So here's the chapter you really have all been waiting. Enjoy!

Administrative stuff

Summary: Li Syaoran must return to Kinomoto Kingdom with the remains of his fiancée after her tragic demise. But a marriage is still required to unite the two families, and now Syaoran has his pick of the six remaining daughters of Kinomoto Fujitaka for the sake of both their kingdoms. Romance/Mystery

Ages:
Li Syaoran: 23 yrs
Kinomoto Sakura: 21 yrs
Kinomoto Tomoyo: 20 yrs
Kinomoto Ayame: 18 yrs (dec)

Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura.

It's Only Love – This Betrayal

"You slept with my sister!" Sakura exclaimed, the words coming out in a harsh whisper.

"No," Syaoran replied quickly. "Sakura, I would never . . . you know I would never . . ."

"I don't know what I know," she responded coolly. "Up until a minute ago I knew I had one niece, and I knew she was in Kita. She even has a name, now that I think about it."

"Sakura-san," Eriol replied, "if you just come with us, you'll see the truth for yourself."

"Fine," Sakura replied, "I'll see my niece, but I need to get ready first, so if you don't mind . . ."

Eriol nodded and left the room, but Syaoran remained rooted to his spot on the edge of their bed. "I'd like some privacy," she suggested tightly.

"It's nothing I haven't seen," he challenged, the refusal implied.

"Something Ayame and I have in common then," she answered dryly.

Syaoran frowned, but willed himself to stay calm rather than turning this into a screaming match. "Sakura, I never slept with your sister," he promised, taking her hand in his own. His voice was laced with desperation and his golden eyes looked pleadingly into her own.

She froze, his sincerity breaking down her defences. Her anger subsided a little, only to be replaced by a sense of sadness and betrayal. She pulled her hand away, using her now free hand to wipe away the tears that were collecting in her eyes. "I really want to believe you, Syaoran," she told him, a sob catching in her throat, "but what else am I supposed to think?"

He sighed, seating himself beside her at a comfortable distance. "I suppose I'd think the same if I was in your position, but I swear that the child isn't mine," he told her. "Your sister was pregnant before she came here.

"I would never do that, Sakura," he said meaningfully. "I mean, for starters I couldn't even stand her. She was just so . . ."

"Fake?" Sakura suggested when Syaoran failed to find the word himself. He nodded, looking at her in surprise. "Tomoyo often said the same," she explained, sniffing conspicuously. "Her and Ayame never got along, I guess because Tomoyo could always see through her.

"Continue," she prompted.

A brief smile flicked on his lips, and he did as she told. "Well, secondly, we weren't married," he continued. "It would be inappropriate even if we were engaged.

"And finally," he said slowly, risking taking her hand in his once again. She didn't pull away this time and so he took that as a sign of encouragement. "Even if we were married, being with her would be a betrayal because . . . I love you, Sakura, and only you. You are the only person I ever want to be with."

Sakura gasped at his words, her eyes searching his for a sign of a lie, but there was nothing there – nothing in them but love. Suddenly everything made sense. This was the piece she was missing. He loved her, and he had given up everything for her happiness, only to find out later it was all a lie. Ayame had done it all for her own survival, and nothing else.

Suddenly she understood why he would say such nice things to her and why he had kept pushing at the start of their marriage despite her cool rebuff. She suddenly understood why so much of the decor seemed to be to her tastes, and why Syaoran had a dress made for her despite her absence from his life. She suddenly understood why it had been so easy for Ayame to trick him into their engagement - he had been heartbroken when Ayame told him 'the truth', and yet he would do absolutely anything to secure her happiness including marrying someone he didn't love.

"Your sister died in child birth," he lied, giving one last piece of information to complete the picture. "In spite of how I felt about her, I promised your sister I would never let your father know the truth. I tried to tell you, but . . ."

She nodded silently as she digested it all. "I believe you, Syaoran," she told him quietly.

He sighed with relief, pulling her gently into his arms. "I really wish this had come under easier circumstances," he said softly. "I really did try to lose the other day."

"You know I love you," she said quietly, listening for the low murmur of assent. She paused to enjoy the moment and everything that it meant, until Syaoran's words raised a red flag in her mind. "Wait," she said, pulling away from him, "I knew you were going easy on me," she cried, slapping her hand into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he smiled at her, gently caressing her face, "but you're just not good at cards, Sakura, and nothing is going to change that.

