AN: I'm glad I got reviews for this. I was so scared that nobody would like it. Yeah, I know that Sakura and Syaoran cheating on their spouses are bad, but that's the whole point of the story, isn't it? If they weren't cheating, there would be no plot, no obstacles for them to get together. There is always at least one obstacle that doesn't allow two people to get together. It just so happens that in this story there are two obstacles, and it's their spouses. Thank you for reviewing!
Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura does not belong to me. But the plot along with any characters that are not part of CCS are mine.
Affairs of the Heart
Chapter Two
Syaoran opened his eyes as sunshine bore on his eyes. Blinking, he turned away from the window and raised the blanket a little higher. Damn, it was cold in his room. Why was it so cold?
He turned on his side and then realized that Lydia wasn't in bed. No wonder it was so cold. He was alone on this bed. Sitting up, he looked at the clock near the bed. Ten-thirty in the morning. He frowned. Where was Lydia? He is usually the first to wake up, but this time he made the exception that maybe he slept a little later than usual, mainly because he arrived home late after taking Sakura home. But still, Lydia wasn't one who would just leave the bed without waking him up.
Well, he had to admit that if here and there Lydia wakes up first, she usually wakes him up because of her movements as she gets out of bed. He must have been dead tired to not wake up when she got out of bed. He was a light sleeper and it didn't take much for someone to wake him up.
"You're up?"
Syaoran turned towards the doorway of his room. He smiled when he saw his wife holding a tray with a plate of food. His breakfast, apparently.
"Wow, you woke up before I did. What a rare event. I wonder if we will get a tornado" he said in amusement as she brought him the tray. She placed it over his lap. Breakfast in bed: everyone's dream when waking up in the morning. And he was actually going to get it.
"Shut up. I got up early to apologize about last night. I said before midnight that I would return home, but instead I arrived well after two in the morning." She shook her head, her golden locks swaying with the movement. "We didn't even make love."
"It's okay" he said as he took a bite out of his egg. In truth, on his way home last night, he dreaded having sex with his wife. Before, he would have been excited at the prospect of making love to her, but all he could think about last night was about Sakura. None of the thoughts were of Lydia; he sensed that if he were to make love to his wife, he would be imagining about the green-eyed beauty. He can't do that to Lydia. It's bad enough he is cheating on her but the least he could do is not think about another woman when he is making love to her. He could give her that much.
"No, it's not okay" she stated with a frown, but then she smiled. "Of course, there is always tonight . . ."
Syaoran eyed her. "Lydia?"
"Hmm?"
"Why, exactly, are you all of a sudden so determined to have sex?"
She blinked at him as if she didn't understand the question. Then she sighed. "I want babies."
Syaoran was busy drinking coffee when she said that, so she jumped in time to avoid coffee being spilled on her when he started to cough and sputter.
"Babies?" he squeaked.
Lydia nodded. "Yes. I'm ready to be a mother. And I want to be the mother of your child."
Syaoran gulped. Oh no. This wasn't the type of conversation he wanted to have now, or in the near future. When they were first married, they both agreed to wait a few years before having kids, wanting to have a few years to themselves. A week ago, he would have gladly accepted to talk over this topic. But since he met Sakura, everything changed. That kiss in the garden had definitely clarified one thing: Sakura was worth the risk. He wanted to continue seeing her, get to know her better. She was someone worth knowing. He was already in a bad situation, and no way in hell was he about to add kids into the mix. "Lydia-"
"Just imagine: a little boy with amber eyes running around calling you daddy, or a little girl with my silver eyes saying how she talked with her crush."
"Lydia, I don't think we should have children just yet." Lydia's hope disappeared. "Why not? I'm ready." That's one of the things that Syaoran disapproved about Lydia: her failure to realize when other people aren't ready. In her mind, if she was ready for anything, then everybody else was ready too.
"Well, Lydia, I'm not ready. I don't want kids." His blunt statement made Lydia's eyes widened.
"What?" She gasped.
