A Shelter for Broken Hearts Chapter 4
Comfort
absolutefluffiness says: SORRY! this has been ready to post since FRIDAY but I haven't been able to get to a net café until now, and since I'm rushing to get home, I apologize again for not being able to respond to all who reviewed (please see below). I appreciate it, and I hope you forgive the tardiness! The next chapter will take some time as I have a term paper due, but it won't take more than two weeks. Enjoy, and please review!
~o0o~
Syaoran was expecting to have a Saturday Cat's Eye Café brunch with Sakura that weekend, and the debacle over Yue's no-show at the Imperial Hotel aside, he was looking forward to mocking Sakura playfully. She had been so upset and angry at the hotel, and he was sure she'd had it out with Yue as a result.
He snickered. Sakura would toast Yue's ass, of that he was sure, and Syaoran would have paid good money for ringside seats to that event. And brought popcorn and soda to boot.
But when he called her to confirm, he got only the answering machine.
Calling her cell phone got him routed to voice mail. It was quite unusual; Syaoran went to her house and found she wasn't there either; he peeked through the window of the Kinomoto porch and found nothing. Calling her office, he got connected to Rika Sasaki-Terada, who told him Sakura was on leave.
On leave? Without telling him? It wasn't like Sakura to do that, and she never disappeared on their brunch meetings without telling him first. So where the hell was she?
All Tomoyo could supply him with was that Sakura had called her to say she was on assignment, and that she was all right.
"Is she, really? Daidouji, this is not normal behavior from Sakura, and you know it!" Syaoran said.
"No, it's not, but I truly do not know where she is," was the straightforward reply. "Li-kun, when Sakura retreats this way, it usually means only one thing: she is upset and unhappy. When we were children I usually had to ask before she would talk about things that made her unhappy. As we got older, she retreated when hurt. All I can do is guess at what happened."
"Guess away, then," Syaoran said.
"I think she broke up with Yue."
"Then why didn't she tell me?" Syaoran roared. "It's not like that stupid assed long-haired conceited jerk was worth her time anyway. Who wants a bigot for a boyfriend?"
"She did. She was in love, Li-kun, and she's been hurt so often…" Tomoyo drew a deep breath. "Li-kun, you ask why she said nothing to either of us? I think it's perhaps…because she was ashamed."
"Balls of Satan, why would she be ashamed? That poncy prick should be the one ashamed!" Syaoran said angrily. "You ought to know that his excuse was bullshit. If he cared about her he would have showed up!"
"I'm sure Sakura-chan knows that as well. Perhaps she didn't want you to know that she had lost someone in her life again."
"How can you be so calm, knowing she's God knows where brooding over that dickhead, that she's hurt…Fuck it, Daidouji, don't you care?"
The response was quiet. "That you care tells me a lot, and I appreciate it, Li-kun," was what Tomoyo said.
Syaoran spluttered, "W-what?"
"It's nice to know she's begun changing you already, Li-kun." He could almost hear the smile in her voice.
"That's not it…Why are you going off topic? What about Sakura?"
"I have every faith in you," was the quiet response before she hung up.
Syaoran groaned and swore. She and Eriol were getting more alike with each day, and if they ever married he made a mental note to avoid them when they were together. He could only take one cryptic person at a time.
~o0o~
"You could have been held up! Kidnapped! How fucking stupid are you?" Syaoran railed at Sakura when he finally caught her at home as she returned; he'd taken to waiting outside her house for a sign of her. He'd almost pinned her to the wall of her porch with his arms on either side of her.
Syaoran had never been very good at expressing himself; he was very upset that Sakura had run away without telling him or Tomoyo. So when he'd finally seen her, he resorted to the rough language and behavior he used when he wanted to hide how much he cared about something.
She looked up at him with a blank expression. Sakura looked thin and starved; her eyes were dull and haunted, and in a flat voice, she said, "Sorry. I wasn't thinking. I have to go to sleep. Good night, Syaoran-kun, and sorry for the bother."
"Why didn't you tell me? Idiot! It's been months since I started warning you about Yue's assholery; can't you just let it go? It's not like the dickhead is worth it, I mean, why do you still even care?" The irony of him telling her to let go of a dead relationship while he was still, after a year and a half, mourning the loss of Alia/Loraina, was lost on him.
She didn't answer; a single tear rolled out of one eye and she opened the door without saying anything except, "I'm sorry I'm not strong like you."
