks Syaoran to marry her, despite being uncertain of her feelings for him.

Lemon warning: please turn back if offended by that kind of content!

Been busy, hence the delay, so this chapter is longer than usual! Thank you to beaucoup riant and CrazyxKindOvWeirdx for their help with this chapter!

xXxSxSxXx

The tall, dark-haired general of the small kingdom of Tomoeda was ruggedly handsome the way no one else in his family was; though he had his father's kind eyes, his bold features captivated many a princess and noblewoman, and they had swooned as they tried to woo him into marriage. At twenty-six, he was past the age when men in his position married, but he refused to enter a marriage of convenience for his own reasons; he would not, as many other men in his position did, subject an innocent girl to a marriage without love.

But right now, Touya Kinomoto's face continued to harden as the Clow temple priestess, Kaho Mizuki, explained that Sakura was currently in Hong Kong with his second cousin Princess Tomoyo.

That wasn't what bothered him, though. He knew she was a smart, capable girl; he wouldn't tease her so relentlessly otherwise. It was when Mizuki said that Sakura was with the man who was destined for her, the one she would love most and who would love her above all that Touya began to get angry.

"And you say we've never met this man before?" he interrupted just as Mizuki explained that Sakura might have to marry this Li scion.

"We haven't, but she has, in her dreams, says Clow Reed. They've had contact there, and I think they, ahhh . . . became lovers in dreams."

His hand went automatically to the handle of his sword; so that's why Sakura had been blushing and secretive after certain nights! Once he'd even seen the bruises of love on her neck, but since he monitored his sister's movements, the only person who could have given it to her was Princess Tomoyo, and General Touya was certain his sister and his cousin were not practitioners of maidenly love.

Who was this Syaoran Li? The name was vaguely familiar, and his lifetime companion, Yukito Tsukishiro, as always displaying his talent for knowing when Touya wanted to know something, whispered, "The general for the Lis in Hong Kong."

The Li person was a military man? Was he the kind of general who would consider Sakura a spoil of war and treat her as a toy on which to sate his physical pleasures? Touya clenched his teeth; he knew too many men like that to be willing to trust this Syaoran Li. And for his sister to be in his clutches . . . No, he could not, would not let Sakura be a victim!

Lost in his dark thoughts, he didn't hear the rest of Mizuki's narrative, only coming back to himself when he heard, ". . .and that's why Sakura-chan won't be home soon," Mizuki-sensei finished. "Trust in her abilities, and in her fate, Touya-san. She chose to go on her own; she was not forced into this."

Touya looked out the window. The day he'd dreaded had come, and he hadn't even had the chance to talk Sakura out of it, to keep her from the one who would take her away from them. He punched the wall so hard, Yukito, his father Fujitaka, Mizuki, and the queen all jumped.

"And I'm supposed to accept it, just like that, because it's destiny?" he spat. "I spent all the years of her life protecting Sakura, and now she's off with some . . . some Chinese brat, and I don't even know if he loves her enough to protect her as well as I did!"

Fujitaka placed a hand on his son's arm, but Touya shook him off in anger and walked out. Yukito followed him after making an apologetic bow to all present.

Queen Sonomi snorted. "As if he's the only one who's had to give up something precious! My beautiful Tomoyo is out there and . . ." she glared at Fujitaka, who merely smiled, "she's with that boy made in the image of your other half, that Clow Reed . . . or at least that's how I understand that convoluted explanation of yours!" She sniffed, obviously displeased.

He smiled and bowed. "Please accept my apologies. But you know Tomoyo-chan is very special, and only a special young man can be worthy of her."

"Humpfh. He's technically a prince, right?"

"Well, not exactly but he is part of the royal family . . . and he is their foremost sorcerer . . ."

Queen Sonomi clapped her hands together. "Then that's settled. Are you sure," and she turned to Mizuki, "we can't go there yet?"

"Then, Queen-sama, you convince General Touya," Mizuki said, a smile upturning the corners of her mouth.

"Bah, I could just command him to go," Queen Sonomi waved a hand.

