AN: Wow! I updated early this time! I'm so proud of myself! Thank you for all your reviews! However, I do believe that I received some questions, and I don't want to be rude so I'll answer them.

Aya Honey: Nope. Meiling isn't going to be in the story. I learned that adding useless characters into a story won't help the plot, but just drag it along. In my stories, all the characters have some role that will add to the plot. In this case, I have no use for Meiling. Sorry.

FlowerLover: Sorry! Can't answer those questions! You'll just have to wait and see.

SoulessDreamer: Tomoyo has no ties whatsoever to Sakura. I know in the anime they are best friends (second cousins, in fact) but in this story they don't know each other and are not related in any way. Will they ever meet? Maybe . . . Maybe not . . . You'll just have to continue reading the story!

All righty then. I believe those are all the questions that were asked. Umm, anything else? Oh, yeah! I know this story is kinda heavy and involves a very not-so-good arrangement (S+S cheating) but let's face it: This type of stuff happens in real life. It's probably rare for both people to be married and for neither of them not to notice that their partner has a spouse, but I know it's possible. Thanks for not being judgmental and for giving the plot a chance. I love you guys!

Affairs of the Heart

Chapter Six

"How about that cloud?" Syaoran whispered.

"Looks like a rabbit" Sakura answered, on the verge of giggling.

"All the clouds look like rabbits to you."

"Well, they all have the same shape to me."

They were at the park, laying down on a blanket in the same spot they had made love exactly one week ago. It was like a special spot to them. No one ever comes to this spot, so they had it all to themselves.

Sakura felt like they had been here for hours, when in reality it was only half an hour. She sighed with contentment as she snuggled closer against his side. She smiled when his arm tightened more around her.

She felt so relaxed that she almost forgot about the tension she had for the past week. She had never thought it would be a struggle to prevent both Syaoran and Kiyo from sleeping with her. She had told so many excuses that she was scraping at the bottom of the Excuse Barrel.

But even though her commitment to not have sex with Kiyo was still standing strong, the commitment for not sleeping with Syaoran was rapidly weakening. And it was odd because Kiyo is the one who is being more persistent while Syaoran hasn't even mentioned sleeping together again; yet it is Syaoran who she so badly wanted to make love to her again.

But she had to stay strong. So far everything was okay and no one has figured out that she was seeing him, not even Kari. She still thinks that Syaoran is gone from her life.

Sakura preferred to keep it that way.

"You need a bigger imagination, Sakura." Syaoran rolled on top of her, putting all his weight on his elbows so he won't crush her. "I have a question to ask you."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"We've been seeing each other for about two weeks, am I right?"

She nodded.

"Well, do you want to go somewhere this weekend with me?"

"Where?"

"I was thinking Italy."

Her eyes widened with surprise and joy. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Is this a business trip?"

"No. More of a I-want-to-spend-two-whole-days-with-my-girlfriend trip."

She stilled. "Girlfriend?" She asked faintly. "I'm your . . . Girlfriend?"

He smiled down at her. "Of course." He watched her lips curl into a smile.

"Wow. It means something when the guy calls the girl his 'girlfriend' for the first time."

"I know." He lowered his head, but his lips didn't quite make contact with hers. It was just a fraction of an inch from hers. "If you kiss me, I'll take it as a yes."

Sakura knew that the barriers that kept her from throwing her arms around him and asking him to make love to her would crash down if she went with him. But she wanted him. She wanted him with a vengeance.

Besides, I told myself that if I feel any guilt I wasn't going to complain. So why not get the whole package when it comes to Syaoran?

She blinked.

So much for being strong . . .

"Well" she murmured. "I have this mansion that I'm decorating. The client wants it done as soon as possible."

"Can't someone else do it for you this weekend.?"

She pretended to think. "Yeah, I guess. But it isn't very professional of me to take a weekend off for a personal reason.."

"Do you do it often?"

"No. This would be the first time."

"Then it's okay." He frowned, impatience evident in his eyes. "So are you going to kiss me, yes or no?"

She laughed softly before she lifted her head so that their lips met.

Syaoran loved kissing her. Her lips were so soft and lush. He lifted his head and moved down so that he could rest his head on her flat belly.