"What? I never told you to be strong—I said, just forget about Yue! If he really loved you, would he have dropped you on such a fucking stupid excuse? He didn't love you! He just had fun with you and when trouble arrived, he fled like the worthless coward he is!" Syaoran sincerely believed what he was saying, and to his surprise, Sakura went pale.
She stammered before saying, "So even you, who never really met him…you know Yue didn't love me." Her voice was still and tiny; the hurt in it sliced at Syaoran.
He almost struck himself when he realized that with his thoughtless words he'd pushed her even further into her shell of misery. She was about to close the door when he shoved his way into her house, slamming the door behind himself.
"What?" Sakura stumbled, and he caught her, setting her on her feet firmly.
"Fucking hell!" Syaoran yelped when he caught her and discovered how light she was. "Haven't you been eating? Do you need someone to take care of you? Christ, Sakura! What is wrong with you?"
A tear simply rolled down her cheek; to his horror, she sobbed soundlessly, staring off into the distance. It was like everything he said or did made her cry even more. He felt like a bull in a china shop, delicate things crashing around him and he couldn't help it because he was big and clumsy and thoughtless.
Fuck that. He was not an asshole, and he was not going to let Sakura cry alone.
"Sit down," he said roughly, pushing her on the couch. Sakura flopped onto it almost bonelessly, and Syaoran fought the urge to shake her. He lost the battle to stay silent, though.
"God damn it, Sakura! You can't let that fucker get to you! He's not worth it!"
Sakura suddenly stood up and yelled, "Maybe it wasn't him who wasn't worth it but me! You think he didn't love me, right? Then it's obvious that what's wrong was me! I'm not strong and perfect and anything like you, and maybe Yue knew it, knew something's wrong with me…he knew I'm not worth fighting for! Whether or not I'm Chinese, that wouldn't have mattered if he loved me!"
Stunned, Syaoran stared at her for several minutes. How could someone so sweet and funny and gorgeous and so much fun to be around think of herself as not being worth it? What kind of pain could push her into that kind of despair?
Pain like his own, he abruptly realized. No, pain worse than his own. Loraina had, if he cared to face it, let him down gently and explained all her reasons and had not taken anything from him. The letters she sent regularly through Eriol showed that she was a kind, decent person for whom leaving him had been as hard for her as it was for him. Yet Sakura had gone through this crap at least three times, with one guy cheating on her and another dumping her for a very stupid reason. Of course she was in pain. He'd just been blind to it all.
He considered his words carefully before saying, "That's not true. It could never be true." He stepped closer to Sakura; she turned her face away from him.
"Look at me, damn it." Syaoran turned Sakura to face him. "I don't care what his excuse was. I know you broke it off 'cause he doesn't have the balls to end something that benefits him. I don't really know what went on between the two of you but I knew you were happy. So I know it was his fault."
"No, it's me, I'm not Chinese, he had to—his parents, he…"
Syaoran bit his lip to keep from yelling; he rasped, "Shut it, Sakura. Stop making excuses for others, all right? Just…stop it." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration; Syaoran always had to do something with his hands when he was frustrated, and it was either shake Sakura or torment his hair. He chose the latter.
Sighing, Sakura said, "Look, Syaoran, I'll be okay. I just need to be alone."
"You shouldn't be alone! You can't handle this!" He bit his tongue before he could add, you need me, stop pushing me away!
A weak smile appeared on Sakura's face. "Really, Syaoran, I'll be fine. I…I'm sorry I yelled at you a while ago."
Syaoran clenched his fists and glared at Sakura. How could she be thinking of his feelings at a time like this? He wanted to tell her how stupid and stubborn she was being, but the words never left his mouth.
That was what was so beautiful about her. She was just herself in a world that prided itself on masks and facades. She was not ashamed to show how she felt, to cry when she needed to, to just be so damned thoughtful of others. Syaoran breathed in and out, calming himself, not wanting to say something unkind in his rush to get Sakura to stop being depressed.
"You can't let your happiness depend on a single person," Syaoran said slowly. "Not only is it a burden on that person, one he might not care to support, but…" and he held her hand reassuringly, "you also shut the door on others who care for you. Like Daidouji. Like Eriol. Like me, your brother, your dad…"
He was relieved when she looked at him, stopped crying, then slowly smiled. "Says he who hasn't let go of Alia."
