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With Or Without You
Chapter Thirteen: Stealth

It had been almost a week since Ciria had threatened me and Eriol and Tomoyo had told me to give up Syaoran.

And I was in the best mood that I had ever been.

"What's up?" I asked, plopping myself beside Touya at the kitchen table, where he was looking over the morning newspaper.

He looked up, a frown evident on his handsome features. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." I smiled. "You've given me enough, thanks."

"I'm considering taking that ticket back." Touya said dully. "I'm not so sure I want that kid as a brother-in-law..."

I smirked idiotically to myself at the thought. "Well, I haven't won yet. So you're still safe."

Touya rolled his eyes. "I still want to go with you."

"No chance." I sighed. "This is something I need to do on my own."

"But you're only seventeen." Touya said, looking at me from under his bangs. "You shouldn't even be thinking about getting married yet!"

"So?" I smirked. "It's not like I'll get married right away."

"How do you know he's the one?" Touya asked.

I felt my cheeks flare. "I have my ways."

That was a good question though…

Why did I want Syaoran so badly? Was he really the one?

As far as I knew…yes.

I mean, I could feel it whenever I looked at him. And when we had been together, I had just known.

I was sure that he'd felt the same way…

Even if I did get Yelan's permission…there was also Syaoran. Would he be mad at me for going behind his back like that? Would he want to stay with Ciria?

God, I hoped not.

"What's up?" my dad asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

Touya and I, not wanting to be suspected of anything, quickly tried to look as if we weren't doing anything.

Seeing as, you know, my dad had no idea that I would be on a plane to Hong Kong in less than twenty-four hours.

And then I'd be back before my dad had a clue.

"So, all ready for your trip to Tokyo, dad?" Touya asked, trying to keep the subject off us.

My dad eyed us suspiciously, but just shrugged off whatever it was he was thinking. "All ready. I leave tomorrow night."

I choked on the breath that I was taking as he said that.

"You okay Sakura?" he asked.

"F-Fine." I managed to croak. "But dad, I thought you were leaving tonight?"

"My flight got changed." my dad shrugged. "Touya, you ready to leave?"

Touya nodded. "Yeah. Yukito will be here in an hour."

While my dad and Touya continued to talk about Touya and Yukito's trip, I was sitting there, staring blankly at the table, wondering what the hell I should do.

Call Tomoyo? No, she'd ask too many questions.

Call Eriol? No, he'd ask way too many questions.

Call Meilin? Ha, yeah right, the first thing she'd do would be to tell Tomoyo and Eriol where I was.

Call Syaoran? Hell no. Like he'd take me anywhere at the moment. Plus, I had to be stealth about all this, and he couldn't even know that I had been to the airport.

Ciria? Yeah right.

Touya and Yukito couldn't give me a ride because they were leaving…my dad couldn't because, well, he had to be at the airport, too…and he wasn't supposed to know I was leaving.

Damn it! How was I supposed to get a ride to the airport and get on the plane without my dad knowing and/or seeing me at the airport?

I was screwed.

There was only one person that I could think of that would drive me to the airport and keep it secret.

So, being as quiet as humanely possibly, I snuck away from the table and booked it up the stairs, up to my room.

I hopped on my bed, almost crushing Kero in the process, and picked up my cell, dialing the number.

"Hello?" I said, hearing the familiar voice on the other line. "Mrs. McKenzie?"

Yeah, I was asking my homeroom teacher for help.

What? She had always been there for me, and I would definitely be able to count on her to keep everything on the down low.

"This is. Is this Sakura?" she asked, her tone soft, as usual.

I smiled. "Yeah, this is Sakura. Listen…I need a little favor. Can you keep a secret?"

XxXxX

I sighed, lying in my bed later that night, staring up at my ceiling.

Touya and Yukito had left a few hours ago with only "don't do anything stupid" to say.

And so it was just me and my dad in the house.

Though, dad was sleeping…

I sighed, holding the plane ticket to Hong Kong above me. I couldn't see the writing in the dark, but I could see it's silhouette.

I was nervous, I admit it.

I mean…what if Yelan saw me and freaked out, and the next thing I knew I was in the Hong Kong jail? What if she hated me that much?

I was just about to set the ticket on the dresser and go to bed when I heard a tapping on my window.

I gasped and sat up, only to see that nothing was there.

"What the hell…" I frowned, placing the plane ticket safely in my drawer, then getting out of bed and walking to the window.

To say I was surprised by what I saw would be an understatement.

I groaned and pulled open the window, sticking my head out into the cold night air.

