Syaoran entered the practise courts, Sakura trailing after him, still holding his hand. Leading her past the men sparring against each other, they walked into the storage room at the far end. The room was large with shelves lining the walls. Each fighter had their own shelf which held their practise weapons, there were also large shelves dedicated to weapons without an owner. Syaoran sorted through the un-claimed staves before finally settling on a staff, which he passed to Sakura. She admired the weapon in her hands. It was made of teak and just slightly taller then she was. She liked the heft of it, it was light enough for her to wield, but heavy enough to land a sound blow. It was perfect, as if made for her. She beamed at Syaoran while he picked up his own practise staff and led her back out to the courts.

Syaoran stood behind Sakura, pressing his body against hers as he adjusted her body into a proper fighting stance. His arms wrapped around her, placing his hands on hers. Slowly he slid her hands along the wooden surface, guiding them to the correct places. Once she was in the correct position, he began to guide her whole body through the basic strikes and blocks. Every man in the courts had now stopped what they were doing, staring avidly at the pair. Shocked looks appeared on their faces as Syaoran gently instructed Sakura. It was unbelievable, not only was Syaoran helping someone, but he wasn't shouting commands. What really made the picture impossible was that he was instructing a girl. The last girl to ask him to teach her had been Meiling, and all that had achieved was a screaming match about how weak girls were.

A crowd had begun to gather as Syaoran removed his hands from Sakura's. He stood before her, his own staff in his hands, and began a series of strikes and blocks. He moved slowly, allowing Sakura to see where he was aiming and move to counter it. Gradually they began to move into a steady rhythm. Realising that she had mastered the basics, Syaoran steadily quickened the pace. Sakura felt the real world disappear, the only thing she could see was Syaoran. She gradually let go, loosing herself to the rhythm, meeting his blows soundly with hers. Syaoran began to work in some more difficult moves, noticing with pride how Sakura took them in her stride, rising to meet the new challenge. He suddenly grabbed her staff with his hands, startling her out of her daze, bringing her crashing back to reality. A loud noise met her ears. Turning around she realised that not only had a crowd gathered, but they were all cheering her. Syaoran silently agreed with them. She had earned their praise, not only had she learnt quickly and well, but she'd managed to keep up with him. Sakura turned shyly to Syaoran, trying to hide from her admirers, only to be met with one of his charming smiles. Sakura felt her already pounding heart double its pace. The men were suddenly silent. Had Syaoran the heartless just smiled? And at a girl?

Syaoran called out to one of the men in the room, still sliming warmly at Sakura. She returned his gaze, her eyes dancing with the glee of knowing he was proud of her. In truth, she had been nervous about learning to fight because she didn't think she could face the disappointment in his eyes if she'd failed. The man Syaoran had called out to was now standing in front of her. "Sakura," Syaoran spoke softly, "I'd like you to meet Yamazaki. Yamazaki, I was wondering if you'd be kind enough to introduce her to Chiharu and her friends." Sakura's eyes widened, she didn't expect Syaoran to do so much for her. He'd given her a home, a new life and now he was even trying to give her friends. He really was the sweetest person she'd ever met. Unable to contain her joy any longer, she threw herself into his arms, thanking him non-stop for being so wonderful to her. Syaoran blushed slightly from her touch, his arms rising up to stroke her silky locks. Yamazaki smiled at them, "for such a beautiful flower as yourself," he old Sakura, bowing gracefully to her, and bringing her hand to his lips, "I'd be honoured." Sakura suddenly latched onto Yamazaki, hugging him tightly. Seeing Sakura giving affection to another male made Syaoran's hackles rise, but he pushed it aside, still wondering where such fierce reactions were coming from.

Sakura and Syaoran followed Yamazaki out of the practise courts and through the palace, finally stopping outside one of the guest rooms. He knocked on the door, which was soon opened to reveal a young woman with a mass of curly hair which she'd pulled up into two piggy-tails. "Chiharu!" Yamazaki cried, pulling the girl into his arms. Chiharu giggled shyly, hugging Yamazaki back. He set the still giggling girl back down, spinning her to face Sakura and Syaoran.

"This is my darling Chiharu," Yamazaki told Sakura, holding Chiharu close. Sakura wondered what it would be like to have someone hold her like that. To have someone love her so completely. She suddenly found herself dreaming that she was wrapped in someone's warm embrace. It felt so warm and comforting, so familiar. She knew the person holding her, but just as she was about to see his face, something touched her shoulder, bringing her sharply back to reality.

