"For the record, I think this is a stupid idea and you're dumb to even consider it. I am only going with you because Auntie asked me to." Meilin glared at her over the top of her magazine. Sakura wilted under the harsh words. It was the first Meilin had said to her for the pasty twenty-four hours. Sakura's had made many attempts to start a conversation with her but failed. "So please, stop trying to talk to me. I have no desire to be your friend." With that, Meilin buried herself once again in her magazine.

"Oh." Sakura puffed out her cheeks. She had thought that they had made good progress when they had talked together the other day. Sakura had come to view Meilin as a friend even though they hadn't known each other for very long. It was discouraging to hear that she did not feel the same way. But Sakura had never let discouragement stop her before. Determined not to give up, Sakura put on her best smile and said, "Thank you for coming with me, Meilin." Meilin rolled her eyes but didn't answer. But Meilin's mentioning of Yelan brought back Sakura's memories of what had happened.

"Do you know where I can find the Reed Clan?"

"I do."

Sakura jumped to her feet with her hands pressed to the table in her excitement. "Please tell me!"

"I do not believe that would be wise, Miss Kinomoto. The Reed Clan may not be evil per se, but they are little above criminals in my eyes."

"But you said my father would be released if I went there."

"I still believe that would be so, but at what cost?"

"If someone you loved needed you, wouldn't you do anything to help them, no matter what the cost?"

A heavy, oppressive silence fell over them. A sudden thick tension took hold, and it took Sakura a few long seconds to figure it out. Finally, she realized what she had said and who she had said it to. She was putting her foot in her mouth a lot lately. Before she could apologize, Yelan whispered, "Yes, I believe I would."

Yelan had sent Wei off for Meilin immediately. She spoke to Sakura of trivial things, looking unconcerned about what Sakura had said. When Meilin arrived, Yelan told her that she was to take Sakura to the Reed Clan. Meilin had protested at first by agreed in the end. The plane ride over to England had been long and uncomfortable. Meilin had answered Sakura's every attempt at conversation with a glare and a grunt. She hadn't said anything until they were in the car driving towards the manor where the Reed Clan lived.

A few minutes later, their cab stopped in front of sturdy wrought iron gate. Sakura and Meilin got out of the cab—Meilin paused to tell the driver to wait. Beyond the gate, a tall dark Victorian mansion sat at the end of a driveway. Red flowers lined the drive, and it ended in a circle with a black fountain in the center of it. There was a guard house to one side of the gate. The door to it opened and a burly looking man walked out and approached them. He stared at them and Sakura realized after a moment that he was expecting them to speak first. "Oh, um, hi." She waved her hand in a weak gesture. "I'm Sakura Kinomoto and this is Mei—" She stopped there as Meilin let out a loud cough. She looked at Meilin who was shaking her head. It hit her with a jolt that the Li Dynasty and Reed Clan were enemies. Meilin wouldn't want the Reed Clan to know she was here. She turned back to the guard who was looking at them with suspicion clear in his eyes. Sakura gave a nervous laugh and said, "We're here to see the leader of the Reed Clan."

The guard grunted and turned his back on them and walked back into the little house. Sakura glanced at Meilin who exclaimed, "What a jerk!"

"Do you think that means we can't go in?" Sakura asked confused, but then the gates began to swing open.

Meilin gave a loud humph. "I guess that means you're allowed in."

"I guess," Sakura murmured. She started to walk in, but noticed after a few moments that Meilin wasn't following. She looked around and found Meilin standing in the same spot, unmoving. "Aren't you coming?" Sakura asked.

Meilin shook her head. "Auntie told me that under no circumstances was I to step foot on Reed property." She gave a sort of half-frown. "I'm supposed to wait for you and your father here."

Sakura's shoulders slumped in dismay. She couldn't believe that once again she had to face a family of Clow Bearers by herself. But she had to save her father, so she nodded at Meilin. "Okay," she said. "See you soon." She gave Meilin a small wave, which—to her surprise—the other woman returned with a half-smile of her own. Grinning, she walked up the driveway, bolstered by Meilin's turn in attitude. As she passed the gate, it swung back shut behind her with a creaking bang which cause Sakura to jump at the sound of it.