Syaoran's mouth dangled open. Score for Sakura.
"I…That is…You…"
For once she had the upper hand. "I'm waiting for an answer," she teased.
Unable to defend himself from her very accurate observation—one made in the midst of her depression, come to think of it—he instead stood over her and put a hand on top of her head.
"Idiot," he said affectionately, then began to give her a noogie, rubbing the top of her head so that he mussed her hair badly.
"Hey! Stop it!" Sakura yelped.
"Nope." Syaoran grinned at her.
"Syaoran! I'm warning you!" Sakura was flailing, and Syaoran was using his height advantage to stay out of her reach.
"What are you gonna do, kiss me? Ugh, gross." Syaoran made a face.
"Oh yeah? Same to you—kissing you would be like kissing an ashtray!" Oh, score one for her again; Syaoran was still an occasional smoker at that point. But he kept mussing her hair.
"Quit it!" Sakura shrieked. She caught one of Syaoran's legs with a wild kick, and he went down on top of her, overbalancing and landing on the soft carpet.
"Ow." Syaoran had not been hurt, but he said it anyway to rile her.
"You're heavy," Sakura groaned from beneath him.
"Yeah, well, you smell," Syaoran singsonged. She didn't, but the opportunity to annoy was a golden one.
"I DO NOT!" she screeched. Syaoran chuckled. Score one for me.
"Someone needs a ba-ath…" he continued.
"OOH SYAORAN YOU STUPID BAST…" She caught herself before she completed the dirty word, and choked on it.
Syaoran began to laugh. It felt so good to laugh at her and with her, and to know that he was comforting her in the process. She's my best friend, he thought, and it amused him; he'd never had a female friend who was this close. Meiling would not be amused, he knew; she had spent their childhood and adolescence trying to get Syaoran to lighten up. When she had warned him about his marriage to Alia, he had simply cut her off. Yet here he was doing exactly what Meiling wanted—with a woman, no less.
Sakura glared at him for a second, then when she caught sight of the mirthful expression on Syaoran's face, fought her own giggles.
"Come on, you know you want to laugh…come on…HA!" Syaoran, catching Sakura unaware, began to poke and tickle at her sides.
She finally laughed, but the laugh was mixed with a few sobs. He waited until she calmed down, leaning against him for support. Though Syaoran was still not fully over Alia at that point, he understood that Sakura needed comfort, and he held her gently, patting her back as she choked and cried.
"Do you know what's p-pathetic?" Sakura finally said after a long period of silence. Syaoran did not reply, but waited for her to continue; he knew she would say more. "I…Yue and I never…never laughed this way, the way we do. I could never cry on him the way I do with you. And we never joked around the way we do. I thought we would have time for that later."
She sniffed. "I assumed we had a-all the time in the world. Third time lucky, you know what they say. Apparently not for me." Her voice became bitter. "Look at me. World's greatest failure with relationships. Applaud me for making stupid assumptions and for thinking people actually loved me." Her voice trailed off into a forced laugh.
"That's pointless," Syaoran scolded her gently. "Don't be silly. You take things too hard."
"I just…" Then she was crying again. "I should be crying in Yue's arms, not yours. I should be able to tell him all the things I tell you without him telling me to just buck up or be strong or not to cry or be a sissy. You're my guy friend, you know? You…you should be Yue…Someone who loves me should be holding me in his arms like you, comforting me like you do…I can't…I wish…I wish someone loved me enough to do that!" Scrunching up her face into an expression of misery, Sakura pressed her face against Syaoran's chest and began to cry so hard, her breath was drawn in high-pitched whines.
Syaoran held her, unoffended by what she had said because he understood—because he too was beginning to wish that Alia was in his arms, that he had had with her the same easy friendship he had with Sakura. He understood because he too felt like a failure in love, like he could only be comfortable with a woman he did not (at least then) consider someone he could fall in love with.
After a while, Sakura fell asleep in his arms; he'd carried her to her bed and tucked her in. It was past midnight, and with a jolt he realized her birthday had passed.
"Happy birthday, Sakura. I just wish it didn't have to be this way," he whispered as he kissed her cheek. He went down and stayed the night on her couch, wondering why he hadn't fallen for someone like Sakura instead. If only he had understood things better then, perhaps everything might have been easier for both of them.
