Sugar Pink: Wow!!! Thanks for all the compliments and reviews!! I read over all your suggestions and they were very good! I'm glad some of you were truthful, I really appreciated that!! I'll take you suggestions, and I will try my best to make this story enjoyable! Thanks!

Please R/R this chapter too!

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS...can I have it for my birthday though?

One Wish

Chapter 2: Chie-Zong's Love

"Good morning, Syaoran-kun. Where have you been?" Hikaru asked as she saw Syaoran strolled in the front door.

"Oh, just walking around out." Syaoran shrugged, placing his sabre down. Hikaru eyed his sabre. Then she looked up at him, her lilac eyes gleaming with happiness.

"Want to have a friendly duel after breakfast?" she asked.

"Sure. Are you up for the challenge?" Syaoran said with a playful smirk.

"I've been practicing with swords and martial arts since I was 12. I should hope I am up for the challenge."

"Meiling and I started when we were 8."

"I can tell." Hikaru smiled.

"Speaking of Meiling, where is she?"

"She's still sleeping. Why? Do you have a soft spot for her, Syaoran-kun?" Hikaru teased.

"Chie-Zong-san and Meiling are the only people in this world who I consider family, even though we're not blood related at all. To tell the truth, Meiling can be a bit clumsy at times. She's like a little sister who always needs looking after." Syaoran chuckled.

"So you only care for her as a sister?"

"The best sister in the world." Syaoran grinned.

"Did you ever try to look at her from another point of view?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, have you ever considered marrying her?"

This comment caused Syaoran to choke on his porridge.

"What?! Meiling?! No, I never even thought about it. It'll be too weird."

"Funny, she seems to have more-than-siblings feelings for you." Hikaru smiled lightly.

"Meiling?! Nah, that's the most funniest thing I've ever heard!" Syaoran burst out laughing.

"No, it's true. I can tell."

"Never in the million years would she ever like me as a lover. I've known her since we were 4 years old!!" Syaoran said, as a new wave a laughter came through him. Meiling liking him as a lover? No way!!

"Maybe I'm wrong." Hikaru shrugged.

Unknown to both of them, Meiling was just around the corner to the kitchen, and heard every word. Slowly, she turned around and walked back to her room, her ruby eyes filled with tears that threatened to fall.

After Breakfast

"Ready?" Syaoran asked, his sabre positioned, ready to start the duel.

"Of course." Hikaru replied, her own sword glimmered in the morning sun. The duel began. Swords clanged against each other.

Syaoran tried to go easy on Hikaru because he sensed that she was not as experience as he was. She charged at him with her sword, and he blocked all her blows. He focused more on his defence than on his offence.

Hikaru continued her attacks. She leapt into the air, causing Syaoran to leap into the air after her as well.

Whirling around, she swung her sword at Syaoran. Using his quick reflexes, Syaoran was able to block that attack. The clanging of their swords continued on.

Meiling strolled into the garden, following the sounds of the swords. Looking up in the air, she saw that Syaoran and Hikaru were duelling. They look elegant together, like performing a dance with swords, yet there was a light competition in the air.

Syaoran and Hikaru look really elegant together, duelling like that...I'm not surprised if Syaoran were to like her...I'll never be as good as her, Meiling sighed, walking back into the house.

I need a walk to clear my head, she thought. Taking her sword with her, she went out for a stroll into the marketplace.

Once at the marketplace, she paused at a stand that sells hair accessories. Meiling took a glance at all the hairpins.

Butterflies and flowers. Nah, too girly. She's a swordswoman! But yet, she's also a girl. She needs something simple and sweet, not complicated and sugary.

Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a hairpin that has a simple design of red rubies set on. The pin itself was silver. It was elegant, yet not too sugary. It other words, it was perfect.

Just as she was reaching out, another hand joined hers in the same direction towards the pin. Both hands withdrew at the same time. Meiling looked up to see who the person was.

It was a boy around Syaoran's age. He has dark black hair just like Meiling's and a pair of cerulean blue eyes. His eyes were the colour of the sky on a bright summer's day. He has a handsome face and a cute smile. Meiling knew this because he smiled at her.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were going for the same pin I was." the person said.

"Oh, that's okay. You can take it if you want. I don't really need it."

"Oh, no, I can't do that. You saw it first."

"No, no, it's okay."

"No, really. I was just going to buy it for my little sister's birthday, so I can always pick out something else."

"Oh, if it's for your little sister, then you must take it. I hate to see her disappointed." Meiling smiled softly, walking away, so that the debate came to a close. Soon, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. It was the same person from the hair accessories stand.

"Hi again. You never told me your name." the stranger said, falling into step with her.

"I'm Meiling Rae. You?"

"I'm Rei Ling. Do you live around here?"

"No, I'm just staying with a friend for now. Her name is Hikaru Tsunako."

