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Pleasure Slave	By : Capitalist Category: +. to F > Card Captor Sakura Views: 84325 -:- 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
- 41
- 42
- 43
Chapter 42
‘sun and moon’

She’d locked the door after all, damn it. Ralen let go of the handle, muttering the curse just under his breath, and knocked. Damn Yue for shrugging off the destroyed cage – it had been used for the slaves as long as Ralen could remember! – and damn that other slave of his for convincing him to do it. He knew it was Kinomoto’s fault, he’d seen the look that passed between them. Who else could have persuaded Yue to grant his slave anything like a private bedroom? Ralen could see the man’s influence over his ‘master’ growing daily, and he didn’t like it.
It seemed to take an unusually long time for Sakura to get to the door and open it, and then only partially, using her body to block the view of most of the room.
“Yes? Oh good morning, Ralen sir.”
“Yes, good morning, slave. Did you sleep late today? Enjoying your luscious new bed?”
She blushed faintly. “Yes sir.”
“I hope you know that you’re still expected to keep to your schedule, even if Yue has granted you this little favor of a bedroom. And that you will still answer to me, always.”
“Yes sir.” Subtly he tried to maneuver forward, but Sakura was still blocking his view.
“If I didn’t know better, slave, I’d say you were trying to hide something. Is there someone in your bed?” She flinched guiltily, and Ralen’s mouth fell open in disbelief. Surely not… had the little virgin really –
“Good MORNING!” bellowed a new voice, and Sakura was pushed aside when Keroberos galloped to the door. Ralen shrieked and jumped back, stumbling over his own feet and hitting the marble floor with a painful smack. A mouth bristling with sharp white teeth opened, and barked with laughter. “If it isn’t blondie! Why are you pestering her and making us late for breakfast? I’m HUNGRY, I want to EAT.” Gold eyes gleaming wickedly, he made to snap at Ralen’s foot and he shrieked again, yanking it back just in time.
“He flew into my room last night,” Sakura explained meekly, “and insisted on sleeping in my bed. I, um, was too scared to say no.”
“I did not realize you had returned to the castle,” Ralen quavered, “Lord Keroberos. W-welcome back.” Nasty, brutish, smelly beast…
“Ha ha! Surprised you, didn’t I? Now why are you lying there on the floor like that? Run down to the kitchen and tell them to send up TWO helpings of breakfast, one of ‘em extra big. You got that? Or otherwise I might get hungry again…” He snapped his teeth together just inches from Ralen’s toes and a panicked blonde scooted back out of range.
“As you w-wish, Lord Keroberos. I’m on my way.”
How he hated that creature! It was always teasing him, just to make him sweat, and he hadn’t been very surprised to find that it got along so well with that ill-shaven barbarian Li. Their notions of hygiene were probably identical. And now it had decided to cozy up to Sakura, blast it. The world, Ralen decided, was getting less and less fair all the time.
“A little FASTER, please!”
“I’m going!” Ralen scrambled to his feet and scurried down the corridor, a mixture of embarrassment and fury. The ringing laughter of a delighted lion followed him all the way to the stairs.

Danger always lurked in the wilderness, but in his grief he’d forgotten the risk. Out of the trees sprang death, and the lynx pinned him to the earth with claws digging into his flesh. Then it was no longer a lynx, but the Void, and it opened a mouth lined with teeth. It would tear him apart and devour him, he was dead – but then it paused. The Void paused, while he helplessly waited to die, and sniffed.
“Hey.”
Hey! You’re not Yue! You smell like him though –
“Hey!” Touya’s eyes snapped open and he froze there in the sheets, the teeth of his nightmares looming dangerously close to his face. Just in time he smothered the surprised yelp, recognition filtering in when Keroberos nudged him impatiently.
“Wake up, already!”
Touya remembered to breathe, and let his muscles go limp. “Did you have to do that?”
“Shh! Get up and come outside, I want to talk to you. And do it quietly.”
The lion dropped back onto all fours on the floor and padded away, apparently confident that Touya would come. Rolling over, Touya could see that Yue was still fast asleep. He couldn’t recall any clause in their deal that bound Touya to obey his master’s brother, but he was curious. Carefully he wriggled out from under the sheets and into his pants, shuffling outside onto the balcony with a yawn. The sun was already well above the horizon and normally they’d both be up by now, but Touya and Yue had stayed up late reading.