Little did he know that Yong Song Li had seen the confrontation between Syaoran and Sakura, and heard the rest of it when they had moved inside her house thanks to the surveillance he'd placed on his only son.
She makes him feel, he smiled. And she makes him care about her.
Yong Song had also observed Syaoran with Loraina when he'd began coming to Tokyo for his treatments. That relationship had been passionate but somewhat one-sided; right before the marriage ended, he had known it was coming; he alone had seen poor Loraina crying in misery from her inability to make Syaoran understand her. He'd seen with sorrow how the relationship devolved, and when the divorce papers were filed, he had been greatly saddened when Syaoran had retreated into himself, saying nothing to anyone, not even to Eriol. That was why he'd felt justified when he'd spied on Syaoran with Sakura.
Sakura. The young woman was sweet and gentle, and Yong Song believed she would make a wonderful wife for Syaoran. And they were starting out as friends. He'd always believed that would make a good foundation for any relationship. Perhaps playing Cupid this time would be fun—and could take his mind off his terrible cancer treatments.
And if it meant his son would have a chance at real love—the one he'd never had—then maybe things would be worth it.
~o0o~
Fujitaka Kinomoto came home to find Syaoran Li sleeping on their couch, and he smiled. He had known why Sakura had fled, and while it pained him to let his daughter go, he decided he would deal with it when she returned. He had known it would end badly the moment Yue had given a lame excuse for not showing up, and when Sakura had left without facing him, his worst fears were confirmed.
Syaoran stirred, and Fujitaka smiled. The younger man cared for Sakura, and Sakura liked him a lot. They were friends, but Fujitaka was surprised when Touya, normally reticient on the subject of Sakura's romances, had suddenly blurted out on the way home that he wished it was Syaoran Sakura was dating instead of Yue.
"And why is that?" Fujitaka asked gently.
"Even if he takes something precious away from us, he knows her value. I hate him, I hate everyone who has the power to hurt my little kaijuu, Dad, but…" Touya sighed.
"But Li-kun seems a little better than the rest" Fujitaka prodded, smiling.
Touya eyed his father. "You knew all along, didn't you?"
"Sakura-san tried too hard to seem happy throughout the meal. I would not impose my beliefs on her, especially since she was already hurt. Just as I don't impose on you, even though at times you seem to need a little help with the situation you find yourself in with Tsukishiro-kun and Tomoyo-san."
Touya put a hand on his father's shoulder. "I'm sorry…I didn't know you knew."
"It's a special power of fathers," Fujitaka joked lightly. "But if I may? Always be happy with your decisions. That's all."
Fujitaka climbed the stairs to Sakura's room, and knocked gently.
"Otou-san?" Sakura called.
"May I come in?"
"Yes."
Fujitaka came in and saw a drawn-looking Sakura sitting up in bed looking out the window. She turned to him, and without a word, he sat by her side and hugged her.
"Always remember, Sakura-san," he said gently, "that we love you, no matter what."
Sakura began to cry, and Fujitaka held her as she sobbed. She needed to let it out; he would have argued that his daughter needed to cry to cope with things, and would have been very annoyed at anyone who would stop her from crying when she needed it. The trick was to know when to stop her, and when he knew it was time to do so, he crooned, "That's enough, my dear daughter."
Holding her away from him, Fujitaka smiled. "Feel better?"
A tiny smile. "I think so, otou-san."
"Things always seem worse than they really are at first, but think of it this way: At least you found out what Yue-san was like before you were in too deep. And now you're free to find new love." Fujitaka's eyes twinkled; he had a candidate, but he would not tell Sakura that; it might spoil the development of her relationship with Syaoran.
"You always know what to say to make me feel better," Sakura said gratefully.
"That's a dad's power," he chuckled. "And Sakura-san?"
"Yes, otou-san?"
"Happy birthday. I know it was yesterday, and I can only wish Yue had timed his breakup with you earlier."
Sakura smiled. "He didn't. I broke things up."
Fujitaka smiled again. "That's my brave little girl. Now go and wake Li-kun; he must be sore from sleeping on the couch."
"Hoe! He stayed?" Sakura frantically stood up. "Why didn't he tell me?"
"I'm sure he just wanted to be sure you were all right." Fujitaka stood up as well. "I'll go unpack my things from the conference, and if it's all right with you, can we have pancakes?"
