Disclaimer: The author does not own Card Captor Sakura or anything affiliated with it. She only has rights to the plot of the story and its AU characters.

Summary: Famous fashion designer and Daidouji Toy Company heiress, Daidouji Tomoyo, has just been dumped by her actor ex-boyfriend. What’s worst, he called Tomoyo an emotional abuser in front of millions of Japanese people. To soften the blow to her reputation, Tomoyo’s best friend, Kinomoto Sakura, hatched a plan for Tomoyo to appear in a new reality show “Are You The One?” and hoped that the former would make a great comeback out of it. All seemed fine at the beginning, but trouble ensues when Sakura catches Li Syaoran, the bachelor of the show’s attention instead. To make matters complicated, Sakura’s resistance against his charms also deteriorate over the course of the show. Will she finally succumb to the passion that Li’s kisses promise or will she stay true to her friend who has been with her since childhood?

Chapter 13: One Step Forward; Two Steps Back

Sakura didn’t know how much time had passed but when she awoke next, she found herself in an unfamiliar, white room. Where on earth was she, and what was going on? Why did her body feel so numb and heavy, like it had just been run over by a truck? Hadn’t she just been with Syaoran? She was just speaking to him. He was standing right there, in front of her. Now, where did he go? Was it all just a dream? What was that light blinding her?

These questions rushed to her all at the same time and her head felt like splitting in half. The throbbing…. Oh, It was unbearable. She wanted it to stop so very badly. Make it stop…

Sakura groaned. Her in a panic was not helping the situation. She must calm down!

Disoriented as she was, she tried to search for some answers herself. She could hear the faint beeping sounds of a machine sitting nearby and her finger seemed to be connected to it, as well as her entire hand. Something had also been stuck to her face and she was finding it very hard to breathe. She needed to take whatever it was off…

“Oh my God, Sakura!” Tomoyo’s voice called out to her. Her familiar and tender face swam into her double line of vision.

Sakura tried to say something but the oxygen mask was making it difficult for her to speak. Instead, she let out a small whimper, which frightened Tomoyo a little.

“Are you in pain?” she asked worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

Sakura barely shook her head to the side though she mustered up enough strength to say, “Off… face…”

Tomoyo quickly realized what her friend wanted and she complied without any hesitation. Once the mask was taken off, Sakura gasped in a fruitful of air.

“It’s okay. You’re going to be fine,” Tomoyo assured her. “You’re in the hospital. Thank heavens.”

The hospital? Why?

“What… h-happened?” Sakura asked in her weakened state. Things were slowly coming back to her like the fact that Keiko locked her up in a cabin and there was this giant snowstorm outside. Then, Syaoran appeared out of nowhere like a determined angel that he was. “Where… where’s… Li?”

“Shhh,” Tomoyo shushed her. “Don’t talk, you’re only straining yourself. Syaoran-san is fine. He was just here moments ago but he left to deal with some things.”

“How… did I… get here?”

Tomoyo stroked her head as she smiled in relief. Sakura had been comatose for almost a week and she was just happy to see her awake.

“Syaoran-san managed to let us know of you’re location in the woods. Unfortunately, you were out in the cold for far too long and you were already suffering from moderate hypothermia. By the time the rescue team found the both of you, you were consciousness.” Tomoyo sighed. “I-I was so scared when I heard that they needed to bring you in the hospital quickly. I mean, Syaoran-san found you and I thought the nightmare was over. We thought it was going to be okay but we never realized how grave the situation was until then.”

Sakura glanced at her friend in confusion. She recalled being back in the cabin with Syaoran where he tried to re-warm her body and it seemed to have worked because she felt fine for a while. What could have possibly caused her condition to worsen then?

She then remembered herself feeling dizzy and cold all of a sudden. Her body perspiring and her heart was beating so fast that she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. And her eyes… They felt so heavy and she wanted to close them…

After that, everything had turned black.

“The doctor said that your arm had an open wound that was infected.” Tomoyo continued on. “It was the cut you that got from breaking out of the cabin. Under the normal circumstances, the wound wouldn’t have affected you so much but then you’ve been exposed to hypothermia and your body lost quite a bit of oxygen. Your immune system started to break down. It allowed for the infection spread into your blood and you went into septic shock.”

