Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to the wonderful CLAMP. I don't own the characters.

Sensei, I Love You

Chapter 27

"You are hiding here again," Yukito said as he breezed into Touya's hospital room. "You must know that even a principal has a limit to what he can do to help."

Sakura snuggled even closer to her brother, who was propped up on the bed and looking a little haggard.

Touya rolled his eyes in exasperation even though he was patting the top of Sakura's head like he used to do when they were younger. "I did try my best to persuade her to attend classes but she just wouldn't listen."

"I'm not going to school," Sakura said, squeezing her brother's arms with both of hers as if he would run off the moment she let go. "And I want to be with Touya-nii as much as possible."

Touya snorted. "I don't need twenty-four hour supervision. The nurses and doctors here are already doing a great job in keeping me healthy."

"Can't you just let me take care of you until you are discharged? It'll just be another day or two for you. I'm sure the doctors ran enough tests for you for the past four or five days."

"You have already missed three days of school!" Touya's temper flared. "You have to attend classes tomorrow. If you want to visit me, you can come after your lessons end. No argument from you, little missy."

"Geez... I'm old enough to make my own decision. I'll go to school when I want to."

"The school is not a holiday resort where you can go in and out at your own time."

"And Kaidou-Kouchou is getting a little annoyed with you," Yukito added. "He was looking into your attendance sheet today and wasn't really happy with what he saw."

"That's why you have to attend classes from tomorrow onwards. No more truancy and no more using me as an excuse not to go."

"Can I not see him?" Sakura asked in a meek voice as she peered at Yukito.

"Li-sensei?" Yukito asked, looking surprised. "Why? Weren't the two of you-"

"Yukito-san!" Sakura exclaimed, slanting an anxious glance at her brother.

Touya's sharp eyes narrowed at Sakura and Yukito's horrified expression. He slowly crossed his arms as he looked from one person to another. "What exactly am I missing out on?"

"Nothing!" Sakura replied hastily and winced at her high-pitched guilty voice.

"Yuki?"

"Huh?" Yukito fidgeted slightly. "Sakura-chan says nothing."

Touya sighed and shook his head. "The both of you are the lousiest liars I've ever seen."

Sakura smiled sheepishly and rubbed her arms in discomfort. Was she ready to tell Touya about how she lived after the accident? Or rather, would Touya be ready to hear all of that and especially about how she lived in the same house with her homeroom teacher. Sakura couldn't help but imagine a red volcano spewing smoke when she thought of how her brother would react.

"It would be better for you to know after you are discharged," Yukito said after a moment of silence in the room. "I wouldn't want to disturb the rest of the patients."

"Is it that bad?" Touya replied with an arched brow.

"Well, we know how well you respond to unpleasant things..."

Sakura bobbed her head in agreement. "You tend to be too loud."

"And violent too."

"Why do I feel that the two of you are ganging up on me?" Touya asked, looking a little peeved. "I'll know what you both are hiding from me sooner or later. Why hide now?"

Sakura sent a puppy-eye look at Yukito, silently asking for back-up. Torn between helping her and delaying Touya's outburst, Yukito finally chose the first option. "Patience, Touya. Just a few more days."

"Stubborn as always," he muttered and frowned at his sister. "You too."

She had the audacity to blush. "Hehe, my brother knows me best."

"Oh please," Touya said and rolled his eyes. "By the way, where's that guy? I haven't seen him since I woke up."

"It's better for him to stay away," Yukito said.

"Why do you say so?" Touya asked, feeling a little confused at the seriousness in Yukito's tone. "I know he was an arrogant classmate but he really helped us a lot. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here."

Sakura nodded. "Touya-nii has a point." She looked flustered when Yukito swung his gaze to hers. "Well, his second point did make some sense."

"If it weren't for him," Yukito's tone hardened. "If it weren't for him, the two of you won't be in this predicament!"

Touya contemplated Yukito's words in silence while Sakura remained confused. Touya looked from Sakura to Yukito and back to Sakura again before letting out a heavy sigh. "I know."

Yukito blinked, clearly surprised by his words. "You knew?"

Touya nodded solemnly. "I remembered a little of what happened after the crash. There were casualties in the other car too."

"You knew who crashed into us?" Sakura asked, feeling a little incredulous. What was Touya not telling.

"Only after I managed to extract myself from our car," Touya replied, his gaze turning distant. "He was shouting from the other side. Just like us. I recognized him."

