Her Rising Saviour:

Chapter Three – War?

Sakura tried to go back to sleep, when the loud banging continued. She grimaced, feeling her blood boil. Who the hell would try and wake them this early on their day off?!

And then she heard it. The loud voice that could only be one person.

"Sakura! Answer this door, now!"

She felt Syaoran stiffen as her eyes shot open.

She heard Syaoran give a small, groggy moan, "Shiiiiiit."

"Sakura!" Toya continued to shout, his voice so loud it rang all the way to their bedroom. "SAKURA!!"

Sakura literally jumped out of bed at that point. She didn't care what she picked up off the ground at that point, she only needed to cover herself. She pulled on a pair of her sweatpants she found on the floor and a t-shirt of Syaoran's. She tripped as she ran to Syaoran's side of the bed, throwing him a pair of pajama pants she found on the ground as well.

"Get up!" She hissed frantically, not so much angry as she was in a panic.

Syaoran still seemed groggy as he got up and pulled on the pants Sakura had threw at him. They weren't even half-way on when Sakura bolted from the bedroom, and stupidly enough he tried to follow and managed to trip, stubbing his toe on the leg of the desk. He gave a small curse under his breath.

Sakura pulled open the door, trying to catch her breath, and was met with the sight of an angry Toya and a passive father, Fujitaka. Toya had his arms crossed tightly across his chest, but Fujitaka just gave her a bright smile, obviously not upset at all.

"S-Sorry," Sakura sputtered out. "I forgot to set the alarm..."

Syaoran came stumbling behind her. He gave a smile toward Fujitaka, but the smile quickly sank when he turned to Toya, who's face was turning redder than a tomato.

"Where the hell is your shirt?!" Toya ordered, his face beat red with rage. He took a step into the apartment, toward Syaoran, but Syaoran stepped back and Sakura managed to close the door enough so Toya couldn't get past. He growled, "Sakura..."

"Toya," she growled back, her rage almost matching his. "Syaoran and I live together...We're engaged...I think it's fine if his shirt is off while he sleeps, so you can just calm down before I call security."

Toya, angrier than ever, opened his mouth to lash back at her when their father cut in. He gave a small chuckle, always being the optimistic one, "Now, now...There's no need to be so haste, Sakura. You're brother is just looking out for you." Before Sakura could counter back, he continued, "Although, Toya, you took it too far. How Syaoran is dressed in the morning is perfectly fine and no concern to you."

Toya gave a small grumble and Sakura shot him one last glare before opening the door wider so her family could come in. She led them to the living room, not missing the glares Toya and Syaoran was shooting each other. She sighed and seated them while Syaoran stood beside her.

"Thank you so much for coming, Dad," she smiled at him, ignoring Toya's dagger-filled stare at Syaoran. "We know we're kinda pressing time on this, and it's a lot of work..."

"Not a problem, pumpkin," her father smiled. "Your mother and I were the same way with rushing into the wedding. We just wanted to be married and that was that." He gave a small chuckle, "I thought Sonomi was going to kill us with the rushed plans."

Sakura gave a small, nervous chuckle; the only difference was that their rushed plans weren't because of an arriving baby. She turned to Syaoran and gave a weak smile, "Err, would would mind putting on a pot of coffee? I'm just going to get dressed."

Syaoran returned the smile, trying to reassure her that it was all going to be okay. She turned to leave, but Syaoran caught her hand and pressed his lips against her forehead. She stared at him blankly, partially surprised that he'd be so bold in front of her brother, but she got the message when he smiled genuinely at her. She smiled back, trying to tell him she understand, then left to change.

Leaving Syaoran to the sharks...Err, Toya.

Syaoran took a deep breath and turned to the two men sitting on the couch. He gave a forced smile to Fujitaka – for although the man was kind and gentle, finding out his daughter was pregnant would not be a great thing – and then heard Toya growl and turned to glower at him.

Giving up the stare off, since he knew it was futile, Syaoran sighed and turned to Fujitaka. His face flushed in shame, slightly embarrassed. He stood up tall, politely, and looked the father in the eyes. "Mr. Kinomoto, sir, I must apologize for doing this out of order. I know I should have asked you for Sakura's hand. It was selfish of me and I am deeply sor – "

"Syaoran, Syaoran..." Fujitaka lightly tisked, shaking his head with a smile. "I appreciate the apology, but there's no need for one. I would have said yes. And besides," his eyes twinkled, "if I had said no, what do you think Sakura would have done?"

Syaoran shrugged. He could feel his palms sweat coldly from his nerves.