Tomoyo’s face crumpled as she tried her hardest to hold back the tears that were forming around her eyes. These events already happened and Kami-sama, thank goodness it was over. However, what had transpired still unsettled Tomoyo to the core. Sakura had been very close to death’s door, and she didn’t even realize it. It was extremely lucky that she had been recovered just in time. She didn’t know what she would have done had she lost her dearest friend.

“They had to perform an emergency surgery to drain the infection out of you. It was a fifty-fifty chance and oh God, it was horrible. We couldn’t do anything except pray that the treatment works,” she finally broke down.

Sakura reached out and patted Tomoyo’s arm. She was fine; there was no need to worry any longer.

“How long… was I… gone… for?” she asked in a parched voice.

“Six days,” Tomoyo replied with a sniffle. “It was hell. We thought you were never going to wake up. Syaoran-san even threatened to sue the doctor if something went wrong.”

Sakura felt her throat painfully constricting at the mention of Syaoran’s name and a flash of his face wearing a pained expression crossed her mind.

“I… I thought I didn’t make it in time. I thought I was too late. And it was at that moment that I realized just how weak I truly was.”

“He… was… here?” Sakura asked feebly.

Tomoyo nodded.

“Everyday. Never left your side much. He’s been waiting for you to wake up as well,” she replied.

“I… see…”

Everything was beginning to blur again. Sakura wanted to ask so many more questions about what else she had missed but it was already taking a great deal of effort to keep her eyes open. She was feeling more exhausted by the minute.

“It was my fault that you almost died. I brought this mess on you and I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” Sakura heard Tomoyo say.

In response, Sakura squeezed Tomoyo’s hand.

“No… You weren’t the one… who… did... anything wrong,” Sakura said before she descended into a sea of darkness once again.

For the next few days, Sakura’s room was kept extremely busy. Tomoyo remained by her side for the most part but she received many other visitors as well ranging from friends, acquaintances, to representatives of Studio 24, and also by the nurses and doctors who gave her routine check-ups. It was never quiet, and she was hardly left alone. The only time that she had to herself was when she slept at night and no outsiders were allowed in the hospital. But Sakura didn’t mind in the least. She was profoundly touched.

Some of the guests even brought her presents. She accepted this cute Get-Well card from Chiharu’s son Daisuke (it had a drawing of his own Power Rangers fighting against an evil snow monster), a bouquet of her favourite cherry blossoms from Rika (she absolutely loved them), and an extremely large fruit basket from Studio 24 (Sakura didn’t really think much of this last gift; especially after learning about Tomoyo’s spat with director of “Are You The One?”). It was great. It showed her that a lot of people cared.

Still…

There was only one tiny thing that could dampen her mood and that was…

Li Syaoran…

Sakura wanted to see him so that she could personally thank him for everything he’s done. She heard that after she went missing, he had been resolute in finding her, even going against the advice of those around him. Tomoyo told her that Syaoran wouldn’t allow for the show to continue unless she was brought back in one piece. Then, after he braved through the snowstorm, rescued Sakura, and brought her into the nearest hospital, he made sure that she received the best medical attention possible. Apparently, the doctors deemed her a hopeless case but Syaoran refused to take no for an answer. He flew in several of the top surgeons from all over the country just to cure her. How’s that for heroic!

But the question remained; where was this chivalrous man? He seemed to have stopped coming to hospital after she regained consciousness.

‘Is he avoiding me?’

Sakura sighed.

Well, she wouldn’t be surprised if he were. Not after the way she way she treated him.

“I am well aware that I don’t know you that well… That we’ve just met a month ago… But you must have noticed… You must have! That there is something between us… An attraction of some sort… And I –”

There were many things that she was still hazy about. However, Syaoran’s confession was not one of them. That piece ironically was preserved intact as well as what her reaction had been on that fateful night.

“No… this is wrong. You’re wrong.”

When Syaoran admitted to having some sort of feelings toward her, she recalled throwing them back at his face. Oh how cruel she must have been to do such a thing! Here was a man who risked his life for her own and in return, she rejected him! If memory served her correctly, it actually ended up with Syaoran apologizing for putting her in such a difficult situation.

