I know I know, long time no update...for me. Had exams...didn't do very well, grade cards came out...not very pretty...all in all not good. But, here it is, finally, at last! Chapter TWO!

Chapter 2

Several days later, in a distant part of town, life carried on as usual. People crowded the streets in their quest to complete the day. Children scurried around playing and getting into trouble, as children were prone to. Mothers did laundry, made dinner, and other daily chores all the while screaming at the random child in their yard, be it their own or someone else's. Fathers hurried about their work, aiming to get home to their families.

"Did you hear about the Princess?" A vender asked, flirting with a young woman at least ten years his junior.

"Of course," She giggled. "It's terrible what happen. I hope they find her right quick. These are lovely ribbons."

"They're yours for a kiss." The lecherous man leered and the girl smiled, pecking him on the cheek.

Just an average day in the city.

"Eriol, are you sure no one's following us?" Two men walked down the street, not all that different from everyone else.

The first man stood out rather dramatically from the crowd with his blue hair, but that only really caused him to blend in further. "Syaoran," He glanced at the surrounding shops and houses. "Why would someone follow us? We're just two young men out for a quiet stroll through the city."

And the other man, Syaoran, glared at his friend. "Sometimes, you make me sick. Just keep your eyes open."

"You've been so paranoid lately, ever since we nicked that painting from Sal. Relax! Jeeze!" Eriol threw his arms in the air. "The world's not coming to an end."

"Yes, well, Prince Sal might decide to change that. You really shouldn't have insulted his manhood like that." Syaoran glanced from the street corner vender in time to see Eriol open his mouth in a retort. "And no Eriol, I don't enjoy being number one on everyone's hit list."

Eriol shook his head and paused. "Did you hear that?"

Syaoran spun around, eyes darting everywhere. "What?"

"It sounded like…" Eriol's gaze shifted across the street to a young woman some twenty feet behind them. "It sounded like…a paranoid Syaoran!" He burst into a fit of giggles that seemed just a little too feminine. "Lighten up man, you worry too much!"

"Let's just go home."

Neither noticed the stalker.

A scant five minutes later. The arrived at the typical city house, a small two story building with one tree attempting to grow outside. The paint had started chipping off the porch and someone had thrown a rock through one of the top windows. It obviously needed a few repairs.

"Okay Eriol, you can unlock the door any time now."

Wide blue eyes blinked back at Syaoran. "I don't have the key."

"But you always take the key!" Syaoran insisted angrily. "Get it out!"

Eriol shrugged his shoulders. "So I'm sometimes a little forgetful. You're the one who has the spare."

"Eriol!" Syaoran punched the door and it swung open. "Did you lack the door when we left?"

"Umm, you know, I don't really recall locking the door."

"Argh! Eriol! You can't keep downing these things!" And thus began the lecture on not leaving the door open for the world to walk in and how Eriol should be more responsible. That then quickly lead to a lecture on insulting certain higher officials and their choice of bed partners. "You have to be more responsible Eriol otherwise one day that mouth of yours could get us into a very sticky situation that I can't get us out of."

The door mysteriously slammed shut behind them and the boys immediately started searching the walls for the intruder. "We know you're here!" Eriol yelled, glaring at the darkest corner of the small hall. "I think he's in the corner." He whispered. "Just come out into the light."

"I'm right behind you." A soft voice floated to their ears.

Both Syaoran and Eriol spun about, but it was easy to tell who had the most grace under pressure. Syaoran did a little jump twist, using his surprise to his advantage, and landed firmly on his feet. Unfortunately Eriol tired to turn on one foot and ended up falling on his rear with a smack. From either position though, they both found themselves faced with a pair of striking green eyes and a laughing smile.

"Who are you? Syaoran asked, his eyes narrow and thin, while Eriol picked himself up off the very dirty floor.

"The woman who wants to hire you." She shoved passed them and stood under the only light in the hall. The single light bulb illuminated her caramel brown hair and soft face. "I need men of your skill and stature." She gestured towards the parlor both looking and sounding far older then Eriol or Syaoran had guessed. "But please, sit while you listen to my proposition."

After sending a fleeting glance at each other, they shook their heads vigerously. "No, we don't accept." Syaoran crossed his arms. "Now leave." No one dared to disobey that face.

But the girl merely walked farther into the room, not at all intimidated by his callous glare. "This is a nice little place, not too big, a rather homey feel." She fingered the carved wood of a chair and wiped dust off the tea cups. "Not much of a tea drinker, are you?" She looked at the two, all sweetness and innocence as she sat on the edge of the nearest chair.

"Well, I enjoy a cup now and then, but not Syaoran. He's more of a coffee kind of guy." Eriol's eyes followed her every movement as he too walked into the room.

Eriol plopped himself on the opposite chair and a puff of dust flew into the air. It didn't bother him thought, He leaned back looking more and more the smitten suitor. Syaoran continued to dislike the situation from afar.

"I need your help," the girl stated bluntly. "The Princess has been kidnapped as well you know, but we need to rescue her! It is imperative!" She implored them.

It took a moment for the words to sink in and then Eriol fell over the side of the chair and burst out in almost hysterical laughter. "You can't possible be serious, Darling!"