Fujitaka chuckled, "I can promise you, son, that she would have married you anyway. She wouldn't care what I said."

"I'm sure she'd care – " Syaoran began, but Toya quickly cut him off with a gruff, angry voice. "Weren't you supposed to make us some coffee, kid?"

Syaoran shot Toya a dagger-filled glare, then spun on his heals to the kitchen. He prepared the coffee maker and put it on, then returned to the living room.

Sakura had returned by then, wearing soft pink track-pants with a flare cut on the leg and a white v-neck tee with a white tank underneath it. She was sitting on the loveseat across from the couch, and smiled up at Syaoran. He could see the nervousness pounding in her eyes, hidden behind her smile. She held out a hand to signal him over, and he quickly obeyed. He took the seat beside her and felt he hand crawl into his. He squeezed her hand gently, trying to reassure her.

"So how far are we in these plans?" Fujitaka asked, getting right to the point. He smiled warmly at the happy couple seated across from him. "I'm sure Tomoyo has already dug into the plans, hm?"

"Er, yes," Sakura's voice shook. "We have the stationary for invitations and we'll be sending them out tonight or tomorrow morning. They're ready, though. A-And my dress is picked; Tomoyo's going to fit it for me. We worked on florals last night, and looked through some caterer ideas..."

"That's a good start," Fujitaka praised. "How about you get some of those books out and we can start helping?"

Sakura nodded and stood numbly, but Syaoran tightened his grip on her hand and tugged her back down. She shot him a confused look, her heart pounding for what was to come, but his eyes told her everything. It was time. She sighed and nodded in defeat, knowing that he was right, and squeezed his hand.

"Umm, b-before that," Sakura looked down at her lap nervously and began playing with her ring which was in the hand Syaoran clutched to. "I...We...Us...Err, we have s-something to t-t-tell you."

"Oh?" Fujitaka asked lightly, lifting an eyebrow casually. "Well then, go on Sakura. We don't have all day to get these plans done."

"R-Right," Sakura mumbled. "W-Well, the night that Syaoran proposed to me, I-I found out something else, too..."

After a pause, Fujitaka gently urged her forward, "Go on, pumpkin."

She squeezed Syaoran hand again, almost like she was trying to get strength from him. Which, in truth, was what she was doing. And she was sure that without him there all together, she would have ran a long time ago and kept the news to herself until she absolutely had to say something to her family. But now, with him there, even with her bouncing nerves, she was sure she could say it. Eventually, at least.

"Sy-Syaoran and I...Have something else we're planing for," Sakura said slowly, quietly. She was almost hoping Toya couldn't hear her. "We were going to get married no matter what, that was already planned, we're just getting married so quickly because I...don't want to be...sh-showing..."

"Showing what?" Fujitaka asked, as Toya's face slowly sank into a blank look. Oh, hell no...

Sakura turned bright, vibrant, glowing red. "I-I'm pregnant..."

The room went quiet. Sakura and Syaoran turned to each other; Syaoran giving her a reassuring, proud smile while Sakura's wide eyes showed pure nervousness. Then, simultaneously, they turned to the two men. Both had blank looks on their faces, as if they were processing the news. It took five whole seconds before Toya's face went from blank, to pink, to red, to deep purple.

Toya Kinomoto jumped to his feet, his face a furious shade of violet and his fists were shaking tightly beside him. His eyes burned with rage and murder toward Syaoran. His voice was not gentle in the least; it was loud, screaming and violent. "You knocked up my sister?! You FUCKING knocked up my BABY SISTER?!"

"Toya!" Sakura yelled back, "I'm not a baby anymore! I'm almost twenty-four!"

"Language, Toya," Fujitaka scolded, frowning up at his son. "Calm down, please."

Toya ignored them all, his eyes only for Syaoran. He growled through clenched teeth, "Kitchen, Li. Now."

"No," Sakura protested, standing with Syaoran and refusing to let go of his hand. "Anything you want to say to Syaoran, you can say here in front of me."

Toya growled again, his eyes flaming up. Syaoran sighed and tore his own eyes away from the furious big brother and turned to Sakura. He gave her a weak smile, "It's alright. We'll only be a few minutes."

Sakura bit her lower lip, then turned her now angered gaze to brother. Hurt him and die, she tried telling her through her gaze. Toya merely snorted at her, then turned his dagger-filled gaze back to Syaoran. Syaoran gently shook Sakura off his hand and led Toya to the kitchen.

Sakura watched them leave, then sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Well, so much for that.