“I’m sorry for putting you in such an awkward position. Please forget everything I said.”

‘I’m a horrible person,’ Sakura berated herself inwardly.

In her defense, she was still slightly delirious at the time and it wasn’t like she was prepared for it. What on earth possessed him to say those words? Did he imagine it would be funny to spring this on her?

Syaoran could have any girl in this world. He had the looks, the charm, the fame, the money, everything… Instead, he tells Sakura that he chose her! Her, of all people! She wasn’t even interesting nor was she exceptionally pretty! In fact she was a very clumsy person, she would sometimes say the most inappropriate things (usually on the most inappropriate occasions), she could never walk straight, her nails were atrocious from constantly biting them, and she had this awful habit of stuttering when she was nervous. And she was poor, damn it! So why in Kami-sama’s name would he like her?

“It’s ridiculous.” Sakura muttered.

“Sorry?” Tomoyo turned to her with a quizzical brow.

Sakura shook her head and responded that it was nothing.

Tomoyo… Lovely Tomoyo… Her oldest and most valued friend… She was the other part of problem.

Since she came back, Sakura had been struggling with herself on whether or not she should tell her friend about all this. The invisible rulebook stated that no secrets must exist between them and therefore, she should be totally honest with Tomoyo. However… Something was making her hesitate. A part of Sakura knew that revealing this particular piece of information would only hurt her friend. Was it worth causing an unnecessary tension on their relationship? It’s not as though Li Syaoran and herself would commit to some adulterous affair. The thought itself was impossible!

So there should be nothing to it. Nothing at all…

“Sakura-chan,” Tomoyo’s voice broke her from her reverie, “- there’s some people here to see you.”

Sakura gazed at the door and found (to her delight) Li Mei Ling and (to her disbelief) Hiiragizawa Eriol standing there.

“Err, hello?” she greeted them; her eyes widened in surprise.

Mei Ling was the first to approach her while Eriol reluctantly lagged behind. Sakura couldn’t care less though if he stayed out.

“This is for you,” Mei Ling said as she handed Sakura a large bouquet of yellow roses.

“You didn’t have to,” Sakura sniffed the fragrant smell, “- but thank you.”

Mei Ling shook her head.

“No, no. You deserve the flowers. Think of it as a form of congratulations for surviving the most horrible experience of your life,” she said in such a cheery voice.

Sakura sweatdropped.

“O-Okay.”

“How’s the arm and leg doing?” Mei Ling pointed to both parts that have been wrapped up in bandages.

“They’re fine. The doctor said my leg would take six weeks to heal.” Sakura replied.

Mei Ling made a face.

“And I guess you’ll have to wear a cast then,” she surmised. “I had one when I was fifteen. It was such a hassle! When the plaster came off, it felt so weird. Actually, it looked more disgusting than weird! My toes were all wrinkled and they looked like little prunes.”

Sakura merely smiled at her story. Her broken leg had been the least of her problems. Right now, she was just happy to be alive.

“So when will you be discharged?” Mei Ling asked as she made herself comfortable on the chair nearby. Eriol, on the other hand, remained a short distance away from the bed.

“This Friday, if everything goes according to plan.” Sakura said.

“That’s great! You’re able to watch the taping of the next episode then!” Mei Ling exclaimed. “You are bringing her to set, right Daidouji-san?”

Sakura was about to respond but Tomoyo beat her to the punch.

“No! Absolutely not!” Tomoyo cried in outrage.

Mei Ling looked taken aback by the young woman’s outburst.

“I beg your pardon?”

Tomoyo crossed her arms defensively across her chest.

“I won’t subject Sakura to any more danger with Kitazawa Keiko around. That woman is a menace to society,” she paused for a bit and then continued on. “And after everything that’s happened, I honestly don’t think I can be part of the show either.”

Mei Ling shot Eriol an anxious glance while the other looked rather unsettled with this piece of news. They were afraid it was going to come down to this.