Mizuki hid a smile behind one hand, and Fujitaka managed to keep his face straight. "It is your prerogative, Queen-sama," he said.

"Then I command him to set sail for Hong Kong as soon as possible, with half of our best troops. King Yamazaki has promised to help protect Tomoeda, and you two," and she playfully glared at Mizuki and Fujitaka, "had better be right about my daughter's and niece's destinies! Or I'll have both your heads!"

Mizuki and Fujitaka bowed and retreated from the throne room. Queen Sonomi loved threatening to have their heads on a regular basis, but it was always prudent not to let her know that they knew she would never do it.

Outside, Yukito ran after his best friend and lover, calling, "General Touya-san!"

Touya drew up to wait for Yukito to catch up to him. "What is it? And," he said as Yukito caught up, "when we're alone, you can call me Touya. We're old friends," he added as a tiny smile forced itself on his lips.

"Touya," Yukito smiled.

"You're going to try and calm me down," Touya said flatly.

Yukito nodded, and placed a hand on Touya's shoulder. "I know this is hard for you . . ."

". . . and are you going to tell me to accept it? Yuki, you know better than to tell me you know what I'm going through."

"No," Yukito said. "Rather, I think you should trust your sister to make the right choices."

"What if this Li forces her into bed? Into marriage?" Touya's voice rose, and he looked like he was about to hit the wall again. "What if he rapes her? I don't accept that they could be in love! No one falls in love in dreams, Yuki!"

"If Mizuki-san thinks he is to be trusted . . . No, you won't accept that. I'll check with the courtesans under my care. Surely with their wide network, they can uncover who this Li Syaoran is," Yukito said quietly. Aside from being the court magician for the Tomoeda kingdom, Yukito had connections with courtesans who doubled as his spies.

"Find out all you can, then," Touya rubbed his temples. "And if it's bad . . . I'll kill Li myself!"

Yukito sighed, and took his leave to spend the night contacting his network through psychic and telepathic channels, tiring himself out in his quest to find out what had happened to Sakura.

The next day, Queen Sonomi commanded General Touya to set sail for Hong Kong with half of their troops. While she said it was a chance for him to see his sister, this did not reassure Touya at all. Apparently Queen Sonomi had been in touch with Queen Yelan, head of the Lis, who were now being besieged by some strange enemy. Touya did not like the chances. Now he was being sent where his sister was . . . leaving Tomoeda without a capable general.

Worse was the news Yukito had gathered about the young Li, who was Sakura's age, and a talented killer. He had refused betrothal to his beautiful cousin Meiling a few years ago . . . just around the time Sakura had begun having her dreams of him. There were whispers that he lived in a dream world at night with a girl who visited him only in them.

As for his character, Li was generous to courtesans and concubines; he had taken quite a few, as men his age were expected to, but none had touched his heart.

Until now.

Rumors of Li taking a beautiful Japanese dreamseer as his spoil of war had quickly traveled among the courtesan's circles, as he was a highly desirable young man; she was the only one he'd ever claimed that way, and he'd presented her to court, claiming he'd forced himself on her. At that tidbit Touya nearly flew into a rage, and it took all of Yukito's persuasiveness to keep him calm to listen to the rest of the story.

But the other courtesans who'd enjoyed his favors in the past were disbelieving, because the girl who had been brought to the court had not acted like she had been violated. Guards had reported of how he'd carried her like a bride to his chambers, made her food himself, and had almost fought his own cousin, Lao Hu, for her.

"Rumors. Speculation. The fact is that he treated her as a spoil of war!" Touya raged.

"Yes, but Touya, think about this. Tomoyo-chan is there," Yukito revealed his final card.

Touya's jaw dropped. "Princess Tomoyo?"

"Yes, and the serving girls who waited on her and Sakura-chan the other day reported that they were laughing and happy. Li escorted Sakura-chan to the chambers Tomoyo-chan shares with the man she has chosen to marry . . ."

"WHAT?" Touya was almost ready to slaughter every male Li by now, their retainers, and anyone connected to the clan. "HOW CAN SHE CHOOSE TO JUST MARRY LIKE THAT? What . . . I don't have words left, curse it to the devil's lair!"

