A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and hits to my story. I'm so proud of this story so far (hopefully I don't ruin it). Anyway, I apologise once again for the last chapter, when I read it over I really didn't like how I did it. I'll try harder this chapter!

DISCLAIMER: Borrowing and owning are two completely different things. I am merely borrowing the characters of Card Captor Sakura whereas CLAMP owns the characters of (and the storyline and everything else to do with) Card Captor Sakura. So you see? I have no claim on it and therefore you can't sue me! Ha! I love when I beat the system. Oh and I also don't own anything to do with 'Phantom of the Opera'.

Please read the note and postscript at the end of this chapter

Onward ho!!

Syaoran had once again been outsmarted. The blue haired man was probably happily escorting Sakura to Hong Kong by now while he sat here on said girl's couch staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Not that he cared much about being outsmarted. Or even about Sakura being in Eriol's clutches. His mind was vacant of thought except for one sentence that was continuously replayed,

"You're not the only one who's lost something."

How could he forget. He had been so caught up in his own problems he completely overlooked the fact that Eriol had been affected as well. Despite his hatred for the bespectacled man, they had formed a unique friendship, if one could call it that. He was ashamed of himself, to say the least, and he knew his mother would also be ashamed. It was the first time he'd ever felt so unsure about his actions, so hesitant about what he was supposed to do. He wasn't too sure anymore if he wanted to continue with this task but he knew he had to. If not for himself or the elders, then for what's left of Eriol's sanity.

With his resolve strengthened, he removed himself from the couch and made his way to the door in hopes of finding Sakura, however as he reached for the door handle, the plank of wood swung forward. He stepped back stunned a little and looked up to find Sakura staring peculiarly at him.

"How did you get in here, Syaoran?" Sakura asked suspiciously. She was glad that this man was going to leave, then strange occurrences like this wouldn't happen.

"You gave me a key, remember?" He said sheepishly and scratched his head.

"No I didn't." She resolutely replied. She definitely hadn't done that. She stepped into the house and waited for Tomoyo who was still walking up the pathway.

"Yeah, see?" He responded and pulled a key out of his back pocket identical to the one in Sakura's hand.

Sakura grabbed the key, insepected it and finally said, "Well you may have a copy but that's still not going to let you into my house. I have several doors remember?" She looked at him with a smirk. She had him there.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes. He certainly didn't need this right now. First he was defeated once again by his rival and now he had no way out of this mess without confessing everything, and he definitely didn't intend on admitting anything until at least the next three phases.

"Hey Syaoran, funny seeing you here, did Sakura-chan tell you the good news yet?" Tomoyo stepped through the threshold holding the plant they had received from Eriol, disrupting the conversation. Sakura blinked and turned to Tomoyo who had a bright smile plastered on her face. She was annoyed, he didn't have any way out! But she couldn't be upset with Tomoyo, she didn't know about all the strange occurrences that Sakura so desperately wanted answers to.

"Good news?" Syaoran questioned and looked from Tomoyo to Sakura.

"Yep! Sakura-chan met up with a friend of hers while we were walking and he gave us this plant. It's the life-saving plant that you need! Sakura-chan told me all about your poor dying mother, I was so happy that we could help you out by finding the plant for you!" Tomoyo answered and handed Syaoran the small plant in her hand. Sakura scoffed. Help him out sure, but what she really wanted was for him to leave. He knew too much about everything and he was way to smug about knowing everything.

Syaoran slowly reached out and took the plant from her. "Wow...I guess this means that I can go back...to my mother." He said with his eyes widened slightly in shock. He didn't see this coming.

"Yup! You can go back to where was it? Hong Kong? And you can save your mother! It was nice knowing you Syaoran, I hope we meet again someday, I'll come visit you, alright? There's absolutely no need for you to leave your mother again to come here." Sakura rambled happily as she gently pushed Syaoran out of her house, after which she firmly shut the door. She turned to Tomoyo who still had a bright smile and said, "So as I was saying, we should really try to solve this case."

Tomoyo nodded and they agreed that after a quick bite to eat, they would leave for the JTPS since all the evidence was there.

