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Sakura picked another piece of black-peppered meat and bit into them. She sighed in satisfaction and chew slowly. She had a love for red meat and once she had a taste she could barely stop. Tomoyo had called her a carnivore once or twice, or every other week. She did not have any will to object especially when she knew Tomoyo was probably right. Sakura shrugged. It must have been a trait from her mother's side.

Nadeshiko was a Wild clan royalty. She was gentle, graceful and very beautiful. Her father, Prince Fujitaka (now King Fujitaka) at the moment, met her when he went hunting in the forest and had fallen in love with the Wild princess. They were married three months later and the country celebrated the union of the two clans.

Sakura was startled when Syaoran pulled a chair opposite from hers and sat. Sakura had a keen hearing, a gift from her mother's side and the fact that she can't hear Syaoran moving into the dining room bothered her quite a bit. She made a move to stand and curtsy but Syaoran lifted a hand, signaling her to stay as she was. Sakura shrugged and picked another piece and pushed it delicately between her lips. Sakura was quite sure moaning at the taste would be considered inappropriate, she smiled lazily instead.

"I assumed you feel better, Sakura." Syaoran drawled out.

"Much better. Thank you for your concern." Sakura answered, tilting her head slightly.

Syaoran let a curl of a smile danced on his lips. He could sense nothing wrong on her physically but magically..Syaoran brushed his magic along her shield and Sakura started before drawing what was left of her magic tightly against her core.

"You can't use your magic."Syaoran stated almost absently. Sakura bristled. He was being extremely familiar with her and Sakura didn't know what to make of him. People don't just brush their magic with people they just met for all that's magic sake! He didn't even bother to look guilty for that breach of conduct. He was also using her given name without asking permission. Sakura frowned.

"Not for the time being."Sakura agreed grudgingly, giving up in trying making him feel guilty with her glare.

"You're keeping this a secret from Theo." Syaoran's eyes bored into her own. A statement, not a question.

Sakura's gaze steeled and Syaoran was fascinated when he saw pale blue swirled into her original forest green.

"And it will remain a secret from him." Sakura pressed.

At Syaoran's quick nod, Sakura's temper settled and she sighed.

"You can't tell him. He would be obliged to tell my father. My father would tell my mother and she would tell Touya. Touya would come here and Touya coming here is bad. Very bad."She muttered darkly

"Prince Touya? Your brother?" Syaoran lifted his eyebrow.

"A very protective older brother."She corrected him. "We're fairly a closely knit family and no matter how old or how strong I get, I am still his little sister."

Syaoran hummed in understanding.

"I heard you kicked the Fire Prince in the crotch." Sakura jolted in surprise at the unexpected statement and lifted her eyes to watch him. If his face was any indication, Sakura would have to guess that he was amused.

"You also kicked one of the assassins on the same spot." His eyes fairly danced with amusement this time.

Sakura shrugged. "It's the best defense I know against men and both deserved it."

Syaoran winced, she got that right.

Mistaken his expression for disbelief, she insisted."It's true. The assassin I do not need to explain but the stupid prince tried to grope me."

Syaoran lowered his lashes, careful to hide the fury her simple statement evoked. Sakura eyed the last bit of meat on her plate and looked up at Syaoran.

"Do you want the last bite?" Sakura asked, mainly out of courtesy.

Syaoran shook his head with a small smile. Sakura finished her meal and stood.

"By your leave, your highness." Sakura curtsied. She was forced to step back when Syaoran appeared beside her. He is fast.

"I would like us to drop the formalities, Sakura." Syaoran allowed her to take another step back so that she could look at him better. There it was again. Her name on his tongue.

"It is common courtesy to address someone like you with some sort of title." Sakura frowned.

Syaoran smiled. "Common courtesy also dictates that once I call you by your given name, you should call me by mine too."

Sakura blinked. He was right.

"If you insist, Syaoran." She tasted his name on her tongue and decided that she kind of liked it.