"Oh, for Confucius' sake calm down," a regal voice commanded.

Touya turned to see Queen Sonomi's twinkling eyes. He bowed, as did Yukito.

"Have you made arrangements? I wish to send presents to my new in-laws," she said. "And you would do well to bring your own presents."

Forgetting himself for a moment, Touya screamed, "Is Sakura marrying that . . . that rapist? How could you let this happen if you knew about it?"

Queen Sonomi drew herself to her full height. "Are you questioning my judgment, General?" Her voice was icy cold.

He glared at her for a second, but Queen Sonomi had not kept control of her kingdom in Japan for so long without a few nasty abilities of her own. Soon Touya lowered his eyes. "I apologize, my liege. That was out of line."

"I understand that you are distraught. But in war certain sacrifices must be made. Do you think I would cold-heartedly sacrifice my precious only daughter and your sister for a whim? I know that Tomoeda is strategically located, and conquest of our kingdom opens access to Edo for an invading army from the North. We need the Lis' magic, and they need our swords. Tomoyo and Sakura have not been sacrificed, though; my daughter is likely to fall for the young Li sorcerer, Eriol Hiiragizawa, because he is a most unusual young man. And as for Syaoran Li," and she smiled at Yukito, "I have a missive sent to me via magical means by Queen Yelan herself."

She held up a scroll, and began to read Queen Yelan's reassurances that she had determined for herself that Syaoran had not forced himself on Sakura, and was vigilantly protecting her from the man who wanted to rape her.

"Then why don't they just kill this Lao Hu character?" Touya asked when the queen finished reading.

"He is protected by an ancient treaty that prevents bloodshed without definitive proof of treachery. This Li boy had to claim he'd taken her maidenhood to keep Sakura out of Lao Hu's clutches."

"Then we need to make haste!" Touya said urgently.

A hand covered his own, and the queen smiled.

"Do you know, I believe Sakura-chan will take care of things herself," she said.

"What chance does she have against a man like that?"

"More than you think," the queen smiled. "Much more than you think. Now let's go look for a suitable present for the Lis."

xXxSxSxXx

The girl they were worried about, though, was receiving her first taste of love with the man who was destined to love her for the rest of her life, none other than the much-debated Syaoran Li.

Had Touya known that his sister controlled Syaoran's heart, and that he stood ready to sacrifice all for her, he might have been less apprehensive. For at the moment Syaoran was using every trick at his disposal to ensure that Sakura would feel nothing but pleasure as they made love for the first time.

Syaoran knew he was completely vulnerable to Sakura, having admitted to his love for her. Yes, a shadow of disappointment lingered in that he could feel that she was as yet unsure of what she felt for him. But she wanted to marry him, and he would make sure she would never live to regret the decision to be his wife.

He had fallen hard and fast; intellectually he understood that his harsh world had left him open to someone as warm and sweet as Sakura was. But what made him love her more was that she knew who he was, and yet she accepted him. Her only hesitation with him wasn't because she knew he was a killer, nor that he was a prince and a general; it was because she wanted to love him, and Syaoran was helpless against her honesty and sincerity.

And so he decided that in making love to her, he would consider nothing a debasement if it involved her pleasure. His magic, his pride—all was to be cast aside for her sake.

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 and his lips and tongue on them. She parted her thighs, wanting him to do it now, take me now!

But Syaoran, though he understood what she wanted, didn't go for her center of need yet. He understood her impatience but resisted the urge to quickly take her. Instead he turned her over and began to lick his way down from her nape, tracing her spine as he fondled her breasts from behind her; he was enjoying savoring a willing and responsive Sakura. Time stopped as they kissed and fondled each other; she could feel moisture slowly seeping from her womanhood and she knew that this was what would help ease Syaoran's passage into her.

Soon one of his hands made its way between her legs as the other continued to caress her breasts, and Sakura parted her thighs wider as she called his name. He parted the folds of her womanhood, found her clitoris, and began to use whisper-light strokes on her. She threw her head back and he pressed his lips to her neck as he watched her body flush, her cheeks going rosy, her lips calling his name.

