Maneuver:
Chapter Five – Comforting Cocoa

It had been three days since Sakura and Syaoran's 'incident', as Sakura had taken to mentally calling it. And she hadn't done anything – hadn't tried to phone him, text him, or anything of the sort. But she had received dozens of communications from Syaoran, including two answering machine or voicemail messages a day on her work phone, cell phone, and home phone, frequent apologetic and thoughtful text messages –I apologise if I frightened you. I can only hope you will give me a chance to show you how sorry I am. – and a single long-stemmed rose that she found on her desk at work the morning after the 'incident'.

Her secretary, Chiharu, thought it was adorable, thinking Sakura had a secret admirer. Sakura, however, didn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, she found her heart skipping a beat because he wasn't just letting her go...Yet on the other hand, she was freaked and irritated since they had only just met; there was no way he could be that attached to her so soon into the relationship–if you could call it that after only one date and a few run-ins.

And even with these churning emotions, she couldn't bring herself to delete a single message or text, or throw out the rose. The rose itself was sitting in a little red vase filled with sugar water on her desk at home, along with the tiny card he had sent with it, a few simple words – Please give me a chance to prove how sorry I am, Sakura. I can't lose you. – on it in his bold, flowing script.

And yet, even with all this, she couldn't bring herself to call him or contact him in any way. The emotions that had been stirred by the past few days frightened her beyond words. Why did she feel so strongly about him, and why was she so muddle-headed (just like when she was a child, come to think of it) when she had fought her way to level-headedness?

Perhaps it was the fact that, after keeping her virginity card close to her chest for so long, and learning, to her horror, that despite her resolve she had to only give it away when the right time came, she was ready to throw her innocence away as if it were nothing to a man she barely knew? The fact that she let such emotions and hormones control and take over her like that, so quickly, frightened her.

And the sex—Sakura breathed deeply, trying to control her turbulent emotions. She knew it would not have been the lovemaking she had always wanted and dreamed of. It would have been fucking: fast, rough, and lustful. Everything she had been hoping wouldn't be part of her first time, at least. She thought, shouldn't a girl's first time be sweet and romantic? Shouldn't her virginity be taken by someone she loves deeply?

Yeah right, a voice in her head taunted. You even wrote about losing your virginity to him in a violent way. Duh.

Yet there was an odd...pull...she felt toward Syaoran Sugiyama. Like she always wanted him – not sexually, necessarily (though she definitely was aroused around him), but just the need to be close to him and be in his presence. Her heart would begin to beat faster around him, and his wonderful scent drove her senses insane. His eyes; she could lose herself in them forever if she could, and all she wanted to do was fist his hair in her hands and pull him into a deep kiss, to feel his firm lips against hers.

She didn't understand it.

But, of course, she hadn't told Tomoyo any of this. In fact, she hadn't seen Tomoyo since going to Sweet Fire the night before she and Syaoran went on that shopping trip. Of course, Sakura didn't really worry much. Tomoyo was probably just busy with work and her boy toys; her best friend and cousin disappearing for a few days at a time – though it wasn't frequent – wasn't unusual. Though she was slightly curious as to why Tomoyo hadn't called to drag Sakura to Arrow, their Thursday night club. And tonight, they were supposed to go to llusion again, though Sakura doubted she would go.

Still, Tomoyo's no-show didn't really bother Sakura. She still didn't know how she would tell her friend about the new wardrobe that consisted of next to nothing from Tomoyo's company. There was also the fact that telling her about her "date" and subsequent "mess" with Syaoran would cause Tomoyo to go into a fangirl-ish frenzy, which Sakura just could not deal with at the moment.

Sakura sighed as all these thoughts and worries circulated through her mind, as she looked over some new plans a contractor had given her earlier in the day. She was wearing one of the new suits she and Syaoran had bought: black pin-striped pants, a forest-green blouse, and a matching jacket, along with a comfortable pair of black flats – while working at her computer when her work phone went off.

"Good afternoon, Sakura Kinomoto speaking," she said professionally.

"Sakura," Chiharu said, exasperated. "Mr. Sugiyama is on line two...again. Should I let him ring through, or say that you're out?

Sakura sighed, doodling on the page in front of her absentmindedly. "Uhmmm....Can you take a message down for me? I'm going out for lunch right now.

Chiharu sighed on the other line, "Sakura, you're going to have to face him soon – "

"Oops, someone's calling in my cell, Chi," Sakura cut off, lying through her teeth. "Thanks a ton! Bye!"

