The kitchen smelt of sugar and cake, the scent of a fresh strawberry pie wafting up Sakura's nose. It had been a spur of the moment decision to make. She had already made some cakes and biscuits for when Seila and Asuka were coming. She wasn't even sure what had prompted the idea of the strawberry pie in the first place. All she knew was that she really wanted strawberry pie.

Syaoran was busy at work as usual, and he wouldn't be home until after dinner-again. But even though she hated it, Sakura knew his job was important, so she didn't complain. A knock on the door got Sakura's attention and she looked over to see a maid.

Sakura smiled, "Yes?"

"You have visitors by the names of Seila and Asuka, my lady. Shall I let them in?"

"Yes-take them to the lounge. I'll be there shortly."

The maid bowed and then left the kitchen to do as she was asked, while Sakura organised a plate of biscuits and cake slices. Then, with a soft sigh, she picked up the plates and then headed towards the lounge.

Seila and Asuka were both staring around the lounge with awe when Sakura walked in. Seila was the first to speak.

"I'm envious of your home. It's beautiful."

"And it's huge!" Asuka added.

Sakura smiled awkwardly as she settled the plates down on the coffee table.

"Thank you."

"Our homes are nothing compared to this. You rich people must have it easy." Asuka sighed.

"Syaoran doesn't." Sakura murmured as she sat down, "He's constantly working, both his job as a doctor and his job as a lord."

Asuka looked a bit awkward in her seat, her cheeks flushed pink. "Sorry-I guess I jumped to conclusions."

Sakura shook her head. "We are lucky, though. We do have it easier in terms of work and fortune. We never have to worry about if we're able to eat or buy the things we need."

"You sound a little sad." Seila said.

Sakura blinked with surprise. "Oh-sorry."

"Don't apologise." Seila laughed.

"Did you make these, Sakura? They smell incredible." Asuka said as she reached over and picked up a biscuit.

"Yes," Sakura blushed, "I hope you like them."

Asuka bit into the biscuit and a smile spread across her face. "They taste great!"

"Really? I want to try one." Seila picked up a biscuit and like Asuka, smiled in delight.

"These are good."

Sakura blushed, "Thank you."

"You must be a great cook." Seila said.

Sakura shook her head quickly. "I'm not that great at all-I still make an absolute mess in the kitchen and I burn almost everything."

Asuka and Seila stared at her.

"These aren't burnt." Asuka pointed out.

"W-well... no, they aren't." Sakura mumbled.

Seila laughed. "You are way too hard on yourself!"

"How is that funny?" Asuka muttered.

"Syaoran and my sister say the same thing." Sakura murmured.

"Maybe you should try believing what others say when they tell you something is good." Seila said.

Sakura looked a bit awkward in her seat, unsure of what to say or how to reply. Seeing that she was uncomfortable, Seila changed the subject.

"Are you hoping to have a boy or a girl?"

"I'm hoping to have a girl," Asuka sighed. "I grew up with enough men as a child."

"What about your mother?" Sakura asked.

"She died giving birth to my little brother." Asuka replied. "I practically raised him."

"That must have been really rough." Seila said.

Asuka shrugged. "I suppose so."

"I don't care what I have. They'll still be the most precious thing to me." Seila sighed happily. "What about you?"

Sakura smiled. "A boy, hopefully."

"Cute." Seila smiled.

"We're actually hoping to have two children-not at the same time of course, but eventually." Sakura confessed.

"I'd like a few years between my children. Not that that matters to my husband." Asuka muttered.

"I used to go to protests for women's rights before I got married." Sakura confessed with a grin.

Seila's and Asuka's eyes widened. "Wow-seriously!?"

Sakura nodded.

"Wait-does Lord Li know about this?"

"He does." Sakura replied, "He doesn't like the idea of me going because I could get hurt."

"Is that the real reason though? My husband would kill me if I went to one of those things." Seila gasped.

"Syaoran doesn't ask me not to do something unless he's concerned for my wellbeing. This was after I told him that I once got knocked in the head and ended up with a concussion at one protest."

"Wow."

"That's one of the things I love about him."

"My husband loves me, but he'd get so angry if I went to a protest." Seila sighed. "If there's one thing we can get into a fight about, it's politics."

"Do you fight a lot?" Sakura asked.

Seila shook her head. "We have this silent agreement not to talk about politics."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sakura murmured.

Seila shrugged, "It is what it is."

"I hate that saying." Asuka sighed.

"Anyway," Seila cleared her throat, "Do you and your husband get to spend a lot of time together despite his job?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, we do. He likes to spend most of his free time in my presence if we're both doing something, like reading or in my case, sewing."

"Oh! I'm working on baby clothes at the moment." Asuka piped up.

"I've been working on a blanket." Sakura said. "I'm nearly finished."

Asuka smiled, "I haven't really been doing much." She said, "I haven't even thought about clothes or blankets."

Sakura reached over and picked up a slice of cake to put on her plate and started eating it. The three of them continued to chat about what they were working on for their children or what they were avoiding, allowing time to slip past them easily. With a small gasp, Seila looked at the clock sitting on top of the fire place.

