Author's Note: My first attempt at blatant (but good-natured) Syaoran
abuse. The important thing to realize is that Syaoran literally replaces
Sakura here, and vice versa. That means Syaoran is Master of the Cards,
has a big brother named Touya, and is best friends with Tomoyo. Sakura, on
the other hand, has an annoying cousin that always follows her around…
Plenty of twists in store for any CCS fan. Enjoy.
Summary: Ever wonder what CCS might be like if the S stood for Syaoran?
If Things Were Different
Story 2: Card Captor Syaoran
Syaoran decided that he was in trouble. Big trouble. With a capital T. And not T as in trouble. T as in Tomoyo.
Anyone else might think it strange, but they probably had normal friends, normal days, and a normal life to boot.
Currently, Tomoyo was across the soccer field, talking to Chiharu. He was safe…for now.
But Tomoyo-chan was dangerous. Extremely so.
Syaoran was sure she had everyone else fooled, with her "I'm-so-popular, I'm-so-rich" act (although being rich isn't really an act), but not him. Oh, no. He saw right through her charade.
She was evil. But not in the way one might think. It was her mind that was evil, and that was the worse part about it. Tomoyo was brilliant, really, and she could do anything that she took the time to focus on. This was why he was in so much trouble at that point.
She had decided to focus on him.
Syaoran knew he should've seen it coming, of course. They had been best friends for as long as he could remember. The pale flower and the little wolf. The maiden and the magician.
He was foolish enough to hope she would continue to see him as Syaoran Li, marginally cute boy and confidante.
But no. Her evil mind has now joined forces with the most feared thing on the planet: female hormones. Now, he was nothing more than meat. Fresh meat. At half price, too.
He suddenly realized that Chiharu was alone, just as he heard a quiet voice in his ear.
"Were you hiding from me again, Syaoran-kun?"
Never mind that he was on the highest tree branch. When she got so athletic and stealthy, Syaoran would never know.
"Of course not, Daidouji-san," he replied, knowing better than to make eye contact.
"No, no, no," she scolded playfully, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We've been friends too long for that, Syaoran-kun."
He sighed. "Gomen, Tomoyo-chan." He hated it when she made him call her that.
"So why are you hiding up here, hmm? Were you hoping I would find you? Hoping to spend some time with me…alone?"
They were now on dangerous territory. The trick was to find a way to slip from Tomoyo's grasp without hurting her feelings. Yes, she was to be feared, but she was still his best friend.
"I came here to think, Tomoyo-chan."
"About me?" she asked hopefully, resting her chin on his shoulder.
It was nearly impossible to ignore the way her warm cheek felt against his, the way her silky hair brushed his neck, or the way she smelled so much like vanilla. Thankfully, he'd had a lot of practice.
"About the Clow Cards," Syaoran replied, reaching up to squeeze her arm. It was probably the only thing that kept her embrace from turning into a chokehold.
"Oh." She was clearly disappointed, and he would most likely have to make up for it by taking her to the ice cream shop. A small price to pay for chocolate malt, but well worth it to keep Tomoyo happy (and at bay).
"Will a trip to the ice cream shop after school wipe that frown off your face, Tomoyo-chan?" It was vital to say after school, or else he'd be dragged off immediately.
He could almost sense her smiling. "Only if you buy me a sundae." He was just thankful she didn't want to share straws again.
"Hai, that's fine."
She suppressed a squeal of delight just as the bell rang for recess to end.
"We'd better get back inside, Tomoyo-chan. Mizuki-sensei will miss us."
"Oh, all right." She squeezed his neck and brushed his cheek with her lips. "Bai, Syaoran-kun."
He waited until she was safely on the ground before letting out the deep breath he'd been holding. Keeping Tomoyo happy was hard work.
* * * * *
Tomoyo latched onto Syaoran like a hungry leech the instant class ended, reminding him of his promise. Doing his best to ignore the whispers and grins from our classmates, Syaoran led her outside. They had just reached the front gate when someone hissed at them.
"Psst! Tomoyo-chan!"
Not surprisingly, it was Sakura's head that popped out from behind the bushes. She was almost always hiding, and with good reason.
"Ohaiyo, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo replied with a bright smile.
"Have you seen Meiling?" she asked, her eyes widening with worry.
Tomoyo smiled reassuringly. "Not since this morning. I think you're safe."
Sakura sighed and emerged from the bushes. "She chased me all the way to school."
"Well, you were running away," Syaoran pointed out with a friendly smile.
Sakura blushed a bit. "Hai, but…Meiling's so clingy…"
That was a HUGE understatement, because Sakura was too nice to admit the truth. Tomoyo was clingy. Meiling was absolutely obsessed. And if she weren't Sakura's cousin, Syaoran would've banished her to the nearest girl's restroom with The Lock.
