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Pleasure Slave	By : Capitalist Category: +. to F > Card Captor Sakura Views: 84321 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
Chapter 25
‘jealousy II’

Yue slept well, sunk so far into his exhaustion that even his sharp senses were dead to the world. When consciousness came, it came to him in layers, slowly, long after the dawn with which he normally woke. First he became aware of his own still body, a few aches and bruises lingering. He heard his own breathing next, and could feel the rise and lift of his lungs. He felt a warmth against his body.
The warmth was pleasant, but unfamiliar. Eventually, feeling rather unhurried, Yue opened his eyes and blinked at the bright golden light filling his room. He’d slept late. Hardly surprising, after what –
Yue’s gaze lowered and fell upon the cause of the warmth, jarring him out of his sleepy contentment and silencing all other thought. Touya, his slave, was in his bed. Sleeping in it, with him, nestled against Yue as if he had all the right in the world.
Yue’s first instinct was to push him out. After nearly two hundred years of sleeping alone in this bed, it was a natural reflex. His muscles tensed with that very intention, but at the movement Touya stirred and rolled over, draping an arm over Yue and resting his head against his chest.
Yue froze. Touya didn't seem to notice, his face still smooth and unworried in sleep and clearly oblivious to the tiny thrills of delight shooting through Yue's body. Still wrong for the boy to be in his bed, of course, an act that deserved punishing, but Yue could not bring himself to do any punishing just then. He only curled an arm around him and held him close. After a while, his fingers found their way to Touya's hair and started to play with it. The sun had risen considerably higher, filling the room with light, by the time his slave stirred and opened his eyes.
“Mmngh,” he mumbled, blinking a few times before he raised his head and found himself almost nose to nose with Yue.
A brief silence ensued, broken eventually by the master.
“Good morning, my slave,” he murmured, cupping a gentle hand to Touya’s jaw. Alarm shot through those dark eyes and Touya jerked back, only to find himself half-draped across Yue and tangled in the sheets. Yue watched him scramble out of the bed as if it contained poisonous snakes, nearly falling in the process.
“There’s no need to look so panicked, Toya, you obviously weren’t frightened to crawl into my bed last night.”
“I- what? No.” Touya looked scandalized and took a step back. “I didn’t want to get in your bed! You’re the one that dragged me in with you.”
“Nonsense.”
“You did,” he insisted. “You came in looking like hell; you were practically half-dead on your feet. I had to help you just to get to your bed, and then you decided you couldn’t sleep without me. So don’t look at me, it’s your fault.”
Yue pressed his lips together to refrain from a scowl, outwardly maintaining his calm composure. It was true his memory of the night before was rather fuzzy – there was every possibility Touya was telling the truth. It was a very disturbing possibility.
Touya was looking rather contemplatively at the morning sky outside, then turned back to Yue. “You always get like that on the new moon?”
This time it was harder to hold onto that outward calm, while Yue tried not to allow surprise or discomfiture show in his face. “Don’t be silly, Toya, and don’t talk about things you don’t understand.”
“You disappeared on the new moon last time, too,” Touya pointed out, gaze narrowing. “It’s got something to do with you, doesn’t it?”
So he’d figured it out – some of it, anyway. Momentarily Yue cursed his slave’s cleverness and keen observation. No one else in the castle had ever noticed. Then again, he’d never kept someone in his bedroom before. He was startled when Touya crossed the distance between them and returned to the bed, bracing his hands on either side of Yue to lean in close. Deliberately he took a few deep breaths.
“And that same smell is on you. It’s… dank, and musty. Where is it that you go?”
“I have told you before that it’s none of your concern,” Yue replied, nettled. “I thought you knew better than to make me repeat myself.”
“And I thought you knew better than to order me not to think,” Touya retorted. “You really think I’m not going to wonder? Or worry when you show up looking like how you did?”
“So you were worried for me.”
“Shut up.”
“Don’t speak that way to your master, slave.”
“I’m not your -”
“And go draw me a bath.”
“But -”
“Now.”
Yue dropped just enough frost into his voice to let his slave know he meant it, and Touya got the hint. He exhaled in a frustrated huff and slid back off the bed, not dropping his gaze once as he turned towards the bathroom.
“I’m gonna figure it out.”
And Yue couldn’t help but think that his slave, his supposedly helpless slave that should be completely at Yue’s mercy, was absolutely right.

