Syaoran awoke around 6:00 that morning, eager to get through his training so he could invite Sakura to lunch and then talk to her about her own training.  He wasn't sure how he wanted to train her yet.  His mother's strict training style would be too harsh and not very fun for her.  Heck, even he was quickly demotivated by her training, and he was required to follow it.
 
He quickly pulled on the pants and undershirt of his training robes and neatly folded the green robes so they would fit nicely in his backpack.  He and Wei always walked to the training spot, so the main portion of the robes was too conspicuous to wear while walking around in the daytime; even if it was early morning.  Catching the attention of the one wrong person could lead to revealing magic and risking the wrath of the Council.  He shuddered to think what they would do to a teenager from a magic family who accidentally revealed  magic given Sakura's harsh sentence for a child's mistake.
 
He exited his room, backpack in hand, and headed over to the bookshelf tucked away in their living room.  It contained many normal pieces of literature from both eastern and western origin as well as multiple old books with the titles carefully erased or heavily faded from their spines.  These books were so expertly dispersed between the others that most people would skim over them, overwhelmed by the number of classics available to read. 
 
Syaoran, however, grabbed three of the old books and shoved them into his bag without a second thought.  One was his family's book of magic, which he had been studying the previous weekend.  The other two contained basic magical concepts for beginners and a brief history of the magical world.  He knew these books by sight alone, despite their illegible titles and seemingly random placement on the shelf.
 
"Breakfast is ready, Syaoran,"  Wei called from the kitchen.
 
"Okay," he answered while walking to the door and dropping the bag.  Then he joined Wei in the kitchen to grab the breakfast.  They ate a quick meal of eggs and bacon rather than preparing a traditional Chinese breakfast.  The eggs were good protein, and the prep time was quicker, giving them more time to make it to the clearing and train.  Syaoran had made it clear he wanted to get out of the apartment as soon as possible.
 
They ate quickly and headed out, making it to the clearing by 7:30 and beginning from there.  Today, he was working on using his family's elemental magic without using the enchantment paper.  It was a skill developed by his family around the time Clow was alive.  It was also very difficult to do, requiring high levels of concentration until it was mastered.   The spell had to be the only thing on his mind or it would either fizzle out or bounce back at him.  It could be dangerous but the result was stronger because it didn't have to be funneled through the enchantment paper.
 
It was a few hours later before he was finally getting results.  A magic circle mirroring the intricate designs of his old compass appeared below him as he murmured, "God of wind, come forth!" and slashed his sword forward.   A very small wisp of wind sprang forward at his command; just enough to blow the leaves in the trees.  It dissipated as quickly as it appeared, and Syaoran narrowed his eyes in frustration. 
 
 He was about to try again when he involuntarily jumped as heard Sakura's voice behind him.  His intense concentration on the spell at hand had dulled his senses to other sources of magic, making him uncharacteristically imperceptive.  Syaoran quickly regained his composure and turned to her, a smile spreading on his face as soon as he saw her. 
 

"Good morning.  I wasn't expecting you so early," he said, happy he had been practicing wind.  It was less dangerous (even in the event of it backlashing), and would not have been an issue if she surprised him moments earlier.  Not that he would mention that to Sakura.

Sakura stood there and wondered if she interrupted anything important, but before she can say anything. Kero flew between Sakura and Syaoran. "I thought it would be fun to surprise you." He laughed a bit and then looked serious for once. "I didn't want to delay Sakura's training so I had her found you guys."

"Thank you for agreeing to train me," Sakura spoke to both Wei and Syaoran. "I hope I won't be too much trouble." She fidget a little as she stood. She was doubting her abilities again.

Syaoran was about to slap Kero away from him, but the guardian's sudden seriousness threw him off, and he just nodded in agreement.  He had to admit, Kero had a point.  It was probably much more helpful for her to find them on her own rather than him calling her and telling her where to go.

He focused on Sakura as she thanked them and smiled, noticing her fidget.  Was she nervous?  "You're welcome, and don't worry.  You didn't interrupt anything.  I needed a break from what I was doing anyway."

Wei nodded as he approached them with Syaoran's backpack in hand.  "It will be very nice to have you training with us Miss Kinomoto," he said with a smile as he handed Syaoran the backpack. 