Fujitaka smiled warmly at his daughter and stood up. With her eyes still closed, he approached her and wrapped his arms around her to pull her close. He heard her gasp, taken by surprise, and gently kissed her forehead. "I'm so happy for you, Sakura. Congratulations...Syaoran and you will have absolutely beautiful children."

Sakura's eyes quickly watered up. She clung to her father, burying her head in his chest, and began to sob.

b.K.d

Syaoran stopped in the middle of the kitchen and spun around, crossing his arms tightly across his chest and pursed his lips. "What is it, Toya?"

"You know damn well what 'it' is, boy," Toya growled. "What the hell is your problem?! How could you knock up my sister before she married? Before she was engaged, for Christ's sake!"

"We didn't plan it," Syaoran growled. "We were being careful – "

"I don't give a fuck how careful you two were!" Toya shouted. "The fact that you were screwing her to begin with is the problem!"

"She's a big girl, Toya," Syaoran raised his voice as well. "She can take care of herself. We're both adults."

"Take care of herself," Toya scoffed gently, chuckling coldly. His eyes flickered to the doorway, then shot back to Syaoran. He took an intimidating step toward the boy, then threw his fist into his gut.

Syaoran's eyes widened. The wind was momentarily knocked out of him and he had to gasp for a new breath. He fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. When he was able to compose himself, remaining on the ground, he shot a flame-filled glare up to Toya who was still standing over him. "What the fuck was that for, Kinomoto?!"

Toya heaved in and out, his breathing deep and shallow. His eyes were strained, glossy and red, as if holding in his tears. "How could you fucking do this to her?! You were supposed to love her! To take care of her, you asshole! But no, you fucking left her for four fucking years! Four fucking years!"

Syaoran groaned; not just from the physical pain, but also from the memories of a year ago when he found Sakura at the bar as Blossom. From the pain of being told what had happened when he had left. From the pain of seeing her cry from years of pain. From the pain of seeing her so ready to jump off the building and kill herself...

"I...Didn't mean to hurt her..." Syaoran swallowed the tears in his throat, looking down at the tile floor.

"Well you did," Toya spat. "She was depressed beyond belief. She wasn't my little sister. When she moved for university, she slowly stopped contacting Dad and I. For a month, she didn't answer...And then she'd talk to us briefly, but I couldn't tell is she was happy or not. Then suddenly, she just stopped. I called Tomoyo, but all that girl would do was cry and say she was sorry. She never gave me an answer. But I knew it was all because of you. It was all your fucking fault. Then Dad got a call about dropping her courses, and we couldn't even contact her to find out the reason why!"

He paused, tears prickling his eyes. "My baby sister was lost, you asshole. You fucking destroyed her when you left! I always knew it was you, even if no one told me that. It doesn't take a fucking genius to realize that!"

Syaoran suddenly stiffened and shot his head back up. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, much to Toya's surprise. He jumped to his feet, a new determination shining in his eyes. His hands curled into useless fists by his sides. "You're right. I did hurt her. I was an asshole. I know that. But I fixed it as soon as I found out, dammit!"

"She's not a toy you can fix, Li," Toya growled.

Syaoran scoffed coldly, "Funny, she said the same thing. Yet here we are..."

Toya's red-strained eyes narrowed on the younger man, "It's amazing what guilt will make one do."

"Guilt?!" Syaoran roared, enraged. "Guilt?! What the fuck is that?! I would never do anything like that out of guilt, you idiot! Who would?!"

Toya scoffed and turned away, his hair falling in front of his face, making Syaoran's blood boil even more. His body began to shake, "I love her Toya, you understand? I. Love. Her. Always have...And I always will. So get the fuck over it and live with it, because I'm never leaving her again. I'm here for good."

There was silence for a few minutes, the only sound that filled the still air being Syaoran's heavy, angered breathing. Syaoran couldn't see Toya's facial expression through his hair, but after a few moments of silence, he saw the man's body begin to tremble. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, when he saw a drop of water fall from his face to the floor; a tear.

Syaoran's face sudden softened, actually feeling remorse for the guy. He cautiously approached the man and laid a hand on his shoulder. As soon as his hand touched his shoulder, Toya began sobbing harder, his whole body racking with silent tears.

"She's...She's my little sister, dammit," Toya cried softly, angrily, hating that the kid was comforting him. "And I couldn't even protect her from the likes of you. I didn't think I had to, so I finally let go. Shit, that was my first fucking mistake."

