Spoil of War 15
An Undertaking
(Previously: Syaoran interrupts Sakura and the Princess Mei Hua—who kisses him.)
(Thank you's and responses at the end!)
Syaoran did not resist the Princess' kiss, but neither did he respond to it; he quietly looked straight over her head and did not fight her. Sakura gasped, but did nothing. She knew Mei Hua was looking for something—and she knew the princess would not find it in Syaoran. A wave of pity for the poor Princess washed over her, but she kept her face straight because to show her pity would be to insult the other woman.
Mei Hua's lips fluttered over Syaoran's and she could feel no response in him. The Syaoran she had kissed was lustful, aggressive, and wild. Something wicked seemed to be in him; it had attracted her, the idea of the forbidden, of something difficult to understand, of something – dangerous.
But.
A steady core burned in this Syaoran, and he was a patient, quiet person—even stoic. Oh, he could be brutal too, just like her Syaoran. He just lacked the passion of her Syaoran . . .
No, that was wrong. He was not her Syaoran—and even then, he had not been the real Syaoran. Her Syaoran had been a lie, an illusion created to fool her.
Only one person made this Syaoran passionate—and it was not her. It was the confused, scared, yet brave green-eyed young woman who was standing there, watching Mei Hua kiss her husband.
The Syaoran she had known . . . A tear slipped from her eyes, and her chest tightened, almost as if her heart were squeezing in on itself. So her Syaoran had all been a lie. He had been her world and he'd acted like she was his. She thought that she'd found a reason to live. Twenty years without love, twenty years of being considered worthless and a waste—how painful it was to have the possibility of ending two lonely decades dangled before her then snatched away. Mei Hua could feel Syaoran's steady heartbeat, and she knew . . . Sakura had not lied to her. This man belonged, body and soul, to the woman next to her.
He is not mine. He will never be mine. And the one I thought was mine . . . it was a lie . . .
She pulled away and looked into Syaoran's eyes. His steady, unwavering amber gaze looked at her with compassion and understanding. They did not need to exchange words. His kindness made it worse, and she closed her eyes to keep herself from crying. She would not cry, not in front of these two. Their pity would be worse than their scorn—not that they would ever feel the second emotion for her. She did not want pity!
The Princess had learned from long suffering and the cruel treatment of her family that tears rarely helped. At best she got to express her sorrow—but what worth was it when she knew the sorrow would continue?
No, she needed to find a solution to her own problems. It was the only way.
Even in her misery, Mei Hua could not bear to inflict sorrow on others, having known its pain for a long time. What hurt even more was seeing the sympathetic looks in Sakura's and Syaoran's eyes: emerald and amber, deep with a kindness she had rarely known in her life.
Amber . . . Syaoran had amber eyes that flickered to dark brown and back to light amber . . .
Black. Black eyes! My Syaoran had black eyes!
Slowly, an unfamiliar rage began to fill Mei Hua. I have been seduced! I have been used! How much sorrow would she have to endure? Why had she been so cruelly tricked? The Princess now realized that two innocent people had placed in her path for her to punish with her presence . . . and using the terms of the Lin-Li treaty. She clenched her fists, breathing slowly to calm herself down.
I have been used by a monster! And now, I carry his child!
Mei Hua turned to Sakura. Still looking at Syaoran, she said softly, in a dangerous tone, "Tell me his name again."
Sakura swallowed, feeling the rage building in the other woman, and understanding who she meant. She answered, "His name is Lao Hu."
"And he wants you?" the Princess continued in a voice gone icy cold with control.
Syaoran explained how he'd claimed Sakura as a spoil of war to protect her from Lao Hu—and how that gambit had now backfired in light of the Lin-Li treaty. Then, sparing no details, he told the story of how Lao Hu had killed people in order to be able to blame Sakura for not having foreseen what would happen.
A long silence followed. Syaoran waited patiently, and Sakura's mind raced, as did the Princess'. Sakura spoke first, the words to a spell to conceal them from magical and physical spying.
As if they'd agreed on it, Mei Hua waited for Sakura to finish, then flatly, she said to Syaoran, "You fool. You gave him everything he needed. But it's too late to do anything about it now, except to seem like you will give him what he wants. You've been backed into a corner, and the only way out is to be like the snake—to slither and misdirect."
"You have a plan," Syaoran said.
"I do."
"And it involves Sakura," he said softly.