"Okay!" Sakura smiled, then hugged her father. "I love you, otou-san."
"And I love you," Fujitaka said. "My best reward will be when you smile the Sakura smile again."
Sakura nodded, feeling like a happy child, and as soon as she struggled into a shirt and shorts, she ran downstairs.
Syaoran raised his head when Sakura dashed into the living room; all he heard was, "Pancakes! I know you like Western breakfasts so stay there and wait!"
As Syaoran, Fujitaka, and Sakura sat down to breakfast, Fujitaka watched his daughter and her friend, smiling when he realized that Syaoran probably had few friends and cherished Sakura a lot. They laughed, teased each other, and had an easy familiarity with each other that Fujitaka liked seeing.
Perhaps in time, he mused. Yes, that would be a wonderful possibility.
Syaoran drove home to bathe, and then later, he took Sakura out for lunch as 'payment' for the breakfast—and a belated birthday celebration. Tomoyo called, giving Sakura an earful about going missing without telling her, and Sakura had to promise she would allow her best friend to take her shopping for a 'post-breakup-pizzazz wardrobe.' Plus the details of what happened.
"You have to love that woman," Syaoran chuckled.
"I do," Sakura said gratefully. "And you too, for being one of my best friends."
"Nah, you love me because I'm the best," he bragged playfully.
"Well, if you say so." And she slapped his arm lightly.
They went to the Cat's Eye café, bickering about who owed whom what.
"Look, I surrender, you bossy woman," Syaoran said after a long accounting of who had paid for which meal in the past few months.
"Good," Sakura crossed her arms smugly. "It's my birthday and I'll buy you what I want to."
"How do you feel?" Syaoran asked.
Sakura sobered. "I don't know."
Oh crap I just had to bring it up, Syaoran thought. "Sakura, I…"
"It's okay…" "No, I didn't…"
Syaoran sat back. "You go first. Sorry about that."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Did you just say the word sorry?"
"Uh," and Syaoran looked guilty, "I don't know."
"Hooray! It's a special day!" Sakura cheered. But Syaoran knew she was trying to avoid the topic and pretend she was all right.
Syaoran looked at her and moved closer. "You don't have to force your cheer on my behalf," he said softly. "I-you need time to deal with the Yue shit. So, just be you. Okay?" And he bent her head to lean on his shoulder, holding her hand reassuringly.
She sighed. "You know me that well? I must be more mysterious then."
"And quit the jokes." Syaoran said gently.
"They make me feel better."
"All right, but you were never really the jokey type," Syaoran grumbled.
The Cat's Eye Café owner Fay suddenly materialized in front of them, and Syaoran almost jumped. He held out a large mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows, whipped cream, and sprinkles to Sakura.
"This is my antidote to tales of woe," he said as he set it down in front of Sakura and smiled. "No matter how bad it is, if you share it with a friend, things get better." He bowed, and left a small note on the table reading, "This lunch is on the house. Happy birthday, Sakura-chan!"
"Hoe!" Sakura turned a glare on Syaoran. "Why did you tell him?"
"I didn't!" Syaoran said indignantly. "And we weren't planning to go here today, so how could I have told him?"
Sakura frantically motioned a smiling waitress, who said, "The owner has left instructions not to accept any payment from you or from him." She indicated Syaoran with her eyes.
"All right then. We'll be back for more meals instead," Syaoran said cheerfully.
"Your business is always welcome, Li-san," she said.
Sakura, Syaoran noticed, was smiling a little more ever since the unexpected birthday greeting. She likes surprises, he thought, and filed the little idea away for future reference.
~o0o~
Sakura and Syaoran spent the next few days together; he took her to work sometimes, and when she was late, he would pick her up, grumbling at her insistence on using public transportation. As usual she forced "payment" on him, in this case, a weekend lunch.
When they discovered Touya was home to get some papers from their files in the basement, Syaoran was uneasy; Touya had never really taken to him and a negative chemistry crackled between brother and best friend, something that amused Sakura. Though they had gotten along well at the Imperial Hotel, Syaoran still felt uneasy around the gruff older man.
But on this late April afternoon, as Sakura washed the dishes, Touya had given him a gruff once-over.
"You two still aren't dating?" he asked. "I thought otou-san said the long-haired wuss Yue was out of the picture."
"Huh? No..." Why would Touya even think that, Syaoran wondered. It would be like dating a sister, for heaven's sake.