As she approached the intimidating mansion, the front doors opened. A breathtaking handsome man stood on the other side of it. Sakura stared up into his cold silver blue eyes almost mesmerized though there was no warmth in his gaze. He stood aside as Sakura entered the door, but shut it behind her. "Come with me." There was no infliction to his monotone voice. He turned his back on her. That gave Sakura a good look at his hair, which was silver despite the fact that he looked around her brother's age. It was longer than anyone's that Sakura had ever seen as it fell to his ankles. He spoke no more as he led Sakura down the hall and opened a door. "In here," he directed, still in that same toneless voice.

Sakura stepped into the darkened room where only a single dim light hung over the center of the room. Its light was too low to even illuminate the corners. The man who brought her here closed the door. Sakura looked around her. The room was devoid of all furniture except for a single large ornate chair. Besides the one she had come in, there was only one other door behind the chair. That door opened and Sakura couldn't help but take a step back. Her hands clenched into her fists in front of her chest, as she felt some uneasy terror rush through her.

A man walked into the room and at first, in the shadowed light, Sakura thought it was her father. She could feel her lips curl up into an excited smile, but then she froze as the man came further into the light. He looked like her father, but she knew that this man was missing the gentle happiness that she felt with him. The man placed a hand on the back of the chair as he looked at her over it. "So, you are his daughter," he said and though his voice was quiet, it sliced straight through Sakura's heart.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked not quite managing to keep her voice for trembling.

The man smiled but it didn't reach his gray eyes. It was nothing like the warm smiles she was used to getting from others. His hand started trailing down the side of the chair as he began to walk around it. He stopped with his hand resting on the arm of the chair. "You look like your mother," he said instead of answering her question. "Your father had a picture of her with him."

Sakura gasped as he said that. "Please, if you have my father, let him go!"

The man didn't answer, but walked over to where she was standing and circled around her once. Sakura was determined not to let him get to her and so she lifted her chin up and glared at him the best she could. But she couldn't help the shivers that trickled through her body as he trailed a hand down her cheek. He chuckled as he let his hand drop back to his side. As he walked back to the chair, he ignored her request as he said, "I am Eriol Reed, the leader of this Clan. I suppose that would make me your uncle." He sat down in the chair.

"My uncle?" Sakura repeated.

Eriol rested his head on his hand as his free fingers drummed on the other arm of the chair. "Yes. Your father is my twin brother, so that would make you my niece, would it not?"

"If you're his brother, why would you kidnap him?" Sakura demanded.

A devilish smile crossed Eriol's lips. "Who said that I have your father?" he asked.

That gave Sakura pause for a moment until she remembered that Yelan had told her that was what her dream meant. "I know he's here," she said fiercely. "Please let him go."

"Hmm…your father is a traitor, young miss," Eriol said. The dispassion in his voice had her chest tight. She couldn't see how anyone could talk about their family like that. "When we discovered him here in England, what else could we do but bring him back to face his punishment?"

"My father is not a traitor," Sakura burst out, clenching her hands into fists.

"He betrayed the Clan and ran away from his responsibilities."

"But he was happy with us—with Mother, my brother, and me," she protested. She felt desperate as she asked, "Why wouldn't you want your brother to be happy?"

Eriol looked over at one of the dark corners of the room for a few seconds before looking back at Sakura. She frowned and followed his gaze but didn't see anything. In a very different tone from any Sakura had heard him use before, one that she couldn't even begin to name, he spoke. "Sometimes happiness must be sacrificed for the good of the Clan."

The door behind Eriol opened and two more men walked through the door. As they walked further into the light she recognized one was the man who brought her here. The other was Fujitaka. "Dad!" Sakura called out taking a step closer to him but held back, worried about what Eriol would do next.