Meanwhile, outside the door Syaoran stood wide-eyed and mouth pressed into a thin line thinking, 'Now, I have no choice but to go back or else she'll get suspicious, but I can't leave or you won't have anyone to stop whatever heinous plan you may be thinking of. I see now, you weren't trying to reach Sakura first, you wanted to get me out of the picture.'

"Two more robberies." The voice of Namikawa boomed in the small conference room as he paced in front of the four faces staring back at him.

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" Sakura bellowed. She along with Tomoyo, Tatsu and Yumi were the four present at the meeting. "It is my case after all."

"Yes well, you were out all of today so I had no opportunity to tell you, besides which, they only occurred early this morning." Namikawa responded calmly. Sakura silently fumed. She still couldn't forgive her boss for giving her a partner again, no matter how much she liked Tomoyo, she couldn't get Shimura out of her mind. He had ruined teamwork for her.

Namikawa's gaze softened a little seeing Sakura's obvious torment. She was like the daughter he never had. But he knew, no matter how much she may not like having a partner again, it was good for her. She needed to move on and maybe giving her a partner would help her. He cleared his throat and continued with his speech, "All the stores robbed were jewellery stores and the articles taken were not worth more than five hundred dollars. These thieves obviously did not want the jewels, or the money since they didn't take more than one hundred from the cash register either. So I believe they were targeting the eight store owners: Noa Shingo, Hatori Tachi, Naoko Yanagisawa, Kei Hiko, Otome Midou, Ginto Masao, Oji Kyosuke and Genta Ayami. However, what I don't know is why them." he said as he pointed at each store owner's face on the screen behind him.

Tomoyo giggled slightly as she finished writing in her notepad. "Something funny Miss Daidouji?" Namikawa asked as the rest of the occupants turned to look at the girl. "It's nothing sir, I was just noting how the first letters of the first names of the store owners when rearranged spell 'gong honk'" Sakura couldn't help but crack a smile at the girl, she was definitely a cryptologist, that was sure.

"Daidouji! I think you're on to something there." Namikawa exclaimed, "Miss Tenji, what possibilities do you get with their last names?" He said referring to Yumi.

Yumi wrote down the letters and after some scribbling she said, "The only real words are 'Mask Myth'"

Sakura had also been scribbling, "Hong Kong!" She shouted, "You get Hong Kong from the letters of their first names as well."

"Excellent you two!" Namikawa said. "Do you believe there's anything worth investigating in these anagrams?"

Tatsu's eyes lit up, "Well, sir, I read that there was a museum exhibit opening in London on 'The Phantom of the Opera' who was said to be a masked myth."

"And Hong Kong is in China so maybe either of these places is where the thieves are originally from or that's where their main base is located." Yumi continued.

Sakura's eyes narrowed, Syaoran was from Hong Kong, and Eriol was originally from England.

"Well, I'll have to send two groups to both places," He stated.

"Tatsu and I can go to London," Yumi suggested adding that she had family there so it was easy.

"Ok, so Sakura and Tomoyo, you will go to Hong Kong and Yumi and Tatsu, you will go to England. Report any activity similar to what occurred here and we'll solve this case in no time. Be ready to leave by Wednesday morning (A/N: Remember it's still Monday)." Namikawa announced and left the other four to discuss their courses of action. It was agreed that the group going to London will stake out the opening of the exhibit and look for any faces similar to those in the photos and videos. However, the group going to Hong Kong were at a loss as to where to start looking. Hong Kong was a big city, after all.

Meanwhile, Syaoran had finished packing and had asked Meiling to send a jet to fly him home. She was disappointed to hear about Eriol's devious twists but she assured her distraught cousin that everything would work out the way they originally planned, since Eriol said himself that he was merely speeding things up not changing the plan completely.

On his way to the airport, Syaoran sat thinking of a new plan to contest Eriol's however, he was distracted by the shrill ring of his cellphone, "Hello?" He asked.

"Hello Syaoran." Eriol's voice spoke.

"Speak of the devil." Syaoran said gritting his teeth.

"Oh were you talking about me? You know, talking to yourself is considered insanity." Eriol said smugly and Syaoran could just picture the arrogant look on the speaker's face.