He couldn't help but smile; now that Sakura had lost all her inhibitions, he had discovered a highly sensual creature—who was all his. Syaoran continued to kiss her wherever he could reach as he continued to stimulate her body, learning how she responded, what she liked . . . and he intended to make full use of the knowledge he gained to teach her how to love him in the nights to come. And as she stiffened in her first orgasm, he kissed her gently until she calmed down.

How could he give her so much and ask for so little in return? Sakura placed a gentle hand on Syaoran's cheek, and he closed his eyes, letting her caress him. He was utterly beautiful precisely because he allowed himself to be vulnerable with her; now that she knew what he was capable of, she realized that he trusted her with his true self.

Sakura raised herself to kiss him; though she was uncertain at first, his patient guidance allowed her to explore his lips and mouth with her own. She knew the necessity for this act; she would not yield herself to Lao Hu, no matter what, not when pleasure was to be had in Syaoran's arms!

But necessity was the last thing on her mind as she wordlessly asked Syaoran's permission to explore his body as he had hers; he yielded, lying back on the bed and kissing her tenderly. She did not know for certain that in past bed encounters, Syaoran refused to relinquish sexual control to anyone else, but she somehow figured it out from his slight hesitation when he lay back. She mimicked his actions, kissing his chin, his neck, his chest; she paused to trace his nipples with her fingers, and curiously licked them, eliciting a hoarse chuckle from him.

Syaoran loved how Sakura had absolutely no coquettishness, no pretenses as they made love; her responses were pure and came from her feelings. And so he was patient as she explored the rest of his naked body, tracing scars with her fingers then her lips, kissing him every now and then, and then, when she reached his manhood, she fondled it curiously, admiring the shape and length and how it felt in her small hands. She kissed the dew that appeared at the tip, tasting it curiously; it was salty and bitter, but he moaned when she licked the head of it.

As she paused in exploring him, Syaoran pulled her back up to meet his lips, kissing her tenderly.

"I love you," he said softly, as he pressed his body to hers, wanting more of her warmth and her soft skin against his. "Sakura, I love you!"

"Syaoran, I . . ." I wish I loved you already, she thought.

Then she put a hand to her mouth, horrified at herself.

No, Sakura thought. How can I tell him this in the middle of lovemaking? What kind of idiot am I?

She was on the verge of tears, and Syaoran knew she wanted more than anything to be able to say she loved him as well, yet her honesty prevented her from lying. It made him love her even more, that even in the throes of passion she would not, could not lie about what she felt.

"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. And you needn't prove yourself to me or repay me for my protection."

She pressed her lips to his, then without preamble, she went right back to his erection, clearly meaning to take it in her mouth. Sakura licked at it curiously, causing Syaoran to hiss in pleasure. He could feel himself beginning to come, and so he grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Sakura," he whispered, "if you do that I'm going to take you right now! Stop that!"

Startled, she raised herself off him; he quickly rolled them over so that she was beneath him again, then he laughed at her startled expression, quickly kissing her to take away the sting of his harsh words. Then there was nothing but pleasure; she could feel Syaoran's erection pressing against her thighs as his fingers, alive with the tiny thrills of electricity, found her clitoris again. One of his fingers began to probe her entrance, and she bit her lip when he slowly slid it in, using her own moisture to ease his passage.

"I'm going to do the same later with this," and she knew he meant his erection. She was wondering how something that large was going to fit, but when his mouth seized one of her nipples as his finger began to slide in and out, she cried out. Then she screamed his name as he coaxed her into another orgasm as he slid another finger in; then another.

Then she felt him do something forbidden: he moved down past her belly, placed his face between her thighs and began to lick at her, prostrating himself before a woman. Sakura whimpered, but managed to protest, "No, you shouldn't, Syaoran, I . . ." She knew enough about sex to know that for a man to kneel before a woman and worship her secret place with his mouth was an act of humiliation for him.