He sighed, half with contentment and half with regret. This weekend would be wonderful with Sakura, but he couldn't forget the root of the reason for it: He wanted to get away from Lydia.

Last night he had gotten home late after taking Sakura home. He had gone into the kitchen to get a drink of water but Lydia was already there.

"Thirsty, darling?" She had asked, holding up a glass of water.

"It's Thursday; why are you up so late? Don't you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning?" He had replied as he took the glass of water.

"Yes, but I wanted to wait for you."

He had drank the whole glass of water.

And the next thing he knew he woke up this morning with not a memory of what had happened last night. What's worse, Lydia was laying next to him, naked.

"What a wonderful night" she had murmured to him as he realized that he, too, was naked.

"What did we do?" He couldn't help but ask hoarsely. It should have been obvious, but somehow he couldn't believe what he had thought they had done.

She had given him a confused look. "We made love."

Now, as he laid on Sakura's stomach, he couldn't believe that he slept with Lydia. Of course, it wasn't wrong since they are husband and wife. But since he met Sakura he had made a promise not to sleep with Lydia. And nowhe has no idea how, or why, he broke his promise. He doesn't even remember the night!

But he felt that he had betrayed Sakura. It was ironic that he feels that he betrayed her by sleeping with his own wife, but the feeling was still there. And this weekend was both a way to get away from Lydia and to make it up to Sakura.

He hated having to keep this secret from Sakura. He cursed the fates for making him meet Sakura after he was already married, forcing him to lie to her. But sometimes he thanks them for at least allowing him to meet her, even if the timing was bad. He has all this guilt in him: guilty for committing adultery and actually continuing to have the affair, guilty for lying to his wife, but most importantly, guilty for lying to Sakura.

True, his priorities aren't in order, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered, except Sakura and the happiness she brings him. Perhaps he was a bad man for not caring about the fact that he has a wife; perhaps he was a bad man for ignoring his guilt and the little voice in his head that constantly says he should end the affair; perhaps he was a bad man for two-timing both women and lying to them.

But he was definitely a lucky man for having Sakura in his life.

"Syaoran, what time are we leaving?"

"9:00 tonight. Want me to pick you up?" Lately Sakura has been determined not to let him pick her up from her mansion, so he half-expected her to say no.

"Yeah."

He lifted his head with surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just that lately you haven't wanted me to pick you up."

"Oh. It's just that you have been so persistent in paying for everything that I didn't want you to pick me up too."

He looked at her. "Okay, babe. That still doesn't explain it."

She giggled. "I know. I guess I wanted to have a little feminine pride. I mean, you don't let me pay for any of our datesactually you don't give me a chance to pay for anything."

He grinned at that.

"Oh yeah, sure, grin Syaoran. But to a lot of people it'll look like I have some sort of sugar daddy."

"Not true. A sugar daddy gives you gifts most of the time. I haven't given you anything."

"Okay, I'm not sure if I should be mad at that statement, or not. But anyways, since you pay for everything, I didn't want you to become my driver, too."

"So what's changed?"

"I didn't feel like driving all the way to the airport."

"Jeez, thanks a lot." But he said it with a smile so Sakura knew she didn't offend him.

Truth be told, Kiyo was going on another business trip and he is leaving tonight around seven. But this trip wouldn't be as long. He would return on Monday evening and this time she was going to pick him. So this allowed Sakura to go on a trip on her own without suspicion. Of course, she was going to have to tell him. But she was sure he would let her go.

Suddenly, she saw a glint appear in Syaoran's eye.

"What are you-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as Syaoran began to tickle her. The quiet, peaceful scene was filled with joyful laughter.

(Later: Sakura and Kiyo)

Kiyo stared at her as they sat in the living room drinking coffee.

"You're what?"

"I'm going on a trip" she repeated calmly. "Business. There's new material I want to see over in Italy."

"But can't you ask them to ship a sample?"

"Oh, I asked. But the material is so fine and limited that they will charge me for whatever I ask them to ship over. And the material is said to be quite expensive. I don't want to buy it without even seeing it."

Kiyo controlled his urge to jump up and order her to stay home. Instead, he said "I'm not so sure I am comfortable with you going over there alone."

