Her Rising Savour:

Chapter Eighteen – fired

It was three weeks before the trial. Four weeks exactly before Sakura's due date. Syaoran had fought for the trial's date to be moved, either for a few weeks earlier or a month or so after Sakura's due date, but his pleas had gone unheard. But it was still a week between the two, so hopefully Sakura wouldn't stress too much. Today, he was sitting in his office, going over papers for the case. If anyone was to look at the case he'd supposedly built, it would seem a solid case. But he knew better. There was plenty of holes, making is so that Hamada had no way of winning what so ever.

In front of him sat Natsuo, appearing terribly bored. He was slouched in his seat looking up at the ceiling wit h this hands folded on top of his stomach.

"Are we almost done here?" The man whined.

Syaoran clenched his jaw. "Yes, we're almost done for today."

Natsuo gave a loud, annoyed groan and threw his head back against the chair. "So," he sounded bored and curious at the same time. You could almost hear the smirk in his voice, "When's the wifey due?"

Syaoran's hold on his pen tightened extensively. Natsuo had been good, as in keeping his mouth shut about Sakura since she had slapped him. So why now?! "I asked you not to speak of her."

"Just asking," he shrugged. "Haven't really seen her around the office lately. She must be huge by now."

"She's of no concern to you," Syaoran snarled.

"A man can be curious," Natsuo sighed. He sat back up, smirking slightly, and watched Syaoran go back to work for a bit, and then... "So now that she's preg-o, does that mean she's a better fuck? Like they show on those porn movies?"

He barely had the past few words out before he was on the floor, his hand rubbing his throbbing cheek. Above him, Syaoran stood, his hand still balled up in a tight shaking fist. His breathing was harsh, his eyes dark and angry.

"Talk about her one more fucking time, Hamada, and I'll bash your fucking skull in! Understand me this time, asshole?!"

"LI! "

Syaoran froze and looked up to see Kenji Nakamura standing in the doorway, his face livid and purple. He was, by far, not pleased. With each passing second his face grew angrier and angrier. Syaoran cussed under his breath.

"Li. My office. Now!" Kenji growled angrily, obviously working hard to keep his voice level.

Syaor an glared at Kenji for a moment, then back to Natsuo. Natsuo was wearing a large smirk, making Syaoran want nothing more than to beat the crap out of him. Kenji called him again, his voice louder, and Syaoran followed him out. He did, however, pull the childish move of making sure that when he walked around Natsuo his foot just happened to kick his face.

"Opps," he smirked to himself as Natsuo yelped.

Kenji slammed the office door behind them and locked the door, then spun around to face Syaoran. His face, Syaoran was afraid to realize, was still coloured in rage.

"What the hell was that stunt?!" Kenji barked. Syaoran opened his mouth but the man cut him off, "No, there is no excuse for that crap you pulled back there! What the hell were you thinking?! Hitting a client!"

"Sir, you don't understand – " Syaoran tried to explain.

"No, Li, there's nothing to understand." Kenji sighed angrily and pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. "Mr. Hamada has been telling me he didn't think you were taking his case seriously. That he thought you weren't trying, but I assured him that you were..." he pulled back his hand from his nose and glared at Syaoran. "I ought to fire your sorry ass right here and now."

Syaoran felt himself straighten up. No, not now...The baby was due in a months time! He couldn't lost his job now! Imagine the stress it would but Sakura in.

He groaned internally; Crap, Sakura... She was going to be madder than stink at his reaction to Hamada's words.

"I'm not going to," Kenji growled, "only because you're one of my best lawyers. But, you're off this case. And don't expect any of the larger cases for a while. Now get your ass out of my office and out of this building. Understood?"

Syaoran didn't say anything. He simply slipped out of the office and began to walk down the hall, his hands deep in his pockets. He wore the look of fury on his face, angry beyond words. He gave a polite nod to the new secretary on duty and went straight to the elevator. No way in hell was he going back to his office to retrieve his suitcase. He'd just ask Eriol to bring it by after work.