“And… one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!”
The new day had brought Meilin with it, back for another formal lesson with Sakura in the unused castle ballroom. Sakura had been so proud that her muscles were no longer sore after each daily practice, but now she could see Meilin was really going easy on her in the first lesson. For hours she drilled Sakura in the old moves and some new ones, turning a deaf ear when Sakura pleaded for rest. In addition to learning a dance by heart, Meilin also had her begin work on something called ‘gymnastics’.
She had difficulty reproducing the word. “Gym – nas – ticks? What are those?”
“It is a certain way of moving your body, which can then be worked into your dance. It’s very difficult, so not many dancers do it, which is part of why I’m so popular. I have the skills.”
She primped and grinned at her blank student. “That’s because I was lucky enough to begin learning them when I was child, really. It’s a supplement to the martial arts. Syaoran’s pretty good at it too, but don’t tell him I said that.”
Sakura nodded quickly.
“Now, watch this.” She took a light skip towards the center of the room and then – and then somehow turned her body upside down, in a way that Sakura’s eyes couldn’t quite keep up with, flipping her body over multiple times down most of the room before rocketing high into the air and landing gracefully on her feet. Astonished, Sakura burst into applause.
“That was so beautiful!”
“Thank you. Think you can handle it?”
“Me? Oh no, I couldn’t even begin to do that!” Sakura was quick to shake her head. “I couldn’t even understand how you did it; I would only fall on my face.”
“As did I when I first tried it. Luckily, you have me for a teacher and I’m brilliant at coaching gymnastics. Come here and we’ll get started.”
There was simply no arguing with Meilin. Diffidently Sakura tried to bend her body the way Meilin instructed, clumsily attempting something called a cartwheel. To Sakura it didn’t feel anything like what Meilin had demonstrated, and more like she was falling on the floor in a fancy way.
“You have to keep your legs straight,” Meilin repeated for the hundredth time. “Pretend you have long wooden sticks strapped to your legs, that’s what I did. It helps if you point your toes, just like when you’re dancing.”
“Point my toes,” Sakura echoed, feeling a fresh spurt of determination. Again she tipped over and planted her hands on the floor, imagining the wooden sticks and refusing to let her knees bend. Something did feel different that time, and she even managed to land upright without falling on her rear.
“How was that?” Sakura panted, trying to shake some hair out of her eyes. “Was it better? Was it?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Meilin replied airily. “Why don’t we ask my cousin? He sure got an eyeful.”
Sakura swallowed a squeak, turning pink even before she brushed away the last few strands and saw that Li was indeed standing by the doorway. Had he seen her skirt fall when she was upside down?
Li, however, didn’t even look at her, crossing his arms and directing a mild glare at his cousin. “I figured you were here, when she didn’t show up for her walk outside. Gymnastics already, Meilin? You must be determined to either break her in half or make her the next you. I don’t know which one’s worse.”
Pertly Meilin flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “It’s not as if it’s my fault that I can only come up here once a week. I have to push her if she’s going to be good.”
“It’s alright, Li,” Sakura interjected peaceably. “It’s really rather fun, and it isn’t so painful. It’s no worse than when I’m with you.”
Both cousins stiffened and looked her way, with two very different expressions. Meilin’s was curiosity. “Oh? What is this?”
“It’s nothing,” Li answered quickly, whose expression was more defensive. Sakura clapped her hands to her mouth.
“Oh, sorry! Was I not supposed to tell her?”
“Tell me what?”
“Nothing!”
“Oh right, Syaoran. Like I’m going to be satisfied with that.” Eagerly her dark eyes bore into Sakura. “C’mon, tell, tell.”
Well, it wasn’t as if Sakura could put her off now. Weakly she smiled. “Li has been giving me lessons in self-defense, with the kung fu that you both studied. He’s actually a very strict teacher too.”
“Reeeeally?” Meilin sang, throwing an unreadable look at Li. He scowled. “My cousin? The stronger-than-thou boy who refused to show anyone in our home village how to fight, because teaching was ‘a waste of time’? Is this really Li Syaoran?”
“Shut up. She needed it. I couldn’t stand the way Ralen was touching her.”
Meilin’s eyebrows went right up at that, and it looked as if Li regretted what he’d said. Sakura couldn’t understand why he would, but Meilin chose to the drop the subject.
“That’s enough chitchat, Sakura, we need to get back to work – if my cousin will be so polite as to give us our privacy.”
“I’m going,” he grumbled. “She better not be too limp to walk tomorrow.”
“You could always carry her!”
His only response was to slam the door behind him, leaving the girls in relative peace. Sakura had to wince at Meilin’s wicked smile.
“You won’t tell, will you? He doesn’t think it’s very proper to teach me those things, and I don’t want him to be in trouble.”
“Tell? Who? As if I would, anyway. I’m just thrilled he’s actually showing concern for other human beings. It’s a first, you know.”
“That can’t be true,” Sakura insisted. “Captain Li has taken good care of me since I came to this castle.”
“And that, Sakura, would be precisely the point.”
“Hoe?”
“Come on, that’s enough of a rest for you. Time to get back to that cartwheel.”