"Kiyo, you are going on a trip alone. What's wrong with me going alone?"

He placed his coffee on the table. He wasn't going to demand her to stay. That never works. He would just calmly tell her all the disadvantages in her going. That always worked.

"Think about it, love. You'll be bored out there with no one."

"That's all right. I think I'll manage to find something to do."

"You'll have no protection from all those Italian guys."

"I'll have no protection from all those Japanese guys around here."

"What if something happens to you over there? There's no one to inform us about it because you'll be a tourist."

"There's my passport and my ID."

"And if a robber takes them?"

"Look, every country in the world has some international database. So all they need from me is my DNA and they'll run it to the computer if something were to happen to me. They'll know who I am and inform you."

Kiyo was getting frustrated. Never before has she countered every one of his warnings. If he doesn't figure out something then she'll leave.

"How will I contact you, Sakura?"

Sakura took a sip of coffee. "My cell phone."

"Look, I don't want you going over there alone. If you have to go then at least wait until I come back."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry but everything has been arranged. I already paid for my ticket-"

"Without my permission!"

Sakura's eyes widened as she leaned back, surprised at his sudden outburst. Her husband got up abruptly and glared at her.

"You're permission?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes. You can't buy anything unless I say so."

"Since when?"

"Since forever. I refuse to let you go to Italy!"

She placed her cup on the table and stood. She glared at him, angry that Kiyo thinks he has a right to tell her what to do.

"You can't stop me, Kiyo. You don't control me!"

"I do now. I suggest you sit your butt down and shut up because I won't be disrespected by my wife. You do as I say, when I say it!"

"We are not in the olden days. I don't have to listen to all of this crap."

She spun around and began to walk away.

Kiyo stood there for a moment. He couldn't believe that she was just going to walk away from him. He was so angry that he didn't care about controlling himself. Since they got married he had to control his urges to order her around. But he had studied the way his father controlled his mother. Kiyo has always known how to control Sakura without letting her know that she was being controlled.

But right now, he forgot about everything. He only saw red as he saw his own wife walk away from him. He was not going to have it.

He took two strides forward, grabbed her arm, and spun her around.

"Don't you walk away from me. You listen, and you listen good, cherry blossom. It'll be a cold day in hell before I let you go on a trip without my permission. And it'll be a cold day in hell before I let you disrespect me. You are a wife, and a wife's place in life is behind her husband."

"So you think you are my master and I'm your servant?" Sakura grabbed his wrist and forced him to let go of her arm. "Well, newsflash. I am more than just your wife. I am an independent woman who doesn't need her husband's permission to go on a trip. I am going to Italy. You can't stop me."

Kiyo couldn't believe what was happening. She was grabbing his wrist and looking at him with determination, something she has never had before. With anger, and more force than what was required, he raised his hand from her grip.

And it made contact with her cheek.

Sakura head flew to the side as she stumbled backwards. Slowly, she turned her face around and looked at him. "You slapped me." She hadn't yelled the statement, nor did she whisper it. She said it tonelessly, as if she was asking the time.

Kiyo couldn't believe what he had done. It was completely accidental. She had been holding his wrist near her shoulder and so when he got his wrist out of her grip his hand went sailing in a diagonal direction, up to her cheek. But it felt good to hit her, even if it wasn't on purpose.

But he didn't tell her that. He didn't even move. He just watched as she mouthed the word 'bastard' as she backed up before turning around and running out of the living room.

He sighed as he sat on the couch, rubbing his hand down his face. Well, she was definitely going on her trip now, and he wasn't going to stop her. How, when she probably won't even want to get near him?

As accidental as that slap was, he didn't want to see her before he left. He was worried that he might slap her again, this time on purpose. It had felt that good.

No, the best thing was to call her when she's over there sometime during the weekend, where she was safe from him.

Sakura stormed into her bedroom and threw herself on the king-sized bed. She cried, both from pain and from anger. Kiyo had slapped her. He has never slapped her. She lifted her hand to her cheek, and winced as it stung. She couldn't even touch her cheek, and it was caused by the hand of her husband, a man she trusted. How can he slap her? How can he try to control her? All she wanted to do was spend a weekend with Syaoran, and she ends up getting slapped in the face. Literally. And all she had told Kiyo was that she was taking a trip to Italy to see a sample of material. It was a lie, of course, but Kiyo still got angry over it.