"Oh dear, my husband won't be pleased if I don't make dinner on time." She said.

Asuka groaned. "They should learn to make it themselves. Lazy bastards."

"You're lucky they can't hear you." Seila laughed.

Sakura stood with them, a smile forming on her lips. "Thank you so much for coming."

"It was our pleasure. I'm glad we got to know each other a bit better." Asuka said, "You don't seem like the typical lady."

Sakura blinked. Was she meant to be flattered or insulted?

Seeing her expression, Seila laughed. "I'm sorry-I mean that you're very kind to everyone regardless of your status."

Sakura blushed. "Oh,"

"Shall we meet again the same time next week?" Asuka asked.

"Sure," Sakura smiled.

"Great!" Seila cheered.

With a smile still on her face, Sakura led them to the front door, seeing them off. After they had left, Sakura closed the door and sighed softly.

...

Syaoran arrived home late that night. He hung his coat up on the hook by the door and headed for the stairs, knowing that Sakura would likely be in bed or sitting in the lounge. He'd had a long day. He had to perform three surgeries and then he had to compile findings from his research and check on his patients in amongst all of that. So, he was completely exhausted.

Syaoran chose to check the lounge first, but found it was empty, so he headed to the bedroom where he found Sakura sitting in bed, reading.

"You're up late."

"And you're home late." Sakura retorted, looking up with amusement.

Syaoran looked worried. "You weren't waiting for me, were you?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, I'm just having trouble sleeping, so I thought maybe reading would help."

Syaoran relaxed. "Is it helping?" he asked as he moved to get changed.

"Not really." Sakura sighed.

Syaoran walked over to the bed and slid in beside her. Sakura closed her book and put it on her bedside table before moving to lie down beside him.

"How was your day?" he asked as he slid his arm over her waist.

"It was good. I baked some biscuits and cakes to share with Seila and Asuka. I also may have made a chocolate cake..." she trailed off.

"Are you spoiling me?" he asked with amusement.

"You always spoil me, so I thought I should do the same." Sakura replied.

Syaoran could only smile at her words. "Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura smiled in response.

"How did your get together go today?" Syaoran then asked.

"I think it went well. We talked about if we wanted our children to be a boy or girl, and what we've been up to with our daily lives." Sakura said.

Syaoran raised his brow in interest. "And what are you hoping we have?"

"What?"

"Our child-are you hoping it will be a boy or a girl?" he elaborated.

She furrowed her brow. "A boy."

Syaoran paused for a minute. He wondered if that was because in the early stages of their relationship, he had stated that he needed a son. He really regretted that.

"And no, it's not because of anything to do with you needing an heir." Sakura added as she watched his expression.

He was quiet for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Very." Sakura smiled. "Ultimately, it doesn't matter if we have a boy or a girl-I'll still love them regardless."

Syaoran smiled. "So will I."

Sakura started to feel her eyelids grow heavy and he noticed.

"Sleep well." He murmured as he nuzzled her hair.

Sakura's mind was too foggy to reply. Instead, she drifted off to sleep in Syaoran's arms, feeling safe and content.

…

With the weather cooling down came the beginning of autumn weather. Red and orange autumn leaves covered the footpaths and roads, and in Sakura's case, they covered the green lawns of the backyard too. She watched them fall from where she sat on the veranda, sketching on her canvas. Syaoran sat on the other side of the table with a hot cup of coffee and the newspaper. Sakura made a small noise of irritation as she sketched. Syaoran glances up briefly.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's nothing really. Just a small mistake." Sakura murmured.

"Okay." Syaoran replied and went back to reading his paper.

Sakura continued with her sketch for a few more moments until she became fed up with drawing and put the canvas on the table with a frustrated sigh. Syaoran eyed her for a minute and then he set his mug down along with his paper.

"We haven't gone out in a while." He said. "Why don't we go out this afternoon?"

Sakura blinked with surprise. "Sure, that sounds really nice."

He smiled warmly. "We should treasure the time we have alone while we still can."

Sakura rested her hand on her abdomen. She wasn't sure she would ever get used to the feeling of being pregnant.

"I guess we should... after all, time does fly."

Syaoran laughed softly. "Yes, it does indeed."

"So," Sakura smiled, "Where are we going?"

Syaoran hummed in thought. "Where haven't we been in a while...?"

"Oh! What about the bakery?" Sakura piped up.

"Why not some place nicer?" Syaoran objected.

Sakura groaned. "Okay...the tea house?"

Syaoran laughed. "You really love that place, huh."

"I can't help it. They make really great cakes and their tea is incredible."

"We've been going there a lot, recently." Syaoran murmured.

"You mean me." Sakura laughed.

"Yes, you." He corrected himself.

"Well...we haven't been out for dinner in a while." Sakura said quietly.

Syaoran felt himself smile at her unspoken suggestion. "Alright, then let's go out for dinner."

The last time Sakura had sat in this restaurant with Syaoran, her evening had been ruined by Sid's pestering. But now, Sid was nowhere to be seen and she was alone with Syaoran. She had a glass of water sitting beside her, as did Syaoran. He had chosen not to have wine-he didn't really feel like it, or so he had told Sakura when she asked him.