Syaoran opened the backpack and grabbed a couple of the books he had brought while motioning Sakura to follow him and sit at the base of one of the nearby trees.  "I wanted to start by going over how my family's training typically works and then reviewing some basic concepts that you already .  The concepts book is in Chinese, so I'll have to translate it and give you notes, but I also have a book on the history of the magic world written by a relative a while ago that is in Chinese, Japanese, and English.  I wanted to give you that to study at home since it's important but won't directly help you with your magic."

He paused for any questions before continuing. "The Li Clan began developing its magic thousands of years ago; possibly before China had a written language.  They started out on the mainland and used their magical prowess to gain favor with the various dynasties.  Sorcerers were feared an respected in ancient times, so anyone who could demonstrate magical skills was considered useful to the upper ranks. My family was able to jump allegiances between dynasties based solely on their usefulness; however, there was a point where the political unrest caused them to move to Hong Kong.

Given the volatility of their high rank throughout history, my family developed their magic and spells to go hand-in-hand with combat.  The Li clan starts training children in martial arts as young as three years old. It helps build coordination and discipline while developing simple foundation skills at the earliest age possible. 

Magic training is integrated into the martial arts training around six or seven when a child starts showing magical ability. Children that don't have magic are usually left in a non-magic class to keep them safe from any poorly aimed spells. Members of my family typically master their magic between 15 and 25.

I would like to teach you martial arts along with your training if you're interested. Doing so will give you an edge in combat, and you can apply your skills to when you use the cards as well. What do you think?"

Syaoran waited for a response, noting that she looked overwhelmed. He wondered if he should have skipped the family history, but he wanted to giver her background on why training in martial arts along with magic might be helpful to her.  He was not used to training others.  The family had a number of instructors who had to go through rigorous testing to ensure only the best would pass their skills to the next generation.

Sakura agreed to his suggestion a moment later and they moved on to the basic magical concepts.  Syaoran opened his book to the fifth page (the first four consisted of introductions and the table of contents) and skimmed a few paragraphs before looking up at Sakura.  "This is the magic concepts book I mentioned. It explains the theory and mechanics of using magic. It's possible to learn and master magic without deeper study of these concepts, but you'll be able to do far more with your magic if you learn the theory behind it.  I'm sure you've realized some of the basics on your own without having a proper explanation for them.

There are three basic building blocks of using magic: aura, magic circles, and spells. Every other part of magic usage builds off of these basics.  Auras are very individualistic.  Everyone's aura is different.  That's why you can sense certain people.  No one can have the same aura, but aura's can be similar between relatives and the type of magic the person uses. You can also use aura to determine how powerful a person is, but some people hide their auras so it's not always foolproof. Also, sentient spells and magic, like the cards and Keroberos and Yue have distinct auras while normal spells mirror the user's magic.

Magic circles reflect a person's unique style of magic.  The circle itself belongs to the style's creator, but others can use that style if they study and learn it.  For example," Syaoran turned the page as he spoke, pointing to the pictures on the next page, "All sun and moon based magic has its respective symbol somewhere in the user's circle. Clow's circle had both the sun and the moon because it blends the two.  It also symbolizes light and darkness and the guardians. Your magic is derivative of Clow's with the star in the middle representing your star based magic and the sun and moon representing your guardians.  Highly generalized spells can be used without a magic circle.  That's why the enchantments I typically use don't have one.  However, my family has a general moon based circle and a circle that is similar to the compass I used the find the cards.  The magic using the latter is more powerful and dangerous than the former and is reserved for my immediate family and our instructors specifically while the rest of the family uses the former.  When you use magic based on another person's style, that person's circle will appear.

Spells consist of sentient types and non-sentient types. The sentient types begin as a spell but are built to be permanent and can range anywhere from non-self-sustaining to partially or fully self-sustaining.  The cards are not self-sustaining sentient spirits created from spells.  As you know, they need your magic to remain alive. Yue is partially self-sustaining but ultimately needs extra magic to survive, and Keroberos is almost self-sustaining while still needing some input from your magic.  Sentient types think for themselves but ultimately will act in a way that obeys their master's commands.  Sentient types also always need a physical form to exist within.