When the storm of emotion was over, she lay back as she stared at the ceiling. Her cheek still stung, and her eyes were probably red from all the crying, but her head was no longer foggy with pain. She could think clearly now.

And with time, she realized that the slap wasn't intentional. With where she was holding his wrist, she supposed he hadn't known that he was going to slap her when he wanted her to release him.

But what she couldn't figure out was how Kiyo tried to control her, how he denounced her from a independent woman to a wife who was supposed to hide in her husband's shadow.

Well, at the moment she didn't care. She was going to Italy with Syaoran, and her husband was not going to stop her.

(Syaoran)

"How long are you going to be over there at the States?" Lydia asked as she watched Syaoran pack.

"Just the weekend."

"Can't you send someone else to do the deals?"

"No. They want me to go, and I don't want anyone else to go in my place anyways. This is a very important meeting, Lydia. If it goes well Li Corps will be known internationally. You know how much publicity Li Corps would get in the US?" He lied, knowing damn well that the US wasn't where he was going. He wasn't going to tell anyone where he was really going.

Lydia pouted. "I don't want you to go. I'll be lonely."

"I'm surprised you aren't yelling at me" she heard him mutter.

"Yeah, I have been kind of moody, haven't I? I'm sorry for not trusting you, darling. I really am. You were right. I should trust you." She smiled wickedly. "Didn't I prove my trust in you last night?"

He didn't answer her.

"Look, Xiao-Lang, bottom line is that I shouldn't have yelled at you. When you say you are going somewhere, then that is where you are going."

"Good." He glanced at the clock. "I'm going to shower now. Do you mind finishing my packing?"

"Of course not, darling."

She watched him enter the bathroom and close the door. With a smile she folded the clothes he had picked to take and placed him in the suitcase. When she finished she turned and went to the full-length mirror. She was wearing a knee-length skirt and a white blouse. Her midriff was showing and she placed her hands on her stomach.

She was pregnant.

She should have gotten her period a few of days ago, but she didn't. And she was never late. She has always liked the advantage of being extremely regular because she was always prepared when that time of the month came.

What's more, Syaoran was going to think that it's his. Yesterday she had finally gotten the drugs that she needed. After placing it in a glass of water she waited for him to come home. Once he drank that glass he started getting dizzy and asked her to help him up the stairs and into bed.

He passed out when they made it to the bed. She had then stripped him and stripped herself before getting into bed with him. She had wrapped his arms around her and placed her head on his chest, smiling as she drifted off to sleep.

She had almost felt sorry for him when he woke up earlier, all confused and unsure of what had happened. But she just played innocent, pretended that they had made love while he struggled to remember something that had never happened. But Lydia didn't care. She got what she wanted. Syaoran will never know that this baby belongs to another man.

"Lydia?"

She turned towards the door as Haru walked in with a tray of tea. "Here's the tea you requested."

"Thank you." She walked up to him and took hold of her tea. "You do know that Xiao-Lang is leaving tonight, right?" She murmured.

"Yes."

"So you and I have the whole weekend together."

"Lydia, you know how I feel for you. But I don't feel right being your lover. If Xiao-Lang were to find out our whole plan will be destroyed."

"He won't find out. Haru, darling, I need you. You are the best man I have ever slept with. Please don't start getting nervous. Not when you are giving me excitement."

"If Xiao-Lang finds out he'll divorce you, Lydia. Why aren't you nervous?"

"Because I know he will never find out about us. So please, will you come to my bed tonight?"

Haru sighed, giving in, before he shook his head. "Sleeping with you is one thing; sleeping with you on your husband's bed is another."

"Then I should go to your bed?"

He nodded. "Will you, my love?"

Lydia wanted to roll her eyes, but instead she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Of course."

Haru smiled before turning around and leaving the room. Lydia walked back over to the mirror.

