Hey guys, what's up? Exams are over and I managed to get this done in one and a half days. I'm going away on Monday and wont be back til Thursday, so I doubt I'll have any time to write between now and then, since I have other stuff to do. But still, we have this, and I hope you enjoy.

Something of Yours

Chapter Thirteen

Bitterness

Syaoran stood up quickly, followed by the rest of the group. He was unable to speak; he could only stare at her. Her belly was starting to show; she'd looked good before, but now she was glowing. "Sak – I-I mean… Kinomoto…" He stammered.

Sakura's face hardened. Uneasy, her father ushered everyone but Syaoran out of the room, stating that they 'needed to talk'. Once everyone was out of the room, Sakura managed to tear her gaze away from Syaoran, a blush starting to come across her face. Forcing the murderous thoughts back, she managed to bring her gaze up to look at him. She glared with all her might. "What are you doing here? And with her." She spat.

"H-her?" Syaoran scratched the top of his head in confusion. Realisation dawned on him. "Oh. Tomoyo." Sakura's eyes flashed at the name. He involuntarily took a step back. "Uh we-we wanted to help you."

Sakura barely bit back an undignified snort. "Oh yes. You're all so great at helping." She flopped down onto the couch, crossing her legs and glaring up at him.

"Are you sure you should sit down like that?" Syaoran's brow furrowed. "Isn't it dangerous?"

"Since when do you care?"

Syaoran was taken aback by the harsh comment. He managed to stammer a bit before sinking back into the armchair, his face in his hands. "Kinomoto, how can you…? How can you say that? Of course I-"

"Care?" Sakura cut across him. "Oh yes. You care so much that you didn't even come to see me after the Ball. Not one visit or phone call. Hell, there wasn't even a letter! Tell me, Li, do you expect me to open up to you, after everything I've gone through? After everything I know I'm going to go through? That I would just forgive you?" She barked out a derisive laugh. "Boy, you have your head in the clouds. I don't want you near me. Or my baby. I don't want you in the same country as us. I want you gone. For good."

"You can't tell me to do that."

Sakura met his eyes. "The Hell I can't." She leaned forward, clasping her hands as they rested on her knees. "I'm not ready to be a mother. You're not ready to be a father. Me? I can adapt." She added, the corners of her mouth twitching in a smirk at Syaoran's insulted look. "You? I doubt you have enough maturity to compare to a five year old."

"This coming from the girl who ran away from me after blurting out that she was pregnant?"

"Oh screw you, Li." She snorted, resting on her back of the chair. "Oh wait; I've already done that. Not that great, either." She added nonchalantly, suddenly finding her nails very interesting as Syaoran's face went red and he began to splutter. "Take my advice." She said darkly, dropping her hand and glaring at him again. "Go be daddy's little man; because I can promise you that if you come anywhere near me after tonight, you'll be daddy's little Princess when I'm through with you."

"No, come on…" Syaoran sighed, "…you don't mean that…"

"Try me."

Syaoran winced at the finality of her tone. Slowly, he took a deep breath and stood, his fists white as they clenched at his sides. Sakura could hear his deep breathing, could see him shaking as he tired to control himself. She took a deep breath of her own as she relaxed against the back of the chair and looked up at him with a poisonous glare. "Get out of my house."

"With pleasure." Syaoran grunted, stalking toward the front door without going for the rest of his party. Sakura stood and stalked over to the doorway, roughly pulling it open.

"What?" She glared at the three women on the other side. Yelan, Sonomi, and Tomoyo had all had their ears pressed against the door, trying to hear what was being said. "Get out of my way." She spat, glaring down at Tomoyo and Sonomi. Her mother's cousin, and her daughter. Her own family. Heh, she thought, it figures.

"Sakura…" Tomoyo rose to her feet and enveloped Sakura in a warm hug. Sakura stood as stiff as a board as Tomoyo blubbered into her ear, honestly not caring what she was saying.

She shoved her off. "Don't touch me." She spat. "I don't care what you have to say. Get away from me and never come back." She swept past them and up the stairs. About halfway up, she turned back to look at her father. "I'm not hungry anymore; you can finish my dinner if you want it. I'll take my dessert later on tonight, if I feel my appetite come back. Good night." And then she continued thundering up the stairs.

She slammed her bedroom door shut and went to open the window. Her eyes spotted two cars parked out the front. Syaoran was leaning against one of them, glaring at the front door with a smouldering look of absolute rage marring his handsome features. Almost as if he felt Sakura's eyes on him, he turned to glance up at the window, just in time to catch Sakura's eyes before she turned to close the window again. They locked eyes before she snorted and slammed the window shut again.

Sakura felt a fluttering in her stomach that reminded her of her little impending bundle of joy, and managed a small smile. This was all for the baby, she told herself; they were both better off if she and the father stayed separate. Maybe, when the baby was older, she might seek Syaoran out. But, for now, she was content to be on her own.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Sakura?" Fujitaka knocked on her bedroom door two hours later. It was past ten, but Fujitaka had a slight suspicion that Sakura would still be awake. His suspicions were proved correct when a murmured 'come in' greeted him.