"Poor Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said sympathetically, patting her arm. "You should come with us." She brightened instantly. "Syaoran's buying ice cream."
"Only if it's no trouble," Sakura murmurs quickly, looking from Tomoyo to him. She was polite to a fault, especially around them. Syaoran found it almost…adorable.
"Of course not," Tomoyo answered before Syaoran could get his mouth open. "Besides, Syaoran LIKES buying ice cream for his two favorite girls. Don't you, Syaoran-kun?"
The only consolation Syaoran could see in failing to hide his blush was that Sakura turned just as red at the same time. "Hai, Tomoyo-chan," he muttered under his breath.
"There, see? You're coming with us." Tomoyo looped her other arm around Sakura's, officially adding her to the group. Syaoran had never known Tomoyo to release an arm until she'd had her way with whoever was on the other end of it.
Sakura smiled. "Arigato, Tomoyo-chan." Although she was looking directly at Syaoran when she said it, probably since he was the one paying.
Unfortunately, they didn't get far before encountering Meiling.
You couldn't simply just MEET Meiling, of course; you ALWAYS had to encounter her, because she left you no other choice. She didn't walk or run to meet people, she SWOOPED down upon them with the force of a runaway locomotive. Usually, Syaoran served as her impact point. She didn't care for him too much.
Just as they caught sight of the ice cream shop, there was a warning shriek, and then Syaoran found himself flattened against the sidewalk with something on his back. No matter how many times he heard the shriek, he'd never been fast enough to avoid Meiling.
"THERE you are, Sakura-chan!" a shrill voice announced to the entire block. "I FOUND you!"
"M-Meiling-chan," Sakura stammered. This was instantly followed by a gasping sound, which was the air leaving Sakura's lungs, mainly because it had all been forced out by the power of Meiling's treacherous clutches.
"Are you okay, Syaoran-kun?" Tomoyo asked, helping him up. She was powerless to stop Meiling (as was everyone), but she was good for picking him up afterwards.
"Hai, Tomoyo-chan," he muttered, ignoring the pain in his back.
When his vision cleared, Syaoran could see Meiling had once again attached herself to Sakura's neck. Sakura had her usual "save me, please!" look on, and Meiling was positively beaming…until she spotted him looking at them.
Quite suddenly, Syaoran's field of vision was filled with nothing but Meiling's fierce eyes. "WHY were you with my Sakura-chan?!"
It would, of course, have been pointless to point out that Sakura was not hers, but that she had actually been promised to a boy in Hong Kong. That boy, however, had not been seen since Meiling visited him, or so the rumor went…
"We were going to get ice cream," Tomoyo explained, looping her arm around Syaoran's waist. "And we WERE going to invite you, Meiling-chan, but we couldn't find you…"
They all knew this was because Meiling spent most of her time hiding in trees and dark alleys, thinking up new ways to sneak up on them and scare Sakura half to death.
"Well, you didn't LOOK very hard, did you?!"
"I'm sure Syaoran wouldn't mind getting you ice cream, too, Meiling-chan," Sakura whispered.
Meiling finally backed off and returned to Sakura's neck. "Fine. But DON'T think I'm not watching you, Li. BECAUSE I AM." Meiling was completely convinced that Syaoran had secret plans to kidnap Sakura and take her Far Away, so that he could do Vile and Nasty Things to her. There was no truth to that, of course. Although he would admit to being fond of Sakura (it was impossible not to be, considering how pitiful she looked next to Meiling), just fending off Tomoyo was a full time job.
They finally made it into the ice cream shop, where Syaoran was forced to order two ice cream sundaes for his "two favorite girls" and one huge banana split for a girl he didn't like at all. Since Meiling was eating enough for two people, he decided not to order anything for himself. While waiting for their food to arrive, Syaoran wondered if the situation could get any worse.
It did, of course.
Their waiter turned out to be Touya, his big brother.
"Hey, kaijuu," he said loudly to get Syaoran's attention. "Which of these girls is your date?"
Tomoyo grinned, Sakura went red in the face, and so did Meiling, but for an entirely different reason.
Thankfully, Touya decided not to tease his little brother anymore, but worked on the others instead. He greeted the girls in his usual manner: Tomoyo ("Hey, Daidouji"), Sakura ("Hey, gaki"), and even Meiling ("Hey, yasha"). It wasn't that Touya didn't like Sakura, but he thought that anyone related to Meiling deserved to be punished.
Meiling glared at him. "I am NOT a yasha!"
"Sure you are," Touya replied. "You're draining all the life out of the gaki, so you have to be some kind of succubus."
Syaoran failed to cover up his snicker, and Tomoyo smiled behind her hand.
Meiling started to get out of her seat when the situation got even worse.
"I don't suppose there's room for us?" a voice asked politely.