"I am such a bad girl" she told her reflection. "Here I am, pregnant with Haru's baby, and he doesn't even know it. Instead, I will announce in that party that I am pregnant with Xiao-Lang's baby. And then Xiao-Lang will dote over me and baby." She sighed. "If only what happened last night actually happened. My husband was a magnificent lover, better than Haru, and it's too bad I'll never sleep with him again because once I have my baby, Xiao-Lang will disappear from the face of the earth, never to be seen again."

She laughed softly to herself as she continued to rub her belly.

Haru was still as he stood next to the door. He had come back to ask her if she wanted a piece of cake with her tea when he heard every wicked word that came from her mouth.

"That lying whore" he whispered savagely.

She lied to him. She was carrying his baby. When she had come to him about two weeks ago she said she was already pregnant with Syaoran's baby. And now he finds out that Lydia is pregnant by him.

He, and every other staff member in the household, knows of the plan, knows that Syaoran is going to 'disappear'. But all of them were told that it involved Syaoran's baby. They all know what will happen once Lydia gives birth and Syaoran is gone: She'll get rid of the baby.

How dare that woman use him to get pregnant and then try to pass it off as another man's baby! Haru was a bad man, but he wasn't so evil that he wouldn't care about his own unborn child. He does care. Hell, he has never even liked the idea of Lydia getting rid of Syaoran's baby because he knew that the way she would get rid of him is by killing the infant. That baby shouldn't be killedit's an innocent.

And now, his little baby's life is on the line. True, it's unborn and was barely created. But it's his baby. He must protect it.

His first instinct was to tell Syaoran everything, but that will only result in him getting fired and, most likely, arrested. He can't get arrested. But if he doesn't tell Syaoran then . . . Well, everything will go as plan. Syaoran will 'disappear' and Haru's baby will be killed. He can't let that happen. He just can't. He must stop it.

Even if it means sabotaging a plan that was formed long before Lydia and Syaoran ever met.

(Wong Chen)

"Interesting" Chen whispered as he watched the picture form on the white photograph. He was in a small room that was dark, lighted only by two red bulbs, splashing the room into a dark red.

On the counter there were several pans filled with water, each of them having a picture in them. Chen had hung other pictures to dry on a string that ran from one end of the room to the other right above the row of pans. Stacks of dry pictures rested in the corner, creating a big pile.

"Very interesting." He grabbed the picture using a pair of tongs and grabbed a clip, attaching it on the wet picture before attaching the other end of the clip on the string. He smiled as he looked at the still pair that was on the photograph. He remembered how a couple of nights ago he was walking down the street when he saw non-other than Mrs. Tsuchida kissing a mana man who wasn't her husband. Quickly, he had taken out his camera to snap the picture before turning around and walking back down the street.

Her lover's back was facing him so Chen doesn't know who the guy is. But right now that didn't matter. For now, knowing that she is having an affair is enough. He just needs a few more pictures like the one in front of his face, the one that is now the best picture he has ever taken.

And then, once he has enough of those, he will go after the lover and get his face on a picture.

It will be very interesting indeed.

(Syaoran: 8:00 PM)

A smile appeared on his face when he saw Sakura walk out pass the gates carrying her suitcase. Sitting on her driveway, he was about to get out to help her get into the car but before he could she began to power walk. She reached his car before he was able to step out of it.

"Jeez, why were you running?"

"I wasn't running" she answered as she entered the car, placing her suitcase in the backseat. "I was power walking."

"Okay, why were you power walking?"

"Because it was cold and I wasn't going to wait for you to come out of the car and open my door."

"What a selfish girlfriend I have" he said in mock anger, and he was awarded with a grin.

"And what a wonderful boyfriend I have." She leaned forward to give him a kiss within the car's darkness. He accepted it and raised a hand to rest it on her cheek.

He felt her wince and he abruptly pulled back as he removed his hand.

"What's wrong?" he asked, instantly concerned.

"N-nothing" she half-whispered, avoiding his gaze as she stared out the window, her head turned the other way so that all he could see was her auburn hair.

Not the least bit discouraged, he placed his hand on her cheek so he could turn her face towards him but she winced again and pulled away. His eyebrows snapped together in anger as a suspicion rose within his mind.

Did someone hit her?

He turned on the light that was on the roof in the interior of the car, making the soft glow of light chase away the darkness. Now he was able to see, and he grabbed her chin to make her look at him. He ignored her efforts to pull away and kept a firm grip on her chin.