Touya raised an eyebrow. "Are you gay?"
Like you? Syaoran wanted to retort, but he bit his tongue, remembering the smoldering chemistry between Touya and Tomoyo, so he instead clenched his fists and teeth before grinding out, "NO."
"My sister is beautiful. What's wrong with you? Why do you hang around her if you don't want her?" Touya pressed.
"What?" Syaoran was surprised by the question, looking at Touya as though the latter were stupid. "Who wouldn't want to be her friend?" was what he blurted out, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The older brother looked at him gravely, then said, to Syaoran's surprise, "You'll do."
"What?" Touya's behavior was puzzling Syaoran, and he was getting a strange feeling, one that made him uneasy.
"You take care of Sakura." A ghost of a smile was on Touya's lips. "Better you than the long-haired Chinese snobface…"
"Hey, I'm Chinese too," Syaoran retorted.
"Just a brat, not a snotty snobface," Touya said. "Like I said, better you, Chinese brat, than that Chinese snot or that cheating pretty boy. If you ever make Sakura cry, I'll get you. Even if I'm dead, I'll come back from the grave and haunt you."
Is he actually joking with me? Syaoran wondered, his jaw open. His natural antagonism moved him to say, "You'd have to die first." He delighted in pointing out the obvious.
"Cheeky sod." Yet Touya's expression was indecipherable; neither hostile nor angry, he was just looking at Syaoran in a way Syaoran couldn't read.
Syaoran huffed; what was with the strange British expression? His bangs flew upwards. "We're not dating. We don't think of each other that way," he bristled.
Touya had merely looked at him thoughtfully, and when Sakura reappeared at that point, he ruffled her hair, making her screech in annoyance, and said, "You go on with your brat boyfriend to wherever your afternoon date is."
"Syaoran is NOT my boyfriend! You're mean, onii-chan!" Sakura yelled after him. "Honestly!"
"Maybe I should take lessons from him on how to piss you off," Syaoran said roguishly, a crooked smile on his lips.
"Yes, well, he doesn't like you so good luck," Sakura had said. She took his hand and said, "Well, so are we going to go look for your new house?"
"Got my eye on three," Syaoran held up a list of addresses. "Two are formerly lived in, and one is brand new. The first used to belong to a big family that migrated to Taiwan, the second was owned by one of Eriol's celebrity friends. The last one, well, let's save that for last because I want your opinion on it. All three offer deep discounts for a cash purchase."
"Well, then let's start with your first," Sakura smiled. "And how are you paying for this?"
"I sold my old house with Loraina, and I've got a bit saved up from my work with Eriol and from the commercial jingle work," Syaoran said cheerfully. "The turnover is in May. I'll stay with Eriol and put my stuff in storage until the new place is ready. What say you help me decorate it?"
"Me and Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura said gleefully. "She's the best."
I knew it would come down to that, Syaoran thought, and he sighed; it meant Eriol would also be involved. "Okay then. Let's go!"
The first house, they discovered, tended to be drafty; the second was so large and ornate, Sakura joked that Syaoran could run a bordello on half of the first floor. But the last one had a lovely high slender white metal fence running around the property. It was designed Western-style, with a driveway, a parking garage for two vehicles, and several peach and sakura trees in the yard. Once inside, they found that it seemed to have been designed with Syaoran in mind: on the ground floor, a large drawing room sat next to an empty hall which he could use for a studio. The last room was a kitchen, and a toilet and bath was next to a ground floor guest room. On the second floor were four bedrooms; Syaoran intended to use one as a library or study, and he playfully kidded Sakura that she was welcome to have one permanent room there.
"Hah. I might take you up on that," she kidded back. "But otou-san needs someone at home with him."
"Oh, that's fine," Syaoran said. "You only need to be here once a week, when you clean up for me."
"SYAORAN!" She slapped his arm, and it quickly degenerated into a tickling and wrestling match, with both participants leaving a flummoxed real estate agent asking, "Pardon, but are you married?"
"Over my dead body," Sakura grumbled as she struggled to her feet. "Why would I marry this pervert?"
"For the money," Syaoran saucily retorted.
"You…" Sakura tried to stomp on his foot, but missed.
"Er…" the agent said, "does this mean Li-san does not like the house?"
Sakura and Syaoran looked at her.
"Of course I am!"
"He definitely is!"