She nodded, then turned to Sakura. "The one who will bear the brunt of this is you. If all this was done out of a lust for you, then only you can be the bait. Can you do what I will tell you to do? Because I can teach you how to lure this snake into a trap he cannot wiggle free from."
Sakura nodded, swallowing a bit nervously; Syaoran reached out and took her hand in his reassuringly.
The Princess turned to Syaoran, whose eyes flickered to Sakura's. She nodded at him as well, and Syaoran knew that the worst thing he could say was anything along the lines of, "I forbid it, Sakura, it's too dangerous!"
Instead, he said softly, "I trust you—and I believe you can make everything all right."
Buoyed by Syaoran's simple words and the force of emotion behind them, Sakura turned to Mei Hua, her face open, and waited for the other woman's directions.
Satisfied, Mei Hua continued. "Before we begin, I have three conditions. First, we will run our plan by the elders you trust in this family." When Sakura and Syaoran nodded, she said briskly, "Then let us go to them, stealthily. Only those you trust."
Syaoran nodded, then began a spell; the stone wall next to them shimmered then turned into a door. "This will take us to my quarters." A flicker of his fingers, and two tiny balls materialized in front of them. "This will alert my mother and Eriol. They will meet us there. Now come, before someone sees us."
"Wait," the Princess said. "Under the terms of the treaty Sakura cannot harm me. If we are to trap that . . ." and here, her icy control faltered, as did her voice. She closed her eyes briefly. "Sakura-san, I must ask you to pretend to indulge in treachery. I will need your blade to cut myself. This will seem like you attacked me, which will justify your pretense of running to that Lao Hu, to ask him for sanctuary."
"No!" Sakura gasped. "I can't let you hurt yourself. You're pregnant! Let me use my blood!"
Mei Hua shook her head sadly. "My blood must be left behind as evidence. Otherwise that . . . he will know. I am sure he is waiting for something like this—and I am sure he has spies everywhere. They have seen us together, and they saw what you did at the gate—which is a good thing. Let us not waste the opportunity you have created. People have seen the seeming hostility you have towards me and they know you took me away. Let them draw the wrong conclusions—we need people to think you hate me so that they can report it to that man. We don't have much time. Let's lull him into a false sense of security. Quickly, now."
Syaoran, who understood that the Princess intended to lay a trail which would allow Sakura to go to Lao Hu unsuspected, quietly nodded at Sakura. "She's right."
Sakura drew the blade she'd used to pretend to threaten the Princess and silently handed it to her. Mei Hua drew it across the fleshy part of her palm, winced, then let the blood fall to the ground. She handed the blade back to Sakura, who sheathed it without wiping it. Syaoran nodded when she looked at him—Sakura understood that false evidence needed to be planted on her blade.
He turned to the Princess, admiring her wit and bravery. Realizing that another apology to her or commenting on her bravery would insult her, he merely said, "We need to get our plans together. Come now." And he ushered the two women through the door, checking behind them to make sure they were unobserved—which, in a stroke of rare luck, they were.
xXxSxSxXx
Lao Hu threw his head back and laughed. He'd felt the dark Yue dying—although it puzzled and annoyed him somewhat that the power invested in Yue had not returned to him. Had the power contained in Yue simply dissipated? What a damned waste. No cause for worry, though; he could always make another, so long as he murdered the right Lis.
And now, a servant had breathlessly brought him news that made him happy. His servants had long learned that rewards came from bringing him good news, and this particular serving boy had seen the Princess Mei Hua arrive.
He couldn't remember the boy's name, but he was one of many who were like sheep, serving the Lis like livestock. But, Lao Hu thought, sheep can be bought and this one is stupid enough to be cheap.
The boy swallowed, and said, "My Lord, you offered a reward to anyone who saw the Lady Sakura . . ."
"Yes, yes, I know, boy! Give me your news again. The Lady Sakura . . . slapped . . . my little bastard brother?" Lao Hu gasped between laughs.
"Yes, Lord Lao Hu."
"And what did she say?"
"Lady Sakura arrived as Lord Eriol was questioning the princess. She said, 'She is who she says she is,' my Lord. It was like she knew what and who the princess was."
Lao Hu's gloating smile spread across his face. His false dreams had worked and Sakura had taken the bait. "Go on."
"She said, 'It is clear that Syaoran has put me aside,' then she took the Princess and said 'I will escort his new wife into the stronghold'."
"Good boy," Lao Hu smiled. "You remember the words well. Continue until you get to my favorite part."