He cursed when he saw her bruised cheek. Her whole left cheek was nothing but black and blue.

"Who the hell hit you?" he asked through clenched teeth, both angered at whoever had the nerve to hit her and at her for not telling him.

She stared at him, eyes wide with fear and guilt. He was so angry he didn't see her eyes begin to moist.

"S-Syaoran, just c-calm down-"

"Calm down!" He almost yelled as he let go of her chin and placed both his hands on her upper arms. "Someone hit you and you didn't even tell me! I bet you were expecting me not to notice this whole damn weekend!"

"N-no one hit me-"

"Bullshit, Sakura. It's clear someone abused you and I want to know who the hell it was!"

She shook her head furiously. "No one hit me" She repeated stubbornly.

"Don't lie to me!"

"Please, Syaoran-"

"Tell me!"

She shut her eyes, scared like never before. She damned Kiyo for ruining this for her, damned him for getting her in this situation. If she told Syaoran who hit her then he would know that she was married. She couldn't tell him, not now. Maybe one day she will tell him that she lied about being single, lied about not having another man in her life. Yes, she might lose this handsome, wonderful man that she was so lucky to meet. Yes, she might never see his beautiful amber eyes again when that 'one day' comes.

But not now . . . Not now . . .

She opened her eyes, feeling her tears spill. "I fell!" Was the first thing that came out of her mouth. "I fell and hit my cheek against the table."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not!" she sobbed.

Syaoran didn't see the tears, didn't see the plea in her eyes. The only thing he saw in his mind's eye was some man hitting her, and that made the blood within his veins boil.

"Kinomoto Sakura, you better tell who abused you because if you don't I will march into that damn mansion of yours and pull it apart to find the answer that you obviously don't want to give me! Now tell me who hit you!"

"You're hurting me!"

That single statement got through him, snapping him out of his anger. Suddenly, he realized that his hands had tightened around her fragile arms. He could even feel the bones that he was most likely crushing at this very moment. He loosened his hold, but didn't let her go. He peered at her face, saw the tears sliding down he smooth cheeks. He saw the pain and fear in her eyes, and it was a punch in the gut.

This was the second time he has seen her cry, but this was the first time he saw her cry out of fear. He has never seen her so scared. For the first time he saw how fragile she looked, her eyes so wide that it was now the biggest feature on her beautiful face.

And what's worse, he knew that he was the one who placed all that fear in her eyes. He knew that he was the one that caused her to cry.

He leaned forward and kissed her tears away from one cheek, occasionally rubbing her cheek with his. When he started to kiss the other he felt her slightly wince so he used the softest touch he ever had to use with anyone.

Ever so softly he kissed the tears away on that one cheek; it was so soft that Sakura almost couldn't feel it. She shut her eyes, wishing that he would let her go so she could run to the mansion and throw herself on the bed to cry. She desperately wanted to be alone for a few minutes. But maybe he knew what she wanted to do because he didn't let her go, and slowly she became glad that he didn't let her go, because she realized that she didn't want to be alone, and she didn't want to cry anymore.

She didn't want what Kiyo had done to her cheek to ruin this vacation. All she wanted was to be with Syaoran, wanted to be protected by his strong arms. She knew Syaoran would never hurt her intentionally, and that was the reassurance that she desperately needed in order to survive this night.

She opened her eyes when she felt him lean back, and in his eyes she saw the sadness and regret of hurting her. No longer was he angry and she was eternally grateful because his anger scared her. He was angry at Kiyo, although he didn't know it, because he slapped her. But how angry will he be once he finds out the secret she holds from him? She didn't want his anger to be directed towards her, not when she has just gotten a taste of it. But she will, one day.

At least now she was prepared for it.

Syaoran didn't know what she was thinking because her face was blank. He looked at the arms he was holding and lowered his hands a bit so that they now rested on her elbows. He briefly shut his eyes, cursing himself, when he saw his red imprints on her upper arms. Then a sudden need to hold her surged through his muscular body and he embraced her, holding her around the waist, crushing her to him.

"I'm sorry" he whispered fiercely. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to scare you. But the very thought of some man hurting you makes me so mad, and it makes me madder that you wouldn't tell me who it was."