“What is it? That was a comfortable bed.”
“Sit down, and shut up. We have to talk before he wakes up.”
“You keep secrets from your own brother?”
“Heh. You’d be surprised.” Keroberos cast a rather smug glance at him from the corner of his eye, pacing back and forth while Touya dropped onto the bench. “It’s time for me to go, again. I’ll leave directly after breakfast.”
“I’m sure he’ll be very happy to hear it.”
“I don’t think I’ll go very far, though. The Void’s boldness has got me worried.”
“Yue said he won’t let it happen again.”
“Yue says a lot of things,” Keroberos muttered darkly. “And those things have got me worried too. Kid, do you have even the faintest idea what you’ve gotten yourself into?”
“I didn’t exactly get myself -”
“Do you know, even a little, just what Yue is?”
“Sort of,” Touya replied uncertainly, disconcerted by the lion’s fierce glare. “He says that he’s made of magic and moonlight. Right?”
“Moon, yes, but it’s so much more than anything as innocent as ‘moonlight’. Try the nature of the moon itself, and if that doesn’t frighten you then it should.”
“What are you talking about?”
Keroberos made an unhappy noise in the back of his throat. “Clow made a lot of mistakes when he created Yue, mistakes that he was smart enough to fix when he got around to me. I am born from the sun, which – despite what a lot of astronomers in his day thought – stands still in the universe. It doesn’t move around anything else, and gives off its own light. Independent, you could say.” Proudly he puffed out his chest, then shook his head. “The moon is a different story.”
Touya was starting to catch on. “It rotates around the earth.”
“And doesn’t even give off its own light, but reflects it. The moon exists to depend on things other than itself, to be alone is a concept completely alien to its nature. And Yue is every bit as dependent as the real thing, body and soul. Why do you think he’s been going through pleasure slaves like tea biscuits for all these years? He was built to consumate a physical relationship.”
Unexpected nausea curdled in Touya’s stomach, and he swallowed. He had wondered about that, occasionally, when he thought about how little Yue cared for humans and their company… he had to? Was Yue a slave to sex itself?
“Clow made him that way – on purpose?”
“We’ll never know. But it sure wouldn’t surprise me to hear he did, the man suffered a touch of the ego.” Keroberos snorted disparagingly. “But if you ask me it wasn’t near as damaging as his emotional dependencies. Yue worshipped Clow. He was his ‘earth’; Yue’s life literally revolved around him. I grieved for Clow when he died, but Yue almost destroyed himself. I was there, I watched when his mind broke down and he went mad with despair. Not something I’m eager to see again. Which is why I’m here, asking you to stop doing whatever it is that you’re doing to him.”
“Me? Doing to him?”
“Don’t play dumb with me! Beats the hell out of me how, but you’ve got my brother wrapped around your little finger and it makes me nervous. I don’t like to think that he has a new earth – he was lucky to survive the death of the last one.”
“Do you think I want any of this?” Touya snapped, gripping the edge of the bench in frustration. “That I even want to be here? Less than a week ago I tried to -”
“Blah blah blah,” Keroberos interrupted impatiently. “I don’t care if you’re his so-called slave, I don’t care if he’s got you chained to the foot of his bed. You can’t fool me. ‘Yue needs me, I’m not sure how I know I just do’ – please. Maybe you think I didn’t have to listen to Clow and Yue spout drivel like that for years, and I wish you were right, but I know that sappy love-talk when I hear it.”
“I do not love him.”
“You sound just like him. I wonder if my stunning good looks have perhaps tricked you both into thinking that I have no brains to match. Nice necklace, by the way.”
Unconsciously Touya’s hand flew to the silver chain around his throat, and he flushed. “He makes me wear it.”
Keroberos snorted again. “My brother is such a freak.”
“I don’t know what you want me to do. He isn’t going to let me go, and as long as I’m here I’ll do what I have to to protect my sister. Whatever you think is going on in Yue’s head, I can’t help that.”
“You did something to get his attention! Can’t you… undo it? Somehow?”
The silver was cool under his fingertips, even though it spent all its time resting against his skin. Unbidden, Clow’s words floated through his mind: You were his slave long before Yue ever laid eyes on you, before you were born.
“No. It’s too late. It’s been too late for a long time.”
Keroberos opened his mouth to argue, but must have changed his mind when he saw the look on Touya’s face.