“… one village at a time, each on his own schedule, until little by little he had conquered the nation. The remarkable aspect of this barbarian’s conquest is that he never attempted to smash or even alter the culture of the town-dwelling peasants. The army remained encamped outside each settlement; there was no demands to convert religion, currency, or even strenuous taxation. In this way, Chieftan Kan won a devoted and unified empire like no other history has seen.”
Touya paused to turn the page. “That’s the end of the chapter.” No response, and he turned his head up so far that it was tilting back against the cushion. “Yue? Stop or keep going?”
Yue didn’t move, eyes closed and lying so still against the cushioned back that Touya thought he had fallen asleep. When he repeated his name, however, his eyes opened to violet slits.
“Mm?”
“That’s the end of the chapter. Stop?”
“Yes, slave, that will do for the night. Very well read.”
“Boring enough to put you to sleep, apparently.”
“Not at all. I am merely tired.”
It was a thin crescent moon outside, just a thin sliver of light in the sky. Touya kept that observation to himself, though, and merely returned the book to its place on the floor by Yue’s chair. The firelight was dimming fast, as if Yue could hardly wait to crawl into bed, though he hadn’t even touched Touya yet.
“Don’t you want…” Touya’s voice trailed off when Yue glanced at him, feeling rather awkward and foolish.
“Yes, slave?”
“Nothing.” His face burned when Yue’s lips turned up in a slight smile.
“You miss my attentions. It’s only to be expected. Never fear, Toya, I’m sure I’ll have more than enough energy to spare for you tomorrow night.”
“Can’t wait,” Touya muttered, when he couldn’t think of anything else to say, but the words didn’t sound quite sarcastic enough in his ears. Maybe he was just tired too. Firelight almost gone, he moved to stretch out on the rug.
“Are you sleeping there?”
The question and its sincere tone surprised Touya into looking up. “Don’t I always?”
Yue had paused by a corner of his four-poster bed, hand on one slim wooden pole and a touch of uncertainty in his eyes. Reluctantly he answered, “Yes.”
“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re the one that made me sleep here. ‘I share my bed with no one’, remember?”
The uncertainty vanished from Yue’s eyes. “Of course I do. Good night, slave.”
Touya didn’t bother to answer, lying down and rolling away from Yue in a huffy sort of way. Fading ember rubies got the full force of his glare as familiar sounds told Touya that Yue was pulling back his covers and settling into bed. Ancestors it was a soft bed, the softest and plumpest mattress that Touya had ever known. His old hay-stuffed bed in the mountains couldn’t compare, and certainly this wooden floor didn’t. He’d grown used to it, over these months, but tonight it seemed a lot more uncomfortable than he remembered.
He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the dark ceiling for a while, the silence in the room now complete. Yue had probably fallen asleep directly upon laying his head on a pillow, lucky. Touya lay there in the darkness for what seemed unending hours, wishing sleep would come and trying to ignore the way the unyielding surface beneath him dug into his shoulder when he tried to roll over. He’d endured the discomfort all this time; why was it keeping him awake now?
Because you’re thinking about how good it was, whispered a traitorous voice in his head. It was soft. It was warm. He was warm.
Damn voices. Touya squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will himself to sleep, unsuccessfully. Thinking about sleep just brought back the memory of that morning, curled up to the warmth that was Yue’s sleeping body. It was cozy and pleasant, and he’d only jerked away because he was so startled and embarrassed that Yue caught him in the act. Lately, it seemed, that was happening a lot.
But Yue was asleep now. Touya had rarely seen him so tired, and the thick silence of the room absent any tossing and turning in the bed practically guaranteed it. He wouldn’t wake up if Touya crawled into the bed, quietly. A rational part of Touya’s mind argued that this was a risky move, but the voice arguing for a pillow was louder. Come what may, he could not spend another second on this floor.
A rush of relief consumed him, once he’d made his decision and sat up. Nothing moved in the darkness, and he made no noise in his bare feet creeping across the room. Yue was only just visible, mainly due to the swathe of silver hair spread across the sheets. Cautiously as a thief Touya eased onto the opposite side of the bed and lay down, exhaling with a sigh when his head touched the downy softness of Yue’s pillows. It was like sleeping on a cloud.
“This doesn’t mean anything,” he whispered, just to affirm it out loud. Having done so, he rolled over and snuggled into the sheets, welcoming the sleep stealing through his body. But his heart almost stopped when an arm curled around him and held him close.
“Of course it doesn’t,” Yue whispered in reply, and then said nothing more. When Touya realized that he really had fallen asleep, this time, it seemed pointless to do anything but follow his example. They slept in one another’s arms, and it was the last night Touya spent on the floor.