Naturally, it was Eriol and Nakuru. Touya hurried away before Nakuru could get her hands on him, but she went running after him, anyway.
Tomoyo all but ordered Syaoran to make room for Eriol. Though why sneakier half of Clow Reed's reincarnation had to sit next to HIM was totally beyond him. Syaoran was really afraid that Eriol might be gay and that he was just trying to find the perfect moment to get him alone and say so.
The only good thing was that Eriol paid for his own drink. The bad being that twice Syaoran caught Eriol's fingers edging towards his shoulder and once he found Eriol's hand VERY close to his leg. Syaoran thought about asking Tomoyo to switch seats with him, but that would've just put him next to Sakura and given Meiling an excuse to attack again. Besides, Syaoran wasn't entirely sure he wanted Tomoyo next to Eriol, either.
Strangely enough, Syaoran's escape route came in the form of Nakuru, who reappeared a short time later, apparently satisfied with whatever she'd done to Touya. Syaoran, however, was still up for grabs.
"SYAORAN!" Nakuru shouted as she came over. "Where's my hug?!"
The thing one had to understand about Nakuru was that she thrived on affection, particularly from what she considered to be incredibly cute boys. Touya was nothing short of a god in her eyes, which put Syaoran at demi-god…but not out of her reach.
Syaoran tried to point out that Eriol was in the way, but when it came to her and a cute boy, Nakuru simply didn't see people; she saw stepping stones that had to be overcome. And though Syaoran had to admit it was hilarious to see Eriol get shoved aside, that put him directly in Nakuru's path of destruction.
While trapped in Nakuru's embrace, he managed to pull The Dash out of his jacket. Once she let go, he summon his sword beneath the table and hoped Eriol didn't ruin everything.
A few seconds later, Syaoran was two blocks away from the ice cream shop.
Without any sort of warning, Eriol appeared with Nakuru. Syaoran noticed that Sakura and Tomoyo were tucked under her arms.
"You forgot your companions," Eriol chided, a "shame-on-you, Syaoran" look on his face. He knew Syaoran hated that look, and probably knew that Syaoran hated him, too. "You should be more careful with your friends, and your Cards."
"I wouldn't have tried to escape if YOU hadn't shown up! Just stay away from me!"
Eriol smiled eerily (but then, he did everything that way) and faded away with Nakuru. "As you wish."
Tomoyo and Sakura instantly blinked and shook their heads. "What happened?" they both asked at once.
"Nothing unusual…for us," Syaoran answered with a sigh.
* * * * *
After they saw Sakura home safely (Meiling was still loose, after all), Tomoyo invited herself to sleep over at Syaoran's house. He couldn't really refuse, since she had figured out that he tried to leave her at the ice cream shop.
They were attacked by Kero-chan the instant they entered Syaoran's room. He was hungry, of course, and only after seven helpings of rice pudding did he fall asleep. Tomoyo wasn't hungry, and neither was Syaoran (he often lost his appetite after being close to Eriol), so they both went to bed. Well, they both lay down and stared up at the ceiling. Neither of them felt like sleeping.
"Syaoran-kun, what do you think of Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked suddenly.
He had no idea where THAT came from, so he played dumb. "What about her?"
"What do you think of her?"
"I'm…not sure I know what you mean, Tomoyo-chan."
"Do you LIKE her?"
"Of course I do. Don't you?"
"Hai, of course," she said quickly. Maybe too quickly? "But I was wondering how you feel about her."
"Well…I trust her," Syaoran said slowly. "She did help me become the Clow Master, whether she meant to or not. Is that what you meant?"
"Not really, no." Tomoyo was silent for a moment. "If she asked you…would you go out with her?"
He could feel his face burning as he answered. "Why would she do something like that?"
"Don't be stupid, Syaoran-kun. She adores you."
An alarm went off in his head, and Syaoran sat up in bed. "What?! Who told you that?!"
Tomoyo made an exasperated little noise. "SHE did. Answer the question."
"Well…you know how Sakura-chan is, Tomoyo. You can't just say no to her…" He waited for the explosion, and the large amount of pain, but they never came.
"Hai, I know," she whispered softly.
The alarm went off in his head again. "What?! What do YOU know?!"
"Nothing!" Tomoyo said much too quickly.
"You're hiding something, Tomoyo-chan. Did Sakura say something to you?"
"No. I was just thinking."
"About?"
"Us," she finally replied.
"You and me?"
"And Sakura," she muttered.
Suddenly, Syaoran felt his brain go crashing into his stomach. "Tomoyo…you can't mean… what I think you mean…can you?"
"I couldn't help it," Tomoyo murmured. "One day I just looked up and noticed how beautiful she was…"
Syaoran found himself not being able to argue. "Well…I hope you two will be very happy together."
Tomoyo threw herself at him. "Iie, Syaoran! I still want you, too!"