She quickly hung up the phone and sighed, leaning back in her chair for a moment before standing up to grab her coat and rushing out of her office and then the building.

She needed to think, and to do that, she decided to head over to her favourite cafe.

In what felt like a moment, she was sitting at one of the chairs.

"Here Sakura," Seiji smiled at her as he placed a mug down in front of her. "Your cocoa, with extra cream."

Sakura smiled to him and thanked him, then picked up her mug to take a sip. Hot cocoa had always been what she turned to whenever she was upset or confused. It was comforting and relaxing all at the same time, and had been her favourite since she was a small child.

The rich cream and chocolate did its job, calming Sakura and giving her something to do that took her mind off Syaoran Sugiyama. She used her teaspoon to swirl the cream and the chocolate together, creating a light frothy confection that settled her frayed nerves.

Damn it, why did she have to be so afraid of him anyway?

Because I barely know him, she answered herself.

Then find out! A voice in her head scolded.

She shook her head as she lazily sipped the soothing drink. I've been wrong-footed because I can't see past this stupid attraction. So let's go find out more about this — sexy mystery man. Sakura smiled, her resolve strengthened by her simple break.

With that decision, she drank the last dregs of chocolatey goodness in her mug and headed back to her office.

From a car with heavily tinted windows, someone watched her leave, and he resisted the urge to follow her and grab her to force her to say something, anything to him. But he knew it would be self-defeating, and so he retired to his home to plan out a new strategy — and perhaps, if Sakura didn't come around soon, find some other candidate.

But she's THE Kinomoto heir! A voice hissed angrily at the idea of finding someone else. You can take the company, turn it into Li. Take it from her! Take it all!

But... A smaller, quieter voice began, only to be drowned out by the angry hiss.

Cursing, Syaoran started the car once more and drove away unnoticed. He was surprised at how much the thought of finding someone else infuriated him.

x.X.x

Sakura sat at her computer, quickly opening the search engine she used and typed in SYAORAN SUGIYAMA. Because of her status and connections, she knew she could easily type in anyone's name into a special search program in her computer, and what was practically their life story would show up. It had been a gift from a college friend who had helped Tomoyo with a stalker; when Sakura had saved that friend, Naoko Yanisagawa, from financial ruin by helping her get hired as a programmer at a big software company, Naoko had taught her how to use the program, which was configured to bypass a lot of things Sakura didn't clearly understand — and had a nagging feeling was somewhat illegal.

But it was useful. Though usually, she hated the thought of invading someone's privacy, she knew nothing about this man whom she had almost given up her innocence to...And if she was going to give him a chance, she wanted to make sure he wasn't some sort of stalker, rapist, or criminal. And really, how common could the name 'Syaoran' be?

However, the Syaoran she knew didn't show up at all. The only page that came up in the search was some newspaper article written five years ago, about a man in his late seventies named Syaoran Sugiyama who had donated a vast amount of money to the hospital where his daughter had died a few weeks earlier. The picture showed the older man smiling sadly, holding a picture of his daughter.

Sakura felt panic rise inside her. Why did he give me a false name? What is he trying to hide?

Before she had time to attempt anything else, however, a heavy knock sounded on her door. She jumped, slightly startled, and let out a shaky breath. "Come in."

The doorknob turned and a man with thinning, greying black hair, eyes dulled in colour with age but still sparkling with life, stepped in. His face was wrinkled, his hands showing small liver-spots. He wore a grey suit and black shirt along with a crisp black tie. Despite his age, he smiled brightly at Sakura, moving like a younger man.

"My dear Sakura," he grinned. "How are you today?"

Sakura smiled back at him, though the small panic still inside her made the smile seem forced. "I'm fine, Uncle Hibiki. Just busy. What's up?"

The man, Hibiki Konoe, wasn't really her uncle, but she had grown to see him in that way. He was her father's most trusted friend, the oldest man on the board. When her father had died and Touya refused to take over, it had been he who had fought the rest of the board to allow Sakura to take over the company. After that, he had been her mentor and teacher, cramming everything there was to know about her forefather's company in a single year.

He walked over and sat in the comfortable chair across Sakura. "I actually have something to discuss with you. Do you have a moment and an ear to lend?"

Sakura smiled. "Of course, Uncle. What is it?"

He tossed her a folder, it landing right in front of her. Frowning slightly with confusion, she opened it to find old fringed documents with an old stamp, with a fancy pattern of a sun and moon, the name CLOW stamped around the circled figure. "What's this?" she asked.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura," he gently scolded. "Do you not remember anything I taught you? I was so sure you paid attention..." He picked up the folder, rifling through it until he found what he wanted. He handed a single sheet back to her.