“…three, four, five, six, seven, eight! One, two, three, four, five, six, and done!” Sakura dropped to the floor in her final finishing pose, feeling quite out of breath and struggling to hold her smile.
“A little less fixed, Sakura, you can’t dance like that and then grimace like a wooden doll. Don’t let them see how tired you are! Smile and throw your arm out as if you could go on like this all day.”
Meilin demonstrated, tossing an arm out to her side as if to gesture to a crowd of adoring men. Sakura tried to copy her, but her arm felt so limp that she immediately dropped it to her side. The Li cousins were both so demanding!
“May I… please rest now, Meilin?”
“You may. And brava, Sakura, that was an excellent job. You performed the entire dance perfectly. Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
“Really?” Sakura goggled from her place on the floor, attempting to fan herself with one hand. “Do you mean that?”
“I am a teacher, Sakura, I don’t give a compliment unless I mean it. Mind you, it’s a fairly simple dance that I teach most of my beginners. They’ll get more difficult as you go on. But you could perform that one, and no one would know you’d just begun.”
“Wow.”
“Speaking of which…” Meilin joined her, dropping gracefully into a cross-legged posture. “I need to talk to you about our next lesson.”
“Oh?”
“I can’t.”
“What!”
Meilin smiled gently at her dismayed expression. “That is, without being paid. I love teaching you, Sakura, I really do, and it’s great to see my cousin too. But this castle is hours away from the city and it takes up two entire days of my time to come. I just can’t afford it. Unless I can be paid for these lessons, I won’t be able to come anymore.”
Sakura was at a loss to speak, she was so upset. She loved the dancing, and how well she could do it even though she was clumsy at so many other things. She loved practicing too, having something hard to work on in the day and give her some purpose. She would miss Meilin terribly.
“I… see. I’m so very sorry, Meilin, I was being selfish. I liked learning so much that I didn’t think about what you were giving up to come here; I know it was because Tomoyo asked you to. I apologize.”
She bowed from her sitting position, and Meilin laughed lightly. “Hang on, don’t give up on me just yet! I do still want to come – if nothing else, you’re one of my best students. All you have to do is ask your master to pay me.”
Sakura’s thin twig of hope snapped in two at Meilin’s casual words. “Eh? Ask him what?”
“Ask him to pay me. I give lessons to lots of pleasure slaves, and it’s their masters that pay me. Of course, usually it’s the master’s idea, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“But- but, ask… Master Yue?”
“If that’s his name.”
Sakura had not seen her master in days, as per usual. The last time she did see him was that strange moment that he touched her face and spoke to her. You’re not as beautiful as me, he’d said. What does he see in you? Sakura knew perfectly well that she was not as beautiful as a creature like Yue, but she’d never figured out who ‘he’ was. It was a one-sided conversation that made her stomach twist nervously.
“I c-can’t ask him.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“I, uh, never see him. It’s been several days since he last came to my cage.”
“Syaoran is captain of the guard. There must be a way he can talk to Yue and get him to come see you.”
He certainly could, and Sakura paled. “I wouldn’t know how to ask him. He’s very cold, and frightening, and to ask him for money –”
“Well, I know how to ask him.”
“Really? How?”
“Simple.” Meilin rolled the magical sphere across the floor toward Sakura’s feet. “You perform for him.”
Sakura hadn’t thought this could get any more terrifying. She was wrong. “I could what?”
“You know, dance. That thing that I’ve been teaching you to do? What did you think you would use it for, entertainment for the squirrels?”
“I didn’t…” Sakura’s voice collapsed limply mid-sentence, without any real answer to give. She’d thrown herself into the practicing for the sake of having something to practice, and she loved it. It hadn’t occurred to her that she would actually use it someday.
“Didn’t think about it? Well, it’s time to think about it. You can’t ask your master to pay for a dance lesson when you’re too shy to show off the result, you know. Dance for him, and when you ask for the money afterwards I guarantee he’ll be throwing gold coins at your feet. I’ll even lend you this sphere, so you can perform properly with music.”
“Meilin, you don’t know how scary Master Yue is.”
“I guess that’s true. Oh well.” Meilin shrugged and moved to stand. “It was nice working with you, Sakura. Guess I won’t be seeing you anymore.”
“Oh, wait!” Plaintively she tugged on Meilin’s sleeve. “Please don’t go away forever. I love learning to dance.”
“Then you’re going to have to prove it.” Kindly Meilin pried off her hand and stepped back, sweeping her bag off the floor. “I have to go now, it’s a long ride back down the hill. When you do get up the courage to dance for your master, be sure and tell Syaoran and he’ll send me a messenger pigeon. Then I’ll come back.”
Sakura didn’t have much of a chance to reply, even if she’d known what to say. Meilin smiled and gave a merry wave before disappearing through the ballroom doors, leaving Sakura alone in her despair. Dance for Master Yue? She barely had the nerve to speak to her master, let alone dance for him! And she’d never danced for anyone but Meilin – how would she get up the nerve to do it for Yue of all people?
But to have no more lessons…
She fretted for a long time, not moving from her place on the ballroom floor, but eventually she was interrupted when Li wandered through the doors.
“Hey. I just saw my cousin off; did you want to go outside for a few minutes and try to recover before Ralen comes around?”
It took Sakura a few seconds to realize someone was addressing her, and she blinked owlishly at Li before recognition set in. “Oh- what?”
“I thought maybe you’d want to go outside. If you can still walk, that is.” Li squinted and drew a little closer, frowning. “Are you alright? What did she do to you?”
“Oh, Li…” Absurdly, Sakura found herself fighting tears. “I don’t know what to do!”
“Shit,” she heard him sigh.