"Oh, I've heard of her. Her father, Azuko Tsunako, is very famous around here."

"Oh, really? Why so?"

"Well..." Rei's voice dropped to a whisper, "actually the entire Tsunako name is very famous around here."

"Why?" Meiling asked, curious.

"I'm not sure if this is true, but I've heard that Hikaru's mom, Chiyako, had some sort of love affair with the legendary swordsman, Chie-Zong." Rei whispered in a soft voice.

Meiling's eyes widen. Her master had a love affair with a woman? NO WAY!! Wasn't Chie-Zong the one who told Syaoran that he had to be careful in love matters because being a swordsman will earn a lot of enemies and he has to be careful that the woman he fell in love with isn't related to one of the enemies?

So why had Chie-Zong himself fell in love with a woman? And why did Chiyako ended up with Azuko Tsunako instead? Why was the Tsunako name famous because of it?

Perhaps Tsunako Azuko is famous because he's successful in stealing the love of Chie-Zong, the legendary swordsman, Meiling thought.

"Hey, you ok?" Rei asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes, I'm good. What were you saying about Tsunako Chiyako and Chie-Zong?"

"Shh, not so loud! Azuko Tsunako doesn't like people talking about it. But," Rei grinned, "I'll tell you anyways."

"Please, do go on," Meiling smiled.

"Well, I'm not sure really, it was all just rumours, but if everyone believed the same rumours, there has to be at least a little bit of truth in it right? Anyway, the rumours said Chiyako Tsunako and Chie-Zong used to be in love. Very much in love. But then, Chiyako's family married her off to Azuko. Needless to say, both Chie-Zong and Chiyako were greatly depressed. However, they did break things off, and Chiyako gave birth to Hikaru Tsunako, and became a devoted wife and mother. But Azuko kept on assuming that his wife and Chie-Zong still had an affair, so he went and attempted to kill Chie-Zong--"

At this point, Meiling let out a gasp.

"Don't worry, he didn't succeed." Rei quickly reassured. "Anyway, Chie-Zong of course went after him, trying to find who his intruder was. And he chased him back all the way to the Tsunako mansion. In the mansion, they had a duel, and Chiyako rushed out, and..."

"And what?!" Meiling asked.

"And the rumours were that Chie-Zong accidentally killed Chiyako because she was attempting to stop the duel." Rei concluded his story. Meiling fell silent, her eyes still widen.

Chie-Zong-san never told me or Syaoran that story...I have to go back and warn Syaoran...Azuko doesn't know we're disciples of Chie-Zong yet...

"Anyway, you practice with the sword too?" Rei asked, noticing her sword that was hung across her back in a sling.

"Oh, yes. I've started at a young age. I'm an orphan. My master took me in."

"Oh...hey, I practice with swords too! Care to have a duel sometime?"

"I'll be delighted to, Ling-kun." Meiling smiled.

"Call me Rei." Rei grinned.

"Only if you'll call me Meiling." she smiled back. "Anyway, I have to get back now. I'll see you around...Rei."

"Bye...Meiling."

Back at Tsunako household

"That was a refreshing duel." Hikaru smiled.

"Yeah, it was." Syaoran agreed, looking up at the bright blue sky and puffy white clouds. He and Hikaru were currently sitting on the roof, gazing lazily at the sky.

"Syaoran-kun?" Hikaru asked.

"Yeah?" Syaoran turned his head to face her. Once again, he was captivated by her beauty. She had the most silky midnight blue hair and the deepest shade of lilac eyes he had ever seen. She and that Sakura girl had the most brilliant eye colour he had ever seen.

"I'm just curious...did you ever wonder who your parents are?"

Syaoran was silent.

"I'm sorry if the question was too personal." Hikaru quickly added in.

"Oh, no, that's okay. My parents...I've never even met them. People at the orphanage used to tell me that my parents were the Li's who owned famous restaurants, but went bankrupt and gave me away. I never even met my parents, so it doesn't really matter."

"Oh, I see..."

"Anyway, it's getting late. Want to go back down?" Syaoran smiled.

"Sure, let's go." Hikaru smiled back gently.

Later

"Syaoran, there you are! I was looking for you." Meiling's frantic voice said, rushing up to Syaoran and Hikaru.

"What is it, Meiling?"

"I need to speak to you in private." Meiling said.

"I'm going to go practice my swords. I'll see you two later." Hikaru said politely, leaving the two alone.

"What is it?" Syaoran asked again, once they were alone.

"Let's go back to your room. We'll talk there."

Syaoran's Room

"Well, what is it?" Syaoran asked impatiently. Meiling locked the door.

"Well, be prepare for a shock. Did you know that Chie-Zong-san had a love interest before?!?!"

"What?!?! Master Chie-Zong?! No way!!" Syaoran's amber eyes widen. "He told me to always be careful when it comes to love because the woman I fall for could be related to the enemy!"