“Well, great. That’s another mess for me to clean up in a few decades. I wish he’d never met you.”
“So do I.”
Keroberos stiffened, his feline ears pricked warily. “He’s awake. I’m outta here, my breakfast is waiting. You better not tell him I told you any of this, or he’ll kill me.”
“Don’t worry. I’d like to pretend I never had this conversation at all.”
“Toya?”
“Well I’ve said what I could. Can’t say I didn’t warn you!”
Wings popped out of his back and Keroberos leapt over the balcony rail, sleek and lithe as any cat. Again Yue called for him and Touya hurried back inside, settling himself on the edge of the bed.
“I’m here, I’m here.”
Yue took his hand and squeezed it, a reproving look in his eyes. “I like to wake up next to you, slave, you know this. You should not have left the bed.”
“Yes, master. I’m sorry.” He bent over and kissed Yue gently on the lips, ever his owner’s pacifier.
“Did I hear my irritating brother’s voice? Was he abusing you?”
“No. We were just talking.”
“About?”
“He asked me to tell you he said goodbye. He’s leaving the castle today.”
“Good riddance.” Yue pulled Touya down to lie alongside him. “Now there is no one to bother us anymore. But I must go to my meditation room and keep watch for Void’s movement. Be a good slave and wait for me, will you?”
He pecked Touya lightly on the nose with an affectionate kiss, and he had to fight not shiver.
“Yes, master.”

In spite of the tragic events that brought about the destruction of her cage, Sakura was not in the least sorry to see it go. Not just because of her lavish new room, with its balcony and view and, most importantly, privacy, but because at long last she finally had freedom. Not much, of course, just the freedom to wander the castle between her walk and evening meal. But to a girl trapped in a birdcage for months, the prospect of finally exploring this magnificent castle was a dream come true. Dazzled by the beauty and grandeur surrounding her, Sakura set out in high spirits and in no time got herself completely lost.
Her brother found her sometime in midafternoon, purely by chance, as she stalked the halls in futile search of a staircase. He laughed when she complained, turned her around, and began firmly steering her in a new direction.
“Don’t take it personally, Sakura, it’s just going to take time. Something called ‘Maze’ inhabits this place, according to Yue, and it won’t let you learn your way until it gets used to you. Took me weeks. But it’ll be worth it to keep trying, because then you can come here as often as you want.”
“Come where?”
“Here.” Touya pushed open a door and ushered her through, and she almost tripped over her own feet in shock. The room was drowning in books! Shelves of them rose from floor to ceiling, several had been piled on a desk, and still more had been left lying on a sofa next to a fireplace.
“Damn, it’s a mess,” Touya muttered. “I haven’t cleaned up in a while. If I’d thought this through, I would put everything back before bringing you in here.”
“Onii-chan!”
“Huh, what? Oh.” He relaxed and grinned when he saw her expression. “It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? Even Yue doesn’t know how many are in here, it’s a collection hundreds of years old. He said it’s mine to use whenever I want, so now that you’re free to walk about I can tell you that it’s yours whenever you want. There’s enough here to keep you busy every day for years.”
Oh, wasn’t there! Sakura turned a slow circle, mouth open, and decided she would die of old age before getting through them all.
“How many have you read, Onii-chan?”
“Hmm… maybe a dozen, I guess. Yue and I read one together every night, and then there’s the ones I do on my own in here. But lately I’ve been working on these mathematical books instead of just reading… this algebra and calculus is really interesting, I could teach you if you want.”
Sakura looked warily at the books and papers scattered across the desk, crammed with mysterious and complicated formulas. She must have made a face, because he shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“Fairy tales are over on that shelf.”
“Oh, yay!” Joyfully she skipped to where he’d pointed, and sure enough found a row of gold-embossed volumes. Three of the titles were books from their old collection back in the village, and if there were nothing else in this library but them, she would have wept with delight for the chance to read them again. But there was more, so much more, and eagerly she pulled a book from the shelf.
“This one looks good! Onii-chan, can we read it together just like we used to?”
He was just settling into the desk chair, reaching for a quill, and looked up a little distractedly. It reminded Sakura of all the times, over the years, that she’d interrupted him with food while he was in the middle of a tricky building chore.
“Huh? Oh… sure. We can do that.”
“Never mind, Onii-chan. If you want to work on your maths that’s all right. I can read by myself.”
“Don’t be silly, Sakura, I don’t mind.”