"How did you know I was alone..wait, nevermind. What do you want Hiiragizawa?"

"No need to be harsh Syaoran, I got you home early didn't I?" Eriol's voice overflowing with sweetness.

"Early, yes, but without a certain green-eyed girl." Syaoran didn't bother to hide the resentment in his voice. Eriol had tricked him.

"Don't worry about that, she'll be in Hong Kong by Wednesday, I have my people working on it." Eriol stated pleased with himself.

"By Wednesday, huh?" Syaoran's frustration grew. This man needed to decided whose side he was on. "Well then, I guess I'll have everyone over in Hong Kong prepare for her arrival. Hopefully she'll figure out-"

"She's smart Syaoran. She'll figure that much out, and even if she doesn't, don't you and your people have a back up plan for that?" The blue-haired man cut him off and asked rhetorically. "So, do you have anything to say to me?" he continued.

"Don't push it Hiiragizawa." Syaoran said and ended the call. Hiiragizawa sure knew how to manipulate people. He made a mental note not to get on his bad side. He checked his watch and noted that he would be boarding the plane soon so he might as well enjoy his remaining minutes. He tucked his cellphone back in his pocket and picked up his Aloe Vera plant, he couldn't very well leave it to die.

On the other end, Eriol chuckled as he heard the click that signalled Syaoran had hung up. 'I guess that's as much thanks as I'm going to get from him.' he thought and turned his attention back to the window overlooking his garden. Now all he had to do was sit back and watch the show, oh and make that one brief appearance, but he would see about that later.

Tuesday morning dawned a bit too early for Sakura's liking. She had stayed up late Monday night researching Hong Kong and all the possible places that they could start investigating but she came up with nothing. She bought several guide books but none of them showed her anything that she thought was linked to the robberies. So she resigned three o'clock that morning to her now empty house to get some well-deserved rest. However, she was not allowed this luxury as the sunlight shone through her window and lingered on her face preventing her from continuing her slumber. Why didn't she close her stupid curtains. She lazily sat herself up and glanced around her room. For some reason she felt nostalgic looking at all her belongings, as if she were looking at it for the last time before a really long trip. Well, it was a long trip, who knew when she might be back; maybe if there was suspicious activity in London, but then she'd have to fly there. She sighed deeply and tried to push the thought out of her mind while at the same time deciding to pack everything of even a little value to her.

She stretched her limbs and finally got up from her bed, taking a deep breath. Sakura, despite being unable to think of somewhere to start the investigation in Hong Kong, felt unusually happy this morning. Maybe it was because Syaoran wasn't there, or maybe because they made a breakthrough in the case, or maybe the thrill of travelling somewhere, or maybe just the sunny morning that she had the pleasure of getting up to. She shrugged and made her way to the bathroom to prepare for the long day ahead of her.

Showers have a way of relaxing one so much that one's mind indulges in a never-ending train of thought of unimportant events or images. So it was with this particular shower that Sakura was having that morning. Her mind skipped from topic to topic until it landed on a newspaper article she had read a couple days before. It was a biography about the young and the rich in Japan. She had found it interesting, most of those millionaires and billionaires were her age. Oh what she would give to be that rich. Then she could fuel her own search for her brother. But, alas, she was not and those rich young people had worked for their money (or at least most of them had). There were a few heirs and heiresses but most were entrepeneurs. There was one in particular who was most interesting. One girl, she was an heiress to some toy company but she had also made a name for herself as a famous fashion designer, but Sakura wasn't much into brand names so of course she had never heard of the girl before...what was her name? Dadodge? Doudigi? Something like that. This thought lead her on to thinking of her new partner. The mysterious Tomoyo Daidouji...Daidouji? She thought that was the name of the girl in the article. She would ask Tomoyo if she had a relative in the fashion industry when she saw her later. A multitude of other thoughts bombarded her mind afterward, which she soon forgot about as she stepped out of the shower. What was the sense in retaining such knowledge in her field of work?

