Well, I actually like how I made this chapter. I hope you all like it :)

Maya and I stared at each other while we sat at the dining room table, waiting for Syaoran to finish make tea.

"How old are you right now, Maya?" I asked her. I still didn't understand this. I left four years ago, but Maya looked only three! I rubbed my temples.

"I'm four and one-quarter. That's what my daddy says. How old are you?" Maya squinted her emerald eyes, as she continued to stare at me.

"I… I'm twenty-two," a whispered softly. I put my arms on the table, and despite the situation, I grinned at her.

"Do you like cartoons?" I asked her. Maya's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she grinned. "Yes! When daddy has to work, Tomoyo is my babysitter, and we watch cartoons and have tea parties, and play pretend! It's lots of fun. But, daddy doesn't like me watching cartoons."

I frown slightly at her response. "Daddy doesn't let you watch cartoons?" I asked.

I watched the light in Maya's eyes disappear as a frown made its way across her face. "No. He says T.V. kills brain cells."

I giggled at Maya's statement. "Well then, your father must have watched a lot of T.V. when we were kids."

Maya grinned when we heard, "hey, I heard that!" coming from the kitchen.

I burst out laughing, while Maya stared at me like I was a mental patient.

I quieted down, and asked, "what's wrong, Maya? You don't look very happy anymore."

She sighed as she shrugged her shoulders. "Daddy doesn't like loud noises. That's why I colour pictures to keep quiet."

I leaned over the table and asked, "you like colouring too?"

She nodded and asked, "can I show you something?"

I nodded and stood up from my seat, helping Maya down. Maya grabbed onto my hand, and began pulling me through the familiar building. We rounded a corner, went through the living room, and up a set of stairs. When we were on the second floor, she led me to a door at the end of the hall.

"This is my room. Tomoyo and Meiling did it for me! Open it!" she said eagerly.

"Manners, Maya!" Syaoran called from down stairs.

I grumbled, and yelled, "stop pestering the poor girl! She's just excited!"

Turning my attention back to her I asked, "how many rules does he have?"

Maya shook her head. "I don't know. I can only count to ten."

Is she saying that he has so many rules, that she can't even count them?

I nodded to her and opened the door. The walls were a light pastel pink, the carpet was white, and the comforter on her bed was a pink rose colour.

"Is pink your favourite colour?" I questioned.

Maya shook her head. "No. I like blue, but daddy says that's a boy colour."

I walked in, and sat at the foot of her bed. "Too bad," I whispered, running my fingers over the comforter.

I looked back up and grinned at her. "So, what did you want to show me?"

Maya ran over to what I assume to be her closet, and pulled the door open. She knelt to the floor and pulled out a box that was nearly the same size as her.

"Do you need help?" I asked her.

Maya shook her head as she leaned into the large box. "Daddy says if I really want something, I have to work to get it."

What in the hell is Syaoran teaching her? I mean, its good to be independent, but seriously? She's only four!

"Its okay to ask me for help though. You don't need to be scared of breaking any rules if I'm with you."

Maya nodded slowly. "Okay. But I got it." She reached in, and pulled out a binder filled with paper.

I quirked an eyebrow curiously at her. "What's that?" I asked.

Maya walked back toward me, and sat beside me.

"This is all the pictures I ever drew. I keep them in my special box. I want to show you," she whispered.

I nodded as she opened the cover to the thick book. On the first page, there was a drawing of, what looked like, Maya and Tomoyo having a picnic.

"This is me and Tomoyo on my birthday when I turned three."

I grinned at her. "Wow, Maya. You drew this?" I asked, pointing at the drawing.

Maya nodded, before flipping the page. "This is daddy when he makes his thinking face."

I giggled at the drawing of Syaoran's face. She drew his hair curly, and he had an expression that looked somewhere between anger and constipation.

"He still looks like that when he thinks?"