“I know you don’t mind,” Sakura enunciated, “but you don’t really want to either. I know fairy tales were never your favorite. Come to think of it, I’d rather read this outside in one of the gardens. The day is beautiful, after all.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely sure!” And if she picked just the right place, maybe Syaoran could listen to her read it aloud while doing his chores. “Will you just walk me back to the stairs?”
“Okay.”

That day Sakura would find Syaoran cleaning his saddle, and read to him a wonderful story about a princess with long hair and the dashing prince that rescued her from a tower. He would roll his eyes when she compared him to the prince, but also blush and allow himself a little smile. And midway through, when she paused to turn a page, it would occur to her that she’d somewhat betrayed her brother by taking their old tradition and sharing it with someone else. And yet, he’d somewhat betrayed her too; he read with Master Yue before the fire every night. She would realize, in that smallest of pauses, that the time had come for them to both move on and read with new loved ones.
She wondered if her brother had noticed.

Night fell. And after dinner, lovemaking on the rug, and a chapter of their latest book, the glittering stars found Touya and Yue on the castle’s rooftop again. There was still so much of the heavens left to be explored, and Touya had been meticulously examining one square inch of the sky at a time, referring to the library’s star charts and astronomy books frequently. When he first started this project Yue complained it was a waste of time and tedious besides, but that didn’t stop him from levitating a sofa up here and curling against Touya’s side during the self-study sessions.
“How much longer will you peer through that silly piece of glass, Toya? It must be near midnight. Aren’t you tired?”
“Not really. You don’t have to stay with me, you know, if you’re bored go to bed.”
“But I would miss you.” Yue snuggled up to his slave and rested his chin on Touya’s shoulder with a contented sigh. “You do remind me so much of Clow sometimes, especially like this. He was constantly peering through the scope too, almost incessantly in the later years of his life. Like he was looking for something he could not find.”
“A solution,” Touya muttered under his breath.
“What?”
“What do you think,” Touya asked, deliberately heading off the conversation, “would happen if a moon lost its planet?”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Toya. That wouldn’t happen.”
“But say that it did. Say that, like magic, a planet just vanished. What would happen to the moon circling around it?”
“I don’t know. I suppose without anything to keep it anchored it would simply float through space, lost and adrift. Or, perhaps, crash into another moon or planet and be destroyed.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought too.”
“Why do you ask?”
“No reason. Just morbid curiosity, I guess.”
“You are a silly boy.” Yue smiled sleepily and nestled his head more comfortably against Touya’s shoulder. “Not too much longer, slave. I worry that you’ll hurt your eyes trying to read your charts with so little light.”
“Mm.”
“Yes, master,” Yue prompted.
“Yes, master.”
Several minutes of silence passed, and eventually Yue’s breathing became deep and even. Not wanting to disturb him, Touya gave up on the telescope and simply lay back against the cushions, resting his head against Yue’s. Hair soft and insubstantial as spider’s silk spilled down his chest and absently he ran his fingers through it.
“So what am I to you, really?” he murmured, with no one to hear him but the stars. “A pet? A slave? Clow? Your earth? Don’t you know how hard you make it for me? Don’t you care?”
No answer. The real moon above rode high on a crest of stars, indifferent to his troubles as its offspring was. If Clow couldn’t find a solution to the mistake he’d made, then Touya had no hope of it. He wondered why he felt sorrier for Yue than himself.
“It isn’t right that you have to go through so much pain again,” he whispered to his sleeping master. “If I could stop it, I would. But it’s like I told your brother… we’re both already doomed.”

Passing days assuaged the shock and grief of the attack, and the castle occupants fell back into their routines. Though two guardsmen and one of the girls had promptly fled the castle within days, most of the servants elected to stay on for the raised salaries and trust that the Lord Yue was right when he said the danger would never return. Ralen decided more servants were needed after all – conveniently, more household servants would be needed than new guardsmen – and left for Terriene on a two-day trip to hire them. Li could have fought him on that decision, taken it to Yue if necessary, but then he would probably be told to accompany Ralen and that was worse than having fewer men to patrol the walls.
The overseer was still away when two others came traipsing up the hill for an unexpected visit – not that their visits were unexpected in of themselves, but that they coincided. Walking herself (oh, the freedom!) to the stables to meet Syaoran for their morning walk, Sakura squealed when she saw both of her teachers trailing behind him.
