The Prince And The Thief
Chapter 2: The Agreement

Syaoran strode by foot and regretted his decision on leaving his horse behind. It would be a longer trek without it, but he would attract more attention with the big, black beast. It would be wiser to go without it, his mind told him, but the pain in his feet told another story.

A noise caught his attention and he frowned. Was he being followed again? He continued to walk normally, and as predicted, another branch snapped. Did he really look that conspicuous? He thought he did a pretty good job at disguising himself, but obviously not well enough. He was being stalked again.

He spied a large oak tree and made a left turn. Whoever was pursuing him would have lost sight of him. He then quickly ducked behind some tall bushes and crouched down. It was his turn to do some spying.

He waited for a few minutes and saw a figure walking around the same oak tree. With lightening fast reflexes, he lunged at the follower and grabbed him from behind with one arm, while the other covered his mouth. The spy struggled in his arms and Syaoran got an odd sense of déjà vu.

His eyes narrowing, he spun the person in his arms around and glared at the face peering up at him. "Don't you ever learn?!" He spoke a bit louder then he intended, but Syaoran couldn't believe a person had the nerve to follow him twice in one day.

Sakura met his gaze squarely. "Obviously I had. I've been following you for over an hour and you just noticed me now."

Syaoran growled in frustration. "I gave you the money you attempted to steal, what more do you want?"

She shrugged off his hands that were on her shoulders and took a step back. She squared her shoulders, as if preparing for battle. "I want to go with you to Draken."

Syaoran stared at her in stunned disbelief. "Are you crazy?! The country is raging war against us and you want to go there?!"

"You are."

"Yes, but I don't have a choice! If I did, I would have stayed at home, which is where you should be. Don't you have a sick father to take care of?"

She smiled proudly. "With the money you gave me, I was able to pay the doctor for another 3 months of service and have enough leftover to have a friend take care of father for me. You obviously didn't realize how much you were giving away."

'That's true enough,' Syaoran thought. He never had to deal with money (or lack of it). What he handed Sakura was just pocket change. Actually, it was less then pocket change compared to the Li family fortune, but that was beside the point. "You just can't go with me. It's too dangerous and you'll just be in the way."

"I can help you! I know how to cook, to negotiate with your money so you wouldn't get ripped off, I can talk to villagers to find out information. No offence, but you aren't the most trustworthy looking person."

Syaoran furrowed his brows. He wasn't trustworthy? "Why is that?"

"Well you..." Sakura began to show the first sign of becoming nervous. She chose her words carefully. "You just emit this aura about you that commands power and strength. I believe that no matter what clothing or disguise you wear, you'll never be able to hide that power. In this time and age, people don't trust the powerful."

Deep down Syaoran felt a small flicker of admiration. This girl was insightful. Too bad she doesn't know how powerful he truly was. "True enough, but I could always hire someone to do that for me, someone with more experience." She hesitated. She obviously hadn't thought of that. Syaoran sighed. "I suggest you turn back now. Draken is too dangerous for a girl like you."

He turned to walk away, but hadn't managed to take more then a few steps before a hand grabbed his wrist. He twisted and was met with the intense pleading of Sakura's eyes. "My brother's there," she spoke softly, almost inaudibly if he wasn't standing so close. "I need to go to Draken to find my brother."

Syaoran stopped short. 'Ah hell.' He raked his hand through his hair. Now everything became a bit more complicated. He could sympathize with her. Wasn't he going to Draken to retrieve someone himself? "Damn."

Sakura let out a small smile. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to swear in the presence of female ears?"

"Yes, but during special circumstances it can be overlooked."

"And this would be considered a special circumstance?"

"It's not everyday a girl asks me if she can accompany me to one of the most dangerous and ruthless countries around." Syaoran had a strange urge to pick Sakura into his arms, throw her in the nearest room and lock the door so she couldn't get out. 'Yes, that would definitely help things. Although, knowing her, she would be screaming and kicking the whole way there.'

"Please Syaoran." Sakura placed on her best puppy-dog eyes. "I promise I won't be in the way and when it gets too dangerous, I'll go back home."

Syaoran made the mistake of looking at her eyes and inwardly groaned. There could not be a man alive that would be able to say no to those trembling orbs. He had the willpower to withstand the rigorous training the elders had enforced on him, but he could not say no to a simple girl.

He groaned out loud this time, which made Sakura squeal with delight. She knew she had won. "You have to keep your promise," Syaoran instructed, trying to sound firm. She nodded her head vigorously and with another squeal, she threw herself into his arms laughing. The wind was immediately knocked out of his lungs, but by pure reflexes, he wrapped his arms around her waste.

She raised her head so she was looking into his eyes. "Thank you."

Syaoran found himself unable to breathe once again, but for a totally different reason. 'Those eyes really are enchanting...' He quickly pushed that thought out of his head and hastily let go of the girl. He coughed, but Sakura remained oblivious to his discomfort and continued smiling at him.

"Well, did you bring any belongings?" Syaoran asked. It was a safer conversation topic.

She made a gesture to her backpack. "I have a change of clothes and a bit of food for lunch. I figured you might be hungry." Syaoran's stomach growled at the mention of food, which caused her to laugh. Syaoran fought back the blush that threatened to appear on his face. "See? Now aren't you glad you decided to bring me along?"

Syaoran decided not to say anything incase it turned out to be rude. Instead, he walked off the path and found a secluded clearing. He sat down and gestured for her to the same. She knelt down beside him and opened up her bag, pulling out some wrapped packages. She unwrapped one and handed him a piece. It looked like a long slice of rolled bread wrapped around something. He eyed it suspiciously. "What is it?"

She looked at him with surprise. "You've never had spring rolls before?"

Syaoran shook his head and took a bite out of one. It was surprisingly good. Too bad his upbringing didn't include eating commoner's food. He already preferred them compared to the elaborate dishes the cooks at the castle prepared. He finished off one and reached for another, finished it with two bites. He helped himself to another.

Sakura stared at him wide-eyed. "Wow, you really are hungry."

Syaoran swallowed a mouthful. "This is really good."

"I'm glad you like it."

When he had his fair share he lay down on the grass and sighed in contentment. He hadn't felt this relaxed since he first started his journey. Hell, he hadn't felt this relaxed even at home. Either his training or his sisters disturbed what little peace he could find.

"So it's true then. Men are much better-behaved when they've been fed." She made a cute sound, much like a giggle.

He stood up, deciding they had tarried long enough. "We better get going if we have any hopes of getting to the next village before night fall." He stretched out an arm to help her up. She grabbed it, sending a jolt up his arm with the contact. He saw her eyes widen and knew she felt the same. He immediately let go. 'And they say fresh air is a good thing.'

To Be Continued...

I'm leaving on a trip for China during the summer, so I wouldn't have enough time to update. Please keep me and this story in your mind until September!

Thank you AnonymousT, Elven Sword, lilchibisaku, twilight-star1, SS43v3r, Dark Heart Wolf and Myst for your wonderful reviews!