A/N: I. Am. SOOOOOOO SORRY! Unfortunately, exams are coming up really soon, and I have almost no time to update. Also, I will be going on vacation from July 7th to August 1st, so maybe I'll update next somewhere early in July and then you won't hear from me until August. :( So SORRY! However, here is the next chapter!

Princess Nightfire: They will find out eventually.
smileez: SORRY!
soenergetic: I'm not even going to answer that.
2lazy2sign in: Actually, I live in Canada, so French is one of our national languages, and we are forced to learn it for about 6-7 years.
Mimi: No, I don't speak French, but I must learn it.
cloverluck11: read above.
I-hAd-No-Id3a-FoR-a-NaMe: Oh that's cool. But no, I don't speak French. But I didn't use a translator either, those things are crap.

And the rest of you: Thanks, but honestly, if you want me to rush the story, then fine, I will. I mean, come on, I can't make him learn everything at once, although this chapter will make him find out a lot of information. JUST STOP DEMANDING ME TO RUSH THE STORYLINE:(

CinderSakura

By: Lotus Dreams

Chapter 17: Manami Mayhem

"Moshi moshi?" answered Makiko groggily.

"Kon'nichi-wa, watashi wa Korin," answered a very formal and crisp voice. "I am looking for either Katsatsu Makiko or Matsuo."

Makiko's heart skipped a beat. Many beats in fact. Ever since the accident involving Nadeshiko, she had changed her name to Harada Makiko, not Katsatsu (but not legally). Even before the accident, her and Matsuo did not have many friends, so next to no one knew their real last name. So how did this stranger who called himself Korin know?

"There is no one with the last name Katsatsu here," answered Makiko hurriedly. "You probably dialed the wrong number." Just as she was about to hang up, the voice spoke again.

"I never dial wrong numbers, Madame. And besides, if there is no Katsatsus, then there must be someone by the name of Harada."

BUSTED! She was SOOO busted.

"There is no one by the name of that either." The voice sighed. Over the phone it sounded like a rush of static.

"Katsatsu Makiko, please stop bluffing and start telling me the truth."

She froze. "H-How do you know who I am?" she said stupidly.

"Gut instinct, Madame." He paused. "Now, if I may ask a few questions?"

"Iie. Ja."

"STOP!" shouted Korin. "Your answers are of vital importance to me. If you do not answer them, Mr. Kinomoto of Kinomoto Inc. will definitely be looking for you." Makiko paled. Damn.

"Fine."

"Did you happen to pick up a heavily injured young girl about ten years ago?"

Okay, that is IT. "No. Good-bye."

Korin was left listening to a dial tone. Definitely, he thought. She's definitely seen Sakura.


Syaoran cornered her as she was making her way back to her room. Nadeshiko protested, "Hey, that's not fair!" Syaoran chuckled.

"You owe me a dinner."

"Syao-kun!" Nadeshiko pushed him off playfully. "Why should I? You're being so mean."

Syaoran gave a mock pout. "Oh, I'm hurt, I just wanted my dinner."

"Well, you're not getting one."

"NADESHIKOOOOOOO!" complained Syaoran. "I'm bored. I'm beginning to hate French. Bonjour. Comment ca va? Ca va bien. Au revoir. KAMI-SAMA, IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS AND ALL I'M ASKING IS FOR ONE LOUSY - " Nadeshiko put a finger to his lips.

"Okay, okay, you get your dinner."

"YES!" cried Syaoran triumphantly, punching the air.

The two took a taxi, admiring the streets of Paris. The couples, the romantic scenery...they didn't pass the Eiffel Tower, although they did drive past Le Louvre art museum. Nadeshiko oohed and aahed over the beauty of the art gallery.

"Isn't it pretty, Syaoran?"

"Hai," replied Syaoran. "But not nearly as pretty as you are."

"SYAORAN!" Nadeshiko punched him on the arm. "Shut up, baka." Syaoran smiled, and leaned over to give her a kiss.

They arrived at a restaurant called Chez Botan, a place that served Japanese food. There was French AND Japanese above the door (Chez Botan, and that in Japanese), but Nadeshiko could only understand the Japanese. Syaoran, of course, could understand both languages.

They entered, and after talking with the woman at the front, found a table and sat down. A waiter took their orders, and Nadeshiko smiled at Syaoran. "Feels like I'm back in Tomoeda again," she said. Syaoran returned the smile.

"Same here."

Syaoran ordered a very fancy dinner, but Nadeshiko stuck with dumplings and noodles - as ever. Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you're going to eat?" he asked. Nadeshiko shrugged. "I don't eat much except for dumplings and noodles." Syaoran grinned.

"Don't you love Chinese food. I'm actually surprised they have it here." (A/N: All I know is that dumplings are one of China's national foods. Is it also Japan's?) Nadeshiko grinned. "I'm not. Who could resist it?" Syaoran laughed, and they tucked in.

