"Have you ever tried surfing before?" Tomoyo asked Chiba as they walked to the beach. They were dropped off a couple of blocks away.

"No." Chiba said. "Why?"

"Oh, it looks dangerous, is all." Tomoyo said worriedly.

"Hm… I'm not going to do anything extreme. I'm just going to learn all the basics today. Hiiragizawa, have you surfed before?" Chiba asked.

"No." Eriol replied easily. He was walking with Sakura ahead of the other couple.

"Then we're both going to start learning today." Chiba said. "Nothing to worry about, Tomoyo. By the end of the day, we're probably still the same. You can't learn this stuff in a day."

'You can't. Unless you're Eriol.' Sakura thought. She knew by the end of the day, Eriol would be surfing like a pro. He had a talent for sports, all kind of sports. And music, art, cooking, and a whole lot more. Whatever it was, he could learn it, or had learned it.

"Eh, isn't that Li?" Rika suddenly asked.

"Oh, you're right!" Sakura said as she spotted two familiar figures not far ahead. "I'll go and say hi." She took off.

"Who are they?" Chiba asked curiously as he saw Sakura approach the pair and they quickly got to talking.

"Li Syaoran and Li Meiling. They're our friends, from back in the day." Tomoyo told him. They continued walking until they reached them and greeted them.

Tomoyo introduced Chiba and Rika introduced Ayumi.

"Oh, look at us!" Meiling said excitedly. "We're all grown up now!"

"We certainly are." Sakura said excitedly. She then noticed Meiling looking at Eriol curiously. "Oh, that's right. You two didn't have the chance to meet back then. Meiling, this is Eriol Hiiragizawa. Eriol, this is Li Meiling."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Li." Eriol greeted her.

"Nice to meet you too, Hiiragizawa." Meiling said politely.

"What brought you here?" Rika asked.

"Uh, business, actually." Syaoran said. "Family business." He looked at Sakura and Eriol meaningfully. They caught the meaning behind his words.

"I see." Sakura said simply. "Well, we're actually heading to the beach. If you have the time, if the business is not…. urgent, then maybe we can hang out for a bit?"

"We're actually going there too. No, it's not urgent." Syaoran nodded.

The group walked together then. The girls were busy catching up.

"I'm so sorry we had to miss your wedding." Sakura said. Syaoran and Meiling got married a few years ago.

"That's okay, Sakura. It was during exam too, right?" Meiling assured her.

Tomoyo nodded. "It was. That really was too bad." Their wedding was before their final high school exams.

They reached the beach and then went to look for a spot, which was quite challenging since the beach was very crowded and they had a big group of eight.

After a few minutes of walking around, they finally found some space. They spread their beach blankets and sat down.

"What are you going to do today?" Meiling asked. "We just got here last night, so we haven't really done anything yet."

"The guys are going surfing today." Tomoyo told Meiling.

"Surfing, huh? Mind if I join you?" Syaoran asked.

"That's fine by me." Eriol easily agreed.

"The more the merrier." Chiba grinned widely. "You surfed before, Li?"

"No, but it looks fun." Syaoran took off his T-shirt. Chiba had taken off his too.

"Gotta put on that sunblock thing." Chiba said as Tomoyo handed him the sunblock.

Sakura rummaged through the backpack. "Are you sure it's in here? I can't seem to find it."

"Yes, I put it in the front pocket." Eriol said as he took off his shirt.

Sakura moved her search to the front pocket and pulled out the sunblock triumphantly. "Sit down." She told him and then started applying it on her fiancé's back.

After the guys got their sunblock on, they left.

Sakura wiped her hand on the wet wipe. "I know it's important to put on the sunblock, but that thing is very sticky and smells funny." She said.

"You should get the spray type." Meiling suggested.

"There's such type?" Sakura asked. "Oh, we're definitely getting that one."

"Ayumi and I are going to get some drinks. Do you guys want anything?" Rika asked.

"I'll go with you." Tomoyo said and the three left after Sakura and Meiling told them what kind of drink they wanted. They would stay behind to watch over their things.

"So, you and Hiiragizawa, huh, Sakura?" Meiling said casually. "Since when?"

"Oh, since junior high, actually." Sakura was surprised Meiling didn't know. "Syaoran didn't tell you?"

"No. He didn't say anything." Meiling said. "He seems nice."

"He is." Sakura nodded.

"I'm happy for you." Meiling told her with a smile. "So, what are you all doing now?" She asked curiously. "We haven't spoken in years…"

"You're right. Not since fifth grade, since that… incident at the park." Sakura recalled. "But we're in university now. We actually go to the same university. We even stay in the same building and all."