Realizing his poor choice of words, he immediately corrected himself. "No, that's not what I meant. I do want kids; just not right now."
Lydia folded her arms. "Xiao-Lang" she said, calling him by his Chinese name as always, "Why don't you want kids right now?"
Syaoran sighed. "I'm just . . . not ready." He moved aside the tray. "I'm going to go take a shower, okay?" He got out of bed and walked into the adjoined bathroom before closing the door behind him.
Lydia frowned. A couple of months ago, she vividly remembers Syaoran trying to convince her to have kids. Why the change of heart? She grabbed her cell phone and dialed a number. "Yes, doctor? It's me, Lydia. Cancel that prescription of the birth-control pills." She half-listened to the shower running as her doctor spoke. "Yes, I know I ran out, but Xiao-Lang and I have decided to have a child and, well, the birth-control pills are no longer necessary." After a few more minutes of talking, she hanged up and took hold of the tray, a small smile on her lips. She knew Syaoran was just scared of having a child to care, of having to second-guess every decision he makes to make sure it doesn't risk the child's life. But she also knew that Syaoran wanted a child. He was ready. And so was she.
(Sakura)
Sakura hugged the pillow to herself, not wanting to wake up. But she jumped when the phone began to ring. Grumbling, she sat up and picked up the phone. "Hello?" She answered as she yawned.
She heard the other person chuckle. "Hello, beautiful. How's my wife doing?"
"She's sleepy" she answered with a smile. "How was the flight?"
"It was okay. Arrived late to my hotel, though. Wasn't able to have dinner, so I ended up having a big breakfast. What did you do last night, since I wasn't there?"
Sakura sighed, remembering the night with Syaoran. "I just stayed at home, read a book" she lied.
"Phew. I thought that you had gone out and hit the bars, looking for a replacement while I am away. Now I can sleep easier" he said jokingly. "But anyways, now that I know you were safe and sound at home, may I know what book you read, you bookworm?"
"'Lover's Secret.'"
"Now what is that book about?"
In truth, she hasn't touched the book just yet, hasn't read a single page. It was sitting beside her bed, so she grabbed it and turned it over to read the summary. "Hmm . . . it's about a young woman who's married, but meets a young man at a party. She starts a hot, passionate affair with him, which soon turns dangerous when the husband finds out and does everything in his power to keep his wife, including murder." Sakura was blinking at the words. Coincidence that the very book she was going to start reading was slightly similar to what she was beginning to do? She didn't know, and didn't analyze it.
"Very intriguing."
Sakura tilted her head. "Honey? Would you kill my lover if I ever had the guts to get one?"
He laughed. "I doubt you'll ever pick up a lover, seeing that you love me so much, but if you did . . . well, I don't know. I wouldn't know what to do. I'll be angry, though. Very angry."
Sakura bit her lip. He said it in an amused tone, thinking she would never start an affair with anyone, but a slight shudder ran through her as she began to imagine her husband killing Syaoran. No doubt he would be angry if he finds out about Syaoran, but how angry will he be? Angry enough to kill him?
"Well, darling, I need to go. I just wanted to call to make sure you were alright."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
She hanged up the phone, but still didn't let go of the book in her hand. She was tempted to see whether the husband succeeded in killing the lover –not all stories she read had a happy ending– but she would be disappointed to know the ending before she even read the beginning.
Then the biggest question popped into her head: Would the situation she got herself into have a happily-ever-after?
She doubted it, big time.
(Kiyo)
Kiyo stared at the phone for some time. He nearly laughed at himself; what type of husband would he be if he didn't know what to do if an affair presented itself between his wife and another man? He had lied to her; he knew exactly what he would do to the lover if she had the nerve to get one.
He would kill him.
(Blossom Petal: 12:26 PM)
Sakura smiled as she showed the newest fabric that she had in her store.
"This is silk, so when you lay down on your bed all you'll feel is a smooth surface" she was saying to her client.