She managed to get control of the tears that always flustered him so, and a little while later they were relaxing in the shade of a tree in the courtyard. Li leaned back against the bark and listened to her problem, a wry expression of disbelief etched across his face.
“So, after all that trouble learning to dance, now you’re afraid to actually do it in front of your own master? Why did you think you were learning?”
“You sound just like Meilin!”
“Only because she can, occasionally, say rational things.”
“But you know what Master Yue is like, she doesn’t. He’s so terrifying, just thinking about it makes my heart speed up.” Sakura placed a hand over her chest in demonstration. For some reason Li didn’t like the way she said that, and frowned. “I couldn’t possibly dance for him.”
“You gave him flowers once.”
“Yes, and my knees were shaking the entire time. I almost never see him anyway – it’s like I don’t even exist to him. How would I even find him at all?”
“I could call him down to see you. I’ve got this.” He turned his wrist over, displaying the magical gemstone there, but Sakura didn’t seem happy to see it.
“But then he would come.”
“Yes, there is that.”
“And I would have to- have to… no, I just couldn’t.”
“Sakura.” Li leaned forward a little, arm draped over an upturned knee, and fixed her with his most earnest look. “I told you before that Yue isn’t a cruel man. You’ve got nothing to be afraid of. And you like dancing a lot. Meilin says you’re great at it. Don’t you want to show him what you can do?”
She stared at him with round eyes for a little while, plainly stunned by his words, and on the inside he was almost as surprised. Since when did he have the patience for a pep talk like this? But it was such a stupid situation, and he knew now after all these days with her that Sakura was not inherently shy. Just afraid, and he was sick of watching her be afraid.
“Maybe…” she was saying, a thoughtful look in her eye. “Maybe I wouldn’t be so scared to do it if I’m not alone. Will you watch too? Stay with me?”
“Me?” Now it was his turn to stare in surprise. “But you haven’t even let me watch you practice all this time.”
“I know. But you’re still there, whenever I practice you’re always close by. If you’re there when I dance for Master Yue, maybe it will feel more like a regular practice.” She smiled bravely, and his heart gave an extra thump. There was also just the tiniest hint of irritation that Yue would be able to openly watch Sakura dance at the same time as Li finally could, but he didn’t give himself time to worry about that. She wanted him there, and that was enough.
“I’ll be right there,” he promised, and she beamed. “You want me to call him now?”
“NO!”
He flinched just a little, and she clapped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. “Okay…”
“Sorry, Li! I just- I’m not ready. Not right now. I’m so very tired after all Meilin’s lessons, and sore too, and I’m not very clean. Not today, but maybe tomorrow.”
“Alright then. Tomorrow.”