“Meilin! Tomoyo! You’re here!” Delightedly she pounced on them both with enthusiastic hugs. “At the same time!”
“Yes, I worked for days to persuade Tomoyo to get away from that slavehouse,” Meilin informed her. “She needs a couple days’ break. And anyway, that long ride is so much more pleasant when you have company, don’t you think?”
“It is, rather,” Tomoyo agreed. “And I was promised an exhibition of your dance lessons, so I’m eager to see if you’re really as good as Meilin is always saying.”
“I’m not, honestly! But oh, all of us together for the day? That will be so much fun! Syaoran, where are you going?”
He’d already put a good ten feet between him and the trio of females, and without breaking stride or looking back he answered.
“Away. Too many girls.”
“But -”
“NO.”
“Let him go,” Meilin advised. “Put Syaoran in the company of more than two girls and he starts to break out in a sweat, thinking he’s back with his sisters. Anyway, this will just be for us girls today.”
“Yes, just the three of us,” Tomoyo affirmed. “But Sakura, how did you come to be out here all by yourself? Doesn’t Ralen supervise your every step out of that cage?”
“Oh, Tomoyo! So many things have happened… I hardly know where to begin. Let’s go to the ballroom, and I’ll tell you everything. You won’t believe a word of it!”

She was almost right. The girls from the city listened to her tale with amazement, horrified to hear of the strange predator’s attack in the castle, awed by Syaoran’s heroic fight to keep her alive, thrilled as she had been to learn of the cage’s destruction and her move into a private bedroom. Both were puzzled to hear about Syaoran’s reluctance to claim her as a reward from Yue, but frowned and nodded when she relayed his explanation. She almost forgot to mention their attempted escape, and was treated to shocked gasps when she did. Yue’s strange almost-punishment prompted sympathetic looks, but both girls had seen the public whippings doled out to slaves that tried to escape, and knew it could have been much worse. That Sakura had gotten off so lightly was something of a small miracle.
It made for a lot of discussion, with stories and opinions flying fast and furious, and it was well over two hours later that Sakura and Meilin finally began their warm-up. Tomoyo was able to play both audience, as promised, and critic, though she didn’t have much negative commentary to offer while raving over Sakura’s talent. After an exhausting three hour lesson, they all bathed and Sakura prepared tea and biscuits for them in the kitchen. Without Ralen’s dark presence their visit felt almost like a holiday, and for the first time Sakura could truly appreciate the benefits of playing hostess in such a grand castle. The three of them spending time together like this felt very right, and Sakura had a funny feeling that they’d always been meant to become the best of friends. If only Syaoran would join them, and she had the chance to introduce Meilin and Tomoyo to Keroberos, then it would truly be perfect. Someday, perhaps, in the future.
The best part of the day came after dinner, when Sakura showed them up to her lovely new room and locked the door against eavesdroppers. Tomoyo brought out the promised sketches, and Sakura could pretend to be just an ordinary bride-to-be while they cooed and raved over her beautiful pictures. All of her dresses were so exquisite, Sakura could not begin to choose.
“Tomoyo, I think you’re even better at this than you are singing! Why don’t you sell these to the girls in Terriene? I’m sure you’d make a fortune!”
“I don’t think so,” Tomoyo laughed. “It’s just a hobby, I’m not like the professional seamstresses on High Street. And I only had so many ideas, Sakura, because I know you so well and was inspired to make something as beautiful as possible so as to suit you.”
“You’re too modest,” Meilin objected. “If I were you, I’d make a go of sewing these for all those girls you train. When their owners see them, they’ll be throwing gold at you for future dresses. That’s how it happened for me.”
“And you, Meilin, are a free girl. How could I ensure Jereth wouldn’t keep all that gold for himself?”
“Keep it a secret if you have to. I could take the payments and save them for you. Hell, you might even be able to buy your freedom in a few years.”
“A wonderful idea,” Sakura enthused. “You should try, Tomoyo, you really should. Wouldn’t you like to be free again? That way, you could come and visit me whenever you wanted to!”
“I suppose it’s tempting enough to think about.” Tomoyo yawned, leaning back against a pile of satin pillows. “I’ll admit it’s nice staying here overnight rather than hustling back down the hill before sunset. What a luxurious bed, Sakura, I’ve never seen anything so fine and I’ve visited a lot of rich homes in Terriene. You’re very lucky.”