"Wow, I love the color!" Her client gushed.
"Statistics show that baby blue is now preferred. It was best that I have baby blue colored material in stock." After replacing the material back on the rack, she turned to her client. "Ms. Young, do you have the pictures of your home?"
Ms. Young slapped her head. "Oh, dear. I had forgotten them!"
"Ms. Young, how can I possibly decorate your house if I don't know how it looks like?" Sakura slightly scolded. "I must have those pictures of every room you have in order to see what materials I have that would look lovely in each room. It would be a nightmare if I give you a brown pillow and your walls are red."
"Good God, no! I would never color my walls red. I prefer the basic and usual color: White."
Sakura laughed. "Yes, so do I. Please, bring me the pictures as soon as you can?" "Will do!" Ms. Young turned to leave but turned back around. "Ms. Kinomoto, be a dear and send me those silk sheets? I may not need them, but I would feel happy if I had them."
Sakura laughed more and nodded. "Alright, Ms. Young. Have a good day!"
As her client left, Sakura took out her pad and pen, and wrote down the order to ensure she didn't forget.
"You're a talented saleswoman." Sakura spun around and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Syaoran" she gasped.
He smiled. "Yup. Decided to stop by and check out the place. My friend's wife always talks about this place, and compliments it more often than not."
"Oh, well that's wonderful" she said nervously. She glanced around, and slightly relaxed when she saw that her few employees wouldn't be able to see them together. If they did see him and her talking, they would most likely assume he was a new client and she was merely discussing plans for decorating his home. However, if he got close whereas her employees would be able to tell that they are involved, she was downright screwed.
All of her employees knew about her marriage to Kiyo, and if they saw her with another man, Kiyo would know. The conversation earlier with him flashed through her mind, but she banished it. Kiyo said he wouldn't know what to do, yes, but he never said anything about killing. That was good.
But Syaoran being here was bad. Very bad.
"Sakura, are you okay?" He asked with concern.
Sakura gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes, it's just that . . ." Her mind went blank as she tried to think up an excuse.
"Let me guess; no personal visits during work hours?"
Thank you, Syaoran!, she thought to herself before nodding. "Yes, I can't possibly have a personal friend come along while I'm working. Those are the rules I enforce to my employees, so I must follow them as well." She then smiled. "However, I do get a half-hour lunch break just about" she looked at her watch "now."
Syaoran winked. "So, how about a second date?"
"Why not?" Sakura said. "Wait right here. Be careful of a certain employee I have around here. She uses her flirtation to sale things to men."
"Then why not fire her?"
"Because her flirtation method is damn good."
He chuckled as she walked away from him, apparently to the backroom. Using this time of being alone, he looked around Blossom Petal's building. It was big, taking up half a block. The ceiling looked about ten feet up, and there were shelves everywhere holding more material than he had ever seen. But it was beautiful. Nothing was cramped together, and everything was in an organized shelf. There were two desks; he assumed those were for business, such as clients or new customers coming in and wanting a room or their whole house decorated and they wanted to discuss matters. He was next to a stair case, where Sakura had walked up before disappearing to the second floor. This was definitely a nice place to be in. It gave a warm, pleasant atmosphere. Just like Sakura. When he came in, it only took moments before he spotted her. He watched her as she talked to her client, and couldn't help but notice how her business suit showed off her curves. She was beautiful, and he was lucky to have met her.
He sighed as he remembered how he had lied to his wife earlier. She seemed quite disappointed in him for not wanting kids but she was still happy. He told her he had to go and have lunch with a client, which wasn't farfetched. He sometimes has lunches with clients on Sundays, which sometimes take's over an hour. So when he had strolled out of his mansion, he had known damn well that he wasn't going to have lunch with a client. He had planned to visit Sakura at her store and have lunch with her. It was weird for him to have two women at the same time; this is the first time he has ever cheated on a girl. Hell, he never even broke up with one just because he wanted to be with someone else.
He slightly shook his head. He didn't want to think anymore about the situation.