“You can’t be serious, Daidouji-san,” Mei Ling said. The show had already been put on hold because of the incident in Hokkaido. If Tomoyo abrupty left, it would not only be devastating to the Studio but also for Li Corporation. She was a fan-favourite from all the girls, and it was no wonder as she did have the most on-screen time with Syaoran. Losing her would only cause speculation and inadvertently, some negative media attention to her cousin as well. That potential damage was something they could not afford. “I beg you to reconsider.”

Tomoyo noted the plea in Mei Ling’s tone but she refused to budge. She had made up her mind.

“Kitazawa almost killed Sakura because of me. I can’t just be in front of the camera and pretend to be civil with her,” Tomoyo said. “That woman is a lunatic! I don’t understand why or even how someone like her got onto the show in the first place!”

“Yes, that was our mistake,” Mei Ling sighed. “We should have screened our bachelorettes better and we take full responsibility for Kitazawa-san’s actions.”

“Well, somebody has to!” Tomoyo glared at both Mei Ling and Eriol accusingly. If they did their jobs properly then this entire debacle could have been prevented. “So, what’s going to happen to her after this?”

The pair seemed hesitant but Eriol decided to answer her anyway.

“Tomoyo-chan, you have to understand. Kitazawa Keiko is an influential woman. If we do anything drastic against her, she’ll surely bring her father into this. Even though she was at fault, it would be unwise to drag a Diet member into this mess,” he explained first.

Tomoyo raised her eyebrow at his vague statement.

“And?” Tomoyo prodded on.

Eriol exhaled loudly.

“She’s been kicked off the show but to avoid any scandal, it would seem as though she voluntarily quit instead,” he responded in a low voice.

Tomoyo’s jaw dropped.

“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to do?! That woman is dangerous! Sakura almost died because of her! And what does she get? Nothing more than a slap on the wrist!” Tomoyo eyed them incredulously. “This! This is unacceptable!”

“I understand why you would be upset Tomoyo-chan, but think about it. Kitazawa-san’s father is quite a powerful man and he’ll surely defend his daughter,” Eriol tried to appease her. “As opposed to Kinomoto-san, their family has a lot of money. Be reasonable. If you fight this, you will only bring a tremendous amount of stress on your friend.”

“Demo (But) –“ Tomoyo tried to say but this time, Sakura cut her off.

“It’s fine, Tomoyo,” she muttered.

“Sakura-chan!”

“It’s fine.” Sakura repeated more firmly. “So long as I don’t ever see her again, it should be fine.”

Tomoyo sighed in frustration. “How could you be so forgiving at a time like this?”

“I’m not,” Sakura replied and Tomoyo saw that even she looked displeased with the outcome. “But they’re absolutely right. I can’t fight Kitazawa. I’ll lose.”

“You can’t say that! You’re the victim and you deserve justice!”

Sakura played with the IV that was stuck to her hand. She usually wasn’t the type of person to give up without a fight and a part of her did want Kitazawa to pay for what she did. But what choice did she have in the matter? She didn’t have the resources to pay for a good lawyer and even if she had, she still wouldn’t want to go to court. Kitazawa was a widely recognized name. The case against her would be highly publicized. Sakura did not want to take the chance of having her life bared out in the open.

“Since she’s off the show, I don’t think you should quit Tomoyo,” Sakura said.

She knew that her friend had already formed a connection with Li Syaoran and she saw how happy she was when he was around. Sakura owed it to her to be supportive. It was the least she could do.

“But…”

“Please?” Mei Ling implored her to stay.

Tomoyo sighed and she raised her hands in defeat.

“Oh all right,” she said.

From where he stood, Eriol was regarding Sakura suspiciously. He couldn’t believe how easily she had convinced Tomoyo to stay. What was she playing at?

“Tomoyo-chan, I was wondering if I might speak with Kinomoto-san in private?” Eriol asked.

“Whatever for?” Tomoyo inquired rather protectively. She had been like this since Sakura’s near-death experience.

”Just simple business. Nothing to worry about.” Eriol promised her.

Sakura had a feeling that whatever Eriol wanted to talk about with her, it had more to do Li Syaoran than the show itself. Even though Eriol never treated her nicely in the past, she still wanted to know how Syaoran was doing and what better way to hear it than from someone actually close to him.