As if on cue, as Syaoran clicked the down-arrow button on the elevator to call it up, Eriol called out for him. He turned to see Eriol walking Rika to the elevator, his eyebrows furrowed.

Syaoran smiled to Rika and she smiled back. She was holding a sleeping four-month-old Hayate in her arms, gently bouncing him to keep him resting. Rika wrapped an arm around Syaoran in a friendly hug, careful not to disturb her son.

"Just came by to finish off some things with Eriol," she told him as she saw his questioning eyes. "How's Sakura doing? I haven't spoken to her for the past few days...Been too busy with planning the wedding, you know?"

Syaoran smiled and nodded, completely understanding. Her and Yoshiyuki planned on getting married the next summer. They had less than a year to plan it all.

"She's fine, thanks. I wish that she'd rest more, but, of course, she won't listen to me," Syaoran joked. He smiled as the baby gave a little moan, obviously stirring. Rika gently rocked him, cooing to him to sleep more. "Motherhood suits you well. Hayate is good then?"

Rika grinned, "Perfect. But, it's past his nap time so the poor little guy is pooched."

"Sakura would have gladly babysat him if she had known you needed to come here," Syaoran offered.

"No, no," Rika shook her head, "Like you said, Sakura should be resting right now." She paused as the elevator door dinged opened. She smiled to the two men, "I should get him into bed. Um, Eriol, see you in two weeks then? Just to clarify everything. Yoshi will be with me next time."

Eriol nodded, "Yes, I just want to make sure everything is in order and right for the last time."

She nodded back and smiled to Syaoran, "Send my regard to Sakura. Maybe I'll phone her tomorrow...Chiharu has tomorrow off, so maybe the the three of us can go out?"

Syaoran smiled, "She'd like that." Rika walked into the elevator and he made to follow when Eriol grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. The elevator left without him.

"Okay, what happened?" Eriol asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

Syaoran sighed angrily and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I lost my temper, okay? Hamada got to me and I just...snapped. Nakamura just happened to walk in at that moment and saw what I had done."

Eriol's eyes turned dark with anger, though not toward Syaoran. He ground out, "Go on."

"I'm off the case."

Eriol's eyes widened. "No...No, no!" He growled and balled his fists, "No! Fuck!"

"There's no way Hamada can win even without me working his case," Syaoran assured him. "No lawyer, no matter how good, can build up a winning case within three weeks. Besides, there's too much evidence working against him."

"Yes, I know that, but now Rika and Sakura will be stressing even more," Eriol growled. He ran his hands through his hair a few times, then exhaled sharply, "You going home then?"

"I was told to, so, yeah," Syaoran grumbled. "Sakura's going to be ticked..." he sighed, "Can you bring my suitcase by the house after work? I don't really want to go back there right now."

"Yeah, no problem," Eriol shrugged. He watched as Syaoran clicked the elevator button again and waited for its arrival. Once inside and the doors shut, Eriol sighed angrily and turned back to work.

He wanted nothing more than to punch the bastard himself, but smiled at the thought of Syaoran finally getting a shot in.

b.K.d

Sakura was starting to get a tad frustrated with being pregnant. For one, the other day her feet had started to swell and it hurt to walk around too much. She found herself forced to sit quite often, which irritated her. She wanted to be able to work and clean and get around the house normal. And, of course, she hadn't told Syaoran this development. She knew it was normal and to be expected, and didn't want him fretting over her.

Next, she had realized she could no longer clean and cook as much as she liked. Not just because of her feet, but because of her size. She couldn't wash the floor because it'd hurt her back from bending over even in the slightest. She couldn't bend down for the needed pots for cooking either. She had actually once fallen asleep while baking a batch of cookies. Luckily, she had woken up before they caught fire and had managed to rid the charred scent of them before Syaoran got home. Again, no use in worrying him.

Right now, she was currently debating if she wanted to get off the couch or not. She had just finished watching a movie special that had been on TV and there was nothing else on. So she now had a choice. She could either; one, stay where she was, or two, get up to put in a movie.