Non-sentient types are the most common type of spell.  They're easier to create, impermanent, and don't require a constant supply of magic from the user.  The user also has more control over how the spell acts. For example, the cards listen to your orders but they act in they way the deem most efficient in carry out those orders.  Non-sentient spells do not take orders.  The user directs the spells based fully on their will.  These spells can completely miss their target if the user's skill is below their opponents, while sentient spells can account for the opponent's actions.  Non-sentient types do not need a physical form to be used, but it's easier for those in training to use an enchantment that acts as a physical form."

Syaoran paused as he reached the end of the first chapter.  That was a lot of information for one session.  Tonight, he would make some translated notes of this chapter and the next so Sakura could have a reference.  Really, he should have done so last night...

Looking at Sakura, he could tell she needed a little bit of downtime to let the volume of information sink in.  It was almost lunchtime anyway.  "We can break here for lunch and get into some practical training when we continue.  Let me know if you have any questions for anything."  At that point, Wei brought them their bentos and they talked over lunch.  

After lunch, Syaoran taught her the basic martial arts stances and handed her some extra slips of enchanted paper.  They practiced each stance while using the spells he provided, and then he let her practice on her own while he looked over his own training agenda and planned for the rest of the week.

Sakura felt like her head was going to explode. All this information was too much. Now she felt even more far behind. Little kids from his family can do simple spells, but all she could do is cast spells with the cards. She pushed these thoughts away and tried to stay focused. Despite her nerves Sakura felt at ease as Syaoran started with the basic marital art stances and spells. He was very patient with her. But her ease faded away when he left her on her on her own. She froze up as her doubts filled her mind.

Syaoran looked up from his planning after a few minutes, not hearing much in the way of training. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Sakura standing there looking frozen in place. What was wrong? Sakura was more than skilled enough to practice these spells. 

He stood and walked over to her, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" he asked. He needed to know what was wrong so he could help her get through it. A distracted magician was both ineffective and less likely to learn than a confident one.

Sakura jumped, when she felt Syaoran's hand on her shoulder. She bit her lip and looked over toward Kero. He was busy talking to Wei. She really didn't want him to hear her telling Syaoran what was wrong. Sakura didn't want to make worry about her so grabbed Syaoran's hand and took them out of earshot.

"I'm not sure if I can do this," she replied and insecurely crossed her arms on her chest. " I never had any proper training and I feel like I will never be able to catch up to you or master my magic."

Syaoran stared at her in surprise. He had never considered she would feel that way. She was an accomplished sorceress in her own right based solely on her experience with the cards. Sure she lacked training, but she had so much skill and potential ready to be refined and mastered.

"Of course you can do this," he said with a reassuring smile. "You've already done so much despite being from a non-magic family. You defeated more cards than I did, and then you found a way to beat Yue. Then you transformed the cards into something completely different so they could exist using your magic. All with no training. Experience is just as valuable as training; if not more so. Also, I'm not sure I could have developed my magic and skill as quickly as you did if I was the one capturing cards with no magical knowledge. Don't underestimate yourself. I know you'll do great."

Syaoran was right. She did accomplish a lot in a short amount of time without any training. She'll just have to keep reminding herself that. Maybe after a few training sessions she'll gain more confidence. She just hugged him and thank him for his kind words. She held on to him for a few minutes before going back to training.

Sakura and Syaoran spent the whole day training together. Syaoran had her do some exercises on her own so he could focus on his own training. Sakura watched in him and couldn't help, but be impressed by his skills. When Syaoran took his breaks, he wrote some translated notes from the basic magic book for her. They called it quits when it was getting close to dinner time. They bid each other farewell and went their separate ways. On the way home Sakura stopped at Yukito's house. Luckily he was home alone. She told him about the situation and that they would need Yue more often. Sakura then beg Yukito not to tell Toya. Yukito understood and promised not to tell him. After a nice cup of tea, Sakura and Kero headed home.


After dinner, Sakura crashed on her bed and spent the rest of evening reading the material Syaoran gave her. Sakura made a noise of frustration and buried head in the history book of the magical world. All of this was a bit too much for her. She sat up and saw Kero was playing some video game. Sakura then glanced over at her alarm clock saw it was 9 o clock. 

"Why don't you call it quits for the night?" Kero spoke up. He could hear her restlessness. "You did quite well for your first training session."