Syaoran actually felt his heart reach out for the guy. He opened his mouth to say something but the coffee maker gave a small 'beep', indicating that coffee was made. Syaoran turned and grabbed three mugs from the cupboard – since Sakura could no longer drink coffee due to the baby – and poured the hot, brownish-black liquid into each one. He poured two teaspoons of sugar into one mug and handed it to Toya, remembering how he liked it; he used to pick one up for Toya ever morning he'd pick Sakura up for school, trying to suck up. It never worked and by high school, Syaoran gave up.

Toya stood back up completely and looked down at the mug in Syaoran's hands. With red, puffy eyes, he reached out and took it. He took one long swig of it and sighed contentedly.

"I know I've made mistakes," Syaoran mumbled, turning back to the two remaining mugs. He put some milk and one teaspoon of sugar into the one for Fujitaka and made his black with three teaspoons. He turned back to Toya with both mugs in hand, "But I really do love her, and I've fixed my past mistakes. I'm never leaving her side again, Toya. No one can make me leave her side."

Toya smirked, "Even if she wanted you to leave?"

"If she wanted me to leave...I would," Syaoran shrugged, pained by the idea. "But, I would fight and try and change her mind."

Toya gave a small smile, then scoffed and turned back to his coffee. "I still don't trust you or like you, boy."

Syaoran smirked, "I'd never expect that."

They looked at each other for a moment and gave a light chuckle. Toya slapped Syaoran on the back friendly, but then grabbed the back of his hair and pulled him to he was looking up at him. His eyes suddenly became venomous once more, "But if you ever hurt her again, no one will hold me back tanning your fucking hide and killing you. Understand?"

"I never would," Syaoran promised, his eyes glistening truthfully. "And if I ever did, I'll even supply you with the knife to tan me and a shovel to bury me. That is, if you able to get me before I killed myself."

Toya gave a small 'tch' and roughly let him go, then strode out of the kitchen and back to the living room to see his sister and father embracing. He heard Syaoran shuffle behind him, then Toya gave a small cough to announce their arrival.

Sakura pulled away from her father, her eyes a bit red, and smiled to Syaoran once seeing him in one piece. Thankfully, there was no bruise from Toya's punch earlier, even with how hard it had been. Syaoran smiled back and walked over to her. He encased her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

"You alright?" He asked her, whispering against her forehead. He began caressing her bare arm lovingly.

Sakura nodded and traced the line between his chest muscles. "I'm fine. And you?"

Syaoran chuckled, "Still alive."

Syaoran turned to Fujitaka, and immediately felt guilt rip through him. "Mr. Kinomoto, sir, I-I'm sorry. We were being very careful, we really were – "

"Do you regret it?" Fujitaka cut him off. "Do you wish that she wasn't pregnant?"

Syaoran paused and looked back down at Sakura. She was looking up at him, her eyes wide and anticipating. She had her lower lip between her teeth, anxiously waiting his answer. He smiled at her reassuringly and kissed her forehead. He pulled her to his chest, cradling her head in the crook of his neck, and turned back to Fujitaka.

"Never," Syaoran said sincerely, truth shining in his eyes. "It was a bit unexpectant, yes, but I'd never change it for the world. I love Sakura, and I love our child. I've always known she's mother my children."

Fujitaka smiled and nodded, "Then don't apologize, Syaoran. I know you love her, and vice versa. And although I know you've made mistakes in your past" – Syaoran flushed, ashamed, and nodded for him to continue – "I know you've fixed them."

Syaoran swallowed the tears building up in his throat. He nodded, "Thank you, Mr. Ki – "

"You're family, Syaoran," Fujitaka cut him off again. "No need to be so formal. Call me 'Fujitaka'."

Syaoran slowly smiled and nodded. He had told him the same thing when Sakura and him were in high school, but Syaoran had never taken up the offer. He just couldn't seem to bring himself to call the man by his first name. But now, it felt right. It was right.

"Thank you," Syaoran repeated. "Fujitaka."

Fujitaka smiled, pride in his eyes. "Now then, take a seat and let's get on with these plans. We have a lot to do!"

Author's Note: Yaay! Thanks for all the reviews!! I got needed reviews in today, so here's your update!! Hope I didn't disappoint you in Toya's reaction ^.^ I thought it was pretty good, but let me hear your thoughts!! Good...? Bad...?

PLEASE send in the reviews!!!!!

XOX, Riva

Next Chapter.... The Kinomotos know and there's ton to get done!! As well, it's Sakura and Syaoran's first lamaze class together. What could possibly happen there? And the two STILL don't have any private time together!!! What is a young couple to do?!