"Well, is it someone's anniversary?"
Syaoran turned and looked at a woman who, for once, was taller than him. He was pretty tall, and wondered how she can be taller.
"It's the shoes" the woman said, lifting her foot a little. "Three-inch heels. Makes me taller than most men. Anyways, is it your anniversary or you are here to buy your wife something just because you fell like it?"
"What makes you think that I didn't just come here for myself?"
"Because most men who come here is usually dragged here by their wives, or the husband will surprise the wife by buying her something from here."
Syaoran looked at the nametag. Kari.
"You're the flirt" he stated.
She blinked. "Excuse me."
"Yeah, you're employer warned me about you."
She crossed her arms, as if offended, but a smile touched her lips. "Sakura is a dork for telling you that."
"Actually she's helping me out. So don't you worry."
"Don't you worry. Most men tend to flirt even when married and I use that to my advantage, but they always think I'm going to go and run to their wives and tell them about it. I make more sales than everybody else here, actually, thanks to my flirting. But I'm not a whore. I only flirt because I am single and I ain't going to get involved with any of the men. They are married, for goodness sakes. What person is stupid enough to cheat on their spouse? Moreover what person is stupid enough to get involved with a married person? If you ask me, anybody who starts an affair only shows that they have no respect for themselves and that they don't really love the person they are married to." She looked over his shoulder. "Ooh, another customer. Well, I'll leave you in the care of my employer. Have a good day."
He nodded as she walked around him and walked over to another man. He watched as they rounded the corner and Syaoran stood there for a few seconds, motionless.
I love my wife, he thought to himself stubbornly. She's wrong. I didn't start this affair because I don't love my wife. It's because I want to get to know Sakura more. He sighed. But I guess she's right with the not respecting myself part. He sighed again.
, he thought to himself stubbornly. He sighed. He sighed again.He began walking around, looking at the store. He paused when he saw articles about Blossom Petal written above one of the desks. The headlines pretty much screamed the same thing: Blossom Petal was one of the best things to ever happen to interior decorating. He came closer when he saw the one sentence summary of the article.
Mrs. Tsuchida works wonders for the homes of Tomoeda, Japan.
He frowned. Who was Mrs. Tsuchida? A business partner, maybe?
"I'm ready" Sakura said as she approached him. Turning around, prepared to ask who Mrs. Tsuchida was, he was taken aback by her beauty. She didn't have her business suit on, but rather jeans and a shirt. And her hair, which was in a tight bun, was now hanging loosely. He totally forgot about the article.
"Well, are we going to go?"
"Sure" he said. He has never met anyone more beautiful then her.
(Lydia)
Lydia shook her hand, trying to dry her nails faster. She was also pissed. She had planned a full day of making love with her husband, only for him to tell her that he had a lunch date with a client. And he knew he wouldn't want to do anything except work in his office when he came back, so making love was out of the question.
"Mary, bring me a cup of tea, please?"
"Yes, ma'am" the maid said, scurrying to do what was asked.
Lydia lay back on the couch, her head on the edge of the couch. She glanced at her living room, frowning. It wasn't sparkling. It no longer looked beautiful to her. Like anybody else, she wanted her house to look its best. The thing was, she pretty much sucked at decorating. She didn't want to burden the maids and Syaoran would only say that it looked fine the way it was. She needed an interior decorator. For every room in the mansion. She sat up when Mary came back with her tea.
"Mary, do you know any good interior decorators? I want to remodel the place." Mary thought for a moment. "Tsuchida Sakura. She owns Blossom Petal, and is highly recommended. She has even appeared on TV once."
"Does she do it herself? The decorating, I mean."
"It depends on the mansion and if the client wants her to do it."
Lydia nodded. "Do you know the number?"
Mary nodded. "Yes." Reaching beside the telephone, she took the pad and pen and wrote down the number.
"I believe I'll give Ms. Tsuchida a call."