Sakura took it and looked at the yellowing document. It was a birth certificate for someone named Li Xiao Lang. Sakura frowned, looking back at her Uncle with a slightly arched eyebrow.

"I'm sure you at least remember the Li Corp, yes? Well, this is the birth certificate of the next Li heir, and check the date of his birth, young one."

Sakura sighed and read off the date indicated on the crisp page, "July 13th, 1979."

Hibiki's eyes danced. "Exactly, my dear. Their heir turns thirty in a little less than half a year. And do you know what that means?"

Sakura frowned, "Ahhh...no?"

He sighed and shook his head, "Honestly, did you not pay attention to me? I'm sure you remember the history of this company, at least. Or don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," she answered sheepishly, ashamed for forgetting something that apparently seemed so important. "This company was originally owned by a man named Clow Reed about two hundred years ago, but he died before his heir was old enough to be trained and take over. His parents, divorced, wanted to give the company to his step-brother, Jiao Li, since he knew how to run the company, anyway. But his wife, Yuuko Reed – nee Kinomoto, which she and her son went by after his death – wanted to run the company in his name, and train her son herself so he could take over his father's company as it should be. Long story short, they split the company in half, creating Li Corp. and Kinomoto Building&Design. Uhh..." she paused, "right?"

"Yes," he beamed. "Perfect. But do you remember the agreements put in place between these two companies, to ensure that they would continue to strive to excel?"

Sakura thought for a moment, something nagging atin her memory. "Uhh, something about marriage...And an heir. Sorry, it was a lot to remember. Remind me, please?"

"Not a problem, my dear," he sighed. "The agreement is that the heir must be married by the time he...or she, in your particular case...is thirty, to keep the company. And must produce an heir by the time he...or she...is thirty-five. If they don't comply with this, the other company takes over."

Sakura frowned, thinking the custom was a bit too archaic and silly. "So why are you showing this to me, Uncle?"

He smirked, "Check the date of young Li heir's birth again, dearest. He turns thirty in less than six months...And he's not married. Meaning in six months, my lovely Sakura, you'll have control of the Li Corp."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, her jaw slacking slightly. "Are you...Are you kidding me? That contract is so old though! We can't just take it like that – "

"Such a sweetheart, Sakura," he chuckled. "But do me a favour and don't give the board the same argument – they'll see it as the weakness of a woman." Sakura huffed angrily, making him chuckle again and continue. "But yes, that is the plan. The contract is old, Sakura, but it's still a contract. And they know as much as we do that it's still is in effect."

Sakura sighed and looked back down at the birth certificate in her hands, "I suppose...but it still doesn't feel right..." she suddenly paused, her eyes widening as they wandered around the page only to stray on the owner's name. Xiao Lang Li.

Why did that Chinese name sound familiar? She let the name roll over through her mind a few more times, frowning slightly.

"Sakura?" Hibiki cut off her train of thought.

Sakura's head shot up, "Uh, sorry. Right. Umm...I'll keep this in mind, thanks." She pretended to look at the clock, "Shoot, sorry Uncle...I need to finish going through the overview for the Blossoms Hotel renovation."

"Of course, of course," he smiled, looking just like a proud father. He stood up, leaving the folder on Sakura's desk, "I'll just leave this with you. Be sure to study it, my dear. Are you still coming for dinner next Sunday? Kiyo is missing you."

Sakura smiled at the thought of Hibiki's wife, the woman who had taken her under her wing for the first year after her father's death and acted like a second mother to her. "Of course. Next Sunday, five o'clock...I'll be there, and tell Kiyo I am helping with dinner, no matter what she says. And I'll bring dessert with me, okay?"

He chuckled, "Good luck then, Sakura. You know as well as I do that it's her kitchen."

Sakura laughed, "I'll find a way. See you later then, Uncle."

"I bet you will." Hibiki chuckled once more, shaking his head as he left.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Sakura quickly typed in Xiao Lang Li in herspecialsearch engine.

"Xiao Lang: Alternate spelling of "Syaoran," name of the heir to Li Corp., adapted only for Japanese use. Pinyin however spells it as 'Shaoran' but family spells it as 'Syaoran'. No other 'Syaorans' are known to exist." a window warned.