"Really?" Sakura replied in doubt.

"Would I ever lie to you?"

"No."

"GAHHHHHHh!!!" Kero shouted due to losing the level thus ending their conversation.

Sakura let out a laugh. She was about to make a comment, but she saw a light coming from her desk. She turned and saw it was the bracelet glowing. Sakura let out a heavy sigh and got off her bed to pick up the bracelet. "Kero."

"What...?" He replied in tears.

"There's an evil spirit acting up."

The tiny guardian wipe his tears from his eyes and flew over to his mistress. "Well we better get going then."

Sakura nodded her head and then summon her wand. She then used the Mirror card and ordered her to cover for her. Kero and Sakura then made their way to Yukito's house. When they arrived, Sakura landed on his roof while Kero went inside to get him. As she waited Sakura pulled out her phone and text Syaoran and Tomoyo about the evil spirit. She told she would text them again the location once she found it. She put her phone away and gazed out into the distance. Sakura wondered if she could pin point a spirit like a person with magic. It would make it easier to find them. She closed her eyes and focused. Sakura felt a strange feeling and opened her eyes. She was able to track the evil spirit, but she wasn't able to pin point its exact location. Kero then returned with Yue and they took off.

"Evil spirit is that way," Sakura spoke as they flew through the sky. "I was able to find its location with my own magic."

"Without the bracelet?" Kero question her.

"Yeah. Well I wasn't able to locate its' exact location, but I have a general idea."

"Impressive. Most people can't locate a spirit's location."

"Really?"

"Yeah most people can do is sense their presence. More advance magic users can see them."

"Toya is her brother after all," Yue spoke up.

"He could find a spirit's location?"

Yue nodded his head. 

"How was he able to do it?"

"Family magic. You two must come from a strong magic family."

"But our dad can't use magic.."

"Sakura," Kero spoke. "You and your brother must have received magic from someone else in your family. Magic can skip generations." 

Sakura then thought of Meling and just nodded her head. She then wondered who this family member could be. They grew closer to the evil spirit's location. Sakura used her bracelet to help find it's exact location which was the amusement park where they caught the Void. Sakura then text Syaoran and Tomoyo. Ten minutes later Tomoyo showed up with a bag in her hand.

"That was fast," Kero said.

"When Sakura first text me, I had my body guards drive me around the town. I didn't want to be late!" She then handed Sakura the bag. "Please change into this."

Without protesting Sakura went behind a tree and changed into Tomoyo's outfit. This time Tomoyo created a witch style outfit. It consist of a black short dress which was red on the inside. Attached to it was a devil wings and tail. It came with a pair of black ballet style shoes and a witch hat with a star on the end. After changing into it, Sakura came out behind the tree.

"You look lovely, Sakura!!" Tomoyo spoke with delight. She had her camera which was now recording. She let out a heavy sigh and turn to Sakura's guardians to record them as well. "It feels like the good old days again! Oh how I missed our nightly adventures!!"

Sakura couldn't help, but smile. It did feel nice to be out with her friends like this again. But Sakura wish it wasn't so dangerous.

Tomoyo turned back to Sakura. "You text Syaoran right?"

"Yep. He should be on his way."

Her outfit:

Syaoran was getting ready for bed when the first text came through.  He grabbed his phone from his pocket and took a moment to read the text before hurrying into his room to change into his robes. Sakura was not in danger at the moment, and the robes put a little extra padding between him and any attacks similar to the slash from the previous spirit.
 
He was ready by the time Sakura texted the location.  He grabbed the pendant containing his sword and exited his room.  "I need to help Sakura with a spirit," he said as he walked past Wei.
 
Wei nodded, "Please call me if anything happens."
 
Syaoran agreed and left the apartment. He hurried to the amusement park in time to see Sakura, Tomoyo, Yue, and Kero waiting.  Sakura was already changed into a cute witch style outfit. "Hey, sorry I'm late," he said.
 
Sakura was about to answer him when a blast of energy flew towards them. Syaoran instinctively grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her out of the line of fire while Kero shielded himself and Tomoyo under the wings of his true form and Yue moved to the air with an arrow already fired in the direction of their attacker.
 