The agent sighed, then said, "Well, then I shall prepare the deed of sale for Li-san this Monday." She carefully edged away from the seemingly lunatic couple, and left a cloud of dust behind her as she fled.
"And now," Syaoran grinned, "we have something else to celebrate! My new home!"
Sakura smiled. "Happy?"
"Well," and Syaoran sat on one of the stairs, "I dunno. It's a new start."
"So can I now set you up with one of my friends?"
"Don't push your luck," Syaoran growled. "Just because your love life blew up in your face doesn't mean you can set me up badly so you can feel better."
Unoffended, Sakura grinned. "I have a lot of pretty friends."
"Oh shut up and let's go get some snacks. Then we can talk to Daidouji and Eriol about getting this place decorated. Okay?"
Sakura giggled. "Okay then." Hand in hand, they left and wandered down the main street of the district to find a place to eat.
To those who saw them, they seemed like a happily married couple—and neither of them knew how soon it would be that they would actually be married.
~o0o~
When Eriol met with Yong Song Li, he was shocked at the older man's appearance. He seemed to have aged a decade in the month since Eriol had last seen him, but despite that, he was smiling.
"I don't have long to live, Eriol," he said quietly as they spoke in Eriol's Tokyo penthouse in the rich district of Ginza.
"You oughtn't speak that way," Eriol said, worry lines showing on his forehead. "And should you not be speaking to Syaoran instead of me?"
Yong Song cleared his throat. "I want my son to marry Sakura. They went househunting the other day, and I believe she will be the best bride for him."
"I still think you ought to talk to Syaoran. Meddling in his personal life is a guaranteed way to infuriate him."
"And you're snow-white in purity when it comes to this meddling?" Yong Song's eyes twinkled.
"Yes, well, but uncle, I've known him since we were children."
"And he is my son." Yong Song settled back in his seat. "I was distant as he grew up, and I made no efforts to truly know him, my daughters, and my wife. I'm afraid Yelan and I were quite aloof with each other, and I hope her bitterness does not become Syaoran's."
"Then why don't you make up with Aunt Yelan-san?" Eriol pointed out the obvious.
"It's very hard when you've spent thirty years being silent antagonists to each other. I can't undo the past, but perhaps I can help Syaoran's future. His sisters have all made love matches, and since his mother is making noises about a bride catalog, I intend to stave that off by forcing Syaoran to see what life could be like with lovely Sakura Kinomoto. How wonderful that her boyfriend's timing for their breakup fits into my plans," he smiled.
Eriol sighed; he could see where Syaoran's stubbornness and refusal to listen to ideas other than his own came from. But then, Yong Song had a point. And if things worked out, then maybe the relationship between Sakura and Syaoran could deepen.
"All right then, uncle. I will help you."
"Wonderful. Now your first task, Eriol-kun, is to find me a lawyer here, who specializes in international law. I'm too well-known in Hong Kong for my will to remain a secret until the time comes. Syaoran must not know, do you hear?"
"Are you not afraid that he or Sakura will date others in the meantime?"
Yong Song mused, "She's still heartbroken, and he—Syaoran has never given his affections easily. Just a little more time."
"You have all the bases covered."
"Well, if you believe that," and Yong Song grinned, "then I will die right before Syaoran's next birthday."
Eriol never doubted for a second that Yong Song would will himself to do so.
But to their shock, it was the Kinomotos and Yukito Tsukishiro who died first.
~o0o~
In Chapter 4: Syaoran helps Sakura through two of the worst moments of her life, and she is forced to face another demon from her past.
EDIT to add notes:
Fujitaka's use of "-san" with Sakura is in canon; in the original anime, dubbed version (NOT the Cardcaptors Nelvana dub, which was awful), he ALWAYS addresses her as such. In the manga, in the Master of the Clow arc, Sakura is musing on the similarities between Eriol and her dad, and one of these is how he calls her Sakura-san (Samples: Volume 7, last page for Eriol; Volume 1 page 23 for Fujitaka). It is a mark of respect, not degradation in this case, and once I find the link to an essay that discusses why Eriol and Fujitaka both address her with this honorific, I'll post it.
Sakura doesn't like to fight much, and I was afraid her scene with Yue in the last chapter was a bit too much. But then in the second season, when she captures Snow, Kero notes, "Girls sure are scary when they are mad." Since CLAMP personally oversaw every single episode of CCS then we can take them for canon reference.