"Sakura?" Fujitaka asked with shock displayed in his brown eyes. He tried to run over to her, but was held back by the silver-haired man. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to take you home," Sakura said with a smile, happy to see that her father was doing fine.

A low chuckle came from Eriol. "And how do you plan on doing that, darling Sakura?" he asked.

"Take me instead," Sakura said immediately before her mind had even thought through it. An indulgent grin spread across Eriol's face at her words. Sakura to bristled, thinking that he wasn't taking her seriously. "My Clows are much more valuable," she told him. It was reckless to give out that information. Her parents and brother had told her many times not to tell anyone about her Clows.

"Sakura," Fujitaka said with a protesting tone. Sakura ignored him as she remembered what she had told Yelan. She knew that she would do anything to save the ones that she cared about. Perhaps Eriol was right after all... perhaps your own happiness had to be sacrificed sometimes. In her mind, she sent a silent plea to Firey and Watery to please not fight. For only the second time in her life, Sakura summoned all four of her Clows at the same time. Firey and Earthy appeared on her right, while Windy and Watery appeared on her left.

Eriol let out a gasp and shot to his feet. "You have all four Elemental Clows?" he asked with wide eyes—the first time Sakura had seen him with such a revealing emotion. There was a strange look in his eyes—eager was the only word Sakura could think of to describe it.

"Yes," Sakura stated but a bit confused at his tone. "And if you promise to let my father go and leave my family alone, I will give you my word that I will stay here with you."

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Fujitaka asked.

Eriol's face recomposed itself and the indifferent grin returned. "And if I don't?" he asked, also ignoring Fujitaka.

Sakura took a step forward, and her Clows began to circle around her as they sensed her agitation. "I don't like to fight. I have never used them in such a fashion, but I know my Clows can do a lot of damage if I used their full power."

"You're threatening me, aren't you?" To her great surprise, Eriol burst into laughter. After a few moments it subsided and he continued, "My dear, you do have some spirit, don't you? Very well." He sat back down in his chair. "I will give you my word to release Fujitaka and leave your family alone from now on, as long as you stay here and do as I say." He turned to look at the men behind him. Her father looked devastated, but the other was the picture of indifference. "Yue, let Fujitaka say goodbye to his daughter." The silver-haired man let go of Fujitaka's arms.

Sakura dismissed her Clows and broke into a wide grin, as her father ran over to her and gathered her in his arms. "You shouldn't have done it, Sakura."

"You would have done the same for me," Sakura said, as tears gathered at the corner of her eyes.

"I'll find a way to come get you, Sakura," Fujitaka whispered in her ear.

Sakura no longer trusted herself to speak. She nodded into his shoulder, not knowing if her father ever would be able to do that. "Goodbye, Dad," she whispered into his ear, knowing that she had to say something. "Tell Mom and Toya that I love them."

"Yue," Eriol quipped. As the man walked over to them, Fujitaka let go of her. Yue grabbed her father and pulled him out of the door that Sakura had come in. Sakura turned her back on them as tears flowed down her cheeks. She shut her eyes, trying not to listen as her father called out her name behind her. The door closed with finality, leaving Sakura in the room with Eriol once again. Sakura wiped the tears from her cheeks as she struggled to regain control of her emotions. When she looked at Eriol again, he was studying her with a calculating look. Without warning, he said, "Wolf."

Sakura gasped as a figure rose from the shadows of one of the corners of the room. She had not seen him at all due to the low lighting. She remembered the dream she had at the Li estate and wondered if this could be the person it had been referring to. It seemed unlikely that it would not be if the person's name was, in fact, Wolf, like the animal in her dream. As he came into the dim light, she saw that it was man who looked familiar for some reason. But she was sure that she had never seen him before. She was also sure that she had never seen a living person's eyes look so empty before. He was rather tall as well, though not quite as tall as her father and brother. Though he looked intimidating in appearance, Sakura found herself not afraid of him. In fact, for reasons she knew she could never explain, she felt safer now with him here.

He spoke neither as he approached the chair nor when he stopped next to Eriol. "Take my darling niece to your room," Eriol said without looking at the man beside him. His gaze never wavered from Sakura. "You'll be looking after her from now on."