Sakura looked behind her to find Syaoran holding her shoulders. "This is my student Sakura," Syaoran told Chiharu, "I was hoping you would be able to introduce her to some female friends." Chiharu's eyes lit up. "You have perfect timing," Chiharu told them, "my friends are already here. They came to visit me not too long ago, would you like to come in and meet them all?" Sakura turned to stare into Syaoran's eyes, her emerald orbs pleading with his amber eyes. He smiled slightly, realising that she was silently asking his permission. His hand found its way to her cheek. "Go on", he told her, "go have some fun."

Sakura started to follow Chiharu into her room when she realised Syaoran hadn't moved. She ran back to Syaoran, clutching his hands in hers. "Aren't you going to join us?" she asked him softly, her lips pulled into the smallest semblances of a pout. Syaoran sighed, she was too damned cute to resist. "Of course I am," he told her before offering an arm to her. "Shall we?" he asked. Sakura nodded vigorously before grabbing hold of his offered arm. Yamazaki chuckled softly to himself. Had someone finally managed to tame the cold wolf? He watched them walk into Chiharu's room, following in after them.

Sakura entered the room, catching a glimpse of four young girls, before becoming the victim of a bone-crushing hug and a squeal of delight. Syaoran began to pry the offender off of Sakura's tiny body. Sakura found herself staring into two amethyst depths before realisation suddenly struck. "Tomoyo!" she cried, hugging the young seamstress back with an equal amount of force. Tomoyo pulled Sakura to her feet before introducing her to the other girls in the room. "This is Rika," Tomoyo told Sakura, indicating the girl with the shoulder length, red hair, "The girl next to her is Naoko," Tomoyo continued, pointing to another girl with short brown hair and glasses, "and this is Meiling," Tomoyo concluded, placing her hand on the shoulder of a girl with long black tresses and bright red eyes. "And of course," Chiharu added, "you've already met me," she smiled jovially at Sakura. "Girl's," Tomoyo told them, "this is the kawaii Sakura, Syaoran's new student." At the last statement, Meiling's bright red eyes darkened. She fixed Sakura with a glare so cold it could freeze the very fires of hell. Sakura shivered involuntarily from Meiling's gaze. Tomoyo suddenly pulled Sakura over to join them on the bed. Once seated, Rika and Chiharu immediately began to play with Sakura's long, silky locks, while telling her how rich the colour was, and how soft it was.

Yamazaki, sensing another boring 'girl chat session' developing, turned quickly to Syaoran. "Did you want to spar?" he asked. Syaoran glanced over at Sakura. When he had seen the frosty glare Meiling had given Sakura, he had a strong urge to envelop Sakura in his arms, but seeing Tomoyo there made him relax. Tomoyo already loved Sakura like they were sisters. As long as Tomoyo was around, nothing could harm his magelet. Turning back to Yamazaki, he nodded. They quickly shifted some furniture to make room for their match. Removing his shirt, Syaoran turned to face Yamazaki, his muscles rippling as he shifted into a fighting stance.

While the girls began to chat about everything from make-up to boys to the court gossip, the boys traded blows. Sakura soon became extremely bored with the constant nattering, sighing inwardly. Her eyes slowly began to wander the room, before coming to rest on the two boys. How she wished she could fight like Syaoran. She watched as he moved with such muscular grace, always one step ahead of Yamazaki, as if he knew exactly what the other boy was going to do, and countering it with such ease. She glanced at Yamazaki, she could tell he was tiring. His punches were losing their force, he was barely blocking Syaoran's blows, and his footwork was steadily becoming sloppier. She smiled to herself, this fight wouldn't continue for much longer.

Searching the room, Sakura spied a pitcher of water and a few cups. She carefully walked over to the pitcher, careful not to disrupt the fight. She poured two cups of the cold liquid, and, as an afterthought, pulled out two of her handkerchiefs and soaked them. She turned back to the boys just as Yamazaki admitted defeat. They promptly flopped onto the floor, breathing heavily. Syaoran closed his eyes, listening to his heart pounding in his chest. A cold, wet sensation passed over his forehead. Opening his eyes, he saw Sakura crouched beside him, mopping his face with the wet hanky. She offered him the cup of water in her hands. He smiled at her, a look of wonder in his eyes. "How did I ever manage before you came into my life?" he breathed before accepting the cool drink. He glanced over at Yamazaki, who was wiping his own face with the Sakura's other hanky. Yamazaki quickly finished the drink Sakura had given him, before fixing her with a gaze of admiration. "Syaoran," Yamazaki told him, "you are one lucky guy. How'd you manage to find such an angel to take care of you?" Syaoran felt his cheeks flush and decided to drink his water, giving him a reason not to reply.