Sakura hiding when unhappy: She cries to cope, and Syaoran and Fujitaka are the only ones in the series to realize that she needs to cry to get things out of her system (which is very sweet, ne?) When she is upset when Syaoran first appears, she reluctantly talks to Tomoyo and in the series she does tend to withdraw when unhappy. I figured the tendency would be amplified after what she's been through.
Syaoran can be very affectionate when he and Sakura are alone; I felt that he can be the touchy feely type, based on how he acts in the manga and the anime. The elevator episode, which I adore, has him spontaneously hugging her after he thinks he's lost her. Syaoran tends to do things before thinking of the consequences, and so I put that in here. He also likes to yell "Kuso!" which can be both innocuous and dirty, so given his rough character I decided he would tend to have a potty mouth when older. Syaoran doesn't care much for anyone's opinion of him unless it's that of someone he cares for.
And while we're on that, Syaoran is not unnaturally dense. See how long he held on, not confessing to Sakura in both the manga and anime out of respect for her feelings? Also it took him forever to figure them out. Given he's still reeling from the whole Alia/Loraina business, it will take time for him to realize that he's started on loving Sakura already. And as per canon, Sakura won't realize her feelings until later :D
In canon Syaoran's dad passed away when he was little. Also I've come to realize that maybe my handling of Yelan in Slowly Sweetly was wrong, as I've watched the first movie again. I know I took the opposite spectrum of her feelings but...anyway here I decided Syaoran's dad might want to try and give his son some happiness as his legacy.
I chose not to make Touya overly protective and having a "sister complex" as he does in the manga and anime (Yukito twits him about this a lot haha) because I thought he might let go once he knows she's older, but then his protectiveness also allows him to see what can be good for her. In the anime and manga he and Syaoran got off to a bad start since, hell, he DID catch Syaoran attacking his sister! So I tried to envision what it would be like had they gotten off to a less awful start ^_^
Thank you and apologies for the quick responses instead of PMs: sootyxsnowpetal- thank you and yes, I feel better thanks to support from nice people like you! I am enjoying writing about the buildup to the wedding, and may cut out Yelan from this version. DineyBlue- I got the ideas for both from you (hugs) when you mentioned that before. Thank you! pyscho-pyro-shrink- thanks! DN Angel and Cardcaptor Sakura- Since Syaoran himself doesn't know it yet, it will still be Some time ^_^ Yingfa Dreamer- Oh thank you and yes, I loved writing that scene! AngelEmCuti- thanks! broken emerald- Funny how this rewrite is actually the slower version, haha! smile4meeh- I try to keep them in character, and since a friend provided me with the manga scanlations, I hope I'll have an even better grip on them soon! silver silhouette 08- I would love to but how about if you ask one of your reviewers for now since I have my hands full with school and work? A beta who can work closely with you would be a wonderful thing! Enigma infinite- Thanks! puasloma- Thanks! cupid17-oh yes, hindsight is 20-20! bangag pa- well since it wasn't plagiarism anymore since she apologized and took it down, ok na! I know what you mean and am not offended. yes, PinoyChi me, and I just see so many cases like Sakura went through so I used what I know here. Admittedly they're a lot less like this in HK where some family members live, but I decided to take Yelan Li's character to the opposite extreme of who she was in the first movie--which might have been a mistake (cries). uvr-b!u5H'd- Thanks too! More Than Useless- Now you know who's behind the marriage of convenience! Yes, and congratulations for seeing Yue's hypocrisy! You're right there. And yes, Sakura wanted to hide for a while. Funny thing is, she WILL run into an ex soon--but under worse circumstances (hint hint). Thanks! Julia and Tania- I can never thank you enough for the wealth of advice contained in your wonderful beta work for me, which as you can see is continued in this story. Ooh, yes, I decided to use lyrics (in paragraph form, so as not to distract the reader) to mirror what Syaoran thinks and feels. Thank you! XxButterflyxAngelxLover You and me both, although in truth I know people like Yue who honestly cannot see how they hurt people with their biases. Seirin- Oh thank you! Please keep reading! SilentCynara- I read your work before! Thank you for the review, and maybe someday we can work together? Just hoping! xSapphirexRosesxFanx Sorry this was a bit late, but as you will see later, Yue really thinks he did not do anything wrong--which makes it worse haha.