Maya nodded, and flipped the page again. "This is Meiling, me, and Tomoyo. We made a fort out of sheets, and stayed in the living room all night." She flipped the page again. This one shocked me beyond belief. "This is you. I drew it when I was three."

I stared at her. "How did you know what I look like?"

Maya put the binder on the bed, and got down. She walked to the white nightstand near the head of her bed. She opened the top drawer, and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "I asked daddy what my mommy looked like, and he gave me this picture so I would know."

She unfolded it, and showed it to me. I was sitting on a swing, being pushed by Syaoran. I remembered that day. I was sixteen when the picture was taken. Me, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Meiling were walking through the park. I hadn't been on a swing for a while, so I ran over like a little kid. Syaoran followed me, and gently pushed me once I sat on the swing. I turned my head and smiled at him with a content smile on my face. Syaoran and I heard a snap, and glared at Meiling, who stole Tomoyo's precious camera. That was the same day Syaoran asked me out on our first date.

"You look different. Your hair was longer, and you were smaller." I jumped at the sound of Maya's voice. "I keep this in my drawer, and take it out every night. I wanted to say good-night, and I wished very hard every night that you would come back." Maya wiped her eye with her sleeve. "Why did you leave?"

It took me a moment to realize that she was crying. I crossed my legs on the bed, and pulled her onto my lap with her back facing me. I held her in a tight hug, as a few tears escaped me.

"I don't know." That was a lie. I did know why I left, but I couldn't tell her. "I'm so sorry, Maya. I'm sorry I left you. I love you so much." I rested my right cheek on the top of her head. "I promise I won't leave you again. I'm so sorry, Maya."

Out in the hallway, Syaoran pulled his ear away from the door and smiled to himself. "I can't believe you're back, Sakura. Maybe now Maya can have her mother back for good." Syaoran turned around to head back downstairs.

Maya fell asleep in my arms after crying for a while. I can't lie about this; it felt good to hold her in my arms and comfort her.

"Maybe I am ready to be a mother to you," I whispered into her hair.

Carefully, I moved from my spot and placed Maya on her bed. I removed her socks and pigtails, placing them on her nightstand, before pulling the covers over her small body.

"Are you going?" I looked down and saw Maya blink her eyes at me.

I smiled and shook my head. "No, I'm just going downstairs. I'll come back up after, if you want," I whispered to her.

Maya nodded and snuggled into her soft comforter. I saw a small pink hair brush on her nightstand, and reached for it. I sat down beside Maya, and slowly brushed her hair. My own mother use to do that when I was young. It helped me sleep. I continued brushing her hair until I was certain she was asleep. I put the brush back in its place, and smiled at the little girl. I leaned over and kissed her forehead, before I got up and walked toward the door. I flicked the light-switch off, and turned to smile at her again.

"Good-night Maya."

I closed the door to her room, and walked downstairs to the dining room table. Syaoran walked in, through the kitchen, as I sat down. He set a tray that held the tea on the table before he looked at me.

"Where's Maya?" he asked.

I shrugged and smiled. "She's asleep," I whispered.

Syaoran quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "It appears that parenting comes naturally to you," he complimented. Or at least, I think it was a compliment.

I shook my head and frowned. "I wish I was here to watch her grow. I'll never get those years back. I'll never get to make it up to her."

Syaoran poured tea into a cup, and passed it to me. "Trust me, she's just glad to have you here. Ever since she's been able to talk, she's been asking questions about you. 'What's mommy's favourite colour?' 'What's mommy's favourite flower?' She never stops. She wished every night that she could meet you, and apparently, all of her wishing has finally paid off."

I sipped my tea and smiled slightly. "I'm glad I made her wish come true," I said.

Syaoran smiled at me and whispered, "so am I."

I looked up to make eye contact with him, and smiled a genuine smile. "It's so nice to talk to you again. Tell me what you've been up to since I left."

A/N: OMG am really anxious to know if you liked it... I worked really hard on it. In the next chapter, you will begin to see why this fic is rated M. Please remember to leave a review, not a flame.