"Mrs. Tsuchida" Mary corrected. "Her full name is Tsuchida Kinomoto Sakura. She's married."
Lydia already liked Sakura. Lydia always noticed those sly looks women gave her husband and she was a little worried that she would be bringing a single, young woman who would do anything to sleep with Syaoran into her home. To know that Sakura was a married woman gave her comfort that Mrs. Tsuchida wouldn't be kissing Lydia's husband.
(Sakura and Syaoran)
Sakura giggled when they pulled apart from their kiss. "You could have just told me I had chocolate on my lips" she said.
"And give you an excuse for me not to kiss you?" Sakura laughed as Syaoran took another bite out of the piece of chocolate cake they were sharing. They had already eaten their main course; this was just desert.
"So, Sakura, where will you like our third date to be?" he asked.
Sakura's dabbed her lips with a napkin. "When will our third date be?" "Tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yep. Then we'll have a fourth date on Tuesday, the fifth on Wednesday, sixth on Thursday, then the seventh on Friday."
"Don't tell me we'll go to dinner for all those days."
"Nope. Tomorrow will be the dinner, then it'll be bowling, then it'll be the fair. Haven't figured out what we'll do on Thursday or Friday." He smiled when Sakura started laughing again.
"I've never met a guy who planned almost the whole week for me."
Syaoran shrugged. It was a good thing he can leave work whenever he pleased, because it would be easier for him to have a date with Sakura and then come home without his wife getting suspicious.
"How about coming over to my house on Thursday?" Sakura asked. She was slightly surprised at herself. She was always a shy, conservative woman. But when she met Syaoran, she realized she was getting a little bolder. It first started by dating him behind her husband's back, and now she was inviting him to her mansion. She didn't mind the change; in fact, she was enjoying her bolder side. It wasn't showing itself very much, but she knew that eventually she would no longer be hiding it.
"You gonna cook dinner for me?" Syaoran asked with a smile on his lips. "Or will your cook make us a meal?"
"Actually, my staff leaves well around eight, so if you come around eight, I'll make the meal."
Syaoran's protective side for a woman kicked in at the thought of Sakura being in her big mansion all alone when it's dark. It's an instinct he had always had, ever since he was a teenager. He had always felt the need to protect all the women in his life, even though he knows that most of them don't need it. "So you're alone after eight o'clock at night?"
"No" she replied casually and she wasn't lying. She had her husband, but didn't tell him that. "I have guards surrounding my mansion during night." That was also true; it wasn't the complete truth, but truth nonetheless.
"But what if that isn't enough?" He asked and this time Sakura heard his concern. Her heart melted at his concern over her welfare. "I mean, what if someone is able to pass the guards and enter your mansion?"
Sakura crossed her legs. She tried to hide her amusement from him. She knew he was thinking all the possibilities someone would do if he enters her mansion, like rob her of everything she has. But the images of what really concerned him were the possibilities of her being raped, or being kidnapped for ransom.
Or worse, being killed.
None of those things really concerned her because she knew those things wouldn't happen. She had top security, had cameras all over the place. And even if someone managed to enter her home, she wouldn't be frightened. She didn't fear death. It was natural and she would accept it when the time comes for her to leave world. It doesn't mean she wants her life short, though. Just like everyone else, she wants to live a full, long life.
"Whatever happens, happens" was her reply. "I trust my guards and my alarm system and the security cameras. There is no need to worry about my safety."
Syaoran wanted to laugh at that statement. Of course he had to worry about her safety: she lived alone in a mansion, for God's sake! She was famous and there were brutes out there that would do anything to get near her, especially people who are obsessed with her. But then, there was also something else he had to worry about that involved her safety: his wife.