"What?! But--!" he sputtered, the alarm ringing louder than ever in his head.
"We can all be together!"
The alarm simply gave up at this point and promptly exploded. "Tomoyo, THINK about what you're saying! Sakura would NEVER-"
"She said she's interested," Tomoyo muttered, blushing.
Syaoran stared at what he was starting to consider his former best friend in disbelief. "You ASKED her already?!"
"Yes! I didn't want to scare her off, so I had to explain-"
"And she said YES?!"
Tomoyo blushed again. "She told me how confused she's been, being attracted to the both of us and being too scared to say anything. I felt bad for her."
"I'm sure you did," Syaoran muttered. "So bad that you just had to CONSOLE her, right?!"
Tomoyo smiled slightly. "Well…"
"Tomoyo-chan!" he cried. "You didn't!"
"Not really! It was just a hug and a peck on the cheek, nothing more."
"And now she wants both of us…not unlike you."
Tomoyo grinned at him. "Oh, don't play dumb, Syaoran-kun. I dare you to tell me you don't find us both attractive."
He started to argue, then realized it was indeed pointless. Tomoyo knew him too well, and she could tell when he was lying. "So what if I am?" he said at last. "Just because we're all interested in each other doesn't mean it'll work!"
"You underestimate my matchmaking abilities, Syaoran-kun," Tomoyo purred silkily. He didn't like the look she was giving him. It made her look so much older and even more…desirable…
Syaoran shook his head. "Tomoyo-chan, you HAVE to rethink this! If Touya ever found out-"
"Nakuru and Yukito have already agreed to keep him busy."
Syaoran could barely believe his ears. Nakuru, he could understand. SHE was Eriol's. But Yukito—Yue! His OWN Guardian had agreed to Tomoyo's little plot without so much as informing Syaoran. A new thought suddenly wormed its way into his head, and it was even worse.
It was true that Tomoyo had no magic…but what kind of inner sinister power must she have had to wield in order to bring Yue under her spell?
Probably the very same, Syaoran reasoned, she'd used to get HIM under her spell. The Clow Master. Supposedly the world's second (or third, if you counted Eriol, which he didn't) greatest magician.
Still, he had to attempt to be upset. It was only natural.
"This will never work, Tomoyo-chan," he insisted.
Tomoyo smiled at him, licking her lips suggestively, as if he was a frightened mouse and she was a very hungry cat (never mind that he WAS frightened and neither of them had eaten dinner). "If that's what gets you through the night, Syaoran-kun, you continue to believe it. Just as long as you know that you WILL be ours." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, lingering there so her vanilla-scent could invade his nostrils one last time, and then pulled away, returning to her own bed.
Syaoran found it impossible to go back to sleep then. Anyway, Yue's "betrayal" was still bothering him. They had never really seen eye-to-eye, of course. Yue would protect Syaoran with his dying breath, but he didn't necessarily have to like that fact, and so he didn't.
Finally, Syaoran slipped from his bed and went over to the window.
A few moments later, Yue floated into view. "You called?"
"You didn't tell me," Syaoran spat.
"No, I didn't," Yue replied, staring into his eyes. "Was I supposed to?"
"I would've appreciated it!" Syaoran whispered fiercely.
"Too bad," Yue replied, looking bored.
Syaoran glared at him. "You don't care, as long as you get onii-san, do you?"
"Of course I do," Yue snapped. "I HAVE to care. It's my duty."
"Are you saying you did this BECAUSE YOU CARE?!"
"I did this," Yue replied, "for your own good…Syaoran-sama."
THAT caught Syaoran off guard. Yue had never called him that before, and despite the acidic tone his voice had taken, Syaoran knew he meant it.
"Daidouji has no magic," Yue went on, "but you need her just as much as you need Kinomoto. Maybe more."
"How do YOU know?"
"Because I had the benefit of being handled by a capable Master once," Yue answered, a cruel smile forming on his lips. "And I would hardly be a very good Guardian if I didn't know when to guard you…and when not to."
Syaoran's throat was terribly dry. He didn't dare speak, for fear of his mouth turning to dust.
"Of course, if you still want to try to get out of your predicament, there IS one sure-fire way…" As he said this, Yue reached through the window and placed his hand on Syaoran's cheek in a gentle caress.
In that moment, Syaoran realized that Yue looked frighteningly like Eriol would've, had he done the same thing. And then he gasped, backing away from Yue in a hurry.
Yue continued to smile in a non-pleasant manner. "Well, it would work. Just so you know."
Syaoran was enormously glad Yue hadn't put the offer into words. "Then…this is my destiny?"
"No, Syaoran-sama. This…is your life. Welcome to it." With that, Yue turned and flew off into the night.
Syaoran sighed and went back to bed. He would worry about Tomoyo…and Sakura…and Yue…and, of course, Eriol…tomorrow. He didn't have nearly as much trouble falling asleep this time.