Syaoran finished his drink and fought back a choke as he opened his eyes. Sakura's face was mere inches away from his, her eyes glowing with admiration. He blushed heavily, trying to slow his racing heart down. "Can you teach me how to fight like that too?" she asked, her eyes wide. One glance at her hopeful gaze and Syaoran couldn't bring himself to refuse her. "Sure," he told her, smiling as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly while she thanked him.

Syaoran stood up, before offering Sakura a hand and pulling her to her feet. Syaoran stood behind Sakura, pressing himself into her while he slowly manipulated her body into the proper stance. He wrapped one arm around her waist, twisting it slightly. Sakura suddenly found it hard to breathe. Her eyes closed and she was suddenly brought back into her dream. The embrace warmed her soul, and she suddenly felt slightly light-headed. She slowly turned, but this time she saw a mass of brown, unruly hair. The arm surrounding her waist slowly let go, bringing her crashing back to the present. A steady blush settled on her face as Syaoran finished positioning her body.

Syaoran suddenly noticed how eerily quiet the room had become. Glancing at the bed, he spotted the girls all sitting silently on the edge, watching them. His cheeks held a faint pink glow as he stood in front of Sakura. He grabbed one arm and showed her how to move her arm through the punch. Dropping her arm, he held up one hand. "Now," he told her, "hit me." She nodded before bringing her arm around, her fist lightly touching his hand. Syaoran glanced down at the tiny fist still touching his hand, he resisted a sudden urge to grab hold and not let go. "Pathetic," he told her, a wide smile on his face, "try again, and this time hit me like you mean it."

Determination glowed in her eyes as she brought her arm back. She put all the force she could muster into her fist as she swung it at Syaoran's hand. Her wild swing missed its target, but the force made her follow through. Her body spun and she felt herself begin to fall. Sakura closed her eyes and braced herself for impact, but it never came. Opening her eyes, she found herself safely wrapped in two strong arms which held her tenderly. A warm, solid mass pressed against her back.

Sakura slowly turned around, and a mass of brown hair came into view, followed by a pair of extremely concerned amber eyes. Worry lined Syaoran's face as he stared at Sakura. "Are you okay?" he whispered softly, "you're not hurt or anything?" She stifled a giggle as she smiled up at her saviour. "I'm fine," she replied, "thanks to you." A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she realised she was still wrapped tenderly in his embrace. Syaoran seemed to notice it too, because he suddenly released her and walked quickly over to the water jug and poured himself a drink.

He slowly sipped the cool liquid as he fought to regain control of his body. Holding her so close had managed to stir something inside of him, something that was beyond explanation or reason. Once he had regained his composure he walked back over to Sakura. "I think we'd better work on your aim first," he told her, bringing his hand back up, "now, forget about power or speed. Forget about everything else. Now just focus on my hand, and let your fist fly." Sakura brought her fist up, and swung again. This time her aim was true. Syaoran felt the sudden shock of the impact. He thought she was going to hit softly and hadn't braced himself for the force of her swing. He felt his feet slip out from under him. Years of training took over as his body saved him from the fall. He back-flipped and landed gracefully, a stunned look on his face.

Sakura was horrified with herself, how could she do that? She slumped to the floor, her hands covering her face as tears streamed down her soft cheeks. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed, "I didn't mean to hit you. I promise I'll never do it again. I'm just so sorry, I must seem so ungrateful, hitting you like that when you've given me so much. You must hate me." Two strong arms pulled her into a hug, silencing her babbling. "I'm not mad and I don't hate you," Syaoran whispered into her ears as he held her close, "in case you haven't noticed, I've been trying to teach you how to hit. Why would I be mad with you for doing something I told you to?" Sakura allowed her hands to fall. Syaoran brought up one large hand, wiping away the tears still falling from her bright eyes. "I just never knew that such a little thing could pack such a punch," he told her, tweaking her nose. "I'm still sorry," she whispered as she laid her head on his chest. "Come on," he pulled her to her feet, "if you hurry up and change into your mage's robes I'll take you to the market place." Her face lit up, "besides, I need to find a good book or two." Sakura ran out of the room, returning moments later in her emerald green, velvet robes. Syaoran grabbed her tiny hand in his large one and led her out of the room.