He opened the door to see his daughter sitting up in bed, staring out the window. She turned to him with a serene smile on her lips, her eyes seeming far away, and her hand resting on her belly. "I feel so… liberated." She whispered. "Like nothing's weighing me down… like I'm free."

"Im so proud of you." Fujitaka murmured, sitting next to her and brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You handled yourself really well tonight. And you didn't go crawling back to Syaoran, like most girls your age would have done. You held your own and you didn't waver in the slightest." She kissed her forehead. "I couldn't have asked for a more level-headed daughter." His eyes flickered toward her stomach, which was exposed to the warm summer air. "And my grandchild couldn't have a better mother."

Sakura was positively glowing. "Thanks, Dad." She smiled. "That means a lot."

"I just came up here to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine." Sakura chuckled. "Though I feel an itching to slap something, I'm ok. Bubby hasn't stoped moving since dinner. I guess he can feel all the excitement, huh?"

"He?" Fujitaka raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure it's a he? Your ultrasound isn't until next week."

"I just have a sneaking suspicion." Sakura laughed. "I'll be damned if that ass's first child isn't a son."

"You really think so?" Fujitaka laughed. "And what are you going to do about him if he takes after his father?" He teased.

"Oh, don't wish that on me, Daddy!" Sakura whined, laying down on her back. "But if he does, he'll soon know it."

Fujitaka laughed, glad to have his happy daughter back. She'd been hiding from him far too long for the last fourteen weeks; it was refreshing to see her smile again. It reminded him that she was still there; she was still his little girl, and nothing would, or could, ever change that. He lay down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "My little girl…" he murmured, his eyes drifting shut as consciousness left him, "…all grown up."

Sakura smiled as she curled into her father's side and joined him in asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Tomoyo had not stopped crying all night.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Syaoran hollered, aiming a punch at the wall. "Will you shut the fuck up, Daidouji?!"

"No!"

He growled. "Damnit, she's just your cousin."

"She's been my best friend since we were babies!"

"She's carrying my flesh and blood!"

Silence invaded the room following this outburst. Syaoran was so enraged; he could think of little else. Couldn't she see that he was trying to help her?! His temper had been roused so violently that he felt the need to break something. Preferably something living, to hear the satisfying scream of pain; he'd never felt so angry in his entire life!

"Perhaps," Sonomi started from her chair by the fireplace, "all our past behaviours have soured her to us."

"You think?" Syaoran bit back sarcastically.

"Give her time to calm down." Eriol suggested, rubbing Tomoyo's back as she fought to regain her composure. "I'm sure she'll be more willing to receive us if we play it slowly."

"There's no time!"

"Syaoran, calm yourself down this instant!" Yelan cried. "You're not doing anyone any good just pacing around here. Go outside and go for a run; burn off some of your anger, then come back and we'll think of something."

"I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you."

"Syaoran!" His mother cried again. "For goodness sake, boy! Your father is counting on her hating us! We have to try to get into her good books again."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Syaoran bit out. "She hates us, remember? She doesn't want me anywhere near her. She said as much tonight."

"Sakura often says things she does not mean." Sonomi set down her tea on the table next to her as she regarded Syaoran from he place by the fire. "It is likely that, in a fit of passion, all her pent-up rage unleashed itself; and you just happened to be the unfortunate target. I'm sure it could have happened to any of us. In fact, she said something similar to Tomoyo, as well."

"A-all the mo-more reason to th-think she m-means it!" Tomoyo managed to splutter out, before dissolving into hysterics again.

Syaoran's back hit the wall. He drowned out the sound of the women in the room bickering with each other over a course of action as he slid to the ground. He drew his knees to his chest, holding them there with an arm wrapped around his legs and his face on his knees. "I have to get out of here…" he muttered to himself, "…I can't take this any more."

Everyone was so engrossed n the current conversation that no one but Sonomi noticed Syaoran exiting the room. Excusing herself with the pretence of using the bathroom, she followed him out onto the balcony of a nearby room. His eyes were closed and his face was upturned to bask in the light of the full moon. She slowly and quietly came up behind him, resting her arms on the railing.

"It's not the end, you know." She murmured. "Don't give up."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Syaoran's voice was thick, as if he were trying to prevent himself from crying.

"We'll just have to take it slowly. Work from the outside in. I understand that Meiling is still on good terms with Sakura. Maybe we can work from there."

"Oh, so now we're using my cousin?" Syaoran's voice barely cracked.

"It might be the only way." Sonomi sighed, turning to walk away. "I wont tell the others you're here. You can have as much time as you need."

"Thanks, Ma'am."

Um… in case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to have this as a more… emotional story now. It's not about the plot; not really. It's all about characters and their feelings. I know the last few chapters have been slow, but the beginning of the story was so fast that I think its necessary to slow the pace a little.

Until next time. Please review.