"Lord Eriol stood between them and tried to make the Lady Sakura stop, and she slapped him and said, 'Shut up. You and your cousin of lies. I should have listened to Lao Hu. You knew Syaoran had taken another woman!' My Lord, she was so angry . . . it is feared she harmed the Princess because they have not been seen in some time."
Practically dancing with glee, Lao Hu turned his back on his servant to hide his emotions. "You have done very well." He crossed over to a cabinet, and smirked. "What is the reward you desire?"
The delight on the boy's face showed. "There is this girl in the village . . . and my Lord, all I ask is money to learn a trade . . ."
Idiot! He could have asked for anything and he asks me for spare change! Lao Hu began to laugh. "You fool. You do not need a trade to win the girl." He swept a hand to show the boy where a small bag of coins lay. "Take that . . . and this. Put this in her food and you won't need anything else." Now watch him become my loyal servant!
The vial contained a potion which he'd tried to use on Sakura previously. It would fool the girl into thinking the servant was whoever she desired the most, through her dreams—and the money had been stolen from the Li elders he'd murdered some time ago. But the boy's expression turned elated, then almost sheep-like in gratitude, and he bowed before Lao Hu.
"You are generous, Lord."
Lao Hu interpreted the light in the boy's eyes as greed. His own generosity amazed him sometimes. "Keep your eyes open, then. As for the Lady Sakura, bring her to me immediately!"
"But Lord, what about her husband?" the boy asked. "I cannot do that . . ."
Lao Hu sneered; what an ignorant idiot! "Their marriage is not real. Lady Sakura will need me soon; her marriage to Prince Syaoran is invalid because he claimed her as a spoil of war. Under the terms of the Lin-Li treaty, he cannot marry a spoil of war if he has impregnated a Lin! Now Sakura is angry, and I command you to stay near her so that you can conduct her to me when the right time comes!"
"Yes, my Lord!" The boy, who was named Tai, bowed himself out of Lao Hu's presence, then once the door closed, he left Lao Hu's quarters in the Li stronghold. Careful to be unobserved, he passed through the back route towards Eriol Hiiragizawa's quarters.
Once in the corridor, his sheeplike features suddenly sharpened. The Lord Eriol Hiiragizawa was always right—he'd used the words Eriol had taught him to use earlier, and Lao Hu had responded exactly the way Eriol had said he would. It would buy them time to hide the arrival of the general from Tomoeda, as Lao Hu had never thought to inquire about anything else. That general was the Lady Sakura's brother—and for the kind, sweet Lady Sakura, Tai would do anything. She had, after all, comforted him and fed him after . . . after what had inspired him to play this dangerous role with Lao Hu. And—his pride swelled at the thought—he would be helping to protect her from that snake of a man.
Tai was grateful that he'd succeeded with his stupid farm boy act. Lao Hu had even provided, without any prodding, the potion of forbidden love—Tai clutched the bottle in his hand and smiled. Lord Eriol would know what this nasty concoction did . . . and perhaps it would be more evidence against that monstrous, twisted Li!
Now Tai would return to Eriol to report on Lao Hu—the murderer of his mother and the rest of his village. He would pay with his life—and that was all the reward the boy needed.
xXxSxSxXx
The Princess Mei Hua looked around her. In the chamber, gathered around a table, were the Li princesses Fan Ren, Fei Mei, and Shiefa, and Queen Yelan. Eriol Hiiragizawa sat next to an unfamiliar princess with lavender eyes and long, dark, curling hair, but their body language told Mei Hua that they were lovers. Syaoran sealed the door behind himself and Sakura, and pulled out chairs for her and the Princess.
Sakura stole a sheepish glance at Eriol, wanting desperately to apologize for what she had done earlier. But Eriol smiled serenely at her, and motioned at her to sit down. "We have more important concerns, Sakura-san. Do make yourself comfortable."
Though she knew she had been forgiven, she still felt utterly embarrassed. She had, after all, humiliated him by slapping him in public. But the twinkle in Eriol's eye told her it was all right—that he had, by some miracle, understood what she had been up to. She smiled back, and turned to the rest of the table.
"I regret we cannot offer you a better welcome," Yelan Li began without preamble, addressing the Princess Mei Hua. "But time is of the essence." She introduced everyone to Mei Hua, then asked Syaoran, "How much does she know?"
"She knows everything—even Lao Hu's deception," Syaoran said. He nodded to Mei Hua. "You mentioned three conditions, though you've only said one. What are the other two?"