"A dormitory?" Meiling asked.

"No. It's an apartment block, but it feels like a dormitory. The building is a short walk from campus, so it's very popular with students." Sakura explained. "How about you? What are you guys up to these days?"

"Same old, same old. Syaoran's still training and I'm learning to be the wife of the head of the family." Meiling told her.

"I see." Sakura nodded. "How's that going for you?"

"I mean, I've been learning it for so long now, even before… everything. So, it's only natural, I guess." Meiling said.

"I suppose you're right. You and Syaoran have been engaged since you were kids, so you must've learned the ropes a long time ago." Sakura said.

Meiling was about to say something, but Tomoyo, Rika and Ayumi came back. The conversation turned to general topics as they discussed about the beach and vacation.

A couple of hours later, the guys came back, covered in salt water and sand.

"I don't get it." Chiba complained. "You said you've never learned how to surf before, and yet, it looks like you've been surfing for years, Hiiragizawa. Hey, Kinomoto, is he lying to us?"

"I can assure you, he's never learned how to surf before." Sakura replied as she handed a bottle of water to Eriol.

"Then how the hell did he get so good so quickly?" Chiba said resentfully.

"Get used to it…" Syaoran muttered. He wasn't a stranger to how talented Eriol was.

"It's just a coincidence, Chiba." Eriol said as he wiped the sand off his hair. "The sand is everywhere."

"I think you can rinse it off there." Sakura pointed at the washroom/shower room.

"I might as well get changed." Eriol took out the towel and a set of new clothes from the backpack.

The three of them went to get cleaned up and came back ten minutes later.

Sakura put the bag containing his dirty swim trunks and towel inside the backpack after making sure that it was properly sealed.

"Are we going for lunch? I'm starving." Chiba asked and the rest agreed to go for their lunch now.

They walked along the walkway as they decided where to eat.

"That place looks good." Meiling pointed at one restaurant. They checked out the place and decided to eat there.

Unfortunately, the place was packed, so they had to sit separately. Sakura and Eriol sat with Syaoran and Meiling as the other four sat at another table.

"Hm, what should I get?" Sakura wondered as she perused the menu.

"The sushi platter looks nice." Eriol said. "They have the platter for two, four or six. If everyone agrees, we can get that one."

"Looks good to me too." Syaoran agreed and they placed their order.

"So, what brought you to the islands of Okinawa?" Sakura asked curiously. They were seated at the corner table, a little farther away form the rest of the tables.

Syaoran hesitated briefly as he looked around, but decided that it was safe enough. "A friend asked for an assistance in dealing with some… peculiar problem." He started. "I can't discuss the details here, but we're going to meet them tomorrow. If you're interested, you're welcome to join us."

"But, is that okay? It's a family business after all." Sakura asked.

"To be honest, it's nothing like we've ever seen before. I could use some… extra set of hands." Syaoran looked pointedly at Eriol.

"If that's okay with you, then we'll be happy to offer our assistance." Eriol nodded.

By now, Meiling had gathered that Eriol knew magic. "Do you have, you know, it too, Hiiragizawa?"

"I just happen to have the skill, Mrs. Li." Eriol said with an easy smile.

Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other. He certainly didn't just 'happen to have the skill'. He was the most skillful of them all. In fact, he was still more skilled than all of them combined.

"That's good. But how are you going to explain it to your friends?" Syaoran asked.

"Leave that to us to worry about. It's a good thing that Tomoyo knows, so I'm sure she'll help cover for us." Sakura said.

They stopped their discussion because their food came and they started eating. The sushi was good and fresh. They loved it and finished the whole thing.

They walked around and went their separate ways so that the Li's could get cleaned up back at the hotel. Tomoyo said that she'd arrange for them to get picked up at six so they could have dinner together.

"Or better yet, why don't you two stay with us? We have plenty of extra rooms." Tomoyo offered.

"Ah, but we'd hate to intrude." Meiling said worriedly.

"Nonsense, Meiling. You won't be intruding. We're among friends here." Tomoyo said, "But of course, if you have any other plan, that's fine too."

Finally they agreed to stay at the Daidouji's beach house.

"Thank you again for the invite, Tomoyo." Meiling said after they arrived and Tomoyo had given them the grand tour. "You have a very nice place here."

"Thank you." Tomoyo stopped in front of their room. "Please make yourself at home. Dinner would be served in about an hour."

An hour later, they all gathered in the dining room. Dinner was delicious and everyone enjoyed it. Come desserts time, Eriol was disappointed because they were having tiramisu, the original recipe, with the wine.

"You don't like tiramisu, Hiiragizawa?" Chiba asked, noting that his friend didn't touch the dessert.