The next day dawned bright and clear, and by the time Li took Sakura outside it had become a fine early summer day. Looking remarkably refreshed after a night’s rest, Sakura stretched her arms out behind her and tilted her face up to the sunshine.
“Feeling better, I see.”
“Oh yes, lots!”
“Ready to dance for Yue?”
“No!”
“But you said -”
“I know.” Abashed, she dropped her arms and studied the grass at his feet. “But I don’t think- maybe just a little more time to get myself ready. I can’t do it today.”
“Alright.”
He shrugged, and the day went on like any other.

“Call him?” he asked the next day, and Sakura shook her head so vehemently that her hair obscured her face.
“Sorry, Li! I know I said I would but I’m -”
“Just not ready yet.”
“Mm!”
“What, exactly, is it going to take for you to be ready?”
She shrunk within herself. “I don’t know.”
“Waiting to become less afraid of Yue maybe? Or just hoping he’ll die of old age first?”
“Er -”
“Never mind, none of my business. Hell, I should thank you for making sure my cousin won’t be coming up here again. It always makes me nervous to have her here.” He returned his attention to combing Spirit’s tail, leaving Sakura to stew in her guilt.
“I’m sorry, Li.”
“For what?”
“I know you’re trying to help me, and I keep delaying.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Maybe tomorrow.”

The next day they practiced Sakura’s self-defense in private, Li giving repeated demonstrations of how to lock a wrist and twist the arm behind the back. Neither of them said a word about dancing while she struggled to learn, but eventually she managed to get the moves right and brought Li almost to the floor.
“I did it!”
“Ralen hates it, you know.”
“Hoe?”
“The dancing. Because it’s not something he can control, it makes you more independent. If you give it up, it will make him happy.”
She released his wrist and backed away, green eyes round with surprise. “You really think so?”
“I know it.” Rubbing his wrist absentmindedly, Li straightened and made direct eye contact. “Time to stop being so afraid, Sakura. You told me you wanted to learn these techniques so you could be in charge of at least some of your life – this is a way to do that too.”
“I didn’t think of it like that.”
“Just trying to help.”
She smiled. “You really are always helping me, aren’t you?”
A brilliant warmth flared up on Li’s cheeks and he tried to cover it by looking away and raking a hand through his hair. “I’m just trying to irritate Ralen, is all.”
“I see. Well, I think you’re right.” She took a deep breath and lifted her chin, determination shining in her eyes. “Let’s do it. I’ll dance for him today.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“Will you call him?”
Li glanced out the window of their little room and decided against it. “Not a good idea to call him in the middle of the day, not if you’re trying to ask him for something. He hates to be bothered then.”
“Why? Is he busy doing something?”
“Not rightly sure. Nobody knows exactly what he does during the day, but I’ve seen how nasty his mood is when he’s interrupted, so it must be important.”
Sakura looked dismayed. “If not now, then when?”
“Sunset,” he suggested. “That’s usually when he calls me up to speak to him, so it must be okay.”
“But I eat dinner with my brother at sunset. And oh, Meilin said I should never dance directly after eating a meal, she said it would be bad for my stomach.”
“Before you eat dinner, then. I’ll call Yue down to the throne room and he can let you out of that stupid cage himself.”
“Do you have Meilin’s music sphere?”
She’d given it to him days ago, out of fear that Ralen might see it and take it from her. Li fished it out of a pocket and tossed it idly into the air. “Right here.”
“Careful with that! It’s very precious and she lent it to me.”
“Relax, my sisters are the ones that made it.” He rolled his eyes and dropped it back into his pocket. “If I break it, she’ll just yell at me and ask them to make another one.”
She giggled. “You have such an interesting family, Li. I think I’d like to meet your sisters someday.”
“You just worry about tonight first,” he advised.
“You’ll be there, right? You’ll stay?”
He almost took her hand, but changed his mind at the last moment and clapped his on her shoulder. “For every second.”
Her smile lit up the room.