She hadn't wrapped her arms around him immediately, and for one panicked moment he thought he had scared her so much that she decided this relationship wasn't worth it. But with a mental sigh, he felt her arms wrap around his neck, holding him securely to her.

They stayed like that for quite a while, holding each other, confirming that the other was still there with them.

"I don't want this to ruin Italy for us" Sakura broke the silence.

"It won't. But I can't promise you that I won't get mad every time I see that bruise on your cheek." He leaned back and placed a hand on the cheek that wasn't bruised. "You'll have to tell me who slapped you eventually."

Sakura adverted her gaze.

"No, Sakura, please don't withdraw from me. Talk to me."

She was silent for a few moments. "Why don't you just believe that I fell?"

"Because I know that's a lie."

She looked at him. "I thought that I would be able to hide it from you."

"How, Sakura? What made you think that I wouldn't see it?

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I hoped that you wouldn't notice. Although that was wishful thinking."

He hesitated for half a second before he brushed his lips against hers. "I can't protect you if you don't even tell me who I need to protect you from."

"I-" she paused. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

He wanted to persist, but knew he wouldn't get anything out of her. At least not yet. He will know who hit her, no matter how long it takes. And then he'll go after that son of a bitch and kill him.

But first he needed to see her smile. He couldn't stand the sadness in her eyes.

"Fine, we won't talk about this right now." He smiled at her. "Once we're in Italy, I'll barricade us in our hotel room and make love to you endlessly and I'll growl and roar at whoever dares to interrupt us."

He got more than a smile; he got a giggle out of her. "You remind me of a wolf when you say that."

He shrugged. "My name does mean Little Wolf. Might as well play the part." He frowned. "Except for the 'Little' part."

This time she laughed and his heart skipped a beat. "No, my little wolf. You definitely ain't 'little'."

He kissed her again, passionately, before he released her and started the engine.

"Well, let's get going before we miss our flight."

Sakura smiled at him. Only Syaoran can make her forget all of her problems.

(Kari: 9:30 PM: Blossom Petal)

Kari was cleaning Sakura's office, preparing it for the next day, when the cordless phone rang.

She picked it up and rested it between her ear and her shoulder.

"Blossom Petal" she answered automatically as she carried two books over to the shelf that was on the left side of the office.

"Hello, this is Lydia."

Knowing who it was, Kari smiled. "Oh hi, Lydia. My name is Kari and I'll be the one doing the decorating for you this weekend. Did Sakura call you to tell you?"

"Oh, yes. She had called me earlier today."

"Good. I want you to know that she had given me all of her ideas for your Den."

"Thanks. I wanted you to know that I need the mansion ready as soon as possible. I failed to mention it to her, but when she comes back from Italy would you do me the favor and tell her that I would much appreciate it if she worked on my mansion faster?"

"Of cour" Kari's eyes widened. "Italy?"

"Yes." A pause. "Didn't she tell you she was going to Italy?"

No, she didn't.

"Umm, yeah. Yeah, she did. I forgot. She must have told me when I was working on something. Could you remind me and tell me the reason as to why she is going over there?"

"Of course. She said that there is some new, rare material she wants to see and that they won't send a sample to her for free. So she decided to go over there instead of paying for a material that she might not even like. She said that the sample would cost at least 300 dollars."

"Oh, yes! Now I remember!" She bit her lip. "Thank you, dear."

"No problem. So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes. See you tomorrow."

Kari hanged up the phone, her eyes fiercely narrowed.

Sakura lied to me.

Sakura had told her that she needed a little break so she was going to stay at her own mansion, and didn't want anyone to bother her. In other words, she didn't want anyone coming over to the mansion or calling.

Determinedly, she picked up the phone again and dialed her best friend's number.

The phone rang and rang, no one answering the phone. Kari knew the Tsuchida staff leaves well around eight, but if both Sakura and Kiyo are out of the country then someone was always there to take care of the mansion.

Finally, someone answered the phone.

"Tsuchida residence."

"Hello. Is Sakura there, by any chance?"

"Sorry, but the madam is out of the country on a trip. Italy."

"Okay. Thank you."