Something clicked in Sakura's mind. Suddenly, the reason why Syaoran wanted to be a teacher became crystal clear. "Syaoran... sensei... He... He..."

"Yes, his father died in the crash too."

Sakura staggered backwards in shock. Her frantic gaze searched for some place to sit as her legs were buckling beneath her. That was indeed some news to be able to cause such a reaction from her. "So, the reason he became a teacher..."

Touya eyed his sister grimly. "To make amends for what his father did wrong."

Sakura's hands were shaking as she bent forward to cover a face in a fetal position. "It can't be..." she murmured. "No, it can't be."

"That's why you need to stay away from him," Yukito said. "His family was the reason for everything that happened. You need to stay away from him. It's for your own good. And Touya, why aren't you angry at him?"

Touya just shrugged. "It was an accident. What more would you want me to do?"

"Why didn't he tell me anything?" Sakura asked with her face still buried in her hands. She didn't want the men to see how distraught she was.

"He didn't say anything about that," Touya answered. "He only explained what happened. Now that I'm going to be all right, he'll be arranging a place to stay for us."

A knock sounded on the door and the room fell silent immediately. Touya cleared his throat after composing himself and bade whoever was outside to enter.

Syaoran's mother came in with a man in suit and a briefcase in his hand. She stopped short when she spotted Sakura in the room.

"Now I understand," she murmured and shrugged her shoulders. "No matter. It all ends now."

"Do we know you?" Touya asked from the bed, regarding Yelan with cool eyes.

"This young lady does," she replied with a wave in Sakura's direction. I'm Li Yelan, Syaoran's mother. I've come today with a proposition for you."

"W-what?" Sakura thought she had heard wrongly.

"A proposition," Yelan repeated, crossing her arms. Sakura wondered how she managed to make each action look so gave the man standing rigidly behind him a nod and he placed the briefcase on the counter at the foot of Touya's bed. It opened to reveal numerous neat stacks of cash. "This is our offer in exchange for your sworn silence and to cut off all contact with our family."

"This... This is ridiculous!" Touya roared. "What's the meaning of this?"

"It's actually simple. I pay you and you stay away from us. If you can do that, all these are yours to keep. You need it, trust me."

"Did sensei know about this?" Sakura pushed herself off the couch and glared at Yelan even though she was quaking in fear. "Did he know?"

"This arrangement?" Yelan asked, giving the briefcase a scanting look. "I am the head of the family and I call the shot, not that it's any of your business."

Sakura reached for the briefcase, ignoring the incredulous looks from her brother and slammed it shut, almost cutting off the guy's fingers in the process. Sakura was thankful for his quick reflexes for she didn't want to cause harm to anyone even though she felt like throttling Yelan for insulting her family with bribey.

"What's this? You are going to accept our offer then?"

With one last glare, Sakura shoved the briefcase off the counter and watched it hit the ground with a loud crash. A smug look spread across her face as she watched Yelan's expression, which was growing annoyed.

"Sakura, don't be rude," Touya warned with a stern voice.

She whirled back on her brother so fast that her bangs whipped across her face, obscuring her vision. She swatted her hair aside so that she could see her brother. "Who's the rude one here offering others money as if we're some beggars?"

"I know you are angry," Touya replied and beckoned Sakura to him. "I'm angry too but we can't resort to violence."

"We're not beggars," Sakura whimpered as Touya pulled her down to him for a tight hug, hiding her face from Yelan. Her hands were balled into angry fists on Touya's hospital gown and she was dismayed to find some traitorous tears leaking from the corner of her eyes.

"I think it's time for you to leave," Touya said. His eyes narrowed to thin slits at Yelan. "And bring your dirty money back with you. We'll definitely be able to manage without your help."

"How admirable," Yelan remarked dryly. "And foolish. These money is enough to last you at least a few months after you've settled down."

"Save your breath," Touya interrupted. "We don't need your money."

"Don't be obstinate," Yelan urged. "How are you going to pay for the mounting hospital bills? I knew Syaoran has been faithfully paying for you for the past year."

Sakura's fists tightened to the point of drawing blood from her palms as she regained her composure. She pushed herself away from Touya's shelter with a determined look on her face but her brother pulled her back into his embrace before she could even take a step back.

"Don't be rash."

Sakura nodded against Touya's frail shoulder. "I know." Touya finally released her and she rounded up on Yelan. "I assume that sensei didn't know about this arrangement."

"Why should he know? I'm the one making the final decision."

"Then you should have known that he would be angry when he finds out about this."