"And did you know who his love interest was?" Meiling said.

"Who?!" Syaoran asked, more curious than ever.

"Hikaru's mother."

"WHAT?!??!?!?!!??!"

"Quiet!!!" Meiling scolded.

"Sorry...but HIKARU'S--"

Meiling clamped a hand over Syaoran's mouth. "I said, not so loud!!" She removed her hand.

"Sorry...but...are you sure about this? How did you know?"

So Meiling told Syaoran the story she had heard from Rei.

"So, from what you're saying, the whole town should know?" Syaoran asked.

"I think so. But Rei said it was just a rumour. I'm not sure. Maybe Hikaru herself doesn't know. Maybe Azuko made up a lie to tell the town and Hikaru."

"Or maybe, this whole love affair thing was just a rumour." Syaoran said.

"We need to unravel this mystery." Meiling said.

"We can't. We're suppose to be searching for the Kinomotos and get the ring back!" Syaoran said, looking at the golden ring on his finger.

"We'll figure something out, Syaoran. Don't worry, we always do." Meiling said, giving him an encouraging smile.

Next day

As usual, Syaoran took his walk around the market place early in the morning alone. He took a glance at the little route that leads to the small lake where he had seen Sakura. Smiling, he took the route.

Once he reached the small lake, he wasn't surprised to see Sakura there. Except this time, she was practicing her sword. He must admit, she was good. And pretty. He watched silently as the force of her long slim sword caused some cherry blossom petals to fall, swirling around her every move.

Suddenly, Sakura landed softly on her feet, her back towards him.

"Good morning, Syaoran-kun." her sweet melodic voice greeted him.

"Sensed my presence again, eh?" Syaoran grinned.

"Well, your aura isn't exactly easy to ignore." Sakura grinned back, turning around to face him.

"And when did I give you the permission to call me Syaoran?" Syaoran said.

"Never, but I just took the liberty, seeing that I'll never get the permission." Sakura said. "Of course, you won't mind." she grinned.

"How would you know I won't?"

"Just because,"

"You're a very...interesting person." Syaoran smirked.

"So are you." Sakura replied. "Seeing that you have your sabre, how about a duel?"

"Sure, why not?" Syaoran said. So the duel began. Their swords clanged against each other. Syaoran was right. Sakura was really good with the sword. Her movements were graceful and swift, and Syaoran actually had to focus more on his defence than his offence.

Sakura's attacks continued, yet there were no fierce competition between the two, just an air of friendly challenge.

Swiftly, Syaoran took his sabre and rested it on the area between Sakura's neck and shoulder.

"You lose." he said.

"Did I?" Sakura smiled. Syaoran looked. He grinned when he noticed that Sakura's sword was also rested lightly on his shoulder.

"Okay, fine, it's a draw." he said, taking his sabre back.

"You were good." Sakura complimented, withdrawing her sword.

"So were you. I have to go now, it was nice duelling with you."

"I have get going too. I--ack!!" Sakura paused in mid sentence when she tripped over a tree root.

Swiftly, Syaoran caught her in his arms, preventing her from falling.

"You okay? Be more careful." he grinned, helping her stand up again.

"Thanks for catching me, Syaoran-kun." Sakura said. Syaoran blushed.

"Um...no problem. I have to go now, bye." he said, walking out of there as quickly as possible.

"Why the hurry? Scared of me?" Sakura grinned.

"No, of course not. I'll see you around."

"Oh, and just to let you know," Sakura said, "don't think I've forgotten about my family heirloom."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"It means, I'm going to pay Hikaru Tsunako a visit sooner or later. Most likely sooner than later."

"Don't you hurt Hikaru! She didn't take your heirloom!" Syaoran said.

"Whatever you say. Not that I'm going to believe you anyway. But just to let you know, you won't be able to stop me this time, like you did the last time." Sakura said.

"We'll see about that." Syaoran bit back bitterly. How dare she try to harm Hikaru again?!

"Why do you always have to be like that?" Sakura sighed.

"Be like what?"

"Disagreeable. I was never picking for a fight, but I really need my family jade back from Hikaru Tsunako--"

"She doesn't have it!"

"Yes, she does! I never wanted to be enemies with you, and I still don't. I just wanted to be friends--"

"Well, Hikaru's my friend, and I don't really consider people as my friends when they attack my other friends." Syaoran said in a cold voice that he had mastered so well.

"Then fine with me." Sakura said huffily, walking ahead of Syaoran to get to the route that leads back to the marketplace. As she walked, Syaoran heard her last sentence.

"And you still own me three wishes, don't you forget that!"

Sugar Pink: Whew...I'm so tired...I have to sleep now, really tired...hope that chapter was good enough...please R/R!

R/R and see you guys all in the next chapter!