"Now come on," he said pulling her from the bed and towards the wardrobe. "We have to go see her."

Sakura dressed quickly, and moments later she was on her way to the other side of the castle. As they got close to the room, the sounds of an infant's wail drifted from inside.

"Is she okay?" Sakura asked worriedly, concern on her features.

"I'm not sure," Syaoran replied. "Feimei has been caring for her with the help of a wet nurse. She usually only calls me when she's having difficulty putting her to sleep."

"Syaoran," Feimei said, exiting the room as she heard her brother's voice outside. She started when she saw Sakura, gasping loudly.

"She knows," Eriol said simply. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Feimei replied, leading them back into the room, "and I can't get a doctor to see her until morning."

"Have you checked her ears?" Sakura suggested cautiously, looking shy when three pairs of eyes turned to look at her. "Yumiko had some problems with her ears when she was born, and Otou-san said Tomoyo and Naoko had the same problem."

Feimei nodded thoughtfully before using an old Li family remedy to check the baby's ears for any problems. "They're enflamed," she confirmed. "I think I have a solution somewhere that might help."

"Feimei-neechan?" Sakura asked quietly. "C-can I . . . I mean, do you mind if I hold her?"

Feimei nodded, happy to hand off the child to her true relative. Sakura took her gently, studying the features of her little niece and quickly understanding what Eriol had been trying to say earlier. She could see Ayame in her – in her green eyes and dark hair – but there was no Syaoran in her. It was clear that Syaoran had told her the truth, and she was glad that she had already made up her mind to believe him.

"She looks like my mother," she cooed softly, rubbing comforting circles into the babies back to quiet her tears. Although she continued to cry, the baby's sobs softened as she became distracted by the novelty of another person in her small circle of companions.

"What about her father?" Sakura asked suddenly, glancing up at the two monarchs for comment. "Does he know about her?"

"Your sister said it was a dead soldier," Syaoran replied.

"But we're pretty sure that was a lie," Eriol added, earning himself a stern look from Syaoran who had wanted to leave it that. "I think I know who the father is," Eriol continued, "but I doubt he'll want anything to do with her. Ayame-san left a poor impression on him."

"She tends to do that to people," Syaoran muttered lowly.

"So have you all just been calling her 'it' for the last two months?" Sakura asked, finding it quite absurd to have a baby without a name.

"Your turn," Eriol said, flicking his hand at Syaoran. Eriol had wanted to name her Anna in an oblique reference to her father's profession and the circumstances under which Odamaki and Ayame had met, but Syaoran had been dead against it.

Syaoran flushed awkwardly as he tried to put his thoughts into words. "I didn't think it was right any of us naming her when we have no ties to her," he told her nervously. "I was hoping you would name her, Sakura."

Sakura looked at him gently, her heart warmed by his words. "You really have been trying to tell me this, haven't you?" she smiled at him, stepping close to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I think we should name her after my mother," she said as she stepped back. "I think Ayame would have liked that."

"Ayame would have liked what?" Feimei asked as she returned with a small vial.

"Her name," Sakura said, turning to face Feimei. "Nadeshiko."

Feimei nodded, taking the newly name Nadeshiko in her arms so that she could apply her medicine. "I think it's the perfect name," she smiled, watching as Sakura gravitated towards Syaoran's open arms. Relief filled the room as a certain ease rested over them.

It seemed that Ayame's spectre had finally left them, and things would finally be right for Sakura and Syaoran.

Several days later

Gensou Hiro considered his wife the most confusing specimen of the female species. She was astute and shrewd, a fierce fighter and strategist, and a firm, but reasonable ruler. She was exceptionally beautiful, the slight impurity in her lineage enhancing the notable features of the Li line – pin straight black hair traded for wavy caramel locks that perfectly complimented her cat like, onyx eyes. She was the perfect mother and wife; the perfect combination of submissiveness and dominance.

In all these respects, Gensou considered his wife to exceed all other women, and yet despite the keen intellect he knew she held, there were times when her wondered about her. Times like this when she sat babbling beside him about god knows what like an excited teenager - the astute, intelligent, powerful woman he had come to love seemingly non-existent.