Mei Hua drew a deep breath. "Your promise that my child shall be cared for, no matter what, if anything happens to me. You will raise her as your own . . . I know she is a girl."
"You can't assume something will happen to you," Syaoran protested. "But yes, we, the Lis, make that promise."
She nodded, then, "Finally, should I have the chance to do so, I wish to blood my blade on this Lao Hu's blood first."
Seeing it was pointless to tell her how dangerous it would be, Syaoran and Eriol glanced at each other, then at Queen Yelan, then they all nodded. "All right."
Mei Hua, satisfied, said, "Let's begin."
Eriol began to speak; though his words were spoken quickly, his voice was reassuringly calm. "We know this, at least. Lao Hu intends to use the spoil of war clause to invalidate Sakura's marriage to Syaoran, then the Li-Lin treaty to force Syaoran to marry you, based on the assumption that Syaoran has fathered your child. That, he hopes, will drive Sakura into his arms. Now we know the Lin army is marching on us, thanks to this message," and Eriol held up the threat sent by the Lins. "He intends for Syaoran to reject you and for Syaoran to be killed as a result—along with the rest of us."
"I would suggest," said the soft-voiced princess who had been introduced as Tomoyo of Tomoeda, "that we let Lao Hu's plans fall into place for now."
"We've set in place the path for Lady Sakura to go to Lao Hu," Mei Hua said. "My blood is planted . . ."
". . . in the east courtyard, near where Lao Hu passes," Syaoran added.
"Sanctuary," Eriol said thoughtfully, his quick mind picking up the plan with ease. "And if he wants to use the spoil of war clause then he must respect sanctuary and not offer Sakura violence of any kind. Thus she will be free to come and go—and since her brother is here, Sakura-san can ask to be remanded to General Touya's care."
"Has Lao Hu been distracted from General Touya's presence?" Fan Ren asked.
Eriol smirked. "Oh yes, he has." Then his smile turned grim. "Note though, Sakura-san, that we now have proof of his treachery. He polluted your dreams using potions—I have his own vial with his own concoction. He intends to use a love potion on you as well, to create a false love."
Sakura gritted her teeth, then, "I figured it would be that way—Tomoyo-chan and I realized it the day he cornered me."
Tomoyo quickly summarized what had happened the day Lao Hu had cornered Sakura in the castle. Syaoran started, but controlled himself; only the flush on his cheeks betrayed his anger.
"So we use this man's desire for the Lady Sakura to control him," Mei Hua said. "You're the only one who can get close enough to make him betray himself."
"I don't want to spend longer near Lao Hu than necessary," Sakura said, "but that works to my advantage. If I suddenly become affectionate, he'll know, especially since he hasn't been able to drug me lately, or invade my dreams."
The Crown Princess Fan Ren spoke next. "You probably don't need to be reminded of this, but everything rides on you now. You will have to go to him alone—no one will believe it if the Princess Tomoyo goes with you and Lao Hu will suspect a trap. You understand that as soon as we end this meeting, you must go to him immediately."
"I understand," Sakura said. "I cannot fake love. But it would make more sense for me to run to Lao Hu and still be skittish of him."
"Exactly. There is something Lao Hu cannot flout if he wishes to use the 'spoil of war' rule to claim you. Go to him and claim sanctuary as someone ruined by his own flesh—that would be you," she said, turning to Syaoran. "Everyone saw your act at the gates with Lord Hiiragizawa. You must continue it. Say you hate her. Be indignant. Use all the devices you've seen scorned women do."
"But I won't have to stay with him, right?" Sakura asked. "Under the terms of sanctuary, I can ask to be escorted to my brother—which means I won't have to spend too much time with him."
"Yes. We've sent a messenger to your brother—he's at the port," Queen Yelan said. "He has been instructed to play along with you."
Sakura almost laughed, despite the desperation of her situation. "He won't have to act. My onii-chan hates anyone who comes near me."
"You ought to know, though," Fei Mei piped up. "Something happened to your court magician, Yukito. Wang said he nearly died but a strange creature saved him."
How come I didn't see that in my dreams? Sakura wondered. But that wasn't what mattered now.
She sighed, then noticed that Syaoran was looking at her. The tender expression in his eyes, combined with his fear for her, was obvious. She reached for his hand; the warmth of it reassured her, and he squeezed it gently. She realized that a lot of this would depend on her, and part of her was afraid. But, as she looked into his clear amber eyes, she knew there was nothing she wouldn't do for him, to protect him, and that strengthened her resolve.