"Syaoran? What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed down to the chocolate-haired seventeen-year-old, standing beneath my window with a handful of pebbles. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Of course I do." Syaoran said. "But I needed to talk to you."

Oh God…did he know about my planned escape to Hong Kong?

Run Sakura run!

"Can I talk to you?" Syaoran asked.

I was about to say "No! Go to hell and let me sleep!" but I decided against it.

After all, he looked way too hot, standing there in the moonlight.

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll be right out."

Two minuets later, I was sitting outside on the porch with him, my arms wrapped around myself even though I was wearing a sweater. It was still cold out.

"So what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"What happened at Riley's." Syaoran sighed. "I have to apologize…I shouldn't have punched Kent…or said the things that I did."

"Whatever." I shrugged. "You were right, I don't really like Kent anyways."

"So you did take him to rub it in my face?" Syaoran gaped at me.

I smirked. "Well it worked didn't it?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes, smirking faintly. "You know, I've been thinking a lot lately..."

I fought back the urge to say something as childish as "Oh, did it hurt?".

"Really?" I said instead, my breath coming out in a puff in front of me. "About what?"

"What happened in Hong Kong," Syaoran said. "And…mostly you."

I felt my cheeks flare. Damn you! No flaring cheeks! No blushing aloud!

"Really…" I said softly, not daring to look him in the eye.

I could tell that he was looking at me, that he'd turned to me fully, but I refused to look at him.

Who knew what would happen if I did look at him?

Probably something that I didn't need happening at that moment.

"Sakura…what happened in Hong Kong…it shouldn't have happened." Syaoran said. "I want you to know that."

"I do know that."

"No, I need you to know." Syaoran said, and I suddenly felt him reach over and grip my hands tightly in his. "I need you to know that, if I wasn't bound to this, you'd be the one with the ring."

I felt my breath catch in my throat.

Tell me that now you asshole!

"Syaoran…" I managed to breath my voice coming out in barely a whisper.

I turned to him.

He smiled faintly at me. "I wish I'd never gone to Hong Kong."

Then he leaned forward and kissed me.

It was in that moment when his lips met mine that I knew.

Going to Hong Kong was the right thing to do.

The Next Day…Time to be Stealth

"Thanks again Mrs. McKenzie." I smiled, hopping into the black car that had parked a few doors down from my house, according to my commands.

"No problem Sakura." the red-haired woman smiled, hitting the gas as soon as I was buckled in. "But I still think that you need to let someone know where you're going. Beside, you'll be missing school."

"School I can catch up on, but this is something I have to do." I sighed. "Besides, you know I'm going, and so does Touya and Yukito."

"I meant someone like your father." she sighed.

I nodded. "I know. But I'll tell him once he gets back, I promise. Besides, I'm not even gone for two days."

"You're only seventeen..."

I shrugged. "We start young, don't we?"

She laughed faintly. "Yes. You're very young to be in love."

"I know…but still." I frowned. "It's not like I had a choice."

Mrs. McKenzie smiled. "That's true."

I had woken up early that morning and packed a quick bag with a few things and different changes of clothes. Then, just as my dad was about to leave for the airport, I'd told him that I would be at Tomoyo's, and then left.

After last night…I was pumped to go.

After Syaoran had kissed me, a lot, we'd sat there and talked pretty much the whole night, but I had made him leave when the first few cars started to drive by.

After all, if Ciria woke up and found him gone, she'd instantly know where he was.

Surprisingly enough, Syaoran didn't know about what Ciria had done. I had thought that Eriol would have told him.

We pulled up to the airport and Mrs. McKenzie parked in the five-minuet zone, then turned to me.

"Be safe Sakura."

"I will, you don't have to worry about me." I smiled warmly at her, grabbing my things from the back seat. "Thanks again for this!"

"It's not a problem." she smiled. "But if anything goes wrong, anything at all, I want you to call me, and I'll come for you."

"I will." I said. "But you don't have to worry. Hong Kong it's that dangerous of a place."

I was so not going to tell her that the first time I'd been there, I'd been drugged and almost raped.

If I had told her that, she wouldn't have let me get out of the car.

"Well, see you in two days." I smiled, opening the car door and stepping out, closing it behind me.

Just as I was walking towards the airport, I heard her shout after me.

"Sakura!"

I turned around. "Yeah?"

"Good luck!" Mrs. McKenzie grinned, giving me the thumbs-up. "Truly, good luck."

I don't know why, but tears sprung to my eyes then. "Thanks. Bye!"

Then I turned, and walked into the airport.

Hong Kong, here I come.

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