His expression did not change in the slightest, but Sakura let out a cry of dismay at that information. She did not relish the idea of staying with a man she had only met about five seconds before. "Wolf here is the best guard you could ask for, my darling Sakura." A nightmarish and sadistic smile that chilled Sakura to the bone rested on his face. "And I'm afraid he's the one that would be able stop you if you decide to go back on your word. Two birds, you see?"

Eriol stood up out of the chair and gave a hollow chuckle. He finally turned away from Sakura and looked at Wolf. The man's expression still remained blank. With feral grin, he looked back at Sakura and said, "I recommend that you don't startle him or make him angry. I would hate to lose my only niece." He walked around the chair and back out the door that he had come in. This left Sakura alone with Wolf to contemplate what he had told her.

Wolf looked at her for half a second before he turned away and walked towards the door behind the chair. Sakura, scared of being left alone in this room, took a step forward and called out, "Wait! Where do I go?"

Wolf paused at the door and stared at her for another second. "Follow me," he said. His voice was rough like he didn't use it very often and rather quiet. Without saying anymore, he opened the door and walked out into the hallway. Sakura hesitated for another half a second before running after him. As she walked into the hallway, light flooded her vision, causing her to squint. She had been in that darkened room for some time. By the time her vision adjusted, Wolf was all the way down the hall and almost around the corner. She raced after him and then walked timidly behind him.

The house was very different from Yelan's or her grandfather's. Though it had paintings and was decorated to perfection, there seemed to be less life to it. Almost as if it was a museum instead of a home. The walls were a creamy white, like they were attempting at warmth, but it felt stiff and cold. It wasn't long before Wolf stopped in front of a wooden door and twisted the knob to open it. Sakura stepped inside after him, stopping on the other side of the threshold. She glanced around at the modest room—quite a bit smaller than her room at the Li estate or even at her grandfather's. The bed was at least a queen size, but that was about as high as the extravagance got in the room. There was only the bare minimum of other furniture. A dresser, an armoire, and an arm chair were all that Sakura saw. She looked around in dismay, wondering how she was supposed to share the small space with this man. Not to mention the problem of only one bed.

But Wolf did not seem to share her alarm. He didn't even look at her as he crossed the room to one of the other two doors beside the entrance. It wasn't until he had opened the door that he looked back at her. "This way," he said.

Sakura jumped at the sound of his voice—he had been so quiet since they left the dark room. She tiptoed over to the door. He didn't walk through the door, but it was clear to Sakura that she was meant to. She walked through and found herself in another bedroom similar to the one she had been in. There was a sofa instead of a chair and a small table with two chairs added. Besides the door she had come in, there was one other door on the right wall. Sakura walked over to it and opened it. She was expecting to find the hallway, but found a small bathroom. It too was only equipped with the barest of necessities. She closed the door again and looked back around the room. Finally, she realized that the only way out was through the other bedroom—which no doubt belonged to Wolf. It may not have had bars, but this was her prison.

Sighing, she walked back over to Wolf, not sure what she was supposed to do exactly. "Do you need anything?" Wolf asked.

She looked up at him surprised that he would ask that. She felt confused, though she wasn't sure what about. A stray lock of his hair—the very same color as milk chocolate—had fallen down over his eyes. Without knowing why she was doing it, Sakura reached up a hand to brush it away. Wolf jerked back away from her before she could even touch him. An emotion flashed in his amber eyes for such a short moment that Sakura didn't even had time to recognize it. Without a word, he turned away from her and walked back into his own room. The door shut resolutely behind him.

After another moment, Sakura let her hand drop back to her side and glanced around the room again. She walked over to the bed and flopped back on it, breathing out in almost exasperation. Dad…Mom…Toya…Tomoyo…she wondered if she would ever see any of them again. She closed her eyes and found the vision of Wolf's face floating across her mind. She furrowed her brows in thought, trying to remember where she had seen that color of eyes before.