It was almost midday and Syaoran jogged solemnly down the road from his apartment in Hong Kong. His flight the day before had him in China by ten that night, so he didn't have a chance to visit his mother, and now he decided was as good a time than any to see her. He bought some flowers and hugged the Aloe Vera plant he had brought with him and set off, the plant was given to him in the knowledge it would be given to his mother so he might as well abide with it.

He opened the creaky gate and walked along until he saw her. "Hello Mother," he said softly, "I'm back. I brought you these and Sakura sent you this plant, Meiling made her believe that it would save you from your illness. Funny huh?" He continued and laid the two items he brought in front of the slab of stone, "If she only knew that you couldn't be saved from what plagued you." He knelt down on the grass and lightly traced his fingers over the words engraved in the stone. No one could have saved her, not even him, and though he knew that, he still blamed himself for what happened. If only he had been there. 'You would have gotten killed too,' a little voice in his head said to him. He had had many internal battles over this but no matter what his brain said, his heart still felt heavy with guilt.

He sat down near the stone and gazed over the field of grass before him to what used to be his home. He couldn't bear to live there after his mother died so he rented himself an apartment a little while away from here, and paid the maids and gardeners to maintain the mansion so his sisters could stay there when they visited. He could have moved into his mansion in Japan but he didn't want to leave the rest of his family here so he just had it as a vacation house (as if he ever got vacation). He had a non-stop role managing both the Li Clan and his business, no wonder he was so exhausted. He enjoyed these moments where he could just leave everything behind and stare out over his childhood home, on this little hill. It was his spot. That was why he chose to bury his mother here. She always had a calming aura about her, despite the initial rigidness that one would feel, so her presence here made him tune out from his busy schedule.

A shrill ringing disturbed his thoughts. "Not even five minutes alone..." he muttered to himself. He really needed to turn his cellphone off sometimes, but he wouldn't. He couldn't, too many people needed to contact him and he couldn't just deny them, no matter how much it was costing him energy-wise.

"Syaoran?" He heard his cousin's worried voice on the other end.

"What is it Meiling?" He asked, concern barely hidden in his tone.

"Did you know that Sakura's arriving in Hong Kong tomorrow?" She questioned.

"Yes, I was about to come and inform you. I was just visiting mother." He replied.

"Oh sorry, I'll let everyone know not to disturb you. Take your time, we still have an entire day to get things organised." She responded, her voice soft.

"No it's okay, I'll be there in less than ten minutes, we have a lot to take care of." He hung up after saying this for fear of Meiling arguing with his choice. His mother would always be here, but Sakura wasn't always going to be in Hong Kong, so he need to get it right on this one and only chance. He stood up and after whispering a goodbye and a promise of return to his mother, he set off down the street.

Sakura stared at the items on her bed, she had no solution to her present dilemna; which shirt to wear to travel? She sighed deeply and decided she'd come back to that later. For now she'd just make sure she packed all her other necessities to last her a couple weeks, if she needed anything more, she figured she could just buy in Hong Kong. As she stood in her living room around half two that afternoon, trying to decide if she needed anything in there, she heard her doorbell. She checked the camera she had installed and saw that it was Tomoyo. She quickly opened the doors and allowed Tomoyo to rest her stuff on the living room coffee table.

"Sakura-chan!! I was rummaging through my closet and I saw this absolutely cute outfit that I made and I thought you'd look so adorable wearing it when we go to Hong Kong tomorrow!" Tomoyo practically yelled as she searched through the bag she had brought with her. She pulled out a three-quarter sleeved pink shirt with cherry blossom prints along the hem and an ankle length deep blue jeans with vine patterns running up the seams.

Sakura stepped back a little to admire the outfit and she had to admit, if Tomoyo had made it, she definitely had skill. She was then reminded of her previous thoughts in the shower, "Hey, Tomoyo, do you have a relative in the fashion industry?" she asked taking the outfit from Tomoyo's outstretched hands.

"No Sakura-chan, as far as I know I'm the only member of my family interested in fashion. Everyone else is busy trying get a claim on my mom's toy company, " She admitted while foraging again in the bag before continuing, "Look, I even made myself a matching outfit so we could look like twins! Except for the 'identical features' thing." She happily concluded, showing off her own outfit that was purple instead of pink.