Syaoran scanned the area for the spirit and found a large deer-like spirit with a huge, pointed set of antlers and what looked like small spikes in a line down its back. The spirit dodged Yue's arrow and charged at them with another ball of energy accumulating between its antlers.
 
"I'll go left," he murmured to Sakura before running off to the left of the spirit. Sakura moved in the opposite direction while Yue loaded another arrow and Kero moved Tomoyo to a safe distance and approached the battle in a position that would still keep him near Sakura and in between the spirit and Tomoyo.
 

With that, the real battle began.

It all happened so quickly. She didn't even have time to thank Syaoran for saving her. As he went left Sakura went to the right. She pulled out Woody, but before she could use it the spirit shot another blast of energy at her. Sakura quickly pulled out Shield and summon it. Bubbles appeared around her and everyone else. The energy blast bounce off the shield and went flying. The spirit made a run for it and Sakura chased after it by using Dash. As she ran through the amusement park she used Jump to help her doge more energy attacks. The spirit leaped up on a roller coaster track and Sakura followed. When she landed on top of the tracks, she noticed the spirit was gone. She then noticed that Yue and Syaoran weren't with her. Before she could do anything she heard a train like noise. She turned around and saw that spirit took over the roller coaster carts just like Void did. The carts came zooming down at her and she quickly summon Fly to get out of the way.

"You okay?" asked a voice. Sakura turned and saw it was Yue.

"Yes," she replied and breathed a sigh of relief. She was grateful that the spirits couldn't take away her cards like Void did. She felt a chill just thinking about her fight with Void.  She then flew toward the moving carts and summon Thunder. The lightning beast flew out of its card and engulf the cart with electricity. The spirit flew out and Yue quickly knocked it to the ground with one of his arrows. Just before it could get up Syaoran caught up to the group and stunned the spirit with one his lightning spells. Sakura then quickly threw the blank card on it.

"Evil Spirit!" She shouted and pointed her wand at it. "Be gone!" The spirit then was sealed away into the blank card and disappeared. A note appeared in front of Sakura telling her that she had sixteen more evil spirits left. 

"Lovely!!" shouted Tomoyo as her and Kero approached them. "I got everything on tape!"

"You didn't get hurt, right?" Sakura asked with a concern voice.

"Nope. Kero was by my side the whole time," her friend replied with a warm smile.

Sakura returned her smile and then looked back at Yue and Syaoran. "Thanks for all your help guys. There was no one I could have handle this one on my own."

"It was quite strong for being able to use energy base attacks," Yue spoke. "Unfortunately that may be a sign for worse things to come."

"Pfft," spoke Kero. "Must you be such a wet blanket? Sakura can do this."

Yue just rolled his eyes at the guardian beast. "I never said I doubted our master."

"Guys please," Sakura spoke up trying to prevent a fight.

Meanwhile Crystal woke up from her slumber and noticed it was night time. She let out a scream. "No!! I slept for a whole day!!!!" She quickly flew out of the tree. "I have to find Kinomoto fast!" She took up to skies and as she flew around the city it began to storm. The heavy winds pushed her toward the ground and she could barely see. She kept on going. She was determined to find Sakura.

Syaoran frowned as Yue commented on the spirit's powers and tried to remember the sparse reading he had done on spirits in general. What power level did they start having energy attacks? He couldn't remember. Between Sakura, Kero, Yue, and himself they should be able to handle it. At least, that was the hope... Sakura was an accomplished sorceress after all.

He smiled as Sakura interjected into what would be a fight between the two guardians.  She truly was the best fit to be their master.  He was about to join in on the conversation when his phone buzzed from the inner pocket of his undershirt. He fished for it for a moment before bringing it out in front of him and using his sleeve to guard it from the rain. 

He sighed, "I have to go."  His mother called while he was gone. He forgot to check in with her this week. At least he had some updates this week. "See you later."

Syaoran hurried back to his house traveling just as quickly as he had traveled to the amusement park and ignoring the bad weather. It was not good to keep his mother waiting.  His apartment was just coming into sight when he stopped. From a distance, he saw a white creature being pushed around by the strong winds before being blown into one of the apartment windows and falling to the garden below.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion (it wasn't any type of bird he had seen) before rushing to where the animal lay unconscious. He wasn't sure whether to groan or be concerned as he looked over the small winged cat and realized it was a magic guardian. What was a random guardian doing in the middle of Tomoeda?  Where was its master?  There were no other powerful magic users in the area, and Sakura would not make a new guardian even if she knew how.