There was no more smile that evening, when the burnished sun was sinking to the horizon. Standing in her cage, she could hear her heart banging away inside her chest so loudly she was surprised Li didn’t remark on it. He’d just called to Yue through his magical stone, asking him to come to the throne room, so it was too late to back out now. Li squinted at her through the bars, looking rather concerned.
“You alright in there? You look kind of pale.”
“Fine,” she squeaked.
“You might want to breathe.”
She gasped for air and he chuckled, which didn’t make Sakura feel much better. “Will you stay close enough to catch me if I faint?”
“You’re not going to faint. You’ve worked on this and you can do it. Think how much easier it must be to dance in here than out under the hot sun.”
“If only his eyes weren’t so scary,” she moped. “I wish it was just you.”
His breath hitched slightly and when their eyes met a new tension vibrated in the air. The moment was broken by Yue’s voice.
“Captain? You have something to show me?”
“My lord.” A little too quickly Li’s head whipped around, and he took a step away from the cage. “Thank you for coming. But- I didn’t call you here for me. Your slave has something she wants to show you.”
Yue’s gaze moved to her and Sakura’s stomach dropped to her knees, positive she really would faint. Even the auction was better than this!
“And what is that?”
Only a resounding silence in the throne room answered him; Sakura didn’t even think to open her mouth. After an awkward pause, Li cleared his throat.
“She needs you to open her cage, my lord.”
Yue raised an eyebrow but waved a hand, apparently curious enough to humor Li. The latch opened on its own and the door swung open, clearing the way to step out and move even closer to her forbidding master. Woodenly, she forced her feet forward. Meilin had taught her, Li helped her to get this chance. She couldn’t let them down.
“I am waiting,” Yue prompted, when several more seconds of silence had passed. Hastily she bowed.
“Master Yue, I- I’m very sorry to disturb you like this. B-but I have been taking -” Pause, swallow. “- dance lessons. As you are my master, I would like very much to perform what I have learned for you… master.” She’d spent all afternoon practicing these lines, but the words sounded clumsy in her ears and she cringed. Timidly she peeked to see his expression and found mild surprise showing in his eyes. Somehow, it made him seem more human, and she remembered he’d looked much the same the day she gave him her flowers.
Sakura mustered up a smile. “I will… begin now, if that’s acceptable.”
He gave a near-imperceptible nod of the head. This was it – no backing out now. Sakura opened a clenched fist to reveal the polished round stone on her palm.
“Comenze.”
The magical properties within lit up at the word, and it hovered mid-air when she dropped her hand. The first strains of music wafted through the air, and Sakura checked over her shoulder to make sure Li was still there. He’d moved back to the opening of the room, standing inconspicuously at the base of a wide pillar, but he saw her looking and nodded. One final deep breath, and Sakura began.

She danced like a leaf falling in the wind. Li rested his head back against the pillar and drank in the sight, devouring every twirl and graceful sweep of the arm, wondering how she could have been so nervous when it was obvious she was so very good. Though she started a little stiffly, as the music swelled in volume she seemed to forget her audience and move in a world that was all her own, eyes dreamy and unfocused. The filmy pastel dress fluttered and swirled around her, occasionally settling with a swish around her legs, drawing his gaze to her waist and hips again and again. She really was beautiful. Why hadn’t he noticed before?
One particular step brought her very close to Yue in imitation of a subservient curtsy – just another step as far as Sakura was concerned, but it triggered an unreasonable spike of irritation within Li. He was the one who protected Sakura from Ralen so she could practice, he was the one who encouraged her to perform. Now it was Yue she danced for, standing there and openly watching her every move as if he had the right. Which of course he did, because he was her master and owner. Stupid to dislike it, stupid to be annoyed.
Stupid to be jealous.

Touya was on his way to the tea room where he shared dinner with his sister when an odd and unfamiliar sound tickled his ears and gave him pause. No one in his home village owned anything more than a broken-down old fiddle, but he still knew music when he heard it. Music, moreover, that was richer and more beautiful than any kind he’d ever heard before. He turned toward the sound and started walking, then running at a light pace. The melody seemed to fill the air and he couldn’t recall ever hearing anything like it in this giant, empty castle. What was it, and how did it ever get here?