There were some things that just turned his otherwise perfect wife into a ditzy bubble of air. He wished he could just tell her to be quiet and let him enjoy his meal in peace, but at the same time, he did not wish to incur the consequences of saying so. Xiefa's skill in martial arts surpassed even his own and he caught himself wondering if maybe he should have married into a family that didn't train their daughters quiet so well.

'What was she taking about again?' he wondered to himself, knowing she was coming towards the end of her babbling session and would expect some indication that he had been listening the whole time. 'Something about Li's birthday I think.'

He inclined himself more towards his wife, tuning in to the conversation she had been having with herself for the last twenty minutes.

"- and ototo-chan's wife is sooo cute. She –"

"Your brother married?" he asked, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. Gensou had hoped that Syaoran would remain the eternal bachelor, thus making his own sons the next in line to rule of Minami. With Syaoran married, an heir would soon be on its way – the boy would always do his duty.

"When did this happen?" he cautioned, almost certain that this was the first time that she had mentioned Syaoran having a wife. He didn't want to risk Xiefa's wrath if he was wrong.

Lucky for him, the talk of Syaoran and his wife had put her in an impossibly good mood. "I told you just before," she replied brightly. "They were married nearly a month ago. Eri-kun said it was love at first sight."

"I'm sure," Gensou snorted. "For her sake, I hope your brother is treating her kindly."

"Hiro," Xiefa admonished, "don't be mean. Syaoran is perfectly behaved to his wife. He was acting impossibly sweet the whole time we were there. In fact," she continued pointedly, "I even think I envy Syaoran's little wife – it's not like my husband brings me flowers every morning."

"That's because your husband has no need to," Gensou replied, lifting her hand to his lips in a warm, appeasing gesture. "I am assured enough in your affections, Xiefa, that I do not need to buy your love every morning, and you are assured enough in mine, that you do not need them."

He 'tsked' aloud, shaking his head at the thought. "I never would have picked your brother as one for such . . . ostentatious," he said derisively, "displays of affection."

"It is not 'ostentatious'," Xiefa argued, eyes flashing dangerously. He should have known better by now than to say anything against his wife's precious baby brother. "It's sweet and I think it's absolutely adorable that little brother would go to so much effort just to keep his wife happy. He'd do almost anything just to please her."

Gensou half-snorted at the words. "Sounds like far more effort than she's worth," he said tiredly. "Perhaps if he married better he'd have a wife with less demanding requirements for happiness. A true aristocrat would never ask for such a display."

Xiefa rolled her eyes huffily. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she intoned angrily. "He doesn't bring her flowers because she asks him to, he does it because he loves her and because he loves to see her smile.

"And if you'd been listening to a single word I'd been saying for the past half hour," she continued, lifting her skirts as she stood, "you'd know that Sakura-chan is a true aristocrat and that it would be impossible to consider a better match for Syaoran than Sakura-chan. She is not some power hungry, wanna-be royal. She is a Kinomoto princess and the named heir of the Amamiya's. And brother loves her very dearly so I will not take you saying such things about her, Hiro."

She turned quickly on her heel, long skirts whipping around behind her as she stalked out of the room. His first reaction was dismay at having got his wife so angry, but as Xiefa's words sunk in, dismay turned to anger, anger turned to outrage, and outrage to seething vengeance.

"That sneaky Li brat," he muttered aloud, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Tan, get my carriage," he called to a nearby servant. "It seems that I have to pay my brother-in-law a little visit."

~ to be continued ~

Past the climax now, so it's just a matter of tying up all those pesky loose ends.

Next chapter: Gensou visits Syaoran. Last chapter before Epilogue.

Note:

Gensou Hiro: Despite being a bit of a prick, Gensou is more power hungry than evil. He's a touch displeased at Syaoran for ruining his plans of total world domination. In fact, Gensou probably would have been better off if Syaoran had married Ayame because then there'd be no heirs and Gensou would have scored himself a kingdom by association. I'm sure many are going to question why Syaoran would let his sister marry such a prick and there are two very good reasons: (1) it's an arranged marriage; and (2) the marriage occurred during Syaoran's father's reign. And even though Gensou is awful, he does love Xiefa so you've got to give him that, right? It's like his one redeeming feature. I even kinda like him a little in the scene with Xiefa.