"He won't have to know."

Sakura pressed her lips into a tight smipe. "I wonder what his reaction would be when he finds out."

The last straw broke for Yelan and she seethed at Sakura. "Syaoran is my son. He'll listen to what I say."

Sakura knew it was terribly wrong to sow discord in other family but she just couldn't help it, not when Yelan was bent on insulting them in the worst way possible. "If he really listened to you, he wouldn't have become a teacher in the first place. So, please, take whatever you're brought here and leave us. May we not ever see each other again." Sakura extended a hand towards the door, prompting the unwelcomed visitors to leave.

"Don't think that this is over," Yelan spat and stormed out of the room with the guy following behind like a docile kid. At least they removed the offending briefcase from the room. Sakura finally let out a sigh of relief.

"That was nasty," Yukito said.

"What is?"

"You looked scary for a moment there," he replied with a sheepish smile. "Scary but effective."

"I was afraid that you would actually swing your fist at her," Touya said with a shake of his head. "I don't want to have to deal with an assault charge just when I woke up."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the absurdity of their comments. "I'm not that scary!"

"Sure, whatever you say," the two grown men replied with grins on their faces.

"So... I guess that unpleasant episode answered my earlier question huh?"

Sakura looked at Touya in surprise. "What?"

"Whatever the two of you refused to tell me earlier."

"Um... There's nothing. Really."

"Sakura-san, I think it's better to come clean with your brother now that Li's mother is in the picture. It's going to worry him until he knows what exactly was going on."

Touya nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that woman was hell-bent on keeping us away from them. There must be some kind of reason."

There was no getting out of the mess. Touya was serious in wanting to know everything. "I was um... living with sensei before Yukito-san came back."

"What?" Touya exploded immediately, not giving a chance for Sakura to explain more. "You're a girl! How could you do that?"

"Wait, Touya-nii, let me explain first!"

"I'm going to find that guy and beat him up into a bloody pulp!" Touya shouted and shook his fists in the air. "I won't let him go so easily! That's for sure!"

"Touya-nii! He didn't do anything to me!"

"I don't care!" Touya shouted. "I'll kill any guy who dares to look your way!"

Sakura slapped a hand on her forehead in annoyance. There was no way to reason with Touya when he went berserk. What a stubborn brother!

"Touya-nii... Really... There's nothing going on."

"Did he touch you?" he asked, grabbing Sakura's wrist and shaking her hard.

"N-" the denial was stuck in her throat when she recalled some steamy moments which involved hugging and kissing.

"I'm so going to kill him now," Touya said and flung his legs over the side of the bed. "Bring me some clothes!"

"Touya-nii!" Sakura flushed hotly. "It's not what you think!"

"Oh yeah?" He glared at Yukito and wriggled his fingers at him. "Guess what? I don't care! I just want to kill him! Now I know why you don't want to go to school!"

"I won't talk to you if you hurt him!" Touya opened his mouth to argue but she shushed him.

"Touya, you need to cool down a little."

"Right, I'm cool. I'm already cool," Touya said, giving Yukito an irritated look. "You! Stay away from him. I don't want to see his mother ever again!"

"You don't have to worry about that. I don't have any intention to see his mother unless she hurt my family "

"And him?"

Sakura hesitated. Would she be able to stay away from Syaoran? There were still some unanswered questions between them.

"Give her some time," Yukito relented. "I believe the two of them have to settle everything before they can go on separate ways. Even though I'm not very willing to let them meet up and talk, but yeah..."

"Right,"Sakura said, sounding a little unsure. "I'm going to school tomorrow."

"I guess one more day doesn't really make any difference," Touya relented. "But tomorrow shall be the last day you talk to him!"

"Stingy," Sakura teased even though conflicting emotions were waging a war within her.

First, she had to ask Syaoran why he did what he did. She wanted to hear it from his own mouth. Then, she would decide what she should do.

That sounded like a good plan.

To be continued

If you have followed me on Twitter/Facebook, you would have known that there's an update this weekend! And for those of you who didn't-surprise! The past weeks/months was hectic with work and exams. There's not much time for me to write except while commuting to and from work. Chapter 27 was written fully on my phone! There's another exams for me in Sep/Oct so I probably won't be very active in updating but I can manage 1 chapter per month until then. I think Sensei, I Love You would have finished during my exams period. We shall see. :)

Thanks for all your kind reviews/follows. I'm really super happy to see them. Thank you for taking time to read!

*huggles*

Michelle