Although the image of Tomoyo and Sakura arguing over who got to kiss him goodnight first helped considerably…
The End.
Summary: Ever wonder what CCS might be like if the S stood for Syaoran?
If Things Were Different
Story 2: Card Captor Syaoran
Syaoran decided that he was in trouble. Big trouble. With a capital T. And not T as in trouble. T as in Tomoyo.
Anyone else might think it strange, but they probably had normal friends, normal days, and a normal life to boot.
Currently, Tomoyo was across the soccer field, talking to Chiharu. He was safe…for now.
But Tomoyo-chan was dangerous. Extremely so.
Syaoran was sure she had everyone else fooled, with her "I'm-so-popular, I'm-so-rich" act (although being rich isn't really an act), but not him. Oh, no. He saw right through her charade.
She was evil. But not in the way one might think. It was her mind that was evil, and that was the worse part about it. Tomoyo was brilliant, really, and she could do anything that she took the time to focus on. This was why he was in so much trouble at that point.
She had decided to focus on him.
Syaoran knew he should've seen it coming, of course. They had been best friends for as long as he could remember. The pale flower and the little wolf. The maiden and the magician.
He was foolish enough to hope she would continue to see him as Syaoran Li, marginally cute boy and confidante.
But no. Her evil mind has now joined forces with the most feared thing on the planet: female hormones. Now, he was nothing more than meat. Fresh meat. At half price, too.
He suddenly realized that Chiharu was alone, just as he heard a quiet voice in his ear.
"Were you hiding from me again, Syaoran-kun?"
Never mind that he was on the highest tree branch. When she got so athletic and stealthy, Syaoran would never know.
"Of course not, Daidouji-san," he replied, knowing better than to make eye contact.
"No, no, no," she scolded playfully, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We've been friends too long for that, Syaoran-kun."
He sighed. "Gomen, Tomoyo-chan." He hated it when she made him call her that.
"So why are you hiding up here, hmm? Were you hoping I would find you? Hoping to spend some time with me…alone?"
They were now on dangerous territory. The trick was to find a way to slip from Tomoyo's grasp without hurting her feelings. Yes, she was to be feared, but she was still his best friend.
"I came here to think, Tomoyo-chan."
"About me?" she asked hopefully, resting her chin on his shoulder.
It was nearly impossible to ignore the way her warm cheek felt against his, the way her silky hair brushed his neck, or the way she smelled so much like vanilla. Thankfully, he'd had a lot of practice.
"About the Clow Cards," Syaoran replied, reaching up to squeeze her arm. It was probably the only thing that kept her embrace from turning into a chokehold.
"Oh." She was clearly disappointed, and he would most likely have to make up for it by taking her to the ice cream shop. A small price to pay for chocolate malt, but well worth it to keep Tomoyo happy (and at bay).
"Will a trip to the ice cream shop after school wipe that frown off your face, Tomoyo-chan?" It was vital to say after school, or else he'd be dragged off immediately.
He could almost sense her smiling. "Only if you buy me a sundae." He was just thankful she didn't want to share straws again.
"Hai, that's fine."
She suppressed a squeal of delight just as the bell rang for recess to end.
"We'd better get back inside, Tomoyo-chan. Mizuki-sensei will miss us."
"Oh, all right." She squeezed his neck and brushed his cheek with her lips. "Bai, Syaoran-kun."
He waited until she was safely on the ground before letting out the deep breath he'd been holding. Keeping Tomoyo happy was hard work.
* * * * *
Tomoyo latched onto Syaoran like a hungry leech the instant class ended, reminding him of his promise. Doing his best to ignore the whispers and grins from our classmates, Syaoran led her outside. They had just reached the front gate when someone hissed at them.
"Psst! Tomoyo-chan!"
Not surprisingly, it was Sakura's head that popped out from behind the bushes. She was almost always hiding, and with good reason.
"Ohaiyo, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo replied with a bright smile.
"Have you seen Meiling?" she asked, her eyes widening with worry.
Tomoyo smiled reassuringly. "Not since this morning. I think you're safe."
Sakura sighed and emerged from the bushes. "She chased me all the way to school."
"Well, you were running away," Syaoran pointed out with a friendly smile.
Sakura blushed a bit. "Hai, but…Meiling's so clingy…"
That was a HUGE understatement, because Sakura was too nice to admit the truth. Tomoyo was clingy. Meiling was absolutely obsessed. And if she weren't Sakura's cousin, Syaoran would've banished her to the nearest girl's restroom with The Lock.
"Poor Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said sympathetically, patting her arm. "You should come with us." She brightened instantly. "Syaoran's buying ice cream."
"Only if it's no trouble," Sakura murmurs quickly, looking from Tomoyo to him. She was polite to a fault, especially around them. Syaoran found it almost…adorable.