Syaoran, knowing what she was thinking, ignored her protests. Who was going to censure him in his own bedroom? What he did when he made love to the woman he loved was his business, and her pleasure was his sole concern now. He held her hands down when she tried to push him away, grinned, then held her thighs open and thrust his tongue into her in place of his fingers. The soft warmth inside her was too much; she wanted more, more, more, and she didn't hear herself begging him not to stop because she had become a bundle of pleasure pushing outwards until she was spent.

Sakura could feel Syaoran watching her face with a tiny smile on his own as she went through the throes of her pleasure, and as she shuddered in the aftermath, he gently kissed her forehead. He laughed as she called his name; the sound was beautiful, and she pulled him down for another kiss, letting him settle between her thighs.

"Now," she whispered against his lips. "Please, oh please Syaoran!" She no longer cared about what she had been told about letting a man choose when and what to do in bed; all she knew was that she wanted this man so badly, she was shamelessly selfish about it.

She could feel his lips curve into a smile. "Already?" No woman had ever been so bold with him; always they awaited his pleasure, but this lovely innocent was greedy for him, and he loved it.

"Please, Syaoran!"

Syaoran poised himself between her thighs and slowly slid the head of his erection into Sakura. She clung to him, her eyes fixed on his.

"This is going to hurt," he said as he continued sliding himself in. "I'm sorry . . ."

"Don't be," Sakura said; the feeling of him inside her was alien yet it felt like he belonged there. When he abruptly tore through her maidenhead, she winced, and he paused. Then when she opened her eyes again, he kissed her as he resumed sliding himself in, until he was buried in her to the hilt.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Though her eyes were closed, she nodded. Syaoran reached down with one hand bristling with the little sparks, and began to stimulate her clitoris again. He almost regretted it when she clamped down hard on him; she was tight enough as it was, and when she squeezed him as she orgasmed, he almost came himself. But no; his control served him well at this moment, though being inside her was warm and tight and utterly pleasurable.

Her orgasm gave him the additional moisture he needed. "I'm going to move now," he said, and he slowly began to thrust inside her. He was surprised when she moved her hips in time with his, greedily kissing him back.

Gods the bliss! Inside Sakura was softness and warmth and all the things he had imagined she would be like once he made love to her. Syaoran closed his eyes and began to thrust in a slow, steady rhythm, sensitive to her cries of pleasure. Nothing else had given him this kind of pleasure, and he intended to savor every moment of his union with Sakura.

Now Sakura had been told it would hurt, the first time. Her training as a noblewoman had not overlooked that, and she had been briefed on bleeding, on the feeling of tightness, on the discomfort of another body above hers, the unnatural positions her body would be placed in when a man had sex with a woman.

She had been prepared for the worst; she had expected to be hurt and bored; one of her teachers had crudely joked that girls should just lie back and think of poetry "until the man got tired of poking around inside you." And the stories of friends who had gotten into arranged marriages didn't help; the sex was unsatisfying, for the most part, and women had to pretend to enjoy their men's clumsy ministrations to keep their husbands from straying to courtesans.

But no one had said sex could also be this . . . wonderful. Her sexual education had been based on the premise of an arranged, loveless marriage in which sex was a necessary evil. It had not taken into account an experienced, loving partner who was concerned with her pleasure, and so Sakura savored the unexpected thrill of her first time, a wonderful gift Syaoran had given her, along with the choice of when they would make love.

With Syaoran it was an explosion of feelings; she knew he loved her, and she wanted him, and somehow that had changed everything. The feeling of him inside her was indescribable; she did not want it to end, and when he began to move, she found that he was hitting something inside her that made her crash across the heights of ecstasy over and over. Sakura could not believe how much pleasure he could make her feel, what with his magic and his tenderness with her. He wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself, even as he took his pleasure as he plunged into her towards his own release.

All too soon for Syaoran, he was coming deep inside Sakura before he could control himself, but to his pleasure he felt her tighten on him as she came as well. He winced a bit; she'd scratched his back over and over, and he knew he was going to need her healing once this was over, but those battle scars he knew he wouldn't mind.

Once their delicious spasms were over, he rolled them to the side, still joined, and then he began to kiss her again.

"I love you so," he said, voice hoarse with emotion. Perhaps their union would bear fruit, he thought; whether she gave him a son or a daughter, he did not care, because it meant they would have something real together.