"The tiramisu is made with wine and I can't have any alcohol." Eriol explained. None of them, other than Sakura, knew that he almost drowned himself in beer just weeks ago.

"Huh? That's too bad." Chiba said. "So, no beer, no sake for you?"

"None." Eriol confirmed.

After dessert, they gathered around in the living room and Eriol played some songs at the piano. They chatted and talked about old times, when they were kids, when they were still in school together.

"Those were simpler time, for sure." Tomoyo said.

"Simpler time, indeed." Sakura smiled. But it wasn't simple, far from it. She learned about magic, the cards, Clow, Eriol, the guardians, and everything else. On top of that, she also had to navigate through puberty, friendships and her growing feelings for her best friend.

The said best friend was now sitting beside her, with his arm wrapped around her shoulders loosely. They had put their rings back on. Sakura had to admit that it felt good to see that ring on his finger, to show that he was hers, just as much as she was his. Sakura still regretted what happened between them and she would never forget it. But they'd moved on and were happy now.

"Say, why don't we hit the beach again tomorrow? I'm going to practice more of the surfing." Chiba suggested.

"We'll have to pass." Syaoran said. "Sorry. Got a business to take care of."

"How about you, Hiiragizawa?" Chiba turned to his friend. "Up for another round?"

"Sorry. I have another plan for tomorrow. Maybe the day after." Eriol said.

"You got a plan too?" Chiba asked, surprised. "Does anyone else have any other plan for tomorrow?"

Sakura raised her hand. "I do… Well, I'm actually going with Eriol, so…"

"What are you going to do?" Rika asked.

"Eh, um…" Sakura tried to think of something.

"We're meeting some relatives of mine." Eriol lied smoothly.

"You have a family here?" Rika asked, clearly surprised. They didn't know anything about Eriol's background, so this was a new information.

"It's just some distant relatives." Eriol told them.

"That's so cool!" Chiba said and turned to the rest. "Well, looks like it's just us then."

"It can still be fun. We'll go to the beach and hit the market. Get some ice cream and whatnot." Tomoyo said.

Half an hour later, Sakura, Eriol, Syaoran and Meiling excused themselves because they'd have an early morning tomorrow. They bid everyone good night and left.

"Guys!" Tomoyo followed them out of the room.

"Oh, hi Tomoyo. What's up?" Sakura asked.

"I take it you're going together tomorrow? To take care of… business?" Tomoyo asked in low voice.

Sakura nodded. "Sorry, Tomoyo. You'll have to cover for us."

"No problem. Just please be careful, ok? All of you." Tomoyo told them.

"Of course." Sakura nodded. They bid their hostess a good night and went upstairs to their rooms.

"Well, it really is a good thing that she knows." Meiling said.

Sakura nodded. "Tomoyo has been helping me with this thing, since way back. You know how it was back then."

"Sure do. Things were pretty crazy back then, with the cards and everything." Meiling nodded. "Oh, by the way, did you manage to figure out what was happening with the flying penguins and stuff?"

"Um, yeah, sort of." Sakura said, glancing at Eriol. His face remained neutral, but she could see amusement in his eyes.

"So what was it? Was it dangerous? Someone trying to hurt you?" Meiling asked.

"No, no. Nothing like that." Sakura quickly said. "It was… complicated. Maybe one day I'll tell you what happened. For now, let's just focus on the matter at hands, ok?"

Meiling nodded. "But you know, if you want to teach whoever behind all that a lesson, I'm happy to lend you a hand, or a fist." The Chinese girl's hand balled into fist.

"I'll… keep that in mind." Sakura said as she sweat-dropped. "What time shall we meet tomorrow?"

"How about eight? At the dining room. We'll leave after breakfast." Syaoran asked.

"Eight it is then." Sakura nodded. "Okay, this is us. Good night, guys." They stopped in front of their room.

"Good night." The other two said and Sakura and Eriol got inside.

"I wonder what it's going to be." Sakura said. "Syaoran didn't say anything to you?"

"No. I didn't have the chance to speak to him privately." Eriol told her. "He didn't look worried though."

"Hm… A distant relative…" Sakura recalled his words. "Well, technically you're right. They're your distant relatives."

"In a way." Eriol agreed. "He didn't seem to tell his wife anything though, about me."

"Syaoran didn't even tell her about us. Meiling was surprised that I have a boyfriend. I don't think he said anything about you, or Clow." Sakura said. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but I'm kind of excited for it. It's been a long time since we had to deal with anything magic."

"Still, we have to be careful." Eriol told her.

"I know." Sakura yawned. "Well, I'm tired. Good night."

"Good night."