“Yeah, just too bad she has to sleep in it alone,” Meilin added saucily. “What a waste. My poor cousin will never know the touch of these sheets, at the rate he’s going.”
Sakura couldn’t help it; an immediate rush of hot blood flowed to her face, turning it rose-pink from temple to chin. Both Meilin and Tomoyo stared.
“You’re joking,” Meilin gasped. “You mean he has?”
“No!”
“Sakura, you’re really not very good at lying,” Tomoyo informed her gently.
“My cousin? Really? Already? I can’t believe he had the nerve to do it!”
“It wasn’t like that,” Sakura protested, cheeks still flaming. “It- it was an accident.”
“Oh, he just tripped and fell into your bed by mistake?”
“No…”
“You might as well tell us.”
“Yeah, tell, tell!”
“If for no other reason than we can make sure he’s done nothing improper to you.”
“Yeah, we have to look out for our little Sakura.”
Sakura was sure Syaoran would be both enraged and mortified if he could hear this. Obviously, he had been right to leave them alone after all.
“He only came up here to talk; we hadn’t seen each other since that moment he saved me from the monster. But we were alone, and we had our privacy, and we just got a little, um, carried away.”
“Aaaand?”
“We kissed a lot… and he, uh, touched me. You know, down there.”
Their reactions varied. Tomoyo, who’d always been sensitive to Sakura’s discomfort regarding this subject, nodded understandingly. Meilin clapped her hand over her mouth and squealed.
“Was he gentle?”
“Was he good?”
“Ah… I suppose so. I did like it.”
“Then I’m glad.”
“Naughty, naughty Syaoran,” Meilin tsked. “Whatever will the two of you be doing next?”
“Nothing of course,” Sakura said hastily.
“Oh? I doubt that. Now that you’ve got this lovely bed and doors that lock, you really expect us to believe that you can resist the temptation?”
“No, honestly. That’s as much as we can do, right? Without changing the color of my collar?”
Sakura tugged on the old thing, directing her question more to Tomoyo. The trainer hesitated.
“Er, not exactly.”
“But you told me -”
“Full intercourse will change the collar to black, yes. It’s magic embedded in the collar by the sorcerer who put it there, and only he could take it off without having to cut it off permanently. It’s a guarantee meant for buyers who prefer virgins. But loopholes are built into the magic to allow for training, like what we did when you first came to Silken Flowers. I don’t know much about magic and couldn’t tell you exactly how it works, but I do know there are certain ‘activities’ that will not register with the collar. What you and Mr. Li have already done is one of them. The other is… how shall I say it? You could do the same for him the other way around.”
“If you really wanted to make his day,” Meilin chimed in, eyes shining with glee, “you could do it with your lips instead of your hand.”
Sakura blushed again, unaccountably flustered by the tone in her voice.
“Meilin, she’s probably not ready for that.”
“I agree, but it doesn’t hurt to tell her the possibility’s there.”
“Sakura, do you remember the picture I drew for you when I first trained you?”
“You drew her a picture?”
“Hush. You remember how I told you that a girl can put her mouth on it and suck, and that you must swallow what comes out?”
Suddenly, Sakura was feeling as shy and timid as that day, so many months ago. Uneasily she nodded.
“Well, that’s what I’m talking about now. Men really do… enjoy that. A lot. Of course, I would never dream of telling you to do that unless you felt comfortable with it. I’m only telling you that it’s a step between what you have now and a full physical relationship. And that, naturally, will be out of reach for as long as you are the property of Lord Yue.”
“That my cousin has lasted this long, actually, makes him something of a saint. He wouldn’t tell you, of course, because he has all these old-fashioned notions of chivalry that his mother and sisters drilled into him, but I bet he’s dying on the inside.”
“Really?”
“For sure.”
“But you mustn’t be pressured,” Tomoyo cautioned.
“Still, healthy relationships need something.”
“You should keep to a pace that makes you comfortable, Sakura. And of course, in your situation, safety is the most important factor. You only need one servant to see or hear something, and it will reach the ears of your master within minutes. You can’t be too careful.”
Sakura was feeling a little overwhelmed, not to mention thoroughly uncomfortable. Tomoyo sensed her distress and smiled that patient smile of hers.
“That’s really enough talk for one night, I think. We’re all tired, we should go to sleep.”
“Yes! Absolutely, yes, I’m very tired. Thank you, though, both of you. For your… advice.”