“I’m okay with it,” she said.

“See? She’s – what?” Tomoyo turned to Sakura sharply.

Sakura, in response, gave her friend a reassuring glance.

“It’s alright,” she told her friend with a smile.

“Are you sure?” Tomoyo asked, uncertain of what to do. “I-I can stay if you like.”

Sakura shook her head. She doubted that Eriol would like Tomoyo to be in the presence of what he needed to say.

“I’m sure you have a great deal of things to do. Why don’t you take care of them?”

Tomoyo still did not seem comfortable with the request but for Sakura’s sake, she relented.

“Fine. We’ll be in the cafeteria,” her friend said and then to Eriol, “The doctor said she needed to take it easy. I trust that you can keep your word on that?”

“Hai. (Yes),” Eriol replied.

Mei Ling waved a peace sign and winked at Sakura before following Tomoyo out the door.

“See you later, Sakura-chan!” she said.

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“Let’s get this over with,” Sakura told Eriol once they were alone.

Eriol examined the room she was in. It came as no surprise that the reporters haven’t flocked Sakura yet. The Kitazawa situation had been placed under tight wraps by getting everyone present in Hokkaido to sign a confidentiality agreement. If anyone decided to speak to the press, they could face a series of charges. Sakura, on the other hand, had been safely secured into the most private location of the hospital. Nobody would bother her here.

“How are you finding your accommodations so far?” he asked.

Sakura looked at him, confused by his odd politeness. The last time she’d seen him, he attempted to bribe her in Syaoran’s dressing room. What changed?

“It’s better than expected.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said. “You know, this wing is actually named after the Li family. You should be receiving the best treatments here.”

“The Li Wing?” Sakura choked out, feeling flabbergasted.

She hadn’t realized that Syaoran had put her in room a reserved for his family only. It was no wonder that the place seemed awfully luxurious for a regular hospital room. She didn’t even want to think about how much it would cost just to stay here. Chances are, she wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Eriol regarded Sakura behind his glasses before turning away to adjust the blinds on the window.

“Why would you do so much for me?” Sakura asked from behind him.

Eriol raised his brow as he slowly turned to face her. And here he thought she was a smart girl.

“Isn’t the answer obvious, Kinomoto-san? I thought someone like yourself would understand the circumstances perfectly.” Eriol said.

“Circumstances?” Sakura echoed. The complicated surgery, the nice doctors, the comfortable room, the bouquet of flowers… Finally, it dawned on her what the man was trying to say. “Are the Li’s trying to buy my silence?”

“Oh, no, no. We don’t need to do that at all. Studio 24 secured the chalet strictly for the bachelorettes so we are in no way responsible for what had happened to you up in Hokkaido.”

“So then why do all this?” Sakura eyed him testily. “Is it to bury me with debt then?”

Eriol laughed, though it sounded rather hollow in Sakura’s ears.

”Well?” Sakura was still bewildered by the extravagance that the Li family had showered her with, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that this was never about her and suddenly she felt very, very stupid. It was all starting to add together! Oh, how foolish of her to believe that this was all because of Syaoran’s good deed! She thought that the man honestly cared about her condition when all this time, he probably just wanted Sakura to keep quiet about the rejection he faced in Hokkaido. It was the only plausible reason as to why he would do all this! How else could she explain why he was willing to spend so much money on her!

“Wouldn’t it just be better if Li Syaoran left me out there for dead?” she said bitterly.

“What a thing to say! I’m sure Xiao Lang would be hurt if he heard you say that. Believe what you like Kinomoto-san, but we are not as insensitive as you think.” Eriol said. “We are also glad that you’re safe.”

“So then, what are you doing here?” she asked him sceptically. “What urgent business do you have with me? God knows that it can’t be for a social call.”

“Oh I just wanted to make sure you didn’t do anything rash,” Eriol pretended to brush an invisible lint from his grey sports jacket. “Besides, you and I still need to come to an understanding of some sort.”

“An understanding of what?” Sakura scowled. “As you’ve told Tomoyo, I don’t have the money to sue anyone so you can be rest assured that I won’t take this to court.”

