~*Two*~
We were about halfway to Sakura's house when I realized my death was imminent: Kinomoto Touya would be there. "Hatred" was not strong enough a word to describe his feelings toward me.
Apparently Sakura had anticipated this also and tensed as we neared the house. "My brother's home," she warned. "This might not be pretty."
Hiiragizawa was politely puzzled, Tomoyo sweatdropped, and I prepared for combat in case the need arose.
"Relax, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura said worriedly. "If you act like that, we have absolutely no chance for peace!"
I restrained myself to less obvious preparations and she nodded, satisfied.
She opened the door and called, "Onii-chan, I'm home! I've brought friends!"
"Who?" Touya called suspiciously.
"Tomoyo-chan, Eriol-kun, and Syaoran-kun," she replied, whispering my name in hopes he wouldn't hear.
It didn't work. There were quick footsteps and Touya appeared in the hallway, glaring.
"Why did you bring the Chinese gaki home???" he asked impatiently.
"Well, Syaoran-kun was going to help me with my math homework," Sakura said hopefully.
"If you're that desperate, hire a tutor. Tell him to return to the hole in the ground he calls home. I don't feel like dealing with a snake today."
He met my eyes the entire time he spoke, knowing full well I understood every word and was not pleased.
"Onii-chan!" Sakura said indignantly.
I shifted into a fighting position, but waited for her to finish.
"Tomoyo-chan, Eriol-kun, Syaoran-kun and I are going to work quietly in the kitchen. We're going to behave ourselves and do homework! That's all! And you have no right to ban my friends from our home!"
Her eyes flashed angrily. Daidouji and Hiiragizawa seemed impressed. I remained focused on Touya.
Touya was about to reply when he glanced at his watch.
"Crud! I'm late!"
He sighed and gave me another glare as if it was somehow my fault. Then he sighed again, clearly rethinking this.
"I was supposed to meet Yuki five minutes ago. I don't have time to baby—sit."
He looked Hiiragizawa over.
"Okay, you there with the blue hair. You look semi—trustworthy. Make sure the gaki keeps his paws off my sister."
"Yes, sir," Hiiragizawa replied, hiding a smile.
"I'm going to regret this, but not as much as you will if I find out that something happened to her," he finished. Fixing me with a final glare, he hopped onto his bike and took off.
Daidouji and Hiiragizawa waited until Touya was down the street before they burst out with laughter. Sakura grinned at her brother's silliness. Heck, I chuckled a little at the thought of a "trustworthy" London Boy.
"Dear me, Li-kun, what did you do to him? Run him over with a tank?" Hiiragizawa questioned, very clearly amused.
"We had a slight… misunderstanding a year or so ago," I replied unwillingly. It's never wise to trust Hiiragizawa with too much information.
"Slight misunderstanding?" Daidouji laughed. "You attacked his beloved sister and later set the guy on fire! That is not a misunderstanding. It's war!"
"Oh my," Hiiragizawa said, with exaggerated surprise. "Why ever did you attack Sakura?"
"Another misunderstanding," I muttered. I turned away and walked into the house to get away from the pest.
A cartload of aspirin? Make that a bus—full. Punishment. To Be Continued...