“Only too glad,” Meilin drawled. “After all, what would you two do without us?”
“Live in peace and quiet, I think,” Tomoyo guessed, and blew out the lamp by Sakura’s bed. “Goodnight, Sakura.”
“Goodnight.” In the darkness Sakura’s embarrassment melted away. Holding hands on both sides, she lay down on the sheets between her two best friends and smiled. As Tomoyo said, she really was very lucky.

After a second lesson the following morning, and a late breakfast, Sakura persuaded the two of them to stay on a little while and help her tend to one of the courtyards. Tomoyo, who had never done any sort of gardening before, gamely tried to mimic Sakura’s deft weeding, but Meilin’s idea of help was to fan herself in the shade of a gazebo and complain.
“It’s too hot to do manual labor like that, Sakura, aren’t you melting? And is it really alright for a pleasure slave to do a task like this? I thought that’s why this castle kept servants.”
“Well, to tell the truth I haven’t exactly asked Master Yue for permission, yet, but the state of these beds just keeps getting worse. Of course the servants haven’t had time to think about this chore in a while – I’m just helping them out.”
“But why?”
“Because it’s fun!” Sakura answered pertly, and got a raised eyebrow in reply. “That is, I love flowers. I used to pick wildflowers and sell them in my village for extra money. I would have loved to tend a flower garden like this by our cabin, but I never had the time or the space. I had to concentrate on our vegetable garden, it was more practical.”
“Oh Sakura,” sighed Tomoyo. “To think of you working in such hardship! It makes me want to weep.”
“Silly, every girl in the village was responsible for a vegetable garden and lots more besides. That was common. Flowerbeds are so much more fun, though; the end result is prettier to look at.”
“But in the end, this castle is your prison,” Meilin pointed out. “How can you care what it looks like?”
“It might be a prison, but it’s also my home. How could I not care what it looks like? I think it’s good to try and improve the surroundings wherever you live, whether you’re forced to live there or not.”
“I give up – you’re just too happy for me, Sakura.”
“But that what makes her so special,” Tomoyo cooed. “Sakura, you mustn’t ever lose that quality. It would be a tragedy!”
“Er, alright.”
“Better her than me. We’ve got to get going, Tomoyo, I’ve got that lesson tonight in Terriene.”
“Oh, so soon?”
“Sorry, Sakura, but we’ll be back when we can.” Tomoyo squeezed her hand. “I want you to think very carefully about what we discussed. Okay?”
“I-I will.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Meilin advised, wicked gleam in her eye.
“Right.” Sakura nodded firmly, not picking up on the implication, which provoked something of a small sigh on Tomoyo’s part. The three of them walked back to the stables, where Syaoran, deprived again of his alone time with Sakura for the second morning in a row, was rather savagely mucking out the stalls.
“Syaoraaan, be a doll and saddle up our horses, would you?”
“What, going so soon?”
“There’s no need for nasty looks. We are returning your precious flower to you, totally unharmed. Thanks for letting us borrow her.”
“I don’t remember being given much of a choice.”
“Oh, well! We really appreciate it anyway. We had such interesting things to talk about.”
Sakura blushed like mad when Meilin winked at her, then again when Syaoran shot her a curious look. Most likely she would have collapsed in a faint of embarrassment if he’d asked, but her fiance had grown up with four sisters and was smart enough not to.
“Whatever. Your horses, ladies.”
One after another he saddled up the two mares, and assisted Tomoyo in mounting hers. Some kind of look passed between the two, after he’d done so, with a gracious nod from Tomoyo, but what the meaning of it was Sakura couldn’t guess. In any case, it was time to say goodbye.
“Bye, Sakura! Bye, Syaoran! Don’t get into any trouble before I come back!”
“Yes, indeed. Always be careful. Goodbye to both of you.” From the doorway of the stables Sakura waved until they’d ridden around the bend of the castle and disappeared from view.
“Thank the ancestors,” Syaoran groaned. “Thought they’d never leave us alone.”
“They only want the best for us, you know. You shouldn’t be so mean.”
She looked at him disapprovingly, and he grinned. “You really care about ‘em, huh?”
“Next to you and Onii-chan, I love them more than anyone else in the world. They’re my best friends.”
“Then I’m glad.” He leaned forward and dropped a quick kiss on the end of her nose. “That they make you happy.”