As she neared the end, Sakura thought her heart would burst with exultation. Performing for Yue was going wonderfully; she’d done everything perfect so far. Meilin would be so proud! She only had to finish, and ask him for more lessons, and then everything would be alright. Meilin would be able to come, Sakura would have her practice time, and maybe from now on she wouldn’t ask Li to turn –
“Aah!”
Sakura stumbled over her feet at the sound of her brother’s agonized yell, and her head jerked up. Touya was standing at the entrance of the throne room, shock and horror plain on his face as he stared at the dancer that was his sister.
Oh – no.
Cold dread plummeted into Sakura’s stomach and she froze where she was, rapidly turning as pale as Touya. Without realizing it, a tiny whimper escaped her lips.
“Uh oh.”
Beside her, Yue swallowed a groan and rubbed his temple. “Here it comes.”
“What,” Touya managed to get out, in strangled voice, “are – you – doing?”
The music was still playing on, oblivious to the abrupt halt in her performance, and Sakura closed her fist around the magical sphere to shut it up. “Um, dancing?”
Touya’s aghast stare turned from her to Yue. “You – made her dance for you?”
“It was well done,” Yue complimented, looking right at her and ignoring her brother. “You are dismissed, slave, go to dinner.”
“Yes, master.” Only too eager to escape, she bowed her head and scurried out of the room. Touya watched her go, still gaping like an astonished fish, then turned his wrath back on Yue.
“You made her dance for you? You promised you wouldn’t touch her!”
“I haven’t.”
“You’re not supposed to be looking at her either!” Touya shouted hysterically, closing the distance between them with angry long strides. “That is my little sister, she’s a child. How could you make her do that?”
“I’ll have you know that it was her idea.”
“Say what?” Flustered, Touya glanced back at the direction Sakura had fled, then quickly collected himself and returned the glare to Yue. “No. No- she wouldn’t do that.”
“She asked me to come here, she asked me for the privilege of performing.” Touya’s mouth kept falling open as he spoke, an extremely amusing picture. “She is quite graceful. I enjoyed it very much.”
“Stop it!” Touya yelped. “I’m taking her place, remember, I’m the one in your bed at nights! How dare you look at my sister like that?”
Yue cocked his head slightly, a calm contrast to Touya’s furious rage. A very intriguing thought had just occurred to him.
“Are you jealous, slave? Because she danced for me?”
“Jealous?” Touya sputtered. “Me? Not a chance. I have always been the most important man in Sakura’s life and I will always be the most important man in Sakura’s life. Not you or anyone else is going to change that!”
“Duly noted,” Yue replied, hiding a smile. “But that isn’t what I meant. I meant, are you jealous of her?”
Touya didn’t quite get it at first, caught up in his tantrum and not thinking with a clear head. But when he did, the sharp shift in his expression was priceless to watch. Now doubly flustered, he took a defensive step back and looked away.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go yell at my sister.”
He couldn’t run away fast enough, leaving Yue alone in the light of the setting sun.
“I must have her dance for me again.”

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Disclaimer: I do not own these characters

No, Scorpinac (and everybody else), I’m not dead. But my career just about is, having come crashing to a very abrupt halt on the night of November 7th elections. After enslaving myself to the campaign and the hope of victory, we were left standing alone in the cold while the incumbent sailed to an easy win. Slimy bastard, I hope he chokes on his illegal contributions.

So that’s why you didn’t get an update before November. As for afterwards, well, just call it mental recuperation as I tried to get on with life. Moving into a new place, dating a new boyfriend, trying (unsuccessfully so far) to get a new job. Worries and fears blocked my muse, and it was difficult to write. After more than a month I’m beginning to heal, and when I type I can feel the fresh air of creativity blowing again. Yay, my story isn’t dead! And now that I have oodles of free time, I’m adhering to a fairly rigorous schedule in front of the computer. I don’t ever want to fall into a hole like that one again. The deeper you’re in, the harder it is to climb out.

Best review goes to Katbites, who isn’t as whiny as she claims she is and postulated an interesting theory about Yue’s disappearances. Very well thought out, very rational, but not quite right, as she will soon see. Good guess, though! Keep trying.

Merry Christmas, dear readers. I will be busy over the holidays, of course, but I’ll do my best. May we all be back here before long.
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Pleasure Slave