Nadeshiko looked a little out of place eating a simple dinner wearing an elegant dress. It was black and strapless, reaching down to her knees, with black ruffles at the bottom. The end of the dress was actually diagonal rather than straight. She wore a silver necklace, with a heart at the middle, as well as a matching bracelet. Her ring was a bit out of place, a speck of gold among the silver.

Syaoran, of course, was dressed in his traditional suit, vaguely resembling the type he had to wear every day. This time, he was wearing black pants with a black blazer. No tie though, and no vest inside. He found them too bothersome to put on.

After dinner, the couple took a midnight stroll down the streets, occasionally passing by parks and sharing a kiss or two. Or three. Once, they had stopped by a fountain, a magnificent structure that spewed water and was illuminated by lights in the marble pool, and a photographer just happened to be there, and snapped a picture of them.

When they finally got tired, it was already around 1 o'clock, and they called a taxi to take them home. Throughout the ride, Nadeshiko's head rested lightly against Syaoran's shoulder, and his arm was wrapped around her waist. She snuggled into his chest.

"Thanks for paying for the dinner. I had a fun time."

He gave her a butterfly kiss on her forehead. "No problem. I had fun too."


The next day, Syaoran was yawning as he translated back and forth between M. Lerante and Mr. Kinomoto.

"Votre compagnie est tres impressionnante. D'accord, maitenant, nous pouvons parler d'une affaire."

"'Your company is very - yawn - impressive. Very well, now we can - yawn - talk about a deal.'"

"Excellent."

"'Excellent', M. Lerante," translated Syaoran.

"I think this is a very good deal." Mr. Kinomoto slid a piece of paper towards M. Lerante.

"'Je pense que - yawn - c'est une affaire tres bonne.'" M. Lerante looked at it, and then frowned.

"Mais, je ne pense pas." Syaoran frowned, then reluctantly translated.

"But I don't think so."

"NANI?" cried Mr. Kinomoto.

"Quoi?" said Syaoran, also a bit angry. They had offered a very good deal. M. Lerante shook his head.

"Non. C'est trop cher. Et, je n'aime pas les risques."

"He says that it's - yawn - too expensive, and he doesn't like - yawn - taking risks." Mr. Kinomoto forced a smile.

"What risks? There are no risks."

"Il n'y a pas - yawn - les risques." M. Lerante's mouth was a grim slash.

"Si vous voulez une affaire, abaisser le prix."

"He says that if we want a deal, we should lower the price."

The rest of the meeting did not go very well, butfinally, M. Lerante compromised, admitting that it was already a good deal, and he just wanted to weasel out as much as money as he still could. Syaoran was still tired as he trudged out of the meeting room, and the only thing that cheered him up was Nadeshiko.

"I know how tired you are," said Nadeshiko gently. "Want to get some sleep?"

"Hai," muttered Syaoran sleepily. "Sleep." They reached his room. Nadeshiko gently tucked him into bed. "Good...have a nice nap."

"Nap," murmured Syaoran. Then he was snoring.


A couple of days later, Mr. Kinomoto and Co. returned to Tomoeda. He was extremely pleased with the deal, happy that he could expand his business into Paris. He rambled on and on about all the profits that could be made all throughout the plane ride.

Mr. Kinomoto went straight home (they arrived around 9:00 pm), but Manami chose to take a walk outside. She wanted to avoid Touya as much as possible, afraid that she would make him angry again.

She walked into a bar, where the music was upbeat and flashing lights were all over the place. She ignored it and sat down, rapping her knuckles against the counter. "Vodka." Her wish was granted.

Just as she was about to bring the glass to her lips, she heard something that made her blood go cold...

"Yeah, I have a daughter. Two daughters, in fact. Well, I HAD two daughters. No wait, I just had one daughter."

"Get things straight, man. How many do you have?"

"One. The other one I picked up from the streets."

"The streets?"

"Yeah. She was all there, with blood coming from her head and everything. Said her name was Nadeshiko. Pretty little thing, you know? Better looking than our OWN daughter. And of course, outta the goodness of our heart, we raised her for TEN YEARS. Beat that, bastard."

"I can't," admitted the other man. "You a hell of a dad, Matsuo-san." Manami slammed her glass down, and immediately turned to her right, where she saw none other than her own father having a conversation with some other drunken idiot. Without a word, she grabbed her otou-san by the ear and dragged him out onto the streets.

"Ow, ow, ow, OWWWWWWWWW! What are you, crazy, woman?"

"I'll tell you who's crazy, you maniac," hissed Manami. "What are you doing, telling people about our secret? You could get us all in jail, or worse, you could blow my cover!"

"Am I supposed to care about blowing your cover?" Manami took a threatening step forward.

"You listen here, bastard. If you DARE blow my cover - you DARE do anything of the sort - I will personally make sure you regret it."