There it was again, and Sakura felt a bit guilty because Syaoran had already confessed his love for her, even though she did not know why he did and if she deserved it. She was about to apologize for what she thought was her selfishness when he placed a finger on her lips.

"Don't," he said gently as she tried to answer him. "I only want to hear it when you feel it. Promise me that."

Sakura nodded, then squirmed. Now she was feeling the discomfort. His seed had spilled into her and it had been warm and wonderful but now it was trickling out of her, cold and a bit slimy. Plus her passage was beginning to sting. Now this no one had told her about—the sticky, uncomfortable aftermath of first time sex. How was she supposed to tell Syaoran that she now felt uncomfortable? It seemed the wrong thing to do just as he was lying there with such a beautiful expression of joy in his eyes as he watched her.

Seeing her expression, Syaoran quickly pulled out of her. "I'm sorry," he said. He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.

"Uh . . ." He cast about in his mind for what to do; come to think of it he'd never laid with a virgin before, and so he wound up apologizing profusely.

Still a bit high, but also a little sore, Sakura giggled and reached up to kiss Syaoran. He kissed her back eagerly, and then she reached for the water dipper and poured water on them.

"Perhaps we should get cleaned up, husband," she whispered.

He smiled. She had called him her husband, and it pleased him inordinately. "Allow me, then."

Anyone who's seen a young couple in love probably knows what happened next; somewhere between washing themselves, the miracle of lovemaking happened again, and this time Sakura discovered that Syaoran could be driven over the edge if she used her mouth on his body, sliding it over his erection. It had started as curiosity but when she saw his aroused face, she continued until he came. He'd steadied himself against the wall then taken her in the next instant, rough and passionate this time, and Sakura found herself thrusting back at him, greedily begging for his touch and kiss, screaming his name just as he did when they reached their climaxes together.

Outside, Yelan Li paused as she passed by the corridor. Was she hearing things? She knew this was where her son's room was, and was unable to resist the urge to cast a small spell to amplify her hearing.

She heard Sakura's gasps of, "Please, Syaoran, more!" and Syaoran's answering cries of "Sakura! Gods, Sakura!" and the assorted moans and grunts of lovemaking. Yelan Li smiled.

She was willing to bet it had been Sakura who had initiated it, but then she could ask the girl personally once she and Syaoran were married. After all, she would be family then. Yelan continued down the hall and summoned her servants; she knew Syaoran well, and sent them to make arrangements for a wedding the next day.

Now they would be ready for whatever that damned snake Lao Hu was going to throw at them.

xXxSxSxXx

What that damned snake Lao Hu was doing though was something unexpected. He'd used the blood collected from the Li elders to perform a ritual to create guardians for himself: one from the Sun and one from the Moon.

The idea had come to him when he'd found an ancient journal of a man named Clow Reed in the forgotten archives of the great Li library. He'd outlined plans for creating Guardians for something called Clow Cards; they were clearly artifacts of great power.

And they were in Tomoeda, the tiny kingdom from which the beautiful Sakura Kinomoto had come.

The universe truly responds to the deserving, he thought as he smiled. Tomorrow he would capture Sakura Kinomoto with his new guardians, finish the job Syaoran had claimed he'd started, and force the girl to wed him, giving him the lineage he needed to legitimize claims over Tomoeda and the mysterious Clow Cards. With them, China would fall, and perhaps the rest of the world, if he wasn't too busy impregnating Sakura with the new line of Lis he was planning to create with her.

Had he known that Sakura herself had taken the step that would ruin so many of his plans for her, he would have been much less confident of himself.

xXxSxSxXx

See, no cliffy this time, I am humane!

I'd like to explain that I've been watching the anime over and over (much to my boyfriend's annoyance) to get a grip on what the grown up personalities of the characters might be like. With Sakura I prefer to focus on her strong side, particularly seen in the Snow episode. Syaoran is utterly devoted to her; that I have taken from episodes like the elevator episode and the second movie. Eriol and Tomoyo's personalities have been taken to an extreme, I admit; Tomoyo can get wild when she wants something badly, and Eriol can be dark and devious and sexy.