"Will you be meeting up with Miss Seila and Asuka again this week?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura nodded, "They'll be coming over on Thursday. I was thinking about making some sandwiches for afternoon tea."

Syaoran smiled. "You seem to be feeling a lot more confident with your cooking." He said. "I'm proud."

Sakura blushed. "I guess I am feeling a lot better about it..."

The waiter returned with their meals, setting them down on the table, and then left them to eat in peace.

Syaoran smiled, "That's great, Sakura."

Sakura smiled back. "Thank you Syaoran. You've always given me so much support-thank you for that."

"And I'll keep giving you support when you need it for the rest of my life."

Sakura blushed profusely and took a bite of her pasta, unable to respond to his words with words of her own.

When they had finished their meal, the couple chose to return home. Thanks to the earlier arrivals of many guests for a function, they had to walk further than usual to get to their carriage.

Sakura shivered against the cold and Syaoran pulled her close in response, rubbing his hand up her arm in a vain attempt to warm her up. They could hear the sound of a carriage drawing closer from up ahead.

"What-" Syaoran started.

"Get off the road!" Sakura shouted and leapt forward, evading Syaoran's grasp as she ran towards the children in the path of the carriage that was unable to slow fast enough.

Adrenaline pulsed through Syaoran's veins as he managed to grasp Sakura just in time to pull her out of the way, switching positions as he managed to push the child over to Sakura. However, he couldn't move in time. Sakura screamed, and blood spilled over the road, painting it crimson.

Syaoran struggled to breathe. He could hear Sakura calling his name, but her voice sounded so far away. Everything was starting to feel cold, his body numb but also screaming in agony.

Sakura cried hysterically as she sat beside him, unable to do anything to help him.

"Syaoran! Syaoran please!" she cried.

"What's going on?"

Sakura looked up to see Sid stepping out of the carriage. His eyes widened when he spotted what had happened.

"Sid, please, you have to save him!" Sakura screamed.

Sid was stunned for a moment. He stared at the hysterical woman, wondering if he should help.

"Sid, I'm begging you!"

He snapped out of his stupor. He was still a doctor and he had a duty to look after anyone who was in need.

"We need to get this man to hospital immediately! My Lady, I need your help to stop the bleeding." Sid shrugged his jacket off and started looking for the worst wounds. Syaoran was losing a lot of blood quickly which was alarming.

Sakura followed Sid's instructions numbly. Worse was that Syaoran had gotten hit because of her. She watched as Syaoran was rushed into the carriage and rushed off to hospital, but then suddenly her surroundings felt far away and her head rang. She didn't even register that she was falling, her vision blacking out.

Sakura woke surrounded by white walls and medical equipment. Her memory was hazy as she was unable to recall why she was in hospital.

"Sakura honey? Are you okay?"

Sakura turned her head to see Tomoyo sitting at her bedside looking relieved.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"You fainted last night at the accident." Tomoyo explained.

Panic engulfed Sakura. "Wait-! Syaoran-Is he okay?"

Tomoyo smiled gently, "Careful now, you have a baby to consider, remember?"

Sakura's hand flew to her abdomen and she breathed a sigh of relief.

The door opened, and the familiar face of Yamazaki appeared. He smiled, "It's good to see you awake. You'll be relieved to know that the baby is fine."

Sakura nodded. "What about Syaoran?"

"He's in the ICU at the moment."

"I-is he okay?" Sakura's voice trembled.

Tomoyo squeezed Sakura's hand comfortingly.

"Well, he's not quite out of the woods yet, I'm afraid." Yamazaki answered. "He's lost a lot of blood, and his injuries will take some time to heal..."

"I want to see him." Sakura said.

"Hang on honey, you've only just woken up and any added stress is not good for you." Tomoyo said, "Don't push yourself."

"But-"

"I promise you can see him once you've had doctor Yamazaki look at you."

Sakura sighed reluctantly. "Alright."

"Wonderful!" Yamazaki said.

It felt as though her examination would never end until Yamazaki finally told her she was okay to leave her room, but she was to stay another night at the hospital just in case. She walked quickly down the hall to the intensive care unit, hurrying to the room Yamazaki had said he would be in.

Sakura came to a stop outside the room and reached out to open the door with a shaking hand. Gently, she opened the door and stepped inside. In the bed lay Syaoran, surrounded by complicated machinery she didn't understand, making the site much more alarming than it might to someone who knew what the machinery was.

"Syao..."

She walked over to his bedside and sat down, holding his hand between both of hers. He was so cold.

"Sakura?" Tomoyo spoke her name quietly.

"It's all my fault." Sakura whispered. "I moved without thinking when I saw that child in danger."

Tomoyo placed a comforting hand on her back. "Sakura, it's not your fault. You were acting on instinct."

Sakura was silent. Tomoyo was right, but she had still put herself in danger which had ultimately led to Syaoran ending up in hospital. There was nothing she could do about it, except wait.

Wait, until he woke.

Whoops, my hand slipped. :p i'm guessing this story will be roughly thirty chapters. I've been fidgeting a bit with chapters 24 and 25. 24 will be up in about three days.

review?