Syaoran smile was smug this time. "Now if that's settled, shall we go?"

Bemused but Sakura followed him nonetheless. She felt safe with him. The admission startled her a bit. She was not quick to trust but her instinct, her heart insisted that she could trust him. And she trusted him because she trusted her heart. It was that simple. He led her out the villa and walked straight into the forest.

Sakura had to lift an eyebrow over that but she followed him without a second thought. He had no reason to hurt her and if he planned to, she could always kick him where it hurts the most. Smiling a little at the thought, she allowed her mind to relax.

She loved the forest, often sneaking into the forest beside her castle during the night when she was little. The soft moonlight on each of the snow covered leaves, the gentle wind running through her hair and the smooth whispers of the tree. How could anyone be afraid of the forest, she still couldn't comprehend. She probably had the same thought about the man striding confidently in front of her. She watched as soft wind brushed against his bangs. Her steps faltered and come to a stop.

She had heard whispered stories about him. She saw the barely coiled power beneath his frame. Heard of his cunning and strength. People were intimidated by him. Syaoran stopped and turned, as if sensing that she had stop following, his movements relaxed, unhurried. He raised a dark eyebrow at her and Sakura came to a conclusion. He is heavenly, from head to toe. Picture perfectly so. An arrogant quirk of his lips told her that he noticed her noticing.

"Come here." Syaoran bid her to follow him again.

Sakura blushed; she was actually caught staring at him. She hastily walked towards him again. Syaoran waited until she was near, offered her a smile that make her heart take notice and started walking deeper into the woods. This time Sakura followed without fail. Syaoran was content letting the silence filled the space between them and Sakura's mind couldn't help but to wander.

She eyed the man in front of her again. He was slight in built but she could see that he was powerful, both physically and magically. She could understand why people were afraid of him. His gait, his movements, speed and his nature screamed one thing. Danger. But not to you, her heart insisted. Sakura frowned. Her heart was being awfully chatty this morning.

Her musing was interrupted when Syaoran suddenly stopped. Sakura halted and realized that they were on an open field. Syaoran turned to fix his eyes on her. He leaned against a tree nearby comfortably, watching her. Sakura decided to make herself comfortable too, Syaoran didn't look like he's going to talk any time soon. She sat under the tree Syaoran was leaning against, accepting the shade the leaves offered.

"You are powerless without your magic." Syaoran finally interrupted the silence. Sakura lifted her head to get a better view of him and saw his mouth curled at one corner. "..unless of course you're kicking men at their crotch." Sakura bristled but Syaoran only looked amused.

Syaoran lifted his hands as a placating gesture. "I can help you with that. But we are running out of time." Sakura flinched at the unwanted reminder. Syaoran chose to ignore her and continued; his voice gentle. "A war is at hand and we can't have you powerless to fend for yourself when they send another bout of assassins."

Syaoran watched her from beneath his lashes. Her back had gone ramrod straight and her eyes determined.

"You're going to teach me how to fight without using magic?"

Syaoran nodded silently and watched as Sakura smiled. Finally. No one had bothered to train her in hand-to hand-combat. She had tried persuading Touya to teach her but he could never treat her seriously, mainly because she's his sister.

"Just kick them where it hurts the most." Touya would then pat her head and walked away, chuckling to himself.

"When?" Sakura asked.

"Whenever you're ready."

"Now. Will you teach me now?" She asked eagerly but Syaoran noticed something behind her eyes.

"Why do you want to fight?" Syaoron questioned.

Her answer was simple, a name to be precise. "Damion."

"You are angry." Syaoran noted with satisfaction. Anger would be a strong motivator.

Sakura's eyes lightened and her cold smile widened. "That power hungry fool is gathering his allies to take over my people, my country and they don't care how many people they have to kill. Said fool also wanted to make me part of his harem and if I am unwilling they would kill me. They are planning to assassinate me and my family so that there are no successors left to the Ice Clan throne. I am not angry. I am enraged."