"Of course not," Tomoyo answered before Syaoran could get his mouth open. "Besides, Syaoran LIKES buying ice cream for his two favorite girls. Don't you, Syaoran-kun?"
The only consolation Syaoran could see in failing to hide his blush was that Sakura turned just as red at the same time. "Hai, Tomoyo-chan," he muttered under his breath.
"There, see? You're coming with us." Tomoyo looped her other arm around Sakura's, officially adding her to the group. Syaoran had never known Tomoyo to release an arm until she'd had her way with whoever was on the other end of it.
Sakura smiled. "Arigato, Tomoyo-chan." Although she was looking directly at Syaoran when she said it, probably since he was the one paying.
Unfortunately, they didn't get far before encountering Meiling.
You couldn't simply just MEET Meiling, of course; you ALWAYS had to encounter her, because she left you no other choice. She didn't walk or run to meet people, she SWOOPED down upon them with the force of a runaway locomotive. Usually, Syaoran served as her impact point. She didn't care for him too much.
Just as they caught sight of the ice cream shop, there was a warning shriek, and then Syaoran found himself flattened against the sidewalk with something on his back. No matter how many times he heard the shriek, he'd never been fast enough to avoid Meiling.
"THERE you are, Sakura-chan!" a shrill voice announced to the entire block. "I FOUND you!"
"M-Meiling-chan," Sakura stammered. This was instantly followed by a gasping sound, which was the air leaving Sakura's lungs, mainly because it had all been forced out by the power of Meiling's treacherous clutches.
"Are you okay, Syaoran-kun?" Tomoyo asked, helping him up. She was powerless to stop Meiling (as was everyone), but she was good for picking him up afterwards.
"Hai, Tomoyo-chan," he muttered, ignoring the pain in his back.
When his vision cleared, Syaoran could see Meiling had once again attached herself to Sakura's neck. Sakura had her usual "save me, please!" look on, and Meiling was positively beaming…until she spotted him looking at them.
Quite suddenly, Syaoran's field of vision was filled with nothing but Meiling's fierce eyes. "WHY were you with my Sakura-chan?!"
It would, of course, have been pointless to point out that Sakura was not hers, but that she had actually been promised to a boy in Hong Kong. That boy, however, had not been seen since Meiling visited him, or so the rumor went…
"We were going to get ice cream," Tomoyo explained, looping her arm around Syaoran's waist. "And we WERE going to invite you, Meiling-chan, but we couldn't find you…"
They all knew this was because Meiling spent most of her time hiding in trees and dark alleys, thinking up new ways to sneak up on them and scare Sakura half to death.
"Well, you didn't LOOK very hard, did you?!"
"I'm sure Syaoran wouldn't mind getting you ice cream, too, Meiling-chan," Sakura whispered.
Meiling finally backed off and returned to Sakura's neck. "Fine. But DON'T think I'm not watching you, Li. BECAUSE I AM." Meiling was completely convinced that Syaoran had secret plans to kidnap Sakura and take her Far Away, so that he could do Vile and Nasty Things to her. There was no truth to that, of course. Although he would admit to being fond of Sakura (it was impossible not to be, considering how pitiful she looked next to Meiling), just fending off Tomoyo was a full time job.
They finally made it into the ice cream shop, where Syaoran was forced to order two ice cream sundaes for his "two favorite girls" and one huge banana split for a girl he didn't like at all. Since Meiling was eating enough for two people, he decided not to order anything for himself. While waiting for their food to arrive, Syaoran wondered if the situation could get any worse.
It did, of course.
Their waiter turned out to be Touya, his big brother.
"Hey, kaijuu," he said loudly to get Syaoran's attention. "Which of these girls is your date?"
Tomoyo grinned, Sakura went red in the face, and so did Meiling, but for an entirely different reason.
Thankfully, Touya decided not to tease his little brother anymore, but worked on the others instead. He greeted the girls in his usual manner: Tomoyo ("Hey, Daidouji"), Sakura ("Hey, gaki"), and even Meiling ("Hey, yasha"). It wasn't that Touya didn't like Sakura, but he thought that anyone related to Meiling deserved to be punished.
Meiling glared at him. "I am NOT a yasha!"
"Sure you are," Touya replied. "You're draining all the life out of the gaki, so you have to be some kind of succubus."
Syaoran failed to cover up his snicker, and Tomoyo smiled behind her hand.
Meiling started to get out of her seat when the situation got even worse.
"I don't suppose there's room for us?" a voice asked politely.
Naturally, it was Eriol and Nakuru. Touya hurried away before Nakuru could get her hands on him, but she went running after him, anyway.