The guardian groaned and shivered in its unconsciousness so Syaoran made the quick decision to take it inside.  "Wei, can you make some tea? We have a guest," he said as he entered, water dripping from his robes. Wei nodded and headed toward the kitchen while Syaoran grabbed a towel and carried the guardian to his room. He gently dried it off and laid it on the bed. He couldn't wait until it woke up so he could get some answers.

Crystal woke up with a pounding headache. She rubbed her forehead and opened in her eyes. She looked around and noticed she was in a bedroom. It was very tidy and there wasn't much decor. Crystal frowned. Earlier she sense magic coming from this building. It had to be Kinomoto. She pictured a girl like her would have a cuter room. Suddenly she heard the door opened up. A teenage brown hair boy came in carrying a tray with two cups on it. Crystal gasped! That was not Kinomoto!! It was a Li! She could tell by his magic. She wanted to smack herself for mistaking his magic for Kinomoto's. Crystal bit her lip. She had to remain cool.

"Uh," She spoke up trying to act like she was confused and lost. "Who are you?" She shiver a bit to make it seem like she was afraid as well.

Syaoran looked up at her voice as he closed the door. Good, she was awake. He put the tray on his nightstand and poured two cups of tea before pulling up a chair. She looked scared which was expected from a guardian that was missing its master. He could tell her magic was moon-based, but he couldn't sense anything distinct enough to tell him what kind of magician she belonged to. She had to belong to someone, though. Moon-based guardians needed some kind of magic source after all.

"I'm Syaoran Li. You were blown into the side of my apartment, so I brought you inside. What's your name?  Would you like a cup of tea?" he asked and placed the tray with one of the cups near her.

"Yes please," Crystal replied taking the tea. There was a spoon for her so she could drink the tea. She took a sip. "My name is Crystal." She took another sip and gratefulness filled her eyes. Crystal was not pretending this time. She actually felt grateful that the Li heir found her. If he didn't something bad could have happened to her. "And thank you so much for finding me. I was trying to run away from home and the storm threw me off." She hoped he bought her lie. He looked like a smart kid.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you ended up outside my building rather than somewhere else. There aren't many magicians in Tomoeda," Syaoran said before taking a sip of tea. Crystal seemed sincere, but it was strange for a guardian to run away from its master. He wasn't even sure it was possible... But what reason would she have for lying?

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you running away from home? It seems strange for a creature that requires its master magic to sustain itself to want to run away. Who is your master, exactly?" Syaoran watched as he waited for Crystal's answer. He was probably overthinking things.

Crystal had think quick. This kid asked too many questions for his own good. She put on a look terror in her face. "I..." She then started to cry. "My master was terrible too me!! I was nothing, but a slave to him." She sat down in front of her tea cup and kept on crying. "He made me do terrible things and I rather not talked about it. I have been traveling for days and I would like to leave everything behind me." Crystal hoped she was convincing enough and he would stop asking her damn questions.

Syaoran's eyes widened at the guardian's sudden terrified outburst. Obviously he had struck a nerve that he shouldn't have. He reached for his handkerchief and held it out to her. "Hey, hey... I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to upset you...  You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to. It's dangerous out there right now with the storm."

He waited for her to calm down a little before adding, "Are you hungry? I could get you something to eat."

Crystal just stared at him why eyed. She didn't expect him to be so kind. She took the handkerchief from him and wiped the tears from her eyes. Crystal was also shocked that he offered her to stay here for awhile. She might as well. He knew Kinomoto so sooner or later he'll go to see her. "It's okay and thank you."

When he asked her if she was hungry, her stomach growled. It has been awhile since she ate. Although she really didn't need food to live. Again might as well. "Yes, please! If it's not too much of a hassle. It is getting late after all."

Syaoran smiled. "It's ok. We have plenty of food.  Do you want anything in particular?"  Crystal gave him a shrug, so Syaoran left the room to look through what they actually had. It looked like Wei had gone to the store earlier today, making it impossible to narrow down to one specific type of food.