At the table, Syaoran said, in response to a point Fan Ren made, said, "Even if I agree to a false marriage with the Princess Mei Hua, thus fulfilling the terms of the treaty, the problem becomes who will rule the united Li and Lin kingdoms."
Shrewdly, the Princess said, "But if it could be proven that you did not father my child, succession will become a problem and war will break out. And we may be placing the Lady Sakura in unnecessary danger; Lao Hu may claim her amid the chaos."
"He must admit to treachery himself, then," Sakura said. "And if he has a weakness, it's his inability to stop bragging, to set himself above others. We need to have him do this in public, where he cannot deny it. Although I cannot think of how."
Eriol said, "We'll help you. We can continue making plans after you leave. Then he," he nodded towards Syaoran, "can tell you of our plans in dreams. Can you both do it? Meet in dreams again?"
"We'll find a way," "We can," Sakura and Syaoran said together.
"Then go now," Queen Yelan said. "You have the blade the Princess Mei Hua used? Good. Lao Hu's quarters are in the south area of the keep. Take care."
Syaoran escorted Sakura to the rear door of the chamber. As he opened it, Sakura looked up at him. No words were needed; no extravagant gestures of love. Instead, she squeezed his hand again. "Everything will be all right," she said simply.
"I trust you will make it so," he smiled. And his eyes added, I love you.
Sakura had never wanted to badly to kiss Syaoran as she did now, and she fidgeted a bit—everyone was watching them, after all. Instead, she opened Syaoran's palm where no one could see it, and traced the character 'ai'—love—on it.
Syaoran smiled tenderly, and Sakura knew—she would do anything to protect his smile. Forever.
She released his hand, and with one last loving look at him, without looking back at anyone else, she left the room by the back route.
End of Chapter 15; continues in Chapter 16
xXxSxSxXx
Next chapter: How good is Touya at playing along? Will Lao Hu respect sanctuary—or is Sakura walking into the arms of a demon? What of the Lin army, now within a day's march of the Li stronghold?
Author's note: This is getting harder to write out, so thank you for your patience with me Your reviews really do help a lot. I often reread and re-edit myself over and over—hence the delay—so that I won't disappoint too much. Thanks for staying with me this far!
Sorry I didn't have the time to reply to everyone individually this time, but I wanted to get the next chapter up and get started with wrestling with the ending!
Much thanks and love to: muzikchic4eva (you were absolutely right! So happy you realized it!), xosunshinegirlxo (LOL! When I read your review I got the song stuck in my head all day XD), CLAMPsFluffMeisterGirl (I would never be annoyed at you! Thanks for the PMs! Sorry about the cliffhanger—I seem to be addicted to them. Thanks for noticing the Yukito/Yue thing; I wanted to keep that, especially since I had to kill Kero to motivate Yue—shudder), SweetieSakura (Hey, faster update this time!), anime lover bebe (It's better now!), yingfa07, SakuraLover (I get lazy about signing in too! No, no, I am finishing this story first then attacking 'Accidental Playboy' which I think needs a rewrite. You're going to Japan? I am envious!), lhaine07 (I think your question is answered here, and I'm happy you brought that up, thanks!), magicka1417 (Oooh I love how you brought up canon detail, thanks! Yes, I'll check out your book, congratulations!), xSapphirexRosesxFanx (I think this chapter answers your question—now I'm wrestling with the whole 'expose-the-snake' thing!), sakurallove (Sorry about the cliffy XD hope you enjoy this chapter!), Ayr, SoraChan01, bbgirl (I smiled so much after your comment—I love Strong!Sakura of Season 3 too!), YoshitheBunny (She is!), lunaballz (Thanks! Someone pointed it out too, so you'll see the correction on top of the next chapter, hehe. My bad), Fashion Fairy 26, joyfulsoul, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius (You are absolutely right!), sakuraakamichelle (She did!), Eien-Kiseki (Thank you too for reading! Here's the next and I hope to get the next one out just as fast), ilovechocolateicecream, F3ARTH3RIPP3R, Shubhs (I know! Haha, that's what happens when you get too caught up. Honestly, I want to rewrite some parts but hey—finish it before rewriting it. Re typos-sigh, you know how it is when you write something and then you become 'blind' after so many revisions. I miss my beta—she's off to school right now—and I'm flying solo here, so please forgive any more errors XD)