A little preview of the next chapter (in which Sakura and Syaoran are married, Tomoyo takes a groom as well, and Lao Hu is driven to desperate measures when word of Touya Kinomoto's imminent arrival reaches him):

"So you settled for the inferior Li," Lao Hu smirked at the ceremonial breakfast introducing Sakura as Syaoran's new wife. "I feel sorry for your loss at marrying the worthless Li male."

"I don't recall marrying you, did I?" was Sakura's calm response. Syaoran's three remaining sisters tittered; Sakura had deftly handled Lao Hu's taunting all morning, and they could tell that he was getting annoyed.

"You're quite brave for a woman without a man to defend herself," Lao Hu sneered. "Remember your new husband is off inspecting the ramparts of this castle."

"Yes, as I can do the job on my own." Sakura sent a poisonously sweet smile at him.

Casting caution to the wind, Lao Hu fired, "And in bed as well, I suppose? Syaoran is not known among the women he's bedded for his prowess."

Sakura smiled to herself; he had to be kidding, right? Her knees still felt unsteady after such passionate lovemaking with Syaoran the night before. "So it is true that you bed Syaoran's leftovers? I was hoping my honorable cousin in law was the victim of mere rumor. You have my sympathies." That stupid man has no idea how well Tomoyo-chan and Lady Mizuki have taught me, she thought.

Lao Hu rose, intending to smack Sakura; she stayed calmly in her seat, but placed one hand on the dagger Syaoran had given her.

"You ought to learn your place, girl," Lao Hu snarled. "All you are good for is fucking and impregnating."

The serving maids gasped at the insult, and Syaoran's sister Feimei growled, "Watch your filthy mouth."

"I already know where my place is," Sakura said, "and being Syaoran's wife compels me to answer you insult for insult. I could do no less, given what and who he is."

Princess Tomoyo almost applauded and Eriol, amused, stifled a laugh by pretending it was a cough; Queen Yelan caught her eye and with a subtle signal, Tomoyo asked permission to step in. A tiny nod and an amused glance was her response.

"Why Sakura-chan," Tomoyo began in her sweet soprano voice, "I must congratulate you, despite the speed at which you chose your groom."

"Women do not choose their grooms," a Li elder interrupted. "They stay where they are and wait to be chosen."

"Really? Then I am ever so glad that our kingdom is progressive," Tomoyo smiled, an even worse version of the sickeningly sweet smile Sakura had used earlier on Lao Hu. "Because," and she turned to Queen Yelan, "my Queen, I wish to ask for your nephew's hand in marriage. We in Tomoeda are in need of a strong Prince as my consort, one who will support me when I become queen. And Eriol has already agreed. All we need is your blessing."

Lao Hu lost his temper and flung a piece of china at the wall. "This cannot be!"

