Thanks SO much for all your reviews!
NOTE!
Since this is a shorter chapter, I'm going to put in a sneak peek to an upcoming story of mine called "Pieces of My Memory". So, if you like Meg Cabot's series "The Mediator" you'll like this! It's a Mediator fic! YA!
SNEAK PEEK AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER!

Love of War
Chapter Sixteen: The Question

After two days of walking, Syaoran smiled, finally able to smell the fresh sea air.

"Oh it's wonderful!" Tomoyo giggled, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. "Finally, the ocean!"

"Look over here!" Sakura smiled, excited. She was sitting high in a nearby tree, her right arm extended, pointing to the sparkling ocean not too far ahead.

"How'd you get up there Kinomoto?" Eriol laughed, looking up at Sakura.

"I climbed, duh." She said. "Syaoran come see!"

Syaoran shrugged and walked up to the tree, leaping high into the air, landing from branch to branch until he was beside Sakura.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, steadying him on the branch. "Careful Li-kun."

Syaoran smirked.

Below them Tomoyo giggled. "Let's go Eriol, give them some alone time."

Eriol nodded, following Tomoyo into the trees.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Sakura smiled, gazing out at the sparkling water. "I miss the ocean. My father never let me go near it since…well, the island."

Syaoran nodded. "Yeah, up until a few weeks ago, I wasn't allowed near it either," He laughed. "My mother thought that it would swallow me up."

Sakura giggled. "She sounds nice, I can't wait to meet her."

Syaoran nodded. "You will. She'll like you, I bet."

"I hope so, for Tomoyo and my sake." Sakura said. They sat there in silence for a while, gazing out at the ocean a few miles away, the wind blowing the salty air into their faces.

"You know what?" Sakura said suddenly, causing Syaoran to turn to her.

"What?" He asked, his eyes fixed on the auburn-haired girl.

She didn't look at him, but a smile played across her lips. "I'm glad you kidnapped us Syaoran, really I am. Other than everyone I knew dying, including my father, I'm still glad. Because otherwise I would have never have got to see you again."

Syaoran nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, letting her relax into him. "I'm glad too. But…I'm still sorry, for everything."

Sakura shrugged. "It's war. Death is bound to happen." She smiled up at him. "But once your mother knows the truth, all we have to do is kill Doremi's leader, and everything will go back to the way it was."

Syaoran felt a blush creeping onto his cheeks, he took a deep breath. "Well…not everything."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I guess not everything."

"S-Sakura?" Syaoran said softly, his gaze down, embarrassed.

She looked up at him. "Yeah? What is it?"

"When we go to China…" He said slowly, making sure he got his wording right. "I mean, you aren't going to come back to Japan are you?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know yet. I may stay in China with you, or come back here to pick up what's left of the Kinomoto family. Why?"

"Well…I was wondering." Syaoran said, his face completely red now. He was glad that Sakura wasn't looking at him anymore, she'd gone back to resting on his shoulder, but was listening intently. "If…when all this is over. Would you…stay is China…with me, or here in Japan with me, as my….as my wife?"

He felt Sakura take a sharp breath and she sat up her eyes wide. "What?"

"Would you stay with me," Syaoran said, embarrassed. "Forever, as my wife?"

He was waiting for her to say "no" or "no way in hell" but she didn't.

There was silence.

He turned to her, only to see her emerald eyes brimming with tears.

"S-Sakura? Why are you crying?" Syaoran asked, confused. "If you don't want too, that's okay. Really it-"

He didn't get a chance to finish however, for Sakura had leaned forward and covered her mouth with his.

Her kiss was soft and warm and yet demanding. She wrapped her arms around his neck, he could feel her tears streaming down her cheeks.

She was the one to break the kiss, though Syaoran would rather she didn't.

"Yes." She smiled, leaning her forehead on his. "Yes, I will!"

He smiled, the biggest smile he'd ever given anyone. "R-Really? I mean, not now of course, we're still too young but once we're eighteen I'm sure we could. Are you sure? Because really-" He was rambling, he knew it, but he couldn't stop himself.

He was grateful when Sakura's lips met his again.

"I love you Syaoran."

"I love you too." he smiled.

XxXxX

Tomoyo shrieked with joy, hopping in place. "They're getting married!"

Eriol cupped his hand over her mouth so as not to alert Syaoran and Sakura of their ever-so watching presence.

So he finally built up the guts to ask huh? Eriol thought happily. Thank God, I thought he'd never say it. And Tomoyo and I didn't have to do a thing!

Tomoyo was bouncing still, even in Eriol's grasp, her eyes lit up with excitement.

When Eriol let go of her mouth, she went rambling on.

"I have to make dresses and flowers and cake! Oh cake! What kind of cake should I make? Though I really think that Sakura should make it because she's such a good cake maker but then again maybe we should get the sweet card to help or something I'm not sure!"