“I am well aware of that Kinomoto-san. You charging us was never an issue in the first place.” Eriol said. “No, we need to talk about Syaoran.”

“What about him?” she asked though she was slightly suspicious of where this conversation was headed.

“Tell me Kinomoto, how does it feel to have the attention of Asia’s number one bachelor?” Eriol went directly at the issue and was quick to drop the honorific in her name.

Sakura, in return, tried to appear unfazed by his assessment. True as his words may be, she didn’t see how that piece of information would be particularly relevant to the man in front of her.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she answered him back in a nonchalant manner.

“Come now,” Eriol coaxed. He was amazed at her audacity to lie to him. The girl didn’t even bat an eyelash. “I may not know what is going on between my cousin and yourself but I’m most definitely not blind. Syaoran wouldn’t just rush out in a snowstorm to save someone’s life unless you mean something to him.”

“You must be mistaken.” Sakura corrected him. “Li-san and I barely know each other.”

Eriol scoffed at her response.

“Do you seriously expect me to believe that? Please! I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

Eriol paused as he raked Sakura with a contemptuous stare.

“For the life of me, I can’t comprehend how you managed to seduce that naive cousin of mine. Is it because of your looks? No, no. I doubt it. You’re pretty but I’ve seen way better looking women than you. Connections, then? No, no. Not that either. I know for a fact that you haven’t got a penny to your name.”

Sakura’s hands tightened into balls of fists.

“Are you here to insult me?” she asked in her most sarcastic voice.

Eriol crossed over to her nightstand where he toyed with a stray petal of a cherry blossom.

“You’re father; his name is Kinomoto Fujitaka right? I heard he’s hospitalized in Tokyo University as well. My sources tell me that he’s suffering from lung cancer. Treatment must be quite expensive.”

Sakura’s eyes narrowed at the mention of her father. How did he know about that? The only person she’s told about this were Tomoyo and Syaoran. She found it very difficult to believe that the both of them would divulge her personal problems to any stranger.

“I had you secretly investigated,” Eriol explained, as if reading her thoughts. “You don’t mind, do you?”

The nerve of him!

“Leave my Dad out of this,” she warned Eriol that he was treading on dangerous grounds. The latter however did not heed her advice, and proceeded on with his personal attacks.

“People would do anything for money especially when their loved ones are at stake. You must have seen an opportunity with Syaoran. Perhaps you’ve offered him that body of yours as compensation,” Eriol sneered. “To tell you the truth, I’m a little disappointed with his taste. I think he could do so much better. Nevertheless, you must have done something right as his partner, had some tricks up your sleeve that Syaoran enjoyed, or else he wouldn’t have been entertained for so long. How much did you charge him anyway? Was it by hour or by night?”

Fury ignited within Sakura. She didn’t like his accusation of her as a whore, especially when it wasn’t even true. Not once had she sold herself to pay for her father’s hospital bills! And no matter how dire the situation was, she never will!

“How dare you!”

“Name your price Kinomoto. I’ll match whatever Syaoran is paying you. But after this, you have to stay away from him. For good.” Eriol drew out the same chequebook he had when they first met and Sakura eyed the object offensively.

“You people are unbelievable!” she spoke in disgust. “Money! It’s always about money!”

“My cousin is in the middle of a show right now that could very well change his life. His reputation is at stake and I won’t let someone like you blow this for him,” Eriol said as he signed a cheque for Sakura.

“For your information, Syaoran and I have never done anything wrong together!” Sakura retorted; her face flushed with anger.

Eriol ignored her and he merely approached Sakura’s bed with the cheque in his outstretched hand. “There, that should be enough to cover your father’s expenses.”

Sakura glared at Eriol as she slowly took the piece of paper from him.

“A wise decision,” he said with a hateful smile, thinking that victory was his. “Now, can I trust that you will keep your word and your distance away from Syaoran?”

Sakura saw the number of zeroes on the cheque. The man meant business, all right. Nobody in their right mind would pay her this much. Unfortunately for Eriol, Sakura wasn’t the type of girl that can be bought either.