Sakura was shocked, if what Tomoyo was saying was true then she was the millionaire heiress that she had read about. But if she was, then why was she working as a cryptologist, it definitely wouldn't be for the money, but although Sakura wasn't rich she wasn't working for money either, though it was a plus. This girl was very enigmatic, and yet Sakura felt drawn to her. And though she hated to admit it, she also felt drawn to Syaoran and Eriol as well. As if they were all connected in some way to each other that she just didn't know. She shrugged it off, some people were just compatible.

For the rest of the afternoon, Tomoyo assisted Sakura in packing her things since Tomoyo had finished long before. Tomoyo admitted that she had travelled often so she had a knack for packing after doing it so many times. So, under the expert supervision of Tomoyo, Sakura was done packing by five o'clock. She thanked Tomoyo and after having dinner together, they parted in order to rest up for there early flight the next morning. They agreed they would meet at the airport at four the next morning to check in together for their five o'clock flight. Sakura went to bed by eight and ensured that she set her alarm to wake her up. She surprisingly got up very chipper for that early hour, maybe it was just nerves, she had only travelled once before and she still wasn't too sure about going hundreds of miles above the sea in an aluminium can.

She took a bath and dressed in the outfit Tomoyo had brought, it sure beat trying to decide what to wear. She grabbed her bags agfter a quick breakfast and headed out of her almost empty house to the airport but surprisingly, waiting outside in front of her house was a black limo. The window was rolled down and there was Tomoyo's cheery face smiling at her. So she really was rich. Sakura's face broke into a smile, it was something she couldn't help but do around Tomoyo, and after placing her bags in the trunk, she crawled in with Tomoyo and fully enjoyed the ride to the airport.

When they arrived, there weren't many lines, it was after all a Wednesday morning, so they checked in fairly quickly and waited patiently with the thirty or so other people for the plane to take them to China. Sakura had brought along all the handbooks she had about Hong Kong to read, it was a five hour flight, so she got a head start on some of the sites that she could possibly visit before anything suspicious occurred.

When they were finally on the plan and high up in the sky, Sakura started to notice a trend in all of her tourist booklets. They all constantly advertised the stores of Hong Kong's famous markets. Sakura's mind flicked back to what Namikawa was saying on Monday afternoon. All the stores robbed were jewellery stores. Maybe there was a trend because they were trying to send another message? First Hong Kong and now this? She wasn't sure but she would definitely tell Tomoyo, when they landed, about her inference and, she unconsciously decided, they would have to investigate all the jewellery stores they came across in Hong Kong.

To be continued...
Done! Longest chapter yet...and I have a feeling that the next chapter will be even longer, it's the conclusion of everything for this arc. All your questions will be answered, like, "What's the point of this story?" Or "I wonder what Syaoran planning in Hong Kong?" I can tell you that it's nothing romantic (although I wish I could incorporate romance in this story). And I'm sorry for killing off Sakura's father and Syaoran's mother...I felt horrible writing those parts. And I'm terribly sorry for the other characters that I'll be killing in the next chapter, but it's all part of the reason of why all of this is happening.

I was reading over my earlier chapters and I barely remember writing them. To think this story started off with Sakura taking a visit to the bookstore to get a puzzle book. Now look where it's reached. Oh well, thanks so much once again for all the support that my reviewers have been giving me and all the feedback. I honestly feel that with this story, my writing skills have definitely improved.

Anyways on to a less exciting NOTE, I'm really going to have to ask you readers to give me an extension on the deadline for the next chapter since I have mock exams and I really want to concentrate on that. I'll still be writing the chapter just not as fervently as with this chapter. You can check the status of the progress in my profile. At least give me a month and a half before you start expecting the next chapter because that's how long my mocks last and unless I get sudden bursts of inspiration that I can't ignore, then that's the length of time you will have to wait for another chapter. So thanks in advance for your patience with me and your continuing support. Til next chapter,

- INVU4URAQT

PS: I really want to know your thoughts on this chapter and what you guys think is gonna happen in the next chapter (just so I could see if I'm as obvious as I think I am). So I would appreciate it if in your review (which I know you're going to leave) you would put the above criteria as well as what you have to say about anything else. Thanks!