Tomoyo all but ordered Syaoran to make room for Eriol. Though why sneakier half of Clow Reed's reincarnation had to sit next to HIM was totally beyond him. Syaoran was really afraid that Eriol might be gay and that he was just trying to find the perfect moment to get him alone and say so.
The only good thing was that Eriol paid for his own drink. The bad being that twice Syaoran caught Eriol's fingers edging towards his shoulder and once he found Eriol's hand VERY close to his leg. Syaoran thought about asking Tomoyo to switch seats with him, but that would've just put him next to Sakura and given Meiling an excuse to attack again. Besides, Syaoran wasn't entirely sure he wanted Tomoyo next to Eriol, either.
Strangely enough, Syaoran's escape route came in the form of Nakuru, who reappeared a short time later, apparently satisfied with whatever she'd done to Touya. Syaoran, however, was still up for grabs.
"SYAORAN!" Nakuru shouted as she came over. "Where's my hug?!"
The thing one had to understand about Nakuru was that she thrived on affection, particularly from what she considered to be incredibly cute boys. Touya was nothing short of a god in her eyes, which put Syaoran at demi-god…but not out of her reach.
Syaoran tried to point out that Eriol was in the way, but when it came to her and a cute boy, Nakuru simply didn't see people; she saw stepping stones that had to be overcome. And though Syaoran had to admit it was hilarious to see Eriol get shoved aside, that put him directly in Nakuru's path of destruction.
While trapped in Nakuru's embrace, he managed to pull The Dash out of his jacket. Once she let go, he summon his sword beneath the table and hoped Eriol didn't ruin everything.
A few seconds later, Syaoran was two blocks away from the ice cream shop.
Without any sort of warning, Eriol appeared with Nakuru. Syaoran noticed that Sakura and Tomoyo were tucked under her arms.
"You forgot your companions," Eriol chided, a "shame-on-you, Syaoran" look on his face. He knew Syaoran hated that look, and probably knew that Syaoran hated him, too. "You should be more careful with your friends, and your Cards."
"I wouldn't have tried to escape if YOU hadn't shown up! Just stay away from me!"
Eriol smiled eerily (but then, he did everything that way) and faded away with Nakuru. "As you wish."
Tomoyo and Sakura instantly blinked and shook their heads. "What happened?" they both asked at once.
"Nothing unusual…for us," Syaoran answered with a sigh.
* * * * *
After they saw Sakura home safely (Meiling was still loose, after all), Tomoyo invited herself to sleep over at Syaoran's house. He couldn't really refuse, since she had figured out that he tried to leave her at the ice cream shop.
They were attacked by Kero-chan the instant they entered Syaoran's room. He was hungry, of course, and only after seven helpings of rice pudding did he fall asleep. Tomoyo wasn't hungry, and neither was Syaoran (he often lost his appetite after being close to Eriol), so they both went to bed. Well, they both lay down and stared up at the ceiling. Neither of them felt like sleeping.
"Syaoran-kun, what do you think of Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked suddenly.
He had no idea where THAT came from, so he played dumb. "What about her?"
"What do you think of her?"
"I'm…not sure I know what you mean, Tomoyo-chan."
"Do you LIKE her?"
"Of course I do. Don't you?"
"Hai, of course," she said quickly. Maybe too quickly? "But I was wondering how you feel about her."
"Well…I trust her," Syaoran said slowly. "She did help me become the Clow Master, whether she meant to or not. Is that what you meant?"
"Not really, no." Tomoyo was silent for a moment. "If she asked you…would you go out with her?"
He could feel his face burning as he answered. "Why would she do something like that?"
"Don't be stupid, Syaoran-kun. She adores you."
An alarm went off in his head, and Syaoran sat up in bed. "What?! Who told you that?!"
Tomoyo made an exasperated little noise. "SHE did. Answer the question."
"Well…you know how Sakura-chan is, Tomoyo. You can't just say no to her…" He waited for the explosion, and the large amount of pain, but they never came.
"Hai, I know," she whispered softly.
The alarm went off in his head again. "What?! What do YOU know?!"
"Nothing!" Tomoyo said much too quickly.
"You're hiding something, Tomoyo-chan. Did Sakura say something to you?"
"No. I was just thinking."
"About?"
"Us," she finally replied.
"You and me?"
"And Sakura," she muttered.
Suddenly, Syaoran felt his brain go crashing into his stomach. "Tomoyo…you can't mean… what I think you mean…can you?"
"I couldn't help it," Tomoyo murmured. "One day I just looked up and noticed how beautiful she was…"
Syaoran found himself not being able to argue. "Well…I hope you two will be very happy together."
Tomoyo threw herself at him. "Iie, Syaoran! I still want you, too!"
"What?! But--!" he sputtered, the alarm ringing louder than ever in his head.
"We can all be together!"
The alarm simply gave up at this point and promptly exploded. "Tomoyo, THINK about what you're saying! Sakura would NEVER-"
"She said she's interested," Tomoyo muttered, blushing.