“No,” she told him and out of spite, she ripped the cheque in half. Let him have a taste of his own medicine! “Your cousin is a grown man. He can make decisions for himself.”

Eriol was livid. Was she stupid? How could she turn down such a large offer? Did she care what happens to her father at all?

“You -”

“I believe you’ve said everything you needed to say Hiiragizawa-san,” Sakura bit out. “Now if you don’t mind, get out. Your presence is bothering me.”

Eriol stared at Sakura for a moment. ‘What a stubborn fool,’ he thought. ‘You’ll regret this.’

“This isn’t over, Kinomoto,” he said before stepping out of the room himself.

Sakura listened to his fading footsteps before grabbing the pillow from behind her and throwing it hard against the wall. Ever since Li Syaoran entered her life, nothing was ever peaceful anymore!

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Miles away, Syaoran stood by his office windows alone and watched the night skyline with a stiff drink in hand. He received a phone call from Mei Ling minutes ago telling him about Sakura’s reviving condition and he was relieved to hear that she was on her way to a speedy recovery. It was too bad that he couldn’t be there to see her himself. Kami-sama, the past two weeks have been hell for him. Almost losing Sakura, rescuing her, and then her nearly dying again… Things have been so out-of-control and he was just glad that Sakura was now safe and sound.

“Thank God,” he whispered.

Syaoran didn’t know how it happened or when it did, but Kinomoto Sakura suddenly became someone very important to him. At first, she intrigued him only because she was different from the other girls he had known. While many of them would have fawned at Syaoran feet, Sakura appeared to initially dislike him. It was a refreshing sight to be sure but then fate had intervened and it made them cross paths with each other ever since. The more that Syaoran ran into Sakura, the more he learned about her and the further she amazed him. He had never met anyone so hardworking and so dedicated in life. When she was around, he wanted to be a better person. She made him feel things he had never felt before. And, he liked it.

It was just too bad she didn’t feel the same way…

Syaoran was about to take another gulp of his scotch when a soft knock interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in,” he called out.

The door swung open and the intruder revealed herself to be none other than his own mother. What brings her to his office at this time of the night?

“Here to lecture me some more?” Syaoran asked dryly.

Yelan raised an eyebrow at her own son’s rude greeting.

“Really, Xiao Lang! Can I not visit you without having some sort of hidden agenda?”

In response, Syaoran rolled his eyes. Ever since he had settled into the Japanese office, his mother only came to call on him when there was some sort of corporate emergency. Why else would it be different this time around?

“Drink?” he motioned to the bottle of scotch he had on the table.

Yelan shook her head no. She already had her dinner with an important client before seeing Syaoran.

“I heard about what happened in Hokkaido,” Yelan mentioned she sat down on Syaoran’s leather chair.

Syaoran let out a low chuckle and he downed the last of his drink. “Who hasn’t?”

Yelan looked at her son intently. They may not be on the best of terms these past few months but even she could tell that something was going on with Syaoran. She wondered whether his presence on the show was beginning to take into effect and if so, could this mean she would find herself to be a mother-in-law very soon? To be called “Mom” by a future daughter; oh that did have a little nice ring to it.

“Eriol told me you saved one of the girls. Very heroic, I must say. But you got me all worried! You could have at least phoned to let me know that you were alright as well,” she scolded him lightly.

Syaoran wondered what else his cousin had blabbed about but it seemed that his mother only knew the bare facts.

“As you can see, I’m fine,” he replied and then he nodded his head towards the black folder Yelan had been holding, “Now, what have you really come here for, Okaa-sama?”

Yelan sighed. It was true that she came to the Li Building to discuss some business, but she at least wanted to hold a normal conversation with Syaoran first. It had been quite a long time since her own son had opened up to her. Ever since his father died and he took over his responsibilities, Syaoran became distant, preferring to work or accompany his latest paramours on their next great adventure. Yelan didn’t mind in the beginning; after all, what grown man would want to spend all his free time with his mom? But then, she also noticed that he visited her less frequently and the only time they ever saw each other during the past year was in this exact office.

It was rather sad…

“I just had the most pleasant evening with a potential investor,” Yelan told him, and she waited to see what kind of reaction her son would make.