After ten minutes of mental debate, she gave a loud groan. She placed her hands palm-down on the couch and forced herself to stand. That took a bit in itself, as it was difficult. Once up, she wavered for a second before making her way to the entertainment centre. She picked out 'Dances with Wolves' and was about to pop it in when she paused and looked up at the clock. She sighed sadly, realizing Syaoran wouldn't be home for a few more hours. The days without him were long and lonely.

She looked back at the clock, and then the movie in her hand. She sighed and put the movie on the coffee table as she passed it, making her way to the bedroom. She'd watch the movie later. But right now, she wanted a shower instead. She grabbed her slippers and housecoat, then went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Normally, she'd take a nice long soak in the bath instead, but she just wanted a quick shower so she could watch her movie.

She shed her clothes – comfy yoga pants and one of Syaoran's sweaters – and slipped into the shower. The warm water cascaded down her body, making her sigh in contentment and a lazy smile spread across her face. Yes, this is just what she needed. She giggled as she felt a small kick in her abdomen. Her hands rubbed over her stomach, grinning. Apparently, this is what the baby wanted as well.

She turned around and wet her hair, then began lathering shampoo into it. She closed her eyes and began to hum happily to a tune she ha d heard on the radio. She was almost ready to rinse her hair when she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her waist and pull her to a naked torso. She squeaked, tensing with wide eyes. A nose skimmed over her shoulder, a sigh coming from the man's lips. Her heart thudded in her chest loudly.

"I've missed you," said a soft voice.

Sakura felt herself ease, then frown in confusion. "Syaoran?"

He held her closer and nodded against her shoulder, "Who else?"

Sakura sighed softly and turned around in Syaoran's arms. She pressed up on her toes to touch her lips to his. She felt the hesitance in the way his lips moved and frowned slightly, pulling away. His eyes seemed weary and worn, as if he hadn't slept in ages. Or, at least, as if he was worn out from a hard day at work. She rubbed his arms, trying to ease his tense muscles.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly.

He looked away, and she immediately recognized the emotion as shame. "I'm...sorry."

Sakura frowned, "For?"

"I've been taken off the case."

Sakura's eyes widened and she felt herself stiffen as well. Her hands on his arms stopped and she could see him tensing again. The only sound audible was the sound of the water coming down, hitting their skin and the shower's porcelain floor.

"What?" She whispered, shocked though not angry. "How?"

He closed his eyes and tried to back away from Sakura but she tightened her hold on his arms to stop him. He sighed angrily and closed his eyes, his hands clenching into fists. "Hamada....said something, and I let it get to me." His next words were a whisper, almost too quiet to hear over the rushing water, "I'm sorry."

Sakura understood what he was saying, what he meant when he said he had let Natsuo's words get to him. That he meant he had taken action. She was silent for three long seconds before she spoke. "I thought I told you not to let what he said get to you?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered again. "I didn't want to disappoint you...Just," he glanced at her, then away with the same shameful look on his face, "Just, how do I ignore him when he's asking about how good of a, quote, 'fuck', you are?"

Sakura heard the way he harshly snarled out the last words and her eyes grew even more sympathetic than they already were. She took a step closer and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. She frowned when she didn't feel him return the gesture and pulled her head back away from his chest. She placed a hand on his cheek, her thumb gliding over the spot under his eye.

"Syaoran, I could never be disappointed and I'm certainly not angry with you," she told him. "I'm not your mother. I'm your wife. I'm not going to go nagging you and reprimanding you because you're an adult. You can make your own decisions. I just don't want you to be disappointed with yourself."

"I'm not," he admitted, then chuckled without emotion, "It felt good, just," he sighed again and leaned into her touch, "you had told me not to let whatever he says to me get to me, and I did. I knew he was saying it to get under my skin, and I let it anyway."

Sakura gave him a soft smile and gently used her hand to turn his head to look down at her. His eyes were still weary, still tiresome. She pressed herself against him and kissed a trail along his jaw, feeling his arms encircling her finally. His fingers danced up along her spine in a comforting, soothing motion.