Syaoran nodded his approval and crossed his arms across his chest loosely. "You learned how to use guns?" He questioned.

"Touya brought it home last year. The non-magic mercenary and assassins used them as a means to not get their hands dirty. Rather ingenious of them, don't you suppose?"

"Quite." Syaoran agreed. "But it has it's weakness that you can't control. The number of bullets it could contain for example and the smell of gun powder are easy to identify. I found you the first time by following that scent." He frowned at the thought. "However, this also means that the enemy could also track you using this method."

Sakura smiled. "But what happens if I got caught again without my powers? Without the smell of gun powder, you can't track me. Who's going to.."

She stopped when Syaoran vanished and she only registered that he was close behind her by the slight crunch of grass beneath his boots. He placed a hand beneath her navel and pulled her closer so that her back was plastered against his front. Warm breath caressed the side of her neck and she fought the urge to shiver.

"I know your scent now. I don't need any gun powder residue to find you. Not anymore."

Sakura stepped forward, out of his proximity and he let her. She turned to face him, a demand on her tongue. Why are you being so familiar with me? Syaoron tilted his head slightly and watched her lazily beneath his lashes.

"You got to teach me how you move so fast." She decided not to acknowledge the unspoken challenge she saw in his eyes. He was daring her to ask him. Sakura wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

Syaoran lifted an eyebrow and chuckled. "We have to build your stamina first." She was close enough to reach and unable to resist temptation, he reached forward, capturing strands of her hair. He eyed her attire. She was wearing a soft tunic, soft pants and boots. They are perfect for what he had in mind.

"I suggest you run Sakura." He whispered.

"What?"

"Run."

Sakura turned and ran into the forest. She avoided tree branches with practiced ease, her heart thumping a wild beat beneath her chest. Sakura could hear Syaoran chasing after her and she knew exactly when he jumped up onto a tree. Sakura changed directions when her instincts clamored against her mind, trusting them faithfully. She went thicker into the forest, where the trees are denser.

The hair behind her neck stands and she struggled to run faster. A blurry figure tackled her to the ground, wrapping his arms around her back so that his arms took the brunt of the fall. Despite that, the fall managed to knock the breath out of her. Sakura gasped for breath, willing her heartbeat to slow down. As soon as she opened her eyes, the first thing her vision captured was his smug smile. Sakura muttered an expletive under her breath and struggled to get up. He wasn't even out of breath.

"Very good." Syaoran muttered softly.

He allowed her to get up, offering his hand to help her. Sakura glared at him instead, a frown marring her face. She stood defiantly, turned her back towards him and started sprinting again. Syaoran's eyes glinted, a predatory smile curled on his lips. He silently counted to ten and starts chasing again.

Sakura had to admit that she was too dependent on her powers, relying that they would always be there when she needed them. It was rare but not unusual for a power user's source to run dry. She was ambushed countless of time these past weeks and her power could be unstable at times. Most of the assassins were unbelievably easy to defeat, as if testing her limits. Using her powers could tire her easily and they probably knew that. They had found her weak spot and now that they probably know her powers had ran out, at least for the time being, they would send their best to finish her off.

Her sensitive hearing caught a crunch on her right side and she twisted just in time to get out of Syaoran's way. She turned to face him, planting her feet aligned with the width of her shoulder and bent her knees, a fighting stance. Syaoran eyed her form and circled her predatorily. Sakura kept her body angled towards him, her eyes eyeing him warily. He lunged and Sakura couldn't help but squeak before she managed to throw a punch. Syaoran captured her fist easily and dodge the other, bringing his face inches away from hers. He tapped her nose with his forefinger teasingly.

"Gotcha." Syaoran purred.

Sakura blushed when his warm breath ghost over her cheek. Syaoran found himself oddly satisfied when he saw the dust of pink covering Sakura's cheeks. He stepped away from her and brushed her knuckles across his lips. Sakura's eyes narrowed and Syaoroan dropped her hands, the soft smile still curling on his lips.

"Run."

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