Lydia was ambitious and possessive; she knew what she wanted. And once she had it, she never would let it go. This was another side of her that he disapproved of. He never knew how, or why, she has that type of personality but when he married her he didn't really care. When they had been dating he had felt a little annoyed with how she glared at any woman that got near him but he shrugged it off, assuming that she was just a little insecure about the relationship so he made sure that she knew he loved her. After they married, he thought she would feel more secure but instead she remained the same. He went to great pains not to mention any single females that were his friends –although he was safe if he mentioned a married woman's name. Lydia felt safer and more secure if the women he knew were married because, in her mind, they already have a man in their life and wouldn't try to steal him away. If he did end up mentioning a woman who wasn't married, however, she got jealous and he could see her possessiveness within her eyes; could almost see all her questions of whether he was with another woman. But because he loved her, he couldn't help but forgive her. There were times that he, too, got jealous about unmarried men who swarm all about her.
Shows how insecure we both are, he thought bitterly. Yet, he always thought of her possessiveness as a minor thing. But now, he feared that her possessiveness of things that are hers will put Sakura in danger if Lydia were to find out that he was dating Sakura. Lydia wouldn't like the fact that her own husband, someone who she loved and, according to her, was lucky enough to have him love her in return, was dating someone else. He was hers, and she wouldn't hear of having to share him and run the risk of losing him. Although he never did see even a glimpse of violence within Lydia, he couldn't say he was positive that Lydia wouldn't do something to harm Sakura.
"Did you know" Sakura murmured "that the Prime Minister's son is divorcing his wife?" Syaoran, obviously surprised and impressed that she knew a bit about politics, shook his head. "No. I didn't know you were into politics."
"Of course I am." Sakura had to be because Kiyo was into politics. Kiyo was actually part of Cabinet, so Sakura constantly saw and heard things almost everyday from him about the political world.
"Well this is a switch. Usually, a guy is into politics while the woman is clueless on it." He grinned. "I have not a clue about politics. Li Corps is into stocks and isn't really involved with politics that often."
"Ah, so you don't have time for politics."
"Exactly." Sakura was a little relieved to know that. It would have been a task to be dating a guy who was into politics and who might hear about Sakura and Kiyo being married. Luckily, the media doesn't really know about her and only mentions her as Mrs. Tsuchida, so if Syaoran were to hear about Kiyo and his wife he wouldn't put two and two together.
"So, why is the son divorcing his wife?"
"She slept with his brother." She smiled. "But only after she slept with his best friend. But the only reason she did that was because her husband slept with her cousin, whom the wife doesn't really get along with."
"This sounds like a book."
Sakura laughed. "That's because it is. It is true that the Prime Minister's son is divorcing his wife because she committed adultery, but everything else is from one of my books."
He chuckled. "Well, I was about to beg for all the juicy topics. Anyways, how long was the wife committing adultery?"
"About a month. The way the husband found out was by the wife finding out she was pregnant. She thought she could pass it off as his baby, but then he had a medical condition where he can't produce children, so he knew the baby she was carrying wasn't his."
"Wow. So everything came out in the open because a baby was produced?"
Sakura nodded. "Who knew that something so small and innocent can cause such a mess?"
Syaoran refrained from commenting and instead switched to a different subject. "So, you still haven't heard my answer."
"To what?"
"To me going to your place on Thursday." He spooned a bit of the cake and held in front of Sakura's lips.
"I'll come around eight so you can make the meal. I want to taste your cooking."
"It's really good" she stated with confidence as she opened her mouth so she can eat the piece on the spoon.
"I'm sure it is."
After finishing the dessert, he cleaned their table and they left the café. Without even thinking about the consequences, he intertwined their hands together and walked through the streets of Tomoeda.
Neither of them noticed the woman who was following them, eyes filled with suspicions as she recognized both of them, and as she took in the intertwined fingers of their hands that shouldn't be intertwined at all.
AN: First and Foremost, I have no idea if the real Prime Minister of Japan has a son. I tried to find out but I couldn't find any information about him having a family. Although this might be the only chapter where I mention the Prime Minister, I want to say that my Prime Minister is completely fictional. Whatever I write about him and his family is from my imagination and if, by chance, I write something that turns out to be true about the real Prime Minister, it is completely coincidental.
Please review!