Syaoran stared at what he was starting to consider his former best friend in disbelief. "You ASKED her already?!"
"Yes! I didn't want to scare her off, so I had to explain-"
"And she said YES?!"
Tomoyo blushed again. "She told me how confused she's been, being attracted to the both of us and being too scared to say anything. I felt bad for her."
"I'm sure you did," Syaoran muttered. "So bad that you just had to CONSOLE her, right?!"
Tomoyo smiled slightly. "Well…"
"Tomoyo-chan!" he cried. "You didn't!"
"Not really! It was just a hug and a peck on the cheek, nothing more."
"And now she wants both of us…not unlike you."
Tomoyo grinned at him. "Oh, don't play dumb, Syaoran-kun. I dare you to tell me you don't find us both attractive."
He started to argue, then realized it was indeed pointless. Tomoyo knew him too well, and she could tell when he was lying. "So what if I am?" he said at last. "Just because we're all interested in each other doesn't mean it'll work!"
"You underestimate my matchmaking abilities, Syaoran-kun," Tomoyo purred silkily. He didn't like the look she was giving him. It made her look so much older and even more…desirable…
Syaoran shook his head. "Tomoyo-chan, you HAVE to rethink this! If Touya ever found out-"
"Nakuru and Yukito have already agreed to keep him busy."
Syaoran could barely believe his ears. Nakuru, he could understand. SHE was Eriol's. But Yukito—Yue! His OWN Guardian had agreed to Tomoyo's little plot without so much as informing Syaoran. A new thought suddenly wormed its way into his head, and it was even worse.
It was true that Tomoyo had no magic…but what kind of inner sinister power must she have had to wield in order to bring Yue under her spell?
Probably the very same, Syaoran reasoned, she'd used to get HIM under her spell. The Clow Master. Supposedly the world's second (or third, if you counted Eriol, which he didn't) greatest magician.
Still, he had to attempt to be upset. It was only natural.
"This will never work, Tomoyo-chan," he insisted.
Tomoyo smiled at him, licking her lips suggestively, as if he was a frightened mouse and she was a very hungry cat (never mind that he WAS frightened and neither of them had eaten dinner). "If that's what gets you through the night, Syaoran-kun, you continue to believe it. Just as long as you know that you WILL be ours." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, lingering there so her vanilla-scent could invade his nostrils one last time, and then pulled away, returning to her own bed.
Syaoran found it impossible to go back to sleep then. Anyway, Yue's "betrayal" was still bothering him. They had never really seen eye-to-eye, of course. Yue would protect Syaoran with his dying breath, but he didn't necessarily have to like that fact, and so he didn't.
Finally, Syaoran slipped from his bed and went over to the window.
A few moments later, Yue floated into view. "You called?"
"You didn't tell me," Syaoran spat.
"No, I didn't," Yue replied, staring into his eyes. "Was I supposed to?"
"I would've appreciated it!" Syaoran whispered fiercely.
"Too bad," Yue replied, looking bored.
Syaoran glared at him. "You don't care, as long as you get onii-san, do you?"
"Of course I do," Yue snapped. "I HAVE to care. It's my duty."
"Are you saying you did this BECAUSE YOU CARE?!"
"I did this," Yue replied, "for your own good…Syaoran-sama."
THAT caught Syaoran off guard. Yue had never called him that before, and despite the acidic tone his voice had taken, Syaoran knew he meant it.
"Daidouji has no magic," Yue went on, "but you need her just as much as you need Kinomoto. Maybe more."
"How do YOU know?"
"Because I had the benefit of being handled by a capable Master once," Yue answered, a cruel smile forming on his lips. "And I would hardly be a very good Guardian if I didn't know when to guard you…and when not to."
Syaoran's throat was terribly dry. He didn't dare speak, for fear of his mouth turning to dust.
"Of course, if you still want to try to get out of your predicament, there IS one sure-fire way…" As he said this, Yue reached through the window and placed his hand on Syaoran's cheek in a gentle caress.
In that moment, Syaoran realized that Yue looked frighteningly like Eriol would've, had he done the same thing. And then he gasped, backing away from Yue in a hurry.
Yue continued to smile in a non-pleasant manner. "Well, it would work. Just so you know."
Syaoran was enormously glad Yue hadn't put the offer into words. "Then…this is my destiny?"
"No, Syaoran-sama. This…is your life. Welcome to it." With that, Yue turned and flew off into the night.
Syaoran sighed and went back to bed. He would worry about Tomoyo…and Sakura…and Yue…and, of course, Eriol…tomorrow. He didn't have nearly as much trouble falling asleep this time.
Although the image of Tomoyo and Sakura arguing over who got to kiss him goodnight first helped considerably…
The End.