She pushed down the disconnect button and when she heard the dial tone again she called the Tomoeda Airport.

When someone picked up, she asked "I'm wondering, has a Tsuchida Sakura's flight already left?"

She heard the person on the other end typing on a computer.

"We have no one by that name in our database, ma'am."

Kari frowned. "How about a Kinomoto Sakura?"

Some more typing. "Yes, we do have someone by that name. Two tickets had been reserved under the name of Li Syaoran, one belonging to Ms. Kinomoto and the other belonging to Mr. Li."

"Okay, did their flight already leave?"

"Just one moment . . . Yes. Their flight to Italy had departed half an hour ago."

"Thank you very much" she tried to say in a calm voice, but she knew that it came out curtly. She hanged up the phone.

Sakura is still having her affair. I can't believe this. And why would she tell me and Lydia two different stories knowing that I will be the one doing the decorating?

For five minutes Lydia did nothing but brood, angry at her best friend. How dare she lie to her?

Sakura needs someone to knock some sense into her. If I can't do it then maybe . . .

She picked up the phone for the fourth time and dialed a number.

It ran a couple of time before a gruff and somewhat sleepy voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Kari. Sorry to be calling so late"

"Late? It's past eight thirty in the morning!"

"Oh, damn. I totally forgot about the time difference. I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but that's all right. I'm usually up around this time but today was my day off from work."

"I'm sorry. Listen, I'm calling about Sakura"

"Sakura? Did something happen to her?

"She's cheating."

Silence for a few moments. "Cheating?"

"Yes. I caught her making out with some guy a couple of weeks ago and when I confronted her about it she admitted it. I talked to her about it and I thought I was successful in telling her to break it off but I just learned that she is going to spend the weekend in Italy with her lover!"

"Listen, I know Sakura. This is probably just a great, big misunderstanding."

"It's not. She lied to me about going to Italy. You know that she never lies to me about anything . She had told me that she was going to stay in her mansion and that she didn't want to be bothered, but I called the Airport and they confirmed that she is going to Italy with some guy. Listen, I was wondering if you could come here to Tomoeda for a few days."

"Why?"

"To knock some sense into her. If I, her best friend, can't knock some sense into that head of hers then maybe you, her big brother, can."

"I don't know, Kari."

"Touya, please! This affair will only end in disaster for her, I'm sure of it!"

He sighed, giving in. Kari knew that when it involves his baby sister, he gives in very easily. "Okay. I'll get the following week off and go over there. I still think this is just a misunderstanding."

"Once you talk to her you'll learn that it's not."

"Okay, fine. Let me go and make the reservations."

"Thanks Touya. I know you don't like Kiyo very much"

"It's not that I don't like him. I just don't trust him."

Kari bit her lip, deciding to tell him what was on her mind. "Touya, I'm going to tell Kiyo everything about this."

"What?" His tone was sharp instead of sleepy the way it was a few minutes ago.

"I'm going to tell him about her affair. I gave her a chance, but instead of thinking of her future she decided to continue with her little fling and ignore the husband she has at home. He needs to know."

"Don't tell him anything yet. The only reason why I tolerate him is because he makes my sister happy. If this is just a misunderstanding then you could ruin her happiness."

"It's not a misunderstanding!"

"Look, just don't say anything until I've talked to her. And if she is having an affair, then I think you should keep your mouth shut and let Sakura tell him."

"She won't."

"Then we will make her. Kari, I like you and everything, but I think you shouldn't get involved between them."

"What? I'm involving you!"

"That's different. While I'm going to be in the sidelines, you are busy trying to get in the middle of the war. If anyone needs to tell that man anything, it's Sakura."

She made an exasperated sound. "Fine. Whatever. Sakura will do the talking. But if she doesn't end this affair I will drag her and make her confess to her husband."

"Kari, you are still trying to get into the war!"

"Touya, Sakura won't end up telling him! She'll keep stalling and stalling"

"Kari-"

"One way or the other, Kiyo will know. I don't care if people will see me as a meddler, as someone being nosy; Sakura's secret will come out. One way or the other."

AN: Kari is not mean. She's just a caring friend who wants her friend's happiness.

Wow, this is a long chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!