'Let's see... Kero is a glutton who likes sweets. Spinel likes bitter and spicey foods but goes crazy with sweets... Both are under the sun, so there's no pattern there...' 

Syaoran sighed. He would just have to put a few things together and see what she liked. Looking in the fridge, he found some pudding and some vegetables. He grabbed a plate of the pudding and cut up a few carrots as well as an apple. That would give her something sweet, a vegetable, and fruit to choose from.  Hopefully, she liked one of those groups.

He carried the food back to his room and placed it on the tray. "Here. I've brought a variety. Don't feel like you have to eat it all."

"Thank you," Crystal spoke as he placed the plate in front of her. She recognized the carrots and the apple. But was that yellow stuff? Clare never spoiled her with food. She basically ate what she ate. She noticed a spoon next to the yellow stuff. Might as well try it. She grabbed the spoon and took a bite of the food. Her eyes instantly lit up! It was so sweet!! It was so yummy!! It was heaven!! 

"My god!" she spoke in delight. "What is this stuff?" She then took another bite.

Syaoran smiled. Apparently, Crystal's master had never given her pudding.  Well, that made sense if he just used her as a slave, but it was still funny to see how excited she was about it.  He wondered if she would get along well with Kero or compete for sweets.

"That's called pudding. My housemate, Wei, made it earlier this week so it's still really fresh. Have you ever had any sweets before, or is this the first sweet food you've eaten?"

Crystal kept on eating the pudding. She slowly stopped eating, when Syaoran asked her if this was her first sweet. She knew what sweets were. Crystal has seen recipes for them inside of Clare's cook books. She always wanted to eat a cake, but Clare hated sweets. Crystal wanted to ask Clare if she could make her one, but she knew the answer. Clare never did anything for her...

"No, I never had any sweets before," she replied sadly. She then finished her pudding and decided it was time to call it for the night. " Thanks again for the food. If you don't mind I would like turn in for the night. Where should I sleep? This is your bed, right?"

Syaoran frowned. It looked like he would be making a lot more sweets if Crystal ended up staying for a while. It seemed unfair that she never got to try something that she really liked. He'd have to ask her what kind of sweets she thought she wanted to taste later. 

Her next question also threw her for a loop. He hadn't really thought about where she was going to sleep. He knew Kero had a desk drawer for his room, but the small desk in Syaoran's room did not have the same deep, roomy type of drawers.  She would be uncomfortable there.  He could rearrange his dresser drawers and give her a drawer to herself, but they were heavy and would probably be too heavy for her to open if she was shut in.

"I'll be right back," he said as he left her alone in the room. He grabbed a small pillow from the couch and an extra pillow case she could use for a light blanket.  It was comfortable in the apartment, so he figured she wouldn't get too cold.

He returned and laid the two items on his desktop while moving the laptop to the floor. "You can sleep on this pillow tonight. I need to do some rearranging tomorrow so you have a more personal space. Do you think that will be comfortable enough tonight?"

Crystal sat there in shock. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable for the night? She just nodded her head and flew over to the desk. "I really appreciate this. I hope I'm not too much trouble.." She sat down on the pillow and to her delight it was quite comfy. Crystal made a slight frown. She felt bad for lying to Syaoran, but she had no choice.

Syaoran smiled and shook his head. "It's not trouble. Like I said, you can stay here as long as you need to. It's safer for you than wandering Tomoeda alone."

Syaoran grabbed his pajamas and headed to the bathroom to change and get ready. He wasn't sure if Crystal cared where he got changed, but he might as well be polite unless told otherwise. It wouldn't be a problem once he figured out where she could have her own space. 

Crystal was already stretched out on the pillow when he re-entered the room. "Good night," he murmured (not sure if she was still awake) and settled into his own bed before turning off the lamp.

Monday morning, Syaoran gathered his stuff for school and decided to skip his morning training. Fighting the spirit other night was probably a good substitute as long as he trained in the evening.  He sent a quick text to Sakura since he was not sure if she had been planning on joining him that morning and then finished packing his bag for school.

"I have school today, so you can get to know Wei while I'm gone," he said after noticing Crystal staring at him confused. "He's the other person that lives with me."  Crystal nodded and followed Syaoran out of the room for breakfast.

Once breakfast was over, he headed out for school. He needed a chance to tell Sakura about Crystal.