xXxSxSxXx

To Twilight Kisses, wish granted! To sootyxsnowpetal, thank you for noticing that. I figured those two would be like that. Don't worry; one of them will return to Tomoeda as Sonomi's successor :D LOL Sakura made the choice to let Syaoran claim her, and I highly doubt she'll be regretting it. Yes, Lao Hu is based on a lot of bad men I know of. Your observation is right; LOL I will have to acknowledge you now because someone is going to say that line in a chapter or so! Basically his dad's name means 'big tiger' if I have it right. I was hoping to do that with Sakura; older FFN writers whom I admire, like Peacewish, have noted that Sakura in the series can be a wimp, yet in the anime she can fight when given the right motivation, so I chose to age her that way. Thank you so much for the review; I actually am enjoying doing research on this! To kawaiisakura05, sorry for the bit of delay here; lemons are hard to write. Hehe, wait till Touya gets to Hong Kong! To beaucoup riant, thanks for giving me another chance and understanding what I was trying to do, then what going the extra mile by betaing this chapter! To lhaine07, I hope their thoughts and feelings as they make love here adds to the perspective you have. Don't worry; Sakura always thinks things over first :D To Love Starshine, haha I imagine when you read the lemon you had the urge to stick your tongue out at Lao Hu? 'Cause I sure did XD To MrsHermioneJaneMalfoy, But I like cliffies! XD Ahem, is this the 'actions and intentions' you meant? I love Touya so imagine what he'll do? Don't hurt me too much and when Syaoran returns from the last person I sent him to (Tsvetkova!), I'll lend him to you XD To Tsvetkova, Promise to return him! Sorry about the cliffie but I kind of like them. At least this chapter isn't one. Haha, thanks for the review! To mitsuko310, LOL he was meant to be hated, so go ahead. After this chapter, he won't even be able to touch her (hint hint). Yes, Tomoyo is wild and free here, and you have to wonder how much her mom knew, yes? XD To Hoshi Kuran, By all means, when I'm done with Lao Hu, I shall personally hand him over to you. Syaoran has vowed to make her love him, and we know what happens when he sets his mind to something, yes? You're welcome and I hope to keep entertaining you! To Skei-Fyr, I wonder if you got my last email? Anyway I want to thank you again. My week is usually crazy especially now that I've taken on extra work to help pay for my new condo (!!! yay!) but I won't stop writing so long as I have an audience! Thank you for helping me with the whole Lao Hu thing. You're right; I didn't make it clear re Eriol (ARGH) sorry about that and thanks for pointing it out! To Ayr, here's more, sorry for the longer wait between chapters but be assured I write when I can! To yingfa07, wow thanks for the review, hope I don't disappoint you! To Moons-chan, You have your answer now. Aw, do you feel sorry for Syaoran? Of course he will TRY to do something but with Touya arriving, will he be able to do real damage? To chainedheart999, no problem! Hell he makes ME melt too. I might take you up on the refrigerator thing; we had 36.8 degrees yesterday, yikes! LOL how true. Wait till he finds out that by the time he arrives in Hong Kong she will be Mrs Li XD To xSapphirexRosesxFanx, LOL okay yes, you're right. Yes, I intend to include that in the epilogue XD enjoy! To black ennui, thanks, and I hope you keep enjoying! To xCrazyKindOvWeirdx, No, not the first time XDDD Haha, thanks again for your help! To Haine-hime, glad you liked it, hope you stay and keep reviewing! To michiko14anime, It gets hotter here and in future chaps; they are young after all XD To ashley-chan1, I'm glad you enjoyed it and I hope you stick around for the rest! To paladin3056, I hope this helps explain why poor Syaoran is in so deep already :D Of course you know that scene is coming soon; sort of like they married before they fell deeply in love. Playboy lemon--haha are you reading my mind? I'm struggling with getting to THAT scene right now. Ako banal? Asa pa you XD obyus naman sa sinsusulat ko na wala nang pag-asa hehe. To MikoKagome1113, Heck yes, Lao Hu WILL discover in the next chapter that many of his plans are now... pun intended... screwed XD To magicka1417, I actually love how much you guys hate him. It means he works! XD Kicking him? By all means do so. It's scary that you picked up on something I was thinking of: Yes, Syaoran's experience will become an issue, and I dropped a hint in an earlier chapter and in this one :D To SakuraLover, Are you nuts? XD Reviews are always always welcome! Oooh Korea in spring? Is it as gorgeous as they say it is? I'm jealous . kidding. You might say ExT are a bit OOC here but think about the darker sides of their characters as shown in the anime, and it might come to you :D To reader, thanks! To StoriesFlamer101, Gosh I got scared when I saw your pen name but thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy! To Black Licorice Addict, thanks, I try to balance story and steam--although honestly I think readers prefer steam LOL LOL LOL. Yes to the intrigue--wait till Sakura is forced to leave Syaoran's side... To Midnight-Crazy-Party, here you are, hope you enjoy! To Dorawc, No, no, I don't mind you telling me what you think. I admit Blossom was, well, like an American soap opera LOL. Yes, Sakura lost it but to Syaoran :D To The Shadow Of Dusk, gomen! Sorry about that, but see, no cliffhanger this time. To Angels Deathwish, Isn't he? Thanks so much; I love it when people discover my work and review, hope you keep enjoying!