Syaoran shook his head at Eriol's lack of tact. "Look, the King and Queen don't want us to find the Princess; if they did then the Captain of the Guard would come. They wouldn't send a go-between."

"We've done business with the government before, hum." Eriol leaned forward and took her hands in his, rubbing the knuckles. "And trust me, you ain't them."

Her face lost the sweetness, and her eyes gained a new gleam in them as hard and beautiful as a diamond. She ripped her hands away from Eriol. "You won't help me then?"

"We don't do charity work."

And she smiled. "No, you don't, and usually you charge rather high prices. I did my research." She tossed a coin bag on the table. "If I recall correctly two thousand was the minimum Aramos ever paid you, in gold of course."

Syaoran turned the bag upside down and poured out the solid gold currency. The small coins splattered in the floor like the breaking of fine china, far more than two thousand. Eriol's mouth fell open in blatant awe.

"Syaoran! Do you know what we could do with that?" He gaped. "That's enough to—to—to—why we could—"

"Shut it Eriol!" Syaoran growled grinding his jaw. "Alright miss, you've bought our services. What do you plan to do now?"

Contagious happiness spread across her face and if Syaoran hadn't felt so irritated he might have smiled that same dopey grin Eriol had on. "We're going to find the Princess and return her to her parents. Now, I've got the schematics to Prince Sal's private rooms. They were stripped away from him several years ago for failure to abide by an official declaration of the king.

"What declaration?" Eriol asked.

She glared at him. "An official one. Anyway, no one's used it since then." She placed a smooth, round stone on the table about the size of her fist. The minute it touched the table, a 3D map covered the wooden surface and flowed over just slightly.

"Where better to hide her then right underneath everyone's nose." Eriol whistled. "And just look at that!" He pointed to the miniature guards moving down the tiny halls. "All that security, it'll be tight getting in and damn near impossible getting out. You've got to be crazy!"

"Not backing out are you?"

"Of course not! Just considering the best plan of action." Eriol defended himself.

"But you already have a plan." Syaoran accused suddenly. "That kind of money, this kind of information, you'd have to have a plan."

"Indeed, I have my connections. Now we can enter through here." She pointed at a hair line crack along the wall and Syaoran noticed those same cracks ran through the whole map. "It's a secret passage, completely unprotected."

"Wait a minute here," Syaoran stopped her. "First of all, how do you know all this?"

She paused and leaned back into the chair, green eyes closed. "When you live your whole life somewhere, you get to know it pretty well." She shot forward and pushed a finger underneath his nose. "So don't even think of trying to use this information to your advantage!" And a glare followed the threat.

"Alright, alright, little missy, we won't. Now, what's your plan?" Eriol attempted to calm her down.

Dead center of the map, she pointed to a room with only one door. "I believe she's being held here. Now, the trick will be getting rid of the guard and close enough." She then pointed to the hall around the corner. "There's a passage that ends here. You two will exit the walls here and get the Princess Tomoyo. From there, you will take the most direct path here." She pointed to another hallway not to far away."

Eriol immediately started memorizing the information, but Syaoran didn't even bother. Instead he asked, "What do you need us for? You know everything that needs to be done and how to do it."

A weary sadness crossed her features. "This is new to me; it would be unwise to attempt such a venture alone."

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Sakura, yes Sakura." She said as if trying it out for the first time.

"I'm worried about her." Maira sighed and sipped her mead.

"Which her?" Aramos asked and then clunked his cup on the wooden table. "Do you really think she's going to find the Princess? My own men haven't heard a single rumor and they're trained for this stuff!"

"My girl will find her, don't you ever doubt it. She pro'lly went to those two goons you usually hire. What were they're names again?"

"Eriol and Syaoran," He mumbled.

"Yea, them. I don't like it. She isn't old enough to handle these things no matter what the Old Lady said. She had too much faith in those two kids."

"Yea, that and a whole lotta other things I'm not happy about. I've dedicated my whole life to this royal family; she coulda had the decency to at least tell me!" He grabbed the bottle and took a long swig.

"But now I've told you. Only you and I know and we have to protect her. You know the Queen won't go for it." She snatched the bottle away from him. "And I been dealing with this secret for years."

"The Old Lady," Aramos rolled his eyes. "She drives me nuts even after her death."

"Yea, well, you'll be the death of me. How could you talk about men who barely stay on this side of legal while my girl was in the room! How do we know they won't take advantage of her?"

"How was I to know she was in the room! Besides, they won't."

"How can you say that! They broke into Prince Sal's home, although he's not my good list, murdered several men from off planet. They steal, cheat, swindle! And my girl is talking to them!" Maira slammed her fists on the table and the mead bottle bounced.

"Syaoran's the Dragon Tamer." Aramos took another mouthful from the bottle.

"I don't like that either. They're only sixteen! She hasn't had a chance to be child let alone be an adult and go save the world! Either of them!"

"And you think I like it?"

"Damn it!"

Well, lovely, another cliffy...or would you count that as two? Tomoyo's still missing, but Sakura's gone to get help! And then, what's going on with Maira and Aramos? Who is this mysterious Old Lady and what's with the Dragon Tamer? Hopefully it will not take me three more weeks to update! Please leave a little Review!