The news definitely caught Syaoran’s attention and he turned to his mother curiously.

“Go on,” he urged her to continue.

“Apparently, this person saw you in that new show of yours and they were very much impressed with your performance,” she said. “They think you’re very amiable in front of the camera, and they’ve expressed interest in forming an alliance with Li Corporation.”

Syaoran appeared pleased. “That’s awesome. I’m glad to see that at least some people are still thinking straight.”

Yelan couldn’t help but agree. Clearly, Syaoran was still bitter about their former partners backing out. This will show them!

“It is, isn’t it?”

“So, has he mentioned which department he’s interested in?” her son asked.

“It’s a she, actually,” Yelan informed him. “- And she did seem fascinated with our telecommunications branch. In particular, our new holographic phones… Anyway, I’ve already arranged a second meeting with her next week. She’ll be touring Li Corporation then.”

Syaoran grinned. Good news just kept flowing in today, first Sakura and now this!

“This is great,” he said, too happy for words.

“Oh yes,” Yelan nodded. “Who would have thought that Mei Ling’s advice to go with the show would actually be beneficial to us?”

The last statement bewildered Syaoran. What did the show have to do with this?

“The show?” he echoed.

Yelan did not seem to realize the falter in Syaoran’s tone and she went on thinking that she brought him good tidings.

“Well, interestingly enough, Sonomi’s daughter is in ‘Are You The One?’ as well. That’s actually how she saw you on television.” Yelan explained.

At the mention of the investor’s name, Syaoran’s body was suddenly filled with dread. She couldn’t mean… No, it was impossible!

“And pray tell which daughter are you talking about?” he asked slowly.

Yelan retrieved a photocopied application form of the mysterious bachelorette from the file and laid it down on his desk.

“I believe this is her,”

Syaoran looked at paper and his eyes widened in shock when he recognized the person on the attached photograph. Life was so cruel sometimes and it just threw him the biggest curve ball of the century. To his dismay, the woman on the picture was none other than Daidouji Tomoyo, the best friend of Kinomoto Sakura herself!

End of Chapter 13

Authors Note: Finally, the long awaited Chapter 13. I had an extremely busy summer with school and work so I didn’t have much to update. I’m so sorry to have kept you all waiting and I thank you for your patience. I would like to extend my gratitude out to my very special reviewers. You guys are the best. Reading your comments are what kept me going. Seriously! I hope to hear more from you and I welcome other reviewers as well. I’d also like to address a particular reviewer who pointed out to me that I had a knack of using Japanese phrases (aisha). There isn’t a particular reason why I do it but I guess you can blame it on a whim and my fascination with the Japanese language. I’ll try to limit it if it bothers you so much, but to keep the realism going, I’ll still be using certain Japanese words here and there. I hope you don’t mind.

Now as for the chapter itself… We’ve come to the most crucial point of the story, ladies and gentlemen! Here we get to see the depth of Sakura and Tomoyo’s friendship as well as the effect of Syaoran’s confession towards Sakura. It’s quite obvious that she’s a little bit startled by it and it’s occupying her mind right now. Unfortunately, other events have already been set into motion and it will cause Syaoran to pay more attention to Tomoyo. How Sakura will take it – well, let’s just say that things are heating up for sure!

Some of you might be wondering about the hospital scene and why Mei Ling left Sakura alone with Eriol despite knowing her cousin’s dislike for the poor girl. I thought the answer to this was obvious. Both Eriol and Mei Ling are representatives of Li Corp and as fond as Mei Ling is of Sakura, she is still a businesswoman at heart. She was afraid that the latter was going to sue them for what had happened in Hokkaido and allowed Eriol to deal with it. What she didn’t realize though was that Eriol had other plans like telling Sakura to stay far away from Syaoran.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading Chapter 13. It was written in a bit of a rush because like I said, I only have to time to update in between work and school. Nevertheless, the story is still on! Hope to hear from you guys soon! By the way, I have another story going called “We Belong Together.” It’s a little bit more risqué than this but the story is more fast paced and there’s a lot of intimate moments between Sakura and Syaoran. Check it out if you have time!