"Well," she mumbled against his jaw, "that just means I won't be home alone anymore, right?"

He chuckled and nodded, pulling her closer to him, "Yes, I suppose that'd be right."

"Good," she pulled back and grinned, "I was beginning to hate being by myself so much. Tomoyo's into her busy season at work, and Chiharu seems to be...preoccupied with Takashi..."

Syaoran choked-laughed and Sakura smiled. She pressed a kiss to his nose. "So, you're okay now?"

He sighed, "Not really, but...yeah, I'll be fine."

She grinned, "Good, now, get out of my shower and let me finish!"

Syaoran chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender as she began gently beating his chest. He got out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the rack, slowly drying himself off as he watched Sakura's outline through the glass door put conditioner in her hair. He wrapped the towel around his waist and turned to the sink to brush his teeth. He was rinsing his mouth when he heard Sakura groan in frustration and something clink against the glass. He frowned and wandered back to the shower. He rapped his knuckles gently against the door.

"Sakura? You alright?"

"No!" She sounded frustrated. "I'm not!"

"Can I help in some way?" He asked genuinely.

There was a hesitance in her reply. It took her a second to answer him. "No, well, not really...I just...I've been trying to shave for the past few days and I...can't."

"Don't worry about it," he told her, not getting why she was getting so frustrated. Obviously she wouldn't be able to shave her legs properly. "Just come on out and we can go watch a movie, okay? I'll even cook dinner tonight."

"No, I need to shave," she told him. She sighed angrily and he watched, wincing and wanting to stop her, as she bent over to pick up the shaver from the ground. She gave a small moan as she went to stand back up. "Go. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Syaoran sighed and dropped his towel. He opened the door and got back in, noticing that the water was cooling down by now. He shivered slightly, expecting the warmth that was no longer there, and gently took the shaver from Sakura. She frowned at him, opening her mouth to protest, but he stopped her.

"Let me help, please?" He asked softly. "I don't want you hurting yourself."

Sakura blushed, "Y-You don't have to, Syaoran. It's fine."

"No, I don't want you getting hurt," he repeated himself. He reached for the loofah and dosed it with the strawberry-scented body wash Sakura used, then knelt on the ground and gently took Sakura's foot into his hand. He propped her foot on his knee and asked her to hold onto the railing, then began gently scrubbing circles along her leg, leaving behind a trail of soap suds. Then, ever so gently, he ran the shaver along her skin, careful not to nick her. When he was done with her first leg, he did the same to her other.

When he was done the second leg, he placed the shaver onto the ledge and placed both of his hands on her calf, then placed his lips to her skin. He kissed up her leg, putting her foot back onto the floor, until he got to her stomach and pressed a lingering kiss to the very centre of her stomach. After a moment, he stood up, placing both of his hands on her hips and drawing her in for a long, sensual kiss.

"Everything will work out in the end," Sakura whispered against his lips when they had to pull away for breath. She pulled her head back to look him in the eyes and offered a small smile of reassurance, "I know it will."

"How can you always be so optimistic?" He asked, resting his forehead on hers.

Sakura reached over to turn off the water, then brushed her lips to his once more before pulling away to get out of the shower. She grabbed his towel from the ground and wrapped it around his waist, tugging on it to pull him close. She pressed her lips to his, as if unable to get enough of him, and smiled against him, "Someone has to be."

Author's Note: Oh, c'mon...you're happy! A quick update to make up for the slow last update. Don't expect another fast update though XDD At least not as fast as this...I just happened to be home sick for the past two days, and today I was awake and alive enough to get some writing done. I mean really, a flu THIS close to the summer -.- Not fair!!

AMAZING thanks to my super beta, xXShining ShadowXx who edited this in under an HOUR! O_O Yeah, I know...I was impressed and pleasantly happy ^.^ Love ya sweetie!!

Now, I'm off to see if I can keep down some chicken noodle soup -sigh-

xox, Riva

Next Time... Trail time! O_O duhduhDUH!