There were a few pages of Syaoran that came up. He seemed to value his privacy, and had never been photographed full on — but she would. She clicked the first one, and it was from a magazine high society gossip magazine. The article was titled "Rich and Raving Hot: Asian Men You Want to Hook!" Sakura frowned; it was a sensational article, and the photo accompanying it showed a tall, handsome man getting out of a limousine. He wore an expensive suit and a crooked grin; he was dragging his fingers through his sexy, unruly hair and guiding a little girl, identified as the daughter of a sister, to the front steps of a large house.

Sakura's breath caught; it was definitely her Syaoran.

"No. Not mine," she scolded herself, tingeing pink. Just the man I was with shopping three days ago.

So he had been hiding something, and Sakura had to stop herself from throwing her head back and laughing bitterly. So this Syaoran Li had been trying to seduce her since their first run-in...

And something told her that run-in–and the rest of their encounters, for that matter – weren't accidental or coincidental. They had to have been planned, and he had to have known what he was doing. He had six months until his company was taken from him, so what better way to go than to seduce—no, snag his rival? Or perhaps try to woo her so he could get her company. It was disgustingly brilliant.

A voice in her mind was telling her to continue to ignore this Syaoran person, not respond to any of his texts or phone messages. He was probably just desperate, panicking that he had lost his chance to land the Kinomoto's company. The voice was telling her to forget their short time together and pretend it never happened, to continue on with her life and ignore this little blip.

And yet another voice...

Maybe she wanted this, wanted Syaoran Li. Now that she knew who he was, she was sure she could be careful. She could play him like a harp, and mess around with him a bit. Lead him on a bit. Perhaps...

No, she shook her head. There was no way he'd fall in love with her, the way she had been falling for him. Not with his motivations. But, perhaps...Just maybe...she could teach him a lesson. Someone play with his heart for a bit.

And hell, if he was going to use her to his advantage...She was going to use him, too.

You want him. He's the only one your body has responded to. You need him; he makes you feel alive. You've never wanted anyone this way. Think, Sakura…he wants to be used, he's offering himself to you. Why not take advantage, for once? Play using your own rules. Enjoy yourself — on your terms.

Make him want you. Then you decide what you want to do.

Maybe Tomoyo was right; maybe she did need to 'get laid'. Maybe she was sick of being the innocent virgin. She knew she should have waited for love, and for the feelings to be returned...Preferably, wait for marriage...But she couldn't deny that Syaoran Li brought forth emotions she didn't know she could feel. Make her wanting and lustful and stir the animal within her.

Yes, she decided resolutely. At twenty-one, she was tired of her innocence. It was time to lose it.

And now, she had the perfect person to do it with.

x.X.x

As soon as Sakura got home that night, she grabbed the phone and dialled the number Syaoran had given her. It rang several times, then went to an answering machine. The machine had no personal message, but a mechanical voice that gave no name. It simply told her the phone number of the person she had reached, then beeped, indicating for her to speak. Sakura smiled; he really was cautious about his public identity. Well, he doesn't have to know that I know. Knowing what she did made her feel powerful though.

You'll never know what hit you, Syaoran, or should I say, Syaoran, Li, she thought.

This is it... She thought, taking a deep breath.

"Syaoran, hey!" She said, trying to sound happy. "I'm...ah, sorry...for not getting back to you earlier. I was wondering if we could start over? I'm going to Bubble Cafe tomorrow morning before work, seven-thirty. Feel free to meet me there."

And with that, she hung up.

Then she went to her office and opened her computer to write her latest fantasy, the one that had been plaguing her all day through work. She hadn't been on to write anything since her fantasy about Syaoran the first night she had seen him.

However, when she turned on her computer, she was met with a single pop-up flashing on the screen.

Download complete.

(To be continued)

Authors Notice: YES! We ARE alive!!!! Praise praise, we know. Took ages for this chapter, but the next is basically finito and so Rika-chan shall be sending it to Mei-chan sometime this week. We deeply apologize for our lack of updates, but as said in the previous message -- it just seems that once one of our lives begins to get better, the other gets crap in their lives.

This chapter is, by far, not our best...But it's what we could come up with XP Next chapters shall be better ^.^

Thanks to Sykilik101 for giving this an overlook and editing quickly, for without him dear Sakura would be making a sandy hot place instead of a sweet yummy treat XD Whoops...LOL

xox...Meiling and Rika

Rika: Think we should let them see Syaoran's reactions to what's on his USB next chapter, Mei-chan?

Meiling: Oh, I don't know... *teasing grin* Should we?