And still the last days of summer continued to pass quietly, each as calm and unremarkable as the one before it. The moon, which had been comfortably full that night that Touya was studying the night sky, was growing thinner. Every night Touya stared up at it from Yue’s balcony, his dread waxing as it waned. Impatiently, one night, Yue approached Touya from behind and clapped his hands upon his shoulders.
“I have asked you to stop looking up at it like that. Do you think scowling at the moon is going to keep it from its usual course?”
“Like I can just stop worrying so easily,” Touya retorted. “You told me they usually attack on the new moon because you’re weaker then.”
“It does, but so it has always done, for most of two hundred years. I withstood Void thousands of times over long before you were born, Toya. You have no reason to be afraid.”
Yue was speaking truthfully, he knew, but Touya hadn’t forgotten that night he returned almost too weak to walk. A little more difficult than I anticipated, he’d muttered, as Touya helped him to the bed. How much more difficult? Deadly difficult?
An unexpectedly chilly gust blew in from the north, and Touya shivered. Yue’s arms slipped around his chest and hugged him close.
“It’s cold. Come inside, Toya, and I don’t want to hear or see anymore worrying. My task is my task, and it has nothing to do with you.”
Brushing aside all arguments, Yue almost dragged Touya back into their bedroom and into their sheets. He kept his mouth shut after that, except to kiss Yue goodnight, but he couldn’t erase his ill foreboding. He clung tightly to Yue while drifting off to sleep, and it was not because of the cool night.

The clearing was warm with sunlight, but to Yue it seemed the sun sat lower in the sky than in the past. Evening was coming on, the rays falling golden and slanted through the trees. Touya still stood facing him, the chain of ownership still stretching between them, his hand still idly toying with the links. Yue shook his head.
“This is not right.”
“What is not right?”
“I’ve conquered you now, slave, you’ve broken and you call me your master. It should be you that wears this chain around your neck.”
Touya shot him a look that was so scornful, Yue almost wilted. “Oh, Yue… oh, master. You never learn, do you? Did you really think that was all it took to make me yours – a word?”
“I beat you,” Yue insisted. “You’ve admitted you are my slave.”
“For whose sake? Yours? I think you know better. Every pitiful whisper of subservience was nothing but an act to save my sister, and my home, which you pretend I’ll never think about again. I’m only humoring you with that word ‘master’, a fact you desperately ignore in favor of your delusions. You would very much like to believe that I belong completely to you, I’m sure. Anything to avoid that heartbreaking pain the day I escaped. You cried, didn’t you?”
Yue could not answer to deny it, the words stuck in his throat before that knowing smile.
“No, Yue, you are still very much my slave. Poor, pitiful thing.” Lazily he tugged on the chain, pulling Yue forward, and when they were close enough to touch his expression softened.
“And yet… for all my disdain, you have pleased me in small ways.” He brought his face to Yue’s hair and inhaled; Yue fought not to shiver with delight. “In spite of your selfishness, and your pathetic jealousies, you’ve proved yourself devoted enough. We’ve been through so much and still you come to me, faithfully sitting at my feet. It’s impressive. Someday you might even care about my happiness. Miracles have happened before.”
Tenderly he kissed Yue on the cheek, and he heard a soft click. When Touya stepped back, the cuff fell away from Yue’s neck. Touya opened his hand, and the heavy chain dropped into a puddle of links on the grass.
“What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see? It’s the end, coming for us at last.” A golden leaf fluttered between them on its way to the earth, and for the first time Yue saw it wasn’t just the dying sun that had doused this clearing in gold. All around them the trees were changing, turning to autumn and eventual death. “I’m done teasing you, Yue, it’s time to go. They’re waiting for you; don’t keep them long.”
He nodded his head toward something, and Yue found himself looking at the castle. That wasn’t right; in the waking world one could not see it from this clearing. But there it was, gleaming white in the sun’s rays.
“Who is -”
Yue turned back, and Touya was gone. He only caught a glimpse of the black stag bounding into the trees, and then he was alone.

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Disclaimer: I do not own these characters

All I said was that they were moving beyond second base. It’s not my fault you sex junkies immediately assumed the worst! And if you want to sulk about it go ahead, but just remember you’re not nearly as frustrated as poor Syaoran.
(Oh, and I’m not going to finish before the fic’s birthday. But I think we all knew that already, didn’t we?)
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Pleasure Slave