"I don't care." Matsuo was unfazed. Manami was towering over him, due to the fact that she was wearing stilettos. Sharp, tall stilettos. "Threaten me all you want, little bitch. I have better things to worry about." With that he staggered away. Manami watched him leave, seething.

Man, are you getting it, dear otou-san.


"Hello, there, Syaoran-kun," said Manami sweetly, stepping into his office. Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"Hai?"

"Ohayou!"

"Is that all?" Manami looked surprised.

"Can't I drop by and say hi?"

Syaoran gestured to his laptop. "Well, you know, I'm kind of busy here. I have to translate a couple things today by 5:00 pm the latest, so if you don't mind, you could..." Manami placed her hands on her hips.

"Hey. Every time I come here you always find some excuse to shoo me away. But why is it every time Nadeshiko comes by you suddenly have all the time in the world for her? Huh? Huh? TELL ME!"

Syaoran looked emotionessly at her, then back at his laptop. "Well, you know, I do have to find time for my little sweetheart."

"DON'T SAY THAT!" screeched Manami. Several people turned around to look at her. Syaoran said, "Please go away. You're causing a scene, and I do have to do my work."

Manami flushed. "You realize talking to me like that could get you fired, right?"

"I doubt it. Mr. Kinomoto has known me longer than he has you, and besides, it's hard to find another foreign negotiator with as least half of my knack for languages. Not that I'm showing off."

"BAKA!" shouted Manami, and stomped out. Syaoran shrugged and returned to his work.

Meanwhile, on the street, Matsuo was lying on the sidewalk, beaten to a pulp, with:

1. a blackened eye
2. broken ribs
3. inability to move his fingers or toes
4. scars along his back
5. bruises on his stomach
6. nasty purple and green bruises on his legs
7. a gash on his arm
8. very sore knees
9. a bad headache

He groaned, rolling onto his side. Augh, I feel like shit. Crap, my head hurts so much...

"Harada-sama?" With his last remaining efforts, Matsuo looked up. There was Nadeshiko, dressed in her work clothes, briefcase in hand, her bright green eyes surveying him with dsibelief.

"What happened to you, Harada-sama?" she demanded. "Who did this to you?" She knelt down, attempting to straighten him up. He coughed heavily.

"Long story. I'd rather not say it."

"You look terrible! Why don't I get you to the hospital and we'll go from there..."

Within an hour, Matsuo was covered in bandages and casts, and resting in one of the rooms of a hospital. He felt a lot better, although his body still ached horribly from the men that had beaten him up.

Nadeshiko entered his room, smiling when she saw her former 'father'. "Kon'nichi-wa, Harada-sama," she greeted. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, fine - arigatou gozaimasu, Nadeshiko-san, if it weren't for you, I would have probably died."

"Oh, you don't have to thank me, Harada-sama, it's what anyone would do. After all, you raised me for half my life, I can't just leave you there." Harada-sama smiled grimly. Oh yes, I've raised you for half my life and you already think that you must somehow be nice. But no, I raised my OWN CHILD for ALL of her life, and she sends someone to beat me to a bloody mess.

"I've already paid your hospital fees," continued Nadeshiko. "You don't need to pay me back. Oh, and here." She stuffed all of the bills in her wallet into Matsuo's hand. "This is all the money I'm carrying right now, if you get better, call me at this number - " She gave him a slip of paper with Tomoyo's phone number scribbled on it, " - and I'll be sure to give you what you need."

Matsuo was shocked. Really shocked. He was touched, moved, surprised, and emotional all at the same time.

"Really, Nadeshiko-san, you don't need to. I have Makiko."

"If you had her, then why did you end up like this? It's all right, just call me when you need to, okay?" Nadeshiko flashed a smile at him. "I have to go now, Harada-sama, my friend will be expecting me home. Ja!"

"Ja, Nadeshiko-san. Domou arigatou gozaimasu."

"No problem." She left. Matsuo was left with his own thoughts. Nadeshiko isn't even my flesh and blood, yet she treats me better than Manami will ever treat me...I owe her something. I owe her...

Matsuo paused. Do I really owe her the truth?


"Any new information yet?"

"Iie, not yet, Mr. Kinomoto." Mr. Kinomoto sighed. He knew Korin was trying his hardest, but he couldn't wait to get rid of Manami and meet the real Kinomoto Sakura.

Korin's phone rang.

Embarrassed, Korin said, "Excuse me for a minute, will you, Mr. Kinomoto?" He nodded, and Korin quickly retreated outside of Mr. Kinomoto's study.

"Moshi moshi, Korin speaking."

"This is Korin?" said a raspy voice. "My name is Harada. I have information about this Kinomoto Sakura you're currently looking for."


CLIFFY:) I'm sorry, I just had to leave it hanging like that. But anyway, the next chapter will be coming soon. I hope. Well anyway, REVIEW! And stop asking me when they will finally find out, because HELLO, I KINDA JUST ANSWERED THAT QUESTION IN THIS CHAPTER!

But leave a nice little review. :D