Eriol laughed and pushed his finger over her lips. "Shh Tomoyo my sweet, or you won't hear what I have to say."

She stopped talking, as suddenly as if someone had pushed the "off" button. "Yes?"

Eriol smirked and got to one knee, holding Tomoyo's hands gently in his.

Tomoyo gasped, a grin breaking out across her pretty face.

"Tomoyo," Eriol said. "When we get-"

"YES!" Tomoyo shrieked, wrapping her arms around his neck, the two tumbling to the ground.

She kissed him. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Eriol laughed, hugging her waist tightly. "Well, that was easy."

Tomoyo grinned. "Of course it was! I knew you were going to ask."

"Oh really? For how long?"

"Since the day I met you." Tomoyo smiled innocently, kissing him lightly.

"Awe isn't this sweet!" A voice said, startling Tomoyo and Eriol off each other.

XxXxX

"Syaoran!" Syaoran heard Eriol's shouting from below them.

Syaoran sighed and broke Sakura and his kiss, looking down at the blue-haired boy. "What?"

"It's the guards!" Eriol shouted up at him, a grin on his face, his cheeks slightly red. "They've come to take us home!"

Sakura smiled. "You mean we're going now? Right now to China?"

Syaoran nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Yep. Hold on."

With a swift move he'd jumped out of the tree, landing gently on the ground, Sakura tightly in his arms bridal-style.

"Where are they?" Sakura asked as Syaoran let her go, her feet hitting the solid ground.

"They're over there, with Tomoyo." Eriol smirked. "She's measuring them all up, saying she wants to make them new uniforms"

Sakura laughed and rushed off to where Tomoyo was, standing in a small group of men dressed in dark green uniforms. "That's Tomoyo."

Eriol turned to Syaoran, the smirk still planted on his face. "So."

Syaoran glared at him, though not seriously. "You two were listening the whole time, weren't you?"

"But of course." Eriol grinned. "But you're not alone in that one"

"Congratulations." Syaoran smiled, patting Eriol on the back. "So, when are we leaving port?"

"Soon," Eriol replied, walking with his friend towards the group ahead. Sakura and Tomoyo were giggling madly to each other. "Once the sun sets we'll be in China my friend"

Syaoran sighed with relief. "It'll be good to go back home, I guess"

"Yeah," Eriol agreed. "Though as soon as we get there"

"It'll be all about the war." Syaoran said.

"What about your sisters and your mom?" Eriol asked. "Are you going to tell them about you and Sakura?"

Syaoran nodded. "Even if my mother doesn't believe our story, she can't say no to my fiancé, right?"

Eriol chuckled, nodding shortly. "You always were a smart ass. But I'm more worried about what your sisters will do to Sakura, not to mention Tomoyo."

Syaoran ran his hand through his messy hair. "Yeah, I guess. They're going to be in for a surprise."

"Yeah, no doubt." Eriol laughed as they approached the group. "I don't think Sakura and Tomoyo will expect your sisters to be like that."

Syaoran frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" But Eriol had already started to talk to one of the guards. "Hey! Hirazagwa!"

Okay! Sorry once again it was a bit shorter!

For all you Mediator fans, here's a sneak peek of my newest upcoming fic!

SUMMARY--What if Paul had suceeded in his plan to get rid of Jesse and have Suze all for himself? What happens when Suze can no longer remember her Spanish lover? Many things, actually

"I like it like this." Jesse said, lying back on the shingled roof just outside my bedroom window, his hands resting comfortably behind his head.

I was sitting beside him, gazing out at the night sky, a cool salty breeze tugging at my hair. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "You know, just like this. Just the two of us, like old times."

I have to admit that this kind of caught me off guard, and I felt something rise in my throat.

I turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Suze! Suze!" Cee Cee cried, her voice frantic. "Suze wake up!"

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself gazing up into Cee Cee's worried gaze.

"What's up Cee?" I asked, sitting up groggily, resting my hand on my forehead. "Ugh…what happened? Why am I on the ground?"

"You passed out." Cee Cee said, sounding relieved. "Thank God your okay. You were sitting there one second, and the next you were on the ground, totally out of it!"

"Glad I scared you." I grinned.

"What happened? Why did you pass out?"

"I don't…know." I breathed, going over what I had just seen. Jesse…we were on the roof…that night, it seemed so familiar to me. "But I saw something..."

Startled, Cee Cee looked around us, as if expecting to see something jump out of the bushes. "Saw what? Where?"

"Not here." I said dreamily. "In my head. Jesse..."

"Who in the world is Jesse?" Cee Cee asked.

I turned and looked up at the moon. "That's what I'd like to know."

--Well, that's the sneak peek for you!
Sneak peek to the sequel to "With You" COMING SOON!